Appalachian Trail

Trail Journey - May

2nd May, 2000
Dad is in Damascus, Virginia, 454 miles up the trail....he says he had a wonderful overnight stay at Laurel River Hiker Lodge on Saturday (he's just saying that coz they have showers and beds, it is probably a dump really). They looked after him well and it was a bargain at six bucks the night.

It seems Dad's eating like a Gorilla....corn and black bean chowder (he says yum, I say yukh), he must be using his charm on the women because he scored some freshly cooked brownies, Pepsi Cola (what is it with the yanks and Pepsi, Coke is it!), ice-cream sandwiches, chocolate milk and topped it off with a beer. Oh yesiree, that was all one meal!

So Sunday morning hits off with a little stroll along Laurel River Gorge, the trail runs along the rivers edge for a few miles, then climbs about 2000 feet above the river. Dad says it was pretty cool (as in amazing, not as in ice-blocks). Weather has been nice last few days, seen temperatures of 75f. So much for what they say about Melbourne's weather being rainy one day boiling the next. 

Damascus (reminds me of Domestos) is a small pretty town with a main street about 200 metres. Has a bit of a reputation for being the most hiker friendly town along the trail. Dad's now camped out at a hostel called "The Place". It's an old mansion owned by the Baptist Church and it's a tiny two bucks a night plus a prayer or two (haha, I added that bit in). Luckily enough he managed to score a bunk and is among some familiar faces of people he's met along the way. That night Dad was meeting Rabbit for a Pizza. Let's hope Rabbit can contain himself to not hunting his own food for the topping. 

4th May, 2000
After leaving Denis Cove, Dad passed by Wataunga Lake which is about the same size as Eildon. It was a really nice spot which reminded him a lot of Eildon with the houseboats etc and made him feel somewhat homesick. Dad's now reached the fifth way mark. CONGRATULATIONS. He's having a little difficulty staying focused as every day appears to be a repeat of the day before, just like "Ground Hog Day". Rise from the tent, get breakfast, pack up, get walking and try and cover 14 - 17 miles a day. It's not easy walking such distances day in day out.

11th May, 2000
It appears Dad's had his fun and is ready to hit home territory (we reckon it's because he misses his wonderful family so much and he can't stand being without us).

Dad's met lots of wonderful people, seen some fantastic sites and experienced a side of life for the past 7 weeks that he has enjoyed thoroughly but he's decided that it's time to end his adventure and return to home turf. Walking day in and day out has been somewhat difficult though as you can imagine but Dad has been rewarded with an experience many of us will never do or even contemplate doing. Well done Dad for walking one fifth of the Appalachian Trail. Mum promises to whip you up a nice Tuna Casserole on a regular basis.

Dad's Report...
Hi All...After much reflection during the last 2 weeks and after 7 weeks and 450 miles of hiking the AT I have decided to complete my hike at Damascus Virginia.  Unfortunately I reached a stage where I feel I am living "Ground Hog Day".  Although I was much enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow hikers on the trail and the stops in towns along the way, I was starting to find that the day-in-day-out hiking experience (which was the majority of my time) was becoming repetitious and starting to feel like a chore.

On reflection I think this was because I was finding the scenery on the trail itself did not change a lot from one day to the next in the nearly 500 miles I had traveled.  Unfortunately the fantastic experiences of hiking through places like Laurel Gorge and the wonderful views experienced when coming into towns like Hot Springs and Erwin did not occur frequently enough to offset the daily feelings of sameness that I couldn't shake.

It's ironic, as had I been asked to forecast what might stop me completing hiking the whole AT before starting out I would have bet on a physical injury not on a waning interest, but that's how things work out sometimes.

I can now appreciate why the section hikers (as against the end-to-end through-hikers) I met along the way seemed to enjoy their hikes more.  These people aim to hike the whole AT but do it in chunks of 2-4 weeks over many years.

I have enjoyed my seven weeks of hiking the AT and certainly experienced a wide variety of weather and conditions along the way.  I also met some interesting characters in the other hikers, both old and young alike. Also, I was most impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of the folk in rural USA.  These people were more than willing to pick up us dirty, smelly hikers and either give us a lift into town or back to the trail.  A number of people gave me a lift many miles out of their way; this was the story for many other hikers too.

Regards to all thanks for your support and interest. David

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