Bears Den Hostel.jpg

Bears Den Hostel.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Well today I zero'd at Bear Den Hostel, which was just what I needed. I have learned that I am more a cold weather hiker than a hot weather one. I have trouble with the heat and humidity.

So today I read 3 chapters in our men's bible study book, 12 ordinary men by John Macauther. It is really good. Then I ate half a pizza while watching the movie Cars. Then I talked with Amee and took a nap till more hikers showed up. Oh, I also helped Hopeful by vacuuming and making the beds. lol. I dont mind helping out, since I was resting all day. Currently there are 6 hikers here plus me. I just ate my other half of my pizza and will be enjoying my pint of Ben & Jerry's real soon. This is the 2nd best hostel to date. Kincora holding the top spot.

I guess this was the summer home of a washington doctor built in the 30's, then the patc bought it up.

Tomorrow I plan to hike past 1000 miles and maybe even into Harper's Ferry. Yeah! Then I will determine if I will go on or stop there.

Shepherd.

Floyd Wayside Shelter.jpg

Floyd Wayside Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 58: 5/1. It's official, I am crazy. By the grace of God, I made it the 23.6 miles to Floyd Wayside Shelter, plus the fact that I know I overdosed on Vit I (Ibuprofen). My right leg shin splint bothered me all day & my foot still feels like it is broke in two. But I am planning to take a nero day tomorrow into Front Royal (only 2.9 miles away). I was trying to make it into Harpers Ferry a day early so Amee & I could have 2.5 days together. I just dont know what happened. Guess Pastor Scott was right about the too fast too soon quote awhile back.

I am officially 954.7 miles from Springer & 1221.5 miles from Katahdin. I officially said good bye to the Shenandoah National park today. It was actually a very nice hike for the most part..except for my shin splints. I didnt see any bear, but did get my cheeseburger and fries today. The blackberry milkshake machine was down though. Bummer.

Full shelter tonight with Team Deutchmark, Squire & a SOBO named Micheal.

Shepherd

Maupin Field Shelter gang.jpg

Maupin Field Shelter gang.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 53: 4/26.Officially did 18.2 miles over some tough terrain today in temps in the 80-90's. The trail formed a V today. Went from 4000 ft atop of the Priest down to 970 ft then back up to 3970 ft up 3 ridges mnt. Ouch. The toughest day yet.

I am 829.7 miles from Springer & 1344.3 miles from Katahdin.

At the top of 3 ridges, I met Blue & Chad. They are 2 weekenders out on the trail. Great guys. They are in the Coast Guard (not like the movie..Guardian). They still have about 10 more weeks of training, then they will be sent to there stations. Chad is wanting to hike the AT someday. Thanks again for the fellowship and GORP. Lord willing I will be done in 10 weeks. God bless & text me any time u want.

Also in the picture are Daniel, Matt & Gary, who all out for the weekend too. Great getting to know ya guys.

Getting to meet the people on the trail has definetly been the best part. God has made us relational beings. eh!

Shepherd.

Pine Swamp Branch Shelter.jpg

Pine Swamp Branch Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 44: April 17th. CJ & I are at The shelter where a tree fell on the roof in 2007. I dont believe anyone was hurt, but as you can see the roof is now missing. It was suppose to be fixed by 2008. Though there is no threat of rain tonight, so we are sleeping here for tonight.

We are officially 643.3 miles from Springer & 1532.9 miles from Katahdin. We did 19.3 miles today in the sun! Beautiful hiking weather.

Yesterday Amee & I went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner & then found a cold stone cremery, which has the best ice cream we know of! I had my usual mint mint chocolate chip...yummy.

It was harder for me leaving Amee this time than it was is Hot Springs, and just the opposite for her. Virginia is definetly long and monotonous, but Lord willing I only have 19 more days in this state! I am looking forward to Shenadoah national forest though.

Shepherd.

Trimpi Shelter.jpg

Trimpi Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 36: Nothing much happened to me or the elephant I am riding or to my 2 sheep I am shepherding. Although last night I lost one of my sheep to the wild ponies. I didnt see it coming, but was able to knit a wool hat and had some lamb burgers for lunch today. lol.

Actually, two things happened. I broke through the 500 mile barrier, and realized that we are done with 5000 & 6000 ft mountains till New Hampshire. Yeah. Officially did 20 miles today, which puts me at 514.2 or 23.6% of the trail completed.

Cowboy killer (story of his name to come) & Dynamite are here with me at this shelter. Still no CJ. Hopefully he will catch up to us.

Only 6 more days till I get to see Amee in Pearisburg!

Christine: Praying you & baby is doing well. Shane as well.

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Saunders Shelter.jpg

Saunders Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 34: Well today we didn't get out of the gates like we wanted. CJ had to get a pedicure, his back waxed & a massage. Nah, actually only a massage. He said it was totally worth it. I should of got one. So we didnt get on the trail till 3:30 pm. No complaints from me cause we just cont. to chill in the AC house with running water, tv and a refrig! Again thanks Joe & Kaye.

So officially we hiked 9.4 miles. We are 470.5 miles from Springer & 1705.7 miles from Katahdin. The weather was sunny & 70's. Very nice with very minimal bugs. Spring has arrived. Trees are flowering & some flowers are popping up along the trail. It is nice to see. Although I am about 6.5 miles off schedule, but that shouldnt be hard to make up. Get to see Amee in 8 days! Yeah.

Here at the shelter with the 4 horseman (what we are calling ourselves when we hike together), Matthew & Willie boy! I am glad to see Willie again. Will post about him tomorrow!

God bless,
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.

Walnut Mnt Shelter.jpg

Walnut Mnt Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Day 20: Well we are lean mean hiking machines now. We left the hostel around 9:30, when it started snowing and it hasnt let up yet. Officially we hiked 20.3 miles. I wanted to call it quits at 15.4 miles but CJ and Jens talked me into another 4.9 miles. I am thankful they did, because that leaves us with only 13.1 miles to Hot Springs. That means we might get there for lunch! Yeah baby!

Well we are officially 258.8 miles from Springer & 1917.6 miles from Katahdin.

Well it was snowing when we went over Snowbird mnt, so no views. But God allowed the weather to break when we went over Max Patch. It was even more spectacular than I had imagined. Scott & Lakewood thanks for the heads up. It was still chilly...temp 30 degrees with 15-20 mph winds, so I didnt get to stay up there long. Did enjoy a Snickers up there though. Great pictures.

So far it has snowed about 1.5 inches. They are calling for 1-3 inches. Glad I am not in the Smokies!

Get to see Amee tomorrow! Yeah!

Brown Fork Shelter.jpg

Brown Fork Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Well as a tribute to the Red Couch, my favorite blog, I will post 10 things I learned today.

1. God is good even during the toughest days.
2. I am 16 miles farther than I was yesterday. this was my toughest day!
3. I am 150.9 miles from Springer & 2025.3 miles from Katadin.
4. I hate web walking, which means your the first one on the trail clearing all the cobwebs that were formed last night.
5. I hate getting out of my sleeping bag in the morning.
6. But I like hiiking in the coolness of the morning.
7. Loving Pastor Broggi's sermons on the book of Hebrews.
8. Having my first doubts on being able to complete the trail.
9. Been chewing the same piece of gum for the past 13 days. I will easily make 2 weeks.
10. And the greatest of them all...I get to see Amee in less than 8 days! I miss her sooo much!

So far it is just me in the shelter & the mice! Will have the oil out tonight.

Cheoah Bald was beautiful once you got to the top! Thanks Bob.

Shepherd

Wayah Shelter.jpg

Wayah Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Good morning everyone. Made it through the night once again. Cold, but warm in my sleeping bag. Only hailed aout 5 times yesterday - pea size. Each time I was in shelter! Sunny day forecasted today. Trying to make NOC today...16.5 miles away. Some clothes still wet.

Wendy: Happy Birthday! A day late. Wanted to post it yesterday, but because of the surprise party I couldnt.

Jason: Bon voyage! Will miss ya. Hope you enjoy Louisville. Atleast it isnt to far to visit!

Matthew: Have fun on your spring break. Qto bad you couldnt come hiking with me!

Carter Gap Shelter.jpg

Carter Gap Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Wooo Hooo! I did my first 15 plus mile day of my young AT hike. Officially 15.3 miles, which puts me 91.7 miles from Springer & 2084.5 miles to the end. I am averaging 10.2 miles per day so far.

So far Limestone & Juno made it here and are spending the night. Popeye & Captain Jack should be along soon.

I am still debating onto going into Franklin tomorrow. Popeye has offered to let me share a room with them, which will cut down the cost. The reason is I need more alcohol for my stove...plus it is suppose to rain tomorrow night.

Well I am starving, so I think I will cook up my Beef Lo Mein meal tonight. Yum. For lunch I had Peanut butter & cheese crackers topped with Spam spread. First time for that combo, but it actually wasnt to bad! Getting real close to the Smokies!

Blue Mountain Shelter.jpg

Blue Mountain Shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Howdy from Blue Mnt shelter. we officially hiked our biggest mileage today, and my feet are sore! We hiked 13.8 miles and are now 48.7 miles from Springer & 2127.5 miles from Katahdin. After lunch we hiked through 4 named gaps, so we must of hiked 4 mnts as well. Blue Mnt was the worst. Very rocky. We have an awesome view right out the front. There are a few thruhikers here & a lot of college students out on spring break. I know that isnt my wifes idea of a spring break. lol. Planning a short day tomorrow to rest our feet, but there are some tough climbs in store. Oh, no wind! Yeah. It is a beautiful night. I am getting my appetite back, and I hear an all you can eat Chinese buffet calling my name in Hiawasee! Yummy! God bless.

Shephard

Low Gap shelter.jpg

Low Gap shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Left campsite at 9 am and arrived at shelter @ noon for lunch. Sunny and warmer. Low 40's. Attempting to make it to Blue Mnt shelter tonight.

Woods hole shelter.jpg

Woods hole shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Well we obviously didnt make it to neels gap. After climbing Ramrock mnt then Big Cedar mnt and then Burnett field mnt, we just didnt have it in us. Snow is foorecasted and it is already getting cold. Thankfully I had some dry clothes to change into, the rest are hanging on the clothline. 12 people staying here tonight, and then tommorrow we climb the highest mnt in GA... Blood mnt! Hopefully it wont live up to its name! It actually stopped raining at 9:20 when we left Gooch, but it pretty muuch rained on us the rest of the way. I did get to use my umbrella today & it worked great! Yeah. well I am being called Inspector Gadget due to all the gizmos I have,.but Shephard still rules. Well thxs for the prayers. Signing off for now.

Gooch Mtn shelter.jpg

Gooch Mtn shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Made it to Gooch Mnt shelter. 15.1 miles from Springer, and only 2161.1 miles to Katahdin. Hiked with Ruby Tuesday today. His hiking pole broke today. He plans to get a new one at Neels gap. Sassafras mnt was a killer. Getting a hot spot on my foot. Also summitted Justis & Gooch mnts.

Hawk mountain shelter.jpg

Hawk mountain shelter.jpg, originally uploaded by Hikingfool.

Home for the night. No bears seen. Beautiful day to hike. Should be crowded tonight at the shelter. 7.8 miles from Springer.

AT Shelters

Well here are some pictures of 2 different shelters along the Appalachian Trail. These are spaced throughout the trail to where they avg about one every 9 miles. They are basically 3 sided structures ... either made of stone or wood, depending on which state you are in. They usually have a tin roof, which you hope doesnt leak! Some of the more upscale ones have 2 stories, picnic tables and even a fireplace!

The only bad thing about shelters are that the animals have learned... where there are humans....there usually is food! Which means, shelter usually have mice infestations. Then that leads to snakes coming in to dine on the mice...which is good thing because the mice tend to chew through your pack and destroy your gear. Some hikers have reported mice running over their head while sleeping! Now that is a way to be jostled out of a restful sleep!

Also you have spiders to deal with (which Amee hates with a vengence...even thought Amee is a million times larger than they are!). Then if you are real lucky...usually in the smokey mountains...you could get a BEAR to visit you and your food sack (which you really need to hang in a tree!). I really want to see a bear and a moose!

Usually the shelter has a water source near by whether it be a mountain spring or running brook. Also they usually have a privy (basically an outhouse!) to do your business...and if your really lucky...they will have TP in them! This definetly beats digging a hole out in the woods! The funny thing is that there is a privy that i read about in a journal that doesnt have any walls....because the 360 degree views are too breathtaking not to see! I am anxious to see that one...hopefully not having to use it!

These shelters are just another option to stay in for the night if the weather is too severe to sleep in my tarp, and they usually house anywhere from 4 to 20 hikers at a time. The thing is that not only do thru-hikers use them but also overnight hikers, boy scouts, and the occasional drunken teenager get togethers! So they can be very noisy and busy!