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....