Well hello folks! We know that we just had an update but we can type up another already, it's not a problem for us. Ah, where to begin, well we, Mango and BabyFeet, made the decision to stop and join forces with Yogi, Count, and Smurf in Harpers Ferry. After leaving the cabin we went to Washington D.C. to meet with Smurf and Count before Count flew home for a week. The three of us returned to Harpers Ferry and the warmth of Yogi! Since then we have been moving together as an ever-changing blob. At the real half way point (Pine Grove Furnance State Park) Smurf, Mango, and Yogi each put down a half gall of the cream de ice. Damn it's harder than you could possibly ever imagine! We each took about an hour to finish. As the children were getting ready for bed that night, a car with a nervous yet excited young pup was preparing to hike 1000+ miles! Damian, with his enourmous pack, met us at the hostel. The following day, Count caught up to us and we continued walking home. Damian quickly got accustomed to the lifestyle as he was around five hairy, stinky men who knew a thing or two about hiking. From then on we became: MTFKS The Magic Treehouse Funktastic Kill Squad. (yo wuddup to Mary Pope Osborne)
We hiked through the wet, rocky, boring terrain that some call Rocksylvania (also dubbed chipmunklandia) however we were able to keep our spirits high (hehe) and experienced some of the greatest trail magic from the legendary Trail Angel Mary in Duncannon, central PA. Trail Angel Mary allowed us to go to her home while she was running errands for other hikers to hide from the brutal heat and watch Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. We were able to show young Damian that it was perfectly normal for thru-hikers to crash on the apartment floors of complete strangers...Damian was learning fast and we were all so very proud. Mango and Yogi went ahead and did a big favor for Trail Angel Mary later that night, driving out to Harrisburg, PA in Trail Angel Mary's busted old Buick to pick up a hiker at the bus station and bring him back to Duncannon so she could attend a pool match at the bar down the street. Little did these young men know that they would be driving through a tornado storm. Yogi kept super calm and collected as he drove down the highway through horizontal rainfalls, giant trees blown down into the road, and a real tornado. well done Yogi.
The next day we said our goodbyes to Duncannon and stepped back onto the brutal sharp rocks of the PA trail. Many days in PA we would not see a single view and the trail began to feel more like a grind. Some of us were becoming majorly affected both physically and mentally. Yogi's foot pain eventually drove him into the Palmerton, PA emergency room as the other 5 moved on into New Jersey. At this point we encountered a major turning point on the trail. Count's family friends picked Yogi up in Palmerton and met up with the rest of the gang at the NJ borderand then drove us all back to their luxurious woodland fortress in New Jersey.
The Gage family welcomed us with open arms into their home,we were met with warm beds, showers, and an obscene amount of food. During our stay we had the pleasure of making a trip to Asbury Park, New Jersey with Count's father Keith, Smurf's father Stevie, the Gage family, and some of their good friends. Typically a hiker would set out to a populated beach thinking about how it's gonna be swarming with beautiful women in bikinis, however to our surpirse we soon realized that it was gay pride weekend. We found our-selves doing some people watching and encountered characters that were not often seen out on the trail, like 60 year old men dressed up as dolls. The place that we most wanted to be in the end was at home with our lovely New Jersey family, Richard, Pegasus, and Matt. Yogi got stuck and ended up staying with the Gage's for the next week while Mango, Smurf, BabyToes, and CliffyMcFly walked through the hottest of weather across the beautiful mosquito-infested ridglines of New Jersey. Yogi met up with them just shy of the New York border with WELL rested feet. We would like to shout out to the Gages for supporting him so much with resting his foot, including even taking him to their chiropractor. We love and miss you Gages!!
Life has been moving quickly as usual, especially since it's taking us less than full weeks to get through states. From New Jersey we moved into New York where we got to take frequent lunch breaks at Delis and Pizzarias. Then came Connecticut where the prices on food SKYROCKETED in every uppity town we walked through where everyone dressed as if they were going sailing. Highlight in Connecticut was our pleasant visit with NATTLES!! Natalie Dellinger is a good friend and strong supporter of the MTFKS movement. Yogi, Smurf, and Mango met her on their South America semester abroad trip this fall, and she was able to come and meet us in Kent, CT. While in Kent, Natalie happened to mention that she had grandparents that lived in Becket, MA, which is mentioned in our guide books as a town the trail goes through. So now we write to you from Natalie's grandparents lake house! We took a day of rest here yesterday in the comforts of this awesome house. There's a music room with a pipe organ that we jammed out on, we all lucked out with our own beds, we even went kayaking on the lake outside of the house. Stevie, Smurf's dad, met us here and now the team, with Stevie included, is ready to move. We are very close to Vermont. Then comes New Hampshire. Then comes the promised land...Maine.
We love you all.
MTFKS
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
VIRGINIA: Pearisburg to Waynesboro
Back on the trail after Pearisburg we had some beautiful days with some crazy river crossings--all the rain we had avoided during our stay in town really did a number on the water level. The trail in Virginia is often not much different than what we'd already seen in the South, with the exception of all the cow fields. At first the occasional field was a treat; wide open clearings had been rare so far on the trail, but now it seemed like we were walking through several a day--and some of them even had cows grazing in them (we made sure to treat our water). After a few days of hiking Mango and Johnny Appleseed split up for a bit. We parted ways at Sarver Hallow Shelter, a crazy nice and new shelter almost half a mile off trail--but worth the walk. Deer walked all around the shelter and even came right up to it while we were in it. Over the next two days or so Mango went ahead to visit Carrie just off trail, and Johnny Appleseed took it easy and rested his hip. After a little over a day apart we met back up again and also caught up with our pals Goose and Always Fine. The next morning the four of us all got up before the sun to head to McAfee Knob for the sunrise. There was some pretty intense cloud cover, but the sky was still beautiful. Since we had started so early we made it to Daleville by lunchtime and had settled into our hotel room not long after. We ended up taking a zero day the next day because Johnny Appleseed went to the clinic and was told he had hip tendinitis, and to rest it/take it easy however much he could. We ended up dodging another rain storm that day, so the zero fell in a pretty good place. We headed out the next day with big plans to make it to Buena Vista (and then to Lexington) for Mango's accepted students day at Washington and Lee. We got picked up at the trailhead by Mr. Webster and headed into the city of Lexington, where he gave us the grand tour. The next day Johnny bummed around town while Mango was at school, and by that afternoon--thanks to Mr. Webster!--we were back out on the trail. Mango met a lot of professors and future classmates at ASD, it was exciting and overwhelming to think beyond the AT and imagine living there for the next four years! However, for now the woods are our home. We only did about 3 miles that afternoon, but man it was one intense climb! We spent that night at Cow Camp Shelter--and what an insane night it was (the night of the tornadoes). It stormed all night with heavy rains and intense winds, blowing down branches. The next morning it was still raining pretty hard, so we got a bit of a late start in the interest of staying dry. From there it was two decent days of hiking to Waynesboro, our next stop just before the Shenandoahs.
Waynesboro was possibly the best trail town we've been to yet. It's about 3 or 4 miles off trail, but there is no trouble at all getting a ride in. At Rockfish Gap (a visitors center/parking area at the start of the Shennies) there was a list posted on a fence of all kinds of Trail Angels who would pick you up and give you a ride in for free--you just had to pick one and dial. We were brought to the YMCA because they offer free camp sites for thru hikers, as well as free use of all the facilities AND a goodie bag of candy and toiletries! Before heading home, the nice older man who was shuttling us brought us around town showing us where the resupply store was, and then finally dropped us at the Ming Garden, an all you can eat Chinese food restaurant. Back at the YMCA campground we cowboy camped, so when we woke up the next morning we were covered in dew. Being wet and cold, we opted to chill at the YMCA for a bit instead of heading right out to the trail. We were back on trail by noon and began our Shenandoah National Park experience. We had great weather, low 60's with some clouds and a steady breeze, combined with the soft earth and easy grades to make for some big days. The SNP was filled with wildlife! We saw rabbits and deer daily and Mango spotted a four foot black snake on trail one day! We met a lot of day hikers, sections hikers, and weekenders that all praised us for our perseverance and high spirits. One thing I did not like about SNP was how close the Skyline Drive was at ALL times, it was impossible to feel completely at home when you hear a thundering motorcycle overpower the simple chirp of a bird. However, this also meant easy access to WaySides and other eateries which were abundant throughout the Shenandoahs! However, the restaurants also slowed us down and made us feel invincible! We had "planned" to do 64 miles non-stop at a slow pace and arrive at Mango's aunt and uncle's pad a night early so we could have more time with the family. Well, 10 hours, 28 miles, and a lot of hiking in the dark and rain convinced us otherwise. We stopped at a shelter around midnight to get some necessary shut-eye. And what a lucky stop that was! Sleeping already was our good friend Spam who we hadn't seen since North Carolina! So, the next morning was all catching-up and who did this, what happened here, and a lot of smiles. We left camp a little later and decided to try our "hike long but slow" method and arrive at our destination Thursday morning. Pshh it was only 36 miles...W started late in the day and hiked until midnight where we reached a shelter just 12 miles shy, so we figured a nap would be a good idea before we continued north. At 4am we awoke, packed up, and kept our feet moving. Finally, after four long, tiresome hours we sat down on some rocks and waited for the faces of family to gather our spirits and deliver us to memory foam clouds buried deep in the mountains where we rested our tired and sore bodies and minds. And now, in a few minutes we will again be hiking north into more familiar territory.
Peace and Love, Johnny AppleSeed and Mango
Waynesboro was possibly the best trail town we've been to yet. It's about 3 or 4 miles off trail, but there is no trouble at all getting a ride in. At Rockfish Gap (a visitors center/parking area at the start of the Shennies) there was a list posted on a fence of all kinds of Trail Angels who would pick you up and give you a ride in for free--you just had to pick one and dial. We were brought to the YMCA because they offer free camp sites for thru hikers, as well as free use of all the facilities AND a goodie bag of candy and toiletries! Before heading home, the nice older man who was shuttling us brought us around town showing us where the resupply store was, and then finally dropped us at the Ming Garden, an all you can eat Chinese food restaurant. Back at the YMCA campground we cowboy camped, so when we woke up the next morning we were covered in dew. Being wet and cold, we opted to chill at the YMCA for a bit instead of heading right out to the trail. We were back on trail by noon and began our Shenandoah National Park experience. We had great weather, low 60's with some clouds and a steady breeze, combined with the soft earth and easy grades to make for some big days. The SNP was filled with wildlife! We saw rabbits and deer daily and Mango spotted a four foot black snake on trail one day! We met a lot of day hikers, sections hikers, and weekenders that all praised us for our perseverance and high spirits. One thing I did not like about SNP was how close the Skyline Drive was at ALL times, it was impossible to feel completely at home when you hear a thundering motorcycle overpower the simple chirp of a bird. However, this also meant easy access to WaySides and other eateries which were abundant throughout the Shenandoahs! However, the restaurants also slowed us down and made us feel invincible! We had "planned" to do 64 miles non-stop at a slow pace and arrive at Mango's aunt and uncle's pad a night early so we could have more time with the family. Well, 10 hours, 28 miles, and a lot of hiking in the dark and rain convinced us otherwise. We stopped at a shelter around midnight to get some necessary shut-eye. And what a lucky stop that was! Sleeping already was our good friend Spam who we hadn't seen since North Carolina! So, the next morning was all catching-up and who did this, what happened here, and a lot of smiles. We left camp a little later and decided to try our "hike long but slow" method and arrive at our destination Thursday morning. Pshh it was only 36 miles...W started late in the day and hiked until midnight where we reached a shelter just 12 miles shy, so we figured a nap would be a good idea before we continued north. At 4am we awoke, packed up, and kept our feet moving. Finally, after four long, tiresome hours we sat down on some rocks and waited for the faces of family to gather our spirits and deliver us to memory foam clouds buried deep in the mountains where we rested our tired and sore bodies and minds. And now, in a few minutes we will again be hiking north into more familiar territory.
Peace and Love, Johnny AppleSeed and Mango
Saturday, May 7, 2011
VIRGINIA: Damascus to Pearisburg
We ended up leaving Damascus around 4 in the afternoon with a 9 mile day planned, however when we got to the shelter around nightfall and found it full, we figured a little more night hiking wouldn't hurt us and continued on to the next shelter. The next morning we left the shelter with two friends, LaLa and Moose, who we ended up sticking with for most of Virginia. We hiked up Whitecap Mountain and Mt. Rogers (the two highest peaks in Virginia) in sub-par conditions before ending up in the Highlands. The Highlands were a very different landscape than we had been used to on the trail, and supposedly wild ponies wander all around. Reading the logbooks we found out that the ponies enjoy messing with hikers, like our friend South Butt who had his pack slobbered on by the ponies or our friend Denver was violently chased by a lonely mare that wanted a "friend". We figured that since we badly wanted to see the wild ponies they messed with us by standing us up! How rude. The next day we were back under the familiar cover of trees and away from the empty plains of the Highlands. We were walking along at a pretty good pace and were ahead of schedule, so when we ran into a man and his dog who offered to give hikers rides into town in his ambulance for free, we figured why not? After a quick lunch at a dinner we were back on the trail. The storm that was supposed to happen that night seemed to be starting a bit earlier, and we ended up running the last four miles to Trimpi Shelter. We spent at least the first hour in the shelter trying to dry out and stay warm with our buddies Moose and LaLa; we were all spread out and had our wet gear hanging everywhere when we heard more people coming. At first we were bummed cause we were cold and wet and wanted all the space we could get...but then we saw who it was--IceAxe and Mancub! Quick breakdown: IceAxe is going to be a Triple Crowner this year when he finishes the AT, in '09 he hiked north on the Pacific Crest Trail, in '10 he hiked north on the Continental Divide Trail, and he will complete the TC on top of Katahdin in Maine. Mancub is a fellow New Englander who is famous on the AT for doing crazy miles (35+), with shin splints, in sandals, during winter. They both started March 15 and are more than a week ahead (ultralight insanity!). They told us we would definitely be expecting one more guest in the shelter that night, a fellow Triple Crowner and friend of IceAxe named Handlebar (who wore a hiking kilt!!). We spent one of the most unreal nights on the trail crammed into a tiny shelter, hiding from the rain, listening to Iceaxe and Handlebar exchange epic stories about climbing insane mountains all across the country. The magic of the night continued the next afternoon when we found some trail magic that Handlebar had dropped off at a shelter up the trail from us. Before long we were at the outskirts of Atkins staying at the Relax Inn and bouncing back and forth between gas stations getting some eats. After Atkins the next stop was Pearisburg, and we looked forward to being in a real town. We figure it would take us about 5 days of hiking to get to Pearisburg, and it would have...if we hadn't done another crazy night hike! We were on our fourth day of hiking and had stopped by a gas station/dinner deal just off trail for an extra treat. Back on the trail with full stomachs we somehow convinced ourselves that instead of hiking just a few miles short of Pearisburg we could go the whole distance that night. We couldn't convince Moose or Lala to join us on this adventure, so we headed out just the two of us. We ended up getting into town around 11 at night and had plans to get to the 24 hour Wal-mart for some victory food. It took us about an hour to get to the Wal-mart...but we made it, and ended up staying over 3 hours just bumming around the store. We left at about 3:30 in the morning and decided to check out the hospital so that Johnny Appleseed could get his feet looked at. If you ever wanna beat the wait at an emergency room, we recommend going in just before 4am on a Friday morning. It turned out that Johnny had a case of trench foot. His gortex shoes kept too much moisture in and his feet got a bunch of infections. The doctors there hooked him up with some antibiotics and a foot creme and ordered at least a few days rest. Things seemed to be looking pretty good...the only question left was what to do for the rest of the night? We tried crashing on the floor of the hospital, but were quickly approached and offered a ride. A very friendly cop gave us a ride in the cruiser (Johnny got to ride in the back) to the cheapest motel we could find where we had to wake up the attendant and get a room. We were bummed thinking that we would have to pay for an extra night since we were checking in so early, but the lady really dug hikers and ended up hooking us up with the best price she could give. We stayed a few nights, dug the town of Pearisburg, dodged some nasty rain, and healed our bodies. Before long we were headed back to the trail and onward to our next stop: Daleville.
TO BE CONTINUED...
TO BE CONTINUED...
VIRGINIA: Introduction
Oh my my, where do we begin! So much has happened since our last post, actually we've doubled our miles since Damascus (we're at mile 984)! We are currently resting and relaxing at my aunt and uncle's cabin just a mile off the trail with my brother. We got here after hiking 18 hours (another Damascus '11 all-nite hike repeat) so we could have more time to relax and visit with my relatives. Big shout out and thanks to my aunt, uncle, and Jon for being so kind and generous allowing us to crash here and call this home for three nights and hooking us up with massive amounts of food! This place is dabomb.com!
So, since we have mountains and mountains to write about, we're going to break down our Virginia experience into a couple of chapters. Please sit back, drink some tea, maybe munch on some poptarts OR our new favorite the NABISCO snak-saks (holla IceAxe), and live the experience!
"Mission control we are go for throttle up"
So, since we have mountains and mountains to write about, we're going to break down our Virginia experience into a couple of chapters. Please sit back, drink some tea, maybe munch on some poptarts OR our new favorite the NABISCO snak-saks (holla IceAxe), and live the experience!
"Mission control we are go for throttle up"
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Lots of Walking...
Howdy, Folks!
Well, over a quarter of the trail is now behind us, with many more wonderful miles to go. I (Smurf) am currently writing from Wood's Hole, a truly amazing hostel about 615 miles down the trail. It's amazing to have a warm, comfy couch, a guitar to play, home cooked meals, and incredibly friendly folks to talk to. So, where to begin! I haven't even written a blog entry yet. I've been with Count the whole time, but I suppose I could add a little something myself.
This has been a truly amazing experience. I couldn't have imagined meeting so many amazing people and seeing such beautiful things, being in so many unique places. It's a great feeling to not know the day of the week, to not need to know what time it is, to have no defined responsibilities except walking and staying alive. Sure, plenty of the time has been miserable, who enjoys having every article of clothing soaked as you trudge up a hill that lasts forever? But for all the pain there is so much more to look forward to. After days of rain and fog, seeing sun and finding a beautiful panoramic view is the most unbelievable feeling in the world. After days of camp food, real food becomes an object of fantasy; numerous times we've found ourselves talking about food for literally hours at a time. And when we actually get to eat it, everyone is completely silent until all the food is gone. Man, life on the trail is good.
Virginia has been great so far! It's so much easier than the states before it. Gradual hills, miles of ridgeline hiking, and plenty of spectacular views. We've been averaging around 20 miles a day, more if we're feeling motivated, less if we decide to drink Four Loko in the middle of the day to celebrate 25% of the trail complete. Hiking after that...trust me, not a good idea. Anyway, we've been with a really great group of people. Count and I have been sticking with Backflip and Patches, and usually Trailmix, Scavenger, The Cops, and Feisty. We have plenty of friends close behind us, hope to see them again soon! It's such a community experience. Well, I could write plenty more but I think I've gotten the idea across...plus, dinner's cooking and it smells delicious. Time to go relax for a few and then eat obscene amounts of food!
Lots of love to friends and family, I appreciate all of the support. Until next time!
Smurf
Well, over a quarter of the trail is now behind us, with many more wonderful miles to go. I (Smurf) am currently writing from Wood's Hole, a truly amazing hostel about 615 miles down the trail. It's amazing to have a warm, comfy couch, a guitar to play, home cooked meals, and incredibly friendly folks to talk to. So, where to begin! I haven't even written a blog entry yet. I've been with Count the whole time, but I suppose I could add a little something myself.
This has been a truly amazing experience. I couldn't have imagined meeting so many amazing people and seeing such beautiful things, being in so many unique places. It's a great feeling to not know the day of the week, to not need to know what time it is, to have no defined responsibilities except walking and staying alive. Sure, plenty of the time has been miserable, who enjoys having every article of clothing soaked as you trudge up a hill that lasts forever? But for all the pain there is so much more to look forward to. After days of rain and fog, seeing sun and finding a beautiful panoramic view is the most unbelievable feeling in the world. After days of camp food, real food becomes an object of fantasy; numerous times we've found ourselves talking about food for literally hours at a time. And when we actually get to eat it, everyone is completely silent until all the food is gone. Man, life on the trail is good.
Virginia has been great so far! It's so much easier than the states before it. Gradual hills, miles of ridgeline hiking, and plenty of spectacular views. We've been averaging around 20 miles a day, more if we're feeling motivated, less if we decide to drink Four Loko in the middle of the day to celebrate 25% of the trail complete. Hiking after that...trust me, not a good idea. Anyway, we've been with a really great group of people. Count and I have been sticking with Backflip and Patches, and usually Trailmix, Scavenger, The Cops, and Feisty. We have plenty of friends close behind us, hope to see them again soon! It's such a community experience. Well, I could write plenty more but I think I've gotten the idea across...plus, dinner's cooking and it smells delicious. Time to go relax for a few and then eat obscene amounts of food!
Lots of love to friends and family, I appreciate all of the support. Until next time!
Smurf
Friday, April 8, 2011
Yogi checkin IN!
Good day everyone,
Yogi here to let you all know that I am still on the Appalachian Trail. I have not fallin off but rather just rollin along at a smooth&steady pace. Here and there I have been running into Count and Smurf but for the most part our paces pretty different and i'm pretty sure I saw Mango and Johnny Appleseed a few months ago. I know that pictures are worth like million words or something so i'll just put up a few of my pix for you all to check out. I won't say too much about the towns i've been going through because they're all the same towns that the other dudes have been going through and they've written up quite a bit about them, and I see no sense in you having to read it all over again. I'm glad to be in Virginia and out of Tennessee. The weather never could make up it's mind in Tennessee, one day it would be 80 degrees and the next day it would be snowing. However, I'm starting to be able to see that spring is coming! wildflowers are beginning to bloom and this strange radiant orb of intense heat keeps appearing in the sky more and more often. Lately i've been walking around with 2 guys my age whom go by the names of Backflip and Patches. It's hard to believe how fast miles begin to fly by in a day. Walking eventually becomes like breathing and when you find your groove or your ZONE you can just walk for a few hours and cover many many miles without even realizing it. Yesterday I pushed 30 miles into Damascus! I don't think i'll be doing that again for a long time, it hurt my feet a whole lot, but at the end of the day it's an awesome feeling of accomplishment that i've really never experienced before. Well, i'll lay down some pictures for you all. I'll check in again at some point in the future. Thousands of thanks to everyone who is supporting me through this!
Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains
Lovely weather in the Smokies
from left to right: Me, Shmuck, Altoid, Falcore. Standing atop Maxs Patch TN/NC?
eery little swamp outside of Hot Springs, North Carolina
Confusion. It's still snowing in April.
Cheers!
Hello! Gil here! Again a lot has happened since our last update, and spotty internet access has once again prevented us from updating! Also, I suppose I should use our trail names! Austin is Smurf and I am Count!
After Gatlinburg we cruised through the remaining 30~ miles of the Smokies and set our sights on Hot Springs. As we left the national park, the weather deteriorated and we had a few days of overcast gloom and snow, including a night of intense thunderstorms and tornado warnings during which Smurf and I were tenting. We had no idea of the extent of the storm until the next day when hikers who had passed us the day before inquired about our well-being and enlightened us to the incredible weather we had endured.
In Hot Springs, we stayed at the Sunnybank Inn, an amazing bed and breakfast that catered to hikers as well as traditional guests. The inn was located in an immense Victorian house that was actually of the National Register of Historic Places and was home to a eclectic collection of items and decoration and had wonderfully cozy rooms. However, the best part of our stay at the Sunnybank was the food (of course)! For only 10 dollars we indulged in an enormous family style meal of home-cooked vegetarian and organic food! Our first night we had salad with home-made tahini and honey dressing (it was to die for!), a heaping slice vegetarian shepherds pie, and for desert, key lime pie with spearmint tea! It was so good we decided to join them for breakfast AND dinner the next day! Both subsequent meals were of equal delicious-ness, and included lasagna made from scratch, black-bean soup, waffles drizzled with syrup and fresh strawberries, and much more. Clearly, you can tell we immensely enjoyed our stay there.
But, it was time to hike again! We departed Hot Springs on a cloudy day and trudged 11 miles to the first shelter out of town with our heavy, just resupplied, packs. The next day the weather was equally as dismal, but our day was quickly brightened by a simple sign stating, TRAIL MAGIC! WAFFLES! ICE CREAM! ... We barely paused to read the directions before sprinting down the road in the rain to the home of the wonderfully hospitable Fal and Hercules. With our appetites severely lessened and our spirits much higher we continued towards Erwin!
After a few more days of the gloomy foggy weather we had grown accustomed to, we arrived in Erwin, at Uncle Johnny's Hostel! We also managed to get a great deal for a cozy cabin and spent the night watching VHS movies from the 90s and lavishing our time on a real mattress. The next day we were exceedingly reluctant to leave the comfort and hospitality of the hostel, but the trail awaited and we managed to hike 4 miles to the first shelter.
The next day we managed a 22 mile day which set us up perfectly to summit Roan Mountain in the morning. Luckily, the weather was absolutely gorgeous and we climbed the snowy peak bathed in sun! The weather held all day as we crossed miles of balds which provided us with spectacular 360 degree panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. It well made up for the lack of views from nearly every other peak we had climbed.
After a quick resupply in Roan Mountain, a tiny town in North Carolina, we were back on the trail for our hottest day yet. The temperature reached over 80 degrees and stayed hot even after we went to sleep, most of us with our sleeping bags barely zipped up! However, apparently nature had decided to play a trick on us and the next morning we all awoke freezing cold AND to a snow storm. Yes we were incredibly confused, but as thru hikers, nothing phases you and we hiked the through the storm all day!
After Roan Mountain, our next destination was Damascus, VA, the friendliest town on the trail! We cruised through 120~ miles in just 6 days of spectacular weather, and set ourselves up for what we called the Damascus Marathon, a 26.1 mile day into Damascus! Smurf and I flew through the miles and arrived yesterday at around 5 PM and had a relaxing dinner and night. Unfortunately our entrance to Damascus wasn't as intense as our friends but that's alright!
So here we are! We are planning to take at least 1 zero day here in Damascus, most likely 2 to rejuvenate and recover, but we are excited to hike north into VA and (hopefully) into warmer spring weather!
Count
After Gatlinburg we cruised through the remaining 30~ miles of the Smokies and set our sights on Hot Springs. As we left the national park, the weather deteriorated and we had a few days of overcast gloom and snow, including a night of intense thunderstorms and tornado warnings during which Smurf and I were tenting. We had no idea of the extent of the storm until the next day when hikers who had passed us the day before inquired about our well-being and enlightened us to the incredible weather we had endured.
In Hot Springs, we stayed at the Sunnybank Inn, an amazing bed and breakfast that catered to hikers as well as traditional guests. The inn was located in an immense Victorian house that was actually of the National Register of Historic Places and was home to a eclectic collection of items and decoration and had wonderfully cozy rooms. However, the best part of our stay at the Sunnybank was the food (of course)! For only 10 dollars we indulged in an enormous family style meal of home-cooked vegetarian and organic food! Our first night we had salad with home-made tahini and honey dressing (it was to die for!), a heaping slice vegetarian shepherds pie, and for desert, key lime pie with spearmint tea! It was so good we decided to join them for breakfast AND dinner the next day! Both subsequent meals were of equal delicious-ness, and included lasagna made from scratch, black-bean soup, waffles drizzled with syrup and fresh strawberries, and much more. Clearly, you can tell we immensely enjoyed our stay there.
But, it was time to hike again! We departed Hot Springs on a cloudy day and trudged 11 miles to the first shelter out of town with our heavy, just resupplied, packs. The next day the weather was equally as dismal, but our day was quickly brightened by a simple sign stating, TRAIL MAGIC! WAFFLES! ICE CREAM! ... We barely paused to read the directions before sprinting down the road in the rain to the home of the wonderfully hospitable Fal and Hercules. With our appetites severely lessened and our spirits much higher we continued towards Erwin!
After a few more days of the gloomy foggy weather we had grown accustomed to, we arrived in Erwin, at Uncle Johnny's Hostel! We also managed to get a great deal for a cozy cabin and spent the night watching VHS movies from the 90s and lavishing our time on a real mattress. The next day we were exceedingly reluctant to leave the comfort and hospitality of the hostel, but the trail awaited and we managed to hike 4 miles to the first shelter.
The next day we managed a 22 mile day which set us up perfectly to summit Roan Mountain in the morning. Luckily, the weather was absolutely gorgeous and we climbed the snowy peak bathed in sun! The weather held all day as we crossed miles of balds which provided us with spectacular 360 degree panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. It well made up for the lack of views from nearly every other peak we had climbed.
After a quick resupply in Roan Mountain, a tiny town in North Carolina, we were back on the trail for our hottest day yet. The temperature reached over 80 degrees and stayed hot even after we went to sleep, most of us with our sleeping bags barely zipped up! However, apparently nature had decided to play a trick on us and the next morning we all awoke freezing cold AND to a snow storm. Yes we were incredibly confused, but as thru hikers, nothing phases you and we hiked the through the storm all day!
After Roan Mountain, our next destination was Damascus, VA, the friendliest town on the trail! We cruised through 120~ miles in just 6 days of spectacular weather, and set ourselves up for what we called the Damascus Marathon, a 26.1 mile day into Damascus! Smurf and I flew through the miles and arrived yesterday at around 5 PM and had a relaxing dinner and night. Unfortunately our entrance to Damascus wasn't as intense as our friends but that's alright!
So here we are! We are planning to take at least 1 zero day here in Damascus, most likely 2 to rejuvenate and recover, but we are excited to hike north into VA and (hopefully) into warmer spring weather!
Count
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Hey everyone! Where to start...so much has happened! After leaving Standing Bear Hiker Hostel we hiked several days into Hot Springs. Hot Springs was the first town where the trail actually walks down the main street, so that was pretty cool. We checked out several hotels trying to find the best deal and we ended up staying at the Iron Horse, where the owner proudly showed us a newspaper article talking about James Franco's visit to Hot Springs, and then gave us the same room that he stayed in. He told us it was the best room with the nicest views...but it turned out to be a small room just out of reach of the wifi signal and right next to the railroad tracks. Whatever, we were tired and slept like logs anyway. The next day we spent a while at the outfitters changing gear up and making sure we were all set to trek out. It's always hard to leave a town. We ended up hiking out at about 3 in the afternoon, but still making it to the first shelter about 11 miles away before dark.
The next morning hiking to a road crossing we saw a sign for trail magic, offering vegetarian chili, drinks, waffles, and much more. There was no way we were skipping this, even though we had only hiked a few miles and just got our snack on. Just a few tenths of a mile down the road we walked up a concrete driveway into heaven. A really friendly dog named Heidi greeted us, followed by her owners Hercules and Fal, thru-hikers from way back in '99. We could never have imagined the degree of hospitality we received...all the way down to frosted mugs for our soda. We spent several hours sitting, eating, and talking to them, and eating more. We hardly got a chance to finish one dish before they offered us something else.
With our bellies bursting we hiked on (through more crappy weather) and got to the next shelter, where we spent the night with our now great friend, Yoyo. It was just the 3 of us that night, although we did see another hiker named Brian several times, as he hiked past the shelter, got turned around somehow, came back, and then left again...only to--as we found out the next day--get turned around ONE more time. That night we stayed up pretty late talking and bonding--although that wasn't the only entertainment. Yoyo had some oatmeal cookies and we decided to see what would happen if we left one out for the mouse. We figured at least it might fill him up and keep him busy so that he wouldn't mess with our stuff. So I don't know if some of you are familiar with the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...well in the wilderness they don't ask for a glass of milk...he and his friends chase each other around and they attempt to carry it off to their homes. They aren't the best sharers.
The next day we hiked with Yoyo for a while, but ended up pushing a little further. We stopped at about 4 or 5 at a shelter and settled down for dinner, thinking we might have the shelter to ourselves for the first time...we were wrong. Brian came in a bit later and filled us in on his further mix ups from the day before, and not long after a big group of friends from Hot Springs came in and brought a bunch of rain with them. That night it was miserably rainy, but we stayed pretty dry in the shelter. In the morning it got so cold it started snowing...so we held up in the shelter till about 9:30 before leaving. At a road crossing a few miles after finally starting we tried very unsuccessfully to hitch to a cafe for some hot food, but not a SINGLE car passed. We even tried calling the cafe to see if they would come pick us up...but no luck. With low spirits and in crappy weather we decided we wanted to be back in civilization, so we pumped ourselves up and hiked 25 more miles into Erwin, TN. We made it to Uncle Johnny Nolichucky's--a hostel RIGHT on the trail on the outskirts of town. We got in at 7:30, and everyone was out to dinner so we called a number posted on the door. Mango couldn't understand a word that Uncle Johnny was saying over the phone...but luckily a few minutes later a slightly-easier-to-understand woman flew up to the hostel. She seemed a little off her rocker. She ended up giving us the nicest cabin on the grounds--one with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, full bath. It cost us $23 each, and we weren't sure if she actually meant to give it to us for this deal...like we said she was... somewhere else. The next day we decided to take a zero day, since the hostel was so nice and there were frequent shuttles into town and free use of bikes--not to mention tons of awesome people also staying there.
The next day we were lazy and hiked only about 4 miles to the nearest shelter...it was way too nice to pass up, not to mention it seemed like it was about to get pretty nasty out. We crashed there that night with one of our friends from Uncle Johnny's, Joker, and another guy Moose.
The next day we planned to go almost 20 miles to make up for our short day, and almost made it to that shelter, but instead we took a little side trail adventure to avoid the storm and dry our clothes. We had seen several signs on trail for a place...seemingly incompletely named the "Greasy Greek Friendly." The joint turned out to be less a hostel and more just this very nice, eccentric lady's home. Man was this place an adventure! First of all, the path to her home was very confusing, parts of it were even blocked with logs--we later found out this was the handywork of her crazy neighbor rival. At first it seemed very strange and bizarre that the neighbor would go to extreme lengths to discredit the Greasy Greek Friendly and CC, the owner, but we later found that it was just downright creepy and confusing. So many people ended up showing up at the hostel that night. CC's bunkhouse wasn't heated so we had a big slumber party on her living room floor. With all the people and excitement, CC offered to pack us all into her Bronco and shuttle us into town as long as we all covered the gas. Any hiker will jump at a cheap shuttle into town...even if it is a clunky, gas guzzling, piece of junk. Nine of us piled in (including 3 of us in the trunk...Johnny Appleseed being one of those lucky ones) and puttered off down the mountains and into Johnson City. We all went to the Golden Corral, where CC found us a backroom and pushed tables together so we could all have a big supper together. On the way home, driving up the mountain, the fog was so thick that we couldn't see more than a foot in front of us. It was insane, but CC confidently drove on, claiming that she KNEW these roads. We got home almost at 11, so it was another late night for us, but we slept well.
The next day was a big day for us. Roan Mountain stood between the shelter we were headed to and us. It was a rough, cold, and extremely icy climb...but we made it with only a few slips. The shelter we got to that night was very unique. It was an old barn that was "renovated" and turned into a huge shelter. Even though we hiked just a little under 20 miles over icy mountains, we still got in at about 4:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting around a big fire that a bunch of section hikers had started. That night was cold, and even though before we went to bed the sky seemed clear, it snowed like mad that night. Remember now, we were in a barn, and barn walls aren't the best, so the snow blew right through and covered Mango...and a very confused, groggy, nighttime relocation ensued.
The next day we had big plans for a 27 mile day, bringing us just 6 miles away from the Kincora hostel so we could have a short hike in the morning and spend the rest of the day relaxing. We headed out and figuring the hiking would be easy that day...we only had two little "bumps" to go over and then the day seemed relatively flat. Those "bumps" were insane. The snow from the night before covered the grassy balds...and since there were no trees the wind blew extremely intensely. We were almost knocked over time and time again, and had to trudge on at about 1 mi/hr, leaning into the nonstop gusts. It was a struggle, to say the least.
It's insane how much weather can change within a few hours. Often times you hear "if you don't like the weather...wait a few minutes." Well, on the trail it seems to be "if you don't like the weather...wait a few hundred feet of elevation." Heading down the mountain, before long we found ourselves shedding layers and walking through very pretty, springtime forests. Near the end of the day we were still pretty beat, and we spent the night alone for our first time, at a small, cold shelter on the top of a little mountain.
The next morning we got up and moving faster and earlier than usual, motivated by the idea of finally being at the Kincora hostel. The hike was mostly downhill so we made it in no time, and got to catch the morning shuttle into town and go to a grocery store and an Arby's. Back at the hostel, the weather was beautiful and the people were extremely nice. The owner, Bob Peoples, is a trail angel who is now famous in the hiking community for all the work he has done for the AT. Meeting and talking to him was like spending time with a trail celebrity. He showed us all kinds of pictures of shelters he had helped build and told us all about how he maintained trail sections and even started a group called Hard Core that is one of the most widely respected trail maintenance crews out there. The amount of history and knowledge in that man's head almost rivals the incredible amount of care in his heart.
After waiting around spending a few extra hours at Kincora the next morning, we headed out. The trail that followed was one of the most beautiful sections yet. We walked alongside a roaring river and descended into a little valley with a huge waterfall. After climbing over a mountain we ended up at a huge lake. We sat under a tree and had some lunch in the shade. We were pumped because we didn't have that much further to go, only about 9 miles, so we trekked on. As we left the shade of the trees and the cool breeze of the lake we realized how hot it was. It's amazing how just the other day we were being blown over by snowy winds and now we were dying of heat and stopping almost every mile for a break. After a long, torturous 9 miles we made it to the shelter and collapsed. Then we heard thunder in the distance. Another storm was on its way. Our old pals Joker and Moose showed up at the shelter with Prescott, another friend, just before the rain started. That night we experienced our first thunder-snowstorm on the trail. The hot weather quickly left and the rain turned into sleet, and then snow, and then finally, hail. We stayed in our sleeping bags all night, and before long woke up to a shelter dusted with snow from front the back. The wind from the valley would come up and blow all the snow (or whatever form of precipitation was happening at that given time) right into the three walled shelter. We schemed in the early morning, trying to figure how we could still have a productive day without leaving our sleeping bags anytime in the near future, and somehow in our freezing cold madness decided that we could leave by 2 in the afternoon and hike all night getting to Damascus--33 miles away--in the early morning hours. And we did. At 4 in the morning the two of us and our friend Joker were walking the dimly lit streets of Damascus. We collapsed on benches and tried to figure out where we could go...but seeing as it was 4 am in a town of just over 1,000...nowhere was open. We checked our guidebooks and found out that a Food City a half mile away opened at 6...but that was 6 and this was 4...so we still had some time to kill. For a while we just sat on the bench, froze, and didn't want to move a foot further. We eventually decided to try our luck and see if "The Place"--a church run, donation hostel--left its doors unlocked. Thankfully, it did, and we stumbled in at about 5 and--not wanting to disturb any hikers in the bunkroom--crashed on the uncomfortable armchairs in the living room for an our. Looking back we're unsure if we actually slept, but at a little after 6 in the morning we stumbled over to food city and ate. We walked around the store like zombies for a while, and eventually headed back to town. It was after 9 now so the stores were open. We stopped at the outfitter to kill some time, and then headed to the library. We were beyond tired now, so we didn't sleep. We spent our day lazily walking from place to place and eating every chance we got. We finally settled into a hostel, slept, and now today we're heading back out to follow the white blazes.
The next morning hiking to a road crossing we saw a sign for trail magic, offering vegetarian chili, drinks, waffles, and much more. There was no way we were skipping this, even though we had only hiked a few miles and just got our snack on. Just a few tenths of a mile down the road we walked up a concrete driveway into heaven. A really friendly dog named Heidi greeted us, followed by her owners Hercules and Fal, thru-hikers from way back in '99. We could never have imagined the degree of hospitality we received...all the way down to frosted mugs for our soda. We spent several hours sitting, eating, and talking to them, and eating more. We hardly got a chance to finish one dish before they offered us something else.
With our bellies bursting we hiked on (through more crappy weather) and got to the next shelter, where we spent the night with our now great friend, Yoyo. It was just the 3 of us that night, although we did see another hiker named Brian several times, as he hiked past the shelter, got turned around somehow, came back, and then left again...only to--as we found out the next day--get turned around ONE more time. That night we stayed up pretty late talking and bonding--although that wasn't the only entertainment. Yoyo had some oatmeal cookies and we decided to see what would happen if we left one out for the mouse. We figured at least it might fill him up and keep him busy so that he wouldn't mess with our stuff. So I don't know if some of you are familiar with the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...well in the wilderness they don't ask for a glass of milk...he and his friends chase each other around and they attempt to carry it off to their homes. They aren't the best sharers.
The next day we hiked with Yoyo for a while, but ended up pushing a little further. We stopped at about 4 or 5 at a shelter and settled down for dinner, thinking we might have the shelter to ourselves for the first time...we were wrong. Brian came in a bit later and filled us in on his further mix ups from the day before, and not long after a big group of friends from Hot Springs came in and brought a bunch of rain with them. That night it was miserably rainy, but we stayed pretty dry in the shelter. In the morning it got so cold it started snowing...so we held up in the shelter till about 9:30 before leaving. At a road crossing a few miles after finally starting we tried very unsuccessfully to hitch to a cafe for some hot food, but not a SINGLE car passed. We even tried calling the cafe to see if they would come pick us up...but no luck. With low spirits and in crappy weather we decided we wanted to be back in civilization, so we pumped ourselves up and hiked 25 more miles into Erwin, TN. We made it to Uncle Johnny Nolichucky's--a hostel RIGHT on the trail on the outskirts of town. We got in at 7:30, and everyone was out to dinner so we called a number posted on the door. Mango couldn't understand a word that Uncle Johnny was saying over the phone...but luckily a few minutes later a slightly-easier-to-understand woman flew up to the hostel. She seemed a little off her rocker. She ended up giving us the nicest cabin on the grounds--one with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, full bath. It cost us $23 each, and we weren't sure if she actually meant to give it to us for this deal...like we said she was... somewhere else. The next day we decided to take a zero day, since the hostel was so nice and there were frequent shuttles into town and free use of bikes--not to mention tons of awesome people also staying there.
The next day we were lazy and hiked only about 4 miles to the nearest shelter...it was way too nice to pass up, not to mention it seemed like it was about to get pretty nasty out. We crashed there that night with one of our friends from Uncle Johnny's, Joker, and another guy Moose.
The next day we planned to go almost 20 miles to make up for our short day, and almost made it to that shelter, but instead we took a little side trail adventure to avoid the storm and dry our clothes. We had seen several signs on trail for a place...seemingly incompletely named the "Greasy Greek Friendly." The joint turned out to be less a hostel and more just this very nice, eccentric lady's home. Man was this place an adventure! First of all, the path to her home was very confusing, parts of it were even blocked with logs--we later found out this was the handywork of her crazy neighbor rival. At first it seemed very strange and bizarre that the neighbor would go to extreme lengths to discredit the Greasy Greek Friendly and CC, the owner, but we later found that it was just downright creepy and confusing. So many people ended up showing up at the hostel that night. CC's bunkhouse wasn't heated so we had a big slumber party on her living room floor. With all the people and excitement, CC offered to pack us all into her Bronco and shuttle us into town as long as we all covered the gas. Any hiker will jump at a cheap shuttle into town...even if it is a clunky, gas guzzling, piece of junk. Nine of us piled in (including 3 of us in the trunk...Johnny Appleseed being one of those lucky ones) and puttered off down the mountains and into Johnson City. We all went to the Golden Corral, where CC found us a backroom and pushed tables together so we could all have a big supper together. On the way home, driving up the mountain, the fog was so thick that we couldn't see more than a foot in front of us. It was insane, but CC confidently drove on, claiming that she KNEW these roads. We got home almost at 11, so it was another late night for us, but we slept well.
The next day was a big day for us. Roan Mountain stood between the shelter we were headed to and us. It was a rough, cold, and extremely icy climb...but we made it with only a few slips. The shelter we got to that night was very unique. It was an old barn that was "renovated" and turned into a huge shelter. Even though we hiked just a little under 20 miles over icy mountains, we still got in at about 4:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting around a big fire that a bunch of section hikers had started. That night was cold, and even though before we went to bed the sky seemed clear, it snowed like mad that night. Remember now, we were in a barn, and barn walls aren't the best, so the snow blew right through and covered Mango...and a very confused, groggy, nighttime relocation ensued.
The next day we had big plans for a 27 mile day, bringing us just 6 miles away from the Kincora hostel so we could have a short hike in the morning and spend the rest of the day relaxing. We headed out and figuring the hiking would be easy that day...we only had two little "bumps" to go over and then the day seemed relatively flat. Those "bumps" were insane. The snow from the night before covered the grassy balds...and since there were no trees the wind blew extremely intensely. We were almost knocked over time and time again, and had to trudge on at about 1 mi/hr, leaning into the nonstop gusts. It was a struggle, to say the least.
It's insane how much weather can change within a few hours. Often times you hear "if you don't like the weather...wait a few minutes." Well, on the trail it seems to be "if you don't like the weather...wait a few hundred feet of elevation." Heading down the mountain, before long we found ourselves shedding layers and walking through very pretty, springtime forests. Near the end of the day we were still pretty beat, and we spent the night alone for our first time, at a small, cold shelter on the top of a little mountain.
The next morning we got up and moving faster and earlier than usual, motivated by the idea of finally being at the Kincora hostel. The hike was mostly downhill so we made it in no time, and got to catch the morning shuttle into town and go to a grocery store and an Arby's. Back at the hostel, the weather was beautiful and the people were extremely nice. The owner, Bob Peoples, is a trail angel who is now famous in the hiking community for all the work he has done for the AT. Meeting and talking to him was like spending time with a trail celebrity. He showed us all kinds of pictures of shelters he had helped build and told us all about how he maintained trail sections and even started a group called Hard Core that is one of the most widely respected trail maintenance crews out there. The amount of history and knowledge in that man's head almost rivals the incredible amount of care in his heart.
After waiting around spending a few extra hours at Kincora the next morning, we headed out. The trail that followed was one of the most beautiful sections yet. We walked alongside a roaring river and descended into a little valley with a huge waterfall. After climbing over a mountain we ended up at a huge lake. We sat under a tree and had some lunch in the shade. We were pumped because we didn't have that much further to go, only about 9 miles, so we trekked on. As we left the shade of the trees and the cool breeze of the lake we realized how hot it was. It's amazing how just the other day we were being blown over by snowy winds and now we were dying of heat and stopping almost every mile for a break. After a long, torturous 9 miles we made it to the shelter and collapsed. Then we heard thunder in the distance. Another storm was on its way. Our old pals Joker and Moose showed up at the shelter with Prescott, another friend, just before the rain started. That night we experienced our first thunder-snowstorm on the trail. The hot weather quickly left and the rain turned into sleet, and then snow, and then finally, hail. We stayed in our sleeping bags all night, and before long woke up to a shelter dusted with snow from front the back. The wind from the valley would come up and blow all the snow (or whatever form of precipitation was happening at that given time) right into the three walled shelter. We schemed in the early morning, trying to figure how we could still have a productive day without leaving our sleeping bags anytime in the near future, and somehow in our freezing cold madness decided that we could leave by 2 in the afternoon and hike all night getting to Damascus--33 miles away--in the early morning hours. And we did. At 4 in the morning the two of us and our friend Joker were walking the dimly lit streets of Damascus. We collapsed on benches and tried to figure out where we could go...but seeing as it was 4 am in a town of just over 1,000...nowhere was open. We checked our guidebooks and found out that a Food City a half mile away opened at 6...but that was 6 and this was 4...so we still had some time to kill. For a while we just sat on the bench, froze, and didn't want to move a foot further. We eventually decided to try our luck and see if "The Place"--a church run, donation hostel--left its doors unlocked. Thankfully, it did, and we stumbled in at about 5 and--not wanting to disturb any hikers in the bunkroom--crashed on the uncomfortable armchairs in the living room for an our. Looking back we're unsure if we actually slept, but at a little after 6 in the morning we stumbled over to food city and ate. We walked around the store like zombies for a while, and eventually headed back to town. It was after 9 now so the stores were open. We stopped at the outfitter to kill some time, and then headed to the library. We were beyond tired now, so we didn't sleep. We spent our day lazily walking from place to place and eating every chance we got. We finally settled into a hostel, slept, and now today we're heading back out to follow the white blazes.
Peace & Love,
Johnny Appleseed and Mango
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Hello everyone! Austin and I (Gil) arrived in Hot Springs, NC, yesterday and we finally got internet access, so an update is in order!
Austin, Joe, and I left Franklin and headed for Fontana Dam, our last stop before the Smokies. The trail in between the two stops was rugged, with tons of deep gaps dropping down below 2,000 feet elevation, and mountains over 4,000 feet. We stopped at the NOC, but only long enough to look around, opting to camp a mile up the steep ascent out of the valley. The next day was awful weather: it was pouring and freezing cold so we decided a short 6 mile day would be perfect, so we went to the next shelter, where we caught up to Jim and Nate! We were stopping for the day and they were just about to start theirs, but we still talked for a while and updated each other on stuff that had happened. It was awesome to catch up with them and we hope we will again soon!
When we arrived in Fontana Dam, we immediately went to eat REAL food at a restaurant. Everything on the menu looked absolutely delicious to us so making a decision was difficult but what we ended up with was awesome! The meals we had include, but are not limited to, potato skins with bacon, sour cream and cheese, immense pulled pork sandwiches, massive burgers with cheddar cheese, etc.
We attempted to do our resupply, but like Jim and Nate said, almost every store was closed. Luckily, we didn't need much food, and even more luckily, the owner of the general store opened early, just for us! She even would go rummage in the back of the store to retrieve more obscure items! We then went to the Fontana Hilton, and prepared to venture into the Smokies!
Our first day in the park was fantastic, with temperatures in the 70s and not a cloud in the sky. Just like Jim and Nate, our days were gorgeous and clear until Clingman's Dome, where the summit was enshrouded in fog. Luckily, the observation tower had pictures of the views so we could see what we were missing!
We headed into Gatlinburg, TN, to resupply and get some awesome junk food, both of which were accomplished! We hit up an all you can eat buffet and ate A LOT of food. However, Gatlinburg, being one of the tourist destinations of the south, had millions of little tourist trap stores and the atmosphere was incredibly exhausting. Austin and I were eager to leave and left the night before Joe departed, so we encountered our first night hiking, which required a lot more caution than regular hiking.
Unfortunately, the library is closing! I'll update more ASAP!
Gil
Austin, Joe, and I left Franklin and headed for Fontana Dam, our last stop before the Smokies. The trail in between the two stops was rugged, with tons of deep gaps dropping down below 2,000 feet elevation, and mountains over 4,000 feet. We stopped at the NOC, but only long enough to look around, opting to camp a mile up the steep ascent out of the valley. The next day was awful weather: it was pouring and freezing cold so we decided a short 6 mile day would be perfect, so we went to the next shelter, where we caught up to Jim and Nate! We were stopping for the day and they were just about to start theirs, but we still talked for a while and updated each other on stuff that had happened. It was awesome to catch up with them and we hope we will again soon!
When we arrived in Fontana Dam, we immediately went to eat REAL food at a restaurant. Everything on the menu looked absolutely delicious to us so making a decision was difficult but what we ended up with was awesome! The meals we had include, but are not limited to, potato skins with bacon, sour cream and cheese, immense pulled pork sandwiches, massive burgers with cheddar cheese, etc.
We attempted to do our resupply, but like Jim and Nate said, almost every store was closed. Luckily, we didn't need much food, and even more luckily, the owner of the general store opened early, just for us! She even would go rummage in the back of the store to retrieve more obscure items! We then went to the Fontana Hilton, and prepared to venture into the Smokies!
Our first day in the park was fantastic, with temperatures in the 70s and not a cloud in the sky. Just like Jim and Nate, our days were gorgeous and clear until Clingman's Dome, where the summit was enshrouded in fog. Luckily, the observation tower had pictures of the views so we could see what we were missing!
We headed into Gatlinburg, TN, to resupply and get some awesome junk food, both of which were accomplished! We hit up an all you can eat buffet and ate A LOT of food. However, Gatlinburg, being one of the tourist destinations of the south, had millions of little tourist trap stores and the atmosphere was incredibly exhausting. Austin and I were eager to leave and left the night before Joe departed, so we encountered our first night hiking, which required a lot more caution than regular hiking.
Unfortunately, the library is closing! I'll update more ASAP!
Gil
Monday, March 21, 2011
Y'all ready for this?!
What's up everyone! Nate and Jim here--finally with internet access. We just finished the Smokies today, and what a crazy adventure they have been. We had possibly the best weather we could have asked for--blue skies, 70 degree weather, and no rain. The views were fantastic almost the entire time, with the only exception being Clingman's Dome. Since it's the highest point on the AT, the fog and mist never seem to leave...and we figured out pretty quickly why they call them the Smokies.
Pause. REWIND. After getting separated from the group and pushing several big days, Nate caught up to Jim just before the road to Franklin, where a group of Ohio Wesleyan University students had set up a huge, trail magic feast of chicken, donuts, pizza, fruit, chips, pretzels, sandwiches, candy bars, drinks and much more! After stuffing our faces, we pushed on with our good friend Spam to a beautiful campsite next to a creek. Two days later we stopped at NOC for a warm meal. We said our goodbyes to Spam, and hitched into Bryson City for a recovery day. Back on the trail, our next big stop was the Fontana Hilton, the shelter right before the Smokies...but it was no ordinary shelter--hot showers, flushing toilets, and running water! While Fontana Shelter was amazing, the "town" itself lacked anything resembling a town. No grocery store, no outfitter (closed for winter); only the "Pit Stop," a deserted gas station with one lonely, overpriced, mini jar of Jiff peanut butter. We got a ride into the next town over, Robinsville, and resupplied and pigged out. The next day, with heavy, full packs, we headed over the Fontana Dam and into the crazy, up-and-down wilderness of the Great Smokey Mountains.
After a disappointing view from Clingman's Dome we decided to lift our morale by hitching into Gatlinburg, TN to order up some massive 18" pizzas!
We hurried to NewFound Gap so we could have sufficient time indulging in real food and make it back to the trail before dark. All the locals and tourists of Gatlinburg wanted to know if two teenagers were actually hiking the ENTIRE Appalachian Trail--why wouldn't we be? They were stunned and treated us like national heroes.
Our biggest adventure so far took place our last night in the Smokies. When we arrived at Tri-Corner Gap Shelter and checked the hiker log we saw a notice from a ranger that said there was a missing hiker, and to call if we knew anything. We skipped on signing the log because really...who wants to be the guy who follows up the missing hiker alert with a "WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY OF HIKING IN THE SMOKIES!" We figured someone would sign before us and then we would be in the clear. So later that night in the shelter, with Pa Bert and Hap (two older dudes), we were all journaling about our normal day of hiking, when suddenly we hear someone yell "Hello?!" from a little ways away. We yelled back and the voice quickly responded with a cry for help. We all jumped out of our bags and sprung into action. The missing hiker had stumbled across the AT and found his way to our shelter. He told us he hadn't eaten for 4 days--just some maggots, worms, and ferns, and had drank melted snow-water our of his boot. We made him some food and gave him some water and he filled us in on his story. Apparently he had planned to do some backcountry bushwacking and had gotten lost along the way. He had ditched his pack in a confused, mad dash for safety and ended up stranded without any gear. He told us that he was a Wilderness First Responder and that he was usually the one coming out to rescue people in his very situation. He told us about his injuries, the worst of which was a deep cut on his left tricep and wrist--exposed fat and ligaments--from falling down a mountain. He had puncture wounds in his neck and on the back of his skull. Jim and Pa headed South down the AT to get cell service and contact a rescue team, while Nate and Hap kept him company and got him warmed up and comfortable. Jim and Pa returned over an hour later with news that a team en route and his family had been notified. It was a long, sleepless night waiting for the medical crew to arrive. We were at least15 miles from any access road, so it wasn't until a little after 2:30 in the morning that help arrived: a team of 3 medic/park rangers. They worked throughout the morning patching him up and stabilizing his condition, waiting for daybreak to bring him to a hospital. With all the excitement, everyone got an early start to their day. About an hour down the trail we all had to stop while a helicopter attempted to land in a small clearing on a mountaintop, however the high winds made it too risky. We said our goodbyes, good lucks, and get wells.
We pushed on because we had a big day ahead of us, hiking 18 miles to Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel.
Pause. REWIND. After getting separated from the group and pushing several big days, Nate caught up to Jim just before the road to Franklin, where a group of Ohio Wesleyan University students had set up a huge, trail magic feast of chicken, donuts, pizza, fruit, chips, pretzels, sandwiches, candy bars, drinks and much more! After stuffing our faces, we pushed on with our good friend Spam to a beautiful campsite next to a creek. Two days later we stopped at NOC for a warm meal. We said our goodbyes to Spam, and hitched into Bryson City for a recovery day. Back on the trail, our next big stop was the Fontana Hilton, the shelter right before the Smokies...but it was no ordinary shelter--hot showers, flushing toilets, and running water! While Fontana Shelter was amazing, the "town" itself lacked anything resembling a town. No grocery store, no outfitter (closed for winter); only the "Pit Stop," a deserted gas station with one lonely, overpriced, mini jar of Jiff peanut butter. We got a ride into the next town over, Robinsville, and resupplied and pigged out. The next day, with heavy, full packs, we headed over the Fontana Dam and into the crazy, up-and-down wilderness of the Great Smokey Mountains.
Our biggest adventure so far took place our last night in the Smokies. When we arrived at Tri-Corner Gap Shelter and checked the hiker log we saw a notice from a ranger that said there was a missing hiker, and to call if we knew anything. We skipped on signing the log because really...who wants to be the guy who follows up the missing hiker alert with a "WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY OF HIKING IN THE SMOKIES!" We figured someone would sign before us and then we would be in the clear. So later that night in the shelter, with Pa Bert and Hap (two older dudes), we were all journaling about our normal day of hiking, when suddenly we hear someone yell "Hello?!" from a little ways away. We yelled back and the voice quickly responded with a cry for help. We all jumped out of our bags and sprung into action. The missing hiker had stumbled across the AT and found his way to our shelter. He told us he hadn't eaten for 4 days--just some maggots, worms, and ferns, and had drank melted snow-water our of his boot. We made him some food and gave him some water and he filled us in on his story. Apparently he had planned to do some backcountry bushwacking and had gotten lost along the way. He had ditched his pack in a confused, mad dash for safety and ended up stranded without any gear. He told us that he was a Wilderness First Responder and that he was usually the one coming out to rescue people in his very situation. He told us about his injuries, the worst of which was a deep cut on his left tricep and wrist--exposed fat and ligaments--from falling down a mountain. He had puncture wounds in his neck and on the back of his skull. Jim and Pa headed South down the AT to get cell service and contact a rescue team, while Nate and Hap kept him company and got him warmed up and comfortable. Jim and Pa returned over an hour later with news that a team en route and his family had been notified. It was a long, sleepless night waiting for the medical crew to arrive. We were at least15 miles from any access road, so it wasn't until a little after 2:30 in the morning that help arrived: a team of 3 medic/park rangers. They worked throughout the morning patching him up and stabilizing his condition, waiting for daybreak to bring him to a hospital. With all the excitement, everyone got an early start to their day. About an hour down the trail we all had to stop while a helicopter attempted to land in a small clearing on a mountaintop, however the high winds made it too risky. We said our goodbyes, good lucks, and get wells.
We pushed on because we had a big day ahead of us, hiking 18 miles to Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel.
P.S. We got our trail names! Nate is Johnny Appleseed and Jim is Mango ;)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
More Pictures!
Ah yes, and a quick update. Gil, Joe, and Austin are together, and Jim and Nate are about a day or so ahead. We're about to leave Franklin, NC, and Jim and Nate are stopping at the N.O.C, about 30 miles ahead of here. I'm sure we'll cross paths soon!
Nate as he walks up the highway at the Unicoi Gap.
March 10, 2011
This morning we were awoken by a driving rain on the metal roof of Plumorchard Shelter, it was our last day in Georgia! Luckily, by the time we were actually prepared and ready to hike, at about 9 AM, the rain had disapated into foggy mist.
After a few hours of hiking through non-descript fog-filled valleys and fog-enshrouded ridges we finally reached our first state line. A small wooden sign nailed to a tree simply stated, "GA/NC". However, there was little time for celebration as North Carolina welcomed us with an incredibly steep and winding path straight up a ridgeline exposed to the freezing wind.
We stopped for lunch at the Muskrat Creek Shelter where we met a section hiker holed up for the day in his sleeping bag. Only his eyes were exposed to the elements, the rest of his body was enveloped in his mummy sleeping bag. The weather proved too cold to sit around and lounge for awhile, customarily our routine, so we pushed on to our destination, Standing Indian Shelter.
We hiked up to the shelter at around 3 PM, chilled to the bone. Immediately we donned our camp clothes and slipped into our sleeping bags to escape the frigid temperatures. As the afternoon turned into evening, we cooked plenty of warm food, and a snow flurry had begun. By 6:30 I was in my sleeping bag for the night, sheltered from the snow and cold with 2 pairs of warm long johns, two long sleeve shirts, a thick fleece, gloves, and a fleece hat.
Gil
After a few hours of hiking through non-descript fog-filled valleys and fog-enshrouded ridges we finally reached our first state line. A small wooden sign nailed to a tree simply stated, "GA/NC". However, there was little time for celebration as North Carolina welcomed us with an incredibly steep and winding path straight up a ridgeline exposed to the freezing wind.
We stopped for lunch at the Muskrat Creek Shelter where we met a section hiker holed up for the day in his sleeping bag. Only his eyes were exposed to the elements, the rest of his body was enveloped in his mummy sleeping bag. The weather proved too cold to sit around and lounge for awhile, customarily our routine, so we pushed on to our destination, Standing Indian Shelter.
We hiked up to the shelter at around 3 PM, chilled to the bone. Immediately we donned our camp clothes and slipped into our sleeping bags to escape the frigid temperatures. As the afternoon turned into evening, we cooked plenty of warm food, and a snow flurry had begun. By 6:30 I was in my sleeping bag for the night, sheltered from the snow and cold with 2 pairs of warm long johns, two long sleeve shirts, a thick fleece, gloves, and a fleece hat.
Gil
Monday, March 7, 2011
One week in...
Sup everyone! After one week on the trail, we're starting to get a pretty solid idea of what this adventure could become. We all have our own different paces, and we are all learning to hike our own hikes. It's turning into both a solo and group journey. Some days we will walk alone all day but we always have a group to return to at night. The whole trail is becoming a family, so even when we are all separated it's hard to be completely alone with such a thriving community of backpackers. On our first day we got to Springer pretty late and so we had a short day. After a few more days of hiking we had our first hostel stay at Neels Gap. We all had our backpacks shaken down, and the employees at the outfitters (attached to the hostel) showed us how to pack our packs correctly, and helped us figure out what we could send home. Even the few pounds we were able to shed off made a huge difference! The next day there was a really horrible storm, so we busted out a little over 11 miles before lunch. There wasn't enough shelter space for all of us, Jim and Gil stayed in it, and the rest of us got into our tents right away. It was cold and rainy, so we didn't get out of our tents until the next morning. We woke up to cold weather the next morning with wet tents and gear, so we decided another stay in town to dry off, warm up, and resupply was in order. We caught a ride into the silly town of Helen, GA. Truly the silliest little southern Appalachian town, designed to look like a little German town. Helen is the only place in America where you will find an American flag, a Confederate flag, and a German flag all hanging next to each other. Our packs are restocked and we're ready to get back onto the trail to follow the white blazes.
Joe, Nate, Austin, Jim, Gil
Joe, Nate, Austin, Jim, Gil
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
So long civilization...
On behalf of our expedition we would like to give a special thanks to Jessica Cudnik and her roomie Sarah for their great hospitality these past few days. We are all extremely stoked to begin our journey on the trail and as soon as Jessica returns from sitting on babies we will all pack into her spaceship and blast off to the trail head @ Springer Mountain!
We've been hanging out in Athens, GA for a few days getting our food & supplies in order. The original plan was to start the trail yesterday, however, due to severe weather we decided to postpone until today. Our packs are feeling heavy. We probably got more food than we need. But at this point everything is a major learning experience. Send all your positive energiez this way!
We've been hanging out in Athens, GA for a few days getting our food & supplies in order. The original plan was to start the trail yesterday, however, due to severe weather we decided to postpone until today. Our packs are feeling heavy. We probably got more food than we need. But at this point everything is a major learning experience. Send all your positive energiez this way!
HAPPY TRAILS!
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