Sunday, June 24, 2007
Majic
mile 987. Theres something on the trail called majic. in short, its basically something good that happens or comes your way that you are not expecting. I ran across some former through hikers hanging out and they told me they were on thier way to see RUSH in concert the next evening. ....There is only one particular concert i wanted to see this year, and it was be RUSH. However, my AT thru hike would not allow this. so, my good friends GMan and John bakc in florida had planned since March on seeing them when the tour dates came out. a few weeks ago, my buddies did get to see them without me. i know they coulndt enjoy it completley with the knowledge that i coulnt be there to experience it with them, but all is not lost. The gods were smiling down on me and this RUSH tour was written in my stars. For last night, beyond any explanation from science, i , a thru hiker living in the woods and away from civilization for 6 months got a ride to a RUSH concert in VA. VA is truly a great state. Thanks PI and K-ACHE for some great majic. Snakes and Arrows Baby! dont let your fire burn out!
The Doahs
Shenandoah National Park! mile 849. OK I know i skipped alot of details , Ill just say the last few weeks and few hundred miles went by very quick and i really lost track of time. Im enjoying myself and going to special hangouts only known to hikers. but a word to the wise.....if your family is used to hearing from you every hundred miles or so, and they are addicted to shows like "I shouldn't Be Alive", and "Survival Man" and "Man vs Wild", then make sure you either contact them or let them know you wont be contacting them for a while. theres nothing wose than a worried mother. visions of a hiker falling off a cliff in the middle of no where, both legs broken and slowly dying from exposure and lack of snickers will creep into your loved one's minds if not extinguished with a phone call of "I'm OK". Its good to be loved and better to ease thier minds that all is good in the woods.
The Doah's are great. ive been very close to a few very big black bears. anyone that says black bears aren't intimidating or dangerous hasnt seen them up close like i have. crossed one on the trail. tried waving my poles and growling at him to "GET ON OUTA HEEA!" in true redneck fashion.i thought i was doing pretty good until he stopped, yurned around and looked at me like...."YOU TALKIN TO ME?(enter Robert Deniro voice), yeah, pucker level delta real quick. eventually me smell and beard scared him off. the dear.....oh how i love the site of wild venison still breathing and grazing. yeah my thought was.......boy, if i had a gun with a scope on it.....of course in the Doahs, all oyu need is a potatoe chip and a good grip. they come right up to you. like shoooting fish in a barrel. i did see two, teenage im sure, jump in the road and hang out until a car got close. then, they just stood in the lane of the oncoming car and looked at the friver as if to say....."thats right buddy, Protected Species Here!" ....arrogant little pests. but they were cute and i saw quite a few tiny fawns with thier mother.
The views were incredible . starting to get into real good civil war history regions. trail lesson for the day....stupid rules are made to be broken. Applicable in all life situations.
The Doah's are great. ive been very close to a few very big black bears. anyone that says black bears aren't intimidating or dangerous hasnt seen them up close like i have. crossed one on the trail. tried waving my poles and growling at him to "GET ON OUTA HEEA!" in true redneck fashion.i thought i was doing pretty good until he stopped, yurned around and looked at me like...."YOU TALKIN TO ME?(enter Robert Deniro voice), yeah, pucker level delta real quick. eventually me smell and beard scared him off. the dear.....oh how i love the site of wild venison still breathing and grazing. yeah my thought was.......boy, if i had a gun with a scope on it.....of course in the Doahs, all oyu need is a potatoe chip and a good grip. they come right up to you. like shoooting fish in a barrel. i did see two, teenage im sure, jump in the road and hang out until a car got close. then, they just stood in the lane of the oncoming car and looked at the friver as if to say....."thats right buddy, Protected Species Here!" ....arrogant little pests. but they were cute and i saw quite a few tiny fawns with thier mother.
The views were incredible . starting to get into real good civil war history regions. trail lesson for the day....stupid rules are made to be broken. Applicable in all life situations.
McAfee's Knob
1 June mile 698. made it to McAfee's Knob. a famous photo op on the trail. great weather and better views. the trail is good and the hot days have added to the challenge. Tinker Cliffs, and the Dragon Tooth were good playgrounds recently. The views are incredible and the climbs are out of this world. Have seen a few rattlesnakes. fell on some rocks coming down a hill (did i mention i hate rocks) a good laugh for anyone watching. the one thing about getting up after a fall if your a hiker, is that you have an addiditonal 40 lbs on your back. lets just say, if you can envivison a turtle trying to get off its back, thats about what i looked like. But all was good, i was aobut to enter the Blueridge Parkway. The promised land of well graded trail, no slopes no rocks or roots, and cheeseburgers and milkshakes every 10 - 20 miles.....
Virginia part 2
15 May 2007 - mile 487. Just outside of Damascus is Mount Rogers, and then a wonderful open highland called Grayson. This area is home to Wild (feral) ponies. Just little guys, but they actually will come up to you and try to lick the salt off of your pack. This is adorable until the little jerks start trying to EAT YOUR PACK. yeah, and they don't scare to easy. kind of weird getting surrounded by 20 intimidating ponies. There are huge boulders covering the top of the highlands. like a scene out of Braveheart. Very nice.
24 May 2007 - mile 579. after 7 in the woods, i was hurting for resupply food. so i had to make a stop in Bland which is 3 miles off the trail. which means you have to hitch hike into town or walk the whole way in. my hitch hiking skills suck. not to mention the fact that, thanks to the beard, i now look like a fugitive from the law. Needless to say no one picked me up when i attempted to hitch. I've thought about making a sign for hitching that says "I Won't Kill You" maybe i can get a lift with some humor added. Made it in and split a room with a few other hikers. Bytecode, Churchmouse, Torpedo, Tony Tiger and Not Guilty. The next day, i was back on the trail and back in my element. It feels great to get back to the woods!
28 May 2007 - mile622. Spent the day in Pearisburg. My folks met me for the day. It was great to see them. Especially my MOMMY!!! Yeah, That's right, I'm a big momma's boy and proud of it. Had a good time with them.
24 May 2007 - mile 579. after 7 in the woods, i was hurting for resupply food. so i had to make a stop in Bland which is 3 miles off the trail. which means you have to hitch hike into town or walk the whole way in. my hitch hiking skills suck. not to mention the fact that, thanks to the beard, i now look like a fugitive from the law. Needless to say no one picked me up when i attempted to hitch. I've thought about making a sign for hitching that says "I Won't Kill You" maybe i can get a lift with some humor added. Made it in and split a room with a few other hikers. Bytecode, Churchmouse, Torpedo, Tony Tiger and Not Guilty. The next day, i was back on the trail and back in my element. It feels great to get back to the woods!
28 May 2007 - mile622. Spent the day in Pearisburg. My folks met me for the day. It was great to see them. Especially my MOMMY!!! Yeah, That's right, I'm a big momma's boy and proud of it. Had a good time with them.
The Road to Damascus
11 May 2007 - Greetings! I am at the 459 mile marker and all is well. Made it to the geat trail city, Damascus and my 4th state, Virginia. Damascus is rated one of the nicest cities on the trail. i resupplied and switched out my tent, which the tent poles broke on me, for a Hennessey Hammock. Lovin it! no more trying to find a flat place to get my tent soaked. now i am high and dry. 2 trees is all thats needed.
Virginia is the longest state on the trail. with over 400 miles. The terrain has still been up and down but not as many roots and rocks in some sections. i have been able to constantly knock out close to 20 miles a day. my pack is still heavy compared to some, weighing in at around 40 lbs with food and water. the days are getting hot and the water sources are getting scarce. in virginia, the standard hiking prcedure is to "climb out" of a resupply city and the trail stays high on the ridge until it drops back down into another city or road. while up high on the ridge, the water is very scarce and spread out.
Stayed in Damascus for Trail Days, which is the ultimate AT festival on the trail. had a great time with the Pain Train and crew. there is a hiker's parade where the hikers march down main street and all the locals watching the parade get to take out all thier aggression on the hikers with water balloons, super soakers and anything else that is wet. by the end of the parade, we, the hikers, were completly soaked. its amazing to watch local 12 year olds pound and get pounded by dirty, smelly hikers with water balloons. A good time was had by all.
Virginia is the longest state on the trail. with over 400 miles. The terrain has still been up and down but not as many roots and rocks in some sections. i have been able to constantly knock out close to 20 miles a day. my pack is still heavy compared to some, weighing in at around 40 lbs with food and water. the days are getting hot and the water sources are getting scarce. in virginia, the standard hiking prcedure is to "climb out" of a resupply city and the trail stays high on the ridge until it drops back down into another city or road. while up high on the ridge, the water is very scarce and spread out.
Stayed in Damascus for Trail Days, which is the ultimate AT festival on the trail. had a great time with the Pain Train and crew. there is a hiker's parade where the hikers march down main street and all the locals watching the parade get to take out all thier aggression on the hikers with water balloons, super soakers and anything else that is wet. by the end of the parade, we, the hikers, were completly soaked. its amazing to watch local 12 year olds pound and get pounded by dirty, smelly hikers with water balloons. A good time was had by all.
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