(Stealth Campsite (mile ~506) - Trempi Shelter (mile 524.3))

It rained last night, which was unfortunate for Katie and Jasmine who were cowboy camping. They both have hammocks and rain flies, but they usually opt to just sleep on the ground, exposed to the elements. I crawled out of my tent to find them both still fast asleep in their soaked sleeping bags. It looked like there might have been a scrambled attempt during the night to wrap themselves in their rain flies, but the improvised bivy sacks didn’t seem to have done much good. As they started to stir, they seemed mostly unphased by the situation.

“A positive mental attitude is the best rain gear.”

I ate breakfast in camp and started hiking around 9am. The first 1.3 miles took me over a long grassy ridge with fine views to the west. As I climbed down from the ridge, I could see “The Scales,” a large cattle corral in an open grassy meadow. The Scales is a popular campsite with two vault toilets, a bear box, and a number of established fire pits. It’s accessible via a forest service road, and there was a single white SUV parked in the middle of the meadow. I was half expecting to find Delta, Meatsuit, Highlander, or any of the Little Hotties still in camp, but the Scales were abandoned at this point in the morning. The only residents were mounds of pony and cattle dung. I stopped to use the facilities, which were sadly filled with trash, and then took time to read a couple informational signs explaining the history of the Scales. Apparently, the area has historically been (and still is) used for cattle grazing. Back in the day, ranchers would weigh their cattle at the Scales before herding them down the mountain to market. This helped maximize profits because the cattle usually lost weight during the journey down the mountain. Neat🙌

Beyond The Scales, the trail briefly climbed to about 5,000 feet in elevation before beginning its steady decent from the Mount Rogers/Grayson Highlands ridge. After about 1.7 miles, I passed Old Orchard Shelter, which seemed like a really nice, open campsite. After another 1.6 miles, I made it to the Fox Creek Trailhead parking lot where the AT crosses VA State Route 603. At the parking lot, I was greeted by an older trail angel named John. He was accompanied by his canine companion “Angel,” which struck a chord in my heart by reminding me of one of my childhood dogs, also named Angel. Both were super-soft shepherd mixes, which made the coincidence even more striking. So far on trail, I’ve met a dog named “Doc” and a dog named “Angel.” Maybe I’m being visited by the spirits of my childhood pets?

John motioned to his tailgate, where he revealed a cooler full of McDoubles. I was apparently the first thru-hiker to pass by this morning, so he encouraged me to take multiple. I helped myself to two, along with a bag of chips. While I ate and chatted with John, another thru-hiker emerged from the rhododendron. He wore a sedge hat made with a floral printed synthetic fabric and introduced himself as “Hopper.”

Stumbled onto trail magic McDonalds at Fox Creek trailhead (where trail crosses VA State Route 603) from John and his loyal companion Angel

After chatting a bit more with John, I thanked him for the trail magic, and I hiked on with Hopper. As we climbed out of the gap, we spotted a large hawk in the trees above. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a good picture. Hopper explained that he hasn’t taken any zero days yet, mostly because he wants to avoid towns. After 2 miles of climbing, we reached the ridge and I stopped to try and send a voice message to AC. I then began descending the north side of the ridge and briefly caught up with Hopper before stopping at Hurricane Mountain Shelter to call the Econo Lodge in Marion, Virginia, where I booked two nights. I was feeling good physically, but I needed a zero day for some mental rest.

As I descended from Hurricane Mountain, I met “Ducky,” a flip-flopper who had started her hike in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. A flip-flop is an unconventional way of doing a thru-hike, usually involving a start somewhere in the middle, after which flip-floppers usually hike south to Springer Mountain. They then travel back to their starting point and hike north to Katahdin. Our interaction was brief, but she seemed cool, and I offered that maybe we’d see each other again somewhere up north. The trail rolled lazily for a few miles, crossing a number of streams. I was in the mood for music and opted for Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle’s “Perils From The Sea.” This is a hauntingly beautiful album, and has quickly become a trail favorite of mine.

About 3.1 miles after Hurricane Mountain, I encountered a sign explaining that the trail ahead was closed. Apparently, the bridge crossing below Comers Creek Falls had been removed due to structural instability. The sign encouraged hikers to take a detour involving a nearly 2 mile road walk. I checked Guthook and other hikers seemed to be consistently reporting that Comers Creek was easily passable via rock hopping. The sign acknowledged this but warned that in periods of high water, the creek is not safe to cross. I love waterfalls and I would much prefer to avoid a long road walk, so I took a chance and turned right toward Comers Creek Falls. I saw the falls, crossed easily, and did not die. No regrets.

Crossing Comers Creek Falls at the site of an old bridge that was removed due to safety concerns

Because this section of trail is technically closed, I suspect I may have been one of the first hikers to cross this sparkling new bridge

I’m glad I didn’t have to do this road walk

Well… looks like I’m headed the right direction

Beyond Comers Creek Falls, I switched up the music vibe. I opted to work my way through the first two Outkast albums “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” and “ATLiens.” These albums are both mid-90’s hip-hop classics. Together, they brought southern hip-hop to the forefront of cultural and aesthetic relevance, serving to shake the dominance of the New York and LA scenes. I love both of these albums, but I must admit that I have often neglected them in favor of Outkast’s third project “Aquemini” - my personal favorite. Upon this listen through, I was particularly struck by the “True Dat” interlude from Southernplayalistic-, in which Big Rube of the Dungeon Family crew presents the basic principles and fundamental truths of being an Outkast. All in his slow, southern-fried, molasses-dripping, spoken word delivery. This line in particular struck me as I put one foot in front of the other, attempting to walk from Georgia to Maine:

“Now look at yourself, are you an OutKast? I know I am
As a matter of fact, fuck being anything else
It's only so much time left in this crazy world”

About 2.7 miles past the falls, I stopped at a small campsite around mile 521.6 for break and a snack. The campsite was little more than a tiny, mossy clearing. It struck me as particularly beautiful as the afternoon filtered through the branches above. Through the trees to the southwest I could see the Grayson Highlands ridge and I tried to guess which hump was Mount Rogers.

After another 2.8 miles, I made it to Trempi shelter where I found Delta, Meatsuit, and Highlander. Meatsuit and Highlander were crashing in the shelter along with a chain-smoking lady from Florida whose name I don’t remember. She was headed southbound as part of a LASH (long-ass section hike). Katie and Jasmine arrived later, explaining that they had stopped for a while to dry their sleeping bags in the sun. As we all ate dinner around the picnic table, Delta shared that he had taken the road walk detour around Comers Creek Falls, which had been absolutely miserable. Apparently, the road had recently been paved and the smell of tar was still strong, making for a nauseating 2 miles. Although I felt bad for Delta, this tidbit made me feel extra satisfied with my decision to see the falls.