Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
This is a hike that was done in Virginia, and is nowhere near 14,000' in elevation. I'm posting it here as info for a forum that was active earlier this month about backpacking trip suggestions on the east coast.
Date: Friday May 15, 2015
Start Time: 5:57 AM
End Time: 4:24 PM
Elapsed Time: 10 hr 27 min
Ryan Distance: Run/walk: 18miles, Bike: 9.5miles (Garmin 310xt)
Ryan Elevation:Run/walk: 3,819', Bike: 1,057'
After 8 years away from the Appalachian Trail, I was finally heading back to Blacksburg for my brother-in-law's graduation and had a chance to get in some running! I called up my old backpacking partner, Reid, to see if he's want to join me for a run of the Virginia Triple Crown and he agreed. The run would be a ~36mile loop with about 9,000' elevation gain that covers three of the best views on the AT: Tinker Cliffs, McAfee Knob, and Dragons Tooth. This stretch on the AT is made into a loop via the ridgeline to the north, North Mountain.
Route Map with Notes and Elevation
The plan was to run the whole thing, starting at the Dragon's Tooth TH and going clockwise. We would stash coolers at the 12 mile road crossing (Andy Layne TH), and the 26 mile road crossing (McAfee knob TH) so we wouldn't have to carry an entire days' worth of food and water.
Going into the run, I had been experiencing some knee pain from a 50k (Desert RATS 50k, Fruita, CO) I did a month prior, so we also stashed a bike at the 12mile point in case I needed to bail.
We left the hotel around 4:00 and drove to the trailheads dropping off our gear stashes. After everything was in place, we departed the Dragon's Tooth TH just before 6:00 with a beautiful morning ahead of us.
Ready to start! (photo: Reid)
The first 2 miles up North Mtn had about 1,300' gain. The trail was a nice steady grade, with rhododendrons and mountain laurel in bloom along the sides! Once we reached the ridgeline, there was 7.5miles of gradual up and down to the Catawba Valley Trail. The trails were clearly marked with new signs. Most of the trail was clear, but some areas saw a bit of overgrowth.
Ryan hiking on North Mountain (photo: Reid) Reid on the North Mountain Trail (photo: Ryan)
At mile 9.5, we had done 1,742' of ascent and 837' of decent. Here we took the Catawba Valley Trail down to our gear stash.
Turn off for the Catawba Valley Trail (photo: Ryan) Documentation in action (photo: Reid)
After a delicious snack of watermelon, PB&J tortillas, chocolate, and pringles, we parted ways. I would bike the road to the McAfee Knob TH, while Reid would run the trail. The road bike was great: a gentle valley ride through farmland with ridgelines on both sides. I've hiked the section of trail that Reid ran and it is truly beautiful; too bad I couldn't make it this time!
North Mountain Trail System (photo: Ryan) Stop at first gear cache (photo: Ryan)
Parting ways with Reid (photo: Ryan) Typical fence crossing (photo: Reid) Reid's hike up the Andy Layne trail on his way to Tinker Cliffs (photo: Reid) Panorama taken from Tinker Cliffs lookign across the Catawba Valley towards North Mountain (photo: Reid) Day-hikers on McAfee Knob (photo: Reid)
The ride along Catawba Valley (photo: Ryan) Selfie (!?) (photo: Ryan)
While waiting for Reid at the McAfee Knob TH, I talked to 8 different thru-hikers, all bound for Katahdin. It was great talking to people on the trail again. Someday I will get around to doing the entire trail...
Once I met back up with Reid, we took off hiking again on the AT after stashing the bike and cooler. This stretch of the AT follows the ridgeline for about 3 miles before descending into the valley. Going through some of the farm pastures was a treat that I suspect many thru-hikers see often, but most day hikers rarely see. It started to rain pretty heavily on us once we were in the valley.
along the AT south of McAfee Knob TH (photo: Ryan) Pasture hiking (photo: Ryan) Along the creek (photo: Ryan) Crreek crossing (photo: Ryan)
After a couple of stream crossings, we came to a road. With the rain, and mostly with sore knees, we made the call to cut it short and skip Dragon's Tooth. We'd both done the hike several times before and felt the need to get back to family. This cut off a few miles and ~1,500' elevation gain. We did a short road hike back to the car and called it a day!
Finished! (photo: Ryan)
My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):
I went to VT, just down the road from here and hiked these trails all the time! I completed a similar "triple crown" with two friends during my senior year where we hiked the Cascades, Dragons Tooth, and McAfee’s Knob in one day and finished with a meal at Homeplace. We drove in between each hike though
I hiked from the Andy Layne TH to the top of the Tinker Cliffs with my dad in December ’13 and fell in love. I can’t wait to get back and check out McAfee Knob, and maybe do this insanely awesome looking loop some day.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are so special. Pictures never come close to expressing the beauty, the lush–ness, and the overwhelming amount of life in those hills.
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
