7/31/13

4.17.13

From Hughes Gap to Iron Mountain Shelter
9.2 Miles

This is the section that Chip and I had skipped earlier, the section that passes Greasy Creek Gap.  I'm glad to go back and catch these 9.2 miles.  I started and ended at the hostel in Roan Mountain, TN.  It was a damp day.  I met a man in the woods who was there harvesting ramps. Ramps are wild in these woods.  They taste like a garlic/onion combination.  I had not heard of them before, but he kindly showed me how to identify them and taught me that they can be frozen.  He harvests a year's worth of the plant in these woods for his family each spring.

The trail


Cloudy, misty, view from trail.

7/30/13

4.16.13-HALFWAY!!

From Over Mountain Shelter to US 19E
9.2 Miles
I have now officially hiked half of the Appalachian Trail!!  Yay!  (The Appalachian Trail is 2,184 miles) I'm so very excited to have made this milestone, especially knowing that I'll be leaving soon to go start a new job.  
Today I also officially left North Carolina and entered Tennessee.  I ended the day back at the hostel in Roan, TN.  It was a fantastic day.  I finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams and left it at the Over Mountain shelter for someone else to read.

View of Over Mountain Shelter from high on the trail.

The last of North Carolina!
;-
Looking down on Christmas Tree farms


Entering Tennessee, crazy hair and all!


Signs of Spring.  :-)



7/29/13

4.15.13

On April 15 I arrived on the Greyhound Bus in Johnson City, TN.  I had spent 20 hours on the bus since getting on at the South Bend airport yesterday.  I read "The Bloodsucking Fiends" by Christopher Moore from beginning to end.  It is a vampire book making fun of vampire books.  Since this was my first foray into vampire books I figured it was a good way to start.  :)  Christopher Moore also wrote "Lamb", which I greatly enjoyed.
Anyway, I got to the Johnson City bus station and decided that I desperately needed some coffee.  After some wandering I found a church with free coffee and day-old donuts in the basement.  I wandered in and gratefully accepted the coffee and treats.  I met a group of other friendly transients.  It was interesting as I usually find myself of the giving end of a church food giving, and not the receiving end. I appreciated the generosity.
Then I went to the library where I was supposed to meet my ride back to trail.  While I waited I checked my e-mail on my phone and received a notice that I had 72 hours to complete a pre-employment drug drop in Elkhart, IN.  Oops.  So I called HR and told her that I am in Tennessee, decidedly far from Indiana.  HR promised that she would find out more information and call me back.  I took the ride back to trail.

From Carver's Gap to Over Mountain Shelter
5.8 Miles

It felt so good to be back on trail again.  I'm trying to wrap my head around knowing that this time I have only three weeks and then I have to go to Indiana and start a job.  I'm going to make the most of this time and cover some miles.
Yellow Mountain Gap is the junction between the Appalachian Trail and the Historic Bright Trace Route used by the OverMountain Men to cross the mountains enroute to the Revolutionary War battle at King’s Mountain.  The barn is now used to shelter Appalachian Trail hikers.  It is said to be one of the coolest shelters on the trial.
While we were hanging out at Over Mountain Shelter someone got a text message from home with information about the Boston Marathon bombing.  It is a strange thing to be in the middle of the woods when you hear news of a bombing in a large metropolitan center.

The Trail leading out of Carver's Gap.  See the blaze.




Inside and Outside Over Mountain Shelter

7/28/13

4.14.13

Okay, its finally time for the last three weeks of trail adventure blogging.  I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to get these up. (Yes, this is a 15 week delay....)

Today I took the Greyhound Bus from South Bend, IN to Johnson City, TN.  Robbie was nice enough to drive me to the airport.  I stopped in Cleveland on the bus trip.

This dude was the most helpful Greyhound Employee I met.



There was a three hour stop in Cleveland, OH on the bus ride.  The second pic is a strange statue on campus. The third picture is of some cool planters in Cleveland.



7/17/13

New Beginnings

First of all, Happy Birthday, Anthony!

Guess what, everyone! Two years ago today the man I was building a life with decided he was moving on and I was no longer invited. One year ago tonight I was camped at Baxtor State Park in Maine; ready to begin hiking the Appalachian Trail the next day. Tonight I signed a purchase agreement on a house I adore (in Goshen)! And life goes on. And it is good. Just thought I'd tell you. :)

P.S. I still have about two weeks of hiking from April to finish blogging about. Pictures are coming soon, hopefully.