5/09/01
This morning Hip and I stirred early knowing that it might be difficult for five of us to get a hitch back to the crossing of the road and the AT. After eating my trail breakfast AND a breakfast biscuit and OJ at the Dairy Queen, Hip and I walked the mile into town and began our quest for a ride back to the trailhead. After 35 minutes a pickup truck finally pulled over and we were on our way. I rode in the back and Hip rode in the cab with the driver. After we were let out at the trailhead, Hip told me that the local fellow talked about snakes the whole time we were riding, primarily warning us about the rattlesnakes and copperheads on Brushy Mountain. Before we got too far, we saw Little Guy, Rocky and Bedouin who had caught a hitch right after Hip and I did. I led the pack down the trail since I'm the "Rabbit". The trail was beautiful with lots of scenery changes from conifer forest to open fields to hardwood forests with fresh tender young leaves to small brushy rhododendron thickets. The trail was nicely graded and I was able to cover several miles with relative ease. After stopping for lunch at Jenny Knob shelter with The Little Guy, we moved on with a goal of finding a campsite near Kimberling Creek or Dismal Creek Falls. Snake number two crossed my path this afternoon. It was a friendly garter snake and I was almost disappointed I didn't find a cantankerous rattler or an agressive copperhead when I crossed Brushy Mountain.
Upon arriving in the late afternoon heat at Va. 606 I stopped to assess water quality at Kimberling Creek. The trail has been very dry due to lack of spring rain and there have been several dry stream beds. Water is becoming scarce and I traveled a 12 mile segment today without finding a decent water supply. As nice as hiking in warm sunshine is, we desperately need rain on the trail. After reading the trail guide I noticed that a small grocery store was .8 miles down the road. With ice cream and soda on my mind, I convinced The Little Guy to hike with me and off we went down the road to the country store. I bought sodas for Hip, Rocky and The Bedouin, knowing that they were behind us and wouldn't have the body strength to make the side trip, and a soda and pint of chocolate ice cream to help me make the trip back. When the three of them came across the suspension bridge over Kimberling Creek I had a little trail magic waiting for them. The Little Guy went ahead of us to scout out Dismal Creek Falls for a possible campsite as the other four of us slowly hiked the next two miles in the late afternoon sun.
When we reached the junction of the AT and the side trail to the falls, Little Guy appeared and reported that there were good campsites available but a crowd of college sudents were setting up camp at the falls. We were all at the point we didn't feel like pushing on so we decided to camp at the falls despite not knowing how rowdy the college crowd might be. When we arrived at the falls area, the college students were scouring the woods for firewood. We set up our campsite (Hip, The Little Guy, Rocky, The Bedouin) and I went down to the falls to pump some water for dinner. While there, I struck up a conversation with some of the college students, who were all Virginia Tech Hokies from Blacksburg, VA. I was hoping for a malt beverage, but the group was busy putting up tents and getting the firewood together for the bonfire. I went back to our camp a little way up the hill from the waterfall to make dinner and set up my tent. Three of the college girls walked by on the nearby trail and I introduced myself to Andrea. After a few minutes of conversation , Andrea suggested that the group might be going back to the store for more supplies and I might be able to have them pick up some malt beverages for me. I thanked her, then resumed my "in-camp" duties.
By the time all of the "in-camp" duties were completed, it was nearly dark and the other thru-hikers in our little traveling group were threatening to go to sleep. I, on the other hand, felt quite awake and refreshed and still wanted some dialogue and a malt beverage. As I entered the trail to walk down to the waterfall where the college students were camping, Andrea and I met again. We were both startled as she was in a compromising position relieving the call of nature when I rounded a turn in the trail. We both handled the potentially uncomfortable situation with grace and a good laugh, and she extended the invitation to me to have some of the students purchase some malt beverages for me. Since the thru-hiker group was pooped out, I declined and asked instead if I could purchase just one malt beverage from the group. Andrea said that would be fine, and I went back to my tent to retrieve a dollar, then walked down to the waterfall area. I arrived at the Virginia Tech "party central" which was the large fire surrounded by happy college students singing with two guitars, cooking various and sundry concoctions, and sipping an array of adult beverages. They welcomed "the rabbit" with open arms and I immediately felt as though I was among longtime friends. To make a long story short, I ended up partying with the group until nearly midnight. We sang lots of ballads and a variety of music was expertly strummed by three young men who obviously had played together before. There was a lot of great conversation about hiking the AT as well as conversation about college life and relationships. The issues from my college days 20 years ago are basically the same issues this generation is dealing with as well. I spent a good deal of time talking with Michelle and her friend from Bosnia. After a couple of group photos of my new friends, I had to call it a night since another day of hiking was just hours away.
A special thanks is in order to all of the Virginia Tech Hokies who allowed me to join your extended family for an evening and made me feel so welcome. For those of you graduating, best of luck with the next chapter in your journey of life. For those who get to come back to college next year, consider yourself lucky to have another chance to enjoy some of the best years of your life. And for those of you who thought I was only 29...well, thanks for the vote of confidence but maybe you should slow down on those adult beverages ! ! ! Thanks again and you now have one more Hokie fan in the world. Another great hiking day ended with a special evening of merriment along the trail. Here are today's stats: low 47 degrees, high 73. Sunny. Today's mileage: 18.6; cumulative mileage: 594.1.
