No Quarter Given, Part 1

Hello friends, family, and followers! It has been two weeks since my last update so I assume that the wait has been grueling.  For those of you who are concerned about my safety, and thought (perhaps) that my posts stopped due to an unfortunate bear mauling, please rest easy for I am healthy and whole.

 

In my defense, I have been a little busy hiking my tail off. For in the past two weeks, Tenderfoot and myself have hiked roughly 260 miles. Which would be an average of 18 a day, but we had two resupply runs that were half days. Meaning, we hiked 20-24 miles most days.

 

I have a lot to cover, so I shall split this post into two separate ones.

 

Anyways, lets start at Damascus. We spent half the day in town finishing up a few chores (laundry, lunch, etc.) and then did a lazy 8 to the first shelter out of town.  About halfway up the hill, your worst fears were realized. I saw a bear.

 

Now the fact that I mentioned mauling earlier probably gave one split second of terror, but have no fears for I only saw the butt of a bear as it fled into the underbrush. It took almost 500 miles, but I saw one.

 

That night it rained. And every day for the next six days, it rained. Oh joy. It wasn't raining for the whole week. No, rather it would rain just long enough for everything to get soaked, then it would stop long enough for everything to tantilizing close to dry, then promptly rain again.

 

 

We slogged through 19, then 16, and then 19 again. Fortunately, the trail in Virginia is slightly different than GA through TN. Whereas we used to spend half our day going uphill, and the other half going down, now our day is comprised of three parts: one-third up, one-third down, and one-third "flat." Imagine the waves at beach, then freeze the image. Now coat the waves in trees and you have an idea what VA is like. We hike up to the top of these ridges, then along the top. We eventually go down to hop ridges or get water in the valleys. So though it rained, the terrain played nice.

 

 

Another aspect that changed was that we began to catch up with the tail end of the Bubble. The prime time to start the AT is mid-March to mid-April. It creates this massive glut of people that is called the Bubble.  We started May 7 (relatively late) due to school and been running with other thruhikers in the same situation. We did out 18-18-22-26 to Damascus with three of them, outstripping most. But coming out of Damascus, we left those three behind (Crispy had to get off temporarily due to injury, Tags was only section-hiking to Damascus, and Snow decided to wait for Atlas and the Roadrunners).  Come to find out, the Bubble has a nickname for those of us who start in May, "Mayflies." We start in May, and we fly.

 

Day two out of Damascus we hit one of the top ten iconic spots of the AT: Graceland Highlands. A park where several herds of wild ponies reside. Ponies so wild that you can walk up to them and pet them. That was awesome.

 

 

Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn so ended up falling behind Tenderfoot. We had planned lunch at the next shelter, so I headed that way. Then it started to rain. I am up on top of this bald, when it begins. Normally the trees take the brunt of the weather, but not up there.

 

At first it wasn't too bad. The rain looked like so:

 

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Then the wind picked up. Like so:

 

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I started hiking faster. Then I look up and see this wall of gray decending with a roar. I sprint for the treeline. The wind blows harder and harder, until it looked like this:

 

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Yes, sideways. There wasn't much of a treeline, so I keep sprinting hopefully for the shelter. I see this roof in the distance and make for it. Turns out it's this privy. I'm beyond caring at this point. So I proceed to take a 40 minute lunch break in this privy. I made my tuna wrap and some coffee and had a good time. Eventually the rain lightened and I pressed on.

 

We pressed hard the next day for we were aiming for Partnership Shelter, which had two desirable features: a shower (a cold as glacier runoff), and you could Pizza Hut to deliver to a parking lot about 200 yards away. After my body recovered from the polar dive, we gorged on ooey-gooey-cheesy goodness. It was amazing.

 

 

We slept well and hitched into Marion, a nearby town, for a resupply. Which meant  there  that we loitered in a Walmart lobby waiting for our devices to charge after we had finished shopping.

We left town for a nearby shelter, just beating the rain, ready to go.

 

END OF PART ONE OF TWO

No Quarter Given, Part 2

PART TWO (READ PART ONE FIRST):

 

There we were, ready to get down to business. We had big miles planned to get to Pearisburg, and then Daleville afterwards.

 

 

Now I mentioned that we had outstripped our trailmily out of Damascus, and a new one had started to evolve.  There was Dragon and Camp (to Canadian students fresh out of collage), Imagine and Baggins (a young Brittish Couple), and Tenderfoot and myself. Six people, three nations represented, united by a common denominator of food. It made for some interesting meal discussions. For example, Baggins had put some cheese powder on Ramon and said it tasted like Knick Knacks. Four of us looked at her confused until Imagine explained that Knick Knacks were the Brittish version of Cheetos. Who knew? The other big splash was that I had bought a two pounds of Swedish Fish in Marion and proceeded to eat all of then in under 24 hours. Dragon could not get over it and would raise the issue almost every meal, so much that I almost got a new trail name.

 

So the two Americans, two Canadians, and two British began to hike (sounds like the start of a good joke) and boy we had fun. The climax was day 3 out of Marion we hit a grassy bald and lunched up there and everything finally dried off. We did 19, 20, 21, 23, and then 24 to Pearisburg. We lost our the others day 4 due to Baggins ankle acting up and that Dragon and Camp wanted to stop at Woods Hole Hostel (a semi-legendary hippie heaven).

 

More imoprotantly still, Day 2 out Marion we hit the Quarter Marker.  One quarter down, three to go!

 

 

We swung through town doing an easy 16. I picked up a dropbox from a hostel (the box had some notes from homeschool friends back home, almost all of them congratulated me on my flunking the homeschool weed class), resupplied, enjoyed a Chinese buffet, and then headed out. The tropics must have eaten some bad broccoli because there was some nastiness headed our way.  We raced the storm and set up camp just in time.

 

Two new factors impacted our hike for the next couple days. One: we once regarded ridgelines as basically free big miles. But now, those ridges were now comprised of huge sheets of rocks and pile of boulders. My trekking poles up to this point looked used but in decent shape. Yet in four days they went from used to destroyed.

 

 

While it made for slow going, there was some awesome parts. We hiked 20 miles out of Pearisburg to Wind Rock [top], where we ate dinner and watched the sunset. We hit Dragons Tooth, a massive rock monolith that you could climb around on [middle two]. Then we got to Mc Afee Knob, another inconic spot on the AT due to it's photogenic nature [bottom].

 

 

Then second factor was the blackberries and blueberries had finally ripened. Within thirty minutes, I was able to pick a pound and a half of blackberries. They were delicious.

 

 

Overall we did 20, 23, 20, and then 23 to Daleville where I am writing this now. There are two other sight of note. One, the Keefer Oak. It's the largest tree on the trail in the south (apparently there is one in New York that is slightly bigger). It is over 300 years old and over 18 feet in circumference. The other was Bruisers Knob. This ridge had about two score carins scattered about. I could not find out anything about them but I personally believe that they are the tombs of the ancient kings of Angmar. [

 

 

 

Lots of adventures in the past two weeks. I cannot promise that this time between posts will never happen again, but I shall do my best to not make it a habit.

 

Happy Trails,

-Levi

On the Road to Damascus

Hello from Damascus, VA!  Yes, we are finally in Virginia.  Two states down, twelve to go.*  Anyways, this past week has been super encouraging and I must get started since my session time is ticking on this library computer.

It seemed like the week was going to be a rough one.  While we zeroed at Uncle Johnny's hostel in Erwin, I ended up puking twice.  In retrospect, it was due to the fact that I had eaten waaay too much (four plates of pizza at an all-you-can-eat restaurant for lunch, a massive plate of chimichangas for dinner, an Mc. Donald's breakfast platter the next morning, and then two plates of pizza and a plate of salad at the pizza place).  Fortunately, the next day I was feeling great.  We took it easy out of Erwin doing only 10 miles.  It didn't help that I had packed waaay too much food (my pack weight ranges from 30-35 lbs with food and water, and leaving Erwin it was probably in the 35-40 lbs range, I don't know for sure, I was too scared to weigh it).

Out of Erwin we crossed Beauty Spot Gap.  Beauty Spot was. . . well. . . beautiful.  But there was no water and we had to move on otherwise we would have camped there.  We camped at the base of Unaka Mtn instead.  Then the next day we did 15 and caught up with the group of hikers we had hung out with at Erwin.

Together we did 16 the next day to get Overmoutain shelter, beating the rain.  Now this shelter is a renovated barn nestled at the head of a valley.  Most shelters hold between 6 to 15 people; Overmountain cold accommodate 30 to 40. That night, there were anywhere between 25 to 30 people there.  We knew almost all of them.  It was a thruhiker party.

One hiker, Wild, was talking up this burger that was served in Roan Mountain, a small town about 9 miles from the shelter. We all to sleep with burgers on the mind.

We woke up to beautiful weather and a gorgeous hike over Hump Mountain (I'm not kidding, that's the name of this mountain).  We did the 9 miles into Roan Mountain and were met at the trailhead by Dave.  He had a pickup offering free ride into town and a cooler of ice-cold cokes waiting for us.  He dropped us off so we could experience the Holy Cow burger.  This monster was 10 inches tall and proabaly weighed close to 5 lbs.  It had 3 patties, with bacon, turkey, ham,  and chili stuffed between the patties, and lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes topping it off.

It was delicious.

After the Holy Cow burger and a mango milkshake, we hike 9 more miles out town to the next shelter.  We met up with Snow, Crispy, and Tags and planned our trip to Damascus.

We gunned for Laurel Fork shelter putting in another 18 miles the next day.  5 miles out of the shelter, we hit some awesome trail magic.  Pancakes, sausage, coffee and fresh fruit (shout out to B-Team Trail Magic!!!  You guys are awesome!!!)  I did a quick resupply ion Hampton, TN, and picked up a dropbox from Kincora (aka "Catcora," the guy had a dozen cats, two racoons, an opossum, and a dog).

So far the weather had been great.  But the next day, Southern Summers reared its ugly head.  The humidity was so thick you could carve it up and serve it with gravy.  7 mile into the next day, the AT took us right next to Lake Watauga.  We stopped for about 3 hours and swam.  As always, I got sunburnt. . . on my back.  Yeah.  Backpacking with a burnt back is fun.  We went a total of 22 miles that day, but we did it at a lazy pace stopping whenever the humidity got to us.  We took so long, in fact, we ended up night-hiking the last 3 miles to the shelter.

Clouds rolled in during the night, so the next day was better.  The terrain leveled off and we cruised 26 miles into town.

Now we are resting up in Damascus, getting ready for the next portion.  It's exciting to be in another state, but we have over 500 miles of Virginia ahead, so I have no doubt that the novelty will wear off soon enough.

Keep on praying for our safety.  Especially for Crispy.  His feet are giving him issues.

Levi

Bonus pictures of Hump Mountain (top 3), my current favorite spot, with Carver's Gap (bottom 2) a close second:

 
*CORECTION AS OF 6/29/17: Actualy we have finished three state and have eleven to go.  TN, NC, and GA.

First Month

Yes, it truly has been a month.  We started on May 7, and I write this on June 6.  Crazy. . . That first day seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago--at the same time.  Time feels different when you're out here.

Anyways, I am in Erwin TN happy, healthy and hungry.  It's been a week since Gatlinburg and we are at mile 342.  We beat the rain and arrived at the hostel in time for the shuttle to all-you-can-eat-pizza so life is pretty good.  

 

Leaving Gatlingburg was an ordeal.  It was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, so all the tourist were coming in and we wanted to go out.  We ended up Ubering out to Newfound Gap (Yes, I turned Uber into a verb but it's acceptable, I Googled it just to be sure).  We did our first night hiking since Amicola getting to the shelter where we camped for the night. 

The next week was pretty normal all things considered.  The weather was great for the WHOLE WEEK.  Which, after the Smokeys, was a HUGE blessing. We made good time, even doing 20.7 miles one day. 

We did encounter two things multiple times throughout the week.  We hiked over a bald (a mountain top that is not tree-covered) or a ridgeline almost every day (I've now decided that balds are my favorite places on the trail).  Also we encountered an abnormal amount of graves and/or memorials.  I'm not sure how i feel about that.  It is a little morbid to be hiking along and see a headstone off to one side.  In the back of my head I wonder if someone was hiking the same section and died, and then what are my odds surviving the same climb.

The one exception was the Shelton Graves. Apparently during the Civil War, two brothers fighting for the union snuck through the enemy lines to visit family.  Unfortunately they were caught and hung as spies.  they were buried not far from  the trail.  There's you bit of history for the week.

Already the trail has changed me. But there still a couple of things I still can't swallow:

-The bugs. Especially the gnats. They swarm your head and buzz into you ear! So annoying... particularly when you're trying to sleep.

-The other thing I still cannot stand is when he last mile to where we have planned to stop (for lunch or for the day) is all uphill.  I just want to be done with it, but I still have to slave up the hill.

Now that I have my negativity out of the way, here are some of the ways I have changed:

-Filth. There is a level of dirtiness that you just have to live with. A part of this is that I've gotten used only one shower per week.

-The mice. All shelters have them. You can hear them and sometimes catch a glimpse of them. The only issues I had with them was when one pooped on my face while I was sleeping. 

-Traillegs. We are trying to do a minimum of fifteen miles a day. And I feel good when we roll in for the day. You know you are getting used to hiking when you say, "We'll take it easy and just do 16."

-Flushing.  When you dig a cathole or use the privy, no flushing is involved.  So when I finally use a real toilet, I to make a point of remembering to flush otherwise I forget.

On a more serious side, I've learned how to keep going when it's hard--especially when it's hard. I don't pop up every morning ready to go. You have have the right mindset. It is hard, but a hard day hiking is better than a good day doing anything else.  If you can't remember that, well, foul weather and steep climbs ruin your day pretty quickly.

Magic is real. People call it "trail magic," but I think "Providence" is a better name. For example, I missed a resupply and I technically had enough food to make it. Yet, over the course of two days, I received two freeze-dried meals, two Cliff bars, four apples, and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Which meant I had more than enough to make it.

I've also learned how important it is to stop and sniff the roses. I mean this a figurative sense since I haven't seen any roses on the trail. When you see a rock outcropping or a cascade, you have to stop and appreciate the handwork of the Creator. It's those views that make it worth it. I try to capture some, but my pictures never do these views justice.

Lastly, I have learned that miracles are real. This past week I was coming down the trail and I fell hard. It was when I stood up o realized that I rolled my ankle hard. I was able to keep moving for a while, but after a while the pain was so bad I couldn't move. I downed some ibuprofen and wrapped it the best I could with my handkerchief since my legit wraps had gotten soaked and were worthless. I still couldn't move. 

So there I was, sitting by the trail, caught between a rock and a hard place. I could set up camp and while I had enough foods, there wasn't any water near by.  I was out options--so I prayed.  I don't remember what I said, but I stood up and hiked to the shelter. Since that moment my ankle hasn't given me trouble.

I've learned a lot and come a long ways. I still have a long way to go and much more to learn.

Oh, I almost forgot. I flunked the homeschool weed course. We ended up at this shelter with these guys who alternating between chewing tobacco, cigarettes, and weed. They asked Tenderfoot and I where we had gone to school.

We replied that we were homeschooled.

He asked us how we "met chicks," and where we got our weed. (Which, out of all the question I've received about homeschooling, this has never been one of them).

We told that we don't do weed and there were other homeschool families that we would hang out with .

A little bit later he offered to give us a class in weed, "homeschool style." We politely declined and that is how I flunked the weed class.

That's all for today. Have a great week. Virginia here we go.