Cody

Well, this is a long story that goes way back to early spring.  It is one of those things that just happened without planning and has been a joy to watch it unfold as the months have passed.  This story is about Cody.

Way back last winter, we made plans to come to New England as the support team for Herb and Dwight.  Because we were doing that, we also decided to do a little hiking ourselves to add a few miles to our existing AT miles.  Those plans put us somewhere along the AT for the entire season.  Wow!  Because we were going to be closely associated with the trial for that long, We decided to follow a few of the thru-hikers via their trail journals.

Like many RVers who share their adventures by means of an on-line travel journal or blog, hikers also post trail journals.  Probably the most popular host for the AT hikers is Trail Journals.com.  I searched through the list of hikers for this year and selected about six to follow.  It wasn’t a totally random selection. I wanted more mature hikers rather than those in their 20s, but other than that distinction, I didn’t know anyone of those selected.   Over time, other hikers were added to my list.  One name I got from the owner of an outfitter in Maryville, TN when I was paying for my purchase, but most of the additional hikers are people we’ve met along the trail ourselves.

Cody is from my original selection--one from a list of hundreds hiking the trail this season.  After I had been following Cody for several weeks I learned she is from Tennessee (Cookeville area) and is a member of Tennessee Trails, our own hiking club.  What a coincidence.  You cannot imagine our surprise when Cody was met by one of her good friends in Hot Springs, North Carolina and that friend turned out to be a friend and high school classmate of Gene’s.  Holy Cow!

Needless to say, we have taken a special interest in Cody.  We’ve been avid readers of her trail journal keeping up with her progress on this 2100-mile journey.  While we were hiking in Northern Virginia, I knew Cody was close at hand.  Because the hikers are unable to post to their journals every day, to pinpoint one of them is very difficult.  But every day that I was on the trail, I had my eye out for Cody.

Because we didn’t hike every day and because we took a week off for a trip to Nashville, and another week off visiting with friends, Cody got past us. It wasn’t until Maryland that we finally ran into her.  Gene got the honors.  He met her on the trail in Maryland just north of Harper’s Ferry.  I figured my chances of seeing Cody were pretty slim after that.

Now that we are sitting in Gorham, New Hampshire, most of those hikers I’ve been following have come into the Whites.  All of a sudden I realized we’d still be here when Cody arrived.  Yesterday, my dream came true.  Cody arrived in Gorham and we met her for dinner.  Stick Walker (and his dog, Belle) was also in town and he joined us for dinner, as well.

This morning, we gave Cody, Stick Walker, and Belle a ride back to the trail.  With hugs, best wishes for success, and goodbyes we watched as they crossed US 2 and headed north.

By being so close to the trail and seeing and speaking with so many of the thru-hikers, we have gained a much deeper appreciation for their level of endurance.  It’s not just a physical feat to walk 2100 miles.  It is physically demanding, of course, and if you’re not in shape when you start, you certainly are within a few weeks.  But it is also a very mentally demanding endeavor.  This may very well be the most challenging aspect of the hike.  It is hard enough for me to keep a positive mental attitude when the gray water tank gets full during my shower, or something I need for dinner is not in the local grocery, or the wind is blowing too hard to put the awning out.  I can’t imagine the mental stamina required to keep moving forward day after day, mile after rocky mile in all kinds of weather with your only creature comforts slung on your back.  They face the challenges of the trail and their own personal fears head on and keep on walking.  The thru-hikers are remarkable people.

Good luck, Cody, Stick Walker, and Belle. Just 297.9 miles to go--”all the way to the top”.

Shuttle Truck

Sometimes your plans change in mid-stream.  That’s what happened to us yesterday.

We went out for a little hike; one that we had done before, actually.  Because it was close and easy, we started southbound on the AT just a mile from our campground where the trail crosses US 2.  Right away after we started, we met a thru-hiker coming down.  We spoke and went on our way.  Shortly, we met another hiker.  Again, we spoke and continued on our way.  After about a mile, we met yet another hiker.  This guy was a real talker, so we chatted for several minutes.  On a whim, we decided, while standing there in the middle of the trail, to walk back to the road with him and take him to town.  It was the right thing to do.  He was a nice guy, he needed a ride to town, we had a truck and really nothing else to do.  Certainly, not anything any more important to do.

When we got back to the parking lot, the second hiker we had met was trying to get a hitch.  We grabbed him and all piled into the truck.  Well, actually, they got in the bed with their packs--they were far too dirty to sit in the truck.  We gave them an ice cold cola and they were happy as larks sipping their cokes and letting the wind blow the smell away.


We dropped them off at the laundry mat (that’s where they wanted to go, not where we decided they needed to go) and we turned to go back to the trail.  On the way out of town we saw a young thru-hiker couple trying to hitch a ride back to the trail.  Since that’s where we were going, we picked them up.  As we pulled into the parking lot to let the young couple out, along came Big and Little Foot, a dad and son hiking team.  Yep, they wanted to get to town, too.

All together, we made three trips into town and shuttled a total of 10 hikers one way or the other.  We never did get our hike finished.

This morning, we went back to the trail.  This time, we had no intention of hiking.  We were there just to run our little shuttle.  About a minute after we pulled up, three hikers came out of the woods.  Today, was not as busy, however.  We took two others plus their two dogs into town, but brought no one back to the trail.

We hung around the parking lot for a couple hours.  About noon, a gentleman and his wife pulled up and unloaded coolers and sacks of food, set out lawn chairs and a folding table.  Trail Magic!!  The fellow had hiked the trail last year.  We often find former thru-hikers doing trail magic.  They were the recipients and now they just want to pay it forward.  Anyway, he and his wife had things well under control food-wise and we knew there wouldn’t be any hiker come out of the woods who wouldn’t want to sit down to that spread.

We came home for our own lunch.  About 2 o’clock we got back in the truck--this time to pick up a couple items from the grocery.  On our way by the trail parking lot, we pulled in to see if anyone was ready for a ride.  They were all too busy eating to think about going to town.  On our way back from the grocery, we stopped again and this time were able to collect a couple hikers needing a ride.

That’s how we’ve spent our past two days.  Not very exciting, but all those hikers really appreciated the ride and we were happy to help them out.

Trail Magic and Dinner Guests

Yesterday turned out to be a very busy day.  We didn’t plan it that way, but sometimes these things just happen.

Tuesday was the day our hiking buddies were to come down the mountain from Imp Shelter to US 2.  Our task was to pick them up at the trail and take them to their motel room in Gorham.

Hot dog cooking station

Since we were going to be at the trail waiting for them and we knew there would probably be other hikers coming down, we decided it would be a great opportunity to deliver a little trail magic to the hikers.  We iced down some colas and gathered what would be needed for a hotdog lunch.  At the trailhead, Gene set up his cooking station and we waited for the hungry to appear.  As it turned out, there were only 2 other hikers besides our friends who came off the trail during the 4 hours we were there.  But no matter; they were happy with the hot lunch and a cold soda.  This young couple were celebrating (if you can call it celebrating) their 5th month on the trail, having started in Georgia on March 17.

When Herb and Dwight appeared, we did our best to stave off their hungry attack.  They were more inclined to wash the hotdogs down with ice cold beer rather than cola.  Wonder why that is.  Maybe the beer helps sooth the pain in the legs and feet better than cola.

A shower is just through that door

After a brief lunch, we loaded them into the truck and headed to the motel.  They seemed to be eager for a shower, so we left them to do their thing and we went on our way to do ours.

Glad to be in a motel room

Gene returned to the motel later in the afternoon to bring them home for dinner.  Again, like the last dinner we had at Pinkham Notch, the conversation centered around the difficulty of the trail.  Although their climb up Wildcat Ridge was brutal and the descent from Carter Notch was extremely difficult, they both agree the hardest part so far was the descent from Mt Madison.  They said, more than once, they never want to hike in the White Mountains again.  They have some scratches, scrapes, and bruises from the rocks, but otherwise were in good spirits.

Our plan is pretty loose for today.  We’ll probably pick them up sometime late morning or early afternoon for a run to Wal-Mart to pick up a few supplies.  They’ll be coming here for dinner again this evening.

So, I’ll just run along and get myself organized for whatever the day brings.

Friar Tuck and Tango

For you RVers who read this journal, this story may seem more like a nightmare I had or something that happened on another planet.  For all our hiking friends who read this journal, it’s just another day in the life.

Toilet tissue left as trail magic at Newfound Gap this morning

Part of our intent in coming to the Smokies was to spread a little “trail magic”.  I guess it’s about time I explained that term.  Long distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail (and any long distance trail, especially the Triple Crown--Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail) will occasionally come across what they refer to as “trail magic”--some special treat or convenience along the trail.  It often comes in the form of a cooler full of cold drinks or a 6-pack of beer in the cold water at a stream crossing.  In our hiking, we have come across a few gallons of water on a particularly dry section, a cooler of fruit, and a man playing music for the enjoyment of the hikers.  One of my personal favorites was a garbage bag hanging from a trail junction sign.  Hikers have to carry out their own garbage and after a few days it can be a smelly burden.  Any appropriate place to off load garbage is a real treat.  Trail magic comes in a variety of forms and those providing the “treat” or “service” are called trail angels.

FDR dedicated the Park from this platform at Newfound Gap

Nice sunrise for our early morning start

For long distance hikers, any treat or service which makes the hike easier is a small blessing.  These folks carry everything they need to survive in the wilderness.  They may walk for several days before coming to a town close enough to the trail to resupply their food and get a shower.  In the case of the Smokies, it is 70 miles from where the Trail enters the park at Fontana Dam and its exit at Davenport Gap.  It crosses only one road and that is at Newfound Gap.

I had boiled and colored eggs, bought a bag of oranges, and a couple bags of chocolate Easter eggs.  We took this load of goodies up to Newfound Gap where the Appalachian Trail crosses the main road through the Smokies.  We left at the crack of dawn.  We knew the last shelter southbound was just about 4.5 miles from the road.  By the time the thru-hikers reach the Smokies after starting in Georgia, they are putting down some miles each day.  We didn’t want to miss them as they came out onto the road.  The sun was well up by the time we got from Townsend to the top of the mountain.

The first hikers we saw were those being shuttled up from Gatlinburg where they had had a nice night in a motel.  They jumped out of the van and were heading up the trail before we hardly knew what was happening.  One fellow lingered trying to get his socks and boots adjusted just right. Gene went over to speak with him and offer an orange.  Skywalker was a young fellow from New Hampshire.  He stuffed his orange in his pack and off he went toward Maine.

During the next hour, Gene and I debated whether or not to hike southbound to met the hikers coming out of the nearest shelter at Mt Collins.  I was still pretty tired from yesterday’s hike and wasn’t much interested in carrying a 3 lb bag or oranges and a dozen eggs up the mountain between Newfound Gap and Mt Collins.  We just kept sitting in the truck watching all the tourists.

About 10:15 a park ranger pulled up and came around to Gene’s window.  While he was talking to us, a hiker stepped up to ask the ranger if there was a regular shuttle down to Gatlinburg.  This was just what we were waiting for.  Gene offered to take the hiker and his friend down to town.  Friar Tuck and Tango put their packs in the bed of the truck and off we went.  Friar is from the Atlanta area and Tango is from Massachusetts and both are planning to thru-hike to Maine.  We enjoyed getting to know them briefly as we drove down to Gatlinburg.  We dropped them off at a hotel and wished them well on their journey.  Perhaps our paths will cross again as we make our way up the trail to Virginia.

Good luck, Friar Tuck and Tango.  Glad we were there to give you guys a lift.

This evening we are joining friends, Rich and Patti, for dinner.  Haven’t seen them since the Tennessee Trails Annual meeting last fall.  We are looking forward to catching up with them.

Hiking in Shenandoah National Park

For the past few weeks I have been focusing my hiking on the Appalachian Trail. However, in Shenandoah National Park there are some 500 miles of trail with the AT being only about 100 miles of that total. Today we created a loop hike which took us off the ridge by one trail, back up to the ridge by another and then back to the truck by way of the AT.

View from Big Run Overlook

Shenandoah is a long, skinny park with Skyline Drive and the AT running north/south for about 100 miles along the ridgeline. From the ridge the motorist, biker, or hiker can get breathtaking views to the valleys on either side. Many of the park trails begin at a parking area or overlook along Skyline Drive then descend the slope of the mountain. Just because it is downhill, doesn’t necessarily mean it is steep. On our hike today, the downhill trail was pretty steep as we lost 1400 feet in about 2 miles. However, the trail we used to come back up was much more gentle gaining that 1400 feet over about 3.5 miles. The AT is, of course, blazed white and the park trails are blazed blue. Horse trails are blazed yellow.

Doyle's River Trail

Shenandoah boasts of its many waterfalls. I hadn’t been too enthusiastic about hiking to a waterfall since Virginia has been near drought conditions for a while. Ever hopeful, we decided to try it today and we were not disappointed.

Piped Spring

We began our hike on the Doyles River Trail. Within a half mile we came to a side trail which led to the Doyles River Cabin. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maintains several cabins within the park. Doyles River Cabin is one of these. Near the side trail to the cabin was a piped spring. Water is relatively scarce close to the ridgeline so having such easy access to water is a blessing to thirsty hikers. Past the spring we soon came to an unnamed waterfall. As we continued our descent the water flow became larger. We were soon rewarded with Upper Doyles River Falls and then in about a half mile, Lower Doyles River Falls.

Unnamed falls

Upper Doyles River Falls

We continued down hill until there was no more down left. That was where we found the trail junction with Jones Run Trail. This would lead us back up to Skyline Drive. I think the prettiest of the three falls was Jones Run Falls. It was not the highest, but it had the most water. We took a short break here just enjoying a glorious day in a wonderful place.

Lower Doyles River Falls

We were getting pretty hungry by the time we got back to the top of the mountain. We found a wide, grassy spot on the AT and sat down for lunch. I had eaten my little half sandwich about the time a thru hiker on his way from Georgia to Maine came upon our “picnic”. Thru hikers are always hungry and we had a small ziploc bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies which Gene offered. Then two more thru hikers showed up. We offered more food. They ate the grapes, they ate the cherries, they ate the chips, they ate the rest of the cookies, they ate the M & Ms, they ate the bit-o-honey (which they had never heard of before), they ate everything we had. I guess I was lucky to have eaten my half sandwich before they showed up. Actually, we were glad to give what we had. We have been on the trail for long periods of time and it is incredible how hungry you are all the time. It was always wonderful to find food or cold drinks that “trail angels” had left for hikers. This was an opportunity for us to be trail angels. These boys were headed to Loft Mountain and we encouraged them to get the blackberry milkshake. Word up and down the trail is that it is to die for. We bid them a safe journey and packed up our stuff and headed north on the AT to the truck, some 3 miles distant.

Jones Run Falls

By the time we got to the truck, I was starving. My bowl of cereal and my half sandwich were long gone. Gene offered to take me to Loft Mountain Wayside. You know what I ordered—blackberry shake. Before we left, the three thru hikers came in. They ordered cheese burgers and fries and one guy even got a blackberry shake.

Trail Magic and Tractor Seats

We started this day out with breakfast at Weasie’s Kitchen. We had heard about Weasie’s so naturally we had to try it. It is a diner sort of place and very popular with the hikers. Apparently, it is popular with other folks, as well, because it was about full when we were there this morning. I really can’t say that the food was outstanding, but it was good.

What makes it so popular with the hikers is the large serving sizes. Gene ordered pancakes. There were only three pancakes, but they were huge and he could only eat about half. I ordered biscuits with sausage gravy. The gravy was good, but it was brown gravy and being from the south, that just ain’t right. The prices were very reasonable, also. With a big breakfast in our tummies we were off for our hike.

Towers atop Bear Den Mountain

The hike was very nice and a great morale booster. I hiked north from McCormick Gap up and over Bear Den Mountain. I’m glad I hadn’t noticed the name before the hike. It turns out to be a just about perfect name. There were two things on top of that mountain—an array of 6 communication towers and a huge expanse of blackberry bushes. As I passed by all those blackberry bushes in full bloom this fine day, I said to myself that this will probably be bear heaven in a few weeks.

Odd seeing tractor seats on the trial.

At the last set of towers, I found a curious thing. There was a semicircle of tractor seats seemingly waiting for someone to come along to rest a spell. I could not even imagine a reason for them being there and certainly not for them to be arranged in a semicircle. Strange, indeed.

What a precious gift for thirsty thru-hikers.

After coming down the other side of Bear Den Mountain to Beagle Gap I found trail magic in the form of bottled water. This section of trail goes for several miles from Rockfish Gap to Calf Mountain Shelter without water. I’m sure the thru-hikers passing through Beagle Gap today will be grateful for the trail angel who was so thoughtful.

I met Gene just before Jarmen Gap. After a short break, we pressed on northward. The two climbs over Bear Den and Calf Mountains were the worst of the day so the rest of the hike was pretty pleasant. It was uphill mostly, but not too steep and the mountain laurel was in bloom everywhere. It was like a laurel tunnel almost. Just spectacular.

Our hike ended at Turk Gap. I spread out my poncho on the ground for us to sit on for lunch. I didn’t even have my sandwich out of the bag before I spotted a tick, then another one. I really don’t like ticks so I had my lunch in the truck.

The balls of my feet are still hurting after about an hour of walking. I decided new insoles would help. On our way home I stopped at the outfitters for those. I am anxious to see if this will help on tomorrow’s hike.