May 8, 2012

Well, if you haven't heard by now, I'm back off the trail again.   The week of hiking from Erwin to Roan Mtn, TN has taken it's toll on my left knee, and I've decided not to continue to punish it.

Cheryl was kind and came out on Saturday morning and picked me up at the Mountain Harbour Hostel.

I'm back out riding my bike and continuing on with life.

I really want to extend my deepest thanks to all those folks who have encouraged and helped to make even this part of my AT hike possible.  I have a much deeper appreciation of what the AT is, and that incredible community that surrounds it.

I do have a few last photos to share with you.




Pink Lady Slipper near Brushy Mtn



White Lady Slipper near Brushy Mtn

Sunrise from the Overmountain Shelter  May 4

May 1, 2012

Hello from the trail.  Cheryl and Rachel dropped me off at Erwin TN on Saturday morning.  This morning finds me at Greasy Creek Hostel.  I've hiked about 26 miles in 3 days and up and over Unaka Mountian, but needed to resupply before tackling the 2000 ft climb over Roan Mtn.  So I've stopped over here.  I was fortunate enough to be able to catch a ride into Johnson City with the proprietor for her supply run and picked up a knee brace at Walmart, along with supplies.  Yes, the knee's acting up again, but not to the point of any real pain, and I'm hoping the brace my help.  I was very forunate to be here, as there was severe weather on the trail last night.  There were reports of 2" hail at one of the towns close to Roan Mtn and a couple of hikers who came of the trail late yesterday were caught in heavy downpours, hail and lots of lightning.  Currently the humidity is at 96% this morning with predictions of more thunderstorms this afternoon, so I'm having breakfast and mulling a zero day here.  Otherwise, all is well.

Jerome = AYATORI

April 19, 2012

Well I've been home for a week now, and am making plans to get back on the trail.  My left knee, which I injured some 40 years ago, has some arthritis in it.   But my family practitioner has cleared me to head back to the trail and give it another shot.

Cheryl has graciously volunteered to drive me out to Erwin, TN on Friday April 27.  There I'll meet up with Halfspeed, the 71 y/o gentleman I'd been hiking with for about 10 days, and we'll resume our northbound trek.

In the meantime, I've been doing some bicycling on the local rails-to-trails to try to keep my aerobic conditioning up, and puttering around in the yard and garden.

The swelling in my knee is mostly gone, and it's not causing me any particular discomfort.

I am taking advantage of my home stay, to try to reduce my pack weight further.  I'm about to switch-out a long sleeve shirt that I only wore a few times in town, for a second synthetic short sleeved shirt (5 oz reduction), plan on purchasing a lighter and cheaper sleeping mat (15 oz less), and will be leaving my plastic bear-proof container at home and converting to a stuff sack to hang (2 lb 5 oz less).    I spent the day going through my entire pack and weighing each item individually - something  I probably should have done earlier -- and then checking my options at REI.com for lighter weight alternatives.  About the only  other thing that would really make a huge difference would be leaving my tent at home and sleeping in a bivy sac anytime a shelter wasn't available, but just looking at them made me slightly claustrophobic -- still with about a 4 lb reduction in pack weight it's tempting.

I'm looking forward to getting back on the trail and seeing if I can complete more of the trail without aggravating my knee.

Jerome = AYATORI

April 13, 2012

I went for my doctor's appt this morning and was told that the swelling of my knee could be either arthritis or damage to the meniscus.  The primary care physician sent me over for Xrays to judge the extent of arthritis in the knee, but doubted they would see much.  He suggested resting the knee for a few weeks, and then getting back out on the trail and start hiking again.  He indicated that if the knee swelled up again, I should get back off the trail and come back to have an orthopedic specialist look at it.

So I pulled out my mountain bike this afternoon and took it out for a quick 18 mile spin on the local rails-to-trails to try to maintain some semblance of aerobic conditioning.  Felt good and it didn't bother the knee, as far as I can tell.

Jerome = AYATORI

April 12, 2012

Well, folks, I've run into a bit of a knee problem on the trail and have returned home to sort it out.  For the past week, I've had some issues with my left knee swelling from some of the steep downhills I've encountered on the AT.  It's made my knee pop and crackle a bit and it's starting to feel a little unstable, so I want to be sure that I'm not doing any permanent damage.

I got off the AT at Rock Gap and caught a shuttle into Franklin, NC.  My friend Halfspeed and I spent the night there and then caught a ride to Asheville with another ailing hiker.  From there I rode the Greyhound bus to Raleigh and arrived home at 5 AM this morning.

Tomorrow, I have an appointment with my physician to take a look at the knee and get a professional opinion on what I should consider.  If it's just a bit of discomfort, I can deal with it and will rejoin the trail a bit farther north, then come back and finish the portion I'll have skipped.

If I'm doing real harm to my knees, I'll have to abandon my AT plans.   I don't intend to just sit the summer out, so we'll have to see what develops then.

Jerome = AYATORI

April 6, 2012

I'm here in Hiawassee GA today, taking a zero day.  We arrived yesterday afternoon and got a ride down from Dick's Creek Gap with a hiker we met on the trail whose wife was picking him up.  No room at the cheaper hostel, so Sam - another hiker I've been walking with the past few days - and I are here at the Holiday Inn Express.  Fancy digs for a pair of grungy hikers.  We did try to do our part and did laundry and showered on our arrival yesterday, so at the moment we've lost that rough thruhiker edge.  I weighed in last night on our arrival and after having several sodas and some snacks, and still weighed in at 224 lb.  That's an 18 lb drop in 10 days.  We ate last night at Daniel's Steakhouse, a local  all-you-can-eat buffet for less than $8 and a favorite among the thruhiker community.  After breakfast, we did some resupply shopping at the local IGA, and have since been repacking it and relaxing in our room.  Brother Don will be happy to know that there's another package of SPAM in my stores, this time by personal choice --  go figure.

We looked at some terrain profiles for the next 4 days into Franklin, NC, and things seem to be generally much less steep, both in ascent and descent.  Good thing because the steep descents are taking a bit of a toll on my left knee.  I'm getting a little swelling, but ibuprofen last night followed by ice packs today have taken most of the swelling and soreness out of the knee.

All-in-all, I'm doing well and starting to feel like I might actually grow some trail legs in the next few weeks.

It's great to hear from all of you.

Jerome

April 3, 2012



Hello from Helen, GA.  This is the first chance I've had to write as there seemed not to be Internet access at Neels Gap.  If you've heard reports of heavy weather in northern GA today, rest assured that I'm safe and staying at a Best Western tonight.  My first real night off the trail in a week.  I've worked my way through 62 miles of tough up and down hills and am not making nearly the mileage that was on the 'proposed' schedule.  I'm hoping things will improve as my weight drops and my cardio fitness improves.  I did get some help at Neels Gap by sending home 6-8 lbs of gear that I wasn't using and so the past couple of days my pack has felt noticeably lighter.

There have been lots and lots of wildflowers on the trail, and I'll try to get back on the computer later tonight to upload them.  Haven't seen a bear, and about the only critter I've seen on the trail has been a skink that skittered across the rocks in front of me.

I hope to add more to this post tonight.

Love,
Jerome = Ayatori

Hiker Hostel 3-26-2012



Amicalola Falls Approach Trail 3-27-2012



Springer Mtn  3-27-2012

Trillium

 

Camping at Hawk Mtn 3-28-2012



White flowering shrub  (unidentified)

Mountain Crossing at Neels Gap 4-1-2012

View from Mountain Crossing deck 8am 4-1-2012

I'm not sure, fern crowns coming up near Blue Mtn  4-3-2012

March 25, 2012

It's 10 pm and I'm all packed and ready to start my adventure tomorrow morning.  The past three weeks, I've done little hiking, but have been very busy around the house and yard.  The amaryllis bulbs have all been planted and many are now sporting bloom stalks, but it will be at least a week before the earliest bloom, so I'll wait to enjoy them next year.

I've been busy trimming some 12' holly hedges back down to a more manageable 6' and have spread 5 cubic yards of mulch to help keep the weeds down in the flower beds this summer.

There are now 10 consecutively number boxes that Cheryl will mail to me at various points along the trail.  Each is addressed and the maps and various supplies have been distributed among them.  I have the addresses marked in my trail data book and will give try to give Cheryl a week or so's notice when I'm approaching my next mail stop.

I lined my backpack with heavy-duty trash compactor bags to try to keep everything dry on the trail.  I had everything pulled out of my pack yesterday and spent time this morning and evening stuffing everything back in.  I had been carrying a 40-42 lb pack during my most recent training hikes, and I expect I'll have somewhat more than that on my back when I leave Amicalola Falls State Park for the trail.  I tried the pack tonight and it didn't seem to bad, so I won't worry about it just yet.  Still, I don't really want to go put it  on the scale to see how heavy it is. 

I'll know soon enough if I can carry it, and it's too heavy I'll have the good folks at the Walasi-yi Center in Neels Gap, GA to help me go through it and send unnecessary items home.

The bus leaves Raleigh at 6:51 tomorrow morning and arrives in Atlanta at 2:30 pm.  Then I'll take the MARTA system to the North Springs Station where my shuttle from the Hiker Hostel will pick me up.  I spend Monday night with them, then get fed breakfast and should be heading up the trail Tuesday morning.

Thanks for the many kind words of support I've received recently.  It really does mean something to know so many people are pulling for you.

AYATORI

March 1, 2012

I hiked in Umstead State Park again today.  Only did 6 miles, but hiked it in just over 2 hours with my 40 lb pack.  It was about 70F today, and highs are expected in the high 70's-low 80's.  If I listen carefully, I can hear the snow-bound northerner's wistful sighs.  Today there were many more trout lilies blossoming along the trail.  I'm back home now and taking care of tasks that need my attention in the next few weeks.  I need to replant the amarylis bulbs that have been hardened off.  This is a year where I'm going to miss them.  If I can get them into pots, they'll be blossoming a few weeks after Easter when I'm hiking in western NC.  The hollies in the yard need to be trimmed, and all of the azaleas need a bit of fertilizer to enhance their blooms.  I was a rainy day yesterday and so I took the day off and converted the last 12 lbs of pale malt into a fine ale that I'll be bottling in 10 days.  It should be waiting for me when I return from the trail.  There are also 3 gallons of cherry wine from fruit that sister Barb picked last summer, and 5 gallons of blackberry wine from fruit that Cheryl and I picked last summer.  Both need to be stabilized and bottled in the next few weeks.

Well places to go and things to get done.

25 days before I leave.

February 28, 2012

I was back out at Umstead SP again today, but early enough to make lunch.  Brother Don was kind enough to send me some single servings of SPAM, now that he and Mary are in Austin, MN -- home of the SPAM museum.  So today I decided to actually use one of the packets and make lunch with it.

At the moment, I'm packing my food in a bear-proof plastic container.  It's a bit heavier than using a bag and hanging it every night, but out west they're become a required item and the latest postings I've seen indicate that the Nation Forest Service has begun requiring them in some spots along the AT.  Along side my food is my cooking kit that includes my 1.1 liter pot, a cup, my alcohol stove, and a windscreen.

Here's basically everything unpacked.  Someone at REI taught me to repackage my couscous (or other food to be rehydrated into 1 qt freezer bags to eliminate the packaging and so that I don't have to clean my cookpot after eating.  It's just used to boil water.  Don and Mary - please note the package of SPAM so prominently displayed.

My alcohol stove runs on denatured alcohol which is readily available at stores and suppliers along the trail.  For this meal, I need to boil about 1 1/4 c of water, so I put about 1 oz of alcohol in the stove and lit it with my handy butane lighter.  You can just see the flame in the center of the stove.

After about a minute, the alcohol heats up and vapors are forced out ports drilled into the side of the stove.  It's very clean burning -- no soot at all, and was hot enough to melt the orginal aluminum foil wind screen that was supplied, so I've fashioned a more durable one from a half a coffee can.

When the ports have lit, the cooking pot with water simply sits on top of the stove, forcing all of the combustible fumes out the ports.

While my water was heating, I broke up that delicious SPAM into my bag with the couscous and spices (I don't care what it looks like  --  TP in this case means toasted pinenuts)

Two minutes later, my water was boiling.

Then the water wad added to the quart bag and in a few more minutes, lunch was ready.

Delicious!

Then everything was packed up 30 minutes after I'd arrived, I was back on the trail.

I don't know if it was the SPAM at lunch or just the glorius February weather (sunny and 63F), but it was a great afternoon for sights on the trail.  Shortly after leaving the shelter where I fixed lunch I happened on pileated woodpecker.

And about an hour later came across trout lilies in bloom along the trail.

Just 3 1/2 weeks before I leave for Georgia. 

February 24, 2012

So what's with this 'ayatori' thing?  I've decided to try to nip less-than-complimentary trail names in the bud by choosing my own.  Who knows if it will stick, but it's better than simply accepting something based on my known propensity for snoring and odiferous shoes.

Folks who have been around me for any length of time have seen me pull a string out of my pocket to do string figures, play cat's cradle, or do little tricks to amuse myself.  I'm rarely without a string and will undoubtedly carry (at least) one with me on the trail.

Ayatori is the Japanese name for cat's cradle, and something that I enjoyed sharing with Japanese friends, colleagues, and many Japanese kids on the commuting trains and buses.  Ayatori is what I've chosen to be known as on the trail.  We'll see if it sticks.  Attached are a few photos of my many string amusements.

'Ten Men'

'Lei Flower'

'The Pig'

So, ayatori it is.

February 23, 2012

It's been almost 3 weeks since I've last updated the blog.  I've been spending my time with a 40 lb pack, hiking the trails in Umstead State Park, with an occasional foray to the Uwharries.

This past week I put in 3 consecutive days  of 9, 9, and 11.5 miles at Umstead.  That's putting me pretty close to the distance (if  not the difficulty) of the AT from its southern terminus at Springer Mtn to the NC border.  I plan on doing the 'Approach Trail' from the Amicalola Falls State Park to Springer, which adds another 8 miles before I set foot in NC after I start.

It's been relatively warm here the past few weeks with highs on many days reaching 60+ F.  So there are lots of changes becoming apparent in the woods.

Sycamore Creek Umstead SP, Feb-2012

Moss in the creek has taken on a distinctive emerald green hue  and little bluet flowers are showing up on the trail.



Bluet flower at Umstead SP Feb-2012



Moss in Crabtree Creek, Umstead SP Feb-2012

On Thursday, I spotted a little bird flitting in the holly along Crabtree Creek.  I couldn't see what it was, but I took somephotos using my new camera with its 18x telephoto lens and got the attached photo.  I confirmed with the folks at the NC Museum of Natural Science that it's a golden-crowned kinglet.

Golden-crowned kinglet, Umstead SP  2-23-2012

I now have just over 4 weeks before I take the Greyhound to Atlanta, spend the night with the folks at Hiker Hostel, and actually begin walking the AT on March 27.   I'm psyched.

February 3, 2012

I walked 13 miles in Umstead today with a 39 lb pack, the most mileage with that heavy a pack that I've ever done.

I encountered a Mourning Cloak butterfly this morning.  Not that I knew it this morning, but after I checked the web tonight.  Quoting from the NC Butterfly web site "This is a common, widespread, and familiar butterfly in the northeastern states, but in NC it is not common, though it may be locally numerous in the mountains and Piedmont. It is not one of the butterflies that the average person will encounter, except for those spending considerable time walking through upland woods in spring and fall."   The underlined emphasis is mine.  :)

January 31, 2012

I hiked the Moore's Wall Loop trail at Hanging Rock State Park today.  The trail is only about 4 miles, but includes about 600 ft of elevation gain over about a mile of the trail.  It was a beautiful sunny day with a high of about 65F, though the winds at the top of Moore's Knob were pretty brisk and cooling after the sweat shed on the way up.  The path down is partially 'paved' with stone steps.  I counted (Am I my mother's son?) 607 actual stone steps on the way down.  Coincidentially, I'm told that the approach trail to Springer mountain has 604 wooden steps on the way up.  No blisters or aching knees to report.

The photo is a panoramic shot from Moore's Knob.  The small peaks to the left are a strange double of Pilot Mountain that are an artifact of my 'stitching' program.  In the far distance, you see the Blue Ridge on the horizon.  That's where I hope to be this spring.  Less than 2 months to go before my March 26 departure for Atlanta.  I made reservations for the shuttle from Atlanta to Springer today.



Panorama from Moore's Knob  Jan 31, 2012



January 28, 2012

OK it's been a month since I last posted.  I'm afraid I've gotten busy with the UNC men's glee club tour in early January.  Coincidentally, we performed in Murphy, NC and then traveled to Atlanta to performance at a church near Emory University.  On the way, the bus passed through the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) one of the areas the AT passes through as it enters North Carolina.  Then on the way to Atlanta there were some signs that we passed for Amicalola Falls State Park, where Springer Mountain (the southern terminus of the AT) is located.  I tried to imagine hiking up and down the hills we were passing and felt encouraged that I could probably handle the hills that I saw.  Of course, from inside the bus most anything might appear possible.

Regardless of my lack of entries here, I have been training.  I've started to incorporate hikes in the Uwharrie National Forest that's a two hour drive southwest of Cary.  Several hikers have recommended it as a place to train that incorporates some longer, steeper hills.  I struggled a bit on the last few miles the first time I was there a few weeks ago, but this past week finished an 8 mile hike without any problems.

The AT Thruhiking class at REI was very interesting and helpful.  I've picked up a few additional ideas and have purchased a few pieces of equipment to supplement what I have, including an aluminum snow stake that will serve as my cat hole trowel, and a 10 liter collapsible bucket.  I ran into Tim, aka Grasshopper, last night at REI and told him about the indiviodual servings of SPAM that my brother in Austin MN recently sent me.  Tim was totally enthusiatic saying he often broke open a package and ate it cold, to the chagrin of some of his AT companions.  He ensures me that even SPAM tastes great when you're on the trail.  I'm afraid I'll need to personally verify his assertion.  I'm dubious.

I've finally purchased a camera that will begin taking on the trail, and so you should expect to see some photos finally showing up here that should add some interest to my ramblings.

I went out this afternoon and hiked the Sycamore Trail in Umstead State Park.  Here are a few photos taken on my new camera.

63 F  on Jan 28.  Short sleeves and shorts.  :)

Stone bridge over Sycamore Creek

The woods are pretty gray/brown, but the moss is emerald green.