Date: 2015-05-18
From: 589.3 campsite, VA

To: Dismal Falls campsite, VA
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Up just before 7:00am to the voices of young children who had wandered over to take in the view as they waited for the school bus, Moosehead, Hobble, and I began what was a slow morning. We took our time packing, allowing our tents and rain fly's to dry as much as possible in the early morning sunlight before having to pack them away for the day. We eventually hit the trail just after 8:00am and would travel the first half mile along a road, crossing over I-77 in the process, before reaching the point where the trail entered the woods again. Here we breaker to stock up on water as well as dig our morning cat holes.The only real climb of the day, made more difficult due to the fact that we hadn't tested our legs in close to 4 days, came immediately after we entered the woods, climbing ~500ft in a mile and a half. With the morning already warm and humid, my shirt was quickly soaked in sweat and remains as I currently write this journal at 11:00pm. It should be fun putting that back on in the morning. Eventually we all found a rythym as we continied gentle ups and downs as we passed Helvey's Mill Shelter and approached yet another Brushy Mountain. We ran into 2 members of the large hiker family who we haven't seen since the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast we were treated to in Franklin, NC. Dash and his sister who is on her second day of a month-long section hike and has yet to acquire a name kept pace with Moosehead and I for a couple of miles. In doing so they were treated to Moosehead teaching me a little about calculus while I taught him a little about raising alpacas in return.We eventually began climbing Brushy Mountain where we knew we'd hit the 600-mile mark just before summiting. As if on cue, 2 hoker-made markers, one of sticks and one of rocks, would appear on the trail signifying the mark had been reached. Moosehead and I grabbed a few pictures of one another, but quickly continued on for our energy levels were low and the summit meant a lunch break. We soon reached the summit where we ran into the parents of the 10 hiker family children, Simple Man and Chocolate. We exchanged comments on the trail and found out that Hobble's dad, Buckey, had actually treated them to trail magic as well back in the Erwin, TN area by treating the family to Pal's as well. Class act, Buckey, and they're still very much appreciative.After a quick lunch of 2 Nutty bars, a Snickers bar, and a Butterfinger, Moosehead, Simple Man, Chocolate and I were back on the trail. I talked with Chocolate during this time, learning a little about her and her family in the process. They have 10 children in all, 7 of which are currently thru-hiking and/or section hiking for a period of time. We were also able to relate with both being former camp counselors as well a general passion for geography. Needing only 2 miles before they reached their final destination for the day we soon parted ways and I was able to catch up with Moosehead and Hobble within the next mile as they were breaking to get water. Continuing on through Lickskillet Hollow and up along a rocky ridge that never seemed to end, we eventually lowered until we crossed Kimberling Creek Suspension Bridge, the largest on the AT. I'm sure the actual length can be found, but it seemed to be roughly ~100ft in length as I crossed over the small river below.After crossing the bridge we exited the woods onto the side of a road where we immediately sat due to aching feet. In the process of determining if we should continue to camp, another ~2 miles further, or walk along the road half a mile to Trent's Grocery in order to eat and drink, our mind was made up for us as the skies to the weather began darkening with approaching weather. We hit the road, heading for Trent's Grocery, and reached it within ~10 minutes of it starting to rain. Trent's Grocery is an outdated gas station on a lonely country road where, when it's not empty, trucks with lift kits can be found parked out front as locals stop in to chitchat about recent happenings. Empty when we arrived, we scoured the shelves for anything appetizing. Although the store offers a menu ranging from ham and cheese sandwiches and hot dogs to hamburgers and salads, we felt a cheaper route could be found amongst the goods on he shelves. For $12 I enjoyed a 2-liter of Coke, a bag of honey BBQ Frito's, and 3-15oz cans of Chef Boyardee. Moosehead enjoyed the same while Hobble enjoyed a fresh tomato and fried chicken tenders with fries. Although not the finest of meals so far, it did the trick as my belly was stretched close to its limits. As the rain passed and the sun reappeared, several trucks appeared at the a same time, but were just as quickly gone and we exited the store as empty as we had entered it.Needing to cover only ~2.5 from the grocery, we sucked it up and headed back out into the humid day that had returned. Gently climbing back into the woods, I was pleased when the final couple of miles passed quickly and I was able to reach camp without throwing up any of the gourmet food I had just enjoyed. Reaching Dismal Falls campsite, we were relieves to find a beautiful series of campsites spread along either side of a small river complete with large flat rocks to walk on and a cascading waterfall of about ~20ft in height. Gear and clothes were quickly off as we made our way below the falls and dipped ourselves into the cold water to regain a small sense of dignity after a long day in humid weather. With bathing complete, we found a nice campsite on the opposite side of the bank as the trail where we're currently camped for the evening. Hoping to cowboy camp once again, I spread out on a large rock in between Moosehead and Hobble who took flat ground below. With wet clothes unable to dry in the humidity, I sat naked in my sleeping bag as I began updating my journals. However, after a series of thunder from a storm rolling nearby, I was forced to set up my tent instead. I spent a little time earlier this evening helping Moosehead prepare a makeshift fishing pole he made from a stick and fishing line and bate he purchasedmat Trent's Grocery. He's set on catching fish for dinner at certain points along the way. We have a deal that if he provides food, I'll prepare the fire and we'll eat like kings. That, or we'll simply Bear Gryll's it out of laziness.It's currently 12:00am and will most likely be a tiring day tomorrow as a result, but I felt the need to catch up on my journals and stay up-to-date for my readers. The sound of the small, roaring falls ~200ft away feels the night air as I prepare to wrap this edition up. Both Moosehead and Hobble are fast asleep. Paerisburg, VA is currently ~25 miles away and is our next resupply point. We'll either push a big day and drop in tomorrow or we'll pull up just shy of town and enter early Wednesday morning instead. With Trail Days now in the rearview mirror, it's now back to the trail and continuing to push north until the next opportunity presents itself.Here's to 600 miles, sleeping in the nude, and the thought of a future meal of fire-cooked fish between friends.- Cambo