Lost in the Woods part II or "Some Who Wander Actually ARE Lost"

continuing from Lost in the Woods part I...

So, at this point I was delirious.  It was almost dark, we could barely see, and all we had was a small wind up flashlight.  For some reason, winding that flashlight kept me going.  Eventually we got back to the camp of college guys.  I actually scared them because they could see this crazy woman in the dark with wild hair streaming in the wind, coming at them rapidly.  "You were just moving SO fast!" they said, slightly alarmed.  While they were chatting with my husband, kindly offering campsite shelter and food, I was already climbing the next mountain.  All I could think of was my kids and worried family, I was not about to set up camp.  

My poor husband was frightened, more so by me than the situation.  I was usually way ahead of him, fueled by terror and determination, and at one point he noticed me walking right past a bear while cursing the entire wilderness area and screaming at the sharp rocks in the rugged "path."  Apparently this large dark bear just froze in my presence and after I was several yards away, retreated into the nearby forest.   I still feel bad about cursing the wilderness area.  

It's funny how the mind works when you are in a histrionic state.  Rationally, I should have been afraid of stepping on snakes, running into bears, breaking my ankle on those awful trails... but no.  I was not afraid of those things!  My greatest fear was being on that trail forever.  It would never end, we would be there from now on and nobody would ever see us again except for that man telling us we were off the map!  I wanted the trail to end.  I was in a mumbling stage at this point, winding the flashlight and moving forward.   

It was 1 AM when we finally reached an area with a cell phone signal and started making our way down a steep ski slope.  My in-laws had already contacted the local police but at that point we had them call off the search.  We finally knew where we were.  Ski slopes seem more slippery in the summer when they are covered in mud and gravel, especially in the dark.  I had bruises in places I dare not mention and my ankles were throbbing from repeatedly stumbling in the dark. Regardless, we were on a definite path home.  My father-in-law met us at the bottom of the slope and we were back at the cabin around 2 AM.

The next morning I was at a nearby coffee shop in Davis, WV.  It was a rugged scene, the baristas were dressed as if they engaged in rock climbing during their lunch breaks and the air was filled with the smell of coffee and mud, along with adventurous conversations.  There were more mountain bikes outside than cars and I felt like an outsider in their ruggedly cool world.  "You from here?" I was asked.  Eventually I came out with it.  "We were lost in the wilderness for over 12 hours yesterday!"  All of a sudden, I was one of them!  Rugged people were surrounding me, asking questions, sharing similar stories, guys with beards nodded with respect and admiration for my survival skills.  I left out the screaming/mumbling part of the adventure.  Then I realized my husband and kids were waiting in the car so I gathered my coffees and said my goodbyes.  

While we were lost, I cursed Dolly Sods and decreed to the wilderness that I would never... ever... return.  EVER!   A few days later, I was going through all the amazing photos I captured in this beautiful wilderness.   I will return there someday, obviously better equipped and mentally prepared for the true meaning of the word "adventure."

Lost in the Woods part I

Some of my favorite forest photos are from the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia.  I had my nice camera, my nice hiking shoes, and my nice husband who happened to have a nice topographic map, and we set out one early afternoon around 1 PM for a nice hike.  Within the first 30 minutes we realized that this was not going to be a "clean" hike.  Other than being covered in mud from slick, wet paths (ski slope trails in the summer), we found that many of the trails were not marked and made quite a few circles around the ski slope trails before we finally got to the entrance of the wilderness.

In spite of the minor obstacles, we were truly enjoying our little hike.  The weather was cooperating relatively well and the surroundings were absolutely breathtaking!  A few hours went by quickly as we witnessed amazing changes in terrain, foliage, and biomes.  We laughed at a delightful, yet feisty little snake, picked a few wild blueberries, and fondly talked about the bears in the area and how they must enjoy such delicious blueberries.  

Two more hours went by as we hiked along, still enamored with our surroundings but less enchanted by the lack of signs and marked trails.  In fact, after the big sign at the entrance, we only saw one other sign.  Occasionally we saw a weird rock pile, sort of a totem indicating that the trail was of some importance.  Or perhaps someone was just really bored.  In addition to being poorly marked, the trails also had a tendency to turn into nothing more than streams, weeds, and piles of rocks.  Regardless, we kept getting out the topographic map to plan how to get back to the entrance.  It was getting late and we were tired, hungry, and wanted to get back to our cabin with the rest of our family.  

We ran into very few humans during our hike.  The first small group was at the entrance picking blueberries and riding horses.  The next group we encountered hours later at a campsite, a group of college guys in some wilderness-related club.  The third person we encountered around 8 PM, cooking over a campfire and seeming quite confident in his wilderness skills, appropriately dressed with just enough gear to look experienced but not going overboard.  When we asked if we were going in the right direction, he kindly gave us the facts.  NO.

WE WERE WAY OFF THE TRAIL AND THE MAP!  There were 2 ways to get back to the entrance.  The first option was to simply backtrack the way we came.  Of course, there was nothing simple about hiking 4 hours back over a series of trails that led us into oblivion.   The second option was to keep going and climb the mountain ahead.  It was a shorter route but well known for being stocked with many bears.

My husband looked over at me to get my opinion and discovered that I was no longer there.  I was already on the trail heading back the way we came, moving forward at warp speed with determination to get back to our cabin.   We had no cell phone reception so our family had no idea what had happened.  Having packed our bags for a "day hike," we were almost out of water, completely out of snacks, and in my case, totally out of patience.   I was going to walk and walk and walk in the dark until I got home.  I wanted to see my children!

To be continued... see Lost in the Woods part II aka Some Who Wander Actually ARE Lost