When? Sunday, January 6
Where? Jefferson Natl Forest
After the prescribed vacation hiatus, I finally found the necessary peace to keep learning about the place where I live. Ever since I moved to SW Va, some three-odd years ago, I had been wanting to hike what is supposed to be one of the most strenuous and spectacular trails withing shouting distance: Rock Castle Gorge. Until now, I had always found the perfect excuse not to do it: I'm not in shape, It's too far away, It's going to rain. Motivation was easy to find this week: I have spent most of the last seven days of my life in a hospital room, looking after who I dearly refer to as my 'belay bitch'. He had emergency brain surgery ensuring a freak car accident. He is still convalescing, but he'll get better.
So it is not surprising that the dreaded Rock Castle Gorge Trail actually felt short and unchallenging. The mosaic of scenes I witnessed will remain unparalleled for some time though: blinding bright sun fighting off iced waterfalls, lots of water running in the gorge and scorched vegetation 2000 ft up in the grassy knolls, steep and narrow trail obliterated by mammoth rhododendron and overlooks with a 50-mile unobstructed view.
Of course, I am such a doofus, that I slipped crossing a creek and banged my right patella 'real bad' against a rock. Although it was hard to complete the last five miles of the hike with an ailing knee cap, I think I built some stamina that will come in handy when I go mountaineering this year.
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