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windels11
12-27-2013, 15:05
Dose anyone have any scary, funny, cool, ect.. Experiences that happened to them on the trail? I would love to year about them!

RedBeerd
12-27-2013, 19:19
I got a ride into town from a DEA agent who told me all about her marijuana abusing son.

atj_Hiker
12-27-2013, 20:27
Woke up to a black bear smelling my boys feet while sleeping on the upper bunk in a shelter in GSMNP.

oldwetherman
12-27-2013, 20:30
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=426865 I had the honor of meeting and hiking with "Quaker", the subject of this link. HOBO's journal entry doesn't mention that Quaker was tasked by his mother to do a thru and scatter his dad's ashes at every state line on the AT. He started in early February at the southern terminus of the PINOLTI trail. He had no intention of hiking anywhere but when his dad passed and his mom told him he a had to.....off he went. He told me that when your mother tells you to do something...you do it the best you can....no questions asked.

Son Driven
12-27-2013, 20:57
The fire tower experience on the trail was probably the most valuable experience of all. It was a cold rainy day in Southern Vermont. I had just made the summit of Stratton Mountain. The plaque that was placed beneath the fire tower claimed this was the place where Benton McKay first envisioned the AT, and this was the highest elevation in Southern Vermont. Being hungry, and tired, not wanting to open my pack in the rain. I opted to climb up to the top & take a dinner break inside the tower. Now the rain had really picked up, I will take a little nap while this rain passes through. When I woke up the light of the day was beginning to fade, I am not going to make any more miles today, and resigned myself to sleeping in this steel box that was about seven foot square. Half of the floor space was not use-able since the access hatch was chained in the open position. There was a fire warden’s cabin just beneath me, and I know the fire warden observed me climbing up into the tower, and I also noticed a no camping sign at the base of the tower. Oh well, I am not going out in the rain to rummage around in the dark looking for a place to hang my hammock. I hoped the fire warden had lost track of me, either intentionally or unintentionally. I soon fell into a good sleep, only to be awakened by a big bang that rattled the little building. Just as I was thinking; what was that? The sky lit up with a big flash of lightening. I found myself perched up in a steel structure, probably the highest object for a hundred miles in any direction, in a lightening storm.

Suddenly the words “it is well with my soul” came into my mind. These words had become my tag line. In the shelter journals I always finished my entry, by writing “it is well with my soul”. A few months prior to going out on the trail we sang the old hymn at church, I was so moved by the old hymn, as the Lord revealed to me that it is well with my soul that tears began to stream down my face. Lord I am in a win win here. I will either wake up in my eternal reward with my parents and grandparents, in an eternal state of worship, or my faith will be increased in order that I might be able to accomplish the things that yet need to be finished through me. In many ways I hoped for eternity. However I was awakened by the dawning of a new day. I was in the midst of a cloud; I could not even make out the forest floor beneath the tower. Oh well this is one of the views I need to forgo. I need to get out of here before the fire warden realizes I spent the night in the tower.

Son Driven
12-27-2013, 21:07
With every step the rocks, plants, and water, in the back drop of the sky SPEAK! The story they tell becomes clearer as you go.

Son Driven
12-27-2013, 21:23
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=426865 I had the honor of meeting and hiking with "Quaker", the subject of this link. HOBO's journal entry doesn't mention that Quaker was tasked by his mother to do a thru and scatter his dad's ashes at every state line on the AT. He started in early February at the southern terminus of the PINOLTI trail. He had no intention of hiking anywhere but when his dad passed and his mom told him he a had to.....off he went. He told me that when your mother tells you to do something...you do it the best you can....no questions asked.

Quaker, Hobo, Trouble & I hiked through the Smokies together. If it was not for Quaker I do not know it I would have made it. I was a total hiker green horn, and he was my Bear Claw.

windels11
12-28-2013, 00:48
The fire tower experience on the trail was probably the most valuable experience of all. It was a cold rainy day in Southern Vermont. I had just made the summit of Stratton Mountain. The plaque that was placed beneath the fire tower claimed this was the place where Benton McKay first envisioned the AT, and this was the highest elevation in Southern Vermont. Being hungry, and tired, not wanting to open my pack in the rain. I opted to climb up to the top & take a dinner break inside the tower. Now the rain had really picked up, I will take a little nap while this rain passes through. When I woke up the light of the day was beginning to fade, I am not going to make any more miles today, and resigned myself to sleeping in this steel box that was about seven foot square. Half of the floor space was not use-able since the access hatch was chained in the open position. There was a fire warden's cabin just beneath me, and I know the fire warden observed me climbing up into the tower, and I also noticed a no camping sign at the base of the tower. Oh well, I am not going out in the rain to rummage around in the dark looking for a place to hang my hammock. I hoped the fire warden had lost track of me, either intentionally or unintentionally. I soon fell into a good sleep, only to be awakened by a big bang that rattled the little building. Just as I was thinking; what was that? The sky lit up with a big flash of lightening. I found myself perched up in a steel structure, probably the highest object for a hundred miles in any direction, in a lightening storm. Suddenly the words "it is well with my soul" came into my mind. These words had become my tag line. In the shelter journals I always finished my entry, by writing "it is well with my soul". A few months prior to going out on the trail we sang the old hymn at church, I was so moved by the old hymn, as the Lord revealed to me that it is well with my soul that tears began to stream down my face. Lord I am in a win win here. I will either wake up in my eternal reward with my parents and grandparents, in an eternal state of worship, or my faith will be increased in order that I might be able to accomplish the things that yet need to be finished through me. In many ways I hoped for eternity. However I was awakened by the dawning of a new day. I was in the midst of a cloud; I could not even make out the forest floor beneath the tower. Oh well this is one of the views I need to forgo. I need to get out of here before the fire warden realizes I spent the night in the tower.
What a crazy story!! Glad you made it out okay!!

-Animal
12-28-2013, 06:17
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=426865 I had the honor of meeting and hiking with "Quaker", the subject of this link. HOBO's journal entry doesn't mention that Quaker was tasked by his mother to do a thru and scatter his dad's ashes at every state line on the AT. He started in early February at the southern terminus of the PINOLTI trail. He had no intention of hiking anywhere but when his dad passed and his mom told him he a had to.....off he went. He told me that when your mother tells you to do something...you do it the best you can....no questions asked.Quaker is an amazing gentleman. We talked for more than an hour at Partnership Shelter about his hypothesis, bible interpretations, plasma life forms, editable/medicinal plants, and the meaning of life.

Son Driven
12-28-2013, 11:09
Quaker is an amazing gentleman. We talked for more than an hour at Partnership Shelter about his hypothesis, bible interpretations, plasma life forms, editable/medicinal plants, and the meaning of life.
Ditto, Animal, you are an impressive young man yourself. Every time I saw you, your shirt was a little more tattered. It was good to see you one last time at the Welcome Hiker Hostel.

Son Driven
01-08-2014, 11:34
3/6/13 The Sun was setting as I arrived to the Springer mountain parking lot. Because of the cold temperatures 6 deg., I decide to go down hill to Stover Creek rather then up hill to Springer mountain for my first night on the trail. Whenever I fell asleep, I would wake up shivering, after shivering for several minutes, my body would warm to a place where I could nod off, only to be awakened with more shivering. I decided to roll over and try and sleep on my stomach. It helped some since I was able to better insulate my body organs from the cold. I still woke up several times to the shivering shakes. Being from Minnesota I had been through hypothermia before, and I knew what was happening, and knew what I was doing. However I did not have enough gear, or respect for the North GA mountains. At first light I hiked up to Springer, back to Stover Creek and called it the first day. In retrospect I should have got up, got my food down from the cables, and night hiked until the first light. Once you start shaking, it is better to keep moving then shaking, you are burning energy, and calories either way. The next day I met Quaker, who taught me things I needed to know about the AT

windels11
01-08-2014, 15:57
3/6/13 The Sun was setting as I arrived to the Springer mountain parking lot. Because of the cold temperatures 6 deg., I decide to go down hill to Stover Creek rather then up hill to Springer mountain for my first night on the trail. Whenever I fell asleep, I would wake up shivering, after shivering for several minutes, my body would warm to a place where I could nod off, only to be awakened with more shivering. I decided to roll over and try and sleep on my stomach. It helped some since I was able to better insulate my body organs from the cold. I still woke up several times to the shivering shakes. Being from Minnesota I had been through hypothermia before, and I knew what was happening, and knew what I was doing. However I did not have enough gear, or respect for the North GA mountains. At first light I hiked up to Springer, back to Stover Creek and called it the first day. In retrospect I should have got up, got my food down from the cables, and night hiked until the first light. Once you start shaking, it is better to keep moving then shaking, you are burning energy, and calories either way. The next day I met Quaker, who taught me things I needed to know about the AT that sounds cold!! That's a good idea to night hike if that happens!! Thanks for the new info!

1234
01-08-2014, 19:27
I took my daughter to springer mt and started the first week with her to get her started. She was 23 and going alone. On March 23 we stayed at Springer mt shelter, about 10 people were there. Now my daughter is so nervous she cannot think much less talk. There were about 10 people staying at the shelter and it was a quiet bunch. Very little small talk but mostly quiet. I asked if anyone was thru hiking, they all were, I asked how many had never set foot on the AT prior to today, not one had ever set foot on the AT prior to today. So we all stated where we were all from, Oregon, Illinois, Tennessee, they had all flown or drove in to start. Now my daughter had already hiked over 500 miles of the AT starting when she was 8 years old. Her confidence level really rose realizing she was not the rookie. PS most of those 10 finished within a week of the rest and they ran into each other all the way, sometimes weekly sometimes monthly. They all remembered each other from that first day. My daughter hiked alone 95% of the way only hooking up with a few folks for a few days at a time. She thought it very odd that hardly nobody hiked together, but preferred to be alone.

aficion
01-08-2014, 20:45
I woke up in SNP with a skunk sitting on my head, eating my Oreos for his breakfast. I slowly rolled to get my nose, mouth, eyes etc. pointed away from its business end, burying my face in my bag. It finished breakfast and sauntered off. I learned to hang a food bag.