This post is a continuation of the previous post, A Hiker at Tinker Creek (Part 1)
After checking out Annie Dillard’s former neighborhood, it was time for Petey and me to hike the Appalachian Trail to see some of the places she mentions in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek up close. To do that we drove to Four Pines Hostel near Catawba, Virginia, a few miles southwest of Roanoke, to park our car. From there we got a shuttle to where the trail crosses US Highway 220, to the northwest of Roanoke. Our plan was to hike about twenty miles from US 220 back to our car and to spend a night on the trail.
A quick note about hiker hostels, there are many of these along the Appalachian Trail. For the long-distance hiker, they are a place to shower and to spend the night for very little money. For someone on a shorter hike, like us, they can be a safe place to park the car and to get a shuttle. Information on hostels and other hiker services along the trail can be found in a Thru-Hiker companion guide. Companion guides are available from outfitters or the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
Our chosen route would take us across Tinker Creek, up to the top of Tinker Mountain, over Tinker Ridge, by Tinker Cliffs, and then over McAfee Knob. Many hikers consider this to be one of the more scenic sections of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.
Although it is very busy, US 220 is a paradise for a long-distance hiker. There are shopping centers, motels, and restaurants only footsteps from the Appalachian Trail. It is a perfect place for a long-distance hiker to take a well-earned rest day.
As soon we left the highway we stepped into the woods and soon approached the easternmost extension of Tinker Mountain. The mountain was between us and Annie Dillard’s neighborhood.
In less than a mile we crossed Tinker Creek several miles upstream from her neighborhood. (The trail uses a bridge from an abandoned road to cross the creek.) On page 102 of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard tells us that the source of Tinker Creek is on the north side (the side hidden from her house) of Tinker Mountain.
