June 7. Rock Castle Gorge Trail. 10.8 miles. On a 90-degree-plus day, The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All suggested this hike because of its three miles along Rock Castle Creek. On such a warm day, we might have paused longer to consider the attack route of this 1,800-feet up-and-down when you walk it from the Blue Ridge Parkway. We sort of blithely parked at Rocky Knob Campground as usual for us, and headed left, down the steeper of the two routes to the creek. But the longer we walked – including the steady if relatively gentle climb against the flow of the creek – the more convinced we became that we'd not picked the best route for a hot day, as even after the slightly more gentle climb back to the parkway, there are still about three miles of up-and-down ridge walk. Next summer visit here, we'll likely start to the right from Rocky Knob, walk that ridge, descend, find a spot along the stream and then face the other climb. But enough carping about a great hike, full of Everything Virginia . . . bald areas, ridge lines, the stream, the climb, the parkway and a solid four hours worth of walking amid several types of forest and micro-climates. I don't remember another day where we emptied the three-liter water bladder before lunch, refilled it with the lunch-cooling ice after lunch and then emptied it again before we finished.
June 12. Appalachian Trail from Elk Garden south to Bear Tree Gap. 12.5 miles. The first day of our four-day visit to the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and its AT miles was a great way to start our last section of the Virginia AT. Our logistics for the four days were different from most hikes: We rented a cabin near Grayson Highlands State Park, and took two cars in order to plant one each day and walk to it. The first day was highlighted by the open area on the side of White Top Mountain, our first taste of the balds of the high-mountain area of Virginia, and by the views from Buzzard Rock.
June 13. Wilson Trail north from Grayson Highlands State park to the AT; AT north to Va 650 just off of Va. 16. 17.8 miles. The longest of our four days, and also the hardest, given the number of ascents and descents. Still, the balds increased in number and in their views and drama. We saw our first "wild" ponies just south of the Scales, as we walked across the broad open meadows of just-under-5,000-foot Stone Mountain. The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All, proving her title daily, marveled at the bounty of wildflowers in the open areas. The section provides brief forays into both the Little Wilson Creek and Lewis Fork wildernesses, and descends (headed north) from beautiful, open Stone Mountain to the Scales, a sort of Alpine-looking campground.
June 14. Appalachian Trail from Va. 16/650 north to Mountain Rogers National Recreation Headquarters at Va.15. 14.6 miles. This was the northern-most and most consistently wooded section of our four-day trek, and included Gail – not so far in the lead that I didn't at least get a view – coming upon a bear cub just off the trail. She stopped immediately, of course, to take off her pack and get the camera; alas, the cub heard that and took off before she got to the camera. We later paused for a moment with a pair of thru-hikers who said they had seen a pair of cubs, their first bears in the entire distance from Georgia, through the Smokies and this far into Virginia.
June 15. Appalachian Trail from Elk Garden on Va. 600 north into Grayson Highlands State Park and down the Wilson Creek Trail and the horse trail. 12.5 miles. We couldn't think of any instances in our lives where "saving the best for last" had a more glorious manifestation than on this day--not just the last day of our trip, but also our last piece of the Virginia miles of the Appalachian Trail. We were up extra early and had the hike-to car planted and were back at the starting point by 8:20, our earliest start ever. The thermometer at Elk Garden read 57, though in the fog it felt significantly cooler. We climbed through that fog (clouds!) for the first 45 minutes or so, until the trail began to break occasionally out of the dark, cool, fir/hemlock forest into the open a bit, and by the time we reached the side trail to the peak of Mount Rogers, we were in full sun. On the .5-mile trail to the wooded summit, we crossed two sets of gleeful hikers coming down. "Only about three more miles," said the leader of the first group. "You're not supposed to feed the bear up there," said the leader of the second. We paused only briefly at the summit, tapping our poles on the marker and heading back down to the AT. The ensuing section – for the four miles from the side trail on north to about a half mile beyond Massie Gap – is nothing short of breathtaking, as the trail makes its way through alpine meadows and balds at elevations ranging from 4,600 to 5,500 feet. Just beyond Thomas Knob Shelter, The Day Hiker came upon a major highlight of her day: A tiny pony mom with a baby only as high as your knee. Gail fed mama much of our lunch nuts while baby nursed. Beyond, at Rhododendron Gap, our calendar timing was perfect to understand the naming of the gap. From our high-rock point (from which Mount Rogers appeared to be right at eye level) for lunch, we looked down onto several things: a long and full-bloom expanse of rhododendron; wild ponies at several spots; horse-riders making their way along the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail; layers of blue mountain in every direction. And, at high noon under full sun on June 15, we both had on two long-sleeve layers. This roof-of-Virginia spot was indeed the highlight of the 546 miles we would conclude a little later in the afternoon. That denouement was not without further highlights, including Gail giving away the rest of the nuts and her own stash of trail mix to more hungry ponies. Along the Wilson Trail, with the Virginia miles of the Great Trail fully completed, we paused a second to congratulate each other. The Day Hiker was matter-of-fact if greatly pleased; the person she has dragged up and down mountains now for four and a half years was a little more emotional, but worked hard to get over it quickly.
June 21. Appalachian Trail from Va. 621 south to just beyond the crest of Sinking Creek Mountain and back. 8.0 miles. This good steady climb of 2,000 feet reward with a nice rocky lunch spot with an eastward view. And on this day, we crossed a couple of sets of thru-hikers who departed Springer Mountain on May 4, and who bragged on another we apparently just missed; Goes by the trail name of Superman and began on May 20, putting him at an average of about 35 miles per day!
June 28. Appalachian Trail from U.S. 501 at the James River, south to Big Cove Branch and back. 8.2 miles. In search of a creekside lunch spot not too far away on a hot day, we began at the James River foot bridge, from which a young man had jumped and died the weekend before. There was a bouquet in the middle of the bridge and a hand-made memorial at its northern end. On the river itself, two couples had just finished a tube float and others were moving upstream in kayaks, with hard-paddling dogs next to them. On the trail, the re-route of a few years back takes the AT directly along the river for the mile or so to the James River Face Wilderness, where it turns southward to wander along Matt's Creek to the shelter of the same name. Just past the shelter, the trail crosses the creek and begins a slow, long, steady climb, during which The Day Hiker began to question our choice of trail section, and to suggest a pretty-view lunch spot or two well shy of our chosen point. At the stream, the flow was little more than a trickle, but the spot and the rocks and the activities of tiny creatures in and on the water provided reward for the climb. As did the easy walk back down.
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