Fri, Apr 29, 2016 Breakfast, pack and off along the trail that followed the stream to the east.  It was a long low hike without significant climbing for several miles.  Wooded then open then lightly wooded again.  At the first opening onto fields and green, green grass in golden morning sun a little after 8:00 […]

Thu, Apr 28, 2016 Ready to roll.  Food and gear in order.  Wait for the package.  Time passing.  Talk with owners.  Cleaning services are going to need to get to my room soon.  Wait for the package.  Cajole owners and cleaning services who are fine with waiting for me. During the wait, I pack up […]

Wed, Apr 27, 2016 A 0 day in Marion.  I took my tablet, stand and keyboard to McDonald’s past Mi Puerto and across the street.  I had pancakes, eggs and hash browns and then several cups of coffee while I blogged. Oh, I use that term loosely.  I had written what I wanted to publish […]

Tue, Apr 26, 2016 Theo greeted me as I crawled out of the tent for another short hiking day not unlike those before Erwin and Damascus.  We’d be going to Marion, Virginia today where I had planned to swap winter gear for summer.  Next trail stop would be VA 16 and the Mount Rogers Visitor […]

Mon, Apr 25, 2016 Parts of this day are clear as a bell and others vague or remembered in isolation.  AWOL tells me it was a doooown > uuuup > dooooooown > corrugated up > doooooown > uuuup day and pictures tell me the final up was to a “stealth” site just west of the […]

Sun, Apr 24, 2016 I awoke cozy in our pine grove.  The mist and rain from the day before had cleared.  It was a golden-bright, sunny day.  I decided to capture the views on the far side of the grove away from the trail.  I walked a bit into the rough terrain to get the […]

Sat, Apr 23, 2016 As I was packing up in the morning after breakfast, El-Tejano came by and all was well.  He’d figured I probably had headed for the Pond campsite.  He swung around the pond on the far side from us and was gone.  I never saw him again. Before El-Tejano came down the […]

Fri, Apr 22, 2016 It was a rainy day.  Pack up, even up with Paul and head to MOJO’S Trailside Café and Coffee actually on the Appalachian Trail.  I’d eat there bid farewell to the owner, thank him for his hospitality and head north.  Sweet Kazi had offered to have me call as I ventured […]

Thu, Apr 21, 2016 A zero in Damascus.  MOJO’S.  Where else?  I got the table by the window, set up and did tablet stuff all day, Theo at my side.  There were many welcome interludes. “How old is he?” asked one of the three women at the nearby table. “Eight,” I replied. “I have a […]

Wed, Apr 20, 2016 Damascus!  Virginia! Two big words to thru-hikers.  Damascus is a hiker-hub.  Every year they host TRAIL-DAYS!  Put “trail days” in Google and the annual event will pop up.  In 2016, the festival was from May 19-21.  I was arriving well ahead of the event. Virginia: another big word on the AT.  […]