There were a number of power boats going by. Some went slow with fishermen, others went fast pulling water skiers and tubes. There were even a few jet skis running by. We all decided to head out into the river and ride the wake that these boats were leaving. Right after a powerboat would zip by, we would paddle hard to quickly reach the wake so that we could splash and bounce over it!

While out on the water we also explored up and down the river. We found some tennis balls; we through them into the water at each other’s canoes to splash water. We found some other items in the river, too — most notably a sneaker and a small bobber! All three of our canoes were having a good time out on the water.

But we kept going back to the wake of the power boats. That was certainly the most exciting thing! Eventually the boat drivers realized that we wanted to catch the biggest wakes, and they obliged by running fast! We started hitting the wake harder and harder: after racing to get to it, Brady would stand in the bow of our canoe just as it was coming out of the water, then flop down to push the bow lower; I would reciprocate by jumping up and down with the stern of the canoe. We were able to bounce the canoe hard and splash a lot of water! One time, we caught a wake just right, an the water splashed over the top of Brady’s head and all over Johnny, sitting in the middle! I had to bail some water after that one!

Now, it’s worth mentioning that Johnny was a young Scout, and a little nervous about this outing. He didn’t think it was a good idea that we were getting so far away from shore (because of a few bends in the river it was completely out of sight). He was nervous that we were out for too long, and may get into trouble. And he was very afraid that we might flip the canoe. Johnny was having fun, but reminded us of his concerns constantly. Brady and I ignored them. And that big splash that just came into the canoe a few minutes earlier made him even more vocal.

So, we continued to seek out the biggest wake and the biggest splash. A boat sped by us, and we paddled hard to reach it. We hit this wake at a slightly different angle than the others (not quite perpendicular) and as soon as we started bouncing on the water, pushing the bow down, water rolled in over the side of the canoe. Just a little at first, but a few moments later the bow was obviously going under!

The bow pointed down and the stern pointed up — quickly sending the canoe vertical, and looking reminiscent of the Titanic. We were sinking fast! But, as anybody who has earned Canoeing merit badge knows, a canoe will remain buoyant even when swamped, and you can still paddle it to shore. As we sank lower and lower, and the water went up past our waists, over our chests, and up to our necks, it became obvious that this canoe was not going to remain buoyant. Brady and I reached down for the canoe handle and heaved it up.

As our canoe was going down, Johnny was exclaiming “whoa!” and “we’re sinking!” But after the canoe was clearly not supporting us anymore, we watched our paddles rise up to the surface of the water, along with our collection of tennis balls, my water bottle and our shoes. It happened fast, but Johnny let out a shrill yell, “don’t let my shoes get away! They cost five hundred dollars!”

My perspective may be a little skewed, but it seems to me that very quickly after we went down, Ethan — in another canoe — excitedly burst out “we get to do a T-rescue!” He seemed a bit over-eager to me!

After a successful T-rescue we all got back into the canoe and headed back to shore. What an adventure!

Again, lots of fun with contentious weather dogging our trail the whole way.

Peter and I rode with Don and Tyler. We had a very interesting side trip on the way back: since Orange County Choppers (of American Chopper fame) was nearby we decided to stop by. We found the store closed, but with a quick glance out back found Pauly! He sat and talked with us for a while about the show, bikes, and paddling on the Delaware (something he's done several times)!

Have a look at all the photos in the gallery!

There were two bunk mates, and one was asleep and one was awake. The awake Scout was thirsty so asked for a drink of water. When the leaders brought him a drink they saw that the cot next to him was empty, and it just so happened to be the missing Scout's Mom that brought the drink of water! When she saw that her son was not there she started freaking out, looking everywhere in camp... but after a little while of looking they found him. He rolled out of bed on to the platform on to the ground then under the platform.

And he was still asleep!

That was 3 years ago and this story is to tell younger Scouts to remember to take the tents home and actually dry them out and to tell the Quartermaster if its missing a pole. If you don't then you could be the person next time that has to set up 3 tents.

This story is for people afraid of spiders (or any bugs). If their's a nest in your tent go to a new one if you can if not try to not bother the spider.

This story is for the parents and scouts that bug nets can be used to keep bugs out and you in.

08/10 Hiked with Sandman & Irish to Crawford Notch Visitor's Center. Another good day on the ridge. Hiked over Twin mt. & Guyot Mt. Had lunch at Zealand Falls Hut. Last 6 miles were a gradual down to the road, very hard on the knees. When we reached the road, it started to pour, we were soaked by the time we got to the Visitor's Center, but a good hot shower & meal felt great.

08/11 Hiked with Sandman & Irish to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. First 3 miles was a steady steep climb up Webster Cliffs to Mt. Webster.Had lunch at Mizpah Hut, then climbed up Mt. Pierce & Franklin. The view was fantastic until we got to Mt. Eisenhower. We ran into a snow squawl, temp dropped and the wind blew something fierce. The last mile to the hut was a tough climb due to the wet slippery rocks, cold temp & high winds, they kept blowing us sideways. That night it was very cold, 31 degrees, wind speeds of 45-70 mph, chill factor was 12-17 degrees, and no heat in the huts. Rocks made it hard on my knees.

08/12 Climb up to Mt. Washington was extremely tough due to the weather. Very cold, wet & windy. The wind kept blowing us around. When we got to the top, the temp was 30 degrees, in the clouds, and winds up to 80 mph. You could not stand up straight, you had to lean into the wind. Because of knees, decided to go down to Pinkham Notch, where I called some friends who were visiting in the area, and they came & picked me up. Stayed with them that evening.

08/13 Friends dropped me off at Pinkham Notch. Sandman & Irish had already eaten breakfast & were getting ready to head out. After I ate, I started the climb up Wildcat Mountain. On the 2nd set of cliffs, near the top, I slipped on some loose rocks and twisted my knee, very sore and hard to put weight on it. At this point, I had a very hard decision to make. I knew that it would be very difficult to continue, and I didn't want to take the chance of permanent damage, so I hobbled back down the Mountain. I called my friends with the hope that they were still in the area, and they came and got me and brought me home with them. I decided to call this hike over for this year, a very tough decision, but I think that it is the right one. I will attempt to complete my hike next year.

08/14 At home, it is hard to imagine that I have hiked 1861 miles since I started this journey in March. I have met some wonderful people both on & off the trail. I would like to say thanks to all the Trail Angels who provided shuttles for the hikers, and to all the people who provided Trail Magic along the trail. Without your support, this journey would have been much harder. I have met so many new friends on the trail, and will keep in contact with them. A very special thank you to my wife Sue, who encouraged me to persue my dream,sent my mail drops, and each week as I called home, was there to encourage me when times were tough & share in the good times along the trail.

Until next time, Afterburner signing off.

Have been stumbling quite a lot lately, have sore knees and ankles from all the slippery rocks and mud. Have arrived in Glencliff, New Hampshire. A small town with only a post office and a hiker's hostel. They provide shuttles to the next town for resupply and food.

Had a great stay at Long Trail Inn, lots of hikers there. They had an Irish singer there over the weekend who called up people from the audience to sing with him. It was very entertaining.

Well, will update as often as possible, see ya down the trail,
Afterburner

07/17 Trail still muddy, with the high temp & humidity, makes it hard to hike. Found trail magic at road crossing just before climb up Stratton Mountain. Magic Rat, an '03 thru hiker from the area, left a cooler full of ice cold soda & beer. Climb up Stratton was tough, rocky & muddy with the temperature in the 90's. Had lunch on top, where I met up with Delicious, last hiked with him in Pennsylvania. Stopped at Stratton Pond to go for a swim. Lots of hikers there. Hiked to Douglas Shelter, an old shelter that was rebuilt last year. 3 young thru hikers from South Carolina came in about 8:00 PM. Hiked 20 miles today.

07/18 Hiked 6 miles to Bromley Lodge. Great to have a hot shower & shave. Did my laundry and just relaxed for a while. Will hit it hard tomorrow. Am in Manchester, Vermont.

Until next time, see ya down the trail,
Afterburner

Following day, hiked into Salsbury for late 2nd breakfast. Met Da Bear in town, last seen him in VA. Hiked over Lion's Head, Bear Mt. & along Sage's Ravine. Found a deep hole in the stream to go for a quick swim, the water was very cold, but fely great. Then hiked Mt. Everett, a one mile uphill over a rock face & many rocks, tough climb. Stayed at Hemlock Shelter.

Hiked 16.4 tough miles today. Over Jug End Mt., then over many rocky uphills, thru 4 miles of a mosquito infested swamp, along a high rocky cliff & over East Mt. Stayed ar East Mt. Retreat Center, great place. Did my laundry & had a nice long hot shower. Met Baltimoron & The Bunny there, They started on April 8th.

Morning was a tough climb over Mt. Wilcox, went into Tyringhan, NY to pick up my mail drop. Climbed Beckett Mt. & stelth camped at Fenerty Pond.

07/10- Morning was easy hiking, then climbed Warner Mt. and hiked into Dalton, MA. Met Orangeman & Danahli in town. Last saw Danahli in Duncannon, Pa. when she was hiking with her son. He hiked with her all thru PA and then went back home. Shared a room at the Shamrock Inn with Orangeman, ordered hot wings and pizza, stayed up late watching the World Cup Finals.

07/11- Got a late start today due to an early morning thunder storm. Got caught in another one just as I started to climb Mt. Greylock. Our first 3500 ft. climb since the Shenandoah's. Tough, long 6.5 mi. uphill. Stayed at Bascom Lodge at the summit, great place and the food was fantastic, all home made and plenty of it. After dinner, climbed the 100 steps to the top of the monument, great views, can see into NY and NH.

07/12- Rainy windy day, decided to zero today. Can't think of a better place. A lot of day hikers came in today Danalhi decided the same, as she is getting off the trail for 3 weeks to go home to Florida and do some work for school. Then she will come back to hopefully finish the trail, if not, she will finish next year.

07/13- Another rainy day. Walked thru ankle deep water & mud on the trail. Boots kept getting stuck in the mud.Took a couple of spills due to slippery rocks. Met my first SOBO, south bound thru hiker, today. He started on Katahdin June 3rd. Met Headinout & Taginalong at the lodge as I was leaving today, last saw then in Boiling Springs, PA.

07/14- Trail still wet & muddy from all the rain, hard to hike. As I was hiking along a beaver pond, there were planks on blocks, to keep you out of the water, or were supposed to. Some of them were submerged and were very slippery. I slipped on one and fwll into the water, everything was soaking wet and muddy. When I got to Rt. #9, I got a ride into Bennington VT. and stayed at the Autumn Inn. Did my laundry and took a much needed hot shower.

07/15- Overslept today, must need more rest than I thought. Decided to "zero" here and finish drying out my things and go to the library for internet access. Glad I overslept, as it has been a long time since I had access.

Well, have now completed 11 states and hiked 1598.1 miles, have just shy of 600 more to go.

Until next time, see ya down the trail,
Afterburner

Surprise, It's me, long time between internet access. Have now hiked 1447 miles, and am 2/3 done. I am now in Kent, Connecticut and will be home for the 4th holidays.

Hiking in Pennsylvania was no picnic, lots of rocks, tons of rocks. Also snakes. Almost got bit by a copperhead on Pulpit Rock, next day, almost stepped on a 4-1/2-foot timber rattler that was lying on the trail. Pennsylvania has some great trail towns, Duncannon, Port Clinton, & Delaware Water Gap. Great hospitality and good food.

Had an encounter with a 450 lb. black bear in New Jersey, I am OK. New Jersey was not what I expected, lots of mountains and rolling farm land, a very beautiful state. Hiked over High Point, the highest point in the state--it had a monument on it, looked like a small Washington Monument.

New York was very rocky and mountainous. The trails were in need of maintainance, very poorly marked and overgrown. Tough hiking with all the rain, you got wet just from the overgrowth collecting moisture at night. Has been raining for over a week now,and all my things are wet and smell pretty bad. Looking forward to being home and seeing everyone again.

Until next time, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers,
Afterburner

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

• Georgia to North Carolina, March 30, 2006
• North Carolina, April 11, 2006
• North Carolina to Tennessee, April 15, 2006
• Tennessee to Virginia, April 23, 2006
• Virginia, May 16, 2006
• Virginia to West Virginia, May 28, 2006
• West Virginia to Pennsylvania, June 6, 2006
• Pennsylvania to Connecticut, June 27, 2006

Nice to be back on the trail again after 5 days off visiying relatives in Washington, DC over the holidays. Am now in Duncannon, Pennsylvania and have hiked 1149 miles and still feel good, except for sore feet from all the rocks each night.

Left Harper's Ferry late and stopped 8 miles at the first shelter. While lighting a camp fire for the night, we saw a 2 foot copperhead snake come out from under a rock, he crawled under the shelter.

Hiked next day, stopped at Gathland State Park, saw the War Correspondent's Monument, the only one in the US. Also the site of a Civil War battle. Also stopped at the Monument Park, saw the first monument to George Washington, looks like a giant stone milk bottle. Met two Eagle Scouts there, drying thier clothes from the night's rain. Had dinner with four other hikers at the Dogpatch Tavern, they let us pitch our tents in the back yard.

Following day, met back up with Sandman, a hiker who I hiked with some time ago, also hooked up with Don Quixote again along with Headinout & Taginalong. Great to be hiking with the old gang again. Hiked thru Antietam Park & Calidonia State Park.

Saw a pilliated woodpecker today. Looks like the cartoon character with black wings, white tipped, with a full red head & stands two feet high.

Hiked to Iron Furnace State Park and stayed at the mansion, what a great hostel. Park has camping and two lakes for swimming. Hiked to Boiling Springs and stayed at the farmer's campground. They have a Veterans park in the center of town. Following day, hiked 25 miles to Duncannon, Pennsylvania. The first half of the day was easy, thru cornfields and farms, the afternoon was spent climbing up over a mountain and over six miles of rocks. My feet are not happy.

Taking today off to relax and recoup. Until next time,
Afterburner

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

• Georgia to North Carolina, March 30, 2006
• North Carolina, April 11, 2006
• North Carolina to Tennessee, April 15, 2006
• Tennessee to Virginia, April 23, 2006
• Virginia, May 16, 2006
• Virginia to West Virginia, May 28, 2006
• West Virginia to Pennsylvania, June 6, 2006
• Pennsylvania to Connecticut, June 27, 2006

Well, I finally hiked over 1000 miles! 1008.3 to be exact, and am now in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

Left Waynesboro, Virginia, and started to hike in the Shenandoah National Park, what a great place to hike. All the trails are very well maintained, and the mountains are not too steep with gradual climbs. All thru the park there are Lodges and restaurants, so you could eat at least one meal a day in the restaurant while hiking. Stayed at Big Meadow Wayside, a lodge & campground. Lodge and camp was full, 850 sites, so a Scout Troop from Virginia let me stay with them. Had a great time. All thru the Park, I saw at least 8 to 10 deer and one bear every day. The deer would just walk off to the side of the trail, and the bears would look at you and then walk slowly away.

Once I got thru the park, you could tell that you were back on the old trail. One day before Harper's Ferry, I hiked over the "Roller Coaster," 13.6 miles of ups & downs over 10 mountain ridges, all while hiking on rocks, then in the middle of it, they throw in "Devil's Racecourse," a short section over bigger rocks. Not a fun day. Hiked 18.3 miles that day to Blackburn Trail Center, a hiker hostel set up by the Patomac AMC. Soaked my aching feet for one hour, then the caretaker made us supper, spaghetti and meatballs, fantastic salad, garlic bread & homemade brownies. Didn't know that they supplied food for the hikers, what a treat.

Thursday, hiked 12 miles into Harper's Ferry, made it there in 4 hours, my feet felt great after soaking them the night before. Walked around town Thursday & Friday morning, very old shops and many Civil War battlefields. Am staying with my cousins in Maryland for the Holidays, and will be back on the trail Tuesday afternoon.

I was very surprised when I got to the Appalachain Trail Center in town. That is where they officially register you and give you a number. I am thru hiker number 122, thought that there would be many more ahead of me--either they dropped out or they have slowed down.

Well, all is well, will keep you updated on my progress, see ya down the trail,
Afterburner

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

• Georgia to North Carolina, March 30, 2006
• North Carolina, April 11, 2006
• North Carolina to Tennessee, April 15, 2006
• Tennessee to Virginia, April 23, 2006
• Virginia, May 16, 2006
• Virginia to West Virginia, May 28, 2006
• West Virginia to Pennsylvania, June 6, 2006
• Pennsylvania to Connecticut, June 27, 2006

Left Troutville and hiked 18.5 miles to Bobblets Gap shelter. Met up with Turtle D, Trurtle M, Gus, Gray Eagle, Stinkey, Matt,and Urangatang at shelter. Urangatang is an Eagle Scout. It was a good day hike, as the rhodadendrons are all in bloom, along with the mountain laurel, wild azalias and the countless other wild flowers. The forrest is all in bloom and it is great walking thru the "rhodadendron tunnels," as everyone calls them. Following day hiked 18.3 miles to Cornelius Creek shelter, again in the rain. Had lunch at Bryant Ridge shelter. It sleeps 20 and is the most elaborate shelter on the trail, there is none like it as it was custom built. Looks like a 2 story fort! Saw my first yellow lady slippers today and my first timber rattler. I prefer looking at flowers, not snakes.

Folowing day, hiked 21.6 miles to Johns Hollow shelter. Hiked across the James River and over the longest footbridge on the trail, across the river. Hiked over two more mountains, past an old US Air Force radar station on Apple Orchard Mountain, and under a rock formation called The Guillotine; easy to see how it got its name. Next day hiked 8.3 miles to Blueridge Parkway and called Earl at the Dutch Haus B&B to pick me up early so I could call home and talk to Harry Jr. That was a great place to stop and get my mail drop, I had the whole place to myself the first night.

Sunday, hiked 18.2 miles to Maupin Field shelter. Everyone told me to make sure that I didn't hike over Three Ridges, a 4,000 ft. climb in 3.5 miles, in a lightning storm. Well guess what, as I got to the start of the second climb, the sky turned black in 19 minutes and then came the lightning storm, with rain & hail. I hunkered down between two big rocks on the trail and waited one hour for the storm to pass, then hiked 5 miles in the rain to the shelter. Met Dudley, Bushwacker and Maverick, another Eagle Scout and on Philmont staff for 5 years.

Next day, hiked in the beautiful sunshine, 21.1 miles to Waynesboro, Virginia. Saw some great views from high on the cliffs about 12 miles from town. In the valley are some perfectly maintained Menonite farms. Next day, slackpacked 16 miles that I missed before, was dropped off at the trail head and picked up later.

Have hiked 847.9 miles so far and am still feeling good, hope my luck holds up. By the way, got my first haircut and shaved off my beard, was getting long and scruffy.

Well,that's all for now, will keep you all informed on my progress.
Afterburner

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

• Georgia to North Carolina, March 30, 2006
• North Carolina, April 11, 2006
• North Carolina to Tennessee, April 15, 2006
• Tennessee to Virginia, April 23, 2006
• Virginia, May 16, 2006
• Virginia to West Virginia, May 28, 2006
• West Virginia to Pennsylvania, June 6, 2006
• Pennsylvania to Connecticut, June 27, 2006

Left Erwin, Tennessee, Easter morning. Hiked for four miles through the most beautiful pine & fur tree forest to the first shelter. The trail followed a stream, criss-crossed by wooden bridges, the birds were singing, and it was a warm and sunny day. This part of the hike was relaxing. Then reality set in, the next 12 miles were brutal, the hike up over the next three mountains were as hard going down as it was going up. Arrived at Cherry Gap shelter in time for supper. Met Old Goat and Die Hard that night. Later Bear Can, Jet Wash and Sputnik came in. It started to rain later that night, and continued for the next three days.

The mountains of Georgia & North Carolina have nothing on Roan Mountain of Tennessee. It was a 6200-foot climb, straight up in the pouring rain. Not a fun day. As I got near the half way point, I was hit by a thunder & lightning storm--not a place to be during this storm! Arrived at the shelter after a 16.5 mile hike in a monsoon. The following day, the sun came out, what a beautiful sight! I think that I have found one of the most beautiful spots on the AT: Buck Mountain is a high grassy-top mountain, covered with the greenest grass that you could imagine. It was short, as if someone had just mowed it. As I looked over the horizon from the top, you could see for miles. It was mountain range after mountain range. I just sat there for an hour, taking in the view.

Hiked for a few more miles to a nice grassy campsite and pitched my tent alongside the stream.

The next morning, as I had just finished eating breakfast and packing my gear, it started to rain again. It stopped around lunch time as I arrived at the next shelter. I ate lunch and put on dry clothes and continued to the Kincora Hiking Hostel. The hostel was a good place to stop, as I got my mail drop there and met some of the nicest people there. Met a man called Healed, who was hiking in a kilt. He has hiked the AT seven times, and also hiked the Pacific Costal Trail, a trail that is 2600 miles long. He has hike this with Anne, his 13 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. She has logged over 10,000 miles.

The following morning it rained, again. Hiked 17 miles with Lancelot, a 26 year old Scout leader from Ohio. We stopped at Vandeventer shelter for the night. Bear Can and Jet Wash decided to push on to the next shelter to be closer to Damasscus. We decided to get up early the next morning and do 24 miles, so we would ony have to hike 10 miles the next day to arrive in town in time for lunch.

We started hiking at 5:00 AM and arrived at the next shelter, 8 miles, at 8:00. Arrived just in time to find Bear Can and Jetwash just leaving. It started to rain, again, and continued all day. We arrived at our next shelter at 3:00 PM and decided that 24 miles was enough. As we were laying out our gear in the shelter to dry, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Oh what a feeling! Later that afternoon, Hobbit, a young thru hiker, arrived. The next morning, we had planned on getting an early start, but during the night, we were hit with a monsoon. We stayed at the shelter until 7:00 AM, with only a light rain, and decided to hike to town. Arrived in Damasscus at 10:15 AM. Checked into the Hostel run by the local church. Nothing fancy, but it has all the basics you need, especially a hot shower. Looking forward to a down day today.

Have hiked into my fourth state, Virginia, and have now hiked a total of 459 miles. Not to bad for an old man! This is a great little trail town, with a population of 1200 people. I can't imagine what it must be like during Trail Days next month, with approx. 10,000 hikers here for the feastival, but I will find out, as I have a ride bad here for the event.

Well, that is all for now, have to enjoy the rest of my down day. Will update further down the trail. See ya all soon,
Afterburner

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

• Georgia to North Carolina, March 30, 2006
• North Carolina, April 11, 2006
• North Carolina to Tennessee, April 15, 2006
• Tennessee to Virginia, April 23, 2006
• Virginia, May 16, 2006
• Virginia to West Virginia, May 28, 2006
• West Virginia to Pennsylvania, June 6, 2006
• Pennsylvania to Connecticut, June 27, 2006

Headed out of Hot Springs after a great down day, saw the Kentucky Boys camped about one half mile outside of town, because of their dogs. Hiked out of the Southern Smokey Mountains National Park and into the Cherokee National Forrest. Very beautiful mountains, most are grass covered tops and everyone had fresh bear scat on them, but never saw a bear. About mid afternoon, ran across some trail magic: Fal & Hercules, previous thru hikers, opened their home for hikers. Menu included stuffed peppers, BBQ beef sandwich on homemade bread, pork stew, baked potatoes, fruit salad, brownie sundae and my favorite, banana split. After eating our full, we all headed out to waddle to the next campsite. When we arrived, we were too full to eat supper, so we made a campfire and then went to bed at "Hikers Midnight," 9:00 PM.

Next day I continued thru the Cherokee Forrest, which is a game preserve. Saw more evidence of bears and hiked 21.5 miles to the next shelter.

Started out early the next morning, as I was headed to meet a friend of mine who lives in North Carolina on the AT. We met in Korea while we both worked for Pratt & Whitney. Mid-morning I ran into more trail magic, three men from an outfitter store in Ohio were set up on the trail cooking breakfast for everyone who hiked thru. Two of the men were previous thru hikers. After two weeks, they will move to Damasscus for more trail magic and then to Pennsylvania to set up again. They are all from Pennsylvania.

I arrived at my friend Bill's home at 11:00 AM, and spent the entire day with him and his wife, Joan. They have a huge log cabin home in a gated community near the trail. It is funny, but one side of thier road is in Tennessee and the other side is in North Carolina Bill drove me to Erwin, Tennessee the next morning and after I checked into the hotel, he drove me around town. Along the tour, we picked up Chillout and Outbreak and took them to the hotel. After lunch, I arranged a ride to the Balds to slackpack back to Erwin. Now I know why so many people do this when thet get close to trail towns, it is so much easier to hike without a heavy pack. Will head out tomorrow morning, will arrive in Damasscus in one week, if all goes well. Just heard on the news that a six-year-old girl was killed and two others were mauled by a bear in Northwest corner of the Cherokee National Forrest, which is a ways from here. They are still looking for the bear.

Have hiked a total of 340 miles so far and am starting to get my "hiking legs"--feel better after hiking all day and don't ache as much.

Until next time, will continue down the trail and keep you informed,
Afterburner

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

• Georgia to North Carolina, March 30, 2006
• North Carolina, April 11, 2006
• North Carolina to Tennessee, April 15, 2006
• Tennessee to Virginia, April 23, 2006
• Virginia, May 16, 2006
• Virginia to West Virginia, May 28, 2006
• West Virginia to Pennsylvania, June 6, 2006
• Pennsylvania to Connecticut, June 27, 2006

Had a great down day at NOC, went white water kayaking in the afternoon and just kind of relaxed rest of day. The climb out of there was hard, 6.5 miles up to the top of the mountain. Spent the next two days hiking to Fontana Dam Village, in North Carolina. Took a down day there also. Caveman showed up the next day, said he only stayed at trail magic for three hours eating. Headed out the next day with Irish, we met up with Handlebar at lunch time and hiked together for a while. Jutebox caught us just before we arrived at the shelter at Russell Field.

The next day, I headedout early, hiked 17.3 miles to Double Spring Gap shelter. I arrived at 3:30 and decided to take a side hike up LeConte Mountain to see the hiker's lodge at the top. The trail was covered with snow and ice, so it took me longer to get there than I thought. Got to the top at 6:30 and decided I wasn't going down the same trail, as I almost went over the edge twice coming up. They fed me supper at the lodge and gave me a cabin to sleep in. The next morning, after breakfast, I headed down the front side of the mountain 5 miles to the road. Hitched a ride to Newfound Gap and hiked 4.5 miles up to where I was yesterday. Lost half a day, but the trip was worth it. The only way to get to the lodge is hike, they resupply each week by llama trains. Met up with Don Quixote, a hiker from England at the shelter. Later John, a park trail runner showed up and told us that there was a bad storm coming tomorrow and not to camp on the mountain tops, stay at the gaps.

In the morning, I did a bonzi 24 mile hike to Standing Bear Farm Hostel, arrived at 6:35 PM. Cooked a pizza for supper and then went to bed. Planned a down day the next day, good thing as it poured all night and all the next day. It was quite the place, nothing fancy, but it had everything a hiked could ask for, including a resupply storeroom, which was on the honor system to pay. Irish and Chillout headed out in the morning rain. Later in the day, Jutebox, Dinosaur, Hellbender, Handlebar, Don Quixote and Supersize arrived. We learned that Pheonix--an AT legend--had passed away at a shelter south of us. He had thru hiked the entire AT many times, and although we were saddened about his passing, we rejoiced in the knowledge that he died where he loved and doing what he loved, hiking the AT.

Headed out the next day with Handlebar, Don Quixote, Morningfit and Outbreak to hike 20 miles to Walnut Mountain Shelter. I arrived about 5 minutes before everyone and found three men from Kentucky at the shelter. They also had two pit bulls with them. Everyone was leary of staying in the shelter and set up tents. I stayed in the shelter and talked to them and thet turned out to be some of the nicest people you could ever meet. It just goes to show you that apperances can be deceiving.

Next day we all hiked to Hot Springs. I stopped at Deer Park Shelter for lunch and found a Boy Scout Troop from Florida there, so as a leader myself, I had lunch with them and talked a while before heading on. Arrived at Hot Springs around 2:00PM, got a room and had a much needed shower. We all headed up to the Mineral Springs at 5:00, there were 11 of us in the hot tub--crowded, but felt so good. Today, I went back for a one hour deep tissue massage; now I feel like a new man. We are all going back to the tubs again tonight. This town is very small and with all the thru hikers here, I think the population just doubled.

I have hiked a total of 271 miles over 41 different mountains, but they are the most rugged and spectacular mountains this country has to offer. Most of them are covered with large groves of giant rhododendrons and mountain laurel with tunnels cut through them for hiking. I also saw some holly trees that were 60 feet tall, covered with bright red berries.

All in all, it has been quite an experience, and I have met a wide range of individuals from all walks of life. You form a bond with each other and you are always concerned when someone doesn't show up when they should. When they do arrive, everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief.

Until next time, I will keep on walking,
Harry--trail name Afterburner

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

• Georgia to North Carolina, March 30, 2006
• North Carolina, April 11, 2006
• North Carolina to Tennessee, April 15, 2006
• Tennessee to Virginia, April 23, 2006
• Virginia, May 16, 2006
• Virginia to West Virginia, May 28, 2006
• West Virginia to Pennsylvania, June 6, 2006
• Pennsylvania to Connecticut, June 27, 2006

Well, it sure has been interesting, the mountains in Georgia are nothing like home. There sure are a lot of them, and I have hiked most of them. A previous thru hiker told me to look to the horizon and pick out the two biggest ones I see, and before the day is over, you will hike both of them. Well he was wrong, I hiked over more than two a day. Hiked thru a Ice storm at Nells Gap, a snow storm at Trey mountain and rain at Alberts Mountain.

Ran into some "trail magic" at Bear Paw trail. Previous thru hikers had set up a big tent for anyone to sleep in, when I arrived at 4:00 PM, they were cooking quesadillas for the hikers, said that spaghetti was for supper, and when they said we were having fresh blueberry pancakes for breakfast, I didn't need any more convincing, I was staying. Was set up by Gatoraide, Flatbread & Fishin' Fred.

Fishin' Fred thru hiked in 1998, when he ran into Gatoraide doing trail magic. Fred had a very bad ankle when he came into camp. There was this man from Florida set up to help the hikers. He helped Fred and Fred noticed that he didn't have a trail name, so he said you are from Florida and you came to my aid, so I will call you Gatoraide, and the name stuck. Fred stayed for the next two months to help them out. They all get together for the summer at Bear Paw until the hikers come thru, then move to Damascus for trail days, and then on to Maine to set up. Hope to see them again.

Ran across a bear at Unicoi Gap, coming dowm from Trey Mt. It was last year's cub, and later I found out it was an orphan. When I got to Hiawasee, I told the owners of the Hiawasee Inn and they said they would call the rangers in the morning to go pick it up. It was very skinny and would not last too long on its own.

Many hikers have dropped off the trail, most due to injury and knee problems. My right knee was bothering me, so today I soaked it in the river for 45 minutes and now feels great. Arrived at Nantahala Outdoor Center yesterday, today is a much needed down day. This place has white water kayaking, mountain biking and hiking facilities, a great place to relax. Oh yeah, by the way, they also have a great restaurant here! Can't get over the number of single young women that are hiking the trail this year, they are a tough bunch, and great companions when we get into camp or towns.

Have hiked a total of 134 miles so far and still feel pretty good. Next update will be Hot Springs North Carolina in about 10 days. Yes, I have hikes 75 miles thru Georgia and 60 into North Carolina.

Well, see ya down the trail
Afterburner

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

• Georgia to North Carolina, March 30, 2006
• North Carolina, April 11, 2006
• North Carolina to Tennessee, April 15, 2006
• Tennessee to Virginia, April 23, 2006
• Virginia, May 16, 2006
• Virginia to West Virginia, May 28, 2006
• West Virginia to Pennsylvania, June 6, 2006
• Pennsylvania to Connecticut, June 27, 2006

A couple years ago we had a few new scouts, fresh from Webelos, with us. One of them was still skittish about camping out and afraid of things like the Daddy Longlegs. Every night his father would go in and sweep them out of the tent before he would go to bed. He was also very concerned about where his father was at all times, etc. He was definitely a nervous type.

One night after everyone had turned in and the campfire was extinguished, we were all suddenly awakened by this terrifying scream coming from this Scouts tent. Followed shortly by his fathers returning screams of "I'm coming." The scout was screaming there was a gorilla in the campsite. Yes, that's right, a gorilla.

Turns out he was right. But it was not a real gorilla... but another scout from an nearby site dressed in a full gorilla outfit on his way to scare some friends of his. He made the mistake though of passing to close to this scouts tent just as he got up to go the bathroom. I think the kid in the suit was as terrifyied as our scout.

To top it off, the father, in his hurry to reach his kid, knocked his bunkmate out of his bunk and almost tripped on a skunk (which would visit our site every night unfortunately... but never sprayed... thank the Lord.).

This was one of those defining moments in Scouting that you never forget though. This same scared scout is now our ASPL and is no longer afraid of Daddy Longlegs or Gorillas.

In the morning we got a pot of water on the stove. After it was boiling we could drop our eggs in to cook. But it was too cold! The water never came to a boil. We dropped the eggs in anyway and left them cook for a very long time, not knowing if they would cook through (or even at all).

Just before the opening ceremony we each took two eggs and put them in our pockets. I often reached in to warm my hands up, and eventually felt daring enough to crack it open: it was cooked through--and tasted great!

Just that quick, the raccoon woke up, stretched, peed, and jumped off my cot and out of the tent.

Yes, it peed on me.

We wanted to get started early. We were driving to the park entrance by 5:30 am, hoping to be on the trail by 6:00. Our caravan heading down the road, we stopped just shy of the parking lot. Two black bear cubs were walking across the road, followed shortly by Mama Bear. We sat in our cars waiting for them to get off the road. And waiting. And waiting. The cubs were having fun playing in the road while Mama watched from the side.

"Honk!" Another car had come up behind us and wanted us to get moving. No doubt, they wanted to get started on their hike, too. "Honk, honk!" The driver got out of his car and was walking to the front of the line to see what the hold-up was. Mama Bear let out a big growl as if to say, "cubs playing here!" The driver stopped mid-step, turned around, and went back to his car!

We watched and waited for the bears a while longer until we heard another car's horn. Another driver walked up, Mama Bear growled, driver went back to his car. And again, horn, driver, growl, car. This must have happened five or six times!

The bears finally moved on and we parked in the parking lot, but it was about 7:30 am now--much later than we wanted to start out! With full water bottles, lunch, extra clothes, and lots of energy, we headed up the trail towards the summit of Mt. Katahdin.

Friday, July Twenty-First

As usual, my Dad and I were playing Clean-Up. We went very slowly since we knew we were nearly back to camp. And once we hit camp, what was there to do? Nothing. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon when I spotted a boat launch area and sign for Kelly’s Diner and Pepsi.

I asked my Dad, “want to get a soda?”

“Sure.”

We stopped at the boat launch and I ran up to get two cans of Pepsi. Going into the diner was almost eerie--it was something right out of a Stephen King novel. Everybody immediately spotted me as somebody canoeing the river--I had my life jacket, hat and sunglasses on, and binoculars and camera around my neck (and let me tell you, that’s a sight unto itself). We had some brief conversation about different Scout Troops who had gone through the Allagash Wilderness Waterway recently. One of the customers said the bridge (our pull-off landmark) was down river about a mile.

So I went back with our sodas. We pushed off and put the paddles in the canoe. And that’s pretty much it. We just rode the current all the way to camp. Ok, so we did have to paddle a little just to stay aimed in the right direction and avoid a few rocks, but we didn’t put any real effort into it. My Dad leaned into his chair and pulled out his fishing pole for a while. I put my feet on the gunnels of the canoe and leaned into my chair, with my camera in my lap.

Eventually we passed under the bridge and spotted camp. We also spied Charlie and Eric coming in from the St. John River, which runs through Canada. We decided that was a good idea and detoured over there, too. Canada and the St. John River has great fishing, as evidenced by my Dad’s Catch-of-the-Day (shown here at life-size--or thereabout).

We got back to the Allagash River and resumed our terribly exhausting Drifting Activities. At around 4:30, we finally made it into camp. So yes, it took us three hours to cover about one mile. We later learned that everybody was worried something was wrong because we were taking so long to get there--they couldn't see us much of the time while we drifted.

Thursday, July Twentieth

I woke up at around 4:00 am shivering from the cold. I slept on top of my sleeping bag last night, and at this particular time I felt that was an idiotic decision. How cold was it? Well, I had to run up to the bathroom so I took a look at my thermometer on the way out: 28 degrees Fahrenheit! Can you believe it--four degrees below freezing in the middle of the summer! We had frost on our tents and a fog was over the water.

For those not "in the know" BSA has an award for sleeping in below-freezing weather (32 degrees Fahrenheit) called the Polar Bear Award. In the winter months in Connecticut this isn't a hard award to receive. (I've lost count of how many I have, but it's gotta be close to two dozen of them.) But this is mid-July and we earned this award. How exciting is that? To sweeten things even further, we later found out that Team 2 didn't get below 35 degrees! According to Griff and Don, they were on higher ground and didn't have any frost on their tents, either.

Months prior, at the weekly Troop meetings, I kept telling everybody that it could get below freezing and that we had to pack appropriately. That is, bringing a hat and gloves was a wise idea, to say nothing of warm pants and coats. Some people laughed at that notion. Ha!

Anyway, I jumped back into my sleeping bag quickly to get warmed up again. 5:30 came too soon and I had to crawl out of bed to get moving for the day. It was still only 32 degrees. I ran over to the backpacking stoves to get them fired up with water to make hot chocolate. We had oatmeal for breakfast, which I'm not so fond of. But ya know, it's just like the bagels: when you're this hungry it doesn’t matter what it is because you'll eat it.