My Big Adventure on the AT

03/24/01:  Started packing today with wonderful help from Mona.  Will try to start from Rt. 606 in Bland County, VA, and proceed North to Pearisburg, VA.  This will allow me to follow my South/North book I purchased.  I plan to begin my hike sometime this week and I will flip-flop while I'm local enough to come home every few days to be sure I have what I need.  I can do this while I'm local (between Pearisburg and Damascus), but away from this area, I will be on my own!

03/25/01: Weather is predicted to be in the teens during the nights here for the next few days. There is a 5.7 mile section from VA Rt 608 to VA Rt 606 that I will walk whenever Mona can drop me and pick me up again. That should help get me to walking some.

03/28/01: Finally got to do some walking today. Mona dropped me off at Route 608 in Bland County and I hiked to Route 606, 5.7 miles. The first mile was all up but after that it was pretty easy walking on the mountain ridge. I did carry a full pack for the first time. It wasn't too bad and weighs in at 38 lbs. I do have some winter clothes in it and way too much food. The cell phone proved to be useless in Bland county and my HT ham radio went dead (I forgot to charge it - rookie mistake) I also forgot to fill up with water and there was none on that mountain (second rookie mistake) so I couldn't fix a meal and had nothing to drink until I hit Wolf Creek. There I did get to use my water purifier for the first time and had a delicious cool drink. I stopped a lot but still did the distance in 4 hours. OK for a first day, I guess. Sore tonight.

04/2/01: Walked another 7 miles of the trail today. Aunt Patty dropped me of at Route 615 in Bland county and I came out on Route 52 where Mona picked me up. The cell phone was again useless so I used my ham radio and phone patched to home. I met a fellow on the trail today who was really moving fast. He had left Georgia on March 1 and was already this far. He said he was covering on average 22 miles a day and had done as high as 34. I noticed that his pack was extremely small. He said he had been freezing all the way with some very cold nights. He had been in the really cold and windy snow storm we had yesterday, gotten wet from falling in Wolf Creek and had frozen boots this morning. He was really glad to see this pretty day for a change. It didn't take him long to be out of my sight.

04/03/01: Did a 9 mile section today. Mona dropped  me off just down from Route 52 in Bland and I walked thru to Route 611 where she picked me up. Still getting winded getting to the top of some hills but I find that I recover faster. Don't feel as beat as yesterday. One problem today: My fuel bottle is wrong for the stove I have. It's a Peak bottle and the stove is MSR. Rats, now I have to go all the way to Blacksburg or borrow one from my friend George. Princeton has none. I put some "coolmax" socks on today along with my regular "throlo's" and that worked much better. No hot spots. The Hiker I met yesterday had a good idea.  I told him that I was going to Georgia mid April and start in down there. He said at that time it's a real zoo with everyone trying to get started so why didn't I just keep doing what I was doing and walk all of Virginia first, which would allow me to get into shape, then go on the Katahdin and  go back and finish up the trail from Springer to Damascus when there is not so many people starting out. Excellent idea and about what I had in mind to begin with.

04/04/01: Got a fuel bottle from George and took care of some items here at home. Tomorrow I walk a small section between Route 611 and 608,  4.7 miles. Friday I go to Route 606 and head for Pearisburg, VA about 22 miles. This will be my first overnighter. Next week I go south to Damascus and start back north where I will finish up on Route 615. Should take me about ten days.

04/05/01: Walked a small 4.7 section today which means I've now covered 26.4 miles of the trail. I did stop and prepare a meal at the Jenny Knob shelter. Everything worked great.. except, I forgot my spoon (third rookie mistake). Being the resourceful guy that I am, I cut a branch from a tree, split the ends and had a very enjoyable meal of noodles with chicken broth, hot tea, gorp and water. At Route 608 where Mona was supposed to pick me up, neither the ham radio or the cell phone would work at that location so I walked another mile to Route 42 and there could make the call. Weather was great. Shirt-sleeve comfortable. I do want to thank a very good friend, George Dietrich, who has made sure I had the right equipment and knew how to use it. He has already  walked from GA to PA and was willing to pass on his experiences. Thanks again, George.

04/06/01 Friday: Got my first REAL taste of hiking the AT. I spent 3 days and two nights going from Route 606 to Pearisburg. The first day I made it to Wapiti shelter at 7.9 miles. Beautiful country with Dismal Falls on the left of the trail. I was by myself and this is bear country so I was watching pretty carefully. A big limb fell right behind me but it didn't scare me much. I thought my pants, shoes and socks would never dry. I got to the shelter pretty early but really tired so didn't try to go any farther. The shelter was empty but I went ahead and pitched my tent, thinking there might be several people showing up. At about 5:00 PM, two thru-hikers, Jason and Shawn, walked up and were very helpful to me as I got to watch how they had things packed and how they took care of business preparing a meal and getting ready to bunk for the night. Things I learned. (1) I'm not carrying near enough food or water. You have to eat and drink constantly to maintain your strength. That's why I was getting so tired. (2) Even with the possible crowding and mice, the shelters are still better because you have a place to sit and do things out of the wind and in the dry. It poured rain during the night and even though I stayed very dry in my tent, I still had to pack up wet the next day.

04/07/01 Saturday: I  thought I could hike all the way to Pearisburg today but leaving Wapiti I had a climb of 1,270 ft in less than two miles. Glad I stopped because as tired as I was, I don't think I could have climbed it without a nights rest. Tough. I made it but used up most of my water and the day was getting real hot. At about 8 miles I was starting to wonder if I was going to find the next shelter, Doc's Knob. I sat down to rest and almost went to sleep. I was whipped and dehydrated. Fortunately a couple of hikers going south came by and had plenty of water and gave me some. Unbelievable how that perked me up. They also told me that Doc's Knob was on ahead about 30 minutes and had plenty of water there. I made it and had the shelter to myself so unloaded my stuff and set up for the evening. About 50 feet from the shelter was a spring where water flowed right out from under some big rocks. It was clear, cold and tasted  wonderful. I must have drank a gallon. About 5:10 PM another thru hiker named Kirk came by so there was only the two of us in the whole shelter. He had come from GA and was working on over 600 miles so far. He too was very helpful in telling me what had worked for him. He had been in two really violent snow storms and waded snow up to his knees over MT Rodgers. It was so cold there at night his boots had frozen to the floor of the shelter. Just after dark, two hoot owls really started sounding off and they were beautiful to listen to. There were two adults and something that sounded like it might be, either something they had caught, or a juvenile. I slept pretty good and the mice didn't bother me.

04/08/01 Sunday: Kirk was going to stop for a couple of days in Pearisburg so we decided to walk out together. I know I was holding him up but it didn't matter since he was stopping that night. I did pretty good for about 5 miles but started to get tired after a very long climb almost straight up for about 500 feet. We hit the ridge of Pearis Mountain and it was a straight shot for about 2 miles to Angel's Rest, overlooking Pearisburg. It was absolutely beautiful up there and you could see for miles. A cool breeze was wonderful. I used my walking stick to flick two small snakes out of the trail and had also jumped 5 ruffed grouse by then. As we came around a bend in the trail there were three goats standing there. They belonged to someone since two had bells on. Then we started down. The farther down, the hotter it got with no breeze. Going down is really hard on the knees and legs and it was wearing me out. I had to stop several times and by the time we hit the bottom I was spent. We both were out of water and I was really hurting from the heat. I walked on down to Wade's market where Mona was waiting in the Jeep with a big jug of water. I drank a ton and poured the rest on me. We took Kirk on into Pearisburg to a motel and came on home. The trip was 23 miles so I have now walked somewhere around 49 miles of the AT. A little sore and taking a couple of days off now to plan the next part. Only 2,119 miles to go.

04/13/01: It had been raining all morning so I got a late (12:30 pm) start when my friend, Jim Ferguson, dropped me on the trail at Route 625 about 7 miles from Route 42 which was several miles west of Bland, Va. I was headed for Chestnut Ridge shelter 4.9 miles away. I thought after leaving Wapiti shelter the other day was tough but this was worse. It went from 2,500'  to 4,000'  in two miles. I was able to get some water about half way up and that helped a lot. It was 2:48 pm when I came out of the woods on a cleared ridge that had once been orchards and was able to finally turn east and head up the ridge toward the shelter. There was a spring on the way where once someone had lived and I again refilled my supply. From there is was a short walk on up to the shelter standing at 4,405'. It was made of stone, completely enclosed with a door and windows and wooden bunks that could accommodate at least 7. Cables kept it anchored to the ground. What a beautiful view of all of Burke's Garden. I was one tired puppy. Two more thru hikers joined me for the night and they commented, "that was one of their toughest climbs". We enjoyed a beautiful sunset from up there even though the wind was strong and cold.

04/14/01: After a beautiful sunrise overlooking Burke's Garden, my two new friends quickly ate, packed and departed on their way. They were doing 17 mile days which meant they had to bypass some shelters and tent a lot. I was headed for the next shelter, about 11 miles away. I refilled my water supply at Walker's Gap (1.7 miles) and continued on. About a mile later a very strange thing happened. I saw a plastic Ziploc bag laying in the trail and hikers don't throw away trash so I picked it up to carry it out. Much to my surprise, it contained $42.00 and change, several credit cards, a drivers license, social security card, all from a young fellow from Texas. It had some friends' phone numbers but no home number. It didn't belong to the either of two people I had met so it must belong to someone on ahead. When I got to Route 623, at about 8 miles, I called Mona on the Ham radio (cell phone is useless) and she came and picked me up. She got on the Internet and quickly found the boys home number but got no answer. The Internet even had neighbors' phones so she called one of them and eventually we talked to the boys sister. The boy has a cell phone so she is going to get in touch with him and when he lets me know where he is, I will take his stuff to him. It is critical things he will need when he gets into a town. (A place to stay and restock) Had to cut some of my trip short, but I would hope someone would do the same for me, if needed.  I wasn't very careful and now my head and arms are sunburned. I have a new plan to triple my water supply but that will add to the weight of my pack, which was 41 lbs when I left Friday. 11 more miles done, 2,108 to go.

04/15/01: The young fellow I mentioned earlier that had lost his stuff called a while ago. He was in a Hostel in Pearisburg, VA so Mona and I drove down to deliver his money and credits cards. I never saw a guy so happy. He couldn't believe we would go that far out of our way to help a total stranger but hey, we're from WV and that's the way things are done here. Just glad we could help. Now I got to get back on the trail.

04/18/01: Snow and really cold weather have kept me close to home this week and I have missed several days. The drop off and pick up points have gotten farther away from home also so it's harder to keep doing it the way I have been doing it. Guess it's time to spend several days on the trail for awhile and get this southwestern Virginia part finished up.

04/19/01: Today was a beautiful day for a walk. Mona dropped me on the south rim of Burke's Garden, Route 623 at about 10:15 AM. It was cool and still some snow on the ground but sunny and clear. I walked north following the ridge for about 2 miles past the trail to Davis Farm Campsite then started down the mountain toward Jenkins Shelter. I got there about 12:30 and had some lunch. The map says it 3.9 miles but my pedometer said about 5. Since it was mostly down hill I must have been taking shorter steps so I reset the pedometer for a shorter average stride. From the shelter it was a long climb to the next ridge but I went up it with only 2 short catch-my-breath stops. Granted, I was carrying my day pack which is probably only 20 lbs but I was still pleased about the climb and how I felt. Must be getting into some kind of shape. I walked the rest of the trail without a hitch, stopping for some food and water only once. The cell phone finally worked and Mona was able to pick me up on Route 615 right on time. Approximately 9 more miles out of the way so 2,099 to go. I have now completed everything from Route 625 to Pearisburg, 68.4 miles.

04/22/01 to 04/30/01: I left home Sunday , April 22, when my friend George dropped me in the woods off Route 625 in Bland county at about 11:30 AM on the AT headed South. Nine days later, I walked out of the woods in Damascus, VA, completing the whole section from Pearisburg to Damascus. Mona came to Damascus last night and picked me up and we got home about 9:30 pm. My mileage per day is picking up some. I can now do a 12 mile day pretty easily and up hills are not the problem they once were. Down hills are still killing my knees and really slow me down. The VA hospital has a knee brace ready for me to pick up today. I'm going to let my legs rest for the next couple of days and then hit Pearisburg and head NORTH to Maine. Since I had a short day on the 22nd, I only made about 5 miles to Knot Maul shelter. There was a hiker there named "Miss America" and to be truthful, she really was. I told Mona on the cell phone that I had slept with Miss America. (there were two other guys in the shelter also so it was no big deal)  At Partnership Shelter on Route 16 at the Mt Rogers Visitor Center, you can order a pizza from Marion, VA and they will deliver it. You cannot believe how good a pizza can taste after several days of noodles. I ate a whole one by myself. 50 cent cold drinks too. This shelter will sleep at least 20, (has an upstairs) and even has a solar powered HOT shower. At Dickeys' Gap, I hitched a ride into Troutdale, VA, got some much needed groceries and had a breakfast of eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy and home fries. Again, I ate it all. (And I'm still losing weight) I've been staying in my tent most of the time since I do sleep much better than in the shelters. When it rains I will try to get to a shelter cause there is nothing worst than trying to pack up on a wet rainy morning from you tent. We had nine people in Tempi shelter and two fires going to keep warm but the twisting and turning, snoring. and other body sounds do tend to keep you awake. I have ear plugs and that helps. Mile after mile you say, "why am I doing this"? Then you come to a place like Grayson Highlands and you know why. The trip up over Grayson Highlands was well worth all the effort of climbing the rocks, fighting the wind and cool weather and a 13 mile day. I camped near Thomas Knob shelter, the same spot that my son Benny and I camped last year. If ever you can go there, please do cause you can drive up to Massie Gap and then it's a very short walk to the rocks. Unbelievable views. Probably the prettiest country on the whole AT. 5,270 feet up. All the thru hikers going north were really impressed with Virginia's scenery and trails. I'm hoping to meet up with some of the thru hikers I've met when I start again in Pearisburg. They should be coming into that part of the trail in a few days. Since most are doing 17 to 20 mile days, they will pass me shortly. I still don't have my "trail legs" yet and according to all the hikers I've met, it takes at least a month and about 250 miles to really feel the difference. So far I've done about 168 miles which leaves 2000 to go. 

5/5/01 - Well, at 9:30 AM the big push to Maine began....standing at the northbound section of the AT in Pearisburg amidst gnats, mosquitoes, etc., Bill began the next 1400 miles!  Had a big breakfast at Bob Evans and was physiced-up and anxious.  We waved good-bye and he started UPHILL with his 2 trekking poles with a smile on his face.  God Speed to a Hardy Man!  It's 5 PM and he is going to stay the night at Rice Field Shelter with another hiker (who saw a bear on his walk from Pearisburg).  It was a hard 7 miles today but was good weather.  The phone still doesn't work, so the ham radio phone patch was what worked.

5/7/01 - Sunday and today Bill accomplished 12 miles each day....will be staying at the War Spur Shelter tonight and then he will continue to try to do at least 12 miles/day or more.  Since Saturday he has trod a big 31miles.  The weather has been cool and good for hiking.

5/8/01 - I have a very strong feeling there will be a LOT of stories to tell if this is just the beginning.  It seems that the super resilient hiking pants that he bought tear!  He sat down on a rock on some mountain and somehow tore his pants in the butt....a couple came by and the lady thought she had thread, but no tape would have to do!  So here he is walking the trail with his you know what hanging out!     The next day he passed by a rock and found a package for Ham 'N Aches!  Inside was a needle and thread!   This is truly an adventure!  After today he will have traveled 200 miles from Damascus (300 being when the name becomes official)! Will be passing Laurel Shelter at noon and on to another camp site.

5/9/01 - After hiking 10 mi. Tuesday, the 8th, Bill camped at Sinking Creek Shelter.  Called from atop Sinking Creek Mt. at 9 AM and said it was a beautiful morning.  Spotted three scarlet Tanagers (red bodies w/black tail and wings).  He said they were beautiful.  Intends to spend the night at Niday Shelter about 10 more miles down the trail.  Yesterday at a road crossing there was a cooler with drinks and Snickers with a sign that said take all you can carry and he certainly enjoyed the cool drinks and really was out of Snickers...they also had a can of tuna which he used with his Ramen soup and had a feast last night.  What a trip!

5/10/01 -  Yesterday Bill did a long 13/14 mi. day.  One mountain was extremely rough with a lot of rock.   After he got on top there were three goats up there...came right up and wanted to lick his hands and arms for the salt...they followed him for a long time (I thought it might be another reason, but he said no!)  He passed the top of Audie Murphy Mt.   There is a big monument to him up there where his plane crashed in 1971.   He was on Pickle Branch Mt. when he called (2000' elev.) and he is headed for Catawba...today through Sunday noon they are having a huge feast and he plans on making that and chow down!  Sounded good and energized!  Hopes to make Troutville by Saturday so he can get his packages I've sent to him.

5/11/01 - Bill hiked about 11.5 mi. yesterday...reminisced about the three goats, said one of them was "real horny" what ever that means, I really don't want to go there!  Managed to do Dragon's Tooth and said it was a real hard climb.  Crossed a road and there was a man just sitting there with a cooler full of sandwiches and cokes (I don't think he's in the woods).  Then hiked 2.5 more miles to a grocery store and asked where he could camp.  "At my house," he said.  Needless to say he was then transported to a garage where he found shower and all the necessities of life and then went off to a restaurant.  Called me from Bailey's Gap and plans on eating at Catawba where they are having this huge feast through Sunday and staying at Campbell's Shelter tonight...Seems his boot is splitting and a couple of toes are starting to have problems, but he has things to fix those with and maybe he will try to stay over some place this weekend, because he has to pickup his packages in Troutville Monday.

5/13/01 -  Bill called me from the very end of Tinker Mt.  Said he could look down and see Roanoke airport.  Has just a short trip today down into Troutville...plans on camping there tonight, picking up his packages and taking Monday off and stay in a motel.   Will try to buy some new boots....his have just come apart...problem with breaking in new shoes, on the trail.  Said he startled a deer today and a lizard ran across his foot!  Thinks he will be sending his tent back.  Depending on the weight and what he can get by with.   Most people just use tarps and make their own and it seems to work for them.  Well, downtime will be good and he can restore some energy and watch the ATL Braves!

5/14/01 -  Change of plans...Bill decided to just go ahead and stay at the Econo Lodge in Daleville, VA.  Good chance to wash his clothes.  In the meantime his brother, Don,  returned from a weekend visit with his daughter and called me and he then called Bill at the Motel....after picking up his packages at the post office in Troutville (Bill has a distant cousin who works there!) they will try to find him some new boots and a tarp to make a shelter instead of using a tent...Don can keep his tent for him and he won't have to mail it back...Then he will stay with his brother tonight and head out tomorrow hiking along the Blue Ridge which should be spectacular and really close to civilization in a lot of places (like ordering pizza isn't close!).

5/15/01 - Another good night's rest and he hits the trail at Troutville minus some weight as he says he is sending me some things back and a brand new pair of boots that he and his brother, Don, took all day to find.  Decided to make a stove and not use the one he bought...tried to find a tarp so he could leave his tent, but nothing that didn't weigh a lot could be found, so it's a tenting he will go.  Still going to try to do 10-12 mi. a day.  Thinks he can make Buena Vista in about six days, but that's projecting way out there!  Today he will probably be in rain all day and get a good taste of that, because he decided to send his rain pants back!  We'll see how he fares!

5/16/01:  Well it was a very rainy day yesterday and he traveled about 11-1/2 miles.  Stayed at the Wilson Creek Shelter approx. 2 mi. from the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Will travel to Black Bear Gap tomorrow.   Had Ramen soup cooked on his new stove (a tuna can and a tomato paste can filled with ethanol or whatever, so much for the store bought one).  Sounded great and ready to tackle the great trek north.  Not very much rain today, but he seems to be developing a couple of tender spots on his feet...He was at Bobbitt's Gap for lunch (traveled 8.5 miles) and will try to make it to Cove Mountain Shelter another 5.7 miles by night fall.  Covering pretty good mileage up on the Blue Ridge.

5/17/01:  16 miles yesterday!  Made Cove Shelter and was by himself....hard rain in the afternoon...had some problems with his knees, but put on his knee braces and took aspirin and made it through....sounded great...someone had left some Pepsi's in a stream at Bobbitt's Gap and he was able to refresh himself....had to carry all his water for it would be some time before he got to another place to get any.

5-18-01:  10 miles yesterday....heavy rains so he stayed at Bryant Ridge Shelter...called from Floyd Mountain and had traveled 4 miles.  Will stop for lunch at Cornelius Creek Shelter.  His right knee is really hurting and he can't seem to keep up the long haul with his baggage.  May have to end up leaving his tent at Bill Coffey's in Buena Vista, but we'll see.  Will try for Thunder Hill Shelter tonight.  Still some heavy rains pounding the trail and the whole region.

5/19/01: Walked 11 miles yesterday with knee pain.  Bill Coffey, a ham buddy, picked him up this morning and took him to his house for an R&R...says he is down to 176, however, managed to wolf down a huge breakfast the Mrs. fixed!  Is resting today and hopes his knees will be better by tomorrow so he will be able to continue...with the good efforts of Mr. Coffey chauffeuring him back and forth!  He still thinks his pack is too heavy and that is what is causing his problems.  Has to go grocery shopping today.

I've covered 296 miles of my quest and I will get back to it ASAP..

5/20/01: Still have the knee pain so Mona came and got me and I'll spend a few days at home to see if the knees get better. My pack is still way too heavy and I'm going to really take a good long look at cutting the weight. I may have to get another pack as the I have is around 6 lbs. A good one should be about 2 lbs or less. I weighed it while I was at Bill's today and with 3 liters of water but very little food in it, was 42 lbs. I need to get it down to about 30 lbs. This could be a reason my knees are hurting so bad. I can do the up hills fine but the level and down hills really hurt. I'm going to get rid of my tent (4 lbs) and use a ultra lite tarp with a ground cloth for  sleeping where a permanent shelter is not available. My Gore-tex jacket is hot and heavy so I'm replacing that with a lite weight rain jacket. The uphill climb at Floyd MT day before yesterday was 4.5 miles long and went from the Bryant Ridge Shelter at about 1,700 feet to over 3,500 feet. I dropped down to the Cornelius Creek Shelter at about 3,000 feet for lunch and to refresh my water supply then climbed up and over Apple Orchard MT, 4,225. What a view.....Some of the prettiest in all of Virginia.

5/27/01:  Got a call from Hardee's in Buena Vista this morning...Michael Abraham, a good friend in Christiansburg, dropped Bill off at Thunder Ridge yesterday and he walked 12 miles to Matts Creek Shelter, crossing the James River.  His knees hurt terribly....several hikers stopped to make sure he was all right.   One was an RN who told him to take 4 Ibuprofen every 6 hrs. to see if that helped, if not, then he would just have to stop and wait until the knees stopped hurting.  Everyone said their knees hurt going down-hill.   He intends to spend the night with Bill Coffey (if he will let him, for he isn't at home at the moment).  Said this was actually the first time that he had really considered to throwing-in the towel...yesterday afternoon was really rough....a couple had passed him, offering to carry something.  Later that afternoon after they had pitched their tent the man came back to make sure he was okay....there were six people in the shelter last night and when he finally arrived they told him they had saved a spot for him inside!  This morning he got 2 rides into town.  Gee, these people are really nice, but I don't think he can keep doing this with the pain.  Hopefully, the Ibuprofen will help and YES, HE STILL WANTS TO TRY!

5/28/01:  The following is an excerpt from a message from Bill Coffey:  ...Bill did 10 and a half miles today. I just talked to him on the radio and he is doing great. His knee isn't bothering bad at all. He will be staying in a shelter tonight.   His telephone will not work where he is....   So, onward and upward we go!   Bill's son-in-law, Tim dropped him at the north end of the James River crossing at about 11:30 am and he covered the 2.1 miles to the John's Hollow shelter and ate lunch. He pushed all the way through to the Punch Bowl shelter and spent the night there. Another 8.6 miles. One of the nicest things he ever saw happened at the shelter. Mary Ann & Ed Williams from Vesuvius, VA came to the shelter and brought coolers full of sliced cantaloupe, fresh tomatoes, ham sandwiches (with mustard) and cinnamon rolls for all the hikers. They like doing it and will pick a shelter at random and just show up with food. Talk about Trail Angels....

5/29/01: I left Punch Bowl, crossed the BRP and headed for Brown Mt Creek shelter another 8.8 miles away. The trail today was pretty easy with only a couple of long up-hills. I stopped and ate about 4 miles out, just before the Lynchburg Reservoir. Got to Browns MT about 3:30 pm ate again and did the last 1.8 miles up to Route 60.Got a ride into BV and will stay with Bill Coffey tonight , restock my food and head out again tomorrow.

5/30/01:  After storing up some food for six days another trek begins.  Starting off on Rt. 60 again and walking approx. 6 miles to Cow Camp Shelter this walk should be pretty comfortable and easy on the knees.  Have started slowing on the Ibuprofen and hopefully, with rest and reasonable mileage, he won't have the problem too much any more. Thanks to Bill Coffey and family for all the help they have been with chauffeuring Bill around and providing excellent meals on this downtime.

5/31/01:  Bill was the only one last night at Cow Camp Shelter, that is except for the mouse that kept running across his head.  Seems he is stopping more.  Says a good day is when you hit less than 1,000 spider webs!  OR when the corn on your left foot doesn't hurt as much as the ingrown toenail on the right foot. (at least that has his mind off his knees) Only met one young man yesterday.   Apparently someone had volunteered to carry his pack so he was running in pace and signing the book and moving on.  He seemed to be taking sections on a yearly basis.  Sounds like a SOUND plan to me!  Today Bill expects to travel about 10 miles, mostly on the ridge top and is supposed to take some pics of the spectacular views of which he's been told .  Onward ho, to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter.

6/1-2/01:  Bill traveled all day yesterday in pouring rain.  Apparently the rain cover that he had had dry rotted and everything including his sleeping bag was soaked.   Had to continue because he was on top of Priest Mountain and it took a while for him to get off to a road...stayed at Crabtree Camp Ground on Rt. 56...the owner of the campground happened by and picked him up and they had 1 cabin left so he was able to dry everything.   Got the package I had sent to Waynesboro and glad to get his new boots. While on top of the mountain with the downpour, the trail was a river, and it was  4.5 miles from the Priest to the Tye River  with 32 switchbacks.  Interesting day with sore toes!  Will try to get in touch with his buddy, Jimmy Dale, and have him pick him up for a couple of days for his toes to heal.

6/5/01:  On the Road Again!  Bill is going back to below Waynesboro and start where he left off. It should be two days to the start of Skyland Drive. Got his food tonight and his pack is ready to go. It was 30 lbs exactly but more now with the food. He bought a new pack cover in Waynesboro. It fits the pack perfectly and is totally waterproof. I think Jim is going to try to walk a section with him. (When, I don't know).  Also, the tarp he purchased before he left home the last time 10X6 was just too small to try to do anything with so he called the outfitter in Damascus and they will exchange this one for a 10X8...I think he is really going to need this to keep the wet off.  The toes appear to be better and he has his new boots, so hopefully, between knees and toes healing, he will be able to keep trudging along.

6/6/01:  Walked 14 miles yesterday and stayed at Paul Wolf Memorial Shelter with 12 other hikers....was able to stop around 4:30 before the rain started.  Stopped at Rockfish Gap and thinks he will go down into Waynesboro for lunch....then onto the Skyline Drive.  Hopes to reach Shenandoah National Park and the Calf Gap Shelter by tonight.  Toes are not much better, but that's the way they will be until they can heal

6/6/01: I stayed at the last shelter on the Blue Ridge Parkway last night and pushed on to Rockfish Gap (Route 250) about 5 miles by 11:00 am. Caught a ride into Waynesboro and went to Weazie's and had a great breakfast. Hiked back to the Outdoor store where I caught a ride back to Rockfish Gap. I entered the SNP and checked in and got my back country permit. It was eight miles from there to the next shelter. I had to stop several times to do some work on my toes as they were hurting so much. I have a very big corn on my left foot and an ingrown toenail on my right. This has ceased to be fun. 14 at the shelter but it was big enough and everyone had plenty of space. Even had two dogs in it. It poured rain during the night.

6/7/01: It's still pouring rain but beginning to quit. I had hiked about 3.5 miles and my toes are really killing me today so I called Phil Crutchfield on the ham radio and he came from Standardsville, VA to milepost 95 on Skyland Drive and picked me up. He took me to Orange, VA where Jim Ferguson came and got me. Jim's wife, Sue, got on the phone and got an appointment with a podiatrist in Stafford, VA for the next day.

6/8/01: Went to see the Doctor and he cut the corn off and cut out the ingrown toenail. Will be off at least  48 hours, then go back to him Monday and he will tell me when I can get back on the trail. I hate missing this great weather.

6/12-13/01:  Bill began the great adventure again yesterday from Loft Mountain.  At lunch time he was sitting on a rock overlooking a beautiful valley where a young couple in a car from TX were sitting.  (He is traveling along the Skyline Drive now).  After being off the trail for about 5 days he was somewhat tired and asked them if they had any water and the girl said she had some Gatorade that she was allergic to and he could have that!  and they then found some water....they are traveling around going to DC and other places before heading out to CA on a summer vacation before they really have to get to work after college.   Stayed in Pine Field Shelter last night with about 12 snoring people so he didn't get much sleep.  Before he got to the shelter they told him there was a momma bear and 3 cubs there.   While walking along the trail he said the deer come right up to you and walk along with you, not afraid at all!   I told him maybe he could hitch a ride and rest his feet.   As we were talking "Pork Chop" and her dog (which she found along the trail and now carries his own gear) Frankie stopped by to take a break and look out over the valley.  It is a beautiful clear day.  He plans on reaching Rt. 33 today and pass the shelter (& snoring people) and just find his own spot tonight (about 8 miles all together).   Trying not to push it so much at this point.

6/14/01:  It is a hale and hardy man I spoke with today!  He traveled as far as Rt. 33 yesterday and called a ham buddy, Phil Critchfield who picked him up. Lucky for him because there was a huge storm that blew through.  Was treated to a warm bed and Kathy (Phil's wife) cooked grandly for him and washed his clothes.....now I ask you is this walking the trail or not!  Got some good and sorely (not to mention toes) needed rest and is now back on the trail trying to reach the Bear Fence Shelter tonight (11 mi.).  He is on top of the Skyline Drive and the walking is a lot easier....Kathy had given him some blueberries to eat and 2 birds were quite interested in him, especially since he was whistling back to them, but then he could have been "saying the RIGHT thing!"

6/15/01:  Bill camped last night with his new tarp; said there was a slight drizzle, but he did enjoy his space.  After he settled down he heard some noise and a fox chased a rabbit in one side and out the other of HIS tarp.  Now I ask you, is this wildlife or is this wildlife!  Also, didn't get much sleep last night because he kept hearing a "baby" cry.   He was told it was a cub, but I thought mountain lions cried like that, but I didn't tell him.  He's going to travel about 12 miles today to make Rock Springs Hut (mile post 47.5 on the Skyline Drive).  Just a drizzle this morning and a lot of fog.  Was going to a store and then eat when the place opened up.

6/16/01: Got the opportunity to take off a couple of days and come to Princeton with my friend Jim Ferguson. This will be the last chance I have for awhile and it will give the toes a chance to heal. He can drop me off on the trail on his way back home Monday. I'm switching from my 15 degree sleeping bag to a fleece 50 degree one now as the weather has gotten much warmer. This will reduce some of the pack weight again. The trail along Skyland Drive is wonderful. Very wide, smooth and with hardly any rocks. The ups and downs are gradual and there are numerous place to stop and eat. You only need to carry food for a couple of days. Now at 457 miles

6/19/01:  After about a half of a day's walk yesterday, Bill camped somewhere near Mile Post 31.  Had a very restful night and is again using his tent (no more of those chance pass-by races for him).  At noon today he had walked about 7 miles and was at Elk Wallow Gap; thought he could continue 6 more miles to the last shelter in the Shenandoah National Park.  Thinks he can make Front Royal by Thursday evening and may camp there before going in to get a motel.  Hopefully, he will meet up with his son, Bennie, (who is having a Bike Meet) and a cousin who intends to walk to Harper's Ferry with him.

6/22/01:  Ham 'N Aches is spending a couple of days in  Front Royal meeting with his son, Benny, who is riding Bike Virginia, today and a cousin, Bucky, who will walk with him to Harpers Ferry.   He plans to be in Harpers Ferry by Monday.  

6/23/01:   Traveling through a heavy rain storm, Bucky and Bill began their jaunt to Harpers Ferry experiencing a lot of mud.  Bennie started his bike ride around 8AM and the Fearless Two headed for the trail.  Sitting at Ashby Gap for a snack (Kathy, Bucky's wife, had made bacon and lettuce sandwiches) Bill said they had traveled 13.5 miles and had about 3 more to go to the next shelter.  Apparently Bucky brought along a lot of food, so ole Ham 'N Aches wants to stick with him for a while.  Met Tuna again on the trail...during Bill's 3 day rest Tuna had been in the hospital getting IV antibiotics.    Just prior to Bill's fall...2 days earlier Tuna had fallen and hit his arm on a rock.  He had stopped in a town along the way and received two stitches, however, the antibiotics given then didn't seem to be helping and while at a Food Lion he passed out and was rushed by ambulance to the hospital.  He spent the last few days at Front Royal "at" the hospital with IV antibiotics.  Being the mountain man that he is, he opted to camp outside and run inside for the IV's  Wow!  Bill & Bucky met up with a fawn that came right up to them....Momma apparently was behind a tree and didn't see them, but when she did, she bolted and so did the fawn...nice little vignette.  

6/24/01:  Bill and Bucky had traveled about 13 miles when Bill called.  They had just passed Rt. 7 and intended to travel about 3-4 more miles before stopping for the night.  It was a rough 13 miles with 17 ascents/descents and Bill said it was really a hard day and Bucky was keeping pace extremely well.  Will be finishing-up VA today and WV tomorrow.  As they crossed a dirt road a Trail Angel named Huff 'N Puff was sitting there with cold drinks, water, bananas, cookies and candy.  He was a through hiker in 1998.

6/25/01:  The fearless twosome reached Harpers Ferry today...traveled 48 miles in 3 days.  Bucky is now home having tender care taken of his feet by Kathy, leaving Bill with a huge amount of food.  Bill is staying at the KOA Campground and thinks he will also stay there tomorrow night.  It seems the toe with the ingrown toenail is really giving him problems and he said it wasn't much fun with that hurting so much.  Intends to walk around in his sandals given to him for Father's Day by his son Bennie tomorrow to see if that will help his toe.

6/30/01: It is with much regret that I will have to discontinue my hiking for a while. The hurt toes and sore knees along with the heat and bugs of Maryland finally did me in. I'll be home for a while now to rest and recoup. I did make it 571 miles (1/4 of the trail) with all of Virginia, West Virginia and 17 miles of Maryland completed. It's funny but I was in the easiest part of the trail when I had to stop. It is a real disappointment to me, and I'm sure some of you, that I will not be considered a "thru hiker" any longer. (A person that does the whole 2,168 miles in one year) I'll become a "section hiker" and continue to go out and hike various sections till I get it all done. I do plan to try to stay in shape by walking some of the local areas, riding my mountain bike and staying active till I can get back on the AT. I wish to thank George Dietrich, Pat knowles, Don and Carol Sowers, Jim and Sue Ferguson, Bill and Carol Coffey, Phil and Cathy Critchfield, Michael Abraham and Bucky and Cathy Knowles for helping me in so many ways. They picked me up, returning me to the trail, fed me, let me stay at their houses and went way out of their way to help me. A very special thanks to Mona who, bless her heart, was so helpful (even though she didn't really want me to do this) and supportive in every way. She kept the home fires burning and updated everyone with E-Mail and updated the Home page to let you know where I was at all times. Also a special thanks to Carol Sowers for giving me the trail name, "Ham & Aches". All the hikers I met on the trail really loved and remembered my name. Hiking the AT is a very physically demanding thing. What many people do not know when they start out is how mentally demanding it is. You might walk all day and get to a shelter and never see another person. Or it might be full of "day hikers" having a party when all you want to do is eat and get some sleep. The mice in the shelters drive you nuts particularly if you are alone. With other people at the shelter, and usually there are, then you have the problem sleeping with mice and all the "body noises" all night long. If you tent along the way, you have problems of carrying extra weight and if it rains, packing up wet the next morning. You are dirty and smell bad and more so when it's hot. You try to plan you food, water and fuel, the heaviest part of your pack, so carefully cause you don't want to carry one extra ounce. But then, you better not run out either. The statement, "An ounce is a pound on the trail", is so true. It is a real tribute to those who can do it day after day for 5 to 6 months and finish. Only about 10% of the starters finish. I sure wanted to be one of them but it's just not going to happen. Sorry guys.

Four day hike from Duncannon, Pa south to Pine Grove State park, PA

9/16/01 George and Bill got to Pine Grove Furnace State Park around 6PM. The trail angels ferried them to Duncannon, PA, and dropped them on the AT headed south. They immediately had a long uphill climb and it got dark really fast. By the time they got halfway up the mountain it was pitch black and very, very rough and rocky..  George turned his headlight on and Bill followed him as close as he could climbing over rocks and boulders.  After much effort they made it to the top of the hill and found a nice flat camping place and pitched their tents and Bill THEN realized he had lost his Chocko sandals somewhere back down on the steep climb up. Bill got up early and went all the way back down, found them and got back  just in time for George's breakfast. I think he eats better on the trail than at home! This morning they traveled past the next shelter and are at this point in time at the base of the mountain and will start across the Delaware valley tomorrow. More later  

9/18/01: Bill & George left the campsite and crossed the Delaware Valley which meant that they had to cross fields of corn in the open, which was very hot.  At about 5PM they got to a little town called Boiling Springs, PA.  In the middle of town there was a big spring that just came up out of the ground! They decided to eat at an Italian restaurant and, of course, stuffed!.  They left town and started up the next  mountain.  They are now camping on the first level knoll they came to.  It's about 11 miles from there to the next shelter, Kennedy Shelter.  Then there will be a 7 mi. walk out for Thursday.  

9/19/01 After crossing all those miles of corn fields yesterday, George and I camped in the first wooded area we came to. Bad idea. I was using my tarp (didn't ever take my tent, again, bad idea) and the mosquitoes and "no-see-ums" about ate me up. That was the most miserable night I have spent on the trail. It was hot and I had my winter sleeping bag so I couldn't cover up without burning up. If we had of gone farther up on the mountain, then I think it would have been much cooler and no bugs but I was really tired. The trail will teach you a few things (the hard way). This morning we got up, ate, packed, and headed up the first of five climbs we had planned for the day. We passed Kennedy shelter, not even stopping for water and continued on to the terminus of the Mason - Dixon line where we stopped and ate a very large lunch. There was a small trickle of water from a normally abundant spring there. PA is going thru their worst drought since 1991 and most of the springs and creeks are bone dry. We loaded all the water we could carry and hiked on over some of the roughest, biggest rocks I've been on and I hear that farther on north in PA, it is even worse. Somewhere along here I passed my 600 miles completed.  We got to Tagg shelter around 4:30 PM which gave us time to build a fire and relax before getting some water for supper. George took the water bag and went to load up at the springs. There was NO water from the springs at all. He followed the dry creek bed till he found a small puddle which dug it out with his hands until it was deep enough to collect some water. We waited for the sediment to settle and went back after dark to ladle our water bucket about half full. We let that set over night to allow the water to clear more and will filter it in the morning. It started raining during the night but we were in the shelter, nice and dry. I caught one mouse in the two traps I set so they didn't get to crawl over me this time. Neither of us slept very well. My second night in a row.

09/20/01 It was still raining when we got up and fixed breakfast. Nothing fancy since we are about out of food. I had grits and a power bar and George ate noodles. We packed and headed up the last big climb in the rain and fog. Didn't have much water but we only had 7 miles to go to get back to Pine Grove State Park were we left the van. We met one section hiker and three day hikers. Not many people on the trail now. We only saw 6 in the 3 1/2 days we were there. As we came close the park we stopped at the sign marking the half way point of the AT. 1,069 miles in either direction. It's interesting to note that this position changes almost yearly as portions of the AT are rerouted and distances are lost or gained. We got to the park with our shorts, gaiters, shoes, socks, shirts (from the sweat of wearing our gore-tex jackets), all ringing wet. The van was a welcome sight. We covered 45.7 miles in 3 1/2 days for a 12.7 miles per day average. After being off the trail for over 40 days, I was totally out of shape and George hadn't walked in some time either. I now have 616 miles total and George is somewhere around 1,500. It was a good trip, especially having a good friend along to share with.

Small 3 day, 41 mile trip from Route 42 south to Pearisburg, VA

10/22/01 --George Dietrich talked me into doing a 3 day hike with a friend of his  We got a late, 11:00 AM start. Getting back on the trail was a real ordeal since the long layoff. We were loaded with food and water for 4 days so the first uphill really tired us out. After a couple of miles we came to the Laurel Creek Shelter were we stopped to eat lunch and add water. It was only a few miles but seemed like forever. We pushed on, trying to get to the War Spur Shelter, about 6 miles away. Darkness caught us about 2 miles short so we set up our tents in an old fire road, ate dinner and went to sleep. Very nice weather, almost too warm. Some coyotes spooked some owls and they made quite a racket taking off. During the night an air force jet went by at a very low level and woke us all up.

10/23/01 -- Good breakfast of oatmeal with apples and cinnamon. We pushed on to the War Spur Shelter where we found excellent water and  loaded all we could carry, for the next section was very dry. After eating a quick lunch we started the hardest climb of the trip. From 2,720 feet to the top of Potts Mountain at 4,150 feet. Many stops later we had only gone a couple of miles but were almost at the top. At the top we took a long break (nap), ate, drink a lot of water and they pushed on to Bailey Gap Shelter about 6 miles away. We pulled in there just at dark and since there were no camp sites, we stayed in the shelter. No water there at all. Eddie was not feeling well (dehydration) so he hit the sack very early. I set traps but had no mice during the night.

10/24/01 -- Since it was a short  distance (3 miles) to the next shelter, Pine Swamp Branch, we didn't eat breakfast until we had arrived there. Plenty of good water so we loaded up with ALL we could carry. Eddie was feeling better and able to eat some. We made him drink lots of water before we left. Getting to the top of Peters Mountain  was the second hardest climb of the trip but many switchbacks made it much easier than the day before. We had decided that we would stop at the best camp site we could find at 6:00
PM. No more of this traveling and setting up in the dark. We ended up on a ridge overlooking Lindside, WV on the north side of the mountain and Narrows, Va far in the distance to the south. The weather had been beautiful
and the sunset was awesome. I talked to Mona on the cell phone and she told me that there was very bad weather (50 mph winds and rain) on it's way late that night or early in the morning. True enough, at 2:33 AM it hit but we were buttoned down pretty good and everything including us stayed dry. By morning the rain had passed but the temp had dropped to 41 degrees. It warmed up as we continued to trudge along toward the last shelter on the mountain, Rice field (Now called Star Haven). We stopped and finished off the last of our food, took a rest break and then headed the 3 more miles it took to finally start down the mountain. There was a nice spring down about 1/2 mile so we got enough water to finish the trip and came out on route 460 about 5:00 PM. I had tried some boots I had but I thing the 616 miles I had traveled this summer has made my feet about 1/2 to 1 size larger. The downhills took a huge toll on my toes. They are very sore and I think I will
lose a couple of toenails. Eddie's wife came and picked us up and we headed back home, tired but still
feeling pretty good. Great time was had by all.
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New Trip for 2002

5/16/02: Got to Damascus around 3:30 PM. Jim got a nice rain parka that will protect him and his pack from Mt. Rodgers Outfitters. Not too many hikers in town today, but it will start filling up tomorrow for the bit Trail Days Parade on Saturday. We are leaving in the morning and will miss it. Leaki, the makers of my poles, are here and they are refurbishing my poles free of charge! We are camped in a small campground on the outskirts of town.

5/17/02: We got an early start this morning. The town of Damascus is about 1850 ft. and we climbed to about 3700 ft. in about 6 miles. Really tough on both of us as neither of us are in very good shape. Really tough on Jim,
but he's real trouper and hanging in there. He told me if he dropped dead on the trail don't bother dragging him out, just get a witness and cremate him on the spot. Got to Abingdon Gap Shelter at 6:30 PM. Shelter was full,
so we pitched our tents. Both of us are whipped, 11.4 miles.

5/18/02: Huge storm during the night; stayed dry, but had to pack-up wet this AM. Cold and foggy. Moving on to next shelter, which is a temporary shelter, but may stay there for a while.