Camping along Dismal Creek – The Trek

Monday, May 25, 2026

The rain casts a shadow over my hike, but spotting a fawn on the trail and finding a quiet campsite next to a stream brightens the day.

Harden

Recognizing that it rained a lot at times the week before, I still can’t help but feel a little disappointed that I covered more miles packing than backpacking. I paid good money for this equipment, I should use it! Hiking the Appalachian Trail is meant to demonstrate toughness and show us our capabilities. I’m convinced I log as many miles as an AT hiker. That won’t happen while you’re doing more slackpacking than backpacking. This week I’ll be starting from Pearisburg, Virginia with a 3-day backpacking hike starting south. I will turn around where I stopped on the 23rd, State Route 608. I do this fully aware that rain is forecast for the next 3 days. My team and I are going to get wet. I’ll have to toughen up and face it!

The rain last night was merciless. In fact, last night I had to run to my car without an umbrella after leaving the supermarket. The rain had lingered all day until a few minutes before I was ready to leave. He continued to the trailhead where I was sure he was going to remove the paint from my roof. In the morning I noticed that a trio of campers had set up a tent at the trailhead. I suspect they hadn’t slept much.

Resupplying and preparing my backpack took a long time. It was almost 10:00 am when I finally started walking.

Slip and slide

I immediately encountered difficult conditions on the road. The dirt and clay of this region is especially slippery when wet. It didn’t take long for it to start raining. At times it felt like I was pushing myself down the trail with my trekking poles because my shoes had so little grip.

The problem is not exclusively due to road conditions. I’m still walking with the same runners I bought during my Easter vacation. They now have 700 miles. It is already an impressive amount. They have been well maintained and on the surface appear to be in good condition. They are even still comfortable to walk in dry conditions.

However, some weaknesses are emerging. First, they smell terrible. They smell like they’ve been at the bottom of a lake full of stinky hiker feet for a few years. Secondly, the tread is badly worn. The general idea of ​​trail runners is that they have thick lug-like lugs to provide traction on trail surfaces. If those studs are almost flat, they can’t do their job. Add in a slippery trail surface and you can understand why I’m struggling today.

Flattery

About a mile south of Pearisburg I had an incredible encounter. On the path lay a fawn curled up and seemingly motionless. I initially feared the worst, but after getting closer I could see no signs of injury and he seemed to be breathing fine. His eyes were open and he was sniffing to get an idea of ​​the smelly thing (me) that had just approached him. I pulled out my phone to see what to do. I learned that fawns often curl up while their mothers go out foraging. This is the best defense mechanism they have at this age, not appearing threatening.

Sure enough, a Deer was nearby rummaging through the plants. I spoke softly to him as I took his photo and Fawn did her best to let them both know he wasn’t a threat. This was one of my favorite wildlife encounters and will remain among my favorite wildlife stories for a long time.

A curled-up fawn waits for its mother to return from searching for food.

She was close and not camera shy.

Do not flatter

The trail south from Pearisburg is a steep 2,000-foot climb that rewards hikers with a view known as Angel’s Rest. On a clear day you can see the entire town of Pearisburg, but today there was nothing to see except the clouds that soaked most of southern Virginia. The same thing happened with the other points of view. I expected the rain to disappear in two days when I returned to the area.

The rain seemed to last all day. If there was a baseball game scheduled somewhere in southern Virginia today, it would have been postponed. As a result of the wet conditions, my trail runners were now soaked. The ample ventilation is a drawback in humid conditions where water is practically invited to moisten every wool fiber in my socks. I noticed the tops of my feet and right heel were itching. No doubt the abrasion of the wet sock on the soft, moist skin of my foot was causing sores. I’ve had these before and worse things definitely happen when I hike, so I remained eager to beat the 19-mile itinerary I’d set as a sort of minimum placeholder for the day.

What’s wrong, doctor?

After 9 miles it was time to make my pit stop. The Doc’s Knob shelter had a water fountain, an outhouse, and a rain shelter. It also had a large porch with a picnic table and additional seating. On a good day, this shelter would have been a hiker’s dream. Today those amenities became moot due to heavy rains.

After getting water and eating some snacks, I was ready to cover another stretch of miles. Not far from the shelter I ran into some of my biggest trail fans; A gallon and Lacie. They were also a little tired from the constant rains of the past few days. They had just taken a short break from the road but hadn’t really been able to recover much. His total off-piste time was less than 24 hours. Even a full day off the slopes may not seem like enough if you’ve had to deal with adverse weather.

Beautiful weather on the porch at Doc’s Knob Shelter.

There is enough space between the clouds to reach the summit at this viewpoint near the Wapiti refuge.

Confirmation of cloudy and rainy conditions at this viewpoint.

View of Walker Valley.

Another viewpoint along the trail.

gloomy cove

My planned 19 mile itinerary would allow me to spend the night near the Wapiti Shelter. Thinking along the same lines as my previous ‘toughening up’ attitude, I was also trying to push myself harder to camp further away from the shelters. The AT is full of amazing creek campsites, overlooks, and random spots along the trail. I had passed many of them, but always headed for the comfort of shelter. Not today. I had seen on FarOut that the trail follows Dismal Creek for a few miles after the shelter. Several of the water crossings also had flat areas for tents. I was determined to find one and make a dent in tomorrow’s miles in the process.

I camp first at Dismal Creek before reaching the trail leading to the shelter. There was nothing I could find depressing about it: clear water, shiny rock, nourishing fluid. All this among a huge sea of ​​rhododendrons. The only depressing thing about today was the weather, which definitely fit the nickname. After passing the shelter the rain started to let up, I was ready to jump to the first nice place I saw.

Crystal clear water in Dismal Creek, even in the rain.

Dismal Creek flows through the AT.

Rain falls into a pond along the AT south of the Wapiti Shelter.

Camping in the rhododendrons

A little less than two miles from the shelter I found a sharp turn in the trail. A footbridge extends across an S-shaped bend in the creek just ahead. The rhododendrons curved in all directions. It was like walking on a pile of wool. Between the rhododendrons was a flat area about 10 feet wide and 10 feet long. You would have access to the water just steps away and there would be nothing better than the scenery.

I set up my tent and prepared my dinner. While I ate I walked along the path and admired the stream. I was immersed in the feeling of being isolated with a beautiful place to myself. Only the stream and the occasional sound of a branch giving way under the weight of the water it had absorbed broke the silence. The stream lulled me to sleep shortly after dark.

A footbridge crosses Dismal Creek. I found a campsite along the AT on the north side of the bridge.

A lovely tent site amongst the rhododendrons.

-See you tomorrow

Total: 20.9 miles,46,513 steps

• Hike type: Backpacking
• Camp: Tent, Dismal Creek, south of Wapiti Shelter

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