Given the forecasted very strong T-storms for this afternoon for this region, I reluctantly decided not to start back on the trail until tomorrow when it looks like the weather is "clear sailing". I can tell you that the second consecutive zero becomes frustrating, boring and something that causes me to think "Maybe I should have...". I don't want this hike to become a life-long event.
It is about 4:00 PM, the time when the heavy storms were supposed to hit, and we have not had anything but some fairly light rain so far. Now they are saying the storms are coming later. (But maybe I could have made it to the shelter by then...)
Anyway, there are many hikers in the same predicament. Several of us are going out to dinner at 7:00. One of the volunteer shuttle drivers from town has agreed to pick me up at the hotel at 7:30 AM tomorrow and get me back up to the trailhead. Onward and upward!
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Back on the grid in Waynesboro, Virginia
Hi all - its Tom - good to catch up with you personally for the first time since Easter. This time I went a long stretch without a cellphone signal so that I couldn't even get Anne an "I'm OK" call for three or four days. But she knows there are so many hikers now that she would have word in no time if something was amiss.
Yesterday I put in my longest day on the trail so far - 27 miles. I found that knowing that a heavy downpour with possible flash flooding is coming is a good motivator. About five hours of my hike yesterday were in a steady rain, but never real heavy. I don't mind that at all.
Waynesboro marks the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway portion of my hike and the start of the Shenandoah National Park portion. Waynesboro is a great trail town. The AT actually crosses US 250 about five miles East of town. A group of volunteer shuttlers has posted a list with their phone numbers so that when you arrive at the highway you can call for a ride into town. I was not sure that was going to work for me, since I didn't get to the highway until 7:30 PM, but the first person that I called on that list - Roy - said "I'll be up there in 10 minutes". He was a great guy, and accepted my invitation to let me buy him breakfast this morning.
I like companies that make good on their product warranties, so I want to mention Solomon boots. I had a problem in that my boots were loosing the grommets that the lace goes through (three of them). I called their customer support number, and they quickly said that should not happen to boots purchased early this year and agreed to replace them. They also agreed to ship a pair a half size larger, since it appears my feet have grown (as I was told would happen during this hike) and my right foot was beginning to develop blisters on the small toes from rubbing. They agreed to send them to the next location I was going into for a mail drop - Montebello, Virginia. The new boots were there when I arrived, and the slightly larger size feels just right.
I continue to enjoy watching Spring unfold in the Appalachians. We are now to the point where the maple trees have leafed out, following the budding of the flowering trees earlier. Now, when you get up to the tops of mountains, the hardwoods such as oak have still not leafed out but looking down into the lower levels and valleys you see a verdant green. Critters are more abundant, including the reptiles. I saw my first snake. He was pretty good sized, but darted back into a hole as I approached and I could not identify the type. I'm 99% sure he was not one of the "baddies" - copperhead or rattlesnake. I have also seen an orange newt with red spots on it and a toad that was as big as I have seen. (The toad was headed straight up a steep ascent. I tried to explain the concept of a switchback to him.)
I also saw a song bird that was a very bright green - almost neon - with black around his beak. It is common to find deer now as I ascend to the higher elevations. There were three of them a few days ago that started to run as I approached. I stopped and whistled, and the last of them stopped and we stared at each other for a moment of Zen.
Section hikers and others that I run into continue to be very kind to us thru hikers. Among the gifts that I have received:
I also has a simple invitation to join three section hikers from central Illinois at a campfire they had set up at one of my camping locations. I enjoyed chatting with them.
I finally had to try hitch hiking to get into a town to resupply. It took me 35 minutes to get the ride in... I was starting to get a bit discouraged. But finally a gentleman about my age stopped and took me right to the hostel in Glasgow where I was headed. On the way back out it only took about 10 minutes... so in the end I was glad to see that it worked. I thought that if I was clean shaven and a little neater looking it might be easier... what do you think?
Between Daleville, where I resupplied on Easter, and here I went into two locations to do smaller resupplies. In both cases I was fairly time inefficient. Glasgow was inefficient because I ate so much while there that I really couldn't hike much when I got back to the trail. I went about a mile and pitched the tent. Montebello was the other resupply. It was inefficient because it was 2.5 walking miles off the AT and down about 2,000 feet, and the store did not have some of the things they said they stocked - like my fuel canisters. The next morning I was dreading the climb back up to the trailhead, but as my "luck" would have it, I met a person affiliated with the AT Blackburn Center (near Harper's Ferry) and he agreed to drive me up as far as he could, which cut the distance to the trailhead at least in half.
I have decided that as far as shelters go, I like the ones that are off the ridges to be protected from the wind and with a gurgling creek in front of them. Two of my favorites so far have been the Bryant Ridge shelter and the Brown Mountain Creek shelter. I sleep real well with the sound of a creek... and it makes water resupply a snap.
I am very much looking forward to hiking through the Shenandoahs. The hills are gentle... no more ascents of 2,000 to 3,000 feet for a good while now. Plus, the park has "waysides" located throughout, where you can buy a burger or a shake. Unfortunately, it is too early in the season for many of them to be open, but I do plan to figure out which ones are before starting tomorrow. I am told that the blackberry shakes are to die for.
Today after breakfast with Roy, he dropped me off at the Laundromat so I could wash my clothes. After that it was a leisurely stroll through Kroger to resupply. Then it was AYCE lunch at the Ming Garden restaurant. I'm going to stop by the Outfitter's this afternoon to pick up a fuel canister and a couple of other items. Such is the life of a thru hiker!
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| Pedlar River footbridge near Spy Rock |
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| A view of Spy Rock near Montebello |
I like companies that make good on their product warranties, so I want to mention Solomon boots. I had a problem in that my boots were loosing the grommets that the lace goes through (three of them). I called their customer support number, and they quickly said that should not happen to boots purchased early this year and agreed to replace them. They also agreed to ship a pair a half size larger, since it appears my feet have grown (as I was told would happen during this hike) and my right foot was beginning to develop blisters on the small toes from rubbing. They agreed to send them to the next location I was going into for a mail drop - Montebello, Virginia. The new boots were there when I arrived, and the slightly larger size feels just right.
I continue to enjoy watching Spring unfold in the Appalachians. We are now to the point where the maple trees have leafed out, following the budding of the flowering trees earlier. Now, when you get up to the tops of mountains, the hardwoods such as oak have still not leafed out but looking down into the lower levels and valleys you see a verdant green. Critters are more abundant, including the reptiles. I saw my first snake. He was pretty good sized, but darted back into a hole as I approached and I could not identify the type. I'm 99% sure he was not one of the "baddies" - copperhead or rattlesnake. I have also seen an orange newt with red spots on it and a toad that was as big as I have seen. (The toad was headed straight up a steep ascent. I tried to explain the concept of a switchback to him.)
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| A newt |
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| trillium are everywhere in bloom |
Section hikers and others that I run into continue to be very kind to us thru hikers. Among the gifts that I have received:
- Some home dehydrated foods (black beans, corn and peas) from a section hiker who was finishing his hike... delicious!
- A whole chocolate Easter rabbit and a coke - at 8:15 AM - from a trail angel. What would you do? It was a warm day so I knew I couldn't keep that chocolate till afternoon. I ate it for brunch.
- A complete lunch - four chili dogs, home made fries, chips, drink, pickles, etc - from "Fresh Grounds" and his Leapfrog Café. He set up at four different locations along the trail this year.
.jpg) |
| The Leapfrog Café with hiker Panzer |
I finally had to try hitch hiking to get into a town to resupply. It took me 35 minutes to get the ride in... I was starting to get a bit discouraged. But finally a gentleman about my age stopped and took me right to the hostel in Glasgow where I was headed. On the way back out it only took about 10 minutes... so in the end I was glad to see that it worked. I thought that if I was clean shaven and a little neater looking it might be easier... what do you think?
Between Daleville, where I resupplied on Easter, and here I went into two locations to do smaller resupplies. In both cases I was fairly time inefficient. Glasgow was inefficient because I ate so much while there that I really couldn't hike much when I got back to the trail. I went about a mile and pitched the tent. Montebello was the other resupply. It was inefficient because it was 2.5 walking miles off the AT and down about 2,000 feet, and the store did not have some of the things they said they stocked - like my fuel canisters. The next morning I was dreading the climb back up to the trailhead, but as my "luck" would have it, I met a person affiliated with the AT Blackburn Center (near Harper's Ferry) and he agreed to drive me up as far as he could, which cut the distance to the trailhead at least in half.
I have decided that as far as shelters go, I like the ones that are off the ridges to be protected from the wind and with a gurgling creek in front of them. Two of my favorites so far have been the Bryant Ridge shelter and the Brown Mountain Creek shelter. I sleep real well with the sound of a creek... and it makes water resupply a snap.
I am very much looking forward to hiking through the Shenandoahs. The hills are gentle... no more ascents of 2,000 to 3,000 feet for a good while now. Plus, the park has "waysides" located throughout, where you can buy a burger or a shake. Unfortunately, it is too early in the season for many of them to be open, but I do plan to figure out which ones are before starting tomorrow. I am told that the blackberry shakes are to die for.
Today after breakfast with Roy, he dropped me off at the Laundromat so I could wash my clothes. After that it was a leisurely stroll through Kroger to resupply. Then it was AYCE lunch at the Ming Garden restaurant. I'm going to stop by the Outfitter's this afternoon to pick up a fuel canister and a couple of other items. Such is the life of a thru hiker!
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| Jack at Rockfish Outfitters was very helpful. |
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
780 miles and counting through Virginia
I just got off the phone with Tom who is enjoying a pizza while waiting for his laundry to dry in Glasgow, Virginia, at elevation 680 feet. He has had some big elevation changes since being in Daleville at an elevation of 1,350 on Easter Sunday. He crossed by curry creek along the way picture below. Then trail starts to criss -cross over The Blue Ridge Parkway in Thunder Ridge Wilderness and I had a very brief phone call from Tom 2 days ago very excited that at one of those crossings he came upon a trash can. There is a" no trace" rule while on the trail so hikers must carry out all their trash. No trash cans are provide within the shelter areas, so to find one I guess was very wonderful!
He crossed by this famous rock formation "The Guillotine" shown below at 4,225 feet. It has a large boulder suspended over the trail in a narrow rock canyon. The hikers must proceed through that small opening.
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| Curry creek-mile 760 of the trail |
He crossed by this famous rock formation "The Guillotine" shown below at 4,225 feet. It has a large boulder suspended over the trail in a narrow rock canyon. The hikers must proceed through that small opening.
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| Guillotine Rock Formation Mile765 |
As Tom approached Glasgow and another elevation change down to 680 feet he crossed over the James River and the longest pedestrian- only bridge on the entire trail.
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| James River Footbridge |
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| James River Footbridge |
He will be climbing again today and tomorrow up to over 4,000 feet until he gets to the next town. It makes my knees ache just thinking about it as he makes his way past the mile 780.
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| The James River Valley as Tom descended |
Anne
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Resting on Easter Sunday
Sorry it has been so long since I have been able to update this blog personally, and I am very grateful to my wife Anne who has done a great job of keeping you up to date.
I've taken a zero day at a Howard Johnson's motel in Troutville, VA. I am at about 725 miles in to this hike, and I realize I am essentially 1/3 of the way. I did a 25 mile day yesterday to get in just after dark last night. As you can see from the photo of my right foot, I needed today to be a day of healing.
Nova, a fellow engineer from Nova Scotia, has been my travel companion for much of the past two weeks. He had gotten a half day ahead of me a few days before arriving here, and he was good enough to share a hotel room and have a half pizza waiting for me when I got in. Unfortunately, Nova is a section hiker who has finished his section. He will be off the trail until he decides to start his next section... and I'll miss his company.
As an aside... I had to put my head lamp on for the last 20 minutes or so of the hike yesterday evening. I try to avoid putting it on as long as possible, because once it is on you suffer from tunnel vision - only being able to see what is directly in the beam of light. I had my second fall of the trail when I looked up suddenly and found myself an inch from a big spider who had apparently started building his web at dusk. I threw my head back so suddenly that I lost my balance and went over backwards. Fortunately, the trail was soft there... so no damage done except to my ego. (I had immediately looked around to see if anyone saw me, of course, but there aren't usually a lot of people on the trail after dark.)
Spring continues to unfold in the Appalachians, and it is awesome to watch. Some of the forest floors at the lower elevations that showed nothing but the dead leaves of last year a few weeks ago are turning green.
Many of the trees are starting to leaf out, or in the case of flowering trees, bud out. The last week of hiking included some of the more well known parts of the trail.
Dragon's Tooth, which I crossed two days ago has rungs built into the rock in a couple of places and required me to put down the hiking poles to climb in a couple of spots. It also required real caution on the descent. But the formation itself and the view from the top were magnificent. Yesterday I reached McAffee Knob, which is probably the most photographed spot on the trail.
Even though I went up to it on the Saturday of Easter weekend, which meant I was joined by a whole lot of other hikers, the beauty of that spot (my photo doesn't begin to do it justice) is hard to describe. About five miles later, I was at Tinker's Cliffs which was also magnificent and absent the crowds.
I have run into a father-daughter section hiker pair from Athens, GA over the past couple of weeks at various places who are on my hero list. Among the things they did for me: 1) provided a cord for hanging my food bag, 2) found and returned to me my wristwatch, which had popped off my wrist at a spring where I was refilling my Nalgene bottle, and 3) provided me with just enough iodine tablets to make sure I could make it to my next resupply spot when I had run low. Thanks Skittles and Goofy!
As the hike progresses and weather begins to warm, here are two changes I have implemented in my eating habits. When I leave town, I try to take one onion and one green pepper with me. I have found that if I dice those up and sautee them in olive oil it makes whatever I am eating for dinner taste better. Many of the hikers are motivated mostly by conserving fuel, so they will only boil water and pour it into a Mountain House dehydrated meal bag. Who knows... maybe as this progresses I will start doing the same, to avoid having to carry so much fuel. The second change I have made is - since it is no longer so cold in the morning - adding powdered milk and a chocolate flavored protein mix to my Nalgene bottle, mixing it well, and enjoying what tastes like a good chocolate shake.
At this point - again, about a third in - I feel good about what I have accomplished so far and about my chances of being able to finish this hike!
I've taken a zero day at a Howard Johnson's motel in Troutville, VA. I am at about 725 miles in to this hike, and I realize I am essentially 1/3 of the way. I did a 25 mile day yesterday to get in just after dark last night. As you can see from the photo of my right foot, I needed today to be a day of healing.
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| Ouch! |
Nova, a fellow engineer from Nova Scotia, has been my travel companion for much of the past two weeks. He had gotten a half day ahead of me a few days before arriving here, and he was good enough to share a hotel room and have a half pizza waiting for me when I got in. Unfortunately, Nova is a section hiker who has finished his section. He will be off the trail until he decides to start his next section... and I'll miss his company.
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| Tom and Nova at coffee shop Easter morning |
Spring continues to unfold in the Appalachians, and it is awesome to watch. Some of the forest floors at the lower elevations that showed nothing but the dead leaves of last year a few weeks ago are turning green.
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| Spring along the trail |
Many of the trees are starting to leaf out, or in the case of flowering trees, bud out. The last week of hiking included some of the more well known parts of the trail.
Dragon's Tooth, which I crossed two days ago has rungs built into the rock in a couple of places and required me to put down the hiking poles to climb in a couple of spots. It also required real caution on the descent. But the formation itself and the view from the top were magnificent. Yesterday I reached McAffee Knob, which is probably the most photographed spot on the trail.
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| Tom at McAffee Knob |
I have run into a father-daughter section hiker pair from Athens, GA over the past couple of weeks at various places who are on my hero list. Among the things they did for me: 1) provided a cord for hanging my food bag, 2) found and returned to me my wristwatch, which had popped off my wrist at a spring where I was refilling my Nalgene bottle, and 3) provided me with just enough iodine tablets to make sure I could make it to my next resupply spot when I had run low. Thanks Skittles and Goofy!
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| A 300 year old Keefer Oak |
At this point - again, about a third in - I feel good about what I have accomplished so far and about my chances of being able to finish this hike!
Friday, April 18, 2014
Onward in Virginia
I had a good conversation with Tom this noon, he is still in Virginia which has the most mileage of any state ; 550 miles of trails. Some consider the Virginia section to be the wettest.
Yesterday the temperatures were back to normal again and he camped at a campsite, which also was a storage facility for some large RV"s. His tent is the white round one in the front.
He is looking forward to getting close to Catawba, Virginia and eating some fried chicken at Homeplace Restaurant. It is about mile 698. One thing the hikers do all the time is talk about food! This one place has been the talk for weeks now. Tom would be the first to tell you that food, water and shelter have taken on a whole new meaning! Hope we get some pictures of the food!
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| This notice marked the first detour on the trail for Tom. It was near The Virginia Creeper trail and a bridge had washed out. |
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| The view from Rice Field Shelter |
Two nights ago the weather turned very cold again and what the hikers then do is find the closest shelter, eat and climb into their sleeping bags. Well, it just happened to be before dark on April 15 for Tom and he was at Rice Field Shelter, picture above.. The next shelter was 12 miles away so it turned out to be an early night. He tells me that he was the only one in the shelter that night and it was very cold and windy and not much sleeping happened!.
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| Trent's Campground |
He is looking forward to getting close to Catawba, Virginia and eating some fried chicken at Homeplace Restaurant. It is about mile 698. One thing the hikers do all the time is talk about food! This one place has been the talk for weeks now. Tom would be the first to tell you that food, water and shelter have taken on a whole new meaning! Hope we get some pictures of the food!
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| family style restaurant in the plans for tomorrow! |
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Woods Hole Hostel-Pearisburg, VA
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| Woods Hole Hostel |
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| Kitchen at Woods Hole with Neville, left and Michael on the right. |
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| Outdoor Shower |
Tom shared with me that all the hikers assist with mealtime then sit around a family style table. Tom is taking the photo but you see the other hikers he is among on his trek.
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| Dinner time at Woods Hole |
Friday, April 11, 2014
Over 25 % complete and going strong!
Tom tells me he is feeling great and loving the Virginia terrain with pastures and rolling hills. He was able to enjoy a burger at The Barn Restaurant a few nights ago while near Groseclose, VA. He continues to hike over 20 miles each day. Last evening he came upon another unique shelter, Chestnut Knob, at mile 565 along the trail. The stonework and views make it one of the best ones so far. The geological formation called God's Thumbprint can be seen from the shelter and it part of Burkes Garden area.
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| Chestnut knob Shelter, 4,409 feet |
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| This is" God's Thumbprint" a crater like geological depression |
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Onward into Virginia-500 miles plus
After a great 2 days in Damascus, Virginia and a stay at the new Woodchuck Hostel, Tom has taken off again. Below you see the hostel and Chuck, the owner, could not have been nicer. He was proud of his accommodations and the memory foam mattresses. That was a welcome treat!
Mid morning Sunday after two breakfast meals, Tom took off for Lost Mountain Shelter.
He spent the next night at mile 500.5 Wise Shelter and should be at Trimpi Shelter this evening at mile marker 520.5. It is unique and built entirely of stone with an inside fireplace. That will be very welcome as the nights continue to be cold. Tom is hiking about 20 miles a day and is doing great.
Anne
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| Woodchuck Hostel, Damascus Virginia |
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| Sunday breakfast , number two, before taking off again |
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| Lost Mountain Shelter, Virginia mile 483 |
He spent the next night at mile 500.5 Wise Shelter and should be at Trimpi Shelter this evening at mile marker 520.5. It is unique and built entirely of stone with an inside fireplace. That will be very welcome as the nights continue to be cold. Tom is hiking about 20 miles a day and is doing great.
Anne
Friday, April 4, 2014
On Injuries, Healing, and Learning How to Hike Long Distances
I have just been through a period of very slow progress due to injuries and weather. Fortunately, I seem to be healing up and the calendar says we should not have too much more bitterly cold weather. I wanted to share my injury experiences and thoughts - and this includes thoughts from my fellow thru hikers. If anyone is experienced in sports medicine or the like, I would invite your comments as to whether what I am writing makes sense.
I think that if you are going out to hike mountains for a relatively short period of time - say a week or less - you can probably hike less than optimally and not bang your body up too bad... come home a little sore perhaps, but then begin to heal. I am now convinced that if you are going to hike for six months or so with 25% suddenly added to your body weight, you have to develop a technique to minimize the chance of injury. I developed a pain behind my left knee just before meeting Anne and the Reichert's at Fontana Dam Village. By the time I met Anne the next time - in Erwin, TN - I had added a shin splint on my right leg that had me hobbling around like a cripple. Fortunately, after some no-to-low mileage days, many anti-inflammatories, wearing a knee brace (left) and putting Tiger Balm and a wrap on my right shin, I seem to be largely healed.
Pac Man, who is a physician's associate from Wisconsin, told me in Fontana Dam that it is important to step with your whole foot on the ground - and not just step on the ball of your foot. Ravencloud, who is an endurance runner out of Los Angeles, told me that it is important to transfer as much of the hiking work as possible to the larger muscles of the upper leg (thighs and glutes) - as opposed to the smaller muscles of the lower leg (calf). As I thought about these things, it seemed to me they both were saying pretty much the same thing. I am trying to be conscious, as I start a step, to lift my knee (using those upper leg muscles) as opposed to pushing off the ball of my foot (using the calf muscles). Of course, you are never using only one or the other set of muscles, but transferring more of the load to the larger muscles helps. In going up a mountain, I lean into the mountain, lifting the one leg and pushing off with the large muscles of the other leg. It also helps to use the hiking poles as much as possible... plant them and help pull your body uphill.
Going downhill is where most of the injuries occur because you are coming down a steep step and potentially jamming your foot with a lot of force. On coming downhill, I generally am now leaning back towards the mountain, taking small steps, and making sure that I have my knee bent as I make impact. Again, it is important to use the hiking poles to reduce impact on the feet and legs as much as possible. When I am going down over anything of a height of one foot or more, I plant both poles out in front first, and put as much weight as possible onto them.
As far as keeping the feet themselves healthy, I have gone through a progression of changes too, and now feel that my feet have hardened up and are blistering less. I started out wearing two pairs of socks. They were thick socks that tended to cause my toes to rub against each other in the toe box. I went to a single sock on each foot, but then there was too much friction as the foot slid in the boot. I have now switched to a thin inner-liner with a regular sock on the exterior. That seems to be working for me. I also put melaleuca (tea tree) oil on and between my toes at night. That seems to not only reduce blistering by reducing friction, but also, if a blister does develop, keeps it from becoming infected. At this point, I feel that I have just about developed my hiker's feet and gait.
I think that if you are going out to hike mountains for a relatively short period of time - say a week or less - you can probably hike less than optimally and not bang your body up too bad... come home a little sore perhaps, but then begin to heal. I am now convinced that if you are going to hike for six months or so with 25% suddenly added to your body weight, you have to develop a technique to minimize the chance of injury. I developed a pain behind my left knee just before meeting Anne and the Reichert's at Fontana Dam Village. By the time I met Anne the next time - in Erwin, TN - I had added a shin splint on my right leg that had me hobbling around like a cripple. Fortunately, after some no-to-low mileage days, many anti-inflammatories, wearing a knee brace (left) and putting Tiger Balm and a wrap on my right shin, I seem to be largely healed.
Pac Man, who is a physician's associate from Wisconsin, told me in Fontana Dam that it is important to step with your whole foot on the ground - and not just step on the ball of your foot. Ravencloud, who is an endurance runner out of Los Angeles, told me that it is important to transfer as much of the hiking work as possible to the larger muscles of the upper leg (thighs and glutes) - as opposed to the smaller muscles of the lower leg (calf). As I thought about these things, it seemed to me they both were saying pretty much the same thing. I am trying to be conscious, as I start a step, to lift my knee (using those upper leg muscles) as opposed to pushing off the ball of my foot (using the calf muscles). Of course, you are never using only one or the other set of muscles, but transferring more of the load to the larger muscles helps. In going up a mountain, I lean into the mountain, lifting the one leg and pushing off with the large muscles of the other leg. It also helps to use the hiking poles as much as possible... plant them and help pull your body uphill.
Going downhill is where most of the injuries occur because you are coming down a steep step and potentially jamming your foot with a lot of force. On coming downhill, I generally am now leaning back towards the mountain, taking small steps, and making sure that I have my knee bent as I make impact. Again, it is important to use the hiking poles to reduce impact on the feet and legs as much as possible. When I am going down over anything of a height of one foot or more, I plant both poles out in front first, and put as much weight as possible onto them.
As far as keeping the feet themselves healthy, I have gone through a progression of changes too, and now feel that my feet have hardened up and are blistering less. I started out wearing two pairs of socks. They were thick socks that tended to cause my toes to rub against each other in the toe box. I went to a single sock on each foot, but then there was too much friction as the foot slid in the boot. I have now switched to a thin inner-liner with a regular sock on the exterior. That seems to be working for me. I also put melaleuca (tea tree) oil on and between my toes at night. That seems to not only reduce blistering by reducing friction, but also, if a blister does develop, keeps it from becoming infected. At this point, I feel that I have just about developed my hiker's feet and gait.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
434 miles and Counting
Mile marker 434 brings Tom to Vandeventer Shelter and surprisingly a wireless signal! This brings him within 30 miles of Damascus, Virginia which is known as the trail town of the Appalachian Trail. You have heard of trail magic along the trail, yesterday Tom and other hikers came across the best trail magic ever. Dan and Rob from Ft. Mill, South Carolina were on a section hike and had just made peach cobbler in a Dutch oven. WOW! Can you imagine? Tom says they get the vote for best section hikers! The contraptions on the picnic table in front are GO PRO cameras on a mounting holder.
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| Enjoying Peach Cobbler along the trail |
Kincora Hiker hostel and Bob Peoples Superhero
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| Tom and legend Bob Peoples at Kincora Shelter |
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
A week of weather challenges for all the hikers
This last 6 days has been a battle with Mother Nature along the trail. Snow, rain, high wind gusts and very cold temperatures greeted Tom and the other AT hikers as they made their way from altitudes of 1,900 feet near Erwin, TN to the 6,275 foot high Roan Mountain area.
Yesterday Tom and a group of hikers stayed all day in Overmountain Shelter at mile marker 382 along the trail due to 50 MPH winds and a snow storm. One hiker did come in about mid day and reported that the high winds actually knocked him off his feet on top of one of the Balds earlier that day. It was really great for them to be at that location for the extra protection from the weather. This photo below left is of an early spring view of the shelter. Tom had been hiking in 2 feet of snow and drifts at some points this week.
Today the weather has cleared, in fact Tom tells me he is hiking in shorts and just used sunscreen as he makes his way toward the shelter which should put him past the 400 mile mark. The warmer weather is very welcome for the hikers.
Anne
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| This is a view of the Unaka Mountain area after a 6 inch snowfall that Tom hiked across and over |
Yesterday Tom and a group of hikers stayed all day in Overmountain Shelter at mile marker 382 along the trail due to 50 MPH winds and a snow storm. One hiker did come in about mid day and reported that the high winds actually knocked him off his feet on top of one of the Balds earlier that day. It was really great for them to be at that location for the extra protection from the weather. This photo below left is of an early spring view of the shelter. Tom had been hiking in 2 feet of snow and drifts at some points this week.
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| Overmountain Shelter a converted barn-a spring picture |
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| Tom at Overmountain shelter |
Today the weather has cleared, in fact Tom tells me he is hiking in shorts and just used sunscreen as he makes his way toward the shelter which should put him past the 400 mile mark. The warmer weather is very welcome for the hikers.
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| Jones Falls March 31, 2014 |
Anne
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