Day 14

Last white blaze of the trip

When I hiked south from Hampton, TN to Springer Mountain last year I started on the Appalachian Trail near Laurel Falls so l wouldn’t have to climb over Pond Flats Mountain.  The plan for today was to hike the short section of the AT between where I started last year back to Shook Branch Road, where I ended yesterday.  Around 7:30 Luke dropped me off at a blue blazed trail off of US 321 that connected to the AT, the same trail I used last year.  This time when I reached the AT, instead of heading south to Springer Mountain I went north.  The AT started climbing immediately over Pond Flats Mountain, gaining 1,700 feet over 2.6 miles and then losing it all over the next 3.1 miles, before coming out on Shook Branch Road.  The day was perfect, clear blue sky and a cool 48 degrees when I started.  The trail was steep, and rocky in places, having many switchbacks on the way up and again on the way down.  The mountain has a pond on top, hence it’s name (it was dry when Karen and I hiked here years ago).  I planned to take a photograph but somehow missed it.  I’m not sure if I was in too big of a hurry or if it was hidden by the vegetation.  I hiked 5.7 miles today finishing the 213.2 mile section from Pearisburg, VA to Hampton, TN in 14 days.  By noon I was in the car driving home.

In closing I thank God for the beauty of His creation and for giving me the ability to enjoy it.  I also want to thank Karen my wife for encouraging me to hike, for helping me to prepare, and for supporting me while I am on the trail.  And finally, thank you to all who prayed for me while I hiked.  God provided everything I needed, and then much more.  For I am…

Prone to Wander, Lord I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love.  Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it.  Seal it for Thy courts above.

Day 13

Hunger was my alarm clock this morning.  Even though I had ordered breakfast I decided to eat what I had packed for today.  Second breakfast came and I ate it too.  Rabbit dropped me off at the trail and I was hiking by 8:00.  My left foot still hurt so I went slow.  After a couple of hours the pain lessened and I was able to walk normally.  On Iron Mountain there was a monument for Uncle Nick Grindstaff, who lived from December 26, 1851 to July 22, 1923.  It stated “Lived alone, suffered alone, and died alone.”  How sad.  I stopped for a break at the Iron Mountain Shelter not too far away, and later in the day for another break at the Vandeventer Shelter.  While the trail had moderate rises and falls along the ridgeline, a couple of miles before the Vandeventer Shelter it started dipping down below the ridgeline and the climbing back up to continue on the ridgeline.  I’m not sure why the trail was designed that way but was exhausting.  Finally the trail started losing elevation as it dipped down to go around Watauga Lake. The trail crossed over the dam and then went around the western side of the lake.  Finally the trail crossed US 321 and followed Shook Branch Road before leaving to climb over Pond Flats Mountain.  I stayed on Shook Branch Road for a short distance since my destination for the night was Boots Off Hostel, where I had parked my car at the start of the hike.  I rented a cabin for the night, took a shower, heated a frozen pizza and ate it, called Karen and then went to bed.  I was exhausted after 2 long days.  I hiked 21.5 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 12

I left Crazy Larry’s at 7:00 and followed the white blazes south through Damascus.  On the southern end of town the trail cuts down a side street and then starts climbing the mountain.  It took a couple of hours to reach the top, where the trail stayed on the ridgeline most of the day.  Shortly after getting to the ridgeline I left VA and entered TN. This part of the trail is often referred to as the Tennessee Turnpike since it has a lot of long, relativity flat sections and most folks are able to hike a lot more miles than they usually do.  I met quite a few northbound section hikers today, most who were ending their hikes in Damascus.  While hiking I came up behind a turtle moving down the trail in the same direction I was going.  I stopped, watched him for a while, then took a picture and went around him.  I’ve met a lot of hikers who use “Turtle” as their trail name because they are slow.  I was planning to stop at Double Springs Shelter for the night but I made it to the shelter by 3:30.  The time and the condition of the shelter caused me to reconsider and hike on.  I had been hearing about The Rabbit Hole Hostel which will pick hikers up at TN 91, which was 3.5 miles further down the trail so I hiked on.  Prior to getting to TN 91 there’s a stretch of trail that’s handicapped accessible, it goes through a pasture full of cattle.  It’s a beautiful section.  Upon getting to the road I called the hostel and Rabbit came and picked me up.  I’m really glad to be staying here tonight, it’s a beautiful, quaint, peaceful place.  They make and sell milkshakes, so I had one with dinner, and they also sell breakfast of coffee, 3 farm fresh scrambled eggs, homefried potatoes, and toast, delivered to the cabin in the morning.  You can’t pass that up.  The hiking life is the life for me!  The only downer of the day is that my left foot was bothering me for the last 8 miles of the day.  I’m hoping a good night’s sleep will allow it to heal.  If it doesn’t then the next 2 days may be challenging.  I hiked 21.8 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 11

It’s hard for me to sleep in a shelter with others.  The noise they make and the fear I have of snoring and disturbing them causes me to sleep lightly.  Even though I didn’t have the best night’s sleep, I woke and was on the trail by 7:15.  The trail today had one small climb then it was downhill most the way into Damascus.  On the way the trail paralleled the Virginia Creeper Trail and the river beside it for a bit.  I passed a couple of day hikers and talked about the trail with the husband.  Later I met a group of 4 backpackers who started in Damascus.  One of the ladies asked if I knew how far they had come.  I’d just seen a sign that indicated Damascus was 3 miles behind them.  I think the realization of what is involved in backpacking hit them…they are planning to be out a week.  I hope they enjoy it.  Finally the trail crossed US 58 and I walked by the Damascus city limits sign at 11:00.  Just a short distance later and I was at Crazy Larry’s Hostel.  I unpacked my backpack, shaved, showered, got my clothes together to be washed, unpacked the food box and sorted it out, and then went to 7 Trails Grill for a half pound hamburger and fries.  I got caught up on the posts and later walked from one end of the town to the other.  It’s a beautiful mountain town, full of B&B’s, bike rental shops and shuttles and an outdoor store.  I was looking for some ice cream but stopped at Subway for a foot long BLT.  You’d think I would be tired of bacon by now but I’m not.  I’ll go out later to try to find ice cream again.  Changing the subject, I’ve not had much luck with the food boxes this trip.  I have powered milk in breakfast shakes.  The sandwich bags of powered milk in the last two boxes have had tiny holes and ended up coating everything in the boxes with a fine white powder, a real mess to clean up  The beef jerky in the second box was moldy and had to be tossed, and the precooked bacon in this box was bad so I had to throw it away too.  It hasn’t been a problem, I have eaten well.  Changing the subject again, Crazy Larry’s Hostel is a small house on the side of the main road into town, the same road the trail follows.  He has tables out by the road that he uses for yard sales.  A rope runs from one end of the front porch to the other, it’s a clothes line that he hangs tie-dyed shirts on that he sells.  The front porch has 3 lounge chairs and a whole lot of stuff.  As you walk in, the living room has 2 single beds and a chair.  I’m in one of 2 private bedrooms, it has a full bed, the other has 2 single beds.  There’s a bathroom with everything a hiker could need.  The kitchen is cluttered, a mountain bike is leaning against one wall.  I think the back of the house is private.  The bathroom and bunk rooms are clean.  Larry himself looks rough, he’s had a hard life.  He often used foul language, has strong political beliefs, and is very opinionated.  He professes to be a Christian (he shared his testimony with me), and I think/hope he is, in spite of his outward appearance.  I think he is a diamond in the rough.  He definitely has a heart for service.  In addition to operating a hostel he’s running for city council.  This is probably one of the longer posts, the result of having an afternoon in town.  While I have enjoyed the break it will be good to be back on the trail tomorrow.  Ice cream is calling and I must go.  That’s all for now.  I hiked 9.3 miles today.

Prone to Wander

P.S. I walked down to a convenience store and found a pint of Blue Bunny Bunny Tracks ice cream…770 calories!

Day 10

Heavy rain came in waves during the night.  It was so bad that water splashed under the tent fly, soaking most of my gear and making a muddy mess of the outside of the tent.  There’s nothing I hate more than breaking camp and packing wet, muddy gear.  The rain finally stopped around 8:00 so I went to work packing and eating breakfast.  I had called Karen earlier, I had phone reception but no data, to see what the forecast for the day was and to see what my options were. Rain was predicted for early afternoon.  Ideally I would have liked to make it to Damascus, VA, but Damascus is 22 miles away.  There are 2 shelters on the way.  I decided to wait until I got to the second shelter to decide.  After breaking camp the trail went through a bald area but there were no views due to mist and fog.  At Buzzard Rock the trail started descending.  It crossed a couple of pastures and then dipped again before joining the Virginia Creeper Trail, an old railway that has been converted to a walking and bike path.  Today’s Saturday so there were a lot of bikers out.  After a while the trail left the Virginia Creeper Trail and started climbing.  I was making good time and thought seriously about trying for Damascus, but I knew I’d get in late, even if I had good weather and no problems.  I decided to stop at Saunders Shelter, where Karen and I camped years ago.  It was around 3:00, so I started unpacking and trying to clean up and dry out wet gear.  Not long afterwards a husband and wife, Strider and Granger joined me.  They are thru hiking the trail and are hoping to finish in 4 weeks or so.  It was nice having someone to talk to, and it helped pass the time.  Later we were joined by Bear Singer, a section hiker ending his hike in Damascus. I was fortunate today, the rain that was predicted never came. As I’m preparing this the insects are so loud it’s hard to believe anyone could sleep with all the racket, but I’m going to give it a try.  I hiked 12.3 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 9

I slept well and woke up full of anticipation since today I’ll be hiking through the Grayson Highlands.  Many years ago the this area was used by farmers to raise cattle.  I’m not sure if the area was a natural bald or if the farmers cleared it in order to raise cattle.  On the northern end is an area called The Scales, which is where the farmers would take cattle to sell to buyers.  Originally the farmers would herd the cattle down the mountain to market, which took a lot of effort. Along the way the cattle would lose weight and value.  At some point the farmers created this area and made the buyers come to them to buy and then take responsibility for getting the cattle off the mountain.  While hiking through I did see longhorn cattle, often on the trail.  A whistle or yell was enough to get them to move on.  GH also has it’s unique rock formations and great views of the surrounding mountains, but the highlight is the wild ponies.  I suppose they were also raised by the farmers and have continued to live and thrive in the area.  During my hike through I only saw 2 ponies, which was a bit of a disappointment. While passing through the GH I saw a sign on the trail that said “No Horses”. Even though it was intended for horseback riders I thought it was funny in a park full of wild ponies.   After leaving the GH the trail passed through Elk Park, a bald area between two mountains, where someone placed a bench looking out at the surrounding mountains and the valley below.  The last part of today’s hike was a climb up to Whitetop Mountain, where I’ll be camping for the night.  I made it there around 5:00 and set up the tent.  Not long afterward the rain came.  I hadn’t had a chance to prepare the evening meal.  It was late when the rain stopped so instead of setting up the stove to heat water for the evening meal I decided to have tomorrow’s lunch (tuna and cheese on a tortilla with Fritos).  I hiked 18.4 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 8

I slept 10.5 hours last night and only got up twice.  I’m moving slow this morning, the long day yesterday is taking it’s toll.  The day started with a decent climb.  After a while the trail came to VA 650 and temporary signs indicated there was a detour down the road due to an unsafe footbridge.  Eventually the signs led off the road and reconnected with the trail.  After a steep climb I stopped for lunch at Hurricane Shelter, soaked with sweat.  After lunch the trail continued climbing, dipped down into a gap and then climbed again.  I made it to Old Orchard Shelter a little before 4:00 and decided to stop for the day.  I saw the first hikers of the day, two tents set up in an open field near the shelter.  I went on to the shelter and found it empty so I started unpacking.  I blew up the mattress pad and pillow and decided to lay down for a bit since it was too early to start preparing dinner.  About 30 minutes later the rain came.  I was very thankful for the timing and hope YeeHaw and the FL group are dry, wherever they are.  Around 5:00 a young hiker stopped at the shelter to sign the trail register.  His name is Hats Off and he started in Maine.  He thinks he is the lead southbound thru hiker.  I hiked 13.4 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 7

Woke, showered and then went downstairs to make breakfast.  I scrambled 10 farm fresh eggs, added some cheddar cheese, and sat down to eat with YeeHaw.  The coffee had brewed, Ken set it up the night before.  Today, YeeHaw and I are splitting up due to different hiking schedules.  He’s taking 6 days to get to Damascus, VA and I’m hoping to be there a day or two sooner.  I’m going to try to hike with him when he gets to GA.  We said goodbye and I left, just before 8:00.  The alpacas were there to say goodbye as I walked down the driveway.  I really enjoyed staying at Long Neck Lair and hope to come back one day.  The morning was dreary, overcast with a slight mist.  The trail went under power lines that were hissing.  They must have been high voltage transmission lines.  I stopped at Chatfield Memorial Shelter for a midmorning snack. It brought back good memories since Karen and I spent the night here years ago.  After lunch I passed by the Pat Jennings Visitor Center but it was closed.  Just down the trail was the Partnership Shelter, one of the nicest shelters on the trail.  It has a shower and you used to be able to order and have Pizza delivered from Marion, VA. The rain returned and I attached my umbrella to the backpack shoulder strap.  Toward late afternoon I saw the FL group of 10 setting up their tents in a camping area by the side of the trail.  I stopped to chat and they invited me to join them.  It would have been nice but I wanted to try to make it to the next shelter since rain is predicted for tonight.  At 6:30 I arrived at the Trimpi Memorial Shelter and began the evening routine.  Just as I finished eating dinner it started to rain.  I moved everything into the shelter, cleaned up, put the food bag in the bear box and started on the daily post.  It’s 8:00, dark and I’m tired and ready for bed.  I hiked 21.4 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 6

The shorter day yesterday wasn’t planned, but it worked out for the best.  When YeeHaw and I started the day we had about 24 miles to go to get to Atkins, VA where we both had food resupply boxes waiting and were planning to spend the night.  I had originally planned to do another long day followed by a short day, but the Bear Garden Hiker Hostel split the difference fairly well.  The opportunity to clean up and get some decent food was too much to pass up.  The FL hikers were up and about early since 6 were getting a shuttle 15 miles up the trail and slackpacking (hiking with only enough food and water for the day) back to Bear Garden for another night.  Tomorrow they will get another shuttle to that point and will continue hiking south.  The others in the group were up and on the trail hiking south with their packs.  I think both groups are planning to meet again at some point.  YeeHaw and I were the last ones to leave, me a bit earlier than him.  The trail today was fairly mild, going through several pastures during the day.  When hiking through pastures you have to watch your step and keep an eye out for bulls.  In one of the pastures the trail markings were very difficult to follow.  I made it to a fence stile and waited for YeeHaw, which didn’t take too long.  After we climbed over the stile we noticed a sign for northbounders that stated the trail had been rerouted.  We pulled up Guthook, the AT ap one our phone, and saw the trail crossed the road about a half mile south of where we were.  We walked down the road until we found the trail and continued on.  It’s a wonder that we both missed the reroute and ended in the same place.  Around noon we met the 6 slackpackers and joined then for lunch.  I’m not sure but I think our lunch site was near where 4 thru hikers were attacked last year.  Two escaped, a young woman survived with serious injuries, and a man, Ron Sanchez, was killed.  While murders on the trail are rare they do happen.  We continued on and made it to Rural Retreat, VA where the trail crosses under I-81.  We had heard there was a great Mexican restaurant next to a gas station, found it, and verified the reviews were accurate.  It was really good.  I had originally planned to stay at the Relax Inn, which is where we mailed the second food box, but I heard it wasn’t that great.  YeeHaw was staying at Long Neck Lair, so I changed my plans to join him.  I went and picked up the food box and then joined YeeHaw for the walk to the hostel.  We found it and as we walked up the drive we were greeted by Alpacas behind fences, males on the left and females on the right.  They are kept separate until they are bred, since the females can get pregnant at any time.  This was the first time I had seen Alpacas up close.  They are weird looking animals, short legs, long bodies and necks, and heads/faces so ugly they are cute.  We met the owners, Ken and Cindy, their 2 dogs and 3 cats, plus a bunch of chickens to boot.  After showers and laundry we joined Cindy when she went to feed the female Alpacas, what a treat.  I’ll leave it at that for now since it’s past my bedtime.  We hiked 12.5 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 5

Had a good night.  The morning was cool, clear and breezy.  We were on the trail by 8:00.  The trail lost 1,400 feet over 3.5 miles, passing through a bald area.  The views were great.  Up until Chestnut Knob Shelter we were fortunate if we had one or two good views a day.  We stopped at Knot Maul Branch Shelter for lunch and then hiked on to VA 42, where we got off the trail and walked a short distance to Bear Garden Hiker Hostel where we are staying for the night along with a group of 10 hikers from FL, so the place is loud.  I’ll tent instead of staying in the bunkhouse which is full.  We were able to do laundry and take a shower.  The fridge is full of good food, frozen cheeseburgers, pizzas and ice cream.  Not sure what I’m going to have but I’ll decide after I post this.  I wasn’t planning to take a short day, but the break will be nice.  We hiked 11.6 miles today.

Prone to Wander

P.S. Had a cheeseburger, bag of chips and 2 ice cream sandwiches for dinner.