Quick Update

5/13
> Howdy friends! I'm taking a minute to catch everyone up on the past weeks worth of hiking. Time is flying by out here. I can't believe I've already been hiking for nearly 2 months! I'm starting to feel really strong and Im beginning to pick up my pace a little. I'll need to start averaging more miles per week if I want to make it to Mt. Katahdin before they close for the winter season in October. I'm just taking it one step at a time!
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> I left out of Erwin, TN with my hiking buddy Chucktown and a new friend named Captain Ketchup. We had hoped to be carrying a bottle of Jose Cuervo out with us in honor of Cinco de Mayo but Erwin has NO liquor, only beer. Unfortunately, beer is too heavy to pack in :0( Welcome to the bible belt. We're right on the buckle!
> We hiked on despite our lack of party favors and made it to the base of Roan Mtn early on our second day. The weather was threatening to storm again and the temps were starting to drop so I decided to camp at the base rather than spend the night above 6000'ft on the summit of Roan Mtn. Chucktown pushed ahead and I was alone in the woods for the first time since meeting my new buddy in tue Smokies. It was nice to have the camp all to myself. I built a nice campfire, ate some noodles & tuna, and turned in early. The next morning I woke up at 6am and hit the trail by 7:30. The climb up Roan was tough and there really wasn't anything particularly spectacular about the summit. I'll have to come back when the rhododendron are in bloom. I didn't hang out too long at the summit before heading down the other side. After a quick stop for a snack I started making my way down to the parking area on the south side of the mountain. I spent a few minutes talking with an older couple who had come up for a picnic to celebrate their anniversary. I was hoping they'd offer me some free vittles from their picnic basket but they didn't get the hint.
> Across the road I began hiking up a meadow with 360 degree views. I really love hiking across these treeless balds but the most spectacular ones yet will come later in the day. Eventually the trail dipped back into the woods and began to wind back down towards the valley. Sometime around 4:30 I came across a colorful hand painted sign tacked to a tree that read "5th Annual Barnyard Chomp" with an arrow pointing toward the trail shelter. Of course I had to go check it out and I'm glad that I did. I spent the next hour scarfing down 5 grilled cheese sandwiches, 3 sodas, and 3 cold beers. I was in heaven! The Barnyard Chomp is hosted by A former thru-hiker, his wife, and their friends. They were all GREAT people and we had a blast hanging around the barn, enjoying the views and goodies. Oh! I forgot about the barn... This particular trail shelter is actually an OLD barn that was converted for the hikers to sleep in. I love old barns and wanted to stay for the night but Chucktown and Cpt. Ketchup were here as well and were talking about moving on... I had enjoyed my day of solitude but was ready to have my hiking buddies back.
> We each grabbed 4 beers from the cooler, stuffed them in our packs, and headed up the trail. We ended up putting in quite a few more miles that evening and made it to the top of Big Hump Mtn... This was by far my favorite section of the hike so far. Little Hump and Big Hump are the most beautiful balds I've seen on the trail. The views were spectacular and you could see the trail stretched out ahead of you for a mile. We camped right on top and I could see Boone, NC , Sugar Mtn Ski Resort, and Grandfather Mtn in the distance. It was a very special moment for me to see my old stomping grounds from my days at Appalachian State. We had a great campfire and sat around with our beers. No need to cook dinner! I was still full from the Chomp.
> The next morning Chucktown and I left out early while the storm clouds were rolling over the mountain. By the time we got to the bottom we could no longer see the summit where Cpt. Ketchup was still sleeping in his tent... That was the last we saw of the Captain but I'm sure we will cross paths again.
> That night we camped near a waterfall. It was quite a feeling to have walked down off of Big Hump with all of the spectacular views and now be setting up in the dense dark woods again. Everyday is a new adventure out here and I'm loving every minute!
> We took an easy day the next day and only hiked about 5mi to the Vango & Abby Hostel. Vango was a nice older gentleman who had spent a great deal of his life supporting hikers all over the country. He passed away 3 years ago and his friend Scotty now keeps this hostel open in his memory. It's a donations only establishment and they even fed us dinner! I was very glad to have met Scotty and to have spent some time at Vangos. It also gave me an opportunity to get on the computer and take care of a few busine$$ items. Thanks Vango!!!
> The next morning we headed towards Hampton, TN. When we came out to the road crossing at Dennis Cove Rd. we were approached by a good ol local man who offered us a ride down the mountain. I had planned on hiking down via the trail but this guy would not take no for an answer. He was determined to show us hikers some local hospitality and before we knew it we were climbing in the back of his truck with our packs. As
> We climbed in he informed us that he likes to come up to this spot to fish and shoot snakes. He then proceeded to show us the 38 caliber pistol in his waist band but said not to worry because he's a retired cop. We were a little instruct by the gun but it was too late. He drove 70mph down the mountain around deadly curves, dips, and bumps. We held on tight and tried not to look ahead. About half way down the mountain he SLAMMED on his brakes, jumped out of the truck with pistil in hand, ran around back with a crazy smile on his face, jumped up on the guard rail and started shooting!!! He said "did you see that snake?"... We saw no snake but took his word for it. We were just happy that he wasn't shooting at us!
> He took us into town and drive us around looking for a fuel canister for Chucktown. Nobody had one. We ended up asking the guy to leave us at the McDonalds to avoid the ride back up the mountain with Pistol Pete... What a crazy ride!
> After dinner we walked back to a side trail that leads back to the AT. We ran into another hiker friend and camped with him along a small creek. That night a nasty thunderstorm rolled thru and gave us a nice show. I'm getting pretty used to sleeping in storms. No big deal :0)
> Chucktowns leg was hurting so we decided to walk the highway for 3mi instead of climbing over Pond Mtn via the trail. We met back up with the AT where it meets Watauga Lake. This little section of Highway is the route I took as a kid when I drove from App State to Nashville to see my sister. It was a great walk down memory lane and I ended up spending the day on the shores of the lake reminiscing about the good ol days of youth. Ya know, before I had to grow and become responsible, ha ha! At dusk, I hiked a few miles around the lake and found a nice campsite.
> I woke up early the next morning and hit the trail at 7:30am. I need to cover 27mi to Shady Valley, TN by noon the next day in order to meet my friends Thomas and Jeff from Nashville.
> The air was HOT and HUMID and I was drenched after 5 steps. I ended up hiking approx. 18mi then another 2mi down TN91 to a campground just outside of Shady Valley. I got a cabin, took a hot shower, did some laundry, and talked about motorcycles wight the owner of the campground. He's a nice guy who lives in FL part of the year and comes up here for the summers.
> Thomas and Jeff will be meeting me here later today and we're planning to hike overnight into Damascus, VA for Trail Days 2011. Trail Days is like the Lollapalooza of hiking parties. I've heard there could be 20-30k people attending this year. It should be a good time!!!
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> Today I'll hike into Virginia and leave my home state behind. It will take an entire month to hike thru VA, the longest state on the trail. Hikers call this section "The Wall" because it becomes so monotonous. I'm looking forward to it!
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> I've hiked 442.8mi .... 1738.2 to Mt. Katahdin.
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