Date: 2015-05-19
From: Dismal Falls campsite, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: scattered clouds

With intentions of cowboy camping again last night on top of a large, flat rock, the thunder of a nearby storm caused me to set up my tent just in case. No rain came, however, and I had a decent sleep until I woke just after 7:00am. Unaware that Moosehead had already been up for a little while trying his luck at fishing with his makeshift pole, he was awarded to a show of seeing me in the nude while I enjoyed the morning and took down my tent. I would then spend the next ~20 minutes fishing upstream while Moosehead and Hobble gradually packed up. Only a few bites from tiny fish, but a very enjoyable experience nonethelessOnce ready to go and having already put on our shoes, Moosehead and I attempted to cross a fallen tree over the rushing creek, but with no luck. We would eventually head upstream, cross over some large rocks, and then bushwhack our way back to the location we originally planned to cross over to. With the process taking nearly 45 minites, we didn't start on the trail until close to 9:00am.The first 6 miles would pass easily, climbing only 300ft in the process until reaching Wapiti Shelter. We reached a clearing which had a small pond where Hobble sat resting as we approached. The next ~45 minutes would be spent relaxing, snacking, enjoying the warm sun, and watching Moosehead fish; he even managed to catch a small, ~6 inch fish, but it could've been "the one" for all he cared. From here the trail would take us up ~1,300ft over the next 3 miles to the top of a ridge that we'd follow for the remainder of the day. With temperatures in the mid-70's, sweat poured as we climbed our way to the top. After reaching the top we were awarded with our first of 6 awesome views of the day. The first provided an outcropping of large rocks facing north to a long ridge that lead to Pearisburg, VA at the far end. We knew this would be the ridge we'd soon be walking along so it was neat to see our ending point, though still resting over 10 trail miles away still.Continuing down into Big Horse Gap and Sugar Run Gap, both covered in knee and waist-high ferns, giving the feeling I was walking through a Jurassic Park scene. Cresting one small hill, I saw a deer standing on the trail ~20 yards ahead of me. With its ears pointed up, it watched me for a few seconds before retreating into the nearby woods. Its friend of baby, I couldn't tell which, would go bolting down the hillside as I passed along. Unfortunately visiting Woods Hole Hostel wasn't in the cards for the day since we had a longer day planned. It's a working farm that, from what I hear, offers a killer breakfast and dinner using their own farm-fresh ingredients.Up another 500ft to just under 4,000ft, we'd reach our highest point of the day. This view, facing south, allowed is to see the ridge we had been hiking along this morning, as well as a beautiful green valley below dotted with farms, small hamlets, winding roads, a few cows, and towering ridge lines in the distance. From this height the tops of the forests below resembled large heads of broccoli covering the entire state of Virginia. Truly beautiful. I wondered if the locals living in the valleys below know how beautiful this place is or if it's something that can only be appreciated from the mountaintops above. As I was throwing on my pack to continue on, I dropped one of my trekking poles which began a slow-motion roll towards the edge of the rock outcropping. At the last possible moment, using my other pole, I was able to stop it and another hiker grabbed it for me. Had it fallen it would've been lost a couple hundred feet below in no-man's land along the steep sides of the ridge. Phew.Continuing on to Docs Knob Shelter, we stopped to get water since it'd be the last place to do so while along the ridge line. We eventually popped out into another clearing below a tall power line offering 2 nice, though limited views to the east and west. We rested on some large rocks, took advantage of 4G, and were soon back on the trail assuming we only had ~2 miles to go. During this next stretch, Moosehead and I would pause for a few moments along the trail to listen and dance to a little Led Zeplin. With my iPod being dead for the past 2 days, it was refreshing to hear music again. After 2 miles, Moosehead reached his limit and decided to stay at a campsite just before the point where the trail would take us down ~2.5 miles into Pearisburg, VA. Hobble and I decided to continue on another half mile or so to a view called Angel's Rest and then reassess. Angel's Rest was little more than a large, circular rock resting on the north side of the ridge overlooking the town below. I was surprised that several signs along the trail pointed the way to this spot and not the far better views we enjoyed earlier. As I was standing on top of Angel's Rest grabbing a few pictures, Hobble came up with the brilliant idea to see if Pearisburg had a pizza place that'd deliver to the trailhead. We were in luck and our minds were made up - we were heading down.With it nearing 7:00pm, we began scampering down the last couple of miles to our reward at the end, an extra large pepperoni and bell pepper pizza, cheesy bread sticks, and a 2-liter of Pepsi (can't win them all) for $21. After finally reaching the bottom, the trail exits through a little wooded corridor between a few houses, depositing you onto Lane Street. Unsure of where we'd be able to set up camp, we decided we'd face that hurdle when the time came, although an abandoned, haunted-looking house standing (leaning) across from the trail head was a serious consideration. We limped over to an island of grass at the corner of Lane and Main, sat down, and only had to wait ~10 minutes before our pizza delivery girl came grinding to a hault nearby. With our haul in hand, we ventured across a 3-street intersection to an old wooden porch swing standing randomly on the corner of the opposite grass island. Collapsing onto the bench, the sun setting behind the towering ridge to our west, all was right with the world as we divided up our meal. Perfection.Back on the trail, we needed to find a place to camp in the fast disappearing light. Unable to camp around the trail head due to thick woods or private property, our only option was to continue north along the trail, opposite the direction we needed to get to in the morning. We entered the woods and found more of the same steep, rugged, overgrown brush that would prevent us from camping. Eventually we hit an intersecting path that we followed a little to see of there was an option. We came to a clearing and in what little light was left, noticed headstones dotting the ground. We decided not to stay here out of respect...OK, maybe it was more along the lines of potential ghosts. Back to the trail. No more than a couple of minutes later, Hobble leading the way with his headlamp, he let out a scream that can best be described as pure terror. I did the first thing that came to mind and peed myself a little. It turns out the light from his headlamp caused the shadows of the surrounding plants to play tricks on him, making him think he was about to fall victim to an approaching predator. Note to self: don't rely on Hobble in a crisis situation.We eventually exited the woods along a busy highway, cars and semis speeding by, their headlights momentarily blinding us as we crossed a long bridge spanning a river below. At the opposite side, the trail leads down a set of stairs, under the highway bridges, and back up and into the woods after ~100 yards along a road. Fortunately, just as we were climbing back into the woods, we noticed a once-used road leading off to the right, a set of concrete pillars and a chain link preventing vehicles from entering. We figured it was worth a look and, no more than ~50 feet later, found a flat enough area in the old roadbed to call home for the night. Even though we were ~20ft from a railroad, sitting just as many feet below us over a nearby ledge, and were within earshot of the busy highway and continuous humming of a large plant releasing rotten egg smells into the air, this was paradise after a 25.5-mile day.It's already 9:30pm, but I'm cowboy camping again and setup takes a couple minutes at most. 2 trains have already passed, shaking the ground as they leave the nearby plant carrying whatever it is they have in their cars. The glow of the plant resembles a small city, making it easy enough to see without the use of headlamps. Hopefully a restful night awaits despite these minor inconveniences. I did just have a liter of Pepsi, though, which history will show doesn't bode well.Here's to early morning fishing, brocoli-covered hillsides, and a Pepsi before bed.- Cambo