Date: 2013-10-25
From: Daleville, VA

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

After checking out of the hotel, I got on the trail a little before 10. Right out of town, I found much rockier terrain than the previous days. The Trail makes a big horseshoe around Carvin Cove Reservoir, remaining on or close to the crest of Tinker Mountain which surrounds the valley. There were good views of the reservoir on one side of the ridge, and on the other side, good views of the valleys and farmland to the west. With a clear blue sky and crisp temperatures, it was a wonderful day to be hiking the Trail! The 10 miles to Lamberts Meadow Shelter and campsite seemed to take a bit longer than it should have, but the trail was often rocky with lots of little ups and downs. Besides, I was stopping regularly to admire the views from rocky outcrops and through the thin forest canopy to valleys and ridges far below. After leaving Lamberts Meadow Shelter in mid afternoon I spent nearly an hour on the rim of the Tinker Cliffs. There were great views over the Catawba valley and to the ridge line of North Mountain beyond. To the west, the dramatic narrow ridgeline of Catawba Mountain ran a long distance off to the peak of McAfee Knob, and beyond in the distance, row upon row of mountain ridges marched off as far as the eye could see into the clear blue autumn sky. The weather was clear and cold, and the afternoon light was excellent. I pressed on the 5 more miles to Campbell Shelter, arriving about 5:30. The only water in the area was a weak spring with a slow flow of water dripping out of an old rusty pipe jammed deep into the ground. I put my pot under the pipe and was able to catch enough water to filter for dinner and tomorrow morning's hike. A northbound hiker I had met earlier in the afternoon had told me about the piped spring and had said this was the only water source for many miles. He said I should fill up there for most of the next day's hike. He had joked that there seemed to be something wrong with getting your drinking water from a spring named "the Pig Farm". I had to agree and appreciated his sense of humor, but it's the only water around so it's gonna have to do. I took his advice and filled up my 4-liter water bag. I found Foot in his sleeping bag in the shelter. He's a guy a little older than me from Mt Holly, VT, so we have something in common. He told me he's hiked from Springer to Damascus, then hitched up to New England and hiked all of Maine, NH and VT. Then he hitched back to PA, and is now walking south to Damascus. Interesting fellow who seemed happy for the company and conversation. Tonight is supposed to be the coldest night of the season. Predictions are to go into the mid 20's. Foot said there were snow flurries here yesterday and frost this morning when he woke up. Apparently he has been here at least a day already. The highest temp I saw today was 46 when I hit the trail this morning. The temp held steady for a while, then dropped most of the afternoon. My thermometer showed 42 while I was on Tinker Cliffs, and was 38 when I arrived at the shelter. A stiff west wind was gusting around all day, making it seem colder at times than the temp showed. It was a wonderful fall day to be a long-distance hiker on the AT!