The recent post on fake outlets in AT shelters got me looking back at an old hike that was completed before the dawn of the AT Cafe. It was a pretty interesting hike so I figured I'd post a retro report.
The Plan
Smoking Sox will fly from Boston to Dulles. I'll pick him up there, drive to the road crossing just below Dragon's Tooth, grab a shuttle to Pearisburg, then hike back to my vehicle. If all goes well, we'll drive to Pearisburg and get another shuttle down to VA Route 606 and hike back to Pearisburg. Not the most efficient plan, but it provided an easy bail-out option after the first 66 miles.
Day 1: Saturday March 9th, 2013
We followed the established recipe for our Virginia section hikes. I drove the two hours from home to Dulles International airport, picked up Sox, and then headed south on I-81 towards Roanoke. We grabbed lunch at a Bojangles within sight of the Route 220 AT crossing then took the short trip to VA Route 624 just below Dragon's Tooth. Our shuttler Don Raines picked us up just a few minutes after our arrival and took us south to Pearisburg. I asked about parking for the 2nd part of our section and he suggested we stop at the Rendezvous Motel to ask permission. There was no one in the office when we arrived but a call to the contact number yielded a human that explained that we could leave a vehicle there for a donation. I thanked the person and explained that we would be back next week and would stop at the office to take care of the fee.
The first part of the hike was a bridge crossing on the New River and some brief PUDS as we overlooked the Celanese manufacturing plant to the south. Just before departing the road, two local good ol' boys in a ratty pickup truck slowed down and yelled "Get a job, you bums!" I won't get into specifics, but I'm guessing that Sox and my combined salaries were probably a few times higher than their combined net worth. We just smiled, waved, and doubled our pace to get into the woods. One of the biggest downsides to early March hikes is blowdowns. In the first 1.5 miles of the hike, I had already scratched up all four extremities on thorns and bark trying to get over or around fresh blowdowns.
Next up was the ascent of Peters Mountain. Shuttler Don had described it as a 'real huffer' and he was correct. There was a covered spring near the summit that provided an opportunity to tank up before the Rice Field shelter and avoid the 0.3 mile downhill trek to its water source. Smart move, but adding four quarts to our full packs made it that much more difficult to hike the remaining 2.6 miles. At least most of it was on top of the ridgecrest. The shelter was set back into the woods from the open ridgecrest and required a climb over a stile. Another notable design feature was the open air privy. There was a privacy panel on the shelter side but no other modesty features.
Approaching the shelter side trail on top of the ridgecrest.
Sox waiting for me at the Rice Field Shelter
Tortoise on a stile
A throne fit for hiker trash royalty
The only notable events after our arrival were quickly dropping temperatures and increasing winds. We had considered hiking another 1.2 miles to a camping spot but welcomed the protection of the shelter. In the bag by 20:00.
The Plan
Smoking Sox will fly from Boston to Dulles. I'll pick him up there, drive to the road crossing just below Dragon's Tooth, grab a shuttle to Pearisburg, then hike back to my vehicle. If all goes well, we'll drive to Pearisburg and get another shuttle down to VA Route 606 and hike back to Pearisburg. Not the most efficient plan, but it provided an easy bail-out option after the first 66 miles.
Day 1: Saturday March 9th, 2013
We followed the established recipe for our Virginia section hikes. I drove the two hours from home to Dulles International airport, picked up Sox, and then headed south on I-81 towards Roanoke. We grabbed lunch at a Bojangles within sight of the Route 220 AT crossing then took the short trip to VA Route 624 just below Dragon's Tooth. Our shuttler Don Raines picked us up just a few minutes after our arrival and took us south to Pearisburg. I asked about parking for the 2nd part of our section and he suggested we stop at the Rendezvous Motel to ask permission. There was no one in the office when we arrived but a call to the contact number yielded a human that explained that we could leave a vehicle there for a donation. I thanked the person and explained that we would be back next week and would stop at the office to take care of the fee.
The first part of the hike was a bridge crossing on the New River and some brief PUDS as we overlooked the Celanese manufacturing plant to the south. Just before departing the road, two local good ol' boys in a ratty pickup truck slowed down and yelled "Get a job, you bums!" I won't get into specifics, but I'm guessing that Sox and my combined salaries were probably a few times higher than their combined net worth. We just smiled, waved, and doubled our pace to get into the woods. One of the biggest downsides to early March hikes is blowdowns. In the first 1.5 miles of the hike, I had already scratched up all four extremities on thorns and bark trying to get over or around fresh blowdowns.
Next up was the ascent of Peters Mountain. Shuttler Don had described it as a 'real huffer' and he was correct. There was a covered spring near the summit that provided an opportunity to tank up before the Rice Field shelter and avoid the 0.3 mile downhill trek to its water source. Smart move, but adding four quarts to our full packs made it that much more difficult to hike the remaining 2.6 miles. At least most of it was on top of the ridgecrest. The shelter was set back into the woods from the open ridgecrest and required a climb over a stile. Another notable design feature was the open air privy. There was a privacy panel on the shelter side but no other modesty features.
Approaching the shelter side trail on top of the ridgecrest.
Sox waiting for me at the Rice Field Shelter
Tortoise on a stile
A throne fit for hiker trash royalty
The only notable events after our arrival were quickly dropping temperatures and increasing winds. We had considered hiking another 1.2 miles to a camping spot but welcomed the protection of the shelter. In the bag by 20:00.
Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH
"The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
"The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard