Saturday, May 7, 2011
A week or so ago I was talking to a neighbor, Eddie Prillaman, and he mentioned wanting to walk a section of the AT near our homes in Daleville. To date he'd been unsuccessful finding someone to walk with him, so I told him I'd be happy to go along. The section we were going to walk is called Rt 220 to Tinker Cliffs, a hike of approximately 10 miles......plus 3 miles down off the mountain to Rt 779, Catawba Road. So, this past Wednesday, Eddie left his car at our house, and Rita took us to the starting spot. Eddie had estimated about 6 hours for the walk. The day was sunny and a little cool, a perfect day for walking
The place we started is a "low" point on the trail, so we had an immediate climb of 1,500-2,000' over the first mile of so. Once that mile was behind us, the trail leveled off, as much as it does, and tracks along the ridge of the mountain. We soon started seeing through hikers, most of them walking the entire trail from Georgia to Maine......2,100 miles. We saw about 20 total, most of them were with someone else, but there were a few singles. Most were young guys, but there were about 6 young women. The packs they carried ranged from something about as small as a school book bag, to a full backpack.
It had rained hard the night before, and many of them had stayed in shelters at Lambert Camp, a campsite near Tinker Cliffs. Most of them were planning to stay over at least one night in Daleville......a popular stop along the trail. there are groceries, motels, and a post office near the trail. One of the guys said he covered about 20 miles a day, but I would think that is an exception, rather than the rule. With all the ups and downs, I think 20 miles would be a long day.
I had expected to possibly see mountain laurel and rhododendron blooming along the trial, as well as some wild flowers. There were a few, but maybe it was a little early at that altitude. We stopped for lunch in a sunny spot, rested for a while, then headed out for the remainder of the walk. Although the trail is well marked, one has to pay attention because there are side trails that are easy to take. Also, at times the trail climbs over rocks and other obstacles that cause unsure footing......so, we had to be careful. In warmer weather, there are rattlesnakes in the area, but guess it was too cool for them. Overall, I found I had to be more alert than when walking on roads, although didn't have to watch for cars!
The part of the trail around the Roanoke Valley is really nice, with lots of great views of the valleys below. Around 3pm, we reached the Lambert Campsite, a nice place with a couple of shelters and a great creek running through it. Shortly after that, we reached the Andy Layne Trail, a 3 mile hike down the mountain. At times the terrain is very steep, and it's harder going down than up. We reached the parking area around 430, where Rita was waiting to pick up two weary hikers. That's a total of about 7 hours for 13 miles, minus an hour for lunch and rest.....no speed records set today.
It was a great day and a great walk, and maybe I'll do more of the trail some time. In fact, there's another 10 mile section from Rt 311 to Tinker Cliffs, and we're talking about doing that soon. My legs were a little sore from the up and down hill, especially the calves. I found myself wanting to stop and talk to the through hikers, much like people wanted to talk to me during my long walk. I also felt a little "closed in" by the forest, which is much different from walking the roads. But, each has its own, unique attraction. Maybe some day I'll do the whole thing, minus these 10 miles! Maybe one of the grandchildren will want to walk the AT some day, and invite me to come along.
About the pictures:
That's Cole and Ashley, 2 of the through hikers on their way to a rest in Daleville;
This huge rock serves as a dry place to camp.......could you sleep under this?;
Eddie calling on water "gods" to fill his empty bottle;
Me at Lambert Campsite;
End of day for two tired hikers.
