Explore Virginia || Catawba and The Appalachian Trail

Hello world!

Now that I have returned from the unplugged and re-entered normal, every day life I can finally share the details of one of the most breathtaking and life-changing trips I have ever taken. Let me simply start by saying that I will be splitting this trip into two separate posts; the first covering highlights and the trip itself, and the second covering some of the most dire life saving tips I have ever received.

 

So my 4.5 hour drive to Virginia quickly turned into 6. It monsooned the ENTIRE way there. During these 6 hours I learned 3 very incredible things: 1) My car is totally capable of driving through two feet of water (turns out I am also terrified of driving through two feet of water, as anyone should be, not a good idea), 2) I can hold my pee for 6 hours (which I was pleasantly informed by one of my bar regulars that this makes me great girlfriend material, hellllooo boys), 3) Virginia drivers are 110% worse than Maryland drivers (sorry Virginians); I think this surprised me the most.

Anyways, I finally reached the road that the cabin was located off of, and got to know this road very well, as I sat here for about 2 hours waiting for the water across the road. If you’ve never seen a cow field turn into rapids allow me to show you.

People, this is why it’s always a great idea to keep food and a book in your car, because this otherwise could have been a very painful delay (especially since I had absolutely zero service). The two hours passed relatively quickly and I was finally able to make my way to the cabin.

I stayed at a cabin/survival school called Mountain Shepherd Survival School run by the very pleasant, knowledgeable and amazing Dina Bennett. On our first night here she ran through the five (or was it seven) categories essential to survival situations after making us a beautifully crafted taco bar with home made peach cobbler for dessert; a great save to a cancelled sunset hike thanks to mother nature. We lost power for the night which gave the first night in the bunks an authentic feel (but the rest of the week was borderline glamping at its finest, I won’t lie).

 

Day One: McAfee’s Knob Day Hike (8.63 miles, Elevation Gain 1,643 ft) 

One of my favorite things about my stay at Mountain Shepherd was by far the mindblowing sunsets every single morning with the mountainous scenery of Virginia in the background.

We started every morning of our stay with a delicious home cooked breakfast meal, orange juice, and fresh brewed coffee. We would then load up our day packs, squeeze into a giant white utility van and drive to our trailhead of the day. Day one we tackled McAfee’s Knob. This hike was NO F***ING JOKE. If and when you choose to hike any portion of the Applachian Trail I highly recommend to not ignore the advice to train prior to your arrival. These hikes (at least the ones in Virginia) are rocky with steep inclines that will take even the most experienced hiker’s breath away. You will sweat, and trip over your feet, you may encounter a few bears or snakes here and there, you will grow an appetite like none you have ever experienced before, and at times it will physically just hurt; but the views at the top are worth every single misfortune.

McAfee’s Knob is 3,170 feet high. When we reached the top, the temperatures were in the 40’s and it was windy. Prepare for this at any time of year. If there was one thing I regret about this trip, it was my lack of packing skills, because the only form of outer layers I brought was a stupid rain coat and it did not make for much insulating. It is crazy how far out you can see from up here. We stayed up here for about an hour or so and ate our lunches with the best views in town.

There’s always a weird feeling after you tackle something difficult. You feel proud of yourself, but then you have this “what now” moment. So I’m going to tell you where your what now moment should take you, unless your mind is right there with me.

BEER.

That’s right. What do you do with 10 female hikers who are sore and exhausted, cold, and still hungry? You pile them into a giant van, and take them to a brewery. If you find yourself in Salem, VA I recommend grabbing some beer at Parkway. The building is essentially a giant warehouse with dozens of uniquely crafted beers on tap. Once again, it was cold, and when it’s cold, I always go porter. I once again, was not disappointed. (I even bought a t-shirt). Others went with some of the IPA’s and fruit infused beers which were also absolutely delicious. We all lasted about one beer before bed was the popular suggestion, so sleep we did.

 

Day Two: Survival 101 and Dragon’s Tooth (4.5 miles; Elevation Gain 1,103 ft)

We chose Dragon’s Tooth as a sunset hike, so we spent the majority of the morning with Dina learning wilderness survival essentials (that I will be sharing with you all) such as fire building, knot tying, shelters, first aid, food, and water sources, etc. This woman is an incredible teacher. I am now confident that if I ever found myself in a very unfortunate situation, lost in the woods, looking death in the face, that I could smile and say “game on”, coming out on top. Have you ever built a tent with just a few feet of rope and a single tarp? I have, and it was actually kind of roomy (you know, if getting poked with leaves, pinecones, and sticks is your sort of thing).

After class, we packed up our dinners and headed out to Dragon’s Tooth, where we would begin one of the most challenging, but exciting hikes I have ever completed! Dragon’s Tooth has some pretty steep inclines much like McAfee’s Knob, but the challenge for me was the rock scramble. There are parts along the trail in which you are scaling the side of rocks on a cliff, booty scooting across wide awkward rocks, and even a man made metal ladder on the side of the cliff. But if I said I didn’t have the time of my life I would be the biggest liar you ever met. This was my FAVORITE of all of the hikes we did, so if you ever find yourself out here, take the challenge and conquer the hell out of it (bonus points if you hike to see the sunset and hike back in total darkness like we did; with headlamps and proper survival equipment of course).

Getting up to the top of the giant rock at the top of Dragon’s Tooth is actually pretty difficult, and if you do decide to climb out there (Disclaimer: I am not telling you this is a good idea nor recommending it); the views are pretty incredible. I mean, just look at that sunset.

 

Day 3: Cascade Falls (4.0 miles; Elevation Gain 800 ft)

Okay so the Cascades was the least strenuous of all of the hikes that we did during this trip, but I still found myself a bit out of breath at times; so prepare to work for it a bit. This was our last day here, and we were all bustling with excitement from the days prior but also a bit sad to be leaving one another after making such good friends and developing such a great team dynamic during the four days we spent together. The waterfall was such a great way to end the trip.

 

Before we all departed to go back to wherever home might have been, we had one last meal together at a restaurant in Pembroke, VA called Riviera Mex. I got (of course I did) the “Big Daddy” burrito. Big Daddy was an understatement. The bitch was HUGE, and he was delicious. We shared our favorite highlights of the trip with one another, things that we didn’t like so much, and things that we wished we could have changed, laughed loudly, and group hugged until the restaurant nearly kicked us out.

 

 

All in all, this was such an incredible experience. I learned more than I ever imagined I would, met an amazing group of women, and grew a great deal mentally, physically, and emotionally. This trip only solidified further that I want to continue to grow by pushing myself into situations that may seem uncomfortable on the surface, take myself out of my comfort zone only to increase it further, and continue to meet amazing, determined, and strong likeminded women every chance that I get. So thank you, Explorer Chick, for such a beautiful adventure that I will NEVER forget. We will definitely meet again.

 

-C

 

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I have some great things in store for future posts, so be on the lookout for:

• Wilderness Survival 101 (NOT JUST FOR WOMEN)
• Maryland: Just Some Ghost Stories and Other Creepy Crap
• Explore Maryland: Hunt Valley and Cockeysville
• Explore Colorado: From Denver to Aspen to Manitou Springs
• That Time I Spent The Night in the Atlanta Aquarium