AT 56 - 21st May (675.4)

Swim #12

Swam with crayfish!!! 

 Felt more normal today but the 2000 feet climb was hard. Lovely hotdog and cold drink as trail magic helped. Had swim #12. After swim I spotted crayfish. There was a rattle snake on the trail today. Two guys heading our way (south bound) warned us. Then the two guys ahead of me saw it but I never saw it. Before I left Brenda prayed that I would not even see a snake on the AT. Brenda stop praying, I really want to see snakes!!!! 

Thought for the day

Prayer. 

Prayer is something really special. As I was reading today, David asked that his prayer would be incense. Incense is a sweet smell to the one smelling it. In this case God. Our prayers are more than something we ask for, it is the fact that we pray and commune with God that is important. When we read the revelation passage we see all the saints prayers are sweet incense poured out before the Lamb. Keep praying and filling the throne room with a sweet aroma. 

Psalm 141:2

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Revelation 5:8

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

AT 55 - 20th May (660.6)

Native American chestnut 

 Feeling better. Had breakfast and went back to bed. It stayed down so I packed up and headed out. Very weak and legs like jelly but was able to walk. Got to second shelter. Baileys gap shelter. Put up tent on a bad site but just about level. Had dinner and 5 in shelter. One guy asleep already and snoring. I can hear it from my tent. I’m glad I’m tenting. Even if it is raining a little. I hope for more energy tomorrow. 

Nature spot. 

The American chestnut. 

I met a carpenter on the trail (as you do) the other day and he told me about the American chestnut. It was very prevalent in the forest that we are walking through and was used as the main lumber in the 1900’s. Walton’s sawmill would have been using it. But a blight attacked it and wiped it out. It still grown but when it gets to 5” circumference the bark changes from being smooth to be rough. This allows the blight in and it causes acid to firm under the bark and basically strangles the tree and it dies. They are working on merging it with wheat at the genetic level to be more resistant so it might return. 

AT 54 - 19th May (644.2)

 I’m sick!!!! Diarrhoea this morning. I walked anyway but no energy. Got to first shelter up 2000feet and have had enough. I’m going to camp early. 11:30 I’m going to drink water and sleep and hope to shake it. I blame the Chinese, food left out for ages can cause issues. I don’t think it is the dreaded Nora virus that is prevalent on the AT. Slept a bit but then threw up everything. I think that’s a good thing. I feel a bit better already. 

Yeager is also sick. We both had the Chinese. 

I’ll see tomorrow how I feel.

Just met a lovely couple and she gave me something to stop the lower end. It’s certainly more pleasant than the wine cork I was using.(joke)

 

AT 53 - 18th May (637)

It rained at 5am so has to take tent down wet. It dried up for walking. Easy 10 mile walk mostly downhill to Pearisburg. Nice hostel and room with Yeager again. He says I snore so I hope he gets some sleep. He has earplugs!!! Went to Chinese buffet for lunch. 4 plates so I think they lost money, all for $8.75. Going to Mexican for dinner. Resupply in Walmart which was fun, didn’t know where anything was. Heading back to trail tomorrow but Yeager is taking a zero. He’ll probably catch up. 4 days supplies weighs a lot. Maybe I should stop sharing my food but it helps the camaraderie and gets people talking. A lot of people are heading to Demarcus for “trail days”. It’s not my thing so heading on. 

In the Chinese I got a fortune cookie. See the photo. Very apt. 

 

AT 52 - 17th May (627.7)

Don’t slip!!!!

1000.0 KM

Dismal falls. Good with thunderstorm rain. 

Can you see me ?

Zoom in. The path is a river. 

There all sorts of nuts in the forest. 

Remains of hiker that went missing in 1987. 

Difficult with pack on. 

 Mostly lovely day. Not too hard climbing. The path was still slippery but not too bad. I had one incident when I came to a branch blocking the path. It was thin so I thought I’d break it. All went well. I pulled it down and sure enough I broke the end off, BUT the main trunk sprang back up and hit me in the chin. It was like Tom & Jerry when one hits the other with a baseball bat. The eyes spin around in the head and stars appear in a halo. That’s what it felt like. No broken teeth and tongue not bitten off so no real damage. Chin still sore. 

At one point the path became a river. There was a dam that was overflowing and all the water was coming on the trail. You were jumping from side to side. 

Someone said VA was flat. Well either they’re blind or maybe they mean compared to GA. You only have 1000 feet climbs compared to 3000 or 4000 feet climbs. I hope to make up some time in VA because I’m behind schedule and I have to leave 23rd September regardless. 

There must be some other Europeans on the trail. Came to 1000.0 KM marker today. That’s 1000 of 3500. 

AT 51 - 16th May (610.2)

600 miles done!!!! Crazy wet day. We got tents down in a dry spell but the fly sheet is soaking. We only had 16 miles to do to get to a two bed in a room hostel. It’s actually Trent’s Grocery but he does the other on the side. Washing cloths, hot shower, food (pizza or burgers) and bed. I’m sharing with Yeager (German). Morning all rain. The path was lethally slippy. Rain stoped just after lunch so took off coat. Then at 2pm the heavens opened. Thunder and the rain was like stair rods, as we used to say. But no one  knows what a stair rod is, so pretend you are driving and you have to put the wipers on two times speed and you still can’t see out. It was like that. The path was a river. Slipping every tenth step. I didn’t fall but others did and got really mucky. Really enjoyable day. Saw lots of interesting stuff. 

Got to Trent’s by 3 and had 12” pizza. 

Then burger for dinner. Got some resupply for two days to get us to Pearisburg. 

As I was slipping today it was like driving on snow with ice every so often. You’re meant to steer into the slide but when it happens your brain freezes. I remembered two other incidents where my body reacted weird. 

First was when a fighter jet flew over. I was on a very steep part of the track. My brain said “aaaahhh loud noise, what is it”. My left leg said jump this way, that was down the cliff, my right leg said fall this way into the hill. My heart skipped a few beats. Finally my brain said “don’t panic”. Luckily my right leg won. 

Second was when some thing slithered in front of me. Brain said “what’s that, I don’t recognize any thing that moves like that”, finally brain said “snake, aaaaahhhh, is it poisonous?????” Body jumped in the air, arms flew even higher, finally brain said “garden snake, don’t panic”. 

The body can sure let you down. 

Wasp nest. 

Just to mention, I’m not eating anything I find on the trail. Relax. 

AT 50 - 15th May (594)

Last nights sunset 

24.2 miles today, it was to get to shelter because it rained all afternoon, we were hoping to have a dry night in shelter. But when we got here it was full. So put the tent up. There was a dry spell so got it up dry. Raining again now. My tent smell like the boys changing room after a rugby match. All my days walking cloths soaked and smelly. I’m ready for bed and nice and dry but all the wet stuff is around me. 

Very hard day with very wet paths for up and down. You really have to concentrate on every step. Had swim #11 (in the rain). 

Another danger is the path verges. The spring growth is coming onto/over the path. That’s how I got the ticks yesterday. When it’s wet you get even wetter from the overhang. The worst is poison ivy. It also grown over the path. When you walk you can get stung or poisoned really. I haven’t yet but one guy did. The body reacts and water blisters form and sometimes pus forms. The issue is if you itch the effected area and you touch somewhere else it also reacts. The worst is if you touch your face. Oh the joys of walking in the wild. 

Looking over the cliff

Swim #11 in the pool at end of clip.