Sharkey dropped us off at Rockfish Gap where Beanie and Ducky took off and I waited with White and pals as they shuttled a car 20 miles ahead to their stop point. The summer heat came on strong and having new legs in the group led to a low mileage day but it was nice easing back into the trail after such an awesome 0-day.
After the 800 mile mark I passed through a stretch of the trail along a stream where the Brown Mountain Creek Village used to exist in the 1800s. The only remaining remnants are a few stretches of stone walls and I set up camp near the northern border. I always get great sleep with the sound of rushing water filling the air.
After enjoying the beautiful sunrise at McAfee I hurried along the 5 mile ridge that swoops around the valley to Tinker Cliffs on it's north side. It was pretty cool to pop out on the opposite overlook where McAfee Knob was now just a spec of grey in the distance. I didn't stay too long because there was a hotel in Daleville with a swimming pool that was calling my name.
Leaving Pearisburg is a little weird because you start off in the woods but then pop out on a highway to cross the New River and go past some big chemical plant. There was a trail magic 22 miles ahead so I planned to make a mad dash to make it before they ran out-of food but about 0.5 into the trail I hit a waterfall...so I took some photos.
The next day as I was leaving the Highlands I had one last pony sighting of a young colt with his momma. The trail then passes by Comer Falls which in hindsight would've been a great place for a quick shower but I was trying to do 20 miles on the day so after taking some photos I was back to walking. The rest of the day seemed almost dull after the awesomeness of the Grayson Highlands. I hammocked at Trimpi Shelter and there were a lot of southbounders there doing section hikes into Damascus for the upcoming Trail Days Festival, I'll have to keep this in mind for next year!
I walked out of town the next morning and was greeted with some fog and humidity that thankfully piped down before the afternoon heat began. The first few miles north of Damascus parallel the Creeper Trail and cross it a few times. When I came across a sign saying a bridge was washed out and AT hikers should take a detour to the Creeper Trail for the next stretch, I thought "yeaaa...nehh" and went down the original AT which had the first few white blazes painted over to try to deter people.
I was up early and walked down the highway to Mountain Harbor Bed and Breakfast which also had a hostel and a small resupply store to get food. I was there at 7:30 and the store did not open up until 9 so I pillaged their Wi-Fi to upload the movie of trail magic.
Later in the day after taking photos of the waterfall and butterfly we hit Sam's Gap where a group of hikers were hanging out and informed us that we just missed some trail magic that was handing out good craft beers. Oh well. The trail then went up and up to the top of Big Bald Mountain which had even more amazing views than Max Patch but it was extremely windy and thus extremely cold so we didn't stick around too long. It was pretty cool seeing the trail snake off in the distance over the next mountain.
Soon after leaving the Smokies the trail follows a stream with some cool waterfalls that empty out into the Pigeon River. At one point while climbing down some rocks to get the shot, I stepped on what I thought was leaves on top of a rock but it was leaves on top of nothing and my leg slipped down a hole. I got a cut on my shin but was otherwise unscathed. The bridge across the river is white blazed and the path then cuts under Interstate 40 with the loud hustle and bustle of cars zipping along and trucks rumbling as they engine brake.
After crossing Fontana Dam, you are in the Smokey Mountain National Park which starts with a steep climb out of the lake's valley. A few miles in you reach the Shuckstack Tower, which must be the sketchiest fire tower still standing this day that isn't surrounded by a barbed wire fence and "No Trespassing" signs. So we climbed up the tower to check out the views.
I woke up to a thick fog that was so dense I couldn't see the fire pit just 20ft away and it left a layer of dampness on all of my gear. This put me in a bad mood right away and I figured the best remedy would be to start hiking. So I packed up and blasted through 14.7 miles throughout the day. The trail went through the Nantahala National Forest which had large sections that were charred by wildfires and it created quite an eerie atmosphere to hike in.
As my hiker legs grew stronger I blasted the next 40 miles in only three days. I felt rejuvenated after getting almost a 24 hour rest period at the blood mountain cabins. I hiked solo most of the first day and passed tons of hikers on the trail or still breaking down camp. I got some nice photos when I got to an overlook before Hogs Pen Gap.
Well not really.
930am: time flight was supposed to depart.
1130: my plane sat on the tarmac for 2 hours due to bad weather in Atlanta. We pulled up back to the gate and de-planed since a lot of people would miss their connecting flights. So naturally I do what anyone would do in this situation, go chill at the airport bar
I started this post as soon as my leave of absence from work kicked in and I am posting it now right after buying my plane ticket. I have the lease on my house signed with some tenants moving in April 1st so I think it is safe to say I am now past the point of no return! In one week I will be taking the first steps of the 2200 mile journey.
