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Smyth County

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    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      Day 16

      Day 14 of AT in TN NOBO

      March 11 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

      Wilbur Dam Rd (433.3) to Cross Mountain Trailhead/TN 91 (449.4)
      Total Miles: 16.1

      Most of today’s hike was fairly boring as it was a long, slow incline to TN 91 without many views. I could see Watauga Lake in the distance off to my right through the trees most of the way, and farmland/valley floor through the woods off to my left.

      Pitched my tent in a small, informal area just off trail right before Cross Mountain Trailhead.      Read more

    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      Day 18

      Day 16 of AT in TN/VA NOBO

      March 13 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

      Stealth camping spot (464.7) to Damascus, VA (471.0)
      Total Miles: 6.3

      Packed up at my tent spot and headed the 6 miles downhill into Damascus! Checked off another state. Now in VA for the next 544 miles. The longest stretch of any state on the trail.

      Met Melissa & “Hill Flower”at the Library, which is the first place you come to when entering town. Hill Flower, her husband Honey & dog Beef Jerky actually thru-hiked the trail in 2022. Both of these gals were very nice and a wealth of info re Damascus and what to see/where to go.

      After devouring a late lunch at the local diner, I Checked into the Dancing Bear Inn. Owned by Elizabeth and her husband Pat (2 retirees from Atlanta), I’m renting a private one bedroom in one of the detached units. Their place is right in the center of the small town, equidistant from both the entry and exit points of the AT.

      Quickly walked the small, cute Main Street and got my bearings as this will be my “home base” for the next couple of days. The Damascus Outfitter is incredible and has every single item a hiker would ever need, including food resupply options. The Dairy King down at the corner, AWESOME vanilla milkshakes. The diner in the middle of town, amazing breakfast and lunch all day long.      Read more

    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      Day 21

      Day 19 of AT in VA NOBO

      March 16 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

      Elk Garden Trail/VA Route 60 (495.2) southbound to Grassy Ridge Rd. (485.8) southbound
      Total Miles: 9.4

      Slack-packed south back to Grassy Ridge Rd. Pat drove me up and dropped me off at 8:45 am. Picked me up Grassy Ridge at 1:30.

      After heavy rains yesterday and last night, today was sunny and cooler. Temps in the 50’s most of the day.

      The first half of the day was shrouded in fog and mist, thus not much to see. The second half was sunny and warm. Crossed some idyllic fields and Xmas tree farms. See pics & videos.      Read more

    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      1
      Day 19

      Day 17 of AT in VA NOBO

      March 14 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

      Grassy Ridge Rd. (485.8) southbound to Damascus, VA (471.0) to
      Total Miles: 14.8

      Slack-packed south back into town. Pat from The Dancing Bear Inn drove me up and dropped me off at 8:40am.

      Started off cold (30 degrees) but warmed up to low 70’s by midday.

      A beautiful day, and half the miles were trekking parallel to the rollicking Laurel River. Lots of water flow due to heavy recent rains.      Read more

    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      Day 24

      Day 22 of AT in VA NOBO

      March 19 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 45 °F

      Slab Town Rd (525.8) to Mt. Rogers Nat’l Rec Ctr (534.6)
      Total Miles: 8.8

      The coldest morning yet. Almost everyone, including me, got off trail last night and into hostels/motels due to temps in the low 20’s, winds 40 mph, and a trace of snow.

      Started hiking from Mt. Rogers Nat’l Rec Ctr at 8:30am and tried to set a fast pace just to get my body as warm as possible. My hands were so cold the first 1.5 hrs that I had to stop every 5 mins and quickly make a fist inside my glove liners & gloves to generate some warmth in my fingertips. Ahh, deja vu of skiing in Feb in the Northeast!

      Quick note on the Mt. Rogers Nat Recreation Center & the famous hiker shelter called “Partnership” that is on the AT right behind the Rec Ctr. (See pics). The Rec Ctr is recently renovated and includes a bookstore and visitors' center with lots of information & exhibits about local ecology and the trail, restrooms, vending machines, and water spigots. The Shelter is beautiful, large and clean with two levels for sleeping, as well as its own shower and bathroom. You can even use the Rec ctr’s land line and order pizza from the close by town of Marion. They’ve done a nice job with this forest service/state run facility.

      Just 8.5 miles today as I had to choose between the 8.5 or 18 miles as the other road pickup spot at what would be 13.4 miles is closed right now to the public.

      So…. back to Marion and the Econolodge by 1pm and was able to hit the Starbucks across the street (the first Starbucks I’ve hit in the first 530 miles of the trail!) for a late lunch & coffee, and then to Mi Puerto (also across the street) for dinner. Absolutely amazing authentic Mexican food.      Read more

    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      Day 23

      Day 21 of AT in VA NOBO

      March 18 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

      State Route 603 (512.2) to Slab Town Rd. (525.8).
      Total Miles: 13.6

      Started ascending right away once I crossed State Route 63 (1.5 miles into the day). It was a pretty 2.2 mile trek up to the top of Iron Mtn. .

      Comers Creek Falls was a nice find for a midday respite.

      Passed by a farm that had cows & goats right on the trail. The cows seemed amused by us hikers as we passed by making animal noises. And fairly authentic noises at that if you ask me.      Read more

    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      Day 27

      Day 25 of AT in VA NOBO

      March 22 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

      Davis Path campsite (548.8) to VA Route 625 (565.5)
      Total Miles: 16.7

      Longest day yet. As I was ready to leave, “Finisher”stopped by to use the campsite privy. I first met him yesterday as we were getting to Rt. I-81. He was being picked up by friends to spend the night with them. Finisher is on day 27. Really moving fast. He’s about 50 yrs old and is from Maine. So he’s hiking home. Took pictures of him with his phone 2 miles later at the sign that shows 1/4 mark of the trail. At this rate, he’ll be to Katahdin in a total of 4 months. That’s cookin’. I took solace in the fact that he is 7 years younger than me, which is obviously the reason that he’s thin & speedy, vs me being fat and slow. I knew there had to be a logical explanation!

      Halfway through the day, I met a 65 year old couple named Trawler & Tender and we chatted for 15 minutes. They live on a boat during the year motoring up and down the East coast, thus their trail names. They are section hiking for 10 days using Wytheville, VA down the road as a “home base” for their trek. They took a selfie with me for Trawler’s journal and then they headed south. They must want as many pics as possible of hikers that look older than them.

      I was lucky to get the whole day in a camp set up just before the heavy rain started. It was a fun night falling asleep to the rain hitting the tent roof.      Read more

    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      Day 28

      Day 26 of AT in VA NOBO

      March 23 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

      VA Route 623 (576.0) to VA Route 625 (565.5)
      Total Miles: 10.5

      Light rain today, high of 45. Heavy fog & mist, looked like something out of the movie Braveheart. Eerie but very cool.

      Today’s terrain: 1st half was rolling ups and downs on a razor’s edge type of ridge line, 2nd half downhill 4 miles on slippery wet leaves and moss covered boulders.

      Saw Finisher, Neo, El HuaHua and a couple of other hikers that had stayed in the Chestnut Knob Shelter (top of Chestnut Knob, Elev 4,400) last night during the rain & windstorm. Thankfully it’s a stone shelter with 4 walls and a door. They stayed nice and dry. Though they mentioned a pesky mouse that made a nuisance of himself throughout the night. They were heading northbound as I was going south 11 miles just for today.

      I explored the shelter when I got there and it was fascinating based on the heavy fog/mist & 40 mph winds. (See pics). I stepped inside the shelter, shut the door, and all was quiet. Time for a snack & then headed downhill 4 miles to the valley floor.

      Bunny picked me up at 4pm for the shuttle ride back to my motel room in Marion. Everyone was getting off trail tonight due to the expected temps in the low 20’s tonight.      Read more

    • TravelerHeading North on AT from TN
      Day 26

      Day 24 of AT in VA NOBO

      March 21 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

      Mt Rogers Natl Rec Center (534.6) to Davis Path campsite (548.8)
      Total Miles: 14.2

      Bunny dropped me back at the Mt Rogers Rec Ctr to continue my trek north after my day off yesterday.

      Bunny is an amazing person (as most hiker shuttle drivers are). She turns 70 in two weeks, she’s been shuttling hikers in this region for 20 years, she thru-hiked the AT three yrs in a row in 2000, 2001 & 2002. Her husband passed away 2 years ago. She had breast cancer a few years back and almost didn’t make it. The chemo treatments left her with such bad osteoporosis that she typically breaks bones every 6–12 months (she broke her hip a month ago and has to use a walker for the next 6 months). But she goes through life with a smile and happy-go-lucky attitude. She makes you realize that most of our first world problems are so trivial!

      Had a multi-faceted day! Crossed a major set of train tracks (just before hitting Interstate 81) just as a 80 car Norfolk Southern freight train was rolling past (see video & pic). One mile later crossed the junction of Rt. 11 & Interstate 81 in the village of Groseclose, VA. Purchased a nice, cold Coke at the Exxon station before walking 0.2 down the road to the Long Neck Lair Alpaca Farm. Cindy & Ken own the farm and a B&B/Hostel. It’s a wonderful set-up. It was 2:30pm and too early to stop hiking, so I just took some pics of the alpacas and continued North.

      4 miles later and up into the nearby hills, I set up camp at Davis Path Campsite (mile marker 548.8 at 3,000 ft Elev.). Clear skies and temps down to the mid-30’s. There was even a privvy! Tried to get everything done and in the sleeping bag before the cold (38 degrees) nighttime temps set in.      Read more

    • TravelerNew England Fall 2023
      Day 14

      Virginia Creeper Trail...our take

      October 6, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

      We were uncertain about going today, due to forecasted rain. However, we knew if we didn't it would be a while before we got back here and we had been looking forward to this for months. So we packed our rain gear and took our chances.

      We had previously gotten permission from St John's Episcopal Church to park our rig in their parking lot for the day. It was only a block from the shuttle pick up in Abingdon VA.

      We met our shuttle driver, Hughes, who is 75 years young...boy he really knew those curvy, narrow mountain roads. He's been doing this for years. Not easy hauling a trailer loaded with bikes. He was quite talkative, and we enjoyed getting to know him. He dropped us safely at Whitetop , at 3500 feet. It was cool and overcast, and the trailhead was busy.

      We rode all the way down ( and a little back up) to Abingdon. Our odometer said 36.5 miles. We hit the trail at 11:27 am and arrived at the other end at 5:07 pm. In between was a marvelous ride!!

      Once we began riding, the trail was not too busy. Much of the time we were alone. Occasionally, we would pass a group. Or one would pass us. The sun came out and it was beautiful. Much of the ride felt like a magical tree tunnel. Colors are changing. There was one valley that looked every bit as colorful as NH! We followed a river most of the way. We passed over almost 50 tressel bridges! This is, after all, all rail-trail. Some short, some long, some curved.

      The halfway point, Damascus, was a small town that took a bit to get through and was ok...kind of boring. But once back out in the country it was lovely again. It was different than the first half. Coming down the mountain changed to biking through rolling pastures and forests with mountains in the distance.

      Toward the end of our ride...maybe 5 miles from the end, we started to feel misty rain. We really didn't want to have to break out the rain gear, so we put our bikes on assist 4 and raced for the finish line. We did 70% of the ride with no assist. We got the bikes loaded and headed for our last campsite just as the rain started.

      We really loved this ride and would love to do it again.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Smyth County, مقاطعة سميث, স্মিথ কাউন্টি, Condado de Smyth, Smyth konderria, شهرستان اسمیث، ویرجینیا, Comté de Smyth, Smyth megye, Contea di Smyth, スミス郡, Smyth Kūn, Hrabstwo Smyth, سمائتھ کاؤنٹی, Comitatul Smyth, Смит, Округ Смит, Сміт, سمیتھ کاؤنٹی، ورجینیا, Quận Smyth, Condado han Smyth, 史密斯縣

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