Thursday, April 28, 2011

Damascus, Virginia


On Sunday (4-24) after a five star breakfast at the Mountain Harbor B&B and Hostel, I began hiking at 9 AM.  I hiked until 5:45 PM, covering 15.9 miles.  I got lost for about 10 minutes as the trail appeared to go one way at a large rock.  Instead, the trail continued straight on the other side of the large boulder.  I set up my tent near the trail for the night.  Monday (4-25) was another long day (6:50 AM-6:20 PM) hiking 19.2 miles to Watauga Lake Shelter.  I saw the beautiful Laurel Fork Falls which is pictured above.  Right after seeing the falls, a snake met me on the trail.  I ended up tossing it into the water with one of my hiking poles.  I saw many slackpackers.  Bumble bees and butterflies are numerous.  My appetite is voracious as I eat something at each break.  Tuesday (4-26) began week six and I hiked from 6:30 AM-5 PM covering 17.4 miles.  I tented right off of the AT in a patch of grass.  I saw a box turtle in the middle of the trail reminding me of a similar turtle (named Myrtle) I had in 1st grade.  Wednesday (4-27) the weather report said rain was highly likely but it didn't rain during the hike (6:50 AM-4:45 PM).  The terrain was relatively easy as I hiked 22.3 miles (a new PR) into Damascus, VA.  I have finished three states--GA, NC, TN.  The AT covers 550 miles in VA, by far the longest state.  I stayed at Dave's Place Hostel.  Dinner was lasagna, salad, and ice cream and cookies for dessert at a local families house.  They fed about 15 hikers but they had enough food for 30 hikers.  The man picked up hikers at a gazebo at the local park and drove us to his house.  His business is raising goats and piglets.  Thursday (4-28) I awoke to find no power and the news of a very severe storm hitting the area.  There were reportedly several deaths and several buildings were destroyed all within 15 minutes from me.  Most businesses and the library are closed perhaps for several days due to no power.  I planned to take a zero hiking day but I am now reconsidering and may hike this afternoon if the weather continues to clear.  I have traveled 463 miles in 37 days, an average of 12.5 miles per day.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Hump Mountain

(This is Hump Mountain with an elevation of 5,587 feet.  There are many balds like Hump Mt. and the origin remains a mystery to scientists.  Some point to the harsh conditions at high elevations while others claim Indians cleared the mountain for religious ceremonies.  You can see the path I climbed on the left side of the picture.)

Thursday (4-21) I left Erwin and enjoyed a wonderful day.  The weather was beautiful with a breeze.  Erwin's elevation is 1,700 feet and I climbed up and over Unaka Mountain with an elevation of 5,180 feet.  I hiked 17.0 miles.  On Friday (4-22) it rained in the morning as I was taking down my tent.  After the weather cleared, it turned very cloudy and windy and on a descent I fell on wet leaves that were covering some mud.  The ground was quite slippery all day and I almost fell again.  Thankfully I was not hurt.  The big climb began at 3,900 feet and I finally reached the top at 6,275 feet.  Another hiker called it the "Stairway to Heaven."  It was a very rocky and difficult climb.  I hiked 20.4 miles over 12 hours to reach Stan Murray Shelter.  I needed a lot of miles in order to enjoy an easier day on Saturday so I could get to a highly recommended hostel.  At night the winds rocked my tent and I could feel the tent move even though it was staked.  Saturday (4-23) was an easy day of hiking as I covered only 10.9 miles (7 AM-1 PM) to get to Mountain Harbor Hostel.  I needed mole skin on one of my insteps due to a boot problem.  The hostel is a beautiful place.  I am at the end of the NC/TN border.  The next 71 miles are all in TN.  After that I'll be in Virginia for 550 miles.  After 33 days I have hiked 388.2 miles, an average of 11.76 miles.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Erwin, TN--One Month of Hiking in the Books!



What do they call this building on the AT?  You'll find the answer at the bottom of the post so read on.....
A.  outhouse
B.  toilet
C.  water closet
D.  bathroom
E.  none of the above

Monday (4-18) was a nice day.  I hiked with a man (his trail name is Lost) from Seattle, WA for much of the day.  He has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail all within the last few years.  He is a single, 49-year-old accountant who has hiked more in the last few years than he has worked.  He is short on cash, awaiting a $4,000-$10,000 car accident settlement that he hopes to get while on the AT.  Right now his girlfriend is financing his trip.  He is very knowledgeable about hiking and showed me how to position the hiking sticks to get the maximum push while going up a hill.  I hiked 14.7 miles and tented at Hogback Ridge Shelter.  On Tuesday (4-19) I began hiking at 7:05 AM and hiked to 6:05 PM--long day.  I hiked 20.7 miles all in order to get closer to Erwin, TN where I planned to resupply, shower, do laundry, and check the internet.  I tented at No Business Knob Shelter.  Wednesday (4-20) I awoke at 4:30 AM and started hiking at 5:55 AM wearing a miner's light because sunrise was still a half hour away.  After going 6.3 miles, I arrived at Uncle Johnny's Hostel in Erwin at 8:40 AM.  I got a ride to a small deli called the Greasy Spoon to eat breakfast.  For lunch, the hostel drove hikers to an all-you-can-eat pizza restaurant.  Last night I went to dinner with Ken Kisiel and Judy King (Shelley Mack's brother--a Berea tie) at a Mexican restaurant.  I have hiked 340 miles in 30 days, averaging 11.3 miles a day.  It is strange to think now that a hike of less than 10 miles is an easy hike!

Now the answer to the above question--none of the above!  It's called a privy.

I hope everyone has a nice Easter.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Hot Springs, NC

After hiking through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the next section covers 152 miles and is called the NC/TN border.  Sometimes I am in one state and at other times, I am in the other.  On Thursday (4-14) I saw Swamp Dawg at the Standing Bear Hostel in Tennessee.  He had been "slackpacking" for a few days--carrying only what is needed for that day in terms of food and water.  I left the hostel and hiked 15.4 miles crossing Max Patch Bald with breathtaking vistas.  There were some very difficult climbs.  I tented at Roaring Fork Shelter.  On Friday (4-15) I hiked to the first town on the AT--Hot Springs, NC.  The AT goes right down the main street of town.  Although I hiked 18 miles (longest distance in one day so far), the terrain wasn't very difficult.  I enjoyed a spaghetti dinner at a community center sponsored by a civic organization.  I tented down a street near another trail.  They was a lot of heavy rain overnight.  On Saturday (4-16) I had breakfast at the Smoky Mountain Diner and bought a few items at the Dollar General.  I talked with Swamp Dawg and set out alone for the next shelter (Spring Mountain).  It was a very difficult day with rain first, then sun, the turning very cold.  There were two very challenging climbs--one on the morning and one in the evening.  The 11 mile hike was much more difficult than the 18 mile hike the day before.  Sunday morning (4-17) was frigid.  I heard coyotes howling at 6:15 AM.  I stopped at 10:30 AM for water in a small creek.  The water wasn't very clean so I decided to not get it.  As I was standing up, I fell to one side.  My shoes and pants got very wet.  I decided not to change clothes though as the weather was getting quite warm.  In the late afternoon, I encountered the Blackstack Cliffs which is a very rugged and difficult area with treacherous ascents and descents over large boulders.  When a path existed, it was extremely narrow and my backpack and body brushed the bushes on both sides.  What a relief to get through to a normal trail!  I've gone 298 miles.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Smokies

On Friday (4-8) I hiked 13.8 miles and stayed at the Russell Field Shelter and on Saturday (4-9) I hiked 14.7 miles and stayed at the Silers Bald Shelter.  On Sunday (4-10) I hiked 10.0 miles and stayed at the Mt. Collins Shelter.  I climbed the observation tower at Clingmans Dome with an elevation of 6,643 feet.  This was the beautiful view from the tower.  The mountain in the distance is Mt. LeConte.
 On Monday (4-11) I stayed at the Pecks Corner Shelter after hiking 14.8 miles.  On Tuesday (4-12) I hiked 12.9 miles and stayed at the Cosby Knob Shelter.  Last night (4-13) I stayed at the Standing Bear Farm in Hartford, Tennessee after hiking 10.4 miles.

On Wednesday after completing the Smokies, there was "trail magic" provided by four trail angels.  They provided free lunch to thru-hikers consisting of sandwiches, potato salad, deviled eggs, bananas, brownies, cake, and soda.

The weather was great in the Smokies except Monday night and all day on Tuesday.  It was freezing cold, snowing, and winds were 25-40 mph--NOT fun!

On Saturday, Swamp Dawg became faint and felt poorly.  He got progressively slower and decided to get off the trail and see a doctor.  He is on two blood pressure medications and a thyroid medication.  Now I am back to hiking alone.  I hope Swamp Dawg gets better and he is able to return to hiking the trail. 

There are three ridgerunners in the Smokies who overlook things at the shelters.  One told me a small flower which is extremely prevelant is called Spring Beauty.  It is small with white pedals and purple stripes coming down from the center giving it a pink tint. 

After 23 days I have hiked 238.4 miles.  Thanks for your prayers and support!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Fontana Dam in NC




























On Sunday morning (4-3) we had a free pancake breakfast at the First Baptist Church.  The motel then took us to the AT.  The driver was an older southern gentleman who moved very slowly.  We stopped for gas and it took him 45 seconds just to get out of the van.  My friend and fellow hiker, Swamp Dawg, said it is a cultural thing in the south-time isn't a big issue.  As the driver was pumping gas, Swamp Dawg said the driver will probably next stop to pet his Uncle Jethro's dog and then stop to see his niece's new tooth.  His comments broke me up!  Although we got a late start at 10:10 AM, we completed 15.8 miles and finished hiking at 6:45 PM.  On Monday (4-4) we hiked 11.5 miles to the Nantahala Outdoor Center.  We stayed there because of the severe weather forecast (heavy thunderstorms) for Monday night.  On Tuesday (4-5) we began on our hike after the rain cleared and it was a beautiful day.  We hiked 13.6 miles and stayed on a closed road in our tents in a place called Stecoah Gap.  Well after dark a coyote howled loudly very nearby.  We were in his territory, and he was protesting our presence.  On Wed (4-6) we hiked 15.1 miles to the Fontana Dam Shelter.  It is called the Fontana Hilton because it can house 24 hikers and has a bathroom and warm shower.  It was a long day of hiking (7:45 AM-6:30 PM).  Swamp Dawg said, "If we keep on movin', the law will never catch up with us."  We have hiked 163.7 miles after 16 days of hiking.  Today is Thursday (4-7) and it is a zero hiking day.  We have resupplied and are doing laundry.  Lunch is planned at a small restaurant. We are entering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  We expect to take about six days to complete the Smokies.

Saturday, April 2, 2011



On Monday, March 28 I left the motel in Helen, GA.  I began to hitchhike back to the trail---about 9 miles.  After waiting about 10 minutes and counting 22 vehicles going by me, I was picked up by a local retired man.  He went 8 miles out of his way (one way) to get a few other hikers and me back to the AT.

I started hiking at 12:20p.m. and with only perhaps 15 minutes of breaks, I reached the Deep Gap shelter at 7:20p.m.  After quickly putting up my tent and eating tuna on a tortilla, it was quite dark and time to sleep.  Monday night was cold in the low 30-degree range.  The morning trek was short, as I only needed to hike 4 miles to get to a road, where I was picked up by the owner of the Blueberry Patch Hostel, a well known place to stay.  Seven of us stayed there.  We appreciated having our wash done and being driven to town to resupply and get a good meal at a buffet.  I was even able to get on the internet at the local library. 

On Wednesday I began to hike with "Swamp Dawg" George Lowry of Brunswick, Georgia.  He is a 65-year-old retiree who has section hiked the AT over many years.  This is his first attempt to thru-hike.  He is easy going and a fountain of knowledge about the trail and very importantly he hikes at my pace.  I hope that we still stay together as long as possible.  It is nice to have someone to talk with on a long hike.  On Wednesday we hiked 11.8 miles and entered North Carolina.  One state down and hopefully 13 more to go!  On Thursday we hiked 12.5 miles.  I tented both nights as Swamp Dawg stayed in two shelters.  Both nights were cold with frost on the tent and the winds swirling.  On Friday we hiked 15.9 miles to stay in a motel in Franklin, NC.  Today, Saturday, we resupplied this afternoon. Tomorrow morning we will be back on the trail.  I have completed 107.7 miles of the AT after 12 days or 9 miles per day.


Hiking uphill with a backpack of about 33-35 pounds makes me feel like a mule as the hiking sticks serve to help pull me upward.  Then on the descent the hiking sticks are needed to help me from going too fast. The reasonably level areas are obviously preferred.  Even then the sticks can prevent a fall as the rocks and tree roots are very common.