Little Devil's Staircase -- Virgin Snowshoeing

Standing in front of some steep ice on the trail.

While I wouldn't consider myself a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, I do enjoy the feeling of getting up early to hit the trail (or generally do anything outside). This was the case this past Saturday, with a fresh cup of BoJoe and a egg/cheese/bacon bagel. Little Devil's Staircase is located just north of Sperryville, near Washington. Continue down a winding country road (Gid Brown Hollow Road) onto a gravel road (Keyser Run Road), past the state maintenance line, to a tiny lot right at the trailhead.

This was my first time on snowshoes, and it was a helluva of a hike. Silver Spring Wanderer loaned me a pair of slightly under-sized snow shoes. Under-sized or not, 2" of sinking is better than 18" (or more). After about 10 minutes on the trail, I knew I was in for a workout. Fortunately, we found that while the lower elevations had soft/wet/heavy snow, the higher we moved, the crispier the snow, and the less sinking.

Heading uphill on the trail with great weather.

Chad the crazy man had been in these parts recently doing some backcountry alpine skiing (ski the East, as he says). We found remnants of his presence all up and down the trail and slops in the form of ski tracks. It's pretty impressive that he was navigating through such tight confines between the mountain laurel and trees.

Chad's uphill tracks as we were headed down the Keyser Run Fire Road.

We saw a variety of animal tracks, including deer, rabbit, various birds, and we believe to be bobcat as well. We also came across a fairly fresh deer kill -- we're thinking from coyotes. It's amazing how nothing goes to waste -- I'm guessing the deer was killed in the last couple of days, and every bit of flesh was gone, even off of the mandible.

Deer skeleton. Self-explanatory.

Caught a glimpse of the summit of Old Rag from a distance.

Dodging freshly fallen timber.

As a note to myself and any other new snowshoer, here is some advice:

• Plan on half your normal hiking pace.
  
• Wear gaiters and sturdy waterproof boots.
  
• Wear water-resistant pants. The faster you move, the more you're gonna kick up snow everywhere.
  
• Use ski or trekking poles. Once you lose your balance, you're going down. The poles won't stop this from happening, but they certainly help.
  

As we were hiking, I was also thinking about the recent rescue/evac of the Navy helicopter that went down in WV. They must've been dealing with snow at least as deep as what we had. I can't imagine how difficult the process was of not only finding the crash, but treating, assessing, and then transporting the non-ambulatory to a point where they could be evacuated by motor vehicle. Based on the description of the crash, it was 100 miles south of Camp Dawson, WV, which would put it about in Monongahela National Forest. I believe some areas in the National Forests allow off-road vehicles, which would have certainly help the process.

At any rate, it was a great day, and I'm done rambling.

A parting shot from Flint Hill, VA. There was a great sunset, alas I didn't capture it quite how I had envisioned.

Victim or Patient?

Photo courtesy of Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department.

I had an EMS-related meeting this past week, and an interesting point came up. When does a victim become a patient, or, unfortunately, a patient a victim?

In my mind, a victim is a sick person who hasn't received treatment or EMS contact yet. Whether it's someone entrapped in their car or someone having shortness of breath at home, they remain a victim. Even after dialing 911, that person is a victim until they can be reached and assessed by EMS personnel. And, of course, that person should never become a victim after they've become a patient. They remain in the care of EMS until care can be transferred to a higher level of definitive treatment (i.e., a hospital).

I found it an interesting comparison when brought up in conversation, and felt it was an interesting (albeit brief) rhetorical discussion.

Unrelated, I saw this today. Some of the victims are being treated here in Charlottesville at the UVA Healthsystem.

Woods Tools for Conservation, Not Camping

Have a look at this article. I was forwarded this by a friend who is heavily involved in the outdoors community. Written by Jeff Marion of the USGS and Virginia Tech, it's a great short read about the impact of woods tools (knives, saws, axes, hatchets) on backcountry flora, namely the trees and deadwood cut down for campfires.

I was a Cub Scout for several years, and a Boy Scout for about six years, including several stints as a camper and counselor at Goshen Scout Reservation. I have distinct memories of earning my Totin' Chip, as well as many a campfire and split log. While I think it's important for scouts to learn blade safety, the component of LNT is just as important (and should hopefully be just as pervasive across all of the various scouting activities).

The article pretty much speaks for itself and it would be great to see some of the changes adopted by BSA. I don't mean to be too critical of an organization which is (mostly) a very positive outlet for boys and young men, although they are, ironically, some of the more problematic (though well-intentioned) groups that I've come across in the woods.

Thinking about this stuff brings to mind a favorite quote of mine, from Mr. Teddy Roosevelt:

Leave it as it is. You can not improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at all should see.

Afternoon Icicles

Afternoon Icicles, originally uploaded by My Brother Godzilla.

Back to the grindstone this week. The work keeps piling up and I need to get my rear in gear to keep up.

There are a lot of exciting training and employment opportunities coming up for the spring and summer. I'll need to work hard to balance my academics with these fun experiences.

There is still quite a bit of snow accumulated from this past weekend. We're expecting some more precipitation on Tuesday night, then, from what I hear, a fair amount more accumulation for this weekend.