Sit down and patch my bones...



I came off the trail for a week. Alison picked me up in Lexington, VA, on Thursday and we went to Pittsburgh for her father Jess's memorial service. At 97 Jess lived a good long life. The whole family was there celebrating Jess's life and sharing memories.

The timing is good. I needed a longish break. The Priest got me. It's the first really big climb on the AT heading south. A 3,000 foot climb over three miles - comparable to hiking from Indian Gardens to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. But it wasn't the steep climb that got me. I changed hiking boots about 150 miles ago and it turned out to be a mistake. I had hiked 400 miles without a blister but after the Priest I have some pretty nasty ones that will require a few days of rest to heal before I try knocking down many miles again. Not the worst thing but irritating none the less.

The rest gives me a chance to downsize my gear and reduce pack weight for the warmer months. I also decided to restart my hike at Springer Mountain at the southern terminus of the Trail and hike north to VA. That way I will avoid The Bubble which is the mass of hikers who started in Georgia two months ago and is now moving like Lee's army into central VA. For the next few weeks every shelter will be full; every little town will be crowded with smelly people restocking Ramen noodles and peanut butter; and every privy will have a waiting line. Not my idea of serenity in the woods. So flying to Georgia this weekend will get me beyond the Bubble where I can share the hike with fewer people and get my trail rhythm back.

One story from the trail this week...

Just two miles from the spot where I was to meet Alison and leave the trail I began to hear thunder rumbling up and down the valleys between the ridges. As I walked south, the dark clouds moved north and the rumbling became louder and more frequent. When I could see lightning I began counting the seconds until I could hear the thunder. The storm was less than a mile away. It came on fast and hard. A young woman I had met earlier ran down the trail to me elated to find a fellow hiker to provide CPR if she got hit by lightning. Then all hell broke loose. Crazy hard wind, rain like from a fire hose, lightning flashing all around, thunder rattling the ground, and hail - lots of pea-size hail beating down hard and covering the trail. It was thrilling. By far the most intense ten minutes of my six-week journey. I suspect it will not be the last thunder storm I walk through this summer.

For the record, I did not have to perform CPR on the woman.

On the ridge shortly before the storm
Green in the valleys but brown at elevation
Nice bathtub


Carpet of Trillium 

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