Change

All things that stagnate suffer.  People are no exception.  While most of us will do anything to prevent change or to protect our daily routine, our psyche begins to suffer; It starts desiring variety, adventure, the unknown, and excitement.   The paradox is, those emotions are met equally in the mind (the most ancient of battlefields) with fear, doubt, and worry.  The only way to certain victory is to strike swiftly and directly with a sword of courage. Only then are we free to grow without restraint and withering attachments.

So it's been wet out on the trail.  Feels like monsoon season actually.  It rained the week before trail days, all during trail days, and this whole week after.  However, everything has still been amazing.  We took the Virginia Creeper Trail out of Damascus until it caught back up with the AT.  It was definitely worth the detour.  The trail runs along the river for miles, there's beautiful green fields, great camping spots, swimming holes, and good food along the way. Towards the end we ran it to two 18 year old high school students from Colorado (Girl was Derby and the guy was Fudge Pack) that were doing a project for school.

Night Train, Nothing Man, and I decided to camp at Lost Mountain shelter.  The Coloradians did as well. Then, Hump and Tinkerbell showed up. We explained to the Colorado's that it was quite normal for hikers to sit around the campfire and talk about farting ... it's true.  We even demonstrated a few times.  We definitely left them with good info for their project.

After an intense thunderstorm that night I headed for Mt. Rogers the next morning. At the gap right before the climb I ran into Hardtack again.  His parents were there giving out KFC trail magic.  I missed the good stuff but was able to snag some coleslaw and coke.  Hey... it still brightened my day!  A half eaten Reese's Pieces is enough to put a big smile on a hikers face.

From the gap before Mt. Rogers we all started the ascent into pony land.  Unfortunately, the first pony we came across was a punk.  He tried to bite me and Nothing Man and attacked Night Train.  We had to chase it away with our hiking poles.  Apparently everyone else had similar encounters.  Luckily, the other ponies were a lot more friendly.

After making it to Mt. Rogers shelter in the rain I took a side trail to Old Orchard. The trail was a little rougher than the AT but the scenery was great.  There were some amazing rock outcroppings, calves, and long horns for some reason.  Unfortunately my camera ran out of juice so I missed some good pictures.  About 15 minutes after making it into camp Hump showed up (nobody else went the distance).  And then the rain came again muhahaha!

The next morning I intended to hike to Mt. Rogers visitor center but my shin pain came about half way up the next mountain.  I decided to go to the next gap and hitch into Marion VA.  I was impressed that I was able to do 10 miles in a few hours in a lot of pain.  I've come a long way since Georgia and doing 12 miles in 12 hours.  Towards the end of my hobbling that day I did hike past a really cool waterfall (picture below). It really got me thinking of our future aqua blazing endeavor.  100 miles in a kayak through the Shenandoah's... hell yes.

Not long after the waterfall I made it to the gap.  A hiker named Finn and I hitched a ride to the EconoLodge in Marion.  The next day I awoke to sex raptor scent outside.  Banjo, Hump, Roadkill, and Invictus were in town as well.  I'll end this post by saying we made a trip to the liquor store.

Canadian Club for me...

Wacky Week

I spent a little too much time in and around Erwin.  Some of that time was recovering from getting lost, some partying, and some just bad logistics.

A group of us tried slack packing (sending your pack ahead and hiking with less weight) from Connie's Greasy Creek Friendly back to Erwin which would of been about 25 miles. However, we went four miles in the wrong direction.  Why?  The trail does a little horseshoe and south on the compass is actually north on the trail.  There was no way to tell until we hit the first shelter.  Therefore, we ended up back tracking back to the friendly and staying the night.

The next morning I woke up congested and with a scratchy throat.  Out of the group Hump and I road with Connie back to town to get everyone's gear.  On the way we dropped off a hiker named Turtle at the clinic for an infected finger.  We then went to Johnson City to help Connie do some shopping.  But first, we took her to a chinese buffet for Mothers Day.  After about fifteen plates of food and real ice cream (that's a first) I was stuffed.  Yet, when we went to Sams and Walmart I was still craving more food ... so I bought more.  Hey... gotta feed the beast.

By the time we got back to Connie's it was past seven.  We talked with the group and decided to try another slack pack.  This slack would be tomorrow morning starting at Hump Mountain and back to Connie's for a total of 27 miles.  Morning came and all but Hump and I bowed out (wine was involved).  I was still feeling a little sick but I decided to give it a shot regardless.  We tore it up!  Twenty-seven in about 10-11 hours.

Since the 27 miles went so well and we were set on walking into Damascus VA we decided to slack pack 25 miles to the next hostel and then maybe try for 40 miles the next day.  Well, we started late (1pm) for the 25 and had a ridiculously slow pace.  Furthermore, the terrain and distances listed in the AWOL guide seemed off.  Add to all that, the inside of my knee started getting sore half way through.  After a few hours of night hiking we eventually got to the hostel around midnight.  We had bumped into a fellow hiker earlier named Lawdawg who had already done 12 miles and was headed to the same hostel ... that's a 37 mile day.  His 37 plus our 52 miles in 36 hours left us all exhausted.  They passed out on a floor somewhere and I set up my tent in the backyard.  

My plan the next day was to take the hostel ride into town and hike north from there.  After a shower and some laundry at the hostel we took the ride into town.  Hump and I walked down to the subway to get some food and that's when I started feeling not so good.  Lucky for me a few people in the subway offered us rides north.  We jumped on that idea (especially me since I was feeling nauseous).  A gentleman named Mike offered to drive us to a motel in Mountain City.  Mike was a cool guy.  He was a retired teacher, had done half the signs & billboards in the area, had all kinds of cool cars that he was working on, and wouldn't let us pay for gas.  Talk about generosity!  Anyways, Hump and I rode in the bed of his truck while Mike stopped every once in a while and gave us some history about the area.  Apparently back in the early 1900s they moved a whole town up the road to build Watauga Dam & Lake.  Mike showed us some of the houses that were moved.  Since I'm somewhat of a history fan I found all of this really cool.

After Mike dropped us off at the motel I started feeling worse.  I became more congested, had a headache, and started getting a stomach cramp like I never felt before. That cramp lasted all night and I definitely felt like throwing up a few times.  I can only assume I caught the Norovirus at one of the hostels that had hit 70% of the hikers on the trail.  If that's the case I'm glad I wasn't on the trail and that mine seems pretty mild.

As I'm writing this I'm feeling much better.  I decided to stay at the motel an extra day and then hike the 12 miles into Damascus for trail days this weekend.  Except for the sickness and bum knee this week has been great.  I got to see some of the most beautiful sights on the trail so far and pushed myself beyond my mental limits.

Can't wait till tomorrow and the hiker extravaganza.  Oh and 400 miles down!

Lost in Tennessee

Oops... wrong turn.

So right after my little ridge run (pic below) yesterday I somehow got off the AT. The trail kept crossing a road and then it tricked me... it didn't cross the road (I think it went up it a little ways). However, there was what looked like a foot trail for about a mile or two. That trail ended up going into some marshy terrain at which point it turned into an old jeep road that looked like it hasn't been used in a decade.

There I was, off the AT for the first time, staring at an old "No Trespassing" sign, and not exactly sure what to do. After a few minutes of thinking, I turned my tracking device on, and continued down this old road thinking, "If a vehicle can get up here it likely leads off the mountain."

After walking for an hour I eventually came to a gate (metal bar across the road). From the gate I could see a town northwest down the mountain. Furthermore, the road looked like it was following a ridge down; I was wrong. The road winded down, up, and around a few more ridges. It was 5pm and I was getting a little discouraged. It was at this point that I decided it would be a good idea to fill up all my water containers to the max with a little stream near the road.

Not long after the stream I came to a fork in the road. One way went up a ridge and the other stayed level and went towards another ridge. I started down the level road. After about a quarter mile the road forked again at a stream. My current path would keep me at elevation on a decent road or I could turn down this more rugged road with which the stream had somewhat overflowed into. I decided that if the water can get out so can I... so down the stream covered road I went.

This stream road was rough. Many parts of it had water running down it. Most of it was either steep or muddy. About a mile down the road I ran into my first water crossing. I took off my shoes, put on my Walmart crocs, and slowly walked across the creek bracing myself with my trekking poles. The cold creek water was actually a little soothing to my achy feet. I had to do this three more times with the water getting deeper and faster each time (pic below). By my fourth crossing the water was past my knees. However, not long after that crossing I came to a campsite which made me feel pretty good. Then, just when I thought that I would have to cross the creek (more like a river now) a fifth time, I was blessed with a rickety wooden bridge. And right after that bridge... a paved road... wooot!

As much of a relief it was to find concrete I still had to get to Erwin Tennessee which was still 10-15 miles away. I walked along the paved road for miles (some houses looked pretty creepy) and made it to the highway right when the lights went out. It was at this point that my feet ached something fierce and all i could think about was hitching. However, this hungry hiker had no luck getting a ride. Honestly, it doesn't surprise me that nobody wants to stop for a scraggly looking hiker wearing a rustic cowboy hat at night. Even a state trooper passed me up! Then some punk decided to purposely swerve at me. Nonetheless, in the distance I eventually saw the beautiful blue glow of the Holiday Inn sign.

After what might have been 40 miles I entered the the hotel for a victory bath and bed. To add to that victory, I got to see Iron Man 3 at the 1900's cinema in town. To my surprise there was an ultra modern theater inside which allowed me to watch the movie in surround sound and Dolby Digital 3D. All-in-all... I'm still alive...

Yeeehaw!

Trail Magic

Comes in many forms.

One form after doing 19 miles out of the Smokies comes as Standing Bear Farm. Seventy-five dollars got me dry, a warm shower, two nights of good sleep, about 10 powerades, pizza, hot pockets, Pepsi, beer, a bunch of resupply, and dry clothes.

Another form comes as spaghetti, banana nut bread, and sprite from a couple by the trail name "Two-of-a-kind" at the base of Max Patch after 13 miles (pic below). Talk about hitting the spot after a long day of hiking.

A third form comes as small towns like Hot Springs. Sixty dollars gets me a warm bed, shower, fridge, satellite TV, and noisy train near by but, it's worth every penny.

In other news I bumped into Dirty Rice again after a few weeks (thought he dropped off the trail) here in Hot Springs at the laundry. Turns out he got shin splints real bad and had to zero it up in Franklin a few days. He also told me that his first hitch hiking experience into Helen turned a bit creepy. Apparently the dude that picked him up was a little on the squeal like a pig side. Luckily nothing came of it.

My plans tomorrow are possibly another zero. Then, I plan on booking it to Damascus for Trail Days. Suppose to be a big two day festival in which Thru Hikers get to be apart of a parade. It would also mark about 500 miles. It starts on May 16th which should give me plenty of time to get there.

Until next time...