Friday, October 29
Random Recent Photos...
Appalachian Trail Retrospective - Hog Camp Gap, VA to Pickle Branch Shelter, VA
Day 81
Friday, 9/8/00
Hog Camp Gap to Punchbowl Shelter
16.9 miles
Had quite an interesting day! Camping last night was great! Quite a bit of condensation though… Kind of misty in the morning. Met some weekenders on Cold Mountain, where I was going to camp… one of them is thinking of thru-hiking… 6 miles to U.S. 60. Needed to get to a town (Buena Vista): 9 miles’ to get food and find out where my maildrop is…
Took about 15 minutes to get a ride. Went to bank, grocery store, and called the folks. On the hitch back, the guy said his brother owns a cave (I think he said “Black Sheep” or something) in Boothbay! Small world!
Came to Brown Mountain Shelter after 2 miles. There was some dog with a radio collar there. He followed me about 5 miles! Thought I might be getting a pet… at a road crossing, the owner showed up. He’d been tracking the dog. He used them for bear-hunting. He had quite a few other dogs in his truck.
Nothing much else really happened. A guy, his daughter, and her daughter were here. They’re nice.
I think I’m going 19 tomorrow. Or 20-something…
Day 82
Saturday, 9/9/00
Punchbowl Shelter to Marble Spring
19.2 miles
Well, I guess that cold spell is over. Didn’t get too cold last night. Had trouble sleeping. I guess I didn’t go hard/far enough…
Started off with some climbing. Not too hard. Nice views from Bluff Mountain (3,372’).
Long descent to US-501. Then some good climbs. It heated up quite a bit. I was hiking with no shirt. Maybe I’ll actually get a tan! Almost stopped at Matt’s Creek Shelter. Nice stream with some swimming holes. It was VERY tempting. But, I went another 6 miles, mostly uphill to this spring. There’s a nice flat area and I pitched the tarp lean-to style.
Anyway… another guy showed up. Later some more bear dogs came tearing through followed by some yelping redneck. I guess he was excited because the dogs were on the scent of a bear… He was back later looking for his dogs…
The other guy here gave me some pudding. Nice!
I go over “High Cock Knob” (no joke!) tomorrow. Then, Apple Orchard Mountain (4,225’). Then down hill for a long time…
I think I’ll do 22.2 tomorrow. Weather looks promising.
Day 83
Sunday, 9/10/00
Marble Spring to Bryant Ridge Shelter
17.2 miles
Ahhh… feeling lazy today! Slept great last night. Not cold at all. Didn’t eat much for breakfast. Nothing left except dinner food now!
Ran into bear-hunters again. Lots of ‘em. There is supposed to be no hunting use of the AT! I didn’t want to argue with guys with guns…
The 7 miles uphill to Thunder Hill Shelter were easy. I could have made it yesterday no problem…
The view from Apple Orchard Mountain was nice but the valleys were all cloudy. Argh.
Went under the “Guillotine”. It’s a boulder wedged between to others and it looks like it could fall at any moment.
L O N G downhill to here. Went through lots of stinging nettles. I hate those things. Got here about 1:30, according to “Musk” and “Delo” (PA à GA and NH à GA). Been catching up to them for a while…
Wrote a letter to Mrs. Tharpe (Nell Tharpe of E. Boothbay. Her son had been hiking northbound that summer and I met with her before my trip to hear what tips she had). Chilled out. This shelter is BIG! And, I’m alone right now…
19 or 26 miles tomorrow…
Day 84
Monday, 9/11/00
Bryant Ridge Shelter to Fullardt Knob Shelter
26.1 miles
Well, 3 months ago I was at Rainbow Stream Lean-to in Maine after my first day. How the time flies…
Nice day weather wise. Didn’t sleep much last night. I guess I have to go big miles just so I can get some sleep! Didn’t have anything to eat for breakfast. Hiked about 7 miles, mostly uphill, before I had to stop and eat to keep my stomach from imploding. Ate cold mashed potatoes. I tried to make it into patties and fry it, but it just crumbled and burned… good to eat something though! That’s one of the disadvantages of alcohol stoves, there is no way to adjust the flame. It’s either as hot as the surface of the sun or off.
Crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway at some overlook where there was a bunch of bird watchers. They gave me some crackers, a ham/cheese sandwich (which I saw here get out of a cooler, so I doubt I’ll get food-poisoning again) and a bottle of ice! Nice folks! Shortly after I ran into Delo & Musk playing cards. They were waiting for “S. Cargo” to come back from town with some beer. I decided to stick around too… “S. Cargo” is some weird Korean chick who got on the trail at Shenandoah National Park. She showed up with beer and some other stuff. I had one and took off. Underage drinking!
A few big climbs up to this shelter. But that’s OK. My ankles and knees are back to normal and ready to haul ass!
Guy here named Dave who has spent a lot of time in Washington (I mean Warshington, sorry Dad!). He’s been to Wenatchee, Okanogan, Lake Chelan and even to the Calgary Stampede. He shared some freeze-dried food with me. Nice guy!
Only 3.5 miles, all downhill, to Troutville, where food awaits! I’m also looking eager to hear what Rachel has to say, be it good news or not… Don’t remember what this was about…
Looking forward to town…
A year later, I'd be sitting in the cafeteria at Utah State University, and watching the World Trade Center get destroyed...
A year later, I'd be sitting in the cafeteria at Utah State University, and watching the World Trade Center get destroyed...
Day 85
Tuesday, 9/12/00
Fullhardt Knob Shelter to Lambert Meadow Shelter
14.4 miles
Slept a little better last night. Before I fell asleep, I saw this huge spider silhouetted against the sky. It was right above my head and lowering itself slowly on its silk. Yikes!!! So I smacked him, but the web didn’t break, so he came swinging right back at me! Got him eventually though… Bright, almost full moon…
Did 3.5 miles to the P.O. by 8:30, right when it opened! Lots of food. Nice to get some mail too. Walked another 2 miles to the I-81 area, lots of gas stations, motels, etc. Bought some snacks and looked for denatured alcohol (for the stove). Looked everywhere for ¾ of an hour. Nothing! So, I bought some isopropyl alcohol instead… Denatured alcohol is often found at paint/hardware stores, and also, which I didn’t realize, gas-line antifreeze products like HEET is usually denatured alcohol. Denatured alcohol is basically ethanol with poison added so you don’t drink it. Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is usually 30% water…
Went to Winn Dixie. I’m getting’ down south!
Hiked 9 miles or so here… some decent hills. Going over McAffee Knob, Tinker Cliffs, and the Dragon’s Tooth tomorrow. The “most scenic” part of Virginia! McAffee Knob is actually the most photographed spot on the trail, or so I’d read.
There is a restaurant in Catawba called the Home Place. They have AYCE for $11 and once you pay you can have ANYTHING on their menu!!! But, it doesn’t open until 4:00. I’ll be past there by then… need to keep a-movin!
Day 86
Wednesday, 9/13/00
Lambert Meadow Shelter to Pickle Branch Shelter
22.1 miles
What a day! Pretty warm last night. Lots of mice scurrying around. Didn’t see them though… Another bright moon!
Easy climb up Tinker Mountain to Tinker Cliffs. Nice views along there. Down and up to McAffee Knob, the most photographed place on the AT. I can see why! Wow, what a view! It was a bit hazy, but still an excellent view. At some shelter below there a guy said he’d had a feast ready for anyone that showed up, but no one did. He took the food and left some beer. (This is according to his entry in the register). Never found any beer…
Went through several cow pastures. Smell reminded me of South Farm (in good ol’ Starkville, Mississippi that is!)… In the woods above a cowfield there were several really big cows munching on leaves. One especially big one started to walk towards me. Then I noticed it had horns and other features only bulls have… He must have been protecting his harem… I hiked really fast!
Went 0.4 miles off trail to a store hoping to fill up on water, but their gas tanks (it was a gas station) had leaked into their water supply. No kidding! In the environmental consulting world, that’s what we call a LUST, leaking underground storage tank. So, I had to buy bottled water. Tasty, but expensive.
Climb up Dragon’s Tooth was supposed to be “really hard”. There were lots of rocky sections where you had to use your hands. Fun! Reminded me of Maine. Bit boring after that.
This shelter is a half mile off the AT. It’s a long half mile! The water source is about another 0.3 miles from there… doubt I’ll have any company.
I used the isopropyl alcohol in my stove. Worked well enough, but much, much slower to boil water than denatured alcohol.
22.2 miles tomorrow and I’ll cross the 1500-mile mark! North Carolina here I come!!!
Tuesday, October 19
Meander.
Meander. I really like that word. Being a geologist, I first think about river meanders, those squiggly twists and turns of low gradient rivers. But of course I also think about wandering. Typing up my AT journals over the past couple months has really helped me relive the whole thing, and I'm itching to do something big like that again. But, due to "real life", bills and commitments, it will probably be a while before I get to do something like that again. Maybe even a really long time, which I try not to think about... And despite the fact that I missed out on some scholarships by doing the AT right after high school, I'm really glad that I did it when I did. I know it bewildered my folks a bit, but in the long run, I'm sure it was the right thing to do.
I recently read a book called "North to the Night" by Alvah Simon that my dad gave to me. Its basic plot is about a guy who sails to the Arctic to spend the winter icebound in his boat. That sounds pretty bleak, but I can relate to the sort of enlightenment the author experienced during his long period of solitude. I sure can't express it in words as well as he could, but I know just how he feels. Anywho, it's one of the best books I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it. There's much more to it than a guy spending the winter on his boat in the Arctic... It makes me want to spend more time outside in the winter. I do a fair bit of XC skiing and snowshoeing, but I want to try a bit more extended excursions this winter.
Back to meanders, I went on a ride this afternoon that got me thinking about it. I rode a few places I'd never ridden before, and I looked into some new territory at a place I'm very familiar with. I found some neat new places, and it helped me remember that I don't have to go hiking for 4 months straight to have a good time outside and experience something new. Certainly, you see a lot more new territory and learn more about yourself on a trip that long (like how much you're capable of eating), but there's plenty of great stuff close to home. I'm very fortunate to live where I do, and I try to make the most of it.
Wednesday, October 13
Appalachian Trail Retrospective - Some random photos
I promised some more photos, and you're probably getting bored of me talking about food all the time, so here are a coupe random photos that I recently scanned from my old slides. They're pretty poor resolution, but you get the idea. Feeling too lazy to put them in the proper order...
Fridge full of goodies at Eckville Shelter. Getting skinny, and not even half way!
Reading and planning the next couple days. Unknown location.
Wood nettles in Vermont. Near Long Trail Junction.
Atop some southern "bald". Probably further south than I've gotten so far typing the journals...
More to come, but I don't want to give you all the goods in one go!
Appalachian Trail Retrospective - Harper's Ferry, WV to Hog Camp Gap, VA
Day 72
Tuesday, 8/29/00
Harper’s Ferry, WV to Sam Moore Shelter
22.7 miles
Went down to breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. All-you-can-eat for $5.95! I got my money’s worth! 1st trip: 6 slices of French toast, 3 pancakes, 6 strips of bacon. 2nd trip: 2 biscuits & gravy, tons of hashbrowns, 5 strips of bacon, scrambled eggs. 3rd trip: 2 biscuits & gravy, tons of hashbrowns, 6 strips of bacon. Also, 5 glasses of OJ and some soft serve ice cream. Good deal!!!
Holy crap, that first portion would be more than I could eat now! It’s interesting how my journal entries get more and more food-centric. By this point, I had burned off all the fat I had and was starting to burn away at muscle mass. I started the trail weighing about 245. By this point, I was probably right around 200lbs.
Walked to the P.O., sent back some more stuff. Headed to the trail, in the rain… rained all day…
Passed Cold Foot and Can-do after a few hours. Saw a box turtle! Pretty easy hiking, but the hills are starting to show up again every now and then… finally!
My new shoes feel great! No break-in required (I have lucky feet, I only had one blister at the very beginning). They get wet faster than my old ones though (and they also dried out faster, which is more important).
Entered Virginia!!! Met Gandalf, Double Zero and Strider. Chillin’ at this shelter with Gandalf playing the guitar… pleasant. He had one of those backpacker guitars and was pretty good from what I recall. Don’t think my kazoo would have made a very good duet…
Day 73
Wednesday, 8/30/00
Sam Moore Shelter to Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
25.8 miles
Rained all night. But, it wasn’t cold, so I slept fine! That fleece bag Mom made was perfect last night!
Woke up before everyone else. Packed up and left when everyone was still asleep. Started on the “roller coaster”. Just another one of those “hard” parts north-bounders bitch about. What a joke! Just some easy little ups and downs…
Climbed some other decent hills today. Actually got above 2,000 feet. I’ll get above 3,000 feet in the Shenandoah’s tomorrow! Haven’t been that high up since Vermont!
Passed a few shelters… stopped at a store 0.1 miles from the trail at Ashby Gap. Bought a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. 1,160 calories baby!!
Had some more ups and downs… Right before this shelter, I met a guy running! A thru-hiker (northbound). We talked a bit… he’s on day 74 and has only gotten this far! I’m on day 73 and way further! Damn, I’m good…
Met a girl named Czarina at the shelter. She started in NY and is going to Georgia. She’s pretty cool. Czarina and I wound up hiking together for a couple days through the Shenandoahs and we keep in touch to this day. Maybe I can get her to add something to this part of the story, since she shared it with me. It’d be interesting to hear her take on the same part… She actually met a guy on the trail that she wound up marrying. They live out in Washington or Oregon now.
Cooked with the alcohol stove again. I love it! I wanted to cook twice just to use it…
Get to enter Shenandoah National Park tomorrow. The trails are supposed to be easy there…
I’m either going 18 or 29 tomorrow, depending on the terrain…
Total miles so far: 1,213.7
Day 74
Thursday, 8/31/00
Jim & Molly Denton to Gravel Springs “Hut”
18.5 miles
Woke up around 7:00, I guess. It rained hard all night… Ate a balance bar for breakfast (a new addition to my mail-drop that mom had added). It was really good! I think it was honey nut or something… Left before Czarina…
Saw another box turtle. Started raining within an hour of beginning. Never did stop. Entered Shenandoah National Park. Had to pick up some dumb permit so I don’t get a ticket…
Started raining real hard. Passed “Just Bob” (started in Harpers Ferry and was headed to Georgia). Started raining even harder… and harder…
Got up to over 3,000 feet today! Most of it was one long climb. The trails here are REALLY well maintained. Grades are pretty dang easy too. Should be cruising!
Tomorrow I either have to go 13 or 28! If it rains like this, I’m doing the 13…
Got here finaly around 1:00. Dryed off and ate. “Big Hank” showed up and later Czarina…
Need more snack food! I’m out!
Two interesting things about this day to me. 1) I did 18.5 miles before 1:00. 2) I left town 3 days before and was already out of snack food!
Day 75
Friday, 9/1/00
Gravel Springs Hut to Pass Mountain Hut
13.1 miles
Ugh! More rain! That makes 4 days in a row. Actually 6, because it rained both days in Harper’s Ferry. Rained on and off al night (mostly on). Woke up to pouring rain…
Put on my wet clothes and shoes. Always LOVE doing that! It wasn’t raining when I left, but it soon started pouring again. Oh the misery…
Made it 6 miles to Elkwallow Gap, where there was a store and a restaurant (known as “Waysides” in SNP). Bought a sandwich, 6 Moon Pies, and 4 packs of crackers. It stopped raining! Saw some blue sky! Czarina showed up. I bought a milkshake to celebrate the change in weather (I remember it was blackberry, and delicious…). I even saw my shadow!!!
Took off hiking again. Easy going. No rain for a bit. I dried out! Then it sprinkled a little… Got here about 1:00. Set all my stuff out to dry. As soon as Czarina showed up it started raining again…
“Just Bob” showed up soaking wet…
Still raining and getting harder… If it’s not raining tomorrow, I’m doing 27 miles.
Gotta get going. Running out of food…
Day 76
Saturday, 9/2/00
Pass Mountain Shelter to Bearfence Mountain Hut
26.8 miles
As you probably noticed (to the person originally reading the handwritten version of this), I got a spiffy new pen! It’s n extra-fine “sharpie”. Found it last night. It amazes me that I was thrilled to find a Sharpie, something I used constantly these days.
It didn’t rain all night! Czarina’s alarm woke me (but not her) up at 6:00. Pretty soon it started raining… it had stopped by 7:00 when I left. Everything was dry except my shoes & socks (and pack).
It was 1.2 miles down to a restaurant, but, I was too early and didn’t have any cash anyway… 2 mile climb after that… easy… Lots of long climbs and descends today. Nothing hard. Got above 3,800 feet! It’s been a while!
There were a few sprinkles here and there, but I didn’t get too wet. Stayed mostly dry all day (except my feet). Stopped at Big Meadows Wayside and picked up some food!
Left there about 2:00, made it ~8 miles by 4:00! I was trucking! Ate lots of food when I got here. Lots of folks out for the weekend.
Only about 20 miles tomorrow…
Day 77
Sunday, 9/3/00
Bearfence Mountain Hut to Pinefield Hut
20.6 miles
It poured for about 8 hours last night! Loud, with thunder and lightning too…
Lots of bats in the hut, flying back and forth about a foot from my face… 4 of them. Probably attacted to the bugs that were circling around my candle I was reading/writing by.
It wasn’t raining when I got up, but everything was soaked. I was a little chilly last night but I wasn’t wearing my polypro tights… the rest of this week the fleece bag was perfect! Got going pretty early.
Started raining, of course. Will it ever stop!? It’s been raining since Harper’s Ferry! There’s supposed to be great views here but all I see is clouds and fog. I want views!!!
Met some guys going from Georgia to New York. They said the rest of Virginia has some tough stuff. North-bounders!!! We’ll see… Turns out they were right, Virginia does have some challenging stuff.
Got here around 2:30. 4 weekenders here. They gave me some grub. Hope I don’t get food poisoning again…
Doing 26.2 tomorrow, rain or shine…
Day 78
Monday, 8/4/00
Pinefield Hut to Calf Mountain Hut
26.2 miles
I forgot to mention all the stinging nettles I had to go through yesterday…
The four other people at the shelter treated me like a celebrity. They had me sign their copy of “A Walk in the Woods”. It had inspired them to start backpacking. Bill Bryson’s book had just come out that summer, and I met several people who were on the trail after reading that. This strikes me as odd, because Bryson bitched and moaned about almost everything he encountered. There are some parts of that book that make me really mad, but I guess if it gets people interested in hiking, it’s a good thing.
Rained some after dinner last night but not all night. Foggy again in the morning. Made it 6 miles to a wayside to buy some grub. Yum!
Oh, this morning, I screwed up my camera and wasted a whole roll of film (unexposed). Doh! And, it didn’t rain today, and the sun came out and burned off some of the fog! But, still had no great views… no camera anyway…
Got pretty warm today! Lots of ups and downs (hooray). Here at shelter with a former thru-hiker (1998). Only 7 miles to Wayside tomorrow then onward…
Day 78
Tuesday, 9/5/00
Calf Mountain Shelter to Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
11.9 miles
I forgot to mention the 2 copperheads I saw yesterday… some tourists were all scared show I showed them how to bite a snake’s head off… I don’t know what my joke was about biting things heads off…
Didn’t start raining until I left. No, I taked that back, it started raining while I was eating last night.
Temperature got cold at night. I shivered in my fleece bag… Twas cold in the morning too. And wet. I was freezing all the way to the road. My hands got cold and numb too.
Got to the road to Waynesboro, VA (US-250) and didn’t have much luck hitching. Walked about a mile before some cute chick picked me up. She was nice… I think I sent her a postcard when I finished, but I never heard from her again. She drove me to the P.O. then to the YMCA, where I was going to stay… Told her I’d send her a postcard when I finish…
Went to the YMCA and repacked my stuff. Back to P.O. to send back stuff, to library, lanudromat, etc. Decided I’d keep movin’. Walked 2 miles to outfitter. Bought some string for my tarp (which I’d just gotten at the P.O.) and a light rain coat (I still have the rain coat, but it’s long since worn out). I couldn’t wait for mine to get sent back to me (after so many days of rain, I think that’s reasonable of me). They gave me some new tips for my poles because I didn’t have enough money… nice folks…
Got a ride back to the trail. Made it 4.9 miles in 1.25 hours. Bookin’ it!
2 weekenders here… nice shelter.
Day 79
Wednesday, 9/6/00
Paul C. Wolfe Shelter to Harper’s Creek Shelter
21.4 miles
Ahh… so nice to have my sleeping bag back! Just in time! It was cold again. I don’t like the extra weight though.
It was clear this morning and would stay that way all day! It was chilly too! I could see my breath until about 11:00 when the sun started shining and warming things up. Had 2 major climbs today! Yahoo! They’re graded pretty well so it’s not hard. Not that anything is for me (what a cocky whipper-snapper I was). Got some great view today! Took some pics…
Only saw one other hiker all day. Ahh… solitude… A few more stinging nettles today too, but nothing too bad.
Got here and fooled around with my tarp. Boy it’s pretty big (That’s what she said! Ha, it’s an 8x10’ silicone-impregnated tarp made by Equinox. Still have it.)! Kinda hard to set up too. But, I’ll get used to it!
Ate those scalloped potatoes. Yum. Having pudding for dessert.
I plan to go 22 miles tomorrow and camp out with the tarp.
I get over 4,000 feet tomorrow! Oh, one more thing…
Now that I have the legs to my pants back… It feels so weird to wear pants after about 2 months without them. Thing about how that would feel… I had some of those “shants” or whatever you call the pants with zip-off legs. The legs were too much extra weight to carry. I actually hiked in a pair of soccer shorts most of the time.
Day 80
Thursday, 9/7/00
Harper’s Creek Shelter to Hog Camp Gap
22 miles
Wow. I month ago I was in Kent, Connecticut! That’s almost 600 miles ago!
Woke up kind of late. The bugs weren’t making noise, must have been too cold… Alone last night. The previous night I had a very hard time getting to sleep because what seemed like millions of bugs (probably a couple katydids) were making noise in unison and the noise was deafening.
Downhill a few miles before climbing “The Priest”. Climbed over 3,000 vertical feet over 4.8 miles. Nice climb. When I got to the top (4,063 feet) it had clouded over! So, no view… but I had some good ones going up… At The Priest Shelter I met Tripwire and Flatiron, two south-bounders. Nice guys… These would be about the last south-bounders I would pass. At this point, I had passed most of the rest of them, and there were a couple ahead traveling at about the same pace as me. I would push myself to try and catch them, but I never did. I think I finished about a day behind them.
Stayed pretty high up all day. No other major climbs… My left ankle has been hurting lately. In the front, so it’s not because of the sneakers… I think I’ll take it easy tomorrow..
I’m camped out under my tarp. Nice and cozy! Oh, I passed some apple trees today and there were some ripe ones! Nice treat!
Went over a grassy “bald” today. More ahead. Nowhere in the southern Appalachians does the trail get truly above treeline, but there are numerous mountain tops that are devoid of trees. The origins of these are pretty mysterious, but they are quite a nice respite from the “long green tunnel” of hiking in the trees all the time. I need to find out where my next mail-drop is. Need MORE snackfood!
Out with the new, in with the old.
Yeah, I know that's backwards, but sometimes that's how it goes. I think I mentioned/complained/whined about my Willits 29er (that's a mountain bike for you non-cyclists) was having some weird rust issues. Well, it continued to get worse until finally, this happened:
If you can't quite make out what's wrong, here's a closer view:
The seatstay cracked at the upper part of the disc mount. That explains the creaking I'd been hearing on recent rides! And I just thought I needed to lube my chain...
Anywho, fortunately (I guess), I haven't had any luck selling my old Salsa, so it looks like I'll be back to riding it for the foreseeable future. Not that that's a bad thing...
So I'll be going from this beauty:
To this:
I took some of the parts from the Willits on this and put the suspension fork back on. Gonna give single-speed a go. I doubt I'll stick with it. I need my gears for the hills around here, and it's geared too low for the flats. Maybe I just need to get stronger and/or lighter.
Another view:
I've heard stories on the interweb about people going back to 26" wheels after being on 29" wheels for a while and not being able to ride anything. I haven't encountered any of that. People on the interweb are idiots. I loved the way the Willits rode, but I give more credit to the frame fitting me like a glove than the 29" wheels. I may get another 29er eventually, but it won't be for a while. I've got some other fancy things to save up for in the meantime...
Monday, October 4
Appalachian Trail Retrospective - Rausch Gap Shelter, PA to Harper's Ferry, WV
Day 64
Sunday, 8/20/00
Rausch Gap Shelter to Clark’s Ferry Shelter
24.3 miles
Woke up?... Beat Feet woke me up about 6:30 I guess. I screwed around and didn’t leave until maybe 8:00. Man, I need a watch now, or I should just give up on keeping track of time. It was cold again at night and into the AM (low 50’s). Still haven’t gotten to try the fleece bag…
Pretty boring today. No views. Just lots of trees… Saw a big black snake (not a rattler). I remember seeing more and more of these black snakes as I got further south. They had an interesting defense mechanism of burying their tail in dry leaves and shaking it, imitating a rattlesnake. Wasn’t enough to fool me, but I imagine it works pretty well for them. Took it easy all day… Got here 3:45. Only 5 miles to Duncannon (PA). I might take a zero day or a really short day… We’ll see how the hotels are.
Day 64 (Don’t know why I repeated day 64 in the sequence, but I’ll stick with what I wrote originally.)
Monday 8/21/00
Clark’s Ferry Shelter to Duncannon, PA
4.5 miles
Had a nice campfire last night… (Something I almost never took the time to do) Never got too cold. Hiked with Beat Feet and had a real breakfast (French toast!) at the truck stop. It was good! Walked to the P.O. Got my mail! Good food! Beat Feet had a whole box of granola bars and he shared some…
Sent home my sleeping bag (Up to this point I was using a Northface 40-degree synthetic bag). Walked a couple miles to the grocery store. Bought some bread, cake frosting, peanut butter, some Lipton’s pasta and a can of Pringles (1,050 calories baby!!!). Ate lunch (Jo-jo potatoes and chicken fingers) there with Beat Feet. He’s decided he’s going to call it quits at Harper’s Ferry. Decided he wanted to go to grad school (thus ended my hiking partnership with Beat Feet).
I wanted to shower and do laundry so I stayed at the truckstop. Had to go back 2 miles though… (so I really did about 10 miles of walking today). Ate Lipton’s pasta and Pringles for dinner.
Vegged out watching TV. What a waste of time TV is! Did laundry too…
Day 65
Tuesday, 8/22/00
Duncannon, PA to Darlington Shelter
11.4 miles
Slept in this morning… took a shower… took my time. Left at maybe 10:00.
Road walked for a while (road walking might sound like a relief from the trail, but I dreaded these sections. Nothing gives me shin splints faster and makes my joints hurt quicker than walking on pavement.). Easy hiking. The worst of the rocks are supposed to be over and they are. Wahoo! Saw some Amish folks this morning at the truck stop. Guess I’m in that part of the country…
Got here probably around 1:00. Little shelter! I’m alone so far.
Saw a north-bounder today! Wow, he’s late! North-bounders have a deadline to worry about. Baxter State Park, home of Katahdin, usually closes toward the end of October.
By the way, I passed the 1,000 mile mark a while ago! Now I’m at 1,052.9! The halfway point is 1083.55 (Though it varies over the years as the trail is relocated/rerouted). Not to much further!
Gonna read some now…
Day 66
Wednesday, 8/23/00
Darlington Shelter to Tagg Run Shelter
26.5 miles
Don’t know when I got up. I suppose I could stop saying that…
It was pretty cold last night. Had to piss like 4 times too! Sucked having to get out of my sleeping bag. Left about 7:30 I think. Had hamburger buns with frosting for breakfast.
Descended into the Cumberland Valley. It was flat for about 14 miles till Boiling Springs. Lots of pasture walking, which I love.
In Boiling Springs, there was a regional ATC office. Nice place! Scored some Kudo’s and a giant Hershey Dark bar from the hiker box. At places like this and P.O.’s along the trail, there are often designated “hiker boxes” where hikers leave things they don’t want for other hikers. Occasionally, regular folks leave stuff for hikers too. People are nice. Also grabbed the Nalgene 3L canteen I’d given to Beat Feet. I’ll send it home at Harper’s Ferry.
Hit some easy hills out of town. Nothing hard… went fast…
Rained a little. Met a cool section-hiker chick. Cold Foot and Can-do are here too. Talked with the section hiker (Beth) for a long time. I’m writing by candle light…
I’m 4.15 miles from the halfway point! Yee-hah!!! Only 1,087.7 mles until Springer Mountain!
Only doing 24 miles the next couple days so I can stay with these folks in Maryland (I can’t remember who I was going to be staying with, but I think it was someone my folks knew.)
Gute Nacht!
Day 67
Thursday, 8/27/00
Tagg Run Shelter to Quarry Gap Shelter
24.5 miles
Rained some last night… so it was a little chilly. Not as much as the previous night though…
Finished up my frosting for breakfast! Yummy. (I’ve always had a sweet tooth…) Talked some more with Beth, the section hiker. Hiked a decent pace all morning.
***PASSED THE HALFWAY POINT!***
I can’t believe it! Now I have fewer miles to go than I’ve gone! But, it’s still over 1,000 miles.
I was ready to do the “Half-gallon challenge” (where you eat a ½ gallon of ice cream to mark the half way point) but the store was closed! Oh well, I probably would have puked it up anyway… Nah, I bet I could have done it no problem! I might even be able to do it now!
A few easy climbs today. I think I got up near 2,000 feet today. Wow… I’m headed into Maryland tomorrow. The next night I’ll try to stay at those people’s house (the ones who are interested in buying our house in Boothbay). Ah, so that’s who they were. After that, it’s Harper’s Ferry!
Can’t wait to get crackin’ on those 500 miles of Virginia… My shoes are getting pretty ratty…
Day 68
Friday, 8/25/00
Quarry Gap Shelter to Devil’s Racecourse Shelter
25.5 miles
Wow. I gotta get my sleeping bag back! It’s been cold at night! I woke up several times shivering… Got up as soon as it was light enough to see so I could warm up some. Ate those home made energy bars for breakfast. Tasty!
I forgot to mention, I saw a box turtle a few days back! I’ve always loved turtles…
Fall is on the way! Chilly nights, crickets, cicadas, frogs… the deer have their antlers back, and some of the trees are starting to change color. Oh well, it is late August. Seems kind of early, considering the leaves don’t really start to change here in Vermont until the end of September.
Kind of up and down terrain today, but nothing hard. Maybe I’m just so tough…
Crossed the Mason-Dixon line! (Same as the PA-MD border). I’m done with Pennsylvania! Then, 40 miles of Maryland, 4 of West Virginia, 500+ of Virginia, 300+ of Tennessee/North Carolina (the trail straddles the TN/NC border and crosses it often) and 100+ of Georgia! I don’t think my shoes will make it…
Got to this trashy shelter pretty early. Lots of bugs and some big spiders. It’s close to a road and it’s Friday night, so I’ll probably have some company (the bad kind). Tomorrow I’m headed to those people’s house. I haven’t had a chance to call. Hope they don’t mind me droppin’ in. I was going to go all the way to Harper’s Ferry: 36+ miles (known as the “Maryland Challenge”). Now, I have a valid excuse not to do it, sorta. I didn’t want to do it that bad anyway…
I hope I don’t beat the mail to Harper’s Ferry…
Running out of paper. Good thing I bought a new notebook back in Duncannon! It’s heavy though, so I’m ready to start using it.
Day 69
Saturday, 8/29/00
Devil’s Racecourse Shelter to US-40 Alt. (Boonesboro, MD)
17.9 miles
Easy day… COLD last night but no drunken locals!...
Stayed with the Erkman’s who are interested in buying our house in Boothbay. They hooked me up big time! Pizza for dinner, eggs and toast for breakfast, a bed to sleep in, etc.
Nice folks.
They didn’t end up buying our house though.
Day 70
Sunday 8/27/00
US-40 Alt. to Harper’s Ferry, WV
17.9 miles
Actually slept last night! A real breakfast too! They even drove me back to the trailhead…
Easy again. Especially last 3 miles into Harper’s Ferry along an old Canal towpath. Verry pretty! Crossed the Potomac River. Found a hotel to stay in… went and hung out at the local outfitter, stranded in the rain…
Hiked to a 711. Ate a box of Oreo’s and a half gallon of milk for dinner. I need the calories. Holy crap! Yeah, I guess so!
At the outfitter, I bought a new shirt and a new pair of socks. I’m getting some new shoes tomorrow too. Looking forward to visiting the ATC headquarters too.
Called home… everything sounds OK, but no tarp yet. Oh well… After sending back my tiny tent, I’d been dependent on the shelters, and I was eager to camp out again. Tarps were a pretty wild idea back in 2000, so they were hard to find.
Get to start Virginia tomorrow!!! Bring it on! The year I did this, there were 544 miles of trail in Virginia. Many people get the “Virginia Blues” because they’re in the same state for so long. I was eager to get a move on.
Day 71
Monday 8/28/00
Harper’s Ferry, WV
0 miles
Decided I’d chill out in town all day. Not that there’s a whole lot to do, but I needed to take care of some things…
Bought a new pair of shoes, some Hi-Tec trail running shoes. They are pretty sharp lookin’ and have a nice tread. Bought a Pearl Izumi sleeveless shirt so I can show off my scrawny arms…
Picked up my mail-drop. Lots of good food!
Went to the ATC Headquarters. Got my picture taken. I’m the 13th south-bounder to make it this far! Supposedly over 200 started at Katahdin! But, over 4,000 started at Springer (in Georgia) and 763 had made it as far as Harper’s Ferry (that’s a pretty high drop-out rate, but historically, only 10% make it all the way to Maine. I don’t know what the stats for south-bounders are, but there’s usually about a tenth the number of them that even start, even less this year.)
Went back to hotel for a while… went back downtown. Cold Foot and Can-do had just come in. Hiked to the ATC again. Met “Vidalia”. Went to the library with him but it was closed! Went to 711, he bought some champagne and beer. Walked back to my hotel room and celebrated the halfway point. Went downtown again. Back to outfitter and ice cream place where some north-bounder chick was working. She hooked me up big time! Bought a Trangia alcohol stove at the outfitter (this was my first alcohol stove. I still have it and and it still works like a charm, just not when it’s cold out).
Went back to hotel and tried the stove to cook dinner. It works great! But, I’m really sick of instant mashed potatoes.
Seriously considered taking the train into DC but changed my mind…
Hanging around the hotel, called home. Packed up stuff…
Also bought a kazoo and wrote “Stradivarius” on it… I guess I was missing having a musical instrument. A Stradivarius kazoo… nice…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)