Appalachian Trail - Day 049 - Daleville to Bobblets Gap

Day: 049

Date: Monday, 12 June 2023

Start:  Daleville (AT Mile 730.3)

Finish:  Bobblets Gap (AT Mile 749.1)

Daily Kilometres:  32.2 (Ascent 4511', Descent 3576')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1265.2

Weather:  Overcast and humid with occasional drizzle in the morning, mostly sunny and breezy in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Macca's breakfast platter

  Lunch:  Ham salad roll

  Dinner:  Noodles & chicken/Rice & chicken.

Aches:  Dave - left ankle troublesome; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  In the afternoon, the trail reached the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP), a 470 mile long tourist road that runs down through the Appalachians and, taking advantage of the roadside lookouts where the trail crossed the BRP, we had some excellent views down to the farmland and towns down below on both sides of the ridge.  Better than we usually get from the AT. 

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 6:00am, checked out of our motel 45 minutes later, and walked to the nearby McDonald's for breakfast only to find that the restaurant part didn't open until 7:00 am, so we had to stand outside for a while thinking about the extra 15 minutes we could have been sleeping!

After breakfast, on a damp humid morning, we then walked alongside a busy highway the 0.8 miles back to the trail.  For a while the trail wended its way between just-out-of-sight highways, habitation, and a railway line before beginning to climb steadily up to Fullhart Knob Shelter where we stopped around 11:00am for a break and chatted to a couple of thru-hikers there, one of whom we knew had been doing big miles a couple of days ago, but now seemed in no hurry to leave the shelter where he had stayed last night.  Another hiker was still in his sleeping bag.  Julie and I sometimes find it hard to fathom the strategies of some of our fellow hikers.

We took our lunch break at the next shelter around 1:30pm after an up and down section through open forest.  The trail was good underfoot and we made good time, but the humidity made it very sweaty work.

After lunch the sun appeared, the wind grew and the humidity seemed to drop, making for more pleasant hiking conditions.  The trail climbed towards the BRP (see above), and when we reached the road there was "Don the Apple Man" with food laid out on a rock and drinks available for hikers.  Another trail angel providing trail magic.  Dave, who was feeling a bit dehydrated, demolished a couple of Gatorades while we sat, ate and drank, and chatted to Don, who apparently does this two or three days each week during thru-hiker season.  It was earlier than we had planned for our next break, but very welcome.  It's hard to explain what a lift these unexpected acts of kindness give the tired thru-hiker.

Buoyed by the surprise food and drink, we continued on the trail which now followed the BRP, occasionally crossing it, and enjoying the good views.  There wasn't much traffic and the road was often visible from the trail, but it didn't diminish the scenery or experience.

Just before 6:00pm we found a nice tentsite above the road and out of sight to camp.  We have good views through the trees down to the valley below and are bathed in the light of the setting sun.  Perfect!

We passed a sign this morning that said we are one third of the way through our AT journey.  It seems to be going quickly.

Appalachian Trail - Day 048 - Daleville Day Off

Day: 048

Date: Sunday, 11 June 2023

Start:  Daleville (AT Mile 730.3)

Finish:  Daleville (AT Mile 730.3)

Daily Kilometres:  0

Total Kilometres:  1233.0

Weather:  Warm, partly sunny and humid.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Omelette, hash browns & biscuit/Eggs, sausage & waffles.

  Lunch: Mexicali subs 

  Dinner:  Hamburger steak, beans & fries/BBQ basket, ice-cream.

Aches:  Nothing to report.

Highlight:  A quiet relaxing day after our long day yesterday.

Lowlight:  Discovering the local outdoor store, from which we planned to buy our freeze-dried food and some small gear items is not open on Sundays.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We slept in a bit, bit not so long.  Our body clocks are set to early rising, so we were at a nearby diner enjoying breakfast by soon after 8:00am.

Following that, Dave looked after the laundry while Julie walked the mile plus to a supermarket that advertised it stocked freeze-dried food, but didn't actually stock it, so we will be using some less-preferred dinners for the next leg.  Fortunately, it is only four days and three dinners of all goes to plan.

In the afternoon, Julie walked up to the motel where trail friend, Tassie, is staying for an afternoon drink.

Later, we returned to the nearby dinner for an early dinner, followed by an early night.

Appalachian Trail - Day 047 - Cove Mt to Daleville

Day: 047

Date: Saturday, 10 June 2023

Start:  Cove Mt (AT Mile 699.5)

Finish:  Daleville (AT Mile 730.3)

Daily Kilometres:  54.3 (Ascent 6063', Descent 7306')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1233.0

Weather:  Warm, sunny and humid.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Bacon & egg roll & fries/Sausage & egg roll & fries.

  Lunch:  Chicken salad sandwich.

  Dinner:  Pop tarts/Trail mix

Aches:  Dave - very tired and a few niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Many highlights, but picking one, McAfee Knob (3156') was very special.  It was a large rock shelf on the northern edge of the mountain top, bathed in sunshine with commanding views to the west, east and north of valleys and mountains.  Being a sunny Saturday we were sharing it with many hikers, but there was plenty of space and it didn't seem crowded.

Lowlight:  We ended up hiking an hour longer than hoped because of a lot of technical rocky trail in the last six miles that slowed us down.  As a result, it was 11;50pm before we reached our motel which was a mile off the trail in Daleville.  Dave regretted not booking the lower-rated motel which was much closer to the trail.  Then, when we tried to get an ice-cream or thick shake from one of the nearby service stations to supplement our snack dinner on the trail, they weren't available. Then, we got our motel room the TV was not operational, so we had to change our room (for Dave's peace of mind).

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We made an earlier start, 6:00am, partly because we stopped earlier last night, and partly because we planned to complete the Virginia Triple Crown, 20 miles that incorporates the Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs, three notable high points.  Apparently doing them in a day is a thing, and we did meet a few day-hikers going for that goal.

Dragon's Tooth was first on our list after a lovely, if a little testing, hike along a high ridge as the sun rose on a warm day that was already humid.  The jagged rock projecting skywards lived up to the hype and there were good views.  We didn't attempt to climb to the top, as many do, for both (Dave's) safety and time reasons.

The steep descent from the Dragon's Tooth was very challenging, including narrow ledges, huge step ups and downs, and hanging on with hands in many places.  Certainly the most challenging of the trail so far and, though interesting, was very slow for a long period.  It delayed our breakfast at the Catawba Grocery, 0.3 miles off the trail at the next road crossing, until after 9:00am.  That detour was well worth it and we enjoyed our breakfast seated at a table outside chatting to a couple of college student thru-hikers who had been doing 30 mile days (so they can finish before college resumes).  They were planning to get to Daleville today, which we expected to reach tomorrow morning. The previous day we had met some other thru-hikers doing a 30 mile day, including hiking at night, so they could see the sunrise at McAfee Knob.  The seed was sown in Dave's mind.

At the point where we left the trail to walk to the Grocery, we caught up with the thru-hiking group we had heard about with the trail name of "32 Feet Up" comprising a mother and 15 children, some biological and some adopted and as young as four years of age.  Not sure what we think about such a venture and the responsibility the mother has assumed.  They are travelling very slowly, so we won't see them again.

On return to the trail from the Grocery we had a pleasant, but very warm, hike in the sunshine across some meadows with abundant wildflowers before climbing to another long sawtooth ridge that offered filtered views of the valleys far below but involved repeatedly climbing and descending knolls.

Along the way, Dave broached the idea of hiking all of the way to Daleville today, which would mean a 30 mile day and a very late arrival, but save us setting up and taking down camp, and give us showers and a soft bed tonight and a full day off tomorrow instead part of a day.

At the end of that ridge, we reached the very full carpark at the trailhead to the popular McAfee Knob where we took a break for lunch on a rock in the shade and enjoyed the excellent sandwiches we had bought at the Catawba Grocery.

The climb to McAfee Knob was long, but not particularly hard, though Dave was sweating big time.  We have decided that Julie runs cool while Dave runs hot.

McAfee Knob was fantastic (see above) and we took a break there enjoying the sun and views before continuing north towards Tinker Cliffs, a journey which involved a long relatively gentle descent before a very hard climb that just kept on giving with many false tops.  Even though it was nearing 5:00pm when we reached the Cliffs it was still very humid and very sweaty.

The Tinker Cliffs did not disappoint and gave commanding views back to McAfee Knob and the ridge we had followed to get there.  After a brief break we continued on along the clifftop for a while, checking out the views every now and then, before descending to a camping area which was our initial goal for the day, arriving around 6:45pm.

Dave was keen to try and reach Daleville, even though, with 9 miles to go, it meant likely hiking until after 11:00pm, though if the trail was good maybe a bit earlier.  Julie wasn't so sure it was a good idea, but agreed we could try.

The first couple of hours as the sun set were quite good hiking, and we had the big bonus of our first bear sighting of the hike.  Julie was very excited!  It was the size of a teenager and stood watching us for a while from about 30-40 yards away before bounding away into the woods.

We donned our headlamps around 9:00pm and about the same time the trail became more rocky and technical, slowing our progress.  The trail was following a ridge towards Daleville and seemed determined to go over every rocky knoll along the way.  As the minutes rolled by it became less enjoyable, though we did have the dubious benefit of audible country and western music drifting up from a dance in the valley far below in places and could see many lights in the valleys below on both sides of the ridge.

We were very happy when we finally started descending towards Daleville but once at lower elevations the trail just seemed to keep winding around in the dark forest without getting nearer the town.  Finally, we emerged on a highway around 11:30pm and then had to follow along its verge, like one-eyed (our headlamps) aliens on a motorised planet to reach our motel nearly a mile away.

Finally, we reached the motel and checked in.  The end of a very long day.  Not sure if we would do that again, but at least we know we are fit enough to do it if the need arises.

At least Dave's new boots were at motel reception waiting for him, so that was a big plus.

Appalachian Trail - Day 046 - Keffer Oak to Cove Mt

Day: 046

Date: Friday, 09 June 2023

Start:  Keffer Oak (AT Mile 678.9)

Finish:  Cove Mt (AT Mile 699.5)

Daily Kilometres:  34.3 (Ascent 4544', Descent 4354')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1178.7

Weather:  Cool early then mostly sunny and warm.

Accommodation:  Tent 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Hot dogs & cookies 

  Dinner:  Noodles and chicken 

Aches:  Dave - some niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  We descended to Upper Craigs Road around noon, planning to have a break and collect water there, to find a guy, Alan, all set up to provide food and drink to thru-hikers.  We joined the two hikers already there, including "Grits" who we had met back in the Smoky Mts, and enjoyed conversation and a couple of hot dogs each, along with some cookies and lots of ice-cold lemon cordial.  It was a very welcome treat.  Trail Magic!

Lowlight:  None really 

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

From the moment we started hiking we were climbing and finally reached a long ridge that we followed to Bruisers Knob (3420') and a series of rock ledges with great views where we stopped for our breakfast break.

Continuing along the ridge where it had broadened a little and was tree-covered, there were a series of rock mounds/cairns, obviously human-made but apparently origin and purpose unknown.  Maybe rock clearing by an early farmer, though seems unlikely on the top of a ridge.

This ridge also marked the Eastern Continental Divide in the US with all water to our left flowing into the Gulf of Mexico and all to our right into the Atlantic.

Much of the ridge was rocky or sloping rock slabs which made progress slow but there were frequently good views.  Eventually, the trail descended to a road crossing where we planned to have a lunch break and found "trail magic" was being offered, which we gratefully accepted (see above).

Most of the afternoon involved transitting another long ridge, Brushy Mt, with a sweaty climb, a long flattish walk along the top and then another long descent.  A point of interest along the ridge was a memorial to the America WW2 hero, Audie Murphy, who died in a plane crash nearby.  It was decorated with lots of military memorabilia and US flags.

After the descent from Brushy Mt, we crossed Trout Creek meeting Jason, who apparently spends a lot of time there offering cold beers to hikers (in return for a chat).  We declined the beers, but did have a chat while we took our break and collected water.  Nice guy (an Air Force retiree), but we fear he needs more in his life than spending his days drinking beers with thru-hikers.  While there, he did get a few more hikers come through who happily stopped for a beer.

From there we hiked another few miles up onto another long ridge in beautiful late afternoon sunshine and found a nice campsite where we stopped at 6:00pm, an early night for us, but we were unsure of what other sites there might be on the ridge, if any.

Appalachian Trail - Day 045 - Dismal Branch to Keffer Oak

Day: 045

Date: Thursday, 08 June 2023

Start:  Dismal Branch (AT Mile 657.5)

Finish:  Keffer Oak (AT Mile 678.9)

Daily Kilometres:  37.4 (Ascent 4928', Descent 5010')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1144.4

Weather:  Cold early then mild and sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Noodles & chicken 

Aches:  Dave - some niggles; Julie - nothing to report 

Highlight:  After a day containing two arduous ascents and descents, it was lovely to emerge into farmland for the last few miles of the day on a beautiful sunlit evening.

Lowlight:  Mid-morning, there were about four miles of very rocky and difficult terrain that wore us down.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were away as usual around 6:30am, but what was not usual was how cold it was, and we both had frozen hands after packing up the tent and were keen to get walking and generate some heat.  We had been camped in a valley and it was some time before we saw the rising sun.

It wasn't long before we crossed Stony Creek and began the first of our two big climbs of the day.  It was very steep on sections and seemed to go on forever, but at least it was cool and there were plenty of wildflowers.

At the top of the climb the trail seemed to follow the contour around the side of the mountain but it was a very rocky route and tiring, given that every step had to be taken with care.

We were very happy when we reached the end of that section where, coincidentally, we met Phoenix, a fellow hiker with whom we have crossed paths a few times in the last couple of weeks.  She and Julie hiked together for a while as Dave tried to keep up.  We took a small detour off the trail at one point to Wind Rock which have some good views, though still hazy despite the low humidity.

There followed a very long descent, then across the valley floor before beginning our second climb for the day.  It was in two parts with the first being a relatively gentle grade and the second quite steep.  Both parts seemed interminable, though the first at least had some beautiful avenues of mountain laurel blossoms.  It seemed incongruous to have Dave plodding, sweating, grunting, gasping and cursing as he climbed past these collonades of exquisite intricate graceful blossoms.

At the top of the climb we were rewarded with a lovely section of open woodland as the trail followed a broad ridge seemingly in another world.  Then it was another big descent followed by a lovely section of farmland to finish the day.

We found a tentsite literally beneath the branches of the Keffer Oak, a 300 year old oak and the oldest tree along the Appalachian Trail.  Some of the branches look a little dodgy so we hope they last another day.  There are also a lot of cowpats around our tentsite which somewhat detracts from the charm of the location and requires careful walking.

Appalachian Trail - Day 044 - Pearisburg to Dismal Branch

Day: 044

Date: Wednesday, 07 June 2023

Start:  Pearisburg (AT Mile 636.1)

Finish:  Dismal Branch (AT Mile 657.5)

Daily Kilometres:  34.5 (Ascent 4642', Descent 4259')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1107.0

Weather:  Mild and mostly overcast with some smoke haze and a brief afternoon shower.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast platter, milkshakes.

  Lunch:  Ham & cheese roll/Turkey & cheese roll.

  Dinner:  Noodles with chicken

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Overall, a fairly unremarkable get-it-done day.

We left our motel about 6:15am and walked to the nearby Dairy Queen where we bought a hot breakfast before road-walking the mile to the Appalachian Trail where we continued our journey northwards.

After passing some industrial areas and crossing the New River, the trail climbed up a series of hills to a long ridge which we followed for about 10 miles through the Peters Mountain Wilderness before descending to where we are now camped in a very small tentsite amidst a rhododendron grove.

Mostly, we were in the woods with the trail often bordered by waist-high undergrowth.  Occasionally there were more grassy areas where we got a few views, but the haze was heavy and, as the afternoon progressed, we could smell the smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

The green of the forest and undergrowth was peppered with the bold colours of many different kinds of wildflowers and that was the main interest of the day.  Sadly, we did not see any of the yellow orchids we had heard could be found on this section.

We finished hiking at the acceptable hour of 6:30pm satisfied with our day and happy to be in the tent by 8:00pm.

Appalachian Trail - Day 043 - Pearisburg Day Off

Day: 043

Date: Tuesday, 06 June 2023

Start:  Pearisburg (AT Mile 636.1)

Finish:  Pearisburg (AT Mile 636.1)

Daily Kilometres:  0

Total Kilometres:  1072.5

Weather:  Cool in the morning, then mild with hazy sunshine.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cooked breakfast/Omelette burger & hash browns.

  Lunch:  Turkey salad roll/Salad

  Dinner:  Nachos/Peach pie & rice pudding.

Aches:  None to speak of.

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  Multiple emails and phone calls trying to track down Dave's new boots that should have been delivered to the post office here.  With luck, they will now be delivered to our next resupply town.  The current boots should make it that far.

Pictures: Click here (courtesy of Julie)

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Not much to report for today.

A mediocre breakfast at a nearby fast food joint was followed by a walk to a local hostel to collect one of Dave's misdirected parcels and a supermarket visit.

Julie was hoping to go for a scenic walk in the afternoon but the only options seemed to be south along the Appalachian Trail, from whence we came, or north along the Trail where we will be hiking tomorrow.  So even Julie has had a relaxing day, while Dave did some admin and watched TV.

Later we returned to the Mexican restaurant across the road for dinner and had an early night.