I just found a tick.  The black is where I keyed to burn it with a lighter.  Fun times.

On a lighter note, mailed one and three quarters of a pound home today.  Turns out I didn't need it.  Though my camera, iPod, journal, chargers and receipt collection will be missed.

Run town run

Well I tried twice last night to post, and after writing for an hour, I tried to publish my post, but it never showed. So this is the quick version.

A horrible bird, the whipperwill woke me up at 5:20 as predicted by many waters. Same spot to, on the table in front of the shelter in which I fitfully slept. MW has been here before I guess. My other shelter mate just rolled over and went back to sleep. I slept horribly last night, probably a result of the heat, and a blister forming under a callous on my left heal. I couldn't sleep on my back and stretch out as a result.

Normallybirds wake me at 5:50, then I lay there until six, when my watch alarm goes off. The alarm signals me to take my NoDoz caffeine pill, 200 mg of wonderful happiness. According to the package they're, "safe as coffee." I'll take one then fall back to sleep for twenty minutes. After twenty minutes the drug takes effect and I come flying into the world like David Lee Roth, ready to party throughout the day. How can any one waste time and effort on coffee out here, when you can get the caffeine you need in a pill?

Many Water's is also packing early to leave and we hang out a few minutes. He says it's fifteen switchbacks, and1800 feet to the top of the climb in front of me. I fly up the hill, then descend and start heading up the next climb, Bluff mountain, 3372 feet. Steps from the summit there us a plaque honoring, "The exact spot where little Ottie Cline's body was found." In 1881 Ottie was a month shy of five years old when he wandered from a schoolhouse seven miles away on a November day. He climbed well beyond the logical search area and died alone in the cold forest on a mountain top.

I hustle through the miles, Chinese buffet on my mind in Buena Vista, Va. There is no one out here today, just the squirrels and I.

I pass through evidence of former habitation along Brown mountain creek. This was a sharecroppers community according to an interpretive sign. Barely seen through the thick forest lies the evidence in the form of a few stone walls, slowly being returnind back to the forest. The sharecroppers were freed slaves who paid half of their crop to their landlord in exchange for the right to farm. If the farmer owned his own stock team he paid only a quarter of the crop. The mill located in this valley charged an eight of the crop. After considering these figures, it is hard to see how this differed from slavery.

Soon I'm at US 60, a much lonely road today then US 50. There is very little traffic, but thankfully a trail angel left two gallons of water and a bag of fruit and Rice Crisp treats. It takes nearly two hours to get a ride. A pickup passes then turns around and gets me. The driver tells me to be careful of the blood in back, he killed a ground hog in his yard this morning and somehow the blood made it to the truck.

Yes after two hours I accept a ride in the back of a bloody truck with hill jacks at the wheel. Riding in the back of pickups is a lot of fun, made more so on a near ten mile ride of windy mountain roads, with a southern mountain man at the wheel. They drop me at the Budget Inn, I don't want to head back to the trail now it is already almost six. Plus I need to take more showers to win the battle against all my heat rash getting infected. Some of the heat rash bumps are white and when I pinch them a little puss oozes out. A good reason to bathe.

After getting a room I head to the Canton restaurant. This town, a typical Appalachian trail town is surrounded by pointed thousand foot mountains. Pre civil war era homes are seen on the poking through trees, and false front buildings on Main street are probably post civil war construction.

The Chinese buffet is closesed for two months, so I head to Don Tequila's across the street. I expect that it will fail as far as Mexican food goes, but when I enter and see only smiling Latino waiting the tables and cooking, I know it will be great. True enough, it was the best meal of the trail. My dinner filled two plates.

After that I wrote this entry twice, each time taking an hour I could have done something else. Each time the post was lost. Now I learned to publish a little at a time, then edit and add more to the post. So as I'm writing my readers will see partial posts.

Happy fathers day!

Pulling a thirty

I was the first awake this morning at Johnny K's, and Fins trail magic event. The birds woke me at 6:02. They slept in. I almost did, I forgot to reset my alarm after town. I eat and brake camp every one else is still in their tents or hammock though. Except Fin, who comes by me making my stuff up, then leaves for town in his car to pick up breakfast supplies.

I take off, but make sure to say goodbye to Johnny K first, who is starting to stir. He apologized for not making me a huge pancake breakfast. I say its cool, I had a raspberry cream cheese danish that I brought from town.

I feel like giving a James Brown style scream while hiking the ridge above the sleeping camp, but decide to mercifully let the hikers sleep.

The trail magic was perfectly timed for me, right at the end of a twenty eight mile day. Another hikers, also named Penguin told me about it minutes before, when I passed him on the trail. The kind trail magicians were set up for four nights already. A large fire greeted me with a dozen smiling faces. A beer was quickly handed to me, and invites to chill at the fire, oxymoron, I know. I set up my tent nearby and enjoyed the festivities. Last to bed first up, that's me.

Today I really want to do a thirty mile day. Thirty miles would set me up nice tomorrow with a twenty two mile day into Buena Vista, Va. where there is a Chinese restaurant. I'm not sure if it's a buffet or not, but I'm definitely going. Then its just 55 more miles, an overnight to the Ming Garden Buffet in Waynesboro.

Im rocking this current 80 mile stretch that I'm cruising through in just two nights.

The miles go fast, soon I'm at a twenty person two story shelter, where I have a snack. After that the miles blur by as I gain elevation but still get ten miles down by noon. As the saying goes, "if you can do ten by noon and twenty by for, then you've got a thirty in the bag.

The long green tunnel opens occasionally allowing awesome views off the Blue Ridge, which I climbed onto again today. The trail crosses it numerous times in the roughly one hundred miles it parallels this famous road. Perfect weather makes for a great day.

About five o'clock, the clouds that were providing nice shade start threatening rain. I don't believe it will happen though, and gallantly hike on, defiant to the rumblings of thunder overhead. The sky opens up, though just barely. I use my Go-Lite umbrella for half an hour, then the sky clears.

There is a wide river meandering amongst mountains below me that I will soon cross, the James river. The descent is brutal after already doing a marathon today, but that's trail life. There are shelters on either end of the low stretch of trail near the James river three point eight miles apart. I'm shooting for the second one, securing my thirty today. Actually it will turn out to be thirty point three miles.

The first shelter has a tent in half of it, with a garland nailed across half the front. Protection against the gentle thunderstorm from this evening. There is a family of three there, so I day hello and let them know another hikers will be coming by shortly wanting to camp there.

I pass by and am soon hiking along the wide James river. The longest foot bridge on the trail crosses it. This bridge would be an excellent spot to camp if it was an hour later. The cool breezes off the water, one hundred feet from either shore would be welcome in the humid night. There are people fishing at the far end, which is near a road and several canoes in the water.

I push on eager to see the upcoming shelter. There is a group here but only three are staying in the shelter, the rest are tenting to avoid bugs. A trail magician, Many Waters is here and hands me a beer. A mile back at a road crossing he left cold Sunkist soda. The group of us hang out for a half hour, dark, then people head for there tents. Two shelterers decide to tent to avoid bugs, so I get to share it with only one other hikers.

Oh and this phone rocks. I love getting 3G service at shelters. Thanks Mom and Dad.

Daleville, Va.

I have a bling new HTC thunderbolt phone now, thanks to my parents. I saw a Verizon store yesterday and had to update my old pre paid phone. It will ne nice now to update more often.

I made it to Daleville,VA. Yesterday, "Ray day." It was a goal, to make it to 702 by this important day on the PCT. The day Ray Marine says you should get to the Sierra Nevada range on the Pacific Crest Trail. Well I made it to 719. Now I'm just lingering on the town vortex.

My parents set me up with a new phone yesterday too which was really awesome. I needed internet access and a smart phone for school, I'm taking three credits this summer. Also with this unlimited 4G data plan, I can update this blog more, and have better service in case of an emergency. Watching live radar on weather.com will be neat too.

The last few days have been great on the trail. There have been a few showers, but they didn't last long. I have rocked the miles, pulling a near 31 mile day, and the rest, since I last posted, were in the mid to upper twenties.

The landscape has been changing in my northeastern sauntering across Virginia too. Further south the land was isolated mountains with ridges and hills. Now the land is more akin to the basin and range of Nevada. There are long ranges running dozens of miles with long valley/ basins in between. The ranges traversed by us Appalachian trail hikers are home to the bear and the captors that circle the sky. The basins are lined with pastureland. The occasional civil war era town brakes the distance between cow pasture. Many protestant and Baptist churches serve the faithful folds between the rocky ridges which are often USDA forest service wilderness.

Virginia itself is different ad far as the town people go. Perhaps I am wrong to include this in a description, but the people are prettier here. The day hikers on the trail look and smell more civilized. Farther south it seemed as if people just didn't care about there appearance. Now people are fit and trim. The fragrant smells of bath soap can be sensed before a day hikers is seen, and when they do appear, they are nicely dressed, for the woods.

I like the AT. The trail is just cool. It is sad to see many hikers skipping miles already though. There is no need to avoid snow storms or the like, just an overwhelming distance to Katadin induces the skips. I am a purest here. I aim to do every mile of the Appalachian trail without skipping in one summer. When I finish I will be proud of my accomplishment.

Trying to leave Damascus

I decided to take a zero yesterday.  This small Virginia town is comparable to Etna, Ca. on the Pacific Crest Trail.  This however is the Appalachian Trail.  There is a place here, called The Place, which is owned by a Methodist church, and is a free hostel for AT hikers, and long distance bikers.  They ask for a $5 donation, which probably is often ignored by hikers.  I threw my Lincoln into the box.  The Place is right in town, and is a 6 bedroom house that other then the living room and kitchen, is full of bunkbeds.  I tented out in the yard, not being properly socialized enough to feel comfortable in a warm room with 6 other people.  Truthfully I'm starting to love my tent.

My first week out here I stayed in shelters every night.  Appalachian trail shelters are three sided structures that have a elevated floor for hikers to sleep on.  The sleeping capacity at the shelters I have seen so far range from five people to a twenty person barn, to the twenty four pack "Fontana Hilton."  A six to eight person capacity is the norm though.  That's eight hikers layed out right next to each other.  Tight.

I heard stories last night from the group of hikers that were camped near Wataunga Lake.  They took a zero day at the lake, camping there two nights and swimming around and resupplying in town the middle day.  It sounded really shitty.  First off some went to Hampton, Tn. to look for pot.  I decided to skip this town, even though it has a McDonalds.  They got completely hustled and ripped off by the locals.  Never give someone money and expect them to come back with your merchandise, especially when your just visiting some place that you will leave soon.  Someone did score though, and got a horrible deal on really bad weed.  Everyone in the town was a shithead according to these guys, and it seems like a good place to skip.  Back at the lake, the locals who are apparently a bunch of skinheads were playing on a rope swing all day by the hikers camp.  These losers all had swastika tattoos.  One of the local girls had Aryan Princess tattooed on her.  The hikers said that every last time they swung on the rope swing, they would yell, "White Power!"  Sounds like a horrible day.   Also one of the skinheads had two Rottweilers who attempted to kill another guys dog at the beach.  Horrible day, though they said the lake was nice to swim in.

Last night I saw a band at the local pizza place, then went to a bonfire that some local was having for hikers.  He is going to start letting hikers camp in his yard as a regular thing, I believe.  He had a few camping in his yard already last night.

Well now I'm heading back to the trail, which happens to go right by the door of this coffee shop, that I'm in.  The Appalachian trail goes right through Damascus, Va. the next resupply I have is in Atkins, Va. another walk through town.  I believe there will be many such towns on this trail where the AT goes right down Main St.

New pack, still in Damascus.

Well I tried really hard to leave town last night.  My afternoon of swimming in the river, which flows through the town park, with another hiker, Scout dehydrated me and I decided to get a sweet tea at the pizza place.  Scout was really cool.  She is doing a section this summer for a few weeks, and is headed back to Pennsylvania today for a wedding, with a friend.  She lives three miles from the Appalachian Trail up in Pennsylvania, and will be a great trail angel when I'm in the neighborhood, around July fourth.

There was quite the hiker herd at the pizza place, about 20 showed up.  I decided to eat my leftover pizza from lunch, and have some beers.  Fortunate for me, I decided to lapse into having a drink.  I haven't been drinking in town, in order to save money, and increase my speed.  Not paying for beer means I can eat better food at restaurants along the trail, and still save money.  Tonight I lapsed, and found out the pizza place had wifi.  I used my iPod to check my email, and saw that Zpacks shipped a new backpack, to replace my damaged one, here to Damascus.   The arrival date was yesterday Friday.  Wow, I screwed around all day and I have a new pack at the post office. 

Luckily this small town has Post Office hours on Saturdays from 9-11 AM.  I decided to stay the night, and joined the huge hiker party.  We stayed at the pizza place till 11PM, then we all went to Fire Tower's room in a really nice inn close by.  I couldn't stay awake with all the kiddies so passed out early, not before taking off my shoes.  Someone was kind enough to remind me to remove them.  If you pass out with your shoes on, it is completely acceptable for people to write on you with sharpies.  I was planning on sleeping in the park, by the river, but Fire Tower is very generous and offered his floor to me. 

This morning a nice continental breakfast filled me up, and I hit the post office.  My beautiful new pack was in, and I switched my gear into it.  I decided to mail my long underwear home along with the pack, and my platypus bag.  I decided that gatorade bottles would be lighter and more durable.

Damascus, Va.

Since leaving the Greasey Creek Friendly, I have started to run into the tail end of the herd.  The herd is the largest concentration of thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail.  Most of the herd started around the middle of march.  The back of the pack, the cool kids.  These hikers are fun but will slow you down, that's why they're at the back of the pack, not the front, 400 miles ahead.

There were two large packs of hikers near Watauga Lake two nights ago.  Large social gatherings are a draw for me, but I needed to make miles, it was still light out, so I continued past.  I found a place to roost on top of the Watuanga Dam, 646 feet long and 318 feet high.  My site was perfect, great views of the stars and a constant cool breeze off the lake, that was stronger then the bugs could bear. 

Yesterday I ended up doing 28.9 miles, even though I had several long breaks.  From Kincora hostel in Hampton, Tn. to Damascus, Va. is 56 miles.  People try to do this in a day.  Many people were trying to get from those two hiker groups to Damascus in a 40 mile day.  Many succeeded, though they were the true losers.  Those who chose to do 32 miles, 28.9 for me since I hiked further the night before, were rewarded with a Hiker Trash party at the Abingdon Gap shelter. 

A mile from the shelter was a road crossing were a pickup truck proudly displayed a Hiker Trash sticker.  I knew we were in for a treat.  Upon arrival at the shelter we saw a large bonfire a hundred yards away.  Brent the owner of the truck handed Caver and I both a beer (Caver gave his away.)  They then came to the shelter and invited us all over for a free concert in the woods, courtesy of the three Hiker Trash, Bobby, Seldom Seen, and Brent.  All of us near the shelter obliged and were rewarded with awesome trail magic; hot dogs with buns, potato salad, macaroni salad, whiskey, and great music.  Not a bad free show in the middle of the forest.

Our first trail magic of the day though, was a cooler along the trail in a metal crate that had crosses burned out of it with an acetylene torch.  Courtesy of a baptist church that has an Appalachian Trail ministry.  The cooler had Pepsi and other soda, then there was a tool box of cookies and a bottle of honey that wasn't sticky.  Plus pamplets with butterfly and frog facts.  Butterflys taste with their feet.

The library is closing so got to go.  But want to say I rocked the swimming hole in the Damascus town park today.  No cell service either.  Adios/