Trail Logs for January 29 through February 28, 2001

January 29  7:30 PM.  Jenny Knob Shelter, Virginia. Wow.  It's 50 degrees!  It feels like summer.  The town of Bastian today had a post office but no public phone that I could find.  Hard to call home, so that'll have to wait until Pearisburg.  My toe felt better today, but it looks worse than ever so I don't know if that's progress.  I continue to keep it as clean as I can and lately it's been dry, too.  Also, I picked up two new pairs of socks today so we'll see if that's enough.  January 31  6:00 PM.  Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, Central Virginia. Well, I hiked 30 miles yesterday to get into Pearisburg for the night, so I was too tired to write as well as do laundry, etc.  I sure had energy to get a nice long, hot bath, though!  The next few days will be reasonable mileage ones though because I'm limited by getting my resupply box at Troutville on Monday morning.  The scenery has been good, but unremarkable lately.  The elevation is lower at around 3000 feet, and it's continued to be warm, so there's almost no snow.  In fact the ground has been dry quite a bit of the time, so it's easy to keep my feet dry.  My toe infection finally got better.  The regular cleaning was the key, and when the puss found a way out without me having to lance it, it felt much better.  I was relieved and the rest of my body is glad we don't limp anymore.  That takes a toll on other areas.  The worst complaint I have now is a cracked callous on my left heel, but a little duct tape should hold it together well enough to heal.  The miles do take their toll. The most exciting walk I've had in a while was the last 2-3 miles coming down the hill from Angels Rest into Pearisburg, a 2000-foot descent.  It was the end of a 30-mile day, and it was dark.  I lost a Photon flashlight when I dropped it in the leaves.  But I had a Pocketbright light in one hand and a pole in the other as I inched my way down a very steep, muddy, slippery trail.  I could see the lights of Pearisburg all along the way, and it was beautiful, but if I'd known how difficult a section it was going to be to night-hike, I wouldn't have done it.  Still, it was worth the 2-hour ordeal to soak my aching bones in that hot bath, later!

February 1  6:30 PM.  Sarver Cabin, Virginia.  Tonight's abode is not an AT shelter, it's the remains of an 1800's corncrib, whatever that is.  Suffice to say it's not seen much maintenance in the last 100-plus years, and the guidebook doesn't recommend it in bad weather.  But it's probably as good as my tarp, and if not, I can string my tarp up in here.  The book also says something about a ghost, but I'll let you know what I think about that tomorrow!  It was another great hiking day.  A dusting of snow from last night showed on the dry leaves.  It was a little below freezing until noon or so, when the sun came out.  Then it was very nice the rest of the day.  There was a nice section crossing the valley of Sinking Creek, where the trail went over some beautiful open fields with the mountains above on both sides.  In my opinion, mountains are best viewed from below.  Then they have their true majesty.  February 2  7:00 PM.  Lost Spectacles Gap, Virginia. No ghost last night; I slept quite soundly.  Today's hike was quite scenic and interesting.  Lots of rocky ridges and views.  The rocks make for slower going, but are worth the trouble.  I stopped at a monument marking a spot near where WWII hero Audie Murphy lost his life in a plane crash in 1971.  I'm not sure why, exactly, but the place really touched me.  A large hawk was soaring in the vicinity and I couldn't help but think it represented a great spirit still alive in the area.  I'm much too young to remember WWII, but the older I get the more I realize how much was given by so many to protect the world I live in today.  I am thankful. Near the end of the day, I walked through a rocky outcrop called the Dragon's Tooth.  It's a prime example of the rocky ridges that are so common in this area.  It juts up 50 feet or so and is elegantly carved by weather into interesting shapes.  It's easy to feel how old the mountains are here.  February 3  9:00 PM.  At the home of David Nova, wife Faye and daughter Jacqueline. Today I was wondering what I was going to do this weekend while I hiked the 28 miles to Troutville, where my next resupply box cannot be picked up until Monday morning.  But coming up the trail I met David Nova, an AT veteran from '84 (Prunefeet.)  He is my age and is planning a PCT hike for '03.  Obviously, we had a lot to talk about and he invited me to spend the day at his house, assuming his wife didn't object, which she didn't.  So here I am, showered, clean clothes and a ride back to the trail in the morning.  Plus, I got to talk about the AT, PCT, and lightweight backpacking with a fellow hiker.  The AT has changed a lot since '84, with many reroutes and shelter renovations, but the highlights are still the same.  Much has changed for the better in lightweight gear, and David, not being in his 20's any more, will make good use of it, as I do.

February 5  7:00 PM.  Cove Mountain Shelter, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia. I'm in the famous Blue Ridge Mountains.  They, the AT and the Blue Ridge Parkway continue northeast from here for miles and miles.  Even into Shenandoah National Park they go, although the name of the road changes to Skyline Drive.  So I've been humming along to John Denver's "Country Road", the one that talks about the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River and the country road that will take me "home" to West Virginia, which is coming up next. The weather continues to be fabulous.  No snow on the ground and only light snow flurries today.  Only better weather is forecast.  I don't know how long my luck will hold out, but I'm REALLY grateful now.

And today I found a care package trailside from Dee and Karen.  Thanks, and I hope the Ruck was fun.  Dee, you're the only '01 NOBO I've met or am likely to meet.  Say "Hi" to the rest of the class of '01 for me, and good luck on your thruhike.     February 6  8:30 PM.  Matts Creek Shelter, James River Face Wilderness, Virginia. 29.6 miles today with a little night hiking by the light of the full moon.  It was really nice and clear, with the temperature near 50 degrees.  Wow.  It was actually a net downhill day with a start at 1500 feet, and 750 feet here, but it was up and down all day with a high point at 4225 feet on Apple Orchard Mountain, where there's a big radome that looks like Paul Bunyan's golf ball.  The James River is just ahead and then it's back up the other side.  February 7  9:30 PM.  Cow Camp Shelter, Virginia. I'm tired tonight.  Another 28 miles today, but the weather has been summer-like, so I'm doing summer mileage.  I'm sharing the shelter for the first time in many days.  A guy named Bo is here and did zero miles today.  I guess we average out to normal.  Good night. February 8  7:20 PM.  Harpers Creek Shelter, George Washington National Forest, Virginia.  There have now been so many beautiful, warm days in a row that I've lost count.  I'm close to taking this all for granted.  Close, but not quite.  This IS February.  Midwinter and all that.  Today I was supposed to go into Tyro for resupply.  But Bo said that Rusty (a local) had told him the Tyro post office and the market that housed it are closed!  It's obviously a rumor, and trail rumors are notoriously unreliable, but I decided to pass up Tyro anyway.  I'm doing big miles now, much bigger than planned, so I've got extra food.  It will just stretch one more 25-mile day and get me to Waynesboro.   Mileage was good again today.  Almost 25, and I got in before dark.  And it's not flat here.  Shenandoah National Park is 25 miles away and this is the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Anyway, I've come over 80 miles in the past 3 days, and I'm feeling quite good.

February 9  9:30 PM.  Comfort Inn, Waynesboro, Virginia. Yes, I made it to Waynesboro on Friday, so I'll be able to get my box in the morning, assuming it's there, knock on wood.  26 miles today and I didn't have to walk the 4.5 road miles into town from the AT crossing.  The 3rd car stopped to give me a ride!  Quite a stroke of luck for this smelly, hairy guy who looks like he could be an axe murderer.  Although, why anyone would kill an axe, I have no idea.  Ho-Ho-Ho.  [Don't blame me for this.  I'm just putting down what he wrote.]  So it was Bobby, a true southerner who picked me up, took me into town, got me oriented, and pointed out the post office, laundromat and motel.  I bought a huge pizza and he ate one piece while we had a nice talk and solved some of the world's problems.  He says there are about a dozen people like him in the area who regularly give rides to the hikers.  I was lucky to have him come by when he did because he wasn't expecting any hikers at this time of year.

The AT is a hiker-only trail, unlike the PCT, which is graded for horses and other stock, so it often goes places that the PCT would NEVER go.  This morning I got a picture of one such place.  It doesn't even have a name unto itself, although it was near Chimney Rocks, I think.  The trail just disappeared into a big pile of rocks.  And right there in the middle of it all is a white blaze to let you know that, yes, you're supposed to start climbing.  There are a couple more blazes farther up and then the trail continues on up the ridge above the outcrop.  This is not so unusual for the AT, but in this case there was no sign of a trail.  Just rocks.  And a blaze.  I stood there for a moment looking around to see if I was really supposed to go up there.  I said out loud, "They can't be serious!"  But it was true, and I got out my camera to record the moment.  But the picture will only show the rocks and the blaze, not the incredulous feeling I had, climbing up there and wondering if it was a joke and thinking the PCT never did THIS.

February 10  10:00 PM.  Black Rock Shelter, Shenandoah National Park. It's a windy night and the choices of shelter were one at 7 miles and one at 20 miles.  I spent a half-day in Waynesboro doing laundry and such, so I didn't get on the trail until noon.  So I had to night-hike until 8 PM to get here.  But it's nice.  There's a nice spring for water, plenty of room and a guy named Tom here to talk to.  He's a fellow list member of the Backpacking Light email list, so we had fun showing each other our equipment.  My favorite item of his is his homemade Tyvek ground cloth, which fits snugly around his sleeping bag and covers the sides as well as the bottom.  It's heavier than my Mylar space blanket, but it works better and lasts longer.  So far Shenandoah National Park is pretty much just like the Blue Ridge Mountains to the south.  No more remarkable in any way.  Perhaps that will change in the next few days.

February 11  6:00 PM.  High Top Shelter, Shenandoah NP. It was a cold day, below freezing long enough this morning that my water bottle froze up pretty badly.  It was 25 in the morning when I got up.  And it looks like the warm weather will be gone for a while.  I hiked 21 miles today and didn't feel strong.  The pack is still heavy with 3+ days food remaining and I'm sure all the miles lately are catching up to me.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better. Shenandoah National Park is still unspectacular.  Most National Parks that I've been to have some unique feature that sets them apart from the rest of the country, but SNP, so far, is not like that.  It's certainly beautiful, but by no means unique.         February 12  10:30 PM.  Rock Spring Cabin, Shenandoah NP. There's a shelter "next door", but a guy named Kelly Smith is sharing the Potomac AT Club's cabin with me.  He's rented it for two weeks.  And it's a good night to have four walls and a wood stove instead of just three walls as there is a heavy fog and some rain out there tonight, and it's wet.  We've had a nice talk about the AT in Virginia, which Kelly has hiked extensively, and about my lightweight gear, which he took some interest in.  My thanks to Kelly for keeping me warm and dry when I'd be damp otherwise.  This morning on Hightop Mountain at sunrise, I found two Beagles, very cold and tired.  Apparently lost, they could barely walk, so I carried them both, one in my pack and one in my arms, to the nearest road.  They perked up when my body heat warmed them and a passing motorist agreed to take them and call their owner, listed on their collars.  It was a good deed about which I feel very good.  I'm in good enough shape to be able to carry them, and they were in dire need, close to death.  The four extra miles were of no consequence.  I made it to this shelter (24 miles) before dark, but any sacrifice is worth the lives of those two beautiful animals.  I sure hope the owner keeps them on leash next time.  The leash rule is also for the good of the dogs.  They would have died a very horrible death if I had not been there.  I saw no other hikers all day.  February 13.  Gravel Springs Hut, Shenandoah NP. Today was my last full day in Shenandoah National Park, and with a clearer day, I could see the views again.  This part of the Blue Ridge Mountains is quite a bit higher than the surrounding flat land  2 to 3 thousand feet or so.  And the ridge is very steep, so there's a real sense of being up in the air.  The main tourist area, called "Skyland", is one of the places I walked through today.  Lots of buildings, picnic areas and campgrounds, but all empty this time of year.  It must really get crowded in the summer, though.  Apparently there are a lot of nice waterfalls in the park as well.  There are certainly many springs starting high up on the ridge where the AT goes, so some of the side trails are more popular even than the AT itself in this area.  It would be an interesting place to come back to and explore in the future.

February 14  9:00 PM.  Manassas Gap Hut, Virginia.       Shenandoah National Park is now in the rear view mirror.  I may have been complaining about SNP not being so spectacular, but it's a lot more interesting than the backyards and US Government fences I'm touring now.  But I'm getting closer to the Washington, DC area, so there are more people living in the vicinity. Today I stopped in Linden for my resupply box and found not just one, but two care packages!  One was from Karen Allanson, a friend and fellow snow camping instructor, and one from Marge Prothman, "The Old Gal", a fellow PCT hiker.  Both sent munchies, so I'm stuffed tonight, but their letters were even more sustaining as the isolation of solo hiking is a bit daunting.  This journal helps, though, as it brings me closer to all of you as I write in the dark of each shelter by flashlight at the end of another long day.  And thanks also to those of you who send email to my father, Roy.  He reads them to me when I phone from resupply towns.  It makes a difference to know that there are people following my progress through the year.  I am most certainly enjoying this adventure, but not every day is rewarding.  February 15  7:50 PM.  Bear's Den Hostel, Virginia. Warm and dry is better than cold and wet.  No surprises there, but it means I'm in better spirits now, inside, than I was earlier today in the rain.  It rained very hard for a couple hours today and sprinkled for about half the day.  The homemade poncho my dad made for me works great.  It keeps the worst of the wet out and still breathes well.  February 17  7:30 AM.  Springfield, Virginia. I got distracted from my journal writing at the Bear's Den Hostel, which was a wonderful place and immaculately clean.  Melody, an AT veteran from '96, is the manager there and she does a great job making us hikers feel welcome.  I was welcomed like a race champion for being the first of the NOBO's this season.   So I got to be the first to sign the 2001 hiker poster and the 2001 thruhiker register.  I'm afraid I left a long and perhaps rambling account of the how's and why's of my three-trail journey, but as I sat there in the great room thinking of all the NOBO's to follow, I pretended they were there with me asking questions.  So all the answers are there for them to read when they actually do arrive.  I hope it helps those who are curious, to get to know me a little better.  It certainly helped me feel a little closer to all of them.  (For those who don't know, there are thousands of AT NOBO's who start each year, although only a fraction finish.) I also had a nice talk with John, an ATC volunteer who stayed there, and Patty, aka "Fembah", who defies description or categorization.

February 20  7:30PM.  Ensign Cowell Shelter, Maryland. It's good to be back on the trail after a longer than expected and hectic, but still very enjoyable stay with my brother Greg and his wife Meredith in Springfield, Virginia.  I had a list of some dozen or so things to do like my taxes, replace some lost or worn equipment and simply get some rest.  Well, I did all that and more.  Greg and Meredith took very good care of me, but it's the surprises that are most notable.  First, as soon as Greg saw me, he knew I had a problem with my face.  I'd noticed my right eye was getting blurry, but I didn't know why.  What Greg believed, and what a doctor confirmed, is a case of Bell's Palsy, a partial paralysis of the nerve that controls the right side of my face!  My eye was having problems because it was no longer blinking.  That causes it to dry out.  Especially with my contact lenses, that's a problem.  So I had some glasses made and filled a prescription for some eye drops to help keep my eye moist. Fortunately, I can close the eye, so I don't have trouble while sleeping and I can "blink" slowly if I close the eye momentarily.  Other parts of my face are affected, especially my mouth, but so far it's mostly just a nuisance.  I have to chew carefully so as not to bite my lip or cheek.  The bottom line is, I can stay of the trail as long as the eye stays moist and I can eat.  That seems likely.  And the prognosis for Bell's Palsy is good.  More than 85% of cases, especially partial ones in fairly young people like me, recover completely with or without treatment, in several weeks or months.  But it sure disrupted my "restful" weekend! On top of that, I found a tick in my shoulder on Saturday morning.  It had been there at least since Friday, so I'm now at risk for Lyme disease.  Then on Monday, when I was getting my glasses prescription, my vision tested MUCH worse than usual.  The eye doctors first words were, "It could be diabetes."  I was in shock by then.  I'm thinking, THREE possibly incurable diseases in ONE weekend?  I'm falling apart!  And it's just as I'm about to turn 40.  Fortunately diabetes was NOT the problem, but stress and a little corneal edema from wearing my contact lenses too much.  THAT one's easy to solve since I won't be wearing them at all until the Bell's Palsy gets better.  After all that, the 29 miles today seems like a restful vacation day.  Really.      On a more routine note, I met two long distance hikers today.  Kevin, trail name "Rasta" was out on a two-day trip training for a possible NOBO hike this year.  He's got a 15-pound summer pack and is fast, at least in the short run.  He will do well if he chooses to give it a go.  Near where the AT crosses Interstate 70, I met Joel from Minnesota.  He just got off the Greyhound bus today and is going south, perhaps as far as the Smokies.  He's geared up for winter in Minnesota, so he'll probably be sending some gear home before he gets too far.  It was about 60 degrees and sunny when we met.  He said it was zero at home.

February 21  7:30PM.  Quarry Gap Shelter, Pennsylvania. This is the first night that it's been well below freezing this early in quite some time, but it's a new state, Pennsylvania.  The 541 miles of Virginia were almost all in great weather and West Virginia and Maryland were too short to note any trends, but tomorrow it's supposed to snow 1 to 3 inches.  Not bad, but not a good trend. Today I did another 29.9 miles, so the time off obviously has refreshed my legs!  I'm trying to get to Duncannon before the post office closes on Saturday at noon.  I'll probably make it if the weather doesn't get too bad. Because of the high mileage I passed up another resupply box, this one in South Mountain.  It only had one day's supplies and I will pick up more food tomorrow at Ironmasters Mansion Hostel.  The new glasses are working out okay, but the prescription is too strong.  I've been going without them for some stretches and can see well enough to avoid the rocks, but when I put them on my eyes strain for a bit.  I miss my contacts, but it's nice to know that if my eye dries out once in a while it won't be a disaster.  So far I've had no problems with it. February 22  7:20PM.  Tagg Run Shelter, PA. Today was a good day for reflection.  It was the first really bad weather day in weeks and it was the halfway point of the 2,168-mile AT.  There's even a monument of sorts at the approximate location.  But since the AT changes a little each year, the midpoint moves, too. So today I was out hiking in the blowing snow with the temperature at 25 degrees and the wind chill in the single digit range, and I come to my resupply point at Ironmasters Mansion Hostel in Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  It's not open yet, but I let myself in through an open door and the manager welcomes me when he sees me.  So my plan is to pick up my new food and go on, but it's mighty warm inside!  Gut-check time.  In about an hour I move on into the storm.  The good weather lately has spoiled me, but not eroded my resolve.  Today's weather was bad, but nothing I'm unprepared for. And as I'm taking those difficult steps away from warmth, I'm thinking about the Space Program, "We choose to go to the moon, and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard."  Fine words.  And Mallory, before he died trying to achieve his impossible dream of being the first to climb Mt. Everest, when asked, "Why?" said, "Because it is there."  And because I never take myself as seriously as these iconic quotes might imply, there's the answer to that question, "Why does a dog lick himself?"  "Because he can."  All three answers are part of why I'm out here, and not in some warm room.

February 23  6:40PM.  Darlington Shelter, PA. Even though today's hike was largely flat, it seemed tough to me.  Guess I'm getting tired again.  Just 11 miles into Duncannon tomorrow where I'll relax the rest of the day. Yesterday's storm dropped a total of 3 inches of snow, much of which melted at lower elevations today.  But there's still some to walk through tomorrow.

February 25  9:00AM.  The Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, Pennsylvania. I have my doubts but I believe I'm being wise.  Single-minded determination to keep moving is clearly one of my strengths, perhaps even to my own detriment at times.  But this morning I sit in my room in Duncannon.  Why?  It took a host of good reasons to make me sit, especially after already spending half a day yesterday resting.  (I got here before 11 AM yesterday, got my box out of the post office before it closed at noon and spent the rest of the day resting.)  So this morning, before dawn, I arose and packed my bag.  The weather report called for rain today and so it is.  But it's a freezing rain that earlier was coating things with ice.

So I crossed the street and had breakfast at Jodi's Café and got out my maps.  It's 29 miles to the shelter I'd hoped to reach today, but in these conditions it's unclear if I'd make it there before dark.  And showers will continue through tomorrow, so I'd rather not have to camp out in the snow.  And it's only 12 miles to a closer shelter, so if I head there, I need not get an early start.  And then there's my cough.  I've got a deep bronchial cough that warns me I shouldn't push too hard right now.  I don't feel ill, but rest would not do me any harm.  So here I sit, eating and reading the last part of Book Two of "The Lord of the Rings."  If the weather looks better by 10 or 11, I'll hike the 12 miles to the nearer shelter I mentioned earlier.  If not, I may take a zero here.  The Doyle Hotel was much quieter than I feared, reading the register entries from last summer.  It seems this is one of the landmark stops for the hard-partying hiker crowd.  But this time of year, even on a Saturday night, I was sound asleep by 8 PM. 4:30 PM.  Bear Hunter Tavern, Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA. Well, I'm still here.  I was up at dawn and the freezing rain convinced me not to try for 29 miles.  So at 10 AM I set out for a shelter 12 miles away.  After 4 miles I was up on a ridge where the trail was more rock than dirt.  But the rain was still freezing onto the rocks up there.  They looked like glazed donuts to me.  So it was too dangerous to hike and I turned back.  Now I'm sitting in the bar talking to the locals.  We were going to watch the NASCAR race on TV, but it was cancelled due to rain.  So if my car wins       they'll have to mail me the winnings.  I'm sure the extra rest is doing me good, but the smoke is not helping my cough. February 26  6:00 PM.  Clark's Valley, PA. It feels good to be back on the trail.  I took an easy 17-mile day today to make sure I'm not stressing too hard with my cough still hanging on.  So far, so good.  The cough seems slightly better than this morning.  And the weather has been MUCH nicer today; so good in fact that I'm camping under my tarp tonight.  There's no snow left at low altitude and only some on the ridge tops along with some cold wind.  Hopefully another good long night's sleep will help my cough.  13 hours last night felt really good. February 27  6:30 PM.  William Penn Shelter, PA. 24 miles seems not to have stressed me too much today so my cough is once again slightly better.  Not so deep and hacking.  The weather is also helping with temps in the high 40's.  This shelter is a very nice one, with a sleeping loft and a table downstairs.  And for the first time in many days the air is still enough to enjoy a candle tonight.  February 28  8:00 PM.  Port Clinton, PA.  Today is the last day of February, so there's less than one month of winter left.  Woohoo!  But winter has been less of an ordeal than I had imagined.  Like most fears, we expect the worst to be typical.  Sure, there are days that are snowy, windy and very cold, but that has been more the exception than the rule.  Take today, for instance.  It was in the 30's all day, but it was quite sunny.  Properly dressed, as I am, it was a very pleasant day to be outside.  I've learned to accept winter for what it is, and enjoy the solitude of it all.  It is certainly true that even the most popular places are nearly deserted during the winter.        Throughout these notes I've tried to convey how I feel day-to-day, even more than what I experience.  Today, in the 22nd mile of my 59th day on the trail, I felt a joy in being alive.  I was walking up a hill through snow and around the rocks that are so common on this part of Pennsylvania's trail, but the place wasn't special.  There was no special view.  But I felt my own life in a special way.  I've heard how a heart transplant recipient feels when he wakes up with a properly functioning heart and fully oxygenated blood for the first time in years.  I think I understand.  My heart was working well, not straining up the hill.  My back was working well, not straining under the load.  My feet and legs still felt fresh that late in the day.  The crisp cold air felt good in my lungs.  I was alive, aware of that physical life, and very grateful to have it in abundance.