Catawba, VA June 8-14

Tuesday, June 8, 1999 Last night as I neared mile 11 I rolled my ankle pretty badly, so I hobbled into the shelter, quickly taking off my boot and rubbing the pain out.  Nobody else was there other than Hooter, a small man named after a hat he wears with the name...

Appalachian Trail May 31-June 7

Monday, May 31, 1999 This morning I woke up with a deep soul hunger for coffee. I had heard from other hikers that up at the Holy Family Church that runs the hostel they brewed it fresh every morning so I got out of my bunk, slipped on my flip flops, and quietly made...

Appalachian Trail May 25-30

Tuesday, May 25, 1999 Yesterday wasn’t a huge hike for me, hiked 4 miles to Atkins and was there by 8:30 a.m.  I had several errands to fulfill and I completed them by noon.  I should have gone back to the trail but I got sucked into the Village...

Appalachian Trail May 18-24

Tuesday May 18, 1999 Moezass and his father picked us up at a road crossing and took the group of us back to his house for the next two nights.  His family has owned this land for six generations, starting back in the late 1700’s.  It started with...

Appalachian Trail May 11-17

Tuesday, May 11, 1999 It was a short hiking day to get into Kincora, a hiker’s hostel run by Bob Peoples. As soon as I got in I dropped my pack and headed straight for the shower. It felt so good I had to take a second one about 30 minutes later. When the grime was...

Appalachian Trail May 4-10

Tuesday, May 4, 1999             A unique feature to the hike is traversing these Balds. The timberline lies just below 8,000 feet, where trees don’t grow higher than that elevation. There is no peak in the...