John
Sarver Hollow Shelter campsite to Dragon’s Tooth trailhead campsite - 21.2 miles hiked today - 703.0 total AT miles to date.
In case I haven’t said it before, thru hiking is hard! Some days, while putting one aching foot in front of the other, the scope of the undertaking seems overwhelming, and the end seems beyond achieving. Today was not one of those days! It was a day filled with beauty, excitement, challenges, milestones and more.
The day started early, as I awoke at 6 after 12 hours of restful sleep, the constant drone of rainfall on my tent working as soothing white noise and allowing an uninterrupted slumber. I struck camp quickly, although the tent exterior was still wet from the rain, which had stopped before sun up, I was back on the trail by 7, well before anyone in the shelter was stirring. I wanted to push for 20+ miles today to put me in striking distance of Dalesville by Tue a.m. My phone has been acting up and I want to get it checked out in town.
The first couple of miles had several difficult technicals, rock scrambles, and climbs that required hand over hand maneuvering and diligent focus. One small misstep could mean plunging hundreds of feet and ending up in the valley below! Well, at least falling hundreds of inches to the next outcropping of dirt. Either way, a fall would not have been in my best interest. Fortunately I worked my way through that section, none the worse for wear. The rest of the morning was a mild ridge run, which allowed me to rack up some miles.
By lunchtime I had arrived at the Audie Murphy memorial right on the AT, near where his plane crashed in 1971. Very impressive monument, and I lingered there for a while over lunch.
The afternoon was spent navigating various ups and downs, with beautiful valley views on either side of the trail. By 5pm I’d reached the 700 mile marker on the trail, yet another milestone. I also had both cell service and some battery left, so I made a few calls home from there.
Pushing on, I soon arrived at a favorite spot in this area, the Dragon’s Tooth. Some of the younger folks actually climb to the top of it, but I settled for getting my picture taken in front of it. The next 90 minutes consisted of negotiating the technicals down off of the mountain, again hand over hand in many spots.
Finally reached a flat area near the trailhead, and set up my tent. A long and satisfying day. Tomorrow will be another 20+ mile day (terrain permitting), putting me into Dalesville early Tuesday.
Until next time...
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