I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. ~ Martha Washington
Dog tracks down owner 20 blocks away in the hospital
Five Effects of Kindness on Health
So it’s been almost a week since I’ve been on the trail. My 21 mile slack pack went well on my knees, but ended in a skin rash on my legs. This has happened on every day I’ve hiked over 20 miles.
The likely cause is either heat rash or the supposed hypoallergenic merino wool is irritating my legs once my liner socks get wet.
The rash has cleared up and I’ve bought a couple of pairs of cool max socks. So on my next 20 mile day if it happens again then it’s definitely heat rash and I’ll need to hike in my liner socks or stop during the day and powder my feet and let my socks dry out.
So physically I’m doing well, my knees are ok, not great but functional. I’ll do 40 miles over the next three days. Then take a few days off to visit DC and start moving north again at the southern end of the Shenandoah National Park.
Since Springer Mountain in early March I’ve walked about 430 miles and skipped ahead about 60 miles of the trail to bring me to mile 490. It’s been wonderful, hard, and I’ve met some amazing people. I look forward to being back on the trail and many more happy days my friends. – Rev Kane
One consistent theme in my life has been the lack of straight lines. My career path resembles the results of a fight between two cans of silly string.
One thing that attracted me to doing an Appalachian Trail thru-hike was the opportunity to do something in a straight line fashion.
I should have known better. Over the last week I have been struggling with knee problems and some skin issues on 20+ mile days. I’m getting better after resting for some time in Damascus. I’ll move out on Friday and move forward through the Grayson Highlands to Mt. Rogers and into Marion, VA.
My lovely heat and/or wool allergy rash
I then plan to jump forward up the trail a few hundred miles and hike the Shenandoah National Park and continue North. The reason I’m jumping forward is that I’m afraid my knees might not have the full 2200 miles in them. So my hope is to jump forward and spare my knees enough to get into the Northeast portion of the trail. Timing it of course to get the best possible weather. Having grown up in the Northeast I really want to do that part of the trail.
After hopefully summitting Katahdin I’ll go to Ireland and Scotland as planned then return later in the fall to mop up the sections I missed and complete the trail assuming my knees hold out.
So this is the plan for now and even includes a side trip to Washington, DC to play tourist there. I’ve never done that before. So it is a change, definitely not a straight line, but still all about happy days my friends. – Rev Kane
Before I left for my hike I went into two elementary school classrooms and talked to them about hiking the Appalachian Trail. The students were great and asked really good questions. They got a kick out of my rain skirt, how I would do laundry and of course the idea of pooping in the forest was hugely entertaining for them.
I’ve kept in touch with them via postcards and today I received a pack of letters they sent me. The letters were wonderful and they once again asked a ton of questions. So here are their questions and my answers.
When will you visit again?
I will hopefully be hiking into the next school year so it will have to be then.
Where are you?
I’m currently in Damascus, VA 468 miles from where I started.
What animals have you seen?
Lots of birds, several snakes, a deer, a fox, a turkey, mice and a mole.
Are you having a great adventure?
Yes I am it has been amazing.
Is anyone being mean or laughing at you?
Everyone has been really nice and friendly.
Have you made any friends?
Yes, I have made several really good friends.
Do you know people in the towns you go to?
Most of the time I don’t, but people are usually very nice to hikers.
How has the weather been?
The weather has changed a lot. We have had nice days, sunny and hot days, I’ve gotten sunburned. Other times it has been cold and we’ve seen sleet and snow. It has rained a lot.
How much money have you spent, are you running out of money?
I have spent about $2000, and I still have enough money for the trip.
Is it noisy when you go into towns?
Yes, a little bit, it is a lot noisier than in the forest.
Can you still walk or are you pooped?
I’m not pooped and am still walking, even though I have hurt my knee. I get tired but I rest up when I go into town.
What is the best thing you have done?
I really loved climbing and being on top of Mount Unaka.
Are your feet hurting you?
At the end of the day after walking 10 or 15 miles my feet definitely hurt.
Do you look funny doing laundry in your rain skirt?
Yes I do.
Are you having a good time?
Yes the trip has been wonderful.
Have you taken a shower?
Yes, I have been getting at least one shower a week.
Is your hammock comfortable?
Yes it has been warm, dry and comfy.
How is the food?
The food has been great both on the trail and in town.
What do you do for entertainment?
I talk with other hikers and sometimes I listen to music in my hammock.
Have you been in any storms?
Yes I have been in a couple of scary thunderstorms and in a rain storm with 40 mile an hour winds.
How many towns have been in?
I’ve been in about 12 towns so far.
When are you coming back?
I will be back in Hudson briefly in July and then will continue walking north to Maine.
Have you seen any boats?
The trail hasn’t been close to any big lakes or rivers so far so I haven’t seen any boats yet.
Did a bear or any other animals steal your food?
No so far I’m the only one eating my food.
Do you hike when it is dark out?
I don’t, but some people do occasionally hike at night.
Have you seen pretty things?
Yes, almost every day I see beautiful things like great sunrises, wildflowers, and neautiful views off mountains.
Is your bag still heavy?
Yes about 35 pounds but it was 42 when I started so it is much lighter now.
Are you homesick?
I miss my family but am having a good time and am not homesick.
What are the mountains like?
They are beautiful and big, some are really rocky and most are peaceful and quiet.
How long is your beard?
Long enough to blow around in the wind and here’s my most recent picture with my friend Might Mouse.
Me and Mighty Mouse
Thank you for your questions and kind words you guys are great!
Bill Bryson has probably written the most famous book about hiking the Appalachian Trail. However it’s a terrible book to read if you are considering a thru-hike. He is writing for comic effect and so he over emphasizes the negatives and makes hiking the trail seem awful. What he really misses though is the transformational power of adventure. A challenge like thru-hiking the AT absolutely changes you.
The real question before coming out here was how would it change me? Happily my thru-hike continues, so the question remains open. However, I have noticed a few things.
Several people have remarked about how relaxed I look in pictures. My blood pressure is down, I’ve lost a little weight and I feel great. However, in the last few days I’ve noticed a particular change. I’m generally a person who is very much in his own head, as such, I’m often startled by someone coming up behind me. I’m particularly reactive if someone approaches me while sleeping.
Over the last couple of days three things have happened. First, a fellow hiker tapped me awake while I was sleeping. Second, a hiker quietly walked up behind me amd called out my name. Finally, in the wind the other day, a branch fell and hit me in the shoulder. All of these things would have ordinarily sent me off my feet and startled the hell out of me.
But, I barely reacted at all, walking the trail seems to have both relaxed and really mellowed me out. I can’t wait to see what other changes the trail brings as I walk more happy days my friends. – Rev Kane
Appalachian Trail Happiness, The Book
Appalachian Trail Happiness: Precious Moments
Happiness is Cycling in Ireland
Happiness is Photography: Burning Man
It’s been a while my friends so let’s catch you up. When last I posted I had just come across the humps in what was basically a hurricane and landed in the trail oasis that is the Mountain Harbour B&B, I’ll post more about them later.
Safely on the porch at Mountain Harbour B&B
I zeroed at Mountain Harbour and did a 4 mile slack pack before heading back to the trail. The trail heading into VA is wonderful, nice grade, not real rocky and the climbs are smaller.
This allowed me to do my longest day to date a 21 mile hike into Kincora Hostel. At the hostel I caught up with Jedi and he had already set up a shuttle past Wautauga Lake. There had been some aggressive bear activity and we decided to yellow blaze around it. So we bumped up 20 miles and between the bump and my long day I was now on pace to get to Damascus two days early.
The trails were magnificent and except for one very cold night the weather was perfect. I hit the TN/VA border and 4 miles later walked into the trail town of Damascus.
This is the second town where the trail goes down Main Street. So I stopped for a bite before going to the Old Mill Inn and had a great lunch and even better dessert.
I’m currently rehabbing my tweaked and beat up knees for a few days before doing a 22 mile slack pack on Monday and then back on the trail Tuesday.
Damascus has been a place to switch out gear, the folks at Mount Rogers Outfitters have been fantastic. This has also been a place to catch up with hikers I haven’t seen in a while.
Me and Mighty Mouse
I’ve hit some milestones in the last week. Passed the 400 mile mark, finished my third state and did my longest day! Other than my knees, things are great and I’m having happy days my friends. – Rev Kane
At Overmountain Shelter
First you examine the scenery, then you examine your gear, then you examine yourself – Colin Fletcher
Today on a slack pack, a light pack day, I really had time to reflect on my thru-hike and my life, I guess Colin Fletcher was right.
A lot of people are out here walking things off. My hope is that because of the work I’ve done over the last thirty years I don’t have much to walk off.
Today I reflected on all of this and I’m really happy about who and where I am. One thing that I thought about was a comment that has been said about how easy I have it. This comment angers me for a minute until I think about how ridiculous it is.
I didn’t grow up with a lot and I made a lot of mistakes and took all of the crooked roads as a young man. I left college significantly in debt. Over the last thirteen years I’ve basically erased my debt and worked hard and been successful enough to put myself in position where I can take a year off and hike and write.
This was earned and not easily, but I deserve the happiness and freedom I have right now. Some people think a life where you follow your bliss is not as valid or valuable as a life that follows society’s script.
I disagree, and the evidence I present are the hikers I meet every day out here. They are some of the happiest people I’ve ever met and everyone of them is off society’s script and having happy days my friends. – Rev Kane
After forty days on the trail I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of this whole thru-hiking thing. Today was an easy day, I had planned to do a ten mile slack pack (hike with only a day pack) today but as I mentioned in my last post, I tweaked my left knee. So instead of ten miles my first slack pack was a four miler.
I move slow, always have but after forty two days on the trail I know I’ve become a stronger, faster hiker. Today was an interesting test of that theory.
The trail only had a few hundred feet of climbing and a small downhill run. Pre-hike I would have done the hike at about 2.5 miles per hour, about an hour and forty five minutes.
Relaxing tonight at the Mountain Harbour B&B
However today, with a sore knee and just strolling along, I did it in an hour and fifteen minutes, a three mile an hour pace. Apparently I have gotten a bit faster and that made for a happy day – Rev Kane
So I started this morning at Overmountain Shelter, an old converted barn that sleeps 21 people. I shared the shelter with a boy scout troop out of Raleigh and they were great.
Overmountain Shelter
Me and the scouts
The hike for the day was a little over 10 miles, two big climbs over four miles and then six miles downhill. Not bad right? Well the wind came up at night, thirty mile an hour gusts. The rain started at five in the morning. I hit the trail at seven thirty.
The rain got much heavier as I climbed, at 5000 feet I was on top of the first bald. The rain was now coming down sideways and the wind blowing over 40 miles an hour. I was quickly getting soaked and then the sleet started.
The sleet was hitting the side of my head so hard it was stinging my ear through the hood of my rain jacket. After the third false summit I was starving. The only problem, now I was soaked, the temperature was about fifty degrees with the windchill probably in the thirties. There was no cover so stopping to eat meant risking hypothermia.
Safely on the porch at Mountain Harbour B&B with a new dog friend
So of course, I starting singing at the top of my lungs in the wind and the rain and the fog. I marched across three miles of balds signing like a crazed viking seriously worried about my health for the first time on the trail.
It sucked! But I was laughing and happy, you have to embrace the suck, there was no other option, so why be upset. I was relieved to hit the treeline, right up until I relized the descent was full of muddy rockfalls.
The descent improved, I even found a dry spot under a rock ledge to eat a candy bar. By the end of the hike I had actually caught and passed five other hikers. My speed was above my normal daily average. I fell once, I tweaked my left knee, I left North Carolina for the last time on the trail and I was soaked to my underwear. However for the first time on this trail I felt like a bad ass thru-hiker and I had a very happy day my friends. – Rev Kane
Today, first thing this morning, we climbed Mount Unaka, 1000 ft in 1.3 miles. Not the way I like to start the day, I’m not a morning person. The climb was brutal and especially hard first thing in the morning.
We were rewarded for our hard work with a magnificent summit. The pictures are stolen off the net, mine are on my phone. But the summit was like something out of middle earth. Bright green moss and conifers glistening with dew and reflecting what little sunlight that came through.
It was the kind of place that brought instant peace and made you speak in hushed tones. An amazing place and a very happy day my friends. – Rev Kane
The Ministry of Happiness 