The Kindness of Strangers; Catawba, VA; and 700 Miles!

Last night, before I had a chance to set up camp, a person who lived near the trailhead offered me dinner and his porch to sleep on for the night. He also sold me a pack of cigarettes. I won't name him here so that he doesn't get taken advantage of by other hikers in the future, but he has at least partially and at least for now restored my faith in humanity. Thank you!

When we woke up this morning, we packed up and headed back out. We hiked past Pickle Branch Shelter and up to the Cove Mountain Range ridgeline. On the way to the Dragon's Tooth spur we passed through a pretty difficult rock scramble. Forest did a phenomenal job of picking his way through the rocks. He somehow knows when to take the lead and when to wait for me to tell him which way to go. At one point, we came to a rock where the only way down to the next level were several iron rungs sunk into the side. I went down first and then lifted Forest down; it's incredible how much he trusts me. My back will be hurting tonight, but at the end we were rewarded with a beautiful view. The following photos were lifted from a video of the hike, so they aren't the best quality...but you get the idea!

I'm Smart, but I Can't Go Down Steps Like That! 

Coming to Dad to Be Lifted Down

We waited for a big black rat snake to slither down a tree and out of sight off-trail. You can just see him on the far side of the tree in this photo.

While Forest rested, I collected water for the remainder of the day's hike. Seven miles back, the last stream was almost dry, but this one was rushing so fast that Forest's bowl (the bottom of a gallon water container) floated away (my apologies for violating Leave No Trace). I filled 4.75 liters of water—10.5 pounds. That's why we haven't been making as many miles lately. We went 13 miles yesterday with me carrying 6 liters (13.25 pounds) of water, and it almost killed me.

One of the things that I wasn't really aware of before now, is how much more work it is when the weather gets into the upper 70s/lower 80s. When I hike alone, I just shed weight and clothing and keep making miles. With Forest, I have to stop every mile and make sure he drinks and stays hydrated. During each break, I have to make sure he completely cools down and stops panting before we start again. He drinks about half a liter of water per mile. That's extra water, and therefore weight, that I have to carry because I have to keep his load light when it's warm. That means that I have to be careful that I'm also staying hydrated. If either of us went down from heat exhaustion, we would be in trouble. If the weather were cooler and I was carrying the weight I am now (less the extra water), we would be flying! For that reason, the point where I decide to flip-flop (i.e., jump up to Maine, summit at Mt. Katahdin and hike back south to wherever I left the Trail) is getting closer and closer.

We arrived at Catawba, VA, this afternoon, where we stopped at the Catawba Grocery (actually just a convenience store and gas station). I had run out of food yesterday, so the first thing I did was get a pizza. The second thing I did was plug in my phone, which had died a day ago. Everyone is really nice here, too. Forest still has food, so I'm going to wait until morning to hike to the Post Office to get my resupply package. We are pretty wiped out from climbing all those rocks today, so we're just going to go to the Route 624, Newport Road, trailhead and set up our hammocks.

Oh, and WE PASSED 700 MILES TODAY! Just 310.4 miles to Harper's Ferry, WV (the halfway point for the Trail).