Davenport Gap to Clingmans Dome (Smokies) - End of 2007 Hike

What a difference a couple days can make.  Just days ago we were planning on pushing ourselves to get to Springer on a particular day, still over 200 miles away.  At this point, we've left the trail for the season.

The knee pain that Anna developed on our fast hike after the picnic on Max Patch seems to have come back with a vengeance.  

We started up into the Smokies with a long climb to get up to the primary mountain chain.  The trail was very well graded as it was built with equestrian riders in mind, something we're not used to for the AT.  The first day we felt strong and thanks to the gentle uphill weren't really worn out at the end of the day, we were surprised for as much climbing we had done during the day. 

Just past the shelter the second day, Bluebird noticed a nice spot in the trail we had just walked down where the early morning sun was shinning through the trees on the trail.  We took a few pictures of it, and have posted what is probably the best one.  

The second day in the smokies was all up on the ridge, going up and down between peaks.  Much of the trail was not well graded as had been the day before, and we saw a small amount of rock scrambling.  With the more varied terrain, Anna's knees were challenged and toward the early afternoon she complained of some pain.  We rested, had some snacks and water, and Anna took a pain killer.  We continued at a moderate pace and made it into our shelter with plenty of daylight to spare.

Talking in the evening we realized there was nothing we could do but to keep going at a reasonable pace and see how the knee reacted.  Tommorow would be Anna's second Birthday in a row on the trail.  We both hoped she would get a pain free knee.  To help, I would carry some extra weight to relieve some stress on her knee.

Unfortunately, not even lifting the burden of Bluebird's tortilla's and cheese would ease her pain, however with the help of some more pain killers she made it through most of the day without being slowed too much.  We reached Newfound Gap, the road that tourists take to get from Cherokee to Gatlinburg or drive up Clingman's Dome, we stopped and Bluebird called her mom.  After stopping for about a half hour, we started back up the gradual climb up Clingman's Dome and the knee pain that had haunted Bluebird came back suddenly and strong.

We slowly made it another mile or so to the shelter just below Clingman's Dome and Bluebird got off her feet while I made her some Birthday Dinner of Pad Thai and Lemonade.  At this point all we could do was hope that things would get better.  Sadly things only got worse that night and the next morning.

At night we quickly found out the shelter was completely infested with mice, and I could hadly sleep.  I woke twice to find mice chewing on what I was using as a pillow.  The first time, I woke up hearing something that I thought was in my pillow... I just listed to it to try to figure out where it was really coming from and what it was... when I figured it had to be a mouse, I turned on my headlamp and sad up on my elbows to look around.  All the sudden a tiny gray furball ran up to where my head had just left and looked right at me.  I couldn't believe it.  In a fury I picked up my pillow and flipped the mouse down off the top bunk of the shelter and onto the ground.  Hearing him thud made me a little proud, but very creeped out, and I couldn't sleep on the shelter floor after that.  

Eventually after too many paranoid looks around the shelter, Bluebird and I set up our tent on the ground and weren't bothered again.

In the morning we were prepared for the idea of having to leave the trail to take another break.  And upon walking back from the shelter to the trail, it was evident that it would be a reality.  Bluebird was in pain from the first step.  We made our way up the trail until we could see the trail was close to the road.  We happened to see some maintenance workers cutting the grass at a turnoff and they offered to call for a ranger to drive us to Cherokee.  We took him up on it and half an hour later we were wisked out of the Mountains and down into the tourist town.

Bluebird's Uncle Jack came to pick us up (he did A LOT of shuttling us around) without hesitation and on the ride, he brought up the idea that we not go back to the trail.  At first I think we were both willing to hear it, but were combative to the idea.  The more we thought about it, the more we realized how much we were relying on others (like him and Bluebird's Grandparents among many others) and came to terms with letting our dream slip away yet again.

This way we can again focus on healing a nagging ailment and it hopefully won't be an issue when we come back.   

It is more difficult than words can express to have to say that our AT hike is over, again.

Buster & Bluebird

Erwin, TN to Davenport Gap, NC (North end of GSMNP)

Our journey is coming swiftly to its conclusion! Saturday evening we made our way into Davenport Gap in the Pigeon River Gorge where the trail enters the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. At this junction we have only 234 miles to go!

Since our last entry from Erwin a lot has happened. We've seen four bears through the hills (none of them threatening). We've stayed at a really great hostel and a not so great hostel. We were treated to a great big picnic on the top of Max Patch. And we've begun to set our watch by the regular afternoon thunderstorms.

We had hear the bears between Erwin and Hot Springs were very active. We did a 25-mile slack-pack from Sams Gap into Erwin our first day out with Uncle Johnny's help. Thankfully this meant we didn't need to linger around the No Business Knob Shelter where a resident bear hangs out looking for gullible hikers.

We had a good stay with Uncle Johnny. He had bicycles we could ride into town on the bike path. We thoroughly enjoyed all the buffets Erwin had to offer: Chinese and Pizza. It was a nice change to move around at bicycle speed as opposed to walking speed. On our hike out of Erwin we had a little dog follow us for a good 10 miles. The dog had a tag with phone number but the number was out of service. We think it might have been a lost dog we had seen a posting about near the Mountaineer Falls Shelter about 100 miles back. We finally passed a couple of overnight hikers who were headed back to Ashville that day and offered to take the dog with them to an SCPA. The dog was nice company while we had it. But we didn't have enough food to feed it all the way to Springer!

We were excited to hike into Hot Springs, our last town directly on the trail. We had heard lots of good things about Elmer's, a hostel/Inn with a lot of personality. Unfortunately our stay there wasn't especially great. We met some other cool hikers staying/working there, but Elmer himself wasn't who we expected him to be. He was very biased toward thru-hikers, much preferring them to section-hikers. Since we aren't going to be completing the trail in one calendar year (it will be 14 months instead) he told us we were 

second-class citizens to thru-hikers and charged us more for our stay than he charges his thru-hikers (most of which have only walked 270 miles of the trail thus far). Instead of being the interested and curious trail personality we had heard he was, we were disappointed with how he discriminated among hikers based on how they have chosen to hike. We left Hot Springs disappointed.

But our spirits were lifted when two of my (Bluebird's) uncles joined us at the Roaring Fork Shelter, having walked down from Max Patch. We camped out together and shared a little of our life on the trail with them. The next morning we all hiked up to Max Patch and met the rest of the family for a wonderful fried chicken picnic in the grassy field. It was about the most beautiful setting for a picnic imaginable. Buster and I then went on to hike the remaining 16 miles into Davenport Gap after lunch. We had arranged for our family to pick us up there at a certain time. In our rush, I strained my knee a little. This only encouraged us to take the next two days off at my Grandparent's house near Waynesville. Our time off has been great! It's nice to be with family around the holiday.

We head back out into the Smokies tomorrow. It looks the whole first day will be spent climbing up. Right now our projected end-date is around the 16th of July. Time is going to fly!

Bluebird (and Buster)

Damascus, VA to Erwin, TN

Back on the trail until Springer, we've already had some highlights to share on the stretch between Damascus, VA and Erwin, TN.

Bluebird walked into three bear cubs surrounding her without their mother around on the first day out of Damascus, while we were hiking opposite of each other using the car.

After that hike Buster was waiting for Bluebird to show up back in Damascus when a B&B owner asked him to come eat lunch with them (at 2:30). He had a cold hamburger that was probably sitting around for a while that ended up making him sick that night on our way up to a wedding in Winchester, VA.

After the wedding we returned to the trail thanks to a shuttle from Bluebird's Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Jack and a stay at her Grandparents in North Carolina (Thank you all).

The first day back with no stopping until the end of the trail, we wound up in a shelter with a big loud church group and were visited by a pack of racoons that dragged off one of the campers backpacks. We had nothing taken by the racoons.

The next day we hiked around Watuga Lake and over the Watuga Lake Dam built by the TVA in the 1940's to provide electricity, jobs and recreation to the area, but also displacing those living in the valley. We also hiked to Laurel Falls in a rainstorm that cleared up quickly for our walk to the Kincora Hiker Hostel.
We agree that this has got to be the best hostel on the trail that we've run into yet. For a suggested donation of $4 you have a bunk, access to the kitchen, laundry, shower, and a ride to town to pick up supplies if needed. And the most valuable aspect of the stay was getting to talk with Bob Peoples the operator of Kincora, Director of the trail crew that maintains over 100 miles of the AT in TN and on the TN/NC boder, and board member of ALDHA, the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association.

On his recommendation we did 15 miles the next day to The Mountaineer shelter built in 2006 by thru-hikers and other volunteers during "Hardcore" a 1.5 day volunteer trail work day following Trail Days in Damascus. This was a great shelter with two stories and a loft that was added later. Here Buster was the lone male with a group of 11 female hikers from all over the country. They were a lot of fun around camp and were very nice to share their beans and rice dinner with us.

The next day (Summer Solstice) there was a long 5.5 mile climb up Hump Mountain with the last mile being bald on top. 2/3 of the way up we were passed by two section hikers who complained to us about all the rocks. We were shocked that on a 5.5 mile uphill climb we would meet someone coming down complaining to us about the trail. At the end of the day after almost 5,000 feet of climbing over the course of the day we were happy to stop at Overmountain Shelter, a barn converted to house 20 or so hikers a night.

Getting an early start out of Overmountain Shelter around 7:00 am we hiked 22 or so miles over Roan Mountain and the Roan Highlands past the highest shelter on the trail (close to 6,000 feet and said to be the coldest shelter). It was our longest day since returning to the trail and the steeper slopes with rocks and roots had reminded us of hiking through Maine.

Today we've come into Erwin just in time to pick up our box of food from the Post Office and will be heading out of town after we find some lunch to Uncle Johnny's Hostel where we'll get a much needed shower.

We hope everyone is well at home and having a great summer.

Buster & Bluebird

Atkins, VA to Damascus, VA

Buster and Bluebird are back on trail! We resumed our hike on Rt. 42 near Ceres, VA on June 6th (a symbolic date by chance because that's when we started our hike up Katahdin last year). We already had a lot of our geat ready from last year. But as an early wedding present we got a Squal II Tarptent. That was a REALLY nice addition to our gear.

We started out with a couple of 17-mile days. Even though we were both sore we pushed on. It's hard to describe the energy we have right now to get this hike done. Sometimes I feel like I'm running on adrenaline. Each day we passed about 20 northbounders! I think we are somewhat of an anomily to them- looking experienced and moving fast... yet going the other direction.

The third day out we did 20 miles. But towards the end of the day after a large climb up to the 5,000 ft. range where the Grayson Highlands are, Garrett's sore calf muscle was getting much more severe. We had to take the last three miles really slow since we was mostly carryig himself with his arms and poles. This scared both of us a lot. We decided that the best thing to do would be to go to Damascus to let it rest for a couple days (thinking it was a pulled muscle).

The next morning we hiked down from Wise Shelter on a horse trail to the Grayson Highlands State Park and hitched a ride out. Damascus was only 33 trail miles away so we thought it wouldn't be hard to get a ride there. FOUR hitches and three hours later we got to Damascus! It was quite an adventure. It felt odd for us to be in Damascus, such an iconic little trail town, and not have hiked in and to also have a car there in the parking lot (we had left a car there when my dad shuttled us up to Ceres so we can come up to Winchester this weekend for a wedding). We met a lot of northbounders at The Place (Damascus' popular hiker hostel). The two days of rest helped Buster out a lot so we decided to head back to the Highlands on Monday. Getting back to where we left the trail was about as easy as getting to Damascus was. A shuttle from one of the outfitters would cost about $50 and an hour of hitching produced no hits. Eventually we ran into Bag O' Tricks, a famous bestoer of trail magic all up and down the trail with his buddies in Billville. We had seen him at the ALDHA Gathering and he very kindly offered to take us back up to the trail (about an hour's drive on curvy Rt. 58). He told us all kinds of great stories about trail legends and people. Thank you so much, Tricks!   

Back on the trail, Buster's leg was still bothering him. We slowed our pace and only did 7 miles across the Grayson Highlands. This section was incredibly beautiful. It reminded us of the Whites, specifically Franconia Ridge, with wide open treeless ridges and plently of rocks. BUT there were wild ponies too! Dozens of them would come right up to you and lick your hands and even give you a little kiss. It was great fun.

We're now back in Damascus after a couple more days of hiking. Buster think's his calf/knee pain is caused by cramps that come and go. We're hopeful this is all it is and that it will end soon!

We'll leave the lovely state of Virginia tomorrow and do a short bit in Tennessee before heading up to Winchester for the weekend. Virginia was a great state, but we are very ready to be moving on.

happy trails to all!
Bluebird (and Buster)

Going back to the AT!

It's hot and muggy in New York, but our plans are swiftly moving us back to the hotter south where another 550 miles of our beloved trail await our steps.

Buster and I left our southbound thru-hike last October when my own knee pain and a complication with his foot led us to make the decision to stop for the season. It was heartbreaking in every sense of the word for months afterward as I thought constantly about the trail we had left. We moved on with our life, though. I moved up to New York after the first of the year to be closer to where Buster lives and in late January we decided to get engaged! We picked an early August date of this year for the wedding.

The only thing we could think more appropriate to do before the wedding was to finish the trail that had brought us together. So now we have now decided to hike from Atkins, VA to Springer Mt between June 5th and mid July! Everyday we get more and more excited about getting back out there and resuming the thru-hiker's life that seemed second nature last summer and fall. Ramen cooked over the little can stove will never have tasted so good.

Until then, we look forward to continuing our journey and our story with all of you!

Buster and Bluebird.    

Pearisburg to Atkins, VA

This entry is a long time coming. It's incredibly hard to write a concluding journal when you're not finished with the trail.

Buster and I left the trail just short of Atkins, VA on Friday Oct.20th. We left Pearisburg after the Gathering with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I had gotten good reports from the doctors about my knee pain and had new arch supports in my shoes. Buster had just hiked a 72 mile chunk of the trail on his own in 2 1/2 days- a record for him. So we busted out of the Gathering with Stretch all ready to hike to Georgia by Thanksgiving.

As those next days on the trail went by, my knee pain returned at the same pre-doctor visit levels and my new arch supports which I was so hopeful about lifted my feet higher in my shoes causing blisters. The best part about those days was hiking with Stretch again and meeting Goldbond and Kingfish, who had been behind us for the whole time. For a while there we were a SoBo pack!

We fell behind all these guys one day when we stopped at 10 miles (rain and blisters getting worse). The next day we planned to do 25 miles to the top of Chestnut Knob. It was a challenging day, up and down a lot, plus the staggered 3000 foot climb to the Knob. We found great trail magic from Coppertop on the highwater re-route (thanks, coppertop!).

Near the end of the day as we neared the last climb to the Knob the day took a dramatic swing downward. I needed to stop for a break because I was feeling dizzy. It was getting past the dinner hour and I was running short on energy. Buster left me there with a bar to eat and headed on down to the gap below the Knob to pump water to take up since the Chestnut Knob Shelter has no water. I got up to head down to the gap about 5 minutes later. It turned out that the gap was not as close as either of us thought, being still about 1.5 miles away. Because I had been walking for so long and didn't have the map or any sense of where the gap would be, I began to get really worried that I had passed it or that Buster was waiting for me a long time. I finally got to a dip where a dirt road crossed and there was a small trickle, but Buster wasn't in sight. I began panicing because the sun was setting and if this wasn't the gap, I still had a big hill ahead to get over before I got the gap. In my panic I bolted up the hill. I still don't know how I moved as fast as I did. I couldn't feel the blisters that were raw on the backs of my feet anymore and I wasn't hungry at all. I got nearly a mile up the hill (mountain/knob) stopping every 50 steps to yell for Buster. I felt completely helpless and lost. Buster had the shelter, the water pump and the stove and I had lost him! I still had in my head that the gap could be over this hill. But after I had come a mile straight up and was soon taller than any of the mountains in my view, I conceded to myself that I had in fact gone through the gap already and must be near the top of Chestnut Knob. I bolted down that mountain, running all the way to the bottom in between my yelling. I knew that Buster would turn around and go back to where he left me 2 miles back on the trail. When I made it back to the gap it was dusk and Buster was still not there. I called as loud as I could in every direction. And then way off up the opposite hill from the Knob came a reply and then again, closer. By dark we were reunited. It had been a really scary time for both us. When I had come through the gap the first time, not really knowing it was the gap, Buster had been just down the dirt road pumping water. He didn't know I had come by and went back up the hill looking for me. We camped in the gap in physical and emotional exhaustion.

That was a long story to recount, but it was probably the most frightening experience on the trail for me. In all the other scary parts (crossing Saddleback in cold and rain, crossing the swollen streams in Maine, the snakes, etc) we were together and had each other to help us get through.

The next day of hiking would be our last. The blisters on my feet were the most immediate problem, making it really hard to get anywhere. My knee pain and Buster's foot pain were longterm problems looming over us. We stopped at Knot Maul Shelter at 1 pm and had a long, long talk. It was clear that I couldn't go on with out letting my blisters heal. This would set us back 2 or 3 days bumping up our daily mileage needed to get to Springer by Thanksgiving to 19 or 20 a day.

With the shortening daylight, getting 20 miles done a day means going all day with few breaks, and maintaining a 2.5 mph pace. This was becoming really hard in the second half of the day with my knee pain. Each step felt like it was taking something out of me. Buster's foot pain was sporaticly dibilitating. He had the pain since sometime in PA, but it was getting worse daily.
The thought of leaving was heart-breaking. We had come so far and had overcome so much to call it quits now. The momentum in my mind was really strong, but my body was giving out. Somehow it didn't seem fair to the trail or to us as hikers to complete the rest of the trail in a rushed, painful sprint just to say we had finished it in one season. Taking care of our bodies had to come before our pride. So we left the trail from that shelter and hitched on Rt. 42 way back into Bland where my dad kindly came and picked us up.

Our friends and family have been really supportive of our decision. Thank you to all of you who have kept us going with your encouragement and interest. This 1600+ leg of the trip has been an incredible journey. But the journey will continue next year or maybe the year after when we have healed bodies. We talked about starting NoBo on Springer in the Spring for a change to finish up our last section. But we are SoBo at heart and SoBo we will stay!

So, until a point in the future when we can return to the mountain footpath, beautiful and joyous trails to all!

Buster and Bluebird

Daleville/Troutdale to Pearisburg, VA

Of all the months, October was the one made for hiking!

The leaves are golden and bright, the sky is so richly blue and the breeze is gentle. Buster and I are getting really excited about the Gathering, a long-distance hiker festival in Pipestem, WV (near Pearisburg), where there'll be workshops, music, dancing and BBQ. Hopefully we'll run into a few other southbounders there as well as all kinds of interesting hikers from all over.

I have been home still this week seeing various doctors about my knees. A physical therapist offered the best information attributing my pain to a shifted knee cap due to a knot in my quad muscle. In addition he found that my arches have collapsed, likely due to me compensating because of my hurting knees. All in all he said I can keep hiking (a big relief) and showed me how to tape my knee, gave me new Montrail insoles with a supportive, fitted arch and showed me how I can massage my leg muscles so the knots go away. It was a great visit.

Buster, on the other hand, has been doing a little hiking. Last weekend after our time off the two of us hiked a one-day section of trail that included the beautiful Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob. The next day I was picked up by my parents and Buster hiked 22 miles on his own starting at 4pm! He then did a 19 and a 30 to get into Pearisburg much earlier than anyone was expecting on Wed. night. He'll hang out there until tomorrow (Friday) when my parents are taking me to meet him and then dropping us off in Pipestem.

We'll be back on the trail on Sunday heading on to Atkins and then Damascus for our last two mail drops in Virginia!

bluebird and buster