May 24, 1981 Lamberts Meadow Field camp to Fullhardt Knob Shelter-
Left shelter site at 7:00 a.m. and made good time with Tom and Emily to Cloverdale where I was united with the
Truck stops of America that I stopped at all the time while driving a truck for Loma Linda Foods. I wrote Dwain
Baldwin a letter from there and told him I was having a good time. Tom and Emily and I ate at the truck stop and I
got the usual salad bar there. I made a total of 13.2 miles to Fullhardt Shelter. We have a good fire going and we
are popping popcorn. Eve' is here also. I had not seen her since Low Gap shelter in Georgia. I had to hike ½ mile
over the hill to get water and it was not too good water either. It was out of a pond that had just been dug. The
shelter had a cistern but the water out of the pond was better. There are 6 total people here tonight. [ In 2005
Fullhardt Knob Shelter was the last shelter on the entire Appalachian Trail to have a cistern. It worked well and the
water was very nice and clean.]
May 25, 1981 - Fullhardt Knob Shelter to Bobblets Gap Lean-to-
I made 13.1 miles to Bobblets Gap 1eanto. It was a very hot day in the mid 90's. I got in here early today, around 4:
30 p.m. Tom and Emily are here too. There are some baby birds in the rafters. Need to get groceries tomorrow in
Buchanan Va. I need to leave here at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. I am very tired. The heat really takes a lot out of
you when you have to walk in it with a pack on. I need to write mom and dad a letter tomorrow while waiting on a
ride into town. Some people gave me a glass of apple cider today on the Blue ridge Parkway. I think this is
Memorial Day.
May 26, 1981 - Bobblets Gap lean-to to Cornelius Creek Lean-to-
I got up at 5:30 a.m. and was walking at 6:05. Made it to the point where I needed to get a ride by 7:30 a.m. Wrote
mom and dad a letter while waiting for a ride. I finally got a ride down into town 5 miles with man in pickup truck. I
got groceries and did laundry, bought film and mailed letters I had written to mom and dad and ate breakfast in
diner. Walked to edge of town and waited about one hour for ride back up mountain to trail. I had bought a steak
in town and I stopped and fixed it at the New Cove creek Shelter. Boy was it good. This was the first steak I had
had since leaving for this trip. After eating I hiked to Jennings’s creek where I began to eat the heavy bananas.
Then I took the best bath in the creek of many days. Jennings creek is a very pretty place where it crosses the
trail. Hiked and hiked and hiked a total of 17.5 miles to Cornelius Greek lean-to, and didn't make it there until 8:45
p.m. Tom and Emily and Eve' were there also. Over the years I have been known to carry a steak into a camp
sight or shelter and cook it up. This shelter area started this tradition and to this day I remember how good it tasted.
May 27, 1981 -Cornelius Creek lean-to to Matt’s Creek shelter-
The reason I kept hiking the night before is that it acted like it wanted to rain all afternoon. Well, it didn't rain last
night but it looks like it is going to rain all day. Did 17.2 miles to Matts Creek lean-to. Tom and Emily are here too
and it is their Anniversary. Dan from DRMM came by with a group of kids from his camp and they gave us
waterme1lon. Boy was it good after a long day in the rain. It was fairly easy ridge walking all day and that is why
the day went fast for me.
D.R.M.M. means Dan, Renae, Mike, Marjo. They all hiked together in the first few weeks of their through hike.
May 28, 1981 - Matt’s Creek Shelter to John’s Hollow shelter-
Left Matts creek shelter at 7.40 a.m. Hiked 2½ miles to the James River. Hiked one more mile to Snowden where
we (Tom and Emily and Eve’ and I ) got a ride into Glasgow. I bought more groceries! Dried clothes at laundry and
I ate at restaurant and bought my first pair of shorts for the trail. We hiked back out to the main road going back to
trail and tried for two hours to get a ride in the pouring rain. We finally f1agged down a Toyota pickup and made it
back to the trail. We hiked together to John's Hollow lean-to, a total of 5 miles for the day. Tomorrow is another
day. It stopped raining after we got here! As we were standing at comer waiting for ride a car came by and had to
stop for other traffic. She saw the four of us standing in the rain and I thought that they might pick us up. And then
for no reason the lady looked at Tom and me with our beards and reached over and locked her door and sped
away. We got a good laugh out of that for sure.
May 29, 1981 John’s Hollow Lean-to to Brown Creek Shelter-
I left shelter at 6:30 a.m. Made 15 miles by 3:30 p.m. and decided to stop at Brown Creek Shelter. I washed up in
creek and rested up. It is a very nice day today, full of sunshine. Candy and John from Cadillac Mich. and also
through hikers, and Sheri and Mary came in the shelter and fixed a birthday cake and had beer for Candy's
birthday. It was real nice. John hiked 8 miles out of his way today to do this for his wife. I may do 20 miles
tomorrow. Haul ass! There were lots of nice stone walls in creeks today along with old foundations of old houses.
May 30, 1981 -Brown’s Creek Shelter to two miles north of Lovington Springs camp-
I only did 14.5 miles today. Made it to a point two miles north of the Lovington Spring. This is a very nice campsite.
I am by myself and it is nice for a change. I am in my tent for tonight. After I got here it rained very hard for an hour
and then it cleared up very well. This campsite had two very nice springs that were very big. A deer came by to get
a drink and came within 10 feet of the tent and looked at me inside. I wrote my brother Pat, a letter at this campsite.
I slept well at my camp sight.
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