1. Kurt’s AT Slideshow
Warning!  Some of the material contained in this slideshow may not be suitable for:  Children, Christians, Republicans, Born-again Non-smokers, DEA Agents, any member of “the Partnership for a drug-free America,” or anyone who has a stick up his and/or her ass!

2. Me at Bill Donovan's house about to embark on my trek.  2/27/96
This was taken at my friend Bill’s house, just before he gave me a ride to the train to NYC, where I took my first hike of the trip from Madison Square Garden to the Port Authority Bus terminal.  How different this walk would seem just three short months later!  My bus ride to Gainesville, Georgia featured a theft in Maryland of some carry-on luggage (not mine, but a couple of people seated around me.)  Although I felt that I was robbed by the taxi that took the 15 miles from Gainesville to Amicalola State Park.

3. From Springer Mountain.  2/29/96
Some of the hardest miles I ever hiked were the miles from Amicalola to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  The last mile was a death march, but I had finally made it, and I made my first trail friend at the shelter that night.  All-in-all, a good day!

4. Snow, laurel, & rhododendron near McClure Gap.  3/8/96
After a week on the trail, this dusting of snow was a welcome sight.  The day before this picture, I’d hiked the longest day, to this point, and I would pay for it soon.  That night I found out the sleeping bag degree ratings, guaranteed not dying at a certain temperature, not that you wouldn’t be cold at that temperature.

5. My tent in snow, at Wine Spring.  3/20/96
Having survived sub zero temps, burning a skunk, and my knee seizing up just before Albert Mountain, I rested up in Franklin, NC.  After a few depressing days, thinking that my hike was over, I eventually left Franklin only to spend 2 ½ days in my tent, hiding from a snow storm that dumped 2 ½ feet of snow with drifts as high as 5 feet.

6. Valley with snow near Wayah Gap. 3/20/96
When the storm was over, I hiked and hitched back to Franklin, where I stayed until the snow had melted. This isn’t a Black & White photo, but it looks like one.

7. Snow draped mountains around Franklin, NC.  3/22/96
Back in Franklin, it had only rained, with only the surrounding mountains showing any evidence of the storm.

8. Sunset from Russell Field.  4/3/96
The weather, after I left Franklin was mostly cloudy, foggy & rainy, but my first day in the Smokies was glorious.

9. Deer grazing at Russell Field Shelter.  4/4/96
Early the next morning, I had to empty my bladder, when I stumbled over this little deer.  No I don’t carry a camera to go to the bathroom, this deer stuck around long enough for me to go back to the shelter to get my camera.

10. Hiker crushed by backpack.  4/5/96
I always find this photo funny, but I think you have to hike a few miles in an icy rain to get it.

11. Clingman's Dome from Silers Bald.  4/5/96
. . . . And then it cleared up!  This has got to be one of the greatest days I’ve spent on the trail, and I was done hiking at 10:30 in the morning.  I spent the day watching the clouds end at Silers Bald.

12. Mt. Leconte from just below the summit of Silers Bald.  4/5/96
I was at the southern edge of a cloud mass that I was looking down on.  There’s almost nothing better than thinking you’re above it all!

13. Looking down at northern clouds from Silers Bald.  4/5/96
Looking north from Silers Bald, with clouds as far a the eye can see.

14. Me on Clingman's Dome Tower.  4/6/96
After a fast trudge through the snow to Clingmans Dome, I hightailed it Gatlinburg, TN, where I hid out for a few days of rest.

15. White Pine '95, Trail Angel, at Newfound Gap.  4/12/96
Second day back on the trail after leaving Gatlinburg, I met White Pine, who had thru-hiked in 1995, and blossomed into a Trail Angel in 1996.

16. Charlies Bunion.  4/12/96
This section of trail isn’t the AT, but is far more interesting than the section of AT that it parallels.  I spent the end of another great day in the Smokies here at Charlies Bunion.  Meeting  White Pine, a side trip to Mt. Kephardt & the Jumpoff, and finally spending sunset at Charlies Bunion, couldn't be ruined by the Boy Scouts that watched the X-Files that night at Icewater Springs Shelter.

17. Crazy Fingers, Psycho, & Skylark at the Ramsey Apartments, Hot Springs, NC.  4/20/96
After making it thru the Smokies & a weird stay at Mountain Momma’s, my next rest stop was in Hot Springs, NC.  I had planned to leave after lunch this day, but a powerful thunder storm blew through the area, and I got too drunk on wine to hike after the storm was over.  It was around this time that a lot of hikers got sick after staying at Mountain Momma’s, which I named Mountain Momma’s Disease, although I suspect that the more likely culprit was the sharing of Gorp.  I think that I didn’t get sick since I don’t like most people’s Gorp cause most had nuts in their Gorp, and I hate nuts!  I only felt sick the next morning because of a self-inflicted hangover.

18. Centipede at Allen Gap.  4/22/96
Almost stepped on this little thing after crossing the road at Allen Gap.  Glad I didn’t, this picture would be a lot messier with bug guts all over the place.

19. Me near Big Butt.  4/23/96
Here I’m posing with a white blaze, the only trail guide that is really necessary to follow, if you want to hike the AT, except for the blue blazes, yellow blazes, or the occasional bushwacks.

20. Black snake near Boon Cove Road.  4/24/96
If you look closely at the center of this photo, you’ll see a black snake, still too cold to move.  I even poked it lightly with one of my hiking sticks, and it still didn’t move.  It wasn’t dead, because when I showed it to the next hiker that came by, the snake decided that two’s company & three’s a crowd, and slithered away.

21. Bald Mountain Shelter with Merlin, Mike, & Deena.  4/25/96
I had lunch this day at a golf country club, 1 ½ miles away from the road crossing on the north side of Bald Mountain.  I was also rocked to sleep this night, because the heavy winds blew this fairly new shelter all over the place.

22. Nolichucky River.  4/27/96
On the way down to the Nolichucky River, I could see the remnants of a trail that went very steeply downhill, that was replaced with a switched-backed trail that would take you a ¼ mile off the old trail with every switch back.  This was frustrating, except for the times when you got a great few of this river valley.

23. Nolichucky morning mist.  5/1/96
If you’re checking out the dates on this & the previous photo, you’ve probably noticed that I spent a few days near the Nolichucky River just outside of Erwin, TN.  My first night, I went to a local bar, got drunk, danced and tweaked my knee, and sang karaoke all night long.  After a couples days of rest, I went on death ride in a canoe, where I broke a toe on the rocks in the river, when I tried to stop the capsized canoe from heading down to the next set of rapids.  The next day, I still was heading out, but I got a free raft ride instead, with a side trip to a 15 foot water fall, that had a natural 10 foot slide just above it.  I slid down over that fall twice, almost hitting my head the second time around.  And was that water COLD !

24. Sunset at Beauty Spot.  5/2/96
My first night back on the trail ended after throwing a frisbee around around, and watching this beautiful sunset at the Beauty Spot.

25. Stone-Ya' with her kill, a wood chuck.  5/3/96
This very lovable dog showed that her instinct hasn’t been bred totally out of her.

26. Puff skins the woodchuck.  5/3/96
. . . . And after the skinning, roasted woodchuck.  It tastes just like chicken!

27. Me on Little Hump Mountain.  5/6/96
Any Southern Bald is a good place for a rest stop, and this rest stop seemed like a good place to make a fool out of myself.

28. Early morning at Watauga Lake.  5/10/96
Even though I knew that this hike was soon to end because of a lack of funds, I enjoyed almost every last second of it.

29. Home Brew, Quietman, Bandit, & Skylark at Trail Daze.  5/17/96
The week I spent in Damascus, VA before Trail Daze is a blur, but  I did take some photos in my more lucid moments.  Here’s Home Brew hand-crafting some Appalachian Trail Brew.

30. Psycho on his Thermarest.  5/17/96
So a Thermarest is an emergency floatation device!

31. Lazy me, watching Brew at work.  5/17/96
No, I’m not just about to puke, although I’m told I did at some point at what would turnout to be my first Trail Daze.  This photo was taken by Quietman, my camera is on the ground in front of me.

32. The residents of Wasteland.  5/19/96
And what a motley crew!  So ends the first part of my hike of the AT.  I’m a thru-hiker with a few long re-supplies, and this re-supply would be the longest.  I wept for the first couple of hours of the bus ride home.  I wept for what I knew what I’d miss, but I also wept at the sense of accomplishment for surviving some tough obstacles.  My one regret is that I should have at least hiked through to the Grayson Highlands, but I wouldn’t know about that regret for another year.

33. Jeremy at sunset near West Mountain.  7/20/96
My next hike on the AT in 1996 was a weekend trip with Jeremy, a guy I met at a job I got, begging for money for an environmental watch-dog organization.  I also got to meet up with some of my trail friends that I met earlier in 96, on this weekend trip.

34. Cool falls south of Mombasha Mountain.  12/4/96
I hiked for six days in northern New Jersey / southern New York after Thanksgiving, until I pulled my hamstring.  I was cold and out of shape, but I was home.  All I could think of was that if I were thru-hiking I would just lay up for a few days, until I healed up a bit.  It was here at Fitzgerald Falls where I decided would try again to thru-hike the AT.

35. Telephone Pioneer Shelter.  2/97
I’ve spent more days & nights along the AT at this shelter than any other, it was the first AT shelter that I stayed in, Labor Day weekend of 1995.  It’s probably the easiest shelter to get to via Mass Transit.  This was taken on one of my weekend hikes, to prepare for the longer one ahead of me.

36. Appalachian Trail Train Station.  2/97
The Appalachian Trail Train Station, where the train stops only on weekends & Holidays, near Pawling, NY.  Take the Harlem Valley Line out of Grand Central Station in NYC, switch trains at the Brewster North Station.  Get out at the third stop, and your on the AT, round trip ticket is around $17.50.  What better value could you get on a weekend trip?

37. Fierce sky near NY 22.  4/97
This threatening sky was all bark, but no bite.  Thank you to whom I always thank!

38. Gate of Heaven.  5/97
The Gate of Heaven, right off the trail near the NY/CT border.  Don’t forget to say high to St. Peter!

39. Trail Days '97.  5/97
Before starting my hike in Maine at the end of May of 1997, I headed back to Damascus ,VA for Trail Days.  Party-ing with a lot of old friends, who hiked in 1996.

40. Wasteland.  5/97
Although Wasteland does get trashed every year, it also ends up being the cleanest campsite after Trail Days is over.

41. Ponies along the trail in the Grayson Highlands.  5/97
After Trail Days, I did a loop hike form Damascus though the Grayson Highlands to the Iron Mountain Trail, and back to Damascus.  It was here that I learned of my only regret of last years hike.  And no, the pony on the ground is not dead!

42. Horny pony near Wise Shelter.  5/97
WANTED: For the theft of a water bottle, and for lewd & lascivious behavior!

43. Katahdin from Pemadumcook Lake.  6/4/97
Upon my return to Damascus, I found out that Katahdin was still closed, and would remain closed for the foreseeable future.  I was livid, to say the least.  But I eventually decided to start hiking north from Monson, ME, and hope that Katahdin would be open by the time I made it through the 100 Mile Wilderness.  I had a rough hike between Gulf Hagas Mountain through to White Cap, and I also did my first 20 mile day, which made me swear never to hike 20 miles in one day ever again.  An oath I was to break, to my chagrin, twice.  By the time I saw this view of Katahdin, I knew I was going to climb it, one way or another.

44. Rainbow Lake.  6/6/97
This is my favorite photo that I don’t remember taking.

45. Me on Katahdin.  6/8/97
I started my climb up Katahdin at 2 am.  I got to the summit around 6:30 am.  I was thrilled, but exhausted.  I didn't get any sleep beforehand, and I was a bit nervous, because I figured that they had to have the mountain closed for some good reason.  It was easier than parts of my hike through the Wilderness to get here!

46. A view from Katahdin.  6/8/97
I took quite a few photos off of Katahdin, but they all were a bit hazy from a forest fire just over the border in Canada.

47. Shaw's Boarding House sign.  6/13/97
I stayed at Keith Shaw’s place before hiking into the Wilderness, and again after climbing Katahdin.  Keith is a 1 of a kind.  He’s the kind of guy, that when he calls his cows , they come arunnin’ just like they was real “doggies.”

48. A moose lounging on the trail.  6/15/97
My first face to face encounter with a moose.  Believe me, the thought of this didn’t slow me down one bit, when dinner time rolled around.

49. Sunrise on Moxie Bald.  6/16/97
A sign from god?  No a sign left by the Maine Appalachian Tail Club, to mark the summit of Moxie Bald.  It’s just a coincidence that this seems to be a photo with religious overtones.

50. Watching sunset at Pierce Pond.  6/19/97
Before settling down to watch this beautiful sunset, I was mocked in French, by 3 French-Canadian hikers, because of my persistent coughing from bronchitis.  Laughing, as they took turns mocking my cough, like I’m such a stupid American that I couldn’t figure that out, Duh!  Spending 3 nights in a shelter, sick as a dog, is very boring and frustrating, and the first 2 days were dreary days, in deed.

51. West Peak from Avery Peak.  6/22/97
The day before this photo, I was in the worst storm, outdoors, in my life.  Actually I was in Little Bigelow Shelter, and remembering that storm still frightens me a little.  There was a small, but strong storm about fifteen miles away, when I neared the trail that starts up to Avery Peak.  I set up my tent at early that afternoon, at a camp site nearby, and hid, like a frightened child, from a storm that only produced a little rain where I was camped, I debated for a few hours whether to break camp, and head on to Avery campsite.  I finally found my balls, and headed up to this beautiful sight.

52. Mom & child mooses.  7/4/97
I tweaked my knee crossing Oberton Stream, but I made it to Rangeley, ME, after having my best trail meal ever.  Eventually I got shuttled to Andover, ME, and stayed at Pine Ellis Bed & Breakfast, where Paul Trainer slackpacked me to Grafton Notch, over a few days.  On the way to the trail on day, he spotted these moose, pulled over, and I finally got a picture of living moose.

53. Me, Ilene, & Paul Trainer at Pine Ellis.  7/8/97
I had a great stay with the Trainer’s. They are my Trail Mom & Dad.  It was hard to leave, but my knee held up pretty well on my slackpacks, so I was well rested for the roughest stretch of trail on the AT, the Mahoosuc’s.

54. Mahoosuc Notch.  7/9/97
It took me over 3 hours to get through Mahoosuc Notch, in the pouring rain, and it’s just a mile long.  I was under a house sized boulder, so I was able to keep my camera dry to take this out of focus picture, that I digitally manipulated to it’s present form.

55. Gentian Pond after blowing my knee.  7/10/97
I was tired, at the end of a hard days hike, after leaving Maine, only 4 short miles back, when my knee blew out.  Upon limping into Gentian Pond Shelter, I was able to ignore my misery, for awhile, and enjoy a nice evening, at such a beautiful spot.

56. Me, Mary Ann, & Bruce at Hiker's Paradise.  7/22/97
I found a blue-blaze from Gentian Pond, that was 8 miles shorter than the AT, so I blue–blazed & Hitched to Gorham, NH.  A week’s rest, and then nearly a week of rehab at Hiker’s Paradise, and I was ready to hit the White’s.  Thanks to the hiker-loving environment of Hiker’s Paradise.

57. The Presidentials from Mt. Moriah.  7/23/97
I hiked the Carter-Moriah Range, at a very slow and steady pace, and I was downing at lot of Vitamin I at night.

58. Mt. Washington from Wildcat Ridge.  7/25/97
I stayed at Carter Notch Hut, the night before this photo.  It was my favorite stay at an AMC Hut, probably because it’s a self service Hut, to stay the night, and not a hotel on top of a mountain.

59. Looking at Mt. Washington from observation deck on Peak D of Wildcat Ridge.  7/25/97
Like my sweaty butt!  If you look closely at the lower right-hand corner of this photo, you see my 3 biggest vice’s while hiking, but you’ll have to look real close to spot the third one.  When I finally made it to Pinkham Notch, I decided to hitch back to Hiker’s Paradise for the night, than to stay at the Hiker’s Hell the AMC runs at Pinkham Notch.  Although I did make reservations to stay at Madison Hut & Lakes of the “Crowds” Hut, for my nights’ stay through the Presidentials.

60. One of the Lakes of the Clouds.  7/28/97
After hiking blindly through a thick fog cover, I made it up and over Mt. Washington.  Then the winds picked up.

61. Mt. Washington, near sunset, from Lakes of the Crowds Hut.  7/29/97
After looking at the weather posted from the Mt. Washington Observatory this morning, I decided to spend another night at Lakes Hut.  It was 39 degrees, with a gust as high as 97 mph, so with my knee still not at 100% (not it will ever be that again) I spent a good day near the hut, and did my best to stay warm.

62. Grey Jay begging on Mt. Jackson.  7/30/97
This bird is a testament to the fact that there are too many people going up into the Presidentials!

63. Near sunset at Ethan Pond.  7/30/97
I took this picture with my backpack on, because I still wasn’t at the shelter, and I wanted to use all the available light left to set up for the night, and this was such a pretty sight that I wanted to capture it forever.

64. The Presidentials form South Twin.  8/1/97
Looking back on the trail is sometimes hard to do, but I did spend a lot of time looking back while I was hiking the White’s.

65. Pedro & Sister Smiles at Garfield Ridge Shelter.  8/2/97
Met these 2 fun loving hikers at Hiker’s Paradise, and we kept crossing paths all through New Hampshire, to my delight.

66. A grouse blocks the trail down Garfield.  8/3/97
This sucker wouldn’t move off the trail.  It was his trail, and damned if he’d let anyone else use it, so around him I went.

67. Mt. Lincoln from Mt. Lafayette.  8/3/97
I hit my head on a rock, when a big gust of wind hit me, while I was off balanced, as I climbed up to Franconia Ridge.  My head was as cloudy as this picture.

68. From South Peak of Kinsman.  8/5/97
During a short pause in the drizzle this early morning, I was able to take this picture.  The weather while hiking long-distance is always a concern, but rain is very necessary, because if you ever hiked in drought conditions, you’d know why.

69. Franconia Ridge from Beaver Brook Shelter.  8/6/97
I had such a great day.  I blue-blazed the Dily Trail to Lost River.  I gorged myself with junk food, and I was given free entrance through this cool tourist trap.  Plus I got to pass a family of day hikers struggling up the trail, which is always a good source of amusement, although it was hard for me to laugh, because I was bloated and struggling pretty hard my self.

70. Moosilauke from a small peak just south of Moosilauke.  8/7/97
I spent my most spiritual experience along the trail at this very spot, while gazing lazily at Moosilauke.  I dawned on me that no matter what fairy tale you believe in,  we all come for one.  Whether you believe that god created all things in seven days, and we screwed it up pretty quickly, or in the Big Bang & Evolution Fairy tale, we all pretty much believe that we came from one thing or event, or are a part of one thing.  So if we all believe that we came from one thing, no matter which story you believe or disbelieve, “why can’t we all just get along?”  I know, not very profound, or even original, but I was filled with joy nonetheless.

71. "Beware of Tourists" sign.  8/8/97
I think the sign pretty much says it all.

72. Dizzy B at the Atwell Hilton.  8/8/97
One of the nicest Trail Angel’s I’ve met is Dizzy B.  After Leaving the White’s, a stay at the Atwell Hilton was just the ticket, although I could have done without the hangover the next morning.

73. Orange thing near Moose Mountain.  8/24/97
When I was about 20miles from Hanover, NH, I hitched to town.  The heat & humidity had worn me down, and I needed a little break.  Unfortunately, I cracked a rib & torn up my knee some more while playing Ultimate Frisbee with a large group of Northbounders.  I left Hanover twice. Once heading north, to make up the miles I skipped to get into town, and then south after I hitched a second time into town.

74. The Paradox Tree of Thistle Hill.  8/27/97
You had to be there, with the same medication!

75. Sunset from Spruce Peak Shelter campsite.  9/8/97
I got into an argument with a fanatic non-smoker, at this shelter along the Long Trail.  So instead of spending a tense night in the shelter, I packed up, and set up my tent, and had a great sunset.  I didn’t write about this in my journal at the time, because I didn’t want to pollute it, but I did leave a scathing shelter register entry!

76. Sunset from Greylock.  9/16/97
The area around the tower was fenced off for repairs, so the highest point that I could watch sunset was from an upstairs window at Bascom Lodge.

77. Full moonrise from Greylock.  9/16/97
After sunset, I ran to the other side of the mountain to watch the full moon rise.

78. Sunrise from Greylock.  9/17/97
. . . . And then sunrise the next morning!  Well I guess that having a hotel on top of a mountain can be convenient sometimes.

79. Homebrew signs in at Upper Goose Pond Cabin.  9/20/97
Homebrew came out to the trail and hike in some some of his brew.  A German Wheat beer, with a very high alcohol content.  The hangover lasted for two days.  Thanks!

80. Fall trail near East Mountain.  9/28/97
Fall in New England, no longer a long green tunnel, but a long multicolored one.

81. Taconics from Mt. Everett.  9/30/97
When I saw these clouds heading my way, I decided to move on.  They caught up to me on Race Mountain, while I was on a long exposed cliff-side trail.

82. Rock sculpture.  10/1/97
This can’t be naturally occurring, can it?  And why don’t the leaves fall near it?

83. Housatonic River.  10/2/97
The hike along the Housatonic is one of a few flat streches of trail along the AT, an in my estimation, the easiest.

84. Bull's Bridge.  10/5/97
I blew out my knee again, about 4 miles before here.  When I decided to hitch to a train station about 10 miles away in NY, the second car picked me up and drove me all the way into NYC. And so my second attempt to hike the whole AT, in one shot, goes down the tubes.  Spent 2 weeks recuperating at Bill’s house in NJ, then took a bus to Damascus, VA to head north, to finish up the sections of the AT that I hadn’t hiked yet.

85. Frozen Whitetop From Buzzard Rock.  10/22/97
After leaving Damascus, one of my boots irritated my Achilles, but the climb up Whitetop was much easier than it was after Trail Days 97.  With my Achilles bothering me, I barely noticed my knee.

86. Sunset near Thomas Knob Shelter.  10/22/97
Met two Southbounder’s that I’d met in NH at Thomas Knob Shelter, plus there were a group of High School kids, who spent a very cold night as the temps neared the teens.  I was warm, I love the cold!

87. A fall tree in front of "The Place."  10/27/97
But my boots had changed there shape while I was recuperating my knee, so I hiked back down Mt. Rogers in my Tevas, and hitched back to Damascus, to find a new pair of boots.  Luckily Two Winds, a Northbounder I met in the Kinsmans in NH, was staying in town, and he drove me all over the place in an attempt to find me a pair of size 8 boots.  I eventually settled for a pair of Wallmart Boots that were more like sneakers.  The best part of this stay in Damacus was all the Southbounders that were in town, that I’d met earlier in northern New England.  It was almost like a mini Trail Days.

88. From the Pine Mountain Trail.  10/28/97
Two Winds drove me back to the Grayson Highlands in the fog, and I hiked to Wise Shelter and spent a very cold and windy night, but the next morning was glorious, so I took this trail back to Thomas Knob Shelter, and day hiked around the Grayson Highlands, my second favorite place along the trail.

89. Frozen Stone Mountain.  10/28/97
If I still had the goal of hiking the whole trail in one hike, I doubt that I would ever would go back over trail to spend a day like this.  It was for days like this that I wanted to hike the AT for in the first place.  It’s ironic that this day only happened for me because of the pain of injuries, and no set schedule to be any where.

90. Sunset from Wilburn Ridge.  10/28/97
. . . . And what better way to end a great day, than by watching sunset.

91. A fall view from a half mile north of the junction of VA650 & VA16.  10/29/97
Leaving the beginning of Winter in the Grayson Highlands, I was back hiking in the multi-colored tunnel.

92. A field north of Atkins, VA.  10/30/97
. . . . And into cow pastures.  Watch your step!

93. A pasture near the Middle Branch of the Holsten River.  11/3/97
Winter & Fall almost across the road from each other.

94. Burkes Garden from Chestnut Knob.  11/5/97
This was a day of contrasts.  In the morning I didn’t fell like hiking, but I ended up hiking all day long.  The profile map for Garden Mountain looked fairly easy, but was fairly difficult hiking.  Spent the day alone, and shared a shelter with a group of Southbounders, 2 that I’d met previously.  The next morning my knee & feet felt like ground beef.

95. Sunset from Rice Field.  11/17/97
When I made it to Pearisburg, VA, I called my sister and had her send me a new pair of boots, because my feet were trashed by those sneaker/boots.

96. Pearis Mountain from Rice Field.  11/18/97
Rolling out of your sleeping bag, and seeing sights like this in the morning, makes it real hard to go back to sleeping in a bed and waking up to the same four walls every morning.

97. The Keffer Oak.  11/20/97
This is the second largest oak along the AT.  The largest is where the AT crosses Old Dover Road, near Pawling, NY.

98. After sunrise before Cove Mountain.  11/22/97
I woke up early this Saturday morning to make it to the Post Office before it closed at 11:30 am.  While eating breakfast of poptarts, I read that the Post Office in Catabwa, VA actually closed at 10:30 am.  I hiked like a madman, over very frustrating trail if your trying to hike fast, but by the time I made it to Dragon’s Tooth, I only had an hour and ½ to go, but was 6 miles away.  So I took a side trail to the road and hitched into town, and made it to the Post Office with 10 minutes to spare.  I was beat up by that morning’s power-hike, so I stayed at a nearby B&B called Black Acre Estates, and had the best AYCH meal that you can find along the AT, at the Homeplace.

99. Posing at McAfee Knob.  11/23/97
This is my favorite picture of myself.  In fact, it’s the background of my computer screen at work.

100. Graffiti Rock.  11/24/97
. . . . And they say that humans are intelligent!

101. Peaks of the Otter from near Black Horse Gap.  12/11/97
I went home for Thanksgiving, and it was a welcome break, because my new boots had irritated my heal.  When I eventually made it back to the trail, it just got worse, so I went to Florida, and stay with my sister & her family for Christmas & New Years.  I also bought a new pair of boots.

102. Peaks of the Otter from the Montvale Overlook on the BRP.  1/10/98
With my heal healed, and a full stomach, I was happy to be hiking again.  The trail crisscrossed the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the best views were off the BRP, so I tried to go to as many BRP overlooks as possible.

103. The Guillotine.  1/14/98
This definitely isn't the tightest squeeze on the AT, but it is an interesting spot.

104. Sunset from the BRP near Thunder Hill Shelter.  1/15/98
It’s definitely the Blue Ridge in this picture.

105. Ice covered Petites Gap.  1/16/98
The Winter of 97-98 was the winter for the ice storm along the AT.  My knee was a big concern.  But it did make the trail real pretty.

106. James River from Fuller's Rocks.  1/18/98
At this overlook, I was protected from the wind, but once back on the trail I was being blown all over the place.

107. Snow & blue sky near Bald Mountain.  1/20/98
When I started hiking this morning, there was no snow, but the higher I climbed, the more snow there was under my feet.

108. Looking north from Cold Mountain.  1/20/98
. . . . And once I gat to the top of Cold Mountain, there was snow as far as the eye can see.  By the time I got to the Priest, I heard on the radio of a big 3 or 4 day storm heading this way, so I decided to take a taxi from tyro to Waynesboro, VA, take a bus to Harpers Ferry. WV and start hiking north from there.  It was a great decision, since the Shenandoah’s got trashed from this storm, with Skyline Drive only being totally opened in April.

109. Potomoc & Shenandoah Rivers from Hilltop House.  1/29/98
By the time I made it to Harpers Ferry, I knew I was lucky, but also my knee had been bothering me, and I wanted to closer to real civilization,  just in case.

110. Watching sunset from Maryland Heights Cliffs.  1/29/98
Looking at the old town of Harpers Ferry, one can imagine looking down at enemy troops . . . .

111. Washington Monument.  1/31/98
Maryland was a bit of a blur, especially this day, as I was to find 2 different places to drink, and as I approached the shelter, after sunset, I found a nearly packed shelter with weekenders, who had built the biggest fire I’ve seen on the AT.

112. Snow covered trail between Black Rocks & Pogo Campsite.  2/1/98
And it wouldn’t be Winter on the AT without a little snow.

113. Me at Birch Run Shelter.  2/8/98
But in PA, snow meant idiots on snowmobiles on the trail.  Although I didn’t actually see one on the trail, I did follow a lot of tracks on the trail.

114. Pond in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  2/9/98
I spent a lot of time alone the Winter along the AT, even in as an assessable spot as this park I felt quite alone with nature.

115. AT halfway marker.  2/9/98
Halfway for some, but not for me.  I had a good laugh at this spot.

116. Ishmael's Shelter.  2/11/98
Ishmael thru-hiked in 96, although I never met him before, he helped me break up a long Cumberland Valley walk by letting me stay in the shelter he built in his back yard.  He had a 2 story shelter under construction not more the 50 feet away.

117. Rocky trail south of Duncannon.  2/16/98
. . . . And so the rocks of PA begin, but not before staying a few days in Duncannon, hiding from the rain.

118. Rauch Gap Cemetery.  2/22/98
This was the day I broke my promise to myself never to hike another 20 mile day.  I was hopped up on chocolate-covered espresso beans, and the first 18 miles breezed by.  The last 3 almost killed me.

119. Bridge over Swatara Stream.  2/23/98
This bridge was moved from another location to be here, and now it’s a part of the AT.

120. My snow elf at 501 Shelter.  2/24/98
While hiking in the snow is a lot of fun, but I didn’t take too much time out just to play in the snow, so this little snow elf is my attempt to relive a little bit of my childhood again.  I hadn’t remembered how much work it is to build a snow man, so I cut it a bit short.

121. Where I got lost between 501 Shelter & Rt.183.  2/25/98
This is one of the few places in PA, where the AT doesn’t go over the big piles of rocks.  It took me about 15 minutes to figure out that some trail planner had a moment of sanity, and routed the trail away the big pile of rocks.

122. Inside a cave below the Pinnacle.  3/7/98
I’m surprised I made it this far in by myself.  With someone else around it’s easier to forget my fears, but being buried alive is one of my biggest irrational fears, and heading into a cave is almost like going into a grave.  I didn’t stay long but I did go in.

123. A bird soaring over the Pinnacle.  3/7/98
This is about as good of a picture of a bird in flight that I took along the AT.

124. Lehigh Gap.  3/11/98
This devastated area (from a zinc smelting plant), was actually kind of beautiful in the winter, and it’s on of my favorite places in PA.

125. Hang Glider near Kirkridge Shelter.  3/17/98
. . . . And here is my best human in flight picture.  I was actually asked if I wanted to try it, but I was chicken, I just couldn’t get the landing part out of my mind.  My knee ached just thinking about it.

126. Delaware Water Gap.  3/19/98
At this point, was my emotional ending of my hike of the AT.  I had 75 miles of of NJ/NY/CT & about 125 miles left of VA left to do.  I had hiked in every trail state and was very close to the 2000 mile mark, so headed for Bill’s, and took about a week off before hitting up the small sections I had left.

127. Sunrise from Cat Rocks.  3/25/98
When I hit the trail again I headed for my home on the AT, Telephone Pioneers Shelter, and headed south, and the weather was mid-summer like for the next few days, with the high temp hitting 89 degrees.  It was hotter than South Florida.

128. Bear Mountain from Anthony's Nose.  3/31/98
After a cool after sunset hike along the Hudson River, I camped for the eavening near Anthony’s Nose.  The heat of this week had worn me out, so I heade back to Bill’s to rest up for a bit, then head back to WV to hike south to finish up VA before Trail Days.

129. Washington Monument in DC.  4/18/98
I missed my train connection in Washington, DC to Harpers Ferry, so I spent the night on the Mall.

130. Fallen flowering tree.  4/20/98
I wept for this tree, it was still alive, but was going to die soon.  I don’t know how better to explain my emotions when I saw this fallen tree, other than to say that I empathized with it.

131. Deer near Bear's Den Hostel.  4/21/98
This deer had no fear of me, it was a special moment that we shared together.

132. What the trail could have looked like.  4/22/98
The volunteers of the PATC did a great job clearing the trail form all the ice storms this winter, but this woods road wasn’t the AT, and it hadn’t been cleared yet it.

133. A overgrown field a mile and a half north of Dick's Dome.  4/22/98
Before heading into the Shenandoah’s, I tried to quit smoking, but was unsuccessful, so unsuccessful that I just couldn’t motivate myself to leave Font Royal for over a week.

134. East from Mt. Marshall Overlook on Skyline Drive.  5/8/98
I don’t have many photos from the Shenandoahs because it rained almost my whole hike through it.  I did hike another twenty mile day.  When I hit a road crossing 5 miles north of Rockfish Gap, I met a guy dropping off a Northbounder, and he offer to give me a ride to the gap, which I gladly accepted.

135. Quietman goes splash at Trail Days.  5/16/98
Took a bus form Waynesboro to Damascus for Trail Days, my 3rd one in a row.  Here is Quietman’s attempt to cut down the erosion created by mountain bikes by building the trails in streams.  Not a very successful idea.

136. Trail Days diehards.  5/17/98
After a Weekend long party, only the strong survive.

137. My campsite on an old section of AT, a half mile south of Rt. 311.  5/23/98
Skylark dropped me off at Daleville after Trail Days, from where I hikesouth, so that  I could make up the 6 miles I yellow-blazed to get to the Post Office in time last November, plus redoing MacAfee Knob and Dragon’s Tooth.

138. Turtle on the trail, north of Dragons Tooth.  5/24/98
This turtle was still hiding from the morning’s rain, wish I had that sense that morning.  I met a thru-hiker from 96 named Fannypack, who offered to drive me to Waynesboro, so that I could finish up what I had left of VA.  What Trail Luck!

139. Sunrise from Rockfish Gap.  5/29/98
I left my hotel room at Rockfish Gap to get this sunrise photo.

140. Over-constructed trail near Humpback Rocks.  5/30/98
This bit of trail over-construction isn’t necessary, and there is nothing slippier than wet wood.  I prefer mud to a wooden staircase.

141. Three Ridges Rhododendron.  6/2/98
. . . . And so ends my hike of the AT.  I still had 50 miles left of NJ/NY/CT, which I  wouldn’t finish up till November.  The ending of my hike of the AT was rather ant-climatic, when compared to ending at Katahdin, and I kind of prefer it that way.  When all is said and done , I hiked the AT, and I did it my way, having the best time of my life.  Hope to see ya’ll on the trail.  Have Fun!