May 16-18, 2008 AT Trip Big Success

We had 13 hikers on this trip from VA 42 to VA 311 near Catawba, VA. The sheer size of our group created some difficulty for standard shuttle services so we decided to split the group into a northbound team (pictured left) and a southbound team (pictured above).

The northbound team started their hike at VA 42. The southbound team then proceeded by van to VA 311 and headed south on the trail.

Each team experienced some great weather, good fellowship and some absolutely beautiful scenery. This section of the AT passes through some very rocky terrain (see below) with long range views on both sides of the trail.

The nobos were threatened by a rattlesnake about 2' off the main trail. Fortunately no one was injured and all is well. The sobos didn't experience that sort of excitement but enjoyed the trip just as much.

Friday was a bit partly cloudy until later in the afternoon when brisk winds prevailed with a cool evening while Saturday was beautiful with plenty of sun. Sunday started out cloudy and turned to slow spotty rain by mid-morning.

We all made it off the mountain by 1:30pm and headed for the Rendevous Motel in Pearisburg, VA for showers... thanks Brenda! We enjoyed an all you can eat meal at Anna's Restaurant in Narrows, VA before heading home.