Daicy Pond Trail; Baxter State Park. June 2010

Mt. Katahadin, I didn't have my camera but found this image here:

http://johnsifferman.com/img/katahdin.jpg 

When I awoke my two trail friends had taken off to  hike south.  I am usually the early bird, but being tired from the climb up Baxter Peak, I chose to sleep in.  While I was doing my camp chores the family next door invited me over for a hot breakfast sandwich.  They made me a delicious Canadian Bacon, melted cheese, on warm tortilla wrap.  I learned that they had recently moved back to Maine from Colorado, and they were about to move again to Aurora, Illinois.  They were both teachers and migrating to where work could be found.  They loved the outdoors; hiking, biking and camping.   I was able to tell them about the awesome Palos Trails.  Such kindness shown to me by my camp neighbors was just the first act of love that I would see reapeated over and over again along the Appalachian Trail.

This day I had reserved to search the side of Katadin where the Bicknell's Thrush nests.  The trail I wanted to take is called the Chimney Pond Trail.  The weather on Katadin was terrible so I abandoned my plan to take that trail and decided to spend this rainy day walking the Daicy Pond Trail.  I found that my muscles were sore from climbing Katadin and happily the walk around Daicy  Pond which was relatively flat, giving me a days rest before heading into the 100 Mile Wilderness.  The trail goes south from the AT around Daicy Pond, and back to the AT. There is a little fishing camp and vacation cabins along the pond.  The cabins are roomy and have front porches looking over the pond, where in the morning time Moose are known to feed.  I waved hello to  several campers on their front porch drinking coffee and cooking breakfast from coleman camp stoves.  At the Daicy Pond Camp there is a common area, open to all, where campers can play cards, board games or read books donated to the aging library.  Children's art work, illustrating the plants and animals  of Daicy Pond, are taped to the wall. 

On the Daicy Pond trail I found  many singing warblers and other birds.  The warblers I found were:  Black-throated Green, Myrtle Yellowrump, Black-throated Blue, Common Yellowthroat and Magnolia Warblers.  Also, there were many Swainson's Thrush, Least Flycatcher, Winter Wren and Cedar Waxwing. 

 Myrtle Yellowrump

It was raining again as I broke camp at Baxter Park and headed south toward Abol,  where the section of the trail known as, "The 100 Mile Wilderness,"  begins.  The trail out of Baxter is about 10 miles and passes along Katahadin Stream, past Big Niagara Falls, and across Nesowadnechunk Stream.  Nesowadnechunk Stream was my first ford that I was to do.  When I got to the part where the trail ended and my side of the trail and picked up on the opposite bank I nealy had a panic attack.  Two days of rain had made the crossing chest deep, from what I could tell.  There was an alternate route (a blue blazed trail) in case the stream was high, which I took.  The alternate trail wound around the stream and through a swampy area.  I came to a section of Nesowadnechunk stream that was supposed to be easier to cross.  There was no choice.  My boots were already wet from two days of rain, so putting on stream shoes made little sense.  I walked into the water.  It was up to my hips.  I crossed over and survived my first river crossing.  It was exillerating!  

On my way out of Baxter State Park there were singing Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Northern Parula and Magnolia Warblers. Also, Least Flycaters were singing along the streams.  I found a lone female Common Merganser on the Nesowadnechunk.  I also found my first (so far my only) Canada Warbler  singing from the brushy understory along the trail. 

On leaving (or entering) Baxter State Park hikers sign their name at a wooden kiosk.  Also, at the Kiosk there is information about Baxter and  "Leave No Trace."  At the kiosk southbound hikers, sign out and northbound hikers sign in using their trail names.  Trail names are a way for hikers to keep up with one another.   I could see that my camp partners were using their everyday names.  They hadn't yet been given or given themselves a trail name.  

THE 100 MILE WILDERNESS

At Abol there is a campground and a little general store.  I stopped in for a sandwich and beer.  Stopping at the Abol Store is one strategy thru-hikers use to help extend supplies through the wilderness, where there is little opportunity to resupply for the next 100 miles. There were local people hanging out.  I said, "Hello," to a senior hooked up to oxygen.  He was having coffee.  I told him I was from Chicago and we got a lively conversation going about the oil spill and Obama. He liked Obama!  I found few people along the AT in Maine who did!  I never really appreciated beer until I began this hike.  It is the most easily found "healthy" beverage in the little general stores that service hikers along the trail and the brands sold are representative of the nearby culture.  Maine folks like to drink Shipyard and Double Bag.  In Pennsylvania there is Ying Ling. The people in the Abol store gave me a weather warning; severe storms were forcasted.  I decided to eat quickly and head into the wilderness for the first shelter which was only about 4 miles from the trail head. 

I crossed the west branch of the Penobscot River by bridge.  Following the White Blaze I walked down the road to a gravel area that looked like the local dump.   I lost the White Blaze trail marker.  I hiked a little further and seeing no sign of the White Blaze I turned back to where I had last seen one near the bridge.  This time I crossed the street and found a parking area for trail users.  I decided that the trail must pick up down a gravel road that seemed to go south along the Penobscot River.  After walking a mile and finding no white blazes I turned back again.  When I got back to the parking lot I walked it from corner to corner.  I found the trial picked up in an overgrown, weedy patch along the road.  I wasted about and hour getting lost. 

There is an intimidating sign when you enter the "Wilderness,"  warning the hiker  with excitement entered.  The trail was muddy because of the rain.  It ran through a spruce forest section, across a bog and into another forest section, that opened up to a large pond.  The bog section had a board walk section and some wooden bog bridges.  I found that the wooden bog bridges are often rotted and sometimes even submerged under the muddy peat.  Sometimes they simply disappear.  You can sometimes find out where to step by probing the mud with a treking pole, but on other occassions, they are completely absent. 

Mahoosac Arm & Notch, Maine




"I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being."  Dalai Lama

This post card was sent to Priscilla and shows life along
the trail between the Mahoosacs, ME to the NH border.

 At the end of July I was closing in on completing my first state!  Oh,  beautiful Maine! I had arrived at the part of the trail called the Mahoosuc Range.  I was sitting by SPECK POND, having lunch with the campground caretaker, Steve.  We were talking about the birds and animals around Speck Pond.  Steve is a musician and has a fine ear for recognizing bird call.  He was working to learn the different Thrush species.  We were both stumped over a certain sound coming from the leafy woods.  It was certainly a bird but neither one of us recognized the call or could place it exactly on my IPOD.  This bird needed some patient stalking and observing.  Steve suggested that I stay at the Speck Pond shelter because a severe storm had been forcasted for the afternoon.  But the sky was clear and sunny.  I decided to hike on. 

The Mahoosuc Arm and Notch were coming up next.  The Arm starts at 3,720' and drops rapidly, down a long rock slab trail, to 2,150', where the Notch begins.  The arm offers very little in the way of hand holds for the hiker except trees and tree roots.  The rock slab can be very slippery when wet so going up or down can be treacherous in the rain.  The notch is infamous among hikers for being a boulder playground.  The length of the arm is only 1/2 mile(?) but can take 2 hours or more to cross because the hiker must figure out how to climb over, under, around or through giant rocks. This takes time.  Sometimes going through small rock caves, a hiker must remove a backpack in order to squeeze through.   There is ice in many of the caves year round.

As I hiked around Speck Pond and began my descent down the arm a little, dark, chicken like bird appeared on the trail coming toward me.  I noticed that it was a grouse .  Its dark feathers were tipped with white.  It had a red eyebrow.  This was one of my most sought after trip birds, and a LIFER!  I heard a group of hikers coming up the arm toward me and the grouse.  I called out for them to, "HOLD UP, Important bird specie here!"  They did hold up and inquired.  The Spruce Grouse was most cooperative.  It turned around, giving excellent view to the hikers (a group of 12 boys with the camp counselors) as I explained the difference between it and the more common, Ruffed Grouse.  I overheard one of the boys saying, "The Spruce Grouse must be a RARE BIRD," as they hiked away. 

Hiking down the ARM was tricky.  I could see storm clouds building so I tried to hike quickly.  I held on to the tree branches and swung around and down by the tree trunks.  I called the trees, "MY Gentleman,"  because it reminded me of how partners are swung during ballroom dancing.  Also, I would of been in serious trouble without trees to hold on to.  I would say, "Thank you, sir, for your assistance."  Talking to the trees?  Too much time on my hands!  I had heard of a camp site between the arm and the notch.  I had not yet finished climbing down the Arm before a huge storm burst out.  In torrents of rain I slowly made my way.  I was lucky to see the campsite aways off the trail behind the shrubs in the dark, rainy gloom.  I made my way over through streams of water coming off the trail.  Sitting on a boulder, under my umbrella, with huge sheets of rain coming down , I tried to motivate myself to set up my tent .  It would require speed, especially transferring my sleeping bag from pack to tent, in order to keep everything dry.  I also was looking to see which place at the camp had the smallest pool of water to put down the ground cloth.  It  looked dismal. 

With great speed and the help of my umbrella I set up my tent and put in my sleeping gear.  The storm was increasing and branches were coming down here and there.  My dear little Henry Shires Tarp Tent kept me nearly dry.  It was towards morning she began to take in a little water in the front.  But my Thermarest Air Mattress kept my sleeping bag dry because it was up off the ground.  Another group of hikers came in later in the night.  They had seen my tent lines reflecting from their head lamps thus finding the camp site.  In our little camp we rode out the storm and awoke the next day to a beautiful, clear morning. I packed up all my wet gear and headed back to the trail.  Now for the NOTCH. 

I began to weave through this interesting trail of boulders, looking into the caves and crevices, as I went.  After I sat down to make a sketch, two hikers appeared around the bend.  It was the SOBO BROS!  I had met them in Monson, Maine.  They said that I had some friends coming up behind them.  I guessed LUCKY AND CHARM.  And it was!  We hadn't seen one another for a couple of weeks so it was a great Reunion.  Also, Charm had found my blue and yellow bandanna.....which he had been carrying back to me.  He has done this several times more on the course of my through hike.  Charm is all sweetness.  Together we hiked through them arm.  As we were finishing I noticed that my tent was missing from the bottom of my pack.  I had been having problems with the pack straps loosening now and then so it was no surprise.

Lucky and Charm headed to Full Goose Pond.  I left my pack at the side of the trail and back tracked to look for my tent. It was in a stuff sack about a foot and a half long.  The sack was held together with strip after strip of grey duct tape.  Rocky Maine had been rough on my tent sack!  I had my fingers crossed that my tent could be found and had not rolled into a crevice or cave.

Climbing back through the Mahoosuc notch was a blast without a heavy pack to carry.  You can easily climb up, under over or through any situation.  After about 15 minutes of backtracking north I saw my worn out tent back resting safely on a rock. It was in plain sight....if only I had heard it drop.  I was happy to have it back again.  I made my way back to my pack and rejoined Lucky, Charm, Cloud, the SOBO Bros and a new acquaintance, Speaker at Full Goose Pond Shelter.  I swear I only hiked only 2 miles that day but it was fun to slack off with the other Southbounders.

  

West Cornwall & Bulls Bridge, Connecticut, August

This post card show the section between Bull's Bridge, CT
and the beginning of NY state.

When I arrived in Connecticut I climbed Bear Mountain (2,316').  It is the highest peak in Connecticut.  There were kettles of Broad-wing Hawks migrating overhead and the many passerines flitting about in the brush along the trail.  I saw Chestnut-side Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Yellow-rump Warblers, and many Eastern Towhee.   I hiked past several groups of college students, who were part of freshman orientation.  I ended up camping at the Sherman Brook Primitive Campsite with a group of male and female students from Connecticut College.  They were really noisy and having a great deal of fun together.  The students  were doing some team building games with one of their guides.  They made themselves into a circle of "trees" around one student in the center.  The student in the center turned around trying to cut the trees.  Who was out and who was in was determined by the response made by the outside group to the inside student.  If you know this game please comment on the rules.  I'd like to learn it.  There was a young woman watching.  She didn't want to participate and everyone was fine with that.  I thought she reminded me of  myself::  Content to be Observing.

The southbound Appalachian Trail follows the Housatonic River at times, starting in Massachusettss but in Connecticut there are many miles where the trail runs parallel or crosses the river.  The Housatonic is a lovely river and in places very fast. It can be shallow, wide and full of sandbars where Great Blue Herons wade.  At other places the river drops and falls over land.  There are power plants are set up to tap energy for nearby communities. Near the power company hikers crosss the Housatonic on a beautifuly crafted iron bridge,  built in 1903 by the Berlin Construction Company. At the power company there were showers and picnic tables available for free!  I didn't take the time to stop thinking I would prefer to take a swim.

Connecticut has two covered bridges,not too far from the trail,  that span the Housatonic River.  I planned to hitch a ride to see them.  The first bridge was in West Cornwall, Connecticut and when I came to Conn. 4 I hitched a ride east.  A guy in a pick up truck took me most of the way but he had to let me off about a mile east of my destination. There were so few cars I thought my chance of getting another ride slim, so I decided to walk.  In a short whilea small car with a NY license plate, sped by and from its window I heard someone shout, "B...I...R...D...Y......"  The car pulled over and inside was CLAUDIA,another thru-hiker, whom I hadn't seen since Andover, Maine.  Claudia was now called, "Stretch." She was given that trail name because she stretched each morning before hiking. 

It turned out that Claudia had reached Conn. 4 just after me & easily hitched a ride. The car she was riding in had picked her up at the same spot shortly after I had been picked up. She must of been about 10 minutes behind me on the trail! The driver was a New Yorker who offered to take her in to West Cornwall and out for breakfast.  I learned her name was Debbie and she said that I was invited too!  We sped away toward town. 

The restaurant was located near the covered bridge and the beautiful wooden structure was in view from the window of  our breakfast table.  Debbie was in Connecticut to attend  Orten-Gillingham Training Session.  You language teachers will know what an excellent program it is.  The conference was done and Debbiewas on her way to pick up her dog from the kennel when she saw Stretch thumbing.  Claudia (stretch) reminded Debbie of her daughter and that tugged at her.  This was her first time picking up hitchhikers or hikers for that matter.  Debbie announced that she was taking us both out for breakfast.

Stretch, Debbie and I had much in common.  Stretch recently graduated college and had done research in Madagascar.  Debbie had been teaching children to read in Rwanda and was getting training for an upcoming trip to China. It was fascinating listening to their conversation.  I felt I had met my soul-sisters.  Between us all we ordered strawberry & blueberry pancakes, omelet, eggs, toast and coffee. Lots and lots of hot coffee.  We lingered enjoying ourselves.  Debbie paid our bill.  We thanked her and hugged one another.  Debbie set off to pick up her dog and to New York City.  Stretch and I set off to see the farmers market. 

I left Stretch at a knife sellers table.  She had lost her knife and the craftsman was giving her his knife.  He was sharpening it for her too.  This is typical of folks hikers meet along the trail.  Gracious and generous like Debbie, and the knife craftsman.  That was the last time I saw Stretch but I would see Debbie again in the most AMAZING way.  Read more......here 

I headed to the bridge and toward the Appalachian Trail.  I stopped at the bridge admiring the wooded cross beams, little windows, and painted exterior. The Housatonic River flows under the West Cornwall Bridge and Bulls Bridge. The Bulls Bridge is famously know as the crossing where George Washington fell from his horse into the Housatonic River.  His small army made the river crossing,  back and forth, many times and one day he fell. It is shocking because George Washington was an excellent horseman.  The Bulls Bridge is lovely and a popular tourist destination. At the Bulls Bridge there are picnic spots and bathing amaong the rocks in the freezing cold water found in the deeper holes of the Housatonic.  A little girl and I watched crayfish crawl about the stream bed.  She was curious about the big pincher's...scared and thrilled all at once.

Email from Boiling Springs



My REI Keen Voyager Boots

Hello Everyone,

I am in boiling springs
I need to stay here until tomorrow to fetch my new shoes from the P.O.
 Then I'll get back to the business of hiking thru Pennsylvania. I am
almost half way!

I decided to stay at this little theatre/lodge last night-the Allenberry Inn & Playouse

It is a little like Lillstreet at Lakeside.......except there are no leaches
I took a long bath last night and it was delicious!  Oh my god, the
water was filthy afterwards!

This is the Allenberry.  Image found at: 
http://www.lovely-uniqueweddings.com/images/allenberry_web_m3f3.jpg

You may have heard that I fell on a rock and busted up my head so I
was glad to clean off the wound or actually see the wound.  It
is pretty deep but not infected.  It bled periodically for 3 days but
I  can see that it is starting to heal.  When it scabs over I'm going to apply
raw butter to see if I can keep it from scarring.  My raw butter
has fermented but I am still enjoying it.  I eat a spoonful every morning
for breakfast and use it for wounds.

Three days ago,  I fell and tripped. I found a jacket on top of the mountain and while
hiking it out to the parking lot, fell and hit my head on a sharp rock.  There was blood
gushing down the left side of my head.  I could hardly pick myself up off the trail and
had to slip out of my pack.  I grabbed something clean out of my clothes sack to apply pressure to the wound.  It was a pair of underwear.  I used some of my precious water to clean up.  I didn't realize how far I was from the parking lot and decided to hang the jacket on a post near the beautiful Berlin Company Bridge that spans the----river. 
With my head pounding, and blood dripping down my face I hiked on.

I came to the parking lot and noticed a big RV.  I thought to  knock on their door and ask for ice.  I thought it would be good first aid for the growing bump on my head.  An angel and her companion answered the door.  She anounced that she was a nurse.  She cleaned my wound, and gave me a clean bandage.  Gave me a hot cup of tea, cookies and a bottle of water to take with me.  She thought my wound could use a stitch or two.  If I end up with a scar it will be compliments of the AT.  An AT Tattoo! 

It turned out that the jacket I had found was hers and as I gave them directions to the post where I had hung it.  How grateful I am to the kindness they showed me.  We said farewell and I hope the jacket was still there!!

 Pennsylvania, along the AT, is about farmland and getting in the
harvest.  There are stacks of hay being bundles and taken in.  The
fields area shades of a gold and green.  Soy, alfalfa and corn have
ruled.  I saw a bobolink flying over the fox tail grass. The grass made
a lovely swishing sound in the wind. They first hundred
miles of Pennsylvania is rocky because the trail courses over miles and
miles of glacial debree.  I fell on those rooks quite a few times.  A young boy asked
me why me knees were so banged up.  I was glad Elizabeth had given me
band-aids and pain pills!

On to Maryland!  A very small state to hike through.

It is not so easy To find the Internet and I appreciate your patience
with the slowness of getting journal entries to Madeline!

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you for your help and support!

From Harper's Ferry to the Shenandoah Mountain National Park

I left Harper's Ferry in the afternoon after running errands.  My plan was to hike 12 miles to the David Lesser Memorial Shelter because rain had been forecast. After crossing one of the West Virginia/Virginia state lines [there are two]  it began to pour.  I stood under a AT trail  kiosk because it had a tiny roof ledge where I took momentary refuge from the rain.  I studied the map gathering motivation to step out into the rain and hike on.  I crossed a busy road and headed into the woods.  It was an interesting mix of scrub and deciduous forest.  There were box turtles everywhere. Soon torrents of rain pounded down running into rivets onto the trail.  The trail soon became a river with much debris flowing in the current.  Wading in the water made hiking difficult and it was with relief that I saw the sign for the shelter.  

The David Lesser Memorial Shelter is a newly built shelter and absolutely beautiful.  The shelter has a high roof and front deck surrounded by a railing.  There is a nearby picnic table enclosed in a shelter and a porch swing.  How I wished I was there on a warm summer day sitting there looking out into the woods!  When I arrived there were two section hikers there, already settled in for the night.  I was directed to the water source, an underground spring, located a ways downhill from the shelter.  Finding the spring took me through the tent sites.  There were numerous level sites and more picnic tables. Nice camping area!  Many thanks to the local trail maintenance club who maintains this site for hikers.  It was awesome.  I am only sorry that some of the hikers chose to leave their garbage instead of packing it out.  If I wasn't so far from the road I would of packed some of that trash out.

It rained all night and into the morning.  I got a later than usual start out of camp.  The day turned sunny, warm and beautiful!  I hiked stopping to eat a morning snack on Crescent Rock.  I took off my wet hiking boots and spread all my rain  soaked gear out on the warm rock surface for some sun-drying.  While I waited I watched raptors moving across the sky.  There were kettles of vultures, Broad-winged Hawks and a handful of accipiters. 

I had entered a section of the trail known as the "Roller Coaster."  There are 13 1/2 miles of steep ascents and descents.  Even for me, a seasoned hiker, it was tiresome!  I passed by two inviting and well known places along the trail:  The Blackburn Trail Center and The Bars Den Hostel.  Both places are well know to hikers and get awesome reviews. The Blackburn Trail Center is a free hostel and I understand there is a heated solar shower.  The Bears Den Hostel is a privately run hostel with many ammenities including Ben and Jerry's icecream.  I am sorry about not stopping but I was in a funk about staying focused on making miles, my goal for the day was to reach either the Sam Moore Shelter or Rod Hollow.  I decided to sleep in a shelter again that night to stay dry.  I opted to hike to Sam Moore because water was promised. I had picked up a water finding map at the Appalachian Conservancy in Harper's Ferry. Even though it had rained a lot, good water was still  hard to find.

When I arrived at the Sam Moore Shelter site I found it indeed had a fast moving stream, an excellent water source.   I decided to stay even though the day was early.  I spent the afternoon drying  my damp gear in the warm breeze and worked  at  my painting.  Hanging my bear bag took up a lot of time because there were very few good trees.  I wasn't completely happy with the nearness of my food bag to the tree trunk but my food was still there in the morning.

The following day it began to rain again.  As I was crossing the grassy knoll at Sky Meadows State Park the sky looked dark blue and there were bolts of lightening flashing in the sky.  I walked into the woods and found myself having to climb over downed trees and crawl through masses of vines.  It was time consuming.  I decided to stop at the Manassas Gap Shelter for the night. The shelter had a  underground spring and bear bag poles.  That night I took a lovely shower under the water pipe in the cold rain.  Someone had left a bottle of biodegradeable soap in the shelter and I used it to get all the grime and dirt off my body.  It was deligtful to warm my clean self up in my sleeping bag afterwards.  I went to sleep to the sound of pounding rain on the tin roof of the shelter.  That's the sound I awoke to the next day also. 

After hiking through the morning I took an early lunch at the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter.  Sometimes a shelter looks so good you wish it were time to stop for the night!  I sat at the picnic table shelter protected from the rain sketching Paw Paws that  I had found that morning along the trail.  I  had become somewhat obsessed with Paw Paw finding in Maryland after noticing the rotting fruit along the trail.  It emitted such a tantalizing tropical scent!  I wanted to eat one.  I met a woman in Harper's Ferry who had collected a few.  Together we looked the fruit up on the web finding that it was high in nutrition and something bears love.  When ever I found bear scat with Paw Paw seeds I took the opportunity to search for Paw Paw fruit.  Most often the fruit was smashed or rotten but I had begun to find whole, unblemished fuit still clinging to tree branches.  Thanks to the high winds many trees had shaken loose branches and with those came Paw Paws.

   

Damascus, Virginia

I am in Damascus, Va finally.  Almost out of Virginia in fact.  I just crossed through the Grayson Highlands. 

Ponies at Greyson Highlands- image found at:
http://hikers99.homestead.com/files/SGM-ponies.jpg

I remember Julie once describing that area to me but NOW I KNOW first hand how amazing this place it truly is.  The area surrounding Mt. Rogers and Iron Mountain is a vast valley of undulating grasslands, & rocky terrain.  Now and then you drop down into a forest of green rhododendron where little streams and pools of water course through.  There are tiny feral ponies running about or grazing or (in the rain) sheltering themselves under (leafless in the fall) trees. The ponies are brown with golden manes, black and white, dark brown with black manes or red with red manes.  I found a trip bird there in the grassland among the ponies:  VESPER SPARROW!  I also ran into Lucky, Charm, Picker and Grinner. Grinner's family lives in Damascus and they were being slackpacked by her mom.  When we came to the ponies Charm went over to one that was resting on the ground.  He sat down in the grass, right next to it and wrapped his arms around its neck in a big hug.  love Charm.  Lucky took a photo!  I hiked for a time with the gang.  They went on with their slackpacking.

I found the view, as I climbed Mt. Rogers, amazing.  There is a blue blaze to the actual summit but because of weather I chose not to take it.  I would like to return and climb to the summit to look at the famous plant and animal communities. There was a fog rolling in so I decided there  probably wasn't that much to see.  The endangered Weller's Salamander lives in the mountain habitat.  The fog grew into a cloudy, misty vapour  that wrapped the blue ridge.  The distant mountains were gorgeous, fall cloaked [ebony, charturse, gold, reds, ochre] mountains.   There were climbs over, through and around rocky areas that were planted with rhododendron.  After Mt. Rogers the area opened onto Elk Garden.  It was a stunning golden grassland that stretched between Mt. Rogers and Whitetop. 

I climbed the fence that keeps the grazing ponies inside and crossed Va. 601 where I was given a weather report by two truck drivers who were taking a break.  They let me know that bad weather was on its way.   I hiked to the next shelter (a 23 mile day)....Lost Mt. Shelter, where there were already 3 hikers setting in for the night.  Although the evening sky was clear and star filled the predicted storm arrived in the night and  continued into the morning. On the upside, the pounding rain on the tin shelter roof muffled the loud snoring coming from the hiker sleeping to my left.   I was so very grateful to have shelter from the pelting rain. 

The next morning the trail was covered with tree debris.  I climbed over and around huge oaks, and white pines.  I found a clean bandana on the trail.  In a few more miles I met the owner who was backtracking north to claim it.  I've lost at least 5 bandananas on my hike and twice, they've been returned. Once by Charm and the other time by Grinner. I made my way down the mountians and across beautiful Laurel Creek.  There is a recreation area with many trails and picnic spots.  The trail winds around and out onto the Creeper Trail that passes through Damascus.  I was in Damascus,  a hiker friendly town.  I stopped at a coffee store, directly off the trail for a delicous late before finding the hiker hostel.

I am going to sign off in order to get to the PO before it closes.  You see I have this awesome mom who mailed me a package of supplies.  Thank YOU!!!!   Also, my new boots should be there.  And I am going to try to find  a computer to type up the article, so expect to see that in the near future!

Julie and Karl---I think I am 2 weeks away from Hot Springs.  I am going to call you and leave a message as soon as I charge the phone.