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Made It!! Katahdin, Saturday, October 7, 2000
To view a newspaper article in the Kennebec Journal concerning Moxie's hike
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- - Submitted by Moxie
I am one of those pople who must have adventure in his life. As a young man my two sports were football and hockey. After college I spent over six years on Active Duty flying fighters in the USAF. Up until two years ago I worked weekends as a whitewater raft guide and prior to that I was a Registered Maine Guide and I actually got paid money to take people hunting, fishing and camping.
Many years ago when my town tried to start a part time police department, I was the Chief. I owned a small printing company at the time and it seemed like an exciting thing to do. After two years the Selectmen didn't give me a pay raise so I ran against the First Selectmen and beat him. In New England, either 3 or 5 Selectmen are the Chief Executive Officers of the town. That ended my police career and started my career in municipal administration. I serve the town of Mt. Vernon, Maine as a Selectman today but my current term will expire in June while I am on the trail.
I am married, wife of 35 years is Patricia and my two grown sons are Patrick and Michael. Patrick is an administrator at The Art Institute of Chicago and Mike is the New England Fly Fishing Champion and works full time as an outfitter and fishing guide. On April 1 I retire officially from my middle management job at a large printing company and on April 2 Patrick marries Jackie Wolk in Chicago. On April 3 I fly back to Maine and pick up my backpack. On April 5 I fly to North Carolina where my brother and 88 year old father will pick me up and give me a ride to Springer. Everything is packed except some english muffins to eat the first few days for lunch, but I should be able to stop somewhere between Raleigh, NC and Georgia and get english muffins.
We own a very small, 35 acre farm in Mt. Vernon and my wife is going to stay home, eat Lean Cuisine, feed the animals and tend the crops, such as they are, while I am on the trail. I plan to send my journal pages home. Pat [I call Patricia Pat] will clean them up and e-mail them to Rainmaker, who will post them here. After he leaves for the Pacific Crest Trail in June, the pages will be sent to Bookworm, who will take over as transcriber.
For the last three years I have done nothing but PLAN-PLAN-PLAN and when I got tired of PLANNING I would READ-READ-READ. The time has come to walk.
About three years ago I picked up the trail name "Moxie" from thru hikers. Moxie is a bitter soft drink sold only in nothern New England, but once it was bigger than Coke nationally. I used to carry it and offer it to thru hikers I met along the AT. One day a hiker named Nomad just started calling me "Moxie" and the name stuck. If I had my choice, my trail name would be something like "Yellow Snow" but we have to play the hand we are dealt.
If you are still reading this there must be some intrest in my hike. I plan to eat Lipton dinners, home dried food Pat will send to me, and I have about 10 bags of Moose Jerky. A poor Maine moose died for my hike. I am ready, willing, able and itching to get started. I hope to meet alot of my Trailchat friends along the way, and don't forget to bring food and drink. I plan to bring fresh lobsters from Maine to share with all of you. However, if they show signs of spoiling before I get to you, I will eat them myself so they won't go to waste.
Happy trails -
"Moxie"
All mail should be addressed: AT Thru hiker Deane Jones, aka "Moxie" Please hold for arrival.
Address and date follows;
April 21 - Natahala Outdoor Center, 13077 Hwy 19 w., Bryson City, NC 28713
May 3 - US Post Office, Hot Springs, NC 28743
May 17 - US Post Office, Damascus, Va 24236
May 30 - US Post Office, Pearisburg, Va 24134
June 16 - US Post Office, Waynesboro, Va 22980
June 28 - ATC Headquarters, Box 807-/- 799 Washington St., Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
July 7 - US Post Office, Duncannon, Pa. 17020
July 12 - US Post Office, Port Clinton, Pa 19549
July 18 - US Post Office, Deleware Water Gap, Pa 18327
July 27 - US Post Office, Bear Mtn., NY 10911
August 1 - US Post Office, Kent, Ct. 06757
August 18 - US Post Office, Cheshire, Ma 12255
Aug 19 - US Post Office, Hanover, NH 03755
Sept 2 - US Post Office, Gorham, NH 03561
Sept 14 - US Post Office, Stratton, Maine 04982
Sept 21 - US Post Office, Monson, Me. 04925
(When mailing keep in mind that paper money weighs less than either food or clothing and is much less expensive to mail.)
Moxie
Submitted By Moxie
April 6 - Hawk Mt. Shelter – Day one:
Beautiful day and my brother and father gave me a ride to Springer Mountain. Bruce, my brother, climbed Springer Mountain with me and we shared a bottle of Moxie. I have a bad cold but it is much better today. "Staying Dave" of North Carolina, Naomi (California) and Mary and Debbie from Clemson, South Carolina, Ed (View Seeker) from Connecticut are fellow hikers. I stayed in Dahlonega, Georgia last night with my brother Bruce. Although it was predetermined that we would eat at McDonalds, I didn’t mind because I had a great dinner before I left Maine. It was a beautiful day and I hiked 7.6 miles from Springer Mountain.
April 7 - Day Two:
Morning:
I slept okay last night at Hawk Mountain in a double level shelter. I slept inside the shelter and almost everyone slept outside in their tents. We were joined by two thru-hikers from the U.K. but we don’t have their names yet. They roll their own cigarettes to save money. The U.K. people and Naomi from California suffer from “jet lag.” It is still winter on the mountain tops here in north Georgia. The are a lot of rhododendron bushes here but no flowers yet. There are no buds on the trees up high and the only flowers in the mountains are violets, but the valleys are beautiful.
Evening:
I hiked with Naomi from California a good part of the day. She was tired and stopped at Justis Creek (13.6 miles) from Springer and I went on to Gooch Gap (16.1 miles from Springer) and met SLG and Midlife Crisis, my friends from Georgia. They had a big feed ( salad, beef stew, cold beer, Dr. Pepper, and Moon Pie). They also fed the other thru-hikers, “The Brits” and “Cowbell.” My cold is worse!
April 8 - Day Three:
I woke up at Gooch Gap and had not slept well due to my cold. SLG and Midlife decided I should see a doctor and they took me to the emergency room at Dahlonega. The doctor was from India, but Midlife studied Hindi at the University of Georgia and was able to translate for us. I got the whole tube and lube (chest X-rays, blood work, and O2’s). When all was done I got a prescription for antibiotics, another for nasal congestion and a steroid shot. I got back on the trail at 3:30 p.m. with plans to hike to Woody Gap which is four miles down the trail, but it was very windy, about 20 degrees and snowing. I decided to push on and see if I could find a shelter site. I found none and at 8:00 p.m. it was getting dark fast and I setup my tent on the top of Granny Top Mountain with the wind blowing full force. A local hiker named Cameron was there and he knew me from “Trailplace” (Internet Trail Chat Line). He shared his supper with me. During the night, my water bottles in my tent froze solid. My sleeping bag kept me warm even though it is rated for 15 degrees. The weatherman said it was zero on top of the mountain. And the wind roared all night.
April 9 - Day Four:
I got up and broke camp and got dressed in the cold and was on the trial by 8:30 a.m. I hiked alone most of the day and at 3:30 p.m. I was at the foot of Blood Mountain, the tallest mountain on the trail in Georgia (4461 ft.). This trail was easier than most Maine mountain trails on the south side so I decided to try to get up and over the top of Blood Mountain before dark. I wanted to get to the Walasi-Yi Center at Neel’s Gap.
I got to the Walasi-Yi Center (30.7 miles from Springer Mountain) at 6:30 p.m. and it was closed. I called Goose Creek Cabins located 3.5 miles down the road. Keith, the owner, sent his wife to pick me up. A lot of folks I met on the trail were there and we all sent out for pizzas. The cabin is $25 a night and well worth it after the night I put in. I tried to call Cossa in Blairsville (one of my trailchat buddies) but her line was busy. No doubt she was chatting on the chat line. I’ll try her again in the morning.
I hiked 30.7 miles in 3 1/4 days which isn’t good, but the hike is going well. My backpack is still too heavy (45 lbs.) but there is nothing I can think of to send home. I have been hiking until it is nearly dark each day and that has got to stop. I will find a place to camp and stop hiking by 4:00 p.m. The hospital visit messed up my schedule but rather than try to make it up I have to learn to live with what I get. This isn’t a race. If I don’t finish this year I will finish next year. I am learning a lot and I am having a wonderful time. I must hike my own hike, smell all the flowers and take time to enjoy all the views. God willing – I will get to Maine when I get there.
April 10, Monday
About 10 hikers stayed at Goose Creek Cabins last night. I got to Neels Gap after the Walasi-Yi Center was closed about 7:15 p.m. I called Keith Bailey of Goose Creek and he picked me up. I did a wash, stayed in a clean bed and showered and shaved. We all had pizza – total cost $35. At Walasi-Yi I had my pack fitted, bought a small camera case and six bagels for the trail and started hiking late. Six p.m. found four of us miles from the nearest shelter, so we just went down to the stream by Hog Pen Gap and set up tents. I’ve seen my first hiker have to quit; actually two. One was an older man that ran out of gas the first day and the second was a young man with a kidney stone. Well, I made it past Neels Gap and 35 – 45 % of all hikers quit by there.
Another thing I found is a lot of hikers don’t care as much about hiking the whole trail as I do. One hiker got off the trail when it got cold and hitched into a motel. She hitched ahead to about where she would have been if she hiked two days. Other hikers take the blue blazed side rails to avoid the big mountains. I can’t imagine an A.T. hike without the view from Blood Mountain. At least three skipped it and took a side trail around it. It’s dark and bed time. My little tent is set up near the trail by a small creek, not a regular camping area. It is supposed to rain tomorrow and possibly the rest of the week. Oh well, no rain, no Maine.
(Note from Rainmaker: No entries were received for April 11)
April 12, Wednesday:
I didn’t write a journal page last night since I put in nine hard miles to Chattahoocee Gap. I set up camp and cooked supper as a storm was approaching. Had a campfire. Jan and Tina, two women hikers; Naomi and Dave from N.H. and I have been hiking together and camped at Chattahoocee Gap. Dave and I went down to the spring which is almost 1000 feet down a steep bank to get water. The spring is the source of the Chattahoocee River that supplies all of the water for Atlanta. We took 200 ounces from the spring. That will never reach Ted Turner. Woke up at 2:00 a.m. and it was raining sheets. It rained all night and we broke camp in the morning and headed north.
Today, the 12th, was a hard day having to go over the top of two 4000 footers, Blue Mt. and Rocky Mt., 4029 and 4017 feet high. At Unicoi Gap, Jan and Tina left us. Jan’s husband is a pilot for U.S. Air and he met them to take them into Helen, Georgia for a shower, meal and a night in a motel. Dave, Naomi and I, along with two section hikers, are camped at the site of an old cheese factory in the middle of the mountains.
Today we hiked in the pouring rain so everything is wet! Showers are forecast again for tonight. It was almost mystical hiking above 3000 feet in the thick fog. You could just manage to see the trail and 10 feet in the woods. Except for the rain it was quite nice.
April 13, Thursday:
63.3 miles from Springer Mt.
I stayed at Deep Gap Shelter. Fran and Virgil, retired people from N.C., are thru-hikers as are Dave (N.H.) and High Speed, Steve (Va.). Also at this shelter are Dave and Naomi as well as a hiker who was asleep when I got here at 5:15 p.m. I ate refried beans for supper. Rain and dungeon fog. It is raining on my journal. Steady rain and fog for the last two days. We get up in the rain and hike in the rain. There are no views – all fog. Gonna make Hiwassee, Ga. tomorrow. Mail home, phone home, and stay at the hostel. I'll also get a shower and shave and I am looking forward to heat after all this rain, snow and fog.
April 14th, Friday:
The Blueberry Patch – Run by Gary Poteat
This morning it was freezing and raining. We all got up and dressed in the rain and started hiking. About 11:00 the sun came out and we got to the Blueberry Patch in good weather. It felt good to call home and get the news. Gary Poteat is a good friend of my neighbor, Aaron Whitcomb. Gary has been to Aaron’s house in Maine and Aaron has been here. Aaron brought him some iris bulbs last year and planted them here. Had a hot shower and washed my clothes. Feeling wonderful. I have to call Rainmaker when the phone is free. We have ordered burgers and french fries for lunch. The Blueberry Patch has coke and fuel for a small donation. It is heaven on earth after a cold wet night. I have to re-supply sometime before I get back to the trail tomorrow.
April 15-Saturday
Plum Orchard Gap Shelter:
71.1 miles from Springer Mt. I had a great dinner with my friends at Douglas Steak House – all you can eat buffet for $5.00 with my senior citizen discount. There was a salad bar with lots of raw veggies with broccoli, tomatoes and carrots. There was plenty of chicken, shrimp, macaroni and cheese. I skipped the cheesecake for dessert. We were joined at dinner by Alex and Chelsey Dunham, brother and sister, hiking through to Maine. Their family owns Jordon’s Lumber (a Maine business). They seem like great kids. Georgie, “Half moon” and Cameron, “Mister Pringle” is from Rhode Island. Naomi and I ate together. Dave from N.H. skipped dinner and went food shopping at Ingles Supermarket.
I had a great breakfast at the Blueberry Patch and got to the trail at 10:00 a.m. We all agreed to only do 5 miles today as rain was expected. By 12:30 the rain came down in sheets. I didn’t put my rain jacket on for awhile as it wasn’t cold. I came to the shelter in the pouring rain. A hiker named Jill hurt her knee and “Ohab” walked back five miles in the rain and brought her to the shelter. Ohab had dinner with us last night also but I forgot to mention him.
Ohab has seizures and is on disability so he is out there every year. He hikes every year but never wants to finish or he may have to stop hiking. We are 2 1/2 miles from the North Carolina line so I will be in North Carolina by noon. I am sorry that New Hampshire Dave walked ahead, but we may meet again.
Sunday April 16: 78.4 miles from Springer Mt. – Muskrat Creek Shelter.
Free Spirit, Silver Fox (a couple my age from North Carolina) and Mr. Pringle (just passed his CPA and is from San Diego), Rene (63 year old hiker from Pittsbury(sp?) N.H., OAB (One Armed Bandit) and I are all jammed into a shelter about big enough for four people. The Book says it will sleep six, but there is “NO” room.
“Half Moon” from Boston had to go back to Hiawassee because he fell yesterday and may have a fractured leg. He made it back with help of a couple of southbound section hikers. I crossed the North Carolina line at 12:30 today. It was sunny and warm. I made it to Muskrat Creek at 5:30 p.m. I only got a seven-mile day but I went up two very steep mountains. The name Muskrat Creek is strange because while there is a small creek, the shelter is on top of a 4600-foot mountain ( higher than any in Maine except Katahdin).
(Note From Rainmaker: Muskrat Creek was named after a Cherokee Indian family who once lived in the area. Their clan took the name "Muskrat" as their surname.)
Naomi, who I hiked with for several days, went on ahead. I am just too slow for her; but then again I stopped to smell the flowers. I am trying to enjoy my hike and not kill myself. If I do seven miles a day all the way to Maine I won’t be home for Christmas. I am staying with and hiking with good people, but Dave from NH, Naomi, Half Moon and I had became good friends and now we are all split up. That’s the way it is on the trail.
It’s dark now and time to get some sleep. Rain forecast for tomorrow. I’ve hiked in the rain about half the days on the trail so I hope it doesn’t rain, but if it does – so be it – no rain, no pain, no Maine.
Monday April 17: 87.9 miles from Springer Mt. – Beech Gap:
Today I hiked almost 10 miles and climbed Standing Indian Mt. in North Carolina. At 5498 feet, Standing Indian is about 200 feet higher than Katahdin. I camped tonight with Free Spirit, Silver Fox, and Alex and Chelsey Dunham of Kingfield, Maine; Iron Man from Hookset, NH and Mr. Pringle from San Diego.
There are no leaves on the trees this high but there are a lot of little flowers in the woods. I saw Naomi, a.k.a. “Supertramp” briefly today, but she is about three miles ahead. Most of the fast hikers are muscular young men that move like the wind. Large groups of hikers I didn’t expect to meet are many men that are happily married like myself, many in their late 30’s and early 40’s.
Ironman retired from Delta Airlines the same day I retired from J.S. McCarthy and his wife thought it would be a good way to start his retirement. Another group of hikers are “Born Again Christians.” They think of the trail as a good place to spread the word of God. I’ve only seen two people share a joint and no drinking on the trail.
For birds in Georgia and North Carolina, I have seen thousands of Juncos, Towees and no other song birds. Vultures are as common as those are at French’s Mountain in Belgrade, Maine. I saw a deer today, but no bears or turkeys. There are a lot of turkey hunters along the trail. It is past my 9:00 p.m. trail bedtime - more tomorrow.
Tuesday April 18: 97.7 miles from Springer Mt. – Big Spring Shelter
Tonight I am camped at Big Spring Shelter and I am still about nine miles ahead of the schedule I set up for myself. Today I did nine miles. I hiked with my friends, Ironman, Free Spirit and her husband Silver Fox. I am starting to see both Hemlock and silver Birch trees only because we are so high in the mountains. Rhododendron bushes are every where. Today a bluebird flew along with me for almost a mile and landed in front of me and took off as I got close.
Mr. Pringle is staying in the shelter, but I was too late to get in, as it is full of local hikers from North Georgia. This afternoon, I climbed up and over Albert Mountain at 5200 feet – about the same height as Katahdin Mountain in Maine. It is the hardest climb in Georgia and North Carolina. It is straight up a steep mountain hand over hand and holding on to trees and roots. I felt very much at home. Many hikers, including Bill Bryson and Steven Katz take a blue blaze around the steepest and most difficult part of Albert but I went right at it.
Alex and Chelsey Dunham are camped near me. It is nice to have the kids from Kingfield, Maine around. We talk about Maine. I did ten hard miles today. Tomorrow I hope to reach Rainbow Spring Campground and a shower and a phone. I haven’t seen a newspaper or heard any news since April 6th, the day I started and I am enjoying not hearing it.
Wednesday April 19 – Rainbow Springs Campground, North Carolina
I made fantastic time today, 6 miles in less than four hours. I arrived at Rainbow Springs Campground, the place made famous by Bill Bryson in his book, A Walk in the Woods. He talked about the poison chili and the bad Philly Cheese Steak, but I found the place to be excellent. I had a shower, a pizza and called home. I felt better when I talked to home. I am staying at the bunkhouse with Mr. Pringle, Ironman, the Silver Fox and Free Spirit. It was a hot day and Rainbow is a beautiful place by the river.
Tonight we are having a poetry reading down by the river and then everyone is going to call home. I called Pat this afternoon but will try Patrick tonight. A lot of hikers are the walking wounded with sprained ankles, torn ligaments and the like. I got word that “Half Moon’s” leg is not broken and he will be back on the trail in two weeks. He is going to recover at the Blueberry Patch. I met LeeAnn, a friend of Skeleton, a friend of mine who through hiked last year. That’s all for now. I have to mail my journal by 7:30.
April 20, 2000 – Slu (sp?) Bald Shelter- 112.7 miles from Springer Mt. (Note from Rainmaker - probably "Siler's Bald")
There is supposed to be hail, thunderstorms, and tornado warnings tonight so I quit at the shelter at 4:00 with four hours of light left as is did not want to be caught in a hail storm in a small tent. Winds are forecast for 60 MPH tonight. Seven of us are jammed into a shelter built for five: Free spirit, Silver Fox and Ironman went on ahead. Silver Fox and Free Spirit found someone to drive their back packs around to the next road crossing so they were able to go ten miles without weight. I hope to catch them at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in two days.
I met Rob Nickleson from Skowhegan today. He is thru-hiking. He saw my story in the Waterville Sentinel and spotted me in a minute. Two men I started hiking with at Springer Mountain, Ed “Viewseeker” (the 67 year old rare book broker) and Tybee (an aircraft mechanic from Savannah Ga.) and Mr. Pringle are also here.
It was wonderful to use the phone last night. I finally got hold of Patrick this morning. The phone calls when I get to town mean so much to me. Saw a lot of mountains and valleys today but because I left so late I only covered six + miles. I got word today that Jan and Tina, who I hiked with earlier, quit the trail today. About half the hikers never make the first 100 miles so I feel good about being where I am. It’s getting dark and I will write more tomorrow.
April 22, 2000
I did not write in my journal last night. The storm forecast in my journal for the 20th came true. It was a wild storm – I got up in the morning to a very red sky, a sign of bad things to come. About 11:00 yesterday a very cold rain started – it hasn’t been above 40 degrees for three days. By 5:00 I reached the Cold Spring Shelter – my first twelve mile day (122.5 miles from Springer). We jammed 11 people into a shelter built for seven people max so there was no room to move.
By now the rain storm was a full fledged ice storm and it was about 20 degrees. It got down to 10 degrees overnight. This morning everything was frozen. The people who tented out were miserable. Got up and didn’t get started until about 8:30 but still got in another 12 mile day. I think I am up to speed now. I am staying at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, a whitewater Raft Company much bigger than anything we have in Maine. I have a hiker’s appetite now. Free Spirit had her 51st birthday today so about ten of us went to a restaurant and had a big steak dinner.
I called home at 9:30 but no one was home. I will call again in the morning. All the thru- hikers have formed a bond. George Alverez “Half Moon” got a ride with trail angel “Fog Karen” and was here to meet each of us as we came off the mountain. Rob from Skowhegan is sitting across a picnic table from me doing his journal. We all seem to split up, get together and some move ahead and aren’t seen again. On town days we get together again.
Today was a cold wet walk in the rain, but by 4:00 the sun came out. I was on two 4000 ft. mountains – Jump Lookout Mountain and Wesser Bald at 4600 feet. Because of the fog, ice and rain there was no view. I could hardly see 20 feet sometimes and great ice chunks were falling on the trail.
Now down in the valley, I haven’t been below 3000 feet in a week. The leaves are out and a lot of flowers are in bloom. There are wild irises, violets, and Jack in the Pulpits, and some beautiful flower that I have never seen before. I got tons of mail – some from people I never expected to hear from. I will send the mail home. Got a nice card signed by all the J.S. McCarthy employees.
I can’t make up my mind if I want to stay a full day tomorrow or break for the north. My instincts are to do five or six miles if it is a nice day. I wish It would warm up but that will come soon enough. The last week has been like living in a freezer locker – never above 40 degrees.
April 24, 2000 – Brown Fork Gap Shelter – 150.1 miles from Springer Mountain
I didn’t write a journal last night. I left Nantahala Outdoor Center in the sun about noon. I climber straight up over 3000 feet and camped near the Sasafrass Gap Shelter.
It started raining just as I got in my tent. I cooked supper in the dark with my head lamp. I got up this morning and climbed Cheoah Bald – 5500 feet. The view was spectacular even in the rain. As I started down the sky opened up and the rain came in sheets all day. The fog was a real dungeon fog and the rain was steady and cold.
Tonight the Brown Fork Shelter has four hikers from Maine - me, Pat (a women from Richmond), Eric (Cape Elizabeth) and Fennel (a woman from Carrabasset Valley). The shelter is completely full. I got here at 4:00 after a ten mile day in the rain. I can only remember only two days on the trail with no rain, so better days have to come.
I hope to make Fontana Dam tomorrow. I was shivering when I got in and got into my bag before supper to warm up. We may get thunderstorms tonight. I am going to sleep now tired and cold.
April 26, 2000 - Fontana Inn – 161 miles from Springer – now less than 2000 miles to go.
I decided to take a zero day, no mileage. I had a good dinner last night when I arrived in the rain at 8:00 and they let me in the dining room. I am staying with Eric “Slow but Steady” from Cape Elizabeth. A lot of Maine folks are on the trail. Pat from Richmond is in the next room. Fennel, Mike Jones’s ski friend, is also doing her first zero day and I just met “Accent” from Winter Harbour who saw my entries in the logs and has been trying to catch up to me so he could find someone to “talk Maine” with. Rob from Skowhegan went on this morning.
The Fontana Inn is a great place – sauna, pool, stove, hiker’s outfitter store, and only $30 a night plus tax for thru- hikers. The buffet breakfast is $6.96 and dinner is $8.95.
I want to point out two bad errors in the Appalachian Trail Data book. The book says water is available at the Grassy Gap and Swim Bald after you leave the Nantahala Outdoor Center, but there is no water at either place to be found and a lot of hikers ran out of water expecting to be able to get it there.
The trees on the mountain are a lot like home, Oaks, a type of Maple, Silver Birch, as well as all the southern trees, Dogwood and Rhododendron. Trillium is everywhere in the flower department. The Pine trees are “Norway” or Red or White as well as some Hemlock. There are green briar plants everywhere. Blood Root is a beautiful spring plant and violets line the trail. Except for the fog and constant rain, the trail is beautiful. I wish I could get some views.
My cousin, Sonny Willette, just called me. He is going to meet me in Elk Park, N.C. in about 18 days. That is just before I leave N.C. for good and head into Tennessee for Virginia.
The last three days the trail has been just a 14 inch wide ribbon of mud. Everyone is slipping and falling. I fell four times yesterday- three times in the mud and once on the rocks. Water is standing in pools on the trail, but no damage has been done in my falls. The rain is hell, but “No Rain, No Pain, No Maine!”
April 26 – 163.5 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia
I just couldn’t do a complete zero miles day so I got a ride to the marina at Fontana Lake and hiked 2.4 miles from Fontana Dam. The Appalachian Trail volunteer who registers everyone who crosses the dam is Roger Dunton. Roger is a retired blacksmith who was born in Pleasant Ridge near Bingham, Maine. He thru- hiked in 1998 from Maine to Georgia when he was 67 years old. His trail name was “Many Sheep.” I said three words to him and he said, “ What part of Maine are you from?” He told me he had heard of “Moxie” a Mainer who was the “Ambassador of Good Will.” He said he had been looking for me. It made me feel good. I will have a big dinner tonight and hit the trail into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the morning.
April 28, 2000
I didn’t write last night because it poured during supper. I got to a shelter about 7:00 P.M. and had had a hard climb into the Smokies. I was very cold and wet. No radio weather forecast. I have been walking on the Tennessee/North Carolina border for the last five miles. This is my third state since starting the trail. I got to make 10 miles today. I am staying at Molly’s Ridge Shelter which is 174 miles from Springer Mountain. I say the light of Gatlinburg, Tennessee last night in the distance. Yesterday was beautiful until the rain at supper. Time to move on soon.
The shelter held some of the faster hikers, but I won’t keep up with them long. New names on the trail are: Fenway and Na’s, Dammit, Purple, Mouse Daddy, Groovy, Chief, Rawhide, Accent (from Winter harbor, Maine), and Trail Dust. All my friends from before are behind me, but they will catch up soon.
April 28 – Night (Spence Field Shelter 179 miles from Springer)
I only did 5 1/2 miles today because the Smoky Mountains National Park rules say you must stay at or near a shelter and there is a fine if you camp near the trail. The next shelter was about seven miles past this one and I would have arrived at dark. I had two wonderful experiences today. “Groovey” was hiking ahead of me and I looked up and saw a bobcat just 15 feet from her. I spoke to her then we watched the cat stalk a mouse. A father and his eight year old son were staying at the Spence Field Shelter and invited me to join them. “Mr. Pringle,” “Slow but Sure” and “Frosty” joined us about 5:30 p.m. and I was glad to see them. Five other section hikers came in later. This afternoon a buck deer in velvet walked up to the shelter and I took a picture of him. The trail today was just a 14 inch wide ribbon of wet, gooey muck. It got on clothes and everyone was slipping and sliding. It rained until noon and there is a lot of fog, but sunny and extremely cold tonight. It is suppose to be clear and cold tomorrow. Tomorrow, first thing, I have to climb Rocky Top and Thunderhead, the two toughest climbs in the Smokies. Well – tomorrow is another day.
April 30th , 2000
The day started out nice yesterday. I climbed Rocky Top and Thunderhead, the two toughest climbs in the Smokeies. I got to Derrick Knob Shelter at 2:15 p.m. and decided to push on six more miles to Silers Bald Shelter – A MISTAKE- A mile from Derrick the sky opened up and the trail turned to mud. I got to Silers Bald at 8:00 p.m. breathing hard and soaking wet. I guzzled my supper and got in my sleeping bag and it was hours before I got warm. Max and Michelle, Fireman, and Mr. Pringle were here along with a bunch of new folks. We are 191 miles from Springer.
I have to get on the trail and try for nine miles only today. I haven’t been below 4000 ft. for three days. The mountains are very cold.
,br> April 30th – Evening- Mt Collins Shelter- 199 miles from Springer
Tomorrow is another month. Today I climbed Clingman's Dome, 6642 feet high and the highest place on the AT. Today I saw a chickadee and above 5000 feet I saw spruce trees grow. This was the first Spruce tree since Maine, but that will be it until I get further north. Nice new crowd here tonight. Mr. Pringle is still with me. Some of the new thru- hikers are “Hardwood,” “DADO”, “Brewer” and his wife “Twiggy,” "Cyprus" and a bunch more. Three nice ladies are section hiking and are sharing the shelter with us. Hardwood spent two days in town and served hot dogs and chips for dinner. What a TREAT. There were about a hundred people at Clingman's Dome. You can drive to ½ mile of the top.
There were all sorts of people in cotton with cameras – sort of culture shock after seeing nothing but nylon shorts and fleece for almost a month. No one had Gore-Tex on. Everyone was shaved and had combed hair – nothing like anyone is used to. There were real flush toilets but they were off the trail so no one from the trail walked the ½ mile down to them. Only did 8 1/2 miles today. I hiked with Sue Lefferts from Clingman's down to the shelter. She is out with an all lady hiking group and hiked the Clingman's trail today so she wouldn’t have to hike it tomorrow. Tomorrow we cross the Newfound Gap Road and that is where Bill Bryson quit the trail and went to Virginia. (More tomorrow).
May 1, 2000 May Day Evening – Ice water Springs – 206 miles from Springer
I shared a shelter with “Mr. Pringle,” “Harvey,” “Dolly,” “John Rotton,” “Brewer,” “Twiggy,” Hardwood,” and a day hiker named Bob from San Francisco. Today was a short but hard day and I only hiked 8.5 miles, but it was all uphill. I have just enough food to make it to Davenport Gap. If I slow down I may have to bum food as there are no stores or roads in the National Park. I have been above 5000 ft. in elevation three days now. At this altitude N.C. and Tennessee are much like Maine. I saw a partridge and some chickadees this morning. A bunny came into our campsite and I took a picture of him. I wish I could make better time, but 37 years of two packs of cigarettes a day are not doing me any good. As I go uphill I have to stop every 10 feet or so to get extra air. The most miles I can manage in one day is 12, but the younger hikers do 14 to 16 mile days with no problem. I think my mileage will improve and if it doesn’t I will have to make this a two year hike.
In the National Park you can’t camp anywhere; you must stay at the shelter so it messes you up. A shelter might be 5 1/2 or 15 1/2 miles a day and I can’t do more than 12 miles. Elsewhere on the A.T. you can stop when you get tired and camp. I will be happy to put the National Park behind me. At least I am further along the trail then Bill Bryson got. He quit the trail at U.S. Highway 441 which is back three miles from where I am now. He rented a car and drove to Virginia. My note in the shelter register said, “Moxie Slept Here- Bryson Didn’t.”
Rain is forecast tonight and tomorrow so what else is new. The trail is still a ribbon of sucking muck from the last rain on. Tomorrow’s rain won’t help.
May 2nd – Pedes Corner Shelter- 214 miles from Springer Mountain
I only did 8 miles today and stopped at 3:30 p.m. – I didn’t want to kill myself trying to reach the shelter at 13 miles away which is 6 more miles after 3:30. It rained hard last night and until about noon. The fog lasted until 3:30. I may only do 5.5 miles tomorrow. My choices are 5.5 or 13.5 and I don’t think I can do 13.5 in the Smokies. I have been above 5000 ft. for days now and it is hard on my smoke damaged lungs while climbing mountains. I do ok on the downhills. Today I passed Charlie’s Bunion and the Sawteeth and some of the most beautiful views on the southern AT, but all I saw was fog. At 6:00 p.m. three more hikers came into the shelter. I was alone until then. “Mouse Daddy” and two new guys. The park is full of wild boars (pigs) and I found one near the shelter dead. I found some rope and dragged it 200 yards into the woods.
I had time when I got to the shelter so I took a sponge bath and shaved. Even with cold water it felt good. I figure three days from now I will be out of the Smokies and near the phone. I miss home and Pat very much and am starving for news. The gift certificate the town gave me went for Gore-Tex rain pants and it seems I need them everyday. They are wonderful and waterproof. Every time a plane went over yesterday, I imagined it was Pat flying home from Atlanta. I love the hike but as Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz – “There is no place like home.”
May 3rd – Tri-Corner Knob Shelter – 219 miles from Springer Mountain.
I got up this morning and set out for a 13 mile day. I got three miles past this shelter and it started to thunder. Suddenly lightning and thunder came together and hit about 100 yards from me. I threw my back pack with its metal frame and my hiking poles on the ground and ran to a low spot and got under my space blanket. The lightning hit all around me and the hail was about the size of grapes. Soon there was a inch of hail on the ground. When the lightening let up I got my pack and poles and ran back to this shelter. The next shelter is five miles ahead. This was three miles back. The thunder came back just as I got to the shelter. The storm hit at 1:30 and I was having my best hiking day yet. I did 5 miles in less than four hours and was feeling great. Now my boots and all my clothes are soaked, but at least I am warm in my bag. Maine is well represented in the shelter. Witt and Peter are from Bar Harbor and Weathering is from Eddington. “Come on Down ‘Pa’, Shick from N.H., and Wendy who works at Xaverier University. We are all wet and cold. I easily could have done 13 or 14 miles today but the thunderstorm killed me. I hope to be out of the Smokies in another day and a half.
May 4th – Davenport Gap Shelter
This is the last shelter in the park and the first in over a week under 5000 ft. Good to be down where it’s warm and the flowers are in bloom. I saw wild tulip trees and wild tiny iris today. Today was my first “16” mile day. I started in the rain and fog, then there was sun and then rain in the afternoon and sunny tonight. Tomorrow I get to a phone at Mountain Momma’s. The 16 miles makes me feel great. I am anxious to get out of the National Park and back to the normal A.T. where you can camp anywhere. I have developed a major pain in my right ankle on the right outside near a bone or tendon. It’s from walking downhill too fast with weights on my back. A lot of people I started with are either behind or ahead of me and I am hiking with a new crowd but they are young and will be gone in a day or so. By Monday I plan to be in Hot Springs and my next food drop. I will be at a store tomorrow and will buy just enough food for the next 38 miles and three days of hiking. Tomorrow is Cinco DeMayo, the 5th of May and the anniversary of my quitting smoking. I still feel the effects of smoking though when I go uphill my lungs are starved for air. It’s after 9:00, Hiker’s midnight. That’s all for now.
May 6, 2000 – Approximately 253 miles from Springer Mountain
I am in a tent between Max Patch and Roaring Falls Shelter. I was on top of Max Patch, a grassy top mountain, at 5:00 and getting ready to head for Roaring Brook Shelter when I heard a loud blast of thunder. I got into the valley north of Max Patch on the AT as quick as I could and got my tent set up as quickly as I could. I grabbed the only flat low spot I could find and got in just as the storm hit. There is nothing like a southern thunder storm. Lightning all around and some hail and the rain comes down in sheets. I am scared, but fairly safe in a low spot. This rain is coming down so hard it is splashing up under the rain fly and some is getting into the tent. It is now 7:15 and the storm has been full blast since 5:30.
I didn’t write last night as I got my tent set up and ate just at dark. I forgot to mention last week that I came upon the wreck of a USAF F-4 Phantom that had crashed in the 1980’s .
Today I have been on the trail a month – it seems like 10 years. The same clothes every day, heavy starch diet but a real adventure. I wish the weather would cooperate with me. May 5th is the day I celebrate quitting smoking. More tomorrow.
May 7th – 265 miles from Springer Mountain
I am camping on top of Lamb Knob. Today was a better day. I did about 15 miles and that is a very good day. I am camping tonight with old trail friends, “Bernie” and “Little Princess.” During the storm yesterday, they were camped 500 yards down the trail from me and neither of us knew the other was there. We both just set up our tents beside the trail as the storm hit and I ducked for cover. Today was a beautiful day for a change - No rain and about 70 degrees. The leaves are now out and beautiful wild flowers run up and down the mountain side. I see a lot of beautiful birds we don’t see in Maine, but the most common bird on the trail is the slate Junco. Tonight I am sitting on a log writing my journal with my headlamp and both an owl and a Whippoorwill are singing to me.
We are on a mountain top just four and a half miles from Hot Springs tonight so tomorrow I get my mail drop and some fruit and vegetables. I am looking forward to a big hamburger and perhaps a steak. When all you eat for weeks are noodles, your body screams for protein. I put powdered milk and cheese into every meal but there is nothing like a good piece of red meat. I take two vitamins pills a day, but I am hungry during the day. I drink about 3-4 liters of water a day when I am hiking and have had perhaps three sodas in the last month. Hiker’s midnight is 9:00 – and it’s almost 10:00 so time for bed. More tomorrow from Hot Springs.
May 8th – Hot Springs, North Carolina – 270 miles from Springer.
Today was a wonderful day. I came off the mountain this morning and made it to “Elmers” by noon. Elmer’s is a historic house full of antiques and musical instruments. I had a shower, shaved and got my mail drop.. I did my first wash since Fontana Dam except for socks that I washed in a creek. The town is full of hikers and we are all having a cookout tonight down by the river – hot dogs, soda and beer. I had about a 14 mile day yesterday and feel good about my hike. I am going to get off early in the morning; a huge climb out of the valley with all my new food. I got a lot of letters of encouragement that I will send home. Thank you everyone for writing. My clothes are clean and so am I.. My food bag is full and I feel good except for the weight I have to carry.
The next town is Erwin, Tennessee and that is a least seven days from here so my pack weight is close to 50 pounds with the extra food. Speaking of weight, I weighed myself on the J.S. McCarthy scale my last day there and I weighed about 217. I weighed myself on Elmer’s scales today and I weighed 183. I still have a pot belly, but it took me 60 years to grow it and I can’t expect to loose it in four weeks. I feel great and the wonderful letter from Pat, as well as my other letters of encouragement lifted my spirits.
Sometimes the trail is lonely and I am a people person, but then you get with your friends and everything is ok again. A lot of good folks have left the trail in the last week or so. They had family emergencies, injuries, and some people are skipping large sections and jumping ahead because of injuries. I wouldn’t do that no matter how bad it is. To skip is not to hike the AT. If my speed doesn’t improve it may take two seasons, but I don’t care now. Every mile I hike today is a mile I don’t hike tomorrow. My friends get ahead, then I catch up and others fall behind. The trail is a wonderful adventure and on a day like this – beautiful weather, spring in bloom, I love it. Days of violent thunderstorms it ain't so nice, but just press on. NO rain, NO Pain, No Maine.
May 9, 2000
I am writing by headlamp. Tonight I am writing from a very weird place. I started up Rich Mountain at 5:30 p.m. and knew I didn’t have time enough to make Spring Mountain Shelter that was another 5 miles mostly uphill. I saw there was camping and water at Rich Mt. fire tower side trail so that’s what I made for. I found the side trail but there was not place to camp and no water so I left the A.T. and started up the side trail trying to find a flat place. Before I found one I climbed all the way to the fire tower – still no water. The data book is so often wrong, especially about water. It was getting dark so I set my tent up right under the fire tower. My food bag is hung from the tower. I am about 279 miles from Springer Mt. and nine miles closer to home than I was last night.
Evening Hot Springs –
This morning I paid $5.00 for what was supposed to be a gourmet vegetarian breakfast at Elmers. I got a bowl of granola with rice milk. A muffin, a slice of melon, coffee and orange juice. A major rip off! Yesterday at least they served eggs. I mailed a package of extra stuff home. I called McCarthy’s to say Hi to the old gang and started north about 10:30 – very late. The problem with towns is they are all in valleys, so the first day out of any town you have to spend the whole day climbing to get back in the mountains. Maybe tomorrow I can put on some miles; only nine today and very hard work. Spring has come at last – flowers are out even in the mountains and for the first time there are leaves on the trees about 3500 feet. Good weather for a change and I hope it holds.
I can’t tell everyone how wonderful it is to get mail from you. I ‘ve received letters from people I don’t even know who picked up my website and from a ton of friends. I am in no position to answer any letters from the trail, but I am sending all my mail home and when I finish my little walk I will personally answer every letter. Thank you everyone for writing. It means so very much to me. I am now a week behind schedule so my next mail drop is in Damascas, Virginia and I will be there like May 23-27 unless I catch up, and I don’t expect to as long as I am in the mountains. (Note from Pat: Deane arrived in Damascus on Thursday May 25- he is picking up speed). It is almost 10:00 and well after “hiker’s midnight.” which is 9:00 p.m., so time to get into the old Mountain Hardware bag and get some sleep.
May 10th – Little Laurel Shelter 289.8 miles from Springer Mountain.
I woke up this morning at 6:00 a.m. under the fire tower – the sky was bright red and I could see the storm clouds rolling in. I was listening in to a Greenville radio weather and they said cold and clear temperatures in the 70’s. I don’t know if it was Greenville town in Greenville, S.C. or Greenville, Mississippi because I was on top of a mountain and the reception comes from everywhere. By the time I got my tent down and my rain gear on I decided the station must have been from Greenville, Maine - sleet, fog, rain- a real mess. I hiked three miles to the next shelter and no one had left because of the weather. I planned a big day but only did 11 miles. I’ll blame the weather. This afternoon was nice. The storm quit about noon. Trillium is everywhere. Today I saw a lot of pink Ladyslippers. Lilly of the Valley also grows wild and some Dogwood is starting to bloom in the fog. I was able to walk up to two Piliated Woodpeckers. I saw several partridge and a couple of deer also this morning.
I was all-alone in the shelter at dark when a “Cricket” showed up. She is a young girl named Megan from Corpus Christi, Texas who has been hiking with a group and today they split up. A lot of my friends got trapped in Hot Springs by the beer and hot food. NO one has caught up with me in the two days since I left. By all rights there should be ten people here today but the bright lights of Hot Springs are holding the hikers as if they were moths.
May 11th – Lunch Time
I stopped at Jerry Cabin Shelter for lunch. I plan to push on and camp near the trail. Jerry Cabin is the shelter made famous by ‘Scotty Skywalker’s” picture on AT Trailchat. I had lunch with Amy – no trail name yet. She is a Bates College student from Connecticut. It is very hot and sweaty today. I bet I drank three liters of water and water is scarce on the ridge top. Thank God for the Pur-Filter (water filter) Gary and Terry gave me.
Evening- I made over 13 miles today to Flint Mountain Shelter – 302 miles from Springer. I have less than 1759 miles to go. I felt good today and hiked well. I am not a hiking machine, but I am getting better. I got to get some sleep.
May 12th – Hogback Ridge Shelter. 311.1 miles from Springer Mountain
My mileage is averaging 9.4 miles a day and that isn’t bad for the mountains. It will get better when I get further north . I'm two and a half days from Erwin, Tennessee and phone, mail, and fruit and vegetables, but no Walmart. Five days after Erwin, I hope to meet Cousin Sonny and my brother Bruce and his wife Erma. Today I saw a Blue Jay. This is the first one I’ve seen and it was above 5000-ft. elevation. Today I had to climb a 4700 and a 5000-ft. mountain from around 2000 ft. Hiking is a lot of sweat and work, but different than J.S. McCarthy work.
I have lost over 20 pounds on the trail and feel good. Some people are starting to drop out again. I guess it is the second wave of dropouts. The first big wave was in Georgia. The first 70- 90 miles took its toll. High in the mountains there are few leaves on the trees but below 3000 feet it is summer. Yesterday I wrenched my left knee at a place called Bearwallow Gap.
I am now taking about eight Advil a day. It is painful and slows me down. I hope I am able to walk through it. A thunderstorm is forecast for tomorrow and I hope they are wrong.
May 13th – Bald Mountain Shelter – 321.2 miles from Springer Mountain.
I did a little better than 10 miles today and finished with a 5,600 ft. tall Big Bald Mountain. In the south a lot of mountains have grassy tops and Big Bald had acres of grass. The weather was beautiful at 5:00 p.m. but by 6:30 p.m. the rain came right after I got to the shelter. Tonight we have “Blue”- “JC”- “The Virginian”- “Creeper”- and “Jolly Rand(sp?)” as well as me. One day more and I’ll be in Erwin, Tennessee and town food. It is strange to be on a mountain taller than Katahdin and have grass on the top. The N.C. – Tennessee border is beautiful and the weather has been good the last week. There has been some rain but mostly sunny. It is cold tonight so I am going to bed early. We have a big fire going, but the rain is discouraging. I still haven’t seen any wild turkey or bear; gut I have seen a ton of strange birds, deer, and one Bobcat. More tomorrow.
May 14th – Mother’s Day – Bruce’s Birthday – No Business Knob Shelter – 331.6 miles from Springer Mountain.
It is very cold this morning on top of Big Bald at 30 degrees. I got a late start this morning after 9:00 a.m. and I usually start by 7:15. I wish I had been able to call home today, but I was in the woods. Tomorrow I will be in Erwin. Alex Dunham is in the shelter with me along with “Bernie” –“J.C.” – “Yoda” and John. Alex is, of course, form Kingfield, Maine.
We lost some more through hikers that dropped out at Hot Springs. There are a lot of people cheating on the trail, hitch-hiking around certain tough sections, but the trail is not a contest. I personally want to see every foot of it. The shelter mice are out early tonight. It isn’t dark yet and they are out looking for scraps of food. I got a big campfire going and will be in bed by 9:00.
May 15th Uncle John’s Hostel, Erwin, Tennessee
At noon today I had hiked six and a half miles since 8:00 a.m. this morning and that is very good time. I just took a shower and I plan to mail my journal and use the phone and do some very essential shopping. Also I will wash my clothes. Erwin is about 339 miles from Springer Mountain.
May 16th – Indian Grave Gap 340 miles from Springer Mt.
I am camping with Franz and Ana – a couple that met in Kuwait. He is a retired army person and 51 years old and she is 38 years old. We met at the shelter a few miles back and liked each other and decided to camp together. The rest day in town was wonderful. Erwin was the first real town with stores I had seen in over a month. Hot Springs had only a small convenience store – a gas station type- that sold only beer, snacks, soda and stuff. Hiwassee was the last town I was in. Erwin had Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Food Lion, but no Wal-Mart. I spent the night at Uncle Johnny’s Hiker’s Hostel with about 20 other hikers. I called Cousin Sonny, Pat, Patrick and Bruce. I had a lot of fresh fruit and veggies, a half-pound hamburger and pizza. My pack must weigh almost 50 pounds now as I am carrying fresh oranges and apples as well as an eight-day food supply. That is far too much for someone who is hoping to meet relatives in four days. It’s just when I got to the Food Lion, I couldn’t resist the prices. I felt I wasn’t getting enough protein so I bought tuna, sardines, dry cheese and I mix it with powdered milk in my Lipton dinners. I also have a lot of peanut butter, gorp, and bagels to give me the fat, carbo and protein I need – 6000 calories a day they say.
We have a nice campfire going and rain is expected. There is no water supply at this campsite so we have to watch our water in the morning. More tomorrow.
May 17th – Just a flat place on the AT –campsite – 355 miles from Springer Mt.
I walked until dark trying to find a flat spot to set up my tent. I am trying to get to Elk Park by Saturday. I have to climb Roan Mtn, the last 6000 footer until Mt. Washington in N.H. I am camping alone tonight. I set up my tent and cooked supper by headlamp. I had chedder and broccoli and rice with a can of sardines thrown in. This is different but nourishing. I just hung my food bag from a tree so the bears won’t get it and I am going to sleep. I am going to start up Roan tomorrow. The sky was pink tonight and the moon is full. I sleep with my boots in the tent so the animals don’t get them. They stink.
May 18th – Ash Gap- 367 miles from Springer
Ash Gap is within 1000-1200 feet of the summit of the 6300-ft. Roan Mt. Roan is the last 6000 footer until Mt. Washington. I should be over the top before noon tomorrow. The radio says rain tomorrow, but the sky is clear now. Roan is a very tough climb compared to Bigelow in Maine – the Firewarden’s trail goes up 1000 ft. in one mile. Roan goes up 1500 ft. in a mile and a half to Ash Gap. Tomorrow it goes up another 1000 feet in just a mile. I got the tent set up at dark again and cooked and am writing by headlamp. I feel very secure in my little Mt. Hardware tent. The wind is blowing very hard at 5,500 feet and I am comfortable in the tent. I am camped alone for the second night. A lot of the hikers went to?
I have a campfire, but wish I didn’t. The wind must be blowing 40 MPH and it isn’t safe. I’ll let it burn out. Today I saw another partridge and grouse as they call them here, did the broken wing trick to get me away from her nest. It felt like home. I see a lot of snakes on the trail, but no Rattlesnakes yet. The snakes are more afraid of me than me of them. Tomorrow is along day and I have to get 10-14 miles over the mountain so I better get some sleep.
May 20th – Morning
I am sitting beside the highway waiting for my cousin Sonny and my brother Bruce and whoever else will come. Last night I spent at Doll Flats Campsite with the Creedmore Baptist Hiking Club from the Raleigh, N.C. area. A group of about ten men hike together for long weekends a couple of times a year. I covered quite a few miles yesterday. I started below Roan Mountain the last 6000 footer until N.H. I hiked over Roan, Grassy Ridge, Jane Bald, and Little Hump. I got to the valley between Little Hump and Big Hump and it was only 6:30 so even though I decided to camp there I pushed on and climbed Big Hump – 5800 feet. Once I got over Big Hump, I had two miles to go to get to the Doll Flats camping area and only an hour to make it. I almost ran, as there was no place to set up my tent on the narrow trail after Big Hump. It was almost dark and I could smell the fire and hear the voices of the Creedmore Baptist men. Best sound I ever heard. The men were as happy to talk to a thru- hiker as I was happy to see them. I had a wonderful evening with them and hey shared their breakfast with me this morning.
May 20th – Evening – 383 miles from Springer Mt.
After weeks on the trail, I hate the sounds of town. Sonny, my father, brother Bruce and nephew Brandon met me at noon at the trail crossing. We couldn’t find a store with a replacement filter for my Pur-One water filter so I ended up getting a Sweetwater filter. I will send the Pur filter home. Pat can get a replacement filter from Michael and I will send for it when I need it. We went to Blowing Rock, N.C., a tourist town, to find an outfitter. We had a nice lunch together. Then we went shopping and I got a few necessary groceries and Bruce, Sonny and Brandon hit the “Gap” and some other stores. Sonny showed us the towns. I did a needed wash and recharged my city batteries with my first trip to Wal-Mart in over five weeks. It’s getting so that after six weeks on the trail, I can’t stand the city noises and crowds.
The real big southern mountains are now behind me and in seven or eight days I will be in Virginia. Tonight is my last night in North Carolina as the trail cuts into Tennessee. It does not seem possible, but I have walked the length of N.C. We went to a steak house for supper. I am ready to hit the trail tomorrow. My batteries a recharged, I am clean and ready to go.
May 21st – Sunday – Laurel Fork Creek
A small campsite about nine miles out of Elk Creek. Again writing by candlelight and campfire. Sonny, Bruce, My father and Brandon dropped me at the trail about 11:08 a.m. We had a big breakfast at a place that sits on the county line of three counties. Brother Bruce and Brandon stayed with Cousin Sonny at his camp, but Sonny paid for a motel for Dad and I. He has no water at his cabin right now and knew I needed a shower. After breakfast Sonny took me to see Lyndon Gorge – a 1500-Foot deep gorge but it was too foggy. I did not sleep well last night. I am not use to caffeine after 6 weeks without it and I had tea with my dinner and a diet coke in the evening. Also even though we were in a small town I am not used to the traffic sounds and trains.
I saw two wild turkeys, and a buck deer today. As soon as I put on my pack and started up the trail it started to rain and it pretty much kept up all day. I have not seen another thru hiker in over two days. Most of them went to Damascus to the Big Hiker party. About 2:00 p.m. the thunder and lighting started and I was near a road so I went on to the porch of the Buck Mountain Baptist Church to get out of the rain. It was very wet setting up my ten, but I got it done and nothing got very wet. The rain stopped long enough to cook supper and I found enough dry wood to start a little fire. My tent is three feet from the bank of a beautiful stream so I hope the sound of water will help me to sleep tonight. I got stopped early enough tonight so I didn’t have to rush everything.
Well, North Carolina is now behind me – two states down – only 12 to go. Virginia is the longest state to cross. Something like 30% of the trail is in Virginia. I can tell I am in Tennessee by the beautiful houses. The trail went through two farmers’ fields today. One was full of cows and I mooed them as I went through. About a mile up the mountain the next field had beautiful thoroughbred horses. I would guess they were racehorses. They let me pass right next to them and I got a nice picture of two of them together in the rain. Well the rain started again so I am going to duck into my tent to keep dry. I hope tomorrow is a better day. Today the trail was full of slippery mud and wet roots. I fell a couple of times in steep places, but the Leiki hiking poles help. I worry when I don’t see other hikers for a whole day – what if I broke a leg. Well, I’ll worry about it if it happens.
May 22, 2000 – Laurel Creek Lodge -- 401 miles from Springer
Good day today, dark cold and wet this morning. Took my tent down at 6:30 by headlamp and packed it wet. Stayed cold during the day so hiking was comfortable. Before White Rock Mountain I saw a wild turkey. The sun came out this afternoon but the trail stayed muddy most of the day. When I got to the Dennis Cove road there was a note on the sign as I came out of the woods. My friends Franz and Ana had rented a cabin at Laurel Creek Lodge and invited me to join them. I was happy to see them and had a great meal. A lot of other friends of mine were here. Word travels fast on the trail and they knew I was "coming in."
Ana had decided to quit the trail, but is going to get Franz’s Bronco and follow him and support him all the way to Maine. She wants to continue the trip, but just isn’t going to hike.
Damascus is 57 miles away but this is Memorial weekend and if I don’t get there by noon Saturday I don’t get my packing ‘til Tuesday morning. I may take my time and try to arrive Monday. I don’t think I can make 57 miles in four days. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Twelve miles today took a lot of work, some days are easier then others.
May 24th –
Did not do a journal entry last night. Has been solid rain for last three days and is suppose to rain through weekend. Dennis – at Laurel Fork Lodge gave Franz and Ana and I a great break. With all the rain he offered to shuttle us up the trail 13 miles yesterday so we could walk back and stay in a dry place. We agreed it was great. This morning he had to go to Damascus Virginia, so he offered to give us a ride 16 miles beyond where we started yesterday and pick us up on the way home. So I hiked 16 miles today and still slept in a dry place. Tomorrow we go to where we started today and we plan to hike the 22 miles into Damascus and be there Thursday night. I put more miles on – in tough territory than I ever have –29 miles plus in two days. The 22 miles one day will be a challenge. I did better than three-mph today and that is outstanding hiking speed.
Today I passed a small pond beside the trail and it was full of pollywogs. It made me think the peepers must be out at home. The rhododendron -- are out now -- bright pink and beautiful. The flower trees are beautiful, but far from their peak. I saw Michael’s friend Christine -- a/k/a Fennel -- and took a picture together to send home. Now that Damascus is over, the thru hikers are back on the trail. I think I saw everyone I knew today. Wow – Damascus tomorrow with any luck.
May 26th – Early morning – Methodist hosted in Damascus, VA.
Hiked with a very light pack 23 miles into Damascus, VA. Dennis from Laurel Creek brought a lot of my heavy stuff in so I was able to make a lot of miles. Damascus is 457 miles from Springer. Now I have Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee behind me, but Virginia is the longest State. Franz and Ana rented a room at the "White House" but I stayed at the place – The Methodist Hostel – the Hostel has places for 35 hikers, but was full with a large number on the floor. I know most of the hikers and it is good to see old friend like "Just Plain Dave" and "Mr. Pringley" who I haven’t seen for weeks. Had a pizza last night – tried the "Linda and Carol Jones" special – pineapple and ham – it was good. Today I will actually try to take a zero miles day – last time I tried it was Fountain Day but I couldn’t resist a hike, a mile and 1/2 that day. Today I will try not to even put on my gear. I hope to rest – go to the Post Office and recharge my batteries. Mike friend’s Fennel is also here. It is nice to catch up to everyone. A lot of hikers skipped anywhere from 30 to 90 miles to get here last week for "trail days" and don’t plan to make the miles up. I am sticking to my plan of hiking every mile of the AT – finish this year or next – and not skip an inch. I plan to try a new pack today. The LL Bean Mount Washington Pack is not meant for long distance hiking – no matter what the salesman said. The straps loosen up and with over 40 lbs., it is very uncomfortable – of the 10 to 12 that I saw start the trail, I am the only person still hiking with one. Their (?) jacket isn’t much better. The pants are great, but I have had 29 cents sponges from Wal-Mart that repel more water than the LL Bean Lite stuff.
Yesterday Franz and I hiked in a brutal rain in the morning. Rain, hail, lighting – but we hiked without our rain gear, as it was warm. The sun came out in the afternoon and by 4:30 everything we had on dried out. Ana did not hike yesterday, but got a ride into Damascus and met us here. She wasn’t feeling well and the day off was good for her. Well I’ll write more tonight.
May 28th - Memorial Day Sunday – 6:15 a.m. Saunder Shelter.
Franz wants to meet his brother in Damascus today so we got a ride 25 or so miles North of Damascus to the WhiteTop Mountain Road. AT intersection and hiked south back toward Damascus. Ana stayed in town. We planned to camp at a stream the data book said was about 13 miles from Whitetop. The data book was wrong – there was no stream -- and no campsite. About 5:00 a thunderstorm hit with all its fury. Franz had made it to the Saunder Shelter, but I was still two miles out. Rain – I got soaked – thunder – lighting – scared to death. I got soaked -- rain hit before I got my gear on to make matters worse. I left my headlamp at the Hostel in Damascus by mistake – but I am going back today.
Franz tried to use my new water filter and it wouldn’t work. I think he pumped too fast and it clogged. So I went to bed, wet -- thirsty and miserable. Woke up at 6:00 – first light and could write my journal. Today we hiked 10 miles into Damascus. Will try to find my headlamp and get my filter fixed. To save weight I sent the instructions home with the receipt – stupid. I think what is wrong is an easy fix. The outfitter doesn’t open till noon. We will meet Franz’s brother today, he will give us a ride to Whitetop Mountain where we stayed South yesterday and we will go on north over Mt. Rogers – today.
Ate supper with no light – in the dark last night. Conditions couldn’t get any worse – so I know today will be a better day. Franz is up and I guess wet clothes and all we will load into Damascus.
May 28th – Evening – Arrived Damascus about 1:30 – 2:00.
Franz spent time with Ana and his brother so we will catch a ride back to Whitetop Mountain at 6:30 tomorrow. My headlamp was still on the bedpost of the bunk I slept in two nights ago and Mt. Rogers Outfitters fixed my filter. I will send it home and get my purifier next chance I get. Bruce still hasn’t sent it to Pat yet. I miss Mt. Vernon tonight – Car Show – Garage Sale – and Memorial Day Parade. I hope I can run for selectmen again when this hike ends. It’s raining hard, but I am in the Methodist Hostel – hope it ends in the morning. Had a great pizza for supper. Will crack the 500-mile mark in a day or so and be over Mt. Rogers. I wish it was all down hill in cool dry weather, but I guess you can’t have everything.
May 29th – Wise Shelter – 486.3 miles from Springer.
Just climbed over Mt. Rogers. According to the powers that be, we can send our winter gear home. It was 40° on top today, some rain. Today we had rain, fog and miserable weather. We have only had two good day’s weatherwise in the last 15. Rain – Fog – Cold – seems to be the order of the day and we have had some awful southern thunderstorms with rain – snow -- hail and lightning. Today at Mt. Rogers we saw the "wild" feral ponies that have lived there for years. They were put there to keep the grass down and have lived wild ever since.
Today I met Rascal from Kansas. Amazing – he is one of the two thru hikers that gave me my trail name two years ago. His friend Norman actually called me "Moxie" First, this year both are back on the trail -- Norman is 10 – 20 days ahead of us. We were both amazed when we discovered who each other was. It is freezing tonight and I am going to put on my long underwear. Getting dark.
May 31st – Camped last night at Hurricane Campground – 500 miles from Springer
Yes, I have now walked 500 miles with a pack on my back – not bad for a 61 year old (soon to be 62) who spent the last 14 years at a desk.
So far I love Virginia. Yesterday was only the third day in the last 16 with no rain or fog – actually cold -- 55° - 65°. I saw two deer first thing in the morning and got a picture of one real close. Mt. Rogers had the last open mountain vista until we reach Mt. Moosilauka in New Hampshire. So now we enter the long green tunnel for the next 1000 or so miles. Hiked about 14 miles yesterday over difficult terrain, but today the land is a little flatter and the weather is suppose to be beautiful for a change.
Franz got in ahead of me last night and got the fire going. We were the only thru hikers at the campsite except for Slingblade from Georgia and his friend Dandy-Lion from Illinois. The rest of us are a little spread out. I enjoy hiking with Franz – he is a retired Master Sargent from the Special Forces and a fast hiker. I am picking up my speed just keeping up with him. – 7:00 a.m. – time to pack up and hit the trail.
May 3lst – Pastineship Shelter – 516.9 Miles from Springer
Wow, 516.9 miles –Did 17 miles to get here – real long day – this shelter is only one on AT with a pay phone, a shower and running water. Pizza Hut had a large pepperoni waiting when I got here. I paid Arrow in advance so she ordered the pizza so it was here when I got in at 8:0 a.m. Called Pat from the pay phone. Burley Knasley (SP) from Portsmouth, N.H., are here as well as Seaweed Sally, and her brother Monkey Boy from Boston as well as Franz and I and about six other thru hikers. I am writing my journal at 11:45 cause someone sent out for beer and all the young hikers are drinking beer and telling lies. I can’t get to sleep. Tomorrow we go to Atkins, Virginia and get some needed supplies. Gonna try to get some sleep soon. Saw my first rattlesnake today. A small one that was curled up at my feet as I was taking a break. I flipped it into a road with my Leiki and it crawled away. It was funny, it struck at my Leiki. Also saw about six deer today. Arrow saw a black snake about six feet long eat a baby bird. A lot of wild life on the trail. Only third day in last 16 without rain and suppose to be nice tomorrow too. We are getting spoiled by the good weather. Night all.
June lst – Atkins, Virginia – Village Motel – about 529 miles from Springer.
Hot day today, no rain for just two days and all the streams are drying up. We planned to come into Atkins just to use the phone, re-supply, have a quick bite and go on to Davis Path Shelter, but the sun and heat was awful and with five of us sharing a $40.00 a night motel it seemed a good idea to stay. Called son Michael, first time we had talked since Easter. It was wonderful to talk to him and he was very supportive of my hiking. Not much to report hiking today – no deer- no rattlesnakes – just a 13 or 14 mile hot walk over a couple of 3500 – 4000 foot mountain. In Virginia we are walking a lot in hay fields and some fields with cows and horses. The rhododendrons are just spectacular pink all along the trial and getting better. The mountain laurel is also in bloom, but a lot of the ground flowers are going past. More mountain to climb tomorrow – anxious to get to Pearisburg in a week or so and get my mail. Love mail from home and friends. I can’t answer the mail I get along the trail, but please everyone – I love the mail – keep writing.
June 2nd – Camping at Crawfish Crap – a campground about 10 miles North of Atkins.
Could have gone further but Franz was tired and it is 10 miles to next shelter and about five to next water so we stopped early. It was hotter than I can stand today, but I will get used to it. The last thing we did when we left Atkins was stop at a Dairy Queen for a cone. Atkins is a truck stop- town on Interstate 81 and we all commented on how bad the diesel and gas fumes were and were anxious to get into the woods away from the smell and noise. Tomorrow we hope to get up early and do 14 – 16 miles. We want to get out before the heat – most of the rest of the crew we’ve been hiking with have moved along but we hope to catch up. Water is getting scarce. No rain the last three days, but this is a part of the trail with almost no springs or streams so we have to be careful how much water we use. Last night I washed my sleeping bag for the first time. It was starting to smell like a goat farm at breeding time. It costs about $6.00 to dry it at $1.75 for ½ hour, but about 11:00 it was dry. We have a nice campfire tonight and I am going to try to go to sleep at dark tonight and be on the trail shortly after sunrise.
June 3rd – only did about 12 hard miles today.
Several open fields with cows and a lot of sun. Camping at a place called Lick Creek (SP). It is as beautiful a spot as there is on the AT. There is a beautiful flat soft place to camp with a beautiful bridge going across a mountain trout stream. The trout are jumping and we have a fire going. Franz – Amtrack, and his dog Hayden and I are here. The strange thing is this beautiful site is not listed as a campsite in the Data Book, The Companion, or any of the maps. Three whole days without rain – but the heat is unreal. Getting dark. Tonight we are camping about 1000 feel above sea level and in the morning we climb 4500 foot Chestnut Mountain and it is one steep mountain. We are going to try to do 17 miles tomorrow and it is a very tough goal considering we start with a 3500 foot steep climb.
June 5th
Horrible day yesterday, rocks, roots, rain – got to Jenkins Shelter 561.3 miles from Springer at 8:30 – dark and raining. Ate quick supper and fell into bed. A huge mob here. Recycled Teenager, Tex, Rhode Bill, a bunch of weekenders. No one had a good day yesterday. Today will be better. We are going to shoot for 14 miles today. Yesterday saw a huge blackracer snake. It stuck his tail in dry leave and rattled just like a rattlesnake. I read they do that, but couldn’t believe it. One fellow claimed he saw 8 copperheads over the same tail I just came over. I did see some snakes but couldn’t tell what they were. A lot of (?). I have been living out of doors now for two months tomorrow. I sleep on the ground, live in all weather and am starting to get a real (?) for the animals. Well all I can say is – hope today is a better day.
June 5th -- Evening – Helvey’s Mill Shelter – 575.6 miles from Springer.
Excellent day today, trail was good – was at the shelter by 6:15 and Franz went to town and had two hamburgers and a diet coke waiting for me. Unbelievable, of course, we had our afternoon thunderstorm, about two hours of hard rain but the lightning never got too close to me. Muddy trail, but the trail was fairly easy. The last thing I had to do was climb about 2000 feet to a shelter. The shelter is ¼ mile off the AT. And the water was ½ mile downhill from the shelter. Amtrack, Franz, 30 Seconds, Hokey Flash, and a southbound named BJ Bear are here tonight. No snakes today, but I did see a partridge. Plan to make Pearisburg by Thursday night or Friday morning.
June 6th Evening
Trail in poor condition today. Overgrown, not well marked and rough. A lot of logs across trail. Trail in Virginia maintained by different clubs. The Virginia Tech Outing Club maintained one of the most beautiful trails on the walk. But the last five or six miles today are maintained by the Roanoak Virginia A.T.C., and I don’t think they have been near it in years. We are camped near Kimberling Creek – 590 miles from Springer next to a very muddy river. There is a little store about 8/10th of a mile from our campsite on a State road and Franz went up for pizza and a coke. Franz is amazing. We made almost 17 miles today over rough country and bad trails and hope to be in Pearisburg by Thursday night. Tomorrow we only plan to do 15 –16 miles over a hard mountain. The miles get longer, but the hiking gets no easier. Yesterday at road crossing a youth group from a local Methodist Church left a huge box of orange and fruit juices – Spam –corn chips and other goodies out for the hikers. It was a wonderful thing to do. I left a thank you note on the box – When your spirits are down it is a great thing to do. Thank you.
A screw came out of my good glasses yesterday and I am glad I have another pair with me. I hope there is an eye doctor in Pearisburg so I can get my good one fixed. Also I lost my Aardvark Outfitters hat when the safety pin on the back of my pack let go yesterday. I had the hat hanging there to dry after a rainstorm. Everyone knows my hat and my name is in it so I hope another north bounder will pick it up and bring it along to me. Franz, Amtrak, and a south bounder called Fallen Tree are at this campsite. Just Plain Dave hiked with us, but went on ahead a mile or so.
June 8th – morning – Wood Hole Hostel – 601 Miles from Springer.
Wood Hole is a hostel ½ mile off trail. 601 miles from Springer. Tilly Woods – the widow of the Assistant Secretary of the Interior under President Carter runs this wonderful hostel. She charges nothing to stay here. Has a refrigerator full of soda and candy bars at 50 cents each on the honor system and serves a killer breakfast for $3.50 to the first eight hikers that sign up. I plan on making a contribution of more then $3.50. I used her phone to call home. She is a wonderful person. There is a solar shower for the hikers, but I got in after the sun went down. Today we hit Pearisburg, but it will be evening before I get to town so mail will have to wait until Friday.
Some observations – I haven’t watched TV for two months. I have lived in the woods for two months and walked every day. I haven’t had cotton blue jeans on, cotton t-shirts since April 6th. The only newspaper I have read was a week old one, one left in a shelter. I weighed 217 on the J.S McCarthy scale my last day at work and today I weight 182. None of my clothes fit me. I think my waist is 32 or 34, it was 38 or 40 when I started. I don’t know how the Stanley Cup is going, the Red Sox are doing or what’s happening with any sports team and the strange thing is I don’t care. I do have a radio, but never listen to the news – and radio news is no good anyway. I have walked in snow, rain, hail, thunder, lightning, heat and on occasion good weather. Yesterday was the exception – good weather. I like the trial, I miss home and family.
June 8th – Pearisburg, Virginia – 615 miles from Springer.
Arrived town at 6:30 – Post Office closes at 4:30 so will go tomorrow – opens at 8:00 a.m. and post office is one mile from motel. I could hear train whistle 10 miles out of town and as I got closer, traffic sounds were loud. Today I saw a wild goat on the mountain above Pearisburg and took pictures of it. It looked like a mountain goat, but the local animal control officers suspected it was an escaped farm goat that had been out a few years. He jumped around the rocks just like the wild goats I saw in the Grand Canyon. Had dinner at an Italian Restaurant with Franz, Rhode Bill, Amtrack, and Tex – a fellow we’ve been hiking with on and off since Atkins. Can’t wait to get my mail tomorrow.
June 10th – Campsite – About 624 miles from Springer.
Left Pearisburg was spread out over seven miles, but I got a lot done in my zero day. Got my glasses fixed, got my package from home that was forwarded from Hot Springs. Pat, Kevin Belz from J.S. McCarthy, and Patrick all sent me some well appreciated money, as the local ATM machine only would issue $20.00. Had Italian Food one night and Chinese the other. Took two showers and got my laundry done. Town days are a wonderful break. This morning I got up at 6:00 a.m., had breakfast and hit the trail. Only did about 10 miles, and am camping with Franz and Amtrack. There were some great views from the mountain today and the trail runs along the Virginia – West Virginia border. So I have now hit my fifth state on the AT. Every time we visit a town it is deep in a river valley with a railroad. Every time we leave town it always seems to mean a 3500 foot climb. First you no longer hear the traffic and the local factory. When you get 10 miles out of town you can still hear the train. This morning I passed a huge factory with a lot of smoke and fumes. I asked a local what they made there and he said "Cigarette Filters." I could not believe it. There must have been 400 cars in the parking lot—all making cigarette filters. Lady Kat and Nomad just walked into camp and set up with us.
Tomorrow we are only going to do 10 miles because Franz is going to meet Ana on Thursday on a road crossing about 70 miles from here so we don’t want to get ahead of their schedule. More tomorrow.
June 11th – Pine Swamp Branch Shelter – 634.8 miles North of Springer. .
About 20 people here tonight. One woman here is from St. John New Brunswick, and used to teach at MCI, small world. Today we hiked 10 – 12 miles in 90° heat. It was wicked as there was no water at all. It is also interesting that the trail went through a corner of West Virginia. I thought the trail only went into West Virginia at Harpos Ferry, but today it was on the border for about 10 miles. At least the town sounds have all vanished. We are miles from the nearest road. My knee started hurting this afternoon, but three Advil made it better. Today I was walking through a meadow high on a mountain and three deer just trotted across the meadow in front of me. A fairly large snake also passed me on the trail going South – and I was going North – we just ignored each other. He was going to fast, I couldn’t tell if he was a rattlesnake or not.
I’ve had a problem with losing stuff lately. I lost my Aardvark Hat and Pooh Bear recognized it and brought it up the trail to me. I left my stove and Amtrack brought it along. And my cup – I left at a shelter was returned by Snuffer. Trail people are great – I found a Swiss Army Knife and am trying to find out who lost it. This shelter only holds six people and there are about 20 here, but most of them will tent out.
Well, with West Virginia I have now hiked in five States, but we will not see West Virginia again for 150 or 200 more miles. The Adventure continues.
June 12 – Warsaw (?) Shelter – 647.9 miles from Springer.
Very hard hike today. Franz and I are only ones at shelter. Don’t know where the rest of the mob we were with dispersed to. One fellow went to the Doctor with shin splints. Two went past this shelter and the rest hadn’t caught up by dark so they must be camped back up the trail. Today’s hike was all uphill for about 13 miles -- some very steep and then a sharp downhill the last mile or mile and ½. Saw a lot of game today. First I saw several deer. I think I’ve been out of doors so long that the deer think I am one of them. One deer started to run off with her tail up and when I whistled she came back and started feeding. Then I saw a covey of quail at over 4000 feet elevation. I think of quail as lowland birds and was surprised to see them so high in the mountain. My last sighting was a baby bear, I heard it crying for its mother just off the trail. When it saw me it ran. I got out of there before mother bear came back. I kept looking behind me for mama bear the next mile. Got to the shelter at dark and cooked with headlamp, going to bed now – tired.
June 14 – Morning.
Didn’t do log last night. Camped, ate, no water spot on top of Sinking Creek Mountain. We hiked late into the evening – 90° heat, sweat, have Virginia Blues bad – no views – 90° heat, 100% humidity. Low on water – but will keep going. We were told about a camping area that didn’t exist – on a side hill. So we went on in the dark to find a level place to camp. Had to climb Sinking Creek Mountain before we found a level spot and it was a tough climb, almost straight up. Yesterday we passed a farmhouse beside the trail and the family sold cold soda and snacks to hikers to raise money to buy coolers for their kids. I had two cokes, a chocolate milk, one snickers, a banana, two oranges and ice cream bar. Didn’t need much supper last night. I bet my waist is now closer to 32 or 34 from 38 - 40 and my gut is about gone and my "love handles" are gone. It’s amazing how much weight you lose when you sweat out gallons of water a day.
June 14th – Evening – Niday Shelter – 666 miles from Springer.
Franz and I only did about 10 miles today as he is meeting Ana at a road crossing tomorrow only about 10 – 11 miles past here. Today we hiked along Sinking Creek Mountain Ridge. The Ridge is on the Eastern Continental Divide – all water that falls on the West side flow into the Gulf of Mexico and everything that falls on the East flows into the James River and the Atlantic. When we stopped for lunch three female goats came out of the woods. They must be escaped pets. One was a French Alpine and the other two were Nubians with the floppy ears. They were very tame and licked the salt off our legs and begged for food. After lunch Franz gave them some crackers. This afternoon we had a thunderstorm, but while it rained on us the Lightning never got close enough to be a threat, so we kept hiking and never bothered to find shelter. When we got to the shelter, Monkey Boy, Be-Bop and The Wild Man were here seeking shelter from the storm, but when it ended they decided to move along. I may get Ana to give me an early ride to Troutdale so I can pick up my package from Michael. The shorts I am hiking in were a 38 inch waist which is about what I started with, but my waist is now about 32, and my shorts fall right off me when I take my belt off. The Nursery School rest pad I bought for $4.98 is also getting pretty flat. I need a shower, and a phone pretty bad.
June 15th – Early Morning.
My old friend Naomi came walking into camp just before dark. Cooked supper in the dark. It was great to see her. Franz, she and I were the only ones in the shelter last night. I found out Jen – one of the hikers I was with just two days ago – dropped off the trail yesterday. The Virginia Blues -- caused by the heat and lack of views as well as very hard hiking in Central Virginia is getting rid of a lot of hikers. Well, 10 miles – we meet Ana –get to town. I think tomorrow will be a zero day. Wicked thunderstorms yesterday and last night.
June 15th – Evening.
Ana met Franz at 5:00 this evening and we all came to Troutdale to get my package from Mike. We grabbed a motel and all piled into one room sharing the costs. Had a wonderful dinner at the Homeplace Restaurant – a wonderful place in Catalina that serves all-you-can-eat family dinners for $11.00 per person. A lot of hikers ate together – there was Franz and Ana – Naomi (now has trail name Paisley) – Arrow – Wildman – Seaweed Sally and her brother Monkey Boy from Boston, Mac-A-Moose and his girlfriend Diane from Everett, Massachusetts and Schick (Adam Pelletier) from New Hampshire. The hikers have a great bond – it is sort of an extended family. We also saw Amtrack—and his dog Hayden and Lady Kat. I hope we all can stay together even though Franz and I have some catching up to do.
Mike’s box was wonderful. He sent me a great sleeping pad – a new Aardvark Hat (the visor is coming off my old one), some great dinners and a pair of shorts with a 32 inch waist that I can get into. When I left Maine my waist was 38 -- 40 and I weighed 217. Now I weight about 180 and my waist is 32 – 34 and expected to get smaller once warmer weather gets here. Called home and talked with Pat. God I miss home and family. Everyone has the Virginia Blues, but talking to home makes me feel better. It is a very long walk, this Appalachian Trail, and at one to two miles per hour, depending on the difficulty of the trail it seems it will take forever to get home.
June 16th – Friday.
A zero day in Troutdale. Got terrible news today. My good friend "Just Plain Dave" – Dave Carter blew out his left knee and has to leave the trail – Doctor’s Orders. He can’t walk for two weeks so he has given up his thru hike. He will go home to New Hampshire and rest. When he is Ok – in two or three weeks –he will go to Hanover, NH and try to hike to Maine with his son. He will not have time do a thru hike this year. We all went over and said goodbye to him. He is going to get back to New England with Rhode Bill’s wife who is visiting him. Went to Roanoke to a huge Walmart today and to an outfitters. Naomi – Arrow – and I are sharing a room. Have enough food for two weeks. A lot to carry, but I will be traveling light with Franz for a few days so most of the food will be in the car with Ana. My lunch is packed for tomorrow.
Town meeting is tomorrow – so tonight is my last night as a selectman -- at least for now -- who knows what the future will bring. I appreciate what Karen and Bruce did in my absence. After tomorrow night I will not be a public servant for the first time in many years. I have very mixed feelings. God – I will miss town meetings – can’t wait till I get back to raise some heck.
June 19th – Troutdale.
Didn’t do a report last two nights. Did 13 heard miles to Catalinia two days ago. Hiked with Franz and Paisley (aka – Naomi) – got in at dark and set up our tents in a Thunderstorm. Used my new pad and loved it. Comfortable sleep again. Yesterday, I did 20 miles over McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs – very –very hard hiking and for the first time I got in well after dark. Franz and Ana grabbed a motel room so I slept in a bed last night. Today is our last day together. Franz is going to slack pad to Maine and try to finish by August. I am going to do it the old fashion way. Well, last night about 6:30 I passed 700 miles -–1/3 of the trip is behind me.
June 19th – Evening.
In a field on the Blue ridge Parkway, hiked about 14 miles today from Troutville to Blade House Camp. Hiked with "Pat from Maine" – her trail name. She is actually from Richmond. I am camping with Franz and Ana and tomorrow we go out separate ways. I will hike alone tomorrow but I have a lot of friends out there. Unfortunately, about six people have left the trail this week. I had a funny thing happen the other day when Paisley and I combed Dragons Tooth –before Catawaba. We came across three day hikers from Virginia Tec – one man and two women. One of the women was hiking topless, -- we exchanged minor conversation about the trail and then went on our way.
That night we camped on the lawn of the Home Place Restaurant. We had dinner there – all you can eat family style and they let thru hikers camp on the lawn after they close. Nice meal – nice night. We are now on rain pattern. Yesterday, I hiked all afternoon with sheets of rain coming down. It rained all morning – steady -- sun came out for a couple of hours around noon and at 5:00 the skies opened up so I had to set-up my tent in the rain. According to the weather, we can expect rain for the next four days – the joy of thru hiking.
June 20th – Morning.
Wet tent, soaking boots, wet socks – three or four days of off and on rain to come. Still in bed at 6:15 -- will get up -- pack -- say goodbye to Franz and Ana and hope the sun comes out for a while.
June 20th – Evening – Jennings Brook – 734 Miles from Springer.
I really am 1/3 done my hike. Today was weird day – Franz and Ana didn’t get up until almost 8:00 a.m. and my stuff was loaded in their truck so I couldn’t really get packed. It was raining when I took the tent down, but it got sunny late, but I packed a wet tent, said goodbye at about 9:15 when they let me off at Black Horse Camp where I quit yesterday. I hadn’t walked 100 feet when I realized they still had my camera. I knew they would find a way to get it to me, but what if they didn’t find it for a several days. I hiked about three miles, the trail goes near the Blue Ridge Parkway – when a woman stopped me in a parking lot at an overlook, she asked if I was a thru hiker, and when she found I was asked to take pictures of me and her kids. Then she had pictures taken of me and her, then she gave me two cokes and a can of Ensure – a high calorie liquid drink. She told me to take it for lunch. I then walked along the trail and a man stopped me – he was interested in long distance hiking. His name was Phil Cooper and he was on vacation from Oregon.
When I told him about my camera he had me hop in his car and we went looking for Ana who was suppose to be biking about 10 miles north of US. We found her – I got my camera back – and he gave me a ride back to the exact spot I left the trail. Next as I was walking through the woods a beagle dog came up and started hiking with me – I couldn’t get rid of him. He hiked five miles with me to Jennings Creek. I got here at 6:30 – took a swim – washed my hair and my socks – shaved and cooked supper, rice, broccoli and tuna.
And then hiker came along but decided not to stay. I had named the dog Wingfoot and when the other hiker left Wingfoot went with him, so now I am alone at this beautiful campsite. Me, a Whip-O-Will and about 20 bull frogs. My tent is up – my food bag is hung from a tree – Wingfoot isn’t here to protect me as he went with the other hiker. No doubt he will be in Maine by September – hope someone feeds him. I miss Franz and Ana, but it is also nice to keep my own schedule again. In the last month we’ve had to all adjust our hiking speeds to end up at the same place at the end of the day and for me it often meant hiking ‘til dark. Now I can start and finish as I please and not feel pressure to get to a certain spot. It’s dark – my headlamp is drawing mosquitoes – so I am going to shut it off – get in the tent and sleep. We are suppose to get wicked thunderstorms after midnight.
June 21st – Cornelius Creek Shelter – 742.4 miles from Springer.
Today was Pat’s birthday and I was especially homesick all day. Didn’t get the rain we expected last night, but I can hear thunder in the distance tonight. Today was also the longest day. That is "Hike Naked Day" no one in the area saw a naked hiker. I only did 10 miles today. All up a 3500 foot mountain from less than 1000 feet at Jennings Creek and the trail was rocky and not good. Tomorrow I have my last 4500 foot mountain ‘til New Hampshire, but I will only go down 500 feet from here. Then up 1500. Tonight Rene Buteni (SP) from Pittsburg, NH and I are the only ones at this shelter, but it still light so people may still come in. Rene’s trail name is Papillion. He and I have been together on and off since Georgia. Today I saw a box turtle – not much else. The Beagle – "Wingfoot" who hiked with me last night is now missing. Hope he is OK.
Marble Springs Campsite – Approximately 755 miles from Springer.
I felt much better today. I see things that remind me of home and yesterday was especially bad. I saw a humming bird – wild roses – and lots of wild blueberries that are out in Virginia. I was depressed all day. Today I started in a steady rain, but my morale was better. Hiked 13 miles today and could have done more, but a nice crowd was at the campsite – and it is 4 ½ miles to the next shelter. I wasn’t so homesick – climbed a 4500 footer – I think it maybe the last 4500 ‘til the White Mountains. The sun came out later, and it was actually a nice day. I hope to get more miles tomorrow.
June 23rd – Morning.
A big gang came into camp about dark – "Seaweed Sally" "Monkey Boy", "Boom Box", Pepper Head", Fun Gal". Got word, Naomi – "Paisley" was forced off trail with bad ankles. A group started at Springer – Just Plain Dave, Paisley, Tina and Jan and I. We hiked for weeks – now I am the only one left.
June 23rd – Night. -- John’s Hollow Shelter 764.8 miles from Springer.
Staying with "Pepperhead" (from Bar Harbor) "Fun Gal" "Otto" "Brother" and "Stew". We all chipped in and Brother went to town and bought Hot Dog’s and Marshmallows. No rain today – but a grand new snake story. I was walking along and saw a snake laying on the trail. I thought it was dead as it was flat. I touched it with my pole and it puffed up and I realized it was a Copperhead. It did not try to strike me so I tapped near it with my pole and it crawled off the trail.
The Virginia heat is unbearable. Today, it was 90° all day with high humidity. I can only make about 10 –12 miles a day when it is that hot. It’s dark now and a whole bunch of hikers are coming in. Little Bit just arrived and said there are nine people behind her. Tomorrow is a very hard climb. From 500 feet up and over two 4200 foot mountains. I hope it cools off. Today Brother bought me a whole bunch of Little Debbie Cakes and after I ate them it seems my hiking speed doubled. (Wildman just walked in – everyone is hiking late tonight). The "Book" says a thru hikers needs 6000 calories a day and I doubt anyone gets more than 4000, no matter how much we eat.
June 24th – Irish Creek Campsite – Approximately 780 miles from Springer.
The Heat and Humidity are unbearable. Did 13.2 miles and the hills were very hard – three climbs of several thousand feet. I need to average about 14 miles a day to get back on my original schedule and in this heat 10 is very hard on my system. During the day, the temperature is about 90° -- and the humidity is about the same. Everyone sweats like a gallery slave. Didn’t see anything spectacular today, but there were a couple of good vistas. In the South now we are past the "Balds" so all the mountain are wooded to the top so it cuts down on the views. I am five or six days out of Waynesboro where my next mail drop is. I am worried about getting Katahdin by October 15th, but I don’t plan to flip flop – (hike ½ way –then go to Maine and hike south) – a lot of hikers are flip-flopping and a lot are skipping huge section to stay on schedule. So far I am walking by every blaze and trying not to rush so fast that I can’t enjoy the trail. If I have to run over every mountain to keep my schedule I won’t (?) my hike – more tomorrow.
June 25th.
Staying at a place called Hog Camp Gap – About 13 miles up the trail. Went over two "Balds" today even though the book said they were all behind us. I met two "Trail Angles" today. "Piney" and "Mr. Williams" – they are both well known as people who help hikers. Usually you give them a small donation, but they never ask for a fee. They gave all the hikers cokes, cookies and oranges. They both offered to take part of my pack to Waynesboro so I can "slack pack" in. If I can reach a phone tomorrow I may call then. I want to rush to Waynesboro to use the phone to call home and to get my mail drop. I have been very depressed all week being away from home on our anniversary, Pat’s and my birthday. I also have to call Patrick to start making plans to meet him July 7th or 8th. I doubt I will be to Harper’s Ferry by then – it doesn’t seem possible from here unless the hiking gets easier and the weather cools off. However, if he had to drive into Virginia 50 or 60 miles it isn’t that far from Harper’s Ferry where I hope to be. I look forward to seeing him and letting him see his skinny dad. I bet I weigh less then 180 now. The heat just melts the fat right off you. Today about eight of us were caught in an open field by a major thunder storm with huge hail – one fellow had a tarp about 10 x 10 and we all got under it. This evening we can still hear thunder, but it is in the distance and there is a beautiful sunset. It is even cool tonight after the rainstorm. I am camping tonight with "Pepperhead" and his girlfriend "Fun Gal"and a married couple "Double Headed" and his wife "Tinkerbell". We are in a beautiful field near the top of a mountain and we are looking at the mountain we have to climb tomorrow. We have camped in some beautiful places the last few days. Virginia is beautiful, but it is just unbearably hot – even in the mountains.
June 27th.
I slack packed into Waynesboro – got a ride in to town with Funkey Girlfriend. More Later --
June 28th – Morning - Calf Mt. Shelter.
Hiked in a huge band (?) of Thunderstorms yesterday. Rained all day and looks like another day of same. Pouring this morning. Gonna pack up and go – everything I own is wet – shorts- socks – shirt – boots everything is soaked. They are waterproof, but rain must "(?) down my socks. It’s 8:00 a.m. and no one is awake but me. They just don’t want to face the wet. The lighting is scary, but you just hike and try to avoid big trees when the storm is near. Got a ride to the trail yesterday with Rev. Dr. Edward Piper a Unitarian Universalist minister. A wonderful man who likes to help hikers. Last night I stayed in shelter with "Bow" and "Arrow" – "No Dog" "Blue", "Screamer", "Rawhide" and Acheles" – (from Livermore Falls, Maine). More later.
June 28th – Not much to say – Black Rock Hut.
Don’t know mileage from Springer, but I am 20 miles into the park entrance. Rain – sheets of rain – last two days. We are in Shenandoah National park. There are six cold and wet hikers in this shelter. Acheles (from Livermore Falls, Maine) – his girl friend Rawhide – "Pat from Maine" (from Richmond) "Blue" and me. We all hope the sun comes out. Six people in the shelter and three are from Maine. It is very cold – I am soaked, more tomorrow.
June 29th – Pinefield Hut.
Did 13 ½ miles today. Stopped at a private campground at noon and used the clothes drier to dry out our socks. Filled up on soda, potato chips, and V8 Juice. It was raining hard when we got up so no one started ‘til about 9:30 when the rain let up. The sun came out and it never got too hot, so it was a wonderful day to hike. Tomorrow I am 62 and am on Social Security. Tomorrow is suppose to be good to. I haven’t written much in my journal because it has been so wet and I’ve been so cold at night I didn’t feel like writing. Tonight’s crew is "No Dog", "Blue", "Pat from Maine", "Acheles" – "Rawhide" and "Green" – a hiker who was ahead and we caught up with. I heard Arrow and Rhode Bill are one day behind and will catch up tomorrow. I saw six or ten deer today and got a good picture of a doe and her fawn, and another of a deer almost tame enough to walk-up to. I also saw a bunch of wild turkeys – more tomorrow.
June 30th – My 62nd Birthday.
Today was an excellent day on the trail. Made good miles this morning. Found a ride to take me to an off AT campground to call home, then made over 11 miles after 3:00 this afternoon. When I started this adventure an 11-mile- day alone was excellent. Stopped for dinner at a restaurant, and even saw a bear up close twice before dinner. I had thought they were no good campsites in Shenandoah National Park and was on my way to a shelter when I found the mother of All Camp Sites. It’s on the edge of Franklin Cliffs – North of the Big Meadows and a beautiful place. I have my food hung in a tree in case the bear follows me here. I hiked with my old friend Booley and Knarley this afternoon and we were suppose to meet at the visitors center of the park – located at the Big Meadows, but somehow we missed each other so after dinner I went on without them. From the Cliffs I walked the sunset and now I can see the lights of several towns – some as much as 30 - 40 miles away. There is a turnout for cars about 100 feet above me and I can hear the tourists talk about the gorgeous view and they have no idea I am camped 200 feet below them. I a on a wooded ledge. The AT goes over about ¼ of the way down the cliffs and I am camped about 50 feet from the edge – it is beautiful. I am amazed at the time I am starting to make. It was as good a birthday as I could have had away from home.
July lst.
They didn’t list the mileage from Springer for the Shelters In Shenandoah National park, but the logs says we are now 900 miles –doesn’t seem possible but I guess it is – coming up on 1000 real fast. I took an easy day – I want to meet Patrick in Front Royal, so tomorrow I will make a motel reservation so I will have a hard day tomorrow – 15 miles with a phone break. I am also going to try to have a restaurant meal. Blue just came into camp and tells me Pat from Maine is right behind. I will call Philadelphia and try to get word to Patrick what Motel I will be at. That is the easiest way to meet him.
July 3rd – Morning – Pass Mountain Shelter – About 915 miles from Springer.
"Blue" – "Pat from Maine" "Pooh Bear" and four section hikers were here. "Pooh" did a 26 mile day and gave us a report on those behind us and close. Pooh is going to end his hike at Harper’s Ferry as he has to go back to college. Did 15 miles yesterday, but took my time. Went to an All You Can Eat Breakfast at Skyland – then spent two hours making reservations at Front Royal. Calling home and to Patrick’s in-laws in Philadelphia. Then when I got to the Pinnacle Picnic Area "Pat from Maine" was there and a family from Maryland had "adopted" her and she yelled for me to come over. They fed us tomatoes, cucumbers, orange juice – cheese – hot dogs –unreal trail magic. We planned to stop at the Panorama for dinner, but we got there after they closed at 6:30 and so we hiked on to the shelter – another mile. We plan to stop for lunch today at Elkwallow about noon. It is weird having all this National Park Restaurant every ten miles. Got in after dark last night.
July 4th – Morning – About 925+ miles from Springer.
Arrived in the pouring rain last night about 6:30 – soaked to the skin. I slept in my wet clothes and my body heat did a pretty good job at drying them. We are at the Gravel Springs Shelter and "Pooh Bear", "Blue", "Pat from Maine" and I are the only ones here. The rain drove the section hikers back to their cars. The four of us all stopped at Elkwallow Gap Rest area for lunch. They all waited for me as I am by far the slowest hiker. It was a nice day until late afternoon so we had a nice lunch outside on a picnic table – Blackberry Shake – Hamburger, Fries and Onion Rings. Quite a treat after three months of bagels, peanut butter and Snicker Bars for lunch. The rain came about 5:00 when I was two miles from the Shelter and it is still raining. I will move on at 9:00 -- rain or no rain -- if I have to make it to Front Royal by July 15th. I may have changed my mind as I write – the rain is now coming down in sheets – as hard as I have ever seen it rain. There can’t be that much water in the sky – it has to end some time. So far in the park, I’ve seen one bear (twice – or two bears) and at least 100 deer. "Pat from Maine" saw a bobcat and three bear cubs in a tree. I am very anxious to get to a town and dry sheets and hot food.
July 4th – Evening.
(Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter) – Just out of Shenandoah National Park – last shelter before Front Royal. My latest hiker family has broken up. "Pooh Bear" and "Blue" are in Front Royal – "Pat from Maine" has gone on to the next shelter and I am here. However, Acheles and Rawhide, who I started the park with just caught up with me. Green also came in and set up his tent. Today as I was hiking I looked up the trail and a bear was walking ahead of me on the trail. I made some noise when I took my camera out of its plastic bag and the bear turned around – saw me and ran into the woods. Tomorrow I only have to hike three and half miles to the road to Front Royal and then hike or hitchhike the four miles into town. I will meet Patrick there Thursday.
The rain stopped this morning promptly at 9:00 when I started hiking and it was hot and muggy all day. All food services and coke machines in the park ended yesterday. Today was back to old time hiking – sweat and drink water.
July 5th – Front Royal Virginia.
Patrick and I are together, plan to do some slack packing. Got to town well before noon. Patrick came one day early.
July 6th – Thursday
Did some Appalachian Trail with Patrick. Visited the Living Cavoni this evening. AT-hiking is fun when you have a car and driver. Back to the heavy pack tomorrow with one week food, no more slack for awhile.
July 7, David Lesser Memorial Shelter - 993.3 Miles from Springer coming up on 1000 tomorrow at Harper's Ferry.
Had a perfectly wonderful time with Patrick. Hiked out of the valley with all the extra weight a food re-supply gives me. Could have waited and bought 1/2 my food in Harper's Ferry, but food was cheaper at Front Royal so I stocked up. Tonight Arrow, Brawny and Gnarley and I are the only ones in the shelter. Grumpy and Snow White, Mountain Laurel and Screamer are all coming here, but they stopped at the Blackberry AT Center three miles back and decided to stay there. I came here because it is only eight miles from Harper's Ferry and I wanted out of Virginia. I want to be out by noon - it is the biggest state on the AT and I have been here too long. For the last ten miles I've been walking a ridge line with my left foot in West Virginia and my right in Virginia, but in about four miles the trail goes completely into West Virginia. Then we cross the Potomic and are in Maryland. Today was a clear day -- humidity about 15% and from the ridge I could barely see Washington, D.C. The Book says there are only a few days of the year when it is clear enough to see it and this is one of those days. Well, tomorrow I will hit 1000 miles -- WOW -- I can't believe it. I hope the next 1000 go much faster. More tomorrow, I am beat.
July 8th -- Harper Ferry -- Did 1000 and 3 miles since I started.
Went to Appalachian Trail Conference and had my official thru hiker photo taken. I am # 643 thru hiker to go thru Harper's this year. I was about 2000 starting -- 950 at Fontaine Dam and now the 643rd to make it to the unofficial 1/2 way point. I am getting faster and a lot have dropped out. I meant to just by some maps -- register -- and move on, but I couldn't refuse an offer of a free motel room. I am staying with "Crash 1960" who had an extra bed in his room. Burley & Gnarley, Snow White and Grumpy and Mountain Laurel are also here. Well Virginia is behind me --West Virginia by noon and Maryland is next -- about 60 miles of it, 5 days max. Should be more like 4 1/2 then I will be in the North. Moving well -- great to see Patrick. To cut my pack weight, I am going to buy a summer weight rain jacket and send my Gore Tex home till fall! More Later.
July 9th - Home of Steve and Perry Tozier - Burkitsville, Maryland -- Place of Blair Witch Project.
Today we walked into Maryland at about 11:00. Goodbye Virginia and West Virginia. Climbed out with a 51 lb. pack on my back. Enough food to get well into Pennsylvania. Had breakfast with Grumpy, Snow White, and Mountain Laurel. We all started North together, but I had to stop at the ATC Office to purchase my PA, NJ, and NY Maps. So they got ahead of me. Burley, Gnarley and Crash 1960 started behind me, but they didn't catch up with me all day. About noon I ran into Blue and Pat from Maine. When we stopped for lunch a young man came riding up on a bike looking for Grumpy. A call went into ATC HQ. There was an emergency at home and they sent out three rangers and four or five volunteers to look for him. He was ahead of us and I know they found him.
This afternoon we got the ultimate in trail magic. Steve Tozier -- a local business executive was out hiking with a friend. Jim and met Pat first. Then me. He realized we were thru hikers and invited us to his house for dinner, a shower, do our laundry, and sleep in his guest rooms. His home is almost an estate in Western, Maryland we had a wonderful dinner -- he will bring us back to the trail tomorrow. He said he decided to invite me because I was good to his German Short Hair when it ran up to me. This is the ultimate in trail magic, I had three hamburgers, onion rings, French fries, hot dogs, cokes and he threw six hot dogs and some extra hamburg to the dogs. After supper we had homemade Boston Cream Pie. This sure isn't like I imagined it would be in the home of the Blair Witch.
July 10th- Pine Knob Shelter -- over 1020 miles from Springer.
Thunder, Lighting, rain most of the day. Only made 13 miles. No one made many because of the rain. Stopped a Maryland Washington Monument -- bought a soda -- called home at 5:15 and left word for pat. Grumpy and Snow Whites' son was killed. An Auto accident -- that is why they had to leave the trail. I feel terrible. Everyone feels terrible. Pat from Maine, Dog Man, Russ and I are in the shelter -- everyone else is camping. It may rain away the night -- Hard. I will not make the 17 miles (?) of Maryland tomorrow unless the hiking is good. The North (Mason Dixon Line) Wed AM is my goal.
July 11th -- Ensign Cowall Shelter
Nice crowd tonight. Blaster and Pie, Southbounder who started in New Jersey, are here with me. Burley, Gnarley, Blue, Screamer and Bamboo Bob, Russ (a fellow who joined us last night) has gone to town to buy hot dogs for the gang. I didn't make good mileage because the straps came unsewn on my back pack and the weight was uneven. My shoulders are sore, and today even though the weather was good, I wasn't in a hiking mood. My legs were tired all day. Pat from Maine has moved ahead so I will not see her again unless she hurts something or gets sick. I never could keep up with her. Maryland has no good views, a lot of rocks and almost no soft wood trees. Pennsylvania isn't suppose to be a bargain for views or pleasant hiking either. Tomorrow I should reach Pennsylvania. I would have to describe Maryland as one long rocky hard wood ridge between West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
We all feel terrible. We have more details -- Snow White and Grumpy's 19 year old son was killed in an auto accident Sunday night. The call came into the Appalachian Trail conference at 11:00 and with the volunteers and rangers they were notified in under two hours, after the call came in. A person in the State Park gave them a ride to Washington to the Airport so they could get right home. I can't believe the community on the trail.
July 12, Monday - Morning
After I finished writing last night 1/2 the world came into our site -- late -- "Lurch", "Poppa Smurf" "MaCaMoose" and Shick the Cat". Hadn't seen some for over a month -- talked into the night and caught up to where everyone is.
July 12 -- Set up my tent near a beautiful stream between Pennsylvania Highway 16 and the Buena vista road that is only 3rd of a mile away. I am near the road. This is not an "official"campsite and I am alone so no fire. First time in my tent in a long time. There is a beautiful stream near my campsite so after I set up my tent I filtered some water, washed my socks, shaved and took a sponge bath. I crossed the Mason Dixon Line into Pennsylvania and the "Official" North about 5:50. I felt like I had really done something. The last two weeks I have walked through several famous Civil War Battle sites so I am anxious to read about them when the hike is over. I actually stood where Stonewall Jackson stood at one battle. Confederate Monuments as well as Union are everywhere.
Last night I mentioned a hiker named Russ -- he is from Indiana and I think a year or two older than I am. He started in Georgia in March and quit before he went 60 miles. A week ago, he felt bad about quitting so he drove to Harper's Ferry and started North. Today tried to hike with me. I went slow today and let him get ahead. I passed him about 2:00 and beat him to the State Park -- where the state line is by about 1/2 hour. When he came in he was totally defeated and ready to quit again. I told him to get a motel room -- two nights off the trail -- lots of rest -- and she how he felt then. I hope it works, I even found him a ride to a nearby Best Western just by asking people in the Park Parking Lot. I hate to see anyone quit the trail, but nine out of ten or more have to for one reason or other. I imagine it would be hard to go home though after quitting twice in one year. My feet itch tonight, but I have a washing and clean socks. Well more later.
July 13th - Tumbling Run Shelter -- 1046 Miles from Springer -- A beautiful twin shelter on a trout stream about 1/2 way up a hill.
Rained very hard today and I went into the Antietum Shelter just to get out of the rain -- got out my stove - had a hot lunch and when the rain let up, I moved along 1.2 miles to Tumbling Run. I was going to go onto the next shelter, but the rain was too strong. Acheley and Rawhide passed me, but they went on in the driving rain. The woods are getting more like the North -- more Hemlock, some Pine, but still a lot of Mountain Laurel. There are a lot of rocks on the trial and I guarantee it will get much worse before we leave Pennsylvania. Tomorrow about noon I will reach Caledonia State Park where there is a Pay Phone and a short order grill. I am anxious to call home and get a hamburger. I have enough meals for three more days, but I am trying to avoid going to town.
July 14th -- Caledona State Park, Pennsylvania -- about 1055 miles from Springer.
Planned to stop here to use the phone -- get a hamburger and go on to the next shelter, but I met Pipeline. He is a retired steel worker that made pipe for 32 years and retired at 52 and decided to walk the AT this year. He invited me to share a campsite with him at the State Park and even got a discount because he is a Pennsylvania resident. He and I have passed each other many times -- have the same friends --but had never met. I had a double cheeseburger, soda, a salad and french fries and ice cream. Everyone says I have lost too much weight and have to eat more. It's true -- I get very tired lately, am having trouble doing days of more than 14 or 15 miles. Earlier I was having no trouble, so maybe I should eat more.
Today I saw a Scarlet Tanager and a couple of very shy deer.
The park campground has hot showers so I am cleaned and shaved. I wore my hiking shorts into the shower and then dried them under the electric hand drier. Old-hiker- Indian Trick. The mother of all Thunderstorms is coming -- it is starting to rain -- so I am running for my tent.
July 15th -- Birch Run Shelter -- Exactly 10 miles to the unofficial official 1/2 way point.
Teflon joined me -- with several new hikers (new to me) Commodore -- Good Foot -- Mango -- and a couple of local section hikers. Today we had a very hard cold rain. The sun came out about 4:00 and by 5:00 we had a major thunderstorm. I am in a shelter tonight so the rain can come, but I hope it ends in the morning. Tomorrow is a short day -- 10 miles to the Ironmaker Hostel -- Hot Shower, Jacuzzi, Phone and laundry. Doesn't open until 5:30 so I will take my time tomorrow morning.
July 17th -- Morning Pine Grove Farm State Park. Staying at Ironmasters Hostel.
Ate my 1/2 gallon of ice cream to celebrate 1/2 way. Teflon, Wahoo and I went out and bought Kelbassa, broccoli, carrots, rolls and had a big supper. Russ (a.m.) joined us later, hiked 17 miles to get here. A section hiker, Beth and her brother-in-law Richard, gave us a ride to a small supermarket in Mt. Hollow (SP?) to re-supply. Another vigilant thunderstorm yesterday so my boots and clothes are soaked, but did laundry last night at hostel. Boots still damp, but socks dry -- Hike on.
July 17th -- Evening
A corn field just 1/4 mile out of Boiling Springs, PA, was in Boiling Springs at 6:00 after a 20 plus mile day from Ironmasters. My friend Teflon and Wahoo were suppose to meet me there at ATC HQ and go to a Hostel called Mother Hens. When I got there ATC HQ was closed and Mother Hen's phone # was locked inside so I cooked supper on the porch, tried to call Pat from the pay phone on the porch, and waited to see if my friends would come back. They weren't sure I could make it 20 miles and they were hard miles so I don't think they really expected me. Tomorrow I will only do 14 miles through flat farming country to the next shelter then on to Duncannon on Wednesday. At 8:30 when my friends didn't show I just went a little south of town and set-up my tent in a corn field. No camping is allowed the next 14 miles North of Boiling Spring so I had to "hide out" south of town.
The Pennsylvania woods are much like Maine except there is some wild Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron and some is still in Bloom up here. It went by a month ago in the South.
There are some wild strawberries beside the trail and the blueberries have been out for over two weeks now. I wonder how far they are at home. Today I climbed over some box car size rocks on a mountain ridge. Seemed a lot like home, mosquitoes are eating me alive. Gonna dive into my tent and zip the tent.
July 18th -- Darlington Shelter -- 114.2 miles from Springer -- yet 1100 now in the book or under my feet.
In camp tonight -- "Willin", "Arrow" "Mountain Laurel", "4 Seasons", "Crash 1960", Steve (a section hiker) and "Wahoo". Today we lost Teflon -- he had to get off the trail for family reasons. He went into Duncannon tonight and will be done in a day or so. Last night I missed my friends because they went to Mother Hen's -- and forgot to leave me a note of how to reach her. Her phone # was on the ATC bulletin board, but the office was closed when I got there. Mother Hen runs a hostel room, laundry, shower, two meals for only a $5.00 recommended donation. I am sorry I missed it, but it wasn't anyone's fault. When you are slow as I am, you miss some things. 4 Season is from New Hampshire and went to the University of New England in Biddeford. Tomorrow a new adventure -- the very run down Doyle Hotel in Duncannon. It is 10 miles and two mountains out so I don't expect to get there until late in the day.
A few days ago I mentioned Russ -- the older hiker who wanted to quit -- well he didn't and now he wants to hike with me. He drives me crazy -- his trail name is "A.M.". He doesn't realize it stands for Annoying Man -- he talks in a loud voice all day -- waking everyone in the shelter first thing in the morning and on the trail while everyone wants to see birds and deer. If you get ahead of him, he yells at the top of his lungs -- nothing -- things like - "I think the trial goes left" -- or "do you think it will rain tomorrow?" then he will sing or whistle to make sure to scare all the game. He doesn't carry a radio so he asks everyone with ear plugs on what the weather will be. The other night he had a fit because someone was 36 cents short when we all chipped in for hot dogs. I hiked 20 miles yesterday and 14 today to try to get ahead of him. I hope it works.
July 19th -- Doyle Hotel -- Duncannon, Pennsylvania
Got a room for $10.00, that tell you what a place the Doyle is. About 10 hikers staying here. It's a dump, but traditions says you stay at the Doyle. My room was the one a man died in a year or so ago and was dead several days before they found him. Got my first taste of the famous Pennsylvania Rocks today -- they weren't all that bad. Saw a huge black King snake about four feet long. He had a bulge in his stomach that made it look like he had swallowed a rat or a squirrel. Huge snake but quite harmless. I hiked all day in the rain. Was suppose to be 85° -- sunny with thunderstorm but started to rain about 8:30 and rained all day. The trail was slippery -- especially the rocks so it took me 'til 3:30 to hike just 11 miles. Hope tomorrow is a better day -- hope to have breakfast and get out of town real early.
Got my mail drop. Got a wonderful letter from Rita Marie and a card of encouragement from the folks of Mt. Vernon. Marie even sent $10.00 so I bought supper. I love to hear from anyone in the real world.
July 20th - Peters Mountain Shelter -- Approximately 1137.1 miles from Springer.
Got out of Duncannon about 11:00 this morning and did 11 miles. Of course, it was uphill to get out of town. Had to cross Jaunita and Sesquanalla then climb a big mountain. There were a few good views but the best view was south down the river -- you could see all the way to Harrisburg. Last night a couple of my friends had a few too many pitchers of cheap beer at the Doyle Hotel and set off a fire extinguisher. The Hotel made a big stink and the place was a hot bed of yelling and cops. In the morning, they paid for the damage, and went on their way -- it wasn’t a pretty scene. Tonight "Barley", "Gnarley", "Blue", "Cool Hand Luke", "Crash 1960" and I are at the shelter. We are expecting "Arrow" but she may not make it as it is getting dark. This is a beautiful two level shelter and could sleep at least 15 or 18. Fennel told me that Russ - Aka - Annoying Man got off the t rail. Wonderful News. He wasn’t cut out for the trail -- just didn’t know how to act and what was acceptable behavior and he frequently crossed the line to become a perfect ass.
July 22th - 8:00 in the Morning Rauch Camp Shelter. Approximately 1155 miles from Springer.
Not a good day yesterday. Hiked about 18 miles trying to reach this shelter. About
16 miles into my walk the sky got dark and the thunder started. I should have setup my tent, but I pushed on. The trail was rocky and I had hiked passed an abandoned town called Yellow Springs Village. My headlamp got wet in the rain and didn’t work. When I got to the shelter trail, I missed it and was hiking in the dark and the rain. Suddenly I saw a light ahead of me and I yelled. There were two chunky little ladies who hardly spoke English from a church group that were out for a walk. Their group was camped below the shelter. I scared the heck out of them looking like a wet thunderstorm monster, but they must have thought I was sent to test their faith in God as they gave me directions. Arrow, Crash, Burley, Gnarley, and Blue were at the Shelter. I dried my headlamp out -- got it working -- cooked supper -- got out of my wet clothes and went to bed. It was a miserable night.
July 22th - (Night) 8:00 in the Morning Rauch Camp Shelter. Approximately 1155 miles from Springer.
That means -- less than 1000 to go to Katahdin -- Wow.
Pack Attack and I are alone in the shelter. Pipeline is camped out on top of the hill. The rest of the gang has gone on to the 501 shelter. Rumor has it you can send out for Pizza there -- we’ll find out tomorrow. Today was two small mountains -- stony mountain and Blue Mountain, but Blue Mountain is one of those long ridges that once you get on top it is level, but very rocky for miles. When we were flying to Patrick's and Jackie’s Wedding -- Clyde said he thought he could see the Appalachian Trail. I’ll confirm he was right -- the trail runs along the top of the only ridge in Pennsylvania. Whenever a river crosses the ridge you have to climb 1200-to-1500 feet down to cross the river. Then back up where it is level, but rocky for the next 10 to 15 miles. The rocks move around and are noisy, so you don’t see much game but we have been seeing a lot of snakes. Today, other hikers saw two rattlesnakes and a copperhead, but I saw only a harmless King snake. More tomorrow.
July 23 -- Sunday, Hetlin Campsite -- 1173 miles from Springer. For sure -- less than 999 miles to go.
Excellent Day. I hiked all day with "Pipeline" -- a 56-year-old retired mill foreman from Western Pennsylvania. We arrive at the 501 shelter about 11:00. There is a shelter manager at 501 and his house is beside the shelter. He has a telephone and you can order Pizza and he has coke for sale -- $ 50 cents a can, but he wasn’t home. No phone call to Bob, no pizza, no coke. We waited until noon for him to come home when this hiker walked into camp. She is Judy Youngman -- wife of Bamboo Bob. They had spent a couple of days together and she walked three miles with him and was now going back to Boston. She had planned to hike the trial this year, but came down with breast cancer just before she left and had to stay home for Chemo and radiation. She offered us a ride to town so we could have lunch, re-supply at a local supermarket and I got to call my father. Bob is going to meet me in Port Clinton on Tuesday. I didn’t call home as Pat is in New Hampshire with Beth, so no one was home. After we got back we did six more miles to this beautiful campsite. Eleven total miles today and we got all our town things done. Pennsylvania is a very rocky state. There are rocks of all sizes and shapes, from a golf ball to a small Japanese car on the trail. They rock and move and try to trip you with every step. I hear they last until New Jersey. The mountains are not high in Pennsylvania, but the rocks are murder. I guess there just are no easy states on the Appalachian Trial.
There is a babbling brook running through our campsite and we are the only two here. We have to do 11 miles tomorrow -- then only 8 into Port Clinton to meet my father.
July 24th -- Eagle’s Nest Shelter -- 1187.5 miles North of Springer
Meeting my father tomorrow in Port Clinton -- eight miles from here. Hope to be there by noon. I think he is going to have his new girlfriend. I hope so. I am anxious to meet her. I need a day off the trail -- do a wash -- take a shower -- etc. I also need to eat something other than the trail food we all eat every day. A typical day on the trail -- breakfast, two envelopes of oat meal, just add water, no heat, then a bagel with Peanut Butter. Lunch, (SP?) a snickers bar, a pop-tart, maybe a granola bar and a Slim Jim. Dinner is usually a Lipton Dinner with textured vegetable protein or tuna fish. Sometimes if I have an extra, I’ll have a Snickers for dessert. I have Power Bars and Cliff Bars and I save them for days I need to do a lot of miles or have a big climb. Doctor Smooth and Four Seasons are in the Shelter with me tonight but it is early and more folks may be in. Matter of fact, Moses just did. We have a fire going and it is raining -- suppose to rain all night and tomorrow too. I will walk into Port Clinton tomorrow, rain -- snow -- hail or lighting. I know there is a dry change of clothes waiting for me so I can face a few hours of wet. Well, enough for tonight -- more tomorrow unless I’m tied up with my father.
July 25th - Tuesday.
I am with my father and Bill Malloy - Bruce's Father-in-Law" at Reading, Pennsylvania. I was so happy to come off that awful mountain and see the two of them. The decent down the mountain was over 1000 feet in less than ½ mile -- it was very steep and rocky. We are at the home of Laura Ann Springer -- my father’s best friend George Penny’s daughter, and she is a perfect hostess. Tomorrow I go back on the trail. I expect I will be in New Jersey in four or five days. Tonight we are going to eat some of Sid’s Barbecue that they brought all the way from Beulaville.
This morning before we all left the shelter one of the fellows -- "Four Seasons" said "Look a bear" we looked and two bears -- about 175 to 200 lbs each were walking right past the shelter. I got a picture. When we all went to look they ran, but only a few hundred feet -- then they stopped and played and wrestled. It was quite an experience. I’ve seen a few bears, but they were not afraid of us and that is surprising as we were in an area where they hunt bears. I hope they get a lot more cautious before hunting season.
It is wonderful to get off the trail for a day and spend time with family. I love the t rail, but a shower -- a meal -- clean laundry is better than a big Christmas for a 10 year old. Well -- tomorrow -- back to the old sweaty grind.
July 29, 2000 – Saturday
I took a zero day of no hiking and went to Stroudsberg the nearest town and did my laundry. Most of my clothes were soaking wet. I bought a re-supply of food at Wal-Mart, then came back to Delaware Water Gap for Pizza with "Bamboo Bob," "Otto" and his dog, Raven. They came in today along with "Razmataz" and "Blister Sister." Tomorrow "Crash" and I plan to hike out. I may only do 10 miles as heavy rain is forecast and there is a hostel in 10 miles. Nothing much else to report except I checked at the Post Office and had a great letter from Chuck Munier. More tomorrow.
July 31, 2000 – Sunday
I took a zero day yesterday the second in a row. My shoulders and back have a bad rash that I get when my pack straps rub against my wet shirt and it affects my skin. I put neosporin on it and hope it is better in the morning. I am at the Monhegan Hostel which is run by the AMC in New Jersey. The bunkhouse is $8.50 but dinner is $14 and breakfast is $6. A little better than the White Mountains where the AMC charges about $65 or $75 to stay at their hostels. Today was another day of rain. It rains everyday.
New Jersey is very beautiful. Dunnfield Creek is a natural trout stream that has native brook trout and they don’t stock it. About four miles into New Jersey you come to Sunfish Pond which is the southernmost glacial pond in the United States. It looks exactly like a Maine Trout Pond. The Mountains are actually quite beautiful after Pennsylvania and if it wasn’t for the rain and fog we would have some great views of the Delaware River on our west. The Hostel has room for 21 hikers and is almost full. We seem to end up in big mobs once in a while and then we all spread out. A few weeks ago we had only one or two people in shelters and today there are almost 20 of us here tonight.
Rain, rain, rain, about ten out of the last twelve days. I have to get rid of this rash and the only cure is a few dry days. I hope it is dry tomorrow. I want to get some miles in.
More tomorrow.
August 2, 2000
Brink Road Shelter, 1299 miles from Springer and one mile to go for the 1300 club. Took another zero day at Mohegan Outdoor Center yesterday because I have a real bad rash with sores from wearing a wet back pack over a wet shirt. A lot of other hikers have the same sores and a lot of us gave it a day to dry out.
The Mohegan Center where I stayed had a huge Tom Brown Tracker class with 100 students. My friend, Arthur Dean is a fan of Tom Brown and would be jealous if he knew I was at the actual school where the course is being taught. I am amazed. New Jersey is beautiful- at least the western edge. There are beautiful little mountains with stone tops much like Maine, but much smaller.
I can’t get over how wild it is in New Jersey. We have seen bear, deer and yesterday I saw a rattle snake. In another day or so I will be in New York but the trail follows the New York/New Jersey state line just like it did in North Carolina and Tennessee. So you jump from state to state.
All the hikers are camping out as the shelter is full of mosquitoes so we camped in an open area on the trail about ¼ of a mile from the shelter. Camp fires are against the law in New Jersey, but "4 Seasons" didn’t know that and got one going. There was a fire ring. As long as a ranger doesn’t come we will be ok. Nothing much more to report. More tomorrow.
August 3, 2000
Rain this morning, but it got nice during the day. I stopped at the Worthington’s bakery at about 11:30 and had a deli sandwich and bought one to go for supper and had a pastry. Today I hiked with "Sceamo" "4 Seasons" "Otto" "Chief" "Bones" "Fennel" "Luke." At 1:00 we went by the Gwen Anderson Shelter, that is the 1300 mile mark. Right after I got water and left the shelter the first clap of thunder hit. By 3:00 the rain came in sheets and the lightning hit. I didn’t want to turn back so I made for the next shelter four miles away.
After about two miles I climbed to the summit of Sundown Mountain as the storm hit its peak and I found a large stone pavilion. "4 Seasons" "Bones" and the "Chief" were in it hiding from the storm. The rain got worse. I was soaking wet, so at 5:00 we decided to spend the night. At 5:00 one hundred soaked campers from the Orthodox Jewish camp came in and took over the place. Quite a show. At sundown they prayed and then they sang. They were here until dark when a bus came and got them. It is now after dark. The storm just ended and the fog has lifted.
The valley is a beautiful site and the kids with their yelling are gone. About half of them live in Israel and some of the counselors are in the Israeli army. They all wanted their pictures taken with a thru hiker so it was an interesting evening to both thru hikers and campers except for "4 Seasons" who couldn’t take the noise and left.
I got a chance to use the phone at the bakery to talk to Pat and Dan McGilvry who wants to do still another story on me. I’m happy to be in New Jersey and feel the end of my hike is now in sight. The rain has made the last two weeks miserable but all in all it’s just part of the great adventure.
August 4th, 2000
I am staying at a "secret" hostel about 14 miles south of Vernon, New Jersey. Today I stepped over the N.Y. line and into my 9th state. I will be on the N.Y. and N.J. state line tomorrow and most of Sunday.
Last night was as miserable a night as I have had on the trail. All my clothes were wet. A misty rain fell all night. It was very cold and on the mountain top the wind blew about 50 MPH. It was about 45 degrees and with the wet and the wind it was miserable cold. We slept on the stone floor of the Pavilion and the floor was wet.
This morning I got up and put on my wet clothes and started hiking. The sun came out about noon and except for an extremely muddy trail everything was fine. I saw a bear, a fox, and a bunch of deer today. New Jersey is very wild along the AT at least. Today I climbed the highest point in N.J. It wasn’t quite as tall as Tumbledown in Maine. Tonight about 20 hikers, including four south bounders, are staying at this wonderful hostel.
The owner of an 85 acre farm in New York is an ex-thru hiker and he built a great hostel with showers, a bunk house, and a sink and a dryer to wash your clothes. He doesn’t want the location put in any trail guides and will close it if it is. He takes no money, wants no publicity. He does it just because of his love of the trail. Tonight I will sleep in my tent on his lawn. I chose it over the bunk house as the weather is suppose to be nice tonight. More tomorrow.
August 5th, 2000 – St Thomas Hostel – Vernon, N.J.
A wonderful place to stay with every service you could expect to find, a shower, laundry, cable T.V. and sleep on a carpeted floor. The priest is a very nice person. Today I have never seen so many mosquitoes. They were thicker than black flies in Maine. They got in my eyes, ears, throat and I spit them out. I hiked 15 miles today mostly through swamps on log bridges, but I had three nasty climbs up sharp rock faces. It has been a record wet year so the mosquitoes are the worse they have ever been. New York is spraying for them, but N.J. says, "They are under control." I don’t know whose control as I have never seen anything like them. You can’t stop for a minute as they swarm all over you and even Ben’s 100 percent Deet does little to stop them.
Every field and trail was a sea of mud. I will be out of Jersey in a day or two and I hope N.Y. is better, mosquito wise. We are running into south bounders at every stop now. There are three here tonight that started at Katahdin, in Maine late in May. It is fun to swaps stories with them about what is ahead – both ways. I plan to go shopping in the morning and hit the trail about noon or perhaps even take another zero day to let my body rest. I am four days from Bear Mountain and maybe five to get there.
August 6, 2000 – Wawayandor Shelter – 1344 miles from Springer
I left the Episcopal Hostel in the rain (what else is new) and climbed Pinwheel Vista, an 800-1000 foot climb almost straight up. I only did about six miles to this shelter. "Crash" "Arrow," her brother "Bro," "Don," "Happy Hiker," from Quebec and a south bounder from Brunswick, Maine are at the shelter. Arrow is trying out a new hammock she plans to sleep in. It is suppose to rain tonight and again tomorrow. We wonder if it will ever let up. The mosquitoes are not as bad as yesterday so I am in the shelter rather than in my tent. If they were bad, I would be in the tent with the screen zipped up.
Today I bought a bottle of Ben’s 100 percent Deet and covered myself with it. The West Nile Virus is big in this area and mosquitoes carry it so no one is comfortable. Tomorrow I only plan to do about 12 miles. I will do 12-13 the next day to put me in to position to get to Bear Mountain. Pat has a business meeting in New York and I can get to see her. It is very cold and wet tonight. It is August, but it feels a lot like April. I wish I had warm clothes to put on in the evening when I quit hiking, but no one does so we just shiver and go to bed early. I don’t know if warm weather is ever going to come back, but you just have to go with the hand you are dealt and right now the hand I have been dealt is cold and rain.
August 7th 2000 – Wildcat Shelter, N.Y., 1360 miles into my walk
Abut 11:30 this morning I walked out of New Jersey and into N.Y. after walking the state line for several days. The mosquitoes are not as bad in N.Y. and there is less mud. New Jersey was one long log bridge over about 30 miles. New York has a lot of hand over hand climbing over steep and slippery rocks.
As a matter of fact the "Recycled Teenagers," are off the trail. They are Roberta and Alan Nelson, a couple in their early 70’s attempting their second A.T. thru hike but it is over. Roberta fell 40 feet off a granite cliff in N.Y. and survived with a broken collar bone and a lot of stitches. The trail in N.Y is very hazardous where some climbs are up very steep rock faces and are as dangerous as anything I have climbed in Maine. It is almost as if they are trying to make the trail dangerous.
Well another hard 12 miles tomorrow – ten the next day and a hard six into Bear Mountain. I am looking forward to a couple of days off the trail and seeing my wife who I miss very much. I am at least in the north now so I feel more at home than I did on the south, but the trail still isn’t Mt. Vernon. Well more tomorrow.
August 8th 2000
Today I had a major panic attack. I was sure I was to be picked up Thursday the 9th and the 9th is tomorrow Wednesday. I almost grabbed a motel about 18 miles south of Bear Mountain thinking I couldn’t make Bear Mountain tomorrow but I called Sonja and confirmed I would be picked up Thursday the 10th. The trail is the hardest state yet. I started up over loose rocks and walked along exposed rock ridges – very much like Maine – hard.
Last nigh after I did my journal a really neat south bounder came into camp. He is Mr. Clean. He lives in Andover, Maine at a hiker hostel and started south from Abol Bridge on January 1, 2000 and hiked all winter. He only does a few miles a day and gathers a lot of his own food. Last night he had about four pounds of chanterelle mushrooms he had gathered and he fried them in butter and I had some garlic powder he added. He served them to the whole shelter. It is good I was there because with two of us saying how good chanterelles were everyone knew they could eat them without dying. We are in Harriman State Park at a campsite just ½ mile short of the Leamon Squeeze, a famous rock formation.
Four deer just went through our campsite. There are a pack of coyotes howling on the mountain behind us. I am camped by a mountain top lake and "Blueberry," "Ginsing Animal," and "Waterproof" all set up their tents near the outlet brook. There are a lot of mosquitoes. Tomorrow I have to only do about ten miles and eight the next day. Got to turn the light off now before the mosquitoes carry me off.
August 9th 2000 AT West Mt. Shelter, N.Y. 1374.2 miles from Springer Mountain.
I saw two things worth noting today. One was an old friend, "Artful Dodger" southbound from Connecticut. He is bound for Virginia. He lives in Oklahoma and thru hiked last year but hikes 500-1000 miles on the trail every year. I met him last year when he was hiking with my old friend "Shelotowe." We didn’t recognize each other right away, but he has a picture of me at home he took last year on Saddleback-small world- this trail family.
The second thing I saw was a huge, very huge rattlesnake. He was in the trail and not about to let me pass. He rattled up a storm. When I didn’t move he moved slightly toward me. He wasn’t coiled. I was still about three feet away so I took a step toward him to take a picture so I guess I called his bluff as he turned and crawled off the trail. After I got past him I gave him a good swat with my Leiki hiking pole and ran like hell. He was pointed away from the trail. When I whacked him he headed for the woods at about 30 mph.
Other than that there isn’t much to report. This shelter has a great view of New York City about 20 miles from here as well as all of the Jersey side of the Hudson and the whole Hudson Valley. The shelter is over ½ mile off the trail, but I took the long walk so I could enjoy the great view.
The only people in the shelter are a couple from Brooklyn. They took the bus to Arden N.Y., backed packed through the Harriman State Park about 25 miles to Bear Mountain and then got the bus back to New York. I think it is great that New Yorkers have this available to them but few seem to take advantage of it.
Tomorrow I only have to hike six miles over two mountains to Bear Mountain so I should be there to get picked up. It will be wonderful to hit the real world for a while. For the last four months I haven’t been away from the trail or from hikers so I look forward to the break.
I won’t do a journal for a while as I will be off the trail.
August 10th 2000
Due to a Power Failure due to a major storm last night, all the concessions, Deli, Pizza, Grill, etc. at Bear Mountain Inn were closed. A trail angel named Gene took a bunch of us into the town near West Point to eat. I had dinner and waited to be pick up.
Off time for two days.
August 13th 2000 – Stewart Hollow Lean-to – 1450 miles from Springer Mt. Georgia
Will I’m in Connecticut – Good Old New England – AT LAST! I feel like I’m home – less than 720 miles to go. I had a wonderful visit with Pat. It is good to be back on the trail, but we had another inch of rain today. I don’t think the rain will stop all this summer. In every state I go through, people tell me this is the wettest summer on record and I know because I walked in it every day. Nothing stays dry. We all just hike on. Arrow, Jester, Happy Hiker, Smelvin and Matt the Road Runner are in the Shelter tonight.
Before Pat put me back on the trail we had a nice little lunch in Kent before I got on the trail and I bought a big Italian cold cut sub and brought it out in my pack for supper. It’s suppose to rain all day tomorrow so I am not crazy about hiking out, but will.
“Four Bears” (old friend, Ed Myers) left me several notes to call him and meet for lunch. I’ll call him next time I reach a phone. More tomorrow.
August 14th – Pine Swamp Lean-to – 1465 miles from Springer Mt.
What else is new? Another day of rain. It started this morning and stopped about 10:00 and then started raining about 2:30 and I didn't plan to stop at this shelter but the rain drove me in two miles early. “Four Bears” a man I started with in Georgia has left several notes for me in the shelters. I plan to call him tomorrow and perhaps see him tomorrow. He is planning to have a picnic for some of the thru hikers he knows. He only planned to hike 50 – 100 miles, but he actually did about 250 before he got off the trail. He was going to do the Long Trail in Vermont and get it out of the way before the North Bounders got here.
This rain has got to stop. The roads are slippery and there is a lot of hand over hand climbing. It is dangerous in the rain. The mosquitoes are bad, but not as bad as New Jersey. Well, except for the rain, little to report. I hope the sun comes out tomorrow.
August 14th, 2000 – Glen Brook – aka Hemlock Shelter – on Mt. Everett in Mass. 1490 miles from Springer
Today I hiked the hills of Connecticut to Falls Village where “Four Bears” picked me up and brought me to a picnic he hosted for thru hikers. After the picnic, we hiked here. I have to go back and hike a few miles I missed, but will slack pack tomorrow with Ed. moving my pack ahead for me.
Today I hiked on a mountain where I could look down on the famous Limerock Speedway and watch all the sports cars practice. With all the rain we have been having the Houstonic River is running at flood stage and is a deep brown color. The trail is pretty much like a muddy stream. Today, in the afternoon, the sun came out and the trail is beautiful.
There is a huge crowd at the new shelter. Ed and I, Blue, Burley, Gnarly, Arrow, Brother, Atlan, Train Wreck, Starmite, and about 10 other thru hikers. Some I just caught up with for the first time today. Jolly Raindeer, she helped organize the picnic, never made it. She is back on the trail somewhere. She had to come 21 miles to get here and apparently never made it over Mt. Everett which is a real tough climb. We saved four hamburgers for her, but she never made it. It was a long day, but a lot of people saw her this morning, but she just didn’t make it. It’s great to see Brother again. I haven’t seen him for several weeks. This is sort of like old home week. Well – More tomorrow.
August 16, 2000 – I am at Upper Goose Cabin, maintained by the AMC near Lee, Mass.
I slacked packed what I missed in Connecticut and came on to Mass. This is a beautiful spot and about 20 hikers are here. This is a beautiful little gem of a place on a beautiful little lake. It is only about two miles to the Mass. Pike and you can hear the traffic. The trail is something in the central New England states. You are in the wilderness, but only about a mile or so from civilization. This place has a bunk house, kitchen facility and a great fireplace with a huge fire going. The hosts are Susanne and Robert, AMC, volunteers who stay here and run the place. They are wonderful hosts. There is a canoe here. I may take a zero day here so I don’t arrive on Cheshire on a Sunday morning when the Post Office is closed.
It is so wonderful to be in New England especially MASSACHUSETTS because I feel close to home. I took a side trip to Tanglewood today with “Four Bears” just to see the place. I had to go to an Outfitter to get my Pur Filter replaced. Last night when I was filtering water it just split in half. I called Pur on the toll free number and they told me to take it to the nearest Outfitter and it would be replaced at no cost. I did and it was. I bought a new cartridge for it. More tomorrow.
August 18, 2000 October Mountain Len-to- 1533.1 miles from Springer Mt.
Guess what? it rained today. I had a nine and a half mile day and the trail was all mud. I am limiting my mileage to 12 miles a day or less as I have lost too much weight and want to gain a little back. I do feel a lot better. I think I have gained about five to ten pounds since I saw Pat just by eating more fat and hiking slower.
I have a mail drop in Cheshire, Mass. About 25 miles from here on Monday so I am only going to hike 12 miles tomorrow with a couple of visits to a blueberry farm and a store at a trail angel’s place in Dalton. I hope to stay in Dalton tomorrow night.
Nothing unusual happened today – just a walk in the mud. Only two other thru hikers at the shelter tonight. Papa Smurf, the younger and his wife, Bumblebee. There are about eight section hikers staying here as it is Friday and the weekenders are out in numbers even though it is raining. I hope we have a warmer and drier day tomorrow.
August 19th – Dalton, Mass., Porch of Thomas Leverdi, train angel.
Tom lets hikers set up tents on his lawn and he makes ice cream and cake for all the hikers. “Hill Topper” and I were the only ones here then “Willin,” “Blue,” “Hancock,” (from Pittsfield, Maine) and “Blue” pulled in. “Burley” and “Gnarley” are right behind. A blue pick up came in and much to all our surprises it was “Grumpy” and “Snow White”. They had to get off the trail when their son was killed in an automobile accident a month ago. The are feeling good as can be expected and bought land in Rangeley, Maine to open a hostel. They will finish the trail next year.
I just got terrible news. My friend “Crash 1960” had a heart attack and died on the trail outside of Kent, Ct. That’s all I know at this time.
All the hikers went to lunch at the Family Restaurant in Dalton. I don’t think they ever sold so much food to so few people.
August 20, 2000
I am camping by a small Pond about four miles from Cheshire, Mass. I hope to get to town in the morning right after the Post Office opens and then get a good start at climbing Mt. Greylock. The pond I am camped beside is Gore Pond and it is not an “official” campsite so I hope a ranger doesn’t come along and move me. I got here about 5:00 and set up camp and haven’t had supper yet. There is a fire ring so I may start a small camp fire when it gets dark. There are a lot of bear in this area, so fire may discourage them.
I don’t think the temperature went much above 50 today and it is suppose to be in the low 40’s tonight. One nice thing about the cold is that the mosquitoes do not bite or are even active below 50 degrees.
The pond I am beside is about ten acres and there is a beaver dam at the outlet so the mosquitoes would be active if it was warm. This is the coldest summer in Mass. and Vermont as long as weather has been recorded and also there has been the most rain. Oh well, at least there is plenty of drinking water.
I have been in denial all day about the death on the trail of my friend “Crash.” I hope someone catches up to me with more details. It happened two days behind me so it takes time for news to catch up. All I know is he was found dead at the first overlook out of Kent, Ct. I do know he had a cholesterol problem and was very low on medication when we were together at Delaware Water Gap. I am anxious to find out more and I wish there was something I could do. Well it is time for supper. Cheshire and Greylock tomorrow and then on to the Vermont line on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. br>
August 21 (Message from Moxie's wife)
Moxie is in Massachusetts and will be in Vermont or New Hampshire on Labor Day weekend. Pat, his wife, joined him for the first time a week ago. Moxie has lost 50 lbs and is really too thin. He plans to make Maine this year with his little troup of thru hikers.
His next mail drop will be:
Deanne Jones (Moxie)
General Delivery
US Post Office
Hanover, NH 03755.
He will be there Labor Day or soon thereafter. He loves to get letters. His journals are being typed up and should be posted next week through August 10th.
August 21, 2000
Mark Nopel Lean-to – ¾ of the way up Mt. Greylock, the longest mountain in Massachusetts. Today we climbed 3000 feet and have about 500 more to go to reach the top. A nice bunch here tonight, “Dado,” “Rainbow,” “Brother,” “Willin,” “Hancock,” and two section hikers. I haven’t seen rainbow since N.C. and it is nice to see her again. She is from Saskatchewan, Canada and is quite a hiker. There was no rain today for the second straight day. Vermont will be up in a day or so and now I will really feel close to home.
Tomorrow I will be at Bascom Lodge on Greylock and plan to use the phone and call J.S McCarthy, my father, and Pat. I have to get to a phone. It is hard to imagine what a luxury a phone is until you don’t have one for days on end. For months now, I have gone to bed at dark, gotten up at dawn, and been without electricity, T.V. or any of the things we took for granted every day. It is suppose to get into the 30’s tonight and about everyone is getting their winter gear back. It is the coldest summer in recorded history. I wish we could have two or three warm days without rain.
Today an 84 year old man named Walter Jamros saw me reading my mail in front of the Cheshire Post Office and started to talk to me. It turns out that his wife is originally from Monson and lived in Skowhegan when he met her. He invited me to his home, gave me coffee and took me to a store so I could use an ATM machine and pick up a few things. People are nice on the trail. He put me back on the trail at 2:00.
August 22nd, 2000
Tonight I am all alone at the Sherman Brook Primitive Campsite in Massachusetts, but only 31/2 miles from the Vermont border. I could have made it to Vermont but the first Vermont shelter is another six miles and I would have had a tough cliff to climb near the border and then a hike in the dark to make the shelter.
Most of my friends hike faster than me so they made the shelter before dark. Of course most of my friends are also 30 years younger than me too. I had a good supper, set up my tent and built a real smokey fire to keep the mosquitoes and animals away. A bear was seen here two days ago and there is all sort of porcupine damage on the trees and tent platforms.
Today I had a real surprise. I was at Bascom Lodge on Mt. Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts, when a woman came up to me and said, “Are you Moxie?” It was Cindy Miller, a.k.a. “Mrs. Gorp,” from our AT Chatroom. She recognized me from my picture on the journals. She had been there to meet another hiker, “Datto” and had no idea that I would be there. She has been following my journal, but the last entry is early July so she had no idea where I was. She brought me out for a bite to eat, gave me some cheese and cookies and put me back on the trail. She invited me to her home to shower and do a wash when I go through Wallingford, Vermont where she and her husband live. The trail is a very small world.
It is only 7:30 and it is getting too dark to write anymore. The days are getting shorter and it cuts down my hiking time. Today I also ran into what I expect may be a problem in New Hampshire and Vermont. This camping area has all tent platforms and few level places to set up a non free standing tent. My tent is not free standing so I may have a problem finding places to set it up as I get further north.
It may rain tomorrow so I want to get up and move early to beat it to the next campsite if I can. I’m going to bed now and plan to try to get up at first light. According to all the signs I see it is now less than 600 miles to Katahdin Mountain in Maine.
August 23, 2000 – Seth Warner Shelter – about 1575 miles from Springer Mountain and less than 600 miles from Katahdin.
About 2:00 p.m. it started raining in sheets. I made it to this shelter after hiking less than 10 miles but at least I can get a little dry. It wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that it is very cold. A couple of hikers went past the shelter and are trying to get to North Adams and a motel or the shelter north of here but it is awful hiking. The trail is a sea of mud. The standing joke in Vermont is that the Appalachian Trail is now the longest river in Vermont. I am going to eat an early supper, go to bed early and hope the weather is better tomorrow. If it is still raining this hard I will not move. It is the most weird weather I have seen since the ice storm in Georgia. I have three section hikers in the shelter with me and no thru hikers, but I suspect some will come in before dark. In the words of W.C. Fields, “It’s not a fit night out for man nor beast.”
I’m glad to be in the Shelter. The only better place would be a motel or better yet home.
August 24th – Melvill Nauhiem Shelter – 1588 miles from Springer
I started hiking in the fog and mist. I’ve climbed to the view point where you can get your last look at Greylock and it was so foggy, I could hardly see my own feet. The sun came out midday, but by 3:00 it started to pour and did until just before I got to this shelter. There are two south bounders. Today my pack cover must have caught on a branch and come off because when I got to a road crossing it was gone. One of the Long Trail hikers, “MoJo” let me borrow hers. I will send it back to her when I am done. I may get mine back as my name is on my pack cover and everyone knows me.
I want to talk a bit about hiking in the rain. In the summer, you don’t put on rain gear – just let your clothes get wet. When you get to the shelter or tent you put your dry clothes on. The next morning when you start out you put the wet clothes on. If it is a nice day they dry on your body and if it is still raining they will get wet anyway. That way you always keep one set of clothes dry to wear evenings. More tomorrow.
August 26, 2000 – Kid Grove Shelter, Vermont 1601 miles from Springer.
Every time I pass another 100 mile mark I feel good and 1600 is a big one. Also 557 from Katahdin. The big news today is that it didn’t rain. I hiked a little over 13 miles today the most significant fact is that it didn’t rain all day. It will take weeks for the trail to dry out in Vermont. It is just a ribbon of soft mud.
I am staying with three section hikers out for three days. They pack fresh vegetables and a lot of heavy food thru hikers couldn’t think of packing. Today I jumped two partridges, the first I’d seen since Virginia. I also saw my first moose tracks. Last night was very cold and I wore my nylon rain pants in my sleeping bag, but it may also be because I was soaking wet from the rain. It is totally dark at 8:15 p.m. and we have a big camp fire going. The section hikers have a tape machine and are playing western U.S. Indian flute music. It doesn’t get much better than this on the trail but after five months, I am ready to go home.
August 26, 2000
I am at the Stratton Mountain, Vermont Ski Area Ski Patrol warming Hut. During the summer, they let thru hikers stay here free including free gondola rides to Stratton Village at the base of the mountain. Stratton is the tallest mountain in southern, Vermont. It is 3950 feet – about 100 feet less than Bigelow at home. I started up from the bottom at 2:30 and hit the summit at abut 5:30. This is the first real mountain, close to 4000 feet since Mt. Rogers in Virginia. Glastonbury Mountain was a little tougher to climb through because it had a little hand over hand rock climbing so it was interesting to have Glastonbury yesterday and Stratton today.
The ski patrol shack has a stove, a clothes drier and a TV set. There is even a small snack bar that was still open when I got here so I bought a "veggie" sandwich, a coke, and some chips with a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for dessert. I will have something else after I finish my journal. “Magellan,” “Nature Boy” (south bounders), “Waterproof,” “Firewood” and I (all north bounders) are here tonight. I tried to call home earlier, but no answer. I did wash two pair of socks and my shorts and underwear in the men’s room sink and put it in the drier.
The days are getting short so we have to be in camp or shelter by 6:30 or so. It starts to get real dark by 7:30. It is weird to be in this place where there is electricity and real lights. Electric lights are such an incredible luxury after five months on the trail. It seems especially nice because I think of this place as a shelter.
August 27, Stratton Pond Shelter – Five miles beyond Stratton Mountain
I spent a good part of today on Stratton Mountain and in the Village. I went shopping for Supplies for the next three days at a very pricey store in the resort village. I then had an all you can eat buffet lunch with “RuRu,” “Sisa,” and “Hancock.” It was excellent. After lunch I took the gondola up to the Ski Patrol warming hut and picked up my pack and started to hike north on the AT.
After about a mile , I remembered or thought I remembered that I had left some clothes in the drier. I took my pack off and hid it in the woods and went all the way back to the hut only to find out I had packed the clothes even though I don’t remember doing it. I checked and they were in my clothes bag so I lost about an hour of hiking time.
This shelter is brand new and post and beam construction and will sleep about 15 hikers. There are a mother and her son and two men – all section hikers and “Papa Smurf – the Younger,” “Bumblebee,” and I here as thru hikers. Tomorrow I plan to do about 13 miles. Rain has threatened all day. It has been dark and damp but so far no rain. Tomorrow the weather man says will be nice. The trail is all mud from the wet summer and it will take a month of nice weather to dry it out.
August 28th – Top of Bromley Mountain – about 1626 miles from Springer.
I did a little over 13 miles today and the last two miles was straight uphill to the summit of Bromley Mt., Vermont. I climbed the tower when I got here and I could see everything I hiked from the south – Greylock and Stratton mountains and New York to the west and Killington, Pico and the Whites in the distant north. The ski mountain leaves the warming hut at the top open to hikers as Stratton does, but there is no electric, running water, nor privy. I carried seven liters of water to the top so I could cook supper, wash my dishes and have enough to drink until I hit the first stream or spring tomorrow. According to the data book, it’s about six or seven miles to the first water, but as wet as it’s been there has got to be a spring or a stream closer.
I am the only person here tonight. I was hiking earlier with three other North bounders, but they all went into the town of Manchester Center. To re-supply and I pushed on. I am getting very low on food. I only have one Lipton Dinner and two Ramin left, but I will be in Wallingford by Wednesday night or Thursday morning. “Mrs. Gorp” from the AT Trail chat will get me to a store and also on to Killington to meet Pat.
It is lonely when you are the only one in a camping area or shelter, but I am used to it. This place is considered a shelter and this is the first time I have been totally alone in a shelter. Oh, well, the mountain top will be a beautiful place to wake up to and I have 14 very hard miles to do tomorrow. There is a phone here, I’ll try to call Pat, then get some sleep. (I bet I can almost pick up 92 Moose from the top of this mountain).
August 29, 2000 – Big Branch Shelter, Vermont ( A whopping 1642.7 miles from Springer)
I had a good day – 14 very hard miles. Fog was so thick this morning I couldn’t see my own feet. The sun didn’t come out until afternoon so it made for cool hiking. I climbed Mt. Baker, a hard rock climb with beautiful views of Danley, Vermont. The only other North bounder in the shelter is “Waterproof” with her bad acting untrained German Shepherd. Cynthia, an elementary school teacher form Rhode Island is here with her well trained dog, and two South bounders are also here. Tomorrow I only have to do 11 miles to the Town of Wallingford and I plan to tent on “Mrs. Gorps” lawn and she will give me a ride to Killington on Thursday. It will be good to see some other hikers and Pat on Friday. The shelter is on a stream that looks just like Sandy Stream in Maine. It is beautiful. That’s all for tonight.
August 30, 2000 – Mrs. Gorp’s House in Wallingford, Vermont. Cindy and her husbands home.
I didn’t have a hard hitch, the third car picked me up and gave me a ride right to Cindy’s house. They had a room for me, cooked me a great meal. I had a shower and did my wash. Wonderful people and good treatment! I am lucky to have trail friends. I had a nice walk in and was here by 4:30. They have a lovely home.
August 31, 2000 – The Inn at Long Trail tonight for a hikers party.
“Mrs. Gorp” slacked packed me today and I went over Bear Mountain in record time for me. I ran into “Jester” on the trail and he and I got a ride to the Inn at Long Trail for the Hikers’ party. I would fill the page with all the names of hikers at the party, but folks hitched hiked or took the bus from miles around both north and south to get to the party. “Brother” organized the party and did a great job. He even had a fire set up so we would have a place to go after the bar closed. All and all I would say there were about 50 thru hikers at the party and it was nice to compare news and find out where everyone is. I will catch a ride to the Killington Pico Motel with Pat tomorrow and look forward to seeing her and doing slack packing with her.
September 2, 2000 – The Killington Pico motel near the trail today with Pat.
We did a bunch of miles today slack packing near Killington, the main junction and east of there. I have less than 40 miles to the New Hampshire border. It was great hiking with Pat. “Rhode Bill” and his wife, Jean are camped out about three miles north of the Maine Junction right on the trail and when we come off the mountain we saw “Jester” and “Archiles” in their camp site. We stopped and had lunch with them. “Rhode Bill” picked up a note he found for me in a shelter near Dalton from David and MaryJane Shiverick, Mt. Vernon summer residents who have a winter home near Dalton, Mass. Bill said I had signed in at the shelter, but missed the note. The Shivericks hike up to the trail a lot with their dog.
I camped on Tom Laverdiere’s lawn in Dalton so I must have just signed in at the shelter and not looked around. Today, Pat and I hiked a lot in the fog, but we did get some good views. Just as we got back, the thunder started. I am glad we have a warm motel to stay in – quite a luxury after six months on the trail. I have a warm bed, a shower and a hot tub and my wife’s company. Well when Labor Day ends – back to the trail.
Sept. 4th – Moose Mountain Shelter – About 1730 miles from Springer and 11 miles into New Hampshire. Twelve states down – only two to go.
I’ve been slack packing with Pat the last few days and made up a lot of miles. When I put on the full pack today and started up the mountain I felt like my pack weighed 150 pounds rather than the 45-55 pounds it weighs. It actually is very heavy today because I have over five days of food and all my winter gear. I had to send some winter gear home with Pat because there wasn’t room in my pack for it. It is very cold tonight and I am extremely happy to have winter clothes.
It was wonderful spending Labor Day Weekend with Pat. We had some wonderful hiking and some real quality time we needed. It is cold tonight. I would guess in the high 30’s in the mountains. I do have a fire going. The only other person in the shelter is a young man who lives in Fargo, N.D. He used to live in Westchester County, N.Y. and spent his summers in New Hampshire so he came here for a hiking vacation.
The shelter is an old falling down shelter maintained (not too well) by the Dartmouth Outing Club and it is ½ mile off the trail. My good friend Half Moon was in the shelter for lunch today. He was hurt in Georgia and has been several weeks behind me since Damascus, Virginia.. He said in the journal that he skipped part of NewYork. and all of Connecticut, Massachusettes and Vermontt and skipped almost to Hanover. He will finish Katahdin then go back and do the rest of the trail after October 15th.
It is almost dark at 7:30. I am writing by head lamp and I just put my long johns on for the first time. It is just too cold to sit around with bare legs even with a campfire. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and sunny. A good day to make some miles. I tried to eat a lot for supper to make my pack a little lighter. I am now less than 450 miles from my goal at Katahdin. It seems so long ago when I got my first 100 miles and only had 2060 to go. That first 100 miles came very hard: The hike never got easy. It’s just that some days are a little harder than others. Now with the Whites and Maine ahead the days will all be hard but the goal is within reach.
Sept. 5, 2000 – Smarts Mountain Fire Tower Cabin
Very very hard day today. Two very hard mountains that were very steep and it is about 20 degrees on the mountains tonight according to the thermometer here. Luke and Fennel are with me. I got here just at dark and very late, but once I started up the mountain it was too steep to set up a tent so I had to go for the top. It was cold and I was in the dark with my head lamp. I plan to do 13 miles tomorrow and do the same distance as today, but if it is anything like today, I will hold up short and camp. Too cold to write and I am too tired. More tomorrow.
Sept. 6 – Ore Mountain Shelter – 414+ miles from Katahdin.
I arrived at dark again and did another 13 miles plus day, but I got started real late because it was just too cold to get started. This morning I just didn’t get out of the sleeping bag. I finally got up and climbed the fire tower at Smart’s Mountain and I could see Mt. Washington, all the White Mounatins and everything I had already climbed in New England. to the south. As I was looking at Washington all I could think of was that someone in Mt. Vernon was driving by Dave Week’s farm and looking at the same mountain. I feel very close to home now.
Today I ran into Palpion, aka Rene Boutin from Pittsburg N.H.. I had hiked with him for several months when he then vanished around central Vaginia. He flip flopped and is now south bound with 700 miles to go. It was real nice to see him again. I thought he had quit, but he is still out here just going the other way. Tomorrow I only have to go eight miles to the Hostel.
I have to hike about 13 miles a day to stay on the schedule I set up for myself, but I am going to cut my mileage to 10 in the Whites. I am freezing and am going to get in the “Big Bag” and sleep.
Sept. 7, 2000 Hikers Welcome Hostel – Glencliff, N.H.
I am at the base of Mt. Moosilauke the first of the Whites and tomorrow’s goal. Today was only about nine miles to the hostel where my new L.L. Bean Crestas were waiting me. I’ve worn out two pair already on this trail. The first pair leaked and L.L. Bean replaced them and this pair had the sole on the front of the boot de-laminate and come off before I got through Pennsylvania. I hope this new pair makes it through this hike. If it wasn’t for the boots, I never would have stopped at Glencliff, but I am glad I did. I got a shower and a shave and went to town for a pizza and bought a “sub” for lunch tomorrow.
Tonight in the hostel we have south bounders, Chilly, Wisper lite, Vogger, Stardust, Smelvin and myself. I called Pat after dinner and I am going to do a big mountain tomorrow. We are all looking forward to it. I am only going to try to do eight to nine mile days in the Whites. I may change my mind, but right now I want to take my time until I get a feel for the Whites.
It is very very cold at night so cold no one wants to get out of their bag in the morning. My Mountain Hardware bag keeps me warm even though it is getting down to 20 degrees at night. I sleep in my Long Johns and it is warm in my bag, but freezing in the world outside the bag. More tomorrow.
Sept. 8th – Bever Brook Shelter – Less than 400 miles to Katahdin – acutally 390 miles.
Today I climbed Mt. Moosilauke and it was a very tough climb. It took me most of the day to do only about nine miles. Moosilauke is 4800 feel tall and the first of the White Mountains and the first mountain where you climb above timber line. There was a very long steep area about a mile above timberline and it was very windy and cold. It is freezing in the shelter tonight. Two south bounders are in as well as Papa Smurf, Bumblebee and Just Bob. Twenty are here, RaRu, Sisu, Firewood, and Smelvin. I will stick to my plan of short days. I hope it warms up. More tomorrow.
Sept. 9th – Eliza Brook Shelter – 1779 miles from Springer.
Very hard day, but that is the story of New Hampshire. I went over Wolf Mountain today and face Kinsman tomorrow and I will visit my first AMC hut at Lonesome Lake. This morning was very cold. Tonight we have Firewood and Steam Roller who are North Bounders and Hmmm, a South Bounder, and about 15 weekend hikers and one dog staying around the shelter. The weekenders are very noisy and most thru hikers go to bed a t 7:30. But the weekenders just start their party at 7:30.
Today I stopped at t tourist trap called Lost River which was about a half mile off the trail and low and behold thru hikers get a 40% discount on all meals. I had a big Sub, a chocolate milk, two cokes and French fries for $5.18. Today I was getting very discouraged. The trail was hard and I saw no other hikers all day. I’ve had thoughts of skipping the rest of the Whites and going to Maine and doing the Whites next year, but for now I’ll press on.
Today I ran into my old friend Mountain Laurel. We were in Damascus together and she left and flip flopped to Maine. It was great to see her. She is one of the few hikers close to my age. I think she is in her 60’s. She is a nurse from Tennessee., but her husband lives in Florida. It is getting late – more tomorrow.
Sept. 10th – Lonesome Lake Hut – White Mountains
I stopped just to get water and an old friend, Shark Bait, was here. I haven’t ssen him since Troutsdale, Virginia. He flop flopped and I thought he was off the trail. He is a very fast hiker, but he spent too much time playing party animal in towns. I started in Georgia with him and we were together several times. It is great to see him. When I found him here, I went to the hut manager and asked about “work for stay.” She said go ahead and stay, she had plenty of food and I shouldn’t have to work. Five hikers are staying here and she isn’t charging us, but asked us to do dishes and sweep up in the morning. Not a bad deal.
The Whites are very tough. Tomorrow I plan to go into either Lincoln or North Woodstock and re-supply. I plan to do only 8-10 miles a day in the Whites. One, they are very hard and two they are very beautiful and I want to enjoy them.
Achilles and Jester just came through the door and they will stay here. The manager of the hut is nice. She is pretendng to let us all work or pay a minimal amount to stay here. I feel better about the AMC now and think I will join. Everyone is talking in the Hut’s kitchen. It is like old home week. If I hadn’t stayed here, I would have gone to town, paid for a room and meal. Life is good. I will also have a short day tomorrow.
Sept. 10th – How Plans Change
I am at Hiker’s Paradise in Gorham, N.H. about 50 miles from where I expected to be tonight. I called Pat from Franconia Notch. She called Hiker’s Paradise to ask about slack packing Mahoosuc Notch and found that for a fair price they would slack pack me the rest of the Whites, so I called and they picked me up. I did three miles down from Lonesome Lake then I did six miles in the Mahoosuc this afternoon and it took me five hours in the Mahoosuc.
I ran into all sorts of friends I hadn’t seen since the Smokeys, Purple, Damn It, Scotch John, Linda, Amtrack, and Hayden. It was great to see all these people again. Old friends , Wahoo, Rainbow, and Normal are also staying here along with about 10 hikers I don’t know.
Tomorrow I have to get up at 5:00 a.m. to hike from just before Mahoosuc Notch to Carlo Col (sp?) which is about ten miles over very rough country. I wish I wasn’t so slow – everyone else is faster than I am and even slack packing is a problem because in a day I can cover less ground than other hikers so slack packing me is a problem. Well I want to get the Whites out of the way and then on to Maine and the end! More tomorrow.
Sept. 12 – Gorham, N.H.
Today I slack packed the hardest 10 miles in the Mahoosuc range except for the notch. We’ll save the notch for a short day. I did the Arm and Old Spec last fall and don’t plan to do it again. Tomorrow I get up at 5:00 a.m. and head for Franconia Ridge.
Today I ran into two very old friends I hadn’t seen in months. Actually four friends. First was Godfather and Yoda. They hugged me and picked me up. I also saw Fenway and Nails. No one can get over how great I look. Burley, Gnarley, Blue, and Yahoo are all at the Hostel tonight along with Normal and about twenty other hikers. It is hard to get the phone. There is only one line for about twenty people. After my hike, I had half a pizza then I went for a Chinese buffet. Tomorrow I’ll throw something together for breakfast. I have to be on the road by 5:30.
The Mahoosocs are very beautiful. It was cloudy and the clouds moved through the passes and around the peaks. It was beautiful, especially on the bald peaks. The mountains were one after another today, Fulling Mill, Two Peaks of Goose Eye and Mt. Carlo. These were four major steep climbs in 10 miles. It was beautiful and fun with a light pack. I look forward to the Whites tomorrow.
Sept. 16 – 24, 2000 Gorham, N.H. – Hikers Paradise Hostel
I have not done my journal since I have been here. When I am in a shelter I usually write my journal after supper, but at the Hostel I shower and shave after hiking and then go out to dinner. After dinner all the hikers gather in the living room, watch T.V. and talk. About 8:00 or 8:30 Bruce, the manager, comes around with his maps and sets up every ones hike for the next day. A lot of hikers slack pack (carry just food, water, and foul weather gear) and others start where they left off.
Hikers Paradise picks up and drops off hikers from Glencliff, N.H.. at the start of the Whites to Rangely in Maine. Some hikers stay here for over two weeks and Bruce drops them off and picks them up every day. The first day I was here I did only six miles from part way up Mahoosuc to here. The next day I did the rest of the Mahoosuc Range except the Notch. The next day I did Zealand Falls to U.S. Rout 302. I also have done Mt. Washington and the Presidentials as well as the Crawford trail.
Yesterday I did Mahoosuc Notch in the pouring rain. It was difficult, but not the best idea in the rain. Today I also hiked in the rain and heavy wind. I did three 4000 + footers, South Twin, Mt. Guyot, and Mt. Zealand. Tomorrow I am going to do Franconia Ridge – a huge climb. I will have only one more climb in the Whites – Pinkham Notch to Route 2 and then I can go on to Maine. I plan to go home before I start on Maine and need a break. It’s been six months since I’ve been home and I miss it and Pat very much.
This morning it was very cold and one of the hikers, Bear, was on Mt. Washington and it was all black ice. There was some ice on South Twin today, but not as much as there was on Washington. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be nice.
Sept. 17th, 2000 – White Mountains
I got up at 5:00 this morning to do the Franconia Ridge, one of the most beautiful ridge walks in the Whites. I had put off doing it waiting for a nice day. The nice thing about slack packing is that you can do different sections on different days and in this case I saved one of the best for one of the last days.
As I prepared to start up the ridge, I found a hiker sleeping in his sleeping bag under the Interstate 93 Bridge. It was old friend Alan, trail name, D.M.A. Eleven hikers were sleeping in an abandoned house in North Woodstock last night when the police busted them for trespassing. They were arrested and then bailed out for $20 each. The cops took them to the trail at 3:00 a.m. and let them go. They set up their tents beside the trail and/or slept under the bridge. It was funny to look at, but I’m sure not funny to them.
Well anyway, Alan got up and decided to hike with me all day. We climbed Mt. Liberty, Haystack, Lincoln, and Lafayette and we hiked to Garfield where I had hiked before.. Then I turned back to go down the Greenleaf trail and Alan headed for Galehead Hut where I had been yesterday. We started in the fog and rain, but just after Haystack the clouds started to break up and by Lincoln and Lafayette it was clear, sunny and we could see 100 miles. There was snow on Mt. Washington, the fiirst I had seen this year on this hike. The wind was blowing about 50 mph on the Ridge and while it was cold it was very beautiful. It is so wonderful to be up on the air 5300 or 5400 feet and look at all the places you have climbed. When you can see a huge range 50 or 70 miles south like Mooslauke, the Kinsmans, and be able to say, “I walked and climbed every foot of those.” When you look at how huge they are from a distant mountain , it doesn’t seem humanly possible that you climbed them. Tomorrow when I do the Carters and Wildcat it will finish the Whites for me. Just one more day and then on to Maine. What a long time getting to my home state, but what a reward it will be to get there.
Sept. 18th, 2000 – Gorham, New Hampshire
I am still in Gorham, but done with New Hampshire. Today I did the eastern section of the trail in the Whites, that is Pinkham Notch, Wildcat, and Carter. This section ends at Route 2. Carter Hut is one of the nicest huts in the Whites. It is in a beautiful loction near two alpine ponds and one of the least used. It is a 504 service hut, no food served, and it is not near one of the glamour mountains. It is getting dark as I write this and two of my friends, Jolly rancher and Bear are still out there. Jolly Rancher was on the section I was on and Bear was on Washington today. I am not worried about them because they both can take care of themselves. Bear just called for a ride at 8:00 p.m. well after dark and Dato just came in. No word from Jolly Rancher yet.
I actually have a bit of a sunburn after days of hiking above the timberline. Tomorrow, Michael, my son, is picking me up at about 11:00 a.m. and then I go home for a couple of days. I am not going to re-hike parts of the trail in Maine that I hiked last fall, winter and spring. After a few days off I will be back on the trail quite a few miles into Maine. I did some of western Maine while I was here at Gorham, N.H. from the state line to Speck Pond area. My next big challenge is the 100 mile wilderness (9:00 p,m, - my old friend from Georgia, Excellent Good Half Moon, just come in).
Sept. 21, 2000
After the Whites I had son Mike pick me up in Gorham, N.H. and went home to Mt. Vernon for two days of R + R. Last summer, fall, winter and early spring I had managed to hike the trail from old Speck to the Carry Ponds so today my son Mike and I hiked to Pierce Pond. Tomorrow we will cross the Kennebec and hike up Pleasant Pond Mountain. Mike will hike out and go home and I will go on to Monson and the 100 mile Wilderness and Katahdin. In about 20 days I will have completed the complete Appalachian Trail unless I break something. There is a big crowd here tonight – most of them new to me. Mike is going to sleep out in his Bivy sack, but I will sleep in the shelter. It is dark at 7:05 p.m.and I am writing by my head lamp. Minstrel is playing the guitar and Mike is cooking a second supper because he is still hungry. We only hiked a few miles today, but I have to get into the idea of carrying a full pack again after all the slack packing in the Whites. It is cold tonight and going to be colder tomorrow, but that’s what we get for hiking in the fall.
Sept. 22, 2000 – Pleasant Pond Lean-to – 140 miles from Katahdin
Mike and I got on the trail at 7:30 a.m. and crossed the Kennebec at 10:00 a.m. in his Drift Boat. Mike loaded his drift Boat and I visited Paul Fuller, a former Mt. Vernon Selectman, who now operates a Hiker Hostel in Caratunk. Mike brought my pack up to the shelter and I slack packed up. Mike’s friend, Gigglebox, showed up at the shelter. She was real sorry she missed Mike at Pierce Pond. She spoke very well of Mike. A customer of Mikes, Rick Ness, is also staying at the shelter. They both think he is an excellent businessman. They say Mike spent a lot of time with them and they are happy with the equipment they get at Aardvark Outfitters in Farmington. Today was an easy 10 miles and I plan to take it easy the rest of the way to Katahdin and then go home as a conquering hero.
Pleasant Pond is beautiful. I feel like I am home in that area. As a kid I came to Caratunk with my folks and the Bonners and Fred Bonner and I hiked, hunted and fished every inch of the area. The area we hiked through today was exactly the area Fred and I used to hunt in. It is strange that Terry Neptune and I played in the same area as adults. Tomorrow I climb Pleasant Pond Mountain and Moxie Bald and those are two mountains I used to play on summer and winter. The trail doesn’t go to Mosquito Mountain that is the third mountain we played on. Well – 20 –22 days from now it will be over – maybe sooner.
Sept. 23, 2000 – Bold Mt. Brooke Lean-to 136.5 miles from Katahdin - Almost there!
A huge crowd came in a lot of new people. Nomad, the man who gave me my trail name in 1998, is here. The group of section hikers from Lewiston is also here. It is raining a very cold fall rain. The shelter is full and everyone has their tents set up. I got in early enough to stay in the shelter. I am very cold. It is dark and it isn’t even 6:00 p.m. yet. It was an easy hike today over Pleasant Mountain. I t was like re-living my youth. Fred Bonner and I used to hunt all over Pleasant Mountain. When I climbed over I could see all of Moxie Pond and a million memories of the Neptune days came back. T he rain never started until I was a mile from the shelter. I think I will get in my sleeping bag and stay there until it warms up.
Sunday Sept. 24, 2000 Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to - 123.5 miles from Katahdin.
I had a hard but good day-about 14 miles. I started out going over Moxie Bald Mountain. It was pouring rain and dungeon fog on top so I didn’t even bother to get my picture taken on top. It rained until afternoon – sometimes hard. I said with less than 150 miles to go, I wouldn’t hike in the rain, but I am anxious to get on with the hike so into the rain I marched this morning. I had to do something I hadn’t had to do since Georgia, ford rivers. I had to ford the south end of Moxie Pond and the East Branch of the Piscataquis River. The water was not too deep so I did it in my hiking boots and only got a little wet. Tomorrow I do the East Branch into Monson. The days are getting real short – less than 12 hours long. There was a lot of walking along the river and it was beautiful, but darkness came too early. Tomorrow, on to Monson.
Sept. 25, 2000 – Monson, Maine.
I did about 10 miles and I am staying at Shaw’s Boarding Home which is 117.8 miles from the Summit of Katahdin. I am making good time. Nomad, the man who started calling me Moxie a few years back is here. Got a card and some money from Patti Neptune when I got to Monson. I am going to the Post Office tomorrow and mail my last journals from the trail and check for any last minute mail. I hope some of my friends catch up with me in the 100 mile wilderness. It was below freezing this morning – a sign of things to come. Rain is forecast for tomorrow and it will be real tough if it is real cold.
September 26, 2000, Shaw’s Boarding House, Monson
Did 14.3 miles today slack packing. Went in on a dirt tote road and hiked 1-½ miles to the AT then walked 14.3 miles to Monson. Had a major ford across Wilson Stream today and did it in my bare feet using my Leki poles for balance. The water was real fast and about 2 ½ to 3 feet deep. My shorts got wet. The water was freezing but my pack and boots stayed dry. I now have 100.2 miles to the top of Katahdin and after .3 miles tomorrow I will be in double figures (less than 100 miles to go). I will walk out of here with food for 10 days and my pack will weigh about 57-60 pounds. Today I fully enjoyed the 100 Mile Wilderness. It was cold and clear and the views were spectacular. It is amazing I still haven’t seen a moose. I hiked all day with “Party Animal”, a heating and air conditioning man from Baltimore, Md. We passed about 30 other hikers today. There is a huge mob of hikers on the trail, now. I doubt if there will be any room in the shelters for the duration. Tomorrow I have to climb up Barren Mountain, approximately 3000 feet, and will try to do about 11 miles. The next day with any luck I’ll be at Gulf Hagus.
September 27
About ½ way down the north side of Third Mountain, 90 miles from Katahdin. Did a stupid thing tonight. I tried to keep hiking and make a shelter 2 miles from here before dark. It gets dark now at 6:30 so at 6:00 I quickly set my tent up beside the trail. I half-cooked a supper by headlamp and jumped into the tent to get warm. I only did about 10 miles today because the Barren-Chairback mountains were tougher than I thought they would be with loose rock straight up and straight down. It is beautiful but is as tough as any place I have been on the trail. Dark came a little early because clouds started rolling in about 4:00 and took care of any afternoon sun. Rain is forecast tonight but it is supposed to be clear tomorrow. I will be at Gulf Hagus then and will try to camp there. I think it will be smart to slow my pace and take it easy. I have plenty of food and plan to make Katahdin about 8 days from now. The wilderness is beautiful with great vistas and lots of lakes and rocky ledges on the mountaintops. There are so many mountains in the first 50 miles. I did 3 today and hope to finish 2 tomorrow. More then, too dark and cold to write.
September 29, Sidney-Tappan Camp Site
I’m 76 miles from Katahdin and 2500 feet in altitude just north of Gulf Hagus Mountain. Only did about 8 miles today because it was all-uphill. It was below 20° last night. Everything was frozen this morning and I got a late start. Today I came upon a cow moose in full heat bellowing for a bull. The geese are flying south.
I am alone at this campsite and it is getting dark quickly. The time is 6:20 and the sun has set. I got here about 4:45 and had time to gather firewood, go to the spring for water and cook and eat supper before dark. This is the first night I can remember in the last week that I’ve been able to write in the fading light and not with a headlamp.
One advantage to being a slow hiker is that all my friends are passing me and I get a chance so see them one more time. “Baltimore Jack” went on to the next shelter as did John and Linda (no trail names since Georgia). “Fenway”, “Nails”, “Purple” and “Dammit” are all friends I have seen along the trail but I guess this is it. I called Pat’s office from the top of Gulf Hagus Mountain before my last cell phone battery went dead. Pat was out but I was able to leave word that I am running late. Climbing in the 100 Mile Wilderness is brutal - straight up and straight down. Tomorrow I have to do 3 mountains in the first 5 miles, West Peak, Hay Mountain and White Cap. White Cap is just under 4000 feet and the climb looks brutal. After that there is just one little mountain between me and Katahdin. I hope the hiking gets easier. I have plenty of food and time so I will not push it. I have come too far to hurt myself with a fall or because I pushed myself while I was tired. I hope it warms up in the next few days and pray it doesn’t rain. Too dark to write now, more tomorrow.
September 30th, East Branch Shelter, 67.8 miles from Katahdin
God, Katahdin is awesome. It was a beautiful day and the view from the top of White Cap was great. I could see the Roach Ponds to the west and the mountains around Moosehead Lake. To the north Katahdin stood like a giant over the flatlands.
Today I climbed three very hard mountains and made it to the shelter at 4:00. That was not too early to stop as it is dark a little after 6:00. Tomorrow the next shelter is only nine miles and I may go past it and look for a campsite. If I stop at the shelter it will mean 17 miles the following day and I haven’t been able to do that since the days got short. It was warmer today and it seems the good weather may last another day or so. I still haven’t had a good moose sighting yet.
I am camping with “Buck”, “Frito”, “Hoagie Dreamer” and “Skirty” as well as a section hiker. It’s getting dark. More tomorrow.
October 1st, Cooper Pond, 54.5 miles from Katahdin
A pleasant night. It was cold this morning but warmed up during the day and I sweat in shorts and a tee shirt. I managed to hike 13 miles today. There was one very small mountain, Boardman, that was steep like all 100 Mile Wilderness climbs. But it was not tall compared to what I have climbed. I am camping beside a beautiful lake with “Bookworm”, “Cincinitus” and “Therin”. The leaves are in full color on some of the ridges. It makes you realize how long this hike is because there were no leaves on the trees when we started and now they are falling.
We heard a loon on the lake tonight. That surprised me because all the geese have headed south. “Therin” and “Cincinitus” have a nice fire going and I am sitting next to it writing in my journal. In seven or eight days I should be out if the weather cooperates. I’ve got to go to bed now. A big day tomorrow and the no-see-ums are biting at my legs.
October 2nd, White House Landing -- Approximately 46 miles from Katahdin
I walked about a mile down a new log road and blew an air horn. A man came in a boat and brought me to White House Landing. It is about 70 miles into the 100 mile wilderness and they have a bunkhouse for hikers. I had a nice pizza for supper. I tried to call home but all 3 batteries are dead in my cel phone. This particular phone (Nokia) is useless because the batteries won’t hold a charge for more than a day, even if not used.
It was cloudy and cool today. I hiked only ten miles and got here around 4:30. I have about 30 miles more before I get to Abol Bridge. No matter how I do it it will take three days. Tomorrow right at 10 miles there is a 1500-foot steep mountain with no camping or shelter. It is 17 miles to the next shelter and that’s more than I can do in one day. I will do 10 tomorrow, 12 the next day and try to arrive at Abol Bridge Thursday. I hope to be at the base of Katahdin Friday. If the weather holds I hope to finish Saturday. That will make my hike six months and one day long from start to finish. But even with the end so near I am not going to hike in bad weather. I want to enjoy the rest of the hike
A lot of my friends are spread out across the State of Maine and I can only hope some of them will catch up with me before I summit.
I still haven’t had a good moose sighting. Well, at White House Landing I was able to get a shower and a shave. There is no phone so I can’t call home. In fact, there is no phone between here and Katahdin so I will not be able to call home until I am done. That is a real bummer. It is freezing cold but the bunkhouse has a wood stove and gas lights. They are my last luxuries until I get off Katahdin. Nothing exciting happened today except walking in a beautiful area with a heavy pack. I am alone in the bunkhouse. Six through hikers rented a cabin but I don’t know any of them. They were all ahead of me. More tomorrow.
October 3rd, North side of Nesuntabunt Mountain -- 35.1 miles from Baxter Peak on Katahdin
Camped beside a gravel road. It is exactly 20 miles to Abol Bridge and the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness. I had a great breakfast at White House Landing but didn’t get on the trail until 9:00. Planned to stop at Wadleigh Stream lean-to but got there at 2:45 so I pushed ahead hoping to find a flat place to tent. When I was at Wadleigh it rained a bit but stopped. That should have told me something. After Wadleigh is Nesuntabunt Mt.- a very nasty 1500-foot straight up climb to a beautiful view. When I got to the top the storm clouds were gathering so I started down the north side looking for any place to set up my tent. After a mile the rain came hard and I still had found no flat spot.
I came to a gravel road and there was a little parking lot, mostly gravel and grass. I set my tent up and threw everything in it to get it as dry as possible, then dove in myself. I usually hang my food bag so bears and mice won’t get it but tonight I just stuck it under the fly of my tent. I didn’t want to get wet cooking supper so I only had a bagel with peanut butter, 2 cookies, a Power Bar and a Snickers to eat. What the heck, I may not be as comfortable as I would be in the shelter but at least I am 3 miles closer to the end. This has been a great adventure but it is time to climb Katahdin and finish it. Every mile counts. It is uncomfortable to write on my side in a tent so that’s all for tonight. I hope the rain ends before morning.
October 4th, South end of Rainbow Lake, 22.8 miles from Katahdin
When I got up this morning I had to pack a wet tent. Today was one of those raw, wet, cold fall days that everyone hates. I didn’t get started until 8:00 and I am proud that I got in 12 ½ miles. Tonight was the last night I’ll have to race darkness for a campsite. I have done that the whole trip. Two hours before dark you start hiking faster and faster trying to find a flat spot to put up your tent. It happened last night and I set up in a parking area on a logging road in a rainstorm. Tonight I found a gorgeous bluff with a fireplace (homemade) overlooking the entire length of Rainbow Lake. The sky started to clear at dusk and is now pink after a miserable day.
Tomorrow there is only a 7.7-mile walk to Abol Campground and Friday I have only 7.5 miles to Daicey Pond Campground. It is supposed to rain all day Friday but at this point I couldn’t care less. When I climb Katahdin Saturday it is supposed to rain on and off but a hot shower will be waiting when I get down.
I am happy but tired and ready for this adventure to end. The loons are calling on the lake. My food bag is hung. The campfire is warm and if only it wasn’t so cold it would be a perfect night on the Appalachian Trail. I am totally alone on this lake and now it is too dark to write. More tomorrow from the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness.
October 5th, Appalachian Trail Inn, Millinocket, Maine
Today I hiked a record 14 miles from Rainbow Lake to Daicey Pond at the base of Katahdin. When I got there a fellow was looking for his daughter. She had been at White House Landing last night. Her trail name is “Boose”. He offered me a ride into Millinocket and I jumped at it. I can wait out tomorrow’s rain in a comfortable room rather than my little tent. Word is that there will be better weather on Saturday but tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day. I hit the Golden Road a little after noon and went to the little store there for a bit of re-supply. I had no idea I would end up in Millinocket at that time and got enough food to last two or three days. It looks like I will have a window of opportunity on Saturday. It’s supposed to be very cloudy but there is small chance of rain or snow. We will get rain on Friday and it looks like snow for Sunday and Monday.
I hope the last time I carry my heavy pack is to put it in the car before I go home. I plan to pack light up Katahdin, just lunch and a lot of warm clothes. This adventure is soon to end and it has been wonderful.
October 8th, Mt. Vernon, Maine -- Home
My hike ended when I touched the sign on the summit of Katahdin at 12:15 yesterday. It was quite a couple of days with many highs and lows. The weather was horrible on Friday the 6th so I decided to take a zero day. Many of my friends tried to climb; “Bearbag”, ”Sweet Pea”, “Brother”, “Tuk” and “Rainbow” among them. There was heavy blowing snow above the tree line and they were all turned back. Brother made it to the tablelands but could go no farther. He had gotten closest to the summit but felt he was lucky just to find the trail back.
I never left Millinocket as Saturday was forecast to be a better day. On Friday night, however, the ranger at the main gate reported that it looked like the mountain would be closed through Tuesday. Snow was forecast all Friday night at that point and I was feeling very low. At 8:00 PM, however, the rain stopped at lower elevations and it actually warmed up a few degrees. At 11:00 I decided to try to climb in the morning, at least as high as the rangers would let me go. I got my warmest clothes out and went to bed but couldn’t sleep.
When I got to the gate a little after 7:00 am the ranger said the mountain was open but with snow and ice it was “recommended” not to go above the timberline. “Tuk”, “Smelvin”, “Rainbow”, James, Veronica, “Northern Lights” and I started up the Hunt Trail at about 8:00. When we got to the timberline we were spread out with me bringing up the rear. While there was snow the trail was fairly dry. We pushed on, climbing through solid overcast but by the time we got to the tablelands we were pretty much on top of the clouds. About 500 yards from the summit I ran into “Bearbag”, “Sweet Pea”, “Pa”, “Candy Lady” and “Lightning Bolt” on their way down. The weather was moving in fast so after a quick congratulations I left them and pushed on to the top. I got there a little after noon. Everyone in my party had started back down but “Timothy Mouse” was there.
I stayed at the summit for almost an hour, taking my victory picture and enjoying the great feeling of completing such an incredible adventure. At 1:00 I decided it was time to get on with the rest of my life so I started down. I got to the trailhead parking lot about 4:00 having passed a lot of my friends who had left the summit almost an hour before me. Pat was supposed to meet me there at 4:00 but her car wasn’t there yet. I went to the ranger station to check out and picked up a note left for me there.
While I was there Pat pulled in. We hugged and then we started todrive out. Then came the biggest surprise of all, my two sons, Patrick and Michael, were waiting for me back up the road. We returned to the parking lot and took pictures then drove back to Millinocket and checked into a Motel where we had Champagne and snacks. We later went to the River Driver Restaurant for a celebration dinner.
Now I am sitting at my table at home. I’m 55 pounds lighter than I was in April. I have cotton clothes on for the first time in six months. I have a leather (not plastic) wallet in my pocket. I am able to use a flush toilet whenever I need one. I had a wonderful hike but it is just as wonderful to be at home with those I love. I don’t know how the transition to off-trail life will go, but I do know that the 6 months and one day I spent on the AT have changed my life forever. There is no way I can explain how my attitudes toward life, nature and other people have been transformed. The world seems a better place. The hike was a great sacrifice but it was an adventure I will always cherish.
Moxie's journals updated today for September 26th to October 7, 2000.
Deane -- Finished the Trail, Saturday, October 7, 2000 Hurray -- and Congratulations Moxie/Deane!!!