Tennessee and Virgina state line.jpg

Tennessee and Virgina state line.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 32: Well we made it to Damascus! We hiked at tough 25.9 miles today. My feet and legs definetly are feeling it. We are 461.1 miles from Springer & 1715.1 miles from Katahdin.

Also we knocked out another state today. Tennesse is finished, so 3 down and 11 more to go. Unfortunetly Virginia has over 550 miles long, so we will be here for awhile.

We are on our way to the Boggs' super deluxe hostel in Bristol. I cant wait for another shower and home cooking! Plus, I will get to go to church tomorrow! Yeah.

In the picture is me on the state line marker.

Happy birthday G-knee!

Shepherd.

Minature Shelter.jpg

Minature Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

We came across this shelter about 11.3 miles from Damascus. The funny thing about this shelter was that it was super small. If you can see Dynamite & Cowboy Killer are actually standing up in the shelter and you can only see their body from the chest down cause the entry way is only like 4 ft high. It barely sleeps 2. We found out that this is an emergency shelter, but it wasnt even in the data books. Funny. Well here is what I put in the register at this shelter. Warning: it isnt politically correct. lol.

This shelter was created for the increasing Japanese/Chinese hiking community on the AT or it is the honeymoon love shack for the newlyweds on the trail. Although you couldnt carry your new bride into the shelter. lol.

Well, we all had a good laugh there and got some great pictures. There were also some other good register entries as well.

Shepherd.

One Month Snapshot.jpg

One Month Snapshot.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 31: Well one month of being on the trail is now in the books. Hard to imagine that it has been that long. I thought I would snap a pic of me, so everyone can see my transformation into grizzly adams. Here are some one month stats as I reflect back.

Officially hiked 24.3 miles today, so we are 435.2 miles from Springer & 1741.0 from Katahdin, which averages out to be 14 miles per day.

Shelters: 19
Hostels: 4
Hotels: 4
Tarp: 3
Cowboy: 1
Showers: 8
Laundry: 4
Rain: 7
Snow: 3
Campfires: 11
Poptarts: 62
Snickers: 30
Paydays: 13
Nabs: 14
Pizza slices: 18
Cookies: 10
M&M's: 5
Milkways: 4
Ben & Jerry's: 2
Mayfield Ice cream: 2

Also I had lost 5 pounds by Hot Springs. Down to 162 lbs.

Tomorrow we will hike 25.9 into Damascus to spend the next 2 days with the Boggs' family! Yeah! Thank you. God bless.

Shepherd

PS: Totally understand about being under the weather. Hope you're feeling better, will be praying for you. No problem about Damascus, OK to send to Pearisburg PO. Thanks

Risk at Kincora Hostel.jpg

Risk at Kincora Hostel.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 30: Today was an easy nero day. Officially 9.3 miles, which puts us 410.9 miles from Springer & 1765.3 from Katahdin.

We are at Kincora hostel, which definetly gets 4 stars. Bob Peoples goes out of his way to cater to hikers. Bill plan to stay here. Showered and ate 3 beef n chedders & curly fries at Arby's. Dynamite ate over 3000 cals there! Then we went back to play some Risk! One of the greatest game created. I came out victorious, when all hope looked lost. Then we had some pizza & ice cream for dessert, and I know I am still loosing weight.

Well 2 days til Damascus. Rain in the forecast. Yeah.

Shepherd

Hump Mountain.jpg

Hump Mountain.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 29: Wonderful day for hiking. To God be the glory. This picture is of CJ hiking up Hump Mnt. In the distance you can see little hump mnt & Bradley's gap. This area is by far the most beautiful part of the trail to date. 360 degree views, took lots of pics and some video. Amazing. God's creation is beautiful. Worth the climb over Roan.

Well today we planned on hiking 17.4 miles but when do we listen to reason. We then decided to hike another 3.8 miles to Abby's place hostel. Well found that was closed for 2008, so we decided to hike onwards another 2 miles and camped at hardcore cascades. Officially, we hike 23.2 miles, and 401.6 miles from Springer.

So today we officially said goodbye to NC. 2 states down & 12 more to go. Plus we broke into the 400 mile territory! Yeah.

Then we will take a nero at Kincora hostel to resupply for Damascus push.

Happy birthdaty dad! Love ya!

Shepherd.

Jane Bald.jpg

Jane Bald.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 28: Well today was a beautiful day for hiking. God is great! He is even if it rained today. Wonderful views from Jane Bald and Grassy ridge. Thx Lakewood & PS for the heads up. Took lots of pics!

Officially did 12.9 miles, but that included Roan mnt. Our last 6000 ft mnt till NH. It was tough but not horrible. Did groan a few times though. It is a multi-tear mnt, so you go up & level off like 7 times before getting to the top! The southbounders have it easy going up Roan, it was very easy downhill!

Officially we are 377.9 miles from Springer & 1798.3 miles from Katahdin. We are in an old barn converted to a shelter with great views. Overmountain Shelter. CJ, Dynamite & Sam (now called Cowboy Killer) are here as well.

God bless,
Shepherd

Pine forest.jpg

Pine forest.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 27: Praise God we made it to our shelter safe & sound. The day started off ominous with the threat of rain, and everyone was sick from the chinese yesterday. CJ couldn't even eat his Sonic breakfast buritto! Well we left the hostel at 9 am, planning to do 16.6 easy miles since it is all uphill & our packs are full of food.

Well CJ had this brilliant idea about half way to the shelter to go on to the next shelter since thunderstorms were forecasted tomorrow. Well once we did the 16.6 miles, we found out the next shelter was 8.8 more miles. So what did we do, you guessed it. We hiked on!

So officially we hiked 25.2 miles, the longest yet. We are 365 miles from Springer & 1811.2 miles from Katahdin. Yes we are lean mean hiking machines, but only plan to do 12.9 miles tomorrow! We got into the shelter at 7:15 pm.

The views from beauty spot were awesome, plus the pine forest on top of Unaka mnt was something out of a movie set.

Tomorrow is Roan mnt! Yeah baby.

Shepherd

Hiking. Georgia to Maine (a Song)

Well hello again. You can definetly tell my off days...extra posts!

Here is a song I came up with while hiking on the AT for the past couple of days. It is to be sung to the tune of "Wanted. Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi.

It's all the same,
only the scenery has changed.
Everyday,
It seems we're hiking to stay
at another trail shelter,
where the privy seats are so cold.
I've hiked all day
just to get to Katahdin.

I'm a thru-hiker.
In a pair of boots I hike.
I'm hiking. Georgia to Maine.
Hiking. Georgia to Maine.

Sometimes I shower,
Sometimes it's not for days.
And the people I meet,
Have some crazy made-up names.
Sometimes you tell the day,
by the odor on your clothes.
Sometimes when you're alone,
All you do is think (about food).

I'm a thru-hiker.
In a pair of boots I hike.
I'm hiking, hiking. Georgia to Maine.
Hiking, hiking. Georgia to Maine.

Oh, I hike!

I'm a thru-hiker.
In a pair of boots I hike.
I'm hiking. Georgia to Maine.

Well, I hike the AT
With a loaded Jam 2 on my back.
I hike for keeps
Cause there's no turning back.
I've been headed north,
And I'm still standing tall.
I've seen a thousand white blazes,
And I've hiked them all!

Cause I'm a thru-hiker.
I've got the trail angels on my side.
I'm hiking, hiking. Georgia to Maine.
I still hike, I still hike.
Georgia to Maine.
Georgia to Maine.

The end.

Hope you enjoyed!

Shepherd.

Sonic ordering.jpg

Sonic ordering.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Here is CJ and Dynamite ordering from the sonic drive up. It is like Dog N Suds in Lafayette, but way better.

CJ ordered about $15 worth of food, but Dynamite and I only ordered about $9.50 worth. Doesnt Dynamite look like Napolian Dynamite (that is where his trail name came from!)

I got the #6 - Chicken Club Toaster with onion rings and rootbeer. Also I got their famous breakfast burrito! Yummy! Well as a thruhiker, pretty much anything tastes great!

Also Lakewood: Gave Uncle Johnny your message for you! God bless.

Shepherd!

My Sonic Experience.jpg

My Sonic Experience.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

First things first, please try to forward this posting to Trey Gardner at FBC!

Well I first learned about Sonic from Trey, himself, who is an avid lover of Sonic. He is SUPER excited that a Sonic is coming to Lafayette, IN this summer! He told me that they had the best onion rings ever, and that I should definelty eat there when an opportunity presented itself.

Well today, I experienced my first Sonic. We realized that Erwin had a Sonic about 2 days back, and it has been the topic of discussion ever since. CJ and Sam raved about it, especially their breakfast burritos. Dynamite and I had never eaten there, so we didnt know what all the hype was about. We do now!

Well thanks Trey for letting me know about this hidden treasure!

Shepherd aka Jeremiah Redden

Uncle Johnny's

Day 26: Easy 6.3 miles into Erwin, TN where we are staying at Uncle Johnny's hostel, which is the nicest hostel to date! Super friendly, warm showers, warm bunkhouse with TV and plenty of movies to choose from! Cant beat that for 15 bucks! Bill: Stay here when you hike! Thanks Scott for the upcoming warning on the trail over Roan! I have heard it called Groan Mnt! Lois: This is the section in the "Then the Hail Came" called Hump and Groan...I wish I had a copy to read while I travel it!

So far it is CJ, Dynamite, Sam & I for the night. We already showered and headed into town for the all you can eat Chinese buffet at the China Kitchen! Yummy! I had 3 and half plates, so I am doing better with the AYCE!

Then we went to the Food Lion to resupply for the next 4 days, and of course I got a pint of Ben & Jerry's to eat while watching March Madness! Finally, I get to see my first 2 games! Hoping Davidson pulls off the upset!

Tonight for dinner it will be Sonic, which will have it's own post in tribute to Trey....an avid Sonic fan...so stay tuned! Then it is a sermon by Pastor Broggi and probably National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation for a night cap movie!

God bless,
Shepherd!

Overlooking the clouds.jpg

Overlooking the clouds.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 25: Rainy start to the morning, but finally cleared up around 10:30. Foggy & overcast the rest of the day. Got some cool pics in the fog on Big Bald.

Officially we hiked 20.7 miles, which leaves us 6.6 miles in to Erwin, TN. Will be staying at Uncle Johnny's hostel. We are 333.5 miles from Springer & 1842.7 miles from Katahdin.

Did see my first deer on the trail today (Doe), and my first chipmunk...or as Amee use to call them...Pinies.

The climb over Big Bald wasnt all that bad. The downhills were what was hurting my calf. Any tips on hiking down steep hills would be greatly appreciated!

The picture is of an overlook as we were climbing Big Bald and you could see the clouds below, actually it is what you typically see in the Smokies.

Hope everyone had fun at the lifeline program. Thx for the hello! God bless.

Shepherd.

More Gravestones.jpg

More Gravestones.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 24: Tough day today, but thankfully no rain! Officially 21.5 miles today, my longest to date. My body felt it all today, been fighting a slightly pulled left calf muscle. Taking my Vitamin I, which helps.

Today we past the 300 mile mark! We are officially 312.8 miles from Springer & 1863.4 miles from Katahdin.

Saw some more gravestones on the trail today. Thats about it, besides a lot of hills!

CJ & I are at the Hogback Ridge Shelter. We had to say goodbye to Jens today at 3 pm. His spring break is over and is headed back there. Good luck Jens.

Here at the shelter is Catfish, Sam, Dynamite, & UsetoCould. Also a boy scout troop showed up, but they are tenting.

Russel: Got to watching your youtube program. Very cool! Keep it up. I hope to see more in the future. Thanks for the plug in for my blog! God bless.

Cowboy Camping.jpg

Cowboy Camping.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Good morning. First time cowboy camping went great. No rain! Slept well!

Now a word from our sponsers. Here are the totals for the first 21 days.

Poptarts - 40
Snickers - 19
Paydays - 7
Ben & Jerry pint - 1
Sweet tea - 4
Chocolate chip cookies - 8
AYCE - 2
Milkyways - 2

Hercules and Fal.jpg

Hercules and Fal.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 23: Hiked 19.6 miles to Little Laurel Shelter. officially 291.3 mikes from Springer & 1884.9 miles to Katahdin. Planning on Cowboy camping tonight...aka sleeping under the stars.

Had some trail magic again today. Spent 1 hour & 45 mins. at Hercules & Fal's house. They fed me red beans & rice and peach cobbler ala mode. Plus root beer in a frosted mug & sweet tea! Also, they are both believers in Christ, and they shared their faith and offered books for thru-hikers about Christ. I took Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Thanks again! Please pray for their ministry, since they are located 300 yards from the AT trail.
They had a picture at Max Patch with horizontal icycles (sp?) on the white blazed posts. It was amazing!

Tomorrow we will do another 20 plus day and Jens leaves us to go back to school. He has been with us for the past 4 days on Spring Break.

God bless,
Shepherd.

Hot Tub.jpg

Hot Tub.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

This is the hot tub at the Hot Springs Suites. It uses the mineral spring waters that make this town famous. It was very nice. I totally recommend this place if you dont mind spending a little extra money. If not Elmers is the place to stay in this town. I would shy away from the Creekside Inn.

Well said my farewell to Amee, but we will see each other in 3 weeks in Pearisburg.

Of course my pack is too heavy. To much food and out of towns it is always up! Trying for 19.6 today.

PS: Thx bro...will be checking the PO in Damascus! The peppermint oil didnt work at Walnut Mnt shelter cause had a mouse run over my face while sleeping! Though it was an old shelter with brave mice.

Kimbra: thanks for the encouragement. Keep Amee out of trouble at work!

Shepherd.

Pearls & Jing-Jang

This is Pearls and Jing-Jang. Pearls got her name due to her beautiful smile, and I am not sure how Jing-Jang got his name. For the longest time, he was just Alex.

They are married and live in Danville, VA, which is just on the border of Virginia and North Carolina. They said they hang out in Ashville, NC a lot. I had to wait to upload their picture because I didnt have them on my cell phone, only my camera.

They are a few days behind me due to Pearls having really big blisters. She was also the one who had hypothermia early in the hike! She is doing well, and I hope they are still on the trail!

Biltmore Mansion.jpg

Biltmore Mansion.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 22: My first zero day and I got to spend it with Amee! We slept in and then went to visit the Biltmore Mansion in nearby Ashville, NC.

I think we will model our next house after this one! lol. Our favorite place was the indoor heated swimming pool with under water lighting. How cool! The expansive gardens were awesome too. It was definetly a sight to behold, and imagine what a believer's place will be like in heaven! To God be the glory.

Well back to hiking tomorrow. Atleast my feet feel better.

answer to fungi that mule ate: lichens (sp?)

Shepherd

Laundry Sign.jpg

Laundry Sign.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Well I found Amee at 1:00 pm today in Hot Springs. Yeah! Will post more later about this town, but am doing laundry with Poncho.

I had to post this sign Amee & I found in the laundry place that could only be found in a hiker town! Hope you enjoy, thankfully Amee brought me some spare clothes!

Shepherd.

Gravestones.jpg

Gravestones.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Well nothing exciting to see in the 13.1 miles into Hot Springs, except off the side of the trail about 3.2 miles from Hot Springs were these gravestones. Very weird.

They were for George & Eva Groggs. Both were born around 1880's and one died in 1940 & the other 1966. Hmmm.

Shepherd.