Dragon’s Tooth

From a different angle…the climb up DT (the final 3/10 of a mile anyway) was reminiscent of the rocky steepness we saw up in New Hampshire & Southern Maine…

Looking through the teeth into the valley below…

Are hang gliders REALLY a problem here? 🙂

Audie Murphy memorial on Brush Mountain (near Catawba)…

One of the most decorated soldiers in WW2, Audie died in a plane crash near the trail here…

Jess thought she left slab-hiking behind in Maine. :-p

The Keffer Oak. 2nd largest (at 19’7″ in diameter) on the AT…

A bit hard to hug this one…

Early morning view into the valley…Pearisburg lost in the mists…

Celanese chemical plant near Pearisburg…largest cigarette filter maker in the United States. The trail snakes past it and across the bridge in to town…

Did we get enough pizza? 🙂
Charles & Sandy rescued us for a night on the town of Blacksburg…thanks so much!

Our loft room in the cabin @ Wood’s Hole Hostel…

Helping with the squealer round-up @ Wood’s Hole…

Mmmmm…fresh apple cider! 😉
Once again…thank you Charles!

Harvesting a bag full of apples from a derelict orchard in Southern Virginia…

The Hiker Burger (16oz of greasy goodness) @ The Barn in Atkins…

Another overcast & dripping day…

Pastoral…

Didn’t quite get all the hay in before the storm…

Lindamood Schoolhouse (1890’s) @ the Settler’s Museum right next to the trail. Unfortunately under repair atm…still a sign in the window that says “hikers welcome”, but the padlock stated otherwise. 😦

Friend & fellow hiker “Reboot” turns shuttler for a short time due to tendonitis. Thanks for the ride & great getting to know you!

Just a little sample of the whacky graffiti seen in AT shelters…

Filtering water…

A long-horn napping in the Grayson Highlands…

High country “scales” where mountain grazed cattle were weighed into the early 1900’s before being driven in to town for sale…

For some reason, Grayson ponies just do not like wild orchard apples. These ponies (though now nearly wild) were introduced in to the park in the 1960’s to help control the grasslands there. They are rounded up yearly to be checked by a veterinarian, extra males sold off, etc.

A sign stated “Beware…they do, at times, bite”. These didn’t…

Campsite near Mt. Rodgers…

Reaching for the skies…literally…just enough reception to send off a text. :-p

Remember that long-horn?

Looking south from our Mt. Rodgers camp in to North Carolina…

Sunset over Mt. Rodgers…here come’s the wind & rain!

Trail magic…it actually exists! This gentleman was set up on a cold drizzly morning between Mt. Rodgers & Whitetop with a fire, food & drinks for hikers…

Hiking down towards Damascus, the AT joins the Virginia Creeper Rail-Trail a few times. We spotted this osprey looking for trout along the Whitetop Laurel River at a point where AT, Creeper & River join…

At Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque with Uncle Calvin & Aunt Jean, who rescued us for a day in the Damascus area…Thanks Cal & Jean! 🙂

Sitting on the “cowch” @ Cuz’s, which served an eclectic mix of Virginia and Thai…

Riding part of the “Creeper” with Uncle Cal on our day off. I paid for it for the next few hiking days…hiking and biking muscles aren’t quite the same. :-p

Leaving Damascus, VA…next stop Tennessee!