Date: 2005-06-15
From: Catawba Mountain Shelter

To: Field near Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

miles: 14 total: 386dest: field near Pickle Branch ShelterFirst order of business today: get in to Catawba Post Office where a mail drop waits for me. I don't need the food right now, so I decide to forward it to Bland: between Pearisburg and Troutdale, the next two mail drop towns. While I was in town, I had breakfast (2 egg sandwiches and a quart of orange juice) at this country store. Store and Post Office: that's about all of Catawba, except for the sanatorium (got no business there). It was only a mile into town from the trail, so I elected to just walk. Dangerous hilly windy road. Stuck out my thumb for the return part. Got a ride right away in an ice cream truck. Felt guilty eating an ice cream sandwich from the store in front of the guy.The day was sunny and breezy. Much cooler than yesterday. Clear -- good day for views.Woods. Hay fields. Cow pasture. Creek. Where the trail crosses over the creek, I took a detour up the creek for a bath.I saw a mature black bear soon after crossing 624. I heard him first, and froze. He was padding along 20 yards from the trail. When I pulled the velcro from the pocket holding my camera he became aware of me. He only glanced at me with an "oh shit" expression on his face, then looked down as if to focus on his next move, turned, and then ran away.The climb to Dragon's Tooth was a long one. After a steep climb up to a rocky ridge I thought I was near. When the trail turned downhill, I went back to see if I missed it. Turned out, at the next gap, there was a sign suggesting that I was now on the approach trail to Dragon's Tooth, and some day hikers joined me on the embarkation. The trail up was a rock scramble. The trail maintainers have put a lot of time into rock work on this trail. Some iron handles have been added to a couple of sheer rock faces. At the top there is a short blue blazed trail to the natural monument. It is really quite impressive at first sight thrusting up over the tree tops, but even more impressive after climbing up on it. A 360 degree view. Tinker Cliffs is in plain view. The backside of the mountain that McAfee Knob is on and the valley containing the reservoir can be seen but the features are obscured. A patch of development can be glimpsed through a distant notch (I think Daleville!) but otherwise the land is rural.I leave Dragon's Tooth after 19:00, but taking the opportunity of a good cell connection before heading down the trail. I drink my last water with the idea of getting to the next shelter (and water) before nightfall. The next shelter is 5 miles away. After a lot of ridge walking, the trail tends down hill, but it heads back up later on, back to the ridge. At 21:00 I get out my headlamp. Now the trail gets nasty. Low hanging branches grabbing at the pack, obscuring the path, and casting spooky shadows down the trail when they get in the beam of the headlamp. And the trail is rocky, taking extra care. After an hour of this I tire, and begin looking for any flat clear place to set up camp for the night. I come to a patch of little fields, and pick one. Turns out the path to the shelter is not 50 yards further on.