High in Virginia

We're now walking through Southwest Virginia. The AT will go over some of the highest summits on the trail traversing the Virginia Highlands. 

4/9 Damascus, VA to Summit Cut - 15.8 miles

Today I had to retire the boots I've been wearing on the trip so far. I've been hiking in them much longer than that, of course. We've seen a lot of miles together. They're like an old friend. It's a little sad to have to put them out to pasture. On the upside, I bought two new identical pairs last year before starting this trip at a shoe store in Keene, NH that specializes in boots for people with wide feet (that's me). I'll be continuing on with my boot's younger brothers.

Temperatures got down into the 20's overnight, but we were warm and comfortable in the van and ready to get an early start. Steve heads home today and we're moving our campsite further up the trail, so Angelika drops me off in Damascus to resume from where we left off. I'm slackpacking again since Angelika will be picking me up at Summit Cut.

It's cold starting out, but as the day progresses I'm taking off layers until at lunch I'm down to shirtsleeves again. Much of the trail today is paralleling a rail trail known as the Creeper Trail named for a train that progressed slowly along the path. It follows Whitetop Laurel Creek. The owner of the campground that we were staying at told us many of the trestles along the trail had been taken out by Hurricane Helene. This is hitting the local economy hard because the trail brought in a lot of bicyclists which many of the local businesses count on during the summer. I saw at least a half dozen bridges that had been swept away by the storm.

 

It was a beautiful clear sky all day and, of course, more nice views of the farmlands in the valleys.

There were fewer blowdowns than some of the previous sections, but the trail hadn't been cleared here as completely. There was more straddling, ducking, and bushwacking around some uncleared fallen trees than I've encountered earlier.

Didn't see many other hikers today. I passed a section hiker heading north and a couple through hikers passed me while I was eating lunch at a high point. No familiar faces today.

Angelika hiked up and met me just past Lost Mountain Shelter. We hiked back together to the van and had a nice dinner at the campsite.

Weather is iffy tomorrow. I'm expecting to go since I'll be slackpacking and can afford to get a little wet if I get caught in the rain.

4/10 Summit Cut to Massie Gap - 14 miles

The weather is a bit questionable today. There's a chance of rain most of the day, but I'm slackpacking again so if I do get wet it won't be the end of the world. This section goes over some balds and high meadows, so I'm hoping to enjoy some views before the weather descends.

There's a lot of climbing today. The first highlight is Whitetop Mountain which has a nice open bald at the summit. This is the second highest point in Virginia (5525 ft). The sky is overcast, but the clouds are high so there's still an impressive view from a high point known as Buzzard Rock.

From here we descend through the woods for a while and then come to an large open area known as Elk Garden. The signage tells me this area is full of all kinds of endangered species of plants and animals. I have to watch where I step.

Some more climbing through Elk Garden and beyond and the rain starts. It lets up enough to allow me to stop for lunch at Deep Gap before I continue climbing up Mount Rogers. Mount Rogers is the highest point in Virginia (5729 ft), so once I reach the summit it's all downhill from there. On the way up I am going through rain, sleet, and snow. The summit is socked in, so no views on this part of the trail for me.

After passing the summit, the trail turns rocky and my progress is slowing down as a result. Pretty soon I pass the 500 mile mark on the trail. A few days more and I'll be a quarter of the way to Katahdin.

The rain is letting up and the sky is starting to clear a bit. A little further and the trail enters Grayson Highlands State Park. This area is home to herds of free roaming ponies. This one is waiting for me just after I enter the park.

The views are returning and I can see that this part of the trail will be quite nice when I resume here. I take a side trail off the AT to meet Angelika at the parking lot for Massie Gap. We drive down a long windy mountain road back to the campground. I'm cold and wet, but today's hike was still really enjoyable.

4/11 Zero Day

The weather is expected to be cold and rainy all day, so we decide a rest day is in order. We spent the morning at the local library catching up on bills while Angelika worked on a craft. It was a chance to get out of the van for a bit and spread out a little. The rain persists all day. It's a good day to hunker down and wait for better weather.

This is a good time to share some hiker wisdom I have picked from some of the younger people on the trail. Several of them have independently confirmed that you should not let your mother pack your backpack for you. They complain of ending up with way too much food, huge first aide kits, too many clothes, etc.. Of course, Angelika says it all depends on who your mother is. If she was packing your pack, it would have only the bare essentials.

My daughter sent me a link to a story about backpackers in Georgia that were killed by a fallen tree. They weren't on the AT, but I've passed by literally hundreds of widowmakers left behind by hurricane Helene during my hike. You have to treat them with respect to avoid surprises, especially when choosing where to set up your campsite. It's interesting how much attention problems with bears gets when you're on the trail, but chances are you're much more likely to be injured by a falling tree.

The next few days look good weather wise, albeit a bit on the cold side. I'll be looking to make up for lost time.

4/12 Massie Gap to Dickey Gap - 18.3 miles

The rain was mostly done when we got up in the morning. Just a little drizzle, heavy overcast, and very cold in the 30s. The forecast says the rain should stop and just stay cloudy, so it's a go to hike a long section today. After breakfast Angelika takes me back to Massie Gap and plans to hike the first couple miles with me, but by the time we get up to that elevation the temperature is in the 20s and everything is socked in. She decides she'll hike up the trail at the other end instead when the weather improves.

It's a short hike from the parking lot up a blue blaze trail back to the AT. Today is mostly heading down, but there are still a couple of summits to tackle along the way.

I have to put on all my layers to stay comfortable. I'm walking through clouds, there's rime built up on the trees and undergrowth, and occasionally it starts to snow. There are a lot of open meadows on this section which would have delivered some nice views under different conditions. The winter landscape is attractive just the same.

As I'm descending I pass through an area known as The Scales. This is a corral that was used for weighing cattle before moving them down from the mountains.  There are four or five tents pitched here and one guy sitting in a camp chair outside his tent in the cold fog and snow. He waves as I pass by. That would not be my idea of fun, but to each his own.

I stop for lunch at the bridge which crosses Fox Creek. In the short time it takes me to eat, I'm feeling chilled again and need to get moving. From here the trail climbs up Iron Mountain which is a welcome change from all the down I've been doing. Doing some climbing gives me a chance to warm up. It's after 1:00 and it isn't raining but there's no sun and it's still very cold.

On the way up Iron Mountain I spot this spider web that's covered in rime. It almost looks artificial.

The trees are covered in rime as well at this elevation. It makes for a nice scene. I don't think the picture does it justice.

From Iron Mountain it's more or less flat until Dickey Gap. On the way is Comers Creek and some nice cascades where the trail crosses.

The AT website warns that this creek used to have a bridge, but now needs to be forded which can be difficult in high water. I carried my crocs with me in case I had to wade, but the creek was easily crossed by just rock hopping across. There must be a lot more water here other times of the year.

Angelika met me on the trail and we hiked together back to the van. We stopped for pizza on the way back to the campsite after a long day.

4/13 Dickey Gap to Mt Rogers Visitors Center - 14.6 miles

When we woke up in the morning temperatures were in the 20's. It was hard to get motivated to get out of our warm bed, but we overcame the challange and had pancakes and eggs for breakfast. We're moving campsites today, so we packed everything up and Angelika dropped me off at Dickey Gap on her way to the new campsite and to do some shopping.

Although it started out cold, the sky was clear and the sun warmed things up quickly. I slowly lost layers until I was down to just shirtsleeves. The trail starts out climbing up to the High Point Trail and then descends a little over 1000 feet down to Holston River. This was at about the half way point for the day and a nice place to stop for lunch by the river. It felt good to sit in the warm sun for a change.

After lunch, the trail climbs about 500 feet back up to the Mount Rogers Visitor's Center. Angelika met me about two miles from the end of the trail so we could walk together back to the van.

There's an especially nice shelter very close to the visitor's center with a toilet, shower, sink for washing clothes, clothes line, and lots of sleeping space. Very luxurious as shelters go.

4/14 Mt Rogers Visitors Center to US 11 Atkins, VA - 11.1 miles

The morning started out warmer today in the 40s. The weather forecast says it will get into the 70s today, so should be a good hiking day weather wise.

At the Visitors Center trailhead we met section hiker The Dawn and his brother Richard who is his support. I started chatting with them because I noticed Richard was wearing a NH 4000 footer hat. He says he’s climbed the 4Ks twice and done the New England High 100s. The Dawn hikes 200 mile sections each year which he’s apparently been doing for a while now. It was his first day back on the trail heading north. We enjoyed chatting with them for a while and hiked with The Dawn for a little bit as we started out. 

Angelika joined me for the beginning part of the trail and made it to the top of Brushy Mountain before deciding to head back. From here it was a series of ups and downs until getting to the top of Glade Mountain. The landscape below the ridge has gone back to heavily forested from open farmland. The forests on the ridge are tall but sparse with lots of space between the trees. It’s a lot different than the thick woods we’re used to in New Hampshire. This is a view towards Walker Mountain which I'll be climbing tomorrow.

Along the way the trail goes through the Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia. It’s closed today, so I can’t write my name on the school house blackboard as a lot of others have done. I do take a quick walk through the grounds and check out what I can. Looks like an interesting place. Angelika is going to check it out tomorrow when it's open.

Getting close to the highway, there’s a house where the owner’s must be fans of the Appalachian Trail.

I get to US 11 a little ahead of schedule so I get myself a Gatorade at the gas station while I wait for Angelika. We have a nice lunch in Marion and head back to the campground. The weather is finally nice enough to be able to site outside the van comfortably and enjoy the outdoors.

4/15 US 11 Atkins, VA to VA 42 Cerces, VA - 11.8 miles

Rain started around 3 AM and continued into breakfast. The weather forecast says it will clear up as the day goes on, so I'm not too concerned. We're also forecast to have high winds with 50 mph gusts. Less than ideal weather, but not a show stopper.

Angelika and I set off together in the morning. Actually, she drops me off at US 11 where I have to walk down the road a bit to pick up the trail again. She starts from a parking area about a mile down the trail and meets me half way. We continue on together past the parking area and through a cow pasture. It's think it's rather pastoral looking, as you'd expect.

We climb together up to Gullion Mountain where Angelika decides to head back and I continue on my way. Shortly after Angelika turns around I descend into Tilson Gap and reach the quarter-way point between Georgia and Maine. It's marked by a sign and so I take a minute to have a small celebration before continuing. The miles are adding up quickly. By the book, the quarter way point is mile 549.4.

From here I climb up Walker Mountain. The views return to large expanses of open farmland. Everything looks very green from up here. It's very unlike were we live in New Mexico now.

Heading down into Crawfish Valley I pass The Dawn, who we met yesterday. He must have gotten an early start since we started at the same place and I'm just now catching him around lunch time. He's slackpacking today, like me, and planning on stopping at the Quarter Way Inn tonight with his brother. We chat for a few minutes and he tells me about all the ways he's injured himself in his previous section hikes. I make a mental note to not follow in his footsteps and then I'm back on my way.

Continuing down the wind is howling, but the sun is trying to come out. The temperatures keep going from warm to cold depending on how strong the wind is and how much the sun is peeking out. I keep thinking I should take a layer off, but then just as quickly I'm thinking I need to add a layer. I just keep status quo and deal with conditions as they are.

Just before reaching today's endpoint I cross the Holston River and pass by the old Tilson Mill where they ground wheat and corn until the 1930s. It's obviously seen better days. I'm not sure how much longer it will remain standing. It looks like it was a cool old building back in its day. Too bad it's fallen into such disrepair.

It's only another mile or so to VA 42 where I'm supposed to meet Angelika. She isn't there when I arrive, so I find a nice stump to sit on and munch what's left of my GORP until she arrives a few minutes later. We head over to our new campground and pick out a spot for the night. Angelika will stay here a few nights while I go back to carrying a full pack for a while and sleeping in the woods.