They say that home is where the heart is, and I received a much needed boost of morale and motivation as I crossed into my home state of New Jersey. The notoriously jagged and unstable rocks were over (many thru-hikers assumed that the rocks would be just as bad in Jersey, but I assured them that they were in for a much more enjoyable time), I was in familiar territory, and I would soon be meeting up with friends and family to catch up and tell about my adventures.
Before saying farewell to my aunt from Allentown, PA and slackpacking up the steep pile of boulders called the Superfund Site, we went to the Palmerton Hotel for all-you-can-eat wings. Going up the superfund was superfun (I'm probably the thousandth thru-hiker to crack that joke, but a comedian such as myself has to steal jokes sometimes), but I later could feel the wings in my stomach sitting there like one of the many boulders. And the fact that synthesizing protein apparently takes more water than usual (which I found out after carefully gauging how much water I'd need for my slackpack) left me very thirsty at the reuniting of me and my pack. The next day, I headed into the town of Delaware Water Gap, PA where we celebrated the end of "Rocksylvania" and struggled to sleep in a hot but very convenient hostel at Church Of The Mountain. The following day, I crossed into Jersey cheering on the walkway adjacent to I-80 like a maniac and enjoyed open ridgelines and wild blueberries.
Slackpacking two times more, cheering on Scott Jurek as he breezed on by (a world-class ultra runner currently attempting to break the speed record for completing the AT), and getting caught in a torrential but exciting storm cell highlighted my time hiking near home in NJ and NY. As New York progressed and gave way to Connecticut though, many hikers and I noticed that the terrain became abruptly steep (often requiring scrambling with the hands) and littered with roots. Views also became more sparse, and I began to notice that all of the trail magic coolers left at road crossings were empty, making for a disheartening sight. What I attributed to bad luck became solved when I caught up to a hiker named Hawkeye, who constantly begs other hikers for food and money (all the while having plenty of money to somehow sustain his alcoholism) and has been known to steal food and treats meant for sharing. Now I don't usually like to give a negative shout out to a current thru-hiker, but as I've said many times before, the Appalachian Trail is a community, and rules of etiquette must be followed. It was disappointing to have this happen, but I hope that he learns his lesson.
Besides never receiving the moral boost that I thought I'd get from trail magic coolers, the steep terrain, and lack of views, rain had come recently. The rain doesn't always bother me, but with other factors involved, it can be a real bummer on a thru-hike. And all of these factors piling up honestly made me want to call it quits, which was a first for me. I almost felt guilty, because I have made it through lots of other storms, braved the rocks of Pennsylvania, and sweated and swatted my way through hot and buggy days. But this was the first time that getting up in the morning and bracing myself to hike felt like a chore, and I desperately hoped for the sake of my hike that at least one of the negative factors would disappear.
Sure enough though, another boost of morale came as I stumbled across a hiker feed put on by ALDHA (the Appalachian Long Distance Hiker's Association) later on in Connecticut, and I reunited with familiar faces that I thought I'd never see again. Also, earlier today, I crossed into Massachusetts, where I was greeted by awesome views and scenery reminiscent of the Adirondacks. For me, this was a sign that things are only going to get better, and I had a sort or revival that very much saved my thru-hike. I am currently in the town of Great Barrington, MA and am about to explore the town. I'm excited for 4th of July and the rest of Massachusetts!
Monday, June 29, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Link for my Paterson fundraiser
So I realized that people without facebook may want to donate to Paterson, so here's the link. Give as you feel led: http://www.gofundme.com/n6fotk
The Land In Between
Since I last left you all, I have finished the last 50 miles of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and most of Pennsylvania. To put it simply, the last of Virginia was up and down, West Virginia was historical, Maryland was wet, and Pennsylvania has been the land in between. I call it that because some guy who made the trail famous but didn't even finish half of it (In case you're wondering, it's the author of "A Walk In The Woods" Bill Bryson; many thru-hikers are coincidentally annoyed by this fact) described Pennsylvania as "a connection between the South and the North." Despite the man's lack of genuineness when it comes to thru-hiking, I must agree that Pennsylvania's terrain has been particularly unforgiving and the state has earned a reputation as one to buckle down and get through. Not to say there aren't any rewarding parts, but I have found it akin to taking the SAT's: an essential step to achieving a goal, but definitely not an enjoyable one.
Right after Front Royal, VA, I hit a 13 mile stretch of abrupt ups and downs aptly named the rollercoaster. Though each hill only had an elevation gain and loss of less than 500 feet, the fatigue of constantly ascending and descending made this one of the most challenging parts of the trail so far. The sweat coming off my face literally resembled waterfalls, as I constantly wiped my face just to be able to see and breathe. I'm pretty sure I went through 5 liters of water that day. Thankfully, I was able to wash off and unwind at Bear's Den Hostel, which offered a hiker special of a bunk, load of laundry, pizza, and pint of ice cream for very cheap. We spent that evening trying to replenish lost calories and watch old trail documentaries featuring hikers with very outdated gear. It made me think how much harder climbing the rollercoaster must've been with heavier gear and how grateful I am for the companies who make my lightweight gear.
The next day, I made my way to Harper's Ferry, where the Appalachian Trail Conference headquarters is located. They have a small museum and bookstore, along with the draw that is the scrapbook of all thru-hikers each year who stop by to get their picture taken at the psychological halfway point. Because I underestimated how much time it would take for me to get there before they closed, I found myself hurrying like a stressed out guy in the real world. I ended up going so fast that I accidentally missed where the trail went straight after the bridge crossing the Shenandoah River and instead took a path straight to the historic downtown (a side-trail leading to the headquarters can be found on the AT before that). I saw that something wasn't right when I came across historic buildings and a National Park Service info building, and by that time I had lost all hope of making the headquarters on time due to overshooting it. Thankfully though, a ranger was able to give me a ride up with 15 minutes to spare, and I took my ceremonial picture posing with the ukulele.
Because that particular evening posed a threat of thunderstorms, I wanted to find a place that offered work-for-stay rather than camp outside of town like I originally planned. I came across Stony Brook Farms in my AT guide and decided to give it a try. I got taken over to what turned out to be a Christian commune by the name of Twelve Tribes, where everybody either did farm work or made baked goods for the general store nearby. Everyone wore Mennonite-style clothing and had an abnormally patient and welcoming demeanor. There were two thru-hikers I met who came in to do work-for-stay just like I did, and when I learned that that was two weeks ago, I made sure to stand my ground and make it clear that I had to leave by late the next morning. Long story short, I met wonderful people, stayed out the rain (that definitely came down), and helped out on the farm by pulling weeds from their beet field.
From there, I headed 18 miles into Maryland where I set my tent up and met my aunt for dinner, which was nice (also because details regarding the trail that have become mundane to us thru-hikers become very interesting to someone not affiliated whom I can share them with). However, it started to rain during dinner, and I came back to my tent later that night with a puddle of water gathered on the floor. After a wet night, I was greeted by an even wetter morning, where drudgingly packed up my waterlogged sleeping bag and tent and headed to the next shelter to forget the day's existence. The next day, however, proved to be good cruising weather (perfect temperature, no harsh sunlight, no bugs), and I regained my pace by doing 30 miles into Pennsylvania.
During my second day in PA, I took part in a thru-hiker tradition called the "Half Gallon Challenge", where one devours a whole half gallon of ice cream from the general store at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It was a difficult challenge that definitely whetted my appetite for ice cream for quite some time. The next day, I headed into the town of Boiling Springs, where I reunited with a group of people I hiked with for a while earlier named Team Vortex (called so because they "vortex" each other into staying in town longer due to peer pressure). While they got a traditionally late start in town, I decided to slackpack to the next town called Duncannon with the help of Trail Angel Mary, who had a very interesting life story and who gave her heart and soul to making the hiker community a better place. In exchange, I housesat for her while she went east for a pool tournament, and I got to wait for Team Vortex to catch up. The next day, we had plans to head out, but we heard that a severe thunderstorm was supposed to come through, so we decided to wait it out at a house owned by an older couple who caters to thru-hikers. We spent the evening playing our favorite card game called gumball, and they let us stay in the upper level of their garage, which we were very grateful for.
Right after Duncannon is where the rocks of PA started to become very annoying and unforgiving. Not only did they force our feet into weird angles, but some were sharp against our already tender feet and others were unstable, causing us to almost lose our balance on each and every step. The heat and humidity during the last couple of days had also been above average, putting us in a cloud of delirium regardless of our water intake. And on top of all that, a certain kind of aggressive, persistent bug became part of our lives, constantly threatening to fly into our eyes and ears. Taking into account our foot pain, bug bites, and heat chafing, I honestly can't remember a time in the past couple of days where I wasn't in pain. I feel like PA has taught me an important lesson--that despite my feeling strong and unstoppable, I have a limit that I'll eventually hit and will simply have to deal with. All of these recent factors made hiking very hard through eastern PA, and it would easily be the worst part of my trip so far--if it weren't for the trail magic. That's right, I've found the trail magic in this area to be extraordinary with their friendliness and selection of items. It's almost like people from eastern PA are trying to make up for a bad reputation or something....
On the bright side, I only have two days left until I enter New Jersey, which I'm very excited about. I'm now spending the night with an aunt in Allentown, PA, and will be enjoying some all-you-can-eat wings tomorrow before hitting trail. I love experiencing new places and things, but I'm definitely looking forward to the familiarity of Jersey.
Right after Front Royal, VA, I hit a 13 mile stretch of abrupt ups and downs aptly named the rollercoaster. Though each hill only had an elevation gain and loss of less than 500 feet, the fatigue of constantly ascending and descending made this one of the most challenging parts of the trail so far. The sweat coming off my face literally resembled waterfalls, as I constantly wiped my face just to be able to see and breathe. I'm pretty sure I went through 5 liters of water that day. Thankfully, I was able to wash off and unwind at Bear's Den Hostel, which offered a hiker special of a bunk, load of laundry, pizza, and pint of ice cream for very cheap. We spent that evening trying to replenish lost calories and watch old trail documentaries featuring hikers with very outdated gear. It made me think how much harder climbing the rollercoaster must've been with heavier gear and how grateful I am for the companies who make my lightweight gear.
The next day, I made my way to Harper's Ferry, where the Appalachian Trail Conference headquarters is located. They have a small museum and bookstore, along with the draw that is the scrapbook of all thru-hikers each year who stop by to get their picture taken at the psychological halfway point. Because I underestimated how much time it would take for me to get there before they closed, I found myself hurrying like a stressed out guy in the real world. I ended up going so fast that I accidentally missed where the trail went straight after the bridge crossing the Shenandoah River and instead took a path straight to the historic downtown (a side-trail leading to the headquarters can be found on the AT before that). I saw that something wasn't right when I came across historic buildings and a National Park Service info building, and by that time I had lost all hope of making the headquarters on time due to overshooting it. Thankfully though, a ranger was able to give me a ride up with 15 minutes to spare, and I took my ceremonial picture posing with the ukulele.
Because that particular evening posed a threat of thunderstorms, I wanted to find a place that offered work-for-stay rather than camp outside of town like I originally planned. I came across Stony Brook Farms in my AT guide and decided to give it a try. I got taken over to what turned out to be a Christian commune by the name of Twelve Tribes, where everybody either did farm work or made baked goods for the general store nearby. Everyone wore Mennonite-style clothing and had an abnormally patient and welcoming demeanor. There were two thru-hikers I met who came in to do work-for-stay just like I did, and when I learned that that was two weeks ago, I made sure to stand my ground and make it clear that I had to leave by late the next morning. Long story short, I met wonderful people, stayed out the rain (that definitely came down), and helped out on the farm by pulling weeds from their beet field.
From there, I headed 18 miles into Maryland where I set my tent up and met my aunt for dinner, which was nice (also because details regarding the trail that have become mundane to us thru-hikers become very interesting to someone not affiliated whom I can share them with). However, it started to rain during dinner, and I came back to my tent later that night with a puddle of water gathered on the floor. After a wet night, I was greeted by an even wetter morning, where drudgingly packed up my waterlogged sleeping bag and tent and headed to the next shelter to forget the day's existence. The next day, however, proved to be good cruising weather (perfect temperature, no harsh sunlight, no bugs), and I regained my pace by doing 30 miles into Pennsylvania.
During my second day in PA, I took part in a thru-hiker tradition called the "Half Gallon Challenge", where one devours a whole half gallon of ice cream from the general store at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It was a difficult challenge that definitely whetted my appetite for ice cream for quite some time. The next day, I headed into the town of Boiling Springs, where I reunited with a group of people I hiked with for a while earlier named Team Vortex (called so because they "vortex" each other into staying in town longer due to peer pressure). While they got a traditionally late start in town, I decided to slackpack to the next town called Duncannon with the help of Trail Angel Mary, who had a very interesting life story and who gave her heart and soul to making the hiker community a better place. In exchange, I housesat for her while she went east for a pool tournament, and I got to wait for Team Vortex to catch up. The next day, we had plans to head out, but we heard that a severe thunderstorm was supposed to come through, so we decided to wait it out at a house owned by an older couple who caters to thru-hikers. We spent the evening playing our favorite card game called gumball, and they let us stay in the upper level of their garage, which we were very grateful for.
Right after Duncannon is where the rocks of PA started to become very annoying and unforgiving. Not only did they force our feet into weird angles, but some were sharp against our already tender feet and others were unstable, causing us to almost lose our balance on each and every step. The heat and humidity during the last couple of days had also been above average, putting us in a cloud of delirium regardless of our water intake. And on top of all that, a certain kind of aggressive, persistent bug became part of our lives, constantly threatening to fly into our eyes and ears. Taking into account our foot pain, bug bites, and heat chafing, I honestly can't remember a time in the past couple of days where I wasn't in pain. I feel like PA has taught me an important lesson--that despite my feeling strong and unstoppable, I have a limit that I'll eventually hit and will simply have to deal with. All of these recent factors made hiking very hard through eastern PA, and it would easily be the worst part of my trip so far--if it weren't for the trail magic. That's right, I've found the trail magic in this area to be extraordinary with their friendliness and selection of items. It's almost like people from eastern PA are trying to make up for a bad reputation or something....
On the bright side, I only have two days left until I enter New Jersey, which I'm very excited about. I'm now spending the night with an aunt in Allentown, PA, and will be enjoying some all-you-can-eat wings tomorrow before hitting trail. I love experiencing new places and things, but I'm definitely looking forward to the familiarity of Jersey.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Hardcore, Spy Rock, Bear Scream
You read that right. Those seemingly random quips would be the three most influential things that happened to me in the past few weeks. But this is the trail after all, so there are many more things that have happened in between which I feel obligated to share with you as well. So here we go.
I was originally going to take three zero-days with my family, since I was feeling the shock of being out of my trail element pretty strongly. But thanks to my begging sisters, I was forced to spend four and a half days off trail. I survived somehow, occupying my time with normal people activities such as cooking in a kitchen and walking without an intent. I also was able to import and organize some pictures, which I will be sharing very soon. After being dropped back onto the trail, I had a day's worth of elevation gain close to 5000 feet to conquer, which proved to be very tough for me, especially after several days off. However, what seemed like hell to me barely phased other hikers who were passing me on the upward-facing mass, which felt somewhat discouraging. At the beginning of the trip, almost everyone has to develop their "trail legs", which allow them to ease into big miles and will stay with them until the end of the trip. The couple of days I spent back on trail required me to build back some of the trail legs that I lost.
I eventually got to the road crossing near Buena Vista, VA, where I made my way down to Trail Days in Damascus, VA. Disclaimer to my Mom: if you don't like the idea of me hitchhiking, consider skipping this paragraph. Now that I got that out of the way, my journey down to Trail Days proved to be very tough. It took me four hitches to get to Interstate 81, down to basically the bottom of Virginia, and over to Damascus, a journey which usually takes 3 1/2 hours but took me 7. After getting to an Exxon station close to the I-81 entrance ramp in the back of a pick-up, I spent almost an hour and a half asking around seeing first off if anyone was heading south. Most people were heading north, which they may have said because they actually didn't want to pick up a grungy hiker, but I like to think more positive. Eventually, a Christian father of four from the North Carolina backwoods offered to bring me south on I-81 under one condition: that I drive so he could enjoy a couple of Bud Lights. That's right, he handed me the keys, I nervously remembered how to drive until I could put his rickedy 90's model Saturn on cruise control, and we got to talking about life, faith, and everything else under the sun and over the asphalt. It was great getting to know him, but he eventually needed to head eastward to get home, so he dropped me off and I took two more hitches which were less eventful before I headed into Damascus.
The town of Damascus, VA is occupied by about 600 full-time residents, but it swells to about 3000 during Trail Days. Among these are current and past thru-hikers, locals who consider it their version of a county fair (complete with smelly creatures, though the ones here wear packs apparently), and numerous trail angels such as Miss Janet (all hail the Oracle). Most of them set up their tents on the outskirts of town, which becomes aptly named "tent city". I can tell you first-hand that it is closer to a tent metropolis, as you can walk almost a half an hour through fields and woodlands and are constantly surrounded by tents of all shapes and sizes, makes and models. The buzz of energy and merriment and the smell of sizzling meats and bonfires is all consuming and constant, as you pass by "camps" manned by big-name trail angels and their assistants, each one surrounded by thru-hiker tents. A short walk outside tent city brings you to an extensive string of gear vendor and food booths, all meticulously engineered to satisfy the thru-hiker in everyone. The ATC, Gregory packs (the one I have, offering free repairs and exchanges), and even David "Awol" Miller (author of the AT Guide) all had booths set up. In all the public areas of town, historians, botanists, and notable hikers were giving seminars and workshops. I got to listen to the second person to ever thru-hike talk about his journey back in 1951 with an 80 lb pack including a canvas tent and a lead canteen (a stark contrast to the modern thru-hiker's gear). The second day had a hiker parade, with past thru-hikers grouping up and sporting banners and current thru-hikers peppered among. Marching down the main avenue, we were sprayed with water guns by townsfolk, a tradition started in order to clean off dirty hikers. Evenings were spent around a bonfire, jamming on whatever instruments one had or could fashion (my ukelele was a big hit).
While most people headed back on trail after the festivities, I decided to participate in a trail maintenance opportunity called Hardcore, hosted by a Chuck Norris-esque trail legend named Bob Peoples (jokes abound on the walls of a shelter outside of his hometown in Hampton, TN). A major perk in participating is that everyone gets dropped back onto the trail from wherever they came from through a ridesharing system, a lifesaver for me considering how far north I got off. Our group was one-hundred-strong and shared in communal dinners For two days, we combated erosion on one mile of the trail in the Roan Highlands, sweating and toiling our way toward an even better trail. It was a wonderful experience, and I got to opportunity to meet some wonderful people :). And plus, I even got the views that I missed the first time through the Roan Highlands.
After finally getting back onto the trail, I felt the onslaught of bugs for the first time on this trip. The fact that my buff covers my ears was a godsend (actually, the thanks goes to my Aunt Patty for giving it to me for Christmas, I've also gotten many a complement over the AT map design), considering how many flies attempted to kamikaze into them, but got stopped. However, I had to wear my sunglasses just to keep the bugs out of my eyes, despite the weather being fairly cloudy and them almost fogging up due to the extreme humidity. As I got to my campsite at Spy Rock, before me stood a stone mass rewarding me with a 360 degree view from to top to melt away the troubles of my day. The sunset from there was indescribable and probably the best view I have gotten so far on my trip.
The next day, I made my way over The Priest, notorious for it's long and rocky descent. But first, I stopped by The Priest Shelter and read from the blog that has traditionally become a catholic-style confessional, due to the mountain's namesake. The confessionals ranged from comically innocent to downright shocking, but were all accepted on part of the log being a confessional. It's just one of those gems of the trail. The day ended with a visit to Devil's Backbone Brewpub, which was offering half-gallon jugs of award-winning beer for half-price that day, as well as an assortment of great pub-style dinner options. These were all enjoyed by the ravaged thru-hikers, who were also allowed to camp along the field next to the brewery. The next morning was very special though, as we got to enjoy an incredible breakfast made specially for us thru-hikers, complete with eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and homemade sausage that was out-of-this-world (or at least out-of-this-country, as the founder is of Polish descent).
The day that awaited us was cold and rain, but filled with high spirits from the incredible breakfast. We headed into Waynesboro and zeroed the next day, filling up on the acclaimed chinese buffet in town. The next day, I entered Shenandoah National Park, which is renowned by hikers for it's wayside snackshops and abundant wildlife. The second day in, I saw my first bear, which I became aware of when I heard a scream from a fellow hiker a couple of yards ahead of me. The scream scared me way more than the bear to be honest, but I apparently learned that the scream was meant to get the bear off the trail, not as an initial response. The bear was cool, but the scream became the talk of camp, as it reminded us all of a trademark horror movie scream.
In the middle of the Shenandoahs, I got to visit with my cousin for the evening, which was very rewarding, and I made my way uneventfully through to the end of the park yesterday. Today, I will be spending my day in Front Royal, VA and will be staying at a historic hostel called Mountain Home Cabbin (spelt with two b's to honor the original owner who built it in the mid-1800's). I will be crossing the 1000 mile mark very soon and will finally be heading into my next state--West Virginia! I can't wait to tell you all about the next states to come!
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Virginia is for lovers.........of the trail
So where I last left you all, I had just crossed into Virginia. So far, it has been my most enjoyable state. Maybe I say this because I'm now well accustomed to the trail and the challenges that come with it, but I think that Virginia presents a little bit of everything. I've seen rocky landscapes with views every couple of hundred feet, lush forests with gradually sloping hills, and ascents with layers upon layers of blue tinted ridges. I've felt chilly nights, warm, breezy evenings, and blazing hot mid-days. Alone, these circumstances would leave a hiker exhausted and thoroughly frustrated with the state, but it is because Virginia has a little bit of everything that makes it so spontaneous and unforgettable.
Out of Damascus (where I got sucked into an extra zero day because of some friends), I headed up the flank of Mt Rodgers and into Grayson Highlands State park. This region is known for open grasslands and wild ponies, which came right up to us! I was very tempted to pet one, but park rules state that it is best not to, so I erred on the side of respect for my pony friends. However, I wished that I brought some carrots with me to feed to them. Me and my group were blessed with wonderful weather, but it caught me off guard how rocky the trail was. Miles of jagged and awkwardly-shaped rocks made the bottoms of my feet really hurt for the first time.
Another thing to mention about Damascus is that I had decided to send my winter gear home, anticipating that the weather would stay as warm as it had been. Even though I kept my winter sleeping bag for a while longer, I quickly realized that it was a mistake to send some layers home, especially as it got near freezing in the evenings and mornings at camp. Alas, I trucked on, and eventually made it to Partnership Shelter, which is right by the Mt Rodgers Visitors Center. A special thing about that shelter is that hikers are able to order a pizza and pick it up right next to the shelter. It was a novel, well-deserved treat to eat pizza at a shelter. Because I couldn't even finish my crusts, I zip-locked them and took them the next day to warm back up over a fire. Truly, pizza for days.
From there, I headed through several farm fields, which offered different but nonetheless beautiful vistas down the trail. I even passed by a settlers museum with a school house building where a local church left trail magic of soda, chips, fruit, and other hiker needs (including Ibuprophen, which I promptly took for my aching feet). The Next day, I went to a fully enclosed shelter at the top of Chestnut Knob, which offered incredible views to the north of a formation known as "God's thumbprint", called so because the mountains seem to form a thumb-like indentation. The shelter was beautiful, but that the water source was essentially a frog pond located 0.2 miles down (I definitely needed to backwash my water filter the next day). This particular mountain was significant because it is the highest elevation the trail hits (~4400 ft) until the White Mountains all the way up in New Hampshire. I guess it will now be lower hills for a while (not a bad thing, but just as a matter of perspective).
A couple of days later, we heard that the same church that left trail magic at the school building was hosting a free, all-you-can-eat breakfast for thru-hikers every Monday, so we timed our pace to end up there at the right moment. The breakfast was crowded with hikers in the small church building, but that didn't seem to phase the elders and members from being hospitable and just incredible to us. I was very grateful to be able to experience that. Later that day, I headed to a shelter that seemed to have an inconveniently far water source, and it wasn't until I got back up that another hiker told me that there was an alternate source only 100 yards in the other direction. Oops. I know that in the context of walking in society, a lot of people tell thru-hikers that a mile should be nothing for them and that it makes no difference, but I can assure them that at the end of a full day of hiking, every dang foot of extra walking counts.
A couple of days later, me and my group stayed at Woods Hole Hostel, which is in a renovated cottage from the late 1800's. What makes this place special is that it has its own farm and prepares community meals from locally harvested and grown products (we had mountain gumbo that night, which was incredible). The owners have a strong focus on sustainable and healthy living, and they offered messages and yoga sessions (which I gladly participated in, my body really needed it). Later that night, one of their goats gave birth to a kid, so we were all able to welcome him to the world. It was definitely an amazing moment. The next day, we headed to the town of Pearisburg, where we ate at a Chinese buffet, picked up supplies, and nursed our food babies in a motel watching survivalist shows on History Channel, all the while laughing at how dramatically their tribulations are presented. I guess that when we are in the middle of hard days and circumstances, it doesn't seem as entertaining without a camera crew waiting on us.
The next day, we hiked many miles to a house right near the trail across the river, where a man named The Captain lets thru-hikers camp out in his backyard. The only way to get there is to zipline across the river, and some people almost got their feet and the bottoms of their packs wet. We jammed by the fire, and I fried slices of summer sausage to make trail bacon, which momentarily whetted the hiker appetite in me. The next couple of days, the weather started to get very warm, and we were greeted with open views from rocky ledges. The most famous of those were Dragon's Tooth (a stone monolith which requires a scramble to the top) and Mcafee Knob (the most photographed section of the trail). Though the weather was wonderful, many of us started getting rashes below our shoulders due to the extra sweat and friction from our straps. Gross, I know, but it is a reality of hiker life (at least at the beginning of the warm season).
For Cinco de Mayo, I decided to host my own trail magic at a shelter right after a town. I got the idea a while ago of carrying up a baking sheet as a griddle and quesadilla fixings for hikers to make their own. It went really well, and it was great to be giving back to the trail, especially after how much it has given to me thus far. The next day, I hiked 16 miles in 4 1/2 hours to meet up with my sisters for one of their graduations, and it has been a great time sharing my experiences first hand and recuperating for the next leg of my trip. From here, I'll hike for a bit more, and head back down to Damascus for a hiker festival called Trail Days. I'm excited for the rest of Virginia, and I'll be sure to tell you how it all goes!
Out of Damascus (where I got sucked into an extra zero day because of some friends), I headed up the flank of Mt Rodgers and into Grayson Highlands State park. This region is known for open grasslands and wild ponies, which came right up to us! I was very tempted to pet one, but park rules state that it is best not to, so I erred on the side of respect for my pony friends. However, I wished that I brought some carrots with me to feed to them. Me and my group were blessed with wonderful weather, but it caught me off guard how rocky the trail was. Miles of jagged and awkwardly-shaped rocks made the bottoms of my feet really hurt for the first time.
Another thing to mention about Damascus is that I had decided to send my winter gear home, anticipating that the weather would stay as warm as it had been. Even though I kept my winter sleeping bag for a while longer, I quickly realized that it was a mistake to send some layers home, especially as it got near freezing in the evenings and mornings at camp. Alas, I trucked on, and eventually made it to Partnership Shelter, which is right by the Mt Rodgers Visitors Center. A special thing about that shelter is that hikers are able to order a pizza and pick it up right next to the shelter. It was a novel, well-deserved treat to eat pizza at a shelter. Because I couldn't even finish my crusts, I zip-locked them and took them the next day to warm back up over a fire. Truly, pizza for days.
From there, I headed through several farm fields, which offered different but nonetheless beautiful vistas down the trail. I even passed by a settlers museum with a school house building where a local church left trail magic of soda, chips, fruit, and other hiker needs (including Ibuprophen, which I promptly took for my aching feet). The Next day, I went to a fully enclosed shelter at the top of Chestnut Knob, which offered incredible views to the north of a formation known as "God's thumbprint", called so because the mountains seem to form a thumb-like indentation. The shelter was beautiful, but that the water source was essentially a frog pond located 0.2 miles down (I definitely needed to backwash my water filter the next day). This particular mountain was significant because it is the highest elevation the trail hits (~4400 ft) until the White Mountains all the way up in New Hampshire. I guess it will now be lower hills for a while (not a bad thing, but just as a matter of perspective).
A couple of days later, we heard that the same church that left trail magic at the school building was hosting a free, all-you-can-eat breakfast for thru-hikers every Monday, so we timed our pace to end up there at the right moment. The breakfast was crowded with hikers in the small church building, but that didn't seem to phase the elders and members from being hospitable and just incredible to us. I was very grateful to be able to experience that. Later that day, I headed to a shelter that seemed to have an inconveniently far water source, and it wasn't until I got back up that another hiker told me that there was an alternate source only 100 yards in the other direction. Oops. I know that in the context of walking in society, a lot of people tell thru-hikers that a mile should be nothing for them and that it makes no difference, but I can assure them that at the end of a full day of hiking, every dang foot of extra walking counts.
A couple of days later, me and my group stayed at Woods Hole Hostel, which is in a renovated cottage from the late 1800's. What makes this place special is that it has its own farm and prepares community meals from locally harvested and grown products (we had mountain gumbo that night, which was incredible). The owners have a strong focus on sustainable and healthy living, and they offered messages and yoga sessions (which I gladly participated in, my body really needed it). Later that night, one of their goats gave birth to a kid, so we were all able to welcome him to the world. It was definitely an amazing moment. The next day, we headed to the town of Pearisburg, where we ate at a Chinese buffet, picked up supplies, and nursed our food babies in a motel watching survivalist shows on History Channel, all the while laughing at how dramatically their tribulations are presented. I guess that when we are in the middle of hard days and circumstances, it doesn't seem as entertaining without a camera crew waiting on us.
The next day, we hiked many miles to a house right near the trail across the river, where a man named The Captain lets thru-hikers camp out in his backyard. The only way to get there is to zipline across the river, and some people almost got their feet and the bottoms of their packs wet. We jammed by the fire, and I fried slices of summer sausage to make trail bacon, which momentarily whetted the hiker appetite in me. The next couple of days, the weather started to get very warm, and we were greeted with open views from rocky ledges. The most famous of those were Dragon's Tooth (a stone monolith which requires a scramble to the top) and Mcafee Knob (the most photographed section of the trail). Though the weather was wonderful, many of us started getting rashes below our shoulders due to the extra sweat and friction from our straps. Gross, I know, but it is a reality of hiker life (at least at the beginning of the warm season).
For Cinco de Mayo, I decided to host my own trail magic at a shelter right after a town. I got the idea a while ago of carrying up a baking sheet as a griddle and quesadilla fixings for hikers to make their own. It went really well, and it was great to be giving back to the trail, especially after how much it has given to me thus far. The next day, I hiked 16 miles in 4 1/2 hours to meet up with my sisters for one of their graduations, and it has been a great time sharing my experiences first hand and recuperating for the next leg of my trip. From here, I'll hike for a bit more, and head back down to Damascus for a hiker festival called Trail Days. I'm excited for the rest of Virginia, and I'll be sure to tell you how it all goes!
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Miss Janet "The Oracle", and the threat of rain
Boy have I got a lot to share with you all. Since I left you all at Hot Springs, I've gone almost 200 miles to Damascus, VA, where I am writing to you now. I've seen weather of all sorts, and have met some awesome new people. I got out of Hot Springs later in the day to a shelter that was missing floorboards between the sleeping spots, which was a shame, because we couldn't squeeze more people in since it was misty and rainy that night.
The day after Hot Springs, I went 0.6 miles off the trail to a hostel where I had sent myself a dropbox. I went with some other people and had lunch at the cafe connected to it. It was a nice place, but we still had farther to go. Thankfully, they gave us a ride back onto the trail so we wouldn't have to walk back. From there, we were greeted by thunderstorms and then really cool views from an open, rocky ridgeline (lots of dramatic clouds and sunbeams reminiscent of the opening of The Lion King). The next day, we sloshed through deep mud but beautiful weather to Sam's gap, where we got picked up by the wonderful Miss Janet, who lets hikers stay at her house in Erwin, TN, and lets them slackpack from points on the trail (holds our packs for us as well as dropping us off and picking us up at the end of the day). Staying with her was enjoyable because she knows so much about the trail, is very helpful and sweet, and loves to make community dinners, which we indulged in every night. She took us downtown for resupplies and has a lot of great stories which she told us (if you meet the author of the AT Guide "Awol", ask him about breaking into houses for a dropbox, haha). The longest day we slackpacked was almost 25 miles, which sure was great without our packs. Because she's such an integral part of the trail, we nicknamed her "The Oracle".
One thing I really like about the trail is the culture, and I mean that regardless of age, nationality, or upbringing, everyone seems to be on the same page because we are all accomplishing the same thing. Everyone seems to be more honest about relationships and things they've had to learn the hard way, like there's a sense of forgiveness and turning the page that the trail and wilderness brings. People seem to be open to more things, like it's easier to talk to someone much older than me and to share musical tastes on a guitar being shared around. One good example of this is when some people from my group tried starting a thing called "LC Bands", where one can choose to wear either a red bracelet (symbolizing that they are already in a relationship or not looking for one), a yellow one (they are looking for something more long term), or a green one (they are "single and ready to mingle"). It was pretty entertaining seeing them selling the idea to people and noticing how many people they got to catch on, based on who agreed to let them tie a bracelet onto their wrist.
From there, we hiked to the base of Roan Mountain, and were greeted the next day by wind and rain. The shelter we stayed at was an old barn converted into a shelter and was probably the coolest I've stayed at so far. Unfortunately, the next two days were solid rain and I could certainly see a drop in moral from myself and the rest of my group. Everyone's stuff was soaked, and most people were getting blisters on their feet and strap sores on their shoulders because of it. We were sliding on wet rocks and roots all day, and were craving a warm bed and a place to dry our stuff. Fortunately, our prayers were answered when a road came up with a hostel in each direction. From there, our group awkwardly split, but I was grateful to find a cheap bunkhouse owned by a man named Bob Peoples, who was really cool to talk to because he's so involved in trail maintenance. He hosts an event after Trail Days (a hiker event in Damascus from May 15-17) called Hardcore, where hikers volunteer to do trail maintenance, and he drops you back onto the trail from wherever you came off. Since I'll be far above Damascus during then, I think I'll be taking advantage of that.
The last couple of days have been great weather, and I've been in high spirits looking forward to Damascus. For those who aren't familiar, Damascus is the epitome of a trail town, with outfitters, hostels, and restaurants with hiker deals galore. I'm definitely looking forward to staying here today and tomorrow. I'm also happy because I passed into my fourth state today--which is Virginia! So look out Lauren and Netty, I'll be seeing you guys soon! As for the rest of you, I'm thinking of you as well, and I'll be filling you in when I can. I'll be posting some pictures and videos soon, so be on the lookout for that!
The day after Hot Springs, I went 0.6 miles off the trail to a hostel where I had sent myself a dropbox. I went with some other people and had lunch at the cafe connected to it. It was a nice place, but we still had farther to go. Thankfully, they gave us a ride back onto the trail so we wouldn't have to walk back. From there, we were greeted by thunderstorms and then really cool views from an open, rocky ridgeline (lots of dramatic clouds and sunbeams reminiscent of the opening of The Lion King). The next day, we sloshed through deep mud but beautiful weather to Sam's gap, where we got picked up by the wonderful Miss Janet, who lets hikers stay at her house in Erwin, TN, and lets them slackpack from points on the trail (holds our packs for us as well as dropping us off and picking us up at the end of the day). Staying with her was enjoyable because she knows so much about the trail, is very helpful and sweet, and loves to make community dinners, which we indulged in every night. She took us downtown for resupplies and has a lot of great stories which she told us (if you meet the author of the AT Guide "Awol", ask him about breaking into houses for a dropbox, haha). The longest day we slackpacked was almost 25 miles, which sure was great without our packs. Because she's such an integral part of the trail, we nicknamed her "The Oracle".
One thing I really like about the trail is the culture, and I mean that regardless of age, nationality, or upbringing, everyone seems to be on the same page because we are all accomplishing the same thing. Everyone seems to be more honest about relationships and things they've had to learn the hard way, like there's a sense of forgiveness and turning the page that the trail and wilderness brings. People seem to be open to more things, like it's easier to talk to someone much older than me and to share musical tastes on a guitar being shared around. One good example of this is when some people from my group tried starting a thing called "LC Bands", where one can choose to wear either a red bracelet (symbolizing that they are already in a relationship or not looking for one), a yellow one (they are looking for something more long term), or a green one (they are "single and ready to mingle"). It was pretty entertaining seeing them selling the idea to people and noticing how many people they got to catch on, based on who agreed to let them tie a bracelet onto their wrist.
From there, we hiked to the base of Roan Mountain, and were greeted the next day by wind and rain. The shelter we stayed at was an old barn converted into a shelter and was probably the coolest I've stayed at so far. Unfortunately, the next two days were solid rain and I could certainly see a drop in moral from myself and the rest of my group. Everyone's stuff was soaked, and most people were getting blisters on their feet and strap sores on their shoulders because of it. We were sliding on wet rocks and roots all day, and were craving a warm bed and a place to dry our stuff. Fortunately, our prayers were answered when a road came up with a hostel in each direction. From there, our group awkwardly split, but I was grateful to find a cheap bunkhouse owned by a man named Bob Peoples, who was really cool to talk to because he's so involved in trail maintenance. He hosts an event after Trail Days (a hiker event in Damascus from May 15-17) called Hardcore, where hikers volunteer to do trail maintenance, and he drops you back onto the trail from wherever you came off. Since I'll be far above Damascus during then, I think I'll be taking advantage of that.
The last couple of days have been great weather, and I've been in high spirits looking forward to Damascus. For those who aren't familiar, Damascus is the epitome of a trail town, with outfitters, hostels, and restaurants with hiker deals galore. I'm definitely looking forward to staying here today and tomorrow. I'm also happy because I passed into my fourth state today--which is Virginia! So look out Lauren and Netty, I'll be seeing you guys soon! As for the rest of you, I'm thinking of you as well, and I'll be filling you in when I can. I'll be posting some pictures and videos soon, so be on the lookout for that!
Monday, April 6, 2015
On top of Ol' Smokey
Hey everyone! So I rolled into Hot Springs yesterday to make it to an Easter service, and have been hanging out since then. It's definitely a hiker-friendly town (the trail actually goes through downtown), and it has been my favorite stay so far. I started 8 miles from Hot Springs (which I did in about 2 hours, thanks to caffeine drink mix), and made it just in time for a service at the first baptist church in town (ironically next door to the presbyterian church). Despite cleaning up a bit and changing into my least stinky clothes, it finally dawned on me how badly I smell. It took a lot for me not to be ashamed of my odor at the church, trying to remember that God cares about the heart, and not so much the stench. After the service, I reunited and hung out with old hiking buddies (including Uncle Roj who I met my first day, he really caught up!) at the Spring Creek Tavern. I barely finished an 18 ounce hiking burger, and then camped in town (which they let thru-hikers do).
Rewinding a couple of days, I left Fontana Village and entered the Smokies last Sunday, narrowly missing a snowstorm that hit the day before (other hikers I met had to go through about half a foot of snow, which mostly melted before my arrival). A note about Fontana: I obviously couldn't post this while still there, but we found it to be very expensive and somewhat of a trap for hikers. The frustrating part is that it is so convenient for hikers about to enter the Smokies, and they are hence able to have the upper hand. It was relaxing, but I'm glad to be out. The first night in the Smokies was cold and windy, and because the park requires people to stay in shelters unless there's absolutely no room, we squeezed more than twenty people into a 12 person shelter. The next day, I hiked a strenuous 15 miles to the next shelter, due to the mud. If you know what it's like exerting the extra energy to walk on sand rather than stable ground, you can understand what hiking 15 miles through mostly mud was like. The next day, I started early to make it to Clingman's Dome in morning light. The weather was perfectly clear, and it was probably the best view I've ever seen in my life (if you know how much I've hiked, that's saying a lot). I also entered the canadian zone, which is made up of a unique spruce-fir forest (reminded me of the Adirondacks). There was still some ice on the trail (better that than mud in my opinion), so it was slower going, but I was already enjoying the scenery anyways.
Later that day, I received trail magic at Newfound Gap and hitched down to Gatlinburg. I'd heard a lot about the city (that it's tourist central), and I can say that it was definitely a shock compared to being in the woods for a long time. All of the t-shirt, fudge, and trinket shops reminded me of the Jersey shore, minus the ocean. One characteristic thing about Gatlinburg is that there are numerous moonshine bars that apparently offer free samples, so from what I could see, one could potentially get drunk for free. I did fill up on dip and hot sauce samples at a cooking store, though. I shared a room with some other thru-hikers and hitched back up the next morning. They are called the fantastic four, and one carries a travel guitar and another carries a melodica (look it up, it's hard to describe). They're writing a book about their adventures, and they play music at open mics and on street sides (apparently making decent money).
After making it out of the Smokies, I stayed at a shelter with a deformed floor (there was some shifting toward the center that night), and it thunderstormed, which made for quite a show. The next day, I received trail magic on top of Max Patch, which was originally cleared for cattle, and looks just like the background on a Windows computer. It was clear and beautiful, but the windchill was brutally cold. There was a family trying to fly a kite, but it kept trying to escape from them. I camped right before Hot Springs that night. I'll probably put in 10 miles later today, and will be picking up my first dropbox from the Hemlock Hollow Inn the next day. I feel like I am starting to get into the groove of the trail more, and I'm starting to recognize more names and faces. I feel like I'm part of a close knit community. Of course, the feeling is almost instantaneous whenever one walks into a hiker hostel, but hey, that's the trail. I'm gonna hike on, but I'll fill you in about 2 weeks from now!
Rewinding a couple of days, I left Fontana Village and entered the Smokies last Sunday, narrowly missing a snowstorm that hit the day before (other hikers I met had to go through about half a foot of snow, which mostly melted before my arrival). A note about Fontana: I obviously couldn't post this while still there, but we found it to be very expensive and somewhat of a trap for hikers. The frustrating part is that it is so convenient for hikers about to enter the Smokies, and they are hence able to have the upper hand. It was relaxing, but I'm glad to be out. The first night in the Smokies was cold and windy, and because the park requires people to stay in shelters unless there's absolutely no room, we squeezed more than twenty people into a 12 person shelter. The next day, I hiked a strenuous 15 miles to the next shelter, due to the mud. If you know what it's like exerting the extra energy to walk on sand rather than stable ground, you can understand what hiking 15 miles through mostly mud was like. The next day, I started early to make it to Clingman's Dome in morning light. The weather was perfectly clear, and it was probably the best view I've ever seen in my life (if you know how much I've hiked, that's saying a lot). I also entered the canadian zone, which is made up of a unique spruce-fir forest (reminded me of the Adirondacks). There was still some ice on the trail (better that than mud in my opinion), so it was slower going, but I was already enjoying the scenery anyways.
Later that day, I received trail magic at Newfound Gap and hitched down to Gatlinburg. I'd heard a lot about the city (that it's tourist central), and I can say that it was definitely a shock compared to being in the woods for a long time. All of the t-shirt, fudge, and trinket shops reminded me of the Jersey shore, minus the ocean. One characteristic thing about Gatlinburg is that there are numerous moonshine bars that apparently offer free samples, so from what I could see, one could potentially get drunk for free. I did fill up on dip and hot sauce samples at a cooking store, though. I shared a room with some other thru-hikers and hitched back up the next morning. They are called the fantastic four, and one carries a travel guitar and another carries a melodica (look it up, it's hard to describe). They're writing a book about their adventures, and they play music at open mics and on street sides (apparently making decent money).
After making it out of the Smokies, I stayed at a shelter with a deformed floor (there was some shifting toward the center that night), and it thunderstormed, which made for quite a show. The next day, I received trail magic on top of Max Patch, which was originally cleared for cattle, and looks just like the background on a Windows computer. It was clear and beautiful, but the windchill was brutally cold. There was a family trying to fly a kite, but it kept trying to escape from them. I camped right before Hot Springs that night. I'll probably put in 10 miles later today, and will be picking up my first dropbox from the Hemlock Hollow Inn the next day. I feel like I am starting to get into the groove of the trail more, and I'm starting to recognize more names and faces. I feel like I'm part of a close knit community. Of course, the feeling is almost instantaneous whenever one walks into a hiker hostel, but hey, that's the trail. I'm gonna hike on, but I'll fill you in about 2 weeks from now!
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