Backcountry Hiking and Camping

My good friend George invited me out to the Shenandoah National Park for some Back Country Hiking / Camping. He had chosen a 20 mile circuit of trails that included some stints on the Appalachian Trail. My last attempt at a long hike had ended miserably and 3 days earlier than expected with both knees suffering from IT Band flare ups. I thought that this hike may be a means for me to mend my bruised ego. George is a thoroughly seasoned hiker carrying a pack of 20lbs that holds literally just the bare necessities. I on the other hand hoist 35lbs of pack with a heavier version of those same necessities. We started out Friday evening with a drive to the National Park and finding the trail head at Beahms Gap off of Skyline Drive. The plan was to hike just one mile on Friday, decompress, hit it hard on Saturday and then coast back to our vehicle early Sunday afternoon. There was a bit of foreshadowing when that first mile to Byrds Nest 4, a three sided stone shelter, was at a severely steep incline and wrought with switchbacks in the trail. Although the signs said not to, we were staying the night. We set up our gear, mats on the ground, sleeping bags on top of that. Our packs at our feet to keep them off the cold ground. The view from the shelter as the moon rose was amazing. Fast Forward to 3am. George gets up, as men our age seem to do in the middle of the night. His sounds in the shelter startle me as I had been listening for bear all night. I decide its better to join him out there in the dark wilderness rather than be there alone later. I head get up as well. He heads the 30 feet back to the shelter and I’m just finishing up, when from nowhere comes an incredibly loud and close noise “wooooohooooo…eeaahaahhh..” I had never heard anything like it in my life.. It started like the sound of a redneck girl’s warcry at a Lynyrd Skynyrd Concert after a shot of Jack. It ended with the sound of something very, very animal. “What the hell was that!!?“ I said frantically… “Pee Monkey’s” George said pointedly.. Apparently that’s the phrase he has assigned those unexplained noises that only happen when you leave the comfort of your sleeping gear in the night to relieve yourself. We finally decided that it was a coyote. Saturday brought mixed blessings. Beautiful weather but lots of hiking and a true challenge called “Little Devils Stairs”. Don’t let the cute name fool you, this rugged piece of trail rises 1400 feet in just 1.5 miles. Shear granite walls rose from each side so far up that I couldn’t see the top. A rambling waterfall ran down the middle amongst dead fall trees and boulders that had been lodged there long ago. As we began our ascent, it became clear that ‘slow and steady’ were the watch words. Each high step onto a boulder required a push, a balance and then a willingness to allow the inertia of my 35lbs pack to propel me forward to the next boulder. My legs were screaming as I would push my body up to each successive foot hold. If this trail had been any steeper, we would have needed ropes. It would have been a challenge even if we had no additional gear to carry. We renamed this section of trail “Satan’s Staircase.” Cause it was hell getting to the top. We made another 7 miles after we reached the top. Stopping to pump filtered water into our water bottles from a stream. We made camp at Elkwallow Gap. This night too brought coyote howls and loud crashing sounds in the pitch of the night. With me in my tent and George in his hammock, each noise would have us shout out to the other.. “Pee Monkey?” and the answer would come…. “Pee Monkey.”