Date: 2006-06-02
From: Niday Shelter

To: Stealth camp above VA 624
Miles today: 16.6

What a day this was! I was first out of the shelter at 7:15am, and didn't start setting up my tent until close to 9:00pm. I hiked today with Grey Goose, Big Foot and Veto who are close to my age (69, 62, & 49 respectively). The hike started out with a 1500 foot ascent on easy switchbacks. Toward the top we caught up with Mackenzie (Hitch), Mary (Barnacle), and Sarah, who were resting on a bench. Pics were taken and then they yielded the bench to us and took our pics before heading up the trail. We rested briefly and I replaced the moleskin on my right heal blister. Then we headed off on a ridge walk with no views before descending down to a stream, where we lunched and got water. The girls were there with Beernuts and took off ahead of us. While we were eating, Clay&Branch came along with 2 other thru's. After lunch we started the next climb up towards Dragon's Tooth, a rocky summit viewpoint. A mile in we debated stopping at a shelter .5 mi from the trail, but it was only 1:00pm, far too early to stop. Plus there was the lure of the Homeplace and the all-you-can-eat dinner as an incentive. BigFoot took the lead, and the 1000' ascent up the mountain went fairly quickly on good sidehill trail at about 1.5 mph. On top we had a "knife edge" ridge walk that wasn't too difficult, but was slow as we clambered over many rock formations on the way to Dragon's Tooth. On the way there was thunder, at first distant then nearer. We put on our pack covers at the overlook, which offered a spectacular view, and I took the lead on the descent. The trail here was very difficult, requiring hands and feet to get down over the rocks. There were steel ladder rungs drilled into some of the stones to assist. Eventually we reach the road above which we're camped about 5:30pm.As we headed toward the road that passes the Homeplace, we asked some folks where we could get a ride. They directed us to a gas station/general store about 1/4 mile away, near the intersection. We hoofed it over there and found the girls finishing up some coke. I resupplied for an extra day to Daleville, as this section is taking longer than I had planned. I also got a pepsi and ice cream sandwich as appetizers, which I was consuming on the store stoop, when a guy doing a fill-up asked how it was going. I said "Good, but it would be better if we can get a ride to the Homeplace." And that's how we got the ride with a retired sargeant major, his wife and two small children in car seats in their Xterra. "Let me think about it", said he heading into the store to pay for his gas. Emerging he asked, "How flexible are you?" Goose and I piped up, "Very flexible". The packs went on top, and 3 of us "flexed" into the luggage space behind the rear seat and rode the few miles with the tailgate open. What a nice gesture. When we got to The Homeplace. We were shown right in to the hiker table, and met LoneWolf in from Daleville where he zeroed. He suggested we hit his shuttle driver up for a ride back to the trail, which we did. By then it was nearly dark. Grey Goose and Veto set up near the road. BigFoot and I hiked up to the brow of the hill where we found good tentsites, and set up camp by headlamp.Two days to Daleville.Maine Ho!