Guru Hikes

Never a Dull Day on Trail

Leaving Glasgow, I crossed the James River Footbridge and hiked up Thunder Ridge. I passed two interesting features in the next two days. First, I came upon a dead tree that contained a burl in the shape of the silhouette of a woman. A few miles later, I walked under The Guillotine, a stone structure along the Trail reminiscent of the age-old torture device.

I walked into Daleville on a beautiful mid-October day and thus began some of my most well-remembered days on the Appalachian Trail. It was a fifteen-minute walk from the Trail into Daleville. While there, I resupplied and stopped into Bojangle’s and ordered two Cheddar Bo Biscuits and a massive sweet tea. The biscuits were so good, that I ordered 4 more and threw them in my pack for later, then headed back to the Trail.

The Virginia Triple Crown

Leaving Daleville, I hiked a steep climb that culminated at a beautiful view of Carvin’s Cove Reservoir. After an afternoon of hiking the ridge around the reservoir, I came to Tinker Cliffs just after sunset. I finished two of my biscuits while I watch the final twilight fade, then night-hiked another four miles to Campbell Shelter to set up McAfee Knob for sunrise.

I awoke in inky darkness to my alarm blaring and quickly packed my things. It was a .75-mile walk to McAfee Knob, and I arrived just as twilight was beginning to illuminate the mountain. As I came out to the rocks, two women were just arriving at the Knob. They hiked from the trailhead in the dark hours of the morning, to catch sunrise as well. They told me they were from Nashville, and their whole weekend trip was just for this sunrise. I spoke to them a bit, and as the sun started to rise, they brought out small orange juices and Prosecco. They offered one to me, and we toasted to the mountains as the sun brought its light to the valley.

After many pictures, I said my goodbyes and headed down the trail. That same day, I reached Dragon’s Tooth for sunset. After a tough and rocky ascent, I climbed to the top of the Tooth to watch the sun fade.

Old Friends and New Friends

A few more days down the trail, and on a particularly cold and windy night I met Wild Card at Chestnut Knob Shelter. Wild Card was still a teenager and was hiking the Trail solo. She had an endearing country accent and held the distinction of being one of the only hikers I have ever met who had a faster hiking pace than I did. We met a few times more over the next two weeks and hiked together a bit.

Coming down to the second crossing of Highway 81, I had planned to get off Trail for a day to spend some time with family friends in Rural Retreat. On the way, I met a couple who were celebrating one of the pair’s birthday. When I arrived at the 81 crossing, I called my friends to come pick me up as the group I was with went to a diner.

My friends picked me up, and I said goodbye to the group. They brought me out to dinner in Wytheville, and while there, they asked if we should go pick up the rest of the group for the night. They had enough space in their farmhouse, so we drove back and picked up five more hikers to put up for the night! I didn’t even know two of the hikers, but my friend’s (who picked me up) son hiked the Appalachian Trail a year or two before. They said anyone who hiked the Trail, deserved a good night’s sleep.

After feeding all six of us in the morning, they drove us back to the Trail and we kept on hiking.

What’s Next:

That’s all for now! Up next I’ll be covering some of my favorite miles of Trail: Grayson Highlands, Roan Mountain, and I finally catch Scuba! I will be visiting Machu Picchu next week, so I might have a break before the final two chapters are published! Thanks for reading, and leave me a comment if you’d like to hear anything specific about the Trail!