May 31, Off the Trail

I am off the trail as of May 29 of my own volition.  After spending 8 days at home last week due to a hiker friend's injuries and my own planned break, I realized I was not being fair to Theresa.  As I put in a 20 mile hike on May 28, I kept thinking that I had 3 months to go, and that time was during the summer months.  Summer months on the farm are the busiest.  Theresa was busy trying to establish a garden.  In between gardening, she had to maintain a big yard and other household responsibilities.  In addition to that, our house has a long list of maintenance issues that needs to be done, as it is close to 30 years old.  I just couldn't leave all that to Theresa, so I decided to come home.  Our to-do list is longer than what I just explained so I have been busy ever since my return.

I hiked over 631 miles of the AT.  It was hard and it was easy.  It was fun and it was grueling.  I felt healthy and I felt weak.  I was uplifted and I was humbled.  The Yin and Yang on the trail was ever-present.

My Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser is still in progress.  If you pledged in your mind to support this worthy cause as I hiked the AT, I ask that you go to the website and contribute.  I and our wounded warriors appreciate it immensely. Click on the "WWP Fundraiser" above.

May 27, Back on the trail

Mile 600.0

Another milestone met...600 miles!

I'm back on the trail after being home for 8 days. The last time I we t home, many asked me if it was hard to go back to the trail. I answered No. This time, however, was different. It was hard to go back to the trail. I like my life at home. The trail is hard. What drives me now is that I don't want to quit. I want to finish what I've started. It's a challenge to be out here and I like a challenge. Katadhin (sp?), here I come.

I hiked 13 miles today in just 5.5 hours. That is faster than my typical speed. I'm sure the rest and good food over the past 8 days made a difference. My feet were okay and I felt strong.



Curtis
Sent from my iPhone

9 pounds liter

I'm home and it's time to downsize...again.  I walked out of Damascus, VA, with 42 pounds on my back.  That hurt, especially going down the steep steps to Laurel Falls.  Way to much weight.  Sooooo, I bought a new pack.  It ways 4+ pounds less than my original pack.  Plus, I got rid of a few items I didn't use that much, including spare batteries.  I figure I could suffer 2-3 days without a flashlight or my Spot.  I also ditched my winter clothes and made a few other adjustments.  I can't wait to hike with 9 fewer pounds on my back.

Here is my new pack.

Wild Ponies

As I crossed over Mount Roger and into Grayson Highlands State Park, I saw several ponies.  These ponies are wild, but they were put there to keep the vegetation at bay.  One small heard of about 8 ponies walked up the trail toward me.  They were very tame.  I petted on a couple of them.

Snakes!!! Whaaaaaat?!

I found three snakes so far. 

I almost stepped on this Copperhead.  Before my cognitive brain could register, my subconscious put the breaks on and made me gasp.  I then realized I stopped about 6 feet short of stepping on this Copperhead.

 

Here is what a Copperhead looks like after you poke it with a trekking pole.

This is an earth snake.  It was on a boardwalk over a marshy area.  It slivered off the boardwalk as I approached.

This black snake is the last snake I've seen.  It was about 5 feet long.

Even More AT Flowers

May 22, Home for a short respite

Me and Scarecrow

I've been home now since May 18th.  My original plan was to be home on the 23rd but a friend I met on the trail hurt his knee and asked to come to my house to rest and recuperate.  So I asked Theresa to pick me up in Bland, VA and we headed to Damascus to pick up Scarecrow, a young man from Germany.  Unfortunately, we couldn't find him so we spent the night in a Hampton Inn nearby and waited to hear from him and arrange a pickup point.  Unfortunately again, he didn't make contact (he doesn't have a cell phone) so we headed home.  About an hour after arriving home, he made contact...go figure.  I told him I would pick him up the next day (Monday).  So I headed to Damascus, VA and picked him up on the 20th.

It was actually fortuitous for me that I came home a few days early.  I started using foot powder to fight my stinky feet.  The foot powder caused friction where there was once none.  The friction caused 4 new blisters on my toes.  The blisters caused me to walk on my feet differently.  My new gate caused my feet and ankles to swell.  The moral of the story is, don't change things once you got a good thing going.