My Trails

5/27/12 – 597 miles
I slept in this morning. It was 8 am before I started hiking. The bad thing about being the first one on the trail in the morning is all the spider webs. It’s really annoying to get plastered across the face with sticky invisible threads every few yards so I usually carry a stick in front of me as a blockade. After a while I get tired of holding the stick and use the swinging treking pole method. I try to guess where I would build a web if I were a spider and swing my pole in those areas. Unfortunately, the spider and I disagree on good spots and I will catch many more webs across my face.

I’m camped high on a mountain all alone tonight. I watched the sun set on a beautiful evening. The afternoon was quite warm so I rested at a shelter talking with an Australian couple hiking the trail for their honeymoon. When it cooled off I hiked a few more mile.

5/26 – 575 miles
Got an early start and was on the trail by 6:30. I didn’t have much energy today, the hiking was slow, maybe the heat and humidity had something to do with it. I’m at a shelter all by myself. There is a huge group just ahead hurrying to a hiker feed that happened today. Hikers love free food. Today I found trail magic on a road crossing five miles back. A church group was grilling hotdogs with chilly on top and also had a pasta salad that was quite tasty. I think the lemonade hit the spot best, it was a long dry stretch along a ridge line for miles.

5/25/12 – 557 miles
I didn’t leave Atkins until 9:00 am. The owner told me he would take me to the post office yesterday but I fell asleep in the afternoon and missed the ride, so I had to wait until it opened this morning. Atkins was not a good place to stop. The motel was dirty and run down and resupply consisted of a few snacks at a Exxon convenience store. The rest was good, though, my shin splint is almost healed.

I stopped hiking early today. My knee was a little sore and stiff. It seems that first days after a rest are always like that. I met with Sampson, a young guy and fast hiker and we passed each other through the day. He likes to stop and eat every hour and that would let me catch him. We did find trail magic at a road crossing – pb&j sandwiches and sodas – and with temps in the 80’s today, tasted good.

I’m camped by myself for the night. Tomorrow I will get up early and try to get good miles in while it is cool. I’m hoping for good weather for a few days. Against Chicken Feathers advice I sent home my winter clothes. I hope summer is here to stay.

5/23/12 – 542 miles
I’m at a road crossing near Atkins, VA. I needed a motel in the worst way. My laundry had almost two weeks of sweat and grime incrusted in it, I was beginning to smell like a Billy goat, and I’ve had a head cold and cough that beckoned a rest. The motel is no Holiday Inn but a lot better than tenting in the rain. I will take a zero tomorrow and hopefully heal.

Today as I was blowing a snot rocket I realized how far the crowd I hike with has moved from civility. There may be several hikers preparing a meal at a picnic table and someone has his leg on the table performing surgery on his foot.

5/22/12 – 531 miles
I got another early start today and walked 10 miles by 11:00 am. I really like the trail in Virginia so far, the grades are more gentle and there are long rolling sections through beautiful treed areas. The AT still likes to take you to the top of several mountains along the way, there’s just no getting away from that.

It started to rain early in the afternoon and I heard the crack of lightning just as I assended the highest peak. Thankfully, no more rumbles met me but the rain picked up in intensity and continued throughout the afternoon. At about 4:30, I came to Partnership Shelter, bagging another 20 mile day. I feel pretty good concidering the mileage.

This shelter is unique. You can order pizza from the Mt. Rogers Visitors Center 100 yards away and have it delivered. A lady named poco-e-poco, I’ve hiked with off and on split a pizza with me and we devoured almost all of it. I’m saving a couple of slices for breakfast tomorrow. Yum!