may 13 - trents grocery

Today, may 13th, was a great day. It was supposed to be a good da anyways because it was supposecd to be a short day. What made it even better was thhat it was a resuupply day. Resupply days are good for at least 2 reason. 1 being that i get to eat alot of food at the resupply place. In this case the resupply place was trents grocery. The other reason is because my pack is lighter than usual while on the way to the resupply place. The bad thing about resupply is that mmy packk is hhheavier after i resupply my food. Which after a full resupply can be 12-14lbs. But this resupply is special, because i only needed 2 days of total food. Which is less than 5 lbs. I dont need much for tomorrow, because we are getting to a hostel around midday, and there will hopefully be food there. Then the day after that we are going to pearisburg, where there will be more food. Then back to damascus thye next day. Where food will once again be abundant. so in short, im in a good mood because i ate alot today and will have a lighter pack the next 2days. In addition to food and weight, today was a real good chill. A lot of hikers were at trents, and i caught up to monk and coach and solo there. I stuffed my face with food. And resupplied for the upcoming few days. We hung out there for a while, then hiked the 2 miles to dismal falls. A campsite next to a river with a waterfall. I got there around 2pm, then we just chilled for the rest of the day. Guru, coach, monk, solo, aquaman. I ate way too much for dinner that night, and got sick from it.

may 11 and 12- hiker feast

May 11 i woke up to a foggy day. it was a 10 mile hike to the shelter where i was gonna meet up with monk and coach. it was a long 10 miles with alot of elevation change. it was also difficult to follow the trail because the fog made it difficult to see the blazes while hiking over balds. when i got to the shelter, monk and coach were already there and there were signs left in the shelter that told us to continue another mile and a half to the bottom of the mountain where there is a hiker feast. It started raining just as i reached the bottom. at the bottom of the mountain was an awning set up with a table covered with all types of food, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, chili, snacks, soda beer. it was provided by hemlock and freak. they have been making this hiker feast the day before mothers day for the past 4 years. Freak was giving out postcards for us to send home for Mother's Day. All we had to do was write a message and the address and he mailed me out for us. i ate until i was a bit past full then began the next 9 miles to the shelter we stayed at. There were a lot of people there, it was a good chill at the end of the day too May 12 my blisters had gotten pretty bad. I had bad ones on my heels that hurt a lot to walk on. I still kept my schedule with monk and coach.

may 10 - knot maul

May 10 was a relatively short day, i dont remember how many miles, but we had finished at around 230. We ended at the knot maul shelter. Ending so early gave me a chance to drink that bottle of evan williams we found on the trail. I drank it, coach had a sip and lowgear had some too. But i drank most of it. i ate then passed out for 2 hours. At the time i thought it was 15 minutes but a few dayys later i foud out it was that long. It thunderstormed in the latee afternoon, and we packed 8 into a 6 person shelter, along with many tents. Earlier in the day, there was a cooler with snacks and soda in it. Trail magic is always awesome.

may 9 - the barn

May 9 i woke up in a motell in marion, va. Was a decent nights sleep. I woke up alot during the night but at least it was indoors and in a real bed. First thing i did was go get the free breakkfast the motell offers. It was nothing special, waffles, english muffins, cereal, coffe, nut still way better than poptarts. After that i went across the street to the farm supplies store to see if they had denatured alcohool so i can restock that. There was a minibike sitting outside along wiith their lawn tractors. I asked the cashier if i can take it ffor a test ride. She saiid shed have to ask the manager but its usuallyy alright. I thought that if i involved the manager idd just piss him off if i took it for a ride and then he found out im a hiker with no intention of actually buying it. So i gave up that opportunity then went back to the motel. I packed up my stuff and soon after the shuttle showed up to take us back to the trail. It was a sunnny day, ad it was about time. Especially after the few days of rain we had. It wasnt long into the hike when we stopped for lunch. There was a small whiskey bottle that looked like it was filled with pee on the floor. I walked right past it and sat down with the others. We ate and relaxed for a few minutes. But before we left we convinced coach to open and smell the contents of the bottle. It turned out to be exactly what the label said it was. A bottle of evan williams honey bourbon. Nobody else wanted it so i took it, i was willing to carry it, especiallly because there hasnnt been much hard alcohol on the hike. Our hike took us through meadows and farmland. Walking through the meadowsi was hit by the smell of the flowers on the bushes in the meadow. It smelled so good, exactly like what one would expect spring to smell like. Eventuallly we reached a road where the settlers museum was located. There was an 1800's schoolhouse and a house filled with settler artifacts and information. From there was a 2 mille hike to the barn. A restaurant in the town of atkins that the trail passes. They advertiise having a 1lb burger. So many hikers go there just for that. Being right next to the traill helps too. After that was just a few miles to the campsite. There used to be a shelter there, so theres alot of garbage around the floor under where the shelter used to stand. On the plus side, theres a privy. A privy is always a plus. The ground wasnt too flat so it was work to find a flat spot.

may 8 - 20 miles to marion

May 8th was a real long day. I woke up in the overstuffed hhurricane mtn shelter after most of the other hikers had alread left. Monk and coach left just a few minutes before me, but i was hikinng fast so i caught up quickly. We had made plans to stop for lunch at trimmpi shelter, about 10 miles awa from where we started. It wasnt raiing et but rain was forecasted so i wore my raingear, which means that i was sooaking wet regardless. I got to trimpi shelter at about 1130am. So 10 miles were already done by that time, and the total for the da was planned to be 20 miles. Shortly after our lunch break at trimpi we walked through a field with some shrubs and flowers, it smelled like spring,, the sweet smell of flowers filled the air. At the end of the field was a big wooodenn box that was filled with all different types of food. A loccal church had put a trail magic box on the trail for hikers. We stopped and ate again just because of the convenience of the box. I filled up on sardines and crackers and some snack mix then conntinued hiking. While hiking i found a morel mushroom. I have been looking for one since first learning about em at the fontana lodge. They are famous in southern appalachia for being rare and tasty. I picked it and put in in my hipbelt pocket for later. We hiked really fast that day, even though it rained most of the day, and finished the 20 miles by 4pm. It was the fastest day so far, and second to longest. At the partnership shhelter theres a shower, and a visitors center, so we went to the visitors center to find out about getting a ride to marion. I also asked the woman workking there if she can identify the morel but she had no idea. The shuttles werent running for the rest of the day, the last one was at 230, so we went to the road and tried to hitchhike. after an unsuccesful half hour of trying to hitchike we were about ready to call a cab, but a bus drove by and pulled over for us. It was the marion shuttle that had just drove some people to nearby roanoke, and picked us up anyways while on its way back to marion. It dropped us off by the marion econolodge. There were 3 different hotells alll right there, so we checked the prices of all of them then decided on the americas best value inn. After we got settled in our room we went for dinner, then ingles to resupplly, then back to the motel. It was a long exhausting day.

may 7 - hurricane mountain

It rained on annd off all night before i woke up o may 7. Ad it looked like rain for the rest of the day as well. It was a slow mornig for me. Wwalked down to te water source to pump sme water packed up my tent slowly, i was i no hurry. First coac left, then monk, then me. I caught up to monk at the first shelter i came to. It was 5 miles in, and i stopped there for a snack break. Inside the shelter was a small pile of food. Someone had fouund a fod bag ii the forest and brought it to the shelter. It was quickly torn apart b the ravenous hikers, and people took what they wanted. I grabbed a big bag o jerky and trail mix. It greatly added to my already overstocked food bag. We had planned to meet for lunch 5 miles from there at the next shelter. The hurricane mtn shelter. When i got there i first filled up my water and saw the other group, garbear, bearsnack alpha dog, peanut and northstar. They were all planning on going 6 more miles then staying at a hostel. There was a thunderstorm coming and they had been soaking wet for 3 days already. I walked up the hill to the shelter to meet up with monk and coach. They were debating staying at thhe shelter for the night. Coach had just checked the weather and the thunderstorm was close. The next shelter was about 10 miles away, annd we could already see the storm clouds over the mountains across a wide valley. So we stayed in the shelter. I walked back down to get some more water for the night, and as i was puttiing away my pump i began to hear thunder, and shortly after the rainn started falling, and hard. I hhad put m tarp over part of the front of the shelter to keep out soome wind and rain. But the rain was coming from the side, and some was still getting in, but not too badly. I cooked for a while, makinng about 2 dinners,, because i had so much extra food. And another group came in to the shelter. We had already had enoouugh enough people to fill the shelter, but we managed too squeze in 6 more. Was tight but not too bad. Was a chillly nigth though.

may 6- no ponies

The grayson highlands are way overrated. Or at least they seem that way when the rain has been so bad in the area for the past 3 days that the appalachian trail has become the appalacchian creek. Or at least most of it is. And it definietely seemed that way today. The grayson highlands is a park in southeastern virginia that is famous for having wild ponies roam the area. I didnt see any ponies, just a load a horse shit. On the trail and next to the trail were piles of horse shit of differing sizes. Some were so big you think all the horses on the mountain decide to shit in the same spot at the same time. No horses were shitting on the trail today, may 6, though.... the wind was strong and the rain was coming down, and it was impossible for your shoes to not be really really wet. One of the other hikers, evenbeard, saw a horse, and one walked right up to his father. They started the same time as us and from the same place as us. So they werent far behind us when they encountered the ponies. Were still in horse area though, so its possible that tomorrow ill get to ride the ponies. Tomorrow is going to be a real long day too. We have 20 miles planned. I hiked with monk ,han solo and coach today. Han solo went ahead after we took a break at the first shelter 4 miles in. He's getting off the trail soon for a wedding and a cd release. Hes not the one getting married, but his band is releasing their first cd. Its pretty cool, and the music is pretty good. Its a bluesy rock type o sound. Anyways, he went ahead because monk wasnt doing too well and was debating stopping for the day after just 4 miles. It was cold today and monk doesnt have rain pants and he wears fivefingers while hiking. So he was cold and his foot was hurting. Me coach and monk continued together. It was a coool trail, mostl grassy balds, the grass kept short by the grazing horses, though i didnt get to see any. There were also some cool rock fields where i had to hop from rock to rock. And of course, lots of water, constantly walking through water. At onne point tere was a bridge over a fast moving stream, though i opted to wade through the stream just for fun. I couldnnt get any wwetter anyways. We got to a shelter hoping for a spot, but the shelter was already overfull. There were 10 people in an 8 person shelter. The night before there was 18 in that shelter, and the hikers couldnt continuue hiking for half of the day because the stream that is just past the shelter was too high to safely cross, the bridge was covered by fast moving white water. I saw the streeam at the end of the day and it was still very high. We camped at that shelter, getting water that ran off the roof of the shelter. I was reluctant to use ground water because of all the horse shit that was scattered everwhere. Even finding a tent spot was a chore to avoid the feces scattereed everwhhere

cinco de mayo

Cinco de mayo was an awesome day. Well, zero days are usually awesome days. I took one of moonlights bicycles to the grocery store to get supplies for breakfast. Then me and solo cookked when i got back. It was an awesome breakfast, one of the best ive had on the trail. Salsa washed the dishes and we all just ended up watchin tv. We hung out in the backyard for a bit while solo cleaned the pool for work for stay. Then monk and salsa made a grocery list to figure ot what to do for dinner. Mexican was the choice because today is cinco de mayo. Salsa, coach, and solo took bikes to the store to get the supplies, while the rest of us stayed in and watched tv. Most of the day was spent watching tv. Monks foot is really swollen so he wasnt up for moving around. And i have a few blisters from hiking in the rain. So being active wasnt anything i was interested. When they got back from the grocery store the cooking began. Coach made queso, salsa made enchiladas, and bluegrass made guacamole. Moonlight came back with his truck full of things he got from his friend for a damascus wide yard sale that is happening next week. So we helped unload his truck then ate dinner. We were all so tired after dinner, just watched more tv. But we still hadnt had dessert. So someone , i dont remember who, went out to the grocery store again and picked up ice cream and cookie dough. Then we had fresh baked cookies with ice cream on top. After watching another movie, moonlight, solo, and monk went downstairs for a jam session in moonlights music room. Coach went downstairs and i did too a few minutes afterward. Me and coach ended up taking turns singing along with the music. It was a good chill and an awesome jam. Its pretty late now, almost 1am. And we have to catch an 8am shuttle to the train. So im going to sleep now.

may 4- scared back to damascus

Today, may 4, was one of those hiking days that are as mentally challenging as they are physically challening. I woke up early after a cold sleep, around 730am. It was a cold sleep because of the lighter sleeping bag that im now using. I sent my winter bag home, an old 10 degree sleeping bag that i thought was probably closer to a 40 degree bag. Thhough now that ive been using the 50 the past two nights i think my winter bag was about a 30 degree. When i started hiking today it wasnt too bad, it was about 40 degrees, and not too windy, and the rain hadnt started yet. the biggest problem was that i woke up feeling sicker than i was the day before. Just a cold, but it really makes hiking difficult. Congested, nose running, coughing, it made breathing uncomfortable, and it made every step a bigger effort. I took things kinda slow, but the slower i hike the longer it takes to get to the end, and i had a big day planned. 18 miles to the next shelter, and i was racing the rain. Things started going downhill about 6 miles in. I was starting to get wet from the mist and humidity, and the temp hadnt gotten any higher,. Stopping became something i tried not to do, as id get cold very within minutes of stopping. From there began the climb upwards. From about 3500 feet towards the goal of 5200 at the end of the day. The hike took me over a bald mountain with wind that was so strong i almost fell over from it a few times. And hiking through the cloud at the top soaked me thoroughly. Being wet and cold wouldnt have been so bad, ive been there before, but with my new lighter, less warm sleeping bag i didnt think id be able to survive the night even if i got to the shelter. Besides, a southbound hiker told me i was the 55th northbounder hed seen that day. On bad weather days everyone tries to get to the shelters, as nobody wants to set up ia tent n the rain. The shelter i was aiming for, at the end of my 18 mile day, only holds 14 people. With maybe enough space for two more. The shelter after that was 5 more miles, and only a 6 person. So the chance of getting a shelter spot was slim. I was cold, wet, sick, tired, and very very scared of not survivng the night. Looking back on it i probably wasnt in as much danger as i thought i was. But i was very scared at the time. About 13 miles in i began looking for a possible campsite. I was at about 4500 feet, which would be 3-5 degrees warmer than the shelter at the top, with less wind too. I got to a road at 15 miles in, and the terrain after it was a bald grazing land for cattle, and the elevation turned sharply upwards too. It was only 3 miles to the shelter, and still needed to climb another 1000 feet. I was about to go a little bit backwards into the forested area i had walked out of, to a campsite i saw just a few hundred feet back. But a hiker had just walked into the bathroom at the parking lot, and i wnated to see what they were planning to do, considering the bad weather. when i got closer i saw multiple backpacks outside the bathroom, and inside there were 7 hikers all taking shelter from the cold wet wind outside. Monk, coach, han solo, bluegrass, and a few others whos names ive forgotten were in there. They had called a shuttle to take them back to damascus, so of course i asked if i could get in on that. Theres nothing better than a warm place to sleep. The shuttle came and we got in the back of the pickup truck. There was 9 of us, and only 4 fit in the cab. It was a cold ride but was better than being out in the cold on the mountain. The ride took a little longer because we got stoppeed while a van was being pulled out of a river alongside the road. We gt back to damascus and after dropping our stuff off at the place were staying, we headed to the bar. I was surprised to see alpha dog, bear snack, garbear, blacksquatch, peanut, north star, and bean and vice there. I thought they were far ahead of me, but theyy had come back off the mountain too. Just an hour before i got to the road with the bathroom. After that we all got some food, then headed back to the house and watched a movie, step brothers. Its kind of late now, and i want to sleep, but everyone is still hanging out and im supposed to be sleeping on the couch. Its 1am, and we expect to do 17 miles tomorrow, through the rain...

may 2-3 - partying in damascus

May 2 in damascus was a pretty fun day. I pickeed up my new lighter sleeping bag from the outfitter i had it sent to, adventure damascus. I also sent home my winter sleeping bag. The new one is two lbs lighter, but much less warm. After that i Spent most of the rest of the day at the bar, since happy hour was from 3-6pm. hanging with monk, coach, han solo, and sticks. then was karaoke night in the evening. I rocked it of course, i think. Well at least everyone told me i did. I was pretty drunk by the end of the night. Drunk enough to dance along to the chacha slide and that other dance song, and i never dance. Then we went back to the bartenders house and played poker til about 230am. I won, and it was my first time winning a poker game. ...... May 3 i woke up feeling pretty hungover, and with a cold coming on. The day started really slow. I got breakfast, then went to the dollar general to resupply. I went back to the campspot at the bartenders house and packed up my stuff. Then i went to the outfitters to see if i can get a lighter backpack. When i got there the guy there told me that my load was too heavy for the lightweight packs, and that id need to cut weight before i got a lightweight pack. He said a lightweight wouldnt be comfortable with that kind of load. With 6 days of food and a liter of water my pack weighed 44.4 lbs. I managed to take a few things out and get it to 43.5. Still too heavy, as most light packs are made to handle about 30lbs. I gave up on the pack and decided to get to the trail. It was already 230pm and the first shelter was 8 miles in, so id need about 4 hours. Monk, coach, and han solo had already gotten to the trail, and sticks was staying in town because he was too hungover to hike. Being a little sick made the hiking much harder for me. Tiring me out faster and making my hiking pace really slow. But i eventually got to saunders shelter and met coach and sinner there. We were the only ones in the shelter, though another thru hiker, an older guy named steady, camped right next to the shelter.

april 30 - may 1 - kincora to damascus

April 30th i finally got back on trail. Bob gave us a ride to the trailhead early in the morning. It was a pretty nice hike, but was all uphill for the first 8 milles of the day. The views were great though, as the trail took us up and around a lake. At 8 miles in i got to the first shelter. A few other hikers were there taking a lunch break. I met monk, han solo, sticks, and coach. Theyre hiking together and call themsellves the goat herd. I joined up with them and hiked with them for the rest of the day. By the end of the day i had done about 16 miles. I had planned to shelter hop and take it slow to damascus, so i had 6 days of food and my pack was heavy. But i was pleasantly surprised by the high mile day. We stopped at the vandeventer shelter about 26 miles away from damascus. When i got there i learned of the damascuthon. A 26 miles hike from the shelter to damascus, and one of those trail challenges that many hikers try to complete. I wanted to try but i didnt think id make it, my ankle was still hurting from the slackpack i did two days before. ....... I woke up pretty early on the morning of may 1, About 730am. I got readyy to go pretty quickly, and left the shelter a few minutes after the goatherd. The thought of a damascuthon still sounded cool, but difficult. I caught up to the goatherd a few times over the course of the day, i was hiking pretty quickly but my ankle was hurting bad, i was expecting to find a campsite about 12 miles in and take it slow. After my lunch break i took 2 ibuprofen and continued hiking, just barely keeping up with them. Since i had started so early in the day, it was still early afternoon and i had completed more than half of the damascuthon, at the pace i was going id be able to make it there just before sundown. The ibuprofen helped alot, the pain in my ankle subsided and as long as i didnt stop for too long my blisters wouldnt hurt too much. I continued, keeping up with the goatherd, and 11 hours after i had started the days hiking i found myself in damascus. I had completed the damascuthon. The words "achievement unlocked: damascuthon" floated past my field of vision. And the pain in my feet was insignificant compared to the feeling of triumph that i had. We walked into town, and found a bunch more hikers hanging out near the bar. I was surprised to see austin, now six7. I hadnt heard from him since i met him in knoxville. He had been hiking really fast and had gotten ahead of me. Me and the goatherd got some food and then went to go find someplace to stay. Sticks has his dog with him, and many hostels dont allow dogs. So we wandered around town looking for a place that would let us stay. The best option we could find was to go to the virginia creeper trail and pitch tents. Seeing as there was no time constraints on tenting, we headed back to the bar and hung out there for a while. I had eaten alot since arriving in town, and i had drank a pither of beer too. I began to feel kind of sick, dizzy, nauseous, i wasnt drunk yet but i knew i was probably going to throw up anyways. I spent a half hour in the bathroom at the bar throwing up. While another hiker, shady, would come by every few minutes to see if i was ok. I had hung out with shady a little earlier in the night, we had wandered around town with some other hikers looking for a place to chill that was out of sight. It felt like being in high school again, and it was pretty funny. When i finally was able to stand up and leave the bathroom i found out that the bartender was going to let us camp in his yard. It was great news, free campsites, and right on the river. We headed there, i set up my tent and fell asleep pretty quickly.

april 29- kincora zero

Monday,april 29th was a fun onee. I woke up a little later than the rest of the hikers, because i was planning a zero day annd had no reason to wake up early. It was still early regardless, around 730am. I couldnt sleep with all the hikers making breakfast in the kitchen in the room adjoining the one i was sleeping in. So i got up and made breakfast while the other hikers alll rushed to pack up, eat, annd get ready to get on the 8am shuttle to the trail. Almost everyone was leaving, about 19 people i think, and a few more were going to johnson city on a different shuttle. So i watched as 19 people all packked into the flatbed of a not so big, covered pickup truck. All but 2 fit in to the overpacked pickup, the driver, bob, said he will come back for the other 2. Seeing that i had more time i decided to pack up and try to start hiking, even though my ankle was still hurting. When bob got back i was ready to go but he still didnt have space, though he said he may be going to the trail later in the day. I stayed at the hostel and cleaned up there for a while. Some hikers came back from a shuttle to johnson city and helped me clean. After a while me and sinner walked to the other hostel to get some beer. Kincora doesnt allow alcohol. We each bought one beer theen we saw snowman there and even dixie grits. I thought dixie had gotten off the trail in franklin, because that was the last place i saw him. Turns out he had only taken two weeks off. We hung out at the hostel and snowman kept buying beers for me and sinner. We had each bought our own, and snowman bought each of us three more. He and his wife are retired, and are on their third attempt at a thru hike together. She hasnt been doiing too well though, her foot keeps getting injured so theyve been taking alot of zeros. Me and sinner headed back to kincora, we chilled the rest of the day. A few new hikers showed up, including bean and vice. They started march 3 too, and have been taking it slow. We hung out in their room for a bit with another hiker named blacksquatch.

april 28- kincora slackpack

I woke up on the morning of april 28 to the sound of all the hikers coming to make breakfast. I wanted to sleep in but there was no point even trying. It was raining outside, and it had rained most of the night. I was feeling pretty good in the morning so i decided to join everyone in slackpacking. I packed a daypack with snack and water and got on the shuttle to the trailhead. Without my pack i can hike pretty fast for a long time without stopping. I wasnt the fastest but i stayed at the front for almost the entire day. The faster ones stayed behiind me to pace themselves. We started the hike with a few tenacious d songs, then i talked to the hiker behind me, sinner, for much of the rest of the 9 mile hike. We passed by laurel falls, the biggest waterfall so far, and began a climb up a rocky hill. It was almost the end of the hike. The whole thing took less than 3 hours. When we got to the end, sinner, who had walked ahead, was drinking a beer. There was a case of yuengling left at the trailhead, so we all had one, then walked individually back to the hostel which is only .3 miles from the trailhead. After i took a shower i made some rice with salmon and shared it with quaker. He's been sharing so much food with me i feel guilty when i dont share with him. Though i dont mind sharing at all. Hes the type of person one would want to share with, Because hes so nice. In fact, later in the day when we got a ride to the store he asked me if i wanted to split a bag of bagels with him. When i agreed and asked how much it was, so i can pay for my half, he said that he means that he will buy the bag, but doesnt need all of them. So he meant to ask if wanted the other half of the bagels that he doesnt need. Very few people on the trail are as nice as him. I spent the rest of the day pretty much just cooking and eating. I tried to make bread from flour, oil water, salt, and spices. i fried the patties of dough, which came out with a similar flavor and texture as flat potato knishes. If it wasnt so messy to make id make em on the trail. I also made popcorn for everyone at the hostel, which was quickly finished. Everyone finally got back from hiking, and the second store shuttle left with the latecomers. When they all got back the hostelgot loud and crowded. I went to my bed and listened to music for a awhile, preferring that over a crowded noisyy room. I came back out after a while, and we played an appalachian trail trivia game that one of the hiker had found at the hostel. We stayed up pretty late, just talking and reading. Its past 11pm right now, and everyone else has gone to sleep. I plan to hike only a few miles tomorrow, but the only shuttles to the trail head are at 8am and 5pm. So i may need to wake up early I realized today how behind schedule i am. I was planning to be in ny in mid june. Ny is about 1400 miles in. Im only 425 miles in. Even if i average 100 miles perweek, which is alot, ill only be about 1000 miles in in west virginia by mid june. I dont want to miss my friend's wedding in june. Hopefully ill be able to get home, or start making really really big mile days. Though the way my ankle is feeling today, im not sure when thatll happen....

april 25-27 - big bald, mtn harbour, kincora

The morning of april 25 was a cold one. Coldest its been iin a while. According to one persons thermometer it was 28 degrees. And a water bottle that someone had left outside the shelter was frozen. I took my time getting out of the shelter, wanting to stay in my sleeping bag while the sun raised the temp a little bit. I ate a cold breakfast of poptarts then started my hike. The trail down from roan mountain was some of the best terrain ive seen so far. It was a very dense spruce forest. So dense that little sunlight reached the forest floor. There were streams running down the mountain, and a light mist in the air from the rain that fell during the night. The ground was carpeted with small spruce needles, and anything that wasnt a tree or the trail had a layer of fuzzy green moss on it. It reminded me of videos ive seen of northern rain forests. And its probably my favorite type of terrain to hike through. The rest of the day took me over high grassy balds, with views to the mountains far off on the horizon. It was very windy so i didnt stop much, except on the top of the highest bald with guru, twigs, and starface. I stopped earlier for lunch near one of the shelters, and starface told me she planned to play frisbee on top of the highest bald. It was too windy to play so we just chilled for a few minutes before continuing. I was in the lead for the rest of the day until about 2 miles before the shelter. My knee began to hurt very badly so i let the others pass me while i hiked along slowly. I took an ibuprofen which helped alot, but i still needed to slow down. I eventually caught up to the others at the last campsite before the road to roan and elk park. I got a fire going and cooked my dinner. We hung out by the fire for a while, then went to sleep. .............. April 26 i woke up to the sound of the others packing up. They planned to go to roan to get breakfast. I wasnt in much of a hurry so i took my time. I wanted to get to the mountain harbor hostel and try to work for stay. I called ahead and was told the hostel was full but that there were tent spots available. It was less than half a mile to the road so it didnt take long to get there. When i got there, mary, the owner, greeted me. I asked if i can work for a load of laundry and a shower instead. She had me paint the door to the garage, and some of the bridge on the property. After that i gave my laundry to her husband, terry, to wash. Then i took a shower, then hitchhiked to town to get food for lunch. I cooked when i got back to the hostel and met grizzly, an older hiker who was staying at the hostel. I hung around the hostel until 3pm then started the 9 mile hike to the next shelter. It took about 5 hours to get to the shelter. I took a long break on the way. I wasnt in much of a hurry anyways so i took my time. The shelter was full but the hikers moved over and made some space for me. Rain was forecasted for overnight and the next day so i was reluctant to tent that night. I was also planning to take a zero day in the morning instead of hiking in the rain. There was a big fire going, and i was hoping for a fire in the morning as well so i put a few bigger logs on before going to bed. ................. I woke up at about 5am on april 27. Quaker was already awake and getting ready to hit the trail. He hikes slowly so he wakes up early. I was feeling a bit nauseous and i had to pee. I didnt want to go back to sleep while feeling nauseous. Just in case i was getting the virus, i didnt want to throw up in the shelter in my sleeping bag. so to pass the time i rekindled the fire from the few coals that were left. I got a big fire going, put some big logs on top, then, feeling a little better, went back to sleep. The rest of the hikers all woke up around 730am. I stayed in my sleeping bag until the last hiker left. Everyone is always in such a hurry, yet we end up at the same place at the end of the day. I got out of my sleeping bag at about 830. Artemis gordon, another hiker, was still there. He was camped nearby, and was taking a zero day for his knee. We hung out by the fire, i made a hot breakfast of oatmeal with chocolate protein powder. I finally started hiking around 1030am. I was moving pretty quick. It hadnt rained during the night so i was hoping to finish the day bgefore the rain started. I wasnt that lucky though, and the rain started about halfway through the day. It was a longer day, about 16 miles, but the end point was the kincora hostel, one of the most well known hostels on the trail. I caught up to quaker about 10 miles in at the next shelter. I stopped and ate a snack, he gave me a snickers and a protein bar so i ate some more. I had planned to take a 15 minute break but stayed there for 40 minutes. Then i continued the last 6 miles to the hostel. The hostel was full when i got there, but there was still a couch open. I had also missed the shuttle to town so i got food out of the hiker box to make for dinner. I hung out with the other hikers and finally got to sleep once everyone else did. The couch was in the living room which was the same room as the kitchen. Some hikers were planning on slackpacking the next day, but i wanted to take a zero.

april 24 - roan high shelter

Today was the longest 10 mile day ive done in a while. The weather was nice enough, unlike in the smokies where 10 mile days were also difficult. But the terrain just kicked my ass non stop, all day. There were some good steep climbs, and they seemed to go on forever. Also, this hot weather is dehydrating me faster than before. I just sweat buckets, and drinking the way im used to drinking isnt quite sufficient. But that will figure itself out within a few days. Its just a matter of adjustment. It was a real late morning today, April, 24. I finally got outta my sleeping bag at 930am. I had a terribble nights sleep. For one, i went to bed late, around 11pm, also i just couldnt stay asleep for very long. It was hard to even get to sleep after waking to begin with. I ate poptarts because it was too late to sit around cooking breakfast. Though i was hoping for a hot breakfast the night before. Shortly after beginning my hike i met starface. We hiked together for a little, and evidently she really likes jews. Having grown up in miami with many jewish friends. I hiked ahead of her though when we stoppedfor a break. I didnt want to sit for any longer than necessary. I had heard news of a storm that was supposed to begin around 3pm. The long uphhill started. The uphill to the highest shelter on the AT. Roan high knob shelter, at least i think thats its name. Its higher than 6000 feet. At that height, a thunderstorm in the nearby town is likely to be an ice storm up here. I wanted to get there as early as possible, as im not in the mood for an ice storm. Ever. She quickly passed me as my pace slowed to a crawl. I figured that while walking slow i might as well peruse the growing greenery for any interesting plants. I ate a few ramps, which are a type of wild onion, and a wild ginger. The roots are good but the plant is bitter. A few miles from the top i stopped to get water. Clouds were forming and the wind was picking up. But no rain or storm yet. From there it a final push for almost 2 miles up a steep rocky hill. I was already beat, my ankles and knees were not happy. I ate a granola bar and continued. About 20 minutes in i was filled with a renewed, energetic feeling. The granola bar had finally kicked in. I think i just hadnt been snacking enough through the day. I was still tired but not sluggish like i had been earlier. I finally made it to the shelter. This shelter has four walls and a door. Sitting here in my sleeping bag ive never appreciated a door so much. Especially with a rainy wind outside that would surely be blowing in if there were only 3 walls. Doors are amazing. Im sharing this shelter with twigs, guru, and quaker. Me and quaker had a long conversation about religion, he grew up a quaker, but isnt big on theology so much anymore, but still maintains a personal relationship with god. Though he has kept the quaker beard. Guru is another jew on the trail. I think that brings my count up to 3 other jews so far on the trail. Its not late, about 9pm, but today really beat me. My whole body is sore. Especially my legs. I stretched before, i think it helped a bit. The rain just really picked up. Its loud on the roof of the shelter.

april 23 - greasy creek hostel

There is a very satisfying feeling that comes from building a good fire. When admiring a magnificent fire that was created by oneself, one cant help but think "Ah what a magnificent fire. Something so beautifull surely has been born only of my G-dly loins". (So as not to offend those who worship other beings, "B-shly" is substituted for G-dly by some. one.) Either way, fire is nice, it makes heat, and light. Which is useful for lighting things and heating things. Usually one or the other. I made two fires tonight. One when i set up camp and cooked my dinner, and the other when i came back from checking out the hostel down the somewhat abandoned jeep road im camped out on. I almost set up camp earlier, and by set up camp earlier i mean go back to miss janets house for a day. I took breaks today, and walked walked slowly-ish so as not to upset my ankle who is already on bad terms with me as is. Yet after my half hour long lunch/take-care-o-blister break it hurt very much to walk. So i called miss janet, who told me she'll be there in an hour at the road i had stopped at. To pass the time while waitinhg for miss janet i decided to workout. I hung my rope over a tree and did some bodyweight rows, and stuck a branch through the straps of my backpack and curled it. It was kind of entertaining watching all the passing cars rubbernecking to look at whatever the hell some crazy hiker was doing on the side of the road. After that i was kind of tired, so i laid down for 20 minutes or so. My ankle had stopped hurting while i was exercising, and i didnt want to leave the trail unless i had to. So i called miss janet back to tell her ill just continue down the trail. She told me of a good campsite not too far in. When i got there i was still feeling good, so i decided to continue until the road the hostel was on, and camp there. I realized quickly that i had less water than i thought i had. It was While walking up a hill and getting dizzy, then trying to drink from my camelback and bringing up as many air bubbles as water. Not good, dehydrating, and hot, and slooooowwww. My paced slowed, i didnt want to sweat too much, so i did my best to keep it easy. The uphills were bad, id get a little nauseous as my heart got faster. I finally got to the campsite about a half hour later than i thought i would. It wasnt late though, only about 530pm. I began hiking at 915am this morning, so it was a decntly long day. But slow, and i liked it more for that. I went down a side trail at the campsite for water and filled everything up with my slow as hell filterpump. Hikers came by and began walking down an unmarked dirt path. Turns out that the road i thought id get to shortly after the campsite was by the campsite itself. And it was a defunct looking jeep path. I walked down it to find a campsite closer to the hostel. I wanted to go there in the morning to see if they have work for stay and/or a ski cap or other winter cap. I lost mine sometime in the past 2 days, and ive hear that theres a storm coming. A storm wouldnt be so bad, except that a storm in the town is going to be between 50-65 degrees. That means that where i am now at 4000 feet, its going to be closer to 45. And tomorrow when i go up to 6000 feet, it'll be around 40. Soaking wet and 40 degrees is a very uncomfortable combination. Especially when the rain itself will probably be having an identity crisis and coming down as ice instead, or freezing rain. Freezing rain is loads of fun! So a warm head covering will be necessary, i didnt have it last night and it was only slightly uncomfortable. It wasnt very cold last night. High 40s i think. Low 50s in my tent. But i was dry too. I ended up getting one at the hostel. The greasy creek friendly. The owner, connie, gave it to me. I became friendly with her very quickly after arriving at the hostel. Affter walking down a rocky, muddy, wet dirt road. I helped her with her very drunk friend, paul, who i have renamed Havoc. Paul is a very funny, very drunk, sixty something year old man. He greeted me as i approached the hostel by saying, "you have a very beautiful face" and trying to convince the hikers there of how beautiful i am. It was very obvious that paul was drunk, im not sure if it was the mumbling, the stumbling, or the general inabilty to do anything in a straight line. But either way, he was entertaining, and i almost got to drive his atv back to his house, but we couldnt get it started. It took us a while to coax the key from him, he didnt want to go home. Finally when we got the key the machine wasnt working. It was pretty late already, after 9. So it was dark, except for the full moon, but i had to walk a half mile down aforementioned road.. so i said goodbye, and asked connie if she had an extra winter hat i ccould have or buy. First place to look was a box of things hikers had left behind or she doesnt really need. No luck, so she checked her things and came out with a black ski cap woth the fender guitar company logo on it. Worked for me. I thanked her and walked back to the campsite. While walking i realized how low my headlamp batteries are. Ill pick up new ones in 3 days in roan or elk park. I finally got back to the campsite and i saw that there were still a few red coals in the firepit i made. So i piled some more wood on top and got the fire restarted. Its unlikely, but id like to have a fire in the morning for breakfast. I dont plan to go too far tomorrow, maybe 10-12 miles, but i want to have a hot brekafast. I have cinnamon oatmeal and dried fruits that have been asking me to eat them. The temperature has dropped pretty quickly. It got very windy after i got back to camp, which dragged the temp down. Hopefully itll just be windy and i wont need to worry about storms. I dont like being wet and cold. On the plus side, there are frequent shelters between here and the next town. On the down side, the plague is still out there, and crowded shelters are virus playgrounds. Ill be alright, i have been thus far.

april 22 - finally back on trail

Had a really good sleep last night. Used earplugs so when people starting moving around in the morning i slept right through it. When miss janet came back from some shuttling i asked her if she can take me to uncle johnnys so i can continue hiking from there. Of course the answer was yes, so i began packing up to get ready to go. She had some errands first so i wasnt in a hurry and i had time to make lunch before leavinng. This is my first hiking day with backpack since last week friday. I slackpacked twice since then. And i believe my zero days almost equal my hiking days. Either way, i havent hiked with my pack in more than a week. It was really nice hiking alone. I didnt have to match anyones pace. So i took the uphills as slow as i wanted, and i never needed to sit down and rest from overexertion. My ankle held up to. A little pain every now and then, and a constant fear of rolling it again, but nothing too bad. Hiked from late in the day, almost 3pm, until almost 730pm. It was a short day, but i still got 10 miles done. I was only expecting 5, but there was no need to set up camp until almost dark. Tomorrow ill be able to make big miles without too much trouble. Ill be in no hurry at all. This was my first day not seeing any north bound thru hikers. I saw a few heading the opposite direction, but other than that it was a completely solitary day. Im in a camping spot and nobody is around. And it looks like nobody has camped here in a while. Its a cool windy night, and i cant find my ski cap. Gonna be a chilly morning too but ill survive.

april 21- post party fatigue

I woke up on the morning of april 21 much less hungover than i expected to be. Drinking a liter of gatorade before bed was a good idea after all. I laid in my tent and wrote my log of the day before for about an hour. Texted miss janet to ask for a ride back to erwin. And chilled in my tent until pilgrim showed up and asked me if wanted a ride with him and miss janet. I quickly packed up. Then hung around and said good bye to the other hikers and the band. We had a few stops before heading back to erwin. Other hikers had different places to go. Then finally, after almost an hour of driving around, we began to head towards erwin. It was only a few minutes in when miss janets oil light came on. So we turned around and headed back to hot springs to get some more oil. Shes been doing about 1000 miles a week in her van shuttling hikers around. We stopped at the dollar general for the oil. I got some snacks and food for the house. Then we got back in the van and headed to erwin. I slept for some of the ride back. I woke up in the food lion parking lot. Miss janet wanted to run inside to get things for dinner . We finally got back to the house and i just sat on the couch watching tv until dinner. There was another hiker who was over for dinner. He had thru hiked last year. But was in town for the trial of a guy who had held up a group of hikers at gunpoint one night last year. And attempted to rob them. He didnt succeed in robbing them, because he had put his gun back in his belt, and two ex coastguard hikers attacked him and tied him up until police arrived. Watched some more tv then went to sleep. I was exhausted from the weekend.

4/20 - hot springs trail fest awesomeness

Its april 20. Supposed to be a fun weekend. Im waiting for miss janet to come back from shuttling. Then me, pilgrim, dah wah he, and miss janet are heading to hot springs for the hot springs trail fest. Gonna be tenting in a big group at hot springs while partying with a bunch of strangers. I heard theres going to be a big agnes sales rep there, so theres a possibility of free gear. Gonna be fun. Watching three stooges all morning waiting. ................... Today, april 20, 2013 was an awesome day. Woke up in miss janets living room when alll the other hikers woke up. It was about 8am. For breakfast, I ate some leftover pizza from last night. The other hikers were packing up to get back to the trail, i was packing up to get back to hot springs. Today in hot springs, nc, was trail fest. A family friendly town party celebrating the great outdoors and hot springs' location right in the middle of it. When miss janet left with the load of hikers, me and dah wah he, who has been staying in miss janets house, headed to hot springs in dah wah he's car. Only one hiker eazy E, stayed at miss janets. He hurt his back yesterday while hiking, and couldnt wear his pack without pain. He gave me his big agnes sleeping pad to try and exchange in case there was a big agnes sales rep at the fest. We got there after about 45 minutes of driving. 7 days of hiking were suddenly gone in 45 minutes as i rolled into hot springs. But hot springs is different now. When i was here 2 weeks ago passing through, the trees were mostly empty, some small buds on some of them. Now in hot springs, flowers are in bloom, trees are covered in green. Its like a whole new place where spring is in full swing. I noticed it too during the drive.the barren mountains i had hiked over were tinted green with the buds growing into leaves on the trees. The downside, was that every face was a new one. Going so far backwards meant that all the hikers are a week behind me. So i didnt know anyone. My first hour here was wandering around town, wondering what to do. Dah wah he had found some old friends, and was talking to them. so he was occupied, but i was alone. I finally built up the courage to go to a random group of hikers and introduce myself. Its difficult to do that at this point, everyone knows everyone around them. So when i walk up, i am a strangeer to everyone there, while they already know each other. Its an odd feeling, and some hikers have just been unfriendly. It went well though, i spoke to them for a few minutes, told them im a hiker. Then went back to being by myself. I still had to find the big agnes rep. So when dah wah he said he wanted to go find food, i asked if he can show me where the rep is. Earlier When we were driiving into town he pointed him out, and mentioned being his friend. Turns out the rep is fixit guy. I met fixit guy a few days earlier outside of uncle johnnys. He drives around to popular points on the trail and fixes gear in a trailer/workshop that he tows around. When i asked him about eazy e's pad, he told me that the best course of action would be to send it back to the company. He also asked me if i need any other gear fixed. I brought my backpack and he sewed up a hole chewed by a mouse. It was about this time that miss janet and pilgrim showed up. Miss janet told me about a duck race that happens down the river that runs through town. Hundreds of plastic ducks, each with a number on it, is dumped into the river and allowed to float downstream. The first 3 ducks that get to the finish line win, and split half the money earned by selling ducks. I got six ducks, whhich cost $10. Some people get more, some get less. We had an hour until the race started, so we all went to a bar right on the river. We had a few beers, and pilgrim got me a beer too. Then miss janet asked me if could help wrangle ducks on the river when the race starts. Sounded like fun so i took off my boots and got in the river with a few other guys, all lined up by a big net stretched across the river, meant to catch the ducks. The race began and the ducks floated down the river. I caught the ducks that floated to far to the side to be caught by the net and flung em to the net as they passed. My ducks didnt win, but it was still a fun experience. I got some free food being given out by a local church, then joined miss janet, dah wah he, and pilgrim back at the bar. We ate and drank some more, and pilgrims friend bright eyes joined us. while waiting for the bathroom i met julian. And i invited her and the rest of her band to come to the camgrounds later in the night after they performed. She plays the washboard, thats right, the washboard, in a band calleed tar and rosin. They play appalachian string music, guitar, banjo, violin, and washboard. Its like bluegrass, but a less commercialized style. They were providing the live music at the bar that night. I wnet to the campgrounds with miss janet, it was almost 7pm already, and i needed to set up my tent. After i got it set up, i went back to the bar to watch the band. I got a pitcher o beer, and gave some to other hikers who were there. I also gave some to julian after the bands first set. Shes cute, and seemed to liked me, so i figured i might as well try. The trail has been very dry and its getting frustrating. Also spoke to the rest of the band and told them about the campfire chill later at the campground. Towards the end, miss janet showed up, she had been by the campfire chill and drum circle up by the laughing heart hostel on the other side of town. I had stayed at the laughing heart two weeks ago when i was first in hot springs. Miss janet gave me a ride back to the campgrounds, i picked up some beer and snack for the night and headed to the fire. There were alot of hikers there, alot of beer, alot of smoking, everything youd expect in a crowd of hikers havin a party. I introduced myself to a few people. They got a kick out of my trail name, and i was asked tto repeat it multiple times. As of now its The Almighty Boss Scorch Pipes Wilson Chef Pack Sherpa Mule Boyar Darko D. I might be adding phaedrus into it.but that idea is still up in the air. Around the campfire, one hiker put the perceived unfriendliness in perspective for me. He told me i should announce to everyone that im from up ahead. He said that everyone assumes that im there with my friends, or that i have friends there, but im just not talkative. He said iif i tell them im from ahead, they will know that the reason im not talking is because i dont know anyone, and they will open up to me to make me feel more welcome. I never saw it that way, i just assumed that people further back were just assholes. The band eventually showwed up. And they played until 130am, when the security guard of the campgrounds came and told us to be quiet. So we chilled for a few more hours but many people went to sleep, and the band stopped playing. I spoke to kyle, the violinist for the band, turns out we have the same birthday. He was telling me about HP Lovecraft, a horror writer from the early 1900's and that they share a birthday, which happens to be the same as mine. Also chilled with julian a bit. Though sadly, nothing ended up happening. I had been too shy all night to appraoch her again. And another hiker had already took the opportunity when he saw it. I realized, after the fact, how easy it would have been for me had i not been such a wuss. Around 430am i finally went to bed. It was a good night. And had been a good day. Definitely one of the most fun days ive had so far. Trail days in damascus is gonna be even better. I have heard that its a few thousand people. With the camping area nicknamed tent city. Its only in a month too. May 18-19. In miss janets car theres a bumper sticker that says "the AT is the most fun youll ever have, interrupted by long walks in the woods."

april 15-19 staying at miss janets

Ive been spending thepast few days recovering at miss janets house. After twisting my ankle on sunday i havent been able to hike. Welll i did try to hike on thursday, april 18. But more about that soon. Monday, april 15, the group i had been hiking with for the past week up til then decided to continue down the trail. Hot dog was in the hospital because of her poison ivy, but supposed to get out soon after. Otto had given dumptruck the use of his car in order to slackpack otto and the rest of the group. So dumptruck and hot dog planned to drive from campsite to campsite, carrying the backpacks of the rest of the group, until they recover enough to hike. I said goodbye to the group, i was sad that id be hiking alone. Hiking with a group makes things alot more fun. That night miss janet cam back to the house with a huge group of hikers. There was about 17 people at the house that night. We had a bbq and miss janet made us all wear ties to stay classy. The next day, tuesday, april 16, that big group got back to the traill too. My ankle was still hurting, so i took another day off. Pretty much just eating and watching tv all day. Its good for a day or two, but id get bored of that very quickly. The day after that, wednesday, april 17, i spent most of the day again just chillin on the couch. Towards the end of the day, garbear, bearsnack, sarah (oatmeal), alpha dog, and peanut showed up with miss janet. I wasnt expecting to see anyone i know anymre. I had been in erwin since friday, and i figured my 5 days off wouldve let everyone pass me. So i was happy to see them. To make things better, they were planning to slackpack from spivey gap to uncle johnnys. That was perfect for me, so i decided to hike with them on thursday. But id take it slow so i dont hurt myself again. Miss janet picked up another big group a little while after, then all of us went out to dinner. Afterward, We were supposed to go to a bar that has karaoke, but they didnt let alpha dog in, because hes 19. So we went to a small bar calleed the acoustic coffeehouse. And chilled there for a bit. On thursday, april 18 miss janet drove us all out to spivey gap to continue our hike. We started around 230pm, which was pretty late. We were expecting to start in the morning, but miss janet has been getting nonstop calls from sick hikers. She shuttles the hikers, houses hikers, even deals with the CDC (Center for Disease Control). After miss janet collected stool samples from a few hikers and giving it to the cdc, its been confirmed that it is norovirus that has been going around. Norovirus is resistant to hand sanitizers, too small for filters, and can survive very high temperatures. The average norovirus induced puke contains several million viruses, and it only takes 4 viruses to infect someone. So the virus has been spreading. Ive heard that it has been as far back as fontana dam, and as far forward as damascus. When i first heard of the virus around hot springs, it was between hot springs and erwin. Its gained almost 200 miles more range, and almost everyone has had it. I still havent though, and im hoping it stays that way. We hiked pretty quickly from spivey, taking few breaks and making good time. It was a good day hiking. We took a longer break about halfway through, then continued hiking, this time the group was a little bit slower. I hiked far ahead of the rest of the group, and eventually caught up to peanut who hiked ahead. We hiked together for a few miles, and we were almost by johnnys, maybe a quarter mile away, when i retwisted my ankle. Hurt alot more than the first time. Though it was better that i had a short distance left to the end. Miss janet picked us up from johnnys and took us to walmart before going back to the house. We picked up meats to have a bbq for dinner. Itd be awesome to bbq on the trail, but meats heavy. Some of the group from the night before was still at the house, so it was a good chill. I finally took down my tent and moved into the house. Ive been in the backyard since sunday, and figured i might as well grab a bed in the house. Friday april 19 was another lazy day, just sitting on the couch. We went out for lunch and restocked on beer. Then i Watched tv all day, and played cards and drank with the other hikers in the house. The other group of hikers went out and picked up pizza for everyone, and we watched the hobbit. It was a good chill, and a good night.