Dirk's Rambles

I am now in Damascus Branch Library, staying at Crazy Larry's Hostel. Larry has been a good host so far, cooking us a nice breakfast this morning. His prices are higher ($60/night), almost double what I have paid at other hostels. However, a place to sleep in Damascus is hard to find with so many other hikers coming through at the same time. Damascus has a population of about 800 people so there isn't much commerce here except hikers who come through in big number only about a month or two during ...

About 7 pm, it began to pour and storm outside. Then it began to lightening. The rain pounded the tin roof we were under. I could see thru the upstairs window how the high winds were blowing the tents outside of those who couldn't get space inside the shelter. Two of my friends, Supertramp and Little Owl, were in one of the tents. Felt so bad for them. I learned the next morning that a river of rain water ran directly to their tent. About 3 inches deep. Fortunate for them, their tent had 4 inch ...

I am sitting in Mountain Harbor Hostel and B & B after getting here walking the 75.6 miles from April 6-11 including taking a zero on April 8 and a nero (low mileage day) on April 7th. I'm meeting Theresa, my wife, on the 14th so I am chilling here for a few days. This was the easiest location for Theresa to find me. I am going off the trail from now until April 24th to turkey hunt in Kentucky with two of my brothers and several friends.

So after my previous post on April 6 at ...

Taking a zero in Erwin, TN today with Brad Servey. He surprised me on Tuesday April 6 by showing up in the parking lot at Sam's Gap after Natures Inn dropped me off in the morning. Neither of us recognized the other. I thought he looked alot like Brad when I saw him but still thought he could not be Brad. He was driving a car for one thing and the last I heard Brad was still hiking the trail. I even looked at him and gave him a thumbs up.

Brad recognized me first by my PSU hat. He ...

I checked into Natures Inn Hostel last night at 7:30 pm after a long day on the trail. I got two opposing sets of directions from hikers yesterday, both of whom said the hostel was only .2 of a mile from the trail. Both were wrong. Luckily, I had the phone number for another hostel, who gave me the phone number for Natures Inn. I called and a man named Taft, the owner, came and picked me up.

IN the last three days (April 3, 4, and 5) I have covered 11, 15.9, and 18.1 miles respectively. ...