Archive for April 2013

Damascus to Partnership Shelter

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4/9 Day 37 Damascus to Lost Mountain Shelter - 15.6 miles

The day after a zero is an interesting day of mixed emotions; happy to be getting back on the trail but sad to be leaving town. We wanted to really take our time so we planned to stay at least until lunch and hike out only ten miles to a campsite listed in the AWOL guide. We took our time packing our bags and took a walk over to the post office to mail a couple things home. By far the best post office in Damascus. After packing our bags we hung out on the patio with Nomad and some others before lunch. We finally began to motivate and headed to the Dairy King for lunch with Nomad, Shutterbug, and Chickadee. As we ate, the rest of the gang showed up for milkshakes.

We were finally on the trail just after 1:00 in the heat of the day. We walked along the Virginia Creeper for a short while before climbing for quite some time only to end up parallel with the Virginia Creeper later that hike. As we hiked, we were passed by pretty much the whole crew. We passed on the first shelter because it was a bit off the trail and continued on to our pond campsite. The pond was kind of a bust, not much camping opportunity so we assumed the rest of our group had continued on to either a different campsite or maybe the next shelter. We decided to continue. We hiked into the evening making it to the very full shelter just before dark. None of our friends were there and we had no idea where they could be. I'm not great at making friends so I was worried they had abandoned us. There were probably 30 people at the shelter and/or camped at the site. We set up camp and ate our dinner and Camaro arrived just after dark. Camaro told us we had missed everyone by skipping the last shelter and they were going to camp a few miles back. We were bummed we had missed them, but relieved that they hadn't abandoned us. The crowd at the shelter is fairly loud but we're tired so sleeping shouldn't be a problem. We need to put some miles between these groups; 30 people is too many for one shelter.


4/10 Day 38 Lost Mountain Shelter to Wise Shelter 17.4 miles

We slept in hoping some of the crowd would move on and also to give our friends some time to catch up. Nomad had planned to do some hiking with us in the Grayson Highlands area so we were looking forward to meeting up with him around lunch time. We hiked up to Buzzard's Rock and while we took a short snack break we saw in the distance the orange shirt and green shorts of Witch Doctor. Not far behind was Passover, Ember, Long Spoon, Tail Lights and finally Laser Death Kill. We were happy they had caught us and we were back with our group and we were all excited to move on and hike with Nomad later.

A few more miles and we were to the road crossing where we had planned to meet Nomad. Nomad was set up with his team of injured hikers with snacks and drinks. After hanging out for an hour or two we hiked on with Nomad and the injured hikers were left with to care for Vanimal (Nomad's van). It was a blast to have Nomad hiking with us again. He lead the train as we hiked up into the highlands searching for wild ponies. The ponies are semi-wild introduced to the area to maintain the highlands. They are popular among both thru hikers and tourists. Finally, just before reaching the Mt. Rogers side trail we encountered the ponies. We may or may not have taken time to pet the ponies and we certainly did not feed them. We discovered ponies to enjoy licking our arms, we assumed they liked the salt. Everyone was pretty thrilled to see the ponies, they had doubted me when I told them we would definitely see the ponies.

After our time with the ponies we met up with Camaro at Thomas Knob Shelter. She wasn't crazy about the idea of moving on but Nomad wanted to move on to Wise Shelter to reduced the miles he would have to hike tomorrow. The hike from Thomas Knob to Wise is one of my favorite sections thus far. We really enjoyed hiking this section in the evening as the sun was beginning to set. We ended up camping just past Wise Shelter where camping was not prohibited. The shelter was full and there were about ten tents set up win the camping restricted vicinity. Just after dark the rest of our crew showed up and set up camp. Wise shelter marks 500 miles on  the trail.

4/11 Day 39 Wise Shelter to Camping at mile 517.6 - 17.5 miles

Another great day today. Cassandra took off with Nomad leaving me behind with some of the others. I hiked with Long Spoon and LDK (Laser Death Kill) for much of the morning before catching Cassandra and Nomad at the Scales. The three of us hiked together passing Old Orchard Shelter and stopping for a lunch break at the VA 600 road crossing where Nomad would be getting off the trail. Nomad's injured hiker crew was supposed to be there but when we arrived there was no van. We all joked about where the van could be. Could there have been a mutiny? Eventually Nomad found Zach and Chickadee at a camping area down the road and learned the van had been taken to get ice. Shortly thereafter the van arrived with snacks and drinks in the usual Nomad fashion. We hung out for quite some time as hikers came and went before finally strapping on our packs and hitting the trail again.

Our plan at this point was to either hike to a campsite 10 miles away or a shelter 13 miles away. We had assumed the other large group would go to the shelter and camping would be limited so we opted for the campsite. It was a  campsite with a spring, picnic table and even a creepy privy but for some reason there were very few spots to pitch tents. We did the best with what we had knowing rain was coming. At dark we were in our tents and listening once more to Long Spoon's narration of The Princess Bride.


4/12 Day 40 Campsite to Partnership Shelter - 13 miles

Last night was very rainy. The rain was so loud on the tent it made sleeping difficult. The rain continued through morning. We packed up in the rain and hiked our first several miles in the rain. Early in the day Man Child who had chosen to take an additional zero in Damascus caught up to us. The hiking was easy and the weather slowly turned from rainy and cool to sunny and warm. At Partnership Shelter we found a lot of gear, Camaro, and a table full of food left as trail magic by Hoosier and Sparks. Just passed the shelter is the Mount Rogers area visitor center where hikers can order pizza. Camaro told us there were several hikers attempting unsuccessfully to hitch hike into town to resupply.

As we all contemplated a plan on how to get to town Nomad pulled up in the Vanimal. AYCE walked over to the shelter surprising Cassandra and I with a Mountain Dew for each of us. Nomad had picked AYCE up in Atkins to come hang out while he waited for his girlfriend to arrive for the weekend. Everyone piled into Vanimal for a ride into Marion but Cassandra and I stayed behind choosing to find another way to town. While I was in the bathroom Cassandra made friends with a former thru hiker who offered to give us a ride to town in his truck. We hopped in and away we went down the mountain in a hurry. He dropped us off at the edge of town and we walked the rest of the way to the Taco Bell/KFC where the rest or our friends were. We walked a bit further to the Arby's and the grocery store to resupply. Nomad took AYCE back to Atkins and shuttled many hikers back to the shelter where we hung out the rest of the evening. Later that night we did take advantage of the opportunity to order pizza at the shelter and had second dinner. There is a huge crowd at the shelter tonight, probably 30-40 people. I thought we would avoid crowds this size starting early March. Oh well.


We're still having the time of our lives. So much fun, in fact, it remains difficult for me to keep this blog updated. Life in the mountains is great. You'll hear no complaints from me. I find myself saying, "Wow, what a day!" pretty much everyday. We are now hiking with a great group of people we've been with for over a month now. It's amazing how we all come together from all over the country (and outside of) and become such close friends so quickly. Cassandra and I are doing great. We have no injuries to speak of and we are healthy both physically and mentally. Thanks to everyone for reading and for the continued support.

Chris (aka Moose)


















Damascus and Other Places

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4/3 Day 31 Overmountain Shelter to Mountaineer Shelter - 18 miles

After a good nights sleep in the barn we were on the move again. The hike this morning through the Roan Highlands was beautiful. We climbed up and down balds for about the first four miles and then hiked mostly down hill to a road crossing. We toyed with the idea of hitching to town for a meal but decided to move on instead. We hiked through some sort of golden warbler rehabitation project that looked more like habitat destruction. We took a short side trail to Laurel Falls which was definitely worth the time.

We arrived at the shelter fairly early. There were three people there but with the 20 people coming from the last shelter we knew it would fill quickly. We chose to grab a spot in the three level shelter as it was going to rain. The shelter did fill past recommended capacity quickly and then we had to deal with hikers whining about not getting a spot in the shelter and trying to squeeze in. Some people really love shelters. There are really a large number of people here but hopefully the crowd will separate as days pass.

4/4 Day 32 Mountaineer Shelter to Hampton, TN (Braemar Castle Hostel) - 18.3 miles

I had a surprisingly decent sleep in the overfilled shelter. It was cloudy when we woke and the rain began just as we started our walk. The rain wasn't unpleasant as it was relatively warm. The rain seemed to be becoming less pleasant and colder and as we approached the first shelter for lunch it began freezing. Freezing rain seems worse to me than snow or rain; you get wet and you're freezing. We continued on unsure of what our plan would be. Originally we planned to camp but with our cold and frozen gear we were considering other options.

We hiked on becoming more miserable as we went until we arrived at a road crossing where we saw Nomad's van. Inside was Long Spoon (Tom), Laser Death Kill (Jack), Witch Doctor (Jarryd), Tail Lights (Skyler), and of course Nomad and Shutterbug. We ate some snacks as we warmed up in the van trying to plan our next move. Nomad suggested we slackpack the next four miles (and 1 mile side trail) to town and find lodging there. We were agreeable. We left our packs and took off in the rain. This section of the hike was really nice. We arrived at the local saloon to meet Nomad and dried off there while enjoying pizza and good company.

We ended up at the Braemar Castle Hostel. This was a large stone building that was both a hostel and bed and breakfast. After settling in and changing into dry clothes we went to Arby's and for a resupply. The rest of the night we just hung out and relaxed enjoying being warm and dry.


4/5 Day Hampton, TN to Campsite at mile 437.8 - 18.6 miles

Nomad and Cassandra cooked a delicious breakfast for all at the hostel this morning. While they cooked, Laser Death Kill and I walked over to Brown's Grocery to pick up a couple things and settle up for our night at the hostel. We took our time packing up and even talked with Mom and Dad on FaceTime. We got on the trail at about 11:30 planning to hike about 16 miles. Our first seven miles were up and over a mountain in the fog. We broke for lunch at a lake and some went for a swim.

After lunch we hiked along the lake for a while before climbing again. It really seemed to take forever to get to the shelter where we planned to stop. When we got to the shelter we decided to move on another 3.7 miles to a campsite. We hiked as the sun was setting hoping to make it to our campsite before dark. We arrived just at dark and quickly set up and cooked before heading to bed. Tonight, Long Spoon (Tom) has begun reading The Princess Bride out loud to our group. It seems everyone else had fallen asleep as the first chapter is very boring. We're hoping to hike about 20 miles tomorrow to set up for an easy 10 to Damascus.


4/6 Day 34 campsite to Abington Gap Shelter - 18.9 miles

Today was a good day. We hiked our first several miles with Long Spoon (Tom) and Laser Death Kill (Jack) which made the miles go quickly. We visited the Nick Grindstaff monument which was inscribed "Lived alone, suffered alone, and died alone." That reminded us of the six word story contest Jack had told me about. We began brainstorming some six word stories of our own. We continued on to find Nomad parked at a road crossing. He had snacks and drinks for us. We hung out a while and he told us he had planned to be at the next road crossing that day with lunch. Double trail magic. We hiked on and then spent another hour or two hanging out with Nomad at the van as hikers came and went. Just before dark we moved on to the shelter where we all tented. We're left with just ten miles to Damascus tomorrow; we should make it in for lunch.


4/7 Day 35 Abington Gap Shelter to Damascus, VA - 10.4 miles

We were up early and hiking to get to town by lunch time. Town days seem to make us hike faster. The hike was super easy. We all hiked in a big train reciting our six word stories. As we approached the town we could see Nomad's van in the distance. He was waiting to eat lunch with us in town. We went to Pizza Plus for the all you can eat buffet and Nomad left and came back with AYCE. We weren't expecting to see him for several more days but there was a mix up with his mail drop causing him to have to zero. We got our money's worth at the Pizza Plus and then continued into town. We stopped at Mount Rogers Outfitters to pick up our mail drop and a couple items.

We ended up at Hiker's Inn for the night which was a really nice hostel/bed and breakfast in town. Damascus is super hiker friendly as the trail travels directly through town. Everything is within walking distance (I guess this phrase loses some of its meaning when you've walked over 500 miles) so it makes it a really cool place to hang out. After showering we did some laundry and finally ended up at the Blue Blaze Cafe for dinner. The place was filled with hikers. Our whole group of roughly ten was there as well as many other hikers we had been seeing since we left Erwin. Damascus has been good to us so far, we're looking forward to our zero here tomorrow.


4/8 Day 36 Zero in Damascus

After sleeping in (maybe until 8:00) we went to Cowboy's to have breakfast with AYCE and the rest of our crew. AYCE was getting back on the trail and had some big miles to cover to meet his girlfriend in a few days but we planned to meet up trail in several days. We had a great breakfast at Cowboy's and met some nice locals.

After breakfast we looked into some other lodging options but ended up arranging for another night at the Hiker's Inn because we had really enjoyed our time there. We went to the local coffee shop and each outfitter again just killing time. We sat on the porch and watched people walk by and talked to hikers as they passed (the road is also the trail in this section). There were many hikers in town today. Passover and Ember, who we had hiked with on and off since the Smokies, made it in.

Nomad had made friends with the locals we met at breakfast. It turns out they were from Texas (like Nomad) and had offered their yard for us to cook out and have a place to hang out for the evening. After grocery shopping and resupplying we all walked to their place to take them up on the offer. They were so kind to allow ten loud and smelly hikers to spend the evening on their lawn. Nomad grilled the hotdogs and burgers we had picked up at the store and we entertained with stories from the trail. Dot Com and Fidget shared with us some of their own stories from their hike last year. It was really a nice evening. At dark we all returned to our homes for the night. It was a great day. Damascus is a very friendly town and someplace I look forward to visiting again. I would like to stay longer but I'm also anxious to get back on the trail. Town days are something we look forward to and pass by quickly. Leaving town is usually mixed emotions; happy to be back on the trail but sad to be leaving a nice town, sad to be carrying so much food weight but happy to have a pack full of snacks. Tomorrow we'll spend half the day hanging out and get back on trail for a short day.

Thanks for reading,

Chris



















Trail Magic

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mag•ic - supernatural qualities or powers; giving a feeling of enchantment

I'd read that the trail could restore your faith in humanity. I guess I'd never really thought I'd lost it, my faith in mankind, but sometimes I do wonder. So I came on this trail, basically trying to still see the good in people yet having lived long enough to see between the lies, and am finding that kindness and hospitality does indeed still exist.

On the trail, acts of kindness/unexpected gifts have come to be known as trail magic. For those that have never heard of trail magic, it is the most amazing, appreciated sentiment in the entire world to a thru-hiker. I honestly don't know if I have the words to describe the overwhelming joy/relief/disbelief/thankfulness that overtakes me when I happen to be the recipient of such a gift.

Trail magic, like all gifts, can be exhibited in various ways. One method of trail magic is through an anonymous gift of food and/or drink left at the base of a tree near a trail head or a road crossing. Sometimes there is a note or a message from whom the gift is by i.e. a former thru-hiker or a local. Sometimes there's soda or beer just chilling in a nearby creek or a grocery bag full of goodies simply asking you to pack out your trash. Trail magic, no matter the source, is always a much anticipated surprise. I'm not going to lie, though, I've been known to check every ditch as I cross a road in hopes of finding a treat but I've been scolding myself for this act. I should be surprised by trail magic, not expecting or disappointed when it's not readily available at my every whim; besides, the surprise of it all is part of what makes it so fun and wonderful.

Another form of trail magic seen on the trail is an act performed by what we thru-hikers like to call trail angels. One of the most well known trail angels I've seen on the trail thus far is by a man named Fresh Ground. This man sets up camp for about a week at a time and simply feeds and serves an entire bubble of thru-hikers at a time. Fresh Ground puts signs up on trees and at shelters letting hikers know there's food and drink up ahead. He cooks up hotdogs, sets out salad, chicken noodle soup, hot chocolate, coffee, etc. Everybody loves to see Fresh Ground. He takes time out of his schedule to arrange various meeting places right off the trail and tells you, "all you can eat, all you can tote". He feeds us out of his own funds and when that runs out he works off of hiker donations. Fresh Ground will soon be taking some much deserved time off from feeding us hungry thru-hikers to hike a section of the trail himself; he has truly been a blessing, set up in just the right places to give us nourishment and energy when spirits and calories were running low.

Next we come to a trail angel very near and dear to my heart, a man I've come to know as Nomad. I first met Nomad in the Smokies; Nomad, Witch Doctor, Kinsey (now 12 oz), as well as myself, all had Arc'teryx coats and posed for pictures. Later we hiked through snow and ice, with many slips and falls, to get to safety and a food resupply in Gatlinburg, TN. Since then, we've shared many miles, meals, and conversations. With all the cold weather and snow drifts we'd fought through together, our group became like a mini family of sorts and you start to learn the hearts of men. Nomad's heart clearly belongs to the Lord and has the gift of giving and serving. He'd always say he lived in Texas so he had to do his trail magic on the trail, carrying extra food and Gatorade to give to fellow thru-hikers running on short supply. For a thru-hiker, carrying extra weight up miles of mountain is not particularly pleasant or intended. Long story short, one day just outside of Erwin, Nomad decided that it was selfish of him to keep hiking. He loves serving God and serving people and decided that he had the most fun and peace while serving hikers so that's what he was going to do. He bought a van (formerly named Gina, newly renamed the Vanimal) suited for a bunch of dirty hikers and plans on following this bubble all the way to Maine. Like Fresh Ground, he sets up camp at road crossings with spreads of fruit salad, sandwiches, chips, drinks, etc. On more than one occasion Nomad has met me at the base of the trail with a big hug and a Mountain Dew. I cannot thank him enough for his continued kindness and assistance along the trail.

Side Note: I'm carrying Nomad's fancy camera on the trail with me so he doesn't miss anything. Feel free to check out his blog for additional pictures and/or to follow along with his journey on the trail.

www.onthetrailwithgod.wordpress.com

Well, I think I've typed enough for now. Hopefully I've enlightened you, either a little or a lot, to the world of trail magic and all its wonder. As for an ending thought to ponder, and to possibly put into action, try to incorporate a little trail magic into your own daily lives; after all, magic isn't reserved for trails and fairy tales. Magic is little bits of love and kindness, disguised as a smile, wrapped in free, undeserved gestures and gifts that we can show everyday, catching our unsuspecting fellow man by surprise, leaving them with a feeling of awe and confused appreciation.

Love and prayers always,
Cassandra

"Be the change you want to see in the world." Gandhi













The Big Reveal

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Drum roll please. I guess you all have waited long enough. Chris and I have officially accepted trail names. We've turned down several couples names i.e. Mickey and Minnie, Bonnie and Clyde (sorry Rooster) trying to hold out for names that had a fun story and/or meaning. So, without further ado, I will reveal our new trail names.

Chris has officially become known as Moose. The name was first suggested by Laser Death Kill (Jack) while Long Spoon (Tom) was reading us a children's book, Little Loon and Papa,at a diner in Hot Springs, NC. In this book, a moose is pictured that the whole group decided depicted the essence of Chris. He debated taking this name for a while but friends and other fellow thru-hikers all started referring to him as Moose and the name stuck. Thus, Chris became Moose.

As for myself, my trail name was given to me by my dear friend Nomad. For those following Nomad's blog, you may have already read that my new name is none other than...Wide Load. Go ahead and laugh, get it out, and then allow me to explain. When Nomad first met us, we were hiking in the Smokies. Chris being the faster hiker, I typically hike in the front to keep the pace and keep us together. Hence the name Wide Load because Nomad says I'm like a wide load truck going up the trail, not allowing Chris to pass. I also have a short, fat pack that adds to the image and makes cutting corners around trees difficult; I sometimes knock myself off balance, forgetting that my pack is wider than, well, me. Plus, I tend to slow down on big climbs while gaining speed on the downhills. So, it is for all of these reasons that I decided to finally accept the name given to me. I must say, though, it is still difficult to introduce myself as Wide Load. I usually receive some funny looks and timid questions upon introduction which makes for a good icebreaker. Nomad also thinks I should tell people that they should have seen me before I started the trail and that I've already lost a couple hundred pounds. Sorry ER, you tried to give me a nice, pretty name and I end up with a name like Wide Load but it definitely makes for a good story and a good laugh so I've decided to embrace the name given me by the trail.

Cassandra

"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches" Proverbs 22:1



Hot Springs to Erwin and Beyond

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Eight days are covered in this post. It's a lengthy post but a lot happened in those eight days. I hope you'll find patience enough to read about the good times were having. If you haven't checked it out yet, I would suggest clicking on our "Trail Friends" link to read some of the blogs and journals of people we have met along the way.

3/26 Day 23 Zero in Hot Springs, NC

The first thing to do on a zero is of course breakfast. We gathered our group and made our way back to the Smoky Mountain Diner for breakfast. They had so many delicious sounding options but when our waitress told us the special was five chocolate chip pancakes we couldn't resist. While eating, those of us planning to zero discussed looking into different lodging options for the night. Nomad, Camaro, Chevy (Camaro's dog), Tail Lights, Man Child, Cassandra, and I all had chosen to zero while the others were either undecided or moving on. After looking into our options, we ended up with a suite above the Spring Creek Tavern which was a really nice place. We moved our stuff from the shed (cabin) and headed to the Wash Tub to do our laundry. The whole crew was there. The snow continued through the morning and there were rumors of more severe weather on the trail so the rest (Jack, Tom, AYCE, and Jarryd) finally decided to stay and zero. They ended up in the room next door.

The rest of the day was mostly resupplying, eating, and hanging out. We attempted to go to the Hot Spring Spa for a soak but they had closed due to the weather. We went back to the Iron Horse for dinner and open mic night. It wasn't the most eventful day but we spent it with friends and got some rest. Our first zero was great but I'm looking forward to getting back on the trail. The snow has continued most of the day but should taper this evening.

3/27 Day 24 Hot Springs to Allen Gap - 14.8 miles

Today was a difficult day, not as much physically but mentally. It seemed everyone was kind of down this morning. Maybe it was that the weather still wasn't great or maybe the thought of leaving town but I was ready to get going. I get kind of antsy if I spend too long in town. We all (except Nomad and Camaro) went back to the diner for breakfast which was amazing again. We were handed a binder full of letters written by local fourth graders asking questions about the trail. It was pretty entertaining.

When we got back Camaro had already left. The rest of us slowly packed our stuff and started to make our way to the trail. Nomad, Cassandra, and I were the last to leave at around 11:00 which was fine as we only planned on hiking about ten miles to the first shelter. As we climbed out of civilization the amount of snow on the ground increased. It didn't really slow the hiking much, it just made our shoes wet. After some boring miles we finally arrived at the shelter. The shelter had only one open spot and there were really no tenting options. Nomad was worn out and took the spot and Cassandra and I chose to move on hoping to find a spot to camp and maybe some of the others. We were sad as we left Nomad but we hoped he would catch us in a day or two. We discussed the possibility of trying to make it to Erwin for Easter which would involve some bigger mile days. We hiked more boring miles without finding a suitable camping spot or any friends. As it was getting dark we began to climb again and heard the banter of Jack and Tom. AYCE, Man Child, Tail Lights, Camaro, Witch Doctor, Jack, and Tom had set up their tents in a small clearing basically on trail and there was one spot left for us. We were happy to have found them but still upset that we had left Nomad.


3/28 Day 25 Allen Gap to Flint Mountain Shelter - 17.5 miles

We planned 17.5 miles that we mistakingly thought would be fairly easy based on our guide book. As we climbed up and past the first shelter the snow increase in depth and our pace slowed. We took a side trail to see an observation tower which was kind of a bust. We took a lunch break before climbing up to Firescald Knob where we had a strenuous rocky hike that offered great views.

We arrived at Jerry's Cabin Shelter at 3:45 where we first encountered the rumor that there were waist high snow drifts on Big Bald and it was impassable. Several hikers were told not to attempt to pass and to either wait it out or skip it. This was a section we would be hiking the next day but it didn't concern us much as trail rumors are many and often huge exaggerations. It seems some hikers want to make there experience seem more extreme than all others even though we're all doing the same thing. We hiked on and arrived at the shelter just before 6:00. The shelter was full and we had less than ideal options for tenting but we made it work. As we finished setting up our tent we spotted Nomad coming down the trail. We cheered as he made his way to the shelter where he told us he had hiked over 21 miles to catch us. The whole group was happy to see him. We were happy to have the group back together. We have 35 miles to get to Erwin so we worked on dividing our mileage over the next couple days. Some were planning a big day tomorrow but we decided to do a shorter day because we were pretty beat from the snow.


3/29 Flint Mountain Shelter to Bald Mountain Shelter - 18.9 miles

Another cold day. Another day forcing wet soaked feet into frozen boots. We became optimistic as the trail was not snow covered for the first three miles. Our optimism was short lived as we continued and hiked into ankle deep snow again. At least the sun was shining. We caught up with Nomad and he told us how he was thinking of getting off the trail at Sam's Gap and taking another day or two off. Our plan remained hiking to a place called "low gap" that supposedly had tenting sites and water.

We hiked on arriving at Sam's Gap as it began snowing again. The forecast was 50 degrees and sunny and it was snowing. Nomad had called a hostel to get off the trail. Witchdoctor, Jack, and , Tom took a ride to a cafe for lunch and Cassandra and I hiked on. Nomad unloaded many of his snacks on us and we planned to meet in Erwin for Easter in two days. We hiked to Low Gap and found there was no water and the camping was sub par. We chose to move on leaving a note in the snow for the others. They soon caught up to us and hiked the next few miles with us which made the weather seem to suck less. We continued over the "impassable bald" that had pretty much the least snow we had seen in days. We ended up hiking all the way to Bald Mountain Shelter arriving at dark. The shelter was full so we dug out a spot in the snow for our tent. We were closer to Erwin than we had planned so we discussed maybe hiking all the way in and staying at the hostel on Easter eve.


3/30 Day 27 Bald Mountain Shelter to Erwin, TN (Uncle Johny's Nolichucky Hostel) - 16 miles

We woke up with wet gear. I examined out tent trying to figure out where the malfunction was. As I learned when I exited the tent, it wasn't a tent malfunction we were just living in a cloud. We got moving quickly hoping to make it into Erwin at a decent hour to do our resupply and laundry. We began hiking in about eight inches of snow and within a couple hours we were hiking on dry ground for the first time in over a week. We remembered we could hike much quicker when we could see the trail.

We were the last of our group to arrive in town but when we did Nomad was there waiting on us with a Mountain Dew for Cassandra. He had decided to stay at the hostel instead of a hotel and had made arrangements for us also. Our entire group got settled in at the hostel before leaving in the shuttle to go eat, resupply, and do laundry. The shuttle dropped us off at the Celebrity Coin Laundry and we started our laundry and walked to Rocky's Pizza to place an order and then to Dollar General to resupply. We ate our dinner at the laundromat while finishing the laundry and then loaded way too many people back into the van to return to the hostel. Nomad had arranged for a local church to come pick us up the next morning and many from our group had decided they would join us. We are thinking of taking an unplanned zero here for Easter due to Cassandra's knee bothering her a bit. We'll see how we feel in the morning.


3/31 Day 28 Zero at Uncle Johny's

The church van arrived at 10:15 to pick us up. We filled the van with most of our group and some of the other hikers staying at the hostel. The pastor of First Christian Church drove us to the church. We all piled in and grabbed some seats in the back. The church was extremely welcoming and friendly. Many people approached us asking where we were from and questions about our time on the trail.

After church the pastor drove us back to the hostel and we ate some Hardee's (everything else was closed). Most of our friends prepared to leave in the light drizzle planning on hiking just five miles. We chose to stay behind with Nomad and Camaro (and Chevy of course) and planned to get on the trail Monday morning. Cassandra's knee was a bit sore and we were thinking of maybe slowing our pace a bit anyway. It was sad seeing many of our friends go but we hoped to see them and hang out in Damascus in a few days. The rest of the day we just relaxed. Later in the evening Grym (the caretaker of the hostel) gave Nomad the keys to Gina, his old conversion van, to take us into town for dinner. Only Huddle House and McDonalds were open so we had a nice MVP breakfast at the Huddle House.

It was a different way to spend Easter but I'm certain it was an Easter I'll never forget. Though we couldn't spend the day with our families we were able to spend the day with what was becoming our trail family.


4/1 Day 29 Erwin, TN to Cherry Gap Shelter - 17.5 miles

We took our time packing up and leaving Uncle Johny's. we were planning to hike out with Nomad and Camaro and just hike until we felt tired and/or found a suitable camping spot. Camaro had to go to the post office to take care of some things and we didn't want to be too far ahead of her. We finally got on trail at about 11:00. As we were leaving Camaro returned from the post office with her package and it seemed she would maybe not make it back on trail until late or the next day. It was a nice sunny day and the hiking was fairly easy. We arrived at the first shelter and sat down for a snack break. Nomad told us not to wait for him that he had some thinking and praying to do. Nomad told us he felt as if he was being called not to hike but to serve hikers. Either way, he assured us with a smile, we would see him in a day or two. We left Nomad there knowing we would not be hiking with him again. We hiked on feeling like we now had no friends as they were all ahead of us or behind us.

Because we were alone, we chose to just hike on to the next shelter making a 17.5 mile day. The clouds appeared and it rained on and off for much of the afternoon. We arrived at the overfilled shelter where we found Man Child who told us the others had planned to hike 22 miles that day. We also saw Trailmovin who had gone to Erwin to see a doctor and and was unable to get back to Hot Springs and chose to do that section later. After catching up with Trailmovin we set up camp and began cooking our dinner. As we sat by ourselves I heard a bell in the distance. I looked up the trail and saw Chevy barreling down the trail. Camaro had made it. Camaro told us he passed Nomad on his way out and he told her of his plan. As we suspected, he was done hiking. Looking at the guide book we saw the Overmountain Shelter which was a converted barn. Knowing our friends, we knew that's where they would be headed the next day. If we could do 23.9 miles we could catch them.


4/2 Day 30 Cherry Gap Shelter to Overmountain Shelter - 23.9 miles

Today was our longest day yet. So much for slowing down. When we woke up we decided if we got to Roan High Knob Shelter by 4:00 and felt good we would continue on and surprise our friends. I felt great, the sun was shining and it was warm and dry. Early in our hike we passed many people slackpacking (a service offered by Grym at Uncle Johny's) and one told Cassandra Nomad was meeting us at Iron Mountain Gap for lunch. We were excited but Iron Mountain Gap was not far from where we were; we would be there by 9:00. We got there and I had enough service to talk to Nomad. He decided to meet us at another point down the trail.

We continued hiking, I by myself and Cassandra and Camaro together behind. I arrived at Greasy Creek Gap to find Nomad and Shutterbug. They had brought stuff for sandwiches, drinks, snacks, fruits, and veggies. Cassandra and Camaro soon arrived. Nomad told us of his plans and how he was going to buy Grym's van. Shutterbug, another thru hiker taking time off due to tendinitis, had decide to join Nomad for a while to help with his trail magic. We were happy to see Nomad and he seemed so happy and excited for what he was doing.

We left Nomad and he told us he'd see us in a few days. We were feeling great and decided we were going to do the 23 miles. We were doing great. As we got closer to Roan Mountain I could see there was still some snow at the higher elevations; I hoped it wouldn't slow us much. We started the climb of what we're told is the highest peak we'll see until the Whites. It wasn't bad but the snow and ice increased as we climbed. Eventually the trail was just a solid ice chute making the climb extremely slow and difficult. We made it to the top without incident just before 4:00 so we decided with Camaro to continue. We had seven miles to go but we hoped we would arrive just before dark. Luckily, as we descended Roan Mountain we escaped the ice and were back on dry ground. We arrived just at dark and our friends cheered and hugged us as we arrived. They were surprised and impressed we had covered so many miles (especially since we told them we had planned on slowing). It was a difficult day but it was great to be back with our trail family.


Thanks for reading,

Chris











Leaving the Smokies

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Still behind but here's the story of another three days on the trail. Hope you enjoy.

3/23 Day 20 Tricorner Knob Shelter to Standing Bear Farm hostel - 18.4 miles

Today started with cold and more snow. I don't know how cold it was; our water wasn't frozen but our boots were so I suppose it was somewhere between 32 degrees and whatever the freezing point of boots is. The first few miles seemed to fly by even with cold and ice. We hoped to hike to Davenport Gap Shelter which is the final shelter in the Smokies but we considered hiking further just to be able to say we were out of the Smokies. We got to the shelter shortly after 3:00. We didn't see anyone and there were rumors of Fresh Ground trail magic a few miles ahead so we decided to continue.

As we crossed the boarder officially leaving the Smokies we met up with Nomad and Camaro who informed us the rumor was true. We moved quickly knowing we would be well fed. He had everything like before (hotdogs, soup, salad, hot chocolate, and of course coffee) but had also added soft drinks and Little Debbies. We definitely ate our share. Fresh Ground told us his funding for trail magic had run out but he was continuing his mobile trail magic on hiker donations. He said he hopes to set up one more stop before getting on the trail himself to hike a section. It was great seeing him again. We spent some time there hanging out and eating while trying to figure out our plan for the night. Some of our group was moving on to Standing Bear Farm hostel where Camaro would be reunited with her dog Chevy (pets aren't permitted in the Smokies) while some chose to camp with Fresh Ground. We finally chose to move on to the hostel with Nomad, Camaro, AYCE, Man Child, and Tail Lights. We stayed in a small cabin built over a stream. The hostel was a nice rustic place with a snack shack full of food for resupply and of course snacks. We were able to take a nice hot shower and do our laundry (manually) and we even cooked a couple frozen pizzas to snack on. It felt good to be out of the Smokies and we hoped the weather would soon improve.


3/24 Day 21 Standing Bear Hostel to Roaring Fork Shelter - 15.1 miles

We woke to the sound of pouring rain and I was bummed about it. Chevy (Camaro's dog) jumped up in our bed to greet us and I just waited for everyone else to wake. I peaked out the window to see how bad it was raining and was happy to see it actually wasn't raining any longer. What I was hearing was the water running swiftly under our cabin. We got up and went to the snack shack to get breakfast and I found a friendly squirrel hanging out on the nut shelf.

As we left the hostel and got back in the trail we were reunited with Tom, Jack, and Jarryd who had camped with Fresh Ground. We hiked together as it began to rain and get colder. We were pretty bummed thinking we would hike Max Patch on such a nasty day. Max Patch is a large bald offering really nice views on a clear day. Just as we stopped for lunch the clouds disappeared and the sun came out. Perhaps we would have a nice day for Max Patch. When we got there it was beautiful. We hung out on the bald while Tom and Jack channeled bald energy. The next couple miles were uneventful but nice. We arrived at the shelter and there was still some room so we decided to stay in the shelter as snow was predicted again.

3/25 Day 22 Roaring Fork Shelter to Hot Springs, NC - 18 miles

More snow and cold today. We woke up and immediately changed our plan deciding to go ahead and hike all the way into Hot Springs. Maybe it was the layer of snow on our sleeping bags. It seemed our whole group had decided to hit Hot Springs this afternoon. We were on the move pretty quickly. We were making good time, likely the thought of real, hot food that pushed us. The snow was deep at times but the hiking wasn't bad. It was mostly down hill after Bluff Mountain.

We rolled into town just before 3:00. I was amazed we had made 18 miles so quickly. We went straight to the Smoky Mountain Diner for first dinner. Everyone in our group rolled in over the next hour or so and the ten of us decided to rent a couple cabins for the night. The cabins were basically sheds. We showered and hung out for a while before finally heading to the Iron Horse for second dinner. It was a fun evening for us and we're looking forward to a nice relaxing zero in Hot Springs.

Thanks for reading,
Chris





















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