Reported by Iva Gillet
How does a temperate, sunny Fall day climbing up 1650 vertical feet of rock and boulders in a mile, followed by an hour of bushwacking BEFORE lunch sound to you? If this is your kind of fun, Pete Fink’s hike would be the one for you. Though clearly not a hike for everyone, the 5 hikers who headed out on this chilly morning with an 8 AM start time were very glad they spent their Saturday at Devil’s Marbleyard near Natural Bridge. While at least 2 folks (you know who you are) missed the early start time, Pete and his lovely assistant Bev, John Brandt, Iva Gillet and first time PATC hiker Christine Brennan, began the day’s adventure hiking up the Belfast Trail at 10 AM. A mile later we met a wilderness ranger, Eric Giebelstein, at the base of the rock scramble. The topography here was similar to the White Mountains in New Hampshire, with no definite trail and a mile of rocks and boulders to haul yourself over and around. It was TERRIFIC! Everyone picked their way, though we were careful to stay within eyesight of each other. Christine and John reached to top first and soaked up the awesome vista. The views on the ascent were glorious with the Fall foliage. We had a snack at the top of the scramble, enjoying the left-over Halloween candy from Pete and Bev. As we began our bushwack to the trail, we spotted a campsite with trash, including several plastic water and Gatorade bottles. We decided to carry it out, utilizing the Leave No Trace principles. Tying the trash in a grocery bag to the outside of Iva’s pack went well for a time, but somewhere mid-bushwack, we had to stop and rearrange, since John Brandt had been recollecting the bottles from the battered bag which was ripped to shreds by the trees and brush. After following Pete’s GPS through the woods, we arrived at last at Gunter Ridge Trail which took us up to the AT. We were then allowed a 15 minute lunch!
Leaves make Fall hiking breathtaking- both with the colors and the treacherous way they cover the trail. We had to be attentive as we hiked, since you never knew what was under the leaves. I believe we each slipped and fell at least once during the day, though no injuries. After lunch (and more Halloween candy) we hiked the AT toward Petite’s Gap for a ways, in order to see a helicopter landing site for wilderness emergencies. There were several Scout groups backpacking this lovely day. Pete was attentive to the time as we all wanted to be off the trail before sunset, so once we visited the site of the old AT, we retraced our steps. Fortunately, instead of the bushwack and Marbleyard, we descended on the parallel Belfast trail. It wound down the side of a lovely gorge with the rustle of the leaves as we returned. We descended carefully on the slick rocks and through deep leaves. As we passed the base of the Marbleyard, there were many more people than when we had started hours ago. This is a popular spot with young people, but we mature folks get to enjoy it too! As we exited the Wilderness area, there were two campsites of Scouts with their campfires burning. Pete and John made sure that the adults were vigilant about the fires as we re-emerged from our fabulous day hiking.
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