So it has been a crazy couple of days, which is now to be expected on the trail. Leaving Pearisburg JD and I planned a casual 12 mile day to a water source and camp area outside of town. We were able to get some water about a mile before we planned to stop. Neither of us filled up as we had enough water to make it the remaining mile. We get to the camping area but were told that the site was just a little farther down the trail as the description of the area did not match what the book said. Another mile down the trail it is 7:00pm and we came to a point where we could verify we were now a full mile away. So as any good hiker faced with the decision to walk back 1 mile to stop and camp or continue on another 7 miles with no water and in the dark to stop and stay at or near the next shelter would do...we hiked on.
3 hours later we arrive at the shelter, exhausted and ready to set up camp or crash in the shelter. The only problem is every campsite we can find is full and the shelter is filled as well. We fill up with water and continue on another half mile until we can find a suitable place for 2 tents.
The next day wasn't too bad. We got a much later start than usual (left about 8:30 opposed to 6:30 as normal). It wasn't a bad day. Only 2 major uphill treks. Of course during the day I find myself as I do most days in my head just thinking about things. At one point I realized I had not seen any of the required white blazes that signify you are on the correct trail for quite some time now. I hike on a little further paying extra attention to ensure that I just didn't notice them, but was on the correct trail...no such luck. I ended up hiking about a half mile uphill down the wrong trail. It was so demoralizing. I made it where we planned though!
Today we woke up in rain. It was a hard short rain, just enough to get everything wet. We also had planned our hardest day in VA. The first uphill was immediately after our campsite. I got a late start and struggled up the hill about 3 miles straight up. I arrived at the first meet up point and JD had already been there about an hour. He waited a little while with me so we could discuss the plan forward. I ate, filled up with water and left as the rain came coming down. Again just long enough to soak everything. The rain stopped as I hit the next major up hill, this one about 5 miles of continuous up. The sun is out and everything is extremely humid. I am soaked from sweat. I meet JD, we discuss our final plans and take off for our last uphill battle for the day, another 5ish miles, some of the most difficult inclines we've seen so far in VA. Of course I'm about midway up the climb and a thunderstorm rolls in. It lasts like the earlier ones just long enough to make everything wet and the air humid.
JD waits for me prior to the final summit, known as dragon's tooth, and we hike it together. It is a little rocky but or the most part not too bad. The decent on the other hand wad deadly. So many steep wet rocks, one wrong move and your hike is over. It took us almost an hour to go downhill about 1 mile. Our normal average pace is 3ish mph. We are now camping outside of Catawba, VA. The rain was so bad for a while it woke me up and I'm struggling to get back to sleep. So here's a long update.
VA has very few cool pictures. Below is a panorama I took just after one of the shelters yesterday.
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