Appalachian Trail
Four Years On Foot
By that time the children had already grown up, so I just bought a ticket and flew … to the Kalahari Desert, 2008. Remember the movie? Gods Must be Crazy-2? A must watch. I always wondered if one day I could run like the bushmen in the movie.
Hitting Route 66
I’m hitting Route 66, named American Main Street or American Mother Road. How else they call it, it’s a road which my parents should be hitting before I was born, if they … weren’t Russians (so I am)
Hitchhiking Tennessee
I should being pedalling now from Chicago to Santa Monica by Bicycle Route 66 but instead was hitchhiking from Nashville to Mountain City, Tennessee.
Hikers Prison
Diner for hikers in the Church in Duncannon, lunch in McDonald’s Walnutport out of the trail, trying to hitchhike back but stopped by a policeman because it was prohibited in Pennsylvania.
Fairy Harpers Ferry.
Pretty Harpers Ferry, the trip to Washington with Laurie, back to the woods, and very special trail magic from Laurie and Co
Shenandoah Bears
Shenandoah National Park. Stunning views, meeting with bears, storm at night, a ride from German tourists to the motel, then back to the trail.
Meteorite Shower
Cool hostel with organic food (what was its name?), meteorite shower at Four Pines hostel, chicken buffet, famous McAfee Knob, sealing tent, laundering at Troutville Fire Station.
Damascus Trail Days
Woohoo, Damascus Trail Days! It was something like … I have nothing to compare with. Hiking Woodstock? Hiking Burning Man? Time will tell.
Appalachian Folk School
Disappointed with my new backpack, exhausted after a night in a shelter – no compromising, never again! – ended up in Appalachian Folk School without any ability to walk a single mile.
Time to Get Serious
After Hot Springs I moved on totally by myself, learned how to tent in the woods fare away from others, and how to hang food. It was time to get serious.
Tennessee Salmon
A lot of food from Tennessee club, bold hills, very noisy (bad noise, not fun) hikers hostel in Hot Springs, that helped me to make a choice: you need to stop hanging with crowds too much otherwise you would never see Katahdin.
Standing Bear
Tennessee North Carolina state line, sun in Smokies, the wreckage of an aircraft, and the Standing Bear hostel at the end of Smokies with a lot of “old” and “new” hikers there.
Ghost in Smokies
Rain, twilights, muddy woods, Smokies. A lonely silhouette, moving slowly the same directions like me, no raincoat, no backpack. Just white angels wings on the back of his black hoody. Who it could be? Ghost, who else.
Great Smokies Sliding
More rain, less fun, just mud, and beautiful muddy mountains, that I slide from on my bum. I am glad I saw Smokies on their best: smoke itself, rain, mud. And blossom!
Nantahala Gathering
More rain. More hikers in Nantahala Outdoor Center. More fun. More food.
Trash Days
Reading carefully how to deal with black bears, cooking stove, experiencing the last slightly below freezing temperature. A hikers hostel sent a bus to fetch us out of the woods during a bad forecast.
Watching NoBos
Learning more about NoBo hikers (Northbound), Trail Angels, and hikers hostels. Watching what others eat, how they sleep, what they’re wearing, and what they are caring.
Flood in Woody Gap
Woody Gap. Drying from the first storm at the trail angel’s house. My passport and other documents were wet as well, and, to save time, I asked the old lady to dry them with a hair drier, while I was bathing.
Trail Magic Kick
#SpringerMountain. First two days and two nights on #AppalachianTrail. First storm. These first two days that did not let me turn around straight from Springer Mountain in Georgia.
Camp NASA
I flew from South Africa to hike the #AppalachianTrail. What I knew about it? That as a trail runner I was able to do these 2000 miles anyway. I supposed to walk with a project of US militaries, so no need to care about supplying/resupplying. They would show me the way to hm… Katarin? Karazin? Ah, does it matter?
The Whole Nine Yards of the Appalachian Trail
In 2014 I hiked the Appalachian Trail, unexpectable and unpredictable way. I wasn’t ready, I didn’t know about AT, I didn’t know how to deal with woods and wilderness and I was not a backpacker at all. So I’ve got whole nine yards of it.
