I’m currently updating my blog from The Shenandoah National Park. Once again I got behind on the blog, the terrain has gotten slightly easier so I’ve been pushing longer mileage days, around 20 miles a day or so. After leaving Daleville we set off to hike along the Skyline Drive continuing to head north through Virginia. During this stretch we hit the 1/3 way sign to Mount Katahdin!
We made our way to Glasgow, Virginia where we stayed at the Stanimal’s hostel for two nights and did a short slack pack to give the feet a bit of a rest. While staying there I received a box my mom had sent with some lighter gear that I was able to swap out and save a little bit of weight, the heavier stuff got sent north towards Maine where it might be a little colder once I get up there. I was also beyond shocked to receive a bunch of birthday cards! My mom sent out the address where I was staying to a bunch of friends and family, thank you! 🥳🎉
After leaving the hostel in Glasgow, Virginia, I was able to time it just right so I was at Devil’s Backbone Brewery for my 40th birthday and was able to grab a hot dinner and a few beers! We then made our way to Waynesboro where we stayed with some awesome supporters.
Our stay in Waynesboro was short, but amazing! We were spoiled by our supporters. John and I both received a birthday cake which had our pictures lasered on it! We were spoiled with gourmet meals, and we were also taken out to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet by Fred who lives in the area and has been connected with Warrior Expeditions for years 🙂 I also received a few more birthday cards that got sent to waynesboro, thank you again for everyone who sent me one! I left Waynesboro and made my way North to Shenandoah National park. Signing off for now, Feather Blue 🪶💙
I was really excited for this stretch of trail as there is a lot to see! We got dropped off 40 trail miles north of Pearisburg where we had started our slack packing two days prior. It was a 54 mile stretch to get from there to the town of Daleville where I am currently typing this blog post. As we made our way from VA Route 42 to the Niday Shelter we passed the Audie Murphy memorial. He is the most decorated World War II veteran and the memorial is the site of the plane crash. https://www.audiemurphy.com/
As we made our way to the 700 mile marker I saw some interesting flowers, beautiful views, and had a blue racer snake slither less than 2 feet in front of my feet! Unfortunately it slithered so fast I couldn’t get a picture, so the one below is taken from the internet.
After reaching 700 miles we had about five more miles to go to reach the Four Pines hostel. This was an unplanned stop but the temperatures were starting to spike and we really wanted a shower! We just stayed in our tents on the hill and I was able to inhale two big plates of pasta as soon as we arrived. The last few miles to get there were quite difficult! We hiked up and over Dragon’s Tooth, it was very rocky and made for a slow few miles.
It was a fun hostel stay in and see all of the artwork, along with some of the animals that live there.
I was very excited for our 16 mile hike from the Four Pines hostel to Lambert’s Meadow campsite this day! I have been anticipating McAfee knob since I learned about the Appalachian Trail, it is the most photographed spot on the trail. It is a bit touristy since there is a parking lot four miles from the knob, but it wasn’t quite as busy as I thought it would be. We were able to get up there and get our picture taken almost right away. My first headstand picture of the trail 🙂
After taking an extended break at McAfee Knob we made our way up to Tinker Cliff’s at mile marker 719.3. It was so hot so we didn’t linger too long! We really had to make sure to stay hydrated this day, I think it reached almost 90°.
We didn’t arrive to Lambert’s Meadow campsite until about 7:00, one of our latest arrivals yet. My new favorite trail dinner is cheese filled tortellini tossed with olive oil and ranch dressing powder, with rehydrated vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes, so good! We were greeted by some wildlife and saw some pretty flowers heading out the next day.
When we arrived to Daleville, VA we were picked up by our supporter, Amanda. We got checked into a very comfortable hotel and then she took us into downtown Roanoke where we had some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had! They actually make ice cream flights, similar to those beer flights you can get at breweries. Signing out for now, Feather Blue! 🪶💙
After pigging out on chocolate cake and doing a 26.7 mile day I had to take it easy the next day! We had a fairly easy 9.1 mile day and were treated by our supporter, Morris, yet again! He picked us up at an outpost where we had a big lunch and took us into the town of Bland so we could resupply at a grocery store and grab some Dairy Queen.
The next morning we set off from Helvey’s Shelter towards Dismal Falls, it was an 18 mile hike but fairly flat. We are surprised by some unexpected sleet though! Since it was so cold we actually hopped off the trail for lunch and ate at a really good Amish grocery store. We warmed up in the Lickskillet Hostel before heading back to the trail. There is some really neat artwork there! I also reached 600 miles this day.
After leaving Dismal Falls fairly early the next day we made our way towards Woods Hole hostel. It is one of the oldest hostels on the trail and I really enjoyed it! They provide a free stay for Warrior Expedition hikers on a tent site, but we paid for an upgrade to stay in a safari tent. This hostel isn’t for everyone as it is a little “hippy,” but I thoroughly enjoyed the free yoga class and the awesome vegetarian food, most of which is grown right at the farm!
I had the best night of sleep on the trail yet while staying in the Safari tent! It is a very comfortable bed with a built-in electrical blanket, I slept for 9 hours straight since I was so tired! The next day we made our way into Pearisburg. I really enjoyed Pearisburg, so much so that we stayed there for four nights…. We stayed the day we hiked in, and then did two 20 mile slack pack days, and then took a much-needed zero day off. My appetite is building again and I was very excited to finally make it to a Mexican restaurant 🙂 cheers!
Oftentimes hostels will provide loaner clothes for hikers to wear while we do our laundry. This is my first time actually wearing them! Signing off for now, Feather Blue 🪶💙
Since I still wasn’t 100% recovered from norovirus when I left Damascus I took it pretty slow. Initially I was planning on taking the Virginia Creeper Trail since it is flat and along a pretty river, but I just couldn’t get myself to “blue blaze,” which means getting off the true Appalachian Trail where the white blazes take you, I will have to come back another time and hike this trail! It would have saved me a couple miles and a lot of elevation but I am a purest at heart and didn’t want to veer off.
The hike towards Grayson Highlands over the next two days was the wettest and stormiest yet! I definitely got drenched as I hiked through a thunderstorm with it crashing down around me. I took it slow since the rocks and roots tend to get very slippery.
It continued to rain off and on as I camped in the Grayson Highlands among “wild” ponies. I solo camped right at the 500 mile mark among the ponies.
I slowly made my way out of Grayson Highlands where I saw a few more ponies and was greeted by some trail magic out of a VW van on Cinco de Mayo, they had Mexican beer and tequila shots before noon! I had one beer and moved on as I was still getting over the noro. 🍻
The next evening we decided to stay at partnership shelter, one of the biggest shelters on the trail! It is two stories and actually has a shower, which was out of commission due to coronavirus. Since I didn’t have my appetite back yet I opted out of pizza delivery, but it is one of the few shelters on the trail where you can order food and have it delivered right to the trail! It was definitely a busy place as it was close to a main road. We were also reunited with John, who previously had to go home for 5 days for a wedding. Oh yeah, I got new boots too! I will probably be getting two more pairs before the end of the trail as they need to be replaced about once every 500 miles.
We had a fun few days making our way from partnership shelter to our next supporter, which was at the Bear Garden hiker hostel, in the heart of Virginia! I wouldn’t say the trail has gotten flat, but it is not quite as crazy as it was to start, especially since we now have Trail legs! We explored an old school house which is a must stop along the trail. I also took a ton of flower pictures to send my mom for Mother’s Day 💐 Oh yeah, and I thought I was seeing a bunch of black bears in the woods but it turns out it was a different kind of animal, moo! 🤣🐄
For those hikers staying at the Bear Garden hiker hostel they offer several different slack pack options. You can do 17, 26.7, or 34 miles in one stretch. For anyone that does one of the two longer slack packs they are treated to homemade cake at the end of the day, I decided to go for it! It took me 9 hours and 15 minutes to hike 26.7 miles, I am definitely not a runner but I did a slow jog for several miles that day, it was challenging and I definitely felt sore for a few days after! It was worth the chocolate cake though 🙂 I also had my first official water crossing on this part of the trail, had to take my shoes off to cross Licks Creek! Signing off for now…. Feather Blue 🪶💙
Erwin to Damascus already seems like it happened years ago! I will do my best to go from my trail notes and memory to update this section of the trail in the blog. We started 20 trail miles north of Erwin when we left because we had slack packed while enjoying an extra night at Sandy and Duane’s house. The day we left, Duane drove us to the trailhead and we set off north.
I was greeted with some beautiful views over the next couple days as I made my way over Roan Mountain and Carver’s Gap, I had previously hiked this section 4 years ago and was very excited to re-hike it again on my thru hike!
After that stretch of trail I made my way to Mountain Harbor Hostel, the first hostel I ever stayed in on the Appalachian Trail 4 years ago! They are known as having the best breakfast on trail and it is easy to see why! So much so that I had to have it twice. I was revisited by Allison since I had extra space in the hotel room I had rented. She also gave me a 10-mile slack pack over a really pretty area which prevented me from carrying my pack during that stretch. Thanks again Allison!
Pretty pictures from my slack pack, to include Jones Falls! I took my longest lunch yet on the trail here 🙂
After leaving Mountain Harbor Hostel I continued north towards Damascus. On the way I stopped at a hostel, Boots Off, so I could have a pizza instead of the gross lunch I had in my pack!
Later that day I ended my hike a couple miles early so I could stealth camp on Watuga lake, totally worth it!
However, since I ended my hike a little early the day before, I grabbed a little cabin so I could pay for a slack pack to get my gear to Damascus with little weight on my back. The hike in to Damascus was pretty unglamorous with most of it along a ridgeline.
As mentioned at the beginning of my last post, I was hit with norovirus on my way into Damascus, and while I was there. Luckily it was a planned zero day so I booked a private room while I recovered. I had a cute cat to keep me company!
It is so easy to get behind on this…. Usually at the end of the day I just want to consume as many calories as possible and pass out in my tent, but I’m going to do my best to get caught up! If I have the energy there may be two posts back to back if I can get in one more tonight, but I am currently getting over norovirus in Damascus 😦 Hoping I wake up revived in the morning! Enough about that, Hot Springs already feels like forever ago! After our surprise guest, Allison, waved goodbye in Hot Springs, we made our way 8.3 miles to Rich Mountain Camp. It was a pretty steep climb out with a heavy food bag as we had just replenished our supply. Along the way Amity and I came upon a smoldering fire that had not been properly put out, she put it out the best she could! Luckily there was a stream just up the trail so we could refill our water bottles. Amity also found some fresh chives that we picked and added to dinner that night!
We had a pretty uneventful stay that night, and made our way 11.2 miles to Little Laurel Shelter the next day. We were treated to some awesome trail magic! A trail Angel hiked to the shelter, which seemed to me to be in the middle of nowhere, with his two big bloodhounds, a huge box of white wine, a gallon of ice cream, root beer for floats, and cones! What a treat!
Over the next two days we hiked about 25 miles making our way to Sam’s Gap. We had some very pretty views! While gorgeous, there was a lot of rock hopping and jumping over roots, it made for a pretty long day. I also hit the 300 mile mark on this stretch!
When we got to Sam’s Gap we got picked up by a supporter who drove about 20 minutes to whisk us to her house in Weaverville, North Carolina. We were treated to warm, comfortable beds, greeted by a cute kitty, and had some of the best pizza of my life! I even got to take some of that pizza with me the next day to have leftovers for my lunch 🙂
The next day many hikers decided not to go out due to the forecast 🥶❄️☃️ I toughed it out, but it was very cold! (I believe it dropped down to 25° that night) Luckily I had some cold weather camping and hiking training so I knew how to make it 🙂 I also have a very warm rated sleeping bag. Well I hesitated to go out that day, I’m very glad I did, there was some beautiful scenery! Shockingly, there were actually two other people tenting where I stopped for the day, so I wasn’t the only crazy one!
After waking up to a cold morning at Whistling Gap, I did something I rarely do, I had breakfast and coffee in my tent! I normally don’t like food anywhere near my tent due to the smell which could attract animals, but it was just too cold to eat elsewhere. Luckily, it warmed up throughout the day and I saw some pretty flowers and an owl before descending several easy miles into Erwin, Tennessee.
Our stay in Erwin was definitely a memorable one! We got picked up by Diane at Uncle Johnny’s, a very well-known hiker hostel. It’s crazy how you run into people on this trail, I saw people there I hadn’t seen in well over a week! We ended up staying with our hosts, Sandy and Duane, for three nights, my longest stay since leaving MN! They treated us to some very delicious dinners and breakfasts, and we are even surprised with an Appalachian Trail symbol cake! They also collected tons of resupply items for us, I will never forget your generosity! One of their neighbors even drove us over 20 miles north so we could do a slack pack back to their house just to stay one more night, I didn’t want to leave! I also saw my first bear while staying at the house, I suppose it helped that he throws out corn every day and grilled steaks that night! Last but not least, Duane gave me a quick tour of his 65 Pontiac, awesome! I will never forget Erwin!
That pesky bear at the last shelter in the Smoky Mountains definitely put a wrench in our previously well laid out plans! After Amity and I got dropped off by our supporter we had a very short hiking day, just around 3 miles, and decided to stay at the Standing Bear Hostel. We had a cute private room with bunk beds right on a river. The shelter we were planning on staying at had reported bear activity of a mom and three cubs, something we didn’t want to come in between! It was fun to have a hostel stay though, apparently it is one of the most popular on the entire trail due to its location to the Smoky Mountains.
After leaving the hostel pretty early the next morning, we had a very long 14 mile day due to the crazy elevation! Over 8 miles of our 14 mile day was straight up! We were greeted by Max Patch towards the end of the day which was beautiful, and then got to stay at the Kani’ti Lodge where I had one of the best cheeseburgers of my life! We were spoiled by David and Matthew who cooked for us while we were there and got to play with his black lab, Sunny 🙂
Since the Kana’ti Lodge was less than half a mile from the Appalachian Trail we slept in, had a huge breakfast, and got a late start the next day! It was a shorter day at 10 miles just to break up the 20 miles going into Hot Springs the next day. We stayed at a random tent site on the side of a mountain and got rained on that night.
Luckily we only had a 10 mile day into Hot Springs the next day because my knee was bugging me a little bit. Hot Springs was amazing! I actually stayed in this town about 4 years ago when I came to the Appalachian Trail for the first time and did a section hike. We were whisked away by one of our supporters where we were taken to the Dancing Sun cabins, we had an amazing and relaxing stay!
Instead of hitting the trail the next day we took a zero day in Hot Springs. We had a surprise visitor from Allison! This is who I stayed with at the very beginning of this adventure in Greenville, who is also a previous Warrior Expedition hiker from 2019. She will be starting the Great American rail trail bike ride a month from today, Good luck allison! We enjoyed her visit by basically eating the day away, and lounging around the Iron Horse Inn. I also had a surprise box from my friend Lisa! She thru hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2016 and knew exactly what I needed, she treated me to spa items, girl scout cookies, and lots of treats for my food resupply! Signing off…..Feather Blue 🪶💙
At the start of the Smoky Mountains four of us Warrior Expedition hikers set out together, me, Amity, Emerald, and John. Or, I should say Feather Blue, Calamity, Penguin, and Wick! Lol, we now go by our trail names out here 🙂
The first night Amity and I stayed at Birch Spring after hiking our first 8 miles into The Smoky Mountains.
After Birch Spring we made our way 11.4 miles North to Spence Field to set up camp for the night! I saw my first major sign of wildlife, two whitetail deer!
From there we made our way 11.8 miles north to Siler’s Bald, there were some beautiful views of the Smoky Mountains on this stretch! We then made our way to Clingmans Dome, which is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail at just over 6,000 ft. Unfortunately, it was a super foggy day and we had no view once we got up there.
Later this day we made our way to Newfound Gap where we were picked up by Saint Patti, a super supporter! She was accompanied by her mother and they drove us into Gatlinburg where we had rented an Airbnb for the night and went out to dinner together!
After a quick night in Gatlinburg we were brought back to the trail the next day just before lunch time and hiked 10 miles to Pecks Corner Shelter. The following day we had to make some itinerary changes due to bear activity! A few days prior, a hiker that was slightly north of us had his backpack stolen out of his tent, we are guessing he had food in it! Since the bear was aggressive and ripped it out of the tent they closed the shelter we were planning to stay at, therefore we had to call it an early day the next day after 5 miles and hunker down in a different shelter. Normally you would be allowed to stealth camp in the woods, but since we are in a national park it is illegal. We didn’t mind too much though because it was a cold, foggy, and rainy day! We had a little fun in the shelter meeting other hikers and playing charades. However, after being in such close quarters with about 20 other hikers I was ready to get back to my tent!
After getting an early start the next day we had about a 15 mile hike to a gap where we got picked up by a supporter who drove us 30 miles into Maggie Valley, like all supporters they treated us like royalty! We stayed in a really cute Cardinal Inn, and they brought food right to us where they grilled out and even treated us to homemade moonshine! The next day we were driven back to where we left off and hiked the last two and a half miles of the Smokies….. Signing off, Feather Blue! 🪶💙
Here are a few pictures I forgot from the last post, sent to me by our awesome supporter Patti!
We didn’t start our day out of Franklin until slightly afternoon due to heavy rain, lightning and thunder. I set out and finished the day with Emerald, AKA Machine! We didn’t get as wet as we thought we would, but it was a very eerie day hiking through thick fog past creepy trees. We also walked through a few miles of forest burn which made it even creepier! Apparently it is an awesome view from this lookout tower, but we will never know unless we come back lol.
That night it got below freezing so we woke up to ice in our water bottles. It was definitely a night where we had to sleep with our water filter, phones, and battery chargers in our sleeping bags with us. It was also a cold day of hiking but we warmed up fast once we got moving!
The following day was long at just under 17 miles. I tried to get to the NOC, which is a touristy area where they do rafting, so I could have a hot dinner but decided to call it a night once I found a beautiful location by a stream!
The day hiking into Fontana Village was tough, but I feel like I say that for most days out here! It has been a lot harder than I thought it would be so far, but somehow the pain in my knee randomly disappeared. I started the day hiking up Jacob’s Ladder which was a vertical climb up, I inhaled a bunch of calories before the climb and was rewarded by hiking into Fontana Village with a view of the dam and lake. I actually had to bum two protein bars off of another hiker, either I didn’t pack enough or my hiker hunger is increasing significantly.
Since getting to the Fontana Village Resort I have basically been eating non-stop! We had a huge dinner last night, and then today we are doing an all you can eat buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but definitely getting our money’s worth! We also had a surprise guest visitor! Jacob stopped by to say hi, he thru hiked the Appalachian Trail last year after starting with Warrior Expeditions and continuing on after most of us got off, he will be starting the CDT later this month. Good luck Jacob!
I almost forgot, my trail name! I had several ideas tossed my way. I almost went with Daphne from Scooby-Doo, it was suggested by a fellow hiker since she travels around in a van like I do part-time back home. Based on my backpack I was also given name suggestions such as peacock, blue, and feather, as long as a couple other names relating to the color blue. In the end I went with Blue Feather! Signing off until I get through the Smokies…… 💙🪶
I know I’m a couple days late in posting this, our stay in Franklin was short and I got behind! I am almost to Fontana Village but I will wait to post that until this Sunday. We stayed an extra day in Hiawassee to wait out a rainstorm before hitting the trail the next day. The weather was great but it was very muddy! I enjoyed hiking with my fellow Warrior Expedition hikers.
We officially crossed into North Carolina and are out of Georgia! My tent was set up about 20 ft from a really gnarly tree that night.
The next day started off really cold! But we warmed up as we made a huge climb up to a lookout tower and officially hit 100 miles! Just before the climb up we hit Trail Magic where I got a hot dog, chips, and two beers!
As you may have noticed by now I have my left knee wrapped…. It is nothing serious but gets really tight when I am going downhill. I limped my way to Winding Stair Gap where I was picked up by Patti, our host while in Franklin. She was absolutely amazing! After rushing me to her house so I could shower and do laundry she drove us to the local VFW where we were presented with quilts that will be mailed home and a free lunch, and then drove us around to run errands to pick up gear and resupply items.
We were spoiled later that night to a home cooked meal of meatloaf with a bunch of sides and a fire with red wine and s’mores, what more could you ask for?! Unfortunately it was such a short stay and we had to say goodbye the next day but she is meeting us further down the trail when we head into the smokies! I am currently making my way to Fontana Village so my next post should be in just a couple of days. I think I officially have a trail name but you will have to wait for my next post! Good night ⛺💤💤💤🥱
Hiking Through with Feather Blue 