AT Days 57-64

Our day 57 (Sunday) started off with an Angel-made breakfast at The Station at 19E. Eggs with peppers, kielbasa, and spices. Everyone but me had a great feast, but Angel didn’t know that I don’t eat eggs. It was all okay. We got a shuttle to the trailhead around 9:00, which was a might embarrassing because it was only 0.4-0.5 miles, but the ride was offered so we took it. We really enjoyed our 2-night stay there. It is a place, like Standing Bear Hostel, which I would like to visit again.

The three highlights of the trail today were two waterfalls and a cemetery. Isaac’s cemetery has many old grave sites that were interesting to look at and there was at least one recently dug grave. I am always fascinated by walking through old cemeteries, thinking about the people who are buried there and what their lives might have been like. I am also curious when I come across the grave of an infant and often wonder about what caused the passing and how the family dealt with the grief of losing a child.

Jones Falls was one of the largest falls we have encountered on the trail. We estimated that it was over 100’ tall, and it was gorgeous. The funniest part of that trip was the warning sign that said, “Waterfalls are Dangerous!” Well, duh… And I imagine that the water was pretty dang cold as well. I wasn’t about to get out and climb around on the rocks. The second waterfall is right at our campsite, Mountaineer Falls. In fact, our water supply for the shelter is at one of the creeks that supplies the falls.

On our trip today we also passed the 400-mile mark. This was a little disappointing, though, because we had to skip an eight-mile section of the trail because of the way we came off the balds from Overmountain Shelter Friday morning. I am thankful that that section is quite close to home so perhaps we can come out and do it as a day trip as a family when we complete the remainder of our trip. I just have to be sure not to miss any miles on up the trail that wouldn’t be easy to come back to to make up.

We arrived at the Mountaineer Shelter around 2:45 this afternoon. It is quite encouraging to know that we hiked almost nine miles at a pretty good pace, and that the trail even included some uphill sections. We are definitely getting stronger as hikers, and it is evident that we are ready to hike longer miles as long as the terrain isn’t too difficult. We are planning to hike almost ten miles to Moreland Shelter tomorrow. The trip will be fairly flat, with only about 1,000’ difference in elevation from start to finish.

We have done our “chores” around the shelter: getting water, eating supper, hanging bear bags, and drying clothing as best as we can. We even had a small campfire because it is a bit cooler than it has been. It is hard to believe that at only 7:02 in the evening, almost all of us are in our sleeping bags readying for bed. When we wake up tomorrow, it will be Gavin’s 14th birthday, and I have to say that he is really looking forward to that. Unfortunately, because we’re in the woods, we don’t have presents, cake, or ice cream. Hopefully he isn’t too disappointed, but we did tell him that we’re planning to celebrate a bit more when we get to town on Tuesday for the evening.

On Monday we each took our turns wishing Gavin a happy birthday. Angel went up first, then Bullfrog, and finally, I played the Beatles Birthday. Our trip today was only a bit longer than yesterday at 9.8 miles. On the map, it was a fairly flat trip, but we all agreed that we felt like we worked harder today than yesterday. Along the trail we passed where Hippie, Drop Bear, and Respect were camping. They are friends of ours from way back at Standing Bear Hostel. Each of them remembered to wish Gavin well. I am amazed at the number of friends we have made along the trail so far.

There were few views on the trail today, but a few miles from our shelter we passed Hardcore Cascades, which was an unexpected treat. It was a huge rush of water that crossed over the trail. We took a few minutes there to resupply our water and to talk with a hiker friend of Bullfrog’s and Angel’s who was planning to do a 30-mile day. Needless to say, we likely won’t see him again.

We made it to Moreland Gap Shelter and the Standing Bear crew I mentioned above were here resting. They didn’t stay long, but Gavin enjoyed seeing Haywood, Hippie’s Pit Bull. We’ve been hiking around them quite a bit lately, and hopefully we’ll see them again tomorrow. We have a slightly shorter day planned for tomorrow into Hampton, TN. We are also hoping to meet up with a good friend from home along the way. I am thankful that we got here early because there are quite a number of folks that came in behind us and set up tents. There are a few folks here that we stayed with at Overmountain Shelter, and it has been great to reconnect with them. At this point in the game, we have had our supper and have hung our bags, and it won’t be long before we turn in for the night.

Tuesday was a great day! We left Moreland Gap Shelter around 8:00 heading for a 9ish mile day into Hampton, TN by way of a side trail off US 321. On Monday, I got a call from my good friend Paul asking where we’d be for the next several days so he could come out and see us. We agreed on meeting Tuesday about 6 miles into the day at Dennis Cove Rd. The only interesting sight early in the day was a falling-in barn just before the road crossing. As we came within sight of the road, we could see Paul’s truck, canopy, and tables set up. We knew we were in for a treat. As we drew closer, we saw the “Happy Birthday, Hawkeye” banner stretched across the front of his tarp. He had cold drinks, hot soup (which was incredible,) and cupcakes for the hikers passing by that day. He also had set up a giant birthday card for folks to sign. It was a real treat.

Knowing that our next two days were going to be tough ones at more than 14 miles each, I had a brainstorm coming down the trail toward Dennis Cove. There are several different places to get off near Hampton, one of which was far enough along to get us over the one giant climb that stood between us and Damascus. I propositioned the group with asking Paul to take our packs from Dennis Cove Rd. onward to Boots Off Hostel on the far side of town. Paul was gracious enough to agree to our plan, so after filling ourselves with goodies, all of us except Gavin headed on down the trail carrying no weight. The first part of the trail carried us down to Laurel Falls. It was without a doubt the best waterfall we have seen. We had rock-hopping on the way down to the falls, and then the trail took us on an inches-wide rock ledge along the side of the roaring river. It was phenomenal.

The beauty was short-lived, though. Immediately after leaving the river, we had to climb Pond Flats. It was straight up, even with switchbacks, and the trail was littered with rocks of all sizes. We all agreed that if we had waited until Wednesday to do that section with packs on, there is no way we would have even come close to making our mileage goal for the day. The climb was just about 2,000 feet over 2.5 miles, and it was arduous. Once we got to the top, we were able to fly again. We added ten miles to our day doing the slack pack experience, and we set a record pace: we covered ten miles in exactly four hours. Needless to say, we were excited and exhausted.

At Boots Off Hostel, we we were greeted by a warm welcome and smoked brisket. Added to a Gatorade and a cold coke, it was marvelous. The five of us in our trail family found solace in the bunkhouse. This bunk house was one of the most comfortable and efficiently laid out ones we have encountered. Each of the bunks was a little compartment with a curtain and its own light and power outlet. They provided the linens and we slept quite comfortably. It was hands-down the most adventure-filled days we’ve had so far. Unfortunately, now Gavin has two sections that we’ll have to go back and finish when our trip is over. At least they’re not too far from home.

Wednesday kicked us all in the teeth. One of us (me) had looked ahead at the map and somehow failed to notice the nearly 1,500’ continual climb out of Shook Gap at Watauga Lake. Along the nearly 10-mile way, there were steep climbs and not so steep climbs, but downhill and level was definitely not a part of the trail today.

The one really good thing about the day, though, was the views of Watauga lake off to the east for most of our trip. It was interesting that every mile or so there was a new marina to look down on. We even saw a sailboat around midday.

Our destination for Wednesday was the Vandeventeer Shelter. We were a bit nervous because we had been passed by younger, faster hikers off and on all day. We were pleased when we got there that everyone else had hiked on through, leaving the shelter all to us. Right behind the shelter was a large rock outcropping that had incredible views overlooking the lake. At one point, we even thought we saw a bald eagle flying around. It was quite the place to spend the evening. As we were getting settled, a few other folks came in, but they all tented. Even though we arose early, all but one of them were up and gone before we were up.

Thursday was a really long day at 14.5 miles, but it was over terrain that was far more flat than any we’ve traversed so far. For the most part, we all hiked quickly and without much exertion. There were little ups and downs along the way, but we were very happy to have a fairly easy trail on such a long day.

At the top of Iron Mountain we passed a memorial to Nick Grindstaff who apparently was a resident of the area. His epitaph said, “Lived alone, suffered alone, died alone.” It was the oddest thing I’ve ever seen on a tombstone before. One of the books I have read did a bit of digging to find out more about Mr. Grindstaff, but unfortunately I have forgotten what he found out.

At the 10-mile mark, or thereabouts, we crossed TN-91. This is the trailhead for a section that Gavin, Griffin, Beth, and I did with some church friends Cory and Emily a few years ago. The first 0.9 mile part of the trail passed the road crossing is the only handicap accessible part of the Appalachian Trail. When we did this section a few summers ago, each of us marveled at how difficult we thought it was, even though Beth and our friends were distance runners. We only covered the first three miles of that trip today, but with 450 or so miles on my legs, it didn’t seem difficult at all.

Friday was a fairly easy day. We covered 8.3 miles from Double Springs Shelter to Abindon Gap Shelter. When we crossed US 321, we were treated with trail magic. A group of 2014 hikers reunite every year to treat hikers at that location. They had eggs and homemade sausage, hamburgers, hot dogs, chili (which was excellent), fruit and cold drinks for hikers of all ages. It was truly marvelous. There were no significant views to be had today, but even if there had been, we wouldn’t have seen them. It started raining overnight, and it has only now let up.

At present, we’re hunkered down in the shelter with all our rain gear and wet clothing hanging on a clothesline out front. It would be nice if there was one more shelter or good campsite a little closer to Damascus because I feel a little guilty stopping my hike at 1:00. Instead, I’m getting ready to crawl into my sleeping bag and get warm. It would also be great if there were enough cell service so I could download the next installment of World War II in Color on Netflix, but I guess I’ll have to wait until we get to Woodchucks Hostel tomorrow.

Saturday was a great day of hiking. Bullfrog was hoping to get his hair cut, and knowing that most small-town barbers close early on Saturday, he and Angel headed out around7:00 to make it on into town. Snow Cream left out next around 7:30 or so, and oddly enough, Gavin and I were ready to go by 8:00. It is right at 10 miles from the Abingdon Shelter into Damascus and we set a goal to arrive by noon. This was to be our first 10 by 12 day. That is a trail guideline for making larger miles: try to get the first ten miles done by noon. Doing so affords hikers the option of taking it a bit easier in the afternoon: longer lunches, naps on balds, or simply hiking slower. For us, it meant that we would be indoors for the rest of the day. The trail was very cooperative for us Saturday, and I am pleased to report that we reached our goal.

One advantage to getting into town early is the luxury of being able to have a sit-down lunch. We opted for a Chinese Buffet in Abingdon, which our host was willing to drive us to. We came back by Bristol so Angel could take her recently deceased phone to T-Mobile. Back in town, our trail family walked the couple of blocks up the street to Adventure Damascus and Mount Rogers Outfitters to pick up a few supplies. Unfortunately, I completely struck out. I was looking for a new pair of pants since I’ve lost almost 40 pounds. Apparently ExOfficio has stopped making the Amphi pant with zip-off legs. I was also in the market for a short sleeved merino wool shirt, hoping it would hold odor less than my current polyester shirt. Nope. Dang it. I guess I’ll have to get online to REI.com and hope they can ship to the next town.

Woodchuck Hostel has changed a bit since we have stayed here a couple of years ago. It has been sold to a new owner, and it definitely has a more feminine touch now. We stayed in the front room which, when we were here before, was a den area with trail memorabilia and antiques. Now it has six twin beds with matching bedspreads and pillow shams. The dining room area once held a long table for many hikers to gather around for breakfast. Now it has four beds, similarly adorned. I’m not sure what became of the upstairs. Previously, there were more beds in the other front room and upstairs, but that area is no longer accessible to guests. Even though it is decidedly different, we still slept warmly and well.

Last night in the front room, one could have witnessed Snorefest 2019. Snow Cream started the festivities early on. He was joined, and perhaps outdone by Gettin’ There a bit later. Bullfrog needs to get his game on- he hardly made a contribution to the overall noise. I don’t know what my contributions were, but I’m sure they were quite significant. At this stage of the game, though, most hikers have learned to either don earplugs or just tune out the noise of snoring, so hopefully the other folks staying here weren’t terrifically annoyed.

One of the perks of staying at this hostel is free breakfast at a local restaurant. Previously, Woodchuck would have made pancakes and waffles, and had a variety of different cereals to choose from. That has changed as well, but the Damascus Diner breakfast was pretty good. Now we’re back at the hostel planning out the rest of our day. We need to resupply, and I need to go back to the outfitter to get Gavin a new food bag (mice got in his). We are also expecting a crowd from church to show up after lunch, and I think some of the scouts are coming up today as well. It should be a great afternoon.

I’m going to sign off here, leaving you at the start of day 64. We are hopeful that in the coming weeks we will be able to more consistently up our daily mileage. We’ve heard that the mountains flatten out a bit in Virginia and that our walking will be easier. I have also heard that the promise of easier terrain is a myth. I’ll let you know what we find out in a later post. I do know that our next exciting section of trail is going to be through the Grayson Highlands State Park. Gavin and I have hiked there twice before and it is absolutely beautiful. We will most certainly see tons of wild ponies who live in the park. Most hikers recall this section of the AT as one of the best, and we certainly think so. Please subscribe by entering your email address in the space provided so you can receive email updates. Thanks for joining us, and remember to just keep taking the Next Step.