Date: 2008-03-11
From: Tennessee/Virginia state line

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Uh, oh alert the AT white blaze police! I committed another infraction today and this one I have no plans to make up for.I hiked the Virginia Creeper trail out of Damascus (about 10 miles of railroad grade instead of 13 miles of trail).For the uninitiated: the AT follows white blazes from Georgia to Maine and those hikers who follow the official white-blazed trail the entire route are often called purists. Some purists worry only that they themselves follow every white blaze, others worry about if other hikers are also passing every white blaze.You can blue blaze (follow side trails, usually easier and shorter), yellow blaze (hitch or shuttle, usually the most frowned upon), or aqua blaze (canoe the Shenandoah River).So far my infractions include:* Missing 2.4 miles from Deep Gap to Standing Indian. (I hiked down the Kimsey Creek trail and up the lower ridge trail, connecting footprints, and have no plans to make this up).* Missing 35 miles of the northern Smokies. (shuttled around because of deep snow. I will come back and do this sometime if I indeed hike the rest of the trail to Katahdin).* Missing 18 miles in the Roan Highlands. (opted not to hike it in a rain storm, am coming back next weekend to hike it, when it is supposed to rain again).* Missing 13 miles by taking the Virginia Creeper trail. (I connected footsteps and have no plans to come back and do the whiteblaze route).The Creeper trail sometimes follows closely to a road and private property so you get to see more trash and No Trespassing signs - oh yeah I'm supposed to be rationalizing this blue blaze not giving ammo to detractors.The trail is historic, follows a peaceful river valley with many rapids, old trestles and scenic break stops, gives the chance to watch a trout fisherman, goes through the peaceful community of Taylors Valley -- with a cafe and eatery, both closed this early in the season -- and in general offers a different flavor than the usual AT. If the entire AT was like this I wouldn't hike it, but a small section here and there is nice.With its wide, flat treadway and gentle grade the Virginia Creeper Trail might be what some people envision the actual AT to be like (they're thinking of the PCT ; ) instead of the rocky, up and down ridgeline walk it is.The biggest downfall is that you just gorged yourself full at the Cowboy Cafe (causing the register clerk to say "my you must be hungry today") before leaving town. So before too long you have to use a bathroom. Problem is you are close to a stream, there are bikes coming often from the other direction, and it's not yet spring so the undergrowth doesn't hide you very well, so you have to hike almost two miles before you find a place that you can actually go, which happily turns out to be an outhouse with toilet paper at a parking spot.I got out of camp just in time as I met Salty Dog, hiking SOBO from Damascus to Hot Springs, 15 minutes after heading toward town.In town I met the Lonely Wanderer who was having a yard sale.Met Moosehead at the shelter. He hiked the trail last year and was back to do Mt. Rogers in decent weather.* * *Skit's bits:* Miles the Virginia Creek Trail is shorter then the AT: 3* Chance I would hike the trail if it was 3 miles longer than the AT: maybe 50/50.* Length of the entire Virginia Creeper Trail: 34 miles.* Other facts and figures: Many bikers get a shuttle to the top of the trail (an old indian trail that became a railroad for hauling out timber from the Mt. Rogers area) and cruise the 17 miles of downhill to Damascus. There are interpretive signs along the way about the American Chestnut, Brook Trout, trail history, etc. The main coast-to-coast bike route follows the trail and goes through Damascus.* It's easier to find yourself falling to sleep when you take a break by a stream.