Slideshow: AT Trail Days Festival Pictures May 15-17, 2009

Click on the link below to see the slideshow: Appalachian Trail Days Festival May 15-17, 2009, in Damascus, VA with captions:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tina.sakers/ATMTrailDaysFestivalMay15172009#

Bill Irwin

Sonshine has been hearing about a blind hiker who hiked the entire Appalachian Trail about 15 years ago named Bill Irwin.  Bill was the first blind man to hike the entire trail in 9 months with his seeing eye dog, Orient.  Bill wrote a book called Blind Courage about his experience.  Bill now does inspirational, motivational and keynote speaking.  Here is Bill's website if you would like to learn more about him, his incredible journey or his book: http://www.billirwin.com

Hot Springs, NC

Sonshine met up with Bama at Standing Bear Farm and they started hiking together.  Bama had planned to hike to Damascus, VA for the Trail Days Festival.  Bama is from Alabama and she thru-hiked the AT in 2006.  Each spring and fall Bama goes back to the AT and hikes for about a month.  

Sonshine and Bama made it to Hot Springs, NC.  The AT passes right through the middle of town on Bridge Street.  Hot Springs is the first town that the AT goes directly through, (see pictures for the AT blazes down the street.)  They stayed at the Sunnybank Hostel aka Elmer's.  This is a 180 year old house that has been a hostel for over 30 years.  Hikers can buy dinner and breakfast, which is 100% organic gourmet vegetarian food.  After running errands in town, Sonshine and Bama joined Elmer and the other hikers for a delicious dinner of creamed broccoli soup, greek salad, beans and rice and cheese cake.  

Bama and Sonshine were packed and out of the hostel by 7:30 am.  They had breakfast at the Smokey Mountain Diner, a favorite place on the trail for Bama.

They were on the AT by 8:30 am, hiking up Lover's Leap.  About a mile into the hike, Sonshine suddenly had diarrhea without warning and had to go back into town to clean up.  Sonshine came upon a bath house used by rafters on the French Broad River.  The bath house was unlocked, so Sonshine went inside to clean up.  While inside a man yelled in and asked if anyone was inside.  Sonshine replied "yes," but the man must not have heard her because when she was finished cleaning up she tried to leave but found that she was pad locked inside.  After over an hour of banging on the door and shouting a girl came and was able to free her from the bath house.  Sonshine then went back to town and Captain Clewis from the Salvation Army (www.salvationarmyusa.org) was able to help her get a cabin for two nights.  After the days events, Sonshine was left feeling discouraged and wanting to give up and go home.  Sonshine asks for pray for mental strength as many people leave the trail because they allow their mind to think negatively about whether they will be able to physically make it to Maine.

A blessing for Sonshine was to be able to attend bible study  at the First Baptist Church in Hot Springs after such a long and daunting day.  The study was on Hebrews 8:1-5.  They bible study was been studying about Christ as our High Priest.  In Hebrews 8:3 it shows the purpose of our High Priest, the purpose seen in His ordination and in His offerings.  To understand that Christ could not be our High Priest without His offering= Christ Jesus sacrificing His life at Calvary.  Sonshine was reminded of how thankful she is of Christ's sacrifice that she might have life.  She is also thankful for the opportunity to share Christ with others!

The next day Sonshine was able to take advantage of a free hour long soak in a hot tub with mineral water, (see pictures for the view from the hot tub.)  Hot Springs gets it's name from the natural mineral springs that naturally stay at 105 degrees, year round.  The hot tubs are surrounded by a fence on 3 sides and open to the French Broad River.  It was nice for her to relax and watch the river.

Sonshine met two brothers hiking the AT: CHAINSAW and STEVE.  Chainsaw broke his leg while night hiking 2 weeks into his thru-hike.  He had to hike about 5 miles to make it into town and then waited for 4 days before going to the Emergency Room to find that he had broken his leg!  He rested for 3 weeks and was going to attempt to hike the trail again the next day.  He has his leg in a stabilization brace, (see pictures) and will have to wear the brace for the remainder of his hike.  Please pray for Chainsaw and Steve as they hike.  Pray that Chainsaw will listen to his body and if he needs to rest or take more time off that he will listen.

Sonshine saw LOBO in town, a man she has seen many times along the trail.  He had an appointment to see the doctor in town about his ankle which had been seriously hurting him for 17 straight days.  He was afraid that he may have broken something and may need to go home for a few weeks to rest and let his ankle heal.  Please pray for Lobo as he decides what to do about his ankle.

Sonshine was able to talk with WRATH and BAM BAM about God again around the camp fire.  Wrath continues to be rejecting of the idea of God.  Some other hikers have said that they think that Wrath may be schizophrenic due to his believing that he is from another universe and thinks that he lives in an alternate reality.  Please pray for Wrath, for both his mental stability and his salvation.

Completing the Smokey's

Sonshine made it back to the Smokey's. She felt a bit cheated on the views in the Smokey Mountains because of the rain and fog. The shelters in the Smokey's fill up fast because of the many day, weekend and section hikers. Everyone has to obtain a permit to stay in the shelters. Due to the bear population only thru-hikers are allowed to camp around the shelters in the Smokey's. In recent years the Smokey Mountains National Park (SMNP) has hosted more than nine million visitors annually. Another way to experience the Smokey Mountains is to rent horses and ride through. Sonshine will be putting this on her list of activities she would like to go back and do at another time. The SMNP is home to the most diverse forest in North America, the park includes more than 100 species of trees, 1,570 species of flowering plants, 60 species of mammals, more than 25 different species of salamanders and 2,000 varieties of mushrooms. Sonshine would highly recommend that you take a trip to the Smokey's once the weather gets warmer to check out the wonders that it has to offer.

Upon completion of the 72 miles in the Smokey Mountains National Park, there is a hostel about 2 miles outside of the park called Standing Bear Hostel. The hostel is a 100 + year old farm that the owners Curtis and Maria have turned into a hostel. The fire at the hostel was very nice and relaxing after a week without fires. Sonshine met many new hikers here, some had been at the hostel for a few days, working in exchange for staying there. Sonshine was told that Curtis and Maria were planning to host their First Annual Standing Bear Farm Hiker Party for the next day.

Sonshine decided to stay the next day to enjoy the party at the hostel. Curtis and some other hikers roasted a whole pig over a fire most of the day and Maria, who also owns a restaurant in town with her Mother prepared the fixings to go with the pork. There was a local band that came to play and the rain held off long enough for them to get set up on the porch of Curtis and Maria's house. (See pictures for photos from the party.) There were about 100 people who came to the party: current hikers, past thru-hikers and people from town. After an hour or two, the party turned into more drinking than eating, so Sonshine went to bed.

It is very unsettling to witness all of the drug use that goes on near towns. Many hikers will go into town to get drunk or carry out alcohol with them to the first shelter on the trail. Many hikers smoke cigarettes as well as abuse other legal and illegal drugs. Sonshine sees more and mores, why the Lord lead her to the mission field of the Appalachian Trail!

Half way through the Smokey Mountains

Sonshine has hiked half way through the Smokey Mountains. It has been raining during the day and cold at night. She made it to the highest point along the AT, Clingmans Dome at 6643 feet. Sonshine was there early in the morning and was not able to climb up the observation tower due to the ice. From this point in the Smokey's some hikers go into the town of Gatlinburg, TN and Sonshine made the journey. She was given a ride into town by a former thru-hiker named Bama and he husband Bill. Bama thru-hiked the AT in 2006 and each year in the spring and fall she gets "Springer Fever" - the urge to go and hike the trail. Bama was going to hike for a month from the middle of the Smokey's to Damascus, VA where the Appalachian Trail Days festival is held. She is planning to meet her husband there and they will stay for the festival.

Sonshine went to the post office to pick up her mail drop with her next week's supply of food inside. Sonshine's mail drop was not there but she was surprised to have received two cards. One was an Easter card from her Mom and another was an encouraging card from a friend at her church in Bowie, MD. Both of these cards were very thoughtful and encouraging for Sonshine! About the food box, Sonshine took the trolley into the nearest grocery store the next day to buy her food for the next week. The trip to the grocery store took about 5 hours round trip. Sonshine did get to enjoy the town and the tourists along the way. The motel that she stayed in was very hiker friendly. She especially enjoyed talking with the managers one who is from India and his wife who is from Trinidad.

Sonshine also was able to talk with some of her hiker friend's : TWO - PACKS, IZZY, SHAMELESS BLUE BLAZER, TOM, HOUDINI, BLINK and BLESSED.

Heading in to the Smokey's

Faithful Sonshine Readers -

My apologies for taking so long to give you the update on journal entries that I had last received from Sonshine at the end of April. I have not received any updates since then, though Sonshine has blessed us with uploads of her pictures. :) YAY! :)

As of mid-April...the AT Hikers had found themselves in the midst of sleet, snow, rain and hail with drifts that were as high as Sonshine's calves! However, she was able to spend a 3-day weekend with her Uncle over Easter which was a major praise! One of her mail-drops was somehow delivered to a popular hiker location - but that meant that she and her uncle had to backtrack to find it. But praise - her food for the week was located! There were tornado warnings for the area where her Uncle lives for about 6 hours when they got to his house, praise God, He kept them safe from harm.

After the 3 day weekend with her uncle, Sonshine was back on the trail. She stayed at what is known as the best shelter on the trail: Fontana Dam Shelter also known as the Fontana Hilton, (see pictures). This shelter sleeps 24 people, has cement picnic tables, showers and indoor plumbing. Sonshine was glad to reconnect with familiar hikers.

Sonshine asks that you pray for a hiker named WRATH. They had a long conversation about God, Jesus and Christianity. Wrath believes that he is from an alternate universe and he has been trying to beam back for about 5 years. He seems to be a heavy drug user and mixed up in the occult. Please pray for his salvation.

Sonshine also talked with TWO-SHOES about Christianity. He is currently reading through the Bible, but he feels as though all religions are aimed towards peace, a happy family and living a good life. He sees all religion's as serving the same God. Please pray that Two-Shoes continues to read the Bible and that He would meet the True and Living God! Please also pray that the Lord would allow these conversations to continue.

Sonshine meet a fellow hiker named BLESSED. Blessed is also a believer in Christ Jesus. It was refreshing for the Sonshine and Blessed to talk about God's wonderful creation and the unique way they are getting to enjoy it.

Sonshine also asks for you to pray for protection against insects and animals while she hikes. She has seen some poisonous spiders and has been through the Smokey Mountains, which are the home to some 1,000 - 1,400 bears.

Slideshow: Springer Mountain, GA to Hot Springs, NC

Click on the link below to see the slideshow: Springer Mountain, GA to Hot Springs, NC with captions:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tina.sakers/ATMSpringerMountainGAHotSpringsNC#

Click on Slideshow and enjoy.

Sonshine *Matthew 5:16*