“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”     – Leo Buscaglia

“A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.”     – Ken Keyes Jr.

Day 92

“Hey, Fob, the coffee’s ready when you are,” Darrell whispered in my face.

I slowly opened my eyes and tried to focus them. Darrell’s eyes seemed disproportionately large for his face and his voice was disproportionately eager for someone over the age of seven. Before responding, I looked at my watch. It was 4:37 a.m. That’s early, even for AT hikers. Really early. It was so early that it was almost yesterday. There are clearly differences between an active duty Army colonel his first morning on the AT and a retired Air Force colonel on his 92nd AT morning. I didn’t know whether to thank Darrell for the coffee, or stab him in the temples with my carbide-tipped trekking poles. Not wanting to squash his enthusiasm for the AT, I half-heartedly thanked him for waking me in order to enjoy fresh coffee. I was sure it would taste good after I slept four more hours.

Shortly after 7 a.m., Morning Coffee (Darrell’s temporary trail name) and I left the Blackburn AT Center, along with a hiker named Hammer. Just as we got on the trail, I asked Morning Coffee if he would lead the three of us in a prayer and he obliged. (Just before getting on the AT, I received a call from Darrell and he said a prayer over the phone with me. After 1000 miles, it made sense for him to say another one.)

The morning hike was mostly flat but it was hot and humid. I didn’t have a lot of energy which may have been a result of hiking a combined 80 miles, including the Roller Coaster, the previous four days. We enjoyed hiking with and talking to Hammer about his past business successes and difficulties, along with politics, religion and other topics.

By mid-afternoon, we crossed over into West Virginia (again) and made the descent, climb, and descent into Harpers Ferry. It had only been a 12.5 mile day, but I was exhausted, completely soaked, and my butt was chafing. At the famous Jefferson Rock, where Thomas Jefferson once said something profound while scratching his own chafing butt, we stopped for a picture. We then headed down the hill into downtown Harpers Ferry where a smiling Alicia was waiting for us.

Our next stop was Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters which, unfortunately, was .6 miles uphill. That may not seem far for a long distance hiker, but I was completely spent and had two loggers in my underwear sawing my butt crack with sandpaper.

After trudging along behind Morning Coffee and Alicia about 50 yards, a woman got out of a car parked on the side of the road. She said, “Hey, Fob, it’s Kailah! Wanna ride?” “Is there room for the two loggers in my butt crack?” I started to say, but though better of it. Kailah, in addition to being an angel sent from heaven that day, is the niece of Chuck and Jana Leasure, some friends from our Virginia days. I met her years ago at a wedding and she has been keeping up with my AT journey through my blog. She knew about when I would be arriving in Harpers Ferry and figured I might want a ride up that hill. She figured right! She handed me an ice cold Gatorade (pure magic), a bag of snacks, and some unnecessary but appreciated lunch money. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart on the way up the hill and invited her to lunch with us. Unfortunately, she was on her way to a wedding and had to decline. But she wished me well on my journey and told me to finish strong. If I finish at all, it will be because of people like her and the Brimberrys and others who came along at just the right time to meet a need.

Despite my exhaustion and being drenched in sweat, it was pretty cool walking into ATC HQ with the Brimberrys and the loggers in my underwear. Although I’m more into actual halfway points than psychological ones like Harpers Ferry, it felt really special being there. I had been there a decade earlier with Janet, and I told her I would be back some day as an aspiring thru-hiker. Today was that day. I had my photo taken and signed the hiker book with my information. I was northbound hiker #607. Ninety-one days to Harpers Ferry isn’t bad for a 50-year-old who has taken two weeks off (for a wedding and spousal rendezvous) and is attempting to write a book along the way.

The Brimberrys and I invited Hammer and another hiker named Pocahontas to have dinner with us at a nearby Italian restaurant. Upon arrival, I headed to the restroom to rinse the loggers and sandpaper from my nether regions and to apply a copious amount of Gold Bond. It stung in a good way, like watching your final child graduate and leave the nest. I then changed into the clean set of Morning Coffee’s clothes that Alicia brought me. They will need to be incinerated.

We headed back to the Brimberry’s lovely home on Bolling AFB where the magic continued. I took a hot shower and then a cold one and then a hot bath. Not just any hot bath but a bubble bath, featuring their daughter, Holly’s bubbles from Frozen (the movie). I laid back and closed my eyes, just extremely blessed to be in that place at that moment. After dozing off for a few minutes, I opened my eyes and Frozen’s Elsa was staring at me from the bubble container at the other end of the tub. Like Morning Coffee recently, her eyes seemed disproportionately large for the rest of her head. I didn’t appreciate her bug eyes staring at my fobness, so I reached up and turned the bottle around.  Little Frozen creep.

After my long hot bubble bath, I stepped on the scales and weighed 192.5 pounds. That puts me at my college weight, 44 pounds lost so far on my journey. I suspected Janet was going to tell me to eat more, and she did. The gorging would begin moments later as I sat down to a magnificent steak dinner, courtesy of Team Brimberry! Her instructions from Janet involved feeding me a lot, and I would end up gaining six pounds during my 32 hours with the Brimberrys.

As I laid in a soft, comfortable bed that night, I read the Fathers Day cards sent to me by my family. It was a great ending to a great day with two very special people.

Day 93

Today would be a very special zero day because I was headed to worship at the Manassas Church of Christ where Janet and I were members from 2004-2008. It was great to see some familiar faces, especially brothers and sisters in Christ. After services, I went to lunch with the Brimberrys, Leasures, and Paul and Trish Johnson. It was good to be with long time friends and eat a filling pasta meal. I also appreciated the two bags of cookies that Jana Leasure gave me. After lunch, I went to a movie with the Brimberrys (where I ate a large popcorn) and then to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and donut. After evening worship, we headed back to Bolling AFB for my final night of pampering.

I got my laundry together and made a few gear and clothing adjustments. Since I haven’t used my stove in a couple of weeks, I left it behind. While I enjoyed cooking at night when it was cold out (or even cool), I don’t feel the need in hot, humid weather. I’m perfectly content to have tortillas with salami and cheese, or peanut butter and honey, or peanut butter and coconut oil. It means a quicker dinner and no clean up. Not carrying a stove and fuel also saves some weight and space, and I don’t mind waiting until the occasional trail town for hot food. I also left behind my gloves, thick socks, and puffy winter jacket, which will eventually be sent to me with the stove when it starts to get cooler again up north.

Alicia and Morning Coffee had a final surprise for me. They set up a vibrating, heated, bubbly foot bath in the living room, which made me consider quitting the trail and moving in with them. As I sat there relaxing and soaking, I downed two large bowls of Corn Pops. Just before going to bed, Morning Coffee informed me we could sleep in and didn’t need to leave until 8 a.m. He seemed less eager than before, and his eyes were in proportion to the rest of his head. Maybe I’ll start calling him Darrell again.

Fob

“The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well.” – Joe Ancis

“Excellence in any pursuit is the late, ripe fruit of toil.” – W. M. L. Jay

Day 90

I left the hostel and headed north. There was a massive fenced in area nearby, which I learned is the Smithsonian Conservation Biological Institute. The 3200-acre campus houses a variety of endangered species, including the cloud leopard, mane wolf, American Bison, and cheetah. As a conservative Christian, I probably should have been on that side of the fence as well. Prior to its use for conservation, the area was used to train war horses during World War I.

My priority today was to coordinate a time and place to meet my friends, Darrell and Alicia Brimberry. My wife and I met, went to church with, and became friends with the Brimberry’s during my military assignment at the Pentagon. We share a love of the outdoors, and they plan to thru-hike the AT themselves in 2017 after he retires from the Army. Their plan was to set up a trail magic station for me and other hikers and then Darrell would hike with me for a couple of days. Alicia would then pick us up in Harpers Ferry and take us to their home on Bolling AFB in DC for some rest, recuperation and resupply. Needless to say, I was really excited about all of this.

Plan A had them setting up at Manassas Gap, but the timing worked better to shift that northward. I suggested Plan B which involved them setting up at Ashby Gap, mile 989.1. It seemed to make sense as the map showed the AT crossing a road there. My job was to hike at least as far as Dicks Dome Shelter, so I would be within 5 miles of their position the following morning.

Here, then, is how the best laid plan can unravel. When I got to Dicks Dome Shelter, I called an audible. Rather than face a mile ascent and five mile hike in the morning, I decided to go an extra mile. This would shorten my journey tomorrow and my AT guide showed a spring up on Signal Knob. Being nearly out of water, finding some was paramount. So I climbed the mile up Signal Knob only to discover the spring was completely dry. Not good. Not good at all. Given my increasingly desperate need for water, I had to hike on. A mile later I entered Sky Meadows State Park. It’s a beautiful park, but unfortunately camping is not allowed there along the AT. There are also no water sources there along the AT. Thirsty and tired and with no place to camp, I hiked on. A few miles later I arrived at Ashby Gap, our Plan B meeting point. The good news…there was a little creek so I could get much needed water. The bad news…this was a terrible spot for the Brimberrys to do trail magic. It was among the most dangerous, divided highway road crossings on the AT. So with the sun starting to set, I called Darrell and told him we needed a Plan C, but my priority at the moment was to find a place to set up my tent before it got dark.

Exhausted, I continued northward and eventually found a nice spot by a stream at mile 991.1, just as it got dark. After settling in, I called Darrell and he proposed a new Trail Magic and rendezvous point at Snickers Gap, about 12 miles north. I agreed, mainly because I heard him say Snickers. After my 21.7 mile day, I just wanted to go to sleep…and so I did.

My takeaways from the above narrative:

1) It’s not easy coordinating a time and place to meet someone on the AT because there are so many variables involved. I’m glad the Brimberrys were patient with me and flexible.

2) You can’t always rely on water being available where your AT Guide indicates, unless it’s a major source like a river. Thus, it’s good to have a backup plan, preferably one that doesn’t require hiking at night or in bad weather.

3) The butterfly effect is alive and well on the AT. One seemingly small decision (like hiking just one more mile) can have a much larger ripple effect, like having to actually hike 7 more miles (bad effect) and discovering the planned rendezvous point needs to be changed (good effect). I find it interesting to think about how my life might have been different had I made different decisions and flipped different levers.

4) Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I think this verse tells me, among other things, that if I love God and try my best to live faithfully, he is going to ultimately bring about good outcomes in my life…regardless of which specific lever I flip (college choice, career choice, choice of spouse, etc.). I can (and do) make bad choices on the AT that have bad consequences, but I feel like God just figures out a way to have some good come out of them.

Day 91

After getting water near the Rod Hollow Shelter, I strapped on my proverbial seatbelt and began the famous AT Roller Coaster! The Roller Coaster is a 13.5 mile stretch of non-stop ups and downs. There is a total gain of more than 5000 feet as you make your way over more than a dozen steep, rocky hills. It’s a parting shot from Virginia before entering West Virginia.

A little more than halfway up and down the Roller Coaster, I came across a simple sign marking the 1000 mile point for northbound AT hikers. I had to stop for a minute and let that sink in. I just hike 1000 miles! I took a picture, of course. I also said a prayer of thanksgiving. I didn’t ask God for anything in this prayer, I just thanked him for bringing me this far on the journey without serious injury or incident. I posted the photo on my Facebook page, and received a comment from Rex Dutton, our preacher from Florida, which I found quite profound. Rex wrote:

“Congratulations! These adventures are going to make an awesome book one day soon. God will work through this journey of yours to do many great things! I have so enjoyed your posts! And for the rest of us who will never accomplish anything so significant, and may feel useless from time to time, I could not help but think about that tree behind you bearing that sign… It has never been anywhere, and yet, there it stands and it still serves an important purpose.”

By “anything so significant” I think Rex is referring to noteworthy, out of the ordinary physical feats. I reminded him that preaching 40+ years, as he has done, is an amazing, world-changing accomplishment that far exceeds hiking a trail…even a really long trail. I really appreciate his final point about the tree holding the sign. No glory. No fanfare. It’s not the biggest or oldest or prettiest tree on the AT or even that mountain. But it has a job to do and does it well. By doing its job, it allows the sign, and the thousands of hikers who stand in front of it, to get the glory.

I suspect among my readers there may be a few folks who feel useless or unappreciated at times. Maybe your life seems boring. You may think, “All I do is (fill in the blank).” Maybe it’s been awhile since your boss, customers, children, or spouse have thanked you for what you do. Let me remind you your life has significance because God made you…in His image! Your life has significance because Christ made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his own life, to make your salvation possible. God has a plan and purpose for each one of us. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…” Whether you are a plumber or teacher, a janitor or doctor, a tree or a sign, be a good one…do it well. Whether you aspire to hike the AT or just aspire to get through the day, know that what you do matters and makes a difference. You are a hero to someone, so keep on keeping on.

By mid-afternoon, at mile 1003.2, I arrived at Snickers Gap. I crossed the road and made my way over to Darrell and Alicia’s Trail Magic station. She came running up to hug me, which means she’ll probably need to throw her outfit away. I was that funky from my Roller Coaster ride. The two of them had been there for a few hours, giving out drinks, fruit, cookies and other goodies to hikers. There was quite a crowd there when I arrived. Alicia had prepared a private cooler of drinks and goodies just for me which was way, way cool!

After resting, eating, drinking, and visiting a bit, we said farewell to Alicia, and Darrell and I headed northward. For the first time in my journey, I was hiking with a long-time friend. He was eager and fresh, in part because he had missed most of the Roller Coaster and hadn’t hiked 12 miles in the heat that morning. I really enjoyed hiking with him and getting caught up on children, career, future plans, etc. Not surprisingly, he had several AT-related questions for me as he continues to prepare for their 2017 thru-hike attempt. At mile 1005.7, we stopped for a photo at the sign telling us we were crossing over into West Virginia, state #5!

At mile 1010.6, after a 19.5 mile day for me, we stopped for the night at the Blackburn AT Center. It wasn’t quite a challenging first night with me on the trail for Darrell, as we slept on the large screened-in porch of the Center and were offered big bowls of soup by the caretaker.

It had been an interesting couple of days, featuring a 1000-mile marker, Trail Magic, a Roller Coaster, a border crossing, and multiple changes of plans. Ultimately, God worked everything out for me, as I knew he would. I’m especially thankful he saw fit to provide me with a good friend to hike with, if only for a couple of days.

Fob

“Accept the pain, cherish the joys, resolve the regrets; then can come the best of benedictions–‘If I had my life to live over, I’d do it all the same.'”     – Joan McIntosh

“Sir Fob will make the hike because God made that his journey.”     – Eian, 5th Grader, Foundation Christian Academy (FCA)

Day 88

I woke up and decided to re-read the letters that had been written to me by Mrs. Wilkinson’s 5th grade class at Foundation Christian Academy. Allow me to share some highlights from the creative minds of these young people:

“One day Fob was doing the AT.  He heard something in the bush, so he went out to check it out.  It was a bear!!  The bear swallowed him whole.  He stayed in there for five days.  The bear threw him up.  Fob came out and said, ‘It was a good thing I had pepper.’ And then he hiked the rest of the AT.  And he lived a happy life til he got eaten by a bear again.”     – Jessie, 5th Grader, FCA

“Fob was walking through a soup trail. He was trying to get through the soup but a deer was eating the soup and licked his face.  It was made of chocolate. The deer ate Fob’s face off and skipped away.”     – Karisa, 5th Grader, FCA

I eventually left my comfortable cabin and headed out into the heat and humidity.  Before leaving the Skyland Lodge area, I couldn’t help but think about the 1996 murders of two female hikers just 1/2 mile from the lodge.  I did a fair amount of research on AT murders and other crimes before starting my journey.  While one is safer on the AT than in a city or on a highway, bad stuff can and does still happen.  If you want to read more about the murder of these two ladies, check out this link… http://www.readthehook.com/85806/cover-murder-park-rice-release-revives-memories

At mile 942.6 I approached the Pass Mountain Hut to get water and use the privy. A fellow hiker standing by the hut looked at me and said, “Hey, you’re Fob! Do you know Larry Alexander?” I answered, “Maybe. What did he do?” (One must always be careful in associating oneself with Larry in case any sort of crime has been committed.) The hiker replied, “We have something in common. Larry gave both of us our trail names. I’m now called Little Brother but on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) I hiked with Larry (trail name Baro) for awhile and he named me Young Gun. And I know through your blog post on Larry’s Facebook page that he named you Fob W. Pot.” I said, “Wow! It’s a small world (after all). Larry is a great dude. His two AT books helped inspire me to be out here. It’s great to meet you, Little Brother.”

“Once upon a time, Fob was in the woods on the AT.  He woke up and a bear got his bag!  He got up and ran but the bear got away!  He was lost with no tent and no food but there was a creek full of clean water.  He saw his yellow tent but it was about 7 miles away.  He got to his tent but it suddenly burned.  I don’t know why or even how.  He found his food and picked it up and it burned.  ‘Wow, I can’t even make a fire but I burn everything I touch,’ he said.  He prayed and prayed then God sent angels down. They picked him up and brought him to heaven.  He was happy in heaven and he spent his time there worshipping God.”     – Brock, 5th Grader,  FCA

At mile 943.9, as I descended Pass Mountain, I looked up and saw…(dramatic pause)…(play Kentucky Derby bugle call)…(all rise as judge enters courtroom)…(drum roll)…A BEAR! A real life Shenandoah National Park black bear! Yes! Finally! I had joined the club of aspiring thru-hikers who’ve seen a bear in the wild! No longer would I be made fun of a shelters, campsites and lodge restaurants. Instinctively, I crouched to one knee and, for just the second time on my AT journey, raised both trekking poles in the air in the single troop phalanx formation. I bowed my head and whispered, “Spartan, prepare for glory.” I’d seen The Revenant and now I was Hugh Glass, about to be charged and mauled by a bear in the wild. The bear, still a good 25 yards away, continued to calmly forage for berries and grubs along the trail. She (or maybe he, I didn’t check for parts) just completely ignored me. Like the attitude of the girls at most middle school dances I ever attended, I didn’t exist. There was not even a warning growl or threatening glance. I eventually stood up and returned my trekking poles to a non-defensive position.

I guess this was not my day to die. But a problem remained…the bear was directly in my path, right on the AT, and was taking her sweet time foraging and enjoying the day. So I got a little closer for the obligatory photo and video, and then sat down on a rock to wait her out. I ate a granola bar, drank some water, wiped the sweat off my arms and face, and waited. And waited. I started to throw a warning rock or yell, “Excuse me, Winnie the Pooh, hate to bother you…but I’m hiking the AT…trying to survive out here in the wild by living off the land…and I need to get to the next SNP eatery for a blackberry milkshake before they close. Any chance you could move it along and forage elsewhere?” Eventually, on her own schedule, without regard to my feelings or agenda, she moved her black hairy behind along. I continued northward, but I was a different Fob now, a battle-hardened Fob who had survived a close encounter with a distant, non-threatening, berry-eating wild bear.

Delayed by my near bear attack, I kicked it into high gear in order to make it to Elkwallow Wayside before they closed. I arrived just in time and ordered a pretzel, grilled cheese, and blackberry milkshake. Why? Because I could. This was Shenandoah National Park, the second happiest place on planet earth. And this is how we roll here…no apologies. I was joined at the Wayside picnic table by a trio of aspiring thru-hikers…Happy Feet (from Germany), Pharmacist (from Laurens, SC), and a guy from Idaho. I enjoyed talking to them, even after they told me they were hiking on Skyline Drive some of the time because it was “more scenic” than the actual AT. They are right about that, but as a white blaze loving purist, this was like hearing someone’s nails scraped across a chalkboard. But hey, hike your own hike.

It was starting to get dark, so I ended my 19.2 mile day stealth camping at mile 950.9, near Rattlesnake Point Overlook. I figured after surviving my near wrestling match with a giant black bear, surely I could survive tenting where rattlesnakes come to view the valley below.

Day 89

About mid-morning I stopped at the Gravel Springs Hut to get water and use the privy. Just after exiting the privy, I heard a loud cracking sound and spun around just in time to see a large tree branch fall on the privy!  Had the branch fallen 3 minutes earlier, I would have been trapped inside the privy.  Within seconds, my skin would have started to peel off.  Within minutes, the putrid privy smell would have caused asphyxia-induced hypoxia. They eventually would have found Fob in a fetal position, moldering away at the bottom of the tank.

After removing the branch, I hiked on. Near Little Hogback Mountain and South Marshall Mountain, I saw my second and third (final) SNP bear. I was a little more confident following yesterday’s encounter, so I attempted to pose for a selfie with the second bear. However, by the time I got my phone positioned and the angle just right, the bear had scampered off. Thus, I ended up taking the worst bear selfie in history, as there is no bear in it! By the way, some of the selfies I post on my blog appear upside down on some computers. Sorry about that. It looks right side up on my phone. Anyway, the photos in my eventual book will all be right side up.

“So one day Fob wanted to hike the Aplachin Trail so he did but when he got there he felt a tickle in his backpack so he turned around and saw a bear taking a samwhich so he chased him for awhile and gave up so he saw a deer and tried to get a selfie but the deer hid in the pond and Fob was not happy but he went to get his phone and it fell in and he said why did i do this.”     – Aldon L, 5th Grader

At mile 965.5 I exited and said farewell to Shenandoah National Park. It had lived up to its lofty reputation and my memories of the friendly deer, ferocious bears, and delicious blackberry milkshakes will remain with me forever.

Not quite ready to give up my week of comfortable backpacking, I decided, after an 18.2 mile day, to stay at the Mountain Home Cabbin (yes, with two b’s) near Front Royal.  The owners, Scott and Lisa, were extremely helpful and friendly.  After he thru-hiked the AT, they bought the abandoned, dilapidated historic property and are renovating and restoring the various structures a piece at a time.  The property was once owned by Samuel Gardner, a magistrate and horse and cattle farmer.  He owned 3000+ acres and used the hostel where I stayed, which dates to 1847, as slave quarters and later as the tri-county courthouse. Scott and Lisa are still renovating the main house which will one day become an upscale bed and breakfast.  He ran me into town to grab a bite and resupply, and she gave me a great tour of the property and historic buildings.

We had quite a mix of folks staying at the hostel that night.  Four of us were upstairs, including another hiker with a leg injury who will seek treatment in Front Royal.  Next to him (in nearby beds) were Matt and Sarah, who are finishing up a 3-week long archaeological dig at the nearby Belle Grove Plantation.  They are trying to locate the plantation’s slave quarters in support of Matt’s doctoral work at Syracuse University.  Scott and Lisa were downstairs, since their living quarters in the main house are still being renovated.  They were joined by a Fulbright scholar who was on her way to a conference in Washington D.C.  She will eventually teach English in Indonesia.  Each of these hostel guests are on missions, and had compelling stories, and getting to know them certainly enriched my own AT story.

Fob