Appalachian Trail in VA Project – 6/9/13 - Lambert Meadow to
US 220 Daleville – 9.1 Miles
The mysterious backpacker sleeping 20 feet away from me was
only a memory the next morning. The bubbling
creek muffled any sounds of him/her packing up and walking away – in the early
dawn? In the dark? Who knows?
Stephanie and I were not quite so stealthy, feeling a bit stiff from the
previous long day, but we pumped ourselves up for an “easy 9-miler.”
Well…not as easy as it looked on paper. What appears like a flat line on the
elevation profile is an endless series of small ups-and-downs, 50 feet gain, 50
feet loss, and more than a few boulders to navigate. What was also a bit of a surprise was the
beauty of this section.
Walking along narrow Tinker Ridge and looking down into the
Valley of Virginia
A very long rock wall
Stephanie standing beneath Hay Rock
Our first glimpse of Carvins Cove Natural Reserve, which contains
the reservoir for Roanoke and protected watershed. Carvins Cove is the second largest municipal
park in the United States.
Carvins Cove
The AT builders made sure we didn’t miss any views
They say all good things come to an end, and the
last couple of miles downhill to Highway 220 were not fun – okay, borderline
miserable. The day had grown very hot
and the descent followed a powerline cut of steep steps in red clay. Then the trail passes
through a boggy, messy, buggy stretch of flood plain along Tinker Creek. I’m hoping that at other times of the year
this is a pleasant place for the local Daleville folks to enjoy.
Railroad tracks – yay, almost there!
At a large intersection I searched for a white blaze,
finally found it nearly completely covered by vines on a tree. Stephanie was a few minutes behind and I
waited for her because I was afraid she would miss it. I didn’t realize we were 10 minutes from the
car.
Hot, sweaty, tired and triumphant, we cleaned up in a gas
station restroom, cranked up the air conditioning full blast, and cruised home. (Oh, yeah, we also ate everything on the menu
at a Cracker Barrel on the way).
Thanks for joining me, Stephanie! Here's an old Girl Scout song that I loved hearing the girls sing around the campfire once upon a time:
On The Loose
"On the loose to climb a mountain, on the loose where I am free
On the loose to live my life the way I think my life should be
For I only have a moment and a whole world yet to see
I'll be searching for tomorrow on the loose...
There's a trail that I'll be hiking just to see where it might go
Many places yet to visit, many people yet to know
So in time when you are ready, come and join me, take my hand
And together we'll share life out on the loose.” ~Steve Schuch
[A very sweet YouTube video of girls singing this around a campfire is here!]
1 comment:
Looks like a great section of the AT. Enjoyed the song lyrics. Sounds like a Hobbit song.
"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
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