A Weekend Trip to Nashville

We had a long drive to Nashville yesterday.  We had gotten everything ready to go the night before, so were able to make a pretty quick get away.  After a stop at McDonald’s drive-thru for a BIG coffee and breakfast, we were on our way.

Traffic was very light that early and picked up only slightly until we got past Bristol, Tennessee.  We were lucky to miss rush hour traffic in Roanoke, Knoxville, and Nashville (although it was just starting in Nashville).  Every time we come here, we are reminded of why we like being away so much.  Traffic here is just horrible.

Peanut came with us.  He’s a good traveler, but, like Gene and I, he was very tired of being in the truck all day.  Now, he has a whole house to explore.  That, of course, makes me a nervous wreck.  I know how he loves to push stuff off onto the floor.

This afternoon and evening we’ll spend with Jack, Ansley, and Kayley.  We’re certainly looking forward to that.

We also hope to get a look around at some of the flood damage.  Fortunately, none of our family sustained any major damage with the exception of my cousin, whose lower level in her townhouse was completely destroyed.

That’s it for now; will try to post again this evening.

A Shuttle Run to Buchanan, VA

This morning, our friends from Nashville arrived.  Zvi and Diane (Diane, or D-Tour, was my hiking partner on the AT in 2008) are doing a section on the AT from Jennings Creek to Rockfish Gap.  This is the same section Gene and I just finished.  We offered to give them a shuttle down to their starting point.

We were so glad to see these friends and catch up on what’s happening with them as well as mutual friends.  As you can imagine, we could hardly catch our breath for the talking going on.

They wanted to drop off a box of food for the second half of their hike at the Dutch Haus B & B in Montebello.  I was glad to get to see this place.  We have heard several hikers talk about the free food at Dutch Haus.  It is located about 2 miles from the trail, but many hikers walk that distance for the free lunch which is served to thru-hikers every day during the months of May and June.  What a generous host.  Many hikers stay overnight (the hiker rate is very reasonable), but most head back up to the trail after lunch (2 more miles).

Montebello is located just 2 miles east of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I’m sure that’s where the Dutch Haus gets most of its business--folks traveling the Parkway.  But in spring, it is all the talk on the Appalachian Trail for miles around.

We stopped for a sandwich in Buchanan before dropping Diane and Zvi at the trail.  When they got out of the truck and put on their packs, I had a fleeting urge to dig out my backpack.  It passed quickly, however, when I remembered there’s no shower at the shelter.

We wish them a fun and safe trip.

Back home, we still had lots to do.  Tomorrow morning, at the crack of dawn, we’re heading for Nashville.  Gotta get a granddaughter fix.  We’re not taking the RV, so had to pack a suitcase again.  Of course, I had to do laundry before I could pack.  We’re only going to be gone for the weekend, but I can’t believe how much stuff I have piled up to go in the truck.  It is so much easier to just hitch up and go.

That’s all for today.  Tomorrow--a road trip.

Blackrock Gap to Ivy Creek Overlook

Today was another foggy, cool day, but we managed to get in a nice hike before the rain set in this afternoon.  Actually, I kinda like the overcast days because its a little cooler.  I don’t get so hot and the bugs are not as bad.

Gene at Black Mountain

This morning on our drive to Blackrock Gap, just as we entered the Park, we saw something small scamper across the road about 75 yards in front of us.  When we got close enough to see, it turned out to be a bear cub.  There were 2 cubs and the mom on the side of the road.  Of course, our diesel engine sent the little family scurrying up the hill before I could get my camera out of the case.

We both got out of the truck and started hiking north at Blackrock Gap.  I hiked about 4 miles to Brown Gap with Gene, then I turned around and came back to the truck.  He went on to Ivy Creek Overlook where I picked him up this afternoon.

Ivy Creek

In 2008 when I hiked that section between Loft Mountain Campground and Ivy Creek Overlook, I was very nervous about bears.  There seemed to be an abundance of bear scat on the trail.  I wasn’t much in the mood to hike through there alone again.  Seeing the bear by the road this morning didn’t do anything to bolster my confidence.  I had originally planned to hike as far as Doyle River parking area, but by the time we got to Brown Gap, the fog was really moving in.  I wanted to get back to the truck before it started to rain.  What a wimp I am.

We hiked around Blackrock Mountain almost first thing this morning.  When we were there, the fog was thick and there were no views.  Later, on my return trip, the sky was still overcast, but there was a bit of a view off the mountain.  Blackrock is a pile of large boulders.  It is quite interesting sitting out in the middle of all the green trees.

View from Loft Mountain Campground

Between Blackrock and Brown Gap, there used to be a large group campground.  Today, we were surprised to see it has been changed to a picnic area.  Camping is no longer allowed, but there are restrooms and water for the weary hiker up the short connector trail.

After our short rest break in Brown Gap, Gene had the opportunity to climb Loft Mountain.  The Loft Mountain campground is closed, either because it is still too early in the season or because of renovation.  I’m not sure which.  There is quite a lot of “fixing up” being done around the park.  The camp store is also closed to the dismay of a few hikers, I bet, gut the Wayside is open and serving those fabulous blackberry milkshakes.  We stopped there on the way home and, yes, we got a blackberry shake.  Loft Mountain was fogged in today, so I have included a photo from 2008.

Gene reported that there is again what seems to be an abundance of bear scat along the trail in the Ivy Creek area.  I’m sure glad I didn’t go down there by myself.  This section of trail veers away from Skyline Drive and feels very remote.  Gene didn’t have a camera with him so I have included a photo of Ivy Creek taken on my hike through there.

Tomorrow, hiking friends from Nashville will be stopping by.  We’ll give them a shuttle down to Jennings Creek as they start their section north to Rockfish Gap.

That’s it for today.

Beagle Gap to Blackrock Gap

We were back on the trial today.  I dropped Gene off at Beagle Gap this morning and drove north along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park to Blackrock Gap.  I hiked south from there until I finally ran into him about 6 miles south of the truck.

Got a couple of good views today.

Mountain laurel in bloom

It was raining when we left the campground this morning and rained pretty hard before we got to Beagle Gap, but stopped before we started hiking.  There were a few drops which fell off the leaves overhead, but no rain.

In 2008, I hiked all the trail south of Lewis Mountain campground.  Gene was working at that time so he didn’t get to hike much with me then.  He did hike from Rockfish Gap to Beagle Gap, however, so we skipped that 5 mile section this time.  I will include a couple of photos from Bear Den Mountain which were taken in 2008.  Bear Den Mountain is pretty much covered up with cell towers--not very picturesque.  Nestled on the mountain top with the cell towers are tractor seats.  There are about 8 seats and they are arranged in a semicircle.  If they ever had a purpose, I don’t have a clue what it may have been.  It’s a great place to take a break before heading down the other side of the mountain.

The hike was nice--lots of gentle ups and downs all day.  The trail pretty much parallels Skyline Drive through the park so we crossed the road several times today.  After having not hiked for a week, I can certainly feel the miles in my feet and legs this evening.

That’s it for today.  We’ll be back out there tomorrow.

An Unplanned Day

Well, well, well.  This day didn’t turn out anything like what we had planned.  Those silly weather people changed the forecast to 100% rain.  Now you know how I feel about hiking in the rain.  I can tolerate a little bit, but I’ve had plenty recently to last a while.  Even Gene, who will usually go no matter what, chose not to hike today.

So what to do on a rainy day?  Go shopping, of course.  All this hiking and fingering the merchandise at the vendor’s booths got me to wanting a new day pack.  The Kelty pack I normally carry is just a little large for summer hiking.  It’s great for winter--it’ll hold all kinds of jackets and fleece pants and extra shirts.  But in warm weather, I don’t need all that space.  Besides, that pack is old and all the waterproofing is worn off the inside fabric.

View from Humpback Rocks

I like Kelty packs (I have 3 of them) and I was dismayed to see that the small day packs don’t have a waist belt at all.  Gotta have a waist belt.  The next size larger has a real weight-bearing waist belt, but it is a Redwing--the same thing I have.

View from Cedar Cliffs

This morning, we went down to Rockfish Gap Outfitters to look at packs.  I pushed and pulled, zipped and unzipped just about every day pack they had on display.  I found a Vaude that felt good, had several pockets for organization, was half the size of my Redwing, and even had that new air flow through back webbing that is so popular now.  We bought the Vaude and came home.  I immediately unloaded my Redwing and packed my new pack.  The minute I put it on fully loaded, I knew I didn’t like how it felt.  I put all my stuff back in the Redwing and tried it on.  Ahhh, what a good feeling.  I switched back and forth between those packs 3 times to be sure I really didn’t like the Vaude.

Back to the Outfitter.  This time I took my Redwing with all my stuff.  I tried on several packs.  Found an Osprey that felt good fully loaded with my stuff, however, it was just too large for me.  In the end, I settled on a new Redwing.  I’m a Kelty girl, I guess.  Just love all those pockets.  It’s the same size as the old one, but at least it isn’t peeling off the waterproofing inside. It has a few new “features” which my old one doesn’t have--mesh side pockets, a water bladder pouch inside, and a map pocket.  And it’s a pretty mauve and gray.

That’s what we did today.  It was almost as good as hiking.  By the way, it has rained all day long.

The photos posted today are of views we didn’t get last week.  Last Tuesday, Gene hiked past Cedar Cliffs overlook and also over Humpback Rocks in the rain.  There were no views from either place on that day so I dug out my photos from 2008--a bright, sunny day--so you could see the views from these too fine overlooks. The AT doesn’t actually pass over Humpback Rocks.  There is a short side trail over there, but it is definitely worth the extra effort--on a sunny day.

Trail Days, Damascus, Virginia

I want to make some censuring comment like TV and movie ratings--for around the bend audiences only--or something like that.  The story I am about to tell and the pictures posted will seem like something from another planet to most of my readers.  Let me just say that the RV lifestyle is not anything like the long-distance hiker lifestyle.  Viewer discretion may be advised.

As a point of reference, like RVers and their rallies, hikers have their special events, as well.  There are several, of course, and the different long trails have their own events.  Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia is one of the primary events along the Appalachian Trail.  It is scheduled each year in the middle of May to coincide with the time that most thru-hikers starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia would reach Damascus on the Virginia state line.

Three of the hikers we gave a ride a couple weeks ago

Just like at the RV rallies, the hiking gear vendors are here--Leki (trekking poles), Gregory (packs), Granite Gear (tents, packs), Etowah (stoves)--set up to sell you something new or fix what is broken.  There is free food and door prizes, a parade, talent show, and free showers behind the Baptist church.

Warren Doyle telling his stories

Many of the people in attendance have walked here from north Georgia, but there are also many, many thru-hikers from former years, as well as any Joe Blow with an excessive compulsive interest in the AT.  And we’re here.  What can I say.  Most people, including those hiking or who have hiked the Trail think you have to be just a little (or maybe a lot) crazy to be out here.  That would explain a whole lot of what you see in the photos.

The latest and greatest in light weight tents

We arrived about mid-morning Saturday and finally found a parking place.  Unfortunately, we were far too late for a free space.  High on Gene’s list of attractions was the vendor area.  At the very first booth, he answered the trivia question correctly and won a Crazy Creek chair.  We fingered all the merchandise in all the booths and looked at all the tents.  We saw Skywalker at a table selling his book.  He was on the trail in 2005 when we did our section from Hot Springs, NC to Catawba, VA and we saw him several times in the vicinity of Erwin. It was nice to see him again.  We made our way down the vendor area, through the “food court”, then up the main street in town.  We slipped into Mt Rogers Outfitters, one of our favorites, and looked around a bit.  There was a crowd of people in there so we didn’t stay too long.  We found lunch at the Fire Hall.

T-shirts for sale

The vendors "tent city".

At 2 PM the Hiker Parade started.  That was the highlight for me.  This event had your basic parade elements--police cars, fire trucks, color guard, and horses.  The main body of the parade, however, consisted of the hikers.  There were hikers who are on the trail currently, as well as hikers from previous years. Most just had on their hiking clothes, but there were a few who took the opportunity to dress up.  Sometimes their costumes reflect their trail names; sometimes not.  You never can tell with these folks.

The parade is more than a parade--it is a major water fight.  The spectators came armed with water guns and balloons.  A few hikers were armed, as well, but mostly they just got soaked.  Thankfully, the weather was good--sunny and hot--for such and event.  We just happened to pick a spot along the parade route that was 2 storefronts from the gang that was on the roof.  Somewhat of an unfair advantage, I’d say.  About the time the parade marchers got in front of my camera lens, they could see the rooftop gang which included a water hose.

Ready for the parade to start

Following the parade, was the talent show down at the food court.  We went from there up to hear trail stories told by Warren Doyle. This guy is making a legend of himself.  He is currently hiking the trial for the 16th time (more than anyone else).  It is my understanding that he runs the Appalachian Trail Folk School where he teaches classes on hiking and every 5 years he leads a group on a thru-hike.  For a real job, he is on the faculty at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina.  Speaking of legends, we also saw Gene Epsey--the second person to ever thru-hike the trail.  He was signing his book out in front of Mt Rogers Outfitters.  Also running around in the crowd were a few Tennessee Trails members.  We saw Model-T from the Clarksville chapter.  It was good to see him looking completely recovered after recent surgery.

This guy is a little more serious

We got tired and hungry, so we moseyed on over to our hotel room in Abington and didn’t stay for the evening entertainment.  This morning, neither of us were enthusiastic about going back to Damascus.  No other events were going on today that we hadn’t seen yesterday.

Except for the long drive there and back, it was a fabulous weekend.  Tomorrow, we’ll be back on the trail again, ourselves.

The Thru-Hikers

We have spent today preparing for a weekend trip.  We aren’t taking the Everest this time, but instead will be staying in a motel.  We don’t often travel without our home, so we had to really concentrate on what we needed to take for a couple days away from home.

Our trip will take us to the southern Virginia town of Damascus for the annual event of Trail Days.  Actually, the festivities started on Wednesday, but I think Saturday and Sunday will be about plenty for us.

Trail Days is all about the AT thru-hiker so just let me offer a brief description of what that beast is.  In any given year, there are about 1500 folks who start the AT with a goal of hiking to the other end.  Most start at the southern terminus, Springer Mountain in Georgia, but there are a few who start at Mt Katahdin in Maine.  Of that number that start, a hundred or so leave the trail at or before Neels Gap in Georgia, 30 miles from Springer.  Another couple hundred have left the trail by the Smokies. Only about half who start reach Harper’s Ferry at 1,000 miles.  About 27% who start will finish the 2,174 mile trail.

By the time they reach Damascus, they have hiked through three of the fourteen states along the trail--Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, and have completed 460 miles.    Most have taken about 2 months to make the journey, stopping about every 4 or 5 days in small towns along the way to resupply their food, get a shower, and do laundry.

The hikers generally fall into three age categories.  The young ones are typically just out of college and are the largest of the three groups.  It is a time in their lives when they can spend 5 or 6 months on the trail before being immersed in career and family responsibilities.  Some have a clear idea of what they want after the trail; others seem to be drifting with no clear purpose.  We’ve met young nurses, engineers, environmentalists, and accountants on the trail.  When in town, they stay at the hiker hostels and they eat pizza, burgers, and beer.  As you might expect, the young ones like to party.  There are a few clusters out there that seem to want to make this 2174 mile journey one big party.  I would venture to guess that these hearty partiers would be among the 50% who drop out by Harper’s Ferry.  Either they give out or their money gives out.

Another group consists of the “mature” hiker--those that are retired.  Again, the group is made up of people from all walks of life.  Being older, they don’t have the responsibilities of jobs and young families, so have the time for a thru-hike.  This group has the financial means to support the hike a little better than the young ones.  Although there is no fee to hike, the hiker still has to eat and when in town they have lodging and restaurant bills.  Good boots, sleeping bags, packs, and tents are not cheap.  When in town, they opt for the B & B or a motel.  Although they like pizza, burgers, and beer, they also have an eye out for salad.

The last group, perhaps the smallest, consists of folks at some juncture in their lives--perhaps laid off from a job, a divorce, mid-life crisis.  These men and women, again, come from every area of society.  We met a man three years ago, who was walking the trail to find some relief from the grief associated with losing his daughter.  That same year, we met a college president who was hiking to raise money for his school.

There are some hikers who come back year after year.  They are kind of in a group of their own, I guess.  Some come to raise money for one cause or another.  One of the young men we took into town yesterday is raising money for a children’s charity.  Some just like to be on the trail.  They worked seasonal jobs and spend the summers hiking. Some are authors and are hiking for their research.

The AT thru-hikers, regardless of age, are traveling by foot on a 2174 mile journey, living in the wilderness with just what they can carry on their backs.  Their hair is long, their beards are unshaven (usually), and even if their clothes were new when they started, they are beginning to show some serious wear and tear, and the smell does not easily wash out.  Many of these people are gathered in Damascus to celebrate Trail Days.  We’re going to join them.