CASTAWAY & WILSON on the AT

More to come…

5/12 – 422 miles

The weather is still nice. We hiked five miles and then took a side trail into Hampton, TN, where we resupplied at a Dollar General. Dollar Generals have everything a backpacker needs – a lot of junk food. It is almost impossable to eat healthy out here. We crave sweet things like ice cream and candy bars and greasy food like burgers and pizza.

We hitchhiked in and out of town with no problems. I’m getting pretty good at hitching now. It used to make me uncomfortable but people that live close to the trail are used to hikers going to town and help them out a lot.

I am in Damascus, VA, for trail days right now. My phone is having a hard time charging so I will update some more later. Everything is going good and my leg is a lot better.

Bear Poop

5/11 – 412 miles
I found out that by wrapping my leg tight and landing on my toe going downhill the shin splint felt good during the day. As long as we did short miles each day, it didn’t get much better, but it didn’t get any worse either. And the terrain was cooperating, too. There were long walks through gentle sloping woods and even the mountain paths had recently been rerouted with switchbacks to ease the climbs and descents. Sometimes we could see where the old trail went straight up the mountain and we were glad for all the trail maintainers that donate so much time to work on the trail.

We stelthed camped that night by a spring. It was a nice secluded spot almost hidden from the trail. We found what appeared to be a giant pile of bear poop so we were sure to hang a bag with our food.

Slow Go

5/10 – 400.7 miles
My leg was still sore in the morning but I took it easy and tried to walk slowly. We only did 8.8 miles to Mountaineer Shelter and spent the afternoon lounging in our tents. There was a waterfall near the shelter and I sat with my leg under the cold water twice in the afternoon.

Chicken Feathers almost had parts of his stove taken. He left his stove at the shelter while we were resting and when we went back to make dinner that night, someone had taken parts of his stove. They said that they thought they were abandoned but they shouldn’t have taken them anyway. We rested well even though there were young people partying over at the shelter.

Roan Mountain

5/8 5/9 – 392 miles
In the morning my leg was sore but I assumed it would get better as I hiked and warmed up. Little did I know that it would turn into one of the most painful injuries I’ve ever had. We passed by Overmountain Shelter, a famous converted barn, but I was too sore to take any detours. And later in the day the weather turned cold with a rain that blew in sideways like a hurricane. We bent our heads and climbed over Roan Mountain, a beautiful summit for vistas in all directions, but on this day saw only the swirling mist and rain a few feet in front of us. We longed for the protection of treeline but the mountain only went higher and higher, until at last the summit was passed and we started the long decent into the valley below.

We had planned on camping but nothing usable appeared. And we couldn’t muster the courage to set up our tents in the rain, so we hiked on. By the time we reached route 19e, eighteen miles into the day, my leg felt like someone was sticking a knife into it. Chicken Feathers went on ahead at one point and came back to carry my pack for the last mile.

That high-mileage day pretty much did me in, and the next day I spent reclining in a chair at a local bed and breakfast while Chicken Feathers brought me ice, pillows, medicine, and waited on me. After a zero day, I felt well enough to continue on.

Shin Splints

5/7/12 – 374 miles
I left camp early in the morning. I like to walk by myself for a while when the woods are just waking up, the air is cool, and I’m fresh with a good nights rest. I walked for about an hour at a slow pace and then Chicken Feathers caught me and we hiked together for the rest of the day. Shortly before midday, we decided to detour .6 miles to a hostel in hopes of a Burger or other type of greasy food. When we got there the owner was just getting ready to give her dog a bath so she couldn’t be bothered with us. We had a soft drink and headed back to the trail, vowing to tell everyone we met what a waste of time the Greasy Creek Hostel is.

On the way to our campsite at Ash Gap, I started to develop a sore shin. It would turn into one of the most painful ordeals I’ve ever undergone.

Germany Hikers

5/6/12 – 359 miles
It was a nice walk from Erwin to the evening campsite. The mountains were still pretty serious but the trail was graded well and the weather was perfect. We ate lunch on top of a bald (a mountain meadow) called Beauty Spot that had views in all directions.

There are a lot of foreigners doing the trail this year. On top of Beauty Spot we were joined by Metric and Sticks, a guy from Australia and his girlfriend, and Knife, a guy from Switzerland. The biggest group of hikers from another country are the Germans. There was a documentary film about the AT, made by a German company and widely shown all over Europe that pricked the interest of a few hearty souls to come over and try it.
We spent the night at Cherry Gap Shelter after 17.5 miles

Erwin, TN

5/5/12 – 341 miles
I’ve been wearing the same clothes for five days. When I peal off my socks my feet look like I’ve been walking on mud. And the smell… let’s just say there’s no way to describe it. I’m not sure you could call me a mountain man but I know a little about the depths of squalor the absence of hygiene provides.

We woke early today and took down our tents before it was light. It started to sprinkle just as I was stuffing the rainfly into my pack and I grabbed everything and ran to the protection of the shelter. Chicken Feathers wasn’t so lucky. He decided to eat breakfast, and by the time he took down his tent, it was raining hard. It was 6 miles to town and we covered the distance in 2 hours. I don’t like to walk that fast but we were anxious to get to a motel and out of the rain. As usual, it stopped raining and the sun came out once we reached Erwin.

We walked about a half-mile, trying to hitchhike along the way, until we came to the Holiday Inn. Since we weren’t having any luck getting a ride into town, we decided to get a room and split the cost.

After we showered, did laundry and ate breakfast – they still had the food out for guests – we headed for the grocery store. This time a man stopped and gave us a lift after only a few minutes. All in all, we caught rides two more times, once with a young couple who gave us a ride to the Wallgreens, and the last with the Ford dealer owner that saw us in front of his lot.

We head back to the trail tomorrow.

Hunger

5/4/12 – 335 miles.
We are camped 6 miles south of Erwin, TN. It’s a good thing I will be in town tomorrow, I only have two Rice Krispy treats left in my food bag. What I thought was was enough food for seven days was gone in four. My appetite is getting stronger all the time.

I have been hiking with the same guy for the last week. He has more or less made me his partner. I guess it will be okay for now, he’s a pretty good guy. One thing he has done before is hitchhike into town, something we will have to do tomorrow, and I will be glad to have a partner for this new experience. He says it is easy and we shouldn’t have any problems.

Anniversary

5/3/12 – 321 miles
It is my one month anniversary today and to celebrate I hiked 21 miles. It was not easy. I am really tired and sore. We have been planning the days so that the resupply into Erwin, TN will come with a few easy miles in the morning. That gives us the best advantage for food, groceries, laundry, and finding a motel before the end of the day.

I think I mentioned the two Eagle Scouts I met before the Smokys. I came across one of them yesterday.

“Pocahontas, where is your friend Wrench?” I enquired.
“He broke his foot.”
“Oh no! How did it happen? ”
“He stepped wrong and rolled it on a stone. We had to carry him down the mountain. He is going to meet me up the trail in a month.”

And just that quick your hike is over. Those two kids were some of the nicest people I’ve met out here. Chicken Feathers and I have been hiking off and on with Pocahontas the last couple of days, but understandably, he seems sad.

Blister

5/2/12 – 300 miles.
I have a blister on my heal. It feels like a tack in my shoe every time I step. Everyone says to puncture it with a needle but I’m not sure that’s the right thing to do. I don’t want to get it infected.

Today was another hot one. My thermometer said it was 85 degrees and I know the humidity was way up there. Some of the trail ran high on mountain tops for part of the day, exposing me to relentless sunshine, baking the back of my neck, drawing the moisture from my body. It always seem that when it gets this hot there is never a breeze to cool you down.

I hiked over a particularly interesting and difficult section of the AT called Big Firescald Knob – I say hiked but it was more of a rock scramble – and had beautiful 360 degree views from the cliff tops.

For part of the day I hiked with a man with the trailname “Chicken Feathers.” He is 68 and a super strong walker. On the hills he leaves me behind. I’m trying to take it easy but Erwin is still 40 miles away and I only have enough food for three days, so I have to keep up a certain pace. None of my friends from before Hot Springs have caught up. They are probably suffering with the heat as well.

I’m tenting near a shelter again tonight. I get the best sleep in my tent so its worth the hassle of sometimes packing it wet. Last night we had a heavy dew. Hopefully tonight will be dryer.