Pearisburg to Daleville

Pictures are at the end of the post

We left Pearisburg on June 1st, after sending our cold weather gear home and picking up an Amazon package that contained Leap's new trekking poles. Our packs felt so light, even with four days worth of food and a liter of water each! We got dropped off on the road where we last left off and I immediately got a bug in my eye that irritated it for some time. After hiking for a bit we came across an old cemetery that contained the grave of Captain George Pearis, a revolutionary war veteran. By the end of the day, we could actually see West Virginia. The clouds began to look ominous so we hurried to our campsite to get settled down for the evening. The storm ended up missing us fortunately but we did get a small sprinkle.

The next day we had great hiking weather. After hiking for some time, we came to the Captains, which is where a former thru hiker has opened up his yard and back porch for hikers to camp and get free soda. The best part is that in order to get to his place, you have to take a zip line over a river. You hang your pack on a carabiner, then sit in the swing. You have to pull yourself over using a rope. Leap was dreading the zipline ever since we heard about it, but she ended up loving it and insisted that we make one some day. We sat around, drank sodas, visited with others and made our dinner while we waited for an afternoon thunderstorm to pass. Once we had eaten and had checked the radar, we crossed the river again and continued hiking a few more miles to get to the next shelter. 

The next day started with some rocky hiking that slowed us down quite a bit. We took several breaks that day and really took our time. We got some trail magic at the end of the day that was provided by a lady who had just quit the trail. She had started with her husband in Georgia but decided that the trail life wasn't for her. So she came back to help her husband by carrying most of his stuff in a car then meeting with him at the end of the day. This is known as slackpacking, which a lot of people will offer to hikers for a fee. We ended up chatting with her for quite a while which also cut into our miles that day. 

The next morning, we hiked a couple of miles to the road and hitch hiked into Newport to resupply with enough food to get to Daleville. We were first picked up by a lady who was on her way to work. We hopped into the back seat with her 15 year old son who decided to tell me all about his life, his 20 year old girlfriend (he was 15) and how he was going to join the navy seals when he turned 18. These people were very friendly, but were characters. We thanked them for the ride and walked into the gas station / grocery. We were lead to believe that there was a lunch spot across the highway so we crossed it only to be let down by a sign that said, "catering only." Sadly, we crossed back across the highway, went back into the gas station and picked up some hot dogs and ate them while sitting on the ground outside. I'm beginning to internalize that I'm a vagrant freeloader. After our lunch, we stood by the post office with our thumb out for a while. A farmer picked us up and told us in great detail why a natural gas pipeline was going to destroy their community. He had some good points, but in the end, I decided that I'm going to stay neutral on the issue. 

With a pack full of food, we continued hiking. Not long after we got back on the trail, we ran into the Keffer Oak tree, which is the oldest oak tree on the Appalachian trail. It's estimated to be over 300 years old. After a short break, we continued hiking into the nearby pasture. The grass was up to my shoulders and when we finally got back to the forest, I found my first deer tick. That night, we began making supper when we heard some thunder rolling in. I just began eating when a torrential downpour began. I moved my things to shelter to stay dry and ate my macaroni and cheese. A small river began flowing from under the shelter. By the time I finished my meal, the rain had settled down so I walked to our tent. Amazingly, the inside of our tent stayed completely dry. We were both shocked as we have had pools of water in our tent during much lighter rain. 

The next day we hiked past a monument to Audie Murphy, a decorated WWII veteran that crashed his plane in the mountains after the war. We planned to camp at Dragons Tooth that night, but it looked like a thunderstorm might roll in so we decided to camp a few miles before it, in a more covered area. The thunderstorm never happened, but the spot we chose was very nice. 

On Monday, we hiked up to Dragons Tooth and got some good views. I climbed to the top of the stone slab while Louisa yelled at me to be careful. On our way down, we encountered the most challenging climb we've faced yet. At some points, there was rebar in the rock to help lower ourselves down to the next platform. There were times I didn't know what to do and had to sit there for a while thinking about my next move. We did not particularly enjoy that section. A local couple who was hiking the trail warned us of a rattlesnake that had taken up residence near the path so we walked slowly for quite a while. By the end of the day, we had one final climb to get up to McAfee's knob, a well known spot on the Appalachian trail. It is also the most photographed location on the trail. We got to the top just before sunset and took in the best views we've had yet. 

The next day we woke up early to get into town at a reasonable time. We took a snack break at Tinker cliffs where we got another amazing view of the valley below. 

Once we got into town, we immediately went to the local outfitter and bought some supplies. Today is our second zero day here in Daleville. We got a rental car yesterday and got some good Indian food in Roanoke. We plan to hike for another eight days before we stop again, which should be at Royal Oaks hostel, which is also near the Devils Backbone brewpub! Can't wait to have some good beers on tap. 

The mood was much improved this last week. Our mileage is up and we feel confident in our ability to finish. Thanks to everyone who sent words of encouragement to us after our post last week! We are grateful to have family and friends that care about us so much. 

Until Royal Oaks,

Leap and Frog

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