Concluded. The last day of hiking the Buffalo River Trail started out wet. It had rained in the night, and though we expected it we were a little disappointed to see the rain clouds lingering as we broke camp. We hopped in the car and went to get the other one parked at Steel Creek, debating the whole time whether or not to finish the BRT with the risk of rain or to save it for next year. In the end, we decided to go for it, figuring even if we got wet we'd end up in a dry car no matter how the day went. After dropping a car at Pruitt, the final trailhead on the BRT, we went back to Erbie and began.
The hike between Erbie and Pruitt was a gentle one. Sure, there were ups and downs, but for the most part we stayed right along the mist-shrouded Buffalo River. I couldn't have been more thankful for gentle terrain; my hotspots from the day before had developed into full fledged blisters, and pretty much every step was pain. I guess that's where my stubborn streak came in, as I all but refused to slow down or stop. I wanted to finish the trail, and nothing was going to keep me from it!
The trail took us through a little more open land than we'd seen so far, winding through a pine forest in places and along clear creek beds in others. The rain we worried about set in within a couple miles, forcing us to pull out our rain gear as we plodded along. It only rained hard for a bit, though it never really went away, sometimes misting, sometimes drizzling, sometimes with enough persistence to wet our jackets. A little bit of moisture on the carpet of leaves meant our trail became a little more treacherous, and we had to watch our footing more carefully as the leaves slipped under our shoes.
Torrey and I didn't talk much, prefering instead to listen to the crunch of leaves and whisper of wind. I withdrew into my own head, letting my imagination run wild in an attempt to take my mind off my wet feet and hot blisters. The littlest details caught my attention and more than once I stopped to poke at a mushroom peeking through the leaves, or to run my hand over the furry moss covering a tree trunk. I fell behind as the day wore on, and found myself walking alone through the autumn woods.
Almost at the end of the trail Torrey waited for me on a fallen log. As we rested we watched the river and glimpsed a bald eagle soaring over the bluffs around us. The final approach to Pruitt was slow and, on my part, painful. My feet hurt, and it was with a sense of relief and accomplishment that I approached my car. We ditched our packs and headed to the river, determined to touch it just once on our hike before calling it a day. Exhaustion melted away as we stood on the banks of the Buffalo River, gazing from its teal waters to the blue-gray bluffs towering above it, then on to the forest hugging the cliffs around us. We'd done it, we hiked the entire Buffalo River Trail from start to finish. With last year's trek from Boxley to Steel Creek added to this year's Steel Creek to Pruitt, we finished the 30+ mile BRT! We'll be back next year, but we aren't quite sure where we'll hike quite yet. Maybe the day hikes in the area, maybe explore other remote areas of the wilderness. Some day we'll float the river, but that'll be a summer adventure. Until next time, BRT! We'll be back.
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