Narrows VA new article

  NNCC (Narrows Now Community Coalition) came out of hibernation on December 29, 2013 long enough to celebrate the successful completion of Cater "Rainbow Bright" Davis' nine-month thruhike on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Narrows Now worked with MacArthur Inn for the reception similar to the one held for GET (Great Eastern Trail) thruhikers in spring, 2013, but they were simply passing through on their way.

    It was The Town of Narrows first official act as an A.T.Community, as designated by the A.T. Conservancy during Narrows Bridge Dedication & Celebration Day, November 23, 2013. 

    28-year-old Davis, from Forsyth GA, decided to do an A.T. thruhike after returning home from a Guatemalan service trip. Working three jobs to fund the hike, she started March 20 from Springer Mountain in Georgia and hiked to Pearisburg VA. Then, as hikers often do, she turned around and went back to Damascus VA for Trail Days. 

    While there around May 19, a driver experienced a medical emergency and the vehicle veered into the crowd, hitting Davis. The injuries were minor but there was a six-week healing process.

    Davis was determined to finish her thruhike and went to Maine to work her way South back to Pearisburg, completing the entire journey she now deemed "NOBO-Flip Flop" (north bound flip flop).

    Traveling alone, Rainbow Bright often encountered four or five days without seeing another person due to the lateness of the hiking season, and was often slowed down by icy weather. To keep on schedule she sometimes stopped only long enough to fix her evening meal, then continued hiking after dark before setting up her tent.

    She spent Christmas morning on MacAfee Knob, a feature of Catawba mountain located in Catawba, Roanoke County, VA. The overlook has a 270 degree panoramic view of the Catawba Valley and is one of the most photographed sites along the A.T.

    Sunday, December 29, 2013 was Davis' last day on the trail. It was rainy and cold, not ending until, again, after dark when she finally met up with her mother who had arrived from Georgia for the trip back home.

    They came to Narrows and MacArthur Inn for a celebrated ending to an intense, long, but still fun and incredibly worthwhile adventure. As Rainbow Bright states with her beaming smile, "Anything is within walking distance - if you have enough time."

2000 Miler Application

I think it's fair to say I didn't exactly have a "normal" thru-hike. Never having backpacked before, I wouldn't have predicted that 9 months and 9 days after I started at Amicalola Falls, I'd be climbing down into Pearisburg VA completing my thru-hike. Broken down, my hike looks like this:
Northbound:
Springer Mountain, GA - Pearisburg, VA
Harpers Ferry, WV - Pine Grove, PA
Delaware Water Gap, PA - Williamstown, MA
Hanover, NH - Katahdin, ME

Southbound:
Hanover, NH -  Williamstown, MA
Delaware Water Gap, PA - Pine Grove, PA
Harpers Ferry, WV - Pearisburg, VA

I feel I had an unusual opportunity, one that most hikers miss out on. I've experienced the complete spectrum of the Appalachian Trail. I started with thousands in March heading north, never alone for even one day, to the late solo Southbounder. I saw all the seasons, some a little more than I wanted. The Trail Days "Da-Massacre" is obviously the most famous of my trail experiences, but I'd have to say that the most memorable is the people...the community. I set out on this adventure with no idea what I was doing, but hoping it would help me to connect with a positive group of people. For me, the trail has been about creating relationships. I love my hiker (trash) family and the community that has surrounded us. They provided unconditional support, trail maintenance, kind gestures, open arms (and cars, homes, and food pantries). :) Our hikes would not have been as memorable or enjoyable without these most gracious "angels". (this includes the amazing ATC crew!) I am forever touched and the "trail magic" that we receive and it is life changing. We are better people because of "trail angels" like you. And even though I sometimes don't have a name (or a face); I'm so thankful to have you, even for a moment in my life. Thank you for your efforts (no matter how small), because you make a difference to someone somewhere.

Winter Hiking...a Whole New Beast

This final winter-southbound (SOBO) completion section has been challenging in a very different way than my NOBO (northbound), crowded spring start. I felt (and still feel) that because I had hiked 1600 miles; I could handle whatever I came across and if I couldn't I would know when to call it quits.

I am sitting in Front Royal Virginia, procrastinating a return to the mind numbing cold. Its two days before Thanksgiving and the current weather (in the city not on top of a mountain) is 15 F. While obsessively checking the weather these past few days, I'm continually reading phrases like "feels like 10 degrees", "high of 36, low of 16", "ice pellets", and "15-30 degrees below average" and the good news keeps coming.

I'm so late that people don't recognize me as a thru-hiker. I get stares that seem to say.."she looks like a thru-hiker...that pack is too big to belong to a day hiker.. but only an idiot would still be out there hiking." So I get the usual bombardment of questions with the additional jewel of wisdom..."Its cold out there...you're really late huh?" or "You're hiking by yourself!?!?". After a pause, and they have time to pick their words appropriately.."You're a tough/brave chic" but what they mean is "what the hell is wrong with you?. I have gotten scolded by overly protective parents saying they wouldn't ALLOW their daughter to do something like this and that they are certain my parents are terrified and I'm being selfish by putting them through this whole ordeal. I respond with well I'm 28 years old... That means nothing to these people.

I've had so much support through Vermont, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Lots of people have put me up or driven extended distances to shuttle me to/from the trail. Meghan is even going to drive 3 hours to come get me for Thanksgiving! YEA Trail Magic!

Check Out This Blog- Post Trail Depression

Your 4-Step Checklist to Recovering from Post-Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Depression - See more at: http://blog.appalachiantrials.com/your-4-step-checklist-to-recovering-from-post-appalachian-trail-thru-hiker-depression.

By: Carley Gentry

http://blog.appalachiantrials.com/your-4-step-checklist-to-recovering-from-post-appalachian-trail-thru-hiker-depression/

A Stroll Around the World -New Yorks Times Article

A Stroll Around the World

By PAUL SALOPEK

Published: November 22, 2013

ON THE GULF OF AQABA, Jordan — I AM walking across the world. In January I set out on foot from Herto Bouri, an early site of Homo sapiens fossils in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia, to retrace the pathways of the first anatomically modern humans who colonized the planet at least 60,000 years ago. My finish line is in Tierra del Fuego, at the chilly tip of South America, the last nook of the continents settled by our ancestors. This long ramble will last seven continuous years. It will span 21,000 miles. (I have logged about 1,700 miles to date.)

Enlarge This Image

Josh Cochran

I’m writing dispatches along the way for National Geographic on subjects as varied as human evolution and conflict, nomadism and climate change. The “Out of Eden Walk,” as I’m calling it, uses deep history as a mirror for current events. But even as I adhere strictly to my brand of bipedal journalism, trying as it were to put myself in a Pleistocene state of mind, cars keep roaring into my awareness. They are inescapable. They are without a doubt the defining artifacts of our civilization. They have reshaped our minds in ways that we long ago ceased thinking about.

As I inch from the poorer subtropical latitudes into the richer temperate zones of the planet, for example, there has been a dramatic shift in human consciousness.

At the walk’s start in the Horn of Africa, one of the last habitable places on earth where automobiles remain scarce — according to the World Bank, Ethiopia musters perhaps two or three motor vehicles per 1,000 people — walking was a near-universal activity. The Rift Valley desert and people’s relationship to it are still shaped by the human foot. Trails unspool everywhere. Everyone functions as a competent walking guide — even small children.

But once I crossed the Red Sea on a camel boat to the Middle East, where car ownership explodes to 300 or more vehicles per 1,000 citizens (the figure in the United States balloons to about 800), I’d entered a region subjugated utterly by the vulcanized rubber tire.

In Saudi Arabia, I had trouble simply communicating with motorists who have lost the ability to imagine unconstrained movement to any point on the horizon. Asking directions is often pointless. Like drivers everywhere, their frame of reference is rectilinear and limited to narrow ribbons of space, axle-wide, that rocket blindly across the land.

“Why did you leave the road?” one Saudi friend asked me, puzzled, when I improvised an obvious shortcut across a mountain range. “The highway is always straighter.”

To him, the earth’s surface beyond the pavement was simply a moving tableau — a gauzy, unreal backdrop for his high-speed travel. He was spatially crippled. The writer Rebecca Solnit nails this mind-set perfectly in her book “Wanderlust: A History of Walking”: “In a sense the car has become a prosthetic, and though prosthetics are usually for injured or missing limbs, the auto-prosthetic is for a conceptually impaired body or a body impaired by the creation of a world that is no longer human in scale.”

I just call it Car Brain.

The incidence of Car Brain grows with rising latitudes across the surface of the world. (Then it vanishes at the poles, where Plane Brain replaces it.) In the affluent Global North, this syndrome will be familiar to any hiker who has had to share a walked landscape with motor vehicles.

Cocooned inside a bubble of loud noise and a tonnage of steel, members of the internal combustion tribe tend to adopt ownership of all consumable space. They roar too close. They squint with curiosity out of the privacy of their cars as if they themselves were invisible. In Saudi Arabia, this sometimes meant a total loss of privacy as Bedouins in pickups, soldiers in S.U.V.’s and curiosity seekers in sedans circled my desert camps as if visiting an open-air zoo, gaping at the novelty of a man on foot with two cargo camels. Other motorists steered next to my elbow for hundreds of yards, interrogating me through a rolled-down car window. (Not to pick on Saudi Arabia, which is no worse than any other Car Brain society, but exactly one driver in 700 miles of walking in the kingdom bothered to park and stroll along for a while.)

More striking than a Car Brain’s impaired road etiquette, though, are the slow pleasures it misses in life.

The Car Brain will never know the ceremony of authentic departures and arrivals. Towns and villages that were mere smears of speed along busy superhighways were celebratory events savored by my Saudi walking partners and me. Our step lightened with anticipation as we wandered into the outskirts. We laughed. We felt good: flushed with accomplishment. Similarly, packing our camel bags and walking out of a town was a special moment — an embarkation that signaled a tangible advance through space and time, and not the commuter’s inconvenience of simply “getting there.”

Car Brains have lost all knowledge of human interactions on foot. People stiffen when they see a pedestrian approaching from a distance. But they relax and smile as they hear your voice, see your empty (unarmed) hands. In Africa and in the remnant pastoral communities of Arabia you must stand dozens of yards away from huts and homes, waiting politely to be noticed, before exchanging greetings. A lovely courtliness marks these bipedal encounters.

AND then there is simply the act of traveling through the world at three miles per hour — the speed at which we were biologically designed to move. There is something mesmerizing about this pace that I still can’t adequately describe. While roaming the old pilgrim roads in Saudi Arabia, I came to understand how the journey to Mecca — the hajj — in the pre-airline days was perhaps as important as reaching Islam’s holiest city. Watching the Red Sea slide by my left shoulder as I walked north, seeing the white desert coast dance with ink-blue waters as one bay after another scalloped by, put me in a meditative trance that must be primordial.

These are natural, limbic connections that reach back to the basement of time — ones that Car Brains rarely experience. I must continually remind motorists that what I am doing is not extreme. Anthropologists have strapped G.P.S. devices to the Hadza people of Tanzania, among the last hunter-gatherers left on earth, and discovered that the men walk on average seven miles a day in pursuit of game. (Women a little less.) This adds up to 2,500 miles annually, or tramping from New York to Los Angeles every year. Given that this ancient economy is one that dominated 95 percent of human history, walking that distance is our norm. Sitting down is what’s radical.

I have nothing personal against motorized travel. Cars build middle classes. They grant us undreamed-of freedom. And I suspect that I’ll be driving away from my walk’s end point in Chile in 2020. But it’s probably inevitable that, as I plod through the Middle East, Asia and the Americas over the next six years, I’ll become increasingly alienated from the growing bulk of humanity afflicted by Car Brain. The internal combustion engine has affected more drastic changes on human culture — flattening it through the annihilation of time and space — than the web revolution. Indeed, the century-old automotive revolution prepared the way for the rise of the Internet, by eroding the capacity for attention, for patience, by fomenting a cult of speed.

It can be lonely out here among the Car Brains. Sometimes, out walking, I feel like a ghost. Already, I have to seek out society’s marginal people to find my way across the planet. Settled nomads. The ambulatory poor. The very ancient, whose mode of transport is still a donkey or maybe a cart, elders who haven’t forgotten about earned distances. They point to referents beyond the aphasia of paved roads. I take my compass bearings off their paupers’ hands.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/opinion/sunday/a-stroll-around-the-world.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp&rref=opinion

Paul Salopek is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a contributor to National Geographic magazine.

Katahdin and Beyond

It was a little surreal to climb Katahdin and even be in Maine after all this time! We've been imagining this moment for months or years and it finally came! I felt lucky to summit with a great group of folks that I've been hiking with for a while now AND we had the most beautiful weather you could ask for! I didn't think it was going to be as breathtaking as it was, but Katahdin has one of the most amazing views on the trail and it was a fun hike. 
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I've just returned from the most wonderful wedding in St. Augustine Florida. College friends Mandy and Russell decided to tie the knot. A quite impressive crowd of family and friends came to support the happy couple in their next exciting journey. We swam with the bioluminescent plankton at night, camped out, celebrated on the beach, and caught up with old friends while making new ones.


Now I'm on my way back to the trail. I have less than 750 miles to complete my thru-hike. I plan to finish this year. I have sections in Vermont, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Starting with my most northernly sections I will hike south toward home (Georgia). If all goes as planned I'll finish by Christmas. (about 2 months more) I would like to end on Springer Mount, GA (where I started), so I will likely rehike the last 100 miles or so and be picked up by friends or family from there.


I've had many people from the trail to offer me a hiking partner through these sections. So I'm likely
going to have a little company, which is always nice :)

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HEADING FOR THE "GREAT WHITES"!

8/31/13:  Cater's quote on FB...."In Glencliff, NH and heading for "The Whites" (hardest area of the AT.)  Doing my first slack pack today and looking forward to the hiker feed tomorrow.  Ya'll should come!"

Terrain By State: New Hampshire

The highlight of the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire is the beautiful, rugged White Mountains, the dramatic scenery of which attracts more back-country visitors than any other part of the Trail. Travel here requires intelligent planning and ample time; plan no more than five to eight miles per day. Be prepared for steep ascents and descents that require the use of your hands and, occasionally, the seat of your pants.

Much of the Trail is above timberline, where the temperature may change very suddenly; snow is possible in any season. The same severe weather conditions that prevent trees from growing on the high ridges also require a higher level of preparedness for a safe, successful hiking trip. Snow falls on Mt. Washington during every month of the year. High winds and dense fog are common. Most shelters and campsites charge a fee.

The White Mountains section stretches 117 miles from Maine-New Hampshire state line to Glencliff, New Hampshire. Organized groups can reduce their chances of arriving at already-crowded sites by contacting the local trail clubs about group voluntary registration programs.

Between the White Mountains and the Vermont border, the Trail crosses broken terrain of alternating mountains and valleys. This 44-mile stretch is noted for its fall foliage and is a good alternative to the crowds and steep scrambles of the Whites.


...................................................................................................................................



9/6/13:  Cater just text-ed a message as quoted:  "In the 'Whites' ...and they are soooo hard and cold!  I completely lost a toenail and cracked another.  For the first time in forever, I'm really sore - only going about a mile an hour!  But the views are breathtaking!!!!  ( My favorite place so far).  I will be going to the base of Mt. Washington tomorrow.  Miss everyone!  Hope all is well!!!"

9/8/13:   Cater is in a hut on Mt. Washington.  The last 5 miles were hiked in hail and sleet in 50-70 MPH winds and upper 30 degree temperatures.  They are waiting for good weather to summit tomorrow....hopefully.

9/9/13:  Post from FB today as quoted:  On top of mnt Washington. Second highest peek on trail. Highest wind speeds observed by a person were here. (the weather building is chained to the ground!) Just ate 20 dollars of soup, chili, pizza, hotdog, pastries and soda. There is snow and ice up here right now so we'll try to get off the mnt before the bad weather comes tonight. Maine is only a few days away.

Fundraiser Donors!!!!!

These individuals graciously donated to my Guatemalan Cooking and Nutrition Program:

Carolyn Bittick 

Judy Pettigrew

Cary Bittick

Janice Veal

Patti Fishburne

Lena Bittick

Back in Action - June 27 - August 26, 2013

HOPEFULLY my "foot' is healed (after 6 weeks) because I plan to finish what I started "2 months" ago on 3/20/13.

Headed to Atlanta today with Ms. Janice and mom to connect me with my good friend, Andrea.   She will help me meet my bus at 7 AM tomorrow  and on to Washington DC via bus where I will stay with the Walton's for a day;  Mrs. Peg will give me a ride to Harpers Ferry WV (the psychological halfway point). I will be "skipping" about 400 miles of VA and returning after I have completed the remainder of the trail. I worried that if I started back in Pearisburg VA (where I left off) I would not finish before it snows up north. I will still be a thru-hiker (flip-flopper) if I hike the trail in one year. Although a little anxious about returning I bet that once I get my pack on I'll feel right at home :)

6/28/13:  So much for plans!!!  Apparently hiking to Va. was easier than taking the mega-bus to DC....for it took 23.5 hrs (had bus failure with 4 hrs. on side of road, missed connection in Charlotte, AWFUL customer service).

6/29/13:  BUT despite their best efforts, I made it to my destination!  Big thanks to "Ms. Peg" for delivering me back on AT at Harpers Ferry!

The staff at ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) in Harpers Ferry was the nicest and most concerned people about my whole situation of having to leave the trail for 6 long weeks to recuperate.  Thank you for showing that you cared!  Most of Harpers Ferry is a tourist town due to the history it played during the War Between the States.  I spent a zero day there before resuming my trek.

My first day back hiking was "ruff" although my toe did pretty well.  My feet hurt, starting over again to get my trail legs back, and it is soooo hot; at night I sleep on top of sleeping bag (feels like 80 degrees at night) and sweat profusely.  If you camped outside the tent the mosquitoes and bugs would literally carry you off.

7/3/13:  In Maryland today and will soon cross the Mason-Dixon line.

7/6/13:  Shaky legs, bad back and bloody feet---summer hiking is a "whole nother animal!"

7/8/13:  Just crossed the Mason-Dixon line (into Yankee territory for the first time) and not even 30 minutes later my bag was robbed!  Soooo very thankful for the good in the midst of bad because it wasn't my "cards," camera or money "taken without permission" from my back-pack 'not allowed inside' (minding its own business in front of Dollar Store); but it was phone charger, connector for camera, ibuprofen esp. for my foot, etc. which I can replace with temporary discomfort.  Later I had second thoughts on this subject and wonder if this episode may have happened a little earlier when my bag lay at top of hill while I went for water down the hill.   At least we had great Trail Magic last night and now headed for Duncannon, PA by Sat. for the hiker feed----"I will hike for food" is my motto.

7/12/13:  Passed half-way point (1100 miles) today! Who-hoo!

7/28/13:  NJ  has been rocky but beautiful trail views and pleasant weather.  I love the abundant wild life and saw my first bear on the trail today.

8/2/13:  "Lemon Squeeze" in NY state.

8/3/13:  34 miles from NYC.

8/4/13:  Train-ride away from the "Big Apple."

8/5-8/7/13:  In NY.

8/11/13:  AT hiker, Caitlyn Cleary, said "Rainbow Bright" literally RAN for a sandwich" today.  OK!  I admit it, I am not "swift" but I get there!

8/14/13:  In CT.

8/23/13:  At VT border discussing a flip flop--VT, NH, Me, (some of PA/VA) left to do.  I (we) are worried about time and winter weather.  I've completed Nobo (Northbound) GA, NC, TN, W.VA, NJ, MD, CT, MA &NY (over 1100 miles).  Comment from Baby Ruth back in NC regarding weather, "True!  I almost died in W. Hartford, VT during Hurricane Irene!"

8/26/13:  Decision made to"Flip."  Hitched a ride to NH and heading North!  Then---- on my return South, I'll do VT, and the missed parts of PA/VA.  I might finish the AT the beginning of November.

News Article Covering the Parade Accident

Up to 60 injured after car drives into Va. parade

By DEBRA McCOWN

— May. 18 8:55 PM EDT

·                                 

Emergency personnel respond to one of the people hit by a car, at right, during the beginning of the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival in Damascus, Va., Saturday, May 18, 2013. Witnesses said the car drove into a crowd at the parade and hurt several people, but the nature of their injuries wasn't immediately known. (AP Photo/Bristol Herald Courier, Earl Neikirk)

·                                 

Hiker "Quinoa" talks about being given credit for saving the lives of Carson Balckburn, Dalton Thomason, and Faith Ritchie after he ran them and others off the road with a water gun during a festival parade in Damascus, Va., Saturday, May 18, 2013. Just as the children ran off the street, a car came down the road and struck several people. (AP Photo/Bristol Herald Courier, Earl Neikirk)

·                                 

People attend to a victim who was hit by a car during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival in Damascus, Va., Saturday, May 18, 2013. Witnesses said the car drove into a crowd at the parade and hurt several people, but the nature of their injuries wasn't immediately known. (AP Photo/Republican-American, Bill O'Brien)

·                                 

People attend to a victim who was hit by a car during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival in Damascus, Va., Saturday, May 18, 2013. Witnesses said the car drove into a crowd at the parade and hurt several people, but the nature of their injuries wasn't immediately known. (AP Photo/Republican-American, Bill O'Brien)

  

DAMASCUS, Va. (AP) — An elderly driver plowed into dozens of hikers marching in a Saturday parade in a small Virginia mountain town and investigators were looking into whether he suffered a medical emergency before the accident.

About 50 to 60 people suffered injuries ranging from critical to superficial, but no fatalities were reported. Three of the worst injured were flown by helicopter to area hospitals. Their conditions weren't immediately available.

Another 12 to 15 victims were taken to hospitals by ambulance and the rest were treated at the scene, where some paramedics and other first-responders were participating in the parade.

It happened around 2:10 p.m. during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival, an annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail in Damascus, near the Tennessee state line about a half-hour drive east of Bristol.

Damascus Police Chief Bill Nunley didn't release the driver's name or age but said he was participating in the parade and he had traversed the Appalachian Trail in the past. Multiple witnesses described him as an elderly man.

Nunley said the man's 1997 Cadillac was one of the last vehicles in the parade and the driver might have suffered an unspecified medical problem when his car accelerated to about 25 mph and struck the crowd on a two-lane bridge along the town's main road. The driver was among those taken to hospitals.

"It is under investigation and charges may be placed," Nunley said.

Witnesses said the car had a handicapped parking sticker and it went more than 100 feet before coming to a stop.

"He was hitting hikers," said Vickie Harmon, a witness from Damascus. "I saw hikers just go everywhere."

Amanda Puckett, who was watching the parade with her children, ran to the car, where she and others lifted the car off those pinned underneath.

"Everybody just threw our hands up on the car and we just lifted the car up," she said.

Keith Neumann, a hiker from South Carolina, said he was part of the group that scrambled around the car. They pushed the car backward to free a woman trapped underneath and lifted it off the ground to make sure no one else was trapped.

"There's no single heroes. We're talking about a group effort of everybody jumping in," he said.

Nunley cited quick action by police, firefighters, paramedics and hikers to tend to the victims, including a volunteer firefighter who dove into the car to turn off the ignition. The firefighter, whose name wasn't released, suffered minor injuries.

Mayor Jack McCrady encouraged people to attend the festival on Sunday, its final day.

"In 27 years of this, we've never had anything of this magnitude, and is it our job to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

McCrady said a donation fund was being set up to assist the injured, some of whom don't have medical insurance.

"We want to make sure they don't suffer any greater loss than they already have," he said.

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Cadillacs, Crutches and Contemplations

While hiking the Appalachian Trail, I was:

A.  Eaten by a bear

B.  Bitten by a snake

C. Kidnapped by a crazy hiker

D. Stalked by a cougar

E.  Struck by lightening

F.  Run over by a car

Wellll, if you guessed the most unlikely #F, you're on target.

I, and my friends, were walking across the bridge in Damascus for the Trail Days parade and due to screams from behind us, I turned just in time to see a car knock me down on pavement. Then before  I knew it, a 97 Cadillac was moving over my body.  My adrenalin suddenly went into overtime and even though confused I flung my arms in mid air trying to grab anything I could to keep my head from going underneath ...everything below my armpits were already under the moving vehicle.  I was so scared, screaming to high heavens. I could feel what I thought were the car's wheels beginning to actually run over my lower body while I was trying my best to push off the ground with my feet and pull up with my hands, thus, sparing some of the road rash.

Major thanks goes to the approximately 30 parade participants (other hikers) who came forward in front of the car and blocked it, pushing to stop its movement. Meanwhile a friend (Cleveland) jumped in the front to cut the ignition off and another friend in the back to reach over seat and put gear in park. The elderly 87 yr.old driver sat in sort of a daze (I think type of seizure) not acknowledging he had just plowed through a group of pedestrians. It began by him speeding into the back of the parade around 35 MPH glancing off several cars (which slowed him down somewhat) and hitting several people who had to be helicoptered out due to their serious injuries before reaching us at a slower speed.  My friend, Willow, who was walking right beside me, was thrown on top of the car when I went underneath.  The x-ray at the ER revealed I have my right little toe broken in 3 pieces.  I feel very fortunate and even now don't really know how it turned out the way it did.



First week at home was a feeling of suffocation and cabin fever....I missed the wide-open spaces of my trail life from the past 8 1/2 weeks and although I knew I was more lucky to be alive and well,  I still had a twinge of  resentment for this untimely interruption of  being "robbed" of my quest to Maine.
However, at this point let me say that I intend this to be a temporary delay!

Besides seeing friends and loved ones I have been able to rethink my "food bag" (which, if anyone knows me realizes it is highly important to me)! With my supervision more than help, mom has dehydrated and prepared a plethora of delicious and healthy foods such as dehydrated fruits, (including blackberry, fig, strawberry and banana fruit leather), beef jerky, vegetables and even whole meals of veggies and couscous for when I get back on the trail.

Also, I was surprised and delighted to be contacted by  Mr. Espy (originally from Cordelle but currently
in Macon, GA), the 2nd person to hike the entire AT back in 1951.  He was in the parade at Trail Days (at the beginning riding in a car and did not actually see me or the wreck). He wanted to meet and talk in person, so we met for lunch with his wife and my dad. Mr Espy has written a book about his experiences and other amazing adventures he's had throughout his life.  He generously gave me a signed copy of his book titled "The Trail of My Life:  The Gene Espy Story" which I look forward to reading!

No Rain, No Maine

Ducks love water!!!  I like water, but I don't LOVE water......water, water everywhere.......rain! rain! go away for a little while so I, and my things (including my phone), can dry out.  

I'll be in Virginia for a while traveling its 550 miles across and then 4 miles through West Va.....the longest and shortest states on the AT.

5/14/13:  Today I'm in Bland, Va. visiting Subway and headed to DQ too.  Of course, Thursday I will be going back to Damascus for Trail Days....looking forward to that!!!

5/17- 5/20 - Trail Days
    Got a ride back to Damascus from a fellow hiker "Cleveland". He picked "Willow/Grape Drink" and I up in Pearisburg, VA (~630 miles) and is going to drop us off back there after the weekend.
We stayed in "tent city" (a huge field with hundreds of campers) and receive free showers (from a disaster relief group), 3 free meals a day (donated by different churches), free hair cut and foot massages. Doctors come and look at peoples feet and legs to make sure they are healthy. We are VERY taken care of. Lots  and lots of gear representatives that will fix old, torn or broken gear for free. Its awesome!

Supposed to do trail maintance the 3 days following Trail Days and will receive free board and transportation in exchange for fixing trails.

A Mission for Nutrition!

When I get discouraged while hiking I have to remind myself that one of the main reasons why I am willing to accept this punishment, and I want to remind you also, is.........

MY PURPOSE:

I've decided that, due to the inherent growth Guatemala provided me, I will try to give back in a similar fashion.  That's why I intend to dedicate this walk to fund-raise for the Nutrition and Cooking project that I helped to pioneer.  The purpose of this program is to provide information about healthy eating to our Women's Circles and cooking class to show how to prepare these nutritious foods for their families (With a focus on children).  It is also connected with an entrepreneurial aspect, allowing the participants to create small businesses by selling healthy treats!  Since Guatemala has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in Latin America among children and the 4th highest in the world, there is a lot to be done!  Hopefully this will not only be a time of reflection and growth for myself, but also grant me the ability to bring attention to a subject that I care for very deeply.

I have hiked 400+ miles to date and that distance should prove me worthy of donations toward the Nutrition and Cooking project mentioned above.  I hope to raise $10,000 by the time I reach Katahdin, Maine, hopefully in September.  The fund raising is now off to a good start!  Thank you.

If you'd like to contribute to the Highland Support Project,

Click Here to Donate!

Or if you have questions about:

HSP: http://www.highlandsupportproject.org/

AMA: http://www.amaguate.org/

Trek-ing on thru Tennessee....

4/26/13:  Zero'd in a pretty apple orchard yesterday bc I was lazy and decided eating copious amounts of my food, yoga and napping in a sunny field all day was way better than hiking.  Besides, with all the rain everything was wet so we hung and spread out things to dry.  Going into town (Elk Park) tomorrow.  Staying at Overmountain Shelter (converted barn) tonight which holds 20 people.   It is supposed to be rainy again this week.

REMEMBER:  NO RAIN, NO MAINE!

4/29/13:  Cater Saves the  Day (I mean the Water Bottle)!

 Near Laurel Falls, TN we, Aqua-man, Wooden Spoon & her dog, "Gaia," Blood Orange and myself, were hiking in a beautiful area and while crossing a river bridge someone dropped their nice $10 water bottle into the river.  Two of us saw this as a serious challenge to rescue it and actually sprinted (as much as you can harnessed with a back pack)  along the river and leaning over the intense current looking for where we thought the bottle would be coming.  I ditched my bag and put on my sandals just in time to leap 2 or 3 feet into the river and successfully grabbed the bottle.  I earned my dinner as a reward.   Being wet was nothing new under the sun for it's been raining forever.  My tent has been leaking lately and the company is mailing me a new bigger one to the Damascus, VA post office where I will also have another food box awaiting me in a few days.

I've hiked 420 miles so far.

300 Miles at Sam's Gap

After 17 miles in the rain and cold, I was hungry (more like ravenously hungry) for a hot meal so I walked 3 more miles to a diner and met the nicest elderly couple eating there.  They asked if I was alone and I guess I wore my "pitiful" look for they invited me home for the night which gave me a chance to bathe, wash my clothes, sleep in a real bed, fed me breakfast and carried me back to the trail the next morning.  It, and they, were awesome!

4/22/13:  On  a downside note I have avoided the shelters altogether due to the viral bug going rampant and the CDC has closed several shelters in order to "bleach" them out; however, I was sick anyway for 24 hours and had a zero day Saturday.  I walked only a short distance Sun. but today I feel better and have reached Erwin, TN.  I am finally getting "my trail legs" and should make better time here on out.

Great Smoky Mts.....Here I come!!!

4/7/13:  Ughhhhh....awaiting my package at Fontana Dam, NC (was due 4/6/13).  Start the Smokies tomorrow.  From what I hear they can be a "little harry."   Had longest day so far yesterday, 14 miles, but it was great.  Spent the night on top of Cheoah Bald and saw the most beautiful sunset and rise.... Clingman's Dome is over 6600 ft. and is the highest point on the entire AT.

4/8/13:  Zero day today in order to get my 1st pkg of supplies from home.  Will start early tomorrow (4/9/13) into the Smoky Mts.  Besides a permit, you must lodge in their shelters ($20 head) for you are not allowed to camp (tent) at night.  Sometimes it is hard to find vacanies in shelters due to not only "AT thru-hikers" but "day-hikers" and "section hikers" using them as well.  In that case, you have to walk to the next one.  May take as long as a week to hike the 70+ miles through the Smoky Mts.  I am still in a group of four although not all the same ones.  We have discussed how we might like to "aqua blaze" this week...meaning that we will follow the rivers to enjoy the scenery and then get back on AT - all being the same distance.  There are meanings for different "color blazing(s)" such as "yellow blazing" means you walk the roads rather than the AT.

4/11/13:  Text received from Cater:  "I'm ok. Call in four days - phone's dead."

TC:  4/15/13:
Note:  Even though I hike with other people, we all walk at our own pace(s) and end up together at the shelter or camp site at the end of the day.  I am usually the cow's tail- probably due to my bag being heavier (my fault) and maybe my shorter legs (not my fault).  Currently there is a couple "Puddin and Patty cake", Sparky, and Nova from Nova Scotia.

I am happy to be out of the Smoky Mts. as they were really hard!  You walked either 6 or 20 miles to reach shelters.  The first day we hiked 17 miles up hill in 85 degree weather and lot of gnats.  A few days later it was very severe climate with 30 mile winds, hail, etc. but we reached Clingman's Dome + 250 mile marker. There were no good views due to being rainy and cloudy.  Later I was hiking at night alone in a pretty swampy pine forest and fell twice due to darkness.  I don't like hiking at night and only did that night because I didn't want to stay in or around one of the shelters.

Atop one mountain point there were no tress,  therefore you could see 365 degrees around you.  It was awesome!  We hiked 21 miles Saturday.  On Sunday (4/14) the rain and wind blew my tent over!  We were
camped outside the shelter (and will probably do so for the next week) because a "tummy bug" is going around and the shelters are obviously contaminated with germs all over including handling the log books, etc. We walked 18 or 19 miles to Hot Springs and received wonderful Trail Magic from the nicest Summit Mt. ladies.  I ate a pack of crackers, fudge round, cucumbers, bell peppers, oreos and 2 sodas.  Fantastic!!!

Woke up this morning with very sore feet, ankles and knees.  Although I bought some inner-soles for my well worn shoes, I actually need new shoes which I can purchase near by or online. As of today I have hiked 270 miles, a little over 1/10 of my trail walk!  (still can't imagine why my feet hurt)

The First 100

4/1/13:  I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter yesterday. If you're anything like us... You were hoping a bunch of girl scouts would be hanging out on a random NC mountain road handing out cookies, sodas and other Easter goodies. That didn't happen but we must have prayed incredibly well to those trail gods because Cliff Dodson (Tabasco) picked up (3) fellow hikers (from Maine, NJ & Ohio) and myself in Franklin, NC and escorted us to Asheville, NC for a zero day!  Willow, Mr. Rogers, Luscious (trail names) and I (Rainbow Bright) are going to purchase food and gear today.  Last night Joanna (who was my gear guru and my saving grace) came by for dinner and chatted all night about AT hiking.   Terri Dodson, as usual, was a very gracious hostess and fabulous cook.
                                                                                             
 It's been (11) days on the trail and feels like I've been doing this forever. The weather has been unusually bad for this time of the year, but all who remained have managed to keep their spirits high.... (there seems to be a high dropout rate so far.)  Right out of the gate we've experienced almost every kind of weather condition including snow, freezing rain, fog, more rain with crazy winds, and sunny...
                                                
 Thus far, I think the most exciting point for me has been crossing the NC border.  Until this point I was the 'GA girl hiking in GA' with a bunch of people from all over the country and even the world.  But now I'm "away" from home just like everyone else.  I've hiked with Australians, British, Canadians, and lots of Germans (due to a 2007 German documentary).
                                                          
 Two days ago we hiked Albert Mountain which has a ridiculously steep incline that includes cliff side trails and boulder climbing. All throughout the ascent I was thinking about the horrible things I was going to say about this place. However, once I scrambled over those last boulders and saw the beautiful Smokies, I have only raves bc it looked and felt awesome!!  To top it off, the peek is the (very exciting) FIRST milestone, 100 miles!

4/2 - 4/3/13:  Following a stupendous and relaxing visit in Asheville, NC, Cliff carried us back to Franklin, NC to resume our trek.  (The visit and the “Dodsons” were awesome!!!!  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and stomachs).  We actually hiked about 2 hrs and took a nap in the “meadow” which could be habit forming.  We’re about 6 days from the Smokies and (1) day from NOC where it will take all day to climb 3,000 ft. straight uphill…..I feel myself already complaining out loud.  I've given my secretari-mom instructions for my first box to be mailed to Fontana Dam, NC and to update the blog. 

First Week Up-and-Down-Date

3/20/13:  Left Atlanta EARLY Wednesday morning and arrived at Amicalola Falls State Park. Signed in their log (I'm thru-hiker 531) and started off around 8:30 am. The approach trail begins here and is about 8.8 miles of trail leading up to the actual Appalachian Trail. (So basically I walked a day extra that doesn't even count :) ) The falls have a RIDICULOUS number of steps... like 600. It could have been a million and probably felt the same. Neverthless, we hiked from the falls (which were beautiful) to a shelter 2 miles past Springer Mountain (11.6 miles) the first day! That first night in the shelter was a very COLD 27 F with wind chill in the lower teens or single digits. (got different numbers from different  folks).

3/23/13:  Reached Blood Mt (highest point on the AT in Ga.) on the way to Neel's Gap, the first resupply station.  I was probably the only one who did not need to buy food bc I still had so much and was able to give some away.

3/24/13:  Have a new hiking partner, Elliot, (from Maine).  She rode the bus to Ga. in order to walk back home.

3/25/13:  My average mileage so far is between 10-13 miles per day!  I've walked in the rain, mud, super cold, windy, and today was crazy cold with snow all day. I've decided after extended research (11 miles) that hiking and camping in the snow and subfreezing temps are BY-FAR my least favorite AT experience and is stupid.. It sucks.....and I am not making a habit of doing that crap again. I fell numerous times in the snow, broke my water bottle and the water froze in my back pack...so I had no water.  So instead, I'm taking my first zero day tomorrow in Hiawassee (week anniversary) bc the weather is supposed to be dumb again.  Besides, last night I had a furry visitor (mouse) come in my tent in pitch black dark after midnight that scared the crap out of me. But I got it out quickly and it didn't eat my tent or gear. Rodents are the worst pests on the AT I have been told.  Haven't seen any other wild life, other than a beautiful hoot owl one morning.  Hopefully Wednesday will start to clear up.

Was given my trail name today: "Rainbow Bright" bc of my colorful clothing options :)  probably bc I was  walking in the rain in a lime green raincoat, purple hat, lavender scarf and turquoise shirt.

I've been hiking with a really cool group of folks. A solo female, 2 solo males, and 2 guys from Florida. Everyone has been really nice and helpful!! :D

2 trail magics so far and they were AWESOME :)

**Cliff Dodson and Truett Goodwin came to visit at Neels Gap yesterday and took me to dinner. It was wonderful :) Thank you both!!!!

Off to the Races

Tonight is the last night I'll be spending in Forsyth and all of the family (both biological and adopted) came to moms for dinner and board games.  We had a great time; I really appreciate everyone for stopping by! I'm going to miss everyone of you so much!

I leave for Atlanta tomorrow and from there Amicalola Falls early Wed to begin hiking (approach trail~8 miles).  I will have travel accompaniment for the first three days of my journey. After that I will be soloing it :D

Neels Gap is the first resupply stop and I expect to reach it sometime Sat-Sun. I've packed my bags, unpacked, and repacked....and with enough food and water for Xerxes' army it rests at a whopping 40 pounds. I've tested my gear and experienced carrying most of it for several hours. It wasnt pleasant to say the least, but I can do it! :)

10 Day Count Down

NO TURNING BACK!  

(Well, I could but where's the fun in that!?!)

After spending a life savings on equipment and supplies, up and quitting ALL my jobs AND being a big mouth about this "cockamamy" plan to walk to Maine, I'm more anxious than ever :)

I am pretty set on all my equipment and have a short camping test this week just to make sure that everything's up to par.

Everyone's been really great with the concerned recommendations and helpful tid-bits. (But I'm still not going to take a gun.)

Mom has been...um.. more "nominated" than a willing participant for my "special little helper." But she is taking to the responsibilities very well :) She will be responsible for mailing out resupply packages, updating blogs and sending out emails. So for questions and concerns, please speak to my "secretari-mom".

The date is still set for March 20th. I will be dropped off at Springer Mountain in Amicola Falls. (in north GA) My first resupply stop will be about a 3 day hike to Neel Gap. There is a hostel there with SHOWERS, food and a helpful staff that will give equipment and gear advice.

I'd like to give a Special Thanks to :
Mom, Cary, Dad and Trillis
Ben, Lori, JT, Mary Ella
Cliff "Tabasco" and Terri Dodson
Joanna "Baby Ruth" Krohn
Staff of Diamond Brand and Frugal Backpackers in Asheville
My family and friends
Missy, Brandon, Cloe, Spencer, Shylah
Bill and Janice
Bud and Lauri
Tina Dickson
Andrea Zvikas
The Jones
Truett Goodwin
The Waltons
Joan Cooper
HSP/AMA
And anyone who has given me a job, ride, meal, advice/support or a helping hand. No matter the size, everything that you do/did, helped me get to this point. I love and appreciate you!

Soda Pop Stove Pics

Fueled By the Power of Coke!
... and Methyl-Alcohol.

         

2 Soda Cans (and fingers) Cut to Smithereens 

    

Finished Product

   

  

Yey! FIRE!     :D

Tips of the Trail

Precautions:

Never camp near a road.
Never tell anyone you are hiking alone. Always tell them your hiking partner is
     about a half mile back.
Take care of "hot spots" on your feet immediately.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
If you come into a campsite and you are uncomfortable with who is there; move on.
Call your parents/loved ones often and let them know where you are and that
      you are ok.
Never get caught out in the open during a thunder storm.
Before setting up your hammock/tent, look up and make sure there is nothing
      that will fall on you.
Hang your food every night.
When you need help, ask for it. Everyone on trail looks out for each other.
Purify your water.
Rest your body in a hostel occasionally. It will help you in the long run.
Make noise when you suspect a bear near by.
Be able to recognize poison ivy.
Optional: Carry a small bottle of pepper spray on a carabiner on your pack.
Treat minor cuts and scratches with neosporrin to prevent infection.


Overview and thoughts:

Hike your own hike. The right way to hike the trail is your way.
Get in shape. This will be the most physically demanding thing you have ever
       done.
It will also be an experience that you will cherish the rest of your life. It will alter the way you look at things and people.

The views are awesome but the people you will meet will renew your faith in humanity.  Most of the people you meet will be brief encounters but create long lasting memories.

People with their long miles and they get sore- Start out with lower mileage than your best until you develop your "trail legs".    Many start out trying to impress and get discouraged. They drop out very early.
The trail is not a race.   Just keep saying, I'll be there when I get there."
Never make an important decision while going uphill.
Take pictures and keep a journal.
Be nice to people. Enjoy the "alone time".
Start each day recognizing how lucky you are to be on this quest.
Remember, no rain, no Maine.


By: Cliff "Tabasco" Dodson

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The average amount of money people spend on a thru-hike: 1,000-2,000 on gear and 4,000-5,000 on
           food/board/transportation/etc.

Only about 1/4- 1/5 of people attempting a thru-hike actually make it

Gear List and Online Resources

Most of this information was provided by Cliff "Tabasco" Dodson and Joanna "Baby Ruth" Krohn. Thanks so much folks!!!!! You were a life saver! I was able to purchase 90% of my gear from the wonderfully helpful folks at Diamond Brand Outdoors/ Frugal Backpacker in Asheville NC. They were FABULOUS!! 



Most important gear:  **Make sure a professional fits you on these purchases.

Shoes: If your feet aren't happy, you are not going to have fun.
Pack: It must fit your torso but be small enough to prevent you from adding things you don't need.
Sleeping bag: Get a good one. It is not fun freezing at night.

List:

pack 

cooking pot (titanium- large mug size)

pack cover 

stove and windscreen (going to make out of a can)

fuel ("Heet" alcohol-found in gas stations or auto parts sections of stores)

water pump (Sawyer 3 way-attach to water bladder)

small knife (to cut food, straps or duct tape)

sleeping bag and cover

water bladder with drinking tube

1 or 1/2 L (Platypus) to refill bladder 

small first aide kit

sleeping bag liner 

tent or hammock

walking sticks 

dry bag (clothes)
dry bag (food)
trail shoes camp shoes(crocs/flip flops)

bear bag rope (para cord)

sleeping pad

head lamp and batteries

sleeping pad (choose between down or synthetic)
2 smart wool socks
2 synthetic underwear
sports bra
rain jacket
rain pants (if you bring them, I did not)

lightweight synthetic bottoms (long)

lightweight synthetic shirt (long/short)

lightweight jacket/fleece

Appalachian Guide (loose-leaf) by: David Miller   http://www.shop.theATguide.com/

Clothes:
NO COTTON (either synthetic or wool)

          -wool is the better option, it regulates body temp well and doesn't hold odor like synthetic)
Change all clothes when you get into camp and put on your dry night clothes. Hypothermia can happen quickly even when it is not really cold.
Darn tough socks are expensive but have a lifetime guarantee. ($22.00)

For Women: 

OB tampons (dont have applicator, so there is less garbage)

Town Dress - with built in bra (so you can wear something in town while you wash your clothes) ~   

           and look cute :)

**Cold Weather:
toboggan 

down jacket 

heavy synthetic shirt  (long)
heavy synthetic bottoms (long)

pants and belt 

gloves

**Warm Weather  (after Mt. Rogers you can go to a 40 degree sleeping bag.)
Send home winter bag, down jacket, rain pants, gloves, toboggan and long pants. Most people hike in shorts/skorts. Will update warm weather on the trail.                                  

Other supplies:
lighter/matches
toilet paper in a baggie (start saving the ends of rolls and take out cardboard)
Map

spork

bandana 

food (Lightweight. Get creative!)
tooth brush (some people cut off the handles to save weight)

mole skin (for "hot spots" and blisters)

energy supplements

baby whipes 

paper and pen (journal)

shamwow (towel)

First Aid: IBprofren, Immodium, Pepto, Benadryl, Allegra, Alcohol whipes, Band-Aids, Neosporin, etc.

SOS pad (to clean dishes)

whistle
mirror

Ziplock (for ID, money, CC, Health card)

Chapstick

32 oz. gatorade bottle (1 or 2)

1 backup Aquamira pkg. (in case filter fails)

knee high (to filter debris from water)

1 gallon Ziplock for trash

trash compactor bag to line your pack
extra shoe laces
carabiner

glide & foot powder (if you choose)

camp shoes (like Crocs or flipflops)

small bottle of Dr. Brommers- dishes, clothes, etc.

duct tape (wrap around walking stick-for storage)

ground cloth (for tent)

safety pin

floss

ear plugs

toe nail clippers

cheap bandana
gaiters
phone and charger
camera and batteries

Don't Need:

Sunglasses/ Sunscreen (you're in the trees/woods)

Bugspray -doesn't help with "no-see-ums)

Online Resources:
http://whiteblaze.com- general information, forums and gear review
http://www.hiketheappalachian.com- 2 male hiker's blog/website- gives reviews on their gear
http://www.trailspace.com- gear review
http://www.appalachiantrail.org- Appalachian Trail Conservacy
http://acornhikes.com  - blog by solo female hiker
http://www.trailquest.net/thruhike.html - general info and weather chart


Online Gear Resources:
http://www.diamondbrand.com/ - located in Asheville, NC - very helpful staff
http://www.frugalbackpacker.com/ - located in Asheville, NC - very helpful staff - lots of discounts

http://hennessyhammock.com (if you take a hammock)

https://www.ems.com (they have good sales -Oct and March/April)

https://www.campmore.com - cheaper equipment

https://www.rei.com - usually more expensive but have lots of stores and options

http://www.mountaincrossings.com/ -
http://www.mpgear.com - cheaper equipment
https://www.bigagnes.com- good quality equipment