Beginning Point: Pen Mar Park, MD
Ending Point: Rocky Mountain Shelter, PA
Daily Mileage: 15.1 Miles
Total Miles: 1064.5 Miles
Weather: Humid with afternoon rains
Had a terrible sleep last night until about 3 am when it cooled off. I felt like I was a lobster steaming in a pot. Stephan gave me back my silk liner and that kept the bugs off. We still had a couple slices of pizza and some pizza bones so we split those for breakfast. Pizza was such a good idea last night.
Lamby and Smack stayed at the park a little longer while we hiked out. We immediately were struck by Pennsylvania's strange way of marking things... Instead of telling us the location of the PA-MD state line, we see a sign that says "Mason-Dixon line". I guess I should have paid more attention to the 'war of northern aggression' as its called in the south, or the civil war in yankee land.
It also seems that whenever we get to road crossings the trail follows the road for a little bit before ducking back into the woods. The problem is that they don't paint double blazes at these road crossings to let you know! So we had lots of confusion.
At lunch we met Munchkin and her dog Kaya, an adorable chocolate lab. She was separated from her friend, D-Bone, who we finally met at the end of the day. She and her pup hiked with us to Rocky Mountain shelter. On the way there we stopped at Chimney Rocks, a pretty cool rocky outcrop. Kaya was running all around the rocks - made me nervous but Munchkin wasn't. Munchkin promised me a puppy when she breeds Kaya.
We are looking forward to tomorrow... we finally reach the true halfway point along the AT in Pine Grove Furnace State Park where the tradition is to eat a half gallon of ice cream to commemorate the midpoint. Thats another huge milestone.
Goodnight!
Steph
Beginning Point: Harpers Ferry, WV
Ending Point: Crampton Gap Shelter
Daily Mileage: 11.1 Miles
Total Miles: 1019.5 Miles
Weather: hot and humid
I love waking up in a hotel, waking up at 8:00 am, taking a long hot shower and then stumbling to the dining room for coffee and eggs! I think I'm spoiled for good. The hotel, the Hilltop Inn, is a historic hotel, so despite being in operation since 1888, we were still shocked that TVs were not part of the hotel room decor. The bathroom appeared to once have been a closet or something- I don't think I've ever seen one so narrow before. I am not complaining, I'm just relating to you my experience. The dining area in which we were seated looked out onto a part of the Potomac River called the Devils Staircase. The whole area was very scenic and I bet autumn is killer.
After checking out it was time to visit the Appalachian Trail Conference. This is the place where you sign a register and get your photo taken for posterity. They also tell you where you are as far as hikers that have stopped in before you. Stephan is hiker #624, I'm 625, and Dan is 626. I think about 1650 people began in Springer so about 38% of hikers who began in GA made it 1000 miles. Thats a long way. And another statistic I've heard is only half of the hikers who reach Harpers Ferry will make it to Katahdin.
We were distracted by the shops in town this afternoon... we had lunch and some beer at a tavern called the Secret Six (after the financial backers of John Brown, an abolitionist), then topped that off with ice cream. We paid a second visit to the Outfitters (hard to resist these places now) and Stephan bought a new sleep mat like mine. Dan picked up some food items which were surprisingly difficult to find. Then we went to a sandwich shop to have some sandwiches ready for dinner in a few hours and a few miles down the trail. We finally left town around 4 pm. Harpers Ferry NP looked cool, but we didn't see too much.
Part of the AT follows the C&O Canal and towpath for about 2.6 miles. These weren't marked well - to the point that we had to ask someone whether or not we were still on the trail - apparently because the people who maintain/own the towpath don't want the AT blazes. Strange. The American Discovery Trail also follows this towpath from Cheasapeake Bay to Ohio and we also didn't see blazes for that. The towpath trail is cool, but I think I would bike it rather than hike it.
We took the side trail to Weverton Cliffs which looked back on Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. It was a beautiful sight but I'm not sure my photos will do it justice since there was a lot of haze in the sky.
A few miles north of the cliffs is the Ed Garvey Shelter - one of the nicest on the trail. We ate our subs there and just before we began packing up, a summer camp group of 16 kids aged 14-16 and their counselors showed up. These kids were bouncing off the walls with energy despite it being 7 pm and no dinner yet. One of the counselors said they planned on hiking 27 miles back to the main camp the following day. I think we've done that once and it wore me out - we had 2 zero days afterwards. Kids.
The last 4 miles of the hike, all I could think about was coca cola. My addiction to this tasty beverage has grown and grown and I now have a monkey on my back! Not really, but they sure taste good. I told Stephan and Dan that a Coke would make me happier than a pig in $h!t. And I was in luck too because there were soda machines at the war correspondents memorial just a half mile from our final destination. As I type, I'm enjoying a tasty coca cola beverage. mmmmmmmmmm! I might not sleep well tonight.
I'm pretty excited - Stacy and Jay (my sister and brother-in-law) are joining us on the trail for a night. I hope we have good weather for them.
Nite!
Steph
Beginning Point: Front Royal, VA
Ending Point: Dick's Dome
Daily Mileage: 16 Miles
Total Miles: 9xx Miles
Weather: Surprise, hot and humid
Late last night I found out that my Grandma Micucci passed away. I've been thinking about her and my family all day... I always admired her independent spirit. Friends and family out there, I think of you often and miss you. Just wanted to let you know.
Brandon and Pushing Up Daisies from Weasel Creek outfitters met us at the motel and dropped us off at the trailhead - thanks for all your help, guys.
Around 5 miles into the morning hike, we arrived at Jim and Molly Shelter - one of the nicest I've seen on the trail. It had adirondeck seats on the porch, a covered eating pavilion, and a cistern shower fed by the nearby spring. Miss Maine and the New Orleans Kid were there and didn't feel like moving on just yet. We sat down for a snack and then pushed on.
We covered 8 miles easily and turned off the trail to a road into Linden so I could make some phone calls. Between the heat of the day and the speeding cars, it was the longest mile of the day by far. The soda, gatorade and candy bar helped my motivation which apparently is inversely related to the heat index. While I chatted with my sister Mandy, Stephan snoozed in a sitting position despite the heavy traffic on the road - he's a champion sleeper. Too bad sleeping isn't one of the olympic sports this summer.
We hitched a ride back to the trail and picked up where we left off. Soon we reached Manasses Shelter, reported to be home of copperhead rattlesnakes. The shelter register claimed no sight of the beasts in the last few days, however, just as I wrote "no snakes" in the log, lo and behold a snake! He looked at me with his beady eyes and flickered his tongue my way and then slithered down the roof beam and into the rain gutter. He continued moving to the opposite end of the shelter and I eventually got a full view of him: 4.5 feet long, black above with white belly and black crosshatching. I don't think he is poisonous, but I didn't want to stick around too long to find out.
We pushed on another 5 miles to Dick's Dome, and oddly shaped octagonal structure complete with a radio. The setting was so nice, a babbling brook in front of the shelter, a picnic table, and Inchworm and Kevin, and section hikers (and former thru-hikers). We had good dinner conversations with Inchworm and Kevin (aka Clutter '00) - so much so that we didn't want to push on as planned to a stealth camp spot a few miles ahead.
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Beginning Point: Bearfence Hut
Ending Point: Rockspring Hut
Daily Mileage: 11.5 Miles
Total Miles: 912.9 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid and afternoon thunderstorms
We had a very interesting night last night... We had just fallen asleep when something loud hit my side of the tent near our heads. Hmmm, what was that? we wondered, but sleep is something that messes with your senses. No "spidey-sense" kicked in to tell us to investigate further. A few moments later, Tippy and Deeds wandered by looking for the shelter so we said Hi and told them where it was. Then some rain began to fall, then the lightning and thunder joined in. An hour later I awoke to cold raindrops splashing my face. I woke Stephan and we briefly "discussed" the possibility/impossibility of rain inside the tent. Then I turned on my light and noticed the gaping hole in the tent wall next to my head! We think it was the deer we were watching around the tent at dusk and it (probably) kicked the tent wall. I guess I'm lucky that it didn't step on my head.
So, there was water in the tent in the morning and it was still raining and I didn't want to get out of bed despite the coffee that Stephan brewed up for me. We eventually left camp and weren't a few minutes down the trail when we ran into Seraphin, a thru-hiker who was ahead of us but had to get off the trail to earn some money to continue her hike. Today she was acting as Trail Angel - she told us about some beer she left in a spring at one of the Huts. Good deal.
A mile down the trail we saw a doe munching on trailside vegetation... she didn't seem alarmed at our presence. We took a bunch of pictures and watched her eat for a while. She seemed to like the duff layer - maybe the grubs taste good.
We hiked 7 miles to Big Meadows Wayside where we feasted on burgers and fries and unlimited pepsi. This was one of my best lunches on the trail. While we were eating, a 2003 thruhiker named Cheddar came over and offered us some cokes. He chatted with us for a bit and gave us a pep talk for the upcoming miles. He said once we leave VA the states start melting away. Thanks, Cheddar! I'm looking forward to Harpers Ferry.
The skies turned black and rumbly by 4:00 pm and we had just arrived at the Blackrock Hut. We wisely chose to abandon the plan to make Skyland Lodge and ride out the storm where we were. The folks we've been sheltering with these past few nights got stuck in the storm and soaked their packs.
Lots of folks at the shelter tonight... Tippy, Deeds, Rob, Bryan and Lunchpak, Q-Tip and Heidi, Tony, and Jorma (a fella Stephan and I met while staying at Neels Gap on day 5!). Sleep might be difficult tonight, but spirits are high.
Steph
Beginning Point: Hightop Hut
Ending Point: Bearfence Hut
Daily Mileage: 12.4 Miles
Total Miles: 901.4 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid and no rain!
Had an easy day today - not too many hills, and the hills we did reach were pretty mild. We slept in late, but we weren't the only ones to do that. We climbed out of our bags around 8:45 and Stephan made some coffee and heated water for oatmeal. We picked a bunch of red raspberries to augment the oatmeal and they tasted awesome. Over breakfast, Q-Tip mentioned some campsites near Skyland Lodge. We left the shelter around 10:45 and started hiking.
It was so humid today, and we had such a late start that it was slow going. My heels have blisters so at one point we stopped so I could tend to them. I wasn't paying attention but I heard some noise down the trail and looked up, expecting to see another hiker. So I was shocked to see a bear about 50 ft from me. Fortunately he was shocked to see me too. We stared at each other with jaw-dropped expressions on both our faces, and he decided to crash through the brush and flee the scene. It was awesome to see him.
We decided to tent when we got to the shelter. Neither of us have sleeping bags right now, only silk liners, and they don't really keep you warm at night. I've been wearing my rain pants and socks inside the liner... and I forgot to wear my polar fleece (my standard pillow) the other night too, like a dummy.
Well, enough for now. Hopefully the no-see-ums won't come thru the bug netting.
Steph
Beginning Point: Hut
Ending Point: Hightop Hut
Daily Mileage: 21.4 Miles
Total Miles: 888.8 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid and drizzling rain intermittently throughout the day
Today was not a bad day... We left the hut around 9 and hiked a quick 7.5 miles to the Loft Mt. Campstore. There we purchased some sodas, fruit, a cup of coffee and some postcards. As we sat munching and writing, the rain began, but ended before we were done (thanks to sky gods).
We met Snatchy and Monk, some thru-hikers that we've been following in the shelter registers. They are hiking with a friend this week and taking it easy. Both are wearing chacos after starting out with heavy boots and said they now have happy feet, so I think I will purchase a pair the next opportunity I have.
We saw a total of 8 deer today, including a doe and her fawn. Bambi was very cute with his spots and youthful gait. Most of the deer in the park don't run when they see you, unfortunately,... mostly because they've been fed by people.
We continued on to the next hut for a rest break and met up with Tippy. He hadn't decided yet whether or not to continue to the next shelter (but he eventually decided to stay). My blisters were starting to act up, so we did a little road walking. It didn't cut any miles off, but the terrain was more gradual. I'm not sure if I want to road-walk tomorrow because hiking shoes aren't really meant for concrete.
We caught Prairie Home Companion on the radio (we each carry one) this afternoon so that helped to pass the time and distract me from my feet. We reached the shelter just after 8 this evening, so we had a long day. As we walked up, the ridgerunner, Q-tip, was in the process of building a nice fire for everyone to enjoy. He quizzed us on our Leave No Trace habits... and while I do a good job most of the time, the one thing I don't do is pack out my t.p. when I use the woods as my privy. I will make an effort to do better.
I'm excited to get to Harper's Ferry in the next few days. It's called the half-way point, but the real half-way point is in Pine Grove Furnace, PA. The tradition is to eat a half-gallon tub of ice-cream there. Soon enough, soon enough.
Beginning Point: Quality Inn, Waynesboro VA
Ending Point: Blackrock Hut
Daily Mileage: 20.0 Miles
Total Miles: 867.4 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid but no rain.
Blackfoot gave us a slackpack today - good thing, too because I was tired and dragging and so was Stephan. We drove about 20 miles into the park and stashed our packs in the woods near the trail. Then Dan drove us back to the beginning of the park near Waynesboro. Dan is on his way to a wedding for the weekend and will be back on the trail Monday. He's going to lighten up his pack so he can travel fast and hopefully will soon catch up with us.
We are now in the Shenandoahs and so far, as best I can tell, the best views are from the road. We mostly had views of the Big Green Tunnel... and for an hour or so we walked through a radio/cell tower field. That was depressing. I took some photos...
Stephan and I both had the blahs today. I think half was from Dan's departure, half from staying up late/drinking one beer too many at dinner, and eating grease-laden foods yesterday.
The major highlight of the day came around 6pm... I rounded the trail just north of Riprap Parking area and saw a big black furry dog running behind 2 smaller black dogs. Just as I was wondering why the dogs weren't leased, the large one turned around and I quickly realized it was Momma Bear and her two cubs. Don't worry folks, we were a safe distance away. We watched them trot down the trail for at least 30 seconds before I remembered my camera. By the time I removed the lens cap, they had ducked into the woods. Maybe I'll get another chance tomorrow.
Beginning Point: Dutch Haus B&B
Ending Point: Dutch Haus B&B
Daily Mileage: 19.9 Miles
Total Miles: 828.2 Miles
Weather: Hot, humid and sunny
We feasted on an awesome breakfast of scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, fruit and homefries. While eating and slurping down coffee, Dan noticed a sign offering slack-packing... with the slightest arm twisting, I agreed with Stephan and Dan to stay another night and knock out 20 miles with only half the effort.
Slack packing is awesome; I only wonder why we haven't done this sooner. We followed a blue blaze trail to waterfalls and a swimming hole - and saved some elevation gain and lopped off a few miles, too. The waterfalls trail was steep as promised by the guide book, however the swimming hole was a perfect lunch spot. The water was freezing!
We hiked like mad in the afternoon - I felt so light and free and, and my feet didn't hurt. I even felt like I could have done another 5 or so miles after 20 miles. Guess these stupid shoes weren't meant for carrying more than a daypack.
The second highlight was a place called Spyrock, a rocky outcrop that offers almost 360 degree vies of the surrounding area. This used to be a lookout post for revolutionary soldiers. Unfortunately we got there so late in the day that we only had a few minutes to look around and snap some pictures.
Did I mention that Earl dropped us off at 10:30 and planned to meet us at 7:30 at a road crossing in Montebello? That gave us about 9 hours to hike all those miles. I think we had probably 4-5000 ft elevation gain, with most of it occurring next to the Tye River.
When Earl met up with us, he made us choose between an icy cold beer or a huge zucchini. No brainer there - I love zucchini! Ha, just kidding. We picked up some hot dogs for dinner and Lois gave us some potato salad to augment our meal. Then the boys put in Pirates of the Caribbean for the movie selection - I made it about halfway through before I fell asleep.
That slackpack was a real pick-me-up. It proved to me how critical a few extra pounds (ounces add up you know) are for hiking and on my feet. Well, back to hiking with full weight again. I feel spoiled after only one day of lightened load.
Hoping for more slacking opportunities,
Steph
Beginning Point: Cow Camp Shelter
Ending Point: Dutch Haus B&B
Daily Mileage: 12.5 Miles
Total Miles: 808.3 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid
We were stuck in a late-day thunderstorm and were drenched from head to toe last night. Thus, we decided to forgo the tent-camping in favor of a dry shelter a few miles sooner than the camp. The interesting thing was around 10 or so, three highschool aged boys walked into camp and shined their flashlights on us to ask if we knew where to find dry firewood. They said they were camped up at Hog Camp Gap, a bald that was 2.5 miles away(!). They were kind of loud and didn't see any problems with shining their lights all over the place (or with raiding our camp of tinder, either).
The next day we set off around 8-ish and were a little disappointed that we didn't make it to the planned campsite - it had rope swings! Very cute camp. Another mile down the trail took us to a lovely bald - and the site of our partying nocturnal camp raiders, still fast asleep. They were camped right on the trail... and left their cooler of icy beer right out in the open... so, we helped ourselves to a beer apiece. I just want to say that I normally don't find this sort of thing to be appropriate, but somehow it seemed to be poetic justice... or maybe a form of trail magic. A half-mile down the trail we found a good rock for sitting and enjoying our pilfered pilsners. It was only 9:30, but it was the start of a good day.
We planned a trip to Montebello (don't blink or you'll miss the town!) for a maildrop and a hostel stay at the Dutch Haus which was only 12 miles but they took us forever. It seems that whenever we plan short days, we feel like we have all the time in the world to get there so we lolly-gag and goof off. We finally arrived at the road to Montebello - and then realized that we had another 2.5 miles to hike into town. Ugh, didn't plan on that. The road was steep and full of loose gravel that threatened to trip with every step!
We finally made our way to town - and just missed the post office by a few minutes! We were still a half mile from the Dutch Haus and were motivated only to go to the General Store for snacks and sodas. Fortunately, a quick call to the hostel secured us some space and a dinner as well as a ride. Earl and Lois, you guys rock!
The hostel stay was awesome - we were given bathrobes to wear while all our clothes were being washed. Lois cooked up an awesome fish dinner followed by key lime pie for dessert (all while wearing our robes - good thing we were the only guests!). The Dutch Haus is a B&B that offers special hiker rates, so we really lucked out. Each room had a tv and vcr, and they had a video library too, so after gorging ourselves we watched Finding Nemo.
This was better than any town visit or hotel stay, by far. Thanks Earl and Lois!
Stephanie
Beginning Point: Punchbowl Shelter
Ending Point: Cow Camp Shelter
Daily Mileage: 14.4 Miles
Total Miles: 790-something Miles
Weather: Hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms
Woke up this morning to the sounds of buzzing black flies and the twang of a bullfrog chorus. The shelter was shrouded in fog and I would have stayed in my bag all morning if Stephan hadn't rolled over and said, "I can't take the $%&* bugs anymore!!" So, we made coffee and ate oatmeal while chatting with Spider, Brother and No Pain.
The mornings hike was nice and level and somewhat cool, which made for easy hiking. We quickly covered 8 miles but slowed up on the last mile. I guess it was warming up and we were getting hungry so the last mile was tough to bang out. Blackfoot really has trouble hiking when the weather turns to 100% humidity - actually, we all do, but especially Dan. We try to siesta during the heat of the day to avoid the worst of it. While that helps for hiking, it usually has us hiking into early evening which is the best time for rain showers.
Yup, we were stuck in another storm today. We left the lunch shelter at 4 p.m. and started hiking. We had a 3000 ft climb from there to the top of Bald Knob (which, by the way, wasn't bald), and some of that was straight up the mountain! We found a patch of red raspberries and snacked for a bit before moving on - then the rumbles in the sky began. My goal was to get over the crest of the mountain before the first raindrops fell, but that was not to be. Dan and I were about a mile or so from the summit when the lightning and rain began in earnest; Stephan was at the summit. The plan was to camp at Hog Back Spring, but getting soaked so close to nightfall caused us to re-evaluate the shelter alternative, which was a few miles closer (but a half mile off-trail). Glad we did, too because its nice having a dry area to cook and sleep in. Plus, we met a fella who hasn't done too much hiking, Eric (or, as his grandma used to call him, Whiffler, which means butterfingers). He doesn't have a pack cover or a tent so he made sure to get to the shelter before the rain fell.
Some dry clothes and hot tea really can change your mood. A Special Dark doesn't hurt, either (thanks Mom!). Dan professed his love for the mighty Idahoan mashed potatoes with gravy - favorite dish - and Stephan and I had a similar spud-based dinner. Then, chocolate pudding for dessert - mmmm!
Brother hiked in around 8-ish and said that Spider pitched her tent about 5 miles back. Guess she didn't want to hike in the rain. After he ate and got himself settled, he played his guitar for us - very soothing before bed.
Well, I think I want my boots back. They hurt my feet, but not like the hiking shoes hurt. These are rubbing my feet raw, and I think they also put more pressure on my knees. They claim they are gore-tex, however they soaked through after 10 minutes in the rain the other day, so I don't think I like them for extended hiking. They might do okay day hiking without any weight. Either I'm going to try Chacos (a sports sandal with a vibram sole) or I'm putting my old boots back on. Not sure which is the better option.
Steph
Beginning Point: Marble Spring campsite
Ending Point: Punchbowl Shelter
Daily Mileage: 18.3 Miles
Total Miles: 781.2 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid with late day thunderstorms
Stuck in thunderstorm around 7:30 - if only we'd left the lunch shelter an hour or so earlier! Cold rain, but it lasted only 20 or 30 minutes thankfully. We hiked for another half hour or so before reaching the shelter so we had some time to drip dry a little. Punchbowl shelter is next to a pond and when we arrived the frogs were already setting up their choruses; I heard at least 4 different species calling.
There was just enough room for us in the shelter; Spider, Brother, and No Pain were already there and had eaten dinner. We, of course, had to cook in the dark but the rain picked up again so just cooked in the shelter - usually a no-no however exceptions tend to be made during foul weather.
The no-see-ums and blackflies were biting all night long - Stephan's legs were covered in bites. I seemed to do alright because I used my mummy liner to cover myself from head to toe. Dan crawled in his hammock (in the shelter) and said that kept the bugs off but was really hot.
The other thing was about all the frogs calling. I find it calming and soothing, but the boys had other opinions regarding these nocturnal noises... Dan said at one point he got up and stood by the pond looking for rocks to toss in to "scare" them into not calling anymore. Stephan had some hostile words about the frogs in the morning as well.
Keep hiking,
Steph
Beginning Point: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Ending Point: Marble Spring Campsite
Daily Mileage: 17.2 Miles
Total Miles: 762.9 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid
We began with a 9:30 am start. Moxie and Whoa were planning a big push into Glasgow to get their maildrop before the holiday, so they left before we did - and we never caught up to them. M&M was there, too (she'd been hiking with her dog but had to take him back home recently because of some soft tissue injuries).
I want to know who it was that decided to promulgate the vicious lies and rumors regarding the flatness of Virginia. All we did today was gain and lose elevation. I was quite sore after hiking - especially my rump, which should be in peak condition after 2.5 months of hiking.
We had a giant climb ahead of us from the onset - we began at 1,337 ft and climbed Floyd Mountain at 3,560 ft. We lunched at Cornelius Creek Shelter and stayed there for a while to avoid some of the days heat, and then hiked another 1000 feet up Apple Orchard Mountain. We passed under a feature called the Guillotine and took our requisite photos underneath it and continued on.
A late afternoon break at Thunder Hill Shelter was brief due to the presence of many biting insects - that, and the privy crawling with flies on the outside of the structure were clear indications that we should leave. I was so tired from the climbs and the heat... and some, lets just call it stomach upset resulting in frequent bathroom breaks. Not sure if that was related to last nights dinner, bad water, or if I picked up a bug. At any rate, by my third bathroom break, Stephan decided to heed caution and throw away the cheese (on its third day sans refrigeration) in case it was the culprit.
We kept hiking and crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway a total of 6 times. We also made a climb at the end of the day that caused each of us (unbeknownst to the others) to break into profanity (the hills caused us to spread out a little). I climbed High Cock Knob which was fairly steep and was pleased with myself that I could hike that strong at the end of the day and not feel bitter about it. Bite my tongue! that wasn't the peak, the real summit was about a 500 ft climb beyond what I'd just done.
The last mile was downhill and we began racing to get to the campsite because of the increasing rumbles in the sky. We were able to set up camp and eat before complete darkness. M&M arrived about a half hour after us - she also had just enough light to do the same. Fortunately the rain held off for another night.
As we ate our breakfast the next morning, a runner came into camp. He said he was a trail maintainer for an area a little south of our camp and that he "did" the AT in '91. After a little prodding, he said he ran the whole thing in 52 days, with support (meaning sleeping in hotels or at campgrounds every night and carrying only food and water). We met another fella who knew this runner/maintainer guy and said he was the one Bill Bryson (A walk in the woods) mentioned - the one who cried the last 200 miles or so of the trail. Hiking the trail is hard enough, why would you want to run the whole way?
Still hiking,
Stephanie
Beginning Point: Wilson Creek Shelter
Ending Point: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Daily Mileage: 20.8 Miles
Total Miles: 745.7 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid and no rain!
Had a long day today... The highpoint of the day was about 3.5 miles before Bryant Ridge... a swimming hole! And trail magic! I was so hot and so tired all day, the humidity really takes its toll on my hiking performance. Finally I stumbled down the hill, crossed a road, and there were Whoa, Stephan (who goes by Wideload in case I haven't mentioned it) and Dan, and Capri Suns on ice, care of our trail magic benefactors. The Angels took Whoa to a nearby store for some beer, cokes, and candy bars. Nothing makes a better cure for fatigue than this killer combination of Highlife, Coke Classic, and a butterfinger bar! 1000 ft - schmousand foot climb. We made it to the shelter in record time, and what a nice shelter it was...
We smelled campfire smoke as we approached Bryant Ridge. Sure enough, another thru-hiker, M&M, was already there and had the homefires burning (mostly to keep away the bugs). This shelter was probably the most intricately made of all I've seen thus far - it had three levels and a gigantic covered porch. Unfortunately, due to its location between two ridges and near a stream, it was plagued by no-see-ums and black flies who laugh in the face of DEET-slathered hikers. The campfire smoke trick worked until the fire went out at bedtime. I fared ok because my silk bag liner is large enough to cover my head, but Stephan and everyone else awoke to abundant bites.
Stephanie
Beginning Point: Daleville, VA
Ending Point: Wilson Creek Shelter
Daily Mileage: 11.4 Miles
Total Miles: 724.9 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid, but it was sunny!
We had breakfast with Slow Barbara and then checked out of the motel around 9:30. Then we began our trek to the Troutville Post Office, about 1.8 miles down and off the trail.
Hiking in the blazing sun zapped our collective energies, but Dan rescued us with a soda and snack run. Sorting through all the mail-drop stuff can be quite hairy (I took a picture), but we finally got everything straightened out.
On the road at 12:30 again, 3 miles uphill and had lunch with Margaret at the Fullhardt Shelter - seemed like a nice lady, but circulating rumors is that she's deranged. Seemed normal to me. Stephan only carried a trail register for 3 miles before finding a shelter that needed one.
Another 6.4 miles to Wilson Creek Shelter and the hike went quickly. My feet were getting sore by the end of the day though, and both my knees felt like jelly. Hopefully this condition was related to my former footwear and not my current footwear. Only time will tell.
Moxie and Whoa also hiked in to the Shelter tonight. We were hoping to catch up with them again. They need to make Glasgow, VA by Saturday morning to pick up their mail-drop; otherwise they have to wait until Tuesday to pick it up (due to the holiday).
Interesting night noises... I dreamt that my shelter-mates woke me up to tell me that a bear was raiding the camp. In the dream I heard something crashing through the brush. Then I woke up and heard something big crashing through the brush - I had to look around to see if anyone else was awake, but unlike my dream, I was the sole sentinel in the night. I listened to these noises for about 30 minutes before waking anyone. It kept getting closer and closer to the shelter and by the time I woke up everyone, I thought for sure we'd see it in a few minutes. However, no bear appeared. In fact, I didn't hear anymore noises at that point. Dan commented that he was surprised the bear wasn't frightened off by all the snoring - and them promptly fell back to sleep and to snoring. Eventually I also fell back to sleep.
Hoping for no more nocturnal ursine encounters,
Butterfingers
www.hikingat.com
Beginning Point: Daleville, VA
Ending Point: Wilson Creek Shelter
Daily Mileage: 11.4 Miles
Total Miles: 724.9 Miles
Weather: Hot and humid, but it was sunny!
We planned on moving out of town on Tuesday but the day kinda ran away from us. Sort of. It's difficult to get everything done that you need to do in town when you don't have a car, especially when everything's all spread out. We woke up at 8:30 and enjoyed our continental breakfast with Slow Barbara, who also happened to be in the same hotel. Then we did laundry and finally vacated our room at 12:30 (love the late checkouts). Since she planned on staying a second night, Slow Barbara let us put our things in her room while we did our other errands.
First we went to the outfitters so I could get get new trail shoes and we all needed things like fuel and aqua mira (chemicals to treat water so we don't need to filter). Stephan had new carbide tips put on his trekking poles since he managed to shear both tips off recently. Dan bought a new alcohol stove (same as Stephan and I, by Etowah Outfitters) and a new bite valve for his hydration system - apparently mice had been chewing on the old one. After trying on nearly every shoe they had, I settled on a pair of Montrails. I took a photo of them after one days hike - really a half day of hiking - and I plan to monitor their performance over the next several weeks because I've seen hikers limping into town after 300 miles and their formerly new shoes were completely blown out. I hope to get a little more life than that from these shoes, but then again, most shoes or boots aren't designed for thru-hiking.
After the outfitters, we went to lunch because its not wise to shop on an empty stomach. Then we hit the Krogers. $60 later it was 3:30 and we hadn't been to the post office yet, which we planed to hit after we picked up our packs from Slow Barbara. Where does the time go? The PO was in the opposite direction of the hotel and nearly 2 miles away. So at 4:00 we called it a day, picked up some beer and sat by the pool with Slow Barbara.
Slow Barbara is a fun lady. She hikes between 10 and 12 miles per day and uses wooden sticks (they have names - Mr. and Mrs. Stick) for trekking poles. She is a 1st grade teacher from NC and the local newspaper is keeping tabs on her. If you've taken a look at my photos from 6/14/04, you can see a picture of her showing a "war wound" in the form of a nasty bruise on her thigh. Every week she sends the newspaper a letter that describes her life on the trail. She said that she thinks she's embarrassing her family with all the discussions about shelter privies (but people always ask about that stuff).
After a few hours by the pool, we decided to risk our lives in search of dinner by walking along the roadside, which was more of a highway. We went to Taco Bell and over-ate. Then we waddled over to the CVS to pick up some forgotten items. I stumbled across a remote controlled whoopee cushion (basically a speaker box) that made 4 or 5 distinctly different farting noises. We played with that for a while - you'd easily mistake us for 12-year olds, I think. I also picked up a radio because lately I've ben taking hills slowly and the boys leave me in the dust, so now I have something to keep me company.
A problem I'm having of late is my heels. Hiking in the rain has made the skin of both heels very tender and calluses were forming. But then a week of the trail in DC caused those calluses to peel off. Since being back on the trail, I've been dealing with pre-callus burns and such, but Tuesday my right heal split open while I was putting my new shoes on. That really hurt! And the heel has been a tough area for me to protect because all forms of bandaids, blister care, new skin, moleskin, and yes, duct tape slide off my heel while hiking. Its very annoying to say the least. Hopefully it won't be a problem tomorrow.
Slow Barbara is coming over to our room to watch a movie on TV so I'll say goodnight now.
Butterfingers
Beginning Point: Audie Murphy Monument
Ending Point: Johns Spring Shelter
Daily Mileage: 17.7 Miles
Total Miles: 695.3 Miles
Weather: Sunny, for a change. A little bit hot.
Today was an interesting day. We woke early today so that we could be at McAfee Knob at sunrise. We arrived a few minutes late, but this was one of the most breath-taking places we've seen thus far. I think I would hike this area again. Unfortunately, Dan left his glasses 2.5 miles back at the shelter; so at 7:00 am he made his first slackpack on the trail. Stephan and I enjoyed the morning sun by reading and making coffee while waiting for Dan's return. He made great time, 5 miles in 1.5 hours time. We stayed for another 1.5 hours so that Blackfoot would also have a chance to enjoy the morning.
Several miles down the trail we came to Tinker Cliffs... These are cool boulders and outcroppings from the mountaintop. This must be the lunch spot because as we sat and enjoyed our lunches, a deer moseyed up and lunched on some greens nearby. Noisily munched, I might add.
The last 8 miles of the day were pretty rough for me; lots of rocks to scramble over on the trail, lots of ups and downs, and finally the decent into Troutville. My feet had enough and were giving me all kinds of grief - I ended up hiking the last 3 miles in my crocs (I'll get a photo of these guys - ugly, but great for camp).