K.O.A.

26 de abril

2010-05-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ahh that sweet night's sleep in Spence Field. The next morning we hiked past "Rocky Top" which is the name of a peak in the Smokies but apparently not the namesake of the song (apparently there are two or three "rocky tops" in Tennessee). I was incredibly disappointed at this. Anyway the Smokies were surprisingly easy hiking. The path is so well-defined (namely I think because it's so old) and you're already so high up on the ridge that there isn't a whole lot of elevation change. We also had completely clear weather which was amazing. The whole forest floor was covered in wildflowers. The ones in the picture were called "spring beauties." Basically hiked on through to Clingman's Dome today. We met Hatchet a few miles before reaching Clingman's. He was stopped trying to catch a wild turkey on video.

Clingman's dome is kind of an odd place. It's the highest point on the AT but they built this weird 70's-style overlook tower thinger on top and you can practically drive up the mountain. There were a lot of babies up there. It was bring your baby to clingman's dome day. We had decided earlier we were going to go into Gatlinburg so we hiked down to the parking lot to try to catch a ride. It definitely took a few minutes. We tried to talk a Canadian couple into taking us but they said they weren't heading to Gatlinburg. Finally this nice guy from St. Louis on a roadtrip with his girlfriend and his buddy said we could catch a ride with him if we were interested in checking out Cherokee, NC and Mingo Falls first. Not a bad deal.

So we started down mountain the back of this guy's pick up truck. That was a gorgeous drive. We finally get down into the valley and I accidentally dropped my camera into a hole in the bed of his truck. It must've bounced off something under there and off to the side of the road. When we told him at the gas station we stopped there it was super nice of him to drive us back to look for it. A couple miles later there it was on the side of the road - and not broken! I decided at that moment that odd lucky things like that just happen on the trail. It was just that kind of place. We finally got to the waterfall when I realized I had actually been there when I was 12 on the middle school orchestra trip. Weird flashback. Nice waterfall.

We had to drive up and over the Smokies again to get back to Gatlinburg. They dropped us off on the main drag and we walked to the motel we had heard about in our guidebook. Can't remember the name :( Got some beer, went to dinner at the grill on the corner. Had a super weird sketchy waiter who mentioned drugs, probation, hookers and strippers before even taking our drink order. He was either super sketchy or just making anything up. Either way it was entertaining. Then we had to figure out what the Gatlinburg nightlife situation is on a Sunday. Took a few tries but we finally found Puckers, which is where everybody that works in town goes after getting off their shift. Good time. Did "Dixieland Delight" on kareoke and made some friends. All fun and games until hatchet starts asking Green Lite repeatedly if he 'has his back." ALways a good sign. Managed to skip out before hatchet caused any real trouble. Those Gatlinburg nights.

April 25

2010-05-13T16:12:00.001-07:00

Today woke up right off the trail in the Smokies to a deer walking by on the trail. Started hiking, climbed the rickety firetower on top of Shuckstack Mtn and took some pictures. About a half mile later was heading through a gap when I saw kinda dark shapes maybe 30 yds to my left. Took a few seconds to sort out that it was a family of bears. Sorta tweaked, turned around and walked quickly back the way I came. I think I waited 10min or so thinking what the hell does one do here. Went back to see if they were still there. They were. Entirely unphased by my presence. Finally a hiker named Too-Bob came along and actually seemed as freaked out as I was. So once Smiling Bandit came along we decided to walk by them with safety in numbers. The walk-by went off without a hitch though I think my heart was racing. I finally started to come to terms with bears that day.

Came up on the first shelter. The shelters in the Smokies used to be caged in to protect from the bears until hikers started feeding bears through the cages, which only encouraged the bears to hang around the shelters more. Cages are gone but they're pretty old stone shelters and sleep a lot of people. The black flies in the smokies were awful though. You couldn't really sit still. That much I remember very well. That day we hiked on to Spence Field shelter where we spent the night. Smiling Bandit, Forest, Willow, Gaucha and some weekend hikers were there. Some nice woman from South Carolia (Georgia?) gave us a muscle relaxant to split and it was the BEST night's sleep I had had in weeks. I literally was out like a light in a shelter full of smelly, snoring people. The smokies are beautiful.

April 24

2010-05-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Woke up at Fontana Village the next morning and Georgia Pine, Hustler & Brian were all gone :( The way of the trail I suppose. I'll stop here to note that Fontana Village was actually built in the 40s when construction of the dam began to house the workers. On our way into Fontana Village the night before we met a random group of folks from Alabama who Georgia Pine struck up a conversation with. Turns out they were "dam children." Their parents (well, fathers I s'pose) had been dam construction workers for the TVA and they had grown up together. They were back for a dam children reunion.

Aanyway. Got up. Couldn't even sleep in really. Took advantage of some lodge amenities (sauna). Got brunch in the main dining room (buffet!). Checked out of the room. Shipped Chad's pack with some other stuff in it back to DC at the post office down the hill. Hit up the general store briefly and then caught a shuttle back to the lake. I remember we were in the shuttle with Forest and Willow. Willow lives not too far from me now near Kent, CT. Then it was pretty much back to the marina for the day for another round of high life. It was beautiful out there. We had been trying to angle our way into a boat ride when Greenlite ran up the dock to help some people with their luggage that were heading for a houseboat. Next thing I know we're invited along to have lunch on their houseboat. They were all from Greenville, SC and kind of hilarious. Can't remember the details but I remember one guy particularly enjoying telling the story of his wife disembarking from a plane down those stairs onto the tarmac when she stumbled and took out one of the poor airline workers that tried to break her fall. She retaliated with some other absurd story about him I can't remember. I think it involved falling off a boat somehow. Aaaanyway they were so nice to us and we had quite the lunch.

We eventually got a boatride back to the marina where Greenlite's friends from Clemson were hanging out on the dock. We were probably there for 4 or 5 hrs or so when we finally decided to pack up and head towards the "Fontana Hilton" as the shelter near the dam is so named (apparently it has a shower). So we all started hiking the mile towards the dam and Greenlite and I decided we'd just keep going and head into the Smokies. It was pretty cool walking over the dam - I have a strange thing for the TVA. It just seems so old school, old America, New Deal, all that jazz. Thankfully the terrorist alert levels were low so we were allowed to walk across. I was maybe a third of the way across when two guys on motorcycles cruised by us. I started running after one of them, really wanted a ride across Fontana at sunset. He slowed down and I hopped on. Not one of my safest moments in life I suppose but oohhhhhhh was it nice. On the other side he slowed and I was able to hop off.

They kept on going but then turned around five minutes later or so and came back to see more of the dam. We got a few pictures with them. My ride was a nice man from Eastern KY named Jim. They were probably hitting up the tail of the dragon. He kept saying "I don't know why y'all want pictures with strangers but ooookay." So we pushed on from there and entered Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We hiked a mile or two in, gaining some elevation and we could look back down on the dam, glowing from lights as it got dark. So cool. Cowboy camped that night right off the trail. That was a good day.

Sweet Sweet Fontana

2010-04-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Got up and out of Locust Grove Gap fairly early and made a break for Fontana! I was a little behind Greenlite and Brian. I caught up to them for a minute because they had stopped to chat with this guy who was kind of incoherent. Pretty much had a ridiculously stereotypical hillbilly look going on. I'm sure he was a fine fellow. Stopped at Cable Gap shelter for lunch where we met Wis-pee for the first time. I remember introducing myself and we were all talking and then a few minutes later he subconsciously started whistling the song Blue Sky. This is the desired effect. Hustler caught up to us somewhere around here.

Not far after that shelter you come up on a ridge where you can see Fontana Lake. Then you look beyond Fontana Lake and there they are...the Smokies. It was pretty awe-inspiring actually. You've heard SO much about them in the beginning of your trip. You just can't wait to see this mystical mountain land of bears, park rangers, shelters with cages, and sometimes snow in April. It was definitely one of those times though where you see where you think you're heading, think you're practically almost there, but then turns out you have 3mi left of following the lake to the dam of an absurd amount of up and down. That was a hellish few miles if I can recall. I would make headway on the downhills and then wheeze through the climbs. BUT it was all worth. We came out of the woods to the lake right where there's a sizeable marina. It was kind of a hot day so Greenlite & I just made a break for the docks and a cannonball later discovered the water was 52 degrees. Jeeesus cristo it was cold. So the swimming thing was short lived but we discovered shortly thereafter that the tackle shop at the end of the marina sold beer. It was very nice to be motionless, very nice to be in the sun, very nice to be next to a lake, and very nice to have a case of high life.

Then Greenlite's dad showed up! He's quite the funny one. I believe his trailname became Georgia Pine. The guys hopped in the back of his truck and I got in the cab. He was listening to the radio and a good tune came on and he out of nowhere asked me what it was and lo and behold (thanks Dad!) I knew it was Tighten Up by Archie Bell and the Drells. Think I surprised him a bit. He took us all to Fontana Village where there's a old lodge. I think the CCC built it...oh the history. We showered up and had dinner in the main dining room...some sort of chicken & pasta dish. God it was good. We all did laundry. Spent some time on some rocking chairs out on the porch. Met Tweak for the first time outside near the pool on a rocker. Then came the big shakedown of my pack that I knew Greenlite, Brian & Hustler were all waiting in eager anticipation for. Being lightweight freaks and all. Greenlite had his Dad bring me up his old pack which was much lighter and fit me way better than the one I had been using. He also gave me his down sleeping bag which packed down much smaller than mine because he was switching out to his summer bag. Hustler gave me his stove. They talked me into throwing out my Nalgene's and replacing them with Gatorade bottles. Made me mail home some extra lithium batteries. Greenlite even told me to throw out the case to my dental floss...which turned out to be a horrible decision. Do you know how hard it is to find the end of the dental floss on a role when you want to use it? And then have to get out your knife to cut it? Stupid. Keep the plastic container.

They all tried to get me to send home my pepper spray but I had PROMISED Mama Kath I would carry it so carry it I would. Even if it sat useless buried in my pack. And then it was time for bed. The last night with Brian and Hustler :( They would take off with Greenlite's Dad in the morning back for Atlanta. Brian's knee had been hurting him (plus he was only planning on being out for a couple weeks anyway) and Hustler got a call from his boss that his plant was reopening. So it was a bummer to say goodbye to them. But slept mighty well in a bed for once.

Actually we fell asleep to the sound of sports cars riding the tail of the dragon.

"Crossing Deals Gap at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, the Dragon is considered by many as one of the world's best motorcycling and sports car roads. Anyone looking for an exciting highway will enjoy this stretch of US129.

The road is desolate and can be a real adventure in the winter months. We've had to deal with bears, turkeys, deer, and wild boars in the road, trees down, ice/snow, and tractor-trailers taking-up both lanes in the curves. It is not a road for the squeamish, but if you're looking for a little excitement don't miss this one."

Apparently they "lose a couple every year" when drivers take turns too hard and go off the side of the mountain. There was a big gathering at Fontana at the time to ride the Tail of the Dragon. Had forgotten about that.

Mighty Nantahala

2010-04-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

Woke up the next morning on top of the ridge above double spring with my water frozen. Cold as balls out. But I managed to pull myself out of the sleeping bag and pack up the tent because I knew we were gonna hit the NOC that day! I think we were maybe 8mi out from the Nantahala Outdoor Center on the Nantahala River in Wesser, NC. They run rafting and canoe trips outta there, have an outfitter, a hostel, a general store, a few restaurants, so on and so forth. Hauled ass there just to stay warm but oh it is a lovely sight to turn a corner in the woods and see a whole complex next to a river where you know you can get a burger and fries and there are an absurd amount of hikers hanging around. Apparently it's some pretty solid white water around there. The river was definitely moving. Saw Wheeler again upon arrival who had *shockingly* caught a ride from Franklin...but whatever floats his boat. I got a burger and fries at the restaurant...it was heavenly. Got a few clif bars from the outfitter. Then poked around the general store and got a carton o'red wine to hike out with. I remember I was on the phone with Raina for the first time since I started and heard "heads up" and turned around in time to catch a PBR from Brian. Life was good just then.

and OH the hike out. Most people were just staying there at the hostel but we were on schedule to meet Greenlite's dad in Fontana the next day so we were pushing on. It was a 3000ft climb over a mile or two out of the NOC and I tried to keep up with Brian and Greenlite for a bit. Definitely ended up having to stop and suck wind on multiple occasions. I thought I was in shape but really I had only been out there for a week and a few days so not so much. We stopped at the first shelter and hung out for a bit meeting some hikers. We had finally caught up with Greenlite's friends from South Carolina who had started a week or two before him. Slapshot and some other names I can't remember. Miss Janet had cut his hair into a mullet in Franklin and named him Slapshot in honor of Wayne Gretzky. It fit. Hiked on from there, the climb was over at least, 5 more miles or so to Locust Grove Gap where there were some good tent sites.

I can't remember the names of the people we met there but they were good folk. It was a group of 4 or 5, a few older couples that were section hiking. We'd run into them again in the Smokies. We made a fire for the first time in awhile and hung around digging into the wine and the PBR. Greenlite had some tunes on his iPhone. Quite the lovely eve actually despite the brutal ascent out of NOC. Good sleep that night.

April 21

2010-04-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

We woke up at the Woodwards to PAANCAAKES!!! Holy crap they were amazing. So was the tea they had. And the pancakes. That was flippin' awesome. Doug also gave me a short story to read he had written after we had told him about a bear encounter. His was about a new-agey woman who moves to a Western NC mountain town and is shunned by the local community until a notorious bear incident. They had had bears around their house on numerous occasions. Da bears. We all piled into Dougs car and headed back for the trail, stopping in Franklin for a mini-resupply first. I got an avocado!! Woot. Starting again was hard but it wasn't a bad day. Went over Wesser and Wayah Bald which were both breathtaking. It actually snowed at one point too on top of Wayah, where we met some more thru-hikers. I remember meeting Pheonix up there.

Then got some trail magic! Some trail club had sent up a random tent in the middle of the woods with clementines and a cooler full of soda. It was wonderful. Ah met Iceman there too because I remember we talked college hockey - his son was playing at UVM. He really hauled ass. We pushed onto Double Spring Shelter and camped up on the ridge above it. It definitely got pretty cold but the sunset was beautiful. That was the first night in my tent alone. I think I wrote in my journal a bit. Hustler let me use his stove that night for tea I recall which is when I first fell in love with his stove. Would turn out to be the coldest night on the trail but life went on. Hustler also revealed that he sleeps naked. Can't remember the logic behind that one.

Onto Winding Stair Gap

2010-04-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

Woke up. Went outside the shelter, saw a surprising patch of blue sky and said "blue sky!" to all those stirring. Then Bandit or Wheeler, still not entirely sure on who, said that I should take that as a name...sooo I did. Kinda cheesy but it's my favorite Allman Brothers Song so I stuck with it. Cooked up some oatmeal and coffee and was maybe the 3rd person out or so behind Greenlite & Hustler. I think I found acorns in my pack too - good oooold shelter mice. I think I knocked out some serious miles pretty early on. Hiked with Brian for a bit. Climbed Mt Albert which is the most elevation gain in the shortest distance on the trail (600ft in 1/4mi or something?). I remember going by a few hikers on the climb who said the weather was supposed to get real nice for the foreseeable future and I very much enjoyed their info. Couldn't see a damn thing from the top of Mt Albert so didn't climb the fire tower.

Stopped for lunch at a shelter where I ran back into Greenlite, Hustler & Brian and I believe a guy named HOI (Hog On Ice) was there who once squealed like a pig when he slipped on ice in Shenandoah National Park back in the day and acquired a name. Greenlite invited us all to his friend's house in Franklin if we wanted to push it Winding Stair Gap making it 25mi day. The thought of another bed and real food in town made a 25mi day seem very feasible, though it was a push. So we all pushed on. That was a real odd weather day. Must've rained, then the sun came out, then rained, ad infinitum. We were going through a rain forest actually if I remember correctly. It was beautiful. We stopped at one last shelter before Winding Stair Gap where we met a former hiker named Nightstalker who was kind of a character albeit his name was kinda sketch. We got to Winding Stair Gap around 4-5? and finally managed to hitch a ride with a guy driving a small truck that delivers oxygen tanks to nursing homes. We all squeezed into the front somehow. Another rather ridiculous character. The ride down-mountain into Franklin was real pretty.

We got dropped off at the Shoney's, got blizzards at dairy queen, then a pan-normous pizza at pizza hut (the first of many) where we got picked up by two of the Woodwards, Autumn and Canyon. I rode with Canyon back to their place - I think he was in high school, funny kid. Greenlite knew them from trips he took to Cumberland Island, GA. The father, Doug Woodward, had been a pioneering whitewater kayaker in the '70s and the stunt double for Ned Beatty in Deliverance. They were really wonderful, real interesting people with a beautiful place on a mountain near the edge of Franklin.

We chatted with them until we couldn't stay awake any longer and crashed in the basement. Wonderful sleep.

19 de Abril

2010-04-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

Woke up EARLY on Hiawassee Inn time (I think the shuttle to the trail left at 7:30?) and got to enjoy the lovely continental breakfast in the kitchen - which is sorta the proprietors' kitchen. I think they were in there watching the Today Show on EzChairs. I recall the overwhelming excitement at having cereal for the first time in 6 days. God I love cereal. Then came that whole leaving part and saying good-bye to Chad, which was hard of course. He let me take his pack which fit me much better. I think I sent a few things home with him as well - the pack towel, my vest, a few more things I think (shakedown!) Ron gave me a ride back up to the trail where I think we discussed DC because he had lived there a few years...aaand off I went.

Was only a few minutes before I encountered Pierre in his tent on the side of the trail near the road where he had spent the night. He was currently enjoying breakfast in bed and I said quick hello's and 'see you down the way's. Yeah so then I just cruised on my own for 4 miles or so. I think I passed one group of teenagers and one of them commented "going it alone?" or something. The first shelter I came upon was Plum Orchard Gap and I thought I'd head down the sidetrail to check it out for a few. Chatted with an older hiker there for a bit - Route 66 I believe was his name? Didn't stop for too long. Was approaching the sign for the sidetrail back at the AT and there it was - a full can of Natty Light sitting on top of the sign post. Holy crap. I went to head for it and I noticed someone heading Northbound towards me and before I could open my mouth he said "I'll split it with you." Half a beer later I had met Greenlite. We headed towards the NC line doing the get-to-know-you thing. There were definitely a few tough climbs. We actually missed the NC state line because it was this little sign on a tree, but sure enough we found ourselves in North Carolina. Stopped for lunch right on the trail, Hustler came through and said hellos, we headed on. Saw another aggressive bear warning at Standing Indian Gap and pushed on to Standing Indian Shelter just as the weather was starting to turn.

There were a few characters at Standing INdian that night. Rowmin Goat, thru-hiker from the 80s was there with whiskey and ramps. Got to try my first ramp and have my first trail whiskey. Wonderful. Hustler was obviously entertaining. As was Wheeler - from Doylestown, PA I think. Brian, Pierre and Smiling Bandit were there too. The only definitive thing I remember from there on was Greenlite bringing up corn pasta for the first time and Rowmin Goat telling a joke about crotchless panties and also that ramps will do a number on your insides. Wonderful. I hung my first bear bag all by meself that eve. Then saw Hustler and Rowmin Goat just hang their food in the shelter. Started learning a thing or two about bears I guess. Definitely a stormy night. Wheeler tried to name Smiling Bandit "Tuff" after he slept out in his hammock which didn't so much fly with him. Rowmin Goat snored like crazy. Guess I slept a little.

18, April

2010-04-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Tray Mtn to Hiawassee, GA (Dick's Creek Gap, I think). There were a few tough climbs that day and a lot more sun. Met Hustler getting water at some point this day! I recall thinking his stache was most excellent. I remember the topo in AppPages kept showing all downhill into Dick's Creek Gap but there would be some minor uphills that we were just not having. Big push into Hiawassee. We ran into Pierre a few miles from the road and hiked in with him. Had decided to stay at Hiawassee in instead of Blueberry Patch and they were meeting us at the trailhead to take us into town. On the way in we saw a helicopter dipping into a lake to get water to douse the nearby fire on a hilltop. Quite the spectacle. It was such a pretty time of day - I remember that ride to town vividly. Weird to see civilization again too.

Oh the Hiawassee Inn was colorful - run by Ron and Sam, a lovely gay couple. They put us up in the room next to the office which was apparently Ron's mother's apartment until they put her in a home a few weeks prior. Lots of old lady stuff covered in plastic, but felt like home. Shower was AMAZING. Though toiletry-less. I think I washed my hair with barsoap. And my hair appreciated it. They also gave us sweats to put on while they washed the rest of our stuff. Oh god was that wonderful to change clothes for a few hours. Then they let me take their mini-van to the Ingles a few miles away to resupply. I was slightly blown away they would just let me take their car having just met me 20 minutes prior. They sure make'em nice in Georgia.

Ate dinner at the Chinese Buffet a few doors down. Got some Yeungling and a lighter from the gas station. Trying to remember if they had tv? I think they did. And I think I enjoyed that. Switched my stuff over to Chad's pack since it seemingly fit me better and he would take mine back to DC. His waistbelt clasp had broken though so there was this weird 'stepping-in' maneuver to put it on. It was rather entertaining to watch, in retrospect. Yep, Hiawassee Inn. First night in a bed after five nights on the trail. I'm pretty sure that is the longest I would go on the trail without a hostel or bunk. Ha, yep. Maybe I'm a wimp. Great night's sleep. Was rather nervous for the early wake-up and the thought of setting out on my own. But I was determined as ever to do it.

April 17th, Day 4

2010-04-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Rise and shine. Made coffee & oatmeal. Onward. We stopped at Blue Mtn Shelter for lunch which is where Chad checked his voicemail and heard the news that his grandfather had passed away. It was expected but still very sad. He was a trooper to be out there.

We hiked down into what I think was Unicoi Gap which had a terrible climb up and out - and it was really hot if I remember correctly. We met some people from PA at the trailhead down there and talked Yeungling for a moment. Made it up to a camp site on Rocky Mountain where we were gonna stay for the night. An older guy stopped there too and I can't remember his deal exactly except that he was extremely talkative. Then a girl named Carolina came along too. Think we ate the Mountainhouse for dinner that night and oh was it delicious. Oh Mountainhouse beef stroganoff...

THen we hatched the plan to make it all the way to Hiawassee the next day. We were thinking maybe Blueberry Patch hostel which only allowed 12 guests a night or something so we were kinda nervous about getting turned away. Decided to hike on 4 more miles to Tray Mtn shelter but after a tough day had to stop on the top of Tray Mtn to tent. I remember seeing the lights from some town up there...it was dark by the time we stopped. Slept like a baby yet again.

April 16th

2010-04-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

Survived the first night o'bear. Lovely morning in Georgia. Took off for Blood Mountain after hiking the 0.4mi back to the trail. Climb wasn't that bad and was absolutely beautiful up there. I didn't know exactly which one it was but apparently you can see Stone Mountain from up there. I can't even remember exactly why Stone Mountain is significant but I'm pretty sure MLK mentions it in his "I Have a Dream" speech. Maybe I'll google that one. Anywho, saw Maui Bob and Pierre up there. And those other folks from Florida or something? I can't remember their deal except that the father or uncle or something made me tell the son or nephew that he looked like someone and make it sound like a coincidence that I brought it up. Can't remember details on that, but I recall them being rather entertained by his reaction. Oh no... first details lost! Maybe that'll come back to me. The father or uncle or whatever also looked really surprised when I said I was attempting the whole trail and said something about praying for me. Thanks guy.

So down from Blood Mtn and into NEELS GAP!! Woooooot!!! I think I had ice cream of some sort and an orange soda. And a hot dog? I'm pretty sure that was the best orange soda of my life. Probably got some more food too. I signed the register, got some more foodstuffs for resupply, poked around a bit. Hung out on the stone patio overlook which was beee-autiful. Saw that guy Jim again I had sat across from at breakfast at Hiker Hostel who I would run into again in PA.

Maui Bob rolled in getting ready for his big shakedown - I think he had started with 60lbs or something. Pierre would do the same. Rainbow and Rasberry rolled down the mountain. Then came One-Step who looked to be in bad shape. He had lost his dog Rooster the day before, quite sad. He had also gone the wrong way on the trail and ended up a few miles or so down the road from Neels Gap. Somebody picked him up, gave him a ride and gave him a few beers. Then he gave me one of those beers which I'm going to count as my first instance of trail magic. Thanks One-Step. He was from Tennessee I think, near Erwin cause he kept mentioning Uncle Johnny's. I know he had at least two sons that he kept talking about. Anyway that was the last I would see of him. Who knows how far he made it - hope at least to Uncle JOhnny's. I wouldn't see Maui Bob again until a random chance encounter at Carvers Gap on the NC/TN state line a month later. Last I would see of Rainbow and Rasberry.

So hard to leave Neels Gap but we pushed forward. 10mi further to Low Gap Shelter (Mi 41.5). No one was supposed to camp between Neels Gap and Low Gap because of aggressive bear activity and I was not about to break these rules. Low Gap was PACKED. So many people staying there. We stopped in a site that already had a fire goin'. Nice people around it, one Scottish woman, a girl named Moe was there that I would run into periodically, can't recall the rest. Made the mac & cheese/mashed potatoes combo someone told us about that I would never try again (gross). Hard to clean the pot on that too. Anyway, no bears that night!

Tax Day

2010-04-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Boy scouts passed us again before we left camp (they had slept 4mi back). Damn those boy scouts and their slave-driver scoutmasters. Don't recall too much about actual hiking on this day. Think we got pretty sunburned. Went through Woody Gap around mile 20 on the trail where folks sometimes catch a ride back to Hiker Hostel for a night in Dahlonega. Hiked about 8mi total to Woods Hole shelter which was a staggering 0.4mi off the trail. Bleh.

Maui Bob was there, as were Rasberry and Raindancer, two girls who had just gotten out of the peace corps. Or I think they had quit after a year. They kept referring to each other as 'Buddy' which got annoying immediately if not sooner. Quite nice though, otherwise. They had dehydrated so much food to bring - I recall thinking, wow they have their shit together. But maybe they just didn't appreciate pre-packaged, uber-processed knorr ride sides like I did. I think we made the trader joe's lasagna that night for dinner actually which was kinda gross. OH! Brian was there too. He and Maui Bob tented and the rest slept in the shelter.

The bear showed up right after dark hit. Apparently the left outside bear cable was a bit too close to the tree trunk than it should have been and the bear had been showing up the past three nights to swipe it...something we maybe should've paid attention to in the shelter log. It got Brian's food and took off up the hill. Still shook me up a little bit knowing it was right out there. It probably got tranquilized and relocated shortly thereafter. Did finally end up getting to sleep that night.

April 14th-ness

2010-04-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

Well the boyscouts were up and out early from the shelter. We were the last one's to leave I think. It was cold and rainy. Took off down Hawk Mtn and there were a couple of climbs in the morning if I can recall - first stab at PUDs and MUDs on the AT. We walked by Pierre who had tented right off the trail pretty early on. Then the SUN CAME OUT!! Huge. First sun I saw on the trail. Got to Gooch Mtn Shelter early afternoon and we hung around a bit with Josiah, Kindman and Pierre. I recall I made coffee, in a shocking twist of events. Gave the harmonica a first try as well - no strides were made there. We decided to hike on to Gooch Gap 4mi up and camp there. Maui Bob, Kindman and the couple from Virginia Beach were there as well. Maui Bob helped me hang the bearbag in a nearby tree, tried to teach me some knots. Good man. He was from Bucks County, PA and now lives in Maui. Think he's a professional photographer of sorts? He was carrying some obscene camera equipment weight - 12 lbs or something? He was gearin' up for a shakedown at Neels Gap.

Trader Joe's tortellini that night. I accidentally knocked over the pot and stove while it was cooking starting a minor forest-fire with the denatured alcohol. One of many 'amateur' moments to come. It was definitely really windy that night and the first night we tented in my tiny Eureka solo tent. Slept like a baby though.

One Year Ago Today...

2010-04-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

Holy crap. One year ago. Life feels so incredibly different now (not necessarily a bad thing). So we woke up to rain in that bunkroom at Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega. They served breakfast pretty early - 6:30 or 7? - and I ate eggs! Felt like if I could set out on the AT, I could try eggs...wasn't terrible. I remember I ate at the table with a big guy named Jim who on the third day of his hike (you can head back to Hiker Hostel from Woody Gap 20mi or so in) and looking forward to his granddaughter being born in a few months. I would run into Jim again my first day in PA. Very random. Josh who ran the hostel hooked us up with some denatured alcohol in little grapejuice bottles, we settled up, and off we went in the van with Josiah (Red Lion), Pierre, and some other dude I can't remember...I think.

We didn't go to Amicalola State Park where a lot of hikers start but instead hitched a ride to the Springer Mtn parking lot where you have to backtrack .5mi on the trail (southbound..woooot) to get to the summit. As we were strapping on our packs Josh informed me I needed to readjust mine and after attempting readjustments for 15min or so he concluded my pack was just too small for me. GREAT! Off we went in the rain as Josh made mental predictions as to how long we'd last. Reaching Springer was rather anticlimactic since you couldn't see a thing but the caretaker up there registering thru-hikers looked like the knight at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. So if I hadn't felt like I was on a journey yet, it really kicked in there... Met Sam from Ohio who starting as well (would run into Buckeye again down the trail). Signed the registery, Pierre disappeared to place some box somewhere for someone to find (still unclear on that), snapped a picture, and headed north (from whence we came).

Rain was light. First person we met hiking was Joe who was thinking he would name himself Banjo but would ultimately become Smiletrain. He was from Minnesota and into folk history. There were a few climbs on the first day that I can remember. After 7mi or so heading north we decided to stop for the night at Hawk Mtn Shelter - Smiletrain pushed on. It was maybe 4pm when we got there, a fire was already going - Maui Bob, One Step, his dog Rooster, four guys from Florida and a bevy of boy scouts would share the shelter with us that night. Hung the first bearbag on the bear cables. Made a really shitty first dinner. Remember going to bed that night wondering how I was going to possibly going to make it past this first week. Felt like most of the thru-hikers were ahead of me and had to catch up. Anyway, first day...no sun.

One Year Ago Yesterday...

2010-04-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

...I was hopping on a plane at the Phoenix Airport after leaving my cousin Tom's wedding brunch in Scottsdale. I had given my laptop, iPod, wedding attire and deodorant to dear sister Kelley for safe keeping and loaded my gear up into my EMS pack Dad had gotten me for Freshmen DOC trips. Yep, adaptive reuse.

Probably the first plane-ride in a long time without some sort of music player and/or reading material but it was about time I got used to being alone with my thoughts...and SkyMall. Arriving in Atlanta was exhilarating and nerve-racking. I couldn't remember the last time I had bought a one-way ticket anywhere. Chad was waiting for me by baggage return and it was mighty nice to see a familiar face right away and figure out the whole MARTA train situation. Come to think of it, most journey's should start with a north-bound train and we were headed for North Springs Station where we'd catch the 2 and a half hr shuttle up to Dahlonega.

We met Pierre (aka Gnarly) at North Springs Station waiting for the same ride with a straw hat and a mini-guitar he was going to learn how to play. Josh who runs the Hiker Hostel picked us up and told us tales of army-training and learning how to fly a helicopter blind-folded on the way up. Finally got there, divied up the food, went through gear one last time... barely slept as rain started to fall.

Photographic Journey

2009-08-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

I just finally got all my pics from the whole trail experience up on Picasa: click here. Have a look!! (300+ photos, mind you...take it in stride)

What A Long Strange Trip It's Been

2009-08-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well KOA followers, whoever you may be after three and a half months, my hike has come to an end. Last Wednesday I summitted mighty Mt. Washington, highest peak in the northern half of the AT, Thursday I hitched into Gorham, NH from Pinkham Notch at the base of Mt. Washington and later that evening I decided that I had reached the end of my journey. I'm actually home in Newtown Square now thanks to a ride to the Manchester Airport from Susie's Mom, a trail angel in the truest sense, and a flight home to Phillayy.

Why in god's name would I stop the trail with just over 300mi to go? The physical act of hiking was just no longer fun for me anymore. I was tired of being so disconnected from family and friends. I realized climbing Katahdin wasn't as important as the journey itself and I had already accomplished all I needed to in my 1800+ mile hike. I realized that mom would be proud of me anyway.

The White Mountains were absolutely spectacular and some of the most difficult and dangerous hiking I've ever done. The rocks and peaks were humbling. Perhaps that had something to do with it as well. Maybe spending those four nights with Mom Dave Kev Mima & Papa made me realize how much I missed family and that end o'day shower. I have every intention of finishing those 300 miles some time in the near future and reaching Katahdin on my own terms - the feeling will be just as sweet as having thru-hiked the whole dang thing in one fell swoop. I wouldn't trade this past three and a half months on the trail for the world. It was just time to come home.

I leave you with a quote from a column regarding our relationships with the natural world in the Winter/Spring 2009 Appalachia Journal put out by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) that I read in Mizpah Spring Hut:

"If you don't know the ground, you are probably wrong about nearly everything else," Norman Maclean wrote somewhere. Our culture hardly sets foot on wild ground anymore. Learning to know the ground requires both intellectual knowledge and experiencing life out there upon it, which turns out to be exactly the same process as reconnecting with the wilder world - an exercise we now recognize to be necessary to the health of our earth and the survival of civilization itself. Our backcountry fears are signals to us of our opportunities for reconnection; they direct us to go out there with respect, romancing the land and the life upon it, participating with it. And not expecting that land or the wild creatures to love us back. That requital will in fact come from within."

In case you just haven't gotten your fill of the AT this summer, I'd encourage you to follow Greenlite, Buckeye & Flex to the end of their journeys (their names link to their trailjournals). Greenlite & Buckeye should be finishing within 2-3 weeks and Flex by the end of August.

McKee clan - can't wait to see you all at Kristin's wedding!!!

MOOOOOOOOOOOSE

2009-07-25T19:04:00.001-07:00

Saw one! Yessss. It was just wangin' out on the side of the trail and took no offense to my presence at all apparently. So this is my last civilized night for awhile and the end of the line for frequent blog postings - another tearful goodbye to my laptop. I 'slackpacked' (read: carried just a daypack) 16mi today from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch and tomorrow I head up Mt. Lincoln, Franconia Ridge & Mt. Lafayette. Pics below are of said moose, the trail as a ginormous puddle which it pretty much has been the past few days and my first sweet views from the Whites after the weather finally cleared up. A special thanks goes out to trail angels Mom, Dave, Kev, Mima & Papa for making my hike so gosh darn cushy this past week!

Still haven't figured out this horizontal thing.

Kancamagus Krossings

2009-07-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Mt. Moosilauke destroyed me today. Anyone ever hiked down the North side? Beaver Brook Trail? Holy crap. Steep, slick, endless rock city. Thankfully I was forewarned and took it extra slow so I left enough time to wince in pain with each step. Made it to NH112/Kinsman Notch today up near Lincoln/North Woodstock, NH where I got picked up by Mom Dave & Kev to head over to Waterville Valley for the night with Mima and Papa! (Note: stuffed again). A few more peaks and Franconia Notch bound tomorrow to relive Freshman DOC Trips - rain and all. Maybe catch a glimpse of where the Old Man of the Mountain used to be before its collapse in 2003.

"Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men." ~ Daniel Webster

Few pics:

Moosilauke Summit, sweet view

Extreme close-up on Moosilauke (self-portrait!)

Trail Magic found in woods near NH 25A a few days back

Kevman and I, Waterville Town Center

And finally, I just saw this for the first time. Best part happens around the 6min mark. Enjoy if you gots the time:

Been Walking My Mind to an Easy Time

2009-07-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

My back turned towards the sun...

So Northward, ho from here. I'll start tomorrow from Lyme-Dorchester Rd. near the Dartmouth Skiway and just might be Moosilauke-bound by the end of the day. Possible stay at the Ravine Lodge, not sure yet. I've been hiking alone through familiar territory this past week- with determination, reflection and a little peace of mind. Greenlite and I have decided after being on the rocks for a bit that our relationship out here just isn't going to work out and we're hiking our own hikes for a few days before reuniting as friends to finish what we started and tackle the Whites. The Trail is a great leveling agent - picks you up, knocks you down, makes you feel naive, makes you feel wise beyond your years, makes you confident over rocks and wildlife, makes you bow to nature, makes you turn inward and dig deep when it's you against the mountain...and then the next mountain, and then the next... silly trail.

Where the Winds Hit Heavy on the Borderline

2009-07-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Well then, at Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT at the moment due to extremely fortuitous timing - Mom, Dave & Kev have their week of vacay here this summer just when I happened to be rolling through. Back where we left off in MA:

* In another instance of good timing, I was able to catch Raina driving back from a weekend home in Williamstown in Dalton, MA and she gave Greenlite and I a ride back to Boston for some quality Raina-time and a chance to hit good old Cohasset, MA for a few days. It was good to hear how she's doing despite her Organic Chem. courses this summer and hear tales of a trip she planned up to Armington Cabin for Boston folks this spring - Armington holds a special place in me heart.

* A 'T' ride later we met up with Papa in Quincy to head back to Cohasset!! This was a particularly special visit, not only because Papa just turned 80 and Mima just hit 39 again, but also because I have never arrived at the Kelley household with such an out-of-control appetite. Being force-fed is a thru-hiker's dream! Cheese & crackers w/salami, cashews, salad, garlic bread, manicotti, pork tenderloin and a brownie sundae later...I think I blacked out. It was wonderful. In the short visit to Cohasset we were able to see a sizeable portion of the Kelley clan - cousins getting so big! Also got to see the ocean and hit the beach for a few, which was huge. In an extreme act of kindness, Papa drove us 3hrs West back out to Dalton, MA (turns out Massachusetts is deceivingly large) on Tuesday morning where we again hit the trail.

* From Dalton we were able to hike to the peak of Mt. Greylock that eve, the highest point in MA. On top there is a monument to all soldiers from Massachusetts with an amazing view as well as Bascom Lodge, a beautiful lodge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps currently undergoing restoration and slated to reopen as a gift shop/cafe/hotel/hiker hostel within a few weeks (pic below). Even more exciting was Fahmah and Ma Fahmah (pic below below) who drove out from Templeton, MA to grill us up an amazing meal in an instance of sweet sweet trail magic. We met Fahmah, who thru-hiked in '07, back in mid-May when he gave Greenlite and I a ride from TN back to where we were on the trail in Virginia after Hardcore. They were full of motivation and tales of what was to come in Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine. Fahmah also brought us over to the lodge to sweettalk the owner into letting us snag one of the bunks for cheap even though they weren't really open to the public yet. Throw the sunset in the mix and it was definitely one of the best nights on the trail yet.

* The next day we hauled into Vermont to meet the Lyyyddiiiaaa!!! outside Bennington to join up and hike for a few days. For the sake of brevity and since she gave such an accurate description in her post below I will say that it was Wonderful to see her and hear about her summer in Israel and Croatia before she starts grad school. I'm mighty pumped we'll be within a few hours of each other this fall.

So Vermont came and went. I hiked into Hanover from South Pomfret yesterday and it was a cool feeling to walk over the West Harford bridge and Rt14, to emerge on Elm St. in Norwich, hit Main St., walk down towards the I91 underpass, over the Ledyard Bridge, up that hill that used to give me such a hard time as an undergrad living on West Wheelock St, and into good old Hanover. It hasn't changed a bit except those kids just keep getting younger and younger. Mike Rosensweig '06, of All My Deals Are Live fame, was awesome to put me up for the night and teach me the ropes of post-grad life in Hanover. Stopped into Canoe Club to say hi to the Jacketed-Chapin-Friend and was able to get dominated by a few '11s in a game of pong at Psi U. So it goes...

Yes... behind THIS tree!

2009-07-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

It's Kelley here. Since I’m now the only person who's hiked with Kim on the AT and yet to blog... I’m feeling a little guilty!

As Momma Kath (Highlife) stepped off the trail in northern NJ, I swapped in to start my 48 hr adventure across the NJ-NY border. Before beginning the trek, Blue Sky, Greenlite, Highlife and I sat down at a restaurant for some lunch where I mentioned I really wanted to get a trail name - I wanted to be like the cool kids - though I think I opened my mouth too soon. Kath had apparently already had one in mind: "BB"... which stands for "Big Boobs"... great - thanks Mom. Since I wasn’t quick enough to come up w/ a better alternative, "BB" stuck though Kim did add "Guns" on the end the next day... and so began my adventure on the trail as "BB Guns".

My observations from Trail-life:
1. My little sister is a beast - and I mean that in the best way possible! Kim realized after lunch she left something at the house they stayed at the night before, so while Kath drove her back to get it, I started off w/ Greenlite. My first few hours of hiking was all uphill going up the side of a mountain - it sucked (and even more so since I forgot my inhaler). I totally thought it would take most the day for her to catch up to us as we had about an hour head start. I thought we (and by we, I mean me) were moving at a decent pace - but no, I turn around about 2hrs into the hike during a quick break in order to catch my breath, and Kim is running up the trail behind us and seemingly barely breaking a sweat. I was super impressed with her speed and strength - and that was only the tip of the iceberg of things I witnessed over the 2 days that left me in awe of my sister.

2. Hikers smell... I mean - they REALLY SMELL. I was seriously offended by their stench - but I guess that's what happens when you sweat profusely and wear the same clothes practically every day. I mean, sure they get to "wash" their clothes every few days... but it gets rid of the dirt/mud... not the smell. I got made fun of (one of the many instances - you already heard about the tree comment) when I added my deodorant to the bear bag. Kim, Greenlite and Sir Richard (a funny Brit who hiked w/ us that day) expressed their disbelief in unison that I actually brought deodorant onto the trail. I was in disbelief they didn’t have any... but they claim it does no good (I still beg to differ). Apparently Kim no longer smells the stench of herself or other hikers... she only can smell clean people, like me. Upon reaching Mt. Katadhin, I will personally burn all her clothes and then my present to her will be a day at a spa to clean her up before re-entering civilization! (Note to Kim: this is non-negotiable)

3. I seriously thought hitch-hiking ended in the 1970s. In a 24hr span - I got to hitch-hike 3 times... twice w/ Kim and once by myself (kinda - it was random but pre-arranged). I hope it’s the only three times I ever do it. We finished our hiking on the 4th of July and were trying to reach Greenlite and Sir Richard who were about 10driving miles away from us sitting at a "Pizzeria Uno in a strip mall in Harriman, NY". (those were our directions to meet them). I tried to call taxi services (I live in a city - it's what I do) but Kim was able to flag down a truck before they picked up the phone. He drove us down to the main road that led into Harriman but was heading in the opposite direction from there. Next we flagged down a bus right as we were about to give up and walk after 20 unsuccessful minutes of standing there... it was seriously like the last scene from Dumb and Dumber sans hawaiian tropic models. Bus goes by us, driver hits the brakes, bus stops 100ft down the road... door opens. Magical. My last experience was probably my favorite because it was so absurd. Since the taxi service wasn’t open and I could barely walk 10ft let alone 5 miles to the train station, I got a lift from the night receptionist who was finishing his shift at the ghetto motel we stayed at on 4th of July in his corvette... um yes... corvette.

4. Trail is way more difficult that I would have thought, both mentally and physically, and I was hiking in an easier section. The 24 miles I traversed was either on a ridgeline or ascending/descending small mountains. The few flat areas we encountered, the path had turned to mud from all the rain. Gross. I will admit, the last 5 miles we hiked - I developed a mild case of Tourettes and would just yell random profanities as I aggravated one of my seven blisters or slipped off a rock and my foot went into stream. It wasn’t my finest moment. But at the end of the day, when you hit your destination, kick off the shoes and crack open a beer - it's sweet heaven.

24 miles over a day and half was more than enough for me - knowing that Kim has done 20+ miles a day for over 3 months is just beyond impressive and I have such a respect for her determination and perseverance. This is not a feat I would/could undertake and it’s such a huge accomplishment for anyone who can complete the full trail (which I know Kim will). As Kim's big sister - I’m used to being the planner, the one in charge, and the one to try things first. Yet here I was in a complete role reversal watching Kim blaze her own trail (pun intended) where she was the one leading, being the responsible one, and giving me instructions/directions. It was a pretty awesome thing to see and experience. I've missed "my dimmy" the past few months since I don’t get to speak to her everyday, so it was great to spend a quality few days with her and experience a nice small slice of Kim's life on the AT. I left the trail Sunday morning a very proud big sister. And as I sat unable to physically move on the trains back home to Philadelphia (with Momma Kath's 70s ski poles and exercise mat on my pack - yes I looked super cool in NY Penn Stn), Kimmy was off again to hike another 25 miles that day.

Good Luck Dim... while I wont be able to be waiting for you at Mt. Katadhin - I have a super-size bottle of Jack (the good stuff) waiting for you at my party Aug 22nd!

- BB Guns; Trail Life: 7/3/09-7/5/09

For the Lone Pine Above Her

2009-07-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

At Lake Morey in Fairlee, VT with Mom Dave & Kev! I've had a pretty good run of hostels/showers/folks to stay with this past week. Hygiene like whoa (and a special thanks to Lydia for posting evidence of my commitment to dental hygiene). Getting dropped off at the trailhead in Pomfret, VT in the AM and hiking into Hanover tomorrow. Granite of New Hampshire in my muscles and my brains. Will blog out a bigger update tomorrow of MA and VT adventures but for now I'll just post some pics.

First moonshine from Lumpy at Sunfish Pond, NJ. (sorry for horizontal, rotate your screen)

Sunset over lake next to YMCA camp in NJ.

Sistaas, over Bellvale, NY

Dover Oak, Pawling, NY - Oldest, largest tree on the AT.

Sunset from Mt. Greylock

Sir Richard, Buckeye, Greenlite & Meself

Cairns gone wild, Green Mtn Nat'l Forest

Newly opened Amee Barn Hostel, Pittsfield, VT

Misty mornings, Pittsfield, VT

My Grip is Packed to Travel

2009-07-18T18:43:00.001-07:00

and I'm scratchin' gravel...

Today's story will be about trees. One of me favorite tree-comments was when dear Kelley was out hiking with us back in NJ/NY. We were throwing up our tents in a make-shift campsite in the middle of the woods and she had to stash her bug spray somewhere outside the tent since she forgot to put it in the, ahem...bear bag. I'm inside my tent listening to her say from some indiscriminate location within a 50ft radius, "okay guys, remind me tomorrow that I put it by the tree."

"THE tree"? I laugh.

But sometimes the trees are indeed distinct and take on stories of their own. I was immediately reminded of this little column/story I read in an old ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) magazine from 2005 back in Greasy Creek Hostel back near Roan Mountain, TN. A man had walked into an ATC office somewhere in PA - I can't remember exactly where - and told the volunteer that he was looking for a tree. The ATC guy was a little bemused at the needle-in-a-haystack proposition, much like I was at Kel's little tree reference, but inquired as to which tree and why. The man explained how there was this beautiful, large oak tree that he was pretty sure was nearby on the trail next to a large creek and that he remembered it from a week-long hike he had done back in Boy Scouts - his father was the troop leader - when he was growing up. His father had in recent years suffered from Alzheimers and he struggled to identify family members and memories in general - but for some reason he had a few times brought this particular tree up to his son and remembered it clearly from the hike they had done so many years ago. This man wanted to find the tree, take a picture, and send it to his father in hopes of sparking memories and making a connection with him once again.

By some stroke of luck the ATC volunteer actually did have a pretty good idea of the prominent tree the man was referring to and set out to find it with him. They were able to find that spot on the trail and the tree in question and the man reflected something along the lines of "you know? That weeklong hike may have been one of the best times of my life."

Yeah I was pretty much tearing up reading this little trail tale (I am Mama Kath's daughter, after all), and it was better told in the magazine, but it gives a little glimpse into the connection to the trail some people feel. I'm going to make a concerted effort to get a little more reflective in this last 500 miles. Look out.

And in other news, congrats to Kevman on winning his latest golf tourney! Big sis is proud.

All Hands on Deck

2009-07-18T03:52:00.001-07:00

Status: Achy
Projected Mileage for the Day: 25mi
Last Movie Seen: HP6
Ben & Jerry's Consumed: Pint & change
Weather: Not Good
Fording the River?: Caulking the Wagon

A video before I go. As previously stated, will finish the updates in Rutland!

Where's Walden?

2009-07-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

OH HI! Yes I've been slacking a wee bit on the blog but thankfully Highlife and Lydia have picked up said slack in my internet absence. I'm knee-deep in Vermont!! and currently on the part of the AT that coincides with the Long Trail for 105mi. The Long Trail (namesake of a very fine microbrewery) runs for 272mi from the Mass border to the Canadian border and is one of the oldest long distance trails in the country. History, people...history. Scenery hasn't sucked either. Currently in Manchester Center, VT at the Green Mountain House hostel where a very nice man from Ohio named Jeff lets hikers stay (real cheap) in his summer place with laundry, showers, kitchen, etc.

These past few weeks I've been extremely fortunate in receiving wonderful hospitality when I needed it. There have been many trail angels responsible for pushing me forward and I shall address them in bullet format as per usual:

* Our first day in Connecticut we were lucky to happen upon a woman playing with her two dogs (who are bomb swimmers) near the water at the confluence of the Ten Mile and Housatonic Rivers. Despite the hiker funk and fact that we were complete strangers, Norah invited us back with her to stay at her home for the night in South Kent, CT and cooked us the most wonderful dinner/breakfast for a mental and physical refuel. Most importantly, she noted that by calling our foodbags 'bear bags' when we hang them from trees at night - we're actually saying that the bag is indeed the bear's and practically inviting them to try their luck. We now refer to it as our supply bag and keep bear-free camps. It's liberating.

* From Kent I took off alone for the next four nights to see what I was made of - try the 'I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar' thing. It was a pretty cool experience being alone in the woods most of the day, the uncertainty of who I would see when it came time to camp, to make the mental push at the end of the day without a hiking buddy. I'm very glad I did it and felt completely safe despite my hesitations. When you're alone I feel like the senses are heightened - living amongst the real versions of fabric softener and cleaning agent scents...mountain breeze, summer showers, pinesol. Dreamy. I've since met up with Greenlite again and I have to say that having someone there to share in the moments & views with you is a pretty valuable part of the AT experience.

* A few days later I was also lucky to meet up with Grandpa's Dartmouth classmate, David Batchelder, and stay with him and his wife at their home in Salisbury, CT in the shadow of Bear Mountain. My sophomore year at Dartmouth I had actually hosted David's granddaughter, Addie, as she checked out the school so it was great to see them again, chat about Hanover, and get an update on Addie! Another hearty meal with a doggie bag of steak, potatoes, and berry pie to hit the trail with the next day. I dream sweetly of Connecticut.

* Other sweet spots. Goose Pond Cabin near Lee, MA. It's a cabin on a sizeable and scenic pond run by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) with a full-time caretaker who makes you blueberry pancakes & coffee in the morning. The 'Cookie Lady' near Becket, MA who lives on a blueberry farm 0.1mi off the trail and leaves homecookies for hikers on her porch. Amazin'.

MORE TO COME! I have yet to tell of meeting up with Raina in Dalton, MA and catching a ride with her to Boston, my time taking a zero day in Cohasset with the Kelley clan, Mt. Greylock and trail magic from Fahmah and Ma Fahmah, the stay in Bascom Lodge, having Lydia come hike, Stratton Pond, running into Buckeye who we haven't seen since Daleville, VA...and the great journey North in general. 538mi to Katahdin! Will update again from Rutland, VT in a few days with the remainder. Thanks to Lyd for writing about her experience! Did you know Walker Fullerton is back in the country for a few days? Exciting. Hi Walker. Bye folks.

24 Hours on the Trail...

2009-07-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hey! It's Lydia here, hacking into Kim's blog to report on my 24 hours on the trail with Kim and Green Lite.

First off, I am in complete and utter awe of those two - as I sit here nursing my blisters and aching legs, I cannot fathom how they have already made it over 1600 miles on foot.

I met up with Kim and Green Lite in Vermont close to the Massachusetts border. I can't tell you how happy I was to see Kim! Despite spending the last three months in the wilderness, Kim looks virtually the same - her hair is a bit shorter and her lean muscles put me to shame, but she's still Kim.

We met up in the late afternoon, so we had a nice 5-mile stroll (read: steep climb) to the spot where we camped for the night, which was a lovely dirt patch called Porcupine Ridge. A couple was also camped there, and it turns out the wife was an '02 Dartmouth grad. The '02 told Kim that she and her friends used to have a competition during sophomore summer to see who could kiss a thru-hiker! Let's just say that tradition must have fallen by the wayside by the time we were sophomores...

Kim and I woke up at 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning to get a head start on our day's hike (we were aiming to be at a road crossing 18 miles away by 2 p.m. for my mom to pick me up). It's a strange schedule out on the trail - breakfast at 6 a.m., lunch around 10:30, continuous eating throughout the day, dinner at 6, and bed at 9 p.m. As Kim said, 9 p.m. is the hiker's midnight.

Anyway, we hiked over Glastenbury Mountain, which has a fire tower at the top with beautiful 360 degree views of the forest. One book on the AT calls the mountain "hauntingly beautiful," perhaps because in the 1940s at least eight people vanished off the mountain at different times. Let's just say it's a good thing we decided not to tell ghost stories Wednesday night, and I was fairly happy to make it off the mountain.

I noted earlier how I am in utter awe of Kim and Green Lite, and I can tell you it is because of how much I struggled out on the trail yesterday! At about mile 14 of yesterday's hike, my ankle was screaming with pain and I pulled off my hiking boot to find a blister on my foot about the size of two quarters put together. When it was apparent we were going to really push it to meet my mom at 2, Kim and Green Lite both took some weight from my pack. At nearly mile 17, Green Lite ran ahead to direct my mom back to a fire access road a bit closer in order to pick me up.

After Green Lite took off, Kim and I spent a considerable amount of time envisioning the exchange between Green Lite - who at this point has quite a bushy beard - and my mom. As it turns out, my mother and my 16-year-old sister (who was also in the car) had never heard of the idea of a "trail name," so when Green Lite introduced himself (and then hopped in the car), they were quite confused. My sister said she thought he must have been the son of a celebrity to have such an odd name, and when we said goodbye to Kim and Green Lite, my mom said, "Goodbye Green Leaf!" She had forgotten his name and thought Green Leaf was a more logical name for a hiker.

The moral of the story is that I feel so honored to have gotten a glimpse of life on the AT with Kim and Green Lite. The people we encountered along the way were so impressed with their speed on the trail. I can tell you, the distance they cover in a day truly is impressive. A man we encountered is planning on covering the same distance in a week that Kim and Green Lite are traversing in two and a half days. In fact, I think Kim and Green Lite are probably just now getting to Manchester Center, VT, which is where this other man plans to exit the trail - in a week!

I'll stop there and let a few pictures tell the rest. But as I said, boy am I impressed.

It Was A Hard Day's Night

2009-07-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

As promised by Blue Sky, it's Mama Kath (aka High Life) checking in with tales from the trail. I'd just like to start by announcing to the world (or anyone who reads this blog!) that I am extremely proud of Kimberley, with what she has accomplished to date and what she has left to accomplish. It was the experience of a lifetime for me to share a small part of her journey with her last week.

I met up with Blue Sky and Green Lite near High Point State Park in northwestern New Jersey. They had already hiked 11 miles that morning - all warmed up for me. The first thing Kim did was go through my frame pack and dump out things that she said I wouldn't need - a trail veteran! The afternoon was spent hiking across the ridges of NW New Jersey, beautiful vistas and voracious mosquitos. Three applications of bug juice were all in vain. After another 11 miles, Green Lite picked a spot to set up our tents and we literally dove into them and were all hunkered in by 6:30pm- the mosquitos were that bad! For the next three hours, until it got dark, I amused myself lying in my tent and watching all the mosquitos, ticks, spiders and random bugs flying and crawling on the outside of my mesh screen above my head - lots of fun! I'm pretty sure I barely slept - not even the heavy rain through the night would lull be to sleep.

We rose early, packed up the wet gear and started off. Still raining, but light. It's a good thing nobody cares what they look like on the trail - my attire that morning consisted of my long john bottoms, a coat with a hood leaving just my face exposed and a big yellow plastic poncho over that. Our hike this morning took us down off the ridge through "agricultural lands" which is just a euphanism for ankle deep muck. Another 11 miles of this and we were ready to stop for the day. As Kim mentioned, we decided to stay in Unionville, NY, population 600 and try a night at "The Outhouse", home of the Mayor. A special trail angel, the Mayor, a 71-year of named Dick, opens his home to thru hikers in honor of his deceased wife. We were picked up at the General Store by his helper, Butch, who drove us to the Outhouse blasting Deep Purple on the radio -a great omen. Once there, we were treated to the Rules of the House. There were a couple of interesting ones - if any word over 3 syllables in length were used, we owed them a quarter! Also, the first beer was free, they were a quarter a beer after that, limit of four. We were particularly amused by the one that told us we would have to watch a video in the living room after dinner. More on that later. Our stay at the Outhouse would include lodging, a shower, the opportunity to do laundry, internet access, beer and wine, dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a ride back to the trail. It was an amazing display of kindness and camaraderie, even if Dick did keep referring to the thru-hikers as dumb f***s. Cocktails on the deck ran all afternoon, dinner was fabulous, I cried during the story about Mrs Mayor,and the video turned out to be an inspirational life lesson fashioned around the story of Britain's Got Talent winner from a few seasons ago, Paul Potts. Seems Dick is a huge opera fan. We all watched attentively and took his words to heart. The message was to accomplish your dreams and he was happy to play a small role in helping the thru hikers reach Katahdin.

Not sure if trying to sleep on a plywood bunk with seven other funky-smelling thru hikers and their gear was an improvement over the insects the night before, but we gave it a go. After a hearty breakfast the next morning, people started out - Blue Sky and Green Lite to get in another 11 miles or so before big sister Kelley arrived and we "switched out" I decided my "contribution" to the Outhouse before I left was to scrub the two bathrooms in the house. I'll leave it to your imagination how disgustingly dirty they were to me - I'm sure the thru hikers didn't care!

In closing - I want to thank all of you who are reading this, because if you are, you are a friend of Kim's, important to her, and are supporting her in this herculean effort. She is a very special girl and I'm so fortunate to have a daughter like her. Hope to join her for a day hike up in Vermont and I will be at Katahdin with a bottle of champagne in August!

Felt the Lightning, Waited on the Thunder

2009-07-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Pawling, NY...library: Well folks a lot has happened in the past week and a half or so and I'll try to cover a few things here in bullet point format...me fave:

* Pennsylvania, New Jersey and now (almost) New York are states of my past. That's 9 states down and 5 to go (CT, MA, VT, NH and ME). That's 1435 miles down and 743 to go. 350 or so to Mt. Washington. Maybe 40 nights or so left out here. Countdowns are strange to think about.

* After all my talk and search of moonshine in the south, my first day in New Jersey I happened upon a few hikers that did Hardcore with us back after trail days and they had just driven up to Delaware Water Gap from Tennessee with a mason jar full of goodness. So I finally had my first moonshine and it was wonderful...didn't have a whole lot of bite to it really - much much smoother than Virginia Lightning. Anywho...that was 2 points for New Jersey.

* Saw my first rattler my last day in Pennsylvania. T'was about 5-6 ft. long and mildly terrifying - particularly with the startling manner in which it makes its presence known. I don't have a picture for you. Cool story, huh?

* Had first 'might be close to death' moment on a ridgeline in New Jersey when a thunderstorm rolled across the ridge and lightning started crashing around us. Greenlite did the old walk 30 yds behind me trick which I later determined was because lightning would probably on strike one of us instead of both and the other could go for help. Sweet. After one particularly terrifying crash, we managed to get down off the ridgeline and crouch under a rock overhang until it passed. Certain death averted.

* Mama Kath came out last Wednesday to Friday to hike with us!! She was ready to attack mountains and ogle at New Jersey vistas with her rockin' external framepack and ski poles. She braved some wet rocks, pouring rain, a lotta muck and a hellspawned cloud of mosquitos on the ridge where we camped - we couldn't even really get out of our tents - and all in good spirits. Our second night we were lucky enough to be hosted by the former mayor of Unionville, NY - a trail angel who takes hikers into his home and offers showers, dinner, breakfast, beer, bunks, laundry and inspirational motivation. There were probably 25-30 or so hikers there that night - this guy is a saint. I'll let Mama Kath tell a bit more about our stay at the Mayors - she's going to attempt to write her first blog post evaaa!

* Kelley came out and joined us from Friday to Sunday to help us celebrate the great birth of our nation, to cross the NJ/NY border and to bring the spirit of Camp McKee to the AT. She endured some mighty rocky trail, more rain, sparse water...and still managed to be excited about being out there even when all I can do is complain. Kel, Greenlite, Sir Richard and I spent the Fourth in Harriman, NY at the American Budget Inn (Americaa!!) watching Neil Diamond and drinking Busch Light. It was both magical and patriotic. Kel also got to experience the excitement of hitchhiking as we tried to get from the trailhead to town. A pickup truck, a charter bus and a mile of roadwalking later we saw that glorious 'motel' sign...score. All in all it was absolutely wonderful to have Mom and Kel come out and share in the experience with me - to be able to sigh knowingly when I whine about bugs, mud, rocks, so on and so forth.

* Onward into upstate New York - Harriman State Park was absolutely beautiful and it was mindblowing just how close to NYC it really was. From Shenandoah Mtn and Bear Mtn you could get a fairly clear view of the Manhatten Skyline. My friend Hustler who thru-hiked in '04 says he saw the view of the NYC Skyline and six hours later had a bear come into his camp...quite the trip. We saw a huge train of Japanese tourists out on a hike in Harriman State Park and though we had a bit of a language barrier all we could really make out was him asking if we were walking to Maine and telling Sir Richard and Greenlite that they looked like Jesus. Guess that's all we really needed to catch. To continue the Jesus theme, we camped in the ballfield at Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, a monastery not too far from Bear Mountain, NY that lets thru-hikers camp and use the outdoor showers. Good fun. Ms. Fieseler made a trail reappearance last night near Stormville, NY to meet up for dinner and tell tales of Belize !! Most wonderful.

Hope to have Mom and Kel do blog posts about their experiences soon!! Just turned dark and started hearing thunder outside which is no way for Connecticut to introduce itself but that's life. Stopping briefly in Kent, CT tomorrow and probably hitting Massachusetts by Thursday night. Now it's pouring. For the love of God. Think that about sums it up. Thanks to the nice library man that just told us to bring our stuff inside even though it smells of hiker funk. Nice folks here in Pawling. A few people have asked about the next maildrop and if you're interested in sending anything, I'll be stopping at the post office in Dalton, MA in 6-7 days. You can mail to:

Kim McKee
c/o General Delivery
Dalton, MA 01226
Hold for Thru-hiker ETA July 14

Now it's hailing. Oh cruel world...

Wide River To Cross

2009-06-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well I find myself at home in Newtown Square after a week of PA hiking. I passed through Boiling Springs, Duncannon, Lickdale, Hamburg, Port Clinton, PA...up on ridges, through the valleys to the next ridges, across rivers, ad infinitum. Truthfully Pennsylvania has been a gorgeous state - sometimes rocky, both literally and figuratively, sometimes you're walking through beautiful farmlands on rolling hills, sometimes you're walking through old coal settlements...but I'd describe it most accurately right now as 'the middle'.

They say the first month of the trail is the physical challenge and once you're in shape it becomes much more of a mental challenge and I find myself in the thick of it - especially after having come home last weekend briefly and being confronted with all the comforts and 'stuff' from real life I've momentarily left behind. I've been hiking for two and a half months now and some of the novelty of getting to a town or a cool new shelter or the next shower or a vending machine has really worn off. Suddenly a town means spending more of the dwindling funds, the shelter means dealing with the skeeters while trying to sleep, the shower means 5min of cleanliness before the 'hiker funk' kicks back in, the vending machine means I chug the 20oz coke so I can throw the bottle in the trash before moving on - less baggage.

The hike just doesn't seem as 'fun' as it once did. The weight of the rest of the trail is hanging over me as I do the math and see I need to average 19-20mi days to reach Maine in time. I want to stay ahead of that average but it doesn't seem to pan out as such and I get anxious - probably for no real reason. The mentality is that I want to 'knock out miles' but there's that nagging sense that I should just calm self and focus on enjoying the present - but how much enjoyment do I really deserve when it was my choice to be unemployed and walk through the woods this spring/summer? It's just a weird spot to be in when you're free to choose your own schedule, but as a person who enjoys a sense of purpose - I always have Maine on the brain. It's been a weird and kinda difficult couple weeks and I do get the sense that other hikers are going through it as well which is a mild consolation.

I happened upon a few fellow hikers, a young married couple from the next town over at home, that were waiting on a ride to Philadelphia when I met up with them at a road crossing. My overwhelming feeling was that I was absolutely in the right place at the right time, that I should take this ride home for a day or two and really check out from the trail, that I need to recenter. After all, there still is so much to look forward to - the Delaware Water Gap, the Mohican Outdoor Center in Jerz, the Berkshires, the mighty Whites, the 100 Mile Wilderness...the elusive Katahdin. And I'm going to go ahead and say that life is still pretty damn good. I just know sometimes it takes stepping back and looking on the experience from a different place/perspective to remember this.

I've met some pretty amazing people that do some pretty cool stuff. You find a lot of folks out here who are just the types that make things happen for themselves - the travel, the cool jobs, the atypical life experiences...it's inspiring. The mountains and folks that live in the surrounding regions have been wonderful - more welcoming towards strangers than I imagined people could be these days (bah, what does 'these days' even mean?) I'd say that more than anything else, this hike has reminded me that at heart people are generally good, they are trusting, they are generous even when they have little, they want to leave you with a good feeling about the place they live, they want to help you connect to that place, they want to see the good in people too. Aside from that not-small life lesson, it's also been interesting to see how little you can actually live on. How attached I am to the tiny alcohol stove (thanks Hustler!). How the 'one's junk is another's treasure' concept functions so seamlessly in hiker boxes where people leave things they no longer need and they're picked up by others.

Yeah. Halfway.

Enough deep thoughts by Jack Handey. I leave you now with an NPR article on the AT that just popped up after they interviewed thru-hikers in Harpers Ferry a few weeks back aaaaaaand the Public Enemy song that's been running through my head when I scramble over PA rocks - Harder Than You Think. 'Cause, as with most things in life, if I'm gonna get through this damn thing...it's gonna be with the help of Flava Flav.

(sidenote: the young married couple in the video from the NPR article, Quixote & Panza, are the wonderful folks that offered me the ride home when I needed it...great people)

O'Governor Sanford, Where Art Thou

2009-06-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

Thought I might as well throw out a 'typical day' of food, routine & miles for the folks at home in case you're actually interested:

* 6am, up with the sun. Before getting out of the ooold sleeping bag I briefly ponder what I may have to look forward to that day - a town? a swimming hole? an overlook? my last pack of pop tarts? just miles and miles in the green tunnel?

* Onto breakfast. As of late it's cereal of some sort of granola persuasion (with water instead of milk, oy) while I boil water with the alcohol stove for my instant coffee/hot chocolate caffeination concoction. Definitely worth a pause to enjoy the hot beverage. If I'm within a few days of leaving a town, I may be lucky enough to still have a banana or apple lying around. Fresh fruit is a novelty (and is heavy to carry). In case you're curious, here's a nutrition chart on whiteblaze that pretty much lists common backpacking foods - as far as what folks eat out here I've found it to be pretty dead-on. Greenlite does this interesting shake in a gatorade bottle of protein powder, powdered milk, cappuccino mix and carnation instant breakfast - chock full of 'get up and go' apparently.

* Pack up camp. Deflate the sleeping pad (always a process), get life together, go fill up on and treat the water from the spring, get my pack packed properly to distribute the weight, test the safety whistle, pop a quick sign of the cross, and away we go.

* It's ideal to knock out 10mi or so before taking a break but that depends on when you come upon the first shelter or what the terrain is like. Often we'll stop and camp right before a climb to save such good times for the morning legs. It's also nice to stop at shelters because there's a picnic table - something bout sitting down at a picnic table to spread your food out that makes you feel downright civilized. First snacks? Generally a cliff bar or the aforementioned poptarts - something to really give you that jolt. If it's a rough day I'll get another round of coffee going, just for good measure. Maybe knock out 3-4 more miles before lunch.

* Lunch!!! Lunch implies some sort of bread product (be it bagels, tortillas, english muffins, hamburger rolls) with cheese and/or peanut butter. Trail mix, dried fruit, something involving chocolate and or extremely processed sweets (really do eat a lot of crap out here...lots o'habits to kick before Maine). Maybe send off a signal with the old SPOT GPS messenger, write in the trail register, what have you. I'm not really big on napping in the middle of the day so I'm never apt to stop for too long.

* Moving right along. Maybe another 10mi to go which averages out to 3hrs and change of further hiking. Ponder where the stopping point will be for the eve, what I'm going to make for dinner, maybe put on some tunes for the final push. The afternoons have been getting a little hot and humid but as long as there aren't any long stretches in the sun it's not so bad - always a stream to stop and sit by for a few minutes or a cool breeze kicking up just when you need it.

* Dinnaaa!!! and stopping for the day. Always set up the sleeping situation first, whether it's tenting or sleeping in the shelter for the night with the mice. The 'main course', if you will, is usually a lipton rice side or a risotto or a trader joes precooked sorta thinger or a dehydrated pasta meal - anything that just requires boiling water (I'm a one-trick pony with cooking out there). Greenlite's into corn pasta which supposedly metabolizes really quick for high energy - I had never heard of it before but there are some hikers who swear by it. Sometimes there's a fire but often you're just too tired to want to put in the effort. Sometimes you hang a bear bag. Sometimes you couldn't care less about bears. (Though I'm pretty sure they're always watching...really). 'Hiker midnight' is 9pm and I'm usually not in bed too much later than that. Dreams are usually strange because I feel like I'm waking up here and there in the middle of the night when I sleep in the woods - that's just the way of it for me.

* Rinse and repeat.

There's No Place Like Home

2009-06-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Round 2.

* So from Luray we had the rest of Shenandoah Nat'l Park to finish up - a few more waysides to hit up for blackberry milkshakes, a thousand more deer to trip over, a few more Skyline Drive crossings. Shenandoah was some pretty great hiking with all the distractions, milemarkers telling you where you are and how far you have to go (some of us enjoy that), wildlife and easy grade as far as the climbs and descents go...can't ask for much more.

* Front Royal was a pretty wonderful top off to Old Virginia with coin laundry, a stay at a quirky B&B, another ABC store (woot wooot!), lunch with Dad and Paula!, I mailed my lease and first month's rent up to Massachusetts...highly productive. The trail also went by the National Zoological Research Center or something of the like which apparently is affiliated with the National Zoo in DC. Greenlite's friend who lives in the area says he's convinced it's some sort of covert gov't operation in there - that cell phone service is all wonky anywhere near there, that nobody goes in or out...kind of like Wonka. We were on our toes as we walked by.

* The very end of the trail in Virginia is called the Roller Coaster - it's 13.5 miles of continuous 500-700ft ascents and descents. It suuuuuuuuuuuucked. There are no views at the top of your climb. There no flat spots. You're just dying to get out of Virginia and into sweet sweet Harpers Ferry. The trail maintainers in that area leave signs to mock you like 'welcome to the roller coaster bitchez...see you in WV if you make it.' Anyway...that's over.

* HARPERS FERRY!!! Walking into Harpers Ferry felt a wee bit like walking home. Seeing the canal path and train tracks that run straight to DC was very nostalgic for me and even MORE exciting were the visitors that awaited us there. Thanks to Jess and Susie for organizing a crew and thanks to all that came out to camp! Twas a wonderful, rainy, buggy, Jim Beam and BOones Farm-filled evening up at Huckleberry Hill campground on the C&O canal. All in all Harpers Ferry is one of the most beautiful places around at the confluence (my favorite word!) of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and OH the history - visits from Jefferson, John Brown's uprising, Yankees and Rebels during the Civil War. There's also a nice outfitters there to stop in and switch out some gear. The woman that worked there was currently bemused by a few folks that had just been in there before us. Apparently some guy had just been in that had done a demonstration at an elementary school of being a 'frontier man' a la Daniel Boone. During the gun powder segment he accidentally 'blew himself and 3 children up'. No permanent damage was done apparently but it was quite the odd phrasing and her entertainment at this episode was muy interesante. I was sorry we had missed the recounting of the blowing up from the guy himself. Anywho, that was an aside.

* Spent a night in DC in the old apartment in Bristol House! It was odd to get a slice of the old life but very good to see some old friends and experience civilization.

Welp I have to get going though there's more to write. There's been a few more bears in my life, a lot of footstep, new shoes (thanks mom!) and a stop in Newtown Square as I previously told you. Time to get back on the road though out to Fayetteville, PA to get back to the trail. It's pouring. I don't want talk about it much. Miss everyone!! I really do. Peace a'pizza.

Mason-Dixon

2009-06-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings greetings and sorry it's been a few weeks here. Since I last updated I've crossed over from 'Appalatcha' into 'Appalaysha' as I crossed the MD-PA border and hit the North.
I've turned 25.
I've experimented with trying to make buttermilk biscuits with an alcohol burning stove.
I've lost a sock that was near and dear to m'heart.
It's rained.
Fireflies have come out.
I met a SouthBounder who genuinely thinks he's capable of sorcery.
I learned that I was the 332nd thru-hiker to reach Harpers Ferry, WV this year and have their picture taken for the books at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Visitors Center. I have no idea what this number actually means to me, but Harpers Ferry - at mile 1013 - is the psychological halfway point and apparently only 50% of us will reach Maine from here.

Much more to write but I'm actually in good old Newtown Square, PA right now taking a much needed 24hr break from trail life and I have pancakes to tend to. So I'll get back to the blog later today.

Drop Your Reds, Drop Your Greens and Blues

2009-06-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hunkering down for another night in Luray, VA - home of the world(Virginia)wide famous Luray Caverns, the recently renovated and beeeee-autiful Mimslyn Inn and various antique stores and home cookin' establishments. Really can't complain - but back to the past few days in and out of Shenandoah:

* Bears. Lots of them. Baby bears, Mama bears, Papa bears, Sister bears, Brother bears, scaredy bears. On the road, on the trail, having picnics, climbing trees - but still generally fleeing from you upon sight. So bears and I are buddies these days. I've even worked the courage up to try to reach for my camera instead of running away (which, again, is what you're not supposed to do). Unfortunately I haven't been fast enough on the camera just yet. Fear not though, more bears to come...

* Deer. More specifically - fawns. Saw three fawns today near Skyline Drive and HOLY CRAP are they adorable. They're all wobbly on their legs, still have their spots and seriously are the cutest things I've ever seen. Putting Bambi back on the 'to watch' list when I return to society.

* Skunks. Copperheads. Saw one of each. Skunks, cute from a comfortable distance. Copperheads, terrifying. Snakes suck. It's been a pretty sweet week as far as wildlife goes though.

* Hikin' on the full moon. A fellow hiker planted a little idea in our head a few days back about seeing how far you could hike in 24 hrs under the full moon we had two nights ago. Turned out to be 51 miles after starting out from Blackrock Spring Hut at 8:30am to the Skyland Resort (read: breakfast!!) at 8:30am the next morning - not that there weren't breaks and an hour and a half nap from 3:30-5AM on the bathroom floor at a campground we passed right next to the trail. Also turns out dawn is a real adrenaline rush when you think you're not going to make it any further. While I generally have been less than a fan of the woods at night over the years, it was actually a pretty cool experience. Nothing like catching a glowing pair of green eyes with your headlamp off to the left of the trail...following you. While I tended to imagine the worst, I later on realized these were deer. Some other hikers who attempted the same thing that night actually saw a bobcat and stepped on a rattler during their own little adventure (insert shiver up your spine here). Another weird/cool moment was at a crossing of Skyline Drive where the trail emerges into this big meadow under the full moon with a fairly large old graveyard right across the way. At another point we were on the side of the ridge with the lights of Luray and other towns in the valley sprawled out below. Maybe some of these were hallucinations - who knows. Either way, it was a solid night.

* To any DC folks reading - I walked by Pocosin Cabin, Rock Spring Cabin and the Corbin Cabin trail (like hell I was going to walk all the way down from the ridge to the holler) over the past couple days. If I closed my eyes I could almost see Susie climbing a rock, Walker throwing an ax, Sean almost falling off a cliff, Jess opening a fresh box of wine, Lydia manning the wood stove, what have you. It was a wonderful feeling. Also on a long exploratory drive with Greenlite's parents who are visiting the trail right now, we went by Woodstock Tower Rd (read: A-FRAME!) but on the other side of the ridge. Another familiar sight.

* Gosh, what else. Pretty views, relatively gentle hiking compared to earlier parts of the trail, and getting ready for Virginia's swan song. I'm West Virginia bound. In two days I'm meeting Dad in Front Royal and can't wait!!! In 9 days I hit a quarter-century. Whoa. Will my joints start falling apart? Will I start reminiscing about the '90s? Did anybody see Zack Morris on Jimmy Fallon the other night?? (Thanks Cliff...really.) On that note, laaaters.

Hollers and Waysides

2009-06-06T03:20:00.000-07:00

Welp, this morning I'll be heading into Shenandoah Nat'l Park from Rockfish Gap, where the Blue Ridge Parkway ends and Skyline Drive begins. Currently stopped off in Waynesboro, VA 5mi west of Rockfish Gap where the Grace Lutheran Church runs a wonderful hiker hostel in their basement...really. They have showers with clean towels, cots you can set up in a big room downstairs, a big screen TV, computers, snacks, COFFEE, CEREAL WITH WHOLE MILK...I'm in Lutheran heaven right now - all donation-based. Otherwise the 'Boro has been a wonderful stop-off to briefly get out of the rain.

Rain. Thankfully I got a taste of what it would be like during my freshman DOC hiking trip where it poured most of the time. It generally brings a whole new world of strange blisters, pruned hands, shelters that are full and mighty slippery rocks. I used to think that when the birds started chirping again the clouds were about to break but I'm pretty sure birds are full of sh*t these days. Anywho, the weather's supposed to take a turn for the better these next few days and I'm pretty sure someone up there will give me clear (blue?) skies for Shenandoah so I'm a'ready to stop whining.

SNP - Skyline Drive stretches for about 100 miles from Rockfish Gap (not too far from Charlottesville) to Front Royal, VA and winds atop the ridgeline with beautiful overlooks over the surrounding farmlands and neighboring ridges. The trail will cross Skyline maaany many times over the next 4-5 days or so and the park is famous for its waysides, tourists and 'thousand-mile stares' from the thru-hikers - beginning the final push to get through Virginia. I don't even really know what a wayside means just yet but someone told me it means food so I'm down. And as I've said a million times I'm mighty excited to finally see some familiar territory and inch back towards the Mason-Dixon Line. The South has been really amazing and the people have been so wonderful, but it's high time I got excited about moving to New England so I think I'm walking in the right direction. I leave you with a few links and videos this mornin'.

Interactive AT Map from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Whiteblaze.net - online community of AT enthusiasts

A youtube vid of Roscoe Holcomb playing a few songs on Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest in the '60s. An oldtime banjo legend.

Enjoooy the weekend and Stephanie Madison hope you had a wonderful birfday!!

They Call It That Good Old Mountain Dew

2009-06-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

Mmmmmmshowers. Stopped last night at the Dutch Haus Hostel in Montibello, VA, which proudly boasts 3 paved roads. TWO DAYS FROM SHENANDOAH!!! Toot toot, beep beep. Actually crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway on and off for the past week has been pretty cool because it reminds me so much of Skyline Drive - and it was like I could finally see a paved road that would take me straight up North to familiar territory. Pretty sure they were both built around the same time by the CCC in the mid-30s. Also heard that the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway was the hot button issue that caused the two main visionaries/engineers of the AT - Benton MacKaye and Milton Avery - to never speak again.

So the going's been pretty tough over the past few days with the 90 degree heat and humidity. The 3000 ft climb up from the James River was pretty killer and while I usually love a good exposed ridge, that sun really sucks the life/will to go on out of you. They say your first month is the real physical challenge and then it really becomes a mental game - particularly in Virginia with its 600+ mi of trail. In other news though, I hit 800 miles yesterday and am pretty pumped for all the waysides in Shenandoah. Life ain't bad.

Few folks on the trail I've met over the past week. It was pretty cool to meet Windbreaker, a hiker a few years younger than me from outside of Asheville, NC that carries and plays a 2lb banjer. He went to Appalachian State in Boone, NC and said he took an Appalachian Studies course which segwayed into an Oldtime Music course which inspired him to take up clawhammer banjo. Nothing like reaching McAfee's Knob outside of Catawba, VA right after sunrise which is probably the best view I've seen yet on the trail and having Windbreaker bust out a morning song on the 'jo. Think I put a few pics up on facebook of the knob. He also makes banjos so I'm pondering trading up for one of his once I get back to the real world. Anywho it was a wee bit inspiring on the banjo front - think I'm going to check out where the Oldtime jams are when I get up to Amherst this fall.

Ahhh let's see...otherwise things are generally peachy. Still caffeinating each morning and dodging bears. Actually I have yet to see a bear in awhile but turns out the snakes are starting to kick in which kinda kills me. Thus far I've only seen black snakes but I almost stepped on a 5ft-er or so yesterday which made me scream - nothing of the poisonous persuasion but those rattlers and copperheads are out there. Sweet sweet Virginia. Alright I think I should get going but miss everyone! Ooh and here are a few links to fellow hikers trail journals that have been going my way in case you're interested:

Greenlite
Buckeye
Flex
Matt from DC

I'm outta here.

Thanks Fies, More Photatoes

2009-06-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

Quick stop in Glasgow, VA this morning near Natural Bridge to check the oooole email and upload some more pics! You can check'em out on facebook hopefull at this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2077191&id=501939&page=2

Special thanks to Clare for posting about her time out here. She pretty much achieved trail angel status in no time with the beer and rainbow rice krispie treats. As for progress - getting mighty close to Rockfish Gap and the southern end of Shenandoah. Have been criss-crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway for the past few days and it's been gorgeous. Much more to report soon but uploading the photos has sucked up my internet time at this fine library. Will update again Waynesboro, VA. VERY MUCH looking forward to hopefully seeing Dad up near Front Royal and some DC folks up near Harpers Ferry!!! Makes it much much easier to push the big miles. Okay, time to hit the trail.

In Her Element

2009-05-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

posted by Clare Fieseler

After living with Kim for the two year’s after college, I was blessed enough to see Kim’s determination to hike the AT flourish from an inclination to an outright resolution. Kinda like Banjos, Marathons, and Hummus. (Ironically, Hummus has given her the most difficulty.) I could see it progress from the day we all first moved into Fort Bacon in Dupont Circle. The more she saw of the mountains west of our little city apartment, the more I saw her point her attention to all things Appalachian. The music. The coal culture. The confluences. She became hooked. Kim was Googling “mountain top mining” more than the average 23-year-old Googled “brad-gelina.” Through a few weekend trips out to Shenandoah National Park and Harper’s Ferry, Kim and I brushed up with some strange folk, random occurrences, and just quirky encounters with a culture that is simpler, slower, and more in touch with the great natural beauty around. Perhaps that’s why is seems quirky and strange at first. Your time out in the “sticks” goes from entertaining to just gosh darn preferable to anything city-life can offer.

Kim is in her element – the Appalachian element. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. On May 8th, I drove out to Roan Mountain, TN from my home in Durham, NC. I pulled up late in the evening (after a few detours in bustling Boone,NC) to a gorgeous rehabbed barn/ hiker lodge along a babbling brook, where horse where grazing right next to the entrance. Is this Heaven? No. It’s Tennessee.

Upon seeing Kim - dirty, wet, and rugged - I couldn’t help but give her a big bear hug. She smelt better than I expected. Not roses, but not shabby for a thru-hiker. I was soon introduced to a room of mostly 40 or 50 year old mean with names like Bear Bait and Tibet. For trail magic – I had brought Kim her favorite – Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats and a thirty pack of Miller Lite. The community of thru-hikers are so generous with the few luxuries they are able to get (ie. brownies or bandaids). So no beer was wasted that first night, but the marshmellowy goodness was stored for trail fuel. As I met some of Kim’s trail friends, I was forced to call her by her trial name Blue Sky. Awkward at first, I grew to love it.

I had forgotten a tent, so Kim let me sleep in her one-man tent through the rainy night. It was cozy, and I think we both kinda liked the shared space. It was like old times, minus a temporary wall. At about 3:30am that night I woke up to Kim scrambling over me to get out the tent. Then came the heaves. And the splat. Oh no. Kim got deathly ill with what could only be described by the other hikers as “thru-hiker’s flu.” At least no swine were involved. Some Gatorade, Peptobismal, and Michael J. Fox movies later in the B&B/Barn, Kim was still feeling ill but stronger. She wanted to get back on the trail, despite my hesitations. She was a champ and hiked in 4 miles late that afternoon after taking all morning to recuperate. We collapsed exhausted (me from my own bad shape!) on a side ATV path away just off the main white blazes. Some chicken noodle soup and peanut butter on rolls got the job done. And we climbed into snug our tent at 8pm for bed, listening to strong winds blow over the clouded Tennessee Hills.

That was the first night in about a year where I didn’t here a single thing all night but the birds and the wind.

Kim woke up the next morning with a big smile on her face, puke-free mentality, and an extra large spoonful of instant coffee. With Oatmeal-full bellies we began our 20 mile day hike. There was a fabled house up the trail where an all-day trail magic (read: free for thru-hikers!) BBQ was happening. We had to reach it by 7pm if we wanted to partake.

Boy, did I overestimate my own lack of stamina due to graduate-student neglect. At first, I was just enjoying the natural beauty of the area and the stories Kim was telling me about the other thru-hikers she had met. But at about mile 13 I was cursing the whole expedition and needed assistance from Kim’s hiking poles. I was awed by the ease at which Kim tramps 10, 20, sometimes 30 miles each day. Blue Sky is known as one of the fastest hikers on the trail. Multiple other hikers told me so. Our little Kim. I couldn’t believe it.

I’ll tell you what. She’s tough as nails, folks. TOUGH AS NAILS.

By mile 18 I was feeling better. Chicken chili, dark chocolate, and a gradual decline into a beautiful fern gully restored my senses and my will to go on. We reached the trail magic house (a house just off the trail where Slow Train, a former thru-hiker, lives). Heapings of pasta, brownies, and fruit to refueled us. I was able to meet even more of Blue Sky’s friends, fellow hikers, past hikers, and plain old AT enthusiasts. Each person I met talked about the beauty and burdens of life on the trail. The common theme was a sense of respect not just for Katahdin, but for the trail in general and what it represents to each hiker.

That next morning I drove back to NC and set off for Belize 72 hour later to collect data for my master’s project. Most people may consider the coconut lined beaches here “paradise” but I’d say the Tennessee Hills put up a good fight for that title. Yesterday, I saw some tourist reading Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” (an account of the author attempting to thru-hike) and I was inspired to write this blog post.

The AT embodies the rugged, wild, and community-based spirit of the Appalachia region. Kim seems to have become the mayor of this dirt path and the family of boots that tramp along it. Kim’s interactions with the other thru-hikers is genuine and forthright. Ask anyone on the trail and they’ll know Blue Sky. They’ll treat you as family simply for being her companion. As for Kim herself: She’s determined more than ever to finish the trail in August. But more than this determination – I think she’s devoted to simply experiencing the Trail for all its worth. Everything that is NEW and CHALLENGING is on her agenda. Hummus bowls nationwide watch out.

Kim, I’m so proud of you. Keep chugging. I’ll be at High Point, NJ waiting and serving as your official state ambassador.

Home Is Where You Hang Your Bearbag

2009-05-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

So today has turned into a 'zero day' in Pearisburg, VA since it's pouring rain with thunderstorms expected this afternoon. Yeah, wimpy...but I think my feet will very much appreciate the recovery as a pinky toe blister has been making life rather difficult these past few days. Yeah, pinky toe - the most unassuming and useless of the toes. But anywho - more blog!!!

* At a restaurant in Atkins, VA a few days back the only sign at the register was about a gun rack for sale. I almost cracked a smile. I also almost talked myself into needing a gun rack. (Wayne's World reference)

* Do not accidentally use white heat instead of denatured alcohol in your soda can stove if you do not want to start forest fires or lose armhair.

* Bland, VA lives up to its good name.

* I'm now carrying a bible - I have yet to open it. I'm thinkin maybe tomorrow.

* Lingo. "Purists" - those who stick to the trail and make sure they hit every white blaze. I think I'm falling into this camp. "Blue-blazers" - take short cuts on blue blazed trails to spots further up the AT or take alternate routes just to check out some point of interest - other peaks, swimming holes, Wawas, etc. "Aqua-blazers" - hop on a canoe or kayak on the Shenandoah River which parallels the trail for awhile to knock out some miles afloat instead of on foot. Tempting. "Pink-blazers" - AT equivalent of skirt-chasers. Their mileage and or routes dependent on those of the scarce female population out here. "Yellow-blazers" - get rides everywhere. Clever clever stuff.

* Trail names. Some people choose their own, most people aquire them. There are at least 3 Freebirds, One Steps, Dreamcatchers and Hatchets out here. Some of my favorites:

Thunderpants and SIS: Young married couple. He has rampant gas and she "Suffers In Silence".
Wimbledon: Hikes with sweat/headband and strongly resembles Richie Tenenbaum.
Smiletrain: Some people would describe him as "negative" - he generally reminds me of a crotchety old man. He found a bracelet on top of Clingman's Dome and put it on saying he was going to take it to Maine for kicks. Three days later he realized it says Smiletrain on it. Appropriate.
Moontower: Looks just like Slater from Dazed and Confused.

Yeah I can't remember any other good ones at the moment. Always blank when I hit these computers. Back to idling around Pearisburg. If you have any odd questions about stuff out here leave'em in comments and I'll answer!

40 Miles From Denver

2009-05-26T05:41:00.001-07:00

Hello hello and greetings from the downtown metropolis of Pearisburg, Virginia on the New River. Looks like I'll be heading into a few days o'rain from here but otherwise everything is in good working order. Let's do this in bullet format:

* PONIES!!!! Grayson Highlands State Park just north of Damascus has some pretty aggro, yet adorable, wild ponies. They're pretty accustomed to hikers rolling through at this point so they go straight for your foodbag. They also must be accustomed to hikers trying to hop on and ride them because when a friend did so, it ran straight for where there was barbed wire strung 4 ft off the ground to try to clothesline him. Cute ponies. Pics soon.

* More magic. One magical Saturday morning we came upon a road crossing with three people waiting by some SUVs asking us if we wanted a hot meal. Turns out they're from ATOM, the Appalachian Trail Outreach Ministry of the Methodist Church. If I were to ever die a death from kindness, it would be surrounded by these people. They took us to the local church a mile away where they sat us down at a long table and shoved food, coffee & OJ in our faces for an hour - pancakes, sausage, bread pudding, bananas, cookies, apple sauce, biscuits, grits, gravy - it was pretty serious. The group said they used to do similar trips to do outreach for the church in Mexico but they decided to switch to ATOM. Apparently in the New World Order, us hiker folk are on the level with Mexicans. I like this.

* Continuation of magic. We got back to the trail after the church only to find another set up a half mile down the road doing hot dogs, chili, ice cream, etc. Two guys - Stumblefoot and Insomniac - who had section hiked the whole trail over 10 years while full-time coal miners in Eastern WV, decided they wanted to pay back all the favors they received while hiking by throwing a hiker feed on the trail. They said they had gotten so many things from people while out there, but never money - which is something I think is pretty cool about being out here. Insomniac had a sweet tat on his arm (which was no small arm) which was a map of the whole trail. Pics to come, yet again.

* Welp, lots more has happened. Blisters have kicked up, saw a tiny tiny bear cup climbing a tree (momentarily 'awww'ing until I realized it was time to get the heeeelll outta there before Mama Bear came back), and in the next week or so I'll be getting into driving range of DC so come visit meeeee!!!!! See how funky I smell, how cut up my shins are, and the sweet poison ivy I will have acquired by then.

Okay, more to come soon. Missing everyone!

Roan Mountain High

2009-05-19T03:40:00.000-07:00

Mom, I'm alive! Currently back in Hampton, TN right now after finishing up the Hardcore Trailwork thinger I joined in on for Sunday and Monday. Trail Days in Damascus was quite the fine time. Got to catch up with all the hikers I had passed and had passed me since starting in April, see a lot of hippies dancing around bonfires and generally enjoy a lot of free food. Also got to meet Gene Espy, the second man to ever thru-hike (bushwhack) the AT in 1951 and see a lot of hippies dancing around bonfires.

Sunday morning we were whisked back to Tennessee to build new trail with 100 or so other enthusiastic hikers(switchbacks where it used to go straight up) just north of Watauga Dam. Got to paint me first white blaze!!! This was pretty huge for me and hopefully a photo will surface from the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club that runs it at some point. It's a pretty little 2x6 in. blaze with sharp corners and a good fill if I might say so myself. Southbounders will never be lost again. Also pretty cool since I had only been through that part of the old trail 5 days prior and it SUCKED. It's a much better grade and easier climb these days. On Monday we built more new trail over near Carvers Gap and Roan Mountain, TN and had a big feed last night where we got our Hardcore patches. Ready to get back on the trail up north of Damascus this morning but bummed I'm going to get to use the word HARDCORE with less and less relevancy.

So yeah, shuttle back to the trail today and can't feel my arms from swinging those dirt tools these past few days but it was a pretty great experience with a lot of great folks. Will update again sooooon!

Photatoes

2009-05-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

Pics up on me facebook profile!

Trail Days Shmail Days

2009-05-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Juuuuuust got into good old Virginia this morning!! Big step in a young Kim's life. Interesting to roll into the sleepy town of Damascus, VA knowing that in two days 20,000 people will descend upon it for the Trail Days festival. Damascus is in quite the beautiful stop where the AT, the Virginia Creeper Trail (rail-turned-bike trail), the Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail, and some sort of rando Wildlife trail intersect. MOST importantly though...it is in Congressman Rick Boucher's district, who hill staffer Rob Cowden tells me is quite the popular politician around here (Rob I want a hat). So yeah, trail days should be interesting. Former thru-hikers, locals, hiking enthusiasts and the AT 'Class of 2009' will join together to get open container citations from the new Sheriff (apparently the hot-button issue in 2008). All the trail legends we've both met and heard about will be here too. I was lucky enough to meet Baltimore Jack two days ago at Kincora Hostel in Hampton, VA, run by his good friend and other trail legend Bob Peoples.

Baltimore Jack was wearing a shirt that said "Bill Bryson is a Candy Ass" when we met. I had to introduce myself because he lives in good old Hanover, NH and lo and behold...he says he's good friends with John Chapin (the jacketed Chapin-friend) of Canoe Club, asks if I'm one of those 'sororstitutes', and offers me Yeungling in one hand and whiskey in the other (only had a little bit, Ma). I wish I could describe it all better but he lived up to all expectations. Bob Peoples, on the other hand, is probably one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. He opens his home to hikers every year for a bunk, shower, laundry and shuttles them all over and asks for a $4 donation in return. He runs this big trail work excursion that starts right after trail days called Hard Core where they put you up, feed you, and hope to instill the importance of trail maintenance and giving back in hikers. Pretty sure I'm gonna do it - aside from lugging huge rocks around, I hear it's an amazing experience. Bah I have to go. Hogging internet. This was not very well organized, nor explained well - but perhaps it will make sense in pictures someday. LAATERS.

I Think I Caught the Giardia, Pop

2009-05-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

Morning, morning and a Happy Mother's Day to all the Mamas out there. I will be giving mine a call shortly (letting you sleep in Mama Kath!). Currently at Laurel Fork Lodge near Hampton, TN and two days hiking from Damascus!! Pondering attempting the 40mi challenge which is doing the last 40mi into Damascus in a day. Could be interesting/painful/and/or/silly. We'll see. In other news, Ms. Clare Fieseler just left me (sniff) after 3 days with me on this here trail. She rolled up to Roan Mountain, TN on Friday just in time to share a tent with me on the night I caught the wicked 24hr flu making rounds with thru-hikers. After a fine 10-12 hrs of dry-heaving, moaning, whining, throwin back immodium, throwin it back up and mentally writing my will, things started to turn around and we were able to make it 3-4mi into the woods. Then in a Fieseler Feat of Strength, she accompanied me on a 20mi day into Hampton, TN where we happened upon a cabin where former thru-hikers were throwing a big hiker feed complete with pasta, s'mores and Franzia...best trail magic yet. I believe we'll see a post on here from Ms. Fieseler herself when she gets back to Durham, so hold your breath.

I have more I want to write on Erwin, TN from 4 days or so back, from Clare's wonderful visit and general plans going forward, but I'm a lazy piece that needs to tend to laundry at the moment...so until then.

Mountain Ghost Stories

2009-05-05T04:51:00.000-07:00

Copied a few days back from the intro to Mountain Ghost Stories of Western Carolina at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn, which - shockingly - I picked up to read (good stuff):

"The stories contained in this book have one important thing in common, an intimate association with a particular place. It is our goal that these tales serve to enrich one's own association with that place, whether visiting the mountains of Western North Carolina, remembering them, or taking up residence among their rocky valleys and forested peaks. Many faraway lives are represented there, but each life can still be felt by stepping out of a car and placing a hand upon a tree or a foot upon a trail, or by pausing briefly in the fragrant morning or evening air at a scenic overlook among these magical mountains."

Just liked it and felt appropriate. Fell asleep to the sound of trains passing through next to the Nolichucky River last night. Anywho, as I leave Erwin today I'll be heading north towards Hampton, TN and Damascus, VA. Hoping 'trail magic' will pick up a bit as we get closer to the trail days festival. Trail magic are those wonderful wonderful surprises left for you by former thru-hikers, local hiking clubs, or aaanyone looking to throw a thru-hiker a bone. Sometimes they'll leave a big plastic bin in the middle of the woods with cupcakes in it or they'll set up a grill at a gap to serve up free burgers for an afternoon. It's pretty serious excitement. I think my most favorite was the cold Natty Ice I found on a sign post in Plum Orchard Gap, GA. Turns out it was left there by a fellow thru-hiker who acquired a case in a supermarket parking lot when a van rolled up and the fellow inside said he had confiscated some beers from his 16 year-old and asked if they wanted them...cause he sure as hell wasn't going to drink Natty Ice.

Magic.

So yeah things are still well. At mile 370 and pushing on to sweet sweet Virginia.

Workin' On A New Railroad

2009-05-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

Mud up to my knees.

Holy crap!! It got rainy as hell up in here. Spent the past few days mucking through some grim weather and a saturated trail. Still more or less walking the NC/TN border and currently at Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky River Hostel right outside the thriving metropolis of Erwin, TN. Shower, laundry, bam... I decided to be a hard guy (cheap guy) and tent in the yard for $8 instead of take a bunk for $15...this could have been a horrible decision. So that's where I am - and I gotta stay I'm still quite happy to be here. More on the actual trail when I hop back on this computer in a bit.

OH and

2009-05-01T07:59:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY B'JULIA J'BAXTER

Lowering a Bear's Self Esteem

2009-05-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Helloooo from Hot Springs, North Carolina - first town we actually just walk into and the trail goes down Main St. They have a Dollar General here...it's kind of a dream. Special thanks to Mr. Michaelson for the Popcorn Sutton update. I actually met a hiker named Junior who happened to have some of his last batch o'moonshine and it was apparently deeelicious.

Stayed at an amazin hostel here last night called Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. It's a big oole house built in 1840 with a library, music room (with a banjer), pancakes in the morning, porch swings - good stuff. Needed the sleep too cause the night before we had another bear in camp on Bluff Mtn. I shall name this bear "Persistent" since he came back 5 times and got two food bags (not mine!). Hiker 'silver hammer' was saying before we went to bed that he really wanted to boo a bear. You know...make it feel a little bad about itself. Strategy was unfortunately not so effective. I don't think it was until the whole camp threw rocks and sang Bohemian Rhapsody to it that Persistent the Bear took off to be booed and fed elsewhere.

Otherwise the wildflowers have been beautiful (I swear I'll get pics up one of these days), the cabot cheese plentiful, and Hot Springs most wonderful. And to those of you giving me a hard time about how often I have internet access - well...yeah. Deal. Who's going to Cheatfest this weekend instead of Gold Cup?

Next stop will be Erwin, TN and Kaethe I unfortunately can't haul ass up to Hanover by June 14th. But I wish Scott a wonderful graduation - I remember when he was a wee prospie(they grow up so fast!) Peace a'pizza!

No Pain, No Rain, No Maine...

2009-04-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

I've heard this about as many times as the 'you don't need to outrun the bear, you only need to be able out run your friend' joke out here. So I find meself in Davenport, TN, just walked out of the Smokies this afternoon and dropped 5000 ft of elevation - surroundings have changed a bit. At Standing Bear Farm hostel which is an old homestead where we can take advantage of sweet amenities like internet and camp next to a trampoline - the proprietor looks kinda like Chong. Shooting to sleep on the trampoline.

ANYWAY, we hitched back up to the Smokies with a nice young couple named Tray and Misty from Newport, TN and upon asking about moonshine they told me about Popcorn Sutton. Popcorn was a legendary moonshiner from Newport who last year was busted on tax evasion (which is apparently how they usually get the moonshiners). Instead of going to jail he built his own coffin then shot himself two months ago. Apparently he was interviewed on CMT by Billy Ray Cyrus not too long ago so youtube this guy. Still on the hunt for moonshine.

Hmm what else...had first 'you're a thru-hiker??' moment where a few tourists took our picture at Newfound Gap in the Smokies. People are both quite perplexed and quite fascinated by the concept. Otherwise feeling gooooood! The people are still awesome and the black flies have calmed down yay much. Just caught wind of the swine-flu epidemic? Anyone? Can I not eat bacon? I'm gonna eat bacon anyway. Will update again in the morning. Misses and kisses.

Gatlinburg Nights

2009-04-27T05:06:00.000-07:00

Welp, thought I'd have more time here but looks like the shuttle's pulling out in a half hour or so and I'm trying to suck down as much water as possible before then.

In short, have already seen a family of four bears sitting 20 yds off the trail, 2 wild turkeys, a deer and some elk in the Smokies. Do they even have elk in the Smokies? These were seen from the back of a pickup truck on our way into Gatlinburg (though they took us to some other local sights first...the aforementioned redneck safari) and they sure looked like elk. The bears scared the b'jesus out of me. My eyesight is grim so I kinda just saw some dark shapes off to the left. Once they started moving my bear trigger went off and I immediately did a u-turn and started walking the other way - which is basically exactly what you're not supposed to do. Turns out I react poorly in crisis situations. Waited for two guys to come along for a critical mass in passing the bears (see Mom? I'm being careful). Like the pansy I am, I asked them if I could walk in the middle. To which they replied I'd just be the meat of the sandwich. To which I replied tou che. Otherwise the Smokies have been pretty gorgeous and pretty hot. We've been walking the TN/NC border for a few days and the next stop is in Hot Springs, NC. If you get the chance to go into town with a guy named 'Hatchet', say no. If a motorcycle slows down so you can hop on back and ride across the Fontana Dam, say yes.

"Is that a deer up there? A yak?"

2009-04-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

"Oh no it's just a hellspawned cloud of black flies shaped like a deer". Probably me favorite shelter log entry thus far.

So I'm knee-deep in the Great Smoky Mountains at the moment (read: knee deep in sweet sweet Gatlinburg). Since we last corresponded, dear blog, I spent a 'nearo' (near zero-mile day) at Fontana Dam hanging out on the Marina there where we managed to sweet talk our way into a lunch on a houseboat with some nice folks from Greenville, SC. I also switched out my pack to a friend's lightweight pack which brings me down to 20-25lbs of weight to cruise with - light as a 20-25 lb feather.

More to report on bears, truly hellspawned black flies, a sunset motorcycle ride across Fontana Dam with a nice fellow from Eastern Kentucky named Jim, and my first redneck safari later on. It's dinner and the Shoney's buffet beckons.

High Atmosphere

2009-04-23T17:11:00.001-07:00

Most exciting blog ever to check up on, huh. So my internet access has been very much lacking since I started hiking a week and a half ago. Thanks again to Chad-O for inputting that last one. And if you guessed I'd get too lazy to keep up the K/C switch you were RIGHT.

Anywho the hike remains an amazing experience. Since Hiawassee I've crossed the NC border, done my first 25mi day, eaten my first ramp out of the ground (look'er up on wikipedia), worked up some serious blisters, jumped into Fontana Lake and acquired a trail name. Trail name is 'Blue Sky' - so given after I spotted the first patch after a night of rough weather and realized shortly thereafter that it's my favorite Allman Brothers song so decided to keep it. 'BS' for short.

From Hiawassee a few fellow hikers and I pushed on to Winding Stair Gap to hitch a ride into Franklin, NC to stay with one of the hiker's friends. The friend in question turns out to be Doug Woodward who not only was a pioneering whitewater kayaker in the '70s but also was the stunt double for Ned Beatty in Deliverance. Talk about street cred. He said that Burt Reynolds had a new fem on set everyday, that Jon Voight's wife was there pregnant with Angelina Jolie, and that they had a dummy lying flat in the canoe as Burt Reynolds they called 'no balls', for obvious reasons. I asked him if they drew a mustache on it but apparently not - the prop coordinator was way off base there. Anyway...interesting family. Their kids' names were Autumn, Rivers, Forrest and Canyon and they lived in a beautiful spot on a mountainside in Franklin. Went back to the trail from there and three sunrises and sunsets later I find myself at Fontana Dam in NC about to head into the Smokies. Staying the night at Fontana Lodge built by the CCC and looks it. It's wonderful. Smokies are going to be challenging but with any luck I'll find myself at Dollywood in Pigeon Ford, TN in a few days. Time will tell. Ms. Clare Fieseler will hopefully be meeting up in Cherokee Nat'l Forest near the end of TN so very much looking forward to her presence.

This past week I've been hiking with two guys from Georgia - Greenlight and Brian - and Hustler from Gunniston, CO. They've been teaching me the ways of 'going light'. It's been a trip so far. Probably missing a lot here but wanted to get an update on the books! Missing everyone! Hope the GPS updates have been going through. Laaters.

Tray Mountain Rag

2009-04-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Welp, survived a week thus far. Currently in Hiawassee, GA at the Hiawassee Inn where a nice proprietor named Sam let me borrow his official Inn minivan to run to the grocery store. They sure make'em nice here in Georgia. First off, a few thanks:

- thanks to Grandpa for 'one swig at a time' water conservation methods learned on hike to middle lake Velma circa 1994
- thanks to Dad for my monster calves and for having me on the lookout for a left-handed smoke-shifter to travel with
- thanks to Sean Luna for telling me to bring a vest
- thanks to Paul Heintz for telling me to set up the sleeping situation before cooking dinner
- and of course; thanks to Mama Kath for the can-do attitude

Basically it's been a swell time so far. So many kind folks are going my way and from all over - Minnesota, Florida, Boston, Colorado, PA, Scotland, what have you. Climbed many a peak - Tray Mountain sticking out as the hardest climb with the sweetest sunset on top. We had a bear in camp on the 3rd night at Woods Hole Shelter. "Dick the bear" has a knack for stealing food from the far left bear cable and though thankfully, skipping out. I was terrified until the guy whose food was being taken hopped out of his tent and said "that sonovabitch" - when I realized we're just angry when they take our food, not scared. Thanks Brian. Otherwise dear Chad-O leaves me tomorrow for good old DC and I'm making a break for the North Carolina line. Still trail-name-less, still haven't tried moonshine, still walkin'...

(Written by Chad Fisk from Kims Journal at the Hiker Hostel, GA. They unfortunately did not have a computer at the Hiawassee Inn).

Adventures with TSA

2009-04-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

Bout to head towards the airport to katch the flight from Phoenix to Atlanta. The Chad will be meeting me in the Atlanta airport with or without our alcohol stove (TSA...not so backpacking-friendly, ship your stuff ahead of time if you possess the forethought/planning skills). We'll be staying at Hiker Hostel near the trailhead Sunday eve - they pick ya up, give you a bunk, breakfast (best be pancakes), fuel for your stove, hopefully matches or a lighter since we will be without (TSA, again) all for a lovely thru-hiker special. We start out tomorrow AM!

Our grand plan is to get to Rock Gap over the NC state line at mile 103 by next Monday 4/20 to get the Chad to his shuttle from the trailhead back to the Atlanta airport and give him hard-guy points. Unfortunately we'll have to average 15mi days or so to reach said point and we will soon find out whether this is humanly possible for us city-folk who have done no training except for some brief urban hiking stints up and down Conn Ave back in DC.

In other news, my kousin Tom got married yesterday to a lovely young lady who happens to have Kimberly Marie as her first and middle name (congrats again!). The Kimberley Marie McKee's now roll two-strong. Look out world. Speaking of names, send trail name suggestions - avoid boy-band references please.

Update - No fleas

2009-04-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

Re: fleas, see above. Re: accessing my kurrent koordinates on google maps - you can go to this link and email me for the password...or take your best stab at it.

Security Measures

2009-04-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Industrial strength pepper spray from Off. Savitzky, Newtown Square's finest...check
SPOT GPS Satellite Messenger...check
Whistle with "Don't die...be heard" on the packaging...check
Mean streak...check.

Special thanks to Kath and that which she equips me with in order to help her sleep at night. Will post shortly on how to find me as a dot on google maps.

In other news, it's always a good day to wake up to an email from your student host at a grad school visit informing you that he just found out his kat who shared your pull-out kouch has fleas, "so, you know...if you have fleas...sorry." "I have fleas" kould be an effective shelter konversation-starter. Fingers krossed...

T-5

Naming ze Blog

2009-03-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

This is important stuff and many times your top choices are already taken from bloggers of bloggedy-blogging past. I settled on K.O.A. (read: Kim Over Appalachia and a special homage to my personal favorite family kamping resort and host to Harpers Ferry Outdoor Fest)

PickedUpaHammer may or may not be my favorite Fox Hunt song at the moment but turns out:

aldridge.blogspot.com
koa.blogspot.com
myfeethurt.blogspot.com
shuttlesong.blogspot.com
confluence.blogspot.com
kamping.blogspot.com
kabins.blogspot.com (really?)
jahworks.blogspot.com (really???)
capitollimited.blogspot.com
bigcountry.blogspot.com

are already taken, have been stolen out from under my very nose. I thought about FAldridge.blogspot.com but I decided to keep it klean. So anywho, that's now out of the way and I can go back to sorting out just how often is too often for me to keep getting up to snag the scraps of that C(k)osi bread they put in the little bin for people waiting in line...and bread hawks such as myself.