Today was the 9 mile downhill in reverse - in the pouring rain. The day had a surprise ending, and though we were soaked and tired, it was by far my favorite day of the trip :)
We were up by 6am. I could hear the rain as soon as I woke up, and it was a struggle to get the soaking wet tent back into the pack without drenching my clothes and sleeping bag. We packed up the camp as quickly as we could in the conditions and began the uphill climb. There were a lot of (relatively perilous) stream crossings, some mild rock climbing, and a lot of stone steps, and despite Nico's best attempts to tell the rain to STOP, it kept pouring as we walked. It took us about 6 hours to walk the first 3 miles, but even though it was unbearably uncomfortable, we managed to make it fun.
I walked with Lára, and she LOVED the rain. I followed her example and lowered my hood to fully appreciate the rain. We all sang songs for the entire uphill section (lots of Disney), talked about what food we missed the most (chocolate was the most popular), discussed music tastes, and shared how each of us would spend the perfect rainy day. The views were beautiful, and the mist that shrouded the edges of the forest was like something out of a zombie movie.
Lunch was fun. It was definitely not the most sanitary meal we had eaten thus far, but no one cared about manners by that point. We tried to air out our feet (because our shoes were puddles) and tried and failed to express how uncomfortable the rain and wetness had become. We weren't complaining though - we were laughing. The discomfort of the situation, the fact that we were eating peanut butter out of a bag, that we were surviving off of tortillas, that the skin on our feet looked like soggy grape, and of course the fact that we had 6 miles remaining- had became hilarious.
Unfortunately, Inés had hurt her ankle during the slippery climb up the hill. By the time we reached lunch time, it was hurting too badly for her to continue the hike. While Dani and Christina deliberated on how to address the new situation, we had a moment. We circled on the trail and sang songs (Liam conducted) - Highway to Hell and Hallelujah were my personal favorites - and we cheered for passing hikers. All I can say is, if we were that delirious after 5 days in the woods, I really want to meet one of those hikers that spends months finishing the Appalachian Trail.
Finally, the decision was made to drive Inés, Naomi (her loyal companion), and Dani back up to the Big Meadows Campground. The rest of us would hike five miles on the Appalachian Trail to meet them in the front-country, hopefully before nightfall. We all gave Inés and Naomi a hug, then set off in the other direction of the road, back into the back-country.
We walked at a good pace through the forest for about an hour, then made a wrong turn out of the woods, and out onto an overlook. you could tell that it was supposed to be a beautiful view, but the fog had come in with the wet weather, so you couldn't see a thing. The world beyond the rocks was completely white-washed so that you felt as if you were at the edge of the Earth. We stared into the whiteness for awhile, got a few pictures, and just began to head back toward the trail, when we noticed a shift in the mist. The clouds were parting, and suddenly we could see the beautiful, pristine valley of farmlands below us and the blinding sun filtered through the clouds like a scene from the Bible. There were mountains a little in the distance, and then more rolling valley behind them. It was beautiful, and just as fast as the clouds had parted, they swept back in, and we were in the clouds - surrounded by them. They rolled in and out, parting and then gobbling up the view, and they moved in sections so that we could see layers of wisping cloud and rays of sunlight. We would have stayed up there forever if not for the threat of nightfall before we made it back to camp.
We continued down the correct path - the Appalachian Trail - and were able to admire a few more views from overlooks along the path. The surrounding forest was beautiful as well, with shorter trees than the forest that we had been walking in, so that you felt as if you were walking through archways of trees and overhanging plants. We talked more about our different cultures, and by the time we reached camp (well before nightfall) we were almost dry.
We met up with Naomi and Inés back at Big Meadows campground, and the wonderful NatureBridge staff who had driven them up gave us each a set of clean, dry clothes. It was such a relief just to be back in a place with access to shelter when it rained, and to know that we would not have to pack up our soaking tents again. We set up our tents as we had on that very first night, waterproofed everything (the rain was not forecasted to stop) and were able to relax in the front-country for the rest of the night. We played cards together as it got dark, took some family pics, and (my personal favorite part) put on the warm, dry, new set of clothes as we prepared for dinner and bed.
Dinner was somehow more delicious just because we were dry while eating it, and Inés, Naomi, and Dani gave each of us a card that they had made while waiting for the car to pick them. Each card was thoughtfully personalized with drawings and a haiku, so that it is now one of my favorite momentos from the trip.
After our usual GRANITE meeting, when we had all gone back to our tents, I simply appreciated how clean the new clothes felt and how peaceful the rain sounded on the roof of my tent.