Gilligan on the AT Revisited: 20-Jun-1993

Date June 20, 2008

This is a 5-month long series of blog posts that are the entries in my journals written on most evenings as I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1993. The journal entry appears first — indented — and then any additional commentary from my 15-years-removed perspective follows.

6/20/93 – Sun.

I left off a couple of notes about yesterday in last night’s entry. First, Thomas Knob shelter was named after a Mr. Thomas who is an elderly man, still living, who is very active in the Mt. Rogers ATC Club. We met a man who knew him yesterday afternoon.

Secondly, the shelter was near Mt. Rogers, which is the highest mountain in Virginia. It is named after none other than William Barton Rogers, the first president of M.I.T. He was also something like the first Virginia state geologist (or something like that).

Today we did 25 miles and are at the Trimpi Shelter. We had the option to stop earlier but decided to press on and arrived here by 6:15. We are the sole occupants of the shelter this evening.

We probably pushed a little too hard today. Ron’s knee is bothering him, and I seem to be developing a shin splint. But, we’re here and in good shape to make Bastian by Thursday afternoon. I’m starting to sound like I am in some sort of race, but I do not feel that way at all. I enjoy longer mileage days, as I get to see more of the country, and I also feel better about taking a rest day.

I seem to have been fairly lacking in “deep thoughts” of late, and I’m not sure whether to attribute this to the fact that I have been on the trail for long enough that my reserve is running dry, or to the fact that I am not hiking alone at all; it’s probably some of both, but more the latter than the former.

[sappy Julie thoughts…]

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