Trip Report: Rockytop circuit hike day one

Browns gap to big run campsite 7.9 miles tent

Sometimes I need solo time. No horse, no dogs, no cats. No friends. No husband. Just me and the sound of my breathing, the crunch of my footsteps, and the creak of my pack. I need to go somewhere with no people and no responsibilities. I need to just be. 

This week at work, I put in 12 hours on Monday and 17 hours on Tuesday. By Wednesday I was exhausted and stressed out. Time for a solo trip. I packed up Wednesday evening and put my pack in the car. I finished my forty hours for the week at two.   I drove out to see Pluto, gassed up the car, and I was gone. 

Slowly, I was gone. 95 was a parking lot. It took me two hours to go 20 miles. Note to self: do not take 95. However, as soon as I got off the interstate, things got better. Soon I found myself driving through Wilderness Battlefield. I stopped at the "shelter" with descriptions and more importantly pictures. What an amazingly violent and horrible time in our nation's history. 

Soon after that I was in the heartland of Virginia. Cattle, horses, and corn filled the fields by the side of the road. It was unfairly picturesque. 

I was looking forward to getting to my motel for the night in the town of Orange. But as it turns out, I watched a parade first. When I got to Orange I saw a lot of fire trucks, and the populace lining the streets. I gave in to the inevitable and pulled over. My only option for dinner was the Subway. I got a sandwich and a prime viewing spot at the back of the parade. 

Orange has a LOT of majorettes. Spangly ones. With flaming batons. It was a good time. 

When the parade finally ended, I drive on to my motel. There I blissfully wallowed in silence. 

I slept in until eight in the morning (I know!) and what with breakfast and packing, didn't get underway until 9:40. I had an hour's drive through heartbreakingly beautiful countryside. I mean, my chest really hurt a little. It was that pretty. 

When I passed the park boundary sign something in me loosened up and I could breathe more easily. It felt like coming home. 

At Swift Run Gap I waved my ID and park pass at the ranger. She barely looked at them. I said I needed a backcountry permit and she waved me over to the kiosk. As I started to drive over she belatedly asked me if I'd been here before. I grinned at her. 

I parked at historic Brown's Gap and got moving. Within minutes I was passed by a thruhiker. I should have asked his name but I forgot because he commented on my Dirty Girl gaiters. Those things get more comments. 

Shortly thereafter I ran into a ranger, and he was the last human being I saw all day. Aaaah. 

Rockytop didn't turn out to be "extremely strenuous" as promised, but it was nice enough. The trail was seriously overgrown. Some of the growth came over my shoulders. I accepted that I would be pulling ticks off later and tried not to stress about it. 

There was some pretty fantastic scenery over huge talus fields. And blueberries! Mostly not ripe yet, though. 

About 4 pm and 8 miles in, I found a fantastic campsite along Big Run and called it a day. It was still broad daylight and I wasn't tired, but the point of this trip wasn't making miles. So I set up my tent in a beautiful mossy spot, treated water, and made dinner. 

I couldn't find a super great spot to hang my food. It's hung, but it wouldn't take much to bring down the branch. I hope I get to have breakfast tomorrow. 

As expected, I found a tick during my tick check. More disturbingly, I keep finding nymphs crawling on my gear. Not much I can do about it though. I need to make time to put permethrin on my gear. All of it. 

Right now I'm undecided about what to do tomorrow. It's six miles back to the car. Or, I could hike north tomorrow and spend the night at pinefield hut, then hike ten miles on the AT on Sunday. Hmm. I think it depends on how much more solitude I feel like I need when I wake up tomorrow. 

Shit! I hear voices. Might have company tonight after all. Maybe I'll get lucky and they won't notice my super sweet campsite over here.