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A Journey to Trayfoot Mountain |
by John W. Butler '09
 On March 10, the first Monday of our spring break, six other members of the
Outsiders Club and I began our journey to Trayfoot
Mountain in the Shenandoah National Park. It was a three-night, four-day, 25-mile adventure on the Appalachian
Trail. We drove together in the school’s van, arrived around noon, and were delighted to be blessed with clear skies, a
cool temperature, and a slight breeze. Soon after distributing the food rations for the trip, we began the trek. I had not been on such a long hike since I was a Boy Scout, so I began the ascent slightly anxious, ruminating over the
possibility that I had forgotten something important – despite the fact that I had checked my pack multiple times before
the trip began. However, as we moved along the undulating trail, I began to leave all of my worries behind. No longer was I thinking
about school, finding the perfect internship, or traveling abroad to Oxford in July. Eventually, the only thing on my mind
was taking in the views and getting to know the other guys better who were in our group.
 On the trail, we engaged in good conversation and debate to keep ourselves entertained. The most heated of these discussions, not
surprisingly, was the question of who was the ultimate survivor - Bear Grylls from
"Man versus Wild" or Les Stroud from "Survivorman."
After about three hours of descending the trail and discussing who the better survivor truly was, we reached the valley where we set up camp. We were glad to see that the stream’s water level was high which provided us with plenty of
clean and delicious mountain water to drink and cook with. After filtering some water, we began putting together a fire to
cook our steaks which were wrapped in tin foil, along with green and yellow peas, onions, and peppers. Unfortunately, not too
long after our steaks began cooking, two park rangers approached and informed us that there was a fire ban in the park. So we
were obligated to put out the fire before our steaks were cooked to perfection. Nonetheless, we ate the steaks slightly
rare but still delicious after the day’s hike.
The next day we hiked, in my opinion, the most difficult part of the trail due
to its never-ending supply of loose rocks where one misguided step brought the
possibility of a rolled ankle and a ruined hike. We all made it safely
over the loose granite rock-face and hiked uphill for a few more miles to the
peak where our campsite would be for the night. Once darkness fell, it was
breathtaking to see the lights from Waynesboro illuminate the southern countryside. It
was a peaceful little reminder to all of us that civilization was close, but still so far.
The following day we descended back into the valley of the Blue Ridge and took a long break along the stream to stock up on
water and enjoy the scenery which included small waterfalls and large rock formations. We then crossed the valley stream and
climbed back up the mountain for the last three miles to our resting place for the night. Our
last campsite was a moss covered platform of flat land which jutted outward from
the side of the mountain. After three days of hiking, it was a huge relief for
all of us to take off our boots and feel the soft moss under our feet.
 The next morning we began our final ascent to the top of the mountain and Black Rock peak. When we finally arrived, we were
at an elevation of 3,200 feet. We then took off our packs to climb the last hundred feet up the final pile of boulders
for the ultimate view, which couldn’t be seen from the trail. Once on top, we were surrounded by the best and
most spectacular view of the whole trip.
We returned to our van dirty and exhausted, yet refreshed. Although we had not come to a group
consensus whether Les Stroud or Bear Grylls had the better survival show, we had all made some new friends and had a great
time. Being in the mountains, away from civilization and technology,
allowed me to enjoy a much slower and relaxing world where
I could truly reflect and rejuvenate my mind, body, and soul. For this reason, spring break of 2008 was one of the most
exciting and relaxing vacations I’ve experienced.
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(left to right) Stephen Berry '11, Spencer Mobley '09, Jay Howard '11, Jack Ruddy '10,
Robert Clemmer '09, Jack Butler '09. Aaron Lipscomb
'11 (shown in the picture above) was behind the camera.
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