Date: 2016-02-09
From: VA 311, Catawba, VA

To: VA 620, Footbridge, Trout Creek
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Oh baby it was cold outside! The wind, and the resulting windchill, substantially lowered the temperature, especially at elevation up on a ridge.I saw a few deer early on. The sun tried to come out, but failed. The AT crossed 2 roads and passed through a couple of open fields. As I hiked along I noticed the frozen cow patties. One in particular caught my eye. It was round with concentric circles and a light layer of snow on top. It looked like a giant cinnamon roll. My hiker hunger is definitely back. As I passed the side trails to the Dragon's Tooth parking lot I noticed a sign that made me laugh. "CAUTION, THE NEXT MILE OF TRAIL IS ROCKY AND STEEP IN SECTIONS, PLEASE USE CAUTION AND FOLLOW WHITE BLAZES CLOSELY"After NH and Maine, just how tough could this part of the AT be? For Pete's sake, there was a parking lot for day hikers and tourists. I assumed the warning was for the out of shape tourists wearing sandals, not for seasoned thru hikers.A little further down the trail I hit the first of the rocks. Then I remembered the warning I had received from another thru hiker who had already completed VA. She said I was lucky I was hiking south through this portion of the AT because I would be climbing UP the rocks and boulders. She was right.The rocks and boulders were not at all what I expected. They were also cold, with a thin layer of ice and snow in spots. I was no longer laughing. Just as I thought I had reached the top, there were more rocks and boulders to climb. In 2 separate spots there was rebar (the need for rebar is NEVER a good sign). In a few spots there should have been rebar. I had to take off my warm Heat Holder gloves to get a good grip on the rocks. My hands were freezing.There were a few boot tracks in the snow. Apparently a few folks had hiked up to Dragon's Tooth ahead of me, then turned around. At one point the AT went right up a rock face. I threw my hiking poles up onto the ledge above me and started climbing up the rock face. Half way up I looked down and noticed that some of the boot tracks went around the rock face. Too late now, I was already committed.   But from that point forward I studied the boot tracks in the snow before trying to hoist myself up and over the rocks and boulders.At one point I came to a rock formation that looked like a large tooth. I thought I was done climbing. Nope. Right after that, at another side trail to the Dragon's Tooth parking lot,I saw another sign. I still had a long ways left to climb.I finally reached the short side trail to Dragon's Tooth. I was tired and my left foot was starting to swell and hurt, but after all that, I just had to see the Dragon's Tooth. I stopped briefly to take a few pictures and then moved on.When I was back on the AT I quickly noticed there were no more boot tracks. But there were plenty of animal tracks. A turkey had crossed the AT several times. And there were a lot of delicate animal tracks that eventially headed down the AT. I studied the delicate animal tracks in the snow as I hiked. The tracks were either a canine or a cat. I could see claws in some of the clearer tracks. That ruled out a cat (such as a feral cat or bobcat) because cats retract their claws. The track size and pattern caused me to conclude the tracks were made by a fox rather than a coyote.The fox followed the AT. Where I lost track of the blazes, I checked the fox's tracks. The fox tracks lead the way to the next blaze.The AT turned 180° for a switchback to a lower elevation. The fox tracks went straight. I thought I had seen the last of the tracks. But when the AT again turned 180°, the fox tracks were back. The fox, apparently not familiar with LNT, cut the switchback.There was a blow down across the trail. Like others before me, I walked around the downed tree and lost the tracks. Once I passed the tree, the tracks were back. The fox had navigated through the tangled tree branches and stayed on the AT.The AT turned to the left and followed a dirt road around rather than over a mountain. Again I lost the fox tracks. When I was on the back side of the mountain the fox tracks were back - but this time there were 2 sets of tracks. My little fox friend found a hiking buddy, or possibly a mate!The pair of fox tracks continued ahead of me on the ridge to a rock outcropping. The AT skirted the rock outcropping, and I again lost the fox tracks.On the other side of the rock outcropping the tracks were back, but there was just one set of fox tracks. Hmmm, I wonder what happened?The AT passed through an area with a lot of loose rocks on the trail and few blazes. The AT was hard to follow, and I again relied on the fox tracks to stay on the AT. When the trail tread finally smoothed out again, the fox tracks were gone, and the tracks did not re-appear.My husband had hiked in and back out 2 miles from the road crossing where he was picking me up. (He admitted that he hiked up to the ridge, poked his head up and felt the cold wind blowing over the ridge. Then, like a giant woodchuck,he headed back down the mountain to wait for me in the warm car.) He texted me that the last 2 miles of trail were "cake". That was great news. My left foot, left knee, and right knee were all giving me fits. The velcro on my knee braces no longer sticks well. (I have been using the same braces since Harper's Ferry.) The braces did not support my knees well today. The rock and boulder climbing did not help. The pain caused me to alter my gait. As a result I had a nice blister on my right heal. I was sort of a mess, but I kept going.I skipped the Pickle Branch shelter because it was .3 miles off the AT. Thankfully the last 2 miles of trail was "cake". There was also a very long well built rock wall that went straight down the mountain. Thankfully the AT switchbacked down the mountain. I reached the road crossing just before dark. The temperature was dropping. The water in my water bottles was slushy. Thankfully I carried my water filter inside my coat to keep it from freezing.The AT is calling. According to the Weather forecast, tomorrow will be "dangerously" cold. I cannot seem to catch a break!