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Greetings all! I'm back home, and all is well. It has been an amazing trip, and I've got lots of notes and photos that will be put in some kind of order over the next few days. I started out with great detail in my note and photo taking, and got a bit slack as the days wore on. The last couple of days were in the rain, so the photos are few, but the memories are strong.
It all started with an early AM ride from home to Jockey's Ridge State Park from my friends Rob and Drew. We were lucky enough to run into a ranger who knew the trail, and gave me some good info. I was a bit confused because the park was on the wrong side of the road, and I was thinking that it would be stupid to start the whole thing by getting lost. The first photo was taken by Rob at the MST trail marker that starts ( or ends) the whole thing. Look at how clean I am! That didn't last long. The first beach photo is from the top of the stairs leading down to the beach five minutes from leaving the parking lot. A big moment! The first day I hiked 8.6 miles and met a few folks. Mainly it's house after house, right on the beach. Most were empty, and a lot of them were for sale. The people I met were for the most part older women and their dogs. They were interested in my trip, and many said that I would be in their prayers. This gets a bit different as I get further south, and start interacting with the locals.. stay tuned for more on this topic. My first bit of trail magic happened when I came up on the road after @ 3 hrs of hiking and found myself directly in front of an actual 7-11. Amazing. I had a hot dog and two Slurpees. The second one was on the house, a gift from the kind manager. A couple of more hours hiking, and I found a great place to stealth camp under some trees behind a closed group of beach condos. I never saw a soul.DAY TWO: In the AM, I needed water, and had another piece of trail magic. Right where I was camping was a small storage closet behind one of the condos. Turns out it was a outdoor shower, with running water! So I drank almost 2 quarts, filled everything up, and headed down the road. Made it on the beach to the marina at Whalebone. This is at the base of the 2.5 mile bridge that goes over the Oregon Inlet. For potential MST hikers reading this- I strongly recommend that you do NOT walk over this bridge. It's very long, goes over 100 feet above the water where it is very windy, and has little to no footpath. I tried to hitch a ride at the base, with no luck. Locals and rich folks alike just blew by me. Someone pulled into the marina who was going my way, so I walked back and asked him directly. He said no, so I just moved on. Turns out he was one of the owners. I had chatted up his daughter while eating my biscuts and drinking my Gatoraide. I think she shamed him in to it, because he came back out and said he would take me over. It was scary going over that old bridge in a Suburban. I am sure glad I wasn't walking up there. They dropped me at the start of Pea Island National Wildlife Reserve. There was an old abandoned Coast Guard station that was really cool. It had been a long day, so I just hiked up the beach a mile or so and made camp. The dunes were very narrow, so I just found a flat spot on the sand, and made camp. I didn't want anything to blow away or get too sandy, so it all came into the tent with me. A bit crowded, but nice. With the long days, I had started to go to sleep often before 8 PM, and to wake up at 5. A 24 mile day, including a 2 mile detour to see Bodie Lighthouse.
DAY THREE: Walked on Pea Island to the KOA in Rodanthe. Pea Island was amazing. Never saw anybody all yesterday, and all of today. My footprints were the only ones in the sand. Total wild beach. Wind had kicked up, and the waved were crashing. I found an old shipwreck almost completely buried in the sand, and a giant tree stump that had washed up. I rested there, and made some tea, and ate. I'm starting to burn a lot of calories, and have to make an effort to stay on top of the food and water. Off in the distance I could see smoke from a large grass fire. I walked towards it for hours. When I came up on the road, it turns out that is was a controlled burn being done by the Feds. There was a fire truck by the side of the road keeping an eye on it. I walked up to it, and one guy was reading a Playboy, and the other guy was taking a nap. They told me it was a controlled burn, and that I shouldn't have to walk through the smoke for more that ten minutes. It was more like 45 minutes, and the tears and snot were running down my face. That's how I arrived at the Rodanthe KOA, which came highly recommended. I rented a Kabin, and took a much needed shower, and did some wash. The place was spotless. I might have been the only person there. A bit pricy, but worth it. Shook the sand out of everything, and reorganized my pack. It was an amazing day. I was shouting at the top of my lungs on the lonely beach, and laughing ike crazy. It was just what I wanted. 21 miles.
DAY FOUR: Rodanthe to Buxton. At some points you have to walk on the road because the tide is right up against the houses, or the beach is very irregular. That how it was this morning when I heard somebody shout out my name from behind: "Harry!". Nobody knows me here? Turns out it was Merideth from day one, a nice lady I had met on the beach with her dog. She said that she had told her friend all about me, and here I was! Then she zoomed off in her Tahoe. Much talk had been going around about bad weather coming in that night, with heavy thunderstorms, high winds and hail. So I came up from the beach in Buxton and got a room at the Hattaras Motel. Lisa was very nice, gave me a discount, and a room right on the beach. Most things were closed, but the cafe was open, where I got a giant salad with chicken, and about 1/2 gallon of tea. One of the cooks was a big UNC fan, so we talked b-ball for awhile. I was a bit starved for conversation, so it was nice. I watched the game on TV, and the storm woke me up at 3 AM. It was short but intense. I was glad not to be on the beach. Happy 46th birthday to me! 22 miles hiked.
Day FIVE: Today I fould my 'trail legs'. Everything has come together, I'm not as sore, my pack is better organized, and I just have my groove on. Walked on Hwy 12 to Hattras. Saw a giant snapping turtle in the road, with cars swearving all around it. It looked a thousand years old. I was going to pick it up and help it across, but it hissed and snapped at me. So I pushed him across with a shove from my hiking pole. I wanted a picture, but I didn't want this thing to clamp onto me, or get hit by a car, so I boogied on.When almost there, an old man pulled along side me, and asked if I was hiking the MST. I said yes, and he invited me to lunch. Turns out he was an avid hiker. He had lost his wife to a stroke after fleeing hurricane Isabel. It cut this part of the island in half. They said that there was seaweed on top of the telephone poles. All of his camping gear had been lost under his house, and he had gotten too old to hike much. So we traded hiking and gear stories, and both enjoyed it. I made the 3:00 ferry to Ocracoke, which was fun. Only 40 minutes long. I met a German women names Gisela and her husband, who was from Long Island. The road was closed for repairs, and only 4 wheel drives could drive on the beach. But the tide was high, and the beach was too narrow for me and two directions of cars. So I got a ride into the village with Gisela, eating up 14 miles. It was a pretty beach, and Ocracoke is charming. The landscape here changes once you get past Hattaras. More grass and trees for some reason.There was a guy on the ferry who had a pickup truck with bumper stickers all over it. He took a nap the whole way over. Once there, I get a map, and get some local advice from the Methodist minister (thanks Ann!) to stay at Teech's Campground. Turns out the dude who ownes it was the guy on the ferry! The place was empty with the road being closed. Teech said 10 bucks, then changed it to free when he recognized me from the ferry. Locals in general don't understand why somebody would be out hiking if they had a working truck, but they always help when asked. Always. Had an excellent night with the luxury of a picnic bench all to myself. And there was a guy there who owned horses for rent. He had 5 or 6, and told many tales of life all over the country with his horses. I never even went into town, because this little place was just perfect. And the meatloaf and mushroom gravy MRE was yummy. I broke up the Cracker, Vegtable, and put it in there. Plus lots of hot sauce. Man, it was good. And a Tootsie roll from @ 1990 that was an excellent ending. 25 miles, 14 driving.
DAY SIX: Caught the 7 AM ferry over to the mainland. Left the Outer Banks behind, and was a bit sad. There is a tiny post office on Cedar Island where I had sent my resupply for the second part of the trip. Kim was very sweet, and glad to give me my stuff. The Driftwood Motel was 44 bucks, and Debra was charming. She put me in a room in the back, which was good because soon I had my stuff all spead out on the ground drying and airing out. I had eaten my pack @ 10 lbs lighter, so now I was back to full weight. It was nice to get mail and fresh grub. I had sent myself a jar of Nutella, that chocolate hazelnut spread. My brother Peter and his dog LOVE that stuff, so I thought I would give it a try. Not too bad.
I then proceeded to make my way along Hwy 12 until it turned into Hwy 70. At first it was Cedar Island Park, which was nothing but swamp on both side of the road. It was supposed to rain that night, but it started to come down at @ 9:30 AM. I stopped to put on my rain gear and pack cover. The miles and time began to blur, and I was soon passing thu small towns every few hours. I camped behind a convenience store one night, then just kept humping. I had stopped taking notes, and had turned off my GPS. I wasn't unhappy, but the landscape was a bit dull, and the rain kept my head down. I think I did close to 45 miles in two days. Met Kevin and Heavy at some store, and they were local fisherman who gave me some good road info and advice. Most people tell you things from the perspective of a driver in a car. Like, "Yea, just walk over the bridge, and Burning Stump Road is just on the left". But it's 2 damn miles, and you think you've past it. But those two had spend some time hoofing it. I bought us all lunch, and we stood under the portico in the rain and ate hotdogs and shot the bull. Heavy had invented a perpetual motion machine that would solve the worlds dependence on oil. Said that it came to him in a vision while in prison. He was passionate on this topic, and didn't know what to do with it. I advised a patent attorney. They said they din't have any money, but would have a few bucks when their clam beds came in. Said they didn't drink, but liked to smoke a little weed, and did I have any? They advised me to watch my step on Laurel Road, which had turned into a drug haven, with crack houses, prostitutes, and a recent murder. I was unsure if this was true, but when I got there, it was a mess. Two miles of really rough road. Two kids asked me if I wanted to buy drugs, and there were some skanky looking woman hanging out. I had my hand on my large knife the whole way, but I guess the gods were shining on me because I made it thru unscathed. Walked a few more miles towards Havlock, feeling rather lost. It was pouring, and I was feeling dehydrated. So I knocked on the door of a friendly looking house, and an old man stuck his head out. I gave him my little story, and he let me in the side of his house where it was like a covered patio. I rung out my clothes, drank a quart of his ice water out of an old cooking pot, and just took a break. Once he relaxed, he told many a tale of his 33 years working on road crews with the DOT. Bill, you are a kind and good man, and I thank you for helping a wierd looking stranger. At this point I was cooked on both sides, and called for a rescue from Dave, a tireless friend of the MST. He came and picked me up on the side of the road, and brought me back to his own home. His wife Sherry and two sons Danial and Josh took me in like a long lost cousin. And at this point I was seriously ripe in a number of ways. Not ready for polite company. At all. A shower and some wash later, plus some excellent grub, and I was almost human again. The plan was to get up early at hit the bottom of the Croatan Forest and start up the 20 mile Neusiok Trail. I was on the train at 5:45 AM, moving at an excellent pace. It's more of a swap than a forest, but very beautiful. The brush on either side of the trail is very dense, and the trail was often 2 ft deep with mud and water. And you have to go thru it for the most part because the sides are so dense. But I knew this in advance, so no big deal. But it was raining REALLY hard, with flashes of lightning, and winds gusting over 40 MPH. At one point I was knee deep in the mud, kinda stuck, and it was raining so hard that was rain was bouncing back up from the mud and hitting me in the face. All I could do was laugh. Which I did, in a loud and crazy way. For several minutes. When the trail crossed the road after 10 miles, I called Sherry for another rescue. God bless her, she came and got me. Made some kind of crack about my hair....
I had promised all who had expressed concern before I left that I would be careful. I didn't want to stop, but I was seriously wet and tired, all my gear was soaked, and it was going to drop to 30 degrees that night. Even I know that means stop. So it was like groundhog day back at Dave and Sherry's that night. Shower, laundry, advil, etc. Went out for Mexican that night. Yum! They gave me a ride back to Raleigh on their way to REI. I skipped a couple of days of road walking which I will make up when I come back to do the rest of the Neusiok Trail. Total: 135 miles walked, 20 miles hitch hiking.
In sum, it was an excellent start in my journey across the state. I relied on the love and support of friends and strangers alike, and that was very satisfying. It was hard, and I pushed myself in ways that had nothing to do with meeting sales goals. It was lots of time alone with my own thoughts, mixed with delightful experiences with new friends. I am glad to see that my love of hiking and camping is undiminished, (except maybe in the middle of the night on day 5, when dark thoughs can slip in) and that I can still hump a heavy pack, although I need a break about every 4th day. My mind is already turning to thoughts of the next section in the fall. I'm thinking 200 miles in a canoe on the Neuse River from Raleigh to the coast might be perfect. Who wants to come? Peace- Harry O.
