One thing that is always on every thru hiker's mind is food. By most estimates we are burning 6-7,000 calories a day. It is virtually impossible to carry that much food if you are going out for more than 2-3 days at a time. So we either to shorter resupplies, or we do not get enough calories on the trail. So when we get into town we overload, like eating the entire Wendy's Value Menu. The pint of Ben & Jerry's is also a time honored tradition. This is usually a light snack and does not replace a meal. They have enough flavors that I have not had to repeat a flavor yet. It is also funny watching a thru hiker in a gorcery store. We are very nutrition conscious. If we are deciding between two comparable products, we will also choose the one with the most fat and most calories (or the cheapest).
Another key is to switch up the menus. Lipton sides can get old very quickly. For breakfasts, I started out with oatmeal, but I hate oatmeal. Then I switched to Poptarts, but I did not get enough energy from them, and I got sick of them very quickly. Then I started with Carnation Instant Breakfast, but that wasn't enough, so I am now adding cereal. However that gets heavy and bulky very quickly. Lunches, I started out just snacking on energy bars and trail mix. But that wasn't satisfying enough. So I have also had bagels with goober (peanut butter and jelly mixed) or cream cheese, but the goober only comes in a glass jar. I have gone through pretzel and Nutella fazes, a hummus faze, and a couple of cheese and jerky fazes and I am currently sick of all of them. So this next resupply I am back to snack bars and now Goldfish.
My dinners have had the most variety. One friend recommended Stove Top stuffing and chicken. I had that once, but it was not for me, sorry Footslogger. I have gone through mashed potatoes, good, but not always a full dinner, and most Lipton sides. I will requently go for the generic version without any noticable taste difference. I tried some Trail Foods at Trail Days, and those are great, but too expensize to eat all the time. I have not paid for a Moutnain House meal, because those are even more expensive. I have tried almost all the generic shells and cheese combination, and found out that paying a little more for the Kraft Bistro Deluxe pasta and sauce is worth the price. Based on the ridgerunner in the Shenandoahs I am trying tortellini on this next section. I am also adding tuna, salmon or chicken to each meal for the extra protein, and that adding cheese or some addition seasoning, Chez Paul's or Mrs. Dash, adds a lot to the meal.
Most of my meals changes come from seeing someone else cook and thinking that looks good, and I am always open for suggestions. So if any of you have some great, or not so great ideas, let me know. Please post all of your favorite backpacking meals so that I can change up my diet.
Friday, May 30, 2008
The Day I Joined a Cult
About two and a half months ago I packed my worldly possesions into a backpack and went down to Georgia. A friend and intitiate met me at the aiport and took me to a sacred place, Springer Mountain. He showed me the path and told me to follow the white blazes north to Katahdin and the land of lobster. Since then every morning I wake up and follow the path. I follow even when the path goes south or completely circles something and comes within 100 feet of itself. I follow in the sun, in the rain, and in the snow. Every morning I wake up, pack my bag, and keep going.
Along the way I have met many other people following the path. We help each other in the common goal of Katahdin. We try and keep everyone following the path. We debate the rules of following the path and whether every single inch of the trail needs to be covered. Do you need to backtrach after circle some windfall? Are you still following thw whole path if you take one blue blaze trail into a shelter and leave on another? If you take a blue blazed loop that goes to a lookout and returns further up the trail are you still following the path? Does it matter if that trail is shorter or longer than the white balze? The one answer we have found is that everyone needs to hike their own hike.
In the shelters at night we dicuss the problems we encounter on the path. How to get enough food, what has the most calories, how to lighten your pack, and how to avoid butt itch. We also talk about our pains, for this is a masochistic cult. One of our mantras is "No pain, no rain, no Maine."
Along our path we encounter other people who are not walking the full path. Some of these people are unbelievers. Some do not even know of the path, while others are walking part, or getting ready to walk the full length. Those who do not know of the path, we will talk to them, and enlighten them, but only if they give us food.
Some of the people along the path are enlightened and help out those who are currently walking, these people are angels. They help us out by providing food and drink and rides into and out of town. Many of these people have walked the full path themselves, or they are related to people who are walking. They give comfort to us, and help keep us heading in the right direction.
Every year in mid-May in Damascus there is a gathering of cult members. The former walkers meet up and catch up on news and relive their glories. The curent walkers reunite with people they met a month ago and strategize about meeting again. While future walkers get advice and motivation to follow the path for themselves. This is also a place to see new equipement and learn about better ways of following the path, and learning about other paths to hike.
In about four days I will make it to one of the sacred places, Harper's Ferry. This town houses the cult headquarters, where we will stop in and get our picture taken to be immmortalized with other followers of the path. This town is also sacred for it means we are finally out of Virginia, just about to cross the Mason-Dixon line and almost physically half way. It is the physcological half way.
Tomorrow morning I will wake up, pack my bag, and start hiking north. For Katahdin is calling, and I must answer.
Along the way I have met many other people following the path. We help each other in the common goal of Katahdin. We try and keep everyone following the path. We debate the rules of following the path and whether every single inch of the trail needs to be covered. Do you need to backtrach after circle some windfall? Are you still following thw whole path if you take one blue blaze trail into a shelter and leave on another? If you take a blue blazed loop that goes to a lookout and returns further up the trail are you still following the path? Does it matter if that trail is shorter or longer than the white balze? The one answer we have found is that everyone needs to hike their own hike.
In the shelters at night we dicuss the problems we encounter on the path. How to get enough food, what has the most calories, how to lighten your pack, and how to avoid butt itch. We also talk about our pains, for this is a masochistic cult. One of our mantras is "No pain, no rain, no Maine."
Along our path we encounter other people who are not walking the full path. Some of these people are unbelievers. Some do not even know of the path, while others are walking part, or getting ready to walk the full length. Those who do not know of the path, we will talk to them, and enlighten them, but only if they give us food.
Some of the people along the path are enlightened and help out those who are currently walking, these people are angels. They help us out by providing food and drink and rides into and out of town. Many of these people have walked the full path themselves, or they are related to people who are walking. They give comfort to us, and help keep us heading in the right direction.
Every year in mid-May in Damascus there is a gathering of cult members. The former walkers meet up and catch up on news and relive their glories. The curent walkers reunite with people they met a month ago and strategize about meeting again. While future walkers get advice and motivation to follow the path for themselves. This is also a place to see new equipement and learn about better ways of following the path, and learning about other paths to hike.
In about four days I will make it to one of the sacred places, Harper's Ferry. This town houses the cult headquarters, where we will stop in and get our picture taken to be immmortalized with other followers of the path. This town is also sacred for it means we are finally out of Virginia, just about to cross the Mason-Dixon line and almost physically half way. It is the physcological half way.
Tomorrow morning I will wake up, pack my bag, and start hiking north. For Katahdin is calling, and I must answer.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Shenandoah
I am now in Front Royal, VA 955 miles from Springer Mountain and only about 45 miles to the border with West Virginia. Right now over half of the hike has been in Virginia and in three more days of hiking I will finally get in to a new state. Then West Virginia is 9 miles and Maryland is 40. So we are only about a week away from the Mason-Dixon line and then another 2-3 days to the official half way point. It feels like we are finally starting to make progess again. Coming down from the Shenandoahs we dropped below 2,000 feet and we do not get back above that until Vermont. That does not mean it is flat, just not as high and not as cold. Which is good since I sent my winter sleeping bag home from Montebello, and I have only been using my silk liner and a feece blanket. I have been warm enough, but that has been while wearing everything I still have, including my tent. Although I imagine that very soon I will be longing for the old nights again.
The last 107 miles from Waynesboro was mostly in Shenandoah National Park. This is one of the better maintained sections of trail. The grade is nice and easy and relatively free of rocks. Great for making big miles. We did over 80 miles in four days, and then realized we needed to slow done a bit, so we cruised into town with a 14 and a 13 mile day. Tomorrow we are taking a well deserved rest before I meet up with my parents on Saturday. They will be in DC for the weekend and will make the hour drive to come out and meet with me and take me to breakfast. Then on to Harper's Ferry and the ATC headquarters.
Shenandoah was frustrating for a number of reasons. We managed to hike through the park over Memorial Day weekend. This meant a huge number of day hikers and weekend backpackers. So the trails and shelters were very crowded. Also Skyline Drive which goess through the park is the route of the old AT. When the Drive was put in the trail was moved to go over all of the ridges. However most of the summits are wooded so most of the view points are on the road. It is frustrating that we are now working harder to get less reward. About every two miles the trail crosses over Skyline Drive so in some ways it is hard to feel like you are in the wilderness. Half of the shelters are within Harley earshot of the Drive. Tha is not the sound I like to hear while sleeping in a shelter. Although it did drown out some of the snoring.
On the plus side there actually is a lot of wildlife in the park. Deer too numerous to count and almost tame. I was within 10 feet of several. Everyone I was hiking with, me included, saw black bears. I saw two clubs that skedaddled when they saw me. I spent a minute or two looking for the mom, and when I did not see her, I kept going. Along the road there are several restaurants and waysides and lodges. The waysides have great black berry milkshakes, so after each time I saw a black bear, I atea blackberry milkshake. I thought that it was the only appropiate thing to do.
Since Trail Days I had been talking to Peacock about the Wendy's Value Menu Challenge. Eat everything on the value menu in one sitting and keep it down. Since there is a Wendy's here, after showering that is where we went. Not everything on the value menu is 99 cents, so we capped it at everything under $1.30. This gave us a crispy chicken sandwhich, 5 crisy chicken nuggets, a Jr bacon cheeseburger, a Jr deluxe cheeseburger, a small frosty, small fountain drink, small fries, small chilli, baked potatoe with sour cream and chives, side salad, side caesar salad, a cup of mandarin oranges and just about 3,000 calories for $14.26. It took us a while, but we both finished and we are nowing digesting and thinking about not having dinner.
The last 107 miles from Waynesboro was mostly in Shenandoah National Park. This is one of the better maintained sections of trail. The grade is nice and easy and relatively free of rocks. Great for making big miles. We did over 80 miles in four days, and then realized we needed to slow done a bit, so we cruised into town with a 14 and a 13 mile day. Tomorrow we are taking a well deserved rest before I meet up with my parents on Saturday. They will be in DC for the weekend and will make the hour drive to come out and meet with me and take me to breakfast. Then on to Harper's Ferry and the ATC headquarters.
Shenandoah was frustrating for a number of reasons. We managed to hike through the park over Memorial Day weekend. This meant a huge number of day hikers and weekend backpackers. So the trails and shelters were very crowded. Also Skyline Drive which goess through the park is the route of the old AT. When the Drive was put in the trail was moved to go over all of the ridges. However most of the summits are wooded so most of the view points are on the road. It is frustrating that we are now working harder to get less reward. About every two miles the trail crosses over Skyline Drive so in some ways it is hard to feel like you are in the wilderness. Half of the shelters are within Harley earshot of the Drive. Tha is not the sound I like to hear while sleeping in a shelter. Although it did drown out some of the snoring.
On the plus side there actually is a lot of wildlife in the park. Deer too numerous to count and almost tame. I was within 10 feet of several. Everyone I was hiking with, me included, saw black bears. I saw two clubs that skedaddled when they saw me. I spent a minute or two looking for the mom, and when I did not see her, I kept going. Along the road there are several restaurants and waysides and lodges. The waysides have great black berry milkshakes, so after each time I saw a black bear, I atea blackberry milkshake. I thought that it was the only appropiate thing to do.
Since Trail Days I had been talking to Peacock about the Wendy's Value Menu Challenge. Eat everything on the value menu in one sitting and keep it down. Since there is a Wendy's here, after showering that is where we went. Not everything on the value menu is 99 cents, so we capped it at everything under $1.30. This gave us a crispy chicken sandwhich, 5 crisy chicken nuggets, a Jr bacon cheeseburger, a Jr deluxe cheeseburger, a small frosty, small fountain drink, small fries, small chilli, baked potatoe with sour cream and chives, side salad, side caesar salad, a cup of mandarin oranges and just about 3,000 calories for $14.26. It took us a while, but we both finished and we are nowing digesting and thinking about not having dinner.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Gear
I have had a fair number of gear changes since the beginning of the hike. I mentioned one, my new backpack, in the last post, but I will now go through all my gear. At first I did not think I was going to change much gear. However most of my old gear is about 7 years old, so I will update some things as it becomes feasible or justifiable. At first I didn't really know what else was out there, and I wanted to use what I already had.
Backpack: I started with a Gregory Baltoro 70. This is a very nice comfortable pack, but big. I filled it up to start the trail and immediately regretted it because of the weight. I sent the lid back home a couple of weeks ago because I did not need the space and to save weight. But it is still too big. I have ordered a Granite Gear Vapor Meridian which should have been in Waynesboro today. It is a 52 liter pack and is 2 and a half pounds lighter than the Gregory.
Sleeping Bag: I started with an EMS 25 degree down. It has warmed up a lot, so I am now using my silk liner and a fleece blanket. When I get to New Hampshire I will go back to a warmer bag. My first thought had been to use this bag for the whole trail and then buy a new one, but I think I may buy the new one and use it for the White Mountains. If I do I will get a Western Mountainering Ultralite 20 degree bag.
Sleeping Pad: I started with my old Thermarest, and I think I will keep it the whole way. I could get a much lighter one, but it would not be as comfortable.
Stove: I started with an MSR Whisperlite. It is a great stove, if you are cooking for 4. For one, it is overkill, so I now have a SnowPeak GigaPower. It is much lighter and a better one person stove, just a little slower boiling water.
Shoes: I started with a pair of full leather boots and gaiters. I was worried about ankle support at the beginning. In Hot Springs I switched to a pair of Inov-8 Terrocs. These were much lighter and my ankles felt much better after I made the switch. Those lasted about 450 miles, but I wore them for 540 to get my monies worth. Next time I will switch once they start to wear out. I am currently wearing a pair of Montrail Hardrocks, and so far, so good. I have also gotten rid of the gaiters.
Water Bottles: I started with a Camlbak 100 oz and a nalgene. I got rid of the nalgene, because of weight, and I have been buying a new powerade bottle every 10 days or so. The Camelbak bite valve had been leaking on me, and then the bladder broke. I tried to replace it at Walmart, but their version is too cheap and broke right away. I currently have a Platypus 80oz bladder and I am happy with that.
Spoon: I started with a LightMyFire spoon that broke in two weeks. Replaced that with a cheap plastic which I accidentally sent home. Then I acquied a new one from an AYCE Chinese buffet, and then replaced that with a titanium spoon, which will hopefully go the distance.
No other major gear changes other than sending home two long sleeve polypro tops, one short sleeve hiking top, fleece pants, a bandana, my heavy fleece jacket and the ground cover for my tent. With luck I should not have to change out anything else other than shoes. I am expecting to need two more pairs before I finish since they only last about 500 miles.
Backpack: I started with a Gregory Baltoro 70. This is a very nice comfortable pack, but big. I filled it up to start the trail and immediately regretted it because of the weight. I sent the lid back home a couple of weeks ago because I did not need the space and to save weight. But it is still too big. I have ordered a Granite Gear Vapor Meridian which should have been in Waynesboro today. It is a 52 liter pack and is 2 and a half pounds lighter than the Gregory.
Sleeping Bag: I started with an EMS 25 degree down. It has warmed up a lot, so I am now using my silk liner and a fleece blanket. When I get to New Hampshire I will go back to a warmer bag. My first thought had been to use this bag for the whole trail and then buy a new one, but I think I may buy the new one and use it for the White Mountains. If I do I will get a Western Mountainering Ultralite 20 degree bag.
Sleeping Pad: I started with my old Thermarest, and I think I will keep it the whole way. I could get a much lighter one, but it would not be as comfortable.
Stove: I started with an MSR Whisperlite. It is a great stove, if you are cooking for 4. For one, it is overkill, so I now have a SnowPeak GigaPower. It is much lighter and a better one person stove, just a little slower boiling water.
Shoes: I started with a pair of full leather boots and gaiters. I was worried about ankle support at the beginning. In Hot Springs I switched to a pair of Inov-8 Terrocs. These were much lighter and my ankles felt much better after I made the switch. Those lasted about 450 miles, but I wore them for 540 to get my monies worth. Next time I will switch once they start to wear out. I am currently wearing a pair of Montrail Hardrocks, and so far, so good. I have also gotten rid of the gaiters.
Water Bottles: I started with a Camlbak 100 oz and a nalgene. I got rid of the nalgene, because of weight, and I have been buying a new powerade bottle every 10 days or so. The Camelbak bite valve had been leaking on me, and then the bladder broke. I tried to replace it at Walmart, but their version is too cheap and broke right away. I currently have a Platypus 80oz bladder and I am happy with that.
Spoon: I started with a LightMyFire spoon that broke in two weeks. Replaced that with a cheap plastic which I accidentally sent home. Then I acquied a new one from an AYCE Chinese buffet, and then replaced that with a titanium spoon, which will hopefully go the distance.
No other major gear changes other than sending home two long sleeve polypro tops, one short sleeve hiking top, fleece pants, a bandana, my heavy fleece jacket and the ground cover for my tent. With luck I should not have to change out anything else other than shoes. I am expecting to need two more pairs before I finish since they only last about 500 miles.
Post Office
I am currently in Waynesboro, VA 848 miles from Springer. I was realizing that all the milages are from the 2007 guidebook, and that they are all off from the 2008. Also since I just did some trail rerouting with Hardcore, and I assume that other trail clubs are constantly doing the same that the 2008 mileages are probably also wrong at this point. Anyway it is all approximate. In about two weeks after I get to Harper's Ferry I may start talking about the milages to Katahdin.
The only reason I am still in Waynesboro is because something I was expecting did not arrive. Last Saturday I ordered a new backpack. It should have been mailed on Monday with priority mail. Unfortunately it did not get mailed until Wednesday. So I will be spending tonight at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Hostel. It is a free hostel and I will be eating food I have already purchased, so it is not costing me anything besides some agravation. It was easier to wait the extra day here than to bounce the package to the next stop at the end of the Shenandoahs. Anyway tomorrow we start the Shenandoahs for Memorial Day weekend. We are expecting it to be fairly busy. So there may be opportunities to yogi some free food. Although there are some restaurants in the park right by the trail, so we are thinking that we do not need to carry too much food. Even with that in mind we still bought a lot.
Because of some interesting distances between shelters, 16 miles, yesterday we did a 22 mile day and then 5 this morning where I was met by my friend Clement. Clement is the 5th person connected with Nekton that I have met up with in the last two weeks. If you want to read about what he has been doing recently you can check out his blog at http://clementsworldtour07anewbeginning.blogspot.com/
Clement was nice enough to ferry Daddy-O, Peacock, and myself around Wayneboro. Now I am fresh from a shower at the YMCA, relaxing and waiting for the hostel to open at 5pm.
The only reason I am still in Waynesboro is because something I was expecting did not arrive. Last Saturday I ordered a new backpack. It should have been mailed on Monday with priority mail. Unfortunately it did not get mailed until Wednesday. So I will be spending tonight at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Hostel. It is a free hostel and I will be eating food I have already purchased, so it is not costing me anything besides some agravation. It was easier to wait the extra day here than to bounce the package to the next stop at the end of the Shenandoahs. Anyway tomorrow we start the Shenandoahs for Memorial Day weekend. We are expecting it to be fairly busy. So there may be opportunities to yogi some free food. Although there are some restaurants in the park right by the trail, so we are thinking that we do not need to carry too much food. Even with that in mind we still bought a lot.
Because of some interesting distances between shelters, 16 miles, yesterday we did a 22 mile day and then 5 this morning where I was met by my friend Clement. Clement is the 5th person connected with Nekton that I have met up with in the last two weeks. If you want to read about what he has been doing recently you can check out his blog at http://clementsworldtour07anewbeginning.blogspot.com/
Clement was nice enough to ferry Daddy-O, Peacock, and myself around Wayneboro. Now I am fresh from a shower at the YMCA, relaxing and waiting for the hostel to open at 5pm.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Hardcore
On the Saturday of Trail Days, I had no more gear errands to run, so I checked my email at the public library and then wandered around to see more people. I ran into some former guests from Nekton who had both hiked the trail, and plenty of current thru hikers who had been reading my shelter journal entries. I had one person tell me that they were starting to get too short, and I need to stop slacking. The most random encounter was after the hiker parade (or giant water ballon fight). I was with Peacock and Vagabond, and Vagabond started talking to someone he knew. That person asked if Vagabond knew Tangent. Since I was right there I asked why he was asking for me. It turns out that Bilgerat is currently taking a seven month leave from Nekton where he is an engineer on the Rorqual. We spent some time together and it runs out that he even started the same day I did, but I have been hiking faster and we had never met.
Sunday was the start of Hardcore. Bob Peoples, the head of the Tennessee-Eastman Trail club had a brain storm a couple of years ago. Lots of hikers come back to Damascus for Trail Days, and a lot of them want to give back to the Trail. There are also some projects that just need a large number of in shape people to complete. Put the two together and a lot of good work can be done. This year there were two sections of trail that needed to be rerouted. The first section was by Iron Mountain, and the second was coming off of Jane Bald. So for two days we were given large tools and a couple of instructions. The trail should be three feet wide, and you should have about a 45 degree angle on the uphill side. Other than that just make the trail like you want to hike it. Sunday was a cold rainy day and the new trail was super slick at the end of the day. There were several slips and near spills, but no major accidents. At the end of the day we were able to open up that section. That meant that there were new white blazes to be painted and old ones to be removed. So I now have one blaze going Northbound on the AT that is mine. I helped build the trail and I painted a blaze.
On Sunday we went to Jane Bald which is a little beyond Roan Mountain and went to work again. This time it was breezy and sunny and a perfect temperature for working. I was in a short sleeve shirt and long pants and not really sweating while working. This section had a lot more rock work and tree removal. We worked alomst twice as long and built about the same amount of trail. This was also one of my least favorite sections, and steep rocky decent with bad drainage, so it was nice to be able to improve it. All in all we built about 3,800 feet of new trail. To put it in perspective this is about 1/5,000th of the total trail.
Tomorrow we get back on the trail and start heading north again after about a week off the trail. I am ready to start hiking again. It is nice to come into towns and refuel, and every now and then take a day off to recover, but this break was slightly too long. Trails Days was fun, but not worth two full days. Anyway, tomorrow back on the trail to the Priest.
Sunday was the start of Hardcore. Bob Peoples, the head of the Tennessee-Eastman Trail club had a brain storm a couple of years ago. Lots of hikers come back to Damascus for Trail Days, and a lot of them want to give back to the Trail. There are also some projects that just need a large number of in shape people to complete. Put the two together and a lot of good work can be done. This year there were two sections of trail that needed to be rerouted. The first section was by Iron Mountain, and the second was coming off of Jane Bald. So for two days we were given large tools and a couple of instructions. The trail should be three feet wide, and you should have about a 45 degree angle on the uphill side. Other than that just make the trail like you want to hike it. Sunday was a cold rainy day and the new trail was super slick at the end of the day. There were several slips and near spills, but no major accidents. At the end of the day we were able to open up that section. That meant that there were new white blazes to be painted and old ones to be removed. So I now have one blaze going Northbound on the AT that is mine. I helped build the trail and I painted a blaze.
On Sunday we went to Jane Bald which is a little beyond Roan Mountain and went to work again. This time it was breezy and sunny and a perfect temperature for working. I was in a short sleeve shirt and long pants and not really sweating while working. This section had a lot more rock work and tree removal. We worked alomst twice as long and built about the same amount of trail. This was also one of my least favorite sections, and steep rocky decent with bad drainage, so it was nice to be able to improve it. All in all we built about 3,800 feet of new trail. To put it in perspective this is about 1/5,000th of the total trail.
Tomorrow we get back on the trail and start heading north again after about a week off the trail. I am ready to start hiking again. It is nice to come into towns and refuel, and every now and then take a day off to recover, but this break was slightly too long. Trails Days was fun, but not worth two full days. Anyway, tomorrow back on the trail to the Priest.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Trail Days
I am now back in Damascus, VA for Trail Days. This is a fairly big festival celebrating the Appalachian Trail. Lots of former hikers, and current thru hikers come back for this, as well as friends of the trail and a fair number of different gear companies. This makes it a great opportunity to see other thru hikers that you may have passed as well as getting your gear serviced. I have been able to get a new housing for my water filter, a new pair of socks, new hip and shoulder belts for my backpack, as well as pick up two free water bottles, plenty of stickers, a new wind shirt and plenty of free food. That was just on the first day.
I have also been running into plenty of people that I passed and spent either a night or two with. It is great to see who is still on the trail. Almost half the people I have talked to are in Pearisburg. Wwe are glad that we are ahead of the big wave. We still find room in shelters. Plenty of people, some that I knew and some I did not, have been reading my shelter journal entries. It is cool to have people talking about stories that you wrote down. Although some of my stories end up having multiple parts and I have had to fill in the missing pieces to some of them.
The ride down here was not too eventful. There were four of us, Shadow, Daddy-O, Peacock and myself starting from New Market. We had lunch at the school where Bigfoot works, and then piled in the suburban. We were faily noticable at the school, four thru hikers (clean ones) in a private religious high school. Although both Shadow and Peacock were wearing kilts, so it was only the beard that gave Shadow away, Peacock almost fit in.
On the way down we picked up a South bound section hiker named Stamp that Shadow had met. He had just gotten off the trail and had not yet had time to shower or wash his clothes. Normally we all smell as bad as he did, but not right then. We had all showered that morning, and did laundry the night before, so we had clean clothes on (we were still trying to get used to that). When Stamp got in the car the smell immediately changed. He then took off his shows and socks and we had to force him all the way to the back and open the windows. After a couple of minutes we were all able to breathe again. It is amazing how the hikers sense of smell changes. We do not smell ourselves until we have cleaned off. However when we are on the trail we can smell someone in perfum almost before we can see them.
I have also been running into plenty of people that I passed and spent either a night or two with. It is great to see who is still on the trail. Almost half the people I have talked to are in Pearisburg. Wwe are glad that we are ahead of the big wave. We still find room in shelters. Plenty of people, some that I knew and some I did not, have been reading my shelter journal entries. It is cool to have people talking about stories that you wrote down. Although some of my stories end up having multiple parts and I have had to fill in the missing pieces to some of them.
The ride down here was not too eventful. There were four of us, Shadow, Daddy-O, Peacock and myself starting from New Market. We had lunch at the school where Bigfoot works, and then piled in the suburban. We were faily noticable at the school, four thru hikers (clean ones) in a private religious high school. Although both Shadow and Peacock were wearing kilts, so it was only the beard that gave Shadow away, Peacock almost fit in.
On the way down we picked up a South bound section hiker named Stamp that Shadow had met. He had just gotten off the trail and had not yet had time to shower or wash his clothes. Normally we all smell as bad as he did, but not right then. We had all showered that morning, and did laundry the night before, so we had clean clothes on (we were still trying to get used to that). When Stamp got in the car the smell immediately changed. He then took off his shows and socks and we had to force him all the way to the back and open the windows. After a couple of minutes we were all able to breathe again. It is amazing how the hikers sense of smell changes. We do not smell ourselves until we have cleaned off. However when we are on the trail we can smell someone in perfum almost before we can see them.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Time off the Trail
I now in New Market, VA which is a bit off the trail. We got picked up this afternoon after a very nice free lunch at the Dutch Haus B&B in Montebello by Bigfoot, whom I hiked with in Georgia. Shadow Cast, Peacock, Daddy-O and myself are going to zero here tomorrow and then drive down to Damascus for trail days. It will be nice to take a couple of days off the trail and relax a bit. Hopefully we will be able to reconnect with people on the trail whom we have not seen in a while because of different hiking paces. I will also be looking into getting some new gear. Partly because somethings are starting to wear out, and partly to lighten the load.
Shadow and I had not hiked with Peacock and Daddy-O since we left Pearisburg. They had been behind us the whole time and I had been leaving them messages in the shelter journals. We had also been leaving messages on each other's cellphones. Shadow and I got a late start and we saw messages in the dirt and from Southbounders from Peacock and Daddy-O, but we did not catch up with them until the shelter. It seemed like they were always just ahead of us and we were about to catch them.
Peacock and Daddy-O are both hangers (people who sleep in hammocks). As we were hanging out in the shelter Daddy-O was lying on my Therma-Rest and suggested switching for the night. I agreed and spent last night in his hammock. He slept in the shelter and had a mouse run across his forehead. The hammock was a bit weird, but I saw the potential, and I will try sleeping in a hammock again during trail days. However it was very cold last night and since it was clear Daddy-O had not set up the rain fly. That let the wind blow right through, and as I tossed and turned I slid off his pad, and ended up very cold. Apparently the more you sleep in a hammock the more comfortable it becomes. We shall soon see.
One interesting thing on the trail is hair. Many people start off thinking that they will not cut their hair or their beards for the entire trail. I cut my hair short to start off with and today I got my second buzz cut since I started hiking. I am still thinking that I will not touch the beard for the whole trip and see how long it gets. Peacock and Shadow were also going to let their hair grow out. Three weeks ago Peacock changed his mind and got a bit of a trim but left it fairly long. About a week ago Shadow decided he needed it cut. In Troutville he inquired about the cost of a buzz cut and balked at the 11 dollar price tag. Respect (someone I have leapfroged a bit) went for that same $11 buzz cut and thought it was the best 11 dolars he has spent. When Shadow and I got to Lexington he was desperate. He asked Biz and John (Biz went to collge with my dad) if they had clippers. They did, but they had only been used on their standard poodle, and had not been used in a while. At this point it did not matter, he wanted the hair off. After a couple of minutes of fun in the basement, Shadow looked like a new man and felt much better. I waited until Bigfoot's house for human clippers with different lengths.
Shadow and I had not hiked with Peacock and Daddy-O since we left Pearisburg. They had been behind us the whole time and I had been leaving them messages in the shelter journals. We had also been leaving messages on each other's cellphones. Shadow and I got a late start and we saw messages in the dirt and from Southbounders from Peacock and Daddy-O, but we did not catch up with them until the shelter. It seemed like they were always just ahead of us and we were about to catch them.
Peacock and Daddy-O are both hangers (people who sleep in hammocks). As we were hanging out in the shelter Daddy-O was lying on my Therma-Rest and suggested switching for the night. I agreed and spent last night in his hammock. He slept in the shelter and had a mouse run across his forehead. The hammock was a bit weird, but I saw the potential, and I will try sleeping in a hammock again during trail days. However it was very cold last night and since it was clear Daddy-O had not set up the rain fly. That let the wind blow right through, and as I tossed and turned I slid off his pad, and ended up very cold. Apparently the more you sleep in a hammock the more comfortable it becomes. We shall soon see.
One interesting thing on the trail is hair. Many people start off thinking that they will not cut their hair or their beards for the entire trail. I cut my hair short to start off with and today I got my second buzz cut since I started hiking. I am still thinking that I will not touch the beard for the whole trip and see how long it gets. Peacock and Shadow were also going to let their hair grow out. Three weeks ago Peacock changed his mind and got a bit of a trim but left it fairly long. About a week ago Shadow decided he needed it cut. In Troutville he inquired about the cost of a buzz cut and balked at the 11 dollar price tag. Respect (someone I have leapfroged a bit) went for that same $11 buzz cut and thought it was the best 11 dolars he has spent. When Shadow and I got to Lexington he was desperate. He asked Biz and John (Biz went to collge with my dad) if they had clippers. They did, but they had only been used on their standard poodle, and had not been used in a while. At this point it did not matter, he wanted the hair off. After a couple of minutes of fun in the basement, Shadow looked like a new man and felt much better. I waited until Bigfoot's house for human clippers with different lengths.
Photos
This is Applicator underneath "The Guillotine". The picture is not great, but in real life it looks like the rock is about to fall down. Around Catawba there are a lot of cool rick formations, from Dragon's Tooth to McAfee Knob and finally this one. I spent a couple of nights with Applicator but he went on ahead to meet other friends and is not stopping for Trail Days, so I will probably not run into him again.
Some of the features have more interesting names than others. We are on top of High Cock Knob at this point. For the week we were together at this point we were calling ourselves the Kielbasa Klub. This is Hot Dog, Lady Snake, Footlong and Chorizo. I was Bratwurst.
The rhododendron are now in bloom. This is a view of the James River right before I got to route 501 and trail magic.
This is Peacock and myself in the back of a pickup truck that was giving us a ride to the post office in Montebello. We have found that people in pickup trucks are the most likely to stop and give thru hikers a ride, especially groups. It is because we can just ride on the pickup bed and the drivers do not need to smell us.
Some days are better than others. This day started well with a nice hike up from John's Hollow Shelter. Then I entered a cloud and it got windy and cold. Then after lunch it started raining and I did the last five miles in a drenching downpoar. The rain stopped one minute before we got to the shelter.
Kiltgate
My friend Shadow Cast has been trying about the last month to get a skirt, I mean hiking kilt. When we were in Damascus Peacock got his, and that put the idea in Shadow's head. He tried one on at the outfitter in town, but was not sure if he wanted it. Before leaving town he flipped a coin, and the coin told him not to get it. Once we left town he changed his mind and at the next town he called his friend Katie and asked for her to get the kilt and send it to the next town we were going to stop at in about 6 days. We get there, and there is no package. He calls Katie and asks "What's up?" She was not sure what color he wanted, and did not buy it. Shadow is disappointed because it only comes in one color. He did not think that would be an issue. So she says OK, it will be at the next town. At the next town, still no kilt. He calls up and found out that she did not know what size. Next town, no kilt because she did not know which town to send it to. Next town and still no package. Shadow calls Katie, and she thinks he must be joking at this point. She had paid 20 for overnight shipping. She started cursing even though she was at the f%&#@ng Lowes. She called FedEx and the package had been delivered and rejected. Appartently she did not write "hold for AT Thru hiker" as part of the address. Finally she sent on to the house where we are currently staying. As we are being driven here we find out that one of the packages sent to Carlos had been opened by Bigfoot's wife. It was addressed to Bigfoot and she did not recognize the contents so she sent it back. This sent Shadow back into freakout mode. He called up Katie got the tracking number and we stoppped at the local FedEx location, but it was not there. When we get to Bigfoot's house we find out that it was a USPS box she had sent back, and the FedEx package with the skirt was there are waiting. So after one month and almost 350 miles Shadow is now happily wearing his skirt. I will post a picture of him in his kilt sometime after Trail Days.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Wet
Greetings from Lexington, VA. I am visiting a college friend of my dad's and getting a well needed shower and laundry. It has been 6 days since my last shower (Troutville) and 8 (Catawba) since I last did laundry. However I have been wet plenty of times since then. Sometimes by choice, jumping into a river, and sometimes not by choice when I got rained on.
After I left the Comfort Inn in Troutville my next goal was to meet a friend of mine in Lynchburg on Saturday for lunch. Shadow Cast, Rocko and Vagabond had to get to the Post Office on the same road before it closed at 10:30am that Saturday. So after one easy day from town we pushed a 21 mile day to a gorgeous shelter. This was a tri-level shelter with enclosed picnic table. Very nice. It was also very dry up in the loft as the huge thunderstorm hit that night. Thunderstorms are always more enjoyable when you are somewhere dry. The next day I was tired, so I stopped and camped after 17 miles while everyone else continued on another 5 miles to the next shelter. At the shelter they found out about some trail magic at the trail head and continued on. They then spent a noisy night camped under the train tracks next to the road. I stayed in my tent, listened to a thundersorm and slept for 11 hours. I woke and continued on. At the shelter I found out that the trail magic was also coooking breakfast in the morning, and set my speed record for 2.2 miles. I had met the person cooking food about three weeks earlier when he was cooking further south. So while he cooked eggs and bacon I ate Krispy Kreme donuts and set out my tent to dry. So in balance I had a grewat night sleep and breakfast, they had a horribloe night, but had hamburgers before going to bed.
After breakfast I hitched towards Lynchburg to the nearest gas station where I could get cell phone service. After a wonderful AYCE Indian buffet with my friend Meghann and her sister I was back on the trail. I thought that I would meet up with everyone again at the first shelt 2 miles from the road, but they had finished their errands earlier and had moved on. This shelter had abrand new wheelchair accesible privy. This was the third wheelchair accesible privy I have come across. Don't get me wrond the ADA act is great, but can we exercise a little common sense? I spent a quiet night with two south bound section hikers burning the wood from the old privy. It did not smell but burned well and quickly.
The next morning I woke up and hiked into a cloud. The wind was blowing something awful and it got cold. I met up with Shadow at the next shelter, but PeakAxe, Vagabond and Rocko had all moved on. I was ready to call it a day and not hike on because of the weather. Shadow insisted we move on so we would only have a 1.7 mile hike out the next day, so on we went. We walked down out from the cloud and then it started raining. When we were 5 miles out from the next shleter the lightning anf thunder started, and the rain worsened. We picked up the pace and I set my 5 miles speed record. However that did not stop the rain from completely soaking everything we were wearing and going through our pack covers. We arrived at the next shelter just as the rain stopped and the sun came out. We switched into our warm and dry clothes and went into our sleeping bags. After drying out and warming up we hung our clothes out to dry. Unfortunely it rained again that night so we just hiked out in our long underwear knowing we would do laundry today. It been fairly old the last couple of days, so while we were waiting for out ride we were huddled on a picnic table sitting on a thermarest under sleeping bag. It is always fun going into a restuarant just in your long underwear, so I put my running shorts on over them. I am not sure that it was an improvement.
The current plan is to go to Trail Days in Damascus and then do Hardcore. Tomorrow we will be meeting back up with Peacock and Daddy-O and then hitting a free hiker lunch on Wednesday before getting picked up by Bigfoot (he section hiked GA with Shadow and myself), then head down on Friday. This will mean about a week off the trail, but hopefully some more good stories.
After I left the Comfort Inn in Troutville my next goal was to meet a friend of mine in Lynchburg on Saturday for lunch. Shadow Cast, Rocko and Vagabond had to get to the Post Office on the same road before it closed at 10:30am that Saturday. So after one easy day from town we pushed a 21 mile day to a gorgeous shelter. This was a tri-level shelter with enclosed picnic table. Very nice. It was also very dry up in the loft as the huge thunderstorm hit that night. Thunderstorms are always more enjoyable when you are somewhere dry. The next day I was tired, so I stopped and camped after 17 miles while everyone else continued on another 5 miles to the next shelter. At the shelter they found out about some trail magic at the trail head and continued on. They then spent a noisy night camped under the train tracks next to the road. I stayed in my tent, listened to a thundersorm and slept for 11 hours. I woke and continued on. At the shelter I found out that the trail magic was also coooking breakfast in the morning, and set my speed record for 2.2 miles. I had met the person cooking food about three weeks earlier when he was cooking further south. So while he cooked eggs and bacon I ate Krispy Kreme donuts and set out my tent to dry. So in balance I had a grewat night sleep and breakfast, they had a horribloe night, but had hamburgers before going to bed.
After breakfast I hitched towards Lynchburg to the nearest gas station where I could get cell phone service. After a wonderful AYCE Indian buffet with my friend Meghann and her sister I was back on the trail. I thought that I would meet up with everyone again at the first shelt 2 miles from the road, but they had finished their errands earlier and had moved on. This shelter had abrand new wheelchair accesible privy. This was the third wheelchair accesible privy I have come across. Don't get me wrond the ADA act is great, but can we exercise a little common sense? I spent a quiet night with two south bound section hikers burning the wood from the old privy. It did not smell but burned well and quickly.
The next morning I woke up and hiked into a cloud. The wind was blowing something awful and it got cold. I met up with Shadow at the next shelter, but PeakAxe, Vagabond and Rocko had all moved on. I was ready to call it a day and not hike on because of the weather. Shadow insisted we move on so we would only have a 1.7 mile hike out the next day, so on we went. We walked down out from the cloud and then it started raining. When we were 5 miles out from the next shleter the lightning anf thunder started, and the rain worsened. We picked up the pace and I set my 5 miles speed record. However that did not stop the rain from completely soaking everything we were wearing and going through our pack covers. We arrived at the next shelter just as the rain stopped and the sun came out. We switched into our warm and dry clothes and went into our sleeping bags. After drying out and warming up we hung our clothes out to dry. Unfortunely it rained again that night so we just hiked out in our long underwear knowing we would do laundry today. It been fairly old the last couple of days, so while we were waiting for out ride we were huddled on a picnic table sitting on a thermarest under sleeping bag. It is always fun going into a restuarant just in your long underwear, so I put my running shorts on over them. I am not sure that it was an improvement.
The current plan is to go to Trail Days in Damascus and then do Hardcore. Tomorrow we will be meeting back up with Peacock and Daddy-O and then hitting a free hiker lunch on Wednesday before getting picked up by Bigfoot (he section hiked GA with Shadow and myself), then head down on Friday. This will mean about a week off the trail, but hopefully some more good stories.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Some More Pics
Cinqo de Mayo at the Rancho Viejo in Troutville. This is right after we got our free Coronas and our second round of margaritas. From left to right PeakAxe, Vagabond, me, Shadow Cast, Rocko and Padre. Everyone except Padre took a zero day afterwards.
This is Tinker Cliffs. We had a great day for our slack pack and the trail goes right along the cliffs at this point.
This is Shadow Cast at Pine Swamp Branch shelter. A tree feel on the roof last year, but the scraps were all still there so we made a fire. To make it bigger we threw some logs down the top.
These are the flames coming out the top of the chimney. The chimney was about 12 feet high, and we had the flames coming out about 4 feet above it. Luckily it did not rain that night since there wee no good tenting sites around it.
This is PeakAxe on top of the Dragon's Tooth. The trail was a nice ridgewalk up to the top. The trail just went straight down the side. It was one of the hardest descents we have done so far. But we had a goal of getting to the Homeplace restaurant.
Some Pics
Right after we left the Partnership shelter (where we ordered pizza) and the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarterswe came across this sign. This is Daddy-O posing. The trail crossed a forest rod right afterwards that was being wrked on. We were surprised that it needed a sign on the trail. We were able to hear the machines for the previous five minutes, and it is not like we are going so fast.
This is PeakAxe on a rainy day. At this point he did not have a light weight hiking shirt, so the day before he had hiked without his shirt and got badly burned on his arms. So this day he had two "sleeves" to cover his burned arms. Since it had been raining he had his pack cover on.
This is the church breakfast. On the left of the table are Respect and Applicator. On the right are Daddy-O and Shadow Cast. I left completely full and had the most amazing blackberry cobbler.
This is PeakAxe and Vagabond and our 9 empty peach cobbler cups at the Homeplace restaurant. For meat eaters it was amazing.
This is McAfee Knob, about the most photographed spot on the AT. This is between Catawba and Troutville. It is hard to tell, but this is Shadow, Rocko, Myself, Vagabond and PeakAxe. I am not sure about the order. We spent about an hour here on our "slackpack."
Black Snake Stare Down
I am now in Trouville, VA 714 miles from Springer and I am taking a zero. Yesterday we did a 19 mile slack pack from Catawba. Slack packing is hiking without your pack. Either you are dropped up the trail and hike back or someone delivers your bag to where you are going. We were lucky and had our bags driven ahead for us. It is amazing how nice it is to hike without your bag. You feel like you are flying and you can cover the ground very quickly. But then you take more longer breaks and still can end up coming in very late.
Yesterday was Cinqo do Mayo, so our goal was to get margaritas at the end of the hike. We ended up getting off the trail at around 7 and across the street was the restaurant. So we decided to eat before checking into the hotel. At that point we were all hungry and thirsty and did not want to backtrack. We show up and there is a two hour wait, but Shadow speaks Spanish and was able to convince the hostess to seat us right away. We order our margaritas and our double sized portions of food (Peakaxe and Vagabond split the fajitas for four) and enjoy sitting outside. Right after we order our second round the DJ annouces that they have free beer for the first 44 people who come to the bar. We all run in, most of us without stopping to put our shoes on. When we return, beers in hand, our second round of maragitas are waiting on the table for us. The Dj also said that this was just the beginning. As we are getting ready to pay, there have been no more give aways. Shadow then goes up to the DJ and asks about this. Two minutes later a complementary pitcher of beer arrives. We felt that we did justice to the holiday.
Before geting to Catawba as I was hiking I came across a 4 foot black snake in the trail. This was the second I had come across, but the first time it was cold and the snake was lethargic. This time it was a warm afternoon. I stop and let Shadow take a look at the snake. He asks if I want to try and get it off the trail, but I let him have the honors. The snake curently has his tail towards us. Shadow takes his trekking pole and taps the snake's tail. The snake turns around and goes into attack position. We quickly beat a retreat down the trail. Now we try throwing rocks at the snake. The snake is not fooled and is still staring right out us. After a couple of minutes I try going around it. We had not tried this at first since it was fairly steep on the sides around the snake. As I go above it, the snake is tracking me, watching me move around it. Shadow then throws a couple of more rocks so it is looking at him and I move around as quickly and as safely as possible. Shadow then follows and the snake was still in the trail waiting for the next hiker. We had tried to stare it down, and we lost.
Yesterday was Cinqo do Mayo, so our goal was to get margaritas at the end of the hike. We ended up getting off the trail at around 7 and across the street was the restaurant. So we decided to eat before checking into the hotel. At that point we were all hungry and thirsty and did not want to backtrack. We show up and there is a two hour wait, but Shadow speaks Spanish and was able to convince the hostess to seat us right away. We order our margaritas and our double sized portions of food (Peakaxe and Vagabond split the fajitas for four) and enjoy sitting outside. Right after we order our second round the DJ annouces that they have free beer for the first 44 people who come to the bar. We all run in, most of us without stopping to put our shoes on. When we return, beers in hand, our second round of maragitas are waiting on the table for us. The Dj also said that this was just the beginning. As we are getting ready to pay, there have been no more give aways. Shadow then goes up to the DJ and asks about this. Two minutes later a complementary pitcher of beer arrives. We felt that we did justice to the holiday.
Before geting to Catawba as I was hiking I came across a 4 foot black snake in the trail. This was the second I had come across, but the first time it was cold and the snake was lethargic. This time it was a warm afternoon. I stop and let Shadow take a look at the snake. He asks if I want to try and get it off the trail, but I let him have the honors. The snake curently has his tail towards us. Shadow takes his trekking pole and taps the snake's tail. The snake turns around and goes into attack position. We quickly beat a retreat down the trail. Now we try throwing rocks at the snake. The snake is not fooled and is still staring right out us. After a couple of minutes I try going around it. We had not tried this at first since it was fairly steep on the sides around the snake. As I go above it, the snake is tracking me, watching me move around it. Shadow then throws a couple of more rocks so it is looking at him and I move around as quickly and as safely as possible. Shadow then follows and the snake was still in the trail waiting for the next hiker. We had tried to stare it down, and we lost.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Roof Is On Fire
I am now in Catawba, VA 695 miles and 50 days of hiking from Springer. My second pair of shoes are now 420 trail miles old and starting to show there age. I am hoping that they last about 10 more days until Trail Days in Damascus. There should be a bunch of gear manufacturers there, and hopefully I can get a deal on my next pair of shoes.
Leaving Pearisburg my goal was the Homeplace restaurant in Catawba. This is an ALCE southern food restaurant that is only open Thursday through Sunday. So I had to get 75 miles done in 3 and a half days. It was a push, and Daddy-O and Peacock decided that they did not want to do it, so they are a day and a half behind me now. I arrived this afternoon with Rocko (Leave No Trace Guru), Shadow Cast (High Speed, Low Drag), Vagabond (theearthexpedition.com) and Peakaxe (Big Stick into Little Pieces). Unfortunately this restaurant was not as vegetarian friendly as I had hoped, and Shadow and Rocko decided not to eat with us. However Vagabond, Peakaxe and I made up for them. Two fried chicken breasts, 3 pieces of country ham, 3 biscuits with apple butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, pinto beans, coleslaw, 3 peach cobblers with ice cream and an hour later, I was stuffed. This place routinely gets voted the best restaurant on the AT, and so far I agree. It was wonderful. I was not hungry for a good three or four hours later. What made it even better was that I had been thinking about fried chicken for the previous week and it was great. When we got there we were the only hikers around. Almost everyone was dressed up for church. It was an amazing contrast, they all smelt so clean. We were an odity to them and we recieved lots of questions, and everyone was friendly and curious.
The first night out of Pearisburg I stayed at a shelter with the above mentioned folk that did not have a roof. Last year a tree fell on the shelter and broke the roof. There had been some clean up done and there was a ot of available firewood. This shelter also had a fireplace "inside." We cleared enough space for five of us to sleep and then went to work on the fire. Because of the lack of roof on the shelter we were able to directly access the top of the fireplace. We started with small pieces of roof from the bottom and threw a couple of logs and large boards down from the top and went to town. We managed to get flames coming out four feet above the top of the chimney, about 16 feet above the bottom of the fireplace. It was awesome and I have the pictures to prove it.
I am currently at the house of a "trail angel." Barnabus hiked in '06 and decided to help out hikers this year. He left a bunch of cards in the shelters around here and with the biscuits he left at a road crossing. He picked us up after lunch at the homeplace, drove us to the grocery store and tomorrow with take us back to the trailhead and "slack" us by taking our packs up to Troutville, 19 miles up the trail. Then it is time for me to take a zero day, so I will probably add another update soon.
ps, check out Vagabond's website, www.theearthexpedition.com, and what he is doing
Leaving Pearisburg my goal was the Homeplace restaurant in Catawba. This is an ALCE southern food restaurant that is only open Thursday through Sunday. So I had to get 75 miles done in 3 and a half days. It was a push, and Daddy-O and Peacock decided that they did not want to do it, so they are a day and a half behind me now. I arrived this afternoon with Rocko (Leave No Trace Guru), Shadow Cast (High Speed, Low Drag), Vagabond (theearthexpedition.com) and Peakaxe (Big Stick into Little Pieces). Unfortunately this restaurant was not as vegetarian friendly as I had hoped, and Shadow and Rocko decided not to eat with us. However Vagabond, Peakaxe and I made up for them. Two fried chicken breasts, 3 pieces of country ham, 3 biscuits with apple butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, pinto beans, coleslaw, 3 peach cobblers with ice cream and an hour later, I was stuffed. This place routinely gets voted the best restaurant on the AT, and so far I agree. It was wonderful. I was not hungry for a good three or four hours later. What made it even better was that I had been thinking about fried chicken for the previous week and it was great. When we got there we were the only hikers around. Almost everyone was dressed up for church. It was an amazing contrast, they all smelt so clean. We were an odity to them and we recieved lots of questions, and everyone was friendly and curious.
The first night out of Pearisburg I stayed at a shelter with the above mentioned folk that did not have a roof. Last year a tree fell on the shelter and broke the roof. There had been some clean up done and there was a ot of available firewood. This shelter also had a fireplace "inside." We cleared enough space for five of us to sleep and then went to work on the fire. Because of the lack of roof on the shelter we were able to directly access the top of the fireplace. We started with small pieces of roof from the bottom and threw a couple of logs and large boards down from the top and went to town. We managed to get flames coming out four feet above the top of the chimney, about 16 feet above the bottom of the fireplace. It was awesome and I have the pictures to prove it.
I am currently at the house of a "trail angel." Barnabus hiked in '06 and decided to help out hikers this year. He left a bunch of cards in the shelters around here and with the biscuits he left at a road crossing. He picked us up after lunch at the homeplace, drove us to the grocery store and tomorrow with take us back to the trailhead and "slack" us by taking our packs up to Troutville, 19 miles up the trail. Then it is time for me to take a zero day, so I will probably add another update soon.
ps, check out Vagabond's website, www.theearthexpedition.com, and what he is doing
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