4-1-04 -- Karen called about 10 a.m. today. After raining all day Tuesday, yesterday’s weather turned to heavy snow. It became about a foot deep and her and her friends Nails and Bear were soon unable to see the trail. They were heading up to the next shelter on top of Big Bald Mountain when they met some other hikers coming down who told them not to go up there. They said the snow was about 18 inches deep and they could not see the trail, the markers across the bald, or even footprints of previous hikers. Snow was accumulating very quickly. They decided to get off the trail. It was 5 miles down the mountain on a side trail to Hwy 23. There, they hitchhiked and got a ride in the back of a pick-up truck to Erwin, TN, 15 miles away. It turns out that Erwin is inundated with hundreds of hikers from a 20 mile radius from Spivy Gap to Roan High Knob who have all come down off the trail to wait out the snow storm. It’s forecasted to continue through tomorrow, Friday. She heard reports of some hikers calling on their cell phones who are stranded in shelters on mountain tops in remote areas where shuttle access is not nearby. They will have to choose whether to wait out the storm there, or walk out in the snow to the nearest shuttle point. Meanwhile, weather in Erwin, 4000 feet lower, is pleasant with no snow and daffodils blooming. “What a difference 4000 feet makes”, she said. The snow line is at about 3500 feet. The hostel she called from only had ten bunks, so her and many other hikers are scattering throughout Erwin trying to find lodging. She hopes to get back on the trail on Saturday if the weather breaks. Of course, she will have to get a ride 15 miles south, back to the road crossing, then hike that extra 5 miles back up the mountain to the point where she left the trail. (Surely you didn’t think Karen would cheat did you?) She was not happy about that extra 10 miles of hiking for which she gets no credit. She said she has even avoided walking to shelters that are only one-half mile off the trail rather than walk extra! This two day unexpected stay in Erwin will put her a few days behind schedule, but she seemed to be in good spirits. I guess when you play in mother nature’s playground, you learn to play by her rules.
4-1-04 pm -- Karen called again tonight about 11:15 p.m. She’s staying the night at Super 8 motel with Leslee and Jimmy who had planned to meet her in Erwin to bring warmer clothing. Her plan now is to “slack pack” the lower elevations for the next two days, Friday and Saturday. This means hiking a section between two road crossings carrying only a light day pack, then getting a ride back to your starting point and spending the night in town. This is allowed under the A.T. rules for “thru hikers” which basically just requires that you walk past every white blaze in one season. (A white blaze is the rectangular trail marker painted on trees or rocks by little elves that live in the woods.) You may hike any section, in any order, heading either north or south. On Sunday, she plans to return to the trail at the higher elevation where she got off and hike that section (hopefully by then, without the snow). With this plan, she will not lose two days waiting on good weather. She, and most all the hikers, are antsy to get back on the trail. Nail’s husband has traveled from Florida to join them for this weekend of slack packing. Bear and Nails make it a foursome leaving in the morning. Karen and Nails have become good friends and are depending on each other heavily for emotional and moral support. Karen said she didn’t think she could get any colder than last week in the Smokies, but in yesterday’s snow storm, she did -- mainly because she was wet from rain the day before. She is getting inspiration from many stories on the trail -- a 65 year old mother hiking with her 25 year old son; a bible college student taking a semester off to contemplate his future; and the hospitality, compassion, and sharing at hostels as they welcome complete strangers every night. But, she said she could have done without the mouse that awakened her one night in a shelter by running across her forehead. She subsequently awakened all the hikers with her involuntary scream, to which they casually responded, “Go back to sleep - it’s just a mouse.”
4-4-04 -- Karen called Carol Yirka late last night to say she is doing well and “lovin’ it”. Carol said she sounded great. The hitchhiking has been easy and the townspeople are so friendly and helpful. Her and Nails are waiting for some hikers to come down from the mountian so they can find out what the snow conditions are like. They will be climbing 6000 feet and will leave as soon as the weather allows. Carol said she really sounded wonderful and they talked about Nails and how well suited they are to each other for this trek, same stride, same likes and dislikes. Things are always more fun with a friend.
4-5-04 -- Jimmy and Leslee Barna met Karen this past weekend at Erwin, TN, to bring supplies and visit. They shuttled them for some slack packing with Nails and her husband Rich, and Bear Bag Hanger. See the photos Jimmy emailed us on the photo page. (Thanks, Jimmy, for the report and photos.)
4-6-04 -- (Listen to Karen, 8:50 a.m.) Karen left a message this morning from the hostel in Erwin, TN. They are having breakfast then heading into the “snowy mountains.” She said she is too restless to wait any longer! They have received reports that snow on the trail is getting packed down enough to see the path again. So, today they are heading for Roan High Knob, about 6000 feet high. She’s planning to be at Hampton, TN, by Friday to meet Chenoa. (Listen to Karen again, 10:57 a.m.)
4-9-04 -- Karen’s plans changed a bit after Tuesday. She says no more slack packing for her! Putting on that 40 pound pack after four days of a light weight pack was a killer! It’s amazing how quickly the body acclimates to change. Her and Nails had two exhausting days (Tuesday and Wednesday) as they plodded through one to two feet of snow at the higher elevations. They had to take a rest day at the Overmountain shelter just past Roan High Knob. They borrowed a cell phone and notified Chenoa to meet them on Friday at the Highway 19E road crossing rather than Hampton. The Overmountain shelter was a converted barn with beautiful scenery all around. They slept late and spent Thursday enjoying the view and taking it easy. This morning they headed out to meet Chenoa and her friend Dustin at about 2:00 p.m. When they left the trail at Highway 19E they were greeted by a couple grilling hot dogs and serving cokes, chips, fruit, and fudge to all thru hikers that came by. (This is a common phenomena along the trail affectionately called by the hikers, “Trail Magic”.) A few minutes later Chenoa and Dustin arrived. They all spent this evening at Comfort Inn in Johnson City coloring Easter eggs after stuffing themselves at a local all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. Karen inexplicably finds herself still craving beef! (Could this mean the end of tofu dishes at the Scarf residence?) Karen and Nails continue to have interesting experiences -- like the ride in the back of a pick-up truck they received from a young boy headed down the mountain. “I’m almost out of gas”, he warned as they climbed in the back. “But, it’s down hill the next 15 miles, so we should be ok”, he said. Sure enough, Karen said he turned the engine off and coasted for 15 miles, starting the engine only a few times when the road leveled out or went up for a short distance. After coasting into a gas station at the bottom, they bought him a tankful of gas. (I wonder if he gets his tank filled every week this way?) Karen plans to spend Saturday with Chenoa and Dustin, then find a local church to attend on Sunday morning. After church, they plan to hit the trail again. If you want to give her a call at the Comfort Inn and wish her well, the number is 423-928-9600, room 212. Also, Karen’s hiking buddy Nails has been keeping an online journal of their journey. You can check it out at www.trailjournals.com. Search for the hiker trail name “Nails”.
4-11-04 -- After attending a sunrise church service this morning, Karen and Nails are heading back to the trail. She reports that they had a wonderful visit this weekend with Chenoa and Dustin, including the coloring of Easter eggs.
4-16-04 -- (Listen to Karen) HELLO Virginia, state number four!! Marked by nothing more than stones laid across the trail, Karen and Nails crossed into Virginia today and arrived in Damascus around 6 p.m. They were greeted by more “Trail Magic” -- coolers of drinks and food. They endured two more snowstorms this past week and have now covered 459.8 miles, about 20% of the trail. They had a 16-mile day yesterday and a 15-mile day today. Karen says she is running about a week behind her planned schedule. But with the worst weather behind her (hopefully) and lower elevations ahead, she hopes to make up some time in the next few weeks. Once they pass the 5729 foot Mt. Rogers coming up, the highest peaks are no more than 4000 feet (until New Hampshire and Maine) so the lower elevations should make for warmer weather. However, more snow is predicted for Monday so they are anxious to get back on the trail tomorrow and get past Mt. Rogers before the snow hits. Tonight they are staying in a special hostel that is a traditional stay-over for thru hikers. It’s owned and run by past thru hikers. They serve a special meal at the “Side Track Cafe” where they close to the public and offer home style cooking accompanied by live guitar music just for the hikers. Karen said Damascus is a very hiker friendly town, and next month is their annual festival and parade to honor the hikers. (A parade? ...as if they aren’t getting enough walking?) Many nearby hikers leave the trail and hitch-hike to Damascus just for the event, but Karen said they probably would not. Their pace on the trail is a bit slower than most, so the shelters have been full each evening when her and Nails arrive. But, everyone scoots over and always makes room. She expects to arrive at her next mail drop at Rural Retreat, VA, in about five days -- unless, of course, Mother Nature’s snow making machine has other plans.
4-23-04 -- Karen called this morning at 7:56 a.m. from the Village Motel, near the I-81 road crossing, where her and Nails spent last night. She reports that the snow predicted for this past week did not happen and instead, they had wonderful weather - 70’s daytime and 50’s nightime. Wildflowers are blooming everywhere. She has a sunburn, with odd stripes of light and dark where pole and pack straps covered her skin. She said they made good progress this week with 3 days of 15-17 miles each. They have covered 75 miles in the past five days and are only 8 miles away from the “one fourth” completed point. She said she prefers to think of it as only having to do 3 more times what she has just done. A few days ago, Karen and Nails arrived at a shelter one evening to discover hot pizza! It turns out that the previous road crossing had a pay phone that a local pizza restaurant would deliver to. So, some fellow hikers ordered pizza for the group and carried it to the shelter. She had pizza the next morning for breakfast too. This shelter was also special in that it is the only one on the trail with a warm water shower. Needless to say, she didn’t miss that. As they passed through the Grayson Highlands this past week (near Mt. Rogers) they saw wild pony herds that graze that area. Because of this week’s warm weather, she sent home some of her fleece clothing, abiding by the trail rule that if you don’t use it for a week, you don’t need it. (I hope she doesn’t regret obeying that rule.) Her and Nails plan to head out this morning. After three 15-mile days this week, she said they are feeling a bit cocky and expect to cover the next 85 miles to Pearisburg by Thursday. (NOTE: Karen has changed her upcoming mail drop #11 location from Daleville to Troutville to coincide with Nails planned mail drop so that they can just leave the trail once. Check the “Contact Karen” page for the exact new address.)
4-25-04 -- Karen called today at 5:40 p.m. from a motel in Bland, VA. She has had somewhat of a setback and had to get off the trail. Two days ago, Friday, it began raining. Since it was a warm rain, Karen put on her rain jacket but not her rain pants. That turned out to be not good. Before she knew it, her boots and socks had become soaked. When she arrived at the shelter Friday night, her feet looked like prunes with damp skin peeling off. Gone was the beneficial callused skin surface she had built up the past two months. Now her feet had new, tender skin. When they departed Saturday morning she put on dry socks but her boots were still wet. They covered 19 miles, most of it in pain due to her now tender feet. As it grew dark, they knew they must be getting close to the next shelter, but had to stop and pitch tents due to Karen’s severe foot pain. She told Nails to go on, but she would not leave her. (What a friend!) Karen’s feet were worse now with many blisters and possibly a foot fungus due to the wet boots which had made her other socks wet. She only carries two pair of socks. The next morning they discovered that they had unknowingly stopped to tent only 100 yards from the next shelter. However, tenting is not so bad, she says, because some of the hikers at the shelters snore so loudly it’s hard to sleep anyway - even with her ear plugs (taken for that very purpose.) Today they hiked 12 miles, with Karen in extreme foot pain, to the next road crossing, then hitchhiked into Bland to get a motel room for tonight. She plans to get her boots and socks dry, get some foot fungus medication, and then don her rain pants at even the sight of a rain cloud. They plan to be in Pearisburg on Wednesday.
4-29-04 -- Karen called tonight at 8:45 p.m. They arrived in Pearisburg last night and stayed at the Rendezvous Motel. They spent a day off today for Nails to meet her daughter and make a bridesmaid dress. (That might be a first for an A.T. hiker.) It rained on Monday when they left Bland and Karen’s boots got a little wet again. But in spite of that, she says her feet are doing better, although still sore. She has blisters on her heels and has been trying Mole Skin and Second Skin products which have helped. They got snow on Tuesday and were dreading tenting on a predicted cold night of 30 degrees. They were not going to to be able to make the next shelter. However, the trail book showed a nearby hostel scheduled to open May 1. They took a chance and found the owners just arriving for the season who agreed to put them up for the night. Karen says the couple running the Woods Hole Log Cabin Hostel were delightful and though they had not yet bought food or supplies for the season, managed to fix them pancakes and fried SPAM for breakfast. (SPAM? Karen? She claims she ate it!) The standard charge for hikers for an overnight stay at this hostel was to simply repair a few stones in the rock wall that surrounds the property. Karen says spring has sprung. In the past few weeks she has witnessed first hand the complete change wrought by nature on the terrain - from scraggly branches enabling a view of adjacent mountains, to colorful flowers and thick green foliage that creates shade and restricts distance viewing. Karen has switched to her summer sleeping bag, one pound lighter and rated at 40 degrees rather than zero. (I hope she doesn’t regret that!) Two more of Karen’s fellow hikers have dropped out. On average each year, only 11% of thru hikers finish the trail. She says they are covering more miles per day now because of improved physical conditioning. They had a record day Tuesday, 21 miles. They were feeling pretty cocky as they passed up two younger hikers, only to discover later that their trail names were “Poky Puppies”. Oh well. She says her days in town lure her back to the comforts of civilization and normal life. But back when her life was normal, she was constantly lured by the call of the wild. (The ultimate loop trail of life.) Today, while her and Amy, Nails daughter, ran some errands they gave a hitchhiking hiker a ride. When he got in the car, he smelled so bad they could hardly stand it until they dropped him off. Later, Karen realized - that’s how they must smell! That explains why they have gotten so many rides in the back of pickups! They plan to hit the trail again tomorrow, headed for Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, 20.6 miles away. They expect to be at the next mail drop in Troutville, VA, in seven days.