So, read what happened to my first cousin (Scott Johnston) this week. Fortunately, he'll be okay....

AT hikers return to normal pace
By Tonia Moxley and Shawna Morrison

PEARISBURG -- The Appalachian Trail reopened in Giles County on Thursday, two days after a pair of fishermen were shot and wounded in a crime that hauntingly resembled two gruesome killings committed near the same spot in 1981.

Officials removed the yellow crime scene tape that had cordoned off a 28-mile stretch of the trail while investigators searched for clues and other potential victims Wednesday, and hikers again began trekking through.

Perhaps, though, they had more to talk about than in any year since 1981, when Giles County native Randall Lee Smith Jr. killed two trail hikers at Wapiti Shelter, just a few miles up the road from where two fishermen had set up camp when police say Smith shot them Tuesday night.

"Man, I'm out here having the time of my life," said Nathan Adcock, a 31-year-old nurse from Asheville, N.C. "And then somebody's out there shooting."

Adcock -- trail name "Superchunk" -- and other friends he met along the trail spent the night Tuesday at Jenny's Knob shelter not far from the campsite where Smith is suspected of shooting Sean Farmer, 33, of Tazewell and Scott Johnston, 37, of Bluefield.

The pair were at their camp on Lions Den Road when a man Giles County investigators believe was Smith walked up and struck up a conversation. He hung around for about three hours, staying to have a dinner of fresh trout and baked beans with the men.

After they ate, the man reportedly jumped up and pulled out a gun. Farmer was shot in the face and chest. Johnston was shot in the neck and back.

The men fled out of the forest in Farmer's Jeep Cherokee and sought help a couple of miles away at the home of Sheila and Melissa Miller, two sisters who live on Dismal Creek Road.

Farmer has been released from the hospital, friends said. A spokesman for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital said Johnston was still in serious condition Thursday.

Smith was captured about 9:40 p.m. after crashing Johnston's pickup truck on Sugar Run Road near Eggleston, police said. He also was taken to Roanoke Memorial, where investigators said he was in stable condition and being guarded by a deputy.

Giles County Lt. Ron Hamlin said Smith will be charged with two counts of attempted capital murder, grand larceny and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

By Thursday afternoon, the Lions Den campsite had been dismantled by investigators. The tents and lawn chairs Farmer and Johnston had set up were gone. The clothes that had been draped across a line strung between two trees a day earlier had been taken down.

But investigators were still trying to find clues in the case, including a campsite where Smith may have stayed in the two months since he went missing from his home near Pearisburg.

On Wednesday, officials with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service split up into three groups, with each group assigned to search stretches of the closed-off trail that was thought to be 25 miles long, said T.J. Mullins, a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service.

"One group wound up with 10" miles, Mullins said. Its members had Thursday off "and I owe them a steak dinner," he said.

The trail sees a lot of through-hikers this time of year, he said, and officials wanted to get the trail searched so it could be reopened.

Thursday, he said, the search had shifted to a four-mile radius surrounding the trail, and there was talk of bringing in a helicopter to view the forest from the air.

"Yesterday we didn't want folks walking up on something" like a piece of evidence or a potential victim, Mullins said.

Nothing was found, though, and officials have no reason to believe there were any other victims, he said.

"We're keeping it in mind, but we're not actively looking," he said.

The search has taken investigators as far as 45 miles from the campsite, he said.

"The big effort is coming to a close right now," Mullins said, "but we've got a lot of small pieces of information to follow up on, and that's going to take months."

In 1982, Smith pleaded guilty to the brutal stabbing of Susan Ramsay and the shooting of Robert Mountford Jr., two AT hikers from Maine.

He is said to have befriended the pair and spent part of the day with them before returning to the shelter, where he killed them and buried their bodies in shallow graves.

Investigators said he befriended Farmer and Johnston, too, before repeatedly shooting them.

Smith spent 15 years in prison for the killings, then returned home to his mother's house just outside Pearisburg where neighbors said he led a mostly reclusive life until Tuesday evening.

Josh McClellan, who goes by Beartrap, a through-hiker from Gainesville, Fla., camped near Trent's Store not far from the shooting site Wednesday and was the only hiker left there Thursday afternoon.

He said he was waiting for his girlfriend, who was driving up from Florida to spend some time with him before he moved on.

"Scared? No. As long as they got the guy," McClellan said. The shootings "aren't going to change the daily routine" of the hike, he said.

He described that routine the past 48 sometimes-chilly spring days as "wet socks, frozen shoes, good times."

Besides, the 29-year-old said, "you're never alone on the trail."

Many hikers headed out early, but Adcock planned to stay at the Holiday Motor Lodge in Pearisburg until today to wait out forecasts of bad weather.

Some hikers will likely be jumpy for the next month as they pass through the area, said Jack Noll of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

He called awareness of the surroundings "the biggest weapon you have out there."

This video is a perfect example of why Jim Neal deserves your vote. His opponent's arrogance is out of control. Check out the end of this video...

If antone is interested in reading about the US Senate debate last night, here is a link to a good summary article:

http://media.www.carolinianonline.com/media/storage/paper301/news/2008/04/29/CampusNews/Senate.Candidates.Debate.On.Spartan.Tv-3359152.shtml

2 Awesome songs by comedian Stephen Lynch...

March is off to a good start Sports-wise...

My Utah Jazz - 5-0 this month
My Charlotte Bobcats - 5-0 this month
My Carolina Hurricanes - 5-0 this month
My ECU Pirates Baseball Team 8-0 this month
Even my ECU Men's Basketball Team had a three-game win streak!

Just the other day I started thinking about which single episodes of TV shows were the best. I thought long and hard about it, and my pick is "The Contest" episode on Seinfeld. The whole premise of the episode was pure genius. Any thoughts?

Travel - I'm ooking forward to some upcoming trips. In May, we've rented a cabin in Ashe County for Memorial Day weekend. It's the 5th installment of my Trips to all of the NC Counties. We've got some awesome things planned, including horseback rides, hiking, and tubing. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate. Also, I'm headed to Chicago in just 44 days!

New Adventures - On Sunday I went hiking at Occoneechee State Natural Area in Hillsborough. It was a cool place. I posted some pictures in Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecugreg/). I'm definitely headed back.

Movies - Netflix has turned out to be a god investment. I saw The Departed over the weekend. Good movie, but the dialogue was a bit over-the-top. I'm not bothered by profane tirades, but they should atleast be believable dialogues. Nevertheless, good movie. I've got Transformers on my desk.

Music - Wow, it's a guilty pleasure, but that new Leona Lewis song - "Bleeding Love" rocks my socks. I've played it over and over again. Know what song I FREAKING HATE? That God awful Taylor Swift song "Teardrops on my Guitar". Someone should dropkick her.

TV - I really think Ryan Seacrest has the hots for David Archuleta. That is all.

Politics - Why won't Hillary just go away? Wow, I can't believe that she's making a comeback.

Oh my God. Did anyone see "Lost" tonight? I NEVER saw that one coming. That show is un-freakin'-believable!

Three important notes:

1. RAMBUTAN is in season. You should find some, buy some, and eat some. They are delicious!
2. "Breathless" by Dan Wilson is a kick-ass song. You should download it, listen to it, and enjoy it!
3. Travelling like a crazy person. Charlotte in March. Chicago in April. New York City in May. A cool cabin in Ashe County in May. Avery County in June. Pittsburgh & Wheeling in July. Beaufort County in August. Arkansas in October.

All the happenings of 2008 that you need to know:

New Years Eve/Day - Jacqui was moving to NYC, so she suggested throwing a going-away/New Years celebration. It was an imprompyu party, but turned out to be a wild success. My two favorite moments: were running around with sparklers outside and convincing David to drink water out of a ladle. Good times!

Resolutions... or lack there of - Maybe it was the party that made me tired and lazy on New Year's Day, but I chose not to even attempt a resolution. It's unlike me, but I just didn't have the motivation this year.

Fifth Row Hockey Tickets - I got myself two free tickets to a Carolina Hurricanes game in the fifth row. The seats were awesome. I decided to take Amity, because I knew she and I would have fun together. Actually, I gave Will first dibs, but he couldn't go. It's awesome to see games that close up. After the game, we were not paying attention and walked the wrong way. It let to a 20-minute walk in the freezing cold. Fortuneately, we survived.

Green Building - I've finally found my niche at work. I was searching for awhile to excel in something that other people may not know much about. Having a bit of expertise in a particular field is always a smart career move. I've been doing alot of studying in LEED & green building. As environmental issues take the forefront over the next decade, I'm really hoping that I can find myself in a lucrative spot. Earlier this month, I went to a class to learn about more about environmentally-friendly building techniques. I also convinced the powers-that-be to get me enough money to take a Green Building Class in Washington, DC next year.

Movies - Saw "Juno", "Away From Her",  and "Atonement". "Juno" and "Atonement" were very good, but not great. Juno was quirky and entertaining, but a bit over-the-top. Atonement was beautifully made and directed, but hardly captivating. "Away From Her" was sad, and a good story on an important issue, but I found myself a bit bored. I'll probably see "Clovefield" this week. I also joined Netflix.

San Francisco - Went to San Francisco last weeked. It turned out to be a nice trip. I visited with Tim, drove through the Wine Country, saw a geyser, visited Half Moon Bay, and visited Point Reyes. In the city, we went to the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, and to tons of bars. I was pretty drained, but plenty inspired.

A New Fitness Plan - I'm proud to say that I am on Day Five of a new fitness plan that I have been doing online. It's great! I have eaten extremely healthy, and the workouts are not too intense for a beginner. Tonight I made Abs Diet Burgers to eat over the next couple of days. I made steamed broccoli, and a light spinach salad to eat with them. I've never been so charged about a fitness plan. It's incredible, how juiced I am about this. I really feel like I am going to stick with this.

A New Haircut - So I'm going to try out a new look. I got the 1st phase done the other day. It's longer on the top and trimmed up on the sides really short. My goal is to get the top considerably longer and then try growing out the sides when it's a bit longer.

Television - I'm really excited about the return of "Lost". I've been checking out some of their web sites for Oceanic Airlines and Find815.com. It's such a good show. I love it. "The Amazing Race" was pretty good this season. I liked the outcome a lot. "American Idol" is back, and it's okay. Not much to say so far about it. "Orangutan Island" is a cute little show on Animal Planet. I love it. You should watch. They are amazing animals.

Tax Returns - Love 'em! That's all I have to say about that.

17 Days, 3,500 Miles, and a whole lotta pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecugreg/sets/72157602483956190/

Take a look at the entire trip. They took forever to post & edit.

I'm heading out on my Arizona trip in a few weeks, and I've set my itinerary. Here's the plan:

September 22 - Fly RDU to PHX. After we arrive, we're driving south to Casa Grande National Monument and Picacho Peak State Park. We'll be spending the night in Sierra Vista with some of Amity's friends.

September 23 - We're spending the day in Tucson. Major stops include Saguaro National Park, a tour of the Biosphere, and the University of Arizona. We'll also spend some time in downtown Tucson, before heading back to Sierra Vista for the night.

September 24 - An early morning stop in Tombstone to see the OK Corral. Then we'll head over to the artsy mining town of Bisbee. Then we'll spend the rest of the day hiking at Ciricahua National Monument.

September 25 - This will be a long day of driving. We're heading north up the Coronado National Trail, later in the day we'll head to Petrified Forest National Park.

September 26 - A drive along the north rim of Canyon de Chelly National Monument in the morning. Then we're heading to the small town of Teec Nos Pos. It's where US Highway 64 begins. Since I grew up very close to the end of US64, I want to see the start. Next stop,  Four Corners where we will venture into New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Then it's off to Page, AZ for the night.

September 27 - We're spending the day in Page. We'll start off our day going to catch the morning sunlight at Antelope Canyon. Then we'll head north to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and catch some Arizona sunshine at Lake Powell.

September 28 - Grand Canyon National Park - North Rim

September 29 - Grand Canyon National Park - South Rim

September 30 - We're spending the day in Flagstaff. Stops include the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Humphrey's Peak, and Northern Arizona University.

October 01 - The day's agenda include Sedona and Prescott. We'll stop at Slide Rock State Park, Red Rocks State Park, Jerome Historical State Park, and Arcosanti.

October 02 - A drive along historic Route 66 to Kingman, then we'll head north to Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Hoover Dam.

October 03 - Walking on the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

October 04 - A day in Lake Havasu City, including Lake Havasu State Park and the London Bridge.

October 05 - Driving back to Phoenix with a stop at Alamo Lake State Park.

October 06-07 - Sightseeing in the Phoenix area. We'll be swinging by Copper Square in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona State University, the Arizona State Capitol, and Mystery Castle.

October 08 - It's back to Raleigh-Durham. =(

A - Appalachian State got paid $400K to beat Michigan in the Big House and destroy any chance of a national title that the Wolverines might have had.

B - Boston College looked like a serious ACC contender by wiping out the defending ACC Champs Wake Forest by 10 on their home field.

C - Cal proved to be a national contender by beating the Vols by two touchdowns.

D - Damien Fletcher led Southern Miss with 156 yards of rushing on Saturday in a 35-13 win over Tennessee-Martin.

E - East Carolina's defense looked tough in a 10-point loss to VT. ECU could be a CUSA contender.

F - Florida International continued to be the worst team in the Bowl Championship Series with their 13th straight loss at the hands of Penn State.

G - Georgia Tech may have had the best week in the ACC with a 30-point blowout at Notre Dame.

H - Hawaii's Colt Brennan lived up to the hype with 416 yards and 6 touchdowns vs. Northern Colorado

I - Illinois proved that they may be better than expected with a 6-point loss against Big 12 favorite Missouri.

J - Jabari Marshall may be the only bright spot for Duke this season. Their leading returner avereaged over 38 yards per ruturn. Nevertheless, Duke continued their horrendous losing streak with a huge loss to UConn.

K - Kent State earned a big win over Iowa State 23-14. The victory could mean that KSU is a player in the MAC, or that ISU is destined for the cellar of the Big 12. Maybe it could mean both.

L - LSU's defense looked awesome in a 45-0 drubbing of Mississippi State. They definitely looked better than USC.

M - Miami looks like they may have bounced back in a 31-3 win over a good Marshall squad.

N - Nebraska may be back on the national scene. The #20 Cornhuskers destroyed Nevada 52-10.

O - Offensive prowess at Oklahoma and Louisville. The Sooners routed North Texas 79-10. Louisville demolished Murray State 73-10.

P - Purdue played one of the MAC's best teams, Toledo. The end result, Pudue came away with a 52-24 win. Take notice Big Ten fans!

Q - "Quan"-tity and quality at Rutgers with Tiquan Underwood's NCAA-leading 248 yard rushing day in a 38-3 blowout of Buffalo.

R - Rice joined Michigan in the embarrassing loss club. Rice lost to I-AA Nicholls State 16-14 on Saturday.

S - Syracuse may be destined for another season at the bottom of the Big East after a 42-12 loss on their home field to Pac-10 chump Washington.

T - Texas may be ranked #4, but they will be dropping big after barely squeaking by Arkansas State 21-13.

U - UCF continued NC State's woes against Conference USA with a 25-23 UCF win in Raleigh. NC State has lost to UCF, Southern Miss, and East Carolina in the last year.

V - Virginia continued to be favored against Wyoming for the second straight year. Wyoming  demolished the Cavs for the second straight year with a 23-3 thumping on Saturday. Overrated, much?

W - West Virginia made their mark with a 62-24 win over Western Michigan. The win should keep them at #3 in the polls.

X - Baylor got X-ed on the scoreboard against TCU on Saturday, losing 27-0. The Horned Frogs made a strong start to their case from the Mid-Major BCS spot.

Y - I-AA Youngstown State was no match for Ohio State, but the 38-6 score didn't establish the Buckeyes as a powerhouse on the national scene.

Z - The Akron Zips scored a 22-14 win over Army. The win was good, but not convincing enough to earn the Zips much credibility to lead the MAC this season.

Yep, I've been slack as hell and am long overdue for a good old fashioned blog. Summer's always a busy time, and writing in the Journal is a bit of a chore when it's beautiful outside. OK, so sweltering heat may not be that beautiful, but it's an excuse.

Here's what I've been up to:

July 10 - Amity and I went to Winston-Salem for a fun day with her friend Kelly. It was a good time. We started off at Old Salem. We walked around the buildings, and I had one of those Moravian cookies (which were way overrated). After Old Salem, we hit up the Midtown Dessertery. I used to go there all time with Gerry back in the day, so it was fun to go back. It hasn't changed much at all. It was funny how I had remembered the place very differently than it actually was. The food was as good as I remembered though. Later on we went to Pilot Mountain. We walked the Jameokee Trail around the pinnacle. It was ridiculously hot, so the hike wasn't that fun. Later we drove to Mount Airy and walked around it's Mayberry themed downtown. All in all - a fun day had by all.

July 14 - Amity & Brad celebrated their birthdays at a Durham Bulls game. The game was really long, but fairly exciting since it was high scoring. A whole lot of people went to the game, but it was hard to socialize because of the seating arrangements. Dan and I walked around the stadium for awhile, and spent most of the night talking to Amity & Andria.

July 20 - Sanford had a pretty fun party. JoeVo, Tony, and I decided that we are going to form a Pop Culture Team and try out for the World Series of Pop Culture Trivia next year.

July 22 - Dan & I went to dinner with his mentor and his wife in Chapel Hill. We went to an Italian place in Chapel Hill that was great. Apparently it is the Chapel Hill version of 518 in Raleigh.

July 28 - I threw a dinner party for Matt, Jacqui, Steve, Jason, Sarah, Dan, & Andria. It was cool to have people over (especially since now we don't have roommate tensions since Erin moved out). The food was not stellar, but I never claimed to be a cook. Lots of wine was had.

July 29 - Dan & I went to the Bodies Exhibit and then saw the Simpsons Movie. The BE was great! Medicine isn't usually my thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Simpsons Movie was OK, but nothing to write home about.

July 30 - I went to dinner with my sister Carol at a place in Raleigh called Bella Monica. Good food! It's in Edwards Mill. We hung out for a while after dinner.

August 03 - Shomali met me for dinner. She got a job in Dallas and was leaving on the 5th. We had dinner at the Borough and reminisced on some old times. I'm looking forward to visiting her in Dallas. She said that she'd pay to take me to a Cowboys game if I visited. That's a deal I cannot refuse! Ive talked to her a few times, since and she seems to be doing well thus far.

August 04 - Dan, Amity, and myself went on our Anson County Trip. We stopped in Troy beforehand to see the town and visit the Town Creek Indian Mound. In Anson County we drove around to each of the towns. Wadesboro is the county seat, so we spent some time there at the courthouse, and in a few stores. There wasn't a whole lot to do, but the people were VERY nice there. People walked up to us, and were really curious if we were actually tourists. We spent some time at City Pond, Blewitt Falls Lake, and the PeeDee River too. Dan had never been to South Carolina, so we took a detour into Cheraw too. 

August 11 - I went with Dan to Asheville to visit Marcie. Margaret and her boyfriend Jason went too. We had a fun time. Marcie took us into downtown Asheville for dinner and drinks. We also played Baggo - that was a new experience.

August 12 - We drove from Asheville to Chimney Rock State Park on our way back. Chimney Rock was killer. We had lunch at a small cafe on the river. Our waitress was this beautiful El Salvadoran girl. She had just come here to live with her husband, and was expecting her first child, but wasn't showing yet (Thank God). Anyway, she was so happy when she was telling us about coming to America. It was really moving to how proud she was to be in this country. It made me happy that she was allowed to come here. After lunch, we went to Chimney Rock. It was really fun, but exhausting. First we hiked up to Hickory Nut Falls, then we went up to the pinnacle. One part of the hike was called the Needles, and I kind of freaked out a bit. It was a very steep spiral staircase with no railings up a cliffside. I panicked and had to crawl up. Nevertheless, it was a fun time.

OK. That's my update. I promise I will not wait six weeks before my next one.