03-15-01 Day 16 – 8:29PM 0 miles, AT – 163.1 Fontana Dam Zero Day #1 Today was my first zero day. I slept like a baby in the hotel last night. My tattoo, I got, rubbed off a bit during the night. Took another shower in the AM and packed. Once at the general store I bought powered donuts and [...]

03-14-02 Day 15 6.9 miles, 163.1 AT miles Cable Gap to Fontana Dam Sunny, Warm In Wesser at the NOC I saw a river otter. I also buried a dead dark eyed Junco a day or two ago. Today’s hike was pretty easy. A lot of down (hill) though. The left knee was feeling it. I had lunch and dinner [...]

03-13-01 Day 14 15.2 miles, AT – 156.2 Sassafras Gap – Cable Gap Shelter Day 5 of rain This morning (03-13) was the second time I thought about stopping on a climb. The climb was terrible. My poor legs haven’t had a day off and they feel as if they are about to quit. I foresee this journey to be [...]

03-12-01  Day 13   6:05 PM 14.8 Miles, 141 AT miles Tellico Gap – Sassafras Cap Shelter Rain in the afternoon, warm, overcast. Day 4 of Rain Stayed at a hostel last night.  Ron Vaughan was his name.  He has hiked the PCT twice, SDT once, and the AT once.  This guy was a fountain of knowledge.  We talked to [...]

03-11-01 Day 12 15.7 miles,  126.2 AT miles Siler Bald –  hostel at Tellico Gap No entry was record this day. Scatman 2011:  I can tell you a little about this day.  The hiking itself is lost in the depths of my brian but I do recall getting to a shelter and finding a flyer for a hostel not too [...]

03-10-01  Day 11  -  7:45 PM 16.4 miles, 108.9 AT miles Betty Creek – Siler Bald Sunny 20º AM / 38º PM Today was too much!  The plan was for 13 miles but the campsite sucked and was too close to the road.  I should have stayed at Rock Gap with the college kids.  There were a couple of cuties [...]

03-09-01  Day 10 -  7:23 PM 16.1 miles, 94.5 AT miles (30° 7 AM) Sunny, Betty Creek Campsite 42º Standing Indian Mountain was not bad at all.  Didn’t see many people just one couple with two dogs and one group of three young men. The hike was good.  Knees were hurting in the AM.  It warmed up quick.  I made it to [...]

03-08-01 Day 9 11.6 miles,  AT  -  78.4 Blueberry Patch - Muskrat Creek Shelter I tried to sleep on the straw beds at the Patch but it was too lumpy.  I moved to an actual mattress.  I slept like a baby.  Breakfast was at 8:30.  Pancakes, sausages, biscuits.  We said grace before hand. I sent packages back and gave them $20.  [...]

03-07-01  -Day 8  6:15 PM  Wed. 6.4 miles, AT  – 67.9 Addis Gap – Blueberry Patch Hostel Cold 20º in the AM, warmed up by 12 PM.   Last night we tented.  It was a good sleep.  Warmer than the last two.  Around 7:00 PM we heard a Barred Owl.  I jumped out of my tent and sought him out.  Silver [...]

03-06-01 Day 6  4:40 PM 13.0 miles, AT  – 61.5 Blue Mtn. Shelter — Addis Gap Last night was cold as shit!  We did have the fire but by 2-3AM it was below 20° and the wind was blowing hard.  The air has so much moisture, it was snowing. It was Josh, Trisha, Jesse (Silver Raven), Bris (Photon Magic) and [...]