Appalachian Trail

Update

2007-09-04T17:23:00.000-05:00

I figured it was time to post again and let everyone know what's been going on since we got home. It's been a few months now, and it's been nice to be home - I got to go to my brother's graduation and celebrate my birthday with my family. Gadget is working at his farm, getting it back into shape, and I'm sorting out my next four years in college!

That's my most exciting news. A week or two after I got off the trail I found out that I was indeed accepted to the college of my dreams - Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona. I even got a few scholarships totaling 10 grand! It's a huge relocation, and Gadget is moving there too, so there's a lot to be done. The school is amazing. I'm majoring in Adventure Education and minoring in Writing. Adventure Education pretty much means when I graduate, I'll be qualified to do things like run an adventure based tourism business, lead expeditions, work at a place like Outward Bound, or a myriad of other outdoor oriented careers. Ideally, I'd like to combine it with writing and write something like trail guides, travel bios, articles for Backpacker etc., or even outdoor themed novels. I've also got some other interesting ideas floating around in my head - we'll see what happens. I'm very eager to start my classes. I'll be getting credits for rafting down the Colorado, climbing Mt. Shasta, trekking through the desert... playing in the wilderness!

Obviously, this changes things a lot. We had planned on starting back up on the trail in March, but now I'll be in school. There is a possibility that we could hike some during summer break, which is usually sometime in May to August. However,Gadget might be holding a steady job that he wants to keep for the four years we're there. Honestly, I'm not sure if he's so interested in finishing. Which is fine - he keeps saying he's gotten what he needs out of it - but I desperately want to be back out there, so it might just be me.

I thought that thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail was the hardest thing I'd ever do. Now I know I was wrong. The hardest thing I've ever done, by far and away, was leaving the trail, especially unfinished. We've been home a few months now, and every day I miss the trail. Some mornings I still wake up expecting to be in my tent, fumbling for my sleeping bag zipper. I go to bed at night thinking what a luxury it is to be in a bed and not the hard ground for once - and yet, I've been in a bed almost every day for months. I haven't adjusted yet, which is good, because I don't ever want to go back to taking things for granted. It's hard though - hard to read friends trail journals, hard to look at our pictures, hard to hang out on whiteblaze. You go to this amazing place, to the trail, and your faith in humanity is restored. Every day you meet wonderful people, every night you go to sleep with an innate sense of accomplishment. Then you hurt yourself, and go home, and suddenly it's... where are the angels? What did I do to be proud of today? Wait- what happened?

Gadget and I have long said that whenever on of us feels one way, the other feels the opposite. My ankles are healed. I'm fine. But Gadget isn't. We've gone backpacking several times lately - once we set out for a weekend, once a week, and a couple long day hikes or overnights. Every time we've had to turn back because Gadget is having serious problems with his knee. We don't know whats wrong - he's going to the doctor soon - but he can't hike for more than a few miles without it hurting excruciatingly. I'm worried about him. Hopefully we'll get it all straightened out soon.

I guess that's all for now. To everyone we met along the way who made our journey that much more enjoyable, and to all our trail-mates, thank you. My time on the trail was the best time of my life, and that's all due in little bits to all of you. God bless, stay safe, and keep the dream.

Take a hike!

-Scribe

Hikers invade gadget's house

2007-07-23T12:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took some soda's and water out to Lehigh Gap and sat with them for 3 hours, met a few hikers and they were very grateful of the drinks.

I've been talking to Persistent on and off, and found out that her and her group (Melk, Ronin, and Young Eagle) were closing in on our home turf. We made arrangements to meet at 9pm at Little Gap.

So, at 9pm, I arrived and stole them from the trail, got them laundered and showered. We opted to spend the night in a lovely campsite I set up.

Today it's been raining all day, so everyone got a late start getting up, and we all went out to a local diner for breakfast. They've been convinced to zero here (it wasn't really hard considering the weather). So now their all piled in my room reading, watching tv, and using the internet.

Somehow even after being off the trail, I can still convince hikers to take zero's.

-Gadget-

New Website

2007-07-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

While this isn't exactly trail news.. Hiking the trail has given me a different outlook on life, it has made me respect the environment more, and want to help it even more than I did before.
So, I have started a new website dedicated to Alternative Energy and Green living.

You can visit it at http://www.do-it-green.com.

This will also give me something to occupy some of my time while we're off the trail.

-Gadget-

Off the trail :(

2007-06-30T15:14:00.000-05:00

Hey All,
I just wanted to let you know that we're now officially off the trail. After two separate ankle injuries that took us off trail for two weeks each and then spending about four days sick with stomach viruses and colds in a hotel just off the trail, we felt it was time to call it quits. It was a very hard decision, and we weighed many factors, the main one being that we feel we have missed too much of the trail to be able to finish it this year. The plan is to try again next March, now we have some insight on just what it entails. We had a great time, had many adventures, and saw some awesome sights. We have a lot of good memories, and lots of great photographs.

We also have alot of friends that couldn't finish this year, and are looking forward to starting next year with them.

WhoAh - I don't believe I have your e-mail address, but we're interested in when you might be starting again.

Until March, this blog is going to have regular goings ons here, as well as our training hikes.

I'll keep you all up to date on our plans.

-Gadget-

Thanks

2007-06-18T10:49:00.001-05:00

Just a short note to thank all those that have given us the encouragement to keep going on. It's a big help. -gadget-

Troutville, Not Troutdale

2007-06-18T02:01:00.001-05:00

Well, we finally made it to the other trout town, after a long wait. Currently at the econo lodge, and will be hiking out in the morning. Our Next town stop will be glasgow, Va.

Philly

2007-06-08T23:29:00.000-05:00

We've been in Philly for almost a week now. It's almost time to return to the trail, but my ankle isn't completely healed. It's still swollen and strange looking, although the discoloration is minor compared to before. It hurts a little still, and it's obviously still injured. I'm going to try to get back on the trail and hike, hoping it will stay strong.

Philly has been fun, although it's tough to do anything in a city without any money. Still, we went to a concert that Kerri's band, Drive Through Pharmacy, was in. (If you walk in with the band and help carry their equipment, nobody asks you for a ticket.) That was a lot of fun, and yesterday we saw Shrek 3, which was just ok. Tonight was the best - my parents drove down and we all went to our friend Gerry Timlin's pub, the Seanicie. Gerry and his singing partner Tom played and sang for us. It was so good to listen to some Irish music again. It's been too long since I've been to a pub. It was wonderful to see my parents. I had been upset that we were so close to home and wouldn't get to see them. Thanks for coming!

The plan is to drive back to the trail Sunday, and either camp a mile or so up the trail or find a cheap place to stay that night and head out Monday morning. Another week off the trail is going to make us that much softer so we expect it to be hard again, but then again, when isn't it hard?

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Let's hope for a miraculous recovery.

More pictures up.

-Scribe

Ankle Talk

2007-06-07T18:58:00.001-05:00

Gadget and I spent the night at the Relax Inn in Atkins trying to figure out what to do next. It's so hard, because injuries are tricky - you don't want to waste too much time sitting around, but you don't want to injure them worse because then you'll have to sit around way longer. This particular injury, however, was a no-brainer. I could barely hobble around on it, and it was clear that we would have to take some time off... again.

Unfortunately, there were no hostels within a hundred miles that we could rest, and we certainly don't have the money for a week in a hotel room, so we were at a loss of what to do. Thankfully, our friend Kerri called and said she happened to be doing nothing and would love for us to come stay with her! Incredibly, she was willing to make the 5 hour drive down, pick us up, and take us to her place, provided we help her move into her new apartment. So that's what we did.

On the bright side, we've gotten to spend time with a good friend and even helped her out a little. On the not so bright side, we're starting to get worried. Maine is still a long way off, and all this recovery time is cutting into our hiking time. We took a lot of time off in Franklin way back, and then the 2 1/2 weeks at home healing my tendinitis, and now another week here. I feel like I'm cursed with ankle problems. Thats over a month of down time. Now we're at the point where we need to be doing bigger mile days, but we're still nursing injuries and can't. I'm not sure what that means as far as getting to Maine before Baxter State Park closes for the season.

Anyway, Gadget made a few extra bucks working on the apartment building for the landlord here (he's so handy!) and wants to go see Shrek the Third. I'll post more later tonight or tomorrow.

-Scribe

Rocks, Rocks, Rocks

2007-06-02T20:35:00.001-05:00

Well, we have some bad news. scribe twisted/sprained/generally hurt her right ankle on a rocky stretch of trail. this is the other ankle from the one that was hurt before. it's all swollen and black and blue, and she can't walk on it. so, we're not really sure what to do now. we did make it to atkins, va today, however that was by a 4 mile taxi detour. the only good thing that happened today was that we were reunited with certain 'Yay!' will post more when we get to a real computer. -gadget

Trapped in Troutdale

2007-05-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

Alright, we're not reall trapped. We're just waiting until Tuesday morning to get our maildrop out of the post office. We took a zero yesterday because Scribe's achilles was hurting after a real rocky day, and we're just not willing to risk injuring it again. We had a good day - a really good church sermon about the outdoors in the morning, a church picnic in the afternoon, some volleyball, a little Fluxx, dessert at the cafe, and a late night movie on a tiny screen under a pavilion with 5 or 6 hikers huddled around- Thanks, Tumbler. (FYI - Troy is a quite good flick) We shared the hostel that isnt really a hostel with several hikers, trail dog Max, and 3 girls who were biking across country, from the Va coast to Oregon. It was really interesting to compare the lifestyles of long-distance biking and hiking. Their bike ride was also a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, so I donated and got to draw on their banner for $1 a square inch. My AT symbol with our trail names on it was a nice addition to this super-cool keepsake. They were really fun and inspiring people, and I wish them every happiness on their journey. Good luck, girls!

Today we slackpacked 8.5 miles from Fox Creek to Dickey Gap. We saw yet another snake, this time a small harmless Garter. It refused to get out of the trail, and at first we weren't even sure it was alive. Finally Gadget resorted to flicking it aside with his trekking pole, and the poor thing ended up airborn, and then stuck in a tree. We watched until it found it's way down, and then moved on. The rest of the day's hike was pretty uneventful, other than meeting a nice section hiker named Kimo who was finally finishing up his thru-hike. He reminded me a lot of Gerry Timlin, for those of you who know who that is. Then we hitched a ride in the back of a pick-up, and tonight will be our last night sleeping on a picnic table under a pavilion at the so-called hostel. If that sounded unappreciative, I'm sorry, it wasn't meant to - a picnic table is just fine for me on a rainy night.

The rest of the pictures are up. Take care!

-Scribe

Troutdale, not Troutville

2007-05-26T17:41:00.000-05:00

We're in Troutdale, Va in a lovely little restaurant that caters to hikers. There is a limited resupply, a hostel, free showers, and free internet here, plus the yummiest cheeseburgers on the trail so far, next to Slick B and Holly Trout's. Jerry and Susana, who run the place, are super friendly and nice. We have a maildrop sitting in the post office here, but we didn't realize it was Saturday and the post office closes early. Tomorrow is Sunday, and Monday is Memorial Day, so we're out of food and stuck in town. I'm not sure what we're going to do, maybe slackpack a few days or try to make it to the next town on the slim jims and potato chips the little store here sells. We'll see. Tonight we're sleeping in the Baptist Church up the road a bit, super nice people who don't mind that we're coming to their morning service in hiker clothes. They're doing a lunch for hikers tomorrow also, which is really nice of them.

The last few days have been beautiful on the trail, although there has been some rain. We hiked through the Grayson Highlands, which were awesome, and with the wildflowers, rain, and wild horses made me think more of the Scottish Highlands than the fields of Montana they are supposed to resemble. Even with the drizzle there were some incredible views, but that wasn't even the best part. The ponies, oh, the ponies! They were so beautiful and fun, each with a different personality. Some ran and hid, some were curious, and some were outright rambuncious. My two favorites were the black mare with the long hair that we nicknamed "Dreds", who kept gnawing on all our gear, and a younger pony who seemed detached from the rest of the herd, just standing on a hilltop with the wind in her mane gazing off in the distance. When she spotted us she tossed her head , whinnied, reared and dissapeared into the fog. She was absolutely breathtaking. We also got to see lots of new foals, including a newborn with the umbillical cord still attached. Pretty neat! One of the babies grabbed my trekking pole in his mouth and tried to walk off with it. It was very cute. All the horses want salt, so they love sweaty hikers that they can lick and chew on their gear. Sometimes it was hard keeping them away.

We saw other interesting wildlife too the past few days. We almost stepped on a copperhead (yikes). There are lots of snakes out right now. We also saw a white-tailed deer running across the highlands, a red squirrl or two, and a really funny looking rabbit. I really have no idea what it was.

We had a good time at Wise Shelter last night, hanging out with Hong Kong Fuey, Dragonbreath, Topsoil and Raffle, blowing up empty fuel canisters and firecrackers (boys...), and ragging on the dayhikers who were camping next to a sign that said "No Camping." Genious. HKF also caught a cooked up a couple crawfish - he had never had one before, so we got to teach him how to cook and eat one. It was amusing

We'll add pictures of the Highlands and ponies as soon as we can, but the computer here is tediously slow, so we can't do it now. Love to all!

- Scribe

On the trail again...

2007-05-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

Early Monday we headed back out on the trail after a 3 week hiatus. We were so excited to be back, and the first day out was perfect. We took the Virginia Creeper Trail out to where it met up with the AT, and it was beautiful. The Creeper Trail used to be an old railroad, so the entire thing is no more than a 6% grade uphill. It follows Whitetop Laurel Creek almost the whole way, and we discovered some amazing swimming holes and waterfalls during our hike. There were around 30 train trestles on the trail, and we had fun watching the native brook trout jumping. The trail also ran right past a cafe - it's not everyday you can stop in for ice cream and air conditioning during a backpacking trip. We also went through some pastures and fields. Someone was very lucky to have the farmhouse and hilly meadows between two mountains with a trail through their front yard. It was a gorgeous place. We did an easy 12 miles that day, and camped on a sandy beach right next to the creek. Scribe built a kicking campfire and the moon hung over the mountain top in a perfect silvery crescent. It was a good place to be.

The next day, we left the Creeper Trail and returned to the rough and rugged AT. What a shock to our systems! Getting back on after so much time off is a whole other ballgame. Our feet hurt again, we were sloooow on the uphills, our legs didn't want to cooperate... we both got huge nasty blisters. I guess it's going to take some time to get our trail legs back and get used to this whole hiking thing again. The first few miles were good - we saw a deer sillouetted prettily in the trail ahead. Chris reached for his camera, and it jumped away, so no picture... sorry. It wasn't a whitetail... maybe a mule deer? Are they around here? A quarter mile later we crossed our last train trestle. This one was 150 feet and 500 feet long. We found a snakeskin on it, and a few minutes later we found the snake it had belonged to. It was still shedding, so that was neat to see. We took lunch at a crowded shelter, and then began the big climb of the day. Man oh man, are we not used to this anymore! We climbed Whitetop Mountain, the second biggest mountain in Virigina, and abour 4 miles of steep climbing. It took forever, and by the time we reached the top, we were beyond done for the day. We camped near the summit. It was really pretty and unique - not quite a bald, but not a traditional summit either. Good views, and fun rocks perched here and there.

Today we took a half day. It's harder than we expected, getting back into the swing of things. We didn't want to make our blisters worse, they're really uncomfortable to walk on, and Scribe had a bad, bad headache. Our dispositions were lousy because we were headed to Mt. Roger's (the tallest mt. in Va) and the Grayson Highlands, and it was pouring and miserable out. We didn't want to battle that big mountain in a storm, and more importantly, we wanted to go through the highlands when it was beautiful weather. The Grayson Highlands are akin to Montana Grasslands, and inhabited by wild horses and cattle. It's said to be one of the best places on the trail, and utterly breathtaking. No way were we slogging through in bad weather, so we called it a day near a road and hitched into Damascus for a shower and a decent dinner. We ate at the Old Mill, which was fantastic beyond belief, and now we're sleeping in a $10 hostel on a wooden platform covered with a thermarest. It kind of resembles a bed, but not quite. We took showers - heavenly- and washed our clothes at the same time. It never ceases to amuse us that this feels like luxury after a few days in the woods.

Keep your fingers crossed and pray for us that our transition from townies to hikers goes smoothly. We've posted a few more pictures. Love to all.

-Scribe

Last Day Of Trail Days

2007-05-20T16:57:00.000-05:00

Well, we decided to stay in town for the last day of trail days. The parties are winding down and coming to an end, and the tent city we're camped in is thining out. We'll be heading out of here tomorrow morning and are planning on doing ten to twelve miles.

-Gadget

Trail Days

2007-05-19T16:01:00.001-05:00

Well, we made it to trail days yesterday afternoon. Scribe's parents drove us down (they wanted to come to trail days anyway) and us hikers slept the whole way.

We are having a blast. The girls, Persistant and Certain, are here and it was great to see them again. We all went out to dinner together, which was nice. My parents got to meet them, which was great cause they've been following their journals online. It's going to be a short reunion though, because poor Certain has developed plantar fasciatis and has to take some time off. She's going ahead to Wayneboro to stay with her friend, and then going to hike on from there, so she'll be ahead of us. Persistant is hiking on alone, so we might be with her for a while. The best of luck to both of you, and I'm praying for a speedy recover for you, Certain.

We got to see some other friends too, which was really great, and the festival is a lot of fun. We hiked in a parade that is basically a big water fight between the hikers and the locals. We carried water guns and water balloons, and the locals pelted us with fire hoses and other unfair high powered things that we can't carry. Cheaters! Then we went to the talent show, which was hysterical. After that they announced the winners of drawings. Earlier we had taken a quiz on the trail and those of us who got hundreds got entered in the drawings. We all aced it, even Scribe's parents which impressed us a lot, so we were entered in the drawing. There we several small prizes and then they announced thewinner of the grant prize - a $250 Hennessy Hammock, along with it's accessories, a granite gear eyeglass case, and several stuff sacks. And the winner was..... Scribe's Dad! It was really exciting because he had just been saying he wanted one! Yay!

We're camped in the giant rowdy tent city tonight, and looking forward t the big bonfire and drum circle. Depending on what happens tomorrow, we'll either hike out then, or monday. Scribe's mom and dad are leaving in the morning - we'll miss you.

We posted some pictures of trail days. Enjoy.

-Scribe

Home Sweet Home

2007-05-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

Don't Panic - we're not giving up. The doctor informed Scribe that she has to take two weeks off, minimum, for her ankle to heal. If she keeps walking on it, chances are we will have to give up for good. So, we're off the trail for 2 weeks or so. It really sucks, but health comes first. We'll be back out there right around trail days. See you all in Damascus!

-Gadget

Time out for Spas

2007-04-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hot Springs! You know what's in Hot Springs? Hot Springs!

Scribe has been waiting 270 miles to soak in the natural mineral baths in this town. She's super excited about it.

Hot Springs is a big physcological milestone on this hike. It's one of the most well-known trail towns, and it was great to be here. We took two zero days here, partly because everything closes at 4 or 5 and it's hard to get everything done, and partly because Scribe's ankle was in a lot of pain. She tried to see a doctor, but their specialist was out of town.

We stayed at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn, a historical place that used to house German fraus in town to visit their husband in POW camp/hotels and other interesting people. The history there is really cool, and it's all antique decorating and stuff.

We don't have much time (the outfitter is closing) but we'll post more from Erwin, Tennesse. We should be there in 6 days.

We just posted 300 pictures and captions - check them out, and leave us comments!

Groundhog Creek Shelter

2007-04-20T21:10:00.001-05:00

In for the night at Groundhog creek shelter. 10.3 miles today. Heading to max patch tomorrow.

Springtime Snowstorms in the Smokies

2007-04-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

We found a little time and a computer, so let me tell you a bit about the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

The smokies were beautiful, really fantastic hiking. It's the highest mountain range on the AT until the Whites up north, and the highest we've been ever. The AT crosses it's highest point here. The mountains range above 6,000 feet. The highest mountain we'd climbed prior was 4,000 feet in the Catskills, so it was a new experiance being up on the high ridges. The views were incredible - check out the pictures. We saw some wildlife: a coyote, a mother bear and two cubs, a red squirrel, lots of pretty birds.

Our first few days were good but cold, nothing super-exciting to write about. Then one night when we were still a good mile or more from the shelter, it began to pour and thunder and lightning. Now, this may not seem like such a big deal, but let me tell you, being the tallest object on an exposed ridgeline at 6,000 ft with lightning flashing all around you isnt just scary, it's downright dangerous. We had to make a tough call. Either 1.) immeditley bushwack down the side of the mountain to slightly lower ground, shed our pack and poles and spend a freezing night exposed in the rain crouching on our foam packs in our raingear 200 yds away from each other (risking hypothermia), or 2.) run for the shelter, and lower ground (risking a strike). Since we were only a mile or 2 away, we ran.

We made it safely (soaked) to the shelter and shared it with 2 weekending navy boys (dry), an overnighter and another thru-hiker (both soaked) named Hartly Hounddog. The good navy boys shared carrots with us - fresh veggies, yum! The other non-thru-hiker gave us some food too. I think he felt bad. Later that night two more thru-hikers rolled in, SwampFox and BlueSky from Bangor, ME.

In the morning we noticed the couple from Maine had left a bunch of food garbage in the fireplace, probably not thinking much of it, but that attracts mice and bears and various other critters. We started a quick fire to burn it and dry out our clothing. By the time we were ready to leave, we looked outside and -surprise surprise - it was snowing. Not flurrying, mind you, really blowing down. In an hour we had an inch accumilated. Hikers started pouring in, half of them unfocused and distant, a few thinking they were hot (advanced hypothermia). Now, there was no way we were heading out in below freezing, snowstorm conditions with sopping wet clothing. Again, hypothermia is a real risk out here. We stayed put, kept the fire burning, hung clotheslines, heated hot water bottles, plyed the hypothermic hikers with hot tea and stayed as warm as possible. It was the smartest thing we could have done.

To make a really long story slightly shorter, we ended up sharing a 12 person hiker with 25 people. We were packed like sardines. There were like 10 on the top level, 12 on the bottom and 3 on the dirt floor near the fire. One person tented. A few pushed on through the storm to the next shelter. It was below freezing in the shelter, but 25 bodies warmed it up a little. When we all fired up our stoves to make dinner the temperature jumped like 7 degrees for a few minutes!
We met some neat people, like Sandalwood, a lovable carpender from Toronto, and Mike, a Pa-born missionary based in China taking a break.

The next morning there was just under a foot of snow outside. Hiking to the next shelter was infuriatingly slow-going. I feel so bad for whoever headed out first and had to break trail. It was hard enough following footsteps. On the ridges, it was difficult to push through the gale-force winds trying to blow us off the mountains. Everywhere else, we had to negotiate tons of fresh blowdowns. Climbing over huge trees, getting lost in the evergreen branches, and then having to scout for the trail again is quite an experiance.

The next few days weren't much better. The snow started to melt, but then the trail was always one of three things: slushy, muddy, or icey. Still, we consider ourselves lucky for several reasons. One, we made it through safely by the grace of God and good decisions. Two, we got to see and experience a side of the Smokies many people don't get too see. And three... I'm not sure I've ever seen anything as beautiful as that snowy wonderland that we walked though for 3 days.

Safe and sound

2007-04-18T23:57:00.001-05:00

Made it through the Smokey mountains alive and kicking. In town for the night with Persistant and Nicole.

Will be in Hot Springs in four days. Will post more info and pics from there.

Stress fractures, blisters, and food poisoning, oh my!

2007-04-12T10:13:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to fill everyone in on what been going on to slow us down. We haven't made a lot of miles, and have spent more time in town than we'd like. For some reason, we keep hitting a stream of bad luck. Maybe we're being tested. Here's what gone wrong:

1. Stress fracture: Scribe, as you know, has a very hurty ankle. Without a brace, she can hardly walk on it. It's getting better slowly, and as long as we don't do too many miles, it should heal itself eventually.

2. Blisters: Although these don't seem like a bit deal, they actually can ruin your hike pretty fast. Not only are they painful, but they get infected very easily, and once infected can cause blood poisoning. You really have to be careful with them out here.

3. Cold: Like we said, Ron shuttled over a hundred hikers in last week, many of whom were hypothermic. Hypothermia is the leading cause of death in hikers, and so, when a cold and wet spell is coming, we tend to play it safe and book it into town. Scribe has a general cold.

4. Food poisoning: I got food poisoning from Easter trail magic. How's that for ironic? That kept us in town 3 extra days, and was no fun at all. A batch of hikers had it. A few even had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night!

5. Shuttles: With town being so busy with all this cold and sickness, we haven't been able to get too many shuttles to slackpack and make up some miles. They're swamped here, which we can totally understand.

6. Knee problems: I have a trick knee - sometimes it acts up and sometimes it doesn't.

7. Other stuff: Everyday, something new pops up that we have to deal with. Sunburn, posion ivy, menacing black flies, and other general annoyances barely slow us down, but enough to be mentioned here.

Anyway, we finally feel at least 70 to 80 % of our healthy selves now, and we just wanted to let everyone know we're heading back out. We still have to tangle with some of these issues, but it's all part of the journey. We're heading back out today. Good riddance town! Wish us luck!

$42,000 worth of emeralds

2007-04-11T23:08:00.001-05:00

Emeralds we found

Today we went gem mining, just for fun. I'm a bit of a rock hound, so we thought it would be neat to find some local stones to send home as soviniers. Well, we ended up doing a bit (a lot) better than we expected - if we were to cut and polish and sell all the stones we found, we could make about $70,000 to $80,000. Of course that would be a big hassle, and they are only worth as much as someone will pay for them, but we'll probably get a few of our favorites polished up. It's $60 a Caret to get them cut, and then they're worth around $300 a Caret - not a bad net profit! We found emeralds, sapphires, and rubies. The emeralds in Scribe's hand above are worth about $42,000 when finished!

Slackpacking - Day 2

2007-04-10T08:49:00.000-05:00

When we woke up this morning, we both felt not rested, and I still feel a bit sick. I think we're gonna head up to the trail and slackpack 4 miles from Rock Gap to Winding Stair Gap a bit later this afternoon. Doing so cuts the 14 miles the next day down to 10 miles, which will help.

Also found out today that the Internet Cafe in town is closed till April 17th, so I prolly won't be able to post more pictures until we get to Fontana Dam.

Sickness

2007-04-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

Woke up today with a nasty stomach ache, thinking it might be food poisioning from the Easter Trail Magic at Rock Gap. Scribe said she didn't eat the bacon cause it didn't taste right, but not until after I had already finished mine.

Stayed in bed most of the day, and we wondered around town and checked out the Gem Musuem, and the Scottish Tartan Museum. Will try and get back out tomorrow depending on how I'm feeling.

Slackpacking - Day 1

2007-04-08T16:41:00.000-05:00

Today we slack packed from Mooney Gap to Rock gap, close to 8 miles. We meant to push on to Winding Stair, but as we came into Rock Gap, we stumbled upon some Easter Trail magic.

The trail magic crew even had menus they were handing out so you could custom order omlets, sandwiches, drinks, and what kind of chips you wanted with your meal.

We ended up being the last people they serviced before packing up. As we were finishing up our food, Ron drove past with the shuttle and we flagged him down for a ride back to Franklin. We figured it would save him a trip back out later.

Tomorrow we're planning on doing Wayah Bald back to Rock Gap, which is a 14 mile stretch.

Happy Easter everyone!

Franklin - Take 2

2007-04-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Well, we're back in Franklin now, and I'm trying to get my blog up to date. There's no Internet service up in the mountains here, so posting will be far and few between.

We planned to Slackpack the 11 miles from Mooney Gap to Winding Stair Gap today, should be an easy hike without packs. Unfortunatly we can't get a shuttle to the trail today because the people driving them are busy rescuing hypothermic hikers from the mountain tops. It's probably for the best, because with temperatures as they are I'm not sure I even want to be slackpacking out there. Our gear is not rated for this cold.

It is COLD out there. It's zero degrees in the mountains, with a 20 to 25 mph wind which makes it feel like -22. That's during the day - I can't even imagine how cold it will be tonight. Tons of people who made the decision to stay out in the cold last night are in dangerous conditions on the mountains. Hypothermia is the #1 killer of hikers. Luckily, Ron and KTR (the shuttle people) are incredible and are working their butts off bringing hikers to the warmth. So far over the last 2 days they've pulled over 70 hikers into safe conditions.

It's still snowing here, and they're calling for record low temps tonight, luckily we'll have a nice warm room.

I'll post more when I get a chance, but other people need to get on the computers now.

-Gadget-