Ryan and I ate a great breakfast of our leftover pancakes, peanut butter, and sliced bananas. We had just two pancakes left to bring along.
The hostel shuttled us back to the trail and we got started at 8:30am.
It was a long climb up from town and we took a few short breaks on the way up. Early on Ryan noticed an interesting mushroom which turned out to be one of a small group of morels. I still had signal and was able to confirm the identification online. We picked five nice mushrooms and brought them along to eat with dinner later.
Near the top of the first mountain we paused to eat a bit and make a phone call. We enjoyed the beautiful vista while we rested and ate.
We arrived to our intended stopping point early—before 2:30pm. This particular shelter didn’t have much in the way of hammock or tent sites. We found a place for Ryan’s hammock and worked together to get him set up. Rain was expected soon so I decided to help Ryan get a good setup for the hammock and just sleep in the shelter myself. Another guy called “Papa Smurf” had arrived and was planning to stay as well. Ryan and I collected water, made dinner, cleaned up, then retired very early. It was cold and already raining so climbing into a warm camp bed seemed the most logical thing to do. Papa Smurf and I talked for a while about what to expect to the north and south then I settled down for the night.
And here are a few other interesting things I saw today.
It was a windy night but I slept well after the beautiful evening. I left the tarp above me, but rolled up, because the forecast showed clear weather until perhaps 8am; then a 20% chance of rain at that point.
In no particular hurry this morning, I still awoke and was up around 7am. The clouds had increased and the wind was still blowing. I packed up and moved my gear to the shelter for breakfast and to see what Columbus was up to. As soon as I arrived to the shelter the first clap of thunder sounded in the distance. The clouds darkened. I looked at the three gents in the shelter and said, “get ready for a crowd.” I could already see the tents opening up and sleepy hikers emerging. Within a few minutes, all of them had grabbed their gear and joined us under the shelter. It was a cheerful time and we made room as each new one came up. The repacking, changing clothes, and preparing breakfast commenced, along with discussions of how long the weather would last.
The first to arrive, I was the first finished with breakfast. I looked and the sky and saw light beyond the storm. The weather report also showed clearing after a little while so I decided to head out. It rained lightly for a little while then started to clear. Pearisburg lies along the New River. I crossed a long bridge, then back into the woods for a short hike toward town.
The trail passed the historic Pearis Cemetery where one George Pearis, a Civil War officer for whom the town is named, is buried.
Then, upon reaching the road to town, I happened again into SOL and Joy Hiker who were in a parking area below. I told them their friends Johnny Walker and Muffet were just a few minutes behind me on the trail. They were all going to stay in their RV for the night. They offered to take me to my hostel on their way and I gladly accepted.
I arrived to Angels Rest Hostel a few minutes later and settled in. The hostel seems laid back and comfortable. Tomorrow’s weather calls for heavy thunderstorms so I’m glad to be here for a rest.
And here are a few of the other interesting things I saw on my way this morning.
After looking over the camping and water options for the day, it was clear our options were limited: go long and hard. Or go too short and delay arrival to Pearisburg. The day was structured such that there was a 11 mile section late in the day with no water—until a final campsite and spring. We could carry water from the previous source, about 6 miles back, and select up camp after hiking 18 miles. Or we could get water at at the final spring at 23 miles, then set up camp there, or continue to Rice Field Shelter. This particular shelter comes highly recommended. It is set atop a grassy bald with supposedly amazing views of the sunset and sunrise. This was almost too much to pass up. So we see our sights on Rice Field Shelter and started on our way around 6:30am.
There was an initial climb out of camp, then another long ridge with many smaller ups and downs. It was a beautiful day.
We hiked at a good pace, checking our progress as we went along. Around noon, before the final large climb, we came across a quiet road crossing with trail magic going on. This couldn’t have come at a better time. A hiking couple called SOL and Joy Hiker were there with there truck handing our snacks and drinks. They said they hiked the AT in 2017 and were back to help some friends they met in the trail, Johnny Walker and Muffet. Muffet had a stress fracture in her foot and she and her husband were back now to continue their attempt. It turns out Johnny Walker and Muffet were planning a stay at Rice Field Shelter tonight, so we said we would say hello. And Columbus was from a town in western NY State very close to where all of them were from. This was Columbus’ first experience with trail magic and he was surprised to find that relative neighbors from New York were here in Virginia providing it.
We said our goodbyes and continued on our way. The extra calories and good cheer helped us along. But the day was as long as we expected. We didn’t approach the camp until close to 6pm, after more than 11 hours of hiking.
As we approached it was clear Rice Field was a great spot, and we had good weather for the evening. Columbus set up his tent on the grassy area and I headed into the tree line to set up the hammock. After dinner, I headed back out to the grass to enjoy the sunset. Several more hikers had arrived and had set up in the grass. So close to town I had good phone signal and was able to make a video call home and share the moment with family. After an hour’s rest, full from dinner, and basking in the sunset, the day’s pain suddenly seemed like a distant memory. The sunset’s magic took center stage and nothing else mattered.
I slept in a bit and got started around 8:30am. I said goodbye to Pat, Mary, and Cat Woman. Turkish and the other NOBO hiker were long gone.
It was another nice day the trail climbed up to a long ridge then followed it for quite a few miles. A sign up top identified the ridge as part of the Eastern Continental Divide. Precipitation on one side flows to the Mississippi while the other flows to rivers toward the Atlantic Ocean.
For over a mile on top of the ridge we passed old stone piles or cairns. Supposedly these were made by early farmers. Most looked just like rock piles but a few were very purposely built with neatly arranged stones.
Upon descending from the ridge we entered a series of farm pastures which continued for at least an hour. In one was the largest tree on the Appalachian Trail. The oak is estimated to be over 300 years old. It had no leaves yet so we could see it’s whole branch structure. The base is reportedly more than 16 feet around. The timing was such that we stopped for lunch under the tree, sitting on a large log that may well have been a branch from the tree above. It was an impressive and humbling living thing.
We continued through lovely rural pastures for some time.
After the pastures we climbed again to the final ridge of the day before going down to a nicely situated shelter below. The shelter was close to a fast running stream. With the clear weather I set up my hammock but left the tarp rolled up to enjoy the night sky. And the sky cooperated all night…not a hint of rain.
After a rest day yesterday we awoke ready to get hiking again. Columbus and I bought pancake mix and syrup for breakfast yesterday and made the whole box this morning. After eating our fill I packed a nice stack of pancakes to bring along. Then I fed the hens our leftovers from The Homeplace. They were overjoyed. The rooster came over too but he was no match for them at this job.
We shuttled from the hostel back to the trailhead. The first six miles of hiking were a good warm up, with relatively flat and nice trail. Then we reached the base of Cove Mountain which was a slow climb and rock scramble to the top. A large stone monolith called “Dragon’s Tooth” is at the top of this mountain, along a short side trail. It was a very windy day with strong gusts, particularly at the top of the mountain.
The next climb was up to Brush Mountain, which is as scenic as it sounds. On the positive side, the trail was smooth and wide, like an old road. And at the top there is a monument to Audie Murphy, the most decorated World War II veteran. His monument was surrounded by a shrine of rocks and objects and was fascinating to see. It had the feeling of a sacred place.
After coming down from the mountain we crossed myriad streams and ascended back up to Niday Shelter where we set up for the night.
We were the only ones at the shelter for a little while. Then one NOBO called “Legs” arrived. Others from his group arrived later, but we had already retired for the night and didn’t get a chance to talk.
Both Columbus and I were wide awake by 5am for some reason. We packed, enjoyed the complementary breakfast, and were hiking again by 6;30am. With the early start we figured we could make it by McAfee Knob then to The Homeplace by dinner time while keeping a reasonable 2 mph hiking pace.
The trail crossed some power lines a couple miles outside of town. As we climbed uphill I could hear the electrical buzzing of the lines far before I could see them. At the top, the cleared area offered some nice views back toward Daleville from some large rocks below one of the structures. As I stood on the rock, the buzzing was quite loud and I was startled when I noticed the hair on the back of my hand stand up as I raised my phone in the air for a picture. I took my picture and then Columbus climbed up and tried it. We joked that we might be able to charge our phones just by standing there.
After the initial climb we spent the day on a high ridge going around a lake below. It formed a large horseshoe shape on the map, taking us northwest for many miles then southwest on the far side of the lake. It was a nice hike with rocky outcrops providing great views along the way.
We reached a long series of high cliffs called Tinker Cliffs in early afternoon. There were an abundance of day hikers heading up and down—clearly a popular day hike. The cliffs were high above the Catawba valley with amazing views to the south.
The next mountain beyond Tinker Cliffs was McAfee Knob. We could see the mountain in the distance but it was a bit hazy to make out the features. We headed downhill off of the cliffs and onward toward our photo destination for the day. After a couple more hours we began our climb toward McAfee Knob. The weather had turned rainy again but was light enough that we didn’t get very wet while hiking. We reached the spot around 1pm and waited for a few minutes to take pictures.
Now these are the classic photos from this spot. And here is the rest you don’t usually see…
We had eaten lightly in the afternoon and were already starting to get hungry as we made our way down toward Catawba and The Home Place. It was mostly downhill for the last leg of the hike. But when we reached the road to Catawba we had another two mile road walk to reach the restaurant. We dragged ourselves up the drive to The Homeplace around 3:30pm, tired and hungry.
But the restaurant lived up to the hype. The food was good and plentiful and I think we made up some of the calories we burned over the past couple days.
The Four Pines Hostel was a short drive away and Nature Boi came in an old, empty van to pick us up. So full from dinner, we just rolled around back there on the ride to the hostel.
The hostel itself is a donation based place with bunks inside a converted 3-car garage. It reminded me a bit of a place 10 college kids would rent together. But there was a hot shower, comfortable mattress, and free shuttles to the store nearby. Perfect.
Based on the upcoming weather report, Columbus and I decided to head all the way to Daleville today, rather than tomorrow. Both today (Friday) and Sunday call for all-day rain. Tomorrow, Saturday, looks much clearer. This change will allow us to pass by the iconic McAfee Knob for photos tomorrow rather than in the rain Sunday. This will also require a longer hiking day today and another after we wake up tomorrow.
Besides McAfee Knob, there is another place we aspire to reach tomorrow: The Homeplace Restaurant in Catawba, Virginia for dinner after our long day. This is an all-you-can-eat family style restaurant that comes strongly recommended by other hikers. I first heard of it from a NOBO hiker called Bluebird in Maine last year, then from others along the way…and here I am about to pass it. So we have worked it into our ambitious day tomorrow. Then, after dinner, Joe from Four Pines Hostel will pick us up from the restaurant.
So, with that in mind today, I set out early and took advantage of the cool rainy weather, plus mostly downhill trail, to hike quickly and reach Daleville by early afternoon.
While descending toward Daleville, the trail was awash in blooming redbud trees. It was remarkable and helped pass the last hour of an otherwise grey day.
For our revised plan to work we needed to stay in Daleville tonight for rest and resupply. I reached town around 2:30pm and checked us in to the Super 8 Motel. Columbus arrived shortly after. After showers we went across the street to Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant. I asked the waitress her recommendation for an entree with the most food—and she brought out fajitas a little while later.
Two of your largest entrees, please
After dinner we did laundry at the hotel, cleaned and organized our gear, watched a bit of the Masters Golf Tournament, set alarms, and went to sleep early.
And here are a few more interesting things I saw on the hike today.
Perk was up first, probably 5am. I was already awake but ever hopeful more sleep might come. Once Perk started packing up, I gave in a few minutes later and began packing up as well.
After breakfast Columbus and I got started around 6:45am. It was apparent to both of us that our energy levels were lower today. We would be a bit slower even though the elevation change (ups and downs) was a bit easier. Thankfully the weather was great. And around mid day high clouds rolled in which helped keep the temperatures down.
We ran across 6-7 more NOBO hikers again today. I expect this will be the norm going forward, with ever increasing numbers for a while, perhaps several weeks, until the numbers start declining again. We are seeing those who started in February. Many more start in March. And even higher numbers in April…
We reached Cove Mountain Shelter for a lunch break and decided to add an hour’s rest in the shelter as well. While we rested carpenter bees battled each other for territory in the area, flying noisily and darting back and forth.
After an hour and a half break we packed and moved on. We expected another three hours’ hike to the next shelter, still a bit tired but better fed and a bit more rested.
The hike to Boblett’s Shelter was uneventful. When we arrived we met Wow and Rocky. Wow is English but has lived in Tasmania for most of his life. He is hiking NOBO before he returns home to start a job as medical staff on a new arctic cruise ship. Rocky is from The Netherlands and has finished a year internship at a hospital in Boston. She is on a two-week backpacking trip in Northern Virginia. We all had dinner and shared stories for quite a while before finishing up camp chores and getting to bed.
Rocky, Columbus, and Wow
And here are a few things I saw trailside during the hike today.
We packed up, had breakfast and coffee, settled our bills at the hostel, then Donna shuttled us out to the trailhead. While Columbus and I were getting packs on to start, another hiker called Billy Goat came over from the trail to be shuttled into town for resupply. Donna opened the trunk and his pack was so large it barely fit through the trunk opening. He laughed and admitted it was a big pack but didn’t seem to mind. Later in the day another hiker told us Billy Goat’s food bag alone weighs more than 29 pounds at one point. Apparently he is afraid of running out of food so he always carries a bunch extra, and needs a huge pack for all this stuff. Billy Goat mentioned he departed Springer on February 17th. We talked for a few minutes about his hike and then he and Donna headed out.
Right from the trailhead we crossed the James River on the longest footbridge on the entire trail.
It was a bluebird day—not a cloud in the sky. We planned to hike about 15 miles to a shelter for the night. But by mid day it was clear we would arrive before 3pm. So we looked at the options and decided to stop at the planned shelter for a rest and perhaps push on another 5 miles to the next one.
One the way today we ran across quite a few NOBO hikers, all of them starting in mid to late February: Mouse, Fiddle, Danger Boy and T-Bird (brothers), then Sumdown and B.
Late in the day we passed an interesting feature known as “The Guillotine” which was a large boulder wedged above a narrow passage through the rock.
The last hour dragged and Columbus and I felt ready to be finished for the day. We made it to the farther shelter by 6pm with plenty of time to take care of everything before dark. There was another NOBO hikers named Perk already there. He is thru hiking and lives nearby in Virginia. He is planning to head off trail for a visit home and then slack pack north through the Shenandoahs, since he has already hiked these trails so much. We ate dinner together then climbed into our beds around 7:30pm. It was still light out but, after the long uphill hike today, it felt like time to rest.
Perk previewing tomorrow’s hike
And here are a few of the interesting things I noticed on the hike today.
It was a nice and fairly clear morning, a bit warmer that it has been. The weather called for temperatures in the upper 70s today. But I planned to be in town at the local hiker hostel by mid day.
Punchbowl Shelter was partway up Bluff Mountain and, I could tell on my hike up, it was a spectacular morning. I hoped for a nice sunrise view up top. When I reached the top I found old concrete foundations for a long-gone fire tower. These made a great perch to help see over the trees and I stayed there for quite a few minutes in awe of the morning.
Most of the rest of the morning would be descending toward the James River and the adjacent road toward Glasgow. A few miles out, while still high on the mountain, I called the hostel to arrange a pick up at the trailhead.
I reached the road a little while before my pickup time and just hung out waiting. I noticed two people, a couple, coming toward me on the trail from the south. They were obviously more campers than hikers and were carrying some of their gear by hand. The lady had an unusual backpack on which, as she got close, I recognized as a pet carrier. She was carrying her cat which had gone along with them for the trip. They said they had just gone a couple of miles up to the first shelter and spent the night. I was envious they had brought their own mini-bear control and wished for a minute that I had a lightweight cat of my own to bring.
Ms. Donna from “Stanimal’s 328 Hostel” arrived shortly after and drove me back. I got cleaned up, washed clothes, and met the other SOBO hiker staying the night. “Columbus” is attempting a thru hike this year. He started in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, about 370 miles north of here. He is hiking to Springer Mountain, Georgia then returning to Carlisle to head north toward Mt Katahdin. Columbus lives and works in Corning, New York for the company of the same name. He is on a leave of absence for his hike. He and I went down the street for lunch, then got a ride to Walmart from Lee, a local man who drives for the hostel.
And here are a few other things I noticed on my way into town today.
