Day 69: War Spur Shelter to Sarver Hollow Shelter

12.7 miles

Slept badly, again. Either this bag is NOT a 45 degree bag, or it is getting really cold at night. Last night I put on my puffy jacket, my rain pants, and used the hot water bottle trick. Even with my silk liner I was still cold. But I wasn't as cold as the night before...there is hope.

Not sure if it is the lack of sleep but today was hard. Left camp about 8:30 - immediately had a creek crossing. Saw a note that said "successful crossing of a swollen creek: advance two spaces" - pretty funny. On the second creek crossing I totally slipped on a rock and fell face-first into the creek. Both feet were submerged, my face was just inches from the rushing water, my waist was bent over a pointed rock...NOT how I wanted to start my hike! Laid there for just a second to catch my breath and then pushed myself upright onto a big rock before stepping onto the bank. My left side is pretty banged up; my arm hurts when I use my trekking pole and my ribs hurt, but nothing is broken. And, as a special bonus, the pocket my phone was in didn't even get wet! (Lots of people have otterboxes for their phone; I just have a regular case and put it in a ziploc bag when it's raining. This is a fine plan except when you fall into a creek!)

There was one big climb early on, with lots of rocks. Met Tribe, a SOBO hiker, who was very encouraging..."just keep trudging, there's trail magic ahead!". Found a rubbermaid container with lots of empties and four COLD sodas. (One good thing about it being so cold the night before: the sodas were cold!). Took my pack off and sat down for a minute while I had a delicious orange soda. I'm feeling very defeated today - probably because of the creek crossing - or maybe I'm just really missing AWE again.

When I got to the top of the climb, I almost passed by the Kelly Knob view, but then thought...I have walked up this mountain, I'm going to see the view even if I have to walk a bit further off the trail! It was really gorgeous - I could see for miles - and I also had cell service! Called AWE and talked to her for the first time since Pearisburg. 

Got to the designated lunch spot just as OWL was getting ready to leave. "You need to learn how to walk faster!", she said. Yeah...thanks.

While eating my lunch I made a list of everyone I can think of who is rooting for me. Then I listened to Toots & the Maytals while walking...sang loudly...felt better. Kept trudging. Saw a huge 300 year old tree (the Keffer Oak) - pretty neat - but also sad that there aren't very many "old" trees along the AT. Another steep climb...then walking on the ridge...then half a mile of steep switchbacks down to the shelter. This shelter is probably the nicest one I've seen so far - I'm guessing it gets very little use because it is so far off the trail. But I am glad to be here for the night. I am tenting again - mostly for warmth but I am also enjoying having my own personal space in the tent...I sleep better in the tent for sure.

Here with owl, team onyx, stumbles, her bf, and a couple others tenting.

The water source for this shelter is by some old abandoned buildings - can't find any information about them but one appears to be a cabin and all that remains of the other is two chimneys.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 68: Pine Swamp Shelter to War Spur Shelter

12.5 miles

Well, it did get below freezing last night and I slept like crap. II was a little better once I put on my puffy jacket, but I still had the whole body shivers a few times during the night. OWL & I both slept in late and left camp about 10:30. 

Harder day today than yesterday, even though yesterday was a higher mileage day. Lots of rocks on the trail today; the unevenness makes for very slow walking, and their hardness hurts my feet. We also saw snow flurries - TWICE - so I am second guessing the decision to send home my warm bag. The seams on my new liner socks hurt my pinky toes (even turned inside out). But - I made it to the shelter fine. Phoenix is here again tonight - said she was planning to go to the next shelter but it is at a higher elevation (ie, colder) so she decided to stay here for the night. And Etch-A-Sketch showed up at the shelter with her dad (who lives nearby) and her dog, SamWise, with homemade chocolate chip cookies! They went very well with my beef stroganoff (which was part of a care package put together by some awesome coworkers). They sent me lots of goodies which AWE is sending a bit at a time - I'm very thankful for their thoughts and support!

It is supposed to be cold again tonight, so I am tenting in hopes that it will keep me a little warmer.

 

 

Day 64, 65, 66: A Zero, A Nero, and Another Zero in Pearisburg

It was really amazing to see AWE for the first time in two months. I have missed her so much. 

But still, there was work to do. I needed to work out my shoe issues (the Salomon's have continued to bruise underneath my ankles, and they don't have hardly any grip on the sole), so we went to the outfitter in Blacksburg. The outfitter in Johnson City told OWL that all Salomon shoes have a 30 day no questions asked return policy...unfortunately we found out that is only true if you purchase the shoes online through salomon.com. Bummer. The local outfitter was nice, but they didn't have any non-waterproof boots or trail runners. So we decided to go to the nearest REI, a 2.5 hr drive to Charlotte, NC.

It was weird to ride in a car for a long period of time, covering a third of the distance we have travelled so far in a matter of hours. The shoe guy at REI was pretty nice and lI think OWL & I both tried on every pair of non-waterproof mid-boots and trail runners in the store! Finally I settled on a pair of mid length (above the ankle) Keen boots that felt pretty good. OWL bought a new pair of the Salomon trail runners she was originally using. I also got a pair of thin "travel" pants - I don't want to wear shorts during the summer (ticks!) but my current pants are thick (read: heavy) and are literally falling off because I have lost so much weight. (AWE also brought a pair of 'too small' thin rollup pants I had at home, but they also fell off me). Not sure how the thin pants will hold up over rock scrambles, but not too worried about it either. I have needle and floss and bandana...I can make it work.

After spending far too much time in REI, we went to Mellow Mushroom to eat dinner. What a nice treat! Then drove back to Blacksburg for the night.

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The next day, we hiked the 5 miles from Trent's Grocery to Lickskillet Hollow (the section we missed during our slackpack from Woods Hole). It was so much fun to hike with Emily! Even in the rain! OWL & AT dropped us off at Trent's Grocery, and AWE and I started hiking SOBO. Then OWL & AT then drove to Lickskillet, parked the car, and hiked NOBO. When we met, they handed us the keys. (How smart are we?) OWL & I both had on our full packs (to test out our new shoes), and AWE & AT had daypacks loaded with fruit & snacks for other hikers. But we didn't see  a single hiker on the trail! I have been trying to figure out how AWE uses an acorn for a whistle - finally got her to show me exactly. And although I didn't find any wintergreen berries, I did get her to try pine tips (tastes like Christmas!). The new boots feel fine - I'm wondering if maybe I should have got a half size larger - but too late for that now. As AWE's father says, "it will either work or it won't, guaranteed!"

We also went by the post office, where I had a care package waiting from Post! (Post is the SUPER NICE section hiker I met in the Smokies, hiking with her father). It was so nice to get her goodies, a letter, and a photo of her & her father on top of Rocky Top! Thanks, Post! I really appreciate it!

  

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The last day of our mini vacation was bittersweet. It was still amazing to be in the same place with AWE, but I still had to do all the "regular" in-town hiking things - sort through the food box, go to the post office to mail the bounce box, update the blog - as well as sort through the things AWE brought from home. (We did manage to eat at a delicious Indian buffet for lunch - my taste buds were dancing!)

It was a tough decision trying to figure out what to send home, and what to keep. A lot of thru hikers send home their winter gear in Pearisburg (or even before), but I am nervous about sending *all* of it home because it is still early May, and it can still get cold (especially at the higher elevations). 

So, I swapped out my 15 degree bag for a 45 degree bag (the stuff size difference between those two bags is amazing - my pack is not stuffed to the gills now). Other things I got from home: two synthetic tshirts; one a 'smartcool' fabric and the other a zippered synthetic. a pair of compression socks, a pair of (smaller) compression shorts, and a lighter sleeping pad. I sent home my extra long sleeve fleece, my worn out sock liners, my wool tshirt, and some extra socks. I am keeping my patagonia capilene baselayer and smartwool longjohns for sleeping, as well as my hat, gloves, & balaclava. I'm keeping my puffy jacket too, because it doubles as my pillow at night. My pack isn't much lighter because I'm still keeping the cold weather clothing, but fitting everything into my pack is much easier now that my gargantuan 15 degree bag isn't taking up half the space in my pack.

I'm a little nervous about tomorrow - we have a 19+ mile day planned (with new boots and 5 days resupply!) - but all I have to do is walk.

 

Day 60: Jenkins Shelter to Helveys Mill Shelter

14 miles

Pretty easy day; a big climb at first and then an easy (almost flat) 5 miles. The terrain is getting easier. (This does not mean I am getting any faster; just that I'm not as exhausted when I reach my destination).

GREAT SUCCESS with a hitch into Bland. We were walking down the gravel road to get to the highway going into Bland, and a white pickup was going pretty slow down the road (the same direction we were headed). OWL said, should I ask them for a ride? I said SURE, and so she threw out her thumb. Much to both our surprise, the truck stopped - it was an older guy with his wife - and he said he'd give us a ride down the mountain. As we were climbing into the back I asked if he was going into Bland...he said no...I said no problem, we are thankful for the ride down the mountain! At the bottom of the mountain he said - we have time, I'll take you into Bland....where do you want to go? I said DAIRY QUEEN and he started laughing. (I'm guessing his wife talked him into taking us).

DQ was an amazing thing, and as a special bonus, it was in a gas station so I could get a few candy bars also! I had:a cheeseburger, fries, chili cheese dog, soda, and a georgia mud blizzard. I could have eaten more - but we had miles to go before the shelter so I held back a bit. I just THOUGHT I had HikerHunger before! Charged electronics and called my folks. I tried to talk OWL into staying in town (at the Big Walker Hotel) but she was not enthused. So decided to try to hitch back to the trail.

We had a terrible time getting a hitch. Finally, after OWL said "this is the last one" and I tried my infamous "we'll get in the back!" hand signals, a guy (Seth T) in a maroon truck pulled over. My hero! I am always so excited to get a hitch. It just makes things so much easier.

We walked the final 2 miles to the shelter. Saw KFox and Gumby tenting, and Mr. GiggleFits and his girlfriend Paisley in the shelter. They are the most hilarious shelter mates I've had so far! (Once I found out his name was Mr. GiggleFitsI have to admit I had high expectations). There was synchronized boy stretching (even though Gumby is the most inflexible Gumby ever), and shared whiskey. As an improvement from yesterday, today's privy had two walls. (The one yesterday had zero walls; just a toilet seat on an elevated platform).

Day 59: Chesnut Knob Shelter to Jenkins Shelter

10 miles

We left the shelter about 9 just as the fog was lifting. Walked with OWL until almost lunchtime. I always like hiking with somebody, and hiking with someone who knows me from home is pretty much the best. Stopped to get water and discovered that my Steripen battery was dead (and because of poor planning on my part, I didn't have an extra). The guys from "The Thru Project" were camped there and gave me some sweetwater drops to treat the water. As a bonus they showed us a video they took last night of a bear! The bear was up in a tree about 30 yards from the water source, and dropped out of the tree so fast!

Took a lunch break with GrandBob, the 2 section hikers from last night, and OWL. Then found out I had cell service, so called AWE and talked with her for an hour or so. I miss her so much, and we don't get to talk every day, so when I have the chance I try to take advantage of it.

From there it was a pretty easy walk to the shelter. At first it was just the guys from lunch, plus KFox and a dude named Animal. Then people started pouring in; Big Yankee, Mallet, Twig, Rooster, the Virginia Creepers...there must have been 30 people tenting around the shelter. We also found out there is a Dairy Queen in Bland, so we're going to try to hitch in tomorrow. (We are VERY BAD at hitchhiking so it may not work out).

GrandBob is going into town tomorrow to see a doctor so he split up his remaining food among me, OWL, and Animal. I got a snickers bar and a mountain house meal. Thanks, GrandBob!

I had heard of Animal before - he thru hiked last year (or maybe the year before) and carries all his stuff in a 5 gallon bucket. He is a forager as well, and brought us some wintergreen berries (they taste like wintergreen!) and pine tips. Pretty good! I would definitely take a foraging class from him if he ever decides to teach one.

Day 56: Partnership Shelter to Relax Inn, Atkins VA

11.6 miles

Talked with a guy who tented last night at Partnership - he is out on a section hike but has attempted two thrus. Once he ran out of money in New Jersey, and the second time he got a stress fracture. I have plenty of money budgeted for this trip, and we have a separate savings, but I really need to be mindful of the money I spend in town. Like, maybe eat hiker meals I have left over instead of going out to eat. It's hard, though.

Went up to the visitor center to look around. Then we got on the trail about 9:15. There were a couple climbs but some really nice views. Leapfrogged with the Virginia Creepers all day. First stopped at a forest service road for a snack and they were there. They told me a little bit about how they started hiking together - Bill the Backpacking Oven Magician is the nucleus of the group. Today is the anniversary of his wife's death (she passed away - tragically - the day after he returned from their first section hike). But he has gotten through his grief - even remarried recently - and it is a real testament to his character that he is such an incredible guy - not bitter or angry at all. His friends love him very very much.

The wildflowers are incredible, still. It is amazing to me how such delicate things exist "in the wild". Or so close to where hikers tromp daily.

Speaking of tromping, my new shoes are ok but they are really putting a lot of pressure where the shoe hits under the ankle. I think I'm going to have to trade them in for something else - my ankles are bruising (but not blistering!!). It will have to wait until we get to Pearisburg, though. The VC's tell me there is a good outfitter in Blacksburg.

Ate lunch at the shelter with the VC's. They are staying the night at the shelter, but don't want to take up space that thru hikers might need. I looked through the shelter logs - didn't look like many thrus stay here since Atkins is only 5 miles away - so they should be fine. When I got ready to leave, Blue Blaze said "you have a surprise in town!" but wouldn't tell me anything else. I had no idea what the surprise was - but figured it wasn't too long before town so I would be patient. :)

The hike down the mountain runs through rhododendron tunnels. I hope I see some rhododendrons in bloom - will have to come back next year if I don't. Saw a picturesque red barn for a very long time. Crossed some railroad tracks and waited for the train (to wave at the conductor, of course) but he did not wave back. So disappointing!

Got to the Relax Inn and asked OWL about my surprise but she looked totally confused. So I set about "town" chores - laundry, shower, phone calls, etc. When I pulled out my rain pants, $20 fell out of my backpack! Aha - so that's the surprise!! A hot dinner courtesy of the Virginia Creepers! How awesome is that??

Went up to "The Barn" restaurant but it looked kinda scary (only one car in the parking lot at 6pm) so I decided to skip it. Went back to the gas station and bought some Epsom salts, a gatorade, and some cheese...then had hiker dinner and a nice hot bath. Started packing up my stuff for tomorrow, and when I pulled my insoles out of my pack, another $40 fell out. Holy crap! THANK YOU VIRGINIA CREEPERS!!!

Day 54; Old Orchard Shelter to Troutdale Baptist Church Hostel

10.2 miles

Rain, rain, rain. And wind. Woke up at 4am to pee - had to put on my rain jacket and pants. Woke up at 6 - OWL & I just looked at each other and went back to sleep. Kept that up until 7:30 or so. We were still the first thru hikers up. It is hard to get motivated on such a miserable day.

No trail magic left at the road - others were expecting it would still be there but I have learned not to count on it. (That's what makes it magical). Hiking the AT has been a meditation in keeping expectations low, and then being pleasantly surprised when things work out better than expected.

When it rains you can see fifty shades of green.

By the time I got to the shelter, OWL was already there, huddled in the corner with her socks off. She was freezing and miserable - said it was the most miserable she had been on the entire trip so far. Lucky for her I am familiar with miserable, so I got her warm jacket out, gave her some dry socks, put on some water for tea. She warmed up pretty quickly, we ate lunch, and decided to go to the hostel in Troutdale.

We got to Dickey's Gap and tried to hitch a ride but no one stopped. (It didn't help that there was another couple of hikers there, trying to hitch the other way). No cell service so we started walking up the road. Got to the county line and had cell service, so we called the hostel. The pastor's wife said the pastor would be there in 5 minutes, and not to move! So we waited :)

The hostel was nice - two rooms with two bunk beds apiece, hot showers, a portalet, basically everything we needed...except cell service. Still, Mary (the pastors wife) had sent lunch leftovers for us - spaghetti with broiled chicken, cheese biscuits, green beans, and no bake cookies! An amazing homecooked meal - I was so thankful to have it.

Titan and "Don's Brother" are here, too. Titan moved his stuff over to the other room so we could have a "girls room" - so nice. A few hours later a bicyclist, Sungduk, showed up. He is on day 5 of a TransAmerican bike ride; he just finished his masters degree and starts a PhD program this summer.

Day 53: Thomas Knob Shelter to Old Orchard Shelter

11 miles
Weird night. Woke up in the middle of the night to the weird section hiker screaming at someone: "are you a thru hiker? ARE YOU A THRU HIKER?" and an unknown hiker saying "yeah I'm a thru hiker but you need to lower your voice...you're raising my blood pressure and that's one of the reasons I came out here to begin with". I'm not sure what was going on but it was really strange.

Got up in the middle of the night to pee and the two section hikers were sitting at the picnic table, smoking cigarettes and drinking tea. So strange.

It is really incredibly pretty here at Grayson Highlands, even with overcast skies. The ponies are cute and unafraid. The terrain is varied but pretty easy.

Went through "Fat Man's Squeeze" - one of the Boy Scouts told us about it last night. OWL said - do you think I'll make it through fat man squeeze ok? And the kid thought *real* hard and finally said, "you'll *probably* make it but there's a trail around it if you can't". Well, you would have had to be a giant fat man to not make it through! It was pretty neat to walk through the rock to the other side.

Speaking of Boy Scouts, we were walking and heard someone singing a song. There were 3 kids up on a rock, singing a song that went something like "chicken in a biscuit, chicken in a biscuit, dipped in mashed potatoes....poTATOES!". Sounds pretty good....

We stopped at Wise Shelter for lunch - mile marker 500.0! In anticipation of the event I downloaded the proclaimers song, and much to the amusement (or dismay) of the section hikers eating at the picnic table, I played the song and OWL & I did a fancy dance in the shelter. (Before you ask: no video exists of this dance).

Started to rain a bit when we got to the corral. There were longhorn cattle with calves in the next section we walked through. Be careful, M80/Trooper/Willow!

Got to the shelter - Torch, Rango, and All The Way are here in the shelter. All The Way has a stick named "Stick With It". Hammer, Mallet, and Half and Half are here too, hammocking. Supposedly there is trail magic (cheeseburgers and beer) a few miles up, but it is supposed to rain for the next few days and I would rather be here, warm and dry for the night, than risk not having a spot at the next shelter

When I went to get water I talked with two of the ladies from the section hiking group; Blue Blaze & Fran the Snake. They are section hiking as part of a group, The Virginia Creepers. They started at springer seven years ago and pick up every year where they left off the year before. Pretty neat - I admire the hikers who are doing this a section at a time. It is a big commitment to thru hike - but now I am definitely a creature of the trail. I think it would be even harder to come out year after year after year, starting over with fitness and feet, and hike a section at a time.

After dinner we heard someone yelling, "Trail Magic coming your way!!" - one of the Virginia Creepers came up to the shelter with a few pieces from a giant WARM chocolate chip cookie! It was so delicious! The fact that it was warm was so completely unexpected - I'd say it's the best trail magic yet. Bill carries a backpacking oven that runs off a canister stove - and he cooks something nice for dessert every night.

Day 49: Abingdon Gap Shelter to Damascus, VA!

11.3 miles

Woke up around 4am and sat for a bit to watch for Lyrid meteors - saw a few and went back to bed.

We all wanted to get into Damascus for breakfast, so Big Yank set his alarm for 6am (he wanted nature sounds so the alarm was ducks.) We were on the trail at 7.

I knew of a big surprise - OWL's friend Bill was going to meet us in Damascus for her birthday - and so I was doing my best to send texts about our progress. Originally I thought we would be there by noon or 1 but at the pace OWL/Shutterbug/Techie/Big Yank were going, I knew they would be there sooner. My feet hurt pretty bad so I slowed down and didn't even try to keep up. I got to the Virginia border and they were still there! Took a few photos and had a wig of Big Yank's 40 mile beer, then said "Hey Owl, I really want to walk into Damascus with you". She said "ok, you lead". So off we went - me in front with OWL, Shutterbug, Techie, Big Yank, and Smiles behind. We sang songs at the top of our lungs most of the way down...Bohemian Rhapsody, Ring of Fire, etc...had a really good time.

We were really booking it down the mountain and got into town about 10:45. Didn't see Bill but we stopped to take pictures at the "Welcome to Damascus" sign. Bill pulled up in his van, rolled down the window, and said "Hey little girl do you want a ride?" and then laughed. OWL didn't hear him, so he repeated himself. She looked at me kinda confused and said "That sounds like Bill!"....then looked around and saw him. It was awesome.

We went into town and stopped at the Blue Blaze Cafe for breakfast. Bill brought a chocolate cake and candles, so we had cake for an appetizer. Then we all ordered the "Iron Mountain Breakfast" - 5 pancakes, layered with sausage and bacon, 3 eggs on top, with potatoes around the side. An amazing hiker breakfast. I did not finish mine.

Found a place to stay - a room with two twin beds (awesome!), and then went to the outfitter. As soon as OWL asked for her packages, the outfitter said "hey, we are happy to see you...do you have a hand truck?" We went to the back and she had 22! pieces of mail (three of which were our regular maildrop). She was so excited! And the outfitter was also excited because now the mailroom had room for other hiker packages.

We went to the b&b to unpack. OWL took first shower, and after she got out and started opening her prizes I started untaping my feet. My pinky toe on my left foot smelled like death. Very sore and red and swollen and tender...so I took a shower and then off to the doctor I went. Thankfully they saw me (even thoguh it was very close to closing time), gave me an antibiotic shot and a prescription, and sent me on my way.

Met up with Comet, a Damascus native I met through metafilter, and we talked for a bit at the b&b. UV and Whole Bean showed up with Mazey (who had attracted a very enthusiastic fan dog)...they were trying to find some place to camp and Comet let them camp in her yard under her apple tree! What an awesome lady.

Went to $1.50 taco night at Blue Blaze Cafe, where I ate 5 tacos and some fries and a beer (Fat Tire, as usual). Comet & I had a little mini mefi meetup! (No shots, though). Super fun to hang out with locals and get to visit a little bit.

Whole Bean ate 12 tacos! - he looked like crap afterwards (hah). The cafe is connected to a bar, and the crew from the shelter was singing karaoke. So we ran over to the bar and sang Bohemian Rhapsody - MUCH easier with the words on a screen!

Said goodnight to Comet - we are going to hang out tomorrow also, I think - and went to bed. What a great day.

Day 48: Iron Mountain Shelter -> Abingdon Gap Shelter

16 miles

Nice and easy (but long!) day. Walked today with Shutterbug. She reminds me a lot of a younger version of one of my friends from back home. We walked through a cattle field today. Shutterbug was nervous but I was just walking. There were baby cows! Apparantly M80 & Trooper had trouble with the cow pasture because of their dog, Willow. M80 picked up Willow, who was growling and baring her teeth, and Trooper walked in front of them hitting her sticks together. Trooper said later that the cows started surrounding them and it was very scary. Yet another reason I am glad I don't have a dog on the trail!

Mom sent a nice email. I'm glad to have such a supportive family.

Just before the trail crossed a road there was a big metal box with crosses on it; trail magic by a local baptist "Girls in Action" church group. Had a first aid kit, some candy, and ice cold sodas.

Met two section hikers; Timberlake & his friend. They are both in their 70s and are section hiking parts of the AT that they like. They had two dogs with them; Max and Chobe. Timberlake said, "tell me where Chobe is and I'll give you a prize"....and I said..."on a map?" which his friend thought was hilarious. I didn't get a prize, though.

Ate lunch with M80/Trooper/Willow/Owl/Shutterbug. I really like meeting up for lunch with a group.

Took my time getting to the shelter - man my feet hurt - but was able to talk with AWE for a while. So there are some benefits to being slow. :)

At the shelter with Owl, shutterbug, big yank, and techie. M80 & Trooper are tenting (as usual), and a British guy named Smiles is tenting also. We are all very excited to get into Damascus tomorrow. Big Yank has a celebratory beer he has been carrying for 40 miles to drink at the Virginia border. And, of course, it is Owl's birthday tomorrow!