Back in 1980 I left Damascus, Virginia early in the morning, trying to reach the next little town so I could pick up my next box of food and supplies from the Post Office. All I had was a "data book" for the trail which showed the mileage between road crossings, shelters, and other key features. As I left Damascus, I was going to try and make 20 miles. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Unfortunately, I did not know what I was about to face.
I was in the Mount Rogers recreation area and towards the late afternoon I began to climb. It was a very long climb and I was anxious to reach the summit so I could find a flat place where I could camp. But the trail kept going up, and up, and up, and up. I didn't know that I was climbing Mt. Rogers, the highest peak in Virginia! As evening approached I searched for a flat place anywhere so I could camp, but everything was either covered in rocks or was on a slant. So I continued to climb.
When I went above the tree line (the elevation where trees do not grow), the sun had set but I still had a little bit of twilight. The wind also picked up. At first it was hard, then it became ferocious! I was climbing uphill, passing by huge boulders the size of houses. The wind was so intense that I would literally run from one boulder to the next. If the distance was too great to make it in a quick sprint I would lie down on the ground and the wind would tear at my backpack. I was in trouble and I knew it!
Rain began to fall, whipped by the wind. The light was fading fast. The white blazes that marked the trail were hard to see. The trail began to follow a gravel road on the summit. Now I was not looking for a flat place to camp, I knew that I had to get below tree line or I could catch hyperthermia (where your body loses too much heat and you can die of shock). The wind howled, the rain felt like bee stings on my skin, the light was almost gone. I was still on the gravel road when I realized that it had been a while since I had seen a white blaze. Then I realized that I was lost on the mountaintop. I couldn't backtrack and find the trail. I probably had missed a turn somewhere. I was in serious, serious trouble and I knew it. The only thing that could save me was divine intervention.....
Here in 2011 I remember that feeling of being lost. Tomorrow I will tell the rest of the story. This morning I weighed in at 181.8 pounds. I went jogging in the morning and right now (6:30pm) I am eating a subway sandwich for supper. It is starting to feel good to have less weight on my body. And even though my weight has gone up and down, overall it is going down. I am determined not to lose my way in this journey to reach 165 pounds!
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