Generosity

So I've been running with my new crew; Neutron, Zan, and Stucco since Grayson Highlands. We've had an awesome time so far. We pulled a 30 mile day to get to the Partnership Shelter where you can order pizza delivered. It was absolutely delicious! While there I busted my toenail and it started bleeding pretty bad. It's looking much better now! I think I might even be able to keep it!

We happened upon some more trail magic. There were 2 gentlemen that finished hiking the AT last summer (they had been section hiking for a few years) and in order to show their appreciation for the trail they grill out for any hikers that are coming through that day. We got there about 10 am and stayed until 2pm. I ate 4 chilly dogs, potato salad, pasta salad, a banana, an apple, 2 small bags of chips, 2 pieces of blueberry coffee cake, and a bunch of other stuff. It made it hard to move when you're sitting there with some good friends, full to the brim on good food, enjoying good weather.

Stucco's aunt Jeanne lives close to the trail and came and picked us up with her friend Wendy. They have been so generous to us! Jeanne opened her home to us, let us shower, dry out all of out gear, drove us all over the place, fed us till we couldn't eat another bite, and have been full of pleasant chatter. I am so full right now as I type on Aunt Jeanne's computer and I look forward to another night on a comfortable bed. This has been my favorite zero day on the trail. It is great to see people so giving- especially to strangers. These ladies didn't know me (I walked up to them first out of our group all muddy, sweaty, smelly, etc) and they instantly smiled and began helping me. They even bought me a Cheerwine! I love my life. And theirs.

Grayson Highlands

I took a couple of days longer than I wanted in Damascus but I think in the long run it was good for me. I was able to get my blister some care, let the swelling in my ankles go down, and get super excited to get back on the trail. My first day out I was planning on doing 16 miles, but did 21 or so. I got to the shelter I was planning on going to and found it full so I decided to find an awesome place to camp. Then I just got in the "zone" again and kept moving. I ended up camping on top of White Top Mountain in a beautiful field of yellow flowers with lots of fog and rain blowing through. Luckily I got set up and fed before the rain blew in. I slept great! And in the morning I woke up to a mobile crane driving up the road I was next to. I threw the driver a peace sign out the window of my tent and he waved back. I can only guess what he was thinking...

The next day I went through Grayson Highlands. It is just so beautiful. I think that was the place I first fell in love with the AT. I decided to just do 12 miles and I kind of poked along, taking my time, soaking up the scenery. I had to do a bit of hiking in the rain, and it looked like more was coming so I was coming off of one of the balds kind of fast. This turned out to be a mistake. I put my right foot carefully on a rock that looked pretty stable. Finding it so I proceded to lift my left foot. At this point, my stable right foot became unstable and I suddenly found myself laying on my back looking up at the looming storm clouds with one of my trekking poles underneath me. Luckily my back was between me and the rock, my pack cover was on so my pack didn't get soaked, and those clouds were quite pretty. I got up, shook myself off, and got on down the trail to the shelter.

At the shelter I met up with my new group...

Trail Days Part II

So it has been quite an exciting time catching up with old friends from the trail. I saw Sly who I thought would have already been in PA by now... He was staying at the place I was staying at and came walking around the corner one morning as I was just getting out of my tent. It was awesome. The Christian movement is alive and well here in the town. They have done so much to help us- food, drinks, deserts, Gold Bond, tooth brushes, dinners for the road, showers, internet access, etc. I really feel like their motives for serving us are pure. I mean, its not like they can expect too much in return from people that are carrying their lives on their back (all 30 lbs of it). And they're always cheerful and helpful in any way they can. There was a parade today that basically is a big waterbaloon fight- the citizens of Damascus vs. Thru Hikers! It was awesome. You really had to keep your head on a swivel.

I think I will be moving slowly out of Damascus. It has been a good time, but I really want to get back on the trail. I'll miss Boundless, but I think it's time for me to get some alone time. Not as if I haven't had any, but the extended periods of time will be good for me I think. Its been a good adjusting period. Now I'm ready to get my head moving as well as my feet.

Trail Days

So Boundless and I cranked out a few big days to get to Damascus, VA in time for Trail Days. It's a big shindig for all sorts of outdoors vendors and people interested in it. Yesterday we got into town about 12:30, got lunch (a double bacon cheeseburger, corndog, and fries), and set up our tents in "tent city". Tent city is a public area where everyone pitches their tents so they don't have to pay for a room in a hotel (since there are 2 in town). There will be thousands of people here- people who have hiked in years past, people hiking this year, and people that want to hike the AT.

There is a Baptist Church here that puts together a clinic where they have doctors and blood tests and all that. This lady went to town on my blisters! I'll put up some pics of those here soon too. I was going to take care of them myself, but she insisted and did a pretty good job- I must say. Other than that I'm healthy although I "should probably back off" and have a Jesus experience. If I do those then I should be right as rain!

Last night people were up drinking and smoking dope till 4 am then the guys that passed out yesterday at 7 got up at 5:30 and were talking. I didn't sleep much. So I got up and picked up the trash from last night. It was better than doing nothing!

Life is good. I'm excited to see what else Damascus has to offer!

30+

So Boundless and I were planning on taking 3.5 days to get from Hot Springs, NC to Erwin, TN. Yesterday the weather was great- nice and cool, the sun behind the clouds, etc. And we had done 13 miles by 11:30. And had done 21 by 2:30. So we decided to push on to the next shelter. Especially since it was on top of Big Bald Mountain and there was supposed to be a meteor shower last night. Well, we did manage making it to the next shelter in time to watch the sun go down (making for some beautiful pictures), but were so beat we just went to bed. 32 miles is a long way to carry a 30 lb pack. But it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed myself. It feels good to go ahead and have some big mileage out of the way. It makes getting to Trail Days in Damascus, VA a viable possibility. Plus, it made it so I could spend some more time with my mom. Happy Mother's Day!

Great Smokey Mountains

I left Fontana Dam at 10:00 in the morning, a bit late for me to start, but I had tried to wait for Sly and Boundless. They were nowhere to be found so I expected that they had started hiking already. So I hitched a ride back out to the trail where I had stopped the day before and started hiking. The trail connects back up with the road and you walk down this sidewalk over the dam. You get a beautiful view of the resevoir and the river down below (pictures will be up soon).

It was a nice hot day so as soon as I had got some pictures and admired the engineering feat, I headed up into the Great Smokies. I hiked about 13 miles- rolling up to the ridge line. I was walking along enjoying the feeling of freedom and the sensation of my body being used, knocking the rust off the ol' joints. I started whistling Be Still My Soul, a church hymn, just for fun (it had been rather quiet that day- i think the birds were a bit shy of the sun). As I started whisteling I looked up towards the top of the hill to see just how much more I had to climb and I saw a big black figure crossing the trail. At first I thought it was a boar- the most dreded encounter on the trail. As I watched it start running, I noticed that it was bobbing up and down (a sign that a pair of legs were shorter than the other). This is a sure sign of a black bear. He went tearing off through the woods as I sood there in amazement. It was the first bear I had seen without the protection of a vehicle. I waited a moment to listen for more activity and seeing that there was none I moved up the hill towards the shelter. I counted steps and the bear crossed the trail 21 paces ahead of me on the trail. It was a great start to the Smokies.

The vegitation up there was sparse, the trees didn't have their leaves yet. The sun beat down pretty hard, but it made it so I could see some cool birds. I got a decent picture of a Piliated Woodpecker (like Woody the Woodpecker). They are pretty rare from what Bird Nut says. And he would know.

I saw another bear on my 4th and last day in the Smokies and actually had the presence of mind to take his picture. Handsome little devil! I can't wait to put the pictures up because there were some great views that telling about just doesn't do justice.

This Morning

This morning as I was hiking along in the warm pattering rain by myself, I started thinking about how beautiful a place this world is. I noticed the dark brown soil- darkened from the rain causing a spongy layer of mud. I noticed the fog floating through the light green leaves of the trees around me. The smell of pure cleanliness. The cheerful, almost extatic, songs of the birds. The scampering of a squirrel or chipmunk trying to evade my gaze. Then I saw 2 box turtles in about a quarter mile. It was a good morning. I love the peace. And that I am a part of it.

Trail Name

On the trail the custom is to pick a trail name. It's kind of a "rite of passage". Some people pick their own, but the group I started running with all decided to just let it happen. So now we've got Boundless, Red Bear Spider Monkey, Bird Nut, Waldo, and the names just get cooler from there.

I was just recently given my trail name: Achilles. Or the full version is Achilles the Gangley Red Leper. Now you're probably thinking that I got the Name because of my warrior-like approach to life, or my legs that are the size of tree trunks, or, perhaps, my strong broad shoulders that could weild a 30 lb sword no problem, or maybe my square jaw and noble brow. If you thought this, then you would be, well, only partly correct.

With the recent issues I have been having with my Achilles tenden, I made the remark that it was funny that my achilles heel is my achilles heel (you can accent either part of that and it means the same thing- trust me, I thought about it for hours). So Boundless and Bird Nut got togher and decided that my name should be Achilles. Or Achilles the Red. Then, because I had poison ivy on my hand that Bird Nut was sure was Leprosy, that got added in. Then because I'm so tall and skinny , Gangly got added in too. Shew! got that all out! I'll tell you about the Great Smokey Mountains tomorrow.

Alive and well,
Achilles the Red