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Days 141 & 142
Time: Fri, 23 Aug 2019 21:17:32 -0400
Location: Virginia Creeper Lodge Damascus VA Mile -470.4 of Appalachian Trail
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Yesterday I caught a 6 am shuttle from the Quality Inn in Bangor Maine to the airport. It's a small airport and I was the only one going through security.
I had an hour or so flight to La Guardia airport in New York. The two pilots looked about 30 years old. It was a clear day and there were nice views flying into New York City.
I had an hour and a half layover and walked around checking things out. A little overwhelming for someone who's been in the woods for a long time.
There were some more nice views of New York on my flight to Atlanta. It was a quick flight to Atlanta and we arrived a half hour early at about 1 pm.
Helen was waiting for me at the baggage claim and we kissed and hugged. We slogged through Atlanta Friday afternoon traffic. Too many people.
Adam was home from school. He was at his computer in between games and working his phone with his headphones on. We hugged and chatted. We talked about the album art wall he made. Helen came in and said she was doing laundry and asked if any of the clothes covering the floor needed to be washed.
It was a little strange being home for the first time since the end of March. We hung out and I ate a bunch while Adam showed us a YouTube video about reading great books and some others. He will sometimes make some time for us and give us curated content that he feels we should watch or listen to.
I was ready for bed about 8 just like on the trail.
Helen went to work on Friday. We got up about 4:30 as usual. She did a workout and we had breakfast.
Adam's school has digital Fridays where the kids work on assignments from home. I went through some stuff and resupplied. I backed up all my photos.
Derek came over. He doesn't have classes on Friday. We talked about his classes and especially his Industrial Design class. We talked about his friends in Wreck Racing and the changes their making for the competition in October. We talked about hiking and how he printed 3 big panorama hiking photos on the nice printers at Georgia Tech and how a girl Venmo'd him $15 for a print of one of the photos. He said Madison got a job at a new Poki place opening up. She needs money to get a cat.
Helen came home and liked that all her boys were home. She got packed up and then Helen, Adam, and I got in the car and headed 6 hours north to Damascus Virginia where I started my thru hike on April 3rd. I'll be walking 470 miles from Damascus back home to Georgia. I should be done by the beginning of October.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
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Time: Sun, 25 Aug 2019 19:46:48 -0400
Location: Double Spring Shelter mile -452.1 (Southbound) of the Appalachian Trail
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Yesterday Helen, Adam, and I walked from our room at the Virginia Creeper Lodge into downtown Damascus. We walked around and looked at the shops. We reminisced about our trip there in 2017 and in April when I started my hike north from Damascus.
We walked by the Dragonfly Inn, which is where we stayed back in April. Ralph, the owner, said we could have a free night if I made it back after summiting Katahdin. I made it, but the inn was booked this weekend.
We walked across town and had lunch at at Mojo's and then rented bikes at Sundog Outfitters to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail. They shuttled us 17 miles north where we started our ride. The Creeper runs along an old rail bed and along a pretty river through rhodendrons and high bluffs. The grade is gradual so you barely have to pedal. It's a really pleasant beautiful ride.
We stopped at the Trailside Cafe and had some more food. It was all good and hit the spot, but we didn't think their famous chocolate cake was very good. The peanut butter pie was.
After the ride we walked back to our room and rested. Helen and I walked back to the Damascus Diner for dinner. Their chocolate cake was delicious but they were out of peanut butter pie.
The next morning we walked to the Damascus Diner for breakfast. It's a lot of food for not much money and it's really good. Ralph owns the diner and the inn. He remembered us and came over and talked.
We walked back to the Virginia Creeper Lodge and checked out, gave hugs and kisses, and then I started walking.
The trail goes by the town park and then between two houses and up into the woods.
The trail was nice and padded. It wound through lots of rhododendrons. There were switchbacks to make the climb more gradual. The weather was overcast in the 60s with a nice breeze.
I only had to hike a few miles before I crossed over from Virginia to Tennessee.
The trail was so nice for miles before eventually getting a little overgrown and rutty. I'm not complaining after the trail in Maine.
I saw a day hiker right away and then a couple section hikers and that's all. I hiked 19 miles to Double Spring Shelter. It's about 8:30 and just getting dark. I hear something big scrambling in a tree nearby. Somewhere along the way I saw a small bear scurry quickly down a tall tree.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
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Time: Mon, 26 Aug 2019 20:26:11 -0400
Location: Boots Off Hostel SoBo Mile -428.4 of Appalachian Trail
I spent last night at the Double Spring Shelter alone. I heard some loud scurrying in the trees from something big, but never saw a bear. It was a little chilly. It's cooler here than it was in Maine.
It didn't get light until 6:30. That was a surprise. I've been waking with the light around 5 for most of my trip.
The spring at the shelter was running very slowly. It's more difficult to get water than it has been. I really don't want to be taking steep side trails to check for water.
Yesterday at the end of the day the trail walked along a ridge for miles above hwy 34/421 near Low Gap. You could hear cars and motorcycles the whole time racing along the winding road going through their gears.
I hiked 24 miles to Boots Off Hostel. I knew it would be a long day but it's one of the popular hostels on the trail and I wanted to check it out. I wish I could walk all day every day, but my body can't take it. Sitting around doesn't get me to the end.
In the morning the trail went through some beautiful pastures. An older guy came running towards me. He was excited that I was the first southbounder of the year. I told him I was flipping from Damascus. He was still excited. He said he runs that section most days. Really nice guy and very enthusiastic about my hike. He told me to check out the monument on the mountain that marks the grave of a local legend hermit named Nick Grindstaff.
I met Pilgrim. He's hiking north and finishing his flip-flop in Harper's Ferry. We swapped stories. He was looking forward to spending a few days with his wife in Damascus. He said I was the only thru hiker he had seen since Springer Mountain. It's definitely a different feeling with so few people on the trail.
I talked to a trail maintenance volunteer at the Iron Mountain Shelter. He had carried a weed eater for miles to the shelter and was going to work his way back north. He told me how there were quite a few chestnut trees on the section and how the chestnut trees are only susceptible to the disease that's killing them all when they reach sexual maturity. He said he's part of the Tennessee Eastman club, the only corporate sponsored trail club. He said Eastman was part of Eastman Kodak before the companies were split because Kodak thought they could get their chemicals cheaper from China.
I passed a section hiking couple heading north. They were surprised to see me and said they hadn't seen anyone else.
The trail was generally really nice winding through rhodendrons. There were a lot of of nice padded sections, but also a lot of overgrown sections. It was never so overgrown you couldn't see the trail, but there was a lot of wading through chest high plants. There's something that's making my skin itch when I go through it. That hasn't happened before now. The trail wound above and around huge Lake Watauga for many miles and across the dam that formed the lake.
I made it to Boots Off in time for the 6:00 shuttle to the town of Hampton TN. There was a section hiker at the hostel but didn't need the shuttle. I went to Subway for lunch tomorrow, McDonald's for dinner, and the convenience store for beer.
Wrongway and Cheerleader showed up late. They were excited to see me. They said Pilgrim had told them about me. Wrongway hiked the whole trail and came back south with Cheerleader who had flip flopped out of Waynesboro VA.
I called home and talked with Helen. I didn't have service yesterday so she was worried when I didn't respond to her message that she and Adam had gotten back home safely. She had visions of Deliverance and couldn't sleep. She said Adam allowed her one bathroom break on the ride home but no peanut butter shake.
I watched some Papa John YouTube videos from when he was going through this section of trail.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
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Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Time: Tue, 27 Aug 2019 20:16:10 -0400
Location: Kincora Hostel SoBo Mile -420.0 of Appalachian Trail
I spent last night at Boots Off Hostel near Hampton Tennessee. I slept in the bunkhouse with a couple other guys. Wrong Way and Cheerleader slept in one of the cute tiny cabins.
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
I spent last night at Boots Off Hostel near Hampton Tennessee. I slept in the bunkhouse with a couple other guys. Wrong Way and Cheerleader slept in one of the cute tiny cabins.
I was up about 6. They had donuts, cereal, fruit, and coffee. I hung out until almost noon. It was drizzling off and on.
I talked with Wrong Way and Cheerleader. She's from the Netherlands. They met somewhere in Massachusetts and became a couple in Maine. He was planning to yoyo and stay on the trail all year anyway so when they became a couple he flipped south with her to Waynesboro VA where she started.
One of the guys in the bunkhouse, Jeffrey, hung out with us. I saw him yesterday doing a day hike around Lake Watauga. He's from Chicago and was visiting his brother in Durham NC. Turns out he knows the Netherlands well because he was a world class speed skater. He and Cheerleader told us all about speed skating in the Netherlands.
I watched some more Papa John videos about the trail I'll be hiking. Hopefully there won't be sleet and snow like Papa encountered.
I flipped through the hiker log and saw lots of names I recognized from March and April. It was neat and strange at the same time.
We talked with Jim the owner for a while and a couple of the guys working there. Going to these places off-season allows for more personal interaction. They laughed when I said something overgrowing the trail was making my legs itch. They said it was called stinging nettle.
There was a big climb and descent over Pond Mountain but the trail was beautiful. There were lots of switchbacks and the trail was a nice width with minimal rocks and roots. There were, however, lots of spider webs. Big chunky ones, Some with spiders. I killed a couple of horse flies that followed me for a long time.
The trail wound around the ridge and along Laurel Creek and eventually went by Laurel Falls, a big beautiful waterfall. It's a really pretty section.
There was a big climb. I saw Jeffrey from Boots Off and chatted as he was headed to the falls.
It was about 5:00 and I didn't think I could make it to the next shelter before dark and I was tired. So when I reached Dennis Cove road I decided to go to Kincora Hostel. Bob Peoples the owner is a trail legend and I wanted to meet him and thank him.
The hostel has seen better days but it was a real treat. I'm the only one here tonight. I sat in the porch and talked with Bob for over an hour. We talked about the trail, his military career heading aircraft maintenance, and hiking all over the world. He showed me the conversion van he's retrofitting.
There are stray cats and he leaves food out for some resident racoons, and a bigger plate for a bear.
There's an orange tabby kitty that hangs out in the bunkhouse. I've been getting lots of love from him.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
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