AT: How do I feel now as a Triple Crowner?

I am a very happy hiker! I met so many people who are not living their dream - because of family, lack of money, alcohol or whatever reason. I do live my dream now and I feel very fortunate to be able to do so. I feel like Alice in Wonderland. Life is like a colourful picture-book catalogue full of adventures in front of me. And I just have to point at one I like and do it! It feels great! Completing the triple crown does not feel like the end of something, it is just like one step of a big trip. There are so many more things I want to do! Life is good!

AT: Tipps and Tricks

There are loads of websites and internet forums about hiking the Appalachian Trail and therefore I do not want to go into many details here. Just some advice that might differ from what you generally hear about how to hike the AT. 

Harper's Ferry

Resupply: I found tons of info on where to send resupply boxes and hikers with elaborate resupply plans. You don't really need all that on the AT (if you are not on a specific diet for whatever reason). I hiked the AT without a single re-supply maildrop and did not have the slightest problem with it. You are always so close to towns that "buy as you go" is easy - I find it way more complicated to coordinate your town visits with post office opening times. You don't even need a bounce box. I hiked with the same equipment all the time except for my tent (that had to be sent away for warranty repair) and my sleeping bag (I changed into a warmer sleeping bag towards the end of my hike.

Shelters: Much of the AT image is based around its shelter and the romantic notion of the life in it. I did not like the shelters at all for various reasons: First of all there were the mice - and believe me they are a real nuisance. But by just sleeping 100 meters away from the shelter I did not have a single mouse in my tent or food on the whole trip. And by camping close to the shelter you can still take advantage of its water sources and rain protection for cooking. Also I did not only experience comraderie in the shelters - very often getting a place in the shelter resembled more of a fierce competition and occupants would not budge a millimeter to make space for newcomers. Not to mention snorers, farters, early risers and other troublemakers. Try to mentally free yourself from depending on the shelter and hiking will be a lot more stress free.

Camping: The AT was the first and only trail were I seriously considered a hammock - and if I were to hike it again I would definitely invest in one for the New England States. I have never hiked in an environment where free camping with a tent was so difficult. Either the terrain was too rocky or too steep or too forested for camping - very often I did not have a choice but to camp next to the shelter were space for tent camping had been cleared. A hammock would give you much more freedom as there are trees everywhere.

Maps and guidebooks: I did carry maps and guidebooks for the whole trail - the only reason for that being that an old hiker friend of mine had to cancel his planned thruhike due to health reasons and donated his whole map and guidebook set to me. They were nice to have, but I could have managed without them. The only essential book for the AT is a data book and town guide like the AT companion. If I was to hike the AT again I would probably just carry the AT companion and as a back up have a GPS with the AT as a track. This would just be a substitute for maps in emergencies - otherwise you really do not need a GPS for the AT.

AT: Conclusion

The long green tunnel in summer

What do I think of the AT now? In the end it was a good hike, although I almost hated it in the beginning. But that was mostly my own fault. I was worried about my low mileage in the New England States and did not realise that the terrain and hiking would gradually get easier. And when that happened (roughly after Mount Moosilauke)  I started having a good time and really enjoyed the AT in the end. But still: I will probably not rehike it in the near future, although I would definitely rehike the PCT or especially the CDT. If I had to do it again, I would go northbound starting very late, like in early May.

The AT was a pleasant hike, but it is not as spectacular as the PCT or CDT. It isn't called "long green tunnel" for nothing. You have more spectacular views in a week on the PCT or CDT than in a 5 month long thruhike of the AT. And if there is a view it something so special that it even gets a signpost... It did not really bother me because I just want to be outside and I don't mind seeing forest all the time. The logistics are easy, so all you have to do is walk. There is not much real danger: You are always in tree cover, so exposure and thunderstorms are not an issue. I did not even get much of a sun tan.

... in fall

The biggest disappointment were probably my fellow hikers. On both PCT and CDT I had met so many interesting people - I can hardly think of any hiker I disliked. On the AT I spent a lot of time trying to avoid other hikers. There were too many college kids out there who just wanted to party. I saw hikers puking into shelters and getting arrested by the police because they were too drunk. I saw ridiculously big backpacks because the hikers had no clue what they were doing. But I also met some interesting people on the AT and I do hope to stay in contact with them. The nicest thing on the AT for me though was visiting old hiker friends and trail angels. I met so many PCT and CDT friends again it is unbelievable. And I stayed with some very kind and interesting trail angels.

It was a good hike after all...

and in winter.

So would I recommend the AT to a friend? That really depends. If you know that this is the only time in your life when you get half a year off and you already have some backpacking experience I would rather hike the PCT which is much more dramatic and scenic and logistically equally easy. If you are rather inexperienced and appreciate a more social experience then go for the AT where loads of other hikers provide more safety in emergencies and company. Choose your start date very carefully though: If you start in the main season you might be just overwhelmed by the masses of hikers - who luckily thin out after a while.

Now the statistics:

Hours I hiked with other people: 8 (Half a day with Timber who had to be protected from the bears and two hours with Silver Potato and Cracker) - that was it - I had a very lonely hike on the most populated National Scenic Trail
Times I stayed in a shelter: 3 (I hate mice and snorers)
Amount of zero days: 6 (including 2 days at the Gathering), but I had a lot of nero days.
Times I was sick: 1 (I had to see a doctor because of my infected finger)
Times I used sun tan lotion: 0 (you are always under tree cover)
Times I used DEET: Several times a day through all of New England - the mosquitoes just did not want to die

Most favourite Lipton side dish: Thai Sesame Noodles and Tomato Parmesan
Most favourite Idahoan Mashed Potatoes: Baby Reds Roasted Garlic
Most favourite Ben & Jerry's ice cream: Cherry Garcia
Most favourite American Snack: Peanut Butter M&M's, Milky Way Midnight, Pringles Sour Cream & Onion
Most favourite maildrop chocolate: Milka Creme de Caramel and Creme de Chocolate (thank you Toek and Wolfgang)

Most exotic wildlife: Turtles on the trail
Most exotic flora: Peach trees on the trail
Most exotic trail angel: Mayor Dick in New York - chain smoking and cursing the hikers he loves so much
Most exotic town food: Gourmet vegetarian meal at Elmer's (a Buddhist running a retreat center and hiker hostel) - even I ate salad with dressing
Most exotic trail food: Toek's wonderful 12 pound chocolate mail drop

Best off-trail event: Unexpected visit of Gettysburg and attending the Gathering
Best on-trail event: The many nights when I went to sleep thinking "This has been a good day!"

AT: I did it! The Triple Crown is mine!

A happy new Triple Crowner

A forest fire cannot stop a dedicated long-distance hiker and - hiking the triple crown you must experience one or you are not a real triple crowner. So on November 13th Flat Feet drove me around the forest fire (I would hike the missing portion on my way back) and I started to hike the last 17 miles. I wanted to take it easy and finish the next day, but then ambition set in. I had started the CDT on June 13th, 2007 so I thought it would be a good idea to finish the AT on that exact date 17 months later. It was a very eery day: Completely overcast, cold and extremely foggy - I did not see anyone else hiking that day.

I just made it up to Springer Mountain with sunset - there was a little bit of sunlight left or I would have probably missed the plaque there. It was a pretty weird feeling, like "That's it now?". I managed to take some pictures and decided to stay at the nearby shelter and come back in the morning. There was nobody staying at the shelter. I set up my tent in the shelter which was a good idea because of all the mice. This was only my third time I had ever stayed in a shelter on the entire AT and in hindsight I know why. The mice were everywhere. I think I could not get used to seeing a mouse last thing before you go to bed and first thing in the morning. I actually had to put in earplugs in order not to hear their noise.

As a celebration menu I ate my favourite Knorr formerly know as Lipton side dish "Thai Sesame Noodles" and a highlight dessert: I had saved one bar of chocolate from Toek's wonderful maildrop for that occasion (Milka Creme de Caramel). And then I went to bed and fell asleep - I did not even have energy to listen to radio or read. I did not feel very special - it just felt like a normal day hiking. I got up next morning at 5.45 am as usual - everything even INSIDE the shelter was soaking wet from the fog. Even in Germany we do not have fog as bad as that. I ate Kashi cereal for breakfast and still did not feel special. Then I hiked back to Springer Mountain to take the official "I did it" photos which was kind of difficult because there was no one else around and I had to play with the timer nearly breaking the camera in the process. After taking about 50 photos and signing the trail register I decided it was time to leave and hike back to Suches. I still did not feel very special.

It was a miserably day - you could hardly see a thing and I thought that it was probably a good idea to finish my hike. I hiked back a different way I came and ran into a military manouver - there is a military base close to Springer Mountain. I don't know who was more scared: Me, because 20 soldiers hiding in the fog were pointing machine guns at me or the soldiers, who were confronted with a happily singing hiker in shorts in the rain. But probably those guys were used to hikers performing all sorts of weird rituals on top of Springer Mountain...

Note Silver Potato's hiking skirt

Later on another very unexpected thing happened: I ran into a bunch of nobo AT hikers doing trail magic. Believe it or not: They were sitting out there in the rain and fog with sodas and beer trying to get a fire started to barbecue some steaks. There are not too many sobo hikers out there so they could have ended up doing trail magic and nobody shows up. But we were all lucky: I met Silver Potatoe and Cracker there plus a father and son team. Silver Potatoe and Cracker had actually married on top of Springer Mountain two years ago - isn't that romantic? So we all stood around in the rain and fog drinking beer and sodas....

But I had to leave soon to hike my last missing 3.5 miles and meet Flat Feet. This is when it really started to rain hard. I ran into a leftover fire fighter and cursed the trail a last time for going over every damn mountain. Flat Feet had even hiked in a little bit to meet me and hike the last yards of my triple crown with me. By the time we arrived at his car we were soaking wet - and I was happy that the hike was over. I still do not feel very special. But from now on I can call myself: German Tourist - Triple Crown Hiker

I at the Southern CDT terminus

Postscript: The only sad thing about my finish was the lack of a coronation party. In order to achieve the Triple Crown you have to "sacrifice" almost 1,5 years of you life and that usually deserves a big celebration. Most hikers complete their Triple Crown on the CDT - like my hiking buddy Toek whom I had the honour to coronate. In his "coronation ceremony" he was wearing a plastic viking helmet with 3 horns as a crown - each representing one of the three long trails. At that point in time I myself had only hiked 2 of them - as you can see in this picture taken at the Southern Terminus of the CDT - and so I could only were a "two horned" Triple Crown back then.

But only one year later I had become a Triple Crowner myself - albeit without a crown or party....because hardly anybody completes their Triple Crown on the AT, especially not in November and so I was all alone. I even had to take the finish photos with a timer. But I was compensated at least a bit for it by two events: Flat Feet gave me patches of all 3 trails to sew on my backpack or jacket. And when my German friend Maik came to visit me he brought a lot of my favourite German chocolate which we decided to use as a substitute chocolate Triple Crown.

AT: Only 20 miles and I am stopped...

I have only 20 miles (= 1 day) to go and the completely unforeseen happened: I am stopped by a forest fire. This is so unbelievable as it is fucking cold right now and rainy and overcast that you would think of anything but a forest fire. But there it is: US Forest Service has closed the trail between Woody Gap and Gooch Gap. When I was told that at Walasi-Yi Center I first thought they were joking, but unfortunately it is true. Fortunately, Flat Feet, another triple crowner lives in Suches, which is 2 miles from Woody Gap. So I called him and I am staying there right now. And there is a detour around the fire, so life is not so bad anyway. According to the weather forecast it will rain on the day I will finish. Well, I started in rain so I might as well finish in rain. But it was much warmer when I started. Despite my 10 degree Fahrenheit sleeping bag I am starting to freeze my ass off at night. Maybe this is mother Nature's way of telling me that it is time to finish the trail. And when I am in Australia sweating like a pig I will probably be longing for some cold.

Also trail magic is abundant: When I tried to hitch into Hiawasse I got a ride with an Alaskan fishing guide. And guess what: After 10 minutes I got invited to stay at his place. Which saved me 50$ for a motel room, gave me some interesting stories about Alaska and taught me a new word: FUBAR (the Americans will know what that means and for the Germans: It is a word not to be used in public). Unfortunately, this guy turned out to be an alcoholic (what else do you expect from someone from Alaska?) and I have never seen anyone drinking a whole bottle of Bourbon in one evening. I also have never seen anyone smoke so much either! But we still had a lot of fun together and I even made it back to the trail alive ... with him driving and me praying.

Today I was happily hiking along the trail when I meet another hiker. He tells me that he met me last year on the CDT - this thruhiker world is really small. But it got much better when his two hiking companions turned up who happened to be from Australia. And in 10 minutes I ended up with 2 places to stay in Australia. Long distance hiking community international I would say.

AT: North Carolina, elections and deadly sins

Fontana Dam

 I liked Fontana Dam best because of its visitor centre with free toilet and shower facilities - including hot water! The shelter nearby is so nice that it is called Fontana Dam Hilton, but as usually I did not stay in the shelter but hiked on. Election day was coming up and I really wanted to watch the whole event on TV. I had seen all the previous election debates and even the vice-presidential ones either on TV or had listened to them on my cell phone radio and now of course I wanted to see the real thing. I opted to stay in a hostel together with fellow hikers Silver Potato, Cracker and others which would prove to be an interesting combination as one was a hard core Republican whereas the rest of the hikers were for the Democrats. And I truly spent an exciting evening in front of the TV - and I guess you all know who won those elections.

Silver Potato and Cracker

I continued hiking around Silver Potato and Cracker who are avid mountain bikers and we found an interesting topic: The seven deadly sins. A fellow hiker had called me a "glutton for punishment" when I told him about my next hiking plans and I learnt what gluttony is - and that brought me to the question of what the other 6 deadly sins were. Surely in such a Christian country as the US we would be able to name them all? But even with combined hiker effort we could not come up with the solution and I had to promise Silver Potato and Cracker not to attack passing hikers with weird questions about deadly sins - it might cast a bad light on us. For all of you who don't know the answer either but care to know you will find the solution here.

Around the same time I had had a pretty bizarre "Christian" experience myself: I was happily hiking along the trail when I saw a sign saying "Trail magic 500 yards" and of course no hungry hiker can pass up such an opportunity. I ended up in front of a rather posh house which was quickly opened and I was invited to an opulent pancake breakfast. The trail angels, a retired couple seemed very nice and friendly. But all of a sudden and completely out of context the husband asked me: "What do you think will happen when you die?" I nearly dropped my fork and all my alarm bells started ringing. Had I fallen into the hands of serial killers? It turned out not to be quite that bad - I was only dealing with some over-zealous Christian missionaries who tried to proselytize hikers. Discussion was not possible and ended up getting a very long sermon which I had to endure defenseless as I was still eating breakfast. And in the end I was more or less forced to take a Christian book with me. I was very glad to get of there and not surprised at all to find loads of similar books in the next shelters....Apparently other hikers had had to endure similar experiences.

AT: Tennessee or Wildcat, Halloween and Hot Springs

Snow in the Smokies

As it was finally getting colder and colder every day I was looking forward to the town of Hot Springs – which really boasts some hot springs for soaking. But there was another attraction, too: Elmer's, a sort of buddhist retreat and hiker hostel. Elmer is an American offers very cheap accommodation in his huge, but a bit decrepit house. The rooms are big, but the sanitary facilities a bit out dated and each shared toilet had its own quirk. But all this was more than compensated by an extensive library and the fantastic vegetarian food served for dinner. As each night there are different guests Elmer starts the dinner conversation by a question everyone has to answer in order to introduce himself – in my case “If you were to die in a natural disaster which one would you choose?” I guess in reality you do not have much choice if your number is up, but the various answers were quite interesting. The hot springs on the other hand were a bit disappointing in comparison: This being puritan America you could only soak in separate pools – and it was not very sociable to sit all on my own in an outdoor tub in water that got colder by the minute.

In the Smokies I finally received the first snow of the year - and it hit me hard and very cold. In the morning not only my shoes and socks were frozen, but my complete water bottle. Even on the CDT I hardly ever had so much frost. So I was trudging through ankle deep snow on my way to Newfound Gap - but I was in very good mood because I knew that some trail magic is waiting for me there: Wildcat! And of course Wildcat was already waiting for me when I got to there – with tons of food like sandwiches, fruit and sweets to feed a hungry hiker. His wife Becky even cooked Sauerkraut for me as a special treat for German hikers. 

Wildcat and I

Wildcat had hiked the CDT the same year I did and although we just had met for one evening he invited me to his house and a zero day in Maryville, TN. And what a great zero day I had: Halloween. We do not have Halloween in Germany so I was invited to do the Trick or Treat stuff with the kids (probably eating most of the candy I was supposed to give to the kids myself....) I was very well fed, laundered and showered when Wildcat and his wife Becky brought me back to the trail. And even the snow had melted by then which was just in time because I had to climb to the highest point on the AT this day: Clingman's Dome at an elavation of 2.025 meter. After all that snow I enjoyed a beautiful Indian Summer day.

AT: My "Deliverance" experience

Everybody and their mother had told me about the movie "Deliverance" and warned me about Southern Appalachia. But nothing had prepared my for my own private little Deliverance experience. I was not so happily hiking one day when it was raining and storming so badly that even I decided to stay the night in a hostel 0.7 miles off trail. Of course there was no cell phone reception so I just walked there. When I arrived it was nearly getting dark and it was raining cats and dogs. There was a sign at the reception saying "We are in the house next door - come over and knock." which I did. The door was opened by - a guy about 20 years having no (I repeat: no) front teeth whatsoever, red eyes and being so drunk or stoned or both that he could hardly talk. The house behind him looked like a total mess and more like the crime scene of a ritual murder than an American home. But it was too late to tactfully retreat....

He finally managed to find some keys and followed me into the pouring rain totally oblivious of the fact that he was getting wet. He tried to show me the bunkhouse but could hardly find the hole in the lock to open the door. And I was more interested to see whether I could lock the door from inside. And it was not very helpful that he told me that I was the only one staying at the whole place that night... But the weather was so bad that I decided to stay! I barricaded the door with a chair and locked it - and actually had a good night's sleep!

In the morning I went over to have another look at the reception and big surprise: An older couple was sitting there and they solved the mystery. First they apologized for their boy "being under the weather". Then they explained that their son is a stone mason and is currently renovating their house - therefore the big mess there. And because of all the dust he had to drink all that beer... When they had come home and realized what was going on they decided not to check on me that night because they did not want to scare me any more - what a good evaluation of the whole situation. So the story had a good and happy ending - and I even got a free ride back to the trail.

AT: The gathering

Birdnut

 I have almost completed the triple crown but I had never been to any Gathering. I had to change that. This year the Gathering was taking place in Athens, WV and I was hiking in the area anyway. And when Weathercarrot, the coordinator of the program sent an email around that he was still looking for someone to do the CDT workshop I volunteered to do that. I only needed a ride to get to the Gathering - remember: I am hiking in a country with hardly any public transportation. I sent around an email on all mailing lists and what a surprise: Birdnut, another PCT 04 hiker volunteered to give me a ride. We met at Elk Garden and already had a great time driving down to Athens.(Postscript 2011: This meeting laid the foundation of another great trip in the future. During the drive to and from the Gathering we started talking about paddling the Everglades - which we eventually did in 2010)

The program was a blast: There were so many workshops I was busy all weekend long. I learnt everything about hammock camping, got new trail ideas about the Florida Trail and hiking in the Andes, learnt about Peace Pilgrim and the Israeli National Trail and even did some dancing. The dancing was most interesting as I more or less had to drag Birdnut into the square dancing. There were all these hikers at the Gathering who had walked thousands of miles but nobody wanted to do square dancing! The first very reluctant Birdnut liked it so much that we actually square danced well into midnight (I mean real midnight, not hiker midnight!). (Postscript 2011: The presentation of the Florida Trail was so great that I decided to hike it - which I did in 2010)

And I met so many interesting people: First of all old PCT friends like Birdnut, Cadence, Radar, Billygoat and Weathercarrot. Then current AT hikers like Timber (who was so afraid of bears that I had to hike with him), Longwe Tru and Rockfish. And of course new hikers like Roni from Israel (who had to confess that he never hiked the Israeli National Trail), Stumpknocker and Miss Gorp who told me about cycling and so many more.

Weathercarrot

Even my CDT workshop was a success despite the fact that Jim and Ginny Owen (who had done the workshop in all the years before) were constantly giving their comments on whatever I said. I liked it so much that I decided to come back another year and do a workshop on hiking in Europe. (Jim and Ginny Owen have never been to Europe and can therefore make no stupid comments...) Billygoat told me how proud he is of me: "I still remember you starting on the PCT completely intimidated and convinced that you will never make it - and now you are almost a triple crowner and give CDT workshops." Thank you Billygoat.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the AYCE food 3 times a day that was actually really good. And the campfires at night. And the free book about hammock camping. And the PCT CD's from Weathercarrot. And.. And.. And... When Birdnut had brought me back to the trail I was singing the whole day - so happy was I. I had had such a great time - I will be back for another Gathering.

AT: Trail magic in mail drops

Chocolate makes a happy hiker

I must admit that on this thruhike the food was really getting to me. I had been eating Lipton Sidedishes for half a year on the CDT in 07 and now I had to eat Lipton Sidedishes for another half year on the AT with only a short break of German food in between. I started to hate Lipton Sidedishes. And Idahon Mashed Potatoes. Not to mention Top Ramen Noodle Soup. Even with thruhiker hunger it took me forever to eat me dinners.

But then my friend Wolfgang came to my rescue. He had already sent me resupply packages to the PCT and CDT. On the AT I sent him a long list of what food I wash craving - basically the German version of Lipton sidedishes. The package was sent to Pearisburg and resulted in a very happy German hiker. I could eat something different than Lipton sidedishes for a whole week. Sweet and sour noodles instead of Teriaky noodles. Tomatoe Mozarella instead of Cheddar Broccoli. I know it sounds ridiculous to non-hikers, but for a hiker this can change the world. Thank you so much Wolfgang!

Toek's parcel

But the biggest surprise came from Toek and the Netherlands. Toek and me had hiked whole New Mexico together and of course I had always been bitching about the American chocolate. So when Toek emailed me and volunteered to send a care package I was sort of expecting chocolate. But what finally arrived in Damascus exceeded my wildest expectations. Toek had sent me 12 (in words: twelve) pounds of chocolate. Good European chocolate. Milka chocolate, Fair Trade chocolate, Euroshopper chocolate. Milk chocolate, hazelnut chocolate, caramel chocolate. To say that I was overwhelmed is an understatement. I opened the package and could not believe my eyes. This chocolate will accompany me through the rest of the AT - I keep bouncing it ahead. Toek, this was the best birthday/triple crown present I could possibly imagine. I took pictures of it so whenever I am hungry I can look at it again. Toek, you are fantastic.

AT: West Virginia and Virginia

Outside ATC

West Virginia and Virginia was a blast for me. I don't understand all this talk about Virginia Blues - I loved that state. The weather was really good and up to very recently it was so warm at night that I could use my sleeping bag as a blanket only. The very best were all these wonderful apple orchards along the way: Old abandoned orchards full with great tasting apples. Much better than anything you get in an American super market. I have never eaten so many apples in my life before. I even saw peach trees (well, not the biggest peaches in the world, but peaches) and persimmon trees (for Germans: Khaki). The hiking was great, too. Nice tread, pleasant scenery, nice towns. I love this trail now and I am sort of sad that it will soon be over....

Solar outdoor shower

In Harper's Ferry, WV I had the typical AT thruhiker picture taken in front of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy – and although Harper's Ferry is a pleasant historic town I did not stay because I could not find cheap or free accommodation. But I had a very nice encounter at Denton shelter. This very posh shelter even has a solar powered shower which I of course wanted to take advantage of. So in I went, locked the door, undressed and started showering when I heard a noise and turned around – only to see a very surprised looking bearded hiker staring at me. Apparently the lock on the shower was broken. He recovered pretty quickly from the surprise of finding a butt naked female hiker – and after finishing my shower (and being dressed again) we had quite a pleasant talk.

The Guilotine

A couple of days later I stayed at a hostel where I ended up in talking almost all night long with Tina, the hut warden. She had hiked the AT the year before and encountered the great trail romance. She not only found a hiking companion for the AT on the trail, but now she was going to get married to him. I had of course heard of all sorts of trail romance stories but this sounded like a really successful one. (PS in 2011: They are still happily married now and have a child.) Well, I did not have any such luck on the AT: The only time I actually hiked with someone on the AT was for half a day in New Jersey where I had to defend a fellow hiker from the bears. Other than that I have always been on my own. 

Nice guys, but .....

Well, once I had an unwanted 4-legged follower but this a rather upsetting story. I had hiked around those two hikers on the photo a lot and we even stayed in the same hostel one night. The hostel owner was a very charitable woman. So charitable in fact that she even took care of stray dogs. She had one magnificent hound dog that she tried to give away into good hands and those two hiker volunteered to take care of it. They wanted to hike with a dog on the rest of the AT and then take it home with them. The hostel owner was so grateful (and those two such weak hikers) that she even gave them a lift to the next shelter whereas I walked in the rain. 

So when I get to luxurious Partnership Shelter (you can even have pizza delivered to it) in pouring rain my two friends are already there with their new dog. We have a little chat and I hike on - not noticing that the dog is following me. I only realise after almost a mile when it is very late to walk back with the dog. I am getting really annoyed with those two hikers: Why had they let the dog run free without a lead? Why did they not try to get him back? I tried everything to make the dog turn around and go back to the shelter: I yell in German and English, I gesture and I ignore it - but nothing helps. 4 miles later the dog is still around. In order to convince to dog to return to its hiker owners I try a last desperate remedy: I pick up a rock and throw it at it - of course I am aiming not to actually hit the poor creature. And eventually the dog gets the message and leaves me. I am almost heartbroken that I had to chase away this beautiful dog and really angry with its so called owners. Unfortunately I had to hear later from other hikers that the dog never returned to its owners and most probably ended as a stray dog again - very sad.

McAfee Knob

There are lots of interesting rock features in Virginia like the “Guilotine”: A rock balancing precariously above the trail that would surely crush you if it fell down – but it is stuck and does not fall. And of course everyone except me had their picture taken on ….. a rock shelf sticking out from the mountain with hundreds of meters of only air below you. This is the most typical AT photo but when I arrived it was so late that no one was around to take my photo.... Grayson Highlands were a last highlight in Virginia. Although I did not see much of the scenery due to really heavy fog I was all of a sudden approached by one of the little wild ponies roaming the area.

The smoothest hiking on the whole AT is the walk into Damascus on the Virginia Creeper Trail – an old abandoned railway. Dead flat easy straight hiking but still very scenic – and during the day you would run into loads of cyclists who are experiencing the Creeper trail as a day trip on rental bikes. Unfortunately people are walking their dogs here, too as I was nearly bitten by a very aggressive dog – with its owner not even apologizing!

AT: More trail magic and Shenendoah NP

Walking the Shenandoah National Park was a wonderful experience: Excellent weather, nice trail, beautiful scenery and lots of wild life. I really enjoyed it a lot - I actually start enjoying the AT more and more every day. But anyway - one of the big advantages of a National Park is that there are lots of camp grounds and shops to make resupply easier. And so I was hiking into Elkwallow gap without any snacks left planning on resupplying in the souvenir shop there - open every day from 9 to 7 according to me guide book. But when I come closer I see a sign with the new store hours: 9 - 5.30. And it is exactly 5.30 now! I start running, but too late. Everybody has already left - this is what I call German punctuality in the US! I am about to cry and I am hungry!!!!

Outside the shop on a picnic bench are three older guys - typical section hikers: Overweight and carrying too much stuff - which is actually good, because they really offer to give me some of their food - for free. They have too much and don't want to carry it. You cannot believe how happy I was. These three guys are car dealers from California and it will always elude me how you can live in California and then come hiking on the East Coast... And on top of all that even teach me a new legal expression: Res ipse loquitor. It was a good day in the end.

The next day I encounter several bears - they always run away when they see me, but it is a little bit frightening to see how fast these teddies can crawl up a tree. I start wondering why I should even bother to hang my food. As it start getting dark and I come close to my potential camp site, I see two more bears - well, it is probably not a good idea to camp too close. I hike on and finally find a good camp site but now the major problem starts: I have to hang my food. I had tried the last couple of days resulting in a lot of frustation. It had always taken me almost hours and the last time the damn rope got stuck on a truck branch so I had to cut it! I slept with the food in my tent that night....

So now I stand there with the rope in my hand looking at a perfect tree that is far too tall cursing my father who has never taught me how to throw a stone with a rope attached over a tree branch... When I hear a noise behind me I first think it is a bear laughing itself to death at my ridiculous sight, but it is a female hiker. I confess my problem to her and it turns out she is a horticulturist specialising in trees. And in that profession she is quite fluent in throwing stones with ropes attached over tree branches. She even shows me a trick how to do it (swing the stone)and with her first try the rope is hanging where it is supposed to be! I am impressed - she is, too and is so happy that she hugs me and tells me about her local preacher who always says that you should help people in need - in my case a hiker with a bear problem. I slept very good that night.

AT: Most surprising trail magic ever and historic places

Donna & Gruevy plus parents

I am hiking down US highway 30 to resupply at a place called Hennicle's super market having visions of fresh fruit and yoghurt... Unfortunately, Hennicle's super market turns out to be an interesting Americana experience, but the worst resupply ever on the whole AT. So I am in no good mood hiking back on US 30 towards the trail crossing with a crappy resupply in my backpack. All of a sudden a car passes me, pulls over and stops and a vaguely familiar looking guy jumps out. I am thinking: "Oh no, not another local who wants to talk about the AT and steal my time." But when the guy starts hugging me and says: "Hey, I am Gruevy - of Donna and Gruevy", it finally dawns on me. This a CDT hiker I had met in 07! Donna and Gruevy live in this area now. It will always remain a mistery to me how Gruevy, who has only met me for one day on the CDT, never hiked with me, did not have a clue I was hiking the AT this year and could only see me from behind on US 30 - recognised me walking down the highway, but he did and I am extremely happy about that!!!!!

Washington Monument

We go and see Donna who also recognises me and of course now big trail talk and gossiping starts. But the trail magic is not over yet. Donna and Gruevy are renovating their house and while they are working at it they live with Gruevy's parents. And these parents are America's biggest distributor of Hummel figures. Yes, I mean German "Hummelfiguren". These are incredibly tacky porcelain figures created by a German nun and sold as souvenirs. I must admit that I did not have much clue about these figures either despite the fact that I was once restructuring a porcelain manufacturer, but I learnt everything about them while I stayed with Gruevy's parents.

War correspondent Memorial

The next day a tropical storm was announced and so I was invited to stay another day. Luckily I accepted because the storm was really bad and we used the chance to visit nearby Gettysburg and its fabulous civil war museum. I had always been very interested in the civil war and so we stayed 5 hours in the museum! Now I know everything I had always wanted to know about this war and even more. Thanks a lot to Donna and Gruevy for this wonderful present - and my second full zero day on the trail. But the history lesson continued on the trail: I walked past the first memorial dedicated to George Washington (also it look like more like a Coke bottle ad to me than a memorial), a civil war corresponent memorial (does such a thing exist in any other country?) and even crossed the South Mountain Civil War battlefield whose little museum came in really handy in a little shower.

AT: Americana Part 1

What is going on?

One day I am happily hiking up a ridge in Pennsylvania when I encounter an older hiker. He warns me about "some shooting on the other side of the ridge". When I ask him what is going on he tells me: "A convict escaped from prison and now the police are trying to catch him." I must have looked a little bit doubtful because he now tells me: "Oh no, it actually is a FBI training center there." By now I am wondering who is more dangerous: This weird guy or the shooting... He sees me confusion and adds: "Well, actually it is an El-Quaida training center."

I realise that this guy just has a weird sort of humor but it is astonishing what he is really worried about: "Well, I was just joking. It is just some good old boys trying out their toys. But this shooting is going on for more than 4 hours now - it must cost them a fortune in ammunition! They even have automatic weapons."

When I finally walk down the ridge - still wondering what automatic weapons are - I really do hear the shooting. And I realise what automatic weapons are... ratatata (this is the machine guns) bum bum bum (probably hand grenades). I know by now that Americans love to reenact civil war battles, but this sounds more like the battle for Stalingrad in WW II. Unfortunately, the AT heads straight towards the center of shooting. I am wondering now if the good old boys know where the damn AT is or if they try target shooting on thruhikers.... The shooting gets so loud and frightening that I consider (a) putting in ear plugs and (b) taking cover on the ground and start crawling.

In that moment two local guys turn up hiking up the trail towards me and greet me: "Hi, there is a little bit of shooting going on...." And smile and leave. As you have found out by now - I survived the shooting, but I am now wondering too how much ammunition these guys wasted...

AT: Pennsylvania - dry on the rocks

AT signpost

Well, the title of this post does not refer to a new drink. Everybody who has hiked the AT will know what I mean: The famous Pennsylvania rocks. And it is all true. The trail was extremely rocky. I could still hike 20 miles per day, but it cost me a lot. On top of all that, Pennsylvania was dry. Hiking without much water is not new to me, but the problem was that I did not expect it. When I hiked out of Port Clinton I decided to carry only 2 liters of water as my map indicated 5 springs on the way. Luckily on my climb out of town I met 2 day hikers who told me that all of those springs are dry now - and basically saved my ass by giving me their last water. And indeed - all those springs were dry: I almost felt like back on the CDT in New Mexico. I just barely made it to the next reliable water source with not a spare drop of water left.

Inside Cabela's

Next to Port Clinton I came across another "attraction": A Cabela's superstore! Cabela's is sort of an outdoor store but not exactly aimed towards hikers, but hunters, fishermen and car campers. And it is huge! You won't find any lightweight gear there, but lots of stuffed animals. Therefore I can truthfully say that I have seen a huge polar bear on the AT - in a Cabela's superstore. Another interesting sight there were Amish people in their traditional dresses shopping there. I would have loved to ask them for a ride back to the trail - but Amish are not allowed to own a car and therefore they were waiting for a lift by non-Amish friends just like me.

Organic Steve's brother

And I visited another trail friend: Organic Steve. Steve is an organic farmer (therefore the trail name) and lives close to Boiling Springs. This is the busiest time of the year for him but he still found time to see me. We met for dinner and he brought his brother along who had accompanied him on parts of the CDT. His brother is a biology teacher and so I could ask all sorts of stupid questions about wildlife and plants. I was pretty much disappointed to get to know that all these exotic turtles I have been seeing on the trail are quite normal... I have never seen a turtle outside a zoo and did not know that they existed in the US outside of water. His brother lives in the thriving metropolis of Boiling Springs where I spent my second zero day on the whole trail.

Karl Meltzer's support vehicle

But I liked PA - beside being rocky and crossing about 20 interstates (I am exaggerating here) I came across a lot of farmland, too and that was a nice change after all this green tunnel. In Pine Grove Furnace State Park there is also the official half way point of the AT - and the location of the famous Half Gallon challenge. Thruhikers are supposed to eat half a gallon of ice cream to celebrate this important mile stone of their hike. But in Pine Grove Furnace State Park I did not only meet hikers eating loads of ice cream but also Karl Meltzer. He is a well know long distance runner attempting to break the speed record on the AT by running the whole 2,174 miles in only 47 days. Well, he never made it. Due to foot problems it took him 56 days instead of 47 days - but at least he kept going even when the record was out of reach. And in all honesty: I have not exactly seen Karl but only his posh support vehicle that was waiting for him at every possible road crossing with food, water and massages whereas normal human hikers like me could only dream of such luxuries.