A new year, a new plan for the AT. After working 30 years for AT&T they decided to move my job to Birmingham, AL. I have nothing against the place mind you, I just didn’t want to move. Besides, AT&T offers full retirement with benefits once you reach 30 years and if they move your job they toss in a couple years of pay on top of it. It looks like the perfect storm for a through hike. However, at age 49 I am way too young and spend way too much money to retire. I also have an 8 and 11 year old at home that I would not leave for that long of a time. Alas I found a new job with a great company and I went from having 7 weeks off to none, at least none till December. If I am going to stay on course to complete my hike by age 99… I’ll have to become a weekend warrior. The 4th of July weekend is a perfect time to do just that. The plan: leave from work Thursday July 2, at 5:00pm. Then drive about 5 hours to Erwin, TN (Uncle Johnny’s) sleep and get shuttled to Carvers Gap and hike back to Johnny’s over the next 3 days and be back to work on Monday.

A little thing called a traffic jam on I-75 on the way down delayed me about 50 minutes. When I got to Johnny’s it was about 10:50 and I was greeted by a thru hiker staying on to work named Free bird. He was a pleasant guy who is a real asset to Johnny’s. Also there were 2 other hikers who happened to land at Johnny’s and stay on to work: Mohawk and Fox Fire. Mohawk was stoked when he found out I was from Kentucky. He hails from Bowling Green so instantly he put a Cold Bud Light in my hand. He and Foxfire were already partying at a whole nutha level. Also in presence were 2 husband and wife team of paddlers staying there for the weekend. I only remember their wives “trail names”…  Shit for Brains and Wildflower. Sorry folks I don’t make these up. Besides, with a name like “Flyingfishman” who am I to judge? Mohawk and Fox Fire pulled out a guitar and a mandolin and they got a little crazy. Add in some fireworks and you get the idea… “Ain’t no party like a Johnny’s party, cause a Johnny’s party never ends”. It’s after 1:00 am so I hit the hay while they are still going strong because I have a 7:00 am shuttle tomorrow and I’m sure I’m going to pay for tonight then. After all this is July and it has to be hot.

Friday, July 3, 2009 today's miles 9.8 

It is 7:00am and I am taking my shuttle ride to Carvers Gap. It is a pleasant trip up Roan Mountain and into the Gap. I say my farewell to my ride and step out of the truck to “Oh my God it is cold”. This is July and a thermometer at the gap reads 45 degrees and I am in shorts and short sleeves. Quickly I pull out the jacket to my Frogg Toggs and just as quickly I put it on. Scott my cousin advised if the day was clear to go north first and climb up to Round Bald. It was worth the trip. The view was a wee bit obstructed by some thin clouds and the wind was howling. The views were spectacular in between the clouds. I’m back down into Carvers Gap and starting to climb to the summit of Roan. The cooler temperatures make this a perfect summer day of hiking. As I am making my way to Roan High Shelter it dawns on me that I am walking on some very old rock…1.8 billion years old. These rocks were pushed up as a result of South America colliding with North America. I have some 350 million year old Crinoid Columns (Devonian period fossilized Coral) at home that I found in Kentucky. Those are just puppies compared to these ancient rocks. I reach the shelter to find some guys inside this enclosed shelter reluctant to leave their sleeping bags while they eat their breakfasts. They tell me that was the coldest night they ever experienced. At the summit of Roan the views were a bit misty. The trip down the other side was pleasant and it felt great to be back on my AT adventure once again.  Some of the best views today were from Little Rock Knob. The day went slowly as I took time to talk to every hiker coming and going. The theme of this year’s hike seems to be people who have lost their jobs. As fate would have it, I could relate to all of them. I feel very fortunate to have found a job as quickly as I did. I attribute that to the fact that as soon as I learned my job was moving…I started looking.   

I stopped off at Clyde Smith Shelter and took a snack/lunch break. I met a young man headed north from Springer who was in great shape. He was carrying a ton of equipment and was doing 25 miles a day.  He was followed up by a nice older guy who…you guessed it…lost his job and was taking the opportunity to hike some of the AT. He was suffering knee pain and we helped him plan his escape from the trail.

Tonight I am headed to Greasy Creek Friendly. At Greasy Creek Gap you head down an old jeep road for about .6 miles to a wonderful place ran by the friendly proprietor Connie. As I walked up to the “Friendly” the neighbor’s dog ran up to the fence to “Great me”. Suddenly country music, which I do like, was blasted from a speaker aimed at the Hostel. As I walked into the yard of the Hostel I was greeted by Lou “Paul with Bunions”. I asked him if the music always played and he said “No, he only does that for hikers”. Alas, I have had my first encounter with “Crazy Bill”. Lou advised me Bill gets up at 4:30 am every morning and runs his lawn tractor full out for 2 hours to try and drive hikers away. He proceeded to give me the rules of the Hostel and soon after I was stowing my gear and taking a nice hot shower.  Later a young hiker named “Wrong Way” came in for the evening.