For our second hike of 2014 (all have to catch up on other hikes soon), we decided to experiment with a concept I called "leapfrogging," for lack of a term that I knew. The plan was to slackpack between cars, with our camping gear in the cars, driving around to hike the next day back to the first car. That was the plan, and in theory, it is doable.
So the plan was that Rhino and I would drive down Friday morning, hike 8 miles. Our sister Princess (trail-name still in flux) -- joining us for the second time -- would pick us up, we would stay at a place in Blacksburg, hike about 17 miles the second day, camp out, and hike about 11 miles on the last day. I figured that slackpacking, we should be able to manage that.
That was the plan.
Then reality hit.
Day 1
Rhino and I got a little bit of a late start, but was able to hit the trail about 3:30 on Friday. We started out on 601, which turned out to be pretty rough with some deep ruts from erosion. As we were getting ready to begin, several individual through hikers came past, including CropDust who chatted with us for a while. As we began, we kept an eye out for a camping spot within a reasonable distance from the car for the second night, but there was nothing for while over half a mile. We did run through some stinging nettles, and that provided some distraction.
The highlight of the day was the sunset, where we met a German couple, who I'll call Hansel & Gretel.
The hotel we booked on Hotwire.com turned out to be The Inn at Virginia Tech. We got checked in, and proceeded to PK's, which we understood had pizza, something Rhino had been craving for the last few miles of the hike. The rest of the evening included darts, tequila, and pitchers of beer, but not in that order.
Day 2
The next morning began much later than expected, and included a much needed awful waffle from the local Waffle House. Instead of the 17 miles that had been planned, we looked for the next road up the trail from my car and that turned out to be Route 42, about 6 miles worth of hiking. There was no crossroad between the 6 miles and the 17 miles. To be honest, the wine festival at VT looked much more appealing, but we maintained some dignity and headed out to the trail.
All in all, it was a good hike, and felt like much more than 6 miles, primarily due to a nearly 2,000 foot climb. We started out in a meadow, but a nearby beaver dam made the meadow into a swamp, so we started out with wet feet. Some Three Brothers Great Outdoors provided for a nice afternoon pick-me-up after we let it chill in the mountain stream we stopped at to refill water. (Oh, did I mention I left my water bottle at the hotel? I brought beer, but forgot water. Shows my priorities.)
Some rocks provided for a nice overlook as some ominous, but dry, clouds rolled around the area.
As we reduced the distance to my car, we were already beginning to think that we might not camp out. Perhaps Princess had no intention of camping, but she maintained the ruse for a little longer. The descent down to my car was relatively steep (and we passed several through hikers trudging their way up that hill). Halfway down the hill, Princess declared firmly, "I am not climbing back up this hill to camp."
We agreed that we would head back to civilization in Blacksburg, got Princess's car, and managed to book another night at The Inn on Hotwire, where I joyously recovered my water bottle. Our tummies were satiated at Cabo Fish Taco, where Princess noted, "I've been to the one in Charlotte. I didn't know this was a chain!" Turns out they have only two locations: Charlotte and Blacksburg.
Day 3
We bid a fond farewell to The Inn and breakfasted at Hardees. Rhino & Princess each stashed away a chicken biscuit for their afternoon pick-me-up. We decided to continue from where we left off last year at the Dragon's Tooth parking area, so we dropped my car off at 620, the first road South of Dragon's Tooth. The drive from there to the parking area turned Princess's Nissan into a ford.
The climb up to Dragon's Tooth proved to be quite a challenge, not at all overrated. Princess managed to catch herself on her chin at one point.
My two compatriots stayed on the ground around the Tooth, but the view was spectacular.
The trek down the other side towards 620 was rather uneventful, except for one moment where Rhino was truly airborne for several seconds. Hint: it involved a rather large black snake.
By my car, we chatted with a hiker for a while who was trying to meet up with some nearby friends, but had lost contact with them. After a while, another hiker, Hamster, joined us, and we provided him with some food we had with us and in my car to ease his food anxiety. We all drank a beer together. Cheers!
