Monday 22 October 2012


Tues 20 Oct.
Hello from London town everyone!
Well I made it over Mt Moosilauke and into Lincoln. It was a great way to end my long walk up from Springer Mountain in Georgia. I did not make it through the White Mountains, but with above treeline altitude, snow and wind like a scythe, I did get a good taste of them on the first of these big boys. Glad to be finished off now though, because while hiking in these mountains in temperatures at times below zero (within reason and as long as one can do it relatively safely) is do-able and fun, camping out is not.

The morning after my last missive the weather was supposed to be clear and sunny - sort of - but I woke up with rain hosing down and blustery winds. Great! However, by 9am the rain and wind had stopped and so I headed out, wanting to be in Lincoln by that night. Sunny but cloudy, but while I was still heading up the road I got a light sprinkling of granular snow. There were plenty of cold clouds around so I wasn't too surprised, and I reasoned that a little snow would be fine to push through and if the weather got seriously crazy I would head back down and try again next day. The southern ascent of Moosilauke is relatively easy by now: a steep slope, which is very long but also very constant like a very long and steep ramp. As I got higher I had a few more dustings of snow until about 2 thirds of the way up, I saw that there was a light covering of snow on the forest around me. This got thicker and deeper the higher I went, until by the time I was right up in the evergreen forest I was ascending through a completely white world. I saw footprints on the snow and realised that there were 2 people ahead of me, which was reassuring. It's good to have company up there on a day like that. I caught up with them in the upper forest and it turned out to be a French Canadian father and son whom I had met 3 days before at the Moose Mountain shelter (on Moose Mountain's South Peak). We decided to walk over together and very soon we found ourselves going over Moosilauke's lower height. And got our first taste of that summit wind. It was already cold but that wind definitely put a whole new dimension to things. We got over the rise and down into the saddle between it and the true summit. By now we were in the krumhotz: a region of stunted conifer trees of more or less uniform height not more than about 2m and kept that way by the altitude, the cold and the wind. We were now walking up a lane between the trees and stopped to put on our bits and pieces of cold weather kit: gloves, face mask and double layer warm beanie for me. And boy did we need them. When we got out of the krumholtz and were now above the treeline and in the open, that wind was very strong and VERY cold. There was only very small, low plants, rocks and gravel up there with little snow except where it had drifted in hollows or built up against windward surfaces. A very cold but starkly beautiful, elemental place and I'm very glad I got to experience it. Believe it or not there were people up there: day hikers who arrived just after us and who were less well equipped but relatively ok as long as they were careful (and the weather didn't get bad). By this time the water was freezing in people's drinking tubes.

Around us we had an uninterrupted 360 degree view and could see all kinds of weather in a vast panorama around us. Above us and the mountain top however, was a very black and cold disk of cloud. We pushed on, got back into the trees (and out of the wind) and began heading down.
The 2 French Canadians stopped at the Beaver Brook shelter where they planned to spend the night. I was keen to press on, because of the time, and so didn't stop for lunch but ate snack bars to keep things going. I'm glad I did because the northern slope of Moosilauke is very steep and rocky. It is very challenging at the best of times, especially going down, but with snow and wet it is quite dangerous and I needed to take my time to be safe. Despite this, this is also a very beautiful place with the trail running next to a cascade for most of the way down.

And then I was down; and at the trailhead on route 112; and my 1794.8 mile walk was over. Perhaps one day I'll get to finish it and get to Maine and Mt Katadin. Still, it has been a life changing journey - challenges, but a whole lot of fun too. And a very great deal more. And It's addictive. I wonder about just how I'm going to adjust back to life in a place like London.

I spent the next 2 days in Lincoln at Chet's place (Chet is a great guy, an ex hiker who has an informal hostel in his garage) and met up with some old friends, some going south, and some I had caught up with. Ate, washed, washed clothes, booked bus ticket to Logan airport in Boston and finally, caught the 7:25 bus to Boston. It all went quickly and uneventfully (this is good) from there, though the BA flight was really cattle-class: cramped and under-changed, smelling-of-fart air. At least in the days of smoking they couldn't skimp on changing the air and changed it as often as they are meant to.

And so back to London.
But is REALLY great to see my brother and Zuz and my nieces again.
12 October 2012

Hi Everyone! Well, I have 1 more day of hiking. I am in the tiny town of Glencliff, New Hampshire. Tomorrow I plan to hike over Mount Moosilauke, first of the really big mountains in the White range. At the top I'll be above the treeline and it should be a clear day so the view will be spectacular. Clear weather but cold!
It has been getting colder and colder and it is definitely time for me to be finishing off. Yesterday it rained and misted something fierce, but that kind of weather is definitely more fun than this bitter cold when it's clear, and I love walking in it. The still warm(er) south wind brings the rain and walking and camping is damper but warm enough to be quite ok.
Tomorrow night is supposed to get down to 22-29 F, which is way below 0 degrees celcius (!). This is why I plan to be safe, warm and snug in Lincoln NH, tomorrow night, where this long journey up the AT will end.
Today was the first day I wore my jacket all day, even going up Cube mountain. Eish! It is getting COLD! And only going to get worse.
I plan to catch the bus from Lincoln on Monday as it makes a clear, 3 + hour run direct to Logan airport in Boston. Sat and Sun I'll spend washing clothes, organising equipment buying ticket etc, and resting and eating of course - very important, that. Oh yes: I saw another porcupine as I was coming down off Mt Mist this evening. Quite a big one, right on the train, and it didn't seem to know I was there until I was right on it. It headed for a tree and presented it's back end to me, more or less, and then had a squint at me. I think their eyesight can't be all that good. I wished him / it good evening and then passed on by. I didn't linger as the light was going by then.
I am glad I am able to spend the night in this actually quite amazing hostel. Warm instead of cold is always good but there is also a laundry, tv for watching any of a huge DVD collection, internet and beds. No hot shower though as it is broken (sniff). Ah well: the hardships of the trail eh? At least I don't smell as bad as I did that one time in Pennsylvania when I went for 8 days without a wash and my clothes for 9 days. : )

Keep well everyone, see you soon.
6 October 2012

Hi everyone! Well I made it out of the vortex of Rutland and am now in Hanover, New Hampshire. My stay in Rutland was fun and the ankle has come right. I had no such trouble with my old boots, hmmm.

The weather has been wet but warm (er), in fact very pleasant to walk in despite being wet. The autumn colours never cease to amaze me. The leaves are a spectacular display though the recent rain has knocked a lot of them off. This only means however, that there is now a thick and bright blanket over the ground, like a multicoloured impressionist painting done with orange, yellow and red paint splotches against a dark (soil) background.

My time here is coming to a close! I realistically only have about 6-7 days of hiking left. I have been taking it easy the last week or so and enjoying the landscape and towns I have been through. It is easy stages now although the first of the mountains in the White range are coming up. I won't get through the Whites to Maine, but I hope to go over some of the more southern mountains on the trail. High, and cold at this time of year. I have bought a thermal reflective overbag to make my sleeping bag warmer as it just wasn't cutting it on some of the colder nights. Lower 30s = around 0 celcius or just above and I have woken up shivering in the early hours a few times. The new overbag should do the trick though. I have also invested in a 100% merino wool underwear longsleave shirt so hopefully all should be warm and toasty!

I'm sad to be so close to ending my sojourn here. I could keep walking if I had the time and the increasing cold wasn't a factor - I have my trail legs well and truly now. At the same time, I'm happy that the goals and hopes that I had when I started seem to have been realised or have happened. I'm changed and the other day realised that those parts of me which seemed to have died are alive again. I'm also keen to get back to family and friends again.
Well looks like it's time to go again.
Keep well all!
29 September 2012
Hello! Another quick update: I am in Rutland Vermont today staying in a great hostel run by an interesting Christian sect called the 12 Tribes. I decided to come down last night as my right ankle was giving jip and it needs a rest. I spent the night of 27th in a cosy little shelter cabin on my own and it was VERY cold but not as cold as i would have been if I had stayed at the bigger stone shelter higher up, which had no windows and cold, damp stone walls and floor as well as a leaking roof I have since learned. Yesterday morning was raining and windy so I decided to stay put in the warm and dry and stay off my ankle. In the early afternoon the rain had stopped and since I now no longer had enough food to make it to Hanover, New Hampshire - my original plan was to get from Manchester    Center, Vermont to Hanover in 6 days and I was carrying just enough food to do this - I came down to town. This also gave me a chance to test the ankle on the 3 miles down to the road, and yes, it was definitely hurt.

I spent 2 days and 3 nights in Rutland and the ankle was fine after that. It was also a chance to re-supply, eat     a huge amount at the Chinese all you can eat buffet (I love these), rest and shoot the breeze with folks at the hostel, one of whom was/is a train hobo who has been traveling around the country by jumping on and off trains for 7 years. Interesting people I meet.
18 September 2012

Hello everyone!
I have now made it to Dalton in Massachusetts. I am about a day's walk from the Vermont state line with Mount Greylock right in front of me. I did a 10.5 mile walk yesterday "slackpacking" (you leave your full pack and kit with someone - in this case Tom Levardi in whose house I have stayed while in Dalton - and walk with only a light pack containing things for the day's walk). Wh
at a difference to walk lightly along the trail for a change!

I last checked in in Vernon NJ, but have now walked through New York State, Connecticut and most of Massachusetts.
I now have new boots! My old ones made it as far as Pawling NY, just south of Connecticut, where they finally died after walking 36 miles in one go, through the night and up to 7:45 next day. They made it 1440 miles before the soles finally shredded and fell apart. RIP torture-boxes.
I decided to stay put today as the unseasonable cold weather has been followed by heavy rain and strong winds today. Not a good day to try walking over Mount Greylock. So I have stayed warm and dry and managed to get to the library in Dalton.
I have not been rushing to get to Mnt Katadin as time is now probably too short, it was never a main goal (I'm not hell-bent on "finishing at Katadin"), and I want to enjoy this time and chew the fat - which was the point of this all along anyway.
I spent Fri and Sat at a beautiful place called Upper Goose Pond, in the cabin run by the Appalachian Mountain Club - with caretaker and pancakes and coffee for breakfast! - because it is so beautiful and I wanted to take the time to explore and enjoy it and rest. I swam in the lake, took a canoe and paddled round the lake, to the island, through the channel to the adjoining bigger lake and back, took numerous photos, slept and read. Just what the dactor ordered.

New York was a challenge, with very rough country, unpleasant heat, horrible humidity (up to 100% at times) and little water as they have been having a drought. Happily I / we were able to fill up from taps at various buisnesses and state parks, and from jugs of water left at certain places by "trail angels".
One more bear spotted, which brings my total so far to 23. : )

I spent a day in Salisbury, Conn., "zeroing" in order to rest my ankle which my new boot had been pressing and hurting. FYI: a teahouse there called "Chaiwalla's" serves pots of the best (real) chai I have yet tasted. Yum yum! 2 days later I said goodby to my new chum Cameron in Great Barrington, as he had colitis and had been really suffering. I told him we had to get him checked out and went to the hospital in GB. He will be off trail for a few days but hopefully I'll meet up with him again before too long.

Well, I am about to be chucked off this pc, so best regards to all.
30 August 2012

Hi Everyone, I'm in Vernon, Nu Joizy (New Jersey)! I made it through Pennsylvania and survived the rocks - though I reckon my boots did not. Sooo glad to be out of the rocks - though I did like PA a lot. Tomorrow I'll be crossing into New York State as it's only a few miles away.
Only saw one bear in PA: at Delaware Water Gap (another town I really liked) as I was eating my supper outside a shop.
It walked up behind me in the street - I didn't realise it was there until the people at the next table (looking over my shoulder) started exclaiming : "Is that a bear? It's a bear! It's a bear!" etc. and started grabbing children and running inside. I looked round and there was the cheeky bruin walking towards me across the road not 10 -15m away.Happily, he took a left and headed for the dumpster at the end of the parking lot. I finished up supper and then got some great pics of his ass waving in the air as he raided the dumpster. Hmmm, perhaps a bear not too long for this world or at least that neighbourhood.
Next day after church (yes, I went to the Church of the Mountain hostel and attended the morning service upstairs next morning) I crossed the Delaware River into NJ. Still with the rocks! Only now hills as well! But then yesterday I came down off the hill at a place called High Point and seem to have left those rocks behind. Oh the rejoicing! Walked a short 13 mile day today to Vernon and had a great supper hosted by the St Thomas Episcopal church's neighbours, the Presbetarian Methodist Church (right next door), enjoyed some great worship at their service afterwards, then did some re-supplying at the grocery store. Ice-cream, and then bed. Oh what it is to suffer on the trail! : )
Only 2 days of anti-biotics to go - at last! No more hassle and no more sunburning. You are supposed to avoid exposure to direct sunlight while on these (and yes, you really DO burn in just a little sunshine) , yeah, like that's going to happen the trail. Got bitten by some kind of e-type mosquitoes just before and in Delaware Water Gap. Nasty! A whole lot of bites on my arms and face that formed big welts which have lasted for days and are still leaking lymph fluid. Greeeat. Still, they are healing up now so it's all good. Heh Heh!

Stunned by the great news of engagements and weddings from the home-front (Memo and Vicky, Toni and Dana)! Great stuff!

Missing you all. Love.
9 August 2012
Thanks everyone! I made it out of Harper's Ferry, +- 7 miles to the next shelter. Started at 5pm(eek!) as I had a late lunch with a friend called "Ridiculous" and, completely unplanned (by me), spent a bit of quality time just sharing with him about some of the things The Lord has done for me. I also was able to pray for healing of some injuries he had. Good times, and I hope I see him again. I don't exactly know how, but I reached the shelter at about 7:35-40pm! Really nice shelter. Today I have walked 25 miles and some change, and I'm somewhat nackered. The shelter I was aiming for has no water - I met 2 guys coming the other way - and so I am spending the night - and money(!) - at a hostel just 0.3 miles down the road. Whole place to myself and now I'm going to organise some food to be delivered. Yum!

7 August 2012

Hey Everyone!
I'm in Harper's Ferry at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy! Made it to the (psychological) half way point. I'm going to have to move it to make it to Maine in time, but it's do-able. Not stopping here tonight - too expensive and I want to get on - but now down to the post office, lunch and then onwards and out. Maryland and Pennsylvania are ahead.
2 August 2012
 I'm in Leesburg at present, staying with Guy and Tracey de Blank. This weekend we're off to Harrisonburg for a family camp/retreat which I felt The Lord wanted me to go to. On Sunday afternoon or Mon. morning I'll be back on the trail and getting to Harper's Ferry either Mon or Tues depending.
6 July 2012
Hi Everyone! This is just a quick note to all to reassure you that I am alive and well and survived the Derecho storm on Friday 29 June. We were all caught and there is widespread and bad damage from Georgia to Pennsylvania. I was caught in open woodland on a ridge just as it was getting dark and the storm came up without warning. Hurricane force winds and trees breaking and falling all around. There was nowhere to take cover so I just had to run for my life and dodge falling trees and limbs while trying to get down the trail and off the ridge, down to the shelter. A tree actually fell on me and knocked me down. A foot further on and I might be dead or badly injured. But I'm alive and uninjured (praise God!) and managed to get all my bits and pieces back and or repaired the next morning. A very close shave. But I have my life, I'm uninjured and God is GOOD! Just thought I'd check in and let you know. I'm in Daleville/Troutville VA and heading out now. Love to all.

Thursday 14 June 2012

Hello Everyone! Yes, I bet you were all starting to think I had fallen of the edge of the world. Nearly.
I am in Damascus, Virginia! I like this town very much. It is a beautiful little town of about 1000 people, friendly and very pretty - and a sight for sore feet. I am on my second day here. My feet have been hurting and making walking painful as well as slowing me down. Add to that the factor of just plain tiredness and I felt this was (is) a good place to rest and put my feet up for a few days. Thet are much better today though a bit swollen still.

Ok. My last update was on 22 May in Gatlinburg. That was a fun town and I had a good stay there.
I managed to hitch a ride back up to Newfound Gap, where I had left  the trail, on the 23rd. I had to wait a while while a fallen tree was cleared from the road. Lots of rain the day before and that night, and a tree had come down. Driving back up into the Smokies I realised again just what an up-and-down world it is up there. Steep forested mountainsides plunge and rear dramatically and you are REALLY glad you are walking along the ridgelines and not trying to go up and down them (so much). It's a strange feeling to be seeing sky through the trees when you're looking down.

Well, I got back onto the trail, it was threatening rain again, and headed North. A short distance along, who should I run into, but the botanist girl from Rock Gap above Franklin! Exactly 10 days later, same time of day, same circumstances (me getting back on the trail and not far from the road), raining (soon to be) and her looking for plants. Weird. We said hello, laughed about it and I headed off. Because it was an early afternoon start, I only went 10.4 miles.

The next day was my birthday. 45! Now what the heck is that supposed to mean? I got up early and walked 20 miles that day, my first 20 miler. It was a long day mostly alone with a few meetings during the day. I walked past the wreckage of a F4 (?) fighter jet which crashed in the 70s. I wasn't really thinking much about anything that day except the walking and thoughts of all you guys (and life and stuff), but mostly it was just a quiet day. I got to Davenport Gap Shelter at about 6 or 7, not too late. This shelter is one of the last to actually have a cage over the front to keep out bears (the cages were taken down at the other shelters because idiots were feeding bears through the cages). 2 friends were there along with a third guy I had seen before. They were tired and quiet and went to sleep early, and so I spent the end of my birthday having a quiet contemplative moment as I brushed my teeth in the twighlight. Those of you who know me, know this takes some time.

Davenport Gap marks the end of the Smoky Mountains National Park. Next day I walked with my 2 hiking buddies down to the I-40 underpass and stopped in at the Standing Bear hostel. We had lunch there and re-supplied, and then pushed on to Groundhog Creek Shelter. This is a small 6 person shelter with a lovely water source (a big deal on the trail) and there were a fair number of folks there, most of whom I knew already. They all mostly camped, but I spent  the night in the shelter with a quiet and pleasant father and daughter who were hiking together. And then: WONDER! When it was full dark, fireflies or lightening bugs began to display. From pitch black darkness 1 or 2 would flash and then the others would join in until there was a crescendo of bright flashes which then gradually died away to complete dark again. It was like watching camera flashes at a concert, when they all try to flash at the same time, and it was all around us 360 degrees. I watched till I couldn't any more, and fell asleep. Definitely one of the highlights.

Next day we walked 23 miles to Deer Park Shelter, just above Hot Springs, North Carolina. For much of this section of the trail over the past and coming weeks we had walked along a line roughly following the North Carolina / Tennessee border.
Hot Springs is a popular town for hikers, rafters and people visiting the hot springs (I didn't, preferring to rest and sleep).  I checked into Elmer's Sunnybank Inn, a grand Victorian-style house which was first built in 1848. It was later redone in the above mentioned style for its heyday as a holiday residence for a famous and wealthy family. The interior is still pretty much unchanged. Elmer is a thru-hiker and a buddist monk, and he serves up wondreful vegetarian meals for those guests who sign up for them.
My hiking buddies went across the river (French Broad R.) to camp along the bank where it is free. I had a look around and preferred to stay at Elmer's where I could get clean, have a shave etc, and organise to was clothes. That next to the river scene has attracted a fair share of low-lifes and the homeless, and it is a bit of a drugs and booze scene, which I had and have no interest in. Others that I know had a good experience camping there but I was happy to give it a miss.  So, I spent Memorial Day in Hot Springs and on the Sunday night I met a lovely family, Mark and Sonya Edmonds, who we met at Deer Park the night before. They are both in the millitary and he is a paratrooper, the OC (I think) of a unit in Fort Bragg which tests new and experimental equipment for the paras and special forces. Very interesting. They invited me to join them, their 2 children (boy and girl) and mother (Sonya's, I think) at dinner. We had a great time talking about what they did and my days at 44 Parachute Brigade, where I witnessed the development of the Jackal mini-jeep (light but with a Ford-Escort engine) which gave our Bats the ability to move really quickly over distance and carry and pull some serious ordinance. He knew about the Jackal but didn't know that it was names after a Major Jaeckal (?) who was at the unit and was the man who headed up the team (at least at 44).They were very keen to know about my journey and why I was doing it. They are a really great family, one of the many friendly and generous people I have met. I had spoken a little about missing family and friends,  especially on my birthday which was by then a few days before. They had started eating before me and so were nearly finished when my Rib-eye steak with sweet potato fries arrived. I had decided to give myself a belated birthday treat. They finished and left before me after we swapped addresses and details, but when I came to pay, I found that Mark had paid my bill! That was generosity that meant a great deal to me. thank you Mark and Sonya.

Next day I took a "Zero Day" (zero miles), just to have a rest. The day after I set out again.
I have walked through some truly beautiful country. And rain. The day I left Hot Springs it rained in the afternoon and then was cold with more rain and mist that night. We had a full shelter that night and all seemed fine and cosy, until I got up for a wee break from sleeping. As I came out of the shelter I found a young guy crouched against the shelter wall. He seemed to have very little on. When I came back, I had another look at him and sure enough, he was only wearing shorts. For this we have named him "Shorts Guy." I asked hi:"Aren't you cold?" "Yuuh." I said, "Where are your things?" He said he had had all his stuff stolen in Hot Springs and was now walking back to Virginia. "Not like that you aren't. " I said. I pointed out that there was no way he was going to get to VA without clothes, food, pack or even shoes (he really only had shorts). I then pointed out that what he should have done was go to the police or found some friends or phoned someone - anything but what he had done: "What the hell were you thinking?!"  I gave him my spare shirt and Swithchback gave him a foil blanket, which probably saved his life, as it was easily cold enough that night for someone (un)dressed like him to die of hypothermia. In the morning we gave him some food and sent him on his way back to Hot Springs. I never heard if he got there or not, and I don't believe his story about being robbed. A more likely secenario, we decided, is that he got drugged out of his head, set out for VA, found himself in the cold and dark and pressed on to the next shelter. He didn't announce his arrival or ask for help which is probably due to the effects of the cold. If there had been no one at the shelter, he might have died.

3 days later, going up a mountain called Big Bald, it started to rain again. "Ok, just another thunderstorm." I thought. Then the wind picked up and began blasting rain sideways. as I was on the windward side of the mountain I was getting it. My pack and torso stayed dry thanks to my pack-cover and poncho, and my legs were warm enough as they were working, but my forearms and hands got cold. By the time I got to the top and out on the bald I was in a fighting mood.
I went out on to the bald with the rain blasting me from behind. Up to the summit (of course) where I couldn't see a thing for the mist and rain, and then down at 90 degrees to the way I came up. "Good," I thought, "this is the way down out of this wind and ultimately to the shelter which is not far off."  But oh no. The path then went back parallel to the way I had come and the wind and rain was now in my face! Why?! Then it did this collywobble and went back again at 180 degrees (so now I'm heading back across the bald in the same direction I first came up to the summit.) and THEN curved back to directly opposite the summit point, before switching back and Finally heading in the right direction. I could see the posts which marked the path, easily: this was all within a short distance. Why?! Even in clear weather there seems little point in this random wandering across a very short distance. Your view really won't change much. But in driving wind, thick mist and blasting rain, it was pointless, infuriating and possibly dangerous when you really need to get into the lee of the mountain. There are now wide swathes of blue grass up there where my command of Anglo Saxon and Afrikaans got a full workout. Sorry everyone. Still, at the time I thought it was better (safer) to be aggressive/angry and fighting through than to be becoming quiet, withdrawn and resigned (not a good sign). As I was walking along I  was thinking of that installment of Born Survivor (Bear Grills) in which he demonstrated the dangers of exactly such a situation. He wouldn't have survived and he had to stop the demmo when it was clear that he couldn't find a way to make shelter from the driving wind and rain - and the cold in time to not get severe hypothermia. Unlike him, however, I had rain gear, and apart from my forearms, my body was warm, even my soaked legs, because they were working hard. I later found out that the rain was due to a massive tropical storm which had come through.
When I got down to the (very nice) shelter, 2 friends, Stetti Yetti and his brother Switchback were there along with a subdued party of cold but no longer wet older people, all in their sleeping bags. After supper, when the rain had stopped, we actually got a really good fire going from dry wood which we foraged up. We are still proud of this.

The next morning was cold (gloves were worn, for a little while) but we set off for Erwin, Tennessee, where once they hung an elephant. Read all about it here: http://blueridgecountry.com/archive/mary-the-elephant.html
I spent one night in Erwin at the hostel called "Uncle Johnny's." I didn't particularly like the place or some of the staff, and resupplied and left the next morning.

I camped under a powerline that night, which seemed to panic some deer that grazed there at night and then made it into the Greasy Creek Friendly (not hostel - geddit?) next night. This is run by Connie, who is a lovely lady with a great little house and bunkhouse but a psycho neighbor who seems to hate everyone though Connie and hikers are especially picked upon. Before hikers it was the hunters. He he vandalised, harassed and plagued Connie for years and will do things seemingly just out of spite - like driving his mower around his yard at 6am. The reason the bunkhose has no windows id to keep it dark inside for those who wish to sleep and cool in summer, warm in winter as well as giving no extra targets for The Hostile. Despite all this, Connie's place is peaceful and cosy and a welcome treat on the trail - you can buy Ben and Jerry's there! And eat it while watching videos!

The next day was a big day. Not so much in distance (16.4miles) but in altitude. The trail went up (and up) Roan Mountain, from 4034 feet at Greasy Creek Gap to 6217 feet at the top. Stunningly beautiful country up, on top and over. This was followed by Round Bald and Jane Bald, big open hills with some flowering rhododendron in places. I got in to Overmountain shelter late-ish and found a bunch of the gang there. Others came in later. The shelter is a converted barn, which sounds great, but I found it quite draughty as the sides are slatted with planks and gap which let the wind and mist pass right through. Still, it has a good roof. It also had a bat and a firefly flying around upstairs at one stage of the night.
Next day we were climbing again and came over the rest of the Roan Highlands - through another rain storm, yay - over the North Carolina/Tennessee border and finally on past Jone Falls (and you'll be jonesing for a chance to visit after you see the photos); and on to a new and three storied shelter called Mountaineer Shelter. It was up and down terrain for the last part and my feet were sore. This is probably where I hurt them.

Kincora! Oh hiker's paradise! This is a hostel run by the famous Bob Peoples, a retired senior airforce officer who also heads up the local trail club which maintains and improves this section of the trail, from south of Roan Mountain to the Tennessee/ Virginia border. Thanks to their efforts, the way up Roan Mountain and the following balds is a LOT less painful than it could be. It is in fact, a pleasure.   Bob is a very interesting man who seems to have been involved in a lot of interesting history, from the Cold War to covert operations in Central America and against Libya in the 80s. He is also an animal lover and he, I, Deererunner and Princess, who all spent a zero day at Kincora next day, talked up quite a storm. You wouldn't want to get on his bad side, but then you wouldn't unless you really deserved it anyway.

And so on to Watauga Dam and Lake the next day (9 June). I climbed up and over Pond Mountain after going past Laurel Falls - not as big as Jones Falls but beautiful nevertheless - and down to Watauga lake. I had lunch, a swim and then pressed on to the dam wall, which the trail crosses.
I was looking around for a water source when I met a photographer who took my photo (he later emailed my a copy) and told me I could get water at the nearby visitors center restrooms. This I did, and while I was looking about and weighing up possible (but unsatisfactory) campsites, I got chatting to a husband and wife from nearby Elisabethville called Lou and Linda. They told me about the official (but secure and with showers and water on tap) campsite at the base of the dam. I decided to bite the bullet and pay for a night there. They then offered to take me down there, did so, and while I was putting up my tent - to secure my spot - Lou , bless him, told me he would pay for my site. This kind of unexpected generosity to strangers has completely blown me away time and time again. Lou and Linda, you rock!
Next morning I was up early and headed up and over the ridgeline above Watauga Lake. It was  a long day of 20.4 miles down to Double Springs Shelter, and by now my feet were hurting but it was made easier by some trail magic of snacks and cold sodas left by a local church group of Trail Angels. I was keen to get on over the border into Virginia and down to Damascus. I did some celebrating when I crossed the border, but I limped in to Damascus.

I love Damascus! I was so tired I spent a night at "Dave's Hostel", which at $21 a night is pretty overpriced for what you get. I met up by accident with Princess the next morning at breakfast in a diner. It was her last day in town as she had finished her hiking and was going back to Canada. She's Austrailan but lives in Canada with her British boyfriend. She told about the Hiker's Inn: a lovely hostel where even the "bunkhouse has mattresses with sheets, duvets, pillows with pillowcases and even bedside lamps! All was clean and spick and span and run by a great couple, Paul and Lee for only $25 a night. Paul is Belgian and so he and I had fun speaking to each other in Flemish (him) and Afrikaans (me); and so it was here that I spent the next 3 days while my feet recovered. There is a great restaurant and bar called Quincy's where the food is really good, reasonably priced (actually very well priced for the huge amounts you get) and the music was hot 80s hits, some of which I only ever heard once in the 80s. Now who could ask for more, eh?
Damascus is a Trail town, and very friendly to the hikers and cyclist who are always coming through. I have very fond memories of Damascus.

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Hi everyone! Well, it's been a while so there is much to tell. After getting back on the trail from Hiawasee, my hiking buddy and I pushed it across the Georgia / North Carolina border. We pressed on to the Muskrat Creek shelter which is 4580 feet high. It was evening by then and getting cold after the rain. I had my second go at throwing my bear-line over a convenient branch. Er-hmm.
 Ok, the first time I did this was at a place called Lance Creek, where a tree tried to eat my line. The tree providing the branch I was aiming at also had a thin-ish secondary trunk growing parallel to the main trunk, and of course, these are what my line went sailing merrily between, and wedged. Nothing would dislodge the line and climbing wasn't realistically an option. I wasn't about to loose my bear-line (how would I hang my food away from hungry bears?) so I got hold of a small fallen tree and used its trunk as a lever between the two trunks. This forced the trunks apart and down dropped the line. After that I was careful to keep my tries away from the trunk.

The next time, at Muskrat Creek, where there are no bear-line cables, I got the end of my line wedged again, in a fork of the tree. (!) The thing is, the line was not caught tight, I knew it was loose, but was it moving, at all, in the slightest? Oh no. So I had to climb the tree. My buddy gave me a hand-up and up I went in true Hillcrest tarzan fashion. And yes, the line end was just sitting there loosely. Since I was up there, I threw it over the desired branch and then decended, whereupon I roundly vloeked the tree in Afrikaans (I told it its mother was a hamster, its father smelled of elderberries and then called it a "lightening" (bliksem)), which impressed my shelter companions no end. They asked what language that was, and when I told them, one asked me if I had heard of "Die Antword".  Much choking from me. Funny, this "Die Antword" thing keeps cropping up, to my great amusement.

Anyway, that night at Muskrat Creek was cold, and my sleeping bag didn't cut it. Apart from my legs twitching from the stiffness and strain, I was kept awake by a cold clamminess. At some time in the early morning I was woken from a sleep by a sudden bout of shivering in my belly area. A short version of the hypothermia shakes. Not good.
The next day my hiking buddy got up and going early - he was cold too - as he was walking long days in order to try and finish before August 22 or so, when he had to get back to college, so it was goodbye to him. I did 12.5 miles that day with a slightly warmer night and then walked 12.2 miles down to Rock gap with some new chums from the Muskrat Creek shelter. They had left their cars at Rock Gap as they were section hiking the trail and were going to skip ahead to the Smoky Mountains section. They offered me a lift into Franklin NC, and I took the ride as I wanted to buy a new sleeping bag and a new sleeping pad. I managed to get good deals on both at the Three Eagles Outfitters and now have a vastly superior pad and a sleeping bag which will keep me comfortable at - 6 Celsius. I LOVE my new sleeping bag. As it gives instant toastiness on a cold evening. I struggled to find a motel in Franklin because there was a "Gym Show" on in town and everywhere was full. Eventually a desk lady gave me the name of a motel a little out of town and even let me use the phone to call them and reserve a room. My buddy generously drove me out to it and dropped me off. It cost $54 for the night (ouch) but I was able to get clean again and sleep in a bed. One thing about the Trail, is the never-ending contention with dirt, and the near permanent state of sweatyness, smellyness and grime that one lives in. This is just part of life on the Trail but it is very nice to get clean and have clean clothes every once in a while.

The next day (Sunday 13 May) it was raining solidly. The weather report on tv said this would continue for the next 2 days. I checked out and was about to start hitching back into Franklin to get re-supplied, when the man running the motel offered me a lift into town. This was the first of 2 amazing lifts I was blessed with that day. I bought what I needed, including a new wrist watch, ate lunch at good old Burger King, and tramped off in the rain to the highway to start hitching. I stood there for a short bit, wondering just how hard it would be to get back to Rock Gap, as it is a bit out of the way and off the highway. I decided to ask God for a lift but even as I was just beginning to pray my request, ie " Lord, please could you..." I saw a car pulling over. It was a plumber called Eric who went miles out of his way and refused any payment for this. We talked about a lot of things especially South Africa, and he was most taken to have met a South African. He told me about trouble he was having with his wrists hurting when he worked (we had got to talking about our jobs) and so when we eventually found Rock Gap, I offered to pray for him. It was a God moment and it was a real blessing to bless him back by praying for him, his family and his wrists. I walked off from Rock Gap in the rain on a high. And almost immediately ran into some "trail magic", the first of 2 that day. This took the form of a pretty, intelligent and friendly young woman who was out there in the rain looking at Trilliums. These are a beautiful flowering plant which grown widely in the Southern Appalachians and have a really interesting and pretty 3 petaled flower. We talked Trillium and botany for a little and then I pushed on.
 Later on there were bananas.
Someone had left them and cake in a plastic bag hanging from a tree, for hikers.

I made 7.9 miles through rainy forest to Siler Bald Shelter where I found 3 other wet hikers. Later a 4th who was pushing long days and miles, came in. My new sleeping bag and mat had me smiling my way to sleep. The next day I walked with him and we covered 17.4 miles to Wesser Bald Shelter, where He pushed on, heading down to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). and I stopped for the night. It was crowded and one guy nearly snored his head (and ours) off. However, it was here that I met Beeman. He is a 59 year old man from Nevis, one of the islands of St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. He is formerly from Kent where he learned to keep bees because his father farmed apples and pears. As a beekeeper he joined the VSO and was sent to Nevis where he was offered a civil service post in his beekeeping (and generally useful) capacity and so he left the VSO and has been a resident ever since. Upon being made redundant earlier this year he decided to walk the AT, and there he was.

Next day we all headed in to the NOC, lured on as we descended by the smell of cooking wafting up from the gorge below. NOC is beautiful if pricey, though the Rivers End restaurant does great food at quite reasonable prices. So only a half day that day and a half day the next, ending at Sassafras |Gap Shelter. We had now formed a loose group of hiking buddies, including Beeman, Mickey, Vince, Josh and Jonathan, and we pushed 15.2 miles that next day. We were keen to get to Fontana Dam on the 18th and resupply before entering the Smokey Mountains which are high and have lots of bears and wild boar and turkeys etc. There are hot showers at the "Fontana Hilton" (shelter) and we all made it into the town for food, resupply (expensive),  and a bit of fun. Despite there being a Nissan "V car" convention that weekend (much revving and posturing) we all had a great time with a really fun evening over supper, before heading back to the shelter.

We had a late-ish  start the next day as we all made a kind of breakfast at the visitor center at the dam wall, but which only opened at 9. We also filled in our hiking permits, which are free but which everyone has to carry in the Smokey Mountains National Park. One copy in the box and one on us at all times. They also don't want people camping (bears) but rather to use the shelters which are plentiful and well provided with space and bear-cables.
We walked across the dam wall and up into the Smokeys. I was steep going, but not as much of a thriller as I feared it might have been. Actually a very good day covering 13.8 miles.
And I saw my first bear ass.
Up till then I have not actually seen any bears but have just missed them seemingly. One evening a few days into my hike a lady I was then hiking with came in some 40 min behind  me and said that a bear had fallen out of a tree almost next to her. It must have heard her coming and climbed a tree and then had the branch break just as she walked by. She ran one was and the bear the other. On the day I got into Hiawasee, as I was heading down to the road, I got about 20 min ahead of my hiking buddy who then had a bear cross the trail right in front of him. It looked at him and then moved on.
So my encounter was nothing so spectacular. I saw the rear of a small bear running away as I walked up.
The Smokeys are high, but once up in them the going is relatively easy. We walked 16.4 miles the next day and the next, came over Clingman's Dome, at 6643 feet the highest point on the trail.
And then descended from Newfound Gap by hitched ride, to Gatlinburg, TN. Which is something to see for crazy kitch but a welcome rest.
Here I have taken my fist "zero day" (no miles) as I have been tired and my feet needed a rest. Those downhills especially and all the extra weight make them hurt. I have shared a room with some friends from the trail and had some good fun with them (introduced them to Juluka) and Mickey and Vince who headed out back to the Trail this afternoon. It has rained so all in all this rest day was a good call.

Tomorrow the plan is to head out earlyish and hitch back up tp Newfound Gap, back to the trail.

I think about the peoples and family back in London and SA a lot and talking of life there with my trail buddies brings a lot back.
Lots of love guys.

Wednesday 9 May 2012

Well hello everyone! I am at a little town in northern Georgia called Hiawasee. I arrived in Atlanta on Wed 2nd without too much fuss. Got through customs quickly and without hitch, phoned "Survivor Dave", my shuttle guy, bought a ticket to North Springs, Atlanta on the MARTA train service and got out of the terminal and on to the platform. The first thing I noticed was how HOT it was! I mean it was hot and humid, like Durban after a hot summer's day! "Oh oh!" And then I realsied that it would be a lot cooler up in the mountains, and it has been.

"Survivor Dave" (SD) picked me up at North Springs and took me to my hotel: the la Quinta Inn. Not bad actually. I got to make my own breakfast including waffles which I poured and cooked myself. I was still frazzled and jangly after the previous few days, but slept ok. Those last three or four days in London were very stressful, what with packing up my life of the last fourteen years and moving out of my home for the last twelve. It was a crazy, flat-out time, sorting and packing at a frenetic pace. Very stressful without being obviously so, primarily because I was too busy to pay any attention to it - probably a good thing. On Tuesday, the day before I left I put a meal of chicken and chips into the oven to cook and after remembering to turn the oven off when they were cooked, completely neglected to eat them. No time! It was a major shake up and together with a lack of sleep (sleep patterns totally shot) and some very stressful and upsetting events on a personal level, it meant that by the time I arrived in Atlanta I was in a kind of free-fall of dislocation and frazzledness. Still, the excitement and novelty of a new city and country did a lot to make up for this.
The next day SD offered to take me to do some shopping as he was free. Despite feeling rotten with flu he drove me around to but a new phone, food and a rain cover. Very helpful and generous man. Oh yes, those of you who know how I have held on to my old phone will laugh: I now have a (semi) modern phone with blue-tooth capability etc AND a kindle. It took the AT to get me into the 21st century....

Final packing on the 3rd May after the shopping and discovered Waffle House. Great diner-style waffle shop who do great deals in all kinds of food , not just waffles. I had a really good omlette for lunch and treated myself to the (3)pork chops with hash brown and salad for supper. Slept better.

4 May, Star Wars Day, I was picked up at 6:30am and we drove out to Springer Mountain. SD dropped me off at the car park, after which I hiked 1 mile up to the summit and the start of the trail. Signed the register, took pics etc and then started the trail - back 1 mile down the way I had come, in the rain. It dried up during the day and I met plenty of really great, friendly folks. I walked some 16.5 miles that day to Gooch Mountain shelter. A long stretch, but I'm glad I did as it is a lovely shelter and I met some of the good people I have spent the last few days with. The weather dried up and the next night was a spent at Lance Creek after a shorter, "relaxing" day, only about 8 miles or so. This may not sound like much, but the AT is punishing and I was carrying at least 50 pounds, which is heavy! On the 6th I made it to Neels Gap where I stayed at the hostel and had my bg given a "shakedown". Some heavy stuff I don't need I left for whoever wants it in the hiker bin in the hostel and some stuff I will probably need or do not want to throw away, I posted to my friend Guy, in Leesburg VA. When I get there I'll decide what to do with it.

With a much lighter pack it has been much easier going, though with food it's still somewhere around 40 pounds. Still it's lighter and I'm getting stronger. I have had some short days and yesterday pushed 15 miles to Tray Mountain shelter. We've had rain and sunshine and the top of Tray is very pretty with amazing views. So is Blood Mountain which I topped just before descending to Neels Gap.

Today I was going to stop at the Deep Gap shelter but me at chap from Tennassee (sp?) who was moving fast (although he was and is limping now) and planning on getting to Dicks Creek gap where one can hitch or arrange a shuttle via phone, into Hiawasee. I was inspired and besides it was wet and misty and I felt like sleeping in a dry bed. I had planned to head into Hiawasee tomorrow, but am here today instead! Just had a  great cheeseburger and fries, and am doing laundry. Tomorrow I'll re-supply with food, buy another and better self-inflating mattress (the other had it's outer skin tear away from the inner cushioning so now the foot end balloons up while the rest doesn't have enough air to make a good cushion. Cheap and nasty.) and other bits and pieces and the back onto the trail. Sharing a room with my new chum - we went halves, so not too pricey $ 22.50 each.

Weather has cleared -loving the sunshine! - so it's all good.

Sunday 29 April 2012


Last Sunday in the UK before I leave. Amazing last week. Worked at landscaping job, planting mondo grass (on hands and knees) in the rain. Fun! On Friday we had a great time. Andy, my boss (now ex boss), bought schwarmas for us for lunch, from Aroma in New Malden. Absolutely fan-tastic! I highly recommend them, and Andy as an excellent boss to have - and not just for the schwarmas.
When we finished work he and the guys: Bjorn and JP gathered round and prayed for me. Strong men, dirty hands, tired after a day's hard work. As they were doing this I had a moment of realisation as something profound came home to me: I thought: "So, this is what it is like, to be part of a band of men, men in The Lord."  This is something I have wanted and longed for all my life, and now I found myself there. Thank you Lord.

Now today at church has been very special. I am blessed and a bit overwhelmed by the love and support my church family has shown me. I am going to miss everyone, more than they know. They are all part of me, of my mental and spiritual landscape. As, I can now see, I am part of theirs.

The next 2 days are going to be busy, but good. Kawabunga countdown is rolling.   (",)

Sunday 15 April 2012

Sunday 15 April: "The Ides of April". Still organizing the final things that need to happen and be done before I go. Just 2 weeks and 2 days left before I fly.