Why hello there from Atkins Virginia. I was meaning to write from Damascus when I first arrived in this great state, but the library in addition to being for sale was also closed for Sundays. I've caught up with the tail end of the "herd" which has slowed my progress a bit because you have to stop and meet all these people you've been hearing and reading about for weeks. Passing hellos and how you doings from people who can't keep up with their friends, and meeting the writers of comments written in the trail registrys found all over the place. Progress is still steady however and I'm averaging about 20 miles a day which is ahead of schedule.
I had a bunch of stories to relay about record breaking speed hikers from Israel and a crazy homeless schizophrenic version of Mike Cohen (for those who know him), but I've kind of walked into an interesting soap opera at the truck stop exit town of Atkins (I'm writing from a computer in a gas station). Apparently there is a thru-hiker named Toast who passed through here a couple hours ago who is a black Asian, speaking with a German accent, who has been telling people he has a gun and getting kicked out of hostels and restaurants and peoples front porches since late last night. Granted folks in rural Virginia probably don't see as diverse a cross section of the worlds population than say New York, but I'm curious to meet this guy just to assess the description.
Now I have always been an ardent proponent of Desert Law. These are sets of rules to survive in the desert, and desert law states that crazy always beets strong. I have always used this to my advantage by trying to look a little crazy in the event I get into trouble, and it has worked for me wonderfully in some situations although mostly urban. Desert Law however doesn't say what to do when you come across a guy with a much stragglier beard than your own, who is taller than you by a few inches, and is yelling "FRUIT, VEGETABLES, SALAD" at the top of his lungs while digging through his army duffel on top of a hill. Nor does it say what to do when confronting a black asian german speaking gun toating fool. In times like these I take comfort in the fact that if I caught up to them, I can leave them behind. So when desert law runs into crazy and strong what does it do? It follows the advice of King Arthur in Monty Python's Holy Grail. "Run Away!
Hope to write to you soon! -Wrong Way
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Rules
Hello from Erwin, TN! I think my walk is about to change. I got off to a late start based on what is recommended for thru-hikers, but I am closing in on the herd. The last few days I haven't seen too many other folks, but I've arrived at a Uncle Johnny's hostel here in Erwin and got the last bed. Uncle Johnny's is as classy as it sounds and all the folks here have a good time sitting around talking drinking beers, chewing tobacco, and smoking cigs. Apparently these various hostels are something of a hiker vortex, people come here and they never leave. Some stay for months, and some can't afford it, like the guy living under the bridge across the river. They say it takes all kinds to make the world go round, and I believe that, but it apparently it only takes a certain kind to hike the AT.
I've been sleeping a bit iun the shelters they have out here cause its been raining. I met a 19 year old kid the other day who had a hard time stringing his words together. He stayed up till almost 11:00 babbling about how thoughts were the next step to human evolution. Apart from not making a lick of sense he did not understand that you are supposed to go to bed at 9:00. The next day I hiked 21 miles and got to a shelter pretty late and had it all to myself. At 10:45 PM in the middle of a rain storm this kid comes walking into the shelter disturbing my sleep and when I woke up in the morning he had hung his food directly above my head. This is not Nam there are rules! You hang your food on the bear cables and you go to bed at 9:00. Anyway I was able to shake him yesterday and then ran into two fun kids coming up to a hill called Big Bald which I was frantically running down in the midst of a lightning storm (every time I gt to a pretty spot with a view a lightning storm shows up and I go a running). I ended up spending the night with these two 20 year olds in a storm. They didn't have much for gear and this morning when I woke up they were huddled together wrapped up in a tarp. It was cute. The one kid had 17 brothers and sisters 14 of them adopted. Pretty crazy talking ot him about his life.
I'm going to go into town now and get some supplies. I'm trying to make it to Virginia in the next 7 days. Hope to write again when I'm there.
-Wrong Way
I've been sleeping a bit iun the shelters they have out here cause its been raining. I met a 19 year old kid the other day who had a hard time stringing his words together. He stayed up till almost 11:00 babbling about how thoughts were the next step to human evolution. Apart from not making a lick of sense he did not understand that you are supposed to go to bed at 9:00. The next day I hiked 21 miles and got to a shelter pretty late and had it all to myself. At 10:45 PM in the middle of a rain storm this kid comes walking into the shelter disturbing my sleep and when I woke up in the morning he had hung his food directly above my head. This is not Nam there are rules! You hang your food on the bear cables and you go to bed at 9:00. Anyway I was able to shake him yesterday and then ran into two fun kids coming up to a hill called Big Bald which I was frantically running down in the midst of a lightning storm (every time I gt to a pretty spot with a view a lightning storm shows up and I go a running). I ended up spending the night with these two 20 year olds in a storm. They didn't have much for gear and this morning when I woke up they were huddled together wrapped up in a tarp. It was cute. The one kid had 17 brothers and sisters 14 of them adopted. Pretty crazy talking ot him about his life.
I'm going to go into town now and get some supplies. I'm trying to make it to Virginia in the next 7 days. Hope to write again when I'm there.
-Wrong Way
Friday, May 14, 2010
Which Way's North?
Hot Springs, North Carolina is where I have found myself today. By the end of the day I'll only have less than 1900 miles to go. I'm so close to Maine I can feel it! Despite the overwhelming math that goes through my head every day, like the fact that if I walk 17.5 miles a day for the next 109 days I'll make it there by September 1st, I'm doing pretty well. Just two days ago I had my first 25 mile day and I've had quite a few over 2o mile days. So if I keep up that kind of mileage I'll be fine. For now I'm shooting for between 18 and 22 miles a day.
I was so excited about my first day breaking 20 miles that I only made 12 miles of progress. One accomplishes this by walking 4 miles down the trail in the wrong direction before encountering another hiker whose itinerary you find quite contrary. You then must turn around and re-hike those 4 miles you have already hiked twice. That is how you hike Tray Mtn, probably the 2nd tallest peak in GA at over 4,000 ft three times and get the trail name Wrong Way which is what everyone has known me as since my last entry.
I have settled into a groove though and haven't made that mistake again which I'm reminded not to make every time I introduce myself to a fellow hiker "I'm Wrong Way" ensued with story. I have met a ton of people out here. A fair amount of thru-hikers a few more section hikers and a bunch of folks out for the weekend. I've met people from all over the country and world and the experience is definitely what I had anticipated. It is a lot of walking, but every once in a while you meet a group of hikers and get good and drunk. We are a predictable lot though as every party ends promptly at 9:00 PM when we all have to go to sleep.
My favorite people out on the trail are folks out trying to learn how to backpack. I passed a group in the Smokies who were cutting off their pant legs with a bowie knife that had a holster fastened around one of their calves cause they were hot. I don't know what became of them when they got cold, but they had enough chewing tobacco to make it to the north pole. There are a lot of folks thru-hiking with similar experience levels and varying degrees of sanity. There is a guy I keep hearing about that is ahead of me named gamma-ray who has a wool blanket a dozen tube socks, and tuna packets. He tries to barter fresh socks for what he needs and is hoping to meet a young lady with a 2 person tent. I wear sandals and have a 1 person tent so am really looking forward to meeting him. It never ceases to amaze me at what people find necessary and unnecessary when they go out hiking. In the end the only thing you need is a good head on your shoulders, but given the short supply of those on the trail, bowie knives and tube socks will have to suffice.
I've seen more bears and been bitten by bugs, and paddled some whitewater, and went to Gatlinburg, TN a book within itself, and hitchhiked with crazies, and hitchhiked with not crazies, and a bunch of other stuff too. I don't have time to strring together all the stories. There is a lack of libraries and computers on the old AT, this one here in Hot Springs happens to be one of the few that is directly on the trail, but I will do my best to write more frequently. As it stands though I have an appointment to get some walking in, so I best be on my way.
Happy trails to you! -Wrong Way
I was so excited about my first day breaking 20 miles that I only made 12 miles of progress. One accomplishes this by walking 4 miles down the trail in the wrong direction before encountering another hiker whose itinerary you find quite contrary. You then must turn around and re-hike those 4 miles you have already hiked twice. That is how you hike Tray Mtn, probably the 2nd tallest peak in GA at over 4,000 ft three times and get the trail name Wrong Way which is what everyone has known me as since my last entry.
I have settled into a groove though and haven't made that mistake again which I'm reminded not to make every time I introduce myself to a fellow hiker "I'm Wrong Way" ensued with story. I have met a ton of people out here. A fair amount of thru-hikers a few more section hikers and a bunch of folks out for the weekend. I've met people from all over the country and world and the experience is definitely what I had anticipated. It is a lot of walking, but every once in a while you meet a group of hikers and get good and drunk. We are a predictable lot though as every party ends promptly at 9:00 PM when we all have to go to sleep.
My favorite people out on the trail are folks out trying to learn how to backpack. I passed a group in the Smokies who were cutting off their pant legs with a bowie knife that had a holster fastened around one of their calves cause they were hot. I don't know what became of them when they got cold, but they had enough chewing tobacco to make it to the north pole. There are a lot of folks thru-hiking with similar experience levels and varying degrees of sanity. There is a guy I keep hearing about that is ahead of me named gamma-ray who has a wool blanket a dozen tube socks, and tuna packets. He tries to barter fresh socks for what he needs and is hoping to meet a young lady with a 2 person tent. I wear sandals and have a 1 person tent so am really looking forward to meeting him. It never ceases to amaze me at what people find necessary and unnecessary when they go out hiking. In the end the only thing you need is a good head on your shoulders, but given the short supply of those on the trail, bowie knives and tube socks will have to suffice.
I've seen more bears and been bitten by bugs, and paddled some whitewater, and went to Gatlinburg, TN a book within itself, and hitchhiked with crazies, and hitchhiked with not crazies, and a bunch of other stuff too. I don't have time to strring together all the stories. There is a lack of libraries and computers on the old AT, this one here in Hot Springs happens to be one of the few that is directly on the trail, but I will do my best to write more frequently. As it stands though I have an appointment to get some walking in, so I best be on my way.
Happy trails to you! -Wrong Way
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Prepping for the adventure...
As Doug works his way down the trail, I will be helping to update you all along the way. Here are some great photos from the start of the journey...hopefully there will be more to come soon! As of this evening, he was 47 miles from his first resupply destination, Franklin, North Carolina.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
First Impressions
Hey there all. I have reached Neels Gap, the spot where apparently 25% of all thru-hikers quit. Consider me at least in the 25th percentile. I've met quite a few people on the trail, everyday meeting about three thru hikers. I'm a little out of it, I spent all last night yelling at bears and didn't sleep from 1 30 till 6 this morning. It was raining too making it difficult to ascertain what was making what noise. So far the trail has been beautiful. I am spending my first few days taking it easy starting with four hours of hiking on the first day and adding an hour a day. Its giving me lots of time to philosophize. I am trying to keep an open mind and strict regimen of a shot of wild turkey, a poem from the Tao and 2 chapters of the New Testament. Its a lovely blend and usually leads to a very restive nap. Y'all take care out there, and I'll be writing to you soon.
-El Doug
-El Doug
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