Photos from the Trail - May 2011

Here are some photos taken from the trail over the past few weeks.

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Hiked 13 miles before lunch and covered in sweat since 6 this morning. Im 40 miles into Shenandoah National Park and it's hot! There is a serious lack of swimming holes in the park. Blue, saber, squirrel, shutter and I are waiting at Pinefield Gap for my sister. Megan will hike the next 14 miles with us before we meet mom tomorrow. Mom will have cheeseburgers waiting for us at the South River Picnic area. Hottest day on the trail yet. I hope Meg is ready!

Mings Sushi

Waynesboro Steamroller!

I was supposed to enter Shenandoah national park today but as usual the comforts of town proved to be to much. There was a split decision between hiking or spending the day in town. We flipped a coin to break the tie. Nobody was terribly upset when it landed on tails which meant we were zeroing in downtown Waynesboro. A great trail town. We toured museums, ate "famous" chilli dogs and caught a movie. The highlight was the Ming Chinese Buffet. I have been hearing about Mings since we crossed the Virginia border. Best buffet on the trail i was told. it defiantly lived up to the hype.
Tonight, we are staying at the Waynesboro Lutheran church as thunderstorms roll thru outside. Very nice place for the reasonable price of $0.

Daleville to Waynesboro Va

10 days after getting back on the trail from the vacation in Fred Vegas Blue, Squirrel, Saber, and I are feeling great. Our legs enjoyed the rest and for the most part are feeling good. The daily aches and pains are slowly creeping back into existence but we all agree the long break helped alot. We have been making good miles, averaging 15 a day. The hiking has been great. Rhodadendrums and mountain laurel are blooming everywhere. Thousands of spring peepers (frogs) provide us with music as we fall asleep every night. The heat and humidity haven't gone unnoticed. We have taken advantage of a couple swimming holes but the spring fed streams are still freezing.
54 miles out of Daleville we crossed the James river foot bridge saturday afternoon and hitched into Glasgow for resupply. We camped just outside of town. Glasgow's bluegrass festival was in progress just thru the woods and we got to enjoy some music as we sat around the fire. I'm not sure how the closing act got signed on but we all agreed it sounded like karaoke night in Glasgow.
Sunday morning we did laundry and enjoyed microwavable burritos and cheeseburgers from the local country store. Then, it was out to the road to stick out a thumb. After 15 mins I saw a big r.v. coming down the road. We all joked that this was the ride we had been looking for. As the vehicle rode past I locked eyes with a familiar face. "That was my grandad!" I dismissed it at first but when the R.V. pulled over I knew my eyes weren't deceiving me. Call it luck, call it coincidence, a sign from god, whatever way you put it... it was great to see there familiar faces. Grandad and Nanny were just as surprised to see me as I was them. They didn't get a chance to meet my hiking buddies while we were home. Within seconds of being in the vehicle Nanny offered us some of her famous chocolate peanut butter eggs. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. A 10 min ride back to the trailhead, a quick goodbye and we were back on the trail with the best hitchhiking story on the appalacian trail.
15 miles out of Glasgow we made camp by a small pond and I set up my brand new hammock. It's lightweight, comfortable and not nearly as water proof as my tent was. A huge thunderstorm hit just after dark and water leeched in near my head and feet. I still managed a good nights sleep and I think I figured out the water problem.
The next few days we did big miles and had good luck. Camped in a meadow Tuesday night some former thru hikers brought BBQ sandwiches and LOTS of beer for us hikers. Theres nothing like a cold Sam Adams after a long day of hiking. Bluegrass was making his way to his tent that night when he spotted 2 coyotes roaming around. I just missed them! I cowboy camped (no tent) that night underneath a sky full of stars. Great night.
The next couple of days we woke early and hiked late. We arrived well after dark Wednesday at the Paul Wolf shelter and slept a couple hours before walking a short 6 miles into waynesboro the next morning.
It was a quick hitchhike into town. I went straight to the Rockfish Gap Outfitters to pick up my new boots. My Salomon boots that I've been wearing since springer mountain, 800 miles ago, are completely worn out. My feet will appreciate the fresh new boots. The last two weeks I've had to duct tape my feet to avoid blisters. Salomon sent me a free pair because I'm an A.T. thru hiker.
Tonight we are camped along the South River on the edge of town, praying the thunderstorms miss us. Tomorrow we enter the Shenandoah National Park. Basically my back yard, I've been looking forward to this section. 100 miles of moderate terrain and filled with wildlife. The miles are going fast now and I should be out of Va in less then two weeks!

New boots! 0 miles vs. 800 miles

Im still having trouble grasping the fact that my grandparents picked me up while I was hitchhiking on a random road in south western va. The story has spread across the trail.
Camped on top of Priest Mountain tonight. Last few days of hiking have been good. Big update when I get into Waynesboro on Thursday.

Hitchhiking?!?!

Smokey the Bear

After a long break in Fredericksburg it was great to walk in the woods this morning. Instantly I felt better. Our vacation in fred was much longer then planned and it was weird to be off trail for so long. I was beginning to feel lazy. The hike out of Daleville cured all that. Despite the annoying hum of I-81 traffic in the background it was a good hike. My legs felt great. With 5 days of rest, the annoying daily pains in my knees and feet were absent. We made it to "Full Hard Knob Shelter" mid afternoon With a steady rain falling. We were lucky to find the shelter empty. We quickly rolled out our sleeping pads and relaxed. We all fell asleep watching the rain fall outside of the shelter. I woke up with the sun shining and heard noises behind the shelter. I was surprised when a 200 pound black bear poked his head around the corner. My first thought as the black bear locked eyes with me was, "oh shit, this bears going to eat me!" A few seconds passed before he looked away and began to investigate the fire pit in front of the shelter. With the bear less the 20 feet away I began to fumble for my camera and shake Squirrel awake with my other hand. As I began snapping pictures the bear got spooked and ran off. With everyone in the shelter awake now I slowly followed the bears trail behind the shelter. I assumed he had ran off but I was surprised as I peaked around the corner and he was only 30 feet away. He wandered further away as me and squirrel took pictures. He stopped by the spring 30 yards behind the shelter and drank. He continued to wander around the shelter. At one point climbing an oak tree right in front of us. He didn't appear scared of us. He was almost playful. When we got too close he let us know by running towards us aggressively. He stopped 20 yards short of us but we knew picture time was over. It took some shouting and some loud blasts off of Choppers harmonica before "Smokey" ran away. It took two months but I've had my first bear sighting. And as the sun goes down tonight I'm hopeful it's the last one I have for a while!

Donations

I received a letter from the Amyloidosis Foundation informing me three donations totaling $100 have been made in my fathers name. I can not express how truly thankful I am! Happy birthday dad!