We are getting closer now. Closer that picnic table, on top of a mountain. I want to tell you why I am drinking my coffee before the sun come up. But first I have to tell you how I got here.

We had eaten our breakfast at the Maupin Fields shelter and were taking a nice break in the shade of the shelter. I went to the back of the shelter, to the spring. It was a slow moving spring and we were at a low elevation. In other words, this was not a water source that I want to take any chances with. Water purification has not been a problem for me. My wife had got me a nifty gadget for Christmas, called the SteriPen. This little device irradiates the water with UV light for 40 to 60 seconds. Once it is done, the water is as safe as bottled water. I filled up my three bottles and two for dad. I took them back to the shelter and got out the SteriPen. I put it in the first bottle. It ran for 15 seconds or so then stopped with its little red light blinking.

I hadn’t brought my instruction book with me, but I knew that the device was not functioning properly. Given the conditions, we did not want to take any chances. Dad had in his pack some iodine capsules. We treated the water with the Iodine. Iodine is very effective for water treatment, but you need to let it sit for 30 minutes and it leaves your water tasting like the municipal pool. Having dealt with this set back, we hit the trail.

We entered the Three Ridges Wilderness Area and began our ascent of the Three Ridges. The climb was steep but the trail was in pretty good condition so we made good time. We reached a rocky outcropping on the spur of the North Ridge. We decided to take lunch there. It was already very hot and humid. I had taken my shirt off to try to cool down and to let the shirt dry while we rested, but it felt like there would be no relief. After drinking some water, I decide to look at the rocks on the other side of the rhododendron plants that where at the edge of the rocks. I am so glad I did. On the other side of the plants, a breeze blew across the rock and there was a view that words will not do justice to. I could see clearly, to the southwest of us the Pinnacle ridge where our hike would end. Directly in front me (due south) was the Priest. I knew the Priest was a pretty big mountain by Shenadoah standards. A 4,096 foot summit. It would be a 3000 foot ascent for us. But to see the that Mountain dominate the horizon was breath taking. To my left (East) I could see the Three Ridges, the North Ridge looming above us at 3,970 feet. The Center Ridge and The South Ridge very visible to us.

We sat and took in the view. We watched the Red-tailed Hawks fly above us and below us. The sun dried my shirt and the breeze cooled me down. After a while, it was time to walk again. It did not take too long to reach the Summit of the North Ridge. There was no view to see here at the top of the mountain. I was beginning to feel a little sick. My bowels were watery. I was very hot. What I wanted to do more than anything was to get to the bottom of this mountain and to the shelter where I could cool down. I knew my dad would be moving slower than I would descending the 2000 feet to the shelter, so I told him that I would see him at the shelter and made my way down the trail.

The day got hotter as I walked down the trail which was steep and rocky. When I reached The Center Ridge there was no view, but the trees were thin and the sun beat down on me. I finished the last of my water and kept on moving. The walking was slow due to the grade of the trail and the heat of the day. South of the South Ridge, there was a break in the trees and there in front of me was the Priest again, but this time I was three miles closer and it seemed even bigger. I appreciated the view just long enough to grab a few pictures. There was no shade and no breeze.

Hot and tired, I made my way off the mountain. The trail wound its way back around the mountain I had just climbed. I could water below me, but never near the trail. Finally, the trail wound back into a beautiful hollow, and there in front me of was the Harper’s Creek Shelter and the Harper’s Creek.

Excerpt from my trail journal:

The descent was tough and hot. Very hot. But the Harpers Creek Shelter was great. The Harpers Creek ran in front of it and right there was a pool about 4 feet deep. I was quite a bit ahead of dad, so after some deliberating, I stripped down and got in. Talk about cold!

I had splashed myself down in the creek, but that hadn’t cooled me down. But after standing in that cold mountain stream up to my chest, I cooled right down. After I was done, I just sat on the picnic table and dried. After a while, my dad showed up, hot and grumpy. He was in a bad mood, mostly because he was a little dehydrated and was sick of water that tasted of iodine. We spent a quite night boiling water from the creek so we would have potable water for the next day. When we climb the Priest.