NORSA ICE 2013

NOW WITH PICTURES!!

For the latest installment of the NORSA Insane Cold-Weather Excursion (ICE), a team of four NORSA veterans braved the icy waters of Ramsey's Draft on January 26, 2013. Unlike the previous trip to Ramsey's Draft in November 2012 (an unrecorded NORSA expedition lost in time), Mike, the Steves, and I found the actual trail and, instead of hiking straight up to the ridgeline, decided to tackle the dozens of stream crossings along the main trail.

The trip began smoothly enough with a stop by some remarkable ice formations near the trailhead for a photo op. Then the first stream crossing was upon us. Wasting a good 15 minutes to find a good spot to rock hop across without getting our boots wet, we realized that the hike would quickly become an 8 - 10 hour ordeal if every stream crossing took the same amount of time. So, we got a little less dainty with each stream we crossed, and, by the end of the trip, we were essentially wading through any water ankle deep or shallower. As it turned out, everyone's boots were sturdy and the waterproofing held up wonderfully. However, Steve L. demonstrated exactly why cotton is a killer in the cold when we finally reached our campsite. When he changed into his synthetic clothing, his jeans were frozen into two solid tubes of ice.

The valley hike itself was beautiful, with the once-mighty hemlocks both towering above us and laying on the ground, the forest was surreal. It's a shame that the bulk of the hemlock trees have become victims of the Wooly Adelgid and this NORSA expedition will likely be one of the last times humans see the forest as it was  before a more resilient, but much younger tree supplants the hemlock as the canopy of the wilderness. However, the felled giants often provided a makeshift bridge for some of the stream crossings, and the stream crossings themselves lent their own air of natural splendor to the trip, as well. Additionally, the hike was made even more pleasant since no one else seemed willing to withstand the single-digit temperatures and not a soul was seen on the hike out to camp.

Once at the campsite in the shadow of the mountaintop which is home to Hiner Springs, the source of Ramsey's Draft, the team immediately felt the bitter chill of Mother Nature's bitchy side. Firewood was collected immediately and getting a blaze going was first priority. Once we had a solid, life-sustaining fire going, then it was time to set up camp. It was so incredibly cold that Steve L.'s ground tarp disintegrated at its first exposure to the cold air.

Following a hearty dinner of disparate cuisine ranging from soup and sardines to compressed nut health bars and spirulina snacks, we participated in the traditional NORSA ICE rituals of drinking around the fire, telling stories, and making fun of our friends not brave enough to endure the frigid weather with us. Then, it was time to hit the sack. Literally crumbling apart in brittle sheets, Steve L.'s tarp barely kept him insulated from the ground. Meanwhile, Steve S, Mike, and myself stayed in tents with many layers of insulation between ground and body and still felt the heat sapped from us once the snow's natural insulation melted out from under us. The night's chill was probably even colder in the dawn hours, but the coldest recorded temperature that any of us noted was 8° Fahrenheit.

The next morning, a hasty fire was built to return life to our extremities, retire the consumable trash, and de-ice our water bottles for the return hike. Following a quick breakfast of trail mix or whatever else was handy, we set out upon the trail in the light of the breaking dawn (which came so late given our position in a valley). The trip back went much faster than the trip out since we now thought nothing of crossing a stream and trusted wholly to our boots' waterproofing. We did see another troupe of campers near the trailhead who were either setting up camp early to do some fishing or who may have also braved the night with us. Then, back at the trailhead, another successful NORSA ICE concluded with little ado and the long ride back to civilization.

NORSA ICE Conquers Another GWNF Peak

On January 17th, 2009, NORSA members convened for the annual Insane Cold-weather Excursion (ICE), an extreme camping trip in below-freezing temperatures. This year's ICE, though different in many ways from last year's, had much in common with ICE 2008. For instance, this year saw no more turnout than last year, and once again, ICE was confined to just three intrepid adventurers.

Repeat-offenders Tom, Steve, and Steven S., all from last year's ICE, coordinated and participated in the trip this new year. Furthermore, in what is becoming a tradition, the trio set out late and ended up hiking up the mountain partially in the dark. Finally, once more this year, as with last, 40's were purchased for summit consumption.

Upon hitting the trailhead, Tom and Steve, veterans of NORSA ICE 2004, remembered the parking area and quick stream crossing from the previous trip. The failed attempt to reach Duncan Knob in 2004 actually resulted in a camping trip at Scothorn Gap, and this year's group passed by the old campsite on this trip. In 2004, explorers from NORSA found the saddle pond along a trail which actually leads to Duncan Knob, but, without the aid of a map, they couldn't know that they were only about three miles from the peak. The 2009 ICE crew passed the pond in the waning daylight and pushed forward the remainder of the yellow-blazed Scothorn Gap Trail until it connected with the blue-blazed Gap Creek Trail that leads up to the Peach Orchard Gap campsite between Duncan Knob and the Middle Mountain ridgeline.

After reaching the white-blazed Duncan Knob Summit Trail, the troop set uphill to climb the peak, but instead deemed the final rock scramble to be to dangerous in the limited light. Returning to Peach Orchard Gap, they set up camp in the clearing and lit a raging fire to stave off the frigid, bone-chilling cold. Though not as windy as Signal Knob, the campsite at Peach Orchard Gap was not lacking for good fire wood and nature stoked the flames quite handily with some strong gusts. When the fire was out, the campers settled down to get what rest they could in long hours of the frozen night.

The next morning dawned rosily over the Massanuttens and Steve, Tom, and Steven S. set up the ridge trail to finish what they'd started. Duncan Knob, from it's perch on the peak of Catback Mountain, offers a spectacular 360° view of the George Washington National Forest and the surrounding area. To the east, one can see Kerns Mountain and Jawbone Gap; to the south, Waterfall Mountain and Scothorn Gap; to the east, the Shenandoah River and river valley is visible through Burner's Gap; and to the north, Duncan Hollow, Fort Valley, and Kennedy Peak. The climb to the peak is a fun rock scramble that involves some decent climbing skills and the payoff is rewarding when the view is great on a clear day.

Returning to camp and gathering their gear, the crew set off on the trail to return home. Along the way, though, they couldn't resist the saddle pond and it's enticing glassy surface. A solid six-inch thick sheet of ice covered the pond and petrified the clearing in a crystalline winter stillness. Some fox and deer tracks were in the sprinkling of snow that covered the icy pond's edge, and, following suit, the NORSA campers enjoyed some fun on the ice as well. Then, it was time to finish the hike and grab some lunch before heading back to DC. A trip to Front Royal brought the hungry trekkers to Mikado Japanese Steakhouse for some fantastic hibachi before heading back to the city and all the incoming Inaugural traffic.

ICE 2009 marks another big success in the pages of the NORSA extreme adventures. The 8° weather was second only to the 7° temperature of ICE 2004, and the night-hiking was equally, if not more, extreme as the night-hike of ICE 2008. With another year under its belt, who knows what 2010 will bring any adventurers brave enough to put themselves through the absudity that is NORSA ICE?

Sunday Afternoon Hiking on the Billy Goat Trail

On Sunday, January 11th, NORSA members gathered to hike the Billy Goat Trail along the Maryland side of the Potomac River. Steven Splitek, who is preparing for the Bataan Death March Memorial Marathon in March, was the impetus behind the trip, and carried a rucksack with 35 lbs of text books and water along the hike. Joining him on the trip and starting off down the C&O Canal Towpath to the trailhead by Old Angler's Inn were Matt White, Nora Hoffman, Tom Saffell, and NORSA newcomer, Emily Paladino.

Despite the trailheads being closed for flooding, the troop was not discouraged and checked all three trail entrances to be certain the trail was actually closed. The third trailhead was open and it turns out that the park stewards had merely forgotten to remove the trail closure cordons from earlier flooding that had since receded. Despite the chilly weather, the hike was pleasant and provided the NORSA folks with some very nice views of the river, some cold-weather kayakers, and some interesting wildlife including a deer, some beautiful avian specimens, and various other critters.

The Billy Goat Trail is a moderately challenging day hike that takes hikers, wanderers, trailrunners, and explorers over easy trail, rock scrambles, rock climbs, and stream crossings. The most difficult portion of the trail is certainly the 45-foot rock climb that can be traversed either up or down depending on which trailhead one chooses to begin the hike. This hike is a quick and easy half-day affair at most and is easy to follow with its distinctive light blue blazes amply laid out along the trail. This short and sweet little event will certainly be occurring again and again in the NORSA repertoire, so if you would like to join us next time or even be the instigator behind such a quick, fun, and easy trip, please join the mailing list or e-mail any NORSA coordinator in order to get involved.

From our family to yours ...

And a NORSAtastic New Year!

NORSA Annual ICE to Signal Knob a Success

Despite our best efforts to bolster the numbers for the ICE, the final count of NORSA adventurers brave enough to make the trip amounted to the traditional and usual three only. Although five people had initially planned to come, two folks were unable to attend on account of conflicting plans. However, the ICE still advanced as planned with a hike and camp to Signal Knob by the remaining three NORSA members slated to go: Tom Saffell, Steven, and NORSA neophyte Steven Splitek, who joins with plenty of previous hiking experience including stints in New Mexico, California, Texas, and Washington State.

After some initial coordination and communication breakdowns which made the trio start out west on Rt. 66 later than anticipated and some terrible pre-hike Pizza Hut service, the hikers hit the trail from the Signal Knob trailhead at about 5:45 p.m. yesterday, February 9, 2008. When it was learned that expert camp-cooker Adam couldn't attend the ICE, the decision of bringing a gas stove was toyed with, then tossed out. Thus, their only provisions were three Nutri-grain bars, a dip-tin of powdered beef jerky, some sunflower seeds, and some cookies Steve's mom had baked, plus some American cheese singles, wheat bread, and trail mix that Steven Splitek had packed separately. So, adequately prepared for whatever challenges they may face, the three set off up the Massanutten Mountain range.

Darkness quickly settled on the George Washington National Forest, and, as the night before had been the end of the new moon, only a thin crescent rose to light the path for the NORSA expedition. For the duration of the 5.5 mile hike, no mishaps befell the party despite two lengthy and difficult boulder scrambles that were conducted almost entirely by feel. Additionally, although the party passed three other worthy campsites complete with fire rings, the decision was made each time to complete the full hike to the peak at Signal Knob. Among those campsites passed over were the Buzzard Rock Overlook, the Fort Valley Overlook, and a site at the intersection of the Meneka Peak Trail and the Signal Knob Trail.

Hard work paid off in the end as the three explorers came within view of the airway beacon that sits atop Signal Knob. Finding the exact same campsite as the 2003 NORSA expedition, the fearless threesome set up camp in the black night and began the search for combustible fuel. Once enough firewood was gathered, Tom was able to, despite the 40 mph wind, build a fire with no fire-starting materials using only 13 common wooden kitchen matches. The fire served as nature’s television while camp stories were told, malt liquor consumed, and general camaraderie enjoyed. While relaxing and reveling, the campers could look out in almost any direction and gaze at the either the city lights of Front Royal in the valley below or the beautiful skyline ridges of the Shenandoahs or the Massanuttens, not to mention the numerous stars above in an area less light-polluted the DC/Metro area from which they had come. Before retiring for the night, Steven Splitek provided the travel-hungry campers with some tasty, foil-prepared grilled cheese sandwiches.

To the surprise of the campers, despite the balmy, Indian summer weather of the night-hike before, the gusty wind had dumped a small coating of snow upon their campsite and the top of the Massanuttens. After watching the sunrise and striking camp, Tom and the Stevens consumed the Nutri-grain bars they had brought and set out for the return hike down the mountain. Successful navigation of the ice-covered rocks to the trail below the snowline did not save the trip from its one and only non-serious mishap, when Steven Splitek tripped over a rock and needed 9 staples for a head laceration at nearby Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal. Despite the profuse bleeding that head wounds always produce, Steven’s NORSA initiation was completed when he finished the final 2 miles hiking with Tom’s sock held against the wound with his baseball cap.

All-in-all, this year’s annual ICE was a huge success. It virtually mirrored the initial institution of the ICE as an annual event, involved below-freezing temperatures, and fostered a fondness for nature in all NORSA members present. In addition to lovely vistas of the Shenandoah Valley, the trip provided excellent exercise, entertainment, and general enjoyment of the outdoors. For those who were unable to attend this year’s ICE, fear not … there’s always next year!