Day 31 - Trail Magic and 12-12 cribbage

June 15 - Saunders Shelter to Thomas Knob Shelter - 18.8 miles (15.88 daily average thru today)

Cornbread muffins with honey for breakfast! As delicious as they are, the stove requires a fair amount of fuel for baking so we might not see too many more mornings of baked goods...

Sent home more clothes. I'm down to one pair of running shorts (the Jubilees), 3 pairs of socks, 1 short sleeve shirt and 1 long sleeve shirt.

Started making PB, honey and granola wraps for lunch thanks to Caboose and Simco.

Found 20oz (11lb, 4oz) of Summer Sausage (Old WI) on, literally on the trail. Smack dab in the middle. Talk about trail magic.

Beat Samwise in Cribbage tonight! We're now tied up at 12 games each.

Day 30 - Ruby's Rest and Fruit Boxes

June 14 - Damascus, VA to Saunders Shelter - 10.4 miles

Finally figured out my pack today. Took me 30 days but I have mastered the art if packing a bag with no frame (frame-less pack).

Picked up a PB+Banana milkshake right before hiking the trail today. That was a fantastic idea though it could have used more PB.

Our lodging in Damascus was at Ruby's Rest. The family that ran the "cottage" was wonderfully nice to us and provided exactly what our tired and weary souls needed.

Made fruit boxes for breakfast.

Day 29 - Caboose & Simco

June 13 - Double Springs Shelter to Damascus, VA - 18.5 miles

Trail towns are fantastic. They provide everything a thru-hiker needs and then some. After putting in 18.5 miles by 1:45pm we were standing in Damascus, VA - the prominent and popular trail town. Trail Days are held here every year.

I probably have not yet mentioned who the other two individuals are that have been appearing in some of my pictures. Their names are Caboose and Simco (trail names) and have been traveling with us about one day out of Hot Springs. They are both outstanding gentlemen and are a pleasure to hike with.
Caboose is from Statesboro, GA and has also just graduated from college. He is an Eagle Scout, pretty much the only reason we're hiking with him. Hah, just kidding.
Simco is a little older than the three of us and has a phenomenal beard. Many young hikers (males) aspire to have even 1/2 of his facial hair. It's a sense of pride and coming of age out here. His knowledge in exercise and sport science as well as his skills in Jiujitsu make him a great hiking companion.

Day 28 - Rattlesnake, Cookies 'N Cream S'mores and Cows

June 12 - Watauga Lake Shelter to Double Springs Shelter - 21.2 miles

Slept on the ground last night- that was fun. My air mattress decided it was her time to go and completely deflated on me. She did okay for a few nights once she first took on the leak but last night I was sleeping in an S-shape to avoid the roots and rocks under the rent. At least it didn't rain.

Saw a rattlesnake today! He was about 6" off the trail. Our friend Brian was thru-hiking behind us so we felt it was our duty to scare away the snake... with sticks and rocks of course. I've never angered a grown rattlesnake before and after this close encounter I really don't plan on doing it again.

Made gourmet S'mores for lunch today. Graham crackers, Peanut Butter, 2 Marshmallows and Cookie's 'N Cream chocolate. I'd definitely make those again.

Oh, I also chased some cows. They were on my trail.

One last notable event today - it rained! Took 28 days but Mother Nature finally got us with a heavy downpour.

Day 27 - Watagua Lake Beach Party

June 11 - Moreland Gap to Watagua Lake Shelter - 16.7 miles

For the past week or so Simco, Caboose, Samwise and I have been planning the Watagua Lake Beach Party. We purchased some really awesome inflatable toys (baseball, baseball bat, a ball) as well as some cool tropical plates for the hot dogs and maple baked beans. We also planned S'mores for dessert! Playing with a frisbee and inflatable ball at the beach was a nice change of pace from hiking 10-12 hours a day.

Oh and I lost my trekking poles today. Leki Corklite Speedlocks - they were pretty sweet and really helped on the steep uphills. I left them inside a Shell gas station and returned 15-20 minutes later to retrieve them. Well, apparently some good Samaritan grabbed them shortly after I had left to find me and return them. That never happened.

Moreover, my air mattress has a leak and I have to reinflate it 3-4 times each night. Hopefully I'll get Big Agnes to send me a new one soon.

Couple ups, Couple downs.

Day 26 - Gorgeous Waterfalls

June 10 - Apple House Shelter to Moreland Gap Shelter - 18.9 miles

Breakfast = 1,230 calories (Mayberry's Finest Cinnamon Toast Muffin Mix + Oatmeal Cream Pie)

Had gorgeous views of waterfalls today along the trail. Actually stopped and took a much needed shower in one of them. Not hot water though.

Enjoyed some hot cocoa with Simco and Caboose after dinner.

Day 25 - Marathon - .1 and Wild Bulls

June 9 - Greasy Creek Friendly to Apple House Shelter - 24.9 + 1.2 miles (26.1)

Woke up at 5:45am and soon found myself drinking coffee and watching These Boots are Made for Walkin' music video with Jessica Simpson. Talk about a great start to your day.

While crossing one of the balds on top of a mountain, Samwise and I encountered 3 large bulls, just lazily sitting in the grass. I have never seen a wild bull that large, especially only 3 feet away with no fence protecting us.

Day 24 - Greasy Creek "Friendly"

June 8 - Deep Gap Camp to Greasy Creek Gap - 12.0 miles

After an unsuccessful hitch into Unicoi Samwise and I decided to head to Greasy Creek Friendly for our re-supply. Though we were a little disappointed that we were unable to pick up our mail drop, it actually turned out to be quite the experience.

The best illustrate my stay at "Greasy Creek Friendly" picture this: Samwise and I in 70s apparel (ours is in the wash). I'm in baby blue sweats, cut off just above the ankle, with a faded, multi-colored, women's button up shirt. We find ourselves sitting on her porch, Samwise in the typical wooden rocking chair, me in an old school desk, drinking a Samuel Adams, watching hundreds of fireflies off in the distance and listening to Forever Young by Rod Stewart.

Day 23 - Pounds and Ounces

June 7 - No Business Knob Shelter to Deep Gap Camp - 18.4 miles

Not too much happened today so I thought it would be interesting to post some statistics.

Starting pack weight: 35lbs (with 5 days food and 2.5L water)
Current pack weight: 29lbs (with 4 days of food and 1.5L water)

Base weight: 15.33lbs (pack less consumables (fuel) and food/water)

My starting weight: 148lbs
Current weight: yet to be accurately weighed (one scale said 142lbs but that must be off)

Day 22 - Sore feet

June 6 - Hogback Ridge Shelter to No Business Knob Shelter - 20.8 miles

Sore feet today. Probably due to the third consecutive 20-miler or the sub-par insoles I picked up. It's actually probably due to Samwise sneaking his lunch into my food bag... argh. That's a whole pound of PB&J wraps. Considered eating them but I'm a firm believer in Karma and gave them back.

Below are the boys taking a nice long lunch on top of one of the balds. One of the more memorable lunches.

Day 21 - Big Agnes Leak

June 5 - Little Laurel to Hogback Ridge - 21.6 miles

Air mattress has a slow leak... crap. The hole is too small to hear so I'm SOL for a while. Though, I am an optimist, and should note that the leak is slow enough where I can get about 2-3 hours of sleep before it needs to be re-inflated.

Anyways, the Jubilees are working fantastic!

Day 20 - Chicken Tajine Couscous & Merlot

June 4 - Hot Springs to Little Laurel - 19.6 miles

Spent the last 5 miles of the 19.6 mile day thinking about dinner. I wouldn't recommend doing that but when you're hungry it's not hard to. Fortunately, Samwise and I made Chicken Tajine Couscous and threw in a little Sriracha. Paired with a bota box of Merlot (2009) and I felt like a king (or at least a well-off peasant).

Day 19 - The House of Elmer

June 3 - Zero Day in Hot Springs

First 0 day today. A 0 day is exactly what it sounds like - 0 miles hiked for that day. We were able to take this 0 because we have been at or above our daily average of 15/day.

We lodged at the Sunnybank Inn, a Victorian Style B&B/Hiker friendly hostel. If any of you are planning an AT hike you must stay here. Elmer Hall owns and operates this gorgeous house, serving organic vegetarian meals for breakfast and dinner.

Another great feature of Sunnybank is the option to do work for stay. Samwise and I took advantage of this. We ventured out to Elmer's farm and found ourselves cutting bamboo shoots. Didn't see that coming but the manual labor was a nice break from walking all day. After that was done we pulled and trimmed his garden outback, which turned into quite the fiasco. I accidentally bumped the nozzle for the water tank, which was fairly loose in the first place and soon found myself covered in rain water, mud and leaves (we just did laundry too). Fortunately, Samwise was able to get a screw driver while I held the PVC pipe in place and we firmly fastened the faucet. Elmer got a laugh out of that one.

Day 18 - Hot Springs, NC

June 2 - Roaring Fork Shelter to Hot Springs, NC - 18.0 miles

Immediately after arriving in Hot Springs, NC, I purchased and consumed a pint of Blue Bunny Cookie Dough Ice Cream (720) an Oatmeal Cream Pie (330), half a pint of chocolate milk (270) and a 20oz Powerade (120) for a total of 1,440 calories for my afternoon snack. Not bad.

Day 17 - Raven

June 1 - Painter Branch Shelter to Roaring Fork Shelter - 13.1 miles

Easily had the best night of sleep last night. Normally I will wake up about 15-20 times due to the new sleeping environment but last night, probably due to the 20 mile day yesterday, the ambiance of the dual streams surrounding our tent site facilitated one of the best nights of sleep thus far.

Had an outstanding lunch today on the largest bald (Max Patch Bald) today. Fantastic 360 panoramic views of countryside farms and hay bales. Definitely a lunch to remember.

Parted ways with Raven today. Raven is also an AT thru-hiker, attempting to complete the 2,178 mile endeavor over a 7-8 years, doing a few weeks at a time. He was a joy to hike with for the few days that we did and I greatly appreciate the forestry knowledge that he embarked upon us.

Day 16 - Island Oasis

May 31 - Tri-Corner Knob Shelter to Painter Branch - 20.4 miles

You know you're a thru-hiker when you get upset at the new "low-calorie" snacks and zero calorie drinks. Or when you scan nutrition labels for a single item with the most calories. That's one of my new favorite games - Calorie Spotting I call it. Found a banana nut muffin at the Fontana Village general store that was 600 calories! A few days later I saw a glazed honey bun for 610. Perfect.

Today started off really easy - we pounded out 7.8 miles before 9:20am and met Jacko, Animal and Style (all thru-hikers). Planned to do 16-17 miles but we missed the campsite and did 20.4 instead. It wouldn't have been a big deal except it was 90 something and we had to traverse an overpass during midday. I've never seen Samwise sweat that much in my life.

It's 7:30pm now and we're both headed to bed. Our campsite is situated on a small island oasis between two flowing rivers. Can't beat that.

Day 15 - Giggles & Pilgrim

May 30 - Icewater Spring to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter - 13.4 miles

Giggles is refusing his trail name... that's not trail etiquette. "Giggles," also known as Greg, is also attempting a thru hike and has yet to receive a trail name. Samwise and I are throwing myriad trail names but nothing seems to stick yet.

Pilgrim, another thru-hiker on the AT who also just graduated from college, left his red bandana tied to a tree a mile back from the shelter and was a little disappointed about his loss. I offered to run back and get it for a snickers. Pilgrim accepted and I ran back, found the bandana and got my snickers. Good day!

Day 14 - Gatlinburg

May 29 - Mt. Collins to Icewater Spring - 8 miles

Ventured into Gatlinburg, TN today for a resupply. That was a mistake. Imagine trekking through the woods, enjoying the serenity and peace of mother nature and then entering tourist city, USA. It was quite the shock to my senses. Fortunately we found a nice local diner a little north of the attraction area and enjoyed a hearty hiker's breakfast.