THE WORLD OUTDOORS

It was the first day of our biggest adventure yet. My grandpa, Chuck McCurry, and I planned to hike to Dragon’s Tooth near Roanoke, Va. The 2.7 mile hike is one of the hardest hikes in Virginia but we did not know that. Early in the morning, we left our hotel in Radford, Va. and drove towards the trailhead on Interstate 81, one of the most beautiful highways I have ever seen. After a huge breakfast at Chick-Fil-A, we drove the trailhead. A nice lady from the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club greeted us and told us a little about the trail. That’s when we learned about the rock scramble, a sheer 15-foot cliff we had to climb. Could we do it? Would we have to turn back once we got there? That was still two miles away. First, we had to hike to the ridgeline. That went off without a hitch. In an hour and a half, we made it to Lost Spectacle Gap, where we joined the Appalachian Trail. This was a big moment for me. I hope to hike the whole 2,181-mile trail someday. After another quick break, we started hiking the trail. Almost right away, we saw a sign that read “Danger, Proceed with Caution.” The first couple of rock scrambles weren’t too bad. As we continued, the scrambles became harder and harder to climb. Finally we reached the hardest part. We had to climb to a ledge barely wide enough for a foot. We stared up at it. I worried my grandpa couldn’t do it. But, we had come too far to give up now. I started climbing and reached the top, I looked back and was amazed at what I saw. My 71-year-old grandpa was already halfway up the cliff. After the scramble, the trail was brutal, snaking way down just to go right back up over rocks and rebar ladders. Finally, we reached the top and took a long break. But, we were not there yet. We still had to hike another 0.1 mile spur trail. Thankfully, the spur was short and easy. We reached Dragon’s Tooth, one of Virginia’s triple crown hikes. Two massive, cone-shaped rocks jutted out of the ground, just asking to be climbed. Of course, I climbed one. The view was incredible. A breathtaking 270 degree panoramic view of Virginia’s Blue Ridge made the hike worth it. I tried not to look down the 200-foot cliff. I took plenty of pictures before climbing down to my grandfather. All good things must come to an end. It was time to hike back. That we did in record time. Along the way we met cool folks and by 4 p.m., we were back at our trusty rental car. Believe me, our adventure was far from over. Go to page A5 to read Chuck McCurry’s Church Buzz column about our adventures in West Virginia. I am beyond grateful to have such an amazing and crazy grandpa to go on all these incredible adventures with me. I hope neither of us will ever grow up.