Dave Byrnes

Appalachian Trail - 1986

Overview Map Diary Pictures

Day:	025
Date:	Tuesday, 27 May 1986
Start:
Finish:
Daily AT Miles:	18.7
Daily Other Miles	1.0 (around Damascus)
Total AT Miles:	468.7
Total All Miles	484.0
Weather:	Light rain in the morning, mostly cloudy in the afternoon, rain again at night.
Accommodation:
Nutrition:	Breakfast: Ham and eggs, chocolate milk. Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. Dinner: Muesli, instant pudding, health drink.
Aches:	Big blisters.
Animals Seen:	Grouse.
People Seen:	Several in town.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:
Journal:	Got up at 7am and had a shower before walking down to the Post Office to see what mail I had. My boots were there together with letters from Barb and Pam, and a card from AT hiker, Lisa. I put the boots on and walked up to the Douglass Inn where I had a cooked breakfast with Gene and Dave. I returned to the hostel, finished working out a mail schedule, packed my old boots and other things to send to Marj, and wrote a card to Lisa before returning to the Post Office. I cashed a travellers cheque at the bank on the way back, finished packing, bade farewell to the others and set off in the light rain which had persisted all morning. I was glad to be on the road again but sorry I hadn’t left earlier than 11am because the first shelter was 26 miles away with a few hills before it. I resolved to see how I would go. I shouldn’t be too ambitious because my new, heavy, boots will have an effect. The Trail climbed up into the mountains past many blossoms in the forest and, at times, followed or paralleled the route of the old Virginia Creeper rail line. I didn’t stop for lunch until 3:30pm and then spent some time tending to sore spots on my feet. At about 5:30pm, after more climbing, I decided that my feet were too sore and it would be too late to press on to the Shelter. Around 7pm I found a nice campsite near a spring in the forest and set up camp. It rained a little while I had dinner, but not too much. I went to bed at 9:30pm and, although it rained during the night, I did not get wet and slept well.