Month: May 2019

On Sunday, May 12, we left the relative comfort of a hotel to head back into the woods. We had talked to a local shuttle driver, Bubba, whose significant other worked at the hotel, about possibly driving us back to the trail at the Brushy Mountain Outpost and taking our packs onward to Trent’s Grocery so we could slackpack. His fee was moderate and we struck a deal. Looking at the guidebook, it was to be an easy day of hiking and we were able to cover 18.4 miles.

I should have learned by now to always look at the guidebook more carefully so I am not surprised by the features of the trail. Today’s surprise was a lengthy suspension bridge over Kimberling Creek, just before the road crossing that leads to Trent’s Grocery. When we reached the road crossing, I was mildly panicked because Gavin wasn’t there. I saw the trail go on up into the woods on the other side and I was afraid that he had continued up the trail. Thankfully, we both had cell signal so I was able to call him. He said that I should go to the left at the crossing and that he was already in sight of the store, about 0.5 miles down the road. This is a testament to his prowess of navigating the trail and the outright speed at which he as become accustomed to traveling.

Trent’s Grocery was a great trail spot to stop. Essentially, it is an old fashioned country gas/grocery/grill. I believe they have a couple of indoor rooms for rent, but they also allow tenting in a field behind the store. They have a bathhouse and laundry facilities as well. The only downside was, they don’t provide towels, and as a general rule, those are luxury items not carried by many hikers. They do have great food. Gavin had a cheese pizza, which was one of the best we’ve had, and I had a cheeseburger and hotdogs that really hit the spot.

There were several other hikers we’d met before that were tenting at Trent’s. Among them were Gravy Train and Pringles. There was a campfire and we enjoyed standing around and shooting the breeze that evening. One of the things I have enjoyed most about this trip is interacting with other hikers.

The other notable thing about staying at Trent’s was the rain. It started just about the time we got to the field. Quickly, I laid out the footprint for my tent, put the poles in the corners, and threw the rain fly over and staked it all down. In the processes, the footprint got rained on a bit, so I decided to wait until later in the evening to put up the tent body from the inside. Eventually, later on came, and I decided to not bother with putting the tent up inside. Using only the footprint and fly is a way some people save weight when hiking. It is a good plan, but I expect that as summer comes on, I’ll want the tent body to protect me from the bugs.

Monday’s walk was one of the flattest on the trail. Not far down the trail we began to parallel Dismal Creek for several miles. One of the views on the trip today was Dismal Falls, but it was 0.3 miles off the AT so we opted not to take the blue blaze trail. I was confident that we we would see other, more impressive waterfalls on up the trail. It was very peaceful to walk along Dismal Creek for as long as we did. We crossed over it multiple times, and of course, it was great to not have to load our packs heavy with water.

After our really long hike on Sunday, we all agreed that doing a shorter day today was in everyone’s best interest. It was. It was nice to arrive at the shelter in the early afternoon and have the opportunity to rest and relax. Even though we are at a point where we are hoping to ramp up our mileage, if you average the two days together it comes out at 13.2, which is significantly more than we’ve been walking.

We also scored our largest animal sighting to date: three deer off in the distance from our campsite. Bullfrog was walking out the trail to the water source when he saw them. By the time he came back to the shelter to tell the rest of us, they were wise and ready to bolt. I followed him down the trail with my camera on, but most of the footage I got was of the back of Bullfrog’s head and only a few glimpses of their behinds as they ran away.

We slept really well at Wapiti shelter, even though there was a rumor that it was haunted. In 1981, a man from Pearisburg, Randall Smith, befriended two hikers at the shelter. That night while they slept, he shot one, and stabbed the other. Both succumbed from their injuries. He was imprisoned for 15 years, after which time he went back in the woods nearby and tried to kill two fishermen. They both survived the encounter but Smith died from injuries sustained in a car accident while trying to get away. Needless to say, I didn’t relate this story to Hawkeye. I believe the reason we slept so well was that the temperature dropped to the low 40’s. Being in possession of a 25° sleeping bag, I always sleep better when I’m not sweating and sticking to the nylon interior of the bag.

Our hiking day consisted of a nearly 1,300’ climb to get on a ridge line. Once there, we pretty much stayed at the same elevation, with small drops and climbs, until we descended to Doc’s Knob Shelter. One of the great things about walking the ridge line has been the near constant breeze, which is especially refreshing when you’re hiking in warmer temperatures. The downside is, in our experience, ridge walking involves lots of going over and around rocks. It is difficult to describe the difference between good rocks and bad ones. The good ones are reasonably large with flat surface enough that you can put your whole foot down on them. The evil, nasty rocks are the ones that line the trail and stick up with sharp edges and corners. They are often so close together that there is no good place to plant your step, so you just have to endure the jaggedness on the bottom of your foot. Also, rocks that you have to stop and figure out a way to climb up and over are particularly unnerving. Additionally, there are some that are close and tall, so you have to place your foot between the rocks and hope you don’t fall over while your foot and leg are pinned in. This is a great way to get a tib-fib fracture, and I must say that I am definitely not a fan.

Doc’s Knob Shelter was among the nicest that we have stayed in. It was just off the trail, among rocks, go figure, but there was an incredible deck in the front. The deck featured built-in seating with backrests and was much more comfortable than sitting on a picnic table. There were also two tables to cook and eat on, and there was a double Adirondack chair. Additionally, the deck was connected just at the front edge of the shelter so we didn’t have to climb up (or down in the middle of the night) to get to the sleeping platform. Best of all, the temperature was down in the low-40’s, so I slept very well.

When we awoke, we set out for the small town of Pearisburg, VA, 8.3 miles down the trail. By 8:00, we had said our daily prayer and were on trail together with Angel and Bullfrog. Like the day before, the majority of the hike was on a ridge line with small, undulating ups and downs, until we began descending into town about 2.5 miles from the end of the hike. Gavin quickly took off out front, and I was next. The hike was an easy one and he and I arrived at the road crossing well before noon. Angel and Bullfrog took their time and were about 45 minutes behind.

Once regrouped, we began discussing the matter of how we were going to get into town. One option was to road walk about 0.5 miles to a hotel. Angel offered in that she has a Facebook acquaintance that has been following her hike who had volunteered to shuttle us around in town. While we were discussing whether or not to text him, he pulled up at the trailhead. Providence. His name is Justin and he loaded us all into his car and drove us to the Holiday Motor Lodge. I must say that we were forewarned by comments about this hotel on the Guthooks App, but this is the place we chose because it was the only one that boasted WiFi.

We got checked in, showered quickly, and Justin drove us to Blacksburg, VA to have Mexican for lunch. It was great! The only bad part about lunch was that I left my favorite hat and didn’t realize it until hours later. We also visited an outfitter where Bullfrog got new shoes, and I got Gavin a new knife. We also popped into Barnes and Noble so Gavin could get a book. It was really neat driving around in Blacksburg because it is a university town. All along the street were 6-foot tall fiberglass Hokie mascots. I texted a photo of one to my friends Brian and Melody who are both alums, and Brian texted back, “You’re in God’s country. You’ve now reached the highlight of the entire trip!” I’m not sure I completely agree, but the food was great and the trip down and back was quite scenic.

Once back at the hotel, we began settling in. I logged into something posing as WiFi with the hope of uploading some videos. Unfortunately, whatever it was that accepted my password only occasionally loaded a web page. Watching a YouTube video or uploading one was completely out of the question. I also began to notice small features of the room that one rarely finds in a hotel. First, there were quite a few chunks of plaster missing from the ceiling, and you could see where nearly ½” of drywall mud had been placed there to patch a previously wet ceiling. Then there was the matter of the dish of “air freshener” on top of the TV cabinet. It had a sickeningly sweet smell that made me wonder what odor it was there to cover up. The pink tile bathroom with blue floor tiles was a nice touch as well. I realized, only after visiting the Food Lion across the street and getting drinks, that the fridge in the room wasn’t working. The coup de gras, however, was the sign on the ice machine which read, “As per state laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia Dept. of Health, ice produced in this type of machine is strictly for external use only.” That, and the fact that most of the folks staying in this “hotel” were permanent residents, caused me to want to get out as quickly as possible.

We had an “out” plan. Just behind the Food Lion was a small trail that lead 0.2 miles to Angel’s Rest Hostel. We had originally passed this by as an option because we weren’t sure that they allowed adult beverages. Further reading about the place, though, revealed that as long as you don’t get stupid, they’re pretty much good with whatever, except for drugs, and we were good with that. Needless to say, Gavin and I awoke extra early, packed our things, and headed down to the office prepared to have to battle to get our money back for the second night we weren’t staying. Thankfully, there was hardly a discussion, except the clerk asked if there was something wrong with the room. Being the tactful person I am (sometimes), I just explained that the fridge didn’t work and I really needed strong WiFi so I could upload to YouTube. With money put back on my card, Gavin and I hiked over to Angel’s Rest and were able to get a private room for the same cost as the hotel we’d just left.

Angel’s Rest Hostel is without question the best hostel I’ve stayed at along the trail. We were checked in by Nickel, whom we’d met back in the Smokies, and he remembered us. We also met up with some other hikers that we hadn’t seen in a while. One lady we’d met back at The Station at 19E, Not Dead Yet, was there doing work-for-stay while in the process of healing an injury. Our room was the master bedroom of a mobile home. We had free access to the kitchen, the den had a TV with Hulu and DVDs, and we had our own “private” bath, shared with whomever stayed in the other bedroom. Outside there was a bunk house and the nicest shower/bathroom area I’ve encountered. The bathhouse consisted of three individual rooms, each with a shower, sink, and toilet, that were cleaned and cloroxed daily. Best of all, there was WiFi strong enough for me to upload videos to YouTube.

In the afternoon, we went back up to Motel Hell to see Angel and Bullfrog. Her friend Justin was coming to drive us all to dinner with his family in Radford. We went to a tap room called Sharky’s, and it was awesome! Gavin was able to get his new favorite, buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing, and I had a full rack of ribs with a salad and fries. It is difficult to overstate how wonderful it is to get into a real restaurant after eating Knorr pasta sides and spam for dinner for several days in a row.

Originally we had planned to get up on Friday morning and head back to the trail, but Angel and Bullfrog had other plans. She was getting a ride back to Trail Days in Damascus from her friend, and Bullfrog’s uncle was planning to join him on the trail for a few days. The fact that we were separating briefly as a trail family and the rainy weather made it pretty easy to decide to stay for a second night at Angel’s Rest. I had intended to get up and go to the motel to see Angel off, but between the rainy weather and the fact that I was still in bed, I sent her a text message wishing her a good trip instead.

After Angel left, Bullfrog came down to Angel’s Rest to wait on his uncle Ken and his family, who arrived in the late afternoon. We all went together to dinner at a local comfort food restaurant. It was enjoyable to meet and talk with Ken. He had started the AT with Bullfrog, but health issues caused him to get off trail fairly quickly. After seeing his physician and exercising regularly for a couple of months, he was ready to give it another go. I was excited to have someone new to hike with, but we all knew that after a few months on the trail, we’d be walking faster than he’d be able to, so we weren’t sure how long we would be together.

On Saturday, Bullfrog and Ken hit the trail about 8:00, heading for Rice Field Shelter 7.8 miles up the trail. Gavin and I got up and moving slowly, as is usual when leaving town, and didn’t get going until 11:00 or so. Even though the distance to the shelter was fairly short, the bulk of the day was spent climbing almost 1,800’ back to the ridge line. I had a terrifically difficult day of hiking. It seems that I was stopping to breathe and rest every 50 yards or so. It was worse than the early days of our hike when I had no trail legs at all. Gavin, who, according to him, “doesn’t do” uphills, was soon well out in front of me. On the way up, I passed Bullfrog and Ken, who were resting on the side of the trail. I slogged along, slowly, and finally reached the water source, about 0.6 miles shy of the shelter. I stopped to fill my water bladder and was in the process of standing up, folding the top of the bag over, and sliding the clip on, when, the next thing I knew, I was on my butt in the mud. I suppose that I had become so dehydrated that I passed out. Thankfully, when I fell, I missed all the rocks that were in the spring with my head and came out of the event with only a small scratch and bruise. Not long after, several other hikers, including Bullfrog and Ken came along and made sure I was nursed back to health. Bullfrog mixed up an electrolyte solution with Orange Crush drops and I began the process of rehydrating. After a few minutes, I felt fine, and I hiked on to the shelter without incident.

Rice Field Shelter sits atop a ridge just in the treeline of a large, open field. We had excellent views of the town and houses below, and the sunset from the ridge was outstanding. Snow Cream was also at the shelter, and it was good to reconnect with him. We all had enjoyable conversation and rested well.

It was difficult to be without Angel today, but we know that she’s having a good time at Trail Days in Damascus, and that we’ll catch back up with her later on. One thing I’ve learned from the trail that is a good lesson for “real life” is that friends are important and should be treasured. Thanks for joining us for this installment of our travelogue, and remember to just keep taking the Next Step.

Before I start my “weekly” update, I want to mention a few things. First, my YouTube channel is marvelously out of date. The past couple of places we’ve stayed have not had good outgoing WiFi, so uploading videos has been a challenge. I was able to get one out last night, and I’m about 55% uploaded on another. I was really hoping to get several more uploaded today, but it may not happen. Second, the little photos that are in the margins are “clickable” if you’d like to see a larger version. I have tried to include pictures that represent the stories I’m telling, but at some point I’ll create some albums here on the blog. Now for the week’s story…

Monday was a short day. We lazed around the hotel and got a shuttle back to the Mt. Rogers Visitor’s Center. We only had a 6.8 mile hike to get to the Chatfield Memorial Shelter. The trail was extremely rocky in this section. Not little gravel, but rip-rap sized rocks with lists of sharp edges and corners. It made putting your feet flat on the trail nearly impossible. By the end of our trek, I was punchy and sarcastic about the terrain. I was so looking forward to writing my longest entry in the shelter log; I kept going over it in my head along the journey. Unfortunately, the shelter log was completely full so I didn’t get to express myself. Allow me to do so now:

Dear Appalachian Trail Conservancy,

I have most thoroughly enjoyed hiking the section between the Mt. Rogers Visitor’s Center to the Chatfield shelter. I look forward to coming back and rehiring this section when it is completed. I must have traveled over at least 150-200 feet of trail today that had not had the sharp, pointy rocks installed. Hopefully the trail maintainers can get on this quickly. Also, some of the rocks that have already been put in place have ad their edges and sharp, jagged corners worn off due to heavy travel. When you come back out again, please have a look a these and replace them with fresh rocks.

Sincerely,

Waffle

Needless to say, I am greatly disappointed not to have been able to share my sarcastic thoughts with others on the trail who had just hiked the same stony path.

There were two other remarkable things that happened on Monday. First, Snow Cream told us that he would be parting ways with us. I think he was at a point where he needed some alone time, and he also wanted to hike longer miles than we are currently able to do. It was sad to know he was leaving our trail family, but I’m sure we will see him up the trail somewhere. Second, this was the first day that we’ve passed multiple rhododendrons that were in bloom. They were gorgeous. I hope that in the coming weeks we’ll pass through large areas of blooming trees, as they add so much beauty to the trail. I believe one of my first projects when I get home will be cleaning up the creek bank behind the house and planting some rhododendron. I’ll have to look into rooting them from the bushes behind mom’s house.

Tuesday had several big events in store. The shelter where we stayed was only about two miles from the historic Lindamood School, a one-room schoolhouse from 1894. Perpetual Trail Magic is provided by West End UMC of Wytheville. They leave cold drinks, chips, health and beauty aids, and pretty much everything else a hiker needs. I’m disappointed that we arrived too early in the day to visit the Settlers Museum, but it isn’t too far away from home to go back one day. The second treat of the day was passing by The Barn restaurant just before we crossed under  I-81.I was really hoping for a steak, but they were still serving lunch when we arrived. No matter. They had a hamburger steak and potatoes. It was awesome! I think easy access to whatever food I want to eat is one of the things I miss most about being in the woods. On the other hand, I wouldn’t trade anything for the things I’ve seen, the experiences I’ve had, and the people I’ve met while I’ve been on the trail.

Today’s hike included some out of the ordinary hiking conditions. For one thing, we crossed over a railroad bed. We were sure to stop, look, and listen before crossing. Almost immediately after, we went through a boggy area across a boardwalk. I appreciate that it was nearly 3’ wide, because sometimes I tend to drift off to one side or the other. Finally, we hiked quite a ways through pastureland. Though we’ve done that a few times before, it has only been recently. We were blessed that it is still spring, so we weren’t in the hot baking sun. I think that treat is reserved for northern Virginia and beyond.

We camped at the Crawfish Trail campsite, just a few hundred feet short of the ¼ way mark on the AT. It is hard to believe that we’ve come this far. It is also daunting as well, because we hope to finish our hike before mid-August. If we’re going to do that, we really need to be hiking longer days. I have been trying to remember to do some calculation to see what our daily mileage average should be, but I’m almost afraid to do so. It was a treat to be back in my tent for a night. I suppose I could be setting it up at shelters when we arrive, but it is just easier to throw out my bedding and crash on the shelter platform.

On Wednesday morning we got out of the campsite a little late, but we did eventually get going. We had set our sights on the Chestnut Knob Shelter, some 17.4 miles away. By late in the day, we realized that even though the climbs on the trail didn’t look like much on the map, they really took the wind out of our sails, so we settled for a shorter trip to Lick Creek. Even though the AT Guide doesn’t show a campsite, there is plenty of room for several tents there, so we pitched right beside the creek.

The creek is, in my opinion, a bit large to be called a creek. It was wide enough to require a well-constructed footbridge to cross, and it was deep enough that one could jump in and cool off. Or cold off. I waded into about ankle depth and remembered hearing stories of middle-aged men who have had heart attacks from submerging suddenly in cold water. Having already had one of those, I decided not to chance it. I did, however, get my bandana wet and washed off some of the hiker funk. I’m not sure it did much good, though. Angel and Bullfrog, being younger and less susceptible to sudden coronary issues, did brave the cold and talked about how refreshing it was. Gavin just hung out along the bank and searched for crawdads.

The only two bad things I can say about the campsite are, (1) the mosquitos were out in swarms, and (2) there were precious few places to hang our food for the night. I looked for 15-20 minutes and had to eventually “settle” on a tree nearby the creek. I wasn’t completely confident about the bear hang, but I chanced it. I was hopeful that all the neighborhood bears had found out about the buffet at Hurricane Shelter several miles south and had gone down to join in.

It rained a little bit Wednesday afternoon, but fortunately we had already set up our tents and such. It was kind of peaceful laying inside listening to the creek noises and hearing the raindrops on the fly of my tent. I’m really glad that the rain stopped after a short time and we didn’t have to break camp in a storm. I am pretty sure that some folks came in and camped across the creek after we had retreated to our respective tents, but they were either farther back in the woods that I had imagined, or I imagined the whole thing, because there was no sign of them the next morning.

One highlight from Tuesday that I must mention is Gavin’s reintroduction to Pringles, a lady hiker from western NC. We were on a shuttle in Hiawaswsee together months ago, but I had forgotten her. We passed her fairly early in the day while hiking the uphill section through a cow pasture. Gav was a bit behind Bullfrog, Angel, and me, and he started up a chat with her. It turns out that she listens to the same D & D podcast that he likes, so they hiked together and takes for several miles. When we stopped at Knot Maul Shelter for lunch, I really thought she looked familiar and finally it hit me: she was in some of Amanda Bess’s trail videos from last year. Pringles shuttled Amanda Bess around in Hot Springs, NC, and now she has her own YouTube channel to document her hike.

Our Wednesday plans of hiking a long day aborted, we regrouped and decided to make Thursday a long one. According to the guide, it was 16.4 miles to the Jenkins Knob shelter, and it would be extremely easy-going after a 2,500’ climb in the first five miles. In fact, the last six miles of the trip are the flattest looking of any I have seen on the AT Guide’s elevation profile. What we didn’t account for, though, was rocks. Lots of rocks. Big ones, little ones, sharp ones, and pointy ones. The trail went up and down 30-50’ at the time (fairly flat), but always on rocks. Aaugh! This was our longest day of hiking and by far the least comfortable on the feet. The rocky trail from a few days ago had nothing on this section of the trail.

The other trail highlight from the day was the many stiles we had to cross over fence lines. I really prefer cattle gates because they don’t involve the rest of falling or breaking your leg. Essentially, a stile is an A-frame “ladder” that is set up over the fence. In theory, there are handholds secure enough to stray a topheavy hiker, but in practice, it is still a dicey crossing. There was one in particular that stood about 8’ tall that really made me nervous, but we all made it up and over safely.

Jenkins Knob shelter was a fairly busy place Wednesday. We ran back into Snow Cream, though we’re still not hiking together. Pringles was tenting there, as was Blue from Mass. I did have one new experience. Someone had left a horseshoe at the shelter which I used as a weight to throw my bear line into a tree. Eventually. To hang the line, you tie something heavy, usually a bag of rocks, to the end of the rope and throw it up and over the target tree limb. I am pleased to report that the rock bag works much better than a horseshoe, and if it gets stuck on some small limbs, the rock bag is much less deadly when you’re pulling hard on the rope trying to free it from its obstruction.  It is difficult to believe that in a forest there would be few trees with suitable limbs for hanging food, but that was the case again on Wednesday. After finally finding an “okay” tree limb and getting the horseshoe up and over, my food was hanging a little low and close to the tree, so I tied the tag end of the line out to a second tree to pull the bag up and farther from the trunk. I am not a fan of using this method because some bears have learned that ropes tied to trees are often connected to food. Fortunately, the bears in our area have not been so informed, so my food was still there the next morning.

As our feet were being tortured on Thursday I had time to think about Friday’s hike. I also had cell service so I checked the weather ahead of us on the trail. The forecast was for rain on Thursday night (it didn’t), showers Friday, and rain on Saturday. We had been shooting for Trent’s Grocery, about two days out. I noticed in the guide that we’d be passing by a road crossing to Bland, VA on Friday. What if we did our 11.3 miles to Bland, took a zero day to heal our rock battered feet on Saturday, and slackpacked to Trent’s Grocery on Sunday? I pitched it to the group and we were all in agreement that a day off would be much appreciated, so that is what we did.

The hike Friday was fairly easy, even with a few uphills. One notable trail feature from Friday was all the switchbacks that made our largest climb quite manageable. It was definitely the longest trail section for a short climb we’ve experienced. In most places, we hardly felt like we were going uphill at all, the grade was so gentle. I really hope the “overkill on switchbacks” trend continues.

We ended our hike at the Brushy Mountain Outpost, a deli/resupply store right on the trail. Since we had not arranged a shuttle to get us to the hotel, we decided to go ahead and have lunch while we sorted that out. I had a cheeseburger with chili, slaw, onions, and mustard that was out of this world. It was definitely the best cheeseburger I’ve had on the trail so far. Not quite Crossroads Grill back home, but close. Snow Cream was also at the Outpost and he had arranged to get picked up by a nearby hostel. The driver was willing to take the rest of us with him since he had to drive past the hotel anyway. We arrived at the hotel around 2:30 and set about the task of relaxing.

The Big Walker motel is right on I-77 just outside of Bland, VA. Across the street is a Circle-K/Dairy Queen truck stop that I’m pretty sure we’ve stopped at before for gas and snacks when traveling to Pittsburgh. There is also a Subway and Dollar General about 0.5 mile down the road. Everything a hiker needs.

Saturday morning I went down to the motel office around 8:00 to get coffee. News was stirring that there had been some sort of disturbance on the trail overnight. This was not the first disturbing news we’ve heard while on the trail. When we were a few days north of Hot Springs, NC, stories broke about a hiker on the trail who had reportedly assaulted some hikers with a large knife. He was arrested a day or two later, charged with minor crimes, plead guilty, and was released. Though details are still unfolding, apparently he got back on trail and stabbed at least two hikers near the Knot Maul shelter, only a couple of days back from where we are now. We have heard that one of the two died as the result of the injuries. The perpetrator is in custody and a 16-mile section of the trail north of Marion, VA is currently closed while the investigation continues. We are prayerful for the hikers who were attacked and that all of the rest of us can hike safely on to Katahdin.

It has been a very restful day here at the hotel. We’ve hit the DQ, Subway, and Dollar General to satiate our food needs. We did laundry in the tub and in the sink and hung our clothing out under the gazebo to dry, even though it has been rainy most of the day. Other than that, I have been writing and waiting for another video to upload to YouTube. Angel and Bullfrog are eager for my videos to catch up to the point where we all met. WiFi willing, that should happen fairly soon. We have arranged for a shuttle to take us back to The Outpost and our packs to Trent’s Grocery tomorrow morning. We are all hoping that whatever rain is left in the area will pass over tonight.

And that’s the way it was… I will again thank you for following along on our journey. I will also ask you to continue your prayers for us and other hikers. Even in light of the news from the trail today, the AT is much, much safer than day-to-day life in “civilization.” Thanks again, and remember to just keep taking the Next Step.

The morning of day 63 found us rising early in the Abingdon Gap Shelter. Bullfrog wanted to get into Damascus early to be assured of finding a barber, so he an Angel left out about 7:00 AM heading for town. Snow Cream left a little while later, around 7:30. Gavin and I are the slowest to get out, but we were on trail by 8:08 AM. The trip in would be 10.4 miles. I looked at my watch and at the terrain and I told Gavin that this would be a great chance for us to make 10 by 12. That is trail lingo for getting ten miles in by noon. Generally, this indicates a great start to a long day of hiking, but the ten is all we needed to make it into town to a hostel. I am pleased to report that at just a few minutes before noon Gavin and I walked under the archway on our way through the town park in Damascus.

A few days earlier we had made reservations for us to stay at Woodchuck Hostel, a place Gavin and I had stayed before on a family trip. We didn’t realize that Woodchuck had sold the business, but it was a nice place to stay nonetheless. I will say that now, under new ownership, the place has a far more feminine touch. The front room of the house used to be filled with antiques and AT memorabilia. Now it has six twin beds with matching bedspreads and pillow shams. The second room back used to be a dining room. I remember the corner cabinet, filled with every variety of cereal imaginable. Now it has four twin beds, also with matching spreads and shams. The other front room must be an office now for whomever is watching over the place. It used to have beds and a stairway to the upstairs, another sleeping area, but it is now marked “Off Limits.” The only thing that hasn’t changed much is the kitchen, but for whatever reason, hikers no longer have kitchen privileges. That really threw a wrench into the works when it came to me cooking supper for the group. Oh well, the vegetable soup will have to wait for another day.

Instead of a home-cooked meal, we got the lady who is watching over the hostel to take us into Abingdon for an AYCE Chinese buffet. AYCE is also trail lingo, and one of the most important terms. It stands for All You Can Eat. At this stage of the hiking game, hikers can eat for lengthy periods of time without guilt. We are likely burning in excess of 5,000 calories a day, and it is quite difficult to carry enough food to satiate the hunger. For that reason, hikers almost always make a hard turn off the trail when they see AYCE. On the way back we had to go through Bristol for Angel to have some cell phone maintenance. Apparently, the rain we passed through on Friday did hers in. When we got back to the hostel, we walked a block or two into town and visited Adventure Damascus, Mt. Rogers Outfitters, and the local Dollar General. Afterward, we came back to the hostel and settled in for the evening.

What an evening it was. The five of us and one other hiker we had met previously occupied the six beds in the front of the house. Lucky for her, Angel fell asleep fairly quickly. Then Snow Cream started snoring. Then Gettin’ There started snoring even louder. Bullfrog chimed into the chorus as well, and I had a most difficult time getting to sleep. I’m sure that once I did, I did my part to raise the roof. I am not sure any of us slept very well that evening.

After a so-so night of sleep, we woke up early Sunday morning for an 8:30 breakfast at the Damascus Diner, which was included in our stay. It was there that I had my first waffle on the trail. I have to say, it felt mildly cannibalistic. After breakfast we headed back up to the hostel to await a great day. Not long after we got back, Hippie, Drop Bear, Respect and Haywood dropped by the hostel looking for a place to stay. For whatever reason, they didn’t want to stay at Woodchuck’s so they used my phone to call around. It wasn’t long before Hippie’s girlfriend was able to find an Air B&B for him and Drop Bear. Respect stayed at the hostel at the Methodist Church in town. They were going to be in town for a day longer than we were, so we’ll likely see them again when they hike past us in the coming week or so.

Around 11:30 we started getting visitors. First were Gavin’s friend Emma and her parents and brother. It was great to chat with them and answer their questions about life on the trail. A couple of hours later, I looked down the road and saw my friends Bill and Vicki walking up. I hadn’t expected their visit, and it was great to reconnect. Not long after, we transitioned to the park and were joined by Beth, Griffin, my mom, and the youth group from church. There were cupcakes, a pug-shaped cake, and cold drinks. To top it off, my friend Fred and his family came up for a brief visit as well. It was an awesome day of visiting with family and friends.

After all the festivities, we went back to the hostel to gear up for supper. Since Hippie and Drop Bear were staying out of town, Respect hung with us. We headed uptown for pizza, but the restaurant had closed. Not wanting to walk clear across town (0.6 miles) we decided to try the Damascus Old Mill. I had a chopped steak with onions that was pretty good. Gavin had wings and apparently he enjoyed them because he ate them all. It was good to talk more with Respect. Generally he is sort of quiet, but we got to know him a bit better over dinner.

Sunday night was much quieter in the snoring department. I think we all slept much better, though I did have to get up once during the night. When I stepped out of the bathroom in the dark, I almost knocked Angel down because she was coming in as I was coming out. Before I made it back to my bed, Snow Cream was in my path. I suppose great minds (or bladders) think alike.

On Monday we arose and went back to the Damascus Dinner for breakfast. Afterward, we got a short ride down to Food City to get food for the week. We were packing for six nights, so my food bag was as heavy as it has been yet. It was almost filled to capacity. After packing, we loaded up and hit the trail. The AT goes straight down through town in Damascus before cutting left back into the woods. Gavin and I stopped to talk to Brant at Adventure Damascus. He has several hiking videos on YouTube including one that Gavin and I have watched about the psychological aspects of thru-hiking and I wanted to meet him and tell him thanks. Back on the trail, we missed the turn up into the woods and had to backtrack a few hundred feet.

Our destination Monday was Saunders Shelter, 9.3 miles ahead. We had two fairly significant climbs on Monday. The first was up about 1,000 feet to a crossing of the Iron Mtn. Trail. Near the end of the day we had a second long climb to Saunders Shelter. We were all fairly exhausted by the time we got there. We were nervous upon arrival because there were a passel of hikers sitting around outside the shelter. Though there was plenty of room to tent, I really didn’t want to bother with setting mine up. Fortunately, only three of the other folks were staying in the shelter so we were able to cram in. Gavin wound up sleeping longwise at our feet in the back of the shelter. We figured he’d be the least likely to have to get up in the night.Thankfully, we were correct.

Tuesday morning we left out around 8:15 heading for a campsite near Whitetop Mtn. Gav had a tough morning, but he eventually worked himself through it. For whatever reason, I never did stop to eat lunch on Tuesday. It didn’t take long for my honey bun and instant breakfast to wear off. By the end of the day, I was bushed, and that was where the trail was the most difficult. We had a 2,000 foot climb up to Buzzard Rock, nearly at the summit of Whitetop Mtn. The trail stretched along over huge rocks and roots that made the trip up even more difficult. At one point, Gavin and I both were about completely out of gas and about to melt down. Thankfully, God put a section of level, dirt trail in our way so we were able to relax our legs and stride out and regroup before making the final push to the top. The views from Buzzard Rock were outstanding. It was a perfect afternoon to stretch out in the grass and rest, which we did. The climb got to Snow Cream as well, and he was about 30-45 minutes behind us to the summit. We were grateful that the campsite was just a little over a mile away over level terrain.

We tented in a grassy area beside the trail, just up from Whitetop Rd. We had a great view of the mountains to our south. The only down side to tenting in grass is the condensation that collects inside the tent. There was also a heavy dew, so my rain fly was soaked on both sides. It is never fun packing a wet tent.

Wednesday was a great day of hiking. We broke camp and got on trail fairly early. Without sharing too much information, I had my sights set on getting to Elk Garden as quickly as I could so that I didn’t have to stop and dig a cat hole. I covered the 2.5 miles in about 45 minutes and was rewarded by being the first to make use of the privy.

Elk Garden is where we ended our southbound hike of the Grayson Highlands area a few years ago. Having hiked in that area twice before, I was really looking forward to this section of the trail. It is an area of the trail that is often remembered by hikers as being a favorite because of the views and the wild ponies that inhabit the area to control growth on the balds. We saw our first ponies just south of Thomas Knob Shelter. The mother of a week-old colt came up and started licking the salty sweat off my legs. I tried to walk away, but she followed me a few hundred yards up the trail to the shelter. Before long, there were four or five ponies impeding our ability to sit at the picnic table and eat. In fact, Bullfrog had hung his hat on a limb to dry and one of the ponies grabbed it with his mouth and started to chew it. It was quite comical to see Gavin try to wrestle the hat out of the pony’s mouth.

Thomas Knob Shelter is the first shelter in the Grayson Highlands area, and it has a history of bear problems. In fact, last summer, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the park prohibited camping on the trail between Elk Garden and Wise Shelter because of problem bears. For the past two days we have heard stories of hikers who had lost their food bags to bears at Thomas Knob. I have to interject that there are now bear boxes in place at the shelter, so I have no idea why a hiker would tempt fate by hanging or sleeping with their food. Even a day or two after leaving the area, we kept hearing stories of bear vs. food encounters.

After a hearty lunch in the shelter (to avoid the ponies), we pressed on. Just behind Wilburn Ridge we crossed the 500 mile mark on the trail. Oddly enough, Angel, Bullfrog, and I missed the 5-0-0 spelled out in rocks because we came across the area on a slightly higher trail. We were lucky that I stopped close by to wait on Gavin and Snow Cream and that they saw it. Just after, we climbed up on top of the rocks on Wilburn Ridge. The weather was gorgeous and we could see forever. It truly is a beautiful section of the trail. As a side note, it is less than two hours drive from my home to the Grayson Highlands State Park, and there are day hikes you can do there to see all the sights— I highly recommend it!

After sunning and playing on the rocks, we headed down toward Massie Gap. The trail down is quite rugged over and around rocks on top of rocks. Some of the steps down are 18-24” and they can be quite tricky in places. Along the way we saw more ponies and some longhorn cattle. There were several jokes made about the “cheeseburgers on the hoof.” When we got to Massie Gap, we left the trail and headed toward the parking area. The Grayson Highlands General Store and Inn runs a shuttle to and from the park so we headed in for a meal. It was somewhat pricey, but it beat the heck out of another Knorr Pasta Side. After we were fed, we got a ride back and headed about two miles into Wise Shelter where we stayed the night. We were all surprised that there was only one other hiker staying there, so we had plenty of room to spread out and sleep comfortably.

Thursday was a 10.9-mile day that was roughly divided into thirds. Wise Shelter is about 3.5 miles from the Scales, a corral where livestock is herded. It has a privy and there is a spring nearby so it is a great place to stop and eat lunch, which we did. The second “third” was onward to Old Orchard Shelter. When we got there, a gentleman called Gavin by name and wished him happy birthday. It took me a minute to realize that he wasn’t wearing hiking clothing, and it registered with me that he was Terry Little, a 2014 thru-hiker from home who has recently moved to Virginia. He had offered us trail magic via the blog, and he was at the shelter to deliver. We walked on down the trail to his car and he took us to the General Store in Troutdale for a wonderful lunch. We greatly appreciated his generosity. He told us multiple times along the trip that when he was hiking, he was frequently on the receiving end of trail magic, and he really enjoys giving back to the trail. The last part of our hike Thursday was onward to Hurricane Mtn. Shelter. Once again, we arrived and were the only inhabitants, but that changed quickly. The shelter filled up and one guy even laid down crosswise to the rest of us on the outer edge.

Friday morning was one that I will not soon forget. It started about 5:15 or so with the sound of Snow Cream shouting profanities in the distance. Apparently, when he went to retrieve his food bag, he disturbed the bear who had already gotten it down from the tree for him. I don’t know what all he yelled, but there was something about sunny beaches, and I think he questioned whether the bear’s parents had had a Christian wedding or not. He came back up to the shelter and told everyone else what had happened, and we all bolted up to go get our food out of the trees. There were two victims of the bear’s foraging that night: Snow Cream and Peanut. The perplexing thing is how the bear got Snow Cream’s bag. He had a perfect hang, 6’ from the tree, 10-12’ below the branch and 12-15’ up off the ground. The only thing we could figure is that the bear climbed out on the tree limb and pulled the food bag back up using the rope until he could tear the bag open.

One of the things I’ve read about time and again while preparing for this trip is how hikers go out of their way to help others out. It is one of those things you can’t really appreciate until you are out here to experience it for yourself. We all pooled our food and got Peanut and Snow Cream a good breakfast. We were only a few miles from a road crossing, so Peanut was able to get a hitch into Troutdale to get a few food items for the next day or so until she was zeroing in Marion. We had the same plan for Snow Cream, but when we reached the road crossing, Angel and Bullfrog went through their food and realized that they had plenty to spare, so we hiked on.

Friday was one of our shortest days of the week at 9.2 miles. For the most part, it was an easy day of hiking, though we did have to contend with rocks and roots for some of the way. It was our goal to get to Trimpi Shelter as quickly as we could because the forecast was for rain. We arrived around 1:30, before the rain started, but not much before. We were able to hang our clothes inside the shelter, and they dried a little before the downpour. It wasn’t long before wet hikers started showing up. We had the shelter full and there were several folks tenting nearby. One of the nice things about this shelter is that there was at least one resident black snake, which meant there were very few mice. We are grateful that the snake didn’t crawl around on anyone during the night. That is a surprise nobody wants to have.

Our hike Saturday was one we were looking forward to. It was a fairly easy 10-mile hike to the Partnership Shelter and the Mt. Rogers National Recreational Area HQ. We are grateful that even though the morning looked dismal, the weather burned off quickly and it turned out to be a nice sunny day. Most all the hike was along a ridge line with little ups and downs, but it was fairly pleasant except for some areas that had rocks. Along the way, we crossed the Comer Falls bridge, which was marked as unsafe. We had already encountered several southbound hikers who said the bridge was fine, so we took our chances. Bullfrog went across first and he got along just fine. Just on the other side, we encountered trail magic from the AT Hiker Ministry. I’m sure I have seen videos of the gentleman who provided us with drinks and snacks. He has a small bus that has been outfitted as a camper and he really had everything a hiker could need. I am looking forward to being able to come out next spring and give back.

For whatever reason, after the trail magic, the five of us got quite spread out along the trail. Bullfrog was in front and he hiked out like there was no tomorrow. We lost sight of him fairly quickly. Angel and I stayed together for a while, and Gavin and Snow Cream fell behind on some of the uphills. After a while, Angel and I decided that Bullfrog wasn’t going to pull up and wait on us, which is quite unusual, so we waited on the others.They caught up in less than ten minutes, and Angel said she was going to bolt on forward to find Bullfrog and make sure nothing was wrong. Not long after, I walked on ahead of Snow Cream and Hawk Eye with the thought of trying to catch Angel and Bullfrog myself. After a while, though, I realized that it wasn’t going to happen, so I switched to meander mode so that the others could close the distance to me. I kept thinking about stopping to wait, but this was the first time in a while I had been able to hike completely by myself so I enjoyed myself, lost in thought and prayer.

When I arrived at Partnership Shelter, there was a southbound section hiker there having an Arby’s lunch. He had just been dropped at the trailhead and was heading out for a week. His eyes were bigger than his stomach and he had an extra roast beef sandwich which he shared with me. I enjoyed talking with him and while I was there, Gavin rolled in only about five minutes behind me. He went on to the visitor’s center to see Angel and Bullfrog. Snow Cream was another 10-15 minutes in coming, and by that time, I was done with my sandwich and the section hiker had hiked out. I gathered a bit of trash that had been left in the shelter and hiked a few hundred yards to a dumpster near the visitor’s center and deposited it. I really don’t understand why folks left trash when there was a dumpster so near.

Bullfrog had arranged a shuttle from the visitor’s center into Marion which arrived not long after we all were gathered together again. We settled into the EconoLodge for Saturday and Sunday nights. This is a fairly nice place to be, with many restaurants and a WalMart within walking distance (for a hiker). One of the things I have been needing is a new pair of shorts. The hiking pants I started with now fall off my hips, and when I pull the webbing belt tight, the creases in the waistband of the pants get caught under the hip belt of my pack. I also needed something to wear around camp in the evenings while my hiking clothes dried. As luck would have it, WalMart had just what I was looking for. We enjoyed a great Mexican dinner with a couple of other hikers. The only problem was, while we were dining, it started raining like nobody’s business. It was about 0.5 miles back to the hotel and we were fairly soaked when we got back.

Unfortunately, there are no laundry facilities at this hotel, so we got up Sunday morning and walked about 1.5 miles down the road to a laundromat. I have to say that laundromats are interesting places. While we were there, a fairly creepy looking guy came in and sat down. He made some mention of needing an ATM to get money for the machines, but he never left to get any. He just sat down on a bench and hung out. I never did figure out what he was doing there. Maybe he was homeless, who knows.

That gets us to Sunday evening, where I’m sitting on the bead finishing up this post. We are out again around midday on Monday for another 6-7 days in the woods. We appreciate you for taking the time to check on our progress. Also, please know that I’m doing my best to get videos uploaded. Unfortunately, not all WiFi is alike and I have spent two consecutive weekends in places with terrifically slow upload speeds. Have a good week and remember to just keep taking the Next Step.