Pamola's Quest - Push 12 - The Push to Daleville - Part 2

The Push to Daleville, VA (Push 12) - Part 2

The last part of this Push wasn't going to be too hard.  I was once again in familiar territory and would be in town in two days.  I was looking forward to my first zero of the Phase and the rest and recharge it would give me.

Day 400 - 20.4 miles - Near Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Day 401 - 18.5 miles - Laurel Creek Shelter
Day 402 - 13.9 miles - VA 621 campsite
Day 403 - 15.3 miles - Four Pines Hostel
Day 404 - 16.3 miles - Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Day 405 - 9.4 miles - Daleville, VA
Day 406 - 0.0 miles - Zero Day in Daleville

The Knob and the Cliffs

We were on a farm and farms have roosters, so at 0445 I first heard him crowing.  He was far down the hill, so not too loud, but I was still up and getting ready pretty early.   

My barn mates headed out even earlier.  After a visit to the hostel to get the morning going, I headed back down the road to the trail.  The first part of the day was nice.  There were no big climbs that weren't switchbacked and I arrived at the 311 parking lot where LoGear and I had started our hike a few years ago and took a nice break.  

As I checked out the map, I saw that there is a fire road that parallels the trail up to a point.  Since I had already hiked the trail there and was always looking for new experiences, I decided to follow the road up to where it crossed the trail.  It made for a little easier start and I avoided the burnt section that had caught fire a month or so earlier.  

The climb was steady though, no matter where I was walking it and I just took my time until I was at the overlook.  I had passed a couple hikers named Down Hill and White Sands on the way up and as I ate lunch at McAfee Knob we talked a bit.  They were slowly doing the trial in a nobo fashion.  Each year, they would pick up where they left off and continue on for a few days.  Down Hill took a photo of me on the knob with my phone.  I had to edit out the day hikers nearby, but it came out good enough.  

Iconic photo that everyone takes

I continued on.  Next was a ridge walk that continued to climb up to Tinkers Cliffs.  My guide mentioned a trail that may bypass the cliffs and head directly to the shelter, but after exploring it for a bit, I decided to keep following the trail as laid and did the slow climb up to the cliffs. As I made the final climb to the cliffs, I remembered when LoGear and I were hiking up this hill in 2013 and a Hiker came passing us like we were standing still.  I had my trail legs, but for me, they just give me more stamina, not much speed.  I'm perfectly happy going at my own easy pace. 

Along the way I took a break with a woman from Australia, who I had been hiking around for several days.  She had broken a rib a couple weeks ago, so we compared our pain as we rested.  I can't recall here trail name.

When I got to the best part of the cliffs, it was time for a break.  There were a threesome of guys who were out doing the VA Triple Crown and were going to circle around on another trail soon.  We talked a bit and then I moved on.

Looking back at the knob from the cliffs

The last part of the day was pretty easy as I lost all the elevation I had gained and arrived in camp at Lambert's Meadow shelter.  This was where LoGear and I had stayed last time.  I found a spot near where we had set up last time and hung my hammock.  Cruise Control and Tent Sense were at the shelter when I arrived and realized they better get a spot to camp before someone else comes and takes up the spots.  

My first priority when I arrive in camp is to find a spot for my hammock. Everything else is secondary.  Once I have claimed my spot, even if it is just by putting my pack between the two trees, then I can relax.  I don't know if I took a spot they wanted, but it is first come first served out here.  Finding a spot that works for me, is always job #1.  

When they came down, they mentioned that a copperhead was living in the shelter. I went up to check him out and sure enough there was a snakes head sticking out of the stone.  He pulled back when I got close, so I didn't get a real close look, but his head didn't seem the right shape for a poisonous snake.  More like a corn snake.  I wasn't going to test my herpetology, so I just took a photo and headed back to the hammock. 

Shy snake

The stream was close enough to provide a comforting sound as I finished my day and headed for slumberland. 

Town

There was some rain overnight, but everything was dry in the morning.  I felt the pull of town, so I was up and out early.  The short day was pretty easy.  I seem to move along faster when I know the pleasures of town await me.  

A bright morning. Town Day!

Before I knew it, I was coming down the last stretch and I could hear the sound of traffic.  As I came to the road, I saw a smoker cooking at the convenience store across the road.  I went over and took a whiff of the bbq.  It smelt like heaven.   

I went in and bought lunch and then hung out at their tables for about an hour or so.  The Howard Johnson's which I had reserved a room for two nights was just across the road. Around 1300 or so, I went over and checked in.  

After taking a shower and doing some laundry, I called LoGear to catch up and then went for a swim in the pool.  Dinner was at Pizza Hut and the rest of the night I just chilled and watched a few shows on my phone.  

I started to plan the next and final Push of the Phase.  This would be the longest one and I was going to attempt to carry all (or most) of my food.  I always stress a bit when a resupply point isn't right on or within an easy walk of the trail.  Not too many people want to pick up a solo, male, grey bearded, smelly hiker it seems.  My hope was to carry enough to get to the end, but I knew that if I had to, I could hitch into town and get some more food. I just didn't make it a part of the original plan. 

A Lazy Zero Day

This day was all about relaxing, resupplying and just taking it easy.  I didn't take any pictures and even though I didn't walk any AT miles on this day, I wasn't stationary.  The local Krogers was about a half mile down the road and I ended up walking there twice.  I had forgotten to get more coffee on my first trip.  I needs my coffee, even if it is instant.

But the place had some food places too, so I made the best of it.  I also didn't mind walking back and forth.  I'm kinda used to walking a lot and it feels unnatural to not walk at least a couple miles each day.  

During the day, I saw two hikers pass my room and I recognized them as eWolf and Hand Stand, two YouTubers who I had followed for a while before I started hiking.  I knew they were not too far behind and wasn't surprised that they had caught me.  I went out and said hello.

I went and hung out by the pool for a while with the other hikers that I have been moving along with who had also stayed at the motel, then it was back to the room to watch a few more shows and try to sleep in a bed one more night.  My gear was ready to go and I felt refreshed and recharged.  One final Push remained.

Push 13

Push 13 would be 133.8 miles and would take me ten days to complete.  Carrying that much food makes for a heavy pack and leaving town almost always means climbing back up to a ridge.  I was ready for the challenge, but knew that I could change the plan if I had to.  That's what I love about being out here.  Even though you are walking amongst the stone, roots and dirt, nothing is set in stone and can be adjusted as conditions dictate or permit.  It's a freedom that is sometimes eluding in the Other World.  


Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

Pamola's Quest - Push 12 - The Push to Daleville - Part 1

The Push to Daleville, VA (Push 12) - Part 1

It was day 400 since I had started this Quest and time to head out of town. The first two days of the Push would be long days, followed by a couple not so long days and ending with my first and only zero of the Phase.  LoGear and I had already hiked the last 20 miles or so of this Push, so I would be ending up in familiar territory. The Push would be 93.8 miles and would take me six days to finish.

Day 400 - 20.4 miles - Near Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Day 401 - 18.5 miles - Laurel Creek Shelter
Day 402 - 13.9 miles - VA 621 campsite
Day 403 - 15.3 miles - Four Pines Hostel
Day 404 - 16.3 miles - Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Day 405 - 9.4 miles - Daleville, VA
Day 406 - 0.0 miles - Zero Day in Daleville

Closed Shelter?

The night in the bed confirmed that I sleep much better in my hammock. What can you do?  I packed up and headed to Hardees for another breakfast.  I got back to the trail and passed the factory which is the life's blood of the town.  I think they make cigarette filters or something.  

After passing a deer who basically ignored me I continued on slowly climbing up the ridge.  I stopped for lunch at Rice Field shelter at the top of the ridge for lunch and the sky had cleared enough to provide a decent view of the valley. 

Pearisburg

After getting water, Calves caught up to me and we hiked together for quite a while.  I normally can't keep up with other hikers, but he either slowed down for me or the trail was good enough to allow me to move faster.  We passed the much protested pipeline project that is causing all kinds of ruckus in that area with someone pole sitting in protest somewhere nearby.  We saw a sign to that effect as we moved along.  It generated some good conversation.

When we came to a steep ascent, I fell behind and that was good.  I really am a solo walker, preferring my own company to trying to keep a conversation going.  

I had planned a 20.4 mile day and was able to accomplish that. My endpoint was a shelter that was listed as closed.  The reason for the closure was that there were standing dead trees that were a hazard.  I had also heard that those offending trees had been dropped, but were still laying in place.  When I arrived, I confirmed that all the dead, dangerous trees were peacefully sleeping on the ground and I found a nice spot nearby where I was able to disperse camp.  I set up and a little later a couple came in and found a spot for their tent.  They were Kaleidoscope and Big Tuna.  

We ate dinner at the shelter table and retired to our sleeping places.  I felt good after the long day and was hoping I could do something similar the next day.  

Another Fall - AT 1, Trekking Pole 0

I lived through the night and actually slept pretty good.  It was my Bride's birthday and I was hoping to be able to wish her a happy day sometime during the day.  This would cause a lot of anxiety as the day went along and a signal eluded me.

Some nice trail with an interesting mossy border

After finishing a climb that left me feeling sluggish and tired, I slipped on a rocky section and fell onto my right pole, breaking it on the upper section.  After my shoulder pain subsided, I packed the broken pole away and asked the Trail to provide me with a replacement until I could replace the broken pole down the trail somewhere.  The woods are full of sticks and with 30 minutes or so I was stepping over a branch that had fallen across the trail.  I broke off a decent sized piece and continued on.  It was wet and muddy, so when I came to a stream, I cleaned it off and stripped off some of the bark.  The Trail had provided.

Death of a Trekking Pole

All day long, I was checking for signal so I could text LoGear a happy birthday wish.  Every time I checked, I had nothing.  Usually I can get a bar or two of roaming, which is usually all I need to send out a text.  Not today.  

I was contemplating stopping early at a campsite, but I had to climb a mountain first.  As I was heading up, I stopped for a rest and found that I had some signal.  Not enough to call, but good enough to text.  This gave me the inspiration I needed to finish the day as planned.  I would just imagine LoGear up ahead of me and worked to catch her until I arrived at the shelter.  

It was a hard day and what we call out here a bad day, but there is also a saying out there to "not quit on a bad day."  Today I didn't quit.  

There were a decent amount of hikers at the shelter and we had some good conversation.  I learned the names of two more hikers I had been hiking around, Scissors and Papa Bear and another guy Jake the Dog, who had a whole jar of weed that he was constantly smoking.  Scissors and I traded some condiments.  She needed something salty and my powdered mix of everything fit the bill and she was carrying pesto, which was a great addition to my dinner ramen.  

A Shorter Day and Some Good Rest

After two long days, it was time for a shorter one.  I slept pretty good, but was in no hurry to get going.  I was still out before 0800 though.  The day's trail wasn't too easy.  There were some steep climbs and a lot of rocky trail.  I just took my time and made my way along the trail, cursing uselessly at the rocks, but following the trail where it ran.

Today's landmark was the Keefer Oak, a very large, old oak right on the trial.  Box Turtle was there when I came by and we talked a bit.  I took a break after that and he moved on.  

Keefer Oak

Around lunch time, I needed water.  There was a nice spring at Sarver Hollow shelter, but it was a steep climb down about .3 or .4.  There were a lot of switchbacks, so the only way to get it done was to walk down.  Kaleidoscope and Big Tuna were there when I arrived.  Big Tuna had taken the walk down.  I dropped my pack and headed down myself.

When I came back up, Papa Bear arrived.  There had been a pack cover hanging in the tree near where I had set up last night that someone else had left behind and he had thought it was mine and brought it along.  I told him it wasn't mine and offered to carry it to the next hiker box, but he declined and took it himself.  

The area I was walking through today used to be farmland.  The farmers here did something I had never seen before with all the rocks they pulled out of the field during their plowing.  Usually a wall is formed along the field edge as the rocks are gathered.  These farmers made several cairns or rock piles with their rocks.  There were dozens of them all through the forest as I walked along.  It was interesting.  

Interesting rock cairns

After crossing another landmark, the Eastern Continental Divide, I arrived at Niday shelter.  This was my original destination for the day, but it was still early and I still had some gas in the tank, so I set up my hammock and took a nice rest, then ate my dinner before continuing on.  

Birds nest in a registration box

I went about another 1.5 miles and came to some of the other hikers who were set up.  I was thinking of moving on to the other side of the creek where there were supposed to be some more campsites, but found some decent trees and set up there instead of taking the chance of not finding a decent spot up the trail.  At least I shortened tomorrows hike by a little.  

I cleaned up in the creek and snuggled into my hammock to the relaxing sound of the babbling brook named Craig Creek.

Dragon's Tooth and Four Pines

It was raining in the morning and I did most of my packing up under the tarp.  I headed out before any of the others were up and the rain finished as I started out. 

The trail crossed the creek and wound through the flat land before heading up the mountain.  I passed the area that would have been my goal yesterday and it looked like there were plenty of nice spots.  There were even a couple of hikers there.  I passed an older couple who were sitting by the trail and I said hi and continued on.  

The walk up the mountain was pretty easy.  The trail was wide and rockless and there were plenty of switchbacks along the way.  I figured the reason it was so nice is that I would be passing the Audie Murphy memorial soon.  

There was a nice bench at the top of the mountain and I took a break.  Flex, the guy from the couple I had seen below came up and we talked a bit, his wife is Curly Turtle.

Audi Murphy Memorial

I stopped at the memorial to pay my respects then continued on.  The rest of the day was a steady series of climbs that ended at the Dragon's Tooth.  The first of the VA Triple Crown.  As I was checking out the rock formation, a little rain began.

Another 100 miles down

Dragon's Tooth 

I started down the other side and the trail immediately became very technical.  Lots of hand over hand and drops that you had to negotiate.  I was worried that my shoulder was going to hinder me, but I was able to make it just fine.  

I have heard a lot of people talk about the Dragon's Tooth and never have I heard them mention how hard the nobo climb down is.  After about .8 or so, there was a sign leading me to believe that the hard part was done, but the trail kept going over rocky, climby stuff and after a while, I was tired of it.

But I continued on until the trail finally came to a road, because that is what you do out here.  When the going gets tough, the tough just keep going. 

I walked up the road, seeing DNA and SlackRack camping by the road, but I was heading for the Hostel.  I arrived and headed up to the garage that is the hostel.  Joe, the owner was there and he pointed me to the barn up the hill where I could hang my hammock out of the weather.  

Outside the hostel, was a barrel that had trekking pole parts in it and right away I found the very piece I needed to fix my pole.  I liberated it and went to set up.  The barn was perfect, with large posts the perfect distance apart where I was able to put up my hammock.  There were outlets and a roof over our head.  Two other hikers stayed up there with me.  They were Cruise Control and Tent Sense.  

I went down to the Hostel to hang out a bit and there were quite a few hikers there.  Jake the Dog had decided to get off trail and him and a couple other hikers called an Uber and went to a hotel.  They left a lot of food behind.  We figured that the climb down from the Tooth was what made Jake decide to get off.  It was just too much for him.  

Joe lets the hikers use his vehicles and me, Scissors, Papa Bear and Box Turtle all went to The Home Place for dinner.  This place is amazing.  It is basically a house looking place. You sit at a table and they keep bringing you food until you say no more.  Four hungry hikers can eat a lot of food.  The place seemed really busy, but we were seated immediately.  I guess they are used to the smelly hikers coming in.  No one seemed phased by our presence.  

A Home Place cooked meal, Yum

On the way back we stopped at a nearby gas station/convenience store and did a small resupply.  I would be in Daleville in a couple days, so I didn't need a lot.  I grabbed a shower in the makeshift bathroom and headed up to my hammock, feeling good and ready to continue on with the Push.

Setup in a barn

Next

Stay tuned as I finish this Push.  The next day I would enter trail that LoGear and I have already hiked, but it would cover the iconic McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs, the other two parts of the VA Triple Crown.  


Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

Pamola's Quest - Push 11 - The Push to Pearisburg - Part 2

The Push to Pearisburg, VA (Push 11) - Part 2

The last three days of the Push had some interesting happenings. Falling, inch worms and more good cooked food. Ending the Push early in the day with the promise of a dry, soft bed and the relaxation of a town stop made everything worth it.

Day 393 - 14.7 miles - Knot Maul Shelter
Day 394 - 10.8 miles - Walker Gap camp
Day 395 - 17.6 miles - View to West
Day 396 - 14.8 miles - Jenny Knob Shelter
Day 397 - 14.6 miles - Wapiti Shelter
Day 398 - 15.4 miles - Spring campsite
Day 399 - 2.4 miles - Pearisburg, VA

Pizza and Waterfalls

Shoulder hurts, blah, blah, blah. Just put this at every morning's sentence. I was getting tired of mentioning it, but also starting to get used to the constant pain. At least I could hike. As long as I didn't fall again, I would be ok. Oh well,

The shelter area was pretty crowded overnight. I counted eight tents around the full shelter. I packed up, ate breakfast, waited in line to use the privy and headed out.

I came upon Snoboat and Grey Goose a short ways up the trail. They were camped at the same place as the foursome, who seem to always move on from the shelter to the next campsite. I guess they don't like staying in the shelter area. Snoboat was still hurting. A toothache is the worst thing I think to have out here.

The mornings terrain was easy and before too long I crossed a bridge over Kimberling Creek and headed down the road with Fungi to Trent's Grocery. Originally my plan was to resupply here and maybe stay the night where they allow free camping, but the pickings were slim in the store and I didn't see any good trees in their "yard" to hang from.

Bridge over Kimberling Creek

They had hot food though and I ordered a pizza and a bought a few other snack and drink items and hung out in front while I dried some of my clothes. There was a dog hanging out who must get fed a lot by hikers. She had an impressive begging routine. Of course, I gave here a bit of my pizza.

Beggar

I saved some of my pizza to pack out for dinner and headed back down the road. After walking a couple miles there was a side trail to Dismal Falls. I headed down that way for another refreshing foot soak and to enjoy the rushing water. I also had to change my socks. My toe socks, which seemed to work great for preventing blisters on other hikes, seemed to now aggravate them. I think they just don't work as well when wet. Double Darn Toughs would be my new go to.

Dismal Falls

I saw Chill, one of the foursome, meditating at the falls. I also talked to Feathers, a woman I had been seeing the last couple days.

Chill chillin'

A few more miles and I was rolling into the shelter area. I set up and hung out at the shelter, eating my pizza. There were sprinkles falling every once and a while, but nothing too heavy. Before too long, it was time to retire to the hammock and end the day.  I had good signal, so I called one of the motels in Pearisburg and took the last room available.
  

Young buck checking out our camp

Inchworms Everywhere

I had a surprise visitor overnight. After tossing and turning for a while and getting out to pee, I was having trouble getting back to sleep. I opened my eyes and saw a mouse climbing on the outside of my bug net. I think he was trying to get to my food, which rests on my shelf, right by my head. I gave him a whop and he fell to the bottom of the net, one more hit and he was gone. I guess I was closer to the shelter than I thought.

The trail can get rocky here in VA too

A thunder storm had rolled through overnight, but the morning was just drippy. I noticed a few inchworms crawling around my tarp as I packed up. I thought it was no big deal.

As I walked along, I would encounter an inch worm hanging on its silk thread from time to time. They were becoming more abundant. I rolled into Docs Knob Shelter for lunch. There were three maintainers there and they had brought magic in the form of apples and cold sodas. I enjoyed one of each and talked to the three for awhile. Calves and Goldilocks (another Dane) came in later and also mentioned the inchworms. We had to actually pick a few off of each other that had gathered in our hair and on our hats.

After thanking the angels at least three times, I continued on. My goal was a campsite near a spring that would be pretty close to town, making tomorrow's hike really short. As I moved along the trail, the inchworms became more and more numerous. They were up above, they were hanging down, they were in the bushes near the trail, they were everywhere.  From time to time, I had to stop and pull dozens of them off my pants where they had hitched a ride from the bushes.  

Shelter maintainers/Angels

The day was coming to an end.  I was walking along the top of the ridge and the wind had picked up.  It seemed that a storm was approaching.  I wanted to get into camp and set up before the rain so I was going as fast as I could.  Of course, I ended up slipping and falling, sending some nice fresh pain through my shoulder, but I continued on and arrived at the inchworm infested campsite just ahead of the rain.  

I set up, debugged and retreated into my hammock to get away from the critters.  I had a cold, but good dinner of mayo, bacon bits and cheese on a tortilla.  A couple others came in and had to set up in the rain, but it was all good.

A Well Earned Rest in Town

My pack usually stays outside my hammock, on the ground under my tarp.  It sits on my plastic ground cloth and is usually just fine being out there.  In the morning I could see hundreds of inchworms attached to my pack, doing their little dance.

I spent at least 30 minutes in the morning picking inchworms off my gear.  Another bonus was my tarp was covered in inchworm shit. I tried to clean it off as best as I could with my bandanna, rinsing off downstream of the spring.  I didn't linger to make coffee or eat breakfast.  Town was only 2.4 miles away.  

I headed out of the infested area.  As I got lower, the inchworms stopped being everywhere.  I stopped to move off trail and do my second cat hole of the Phase and saw Calves and Goldilocks passing.  We all walked into town together, down the road.

View from the road into Pearisburg

Our first stop was Hardees for some breakfast, then we moved to DQ for a blizzard.  I went my own way to walk through town and do a few chores as it was still too early to check into the motel.  I stopped at the post office and picked up a box.  I had a few things to send home. 

There was a small outfitter and I bought a 2018 AWOL Guide.  The 2017 I had was working, but the small differences in mileage markers was annoying at times, so I upgraded.  I cut the book up, keeping the small section I needed and sent the rest home along with my pack cover, pant legs and toe socks.

I went into the Rite-Aid and bought LoGear a birthday card.  I was alone and on the trial during her last Bday and would repeat that again this year.  My mistress (The AT) is a demanding girl.  

I went to the motel, still a little early and asked if I could check in and just dump my pack in the room.  They were cool with that and I just sat outside, drying my shoes and talking to a couple other hikers until the maid finished her cleaning and I could dirty it up again.

I took my tarp into the shower and cleaned the rest of the shit off of it and got myself clean too.  I gathered my clothes and took them to the lady at the desk and she washed them for me.  A brave woman.

I did some planning for the next Push and called LoGear as my clothes got cleaned and then headed out again to drop off my box at the post office and then resupply at the local Food Lion, which was right across the street.  

When those chores were done, I headed down to Angels Rest Hostel to see if they had a book I could "borrow".  On the way down, I saw Odie's bus and stopped to chat a bit, then continued on.  

At the Hostel, I talked to a nice woman named Commando and she let me have a book and also showed me their hiker box, which I looked through.  All I had to do to earn the book was tell her my favorite quote from the trail.  I picked one I have made up myself. "Even your worst day on the trail will be a story you will tell later."  

The next stop was an AYCE Chinese restaurant for some dinner.  After filling myself, I headed back to the room and had a nice night in a real bed.  

Push 12

A new Push would start in the morning. I would leave town recharged and ready to do another 93.8 miles to Daleville.  This Push would include the Virginia Triple Crown of Devil's Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs.  


Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

Pamola's Quest - Push 11 - The Push to Pearisburg - Part 1

The Push to Pearisburg, VA (Push 11) - Part 1 

I continued on alone as my hiking partners headed home.  I would have the freedom to hike as only I wanted to, but I would miss the companionship that I had enjoyed for the last week.  This Push would cover 90.3 miles and take 6.2 days to complete.  

Day 393 - 14.7 miles - Knot Maul Shelter
Day 394 - 10.8 miles - Walker Gap camp
Day 395 - 17.6 miles - View to West
Day 396 - 14.8 miles - Jenny Knob Shelter
Day 397 - 14.6 miles - Wapiti Shelter
Day 398 - 15.4 miles - Spring campsite
Day 399 -  2.4 miles - Pearisburg, VA

Alone Within the Crowd

After an OK nights sleep with my shoulder waking me up from time to time, we arose, showered, ate a good breakfast and Dilly Dilly took me back to the trail.  He dropped me off and turned around as I started down the road which passes under Rt 81.  I felt a bit of emotion as I started out.  I was excited to be alone, but I knew that before too long, the solitude of being alone, would ripen into a loneliness that would be crushing from time to time.  

I took a deep breath, waved to DD as he entered the highway and started walking.  Before too long, I was walking through some grassy meadow and I was extra careful on any muddy parts I encountered.  I didn't want to fall again, (but knew I probably would), so I slowed down when I saw mud and became more deliberate in my foot placement.  

I passed some cows who gathered together across a small creek and watched me as I walked along the trail.  The day was becoming beautiful.

Curious cows

My shoulder and its pain would be a constant mention in my trail journal.  I knew that another bad fall could force me off trail, but I could move along just fine, using my trekking poles and not feeling too much pain as I walked the trail.  I would have to adjust my reaction to slipping down the road and my left trekking pole became a little less effective, but I was comfortable using two and would continue to do so.

The morning went pretty fast, with decent trail and a few other hikers along the way that I would leapfrog during the day's walk.  One group, a foursome, two male, two female, were moving along around me throughout the day.  At lunch I arrived at a bridged stream crossing where the water was almost to the top of the bridge.  I had seen videos of this crossing before and sometimes the water flows over the bridge.  

The water was at the perfect height for a foot soak, so that is exactly what I did.  As I sat there, one of the girls of the foursome came up from behind me.  She asked me if I had lost an iPod and I checked and sure enough my nano had fell out of my pocket as I took my phone out to take a photo.  It would have been a bummer to not have music for the rest of the Phase, but the trail had provided.  As I walked along later, I decided that I would reward the girl the next time I saw her with a nice cosmic brownie.  

Natures foot massage

I got to the shelter fairly early, just before 1600 and found a spot to set up.  Water was a steep climb down to a nice spring.  I hung out at the shelter for a while as other hikers came in.  Some moved on, some stayed.  My hammock was through the Rhody, out of sight from the shelter, so I brought my food bag with me when I was hanging out at the shelter. I may sleep with my food, but I know better than to leave it unattended and out of sight.

But before too long, it was time to retire to the floating bed and rest my bones, write some notes, plan the next day and sleep like the dead.  

Camping with Myself  

I was up and ready to go early after a decent night's sleep.  There was an old guy there, Turtle 77 I think, (I have lost my list of hiker trail names), who was bouncing all around the trail, going north and south, moving a vehicle up and down.  He was out nice and early heading south and would approach from the north later on.  

The morning's climb was to a popular shelter, Chestnut Knob.  It was a steady climb, but not too steep.  I didn't take a break until 1000 or so and then another just before the shelter at a water source.  The bullfrogs were croaking at a small pond that the spring fed.

The shelter is at the top of the knob in a meadow.  It is stone and has four walls and a doorway.  There were other hikers hanging out and I found the girl who had found my Ipod and gave her her reward of the cosmic brownie that I had promised myself to give her.  She seemed thankful as every hiker is out there when food is offered.  Her name was Bandito. 

Chestnut Knob Shelter

I rested for a while in the sunshine and just enjoyed the day.  My feet were hurting a bit, so I decided that I would check out a campsite that was only a mile and a half down from the knob.  

Relaxing after lunch on the knob

When I got to the bottom of the hill, I saw a car parked in a small lot with an old man inside.  As I passed I recognized trail legend, Warren Doyle.  I had met him a couple years ago when he did a presentation at the Museum.  I said hello and we talked for a while until I moved on to the campsite that was only a few hundred meters away.

The clearing was nice, an old homestead area that was being reclaimed by the forest.  It still had a good open meadow and I could see lots of old bricks and such where the house had stood.  My first choice of trees along the perimeter didn't work, but I found another that did.  The only problem was a large dead tree standing next to one of my hammock trees.  I got my bear bag line out, threw it up about 15 times until I snagged a knot high up and pulled on the line until the top rotting 15 feet or so tumbled down to the ground.  The rest felt firm enough to last the night and I continued setting up camp.  I made a nice fire in a fire ring and cleaned up with some fresh water from the spring down the old road a ways.  I had the area to myself.  It was peaceful.

Campsite all to myself

Small fire to lighten my spirits

Of course, when you are alone in the woods, you think about the things that go bump in the night, but I had a decent night's sleep, with the exception of my shoulder aching, which is becoming the new normal and was ready to go in the morning.  

A Hammock With a View

I rolled out early in the morning, ready to go.  I had no privy to take advantage of, so I found a nice spot over the hillside and did my morning business.  This was my first cathole of the Phase.  I try to avoid the extra work that they require, but it's all good out here.  You do what you have to, when you need to.

Today's plan was a little loose. I would play it by feel as I went along.  I wanted to get close to the Brushy Mountain Outpost which I had heard has some good food and maybe do some resupply, so the closer, the better.  Even though I had stopped when I needed too yesterday, I still felt that I had wasted a bit of daylight by stopping so early.  Today I would try to make up for that. 

The morning trail was pretty empty except for a couple of maintainers. At lunch I met Great Dane, a young man from Denmark who was out hiking as much trail as he could before having to return to start University.  He reminded me of Firefly, the german guy I had hiked with last year up in New England.  Great Dane was doing insane daily mileage.  I figured I would not see him again, but of course I did, down the trail a ways.

I stopped at Laurel Creek to soak my feet.  The rushing water looked so inviting.  While I was there, another hiker came in to fill his bottles and discovered he had dropped his filter.  He left his pack and headed back to find it.  I sat for awhile relaxing and he didn't return.  When I was ready to leave, I filtered some water into his bottles and left him a note.  

Feels so good

Laurel Creek

The last climb of the day was made easy with switchbacks and as I was approaching a possible campsite, two hikers passed me.  They were taking a break at the campsite, which had a nice view of the valley and mountains and we talked a bit.  They were continuing on, hoping to get to the store before it closed.  I knew I would never make it in time, so I was planning on staying there, hoping to see a nice sunset.  I found two trees and set up.

A couple hikers came by later in the day, one being the guy who had lost his filter.  He had found it and he thanked me for leaving the water.  His name was Freight Train. The other was looking for a campsite.  I told him there was room for him here, but he moved on.

I made dinner and layed in my hammock, enjoying the setting sun and realizing that this was my longest day so far this Phase.  

The view from my hammock

As darkness fell around me, I fell off to sleep, with visions of cooked food dancing in my head.  

Hot Meals and Full Batteries

After another night of enduring my shoulder pain (yes, I realize mentioning this is getting old), I was up early and on the trail. I had a pep in my step as I thought about what I wanted to eat.  

I arrived at the store and dropped my pack outside.  I ordered some breakfast and started pulling things off the shelf for resupply.  I went into the restroom for my morning routine and washed out my shirt and underwear.  I noticed that there were a lot of "do not" signs in the restroom.  "put trash in can", "don't splash water on the floor", "no refilling of water bottles", etc.  I asked the owner and he had some stories to tell.  He has only been open for less than a year and already had had to deal with lazy, sloppy, entitled hikers, hence all the signs.  It's a shame that he has to deal with unthinking hikers.

I made sure I left a clean restroom and asked if I could charge my phone and battery pack. It was all good.  I ate my breakfast and ordered another sandwich to go for lunch.

I looked at the weather and it looked like a storm was headed our way.  I relaxed a while hoping to have it pass by, but nothing really developed.  There were a few sprinkles, but nothing heavy.

I met a couple other hikers, who were trying to get into town and eventually headed out myself.  After some road walking I was back into the woods.  Of course after a while, the rain came and soon I was soaked.  I headed to a nearby shelter, to wring out and eat lunch and when I entered, there were two hikers there.  A couple.

I introduced myself and they asked if I was Coast Guard.  I said I was and the guy was retired CG and his wife was the sister of a guy I had worked with in DC. Someone had mentioned that there was another Coastie in the woods.  We talked about the things we had in common and I asked them about their hike.  Snoboat, the guy, had a tooth problem that he feared was going to pull them off the trail. Grey Goose was his wife.  They had started in GA, but were not sure how much further they were going to go with their problem.  

When the rain slowed, I headed out to finish the day.  I met another guy from Denmark and we walked along a bit until he pulled ahead.  

600 miles for most of the hikers around me, 1,330 for me.

I got to the shelter and set up.  During dinner at the table, I met someone else who knew I was from Pittsburgh.  Seems someone is talking about me out here.  They too were from Pittsburgh and were out for a section I think.  

After dinner it was off to bed, hoping that the next day would bring rain, but prepared to endure it if I had to.  You have no other choice out here.  I'm not one to hole up when the weather turns challenging.  I just try to prepare for it the best I can.

More Fun to Come

I was more than halfway through the Push and doing fine.  I still had some miles to walk and weird things to encounter, but those will be found in the next installment.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of Push 11, coming soon.

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear