A Hundred-Mile Appalachian Trail Hike

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway of Virginia


During Long Day moon of my fifty-second year, I took a walk from Catawba, Virginia to near Buena Vista, Virginia. 

This hike was one of the very best I have taken so far.  I left on the second day of the week, when most folks were headed out to work.  Driving from Dayton Ohio to Daleville, VA took until just after mid day. 

I parked in the share-a-ride lot near the expressway and loaded my pack on a rack on the back of an old mountain bike. 

I drove south on US220 to VA779, which I took to Catawba.  Almost immediately, it began raining in the warm summer afternoon.  I took my socks off and continued riding in my Chaco sandals with bare feet. 

For the first part of the ride, I was passed by a number of fast moving heavy trucks that really pushed me around on the little road.  But after the turn off to Blacksburg, the number of trucks decreased by a lot.  After I passed the cement factory, they stopped entirely.  From that point, the ride was a quiet, if not very easy ride through the Catawba valley.

On reaching Catawba, I stopped in the general store for a pint of ice cream to help replenish my glucose stores and then peddled and walked up US321 to the trail crossing in the gap. 


bike in woods
I locked my bike up just south of the parking lot, took my pack off the bike, and began walking north. 

Almost a mile up the path, I began to smell some wood smoke.  Then I ran across a fellow collecting fire wood. 

He and his wife were staying at the John's Spring Shelter.  It was interesting that the Mapdana did not show the John's Spring Shelter as having a spring, but the couple let me know that there was water down a path from the shelter. 

They were playing a radio rather loudly in the shelter, from which I learned that Michael Jackson had been cleared of all charges of wrongdoing in regard to young boys he had to his Neverland Ranch.  It did not sit well with me to have to continue to listen to the story, and I still had several hours of daylight, so I moved on.

Next, another mile down the path, I came to a nice piped spring and then the Catawba Mountain Shelter.  I cooked and ate a noodle dinner at the shelter.  No one else was there, and I was so close to McAfee Knob, that I moved on to the knob for the night. 

McAfee Knob
The Knob has a spectacular rock shelf hanging out over nothing.  (The photo at the top of this page is also taken at the site.)  I arrived in time to enjoy a wonderful evening and sunset. 

As the sun moved lower on the horizon, I noticed several figures in the surface of the rock face.  It was difficult to determine if they were natural or man made.  And if man-made it was hard to tell what the figures might be. 

I took this figure to be a mouse or a mink with a long tail.  Or, maybe it is a stone ax. 


This figure to the right seemed to be a ceremonial mask, or perhaps a pan fish, or is it a drum with decorative bands and feathers?



As the sun continued to sink in the west, the colors of the rocks and the flowers became spectacular.  Contrasted with the darker valley floor in the background, the cliffs came alive with color and definition.



Until, finally, the sun sank below the horizon, leaving a blue and beautiful sky.  The wind pushed the trees to and fro, keeping the bugs off me.  They also whistled me off to sleep with their steady sound and companionship. 



By the next morning, just before sunrise, the sky had turned more misty and a little more dense than it had been the night before.  The colors were subdued, but the predominant blue color reminded me that I was in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Past the Knob, I came across a group of about a dozen teens sleeping under a huge tarp.  They were using the Pig Farm campsite just before the Campbell Shelter. I asked about their group and found out that they were part of a "Wilderness School" and had been out for about 2 weeks. 
 
After five interesting miles of hiking, I reached another spectacular area of exposed cliff faces - the Tinker Cliffs.  Mountain Laurel was blooming profusely from every available cranny in the broken rock.  The weather was perfect for looking long distances across the valley and back to McAfee Knob. 



The blooms of the Laurel were fresh and bright.  A few bees moved lazily from bloom to bloom, pollinating the flowers and obtaining nectar for their young.

Shortly after leaving the Tinker Cliffs, and before reaching Lambert's Meadow Shelter, I heard a noise in a deadfall 50 yards off the trail to my right.  It did not sound exactly like a deer - there was a bit more commotion than deer usually make - and as I continued to watch, a black bear emerged from the brush, moving parallel to the trail and in the opposite direction I was moving. 

I thought I heard some more noise in the brush, but after waiting for a couple minutes I walked on.  I would later find out that a later hiker saw two cubs with their mother in this same place. 

About 10 minutes after I walked into Lambert's Meadow Shelter, Tomahawk walked down the path to the shelter.  Had he seen the bear?  No. 

There was a nice stream at the shelter and it gave me good reason to wash off some of the dry sweat.  The day was heating up beyond 80 degrees and it felt very good to be cool wearing my breech clout. 

Tomahawk and I walked together for the rest of the afternoon.  In the heat of the day, we came across FishinFred, a thru-hiker who was taking a mid afternoon snooze.  Fred told me about his method of working his way up the trail.  He makes jewelry which promotes the AT.  He has an example of it around his neck.

Tomahawk and I walked the rest of the afternoon away.  This large rock formation was near the end of the trail for the day, that is it was near Daleville. 

We entered town, I retrieved my truck, and I took Tomahawk to the Comfort Inn. 

Afterward, I drove back down to Catawba, got my bike, drove back to Daleville where I ate at McDonalds, and then I found an appropriate bike trail to follow the next morning from the top of the Blue Ridge Parkway back to Daleville. 

It turns out that I continued to follow Interstate Bike Route 76, which I had also been following when I went to Catawba. 



That evening, I found a nice little nest near Mill's Overlook, about a mile south of Bear Wallow Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  In the evening sky,  Sharp Mountain, of the Peaks of Otter, was  easily visible  in the mid distance. 

I hung my hammock between two trees and drifted off to sleep satisfied with my 17 miles of hiking and very satisfied with a couple experiments I was working on.

The bike and truck self shuttling seemed to be working out very well. 

But beyond this, the loin cloth was the most comfortable hiking garment I had ever worn for a first day on the trail.  Despite the high heat, I had no indication of any chafing, and I was downright comfortable. 





The next day, I was up at first light and coasted my bike down the 4 miles of hill into Buchanan, VA.  From there it was another 18 miles of backroads riding to reach Daleville again. 

I locked the bike up a hundred yards inside the woods and began walking my way up to the Blue Ridge.  At the first shelter I came to,  Fulhardt Knob Shelter, I met a couple and their dog.  All three are thru-hiking.  The fellow is Rain, his girlfriend is Dance, and the dog is Brandy - also known as Wet Dog. 

I left Fulhardt a little before Rain, Dance, and Wet Dog.  On the way toward the next shelter, I heard a rattle in the grass next to the path. 

It was a little 4 foot timber rattler (lenght of my hiking pole) that I had frightened out of his mid afternoon nap.  The snake showed no aggressiveness, instead he just wandered across the path behind me, and seeking the solace of a little more peace and quiet. 

Ten minutes later, Dance saw the snake when she passed.  However Rain and his dog did not see it.  Just as well, I thought.




I walked with Rain much of the afternoon, ended up stopping at Curry Creek to wash the salt off my skin and then stopped at the Wilson Creek Shelter. 

This shelter has the distinction of being very nearly the 1/3 point on the AT.  It is listed at 721.9 miles north of Springer.

Rain, Dance, and Brandy went on to the next shelter, but I had put in 22 miles of biking and 12 miles of hiking and it seemed like it was time to make a day of it. 

While I was setting up my hammock camp, a fellow named The Epistemological Megalomaniac and his buddy from Maine stopped by for a short chat.  That's EM on the left of this photo. 

These guys also moved on, but as I was setting up camp, a stone deaf fellow named FlashHand carried his huge pack up to the shelter and set up camp.  He is also thru-hiking.
That evening I amused myself with a little twig fire I built between four stones.  I started the fire with a few drops of alcohol on a piece of dry punk wood and the twigs I found around the campfire pit. 

It was a cheery little fire, and took much less work than trying to get together enough wood for a full sized campfire.  There were a few mosquitoes about and the fire's smoke put them off and kept them away for a number of hours. 

The Chaco Sandals I wore for the first day were also working out well, but I was worried about them breaking a strap.  For this reason, I purchased a new pair of Chaco Z1 sandals and wore them for the rest of the trip.  I found that the Thorlo wool hiking socks were the best socks that I had ever used with my Chacos.  They gave plenty of friction protection and were woolly enough inside that the callus on my feet did not cause the sock to creep under my toes or heel.

The next morning, I passed a number of overlooks and resting spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back to my car at Mill's Gap. 

At one of the rock formations I took this picture of me in my full hiking get-up.  I have my hat on and the breach clout is clearly visible. 

More than one hiker mentioned that there were now three hikers on the trail using a loin cloth.  I continued to be completely pleased with the loincloth for the entire hike.  I have never been so comfortable - not in shorts, pants, or a kilt. 

Where did we go wrong in forgetting this 18th century standard garb?  More importantly, how can I get more people to try this easy to wear hiking gear?

The cloth is a 57 inch long and 23 inch wide strip of soft black polyester.  It is held up by a leather belt. The cloth passes between my legs, with a flap over the belt in front and back.  The back is pulled wide so that the cloth covers my bottom.  the front is pulled wide enough to cover the essentials and give me an infinitely variable amount of adjustment. 

Other than showing some of the side of my hip, the outfit is really quite modest.  My tee shirt also hangs down far enough to cover most of the side of my hip. 

The trail that day passed through some beautiful and secluded glades.  Summer was now much further along than when I left the trail in April.  The trail had really become much more the "long green tunnel" that I remembered from the summer before. 

However, in the Blue Ridge, every few hours there is the opportunity to see something of the world around.  These beautiful hiking days, I was fortunate to have clear blue skies and not have to walk by these overlooks while cursing the fog that could have made them more frustrating than beautiful.

It seemed like around every corner was something else new and different.

Speaking of unusual, this radar device suddenly loomed out of an open field on Apple Orchard Mountain. 

I was reminded of my son's love of soccer, when I saw that the surface of the globe was constructed of polygons that made the surface look a lot like a huge soccer ball.



Approaching Thunder Hill Shelter, there was a profusion of blooming trees, mainly laurel. 

At the same shelter, that night, I later heard that a mother bear and her cub kept causing problems for the people camped near the shelter.

But in the meantime, I had moved my truck and bike a couple more times.  Just past Thunder Hill, I had reached my truck again.  I left my bike and drove down 10 miles of down hill road to the James River.  I crossed the river on the footbridge and then walked three miles to the Matt's Creek Shelter, arriving at dusk. 

I spent the night there with Stretch, a fellow from NC, and another hiker.  Just about dark, a couple calling themselves Bubble Boy and Bubble Girl walked to the shelter from the south.  He was thruhiking, but she was only about 4 days into her hike with him.  Her knees were nearly wrecked by trying to keep up with a thru-hiker.  I felt badly for her. 

. 


After sleeping next to a bubbling brook all night, and listening to a green frog on and off, I was up at first light to walk the 5 hours back to my bike at the top of the south rim of the James River valley. 

I arrived at the bike about 12 noon and was back at my truck at the bottom of the hill by about 1 PM.

I hopped in the truck and drove 7 miles to Glasgow, VA for an AYCE buffet at Mom and Pop's restaurant.  My that was nice!

Then it was back in the truck to find a place to leave the pick-up at the top of the north rim.  I found that place near where the trail crosses the Blue Ridge parkway at the Punch Bowl Shelter.

I hopped on my bike and put in another 12 miles to the James River again.

Just as I arrived back at the James and was locking up my bike, it began to steadily rain.  I walked a mile to the Johns Hollow Shelter, where I met another fellow waiting out the rain. 

This is Snack Man.  We talked for a half hour as the rain began to quit.  I wrote in my journal some, and about 5 PM I decided that I might as well head out toward the next shelter, even if I did not have much chance of walking 8.8 miles before dark. 



A couple miles past the shelter, I remembered that I had forgotten to fill up my water holder and that I would either be spending a very dry night, or I would need to be getting to the next shelter by dark. 

I decided to try to get to Punchbowl that evening.  It was a long, but satisfying walk.  The views of the James River Valley, with fog lifting from the James River were outstanding.  Way off on the horizon, I was able to make out the radar site on Apple Orchard Mountain.

For most of this walk, I wore my SealSkinz waterproof socks because of the left-over rain droplets on the grass. They worked  quite well with the Chaco Sandals.

A little after sunset, I climbed Bluff Mountain. 

At the top of the mountain, near where a fire tower once stood, there is a memorial to Ottie Cline Powell, aged 4 years and 11 months, who wandered away from the settlement 7 miles from here in April of 1891. 

His body was found in this location by searchers. 

Leaving a toy in Ottie's memory has become a bit of a tradition for hikers in the area. 
I arrived at the Punchbowl Shelter about 915 PM, well after dark, and was greeted by a chorus of green frogs.  I found a couple of likely looking trees near the lake for my hammock and set up.  Surprisingly, there were no mosquitoes buzzing around.  The frogs sang me to sleep and kept singing their croaking refrain all night.

It had been my best day ever on the AT.  I walked 20 miles, rode my bike 22 miles and climbed over 5000 feet while hiking.  It takes no stretch of imagination to believe that I slept well that night.

The next morning, I walked the short distance down to my truck, and drove down to the James River to get my bike. On the way back, I stopped at Otter Creek and had a hearty omelet breakfast at the state park restaurant.





I drove my truck to the AT crossing of US 60 near Buena Vista after leaving my bike back near the Punchbowl.  I would hike this 12 mile segment southbound, because the roadway was mostly downhill northbound.

The bridge across Irish Creek was a highlight of this 12 mile walk, having recently been added to a new re-routing of the AT near a reservoir.   In this area, I met several trout fishermen as they spied out native brook trout in the bubbling streams. 

About 3 PM, I reached my bike, and by 4 PM I was back at the truck.  I drove to the Dutch Haus in Montebello for a shower, a couple great meals and a bed for the night.

The trip overall was a great success.  I tested several new pieces of homemade gear and new techniques as well.

  * * *

A breechclout (loincloth) worked fantastically well.

The method of shuttling myself by bike and truck worked quite well, though it would be even better if I had a motorized bike. (The hills are large, and the cars and trucks are not always bike friendly.)

My Chaco Z1 sandals were comfortable, both with wool hiking socks and with SealSkinz waterproof socks.

My use of a sparker stick and fuel alcohol worked well for lighting my stove, a campfire, and my candle.

My 12.5 pound pack allowed me all the gear I needed for great days and nights on the trail. 

My 50 pound weight loss prior to the trip made the walk much easier on my knees.

So, here I sit in Ohio, wondering when my next adventure on the AT might begin!








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