More Cold and Snow

I believe this to be the coldest night yet on the trail, possibly in the teens if the weatherman is right. I'm sure our water will be ice by morning. As we climbed Big Bald Mountain, some snow drifts were ankle to calf deep. It's slowing us down, but it should warm up by tomorrow. There is a nice fire crackling. We've been circling it much of the evening, with our damp socks held out over it to dry. I'm comfortable in my sleeping bag as I type this out on my cell phone, so I'm not as worried about the cold weather anymore. Unless I fall in a river.

That giant snowball pictured is one-third of a snowman from last night. It was too cold for anyone to want to finish it. As you use your imagination to picture what the finished product would have looked like, don't forget to picture it awesome, because it would have been.

Caught Up To Red

I caught up with Red! This is him posing so Sixgun and Thumper can see how his beard is coming along. I'm sure they are as upset as me that he isn't allowing his Bob Ross afro to grow in. To have that ability and not use it... I just don't get it.

Soon after meeting Red and the others with him, I realized how much I miss out on when I don't hike in a group. For example, when you are alone and you see a flyer in town for amateur pro wrestling (Iron Cross vs. Scotty Rocker) at a local high school, you keep hiking south. When you are in a group with Red, you go to the store to buy markers and poster board, make signs and a cardboard iron cross, then go to the school pretending to be the world's biggest Iron Cross fans. I saw a video of this. The 5 of them made up 20% of the crowd, but 99% of the noise. They screamed made up slogans, chanted "Iron Cross! Iron Cross!" and yelled at the ref when Scotty Rocker cheated and won the match.

I think I'll stick with them a while and see what else happens.

Goat Info

A cold front has been moving in. And not slowly like when you open a freezer and the cold air pours out. It's more like someone opened a window in an airplane mid-flight. It's not that cold yet, but the wind is so strong it nearly knocks me off my feet. When hiking across Jane Bald (pictured) I hiked at an angle, leaning on the wind, while gusts tried to push me off the trail.

I was happy to see the trail heading into a less windy tunnel of trees, but I had to stop to take a picture of this mailbox first. It wasn't in a place where you'd expect there to be a mailbox, one labeled "Goat Info" or otherwise. I assume there were mountain goats in the area, but I liked it because I know that eventually someone will walk by it while coincidentally pondering a question about goats. They will be walking with their head down and thinking, "I wonder if a goat would make a good pet," or maybe, "Is there a goat heaven?" Imagine how stunned they will be to look up and see this. I can't think of a better reason for it to exist.

I hope this gives you a better idea of the quality of thoughts that go on in a person's head after walking over 1,800 miles.

I'm going into Erwin,TN today to resupply and get a much needed shower. In the morning, I'll climb back up to over 5,000 feet, for more rain, snow, and strong winds.

Hump Mountain

Yesterday was a good day. The views from Hump Mountain and Little Hump Mountain were spectacular, the weather as pleasant as you could hope for in late November, my home last night was an old barn in Yellow Mountain Gap, and someone gave me a free turkey sandwich. A good day indeed, since any one of those things would have made it a good day.

Also, I passed the 1,800 mile mark, which seems like a lot for some reason. I only have 380 miles to go and just about three weeks left. If you're wondering if I'm excited to be nearly done, the answer is no, not really.

I saw in a registry that Red was only three days ahead of me. He was fifteen ahead two months ago, so I'm confident I can catch up. We got separated in mid-August, but we may get to Springer at the same time afterall.

Thanksgiving Saved

This photo taken from Watauga Dam has nothing to do with this post, but it's the only other one I took today with my phone. Anyway, I hiked into Hampton, TN, mostly to resupply for the next four days, but also to find a restaurant open on Thanksgiving. I walked out of the store with my pack weighed down by enough food to get me to Erwin, TN.

"You hiking the trail?" a woman called out.

I went over to talk to her. In our conversation, I mentioned that my next stop was McDonalds. I suppose nothing is sadder than a Thanksgiving McFeast, because she invited me over to eat some of their Thanksgiving leftovers. She was at the store buying zip-loc bags to put the food away, so everything was still on the table. There was so much food, it was hard to believe they fed eight family members before me. I ate a large plateful and finished it off with a generous slice of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream.

To my hosts, thank you for saving me from a fast food thanksgiving for one!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a great sunrise this morning! The low clouds filled the valley like a bowl of mashed potatoes or the whipped cream on top of grandma's peanut butter pie. Alright, so maybe my thoughts this morning are drifting onto the thanksgiving feast with my family that I will miss, and knowing that under the thick blanket of clouds there will be happy overstuffed people sleeping off their gluttony in reclining chairs. As wonderful as that sounds, I'm not jealous. It's hard to feel anything but joy when perched on a rock high above their cloudy sky, which at 4,103 feet was clear, and the sun rose to cast its rays onto a sea of pillowy white vapor. Even without a belly full of peanut butter pie and a lazy afternoon in a food-induced coma, I have plenty to be thankful for today.

That being said, I wouldn't mind it if some left over peanut butter pie happened to find its way to a nearby post office :)

A Fondness For Beetles

Sometimes I fail to get the number of miles in that I plan the morning prior. If not due to stopping in town longer than expected, you can bet it's because I'm stopping for photos. Sometimes I spend a fifteen minutes laying on the ground getting shots of a single bug or amphibian. This guy was right in the middle of the trail. I carefully stepped around him, but had to go back for a photo shoot. 

There are over 350,000 known species of beetles in the world. As a point of comparison, I think there are less than 5,000 known mammalian species, half of which are rodents. Theologians once asked the geneticist and evolutionary biologist, J.B.S Haldane (which should be a household name), "What can be inferred about the mind of the Creator from the works of His Creation. 

J.B.S. Haldane said, "The Creator, if He exists, has an inordinate fondness for beetles".


  
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A Backpacker's Life List by Ryan Grayson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.   

AT Days 139-142: Pearisburg to Bland

I couldn't sleep last night, so I got up at 4 AM to finish the last 13 miles into Pearisburg. 

The wind was strong last night and kept me awake. Tree branches creaked above me and all I could think about was how dead branches got the nickname "widowmakers". 

Anyway, I'm glad I'm up early. The sunrise was beautiful as always and the views today are even better with the low morning fog filling the valleys.

I stayed in a motel last night for a shower and laundry. Someone told me once that staying in a motel was cheating. I disagree. I mean, I need to maintain some measure of personal hygiene out here. The woman running the motel offered to do my laundry, which was great. Now I smell as clean as a common dayhiker. 
When I stepped out of the shower, I happened to catch a glance of myself in the mirror. The weight loss took me back a bit. I look like I'm getting ready to audition for the role of an AIDS patient in some Lifetime movie of the Week. Maybe an exaggeration, but I see ribs, shoulders, and hip bones starting to poke out like Freddy Krueger pushing through the wall in Nightmare on Elm Street. 
I got dressed and immediately went across the street to the all you can eat chinese buffet to gorge. The food was terrible, but I ate what I could. Later, I ordered a large pizza and ate half of it and had the rest for breakfast this morning. Then for lunch, I went to McDonalds, but only managed to eat one McDouble and a hot fudge sundae. I don't seem to have the appetite most thru-hikers have. I never thought I'd ever have to try so hard to GAIN weight.

I stayed in town to eat another meal. I just wanted to be in the mountains before sunset. 

Above Pearisburg, VA

I woke up not expecting snow today, but it didn't last long. My water bottle, that was sitting beside me all night, was full of ice.

I'm in the town of Bland, VA... which, believe it or not, is a place. I planned this stop so soon after Pearisburg so I wouldn't have to carry six days of food. Especially since the weight loss over the past couple months has caused me to carry more food per day. As it happens, carrying a 30 pound backpack up and down mountains for 20 miles every day is one hell of a calorie burner. I looked over the menu on the wall, behind the girl in a blue and black Dairy Queen uniform, trying to decide which was the most calorie filled snack.

"I'll have the Turtle Waffle Bowl Sundae." Simply saying those words outloud made me feel twenty pounds heavier. 
"Would you like the waffle bowl dipped in chocolate?" she asked. 
"Sure," I said, almost shamefully, "Why not?"
It's much smaller in reality than the menu photo suggested. Even still, I'm finding it hard to finish the caramel, whipped cream, and, melted ice cream that has puddled in the bottom. Uhh, now I'm craving healthy food and that's no good.

When you don't stay in a shelter or designated campsite, they call it stealth camping. You may notice that white blaze on the tree my hammock is hanging on. That means I setup camp right on the trail, I didn't have a lot of options as it was well after nightfall when I decided to stop, with steep hill down on one side and a steep hill up on the other. Is this still considered "stealth" camping"?

Foot Bridge

They called it a privy, but where's the "privacy"?

The Grayson Highlands

An old camera phone picture can't do it justice, but I'm sure you already suspect that. I hiked the Grayson Highlands portion of the AT this morning, and now I'm heading up Mount Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia.

I forgot there was an exciting possibility today, until I happened upon a pile of scat. Surely that isn't the first time you heard that phrase today, but in this particular case, it means that I may soon see the wild ponies of the Grayson Highlands! So far I've had no such luck, but the day is young.

The Appalachian Trail: The Hardees Bag

Partnership Shelter
I slept near the Mount Rogers Visitor Center last night, in the attic of the Partnership Shelter. This morning I checked the weather forecast posted on the visitor center bulletin board. The low temperature tonight, at my expected elevation, was nine degrees. Even if I thought I would be warm enough, which I didn't, last night's heavy rain turning to ice would make the rocky climb to the Mount Rogers summit a bit more challenging. Tomorrow will be a little warmer, and by the weekend the lows will be well above freezing. Anyway, I decided to play it safe and hitch to town for the night. 

I figured with the snow blowing around me I'd get sympathy points and an easy hitch. No such luck. Car after car passed by without even a glance at my gloved thumb or snowflake speckled beard.

A beaten down 4x4 passed by. It looked shady, so I wasn't too disappointed. Then suddenly, it slammed on its brakes and slid to a reckless halt. The reverse lights didn't work, but the truck sped toward me in reverse, spitting gravel as the tires fought for traction.

The passenger got out to let me in the backseat. "Need a ride, bud?" 

He struggled with sliding the front seat forward until the driver reached over and did it for him. 

"There ya go, hop in," the driver said. He was covered head to foot in camouflaged clothing. "Sorry 'bout the mess. I purdy much live in this truck." A strange thing people with messy vehicles say, since nobody ever uses that excuse for a messy apartment. I set my pack on some trash and climbed into the backseat. 

"Don't worry 'bout him," he said, referring to the black pit bull sitting bolt upright and staring at me from the other side of the bench seat. "He don't bite. Least I don't think he does," he added with a chuckle. The dog put his front paws in my lap then licked my face as if to reassure me that he doesn't.

We peeled out onto the road and headed toward town. The driver used every bit of his lane, swerving back and forth, as he searched for his cigarette lighter. The dog gave up trying to keep his balance while standing or sitting and so plopped down on my lap. I scratch him behind the ears. He was much sweeter than he looked and loved the attention.

"Now ur gonna smell like a dog when you get tah town," the driver said.

"Oh that's fine," I said. "It'll probably be an improvement."

"Hope ya don't mind, but we gotta make a quick stop. I'll take you into town after that," he said then turned to make sure his friend didn't mind going all the way into town. We pulled up next to a car that was parked in front of an abandoned business.

"If you weren't planning on going further I can get out here and try to get a hitch the rest of the way," I said.

"Naw, it's alright man. Ain't nobody gonna pick you up 'round here. Nothing but dicks in this town man."

His friend got out and walked to the passenger-side window of the parked car. They passed him something in a plastic bag through the window. The bag was from the Hardees fast food chain, but I suspected it may have contained something other than hamburgers.

"Man, I put a ton of money into this truck," the driver said to make conversation while his friend talked to the guys in the other car. The truck idled hard then relaxed repeatedly like an asthmatic chain smoker trying to catch his breath after a hundred-meter dash. With each breath, the hatch door, with a trash bag for a window, rattled loudly. I thought to myself, "A lot of money? You wouldn't know it to look at it." 

"I know it doesn't look like it," he added. "But I put a new engine in it, transmission. And then I had tah get cheap when buyin' these tires. I regret it now. Use tah be able tah stop on a dime wit my old tires. They had tread on 'em like this." He held his thumb and index finger up spaced two inches apart. "See, in Virginia you have tah get yur vehicles inspected. Ain't no way this thang'll ever pass inspection, but I got some buddies that own garages, see.  One of 'em told me if I buy these tires he'd give me this sticker," he tapped on his windshield at a "Passed Inspection" sticker. "You know, without makin' sure all the lights work and all that."

The friend got back in the truck with his Hardees bag and we got back on the road. They asked me questions about the hike for the rest of the drive to the hotel. 

"Do a lotta people smoke weed on the trail?" the driver turned to asked. The stoplight in front of him turned red. He slammed on his breaks and grimaced while sucking air through his clenched teeth. "Man, I do not trust these tires." 

"I've seen a few people smoking, yeah." I said, thinking about the contents of the Hardees bag. 

"That's the only way I could ever make it," the passenger said. He reached in the bag and pulled something out.

"Want one?" he said to the driver. To my surprise, he held out a Hardees hamburger.

And that's how I got to my hotel and out of the cold for the night. I still wonder if it was just hamburgers, but I'm warm and safe, so that's all that matters. You gotta love hitchhiking. I'll be back on the trail in the morning.

Dreams

I setup my camp near Crawfish Trail. It was warm enough for shorts, even at night, but I collected firewood anyway. There is something comforting in a campfire that goes far beyond mere warmth. Water has been harder to find lately. Many creeks and springs have dried up. Near my campsite, however, cold drinkable water flows. There is no need to ration. 

I'm lying next to the crackling fire with points of bright starlight shining through a high canopy of leafless branches. Unlike the last few weeks, it's a warm night. I'm not bundled up in thermals, gloves, or a sock hat. Nor am I sunken into a sleeping bag pulled up and cinched over my head. I don't even have hand warmers tucked into my socks. Instead, I'm on my back with my sleeping bag unzipped and opened above my waist. 

These combined elements have put me in a ridiculously good mood. In fact, you wouldn't be wrong in using the word, giddy. I feel so lucky to be right here, right now. 

Later that night, I dreamed a familiar dream. One similar to others I've had since I left for this trip. One where I'm back home going through the old mundane routine of my pre-hike life. The events in the dreams are never the same, but the feeling is. I feel completely out of place and desperate to get back to the trail. I wake up the same way each time. I look around at the outdoors and realize I'm still on the AT, then with a satisfied grin on my face, I go back to sleep. 

In all honesty, that feeling of being out of place wasn't an uncommon one before leaving for the hike, but now there is an important difference. For the first time in my life, my old dream has become my reality and my old reality is just a dream.

Bland

I'm in the town of Bland, VA... which, believe it or not, is a place. I planned this stop so soon after Pearisburg so I wouldn't have to carry six days of food. Especially since the weight loss over the past couple months has caused me to carry more food per day. As it happens, carrying a 30 pound backpack up and down mountains for 20 miles every day is one hell of a calorie burner. I looked over the menu on the wall, behind the girl in a blue and black Dairy Queen uniform, trying to decide which was the most calorie filled snack.

"I'll have the Turtle Waffle Bowl Sundae." Simply saying those words outloud made me feel twenty pounds heavier.

"Would you like the waffle bowl dipped in chocolate?" she asked.

"Sure," I said, almost shamefully, "Why not?"

It's much smaller in reality than the menu photo suggested. Even still, I'm finding it hard to finish the caramel, whipped cream, and melted ice cream that has puddled in the bottom. Uhh, now I'm craving healthy food and that's no good.