Dave Byrnes' Adventures

Appalachian Trail - 1986
Overview     Map     Diary     Pictures
Day: 018
Date: Tuesday, 20 May 1986
Start:  
Finish:  
Daily AT Miles: 25.9
Daily Other Miles 0
Total AT Miles: 336.0
Total All Miles 347.0
Weather: Cool and foggy.
Accommodation:  
Nutrition: Breakfast: Muesli, health drink
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar
Dinner: Muesli, biscuits and peanut butter, health drink.
Aches:  
Animals Seen: Chipmunks
People Seen: One AT Thru-Hikers, two overnight hikers, several others.
Pictures: Here
GPS Track:  
Journal: I got up at 6am so I could be away by 7am with the intention of a long day to get to Nolichucky Expeditions and a bank and hot meal.  The weather was again pretty miserable, very foggy and everything was wet underfoot.  My fast-wearing shoes wear even faster when wet.  The Trail was rough, rocky, steep in places and sloped steeply from right to left, making walking difficult and putting extra strain on my shoes.  I reached Big Bald (5516ft) which was sort of alpine grassland but, though it was clear at the summit, the surrounding mountains were covered in fog so there were no views.  The Trail continued through calf-high wet grass which had me worried about rattlesnakes (a fellow hiker had killed one a day earlier) though it was probably too cold and wet.  I had lunch at High Rocks where it was foggy, windy, cold and water dripped continuously from the trees.  I was a bit miserable.  I descended steeply after lunch then climbed again on a very rough rocky track followed by one with a steep camber.  More strain on legs and shoes.  Overall, though, my progress was OK and I arrived at rocks overlooking the town of Erwin and the Nolichucky Riverat about 5:30pm, made a last steep descent before walking the 1.5 road miles to Nolichucky Expeditions.  Unfortunately, the cook was off for the night but one of the employees kindly offered to drive me into town in the next hour.  So I stayed, had a shower, and met the other occupant, Mark, a nice guy with low self esteem and a few personal problems, who had missed large chunks of the AT so far.  Our promised ride into town failed to materialise, annoyingly, and I ended up eating muesli and biscuits and peanut butter for dinner.  I tried to ring Barb at her parents at 10:30pm but she wasn’t there.  Will try again in the morning.  Went to bed and slept well after my most depressing day so far.

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)

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