Miles: 18.4 to Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Another hot one today! I listened to the entire Tina Fey audiobook, "Bossy Pants," today. Thanks, Cristy Salinas! It helped pass the eight hours of hiking. We stopped by the gas station in Atkins for snacks and I was able to call my mom to wish her a happy Mother's Day. I snacked on a Snickers icecream bar, donuts, and other yummies while we talked. I love being able to eat whatever I want and still be in the best shape of my life!
At some point early in the day I heard what I thought was someone mowing their lawn off in the distance. When I rounded the bend I realized that loud buzzing sound was coming from massive power lines right over the trail! I refused to get any closer until Wing It and Bluebird caught up and we could pow wow about whether or not we were about to die. I knew another hiker had left camp before us this morning, and I didn't see him dead under the lines, so I figured I'd probably be okay. I still hurried to pass those lines as soon as I could. We've passed quite a few powerlines and I've never heard anything like that. Something definitely wasn't right!
We lunched at what appeared to be an old shelter at the Davis Path Campsite that had been smashed by a giant tree. The steps up to the shelter were still there, as were the remants of the tree and the untouched privy. I'd love to know the story behind that!
While we hiked today a deer came crashing through the woods and ran across the path in front of Wing It. I love seeing wildlife! We also passed a poor black cow hiding from the sun under a tree very close to the trail. I talked to it as we passed so it wouldn't trample me. It didn't move a muscle though. It was just as hot and tired as we were.
We had to cross a lot of tall ladder-like stiles to get over barbed wire fences today. I'm not a fan of those. There was also a lot of poison ivy by the stiles complicating things.
The water flow at the shelter tonight was pretty awful so I put a rhododendron leave in the spring to act like a funnel. It worked pretty well and we were able to fill out bottles and water bladders. You learn to be creative out here.
Best Thing: Gas station food!
Looking Forward To: 6 miles of "flat" terrain tomorrow!
My name is Stacey and in 2014 I completed a 2,185.3 mile northbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I made daily updates to this blog for the first 1,000 miles or so. Now my focus has shifted to reflecting on my time in the woods and sharing my knowledge with aspiring hikers. If there is anything in particular you'd like me to write about, please let me know! I'm always happy to share my experiences out on the trail.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Day #50 - Hooray for Short Days!
Miles: 7.0 to Chatfield Shelter
Remember that brunch I was looking forward to? It didn't happen. We tried to walked across the street from our hotel to the diner in the inn across the street but it's permanently closed. AWOL fail! The Mexican place was also closed for breakfast, so we ended up going to McDonald's. I haven't been to a McDonald's in years! It was the most hip McDonald's I've ever seen! It must have been new or recently renovated. Surprising for Marion, VA.
It started raining as we walked back to the hotel. We called a taxi just before check-out time to take us back to Mt. Roger's Visitor Center. It was very small-town Virginia. The driver looked like a good old country boy and the ashtray in the backseat was full of cigarette butts. He was a nice guy though and got us back to the trail safely.
It rained on and off but the temperature is nice. We met about half a dozen new folks today including Ygrette, Indy, Aviator, Soleil, and Snailman. My baby toe on my left foot has a very painful, annoying blister but I'll live. We got to camp very early (by 3:00!) and set up tents in some of the only spots available. It's a bummer when shelters don't have good, flat tenting spots, but my tent is tiny and my sleeping bad in thick so I'm pretty flexible. I can fit into small spots and sleep on roots if I need to. I'd rather sleep in my tent than a shelter almost any day!
Best Thing: Short miles!
Looking Forward To: Hitting the 25% mark tomorrow.
Remember that brunch I was looking forward to? It didn't happen. We tried to walked across the street from our hotel to the diner in the inn across the street but it's permanently closed. AWOL fail! The Mexican place was also closed for breakfast, so we ended up going to McDonald's. I haven't been to a McDonald's in years! It was the most hip McDonald's I've ever seen! It must have been new or recently renovated. Surprising for Marion, VA.
It started raining as we walked back to the hotel. We called a taxi just before check-out time to take us back to Mt. Roger's Visitor Center. It was very small-town Virginia. The driver looked like a good old country boy and the ashtray in the backseat was full of cigarette butts. He was a nice guy though and got us back to the trail safely.
It rained on and off but the temperature is nice. We met about half a dozen new folks today including Ygrette, Indy, Aviator, Soleil, and Snailman. My baby toe on my left foot has a very painful, annoying blister but I'll live. We got to camp very early (by 3:00!) and set up tents in some of the only spots available. It's a bummer when shelters don't have good, flat tenting spots, but my tent is tiny and my sleeping bad in thick so I'm pretty flexible. I can fit into small spots and sleep on roots if I need to. I'd rather sleep in my tent than a shelter almost any day!
Best Thing: Short miles!
Looking Forward To: Hitting the 25% mark tomorrow.
Day #49 - Arby's and Other Good Things
Miles: 12.6 to Marion, VA
When I woke up this morning I discovered my hiking shirt was encrusted in white salt. Sexy! Last night I thought both Wing It and Bluebird got up to pee. I told them I heard them both crashing through the leaves and Bluebird said she never got up last night. They heard the noises too though. It was either a large animal or someone walking near our tents (unlikely given where we were camping).
We had no water, so we headed straight to the shelter about an hour away to fill up. Today's walk was pretty flat again but it was HOT! Hiking in the heat is so draining.
Wing It thought he saw a rattlesnake on the trail but it was a ratsnake trying to fool him. It was rattling its tail in the leaves. It was a pretty nice size too at about four feet long. I know they can get much bigger than that out here but that's the biggest snake we've seen so far.
We hiked with Hog Driver, a working Delta pilot, for part of the day today. Then we met up with some folks at Partnership Shelter. It's right by the Mt. Roger's Visitor Center so it's really nice. It has a nice latrine, a clothes line, is close to a dumpster, and apparently has running water and a hot shower. WAY nicer than other shelters, but it's also just steps away from a parking lot so it must be easy to maintain.
We hung out at the visitor center while we waited for a shuttle into town. Once we got to our hotel, Wiki and I walked over to Arby's. I've been craving Arby's this whole trip. I ordered the biggest sandwich they had. Meat and sauce were everywhere. I felt like a pig but it was amazing! Definitely hit the spot! Wiki and I were trying to remember what town we were in before we realized it didn't really matter. As far as we were concerned, we were in Arby's, VA.
After lunch we resupplied at Walmart and I bought a new tank top and shorts. Now I can wear something besides long johns when we get to camp at the end of a long, hot day. Our tub doesn't drain so by the time we were all done showering the scum ring was pretty disgusting. Oh well. At least it was hot, running water. Can't complain too much.
For dinner, we made the short walk to a Mexican restaurant called Mi Puerto. Apparently, Hog Driver always buys first round for hikers so we all had margaritas. They were actually pretty good! We went around the table asking random questions like, "If you could be any dinosaur, which would you be?" I chose triceratops because it just seemed like a good choice at the time.
While doing laundry we watched our fourth Tom Hanks movie of the trip, Angels and Demons. I'm kind of lost because we missed the beginning. It seems pretty unrealistic but that's probably beside the point. I fell asleep before the ending, but it was 10:45, way past hiker midnight! I was pooped!
Best Thing: Seeing a ratsnake and Arby's.
Looking Forward To: A short day tomorrow and brunch in town.
When I woke up this morning I discovered my hiking shirt was encrusted in white salt. Sexy! Last night I thought both Wing It and Bluebird got up to pee. I told them I heard them both crashing through the leaves and Bluebird said she never got up last night. They heard the noises too though. It was either a large animal or someone walking near our tents (unlikely given where we were camping).
We had no water, so we headed straight to the shelter about an hour away to fill up. Today's walk was pretty flat again but it was HOT! Hiking in the heat is so draining.
Wing It thought he saw a rattlesnake on the trail but it was a ratsnake trying to fool him. It was rattling its tail in the leaves. It was a pretty nice size too at about four feet long. I know they can get much bigger than that out here but that's the biggest snake we've seen so far.
We hiked with Hog Driver, a working Delta pilot, for part of the day today. Then we met up with some folks at Partnership Shelter. It's right by the Mt. Roger's Visitor Center so it's really nice. It has a nice latrine, a clothes line, is close to a dumpster, and apparently has running water and a hot shower. WAY nicer than other shelters, but it's also just steps away from a parking lot so it must be easy to maintain.
We hung out at the visitor center while we waited for a shuttle into town. Once we got to our hotel, Wiki and I walked over to Arby's. I've been craving Arby's this whole trip. I ordered the biggest sandwich they had. Meat and sauce were everywhere. I felt like a pig but it was amazing! Definitely hit the spot! Wiki and I were trying to remember what town we were in before we realized it didn't really matter. As far as we were concerned, we were in Arby's, VA.
After lunch we resupplied at Walmart and I bought a new tank top and shorts. Now I can wear something besides long johns when we get to camp at the end of a long, hot day. Our tub doesn't drain so by the time we were all done showering the scum ring was pretty disgusting. Oh well. At least it was hot, running water. Can't complain too much.
For dinner, we made the short walk to a Mexican restaurant called Mi Puerto. Apparently, Hog Driver always buys first round for hikers so we all had margaritas. They were actually pretty good! We went around the table asking random questions like, "If you could be any dinosaur, which would you be?" I chose triceratops because it just seemed like a good choice at the time.
While doing laundry we watched our fourth Tom Hanks movie of the trip, Angels and Demons. I'm kind of lost because we missed the beginning. It seems pretty unrealistic but that's probably beside the point. I fell asleep before the ending, but it was 10:45, way past hiker midnight! I was pooped!
Best Thing: Seeing a ratsnake and Arby's.
Looking Forward To: A short day tomorrow and brunch in town.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Day #46 - My Achin' Feet
Miles: 16.1 to Lost Mountain Shelter
All of us had very sore feet today. We are trying to figure out why. I've changed nothing, but I want new insoles. Wing It has new shoes and Bluebird has new insoles. We got a late start out of Damascus because we stopped by the post office to mail home some stuff and Bluebird worked on her blog at the computer at Mojoe's. I got a chai tea latte and satisfied my blueberry muffin craving while we waited. We hit the trail around 10:30.
Man, was it hot today! The highs were in the mid-80s and hiking was tough. There were no big climbs or descents, just lots of switchbacks. Parts of the trail paralleled the Creeper Trail. They had better views of the river though and MUCH flatter terrain. Jerks. Just kidding. We took an official AT detour because a bridge had washed out. I think it shaved a bit off the 2,185.3 total trail mileage. Woohoo!
We lunched at Saunders Shelter, which was a long 1/4 mile off the trail and buggy. Honestly, all I remember about today is aching feet and sweat. I had the song "You're Never There" stuck in my head most of the day because I felt like the last shelter of the day was so far away. Sometimes I wish I could walk on my hands sometimes to give my feet a break. When I weighed my pack this morning before leaving the hostel it weighed 35.8 lbs. I'm holding steady at around 112, which was my starting weight. That means my poor little legs are hauling around about 150 pounds and they aren't very happy about it sometimes.
Wiki is here at our shelter tonight. He packed in marshmallows and someone started a fire so we could roast them. Yum! After dinner I walked to the water source to clean my pot. It was in a swampy area and I ended up plunging my foot right into the nasty water. I used my dirty pot water to rinse off my foot and Croc, so I ended up with cous cous between my toes Meh. I just left it there. Cous cous is probably one of the less offensive things I've had stuck to me.
Depending on how far we hike tomorrow, we might hit the 500 mile mark and see the ponies in the Grayson Highlands. That'd be awesome! I've been looking forward to the ponies since I found out they existed a couple of years ago.
Best Thing: Bandana bathing in the spring that crossed the trail before we reached the shelter.
Looking Forward To: Getting closer to seeing the ponies!
All of us had very sore feet today. We are trying to figure out why. I've changed nothing, but I want new insoles. Wing It has new shoes and Bluebird has new insoles. We got a late start out of Damascus because we stopped by the post office to mail home some stuff and Bluebird worked on her blog at the computer at Mojoe's. I got a chai tea latte and satisfied my blueberry muffin craving while we waited. We hit the trail around 10:30.
Man, was it hot today! The highs were in the mid-80s and hiking was tough. There were no big climbs or descents, just lots of switchbacks. Parts of the trail paralleled the Creeper Trail. They had better views of the river though and MUCH flatter terrain. Jerks. Just kidding. We took an official AT detour because a bridge had washed out. I think it shaved a bit off the 2,185.3 total trail mileage. Woohoo!
We lunched at Saunders Shelter, which was a long 1/4 mile off the trail and buggy. Honestly, all I remember about today is aching feet and sweat. I had the song "You're Never There" stuck in my head most of the day because I felt like the last shelter of the day was so far away. Sometimes I wish I could walk on my hands sometimes to give my feet a break. When I weighed my pack this morning before leaving the hostel it weighed 35.8 lbs. I'm holding steady at around 112, which was my starting weight. That means my poor little legs are hauling around about 150 pounds and they aren't very happy about it sometimes.
Wiki is here at our shelter tonight. He packed in marshmallows and someone started a fire so we could roast them. Yum! After dinner I walked to the water source to clean my pot. It was in a swampy area and I ended up plunging my foot right into the nasty water. I used my dirty pot water to rinse off my foot and Croc, so I ended up with cous cous between my toes Meh. I just left it there. Cous cous is probably one of the less offensive things I've had stuck to me.
Depending on how far we hike tomorrow, we might hit the 500 mile mark and see the ponies in the Grayson Highlands. That'd be awesome! I've been looking forward to the ponies since I found out they existed a couple of years ago.
Best Thing: Bandana bathing in the spring that crossed the trail before we reached the shelter.
Looking Forward To: Getting closer to seeing the ponies!
Day #45 - Zero de Mayo
Miles: 0
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Of course, the only Mexican restaurant in town is closed today. Go figure. Today may have been a zero but we were busy all day, as tends to be the case.
I slept so well in the bed at the hostel. I put my Buff (headband) over my eyes to keep the light out. It worked! I ended up getting out of bed at 7:30. I worked on my journal, then we walked towards Mojoe's to find some breakfast. We got sidetracked by a sign on the side of the Dairy King that advertised the best breakfast in town. We looked at the menu and Wing It and I decided to stop. We were the only out-of-towners there. A guy patted Wing It on the shoulder on the way out and said, "Welcome to Damascus."
A bunch of hikers rolled into town around 9:00 p.m. last night. Some of them pulled a 33 mile day to get there! That's beyond insane. They said the last 10 miles were really rough. They were too tired to even set up their tents so they just rolled out their sleeping bags on the grass and cowboy camped by the river.
We stopped by Sun Dog Outfitter after breakfast. I looked at the insoles but they didn't have many brands other than Super Feet, and none my size. Struck out again. The staff was pretty inattentive so Sprinkle Burst, a thru-hiker that used to work at REI, gave Wing It the ins and outs of the shoes Sun Dog offered. When Wing It finally received help from an actual employee, he chose to by some Salomon trail runners to replace his boots. I bought a little red zip pouch to replace my beat up orange "purse" I bought at Neel Gap. The zipper should allow me access to my "camera" much more quickly. I'm sending the orange pouch home along with 1.2 lbs of other stuff I don't anymore.
Before lunch we ran into Kickapoo. She switched her GoLite pack for a ULA Catalyst pack. I'm jealous! I've been wanting to check out the Catalyst since my Circuit is too small. I'm curious to see how she likes it.
On the way to lunch we passed Wiki coming into town. He said he left the rest of the group behind in Hampton, TN. We gave him pointers on the hostels in town. He picked Crazy Larry's on the far side of town. He later met up with us at Blue Blaze for lunch. Our third time there and the service is still SUPER SLOW. The servers are nice but overworked. Considering its pretty much the only restaurant in town that's open, they should hire more staff.
Hit up the post office to pick up my bounce box. I sat out front refilling my sunscreen, lotion, etc. and ending up passing out Q-tips to hikers that passed by. Then I walked my bounce box across the street to the Old Mill Inn so that I could pick it up when I stay there with Mom and Dad during Trail Days in a few weeks. No point spending $12.35 to mail my box literally across the street.
After the P.O. it was off to the post office to update my blog for two hours. I had exactly enough time to type up nine blogs! Now I can send my first journal home and not carry two around. I also emailed Leki about my broken pole and Mountain Hardwear about some shorts I ordered but never received. I love checking things off the list!
We walked around town looking for a new dinner location to no avail. Everything is closed. During our search we walked down the Creeper Trail, a famous bike trail that passes through town, and ran into Stealth! We also saw a bunch of hikers down at the swimming hole under the bridge. I ended up just eating lunch leftovers for dinner. Then Wing It, Bluebird, and I piled into the queen bed at the hostel and propped Bluebird's iPhone on my feet while we watched Sleepless in Seattle on a VERY tiny screen. Checked another Tom Hanks flick off the list.
Life after the trail is going to seem so boring! I told Wing It last night at the bar that I plan to try to get speaking engagements at REI, the Capital Area Master Naturalists (CAMN), etc when I get back to Austin to hold me over until I find a new job. I'd love to share my experience with others and hopefully inspire them to pursue their dreams as well. I attended a talk at REI two years ago by a girl that attempted the trail and she inspired me to dive into this.
Best Thing: Getting my blog updated an using a computer with a real keyboard! It's like hiking compared to driving! So fast!
Looking Forward To: Getting back on the trail and making progress toward Katahdin.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Of course, the only Mexican restaurant in town is closed today. Go figure. Today may have been a zero but we were busy all day, as tends to be the case.
I slept so well in the bed at the hostel. I put my Buff (headband) over my eyes to keep the light out. It worked! I ended up getting out of bed at 7:30. I worked on my journal, then we walked towards Mojoe's to find some breakfast. We got sidetracked by a sign on the side of the Dairy King that advertised the best breakfast in town. We looked at the menu and Wing It and I decided to stop. We were the only out-of-towners there. A guy patted Wing It on the shoulder on the way out and said, "Welcome to Damascus."
A bunch of hikers rolled into town around 9:00 p.m. last night. Some of them pulled a 33 mile day to get there! That's beyond insane. They said the last 10 miles were really rough. They were too tired to even set up their tents so they just rolled out their sleeping bags on the grass and cowboy camped by the river.
We stopped by Sun Dog Outfitter after breakfast. I looked at the insoles but they didn't have many brands other than Super Feet, and none my size. Struck out again. The staff was pretty inattentive so Sprinkle Burst, a thru-hiker that used to work at REI, gave Wing It the ins and outs of the shoes Sun Dog offered. When Wing It finally received help from an actual employee, he chose to by some Salomon trail runners to replace his boots. I bought a little red zip pouch to replace my beat up orange "purse" I bought at Neel Gap. The zipper should allow me access to my "camera" much more quickly. I'm sending the orange pouch home along with 1.2 lbs of other stuff I don't anymore.
Before lunch we ran into Kickapoo. She switched her GoLite pack for a ULA Catalyst pack. I'm jealous! I've been wanting to check out the Catalyst since my Circuit is too small. I'm curious to see how she likes it.
On the way to lunch we passed Wiki coming into town. He said he left the rest of the group behind in Hampton, TN. We gave him pointers on the hostels in town. He picked Crazy Larry's on the far side of town. He later met up with us at Blue Blaze for lunch. Our third time there and the service is still SUPER SLOW. The servers are nice but overworked. Considering its pretty much the only restaurant in town that's open, they should hire more staff.
Hit up the post office to pick up my bounce box. I sat out front refilling my sunscreen, lotion, etc. and ending up passing out Q-tips to hikers that passed by. Then I walked my bounce box across the street to the Old Mill Inn so that I could pick it up when I stay there with Mom and Dad during Trail Days in a few weeks. No point spending $12.35 to mail my box literally across the street.
After the P.O. it was off to the post office to update my blog for two hours. I had exactly enough time to type up nine blogs! Now I can send my first journal home and not carry two around. I also emailed Leki about my broken pole and Mountain Hardwear about some shorts I ordered but never received. I love checking things off the list!
We walked around town looking for a new dinner location to no avail. Everything is closed. During our search we walked down the Creeper Trail, a famous bike trail that passes through town, and ran into Stealth! We also saw a bunch of hikers down at the swimming hole under the bridge. I ended up just eating lunch leftovers for dinner. Then Wing It, Bluebird, and I piled into the queen bed at the hostel and propped Bluebird's iPhone on my feet while we watched Sleepless in Seattle on a VERY tiny screen. Checked another Tom Hanks flick off the list.
Life after the trail is going to seem so boring! I told Wing It last night at the bar that I plan to try to get speaking engagements at REI, the Capital Area Master Naturalists (CAMN), etc when I get back to Austin to hold me over until I find a new job. I'd love to share my experience with others and hopefully inspire them to pursue their dreams as well. I attended a talk at REI two years ago by a girl that attempted the trail and she inspired me to dive into this.
Best Thing: Getting my blog updated an using a computer with a real keyboard! It's like hiking compared to driving! So fast!
Looking Forward To: Getting back on the trail and making progress toward Katahdin.
Day #44 - Damascus, VA
Miles: 6.4 to Damascus, VA
It's May 4! Happy Star Wars Day! May the fourth be with you. We left camp by 7:00. It turned out we had camped about 0.5 miles short of where we thought we were, but we still made it into Damascus by 9:30 a.m. There is a log home right next to the trailhead. I think it'd be fun to live there and watch the hikers come into town.
We crossed the TN/VA state line on the way into town. Three states down. Eleven to go! Virginia is the longest state on the trail by far. We hike more miles in Virginia than we've hiked altogether up to this point.
As soon as we got into town we saw Woodstock approaching. He's been here a few days so he showed us around town. He walked us to the far end of town to Mojoe's Coffee House where Wing It and I had breakfast. I had two eggs, two slices of bacon, two blueberry pancakes, a smoothie and a blueberry muffin. Downed it. Bluebird just had a smoothie since she's a gluten-free vegan.
After breakfast we walked back to Mt. Rogers Outfitters to try to get private bunks at Dave's Place, the hostel run by Mt. Rogers. While we were waiting for the Outfitter to open at noon, Blacksmith wandered out of Dave's Place and came over to say hello. When he described the conditions of the bunkhouse (no mattresses, semi-private rooms), we decided the Hikers Inn sounded like a better option. We wandered a few blocks down the street to see if they had beds available. They did! A private room with a queen bed and one of the bunks in the small (4 person capacity) bunkroom. The caretaker, Lee, is super nice. When she found out I was from Texas she sought me out to warn me that the "Mexican" restaurant in town was not, in fact, Mexican. They just serve burritos and tacos. She didn't want me to feel disappointed. She also made Bluebird a special vegan drink since she knew there weren't many food options in town for her. It felt like just the right fit. Bluebird and I shared the private queen and Wing It took one of the two bunks available.
We walked back to Mt. Rogers Outfitters while we waited for Lee to clean the hostel. I asked about insoles (I'm not convinced Super Feet are for me but they fit properly) and had them look at my collapsed pole. They tried to fix it but told me to call Leki. I shall. Wing It looked at trail runners and Bluebird looked at summer-weight sleeping bags.
Bluebird and Woodstock went to eat at the "Mexican" restaurant while Wing It and I, still stuffed from second breakfast at Mojoe's, showered at the hostel. They had shampoo and women's shaving cream. Score! I put on my rain suit so that Lee could do our laundry. I ended up having to wear that until 7:30 when laundry was done. It's 85 degrees our so it was kind of hot and sticky, but having clean laundry is worth it.
We lunched at the Blue Blaze Cafe. We were ignored for the first 10 minutes or so but after I sought out a waiter, the food was great! I got half a Philly cheesesteak and Buffalo fried with a side of blue cheese dressing. Yum! Then we made the long road walk down to Food City to resupply. I bought way too much food. I have enough breakfast for weeks it seems.
After resupplying we hung out at the hostel for a while before Wing It and I headed back to the Blue Blaze Cafe to try to meet some new hikers and take advantage of a $2 draft beer happy hour Longhorn and Lotus had told us about when we ran into them at Mojoe's. Apparently that was a one-time deal and they weren't offering it tonight. Boo. Oh well. I don't really like beer anyway but I drank two since they didn't serve liquor. Bluebird met up with us and we had peach cobbler for dinner. They were out of brownie sundae! Double boo! Then it was back to bed. I am so tired!
Best Thing: Everything about being in town!
Looking Forward To: Everything about being in town!
It's May 4! Happy Star Wars Day! May the fourth be with you. We left camp by 7:00. It turned out we had camped about 0.5 miles short of where we thought we were, but we still made it into Damascus by 9:30 a.m. There is a log home right next to the trailhead. I think it'd be fun to live there and watch the hikers come into town.
We crossed the TN/VA state line on the way into town. Three states down. Eleven to go! Virginia is the longest state on the trail by far. We hike more miles in Virginia than we've hiked altogether up to this point.
As soon as we got into town we saw Woodstock approaching. He's been here a few days so he showed us around town. He walked us to the far end of town to Mojoe's Coffee House where Wing It and I had breakfast. I had two eggs, two slices of bacon, two blueberry pancakes, a smoothie and a blueberry muffin. Downed it. Bluebird just had a smoothie since she's a gluten-free vegan.
After breakfast we walked back to Mt. Rogers Outfitters to try to get private bunks at Dave's Place, the hostel run by Mt. Rogers. While we were waiting for the Outfitter to open at noon, Blacksmith wandered out of Dave's Place and came over to say hello. When he described the conditions of the bunkhouse (no mattresses, semi-private rooms), we decided the Hikers Inn sounded like a better option. We wandered a few blocks down the street to see if they had beds available. They did! A private room with a queen bed and one of the bunks in the small (4 person capacity) bunkroom. The caretaker, Lee, is super nice. When she found out I was from Texas she sought me out to warn me that the "Mexican" restaurant in town was not, in fact, Mexican. They just serve burritos and tacos. She didn't want me to feel disappointed. She also made Bluebird a special vegan drink since she knew there weren't many food options in town for her. It felt like just the right fit. Bluebird and I shared the private queen and Wing It took one of the two bunks available.
We walked back to Mt. Rogers Outfitters while we waited for Lee to clean the hostel. I asked about insoles (I'm not convinced Super Feet are for me but they fit properly) and had them look at my collapsed pole. They tried to fix it but told me to call Leki. I shall. Wing It looked at trail runners and Bluebird looked at summer-weight sleeping bags.
Bluebird and Woodstock went to eat at the "Mexican" restaurant while Wing It and I, still stuffed from second breakfast at Mojoe's, showered at the hostel. They had shampoo and women's shaving cream. Score! I put on my rain suit so that Lee could do our laundry. I ended up having to wear that until 7:30 when laundry was done. It's 85 degrees our so it was kind of hot and sticky, but having clean laundry is worth it.
We lunched at the Blue Blaze Cafe. We were ignored for the first 10 minutes or so but after I sought out a waiter, the food was great! I got half a Philly cheesesteak and Buffalo fried with a side of blue cheese dressing. Yum! Then we made the long road walk down to Food City to resupply. I bought way too much food. I have enough breakfast for weeks it seems.
After resupplying we hung out at the hostel for a while before Wing It and I headed back to the Blue Blaze Cafe to try to meet some new hikers and take advantage of a $2 draft beer happy hour Longhorn and Lotus had told us about when we ran into them at Mojoe's. Apparently that was a one-time deal and they weren't offering it tonight. Boo. Oh well. I don't really like beer anyway but I drank two since they didn't serve liquor. Bluebird met up with us and we had peach cobbler for dinner. They were out of brownie sundae! Double boo! Then it was back to bed. I am so tired!
Best Thing: Everything about being in town!
Looking Forward To: Everything about being in town!
Day #43 - The Great Donut Race
Miles: 22.9 to a campsite at an unnamed gap
Today was a long day of hiking. We topped yesterday to make it our biggest day yet! Our goal is to get to Damascus by mid-morning tomorrow to try to grab a private room at one of the hostels. We tried to call ahead but most hostels don't take reservations, especially for bunk rooms.
I'm running low on food, so when we passed some trail runners a few miles into the day and they mentioned they had left donuts in a parking lot, it's all I could think about. We picked up our pace to make sure we scored some of that trail magic. Well, the trail runners were obviously moving much faster than we were and probably underestimated our pace. About two hours (or 5-7 miles) later, we finally found the donuts! Dang! We kept thinking they must be just around the next bend in the trail. Nope. They were delicious though! Dunkin Donuts! They even left a sweet message on the box (misspelled Damascus but that's alright).
I had a powdered sugar donut filled with custard (I've been craving a jelly donut for weeks) and one with pink and green frosting. Sooooo good!
Right before the donuts we found more trail magic! A church had left an orange metal box in the woods filled with snack foods and a cooler of sodas. I ate four snack cakes and had half a can of Dr. Pepper. That and the donuts were my lunch. I didn't have to dig into the food in my pack at all, so I'll definitely have plenty of food to get to Damascus without having to ration.
Some guy I've been calling Blue A-hole (to myself, of course) has been hiking near us these past few days. Earlier today we came across two deer. Bluebird stopped to pull our her camera and get a photo. Blue A-hole walked up behind her and when she told him about the deer he shouted "Photo bomb!" and raised his poles as he walked right in front of her. The deer ran away and she didn't get a photo. What a jerk.
Today we passed the Nick Grindstaff monument. I'm not sure who he was. His tombstone was falling over and was tied to the rock tower monument with some rope. The tombstone said, "Lived alone. Suffered alone. Died alone." Harsh! I don't know what would be worse. Did he pick that epitaph or did his "next of kin"?
We got to a road at a gap and met a man in a pickup truck named Polar Bear. He has been visiting the gap for 30 years. He took our photos and said Bluebird and I were the prettiest hikers he'd seen so far. Ha! I feel so far from pretty out here. Just dirty and stinky and like one of the guys.
My knee started bothering me after 19 miles but I don't blame it. I put my brace back on for the last part of the day. I'm so tired and ready for bed. It's amazing how much dirt gets between my toes considering I hike with liner socks, hiking socks, and gaiters. One of life's great mysteries.
Best Thing: Double trail magic!
Looking Forward To: Getting to Damascus tomorrow!
Today was a long day of hiking. We topped yesterday to make it our biggest day yet! Our goal is to get to Damascus by mid-morning tomorrow to try to grab a private room at one of the hostels. We tried to call ahead but most hostels don't take reservations, especially for bunk rooms.
I'm running low on food, so when we passed some trail runners a few miles into the day and they mentioned they had left donuts in a parking lot, it's all I could think about. We picked up our pace to make sure we scored some of that trail magic. Well, the trail runners were obviously moving much faster than we were and probably underestimated our pace. About two hours (or 5-7 miles) later, we finally found the donuts! Dang! We kept thinking they must be just around the next bend in the trail. Nope. They were delicious though! Dunkin Donuts! They even left a sweet message on the box (misspelled Damascus but that's alright).
I had a powdered sugar donut filled with custard (I've been craving a jelly donut for weeks) and one with pink and green frosting. Sooooo good!
Right before the donuts we found more trail magic! A church had left an orange metal box in the woods filled with snack foods and a cooler of sodas. I ate four snack cakes and had half a can of Dr. Pepper. That and the donuts were my lunch. I didn't have to dig into the food in my pack at all, so I'll definitely have plenty of food to get to Damascus without having to ration.
Some guy I've been calling Blue A-hole (to myself, of course) has been hiking near us these past few days. Earlier today we came across two deer. Bluebird stopped to pull our her camera and get a photo. Blue A-hole walked up behind her and when she told him about the deer he shouted "Photo bomb!" and raised his poles as he walked right in front of her. The deer ran away and she didn't get a photo. What a jerk.
Today we passed the Nick Grindstaff monument. I'm not sure who he was. His tombstone was falling over and was tied to the rock tower monument with some rope. The tombstone said, "Lived alone. Suffered alone. Died alone." Harsh! I don't know what would be worse. Did he pick that epitaph or did his "next of kin"?
We got to a road at a gap and met a man in a pickup truck named Polar Bear. He has been visiting the gap for 30 years. He took our photos and said Bluebird and I were the prettiest hikers he'd seen so far. Ha! I feel so far from pretty out here. Just dirty and stinky and like one of the guys.
My knee started bothering me after 19 miles but I don't blame it. I put my brace back on for the last part of the day. I'm so tired and ready for bed. It's amazing how much dirt gets between my toes considering I hike with liner socks, hiking socks, and gaiters. One of life's great mysteries.
Best Thing: Double trail magic!
Looking Forward To: Getting to Damascus tomorrow!
Day #42 - 20% Done!
Miles: 19.4 to an unnamed site at 438.3
We're 20% done! Woohoo! I forgot to mark the occasion though. We had a steep climb up and over Pond Flats this morning. It was not flat! I like the uphills though. Then we descended down to Watauga Lake where we lunched. threw out our trash, used the facilities and stole some TP. They were nice bathrooms except there was no soap. Oh well. Can't be too picky.
Leaving the lake after crossing the dam we briefly got stuck behind a prison crew cleaning up the trail. Once we passed them my super powered tuna lunch kicked in and I flew up the mountain. I stopped for a snack and realized the M&Ms I had purchased in town were red, white, and blue. How long had THOSE been on the shelf? I wish I had more food but I have plenty to last me until we get to Damascus.
I beat Wing It and Bluebird to the next shelter by about 10 minutes. I met a nice section hiker there who asked us about our pack weights and how we kept ours down, relationship checklists, and what we've learned about ourselves out on the trail. I also met fellow thru-hiker Merman. I've seen his names in the register and remembered his entries because he turns the A in his name into the AT symbol. He has long red hair and looks, well, like a merman. I'm not sure if that's where he got his trail name, though.
Today we hiked our biggest day yet! Feeling great. We are planning a 20+ mile day tomorrow so that we have a short hike into Damascus on Sunday morning. We've heard Norovirus is going around. It hit Kincora hostel and three places in Virginia. I've already had it this year and hope I don't get it again.
The other day the twist lock on my right trekking pole failed. I was able to temporarily fix it with duct tape but will need to get it repaired soon. Maybe during Trail Days?
Best Thing: Big miles and feeling great!
Looking Forward To: Nearly reaching Damascus.
We're 20% done! Woohoo! I forgot to mark the occasion though. We had a steep climb up and over Pond Flats this morning. It was not flat! I like the uphills though. Then we descended down to Watauga Lake where we lunched. threw out our trash, used the facilities and stole some TP. They were nice bathrooms except there was no soap. Oh well. Can't be too picky.
Leaving the lake after crossing the dam we briefly got stuck behind a prison crew cleaning up the trail. Once we passed them my super powered tuna lunch kicked in and I flew up the mountain. I stopped for a snack and realized the M&Ms I had purchased in town were red, white, and blue. How long had THOSE been on the shelf? I wish I had more food but I have plenty to last me until we get to Damascus.
I beat Wing It and Bluebird to the next shelter by about 10 minutes. I met a nice section hiker there who asked us about our pack weights and how we kept ours down, relationship checklists, and what we've learned about ourselves out on the trail. I also met fellow thru-hiker Merman. I've seen his names in the register and remembered his entries because he turns the A in his name into the AT symbol. He has long red hair and looks, well, like a merman. I'm not sure if that's where he got his trail name, though.
Today we hiked our biggest day yet! Feeling great. We are planning a 20+ mile day tomorrow so that we have a short hike into Damascus on Sunday morning. We've heard Norovirus is going around. It hit Kincora hostel and three places in Virginia. I've already had it this year and hope I don't get it again.
The other day the twist lock on my right trekking pole failed. I was able to temporarily fix it with duct tape but will need to get it repaired soon. Maybe during Trail Days?
Best Thing: Big miles and feeling great!
Looking Forward To: Nearly reaching Damascus.
Day #41 - Laurel Falls
Miles: 13.9 to Laurel Fork Shelter (almost)
It was cold this morning! I was hot last night. This weather is so confusing! I'm excited to get my summer gear (a 45 degree sleeping bag and new clothes).
We passed Hardcore Cascades today, but they were hardly hardcore. They were just small cascades. Someone passing on the trail said it may be named for some hardcore trail maintenance club in the area. Who knows?
The trail was fairly unremarkable today. It was relatively flat and cloudy. Wing It saw some deer. Then things changed. The hike to Laurel Falls was a son of a bitch! Seriously. Why do they build trails like that? There were stone steps nearly straight down. At some points it was just a jumble of rocks. My injured knee was okay but my uninjured knee was very unhappy. We survived though and the falls were beautiful! Well worth the hike.
The "flat" hike to the shelter had many unexpected climbs and descents. AWOL's elevation profiles can be deceptive to say the least. I got a cool photo of Bluebird and Wing It cliff walking by the river.
It was cold this morning! I was hot last night. This weather is so confusing! I'm excited to get my summer gear (a 45 degree sleeping bag and new clothes).
We passed Hardcore Cascades today, but they were hardly hardcore. They were just small cascades. Someone passing on the trail said it may be named for some hardcore trail maintenance club in the area. Who knows?
The trail was fairly unremarkable today. It was relatively flat and cloudy. Wing It saw some deer. Then things changed. The hike to Laurel Falls was a son of a bitch! Seriously. Why do they build trails like that? There were stone steps nearly straight down. At some points it was just a jumble of rocks. My injured knee was okay but my uninjured knee was very unhappy. We survived though and the falls were beautiful! Well worth the hike.
The "flat" hike to the shelter had many unexpected climbs and descents. AWOL's elevation profiles can be deceptive to say the least. I got a cool photo of Bluebird and Wing It cliff walking by the river.
At times we walked through some cool canyon-type areas. Reminded me a bit of hiking through Arizona. Before we got to the shelter we stumbled across a beautiful little campsite by the river just big enough for our three tents. I washed my shirt in the river and Wing It got a raging fire going. It's burning my face a bit as I journal.
I have service here! Hell must have frozen over! I was able to FaceTime Heather and my parents. Because we were on video I was able to show them our awesome campsite. Joshua was trying to pinch and bite Heather. I showed my mom the "skin cancer" mystery dark spots on my hands I got after Blood Mountain. I don't have time for that to slow me down, so I'll get it looked at when I get back. It's but a mere flesh wound! Sorta. Tomorrow we hit the 20% mark! I'm very excited about that!
Best Thing: Laurel Falls!
Looking Forward To: Hitting the 20% mark tomorrow!
I have service here! Hell must have frozen over! I was able to FaceTime Heather and my parents. Because we were on video I was able to show them our awesome campsite. Joshua was trying to pinch and bite Heather. I showed my mom the "skin cancer" mystery dark spots on my hands I got after Blood Mountain. I don't have time for that to slow me down, so I'll get it looked at when I get back. It's but a mere flesh wound! Sorta. Tomorrow we hit the 20% mark! I'm very excited about that!
Best Thing: Laurel Falls!
Looking Forward To: Hitting the 20% mark tomorrow!
Day #40 - 400 Miles
Miles: 13.2 to Upper Laurel Fork
We passed the 400 mile marker today! Feels like we've really made some progress now. 18.5% of the trail done! We'll hit 20% at mile 437 in a few days. I was telling Bluebird and Wing It today that I feel fortunate in that there hasn't been a single day that I didn't want to be out here. There have been days when my body hurts and I want to stop hiking for the day or I've been cold or hot, but I have never wanted to get off the trail or not hike the next day. I'm meant to be out here.
This morning we ate breakfast at the hostel's main house. The house is beautiful and the food was even better. There were tables set up around the living area and hikers were everywhere. I ate so much! Yum! Well worth the $12 price tag.
The TV was on while we dined so we saw that there have been major tornado outbreaks across the SE portion of the U.S. We've been cloudy but have avoided any bad weather. We've been really lucky so far.
After digesting for a while, we hit the trail around 11:00. Overall, the trail was pretty flat. I'm loving this terrain and Virginia will be even better. We took a blue blazed trail (side trail) to a spectacular waterfall. Water was cascading over an angular rock outcropping. It was a great place to stop for a snack.
We stopped briefly at Mountaineer Falls Shelter for a late lunch. I'm so sick of tuna, summer sausage, pepperoni, and peanut butter (though I have hardly had any peanut butter on the trail). I need to find some new lunch food options. I had a Zero bar for the first time. It tasted like plastic. Gag! I didn't notice it was made of white fudge when I purchased it. That definitely won't be making it into the resupply rotation. If a hiker thinks something is gross it must be really bad! We'll eat just about anything.
The weather was good so we pushed a few more miles to camp by some falls. We couldn't find any "falls," just some rapids, but we found a good campsite by the river anyway. I really botched my generic mac & cheese preparation. I had previously made a pretty tasty pot of the stuff without having to drain the cooking water. I tried that again and it was a major fail. I ended up with a tasteless pot of orange-colored paste. It was gross, but I ate most of it anyway. Washing the pot out afterwards was equally unenjoyable. At least we had easy access to plenty of water!
Best Thing: BREAKFAST!
Looking Forward To: Reaching Hardcore Cascades and Laurel Falls tomorrow.
We passed the 400 mile marker today! Feels like we've really made some progress now. 18.5% of the trail done! We'll hit 20% at mile 437 in a few days. I was telling Bluebird and Wing It today that I feel fortunate in that there hasn't been a single day that I didn't want to be out here. There have been days when my body hurts and I want to stop hiking for the day or I've been cold or hot, but I have never wanted to get off the trail or not hike the next day. I'm meant to be out here.
This morning we ate breakfast at the hostel's main house. The house is beautiful and the food was even better. There were tables set up around the living area and hikers were everywhere. I ate so much! Yum! Well worth the $12 price tag.
The TV was on while we dined so we saw that there have been major tornado outbreaks across the SE portion of the U.S. We've been cloudy but have avoided any bad weather. We've been really lucky so far.
After digesting for a while, we hit the trail around 11:00. Overall, the trail was pretty flat. I'm loving this terrain and Virginia will be even better. We took a blue blazed trail (side trail) to a spectacular waterfall. Water was cascading over an angular rock outcropping. It was a great place to stop for a snack.
We stopped briefly at Mountaineer Falls Shelter for a late lunch. I'm so sick of tuna, summer sausage, pepperoni, and peanut butter (though I have hardly had any peanut butter on the trail). I need to find some new lunch food options. I had a Zero bar for the first time. It tasted like plastic. Gag! I didn't notice it was made of white fudge when I purchased it. That definitely won't be making it into the resupply rotation. If a hiker thinks something is gross it must be really bad! We'll eat just about anything.
The weather was good so we pushed a few more miles to camp by some falls. We couldn't find any "falls," just some rapids, but we found a good campsite by the river anyway. I really botched my generic mac & cheese preparation. I had previously made a pretty tasty pot of the stuff without having to drain the cooking water. I tried that again and it was a major fail. I ended up with a tasteless pot of orange-colored paste. It was gross, but I ate most of it anyway. Washing the pot out afterwards was equally unenjoyable. At least we had easy access to plenty of water!
Best Thing: BREAKFAST!
Looking Forward To: Reaching Hardcore Cascades and Laurel Falls tomorrow.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Day #39 - Thar She Blows!
Miles: 8.7 to Roan Mt, TN
There was a big thunderstorm last night. I'm so glad we were in such a nice big shelter with a roof that didn't leak! Most people decided to zero today. I don't blame them. It was super windy (when we arrived yesterday afternoon, the wind was blowing up through cracks in the floorboards and making empty sleeping bags look like they were breathing) and the forecast called for more bad weather. We had reservations at the Mountain Harbour so we pushed on.
It was K-R-A-Z-Y WINDY! Seriously! The strongest winds I'd ever been in. 70 mph gusts maybe? It was literally blowing us off the trail. I had to stop often to brace myself so I wouldn't fall over. When it would die down I'd run up the trail. It was exhausting but kind of fun. I'm lucky the two people I was hiking with found it equally fun. Attitude is everything out here. At least it wasn't lightning or even raining when we went over the balds.
We saw another eft and a really fast salamander. There were also giant worms on the trail. Nasty! My knees felt great and I was moving fast on the downhills. We made it to the highway around 12:45. There was litter everywhere and we had to walk next to traffic to get to the B&B. It was a pretty short 0.3 mile walk to Mountain Harbour. It's a cute house with a barn (the hostel), lots of dogs, a couple of goats, and some horses. Longhorn was there when we got there. He's zeroing there today. A few of our other friends were there too. Bluebird, Wing It, and I grabbed three twin beds in the loft. Getting up and down that ladder is tough on sore legs!
I walked up to the main house to make some phone calls. They had five dogs, including a Boston Terrier! I fell in love! Rosie is such a cutie. I called Mom and Heather. Then I showered and we had the caretaker, Vagabond, do our laundry. Vagabond thru-hiked last year. She's a grandmother with a shaved white head except for some bangs in the front. She maintains the hostel.
We took the free 5:00 shuttle to town to resupply and eat dinner. I ordered a salad at Bob's Dairyland and waited on it for about 30 minutes. I went up to the counter to ask about it and they said it would be right out. They brought out Wing It's salad and I waited 10 more minutes. I went up again and they said they were going as fast as they could. Ten minutes later, Wing It went in to inquire. He found out they lost my ticket! Grrr. I ended up having to get my meal to go. Not cool. Oh well. At least I still got to eat.
Back at the hostel we got to watch my favorite movie of all time, Apollo 13. Now we have a plan to watch as many Tom Hanks movies as we can out here since we watched Turner & Hooch in Erwin. I realized looking at the movie box (VHS) that Apollo 13 has been my favorite movie for 19 years. Apparently I find something I like and stick with it. :-) Longhorn made a beer run so we enjoyed those, popcorn, cherry tomatoes, Sour Patch kids, and other random foods while we watched the movie. We started my second favorite movie, Jurassic Park, but people wanted to go to sleep so we turned it off early.
It hasn't rained all day but it's 11:04 p.m. and the winds are starting to howl. We didn't need to zero today, but I'm glad we did!
Best Thing: My favorite movies, Boston Terrier kisses, and relaxing with some of my favorite trail people.
Looking Forward To: Hitting the 400 miles mark tomorrow!
There was a big thunderstorm last night. I'm so glad we were in such a nice big shelter with a roof that didn't leak! Most people decided to zero today. I don't blame them. It was super windy (when we arrived yesterday afternoon, the wind was blowing up through cracks in the floorboards and making empty sleeping bags look like they were breathing) and the forecast called for more bad weather. We had reservations at the Mountain Harbour so we pushed on.
It was K-R-A-Z-Y WINDY! Seriously! The strongest winds I'd ever been in. 70 mph gusts maybe? It was literally blowing us off the trail. I had to stop often to brace myself so I wouldn't fall over. When it would die down I'd run up the trail. It was exhausting but kind of fun. I'm lucky the two people I was hiking with found it equally fun. Attitude is everything out here. At least it wasn't lightning or even raining when we went over the balds.
We saw another eft and a really fast salamander. There were also giant worms on the trail. Nasty! My knees felt great and I was moving fast on the downhills. We made it to the highway around 12:45. There was litter everywhere and we had to walk next to traffic to get to the B&B. It was a pretty short 0.3 mile walk to Mountain Harbour. It's a cute house with a barn (the hostel), lots of dogs, a couple of goats, and some horses. Longhorn was there when we got there. He's zeroing there today. A few of our other friends were there too. Bluebird, Wing It, and I grabbed three twin beds in the loft. Getting up and down that ladder is tough on sore legs!
I walked up to the main house to make some phone calls. They had five dogs, including a Boston Terrier! I fell in love! Rosie is such a cutie. I called Mom and Heather. Then I showered and we had the caretaker, Vagabond, do our laundry. Vagabond thru-hiked last year. She's a grandmother with a shaved white head except for some bangs in the front. She maintains the hostel.
We took the free 5:00 shuttle to town to resupply and eat dinner. I ordered a salad at Bob's Dairyland and waited on it for about 30 minutes. I went up to the counter to ask about it and they said it would be right out. They brought out Wing It's salad and I waited 10 more minutes. I went up again and they said they were going as fast as they could. Ten minutes later, Wing It went in to inquire. He found out they lost my ticket! Grrr. I ended up having to get my meal to go. Not cool. Oh well. At least I still got to eat.
Back at the hostel we got to watch my favorite movie of all time, Apollo 13. Now we have a plan to watch as many Tom Hanks movies as we can out here since we watched Turner & Hooch in Erwin. I realized looking at the movie box (VHS) that Apollo 13 has been my favorite movie for 19 years. Apparently I find something I like and stick with it. :-) Longhorn made a beer run so we enjoyed those, popcorn, cherry tomatoes, Sour Patch kids, and other random foods while we watched the movie. We started my second favorite movie, Jurassic Park, but people wanted to go to sleep so we turned it off early.
It hasn't rained all day but it's 11:04 p.m. and the winds are starting to howl. We didn't need to zero today, but I'm glad we did!
Best Thing: My favorite movies, Boston Terrier kisses, and relaxing with some of my favorite trail people.
Looking Forward To: Hitting the 400 miles mark tomorrow!
Day #38 - Caught a Snake!
Miles: 15.0 to Overmountain Shelter
Today was all about beating the storm. We heard thunderstorms were supposed to roll in late afternoon so we had extra motivation to push big miles early. It was lots of uphill but I don't mind that. We saw an eft (salamander) on the trail! Got a great pic. I've been looking for those the whole trip because I've seen them in other hikers' blogs.
It was very windy today. Lots of switchbacks up Roan Mountain made the hike easier. I managed to catch a garter snake but I was alone so I held it waiting for Wing It and his camera to catch up. He didn't show up for a while and the snake decided to latch onto my thumb. I decided to let it go. Wing It caught up right when I was wiping up the blood. When I catch a snake I expect it to bite me, so I was unphased. Wing It seemed a bit concerned.
The summit was pretty unremarkable. Wing It and I went down to the parking lot to check out the bathrooms but it turns out they were locked. Boo! I peed behind them anyway. We also threw away our trash. Then we made the short hike up a tricky path to Roan High Knob Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT. It was a cute little 2-story log cabin in a spruce forest. Still no rain.
We hiked on to the second shelter to prop up our feet for a minute or two. We had just crossed two balds and very rocky trails. We finally made it to Overmountain Shelter, a converted old barn with huge capacity! We are staying upstairs. I took a photo from my seat on the privy. Tee hee.
The storm blew through right after I got water with Squirrel. It was heavy but brief. Sadly, Squirrel's dog Zima knocked over Bluebird's dinner. Squirrel was super apologetic and offered Bluebird some of her food. That's just one of many reasons dogs aren't the best idea on the trail. I love dogs, but unless they are always on a leash they are probably going to accidentally do things to annoy people.
The rest of the crew still hasn't caught up. I'm guessing they might be at the Roan shelter. We're headed for a night at Mountain Harbour B&B/Hiker Hostel in Roan Mt, TN. It's supposed to rain the next few days so it will be nice to have a dry place to stay.
Best Thing: Seeing an eft and catching a snake.
Looking Forward To: Seeing the "massive stone wall" listed in the guidebook and getting to town.
Today was all about beating the storm. We heard thunderstorms were supposed to roll in late afternoon so we had extra motivation to push big miles early. It was lots of uphill but I don't mind that. We saw an eft (salamander) on the trail! Got a great pic. I've been looking for those the whole trip because I've seen them in other hikers' blogs.
It was very windy today. Lots of switchbacks up Roan Mountain made the hike easier. I managed to catch a garter snake but I was alone so I held it waiting for Wing It and his camera to catch up. He didn't show up for a while and the snake decided to latch onto my thumb. I decided to let it go. Wing It caught up right when I was wiping up the blood. When I catch a snake I expect it to bite me, so I was unphased. Wing It seemed a bit concerned.
The summit was pretty unremarkable. Wing It and I went down to the parking lot to check out the bathrooms but it turns out they were locked. Boo! I peed behind them anyway. We also threw away our trash. Then we made the short hike up a tricky path to Roan High Knob Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT. It was a cute little 2-story log cabin in a spruce forest. Still no rain.
We hiked on to the second shelter to prop up our feet for a minute or two. We had just crossed two balds and very rocky trails. We finally made it to Overmountain Shelter, a converted old barn with huge capacity! We are staying upstairs. I took a photo from my seat on the privy. Tee hee.
The storm blew through right after I got water with Squirrel. It was heavy but brief. Sadly, Squirrel's dog Zima knocked over Bluebird's dinner. Squirrel was super apologetic and offered Bluebird some of her food. That's just one of many reasons dogs aren't the best idea on the trail. I love dogs, but unless they are always on a leash they are probably going to accidentally do things to annoy people.
The rest of the crew still hasn't caught up. I'm guessing they might be at the Roan shelter. We're headed for a night at Mountain Harbour B&B/Hiker Hostel in Roan Mt, TN. It's supposed to rain the next few days so it will be nice to have a dry place to stay.
Best Thing: Seeing an eft and catching a snake.
Looking Forward To: Seeing the "massive stone wall" listed in the guidebook and getting to town.
Day #37 - Snakes and Cat Holes
Miles: 17.8 to Clyde Smith Shelter
Another long day! It's already after 8:00 and I'm tired so I'll try to hit the highlights. Early in the day Wing It was walking in front of me when he suddenly tripped/jumped and gasped/shouted. It was very weird and I couldn't figure out what the heck he was doing. Turned out he stepped on a snake on the trail! It crawled over to a tree where I was able to ID it as a harmless garter snake. About 60-90 seconds later, he stepped over another, smaller garter snake but didn't notice. I tried to catch it but my pack tried to come over my head and knocked me off balance. It would have left me smelling like musk anyway.
We climbed a steep up to Unaka Mountain. Saw a bunny on the way. There was a spruce forest at the top of the mountain where we stopped for lunch. It was so nice and cool up there! We actually got a bit chilly even though we had been sweating just moments before. The ground was covered in pine needles, making a great, soft path for hiking. I love the tiny pine cones! I was tempted to grab some but didn't want to carry the extra weight in my pack.
We ate second lunch at the Cherry Gap Shelter. Longhorn, The Family, and some others were there. Longhorn, Cartwheel, and I went down to the spring to refill our water. Longhorn asked Cartwheel to do a cartwheel and she did. She's so cute! She stayed with me while I washed my shirt in the spring. She said her mom had the same sports bra as me. Ha ha. I had tried to wait til she went back to the shelter to take off my shirt but when she stuck around I told her, "It's just us girls," and went ahead and washed it. Someone nearby was collecting ramps, which I guess are kind of like wild onions. I was tempted to try some but we had to keep moving. It inspired Cartwheel and Robin Hood to request a salad for dinner later that night. It looked good! I think it contained the leaves from trout lillies, violets, and ramps. Mmmmmm.
Former thru hikers and their pitbull were hanging out at the lunch shelter. Everything was fine until the dog nipped Robin Hood when he reached down to pet her. The owner took the dog behind the shelter and started beating it. It was awful. Wing It said something to the owner and I grabbed my pack and left as quickly as I could. The Family felt awful about it. Robin Hood didn't get hurt, but it did scare him a bit.
I hiked fast and strong after that. I don't use my brace often anymore. We got trail magic at Iron Mountain Gap! I grabbed a soda and crossed the road, then realized there was food too! I ran back across the street to grab some Swiss Rolls while the kids dug through the cooler. Yum!
We FINALLY made it to the shelter for the evening. I have hot spots on my heels. Don't know why I'm getting them now after being out here for 37 days with no problems. I'll need to tape them tomorrow. Blacksmith isn't here. Apparently he's trying to catch up with one of the German Girls. The other is now off the trail. He's pink blazing (chasing girls) again even though they hid from him and told him they wanted to hiked alone.
BIG NEWS! I pooped in the woods for the first time! It wasn't so bad. It's just hard to find a private spot. Privies are rare in this stretch, so I dug a hole in some duff (leaves) behind a log. No big deal. Yay! I feel like I'm a real thru-hiker now. We have access to flush toilets and privies tomorrow though. I definitely prefer that.
We are trying to get up and over Roan Mountain by noon tomorrow to beat a storm. Planning to stay in Overmountain Shelter, an old converted barn. Better hit the sack!
Best Thing: SNAKES and digging my first cat hole.
Looking Forward To: Overmountain Shelter tomorrow.
Another long day! It's already after 8:00 and I'm tired so I'll try to hit the highlights. Early in the day Wing It was walking in front of me when he suddenly tripped/jumped and gasped/shouted. It was very weird and I couldn't figure out what the heck he was doing. Turned out he stepped on a snake on the trail! It crawled over to a tree where I was able to ID it as a harmless garter snake. About 60-90 seconds later, he stepped over another, smaller garter snake but didn't notice. I tried to catch it but my pack tried to come over my head and knocked me off balance. It would have left me smelling like musk anyway.
We climbed a steep up to Unaka Mountain. Saw a bunny on the way. There was a spruce forest at the top of the mountain where we stopped for lunch. It was so nice and cool up there! We actually got a bit chilly even though we had been sweating just moments before. The ground was covered in pine needles, making a great, soft path for hiking. I love the tiny pine cones! I was tempted to grab some but didn't want to carry the extra weight in my pack.
We ate second lunch at the Cherry Gap Shelter. Longhorn, The Family, and some others were there. Longhorn, Cartwheel, and I went down to the spring to refill our water. Longhorn asked Cartwheel to do a cartwheel and she did. She's so cute! She stayed with me while I washed my shirt in the spring. She said her mom had the same sports bra as me. Ha ha. I had tried to wait til she went back to the shelter to take off my shirt but when she stuck around I told her, "It's just us girls," and went ahead and washed it. Someone nearby was collecting ramps, which I guess are kind of like wild onions. I was tempted to try some but we had to keep moving. It inspired Cartwheel and Robin Hood to request a salad for dinner later that night. It looked good! I think it contained the leaves from trout lillies, violets, and ramps. Mmmmmm.
Former thru hikers and their pitbull were hanging out at the lunch shelter. Everything was fine until the dog nipped Robin Hood when he reached down to pet her. The owner took the dog behind the shelter and started beating it. It was awful. Wing It said something to the owner and I grabbed my pack and left as quickly as I could. The Family felt awful about it. Robin Hood didn't get hurt, but it did scare him a bit.
I hiked fast and strong after that. I don't use my brace often anymore. We got trail magic at Iron Mountain Gap! I grabbed a soda and crossed the road, then realized there was food too! I ran back across the street to grab some Swiss Rolls while the kids dug through the cooler. Yum!
We FINALLY made it to the shelter for the evening. I have hot spots on my heels. Don't know why I'm getting them now after being out here for 37 days with no problems. I'll need to tape them tomorrow. Blacksmith isn't here. Apparently he's trying to catch up with one of the German Girls. The other is now off the trail. He's pink blazing (chasing girls) again even though they hid from him and told him they wanted to hiked alone.
BIG NEWS! I pooped in the woods for the first time! It wasn't so bad. It's just hard to find a private spot. Privies are rare in this stretch, so I dug a hole in some duff (leaves) behind a log. No big deal. Yay! I feel like I'm a real thru-hiker now. We have access to flush toilets and privies tomorrow though. I definitely prefer that.
We are trying to get up and over Roan Mountain by noon tomorrow to beat a storm. Planning to stay in Overmountain Shelter, an old converted barn. Better hit the sack!
Best Thing: SNAKES and digging my first cat hole.
Looking Forward To: Overmountain Shelter tomorrow.
Day #36 - The Family
Miles: 8.8 to Indian Grave Gap camp
It's almost 9:00 p.m. (LATE for a hiker), so I'll try to hit the highlights and be brief. I ate three donuts and a waffle in the hotel lobby for breakfast. Then we packed our gear and watched Turner & Hooch on TV. I'd never seen it before but I love Tom Hanks. I had to show Blacksmith which bottle in the shower was the shampoo. Last night he washed his hair with bar soap because he didn't notice either bottle of shampoo. Needless to say, his hair was a waxy mess. He was about to shampoo with my shave gel before I corrected him. Apparently he can't see anything without his glasses on.
We called Miss Janet to get a ride back to the trail but she got stuck behind an overturned vehicle and didn't show up for over 2.5 hours. While we waited, I ordered a new pair of shorts from Mountain Hardware. I'm trying to get them shipping to the post office. We'll see if they can do that. We finally caught a ride with the Uncle Johnny's shuttle, but we ended up getting a much later start on the day than we had anticipated. We saw Little Foot at Uncle Johnny's. He has poison ivy all over his face and legs, so he's taking a zero. Smart move! Poor kid.
It was hot today! We took a break at a stream and I ate the leftover pizza I packed out from last night. We saw two deer and a rabbit while hiking today. When we stopped later at Curly Maple Gap Shelter, we found True Story and Wiki there! Long lost friends! They are waiting there for the rest of the group to catch up.
We stopped today at Indian Grave Gap, a campsite just before a road. I ran down to the road (sans pack) to try to spy the water source and noticed a trail magic vehicle packing up. Doh! We just missed it. Blacksmith decided to hike on without us, but we stayed at the campsite. I found some sort of animal skull by my tent site and packed one of the jaw bones into my cooking pot. I'll carry it with me until I can send it home with my parents at Trail Days. It's funny what some people are willing to sacrifice ounces for. Longhorn showed up and decided to camp with us. Then the Kallin family (www.kallinfamily.com) joined us. The parents thru-hiked southbound when they got out of college 12 years ago and now they are hiking with their 9-year-old boy (Robin Hood), 7-year-old girl (Cartwheel), and dog Orion. Those kids are adorable and so fun to have around! They get along great and seem to love hiking. They hike even bigger miles than we do! Robin Hood broke logs so that we could have a fire tonight. For such a scrawny kid, they sure are feisty!
We walked down to the road to filter water. There was trash everywhere, but we found a good spot. I feel like a hobo so often out here. I've come to prefer spring water over water out of a faucet though. It tastes much better, even if it does sometimes have dirt or floating debris in it.
Cartwheel started telling us about animals they've seen on the trail, including a donkey! It was just wandering down the trail by itself. They also talked about a pet rooster they used to have that was really aggressive. While Cartwheel was talking, Robin Hood slipped in, "Then Grandpa slit his throat." Kids say the darnedest things! We giggled to ourselves at how casually he slipped in such a morbid comment but continued to listen to their stories. It's great having them around, but they hike so fast that I'm sure they won't be around us for long. Today was also our biggest mileage day ever! So many great things today!
Best Thing: Talking with Cartwheel and Robin Hood and finding a skull.
Looking Forward To: Nice weather tomorrow and our highest mileage day yet!
It's almost 9:00 p.m. (LATE for a hiker), so I'll try to hit the highlights and be brief. I ate three donuts and a waffle in the hotel lobby for breakfast. Then we packed our gear and watched Turner & Hooch on TV. I'd never seen it before but I love Tom Hanks. I had to show Blacksmith which bottle in the shower was the shampoo. Last night he washed his hair with bar soap because he didn't notice either bottle of shampoo. Needless to say, his hair was a waxy mess. He was about to shampoo with my shave gel before I corrected him. Apparently he can't see anything without his glasses on.
We called Miss Janet to get a ride back to the trail but she got stuck behind an overturned vehicle and didn't show up for over 2.5 hours. While we waited, I ordered a new pair of shorts from Mountain Hardware. I'm trying to get them shipping to the post office. We'll see if they can do that. We finally caught a ride with the Uncle Johnny's shuttle, but we ended up getting a much later start on the day than we had anticipated. We saw Little Foot at Uncle Johnny's. He has poison ivy all over his face and legs, so he's taking a zero. Smart move! Poor kid.
It was hot today! We took a break at a stream and I ate the leftover pizza I packed out from last night. We saw two deer and a rabbit while hiking today. When we stopped later at Curly Maple Gap Shelter, we found True Story and Wiki there! Long lost friends! They are waiting there for the rest of the group to catch up.
We stopped today at Indian Grave Gap, a campsite just before a road. I ran down to the road (sans pack) to try to spy the water source and noticed a trail magic vehicle packing up. Doh! We just missed it. Blacksmith decided to hike on without us, but we stayed at the campsite. I found some sort of animal skull by my tent site and packed one of the jaw bones into my cooking pot. I'll carry it with me until I can send it home with my parents at Trail Days. It's funny what some people are willing to sacrifice ounces for. Longhorn showed up and decided to camp with us. Then the Kallin family (www.kallinfamily.com) joined us. The parents thru-hiked southbound when they got out of college 12 years ago and now they are hiking with their 9-year-old boy (Robin Hood), 7-year-old girl (Cartwheel), and dog Orion. Those kids are adorable and so fun to have around! They get along great and seem to love hiking. They hike even bigger miles than we do! Robin Hood broke logs so that we could have a fire tonight. For such a scrawny kid, they sure are feisty!
We walked down to the road to filter water. There was trash everywhere, but we found a good spot. I feel like a hobo so often out here. I've come to prefer spring water over water out of a faucet though. It tastes much better, even if it does sometimes have dirt or floating debris in it.
Cartwheel started telling us about animals they've seen on the trail, including a donkey! It was just wandering down the trail by itself. They also talked about a pet rooster they used to have that was really aggressive. While Cartwheel was talking, Robin Hood slipped in, "Then Grandpa slit his throat." Kids say the darnedest things! We giggled to ourselves at how casually he slipped in such a morbid comment but continued to listen to their stories. It's great having them around, but they hike so fast that I'm sure they won't be around us for long. Today was also our biggest mileage day ever! So many great things today!
Best Thing: Talking with Cartwheel and Robin Hood and finding a skull.
Looking Forward To: Nice weather tomorrow and our highest mileage day yet!
Day #35 - Erwin, TN
Miles: 10.7 to Erwin, TN
It started sprinkling around 5:00 a.m. We woke up early to beat it and get to town before noon. We left camp just after 7:00. There were lots of flat-ish uphills today, which was great for my legs. It rained lightly off and on and we were sweating, which made the decision of whether or not to wear a rain jacket difficult. It's such a pain to keep stopping, taking off your pack, and adding or removing layers. We passed a stone that said "Here lies Norovirus 2013." There was a huge outbreak of the stomach bug on the AT last year. Hikers share many things including food and drinks, bathrooms, sleeping areas, etc. and our hygiene is less than ideal. You can imagine how stuff could spread quickly out here, especially at shelters and hostels. As I write this post, there's Noro going around again. I had it earlier this year and am hoping not to catch it again. Time will tell. So far, no one I know has gotten sick. I think the outbreak is mainly behind us but we'll see what happens when everyone comes back together for Trail Days in mid-May.
We snacked at No Business Shelter. It's an unimpressive shelter with an ironic name. It's one of the first shelters since the Smokies that doesn't have a privy. We met an ex-military guy there named Chicken Hawk. He's from Georgia and was taking some time off to visit his wife.
I ended up jogging down most of the downhills today. I'm feeling much better! I've been weaning myself off my brace and it seems to be really helping. I have an impressive knee brace tan line though. We resupplied at Uncle Johnny's hostel at the edge of town. I bought more Aqua Mira. I'm so glad I opted to treat my water with Aqua Mira instead of a filter. I appreciated my friends letting me borrow their Sawyer Squeeze filters, but I couldn't stand them. Way too much time and effort involved, especially on the Sawyer Squeeze Mini. It felt like it took forever to get water out of that thing. I'll stick with my Aqua Mira until the water gets too gross, then maybe I'll switch to the original Sawyer Squeeze temporarily. I also resupplied on fuel, got more TP, and bought some 40 cent Snickers bars (Limit 2).
Outside the hostel, I got a chance to call the fam! They were just returning from a trip to Florida. Jealous! Soon, our shuttle showed up and took us to the Super 8. We exploded our packs (spread our wet, dirty gear all over the room), then walked into town to run errands. Erwin is a big town to try to get around on foot! As soon as we left the hotel we got stuck behind a freight train and had to wait several minutes for it to cross the road into town. We walked for quite a while to get to the Mexican food restaurant at the far end of town. It was worth it though! Cheese enchiladas and a Dos XX amber. Felt a bit like home. I laughed that the menu had descriptions and pronunciation guides for the dishes. I'm not in Texas anymore!
We resupplied at the Dollar General. It was a good one! Also stopped by the laundromat to wash our things. Wearing a rain suit during laundry time is kind of uncomfortable but having clean clothes is worth it! I also bought some hair dye and shave gel at Walgreens. Even though I'm out in the woods I still like to be a little girly sometimes. I feel like a new woman now! For the time being at least...
We ordered Pizza Hut delivery to our room so I'm stuffed now. We're just chilling watching movies on the TV. It's been a good day! Time to sleep now.
Best Thing: Beautiful views and legs that are improving.
Looking Forward To: Getting back on the trail tomorrow.
It started sprinkling around 5:00 a.m. We woke up early to beat it and get to town before noon. We left camp just after 7:00. There were lots of flat-ish uphills today, which was great for my legs. It rained lightly off and on and we were sweating, which made the decision of whether or not to wear a rain jacket difficult. It's such a pain to keep stopping, taking off your pack, and adding or removing layers. We passed a stone that said "Here lies Norovirus 2013." There was a huge outbreak of the stomach bug on the AT last year. Hikers share many things including food and drinks, bathrooms, sleeping areas, etc. and our hygiene is less than ideal. You can imagine how stuff could spread quickly out here, especially at shelters and hostels. As I write this post, there's Noro going around again. I had it earlier this year and am hoping not to catch it again. Time will tell. So far, no one I know has gotten sick. I think the outbreak is mainly behind us but we'll see what happens when everyone comes back together for Trail Days in mid-May.
We snacked at No Business Shelter. It's an unimpressive shelter with an ironic name. It's one of the first shelters since the Smokies that doesn't have a privy. We met an ex-military guy there named Chicken Hawk. He's from Georgia and was taking some time off to visit his wife.
I ended up jogging down most of the downhills today. I'm feeling much better! I've been weaning myself off my brace and it seems to be really helping. I have an impressive knee brace tan line though. We resupplied at Uncle Johnny's hostel at the edge of town. I bought more Aqua Mira. I'm so glad I opted to treat my water with Aqua Mira instead of a filter. I appreciated my friends letting me borrow their Sawyer Squeeze filters, but I couldn't stand them. Way too much time and effort involved, especially on the Sawyer Squeeze Mini. It felt like it took forever to get water out of that thing. I'll stick with my Aqua Mira until the water gets too gross, then maybe I'll switch to the original Sawyer Squeeze temporarily. I also resupplied on fuel, got more TP, and bought some 40 cent Snickers bars (Limit 2).
Outside the hostel, I got a chance to call the fam! They were just returning from a trip to Florida. Jealous! Soon, our shuttle showed up and took us to the Super 8. We exploded our packs (spread our wet, dirty gear all over the room), then walked into town to run errands. Erwin is a big town to try to get around on foot! As soon as we left the hotel we got stuck behind a freight train and had to wait several minutes for it to cross the road into town. We walked for quite a while to get to the Mexican food restaurant at the far end of town. It was worth it though! Cheese enchiladas and a Dos XX amber. Felt a bit like home. I laughed that the menu had descriptions and pronunciation guides for the dishes. I'm not in Texas anymore!
We resupplied at the Dollar General. It was a good one! Also stopped by the laundromat to wash our things. Wearing a rain suit during laundry time is kind of uncomfortable but having clean clothes is worth it! I also bought some hair dye and shave gel at Walgreens. Even though I'm out in the woods I still like to be a little girly sometimes. I feel like a new woman now! For the time being at least...
We ordered Pizza Hut delivery to our room so I'm stuffed now. We're just chilling watching movies on the TV. It's been a good day! Time to sleep now.
Best Thing: Beautiful views and legs that are improving.
Looking Forward To: Getting back on the trail tomorrow.
Day #34 - Life is Good
Miles: 15.8 to Spivy Gap
I can't believe I'm actually out here doing this! Over 330 miles down! It's everything I thought it would be. Meeting great people, learning just how much my mind and body are capable of. Physically, it's more punishing (although not harder) than I thought it would be. I didn't expect my body to take the daily impact so hard. I don't miss much from the "real world." Perhaps a pillow, but as gross as it is, I've gotten used to going up to a week without a shower. I'm used to using a privy and peeing in the woods. Life is actually pretty great out here, although I would never recommend someone do this unless it's really in their heart. It's just too tough to not be enjoying it.
Today was big mileage but not too terribly bad. The ups were pretty gentle and I flew up the mountain. We passed through lots of pretty, fragrant carpets of flowers. My legs felt pretty good. I hiked the majority of the day without my brace, which actually seems to be helping it feel better. Big Bald had spectacular views! I met a girl named Squirrel and her dog Zima. They are from Wisconsin. We are all camping next to a creek by a road with my group, Cape (a guy from Houston), and Business Time (named after the Flight of the Conchords song!!!). I'm so tired, so this will be a short post. Time for bed!
Best Thing: The views on Big Bald and my legs feeling sore but strong.
Looking Forward To: Mexican food in Erwin.
I can't believe I'm actually out here doing this! Over 330 miles down! It's everything I thought it would be. Meeting great people, learning just how much my mind and body are capable of. Physically, it's more punishing (although not harder) than I thought it would be. I didn't expect my body to take the daily impact so hard. I don't miss much from the "real world." Perhaps a pillow, but as gross as it is, I've gotten used to going up to a week without a shower. I'm used to using a privy and peeing in the woods. Life is actually pretty great out here, although I would never recommend someone do this unless it's really in their heart. It's just too tough to not be enjoying it.
Today was big mileage but not too terribly bad. The ups were pretty gentle and I flew up the mountain. We passed through lots of pretty, fragrant carpets of flowers. My legs felt pretty good. I hiked the majority of the day without my brace, which actually seems to be helping it feel better. Big Bald had spectacular views! I met a girl named Squirrel and her dog Zima. They are from Wisconsin. We are all camping next to a creek by a road with my group, Cape (a guy from Houston), and Business Time (named after the Flight of the Conchords song!!!). I'm so tired, so this will be a short post. Time for bed!
Best Thing: The views on Big Bald and my legs feeling sore but strong.
Looking Forward To: Mexican food in Erwin.
Day #33 - Open Sesame
Miles: 14.7 to Hogback Ridge Shelter
It was cold and everything was really damp with condensation when we woke up this morning. I tried to shake the moisture from my rain fly and hung it outside my pack to dry as I hiked today. I packed my pack differently today, putting my clothes and sleeping bag at the bottom to help things fit a bit better. That seems to be working better than when I had my tent at the bottom.
The hike was really nice today and overall pretty flat. Early in the day I noticed a folded note on a log by the trail that said "Open Sesame." I couldn't resist so I opened it. It was a mixture of stuff about 4/20 and Easter and included several Bible verses. It also said, "You rock. You are beautiful. It's okay to be messy. You are loved." I thought that was neat. I folded the note back up and put it back on the log for the next person to find.
We made it to Big Butt Mountain! It wasn't as spectacular as I had expected. There was just a bit of exposed rock to climb up above the trees, but the view were good! I took a photo of Bear Bag and Wing It at the top.
Later in the day we had a long road walk on a flat dirt road. It was a wonderful treat. We were surrounding by flowering meadows on all sides. Spring is definitely starting to show its face. We lunched at Flint Mountain Shelter and hung our gear on trees and the bear cables to dry. I played "Gimme Shelter" and "Baby Got Back" for Bluebird and Wing It in honor of the day.
Soon after lunch, Jersey Girl's husband met us at a road crossing for trail magic. I had Yuenling! Yum!
I also crossed my first stile, a type of bridge that allows hikers to walk over fences. Stylez on a stile!
After the trail magic, the day felt long. It got hot, which makes hiking more uncomfortable. I walked with Kickapoo, a Nordic ski instructor from Colorado, for a bit. She has great positive energy and is fun to be around. We crossed beautiful streams and waterfalls today.
My hiker appetite is definitely back! I've been eating so many snacks. You'd be horrified to know what I eat out here. Let's just say it's probably 50% sugar and 50% saturated fat. My weight is holding steady though. I'll never be able to eat like this again, so I'm taking full advantage of it.
When we finally made it to the shelter for the evening, I set up my tent and hung my sleeping bag on a tree to dry out. It got slightly damp last night. I went to the privy and was warned that there was a 6-inch gap by your feet that could cause you to step in the fecal cone (poo pile). I didn't step in it, but my TP did roll into it. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luckily, I still had one end in my hand, so I was able to reach down and tear off the uncontaminated portion. I trudged back to our campsite and shared the bad news. Luckily, Wing It had a spare mini roll that he gave to me. Stupid privy!
Best Thing: Drying my gear and having great weather, flat terrain, and views!
Looking Forward To: Our last full day of hiking before a town day.
It was cold and everything was really damp with condensation when we woke up this morning. I tried to shake the moisture from my rain fly and hung it outside my pack to dry as I hiked today. I packed my pack differently today, putting my clothes and sleeping bag at the bottom to help things fit a bit better. That seems to be working better than when I had my tent at the bottom.
The hike was really nice today and overall pretty flat. Early in the day I noticed a folded note on a log by the trail that said "Open Sesame." I couldn't resist so I opened it. It was a mixture of stuff about 4/20 and Easter and included several Bible verses. It also said, "You rock. You are beautiful. It's okay to be messy. You are loved." I thought that was neat. I folded the note back up and put it back on the log for the next person to find.
We made it to Big Butt Mountain! It wasn't as spectacular as I had expected. There was just a bit of exposed rock to climb up above the trees, but the view were good! I took a photo of Bear Bag and Wing It at the top.
Later in the day we had a long road walk on a flat dirt road. It was a wonderful treat. We were surrounding by flowering meadows on all sides. Spring is definitely starting to show its face. We lunched at Flint Mountain Shelter and hung our gear on trees and the bear cables to dry. I played "Gimme Shelter" and "Baby Got Back" for Bluebird and Wing It in honor of the day.
Soon after lunch, Jersey Girl's husband met us at a road crossing for trail magic. I had Yuenling! Yum!
I also crossed my first stile, a type of bridge that allows hikers to walk over fences. Stylez on a stile!
After the trail magic, the day felt long. It got hot, which makes hiking more uncomfortable. I walked with Kickapoo, a Nordic ski instructor from Colorado, for a bit. She has great positive energy and is fun to be around. We crossed beautiful streams and waterfalls today.
My hiker appetite is definitely back! I've been eating so many snacks. You'd be horrified to know what I eat out here. Let's just say it's probably 50% sugar and 50% saturated fat. My weight is holding steady though. I'll never be able to eat like this again, so I'm taking full advantage of it.
When we finally made it to the shelter for the evening, I set up my tent and hung my sleeping bag on a tree to dry out. It got slightly damp last night. I went to the privy and was warned that there was a 6-inch gap by your feet that could cause you to step in the fecal cone (poo pile). I didn't step in it, but my TP did roll into it. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luckily, I still had one end in my hand, so I was able to reach down and tear off the uncontaminated portion. I trudged back to our campsite and shared the bad news. Luckily, Wing It had a spare mini roll that he gave to me. Stupid privy!
Best Thing: Drying my gear and having great weather, flat terrain, and views!
Looking Forward To: Our last full day of hiking before a town day.
Day #32 - Rocky and Strenuous
Miles: 15.4 to Jerry Cabin Shelter
Today was a long day! We hiked 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Most of the hike wasn't too steep. It did rain off and on, but luckily there were no thunderstorms. Woohoo! I'm dreading hiking in a storm. It was hard to decide whether or not to wear a rain jacket because it's hot! It's either get wet from the rain or get wet from your sweat. Tough call sometimes.
I hiked with Blacksmith, Wing It, and Bluebird today. We had some fun conversations that helped the hours passed.We were talked about Jurassic Park, one of my favorite movies, and I found out that Bluebird doesn't think dinosaurs are extinct. She has this irrational fear that they live on an island and will one day take over. Haha! She still likes Jurassic Park though. We talked about 9/11 and all sorts of things. We lunched at Little Laurel Shelter, where I ran out of Aqua Mira. I should have checked it in Hot Springs but forgot to. That's how I treat my water, so now I need to rely on my friends' Sawyer Squeezes until I can get more in a few days.
We passed through a part of the trail that the guidebook described as "rocky and strenuous." It seemed easy at first but then we started walking the ridgeline and had a lot of rock scrambling to do. Blacksmith ended up slipping sideways and bruising his arm. It was tough but we made it through. Unfortunately, we weren't rewarded with any views because the clouds had closed in. After the strenuous section I decided we should take a break and dropped my pack. Just then I noticed a salamander on the tree next to my pack. Woohoo!
We set up our tents at Jerry Cabin. There are lots of people here! Every time we get close to a shelter, I get "Gimme Shelter" by Grand Funk Railroad stuck in my head. I didn't even realize I knew that song, but it gets stuck in my head several times a day. I sat in my tent and cooked in my vestibule so I wouldn't get too wet. My hiker appetite is making a comeback! I am carrying 5 days of food even though there are only about 3 days until our next resupply. Oops! Makes for a very heavy pack.
Best Thing: Knocking out a big day with hiking buddies.
Looking Forward To: Big Butt Mountain!
Today was a long day! We hiked 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Most of the hike wasn't too steep. It did rain off and on, but luckily there were no thunderstorms. Woohoo! I'm dreading hiking in a storm. It was hard to decide whether or not to wear a rain jacket because it's hot! It's either get wet from the rain or get wet from your sweat. Tough call sometimes.
I hiked with Blacksmith, Wing It, and Bluebird today. We had some fun conversations that helped the hours passed.We were talked about Jurassic Park, one of my favorite movies, and I found out that Bluebird doesn't think dinosaurs are extinct. She has this irrational fear that they live on an island and will one day take over. Haha! She still likes Jurassic Park though. We talked about 9/11 and all sorts of things. We lunched at Little Laurel Shelter, where I ran out of Aqua Mira. I should have checked it in Hot Springs but forgot to. That's how I treat my water, so now I need to rely on my friends' Sawyer Squeezes until I can get more in a few days.
We passed through a part of the trail that the guidebook described as "rocky and strenuous." It seemed easy at first but then we started walking the ridgeline and had a lot of rock scrambling to do. Blacksmith ended up slipping sideways and bruising his arm. It was tough but we made it through. Unfortunately, we weren't rewarded with any views because the clouds had closed in. After the strenuous section I decided we should take a break and dropped my pack. Just then I noticed a salamander on the tree next to my pack. Woohoo!
We set up our tents at Jerry Cabin. There are lots of people here! Every time we get close to a shelter, I get "Gimme Shelter" by Grand Funk Railroad stuck in my head. I didn't even realize I knew that song, but it gets stuck in my head several times a day. I sat in my tent and cooked in my vestibule so I wouldn't get too wet. My hiker appetite is making a comeback! I am carrying 5 days of food even though there are only about 3 days until our next resupply. Oops! Makes for a very heavy pack.
Best Thing: Knocking out a big day with hiking buddies.
Looking Forward To: Big Butt Mountain!
Day #31 - Shitter's Full
I'm in Damascus, VA right now in a library typing on a computer! Should be able to crank out a bunch of posts really quickly! I haven't been on a computer in 44 days. Such a luxury. Anyway, back to the blog....
Miles: 11 to Spring Mountain Shelter
I feel a million times better today. I talked to some people here at the shelter and they lost their hiker appetites in town too. That happened fast! I hiked alone most of the day today which gave me so many opportunities to meet new people. After paying Jess at Elmer's, getting my AT passport stamped, and signing the guest book, I walked through town. I used the free WiFi outside the outfitter (Have I mentioned ATT pretty much never has service on the south part of the AT?), ate breakfast on the bench, then set out. Lotus, a girl from GA, was walking out too so we left together. We both missed the turnoff for the trail and had to backtrack to find it. After we hopped the guardrail next to the bridge we were back on track. I passed so many people camping "down by the river." Made me think of that Chris Farley SNL skit. They definitely were flirting with hobo as opposed to NOBO status. It's a fine line...
I took things slow today to regain my trail legs. It was hot and my pack weighed a ton. I took many breaks to rest and cool down. I met Outback and Mocha from Chicago. I think they are a father/daughter team but didn't ask. I also met a guy named Tuna and a girl named Meticulous. They were slackpacking, which means someone else shuttled most of their gear from point A to point B and they just carried small packs with daily essentials. So jealous!
Part of the trail had been part of a controlled burn. I saw my first reptile, a skink! Passed a few gravestones. May or may not have stopped for a break on a grave. I couldn't tell but was tired and hungry and didn't particularly care one way or the other.
It seemed to take a long time to get to the shelter. That last mile or so always seems longer than the rest. The shelter is small and not great so I pitched my tent nearby. The shitter was full. I wrote that National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation quote in the shelter register. My sister would be proud! But seriously, the privy was just inches from overflowing but I did not feel like digging a cathole so I used it anyway. Gross! I later found out that when Tigger passed through she "knocked down the fecal cone." You go girl! The trail community thanks you. That's a shitty job.
Most of my friends still hadn't showed up to the shelter hours later. Who knows where they are. Isn't Black, an older man from Germany who I met at Elmer's, made a small fire that I'm sitting next to at the moment. It's a 15 mile day to the shelter tomorrow. It's supposed to rain in the morning and storm in the afternoon. Hopefully it won't be too bad.
Best Thing: Meeting new people and hiking again.
Looking Forward To: Getting closer to Katahdin!
Miles: 11 to Spring Mountain Shelter
I feel a million times better today. I talked to some people here at the shelter and they lost their hiker appetites in town too. That happened fast! I hiked alone most of the day today which gave me so many opportunities to meet new people. After paying Jess at Elmer's, getting my AT passport stamped, and signing the guest book, I walked through town. I used the free WiFi outside the outfitter (Have I mentioned ATT pretty much never has service on the south part of the AT?), ate breakfast on the bench, then set out. Lotus, a girl from GA, was walking out too so we left together. We both missed the turnoff for the trail and had to backtrack to find it. After we hopped the guardrail next to the bridge we were back on track. I passed so many people camping "down by the river." Made me think of that Chris Farley SNL skit. They definitely were flirting with hobo as opposed to NOBO status. It's a fine line...
I took things slow today to regain my trail legs. It was hot and my pack weighed a ton. I took many breaks to rest and cool down. I met Outback and Mocha from Chicago. I think they are a father/daughter team but didn't ask. I also met a guy named Tuna and a girl named Meticulous. They were slackpacking, which means someone else shuttled most of their gear from point A to point B and they just carried small packs with daily essentials. So jealous!
Part of the trail had been part of a controlled burn. I saw my first reptile, a skink! Passed a few gravestones. May or may not have stopped for a break on a grave. I couldn't tell but was tired and hungry and didn't particularly care one way or the other.
It seemed to take a long time to get to the shelter. That last mile or so always seems longer than the rest. The shelter is small and not great so I pitched my tent nearby. The shitter was full. I wrote that National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation quote in the shelter register. My sister would be proud! But seriously, the privy was just inches from overflowing but I did not feel like digging a cathole so I used it anyway. Gross! I later found out that when Tigger passed through she "knocked down the fecal cone." You go girl! The trail community thanks you. That's a shitty job.
Most of my friends still hadn't showed up to the shelter hours later. Who knows where they are. Isn't Black, an older man from Germany who I met at Elmer's, made a small fire that I'm sitting next to at the moment. It's a 15 mile day to the shelter tomorrow. It's supposed to rain in the morning and storm in the afternoon. Hopefully it won't be too bad.
Best Thing: Meeting new people and hiking again.
Looking Forward To: Getting closer to Katahdin!
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