On December 7th, after an early season snowfall, I decided to photograph along the Appalachian Trail in the Elk Garden area of southwest Virginia. It was cold and beautiful and maneuvering through the knee-deep was manageable.
On December 14th I again went to Elk Garden. This time the snow along the Appalachian Trail was 3' feet deep and there was no way for me to hike through it. On the Virginia Highlands Trail the snow was waist-deep and getting deeper when I decided to turn around.
Mountain Light
After slogging through the snow over the past few winters I received some much needed new gear for Christmas - snowshoes!
They opened up a whole new world.
Snowshoeing the Appalachian Trail (AT) with over three feet of snow and even deeper drifts was now possible. On January 14th I was back at Elk Garden and was the first person on the AT after a recent storm. One unexpected thing I learned on this early evening hike was how difficult it was to find and follow the trail.
The forest floor was solid white and the white blazes on the trees that mark the AT were hard to find and often covered with snow. Even so, it was a magical experience. The woods were silent, snow covered the rocks and trees, and early evening light filtered through the trees. I hiked about a mile along the trail before turning around. My plan was to return for an early morning hike.
Evening Along the Appalachian Trail
A week later, and after another snowstorm had blown through, I arrived at Elk Garden 40 minutes before sunrise. An almost full moon was beginning to set and highlighted the snow-covered landscape and enabled me to begin my hike without a flashlight.
I spent time photographing on the Elk Garden bald before heading to Mount Rogers. Elk Garden is 4,430 feet above sea level and the 4 ½ mile hike to Mount Rodgers has a 1,299 foot elevation gain before reaching the top of Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet. A hike like this would have been unimaginable without snowshoes.
Moon Over Whitetop
I was again the first hiker which at first made it difficult to follow the trail. However I discovered that if I looked for a slight indentation in the snow, which was usually accompanied by a long snowdrift, I could find the trail.
Several times I did lose the trail when it made a sharp turn. On the AT sharp turns are marked by trees with white double blazes so I knew the trail was turning but it took a while to find the trail again. Just past Deep Gap and a sharp turn in the trail I wandered around the woods for about 30 minutes searching for a tree marked with a white blaze so I could continue on my way to Mount Rogers.
MountRodgers is the highest point in Virginia. Though there is no view from the top the ½ mile spur trail off the AT is quite beautiful as it winds its way through Frazier Fir to a small clearing with tree boughs hanging low and coated with snow. The bright sunlight was not ideal for photography but here is an image taken at the top compared to one from the spring.
Rocky Summit
The return trip was much easier since I could follow my own tracks. At Deep Gap I crossed over to the Virginia Highlands Trail and followed it back to Elk Garden. At Elk Garden fifteen foot snowdrifts covered the trail so I worked my way around them and back to my car.
The Virginia Highlands Trail Disappears Into The Drifts
I only had one problem during the nine mile trek. My water bottles froze solid by the time I got to Mount Rogers. I was extremely thirsty and reverted back to my childhood and ate handfuls of snow while waiting for a water bottle I put under my layers of clothing to thaw. Oh my...
