- Miles 730.3-738.9 (8.6 mi.)
- Total ascent: 2536’; descent 2156’
It’s now clear to me Rachel and I needed our zero in Daleville. The Pearisburg-Daleville stretch has been the most beautiful but also the most challenging of Virginia.
We got a late start in our hotel, probably because we needed it. Around 9 a.m., I walked to the lobby for the breakfast bags included with our stay. Although the bags were basic–a granola bar, a bag of muffinettes, a juice box, and a bottle of water–we had a good ration of fruit and yogurt to supplement. We took full advantage of the free coffee and Wi-Fi before we hit the trail around 10:45.
The hike out of Daleville was wonderfully gentle. Somebody had mown down the weeds on either side, and for a few miles, there was no need to dodge rocks in the trail.
In those first few miles, we encountered someone who started the day after us who we hadn’t seen in a month: Shark Tooth.
Shark Tooth is notorious for bringing a party everywhere he goes. But behind his conversational shouting and thick beard is someone who really just wants to make friends and to have a good time.
Shark Tooth was hiking back toward Daleville, he told us, to either catch a bus or walk to Charleston, South Carolina. He was taking a few weeks off the trail, in part to see his granddaughter’s kindergarten graduation.
It sounded a lot like a quit, to be honest, but I kept that conjecture to myself. Rachel and I reassured him we’d see him down the trail, perhaps past Harper’s Ferry because we’ll be taking four days off in order to see D.C.
After saying our goodbyes to Shark Tooth, we walked on toward the road noises. Thank goodness the highway we were hearing had an underpass and was not the dash-across type that we encountered getting into Daleville. Large semis hummed loudly over the four-lane bridge we ducked under.
We found the rest of the day very peaceful, not just because there were no more highways to cross but because we couldn’t let ourselves get worked up while lugging four days’ worth of food and water. All afternoon it threatened to rain, which we invited but ultimately got no more than a few reading drops.
Late in the day, we did enjoy an apple and white cheddar on crackers under a shelter. The shelter was unique in its water source: a cistern fed by rainwater collected from the building’s roof. The fill spot was difficult, but the water was cold and clear.
We saw Green and a couple of other hikers at lunch, but we largely kept to ourselves. We were hungry and hot, and not every moment around people needs to be a social one.
After lunch, we saw nobody. We made it out of Daleville later than most NOBOs did, we suspect, and few day hikers come this direction when the Triple Crown is just to the south.
Our camp, where we arrived around 5, is high above a creek and quite flat. It’s protected by multiple layers of canopy, which ought to shield us from any storms that may come through tonight.
Zeros are important, but it is good to be back out in the woods. Shark Tooth, I hope you are soon as well.
