Vandeventer Shelter is 428.4 miles from Springer Mtn. To put it another way, only 20% remaining miles for Zombie/Andrew to hike on the AT. It won't be much longer now, and for those of us who miss him, we are thrilled he is having this terrific, once in a life time adventure... at the same time happy to know he will be home soon. Zombie confirmed his original target date for Springer Mtn. is still the weekend before Thanksgiving... From how I see it, odds are looking very, very good for our South Bound Hiker #36 to meet his goal. Wow! What an accomplishment!!!
Family-and-friends that still want to meet up to section hike with Andrew, remember my new e(dash)mail address: @gmail(put the dot here)com just include the first part of my address, which is: hplewis77.... hopefully that makes sense to simply type the first part, then the last part.... :-)
Zombie/Andrew will be at a Hostel in Hampton, TN tonight, and I've updated his mail drops to give you and idea of his target dates. Andrew hasn't had e-mail time in ages, but he does call and get messages when he's in a town to resupply.
The days are simply fabulous in Western NC... as close as he is to us, I'm hoping Andrew's hiking days are just as nice! May your Fall days be as wonderful :-)
Enjoy the turning of the season,
Mom/ Harriet
AT Mile 1715.1 October 22, 2009 Damascus, VA "Take Two"
What a difference a few days can make in hiking conditions!
Zombie / Andrew arrived in Damascus (once again) mid-day Thursday. This time, arriving on foot, after enjoying a wonderful week hiking from Mt. Rogers Rangers Station...where he had hopped off trail for 3 zero days the previous weekend. Zombie hiked with Mr. Freeze and Trudger until Tuesday night. The other two hike faster than Andrew, so when they arrived at Hurricane Mtn. Shelter late afternoon, they realized it would be too crowded with 4 Section Hikers who had already settled in, plus the SoBo hikers that had joined them. The two went 5 miles further to Old Orchard Shelter. Andrew arrived after 6:00 p.m. and would have had to hike in the dark to catch them. "Ledge" and "Country Runner", two other fellow SoBo hikers he's seen several other times on the trail a few states back, were at the Hurricane Mtn. Shelter also, so these two hiked into Damascus with Andrew. Mr. Freeze and Trudger are at least a half day ahead by now. It will be interesting to see if they meet back up before Springer Mtn.
Resupply, laundry chores and a call home, Andrew reports that the weather had been "perfect" all week. It had been as warm as the low 70's some days. He said the snow that was on the ground on Monday wasn't bad, and his feet were fine... Zombie did appreciate his new shoes. No, his feet didn't freeze, get cold or wet from the snow that had fallen last weekend. He also appreciated his warmer gear that I had taken to him since the nights are getting "chilly". Zombie had a few hours to meet up with some other SoBo hikers that had come into Damascus the day before, so he was off for a bit of a reunion in town.
OCTOBER 23: ON TO TENNESSEE....AT Mile 1718.6
By late Friday afternoon Zombie arrived at the Abingdon Gap Shelter in the Cherokee National Forest, 8 miles inside the Tennessee state line.
11 states down, 3 to go... 451.1 miles in the next 4 weeks!!!
Notice the new map link in the upper right corner? I have found the postholer link very helpful, especially when the ATC Interactive Map was "down" last month. The lady at AT Headquarters in Harpers Ferry told me about it. It's easy to navigate. Click the center drop down space to 'Shelter/Campsites' and you'll see all the shelters on the AT. Zoom in, unless you have the book to know the shelter names. (I've given you some of the shelter names above 'to play with' how it works) It's fairly easy to figure out and cross reference The Spot GPS tracking info. (click his link "Where I am" on the Blog) I've really liked this map because I can pull the shelter info up, and then click the weather link to get the current weather and the week's forecast. The weather link is how I was able to realize last week that by Mt. Rodgers Ranger Station, he was heading into more rain, turning to sleet then an early snow storm last week. It was fortunate that I could reach him with a text message, and have him call just as he got into Atkins, VA. If interested, go to the drop down on the top left part of the link, and you can see all the big trails in the US, not just the AT... Enjoy :-)
Hope your Fall days are blessed and beautiful,
Mom/ Harriet
Zombie / Andrew arrived in Damascus (once again) mid-day Thursday. This time, arriving on foot, after enjoying a wonderful week hiking from Mt. Rogers Rangers Station...where he had hopped off trail for 3 zero days the previous weekend. Zombie hiked with Mr. Freeze and Trudger until Tuesday night. The other two hike faster than Andrew, so when they arrived at Hurricane Mtn. Shelter late afternoon, they realized it would be too crowded with 4 Section Hikers who had already settled in, plus the SoBo hikers that had joined them. The two went 5 miles further to Old Orchard Shelter. Andrew arrived after 6:00 p.m. and would have had to hike in the dark to catch them. "Ledge" and "Country Runner", two other fellow SoBo hikers he's seen several other times on the trail a few states back, were at the Hurricane Mtn. Shelter also, so these two hiked into Damascus with Andrew. Mr. Freeze and Trudger are at least a half day ahead by now. It will be interesting to see if they meet back up before Springer Mtn.
Resupply, laundry chores and a call home, Andrew reports that the weather had been "perfect" all week. It had been as warm as the low 70's some days. He said the snow that was on the ground on Monday wasn't bad, and his feet were fine... Zombie did appreciate his new shoes. No, his feet didn't freeze, get cold or wet from the snow that had fallen last weekend. He also appreciated his warmer gear that I had taken to him since the nights are getting "chilly". Zombie had a few hours to meet up with some other SoBo hikers that had come into Damascus the day before, so he was off for a bit of a reunion in town.
OCTOBER 23: ON TO TENNESSEE....AT Mile 1718.6
By late Friday afternoon Zombie arrived at the Abingdon Gap Shelter in the Cherokee National Forest, 8 miles inside the Tennessee state line.
11 states down, 3 to go... 451.1 miles in the next 4 weeks!!!
Notice the new map link in the upper right corner? I have found the postholer link very helpful, especially when the ATC Interactive Map was "down" last month. The lady at AT Headquarters in Harpers Ferry told me about it. It's easy to navigate. Click the center drop down space to 'Shelter/Campsites' and you'll see all the shelters on the AT. Zoom in, unless you have the book to know the shelter names. (I've given you some of the shelter names above 'to play with' how it works) It's fairly easy to figure out and cross reference The Spot GPS tracking info. (click his link "Where I am" on the Blog) I've really liked this map because I can pull the shelter info up, and then click the weather link to get the current weather and the week's forecast. The weather link is how I was able to realize last week that by Mt. Rodgers Ranger Station, he was heading into more rain, turning to sleet then an early snow storm last week. It was fortunate that I could reach him with a text message, and have him call just as he got into Atkins, VA. If interested, go to the drop down on the top left part of the link, and you can see all the big trails in the US, not just the AT... Enjoy :-)
Hope your Fall days are blessed and beautiful,
Mom/ Harriet
Unexpected COLD snap... constant rain, turning to sleet, to snow... Oh noooo!!!
October 12-15th Zombie left Woodshole Hostel bright and early Monday with another SoBo, Mr. Freeze. And then the rain set in.....Cold, wet, constant rain.... 1:30 on the third day of rain, Andrew arrived at the Chestnut Knob Shelter at lunch time. Mr. Freeze (Chris) , a faster hiker greeted him, declaring "I'm not going any further in this!" There was another SoBo, Trudger (Joseph), who had arrived there the night before. When Trudger woke up that morning to the hard, cold, blowing rain, he had decided he was taking a zero day...in the shelter (hikers NEVER take zero days in a shelter!) When I asked Andrew "who is Trudger?" He said another SoBo we found when we got to Chestnut Knob... he was "hunkered down in the shelter, tighter than a tick on a dog." They had all been soaked for 3 solid days. On a warm day it's no big deal, but the temps had dropped, the wind was constantly blowing hard and cold, so everything in their packs were wet. They knew they needed to get dry. Chestnut Knob was a four sided shelter, with a door, so they thought it best to stay put. Trudger was glad to have other SoBo's join him (thankful they were just a bit older than he was, and that they weren't crazy or weird...)
Ironically, Wed. night of "their short day", I'm reading the chapter in "A Walk in the Woods" where the author discusses "hypothermia". Thursday morning when I checked on the weather at the upcoming shelters, I'm seeing, rain, rain mixed with snow, snow, snow... Thursday - Sunday. I am doing the math, Zombie is 4 days from Damascus, VA where he thinks I've mailed his winter sleeping bag... he only has his summer bag, good to 50 degrees, but the temps are in the 30's at night... going to 2o's before he gets his winter bag. Unknown to Zombie, Mom still had his bag, because I have been planning to surprise him in Damascus for months!!! SO... I sent him a text message asking if "he is in Atkins, Has he seen the weather report through Sunday? Are you warm enough for rain turning to snow? Serious cold snap till Monday. You are three hours away. Love you. :-) Mom" I was relieved when he called me Thursday night. The three hikers stopped just outside of Atkins, split a room, took warm showers and did laundry to dry everything out. Yes, they had heard rumblings about the weather. Trudger's Mom was coming from Elajay, GA to take him to Damascus to wait out the storm for the weekend, swap out his gear then bring him back Monday morning because next week's forecast is ideal hiking weather: mid 50's to mid 30's at night, with a clear, dry forecast. I decided it was better to give up my "Trail Surprise" and get him his gear. I asked Andrew "if I could bring his winter bag and warm clothes to him, would he want me to?" He said, "yes, but his bag was at the Post Office in Damascus." When I fessed up that it was actually in his closet, that I had planned to surprise him and deliver it in person he was delighted!!!
Permission to come see him given, I told Andrew I'd do what I could to get us a place to stay. It was late, but I just said a prayer. Talk about blessings! There were "no vacancies" in the entire town... (Leaf Season along the Virginia Creeper Trail attracts the bicycle riders, plus the AT goes through the center of town, so day hikers abound!!) I knew the guys could stay at the Hostel, but one of the Inn Keepers said, yes, but there is no heat at the Hostel (well, it's $10) However, due to "the crummy weather" Susie at "Montgomery Homestead B & B" had a cancellation for one room for Sat./ Sun. and when she heard the circumstances, that I was bringing in Thru-Hikers due to weather issues, she offered to call Friday morning, and see what she could do. Most of the B&B's have 2 day min. but she said, "we all know each other, and we work together to help the Thru-Hikers, especially in emergencies." Suzie called me at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning... "I've just turned the potatoes over, so I have a few minutes to see if this will work for you: She reports that Suzanne who owns "Hikers Inn" just had a had a cancellation because of the weather, and she has one room with twins but just for Friday night. If you want it, call her right now." You bet I did! When Suzanne realized why I was trying to get lodging for two hikers plus "the mom" on such short notice, she offered if I'd be O.K. putting the boys upstairs and she'd make her "emergency" sleeper sofa in the Sun Porch, off her suite available to me if I'd want to do that. You betcha!!! Talk about two wonderfully sweet ladies! So early Friday morning I was off to see our Mountain guy!
To keep moving, while I was driving, the guys hiked 12 more miles, past two more shelters knowing I would pick them up at Mt. Rodgers Ranger Station at VA 16... AT Mile 1651.3 at 1:30. Mr. Freeze was there, and he said Trudger would be in shortly and Zombie/ Andrew would be just a bit later, as Andrew had gone into Atkins to pick up his mail. I got to meet Trudger about 2ish, and then saw Andrew come out of the woods about 3. I watched him cross the road, go around to the front side of the Ranger Station, where I was standing to get the very best of Andrew hugs!!! He was quite a sight for sore eyes!!!
Bella's Pizza in Abbington was the requested lunch destination, since I had brought Bracken Mt. Bakery treats from Brevard, for "snack" and breakfast. Over lunch (4 p.m.) I discovered Trudger's Mom won't be in Damascus until Saturday... Oh my... so we discussed options, and Trudger didn't mind a Hostel with out heat as long as it was dry. His bag was good to 35 degrees, and he'd be fine. When we got to The Hiker's Inn, it was funny to see the guys didn't understand we were to go into the front door. Usually they go around back to the places that offer them a place to camp, but I assured them, I'd reserved a place in the house. It was cute to watch their reaction realizing they were to go into the house. Suzanne greeted us, and when she saw three hikers, heard my apology for not knowing the circumstances, warmly said, "well, if one of you guys will sleep on the floor, you are welcome to all stay. There is no heat at the hostel and I'd rather know you were warm." Not expecting such kindness, I was really glad I'd picked Susie and Suzanne some treats from Bracken Mt. Bakery and that I had gotten up early with enough time to bake a big pan of Congo Squares (they are like a blonde brownie with chocolate chips) for the hikers and the inn keepers before I left that morning :-)
It was a fun two days, hearing all of the tales, experiencing a bit of the AT - Culture. Meeting other hikers... funny to see how much they can eat at one time, and how soon they can eat again... I enjoyed listening, and being impressed at what they are accomplishing. Damascus has such wonderful folks in the town, with a sincere kindness and hospitality for hikers.
This and That's: What are the chances?
When I first arrived at the Ranger Station, meeting Mr. Freeze, I asked how the day had gone? I was pleased that the rain had eased off, and the trail was quiet. He went on to say, you never know what you might encounter... like today, he'd seen one older hiker in the shelter "standing there in his underwear" his name was Hydro. I told him, humm... I'd read about a hiker named Hydro in a book I'd just read. Later, when Trudger came up, Mr. Freeze asked, Hey, did you see the older guy standing at the shelter in his underwear? Trudger said, Yes, he was at the shelter, but he was dressed and putting his gear together. So when Zombie walked up, he said, sorry I'm a little late, I met up with Hydro on the trail, and talked with him for a little bit. He's doing a section hike, and I asked him if he'd hiked the trail before, and Mom, he's the same guy Hydro, that was in the book "Trail Ways, Path Wise."
For those of you that have read the book "Trail Ways, Path Wise" you'll recognize he's a bit of a legend... Hiked the AT several times, plus many of the other famous trails. Chapter 7 begins with the quote "I like to hike. Hydro GA-ME '93"
Next interesting: What are the chances? While having lunch in Damascus, VA with 3 Thru-Hikers, you see your neighbor who lives across the street of the house you just moved from??? Linda and Bruce's son Jessee had Thru-Hiked in '04. The guys were discussing various experiences they had on the trail, as they each had different start dates. I'd just shared what Linda had told me that Jessie had said about Mt. Washington. and minutes later, 3 hours from home, she walks in the door for lunch. Our Brevard neighbors had taken a spur of the moment weekend trip to Abbington, VA to ride bikes on the Virginia Creeper...
This and That: Andrew just received a sweet graduation gift, money for new shoes just as he was needing a new pair. Thanks Uncle Ed and Aunt Sally!!! The shoes he'd been wearing have gone just under a 1,000 trail miles, and many more than that when you consider the trips into town to resupply, and all over NYC... He likes the Northface Prophecy, - cross trainer tennis style shoes -(plus a green insert he buys separately) for those that are interested. The outfitter was impressed how well the shoes have held up. The other hikers agreed that a cross trainer was much better than a boot for hiking the trail, and they don't like anything that touches their ankles. (They should know...) I asked Andrew if he wanted the shoes to go home, since they still had tread on them... the three said in unison, "Oh, you don't want these shoes in your car... No, it's time to throw them away..."
Andrew did let me replace his walking sticks... I told him if he'd give me the old ones, he could pick out new ones. He declared, new shoes, new sticks, it's an early Christmas! I told him it could be his present, but I'd rather buy what he wanted and buy it now when he needs it for the last home stretch!
For Dr. Isby: Andrew's eyes have been a blessing! He loves having perfect vision. Glad he has his follow up appointment, for you to see for yourself. 8-)
Can you believe I forgot my camera??? You won't get to see the pictures of these three until I get the camera card (and that is after I upload the ones I've had for a month "to do"...)
When I asked Andrew if he had any more Journal pages, he said, "No... sorry..." So I'll do my best to relay what he has shared with me...
You should see Andrew pass through Damascus on Wed. He will not stay overnight since he's had two zero days there...
So, Monday Zombie returns to the trail, 524.8 miles to Springer Mountain. Mr. Freeze's Dad is hiking the last 70 miles, and Zombie's Dad plans to hike the last 30 miles... His brothers will probably climb the 8.8 miles to the top from Amicalola Falls. Mom Harriet will do at least another "trail town mile" in Hot Springs, NC. Andrew thinks he'll be in Hot Springs Nov. 2 and feels confident to be Springer Nov. 16-17th. The weekend before Thanksgiving. As for me hiking Springer Mountain, probably taking Andrew's advise... plan on seeing me riding up the Forest Road, but most definitely walking the last nine tenths of a mile to enjoy the summit with him :-).
Happy Fall,
Mom Harriet
Back on Zombie's Home Turf ... Virginia Tech
AT Mile 1185.2 Snickers Gap, Winchester, VA to
AT Mile 1222.2 - 1325.7 Shenanadoah National Park
AT Mile 1325.7 Waynesboro, VA then Washington National Forest
AT Mile 1402.8 Lynchburg, VA then on into Jefferson National Forest
AT Mile 1512.0 Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Oct. 2-7, 2009
AT Mile 1552.2 Pearisburg, VA
AT Mile 1562.6 Sugar Run Gap
It's been a busy few weeks! The ATC Interactive Map "went down" when Andrew crossed into Virginia, after his 4 state run. I called to ask AT Headquarters about it, and they discovered the entire trail map was not working. It took about 2 and a half weeks to re-program, so I was having to guess where Andrew was. When I
called the ATC Headquarters after a few weeks, they gave me another link, that is really neat, and fortunately, a
few days later they called to say it was up and running again.
9/19/09 AT mile 1260.4 (instead of mile 1271.9) Shenanadoah National Park
In the mean time, Ground Support calls me on Saturday afternoon, wondering where Andrew might be, as she is driving on the Skyline Drive looking for Zombie. What an adventure / misadventure that was. We were all cheering her on, as she got close to where he was, but actually went one shelter beyond him. So many "ifs..." The section hiker she met got his north and south confused (his first time hiking). He described "a thru-hiker he saw" which was indeed Andrew, taking to a group that was rock climbing...Also, Andrew had been hiking in a pattern of short days (15 miles) long days (22 + miles) so my guess that Saturday would be a long day, was not to be... it was a short day as the weather was lovely, climbing folks to chat with, and then he stopped to eat at a restaurant near the trail... so he missed "Ground Support" Kelly by 30 minutes!
While looking for Zombie, Kelly left "trail magic" of oranges and bananas, like they had done the weekend before when he was visiting in Winchester. She left notes on the orange peel that the fruit was for thru-hikers, knowing either Zombie or another weary soul would come upon it. When she found Bearfence Mtn. Hut, the place we THOUGHT he'd be, she waited... but no one came, so she left a note and a snack bag of fruit and food :-( and "it was late September, and time to head on back to school..." (no, that was in the song, Maggie Mae!) Kelly said, "At least the day was wonderful, and it lifted her spirits that Zombie Andrew would find a special surprise for Sunday's lunch..." Which he did.
9/26-27/09 AT Mile 1402.8 Jefferson National Park, near Lynchburg, VA
Ground Support's parents picked Zombie up, where the trail crosses VA 130, to take him home for the weekend. We appreciated their looking after him, feeding him, laundry time, church and family time. He was in good spirits, and happy for a comfy place to be for a few days, spending some time with special folks.
9/30/09 AT Mile 1459.0 Daleville, VA
Zombie called to see if we had mailed anything there, and no, I hadn't. However, I was relieved that while the whole eastern part of the US was getting so much rain that flooding was stopping life as we know it, that there was NO RAIN where Andrew had been hiking all week! I was hoping that to be the case when I had seen The Weather Channel reports, and he confirmed it. I thought it was a special blessing for his surviving the the 22 of 24 days of rain back in Maine with such a good attitude!
10/2 - 7/09 AT Mile 1512.0 Sinking Creek Valley near Blacksburg, VA
How many graduates will walk 1,500 miles to visit a favorite professor, see a great blues singer, or cheer "Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi? Probably not too many! :-)
Leah, a friend from VT, picked Zombie up on VA 42. Later, Ground Support, Branden, and another friend met up with Zombie to see the BB King Concert Sunday night. Three returned to school and work in NOVA (Northern Virginia) and Andrew stayed to meet with his Academic Advisor the following Monday. He enjoyed his visit to his Alma Mata, and the meeting he had was productive. Expecting to return to the trail on Tuesday morning, Andrew was delayed until Wednesday by an unknown illness, probably something he ate. None the less, a trip to the ER and a few meds to help his throat, and he was ready to be on his way Wednesday. BIG thanks to Leah, for her kindness driving him places!!!
10/9/09 AT Mile 1552.2 Pearisburg, VA
Andrew stopped for a short town visit, to resupply and pick up his mail. He said he had to laugh at the irony at the beginning of the day... he knew I had mailed his rain jacket to Pearisburg, and in the morning when he was leaving Rice Field Shelter, 7 miles from town, it began to rain... so he decided to "wait it out" and 30 minutes later, the shower passed. Well, now he has his rain jacket again, since the days are cooler and a rain shower isn't "refreshing" like it was on warm summer days. Andrew wasn't going to stay in town long, he'd planned to go on to Woodshole Hoste, the second hostel on the trail.
10/9-11/09 AT Mile 1562.6 Woodshole Hostel
Well, when I saw his evening spot last night, and the lunch spot today at the same location, I called the hostel... wanted to make sure Andrew was still feeling O.K. The young lady that answered laughed, and said "Yes, he's fine, and he just said 'everybody is going to wonder why I am at the same place', but he was enjoying himself and asked if he could stay another night, so he's busy today doing a 'work for stay' swap." I assured her, I didn't need to talk with him, just wanted to be sure he was fine. He was chopping wood, and I'm sure loving it!
This should catch everyone up ...Sorry it had been a while. We've been busy, all good stuff, but I'll try to upload pictures tomorrow... or at least get some of them posted and labeled.
Andrew is 613.6 miles from Springer Mountain... won't be long now! He estimates RootBeer Float is a week ahead of him now, and another hiking friend, Rabbit, almost that far ahead by now (Rabbit is a fast hiker). He's back to hiking by himself for now, and said while it's quite nice to have hiking friends, he doesn't mind hiking alone. Rest assured, he's still loving his time on the trail.
Let me know if you want to meet him to hike a section. His Dad is doing the last 30 miles. After reading "Trail Ways, Path Wise", and then "A Walk in the Woods", I was considering doing the 8.8 miles from Amicalola Falls to the top of Springer. Andrew suggested I just drive the forest road up to walk the last 0.9 mile... so I'm thinking "that'll work".
Enjoy the beauty of Fall,
Mom/ Harriet
AT Mile 1222.2 - 1325.7 Shenanadoah National Park
AT Mile 1325.7 Waynesboro, VA then Washington National Forest
AT Mile 1402.8 Lynchburg, VA then on into Jefferson National Forest
AT Mile 1512.0 Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Oct. 2-7, 2009
AT Mile 1552.2 Pearisburg, VA
AT Mile 1562.6 Sugar Run Gap
It's been a busy few weeks! The ATC Interactive Map "went down" when Andrew crossed into Virginia, after his 4 state run. I called to ask AT Headquarters about it, and they discovered the entire trail map was not working. It took about 2 and a half weeks to re-program, so I was having to guess where Andrew was. When I
called the ATC Headquarters after a few weeks, they gave me another link, that is really neat, and fortunately, a
few days later they called to say it was up and running again.
9/19/09 AT mile 1260.4 (instead of mile 1271.9) Shenanadoah National Park
In the mean time, Ground Support calls me on Saturday afternoon, wondering where Andrew might be, as she is driving on the Skyline Drive looking for Zombie. What an adventure / misadventure that was. We were all cheering her on, as she got close to where he was, but actually went one shelter beyond him. So many "ifs..." The section hiker she met got his north and south confused (his first time hiking). He described "a thru-hiker he saw" which was indeed Andrew, taking to a group that was rock climbing...Also, Andrew had been hiking in a pattern of short days (15 miles) long days (22 + miles) so my guess that Saturday would be a long day, was not to be... it was a short day as the weather was lovely, climbing folks to chat with, and then he stopped to eat at a restaurant near the trail... so he missed "Ground Support" Kelly by 30 minutes!
While looking for Zombie, Kelly left "trail magic" of oranges and bananas, like they had done the weekend before when he was visiting in Winchester. She left notes on the orange peel that the fruit was for thru-hikers, knowing either Zombie or another weary soul would come upon it. When she found Bearfence Mtn. Hut, the place we THOUGHT he'd be, she waited... but no one came, so she left a note and a snack bag of fruit and food :-( and "it was late September, and time to head on back to school..." (no, that was in the song, Maggie Mae!) Kelly said, "At least the day was wonderful, and it lifted her spirits that Zombie Andrew would find a special surprise for Sunday's lunch..." Which he did.
9/26-27/09 AT Mile 1402.8 Jefferson National Park, near Lynchburg, VA
Ground Support's parents picked Zombie up, where the trail crosses VA 130, to take him home for the weekend. We appreciated their looking after him, feeding him, laundry time, church and family time. He was in good spirits, and happy for a comfy place to be for a few days, spending some time with special folks.
9/30/09 AT Mile 1459.0 Daleville, VA
Zombie called to see if we had mailed anything there, and no, I hadn't. However, I was relieved that while the whole eastern part of the US was getting so much rain that flooding was stopping life as we know it, that there was NO RAIN where Andrew had been hiking all week! I was hoping that to be the case when I had seen The Weather Channel reports, and he confirmed it. I thought it was a special blessing for his surviving the the 22 of 24 days of rain back in Maine with such a good attitude!
10/2 - 7/09 AT Mile 1512.0 Sinking Creek Valley near Blacksburg, VA
How many graduates will walk 1,500 miles to visit a favorite professor, see a great blues singer, or cheer "Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi? Probably not too many! :-)
Leah, a friend from VT, picked Zombie up on VA 42. Later, Ground Support, Branden, and another friend met up with Zombie to see the BB King Concert Sunday night. Three returned to school and work in NOVA (Northern Virginia) and Andrew stayed to meet with his Academic Advisor the following Monday. He enjoyed his visit to his Alma Mata, and the meeting he had was productive. Expecting to return to the trail on Tuesday morning, Andrew was delayed until Wednesday by an unknown illness, probably something he ate. None the less, a trip to the ER and a few meds to help his throat, and he was ready to be on his way Wednesday. BIG thanks to Leah, for her kindness driving him places!!!
10/9/09 AT Mile 1552.2 Pearisburg, VA
Andrew stopped for a short town visit, to resupply and pick up his mail. He said he had to laugh at the irony at the beginning of the day... he knew I had mailed his rain jacket to Pearisburg, and in the morning when he was leaving Rice Field Shelter, 7 miles from town, it began to rain... so he decided to "wait it out" and 30 minutes later, the shower passed. Well, now he has his rain jacket again, since the days are cooler and a rain shower isn't "refreshing" like it was on warm summer days. Andrew wasn't going to stay in town long, he'd planned to go on to Woodshole Hoste, the second hostel on the trail.
10/9-11/09 AT Mile 1562.6 Woodshole Hostel
Well, when I saw his evening spot last night, and the lunch spot today at the same location, I called the hostel... wanted to make sure Andrew was still feeling O.K. The young lady that answered laughed, and said "Yes, he's fine, and he just said 'everybody is going to wonder why I am at the same place', but he was enjoying himself and asked if he could stay another night, so he's busy today doing a 'work for stay' swap." I assured her, I didn't need to talk with him, just wanted to be sure he was fine. He was chopping wood, and I'm sure loving it!
This should catch everyone up ...Sorry it had been a while. We've been busy, all good stuff, but I'll try to upload pictures tomorrow... or at least get some of them posted and labeled.
Andrew is 613.6 miles from Springer Mountain... won't be long now! He estimates RootBeer Float is a week ahead of him now, and another hiking friend, Rabbit, almost that far ahead by now (Rabbit is a fast hiker). He's back to hiking by himself for now, and said while it's quite nice to have hiking friends, he doesn't mind hiking alone. Rest assured, he's still loving his time on the trail.
Let me know if you want to meet him to hike a section. His Dad is doing the last 30 miles. After reading "Trail Ways, Path Wise", and then "A Walk in the Woods", I was considering doing the 8.8 miles from Amicalola Falls to the top of Springer. Andrew suggested I just drive the forest road up to walk the last 0.9 mile... so I'm thinking "that'll work".
Enjoy the beauty of Fall,
Mom/ Harriet
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