Another AT Section Hike

“Hey Everyone...

I'm leaving Friday for the hills of TN. I'll be hiking from Davenport Gap (North end of the Smokies) to Erwin, TN on the AT. The mileage is approx. 105m.

I'll be back online by Nov. 2nd.

Ya'll behave while I'm gone !!

MDSHiker”

“have fun dude”

“Check the bow and gun hunting seasons dates in Tennessee. My wife and I just got back last Friday from doing 42 miles on the AT just north of where you are going (Tenn. 91 just south of Damascus, Va. to Dennis Cove Road near Hamilton, Tn.). Our shuttle driver from Mt. Rogers Outfitters offered to buy us blaze orange hats to minimize getting shot by some hunter. Two thru-hikers we met at the Vandervelter(Sp?) Shelter told us they met another hiker who survived catching a lead ball in the back fired by a black powder gun. Aside from hunting seasons, the cooler temperatures allowed for some sweat free hiking.”

“Dang, Mighty Dang, you have yourself a good time and be safe. I'm envious.”

“Good luck MDS..It'll be beautiful there..Be careful.”

“Have fun MDS!”

“Hey MDS!! Have a great time!!”

“Hunting is illegal on the AT and the right of way buffer along it.”

“Have fun. Did you get your shuttle problem worked out?”

“Thanks ya'll !!

Hey prosecutor!! Thanks for cheering me up!! LOL

I checked the ATC website for hunting dates and things look ok. I do have a orange knit hat that I'm going to strap to the top of my backpack.

Miss Janet will be shuttling me on Saturday morning...WooHoo!!”

“miss janet??
ooo-lala.
;-)”

“Ms. Jackson if you're nasty.

Have a great hike MDS!”

“Be sure to congratulate her on her recent triumph over Evil.... and wear lotsa Orange,”

“Don't wear too much Orange. Roll Tide!!!”

“Hmmm... either be mistaken for a Tennessee fan, or possibly get shot.... Tough Call, LOL”

“Or Clemson....”

“Or Florida....”

“M.D.S., when my shuttle driver offer to buy us blaze orange hats he said he did not want to find out if an arrow going threw someone would kill em. I told him two people died like that in the movie Deliverance. The shuttle driver then said, "Speaking of Deliverance, Carter County Tennessee that you will be hiking through is know for its high number of sodomy cases, so you be careful out there." I don't know if he was just messing with my mind or giving me an honest warning. At least you aren't hiking through Carter County.”

“OK, that's it !!!

I'M NOT GOING !!!

LMAO!! :p”

“It's that time again...

This coming Friday I'll be heading to Erwin, TN. I'll meet up with a buddy of mine there and Saturday morning we'll head north on the AT for about 75 miles. We should be hiking over Roan Mtn on Sunday afternoon the way our schedule looks. Looking forward to hiking over the "humps" and checking out Laural Falls too.

If anyone has hiked this section and has any good advice then please share it.

Thanks!”

“http://community.webshots.com/user/mdshiker

A long overdue report on the trip. Sorry everyone, I've been busy at work and installing a pool at my house.

May 14th- spent the night at a hotel in Johnson City, TN. Had some pizza and beer to carb load for the hike. haha My hiking buddy Larry and I made plans and prepared our gear.

May 15th- parked a car at Sutton Grocery in Hampton, TN. Drove another car to the Nolichucky Hostel and parked it there for $2 a day. Hit the trail around 9am and hiked up to Beauty Spot. The trail up is steep but the view from BS is worth it. After lunch at Indian Grave Gap we hiked on to Unaka Mtn. Also a very steep climb with thunder and lightening all around. Met up with a group of school kids going over the mtn and I was worried about them because of the weather. FINALLY, we got to Cherry Gap shelter. Met a few thruhikers there and chatted with them while setting up camp. I slept in the hammock that night and it was awesome. Hiked approx. 15m

May 16th-steep climb from the shelter up and over Little Bald Knob. Lots of hard climbs all day with the biggest at the end of the day...Roan Mtn. Basically, it's a 2K ft climb up to the summit and another .75 to the shelter. The temp at the summit was 40F which was very surprising. Sure was glad to have the hammock...comfy. Hiked approx. 15m

May 17th- rained on and off all day but it was the most scenic day of the trip. Hiked over 4 balds and visited Overmtn shelter for a break. I've seen the movie "Winter People" so was eager to see the shelter. Hiking over the "humps" was awesome and the best part of the trip. The rain cooled us off so no problem there. Talked with some hikers at the Apple Orchard shelter where we spent the night. They told us the next shelter was approx. 18m because the trail had been extended. Oh well, no problem right? Hung up my hammock next to a creek and listened to the babbling water all night. Hiked approx. 15m

May 18th- Long day. The new trail was very nice and mostly easy walking. Lots of creeks and a few waterfalls on the new section. Lots of ups & downs but not too strenuous. I was dreaming of food all day. haha Got to Moreland Gap shelter about 7pm. Hiked approx. 18m

May 19th- Easy hike to Laural Falls and Hwy321. Approx. 10m Laural Falls was awesome. I want to go back there this summer and hang out for a day and swim. From there we walked out to hwy321 and ended our hike. Larry accused me of taking him on a suicide mission but I didn't think it was that bad. haha If I had to recommend this section to someone, I would definitely add another day because I would rate the section as strenuous.

I'm planning the next section hike to Damascus. Looking forward to that!!”

“Enjoyed your report. Thanks.”

“Woot!!

Leaving tomorrow for Hampton, TN for another section hike. My good friend Larry and I will be hiking from Hampton to Damascus, VA. Hopefully, the weather will hold out and not be too bad. At least we won't have to worry about finding water. heh heh

Looks like I'll be close to 475 miles of the AT when I finish this section. I'm as motivated as ever to finish...can't wait to get there !”

“Yikes, is that tomorrow. Guess I decided not to go, lol! Have fun and stay dry.

Peace.
MM.”

“Thanks MM...the weather forecast is looking good. Frances should be past that area by then and the temps will be mild.”

“have a great and safe trip”

“Groovy.
So are you doing the sections sequentially northward?”

“Hi HPM !

Yep, going north, doing a section at a time. After this section, I'll be doing week long sections. I'm getting farther and farther from home so I'll do week long sections to make it worth my time. So far (crosses fingers) my wife is cool with the whole thing. :p”

“MDS, get a divorce then you won't have to worry about whether she is cool with it or not ;)”

“Doh !”

“It's that time again...

I'll be hiking from Damascus VA to Bland VA in early May. Approx 120 miles.

Anyone out there been on this section and give me any advice? What will the weather be like that time of year on this section? I'm planning on spending the night at a motel one night...near Atkins. I pretty much have my shuttles figured out. Anything along this section that I don't want to miss ????”

“Does early May include May 13-15. Those are the dates for Trail days in Damascus.”

“I've been in that section twice and will be there in June this year.

The first few days out of Damascus are the nicest IMO. That time of year it can be windy and the temps can get down to freezing.

I think the side trail to the top of Mt. Rogers is worth it, though there is no view! Its not a very long side trail. When I was last there you could sleep overnight at the park HQ, that is no longer an option as they now have a nearby shelter. I assume you can still get pizza deliveries there by using the pay phone. (A welcome treat.)”

“It's that time again...

I'll be Seattle until Friday, Oct. 14th. When I get home I'll drive to Virginia to do another section on the AT. My buddy and I will be starting at Bland, Va, and hiking north 5 days.

This will be my first trip with my new lightweight strategy. My gear with food and water should come in around 25lbs. In the past it has been around 30-32lbs. I'm looking forward to not carrying the extra 7 pounds for several days.

I'll post a report when I get back.

All ya'll (that's plural) behave until I get back!!”

“I hit the trail last Sunday with my section hiking buddy, Larry, who is from Atlanta. We started in Bland, VA and hiked north to Dismal Creek Falls, which was about 21 miles. Yes, 21 miles. We set up camp around dark and were next to Dismal Creek which was one of the few water sources along the AT section we hiked. It is VERY dry in VA along the AT and I had to carry more water than usual. Even with 3 liters of water, my pack weight was still under 25lbs which made the hiking pleasurable.
Monday we got up before daylight hit the trail and started hiking. After passing Wapiti Shelter, there was no water until we hit the town of Pearisburg. So, we ended up hiking 16 miles without seeing any water. The last two miles going down Pearis Mtn was in the dark and I just knew I was gonna fall and kill myself but we eventually made it to town and a motel room. Monday ended up being a 22 mile day. The weather was great all day...cool with leafs falling everywhere as I walked.
Tuesday we shuttled a car north of Pearisburg to Wind Rock. We started there and this time hiked south towards Pearisburg. There wasn't any water until we got near Pine Swamp Branch Shelter where we spent the night. The bridge was out at Stony Creek so we chose to cross the creek instead of taking the long walk around down the road. Since the area is so dry, we were able to cross by hopping rocks.
Wednesday we had a 19.1 mile section without water. So, we drank as much as possible and filled up all our water bottles. I had almost a gallon to carry up a steep climb that morning. Lucky for me the trail was smooth and had plenty of switchbacks. We hiked along the West VA / VA state line for a few miles until heading back south east towards Pearisburg. We got to Rice Field Shelter about 3pm and had already hiked 12.3 miles for the day, so we rested a while and did the final 7m to Pearisburg. The view from Rice Field shelter was excellent and probably the best of the entire section.

We were hoping to hike more miles this week but my partner had some business to take care of back home and had to leave early. Blah. Maybe next time we can stay the entire week. The good news is that I had no trouble at all with my energy levels. I had revamped my diet plan for the hike and lost 7lbs out of my pack. Even on those long mileage days I felt great at the end of the day. Also, the Wicked Fast 30F bag I slept in was perfect for the weather. It did get down to 38F one night and I was plenty warm in a t-shirt and shorts. The new Merrell hiking shoes I wore were awesome...rough and tough like boots but soft on my feet.

There were a lot of south bounders on the trail. We even met three married couples hiking together and I thought that was cool. Most of them had passed the north bound crew in Vermont.

VA is very dry right now, so if you know anyone hiking there soon make sure they understand and that they should carry extra water.

Pearisburg is a great trail town. There are lots of services available there, stores, restaurants, etc. Too bad it's spread out, but tired and stinky hikers don't mind.”

“Sounds like a great time!

Frances is saying she wants to go on another trip with you and Becky. We need to set this up sometime.”

“Leaving for Virginia tomorrow. Will be hiking from Bearwallow Gap to Riprap parking area in SNP. Approx. 135m in all.

See ya'll back here on TT around October 16th.

;) MDSHiker”

“see ya when you get back. you;re racking up the mileage!”