Wimpification of the Appalachian Trail
During my recent hike on the Appalachian Trail I thought a good bit about how it has changed since I thru-hiked it in 1979. Some of these changes are for the better, some for the worse. On this recent trip I only hiked the Read More
Day 37: A.T. Hike Ends
I was tent camped near the Abingdon Gap Shelter last night. I arrived just at dark to find a group of 20 something southbound thru-hikers there. They got up at 5am and, like 20 something thru-hikers, they made no attempt to be quiet as Read More
Day 36: The Road To Damascus
I cruised today, along the ridge line of Iron Mtn. No major climbs, just lots of small 200 to 400 feet climbs and descents, staying around 3500 feet elevation. I passed the Nick Grindstone monument. In 1979 my Uncle Bob and his mate Carl Read More
Day 35: Watauga Lake
From my campsite along Laurel Fork the day started with a 2000 foot climb up Pond Mtn then back down to Watauga Lake, a big TVA lake. There was a picnic area with a spigot that I washed under. I cleaned myself and some Read More
Day 34: Laurel Fork Falls
I slept well last night, having the shelter to myself. The terrain today was different than most of the previous trail. I was at elevations of 3200 to 3500 feet most of the day. Lots of streams. At the end of the day was Read More
Day 33: Over The Hump
I went over the Hump today. Hump Mtn that is. I was taking down camp before first light when Snacks and Temper, the lovely couple from two nights ago, came past. I passed them while they were getting water apparently and they camped just Read More
Day 32: Roan Mountain
Determined to make up for yesterday I once again got an early start. I was walking as soon as it was light enough to see, about 7:30. Most of the morning was a climb ending on Roan Mtn at 6200 feet. There were 5 Read More
Day 31: Chilly Wimp
I was determined to do big miles today. I was up at 6am, took down the tent and made coffee and oatmeal by flashlight. As soon as it was light enough to see I was on my way. The trail was pretty but unremarkable. Read More
Day 30: Late Start
I really wanted to leave early today but it just didn’t work. Clint, one of the hostel staff, told me that Johnny had called and said he would be doing the morning shuttle because he wanted to have breakfast with me. I couldn’t just Read More
Day 29: Dead Phone, Wonderful Hosts
Just after posting blogs last night my Samsung S4 bit the dust. It had been flaky for some time but reformatting the cache area seemed to fix things for a few weeks at a time. Not this time. Even a factory reset Read More
