I MADE IT

I have completed the A.T. Just been a little too lazy to post about it.

June 22, 2010-November 16, 2010.

Fontana Dam to Springer Mt.

November 7

So coming out of Fontana, I remember their still being snow on the ground, and the temperature pleasantly in the 40s or 50s. Because of the two "zero" days I took on the 5th and 6th, I was wanting to make up some time once again. The plan that day was to do a 24 mile day to Wesser Bald Shelter, but instead of doing that, I cut the day short and went to Rufus Morgan shelter, which is just beyond the Nantahala Outdoors Center (NOC). I hit the NOC just before dark that day. The place is pretty cool; their is an outfitter their and a restaurant, and the people I had been hiking with and I had some good food there, and night hiked to the Rufus Morgan shelter afterwards.

Nov. 8

The climb out of the NOC is absolute hell. It is about a 3000 foot elevation change in 6 miles out of there, and I remember it taking me about 3 hours to do the 2.8 miles from Rufus Morgan to the "Jump up Lookout". I passed Wesser Bald which had a nice observation tower on it that day. On the night of the 8th, I stayed on top of Wayah Bald, where I witnessed the most amazing sunset on the entire trail. Their is a giant castle-like observation tower on Wayah, and the colors of the sunset and the views of the distant Smokies were unreal. I stayed inside the castle-like observation tower by myself that night. It was a little creepy, and of course I had some coon hunters come by to wake me up in the middle of the night. Also that night was, I believe, the first time mice have actually gotten into my food bag. I didn't exactly hang it that well in the tower, so they got in.

Nov. 9

By the 9th, the weather had warmed up substantially from where it had been a few days prior. Nantahala, the range of mountains in this area of North Carolina, is Native American for, "land of the noonday sun". I quickly realized what they meant by that. Since there was no sun cover since the leaves were off the trees, the sun was beating down on me and was pretty annoying. But since it was November and the weather was still relatively amazing, I cannot complain. I went into town on the 9th as well. I hitchhiked into Franklin, NC from Winding Stair Gap. The hitches in and out were really pleasant, and both people that picked me up had cool stories to tell me. In Franklin, I ate an entire Little Caesars Pizza from the Kmart there. Also picked up some beer and got relatively drunk in the parking lot and continued this on the trail hiking out of town that day. That night, I met some really cool section hikers from Alabama, and I was absolutely in awe by the one kids North Face Cats Meow sleeping bag. Those things weigh absolutely nothing and pack down to the size of a Nerf football. I got to have one.

Nov. 10

From Rock Gap shelter, I pulled a 20 mile day to Standing Indian Shelter. There were a ton of day hikers out near Albert Mtn. I have been told that Albert Mtn. is one of the toughest climbs in the south, but I thought it was pretty simple. Going over Standing Indian (or I guess close to the top, the trail doesn't go quite over the summit) that evening was amazing. Through the trees I could see a ridiculously deep valley and the colors were great as well. I stayed at Standing Indian shelter that night, alone. The shelter is know for being in a high bear activity area, and I was sort of freaked out. I still did not hang my food bag, and left it about 3 yards from where I slept. Nothing happened.

Nov. 11

The next day I crossed the border into Georgia, my last state. I was so happy when I crossed that line. I remember passing a shit ton of day and section hikers out that day. Whenever some of them asked where I was coming from, and I said Maine, the reaction on their faces was always priceless. They either looked like they saw a ghost, or would simply say something like, "Well I'll be damned". I actually had one guy video tape me the previous day after I talked to him for awhile. It was pretty cool. The night of the 11th, I stayed at the Hiawassee Inn in Hiawassee, GA. As you can see from the last week or so, I've took it easy and stayed in town a lot at the end because I had the money to. I also ate at a crappy all you can eat Chinese Buffet in Hiawassee, which will play into my account of my thru hike in a couple of days...

Nov. 12

Out of Hiawassee, I did a 19 mile day to Blue Mtn Shelter. Nothing really to note except the passing of the "swag of the Blue Ridge" sign, which I thought was an interesting name for a gap.

Nov. 13

The next morning, I woke up to a rumbling belly. I tried to make it to the outhouse, but couldn't quite get there. Diarrhea. The thought went through my mind, "Oh shit (pun intended), not purifying my water in the Smokies has finally caught up to me. I probably have giardia". I was considering turning back and going the 2 miles back into Helen and taking another zero day. But I was stubborn and pushed on, smelling of shit. I did 18 miles to the Walasi-Yi outfitter at Neels Gap, with my stomach cooperating with me most of the day. I stayed in the bunkhouse, washed my shorts and leggings, and felt better the next day. Yep, the diarrhea was most likely due to the 50+ pieces of shrimp I ate at that buffet. I guess it was partially my fault.

Nov. 14

It rained all day on the 14th. It was the most miserable day I had on trail. I totally destroyed my camera-phone, which also functions as my alarm clock and is the only piece of equipment that I had that told time. So I had called a hostel in Dahlonega, GA to pick me up at Neels Gap, and we scheduled for 4 on the 16th. I had no idea what time it was for a day and a half, and of course this is the one time when I really needed to know the time. I also lost all my pictures from SW Virginia south because of this rain. I'm still pretty bitter about it. That night I stayed at Gooch Gap shelter, soaking wet, and alone. Great way to spend your last night on the A.T.

Nov. 16 (I must have skipped a day somewhere)

I summited Springer on the 16th. It poured most of the morning, and the trail was more of a creek. It really didn't matter though; I was so happy and excited. I really didn't stop all day, mostly because of the rain, but also because I was almost finished. When I reached the parking lot at USFS 42, I had a mile to the summit of Springer. That last mile of trail was absolutely incredible. I really can't put it into words. All of the shit I had to go through the previous 5 months would not go for naught; I had risen above all of the people who said I wasn't going to make it; I had conquered the Appalachian Trail. When I reached the summit of Springer, I can honestly say I haven't been more emotional or happy in my entire life. I had accomplished something that few people can ever say that they have done.

Two Thousand, One Hundred, Seventy Nine Point One.

I did it.

Hot Springs to Fontana Dam--SNOW, BEARS, Evangelicals (again), 2000 miles, and the SMOKIES!

Oct. 31--Halloween

So after hiking the 13 miles out of town on the 30th, I hiked a pretty tough 24 mile day from Walnut Mtn. Shelter to Davenport Gap Shelter. I recall the temperature that day being comfortably in the 60's or so, so it was a really pleasant day to hike. The best thing about that day was definitely going over Max Patch, which is a cleared field on top of a mountain. There are panoramic views from the summit, and I sat up there for about a half hour and ate lunch. After taking my time most of the day, I ended up having to do 3 miles of night hiking from about Green Corner Rd to Davenport Gap. It was pretty chilly but pretty cool entering the Smokies at night, alone, with the possibility of being jumped by bears at any time. When I got to the shelter, Doc Geo was there, along with a group of about 5 twenty-somethings who were just out for a night. They invited me to go watch the sunset with them the next morning, and since the girls seemed nice I happily abliged.

Nov. 1 (All Saints Day, I think)
I ended up waking up with them at 5 am to go to the summit of Mt. Cammerer for the sunrise. It is unusual for me to wake up anytime before 8 am to hike, so this was a pretty big sacrifice to be made. When I got to the summit of Cammerer (which by the way has amazing, panoramic views of the Smokies), I figured out why they had been so kind to me the previous night. They were a Christians in Action group of evangelical Christians. Once again, I was fooled into thinking that someone was being kind to me just for the sake of being kind, but it turned out they had a bit of an agenda to push. For the second time in 5 days, I had an hour long debate with evangelicals, but this time I had to battle 5 of them. They gave the same stupid reasons for their beliefs over and over again until I eventually threw up in my mouth and had to leave (just kidding). I was planning on a 27 mile day on the 1st, but because of the time I spent of Mt. Cammerer, I ended up only doing 20, and stayed at Pecks Corner Shelter. It was nice being up in the Smokies again, which I have visited for the past 2 summers now.

Nov. 2
I woke up on the 2nd pretty late, around 9 am, and the temperature was hovering probably in the 40's. It took a lot for me to get going, even though the 2nd was a resupply day for me in Gatlinburg. I ended doing the 10 miles to Newfound Gap, the road to Gatlinburg, pretty slowly and got there at 2:30 in the afternoon. I got a hitch for the 15 miles into town, which went well, and was in town by 3:30. By the time I was done eating and doing my resupply, it was about 5:30 pm, and I still had 5 miles to hike to Mt. Collins Shelter. I ended up doing the 5 miles in the dark, which was pretty cool since the stretch between Newfound and Mt. Collins is in a dense coniferous forest. It was actually kind of ere going through there after dark but it was worth doing since I caught up to Matt and Annie that night, two thru hikers I had hiked with previously in my trip.

Nov. 3
From Mt. Collins shelter, I got to hike up to Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the entire A.T.. There is an observation tower on the top of Clingmans, and a parking lot, so of course there were a TON of tourists up there. I got gauked at a bit, but really didn't mind telling the people up there that I had hiked there from Maine. Later that day, it began to rain. I was already running behind since I woke up late and stayed on top of Clingmans for awhile, so I ended up only doing a 13.5 mile day and stayed at Derrick Knob Shelter. It was really cold and rained the entire night when I was at the shelter.

Nov. 4
The next morning, it got even colder, and the rain turned into sleet. Even though I had gotten what I thought was 3 days worth of food out of Gatlinburg, it turned out that I have been eating around 5000 calories a day, and so that food was going to be gone by the end of the day on the 4th. That meant that I had to get to Fontana Dam and out of the Smokies this day, which meant doing a 23 mile day. Well, I left the shelter around 9 am and began hiking with my underarmour layer, my fleece jacket, my raincoat, my tobaggan cap, my gloves, and basically all the rest of my clothes on. By the time I had gotten to Thunderhead 4.5 miles up trail, the freezing rain had turned into sleet, and then into snow. It was kind of cool to get that weather on my thru hike, but it was not that fun to hike in. My tennis shoes were soaking wet and my feet were freezing from the rain and snow on the trail. Every time I stopped hiking, I would get cold enough that I would be shivering, so I just had to keep walking. Though the weather sucked, I did hit a huge milestone this day- 2000 MILES. When I got to Russell Field Shelter, there was a log book with the "2000 mile awards", where thru hikers give there best and worst of everything from mountains to states to hostels. Before I hit the end of the Smokies, I got to see something for the first time since New Jersey--A BEAR! I think I kind of suprised it, and even though I was alone, I really didn't have much fear for the animal. It sat in the middle of the trail for a few minutes, I told it to go away, and it happily abliged. I got a picture of it, and was happy that I can now say I've seen two bears on my thru hike to all the people that ask me that question over and over again.
I got to Fontana Dam, the end of the Smokies, that night just before dark. It took me around 45 minutes of walking in circles to find the shelter near the dam in the dark. I eventually found it, and finished off the rest of my food that night. It was a cold, cold night, and my clothes were wet from perspiration, so I froze even in my sleeping bag.

Nov. 5
I had to go into Fontana village to resupply, and though normally I can get a hitch into town, there were ABSOLUTELY NO CARS going into Fontana, which is a resort town that is not busy this time of year. I had to walk the 2 miles into town, and found that Fontana was really cool. The resort in Fontana is amazing, and the rooms are really cheap for hikers. Since it was in the 30s-40s during the day, I ended up getting a room and taking a zero day on the 5th. It was worth it, since later in the day Matt, Annie, and a couple other thru hikers rolled into the hotel nearly hypothermic after hiking in the rain all day. The 5th was the first time in 5 months I have had 3 square, hot meals in a day, and I basically am giving myself a mini vacation from hiking to rest up for the last 164 miles of the trail. It got into the 20's on the night of the 5th, but I was happily warm in my hotel room.

Nov. 6
So today is the 6th, and I am again taking a zero today since it is in the 40's during the day today, and will be in the 20's overnight. I am really enjoying just zoning out in front of the tv and watching college football. Tomorrow it is supposed to warm up, and I feel a lot better today and will be ready to do probably a 22 mile day tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be nice for the next week or so, and I have plenty of time to finish my thru hike before Thanksgiving.

Damascus to Hot Springs

Oct. 20

On the 20th, I did a 19 mile day out of Damascus. I crossed the Virginia/Tennessee line this day, which was a pretty big milestone since Virginia was so long and harrowing. I ended up averaging about 20 miles a day through Virginia, which is a solid speed. Before I headed out of Damascus, some dude (a former thru hiker) came into the hostel I was staying at and asked me if I could help him move a woodburning stove. He said he would give me a few bucks to help, so I decided to help him out. This stove ended up being the heaviest thing I think I have ever lifted. There were 5 guys carrying this thing off of a truck bed and up a small hill to the guy's house. The thing almost feel over and could have crushed me to death on a couple of occasions, since it wasn't the easiest thing to balance. We ended up getting it into the guy's house, and he took me out to lunch afterwards. Not really sure if it was worth throwing out my back for, but the lunch was good anyway.

Oct. 21st

Along with the 20th, this was a pretty boring day in Tennessee. I followed a ridgeline up and down for most of the day, and there really weren't too many good views. Water was super scarce that day, and it was pretty warm, so it wasn't very fun staring at the clear blue water of Watauga Dam on the way down the mountain. I decended that day from 4000 feet to about 2000 to Watauga Lake Shelter. The shelter is right near Watauga Lake Dam, which was a TVA dam that forced some 700 people to leave there homes to build the thing. I did about 22 miles that day.

Oct. 22nd

On the 22nd, I took it easy and did an 11 mile day to the Kincora Hostel, run by Bob Peoples. Bob Peoples is sort of a trail legend, and has been running the Hostel for years upon years. I went past Laurel Fork Falls that day, which is a 30-40 foot high waterfall. There were a bunch of day hikers out, and one told me I would have trouble climbing out from the valley from Laurel Falls. I told him I thought I could handle it.

Oct. 23rd

I slackpacked 25 miles on the 23rd. Peoples drove me out to Elk Park/Roan Mtn where I walked north for 25 miles back to his hostel. There were some pretty decent views that day, and I remember the weather being nice and sunny.

Oct. 24th

People's drove me back to Elk Park the next day and I proceeded south again. This day I entered the Roan's. The Roans are above 5000 feet in alot of places, and there are amazing views from some of the balds, especially from Hump Mtn and Grassy Ridge. I pulled a huge 22 mile day on the 24th, starting at 3000 feet at Elk Park and heading all the way up to 6300 feet at Roan High Knob. Roan High Knob looked alot like Maine, with a very large section of coniferous forest. I stayed at Clyde Smith shelter that night.

Oct. 25th

I did a 9 mile day on the 25th because it poured for half the day and I didn't want to get out of the shelter. I stayed at Cherry Gap Shelter that night instead of pushing on because I didn't want to continue to get rained on overnight.

Oct. 26th

On the 26th, I booked it 17 miles over Unaka Mtn (which also looks like Maine) and into Erwin, TN to resupply. I stayed at Uncle Johnny's, which was a pretty nice hostel to spend the night.

Oct. 27th

The climb out of Erwin, like alot of trail towns, really sucked. Erwin was at 1700 feet, and I had to climb up to 5200 feet that day in a drizzling rain. I would have went farther than I did that day (I did 17 miles) but I did not feel like night hiking in the rain to get to a farther shelter.

Oct. 28th

On the 28th, I pulled a 25 mile day to Jerry Cabin Shelter. It wasn't too bad of a 25, and I took my time. Around 8 pm, I was startled by 2 people riding ATV's through the woods. They stopped right in front of the shelter and had asked if I had seen their dogs. These people leave their coon dogs out in the woods with tracking collars, and often hikers will take the collars off the dogs because they feel bad for them. There was a sign on the road I crossed that day that read, verbatim, "Theif. Do not steall or dogs". I hope that sign was written by a 3rd grader, but I think it probably wasn't.

Oct. 29th

Yesterday I did a 26 mile day into Hot Springs, NC. I left around 9 am, when it was warm enough out to actually move, and was keeping a pretty good pace until I got to Allen Gap. There was a sign for trail magic! It offered belgian waffles, beef stew, and dessert, so I was there. I walked the 300 yards to the home, and sat, ate, and talked to the couple that owned the home. Afterwards, they brought up if I was a Christian. They then offered me Christian literature and different books to read about god, and I had an hour long debate with them. They were at least reasonable, but I nonetheless felt that it was kind of strange to invite someone into their home just to talk about religion. I ended up staying at their house for a few hours, which forced me to night hike for about 4 hours into Hot Springs, which turned out to be a fairly enjoyable experience.

Oct. 3oth

So I am currently in Hot Springs, and I need to get out of here and hike 13 miles out of town. I had a couple of nice hot meals so its about time to get going. I got 270 miles left to hike, and I'm hoping the weather cooperates through the Smokies, which is in a mere 30 miles.

Daleville to Damascus, Virginia

Oct. 4

So instead of catching up with Flora and getting to Lamberts Meadow shelter on the fourth, I stayed in town with a couple of section hikers at the Howard Johnson in Daleville. It sure was nice to stay in a warm hotel room, take a shower, and watch t.v.--unfortunately I paid for those luxuries the next few days. The plan was to do 20 mile days to get to Pearisburg in 4 days, but since I stayed in town, I had 90 miles to do instead of 80 over those 4 days. I figured I'd catch up to Flora the next day, pulling 32 miles. But the weather that day was pretty crappy. I woke up on the 5th around 6 am to pull the 32 miles. By the time I made it 19 miles over Tinker Cliffs (awesome views) and McAfee's Knob (even awesomer views), it was about 4 pm, about 45-50 degrees with strong winds, and the sky looked like it was about to pour. I would have to do another 13.5 miles in order to catch up with Flora that night, and I only had another 3 hours of daylight to do it. I knew I would be going over Dragon's Tooth as soon as it got dark, and with the weather it seemed like a dumb idea to push on that night. So I stayed at Johns Spring Shelter on the night of the 5th.

Oct. 6

So I had to pull a big day on the 6th since I was now 13 miles behind instead of 10. I started hiking at 7 am after waking up to 40-ish degree weather that morning. That day I had 3 big climbs--a 1200 foot climb up to Dragon's Tooth, a 1500 foot climb up to the Audie Murphy Monument, and a 1600 foot climb up to Sinking Creek Mtn. This 30 mile day took me almost 12 hours on the dot. I pulled into Sarver Hollow Shelter right before dark and passed out by 7:30.

Oct. 7

I still needed to pull another big day to catch up with Flora. So I pulled a 25 mile day from Sarver Hollow to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter. I once again awoke at the crack of dawn to get moving early. Though the terrain and mileage were not as bad as on the 6th, I was dead tired from the previous day's hike. There were two big climbs that day, and going from Johns Creek Valley up to Wind Rock was about a 2000 foot climb. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got up to Wind Rock, but I still had another 8 miles to go before Pine Swamp. After busting ass and running at some points through that 8 mile section, I fully expected to see Flora and a bunch of other thru hikers at the shelter. The previous two nights I had stayed at the shelters alone, and had only seen a handful of hikers the previous few days, so I really needed to see some people for my psyche. When I arrived at the shelter, there was no one there. I threw down my hiking poles and felt like I was about to explode. I calmed down, told myself that Flora and the other thru hikers probably went on to Rice Field Shelter, and set my alarm clock to 2 am. I fully expected myself to wake up and night hike to that shelter, which was 12 miles away. When my alarm woke me up at 2 am, it was of course freezing outside, so of course I went back to sleep. In the morning I woke up late. Flora ended up walking up a half hour later, and apparently she and the other thru hikers had stayed at some dude's house on route 635, about 3/10 of a mile from where I stayed.

Oct. 8

Coming out of Pine Swamp Branch, I had a mere 19 miles into Pearisburg, Va. It was an easy 19 miles, along a ridgeline most of the day, and we were in town by around 4 pm as I recall. I got to meet Hobbit, Lonestar and Coyote for the first time that day. This crew of southbounders all stayed at the Holiday Motor Lodge in Pearisburg that night, and it was pretty sweet to meet some new people after not seeing any new thru hikers in awhile.

Oct. 9
On the 9th, I took my first real "zero" day in awhile. No miles, just chilling in a motel room and watching t.v.. It was glorious.

Oct. 10
Flora's mom, grandma, and godmother came up on the 9th, so I slack packed for the first time this day with the other thru hikers. Slack packing basically involves doing a hike without all your gear, so its pretty enjoyable and makes your life a lot easier. I slackpacked 10 miles from Pearisburg to Sugar Run Gap, where Wood's Hole Hostel is located. Wood's Hole is an old 1800's era log cabin that has been refurbished and takes in hikers. It is basically in the middle of the woods, and you feel like you are in another century when you're at Wood's Hole. The place is basically self-sustaining, growing its own food, heating the house with a wood burning stove, etc. So Flora, Coyote, Hobbit, Abear, Peepeeopee, Kunu, and I ended up staying there the night along with Flora's family that came up. After my slack pack that day, Flora's mom took me up to Bland, Virginia to see my parents who came down for a couple hours to see me for the first time in about 4 months.

Oct. 11

Though the plan was for Flora's family to leave on the 11th, we decided that slack packing was so much fun that we did it again the next day, though this time for 20 miles. Flora's mom dropped everyone that stayed at Woods Hole that night off at route 608, and we walked back to Wood's Hole going north to stay another night. It was well worth it.

Oct. 12

The next day, we got dropped off back at 608 and headed south again. I did a 20 mile day to Laurel Creek/ Va 615. It was a pretty easy day, though it got pretty warm out considering the time of year.

Oct. 13

From Laurel Creek, I did a 24 mile day to Knot Maul Branch Shelter. It was a pretty difficult day, but I took my sweet time once I got up to Chestnut Knob Shelter, elevation 4400 feet. There were great views coming down from the shelter.

Oct. 14/15

The next day we planned on doing a 19 mile day to Chatfield shelter. It rained for awhile in the morning, and it was cold and miserable. Flora and Hobbit decided to stop when we got to the road to Atkins, Virginia, and we got a ride into town and stayed at a motel there. We resupplied the next day, and took a nero day and did the 5 miles out to Chatfield shelter.

Oct. 16

On the 16th, Hobbit decided that he was getting off trail. His back had been bothering him for awhile, and the cold was making it worse, so he headed back to Atkins. Flora, Abear and I planned on doing a 20 mile day on the 16th to a campsite right outside of Troutdale, Va. Unfortunately, there was no water at the campsite, so Abear and Flora kept on hiking until they got to the road. I ended up doing a 27 mile day to Hurricane Mtn. Shelter, and caught up to Coyote there.

Oct. 17

The 17th was a great day. Only a 16 mile day into the Grayson Highlands. The views up there are amazing, and there are wild ponies roaming the area that I got to pet. I stayed at Thomas Knob shelter that night, which is at 5500 feet and has some great views of the area.

Oct. 18th

The 18th had some great views as well from near Whitetop Mtn. The elevation dropped from 5000 feet down to 3000, and I left the Greyson Highlands area. I stayed that night at Saunders Shelter along with Flora, Abear, Coyote, Doc Geo (who caught up to us on the 17th), Kite and Sandpiper (who are doing a flip flop thru hike).

Oct. 19th

So I'm currently in Damascus, VA. I did 10 miles into town, and will most likely do 10 miles tomorrow. I'm under 500 miles, and I will definitely be done by Thanksgiving now, and probably even sooner.

Virginia

September 21

After doing a 23 mile day on the 20th, Fauna, who rejoined us in Harper's Ferry, hurt her knee and had to get off trail unfortunately on the 21st. Flora, Hitman and I did a relatively short 14 mile day, and went into Front Royal. Since I had been getting pretty annoyed by my ever growing hair length and my beard, I decided to get a haircut. The beard and long hair is gone now and I don't feel or look like I'm homeless anymore. Front Royal was a pretty awesome town, people-wise. Flora, Hitman and I got 3 offers for a hitch out of town in the grocery store.

My resupply in Front Royal, unfortunately, was going to have to be for 5 days. Because I was still on the hungry side when I went in, I got WAY to much food and ended up carrying 50 lbs worth of gear and food as I left town. Of course the few miles out of town were uphill to the next shelter, so that was a pretty brutal climb.

Sept. 22

This was my first day in the Shenandoahs. I'm pretty sure we did about 28 miles that day to #3 Byrds Nest Shelter. I really don't remember though. I do remember, as I crossed into the Shenandoahs, getting to see some deer that had no fear of humans. I was literally 3 yards away from some of them as I was walking along the trail that day. I also realized that the trail in the Shenandoahs was going to be cake compared to what I am used to. Even though there are some pretty good climbs in the Shenny's, the grades for the climbs make it pretty easy getting up the mountains. We also passed our first Wayside in the Shennys that day. The waysides are basically little stores that have a restaurant in the Shennys. They also serve cheap beer, as I quickly figured out.

Sept. 23

We did another big day the 23rd to Bearfence Mtn. Hut. 23 miles, with some pretty decent climbs. I went and checked out another Wayside that day at the Harry F. Bird Sr. Visitor center.

Sept. 24

The 22nd, 23rd, and 24th were very humid days, and even though the miles were not that tough, with the weather and lack of water, they were pretty brutal. On the 24th I pulled my biggest day on the trail besides the 4 state challenge--33 miles. I began the day around 8 am and didn't pull into Blackrock Hut until 10 pm. The heat and humidity were so bad by 2 pm that I had to pass out for an hour at the ranger station at Simmons Gap. By the end of the night, my feet were getting pretty eaten up. My shoes began breaking over my toes, so it made it painful to step every time a was bending my toes. To make matters worse that night, I came 6 inches away from stepping on a copperhead. To make matters even worse, I had to smell people cooking what smelled like the most delicious dinners at Loft Mtn. Campground as I went by around 8 0r 9 at night. By that point I was absolutely starving. When I got to Blackrock Hut I just set up my sleeping pad and bag and passed out on the ground. I was woken up at 2am by rain so I crawled inside the hut as everyone scrambled to get there things inside before it got wet.

Sept. 25

Flora and I left pretty early on the 25th so we could get into Waynesboro as early as possible to eat. I had such bad chafage that day from the previous day I could barely walk the last few hours. We went to a Chinese buffet in Waynesboro which was absolutely amazing. We stayed in town at the Colony House Motel that night.

Sept. 26

The next day out of Waynesboro it poured cats and dogs. We were planning on a 20 mile day, but when we got the first shelter at 5 miles we decided to stay. That night we met Abear, another thru hiker, who we have been hiking with as of today (Oct. 4). I slept all day in the shelter the 26th. I probably got about 20 hours worth of sleep after getting around 6 the past two nights.

Sept. 27

The next day the rain cleared and I had an awesome day going over some pretty cool central Virginia Mountains. Three Ridges offered some amazing views of the Priest and other surrounding mountains. That night I stayed at Harpers Creek Shelter after a 22 mile day.

Sept. 28

Rain. All day. 24 miles. I was freezing cold even in my rain jacket. he shelter that night (cow camp gap), which was made for 8 people, had 11 people in it when I got there. I was able to crawl into a corner that night in a ball and got some sleep as it rained all night.

Sept. 29
It rained until noon on the 29th. Flora, Abear and I decided to wait it out until it stopped, and hitched into Buena Vista to resupply and get dryed out. We stayed in a motel in Buena Vista and did out laundry which was soaked. We did a mere 5 miles that day.

Sept. 30

The 30th we pulled 24 miles on a nice, cool, fall day. There were some awesome views from the ridges we crossed and it was a pretty easy day without much climbing. We stayed at Matts Creek Shelter that night after crossing the James River that day.

Oct. 1

Though we only did 23 miles, the 1st was a brutal day. The climb up to Apple Orchard Mtn and through the Gullotine were pretty tough. We stayed at Bryant Ridge Shelter that night, and the weather was pretty nice throughout the day.

Oct. 2

We pulled a 27 mile day from Bryant Ridge to Fullhardt Knob. I was super tired from the previous two days and struggled as I got into camp in 11 hours. It was super cold that night as its been for the past week or so.

Oct. 3

Well I missed a day somewhere, this should have been the 4th, which is today. Oh well, I'll figure it out some time. We are doing a 15 mile day today, resupplying, and eating at a buffet. Thats all for now.

Half Way Home, ATC at Harper's Ferry W. Va.

Here's my picture for all eternity to be placed in a book at the Appalachian Trail Conservatory in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

Finishing up PA, banjos, 4 state challenge, half gallon challenge, getting to sleep indoors, etc......

Sept. 8

So heading out of Reading, where my uncle had picked us up, we ended up doing 10 miles instead of 13 and crashed at 501 shelter. This was another of the very nice shelters in PA. It was an enclosed shelter with a caretaker, and there was a very large window on the top of the shelter for a skylight. We caught up with Matt, Annie, and Kaya here again.

Sept. 9

This was my longest day on the trail up to this point--a 30 mile day. Flora and I convinced Matt, Annie, and Cloud to do it with us. Everybody except me apparently woke up very early to start that day. They had all left by 5:45. I woke up at 6:30 and no one was there. No worries though, I left at 7:30 am and was done with the 30 miles in 10 and a half hours. It was a pretty brutal day from what I can recall, and I only took a few breaks all day. We passed some cool old mining towns along the way that were abandoned 150 years ago. Cloud was carrying about 50 pounds worth of food at this time, so he struggled through the day. I ended up catching up to him around the 15 mile mark, and beat him to camp by a half hour or so.

Sept. 10

Following up 30 miles, we did a 22 mile day. I don't recall much from this day, except I was very happy to get to Duncannon, PA, where there were a good selection of bars to go to. The first one was right after crossing the Susquehanna river, and I had a few beers there. I then walked into Duncannon proper where I found another bar that had dollar drafts. I had some beers there, and then proceeded to hike, or should I say stumble, up the mountain out of Duncannon to Cove Mountain shelter in the dark.

Sept. 11

After the long night in Duncannon, Flora and I woke up at 5:00 am so we could get to Boiling Springs, PA, before 3 pm. It was 22 miles, and we needed to book it so I could watch THE Ohio State Buckeyes play the Hurricanes of Miami (FL). We had the first 15 miles done fast enough that we could stroll through the rest at a slow enough pace that we could take a break every half an hour. We stayed with Neil Sweet in Boiling Springs, one of Flora's family friends. As soon as I got in his van to go to his place, I noticed he had a guitar. I found out he had a few banjos at his house and I flipped my lid. I ended up playing banjo all day and watching the game, which was awesome. That night we went to a birthday party for someone that Neil knew, and there was a band that played bluegrass music that was pretty good.

Sept. 12

Flora and I took a zero day on the 12th. This was also the day I did the half gallon challenge. Neil drove us up to Pine Grove Furnace state park, where we went into the general store to get my half gallon of ice cream. To my dismay, they had no half gallons. I was pretty pissed. I saw though that there were some pint containers of ice cream, so I spent 8 bucks on 4 pint containers and did the half gallon challenge that way. I finished the 4 pints in 17 minutes. Flora wrote up a blog posting on the challenge, and I'll put it up here at some point.

Sept. 13

The following day, we did 23 miles to Toms Run Shelter. I remember thinking that it was a lazy day and that we weren't really doing big miles, even though we were doing a pretty big chunk. We passed the midpoint marker that day, which surprisingly had balloons and suckers waiting for us. Deb and Greg, also family friends of Flora's, had left the balloons and suckers there for us.

Sept. 14

On the 14th, we did about 20 miles to Rocky Mtn Shelters. I really don't recall much from that day, though we did climb our first hill over 2000 feet since Connecticut. It wasn't very difficult.

Sept. 15

We did about 15 miles on the 15th and met up with Greg, who I mentioned on the 13th. He hiked with us for the last 3 or so miles that day, and took us back to his house for the night. We stayed there on the 15th and 16th. Flora's father came down on the 15th to hang out for Flora's birthday.

Sept. 16

On the 16th, we went over to Dick's Sporting Goods near Waynesboro, PA, and I went shopping for some new equipment. I had been carrying a $10 fleece sleeping bag/blanket since Vermont, and it has been getting to cold for this to be used anymore. I had also worn out the pair of Vasque trail runner shoes I had found in New Hampshire in a hiker box, and had been wearing since then (pictures of the shoes to come). My socks had holes in them the size of a door knob, so I had to replace these as well. I found a pair of Columbia trail shoes for a great price (40 bucks). I also bought a 40 degree Field and Stream sleeping bag that should be adequate at least through Virginia. The best thing I found at the Dicks was a fleece jacket on the clearance rack. It was Under Armour brand, and only 15 bucks. It was 100 percent polyester, and super comfortable, so I had to get it. Though the trip to Dicks made a dent in the budget, it was definitely worth it for the comforts of having decent equipment.

Sept. 17

THE FOUR STATE CHALLENGE

The four state challenge is a 43 mile, 24 hour time limit hike starting at the Mason-Dixon Line (PA/MD border), and going to the WV/VA border. Most hikers start the 4 state at midnight, but when we woke up that night to start there was raining and lightning outside. Flora and I decided to go back to sleep and see what the weather was like at 5 am. The storm had passed by then, so we started hiking at 6 am starting at the Mason Dixon. We hiked the 40 miles of Maryland in 13 hours. The first 22 miles of the hike were done by 1 pm, where we took our first real break of the day to eat. At that point we were pretty exhausted, but still ready for the 2nd half of the hike. At mile 27, I was feeling sluggish. I had bought a 5 hour energy in Walmart the previous day, and decided to chug the bottle at mile 27. About 20 minutes later, all the pain in my body had miraculously went away. I was in the zone physically and mentally, and focused on nothing but the trail. I motored up the last climb of the day, Lamb's Knoll, and from the top of there proceed to run the next 10 miles with my fully loaded pack. I did 10 miles in 2 hours. My entire body was numb because of the 5 hour energy. Flora and I basically ran the last half the day, and we crossed the Potomac into Harpers Ferry at 7. With 3 miles to go, we ate a quick snack, hiked through Harpers Ferry, crossed the Shenandoah (while singing John Denver's Country Roads) and were done by 8pm. 44 MILES HIKED IN 14 HOURS. This was the most fun I had had on the trail in awhile. Flora's dad was still around, and dropped us off at the Harpers Ferry Hostel for the night.

Sept. 18

This was Flora's birthday, and we hung around Harpers Ferry for most of the day. We went to a Mexican restaurant, and I devoured 10 $1 a piece tacos, and I was still hungry. We went to the ATC office there, and got our pictures taken for having completed half the trail. I was the 45th southbound thru-hiker to reach Harpers Ferry so far this year. My picture will be kept in the books at the ATC office in Harpers Ferry for years to come, and I made sure it was the most ridiculous picture I could take. I sent my parents a postcard of it, and hopefully I can get them to scan it and put it online. I met Hitman for the first time in Harpers Ferry, who seems like a pretty cool dude.

Out of Harpers Ferry we did a mere 7 miles. I was pretty sore from the 44 miles yesterday, so it was nice to do some low miles.

Sept. 19

We did 11 miles on the 19th, and I was still sore from the 44 mile day. We stayed at the Bears Den Hostel near Bluemont, VA, and went to dinner with a thru hiker that Flora new, whose trail name is Castle. She is the ridgerunner/caretaker for the Maryland section of the A.T.. Along with Hitman and Fauna (who has returned to the trail after a month off) we had a pretty good dinner at an italian restaurant. Oh, and we crossed the marker for 1000 miles left to go that day.

Sept. 20

Well, it is 10:15 am as I finish up writing this blog. I got 23 miles to hike today over what is considered the "roller coaster", 10 ascent and descents over 13 miles. It shouldn't be to difficult considering the fact I have hiked through the Whites and Maine already, the Millenium Force and Top Thrill Dragster (look these up if you don't know them) of roller coasters. I'm guessing I should be done with the 23 today in 8 hours of so. I'm feeling pretty damn fresh today.