Day: |
030 |
Date: |
Sunday, 1 June 1986 |
Start: |
|
Finish: |
|
Daily
AT Miles: |
23.8 |
Daily Other Miles |
0 |
Total
AT Miles: |
548.7 |
Total All Miles |
564.3 |
Weather: |
Sunny, warm, humid. |
Accommodation: |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Sausages and eggs, orange juice
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. Dinner:
Macaroni cheese, instant pudding. |
Aches: |
Both heels sore. |
Animals Seen: |
Chipmunks, squirrels. |
People Seen: |
Four AT hikers (by stages), many others. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
|
Journal: |
Got up at 6:50am and had a shower and
breakfast before leaving at 7:55am after saying goodbye to Stu,
Patti and Greyhound (Tom, the Belcher in Hill Street Blues
look-a-like) though I expected to see Stu again because he was keen
to move a bit faster and was going to make for the same
shelter. The first few miles were very difficult as they followed
cow-trodden paths through farms and were very boggy in parts. Later
the Trail left the farmland and began climbing gently onto the
forested ridges. Once again, many flowers were around – azaleas,
laurels, rhododendrons. Both feet were sore – the left one now so
because I was too cavalier in cutting away skin over a deep
blister. Stu soon caught me and I let him go because my progress
was slow though we met many times during the day. There were a few
tough hills which made my feet hurt. At about 1pm, we came out onto
a country road and the Trail followed that for some time. We passed
pretty farm houses and waved and chatted to a few of the friendly
inhabitants. We stopped for lunch in a picnic area before
negotiating a long hill up to Chestnut Ridge. On the crest of the
ridge the trees disappeared and there were good views in the late
afternoon haze of surrounding ridges. The guidebooks told us that
there was no water at Chestnut Knob Shelter so we stopped at a
spring 1.8 miles before the shelter and filled our water bottles and
bags. They were heavy and made it a long slog uphill (gradual) to
the shelter. When we arrived (Stu first) two other hikers, also
northbound, were in residence. There was Ken (~60) and Lewis (~45),
the latter suffering from a withered left shoulder and arm which
made it hard for him to carry a pack. We got a fire going after our
7:30pm arrival and managed to cook dinner while chatting to Ken, who
was interested in our trip and had hiked about half of the AT. He
promised to send us a carved boot if we notified him we had finished
the AT. Bunk space in the old stone cabin on top of the ridge was
limited and I slept on the table and didn’t have a real good night
when we retired at 9:30pm. Ken and Lewis went to bed earlier and
Ken snored. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track (2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|