Hold your breath, here we go...

6/13/08 - I left... which was supposed to mean hiking would take place. Alas, it did not.

• First, he hit the post office & mailed home all of the stuff I forgot. (Thank you!)
• Then, they were supposed to hike out & have ChiliMac meet them at Culvers Gap but they didn't get started early enough sooo they decided to jump off a 40ft bridge instead and have Tupperware drive them to the pick-up point. (Which will mean a necessary slackpack tomorrow).
• Hearts, Spock & Twiggy, Meltdown, ChiliMac & Snoopy all gathered together - in a tiny Courtyard Mariott hotel room - with Half-brew, his wife, and friend for one last Eukre tournament in celebration of Half-brew's last day on the trail!

6/14/08 - Continental breakfast followed by 1st round of horrible diarrhea... (don't bother getting squeamish this early in the game - we're just getting started).

• Said goodbye to Chili, Snoopy, & Half-brew.
• Picked up a box of Imodium for the road.
• ChiliMac drove them (Hearts, Spock & Twiggy) back to the trail where they hiked south from Culvers Gap to County Rd. 602 while Meltdown continued north - I'm sure they were a twinge jealous.
• Managed to snag a ride back to Culvers Gap with another thru hiker, Nightterror, and then hiked an additional 3 miles north to sleep in Gren Anderson Shelter...
• On the way, they encountered an amateur ham radio convention on Culver Fire Tower - said it was like walking into a faux WWII control room reenactment... oh those boys & their toys.
• Get out your TI-83 graphing calculators kids it's time for vector trivia: If Amos hikes 14.5 miles due south, catches a ride back to his original destination and then continues to march an additional 3 miles due north and it pours buckets all day, how far has he traveled??!
• I refuse to dignify that with an answer. You figure it out.
• Once at Gren Anderson, they found themselves sharing space with couple called Beans & Benadryl (DYING to know how they got those names) who were less than thrilled to have their new shelter companions show up late & sopping wet but what can I say... thems the breaks.

Where boots go to die...

6/7/08 - Woke up to a big 'ol black snake hanging in the trees above camp... oh hello there!

• The Treat made a campfire to heat up hot dogs for breakfast... don't worry Hearts didn't have one... but he DID LAST NIGHT! And under the guise of 'trail magic' - for shame! (For those who are keeping track - that's 2 hot dogs thus far on the trail and God only knows how much more mystery meat he's consumed & neglected to mention!)
• Hiked up to Pulpit Rock where they stumbled across more Girl Scouts than there are uneaten Tagalong boxes in my secret cookie cupboard. Just kidding... I don't have a secret cookie cupboard - don't bother coming to look for it... seriously you'll never find it anyway...
• I digress. There were a lot of Girl Scouts. Communication with the tribe was a breeze once the group realized Tupperware spoke their secret language... he was up on the Jonas Brothers & Webkinz and all sorts of things only pre-teen girls should know about - if he weren't hiking with his lovely girlfriend, Jen, I'd say it'd be fair to be a bit worried about old Tupperware... again, I digress.
• Hiked onward & upward to the Pinnacle which was supposed to have the best view in Pennsylvania. When asked if it lived up to the hype, Amos replied, "Eh."
• Sounds uneventful, but they did stumble across a HUGE HUGE HUGE rattlesnake - more specifically Amos stumbled across a HUGE HUGE HUGE rattlesnake - it was right at his feet in a crack between two rocks!!
• Tupperware's dad picked them (Tupperware, Jen, Spock & Twiggy, Buns & Roses, and Hearts) up at Hawk Mtn. Road to shuttle them back to Tupperware's house for a Thanksgiving-style feast (I am to place emphasis on the word 'FEAST')! Amos particularly enjoyed the strawberry shortcake and brownies a la mode that Tupperware's mom served for dessert (I guess he's finally over that whole half-gallon challenge ice cream sickness thing).
• Tryptophan and staggering heat forced the group to turn in early for the night. 9 mi day.

6/8/08 - Good thing they got to bed so early...

• Woke up at 5 am to hike 25 miles in 90 degree temps - this is when it's best to take advantage of the wee morning hours.
• Tupperware's parents made eggs & set out all sorts of goodies for breakfast including fresh fruit - yum! Afterwards, Tupperware's dad drove them back to Eckville Shelter to pick back up where they left off... only he dropped them off sans-pack! Yeah, you heard right! The slack-pack's back! In fact, the next few days are going to be spent slack-packing back & forth between the AT & Tupperware's house! (Super nice of the Tupperware's)
• Took a break at Allentown Shelter & then another at a restaurant they found on Blue Mountain Summit. Stopped to enjoy cold beverages from the diner & noshed on the sandwiches T-ware's mom had packed for them earlier- my gosh she sounds like a dream! They also lucked out by scoring free watermelon as they left the parking lot.
• Rest of the day was EXTREMELY rocky - several blisters, sharp pain in right foot (hopefully not a stress fracture), and considerable chaffing due to excess sweat...
• Dad picked them up at Lehigh Gap and they were back at the house by 8 pm for dinner, a quick shower and then right on to bed.

6/9/08 - Pancakes & waffles for breakfast! Hearts adorned his with fruit & whipped cream.

• 1st climb of the day -a steep boulder crawl- was awesome! Reminded him of the terrain in Wyoming.
• Then to the top of the Palmerton EPA Superfund Site - an old zinc mine that completely destroyed the mountain. Said the scarred landscape resembled a barren, rocky desert. This is where Amos chose to eat wild blueberries - wild zinc blueberries - against the wishes and better judgement of his hiking companions who are all convinced he's going to wind up with three-headed babies someday. I think as long as he steers clear of Three Mile Island tomatoes he'll be alright.
• Hiked up ahead of everyone & took a nap while he was waiting for them to catch up. When he awoke he realized he wasn't alone - there was a swarm of ants in his pants... maybe they like zincberries?
• So many rocks.
• Cheesecake and PB & J sandwich for lunch - again, packed by Tupperware's mom. This Tupperware clan has been unbelievably generous & overwhelmingly hospitable! They rock! (bad pun)
• 20.5 mi. Met Tupperware's dad at Hahns Lookout then hiked back to his car for a night out on the town. And by that, I mean dinner at Johnnies and grocery shopping! Another early to bed... and another early to rise tomorrow!

Eukrazy hiking 1100 mi...

5/27/08 - Drove a bunch - Jordan & Colby arrived around 10:30 & on to the big car shuffle...

• Drove back to Md. 17 to snag Momma Ludwig's new ride - stopped on the way to pick up Half-brew's mail drop (in appreciation he treated the group to coffee at Starbucks!).
• Up to Pa. 944 to drop off Jordan's car and then back to Fayetteville to pick up where he left off on the AT the day before. About 4 hrs worth of moving & a shakin'.
• Started hiking through Caledonia State Park just as a slew of menacing storm clouds rolled in so they stopped to play a few hands of Eukre at a picnic shelter.
• Once the weather cleared, the group (Half-brew, Hearts, Jordan & Colby) moved on to Quarry Gap Shelter where they met back up with Meltdown.
• Odd characters at shelter included a socially awkward 90's Calvin Klein model who threw all of his trash in an unlit fire pit (very uncouth) and 2 section hikers who later described their group as "loud & obnoxious"... !
• 2.5 mi day.

5/28/08 - Woke up & hiked all the way to Birch Run Shelter without stopping.

• Hung out, ate lunch & played Eukre for 2 hrs.
• Eventually moved on to Toms Run Shelter where they stopped to play more Eukre... can you say 'stuck in a rut'? If not yet... you will.
• Passed the TRUE 1/2 WAY POINT (!!!!!) (unmarked & at 1087.5 mi by my calculations) then on to Pine Grove Furnace State Park to celebrate with the 1/2 Gallon Challenge - whose rules are to eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream in one setting in honor of arrival at the AT midway point!!
• Amos & Meltdown chose to partake - everyone else "turtled out." (Amos' claims chickens don't scare easily & thus the saying should be changed...)
• They bought 1/2 gallon of chocolate & 1/2 gallon of vanilla - with the skill & precision of a neurosurgeon, they split the two down the middle so that they didn't have to barf up only one flavor.
• Amos said by ~3/4 of the way in he realized he had made a BIG mistake. (Which surprised me because I had seen him house several pints of ice cream at the Naked Ron ice cream orgy of '08 - my last visit.)
• Anyway... he did it! In 48 minutes AND without heaving it all back up!! (Meltdown finished in 1 hr 50 minutes.)
• 17.5 mi - man he made Jordan & Colby work!! (If you recall, I died after 1 measly 12 mi day!)
• Unable to venture beyond the site of the challenge, the haggard crew slept on the porch of the camp store (... after playing more Eukre).

5/29/08 - Woke up at 5 am & ran to the bathroom... expelled about 2 pints worth of last night's "dinner."

• Ate breakfast at the camp store & moved on to a photo op. at the midpoint marker.
• Hiked up to Green Mtn. General Store at Pa. 34 to eat lunch - subs, chips, & 1/2 gallon of "orange drink" (you'd think they'd be done with half gallons). More Eukre.
• Stopped at Alec Kennedy Shelter. Ate dinner - Jordan & Colby already sick of trail food... played Crazy 8's - just kidding - more Eukre... and then off to bed.
• 15.5 mi.

5/30/08 - Left camp at 7 am to hike through 3.5 miles of soggy cornfields and into Boiling Springs.

• Breakfast at JC's Country Time Cafe.
• Left packs at ATC Mid-Atlantic Regional Office & hiked another 12.5 really flat, really hot miles through a lot of cornfields, across a lot of roadways & through countless cow pastures. Smelled like poop all day... yep, all 16 mi.
• Didn't know roadkill was a possibility on the AT... just figured the traffic would be moving too slowly. I was wrong - Amos squished a toad that haphazardly hopped under foot just as he was stepping down - a moment of silence for Mr. Toad...
• Finally arrived at Pa. 944 where they picked up Jordan's strategically parked car, drove it back to Boiling Springs (to pick up their packs) and found the entire crew (Half-brew, Snoopy, Meltdown, Spock & Twiggy, Chief Daddy, The Treat, and Buns & Roses) sitting in the same exact spot they had left them earlier that morning.
• Drove to Chili's for real food & then to Pittsburgh for a surprise weekend visit!!

Virginia has not been for lovers of cell phone reception...

5/6/08 - I think you'll find a good chunk of this week sounding a lot like the movie Groundhog Day. Up & down. Started with a big 2000 ft climb.

• Came across an ATC ridge runner (the AT's equivalent of police) & Half-brew laid into him about the crappy terrain. The ridge runner retorted something about how the AT's not supposed to be easy.
• Ate lunch at Punchbowl Shelter - pond on top of the mountain was lovely & unique.
• Climbed down 900 ft & took a break by Pedlar River before walking around Pedlar Lake.
• 18 mi day. Arrived at Brown Mountain Creek Shelter where Spock & Hearts took an ice bath in a nearby creek. Brrr!
• New blister... ok maybe that's not new, but an onset of athlete's foot is... probably due to the unrelenting heat & moisture.

5/7/08 - Started day with 3000 ft climb to Bald Knob - not bald.

• 2nd mountain was Cold Mountain. Which wasn't cold, but it was bald... go figure.
• Down to Hog Camp Gap - difficult water resupply - spring was located 1/2 mile downhill. Turned out to be a nice meadow with a tree swing - crew took full advantage of the wooden toy & stopped for lunch.
• Cranked out 9 more miles & passed Seeley-Woodworth Shelter to camp in Porters Field.
• 17 total mi.
• Built a campfire & drank Half-brew's bottle of Dickel's Whiskey to celebrate the fact that Half-brew made it 1 mile further on the trail than he did last year!! (plus the fact that they had all made it over 800 miles!!)... then it rained.

5/8/08 - Snoopy left the group this morning - got off the trail at Montebello to spend some time with family & friends.

• Everyone else climbed to the top of Main Top Mountain.
• Ate lunch at Priest Shelter (just before Priest Mountain) where entirely too many dirty priest jokes were told as Hearts ate oatmeal & coffee.
• Still raining... lets be honest it rained all day.
• Back down to 900 ft (getting old huh) along the Tye River where they'd had enough of the ups, downs, and the rain & decided to try & hitch a ride somewhere... anywhere.
• After a few failed attempts they were finally picked up by a seemingly jovial yet hard-core biker named Seth & his lady-friend (a UVA professor and cheating mother of 2 whose name will not be mentioned to protect her own anonymity).
• 7 people (Tupperware, Spock, Twiggy, Half-brew, Hearts), 5 packs, 1 dog, 1 Toyota Tercel.
• Rode (rather tight) 14 miles to a BBQ joint/convenience store. Ate, bought ice cream, watched Seth pop some pills & drink 6 pack in the parking lot... then things started getting really uncomfortable...
• Seth's drug-induced bipolar disorder began to rear it's ugly head soon after some sort of shady "transaction" with the check-out clerk went down outside. He got pretty antsy -some might argue downright rude or impatient. He yelled "gimme your wallet, woman" to his lady-friend (WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER - go back to your husband!!), grabbed her sandwich, took a huge/sloppy bite, threw it down, and demanded that the group get in the car & get going.
• Death-defying car ride back to the trail where he kicked them out of his car & went on his merry way. (Amos mentioned really regretting this particular hitchhiking experience.)
• Another 3000 ft climb (over 9 mi) to Maupin Field Shelter. 19 total mi.
• Arrived 10 minutes before it started to hail & managed to squeeze 8 people in a 6 person shelter.
• (THIS was the night that EVERY county in western Virginia was being pummeled by severe thunderstorms & tornado warnings... not watches... WARNINGS. All except Nelson County - smack dab in the middle - which listed as having a measly little flash flood warning. Despite knowing they were in that blessed little county, this was the night I was riddled with worst-case-scenarioitis & completely unable to sleep.)

5/9/08 - Started 4-5 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway with Half-brew. Still raining & surrounded by fog - sounds like a good time to walk along the road...

• 16 mi to Paul C. Wolfe shelter for lunch.
• Saw 15-20 BRIGHT orange salamanders with black spots. Trinity kept stepping on them... & Meltdown probably too because he claims to have only seen 1. Which means he must not have been paying much attention...
• 21 total mi today. Hiked the last 5 miles in 1 hr 15 min!! Claimed it was because he knew he was getting to see me - I think it was because he was desperate for a shower & neck shave.
• Trail angel, Bill, took them to the Quality Inn in Waynesboro - where Half-brew, Tupperware & Meltdown remained for the next 3 days.
• I met Hearts at the laundromat & from there we went for Mexican, watched the Pens beat the tar out of the Flyers & camped at the KOA in Verona.
• Time to zero!

Cowboy camping just past the sugar shack, eh...

5/4/08 - Long snooze indeed... went to bed at 8:30 & slept all the way through till 7:15 in the morning! You're gonna need it...

• Hiked in a big train all day - Tupperware, Snoopy, Hearts, Half-brew, Spock & Twiggy - marched single-file down to 900 ft & then all the way back up to 4200 ft!! Big climb!
• By breaking it up into 5 mile intervals & peppering the climb with plenty of water breaks - they managed to make it much more palatable.
• Picture taken at the top of Apple Orchard Mtn. highlighting an oddly shaped FAA tower.
• Just before Thunder Hill Shelter they came across strange sight - a man unpacking his car...
• Turns out he was unpacking a ton of gear to cook the hikers pancakes & eggs at the shelter!! You KNOW Amos ate like 4 of them - and in true Amos fashion - made certain they were smothered in peanut butter, applesauce & real grade A maple syrup!
• Slept under the stars about 2 miles beyond the shelter with Half-brew. (Should I be jealous...? I think we all are.)
• Total 19.5 mi. (but not of that!)

5/5/08 - Woke-up & hiked over High Cock Knob and then meandered all the way down to the James River.

• Crossed over the James River Footbridge - the largest foot-only bridge on the trail.
• Chris (of Chris & Davey from GA) was waiting for them at the end of the bridge (Rt. 501) with Gatorade & a ride into Lynchburg!
• Lynchburg provided a quick resupply at Food Lion, case of PBR, Subway, AND I DISTINCTLY HEARD AMOS ORDER 3 WHOPPER JUNIORS over the phone - that's right - 3 Whopper Juniors - you know they're made of meat don't you!! He claimed they were for Half-brew, but I know for a FACT that Half-brew only ordered 2! Who do you think's going to shovel down the 3rd...!?! I know who.
• Chris took them back to the AT where they set off for Johns Hollow Shelter (about 2 miles down the trail... what... did anyone really think they were going to make it much farther than that with case of beer?? I'm surprised they didn't... and in fact I'd be willing to bet they cracked more than a few open well before the walk began).
• Not too shabby for a 14.5 mi day.

Mexican't...

5/2/08 - Morning of mail fiascoes meant they didn't leave town in very good time...

• Early bird gets the bagel: Arrived downstairs for the continental breakfast 5 minutes after it was over... what a tragic way to start the day.
• Spent all morning hitting up the post office (Snoopy's new pack arrived and Amos had to mail back his broken water filter & a roll of film) and waiting around for UPS to deliver Half-brew's summer gear (sent by his lady-friend/wife). I guess that transaction went down much later than expected because they didn't make it to lunch until around 3:30.
• Say no to Rancho Viejo - a soggy queso burrito seeping with some kind of thin, watery salsa - 1st reporting of BAD Mexican on the AT!
• Found Spock & Twiggy (yay!) 5 miles down the trail at Fullhardt Knob Shelter where they decided to spend the night.
• Received a voicemail from Naked Ron (obviously hitting-up happy hour at el Rancho Viejo) checking to see if Amos was still in town - so close! Maybe he'll catch up in the next few days.

Some Smorgasbord...

5/1/08 - 7 am start. Hiked 9 mi into Daleville. Another day of fantastic weather.

• Clambered across a 'super-rocky' ridgeline with a ton of graffitti - you know, the type teenagers slopily stencil when they're drunk & trying to prove their adequacy among their peers - "Seniors '07"!
• Post office, outfitter, shower, laundry - the usual.
• Hitched a ride south with some section hikers to The Homeplace Restaurant (HUGE buffet) where Amos maintains he scarfed down more food than I could eat in a week - maybe went a little overboard...
• Staying at the HoJo with Half-brew & Snoopy (Mr. Friendly went MIA a few days ago).

Not wading any longer...

4/28/08 - 8 hikers racing for a spot in Niday Shelter tonight - only holds 6... and it's supposed to rain all night...

• Rained all Sunday night, too. Hesitant to get out of bed, the group (still Half-brew, Snoopy, Mr. Friendly, and Hearts) slept in till 10 waiting for the downpour to wrap-up... it didn't.
• Finally got going around 11 & came across trail magic as they ascended their 1st climb (Pepsi & Baby Ruths)!
• Stopped raining after lunch (finally!), but the adventure had just begun - all of the creeks in the area were flooded...
• 1st creek they came across - everyone managed to shimmy across a log.
• Next creek they found themselves in a pickle... the most challenging predicament was determining how to get Half-brew's dog (Trinity) across a fairly swift moving current. They ended up wading waist deep into the water & handing her off from Half-brew to Hearts. Needless to say, Trinity was a bit sketched out! Amos also mentioned he was a little weary of the strainers he caught sight of just down stream... now I'm sketched out!
• Another climb.
• Description of the 3rd creek was reminiscent of the scene in Forest Gump where they're walking chest-deep through a swollen rice paddy in Vietnam - but it this case it was a farmers field in southwestern Virginia swimming with horse & donkey poo.
• Took 10 hours to go 5 miles because of all the difficulty they ran into crossing creeks.
• Managed to crank out the remaining 13 miles before dark & found the shelter with no vacancy by the time they arrived - forced to camp.
• Sky remained clear until bed and then the thunder & lightning began to roll just as they tucked themselves in... scattered T-storms became an off & on spectacle all night.

4/29/08 - Woke up in the morning shivering and not at all enthused about slipping into soaking wet gear. Proceeded to peek outside - initially looked like summer (green leaves and all) - further inspection yielded a novel surprise... SNOW! With temperatures becoming more & more frigid as they gained elevation throughout the day.

• ~17 mi. Snoopy described it best as "the most demoralizing day."
• Climbed Dragons Tooth - cragged rocky terrain with zero soil and zero vegetation that went straight up then straight down then up then down then up then down... & so on & so forth for 7 miles!! Good name.
• By the time they arrived at Va 624 they were spent. Stopped by the local convenience store to warm up with pizza and coffee but Half-brew had had enough so he vowed to pay for a hotel room if they could hitch a ride into Salem.
• 5 minutes later they snagged a ride with nice fellow in a company pick-up truck (who also agreed to take them back in the morning)!
• Spending the night at the Days Inn... room 220. Looking forward to a BIG continental breakfast bright & early in the am!!

Or not...

4/26/08 - Left Pearisburg at 10:45 am & hiked 11.5 mi before storms started raging around 4:00.

• Day began with a cream cheese injected blueberry muffin and then an ascent up a big mountain in the blazing sun (still no leaves) & unfortunately had to pass an industrial waste dump on the way - very smelly.
• Walked along boundary between WV & VA for much of the day.
• The group (Half-brew, Snoopy, & the hiker formerly known as Shutterbug - now Mr. Friendly) was forced to set up camp in Symms Gap Meadow on top of an apparently unnamed ridge line in West Virginia due to the weather!

Mooove along...

4/23/08 - Hiked up over 2 different "Brushy Mtns" - they must be running out of clever names to call them-thar big elevation spots - lots of "Brushys."

• Spring has sprung in the valleys! Dropping out of the mountains was like walking in 'fast-forward' through time... warm weather & blooming trees are always a nice change in pace from barren mountaintops.
• Spooked a cow or it spooked him... depending on who you ask - it's debatable. It was hiding in the bushes & once they caught a glimpse of one another the cow split - quick.
• Hiked 16 mi to Trent's Grocery Store & gobbled down a sub, fries, and a pint of chocolate ice cream on the porch while watching a group of loggers "work" across the street. (Amos said they actually looked like they were playing with toy logs & Tonka trucks.)
• Remaining 8 miles wound along Dismal Creek - kept checking to see if it was 'kayakable'.
• Passed the 600 mile mark! Stayed at Wapiti Shelter - nice relaxing evening with a fire.

4/24/08 - Woke-up & hiked to a series of high-tension wires that "smelled like death" - like the power lines fried something furry & its rotting carcass was simmering somewhere nearby... but terrific views!! Green valleys against the bare ridge lines were a gorgeous visual contrast.

• 16.5 mi.
• Stopped for lunch & tried to eat everything he had because he knew he'd be getting into town tonight. Peanut butter & applesauce pitas were delectable!
• Down 2,000 ft in 1.5 mi into Pearisburg to the Holiday Motor Lodge (with pastel walls... looked like something you'd see on a roadside in the middle of the desert in Arizona). Free spot on the floor of Half-brew, Snoopy, & Shutterbug's room!
• Italian place for dinner - pizza & a fried platter (mozzarella, mushrooms, onion rings, crazy waitress... no wait - she wasn't fried. Or was she?! She did show up at their hotel room later talking about dealing, dropping out of school in 10th grade, getting hitched at the tender age of 16 (!), being an alcoholic mother of 3, chasing her abusive [and also alcoholic] husband around their motel room [home] with a gun AND having a warrant out for her arrest - something about being wanted for 'Conspiracy Against the State of West Virginia'!!!? - like walking onto the set of a really bad talk show... I told Amos I wish I could scoop her up - set her up with a nice set of verniers & save her... from herself. He assured me it was too late.)

4/25/08 - Torn between hiking like crazy to Katahdin or enjoying the scenery (& the experience) along the way...

• Chose the latter. A day of zip... zero... zilch.
• Or... Internet cafe, coffee, laundry, groceries, & post office.
• Time to savor the adventure.

Forced march...

4/18/08 - Arrived at forest service road about 3 miles before Chatfield Shelter - just as forest service personnel began to ignite a controlled burn.

• Allowed 6 thru hikers to follow foresters with chainsaws through burn area.
• ... and then one fell... not a chainsaw laden forester or a thru hiker but a burning TREE!! Forest service scattered when they heard the tree crack while the hikers stood there frozen, each with a wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights stare. The tree landed about 20 feet from the foresters and about 2 feet from fellow thru hiker, Jukebox - splitting the two groups in half... close call!
• Lucky to get through - most hikers had to be shuttled around the site.
• Continued to walk the rest of the way thru a hot field to the truck stop in Atkins (I-81) & stayed at the Relax Inn. True to the motel's name... relax is just what he did for the remainder of the day... on the porch with Half-brew, Shutterbug, and a few beers.
• 11 mile day.

4/19/08 - This is where I come in. Upon arrival, Hearts sprung the idea of hiking a section of the AT together. "10 miles... easy terrain" was how the concept was presented to me...

• I was BAMBOOZLED.
• Chose to slackpack. Dropped-off the Jeep north of Atkins where the AT crosses Va. 42 and hiked back SOUTH to Atkins. (Half-brew & Shutterbug hiked north from Atkins and we handed-off the keys when we crossed paths so that they could drive my car back to town at the end of the day.)
• As we approached Va. 610... Amos decides to let me in on the fun little fact that our trip would have been 10 miles - as promised - IF we would have started at Va. 610 instead of Va. 42... The 10 miles I was pledged became 12. Keep in mind, at 2 miles in I was already getting pretty tired (I'M A SPRINTER - this distance stuff is for the birds) and I had just found out that my day hadn't actually begun...
• My attire was anything but ideal: fleece-lined pants, an assortment of cotton tees and my Mary-Jane Crocs. Several hikers we passed made mention of this urban legend they had heard in town of some chick hiking in Crocs... yeah that was me. Roller coaster weather made my clothing choice (especially the fleece-lined pants) absolutely miserable at times & a sheer blessing for the remainder of the day.
• After climing first big mountain we learned we had made it to the AT's 1/4 way point!! (@ 544.75 mi!!) Yay, Amos, yay!
• Remember how I was led to believe the terrain was going to be fairly easy?? Yeah, well we've come to the conclusion that Amos' perception of an "easy day" of hiking is heavily skewed. It was riddled with switchbacks and countless ups & downs - each one was even more unnecessary & excruciating that the last. He spent a significant amount of time waiting for me at the top of (and - to be fair - the bottom of) pretty much each and every climb.
• 9 miles later we found our way to Davis Path for a MUCH needed break. While I (literally) passed out on the shelter floor, Amos snacked on an apple pie & read the register. I eventually woke up freezing cold and less than enthused to finish the remaining 3 mi. The carrot Amos dangled in front of me to get my lazy butt off those old wooden planks was a promise of My Puerta Mexican and more importantly - a pitcher of margaritas. GAME ON!
• With an invigorating second wind we continued onward... Ran into a crazy guy in field with 1 answer to all questions... How many miles did you go today? "Springer Mtn." Which way do you think the rain is headed? "Springer Mtn." Any idea if the rain is coming our way? "Yeah. I come from Springer Mtn. down there in Georgia" - you don't say... Amos is going to have fun avoiding him for the next few days.
• We reached Atkins later than expected but with a full rainbow marking the long & tortuous path we had just taken... !!
• The best part of my day was when Half-brew told me that he also thought that section of trail was rough - this little nugget may seem insignificant to some but it made me feel a thousand times less lame about being so unbelievably wrecked from the hike. Though he did give me the honorary nickname "Hurts," which should provide some visual as to how out of sorts I was by the end of the day.
• Camped at the parking lot where the trail meets Va. 42 - in for a cold & rainy night.

Gettin' High...

4/16/08 - Get your mind out of the gutter! Hiked up to the top of Mt. Rogers (sans pack) - abundant snow & no view but the highest peak in Virginia so worth the trip. Then headed off to Grayson Highlands for a few wild pony sightings...

• The Highlands were "really awesome, the most beautiful section yet" - bald ridge lines & snowy pines - reminiscent of Utah.
• The term "wild ponies" is a little inaccurate, they're actually free-roaming ponies. Cowboys round 'em up in the winter. None the less, they've got free spirits alright... Amos caught a little pony porn. (I'm praying those pictures don't come out)
• Another pony walked up to him on the trail & started licking his trekking pole (he must have been doing some serious sweating the last few days to have created his own salt-lick). They even got comfy enough with one another for Amos to pet him!
• Hitched a ride with 2 fishermen to the Troutdale Baptist Church hostel. Troutdale is the highest town in Virginia. (Seriously. Stop. I'm still talking elevation.)
• Total of 21 mi.
• Slept on the floor in a storage shed & not actually in the shelter to avoid 2 very odd men - one of which produced a noise when he slept like no other audible sound on this planet - Andre the Giant snores... with gusto.

4/17/08 - The heart wants what it wants... and it wants pineapple & banana peppers!! (that picture from the last post is starting to make more sense). Goal was to make it to Partnership Shelter tonight because it's the only shelter on the trail where you can have pizza delivered - and of course Amos would take full advantage of that.

• Ate 3 pancakes for breakfast & was still a little hungry so had 2 more = 5 pancakes!
• 10:00 start to hike 15 mi.
• Walked 1/2 mile without pony protection (trekking poles) - forgot them after stopping to take a break & had to double back for retrieval.
• Brush with... well who knows what: Sitting at road & heard someone come up behind him (coughing). Looked back to see a guy behind a tree. Amos called out "hello?" 2x with no response so he hauled ass out of there... good move, but don't like the sound of that one.
• Made it to Partnership Shelter (safely!) - Snoopy caught up & Half-brew (& dog), too!!
• Ordered and ate an entire medium pineapple & banana pepper pizza. C'mon - pancakes & pizza all in one day!! He's living THE life.

[slak-pak]...

4/14/08 - Slackpack, verb 1. To hike a section of trail without a fully loaded backpack.

• 'The Plan' was to slackpack 26 mi... Money would be exchanged for a ride 26 miles north of the city. Hearts would be dropped off & hike back SOUTH toward Damascus. More money would be exchanged for another ride back up the trail to resume hiking Tuesday morning. So... many miles could be covered (because his gear would stay behind) & a warm bed would be waiting at the end of the day!
• Let me fast-forward... rain, wet snow, sleet, hail... plethora of precip in Damascus meant all kinds of snow in the mountains & nobody willing to brave the storm. Instead - he had to take another zero day.
• Pizza buffet, post office, pineapple phone (??), lots of cards with the fellas (Spades - go figure).

• OH! & Naked Ron showed up at The Place last night - out of nowhere!!

4/15/08 - Finally done with Damascus - time to move on!

• Started the day with Snoopy & hiked 15 mi by 3 pm to Lost Mountain Shelter.
• Decided to go a little further & setup tarp for the night...
• A little further wound up being higher in elevation...
• Higher in elevation meant lots of snow...
• Lots of snow meant nowhere to camp...
• Nowhere to camp meant pushing onward an additional 13 miles to the next shelter...
• Night hike: Arrived at Thomas Knob Shelter around 9:45 pm!!
• Today's total = 28 miles! (Prompted really bad shin splint in right leg.)
• Trip up the mountain reminded him of the winter wonderland he & Isaac hiked in the Smokys. Someone even built a snowman - which I was told he had some fun with (curious to see those pictures...).
• Found a thermometer that read 20 degrees right before (what he described as an incredible) sunset... and then he climbed an additional 1,000 ft. - brrrr!!
• So, he's in store for probably one of the most bitter nights of his life... Slackpacking seems so silly now. No need for a warm bed when a three-sided fort on the eastern flank Mt. Rogers will do...

Virginia is for Lovers...

4/12/08 - What the heck is that supposed to mean?! Virginia is for Lovers... certainly not lovers of the Appalachian Trail because Amos has been dreading this stretch of trail for a long long time. Anyway, welcome to VA! Where the state tree is the state flower and the state beverage is... milk (which I hear is a crucial ingredient in the official snack of the AT)!

• Yep! Kicked it into high gear after starting late and enjoying an hour-long lunch with Snoopy. With no intentions of spending another cold and rainy day on the trail they made the decision to go "all the way" around 4:30 pm & pushed onward a total of 26 miles to Damascus!!
• Knees are still sore - especially after today. BIG blister on big toe cropped up sometime during the big 2-6. Shins are doing just fine.
• The Place - a hostel belonging to the Damascus First United Methodist Church will be home sweet (warm & dry) home for the next few days.

4/13/08 - With a label like "The Friendliest Town on the Trail" who wouldn't want to spend a day mingling with the locals?!

• With a few inches of wet snow expected, Hearts took a zero day - lounging, coffee, church, lunch, beer, laundry, final round of the Masters, more beer, few rounds of cards, probably more beer, lights out.