View Full Version : Pearisburg to Daleville
Hi:
We are headed out this Friday for a trek from Pearisburg to Daleville. A couple of questions while we are finalizing our plans--
1) how's the footfall in most of the area...any major rocky areas, etc.?
2) any problems with water to anticipate?
3) if you had your druthers, would you go north to south or south to north?
Anything else of note that you might think would be helpful--there are three of us hiking, my husband and I, and a friend. We did a 75 mile section in SW VA this late spring and loved it--hopefully this will be just as enjoyable and CERTAINLY more enjoyable than working...
Thanks for any help on the questions!
gum
me and my youngest son did that section in june 2002
we parked at the hostel in pearisburg and were shuttled to daleville hyw 220,then hiked south to pearisburg a 95 mile hike in 7 days,hank was 8 years old then:cool: neo
peter_pan
07-11-2006, 23:15
Did that hike s-n in 2004....great piece of trail....don't recall any thing treacherous.
Pan
Hikerhead
07-11-2006, 23:32
n to s or s to n, not much difference in elevation gain or loss either way. On either end you'll be climbing to start off. 50/50 rock to dirt ratio. Some longish climbs but then you're rewarded with even longer ridge walking and nice down hills and then a couple of easy valley crossing. The rock overlooking Carvins Cove, Hayrock (climb to the top from the back side)Tinker Cliffs, McAfee's Knob, Dragons Tooth, Audie Murphy memorial, the crazy rock piles on Sinking Creek Mtn, Keffer Oak, The Blair Witch house, Kelly's Knob, Wind Rock, Peters Mtn/Rice Field Bald, Wades Supermarket. That's a good section hke.
me and my youngest son did that section in june 2002
we parked at the hostel in pearisburg and were shuttled to daleville hyw 220,then hiked south to pearisburg a 95 mile hike in 7 days,hank was 8 years old then:cool: neo
That's great neo--I wish I'd started hiking at that age!
We're going to try and do this walking in on Friday and out the next Friday--looks do-able, there are a couple of long stretches between shelters, but we all have hammocks and tarps, so we can stop if needed.
Thanks so far, everyone, I really appreciate the WB folks!
Kerosene
07-12-2006, 10:15
I really enjoyed this section. I did it SOBO (Buena Vista to Craig Creek Valley in October 2003; CCV to Atkins in May 2005). The views/mile intensity is extremely high, what with Carvins Cove, Tinkers Cliffs, McAfee Knob, and Dragons Tooth all in the 25 miles south of Daleville. It was a blast to be able to stand on McAfee Knob and see the 16 miles of trail (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=1746&catid=searchresults&searchid=4070) I walked that day from Daleville.
I loved the smooth trail atop Peters Mountain, just north of Pearisburg. What a great stroll. I took this picture (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?&c=searchresults&orderby=title&direction=ASC&searchid=4070&i=7987) atop Peters and have it displayed on my bureau at home.
You may have to ford a small stream a few miles north of Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, as I'm not sure that they have replaced the bridge that washed out. Alternatively there is a slightly shorter road walk to bypass the crossing, but it was fun to do my first ford!
There are rocky sections just north of Bailey Gap Shelter (2-3 miles), and atop Cove Mountain north and south of Dragons Tooth, and a little between McAfee Knob and Tinkers Cliffs, but nothing very long or difficult. The trail is a whole lot smoother than up north. There are a few good climbs out of valleys, but again nothing all that strenuous if you're hydrated and nourished. You'll have a great time.
Jack Tarlin
07-12-2006, 17:04
1. Direction doesn't much matter.....you'll have a bit of a climb out of Pearisburg, but it's not that big a deal. And while the climb up to Dragon's Tooth is a bit strenuous, I'd still rather do it Northbound rather than deal with the hell climb from the other end. Also, the last few miles into Daleville is loooong. I'd rather go DOWN it. All in all, I think you're better off going North.
2. Not too many rocky stretches, Kerosene is correct about the bit by Bailey
Gap but it's not so bad.
3. Water shouldn't be a problem after the past few weeks!
4. Cool places to camp or overnight:
*The big field in front of Rice Gap shelter
*War Spur Shelter
*The new Sarver shelter
*Niday Shelter
*Tinker Cliffs
Have a great trip!
Kerosene
07-12-2006, 18:58
Places to camp:
Spring 1-2 miles north of Wind Rock, or Wind Rock if it's mid-week, although the view was only so-so.
I'm not sure what Jack sees in the War Spur Shelter. I was going to stay but it was buggy and dusty.
Sarver Hollow Shelter is nice, although there was a #^%&*@ Bobwhite that woke me up at 5 in the morning.
Pickle Branch Shelter is an easy half mile off the Trail, but there are a lot of nice campsites before the shelter and down across the river.
I liked the new Catawba Mountain Shelter.
Finally, there's a great campsite/picnic area by the river just north of Lamberts Meadow Shelter.