Appalachian Trail Journals

Overmountain Shelter

If you like quirky stories and tall tales, then you probably enjoy, as I do, reading the kind of travel journals you might find at a Bed and Breakfast or in a room at a nice inn. Without a doubt though, the most interesting ones I've found are the trail journals I've found located in Appalachian Trail shelters.  If you find yourself at one, I highly recommend taking the time to read it.  A couple I came across recently had the following entries.

• One from a guy claiming he had a two hour staring contest with a deer.

• Another claiming a bear had just entered the campsite.

• One by a guy claiming he was in a hurry because the "anti-sin" crew was on his heels trying to save him from eternal damnation.

• The next one was from a group that simply wrote, "damn sinners!"

• Another was from a group from the north. The writer spoke over and over about how many spiders and insects there were in the shelter. I thought that was funny. Yep, in the South there are bugs in the wilderness, and in the cities, and in our homes.  That's just the way it is.

• Another from a guy claiming that he and his pals had encountered a mountain lion in a pine tree that had bitten one of his friends. 

• Another entry was from an Amish family who claimed they had so much trouble finding fresh water that they had resorted to drinking their own urine. 

Double Springs Shelter

There were lots of other interesting ones, most of them describing their encounters with wildlife and commenting on the peacefulness of the trail. Some regarding the weather and lots of advice on which springs were dry and which were not. There were several quoting Bible verses and just as many extolling the virtues of bonfires and liquor.

Silers Bald Shelter

Stan Murray Shelter