Wandering Boots AT Adventures

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Lebanon, TN
Wandering Boots AT Adventures

We plan, organize, and guide people who wish to hike on the Appalachian Trail
(14)

11/06/2024

Virginia was long and had definite sections to it. Part 1 is Damascus over the Grayson Highlands and through pastures to the Roanoke area. Part 2 is up along the Blue Ridge Parkway, which had hikers going up and down mountains with mostly no views and following to Waynesboro. Part 3 is up and over the Shenandoahs where hikers get a little break in the trail and the beautiful views, and follows to Front Royal. From there, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to WV and Harper's Ferry!

11/04/2024

There is something magical about sunrises and sunsets. A new dawn and beginning with a grand finale at the end of a long day. To sit and watch the transition from night to day and back again is just magical and spiritual. A time of peaceful reflection and
a thank you to the heavens above for a moment of serenity.

11/03/2024

Here is a more detailed video of the area...

11/03/2024

Uncle Johnny's Hostel is still standing, but the main building took the brunt of the flood. It will have to be torn down and rebuilt.
Part of the bridge the AT was on is broken in 2. Half across the river and half on the other.
A month later and crews are still having a hard time getting up to the top of some of these mountains.

11/03/2024

Some of the devastation off Rt 58 heading into Damascus. Man, I can only imagine what Asheville and the other towns look like. If you have time to volunteer, they will need the help for years.
I believe I saw somewhere that FEMA (?) or maybe the County is hiring folks at $25 per hour to help with cleanup. It might be worth looking in to.
Just so sad to see such devastation.

11/02/2024

Sorry for the delay in posting. Some of us hikers volunteered to help with some cleanup in Erwin.
It was great to see She'Ra, Gripper, Hawk, and Nate, come down to help! It felt good to help contribute and see all the damage firsthand. Wow! Pictures definitely do not do it justice. It's going to take years for these towns to clean up and resemble anything like normal for these folks.

10/29/2024

During the thru-hike, I had to leave the group at times to run a week long hike. Logistics doing this was stressful, but I was able to meet new people and have a great time.
It was nice to be able to put my pack on and hike for a bit instead of playing support.

10/29/2024

We stayed in some pretty cool places along the way.
The Tribe hiked through NC and TN and are now in VA. Once we passed Grayson Highlands, it was a lot of wood walk through pastures until we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Hikers are in VA for about a month. It's a long state that mostly follows the BRP and the Shenandoah Parkway. This is also where many hikers quit. Either funds are getting low or they become bored with this long state.

10/28/2024

Once the festival was over, our hikers went back to where they left off.
The Tribe said goodbye to Witness, who decided to go home, as her foot injury refused to heal.
Pooh Bear ended up having to make the decision to go home as well since he sustained a foot injury shortly after resuming the hike. By the time the gang got back to Damascus area, we were down to 2 hikers left.
As they hiked north, I took some hikers through the Grayson Highlands to see some wild ponies.
Thankfully, this area wasn't hit too hard by the hurricane and is now open.

10/28/2024

Damascus, VA, and Trail Days 2024.
It will be forever changed by recent events, but the town will power on. They promised that they would aim high and still have a Trail Days Festival next year. Let's hope so and bring in much needed funds to this hard hit Trail Town.

10/27/2024

As the tribe worked their way north along the NC/TN borders, we took a break to celebrate with our fellow hikers and went to Trail Days in Damascus, VA.
The rain showed itself once again during the festival, making the party a little muddy as usual.
Meeting local trail legends and angels is part of the fun! Plus, hundreds of former hikers from years past come to join the fun.
Damascus is surrounded by rivers and was also hit hard by the flooding. They have promised to keep Trail Days going for next year, but it will be a long road ahead. Several of these areas are still unapproachable.

10/27/2024

As most of my hikers know, I despise going through the Smokies, especially during thru-hiker season (for several reasons).
Rain still causing delays and Bluebird decided to tackle the 2nd half of the park by herself.
Reaching the other side was a blessing as hikers take a break at Standing Bear Farm Hostel to resupply. A unique "hillbilly" hostel that has seen its transitions over the years is a must see.
Next stop along the way and our first real trail town, Hot Springs.
This town was affected greatly by the hurricane floods. Praying the community here survived.

10/26/2024

The Jumpoff view that is just before the drop-off into the NOC is both beautiful and scary. Many knees have been hurt on its descent. Thankfully, the NOC at the bottom has nice cold beer and hot pizza waiting for all!
Our tribe got stuck here for a week as they decided to put in some slackpack days to avoid the constant thunderstorms and rain each day. It seemed like forever before we left the area, but the gang finally made it Fontana Dam and the start of the Smokies section.
Once hikers left the NOC, it's another 30 miles to Fontana Dam. This is where hikers must have their permits for the park and a 4 day resupply to get through at least half of the Smokies.
From here, hikers will be hiking along the NC/TN state line. Almost another state down!

10/26/2024

Once hikers resupply in Franklin, NC, it's another 3 days to the NOC.
Hikers go over some beautiful balds with amazing views if you are blessed with good weather. Even in rain, the views can be spectacular!
Siler Bald is reached via a short but steep side trail that was once the original AT. Next up is Wayah Bald, where one can drive to the top to see the amazing views. A great spot to car camp!
Once we pass over Wayah Bald, our next great view is up on the Wesser Bald Firetower.
Everywhere you turn, there is beauty!

10/26/2024

One of my favorite sections is from Deep Gap, NC, to the NOC. The terrain is manageable, and the views are
amazing!
Franklin is a cool trail town that sends a shuttle up to the trailhead 3x a day to pick up and drop off hikers to town. Such a great service for hikers. This helps hikers avoid hitchhiking the 12 miles into town to resupply. 4 new hostels in town help hikers with lodging. The 2 I stayed in were small but nice.
Once hikers get out of town, the next stop is the NOC. Another Vortex area and one that proved hard to leave for our group.

10/26/2024

As we all entered NC, we were welcomed to new hikers and new views. GA was tough, and it was a nice break walking into the next state with beautiful views and terrain.
This section was hit hard by the hurricane and sustained heavy damage. It will be sad to see what the devastation is when we walk through it next time.
The weather has slowed everyone down but not their spirits!

10/25/2024

The first week in GA was no joke!
With temperatures in the high 80s in April, many hikers were coming down with heat exhaustion and had to come off the trail to cool off.
Thunderstorms during the first few weeks caused even more delays, but the gang stayed in high spirits.
We had some section hikers join us for a short time to get their feet wet, and our numbers swelled to 10.
After the first 2 weeks, it was back down to our core group of 4 thru-hikers.
We made it through GA in one piece and welcomed another state, NC, to our list.

10/25/2024

2024 was amazing! We started out with Orientation on April 14th with a mix of thru-hikers and section hikers.
The Adventure Begins!

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Lebanon, TN
37087

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Videos

Here is a more detailed video of the area...

Some of the devastation off Rt 58 heading into Damascus. Man, I can only imagine what Asheville and the other towns look like. If you have time to volunteer, they will need the help for years. I believe I saw somewhere that FEMA (?) or maybe the County is hiring folks at $25 per hour to help with cleanup. It might be worth looking in to. Just so sad to see such devastation.

A little video of the crowded top.

If pics were not enough, here is a video on the summit!

On the way back up Old Speck, I went and checked out the firetower at the top. I climbed the ladder to the top of it and was blessed with 360° views. Beautiful!

We were treated to a rare sight while resting on top of Lafayette. A glider was dropped from a plane and was circling above us for several minutes. So cool! I would so do that! Lol. Pictures just don't do the views any justice. It was just so peaceful up there above the rat race. Wish we could stay up there all day! I can imagine the sunset and sunrise would be amazing, but cold! Lol. The nearly full moon over the mountains is stunning as well.

On top of Mt Liberty in the Whites of NH. It's one of many 4000+ footers in the state. A hard and long climb up, but the views are worth the climb!

Here is a look at the War Memorial on top of Greylock. To add to the surprise, some hang gliders came out to play!

Here is Bright Eyes in Maine crossing one of the many streams!

A little video of the wild ponies all along the AT while hiking through the Grayson Highlands SP in southern VA. A definite highlight of entering the state.

A little video of the ponies

More fun. The 2 days of festivities includes the parade, arts and crafts booths, gear vendor booths, live music and more. And, it's not just the current hikers but previous hiker years as well. It's a big to do and it makes the hikers feels special. A must see at least once!