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Where's Funnybone?
Article 12
June 7, 2012
By Jim Dashiell, MD
Tribune Columnist
It is currently June 2 and I have been on the Trail about 10 weeks and
still haven’t had a haircut. I have hiked about 722 miles, completing
three states – Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. I am currently
hiking through Virginia, the longest state on the AT. There are
approximately 550 hiking miles in Virginia, approximately one-fourth of
the entire Trail. I have stayed in hostels, shelters, my old tent, a new
tent my daughter brought to me and hotels. I have washed clothes on a
wash board and in the shower by stomping on them as I lathered up. I
have encountered wild ponies, longhorn steers, newts, mice, bullfrogs, a
very putrid smelling dead bear, and two Copperhead snakes that were very
much alive. I have been entertained by mice in the shelters that didn’t
seem to be the least afraid of humans. Many hikers have seen bears and
cubs, but my only encounter with a bear was the dead one. I only got
lost once when I missed a turn on the Trail, but eventually found my way
back after climbing through a crevice in a rock and climbing back up.
On the days that the views aren’t obscured by fog, clouds and rain, I
have been privy to beautiful scenery. It has rained quite a lot over the
last month and many days the Trail is a slimy, muddy, slippery mess. I
have been soaked to the bone on many occasions. I have fallen several
times. I haven’t suffered any major injuries, just bruises and scrapes
and one broken watch. Some storms have been very fierce and on a couple
of occasions I have kept walking through some cold, hard rains just to
stay warm. Today I was on top of a mountain with no cover at all walking
under high voltage power lines during an electrical storm. I kept moving
as I felt like it was a very precarious situation and I needed to move
out of that location as quickly as possible.
I have been blessed by many Trail Angels including three Harley riders on
one occasion that provided an ice cold beer on a hot day. Another day as
I sat under a tree in a small town eating a pizza, a procession of about
50 Harleys rode into town. I talked with some of them and then was
approached by a very nice lady rider with a handful of cash. She
apparently thought I was “in need” and had actually taken up a
collection for me. I was very touched, but explained that I was a
retired physician hiking the AT and returned the money to her. I asked
for a ride back to the Trail when they were ready to leave, but because
I didn’t have a helmet, the best they could do was let me ride in the
Jeep that was accompanying them. I was given a wonderful Harley escort
back to the Trail.
I have met many interesting people including “65”, a 73-year-old man who
is hiking from Key West, Fla. to the border of Canada. I last saw him on
May 23 and he had hiked over 2,800 miles. I have met a couple of men
older than me that are thru-hiking, so I’m no longer able to say I am
the oldest attempting this feat. I have hiked with The Twisted Sisters
from Kokomo, and I encountered a young man on stilts on one section of
the Trail. Jonah, and his dog Zephyr, have camped in the same place as I
have on a couple of occasions, and Missouri Mule is a gentleman about my
age who I run into every few days. One very interesting couple had the
Trail names “N” Trovert and “X” Trovert. I have learned a lot by talking
to many of these veteran hikers.
When I have the chance to get into a town, I take advantage of the
McDonald’s Dollar Menu and any available all-you-can-eat opportunities.
My favorites are sweet tea, double cheeseburgers and biscuits and gravy.
I try to fill up as much as I can while I have the chance. On one
occasion on the Trail I actually “bonked,” which is a term for
completely running out of energy. I blame this on lack of food and water
intake and since then I have tried to be very careful about that. I last
weighed myself May 14 and had lost a total of 35 pounds. Some days I
have very little energy and have had some blood pressure issues.
Otherwise I am feeling well.
It is always exciting to find Trail Magic along the Trail because quite
often you get hungry and thirsty. It seems like this “magic” shows up at
just the right time. Sometimes it’s in the form of people serving hot
food and cold drinks. Other times it’s in the form of treats left along
the Trail such as Little Debbie cakes and PBJ sandwiches. A group of
Lutherans left a wonderful supply of lemonade and water, along with
cartons of boiled eggs with scriptures written on the shells! Another
time someone tied several soft drinks together and left them floating in
a stream. They were ice cold and wonderful. Finding water is sometimes a
challenge and on occasion I have only been able to get water from a
source that doesn’t look too safe, so have had to treat it with
chemicals. I am truly thankful for the sodas and water and lemonade left
along the way by such generous people who take time out from their busy
lives to do such a nice thing for the hikers.
I was treated to a special visit from my daughter, Julie, and her family
for a weekend in early May. I took two days off and went sightseeing
with them to Grandfather Mountain and Linville Caverns. I very much
enjoyed their visit and now I am looking forward to my two step-sons and
their families meeting me in early June. I have missed my family very
much, but have been able to stay in contact when I can get a good cell
signal.
I took off a couple of days over Memorial Day weekend to clean up myself
and my gear, restock, eat well, and relax a little in Bland, Virginia. I
enjoyed a Shoney’s buffet and a Cracker Barrel. I was able to watch the
Indy 500 from my hotel room and drink a beer! I resumed my hike on
Monday, Memorial Day and hiked about 10 miles, after which I was very
tired. I took time to stop at Dismal Falls and take a quick swim, which
was very refreshing.
On Wednesday, May 30 I reached Pearisburg, Virginia where I stayed in the
Galaxy Hotel. I have decided to use the 50+ miles I did last December
when I hiked the AT with two friends. It is okay to do that, as a
thru-hike means you have to hike the Trail within a 12-month period, not
necessarily a calendar year, so on Thursday I was shuttled down the road
to where I got off the Trail last year. I immediately headed to McAfee’s
Knob, 9-10 miles away. It is one of the most photographed areas on the
whole Trail and I wanted to see it before any rain clouds had a chance
to move in. It was a strenuous climb, but the view once I reached the
top was very much worth it. I was the only one there and was able to
just enjoy the experience. I sat down and relaxed, reminisced about my
hike and the many examples of Trail magic and kindness I have
encountered. I even drank a cup of coffee.
Today is June 2, the day I walked in the terrible electrical storm on top
of a mountain under high voltage wires. The storm finally cleared and
once I reached the bottom of the mountain I was greeted by beautiful
trees ripe with mulberries and cherries. They had been washed by the
rain and I ate my fill. Finally, after 11˝ hours of fast hiking, I made
it to Daleville, Virginia where I am staying at Howard Johnson’s. I have
had a shower, dinner at Pizza Hut, finished my laundry, and communicated
with friends and family via text messages, phone and e-mail. Now this
beautiful, eventful, hard, and rewarding day is drawing to a close.
If you have enjoyed following my progress on this adventure, please
remember that all donations to Tipton County Mustard Seed, Inc. are
greatly appreciated and tax deductible. Thank you so much.
To follow me on a daily basis, go to website www.trailjournals.com,
search funnybone, then 2012 AT Jim Dashiell. Until next time from the
Trail, remember…
NE on the AT is NEAT!
Funnybone
Until the next time,
NE on the AT is NEAT!
Funnybone