Date: 2018-05-06
From: VA 621

To: Four Pines Hostel 
Miles today: 15.4

The first victory of the day was simply waking up. As beat down as I felt after yesterday¢s hike, I wasn¢t taking that for granted. Which Way would take one more day to let her feet heal as I finished the section from VA 621 to the Four Pines Hostel. At 7:30 I was the first one to get a ride out with Joe. By 8AM I was hiking up Brush Mountain Easy. I felt really good out of the gate this morning¢Victory 2. I easily managed the gentle ascent with a dreamy path (soft, dry, and wide) under my feet and a light pack (I left our tent back at the hostel for WW to dry on the line) on my back. The light rain that was falling when I started hiking quickly moved out of the area, however, it returned on and off throughout the day. As I eased along I dictated the Day 72 Journal into my phone. I planned to edit what was lost in translation later. For instance, Siri heard ¢stretch and breathe¢ as ¢stretch and breed¢. Anyway, after a series of switchbacks I was on a wide ridge that gently sloped up to the top of the mountain. What¢s this? A bench to sit on? You don¢t see many of those along the AT. The field of view to my front was excellent due to the wide straight path. A hawk swooped down from a branch in front of me and soared about 100 yards up the path. When I got within 25 yards from where the glorious creature was perched I started to reach for my camera. Too late, he had already dropped off the branch and glided another 100 yards up the trail. Thinking he would do the same again, I kept my camera out to capture the next swoop and glide. As I approached the tree he was now in I could clearly see the majestic bird stationed on a large limb overhanging the trail. Without a zoom lens on my phone camera, I knew that I would have to get closer or wait for the bird to repeat its flight further up the trail. To my dismay, when he came off the branch, he flew away from the trail and into the wooded area. Oh well, you can¢t win them all.Towards the end of the ridge was a side trail leading to a monument dedicated to Audie Murphy, the most decorated WWII Veteran. It marked the spot where he died in a plane crash on May 28, 1971. On a personal note, about 8 years ago, my family and I visited another monument dedicated to Audie Murphy. This particular monument was located north of Holtzwihr, in the Alsace District of Southeastern France. It marked the spot where he had earned his medal of honor, fending off German tanks, on January 26, 1945. One other hiker was at the site using his phone. I think he was a SOBO section hiker. He was the first and last hiker I saw until I reached the Dragon's Tooth, another 10 Miles up the trail. Yesterday, other than the two hikers I was camped with, I only saw one other NOBO thru hiker on the trail and one Flip Flopper named Clank. I figured that by now the big hiker bubble would have caught up. I am starting to think it has really thinned out behind us. After another climb up Cove Mountain, I paused for lunch at a spot with a view. There would be many spectacular views in multiple directions for the remaining 5 miles of the hike. There were a few small rock obstacles to scramble over on the way to Dragon's Tooth, but nothing too bad. In fact, I was enjoying the challenge. Somewhere in this stretch I passed the 700 mile mark¢Victory 3! It was probably marked with sticks, but I wasn¢t even thinking about it. Thus, I failed to look for the spot. I made really good time getting to Dragon's Tooth, a milestone on the trail¢Victory! Up to then, the trail had not been nearly as technical as, after years of reading about it, I expected it to be. There was a short side trail leading down to the spectacular monolith that earned the name Dragon¢s Tooth. It is a very popular spot for Day Hikers, so I was surprised to see only one other person down there. She was the girlfriend of a thru hiker named Backward Hat. Two other hikers without packs were exiting Dragon¢s Tooth as I entered the side trail. I later caught them going down and learned that they actually tented at the Four Pines last night and were just hiking a short piece today. It wasn¢t long into my descent that I realized what all the fuss about Dragon¢s Tooth was about. There were some pretty steep rock ledges to negotiate. In a couple of spots, metal stair rungs were mounted into the limestone. I put my poles away and carefully worked my way down the wet rocks. I think this one would have been a lot more fun as a SOBO. Nonetheless, I was having a great day. There were more excellent vantage points on the descent, including one outcropping where I could see the Four Pines Hostel below. Many bushes and flowers were also hitting peak bloom - Rhododendrons, Lady Slippers, Dwarf Iris, Flame Azaleas and Pink Fire, to name a few. Thanks to Joe's wife, Donna, I was able to get the names of all of the flower pics before posting them to the photo gallery. I hit VA 624 at 3PM and walked about 1/3 of a mile up the busy road to the hostel. Which Way met me outside again. This time I was ready. I handed her a beautiful Rhododendron bloom I picked before exiting the trail. She was telling all the young hikers, ¢Look, after 30 years, he still stops to pick me flowers¢. Music to my ears¢Victory 5! By 4PM I was showered and we were on our way to the Home Place Restaurant. It sits on a huge farm in a 1907 home and serves all-you-can-eat family style platters of delicious food. The place is only open Thursday-Sunday, so I was happy it worked out for me (it was WW's third visit-lol)¢Victory 6! Laura, our server, was delightful. She left us wanting for nothing. We returned to the hostel well before dark and I was able to catch up on my journaling¢Victory 7! We also visited with several hikers we have not seen in a while¢TNT, Crafty & Blackbird, Poe & Savage (and Spartacus), Life Alert, and Josh. Slaying Dragons today and back on the trail with my partner in life tomorrow. Life is good on the AT.Peace & Blessings - Next StepElevation Data:               Weather:Ascent ~ 3,890                  Day ¢ 70 degrees / Rain ShowersDescent ~ 3,610                Night ¢ 52 degrees / ClearGrade ~ 9.3Over the Horizon: McAfee¢s Knob