Date: 2003-05-01
From: VA 606/Trent's Grocery

To: Dismal Creek Falls Trail
Miles today: 1.9

Today was the kind of day I dreamed of. Well, it didn't start out that way, but turned into one of the best days. Waking up this morning, everything was still wet from yesterday's downpour, and the night's fog. I think everyone was a little slow to get going because of that, but Tn-Man and PopPop made it out of Trent's Store's field at a decent hour. Everyone else was waiting for sunshine, or a miracle, to dry things out. Around 9am, sunshine came out, making it harder to leave since things were drying.I had put on my wet clothes and they were drying too, but oh-so slowly. It's not a pleasant thing to put on wet, chilly clothes, especially the undergarments, but I managed, and in doing my other packing, I stayed warm enough. Around 10:30, I decided I'd head on out, trying to do 16 miles to leave about 8 into Pearisburg tomorrow.I walked the 0.8mi to the trail and headed up. I found out Hotdog had passed through here last night, and kept moving, so thought I might see him at the shelter I was aiming for. As I was hiking, I was thinking that I needed to get these miles in today and that, with such a late start, I'd better not piddle around much. I knew there was a side trail to some falls, and was considering passing them up to do the miles. After all, I'd be hiking an extra 0.3mi each way to see the falls, and I couldn't afford to do that, could I? Then I thought about why I'm out here. I'm here to see things I would probably never see otherwise. I'm here to enjoy the sights, the extras. I don't HAVE to get to Pearisburg at any certain day, and certainly don't have to do 16 miles today to get there by tomorrow.When I reached the blue-blazed trail to the falls, I had no doubt I was going to go see them. I was happy to see the trail maintaining a fairly level grade. "Good" I thought, "It won't take as much time if it's level." When I got to the falls, time was not an issue anymore. The falls aren't huge, having maybe a 12' drop, but the banks of the creek were just... perfect. Slabs of rock, some with water falling down to other slabs 6" below, and some dry looked very inviting. The sun was shining. It was warm. The sound of the falls was peaceful. I knew I was staying for at least an hour.I took a few pictures, then took off my boots and sat in the sun with some snacks and my book, just enjoying the entire scene. About 20 minutes later, Fly and Smoothie showed up. They fell in love with the place too. We started talking about modifying our plans for the day: We could stay until about 4pm and hike to the shelter 6 miles from here, leaving about 16 for tomorrow; we could stay for just a little bit and head for the shelter we'd originally planned on; or we could camp here and either take two days to Pearisburg, or go for 22 tomorrow. We decided to decide later, and enjoy what we had.Fly was intent on swimming, and despite the cold water, he soon was. I only had the nerve to put my feet in, and the water nearly froze them. Smoothie and I were basking in the sun, and kept remarking at how awesome this place is. Before too long, Bob, Mike, Bob, and Field showed up. They'd camped at Trent's too. It wasn't long before they'd decided they were camping here for the night, and planned a road-walk back to Trent's for burgers and dogs.Smoothie and I were the last to try out the water, finally walking in up to our thighs, then diving in. Yeow! That water was take-your-breath-away c-c-cold!Three of the guys went to Trent's but found no ground beef or hotdogs available, but they managed to bring beer and snacks back. They also told us a thunderstorm was brewing, as they'd heard thunder that we couldn't hear over the sound of the falls. We all scrambled to set up tents and secure our belongings, in preparation to wait out the storm.The storm never hit us, and only gave us a few sprinkles. So, the rest of the afternoon, we took it easy, sitting around with our trail friends talking, and drinkng beer. The conversation came around to what we expected this to be, and what it has actually been. I think that being out here has made me appreciate little things more. It's now a treat to get a cold soda twice a week, or a shower once a week. I can't go to Dairy Queen anytime I want to, so when I come to an interstate interchange, and see DQ, I'm thrilled! And sitting in and near a waterfall all day long is why I'm here. It's what I wanted to do, and I did it.By the late afternoon, we expected our section hiking friends, Push and Shove to come through. When they did, we asked if they'd mind taking a few of us to town so we could get some burgers and hotdogs. They were glad to, and around 8pm, the meat was being cooked over a campfire, not 10'from the falls. Those were just about the best tasting hotdogs I've ever had, and more than one of us mentioned that we'd never felt so full on the trail!It was a beautiful day today, not because of the weather, but because of how I spent it. I spent it doing what I wanted to do, and that was to spend time relaxing by the water. Tomorrow though, I still want to reach Pearisburg. I hope there aren't any more falls between here and there, or it might take me a few days!