Driving down the long, unmaintained dirt road leading to Hog Camp Gap I came upon a section of “road” that was plagued with four, two foot deep trenches barring my entry. On the left hand side there was a path that looks to be designed as a bypass going around the road block, but it was so steeply sloping up the embankment I worry it will tip my car on its side, top heavy because of my gear-filled roof box. As I surveyed the scene I deciphered a potential path through the obstacles tightly maneuvering my tires between the trenches in a zig-zag pattern.

As I inched up the road, I successfully passed through the first two potholes. Just as I thought I had made it successfully through, both of my front tires dipped deeply into the mud laden troughs. Panicking at the thought of getting stuck on this rural road devoid of all life and cell service, I accelerated to try to get my wheels out before they spun in the muck. As my tires grabbed traction pulling me out of the holes, I feel the underbelly of my car scrape across the dirt. After a quick check of the car on the other side, I realized that succeeding this barrier means that I was going to have to turn around and do it all again this afternoon. I tried not to think about it as I rolled up to the trailhead.

This was only the first of several adventures I would encounter during the day, and by far the most difficult. Lucy and I then set off headed south on the Appalachian Trail in our attempt to summit Cole Mountain and Bald Knob. The start of the trail was wooded, with our feet tromping on the soft dirt path as we ascended. The trail switched back to gain elevation more gradually, so it wasn’t as challenging terrain as the steep climbs Lucy and I have come to know and love in the White Mountains.

After a short hike up, we reached what looked like an old overgrown logging road covered in lush grass. This was another gradual climb transitioning from wooded forest to expansive meadows and panoramic views. Wildflowers covered the rolling hill with pollinating bees buzzing around the high uncut grasses. It was like the scene from “Sound of Music,” and I can almost hear Julie Andrews serenading us as we prance through dancing in the warm morning breeze.

Lucy had a toothy grin on her face with her tongue hanging out as she bounded around through the meadow with other dogs hiking along side us. She loved rolling in the fragrant grasses, chomping the long blades before I got the chance to discourage her. When we reached the large rock atop Cole Mtn, we were treated with views of the layered Blue Ridge Mountains basking in the morning sun.

As we continued down the back side of the mountain we were whisked along by the winding trail back into the canopy of trees with the occasional viewpoint to give us a taste of the scenery of southern Virginia before reaching the low point of Cowcamp Gap. Here I meet a thru hiker going north and give him some snacks and water for his journey. Unfortunately he let me know he lost his phone somewhere between here and Bald Knob, so I promised to look for it as I continued up the trail.

As we hiked there were high grasses leaning over onto the trail that we trudged our way through. Lucy passed under them easily, and they tickled my legs as I forced myself through them. On a subtle downhill my attention drifted to my grass eating hiking partner and suddenly I found myself face down in the dirt. It happened so fast I didn’t even realize I was falling, with no time to extend my arms and catch my fall.

Sitting up I was startled and shaking as I quickly assessed my injuries. I’m mostly fine with the soft dirt catching my fall. Lucy bounded up next to me and licked the damp dirt from my cheek. I had a small abrasion on my right shoulder and as I looked down at my knee I saw a large gash. I quickly fished my first aid kit out of my pack and wipeed it with a damp towelette. Lucy licked my arm and nudged her nose under my elbow resting her head under my chin to comfort me.

At this point I decided that I was ready to turn around even though we had not yet made it to Bald Knob. As we started to ascend back up Cole Mtn I thought about how I would treat my injury once I’m back at my car with my more extensive first aid kit. On my way back down I met several more thru hikers who joined me at my car for sodas, fresh fruit, a water fill up, and other trail snacks. Unfortunately we never found the young man’s phone that was lost earlier so I took down his mother’s name and number to let her know that he was alright when I had better service. I loved talking to all of the thru hikers about their experiences on the trail and they were all so thankful for my contribution. Finally, after a good long break at the trailhead I again tackled the long dirt road to re-enter civilization after my harrowing journey.

Although my hike was cut short by my minor injury, it was nothing short of amazing. The combination of wooded walking and pasture prancing surrounded by views was incredible. This trip is my first time hiking south of the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts, and I’ve been so pleasantly surprised with the Blue Ridge Mountains so far. Stay tuned for more Virginia hiking adventures as we continue on our road trip!