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
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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. 

May 17, Longest Day

Mile 580.0, Laurel Creek

Well, it wasn't the longest day but it suuuuure felt long. I bonked AGAIN on electrolytes and my feet have new blisters, and the terrain was rocky. 

I need to stay ahead of my electrolytes. I can't believe I bonked again. I thought I was taking in enough but I guess with all the sweating and exertion I do for an entire day I need to put more into my body. 

I also have new blisters. I've hiked over 500 miles and have had only one blister, until now. All of he sudden I have 3 new blisters on my toes. I was baffled until this morning when I realized I got them when I started using Gold Bond foot powder to try to stave off foot odor. Apparently, the powder was doing its job in absorbing my sweat but on the other hand it created friction where there was once none. Once I figured that out I washed my feet and got rid of the powder. Now I have to wait for these blisters to heal, and in the meantime I have to walk on sore feet. 

I saw a momma bear and 2 cubs this afternoon. The momma chased the cubs up a tree and watched me very closely until I was out of site. That was a special experience. 

Curtis

Sent from my iPhone

May 16, Out of Atkins, VA

Mile 560.8

I ate a big breakfast at The Barn Restaurant this morning: a western omelet, a side of bacon, and pancakes. Man, that was good. It kept me until about 1pm when I finally got hungry and ate lunch. 

The hike out of Atkins was beautiful. The trail meanders through private property which consisted of pastures and meadows with lots of wild flowers, honeysuckle and blooming trees. The scenery was striking. 

At the end of the day I caught up with Rocket, Yedi, and Squach. I met Rocket about 10 days ago. He just retired from Lockheed Martin. Yedi and Squach are a mother/daughter team. Laura and I met them just a few days after starting the trail. It was good to catch back up with them. 

Curtis

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May 15, Atkins VA

I spent the morning in Marion, VA, eating fast food and buying my food supply. I had 2 McDonalds bacon, egg, and cheese McMuffins, a small orange juice, and a large coffee at 9:30. I then went to Ingles grocery to stock up on food for the next three days. I then went back and ate a double cheeseburger and a chocolate milk shake at 10:30. I bought a quarter pounder and a double cheeseburger for the road. I found out that my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I was not hungry all day until dinner time. I ate the quarter pounder so I still have a double cheeseburger left over. That will be my lunch for tomorrow.

I'm in a cheap hotel in Atkins, VA, where I had a very low pressure shower and did laundry. Boy, was I stinky. Tomorrow, I'll eat a real breakfast of bacon and eggs. My usual trail breakfast is poptarts and an oatmeal pie. A real breakfast will be a treat.

Is summer here yet?



Curtis
Sent from my iPhone

New trail name: Eagle

I changed my trail name in celebration of reaching the 500 mile point. Elwood just didn't seem to fit. My new trail name is Eagle.  The Eagle symbolizes strength and pride (among other things).  It is also the symbol for the rank I wore for the last 5 years of my military career. 

Curtis

May 14, Big mile day

Mile 530.7, Mount Rogers Visitor Center

I hiked 23 miles today. That's my PR to date. Who's your daddy?

The trail was nice with few rocks and it didn't have many big climbs and descents. That makes a big difference on how the hiker feels and the distance a hiker can go. I felt much more fatigued yesterday because of the rocks than today even though I hiked 7 miles further. At one point the trail opened up into a beautiful meadow. I will post pictures when I can. 

Curtis

May 13, What a day!

Mile 507.6, Fox Creek

Freezing Temps

Highest point in Virginia

Ponies

Long horns

Over 500 miles

Rocks

The temperature in my tent this morning was 33 degrees. Will Spring ever arrive?!  It was chilly and windy most of the day. 

I went by the highest point in Virginia, Mount Rogers, at 5,490'. The peak is actually 5,729' but the AT did not summit it. 

Wild ponies were over the peak and into Grayson Highlands State Park. It was interesting to see these ponies just wandering around up there. They were put there by the Forest Service to keep the vegetation from taking over. A herd of about 8 came right up to me. I'll post pictures when I can. 

On the other side of the mountain were Longhorn cattle. I haven't see those since I was in Texas. 

Another milestone was reached today...I now have over 500 miles behind me. 

The trail was very rocky today. Hiking on rocks is very fatiguing to the feet, the knees, and to your legs in general. I'm glad that portion is behind me. 

Curtis

May 12, Whitetop Mountain

Mile 490.6, Elk Garden

The temperatures turned cold again as I crested Whitetop Mountain. Tomorrow I climb Mount Rogers, the highest peak in Virginia. Ponies are the highlight of this area. I saw one this evening. I hope to get a few pictures tomorrow.



Curtis
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May 11, Damascus VA

Mile 474.1

I camped about 2 miles outside of Damascus on purpose so I could get into town and take care of a few errands and also satisfy my cravings. My first stop was breakfast where I ate a ham/cheese/mushroom/onion omelet and a short stack of blueberry pancakes, and a few cups of coffee, of course. I then purchased a new backpack that is much lighter than my current one. I had it mailed home so in 2 weeks when I'm home for Memorial Day weekend I can swap everything out and hopefully lose about 10 pounds from my my pack. I then took a shower and then did laundry. After that I had a big hamburger, resupplied, and hit he trail. Blue Blaze Cafe was awesome. My waitress, Ashley, did a great job. 

Curtis

May 10, Into Virginia

Mile 464.8

Reaching Virginia is another major milestone. Virginia makes up the longest stretch of the AT. It was raining heavily when I crossed the border but managed to get a decent picture of myself taken by a fellow hiker. I got soaked...that makes day 4 of getting rained on. 

Curtis

1,717.3 to go

More AT flowers

Curtis
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May 9, Watauga Lake

Mile 444.6

I had a nice view of Watauga Lake most of the day as I climbed from 2,084' to 4,118'. Once I got to the top, it was smooth sailing from there. I got 18 miles in today.

Tomorrow I should make it into VA and almost to Damascus, VA. There, I plan to eat a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. After breakfast I'll seek a shower and laundry, and stock up on food. On my way out of town I will eat a hamburger and drink a milkshake. I crave hamburgers more than any other food. I can't wait to eat my next one. Yummy!

May 8, Pond Mountain Wilderness

Mile 426.8, Watauga Lake

Pond Mountain Wilderness was gorgeous. I believe that is my favorite section of the AT so far. The gorges were deep and narrow, the river was beautiful, and the forest burst with green. Laurel Falls was amazing. I would post pictures but my cell signal isn't strong enough.

Parts of the trail are washed out near Watauga Lake. They rerouted us down a road for about a half mile. I had to bushwack a couple times to skirt the high waters of the lake. But I finally made it to my campsite. It was raining again so day 2 of setting up in the rain. I pray for dryness and sunshine so I can dry out all my gear.



Curtis
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May 7, Over 400 miles behind me

Mile 411.5

I had a great hike today. The weather was perfect for hiking, the trail was in good shape, and I had 2 days of rest. I made 20 miles.

At the end of the day, it started to rain so I had to hastily put up my tent and get everything inside. Things got a little wet but not too bad. I didn't make it to my water source so that will be my first stop tomorrow morning. I have a liter of water so I'll be good to go.



Curtis
Sent from my iPhone

May 6, Zero days

I'm on day 2 of zero days. I'm staying at the Roan Mountain B&B. Ann and Steve are wonderful hosts. I highly recommend this B&B if you can afford it. I'm on day 2 because of the rain. It rained all day yesterday and the forecast called for rain all day today. BUT, it stopped raining this morning and turned into a beautiful day. Thunderstorms are forecasted for this afternoon. We'll see if that pans out. It's nice to have the rest, but it's kind of disheartening to waste a good weather day not hiking.

I met Rocketman a few days ago and we've been hiking at about the same rate since then. He has a lot of hiking experience as well as mountaineering and other outdoor expertises. He summited Mount Denali a few years ago and has also hiked parts of the Pacific Crest Traill and the Colorado Trail. He offered to look at my backpacking equipment. I readily took him up on the offer. He gave me some great advice for reducing my weight. The main item was to get a new pack. He has about 20 packs at home. He is hiking the AT with a ULA pack, an ultralight pack. The company is based out of Logan, UT. I looked them up and called the company today. It looks like the Circuit would fit my needs. I would lose almost 5 pounds by exchanging my current pack with that one. Other suggestions he made were to reduce my cold weather gear by getting rid of duplicate items. He also suggested using Gatorade bottles instead of my Platypus water bladder. I could lost about a half pound by doing that. I think I can drop about 10 pounds with all his suggestions and the reduction due to upcoming warm weather. It is going to get warm this summer, isn't it?!

Trail Flowers

Curtis
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