Change of plans in Chestnut Ridge

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Incoming rain and a mental glitch dominate my thinking as I continue traveling north. I made a hasty decision that will force me to modify my itinerary for the next few days.

Zero steps forward, two steps back

YoIt took me about three hours to fall asleep on my first night in my tent in almost two weeks. The long, hot day on the road had made me restless. I slept until 8:30 am, by which time it was already hot. I made up time eager to get on the road no later than 9:00 a.m. That’s when I noticed something worrying. No in my bear can: I had only prepared one breakfast. I ate the right amount of snacks and dinners on the trail, but I forgot to add the second breakfast or accidentally ate it before hitting the trail yesterday.

To add insult to injury, my mouthwash and camp soap had leaked out of their plastic containers. My toothbrush, floss, and mouthwash had a soapy aftertaste.

Taking stock

As I progressed, my brain was adding up all the minor obstacles that awaited me over the next two days;

• I had just done a 23 mile hike with over 6,500 feet of elevation gain in 80° heat.
• I stayed up and slept late
• Today was expected to be another hot and sunny day.
• The forecast called for thunderstorms overnight and then a 40% chance of rain for most of the next day.
• Lick Creek could well be deeper and much more difficult to pass if you reached it after or during rain.
• Today’s hike would have me descend 900 feet from the shelter and then follow some ups and downs along Chestnut Ridge for most of the morning.
• At the end of the ridge, I would descend to a shelter and turn around for a 1,500-foot climb in the hottest part of the day.
• I would close my day with the 900 foot climb back to Chestnut Knob Shelter.
• The only water sources today would be at the end of the 900 foot descent from the shelter and all the way at my turnaround point after I had come down from the ridge.
• I didn’t know there were no water sources for most of the hike.

I had plenty of time to contemplate all of these obstacles as I walked. On my mind was the idea of ​​stretching my miles today to reduce the amount of walking in the rain I would have to do the next day.

I skipped the first water source as I had just finished the full liter I filtered at the shelter that morning. A few miles later I learned that my next opportunity to filter water was 6 miles away at Jenkins Shelter. I was at a good pace but a mile later I was rethinking my itinerary for the next two days.

Coming back to my senses

I reached the trailhead along a gravel road. The road seemed smooth and very passable. There was a truck at the trailhead, but otherwise it seemed like a nice, quiet place. After crossing the street, I saw 8 containers filled with 1 gallon of spring water. They had been dropped off there by one of the hiker shuttles. Given the lack of water along the ridge, this was a perfect location for a water reservoir. I quickly filled my water bottle and drank the entire liter.

I checked the latest weather forecast and began to consider turning around. At this point you could return to the trailhead and hike the remaining 4 1/2 miles to Jenkins Shelter and return van slackpack style. It would mean adding the road to and from this trailhead. But the benefits were tempting. I would trade 9 miles of backpacking in the rain for packing in the rain. It would also allow me to get to the van much earlier on Thursday so I wouldn’t be as affected by the lack of breakfast.

The part of me that likes to stick to my itinerary or, if possible, expand on it further, was not excited about the possible change of plans. The part of me that tries to construct the most logical and sensible itinerary strongly advocated for revision. The last part of me took control and my legs began to carry me south.

A well-located water tank along the way.

The domino effect of plan changes

It was a tough trip back along Chestnut Ridge with its steep undulations and frequent rock sections. With my revised plan now in place, one question remained: where would I stop now and spend the night? I focused on the hike and especially the steep climb back to Chestnut Knob Shelter.

I knew there was an easy 2 mile hike between the shelter and the pond I had used to fill with water the night before. That would be an opportune time to assess how I was feeling and consult FarOut to see what logical camping spots would be available. The Knot Maul Branch shelter was an option and would roughly equal the amount of miles I had planned for today. However, I had a feeling I might have enough momentum to go further and get closer to the truck and minimize the number of miles I would potentially have to walk in the rain. I remember thinking that I should have returned to the van as soon as the day started. He would return to the van at a reasonable time. I would be in the truck as the storms raged through the night.

The plan evolves

Once the biggest climb was over, I could decide where to stop for the night. 2 miles beyond the Knot Maul Branch shelter was Possum Creek. It is a roadside clearing with a pavilion and an outhouse. A pavilion would be perfect to help me manage my wet tent in the morning. I had my new destiny. I stopped at the pond’s spring to filter the water and then walked down the big drop that drained all my energy yesterday.

Once after 5:30 pm I noticed that I felt different. After a day and a half of walking in the brutal heat, I was suddenly walking well. The temperature had dropped a little, but that was enough to regain my energy. I had trouble with the first climb after the big descent, but the second one was strangely easy. This made me have the crazy idea of ​​continuing walking to the truck.

I estimated it would be about 11 more kilometers. If I arrived at Possum Creek at 7:00 pm, I would probably get to the van by 11:00 pm It was barely dark before 9:30 pm, I would only need to walk about 90 minutes in the dark, and I had a nice headlamp to use. With storms expected around midnight, I would be safe in my truck and not have to deal with a wet tent. It would give me a lot less miles to walk tomorrow on what was forecast to be a rainy day.

Walk back along the bald road near the pond and spring.

Walk back along the bald road near the pond and spring.

Possum Creek

I was really getting into the idea of ​​night hikes. It may not be a bad skill to practice. You may need to do a night walk in the future for safety reasons. I finally narrowed the idea down to a few parameters. If the truck was less than 11 miles from Possum Creek and I arrived before 7:00 pm, and if there was less than 2,000 feet of climbing, I would do it.

Of my 3 criteria, none were right. It was about 7:30 pm when I arrived at Possum Creek. There were still 11.7 miles to the van. And it was about 2,650 feet of ascent. I’d be walking until midnight, maybe in the middle of a storm. Not to mention the 35.5 total miles I would walk. Well, I’m sure another opportunity for a night hike will eventually come.

A small group of hikers had set up camp at Possum Creek. I scanned the remaining tent space options, but they were few and far between. My tent was situated astride a low spot on the forest floor. If it rained a lot, I could have problems. I put as many things as I could inside the pockets of the tent. My backpack fell at my feet where I hoped it would stay dry. I had my poncho ready for the morning. I had a quick dinner in the pavilion and then went into my tent expecting a storm to wake me up in a few hours.

The Possum Creek Pavilion.

-See you tomorrow

Total: 23.7 miles, 55,049 steps

• Hike type: Backpacking
• Camp: Tent, Possum Creek

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.