Date: 2006-09-08
From: Catawba, Virginia

To: Pearisburg, Virginia
Miles today: 72.5

We managed to get alot of poor weather out of the way by staying in Blacksburg for 4 full days and it seemed like time to get back on the trail. We didn't get to start hiking till around 11AM, but we still planned on doing approximately 23 miles that day so we had to move right along.The ground was still moist as we said goodbye to our buddy Chad and began the climb up to Dragons Tooth on legs that had already gotten used to being lazy. After a 6 miles we found a nice little clearing that let in the sun and we stopped to have some lunch. The trail around Dragons Tooth was fairly rugged with some short sections of rocks that were very indicative of sections farther north. It was a nice change from the flat smooth trail through unchanging forests that is known among the thru-hiking community as "The Green Tunnel." It certainly does feel like a tunnel at times, but it is much appreciated due to the cooling shade that it provides much of the time. The afternoon of that first day consisted of alot of very winding trail that resulted in me loosing all sense of direction and blindly following the white blazes. We were at some point heading almost due north and this meant that we would go up and over one ridgeline, cross a populated valley floor, and head immediately up the next ridge. Another unique change since we usually follow one ridge for a long time and stay on its flatish top. The sun beat us that day and we ended up hiking the last few miles of the day by the light of our headlamps. There was a nice sunset and the evening was cool but truly pleasant. The next day I felt a little bit sore and I know that neither jon nor I felt like pushing it hard that day. After only that many days off the body already needed a bit of time to get itself readjusted. Its a shame that it seems all this painstakingly earned aerobic conditioning will slip away from me in such a short time after completing this hike. At the top of our first hill we were met by a pleasant breeze and the Eastern Continental Divide. I was not previously aware that such a thing even existed although considering it now, its seems logical that it must exist. Descending that ridge we walked through a long sunny valley. I had lunch by a nice stream with a few sodas floating in its depths. I helped myself to a grape soda and relaxed with my book waiting for jon. He never did show before I moved on and it turns out that he took lunch a few miles earlier at the last shelter. The afternoon was alot of field exposed to the beating sun and I got fairly dehydrated. Felt very lethargic and didn't much feel like walking. Talking latter in the evening it sounds as though The General had a similar issue. As the temperatures began to cool I climbed a large unexpected ridge and ran into a NOBO hiker named Baggins. She is a very short middle aged woman hiker who has been on the trail for six months + and has only come 600+ miles. She seems to be having a great time however and she is content with getting simply as far as she can before the winter weather makes it uncomfortable. That is a great attitude with which to approach the trail, but I am incapable of that type of schedule and only wish I could enjoy it. I prefer to set goals and move along quickly, seeing forward progress while still seeing the sights is what keeps me excited for the future. As the evening approached I stopped by a stream in a deep rhododendron valley to cook dinner and wait for jon. As I was finishing up he came walking across the bridge and pushed on ahead of me to the War Spur shelter. At the shelter we again met up with a SOBO section hiker named Kirk whom we first met as we hitchhiked into Glasgow, VA. He is a good guy and it is always refreshing to get a new influx of conversational topics. The third day it seemed as though the body had again accepted its fate and let us put in 25 miles without making much of a protest. The first hill was long, but we were rewarded with a spectacular view of a beautiful valley with not a sight of human development. We had begun to travel through a string of small wilderness areas that border each other. Traversing that large ridge that we labored up wasn't such a pleasant experience as I had hoped. The trail was fairly rocky and reminiscent of some of our worse days through Pennsylvania. There was also a copious amount of stinging nettle which is never a good time. Lunch was had at the Bailey Gap shelter and Kirk caught up to us there just as I was pushing on for the evening. I imagine that will be that last time that I get to see him. Soon after filling water and starting my afternoon a washed out bridge confronted us with the ford of an ankle deep stream. Nothing unpleasant and soon we were traversing the bottom of a hill and roughly paralleling the flow of this stream. The trail was unnecessarily up and down with the added bonus of moving through rhododendron thickets always slightly to short for me to stand up straight. That was soon over however and after a brief break I forged up to Peters Mountain. The day was slipping away and we had a long way to hike so I pushed on at light speed. Bark was flying off of trees as I blew past. The ridge was smooth sailing with occassional views over into neighboring West Virginia as I headed towards Rice Field Shelter. The shelter is under wooded cover next to a hilltop meadow that gave a great view to the west. I sat in the field and cooked dinner in a stiff wind and waited for The General to show up. I waited till just before compete darkness and then retired to the shelter for a night of reading and journal writing. Jon eventually showed up about an hour and a half after dark in excellent spirits. He had eaten under a majestic white oak which I had a snack under earlier in the afternoon. The Generals favorite time to hike is in the late evening as the sun is sinking below the horizon. It puts him in a very relaxed mood and his pace will often slow as the sun gets lower. This lead to his late arrival, but the sky was perfectly clear and he had a headlamp. All was right with the world. The next morning we were greeted by a fairly heavy fog cover and a dew that soaked through the shoes as soon as I left the shelters cover. Jon set off first and i wouldn't again see him till arriving at the Food Lion in Pearisburg in early afternoon. The trail was mostly downhill and we had Chads visit to anticipate so time went quickly. The fog didn't burn off till 1PM that day, but then it got blazing hot. Descending into town we passed a large industrial lanfill and a huge textile factory that supplied the landfill. Also just before reaching the road into Pearisburg we had to cross a bridge spanning the New River. The New River flows through the second oldest riverbed yet recorded on earth. This is only preceded by the Nile River which is the oldest.