Characters

"You thru-hiking?" "Where are you from?"
"Why are you hiking the trail?"
"When did you start?"
"How far today?"
"How much are you carrying?"
"What do you do?"
The questions may be common whenever hikers meet along the trail but the answers they generate seldom seem that way.  As I continue my hike along the trail I remain fascinated by the litany of characters that I meet.  In this post I thought I would mention a couple of the recent noteworthy meetings.
I first met Hirsch the day that I hiked out of Erwin, TN.  Actually, I should say that I first met his footprints in the snow in the late morning as I walked over some of the balds north of town.  I'm always scanning the trail treadway to guess how many people are ahead of me and how much they are carrying.  As I followed these signs I was particularly impressed with the foot placement on a treacherous trail as well as the fact the hiker obviously was stepping on just the balls of the feet when making steep ascents.  "Hmm, this must be an experienced hiker," I thought.  At about four in the afternoon I finally caught up with him during the descent into Greasy Creek Gap.
"Hi there, you thru-hiking?", I asked.
"Yes, I am.  Who are you?"
"I'm Shuk.  Who are you?"
"Shuk!  I've been hearing about you for days.  They say you're the fastest guy on the trail."
"If fastest means racing between towns and then taking zero days then I must be the guy.  Still, what's your trail name?"
"I don't really have a trail name.  I have just always been known as Hirsch."
"Glad to meet you Hirsch.  I'm stopping at the Greasy Creek Hostel tonight but we'll get a chance to talk more tomorrow when we meet again out on the trail."
And so we did.  During our conversations I learned that this was Hirsch's second AT thru-hike, his first being in 1999.  I also learned that he had thru-hiked the Pacific Coast Trail.  It's no wonder his steps on the trail appeared so assured.  I had the great good fortune to hike with Hirsch for the next 3 days and learned more about his fascinating story.  Despite not yet being 30 years of age he has two university degrees, spent 2 years in the Peace Corps in the South Pacific, and just completed a 5 1/2 year bicycle trip around the world before beginning his second AT thru-hike.  He was one of the most genuinely honest and caring folks I have had the honour of meeting and I hope I get the chance to hike with him some more as we both chase our dream of a Katahdin summit.

Hirsch

The second hiker of note is a young Japanese man with the trail name "V8" as he loves V8 vegetable juice.  In fact, I saw him drink a 2 liter bottle of it last night.  V8 has already hiked the Pacific Coast Trail in 2009, the Continental Divide Trail in 2010, and is now attempting to complete the final leg of hiking's Triple Crown.  He is a lean, mean walking machine whose base pack weight before food and water is only 8 lbs.  That's incredible!  He made his own pack, jacket and sleeping system and also carries a Go-Lite umbrella that he uses when its raining.  He began the trail on Mar. 25 and was in Pearisburg, VA on Apr. 20.  That calculates out to roughly 23 miles per day.  Very impressive.  I queried him extensively about what gear he was using and came up with some ideas to lighten my own pack weight.  It was fascinating to me that this young man had come to the US to hike these trails and still managed to succeed despite quite limited English language skills.  I have nothing but admiration for his determination and drive.  I suspect that today was the last time I will see him as he will be well ahead of me in no time at all.

V8

The Pearis of Virginia

Four long days of hiking have brought me to Pearisburg, VA.  I met up with a nice group of thru-hikers including Zippers and Stretch from Montana, Hellion, Finn, Vermont Dave, Hap, Brownie, and others that I can't remember.  Zippers and Stretch walk about the same pace as I so we spent each of the 3 trail nights together at shelters along the way, covering 26, 24, 24 and 17 miles.  We arrived in Pearisburg at one today and immediately went to Lone Star Chinese Buffet to eat until we could eat no more.  After 4 plates of Chinese food, mostly veggies, I can surely attest that the hiker hunger has kicked in.  It was nice to finally wash my clothes after wearing the same set for 9 straight days.  They had certainly ripened nicely.  It's a wonder the folks would even seat us at the Chinese buffet.  Perhaps they are accustomed to it as all the stinky hikers who pass through the area stop in Pearisburg to resupply.

Mileage to date = 627.0

Slacker!

Shuk, Torque, GG1 at Buzzard Rocks near Damascus, VA

Slackpacking - walking trail miles without all the gear necessary for a self-supported hike.  Considered anathema to trail purists.  Considered a blessing to those who just want to get to Maine in one piece.

After a couple of days off trail to catch up on work I met up with GG1 and Torque in Damascus as they were staying at the same inn as I (The Montgomery House).  GG1 mentioned that they had arranged for 4 days of slackpacking through Mount Rogers Outfitters and asked if I was interested in joining them.  Of course I jumped at the chance for my first slackpack.  Imagine hiking for 4 days with only water, lunch and some rain gear to carry.  How sweet is that?  Each day we were met by our shuttle driver, Gecko, a gentleman in his early 60's who has hiked the trail many times and helps hikers each spring by running shuttles for MRO.  He was a wealth of knowledge about each trail section we covered and also about what would face us further up the trail.  Over the course of the 4 days we walked from Damascus, VA through the Grayson Highlands over to Atkins, VA.  Total distance covered was a sweet 73 miles.  We saw the wild horses in the highlands, hiked through pouring rain one day, discussed every possible book and idea that came into our heads, and all in all had a great time.  I hope that I meet them again on the trail as they were a fascinating couple who retired at the end of Feb. 2011 and began their thru-hike of the AT at the beginning of March.

Mileage to date = 537.0

The Road to Damascus

April 7-10, 2011
These four days have passed with little incident with nice weather, including two days in the 80's that almost melted this cold-adapted hiker.  I spent one night in Elizabethton, TN getting a food re-supply and scrubbing off one layer of dirt before finishing the walk to Damascus, VA.  The Laurel Forks Falls near the Kincora Hiker's Hostel was especially noteworthy because of the stone steps that were created to allow hikers to descend into the gorge to see the falls and walk along the Laurel River.  Those stairs and the rock cribbing along the river were prepared over one summer by an 8 woman crew.  Amazing.  The next time someone calls physical labour "man's work" I'll have a perfect rebuttal to the claim.
I have now reached Damascus, VA, the "Friendliest Town on the AT".  The trail goes right along the main street with all services available within short walking distance.  I spent a couple of days in town doing support work for some of my customers via internet connections.  It's nice to be able to do work to pay some bills while I'm hiking the trail. 
Over a quarter of the AT is in Virginia so it will be at least a month before I reach the next state line.  What's the cure for the "Virginia Blues"?

Mileage to date = 464.4

A Summit Conquered

April 6, 2011
As I stepped out of the Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel in the dim morning light I could see the snow covered peak of Roan Mountain High Knob in the distance.  My goal today was to conquer that mountain.
In 2003 I had made the trip to Tennessee to try and finish a previous hike from Georgia to Maine that had been aborted at Unicoi Gap, between Erwin, TN and Roan Mountain.  As I recall, Roan Mountain was classified as a "2 Snickers" climb.  That means I had to stop twice to eat a Snickers chocolate bar on the way up in order to have the energy for the climb.  That climb was so tough that I injured myself on the first day out and returned home after only 1 day of hiking.  A most discouraging outcome.
The first 5 miles rolled along easily until I reached Hughes Gap, the start of the climb.  From that point I had to climb from 1900' to 6275' in just over 3 miles.  The first 1.5 miles was really steep with few switchbacks.  At 4000' of elevation the trail became covered in ice and snow and would stay that way until I had descended the other side.  The final mile of climbing was about the steepest I had seen yet on the trail with many sections requiring me to strap the hiking poles on my back to crawl up.  At times the trail seemed virtually unwalkable as it was sheer ice from one side to the other.  Even now I can't imagine how I found enough traction to climb and descend with such treacherous footing.  Anyway, after what seemed like hours I happened upon a crew of trail maintainers who were relaxing at the side of the trail eating lunch. 
"Say, how much farther is it to the top of Roan Mountain?", I said.
"Oh you passed that about a mile ago, you're on the way downhill now."
What a relief!  I had conquered Roan Mountain and was still feeling great.  It was such a beautiful day that I kept hiking until the road crossing at US 19 near the town of Roan Mountain, TN.  That gave me a day of 25.4 miles despite the conditions.  Nice.

Mileage to date = 389.6



The Trail on Roan Mt.  A tad slippery one might say. 



Gulp!

Apr. 5, 2011
If someone had suggested to me at ten o'clock this morning that it was time to give up this crazy quest and return home I would have been the first in line with my credit card to buy a ticket.
Perhaps it would be best to go back to the beginning of the day to see how it unfolded. 
Before setting foot on the trail this morning I stopped at Uncle Johnny's in Erwin, TN to buy a new GoLite raincoat as my O2 Rainwear jacket was falling apart.  It was a good day to have a raincoat as there was still a light drizzle falling after more than two inches of rain had fallen overnight.  I was a very happy guy as I walked out of Erwin knowing that I was warm and dry on this cool 37 degree morning.  The first few miles saw the trail winding its way alongside a raging stream that was swollen from the rain overnight.  Occasionally there would be a bridge across the stream at the locations where the trail needed to be routed to a location above the high water mark.  Unfortunately, the trail planners had not fully imagined what two inches of rain would do to the run off patterns in the valley.  About 2 miles from town I came to a raging torrent of water that was 1-3 feet deep and about 20 feet wide.  How the heck do I get across this?  If there were stream hopping rocks under dryer conditions there certainly weren't any to be seen on this day.  As I looked up and down stream for some other crossing options I saw a fallen tree that spanned the whole waterway.  Hmm, maybe I can walk across the log and stay dry rather than have to ford the stream.  Before stepping onto the log I unbuckled the waist belt of my pack so that I could release it if I happened to fall in.
Slowly, ever so slowly, I shuffled my way out onto the log, using my hiking poles to steady myself.  About halfway across I thought to myself: "Hmm, these shoes I have are actually quite slippery on wet surfaces.  I wonder if they will keep traction?" 
Just as the thought finished my feet slipped and I tumbled into the water, upstream from the log.  The raging current quickly grabbed my pack, twisted me backwards and pulled me downstream, causing my head to conk against the log as I went underneath it.  The current was amazingly strong but I managed to use my poles to push myself to shore where I quickly scrambled out and caught my breath.  Phew, that was a close call.  I took my clothes off and wrung the water out as best as I could.  There was no point in putting the rain pants back on as they were as wet inside as out which made them cling to my legs, drawing away any heat I may have still had in my body.
What to do now?  I'm soaking wet.  It's 37 degrees.  Town is on the other side of that stream.  I guess the only thing to do is keep walking up this hill and hope that I can stay warm enough from the exertion to prevent hypothermia.  So, with my rain coat fastened all the way up, and water dripping from my shorts onto my bare legs, I donned my pack and started walking uphill.  One of the disadvantages of walking uphill from an elevation of 1400' to 4600' is that the temperature drops dramatically.  Within a half hour I was walking in the snow and would continue to do so for the rest of the day.  The wind howled as I crossed a couple of bald's, completely obliterating the tracks of any hikers who had gone before me.  Keep moving.  Just keep moving.  Fortunately, the brand new rain coat actually worked as predicted and wicked the moisture away from my body such that my shirt was completely dry after only 4 hours of walking.  The shoes and socks never dried as they kept filling with snow.
Along about 4:30 I saw a sign for the Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel, just 0.6 miles off the trail.  Any opportunity to get warm and dry seemed perfect to me so I made the long descent off the ridge to the hostel.  The warmth from the wood stove made me the happiest man in the mountains on this cold day.  Even though I had to sleep on a couch as it was the only place available I was delirious with delight to know that I had survived what I hope will be the most dangerous day I will face on the trail.

Mileage to date = 364.2

The Temps They Are A Changin'

I left the Bald Mt. Shelter this morning all bundled up against the cold, the trail completely covered in ice and snow.  Fortunately, I began the day at my highest daily elevation so things were going to warm up nicely as the day found its way.  By 10:00 I could took off my gloves and coat.  By 11:00 the arm warmers were off.  At 11:30 my hat was off and sweat was dripping from my brow.  At 1:00 I reached the town of Erwin where the temperature was an uncomfortably hot 84 degrees.  Who is in charge of the thermostat around here?
There were exactly zero hikers on the trail today.  What an amazing change from just a few days ago when the shelters were full with people tenting all around.
Once in Erwin I set about doing my town chores.  First, do the laundry so that I'm presentable when I go out.  Then review the food requirements to get to the next re-supply point.  Then it was time to find a grocery store.  Erwin itself is a small town that is spread all over hell's half acre.  The walk from my hotel to the nearest grocery store was over a mile.  As I walked there in the heat I got to wondering if there was any easier way to get back than walking with my arms full of groceries.  Hmm, what's that, a pizza place across from the grocery store.  That gives me an idea. 
The conversation in the pizza place was as follows:
"Do you have delivery service to the Erwin hotel?"
"Yes we do"
"If I ordered a pizza, ran over to get my groceries, and came right back, would the delivery guy take me and my pizza back to the hotel?"
"Sure"
"I'll take a medium with pineapple, tomato and mushroom and I'll be back in 10 minutes."
Any way to save a few steps.

Mileage to date = 339.9

It Blew and It Blew

A big wind blew in overnight while I slept, bringing with it very cold temperatures and snow.  I walked in the snow for the first couple of hours, being very cautious not to fall as there weren't many hikers around to provide help if I ran into trouble.  In fact, I only saw two other hikers on the trail all day.  Where did they all go?  At Sam's Gap, where the AT passes under I-26 between Erwin, TN and Asheville, NC, I met 2010 thru-hikers Giant and Doppler who were providing trail magic of drinks and snacks to everyone who came through.  It wasn't that productive a day for them as it turns out I was the only hiker they had seen all day.  After thanking them profusely I bundled up again for the brutal climb to the top of Big Bald.  Sam's Gap is at 2700' elevation while Big Bald would top out at 5600'.  My trail guide says : "Stop at the summit to enjoy the only 360 degree unrestricted view above 5000' on the AT."  I presume the person who wrote that wasn't up there under the same conditions I was experiencing.  The snow was driving horizontally as the wind was simply howling.  At one point it was so strong it actually blew me off of my feet.  According to my research it takes a wind speed of at least 70 mph to blow a grown man off their feet.  I would believe those were the conditions I experienced on this day.  Once back on my feet I quickly hiked down off the summit and made it to the Bald Mt. Shelter to spend the night.  Holy cow it was cold there with the snow blowing around and gusty winds sucking away any heat my body could generate.  I was in my sleeping bag at 6:00pm just to stay warm and then stayed there the rest of the night.
Mileage to date = 323.0

A Search for the Truth

Hot Springs, NC was still in complete darkness as I strolled past the Hot Springs Spa and Resort on my way out of town.  Passing over the French Broad River I could hear the roar of the water as the heavy rains of the past few days had swollen it to just below flood level.  Yikes, the trail follows the bank of the river for the first mile.  Will it be safe?  Fortunately the trail was slightly above the torrent and I quickly made the climb up to Lover's Leap Rock, with a famous overlook of the town of Hot Springs. 
The day was cool with lots of good climbs to keep the blood pumping.  At Allen Gap I saw a sign on a post that promised a full meal for any hiker that was willing to make the 350 yard walk east.  Sounded like a good idea to me.  The meal was hosted by 1999 thru-hikers Fal and Hercules and included waffles, Irish Stew, and dessert.  Yummy and very filling!  Fal and Hercules have hosted over 2300 hikers in their time as trail angels.  At the end of every meal they ask their guests to answer a question about the search for truth in religious beliefs.  They are very strong Christians and see this trail magic as a way to combine their desire to spread the Gospel with a method for contributing to the success of the trail experience.  These were very kind, pleasant and patient people.  Thank you very much Fal and Hercules.
With all the good calories I was ready to crank out a good long day of hiking.  At 5:00 I rolled into the Jerry Cabin shelter, having completed 26.4 miles for the day.  I am very fortunate to be healthy enough to walk those long miles.  Fal and Hercules would have taken 8 days to walk between Hot Springs, NC and Erwin, TN while I plan to finish the same distance in 2 1/2 days.  That's a lot less food (and weight) to carry.
Mileage to date = 298.2