Whitetop to Abingdon 9/10/05

My friend John and I rode the length of the trail from Whitetop to Abingdon on Saturday, September 10. This was my first time making the full ride and John's first time on the trail.

We started off by taking the shuttle up from the Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop in Abingdon (cost $12/per person). The van was full for the 8:30 departure and we arrived just in time, having ridden to the shop from my home in town. The ride up took about an hour and we were pedaling down by 9:30. If you are at all prone to motion sickness, you'll want to sit in the front of the van where you can see out because the road is VERY curvy once you enter the Mount Rogers Recreation Area. Our van driver knew the road like the back of her hand and did a great job getting us there safely.

Some from our group were only going halfway and scheduled to meet the van in Damascus at 12:30 for the ride back to Abingdon. I'm not sure if their cost was any different from ours.

We started off riding with other members of our van group but slowly people found their own pace and the group spread out to where John and I were by ourselves. The intial descent from Whitetop is some of the steepest grade on the entire trail and we had fun blasting down the mountain at about 20 mph.

When we got to Green Cove Station, we slowed down and picked up a traveling companion. A dog (don't know the breed; medium size with a bobbed tail, and brown in color) began to keep pace with us as we rode by. At first I thought he was with another couple of riders but they kept on going and he continued with us, even after we picked up the pace again. In fact, the dog stayed with us for about the next ten miles! He would run ahead when we slowed down and catch up when we stopped after a fast section. This was one very impressive dog. At one point, we clocked him keeping up at 18 mph. He had a collar and what looked like an invisible fencing attachment (that obviously didn't work!) so I assume he was somebody's who lived along the trail. He eventually disappeared somewhere around Creek Junction.

Creek Junction is one section that I'm previously familiar with, since I come up often to fish the special regulation section (single hook artificial only). The water was as low as I've seen it, consistent with the late summer season and the lack of rain that we've had lately. I noticed a couple of fishermen but didn't stop to ask if they were catching any or not.

By the time we reached the community of Taylor's Valley, we were ready for our first real stop of the trip. It was about 10:30 and the Creeper Trail Cafe was just opening. I had a plate of "trail fries" (french fries with cheese and bacon bits) to refuel. Nothing like grease to get the engine moving!

During the next section, we caught up with some from our van group who had passed us in Taylor's Valley. One couple flagged us down as we passed. They were on rented bikes and had a flat. John had a pump and helped them put air in the tire but I doubt it lasted them for very long without patching the tube. They were only headed as far as Damascus anyway so they didn't have much further to limp in on the rim.

We were talking as we came through Damascus and rather than stop again, just kept going. The trail on the west side of Damascus is very narrow, almost single-track and could use some work. We had to veer off the trail a couple of times to accomodate oncoming bike traffic. A mostly flat ride greeted us from Damascus to Alvarado Station. We did stop there for lunch and enjoyed the hospitality of Stan and his family who run the Alvarado Station Cafe. They reported on the success of the recent fishing rodeo that they sponsored and fixed us some monster-size PBJ sandwiches.

A couple of miles out of Alvarado is one of the coolest sites on the entire trail as you ride the trestle over South Holston reservior. The water was sparkling and several boaters were visible below. A group of tents was on the east bank near the trestle, I assume a campsite on private land. After the trestle, the trail begins to gradually ascend and the number of trestles and gates increases. We kept up a steady pace but I was starting to get leg weary. John, who rides more often than I do, seemed to be doing fine. We both commented on this section as to how varied the landscape was; going from arid cattle pasture to wooded and shady green.

We crossed Watauga Road and made the final push into town. This was the section that I'm most familiar with as it's the portion of the trail nearest my house and what I ride and run most often. Sometimes familiarity can make it seem even longer since I know each turn and straightaway. By this time, my legs were out of glycogen and I was beginning to struggle to keep up with John. He talked me in, though and before I knew it we were back at the trailhead. We checked in at the bike shop to let Jerry (one of the owners) know that we had made it back and then made the one mile ride home.

Total time to complete was four hours. Total time in motion was just over two and a half hours.

This was a long post for a long ride. They won't all be like this. If you've read through all of this, please do take a minute and leave a comment so I'll know who's reading this blog. Thanks.