Back on The Trail – Take 2 Sept. 11, 2016
Greetings loyal followers and newcomers to Tim’s blog. This is Maris,
Beginning of South Bound AT Harper’s Ferry, VA
Tim’s fiance’, writing the first post as Tim (trail name Time) is approaching Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. He’s been hiking for about a week and a half.
Time reports that it is a very different hike in some respects and in others, it’s just the same. (Rocks, rocks, big ups and downs and more rocks). I drove him up to Harper’s Ferry on Saturday September 10th. We enjoyed a quiet evening of packing, repacking and getting rid of some excess items in an attempt to lighten his 35-pound pack. After checking in at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters Sunday morning and having his official section hiker photo added to the scrap book,
Ready to Start Southern Leg
Time checks out distances. 9 Miles to the first shelter.
we walked around the town picking up odds and ends. Then I walked him the quarter-mile blue blazed trail to the start of the South Bound AT (SoBo as the hikers call it). It was a tearful parting for me (and Monk) but I was excited that Time and Monk were back on the trail and at least had a much better idea of what to expect.
Maris Sees Tim Off
Time Heads South
Time would want you to know that the biggest change with this hike is that he is living up to his name and heeding the reminders of other hikers to really experience the trail and take his time. He averages about 7 miles a day as he slowly gets back into shape. He feels pretty good except for his knee acting up and needing to toughen up his feet again.
So here are the Trail facts: He has gone about 53 miles so far, lost 6 pounds, heard barred owls, been huffed at by deer and heard coyotes howling. He has met some interesting people including a man (trail name Viking) who went off on a mile and a half side trail in search of beverages at the park, lost the trail and 4 hours later returned with Gatorade and stories of startling a bear, a buck and some wild turkeys!
Tim said there have been many designated springs to get water but they have been dry. 🙁 Monk was excited to help filter water at the first stream.
Monk gets ready to fetch water
Time is grateful to Pop Tart for sharing Mountain Home meals and the college students who gave him water when he was just about out. He is ever reminded that “The Trail provides” and trail angels exist! He enjoyed a night spent at the Blackburn AT Center and another night at the castle-like building that is the Bears Den Hostel.
Built as a summer home for a rich family in the 1920’s or early 1930’s.
The resident bear at Bear’s Den Hostel in northern VA
He has done some stealth camping (shhh, don’t tell) and made it through the 13 mile set of steep ups and downs called the Roller Coaster. This hike is a section hike with the goal of finishing as much of Virginia as he can.
That’s plenty for now — check back in a few days to see and read more about Tim on the trail.
Posted in Uncategorized by Tim Liszewski with 1 comment.
Leave a Reply