Backing up your Blog site

I have been following your journey with interest. I have been backing up your postings periodically. I originally was using screen captures one screen at a time. This was time-consuming and tedious. I found that using SNAG-IT was much better. I got a free download and it will scroll down the entire screen and save to a PDF. Also, can you invite your uncle Ken to the blog. His email is kbn@iglou.com

Sounds like you are feeling better. Cracked up at your comment on power bars. I always wondered that myself. Happy Hiking!!!

Day 42 - Chestnut Knob (May 20)

I eat the first of my power bars today. I kept watching to see which powers I would develop, but nothing seemed to happen. I kept checking for the most common powers...flight, invisibility, super strength, elasticity, x-ray vision, and stuff like that. Could I have missed a power? I even had Thought Foot and Buzzard keep checking me for invisibility just in case I would still be able to see myself, but absolutely nothing happened.

Thought Foot and I did about 21 miles today to get to Chestnut Knob shelter. We picked up Buzzard along the way. Someone stole Buzzard's umbrella a Trail Days. He last had it while dancing around a bonfire with Pathfinder and the OSU Boys. Now they are at war. Buzzard is writing crazy stuff in the shelter logs about Pathfinder and the OSU Boys, while Pathfinder and the OSU Boys are racing to catch up. They have apparently been doing this for a while.

We saw a lot of Cool Breeze and his sister Ru. Its really had to know how old they are. This is Cool Breeze' fourth thru hike. He spaces them at 10 year intervals. He has a very long grey beard and is always writing poetry. He could be in his 50s, but he could be much older too.

It was a cold and rainy night. The shelter was a stone cabin. All of the bunks were filled so I slept on the floor. It was nice listening to the rain and wind during the night. I was very glad I was inside.

Day 41 - Back on the Trail (May 19)

Physically, I'm feeling much better today. However, Heather went home today, and I aready miss her.

The fever was very strange. I did not have any of the classic symptoms of an illness like nausea, diarea, sore throat, or anything like that. I had a slight head ache and chills. Something else was happening too, but I don't know what it was. I could not figure out if the something else was my imagination or not. I just knew it was something that could have taken me off the trail if I could not figure it out soon.

My fever has been down since Saturday evening when I started taking the antbiodics. My strength has increased and feels normal now. I'm hoping what I had is something that will be killed by antibiodics. Although, it could be a virus, and it can still come back.

Heather and I took our time getting out of the motel this morning. I was busy packing, and she spent a lot oof time with the new dog. It appears to have been abused. There was a recent scar on its head, and a wound that is still slightly bleeding on its side. If you know anyone who wants a nice dog, please call Heather.

I've seen a lot of strays near the hostiles. People may be dumping animals there because lots of people come through, and many hikers take the dogs. Shepard got his dog at Standing Bear a few days before I was there. Another explaination for the number of strays at hostiles is food. There are so many people at the hostiles that food is nearly in constant supply.

Heather walked with me to the Partnership shelter where I ended my hike last week. She met Long Portage, Daisey from Australia, and a few others whose names she knew (but I didn't) from reading their blogs. Bone Lady was there too, but she did not say anything.

It was sad leaving Heather. Hopefully, she will meet me in Harpers Ferry in a few weeks. The terrian is gentler here so hopefully we will be increasing our mileage per day.

I met up with Thought Foot at the next shelter about 7 miles from the visitor center. Bear Bait and Skywalker were there. Bear Bait spent 3 years in the UK, and now speaks with a Brittish accent. I would still like to know if you can unintentionally lose your native accent that quickly. In other words, should I be speaking to southerners? Skywalker did the trail in 2006.

Thought Foot said he had a great time at Trail Days, which I missed because of my ER visit. He met most of our old friends. Red Eyes did 40 miles in one day to get into Damascus. Most believe he was hopped up on something. Road Rash and Hobo Joe are together about 4 days behind us. They have been trying to ditch Red Eyes without success (as is everyone else). Doc is about 3 days behind. Shamrock did not return for Trail Days and is staying at a roach motel about 3 miles back. I thought about knocking on his door, but I think he likes his privacy.

We made is about 14 or 15 miles to what might be the location of the former Davis Path shelter. We stopped for dinner at a place called the Barn at the I-81 underpass so we would not have to cook. This was the most unfriendly place I've encountered so far. It was a huge building, but they would not let you bring in your pack. Hikers have everthing they need in their packs. No one feels comfortable leaving his or her pack outside. The food was all deep fried or hamburgers. The waitress was very unfriendly, and had three letters tattooed on her arm. I almost asked her which concentration camp she was in. There was almost no one in the building. At least they had a salid.

Once again, there is no internet or phone service here so I will post when I can.

Pictures

I will be adding pictures to the older posts.

Back on the Trail

Day 40 - Zeroing in Wytheville (May 18)

I spent the day zeroing at the Wytheville Comfort Inn with Heather. I still do not know how I feel. It sounds like a fever of 102.8 means I have a fairly serious infection my body is fighting. It also sounds like what ever I have I got through a bug bite or a cut. I'm going to keep going and see what happens. I have antibiotics that hopefully will kill what ever I have.

Another strange thing is I think I've lost some feeling in my toes possibly due to the constant pounding my feet are taking. It might also be very thick calluses that make my toes less sensitive.

Heather found a new dog today in the parking lot. She is bringing it home to take to the pound. If you want a nice Jack Russell Terrier, please let her know.

We drove out to the Grayson Highlands today. This was one of the most beautiful places I've seen on the trail. Hopefully, Heather will post some of my pictures under my posts when she gets back. The problem today was the road went no where near anything really beautiful. I suppose it was all scenic, but I've been on scenic overload and have very high expectations.

I have not talked to Thought Foot since Saturday morning. I'm hoping he finds a ride back to the Mount Rogers visitor center tomorrow. He said he was on the standby list for a shuttle ride.

Day 39 - Zeroing at the Wythville Emergency Room (May 17)

My fever went up to 102.8 last night. I took some Tylenol, and my fever went down. It was near normal in the morning. I called my aunt Anne for advice in the morning. She recommended seeing a doctor because this is the fifth day. I tried calling my insurance company, but no one would answer so I had no idea if an emergency room visit would be covered. I decided to call my doctor's office so that I would at least have their recommendation to see a doctor, which they gave.

Heather took me to the Wythville emergency room where we spent about 3.5 hours. After a long wait, they did a blood test. Everything came back good. The doctor could find nothing wrong except the fever. I decided to take antibiodics just to make sure what ever I have would not come back.

What's interesting is that I kept feeling chills at different times. I took ibuprofen for my head ache from time to time. I think that the ibuprofen was helping with the fever too. I could not figure out why what ever I had kept coming and going like it did. I think the ibuprofen was the reason. I had a hard time eating when ever I had a fever. I'm feeling a little tired now, but I'm also feeling much better.

I still really don't know at what temperature do you go to the emergency room. I know serious damage can occur if your temperature goes above 104. How much lower than 104 is a concern?

I found another picture of Joe

Just click on the title link above.

http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=325626

Day 38 - Half Zero (May 16)

Thought Foot and I did a 10 mile half day to the Mount Rogers visitor center to wait for Heather. I had the chills all night. I could not figure out if they were the result of damp cool temperatures or something else. W and Vigil Auntie gave me some vitamins in the morning. My energy level was fairly good today. I did the 10 miles in about 3.5 hours.

I took a cold shower at the Partner shelter outside of the visitor center. Then I drank three 20 ounce cokes and ordered a pizza. I was not able to eat much of the pizza, and gave a few pieces to Loon. I read the "real" story of Smoky the Bear at the visitor center. Thought Food said that it really actually wasn't the "real" story. He said that Smoky is a corporate creation to protect timber for industry. Smoky's message was to prevent forest fires so that his friends will have a place to live and there will be timber to build you a new house. Well, it seems that Smoky's two goals are mutually exclusive.

Heather arrived around 2:30 PM. We had to take Thought Foot to Damascus. There were zero non-thru hikers at the visitor center so there was no way for him to hitch a ride to Damascus. This surprised me because the Mount Rogers area is so incredibly beautiful, and the visitor center is new and modern.

I later bought a thermometer, and took my temperature. I had a temperature of 102.7. It later went up to 102.8 during the night. This explains some of my problems. I could not figure out if the chills were me being overly sensitive to the damp weather or something else. It looks like I have something. This is the fourth day. The strange thing is I don't feel anything except chills, periodic low energy, some achiness in my knees, and a slight head ache. I hiked 65 miles in three and a half days with these symptoms.

Sombody is very sick

Joe has been walking with a very high fever. His temperature got up to 102.8 (I think) last night. He's been popping tylenol and had ice on his head which helped bring his temp down. Today we are going to try to see a Doctor. Glad I'm here. With all the mice and dirty people in the shelters it's not suprising that everyone gets sick. Joe said there's at least one person sick at each shelter. It's like sleeping in a giant petri dish. Just thinking about it make me want to bathe in purell. Currently we are staying in the comfort inn in Wytheville VA.

~Waiting for Rickshaw

Day 37 - Ponies in the Mist (May 15)

The Mount Rogers area is spectacularly beautiful. There was a thick fog this morning. As I was walking along the trail, I came across a herd of ponies. I stopped to look at them. Some were shy and backed off. Others were very bold, and surrounded me. There was a cute little baby pony who kept licking its mother.

My energy level is higher today than the last two days, but I have a headache and chills. I can not figure out what's wrong with me. I don't feel sick in any other way. Its 6:30 PM, and I'm already in my tent. A lady by the name of W gave me a vitamin C energy drink. I'm going to try taking vitamins too. I've been meaning to buy them for a while, but I keep forgetting.

I met a woman named Bear Bait who speaks with a British accent. It turns out she is an American who has only lived in the UK for three years. Is it possible to unintentionally replace your American accent with a British accent in such a short time?

We are at the Trimpi shelter tonight. Happy, Always Fine, Wild Bill, W, and Vigil Auntie (or something similar) are here. Pappy already did a thru hike in 2004. He is only on the trail for two weeks. Wild Bill is 69 years old. Buzzard said he was the oldest person he met on the trail.

Its just 10 more miles to the Mount Rogers visitor center where Heather will pick me up tomorrow.

We are over the 500 mile mark today. Under different circumstances this might seem like a long distance. However, it is only the end of the beginning portion. The mileage is going faster and faster. I hear a lot of people will start dropping out now. There are fewer and fewer short term goals to look forward to. My next goal is Harpers Ferry in about 500 miles. I'm hoping we can average about 20 miles a day through this portion. The terrain is easier and we are a lot stronger.

Day 36 - Mount Rogers (May 14)

My energy level is very low today. We walked about 18 miles, but it was a real struggle to make it. I had a real low energy level once in the Smokies, but that only lasted a day. This is my second day with very low energy. I'm going to go to sleep early again, and hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow.

We are at the Wise shelter tonight.

We are at Mount Rogers to. This is an incredibly beautiful place. Much of the elevation is over 5,000 feet. There are beautiful balds and open fields with very friendly ponies. Old Buzzard Tonto was feeding the ponies granola and salt. They really craved salt. They were licking the salt from Old Buzzard's pack. I thought they might try to eat his pack.

The first herd of ponies had about five ponies. One was bigger than the others and kept chasing or kicking at the ponies that got too close. The ponies came right up to us. It made me a little nervous when they surrounded us.

I hate to tell Heather that there were not any babies to club. I'm sure she will be very disappointed.

We hiked a few miles with Old Buzzard Tonto. Old Buzzard is a retired school teacher who taught health to inner city kids for about 35 years. Thought Foot told me later that he was warned about hiking with Buzzard by some people at Kincora. He was told hiking with Buzzard is like listening to a book on tape, which was true.

Buzzard was telling us about starting a gang intervention program. He seems to be very passionate about teaching. He was also telling us about how he uses dreams to help the kids. He would tell them since the early 1990s about his dream to hike the trail, and how that dream effected his life. He got the superintendent to agree to let him broadcast messages directly to the class rooms, but the superintendent later reneged so he went to the boys and girls clubs and police department. He might have a blog on the newspaper. He wasn't sure what was happening back home.

Its 7:00 PM and I'm going to go to sleep. I'm hoping I have more energy tomorrow. There is no internet or phone here so I will post this message when I can.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake

You missed a good cake today. I'll have to make another one when you get back to the office. The frosting is right up you alley (although it has 1/3 the sugar and half the butter than the fudge frosting you like). It has a little spice to it.

Day 35 - Leaving Demascus (May 13)

Hostiles are not places to go if you need rest. I was sleeping upstairs, but I could still hear the noise from the main area. I think people kept coming back from the bar, and were making lots of noise until after 1:00 AM. After that, I had snoring to keep me awake. A guy by the name of lone eagle or bald eagle or something like that was sleeping in my room. He would snore loudly for a while, stop breathing for a few seconds, and then start snoring again. This went on nearly all night.

We left the hostile about 8:30 AM, and went about 17 or 18 miles. We are at a campsite a mile or two north of lone mountain shelter. The shelter was packed with people and more kept coming in. I think all of the shelters near Demascus will be packed the next few days. People are coming in from both the trail and all over the country for Drail Days. I would like to get as far north as possible on Friday before Heather picks us up.

For yesterday being a zero day, there sure was a lot to do. I had to resupply, do laundary, buy some new shoes and other stuff, and build a new stand for my stove.

I was really dragging at the end of the day. I'm very tired from lack of sleep, but I think I was also eating poorly today. Thought Foot always likes his snacks so I bought lots of snacks too. I had a bag of potatoe chips for second breakfast and a chocolate bar for lunch. I was kind of feeling tired so I did not bother eating much else. We stopped early, and I ate diinner early. That was all it took to pick me up.

I told Heather we can see ponies when she is here, and she said she wants to shoot one. I told her she is only allowed to club the babies.

I don't have phone or internet coverage here so I will post when I can.

PS - If you compliment a blog administrator, they will run amuck.

Joe - glad to see you are having a good time. My guess is the toothfairy pays more down south so hence fewer teeth down there :0)

Jeff K

Cultural Diversity

I was surprised at some of the cultural differences between the north and the south. I know this is a stereotype, but teeth really are far more of an option here in the south than the north. I was surprised by how many people I've seen with missing teeth. All have been working in convenient type stores at low wages. I just don't see many people with missing teeth in the northern states. Can anyone explain this?

Its hard to know if people are more friendly in the south than the north. Most of the people I've met are hikers or people who work with hikers. Nearly all have been very friendly. The hostile owners have been really great. They have all of the things a hiker needs at a really low cost. However, I've also been to a few libraries and talked to other people. I suspect people may be a little friendlier here than in the north.

Another difference I've noticed seems to be the number of churches. At least in Demascus, church going seems to be a major past time.