AT Day 56

2014/5/26 Mile 999.1

Overnight a bear broke into the shed out back of the hostel and got into the garbage. It managed to break a wooden 2x2 braced across the door. Looks like Mike will need a stronger solution. I was surprised nobody woke up.

Long drive back to the trail and then started the short 14 mile hike to Bear's Den. A few miles in I encountered a sign reading: "Warning! You are about to enter the rollercoaster." According to my guide this is a 13.5 mile section with 10 ascents and descents. Fun.

Huge number of day hikers with their poorly behaved dogs and even worse children. To be fair they were usually courteous and I shouldn't be such a through hiker diva but I couldn't help being a little annoyed with them.

Very rocky hiking all day which I hear is going to be a trend. With the day pack rock hoping was super easy but with the full pack it will probably hurt my pace. Guess we will see.

Bear's Den is a really cool renovated stone building that the PATC operates as a hostel and campground. I got in around mid-afternoon and fiddled around on the internet until other hikers showed up. We got to use their big kitchen for prepping dinner and then hung around all evening watching movies and chatting. Had a big crowd with lots of hikers in for the night.

AT Day 55

2014/5/25 Mile 985.6

Made oatmeal in the microwave for breakfast. Wow. Forgot how fast boiling water could be.

Got on the first shuttle to Ashby Gap. Had a day's worth of food and my water filter in my daypack figuring it would be warm enough to skip the rain gear.

Saw 2 bears, a handful of rabbits, and some large vultures on the hike. I should probably stop counting bears, there are so many.

Ran into Ace and Mack again since I was hiking south. A few other familiar faces came through as well, but most of the activity was day hikers out for the holiday weekend.

Passed a neat shelter that had a front porch, picnic gazebo, and solar shower. Pretty fancy, but it makes sense for such a busy section of trail.

The last 4 or 5 miles passed along the National Zoological Park where endangered animals are bred. Apparently back in the day there would be rhinos and giraffes walking around in view of the trail.

Back at the hostel met Matterhorn and Jed who had come in while we were out. Cooked up some dinner and then kicked back and finished my book (Cyberstorm). Pretty good concept but I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It was cool that the last bit took place in the Shenandoah which I had just been hiking through.

Everyone rolled in later that night and Jed even drove some folks into town. I was fading fast so I ended up asleep before anyone got back. Figured someone would get me up if I slept in.

AT Day 53

2014/5/23 Mile 951.5

Cool morning but pleasant. Got to hiking and saw a bear about a mile in.

By 930 I was passing Skyland Lodge so I decided to pop in for a coffee. Ended up sitting down and having a second breakfast after checking out the menu and getting the WiFi password.

Back on the trail I met Walk Worthy at a road crossing. We hiked together just chatting about all sorts of things. Soon after we ran into Spiderman who WW knew.

I listened as they discussed some of the ins and outs of their faith. Both were well acquainted with the bible and quoted it continually in the discussion. Eventually we moved on to other topics and I learned WW ran a construction company and Spiderman was a newly graduated Physical Therapy Assistant.

We lost WW at a road crossing as he had to stop to call his friend who was coming to meet him. Spiderman and I continued on together and I found out he and his family live near Spartanburg, SC and he keeps bees. Looks like we a few things in common.

Had 3 more bear encounters over the hike and one was a mama and her cub bringing the total bear count for the day to 5. Also saw a non-coral snake (red meets black, you're OK Jack) and some deer.

Had a pre-dinner at Elkwallow Wayside and met Rugby, his dad Big Tex, and Sole Power. We were all heading to Gravel Springs Shelter so we didn't hang around too long.

At the shelter were tons of folks. Makes sense considering the fact that it was Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Lots of section hikers but good company and someone built a massive fire.

I hammocked in a little clear spot back in the woods instead of taking up space in the shelter.

AT Day 52

2014/5/22 Mile 924

Slept a little cold over night probably because I didn't put my pad in the hammock. Lesson learned.

Hike on my own to the Big Meadows Lodge. Wanted to get there early enough to shower and play around on the internet and it was about 20 miles out.

Uneventful hiking except for another bear encounter. He hung around a bit before scampering off. Also managed to startle some deer a little later.

Made it to the lodge by 1430 and walked the mile down to the wayside to have one of the highly acclaimed blackberry milkshakes. Pretty good but the price was a little steep.

Back at the lodge used the coin operated showers to get cleaned up and washed my socks and shirt while I was in there. Threw them in the dryer afterwards and it was almost like I had clean clothes!

The taproom at the lodge had internet and beer so I just hung out while I waited on the others. Eventually they showed up and we enjoyed a meal together before hiking the last 3 miles to the next shelter. Got to talk to Whiskey Bill about his engineering design project for school along the way which was neat.

Since we showed up late I just slept in the shelter. Not a big deal but there were lots of people in there which makes it noisy. Still managed to sleep just fine after a long day.

AT Day 54

2014/5/24 Mile 961.8

A short day of hiking but still managed to see 4 bears. 3 of them at once: a mother and two cubs.

Got to the Terrapin Station Hostel around 1100. Its basically a converted basement in a residential home that has a bunkroom, mini-kitchen, bathroom, and common area. The cool part is that it is less than half a mile from the trail right as it leaves Shenandoah National Park.

Took a shower and got some catch up blog posts written before others started showing up. People trickled in all afternoon.

Spiderman, Big Tex, Rugby, and I went into town for a grocery run and then dinner at Lucky Star (a British/American pub). Rugby and Spiderman went to see a movie while Big Tex and I hung out and talked.

Back at the hostel we organized our slack packing for the next two days. The plan is to do 23 miles tomorrow back to the hostel and then the change on up to Bears Den Hostel the day after. Yep, I'm definitely spoiling myself but having access to additional food is a huge incentive.

AT Day 50

2014/5/20 Mile 878

Breakfast at the hotel again and then Owl drove me up to the trail. Got walking by 850.

Had to register to enter the Shenandoah back country but there was no fee (in contrast to the Smokies). After entering the park all the signs changed from the carved wooden variety I had seen elsewhere on the trail to a cement post with a small metal bad around the top. The metal band had directions and distances for places of interest stamped on it. A picture will be taken at some point to explain this better.

Hiked all day with many small ups and downs but no large elevation changes. Got to Blackrock Shelter by 1600 so I had plenty of time to fiddle with the hammock before dinner.

Talked with some hikers doing a 50 mile section over dinner. Cools guys. They brought up that there might be a thunderstorm tonight so that will be a good test of the new gear. Retired early to catch up on writing posts and on my sleep. Hope this thing keeps me dry!

AT Day 51

2014/5/21 Mile 899.3

First one in camp awake. Looks like some folks came in after I had gone to bed. Packing up the hammock definitely took longer than the tent but that's probably because its the first time I've done it.

7 miles to the wayside went quick. Ran across a bear that didn't even budge when he saw me. Got some pictures and a video before heading on.

The wayside was only 0.6 miles off the trail so I decided to head down and get a second breakfast. Good choice. Got my grease, coffee, and phone charging fix all in one stop.

Got confused on the trail out and ended up retracing my steps for about a mile before running into another marker. Bad luck. However some good came of this: I met Mack and Ace and ended up hiking with them the rest of the day.

Their pace was around 2.5mph so it was comfortable and we could talk the whole time. Really interesting and good distraction from my shoes which are OK but the insoles awful. Need to buy new superfeet asap.

Ran into a stubborn rattlesnake that would not get out of the trail. Had to work our way around it off the trail through lots of brush. Definitely checked for ticks after that.

Got to our destination and met Whiskey Bill, Chamomile, and Collee (sp?). Everyone agreed we should check out the "taproom" at the lodge tomorrow so we will likely meet there for dinner.

Made dinner and got to try out the biscuits and gravy Backpackers Pantry meal that was left in the shelter. Most complicated prepacked meal ever and not all that great. A for effort though.

Back in the hammock tonight. No rain last night and probably none tonight but it got me out of the bugs. I could use some more practice with it anyway.

AT Day 47

2014/5/17 Mile 816

Around midnight last night a troop of boy scouts arrived at our campsite shining their flashlights everywhere and talking loudly while setting up. Real nice guys. I've never run into boy scouts with good trail etiquette.

Got up, packed, ate, and hit the trail before the inevitable craziness of scout breakfast could start. The hiking started with a long downhill and then leveled out. Had to make another wet stream crossing as all the waterways were swollen from the previous rain.

Got to the road into Buena Vista around 1045 and saw two hikers hoping out of a truck. I ran up to it as they were pulling out and asked if they were headed into town. They were. Jackpot.

Rode in the back all 10 miles in. They dropped me at the dollar store and I bought lunches and snacks for the next two days as well as my customary pint of whole chocolate milk.

Wandered down to the Blue Dog Art Cafe which was rumored to have a shuttle back to the trail at 1500. Confirmed the rumor and then proceeded to have a burger and then drink coffee all afternoon while charging the phone and using the WiFi.

Luckily the woman who runs the place, Blue Dog, decided to see if her husband would take me up early. He was up for it so I got a ride back (for free) and started hiking by 1430.

Flew up the big climb of the day. Could have been all the extra calories, the rest over lunch, or the coffee but I felt great. Multiple balds with amazing views at the top of the ridge made it even better.

Passed the boy scouts and headed on to Seeley Woodworth shelter. On the way saw a coyote up the hill which was a first for me. Pulled in at 1930 which was pretty good for dipping into town for a resupply.

All in all a great day. Cool weather, hiking felt really good even over rough terrain, and I got really lucky with rides. Oh, and I hit 800 miles!

AT Day 49

2014/5/19 Mile 857.8

Early morning started with a large continental breakfast at the Inn and then a quick 18 mile slack packing adventure back to the gap. Luckily there were lots of shuttle options because Waynesboro wasn't directly on the trail.

Lunch in the room because I was cheap and then laundry and the laundromat. Walked down to Kline's Dairy Bar for a large chocolate fudge brownie sunday while I waited.

As I was leaving I noticed one of the other customers was also taking off so I asked her for a ride to the outfitter (which was about a mile out of town) and she has was nice enough to to take me. The only condition was that we go to McDonalds for a sunday first. No complaints here.

Got my mail drop and some new boots. Went back to Merrils. Hopefully the bigger size and the fact that they are wides will prevent blister-pocalypse number 2. Hitched back into town and was picked up by a hiking enthusiast. He was really interested in hearing about how I selected gear and the tradeoffs I made. We sat and talked for a bit in the parking of the hotel before he left.

Had lots to squeeze in before dinner. Treated my clothes with permethrin and did a test setup of the new hammock. After that I ran my tent down to the post office to bounce it forward to the next mail drop.

I guess I forgot to mention that I ordered a Warbonnet Blackbird hammock while in Daleville. Figured I would give hanging another try in a different company's product. Should be interesting.

Dinner with a bunch of other hikers from the hotel: Sunshine, New Beard, Munchy, Owl, Scrambles, and Vegemite. We went to the local Chinese buffet. It was OK, but I'm not sure I should be allowed in buffets with the hiker hunger. Too dangerous.

After dinner we headed to the local bar for a few beers. Met Fritz and Pyro there, two hikers that had just come back from trail days. They had lots of interesting stories to tell.

I called it a night before it got too late. Wanted to make sure I was ready to leave by 800 the next day so I could grab a ride with owl back out to the trail. Busy day but fun.

AT Day 48

2014/5/18 Mile 841

Got an early start and headed up the ridge to "The Priest". Apparently the mountain got the name due to a strange stone configuration near the top. Not sure if I missed it or was just underwhelmed.

3000ft down the mountain and had lunch at the river. It had a really cool wooden suspension bridge similar to others on the trail. I suppose the park service has a set of standard bridge designs.

3000ft up the next mountain and the views look back on the mountain I just came down. Almost like they are rubbing it in my face. Ran into a trail maintenance volunteer who said this was the last big climb until somewhere in Massachusetts. Crazy! Especially since the last three days have all had 2-3k ft climbs. Now all of a sudden nothing...

Checked out the summit and headed down to Maupin Shelter for another lunch. Met Bruce, Joyce, and their dog Izzy out for a day hike. Had fun talking with them and then they headed on.

My plan was to put down another 5 or 10 miles so that my hike into town the next day would be short. Bruce had other ideas. They were packing up their car when I reached the parking lot (the trail crosses lots of those up here near the Blue Ridge Parkway) and invited me to dinner at the Blue Mountain Brewery. Obviously I couldn't say no.

40 minute drive to the brewery took me along the next days hike. We ate and had delicious beer. Everyone was dressed up either for church or graduation so my smelly hiker garb felt out of place, but that didn't keep me from enjoying myself.

Bruce is a triathlete and big time hiker so he told me all about his adventures and races. He retired from working at Anheuser Busch so we also got to talk about beer.

They offered to drive me back up to where they stole me from the trail but instead I just had them drop me in Waynesboro. Figured I could slackpack the difference tomorrow. So we poked around until we found the Quality Inn and then I said goodbye. Great trail magic.

After getting a room I was walking out and ran into Denise. She was really chatty told me all about how she was a regular at the Inn because of work. We talked about hiking and traveling and then she offered to drive me to Kroger because I mentioned I wanted to grab some snacks. More magic!

Finally in the room later I got to spread out some gear and the flop down on the bed for some much needed rest. It had been a great day but a long one.

AT Day 46

2104/5/16 Mile 790.7

Cool morning made it hard to get out of the bag but at least the sun was out and the rain had stopped.

Trails weren't too muddy, which was a pleasant surprise, so the big downhill at the start of the day wasn't so bad.

Had to cross a creek at Matt's Creek Shelter but there was no bridge and it was really high from all the rain. As about 12 day hikers watched I pulled my boots off and waded across. I was greeted with cheers and granola bars on the other side for supplying entertainment.

Crossed the James River on a neat footbridge that I think was built for the AT. Big climb in the afternoon where I ran into Gazelle again on the way up and we found we were headed for the same shelter.

Tons of folks at the shelter which was on a little pond. Many section hikers and a few through hikers. One of the section hikers brought donuts to share with through hikers so we enjoyed them for dessert.

Set up the tent and got the bed by 2030. Rumor has it that there is a shuttle into Buena Vista at 0900 that I might try to get to so I can resupply my lunches and snacks for the next few days.

AT Day 44

2014/5/14 Mile 749

My phone got me up nice and early so I could have my gear packed by 600 when the breakfast buffet opened. Not sure the roommates appreciated my early start. Sorry guys.

At breakfast Lunch and Captain broke the news to me that they planned to zero so it looks like I'm flying solo again. They had some other engagements in the near future so I couldn't really stick around anyway even if my schedule had a spare zero.

Morning hiking was nice and cool. Made good time to lunch at Wilson Creek Shelter where I met Möbius and Mission. They were headed to the same place I was for the day.

Afternoon took us back and forth over the  Blue Ridge Parkway and past some of its scenic views. Had a car pull over to ask about my hiking so that was a fun chat.

Snacked at Bobblets Gap Shelter (weird name) and got my water for the rest of the day because the next shelter had no source. Met Cool Hand, his wife, and a guy hiking with them. We talked about how the weather was going to be pretty bad tomorrow (2-3 inches of rain) and how we might avoid getting totally drenched.

Pushed on to Cove Mountain with a few nice views along the way. This area has been extremely scenic. Met Eastwood at the shelter and had dinner with him before setting up in the shelter. Supposed to be cooler tonight so I hope the bugs wont be too much of an issue.

AT Day 43

2014/5/13 Mile 724

Slept like a rock in the tent and woke up early. On the trail by 630, nobody else in camp was even stirring when I left.

The rain from yesterday had made everything wet and somehow a little greener. The warmer temperatures meant the bugs were out and so were their predators. Thanks to that I ran into about 60 spiderwebs per mile for the entire 10 miles into town.

On the way down I passed "Tinker Ridge" which had some cool tall rocks. Climbed up one to enjoy the view of what I think was a dam and part of Roanoke.

Once I hit Daleville I went to Bojangles for a second breakfast and then the outfitter to pick up my maildrop. Sorted through the gear and then hit the coffee shop for WiFi.

Got to talk to Stu on the phone and confirm that I wouldn't be meeting him and the guys for the Shenandoah. Sucks because I wanted to see everyone but good because I wasn't under pressure to hit Waynesboro on a date so I could near-o (like a zero day but with a little hiking) in Daleville.

Lunch texted me when he got into town and I hobbled over to the hotel where they were. Howard Johnson Express. Not sure what makes it express but it was right off the trail. Showered and then back to the outfitter so Lunch and Captain could try on shoes.

Had Wendy's because Captain had never been there before heading to Kroger to resupply. Going with spam and cheese on pita bread this week. Apparently they package slices of spam individually in bags like tuna so that makes it easy trail food.

After that we had second dinner at Three Little Pigs Barbeque. I took most of mine to go because I over did it at Wendy's. Saw tons of other hikers there and found out Cat 5 had gotten sick and went to the hospital. Bad luck in the engineer crew recently.

Back to the room for laundry and The Matrix. Did some gear cleaning and tried to get things dry. Probably not a good sign when your water filter bag smells like feet.

Fell asleep before Neo died. Hiker midnight is king.

AT Day 45

2014/5/15 Mile 766.2

Weather reports yesterday had us all pretty worried about the incoming rain so we decided to wake up early and get some miles in before the hard rain began around noon.

Mission started messing around with his gear at 0400 and after a bit I decided to join him. On the trail by 0500 with headlamp on until the sun decided to come up.

Made it to Bryant Ridge Shelter where Cool Hand and company stayed the night by 0700. Surprised them during breakfast. We all started out on the big climb together but I lost them fairly quickly.

Light rain for the rest of the morning wasn't too bad but the wet grass soaked my shoes. 3000ft of climbing wore me out and by the time I reached Thunder Hill Shelter I was pretty tired. Considered pushing on since I only had done 17 miles but the next shelter would have put me at 29. Expecting 3 inches of rain I really didn't feel like camping in between.

Made the right choice. About 30 minutes after rolling into camp the storm started really dumping rain hard. Right before it started a hiker popped in and to my surprise it was Gazelle!

He had gotten sick and stayed a hotel on the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway to recuperate. This was his first day back out on the trail. Crazy how these things work out.

Gazelle decided to keep going once the rain calmed down and I made dinner for lunch to avoid having to whip out the stove if the shelter was crowded later. Then it was nap time.

To my surprise only 2 of 10 folks that said they were heading for the shelter actually showed up. More room for us! Unfortunately I forget their names but the guy was a EE that designed power distribution for buildings (and hated it so now he's hiking). His significant other / hiking partner was a researcher studying how nutrition affects neurophysiology. Pretty cool folks. Both of them lived in Boston.

After talking for a while and eating we retired early. The temperature was dropping and the rain was not letting up. The sound of it on the metal roof of the shelter will probably make me dream of frying things all night.

AT Day 41

2014/5/11 Mile 691

The blogger app lost this post so I'm trying to backfill but my memory is rusty.

Hiked on my own for the first half of the day. I like setting my own pace. Started out through some beautiful pasture land before heading up to the ridge for most of the day.

Ran into Mayonnaise Pockets and Cat 5 and heard about their adventure. MP slipped crossing a stream and received puncture wound on his leg so they hitched into town to a hospital. 4 stitches and some painkillers and they got back on the trail hiking until midnight. Crazy.

Walked with them for a while and talked shop. Made it to the hiker feed a little early but they were already serving food.

Hot dogs, chips, salsa, fruit, salad, quesadillas, parsnip bread pudding, baked ziti, curried chicken, cheesecake, desert bread, cookies, brownies, candy, Gatorade, cokes, yoohoos, and more. All the baked goods were made on the spot in dutch ovens. Grilled food was also made on the spot. Fantastic food and amazing generosity from some through hikers that just liked doing it.

We gorged ourselves.

Some 20 or more hikers stuffed to the gills make a pretty lazy crowd in the afternoon. We managed to get on our feet and push the last 9 miles to Pickle Branch Shelter before calling it a night.

Definitely getting warmer and the bugs are getting worse. Looks like summer is coming.

AT Day 40

2014/5/10 Mile 668.5

The blogger app lost this post so I'm trying to backfill but my memory is rusty.

Slept well on the top bunk and got a reasonable start. Hiked on my own but planned to meet everyone at the shelter that evening.

Rain started about an hour into the hike and went on and off all day. Luckily it was warm enough that being wet wasn't miserable.

Stopped at a shelter for lunch and met Category 5, one of three engineers hiking together that I had heard were just ahead of me. Chatted briefly before he took off.

Rolled into camp early and hung out. Privy was more pungent than usual resulting in a sour whiff every time the wind blew just the right way.

Rain had stopped but I decided to stay in the shelter just in case. Many folks opted to camp which was surprising after a wet day.

Got to bed early and was thankful for ear plugs because others stayed up talking. Dreams of the hiker feed all night long...

AT Day 42

2014/5/12 Mile 714

Mediocre to bad night of sleep in the shelter. It was too warm to be in the bag but the bugs were terrible if you were out of it. Looks like a lot more tenting in my future.

Hike with Lunch and Captain for most of the day. Started with Dragon's Tooth, a large rock formation jutting out of the ground. We climbed part way up it but didn't venture to the top. The hike down from it was rocky and had some scrambles so it was fun.

Hit the road and walked to a nearby gas station for an early lunch. Had pizza, iced coffee, and $0.35 ice cream. While hanging out there Forrester magically appeared. He got picked up by a local as he was road hiking in the wrong direction to get to the store. Second set of bad directions he has received.

Back on the trail we passed Bubba and Sarge bathing in a creek before heading up to a ridge for the afternoon hike. Got pretty warm and were happy to find water at a shelter before McAfee Knob. Got sprinkled on while heading up to the top and some clouds were looking pretty ominous but nothing came of it.

McAfee and later Tinker Cliffs both offered extraordinary views. I tried to capture it with photos but nothing does it justice. Somehow the terrain and the trees and the few homes scattered about make a fantastic vista. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend checking g it out.

The guys decided to stop at the shelter right after the knob but I decided to push on to the next one so I could get into town as early as possible. Made good time and got rained on a bit. Squeezed in dinner and some conversation with Red Leg? before sundown and promptly went to bed. Need to make up for last night.

AT Day 39

2014/5/9 Mile 650.6

Got a late start due to mucking around in the hotel but at least we got coffee. Luckily we caught a ride back to the trailhead so we didn't have to hike the mile on the road.

We weaved in and out of the industrial side of Pearisburg. Train tracks, chemical plant, and landfill were all included in the tour.

Uphill to a ridge which we followed all day. Really flat and easy hiking. Beautiful view from Rice Field Shelter for lunch looking over a small mountain community.

Perfect weather for most of the day but later in the afternoon a storm rolled in and sprinkled on us. The trail also started to get really rocky which slowed us down and irritated Forrester's knee.

We ended up at Pine Swamp Branch Shelter as well as quite a few others including Bubba, Nineteen, Crocs, and Taz. Easy day and tomorrow will be short but after we hit the mothers day trail magic I should pick up the pace.

AT Day 38

2014/5/8 Mile 631

Breakfast at Woods Hole was just as good as dinner. Plenty of coffee, OJ, cinnamon rolls, eggs, grits, and bread with homemade jam and apple butter. Wish I could live there.

Boxed up my long underwear and sleeping bag liner along with some extra food to send home. Days keep getting hotter and lugging around that cold weather stuff wasn't doing me any good.

Decided to go to Pearisburg with Captain Phillips, Lunch, and Forrester. Only a 10 mile day but they are good bunch of guys and I would like to hike with them for a while. If it looks like I'm getting behind I'll have to push on, but for now it shouldn't be a problem.

Hitched a ride into town and got yogurt and fresh oranges at the store before getting a room at the Holiday Lodge. Really crappy place but its close to everything which is a win.

Captain and Lunch did laundry while I messed around on the internet. Then we went to Dairy Queen for smoothies, Mexican food for dinner, and Dairy Queen for Blizzards. Captain Phillips being British didn't know what a Blizzard was so we had to educate him.

Ended the night with Ghostbusters at the hotel. Slept on the floor. After more than a month on my blow up sleeping pad I can sleep anywhere I have enough flat space to fit it.

AT Day 37

2014/5/7 Mile 621

Slept like a rock overnight. Probably due to being worn out, but the babbling stream certainly helped.

Breakfast at Trent's and then sat around with Captain Phillips, Lunch, Forrester Gump, Plan B, and Warld Peace just drinking coffee and talking.

Got on the trail by 840. Didn't see anyone all day and only got one view. Super steep climb to a rocky ridge wasn't too fun but once I dialed back the effort and relaxed a bit I could enjoy it.

Met Plan B about half a mile from the destination and was very confused because I thought I was ahead. She told me that the rest of the breakfast club had tried to hike up the road to some falls and cut over to the AT. They ended up spending the entire morning road walking based on bad directions so they hitched to the top and walked the last mile to the hostel. Bad luck.

Woods Hole Hostel is still awesome. Its an old log cabin that a couple lives in. Along side the hostel business they do lots of gardening, keep bees, and generally live off the land as much as possible. Really great people. Found out Neville, the wife, grew up in Moultrie GA!

Forrester updated my haircut because the Mohawk part was really long and was looking pretty crappy. Now everything is much more manageable and will be easier to check for ticks.

Dinner was huge. Fresh greens from the garden, homemade bread, stir fry veggies, brown rice, seasoned beef, and ice cream cones for dessert. 24 hikers were eating and there were still leftovers. These people know how to cook for a crowd!

Helped do dishes and admired the house before hanging out in the bunkhouse till late swapping stories.

AT Day 36

2014/5/6 Mile 606

Well I guess the trail maintainers had a sense of justice because today's hiking was much nicer in terms rocks and climbs, but worse in terms of views.

Started early, 630, and immediately saw a bear. Not 3 minutes out of camp I hear a loud noise above me in a tree and see a bear doing the fireman's pole exit from a tree before bolting off into the woods. Awesome.

Morning hiking was great. Ran along the side of a ridge looking down into a valley of small farms. By 1100 I was knocking out the ~1-2 mile road walk across a highway before climbing back up to the ridge for Helvey's Mill Shelter. Ate lunch there, my Thai Ramen recipe, and pushed on.

The heat of the day really started setting in and I was glad I grabbed all 3 liters of water that I did. The trail was completely dry and I didn't want a replay of yesterday's dehydration. Lots of small ups and downs but not as rocky.

At the Jenny Knob shelter sign I continued on after deciding 1530 was too early to stop hiking. Squeezed an almost liquid Snickers out of its wrapper to get me the last 5 miles to VA 606.

A half mile down the road was Trent's Grocery, which is really more of a gas station. Got a double cheeseburger, some lunches, and my maildrop. Some other hikers were tenting there so I decided to stay. Turns out Forrester Bump was there so I got to hang out with him again. Good times.

After a 30 mile day I'm definitely ready for the short hike to Woods Hole tomorrow.

AT Day 35

2014/5/5 Mile 575.7

Whoever said Virginia was flat is wrong (at least for today's section of trail). Started off with a big climb up to Chestnut Knob Shelter for the first half of the day.

The view overlooks Burke's Garden, also known as God's Thumbprint. Its basically a giant crater but formed naturally. Its now filled with farms and the trail follows the ridge around it for about 8 miles.

Those 8 miles were rough. Tons of short climbs and falls all of which were steep. On top of that the trail was extremely rocky so you had to rock hop about 30% of the time. Tough work for what looks flat on the map.

Ran out water about half a mile from where I planned to refill and didn't think much of. Not until I hit the water source with a sign saying its 0.5 miles off the trail and scribbled in marker: "Its steep, downhill, and stinging nettles. Don't go." So I skipped it and had a crappy two miles to an unmarked spring.

Stopped at Jenkins Shelter for the day. Only 19 miles but I was pretty worn out at that point. Maybe I can push tomorrow if it is actually as flat as it looks on the map.

AT Day 34

2014/5/4 Mile 556

Slept well, likely due to the earplugs, and woke early. Finished my family size cinnamon sticks for breakfast and hit the road.

First trail magic of the day was at a historical settlers museum. They had an old schoolhouse with a sign that said "hikers welcome". Upon entering I found sodas, apples, a hiker box, and miscellaneous supplies. Took a pair of sunglasses because mine had broken a while back and some peanut butter.

Made it to I-81 by 1045 and resupplied my snacks at the gas station. Luckily I had everything else I needed for the next couple days. Walked up to The Barn Restaurant and got a giant breakfast while fiddling around on my phone (service! Wow!).

By noon I was back on the trail. Sun was hot but there was a good amount of breeze. Hit trail magic again at VA 724 where a hiker couple was just hanging out enjoying the day. They had beer, soda, and cookies in their car. I hung out and chatted with them for about 45 minutes and had a beer. They made me take beer and cookies to go.

Some unmanned trail magic popped up about a mile into the woods and I didn't even look in it. 3 times in a day is just too much.

Got to Knot Maul Shelter around 1800 and cooked some quinoa and veggies one of the hikers at Partnership gave me. A bit bland and not too filling but it was the right thing to eat after 3 meals of garbage.

Decided to tent because the shelter was dirty. A suspicious mark on the floor could have been someone's vomit and with Norovirus going around not something I want to risk.

So far nobody here but me. Going to be a nice quiet night.

AT Day 33

2014/5/3 Mile 531.4

We all got up early and the couple beat me out the door. I passed them about 7 miles in but we were heading to the same place so it didn't really matter.

Hit some unmanned trail magic around lunch left out by a church. Ate some of their ramen and some oatmeal before pushing on. Made fast work of the ~20 miles with pizza on my mind.

Hit Partnership Shelter around 1430 and chilled out at the visitor's center writing post cards and running some numbers on my progress. From the looks of it I can make it to the end and take 6 more zeros if I average 20 miles a day until New Hampshire and 14 a day after that. Maybe I will finish.

Ordered a large pizza (it was cheaper than a medium) and a family size cinnamon sticks (needed some breakfast) from Pizza Hut around 1600. Managed to eat 3/4 of the pizza and half the sticks. Hiker hunger for the win!

Rest of the evening will be hanging around the fire and reading my book. Other sheltermates are really loud and obnoxious but its still early so maybe they will chill out. They didn't hike today so they have lots of energy... Wonderful.

AT Day 32

2014/5/2 Mile 511.4

Slept cold last night but at least the woods were quiet. Coldest morning in a while and took a bit to get going. Was out of camp before Lost and Found even got up.

Spent the day hiking through really rocky terrain which took more energy than it should have. Most of the hike was spent in the Grayson Highlands which had a lot of cool jutting rock formations, large grassy balds, and wild ponies. Took my time checking out views and watching the ponies chilling and doing their thing.

Heading down out of the park I passed two women who said there was trail magic at the road: jackpot. Found the tent and they had lots of goodies including denatured alcohol which was a welcome surprise. I had been cooking at every meal due to the lower temps and the bonus fuel meant I wouldn't need to worry about running out.

Last 4 miles of the day were over Hurricane Mountain to Hurricane Mountain Shelter. Looks big and bad on the map but the trail was graded really nicely so it was an easy climb.

Met Nepsis and Heycast (sp on both?) who were spending the night there. They said I missed beer and burritos at the trail magic. There were some folks further back in the woods that I thought were just car camping but apparently that was part of the magic.

Oh well, there's always next time.

AT Day 31

2014/5/1 Mile 488

Breakfast at Woodchuck Hostel was awesome. Coffee, cereal, toast, hardboiled eggs, and donuts. All included in the price of a normal stay. Cannot say enough good things about this place.

Got on the trail by 8 and the sky was looking like it was having mixed feelings about storming. Oh well, can't zero again or I'll become a permanent resident of Damascus.

The hiking went by quick. I think the rest and the extra calories from town really helped. Only saw two other hikers out and about. Had a late lunch at Lost Mountain shelter and considered staying (making it a 15 mile day). I really didn't want to do the next climb up to 5000 ft without knowing there was a place to camp.

Around 1430 Lost and Found showed up and he had the AWOL guide which showed camping at the top. We both decided to head up there.

A beautiful view from Buzzard Rock rewarded me for the 2000 ft climb. Set up camp near Lost and Found and we ate together. He used to be an IT manager for a big company but now teaches SCUBA diving in the Cayman Islands. Oh, and he is through hiking the trail. Cool guy.

Retired early and worked on a book for bit before calling it a night. Going to be in the 30's tonight so let's hope the summer bag is up for the challenge.

AT Day 29 and 30

2014/4/29-30 Mile 467

Zero days! Two of them. Initially was only going to stay one night but the weather was looking really bad so I made the executive decision to stay out of it.

First day woke up late and went to a coffee shop for an expensive breakfast and then hung out talking with Fromage and Forrester for a few hours. Both really awesome, educated guys. Hope to hike with them some more.

Got my mail drop, hit up the outfitter for some gators and fuel, and bought some lunches for the trail. Dinner was at the local Mexican restaurant and after that we wandered looking for people congregating but found nothing.

Second day had breakfast at Dairy King which was much better. Had to move out of The Place because I hit my two night limit. Was planning to hike out but that got derailed by a side project.

I had been looking for an SMS service to check the weather and was unable to find anything that actually worked for me. So I decided to make one. Got a VPS for 5 bucks, a twilio account, and a developer account at weather underground. Spent most of the afternoon setting up the services until the coffee shop kicked me out as they closed.

Went to the Mexican restaurant because they had good WiFi and ssh'ed in on my phone to write a Python script using Flask to receive a text, look up the location, and reply with the forecast. Took a while to type it all in but it works! I'll share the code when I have a chance.

So it was late and I still had nowhere to stay so I started calling around. Everyone was full. Combined with the down pouring rain I was feeling pretty crappy but Woodchuck of Woodchuck Hostel called back and said I could stay in the garage. Done.

Gotta get moving early tomorrow. Feeling antsy but happy that I have a solution for my weather updates.

AT Day 28

2014/4/28 Mile 467

Rain overnight geared me up to deal with the rain all the way into Damascus. However, by 6 the rain stopped. Clouds hung around all day and only sprinkled for most of the day.

Two instances of trail magic. First one I remembered from last time I hiked through here. An orange, steel box staked into the ground filled with honeybuns and brownies. Second was some Cokes at a road crossing.

Took an hour lunch break before knocking out the last 10 miles into town. Had to cook a dinner because I was out of lunches.

On the final approach I saw a little bear but didn't have time to snap a picture before it ran off. The last 3 miles were flat, but the storm finally let loose and even included some lightning. Got my rain gear on but my boots got soaked.

Damascus is a cool town where the trail goes right down Main St. Stayed at The Place, a hostel run by the local Methodist church. Found Fromage was signed in there so I knew he at least made it to town.

Some guys in the living room were about to head out for dinner so I joined them. We ate at Blue Blaze Cafe and I had a mediocre Philly Cheesesteak. Town food tastes so bland for some reason. Maybe I'm using too much hot sauce on the trail...

Back the hostel I met Forrester Gump, Dawg, and Tea Bag who were sharing my room. All cool guys. Went to sleep with the lights on because I was so tired.

AT Day 27

2014/4/27 Mile 441.3

As usual, up before everyone. Quietly made breakfast and got packed. By the time I was ready to roll out the other hikers were stirring.

A few of the slack packers from the day before decided to undertake the 50 mile challenge: 50 miles from Kincora to Damascus in 24 hours. Feeling pretty beat from the day before I declined joking them and hit the trail.

Morning hiking was nice but around noon it started getting very hot. I was not carrying a whole lot of water (1 liter between sources) and ended up getting behind on my hydration. By mid-afternoon, with the sun blazing overheard and no wind, I could barely make forward progress.

Stopped at a water source for about an hour to regain some strength before finishing up the day at Iron Mountain Shelter with a bunch of other hikers. The 50 mile challenge team came through as I was heading to bed and I wished them the best.

AT Day 26

2014/4/26 Mile 417

Tried to get an early start but after getting all packed up someone thought of slack packing to Kincora. This meant a lot of futzing around until we had organized and paid for the slack.

I built the day pack from my hip belt and pack brain. Stuffed a jacket, snacks, trail book and water filter into it. We hit the trail around 1000.

Immediately lost the other guys (Fromage, Magic Man, and Wrong Way) as I wanted to hit 4 mph so I could get into Kincora with enough time to get on the town shuttle. After checking my pace against known landmarks I found that I pretty much had to jog the downhills.

The day went quickly but without a larger lunch I started running out of energy later in the day. Made it to Kincora, 25 miles, by 1640. My whole body was covered in salt crystals from sweating all day.

Cooked some dinner and then Bob Peoples, a trail legend and the proprietor of Kincora, took us into town. I just picked up snacks at the dollar store and hit the ATM.

Driving back Bob told us tons stories about trail work and other AT anecdotes. A notable one was a guy who was taking 800mg of ibuprofen every day in the morning. Ended up the medicine ate through his small intestine and they had to send in people to get pull him out and get him to a hospital. Very close call. Pretty scary how fast things can go south on you out there.

Back at the hostel went to sleep quickly. The combo of a fast and long day was just as bad as a heavy and long day...

AT Day 25

2014/4/25 Mile

Slept a little cool in the barn but wasn't wearing all my clothes so I'm not too worried about it. Woke up to gray skies but no thunder so decided to push on over the balds and hope the weather wouldn't get worse.

This ended up being and interesting choice. On top of the balds there was no rain but the wind was so strong that I had to use my hiking poles to stay vertical. I remember my last time through this section it was storming as well but not nearly this windy.

Made it down to the road and decided to hike over to the hostel for lunch. Ended up getting trapped there for the day. Lots of cool folks hanging out, the rain was on and off all day, and the coffee was free so I decided to tent there.

Bought eggs to supplement dinner and breakfast. Turned out to be an awesome decision. You can add a fried egg to almost anything.

We watched movies and chilled for the evening. Really good to get off the feet for a bit. Haven't had a half day off since Hot Springs.

Made an executive decision to not skip the portion of the trail after Damascus because I'm still not sure if it would give me enough time to finish and would complicate the logistics of finishing next year. I'll just go as far as I can and pick up the rest in one go.

Still need to decide if I want to come back for Trail Days. Would be awesome but could also be a lot of work. I'll have time to think about it tomorrow while I walk.

AT Day 24

2014/4/24 Mile

Its so much easier getting up when the temperature outside your sleeping bag or bed isn't 50 degrees.

So many of the conveniences of modern living go overlooked: coffee maker, fridge, clean water, toilet, etc. Needless to say, not living out of my pack this morning was really nice. Hot Sauce kept chatting through breakfast and while I packed; finally Ron said "Looks like Spice is ready to hike, why don't you go get packed."

Hopped in the Casper (the white van) and hit the post office and dump before getting to the trail at 10.

Lost Hot Sauce pretty early and just kept trucking. Nice view from an unnamed cliff made all the uphill worthwhile. Hit the gap before Roan Mountain at 1300 and there was trail magic: 3 teachers were giving out cokes, turkey sandwiches, brownies, chips, and fruit. I sat and ate lunch with talking about all sorts of stuff before heading up the mountain. The sugar boost was a huge win.

At the top two hikers told me there was more trail magic at the next gap. I needed water so I pushed on but the magic must have ended because nobody was there. Filled up with some of the folks I met at Rob's van the day before and we talked about heading to Overmountain Shelter, an old converted barn that I stayed at my last trip.

Hiked up two balds and got some great views before heading back down into mostly deciduous woods down the aide of the mountain.

Overmountain had about 30 people in it and I was going to tent but weather reports were looking bad for the night and in the morning. Probably just going to take it slow tomorrow and not try to leave if its storming.

Cooked and hung out before crawling into the bag. First test of the liner + summer bag combo in what will probably be 30-40's tonight. Should be fun.

AT Day 23

2014/4/23 Mile 362

Made the frozen breakfast this morning and was sorely disappointed with the taste and texture but at least it was filling. Some sort of mock eggs, bacon, and hash browns combo.

Got on the trail by 0800. Took my time getting ready and took care of some miscellaneous tasks like back flushing my filter and washing out my cookset.

Morning was all uphill but went well. All my town calories were paying off. Started seeing folks during the second half of the day and talking to them found out they were all headed to the same place. Figured I would camp with them.

Hit trail magic at the final road crossing of the day. Rob Bird was running it. He used to run a free hiker hostel in Massachusetts before he moved down to Tennessee for retirement. Now he's a trail angel.

Hanging out he mentioned taking two folks out for dinner and nobody picked up on it so I elbowed Hot Sauce and said we would go. Turned out to be a great choice.

Went to Rob's house and got showered before heading to Hooters for all you can eat wings. Came back and looked through years of photo albums of his hikers from the hostel. He let us soak our feet as well, which was amazing as a hiker.

We noticed a lot of his photos had Mohawks in them and he told us it was something he had been doing so Hot Sauce and I figured "when in Rome..." and took the dive. Also got some awesome Bird Cage t-shirts (the name of this hostel).

Stuffed and motivated by all the photos we went to bed late after Rob played a few songs on the guitar. Busy day but worth every moment.

AT Day 22

2014/4/22 Mile 342

Once again up before everyone so I quietly (as possible) got packed and ate.

Big climb right out of the gates but was rewarded with another 360 degree mountain view from the top of a bald. Sunrise had passed but the dawn-like quality of early morning was still there.

Down the other side of the bald I found Flea and Knoxville. Knoxville proudly described how his big toe's nail had come off last night. Said he had been waiting it for it for a while since it started changing colors. Flea looked ready to vomit from the discussion.

Downhill trending all day but lots of ups and downs. As usual felt solid through lunch then started wearing down. Brief spurts of rain were less intense than anticipated, but I put my homemade tyvek bootcovers on just to test them out. Hard to say how well they work until stronger rains but they did stay on my feet!

Made it to Erwin and pulled into Uncle Johnny's hostel by 1530. Got my own room and picked up my maildrop. 3 boxes this time! One was food. Another was my lighter weight sleeping bag. And the third was my sleeping bag liner purchased during my time in SC.

Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant with dollar beer and dollar tacos. Afterwards we went by Walmart and I grabbed some miscellaneous lunch food, ice cream, and a microwave breakfast for the morning.

Junebug and Tejas/Tex were watching Total Recall on VHS in their room so I joined them and downed my pint of ice cream. After making some calls I got my food organized for the next stint. Pack is heavy again... sad face.

Think I'll sleep in a bit tomorrow. Been feeling pretty run down and I need to keep up the pace. Maybe the 530-600 wake up is a little aggressive.

AT Day 21

2014/4/21 Mile 341

Up before everyone else in camp. Seems like the tents multiplied in the night. I slept so soundly I must have missed the other hikers coming in.

Weather was great. Probably in the 50's in the morning but warming up through the day. No views but ran across tons of hikers so had lots of short conversations.

Crossing under a highway met Flea and Knoxville who were napping in the shade. They later joined me for dinner at at campsite up the trail.

Was planning to do ~25 miles to a shelter but uphill after uphill had battered my legs so I stopped at about 21. Tenting with Once-a-Day and two other guys.

Hoping the rain either comes in the night or waits for me to pack up before coming down. Unlikely that we will be that lucky.

Going to try to make some makeshift gators out of tyvek (sp?). I'm hoping something to keep the rain from going straight into my boots will extend their dry hiking time. Tomorrow will be a good test.

AT Day 20

2014/4/20 Mile 300.3

Woke up at 0550 to get to the diner at 0600 when then opened. Had a big breakfast and headed back to Elmer's to pack. Nobody got up until 7 so I had to hang out so I could pay for my stay.

On the trail by 0730, and by trail I mean Main St. The trail runs right down the center of town. Crossed a large river before starting the climb out.

Spent the morning hiking and thinking about how to make my pack lighter. It feels pretty good but sharp downhills and uphills are still painful. Hopefully the outfitter in Damascus will have some cheap ideas.

Lunch by myself at a shelter. Doing crackers and cheese for this stint. Made up my mind at this point to push for the 300 mile mark which will make for another long (26 mile) day.

Hit two cases of trail magic. First one was some Snickers by the trail and the other was a guy day hiking who gave me an apple and box of Whoppers. Later shared the Whoppers with folks at the shelter.

Amazing views from some cliffs in the afternoon. One direction looked out on mountains while the other side looked out onto flat, developed land for as far as the eye could see. Crazy.

The last 5 miles were rough just because I was so tired. Finally got to the shelter and the Pope and Nora V were there. Bobcat, Turtle, Cupcake, Sprinkles and Sits In Chair joined us. Cooked and hung out but so tired from the day that I hit the bed just past hiker midnight despite everyone else still being up. No cell signal either so I couldn't call to find out how everyone's Easter went.

AT Day 19

2014/4/19 Mile 274

Slept really well. The woods were very quiet, I think the light rain overnight helped. Got on the trail by 0700.

Passed the trail magic spoken of last night and was not surprised to find them all still asleep.

Rain started again but it was very light. Just put the pack cover on... no rain gear. Made it in to Hot Springs by 1000 before things started getting muddy.

First stopped at Laughing Heart Host and almost decided to stay there because they were the cheapest and had internet. However there was a hiker there that I had encountered before who gives me a bad vibe.

Instead ended up at Elmer's which turned out to be an excellent choice. Its an old Victorian style house with much of the original flare (sinks, wood stove, door knobs, etc). I even ended up getting my own room which was the second half of the library. Elmer has a diverse and well organized book collection.

Showered and unpacked before heading over to Smoky Mountain Diner for second breakfast. Eggs, country ham, biscuit, and pancakes.

Next up was laundry. Ran in to Boss and his gang (later we decided to call them the Boxcar Children) at the laundromat and followed them down to a hiker ministry setup that had WiFi. After some internet, a trip to the dollar store for lunch supplies, and some planning back at Elmer's I decided to head to the bar and write some postcards.

After about an hour Bear Bag (self employed gear maker) and Not Black (German SAP programmer) from Elmer's also showed up. We hung out and talked for a bit before heading back for our 4 course vegetarian dinner.

Dinner was tomato bisque, salad, Thai noodles, and cheesecake. Had a big crowd around the table (10?) making great dinner conversation.

By hiker midnight I was stuffed and sleepy so I called it a night. Excellent day in town. Hope to get an early start tomorrow.

AT Day 18

2014/4/18 Mile 265

Got up at 0530 and had breakfast with Rocket and another guy who was a regular fixture of the hostel. Packed up as quietly as possible, paid for my stay, and hit the trail by 0700. Felt good to be on time.

On the first uphill caught up with a girl named Zig-Zag and her dog Lazarus. We both hit the trail magic at the top around the same time. A guy named Apple was giving out doughnuts and sodas.

Headed on up to a cool bald that had one of those directional beacons on top for aircraft (can't remember what they are called).

Afterwards met 3 women thru-hikers who were a lot of fun to talk to: Bama, Coco Peli (sp?), and Tigger. They recounted trying to play a practical joke on some fellow hikers by taking their bear bag down and spreading the food around before they got up. The plan was foiled because they couldn't stop giggling.

After quite a few more miles I hit Max Patch. It's a huge bald with an amazing 360 view of mountains. While the day had been pretty overcast it was still a good view.

Pushed on and had a big lunch because of the miles I wanted to knock out. Ran a across at least 10-12 hikers throughout the day all headed in to Hot Springs on Saturday. Seems like either Easter or 4/20 has everyone excited.

Ended up picking a camp site on an old road bed near the trail. After 25 miles of walking I felt pretty good but didn't want to overdo it by doing 30 to the next shelter. Cooked dinner and got the tent and bear bag taken care of.

Right before turning in a hiker came by saying that there were people camped about 2 miles away with trail magic food and booze. Tempting, but at this point I just wanted to rest so I decided to stay. Figure I'll have enough fun in Hot Springs tomorrow.

AT Day 17

2014/4/17 Mile 240.5

Another cold morning led to a late 0815 start. I was one of the last people out of the shelter. Ice still on the ground but not nearly as bad as yesterday.

Beautiful hiking once I got myself thawed out. Not a cloud in the sky, perfect temp (50's or 60's ?), and light dusting of snow sticking around. Did some nice ridge walking and then moved on to winding trails through old pine forests. 

After lunch was all down hill. 7 miles of it. I knew my right knee was going to be upset so I had an ibuprofen with lunch. Can't tell if the medicine did the trick or if the downhill wasn't that bad but by the time I hit Davenport Gap (the end of the Smokies) it was only a little stiff. Awesome.

Met a hiker named Chigger Bite at the gap who lived on Edisto Island. This was the place my family went for beach vacations while I was growing up. Small world...

Pulled into the Standing Bear Farm hostel to get my mail drop and planned to head on but some level headed hikers convinced me that two miles wasn't worth it. Rocket, who was running the place, showed me around. Kitchen, bunkhouse, beer shed, and store. Store was on the honor system and so were the mail drops.

Lots of folks ended up staying including the British guy I met way back at Neel's gap who goes by Mighty Blue. Gordy, the fireman I met yesterday, was also there. Met Sketch (a hiking artist), Sandstorm, New Heights, and a few others as they wandered in through the evening.

Hung out and made a frozen pizza from the store for dinner. Unpacked my mail dropped food and made a plan to get to Irwin. Going to try to push 20's for the next couple days and see how it feels.

AT Day 16

2014/4/16 Mile 222.4

Had a decent all you can eat breakfast at a local joint which was a nice way to start the day. All the roommates decided to take a zero day but I needed to keep going.

Packed up and wandered down to the NOC to see if there was any room on their free shuttle. No luck. Tried to hitch for a while but it was getting late in the day so I just found two other hikers and we split a cab.

Didn't start hiking until 1130. Getting out of the gap wasn't too bad in terms of terrain but the trail was pretty iced over which slowed me down. Luckily it was a clear day so I was finally getting rewarded with beautiful Smoky Mountain vistas. As usual none of the pictures come close to doing it justice. An added benefit was that, with the few downhills, my right knee was behaving better than it had in a while.

Made it to the shelter a little before 1800 and did the normal camp routine. Not full to the brim tonight. We expect temps in the 20's so everyone is bundled up pretty tight.

AT Day 15

2014/4/15 Mile 206.8

Rain overnight on the metal roof gave me the best nights sleep on the trail. Did not get as cold as I expected which made breakfast prep easier. After breakfast the good fortune ended.

Tanner at the shelter said he was heading into Gatlinburg so I told him I would split a room with him at the Grand Prix. It seemed like the right thing to do with the heavy rain and cold forecast.

Started off uphill in the rain and hit Clingman's dome in no time. With the terrible weather there was no point in going up the observation tower so I moved on. Rain turned into sleet and then snow over the next few hours. Hiking was actually quite nice at this temperature but my boots were soaked because the trail was a miniature river. Not having waterproof gloves was also a problem so I ended up stashing my poles and keeping my hands in my pockets. Of course to top it all off the right ACL was still hurting.

Made it through the 10 miles to Newfound Gap and my rain gear had frozen solid. I hunkered down near the bathrooms to put on my dry camp shoes and met a father with his son and daughter prepping to head out into the mess. They were in surprisingly high spirits and I wished them well.

Tried to hitch a ride without getting blown away in the strong wind and had some luck after 15 minutes. The guy, Chris, was a local who made a living selling pottery. Really nice guy. He was actually heading into town for an art show so his truck was full of pots.

Met up with Tanner who had found two more roommates (a couple: Mellow and Yellow). We hung out in the room with oven cranked up and the door open because the heater didn't work. After showers made a snack and beer run so we could relax in the room until dinner.

Went back to Smokey Mountain Brewing Company for dinner and then walked around town for a bit. Had a chance to sample some moonshine which was not too impressive. They made quite a show of it though.

Ended the night in a warm dry bed. Hard to ask for more.

AT Day 14

2014/4/14 Mile 196.0

Up at 0630 and on the trail by 0730. REALLY windy all night and through most of the day. Gray clouds looked foreboding all morning. ACL giving me major problems. Now to the point where I have to keep it straight when descending hills or else it is super painful.

A hiker was stopped on the trail ahead of me and as I overtook him he pointed out two wild turkeys. We followed them as they followed the trail for about a quarter mile.

Made it to Derrick Knob shelter for lunch and met lots of cool people. Everyone seems to be heading on.

Rain struck right after lunch but I had my gear on already. Light but steady for hours making sure everything got wet. The sideways rain factor did not help.

Siler Bald Shelter was full but it was only 1330 so I pushed on to the next one: Double Spring Gap. First one there and found some coals in the fireplace so I restarted the fire. A real winner considering that the temperature had been dropping all day.

The shelter quickly filled in with about 15 people by 1800. Met an accountant from Houston with a cool dog, a fun group of four thru-hikers, and a group of 7 guys on a wilderness leadership course (and others.)

Cell phone service was acting strange. Was able to send/recv texts for about an hour but after that nothing worked. Maybe too many phones up here? Either way I hope people back home aren't freaking out about my sudden dropout.

Supposed to drop below freezing tonight. Not excited for a cold morning.

AT Day 13

2014/4/13 Mile 179.6

Day 13 of hiking on the 13th. Bad omen? Got all packed up and headed out around 9 to go back to Fontana Dam. Made it there by noon and picked up where I left off. Hard to say goodbye to Mom and the grandparents after such a great week of visiting.

Headed uphill for about 3 miles before the rolling ups and downs started. Having two hiking poles of the correct length really made my life easier. It was a fairly uneventful hike but I did see two snakes. First one was on the trail and quite small, I snapped a picture. The other was at least an inch diameter but up on the hill a bit so it wasn't too worrisome.

Got to Molly's something shelter and there were two people there. One was a ridge runner who, once he checked my permit, encouraged me to go on to the next shelter. It was only around 1700 and with the threat of rain coming the next day I figured the 2.5 miles was a good investment. That would put me at about 13 for the day which is not bad for starting late.

I almost immediately regretted that decision after hitting the first downhill. My right ACL went up in flames which seriously concerned me given the amount of time off I had taken. In hopes that it had something to do with my stride I started trying different movements to see if I could eliminate whatever motion was causing the pain. After about a mile of painful experimentation I hit paydirt. It seems if I focus on rotating my right foot inward when I step I can keep from irritating the ACL. Hopefully this method is a permanent solution.

About 10 folks at something field shelter. It was stone with a fireplace and metal roof just like Molly's. Really impressed with the versatility of the new filter system. I think I'm going to like it.

Chatted with everyone on and off through the evening. Lots of different folks but everyone seemed really nice. Miss having the old gang with me but at least I'm back on the trail.

Back to it

6 days off my feet have certainly made a difference. While the affected areas are not healed, they are greatly improved and hopefully ready for action.

During the week I was lucky enough to get some work done, visit with family (some of whom I had not seen on a long time), and eat lots of food. Definitely attempted to pack away as many calories as possible while I could. I know they will come in handy.

Had the opportunity to do some work on my gear as well. Cut my 2 liter pot down into a ~1.2 liter pan and fashioned a new base for my stove to hopefully improve cold weather performance. Finally I replaced my katadyn water filter with the Sawyer squeeze system. After struggling with a replacement inlet hose and never getting the pump to I decided to invest in a simpler solution to reduce the chance of failure.

Test drove a hammock for two of the nights (the Hennesy Ultra-lite Backpacker) but found it to be too short for me to get comfortable in. I will probably try another model out in the future because once the temperature goes up it will likely be the coolest way to sleep.

I've got my backcountry permit in hand and am ready to get back out there. Still have a long way to go.

Zero Day

First zero day of the trek but not the last. My plan is to stay with my family in SC for a few days to let the blisters heal. This means I'll be leaving Nautilus, Gazelle, and Head Banger which really sucks but I can't risk my feet getting infected.

We all headed into town to get resupplied. Kroger for food, NOC for gear, and Smoky Mountain Brewing Company for lunch. Gatlinburg was a giant mess with terrible traffic and tons of tourists.

Took the scenic route home and saw some of the mountains we will be hiking over.

For dinner Steve grilled burgers and hotdogs while Debbie made slaw, baked beans, and potatoes. Once again we ended up stuffed to the gills with food. Watched some TV and hung out until we could fit dessert in which was brownies with ice cream.

I was literally so full I couldn't fall asleep. Didn't know it was possible.

AT Day 12

2014/4/4 Mile 164.7

Woke up bright and early at 0600 to get a jump on the weather. On the trail by 7. Blisters really hurting today even after moleskin and tape on the worst of them. After getting everything warmed up the first 6 miles felt pretty good.

Stopped for lunch at a shelter and met Misty Pony, a very tall German hiker. Rain started so we geared up to push through it. Heard reports of hail and a tornado watch so we wanted to get to Fontana Dam as fast as possible.

Wet shoes and a long downhill took their toll on the blisters. Icing on the cake was that my right ACL was really barking on the downhills. I managed to hobble through the last 5 miles down to Fontana Marina where the rest of the crew waited.

We hung out and had snacks and drinks from the store until Nautilus's uncle showed up in his truck to give us a ride. Super nice guy. I can't believe he was kind enough to invite 3 strangers over for the weekend.

Long winding drive through the Dragon's Tail and then more back roads showed off some beautiful mountains and lakes. Steve knew every road, valley, and body of water we could see.

Arrived at Steve and Debbie's place around 6. Its a beautiful house on some land just like what I would dream of for retirement. Showered and prepped for dinner. Everyone was hungry.

Dinner was huge. Chicken, green beans, broccoli, scalloped potatoes, and good old sweet tea. A real feast by anyone's standards. After filling up we hung around the living room while Nautilus and his aunt and uncle got caught up and we all shared stories.

AT Day 11

2014/4/3 Mile 153

Woke up at 7 and got packed so we could be at the restaurant for breakfast at 8. Had a delicious stack of french toast and side of eggs.

Got my mail drop and filled up my food bag. The drop had food for the next 7 days which was supposed to get me through the Smokies. This put my pack at 44 lbs with water, fuel, two beers and my old shoes. Way beyond comfort level and quite high compared to Nautilus and Gazelle around 32. They however are only carrying 1.5 days of food.

Today's hike started with 6 miles of uphill where we gained 2000 ft. It was a long climb but the feet were OK in the new boots at least to start. Lunched at the end of the climb. Some section hikers came through and gave us some snacks which we accepted happily.

Went to get more water for the rest of the day and found I was missing my inlet hose to my water pump. I must have left it at the watering hole the day before. I thought it wasn't a big deal but the pump does not work without that hose... must have a valve it it or something. I'll have to try to buy a replacement at the outfitter on our zero day.

This highlights what I see as a larger trend which is that I tend to rush in order to avoid holding the group back. This is likely the reason I left my bear line, bent my pole, and left my inlet hose. Need to be much more vigilant about things otherwise this will be a short trip.

The rest of the day hurt pretty bad with all the blisters. New boots are better but the damage has been done. Hit some trail magic right before Jacob's Ladder when we found some apples people had left at a road crossing.

Jacob's ladder is a part of the trail that goes straight up the side of a mountain. It was a pretty rough climb with such a heavy pack especially after all the climbing we did today. Finally rolled into camp and grabbed a spot in the shelter. Supposed to storm tomorrow so we figured it would be a good idea.

Took care of the beer weight and had dinner before rolling into bed. Ready for that zero on Saturday.

AT Day 10

2014/4/2 Mile 137.8

Semi-cold start but once I was was moving everything went smoothly. Got out of camp by 7:50 again.

Over the the next 4 days we have 2 big climbs and 1 big descent. With the current state of my feet the descent is what worries me the most and that is today.

Bent a hiking pole when I fell today. Tripped on a root and went to compensate as I normally do but my shoelace got hung on the root and I could not recover normally. This resulted in most of my body weight going into my pole which put a nice bow in it. Hope REI will replace it if I can figure out how to do that from the trail.

Put some good miles on before having lunch right before the ~5 miles of downhill into the NOC. Met Snickers there who was also lunching before heading downhill.

Blisters were rough, but manageable on the downhill.

Walked straight into the outfitter from my 16 mile hike to buy new boots. Got some Keens that are 10.5 and put my super feet in them. Hopefully this will put an end to my blister problems.

After visiting the outfitter I hit up the general store for candy bars, ice cream, and beer. Dropped the gear off in the room and had a couple beers with my feet in the Nantahalah talking to Matt (a fellow through hiker and roommate). We all had burgers at the restaurant and showered before retiring to the room for some light reorganization before bed.

Gazelle pointed out my bad luck so far:
  - busted bear bag
  - shoes too small
  - bent pole

My response: I've been warm and dry so far so no complaints.

Also today I was told by Snickers, Merman, and Rhode Island Red that a girl ahead of us was also going by Spice. Looks like I'll have to start using the more formal Spice Weasel.

AT Day 9

2014/4/1 Mile 120.8

Woke up right before my alarm and started getting ready. We were able to get out of camp by 730.

Followed Stevie Wander for a bit but dropped off his pace. Morning hiking was good. I had taped my pinky toe in hopes that I could solve my problems from the day before. While it did help the pinky toe, the larger issue remains: my left shoe is too small.

Climbed a bald with no view and descended again before lunch. Hit some potential trail magic when a guy pulled over to see if I needed a ride. Not today unfortunately.

The climb up Wayah bald was a tough two miles especially with it being a warmer day. At the top an old stone tower gave us a nice view. In the distance you could see Clingman's Dome. Its 100 miles down the trail.

Painful downhill into camp where we tented at Wayah shelter. Serviced many blisters. The one on the middle of the ball of my left foot keeps growing and getting more painful. I hope I can make it to the NOC tomorrow in time to check out their shoe selection.

Met Yote, Taylor, and Jukebox as we cooked. They brought marshmallows... Big win. In bed by 8 hoping the feet make it tomorrow.

AT Day 8

2014/3/31 Mile 102.5

I was having a dream about getting into the shower with my girlfriend and then I wake up to camping with you fuckers. - Nautilus

Another cold morning. Got up at 6:30 and was on the trail by 7:50. Not bad considering that I made coffee on my slow little alcohol stove. Really considering getting a canister stove at the next stop just so food prep goes quicker. 17 miles on tap today.

5 miles in hit Beech Gap around 10. Much warmer now and the hiking looks easy for most of the day.

Albert Mountain was the only real uphill of the day but it was a hell of an uphill. The mile leading up to it was a normal climb but the last 0.3 was straight up. We were rewarded with a view and got to climb an old fire tower for quite the vista.

After that the final ~2.5 miles downhill were rough. Both my knees were upset with the downhilling and my left foot seems too big for its shoe. Pinky toe was getting hammered. Hopefully I can loosen up the laces to give it enough room to get me to NOC. Busted out the Advil in hopes bringing the inflammation down would help with the pain.

Spending the night at Long Branch shelter. Its a double decker for 16 people and fairly new so we are staying inside. Onyx and Dragonfly beat us here (they camped with us last night as well). Later on Canyon Man, Whisper, Marathon, and some other guy showed up later. Sounds like many of them will be heading into Franklin tomorrow.

Some other hikers rolled in late and kept us up while getting settled and eating. Marathon was showing YouTube videos and getting on my nerves. I didn't come to woods so be bombarded with pop music.

AT Day 7

2014/3/30 Mile 85.3

The first 11 states are just training so you don't die in the last 3. - Crazy Horse

1000 kcal breakfast of champions:
- Honey Bun
- Cheese Pastry
- Coffee

Had the above breakfast at the marathon gas station because subway was closed. Dropped off by 930  back at Dick's Creek and had 5 miles done by eleven. Everyone feeling good with all the food last night.

Took a photo op at the GA/NC border.
The 12 miles of pretty much all uphill out of Dick's was rough. Not sure how our out of shape selves managed to pull this off last year (or year before last?) on our little hiking trip.

Put another 4 miles in to get to Deep Gap for tenting. Forgot about how rocky the trail is coming down to the gap, slow going. We have decided to try to make it to the NOC in three nights instead of four putting us at 17 miles a day till we get there. From there I have to start doing 20's or figure out another way to finish on time. Oh boy.

Knee felt OK once on the trail but blisters still abound. The later half of the day was spent crushing my pinky toe so I'm wondering if my shoes really are too small. I'll keep draining the blisters and reevaluate when we hit NOC. Most notable pain is in my right heel on back (not bottom). Noticed it yesterday but it was more prominent today. Can't figure out what it is or what triggers it, must check the shoes tomorrow.

That reminds me: the black smart wool liner socks I bought are like cheese graters. My feet were extremely unhappy in them. I'll give them another shot later on but for now its the white silk liners.

AT Day 6

2014/3/29 Mile 69.6

Lots of snoring last night but feeling well rested. Rain coming down harder than yesterday as we pack up. Nautilus takes an early start to warm up his foot that was giving him trouble. Weather got soaked under the shelter, felt really bad for him but he didn't appear too pissed.

Started off before Gazelle as he was packing and I was getting cold. Lots of solo hiking in the rain for most of the morning. By afternoon we grouped up and began making the trip down to Dick's Creek for a van to pick us up for Hiawasee. Got to the gap in time to see Whisper and Canyon Man pass through on their way to a hostel.

Met another trail legend: Crazy Horse. We talked, and by that I mean he talked, for the entire hour and half wait for the van to take us into town.

Once at the hotel we strung up all our gear to try to get it dry and headed to the buffet for dinner. After dinner I went to Verizon store while the other two resupplied at Ingles.

Spent an hour only to find out my Nexus 5 isn't supported on Verizon but the salesperson (Cary) took pity on me and drove me to a Fred's where they sold prepaid phones and I got the cheapest one. Since Verizon is the only service that seems to work in the mountains it was well worth the investment.

Back at the hotel we packed, cleaned, and drank beer while a LOTR marathon played in the background on TV. Weather looks good up to the NOC so excited about hiking tomorrow. Unfortunately the right knee still hurts. Nautilus says its the ACL.

AT Day 5

2014/3/28 Mile 58.6

Woke up at 6:30 in the rain. Packed up without breakfast and headed for Blue Mountain Shelter. Made quick work of the 5 miles and had brunch around 10. Light rain isn't too bad so far. Trail magic from Double Branches Babtist Church at Unicoi Gap fed us burgers and bananas. Really foggy. Skipping the 14 miler this time sorry coach.

Pulled into Trey mid afternoon where 3 ex marines and Coinslot were already bunked in. Luckily the shelter holds seven. We put up my rainfly to augment the marines' tarp as the overhang wasn't quite large enough to keep out the rain during gusts.

Others rolled in and two tented while most moved on. Weather decided to sleep under the shelter. Very interesting guy. Wearing a pirate shirt and paisley vest he managed to build a fire where the marines had failed. Talking with him later he seemed very smart and alluded to being homeless or transient but never clearly stated it. Nice guy hope to see him again tomorrow. Knee is starting to hurt but hopefully a night of sleep and a shorter day tomorrow will help.

AT Day 4

2014/3/27 Mile 44.5

Started the day off in the hostel. Slept well and legs felt OK. Drained a blister on my right heel and just looked at the one on my left pad. Bought coffee and fuel in the store once it opened. Hawkeye (now Gazelle) and Billy (now Nautilus) are hiking to the same location as I so we planned to meet up at Low Gap shelter.

Got some great trail magic at a gap with food, coffee, and cokes. Met King Tut there who runs it as a ministry. They were giving out crochet hats and I took one. Really nice.

Remembered a lot of the hike from our family outing in the freezing rain in 2012. Low Gap Shelter was full so we hiked on to a nice tent site hoping the rain tomorrow won't start before sunrise. Boss and his friend decided to tent with us.

We are now gathered around a small fire trying to enjoy the last of the nice weather before the two days of rain forecasted for Friday and Saturday. Plan to split a hotel room with Gazelle and Nautilus in Hiawasse so we can dry out Saturday night and maybe get some beers.

AT Day 3

2014/3/26 Mile 31.7

Another cold morning slowed me down. Numb hands made folding up an icy tent difficult.

Hawkeye who was also heading to Neel's Gap got a head start on me so I was chasing him all day. Saw ice and a little snow out all day, proof that last night got nice and cold.

Climbing over Blood Mountain reminded me of our family hiking trip through the same trail. Clear views from the top were a great reward towards the end of the hike.

Made it to the outfitter at Neel's Gap and picked up my mail drop. Decided to stay in the bunkhouse in hopes of avoiding another cold morning.

Hawkeye and another guy I just met named Billy are heading about the same distance tomorrow so we agreed to kind of stick together. Billy and I met while eating dinner with a trail legend named Baltimore Jack who did 8 consecutive thru-hikes. He lectured us on taking it slow and starting early every day ("Be on the trail by 7 o'clock, have at least 10 miles done by noon").

Bunk house was cold but not as cold as outside. Get to charge the phone and test drive the earplugs tonight as I'm sure one of us in here snores.

AT Day 2

2014/3/25 Mile 15.8

Rained overnight. Glad to be in a shelter as starting my first full day wet would have been no fun.

Morning was cold. Hands freezing in the convertible gloves so off to a slow start. Got on the trail by 0930. Hit some trail magic right off the bat at 3 Forks where I got hot chocolate and candy bars. Word was that tonight will be even colder.

Lunch at Hawk Mountain Shelter around noon. Met Greg who had just sent off his girlfriend for a thru-hike. We commiserated about how hard it was to say goodbye.

Lots of small ups and downs for the next 8 miles but kept a decent pace. Snow flurries all afternoon. Made it to Gooch Mountain Shelter which was packed to the gills even though it was a double decker. Grabbed one of the last tent spots.

Cooked pasta with red sauce and beef which was delicious. Stood around the fire afterwards talking with everyone. Met Hawkeye (Kris), Spider, Vagabond, and some others. Weather report says it will be a low of 17 F tonight.

Word is that Blood Mountain requires a bear canister which I don't have so I'll have to push to Neel's Gap tomorrow. Makes it a 17 mile day. After today's ~12 miles my feet hurt but otherwise feeling pretty good so hopefully it won't be too bad.

AT Day 1

2014/3/24 Mile 2.8

Here we are. After a week of not believing its real, a Friday night going away bash, a frantic Saturday and Sunday of organization, I am finally on the trail.

Liz left me at the airport with pack and my boots and about 4 hours of sleep from the night before. A short flight to Atlanta puts me in Alexander's turf so I got to see him briefly before hitting the road for the trailhead with my Mom.

Of course about 80% of the way to Springer the car's GPS claims we are in the middle of nowhere. With no cell service the printed out Google directions were all we had to navigate the back roads up to the top.

Second goodbye of the day at the top of the mountain. Hiked to the top where a day hiker was taking in the view and then turned around to head north to Stover Creek Shelter.

Two families were already there and another thru-hiker. Claims that it may get below freezing encouraged me to sleep with my water filter. Couldn't remember if this model was OK to freeze so I figured I'd play it safe.

Fixed beans and rice with okra and Cajun spices for dinner. Called it a night right before the sun went down.