Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Yep, There are cows and horses on the AT

   ONE of A KIND

 This is a old Russian Snow Blower, Anna Mae (Woody's Lady) and some of you need this!


So for today:

I smiled at Victor’s comment about cows on the Trail. Yes hikers on the AT encounter a few cows and horses on the trail. Strange to some but on several Mountains and farm areas where ladders are built over the fences in and out of pastures are common. And then in Pennsylvania there are pastures and corn fields. We have been a little leery in a couple pastures but we were mostly ignored by the cows and horses.

You also have to walk some logs to get across creeks. Below I also had the bug net on for the no see=ums.  LOL

Once in Virginia two mountain goats got between Sherry & I, we were about 50 feet apart and could talk. “What should I do?” She asked.

“Just keep walking and be glad you don’t have on red!” She tried to laugh. Both Goats walked along about a quarter mile then jumped flatfooted off the trail and up the mountain. They didn’t say a word!

Also, once I told Sherry, “Look over there!” About a hundred yards above some small trees was a Giraffe’s head, YES it was. She looked in her AT Guide and found out we were walking by the area where the Washington DC, National ZOO puts their animals to recover or recoop from accidents or illness.  We both laughed. Just a few minutes later we walked by their fence and could look in.

 In that same area we walked by the remote area where the FBI trained their Service dogs and could look down on it.

 The trail has some very steep and rough areas, but mostly it is just a nice isolated path to walk and enjoy nature. 

But it leads thru and by views like this:



We laugh about the one picture where Sherry was climbing down a very rough spot after throwing her pack over a cliff so she wouldn’t have to carry it down.

If all goes well it is 15 days until this dream or nightmare starts. LOL  I just hope I can at least walk a few hundred miles. BUT we will see. I am not completely ignorant of the possibilities at my age. ;-)  Most of family and friends have their doubts. :-O  But I can laugh at them. Some of my dreams became a nightmare in just a few days, Remembering 3-5 days after joining the USMC and on Parris Island.  LOL I woke up many mornings wishing it was just a bad dream! 

;O,  That feeling past and I actually liked the Corps. ;-)

 Nite Shipslog

PS:

5 comments:

salemslot9 said...

I wish I could do it with you Jack. :)

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Thank you so much for relating your experiences here for us, Jack. Reminded me of my holidays years ago in the Lake District in the UK. Not so much hiking. But living as a group in a barn and singing and eating round a camp fire at night. We too have ladders (as in your photo) over stone walls or wooden fences so you can enter and pass through a field - as long as you don't disturb the cows or sheep.

God bless you and Sherry.

Mevely317 said...

Oh, how funny about that giraffe head! Everything you recount is entertaining, but were I to encounter the no-see-ums, that would be it. No-see-um-Myra!

salemslot9 said...

Hi Jack
I asked my John if he could help you with tracker.
I sent you an email.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

Wow! I guess you never know what you might see on the trail. As long as it's not a wild bear or a mountain lion, you should be safe though, just amused. 15 days is not very long to wait, I can see you are getting anxious to be off and enjoy your hike.