Random Campground to Chestnut knob shelter

I did not climb out of my sleeping bag until 7:45 and it was awesome!! Again, big rain predicted and we got nothing. Yahoo. Today was a tough day of climbing!! I thought Virginia was supposed to be rolling green hills. Which it is some of the time.

Below are a few random trail photos. 'The green tunnel' is what they call the trail come summer and it is getting that way in some parts. Today we hiked through parts of the trail that are on privately owned land, with easements to accommodate for the trail. Which is why there are cows right there!

It was a long trudge up, but the payoff is that I pitched my tent on the top of a mountain facing out to this great valley view. 

Ate dinner and then these amazing clouds rolled in.

Marion to Random campground

Hit Sonic one last time before we left town and then Donuts at Ingles. The forecast called for 100% chance of rain so we figured it was going to be a wet one. Honestly, other than the fact that we were walking up in the clouds where there is lots of moisture, it never rained! No complaints. Photo is of Da Vinci and Movin' On hiking in the mist.

It was a hiker named Long Haul Truckers birthday and he had beer at the Shelter so I grabbed one and hiked up to the next shelter and had it with my lunch. Deeeelish!

Came to an old school house where a local church had lots of good trail magic. Sodas, snacks and some necessities.

We hiked a pretty long day, set up camp down out of the wind, ate dinner and climbed in our tents at about 9. It rained a little over night, but again, not the thunderstorms that were predicted. Yay!

Trimpi Shelter to Marion, VA

My earliest start time to date. 6:45. I knew in 11 miles from the Shelter there was a place to catch the shuttle into Marion for food, laundry etc. at 11:00. Didn't know if I could make it on time but figured it was worth a shot. Hiked as fast as I could and can I just say... It's not nearly as much fun with a deadline. Usually, I have a distance in mind for the day, but no particular time frame, so I can hike
as fast or slow as I want. Anyway, made it there in plenty of time. Started storming as we were waiting for the shuttle and we are in for a few wet days. A few of the gals decided to split rooms at a cheap motel for the night, so we got caught up on showers, food, laundry and margaritas :)

And... Made my first visit to Sonic in 6 weeks!

It was tasty. The Travel Inn here in Marion is a 5⭐️ Motel as you can see by the sign on the 'loundry' room door. (That's the fancy spelling)

Rained all night so it was nice to be dry because that will all change tomorrow.

Below is a photo of how green the trail is becoming and also of one of the stiles that we pass over when we are hiking through land where cattle graze.

Wise Shelter to Trimpi Shelter

So... Woke up this morning to the sound of something chomping grass right outside my tent. Yep! Another pony within petting distance of me in my tent. Is this heaven?

Last pony pic, I swear. (Unless I run into more ponies :)

Hiked a long day (20 miles) of relatively easy terrain although it was a little rocky. The weather was ideal and there are several days of rain forecast so I wanted to take advantage of the good weather. Pic below is of this rocky cave area we had to climb through. Pretty cool but not so easy with a big pack on your back!

Got to Trimpi shelter about 5:30. Good water source and beautiful setting. A nice group there tonight. Da Vinci, Rob, Mike, Ranger, And Solo. Tomorrow a shorter day with a stop in Marion, VA for laundry, good food and a shower. (4 days without if anyone is counting) Marion has a SONIC!!!!! Wahoooooo!

Lost Mountain Shelter to PONYVILLE

Ok, so it's actually called Grayson Highlands but it is the land of wild ponies and I have been chomping at the bit to get there! (pun intended). There were herds of ponies everywhere! 

First had to take the obligatory photo on Buzzard Rock.

Then we arrived in Ponyville. Prepare for pictures of adorable wild ponies...

I pet about 500 ponies (exaggeration of course) and then hiked on to the shelter.

Passed the 500 mile mark!!! (Note the very official 500 written in sharpie on the rock) this is Celtic in the photo with me.

Got to the shelter and was so happy to see more ponies milling about (and trying to eat our food off the table)

It was a great weather day, did good mileage and anytime the trail ends with ponies....life is pretty darn good.

Damascus to Lost Mountain Shelter

Time to get rolling. Ate breakfast, got organized, and ate yet ANOTHER hot fudge sundae at the Dairy King before I left town. Rain was predicted and it did not disappoint. Right as we were walking out of town, the downpour began. I sort of felt like Mother Nature was saying, "Are you sure about this?" But we kept going. It rained off and on all day long, but as I've said before, I still can't think of anyplace else I'd rather be. Basically, once you are out there in the rain, you can either keep moving and get wet or keep moving and get wet. I chose to keep moving and get wet. I had a pretty good grasp on where my fellow hikers were in regards to me, so I stuck in my ear buds, turned on my music, kept a good distance from everyone to save their ears, and sang all the way. 

When I got to the shelter, I slapped up my tent, ate something quickly and went to bed. Tomorrow.... Ponies!!!!! More on that later.

Zero in Damascus

This is the sign as you enter Damascus on the trail. I had a great day here. Caught up with a lot of friends at home, visited the local beauty salon for some hair maintenance (and am a little bit of an expert on the 'goings on' here in Damascus after that experience), ate three full meals PLUS a great hot fudge sundae at the Dairy King. Inspiration is everywhere. Below is a sign from Dairy King.

And of course...as all zeros do, ended the day at the Damascus Brewery sampling some of the local microbrews. Good day but ready to get moving again.

Abingdon Gap to Damascus

This photo is what it looks like at a shelter in the morning. People packing up their gear and cooking breakfast. Everyone usually starts moving around at about 6:45ish. This morning everyone was moving pretty quickly because it was chilly and we only had 10 easy miles in to Damascus.

I was on the trail by 8 and soon passed the Tennessee / Virginia state line. Three states officially done!! 25% of the trail is in Virginia, so I'm going to be here for awhile.

It's hard to see, but below is a photo of Damascus from the woods above. It's a pretty exciting feeling when you are heading in to a town and it comes in to view. Definitely start walking a little more quickly!

Damascus is a small town but a big part of the AT. The trail enters town right through a city park and continues down The Main Street. They welcome hikers and it's not unusual to see dirty, stinky hikers sitting around on street corners with their gear drinking cokes right when they get to town. (First stop for me... Dollar General for a diet coke) Dollar General is in every trail town and this one was right next to a church. Seems a little battle is brewing between the two.

I am treating myself here in Damascus and staying at a nice B and B. There are a bunch if hikers here so we all met for dinner and beers at the Blue Blaze Cafe. Fun to see everyone off the trail and relaxing!

There was craft paper and markers on the table and everyone was doodling all night. A guy named Keltic(from Scotland)

Wrote this quote and I thought it was pretty cool. Bed time and a zero here in Damascus tomorrow!

Vandeventer Shelter to Abingdon Gap Shelter

My view from my tent this morning. Just unzipped the door and this is what I saw while still tucked inside my sleeping bag. Not a bad start to the day :)

Kind of rainy today but nothing too bad. Several of us decided to push on later than planned so that tomorrow would be a short day in to Damascus. 22.7 miles. My longest day to date. 

Some insight into the  'deep thoughts' we all have while hiking along in the woods all day. Things like "why in the hell won't these damn leaves quit attaching themselves to the ends of my poles!" Thought provoking I know! Another not so pretty fact of trail life .... flatulence. It's rampant. Imagine groups of people consuming tons of processed foods chosen because of their weight and calorie content. 

Came across this monument on Iron Mountain.

It's the Nick Grindstaff Memorial. A hermit that lived the last 30 years of his life alone up on this mountain. "Lived alone. Suffered alone. And died alone." Yowsa!! That's brutal!

More trail magic in the form of soda and our good friend little Debbie again from a local church.

Tomorrow only 10 miles into Damascus and I am going to take a zero there as well. It's time for some big food.

Hampton to Vandeventer Shelter

IWell.... Atleast the hostel in Hampton had a clean shower. Enough said. Great weather today. Grabbed a few things from the store in Hampton and then got back on the trail. After hiking up a few miles, I stopped in a sunny spot for 'breakfast'. Ah! Diet coke on a mountain! Great start to the day!

Hiked for a few more hours and came to Lake Watauga. I decided to relax there for awhile. 

Sometimes I get in such a rush to get the miles in that I forget to take time to enjoy the ride. New motto we've discussed.... If there are roses to smell, we will smell them :) Lots of hikers decided to do the same in this spot. Tandem and her dad, Buzz, who I have been leapfrogging with. Met a new hiker named Da Vinci. We all hung out long enough that some nice people showed up with trail magic. Sodas and little Debbie snacks. Little Debbie is QUITE the staple out here! Finally started out again and stayed by the Vandeventer Shelter. It was amazing!!! Not the shelter but the views. High rocky outcropping overlooking the lake. A few of us sat out on the rocks past sundown(shocker) and just enjoyed the views.

I knew there was supposed to be a meteor shower so I got up at midnight to watch. It was pretty clear but couldn't see it but the stars were still incredible.

Mountaineer Shelter to Hampton, TN

Happy Easter! Great hiking weather today so I did some serious dilly dallying. There was a random bench up on the trail overlooking a valley, so I sat there for breakfast.

Then hiked some more and around lunchtime, I came to an overlook from this outcropping of rocks, so I sat there for lunch. Photo is of 19 looking out over the valley from the rocks before I got there for lunch.

Pretty easy terrain today. Next, I got to Laurel Falls. This photo doesn't do it justice but it was awesome. Sat and soaked my feet in the very chilly water with a few new hikers that I'd just met last night at the Shelter. Mac, Ace and Frankie.

Finished the day hiking into Hampton and of course, it wouldn't be Easter without a quarter pounder, large fries and a chocolate milk shake. Staying at the Hiker Haven here tonight because again...it's shower time!!

Overmountain Shelter to Mountaineer Shelter

A little rainy today, but not uncomfortably so. Hiked over some amazing balds today that seemed to go on and on. They were beautiful, but I have to admit, it was a little chilly! 

Finally left North Carolina once and for all!! 

Mid day we met up with Mike's family and several of them joined us for the days hike and brought treats!!! Also got to meet, Kevin, Mike's adorable two year old grandson that I had heard a lot about. Just as adorable as advertised.

Passed the 400 mile mark today!!! Time is flying by! Some creative hiker marked the spot!

Spent my second night of this entire journey IN a shelter. There weren't any flat spots for my tent but I did get the entire third floor loft to myself. (Not nearly as glamorous as it sounds :) but I am happy to report, that I didn't have any run-ins with mice. 

Sign on the ladder up to my loft. I probably am better off not knowing...

Carvers Gap to Overmountain Shelter

Slept great last night in Johnson City! Al's other daughter, Emily joined the party today. Great girls! We ate a big breakfast, resupplied and got out on the trail late afternoon, so we made it a short day. Overmountain Shelter is a really cool old renovated barn set in a valley. Space for lots of hikers and it was packed! Opted for my tent close by. (Shocker :)

It also had a pretty unique privy. Absolutely no privacy, but it sat sort of like a throne overlooking the valley. 

It rained a little overnight, but it was really a peaceful spot.

Below are Bubba and 19, two hikers I keep leapfrogging with. Good guys.

Greasy Creek Gap to Carvers Gap

Chilly morning!! Packed up my tent and started hiking before breakfast because I was cold. Today was a climbing day. For the past month, we have pretty much been climbing up and down mountains all day. After the first steep climb to Little Rock Knob, I stopped at this great overlook to have some breakfast. There were three young guys there, looking out over the mountains and the land beyond. One of them yelled, "I see flatlands in the distance but North Carolina isn't going to let us go without a fight!" Gotta love it.

Lots more climbing but ended up at Carvers Gap, where Al's daughter, Allison picked us up and took us to Johnson City where we indulged in burgers, fries and great milkshakes. Some of their family friends, Kieth and Vicky, generously hosted us overnight and we had great grilled steaks for dinner. I am sleeping in a real and fabulous bed tonight. 

Below is some graffiti written in a shelter wall. Ok, so maybe graffiti in general is not cool, but this was pretty great.

Burrowing under the covers. Goodnight :)

Indian Grave Gap to Greasy Creek Gap

A good day!!! Woke up with the sun shining!! Packed up and went back to the road to  catch a ride back to Indian Grave Gap. The third car that passed us was the shuttle driver we used in Erwin. A guy named Tom who leaves on Sunday to go do a through hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. Anyway, Tom gave us a ride to the trail and there at the gap, was a retired contractor named BT, doing trail magic. Coffee, homemade brownies and breads. We sat a talked with him for a little while and then started back out. It was a perfect day for hiking, the terrain was relatively easy and it was an all around good day. One of the last white blazes we came too pretty much summed up the day.

FYI- I've been on the trail for a month now!! It's going fast!

Erwin, TN to Indian Grave Gap

So, did a little dilly dallying around Erwin before we headed out for the morning, I met a guy from Missouri (I forgave him after we had chatted for awhile) on the porch at Uncle Johnny's . Turned out he was a Jayhawk fan, loved Lawrence and his daughter plays soccer at KU!!!! Small small world. It was a rainy day, so lots of people decided to stay in Erwin to take a zero, but not us hardcore(aka idiots) Hiked a few miles and the rain turned to sleet and then to snow. It was actually pretty with all the lush green foliage and the big white snowflakes. Chatted about movies and such, like our favorite westerns. (This will be referenced later :). 

About the time we got to Indian grave gap, temps dropped and wind picked up. We were going to camp there but it was like a wind tunnel . Mike was out of water and my hands were freezing. Had to get out the big red oven mitts. Thank goodness for those things!! NOt sure what to do because it was late, cold and eight miles to the next shelter . Al kicked in to high gear and found out there was a 

Campground down the road about 3 miles. Great plan. We hitch-hiked (my first time) with a guy named Jeremiah who took us down to rock creek campground.  Just a few miles down the mountain and much better conditions. No snow and no wind. So, my latest suggestion for Al's trail name is 'Trail Boss' (think Curly in City Slickers) The saga continues...

Sorry no pics. Too darn cold. Come on spring!!!

Bald Mountain Shelter to Erwin, TN

It was INCREDIBLY windy last night! The trees around us were creaking and we were all pretty sure one was going to land on our tents sometime during the night. Mike's tent blew down three times!

Pretty easy walk today. We got in to Erwin mid afternoon and I won't leave you hanging..... I took a shower and I can't even tell you how amazing it was. We stayed at Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky hostel. Another must do. 

We got a cabin, which was great to have some privacy. It even had a couch!! (Hard to believe I'm so excited about a couch!)

Cool place. There is wifi on the front porch, which is where I'm sitting as I write this. We did laundry and went to eat at a Mexican restaurant in town ( I had a serious hankering for chips and salsa)

Came back to Uncle Johnny's and the porch was full of hikers relaxing, drinking a few beers and chatting, so we joined in. Stayed up until 10:00 which is pretty much unheard of!! Wild night. Feeling very lucky that I am on this adventure.

Here's a sign outside of Uncle Johnny's.

It POURED all night long and it is such a great sound on the ROOF of a cabin :) 

It's going to be a muddy hiking day but worth listening to that warm rain last night.

Below is a pic Al took (unbeknownst to me) up on Big Bald. The balds are very cool and the views are always amazing.

Flint Mountain Shelter to Bald Mountain Shelter

 Last night at the Shelter we heard about a guy doing trail magic at SAMs Gap until 2:00 today. We weren't sure if it was just a rumor, but after three days of tuna, tortillas and ramen, we decided to get going early and take a chance that it was the real deal. We made good time and with just a few miles left to SAMs gap, we saw a sign in the woods confirming that there was trail magic of hash browns, and scrambled eggs until 2:45. 

Practically broke into a dead run (slight exaggeration) and got there in plenty of time. A thru hiker from 2007 (trail name Quiet Paul) was there and we each ate about 4 pounds of fried potatoes and a lot of scrambled eggs. PLUS, orange soda. 

Sat and enjoyed Paul's company for a bit after consuming mass quantities of food and then headed back up on the trail. 

It was an afternoon of some pretty challenging climbs but we got a little boost, when up hanging on a tree in the middle of the woods, was ...

A basket full of Easter eggs loaded with candy. Finished the climbs with a little sugar boost, crossed an amazing bald and then down to the Shelter by about

6.

Stop reading now if you have a queasy stomach..... This has been my longest stretch with no shower. Ew. Three days and tomorrow will be four.!!!!!! Rinsed off at night in the streams, but it's not doing much good :) grossed out yet? Tomorrow the plan is to get in to Erwin, TN by late afternoon and SHOWER!!!

Super windy here tonight!!!