Dragon’s Tooth, near Roanoke, Virginia, is known for its dramatic rock formation. Search for the trail and you’ll find plenty of photographs of hikers perched on its jagged summit, with the Blue Ridge Mountains stretching into the distance.
It’s a compelling image. It’s also a rather incomplete account of the hike.
I started early, before the trail became busy. Much of the route passed through a beautiful forest, with the kind of quiet that makes you notice individual sounds: leaves moving overhead, birds calling somewhere out of sight, your own footsteps against the earth.
And then there’s the smell. That distinctive, earthy freshness of a living forest, particularly noticeable when you’re surrounded by trees. It’s one of my favorite things about hiking, and something no photograph can convey.
Near the top, the trail changes character. The wooded path gives way to rocks, and eventually a section that’s practically a vertical wall. You’re climbing with both hands and feet, finding holds and pulling yourself up.
I waited for a couple to make their way down before starting up. The woman kindly asked if I’d like them to watch me climb. I thanked her and explained that, with this kind of scrambling, going up is usually easier than coming down, so I’d be fine.
As they were leaving, the man checked once more. His wife smiled at him. “I think she’s not concerned at all. She’ll be fine.”
She’d understood perfectly. It was a lovely little exchange, the sort of spontaneous kindness you often encounter on a trail.
The summit itself was impressive, and the photographs are deservedly popular. But looking back, I remember the forest, the satisfaction of navigating the rocks, and that brief encounter just as clearly.
It’s something worth considering when choosing a hike from photographs. We tend to evaluate trails by their destinations: the summit, the waterfall, the sweeping panorama. Yet those moments may occupy only a few minutes of an experience lasting several hours.
The rest of the journey matters. The shade, the terrain, the sounds, the smell of the woods. Even the people you meet along the way.
A photograph can tell you whether the destination is beautiful. It tells you considerably less about whether you’ll enjoy getting there.
