April 16th - 43 - Atkins, VA to Knot Maul Branch Shelter
The first thing I note in my journal today is that I crossed the mathematical one quarter point of the AT. I guess this was important to me at the time. Or more realistic is that when you are hiking you spend a lot of time thinking. So maybe I just thought a lot about where I was on the trail.

It was only 13.9 miles of hiking today, but that really doesn't matter giving the solid group of hikers that I am with. Imagine being 6 years old again and having a sleep over party with  10 of your closest friends. Now make those people interesting, varied in background, with a common albeit far off goal of hiking a long trail. Now stretch that sleep over to one hundred and fifty days.

Grease hiking out in front of me across a lovely open meadow. 

Off of the road the trail weaves up through some old fields. There is barbed wire and abandoned equipment adding to the ambiance. The trail for the next few day would cross these old fields, still to this day one of my favorite parts of hiking in Virginia. The air is perfect, cold at night, crisp in the shade and the perfect amount of warmth provided by the sun. 

Does this really need a caption?

Handsome Dan after vaulting one of the dreaded fence stiles.

Holston Branch, great place to eat lunch and cool of your dogs.

Dan and I stop for a snack by the Holston Branch. Half Moon is here nursing a rolled ankle. I follow suit and put my feet in the water. This is a great idea for any long distance hiker. At the very least take your shoes off during longer breaks. Not only does it feel good, but it really does help the pain inflicted on the feet by hiking all day everyday. 

At the shelter there is a great communal atmosphere. Sunbear, Grease, Blink, Rambo, Halfmoon, Dan, Mama Bear, Hard to Kill, Sunshine, Youngbeard are here. There is a fire going (a rarity for my hike), Hard to Kill surprises us all by cooking brownies over the fire in his cook pot flipped upside down. We hang a collective food bag that by our estimates is in excess of 100 pounds. Some whiskey is passed around, and good times are had by all.

April 15th - 42 - Partnership Shelter to Atkins, VA
Took the shuttle back down to Marion with the hikers that came in last night. I couldn't resist getting more snacks and another round of fast food. I a cold drizzle hikers walked about Marion resupplying. the shuttle took us all back up to the visitors center and I was hiking by noon. The eleven and a half mile hike to Atkins was cold and rainy to begin with, the weather switched to snow for a period, and the sun finally creeped out as we approached the road. Dan and I split a room and the Relax Inn as does the rest of the hiker hoard and we head up the road for some grub. The barn restaurant here is a renowned hiker stop, complete with a mail drop resupply and hiker box. I order the 16 ounce hiker burger as more and more hikers pile in. as more show up we arrange the table into one long community dining table. Those present include; Dan, Blink, Rambo, Sunbear, Grease, Hard to Kill Phil, Mama Bear, Half Moon, Sunshine, Young Beard, Hawk, Achilles, Yo Teach!, and Birdman. After dinner I stop and buy a Miller 40 ounce at the gas station and watch modern family til 11pm, well past hiker midnight.

A strange phenomenon happens on the AT. the longer you stay on trail the better and better days become. as winter turns to spring and spring turns to summer, the hike becomes easier and harder. one thing remains, every day is better than the last.

April 14th - 41 - Zero Day #2. Marion, VA

There is a shuttle that runs from the Mt. Rogers visitor center here down to Marion. I have a mail drop waiting at the post office and I need a fuel canister. Flex, Bluesky, Coconuts, Spice Kit, Grease Spot, Wiffle, Tuesday, and I take the shuttle down to resupply.

Marion's claim to fame seem to be that Mountain Dew, the liquid cavity juice was formulated here. The town has clearly waged war on enamel,.. and fuel canisters. After a walk across town, the Army/Navy store back across town is suggested as the place with the isobutane. Success, at a slightly inflated price for some off brand gas I can cook for the next two weeks. On last stop at the Virginia ABC store and we call the shuttle to arrange a ride back up the mountain.

Everyone is hiking on except for Grease spot. I head back over to the shelter to sort through my maildrop and pack up. At about 2pm Mama Bear rolls up to the shelter and informs me of all the people headed this way. Rambo, Blink, Wrong Leg, Half Moon, Sunbear, and Grease. I decide to stick around and reunite with these awesome people. Achilles, Outlet, Sunshine, Youngbeard, and even Handsome Dan shows up. Night two of the Partnership Pizza extravaganza is underway.

April 13th - 40 - Hurricane Mountain Shelter to Partnership Shelter

Woke up and watched the sunrise while I cooked and ate. Its the warmest morning so far on trail I wrote in my journal. when you wake up early and exit a shelter you try to make as little noise as possible. for some reason whenever I try to do this it almost never works. This morning I drop my canister, pot, and lid on the hard dirt floor. I cook on a hill 20 yards from the shelter so I can think out loud whilst I eat and pack.

Nothing like that food-bag dawn.

I am hiking at 8 am. Waking up early and hiking hard until noon would become my ideal hiking day. those hours don't count really, and you generally don't get bonus hours at the end of the day.

As I sit for a break a few miles later, a whistling Mr. Bluesky comes arround the bend. I am not sure how he got his named, but if I had to guess, it may have something to do with his ever sunny disposition. He hikes on through and I don't catch up to him until lunch. At Trimpi shelter I chill with Bluesky and Flex, Bluesky is finishing his 13 thru-hike tomorrow in Atkin, VA but I would see Flex on and off until Katahdin.

One of my favorite parts of Virginia is crossing the fields between ridges.

Just before a dirt road, there is a tent set up with some coolers underneath. Its pretty warm out at this point so I sit underneath. I find a luke warm root beer. In any other scenario most people would turn this down without a flinch. For me, a welcome treat. Ill take all the sugary boost juice I can get, but really just one, so others can enjoy the warmth.

Trail Magic!

I reach Partnership at 4:30. The shower hasn't been turned on for the season yet, but a compensation pizza is ordered from the Mt Rogers visitors center.

April 12th - 39 - Cove Mtn Shelter to Hurricane Mtn Shelter

"Woke up around dawn and cooked my last home mixed oatmeal until my next mail drop. Packed and  L-N-L and I headed north towards fox creek by 8:50." We hike very quickly stopping only momentarily at Old Orchard Shelter. Live's parents are picking him up from Fox creek campground supposedly around 11. We arrive and wait around until 12;30, when they show up. I twas nice there are trash cans and port-a-potties here. Noodles and Biscuit are here eating lunch as well.

Back on the trail, I hike up to Hurricane Mountain Shelter. A German couple is here and we have the cursory hiker interaction. Its ten miles to the next shelter so I decide to chill here for the night. Its early yet and no one else comes in. I fear this will be my second night alone on trail. I head down to the creek and take a hiker trash shower, I even get to my hair. The rest of the day I lay in my sleeping bag drawing and contemplating life. It was sunny and 70 today be its starting to get a little chilly now.

Doodle for the day

I doze off and get startled by voices in the distance. Mr. Bluesky, Flex, Mr. Coconut, Spice Kit, Vegemite, Owl, and Dr. Scrambles show up and my worries of being ambush by a pack of rabid grizzly bears with no one around to hear my screams are alleviated. This is a great group of hikers, most of whom this is my first time meeting.

East Hills Update - Halfway House Fiasco

Had a big dirty old white pine come down on our bath house last week. Judging by the snow on the side on the trunk it came down before Friday's storm. The damage was pretty minimal, only one structural beam cracked. That should be easily fixable by patching in a section of 2 by 10 onto it. The tree came down with such force that the top beyond the building sheered right off. It punched 4 inch diameter branches right through the roofing. the post and beam construction held up surprisingly well. We are lucky it wasn't an oak that came down, the results would be much different. I knew i was spending my Sunday in the woods with a chain saw, I didn't think I would spend part of it on a roof dealing with white pine.

The bath house stood up surprisingly well considering.

Top section sheered off upon impact.

The only damage to a structural element, roof joist where tree connected with house.

Branches punched through the roof.

Crest of the roof where tree hit, after cutting the tree off.

Holes left by the branches.

We took a large tarp and covered the whole roof to wait until warmer weather to fix.

Building a Backpack - Part Two

The backpack is nearing functional completion. I initially based the geometry on another backpack I own,  but I extended to sides to five inches three more than the width of the base dimensions. This change had a huge effect on the backpack shape and feel. Its a lot bigger than I had intended. I wanted a flap to go over the top but eventually I settle for a top cinching system. This was the easiest to sew, using some paracord to tighten the opening. 

Work shirt sewn together at the buttons and bottom, used as backpack lining.

Hand-stitched gap where waistline fell short.

Eventually I will go back and re-do the geometry so that the bodies perimeter is the same as the original waist line of the pants. This way the button can stay fastened and not cinch the bag, it'd be more of an aesthetic feature.

Shows the cinching problem with the waistline.

For fun stitching on the side pockets.

Getting the loop and shoulder straps right took some thinking and about 5 tries. Notice all the scrap thread from re-dos.

Machine sewn strap support tab, form strength.

Showing the contrast lining and original ORVIS label. I may remove or modify this label.

Building a Backpack - Part One

So one of the things I have been contemplating, since getting off the AT, is building gear. In consolidating my belongings I figured I should have a designated bag for project and art supplies. Though the original thought was to create lightweight backpacking style packs, this bag would make for good practice.

I have done quite a few sewing projects before, but this would be the most adventurous. I also believe this pack to be a test platform I can iterate on over time.

The material would come from an over sized pair of khakis left over from my ska days, and an extra large navy work shirt I bought for my juggalo costume one Halloween. It was a bit of a guess if it'd be enough material, but I would size the pack appropriate to what I had.

The pants are what I can only describe as duck pants. They have leather accents on the pocket openings. Every seem was cut using a razor and the bits were laid out to see what I had. The large swaths of textile that is the legs would be the body of the bag. I figured the waist line would make one good shoulder strap and I could piece together a second. From the legs I had extra here that would make both straps. The back pockets would be flat on the outside of the pack. The front pockets get reversed and used as side pockets facing forward. This is a tribute to the water bottle side pouches found on many backpacking packs.

Back pockets

Front pockets

Al the bits and pieces after tear down.

April 11th - 38 - Lost Mountain Shelter to Cove Mountain Shelter 500 mile mark!

As I utilize the privy, I notice someone spent quite a lot of time, and two sharpies, writing the entire Lorax on the inside walls. I leave feeling surprised, impressed, and relieved. Hiking today about 17 miles over Buzzard Rock, Mt. Rogers, and the Grayson Highlands.

The sun came out for a warm but windy lunch at Buzzards Rock. Live, Vegemite, Owl, Scrambles, Haiku, Wiffle & Tuesday are all here enjoying a break.

White blaze on Buzzard Rock

Grayson Highlands State Park is a great hike, but the loose softball sized rocks make the trail tough. I decline Mt. Roger's offer of taking the half mile side trail to the summit, instead take a longer break at the shelter for eating. The park offers wide open expanses of high country used at one time for grazing. This section in some places really reminded me of Montana, mainly how brown or tan everything is. I passed two or three groups of scouts throughout the park. Just before Cove Mountain Shelter, I cross over the 500 mile mark on my trek.

Noodles and Biscuit are the only other hikers here tonight.

April 10th - 37 - Damascas, VA to Lost Mountain Shelter
No hurry to get out of town today. I am undecided on my plans. Live is hiking two more nights before his family meets him for a few days off. Dan has some alternate hiking routes planned, like southbound from 30 miles out. Ill keep hiking for now, everything hurts but that's become more of the constant state out here. I delay the town exit with a lunch at subway and a milkshake from the ice cream place.

It's about 1pm when I am finally on the trail. The hike up and out of town is not as bad as others. The At follows the Virginia Creeper Trail, sometimes on the wide old dirt railway other times on hilly single track above the Creeper.

At the shelter there are quite a few groups of sectioners, and two other thrus; Noodle and Biscuit. I share some PBRs I hike out of town with a young veteran from Florida. He talks about the war in Iraq and we share stories of the trail. Its a good mix of people here tonight.

DIY Corian Cutting Boards

I bought this chunk of Corian at a counter top shop nearby. It measured 21" by 27", and cost me $20 cash, not sure if I got a good or bad deal but it fit my budget. Corian is an engineered material by DuPont, and to my knowledge makes a good cutting board. I have a large oval Corian block that is about an inch thick and could be used itself as a weapon. 

I ended up getting 3 cutting boards and a little scrap. I had never worked Corian before, but it does so much like very uniform hardwood. 

Initial design drawn on rough side of cutting board

The handle of each board is a letter J, this is a gift for a cousin with first initial J. So the concept is custom monogrammed boards. I got a little carried away and put a quasi wrought iron swirl into the pattern. I drew the patterns on the non finished side of the board. 

Holes first for alignment, then jigsawed remaining material.

After using a compass to make the rounds, I punched the centers to line up the hole saw. I started on the handle first, before cutting the length, so if I botched the handle I could cut it off and start over. A centering hole was drilled and also one on the inside radius of where the handle meets the board. The hole saw was next. A jig saw with a thin scroll saw blade was used to cut the inside of the handle and the excess material on the outside. I then used the round carving bit on a Dremel groove to outline the handle and outside of the board. If i did it again, I would router the grove before cutting out the hole so you can use a compass jig and the centering hole. The other carving and sanding bits where used on the Dremel to round and shape the swirl and edges. All of the surfaces and edges the user could touch where hand sanded with 120 to 220 grit paper. 

Used a Dremel to router outline and carve detailing.

I relatively happy with the finished product, handles match up nicely when stacked.

The largest board, with an 11" x 15" cutting surface, has two J handles. The the other two boards are 9"x 12" and 7" x 9".

April 9th - 36 - Abingdon Gap Shelter to Damascas, VA
With only ten miles planned on today, it is a pretty leisurely wake up sequence. Its closer to ten than nine when I start hiking. Dan is meeting his family a few days from now so he is ahead of his schedule. At this, in effect, one quarter point on the trail, realities of the thru-hike are in full swing. I can eat anything and hike all day if I choose. But choose is the best part of the trail for me. There are so many choices and iterations, almost any decision can be made, it'll all work out. 1716.4 miles left to hike. A number that seems just as long as 2185.3, but there is a finality now. It's taken me a month and a few days to get here, I could probably finish the trail before September. I can thru-hike.

Crossing into my forth and longest state.

Dan and I eat at the Blue Blaze Cafe first thing into town, Dorothy shows up and eats before heading back out onto trail. He is ahead and zero-ed in town yesterday. I knew him mostly by his real name, but eventually picked up the trail name Dorothy for carrying pink crocs on the outside of his pack.

After milling around town for a while, we head up towards the Woodchuck Hostel, definitely on the list of worthy hostels. Woodchuck, himself, is a previous Thru from Kalispell, Montana who moved to Damascas recently to be closer to the trail. As a previous denizen of Bozeman, MT, I am excited when he pulls up to the house still sporting his blue Montana plates. "It's full tonight" he says, so I rent a chunk of yard space for my tent and take a shower for 8 or 10 bucks. Blink, Haiku, and Live-n-learn are here. I meet Young Beard and Sunshine for the first time as well. There's also Hieko, the German, and White Sauce, the southbound hiking, massage therapist.