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Ponds cucumber-infused exfoliating facial wipes. They make me feel pretty once I set-up camp at the end of the day. Used make-up removing wipes for the last hike. Effective for removing a layer of two of the daily grime, but no special cucumber scent. Better yet was the slack-packing to a hostel. Hot water, soap and a hand towel before dinner.

Kinda funny - I was in Raleigh Saturday night when UNC men's team beat Oregon to go to the championship game. 28 miles from Chapel Hill and you could have heard a pin drop after the win. The NC State fans hate UNC even when they don't have a wolf (dog) in the fight. Hell, I was living in Philly when Villanova beat Georgetown in 1985 and folks were burning couches in the intersections to help celebrate a team that was way out in the suburbs. North Carolina? It's us vs. them, with them being NC St…

Quote from NoAngel: “Quote from WanderingStovie: “I often go NOBO by yo-yo. ” Any which-way that you can is my method. ” Amen to that! After this last hike, I'm sold on covering the miles in any way that works for me.

Friday, March 24th I was up at 06:00 even though my shuttle ride wasn't departing until 08:15. Sox had sent a message last night telling me that he was camped by Laurel Fork, so I would only have a small head start on him once I headed out from The Bitter End. It was tempting to sign up for the Best Breakfast on the Trail ($12) up in the B&B but I figured that we'd be gorging ourselves on a post-hike feast later in the day, not to mention that I was still full from that glorious AT Double Cheese…

Spending a couple of days at Mountain Harbour (MH) allowed me to observe the dynamics of daily hostel operation and general hiker behavior. Here are a few things I found interesting. On their website, MH claims to have improved the opinion of folks in the nearby towns of Roan Mountain and Elk Park concerning AT hikers. But now, MH has a General Store and food trailer. It looks like they are trying to grab as much cash as possible before hikers leave their property. MH management mentioned that t…

Thursday, March 23rd I spent about 30 seconds yesterday evening thinking about packing up in the morning and heading north on the trail. The rest of the time, I congratulated myself on deciding to get shuttled north to USFS 293 at The Bitter End then hiking back to the hostel. I really enjoy hiking the AT. It’s the backpacking part that sometimes leaves me less than enthusiastic. I also got in touch with my daughter and confirmed our date to return for a Roan Highlands hike in the summer. Oh yea…

At the hostel: Pepsi Shower Snacks Dinner Lord of the Rings Warm, comfortable bed I was the only hiker 'officially' staying in the hostel. Another hiker Hilton and his pup Forest were tenting but snuck into the hostel overnight. I didn't mind - their company and conversation were both welcome. A text came in from Sox stating that he was camping between Hump & Little Hump Mountains, a mere 7 miles behind me. My last location for him had been the Cherry Gap Shelter on Monday night. Now I knew that…

Wednesday, March 22nd I really don't like those two kids from Michigan. They got up early to run back to their car in Iron Mountain Gap because they were freezing. When I stepped out of the shelter, I saw that they left a bag of trash next to the fire pit. And the peels from their morning bananas were thrown on top. Classy. Skipping dinner last night was a poor choice. It was a bad omen when I had to stop three times on my way back up the hill from the spring. I rewarded myself for yesterday's h…

Tuesday, March 21st It didn't rain overnight and the morning was cool but clear. 17.8 miles or bust. I vowed to myself that I was going to make up for my easy day yesterday with an epic hike to the Clyde Smith Shelter. First, the 1077' up and 2.3 miles to Beauty Spot. Check. RIMG0560-M.jpg Next, another 1080' up and 3.1 miles to the summit of Unaka. Done. RIMG0569-M.jpg Cherry Gap Shelter at 13:00. 8.7 miles down, 9.1 miles to go. Iron Mountain Gap by 16:00. Watched a guy buzz up & down the moun…

Monday, March 20th The day dawned with unlimited optimism and opportunity. Sox left at 07:00 for the Chestoa Bridge trailhead while I had a more leisurely 08:00 departure for Beauty Spot Gap – all the more time to digest my leftover stromboli. It was an uneventful drive up to Indian Grave Gap where we would access the gravel road up towards Unaka and Beauty Spot. At the top of the ridge, all optimism and opportunity abandoned me when we found the USFS gate to be closed and locked. There was also…

Sunday, March 19th It got cold overnight. The thermometer on my pack read 34 degrees as I exited my tent and began my breakfast preparations. This was the first time I actually camped in my Big Agnes Fly Creek solo tent – the last time I used it was in the Knot Maul Shelter on a cold evening. Me and all my gear fit comfortably inside and my empty pack & boots were under cover in the vestibule. I have to admit that I sleep well in my tent at a campsite but I prefer the convenience of shelters. Le…

Saturday, March 18th We got up at 06:00 even though our shuttle wasn't scheduled until 08:00. It was still raining and the forecast called for showers to continue for at least part of the morning. It was pretty easy to rig our packs for the wet conditions while inside the comfortable confines of our cabin. Our shuttle drive Carl knocked on the cabin door around 07:15 and told us he would be ready to roll in 15 minutes if we wanted to get an early start - perfect! We stowed our pre and post-hike …

Background For 2017, we have 308.4 AT miles remaining in North Carolina / Tennessee and 373.1 AT miles remaining in New Hampshire & Maine. Sox and I were able to free up a week in March to knock off about a third of our southern gap. I checked the AT Thru Hikers' Companion and determined that Sams Gap at the I-26 underpass was a reasonable 99 miles south of our 2016 starting point from Dennis Cove Road. Friday March 17th Happy St. Paddy's Day! Since Sox live near Boston, he has a bit of travel j…

One hazard is the thaw & re-freeze cycles. A few years ago, I was retracing my steps from Skyland to the AT at the very start of an early spring section hike. There was snow in the north-facing slopes that had a frozen crust on top. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Literally 3 feet from the first white blaze, I hit an icy spot and didn't break through the surface. My foot shot forward and I hyperextended my knee. That made for a fun remainder of the hike. One benefit of the snow was that I could grab a h…

Quote from SarcasmTheElf: “Quote from CoachLou: “Well, I won't be getting a dividend this year..............I haven't spent last years yet! Besides......it is for $9.35........some new tent pegs maybe? ” I have their credit card and pay for daycare with it. Dividend is $288. ” I have the REI Mastercard and an airline card. My wife and I generally put all of our monthly purchases on credit then pay the bill in full. The airline card has gotten me to some pretty far flung places and the REI card h…

Combining weather and Mustangs... My '07 is still buried. 18" (compacted) was the final tally. 20170314_190851-L.jpg

It's still coming down around Harrisburg. Even with some compression, there's a good 14". An additional 2" has fallen since I cleared my driveway. Coal stove is cranking, wife and I are off from work, and the dog is dog-tired from running through the snow while I cleared the cul-de-sac. Call it a good day.

Per my trail name, I've been stalking the 2017 hikers that are currently out on the trail. It looks like most have found refuge for the next day or two. I've also been checking out mountain-forecast.com for Roan Mountain and it looks damn nasty through Thursday at elevation.

Harrisburg area is also in the 12 - 18" range with a decent probability of more than that. Work already announced a noon opening tomorrow and will close if the Governor declares a State of Emergency. My wife's oncology practice was scheduled to administer some radioactive IV meds tomorrow. They'll probably close for the day which really screws things up for the patient since the half-life is pretty short. I am sooooooo glad that my buddy and I didn't pick this week for our spring section!

Three things: I'm bringing pre-mixed Manhattans for the first night I was very disappointed to learn that the booze store in Unicoi is closed on Sundays. We're going a little upscale in Erwin. Maybe a quick visit to Uncle Johnny's for a Snicker's Bar. Spilling booze? That's alcohol abuse! But I like the way you think!