Records 51 to 60 of 83

Last night I was so tired I thought about buying a grave plot over in Lexington, VA. They could have buried me next to General Lee. Flax was tired too. That's why we asked F.W., who graciously agreed to drive us the 10 miles back to the trail this morning, to pick us late, at 8:30. We packed our gear, ate a leisurely breakfast at Hardee's a waited for F.W. He was right on time, ran us by a drug store, and we were on the trail headed north at 9:13. Then the fun started.

After climbing up the side of Bald Knob for 45 minutes I discovered my PDA was missing from an exterior pocket on my pack. It's my lifeline, my umbilical cord, to those I love. It contains 800 miles of photos and all my contact information. As I headed back down the mountain I was frustrated and heartbroken. Flax saw me coming and knew something was wrong. He had me dump my entire pack. No PDA. My mind raced. Did I leave it at the motel; at Hardee's; in F.W.'s car? Did someone steal it at Hardee's while I was in the rest room? I had to try to find it. I got back down to US60 at 10:28 and stuck out my thumb. I started praying and a peace came over me as Romans 8:28 came to mind. God will cause all things to work together for good to those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. I believe, as rotten as I am, that I am one of those folks. And, so, I held tight to that verse, real tight.

At 11:00 a man in a red van stopped. I thanked him and jumped in. He was Darrell Hatfield, a great, great grandson of William Anderson Hatfield (Devil Anse), the leader of the Hatfields of the infamous Hatfield and McCoy feuds. He was raised in West Virginia, worked in the coal mines south of here near Abington, VA, and is moving up here to be close to his son and grandchildren. He said some of his best friends are McCoys. Thanks Darrell.

No PDA at the motel. They double checked trash, linens, everything. No PDA at had been turned in at Hardee's. One last possibility, F.W.'s car. Now to find F.W. I knew he delivered pizzas for Domino's at night. I also knew he was in class most of the day at Southern Virginia University here in Buena Vista. I called Domino's and they left word on his cell phone for him to call me at the motel. I did not want to leave here until I talked to him. At 2:30 I was still waiting so I decided to try to get a haircut. As I was walking to the barber shop I saw F.W.'s car in front of Domino's. He had stopped in too check his delivery schedule for tonight. He saw me outside, came out, popped his trunk lid, and there, among all manner of stuff was my cherished PDA that had fallen out of my pack this morning. What a relief. Thank you Lord. Thank you F.W.

F.W. Took me to a barber shop, took me to a grocery to get fresh fruit for supper tonight, and took me back to the motel. By this time it was 4:30, too late to get back on the trail.

And listen to this. F.W. Is going to pick me up at 4:45am tomorrow to take me back to the trail head. I cannot begin to express my thanks to F.W. and Brenda. God bless you guys.

Today's photo was taken along Brown Mountain Creek at about 4:00 yesterday afternoon. Sure glad I still have it and all the others. Zero miles today. Pray for me. I have a mild cold. This rest day, such as it was, was warranted, part of God's plan. I believe that. God bless all of you.

I was up today at 4:15. For breakfast I had a small container of mandarin oranges, two apricots, three bananas, a chocolate chip cookie, two honey buns, a package of donuts, and a quart of milk.

True to his word F.W. picked me up at 4:45. What a jewel of a guy. I was back on the trail at 5:06 and on the top of Bald Knob at sunrise. It was hazy though, not much of a view.

The climbs are still tough but after I reach the top of a mountain no recovery time is necessary any longer. From a cardio-vascular standpoint, when the trail levels out at the top it is as if the climb never occurred. This is a result of doing this over and over, week after week.

There weren't many animals to be seen today. I heard one deer and saw a few squirrels. That's about all.

At 7:24am I met a guy that said his trail name was Jerry Springer. He didn't look like Jerry Springer. But I didn't ask and Jerry didn't say why he chose that name.

At 9:30 I caught up with Hemlock, Hungus and Earthquake. I had met Hungus and Earthquake in town yesterday when I was looking for my PDA. I told them I had found it in F.W.'s car and how happy I was to have it back. We all wondered what the letters PDA stand for. Hemlock suggested 'Public Display of Affection' which reminded me of the big hug I gave F.W. yesterday when I found my PDA among all the stuff in the back of his car. Maybe Hemlock is right.

I want to say hello to Mr. Rhodes and all his class members at Paducah Tilghman High School. I talked to Mr. Rhodes yesterday and he told me he checked my website daily and some of you guys were checking it out too.

I really appreciate hearing from you all. If you want to you may email me at the 'contact us' address, or, my son, Glen, can tell you how to email directly. Your prayers and encouragement help keep me going.

Today's photo is more proof that alligators do live in these mountains. This license plate was on a Chevy pickup that was parked on the side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I figured it belongs to the biologist the Forest Service hired to study the gator population.

I tried to catch Flaxseed today but didn't quite make it. I started the day at US60 Highway, mile 792.8, and walked to Harpers Creek Shelter, mile 821.1, a total of 28.3 miles for the day. I'm here at the shelter because it started raining hard about 45 minutes before I arrived at 7:00pm. It's still raining at 9:55. God bless you all.

I slept late this morning resulting in a tardy start. I said goodbye to Batman and Groundhog, my bunkmates for the night, and was on the trail at 6:44. At 9:00 I caught Flaxseed. He was drying out on top of Three Ridges, elv. 3970', where he camped during last night's storm. He had been at Harpers Creek Shelter just a few hours before I arrived, had decided to push on and got caught in the storm. He had to set up camp in the rain. No worse for wear, he was ready to go again.

Today's title is simply to reinforce what I've been telling you all along. I'm telling you it is up and down, up and down all day long. As I lay here under my tarp it's easy to type these words but the uphills are hard on the upper body and the downhills are hard on the legs. If you are considering an AT through hike or even a section hike be prepared. I cannot emphasize this enough. There are lots of big hills to ascend and descend.

At 12:05 where the trail crosses VA664 the Sierra Club had left us a trail magic cooler full of Mug root beer. Flax and I had two each. Thanks Sierra Club.

It's summertime now. In some places the trail is overgrown so we're walking through brush alongside of it. At the lower elevations there is poison ivy to contend with. After you reach about 3000' or so there is very little poison ivy to worry about.

After we hooked up again Flax and I walked together the the rest of the day. My pace is stronger in the morning, so I take the lead. Flax comes on strong in the afternoon, so he leads then. It works out quite well this way.

This afternoon we could see storms building and thunder started in earnest. At 4:30 we decided to set up camp in preparation for rain. It's 7:47 right now and still threatening. The sky is very dark, the wind and thunder are increasing. I think we made the right decision. I'm going to finish this report quickly and pin the windward side of my tarp down to the ground.

Today I started at Harpers Creek Shelter, mile 821.1, and we are camped tonight along Humpback Mountain Ridge, approx. Mile 837.1, a total of 16 miles for the day. Today's photo shows a pecarious rock the trail went under. Fortunately it stayed put until I was through. God bless each of you.

The storms passed over last night, no rain after all. We broke camp early and started walking at 5:23. I had a drop box in Waynesboro, VA, and Flax needed to resupply there too. In addition we had the added incentive of town food, a shower and a night in a motel. But something happened yesterday that I was embarrassed to report, particularly in light of the PDA dilemma.

When I got to camp last night my baseball cap was missing. I had no idea where I left it. It wasn't the cap that was important, it was the button on the cap, a button with Mission Skate Shop's logo, a skateboarder in the center of crosshairs keeping his eye on the target. Glen gave it to me at my going away party. It was destined to be with me on Katahdin.

At 8:40 Flax and I stopped at the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter to get water and eat a late breakfast (late, if you started your day at 4:30). When I sat down to eat there was my cap, right there on the picnic table. I couldn't believe it. It lay there so innocently that my initial response was a double-take. I thought, "Did I just lay that down." But it was there because a young couple we met just yesterday had picked it up and brought it there. They were at the shelter site in their tent, still fast asleep. But my cap was on this particular table and I chose to stop at that shelter and sit down at that table. Coincidence? I think not. God's hand is better explanation. I gently awakened the kids (They really needed to be on the trail anyway.) and thanked them for saving my cap. Thank you guys. Sorry, I didn't even get your names.

In just the past two days all the deer, squirrels and chipmunks have become more tame, less wary of humans. We think it is because no hunting is allowed in this area but we are not sure this is the reason.

At 11:05 we arrived at Rockfish Gap, the north end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the south end of Skyline Drive that runs through Shenandoah National Park. It is 4 1/2 miles from Rockfish Gap to Waynesboro. We walked into the Visitor's Center and immediately got the name and number of Sylvia (Dot, the Dog Nanny), a local volunteer that welcomes and assists hikers. She was there to pick us up in 10 minutes. She took us to an outfitter, to the grocery and to our motel. She gave us information on restaurants and she is going to shuttle us back to the trail in the morning

Now follow this part very closely. My drop box was not at the Quality Inn as expected. I was hot, tired and flustered. Sylvia had the calmness, patience and wisdom to question me about the address it was mailed to, thinking that it may have gone to another Quality Inn in the area. When she read the address she thought she recognized it as the address of a local bed and breakfast, not this or any other Quality Inn address. She called the B&B and the owner had my box. Within minutes it was in my hands. Small, insignificant coincidence? Not for a through hiker dependent on resupply. The hand of God? In my opinion, without a doubt. Thank you Lord. Thank you Sylvia.

Today we walked from the top of Humpback Mountain, mile 837.1, to Rockfish Gap, mile 848.1, a total of only 11.0 miles today. Today's photo was taken this morning at about mile 844.3. It is part of a old rock wall that followed along the side of the trail for 300 yards or so and then kept on going as the trail veered left and uphill. There are the remains of a cabin and a cemetery there too. It's hard to imagine all the hand labor such a project would entail, and harder still to imagine how anyone made a living by fencing in these steep, rocky mountainsides. I wish the old wall could talk. God bless you all!

Flaxseed and I were up at 5:30. Light rain was falling. We packed up, got ready to eat breakfast and get back on the trail. Then the rain increased. The forecast called for rain all day and tonight but clearing tomorrow. We decided to stay another night.

We ate breakfast in the motel lobby with fellow through hikers Dirty Ernie, Swamp Fox and his wife, Blue Sky, O2, and another Blue Sky, this one a male. Only O2 was hiking today. The rest were staying over too.

This is Flaxseed's first zero in almost 850 miles. He is worn down and needed to rest like I did in Damascus.

I talked to my oldest son, Gil, this morning. He said I have written enough about rocks, food, and ups and downs. He asked me to write more about people. So here goes.

Flaxseed is a true friend. He and I have grown close. He is focused and determined. As a walker he is steady. He does not take many breaks and he puts in the hours. In these ways we are similar. He is a people person. He cares about others. He talks to people and takes an interest in them. In these ways I can learn from him.

Flax is 62 years old. He is the divorced father of three daughters. He lives in Missouri City, Texas, near Houston. He is a Marine and a Vietnam veteran. His Vietnam tour was in 1969-70 with the First Marine Division, Seventh Regiment. He recently retired from a family car repair business, Ike's Auto Repair, that his dad started in 1957. Flax worked there 35 years. As a result of his Vietnam experience and because he loves people, since 1971 he has regularly donated platelets, plasma and occasionally whole blood as often as the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center will allow. In 2006 he received a 100 gallon blood donation award. He is a avid bicycle commuter. He has completed solo bicycle tours along the Mississippi River and the Continental Divide in New Mexico. He does not own an automobile. He has run both the Houston and Austin Marathons and competed in numerous 5K and 10K charity runs in the Houston area. He loves animals and he loves nature. That's why he's hiking the AT.

As I said earlier we are taking a zero today. The photo is my friend, Flaxseed, eating his peanut butter breakfast at a shelter a week or so ago. God bless each and every one of you.

Flax and I were up at 5:00. We packed and ate a very good motel breakfast, waffles included. Another 10 through hikers ate breakfast with us. Most of them were older hikers, male and female. There are quite a few older (50 and above) folks attempting to complete a through hike. We run into new ones everyday.

Pam, another Waynesboro trail angel, picked us up on her way to work and took us the 4 1/2 miles back to the trail. She said the Waynesboro trail angels are a close knit group. They get together for outings and parties. Thanks Pam. We were walking at 7:45.

At 8:06 we filled out backcountry permits that are required to enter SNP.

At 9:00 we caught up with Swamp Fox and Blue Sky, a delightful married couple from Maine that we met yesterday. We talked to them for a while. Their first grandson will be born while they are hiking this summer.

Today's photo features through hiker Barry Manilow. Really, that's his trail name. Barry grew up in Catasauqua, PA. He now lives on Lancaster Avenue in Philadelphia. He is a 24 year old graduate of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. His degree is in international studies. He has traveled extensively in Europe, lived in Barcelona, Spain, for a year, and spent the summer of 2004 in Zenica, Bosnia - Herzegovina. When I asked if he wanted to tell you anything, he said, "Tell them to lighten up." But what about that trail name?

Barry's mom, Michele, named him for her favorite heart throb, the famous singer. Barry and his mom went to a real Barry Manilow concert in Atlantic City, NJ, together. Barry says the real Barry is a good entertainer and showman and he can understand how his style would appeal to others, especially his mom. He personally thought the real Barry was sort of 'cheesy'. That's what he said - cheesy.

Today the walking was comparatively easy, good trail and minimal ups and downs. Flax and I walked from Rockfish Gap, mile 848.1, to a stealth campsite at approximately mile 872.1, a total of 24.0 miles. God bless all of you.

Deer were in our campsite all night long last night, tromping around and snorting. It was pretty neat. Flax and I were up at 4:30 and walking at 5:16 today.

The Shenandoahs have proven to be more difficult than advertised. The trail is in excellent condition but we had some long tough climbs today. We had planned to do 30 miles plus, but the terrain had other ideas.

There are lots of wild grapes growing up here, most with little grapes on the vines.

I could not get a signal to send last night's entry today. I'll try again tomorrow.

Today we left our camp at mile 872.1, and walked to the north side of Baldface Mountain, approx. Mile 898.6, a total of 26.5 miles. We saw few hikers today. We are both tired and sleepy. Today's photo is my tarp home out here on the trail. God bless you all.

Flaxseeed and I were walking at 5:06 today. We start packing up at about 4:15 in order to hit the trail this early.

At 5:52 I saw another bear. This time it was on the right side of the trail and it was another 'glimpse' sighting. It jumped, cracked a limb, and I saw its flank as it took off through the brush. This one looked to be larger than the first one I saw.

At 7:52 I was in the lead. Flax was about 30' behind me. I had the honor of a rare sighting. As I rounded a curve I saw a bobcat right in the middle of the trail. Its back was turned toward me and it was walking away from me. It walked down the trail about 10' and the took off into the woods. I'm not sure it ever saw me. Flax did not see it. It was a bobcat for sure. It looked exactly like bobcats I have seen in captivity.

At 10:30 we thought we were in for at treat, but it was not to be. We arrived at Big Meadows Lodge expecting to eat a big lunch in the dining room there only to find out they did not start serving until noon. We did not want to loose that much time so we hit the trail and ate our trail food for lunch. We ate at Rock Creek Hut. (The shelters are called 'huts' here in SNP.) we took a nap too. Tomorrow we plan to have cheeseburgers for lunch at one of the Wayside concession stands along Skyline Drive.

The cold I mentioned having earlier hung on for about two weeks. It was aggravating but now it's 90% gone. Thank you for your prayers.

At 4:00 we experienced more trail magic at one of the Skyline Drive crossings. This time it was a cooler with watermelon, strawberries and kiwi fruit.

Today we walked from a stealth camp at mile 898.6, to another stealth camp near Byrd's Nest #3, mile 924.3, a total of 25.7 miles. Today's photo is the Big Meadows Lodge where we did not get to eat. God bless you all.

Flax and I were walking at 5:12 today. The trail immediately took us up to the western rim of the ridge. It was still dark enough to see all the lights in the valley below. Then it wound us around to the eastern rim of the ridge where we experienced the sunrise. Then it took us back to the west side for a view of the Shenadoah Valley bathed in the morning sun.

At 9:50 we met a SNP trail maintenance crew. They were Forest Service employees, not volunteers. The trail here in SNP is in better condition than any we have seen to date.

Flax and I talked with through hiker, O2, for a while this morning. O2 is a 58 year old retiree from Auburn, Michigan. He worked for Dow Corning for 27 years. His wife died two years ago and he was looking for something to do. He tried backpacking and decided to hike the AT. When I asked why he chose the AT he said, "Why monkey around with something small when you can go for something big; when you can go for the granddaddy of them all. If you are going to steal beef, steal steak, not hamburger."

At 11:00 we arrived at the Wayside store and concession stand at Elkwallow Gap. We both had two cheeseburgers, fries, a milkshake, and other goodies. It was a nice break from trail food.

At 4:20 we saw the BIG bear featured in today's photo. He was about 30' below us near the trail when we saw him. He didn't seem to see us and crossed the trail in front of us. I got out the camera and started shooting. He heard the shutter, marked the woods his scent, ran off a little way and then wandered back toward us and stood on a nearby rock as if to pose for us. By this time he knew we were there but but did not seem to be alarmed by our presence. That's when I took this photo. We watched him and took pictures for about 5 minutes before he walked back into the woods. I do not know how much he weighed but he was big, as big as the black bears that you see in the zoos. Our food bags are hung extra high tonight.

Today we walked from Byrd's Nest #3, mile 924.3, to .3 mile north of Hogwallow Spring, mile 945.5, a total of 21.2 miles. We quit at 5:00pm because we were tired. God bless all of you.

Last night's campsite was rocky and sloping. I preened the sticks and rocks from my tarp site but found more rocks under me after I lay down. This is not a problem when the shelter has no floor. I simply reach under my ground sheet and throw them out. Once that was done and yesterday's report was completed I slept like a log, a sleep I really needed. In addition Flax and I slept in until 5:00 this morning. We were on the trail at 5:49.

At 7:40 we saw another big bear. He jumped down out of tree about 50' to the left of the trail. He made a thud when hit the ground and took off into the woods. Flax thought he was as big as the one we saw yesterday.

At 8:00 we reached the north boundary of Shenandoah NP. At 10:45 we were at US522 hitching a ride into Front Royal, VA, to pick up my drop box and resupply. Flax hitched while I made a room reservation on the cell phone. At 10:56 Mr. Joe Sackett, 77, gave us a ride in his pickup. He owns an auto parts store in Front Royal. Joe says the Smithsonian has an exhibit near Front Royal because they used to raise cavalry horses here. He took us to one location to pick up my resupply box and back across town to our motel. Thanks Joe.

I forgot to tell you yesterday that O2 was so named because he struggles for oxygen when climbing these hills. Flax says that 02 is the molecular oxygen in the air we breathe. He says it has a double molecule of oxygen. 02 does breathe hard on the uphills but he's still out here after 950 miles. Way to go O2.

We have seen Yellow Shoes off an on lately. He wears yellow crocs in camp. He is an older through hiker from Baltimore. Yellow Shoes said, "Overcoming obstacles and completing an AT through hike is 75% mental. The other 25% is mental." The words of Yellow Shoes carry a great deal of profundity.

There is still a lot of mountain laurel in bloom. We see both white and light pink varieties.

Today we took it easy. We started .3 mile north of Hogwallow Spring at mile 945.5, and ended at US522, mile 955.2, just 9.7 miles today. We cleaned up, did laundry and resupplied. We had two excellent meals, lunch at L Dee's, and supper at The Old Mill, both on Main Street. Now we are ready for a good night's sleep. Today's photo is yesteday's sunrise looking east from the Shenandoah ridge. God bless all of you.

Records 51 to 60 of 83