ElizabethClose

I know it's a long time between posts -sorry for that, but the mobile interface is not great and I'm not at a PC often :-) BEAR WITH ME!!!
My bounce box got held up by mistake at Mtn Harbor hostel- they are sending it to waynesboro, so if all goes well and I find WIFI I'll try to post some of my pics next week ... the country we have been hiking is absolutely amazing!
So, Here's the rundown of the past couple weeks

May 30 - 7a-5p - Saw a bear cub and mama this morning - they were a couple hundred feet down the hill heading away from me so it didn't scare me. There were a couple great waterfalls - Laurel Pond being the best. The hike down to the falls was stone steps of all different sizes ... then the hike up was another stone stair ...followed by a loooong hot climb - my feet were Beat Up by the end of the day. Sky and Jared passed me on the way up the mountain hiking so fast I knew Id never see them again until my flip flop southbound. Got to Lake Watauga around pm and a hiker sitting near the trail said the bear problem extended far enough the closest safe camp was 9 miles to the next shelter. I knew I'd never make 9 miles by sundown so I opted to stay at a hostel that had tacked signs up. I called, they had room, so I hiked back a bit - passed Sebastien and Leo on the way - they were coming from town and headed to the campsite uptrail a quarter mile. Boots Off Hostel was still under construction but the guys were super enthusiastic about having visitors. One of the other hikers had Ibuprophen to share - hopefully get me through the next couple days! Beer and Chili for dinner - got a shower and went to bed by 8pm - 13 miles

May 31 - 6a-6:30p - Left hostel before breakfast hoping to get around bear area fast. Lake was very cool in the morning mist. Came up around a curve and a bear cub was climbing up a treeabout 100 feet in front of me and mama was right there staring at me ... decided the best idea was to back off a bit so I went back around the bend behind a big tree and peeked around, cub got down and went over to mama so I started singing HagalinaMagalena as lound as I could and came back around the bend - they moved off a little and I got past without getting bit ... all good things LOL. Sky and Jarred hiked past this afternoon - apparently they tried to hike throughthe bear area and thought they could make supper on the roadway - two big bears came and started circling them and didn't move off when they yelled and threw stones, even when other campers came to help - followed them back to campsite so they called a shuttle to come rescue them and had to camp back down my town. I got to the shelter areound 6 and looked full so I went on a couple miles to camp by a memorial for a hermit that lived around there - it looked like a chimney with agravestone in it - little creepy, but it was a goot flat spot with trees to hang from. - 19 miles

June 1 - 6a-8p - saw bear twice this morning - both running away like bears should LOL, also saw big black snake trying to climb a pine tree...made me want to look up the trees a lot LOL . Was startled by a mama quail thrashing around trying to draw me away from her nest/babies...silly bird. It was very hot today and water was not easy to come by so I had to carry full 2.5 liters - made pack feel like 100 lbs. up hill. Passed through a cow pasture with cows... felt like home :-) 18 miles

June 2 - 7a-10a Got to Damascus this morning. Picked up food box at Woodchuck Hostel, hung hammock out back on manmade supports he put up for hammocks-coolness. Showered and washed out clothes in tub, draped stuff over hammock to dry and headed to town. As I approached the road there were a couple cyclists standing there and a lady leaning against the guide rail fell over and hit her head -thankfully still wearing her helmet. Apparenlty htey were all standing around because she had wiped out in the gravel - her knee was pretty torn up and she was standing there while her partner checked her bike. I told her and her partner she needed to stay seated in case she passed out again and they decided to call ambulance for her - good idea IMHO. Got all my errands in town done and came back to hostel and hopped on the computer to look up how to get through the White - saw that I needed to stay in huts so I called to see about reservations - apparently it was a real problem to get all of them lined up and the lady spent quite some time trying to find me a stretch - $800 for reservations in July, but that meant I'd have to make sure dad could come get me early. Called home - he said he'd rearrange his schedule for me (GOOD DAD!!!) and I got feeling good about catching a break. Talked to the hostel owner about it and he pointed out that Maine is 300 miles not 100 miles - so I'd never make it on time. I called back home and told them nevermind, cancelled the reservations and decided to "wing it" when I get there. Went to bed at 8 and a huge Thunderstorm came through, kept me up until 11 - 6 miles

June 3 - 7a-8p - AT joined the Virginia Creeper Trail a bit, nice and flat rail trail along streams. I leapfrogged with ayoung lady who was bemoaning her brother not catching up to her.Stopped at a shelter for water and lunch and loaned her my jetboil because her brother had the cookstove...she thanked me and proceeded to scorch quinoa onto the bottom of my pot, dumped it into her bowl and handed it back to me. I spent the next hour muttering about ignorance and "Some people's kids" and decided to not loan out my pot ever again sheesh! It was a hot day but the trail followed a stream quite a bit. Nice to hear the water and feel the little coolness. Hung my hammock near cost mountain shelter. Mile 485 - 16 miles

June 4 - Day 50 WOW!!! no cell service so I packed up and hiked uphill to the next ridge. Sat under the grove of trees and called in for church - very neat. Toward end of church a big storm blew in and I barely got my rainfly up when it started. Unfortunately I didn't get big enough trees so they bowed in when I lay in the hammock and the rainfly buckled. I laid there over an hour with my arm stuck out to keep the wet rainfly from glomming onto the hammock and making it wet. I wa a little too close to the approach trail so I had a stream of water running under the hammock all night - rats. 7 miles

June 5 - 8a-2p. Still raining in the morning so I gathered up my gear ranging from damp-to-wet and slogged upteh streambed (trail) to Tom Knob shelter. Three guys were already laying there in their sleeping bags and I asked if they were there from the night before or had given up on the day early - somebody said a muffled "both" so I made my lunch in silence. It started to rain again and I opted to call it a day. Laid out my sleeping bag and changed into my shorts when I realized I had a dried SHART in my knickers - gross... I took a wet wipe and cleaned it up as best I could with my back to the guys so they didn't see what was going on. Not the highlight of my trip I gotta tell you. Hopalong came in with some younger folks who all went to the upstairs loft. The guys got up and started drinking whiskey, offered me some and I accepted. Didn't take only a slug or two and I was nice and warm :-) Unfortunately it caused them all to snore so badly I didn't sleep much. Stein Boys came in later and decided to squeeze in upstairs instead of splitting up. - 7 miles


June 6 - 6a - 7p Got up at 4 to pee and went out into the forest. Got turned around in the fog and couldn't find my way back for a couple minutes - what an idiot! Got back eventually and got packed up. Sat in the foggy semi darkness and waited until I could see without the headlamp because it just reflected the fog. The fog cleared off around 8 and I made it through the highlands without breaking an ankle. Stein boys passed me toward the end of the day and I caught up to them at the next Parking area where I met their wives as they got picked up. Onward for another bit I passed DonJuan sitting alongside the trail rubbing his feet. Decided to hike together to where Feivel had found a campsite. Approaching sunset we arrived and set up. No goot bear bag trees so when Juan offered to let me hang my bag with his I agreed. As I pused up on the bags he pulled hard on the rope and snapped the branch...I got the branch and tow bear bags to the face - he felt awful about it even after I said it was fine. We each went off and found other trees. LOL Mile 516 - 19 miles

June 7 - 7a-8p - Windy ridges but nice hiking. Picked up Bionic Woman section hiking to Rogers HQ with her dog. I got there just after HQ closed at 4:30 - rats, so I sat and made dinner and went ona couple of miles. Saw sasquat as I packed up - they were camping over and taking the shuttle to town the next day. I got a few miles farther up and stealth camped on a nice ridge. 535.6 - 19.6 miles (almost a 20!!)