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Daily Journal Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Home
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Day: |
29 |
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Date: |
Saturday, 31 May 1986 |
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Weather: |
Warm, sunny. |
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AT
Miles: |
0 |
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Other
Miles: |
0 |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
524.9 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
540.5 |
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Breakfast: |
Sausages & eggs, chocolate milk |
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Lunch: |
Ham & salad rolls, ice-cream. |
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Dinner: |
Hamburger steak, salad, ice-cream. |
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Aches: |
Both heels sore. Left heel swollen. |
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Animals
Seen: |
0 |
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People
Seen: |
Many. |
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Journal: I got up at 8:30am and had breakfast at
the restaurant. I passed the morning
writing, watching TV and shopping. I
again had a lunch of micro-waved salad rolls and enjoyed an afternoon of
sports watching on TV – baseball, bike racing and the first World Cup soccer
match. The latter reminded me that one
cost of this trip will be missing the Cup matches (as well as the
Commonwealth Games). At about 5:00pm,
Stu, Greyhound (Tom) and Patti turned up, having seen my boots outside of my
room. It was good to see and talk to
them and we later had a pleasant dinner together in the restaurant. They all decided to spend the night on a
nearby lawn where they had been given permission to camp. I spent the remainder of the evening
watching a few crummy TV programmes and packing for a quick getaway tomorrow. |
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Day: |
30 |
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Date: |
Sunday, 1 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Sunny, warm, humid. |
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AT
Miles: |
23.8 |
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Other
Miles: |
0 |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
548.7 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
564.3 |
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Breakfast: |
Sausages and eggs, orange juice |
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Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
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Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, instant pudding. |
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Aches: |
Both heels sore. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Chipmunks, squirrels. |
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People
Seen: |
Four AT hikers (by stages), many others. |
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Journal: Got up at 6:50am and had a shower and
breakfast before leaving at 7:55am after saying goodbye to Stu, Patti and
Greyhound (Tom, the Belcher in Hill Street Blues look-a-like) though I
expected to see Stu again because he was keen to move a bit faster and was
going to make for the same shelter.
The first few miles were very difficult as they followed cow-trodden
paths through farms and were very boggy in parts. Later the Trail left the farmland and began
climbing gently onto the forested ridges.
Once again, many flowers were around – azaleas, laurels, rhododendrons.
Both feet were sore – the left one now so because I was too cavalier in
cutting away skin over a deep blister.
Stu soon caught me and I let him go because my progress was slow
though we met many times during the day.
There were a few tough hills which made my feet hurt. At about 1pm, we came out onto a country
road and the Trail followed that for some time. We passed pretty farm houses and waved and
chatted to a few of the friendly inhabitants.
We stopped for lunch in a picnic area before negotiating a long hill
up to Chestnut Ridge. On the crest of
the ridge the trees disappeared and there were good views in the late
afternoon haze of surrounding ridges.
The guidebooks told us that there was no water at Chestnut Knob
Shelter so we stopped at a spring 1.8 miles before the shelter and filled our
water bottles and bags. They were
heavy and made it a long slog uphill (gradual) to the shelter. When we arrived (Stu first) two other
hikers, also northbound, were in residence.
There was Ken (~60) and Lewis (~45), the latter suffering from a
withered left shoulder and arm which made it hard for him to carry a
pack. We got a fire going after our
7:30pm arrival and managed to cook dinner while chatting to Ken, who was
interested in our trip and had hiked about half of the AT. He promised to send us a carved boot if we
notified him we had finished the AT.
Bunk space in the old stone cabin on top of the ridge was limited and
I slept on the table and didn’t have a real good night when we retired at
9:30pm. Ken and Lewis went to bed
earlier and Ken snored. |
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Day: |
31 |
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Date: |
Monday, 2 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Very warm, humid, partly sunny in
afternoon. |
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AT
Miles: |
24.8 |
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Other
Miles: |
0.7 (0.3 Shelter, 0.4 Spring) |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
573.5 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
589.8 |
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Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
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Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health drink. |
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Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, pop tarts. |
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Aches: |
Both heels, front of feet. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Grouse, deer. |
|
People
Seen: |
One day hiker, two overnight hikers,
couple of cars. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6:10am and after treating feet
and breakfast got away at 8:00am. Ken
and Lewis left at 7:00am but we caught them after about 6 miles. The Trail was fairly easy going, being
mainly downhill, and again was mainly on a ridge with occasional views down
to the farms in the valleys. It was
again through forest with many flowers.
While stopped for my morning break (Stu had gone on ahead) at Jenkins
Shelter (lots of mosquitoes) I met a day hiker who belonged to a club
responsible for maintaining the Trail around Atkins. We discussed the cow pastures. They were having a work bee next weekend to
try and improve it. From the Shelter
the Trail descended to |
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Day: |
32 |
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Date: |
Tuesday, 3 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Mild, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
23.1 |
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Other
Miles: |
0.3 (Shelter) |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
596.6 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
613.2 |
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Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
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Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bars. |
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Dinner: |
Noodles and egg, pop tarts, chips. |
|
Aches: |
Both heels, right shoulder. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Two deer, cows, dogs. |
|
People
Seen: |
About ten. |
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Journal: Got up at 6:10am and away by 7:40am. Decided not to bandage feet, just
Mercurochrome and Vaseline. Both heels
were still very sore and I started slow.
The left Achilles just feels like old times! The weather was cool, which was good, and
the Trail was good and easy walking through forest along the ridge. Occasionally it was possible to see down to
the farms in the valleys. I started
slow and Stu went ahead. In late
morning the Trail descended to a road which I walked along for about 4 miles.
It was quite pleasant despite being chased by a few dogs. The Trail then climbed steeply up over a
hill then along another pretty ridge before descending towards another road
through a lovely open field in the warm sun.
I found Stu having lunch in the sun and joined him. Stu left early and decided to detour to a
nearby grocery where he offered to get me a Coke and chips for dinner. I carried on after lunch with ½ a mile of
road walking before following a lovely easy graded ascent through glades,
open forest and sometimes on pine needles.
My feet felt a little better towards the end though my right shoe now
has a big hole in the sole. I reached
Wapiti II Shelter at 5:40pm and had a cold wash in a nearby stream before a
leisurely dinner on a lovely evening augmented by my Coke and chips. |
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Day: |
33 |
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Date: |
Wednesday, 4 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Warm, humid, mostly sunny. |
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AT
Miles: |
15.8 |
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Other
Miles: |
5.5 (2.5 Hospice, 3.0 shopping) |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
612.4 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
634.5 |
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Breakfast: |
Muesli, Quik. |
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Lunch: |
Cheeseburger, fries, milkshake. |
|
Dinner: |
Pizza, salad, ice-cream. |
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Aches: |
Feet very tired and sore. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Two deer, chipmunks, dogs. |
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People
Seen: |
Six day hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6:10am and managed to get away
by 7:20am. On the map it looked like
that, after a climb, the walking should be easy. However, despite the fact that my feet felt
better and I could stride out and the Trail was fairly easy, progress seemed
to be slow. It was, however, very
pretty with lots of flowers, rocky bits, and occasional views. I fell heavily at one point, when a rock I
stepped on moved, but my pack absorbed most of the impact and, after lying
there for a minute wondering what damage was done, I got up to find none
apart from a sore arm. Stu had headed
off earlier at a fast pace and I didn’t expect to see him until
Pearisburg. The Trail climbed up
steeply to an escarpment where it wended its way through thigh-high
undergrowth. It seemed that miles were
longer than indicated in the guide.
The Trail came out onto a ledge overlooking the valley in which
Pearisburg lay. Stu was there having a
rest. He too was finding the miles
long. The Trail began to descend and I
made a short detour to Angels Rest, a lookout over Pearisburg. There I found the local Methodist retired
men’s group and accompanied them for the remainder for the descent. There were about seven of them. They told me that a couple had been
murdered at Wapiti II Shelter a few years ago! The descent was slower than I expected and
I didn’t get to the Pearisburg Post Office until after 3:00pm to find the
running shoes Fran was supposed to have sent me hadn’t arrived. My feet were very tired and I hurried out
to the Catholic Hospice for AT hikers, 1½ miles out of town, had a shower,
then quickly walked back into town. I
saw a small shop which sold KangaRoos running shoes,
so mailed my boots back to Marj, then went and bought a pair – they were so
good, the high school track team wore them according to the sales lady. After checking both the supermarket and laundromat were open late, I went to the Dairy Queen and
had a very late lunch before shopping and washing. On the way back to the Hospice, I stopped
at the Pizza Hut for dinner, but found myself very full. Nevertheless, I bought a pint of ice-cream
and ½ gallon of orange juice for later on my weary way home carrying washing
and groceries and shoes and valuables.
Back at the Hospice I met brother and sister AT hikers, Charlie and
Tricia, and spent until midnight repacking groceries, chatting, trying to
ring Mark and Fran Binning and eating before going to bed. |
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Day: |
34 |
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Date: |
Thursday, 5 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Very warm, humid, partly cloudy. |
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AT
Miles: |
19.1 |
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Other
Miles: |
1.5 |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
631.5 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
655.1 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, scrambled eggs (6!), orange
juice. |
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Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
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Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, instant pudding. |
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Aches: |
Feet very tired in new shoes. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Dogs, black snake, chipmunks, turkey,
cow. |
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People
Seen: |
Five overnight hikers, many others. |
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Journal: Got up at 6:45am after not a particularly
good night’s sleep (too warm) and went down and rang Mark Binning from the
call phone attached to the excellent Hospice (kitchen, bathroom, large living
area and loft sleeping area in an old renovated barn). Fran had sent the shoes First Class after
being told they would easily get there and bought New Balance instead of
Nike. Not exactly a success
story. Mark said they would probably
make it out to |
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Day: |
35 |
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Date: |
Friday, 6 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Hot, very humid, rain in the morning,
partly cloudy. |
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AT
Miles: |
30.4 |
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Other
Miles: |
0 |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
661.9 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
685.5 |
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Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink |
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Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
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Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, instant
pudding. |
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Aches: |
Both feet, very tired. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Two snakes, two tortoises, deer, turkey,
chipmunks. |
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People
Seen: |
Two AT Thru-hikers (one southbound) |
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Journal: Got up at 6:00am and away by 7:10am. Spending less time treating feet. Stu a bit
slower to start. I wanted to see how
far I could get so that I would have a chance of reaching Troutville on
Sunday lunchtime and so have ½ a day off.
The weather was steamy and by the time I had climbed to Bailey Gap
Shelter I was absolutely soaked. From
there, what looked level on the map was, but required constant boulder
scrambling which was very tedious.
After the boulders I met Sonny Daze, a southbound Thru-Hiker, who I
chatted to for a while. He explained
some confusing trail marking up ahead.
There followed a steep descent then and even longer steep ascent up to
Big Pond Shelter in the rain. It was
extremely humid and there were lots of bugs out biting me on the ankles. Although my shoes were not giving me
blisters, the right one kept coming off and both kept swallowing my socks
which was very annoying when the Trail was tough enough anyway. After Big Pond Shelter, there was another
long descent, a stretch through farmland and along a road, then a tough climb
up to a ridge. I met another black
snake on the ridge as I struggled along trying to get the miles in. Progress was slow along the ridge in the
late afternoon sun. It was very rocky
in most parts, but enabled good views down to the right. I reached the turn-off to Sarver’s Cabin
(0.3 miles steeply down) after 24 miles and, although tired, decided to press
on. I eventually reached Niday Shelter at 8:50pm in the late evening gloom to find
Jack, from NY, already in bed. I
hurriedly washed and ate cold by candlelight before getting into bed at
10:30pm. There were a lot of bugs in
the shelter and my feet were sore so I didn’t have a very good night. A new ThermaRest
mattress would be nice (the present one has a puncture). My first, and maybe last, 30+ mile day. |
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Day: |
36 |
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Date: |
Saturday, 7 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Hot, very humid, mostly sunny. |
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AT
Miles: |
24.0 |
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Other
Miles: |
0 |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
685.9 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
709.5 |
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Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
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Lunch: |
Two ham & salad sandwiches, fudge
brownie, quart of ice-cream. |
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Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, instant
pudding. |
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Aches: |
Right foot numb, sweat rash. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Two tortoises, deer, chipmunk, groundhog. |
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People
Seen: |
Four AT Thru-Hikers, eight day hikers,
many others. |
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Journal: Got up at 6:00am and away by 7:20am on a
day that promised to be tough. My
feet, particularly the right one, didn’t seem to have recovered from
yesterday. I decided that it would be
sensible to take it steady and have a break every hour. I would have liked to do 28 miles, but
would be happy with 24 which would only leave 13 for tomorrow. The Trail descended at first then passed
through an undulating and fairly tiring section. I met Debbie and Alan, AT Thru-Hikers
camped on the Trail. The Trail then
wound around the side of a long ridge with tough inclines right to left. It was very tough on my feet and it was
hot. This was followed by a tough
climb to a rocky ridge (Cove Mt) and then slow progress along that pretty
ridge. Good views and a pretty
Trail. It ended at the jagged rocks
known as the Dragons teeth and stopped for the views and a rest. Stu arrived, having put in a big morning
from Sarver’s Cabin. There was a rocky
descent to the road and the Catawba Grocery.
On arrival we found Charlie and Tricia (from Pearisburg) who had
hitched in to collect a new pack. I
gorged myself on ice-cream, Coke and orange juice as well as sandwiches and
fudge while sitting in the shade for an hour and chatting. There was a hot slog up onto |
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Day: |
37 |
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Date: |
Sunday, 8 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Hot, humid, partly cloudy. |
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AT
Miles: |
12.9 |
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Other
Miles: |
0.2 (to motel) |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
698.8 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
722.6 |
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Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
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Lunch: |
Two hamburgers, fries, shake. |
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Dinner: |
Catfish, salad bar, ice-cream. |
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Aches: |
Feet sore. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Two tortoises, rabbit, squirrel,
chipmunk. |
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People
Seen: |
Two AT Thru-hikers, many others. |
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Journal: Got up at 6:00am after a sleepless night and
was away by 7:20am after arranging to meet Stu at the road in Cloverdale at
12:30pm so we could get a motel room to share. After a rough descent the Trail crossed
some farmland before climbing through some rough very weedy unattractive
countryside up to Scorched Earth Gap.
It was warm and muggy again and I was sweating a lot. From there the Trail improved and became a
pleasant undulating walk through conifer and deciduous forest on a partly
rocky trail along the edge of an escarpment which gave good views into the
valley below. Further along there were
views in the other direction over a reservoir. At about 11:45am I began the steady descent
towards Cloverdale with my feet hurting a lot and looking forward to their
half day off. I met Stu at 12:45pm and
we walked down to the Country Pride Motel and truckstop
by the freeway and just had time to get some hamburgers, fries and shakes
before the NBA final began on TV (which also had cable). It was heaven sitting there with our feet
up, eating and watching the game which our team (both of us supported the
Boston Celtics) won to clinch the Championship. The motel had a laundry so we did our
washing and some TV watching and diary writing before going to the great value
All-You-Can-Eat salad restaurant across the road where we ate big. After that we shopped and returned to the
motel. I called the Binnings and gave them a shopping list and Marj before
returning to pack my groceries and write a late letter to Barb. I got to bed at 1:30am, feeling still very
full. |
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Day: |
38 |
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Date: |
Monday, 9 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Very warm, humid, mostly sunny. |
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AT
Miles: |
19.6 |
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Other
Miles: |
1.4 (0.2 from motel, 1.0 to Post Office,
0.2 to Shelter) |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
718.4 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
743.6 |
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Breakfast: |
Two croissants, chocolate milk. |
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Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
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Dinner: |
Noodles and chicken, pop tarts. |
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Aches: |
Feet still sore. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Two grouse, two black snakes, rabbit. |
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People
Seen: |
Eight AT Thru-Hikers (two by stages), one
day hiker, many others. |
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Journal: Got up at about 7:30am after not a
particularly good night’s sleep – too much food and air-conditioning. Stu left to get his mail in Cloverdale and,
after an unsuccessful attempt to ring Barb, I left at about 8:40am. It was a bit of a wrench to leave all that
comfort behind. I could easily have
stayed another day and was glad I had only scheduled 20 miles for today. I rejoined the Trail, which had recently
been relocated, and in about 45 minutes, after a not particularly pleasant
walk through waste grassland and beside the freeway, reached a road. I left the AT and walked down the road
about a mile (supposed to be a ½ mile) to Troutville and went to the Post
Office where I collected my mail – but no shoes. I found a phone and rang Barb at about
10:00am and had a nice chat. The
comforts of home are becoming more attractive. I went into the grocery, bought some stuff
for breakfast and ate that while I read my letters (Barb (2), Marj, Peter,
Jean, Bill). Time was passing but I
decided to take my time. I returned to
the Post Office mailed some stuff to Barb, Marj, and myself at |
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Day: |
39 |
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Date: |
Tuesday, 10 June 1986 |
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Weather: |
Mild, overcast, a little rain. |
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AT
Miles: |
21.5 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.2 (to Shelter) |
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AT
Cumulative Miles: |
739.9 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
765.3 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
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Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
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Dinner: |
Noodles and chicken, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
Blisters on both heels. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, chipmunks, three deer. |
|
People
Seen: |
Stu and The Greenhorns. |
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Journal: Got up at 6:00am and messed around a bit
before leaving at 7:50am. The Trail
was mostly through forest and fairly easy walking. It was nice to have it a bit cooler. The Greenhorns had arrived at the shelter just
before I left and Mike indicated they wanted to get to Rockfish Gap the same
time as me and said they would try to stick to my schedule though I don’t
think that Frank was so keen. I was
happy at the prospect of a 20 mile day and hoped to finish early for a
change. The miles seemed shorter,
which was nice. After a steady
descent, the majority of the day was spent ascending Floyd Mt and then up to
the |
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Day: |
40 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 11 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Hot, humid, mostly sunny, thunderstorms
later. |
|
AT
Miles: |
26.0 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.2 (to Shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
765.9 |
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Total
Cumulative Miles: |
791.5 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, instant
pudding. |
|
Aches: |
Blisters on outside of both heels. |
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Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, chipmunks, deer, tortoise. |
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People
Seen: |
Six AT Thru-Hikers, some others. |
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Journal: Got up at 6:00am and was visited by a
deer while having breakfast. Got away
at 7:20am with a long day in prospect.
The day started ominously when, in the first few miles, it passed
through deep nettles and over jagged rocks.
Progress was slow and the blisters, which had developed on the outside
of my heels over the last couple of days, were sore despite having been pricked
last night. Fortunately, the condition
of the Trail improved and speed picked up.
After two hours, I stopped and bandaged both blisters but the pain
worsened as I continued the long descent through the James River Wilderness
on a nicely graded trail. The Trail
crossed the |
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Day: |
41 |
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Date: |
Thursday, 12 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Very warm, humid, mostly sunny. |
|
AT Miles: |
23.8 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.2 (to Shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
789.7 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
815.5 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
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Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
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Dinner: |
Macaroni pudding, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
Blisters on toes and both heels. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Snake, tortoise, turkeys and chicks, two
deer. |
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People
Seen: |
Three AT Thru-Hikers, some others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am after a bad night, broke
out in sweat and bitten by insects. Left
at 7:25am after wishing and singing Happy Birthday to Ole. The Trail was very nice, passing through an
old conifer forest in some parts with little undergrowth. It was a warm sunny day, but more pleasant
down in the dark forest which was still wet from the previous night’s rain.
The Trail also followed the edge of an attractive reservoir and a lovely
stream before reaching Brown Mountain Creek Lean-To where I had my morning
break, part of it with Stu and Pete.
There followed a long (4½ mile) climb to the top of Bald Knob, from
which you couldn’t see anything. Very
sweaty. Later on, however, the Trail
crossed some open fields on the crest of the ridge and there were some good
views in all directions. I had a late
lunch in a sunny spot by the Trail before covering the last 7½ miles to
Seeley-Woodworth Memorial Shelter through medium forest. My blisters were bothering me again. At the Shelter I met Old Ridgerunner, Peter, Ruben (Czech-born Australian) and
Weka, who moved on another few miles.
Stu arrived later. Another
pleasant evening chatting. |
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Day: |
42 |
|
Date: |
Friday, 13 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
20.0 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
809.7 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
835.5 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, Quik. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter. |
|
Dinner: |
Various left-overs,
macaroni cheese. |
|
Aches: |
Both heels blistered. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Grouse and chicks, chipmunk. |
|
People
Seen: |
Seven overnight hikers, some AT Thru-Hikers,
some others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am and all the others left
before I got away at 7:40am. My
intention was to hike 20 miles plus make a trip into Tyro, 1¼ miles off the
Trail, for food. The Trail was quite pleasant
through forest with the weather cooler and the pack lighter. I stopped for morning break and finished my
letter to Pete & Chris. The Trail
then ascended over a mountain called The Priest. On the way up, I met a black guy who had
been staying in the nearby Shelter. I
later discovered he was a novice in the bush and weka had arrived after dark
at his Shelter to find him huddled up with a revolver “sorting out a few
problems”. Weka had a sleepless night
and an early departure. Annoyingly,
there wasn’t much of a view from the top – another AT bummer. There was then a very long descent to the Tye River and the road to Tyro. I sat beside the road to hitch-hike and
decided I probably had enough food to get me to the Loft Mountain Campground
in Shenandoah National Park so couldn’t be bothered walking to the Tyro
store. I spent half an hour thumbing
in the sun and, after no success, gave it away and began climbing the
mountain on the other side. I stopped
for lunch at the attractive Harpers Creek Lean-To before climbing on up to
Three Ridges. There was a short-cut –
that Pete and Stu took – to Maupin Shelter that avoided the arduous climb to
Three Ridges. It wasn’t so steep, just
rocky, winding and covered with nettles.
What’s more, you couldn’t see anything from the top. There followed a 3 mile descent to Maupin
Shelter where I arrived at 6:15pm to find Peter, Weka, and a family group of
six. They had extra food after just
finishing dinner, so the three of us finished off an assortment of stew, chilli
and chocolate pudding – very nice.
Another pleasant evening – fire already going. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
43 |
|
Date: |
Saturday, 14 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
23.0 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.5 (Blue Ridge Parkway Visitors Centre) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
832.7 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
859.0 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli. |
|
Lunch: |
Soup, burger, ice-cream. |
|
Dinner: |
Omelette, potato skins, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
Blisters on both heels, wasp sting on
left wrist. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Turkey, snake, fawn, rabbit, chipmunks,
squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
One overnight hiker, six day hikers, many
others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:50am when Pete woke me – he
and Ridgerunner got up at 5:30am. I was underway at 7am – my earliest
yet. I anticipated that the Trail
would be easy and mainly downhill for the 17 miles to Rockfish Gap. Because I wasn’t carrying much food, I
hoped that it would be a quick trip and that I would be in the Howard
Johnsons Restaurant in the Gap soon after 1pm for lunch. However, much of the Trail was very slow
going. Some of it was through
chest-high grass, nettles and weeds just out of sight of the Blue Ridge
Parkway, some of it was steep and some of it wound around an over rocks. There were occasional good views from rocky
outcrops but many of the hills again offered nothing for the strenuous
climb. I caught and passed both Peter
and Ridgerunner who had similar opinions about the
Trail. After a slow 10 miles, I called
in at the Humpback Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Centre and called Mark to alter
our meeting place for tomorrow to the Loft Mountain Picnic Area which would
mean I could have the arvo off. I
replenished water and continued along the Trail which remained the same. I did, however, surprise a fawn sitting on
the path and got a very good look at it.
Eventually, I arrived at Rockfish Gap at 3:15pm and went straight to
the restaurant for a late lunch. I
bought a pint of ice-cream for dessert and ate it sitting under a tree on the
grass near the highway reading the Washington Post. Peter turned up and we chatted for a
while. Like everybody else, he was
headed into Waynesboro for a few days R & R. I visited the adjacent service station to see
if they had food suitable for dinner.
They didn’t. I bought a few
caked for tomorrow’s breakfast and a couple of cans of Coke and returned to
the grass to pass another hour before having an early dinner at the same
restaurant. Ridgerunner
turned up. They were surprised to see
me back in the restaurant at 5:45pm. I
had dinner, bought another pint of ice-cream, and hit the Trail at 6:40pm,
hoping to reach Calf Mountain Shelter, 7.2 miles away. I stopped and ate the ice-cream after half
an hour and pressed on during a lovely evening on quite a good Trail. At 9pm, atop Calf Mountain, I called it
quits and quickly set up camp. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
44 |
|
Date: |
Sunday, 15 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Very warm, humid, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
21.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.7 (around Campground) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
854.1 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
881.1 |
|
Breakfast: |
Four cakes |
|
Lunch: |
Chicken, salad, pate, biscuits. |
|
Dinner: |
Chicken, chips, rock melon, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
Blisters on both heels. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Many deer, a bear, snake, chipmunks,
squirrels, grouse. |
|
People
Seen: |
Four overnight hikers, ten day hikers,
many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:30am after a reasonable night’s
sleep and managed to get going by 6:40am.
Everything was wet after a heavy night’s dew. After about an hour, when crossing a fairly
open scrubby part of the crest of Calf Mountain, I disturbed something big
about 30 yards in front of me which turned out to be a big black bear. It went lumbering off to the right and I
had a good view for a couple of seconds.
My first black bear – I was very pleased. Shortly after, I entered Shenandoah
National Park and concentrated on maintaining a good pace on the good quality
Trail. Although there were hills, the
grades were good and surface even. The
scenery wasn’t much altered from further south, although perhaps there was
less undergrowth. Occasionally,
through the clearings and when the Trail crossed the Skyline Drive, it was
possible to get good views of other mountains and the valleys but, as always,
it was very hazy (and hot and humid).
I only allowed myself short breaks in my efforts to reach Loft
Mountain Picnic Area, 21½ miles away, at the 2pm time I had arranged with the
Binnings. My
pack was light and my progress was good. With about 3½ miles to go, I met
Mark coming the other way and he accompanied me back to the Picnic Area,
chatting all the time, which made the last few miles a bit easier. He also had some soft drink and I had run
out of water. We reached the Picnic
Area, and Fran and Ashley, at about 2:20pm and I was glad to sit down. They had brought lots of drinks, fruit,
pasta salad and chicken, so I ate my fill and talked a lot. Asley had the
sulks. They had driven 130 miles to
meet me, which was really nice of them.
At about 5pm, we moved down to the shower and laundry building and I
had a shower before putting my washing on.
The 50¢ for 5 minutes shower ran out (no cold water, either) when I
was fully soaped up (hair and all) and I had to wipe myself down with a
towel, throw on some shorts, and walk out to Mark to borrow another 50¢. Broke my thong en route. While my laundry was on, we had cheese and
pate on the lawns before the Binnings left at about
5:45pm – leaving me with food, newspapers, etc. – for the long drive
home. I could have joined them easy –
a bit of takeaway on the way home, some TV, and bed. Instead, I did some shopping in the poorly
stocked store, walked the 1/3 mile to the Campground, and booked in for a
night as well as getting my Backcountry Permit. In the remaining two hours of daylight, I
ate, repacked food, and read the paper.
It was strange to be in a standard National Parks Campground without
Barb and the van. It made me nostalgic
for this time last year. Hot tomorrow
and 26½ miles. I went to bed on my new
air mattress (also got a new Sony Walkman Radio, new shoes, new shorts, new
groundsheet) feeling tired already. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
45 |
|
Date: |
Monday, 16 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Hot, humid, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
26.6 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.7 (0.3 campground, 0.3 store, 0.1
shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
880.7 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
908.4 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, two bananas. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, corn chips. |
|
Dinner: |
Corn chips, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
Blister on right foot, wasp sting on left
wrist, numbness in left knee. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Several deer, chipmunks, squirrels,
rabbits. |
|
People
Seen: |
Ten overnight hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am after quite a good night’s
sleep (though I could have slept longer) and after a somewhat leisurely start
(finished reading the paper) I set out reluctantly on my 26+ mile day in weather
that was forecast to be hot and humid.
Knowing that it would be hard, I paced myself and had a rest every
hour. The new shorts and T-shirt were
definitely more comfortable to hike in.
I set as my goal Swift Run Gap for lunch, 17 miles down the track and,
with a little help from the Sony Walkman, made it at 3pm. Although there were a number of viewpoints,
the immensely thick haze marred the views.
It was quite oppressive. After
lunch, I set out for Lewis Mountain Campground, 9 miles away, and reached
there at 6:50pm, feeling very tired.
The store was open and I purchased a quart of ice-cream and three cans
of Coke (plus some powdered milk) for dinner.
Fortunately, the storekeeper told me the water was bad at Bearfence Gap where I was headed, so I was able to top
up. I arrived at Bearfence
at 7:15pm, very footsore, and got a fire going while I had a wash. Although the fire was good, the grill was
too high and, after a lot of stuffing around, I never did manage to get water
boiled for macaroni cheese. In the
end, I dined on corn chips, ice-cream and Coke. As it got dark, there were lots of
fireflies dancing around. I went to
bed at about 9:40pm. There were some
no-see-ums biting. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
46 |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, 17 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
26.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.3 (shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
907.1 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
935.1 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Chilli, hamburger and fries. |
|
Dinner: |
Salad, chicken, fries and ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
Back outside of both feet very sore. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Many deer, chipmunks, squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
Two AT Thru-hikers, approximately 15
overnight hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at about 5:50am and got away at
7:20am. It was much cooler and
promised to be a cool sunny day – good for hiking. The rear outside of both soles were still
very sore, as though there were deep blisters, but I was loathe to push
needles in any further. Once again the
Trail had easy grades and was generally even.
There were some parts where the nettles were quite bad. I hadn’t expected that in the Shenandoah
National Park. The less humid weather
meant less haze and therefore some of the best views for the trip so far –
especially over the Shenandoah Valley.
I put in four miles between breaks and thought about stopping at Big
Meadows (where Barb and I had camped) for a second breakfast, but decided I
didn’t need it , especially since I expected to be buying lunch and
dinner. I stopped for a nice long
break in the sun at the picnic area there while I worked out an itinerary to
Delaware Water Gap, including 1½ days off in Front Royal. It seemed reasonable provided that the
going wasn’t too bad. I was again
nostalgic for the good old days in the van (gone forever) as I walked along
parts of the AT I had run a couple of months ago. The 8 miles to Skyland
seemed hard and the feet were sore – inexplicable mood swings. I arrived at 2:10pm and went to the
restaurant at the Lodge for a reasonably-priced, not particularly good, meal
(good chilli, though). On leaving, I
met two AT Thru-hikers I must have passed in the morning – GEOKA (George and
Karin). I chatted for a while. They had left on 15 April and I was the
first person to catch them. It was
then another 8 miles to Thornton Gap, including a couple of mountains and
some more views. I arrived at the
Panorama Restaurant at 6:40pm, discovered it closed at 7pm, and went straight
in and ordered. It was a good meal and
I was last to leave. I then had an
easy uphill 1½ mile walk to reach Pass Mountain Hut where I arrived on a
lovely evening at 8:10pm. Already in
residence was Katherine, an English 30yo archaeologist who’d been living in
Hanover, West Germany, for the last 7 years.
Initially she was a little reserved, but later became very
friendly. I went to bed at
9:30pm. Lots of fireflies again. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
47 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 18 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
23.1 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.4 (0.2 shelter, 0.2 spring) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
930.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
958.6 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink then, later,
hamburger, fries, orange juice, ice-cream, milk-shake. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, pop tarts. |
|
Aches: |
Tired feet. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Many deer, grouse, chipmunks, squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
Six overnight hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:50am and left at about
7:30am. Katherine was very chatty and
wanted me to wait a few minutes until she was ready to leave, even though our
paths would only be the same for ¼ mile.
We said our good-byes and I headed off, looking forward to a shorter
day with easy grades in pleasant walking conditions. I decided to walk steadily to Elkwallow Wayside where there was a snack bar and have a
second breakfast. I arrived there
around 10am and bought a few supplies plus burger, fries, shake, orange juice,
and ice-cream. I took these out to a
picnic table in the sun and spent a very pleasant hour eating and itinerary
planning. Then I walked another 8
miles including gentle grades and a few views to the top of North Marshall
Mountain for lunch. After lunch, I
continued on and passed through an area of forest devastated by the gypsy
moth before eventually leaving Shenandoah National Park. I reached Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter at
6:10pm. It was very nice, apart from a
long hike down the mountain to get water from a spring, and I had it to
myself. A good dinner and a leisurely
evening, and a lovely sunset, made for a great evening. Went to bed at 9:30pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
48 |
|
Date: |
Thursday, 19 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
9.9 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.5 (to store) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
940.1 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
969.0 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Burgers, fries, apple, watermelon. |
|
Dinner: |
Pork chops, vegetables, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
|
|
Animals
Seen: |
Deer, grouse, chipmunks, squirrels, Asian
donkeys. |
|
People
Seen: |
No hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am and away at 7:30am. It was
hard to develop a sense of urgency on days when I was walking reduced
mileages. The Trail wound around a lot
and passed through a few properties initially but was still good going for
the first 3 miles. But, after that it
passed through very overgrown grassy areas which were supposedly tick infested. Much of the grass was head-high and I
didn’t enjoy it. The Trail also passed
along the perimeter of land owned by the National Zoo and I saw animals which
looked like Asian donkeys grazing. The
grass was later replaced by nettles before it became more pleasant at higher
altitudes. I made good time and the
last few miles along country roads into Linden were enjoyable. I arrived at the Post Office at 11:40am
(lucky – it closed between 12pm and 1pm) and found a very helpful postmaster
who gave me my mail, insisted on ringing motels in Front Royal to check
prices (and if they had cable TV) and then drove me the 7 miles to Front
Royal in his lunch hour. I checked
into the motel, which was a bit dumpish but OK (didn’t have HBO!). I then walked up the street ¼ mile to a
supermarket, did my shopping, and collected some lunch at the Burger King on
the way back. I spent the afternoon
watching TV, reading mail and writing to Barb. I had dinner at a nice restaurant across
the street and then relaxed eating, watching TV and reading the paper for the
rest of the evening. Went to bed at
12:30am. I couldn’t open the windows,
so had to have the noisy air conditioner on most of the time. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
49 |
|
Date: |
Friday, 20 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, cloudy. |
|
AT
Miles: |
0 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.4 (to store) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
940.1 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
969.4 |
|
Breakfast: |
Eggs, sausages, scones. |
|
Lunch: |
Burgers, fries, shake. |
|
Dinner: |
Trout, vegetables, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
0 |
|
Animals
Seen: |
0 |
|
People
Seen: |
Many |
|
Journal: Got up at about 8:30am and, after a
shower, wandered across the road to the restaurant for breakfast. After breakfast, I spent a few hours sewing
my Australian flags on my pack. It was
a slow job and at 12:30pm I knocked off and walked up the road to get burgers
for lunch again. After lunch, I
finished my sewing chores and decided not to bother walking the mile to the
laundry, but did my own washing by hand.
The afternoon went quickly – I didn’t get the letters written I had
planned on. I rang the Binnings before going to tea and arranged to ring them
again in the morning re a possible Sunday meeting. Had another excellent dinner and adjourned
to my room to catch up on my badly over-due diary. Tried to ring Barb a number of times
unsuccessfully. Stayed up to 1am
watching Aussie Rules on ESPN. It
wasn’t a bad game with North Melbourne just pipping Sydney. Rang Barb at 11pm and got Ngaire – Barb’s away for the weekend. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
50 |
|
Date: |
Saturday, 21 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Very warm, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
17.5 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.9 (0.5 in Front Royal, 0.2 store, 0.2
shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
957.6 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
987.8 |
|
Breakfast: |
Eggs, sausages, scones. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Fettucine, pop tarts. |
|
Aches: |
Toes a bit sore. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 AT Thru-hiker, 1 day hiker, many
others. |
|
Journal: Got up ay 7:50am and had a shower. At 8am, the Aussie Rules match came back on
ESPN so I needn’t have stayed up so late.
I rang Mark and arranged to meet him at Keys Gap Shelter at 5pm tomorrow
night for dinner. After breakfast, I
finished packing and departed at 9:10am.
I walked ½ a mile to a good hitching place and stood there, on a
pleasant sunny day, for ½ an hour before getting a lift to Linden. It was amazing how many women in cars slow
a little, look at you and obviously think about picking you up, only to
reject the idea as risky. I went to
the Post Office, did some mailing, and then went to a grocery store for a
pint of milk and a chocolate ice-cream.
I headed off at 11:10am. The
Trail at first followed a road before entering the woods. It was fairly easy going and I made good
time. Where the Trail crossed Ashby
Gap during the afternoon, I walked up the road 200m to a restaurant which had
a phone and called Marj in case I didn’t get another opportunity. She was quite chatty. After a milkshake I left and walked the
remaining 3½ miles to Rod Hollow Shelter, my goal for the day. There was no-one there and the Shelter was
excellent – brand new with a pavilion for eating and cooking, and a good
piped spring with a facility for showers. At about 7:30pm, another AT hiker
(by sections), Uncle Al, turned up.
He’d hiked a 100 miles further south and could fill me in on the
progress of a few people I knew. In
1984, he had hiked from Georgia to Massachusetts, but then his wife had asked
him to come home. This year he planned
to hike Virginia to Maine. He was
useful with information about the Trail in Pennsylvania. I went to bed at 9:30pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
51 |
|
Date: |
Sunday, 22 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Hot, humid, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
24.8 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.2 (shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
982.4 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1012.8 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Egg and bacon pie, fruit salad, muffins. |
|
Aches: |
Right little toe and sole of right foot
sore. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Tortoises, snake, deer, squirrels,
chipmunks. |
|
People
Seen: |
2 AT Thru-hikers (GEOKA), 6 overnight
hikers, 2 day hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:45am and was on the Trail by
7am. I had said I would meet the Binnings 24½ miles up the Trail by 5pm but, as Uncle Al had
warned me, the early going was hard.
New Trail with lots of rocks, turns, abrupt rises and descents, and
bramble overgrowth that scratched up my legs.
Just before lunch I caught George and Karin again – they had passed
while I was I was in Front Royal. We
talked for a while and I managed to point out to them that Harpers Ferry was
further away than they anticipated. I
left them and hiked another 3 miles to a sand spring and had lunch. They caught me again and I wasted another
half hour talking. Despite rumours to
the contrary, the going was still hard for the next 4 miles and it became
evident that I was going to be late for my appointment even though I was
taking fewer breaks. Some sore spots
on my right foot (little toe and sole) also were slowing me down. I reached my destination, Keyes Gap
Shelter, at 5:45pm to find an old alcoholic tramp in residence and the Binnings gone (but expected to return). I tended my feet and 20 minutes later they
appeared. I decided to go down to
their car for our picnic, which we did, and spent a pleasant few hours
chatting. I decided that, rather than
stay with the tramp, I would hike another mile or so and sleep in my tent.
This I did, and stopped at 8:15pm, washed, got into bed at 9pm, and updated
my diary until 9:30pm before going to sleep. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
52 |
|
Date: |
Monday, 23 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Hot humid, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
17.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
2.5 (0.2 to ATCHQ, 2.0 to store, 0.3 to
shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
999.9 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1032.7 |
|
Breakfast: |
Egg and bacon pie, muffins, burger,
ice-cream. |
|
Lunch: |
Hot dog, beans, ice-cream. |
|
Dinner: |
Muesli, muffins. |
|
Aches: |
Sore toes on both feet. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, turtles. |
|
People
Seen: |
4 AT Thru-hikers, 1 day hiker, many
others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am after a reasonable sleep on
a hot night. I packed up and was
underway by 7:15am. It was already
warm and humid and the day was forecast to be hot. It took me until 9:20am to reach Harpers
Ferry and the Appalachian Trail Conference Headquarters after crossing the
Shenandoah River. Goodbye
Virginia. They let me use the office
phone to ring Barb, which I did. Not a
great call because neither of us had much news and the line wasn’t great (I
couldn’t shout because of the office staff).
While in the office, I met Chainsaw (so-named because of his snoring),
also northbound, and Jean Cassin (ATC information lady who remembered me from
my previous visit) and a Harpers Ferry visitor who talked with me for a long
time, and a local newspaper reporter who also talked to me for a while. I then walked a mile to a cluster of three
small groceries where I got my supplies and had a snack. I wrote cards to Cederholms
and Birches and posted them at the Post Office on my way back. Met George and Karin there, who had had a
good night with the alcoholic tramp.
Jean had gone out so I decided to get some lunch at a nearby
café. I returned at 1pm, hung around
for a while and met Paul, another northbound Thru-hiker, who’d been off for a
week in Washington DC. I had my photo
taken for the AT album (Australian flag prominent), said goodbye to Jean and
the other staff, and set off about 1:50pm, about 3 hours later than intended. It was very hot. The Trail descended through historic
Harpers Ferry and crossed the Potomac on a railway bridge to Maryland. Goodbye West Virgina. The trail then followed the Ohio &
Chesapeake Canal and the Potomac River for quite some time. It was flat, and cooler in the shade. I had hoped to do another 18 miles but my
toes hurt for some reason and, after climbing up onto a ridge in Maryland, I
decided 12 miles would be enough – it was getting late. I caught Chainsaw and we bot decided to head for Crampton
Gap Shelter. He stopped in Gothland State Park to
cook dinner and I went on to the Shelter which was unoccupied. However, during the next two hours, George
and Karin and their son (joining them for a week) turned up with George
determined to utilise all space in the small Shelter so the snoring Chainsaw
would have to sleep elsewhere. Next,
however, Paul turned up so they found room for him. Then it really was full. Chainsaw turned up at 8:30pm and
good-naturedly agreed to sleep outside, even though he didn’t have a
tent. At about 3am, there was a huge
thunderstorm and torrential rain.
Chainsaw didn’t get much sleep.
I felt sorry for the gregarious eccentric old guy. |
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|
Day: |
53 |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, 24 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, rain in the morning, mostly
cloudy. |
|
AT
Miles: |
24.9 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.6 (shelters) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1024.8 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1058.2 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter. |
|
Dinner: |
Noodles, pop tarts. |
|
Aches: |
Sore behind right knee. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits. |
|
People
Seen: |
6 AT Thru-hikers, 20 overnight hikers,
some others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am to steady rain and packed
up slowly. Chainsaw, who had joined us
during the night’s thunderstorm, left in the rain at 7am. I left at 7:30am just as it stopped. The Trail followed a broad ridge which
didn’t offer views but was basically easy going, though wet weeds and
brambles and some rocky bits made life unpleasant. Paul caught and passed me though I passed
him again later. The Trail passed by
the Dahlgren Campground for hikers only (free hot showers), but I didn’t
stop. I met Melissa there, who was
hiking most of the AT. She was with T-Turf
when I met them later (they took a short-cut) at the Washington Monument
(1827’) which gave good views over the countryside. Chainsaw was also there. I walked steadily for the remainder of the
day, stopping for a 2:30pm lunch. The
Trail continued to follow a ridge – dropping down to cross roads in passes
every so often. My feet weren’t so bad
today. I reached Devils Racecourse
Shelter at 6:25pm and found 4 AT Thru-hikers already in residence – the
Connecticut Connection (3 guys) and Kid Charlemagne. They squeezed up to make room for me. I got a fire going despite damp wood, had
dinner, caught up the diary, and got into bed by about 9pm. The boys told me about the “flasher” they
had met on the Trail before Harpers Ferry and how the guy had been
arrested. I’d heard about it in
Harpers ferry too. |
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|
Day: |
54 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 25 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, sunny – perfect. |
|
AT
Miles: |
24.2 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.3 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1049.0 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1082.7 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, two health
bars. |
|
Dinner: |
Noodles and chicken, instant pudding,
chips, Pepsi. |
|
Aches: |
Tired feet. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, rabbits. |
|
People
Seen: |
6 overnight hikers, 4 day hikers, many
others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am after a good night’s sleep
and left at 7:20am, bidding farewell to my colleagues. It was cool and looked to be set for a nice
day for hiking. The first 5 miles incorporated
a lot of clambering over rocks and progress was slow. During my first break I was caught by KC
and one of the CC. Both were headed
for the Raccoon Run Shelters at 20 miles whilst I was aiming for Quarry Gap
at 24 miles. It showed again that my
hiking speed wasn’t faster than the others it was just that I could
comfortably go on longer. I reached
the Mason-Dixon Line (Pennsylvania border) at the same time and got KC (a
nice guy – they all were) to take my picture.
The first few miles in Pennsylvania were a composite of many old
trails and was difficult to follow and badly marked. I had to stop three times to get the
guidebook out – can’t remember the last time I had to refer to one. After those first few miles, it settled
down and passed through pretty woodlands with no tough grades though
occasional rocky sections. On the
whole it was pleasant hiking. I saw KC
twice more. At a break, two scouts
(~13 years old) came the other way and couldn’t understand a word I
said. I decided to try and get to
Caledonia State Park before 5pm so that I could visit the snack bar reported
to be there. This required a few
longer sections and a 30 minute lunch.
En route, I passed Raccoon Run Shelters and found KC and CC (one of)
in residence. They had walked the
roads! My guess is that 70% of AT
Thru-hikers take short-cuts and walk roads fairly frequently (with 5%
hitching bits). Each to his own. I got to the State Park at 4:45pm. It’s strange going into these Parks where
people are picnicking and playing (and camping, etc.) as Barb and I had been
doing three months ago. You feel like
a visitor from outer space. I had a
salad roll, two ice-creams and two Pepsis and some chips to accompany dinner. It was very pleasant sitting in the sun
eating these with only 2½ miles to go to the Shelter. I even saw a jogger when entering the
Park. I left the picnic area at 5:30pm
and, after a short sharp climb and an easy walk (with a stop to collect water
¼ mile before the Shelter), I reached it at 6:20pm. I’m getting efficient at setting up,
washing and cooking and, by 7:35pm, I had eaten main course. There were no other occupants, it was a
nice spot, a nice evening, and a picnic table – perfect end to a good day. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
55 |
|
Date: |
Thursday, 26 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
24.2 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.2 (shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1073.1 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1107.1 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Two meat rolls, ½ gallon ice-cream. |
|
Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, corn chips, pop tarts. |
|
Aches: |
Bruised left heel. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, turkeys, snake. |
|
People
Seen: |
2 AT Thru-hikers, 6 overnight hikers,
many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am and left at 7:20am to reach
Pine Grove Furnace State Park for lunch, 17 miles away. As was the case yesterday, it looked like a
good day for hiking – a little warmer perhaps – and the terrain was easy –
undulating hills and mostly even trail though there were a few rocky
bits. I seem to have bruised my left
heel a bit, though it wasn’t too bad – hope it doesn’t get worse. I made good time through the wooded country
and reached Toms Run Shelters at 13½ miles soon after noon. There I met two
groups totalling six overnight hikers and Paul from three nights ago – the %
of AT hitch-hikers increases! He was
looking for a friend who I hadn’t seen.
I talked for a while before setting off for the 3½ miles to Pine Grove
Furnace State Park. I arrived there at
1:30pm and found the General Store close to the historic youth hostel. I went into the old store and was persuaded
by the pretty and flirtatious manageress, Renee, to buy lunch there instead
of the snack bar ¼ of a mile away. I
bought two “torpedoes” – large meat rolls – then she told me about the half
gallon club. AT hikers try to eat a ½
gallon of ice-cream as quickly as possible.
I promised to return, bought a few groceries, and she gave me
yesterday’s newspaper. I adjourned to
the large verandah and ate lunch reading the paper
at a table – very pleasant. Two AT
Thru-hikers, Sandy and Kent, were there too.
I got my half-gallon of ice-cream and ate it without any trouble. Renee then made me climb the wall to stick
my certificate in place. I left soon
after 3pm for the seven mile hike up to Tagg Run
Shelters. There were a few rocky bits
and the country is drier. I reached
the Shelters at 5:45pm and crossed the HALF-WAY MARK just before turning off
to them. Paul turned up an hour later,
and Sandy and Kent a little after that.
Plenty of time to relax after a lot of miles but a comfortable day. |
|
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|
|
Day: |
56 |
|
Date: |
Friday, 27 June 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Hot, humid, mostly sunny, a little rain
in the late afternoon. |
|
AT
Miles: |
28.1 |
|
Other
Miles: |
1.0 (0.2 shelter, 0.8 spring) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1101.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1136.2 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Soup, salad, dessert (All You Can Eat) |
|
Dinner: |
None. |
|
Aches: |
Sore feet. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Deer, 2 snakes, squirrels, tortoise. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 AT Hiker (by sections), 1 overnight
hiker, 1 day hiker, many others. |
|
Journal: I got up at 6am and left at 7:20am for
what promised to be a long day including the famous Cumberland Valley 10+
mile road walk which I was looking forward to. I said good-bye to Kent and Sandy, and
Paul. The Trail was easy going at
first and I made good progress.
However, later there were some relocations which took the Trail up on
some very rocky ridges and the going became very slow. It also got very hot. I was walking 5 mile stretches between
breaks because I wanted to reach a Carlisle Truck Stop for a late lunch. After about 12 miles the Trail descended to
the road and I began the road walk.
There was a fierce sun and I was a bit worried about it blazing down
on the back of my neck. However, as
the day wore on, the haze got thicker, eventually turning into cloud, and the
sun ceased to be a problem. After I’d
walked about 4 miles through the pleasing rural countryside, I reached the
small village of Churchtown and found Paul sitting
under a tree. He had taken some
short-cuts again – a little tedious.
He then proceeded to follow me along the road about 100 yards behind. There was supposed to be a lady living along
the road who gave ice-creams to AT hikers but, when we found her house, she
wasn’t home. I pressed on along the
road walking the 4 miles to the truckstop in an
hour – amazing how much quicker the pace is along the road. Paul fell behind, but not until after we
caught two other hikers, Gordon and Tommy, the former completing the AT after
starting last year and the latter out for two weeks. I was first at the truckstop
but was later joined by the other three and we all ate big on the All You Can
Eat soup, salad and dessert. It was
good. Paul and I left there at 4:45pm
for the 7 miles to Darlington Shelter.
The first 3 or 4 miles were mainly on roads but then the Trail climbed
steadily and very rockily to a ridge.
It began raining lightly. I
reached the Shelter at 7:15pm and set out on the long overgrown walk (about ¼
mile) down to the spring. It had
stopped flowing and the water looked bad.
I cursed not having filled my water bottles at the truckstop. I drank my two cans of Coke before setting off
further down the Trail (1.7 miles) to a supposed spring and campsite. I met Paul coming into the Shelter. He decided to stay there. I reached the campsite at 8:30pm but
couldn’t get to the water because of poison ivy so just put up my tent (40%
chance of rain) and went to bed hot (it was still 80°F), a bit thirsty, but
not particularly hungry. It took me a
long time to get to sleep. |
|