As I poured my soul into the final preparations of my comprehensive exam, Brad meticulously examined his topographical map of Shenandoah National Park. For days, I would find him at the kitchen counter or on the bed with a compass, a ruler, a pen, and his map trying to figure out the route for our vacation--a 3-day backpacking trip.
For 3 whole, beautiful days, we would travel by foot on a hiking route that Brad pieced together, and our destination was the North District of Shenandoah National Park.
Day 1
On Day 1, we hiked up on Knob Mountain and hiked down to Jeremy's Run.
That night, we set up camp on the banks of Jeremy's Run,
filtering water from the run to use when cooking dinner: leftover snacks (e.g. granola bars), mashed potatoes, Ramen, and hot cocoa.
It was cold. Real cold. Wearing multiple layers of clothing, including Army-issued neck gators, nestled in our warm sleeping bags, we taught each other how to play cards. I taught Brad how to play golf, and he taught me how to play poker.
Several times that night, something woke me up--an owl hooting close by. I didn't even care that she deprived me of sleep. Her call enchanted me.
Day 2
In the morning, we made some oatmeal for breakfast and then broke down our campsite. After filtering some mountain water for the hike ahead of us,
we took off on the trail. We hiked up, up, up to Neighbor Mountain, a mountain devastated by a wildfire this past summer. The charred trees were surrounded by new growth.
After hiking up Neighbor Mountain, we hiked up another mountain. And another mountain. Then we hiked down to Thornton River and bushwhacked into the backcountry along Piney Branch. I loved our campsite. It was legitimately in the middle of nowhere.
That night we fell asleep early and woke up many times. But again, the lack of sleep didn't matter because of the beauty that surrounded us. When I opened my weary eyes each time that night, I didn't look up to see my closet door or a sterile white stucco ceiling. Instead, I saw a blanket of stars covering the night sky.
Day 3
Day 3 was bittersweet. We missed the Poops (of course) and showers and deodorant and toilets, but there is something about living off the grid that frees our souls. Watching a falcon soar across the sky or a deer leap through the crunchy, leaf-ridden forest floor is special. It's sacred, and so is waking up to a hooting owl or a blanket full of stars.
Eddie Vedder captures that feeling well in his song "Society," which is from the Into the Wild soundtrack.
We wanted to capture that feeling in a picture, so using a rock and timer mode, Brad snapped a shot. And it's a photograph that I will cherish forever.
On the final hike of our vacation, we ran into something we didn't expect to see an old, but well-kept cemetery beneath a grove of trees. The changing leaves gave an orange cast to the burial place even though the leaves look yellow in this first picture.
While exploring the cemetery, we stumbled across this:
It pains me that others had to suffer, so I could enjoy this playground. Hippies hate hurt. Just ask anyone who knows me. But I am so grateful of the mountain people's sacrifice. These mountains give me peace. I just hope the mountain people found their peace after being displaced from such a sacred spot.
The cemetery was along Keyser Run. After we left it, we tackled Little Devil's Stairs, one bitch of a hike but completely worth the pain and sweat. Imagine walking for miles up the steepest stairs you have ever seen while surrounded by a wild canyon and gorge. These pictures cannot even begin to capture this stunning scenery.
The whole trip was wild, wonderful, incredible, and unforgettable.
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