Bad DNA, AT Thruhiker 1994

BadDNA's Appalachian Trail thru hike as a photo essay. This is Paul Vail's 1994 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. I hiked the A.T. as a northbounder, known by my trail name as Bad DNA. Yes, I was the guy with the Virginia License tag on the back of my pack, a nickname I had earned at Virginia Tech back in 1985. I started the thruhike at Springer Mountain, Georgia in April, and climbed Katahdin in October, '94. In the meantime, 'DNA had the good fortune to cross paths with dozens of other 94 thru hikers and other trail folk. Long distance thru hiking is not just in my blood, but my DNA. Dry socks and cool breezes, everyone.

Big Falls Road, McCoy, Virginia	Memorial Chapel, Virginia Tech	Ice Storm 2, March 2	Ice fence at Blacksburg, VA, March 2	Ice Fence at Sunset	March 9 Ice Storm
Ice Storm by Squires	Maple Casualty of the Ice	Packing Resupply Caches	Gearcheck in Atlanta	AT Map, GA, NC, TN	Amicalola Gate, April 5
Amicalola Visitors Center, April 5	Amicalola Falls footbridge	Cemetary Road	Frosty Mountain	Debris along the Approach Trail	Black Mountain
Springer Mountain Brass Plaque	Springer Mountain Summit	National Scenic Trail Plaque	Springer Mountain Shelter, April 6	Georgia Hills before Spring	Iced Tree at Hawk Mt Shelter, April 7
Sassafras Mountain	Appalachian Trail Data Book	AT Data Book pages	Justus Creek	The Green Tunnel	Gooch Gap Shelter
Suches GA Post Office	Shadow Portrait, hiking toward Blood Mountain	Which way to Blood Mtn.?	Ascent up Blood Mountain	Looking S from Blood Mtn toward Springer	View North from Blood Mtn summit
Blood Mtn Shelter	AT Companion	AT Companion pages	Tesnatee Gap	Hog Pen Gap, Georgia, April 10	Low Gap Shelter
Mist Hiking, April 10	Blue Mountain Shelter	Boots = Foot Torture Devices	Journal Entry	Unicoi Gap, GA April 11	Trey Mountain Shelter, April 12
The Blueberry Patch, April 13	Plumorchard Gap Shelter, April 13	GA NC state line, Bly Gap	Coweeta Hydrological Laboratory	Albert Mountain Fire Tower	Albert Mtn. Firetower
Big Spring Shelter, Lunch	Spring starting in some of the lower valleys	Toward Franklin, NC	Winding Stair Gap, US 64	Wayah Bald	Valley view, April 17
One of the bald overlooks	Bald Lookout, April 17	Wesser Bald	Jumpup Lookout	Rufus Morgan Shelter	NOC April 18
ATC Regional Guides	ATC Section Guide example	So THIS is the Green Tunnel	Sassafras Gap Shelter, April 20	Sassafras Gap Shelter	Forest floor starting to come to life
noname Shelter	noname Shelter, April 20	Fontana Dam from Walker Gap	Fontana Lake from the shore	Fontana Hilton, April 20	Fontana Dam and Visitors Center
Fontana Dam spillway	Entering the GSMNP, April 22	Downy Serviceberry	Tired Dogs in Mollies Ridge	'DNA in Mollies Ridge Shelter	White tail at Mollies Ridge
Green Tunnel, Smokies	Horse and Rider	A.T. and Jenkins Ridge Junction	Moonrise, Derrick Knob Shelter	Climbing into Alpine Vegetation	Looking west in the Smokies