DRAGON'S TOOTH
We decided to head a different direction this weekend. For a change of pace, we headed towards Roanoke to hike a stretch of the AT. Christy, Saucony, and I were coming from Winston-Salem, while Bob, Laura, and Joel were driving up from Statesville. Although nobody really knew how long the drive would take, somehow we ended up following each other up route 311 to the trailhead. After a surprisingly quick shuttle, we were on our way.
We hiked up a well used trail until we reached a fork. The heavily traveled path continued ahead towards Dragon's Tooth. However, we veered off on the faint Scout Trail. We climbed steeply on switchbacks and reached the AT after 15 minutes or so. From there we continued up to a narrow ridgecrest, which we followed by scrambling from one boulder to the next. This stretch, which is sometimes called "the jaws" (of the dragon), took us up and down ledges constantly. It provided great views as well as exercise though.
We then dropped down to Lost Spectacles Gap (another great name). Here we met the easier but less interesting path from the parking area. Over the next mile we passed several families hiking back. I was impressed at how well the youngsters seemed to be handling the rugged trail. Soon we were climbing a steep incline. Most of the climb involved scrambling over more boulders and ledges. We reached the top of the mountain, and took a short side trail down to Dragon's Tooth.
The "tooth" is an abrupt rock monolith angling up sharply from the mountain top. It stands perhaps 40 feet above ground level. After a pleasant lunch, Christy, Bob, and I looked for a way up. Being somewhat uncoordinated and a little scared of heights, I didn't expect to reach the top. There was no stopping Christy though. She worked her way up a crack until she was stopped by a boulder wedged between the walls. She somehow managed to climb over it, and soon was perched near the summit. Her approach had looked downright unpleasant, so I wasn't about to go that way. Instead, I climbed up the crack, and then squeezed under the boulder. Beyond it, I found an opening above, followed by another boulder. I leaned back against one wall, and rested my feet on the other. In doing so, I discovered that I could scoot upwards without any trouble. I chimneyed up, and soon joined Christy just below the crown.
The view was fantastic! We could trace the route of the AT for 30 or 40 miles. Along the way we could see McAfees Knob, Tinkers Cliffs, Catawba Valley, and North Mountain. We enjoyed the scenery and the brilliant sunshine for a while, but soon it was back to the trail. We continued on the AT, along another narrow ridge with sheer sides. We passed over numerous knobs which gave the ridge another nickname, the dragon's tail. This part of the trail was only lightly used, and we passed through deep piles of leaves which obscured the rocks below. The crunching of our footsteps also made conversation impossible. At one point, I told Christy, "You know, mostly I come out here for the peace and quiet."
"What?"
"I SAID, MOSTLY I COME OUT HERE FOR THE PEACE AND QUIET!"
"WHAT?"
"NEVERMIND!"
So we got to hike for a couple of hours with only our thoughts. Finally though, we descended quickly into Trout Creek Gorge. We crossed the stream on a nice bridge, and reached a dirt road. The AT guide had said that the road was rough for cars, so we had parked at the bottom of the valley. As we walked the last mile down the road, everyone commented on its condition. I'd seen worse paved roads. Oh well, it was good to get an extra mile in. 7 wouldn't have been enough. After a ways we reached a private bridge, according to the sign. We borrowed it for a minute. From there, it was a quick walk back to the car. We shuttled back to the starting point, where we found about 30 cars in the parking lot. We were shocked, since we had somehow managed to avoid most of the other hikers. We had even had Dragon's Tooth to ourselves for an hour - at lunch time. Sometimes it's good to be lucky. We're all looking forward to getting back to the area. Next time, we're thinking of backpacking over McAfees Knob and Tinkers Cliffs.
Back to Virginia
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!