Our plan for day 2 was to wake up, make breakfast, breakdown our camp, pack our gear and be on the trail by 7:30 am. The plan for today was a challenging 16 miles of trail and we felt it was important to get on the trail early… we beat our goal by 20 minutes!
Once on the trail, we immediately realized that we were feeling pretty good after a strenuous first day. Staying hydrated and getting a decent night of sleep certainly helped… but so did the ibuprofen I took last night and again this morning!
Our immediate destination for the morning was the Dragon’s Tooth rock formation. After a 1 mile climb from camp on the Dragon’s Tooth Trail we intersected the Appalachian Trail (AT). The intersection doubles as an informal campsite called Lost Spectacles Gap where Morgan had the brilliant idea to stow our 38 lb packs behind some fallen trees since we’d be reversing course after seeing Dragon’s Tooth.
Relieved of our heavy packs, we easily made our way another mile through a series of rock scrambles that culminated in a wide plaza flanked by quartzite rock spires, including the 35 ft Dragon’s Tooth formation.
After spending about 30 minutes to enjoy the view, we headed back down to retrieve our packs and continue northbound on the AT for the long 13 mile haul to our planned campsite. This was going to be a long day, so we kept a steady, deliberate pace, but the sharply rising and descending trail definitely tapped into our energy reserves.
Throughout the day we frequently encountered AT through-hikers who were 700 miles into their nearly 2,200 mile journey from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. They had unique trail names, like: All Day, Shorty, Switch, Truck Stop, TBD, Caboose, and NoRush. It was fun chatting with them and learning some of the ins-and-outs of through-hiking.
Most of them had been on the trail since late March or early April, so they’d been hiking for over 2 months. Some were quirky and carefree, others driven by the goal to complete the AT in one epic 5 to 6 month hike. But each had a unique story and interesting anecdotes of things they’d experienced on the trail.
Since the temperatures were in the mid 80s, we made sure to stay well hydrated. We each carried 2.5 liters of water, but took every opportunity to refill our bottles when we encountered a stream. This habit allowed us to take in adequate fluids as we exerted ourselves during the hottest part of the day.
We specifically planned this 3 day hike during mid-week, hoping to avoid the big crowds that descend on the area during the weekends. There are quite a few day hike trails that allow access to the individual sights; a popular option for those who don’t want to tent camp or hike as many miles.
For me, the only thing I needed to clear from my schedule was my weekly guitar lesson, so I was a bit surprised when I looked up and saw a hiker coming toward me while strumming a guitar… was this a message from my guitar teacher to reconsider the priorities in my life?! Who knows… nonetheless it was an interesting coincidence.
As the day wore on and energy was waning, we began to discuss other options for camping. The original plan for day 2 was to hike 16 miles to a campsite just beyond McAfee Knob, which would give us a late day view of the iconic rock feature and the option to wake up early the next morning to reverse hike for a sunrise experience.
Based on campsite locations and water sources, we had 3 viable options:
1) Stick with the original plan and gut out a few more miles even though we were both getting tired.
2) Modify the original plan, but forego the morning visit to McAfee Knob which would shorten day 3’s hike by 2 miles.
3) End the day at 13 miles and camp before McAfee Knob at the Catawba Mountain Shelter, foregoing the late afternoon view, then get up early the next day to catch sunrise at the knob.
Morgan and I had a good discussion about the pros and cons of each option and settled option 3. We would finish the day at the Catawba Mountain Shelter, get to bed early, then break camp at 4:30 am in order to reach McAfee Knob at sunrise.
Our decision made, we completed the final two miles of the day and were happy to reach the shelter. We shared the campsite with two through-hikers; “Swith,” a chef from Kentucky; and “TBD,”a registered nurse working in trauma care from Pennsylvania.
Even though we were a bit tired, we quickly erected our tents and refilled water. Finally we could relax and enjoy some dinner with our new companions before turning in for the night.
The final task of the day was to place all of our remaining food and accumulated trash in the convenient bear box located near the shelter… we definitely didn’t want some hungry bear nosing around for snacks in the middle if the night!
Stay tuned for the culmination of the Virginia Triple Crown, coming soon…
Author’s Note: If you enjoyed this post, leave a comment or repost to your social media. Also, feel free to explore past adventure series by clicking the “HOME” button below.
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Mary Jo… your comment was cryptic!
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Another great adventure. I loved the beautiful pictures and really glad you didn’t encounter a hungry BEAR 🐻 ~Phyllis~
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
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