Thursday, April 21, 2005 - Salt Springs Florida to Partnership Shelter Va.
I left Florida with Frank McClanahan at 5:00 P.M. and headed up to Virginia. It had been a long winter and I am
ready to get out and hike south to Georgia to get this first 1000 miles of the trail done. I pulled off the road by
Partnership shelter at 4:00 A.M. after an 11 hour drive. I noticed that there were people at the shelter, so I slept out
on the ground near the shelter as not to bother anyone. If it rained I would go into the shelter then and only then. I
slept for two hours out in the yard until the sun started to come up. I then fixed myself some much needed coffee. I
called Virginia from the phone which I had used last nearly 8 month ago and told her I was here on the trail and safe
and then I ate some cookies I had bought on the way here and left 3 pounds for other hikers.
Friday, April 22, 2005 - Partnership Shelter to Trimpi Shelter
I started hiking at around 8:00 A.M. and made it to Trimpi Shelter where I was very tired after nearly two days without
much sleep. Tomorrow I will feel better.I slept well for my first full night out on the trail after an 8 month absence. I
always am out of trail shape for the first 10 days out, so I know I will be sore for a few days. This shelter had been
brand new in 1981 and did not even have bunks in it. This time it is old and it had bunks and that’s about all which
has changed here.
I left Florida with Frank McClanahan at 5:00 P.M. and headed up to Virginia. It had been a long winter and I am
ready to get out and hike south to Georgia to get this first 1000 miles of the trail done. I pulled off the road by
Partnership shelter at 4:00 A.M. after an 11 hour drive. I noticed that there were people at the shelter, so I slept out
on the ground near the shelter as not to bother anyone. If it rained I would go into the shelter then and only then. I
slept for two hours out in the yard until the sun started to come up. I then fixed myself some much needed coffee. I
called Virginia from the phone which I had used last nearly 8 month ago and told her I was here on the trail and safe
and then I ate some cookies I had bought on the way here and left 3 pounds for other hikers.
Friday, April 22, 2005 - Partnership Shelter to Trimpi Shelter
I started hiking at around 8:00 A.M. and made it to Trimpi Shelter where I was very tired after nearly two days without
much sleep. Tomorrow I will feel better.I slept well for my first full night out on the trail after an 8 month absence. I
always am out of trail shape for the first 10 days out, so I know I will be sore for a few days. This shelter had been
brand new in 1981 and did not even have bunks in it. This time it is old and it had bunks and that’s about all which
has changed here.
Trimpi Shelter
Saturday, April 23, - Trimpi Shelter to Old Orchard Shelter
I left Trimpi Shelter at 8:00A.M., and hiked steady to Hurricane Shelter. This is a nice new shelter with good water on
old logging road near the turn off to the shelter. I just made it to the shelter before a cold hard rain. I had not been
here 10 minutes. There are 3 other thru-hikers here so far. I had carried some popcorn with me and popped it up
for everyone who wanted some. I am glad I brought my sweater because it is very cold for me. Florida had been in
the 80’s everyday before I left, so the 50’s seem cold to me. I will adjust in a few days I am sure. I woke up a little late
and a little sore of course. The weather is turning bad fast. I took pictures of this shelter and after breakfast I hiked
4.2 miles or so to the next shelter. I remember this one from 1981 and also with my wife Virginia when she hiked from
Damascus to here once. Near here in 1985 up on the Highlands my wife and I got an old Lewis Fork Trail sign which
was taken down by a trail crew. I still have it in my house hanging proud! This shelter, Old Orchard is an old one and
a drafty one. As the history reads there was never an orchard here, but a mill of some sort and workers ate apples
and after throwing them down trees grew up over the years. It is still a very pretty spot. I love old shelters! They are
like me. Old! On the way here today I crossed Virginia 603. At the road it began to rain very hard and it was turning
super cold. I don’t like this scenario. I had on my raingear so I stayed dry and warm. I passed some ramps on the
way up and picked a few to eat for supper. Ramps are the onion or garlic like plant that is excellent to eat. I never
pass them up. After digging the ramps I was getting a little cold and I noticed snow was beginning to fall. I high tailed
it to the shelter and got a place secured in the shelter. People started to come off the mountain in hoards. Probably
about 15 came off and five decided to stay with me at the shelter. The weather is getting worse by the hour. We will
have a tough night here if this snow keeps up. The storm is blowing toward the front of the shelter and the snow is
blowing into the shelter. We hung some tarps in the opening to help us out. Time to get into the sleeping bag. We
drank a lot of hot liquids all afternoon to stay warm. We have to sweep out the shelter every 15 minutes or so to
keep the snow off of all our equipment. This shelter is not chinked and snow is blowing through the logs too. In the
night the wind howled at nearly 45 M.P.H. And the temperature dropped to around 22 degrees.
I left Trimpi Shelter at 8:00A.M., and hiked steady to Hurricane Shelter. This is a nice new shelter with good water on
old logging road near the turn off to the shelter. I just made it to the shelter before a cold hard rain. I had not been
here 10 minutes. There are 3 other thru-hikers here so far. I had carried some popcorn with me and popped it up
for everyone who wanted some. I am glad I brought my sweater because it is very cold for me. Florida had been in
the 80’s everyday before I left, so the 50’s seem cold to me. I will adjust in a few days I am sure. I woke up a little late
and a little sore of course. The weather is turning bad fast. I took pictures of this shelter and after breakfast I hiked
4.2 miles or so to the next shelter. I remember this one from 1981 and also with my wife Virginia when she hiked from
Damascus to here once. Near here in 1985 up on the Highlands my wife and I got an old Lewis Fork Trail sign which
was taken down by a trail crew. I still have it in my house hanging proud! This shelter, Old Orchard is an old one and
a drafty one. As the history reads there was never an orchard here, but a mill of some sort and workers ate apples
and after throwing them down trees grew up over the years. It is still a very pretty spot. I love old shelters! They are
like me. Old! On the way here today I crossed Virginia 603. At the road it began to rain very hard and it was turning
super cold. I don’t like this scenario. I had on my raingear so I stayed dry and warm. I passed some ramps on the
way up and picked a few to eat for supper. Ramps are the onion or garlic like plant that is excellent to eat. I never
pass them up. After digging the ramps I was getting a little cold and I noticed snow was beginning to fall. I high tailed
it to the shelter and got a place secured in the shelter. People started to come off the mountain in hoards. Probably
about 15 came off and five decided to stay with me at the shelter. The weather is getting worse by the hour. We will
have a tough night here if this snow keeps up. The storm is blowing toward the front of the shelter and the snow is
blowing into the shelter. We hung some tarps in the opening to help us out. Time to get into the sleeping bag. We
drank a lot of hot liquids all afternoon to stay warm. We have to sweep out the shelter every 15 minutes or so to
keep the snow off of all our equipment. This shelter is not chinked and snow is blowing through the logs too. In the
night the wind howled at nearly 45 M.P.H. And the temperature dropped to around 22 degrees.
Old Orchard No Snow
Old Orchard W/Snow
Sunday, April 24, 2005 – Old Orchard Shelter to Troutdale Baptist Church hostel
In the morning we had 8-12 inches of cold but beautiful snow. This Florida boy about froze. I had a little trouble
going down hill to the road. I fell a time or two since the mud under the snow was slippery. At the road a Lutheran
minister stopped and turned around and gave me a ride back to the Baptist hostel! I told him very much thanks. This
hostel is very nice. It has showers, free laundry, and I was told I could cook in the men’s bunkhouse up on the hill.
The women stay down at the old church and the men stay up on the hill. The bunkhouse has heat in it and was
comfortable. It is split in two sides and only one other hiker is here. Since this was Sunday they had pot luck after
church and I got to eat great hot food. They really made me feel at home here. I was very grateful to have a place
out of such bad conditions. We had spaghetti and home grown corn, biscuits coffee and brownies. There was a free
phone here too and I called home and told my wife of my snowy times in Mt. Rogers State Park. Everyone who was
here last night went to motels for tonight. They seemed to think that the restrictions were too much and they did not
like the beds situation. I don’t care at all. This place is nice. The bunk house has a small but neat front porch so I
can go out for a few seconds and look at the snow. Man it is cold. I will leave here tomorrow if possible. This is a
spring snow storm and won’t last long. There is a little store within sight of here and it will be open tomorrow and I
can get breakfast there too. I have a big blister on the inside of my right big toe. It hurts a little. I think the cold frozen
boots had a lot to do with the blister. It is Sunday afternoon and the snow is slowing down a good bit now. I slept very
well by an electric heater and no-one else was in my 12 by 12 room.
In the morning we had 8-12 inches of cold but beautiful snow. This Florida boy about froze. I had a little trouble
going down hill to the road. I fell a time or two since the mud under the snow was slippery. At the road a Lutheran
minister stopped and turned around and gave me a ride back to the Baptist hostel! I told him very much thanks. This
hostel is very nice. It has showers, free laundry, and I was told I could cook in the men’s bunkhouse up on the hill.
The women stay down at the old church and the men stay up on the hill. The bunkhouse has heat in it and was
comfortable. It is split in two sides and only one other hiker is here. Since this was Sunday they had pot luck after
church and I got to eat great hot food. They really made me feel at home here. I was very grateful to have a place
out of such bad conditions. We had spaghetti and home grown corn, biscuits coffee and brownies. There was a free
phone here too and I called home and told my wife of my snowy times in Mt. Rogers State Park. Everyone who was
here last night went to motels for tonight. They seemed to think that the restrictions were too much and they did not
like the beds situation. I don’t care at all. This place is nice. The bunk house has a small but neat front porch so I
can go out for a few seconds and look at the snow. Man it is cold. I will leave here tomorrow if possible. This is a
spring snow storm and won’t last long. There is a little store within sight of here and it will be open tomorrow and I
can get breakfast there too. I have a big blister on the inside of my right big toe. It hurts a little. I think the cold frozen
boots had a lot to do with the blister. It is Sunday afternoon and the snow is slowing down a good bit now. I slept very
well by an electric heater and no-one else was in my 12 by 12 room.
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