Days 49-52
May 21-24
Black Bear Resort to Damascus, VA
and Home for Injury Recovery
Day 49
Black Bear Resort to above Watauga Lake
After breakfast at Big Bear Resort (outside Hampton, Tennessee), we were shuttled to the trailhead. Rocky didn't like riding in the golf cart, especially when we hit a large bump.
The weather today was excellent, and the trail was mostly mud-free.
We passed by the Laurel Fork Shelter. It's one of the few rock shelters I've seen.
 |
| Laurel Fork Shelter |
 |
| Laurel Fork Creek |
This lizard ran out on a rock and just sat there as I took its picture. I touched it on the back, and it was gone.
Commando and I took a lunch break and filled our water bottles.
We camped above Watauga Lake and enjoyed a great view.
 |
| Watauga Lake |
Day 50
Watauga Lake to Hickory Flat Branch
Trail conditions were great today. Other than the long climbs and a bunch of dead limbs across the trail, you couldn't ask for a better hiking situation.
Rocky and I stopped by Vandeventer Shelter and had lunch.
 |
| Vandeventer Shelter |
There were a lot of interesting wildflowers that I haven't seen before.
When we passed by Iron Mountain Shelter, it looked like a tent city. It appears that we caught up with the Trail Days bubble of hikers. I'm sure they will pass me tomorrow.
 |
| Iron Mountain Shelter |
There is a monument and gravesite for Nick Grindstaff, an old hermit who lived on the mountain for 70 years.
We stealth camped near the Hickory Flat Branch water site. There was a strong thunderstorm with hard driving rain. We heard a tree fall close to our camp during the high wind. All you can do in this situation is hope that the next tree that falls does not fall on you.
TRAIL MAGIC #1
TRAIL MAGIC #2
emoji, THANK YOU for sharing your story and the wonderful snacks! Rocky is now your friend forever.
The morning started out like many others, raining. As the day progressed, the sun came out, and the trail began to dry out.
I have been fighting an injury in my left leg for four days. Today, I found myself in a lot of pain and hiking slower and slower. At some point you need to make a decision: do I tough it out, or do I seek help? I chose to seek help.
Damascus is a little over a two-hour drive from downtown Knoxville where Sally works. I called Sally, and she picked me up after work.
We were getting pretty hungry, so we went to the Damascus Diner for dinner. This is about as retro of a locals' diner as I've seen. The burgers were fantastic. We ordered a burger to go for Sally.
Sally arrived about 7:00. After Sally ate her burger and we said our good-byes to Commando, we headed home. We made it home around 10:00 p.m.
Day 51
Hickory Flat Branch to Abingdon Gap Shelter
It will be hard to find a more scenic and pastoral section of trail. The meadows and pastures covered in wildflowers with the barn in the background is a scene you only expect to see on postcards (I may be showing my age with a postcard reference).
TRAIL MAGIC #1
Our first trail magic today was at Cross Mountain/TN 91. Leslie from Chicago is supporting her husband, who is section hiking, and she is providing trail magic. She provided Rocky and me with hot dogs, chips, drinks, fruit, and candy bars (well, no candy bars for Rocky). As we were leaving, Leslie offered hot dogs to go. We said yes and ate them for dinner. Rocky really enjoyed the addition to his kibble.
 |
| Leslie -- Trail Magic |
Leslie, THANK YOU for your generosity and the hot dogs!
It started raining around 2:00. First it was a light rain, and I was comfortable hiking without rain gear. About 30 minutes later the rain picked up. I stopped by Double Springs Shelter to put on my rain gear. Just as we entered the shelter, a major thunderstorm cut loose. Within minutes four more hikers ran into the shelter seeking a dry spot to hide from the torrents. Unlucky for Commando, he was ahead of me and received the full impact of the storm.
Our second trail magic today was at Low Gap/US 421 where we met emogi (with a lower-case "e"). She's a self-proclaimed full-time trail angel. She has provided this service for the past five years. After her husband died, she was looking for something to do that would be helpful to others when she came across a thru-hiker in need of assistance. She's been providing this service ever since, and it does make a difference to hungry hikers.
emogi's spread of goodies was like a trunk-or-treat for hikers. Her car's trunk was stuffed with all sorts of delectables, ranging from sweet to salty. In addition, she provided an ice chest full of drinks. Rocky has a sweet tooth. One of his favorite things is brown sugar-cinnamon Pop Tarts. Yes, he scored a Pop Tart. I went for the chips and a banana.
 |
| emoji Trail Magic |
emoji, THANK YOU for sharing your story and the wonderful snacks! Rocky is now your friend forever.
We passed by McQueens Knob Shelter on our way to camp at Abingdon Gap Shelter, the LAST SHELTER IN TENNESSEE (three states down).
 |
McQueens Knob Shelter |
 |
| Abingdon Gap Shelter Day 52 Abingdon Gap Shelter to Damascus, VA and Home for Injury Recovery  |
I have been fighting an injury in my left leg for four days. Today, I found myself in a lot of pain and hiking slower and slower. At some point you need to make a decision: do I tough it out, or do I seek help? I chose to seek help.
Damascus is a little over a two-hour drive from downtown Knoxville where Sally works. I called Sally, and she picked me up after work.
While we were waiting, Commando, Rocky, and I visited the Appalachian Heritage Distillery and Brewery. We partook of the local spirits, which made my leg feel a little better. The Damascus Mule was especially tasty.
 |
| Damascus, VA, mile 470 on the AT |
We were getting pretty hungry, so we went to the Damascus Diner for dinner. This is about as retro of a locals' diner as I've seen. The burgers were fantastic. We ordered a burger to go for Sally.
Sally arrived about 7:00. After Sally ate her burger and we said our good-byes to Commando, we headed home. We made it home around 10:00 p.m.
 |
Days 53-59
May 25-31
Injury Update & the Plan
After recuperating at home over Memorial Day weekend, I was initially diagnosed with severe shin splints in my left leg at an orthopedic walk-in clinic. On Wednesday, I was able to see my orthopedist. He was concerned that my injury was more than shin splints and suggested further testing.
I had an MRI on Thursday morning and met with my doctor that afternoon (thank you, Dr. Scott, for working me in and for following the blog!). The MRI revealed that I not only have shin splints, but I also have bone and soft tissue bruising with essentially the same thing in my left ankle. The good news is that there are no fractures.
The remedies for my issues are to rest the leg for five or so more days, take anti-inflammatory meds, wear compression socks, and start hiking shorter distances initially.
Of course, Commando has been eating up the miles heading north in Virginia since leaving Damascus. Before saying good-bye, we decided that the best plan would be for Rocky and I to leap over the section Commando has hiked and then proceed north with him to the northern terminus of the AT at Mount Katahdin in Maine. Due to weather concerns, Mount Katahdin is closed to hikers after October 15, so the push is on to make it there in time.
To finish my thru-hike, when Sally picks Rocky and me up in Maine, we will stop in Virginia on the way home at the point where we restarted, and there we will begin a southbound hike to end the 2200-mile trek back in Damascus again. This type of thru-hike is called a "flip-flop" and is fairly common when accommodations have to be made for injuries or other emergencies. As a plus, Sally has now decided that she wants to hike at least the last week with me in Virginia in October and bring Rosie along for Rosie's first backpacking adventure.
To allow for the time I will need to get my trail legs back under me now, Sally will drop Rocky and me off in Virginia a few miles ahead of where Commando is at the time so that he can catch us without losing steam. I am going to see how I feel this Sunday, June 2. If all is good, I'll get back on the trail on Monday.
In the meantime, Sally is doing her best to fatten up Rocky, the picky eater, who lost a little more weight than we would have liked in his first two months on the trail. He has settled right in with his siblings--sleeping, playing, and romping on the local greenway. I'm enjoying some good meals also as I see friends and heal.
Video Highlight (note from Sally):
While in Damascus, Commando was able to upload Episode 8 of his video series, 5 Million Steps. He had finished editing the episode at Big Bear Resort but was without strong WiFi to upload it until reaching Virginia. Although we know Commando is speeding ahead right now, we get the treat of seeing Titanium and Rocky appear often in Commando's video episodes up to this point (and the episodes are just so darned good). As Commando would say, "Check it out!" (at the link below).
Comments
Post a Comment