SW Virginia Appalachian Trail Hike

Sunday morning, we had breakfast before driving to the Appalachian Trail parking area just north of I-81. From there, we headed southbound on the trail, making a quick detour to Davis Cemetery along the way.

Lots of wildflower were blooming along here.

The trail crossed a creek lined with blooming wildflowers before passing beneath the interstate and continuing beside a nearby gas station.

We also spotted several false chanterelle mushrooms emerging along the trail.

Some sections were muddy and overgrown, but the route eventually opened up to a scenic stretch with expansive views.

There was alternating sunny and foggy sections.

After about three miles, we passed the Southwest Virginia Settlers Museum.

A couple miles past here was Chatfield Memorial Shelter.

The trail got a little steeper and rockier at this point.

We went about another mile before reaching the View of Walker Mountain.

The rhododendrons were in full bloom throughout this section, adding plenty of color to the hike.

The overlook provided a beautiful view and made the perfect turnaround point.

The sun started poking out on the hike back.

After the hike, we stopped for lunch at Seven Sisters Brewing before heading to Crystal Springs Recreation Area for one final walk.

Starting on the main trail, we followed Shortcut Trail up to Border Trail, where blooming mountain laurel lined the route.

Turning left, we made our way back via Crystal Springs Loop Trail, completing a pleasant circuit back to the parking area.

With the day's adventures finished, we returned to the hotel to pack up and prepare for the trip home.

Mount Rogers Loop Hike

Saturday, I took Amaroq to the Virginia mountains for the long weekend. Our first destination was the Mount Rogers Trailhead along VA-603 in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. We set out in a light rain, following the Mount Rogers Trail into the Lewis Fork Wilderness. The route was steadily uphill, but the grade was gradual and never particularly steep.

After about two miles, we passed the Lewis Fork Spur Trail, and roughly two miles later reached the junction with the Appalachian Trail.

We followed the AT for another two miles before turning onto the Mount Rogers Spur Trail for the final climb to the summit.

The hike through the enchanted forest was especially beautiful in the fog and drizzle. Fraser fir saplings were sprouting from decaying logs across the forest floor, creating scenes that reminded me of the Olympic Peninsula.

Reaching the summit was somewhat anticlimactic, as Mount Rogers is completely forested and offers no views from the top.

Even if there had been overlooks, the rain and low clouds would have obscured them. We stopped for a short lunch break before beginning our descent. On the way down, we turned onto the Appalachian Trail and followed it to Rhododendron Gap.

The rhododendrons were just beginning to bloom, although the fog prevented any distant views.

From there, we took the Pine Mountain Trail for about a mile before connecting with the Lewis Fork Trail. Most of the normally scenic vistas along this section were hidden behind the clouds. Near the trail junction, we came across a group of wild ponies grazing in the meadow, which immediately caught Amaroq's attention.

We then turned onto the Lewis Fork Trail and continued our descent.

The downhill grade was gentle, and the trail was lined with an abundance of wildflowers.

In places, the vegetation had grown thick enough to encroach on the trail, and we ended up getting wetter from brushing against the foliage than from the rain itself. About halfway down, we took the spur trail back to the Mount Rogers Trail and returned to the trailhead. 

From there, we drove into Marion for dinner and a couple of beers at 36 Fifty Brewing. Amaroq was a hit at the brewery, making friends with both the people and the other dogs. He received plenty of treats and even more attention. Afterward, we headed to Wytheville and checked in for the evening.

AT Hike in Bear Creek

Friday, I took Amaroq to Virginia for his first camping trip.  We got off I-81 near Rural Retreat and parked at the trailhead for Appalachian Trail.  Hiking northbound, we first went through an open area with nice views.

After the open area, we had to cross a stile that was very much not dog friendly.  But Amaroq is a great hiking dog and we made it.  The trail headed through the woods and entered Bear Creek National Scenic Area, passing a campsite in just over a mile.

The trail headed up a ridge and there were nice views.  The trees hadn't leafed out at this elevation yet, so we could still enjoy winter views. 

The trail eventually descended via switchbacks to Reed Creek and intersected Crawfish Trail.  We turned on the horse trail to make a loop.

The trail followed an old road for a while, eventually crossing Bear Creek.

After this, the trail got off the road and started heading up very steeply.  At least it wasn't too hot, but it was a strenuous climb.  At the top, the trail paralleled the AT closely for over half a mile.

We took a nice break back on Appalachian Trail and then started heading back.

Some nice wildflowers were blooming along the trail, a lot of fringed polygala.

Most of the hike back was downhill, which was nice after the steep climb on the horse trail.  There were some cows grazing in the open area when we passed through, but Amaroq was pretty tired and not too interested.

From here, we headed into Wytheville and got lunch from 7 Dogs Brewing.  Then we drove to Claytor Lake State Park and set up camp.  It was still early so we went for a short hike from camp, first on Shady Ridge Trail.

Then we took Hidden Valley Trail along the north side of the park.

There was an overlook with a view of the lake but it was pretty overgrown.

We took Claytor Lake Trail back to camp.

Amaroq laid under the picnic table while I made a campfire.  The campground host and another camper commented on what a good husky he was, but of course he was very tired from his long hikes.  After sunset, we went to bed and Amaroq did very good his first night camping.

Seven Sisters in the Rain

Monday, I started making my way home.  In Virginia, I got off the highway after the Big Walker Tunnel and parked at the Seven Sisters Trailhead near Big Walker Mountain.  It was raining pretty hard at this point.  Initially, the trail was pretty flooded but there was a bridge over East Fork Stony Fork and then the trail started to climb steeply and soon I got above the flooded portions of trail.  The first part of the trail was pretty steep but then leveled off as I got up to the ridge line.

The rain tapered off for a bit though my luck didn't last long.  The trail went up and down crossing the peaks along the ridge line, including Little Walker Mountain.

After about 4 miles, it started to descend back down towards Stony Fork Campground.  Since the rain, let up for a short time, I made a loop on Stony Fork Trail.

But by the time I got back to the campground, it was raining heavily again.  I just hiked the road back to the trailhead and then made the drive home.

Comers Creek Falls

Sunday morning, we broke camp and had breakfast in Marion again, then headed to the Comers Creek Trailhead in Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.  The short trail led down to Appalachian Trail and we turned right to lead to Comers Creek Falls.

It's a small waterfall, about 15 feet, but was looking nice in the morning light.  It was a bright blue sky so any later in the day and it would have been too sunny.

There was a bridge across the creek below the falls, but it had washed out.

So we went the other way on Appalachian Trail.  We hiked about 2 miles and then turned back.

Taking Comers Creek Trail back up to the road, we stopped at a little clearing to enjoy the forest and rushing water before we had to leave.

Then we hiked back up to the car.

From here, we drove back into North Carolina and had lunch at Southern on Main in Elkin, then drove the rest of the way home.