Bob and Laura joined Christy, Sauconey, and I for an overnight backpacking trip last weekend. We hiked an 11 mile stretch of the AT in southwestern Virginia. The biggest adventure of the trip turned out to be the car shuttle. The drive from Bland, VA (really!) to the ending point on Garden Mountain took 45 minutes. It was slow going up a one lane dirt road. We dropped one car there and headed back down the mountain. It took another hour to drive to the trailhead in Poor Valley, 11 trail miles away. Poor valley is appropriately named, as it is lined with tacky summer shacks, and each turn is littered with garbage.
We were relieved to finally leave the car behind. We hit the trail at the crack of noon and immediately began climbing. It was a cool but sunny day, and I optimistically began hiking in shorts and a t-shirt. After a quick lunch, we climbed again, finally reaching the crest of Chestnut Ridge. The trail continued up the ridge, passing in and out of woods and winding through meadows. Eventually, the woods disappeared altogether, and we were surrounded by only grass and distant mountains. Big Walker Mountain stood to our right, and to our left was the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia. Behind us was the peaks of the Mt. Rogers area. We stopped just past a small natural pond for a nap in the sun. After an hour of leisure, we finally hiked the last 2 miles to Chestnut Knob.
Our destination was the shelter on top of the knob. The shelter is actually a cabin, complete with 4 walls, 2 windows, a front door, and even a tin roof. We were relieved to find it vacant for the evening. Upon our arrival, we discovered that the unreliable spring was flowing strong, despite the recent dry weather. We had carried 5 quarts of water for no reason. It was an outstanding evening in the shelter. The sky was clear and the stars were spectacular. I had hoped for a cold, windy evening to enjoy the cabin all the more. It was not to be, however, as the temperature never got below freezing. It was a cozy place to sleep, despite the warnings in the register of flesh eating mice. I did awaken once, thinking I heard a mouse. I shined my light toward the table, and saw the biggest rat of my life! Then my eyes adjusted to the dark, and I recognized the dog. She was up on the table, searching for the remains of our chili.
On Sunday we hiked another 6 1/2 miles north on the AT. We followed the rim of Garden Mountain, as it overlooked the pastoral valley of Burkes Garden. It was a pleasant hike, and we finished up before 3pm, which gave us plenty of time to run the shuttle again. Everyone agreed that it was a pleasant hike worth doing again. To add to the attraction, we didn't see anyone else all weekend. It was a beautiful weekend on the AT, and we were able to enjoy it all by ourselves.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!