April 17, 2016 - Day 30

The day started off with church services at the 1st Presbyterian Church, conveniently located across the road from the hotel.  Churches along the A.T. are used to seeing people in hiker gear sitting in their pews.   Hopefully, AFTER they have found showers!

Dennis caught up with them!  Bad news/good news....he has "plantar fasciitis," meaning the ligament connecting the front of the foot to the heel is over used and over stretched (huh, wonder what caused that?) and develops minute tears.  Repeated use of the damaged ligament results in inflammation and fasciitis...a sharp, stabbing pain on the bottom of the foot near the heal.  Commonly known as 'runner's heel.'  That's the bad news.  The good news is it is treatable and the doctor prescribed a special shoe insert with a a hole where the ligament  attaches and additional cushion support surrounding that area.  He thinks he will be able to finish the hike.

They set off with the the plan to meet up with one of Jill's hiker friends. Jill met 'Harvest' back in 2008 when Harvest hiked the trail and stayed at Jill's place.  She was happy to see Jill again and excited to reciprocate the hospitality Jill had shown her.  Harvest met them in Hot Springs and took their gear to her farm. This allowed our group to 'slack pack' with just water and snacks.  Jill said it was a long 'up' and they were glad they weren't carrying full packs.  I borrowed some of the pictures that Jill posted to her trail journey.

They hiked past Lover's Leap (no one jumped) and enjoyed the view above Hot Springs.

Southpaw, Ken, Chicken Feet, IWOX, Zack

They have been joined by Chicken Feet, a friend of Limey's (I believe).  Chicken Feet is in his late 60's and a very nice man.

Harvest and her husband own an organic farm called 'Root Bottom Farm'.  What used to be a junkyard has been transformed into a working organic farm.  They have a website and I enjoyed learning about their wonderful 'down to earth' farm.  They even participate in the area's 'Farm to Table' dinner series.  Check out www.rootbottomfarm.com.

Ken's back has been really bothering him and he is not sure if he will continue or come back home with me when I meet up with him next week.  I pray that whatever decision he makes, it will be one without regret.  Chicken Feet helped bring him relief with a shade-drenched message.

Jill's nephew had to head for home and caught his ride at Tanyard Gap back to his car.                          
The remaining hikers were picked up by Harvest and were taken to her farm.  Dinner was held on their party deck and Ken said it was delicious!

Ken, spoiled pet, Chicken Feet, Morgan (Harvest/Sarah's husband), Dennis

Our hikers shared the tiny guest house on the farm and turned in for the night.

Harvest Bottom Farm Guest House (on the right).

Mile 279.6

Elevation 2,278

Miles Hiked Today 5.9

April 16, 2016 - Day 29

Hot Springs, NC sure knows how to throw a celebration!  They are extremely proud to be known as an A.T. 'trail town'.  In fact, they are the ONLY town where the trail goes right through town and the A.T. blaze is painted on the road, buildings, and signs along the way.   This town doesn't have bike paths, but it DOES have hiker paths!

Of course, with the Trailfest going on, today was a 'zero' day....and a welcome one after two days of grueling hiking.

Here is a sample of today's activities:



Jill and Zack took off early in the morning around 7:45 (early for Jill) and got to Hot Springs in an hour!  That is fast hiking for 3 miles!!  With as many hikers and people in town for Trailfest, they were amazed that as soon as they hit town, fellow hikers told them that Ken was there and told them where to find them.  Ken must have made an impression on those young hikers!

They spent the day talking with other hikers, getting free stuff (merchandise AND food), and enjoying the live music that played all day and into the evening.  They participated in the "Hiker Feed" and ate themselves silly.

Jill had a great time and ran into many hikers she remembered from years past.  Some of whom came through her place in Virginia.  She even met up with 'Waffles's' parents.  Waffle was an ice-cream loving hiker that missed out on the treat in 2007.  He never let her forget it and made sure to get some when he went through in 2008, 2010 and 2012.  He sure was an unforgettable hiker-friend!

This is a family-friendly event and the kids got into the spirit and joined the parade.  We have a similar event at home with our Labor Day Ox Roast Weekend.  If you have four legs, two legs, bike, car, truck, tractor or semi tires, you, too, can be in the parade.  We love it and I'm sure Ken enjoyed the Hot Springs version.

They had to wait until after 3:00 to see if the Alpine Hotel would have a room for them.  Luckily, when they checked back in later, they did.  Ken said it was a 'room' but not a hotel room.  To him, any hotel room without a TV doesn't count.  But it did have a bathroom and mattress, so it beat the trail bed he usually sleeps on.  He was able to call me from Jill's phone and bring me up to date.

No word from Dennis :(

Mile 273.7

Elevation still 1,326

Miles hiked today 0

April 15, 2016 - Day 28

Our trio, now a duo, set off for the long hike to Hot Springs and Trailfest.

Jill's nephew, Zack, was due to meet them at Lemon Gap at 10:00 so they hiked quickly to get there.  Ken got there at 9:30 and Jill arrived at 10:30.  When they got to the Gap, they didn't find Zack, but they did find trail magic and breakfast.  Looks good to me!

 

Also at Lemon Gap was a little girl with her pet.  He/she was quite the curiosity.  Some wondered if he would become 'trail food' if they ran out down the trail!

 



Zack arrived at 11:00 and Jill was glad to see him.

 

With the long distance to go to reach Hot Springs, Ken took off.  Zack hiked with his Aunt IWOX and the plan was to meet up at Deer Park Mountain Shelter.  However, Ken was worried about getting to their destination and waited for them until he felt he needed to move on.  He kept going and reached Hot Springs around 6pm.  Unfortunately, he was once again in 'Verizon World' with no AT&T signal and no way to let Jill (or me) know he had 'reached.'

 

Not only was Ken not there, NO ONE was there...they had ALL gone on to Hot Springs to join the Trailfest celebration.

 

Here is an example of what our hikers see along the way...sometimes the blaze is on a post, sometimes it is painted on a rock (when posts can not be placed).

 

 

 

Jill called me from the Deer Park Mountain Shelter and could go no further.  She was not able to let Ken know and wondered if I had heard from him.  I hadn't and we both agreed to let the other know.  Jill was worried he took a wrong turn (easy to do in that area) and might be lost.  I know how 'woods smart' he is and was only a little (yea, right) worried.

 

Ken, meanwhile, was having a great time in Hot Springs and enjoyed all the evening festivities.  When Jill and Zack didn't show up, he assumed (correctly) that they were spending the night at the Deer Park shelter.

 

Mile 273.7

Elevation 1,326

Miles Hiked Today 19.7

 

April 14, 2016 - Day 27

Correction to the Standing Bear Hostel's host:  Curtis passed away last fall due to pancreatic cancer.  One of his relatives 'Lumpy' now runs things with Curtis' widow.  Ken said Lumpy is cut from the same cloth as Curtis and quite the character.  While there, Lumpy offered Ken some hootch (a/k/a white lightning).  Ken said Lumpy reminded him of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty.

 

The one-and-only  'deluxe' cabin that Lumpy gave our group was a unique domicile and came complete with kitchen...

 

 

...and cat...

 

 

 



 

...but it sure beat sleeping in the bunk house with 20 young hikers.  Jill said they stopped in to talk with the other hikers and had to leave quickly due to the 'smoke' in the air!  It was that kind of laid back place.

 

Our group is missing Dennis.  One of his friends picked him up earlier today due to some pain he has been having with his heel.  He has a doctor appointment in the morning and is afraid he will have to drop out of the hike.  Jill and Ken are both praying he makes it back to the trail and is able to meet up with them at Hot Springs.

 

Ken and Jill hiked 14 miles and set up camp just past the Max Patch Summit.  They will have a long hike tomorrow to make it to Hot Springs by tomorrow night!

 

Mile 254

Elevation 4.629

Miles Hiked Today 14



April 13, 2016 - Day 26

Ken called while I was at our church's Wednesday night free community dinner.  I put him on speaker so he could hear all of the well-wishers who ask about him each week and have been praying for him.  A few youngsters were VERY happy to hear from him and felt much better and finally believed me when I said he was doing fine.  He filled me in on the past few days and sent a number of pictures and videos.  With cell service so spotty along the trail, I only get periodic updates.  So thank you for your 'blog' patience! 

There are a group of 12-14 hikers who walk at different paces, but meet up at night at the campsites or shelters.  Today, 3 hikers dropped out.  Two of them stopped due to sickness.  Limey's travel partner dropped out due to weakness and loss of strength.  Ken described him as 'lean' with no body reserves to draw from.  When you are burning 6,000 calories per day, a little body fat is a good thing.   Ken is quickly using his 'reserves' and has dropped at least 20 lbs. so far.

He met up with a critter who was posing waiting for someone to take his picture, so Ken complied.

 

As he crested a mountain, he captured this breath-taking view.  When asked where he was, he was (once again) "on top of some mountain at some point along the trail."

 

He said what struck him was that as far as the eye could see, he would walk past that!

As you can image, after all the rain the day before, there were waterfalls along the trail.  He thought this was one of the prettiest.

 

Dennis (Southpaw) has been having issues with his heel.  He has no blisters but has a great deal of pain coming from inside (he thinks one of the bones).  He has a friend in the area and called him to pick him up at the I-40 crossing near Mile 239.  He has a doctor's appointment scheduled for the morning and will keep our hikers updated.  All are praying that he won't have to drop out of the hike.  Ken has truly enjoyed his company and experience.



Ken got to the Standing Bear Farm and Hostel near Hartford, TN.  This is a quaint gathering of buildings about 3 miles outside the northern limit of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  Visitors describe the owner, Curtis, in a variety of ways...grouchy, gruff, funny, humorous, helpful, not helpful.  So basically, if you are a jerk and treat him like a jerk, you won't get much cooperation from him.  Ken and his hiking companions are all great people people, so Curtis gave them his biggest cabin.  The rest of the jerk hikers got stuffed into the bunkhouse (at $15 per person), which houses 20 with a shared bath house.  Ken & Co.'s cabin has all the comforts of home, including kitchen, bathroom and free WiFi!  Curtis charged them $25 per person.  There are two queen beds and two single beds.  They had met up with a woman and her young daughter at their lunch break and offered one of the queen beds to them, after they arrived later in the day.  Ken and Limey are sharing the other queen and Jill get's a single to herself.

The goal for the next two days is to put in at least 15 mile days so they can arrive in Hot Springs, NC(Mile 273.7) in time for their weekend Trailfest celebration.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Mile 240
Elevation 1,800

April 12, 2016 - Day 25

The best way to describe the day's hike is with one word...miserable!  Our hikers hiked all day in the rain.  The trail was 3 inches deep with water and they were SOAKED. 

After 12 miles of rain-drenched fun, they stopped at the Cosby Knob Shelter.  Jill captured the only commemorative photo of the day. 

Mile 229.9
Elevation 4,700

April 11, 2016 - Day 24

Jill had made a good recovery from her sickness and was able to join the boys when they left Gatlinburg.  They caught a shuttle back to the Newfound Gap to regain the trail.  Ken took a picture of Gatlinburg as they left.

Gatlinburg, TN

This day found them hiking a treacherous section of trail.  The A.T. followed the crest of the mountains on a 'path' only 4-5 feet wide.  1,000 foot drop offs on either side.  Ken was glad they had no rain this day as a fall would lead not to a rescue, but to a recovery!  He captured this moment in the video below:

 

As they came over the Charles Bunion mountain, they could see Siler's Bald in the distance.  This is the mountain they crossed over 2 days ago.

 

 

They stopped at Peck's Corner Shelter for the night and a well earned rest.

 

Mile 217.3

Elevation 5,280