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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Hi! I'm Chucktown

This is my hiking buddy Chucktown. He's from Charleston, SC and is hiking in memory of his fiancé Nancy who died last year of breast cancer. Support his cause by going to his FB page Blazin For Boobies.

Erwin, TN

5/2
The storm finally came overnight on Wed/Thur. I waited all day at the Hostel for the storm to roll in but the sky was clear, sunny, and beautiful all day. I could have hiked some miles but I'm glad I ended up taking the day off. The storm blew through with a vengeance and I was glad not to have been caught in the woods in my tent. I don't mind rain but these wind/thunder storms are not much fun to sleep thru.

I left out of the Hostel early Thur morning and began the 4 day hike to Erwin. The hiking was fairly easy for this stretch. Only a handful of mountains to climb and I'm getting pretty good at climbing mountains. The highlight of this section was Big Bald. Its a huge hill covered in grass with no trees surrounded by countless mountains. The 360 views were amazing and you could see mountains as far as the horizon in all directions. The trail meandered over the bald, thru a meadow, and over another hill before re-entering the woods... It was a cool spot! Unfortunately, my battery died so I missed the photo op :0(

I could have made it to Erwin on Monday evening but decided to stop 3pm short and setup camp. I walked the final 3 miles out Tue morning and was greeted by the Nolichucky Hostel immediately after leaving the woods. I had planned to skip the Hostel and hitch into town but after adding it up it ended being a better deal to pay $8 for a tent site and hop on the free shuttle. Plus I got a hot shower, which was well over due!
I got some town food in my belly, resupplied trail food for my pack, and settled back into the hostel with my hiker peeps. We just sat around and talked over beers for a few hours before heading to bed.
Tomorrow, it's back to the trek. My next milestone will be Roan Mountain, which I've always wanted to see. I used to pass by it on my way to AL from Appalachian State. I'm looking forward to it...

I've hiked 340mi .... 1841mi to Mt. Katahdin

Ouch! My leg...

4/26
The weather forecast called for rain last night and said it would hang around for three days. Despite some strong winds we escaped the storm. After breaking camp and filling my water bottles I resumed the trek north. The hiking was moderate and the weather was fair. If it hadn't been for my foot and leg issues I would have been able to put in a good mileage day. However, as the day went on I began to loose steam and my will power to go on started to plummet. I noticed on the trail map that there was a hostel about two miles short of my goal for the day. I decided to be a wimp and head in for a bed. Only two days out of town and I'm already heading for the hostel. I felt like a total sell out but rationalized that it was the best thing for my leg/foot. I was also hoping the storm would roll thru and I would miss the rain and the experience of having my tent soaked again.

I checked-in to the Hemlock Hollow Farm Hostel and set myself up in the bunkhouse with 6 other guys. It's a nice place and the couple who run it are very kind. Let's hope the storm rolls thru tonight and makes the stay worthwhile!

288.1mi hiked ... 1892.9 to go.

Slow going

4/25
I left Hot Springs around 10:30am, crossed the French Broad river, and began the long/steep ascent out of town. The air was warm and muggy and I had a tough time finding my stride. I took a lot of breaks and drank a lot of water. My foot and leg began to bother me towards the end of the day and I decided I'd only hike around 10mi. I found a nice campsite near a fire tower and setup camp along with my friend Chucktown. Before nightfall 5 more friends had joined us. I started a campfire and we sat around well past dark. I ate a huge dinner, complete with a bowl of instant chocolate pudding, and went to bed. 5 more days to Erwin, TN.

280.1mi hiked ... 1900.9 to go!

Trail Name

Out on the trail thru-hikers take on a "trail name". Usually it represents something about you and is bestowed upon you by other hikers. I had ignored the first few that were thrown at me but towards the end of the Smokies one finally stuck. I am now referred to in hiker circles as "straw hat". Alex brought me a straw fedora hat when she visited at the NOC. I've been wearing it ever since and I guess it's now my trademark. When I rolled into Hot Springs and passed a patio full of other hikers I was greeted with a roaring "straw hat" from the group :0)

Jim Hampton

On my last night in Hot Springs I hung out at the Rock Bottom Pub. It turns out a guy that I know from Nashville was playing a set of acoustic country tunes that night. He invited me up to play a couple of sets of my music and I had a blast playing for my fellow hikers. I guess the secrets out now. I'm a guitar picker!