Date: 2007-06-10
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: VA624 Campsite by Road
Miles today: 22.6

Today was mix of both mental and physical highs and lows. I was off to a good start in the morning and the hiking was mostly across the ridge, however there were more rocks to negotiate and for the first time the trail was blazed across some very large rock slabs, which really strained my feet and ankles due to the angle of the slab. Before I left the shelter this morning, Alright said he would be meeting his dad at a road about 14 miles from the shelter. His dad was planning to have lunch for anyone who was there at around 12:30. I thought I could make that, but did not intend to rush. If I made it that would be nice, if not, no problem.The first goal of the day was to reach Niday Shelter six miles away. When I arrived there, I took a quick break and read the shelter register to see when Snake, Slick, and Tennis passed through. They are all a day to a half day ahead of me. The next leg of the morning hiking would be eight miles to VA620, where Alright's dad would be waiting with some trail magic. Nothing was unusual about this section, other than the Audie Murphy Memorial. About 6 miles from Niday Shelter there is suppose to be a memorial for Audie Murphy, the most highly decorated American soldier from WWII. He was killed after the war when his light plane crashed near this location of the trail. I had thought the memorial was right on the trail, however when I did not see it and read my guide book again, I realized I had passed it, since it was actually 200 ft. off the trail.I was now getting closer to the road, but estimated I would be there after everyone had left. When I finally arrived there however, Alright, his dad, his dad's friend, and two other thru hikers were there. They were basically cleaning up, but let me make a sandwich, grab a few sodas, and cookies and potato chips. I talked with them for a while and thanked them for the trail magic. As they drove off and Alright and the other 2 hikers hiked north, I sat in the shade by a tree, enjoying the bounty before me. I took my time here, enjoying the break and soaking my feet in a nearby stream.It was about 2:30 and I had already hiked about 14 miles. I was planning on hiking at least another 6 miles and maybe a little more depending on how I felt. There was a natural rock formation called Dragon's Tooth near the end of this 6 mile stretch that I was interested in seeing. The first couple of miles were not so bad, but after that I kept climbing and started to really run out of steam. I had initially thought Dragon's Tooth was at the 4 mile point but it was actually 5 miles from where I started. I felt I must have hiked at least 4 miles and therefore must have passed it, so I trudged on. When I eventually came to a blue trail leading to Dragon's Tooth, I was frustrated, thinking I had only come 4 miles after all that hiking. After checking my guide book I realized my mistake. At this point, I had no desire to see Dragon's Tooth, and just wanted to get off the mountain and find a campsite by the road, to call it a day. Unfortunately, I did not realize that for the last mile or two I would need to hike over some serious rocky trail. This was not just small loose rock and occasional rock hopping, but large rock outcroppings where I needed both hands to lower myself down. I was already spent, but needed to focus even harder now, both mentally and physically. After a good deal of time, I finally made it to the road. The guide book said there was a small store down this road four tenths of a mile away. It was about 6:30pm on a Sunday, so I did not have great hopes it would be open, but was willing to take the walk to find out. When I reached the store, I was delighted to find it still open. I saw another thru hiker there called Director. I decided I'd just have dinner there and skip cooking it later. So Director and I sat outside eating hot dogs and drinking cold drinks for quite a while, discussing the days events. He also, had bypassed Dragon's Tooth, because he was tired. I guess in hindsight, we made a tactical error. We should have ended the day right before Dragon's Tooth and climbed up to see it in the morning. Lesson learned.We eventually both walked back to where the trail crossed the road, and found some level ground in the woods to pitch our tents. I hope I can sleep OK tonight with the light traffic passing on this road.