700+ Miles Completed - What's been happening the past week?

Topo, Mosey, Dori and crew are increasing their average miles per day now that they are in Virginia...17, 19, 21, 18, 25!!, 20 and the days go on and on. Everyone is doing well. Tonight they are staying at Campbell Shelter after hiking over Dragon's Tooth. 703 miles done, 1472 to go. I will update more tomorrow with some photos and a recap of the past week. The Palmer family has been very busy traveling to Philadelphia, north Jersey, and home in the past 3 days. Time for bed! More to follow. Thanks for your patience.

An Array of Shelters!

We talked to Adam today, things continue to go well. He called from Exit 58 on Interstate 77, stopping to pick up a food drop. The fuel situation was resolved when the family of a friend of Bob's from work was heading home to West Virginia. They agreed to drop the fuel off at Exit 58 early Sunday morning, and Adam and friends arrived at noon to pick everything up.

Adam shared an unbelievable story about a thru-hiker we met last summer while hiking in Maine. The hiker's trail name was Dakota, he was a southbound thru-hiker who started in Maine in May 2008. We met him in July at a shelter we stayed at one evening. Fast forward 9 months, Adam was at a shelter a couple nights ago and a hiker came in, southbound thru-hiker, and they started talking. Adam said he recognized the guy and asked him if he remembered meeting each other last summer in Maine. The guy did remember Adam and me, and they spent part of the evening swapping trail stories. Adam said Dakota got to central Virginia by Thanksgiving last year, and the weather was turning too cold, so he stopped hiking for the year, and picked it back up last month, trying to finish the rest of his hike this year. Quite a story!

Over the past week, Adam and friends have been staying at quite a diversity of shelters, here are some photos of a few of them:
Old Orchard







Partnership

Chestnut Knob


Jenny Knob

Going Strong in Virginia

Adam, Mosey and Dori are going strong in Virginia, clicking off 15+ miles each day. The food drops have worked out fine, although I did talk to Adam this morning and the gas station along Interstate 81 where he was counting on picking up some fuel for his stove (and Dori's stove) had run out so they will have to ration thier fuel use until next Wednesday in Pearisburg.

Adam said he boiled water on the fire last night, and will do so over the next couple days. I think the last thing he said was, 'No worries'.

Last night they stayed at Davis Path Shelter. He, Mosey, Dori, Indy and another friend, Hatchet are doing well. He said they have met some new people and are enjoying their company. Here's the shelter before renovations.

I received a text from him last night, and the subject line said, "I saw a..." and I thought when I opened it he was going to say a bear....but here's what it said, "I saw a Werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand!"....for those not familar with classic rock song, Warren Zevon released it in 1978, check out this link: http://www.mp3raid.com/search/download-mp3/1/werewolves_of_london.html

More to follow...they are going strong, enjoying the nice weather! Keep them in your thoughts and prayers!

And then there were 2...well 3...plus Mosey

On Saturday, April 11, Adam, Dori, Kat, Indiana Jones and Taters (Adam's brother-in-law Will) arrived in Damascus, VA after a 19 mile day of hiking. Taters (Will) enjoyed 4 days of hiking with the Crew before heading back to Charlotte. The Crew was looking forward to a nice restful evening at the Mt Rogers Hostel (across the street from Mt Rogers Outfitters) and celebrating the completion of another state and entering Virginia, which is the largest chunk of the AT with over 500 miles of hiking.

What Adam and Dori didn't realize is that Kat had decided it was time to say goodbye to her thru-hiking partners and head home. She had been thinking long and hard about the hike, and decided her heart just wasn't in it and it would be best to head home. This came as quite a surprise to everyone, but all were supportive and in the blink of an eye Kat was homeward bound. Her giggle and her spirit will be missed by all!

So the 3 became 2, but really the 4 became 3. Indiana Jones or Indy(trail name) is a recent high school graduate from Indiana (hence the name) and has been hiking with the Crew for the past few weeks. They have really become good friends, and they plan on hiking together for the duration. So the 3 became 4, and then the 4 became 3, plus the big old Mosey, who is doing quite well based on all accounts.

Here's a picture of Mosey and Indiana Jones at a shelter picnic table. Not sure which one is wanting food the most - Mosey or Indy

We're waiting for a recent update from the 3, haven't heard from them since Sunday. Here's a short video Adam took on the top of Big Bald Mountain. Enjoy...

Have You Ever Stayed at a Hiker Hostel??

Many people wonder what a hiker hostel is like, where are they located, who operates them and so forth. The Crew stopped by a hostel for a quick break when they finished the Smokies. It was called Standing Bear Farm, below are a few pictures fromt the place.



Typically there is a 'bunk house' with twin-sized bunk beds (check it out)!
Most hostels will usually have a common area for cooking, eating, computer and then a laundry room of some sort to wash and dry stinky clothes, tents, socks and undergarmets. If the laundry room is busy, some hikers use natural means to dry their clothes....

Treated Like Kings & Queens...thanks Rick & Erin! (written by Dori's Dad, Rick)

Erin & I rented a really nice 3 BR cabin in Valle Crusis (http://www.andersonmtnrentals.com/Bluestone/Bluestone%20Cabin.html) complete with all the amenities including a great Jacuzzi hot tub. I met the Crew at a restaurant Topo had worked in prior to graduating which was just up the road a piece from the cabin. They had just finished a nice day after several horrible rainy days ascending Roan Mountain. Giggles was not with Topo & Outloud since she was helping her parents with an engagement party for her sister, but Indiana Jones was. He has been with our Crew for several weeks and has become a member of the family. They had a lot of stuff to unpack and reorganize, but they could only think of getting into that tub.

So in the tub they went….for about 30 min. Aaaah!
They each showered, unpacked, did laundry and kicked back for a long deserved R & R!

Erin & I, well Erin, prepared a beautiful Surf & Turf meal for our weary hikers. Sirloin roast with a reduction of Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 large fresh lobsters, Au Gratin potatoes, a beautiful Yorkshire pudding, and a great salad with prosciutto, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and herbed goat cheese.

As you can see, Whitney arrived in time for dinner. We knocked off a few bottles of some good wine and then relaxed for a while. The “kids” took another tub, redressed, and were ready for desert.

Hot brownies smothered with Vanilla Bean and Coffee Hagen Das and fresh strawberries, along with Champaign. Topo made a nice fire in the living room fireplace and we all sorta faded out.

I started the morning bacon early, so all awoke to that so familiar smell. We all pitched in to make cheesy scrambled eggs, tons of buttered pancakes and OJ.
We all took our time and packed. The Crew will take 2 zero days and hit the trail Thursday morning. And it’s a good thing too in that it snowed 4” in Boone last night and they were all real happy they were taking THIS day off!

Sittin In boone

So I realized today that we were extremely fortunate not to be hiking during 2 days of snow, and instead we got to take the time off in Boone with our buddy Indiana Jones, to crash and relax. Sitting here at ASU's library, its pretty ridiculous to see all these unfortunate souls staring at thier computer screens, hopelessly doing homework. Bummer dudes! Tomorrow we will return to the trail with Ill Skillz, thats his new trail name, and we will be in Damascus saturday night. Bout to enjoy the rest of the time today in Boone, capturing great memories with my peoples. We are doing great, Mosey is getttin fattened up like he should, to all my friends and family, leave you with this...:Lodi Dodi, who likes to party?"

- the moseying mountaineers + Dr. Jones

Boone...here we come!

It's been a tough couple of days for the Crew trying to press on to Boone for several days of deserved rest. Spoke with Adam today, everyone is well, and they are certainly grateful for the blue sky and sunshine today. Yesterday was a tough day, the third day of rain/clouds/wind and a huge climb at the end of the day up Roan Mountain (2,500 feet elevation gain over a short 3 miles....that's tough!). Adam said it was one of the more difficult days of their hike so far.

Mosey is doing well, but Adam said he can tell Mosey is losing weight, despite eating like a small horse. Last night they stayed at Roan High Knob Shelter (the highest elevation shelter on the trail at 6,275 feet). This shelter has a loft, and sleeps 15+ people. Originally, this shelter was an old firewarden's cabin, but was renovated 1980 by the Cherokee National Forest employees.

The trail along Roan Mountain is beautiful, if you can actually see it, which Adam said visibility was limited, at best. This past summer our family spent some time hiking along Roan Mountain, check out the pics....

Tonight, the Crew is staying at Apple House Shelter, an old shelter which was originally built in 1952 to hold explosives for a nearby quarry. It was renovated in 1984 by the Forest Service. The shelter is very close to Rt. 19 in Roan Mountain, which can sometimes be attractive to locals looking for a place to hang out!

On Sunday, the Crew will be picked up by Dori's dad, Rick, who will be treating them to some trail magic. Later Sunday afternoon, Kat's parents will pick the Crew up and drive to Wilkesboro for an Engagement Party for Kat's sister. On Monday, the Crew will be back on the trail for a 23 mile slack pack hike (slack packing is hiking with a small backpack with bare essentials...water, snacks, etc which can help you accomplish big miles because you aren't carrying a 40 lb. pack all day). Monday night and Tuesday, they will be back at the cabin with Dori's dad, and then Wed hanging in Boone with their college friends. On Thursday, it's back on the trail at Rt 321 at Watauga Lake. Should be some fun for everyone...stay tuned for updates.

Going back in the archives, here are a few photos from April 1996 when Adam and I crossed the Nolichucky River and climbed up the other side. Adam and the salamander shows a typical hiking activity Adam enjoyed, keeping track of how many salamanders we found during the day, and then having some fun playing with them. The next photo is at a place called Beauty Spot, a small bald area south of Roan Mountain.