Early Monday we headed back out on the trail after a 3 week hiatus. We were so excited to be back, and the first day out was perfect. We took the Virginia Creeper Trail out to where it met up with the AT, and it was beautiful. The Creeper Trail used to be an old railroad, so the entire thing is no more than a 6% grade uphill. It follows Whitetop Laurel Creek almost the whole way, and we discovered some amazing swimming holes and waterfalls during our hike. There were around 30 train trestles on the trail, and we had fun watching the native brook trout jumping. The trail also ran right past a cafe - it's not everyday you can stop in for ice cream and air conditioning during a backpacking trip. We also went through some pastures and fields. Someone was very lucky to have the farmhouse and hilly meadows between two mountains with a trail through their front yard. It was a gorgeous place. We did an easy 12 miles that day, and camped on a sandy beach right next to the creek. Scribe built a kicking campfire and the moon hung over the mountain top in a perfect silvery crescent. It was a good place to be.
The next day, we left the Creeper Trail and returned to the rough and rugged AT. What a shock to our systems! Getting back on after so much time off is a whole other ballgame. Our feet hurt again, we were sloooow on the uphills, our legs didn't want to cooperate... we both got huge nasty blisters. I guess it's going to take some time to get our trail legs back and get used to this whole hiking thing again. The first few miles were good - we saw a deer sillouetted prettily in the trail ahead. Chris reached for his camera, and it jumped away, so no picture... sorry. It wasn't a whitetail... maybe a mule deer? Are they around here? A quarter mile later we crossed our last train trestle. This one was 150 feet and 500 feet long. We found a snakeskin on it, and a few minutes later we found the snake it had belonged to. It was still shedding, so that was neat to see. We took lunch at a crowded shelter, and then began the big climb of the day. Man oh man, are we not used to this anymore! We climbed Whitetop Mountain, the second biggest mountain in Virigina, and abour 4 miles of steep climbing. It took forever, and by the time we reached the top, we were beyond done for the day. We camped near the summit. It was really pretty and unique - not quite a bald, but not a traditional summit either. Good views, and fun rocks perched here and there.
Today we took a half day. It's harder than we expected, getting back into the swing of things. We didn't want to make our blisters worse, they're really uncomfortable to walk on, and Scribe had a bad, bad headache. Our dispositions were lousy because we were headed to Mt. Roger's (the tallest mt. in Va) and the Grayson Highlands, and it was pouring and miserable out. We didn't want to battle that big mountain in a storm, and more importantly, we wanted to go through the highlands when it was beautiful weather. The Grayson Highlands are akin to Montana Grasslands, and inhabited by wild horses and cattle. It's said to be one of the best places on the trail, and utterly breathtaking. No way were we slogging through in bad weather, so we called it a day near a road and hitched into Damascus for a shower and a decent dinner. We ate at the Old Mill, which was fantastic beyond belief, and now we're sleeping in a $10 hostel on a wooden platform covered with a thermarest. It kind of resembles a bed, but not quite. We took showers - heavenly- and washed our clothes at the same time. It never ceases to amuse us that this feels like luxury after a few days in the woods.
Keep your fingers crossed and pray for us that our transition from townies to hikers goes smoothly. We've posted a few more pictures. Love to all.
-Scribe
The next day, we left the Creeper Trail and returned to the rough and rugged AT. What a shock to our systems! Getting back on after so much time off is a whole other ballgame. Our feet hurt again, we were sloooow on the uphills, our legs didn't want to cooperate... we both got huge nasty blisters. I guess it's going to take some time to get our trail legs back and get used to this whole hiking thing again. The first few miles were good - we saw a deer sillouetted prettily in the trail ahead. Chris reached for his camera, and it jumped away, so no picture... sorry. It wasn't a whitetail... maybe a mule deer? Are they around here? A quarter mile later we crossed our last train trestle. This one was 150 feet and 500 feet long. We found a snakeskin on it, and a few minutes later we found the snake it had belonged to. It was still shedding, so that was neat to see. We took lunch at a crowded shelter, and then began the big climb of the day. Man oh man, are we not used to this anymore! We climbed Whitetop Mountain, the second biggest mountain in Virigina, and abour 4 miles of steep climbing. It took forever, and by the time we reached the top, we were beyond done for the day. We camped near the summit. It was really pretty and unique - not quite a bald, but not a traditional summit either. Good views, and fun rocks perched here and there.
Today we took a half day. It's harder than we expected, getting back into the swing of things. We didn't want to make our blisters worse, they're really uncomfortable to walk on, and Scribe had a bad, bad headache. Our dispositions were lousy because we were headed to Mt. Roger's (the tallest mt. in Va) and the Grayson Highlands, and it was pouring and miserable out. We didn't want to battle that big mountain in a storm, and more importantly, we wanted to go through the highlands when it was beautiful weather. The Grayson Highlands are akin to Montana Grasslands, and inhabited by wild horses and cattle. It's said to be one of the best places on the trail, and utterly breathtaking. No way were we slogging through in bad weather, so we called it a day near a road and hitched into Damascus for a shower and a decent dinner. We ate at the Old Mill, which was fantastic beyond belief, and now we're sleeping in a $10 hostel on a wooden platform covered with a thermarest. It kind of resembles a bed, but not quite. We took showers - heavenly- and washed our clothes at the same time. It never ceases to amuse us that this feels like luxury after a few days in the woods.
Keep your fingers crossed and pray for us that our transition from townies to hikers goes smoothly. We've posted a few more pictures. Love to all.
-Scribe
1 comment:
Gadget, you are really getting good with that camera! The pictures are great!
Scribe, loved the pic of you at the summit of White Top. It really shows the steepness of the mountain behind you. Yikes!
Happy trails!
Mama
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