Derrick Earls, More Heart than Scars tackle the AT together and in Spirit!

Day 48, July 2, 2014

I slept in and got moving at 1:13 p.m. I hiked 18.4 AT miles before 8:54 p.m.

An amazing hiking group who were Korean shared their late lunch with me. It was Delicious and I ate it all. He told me they had dessert as well and it was Watermelon!

I dodged the thunderstorms but the outside of my pack was soaked due to the rain water being on the shrubs. I will remember to wear a pack cover even if it's not raining and the shrubs are covered in water. Bed at 10:30 p.m.

Civil war history.

Korean wild rice, cucumbers with spice sauce, cabbage and hot pepper.

Korean egg noodles and spices.

Watermelon and a happy hiker!

Korean family.

Day. 47, July 1, 2014

I woke up and went for a resupply run at 8:30 a.m. I grabbed a McDonalds sausage and egg McMuffin combo and got a free McMuffin. I also won a free coffee that I will use later.

After returning to the hostel I realized the best way for me to watch the USA vs. Belgium game was to stay at the hostel until the game came on at 4 p.m. I was also able to avoid the heat, finish drying my sleeping bag and rest my body for awhile.

Paper Boy and I helped the hostel owner breakdown and sort his recycling as a means to earn our keep.

The USA game was very exciting to watch. I hate we lost but we gave the World Cup a good run. I'm proud of the guys especially Tim Howard and the 19 year old kid Green. We will be a force to reckon with come the 2nd World Cup in the future.

How does an American be America after the World Cup loss? He goes and hikes 9 miles! We started at 7 p.m. and finished by 10 p.m. Hiked in the dark for about 45 minutes. We arrived at the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter. Man is it a nice shelter. Someone also left us a 16 oz. Busch beer at the road crossing. I split it with my hiking partner for the day known as Paper Boy (I use to love playing paper boy on the Super Nintendo growing up!). He is a cool kid from St. Paul Minnesota. He biked from Minnesota to Springer Mountain (1300 miles) to begin hiking the AT.

Jim and Molly Denton Shelter the next morning. It's a nicer shelter than it looks in the picture.

Day 46, June 30, 2014

22.7 AT miles completed.

Got on the trail at 8:05 a.m. for a big day. Saw a bear hanging out in the canopy of a tree. It was difficult to get a good picture. Completed ~7.5 miles by 10:30 a.m. I stopped at the Elk Wallow Wayside for a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit. I also grabbed a side of hash browns.

I saw 2 more bears and two cubs. I finally got a picture of a bear.

The day was long and my feet were beat. I made it to the Front Royal Hostel and it felt amazing.

Shower, laundry, direct tv and a bed. All was much appreciated and needed.

Bear in the canopy of the tree.

Rattlesnake Point Overlook.

Peregrine Falcon restoration project. This ones for you Ben Dodd!

View.

Storm!

What's up?

Why do you keep taking my picture?

Bear :)

Compton Gap.

Day 45, June 29, 2014

15.3 AT miles.

I had an evening dinner at Sky land resort and lodge. Grabbed a burger and a few drinks. Caught up with great AT company I had not seen in awhile.

My buddy Beros? Spanish for sheep said he would send me his instant potatoes as trail magic on a future mail drop. He decided to get off in Harpers Ferry.

IHOP by the waterfall.

The Pinnacle.

Climbers at the Pinnacle.

Lovely flowers.

Obstacle.

D.C.!

Hey dude!

Day 44, June 28, 2014

11.5 AT miles hiked.

I slept at Rock Spring Hut. The hike was nice and the terrain easy. The weather beautiful.

Beautiful doe.

Nice view.

Doe.

Sunset.

Day 43, June 27, 2014

12.4 AT miles.

I left Hightop hut that morning headed for Bearfence Mountain Hut. Today was a typical day on the AT. I grabbed a few beers at the Lewis Mtn Capground with some friends. I saw a number of deers throughout the day. I left from the campground with a mile to go. I made it to the shelter just in time to avoid the evening shower. I took my sleeping pad and sleeping bag and claimed a spot in the shelter. I had open spaces on both of me while I went to bed. Later that night I awoke and something was brushing my leg. I thought it was the guys dog in the corner and I grabbed it to push it away. A voice asked what was up and I realized more people had come into the shelter throughout the night. I apologized and went back to sleep.

The people that came in the shelter throughout the night had apparently been drenched. Peoples hammocks and tents were full of water the next morning. To put it in perspective a man had given local beers to some of the hikers the previous night. By morning the bottles were full of rain water. My gear and I stayed dry.

Day 42, June 26, 2014

21.4 AT miles, 23.1 Total miles.

The bird we all know as a whipper will is a unique and cool bird. However, thru hikers hate them. They do it all night long and move within the woods doing it. Good sleep is hard to get and you wake up at 5 a.m. Good thing I'm a heavy sleeper!

Today was a long day. I completed my first 9 miles in 3 hours. The last 14 took me 6.5 hours.

I was able to see some beautiful deer, a baby fawn & cool rabbits.

Unfortunately, they did not have the USA vs. Germany game at the Wayside I went to. I was slightly disappointed about that and got a turkey bacon Swiss sandwich, a local beer, plate of fries and a chocolate milkshake. All totaled ~$21.

I took a small nap outside the wayside and a gentleman asked me to watch his dog. He was a nice guy and they didn't allow dogs in the Wayside. We chatted for several minutes and he gave me a $1 for watching his dog. I politely declined but he insisted.

1.1 miles before I made it to Hightop Shelter for the night I took my dinner in Skyline Drive. I ate two tuna pouches with mayonnaise and ranch packets. I scored these from the Wayside.

I was joined for dinner by a motorcyclist and his wife. They were an awesome couple who had been married for 42 years and they were waiting the rain out down Skyline. He was a pastor and gave me a book named Share Jesus Without Fear.

A nice view.