Central Virginia April
2006 and 2007
Thurs 4/13 Sugar
Run Rd à Dismal Falls 12.0 Elevation
map for next 4 hikes
In April of 2006 we
had a few days off around Easter, and we planned a medium-length backpacking
trip, hoping to connect to where we had left off the previous June. We stayed the night at the budget “Relax
Inn”, which is right on the trail at the unincorporated settlement where the
trail crosses I-81 for the first time in the northbound direction. The hotel owner shuttled us to a trailhead
about 10 miles south of Pearisburg, on a gravel road a Sugar Run Gap. We started hiking south toward the car. The day was pleasant and warm, and the trail
quite easy. The first half of the day
was along a high ridge, the route surrounded by forest. The trail then descended quite a bit and was
unusually flat for the rest of the day.
We found a campsite near Dismal Falls, which
are a picturesque cascade about ¼ mile from the trail.
Fri 4/14 Dismal Falls
à Helvey’s Mill shelter 18.2
The weather the next day was beautiful, warm and sunny, although
the lack of leaves on the trees left us vulnerable to sunburn. The trail dropped a bit to cross
Kimberling Creek, and then ascended to a relatively low ridge which it followed
the rest of the day. For some reason I
found the hiking unusually demanding, and was quite worn out by the time we
arrived at Helvey’s
Mill Shelter. Several northbound
thru-hikers were there, included a pair of cousins who were hiking
together. The setting was nice, although
the trail to water took a bit of effort to reach – following switchbacks
steeply for 5-10 minutes downhill through a rhododendron thicket to a pretty
little stream.
Sat 4/15 Helveys Mill
à
Laurel Creek 9.2
I did not feel well when I woke up today. We hung out at the shelter for quite a while,
hoping that some extra rest might improve my condition, but it did not help
much. We set off down the trail,
immediately descended toward a crossing of I-77, which we had been able to hear
from the shelter the previous evening.
After the crossing the highway, the trail returned to a pleasant ridge
route, with almost continuous views through the trees to the valley below. I felt steadily worse as we hiked, however,
so it was difficult to enjoy. Towards
early afternoon we came to a descent that ended in a pleasant clearing near a
stream equipped with – of all things – a picnic table. We had hoped to make it several more miles to
the next shelter, but seeing the possibility to stop and camp my body gave in,
and I was not worth much of anything for the rest of the afternoon and evening
– to Tatiana’s great concern. I slept
well that night, however. The campsite
was a few miles short of Jenkins
Shelter, in a stream valley that can be seen on the “terrain view” mode of
the map – roughly
here.
Sun 4/16 VA 617 à Settlers Museum 3.8
In the morning I felt much stronger, although not yet 100%. The delay would be possible to make up, but
only with relatively aggressive hiking the next couple of days. Given the situation, we thought it was best
to see if we could get a ride back to the car and head home. We walked up the gravel road the crossed the
trail just past the clearing for perhaps a mile, until we were out of the woods
and could get a cell phone signal. We
called the hotel operator and arranged for a ride back to the car. By the time we returned, I was feeling quite
a bit better, so we decided to hike a short section before getting on the
road. I started at VA route 617, about a
mile north of the hotel where we had stayed, and hiked south to the Settlers Museum where we had ended our previous
section. The route was a pleasant and
fairly easy walk, alternating between pasture and woods.
Mon 4/2 Laurel Creek
à
FS 222 (Burkes Garden) 19.2 3422
Tues 4/3 FS
222 à
VA 617 17.2 3080
Wed 4/4 Stillhouse Branch Rd
à
Sugar Run Gap 12.3 2360
Thurs 4/5 Salt Sulphur Turnpike à
Stillhouse Branch 24.9 1250
Fri 4/6 Salt Sulp
Turnpike à Craig
Creek Valley 24.6 3354
Sat 4/7 Craig Creek Valley à
VA 311 24.2 3520
Sun 4/8 US
220 à
Montvale Overlook (BRP) 15.5 2165
Mon 4/9 US 220
à
VA 311 (McAfee Knob) 19.8 3180
During spring break of 2007 we traveled to central Virginia to hike my last
remaining section in the state. We planned
8 days of hiking, starting by picking up the “missing section” from our aborted
trip the previous spring, then moving north to hike the section between
Pearisburg and Roanoke. We drove south after church on Sunday, and
found the campsite where we had ended our previous trip, on Laurel Creek
near Bland, VA. The spot is a perfect
campsite, with a picnic table and scenic spots near the creek for the
tent. We stayed there for three nights,
using our new big tent – a
Christmas present from the previous year.
Mon 4/2 Laurel Creek
à FS 222 (Burkes Garden) 19.2 Elevation
profile
On the first day we woke to pleasant
temperatures and blue sky. I started
hiking right from our campsite. The
trail had been relocated since our trip last year, with the old route along a
creek having been abandoned because of a washed out bridge. That section had frequently been closed for
high water, and after the bridge washed out the trail maintainers decided to
permanently switch to the frequently used alternate route. The trail followed the gravel road for a
short distance before heading up into the woods. After a few miles it rejoined the old trail,
then passed the shelter we had been aiming for the previous year when I got
sick. After the shelter the trail began
a long steady climb towards the ridge above Burkes Garden. The valley called Burkes Garden is also known
as “God’s Thumbprint” because of its appearance from the air or on a topographical map – a valley roughly
12 by 6 miles, completely surrounded by mountains that are 1500 feet
higher. I had read that Cornelius
Vanderbilt was eyeing the area for an estate in the late 1800s, but nobody in
the valley would sell land to him. He
ended up building the monstrosity known as Biltmore
near Asheville, NC instead.
The hike above the valley turned out to be one of my favorite sections
of the entire trail. Frequent views
opened up, revealing the green farmland and rural settlement below. I could
pick out most of the tiny road network for the community. It felt like I was looking down on a model
train diorama. Midway along the ridge
route the trail crossed a road, one of only two access points to the
valley. Soon afterward I meet up with
Tatiana, and as she turned around we climbed more, soon reaching the high point along the ridge
– Chestnut Knob, at 4410 feet. The Knob
had an open, grassy summit with outstanding
views – not only into Burkes Garden but also to the south towards the Mount Rogers highlands. An old
stone building at the top serves as a shelter, and the privy for the shelter has a view of the
valley. As we hiked down from the
Knob the trail remained open with views for a mile before plunging back into
the trees and down to the remote road crossing where Tatiana had parked the
car. She had parked on a forest service
road that felt like it was truly in the “middle of nowhere”. On the way out we traversed some rutted and
“washboard” sections through the national forest, then emerged into private
land where numerous odd-looking homes were situated along the road. Many were trailers that were modified to park
permanently in one spot, or cabin-like structures in various states of
disrepair. A few appeared occupied, but
most seemed to be vacation homes for the middle or lower class, if that makes
any sense. After passing through this
bizarre community we had to drive over a mountain pass with numerous blind
switchbacks before reaching a paved road.
We started the day by driving back over the rugged Forest Service
road to where we ended yesterdays hike.
I headed south, immediately climbing to Lynn Camp Mountain. The route for today was relatively short, but
still presented quite a challenge, since it continually climbed and descended numerous
mountain ridges. Along most parts of
the AT, the route follows the top of mountain ranges, varying in elevation with
the range. In this stretch, the trail
travels over a series of parallel ridges, climbing and immediately descending
each on. The day turned out to be rather
warm for early April, probably reaching about 80 degrees. One of the shelters I passed was called Knot
Maul Branch, and some clever hiker had written in the register that it was
named for Darth Maul’s brother.
Eventually, the trail crested the final ridge and headed down toward
pastureland along route 617.
Wed 4/4 Stillhouse
Branch Rd à Sugar Run Gap 12.3 Elevation
profile
After camping one more night at Laurel Creek,
we packed up and got on the road, heading for the Pearisburg area. We drove through Pearisburg and found a
trailhead on 
Stillhouse Branch Road, where I started
hiking south. Tatiana drove to Sugar Run
Gap, where we had started our backpacking trip the previous year. The initial route was through town for
perhaps three miles, but the trail remained in wooded areas along the edge of
the developed town most of the time. The
exception was near the New River, where the
route crossed in front of a large chemical plant and then followed a major
highway bridge over the river itself.
Upon leaving town I began climbing very steeply, eventually reaching
Angels Rest, a viewpoint on the end of the mountain. The view took in the New
River Valley, the
town of Pearisburg, and the
surrounding area. I could see Peters Mountain,
where tomorrow’s hike would lie. From
here, the trail was relatively level all the way to the car. There were occasional views of the pastoral
Sugar Run valley, and the weather was perfect for hiking – sunny and warm but
not hot.
Most of the official Forest Service campgrounds were either
still closed for winter, or too far from where we wanted to stay. So we drove up into Stony Creek
Valley and found a
campsite in National Forest land, near a picnic area along a scenic river. We made dinner at the picnic area. By now the weather was changing
significantly. A strong wind had come
up, blowing cold, wintry air through the area.
We had heard a weather forecast, and knew this was likely to be the
pattern for several days.
Thurs 4/5 Salt Sulphur Turnpike à Stillhouse Branch 24.9 Elevation
profile
In the morning the cold weather had settled in. We drove to the top of Salt Pond Mountain in the dark, with light
beginning to show by the time we reached the parking area near Wind Rock. A large, popular Forest Service campground is
nearby, but was not open yet for the season.
I started hiking across the top of the mountain, the wind stinging my
face and burrowing down beneath my clothes.
I don’t know if I have ever been so cold while hiking. After a few miles the trail began to lose
elevation as it dropped toward Stony
Creek Valley,
where we had camped, and the wind died down.
The cold remained with us the rest of the day, however. Upon reaching the valley I had to hike along
the road for about a mile, bypassing a section made inaccessible by missing
bridge; in better weather I might have forded the river, but not today! Leaving the road, I embarked on the day’s
only climb, soon reaching the top of Peters
Mountain on the border between Virginia and West
Virginia. From
here the trail followed the top of the ridge for about 12 miles. At the northern end of the ridge there was
also a trailhead for the Allegheny Trail, a route that leads about 300 miles
north across West Virginia. Although cold, the hiking was pleasant, with
occasional views towards the west. Two grassy
meadows broke up the forest along the ridge, and I took a break at each –
Symms Gap and Rice
Field. Eventually we reached the end
of the ridge and clambered down toward Stillhouse Branch Road. We returned to the same campsite in Stony Creek
Valley for the night.
Fri 4/6 Salt Sulp Turnpike à Craig
Creek Valley 24.6 Elevation
profile
The temperature and wind were, if
anything, more extreme when we returned to the same trailhead the next
morning. Tatiana walked with me the
short distance to the Wind Rock overlook, so that we could check out the
view. A tent was set up near the rock
outcropping – it would have been a much more windy spot than where we stayed in
the valley! The initial part of the hike
was similar to yesterday – trekking through cold wind across the relatively
broad, flat top of Salt Pond Mountain at around 4000 feet elevation. The trail then dropped to cross a remote
wooded valley and climbed again to John’s Creek Mountain,
where another rock outcropping offered a view.
The trail then dropped again to cross Sinking Creek
Valley, a wider valley
with numerous farms and ample pastureland.
This pattern is typical in central
Virginia – the trail follows ridge tops for several miles, drops to cross a
pastoral valley lined with green
pastures, then climbs again to the next ridge. On the far side of Sinking Creek
Valley I passed the Keffer Oak, which is one of the
largest trees near the trail – a huge oak with the spreading form often found
in old trees that have grown in the open.
On the climb up to Sinking
Creek Mountain,
I actually began to feel slightly warm.
The trail followed the narrow ridge top of Sinking
Creek Mountain
for 5 or 6 miles, a stretch that felt similar to the walk along Peters Mountain
the previous day. Soon after reaching
the ridge, I came to a side trail leading to Sarver
Cabin Shelter. Tatiana had left her
hiking pole there, to let me know she was at the shelter. It turned out to be quite a descent down a
series of switchbacks to the shelter, but we spent a few minutes there before
moving on. Towards the northern end the
ridge was punctuated
by rocky outcroppings, over which we needed to scramble in order to follow
the trail. Although somewhat
challenging, these interludes did also provide views to the parallel valleys on
either side of the mountain. At the end
of the ridgetop section we came upon a sign, declaring that we were walking
along the Eastern Continental Divide
– the border between watersheds that drain to the Atlantic Ocean (by way of the
Chesapeake) on the east and the Gulf of Mexico
(by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers)
on the west. We then descended steeply
to a rural road crossing in Craig
Creek Valley. We found a campsite on a sandbar next to a
creek nearby, and spent a cold evening making dinner and exploring a bit before
diving into warm sleeping bags.
Sat 4/7 Craig Creek Valley à VA
311 24.2 Elevation
profile
In the morning we woke up to find a few inches of snow covering everything. We packed up our tent, and I started hiking
north from the campsite while Tatiana drove to the other end of the section, on
busy route 311 near Roanoke. The snow
cover increased as I hiked up the first mountain of the day, but did not
impede progress in any significant way.
A high spot was marked with a monument to World War II pilot Audie Murphy,
who was later killed in a plane crash nearby.
The trail soon descended again, crossed a meadow near the Pickle Branch
Shelter, and began a more rugged climb toward Dragons Tooth. On the way I overtook a group of scouts. We had not been seeing many hikers during the
past few cold days – most thru-hikers were not this far north yet, and cold
early April weekdays don’t tend to bring out the crowds. We had also been hiking some of the more
remote and little-known parts of the trail.
That would change for the rest of today as well as our final hike on
Monday. After clambering along a rough
ridge for several miles, I finally reached Dragons Tooth, which is a prominent,
huge rock sticking up at the end of a ridge.
A snow squall enveloped the trail as I approached the rock, but it soon
cleared and I had a view of the surrounding countryside, a valley similar to
the ones I had been seeing recently.
This one was definitely more populated though, and I could make out a
couple of large homes that likely belonged to wealthy businessmen from Roanoke. Returning to the trail, I immediately found
myself plunging steeply downhill, navigating what is perhaps the most
challenging section of trail south of New
Hampshire. I
reached a gap below the worst of the climb before catching up to Tatiana, who
had actually turned around because she had been led to believe she somehow
missed me. We continued downhill, across
a pasture, and then up to the final ridge of the day, which was a bit like a
rollercoaster – continually up and down, although the elevation changes were
minor. We reached the car around 4:30,
and drove a couple of miles to a restaurant called The Homeplace. Our friend Tim had told us about it – he
lived in the area for a couple of years.
The restaurant is only open Thursday through Sunday, and was obviously
very popular – the parking lot was crowded at this early hour, and we waited a
few minutes for a table. The fare was
hearty down-home cooking, served family style – an excellent and filling
meal. From there we drove about 10-15
miles to a remote Forest Service campground, where we spent the night. In spite of the relatively large size of the
campground – perhaps 30-40 sites - nobody else was there. The temperatures continued to hold in the 40s
and below, and we retreated to our sleeping bags as soon as we could.
Sun 4/8 US 220 à Montvale Overlook (BRP) 15.5 Elevation
profile
The weather forecast seemed to suggest that Monday things
would warm a bit, so we saved the McAfee Knob section for better weather. Today’s hike started at US 220, very close to
the interchange with I-81 – the second time a northbound hiker crosses this major
interstate highway. There are two more
crossings further north, in Pennsylvania. The trailhead was hidden between a bank and a
convenience store, but the route soon escaped civilization as it wandered
through low-elevation meadows and woods.
In the next few miles it would cross under I-81 and then over US 11
before climbing up to the mountains again.
At Montvale Overlook, where Tatiana started, the trail parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time – it
follows the parkway to Shenandoah and then Skyline Drive through that park. The weather was still cold, and there were
few notable features of this section.
When we got to the end, we the car battery was dead and we needed to
flag down a passing motorist for help.
Actually two motorists – the first had a hybrid car and we had trouble
finding the battery, of all things.
We found a cheap motel with a hiker
discount near the highway interchange for the night. We felt a little like we were cheating by not
camping, but consoled ourselves with the fact that because we had managed to
camp for free the rest of the week, even with paying for the motel we were
saving money compared to if we had stayed in developed campgrounds all
week. I started again next to the bank
on US 220, and soon climbed up to a ridge overlooking
a reservoir that supplies water to Roanoke. The trail crosses many rocky outcroppings and
offered multiple views, both south to the reservoir and north toward a valley
and more distant mountains. After about
10 miles, at Scorched Earth Gap, the trail abruptly turned south and climbed to
Tinker Cliffs, which provided an excellent view of a farmed valley, mountains
to the west, and the route of the next 10 miles of trail. After descending to a low spot on the ridge,
I met up with a waiting Tatiana, and we climbed slowly toward McAfee Knob. Along the way we passed several rock features
that have been named by people who frequently hike this popular section of
the trail: Lunch Box Rocks, Snack Bar Rock, The Well. McAfee Knob, although only 3250 feet high, is
one of the most photographed spots on the entire trail. The western edge of the high point along the ridge is a rocky cliff,
offering outstanding views to the north and west. One prominent piece of the cliff juts out
over . . nothing at all, so that someone standing on top can appear, to an
observer at a nearby vantage point, to be in a very precarious position. It is hard to describe, but easy to see – as
in the pictures here. After enjoying some time at the high point, we returned
via an easy three mile section of trail to the car, and headed for home.
