Backpacker Magazine – June 2001

Prayers Answered In Virginia's Priest Wilderness

In Virginia, a miracle occurs and hikers get some new wilderness, thanks to The Priest.

by: Eric Seaborg

Tags:
• Virginia
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• Washington D.C.
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• Adventures
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• Weekends
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• Secret spots
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It takes quite a jolt to excite residents of Washington, DC. Front-page scandals? Yesterday's news. Political intrigue? Comes with the territory. But when two brand-new federal wilderness areas just a couple of hours' drive from the Capitol are designated? Now that's something to get excited about.

In November 2000, Priest and Three Ridges Wildernesses received official designation from Congress. Of the two areas, my favorite for a weekend trek is the slightly larger 6,000-acre Priest Wilderness. The Priest, the area's namesake mountain, joins The Cardinal and The Friar to form what's known locally as the Religious Range. The Priest also anchors the northern end of a stretch of high country where the Appalachian Trail threads for about 20 miles among eight 4,000-footers. At the southern end is Mt. Pleasant National Scenic Area, dominated by Cole Mountain, a classic southern Appalachian bald with a 360-degree view.

In late spring, I ascended along a stream and past rhododendron and mountain laurel in full bloom. Twisted roots clung to boulders, and sinewy branches held purple blossoms suspended over beautiful reflecting pools. The scene reminded me of the wild-yet-harmonious perfection of Japanese gardens.

Both stream and blooming shrubs faded as I climbed higher, gaining a quad-burning 3,000 feet in just 5 miles. The leaves on the trees, lush and green at the bottom of the mountain, shrank to mere buds on the ridge's trees, as if the trees up high were only now sensing spring's arrival.

At the top of The Priest, I pitched my tent near a rocky cliff where I could watch the sun set in a blaze of orange and gold. The Blue Ridge generally forms a thin chain of peaks that tower over farms, fields, and towns, but from this perch, I gazed out on nothing but a sea of mountains. I watched in silence as the stars appeared and the wilderness grew as quiet as a church.

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