2017 Appalachian Hike

Today was both long and beautiful. I went 26.3 miles.  I was on the trail by 6:15 this morning. So was Panda. She heard me getting up and decided it would be a good idea to start early.  Surprisingly she kept up with me all morning. She wears sandals for her footwear. She also used… Continue reading Partnership Shelter-Knot Maul Branch Shelter. 558.7 done/1631.1 to go. April 19, 2017. 

What a great day. There really is trail magic.  The first trail magic was at about 10:45 this morning as I was about to cross a road there was this bag with Sprite, Pop Tarts and Little Debbie Nutty Bars in it. Perfect lunch. I’ve never been a Pop Tart fan but today it tasted… Continue reading Hurricane Mountain Shelter-Partnership Shelter. 532.4 done/1657.4 to go. April 18, 2017

I’m posting this without most of the pictures. I am almost out of battery charge and there is no sun to use my solar charger. I may have to put some days together as the forecast looks cloudy and rainy the next several days.  I slept very well last night. I did get up at… Continue reading Whitetop Mountain Road-Huricane Mountain Shelter. 513.4 done/1676.4 to go. April 17, 2017

Today was very good. I got up early as usual and got a good shower and shave. Crazy Larry made scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and biscuits and gravy. I ate until I was full and drank lots of coffee.  Engineer and I were going to leave together but that didn’t happen. He wanted to wait… Continue reading Damascus-Whitetop Mtn Rd USFS 89. 490.8 done/1699.0 to go April 16, 2017. Easter. 

Alright. I have done my shakedown. I reduced my pack weight 4 pounds 2 ounces. That’s pretty good. I will weigh it tomorrow morning after I pack to see where I’m at. The problem is I had to resupply on food because it’s going to be more than five days when I will be able… Continue reading Zero in Damascus Virginia. 470.1 done/1719.7 to go. April 15, 2017

Goodbye Tennessee. Hello Virginia.  I hiked a long day again yesterday. I was originally going to hike 15.9 miles to Abingdon Gap Shelter.  The weather was perfect and the trail was smooth today. What I mean by smooth is that it wasn’t real rocky and rooty. Mostly just nontechnical dirt. So I was making great… Continue reading Iron Mountain Shelter- Damascus Virginia. 470.1 done/1719.7 to go. April 14, 2017. 

Long day today. I’m tired. 22 miles mostly up hill. Gained about 2200 feet of elevation.  I hiked with Saunter for about three hours this morning. He’s a very interesting man. 67 years old. He teaches backpacking at a college in Tennessee. He was definitely a 1960s hippie. He hitch hiked over 40,000 miles in… Continue reading Laurel Fork Shelter-Iron Mountain Shelter. 442.9 done/1746.9 to go. April 13, 2017