Clever Title Goes Here
I'm going to be in Virginia for a while. 557 miles of the trail are in Virginia. It's going to be hard to keep coming up with blog title quips for Virginia, but I will endeavor to persevere.
4/25 Zero Day
I was packed and ready to go this morning, but then it started to rain. The weather forecast wasn't great, but yesterday I felt like going for it hoping the rain would hold off until I got to the shelter. Hiking in the rain and getting to the shelter wet and cold isn't fun, so I decided to hold off today and take a rest day. Hopefully the weather will clear up a little tomorrow and it will be a better hiking day. I'll be hiking past McAfee Knob which is supposed to be especially picturesque. It would be nice to do that on a better weather day.
Angelika and I spent the day doing laundry, working in the local library catching up on bills and bookkeeping, catching up on the blog, and updating my plan spreadsheet. We had a nice lunch at the park in town and then came back to the campsite for an early dinner and bed. It actually feels good to take a day and recover a bit.
So my thought for today: On our way out east I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I ran across it at a book swap and I remember it mentioned on a hiking trip a while back as something I should read. I did enjoy the book, and I underscored this paragraph as particularly relevant to our current adventure.
Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb mountains in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn't just a means to an end, but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. From this place the snow is less visible, even though closer. These are things you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here's where things grow.
4/26 Dragon Tooth to Lamberts Meadow Shelter - 16.3 miles
When we got up in the morning it was raining, but the forecast promised improvement as the day went on. I gambled on the weather and took my rest day yesterday, so I'll live with what it delivers today. I'm out for two days on this section, so I'm hoping I don't get very wet before getting to the shelter in the afternoon.
Turns out it was a good bet. The rain stopped by the time we reached the trailhead, and continued to clear as the day went on. By afternoon it was noticeably cooler and there was a nice easy breeze helping to cool things off even more. Good hiking weather.
Angelika hiked with me for the first few miles. First thing I noticed was that the trees had leaves now. This seemed to happen literally overnight, or at least during my rest day. There's now a canopy and lots of green in the forest.
The forest eventually opened up into meadows and pastures. I enjoy walking through these. The trail is soft under foot and the open areas are pleasing to the eye. The trail eventually brought us to a road crossing at which point Angelika headed back and I forged ahead.
Through the meadow and back into the forest I encounter this guy on the trail. He's munching on what appears to be a June Bug even though it's still only April. He doesn't appreciate me interrupting his breakfast, so I quickly snap his picture and go on my way.
The first highlight for today was reaching McAfee Knob. This was a nearly three mile steady climb, but I was rewarded with a spectacular view from the rock ledge there and the chance to take a picture of the ledge which is one of the iconic spots on the AT. This is a popular destination for day hikers, and it being Saturday there are quite a few on the trail and hanging out at the overlook. I managed to find a secluded spot and stopped here for a longer than normal lunch to take in the view.
A few more miles and the next highlight for today was Tinker Cliffs. Once past McAfee Knob there are almost no day hikers on the trail now. However, on the way I passed a long line of Boy Scouts backpacking in the other direction. I didn't get my camera out quick enough to snap a picture, but then I passed by these guys having their lunch on the side of the trail.
Tinker Cliffs is similar to McAfee Knob except that the trail runs close along the edge of the cliffs for a few hundred yards. It's best not to look down, but the views are great again. I passed this guy napping along the way.
It turns out visiting Dragon Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliff is known as the Virginia Triple Crown. I had no idea until I was in the midst of it. It's actually fun discovering things about the trail as I find them. There are surprises all along the way.
Now just a relatively short hike down to the shelter at Lamberts Meadow. There was no meadow that I could see, but I didn't complain. There were a lot of hikers here too, but there was an abundance of camping space to spread out in, so I found a spot to pitch my hammock and got settled for the night.
4/27 - Lamberts Meadow Shelter to US 11 Troutville, VA - 10.9 miles
It was still relatively warm when I get into the hammock last night, but as the night went on the temperature dropped. I woke up chilled around 3:00 AM and put my knit hat on to stay warm. When the alarm went off at 6:00 AM I had to put on my sweater, puffy coat, and glove liners to stay comfortable having breakfast. I was almost going to start leaving some of the cold weather gear behind. Now I'm glad I procrastinated.
It's a short and relatively easy hike today and Angelika is going to meet me in town so I'm motivated to get going despite the cold. The weather stays cool for the remainder of the hike which makes for comfortable walking.
The hike was mostly uneventful. I met up with through hiker Hangman who has actually met Angelika on the trail more times than me. He has my whole life story and I've barely talked to him. We've been leapfrogging each other since Atkins.
The trail takes me over Tinker Ridge before descending into Troutville. There are some nice views along the way.
Angelika meets me around 1:00 at the parking area on US 11. This morning I noticed that my favorite Bear Grylls hiking pants are starting to shred at the cuffs and I've lost so much weight I can barely keep them up (they look like clown pants on me at this point). We decide to drive to Roanoke to an outdoor store to get some replacements that fit. I try on some shirts only to discover I'm now in size extra small. I find this hard to believe.
We grabbed some lunch at a nearby restaurant and headed back to the campground to relax for a bit and get ready for tomorrow. It's a slack packing day tomorrow. I'm looking forward to not having to carry the heavy pack.
4/28 US 11 Troutville, VA to Peaks of Otter - 17.8 miles
It's another chilly morning. Angelika turns on the heat in the van to help us get started. By the time we're on the trail, the sun is out and it's looking like a good hiking day. The trail is smooth and ascending gently. Angelika hikes with me for the first four miles or so, to the top of Fullhardt Knob before deciding to turn around.
The majority of the hike is over nice even terrain and pretty uneventful. There are a few small mountain streams to cross.
The only point of interest along the way is the site of an old charcoal pit where they made charcoal to fire nearby iron furnaces long ago.
Before long, the trail starts to parallel the Blue Ridge Parkway. This section of the parkway is currently closed for repaving, so there is no traffic today. There is also no construction happening, so the road is dead quiet. Nice to walk along, but a little spooky. We've driven down this road years ago and it was quite busy with lots of cars parked at the overlooks.
The trail followed along the base of this retaining wall that reinforces the road up above. I thought it made for an interesting picture.
Angelika met me a couple miles up the trail from the Peaks of Otter Overlook and we hiked back together. There was a sign at the overlook that described the Appalachian Trail, so I snapped a picture.
It was a somewhat long hiking day, so we decided to treat ourselves to a beer at the local brewery before heading back to the campground for dinner. Tomorrow will be an even longer day if all goes as planned.
4/29 Peaks of Otter to Apple Orchard Falls Trailhead - 20.1 miles
This is my longest mileage day yet. Angelika and I started out together on a smooth trail gently ascending and descending. Angelika turned around just before Bearwallow Gap and I continued on with the trail staying pretty much the same for a number of miles. I was making good time, but it was pretty uneventful.
After passing Jennings Creek the climbing started. I stopped for lunch at the summit of Fork Mountain and was joined shortly by three southbound backpackers heading to Daleville.
After Fork Mountain the last 10 miles of this section was relentless and strenuous climbing up Bryant Ridge to Floyd Mountain and Black Rock Lookout. The view from Black Rock was pretty nice.
Shortly after Black Rock I took a short side trail the brought me back to the Blue Ridge Parkway to wait for Angelika to pick me up. It didn't take long then we headed back to the campground for dinner and a shower. The shower was very much appreciated by all concerned after a hot and sweaty day of hiking.
4/30 Apple Orchard Falls Trailhead to James River - 17.5 miles
Angelika dropped me back off at the trailhead in the morning. She thought the trail looked steep so she opted out of hiking in with me today. She'll hike in to meet me at the end of the day instead.
The first order of the day was climbing the rest of the way up Apple Orchard Mountain. There's an FAA radar dome there which makes for a little curiosity.
A little further down the trail is a balanced rock known as The Guillotine. The name didn't make me feel good about walking underneath it, but I made it through alive nonetheless.
vA little further is a nice terraced outlook with excellent views.
Early on I met a team of trail maintainers the work on the trail every Wednesday. Today was weed whacker day, so they were triming grass on the trail edges with gas powered string trimmers. Once the trail crossed into the wilderness area, machines aren't allowed, so they had a guy pulling the grass by hand...not fun. A little ways down the trail a couple other guys were clearing a blow down with a two man crosscut saw. These people are all volunteers and put in many hours of hard work so we can enjoy the trail. I give them many thanks.
A highlight of the day were fields of wildflowers in bloom as I crossed over Thunder Ridge.
I came across a yellow lady slipper. Something I've not seen before.
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