Stories, footprints, and photos from the Trail.
I've just returned from a hike on the Appalachian Trail along the Tennessee/North Carolina border. It was a neat experience. I'm returning tired, wet, and happy.

I looked for Mark Sanford (South Carolina governor) who made every one of us honest hikers look bad with his escapades earlier in the year. (He said he was "hiking the A.T." when he was visiting a girlfriend in Argentina.)

I can say this: as bad as we hikers smell on the Trail, it's not the place to find a girlfriend anyway. (I thank my "girlfriend" of 33 years, DeDe for allowing me to follow my hiking dreams.

On this trip, I often thought of my friend "Mac" Rathburn who hiked the entire 2100 mile trail. Asked about his trip, he said, "I enjoyed every miserable step of it."

I've heard many descriptions of hiking but none better.

In the clouds at Carver's Gap, elevation 5512 feet on Saturday.

Friday night shelter, Roan Knob Shelter. Highest trail shelter on the entire Appalachian Trail. (6200 feet.) I had the shelter to myself. (Just me and the mice.)

Be still and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10

Ladder up into the loft of the shelter. By climbing up there, you're out of bear country. There's a trap door you can close from above.

My bed spot in the loft. It rained and blew all night and reminded me of the night Hurricane Rita struck Dry Creek.

Thru-Hikers "Fleagle" and "Lady Jelly Bean." They've walked 1800 miles south from Maine. Only 400 miles to go to Springer Mtn. Ga.


Thru hikers "Tolstoy" and "Buddy" were my roommates at the Clyde Smith Shelter. They've walked (and trotted) all the way from Maine. Buddy has his own sleeping bag.

Tolstoy (aka Nathaniel Pruitt) is from New Jersey. I enjoyed visiting with him.


More photos and stories later.

Much of my second and third day was spent on the brutal northward climb up Roan Mountain. Next time, I'll hike south where the climb to the summit is much less. The weather turned cloudy and rainy and remained until today.