Nan's 2014 Appalachian Trail Journal

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May 28, 2014

Following are a few photos from the trail forwarded by Cheryl Capitani. I don't know where taken or dates.

By Drag’n Fly aka Nan

5/15 Day 47. After spending two full days and three nights in Damascus we decided we had had enough. We stayed two nights at Dave’s Place and had to move since Mt. Rogers Outfitters saves the rooms for friends and vendors during Trail Days. We moved to “The Place”, a Methodist church run bunk room and tenting area. Suggested donation is $6 for a night’s stay and a shower. We got bunks and lounged around all day. I was still feeling poorly and slept a lot. This morning everyone had to have everything out by 9:00 a.m. because volunteers were going to clean and do some painting. So, since we had to leave and it was raining, we thought we would just hike out eight miles to the shelter.

After breakfast at Mojoe’s, we started down the Virginia Creeper Trail--which the AT follows for a while--in a light rain. The Virginia Creeper Trail is a 34 mile multi use rail-trail running between Abingdon, VA, and the VA/NC state line. The hiking was easy and I was feeling pretty good. After about six miles, the AT leaves the VCT and ascends a mountain to Saunders Shelter. The rain had stopped so, when we got to the shelter at 1:30 and I was feeling good, we decided to go another 6.4 miles to Lost Mtn. Shelter. Along the way it started to rain again. Rained very hard and got much colder. We were soaked to the skin and freezing when we got to the shelter. Found one young man there. After we got into warm, dry clothes, three more hikers showed up, wet and cold. They all had on hats that the ladies at the Damascus Baptist Church crocheted and gave to the hiker who came thru on Trail Days. The young men were loving their hats. It was really pretty cute, especially when one very large muscular young man pulled out a hat made of all pastel colors and was just thrilled with it.

5/16 Mile 491.1, Day 48. We just had a short eight mile day today to Elk Garden, VA 600, where Freckles’ husband, Rich, picked us up. It’s good it was just a short day since I seem to have used up all of my reserves yesterday. Whatever I had or still have is taking its time going away. Once again we saw great wild flowers. More Pink Lady Slippers than I could count. One patch must have had several hundred! The rhododendron are starting to bloom and we have seen some Flame Azalea. We are camped at Grayson Highlands State Park. It is getting very windy and cold and starting to rain again. Tomorrow we are going back to Damascus to see the festivities of Trail Days.

5/17 Last night was another night that I was glad for my 15^(0) sleeping bag. Boy did it get cold and windy. The night before when we stayed at the shelter, I had forgotten to take a bag of gorp out of the side pocket of my pack and a mouse chewed a hole in my pack to get the gorp. The little fellow must have thought that he was into a good thing, what with the food and a nice comfy back pack. He must have moved right in and rode with me the next day. I wondered why my pack was so heavy. Anyway, about midnight he came out and started running laps in my tent. I was wakened by this strange feeling of my hair moving. I had quite a time getting him out of the tent. Fortunately it had stopped raining because I had to pull everything out of the tent and unzip it completely before the little rascal would run out.

Driving into Damascus we saw several places where it had snowed in the night but it was a little warmer after we got to lower elevation. My brother, Tom, and his friend, Mike, came down from Blacksburg, VA to see us. My daughter, Wanda, and her husband, Jim, stopped by also. They were on their way home from a week’s vacation in Smokey Mountain NP. We walked around the vendors, shopped, and ate very good pulled pork sandwiches. I did not see very many of our trail acquaintances in Damascus. Major and Sweep were there. They said that Ho Bo was also but we did not see her. They are all several days ahead now since we took two zero days. Bert and Judy Martin, friends of Freckles and Rich also were there. The five of us stayed that night at a Day’s Inn and went to Applebee’s for dinner.

5/18 Day 50, mile 506.4. The start of Week 8 on the trail. We passed the 500 mile mark today and hiked 15.3 miles from Elk Garden, VA 600, to Old Orchard Shelter. Rich dropped us off at 7:45 after having breakfast at the motel. This is a very nice section of trail thru the Mt. Roger Recreation Area and Grayson Highlands SP The big thing here is the wonderful view from the high country around Mt. Rogers (the highest peak in VA, 5,729’ elevation), the great rock outcroppings, the rhododendron—which were not blooming—and, of course, the ponies. We saw lots of ponies and several babies. The pony herd is maintained to keep the balds open and to eat some of the undesirable plants. Of course, they are very popular with the people and the many hikers in the recreation area today. Several Boy Scout troops were training for Philmont. The trail was very rocky (and the hikers complain about PA being rocky), rooty, and wet so hiking was slow. We finally got into the shelter/camping area about 6:00, set up our tents, and cooked dinner. Hawkeye, who we had met a week or so ago, was here without his hiking parner, Big Shep. They are 67 & 68 years old. He said Big Shep is a day ahead. Except for Hawkeye, we did not see anyone else that we knew. We talked to John, the Ridge Runner, for a good bit. It happens that he had hiked with Bert, also known as Skipper, in 2007 when they both did a thru hike. John said he would see us in Maine. He is going to be up there starting in July at Abol Bridge as the official AT greeter.

5/19 Mile 520.5. Hiked 14.1 miles on a very pleasant trail. Weather was partly sunny and nice temp. The terrain is pretty easy now with climbs and descents being pretty gradual with lots of switch backs. We are camped at Trimpi Shelter and there are a lot of other campers here. We have been seeing a lot more section hikers and fewer thru hikers that we know. Hawkeye is here and Earnhart showed up. He had taken off for a few days to go home to Roanoke. He said Rambler should be showing up later this evening after taking off a few days for a wedding. Checking log books, it looks like Ho Bo, Major, Clean Sweep, and Cadi are just ½ day ahead. Every shelter has a log book which hikers can record whether they stopped by. Hikers can simply say, “Drag’n Fly and Freckles stopped for lunch” or they can write poetry or leave messages for friends that may be following. It is a nice way to keep in touch. The log books are saved by the various clubs and Ridge Runners who clean and maintain the shelter/camping areas. This morning I forgot my bear rope that I use to hang my food. I left a message in the log so that, if anyone has picked it up, they will know who to return it to. I also noted where I will be staying the next two nights. If someone picked it up, they will probably overtake us since we are pretty slow. Some other things are left at shelters are more interesting than rope. This morning I found a container of ashes with a note to help carry the ashes of Doc to Katahdin. There was not any other information except that Bottlecap had carried it that far and, for whatever reason, decided to leave the ashes at Old Orchard Shelter. I wish there had been more info but I am sorry I did not bring them with me, at least for a few hundred miles. If I can carry a mouse, I guess I can carry Doc’s ashes.

The shelter logs are also used to locate hikers on the trail. Last year a 65 year old woman, trail name of Inchworm, went missing while she was hiking in Maine. They know from the shelter log where she had last been. This aided the search and rescue operation. Sadly though, it is still a mystery as to what happened to Inchworm.

5/20 Mile 531.1. Partnership Shelter, Rt 16, Mt. Rogers Visitor Center. 11.5 miles today on fairly gentle terrain. Partnership Shelter is one of the shelters that thru hikers look forward to. There is a shower and telephone--a real land line—from which you can order pizza and other food stuffs to be delivered. The shelter was very full and the pizza boxes just kept stacking up. I think everyone ordered a whole pie for themselves. Hydro, Mary Poppin, and Miracle came in. It was nice to see them again. +1 has dropped off. She just wasn’t enjoying the hike. Later Oregon and Little Bit showed up. Everyone got to talking about poisonous snake sightings. Copperhead locked in an erotic embrace by a big black snake. One copperhead got away but the Black Snake killed the other one. Oregon said he saw the biggest rattlesnake ever but, so far, I have not heard of anyone getting bitten.

5/21 Mile 542.7, Atkins, VA. Halfway home. Another easy hike day, 11.6 miles. Staying at the Relax Inn. We did laundry, took showers, and picked up resupply boxes. These resupply boxes are about getting on my last nerve. Both Freckles and I have packed too much. Thankfully, my brother, Whitey, is here again today to take surplus home with him. He came to meet us to hike a section he has not hiked before in order to complete his section hike. Whitey took us out to eat to a nice Italian Grill in Marion. We all ate salad and steak.

Drag’n Fly is signing out.

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