>>911266One severe alcoholic from jersey made me feel very uneasy. That was about it on the trail.
Beware the rednecks in Bland County, VA.
The interactions I had restored much of the faith I had lost in humanity. I have never experienced so much good will from strangers in my life. So much trail magic. One guy gave me and my friends a ride to a hotel, then paid for our room and drove off.
I looked up the worst places to do resupply in town, and that is where I did mail drops. (NOC, Fontana Dam, Harper's Ferry, Caratunk ME, and Monson). Caratunk and Monson had good supply options, I found. I liked the idea of eating what I wanted when I could get it rather than planning ahead and being wrong. You also don't really have much of an idea of how much food you will consume until you get out there. loads.
Hitchhiking into town is part of the fun. You're going to need to do it to get a food drop, so why not do some shopping instead? you will have cravings. Chug chocolate milk and eat a lot of ice cream while you do your resupply, then go get a full meal. An oldtimer told me that routine. I said that sounded like a lot of dairy, but never had a problem. I was one of the minority that didn't finish looking emaciated.
Keep in mind that so much of the trail is actually off the trail.
I saw 14 bears. They are mostly skittish. Heard boars scuttle off.
One dog that been separated from his day hiking group for more than a day and he had a legit "i have made a huge mistake" face. Don't take your dog on a thru hike unless you can carry it most of the way. They are not meant for it.
