Change of Plans

Beth and I left to meet Ward at a pre-arranged pickup point in the Mt. Rogers, VA area last Friday.  We planned to pick up Ward and then let him slackpack 16 miles to another pickup point.  After that we would drive with Ward to nearby Abingdon, VA for a fun weekend.  Poppy (Beth's father and Ward's grandfather) planned to drive up separately and meet us there.

We knew from reports that the weather conditions were poor around the Mt. Rogers area where Ward was hiking.  Still, we assumed that everything was on go.  About 30 minutes before pickup, I received a text message asking that we meet at another point.  Ward could not go any further.  No problem.  We would plug the new location into our phones, or we would follow the map on the GPS.  Wrong.  Because the area was so remote would could not get a cell signal, and the road point where Ward wanted to meet did not show up on the GPS.

The conditions on the mountain were so poor, and we were so concerned about Ward's cryptic text message, that I agreed to do something I rarely do:  we stopped to ask directions at a local convenience store.  The owner was a nice fellow, new to the business, but unfamiliar with the area.  He had gas pumps but no gas (been waiting on a contract for four months).  He tried his best to find the meeting spot, and even called friends.  He eventually sent us on a long trek on a mountain road with poor conditions.  By now we were very concerned, as we were at least 45 minutes late for the planned pickup.  Ward was by himself.  He had to be cold, and we didn't know what else might have happened, since he spent the previous night alone in a remote location (Matt decided to take a zero in nearby Damascus the previous day).

We turned onto a "main" road and drove a few miles, looking for someone who might be able to help.  We happened upon "Beech Mountain Rd" sign - not the one in North Carolina, but the one we wanted.  We came upon it so quickly I had to swerve to make the turn.  Elation, but then uncertainty.  Beech Mountain road was a gravel road in the middle of nowhere, covered in snow.  We drove about 1/4 mile where the road converged with another gravel road.  More confusion.  Were we in the right place and was this still Beech Mountain road?  With nothing to lose, we decided to continue on down the road.  There was an occasional home along the way, usually stuck deep in the woods off the road.  There were no other car tracks in the snow, it was windy, and snowing.  We were anxious, concerned, and about to turn around  for help, when we finally spotted tire tracks leaving a driveway and heading in our the same direction as us.  We decided to stay the course.

After about 3/4 mile the road began to wind in hairpin-like turns.  As usual, Beth asked "do you know what you're doing"?  As we rounded one of the turns I spotted a gray-suited figure in the distance.  The height, the posture, and everything else about the figure was a dead giveaway - it was Ward.  I laughed and Beth asked "what, what!"  Then she saw the figure and we knew all was well.

He had been waiting about 40 minutes, and in the meantime hiked to the top of a nearby hill, where he was able to call Poppy (but not us since we could not receive calls).  He had hiked about 1 1/2 to 2 miles, often crawling below ice-covered, low-hanging Rhododendron to reach the revised pickup point.  We talked and continued down Beech Mountain road and into Damascus where we came across Matt, hiking along the Virginia Creeper trail, heading out of town to resume his journey.  We stopped and Ward explained the conditions to Matt, advising him to wait it out for the day.  Matt seemed relieved, and turned around to hike back into Damascus (funny how hikers will not accept rides for short distances).  He and Ward worked out a plan to meet up on Sunday.

Technology is a wonderful thing, but it's funny how lost and insecure we can become when it doesn't work.  To me this just shows just how vulnerable and and how dependent we have become in recent years.  Of course, Poppy never has this problem, as he doesn't rely on technology.  His computer, his phone, and his GPS rarely ever work properly, so he doesn't trust them.   But Poppy is like "Rain Man" when it comes to maps and distances.  A couple of years ago we were driving through south Florida when the kids started asking for a pit stop.  I started punching buttons on the GPS, but Poppy simply said "there's an Exxon station 12.6 miles down the road at exit XX.  We stopped there in 1996 on our way to see . . . ."  Throughout the trip he would spout out distances, exit numbers, names of gas stations, restaurants, and probably even the exact coordinates of local alligator farms.  He was never wrong.  Amazing.  Poppy would have found Ward in no time had he been with us on Friday morning.

Mt. Rogers was a memorable experience, and one that makes us remember to be thankful that Ward is safe and sound.