Blog Conclusion, One Week Later

Although we are home, we decided to finish the blog for anyone who would enjoy reading the story to the end.

8/6 Nancy liked the trail name pack lizard, but Mark suggested shortening it to Izzy. Funny he's the second person to suggest Izzy as a trail name but for a different reason. Mark was packing up and almost left his hammock tie downs on the tree. Nancy reminded him of this, and Packman called him a Jackass. Mark responded, “Don't you worry Packman, I'll make it thru this.”  After stopping at Wilson Creek shelter, Craig took a long nap because he wasn't feeling well. Kayenta was not fully recovered either, so we decided to stay the night. Packman showed up and told us he saw Mark walking the wrong direction, and he would be here soon. Mark arrived about an hour later as it was raining and just stood out in the rain shirtless for about an hour. Packman though he was crazy. Mark later pulled a 3-pound crap shovel out of his pack and we all responded, “You didn't show us that yesterday!” He later decided to leave the shovel at the shelter.
8/7 Met Rerun and Mattie Bear who were hiking south. They had been a day or two behind (and sometimes ahead) of us going north and had been reading our journal entries since Erwin TN. They were hoping to meet us at the end of their trip, but didn't think it was possible based on our mileage. However because Kayenta and Craig slowed us down for the last couple days, it was possible. We talked for 40 minutes on the trail to this father and daughter hiking 400 miles together. We later realized that Rerun was the hiker who wrote the very touching journal entry about the death of Whitey and Red Headed Stranger at Laurel Lake. Nancy really wanted to meet the man who wrote this entry, and so it happened. Rerun and Mattie Bear mentioned that they had not seen any other hikers in over a day, and so we told them about Mark, Felix and Packman who would cross their path soon. We stopped at a shelter for a break. Mark arrived and said he met a father and daughter on the trail who asked, “Hey Mark, how is Felix doing?”. Mark thought, “Oh brother, I'm a goner.” They then admitted that we told them about him and his dog. We all decided to hike to the next shelter but Mark left first because he was slow. Packman could see that Marks dog Felix did not want to do anymore hiking, but Mark said he would make him.  As he was hiking up the long switch back trail away from the shelter, Packman was yelling potential trail names for him. As Mark neared the top, his dog Felix appeared back at the shelter, and settled right back onto his sunny rock where he had been enjoying his leisure time. Packman yelled, “Hey Mark, your dog is down here!” Mark replied, “Yea, I know”. Mark hiked back down and placed Felix in the top of his backpack and hiked out. We laughed the whole day about that until arriving at Cove Mountain shelter. Packman said he was going to eat and hike out about 2am to the next shelter...he never did. Bats flew threw the shelter as we slept.
8/8 Left early in the morning and came to an open vista where we could see that we were hiking above the clouds; beautiful view. Stopped and dipped our feet in a swimming hole at Jennings Creek. Stopped at Bryant Ridge Shelter which was an architectural dream. The shelter was reminiscent of a Japanese Tea House.  It had miniature Tibetan prayer flags hanging across the front.  Nancy did not want to leave but we had to walk to the next shelter (Cornelius Creek-which was the normal 3 sided lean-to) to make it to Waynesboro in a reasonable amount of time. Called Jean (Nancy our supply sending helper's sister) and Don, who live in Waynesboro, to tell them that we could attempt to hitchhike up the Blue Ridge Parkway and see how close we can get to their house. They responded that  they really wanted to pick us up despite the 140 mile round-trip. A bat flew above our heads in the shelter all night.
8/9 Nancy saw a large snake on the side of the trail; Kayenta and Craig were oblivious. It didn't rattle or hiss so we guessed that it was non-poisonous. Having arrived home and looked up snakes, we now think it was a poisonous cottonmouth.  Arrived at the Thunder Ridge Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway; this is our ending point and we are DONE HIKING. Jean and Don met us there, took our final photo picture and drove us to the James River Visitor center, Food Lion and to their house. Craig felt sick again for the rest of the day and into the night; he may have caught something from Packman who shared some hot tea.
8/10 Craig felt better as Jean and Don dropped us off in downtown Waynesboro. Enjoyed the day and drove the southern part of Skyline Drive. Camped that night at Creekside Campground in Edinburgh VA...cannot get enough camping!
8/11 Ate breakfast at Denny's and drove the rest of the way home. THE END.

THE SUMMATION OF OUR TRIP:

ONE APPALACHIAN JOURNEY,
SHARED WITH 3 STRONG-WILLED INDIVIDUALS,
ONE MAN,   ONE WOMAN,   AND ONE DOG,
EACH WITH DIFFERENT NEEDS, WANTS, AND OPINIONS.

ALL LIVING TOGETHER IN ABOUT 35 CUBIC FEET OF SPACE,
FOR 3 MONTHS,
WALKING ALMOST 800 MILES,
IN ALMOST EVERY TYPE OF WEATHER CONDITION.

EQUALLING ONE UNFORGETTABLE ADVENTURE!

We thank all our friends and family for your support, help, thoughts and prayers that made this possible for us to do.

Confessions of a Neatnik Backpacker

Nancy started this trip determined to keep her things Clean, Neat, and in Order. Only Order seemed to be achievable to a decent degree. Nancy can't believe how much she has lowered her cleanliness standards to be able to live out in nature as a fast nomad.  Craig also stretched his definition of cleanliness.

Here are some things that we experienced that one would never do until he/she backpacked for more than a month:

1. Dirty and Sanitary have two different meanings.  Clean your hands after you do number two, everything else is just dirt.

2. Licking fingers saves the weight of napkins. Even if there is more than just food on your fingers….

3. You don't need 3 cleanup bowls for bathing, urinating in tent, and trash. One will do.

4. Licking dinnerware is a good substitute for a dishwasher.

5. The 3 (or 5) second "eating after dropping food" rule no longer seems to apply.  If you are hungry, eat it. And all backpackers are hungry.


6. Cutting garlic bulbs with your teeth is more efficient than using a knife because you don't need to clean the knife.

7. It is much more efficient to dig one hole for two people doing number two.

8. You will use your bath bowl to fill your drinking water bottle if desperate. Of course you will treat the water before drinking.

9. If chocolate melts on the inside of a Snickers wrapper, you can place the wrapper in your mouth and suck out the chocolate to keep the used wrapper from soiling your gear.  This is important because bears are strongly drawn to the scent of chocolate.

Made it to Waynesboro (by car anyway)

We're done hiking and making our way home. Here are some updates and will make it more current later.

7/25 Slept on the porch of the bunkhouse because of the difficulty of hoisting the dog to the second floor of the bunkhouse up the ladder. Bitten by no-see-ums for the first couple hours of the night, nice the rest of the night, as we could see the stars.
7/26 Had a communal breakfast (just like dinner) where everyone helped setup or cleanup, kind of odd considering we paid a fair amount to be served...no biggie tho. Checked into the semi-private room after a little confusion about what room we had. Neville and Michael (owners) hinted that we should give Kayenta a bath, so we did. Got our massages which were spectacular. Had a nice dinner with tourists and other hikers, including Flying Irishman from Dublin.
7/27 Left after breakfast at Wood's Hole, and giving them our "bounce" box to send home. We will do without it for the rest of the trip. After a torrential storm, caught up to Achilles on the way to Pearisburg VA. Walked to Pearisburg and called a shuttle intending to stay at the Holy Family Hostel. We got out of the car and the Priest chewed us out about having a dog and trying to stay. Craig neglected to read the "no pets" verbiage in the A.T. Guide. After Craig shouted back the priest commented on how nice Kayenta seemed. Achilles stayed at the hostel while we went to the Holiday Lodge where the person was super friendly.
7/28 Resupplied and ran into Achilles before checking out of the hotel. He seemed to appear out of nowhere...that's probably the last we will see him. Caught up to the Flying Irishman on the way to Rice Field Shelter where we spent the night. This shelter had a nice view of the town...would have been a little better in the morning if the fog was not present.
7/29 Very cool foggy morning. 16.5 mile day to Bailey Gap shelter nearing dusk. Lots of ticks in this area. Flying Irishman stayed at the shelted as well. Nancy had a rough hiking day, seemed to trip and stumble over everthing.
7/30 Stopped for some water and Kayenta followed as usual on our water run. She decided to make a bed in what turned out to be a nest of bees. She was stung at least twice if not more. Hiked to Laurel Creek shelter where we saw the Irishman right before he left for the next shelter...(days layer we read in journals that he went two more shelters, a total of 27 miles for him) He wants to get to Harpers Ferry by mid-August. Late at night Craig heard and spotted a bat hanging in the shelter...cool.
7/31 Hiked thru sunny hot open farm fields and over many stiles where Craig had to airlift Kayenta...very exhausting. Saw the oldest and second largest oak tree on the A.T. Our hiking friend Sharon S contacted us and said she may be able to bring our car to Waynesboro; we will find a ride to the car at the end of our trip and spend the night there. We hiked a long ridge and saw views of a storm that never got to us, stayed at Niday shelter.
8/1 Kayenta was not enthusiastic in the morning as she was holed up under the shelter. However she hiked out. Hiked to a monument dedicated to Audie Murphy, the most decorated WW II vet. He died in a plane crash nearby. Found what we think was trail magic-mashed potatoes, raman noodles and tuna packs. Stayed at Pickle Branch shelter after a day of hot and very humid hiking.
8/2 Hiked to the Dragon's tooth overlook which was very scenic, but the hike out was the toughest downhill over rockfaces so far...especially with a backpack and a dog. We were elated that we chose not to do this hike at the end of the previous day. Hiked to the Four Pines hostel which is a 3 bay garage with a shower and toilet...donation only requested. We called the owner Joe who stopped up and fried some deer meat for Cushie who needs to put on some weight. Then he took us to an AYCE dinner and grocery store for resupply. The road was closed to these places, so he drove us in a golf cart thru some pretty rough terrain. It was the wildest ride Nancy had had in a long time, Craig was in the back bouncing around trying to hold down the grocery items while the cart went up and down steep terrain, through mud puddles and under low tree branches. This would be an unforgetable resupply trip. Slept at the hostel.
8/3 Hiked to McAfee Knob where we met some fun day hikers who liked the kilts and Cushie. Walked thru Tinker Cliffs which was just as beautiful as McAfee Knob. Stayed at Lamberts Meadow shelter.
8/4 Met our first SOBO (Southbound) thru hiker; he had been hiking 25 miles per day to get this far south from Maine. Stopped in Daleville VA for water purifier advice at the outfitter and for lunch. Kayenta was limping more than her usual morning "get-it-all-going" limp so we decided to stay at the HoJo in town. Kayenta rolled on the carpet in joyous celebration...well played! Craig took a dip in the pool while Nancy made some phone calls, one of which resulted in a potential ride to Waynesboro at the end of our trip.
8/5 Made the decision to hike shelter to shelter unless Kayenta loses the limp. Today was the hottest most humid day so even 5 miles was a challenge for Kayenta. Met first time section hiker Mark and his dog Felix. Made it to Fullhardt Knob shelter where we also met thru hiker Packman from Philly. It was the begining of a lot of comedy between Packman and Mark. That night a lot of rain came, and Mark's hammock fell due to operator error. He had to sleep that night on the shelter floor with no pad. At 2am Packman decided to make a large fire and check out the hammock since the rains had stopped.

Will fill in other details later.

Leaving from Daleville VA Today

Stayed in town because of Kayenta's back leg issue (think she was stung by a bee a couple days ago). We will be hiking low miles and watching her until Thursday; then getting a ride to Waynesboro where our car was dropped off by our hiking friends.

Pic from Wood's Hole Hostel

BTW We are in Pearisburg VA today.

Probably the Last Blog Update

Having problems sending updates from our device, so I probably won't take time to troubleshoot before we come home.


7/12 Met Lee's husband Paul at the Hikers Inn. He gave us our mail drops and took our laundry. They also gave us some things left behind by other hikers: ice cream, beer and most importantly a soup bone for the dog.
7/13 Craig got some new Keen sandals as he wore out his soles on the trail. Nancy will wear her new ones sent by Keen because of a defect. Also got some bear bag rope as we will attempt to hang the food again when necessary. Muddy said goodbye as he and Spicerack are leaving the trail. PJs is going to only to the next town Marion VA so we could see him there. Could not find cigars in town but alas two appeared in a mail drop. Resupplied at the grocery store, and a previous thru hiker offered us a ride back to the inn. Celebrated our 500 mile mark (close enough) by eating Filet Mignon.
7/14 Packed up, headed out for breakfast, and ordered the usual (from yesterday). The server actually knew what our orders were. Arrived for the night at Saunders shelter where we met Trail Snail and Box Turtle who were first time backpackers out for a week. Also met ma'am who has been out since May.
7/15 18.5 mile hike thru White Top Mtn, nice views. Then on to Thomas Knob shelter, last mile was in the rain. Met Left Field, previously known as Queen Bee, and unidentified man with large carved walking sticks. Also met two young guys Chase and Andrew, who loved Cushie.
7/16 Hike thru the beautiful Grayson Highlands where we met some older ladies who hiked from the road, several miles over very rocky terrain with large boulders, one lady was 80 years old. The ponies approached us for food and Cushie for curiosity. Cushie was a bit overwhelmed. After that we hiked through the worst thunder and lightning storm we have been in yet. Stayed at old orchard shelter where we saw Chase and Andrew and met Rock Lobster and Waldo. Andrew gave his sleeping pad for Cushie to sleep on until he needed it for bedtime. Cushie had a siezure late at night; Waldo thought it was a bear attacking the shelter. Cushie just started having these this past January, occasionally, so we knew what was up, but it scared the daylights out of Waldo and made for a good laugh the next morning.
7/17 Hiked to Trimpi Shelter where we decided to stay. Met a nice group of section hikers where we spoke about Nancy's condition pretty much confirming it is planter fascitis. One person also stated that Nancy appeared quite at home in the woods.
7/18 Hiked out and found 2 large coolers of trail magic...cookies, candy, and popcorn! Stopped at the Partnership Shelter for an actual shower and headed to the Mt Rogers visitors center to get a shuttle to Marion. Unfortunately no dogs allowed on the shuttle so we got a taxi. Did some laundry and met a woman named Susan. She called her husband who came to the laundromat; they took us to get dinner, groceries, and drove us back to the shelter. We saw 3 of the 4 folks from the previous night. One of their party was injured and had to get off the trail. We were bitten by no-see-ums in the shelter all night.
7/19 Hiked to a settlers museum near the trail and stopped at the Barn restaurant for a small meal and dessert. Leashed Cushie outside, and the cook went out and fed her bacon, hamburger, and hot dogs. She got more food than us! Got caught in a storm on the way to the Crawfish trail campsite. For the first time, Cushie had been too hot in the sun of the exposed trail that crossed route 81, that she pooped out in the storm and needed to be coaxed the whole way but we made it as the storm was tapering off. This was probably our worst hike experience yet, as we wanted to hike fast to get out of the storm as we were on a ridge top with stiff winds and rain and we were getting cold, and could only move as fast as Cushie, but we all made it. The storm cooled her down so all was well. We were all wet in a wet tent with wet gear, but grateful to be done for the day.
7/20 Hiked thru a cow pasture and two curious calves chased Cushie. Heard thunder, did not want to repeat yesterday, and decided to hike only 7 miles to the Knot Maul shelter so we could dry out and rest from the previous18 mile hike. Met Frug, who was a nomadic sometimes train hopper, at the shelter.
7/21 Craig waited to get water and probably got the worst water source we have seen, but at least it was something. Pretty cool enclosed shelter (Chestnut Knob) right after the water source, ate lunch, then moved on. Arrived at Jenkins shelter pretty late, so we had to eat quickly and throw the bear bag rope because there was a warning about an aggressive bear. We later heard the story that a young cub smelled chocolate in a girl's tent, and he tried to get in. The girl screamed and he knocked over a couple more tents trying to run away. Not exactly agressive...
Later in the night Craig heard a noise in the shelter, and shined his headlamp on a squirrel-like animal chewing on a knot of the shelter frame. It would not stop until Craig poked it with his hiking pole. Nancy was so asleep she missed it.
7/22 Heard about a guy named TruBrit who will pick you up and take you to his Dojo (karate studio) and let you stay for free. We called him (number was posted on a tree) and he picked us up and took us to the Dollar Store for resupply first. His Dojo was nice equipped with a shower, TV, guitar, and a dog. We met a hiker named Candy Cane who was getting off the trail the next day.
7/23 TruBrit dropped us back off on the trail, gave us a business tip, and refused money that Craig offered...really great guy. He is building a mega hostel in Bastian VA next year. Arrived at first shelter and Craig fell asleep...lucky because a storm came thru, and we missed it as we stayed it out under the roof. Arrived later at Jenny Knob shelter before any major storms hit. Met Frankenboots, Firefly, and Taos.
7/24 Startled a bear while hiking; it ran off. Stopped at Dismal Falls which was dismal because of the storm that came thru; we'd hoped for a fun lunch spot, but there was a large rock overhang that provided shelter as we waited it out. Arrived at Wapiti shelter where we met Achilles who was named because of his plantar fascitis. He described his hiking experience with his extreme condition and confirmed that Nancy had the same thing, with the same exact experience, it was uncanny. He is fifty,single with no kids and he sold his business a couple years ago, and was out on the trail pondering what to do next. He mentioned that he was the kind of person whos identity is in what he does, so this has been a struggle for him. Nancy forgot this point, thought he had it made and said, "wow, so you have nothing to go back to!" Meaning he had the freedom, money and time to pursue anything he wanted to. He said thanks a lot, now I feel really bad, all the progress I made since Georgia is gone... We all laughed hard, very hard for a long time as he milked that one out. If Nancy pursues life coaching, she learned how important it is to think first before she excitedly blurts out "helpful" encouragement! But that was the best laugh we have had on the trail.
7/25 Hiked a short 7 miles to the Wood's Hole hostel near Pearisburg VA. Really cool old 1880ish place with an organic farm. We shared a meal in the main house and met the other 8 lodging for the night. We were all asked to participate in table set up and clean up. Stayed in the bunkhouse the first night because the private room was taken but we will stay in the room tomorrow. Will get a couples massage in the morning...Ahhhh.

Problem sending blog details.

Leaving for Pearisburg VA today.

Holing Up in Wood's Hole

7/12 Met Lee's husband Paul at the Hikers Inn. He gave us our mail drops and took our laundry. They also gave us some things left behind by other hikers: ice cream, beer and most imprtantly a soup bone for the dog.
7/13 Craig got some new Keen sandals as he wore out his soles on the trail. Nancy will wear her new ones sent by Keen because of a defect. Also got some bear bag rope as we will attempt to hang the food again when necessary. Muddy said goodbye as he and Spicerack are leaving the trail. PJs is going to only to the next town Marion VA so we could see him there. Could not find cigars in town but alas two appeared in a mail drop. Resupplied at the grocery store, and a previous thru hiker offered us a ride back to the inn. Celebrated our 500 mile mark (close enough) by eating Filet Mignon.
7/14 Packed up, headed out for breakfast, and ordered the usual (from yesterday). The server actually knew what our orders were. Arrived for the night at Saunders shelter where we met Trail Snail and Box Turtle who were first time backpackers out for a week. Also met ma'am who has been out since May.
7/15 18.5 mile hike thru White Top Mtn, nice views. Then on to Thomas Knob shelter, last mile was in the rain. Met Left Field, previously known as Queen Bee, and unidentified man with large carved walking sticks. Also met two young guys Chase and Andrew, who loved Cushie.
7/16 Hike thru the beautiful Grayson Highlands where we met some older ladies who hiked from the road, several miles over very rocky terrain with large boulders, one lady was 80 years old. The ponies approached us for food and Cushie for curiosity. Cushie was a bit overwhelmed. After that we hiked through the worst thunder and lightning storm we have been in yet.  Stayed at old orchard shelter where we saw Chase and Andrew and met Rock Lobster and Waldo. Andrew gave his sleeping pad for Cushie to sleep on until he needed it for bedtime. Cushie had a siezure late at night; Waldo thought it was a bear attacking the shelter.  Cushie just started having these this past January, occasionally, so we knew what was up, but it scared the daylights out of Waldo and made for a good laugh the next morning.
7/17 Hiked to Trimpi Shelter where we decided to stay. Met a nice group of section hikers where we spoke about Nancy's condition pretty much confirming it is planter fascitis. One person also stated that Nancy appeared quite at home in the woods.
7/18 Hiked out and found 2 large coolers of trail magic...cookies, candy, and popcorn! Stopped at the Partnership Shelter for an actual shower and headed to the Mt Rogers visitors center to get a shuttle to Marion. Unfortunately no dogs allowed on the shuttle so we got a taxi. Did some laundry and met a woman named Susan. She called her husband who came to the laundromat; they took us to get dinner, groceries, and drove us back to the shelter. We saw 3 of the 4 folks from the previous night. One of their party was injured and had to get off the trail. We were bitten by no-see-ums in the shelter all night.
7/19 Hiked to a settlers museum near the trail and stopped at the Barn restaurant for a small meal and dessert. Leashed Cushie outside, and the cook went out and fed her bacon, hamburger, and hot dogs. She got more food than us! Got caught in a storm on the way to the Crawfish trail campsite. For the first time, Cushie had been too hot in the sun of the exposed trail that crossed route 81, that she pooped out in the storm and needed to be coaxed the whole way but we made it as the storm was tapering off. This was probably our worst hike experience yet, as we wanted to hike fast to get out of the storm as we were on a ridge top with stiff winds and rain and we were getting cold, and could only move as fast as Cushie, but we all made it. The storm cooled her down so all was well. We were all wet in a wet tent with wet gear, but grateful to be done for the day.
7/20 Hiked thru a cow pasture and two curious  calves chased Cushie. Heard thunder, did not want to repeat yesterday, and decided to hike only 7 miles to the Knot Maul shelter so we could dry out and rest from the previous18 mile hike. Met Frug, who was a nomadic sometimes train hopper, at the shelter.
7/21 Craig waited to get water and probably got the worst water source we have seen, but at least it was something. Pretty cool enclosed shelter (Chestnut Knob) right after the water source, ate lunch, then moved on. Arrived at Jenkins shelter pretty late, so we had to eat quickly and throw the bear bag rope because there was a warning about an aggressive bear. We later heard the story that a young cub smelled chocolate in a girl's tent, and he tried to get in. The girl screamed and he knocked over a couple more tents trying to run away. Not exactly agressive...
Later in the night Craig heard a noise in the shelter, and shined his headlamp on a squirrel-like animal chewing on a knot of the shelter frame. It would not stop until Craig poked it with his hiking pole. Nancy was so asleep she missed it.
7/22 Heard about a guy named TruBrit who will pick you up and take you to his Dojo (karate studio) and let you stay for free. We called him (number was posted on a tree) and he picked us up and took us to the Dollar Store for resupply first. His Dojo was nice equipped with  a shower, TV, guitar, and a dog. We met a hiker named Candy Cane who was getting off the trail the next day.
7/23 TruBrit dropped us back off on the trail, gave us a business tip, and refused money that Craig offered...really great guy. He is building a mega hostel in Bastian VA next year. Arrived at first shelter and Craig fell asleep...lucky because a storm came thru, and we missed it as we stayed it out under the roof. Arrived later at Jenny Knob shelter before any major storms hit. Met Frankenboots, Firefly, and Taos.
7/24 Startled a bear while hiking; it ran off. Stopped at Dismal Falls which was dismal because of the storm that came thru; we'd hoped for a fun lunch spot, but there was a large rock overhang that provided shelter as we waited it out. Arrived at Wapiti shelter where we met Achilles who was named  because of his plantar fascitis. He described his hiking experience with his extreme condition and confirmed that Nancy had the same thing, with the same exact experience, it was uncanny. He is fifty,single with no kids and he sold his business a couple years ago, and was out on the trail pondering what to do next. He mentioned that he was the kind of person whos identity is in what he does, so this has been a struggle for him. Nancy forgot this point, thought he had it made and said, "wow, so you have nothing to go back to!" Meaning he had the freedom, money and time to pursue anything he wanted to. He said thanks a lot, now I feel really bad, all the progress I made since Georgia is gone... We all laughed hard, very hard for a long time as he milked that one out. If Nancy pursues life coaching, she learned how important it is to think first before she excitedly blurts out "helpful" encouragement! But that was the best laugh we have had on the trail.
7/25 Hiked a short 7 miles to the Wood's Hole hostel near Pearisburg VA. Really cool old 1880ish place with an organic farm. We shared a meal in the main house and met the other 8 lodging for the night. We were all asked to participate in table set up and clean up. Stayed in the bunkhouse the first night because the private room was taken but we will stay in the room tomorrow. Will get a couples massage in the morning...Ahhhh.

Quick stop in Bastian VA

Got a ride to resupply in Bastian by a guy (TruBrit) who offered a free night's stay as well. Details to follow in a couple days.

Day off in Damascus

7/2 Met Grim who was the caretaker of Uncle Johnny's in Erwin. Not sure if he got his trail name from his demeanor but he seemed to have a grim outlook of the present and future. Went to a Mexican Restaurant which was the only place in town that served beer with dinner.
7/3 Took shuttle to breakfast which was the most basic and cheapest meal we had ever eaten. Saw Bellows and Huck Finn before heading out to the trail. Also saw Mad Patter who decided last minute to follow us. He had earlier received some gourmet freeze dried meals from a woman, and he shared them with us at Curley Maple Gap shelter. Craig lost the bear rope in the trees so we decided to sleep with our food. Man with boys (camp group) arrived late and stayed up making noise until midnight.
7/4 Camp boys left a mess of dishes and food everywhere around the shelter, so there was no need to worry about bears or other critters coming to our tent. Hiked thru a beautiful spruce area to a shelter where we met PJs, Bear Bag, and Hover. It stormed while we were at the shelter and stopped, and so we hiked on to a tent site further down the trail. This was the first of three occurrences that we timed out the storms perfectly to stay dry.
7/5 Went through Roan Mtn State Park which was very scenic. Hiked over lovely mountain top Meadows with great views in the misty rain which reminded us of Ireland. Also stopped at the shelter where there were "Steven Kingish" flies hovering over stained mens underwear. Stayed at Stan Murray shelter.
7/6 Hiked to barn converted to hiker shelter which had the best surrounding view of any shelter. Met Muddy, Spice Rack, Bear bag and Hover.  Moved on to Mountain Harbour Hostel near Roan Mountain where they had many farm animals and dogs. Met Catchup who was a very interesting professor in Hawaii. Tented there after going out for pizza at Cloudland Pizza. This wood fired oven pizza was the best we have ever had.
7/7 Best breakfast for the buck at Mountain Harbour;  very nice hosts too. Hiked to Jones Falls and tented at Upper Laurel Fork near another waterfall. Beautiful!
7/8 Hiked off the trail to Vango hostel where there was no one, and it looked like Hickville with socks and underwear hanging on the front porch. Met our first rattlesnake that would not easily get off the trail until we pushed it with a stick. It coiled and rattled fiercely as we all ran by. We could not simply walk around it since we were on a steep traverse, thus the difficulty. Walked to Black Bear Resort and met the friendliest folks. Marcus had a dog named Belle and gave Kayenta 6 days worth of gluten free dog food (John G is probably laughing). Marcus also gave us a Mountain House breakfast. Trail magic for all! Stayed the night in a cabin.
7/9 Everyone waived goodbye as we hiked out. Someone mentioned that Craig is lean (he's down 12 pounds). Nancy has gained 5 pounds (probably muscle weight). Stopped at Laurel Fork Falls where hikers Whitey and Red Headed Stranger drowned a few days ago; prayed for them. Tented near a road.
7/10 Rainy and cold in the morning. Kayenta did not want to leave but she was outnumbered as we needed to hike almost 20 miles. Sang 99 bottles of beer to get us to the end of the last few miles; Kayenta was probably humming along to the song. Stayed at double spring shelter. Read trail journal entries that were very touching from hikers who had known Whitey and Red Headed Stranger.
7/11 Ate many blackberries; who says you can't get fresh fruit on the trail? Then a hurricane type rain arrived and completely soaked our kilts and feet. Nancy faired better above her waist with her rain roof. Arrived at a very small primitive shelter which we mistakened for an AT shelter and stayed there. We saw the AT shelter the next day.
7/12 Hiked thru some major storm blow downs and crossed the Tennessee/Virginia state line. Met day hiker Lee who was hiking south; she gave us a banana to share. Turns out she is the owner of the Inn we are staying in Damascus. Arrived at Damascus at last!

On the Way to Damascus

Details to follow later. We stopped in Hampton TN to resupply and will hike out tomorrow. Have not been able to use cell phones in a while due to lack of coverage. Sorry if you have tried to call. Craig's cell phone charging cord may be broken, so please call Nancy's cell if you really need to get in touch with him. Email Craig for Nancy's number if necessary. We're still having fun...lots of sweat...it's been hot.
Because someone asked...Kayenta's trail name is Cushie. She likes to be comfortable after hiking all day.

Made it to Erwin TN

6/19 Pat let Nancy use her sewing machine and she made a summer underwear liner for her kilt so she could send her wool one home. Dennis gave us a nice lightweight multi-tool. Pat and Dennis drove us to the post office to mail more stuff home and to the trail head to send us off. A horse fly stung Nancy on the leg which gave her a nice welt. Stayed at Groundhog Creek Shelter.
6/20 Met Trail Maintainer offering sodas and water. Stopped at Max Patch which offered a beautiful view. Met some tourists there. Stayed at Walnut Mountain Shelter.
6/21 Craig felt temporarily nauseous after eating 5 minute grits mixed in cold water--thought they were instant grits when we purchased them. Met a hiker on Bluff Mountain who thought Nancy's pack rain roof was genius. Arrived at at Hot Springs NC and ate at the Smoky Mtn Diner. Met Otter and saw a father and son we previously met at Davenport Gap. Could not tent at campground because there was a biker (mostly Harleys) rally there that weekend--and boy we knew it--they were noisy into the wee hours of the night. We tented about a mile north on the AT which was free anyway but it was very hot that first night. Ate Dinner at Spring Creek Tavern and saw Alex (Chainsaw) Zigfoot, Otter, and the father and son.
6/22 Ate breakfast at the Smoky Mtn Diner and the sweet potato pancakes were the best. Kayenta also had sweet potatoes (canned), with Vienna sausage. Purchased a new dog backpack at Bluff Mtn Outfitters because she busted the side zipper. Had dinner at the food shack where Cliff was cooking for donation only (didn't get his restaurant license yet). Excellent!
6/23 A biker Carmen saw and loved Kayenta. We had crossed paths for the next couple days and Carmen donated $17 to the doggy treat fund. Took a hot spring bath at the resort. Toured the Sunny Bank Inn hostel...nifty old house.
6/24 Saw John and Kong (dog) in town. Decided to go to either Franklin or Hiawassee to make up the section Nancy missed. Tried to hitch a ride from the exiting bikers (some  were towing their bikes)...no takers. Paid for a shuttle to Franklin NC, and Ruth took us there. She told us that the Hot Springs locals used to hide from thru hikers because they were afraid of them because of their appearance. Hiked south to the Big Spring Shelter. Kayentas bladder let loose in the tent and the sleeping bag was full of dog urine.
6/25 Beautiful view at fire tower. Nancy had more hiking stamina than Craig, who believes it's due to lack of nourishment...Needs more Clif bars. Made it to Standing Indian Shelter where a man wondered why we hung the sleeping bag to dry. Craig said dog urine to which he replied, "That will keep the bears away". Funny!  It was tough to slide into a damp urine bag, boy did the tent reek that night.
6/26 Craig pondered changing Kayenta's trail name to Sweet Pee. Humor is good in times like these. Finished hiking the section to Hiawassee and hitched two rides to the Budget Inn in Franklin. Nancy had previously made an appointment with her Franklin chiropractor for the next morning, hitchhiking dependent.
6/27 Nancy went to the chiropractor while Craig laundered the sleeping bag at the nicest laundromat he had ever seen (E Main St). The chiropractor laughed at Nancy walking in with her backpack and called his videographer who was working on  testimonials for the chiropractor's website. Nancy agreed to do a video, and Craig and Kayenta unknowingly became a part of it later. We'll send anyone a link to this video by request. Hitched five rides to get back to Hot Springs. One of the rides was from George and Whitney who amazingly know our new Franklin friends Donn and Sandi! Another ride was from musicians Rorey Caroll and Zeb who took us to a health food store on the way to Asheville. Rorey gave us her CD but Craig accidentally left it in the vehicle. Arrived in Hot Springs for the second time, ate at Iron Horse Inn and met musician Dave who was playing his original music...very nice.
6/28 Went to Smoky Mtn Diner for the sweet potato pancakes and saw Woody and Jessica (aka MIA) again! Had a great conversation catching up with our nomadic neighbors. Hiked north out of town and had tremendous views of Hot Springs. Craig saw a bear who immediately ran after spotting either Craig or Kayenta. Stayed at Spring Mtn Shelter and met Piccadilly (I think) who was a 78 year old Greek man from NY doing a 50 mile section.
6/29 Hiked on an exposed ridgeline which was very beautiful but very strenuous and hot (temperature); almost ran out of water. Nancy found blueberries to eat. Arrived at Jerry Cabin Shelter and Craig started typing the blog while Nancy made a huge campfire. When he was done and ready for bed, some woman was walking fast toward the shelter and singing. She said, We caught you! Craig responded, Doing what? Then Craig recognized her as one of the 3 amigos Alyss (aka Bellows) from our first week. Trevor (aka Huck Finn) arrived shortly after. They caught UP to us.
6/30 Yellow jacket stung Nancy and she and Craig ran to get away in case there were more. Met a group of section hikers who petted Kayenta and noted that if a bear approached, Kayenta would snuggle the bear into submission. They were amazed at how friendly she was toward them, she greeted everyone of them. Stayed at Hog Back Ridge Shelter.
7/1 A fawn ran toward Craig on the trail. Kayenta chased it despite pleas to halt and desist. She disappeared for several minutes, then appeared and found an excellent spring to get water which we all shared. Hiked to Big Bald which had a beautiful 360° view. Stopped for lunch at Bald Mtn Shelter where a section hiker couple gave us fruit and crackers. Nancy had a tough hike day as her ankle was swollen up with the yellow jacket sting. For her this was another "true grit" day.  Stayed at Spivey Gap campsite where it stormed all night.
7/2 Hiked to Uncle Johny's Hostel in Erwin TN where we rented a cabin.

No Time to Blog

We took three days to hike the section Nancy missed between Franklin and Hiawassee. Stopped at the chiropractor and hitchhiked back to Hot Springs. Should be in Erwin TN in five days.

Confessions of an overweight backpacker

1. Carried enough spices for a month.
2. Packaging packages (bags in bags) weighs a lot.
3. You can either be comfortable camping or hiking, not both. Nancy is ready to be comfortable hiking now.
4. 10 extra carribeaners just in case is not worth it.
5. I can wear underwear on my head if it is too cold, I don't need my cold weather hat.
6. My organizational skills were great, but it made my backpack complex and heavy. I know, many of you figured this out before I did...
7. Too many bells and whistles on the pack make a lot of noise but not a lot of sense.
8. Placing items in a secret compartment still adds weight.
9. ANYTHING not being used is TOO heavy and not needed. Nancy finally understands backpacking.

Happenings:
6/12 Discovered that the water bottle owner was a lady named Patty who Craig dubbed the trail name Waterfall. Met Waterfall and Mike a few times along the trail including Rocky Top TN (just like the song). A hiker had his socks drying on the rock so Craig said it must be socky top. Stayed at Derrick Knob shelter.
6/13 Went to Clingmans dome. Young men were intringed with our backpacking stories as this was their first time, they sought us out just to talk. It is odd to realize we were fast becoming knowledgable of backpacking and people are often approaching us with questions. Stayed at Mt Collins shelter.
6/14 Went to Charlies Bunion which was a beautiful and scary view. Brave kids were standing on the edge of the bunion rock. Stopped at Newfound gap and met an Arkansas couple who made us sandwiches and gave us chips and brownies. Stayed at Pecks corner shelter and met Bill who said the kilt idea was genious.
6/15 Record 20 mile day to Davenport Gap shelter because desired shelter was closed due to bear activity. Nancy desires to hike the section she missed and Craig agreed to redo it. Need to find a way to get there after Hot Springs. Someone called Nancy True Grit for her determined long hike with injuries.
6/16 Pat and Dennis were going to pick us up at the Standing Bear Farm where Kayenta was staying. To our mutual surprise while we were hiking to the farm on the trail which was on the road, Pat and Dennis drove up beside us and gave us a ride the rest of the mile to the farm. Decided to stay with Pat and Dennis for an extra day while Nancy recovered (calf issue). Craig's uncle Ted suggested the name Crazy Calf.
6/17 Toured dowtown Dandridge. Craig attempted to waterski and got up briefly before wiping out a few times.
6/18 Nancy wind surfed a little. Went to Knoxville.

Sorry we could not update the blog last week (wifi issue)

6/2 Donn dropped us off at the trail head and we began hiking. Stayed at Siler Bald Shelter. Siler Bald provided an awesome view. Met two young guys who were excited about our kilts.
6/3 Hiked to Wayah Bald Stone Tower for another nice view. A man day hiking the other direction told us of his story of recovery from a heart bypass surgery...full recovery by carrying weight up hill. Stopped at a ranger station built in 1916. Craig said we were tourist backpacking. Met Frank and three Korean siblings. Intense thunderstorm during the night. Stayed at Wayah Bald shelter.
6/4 Donn called and said they would like to see us in Fontana Village when we get there. Stayed at Cold Spring Shelter.
6/5 Breathtaking view from the Wesser Bald fire tower. Met two marines and dog from Asheville NC. Met a Scottish man hiking the other direction who said he never saw a red (Craig's) kilt but he really liked it. Stayed at A. Rufus Morgan shelter.
6/6 Woke up and a tour of middle school kids came to the shelter. We were the only hikers so they asked us a lot of questions. Went to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) and spent the day. Nancy had a backpack shakedown and got rid of some weight. Craig had a couple beers. Stayed at Sassafras Gap shelter.
6/7 Nancy met John, Ki, and dog Kong, who Craig had met earlier. Met two bicyclists at a road crossing who gave us some Amish pumpkin bread. Tented at Cody gap. Heard Owls calling each other in the early morning hours.
6/8 Made it to Fontana Village via shuttle and picked up our mail drops at the post office, which later filled our tent with the 3 boxes. We had things to ship back that we had sent ahead.  The logistics of this type of trip are challenging. Had a nice lunch and got the shuttle to the Fontana Hilton Shelter which had bathrooms and a shower. Walked down an extremely steep hill to dip into the lake. Met yogi bear at the shelter and saw triscuit and mayapple, who is still deciding on a trail name. Also met boys from Mississippi who were hiking to the NOC.
6/9 Took a shower for the first time in a week (we do stream bowl bathing on the trail). Nancy organized the mail drop and lightened her pack once again while Craig typed the blog and talked to yogi. Sandi and Donn visited and we all went to the Fontana Dam visitors center, Marina, and  village for dinner.   Donn wondered what must go through Kayenta's mind with all this hiking... "Did we lose the house?"  :)  John showed up and decided to kennel Kong with Kayenta (dogs are not allowed in the smoky mtn national park). So the dogs will have a vacation together.
6/10 Rain all night and morning. Hiked one mile between the Marina and the shelter so we wouldn't need to do it Monday. Craig's air core mattress is leaking so we dunked it in the lake to determine it had the same problem as Nancy's. Ate boiled peanuts and met Serenitina who offered Nancy the trail name Lighten Up. Nancy lightened her pack by removing some inner material, the foam padding on the straps and belt.
6/11 Curtis picked up Kayenta and Kong. We met Sharon S from PA at the Fontana Hilton Shelter as we waited for the shuttle to mail our boxes at the post office.  What a surprise that was. Walked to the visitors center on the way to the trail. Hiked 11.5 miles and stayed at Mollie's Ridge shelter. In the middle of the night Nancy began to feel precipitation but we were on the bottom bunk of the shelter. Woke up the top bunk folks and found that someone had rolled onto a water bottle valve and it leaked thru the floor onto us. We mopped up several cups of water from our sleeping bag and cuddled to dry it out. Fortunately we have a synthetic bag which can dry out fairly easily.  Yogi Bear said we handled it like champs, that he would have awakened the whole shelter.

Staying with new friends in Franklin NC

5/26 Nancy's friend Pat B contacted friends Sandi and Donn to ask about us pstaying in Franklin NC.  Nancy was having trouble walking due to the ankle pain and she was struggling to make the hard decision to take time off to rest while Craig continued on.

5/27  Craig and Nancy met more hikers coming into town.  Hiker wisdom: You can either be comfortable at camp or on the trail, but you can't be both.  Met more folks who would like to own some of the products that Nancy has designed, so she is collecting contacts.  Many people are offering help for us to market and manufacture the products. Decided to have Nancy stay in Franklin while Craig hiked the 40 miles from Hiawassee. Craig hitched a ride to the trail head; Sandi and Donn picked up Nancy and Kayenta, and took her to Franklin. Craig hiked to Plumorchard Gap shelter, ate (Carly's) peanut butter, and slept in the shelter with Chris "tangled" and his army friend Jake.

5/28 Craig's first occurrence of trail magic...young men left a bunch of cereal bars and other snacks. Arrived at Standing Indian shelter with Tangled and later with other young men. Tangled gave Craig the trail name "Kilt". Read an interesting book named How good is good enough; author made many good points but Craig did not agree with the conclusion; agreeing with our friend Gary G's theory.  Sandi and Donn were great to stay with, Nancy loved to learn about their lifestyle of bee keeping, organic gardening, cheese making, solar oven cooking.  There were so many books she wanted to read, but she needed to eliminate weight in her pack and Sandi offered her use of a sewing machine. All of this lessened the disappointment of leaving the trail.

5/29  Craig hiked the toughest hill so far up to a fire tower. Met previous friend Alex. Called Nancy to say I would be arriving in Franklin a day earlier than expected. Arrived at Big Spring shelter and had a nice campfire. Nancy went with Sandi and Donn to meet Kim and Dave, who is president of the local hike club. They have hiked 550 miles of the AT, so we had a great time sharing trail knowledge and stories, wonderful people.  Nancy is now using essential oils to keeps most ticks at a distance of her and the dog.

5/30 Craig hiked to US 64 and got a ride from a hiker's mother (I believe) to Franklin. Sandi and Nancy picked Craig up and we had lunch and ran errands. Spent the night in a tent on the porch to accomodate Kayenta who is not allowed in the house, this is where Nancy had spent the last week. This is a very nice accomodation from very gracious folks. Today Nancy met Faye and had a delightful conversation with a kindred spirit, Nancy purchased her CD which was about the plants of Appalachia.

5/31 Nancy downsized her pantry of backpacking spices and extra trail supplies, while Craig helped Donn with some house carpentry work. Nancy chose to have a chiroptactic adjustment on her feet/ankles.  A local man named Bill was a great help, he worked her sacrum, back, and neck as well, Nancy could tell it helped.

6/1 Getting ready (shipments etc) to get back on the trail either this evening or tomorrow morning.  We stayed the night and went with Sandi and Donn to a solar oven presentation.  Ended the evening with a great conversation about living well.

6/2  Off to the trail after an excellent breakfast and conversation.

Recovering in Hiawassee

Had to stop in a town (Hiawassee, GA) to give Nancy's ankles a rest.

 

Summary so far:

 

5/23 Resupplied in Helen, GA. Perused the "hiker box" at the Helendorf Inn and found a nice rain jacket for Craig (he previously mentioned desiring a rain jacket with pockets). Went thru our mailed items and re-boxed to mail ahead to Franklin, NC. Walked the box about .5 mile, and the post office was closed for lunch for an hour; left the box there. Went back to the Helendorf and ate some Wendy's chili. Craig jogged back to the post office and sent the box. Hitchhiked to the AT trail head with a very nice couple who went out of their way to get us there. Hiked in the rain and tented at Tres Mtn shelter. Craig had deet spray in his fanny pack, and every time he bent over the deet would spray on his fanny pack and kilt, melting the plastic inside the fanny pack. Ran into friends, "Team New Orleans" at the shelter. Ate a cold-water mix of Western Stew...amazing what you will eat on the trail.

 

5/24 Met new friends Woody and Jessica who gave us an orange and slice of tomato. Met them and Team New Orleans at Deep Gap shelter, the nicest shelter so far. Craig hiked to the shelter first and hiked back to Nancy and carried her pack about a mile. Nancy's brought out her spices at dinner, and was coined the possible trail name "Spice Girl". Also met Alex who started a really nice campfire after dinner.

 

5/25 Hiked to the first road and got a ride from Greg for $20 to Hiawassee. Ate lunch at a Chinese Buffet, and they gave us meat for Kayenta. Met Woody and Jessica, who are staying as well, and ate dinner with them at a Mexican restaurant. Nancy is soaking in Epsom salt and nursing her ankles three times a day.  Nancy realized in hindsight that the ankle issue was a compiling result of three things: 1, carrying too heavy a load; but that alone did not create the issue.  2, Nancy had Kayenta dog leashed to herself for the first 5 days and Kayenta was pulling strong.  Nancy did not realize how much extra pressure this was putting on her ankles, once Craig took the dog  on day 6 this was realized.  3, we hiked a really long 10 mile day over Blood mountain and that was that, the ankles need unstressed and they will be fine.  Nancy is lightening her pack yet again, this time with great understanding of the matter.

 

5/26 Deciding what to do tomorrow regarding the hike.

Forgot to post pics

Amigos at campfire and Nancy at shelter.

Made it to town, Helen GA

Here is a summary of the adventure:
5/12 Nancy  hand sewed while Craig drove. Stayed at Motel 6. Ate at Zaxby's. Nancy had a 55 pound pack; Craig 38 pounds.
5/13 Had an awesome breakfast and toured Ashville NC. Headed to Georgia in the rain. Stayed at Amicalola Falls State slept in the car. Nancy purged some stuff from her pack. 
5/14 More purging: Nancy 45; Craig 42. Mailed box of excess to Nancy K. Tried to call a shuttle in the pm to no avail. Hiked half the 8.5 mile approach trail and tented. Met new friends Aileen Trever and Alyss (Craig dubbed 3 amigos). Hard time with Sierra Zip Ztove. Ate cold oatmeal which wasn't that bad and became the staple.
5/15 Stopped at a couple shelters and stayed at Stover creek shelter. Saw amigos again. Discover that they were carrying 55 to 65 pounds. Kayenta (dog) shivered in shelter; she is a tent dog for a while.
5/16 Stayed at Hawk Mt Shelter and met 3 amigos and others. Took about an hour to start campfire with Alyss' help bellowing.
5/17  Stayed at Gooch Mt Shelter. Many hikers there. Craig saw Fireflies or something shining thru the tent all night.
5/18 Tented at Lance Creek. Guy named Tune played guitar. A squirrel chewed Nancy's bear bag and ate a quarter of her nuts. Nancy has had a different body part ache each day.  Soon all parts will be done and we can say by to pain.  Kayenta has been great.  She is stiff in the morning like all of us but walks faster than I can and still has energy at the end of the day to explore the campsite.
5/19 Saw a bear near the tent; Kayenta barked and it left. Climbed Blood Mt which had a beautiful view and an awesome shelter of mountain stone. Stopped at Neel Gap and at a pepperoni pizza, probably the worst pizza that tasted so good. Bonvoyage to our 3 amigos who stayed to ship stuff home. Hiked to find a campsite and ran into a huge storm. Found one around Levellend Mt. Craig could not throw a bear bag rope over a branch for almost an hour and got soaked.
5/20 Discovered that our New Orleans and Australian friends lost some food to a bear. Stayed at Whitley Gap Shelter which was 1.2 miles off the AT, whew!  Nancy hikes every day thinking about what she can send home from her pack.  So far she has about 3 pounds going home at the next town to Nancy K.  She attracts many great comments with her innovative rain roof.  People love it. Good news is that it functioned beautifully in the first gentle rainstorm we had.  Many notice our kilts and we are being called the kilt people.  Hiked 1.2 miles to the shelter, which was the longest to any shelter for us. Kayenta slept about 16 hours. Rhododendron and mountain Laural in bloom.
5/21 Many ticks at the site. Nancy removed over 30 ticks from Kayenta. Still having a good time tho.
5/22 Hiked to route 75 and hitched a ride to Helen GA from a father and son who were very nice. Staying at the Helendorf tonight; got our supply box from the post office. Ate dinner with Craig's high school classmate Bob Y, who lives in GA.

Posting a Photo of Us; Leaving Soon

This photo was from our presentation at Craig's work about a month ago. Just want to see if I can easily send from Gmail (sending to go@blogger.com).

Leaving for Asheville, NC tomorrow and staying the night. Our plan is to start hiking Monday morning.

Getting Ready

As most of you know my work approved my (Craig's) sabbatical for 3 months starting in May. Nancy and I will be backpacking the Appalachian Trail (AT) from Georgia to Pennsylvania. Just getting ready for the adventure!
Craig