Deli-cious

     I left out of Vernon under rainy skies, my friend Craig dropped me off at the trail head for the AT that I had used so many times.  I started climbing up Wawayanda mountain, the trail was so familiar I knew every twist and turn.  The locals call it, "The Steps" or "Stairway to Heaven" because of the rocks stacked nicely for the steep ascent to the peak.  I took the blue trail to the overlook and gazed down on the town I grew up in one more time.  My time home was a whirlwind of seeing friends and family, unfortunately I didn't see everyone that I wanted to, but not everything works out the way we would like.  I turned around with a sigh and headed off into unfamiliar terrain once again.

Fallen

     It was a warm winter day, he was 17 and a senior in high school.  Mid term exams had just let out and he was driving on his usual route home.  He had the radio playing, the windows down and was enjoying the unseasonably warm weather.  He came around a corner and saw someone standing on the side of the road.  As he approached he noticed that it was a girl from his school, but something was wrong.  She looked frantic.  He stopped the car next to her.  He opened his door, got out and asked if she was okay.

Jersey Baby

     I left out of Palmerton Pennsylvania and immediately started climbing Lehigh Gap.  Boulders and overgrown trail were the order of the day.  The trail was so steep at times that I had to use my hands to help pull myself up.  It was also so overgrown that several times I lost the trail because it was almost impossible to make out.  On top of the mountain I met an old hiker who told me about this whole are being defoliated from a local Zinc smelter and that it is only now starting to regrow.

PA Rocks

     I recuperated for a day or so before I regained my strength enough to start hiking again.  I was dropped off at the same spot that only a few days earlier I barely hobbled out of.  I felt much better, still not a hundred percent, but definitely healthier.  It is crazy that I can feel so good one minute and then like I'm on my deathbed the next.

     The trail followed a ridge and was lined with rocks.  There was not much elevation gain or loss, but the heat and humidity made it hard going.  My body fell into the routine of walking.  My feet quickly danced around the sharp little rocks without much conscious input.  I kind of zoned out and before I knew it, it was late in the day and I found a nice little spot next to a river to set up my tent.  The skeeters and gnat were all over the place so I decided to build a fire.  I have never been that good at starting fires, I struggle with getting them set up right.  I build tepee versions and log cabin versions, but none of them seem to work for me.  So I figured I would try the gravity fire I was so critical about when I first saw "August" build them way back in Georgia.  So first I laid a few large logs across the rocks in the fire pit, then thick branches, then smaller branches and twigs.  I packed some dry leaves in it, put the fine kindling on top and lit it.  It caught right away and I didn't need to tend to it for quite some time.  I did not build a towering monstrosity like I had seen, I kept it somewhat small.  The smoke pushed away the bugs and I sat watching the crackling logs as the day faded into night.  Hmm, gravity fire.

August and a gravity fire

Oh, Doyle

     I set off from Caladonia State park in Pennsylvania under cool blue skies.  I had only one thing on my mind, the halfway point, my guidebook said it was only thirteen miles from where I began so it was in my reach for the day.  When I neared the intersection where there was supposed to be an often photographed sign my adrenaline started to build.  It has taken just under three months to make it to this point and an enormous amount of effort, but passed the spot without seeing a sign.  I thought that maybe I didn't see it and walked right by, or that it was taken down for repair or something.  A little perturbed I kept going down the trail, I kept looking at my trail guide to see if I was where I thought I was.  When I got to the shelter that was four miles after where the sign was supposed to be I knew I must have missed it.  I sat down at the picnic bench provided and began eating my lunch.  Two ladies out for a short hike stopped by and started asking questions about my trip so far.  I told them I was a little disappointed that I didn't see the halfway sign.  They said it was only about two minutes further down the trail and it has been there for the last couple years.  I immediately packed up and started walking again.  Sure enough, right down the trail was the elusive sign.  I took my obligatory photos and pushed on.

Halfway There

     Sometimes other people have said it better than I ever could...Enjoy

      From a Southbounder last year

~Frenchy

Farewell Dixie

     I left Harpers Ferry late in the morning on a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and it was neither too hot nor too cold.  The trail went over the Potomac River, into Maryland and along railroad tracks for several miles.  It was flat and a nice pleasant stroll.  Eventually though it made a turn and started heading uphill, that is when I saw "No Trace", "Unbreakable", "Rainbow" and a girl named "Nutter Butter", sitting along side the road.  I stopped to talk and they said that "Nutter Butter's" foot started to hurt so bad that she was getting picked up to take time off and let it rest.  They were also thinking about getting some food delivered while they waited.  That sounded like a grand idea so I said I would chip in.  That is when a local came down off the trail and walked by us.  We questioned her about good places to eat in the area and who delivered.  She offered to take us to mcdonalds and bring us back, so away we went.

     An hour later I finally resumed hiking with a nasty processed hamburger rotting in my gut.  The trail was really amazing though, it passed by several historic landmarks from the civil war and times gone by.  There were spots where you could stop and read little signs about what took place in this area or what that building used to be.  It really got my mind thinking about all the neat history this area contains.

Steamy

     I left Big Meadow campground with my father, this time with no hills for him to toil up.  Not that he toils, but the terrain was easy going so he stayed with me for a mile or so, then we went our separate ways.  I got a late start to the day, but still had an ambitious goal for my destination for the night.  I kept a fast steady pace throughout the afternoon only stopping for short periods of time to eat a little, drink some water and rest.  The day was warm, but not overly to the point of me being constantly soaked.

Shenandoah

     I returned to Rockfish gap and entered the "Shennies".  That't the nickname for Shenandoah National Park, I figured since I walked to them I should be able to call them by their casual name.  So not more than a half mile of walking I came to a little wooden booth in the woods.  Here I filled out a little registration tag, it asked for name, address, where I will be staying, how I will be getting there, next of kin to contact when I am mauled to death by fearless bears that want to eat my gorp.  The "Shennies" want all overnight hikers to stay in designated shelter areas in order to reduce the impact on the land.  It is much the same as the Smokies were.

Slayer

     I hit the trail late in the day with a weather report promising that rain was on the way.  I only planned on hiking five miles to the nearest shelter which rumor said was a palace among shelters.  Sure enough when I got there I took in the behemoth that could hold twenty people on two levels, had windows throughout and plenty of seating.  I set up my sleeping bag in the penthouse suite and settled in for the night.  Not long after darkness fell the rains began.  They lulled me to sleep and greeted me in the morning.

Detour

     I headed back into the woods for a quick two day, thirty mile section.  As soon as I stepped back on the trail I was greeted with the same odd noise that I heard prior.  This time though I spotted the culprit, cicadas.  I saw live ones on trees and and leaves and little cicada corpses littering the ground.  Evidently this is the seventeen year arrival for this part of Virginia.  I was kind of hoping for a more exciting reason for the noise, maybe a secret military test gone awry, alien space craft hovering overhead, or even just Dalleville Virginia being sucked into a worm hole to another universe, ya know, exciting.

Damp

     My father was about to give me a ride back to the trail when I spotted this neat looking caterpillar sitting on the side view mirror.  I stopped and snapped a picture and then got in the car.  Two seconds later a man at the RV park was waving his hands at us and I knew immediately what he was signaling.  I left my backpack leaning against the back of the car and forgot about it when I saw the damn caterpillar.  There was only minor damage when we backed up, man, I am such a ditz at times.

Wood's Hole

     I started back on the trail after laying up for a day with my dad.  The afternoon was very warm and humid and I was feeling pretty drained from my bout with stomach issues.  The trail climbed up a hill directly from the road crossing and then back down to a river valley.  For the next several miles the trail wound around the river crossing small little creeks along the way.  It would have been really easy walking if I was feeling a hundred percent, but I had to stop, sit down, rest and collect myself more times than I have ever had to.

    By mid afternoon I reached Wapiti shelter which was still along the river, but sat right at the base of a mountain that the trail went up.  I sat down and ate some food, contemplating whether or not to stay for the night or push six miles more to a hostel I had been hearing about for the last couple of days.  As the debate raged in my head I happened to read some paper left on the shelter floor from a previous hiker.  It was a photo copy from a guide book that gave some history about the shelter I was sitting in.  It said "Wapiti" was a native word for Elk and that the shelter used to be located further down the trail, but was moved when someone was murdered in it.   Hostel it is.

Water

     I left the truck stop in Atkins Virginia and the wintery weather behind as I headed back out on the trail under blue skies and a warm wind.  The blustery white world was replaced with lush green.  I traveled through farm lands, over rolling hills filled with cows and along gentle rivers.  The trail was lined with wild flowers I haven't seen before, not that I know what any of them are, but the flowers just jump out at you in stark contrast to the world around.  I felt like I was stopping every few minutes to take a picture of a some new pretty flower.

Wonderland

     I slack packed again for ten miles out of Damascus Virginia on a beautiful sunny day.  It was so nice that I hiked with my shirt off to do something about the farmer's tan that seems to be permanently etched into my skin, but alas I ended with the same pasty chest that I started with.

Mr. Peoples

     I headed back into the woods with warm weather and beautiful blue skies.  The trail meandered around gentle sloped hills and through fields with wildflowers.  I had planned on taking a shortish day in order to stay at a highly recommended hostel the next night.  My goal was for a place called Mountaineer shelter which boasted a waterfall for showering.  Being such a gloriously perfect day of wandering around daydreaming I said "Why not" to the mountain shower.

Chilled

     Heading out of Erwin my father joined me for the first three miles and he would like me to tell everyone that he didn't struggle or want to turn around once the entire time.  So while he carried my backpack I took the opportunities to take pictures of some of the wild flowers that are popping up everywhere.  Spring is everywhere in the lower elevations with trees blooming and poison ivy constantly try to touch my exposed flesh.

A Month a Year and Renewal

      I left Hot Springs with a full belly and feeling well rested.  I spent two nights at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn, an old bed and breakfast where Elmer himself cooked these amazing meals for breakfast and dinner.  I also made sure to take a dip in the Hot Springs that the town is named for.  My food was resupplied by a lady named Kayah who offered to bring me these special Indian dinners by Tasty Bite I've been eating, but couldn't get in town. So as I ascended the mountain out of Hot Springs I had a warm feeling from all the positivity that befell me there.

Smokin' (Part 2)

     I left Newfound Gap before noon and headed back into the Smokies under overcast skies with a cool wind blowing from the west.  I seem to always return to the woods with renewed energy and purpose.  I glided up the hills as the blood started pumping into my legs and I began sweating for the first time of the day. 

Smokin' (Part 1)

     I left Fontana dam on a cloudy wind swept day around noon with my father in tow.  All the maps had indicated that I could expect to be walking uphill most of the day.  I felt good, no pains, plenty of energy and raring to go.  My pop and I shortly said farewell and I was off alone again.  For some odd reason I have been able to walk at a pretty fast, steady pace while going uphill.  This time was no exception either.  I just kept chugging like a train up, up, up.

Machete Mitch

     I am not foreseeing the ability to post for a while so I will leave you with a story that has been moving along the trail with me.

Spring

     Walking up and out of Frankilin, NC I felt great.  It was a beautiful day, if not a little warm.  Two small blue butterflies danced around me as I climbed my first hill of the day.  Signs of new life were slowly emerging from the forest floor.  Little white, yellow and blue, at least I think they're blue, flowers were popping up all over the place.  Green grass was sprouting through leaf litter bordering the trail.

Breaking In

     I set out from the same spot where I got off a few days ago with a new rain jacket, new hiking pants and a new set of hiking poles.  I felt like a new man as I started climbing out of a place called Unicoi Gap heading towards Tray mountain.  My hiking poles seemed pretty intuitive to use, but I grew up skiing so maybe that has something to do with it.  "Crap!" I left my camera with my father.  Oh well, it's gorgeous day, I can't let that get me down.

Roller Coaster

      After a half a day with my friend, the frozen pea bag, I headed back out on the trail feeling reinvigorated.  My pops hiked to the top of the first mountain with me and even carried my pack up it.  While we were going up we were sporadically passed by army rangers running down the mountain.  Smiles and pleasantries were not returned.  They looked as if they would be lashed and hung upside down by their knee caps if they were the last ones down or showed any signs that they were enjoying themselves.

3 days in

     Started at Amicalola falls state park around eleven thirty on Thursday morning.  My father joined me on the walk to the top of the falls.  There are something like 460 steps to the top.  My father made sure I paced my self by stopping on every other series of steps.  I am actually very thankful that he did.  I think that I would have just ran up them in my excitement and then have been spent already.  We said our farewells at the top and  I set off alone.

T'was the night before...

      Flight from San Diego started under overcast skies before dawn.  I had the entire row of 3 to myself, so I am thinking this will be a wonderful flight.  Right before they close the doors to the plane a lady toting her infant in a car seat makes her way down the aisle and sits directly behind me.  Great.  Fantastic.  Now I have to listen to a baby crying the entire flight.  Turns out the baby wasn't loud at all, but the mother was horrible.  She coochie cooed that little baby at the top of her lungs, was incessantly rattling something at the kid and coughing.

A day away

"You're Nuts!"

"Mad."

"Are you bringing a gun?"

"Will you at least bring pepper spray?"

"What about bears?"

"You're walking? The whole way? On foot!?"