tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74029424259530820392024-03-05T02:22:13.776-05:00Burning Daylight OutdoorsBurning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-91611298004337587092018-01-25T00:21:00.001-05:002018-01-25T01:01:31.668-05:00Unexpected Gifts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I had the pleasure of talking with a friend tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One who is particularly special to me; she inadvertently
helped me learn how to be strong, confident, and inordinately proud to be a
woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I met her while hiking last year,
and our conversations always assist me in processing my experiences and
feelings on the hike, what I’ve taken from it, and where it is taking me in
this walk called life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
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We discussed who we are, how fortunate we are to have experienced
what we did, how blessed we are to have made what we have of this incredible
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We discussed how hard it is
to share our thoughts and feelings with friends who aren’t hikers because they
simply don’t understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want us to
share our experiences wrapped up in a pretty little package with a bow and
maybe a few sparkles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact is
though, that there isn’t a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">little</i>
package.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor are there any
sparkles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our 7 months spent living in
the earthly environs of The Appalachian Trail were messy, dirty, and unforgiving;
wonderfully amazing, lesson-filled, and utterly and perfectly
life-changing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To describe such an
endeavor succinctly and tied with a bow is quite simply impossible.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We agreed that we both look at life in an entirely different
way at this juncture—and for the first time, I was able to put some words to
this new view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It goes something like
this:</div>
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<br /></div>
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I am learning to accept that my new world-view is quite
different from the whole of society, and as I navigate this realization, I have
to alter my reactions accordingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
other night, I attended a concert at a nearby venue with my sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a small space (thankfully—I still find
that I struggle in large, loud crowds) and we were there with a group of my
sister’s friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The opening performer
was Chelsea Shag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew nothing of her
before this event, and rather enjoyed her quirky artistry and unique
style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was dressed in layers; a
long-sleeved gray sweatshirt under a funky, bubble gum pink wrappy,
flowy-sleeved…thing, and semi fitted, deep red/marron, velvety lounge pants
which were cuffed in elastic a little below mid-calf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has long, light brown hair which would
likely be referred to in a fantasy novel as “the color of spun silk,” and a
naturally pretty face with little makeup used only to accentuate her gorgeous features,
adding no sparkle or glitz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my
sister’s friends made multiple comments on all of this; first on her choice of
clothing and its eclectic-ness, then on her down-played makeup and the fact
that she “needed more eye makeup, something to match the rest of the look.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly, she and I were seeing two different
women up there on that stage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My hiker
trained self, saw a beautiful, confident young woman sharing her gift with a group
of people who were enjoying it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
very friendly, well-intentioned woman saw a ball of quirks; a girl who needs to
change herself to fit into some mold which is deemed acceptable by our
society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often did too, before March
of last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw flaws in
everything:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In people I didn’t know, I
judged people of whose lives I had no knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’m ashamed of this—I am left feeling
grateful that I no longer see the world in this way. My new self, however, took the opportunity to tell this person that the woman on stage is perfectly herself up there on stage, dressed as she is and with little makeup used only to highlight the aforementioned quietly pretty face that is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">My world is now made up of many fragments, prisms. Each is bright and glittery, unique to my life, a single piece of the whole that makes me, <i>me</i>. And each of these pieces which make me are joined by each of the pieces which make all of us. In looking at the world this way, it can be nothing else perfectly unique and strikingly, imperfectly Stunning! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I’m grateful to The Trail, its earth, its
trees, its essence, and its community for granting me this gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gift, this greatest treasure ever
afforded me, has changed my entire sense of being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has changed the very core of who I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This recognition leaves me quite
breathless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m left in awe of the power
of an experience I couldn’t have imagined; an experience which can’t ever be
summed up at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as the trail is a
living thing, the lessons learned are living and ever-changing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are powerful and life-altering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They encourage me to seek discomfort and
strive for growth; allow me to trust that my individual process is mine alone, and
that it will not fail me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not now, not
ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It never would. </span></span></div>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-49450258115931944062017-10-13T12:38:00.000-04:002017-10-13T12:38:07.933-04:00Summit Day on Mt. Katahdin (2184.6-2190.3)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wednesday 10/11; The Birches at Katahdin Stream Campground to The Summit if Mount Katahdin <a href="tel:2184621903">(2184.6-2190.3</a>)</div>
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I can't believe I'm actually about to write this...We Summited Mt. Katahdin yesterday afternoon, and we're in complete and utter shock that just like that, it's all over. This chapter is coming to a close. I've been waiting for this moment for so long, and in these last weeks it's been so unreal. I've enjoyed it so much and reveled in the glorious moments which seem so fleeting. I know that very quickly this will all be simply a string of memories and photos.</div>
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We were up early and dropped most of our weight at the ranger station. Then, we started to climb our last climb of the 2018 AT Hiker Season. We just kept saying over and over how crazy it was that we were here, hiking ON Mt. Katahdin. The summit weather report at the ranger station called for clear skies with temps in the 50's, and winds of only 10-20mph. We were So Excited!! The climb up Katahdin itself really was pretty fun. It was hard, but nothing we haven't done thus far. Climbing with friends made the time fly and absolutely made it more amazing! We wandered up, took a snack/water break, wandered some more, and came to the boulders. Like, actual real boulders as big as me, which we had to shimmy up, over, and around for a while to get to The Tablelands and The Gateway, and then to the summit. We moved in a group of 4 up these boulders (Bean and I with Papa Bean and Yard Sale), and helped each other up by guiding feet, shoving bums, taking trekking poles, and offering suggestions (when you're lucky enough to be in front-sarcasm) on which way to go (or not, as the case may be). The weather was so beautiful, but also very windy. We found a spot shielded from the wind and sat down to eat a little before continuing. Shortly after, we reached The Tablelands which is a pretty flat section right before The Gateway, or the last small climb up to the actual summit and sign. And then...we were making our way. Our last steps to becoming AT thru hikers. All the stress, frustration, sweat and tears, was so, So very worth it. I was holding the phone to take pictures/video as we approached, and I nearly lost it when Erik told me to put it away because he wanted to hold my hand for the last steps. I did and we walked the last steps side by side, the wind whipping at our faces and jackets, tears streaming down my face. When we arrived at the sign, Erik threw himself at it while I stood an arm's length away, not really sure what to do. By touching that sign, I'm saying, "This is really over." So I just stood there for a few seconds, hand covering my mouth, and stared at it crying. I just couldn't believe we've done it. We made it. We walked from Georgia to Maine. There was a man up top who hiked last year and was throwing out candy bars at hikers as they finished. He handed one to each of us and congratulated us, Erik was hugging me, I was finally touching the sign, and I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I simply couldn't process what was going on. Then, I stopped. "Video, I have to video!" GWAG had handed me his phone and asked me (only about 9.5 minutes earlier) to capture his summit on video. I was so wrapped up in it all, I almost forgot! But I didn't. I got the video. We all took pictures for a while, basked in the glorious (though cold and windy) weather and enjoyed the views, and then promptly realized we really needed to start heading down. It was beginning to head closer to dark than light out, and it is certainly not safe to come down after dark. We took what's called The Hunt Trail up to the summit. This trail is the official AT trail, but there are many trails that get you up top. We opted to go down The Abol Trail because we'd heard that the descent is a little easier/better than Hunt. It was, relatively, and we got down relatively quickly after the first bit. Once we were back below tree line the trail eased up quite a lot and we flew through the last couple of miles. It was super helpful that we'd run into Casino and Hybrid in the summit, who offered us a ride into town. We knew that between them and Janelle, we'd all get into town with no problem. We'd anticipated catching a shuttle run by the AT Lodge Hostel, but learned immediately before hitting the trail that their van was out of commission for the day. It wound up working out perfectly, though, as we weren't rushed at all and secured rides easily. The trail provides one last time!</div>
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The views on this day were simply indescribable. From the first time I turned around and caught a view all the way up and then down the mountain, every time I turned my head it just got better. The colors look like something in a painting and they stretched forever. Yard Sale and I were just in awe of the beauty and splendor. We felt so very lucky to have a finish like we did. I wondered what I did to warrant such an end to such an extraordinary journey. She and I discussed this nearly all the way down the mountain. We also discussed how fortunate we were to not have dealt with serious illness or injury, to finish among friends from the first weeks, to have experienced the amazing final weeks with great weather and circumstances, and to have been driven to attempt this crazy thing which has prompted growth beyond my wildest expectations. </div>
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Some of my great take aways (at this time-I'm sure the list will grow):</div>
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1. It's all ok, and it really will all work out. I'm a control freak, so this is a big one. I've literally not had the energy to fret over what will be or how something that needs to occur will happen. For instance; when we plan to go into town to resupply, there's no time or extra energy to work out details in advance, so we arrive at the road crossing and figure out how to get into town. We hitch, or call a shuttle, or receive trail magic, or whatever. The kicker is...we always get to town. Imagine that! </div>
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2. It's ok to do me. In word, I've said this for some time. In deed, however, I've struggled with it. It is ok, and often exceptionally beneficial to do what you need to do. Whatever drives what you need in this moment is ok. It's ok to sometimes be selfish, or ask for private time, or ask for group time. It's ok to serve yourself for no other reason than serving yourself. </div>
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3. I am a Badass!</div>
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4. Beauty is so much deeper than the surface, and strength is very beautiful. We are, each of us, worthy of feeling strong and beautiful in our bodies as we are in this minute. </div>
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There are a couple of other points which I'm choosing to keep for myself, at least for now. Some of these though are the most life changing for me.</div>
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I'm now finishing this post two days after summiting, and we're on a bus headed for Portland for a couple of days. I've already cried this morning in anticipation of leaving our friends. To me, saying goodbye means it's really come to a close. And I'm crying again as I write this. I'm not ready. Not by a long shot.</div>
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These last weeks have made my hike. The choices to slow down, do lower miles each day, take it all in, enjoy the company...these were exactly right. I really enjoyed these weeks. The trail gods blessed us with perfect weather and ideal circumstances, and I'm eternally grateful. There was not a hint of my previous struggles in these last weeks. I enjoyed every minute, and I would change only one single thing: U-Turn and The Colonel, I wish you'd been with us! It would have made these last perfect weeks even more perfect. </div>
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I'm struggling with my emotions right now, and will likely continue to do so for some time. I can't imagine what life will look like without the woods, the friends, even the daily monotony and struggles of trail life. There will be an adjustment period, and we'll have to rely on the same people we've come to trust so wholly since we arrived in Springer Mountain to help us through that adjustment. I'll continue to make updates and hope you'll all continue to follow our adventures. And before you ask, our next Adventure on Deck is TBD. We're currently looking forward to slowly reintegrating into society over the next week or so. </div>
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We hesitate to thank any particular individuals as I know we'll leave someone(s) out. But we do want to shout out to a few of you:</div>
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Our parents, thank you for your lifelong, constant love and support. You've been our biggest cheerleaders through the good and bad in life, and we wouldn't be who or where we are without you. We are eternally grateful for your support of our goals and dreams. We love you!</div>
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Valerie, thank you for jumping into our home base role at the last minute. You have supported us nearly flawlessly (a very apologetic Bean remembers his hangry rant over the summer quilts) amidst so many responsibilities. We can't possibly ever describe what a great help you've been. Maybe one day we can bring you out here and show you.</div>
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Uncle Steve and Aunt Kathie, you helped us when we needed it most this summer. You made an exceedingly stressful situation a little easier, and far less logistically challenging than I'd imagined it might be. You're generosity and love are so much appreciated.</div>
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The Hemlocks Crew, you all have watched me grow from preteen, and have supported Erik and I from early in our relationship. You have helped foster or love for the outdoors, and have supported us in nearly every choice we've made. You are our family and we love you dearly.</div>
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Our friends and family, we love you so much and have so exited taking you along on this journey. Your interest, questions, and support in these months have pushed us in ways you can't imagine. There were days that I (Fresh) kept walking only because of some comment or message one of you posted or sent.</div>
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Rob at Outdoor 76, You literally saved my hike. Thank you for going above and beyond to assist an injured hiker recover her feet.</div>
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And finally, to our trail community and tramily, what can we say? Thank you for welcoming us into your lives so completely, and for sharing so much of yourselves with us. We have grown in ways we couldn't possibly have imagined, and it's thanks to each of you. This journey would have been an entirely different experience without each of you. We love you and the trail that grew us. We look forward to keeping in touch with some of you, and seeing many of you down the trail. We are grateful beyond measure to have met you, honored to have shared this epic walk with you, and so very fortunate to have learned and grown along side each and every one of you over the last seven months. Words can never express our appreciation to you for sharing a bit of yourselves with us.</div>
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For now, Fresh and Bean signing off (Bean will write a post of his own in the coming days).</div>
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March 14, 2017-October 11, 2017</div>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-52323895383420583852017-10-13T12:25:00.000-04:002017-10-13T12:25:28.875-04:00Monson, ME to The Birches BSP (2017.3-2184.6)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Monday 10/2; Monson, ME to Wilson Valley Lean-to <a href="tel:2075320857">(2075.3-2085.7</a>)</div>
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We're officially in the Hundred Mile Wilderness, which means we've officially started the last week or so on trail. It's crazy to be here! We had our first river ford today which went smoothly, thankfully not swimmingly. We're hiking, and will likely summit Katahdin with, a great group of people! Yard Sale, GWAG, Papa Bean, and Corn Chip. The ford today was fun with this group, and we look forward to the next days together. </div>
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We didn't make it to our preferred destination today, but we think it's simply because we got started late. We all had breakfast at Shaw's (so very good!!), finished packing, got a complicated food drop for 6 people situated, paid our tabs, and finally got in trail by about 10. This is late for us. We're usually hiking by 7:30, 8 at the latest. But will make the miles up tomorrow and still make it for our food drop.</div>
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We're overwhelmed by the support and kindness that has been shown to us thus far on our journey, and can't wait to share more with you as we finish and begin seeing you all back in home-life. The best is certainly yet to come! </div>
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Today 10/3; Wilson Valley Shelter to Stealth before bog <a href="tel:2085720957">(2085.7-2095.7</a>)</div>
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And... We didn't make the miles up today. The terrain here in the first days of the wilderness is quite hard. We called the hostel and pushed back our food drop by a day, which all six of us are exited about. This allows us to slow down a bit, not worry about making the miles, and enjoy these last days before finishing and scattering. It's hard to imagine not seeing people who've become so important to us every day. Of course we're so exited to see family and friends back home, and we're all excited for varying things in modern society (like water on demand, showers, and food), but I think most of us will miss the friends we've made. We've all become very close, very quickly. </div>
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Today was a good day, despite the challenging terrain. We enjoyed some beautiful views from the Chairback Range, and we met a day hiker who is a photographer and is working on a collection of hiker images/stories. I think he's also working on a piece for Backpacker Magazine. We shared our story and he took our photo. He's a really nice guy who hiked in 2009 (I think he said). Chris is his name, and you can see some of his work at chrissbennettphoto on Instagram. </div>
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It's been pretty cold at night and in the mornings, but the hiking weather during the days has been perfect. Hoping the weather they're calling for this week won't be too extreme. Rain in the cold is miserable. Off to bed!</div>
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Wednesday 10/4; Stealth before bog to Carl Newhall Lean-to <a href="tel:2095721112">(2095.7-2111.2</a>)</div>
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We made it! Today was a long day (for Fresh, anyhow), and we were there first in the group to arrive at camp. It felt like an accomplishment for sure. A lot of up and down, a few views, a rotten attitude coming into camp, and then finally chilling a bit. It was nice to arrive before dark (we don't like night hiking), and get most of our chores done before losing the light. Thankfully Bean got water before I arrived. We are excited to see the rest of our crew here, too. The last three arrived by head lamp. We're all a little excited for a shorter day tomorrow!</div>
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Thursday 10/5; Carl Newhall Shelter to Eat Branch Lean-to <a href="tel:2111221220">(2111.2-2122.0</a>)</div>
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Wow, what a beautiful day! We started slow, which is a really nice change. I didn't sleep well last night (it rained and I woke and couldn't go back to sleep), so I was a bit sleepier/slower than normal. Anyhow, it was nice to have a leisurely morning. A shorter mileage day allowed for doing so, and breaking throughout the day to take in views. And views we had! Fall colors are really starting to come in, AND we had our first Katahdin sighting!! She's a beast, that's for sure, but we're all excited! We were discussing the fact that many of us have put off thinking about the end until now because it was always so far away. And now we're here. I've also realized that as many times as I've envisioned the end goal (us, on top of Katahdin), I've never envisioned the days leading up to the end goal; what I'm realized it's the sweet stuff. Like tonight, sitting around a fire with our friends. Only missing U-Turn and The Colonel. We found a note from them today in the log book at the last shelter. I've been looking, knowing U-Turn would have left a note somewhere. And we found<br />
one! I couldn't have imagined back in VA what hiking without her/them would be. I miss it. It's hard to be finding the end if this hike with really amazing people who have truly become friends, but without her. I miss you, U-Turn. I have that we aren't finishing this together, but it's ok. It just means we have different versions of the same story to share with each other. I love you forever, trail sister!</div>
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Friday 10/6; East Branch Lean-to Antler campsite <a href="tel:2122021380">(2122.0-2138.0</a>)</div>
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And just like that, I'm reminded how amazing this whole experience is! We blazed through 16 miles today. An hour for lunch, some random breaks, and a two hour wait (we were early) for our food drop, then a quick last 4 miles to camp tonight. We got here a bit late, but so enjoyed hanging around among the beautiful fall foliage! The colors are so vivid and just breathtaking! Poet arrived with our food drop and we chatted with him for a bit. He's such a super nice guy!! A few minutes later Bear Pop, Smash, and Tricia showed up. We we're excited to learn they'd be camping with us tonight! The group here is the there of them, three sectioners, and the six of us. It was such a fun evening! We watched the moon rise over the lake, which we all loved! It was full last night, and was orange while rising tonight. It was quite an experience. We've really come to enjoy Papa Bean's and Corn Chip's company. We all marveled at the moon (it was orange and huge, and came up over the pond looking like James's Giant Peach), and enjoyed time around the fire discussing the great day and the trip to this point. </div>
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Side note: I saw a beaver tonight! It was swimming and I heard it slap it's tail on the water. Very cool. Now, I just need a moose and a porcupine. Moose is still possible. Not so sure on the porcupine. More great things tomorrow. </div>
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Saturday 10/7; Antler campsite to Wadleigh Stream Lean-to <a href="tel:2138021516">(2138.0-2151.6</a>)</div>
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After yesterday, nothing really compares. Today was a good day. Nothing bad or wrong, just less ideal. We got a little sprinkle this afternoon. First rain in weeks, and unfortunately, I think it'll be followed by more in the next few days. We've pushed our summit date back a day, as a matter of fact. It would have happened regardless when we decided to push our food drop back a day, but it worked for the best as the 10th (original prospective summit) looked to be rainy. So, we'll summit the 11th. We've all been planning for the last few days how we'll celebrate. It's been fun brainstorming all the things we'll eat, and how we'll get where we want to be! We've agreed that we'll camp at Abol Bridge (there's a cabin where we can all stay), and GWAG's "lady" (Janelle) will bring us food (food!) To eat. Sort of a pre-celebration. Then we'll walk the ten miles, camp at Katahdin Stream, and summit. We're excited to summit and celebrate together. This group is just so great. We feel so grateful to have met these people, and to be spending the last days with them. They're kind and generous. And we've had fun talking and planning it all.</div>
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Sunday 10/8; Wadleigh Stream Lean-to to Rainbow Lake Campsite <a href="tel:2151621635">(2151.6-2163.5</a>)</div>
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Sometimes, it takes almost 7 months to find the beauty in the everyday. As you may recall, I (Fresh) don't much care for hiking in the rain. This hasn't changed, nor likely will it change. However, today it rained for a while in the middle of the day, and I'm not entirely miserable. Admittedly, it isn't freezing, we will likely do laundry and get showers tomorrow, and we've only got 3 more wake ups on this adventure: These things may sway my opinion on the topic anywhere from slightly to significantly, but I'm actually feeling pretty optimistic as we lay in the dark with thoroughly damp packs under our heads and equally damp clothes stuffed in our sleeping bags (in hopes they get mostly dry--or at the very least aren't cold when we put them on in the morning). All that said, I don't think I'll ever get used to wet hiker smell. Think wet/dirty dog, add something rotting, and you might have some idea of the stink that we're currently wafting in the direction of any unsuspecting passersby. It's nasty. And the packs under our heads are at least half the problem. They are Gross! We'll run a write-up when we get home and clean all our gear. The pictures are sure to be scrumptious!</div>
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I turned around today after the rain subsided. I think I thought I'd heard someone hiking behind me. The afternoon light after the rain never ceases to amaze me. It was glittering through the yellow Birch leaves as they blew in the wind. And through the pines that line the lake, you could see the same light shining on the colors as the rode up the opposite bank. I stood there for a minute trying to name all the colors I saw. I didn't know that fall leaves might be varying shades of pink. On the hill I saw pinks, oranges, reds, yellows, golds, greens...It was so amazing!</div>
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We learned this morning that Operation Feed Team GWAG is a go. So we're all super excited to get to the campground tomorrow and devour whatever Janelle picks up for us from the grocery! Thank you, Janelle!! We are hopeful that we'll be able to rent a cabin where we'd all sleep and be able to dry out a bit. GWAG will go with Janelle tomorrow night, and rejoin the group on Tuesday evening, then... We'll all summit Wednesday!!</div>
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Surprisingly, we are all talking about Katahdin and how we're feeling about the end, but no one is really talking about expectations. I'm not really sure what to expect, and maybe the rest of us aren't either. We are just enjoying the ride as we coast in to the finish. Tonight we all hung around a fire (Bean can start a fire after a whole day of rain!) Talking about tomorrow and what the plans are. It's very one day at a time. We all ate and decided to go check out the stars at the lake. If I could take a picture of the sky down there tonight, oh my! The big Dipper in the fall sky up here is GIANT, and looks like you could throw a lasso around it! We we're lucky enough to see a number of shooting stars, too. It really was something else. A spectacular end to an absolutely gorgeous week in The Hundred Mile Wilderness! Today is one we won't forget. A great day in the books on our way to the finish line!</div>
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Monday 10/9; Rainbow Lake Campsite to Abol Bridge Campground <a href="tel:2163521747">(2163.5-2174.7</a>)</div>
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(Singing) We made it through the wilderness. Yeah we made it through-ou-ou.</div>
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We're finished with the Homered Mile Wilderness! Which means... We're almost at Katahdin! It really hit us today when we took a break at Hurd Mountain Shelter and we're looking at the log book at all the notes from friends and fellow hikers getting ready to finish. I went, "Holy shit! We're gonna do this!" </div>
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We had a little rain while walking today. It wasn't bad really. We got up and out by 7:40 which is about typical, though this last week we've struggled to stick with that. One day we intended to relax and didn't get hiking until 10, another day or two it was 8:30: It's hard to maintain the motivation to get up and move when the end is so near. We're all very glad we choose to take it way through the wilderness. I don't think we had a day over 15 miles when all was said and done, and though it didn't help motivate us to get up and go, it was nice to be able to make it to camp desire the late starts. The days have become so short so fast! It's all but dark by 6 now. This makes our days hours shorter than we'd become accustomed to in the summer months. </div>
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We hoped over Rabbinical like Rainbow Ledges today. I turned the phone on (we do this at the top of mountains to see if we have service) and turned to my left at the same time to find a stunning view of Mt. K! She's a beast, but she's gorgeous! I also took some pictures of the beautiful leaf color up close. It's indescribable. Wait till I can get through some of the images and post them!</div>
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So we were up this morning and out of camp on time, all in an effort to make it to the campground in hopes of staying in a cabin tonight, and partaking in the Feed Team GWAG event. Corn Chip beat us to the campground by a few minutes and when we arrived, we learned there were cabins available! Now, when we say cabin, we mean a shed with some bunks. No electricity, no attached bathroom. But... it's GLORIOUS to have a roof over our heads tonight and hear the rain on that roof. We're dry, bathed, fed, and laundry is in the works. We are happy hikers! Speaking of food, Janelle brought something like 32 pieces of fried chicken (of which we ate nearly all), salads (potato and pasta assortments, all gone), fruit, sweets (chocolate chip cookies!!), and beer and wine...It was AMAZING!! We are happily stuffed!</div>
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Other important notes from the day (this post is quite discombobulated--there's so much going on!):</div>
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1. U-Turn and The Colonel made it to Harper's!! That means they're finished! Congratulations, Friends! We're so, So proud of you! I can't wait to hear all about it! I've missed you so much, especially in the last days as we near the end!</div>
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2. We saw 3+ moose today...in the back of trucks. This is moose hunting season, and evidently the location at which we're camping tonight is an official checkpoint. There's a process including measurements and weight and whatnot. One of the bulls weighed in at 767 pounds. That's a lot of moose! It's strange seeing them dead on a truck--I'm a city girl when it comes to hunting. I'll eat it, but I don't think I want to see it. They lifted it to weigh and the ice bags fell out. I didn't know they even did that. I really wanted to see one in nature. There are still two days left, I guess. </div>
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3. We received trail magic from a section hiker/hunter, and it was fabulous! Dried apricots, trail mix, chips, crackers, you name it! Thanks, Rambo!!</div>
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These last days have simply been unimaginable. We pushed long miles for so many weeks, and we maxed out our bodies so hard, that these last few days of easy miles/short days have just been so sweet. I'm recalling the realization that I prefer the shorter/medium length days. They're fun, enjoyable says full of daydreaming and less stress. Breaks are so important, and when were pushing big miles, there's this constant feeling of go-go-go. Yard Sale and I were agreeing today (for about the twelfth time) that we're so glad that all has worked out the way it has. I just can't fathom the next two days to the end. We have ten miles to Katahdin Stream Campground tomorrow, and summit on Wednesday. The weather looks to have cleared to only a 5% chance of rain tomorrow, and still looks ideal for summit day (we did this on purpose). Looking forward to more time with amazing friends as this chapter draws to a close.</div>
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Tuesday 10/10; Abol Bridge Campground to The Birches Lean-to & Campsite in BSP <a href="tel:2174721846">(2174.7-21846</a>)</div>
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Holy moly, we're here! We made it to the base of Mt. Katahdin. It's so unreal that after 7 months of effort, energy, laughs, friends, tears, and amazing...everything, we'll complete this epic journey tomorrow. We've got 5.2 miles left to hike (and then 5.2 back down to the base). We'll either take a shuttle, or we'll hitch into town for the last time. We still have some logistics to sort out and decisions to make about where we'll go on the way home, but it'll all be done from towns, mostly with WiFi, and many with computers. The logistical challenges will mostly be complete. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.</div>
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Days like today are why we're out here. The weather was so perfectly gorgeous. The Fall colors are out in full force, the streams are full, the hiking was easy (we joked it was the red carpet to Katahdin), and the company was ideal. We hiked about 10 miles. The morning was leisurely with breakfast at the campground, laundry washing packing, and hitting the trail by 11ish. We plowed through the first 6 miles and took a long break. Yard Sale wanted to see "Big Niagra Falls," and they were so beautiful! Definitely worth the 150 foot spur trail! We kept going and found our way to Katahdin Stream Campground and the Ranger Station here where we officially signed up to sleep at The Birches (the long distance hikers' site in the campground), and got our official permits to climb the mountain tomorrow! This way we can start first thing in the morning and won't have to stop and take care of it then. Ahhhh! We're climbing Katahdin tomorrow!!! I'm still hoping to see a live moose, and Ranger Justine says it's possible on the Abol Trail (which we plan to take down from the summit). Here's to a last wish on The AT! </div>
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One thing we won't miss is stupid questions from day hikers. I got one today from a couple who knew nothing about the AT. As in, I'm not sure they even know it existed. It came up that we'd been out for 7 months, we're hiking the Appalachian Trail, yada yada. To which this man says, "I guess I can't ask, but I have to ask, what's wing with you?" I told him he could, and that we all ourselves that often. I thought it was a ridiculous question. I mean, "What's wrong with you sir? You like a monotonous life, doing the same thing day after day for years on end?" It really was quite entertaining.</div>
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It's trying to decide if it's gonna rain tonight. Our last night of a 7 month journey, in our tent, in the drizzles. Tomorrow night we'll be back under a roof permanently. Or at least for a long while.</div>
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We were discussing among the group this morning that we'll get home and many of you will congratulate us on a goal accomplished. And we'll appreciate the support and the congratulations. In reality, though, Yard Sale is absolutely correct when she characterizes this as an experience more so than a completed thing. Yes, we will have checked this thing off of our list of life goals. But over the course of these weeks, we have tasted life in a way that is entirely different than any goal ever simply accomplished. We've learned more about ourselves and our abilities than I ever imagined possible. This has certainly been an experience. One we hope to appreciate and continue to draw on for many years to come.</div>
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I've got so many things buzzing in my mind tonight. I'm hoping I'll sleep well and be well rested tomorrow for a great summit day! We'll write tomorrow after we go up! I just can't believe we're here. Never in a million years did I imagine I'd get the opportunity to be in this tent, here at The Birches, writing this post. We must have done something right at some point to be so lucky to live this choice, and to chase this dream. </div>
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(Many photos in these last days are on the camera. We'll go through those once we're home. Here's a sneak peak of a few of our favorites from the phone)</div>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-51776726627131495962017-10-01T22:36:00.000-04:002017-10-28T10:59:37.194-04:00Maine 17 to Monson, ME (1956.2-2075.3)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wednesday 9/20; Maine 17 to Little River Pond Campsite (1956.2-1964.6)<br />
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Gotta love a late start! We slept in a bed for 3 nights, showered for 3 days, and had a delectable breakfast this morning after waking an hour later than normal! We planned this because our shuttle didn't leave until 10, and it was glorious! The giant blueberry walnut pancakes at The Red Hen were so tasty! The hiking today was relatively easy, though after two days without full packs we felt very heavy. We still managed about a 2 mile/hr pace and made our goal.<br />
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I learned some health related news yesterday about a sweet friend and it tore my heart up a little. I was reminded that one of the reasons I came out here was for all the people who can't. Cancer sucks in all its forms. Shameless plug: If you're able, I'd really love you to consider a donation to either Cure Childhood Cancer or MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in honor of our hike.<br />
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Thursday 9/21; Little River Pond Campsite to Stealth at Eddy Pond (1964.6-1973.0)<br />
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Well today sort of sucked. We had a big climb up Saddleback and relatively early in the day, I expressed concern with making it over before dark. This caused Bean to worry and us to argue. When I arrived at the next meeting place, he had decided that he was most comfortable with calling it an early day...To which I started crying. While I genuinely appreciated his honesty, I continue to feel guilty and incapable because I'm holding him back. It's frustrating and he doesn't understand, which makes the whole situation more frustrating. So, we stopped early. I'm down and a little pissed. Mostly at myself and my lack of athleticism, but also at him for not helping me believe I can do it. Really, if we'd made the decision, I'm pretty positive I would have made it. It would have been a long day, and we'd have gotten in to camp late (why Bean chose to stop), but we'd have made it.<br />
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If I'm being honest, at this point I'm ready to be finished. It's not that I'm not enjoying it, I still am overall. The sleeping on the ground isn't bothering me, the setting up a tent daily isn't bothering me. I'm just tired. And sore. And I'm ready to rest my body and mind. That said, I didn't realize how you're I was today. We put the tent up and I crawled in and fell asleep before even taking my bedding out of my pack. Woke up after almost an hour, set up my bed, and slept for almost another hour. I guess maybe it's good we stopped early.<br />
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So up and over Saddleback first thing tomorrow.<br />
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Friday 9/22; Stealth at Eddy Pond to Spalding Mountain Lean-to (1973.0-1988.1)<br />
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You know how yesterday was stressful and we argued and I cried? Well, it turns out that I napped for 2 hours, slept for almost 11, and then we pushed today to land where we had planned originally. So, there's that. Apparently I really needed to sleep. There is something to be said for learning how to let your body lead. We have certainly worked on that out here. If your body says, "No, I'm finished," You stop. And if you feel fantastic and can push an extra 1, 2, or 5 miles, go for it! It's a hard lesson, though, because we want to be with friends/tramily, or be strong. But really, we're strongest when we follow our body's lead.<br />
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We had planned to camp about 3.5 miles back tonight, but the guidebook was marked incorrectly and we walked right past our intended spot. In order to call a spot camp, you really need two things; water and a flat spot big enough to put a tent. The last Campsite by this definition was 20 minutes walk behind (approx .5 miles), and we don't typically back track. 2,200 miles is enough! So we opted for a rarity and pushed ahead of our plan to the shelter. We arrived at about quarter to 7, which now is nearly dark. We set up camp quickly, made dinner, and now I'm writing before sleep. It's 8:07. We've learned to do things pretty quickly it here.<br />
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So, hopefully we'll head into town tomorrow for a resupply. We're getting close friends! We reminisced a little today about the fact that the first days/weeks in this endeavor feel like a lifetime ago. It's so crazy to think back at how far we've come! Looking forward to writing more about those things from my comfy chair in a few weeks.<br />
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Saturday 9/23;Spalding Mountain Lean-to to Stratton, ME (1988.1-2001.6)<br />
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Yep, you see that correctly. We hit the 2,000 mile mark! Really, there are no words to adequately share our emotions and feelings. Well, currently Fresh is happy to have made it through these last two big days, over big mountains, and into town for a big dinner tonight. See, I didn't know how badly I needed food until it became apparent that I might not reasonably get a "town meal" (what we call a meal from anything other than our packs). Then, I cried. I think because I was probably dehydrated, and I have definitely been a bit calorie deficient the past couple of days. I'm eating as much as I have been, but for some reason these last few days I've been so hungry! So it all came crashing down tonight. It didn't help that we arrived at the trail head (the road) at about 6PM. This is pretty late in the day to get in for a meal, resupply, hopefully a shower, and back out to set up camp. Though we probably could have managed it. We enjoyed a nice meal in a little inn, and visited with friends. Yard Sale and I showered. We'll do laundry and resupply in the morning, and head out for a short day out (about 5 miles).<br />
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The Bigelows are or next range, and then we'll flatten out a bit before hitting Mt. Katahdin. While I've very much enjoyed the views, I'm looking forward to some easier hiking for a minute. These back to back very hard days are getting to me. Bean seems to be happy as a clam, as ever, which makes me think there's something wrong with one of us...<br />
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Sunday 9/24; Stratton, ME to Horn Pond Lean-to (2001.6-2006.7)<br />
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What a leisurely Sunday today was. We didn't set an alarm which is rare. We're not really sure why because we wake by 6:30 regardless. But it's an exceptionally nice feeling to wake naturally and not have to jump up and go. We didn't get moving until 7:30, and then we got breakfast and started laundry before resupplying and eating lunch. We didn't get back in trail until 2:25 PM, and still made our mark! It was a pretty great day. I think I ate more calories than I've had in a day since last Thanksgiving. But oh my gosh did my body need it! I really didn't realize how much!<br />
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Tomorrow we'll see the first summit of The Bigelows. We hear they're largely under-spoken and that we have a real treat coming. I hope so! These will be the last "big mountains" we climb before we summit Katahdin. Gotta make 'em good!!<br />
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Monday 9/25; Horn Pond Lean-to to Little Bigelow Lean-to (2006.7-2016.9)<br />
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The Bigelows did not disappoint! Really beautiful views. The haze was a bit unfortunate, but still, the 360 degree views were just incredible. The leaves continue to change giving us more color as the days progress; seeing them from above only makes the views better. There was quite a bit of climbing to get up there, and we both tried to get after it first thing. We did, and took a long break on the first peak, Bigelow West. This makes the day a bit hard as we've set the bar for the day. It worked out today and we got our miles in, but tomorrow we've planned 17. Long breaks first thing won't do. Driving us, though, is the promise of a short walk into Caratunk the day after tomorrow, and a room at a local Inn! We'll get there early enough to enjoy the afternoon with a room and a shower! Plus, we'll get new water bags--we busted all but one. This is entirely normal, but we've never been down to one, one-liter bag before. It's a real pain.<br />
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At one point, we stopped late in the day to check out a view. It was hazy and the sun was directly in our eyes, but if you shielded the sun, you could see the rays coming through the clouds over Bigelow Avery Peak, which we'd just descended. It was a gorgeous view with those rays reminding me of hope and goodness. Here's to lessons in these last days.<br />
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We rolled into camp quite late, but spent a little time with some very nice people. We meet Ham Jam and Pac Man the other day, and they seem very nice! And tonight we bet another Bean (apparently short for LL Bean). We'd heard there was another on the trail, and now we've met him! Really nice guy!<br />
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More tomorrow!<br />
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Tuesday 9/26; Little Bigelow Lean-to to Pierce Pond Lean-to (2016.9-2034.6)<br />
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And...we fought. All. Day. Long. If anyone ever tries to tell you hiking with a partner is easy, they're lying. It was the same argument we've had since the beginning. Pace, expectations, and attitude. It sucks. And the kicker is that today was an absolutely gorgeous day! Blue skies, puffy clouds, amazing ponds, FLAT trail! It should have been a great day. And I don't even know what started it. I got super upset when we couldn't camp next to a pond about 6 miles back that had a small beach. I wanted to go swimming and enjoy the afternoon. Oh well. We made our target, albeit just before dark. But we're here and we haven't got far in the morning to catch the ferry across the river (don't get too excited--it's a canoe) to go to town. We'll stay a night, resupply, get new water bags (sorely needed!), and eat. And we're on the hunt for a milk shake. Bean loves milk shakes, and the place we were banking on is shutting down a few days early.<br />
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Side note: we're camped next to a pond tonight. We can hear coyotes in the distance, and loons a bit closer. Bean told me many weeks ago that he wanted me to hear one, and here it is!<br />
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Wednesday 9/27; Pierce Pond Lean-to to Caratunk, ME (2034.6-2038.6)<br />
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since we made it to the shelter last night, we had about 4 miles to get into town this morning. We'd made reservations to sleep in a bed (and SHOWER! gosh, we're gross!), And to pick up a package in town which contains our new water bags (very important)! So we got up leisurely and took our time this morning, and then wandered into town. We called the gentleman at Sterling Inn to pick us up, did some chores, and got in line (aka sat around on the porch) to go to the post office. The caratunk House B&B, which we'd intended to stay with, informed us after we'd shipped the package there that they would close early. So we hoped the post office had held our item, but because it was sent by Amazon, it didn't go USPS and hadn't arrived yet. We hope it arrived later today and that the owner received my voice mail to leave it on the porch so we could pick it up on our way out of town tomorrow. Here's to hoping...or we'll lose half a day of hiking.<br />
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Otherwise, today was a pretty good one. The weather was really good which was a pleasant surprise. Rain has been expected. It's been so stinkin' hot up here, you all just wouldn't believe it! But we're supposed to cool down a little in the coming days, which will hopefully make for some comfortable hiking weather at mostly low elevations, and a clear summit day on Katahdin. We're getting excited, but it's so entirely surreal to be discussing the end. I've complained a lot, but the truth is... I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I've grown, we've grown, and we've learned so much about ourselves, life, the world around us. These next days are going to be hard ones: A little sweet, and a little sour. More to come as we begin to close out this chapter of The Kolesars' Epic Adventure of 2017!<br />
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Thursday 9/28; Caratunk, ME to Pleasant Pond Lean-to (2038.6-2044.3)<br />
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We truly believe everything happens for a reason. We didn't stay the B&B because he chose to close early. It was frustrating since we'd sent a package there, which we'd done only because the entry in our guide book said he'd be open to the 30th. Anyhow, The Sterling Inn was simply perfect! Eric (the proprietor) picked us up no questions asked and took us to his charming, clean inn, where we rested, visited, and ate dinner (which Eric's son Zach went to pick up because a large group of us wanted dinner and the restaurant couldn't deliver). Highly recommend a stay at Sterling!!<br />
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Which brings us to today. Long story short, the Platy bags were at the post office, and not at the B&B. I was frustrated waiting all day, not knowing if we'd get them and possibly have to hike out without them, but we got them when the post office opened at 2PM and called it a short day. Six miles to the shelter, easy hiking, and friendly faces, along with absolutely B-e-a-utiful fall weather made it a great day!<br />
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I was a little saddened this morning when Bean and I were talking and he shared with me that he isn't sure if he knows that I've enjoyed this experience. He says he feels like all I've done is complain. While there have been some pretty cruddy days, many of them in fact, I wouldn't trade this time for anything. The kind of growth we've experienced it here, this growth can't be gained anywhere else, under any other circumstances. It's a privilege we worked hard to earn, and one we don't take lightly, to be out here representing what we believe is the best of our community. I'm so glad we've done this, and together! All that said, I don't feel ashamed that part of me is ready to be home. Yet a large part of me is freaking out a little over the fact that we're almost finished. I'm not ready to move on to whatever is next. So for now, we'll stick with trying to live for the moment, and looking forward to the Hundred Mile with friends (hopefully Yard Sale and GWAG!). And remember that my favorite thing about today was the fall leaves on the trail. Not crunchy yet, still red and orange leaves littering the walk like giant confetti, with blue sky stretching out above, and sunlight dappling on top of the leaf litter.<br />
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Friday 9/29; Pleasant Pond Lean-to to Stealth at the river (2044.3-2063.3)<br />
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What a gorgeous day (aside from the poor sleep last night and frigid morning)! Seriously though, we woke to cold, clear weather. Getting out of the sleeping bag is tough on mornings like these, but we had a great day! It never really did get warm, but it warmed up enough once the breeze died down to be very comfortable hiking weather. We had a couple of (what are now referred to as) baby climbs. They were somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 foot mountains, with us climbing 1,200 or so feet. I never thought I'd see the day when I called that easy, but relatively, it was exactly that. After we finished the second, "Moxie," the trail was largely flat. We booked it the rest of the miles to camp and made it to our goal. Our first 19 mile day in I can't even remember how long! I hurt for it, but eh. It's the last days. If I weren't hurting, I'd probably think I was doing something wrong. Aleve down, hopefully it kicks in quick and I sleep all night. Pushing the long day today means 12 into Monson tomorrow and a zero on Sunday before heading into the Hundred Mile Wilderness. This will be 100 miles of backcountry trail, and when we finish it, we'll be just a few miles from the base of Katahdin. It's crazy to be getting ready to prep for this. We've got mail drops in Monson already, and we're set to rest up before heading out (with Yard Sale and GWAG)! Camped tonight with Ham Jam and Pac Man--we like them. Maybe we'll spend some time with them in the hundred, too. Only missing U-Turn, The Colonel, and Sweet Tea and Morning Glory. Missing the tramily a whole bunch lately!<br />
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Saturday 9/30; Stealth at the river to Monson, ME (2063.3-2075.3)<br />
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Since we made it to the campsite last night, we only had 6 or so miles to hike today into town. Which means...ZERO DAY!! The day was pretty easy. We haven't had to ford any of the streams so far that are marked as fords. We're late enough in the season that the water is low and we can rock hop. We received some trail magic from Anne and Strider in the form of hot dogs (the first red hot dog I've ever eaten), sodas, chips, and cookies. Such sweet people! Then we pushed into town and were able to call for a ride from the trail head (cell service when you don't expect it is always a plus!). We arrived at Shaw's Hostel ready to figure out a room and relax. Which we did. Bean went to get in the shower and I flopped down on the bed to play on the phone (WiFi!!), And then I heard a tiny little scratch at the foot of the bed. I turned around to see tiny puppy paws and a little puppy head peaking over the foot of the sleigh bed...and I melted! He's an Aussie (same as our late fur baby, Stitch), and we've come to find out that his name is Indie (short for Indigo). He's so stinkin' adorable!<br />
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The rest of the day was spent chilling out, eating 3 entrees and a dessert between the two of us for dinner, and reminiscing over this amazing journey. Tomorrow, we rest!<br />
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Sunday 10/1; Monson, ME Zero (2075.3)<br />
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Ummm...It's October. Holy wow, how did that happen?! It's like we hiked away the majority of a year or something. Oh wait, we did!<br />
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Good zero! Loving Shaw's (Poet is pretty great, as is Hippie Chick!). Would come back here for sure! Flabbergasted beyond words that we enter the hundred tomorrow, and in 8 days we'll be finished with this epic adventure. C-R-A-Z-Y!<br />
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We set up a good drop for the hundred mile with a few other people. This means we don't have to carry all our food which is a pretty giant deal! We eat a lot at this point, and carrying that much food for 8 days is HEAVY! So, we're not.<br />
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Next posts will likely be post summit. Catch y'all on the flip side!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-25034944644237448482017-09-20T07:24:00.000-04:002017-09-20T07:24:10.984-04:00Gorham, NH to Maine Route 17 (1891.5-1956.2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wednesday 9/6; Gorham, NH (1891.5)<br />
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Zero day waiting out the weather. We stayed at The Barn at Libby House. It is a pretty decent hostel. Not our favorite, but among the better hostels we've stayed in. Highly recommended for a quiet stay in a nice little town. We meet a couple of Mormon missionaries in the street after dropping some post cards in the mail. They were nice young men who asked questions about our hike and politely have us a very quick spiel about The Book of Mormon before handing us our very own copy. We thanked them and promptly took it back to the hostel and added it to the obligatory Hiker Bookshelf. Every hostel has one; sort of a take one leave one sort of deal. Maybe someone will use it.<br />
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Thursday 9/7; Gorham/Crawford Notch to Lake of the Clouds Hut (1844.4-1855.4)<br />
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Guys, we managed to score a work for stay! We pushed 11 miles and are among about 20 hikers here, but the "Croo" is fantastic and allowed most of us to work for stay. This means we'll help out a bit in exchange for a spot to set up beds on the floor, and leftover meal that want eaten by paid guests. The food is very good and it's warm and dry. No complaints here!<br />
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Today's hike was a good one, overall. I was a little down and cried some for no apparent reason. Bean was super patient and very sweet, and we got through 11 tough miles to land here, 1.5 miles below the summit of Mt. Washington. The forecast called for rain and clouds. We had some mist and lots of clouds, but no real rain. As we hiked, the clouds lifted some and we got some unique ridge views with low clouds and shadows, and the light on the hills was spectacular! We even got a rainbow! So now, it's about time for sleep. We hope to avoid the rain again tomorrow while going over Washington!<br />
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Friday 9/8; Lake of the Clouds Hut to Madison Hut (1855.4-1862.6)<br />
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Today sucked. We started the morning with work for stay at lake of the clouds which involved opening windows and scraping the black mold off to help prepare the hut for end of the season closure. It was FRIGID outside and all our fingers were numb. All in all, not a great work for stay, especially since all the hikers are dinner last night regardless of their work status. So we got started very late (10AM) on the day we're going over Mt. Washington. The climb wasn't too terrible, though the fog was very dense. We made ok time and approached the overly clouded summit. Yard Sale and I came upon the weather station which was barely visible through the cloud cover. It was quite eerie to look at, to use YS's word. We found the summit, took our photos, found the visitor center, got warm drinks, and moved on. It was somewhat anticlimactic as we got absolutely no views and it was pretty cold. The day was very, very long, and was made longer when YS and I got off our trail and onto another. We went quite a ways before realizing it and making our way back, and lost week over an hour in the process. By the end of our second day above tree line, we were all exhausted and ready for safety and dinner. We approached the hut knowing this one notoriously doesn't accept with for stays, but knew we had no other choice. It was 710 when we arrived and sunset is approximately 725. And... They ACCEPTED us!! We were SO relieved!! They didn't have enough dinner for us, but we didn't care. We slept on the floor and woke this morning to wipe down the walls in the hut, and stomp down the kitchen compost. We did get some breakfast.<br />
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Saturday 9/9; Madison Hut to Pinkham Notch (1862.6-1870.4)<br />
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Thank G-d, we're finished with the Presidents! Coming down Mt. Madison today was painstakingly hard! We inches or way down lots of Rocky trail, all still above tree line. We did have some really nice views coming down as we headed for the trees and below the clouds. It wasn't a particularly bad day, though I wound up pretty grumpy this afternoon. I'm so entirely exhausted and really need a break, but we really want to get through the Wildcats, which are the last peaks in our Whites. Two more days and we'll be finished! Assuming, that is, that we hit our mark tomorrow. 13 miles is an awful lot in this terrain and with tomorrow's climb, and we have to stop at under 6 or go all the way to the 13. Makes a challenging day! We plan to start with a solid breakfast, though, so hopefully that helps.<br />
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Sunday 9/9; Pinkham Notch to Zeta Pass Stealth Camping (1870.4-1878.9)<br />
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Well, today didn't go as planned (really, what day does?). We'd hoped for 13 miles to Imp Campsite, but it turns out The Wildcats are no stinking joke! U-Turn, you weren't kidding! Anyhow, despite all that, it really wasn't a bad day. The weather has been absolutely beautiful! I bit windy, and a little cool in some spots, but clear skies and sunshine make for stunning views! Plus, we started the morning with breakfast at the Pinkham Visitor Center. A buffet that has giant, fluffy, whole wheat pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, blueberry coffee cake, and an assortment of other options...a thru hiker's perfect morning! We were up early to take advantage and still try to make it 13. When we arrived at the hut 5.8 miles into our day at 2PM, I knew we weren't going to make it. So we decided on a stealth camp site, and we're here with Yard Sale, Ma'am, and Smash Newton. Apparently Bear Pop may show up at some point, too. They're working on a fire, dinner is soaking, and life is good. The tent placement options leaves a bit to be desired, but we've reconfigured the arrangements for tonight inside the tent and I think it might prove to be pretty darn comfy. I'm tired and hope I sleep well. We'll finish the Whites tomorrow and head into Maine. Big things coming...<br />
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Monday 9/11; Zeta Pass Stealth Camping to Gorham, NH (1878.9-1891.5)<br />
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These last couple of days have been so hard. Today was definitely better than/slightly easier than yesterday, but I just kept feeling how tired I was as I walked. My mind and body are so overwhelmingly exhausted. We only had 13 miles to go today which is a long day here, but we believed doable. So off we went. Ultimately, we did manage it, but I felt like we were simply never going to get there. The last 3-4 miles of the day were super nice and well graded, and we got a hitch pretty quickly after hitting the main road. We opted for a motel room for just the two of us. We enjoy hanging out with all our friends, but when we really need rest look we do now, the quiet of a private space is so important!<br />
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Tuesday 9/12; Gorham, NH, zero (1891.5)<br />
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Wednesday 9/13; Gorham, NH to Dream Lake stealth site<br />
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We heard that the first miles out of Gorham would be relatively easy. They were and we managed a couple miles past where we'd planned to stop. Our general process is to plan on a stopping point and then evaluate. Often, there is a further option, and a shorter/fallback option. Today, we landed in between the two. We camped with Yard Sale near a quiet lake. It was a nice evening of discussion over dinner and early bed time. Apparently we hot 1900 miles today, which we totally missed. But we're excited nonetheless! Tomorrow... MAINE!!<br />
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Thursday 9/14; Dream Lake stealth site to Carlo Col Shelter (1901.2-1908.5)<br />
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The challenging terrain had been quite frustrating as it's slowed is down considerably (as you can see from our mileage). We're trying to keep our cool and not worry about time, but it's hard with such short days. We stopped short of our goal today. As we were stopped filling water for the final 4.4 of the day, a SOBO showed up at the shelter beat down and ready for the end of the day (at 3pm). We know this feeling. It sucks. We had just been arguing (again) over pace an whether or not to push the 4.4/what time we could realistically expect to arrive if we did, and this guy (On Again) shows up and shares that today has been his absolute hardest day in Maine. This is saying something, guys. So we promptly agreed that it was probably smart to stay put. Bean too a spill after collecting water and has a big gash in an arm and hand, so it makes the most sense. It's frustrating, though, because it's only 3:15. We've got hours left in the day, but no water or camping until the next campsite. If we hope tomorrow and find stealth and a stream in a few miles, we'll both be ticked. But I guess it is what it is. We're excited to be in Maine and entering the home stretch. I'm hesitantly ready to find the end of this journey.<br />
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Friday 9/15; Carlo Col Shelter to Bull Branch Shelter (1908.5-1915.6)<br />
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Mahoosuc Notch is finished! This is "the most challenging/fun mile on The AT." I did find it challenging, not so much fun for Fresh. Bean enjoyed it very much. Basically, it's a rock scramble/maze that you have to shimmy and squeeze through, and then balance over for a mile. There were a couple of moments that I was truly scared I'd fall and Bean had to help keep me calm and moving. It was another short day due to the difficulty here. This one mile took us (me) 3 hours to traverse. Literally. We hoped to make it another 2.4 and we probably could have. But there's a camp site just after you finish The Notch, and we opted to stop here. It's actually quite nice. So we'll walk out of camp in the morning straight uphill for 2.5 miles to conquer Mahoosuc Arm, and then I think we'll be finished with the Mahoosucs. Thank goodness!!<br />
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Before all this today, we had some hard climbs, but they were we'll worth it. We going ourselves above tree line again, though for the first time in Maine. It's gorgeous with the fall leaves beginning to show their reds in the valleys. Have I mentioned how much I love Fall?! In fact, I'm super excited to be going home in time for all the fall festivities! Anniversary, birthday, Halloween, THANKSGIVING (my Favorite!), and all the fall themed everything around town. Plus.... Pumpkin things! Pumpkin Noosa Yogurt is a new favorite!<br />
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We're camped again with Yard Sale tonight which is a treat! We like her a lot and it works out well that we've been seeing a bit of her lately.<br />
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I've deduced that I love the camping part of backpacking. I even like the hiking part when it's minimal miles per day and there's no real deadline to meet. But camping is my roots and it's really what I love.<br />
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Saturday 9/16; Bull Branch Shelter to Bald Plate Shelter (1915.6-1924.9)<br />
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Thank goodness for the end of today. I was starting to think that all of Maine was gonna be less than fun. But finally, this afternoon we got an actual trail which we could actually hike rather than rock climb. Though we're told not to get our hopes up because the next couple of peaks are apparently very hard. The southern half of Maine is very, very hard!<br />
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We ran into a number of day hikers today. One lady gave us a whole pint of blueberries! They were SO good!! We ate the whole container on the spot. All after climbing vertical rocks to see a hazy view of fall colors below. It was a beautiful day that brought a better mood for Fresh. Looking forward to town couple of days and PANCAKES!!<br />
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Sunday 9/17; Bald Plate Shelter to Andover, NH (1924.9-1932.9)<br />
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Finally a decent day with a decent pace! At least for the second half of the day. The first half was quite challenging, though the views we're stunning! We made good time and called for our ride into town to the hostel. First things first, showers. Then food, of course! Then a decision to slack pack tomorrow. We are super excited to get some miles in AND sleep in a bed again! A shower at the end of a hiking day is an absolute novelty.<br />
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Monday 9/18; East B Hill Road to South Arm Road (1932.9-1943.0)<br />
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Slack packing is AMAZING! We are back on our pace, for today at least, and knocked out 10 miles before 3PM. It felt great and had me feeling like I might actually be able to do this. After weeks of slower pace than we'd become accustomed, it feels like I just can't possibly finish. My body is simply exhausted. So this splurge which includes a bed at night and showers at the end of the day is so nice! And...we're doing it again tomorrow! 13 more miles will take us one day out of Rangley. We're looking at 3 or so more weeks to finish, and we are getting so excited! More tomorrow before posting this...<br />
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Today 9/19; South Arm Road to Maine 17 (1943.0-1956.2)<br />
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Another successful slack pack in the books! Today really was a great day. The hiking was moderately hard and we moved quickly without packs on. We're a bit concerned about putting them back on tomorrow. They'll feel so heavy!<br />
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Yard Sale and I had another great discussion, and OG and I had a first. We're all full of emotions about coming to the end of the North bound section. These emotions seem to range from relief and excitement to apprehension and fear. Most of us feel a jumble of many emotions, and for some of us, it's very overwhelming.<br />
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Wishing all who celebrate a peaceful Rosh Hashannah and a meaningful Yom Kippur fast.<br />
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And wishing Jessica and Marc and Jazz and Branden beautiful wedding celebrations! I know you'll both be gorgeous brides. Wishing you only happiness in your marriage! Remember that everyone there celebrating with you (and some of us who aren't) are your village. We are the people you'll call on when you are ready to celebrate, or when you're struggling.<br />
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I'm sorry I won't be there to celebrate these occasions with all of you. You're in my mind and heart as we continue on our journey toward Katahdin, and then home!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-47991065592794017342017-09-05T23:43:00.000-04:002017-10-12T23:02:36.695-04:00North Woodstock, NH to AMC Highlands Center/Gorham, NH (1816.7-1844)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thursday 8/31; North Woodstock, NH/Franconia Notch to Liberty Springs Campsite (1816.7-1819.4)<br />
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Remember how we mentioned yesterday that we made our way to the little inn in North Woodstock, NH? Yeah, well leaving this morning was no easy feat. I wish so much that we'd made the move earlier and spent our recovery days there. Kind service, a warm bed, climate controlled room, a TV, and real food just steps from the door all made for a lovely afternoon. We splurged a bit on dinner last night, but we'd been eating ramen and Pop tarts from the hostel for two days. When your appetite is finally returning and you see red meat on a menu (which you basically haven't eaten in 5+ months)...Yeah. Included with our stay was breakfast at the lovely little restaurant there and oh my gosh, was it so good! In case you couldn't tell, food pretty much rules our lives at the moment. All this to say that we went back to our room after breakfast and very briefly discussed staying another night. I had been texting with Yard Sale about locations and plans, and she told us that a local hostel owner warned her of very bad ridge weather for tomorrow. So if we'd stayed today, we'd have stayed tomorrow as well. Which sounds AMAZING, until we pay for it. However, as we sit hunkered in our tent to the sound of drips and wind, and pretty much know we aren't going anywhere tomorrow, it sounds more and more appealing to go back down the mountain and make our way back to that warm, cozy bed.<br />
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We haven't discussed the Vortex that towns can be. What you've just read...That's what we call "The Vortex." It pretty much just means you get stuck in town eating, resting, being clean, and enjoying not hiking. Until you remember that you came out here to HIKE, and manage to get yourself out of town. Often, that means you may only hike a few miles like we did today. But, you're out and can think clearly again. Unless you freeze in the night. That said, Bean is often a furnace, and I think I mentioned that he opted to not get his warm sleeping bag back. I'm a bit concerned that he's gonna turn into an Erik-sicle. He assures me he's fine. We shall see how this night goes.<br />
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Since we've got some time this afternoon, I'll make this post even longer and touch on thoughts and reflections.<br />
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Bean contributes: "Up until this point, I don't know why the numbers are so low (meaning the number of people who successfully complete a thru hike). Anyone can do this."<br />
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To which I reply: Most people don't find this as easy as you seem to. Bean seems entirely unsurprised by anything we've encountered thus far. He says it's exactly as hard and as amazing as he thought it would be. We disagree on this point. It's far harder than I ever imagined it would be. I mean, my thoughts were "I grew up hiking and camping, and people of all genders, abilities, and backgrounds have successfully completed the trail, why not me?" And to some degree, that's a fair assessment. However, what it doesn't discuss is the mental game, the physical pain/discomfort, the hunger, the stress, the emotional--something, the rain, the snow, the cold, the heat, the thunder storms, the thunder storms on ridges (a totally different animal), the flat out bad days. The list could continue almost infinitely, I think. So, you may ask what are the redeeming qualities of this venture if there are so many negatives? There are a few, actually. The most important of which (2.5), in my opinion, are the amazing people we've met and fallen in love with. We have the distinct honor of walking with many people who are kind, humble, honest, driven, helpful, and simply beautiful souls. Each of them has brought a uniqueness to our journey that is ours alone, and without each and every one of them, our story would look so very different. We are forever grateful to these people, and look forward to continuing relationships with many of them for years to come. When we come home, we'll attempt to share our experiences with you. To answer your questions. To help you understand the transformation we have fostered in ourselves. But really, you won't entirely understand. You can't. You didn't do this with us. These people did. And that alone connects us in a very distinct way.<br />
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The other major positive I'll need to try to describe. Imagine it's been raining all day, every day, for a week. The power has been out so you haven't washed laundry. Your stove is electric, as is your water heater, so you've been eating peanut butter and jelly, dry ramen (or cold/rehydrated), Pop tarts, and whatever snacks you've got in the pantry. If you've showered, it was icily cold; so cold that it took your breath away and all you could manage was to flip your head over and wash your hair. Even that felt like it was freeze-burning your scalp, so you bird-bathed your unmentionable parts, dried off as best you could, and threw your clothes back on (in our case, they're also wet because we've been walking in the rain). Remember, they're dirty because you've been out of power. Have you got all that in your mind? Really imagine how grimy you feel, and how you'd like nothing more than a hot shower, and to run all those stinky clothes through a washer. Ok. Now, imagine you wake on the 8th day to no drips. You can see the sun shining through the window (or the rain fly). You open the door and feel the sun on your face. And now, you ask what's the point of all this? The point, my friend, is that when that sun comes out after days of rain...There is Nothing like it anywhere! You just turn your head up and enjoy feeling it on your skin. Look up though the trees and watch it glittering through the leaves (my favorite view in the world). The sun makes for a good day out here.<br />
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The other half of that is hitting a summit with a view on a sunny day. Especially a cool sunny day because in the cool weather, the haze is often at a minimum and you can see to forever.<br />
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These seem so random and insignificant, but they are the why's that have come to pass while we've been on this epic walk. They keep me going. And you all, of course. Seriously. Knowing you all are counting on us to succeed has literally kept me out here on a few occasions. More than I'd like to admit, as a matter of fact.<br />
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So, I'll call it quits for now. This is the longest post in quite some time. More long ones to come, I'm sure.<br />
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Friday 9/1; Liberty Springs Campsite zero (1819.4)<br />
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Well. Day two in the Whites and the ridge weather was so bad that we didn't leave camp. Headed up Mt. Lincoln tomorrow under sunny skies to enjoy Franconia Ridge. We have certainly learned to go with the flow it here. The trail has a mind of her own, and we're at her mercy.<br />
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Saturday 9/2; Liberty Springs Campsite to Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite (1819.4-1827)<br />
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Holy moly, Franconia Ridge! We are so glad we waited for good weather to climb the summit. We spent a few hours ridge walking 2 miles and enjoying views to the horizon and beyond. There just are no words, guys. The beauty is incomprehensible. The hiking itself is hard. Like, really hard. It's frustrating to know that just a week ago we were capable of 15 mile days minimum. Bean is still able to push fast miles, but his pace has definitely slowed. Mine, however, has slowed exponentially. I am confident I could have moved faster over the ridge today had I not stopped to talk with every tourist who stopped to ask me/us about our journey. That said, we wouldn't have made it really much further. The issue with pace up here is that you have designated campsite and huts. You can stealth, though you have to be aware of weather conditions, and hope to find stealth at an elevation low enough to avoid winds and cold temperatures that the ridges and summits often see. The designated campsites are often paid (we pay $10 for a thru hiker card, and then $5 per stay), and seem to be pretty nice. We're currently hunkered in a shelter avoiding a giant rain storm, and it's quite nice. The huts are paid and are very expensive. People pay a lot of money (like a hundred dollars per person) to hike in, and stay at the hut where the crew serves food, and manages beds. Sometimes, if you time it just right, you can land a work for stay at one of the huts. When this happens, you do work they need, and in exchange you get to eat leftovers (which we're told are very good) and sleep on the floor. You can also sleep on the floor in bad weather sometimes, you just don't get to eat the leftovers. Though often if you're passing by after breakfast, they'll let you eat leftover oatmeal. Whatever isn't eaten has to be carried out, so they usually don't mind. They offer soups and baked goods for relatively reasonable prices. Our thru hiker cards get us one bowl of soup and two baked goods each, and 10% off other items for sale. So, that's the Whites in a nutshell. We stopped here last night, and now, because of the coming storm, the terrain, and the location of campsites/iffi-ness of the huts, we're hunkered. We could go 3 miles to the hut where they would likely let us sleep on the floor out of the weather, but the wind is crazy strong right now, and the clouds are blowing through camp at nearly 4,000 feet. I think the four of us here, us and Yard Sale, and a new friend called Brave Happy are pretty good to sit tight. Tomorrow is supposed to bring good weather and we plan to push a pretty long day. We'll hit town first thing Tuesday morning, resupply, and head back out.<br />
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Sunday 9/3; Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite (1827)<br />
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Zero. We are learning to trust our decisions. It's a hard line to walk, but a great lesson to learn. The weather sucks, and wee lose nothing in the long run from waiting it out. Our motto in Maine is "Low and Slow." Meaning low miles and slow progress.<br />
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Monday 9/4; Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite to Ethan Pond Shelter (1827-1841)<br />
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Have I mentioned what a difference a day can make? Oh my gosh, the views today! The day started in the clouds, and we arrived at our first hut yet to dreary fog and cold temperatures. We went inside, had some snacks and warm drinks, and moved on to find the summit if South Twin Mountain. It was a long final .8 to the top, and the wind and clouds up top made our time on the summit extremely short.<br />
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We made our way to Mt. Zealand which afforded a surprising view of the surrounding ridges and peaks. We continued in search of the hut, which was quite a ways away from the summit. We took a very short side trail after being told the view was not to be missed by a day hiker, and boy was he right! We finally made it to the hut, and they had soup for us and oh so yummy applesauce bread! We left to tackle 5 more miles, which might have been the easiest AT miles in the Whites. A 14 mile day here is not an easy day. But Bean was sure we could accomplish it, and we did. And...It was AMAZING!<br />
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We're camped tonight with two guys we met yesterday, Nick and Will. They are brothers who are out for a few days before their dad joins them for a few more. They are super nice and we've had great conversation about their studies and plans.<br />
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Tuesday 9/5; Ethan Pond Shelter to AMC Highlands Center/Gorham (1841-1844)<br />
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A quick 3 miles today and a hitch to the Highlands Center, then a shuttle to Gorham to resupply. And...We're back to waiting out the weather. I don't know how much most of you know about the weather here in The White Mountains, so I'll give you a quick rundown. Many of the summits are above tree line. The weather can turn, literally on a dime that high, and it can also be completely different from the weather in the valleys. This fact is never more true than on the summit of Mt. Washington, where some of the most extreme weather in the country occurs. As in, it snowed the other day. So, the fact that these hurricanes are spitting poor weather in this direction makes hiking a bit complicated. Please don't misunderstand--we feel for those affected by the hurricane very deeply. We mean in no way to diminish what these communities are experiencing in the aftermath of the storms. We're just also frustrated while trying to reach our goal. All that said, we're in Gorham, NH waiting for the weather to clear so we can safely summit Washington and The Presidential Range, and then The Wildcats to finish out the Whites. And if we're very, very lucky, we'll get to see dear family friends, Bruce and Michele!!<br />
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So stay tuned, friends and cheerleaders. You won't want to miss a second if these final weeks and the special crazy that's sure to come with them!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-4394274350130217832017-08-30T21:15:00.000-04:002017-08-30T21:15:06.158-04:00Hanover, NH to Glencliffe, NH (1741.8-1791.1)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thursday 8/24; Happy Hill Shelter to Red Velvet Shelter (1741.8-1749.1)<br />
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A short day spent booking it into Hanover, NH, and then milling around town for most of the day. Things learned in the process? Dartmouth is gorgeous, Hanover is an absolutely precious town which caters to hikers and is full of overpriced everything, and I (Fresh) want to visit again.<br />
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We ate at a little place called Lou's which had the best berry pancakes I've had on trail yet. Also a pretty great omelette with Gouda, bacon, kale, and tomatoes, and a few doughnut because every hiker needs one of those. So yummy! We had a free side of pizza each for lunch, and gelato to top it all off. We're now a mile out of town at the shelter, which we're sharing with a bunch of pre-orientation Dartmouth students. Apparently, pre-orientation programming is a thing now. Or is it only at the Ivies? I overheard a couple of the girls chatting and I'm shocked at how shallow their conversation seems to be. Was I this air-headed at 18? Gosh! Anyhow, a great day. Looking forward to tomorrow!!<br />
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Friday 8/25; Velvet Rocks Shelter to Trapper John Shelter (1749.1-1764.3)<br />
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Wow, the weather! What a gorgeous day to start getting into some bigger climbs again! The climbing sucks as much as I remember, but the views are beautiful already! We wandered through the miles stopping to talk with new people and friends. We met Shaggy and his friend whose name I simply can't remember (sorry!!). They were so nice! SOBOs who we hope will keep in touch! We have camped the last couple of days with Deacon who is going to Maine. Tonight we were talking about Miss Janet and her amazing kindnesses. I wish there was some way to repay her, but there some isn't. She's so very kind to this community and gives so much of herself to us all.<br />
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Saturday 8/26; Trapper John Shelter to Hexacuba Shelter (1764.3-1776.3)<br />
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I forgot to where yesterday, so I'm making it up today (Sunday). Yesterday was largely uneventful, which was a blessing after the night before. I'll start there...<br />
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Friday, after blogging (which I did early), we made dinner, talked with a fellow hiker who want feeling very well, hung out and chatted with a bunch of hikers who were both new and old faces, caught up with GWAG, and we all went to bed. I had read a little, was trying to tune out another Dartmouth group which was very loud, and had almost dozed off Wolfe Dog told us that they were calling 911 for the hiker who didn't feel well earlier. Long story short, they called, got the rescue crew our location, and waited. I didn't get in the middle, as I felt like there were enough people helping. I did help pack up the sick hiker's things when they decided to take her down the mountain, and her significant other was going with her. It turns out she's doing just fine, but it was tiring and scary to take part in. Her hiking partner kept thanking you for helping and telling us not to worry about it, that they didn't want to bother. We had to make them ok with the fact that this is what the community is here for. We hello each other. It's what makes us a great group of people. After they departed, I went down and asked the Dartmouth student group to be quiet. Then we crashed.<br />
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The following day (today), we're tired and sluggish, and had our biggest climb in a while up Smarts Mountain. The climb was hard and long, and I injured my knee on the way up. No idea at all what I did, but it hurt so badly at one print that I wasn't sure I could get the rest of the way up. I did, and we rested for lunch at the top. The only view was afforded by climbing the fire tower, which I haven't done in some time as I have become uneasy with rickety things on stilts. We meet Scott and Brynn, day hikers who gave us sweets, fruit, beer, and carried out our trash. They were pretty great!<br />
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We made our way down the mountain to decide if we'd push on to the shelter or camp near the stream at the bottom. We decided to push on and it worked out ok in the end. The shelter was neat, built part way up Mt. Cube, it's built on the shape of a hexagon and has a bunch of space. We camped with a couple of SOBOs (Nameless was among them and was super nice!), and two sectioners, Julia and get grown son Chris. They were out for the weekend. Turns out, we met Julia back in Connecticut a couple of times (we recognized her), and Chris graduated from GA Tech. So we found all kinds of things to chat about!<br />
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I started feeling a little under the weather and we slept. I hoped to feel better in the morning.<br />
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Sunday 8/27; Hexacuba to Stealth Site (1776.3-1786.5)<br />
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Well, my knee felt a bit better this morning and has done well today, overall. We walked well, found the omelette man, and sat a while eating extra protein provided by this trail angel. He made us giant egg scrambles with ham, cheese, peppers and onions. We had bananas, doughnuts, and juice. It was amazing! Then...I realized I really wasn't feeling very well. We walked a bit more discussing what the best choice is. There's a hostel we were gonna slack pack from but we aren't sure about bunk space and we certainly don't want to pay nearly $20 each to camp in the yard. Add that to the fact that I'm not feeling well, and we decided to call it an early day and put the tent up here by a small stream. I'm hoping that an extra couple hours of rest will help me feel better in the morning. We're officially in The Whites and I need to be healthy and strong to get through them. I think it was the smartest decision, though it's frustrating. It's a pretty day and we stopped before 5PM. It feels like wasted hours. But I guess a few hours of down time is better than getting sick and being down for days. Anyhow, back at it in the morning.<br />
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Monday 8/28; Stealth Site to Hiker Welcome Hostel (1786.5-1791.1)<br />
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5 miles today. We were supposed to be here yesterday but...You read how that went. And I'm not feeling any better. Energy level is low and our package with all our winter gear isn't here yet. So we're hanging for the day. The gear will certainly be here today, so we'll head out tomorrow, assuming I'm feeling better. Until then, this place works fine. Lots of beds, a hot shower, and a hiker feed tonight!<br />
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Tuesday 8/29; Mt. Mousilake slack-Bean/Zero-Fresh (1791.1)<br />
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I woke feeling all but worse. So I got stressed and cried, Bean was sweet and supportive and told me that it's ok. So, off he went to home over the first mountain in The Whites, and I went back to bed for the morning. Watched some movies, slept some more, set an alarm to send home the gear were replacing with the winter gear we received yesterday, and woke 10 minutes before it sounded to hear Erik's voice arriving from his slack. Meaning...he finished slacking our first White Mountain in 5 hours. He's fast! He says it was amazing and shared photos from the climb and summit. My anxiety over the climbing to come is not helped by this set back.<br />
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Wednesday 8/30; Zero at Hikers Welcome Hostel (1791.1)<br />
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And...We're both under the weather. I woke early to use the outhouse and recognized that I feel much better, but still need another day to recover. When we woke later, Bean told me he couldn't to hike. So, unplanned zero it is. I felt like the lead caretaker at the hostel was less than helpful (Tricks was AWESOME though!!), So we decided to switch locations, resupply today, and be ready to go in the morning. Hopefully we're both feeling up for it. So we're in North Woodstock, NH tonight, we've had a tasty meal, and we're resting in a private room. We certainly should have moved yesterday. We had a discussion at dinner about how close we are to the finish and how we feel about that. Basically, we simply can't believe it. Neither of us is ready, nor can we figure out how we'll tell you all about our experiences. It's a bit hard to explain. Actually, it's kind of impossible. So we'll be working on this for the next weeks. Until then, hoping tomorrow is a great day!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-24099308424637949342017-08-24T14:48:00.001-04:002017-10-28T10:57:04.434-04:00Great Barrington, MA to Hanover, NH (1520.6-1741.8)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Monday 8/7; Great Barrington, MA to Wilcox South Shelter (1520.6-1532.3)</div>
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Uneventful day, today. Our mileage was low moderate and we were finished early. We finally net Kanga, Sherpa, and Baby Roo for a few mins. They are a couple who have their one year old daughter out here. They're super sweet, and Pig-Pen is right, Roo is adorable! It was great meeting them, finally! Pig-Pen has been talking about them for weeks and weeks. It's been chilly with rain and clouds all day. We're all in long sleep clothes, sleep socks, and I'm in my sleeping bag liner for warmth. Tomorrow is a little longer day, but Upper Goose Pond Cabin is said to be worth it! We're excited to see for ourselves!</div>
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Tuesday 8/8; Wilcox South Shelter to Upper Goose Pond Cabin (1532.3-1548.1)</div>
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Another uneventful day. A good day, though. We made good time and arrived at Upper Goose with time enough to cook down at the "beach" (which is basically a floating dock). Alexis is here (she has a trail name--OG--which apparently has multiple translations), and Bluebird, STAX, Pterodactyl, and Sir Poops A Lot! There was a good laugh had by all when I stepped onto the dock and froze because it felt so unstable. My standard response is, "I don't yike it," While gritting my teeth. Apparently Erik had predicted I wouldn't like it and would, in his words, "Trip out." </div>
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The caretaker here apparently makes pancakes for the hikers in the morning. I've craved pancakes on multiple occasions out here and am super excited! Long day tomorrow. We're trying to build a buffer in order to make our goal to Maine!!</div>
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Wednesday 8/9; Upper Goose Pond Cabin to Kay Woods Shelter (1548.1-1565.7)</div>
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Well we started the day with pancakes. With so many hikers around currently, it was sort of an ordeal getting our turn. Honestly, I'm a little surprised that I can be very grateful and a little disappointed at the same time. </div>
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We made great time today, even with stopping at "The Cookie Lady's House." This sweet lady makes cookies and will give them to hikers when she's home and available. She was so stinkin' sweet and had beautiful flowers! We enjoyed our time and continued on, finishing the 18 miles we scheduled for today before 7PM. We promptly are and are now in bed. We've learned a whole new meaning of meaning of "falling into bed."</div>
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A short day tomorrow with town lunch and a resupply will be so nice!</div>
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Thursday 8/10; Kay Woods Shelter to Crystal Hill Campsite (1565.7-1572.9)</div>
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We haven't hiked this few miles in a really long time! Started the morning late and slow (intentionally), which was so nice! Ate some breakfast, had warm drinks, started walking. It was only 2.8 miles to town, though I managed to fall down a flight of trail stairs in those miles. We, of course, found our way to food first. We shared blueberry pancakes and we each got an omelette. It was so good!! I have decided that I LOVE blueberry pancakes! We then took showers at the community center. Nothing feels better than being clean! And we "loitered" all day drying someone things, eating some more, reading, and chatting, before hiking 3.8 to camp. I very unproductive, relaxing day!</div>
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We packed out dinner, and as we were finishing, a new face who goes by Purple Rain arrived and asked if she could set up a banquet and take photos. She was working on a task for a giant scavenger hunt in which she needed to "host a banquet on a major trail." We'll, it just so happens she's flip-flopping The AT. It was fun and a nice way to meet a new hiker.</div>
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Another pretty short day tomorrow as we included closer to Vermont and Pig-Pen's last day with us. We'll sure miss her when she goes home.</div>
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Friday 8/11; Crystal Mountain Campsite to Mark Nopel Shelter (1572.9-1582.6)</div>
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A short day and Dunkin Doughnuts = pretty happy hikers. Pig-Pen wasn't feeling well this morning, so we weren't sure how the day was going to go. We knew we'd hit the post office right along the trail, and while we were there, we decided DD was a must. We also happened to come upon a Dollar General for protein, and headed up the first half of Mt. Greylock. We're camped here and will push 16 tomorrow before Pig-Pen's last miles on Sunday. Erik is building a fire currently, at Pig-Pen's request. They are her last days with us, after all....</div>
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Saturday 8/12; Mark Nopel Shelter to Seth Warner Shelter (1582.6-1599.1)<br />
Today was a very long, emotional day. We said goodbye to my second trail sister. Pig-Pen left the trail a day earlier than expected. She thought yesterday she wasn't feeling well because of a different food she ate, but it turns out she was getting a migraine. She had been feeling awful and her friends was able to pick her up a day earlier than planned. I'm sad to see her go, but excited to see what comes next for her. Pig-Pen, thanks for the laughs friend! I miss you already and can't wait to visit you and get the grand tour of New Haven! Until then, keep going and remember that you've only extended your adventure! </div>
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We said goodbye on top of Mt. Greylock, which is the tallest peak in Massachusetts. We were sucked in with fog and had no views, but the was memorial at the top was absolutely gorgeous! We spent some time with Pig-Pen before heading out to conquer the rest of our 16+ mile day. This was a bit overwhelming given that it was already after 11AM. Definitely NOT our typical. We're usually nearly or half done with our miles somewhere between 11 and about 1. The walking was mostly nice, though there was a lot of climbing in the second half of the day. We didn't arrive to camp until 730 PM, and with thunder sounding above. So we grabbed a tent spot (the shelter is full), and got the tent up just as the rain started. And...We're sleeping in a water bed. The front of the tent is in a puddle and it really sucks. I am overwhelmed tonight and feeling very lonely. Hoping tomorrow goes smoothly and we are able to dry out. </div>
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Sunday 8/13; Seth Warner Shelter to </div>
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Bennington, VT (1599.1-1610.6)<br />
An uneventful 11 miles into town and we stayed put. We got pretty wet last night and made a last minute decision to see if we could find a reasonable motel room. We did (The Catamount Motel is amazing--clean room, kind service including am free shuttle to and from the trail, and they do your laundry for a small fee!!), And we don't regret it for a second. It was nice to have a little time together not worrying about that one chore. Anyhow, Bennington is a nice little town. Definitely on the list to revisit in the future! We saw a small protest in town, too, in response to Charlottesville. A small group of citizens speaking out against hate. Very neat to see!</div>
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Monday 8/14; Bennington, VT to Kid Gore Shelter (1610.6-1625)</div>
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What a great day! We're really into BB King and Bill Murray at the trail head. He does the best trail magic,v which today was grilled cabbage, zucchini, fish, and beer. SO GOOD!! Thanks, guys!! The first half of the walking was a little daunting with a lot of climbing. I'm not a strong climber and it can be a bit frustrating, even discouraging. But we made it to the second shelter, the air was crisp and the light perfect, we met Ollie the dog (a Poodle/Bernese Mountain Dog--amazing!), and saw many friends including OG and BRAVE!! I was so excited to see her. Remember when she named me all the back in Georgia?! So.. we pushed on to the next shelter. 4.2 fewer miles to do later, AND we made our intended can for the night. AND!! I got to hike with OG and pass time super quickly! Excited to have had a really good day. Missing Pig-Pen!</div>
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Today 8/15; Kid Gore Shelter to Stratton Pond Shelter <a href="tel:16251640">(1625-1640</a>)</div>
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What a great day! We started by 8 am in drizzly weather with a chance of rain. Took a couple of breaks and then started up and over Stratton Mountain. I was nervous about the climb, but was pleasantly surprised that it was not so bad. So we climbed, completed 15 miles, and were at camp by 5PM. There are a bunch of sectioners here, and all seem nice. I went swimming in the pond which was so nice! Sort of like a bath before bed. We had dinner, are hanging out with OG, and met Chris, the caretaker here. His trail name in 2015 was Varsity, and he knew the girls (Muddy Duck and team). He was SO excited when I mentioned them!! It's been a really, really good day! </div>
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Wednesday 8/16; Stratton Shelter to Bromley Mountain Summit <a href="tel:16401653">(1640-1653</a>.7)</div>
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As I write this post, I'm sitting on a rock, on top of Bromley Mountain in Vermont, wrapped in my puffy and me sleeping blanket, watching the sun set over the distant ridges. It's AMAZING! We talked about not pushing the extra 1 mile to come up here, and it would have been such a mistake to pass this up. One of my favorite memories was sunrise at Masada, and now I'll see the sun melt over the horizon on my own coast.</div>
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Today was good. Easy, short, enjoyable. I think I have finally found my groove out here, and it's amazing! </div>
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Thursday 8/17; Bromley Mountain Summit to Little Rock Pond shelter (1653.7-1670.5)</div>
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We're sitting at the pond after eating dinner here. It's been another beautiful day. I think I'm in love with Vermont. We hit a summit today with breathtaking views of hills all around. We're camped with Colwyn who's hiking the Long Trail, and Dana and Jill, also LT hikers. We're all hanging out before heading back up to the shelter. Apparently it's going to rain tomorrow. Which is a pretty big bummer, but I guess we can't have beautiful weather every day.</div>
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Friday 8/18; Little Rock Pond shelter to Clarendon Shelter (1670.5-1684.1)</div>
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As always, rain sucks. And oh my gosh do Bean's socks STINK! When they get wet, they simply wreak!! Today really was ok, though I genuinely don't like hiking in the rain. We may have not tomorrow, but we'll be in town on Sunday and will have showers and do laundry. So I guess it's manageable.</div>
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The infection on my toe is healed, I think. But now I've got the exact same thing on the same toe on the other foot. Darn feet just don't want to cooperate. We've got just over 500 miles to the finish--Joints just need to hold out a little longer.</div>
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We're camped tonight with a group of Harvard students on a pre-orientation trip. Everything they have got soaked last night in the rain. It's a little sad, honestly. I hope they're all having fun despite the weather. </div>
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Saturday 8/19; Clarendon Shelter to Rutland, VT (1684.1-1700.8)</div>
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Big climbs don't ever get easier. Today is no exception. We did decide to push into town today instead of nearo-ing tomorrow. The down wasn't so bad, even if the up took 45 minutes longer than typical pace. But, we hit 1700 miles today which means we've got under 500 to hike. Do you have any idea what that feels like? We can't even figure a way to put it into words yet (and I'm writing this two days later!)!</div>
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But! We made it down with about 25 minutes before the local bus arrived to take us into town. What a fantastic service! Were sleeping tonight at the Hostel at The Yellow Deli. Some call the community a cult, but we hear really good things, so we're going to check it out for ourselves. We'll let you know...</div>
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Sunday 8/20; Zero in Rutland, VT<br />
The Yellow Deli: A Beautiful community of caring, generous people who live communally and work well together. I'm certainly intrigued. We didn't hear much about the believe system which seems to be some form of Christianity. They call themselves part of the twelve tribes, Wikipedia mentions Messianic under affiliations, and they all have Hebrew names, so we presume some form of Messianic-like Christian something or other. Two Step apparently had a conversation with Aysh about the religion and learned that members believe that a good soul, a person who faithfully tries to be good, is more important (or at least as important as) than the technicalities, which I understand do include Jesus in some way. Anyhow, the never if the community welcomed us with open arms and genuine care for our needs. The hostel is donation based, and they ask for guests (ie hikers) to help by folding clean laundry, stripping beds when we leave, cleaning/tidying common space, helping to prepare meals, etc. The community has a farm nearby (more on that below) and runs a deli, presumably for income, with fresh, homemade food. We arrived on Saturday evening, showered, and were invited to join for dinner. We were served a fresh, vegetarian meal that was like a taco salad of sorts and was so good! We learned that the power company was going to cut power for a while the following day for maintenance, and that the deli's Sunday prep would largely be completed on Saturday evening. As the meal finished, all members set to work with their assigned tasks. It really was something to see. A group of us hikers helped to cut bananas and strawberries which would be used in smoothies. We enjoyed talking and singing and generally goofing off while spending some time helping our new friends prepare for the following day. We ate lunch at the deli (with a 15% discount because we're hikers) and it was AMAZING! The homemade bread is so good! I'm very interested in spending a day on the farm at some point and seeing what that's like. All in all, the community was very welcoming and we're beyond grateful for our time there!</div>
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Otherwise, our day today was exactly what we like on a zero day...A whole lot of nothin'! We read, dried/UVed gear, washed clothes, and caught up with friends, and unfortunately said goodbye to New friends TRex, Jet, and Colwyn. Good luck on the Long Trail, friends. We'll be in touch! We made a short visit to the bookstore across the street which was pretty neat. They had a whole table with political reads, a wall dedicated to race, a young adult book written by Jazz (a prominent transgender teen)...I loved the controversy there! And the t-shirts with screen prints of classic books' cover art, of course! It was a perfect zero day!</div>
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Monday 8/21; Rutland, VT to Stony Brook Shelter (1700.8-1710.8)</div>
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As usual, getting started after spending time in town was later than usual. As a result we cut 15 mile day down to ten which means we have to make up the 5 at some point in the week. Oh well, tis life, I guess. It was a decent day. A pretty gnarly climb, but we'd better get used to them. So we stopped early-ish, made dinner, and now the blog is caught up and it's time to read for a minute and then sleep. We'll told in Hanover in a couple days (meant to do that in Rutland--oops!).</div>
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Tuesday 8/22; Stony Brook Shelter Pomfret Road stealth site (1710.8-1728.9)</div>
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A challenge, today was. I had hoped that FINALLY seeing U-Turn and The Colonel this morning would mean a fantastically great day! But...(sorry gentlemen) PMS had other plans. I was slow and sluggish despite the joyful reunion. It was so great catching up a little, though, and I can't wait to do so after the trail when we'll both have service and be able to have a full blown conversation!</div>
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We found our way to "The Lookout" and climbed up to have a view. I thought maybe it would help cheer me up, but instead, I got lost after missing a junction (I'm a bit over the poorly marked trail, Green Mountain Club--fix it, please!). I sort of freaked out for a minute and then took the phone out and used the trusty Guthook's to find my way back. But not before tears of panic set in. </div>
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We went through the day, breaked for lunch, walked a while more, wandered to a farm store where our array of treats we're all drinks, and included Sprite, chocolate milk, maple soda, and Gatorade. Cravings are real, people. And I've realized there's nothing that chocolate milk won't fix.</div>
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We agreed to push a little further (2 more miles) over the next "hump" and stealth there at the stream. Well, we climbed the hump of a mountain and Bean asked if we could go over this hump to the next stealth spot 2 more miles. I added as long as he promised not to be mad that we would get to camp at 730 or later. He agreed and we started walking. Well, he started walking; I trudged. Then, as if on cue, it began to sprinkle. I sent Bean ahead because he's faster than I am and I knew he could get to camp and get the tent up [hopefully] before the rain started. We apparently didn't communicate well because I crossed the next road expecting to see him and the tent, and I couldn't find him. I got super upset thinking I'd somehow missed him and turned around. I finally pulled the guidebook out and realized he was ahead, so I turned BACK AROUND to go find camp. I was sobbing by the time I got to him. </div>
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He did already have the tent up, though, and the sky was just starting to let loose, so that was a plus. It's now thundering and pouring, we're dry, but I have to pee before I go to sleep. </div>
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All that said, I'm pretty proud of the fact that we did 18 miles without even realizing it today. I somehow though we had only done 14. But knowing we pushed out 18 makes the very long day a little more worth it. Here's to a better tomorrow...</div>
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Wednesday 8/23; Pomfret Road stealth site to Happy Hill Shelter (1728.9-1741.8)</div>
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Have I ever mentioned how amazing the sunshine is after a rain? Today's sun was so gorgeous! The morning sky was fall clear with glittering light shining through the leaves as they whispered in the wind. It was certainly a better day than yesterday, but then we only walked 13 miles today. It's pretty incredible what a difference a few miles makes. We took our time and had a long break mid day near a river for lunch. The hiking wasn't easy but wasn't too bad, either. Getting us warmed up for the remainder of the trek. We will make it way into New Hampshire tomorrow. Another state down, now only two to go. </div>
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We were reminiscing with Bluebird tonight about the experience thus far and all the amazing people we've met and the changes in ourselves we've had the privilege of fostering. I'm just blown away by all of this. I'm sure a part will come which will touch on some of it, but for now, let me just say "Thank you" to all of you who have made this journey such an amazing one. I really am blown away.</div>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-66642872806896296892017-08-06T09:33:00.000-04:002017-08-06T09:33:24.113-04:00Delaware Water Gap, PA to Great Barrington, MA (1307.3-1520.6)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Friday 7/21; Delaware Water Gap, PA to Campsite at 1307 (1293.6-1307.3)<br />
A leisurely day spent walking 14 miles, and included a long lunch at Sunfish Pond. We love NJ so far. The views are pretty and the terrain reasonable. we took our time and arrived at camp about 5 PM to find a large gaggle of young girls camping here. Many would be irritated by the noise and pre-Bean bickering, but I'm super excited to see a bunch of young ladies out here backpacking. We'll go talk with them shortly. They're excited about our journey and have a bunch of questions. Hope tomorrow is equally enjoyable!<br />
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Saturday 7/22; Campsite at 1307 to Brink Shelter (1307.3-1318.4)<br />
I've decided that I really enjoy hiking/backpacking on short days. Like today. We walked 11 miles, and while part of me feels like I'm going to go nuts with an entire afternoon and nothing in particular to do, the other part of me says, "hey, you chased a couple of frogs, enjoyed some views, will read some, what more do you want?" The shelter here is pretty nice, and there's a bear box for our food which makes for easier evening chores--no bear line to hang. Just hoping for some company to keep the bears away. Tomorrow we'll make up for the short day today, but we'll worry about that tomorrow.<br />
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Sunday 7/23; Brink Shelter to Highpoint Shelter (1318.4-1338)<br />
A tiring 19 (closer to 20) mile day in the books. We talked about cutting it short at 15, but opted to keep going. We made good time, had an argument, set up in the shelter (it's going to rain tonight), saw a mouse running around in broad daylight (which means they'll be crawling at night), decided to put the tent up despite the coming storm, and are now in the tent easy for a mouse free night. One of the guys name the mouse Peepers. Apparently the little guy has big eyes.<br />
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Tomorrow we'll stop through town and resupply, then head back out. If we can find some WiFi, we'll upload the last couple of days.<br />
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Monday 7/24; Highpoint Shelter to Pochuck Mountain Shelter (1338-1350.4)<br />
Backpacking is no fun in the rain! We stayed dry last night (inside the tent), and put away A VERY wet tent and ground cover this morning. Spent a few hours walking in the rain this morning. BUT! we made it into Unionville, NY to resupply and have lunch, and we managed to hike 13 miles on top of that and arrive in camp by 4pm. Really, it was a good day. Looking forward to reading a bit, drying out, and getting a good night's sleep!<br />
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Tuesday 7/25; Pochuck Mountain Shelter Wawayanda Shelter (1350.4-1361.9)<br />
A short and pretty great day! Can we say board walks? We found them in a bog/wetland area and walked on them for quite a while. We also found a farm store called Haven Hill Farm where we got treats in the middle of the day! Ice cream, apple cider doughnuts, a peach, and drinks were enjoyed before crossing the road and ascending the the Stairway to Heaven to view a gorgeous view, and then wander the rest of the way to camp for the night, but not before finding a cooler with trail angel sodas! I think I've got a little infection on my toe and am hoping that it clears up on its own.<br />
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Wednesday 7/26; Wawayanda Shelter to Campsite at Mombasha Road (1361.9-1379)<br />
Holy rocks, New York! Yes, you read that right. We're in New York! And oh my gosh we scrambled. We're talking rebar ladder up a rock face scrambling. Fresh does not like! All in all, though, it was hard, and we hurt, but we're so proud of us! We hiked 17 miles today, got to camp at 6:30, AND stopped for hot dogs and ice cream! I'm exhausted which is nice. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something in a day's worth of walking.<br />
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Thursday 7/27; Campsite at Mombasha Road to William Brien Shelter (1379-1393.7)<br />
And we're now convinced that all of the AT in New York sucks. Not really. But almost. We began today Rock climbing up the face of a boulder outcropping. The first half of the day was up, down, and back up, all rocks, and very challenging, over and over. The second half really want so bad. Still a lot of up and down, but manageable without the rock climbing. Harriman State Park is beautiful and has afforded a few picturesque views. We're rented tonight at a neat shelter built into the hill and, you guessed it, rocks. But the site is very pretty with lots and lots of space for tenting, and even some privacy as each site is well spaced. We ran into Yard Sale and Mishap tonight, along with others we know. They pushed on to the next shelter where there is said to be a view of Manhatten. We arrived earlier and both were tired and sore, so we decided to stay put. As the clouds cleared though, I began to second guess that decision. Hopefully we'll get some views of the city from above tomorrow sometime. Currently, in super excited to see Pig-Pen on Saturday!!! She's been missing an injury and is coming back out and will hike with us for a bit!! AND... We get showers! Guys, I'm disgusting! Shower time is surely overdue and I am so exited!<br />
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Friday 7/28; William Brien Shelter to Hemlock Campsite (1393.7-1406)<br />
The terrain was a tiny bit better today. Still a lot of up and down, but somehow it wasn't quite as bad as previous days. Don't be fooled, though! I had a meltdown and Bean and I fought pretty big. This game happened too often, but a couple of times for sure. Being out here as a couple has its challenges!<br />
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But, we visited/walked over Bear Mountain and saw lots of tourists. Being so close to NYC, a lot of city folk find their way up here. It's kind of entertaining, really. I came across a couple of kids barreling down the walkway and moved aside for them. They ran past without any acknowledgement whatsoever. I pulled a dad and blurted out, "You're welcome!" Still nothing. So I loudly thanked another couple of young people who had thanked us, to which the ride children finally turned around. Never did hear anything from them. We ran into Yard Sale later and shared the experience, and she agreed that many of the people we encountered today shocked her, too. Maybe we've just been loving in the woods too long?<br />
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Anyhow, we wandered through a "zoo" on trail today. It's quite sad as far as zoos go, with small enclosures and a bunch of ridiculous people beating on glad fronts (which I told the kids next to us looking at the frog to stop doing--the girl asked me if we aren't supposed to do that, to which I responded, "would you want him tapping at you?"). Yeah, we've definitely been in the woods too long. After the zoo, we walked across the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge. That was sort of a neat experience! I wasn't even afraid--at least until we we're finished with the water and began walking over the trees. We then had to walk up from the road and saw a few days hikers who really we're there first people of the day to ask us questions about our journey. A change from the little trail towns where everyone knows what we're doing all the time.<br />
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We meet back up with Pig-Pen tomorrow and eat lunch at a "deli." I'll get back to you on the deli's authenticity...<br />
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Saturday 7/29; Hemlock Campsite to Clarence Fahnestock State Park (1406-1424)<br />
Pig-Pen's back and we're gonna go hiking...Pig-Pen's back! We met up with her at the deli this morning (so, SO good!) And hiked out. It's been a pretty good day with moderate terrain/elevation, and GORGEOUS weather! It felt like fall in Georgia with cooler temps and a perfect breeze! So nice to hike in. We're camping tonight at the state park where they give us AT marked sites at no cost. We're ordered pizza and salad delivery which was tasty and wonderful, and had showers here at the park. Clean and full and in bed blogging. I just don't know what to do with myself. Don't know just what to do with myself. Ha! That one's from My Best Friend's Wedding. You know when Cameron Diaz is singing karaoke...Anyhow, I'm supposed to note that two nights in a row a few days ago, we heard coyotes singing at night. I heard them over night, Bean both nights. When I did, they were very close and a little scary. But they sound neat. Different from dogs. It's interesting.<br />
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Sunday 7/30; Clarence Fahnestock State Park to Morgan Stewart Shelter (1424-1438)<br />
Wow, what weather!! What a BEAUTIFUL couple of days we've had! Low humidity, breeze, cooler temps...We know better than to think this will last. But we'll take it for now! We woke this morning and cleaned up camp, and then went to AT Joe's campsite in the state park for breakfast. Apparently, he spends every other week there making breakfast for hikers and chatting with us. He's from Yonkers and is the epitome of a New Yorker with his accent and such, but he was so nice! With a genuine love for the hiking community (which surprisingly, he's never been a part of), he showered us with praise for the strength that we have and told us (especially the "females") that he hopes we stay safe!<br />
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We're looking forward to checking out Pawling's Garden Center and Nursery tomorrow, as that's where we're sending a package. We'll camp somewhere near by, and then stay with a friend of Pig-Pen's the following night! Gonna be a good couple of days!<br />
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Monday 7/31; Morgan Stewart Shelter to Pawling, NY (1438-1448)<br />
Thank goodness for short days! A 10 mile day into town in which we had literally nothing to do. We hung out with friends, relaxed, ate food, and I talked to family. Tomorrow will be another short day at 11 miles, and will do laundry AND shower, in a house, on the same day. It's the little things people. We hope that two short days will allow enough rest that we can about a zero for a bit and build up those miles. We've done a pretty good job so far and have brought down or average necessary to be our goal. This buys us a few days when we start into the hard climbing in New England. Morale is ok, though I'm very daunted by what's coming. On one hand, we've come this far and I know we/I can finish this, but on the other, I'm very unsure of my abilities. We've come too far to quit now-I think I can, I think I can....<br />
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Tuesday 8/1; Pawling, NY to Bull's Bridge In Kent, CT (1448-1459.9)<br />
That's right, we're in Connecticut, people. The gateway to New England! We knocked out 10 miles by 1 PM, and met Mrs. Lisa (Pig-Pen's friend) at the Bridge. She promptly loaded us in the car, had cold water for each of us, and took us the short ride to her home to stay for the night. We had showers, did laundry, and resupplied (which included fancy, expensive, exceptionally tasty ice cream from the not-so-outdoor outdoor store; lavender honey blueberry for Pig-Pen and lemon poppyseed for me), all by 4ish PM. We had a home cooked meal (burgers, salad, and fettuccine Alfredo are hits among starved hikers), and watched Finding Dory while eating lots of ice cream, and went to bed to sleep like babies after not sleeping last night with the train going all night long. All in all, it's been a GREAT day!<br />
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Wednesday 8/2; Bull's Bridge In Kent, CT to Stewart Hollow Shelter (1459.9-1474.3)<br />
Pig-Pen lost her apple pie. If you find it on the trail, please return to Pig-Pen c/o AT 2017.<br />
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Eliza is a friend/coworker of Pig-Pen's, and she came out to home with us for about 8 miles today. She's very sweet and we enjoyed meeting her! We are now in the shelter avoiding the rain. We beat the thunder storm here here and are just hanging out.<br />
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Thursday 8/3; Stewart Hollow Shelter to Iron Bridge (1474.3-1492.5)<br />
We have two experiences today. Bean hiked with Pig-Pen, her boyfriend Tim, and his friend Dexter. I'm told the day was long, hot and humid, and relatively ok.<br />
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I...had the meltdown of the century. I woke up crying for a list of reasons. Erik was at a loss and could only hug me and ask me to tell him what on Earth was going on. Which, of course, I couldn't answer. So I decided that I would ask Pig-Pen if we could change the plan a bit. I took the car to, I hoped, find a coffee shop and reflect on things for myself quietly. I wound up in New Milford, Connecticut at an urgent care getting that infected to looked at. NP Kim was FANTASTIC!! She assessed me so quickly and found a simple infection which only needs antibiotics. She was helpful in keeping costs down for me, and happened to ask if I every want to quit on this day when I most wanted to quit. Thank you, Kim, for your kindness and your interest in our journey. It means more than you'll ever know!<br />
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After this, I ran errands to resupply, get Pig-Pen an apple pie (see yesterday), and talked to the one and only Allison who told me nothing I don't know, and everything I needed to hear.<br />
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Basically, I need you all to know that we post happy photos, and tell you fun stories. But the reality is that this is so hard. Mentally, emotionally, physically, the hardest thing we'll ever do. I can't speak for us both, but the driving force for me at this point is that this is too long dreamed for, and we've come too far to quit now. I think. If you'd caught me this morning, you'd have been sure I'd be on the next plane. We're looking for a rest day coming up very soon and I won't make any decisions before that. I can't promise I won't be a complete basket case until then, though.<br />
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I do have to say that Connecticut is absolutely beautiful! I will most certainly come back this way and do some site seeing in the future. Food, inns, camping, rivers... We're camping tonight in a small park in Falls Village near a hydro power facility. There's a shower head near the building and we took bored baths tonight. I can say definitively that this experience gives me a new understanding of the homeless population. We just hiker trash in posh New England.<br />
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Friday 8/4; Iron Bridge, CT to Laurel Ridge Campsite (1492.5-1507.9)<br />
Rain and thunder storms arrived today, but my mood was better. Thanks in no small part to all of you Rockstar supporters out there egging us on! I thank you from the deepest place in my soul for your kind words of encouragement yesterday.<br />
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All in all, I call today a win. My mood was quite good, the rain only sucked a little, we hiked into Massachusetts, I currently have a mosquito dive bombing my head (have I mentioned the bugs?), and Erik's air mat has a leak in it. But another state in the books is something to celebrate! We have under 700 miles left to hike. Some days (like yesterday) this feels like more than I/we can possibly manage. Other days we marvel at how much we've accomplished. Into Great Barrington tomorrow and a zero on Sunday!!<br />
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Saturday 8/5; Laurel Ridge Campsite to Great Barrington, MA (1507.9-1520.6)<br />
You know those days when everything seems to take twice as long as planned? Today was one of those days. It took us nearly 8 hours to hike 12 miles. Granted there was some trail magic in there from Pterodactyl's parents (Amazing--thank you!!) Which pretty much was the trail don't what the trail does...providing. BUT, we made it, wet rocks and all. And tomorrow...We ZERO!<br />
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Oh, and I got to talk to U-Turn tonight! I'm super glad she's doing well and hiking on! I had honestly forgotten how much I miss her!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-58943192154228153292017-07-20T21:37:00.001-04:002017-07-20T21:37:15.054-04:00Port Clinton, PA to Delaware Water Gap, PA (1217.8-1293.6)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Saturday 7/15; Port Clinton, PA to Eckville Shelter (1217.8-1232.6)<br />
Today was a pretty good day. Slow going with the rocks, and a late start put us into camp at about 7PM. This is later than we prefer, but still reasonable with the summer sun. Our feet are hurting from the rocky trail, but it's to be expected at this point. We're tenting tonight with a great group of people including Ten, Bluebird, and Alexis. We've met them all in recent days and like them very much. Plus we've still got Patch close by. Always a party! The next couple of days may be a bit challenging with a super fund site requiring us to camp outside it's proximity. Stay tuned...<br />
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Sunday 7/16; Eckville Shelter to Bake Oven Knob Shelter (1232.6-1250.0)<br />
Holy Rocksylvania! The rocks we were promised in Pennsylvania have arrived! Today was hard. Physical, mentally, it feels like every time we make it through I've obstacle another presents itself. These rocks are no joke. Anything from small/medium rocks that move under foot to giant boulders that must be scrambled over. They're scary, tiring, make for slow hiking in order to remain safe, and most certainly make our already sore, tired feet just ache! A long, hard day of hiking, though, was followed tonight by learning that my sister became engaged over the weekend! She's happy and excited and I'm happy for her! Now to finish this so we can plan a wedding over a bottle of Frank Family!<br />
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Monday 7/17; Bake Oven Knob Shelter to Delps Trail Campsite (1250.0-1267.5)<br />
Defeated doesn't begin to describe today's emotions. The rocks continue to pound and we got Lehigh Gap today which was the biggest climb we've encountered in a while. Actually, we opted for an alternate and it was still very hard! The main trail, we're told, was a giant rock scramble. We opted for the "winter route" in an attempt to spare my nerves. I still wound up melting down anyway. It was a big relief to find ourselves in camp tonight, and a little helpful to know that some of our friends had equally hard days and opted to stop sorry of their goals, too. So there are a few of us here in camp, where water is flowing for the first time nearly all day. Water never tasted as good as it did tonight when we'd been out for 5 miles after carrying extra through a government super fund site. The positives from the day: 1. We are lots of wild raspberries and 2. I found a "giant puffer" and played with it for a bit. Tomorrow's another long day, but we can do it. Hopefully the rocks will start to ease up as we head into NJ.<br />
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Tuesday 7/17; Delps Trail Campsite to Kirkridge Shelter (1267.5-1287.2)<br />
Wow, what a day! Our pace was spot on all day, which is an improvement over yesterday, for sure! We're super excited to have made it just about 20 miles today, and that we'll be in town tomorrow! I'm craving a Sprite like there's no tomorrow! First stop, drinks! Currently, we are listening to a flip flop hiker who is 18 years old and extremely excited about... Everything. Holy wow can this kid talk!<br />
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Wednesday 7/18; Kirkridge Shelter to Delaware Water Gap, PA (1287.2-1293.6)<br />
We made it to Delaware Water Gap!! This means that in a few steps, we'll be in NJ! Which means one more state down! 7 down, 7 to go, and the rocks of PA are behind us (in 50 or so miles). We had a leisurely morning before nearo-ing into town. It seems like days ago that we walked off the mountain and onto the street here in DWG to see a home renovation that struck us both. We looked on as we walked by and we're greeted by the owner, Marty, who is renovating this home to turn it into a B&B. It was lovely chatting with him and hearing about the plans. Check it Appalachian House on Facebook. We then walked on to find the church hostel here in town. They operate on donations and allow us use of their basement, including the shower. We're staying here tonight and may zero tomorrow. Or bodies are pretty beat up with all the rocks. We got the Village Farmer for lunch... And goodness, can we say baked treats?! Oh my gosh! I also hit the post office to pick up our package from U-Turn. Thank you for our hiker treats, all the way from the 100 mile wilderness! We'll enjoy every last bite that much more! Found out way to Wal Mart in the next town, resupplied, then walked to the laundromat which is decked out in film memorabilia. Then ran into Miss Janet who wound up giving us a ride from that little town back to the hostel, but not before the group ate something. So we thoroughly enjoyed time and a meal with Miss Janet, Scout, Mishap, Spillz, Bluebird, and Legs. We have done so much in a short day. Tomorrow, we rest!<br />
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Thursday 7/19; Delaware Water Gap, PA (1293.6; 0 day)<br />
Today was a very chill day full of chatting with friends, moving from the busy, crowded church hostel to a quiet motel where we have spent the majority of the day lounging, napping, and watching TV. The Presbyterian Church hosted a hiker dinner where we enjoyed time with local church members and hikers alike. It's been a very quick zero day. Back out tomorrow for a couple now months to Katahdin!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain barrels are all over Delaware Water Gap!</td></tr>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-53637133974219411742017-07-14T22:27:00.000-04:002017-07-14T22:27:15.558-04:00Harper's Ferry, WV to Port Clinton, PA (1023.1-1217.8<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sunday 7/2; (Harper's Ferry, WV to Rocky Run Shelters, mile 1023.1-1039.1)<br />
What can we say accept we go from being in Virginia for weeks and weeks, and today we missed the sign into Maryland after only being in West Virginia for a total of about half a day. The terrain here is good, relatively flat with a few rocks. Unfortunately, we don't seem to go much faster over all when the day is flat, though the first half of the day may be so.<br />
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We walked out of you're today without our posse. It's finally hitting me now that we're in camp tonight that I won't hear U-Turn screaming "Freshie Fresh!!" every time I walk into camp ever again on this journey. There are people here and we'll go meet them. We recognize a few, and we even ran into GWAG earlier! We thought he was camping here tonight, but it looks like he pushed on to the campground a few miles ahead. We'll hopefully see him soon! Now...DINNER!<br />
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Monday 7/3; (Rocky Run Shelters to ??, mile 1039.1-1054.7)<br />
Stupid damn rocks Today was hard. We have started finding the rocks of Pennsylvania already. The end of today was quite hard with the rocks and fatigue. I tend to slow down at the end of the day. Apparently many people speed up when they're tired...I most certainly do not. We'd hoped to hit my first 20 mile day today (Erik's second), and when we didn't, I was really disappointed.<br />
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We are super excited to see my Uncle and Aunt tomorrow! They'll come pick us up and take us to resupply. We hope to also share a meal. Looking forward to seeing you guys!<br />
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Tuesday 7/4; (Ensign Cowall Memorial Shelter to Waynesboro, PA)<br />
Happy 4th! It worked out well that we were able to meet up with my Uncle John and Aunt Meg today from Pen Mar Park. They generously drove us to resupply (where we ran into Y'all!!!!) And took us to lunch. Erik was really interested in finding some fireworks, so we looked it up and found a community event in Waynesboro, PA, and they dropped is here, too. Thanks so much for lunch, the lift, and your enthusiastic interest in our life out here! It was great seeing you, even if only for a little bit!<br />
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So now we're hanging out in the grass waiting for the show. Contrary to my typical, we are not entirely sure how well get back to the trail tonight. A local shuttle is a possibility, or it's possible that as we walk out of the festival someone will offer to take us. I think we're hoping for the latter as it's fewer logistics. But for now, I'm trying to look forward to the sparkles to come. Missing U-Turn a whole heck of a lot, and trying to calm my anxiety about the coming weeks and live in the moment. Practice makes perfect, they say.<br />
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Thank you to all our service men and women past and present on this day of celebration! We are grateful for the sacrifices you and your families make to maintain our freedoms!<br />
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Wednesday 7/5; (Waynesboro, PA to Rocky Mountain Shelter, __-1079.5)<br />
Today was pretty uneventful. We missed a photo op at the PA/Mason Dixon Line yesterday. We were so excited to see Uncle John and Aunt Meg that we didn't get the photo before hand (which had been the plan), and then we stayed in Waynesboro until after dark for the fireworks. So one more state line we don't have a photo of. But the afternoon was quite enjoyable. Thank you, again, to my aunt and uncle for your generosity and interest in our endeavor. We enjoyed the time with you very much!<br />
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So we didn't make camp last night until around 1130PM. A local trail angel called Soggy showed up for the fireworks with some other hopes and was kind enough to drive us back to the trail. I hope he checks this out so we can tell him THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, SOGGY!<br />
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This morning was slow going with a sleepy start, but what else is new for Fresh. We did manage to get hiking early and finished it 15 mile day at 330. It has been nice to relax Little. We found a beautiful bunch of flowers today which look like orchids, and Erik spotted a gorgeous, big owl this afternoon. It was sitting in a tree looking around before it got spooked by a car and flew a short distance. We found it again easily and watched it for a bit before moving on. It was very special as they are hard to spot! Making our way to Pine Grove Furnace--the official halfway!<br />
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Thursday 7/6; (Rocky Mountain Shelter to Birch Run Shelter, 1079.5-1092.5)<br />
Living the dream...In the rain. Not a lot happening today. We're sheltered with a bunch of very nice people and have had a chill afternoon with an early stop. Oh, and Fresh's pack blew out. Yup. The frame is entirely broken and very uncomfortable to wear. Looking forward to the official halfway tomorrow and the half gallon challenge! And we'll figure the pack out eventually<br />
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Friday 7/7; (Birch Run Shelter to Pine Grove Furnace State Park 1092.5-1102.0)<br />
We started a bit late this morning after a night of rain (thank goodness for great shelters!) And a chill in the air. I just didn't want to get out of bed. At it first road crossing 1-1.5 miles in, we came across some trail magic. A sweet couple was making breakfast burgers and hotdogs. He was so excited to offer, and we'd had no protein for breakfast, that we accepted. We hung out for a few minutes and chatted with Lobster (a section hiker out for a couple of weeks) before moving on toward the halfway mark! That's right, we're officially halfway. More actually, now. We have fewer miles to complete than we've hiked from here on out. The walking was relatively easy and we made decent time to Pine Grove Furnace General Store where the half gallon challenge is attempted. The half gallon challenge is when a Thru Hiker attempts to eat a half gallon of ice cream in a sitting. We both opted not to attempt and ordered lunch and a little ice cream instead. It worked out for the best, I think. We spent a little time with new friends drying out after days of rain and taking while we ate. Bean and I trying to work out what to do about my pack. While doing so... Have you ever startled so abruptly and loudly that everyone around you freaks out? Yeah, I did that today. We were sitting taking with Mark, Taryn, Landon (Dad and kids out for a twenty day section--very cool family!), and Lobster, and I screeched and fell backward of the picnic table. As this happened, the whole table moved as well as they realized why I'd done so in the first place: There was a very large snake coming to visit the table out of the tree that grows next to it. Once I realized it was a harmless black snake I was fine, but that initial shock was something!<br />
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We continued to talk until it was time to head out. We got to the trail and again brought up what to do about my pack. We stalled a bit longer before walking a mile or more. Erik happened to turn around and see me pulling at the sternum strap because it was riding up to my neck. The broken pack is beyond uncomfortable. He suggested that we turn around and camp the night at the park, and find a ride to Boiling Springs in the morning. We're hoping the outfitter there will have what I need. I have spoken to Gregory (the company who makes my pack) and, while the reps I spoke to we're extremely nice, I'm not convinced they're interested in helping in the way I need them to. In other words, I can't keep hiking with this pack until the end of next week or later, and they can't/won't expedite the process. I love my pack, but I'm not sure Gregory will continue to be my brand.<br />
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So we ate dinner and were offered some fresh salad and chicken breast by a family camping next to us, and we took showers. Going to bed clean, dry, and not sticky with sweat and humidity for the first time in over a week feels pretty great. Though now that we're clean we realize how disgusting our laundry smells. Anyhow, on to Boiling Springs in the morning. Hoping for a miracle.<br />
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Saturday 7/8; (Pine Grove Furnace State Park to Boiling Springs, PA, 1102.3-1121.6**yellow blaze due to pack)<br />
The amazing trail provides: We met a young couple this morning who stopped to chat last night for a brief minute after seeing our packs. They are Emily and Daniel, and they have two beautiful young kids, Jude and Aubrey. They talked with us about education, jobs, life, their interests, their road trip (they're from Texas), and they offered to share their breakfast with us. Then, before leaving them, they kindly asked if they could pray for us. Never knowing what to expect when this question is asked, we quietly agreed and I hoped for the best. Being a Southern non-Christian, I am grateful for anyone's kindness, but often shy away from these offers for fear of the conversation that often follows. Let me say their genuine kindness and wishes for it well being will not soon be forgotten. Their blessing was heartfelt, genuine, and very moving. Thank you for your generosity! Please, if you are reading this, consider keeping in touch. We'd love to hear from you! <br />
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No miracle occurred in Boiling Springs, though we must admit that everyone is so ridiculously nice here! The outfitter (which is actually a fly shop) is called TCO Outfitter, and the staff were super helpful! Unfortunately, they only carry Deuter packs and are, of course, out of women's at the moment. It's Saturday, so naturally all the car rental places close at noon. So, we are taking two unexpected zeroes to figure out the pack situation and hope to have it resolved by tomorrow. In the meantime, though, our community had been simply fantastic. I had a complete meltdown earlier with stress from time crunch and having to take two days off. Erik was great about supporting me, and people rallied to suggest ideas I have even considered. I think I've learned that I should share my problems more often, and see what kind of help I might find to solve them. We then opted to go out for a drink at the local tavern with the crew we've been spending some time with. Lobster, Uber, Alexis, Lil Dipper, Ferrari, Bean and I all hung out and chatted amongst each other, and then a couple arrived and asked us questions about it hike. They took photos of us (see below) and showed genuine interest in our journeys. Thank you to you both_______!<br />
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Sunday 7/9; (Boiling Springs, PA to Duncannon, PA, 1121.6-1147.2**yellow blaze due to pack)<br />
Today was a quite the shit show. I was a bit less melting than yesterday. Resting was a good choice and allowed us to start over today and form a plan. Long story short, we rented a car in Mechanicsburg, PA, drove to Timonium, MD to REI to replace my pack, took the car back, picked up a shuttle to Duncannon, PA, and the plan is to leave on the trail from Duncannon. It was a very expensive endeavor, but it's done. And my pack no longer hurts. I'm pleased to say that I received a contact from another hiker for a social media rep with Gregory. She's been working helpful and while I'm not entirely pleased with they're customer service process, she had redeemed the brand to some degree in my eyes. Now, laundry and dinner.<br />
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Monday 7/10; (Duncannon, PA to Peter's Shelter, 1147.2-1158.2)<br />
A relatively easy 11 miles today. Not much to share. Missing family and home, but grateful for the experience and all that comes with it.<br />
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Tuesday 7/11; (Peter's Shelter to Rausch Gap Shelter, 1158.2-1176.2)<br />
The happening of today was that Bean found a birds near with tiny baby birds in it! It was built in the ground which surprised us both, but it was pretty cool to see the babies looking for food from mama bird. Otherwise uneventful. We made the miles on good time taking uncharacteristically short breaks. I was hurting a lot by the end, but it keeps us on schedule. The shelter has been quiet tonight, which is nice. It's a near shelter with rocks to walk on and a well-covered platform, along with a spring right here next to the shelter itself. Much improvement over last night's 300 steps to the water source. We avoided the rain another night and hope we continue to do so. It can rain all it wants at night, after we're sheltered and dry. Anyhow... Time for sleep. Hopefully another good day tomorrow.<br />
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Wednesday 7/12; (Rausch Gap Shelter to 501 Shelter, 1176.2-1193.7)<br />
Bean heard a rattle snake today. Never did see it, but he heard it. Then it took us 10 minutes to cross the trail where he heard it.<br />
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Camping with a great group tonight! Spills, Scout, Sky Walker, Belch Babe seems super nice, and GWAG and Patch showed up tonight. Apparently, a deer took off with one of GWAG's trekking poles last night. I'm not sure I believe it, but he swears up and down.<br />
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The shelter tonight is nice. Enclosed with a big sky light. And even a "solar" shower (which basically means cold). It wasn't so bad though, and I'm not sticking to my blanket. So no real complaints here.<br />
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Thursday 7/13; (501 Shelter to Eagle's Nest Shelter, 1193.7-1208.8)<br />
It's raining, it's pouring...And we're in a shelter. Thank goodness! Tonight's rain would not be a good one to be tenting in. It's been coming down consistently for 2 hours. Thank you tornado watch.<br />
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Anyhow, we stopped at a swimming hole this morning for an hour or so and hung out with some fun people. Bean and I passed on the swimming as it was very cold water and little sun.<br />
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The day passed quickly, and we saw two rattle snakes on the walk. One rattled at us which is the first time I've heard that sound. I was surprised at how loud it is!<br />
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The sky opened up as we began to near camp. Frustrating to walk in, but glad it started late. We arrived at camp, the 6 of us, in time to claim the spaces. There are two women here hoping to squeeze in, and we're happy to accommodate. The problem is that the shelter is packed, so they'll have to sleep on the step into the shelter.<br />
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I finally was able to hear from Taylor after they came out of the hundred mile wilderness. Glad to know they're trucking on and missing them terribly, but excited to see what the future holds for each of us on this journey.<br />
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Friday 7/14; (Eagle's Nest Shelter to Port Clinton, 1208.8-1217.8)<br />
A nearo day in the books, and my it has been nice! We walked in the rain for a good while and came down the mountain to find ourselves on a live train track. As in, a legitimate train depot. It was pretty neat to see. We got lucky and accepted a ride from Cabela's shuttle to the Walmart in Hamburg, PA. We found a Red Robin (can we say bottomless steak fries?), Resupplied at said Walmart, and found ourselves at a quaint, precious little hostel called Rock & Sole. We're in the bunk room which is perfectly comfortable, but they have this adorable little camper that I'm just in love with! An I Love Lucy theme, mint and red color scheme, and original kitchenette make "Trashy" my dream! We are certainly making over a camper in the future! Dinner was fantastic, and breakfast is said to be even better. Hikers, check this place out for sure!!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-13383850005462381832017-07-01T16:18:00.000-04:002017-07-01T16:26:16.221-04:00Luray, VA to Harper's Ferry, WV (6/24-7/1)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Saturday 6/24 Aquablazeing Luray to Compton Rapids</div>
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We floated 17 miles down the Shennendoah River today to a camping spot just past Compton Rapids. It is easier and harder than hiking all at the same time. We covered the miles quicker, but my arms and legs are tired. The canoe is very different than my kayak. The seating position in a canoe is like a car but you don't have any footholds for your feet, and there is no back rest. Other than that I'm happy to be aquablazeing.</div>
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Sunday 6/25 Aquablazeing Compton Rapids to Low-Water Bridge Campground</div>
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The float was very nice, very smooth, and went very quickly. We floated 12 miles arriving to the campground at around 11:30am. We got to lounge around all day, we got a shuttle to the gas station to get lunch, we also got hotdogs, and other campground essentials. We were charging our phones and the man running the desk asked us if we wanted to sleep in the cabins for the night, all we had to do was clean the in the morning. Of course we said we would love to sleep in a cabin with AC and power outlets to charge our phones. In the morning we have 11miles to get to Front Royal.</div>
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Monday 6/26 Low-Water Bridge Campground to Front Royal</div>
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The stay in the cabin was very nice and I slept very well. The float was good until the middle. The river got very shallow and we all ran aground several times. In Front Royal we stayed at Mountain Home Cabbin. It was a historic cabin dating to the Civil War. The owners were very nice, the price was very reasonable and they serve breakfast with your stay. I was very excited to see Sari when Uncle Steve dropped her off!</div>
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Tuesday 6/27; (For Royal to Dick's Dome/Whiskey Hollow Shelter)</div>
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First day back for Fresh was good also hard. My body wasn't ready. The reunion was great though. I missed Bean so much! My days in Houston were both doing and everlasting at the same time. Dad's surgery went well and he's recovering. I just hope he continues to improve each day.</div>
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The terrain today was pretty easy on us, and U-Turn managed to score is a slack pack for most of the day. So out of 15 miles, we carried packs for under 3. It's great to be back, but my knees are aching worse than ever, and my feet and hips began hurting immediately after adding the pack. Back to reality!</div>
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We want to give the massivest of massive shout outs to Uncle Steve and Aunt Kathie for your help, hospitality, kindness, and prayers over the last week. I couldn't have done it without you! I'm so glad I was able to see you, though I'd have preferred other circumstances. We Can't wait to hopefully see you in the fall!</div>
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Wed 6/28; (Dick's Dome/Whiskey Hollow Shelter to Sam Moore Shelter)</div>
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Do we like roller coasters? No; at least, not the ones you walk on all day. Up, down. Up, down. Today was hard. I (Fresh) was very emotional and had a couple of breakdowns. Bean (aka Jumanji) was so fantastic. He was patient and kind, and we took our time, eventually making our way to camp. I was so relieved to be here. We're back in our tent with a little privacy, and or new quilts! Hopefully it will bring some good sleep tonight.</div>
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We found some ripe, tasty blueberries at the top of one of the ups today. We took a few minutes to enjoy, and did the same when we found a new, orange flower a bit later. </div>
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Oh...And by the way...We have walked 1000 miles. 1000 miles, guys. I mean, it's mind boggling. Seriously. We can't even wrap our heads around it.</div>
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Friday 7/2; </div>
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We walked out of Virginia, today, and into West Virginia. VA makes up 1/4 of the length of the trail, and we are in absolute shock that we've finished her (Sari has to go back to hike a week's worth of the Shenandoah, but hey, give me a break!). </div>
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Saturday 7/1; Harper's Ferry, WV</div>
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Sorry, friends, I have been a poor historian the last few days. But the important thing is that we've arrived in Harper's Ferry! This is the Unofficial Halfway point on our journey, the actual halfway being about a week away in Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Here, though, hikers find the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters. We have our picture taken here to put in "The Book" with our fellow long distance hikers for the whole year. It's a very big milestone and we're excited and grateful to be here! Harper's Ferry itself is absolutely beautiful and full of history. This is definitely a must-come-back town! </div>
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Stats Thus Far:</div>
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Total Miles: 1023</div>
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Longest Day: Sari just under 19, Erik 20</div>
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Favorite Memories: </div>
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Sari: Bear sightings, Spruce Forest in The Smokies, walking/talking with Erik about the flowers and history, the people!</div>
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Erik: Grayson Highlands (Ponies), area around Clingman's Dome, aqua blazing</div>
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Sari Weight Loss: +/- 20 lbs.</div>
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Erik Weight Loss: 0 (Thank Goodness!! He's eating more than you can imagine!)</div>
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We'd like to acknowledge all of those who've helped us along the way including but certainly not limited to our parents and families, and our cheerleaders around the world. We can't imagine any of this without each and every one of you--Thank you!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkvqpgZHuDgMHXT7gzyHZ7axOVeFW5lL4hjfaJdIQbkGZKzqVxHaP3pbb2Z_B4OxsBAvUIgL1dagwwMgpDsSkGSAPoW9aSOPiNOhdgXPx88Px0eJug5Y0GpUOLkufbzN_gHXMafv63Ts/s1600/IMG_20170630_124742399_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkvqpgZHuDgMHXT7gzyHZ7axOVeFW5lL4hjfaJdIQbkGZKzqVxHaP3pbb2Z_B4OxsBAvUIgL1dagwwMgpDsSkGSAPoW9aSOPiNOhdgXPx88Px0eJug5Y0GpUOLkufbzN_gHXMafv63Ts/s320/IMG_20170630_124742399_HDR.jpg" width="180"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're EXTREMELY proud of this piece of paper right here!</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, this milestone also means the end of some important hiking relationships for us, too. U-Turn and The Colonel will be doing what we call a "flip flop" hike, which means that they will make their way to Maine and begin hiking south to Harper's Ferry, where they will finish their hike. Erik and I have discussed joining them at length. We almost did it, too. But in the end, we decided that, in our minds, <i>our</i> hike has always culminated at Katahdin (the Northern Terminus in Maine). The term "hike your own hike" drives us and reminds us that while we make very important friendships out here, we are most important in our own story. We are so, so sad to say goodbye (for now) to our friends, but we know we'll see them again, and we'll certainly be in touch, encouraging from afar! Taylor, I love you forever and I can't imagine what this hike will look like without you each day. Thank you for your undying support and encouragement over the last many weeks. We'll talk.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Tramily--sequential numbers = tears in the coming days. I miss you already!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Colonel giving us instructions on how the car ride will work for those of us flip flopping</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harper's Ferry is Gorgeous!! (See all photos following)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole town ready for the 4th!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrl5RNCEH6QsWJx5mS4aY2bflkzFMV8EMnNw30PFnUj3jjElIb297g3D6Aw4ibL4PNz7wZtrJ009GULj-hUzVjZTPfy5-ACfGBoEVeNlwSR6oNyN-YNDMxawzLgZ2KtQ2w8s1SlQp7oE/s1600/IMG_20170630_181748856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrl5RNCEH6QsWJx5mS4aY2bflkzFMV8EMnNw30PFnUj3jjElIb297g3D6Aw4ibL4PNz7wZtrJ009GULj-hUzVjZTPfy5-ACfGBoEVeNlwSR6oNyN-YNDMxawzLgZ2KtQ2w8s1SlQp7oE/s320/IMG_20170630_181748856.jpg" width="180"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGy2T_fyPXX3sB1M7XSYrHwZ9XUKssG0oXrcZCtlDbEVSlC-4f-1Mn6HaBeU3EOXzEU8sV5PbaZxMlEyajegi-AcZaYranklGEoouwnCbSoulhEpn7bubP4eOGj-8dIv_t_jvnxIsLQc/s1600/IMG_20170630_181808588_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGy2T_fyPXX3sB1M7XSYrHwZ9XUKssG0oXrcZCtlDbEVSlC-4f-1Mn6HaBeU3EOXzEU8sV5PbaZxMlEyajegi-AcZaYranklGEoouwnCbSoulhEpn7bubP4eOGj-8dIv_t_jvnxIsLQc/s320/IMG_20170630_181808588_HDR.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo 2</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo 3</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L to R) Post office, Police Department, Town Hall, Liquor Store</td></tr>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-13876349809721958032017-06-25T22:30:00.002-04:002017-06-25T22:30:50.049-04:00Waynesboro, VA to Byrd's Nest Hut <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sunday 6/18; Waynesboro, VA to Calf Mountain Shelter (mile )</div>
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So much for aqua blazing... The river remained too high for us to launch, so down the trail we walked. The day was uneventful, and we're at a nice shelter with a bunch of people in The Shennies, some we know and others we don't. We are excited to have seen Geo again. We meet her way back in Georgia and she was sectioning with a friend and we never thought we'd see her again. And randomly, she is sectioning with her daughters in the same location we are. It was pretty cool to see her and meet Sassafras and Luna (her daughters). They are very fun and it was nice to catch up! </div>
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Sunday 6/18; Calf Mountain Shelter to Blackrock Hut (mile )</div>
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We're officially in the Shennendoah Forest, which means that shelters are now called "huts." We got majorly rained on today, but we're the first in the shelter and are now drying out a bit. It's such a pain to get wet out here. Mostly because it's never just a body that's wet; it's a pack, a tent or shelter, friends, clothes (which have to be taken off for the night, and then put back on in the morning, usually still wet). We did have a new experience today--we road walked on Skyline Drive. Didn't cut a whole lot of miles, but did cut a bit of time! We found blueberries and blackberries, and they were super tasty! We're excited for Wayside number one tomorrow, which we're told often include blackberry milkshakes!</div>
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I'll be headed to Leesburg, VA tomorrow with Erik's Uncle Steve. I'll stay with him and Aunt Kathie tomorrow night, and they'll take me to the airport on Wednesday to meet my sister and Dad for an important few days. Erik will be blogging for the next days (I hope), so we'll keep up with the journal.</div>
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Monday 6/19 Black Rock Hut to Hightop Hut</div>
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It was great to see Uncle Steve, but it was sad to hike on without Sari. The hut was nice, but had quite a few mice. No damage to any gear just a good case of the crawling skin. The fireflys were very intense, it looked like a Disney movie.</div>
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Tuesday 6/20 Hightop Hut to Big Meadows Campground</div>
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My first 20 mile day!!! We road walked about 6 miles because in the Shennies the AT doesn't afford you the views that the road does. Big Meadows Wayside for dinner the fried chicken with mac and cheese was great and over 1000 calories. The blackberry ice cream there was much better than at the Lewis Mountain Wayside. The officer at the campground was nice enough to let us put all six tents on one site.</div>
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Wednesday 6/21 Big Meadows Campground to Byrd's Nest 3 Hut</div>
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Saw my 5th bear today! The hike was very nice today and short at only 14 miles.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSdbTaZLHR2tAfVyt0KASNRp7heNHS-etVA9gOkyyUQ_JdT9yBqViA9SO5R6lL4J_gTyiqw_ZVqlkjU8vJIgWMzgGe47s6CkTGAMyIUD151tuPwGmbfdZjR37Nwl5S1W7Lk8TcQVLQGE/s1600/IMG_20170617_092738896_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSdbTaZLHR2tAfVyt0KASNRp7heNHS-etVA9gOkyyUQ_JdT9yBqViA9SO5R6lL4J_gTyiqw_ZVqlkjU8vJIgWMzgGe47s6CkTGAMyIUD151tuPwGmbfdZjR37Nwl5S1W7Lk8TcQVLQGE/s320/IMG_20170617_092738896_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle Power!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waynesboro, VA</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trivial Pursuit--Great purchase, Colonel! ($! at the Thrift Store)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a Mennonite Wedding</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River Hats!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Jqd3HuJ1O-R3HLVeNaw629eISijeUD9S2cLOL81SIcvWMWzvr_nhnTa9MG4cX4Nv9jAIv4A2_RjMmJzGBnYjeSWO9twsj-X3utV8ejgi3cvLPCn9ymASY4DLTYwPIuCnv4rzrR0ss90/s1600/IMG_20170618_170224586_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Jqd3HuJ1O-R3HLVeNaw629eISijeUD9S2cLOL81SIcvWMWzvr_nhnTa9MG4cX4Nv9jAIv4A2_RjMmJzGBnYjeSWO9twsj-X3utV8ejgi3cvLPCn9ymASY4DLTYwPIuCnv4rzrR0ss90/s320/IMG_20170618_170224586_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly on Sweet Tea's head!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQvXpQycgs-OLG87-HwV7hyphenhypheniQIHZFLJNX9VguxAe4lzki4ZGt7LM7BT2hHaxeN5aF8yeVP9iz3RScDYzphaxPOtNo4G0p5slBJkM5sVZHVGotZIxqUAtZFOMZ-2CcbrFGL0MIUvwBtW4/s1600/IMG_20170618_170804708_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQvXpQycgs-OLG87-HwV7hyphenhypheniQIHZFLJNX9VguxAe4lzki4ZGt7LM7BT2hHaxeN5aF8yeVP9iz3RScDYzphaxPOtNo4G0p5slBJkM5sVZHVGotZIxqUAtZFOMZ-2CcbrFGL0MIUvwBtW4/s320/IMG_20170618_170804708_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly on Sweet Tea's head!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DGhMRDBxWa-xNih1pGE0WASEpFz7AU3F-A8DrF29HFGz1aQ__fazZqIjxF9ssHBGt_FlGygn_koXyCJ7ohNNwPYRXKKNnc7DKN31H5N9VGO8vPNcVkVvNGcyCdDQA5Qnoi3P9zf5CnI/s1600/IMG_20170618_193335744_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DGhMRDBxWa-xNih1pGE0WASEpFz7AU3F-A8DrF29HFGz1aQ__fazZqIjxF9ssHBGt_FlGygn_koXyCJ7ohNNwPYRXKKNnc7DKN31H5N9VGO8vPNcVkVvNGcyCdDQA5Qnoi3P9zf5CnI/s320/IMG_20170618_193335744_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear bags in the Shennies=Bear Poles. Not so easy with so many people...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLqW7NFNVouMxaN4fhrPbkMSDbandQez0KQ8c2SWHYUw1CtyOB27Pg5KV6jA5bXlqaxsbydriviVbe280SF1EZkuvD-Hfg16yASMV9-Qk8ElagtjFY0T_wKvCaASDGXvckJPFxFqEARM/s1600/IMG_20170620_111657253_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLqW7NFNVouMxaN4fhrPbkMSDbandQez0KQ8c2SWHYUw1CtyOB27Pg5KV6jA5bXlqaxsbydriviVbe280SF1EZkuvD-Hfg16yASMV9-Qk8ElagtjFY0T_wKvCaASDGXvckJPFxFqEARM/s320/IMG_20170620_111657253_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorting food for resupply</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7uADGCMOtniQ2fyxktnyzqmhrslzOBROv0yIYKMEYCBYbieWSGTW6gFJRAKeZBSJ9xyyYPR6Bsi2WWVNWav4byV9x7NdJKwXmPRl-QjjjBUPo-mUnMpGiMchWoMmyCcsxPyCTpgzB9k/s1600/IMG_20170620_110219523_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7uADGCMOtniQ2fyxktnyzqmhrslzOBROv0yIYKMEYCBYbieWSGTW6gFJRAKeZBSJ9xyyYPR6Bsi2WWVNWav4byV9x7NdJKwXmPRl-QjjjBUPo-mUnMpGiMchWoMmyCcsxPyCTpgzB9k/s320/IMG_20170620_110219523_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIYtjIdhQgkzOEHkjgbDdt8GfSym8kUaSCf5V9UKNPaZn28rIa_f6R2uxDqFIeNZtNOLMsUjIqglEmLAMkeHMIEHWxQ1PfaCxgZDbrTPHRYeE2GS52D-i4LFmuUu3Yf6kBcD-IKjBkKE/s1600/IMG_20170620_110141850_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIYtjIdhQgkzOEHkjgbDdt8GfSym8kUaSCf5V9UKNPaZn28rIa_f6R2uxDqFIeNZtNOLMsUjIqglEmLAMkeHMIEHWxQ1PfaCxgZDbrTPHRYeE2GS52D-i4LFmuUu3Yf6kBcD-IKjBkKE/s320/IMG_20170620_110141850_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An amphitheater in the Shennies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMZ3iD7EPZITD-lJCit0A5-oMmUDY15tXcAEcdt6HIyPWf6Cz08FT5bs5DiNhyvzBsolW3SnplNfF8mZe9LvDhRu-EsLV7zm4Mm4wGCqLUZDiPuwhapFzTm0DyE8a9KAYYTbJT7MPFJ8/s1600/IMG_20170621_090726438_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMZ3iD7EPZITD-lJCit0A5-oMmUDY15tXcAEcdt6HIyPWf6Cz08FT5bs5DiNhyvzBsolW3SnplNfF8mZe9LvDhRu-EsLV7zm4Mm4wGCqLUZDiPuwhapFzTm0DyE8a9KAYYTbJT7MPFJ8/s320/IMG_20170621_090726438_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm thinking of changing his trail name to "Jumanji."</td></tr>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-18315421447373114882017-06-17T12:49:00.001-04:002017-06-17T12:50:31.701-04:00Hiker Menu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So many of you wanted to know what we were going to eat while we are out
here on our adventure. Here is a rundown of a typical day's meals.<br />
<b>Breakfast:</b><br />
4-packages of oatmeal ~ 440 Calories (shared)<br />
2-instant coffee (Erik)<br />
1-tea (Sari)<br />
<b>Second breakfast/1st snack:</b><br />
1-package of Pop tarts ~340 Calories (Erik)<br />
1-granola bar ~ 150 Calories (Sari)<br />
<b>Lunch:</b><br />
2-tortillas with peanut butter ~ 795 Calories (each)<br />
1-package of Pop tarts ~ 340 Calories (Erik)<br />
<b>Second snack:</b><br />
1-granola or small protien bar ~ 190 Calories (each)<br />
<b>Third snack:</b><br />
1-granola or small protien bar ~ 190 Calories (Erik)<br />
<b>Fourth Snack:</b><br />
1-Gatorade Protien bar ~ 360 Calories (Erik)<br />
<b>Dinner:</b> shared ~ 1710 Calories<br />
2-packages of Knorr pasta or rice side<br />
3-pouches of tuna<br />
2-peanut butter caps of dehydrated veggies<br />
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<b>Treats/Sweets:</b></div>
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Various candy bars 2-3 shared per day</div>
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Calories and quantities are rough estimates. </div>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-37912224773560736642017-06-17T12:25:00.005-04:002017-06-17T12:25:57.081-04:00Daleville, VA to Waynesboro, VA; 6/6/17-6/17/17 (Mile 728-862)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Tuesday 6/6; Daleville, VA to Wilson Creek Shelter (mile 728-739)</div>
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So
we would up staying in Daleville a day longer than anticipated.
Yesterday when I ran up to the office to post our blog right before we
left town, I went back to our room and laid down for a few minutes until
our checkout time. It was raining outside and the motivation to get
moving was sparse. Morning Glory and Sweet Tea decided to stay another
night and went and got a room, and to my absolute shock, Bean suggested
we stay another night in order to hike out with our friends the next
day. I was concerned that we were taking another day and that we'd
eventually regret it, but he didn't seem to want to walk in the rain any
more than I did, and we stayed. We fit 6 people in that room at the
Howard Johnson and we all slept very well. But only after all 6 of us,
plus U-Turn and Colonel, played Frogger across the off ramp of the
highway on our way to Country Cookin' for supper. Oh my gosh did we eat!
The food was decent and came with a giant bar full of salad and home
style everything you can think of. Hence why we slept so well.</div>
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Fast
forward to today, we had breakfast and got started. We had a nice day.
No real views, but we're back with our tramily which is so exciting!
And...I feel tonight. Hard. I've got bruises on my right shoulder and
knee, and two goose eggs on the right top of my head. So frustrating
when my feet are finally on the mend and I was ready to push on an extra
5 miles today. Oh well, I guess it is what it is. We opted to stop at
the shelter to rest and recover. </div>
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Tomorrow's a new day. Here's to No more falls, lots of miles and audio books!</div>
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Wednesday 6/7; Wilson Creek Shelter to Jennings Creek Campsite (mile 739-756)</div>
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A
largely uneventful day, though with some pretty views. We crossed the
Blue Ridge Parkway a few times which always affords great views. And we
managed to give 17 miles with little in the way of water sources. But we
accomplished our goal. U-Turn and The Colonel are calling a mile away
at a campground which offers burgers and apparently breakfast, too. We
hope to catch them in the morning. We're looking at possibly two more 15
mile days tomorrow and Friday. If I'm being honest, that's a bit
overwhelming. I know we need to put in some big miles, but I'm worried
we'll break down our bodies and our will power. We'll see how it goes. </div>
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Thursday 6/8; Jennings Creek Campsite to FAA Weather Tower Campsite (mile 756-769)</div>
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We
are writing as we watch the sunset at the FAA Weather Tower where we're
currently camped. The view is beautiful and the company so fun. U-Turn
and Patch, Bean and I all just hanging out. It's chilly and I'm about
ready to climb in the tent after a day of up, up and more up. It was
long and tiring, but overall it was good. Can't wait to share photos
with you all!</div>
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Friday 6/9; FAA Weather Tower Campsite to Glasgow, VA (mile 769-785)</div>
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That
beautiful view we shared with you from yesterday... Was completely sit
this morning when we woke to dense, wet fog which clung to our rain fly
and soaked everything! But, it passed relatively quickly and the chill
burned off leading to a pretty nice day. Far less climbing today than
yesterday, thank goodness! And we opted to push into town tonight
instead of in the morning. This means that currently it's 1035 PM
(WAYYYY past hiker midnight which is 9PM) we have resupplied at the
Dollar General and sorted food, so all we have to do tomorrow is shower,
eat lunch, and head out of town. This little town, though, has been
pretty fabulous! There's a pavilion in the center of town that is built
like a shelter and where we can stay free of charge. There are hot
showers (which we'll check out in the morning) and toilets. And the
people have been so very friendly! Tomorrow will be a light day and
we're excited about it and the knowledge that our abilities are growing.
I will also look into finalizing my plane ticket for later this month. </div>
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Procrastinator...Remember? Loving our time with friends, old and new, and looking forward to the rest of the journey.</div>
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Saturday 6/10; Glasgow, VA to Punchbowl Shelter (mile 785-795)</div>
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The
town of Glasgow has built a shelter in the middle of the tiny little
town, which is in perfect proximity to the Dollar General, a local
restaurant serving burgers, pizza (which was surprisingly good), shakes,
etc, the post office, and a small grocery. The people were so very
friendly--even more so than in "Trail Town USA" (aka Damascus)! Today's
hike proved to be quite challenging. It was a nice day full of sun and
friends, but holy climbing, Batman! We went up and up some more. We are
looking at climbs all week which is a little daunting for me. Patch, a
guy who's been hiking with us for a few days and who we met a while
back, seems to be fast and strong and doesn't mind the climbing. For me,
it's very hard and can be quite discouraging. But, we're looking at one
day at a time and are enjoying the sun despite the heat it beings with
it. Tonight's campsite is very full with at least 15 tents and a full
shelter. We're glad to be here and looking forward to resting.</div>
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Sunday 6/11; Punchbowl Shelter to Brown Mountain Creek (mile 795-804)</div>
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What
a day today has been! We started a bit later than we'd have liked and I
was pretty concerned with making it up and over a pretty giant climb we
anticipate. The terrain for the first half of the day was decent and we
made good time. We hit 800 miles (800--think about that, we've walked
800 miles), but I thought we were very late to meet U-Turn, Colonel, and
Patch for lunch. We planned to meet at the shelter (the same which
we're now camped near) to eat, so imagine our surprise when we happened
upon them hanging out and eating near a bridge in the middle of the
trail. The stream below is listed in AWOL as a "swimming hole," and it
was quickly decided that we'd go only as far as the next shelter (1 Mile
away). We thoroughly enjoyed hanging out in or near the water and
eating a leisurely lunch. Bean submerged and cooled off from the heat of
the day, and I soaked my feet for a good long time. They feel pretty
great tonight. So that leaves this terribly, horrible, no good, very bad
climb for first thing tomorrow morning. Not looking forward to it at
all, but I think we're all glad to get it under way early and be
finished with it before the heat of the day sets in. </div>
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In
other random news, I am losing a toe nail. I don't believe I've injured
it, but it seems as though it's coming off. Many of us have lost at
least one, so I'm in good company.</div>
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Another
side note, I think I forgot to mention the third bear sighting. It was
the other day on our way into Daleville. I saw it, but Bean missed it
because he was ahead of me. The bear was romping and playing down the
hill from the trail. I heard it and it sounded big. I stopped when I saw
it, entirely mesmerized, and was trying to reach for my camera. As I
did I simply said, "Hi, Bear," and it ran off down the hill. Very cool!!</div>
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Monday 6/12; Brown Mountain Creek to Rock Spring Campsite (mile 804.9-821.8)</div>
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And
the terribly, horribly, no good, very bad climb... Was all that and
more. However, we were out of camp at 7am and finished with the big
climb of the day before noon. We took all day to walk or 17 miles, but
it was nice talking breaks and bring with tramily. Dinner tonight was
enjoyable and we laughed a lot. It was a good day. We met a new (to us)
hiker called Illegal. Of course we asked "why 'Illegal'?" And were told
that this man (from Sweden) made it into the country and remains here
without getting a stamp in his passport. Somehow he made it through
border patrol without being questioned. It made me a little
concerned....</div>
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We nailed
down plans for the coming days and will be in town on Thursday. Bean
will see a doctor while we're there for an ingrown toenail. He says it's
not too uncomfortable now. Hopefully it'll stay that way until
Thursday.</div>
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Tuesday 6/13; Rock Spring Campsite to Harper's Creek Shelter (mile 821.8-834.9)</div>
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What
does the snail say when he rides on the turtle's back? "Woohoo!" I
learned that from Stick in the Woods tonight and thought it was pretty
darn cute. </div>
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We had a
pretty good day today with some moderate climbing. We passed a group of
young Meninites hiking SOBO which was an interesting sight. It's not
every day you see people in "plain clothes" hiking up a mountain. They
were friendly, though not talkative.</div>
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U-Turn
and I got a chance to have girl talk for a while which was super nice.
She has been spending time with a nice hiker out here which is great for
her, but changes the dynamic for us a little. I'm happy that she's
enjoying herself and we've talked about the change. All is good, it's
just a little different and takes some getting used to. </div>
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We
came to a river 2.5 miles before the end of our day. It's been hot day,
and one full of flies, so we opted to take a minute to cool off in the
water. And then the sky opened up. We were expecting it, but it still
sucks to hike in the rain. The upside? I hiked as fast as I've hiked
yet, making the 2.5 miles in 1 hour and 10 minutes. I don't like the
thunder at all. It was a little motivating. We're trying to decide if
we'll hit this brewery tomorrow and grab a burger and beer for lunch. </div>
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Wednesday 6/14; Harper's Creek Shelter to Blue Ridge Parkway Campsite/Dripping Rock (mile 834.9-847.6)</div>
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"Three
Ridges is hard! It is no fun" says Erik. When I asked him what he
wanted to include in today's post, this was his response. And he's
right. Today was pretty hard. Lots of rocks lead to pretty sore feet. In
fact, my whole body is worn out. We did come across a group of bike
riders. They are called Cycle Adventures, or something of the like, and
we met one of their support crew who generously offered us treats. I
finally got a Diet Coke after craving it for weeks. Lots of Pepsi out
here, folks. Anyhow, we did not hit the brewery today for fear of coming
weather. Thus far we've largely avoided it, but it's ok. Patch went
into town today to deal with his foot. He's had an ingrown toenail and
he was having a lot of pain last night, so he went to take care of it.
We'll be in town tomorrow and catch up to him, and eat at a Chinese
buffet for dinner. We hear it's the best on the trail. We're excited!</div>
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Thursday 6/15; Dripping Rock Campsite to Waynesboro, VA (847.6-861.9)</div>
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None of us wanted to walk 14 miles into town. Typically we prefer shorter days into town so that we have plenty of time to work on chores, eat, and settle so that we can rest on our zero day. Unfortunately, that isn't always possible as in this day. We were up super early to make the miles early, and the walking wasn't too challenging after multiple days of climbing, though the rocks are chewing up our feet. We did have an interesting meeting while stopping at a shelter for lunch. It was a very nice shelter and we met a guy whom we've dubbed "Rambo Star Child." Please let us tell you why: Imagine a grown man wearing cheap camo clothing. A camouflage shirt cut off at the waist and without sleeves, as they've been cut also. Camo shorts with a drawstring waist. Camo boots without laces. Shoulder length hair with bangs, and a small pony tail to one side just behind the bangs. Feather tattoos down each side of the face from about the temple, and a moon and sun tattooed one on each cheek. The start of a mask tattooed above the nose, with a full "sunset mask" to follow at some point in the future...Needless to say, this guy was a character. Bean later named him in the privacy of our group and we all agreed it was fitting. All that said, he was very nice and very likely quite harmless.</div>
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We made it into town, ate, and rested. This made for a busy zero resupplying and communicating with the "aqua blaze" company. Long story short, we planned to leave today to canoe down the Shenandoah River for 3 days, but storms and the rise in the river made us cancel our reservation for today and shift it to tomorrow. Which means....another zero! So we're updating you all and going to rest promptly afterwards. Waynesbboro is a beautiful little town with kind people and all the amenities we need! Erik's new shoes arrived (thank goodness--no tread on a trail runner is bad out here!). U-Turn and I found a yoga class at Birdseed Yoga, we wanted to catch a movie (Top Gun) last night at the theater but we opted for rest instead. We made it to Rockfish Outfitter to buy insoles for my new shoes, and had our first turn ever in an actual laundromat, which is just up the street from our hotel. </div>
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Much love to you all! Thank you, as always, for your love and support! We miss you and can't wait to discuss our adventures with you all!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBJSe03ZpFaO1ogDvPbKgvoOZGr9gkDQptUgVvNPvm2rvakWfgshvytyzSMpArfNzp_uER26LtgDUdpUKg_NShqYgO_bkAmX3VRP92YK-JwdaheuUGY2JO3A4P212p3tpHOPPWhkw7t0/s1600/IMG_20170617_113023433_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBJSe03ZpFaO1ogDvPbKgvoOZGr9gkDQptUgVvNPvm2rvakWfgshvytyzSMpArfNzp_uER26LtgDUdpUKg_NShqYgO_bkAmX3VRP92YK-JwdaheuUGY2JO3A4P212p3tpHOPPWhkw7t0/s320/IMG_20170617_113023433_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waynesboro, VA</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuN0NmkUL0C93NFF8UAVTL-Qq8K2CAVQkYx6lRDrwr0abcMevI9tV7nqIeFLdnzsWTyHL8eULDlenr7P26AkPl985R7XBcSRvncbYXlfH0lFGfnV-gqxC0izGex2FXPOd5me7NsM4UHQ/s1600/IMG_20170617_093335769_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuN0NmkUL0C93NFF8UAVTL-Qq8K2CAVQkYx6lRDrwr0abcMevI9tV7nqIeFLdnzsWTyHL8eULDlenr7P26AkPl985R7XBcSRvncbYXlfH0lFGfnV-gqxC0izGex2FXPOd5me7NsM4UHQ/s320/IMG_20170617_093335769_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle Power!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOevgZU0XO08qFY0wNbAqhQ9zAy2vLfgWkLDw_cKI7AJB2io4ujiR2Z0e36v42d9xAMajAzljbEOMZARlj_ZCBZueDlohyphenhyphenLF5592t6cm9eRjDajWOiW7DEs5uggxX6C4_XtS_eIUCuPAc/s1600/IMG_20170616_143809711_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOevgZU0XO08qFY0wNbAqhQ9zAy2vLfgWkLDw_cKI7AJB2io4ujiR2Z0e36v42d9xAMajAzljbEOMZARlj_ZCBZueDlohyphenhyphenLF5592t6cm9eRjDajWOiW7DEs5uggxX6C4_XtS_eIUCuPAc/s320/IMG_20170616_143809711_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We typically wear our rain gear on laundry day, but it's HOT! So a skirt becomes a shirt and we move on. Hiker Sexy, tan lines and all...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuHt59iu18niv00Uui6VnV2GaqhrFvUD83RtY2F7a4tRWk-YQg8-ETO0llrK3MAn5glaEkpot6LTptRBsh1IgHek9YRKFTH9kJvCVz1Xt1IOqTOhn-CNRy-NoNIAB1rP9eNPeox81Ahw/s1600/IMG_20170615_171453143_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuHt59iu18niv00Uui6VnV2GaqhrFvUD83RtY2F7a4tRWk-YQg8-ETO0llrK3MAn5glaEkpot6LTptRBsh1IgHek9YRKFTH9kJvCVz1Xt1IOqTOhn-CNRy-NoNIAB1rP9eNPeox81Ahw/s320/IMG_20170615_171453143_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left-862 Miles down, Right-600 miles to go!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44qW_50bXfmUgBeTaWYrnayxnivUEy0wukydd0WxGt4xzBzNzxSj40nx2-t10Bywagmw8-eS518xu13OnvSQdUzKKFan6HUn4qWX0IOPARHYkKt4kn06TfJtYe0R670he-eGkpPLv588/s1600/IMG_20170615_170503260_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44qW_50bXfmUgBeTaWYrnayxnivUEy0wukydd0WxGt4xzBzNzxSj40nx2-t10Bywagmw8-eS518xu13OnvSQdUzKKFan6HUn4qWX0IOPARHYkKt4kn06TfJtYe0R670he-eGkpPLv588/s320/IMG_20170615_170503260_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishburne Military School, Waynesboro, VA</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jXm3akA3pNW8tVhBSkpKNkUc9aJmhtQjihCcnRxLJwUnsT6UaEBMPtrMqyBvL1gcB6BHeEOt9x4kAz-joUc38oKfnMKlSBnrwgOYOIvuOAENx_vnH84cRhb3fHwXtknW3qTEU33WEl4/s1600/IMG_20170615_080841561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="1600" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jXm3akA3pNW8tVhBSkpKNkUc9aJmhtQjihCcnRxLJwUnsT6UaEBMPtrMqyBvL1gcB6BHeEOt9x4kAz-joUc38oKfnMKlSBnrwgOYOIvuOAENx_vnH84cRhb3fHwXtknW3qTEU33WEl4/s320/IMG_20170615_080841561.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSE0q0hZCJBEYlDIo2rPKuJhZgYw_TK0OG50tFhKwFQLaZAuw01AqXEofnQGJpLj3u7P1yYDbihcSqkZSBloXJ3XOp7rR56T3mx0RUw9RLDo6uaHsp7zEVIBkO6yQHcU2yw-4tMAz1vkk/s1600/IMG_20170614_092925246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSE0q0hZCJBEYlDIo2rPKuJhZgYw_TK0OG50tFhKwFQLaZAuw01AqXEofnQGJpLj3u7P1yYDbihcSqkZSBloXJ3XOp7rR56T3mx0RUw9RLDo6uaHsp7zEVIBkO6yQHcU2yw-4tMAz1vkk/s320/IMG_20170614_092925246.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First berries!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch with a view...in the sun</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dino in Glasgow, VA</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoyMeGkfSNyIAOLSTqQ1776YFihFRQq6ox3mmxT3sheE8-amUSjKntd02K8WvZQQJcYTUjHEpLDjowchNfKS6Zcr2rWlApOTUf6UR2IGJxMB4Znxu5_2oqW_6X0eDtpRi0fY3LtCwQ1M/s1600/IMG_20170609_173134955_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoyMeGkfSNyIAOLSTqQ1776YFihFRQq6ox3mmxT3sheE8-amUSjKntd02K8WvZQQJcYTUjHEpLDjowchNfKS6Zcr2rWlApOTUf6UR2IGJxMB4Znxu5_2oqW_6X0eDtpRi0fY3LtCwQ1M/s320/IMG_20170609_173134955_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foot bridge over the James River into Glasgow</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfX3IU1Un7v3u604Z0OZPq1Ksr_1Y1qX8yWKeKew2sU1q91hI0K3WM7TTIcCsjxcrbp4pLL2ToYnUiuXhxHrDORtHwPZmaHE3TAfyfUhK93STbEHKIeRx-wqC7sOpXh-P_H_pHt2Z0ETA/s1600/IMG_20170609_173159760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfX3IU1Un7v3u604Z0OZPq1Ksr_1Y1qX8yWKeKew2sU1q91hI0K3WM7TTIcCsjxcrbp4pLL2ToYnUiuXhxHrDORtHwPZmaHE3TAfyfUhK93STbEHKIeRx-wqC7sOpXh-P_H_pHt2Z0ETA/s320/IMG_20170609_173159760.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tramily! (back left and clockwise, Colonel, U-Turn, Y'all, Bean, Patch, Fresh)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqcE8CffrYktGZozYajcbcicT7CmrGFxO3v8EMiwjK7rSrSa0Ngb5tPUzb1EF2OviOu_-ewYTyMeJv2nGLlNzR_JebmYdZdknZJb_PupB5qsdRP1kieBT4hsBceYoqTIOdSScgu4yeHE/s1600/IMG_20170608_194307498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="1600" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqcE8CffrYktGZozYajcbcicT7CmrGFxO3v8EMiwjK7rSrSa0Ngb5tPUzb1EF2OviOu_-ewYTyMeJv2nGLlNzR_JebmYdZdknZJb_PupB5qsdRP1kieBT4hsBceYoqTIOdSScgu4yeHE/s320/IMG_20170608_194307498.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping at an FAA Weather Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-byiIgWsNcZF53d61bMVGCbmDK2m3QQpl0vvs8ZBIsS0SyqpuMWp8N-UCM24JefOweM_l4-jnGXZ0uPlVPKAmpMtwNuLhvp5ENM5NyMkD7KGHWFeKt7_n0JXeBs177qbohAnEFrcYKk/s1600/IMG_20170608_182538602_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-byiIgWsNcZF53d61bMVGCbmDK2m3QQpl0vvs8ZBIsS0SyqpuMWp8N-UCM24JefOweM_l4-jnGXZ0uPlVPKAmpMtwNuLhvp5ENM5NyMkD7KGHWFeKt7_n0JXeBs177qbohAnEFrcYKk/s320/IMG_20170608_182538602_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping at an FAA Weather Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEJlTRyfET2TodhoAgN0ApdGSOgXn4TwaCf62WtXeW0ZWJU-7u-qaU8wGCXHq2mlZl4Fj717LraB3CD6PVj3RXUjSfPcUcReV5ssgyb2bY44A0DRTCp2ChiEUAEiqpftmj_IfYehpFKc/s1600/IMG_20170606_141932632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEJlTRyfET2TodhoAgN0ApdGSOgXn4TwaCf62WtXeW0ZWJU-7u-qaU8wGCXHq2mlZl4Fj717LraB3CD6PVj3RXUjSfPcUcReV5ssgyb2bY44A0DRTCp2ChiEUAEiqpftmj_IfYehpFKc/s320/IMG_20170606_141932632.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little friend</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCf18AWJrk50PSAIcBp6mANetrZ03KoyTwToGJrHaEA92XJ1hmwCahyONhiNjrlqU8NG8577PL7B3HMU73m3G520e10j6APVDVQuA3nbYnKwpqA0ZGdTck4BLx_p_1mUbvU6I6870zg6I/s1600/IMG_20170604_190532095_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCf18AWJrk50PSAIcBp6mANetrZ03KoyTwToGJrHaEA92XJ1hmwCahyONhiNjrlqU8NG8577PL7B3HMU73m3G520e10j6APVDVQuA3nbYnKwpqA0ZGdTck4BLx_p_1mUbvU6I6870zg6I/s320/IMG_20170604_190532095_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Gear! (Richmond)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQFnkAc2W9NHk2Z0VD54sedGBGATCFvZS-UjUKlw62gut5SY0b8oWsaaYIN0mGJ3EJUXcPh4YD8TpLBfXuQ06KU0_lkU_SuzPWd30RY5lqPIyYX6Xv9-65K1QPuiOLPrGHbRClMZ9-c0/s1600/IMG_20170604_190506264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQFnkAc2W9NHk2Z0VD54sedGBGATCFvZS-UjUKlw62gut5SY0b8oWsaaYIN0mGJ3EJUXcPh4YD8TpLBfXuQ06KU0_lkU_SuzPWd30RY5lqPIyYX6Xv9-65K1QPuiOLPrGHbRClMZ9-c0/s320/IMG_20170604_190506264.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Gear! (Richmond)</td></tr>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-47662244941040914752017-06-05T10:15:00.003-04:002017-06-05T10:21:15.288-04:00Damascus, VA to Daleville, VA (Day 5/11-6/3)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Day 57 & 58, May 11 & 12; Damascus, VA</div>
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Remember we got into Damascus a half day earlier than expected... And we've now stayed a night longer, too. We woke this morning to rain (as forecasted--damn weather people can be wrong to their hearts' content now and seem to hit the nail on the head every damn time) and packed up to meet U-Turn and The Colonel for breakfast before heading out. While at breakfast, we got a text from Pig-Pen saying they were thinking of slack-packing (which is basically day hiking--you get ride to a location and hike either back to town which is what we did today, or to another specified location where your ride will meet you) and asking if we'd like to join. One all the arrangements were set, we jumped in Jason's truck and off we went. Side note: Jason is Sweet Tea's best friend, and he's come out to visit for a few days. He's pretty great, funny, super easy to be around and very friendly, and he easily agreed to drive us out. We walked three miles of the AT, and then picked up the Virginia Creeper Trail for the rest of the 16 miles back to town. We figured the party of The Creeper we walked and the part of the AT we'd miss are the same distance, so it's 6 and one half dozen, right? We would up walking about 12 miles total and decided we would hitch the rest of the way back to town. See, Ms. Patricia is our host tonight. She saw Pig-Pen and The Saunterers outside the other day and offered to let them sleep at her place. They took her up on it, and got us an invite for tonight. We made her dinner as a thank you. Anyhow, we were worried we'd get back too late if we walked the rest of the way. So when the trail crossed the road, we made our way to it and suck out our thumbs. In a few short minutes, a truck about to turn toward town changed their plan and came up the road to pick up some dialed-to-the-Bone hikers and took is to Damascus; thank you, Chuck! So now we're ready to sleep in her apartment. It's dry and quiet, and we couldn't have asked for better circumstances! AND! We'll be able to keep Hiking with the group!</div>
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So up and at em tomorrow, and back to the trail. And on to the PONIES!!</div>
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Day 59, May 13; Hwy 58 & AT to Deep Gap</div>
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What a nice day for hiking. The sun shone all day though the wind was a bit chilly. We're now warning up after dinner and chores in our sleeping bags. The night will likely be quite cool. My feet ache pretty badly and the cold doesn't help.</div>
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The terrain was decent. Some ups but the grade wasn't too difficult. We'll make our way up Mt. Rogers in the morning and then to Grayson Highlands and the ponies. Sweet Tea and Morning Glory called about 2 miles back from us. We were all pretty tired after a couple days off the trail and they spoke up and decided to stay put. I was very sore by this point in the day and was excited to listen to my story. I reloaded my library app on my phone and downloaded a Lord of the Rings theatrical presentation. People keep telling me I need to read this and it hasn't happened yet, so I thought now is as good a time as any! Listening during the last couple of miles helped keep my mind off my feet and just plow forward. I liked it.</div>
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We were bummed this morning when our three new friends didn't wind up hiking out with us. One of them want feeling well and they were excited to be back together themselves. We wish them well and hope to see you soon!</div>
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Ponies, Ponies, PONIES!!!!!!!</div>
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Day 60, May 14; Deep Gap to Horse Trail (just past the northern border of Grayson Highlands State Park)</div>
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We saw PONIES today! It was super neat! We liked the first group the best. Morning Glory and Sweet Tea caught up to us and had yet to see any, so we went in search. We found another small heard which included a foal and was pretty amazing. The hike itself consisted of lots of rocks (not so fun) and pretty fantastic views (definitely more fun)! **I called it a night last night and fell asleep quickly and deeply. A blessing as I don't typically sleep very well out here.</div>
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Day 61, Monday 5/15; Horse Trail (just past the northern border of Grayson Highlands State Park) to Hurricane Shelter</div>
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Only a couple of miles into it hike today, we came across two more ponies. A mom and get foal. They were amazing and we watched for a few minutes. The foal must have been born this year as it was very small and obviously still learning. </div>
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We marched on and had an uneventful day. I reloaded my library app in Damascus and borrowed the audio version of The Lord of the Rings. I've been enjoying it... Until today when it ended and I realized it was only part one of however many makes up the very long story. I was bummed. </div>
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We finished the planned 10 miles easily. Erik and I were going to go on, but learned from some SOBO hikers that there isn't any stealth camping between where we are and the next shelter. Since the next shelter is 10 miles away, we stayed put. </div>
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So here we are, hanging out by a campfire and planning to go to bed early. </div>
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Day 62, Tuesday 5/16; Hurricane Shelter to campsite at mile 526</div>
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Today was entirely uneventful. A good thing for sure. Nothing in particular to report other than fantastic weather and good friends. Though we currently have a few people we don't know eating/camping with us. We're all in tents getting ready to sleep so we can get up early and get a shuttle into town, and they're discussing the rehydrating properties of corn. Town food tomorrow!</div>
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Day 63, Wed 5/17; campsite at mile 526 to Partnership Shelter</div>
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We made it to the shelter to which pizza can be delivered! And we did order pizza...'Cause why not? We woke early today along with the rest of the crew and booked it here to catch the 11am shuttle to resupply in town. It worked perfectly! We jumped on, ate lunch (Chinese buffet), I resupplied while Erik ran to the EconoLodge in Marion to pick up our boxes. We ordered more veggies, a better fitting rain cover for my pack, and a bigger food bag so I can start carrying a little more. All with time to spare for me to download a couple of audio books using Walmart's WiFi before the shuttle came back. U-Turn made the executive decision that we'd stay at the shelter tonight so we came back and visited/chilled a bit with new faces, all of whom seem super friendly! </div>
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We did order pizza, and I got to read a very little. We're sleeping in a large shelter in the second level. There are two "windows" on each end to circulate air, and it seems to be working! Tomorrow should be a long day so we can try to get into Quarter Way Inn at a reasonable time on Fri and get all our chores done before bed.</div>
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Day 64, Thurs 5/18; Partnership Shelter to Davis Hollow Campsite</div>
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Wow, what a great day! 13 miles took us about 10 hours, but let me share what was included in those hours...</div>
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-A 30 minute snack stop</div>
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-A 1 hour lunch break (only that long because Ridge Runner Jonathan was very chatty)</div>
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-A trail magic break at the Lindamood Schoolhouse (AMAZING!! Thank you, West End UMC!!)</div>
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-Dinner at The Barn (burgers and fries)</div>
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Additionally, we walked through the Virginia countryside today which was quite pretty. And grassy, which for this chick is not so good. I want to claw my eyeballs out right now because they itch so badly. But the last couple of miles after dinner we crossed through a picturesque field full of serenely content black cows. We didn't have to go too far passed the cows to camp, so now we're laying in the tent hearing the cows moooooooo. It's a different sound and kind of fun. Though we also hear cars and dogs. But that's ok. It was a fantastic day and we will shower and wash clothes tomorrow!</div>
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Day 65 & 66, Fri & Sat 5/19 & 5/20; Davis Hollow Campsite to Quarter Way Inn (5/19) and Campsite at Mile 564 (5/20)</div>
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Friday was a pretty good day. We walked a total of about 9 miles (8 of them trail miles) to The Quarter Way Inn run by Tina (trail name "Chunky") and her husband Brett. We only met Tina, and she was just wonderful! We arrived at about 230 in the afternoon after the sky opened up and completely soaked us, and Tina met us at the door and showed us around. The house is a 1910 farm house and is beautiful! They've got a private room and bunks, tenting as well. Breakfast is offered in the morning for a fee, and laundry and coffee, shower (with a towel) are included. There's no wifi which is frustrating, but apparently it isn't available in the area. You can make domestic calls for free from the land line, though! The beds are very comfortable and like new. I had my best night sleep in weeks! Hazelnut is the hostel dog and she's ADORABLE! She follows Tina absolutely everywhere and is perfectly friendly, though very shy. She warms up after a bit and is super sweet. Breakfast was nice with fresh foods and good conversation. We highly recommend a visit! Tina is fabulous and very interesting to talk with.</div>
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Leaving this morning was hard. In fact, it was the first day I really felt like I wanted to be at home. I miss my bed and daily showers. And my family. We walked about 10 miles and decided to make camp rather than tackle the last climb in our would be 14 mile day. We're all tired and the weather is warming up. We beat the rain and hope it stays away. My shoes are still wet from yesterday and boy do they STINK!! Here's to hoping tomorrow is a little better and we dodge the rain again.</div>
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Day 67, Sun 5/21; Campsite at Mile 564 to Jenkins Shelter</div>
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What a doozy today has been! It has rained all day. We are entirely soaked and have all our clothes hanging in hopes that they'll dry some before morning, though the rain continues now so we're not hopeful. Erik is pissed because his bag was hanging from the ceiling of the shelter and dripping on me. He says that a few drops is fine... I say those drops aren't landing on you! My feet hurt terribly today. We're gonna have to see about finding me different shoes, I think. I can't keep going like this. They just ache so badly! We'll be in Pearisburg soon and will see about them then. Here's to hoping that tomorrow will be better. The weather is supposed to be pretty bad for the next week and I'm quite concerned, if I'm being honest. It's really hard to hike in this and keep morale up. </div>
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Day 68, Mom 5/22; Jenkins Shelter to Bland, VA</div>
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An unexpected night spent in town. Rain just sucks. We're working on a week straight of more nasty weather than good, and we happened upon this lovely gentleman giving rides to hikers for breakfast at his church. We accepted, and then he and another ATOM Ministry volunteer (Appalachian Trail Outreach Ministry) shuttled 5 of us around town and to motels. It was so kind of them to help us out! Breakfast was just wonderful!</div>
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We stayed at the Red Roof Inn which to it surprise far surpassed our needs. I'm definitely a fan! Unfortunately, they didn't have laundry, though. Since we were getting out of the rain and all our stuff was wet and STUNK, I was in the prowl for a washer. Turns out that the Travelodge next door was beyond helpful! Dakota, the very nice young man working the desk, offered to dry anything we needed. We bird-bathed sucks and underwear in the sink and threw them in the industrial dryer. Dakota had great questions about the trail and we chatted while the dryer worked it's magic. Thanks, Dakota, for the help!!</div>
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Day 69 & 70, Tues & Wed 5/23 & 5/24; Wythville, VA to Jenny Knob Shelter & Jenny Knob Shelter to campsite at mile 614</div>
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Feet. Hurt! I've heard multiple times how Outdoor 76 outfitter in Franklin, NC was amazing, and that Rob is a genius. Well, I can't vouch for the genius yet, but he's pretty fantastic. I called this morning while waiting for our shuttle, and he invited me to take photos of my feet and he'd see what he can do to recommend the right shoe and/or insole. I'm super excited to see what we can come up with cause I'm not sure how much longer I can deal with this pain. It makes it very hard to put on boots in the mornings.</div>
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All that said, there have been good days and bad days. With the weather being so gross the last multiple days, recently I've had a pretty rough go of it. Yesterday (5/23) was very frustrating and I blew a fuse. Major meltdown over here in the woods of Virginia. In the midst of it all, though, I had a very fun experience! One that people don't often get! I was holding back tears going down a hill, willing the shelter to be around the next turn, and I freaked out a bit at the realization that I'd nearly stepped on a living forest creature. I had to do a double take to realize there were two infantile deer chilling smack in the middle of the path. I worried they were sick or hurt as the simply didn't even blink when I walked past them. I stopped and took a step back, just looking at them for a minute. It was crazy and so very neat! When I reached Erik and told him about what I'd seen, he told me he thought mama deer had put them there and just hadn't chosen a very good hiding place for them. In actuality, though, I think it was a very good hiding place as I almost stepped on them. After all, deer don't know what a trail is. I wanted so badly to reach down and love on them. But Leave No Trace principles won and I left them be. If you aren't familiar with LNT, you should check out their website. Very basically, the concept is "take only pictures, leave only footprints." In other words, leave no sign you were there because every stone you take with you and every path you make wider by stepping around the mud changes the forest. Think about it this way. If every person took one stone from a stream, imagine what that stream would look like. </div>
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It's currently Wed 5/24, and we're in our tent, everything completely wet through. Pig-Pen just called Erik to help her--apparently her tent was in a newly formed puddle-pond from all the rain. We're over it. The sun can come out any time now. Today was ok. Rain sucks, but burgers at Trent's Grocery are good! We met some locals who told us a short cut back to the trail which we took. It too us up a dirt road and to Dismal Falls. The only issue is that we then had to figure out where the trail was. We went I but further up the road, crossed quite the log to cross the stream. It was wet, very old, and it bounced a little. When you got about halfway across, looking down made you a little dizzy. We crossed one at a time. </div>
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We're now finished with dinner and trying to stay dry and warm as we sit in the tent. We'll likely fall asleep super early tonight. One more day of rain and then a decent weather day into Pearisburg for a zero. It's supposed to rain on the zero day as well. Aussie Legs, you can send us some good mojo on the rain here. It'd be much appreciated!</div>
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Day 71, Thursday 5/25; campsite at mile 614 to Doc Knob Shelter</div>
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Well, today was... Interesting. And good, overall. We got a bit of a late start at 915. Last night's rain was pretty extensive and left much of it things quite wet. Thankfully the sleeping bags and dry clothes are all still dry, and the top side of the air mattresses are also dry. The fly, ground cover, and floor of the tent, however, are soaked! We keep our food in the tent the last two nights with the torrential rains, and placed them on top of it acquired sit pads. Last night, we went a step further and squeezed our mattresses close to the sit pads in hopes that they'd act as a barrier and help keep our sleeping bags dry. It worked. All that to say that we were surprised to wake to blue skies this morning. We started slowly and walked slowly as well. Or rather, we ran into obstacle after obstacle. The rains raised the stream we slept next to by 2+ feet last night, and we have to assume it did the same to the surrounding streams. So...We forded our first streams today as a result. We came to the first and switched to Crocs in an attempt to keep our feet dry. We then left the Crocs on for a while which made climbing slow. Needles to say, the first 4 miles took over 3 hours to get through. After that, though, it got a little better. The sun disappeared behind the clouds, but the rain held off. Erik arrived at the shelter a bit before Pig-Pen and I did, and he and I had already agreed we'd sleep in the shelter if there was space. There was, and when Pig-Pen and I arrived just minutes before the rain fell, we were relieved and hungry. So we put our packs down dry and shared the excitement. Sweet Tea was a little behind us and didn't stay completely dry, though the rain was short-lived. We lost U-Turn and The Colonel yesterday. We stayed at a campsite a couple miles shy if we the shelter they made it to, and the most have gone to Woods Hole Hostel tonight. It's a bummer because they're getting off trail for the holiday weekend and it'll be a while before we see them again. It's nice and quiet tonight with Pig-Pen in her "Cinema" (aka watching a movie on her phone in her mummy bag), and the rest of the shelter sleeping or quietly reading before 7PM. We're headed into Pearisburg tomorrow for rest, laundry, and blog updates. We miss you all and hope you're well!</div>
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Day 72 & 73, Fri 5/26 & Sat 5/27; Doc Knob Shelter to Pearisburg, VA</div>
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Friday made for decent hiking. Weather held off and we got into town without any major issue. The day was uneventful though fun with Pig-Pen and Sweet Tea headed down with us. We were all ready for time off and rest, and enjoyed a leisurely day without rain. Erik and I hit our planned road crossing and started walking toward town hoping to hitch instead of walking the mile, and we did immediately. The first car to pass us stopped and dropped us at our motel next to move other than a Dairy Queen, a Mexican restaurant, a Food Lion, up the street from the post office, and a short walk around the back of Food Lion to the hostel to pick up our packages. Good choice on location, The Plaza Motel wind up being. It was dated, but clean and not than suited our needs. Ms. Linda was the person we met on arrival, and she was so friendly and helpful! We definitely recommend this place for other hikers! </div>
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Saturday was a zero day with lots of rest and tv. It was so needed! I also emailed a little with Alana--thanks for the reminders and encouragement!</div>
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Day 74, Sun 5/28; Pearisburg, VA to campsite mile 643</div>
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A day of hiking and no rain? What are we to do with ourselves?! It was a short day at only 9 miles, but the next campsite was another 9 and the next water source is past that. So we called it an early day and got the tent up just in time for a short afternoon shower. We've seen some random sprinkles otherwise, but the tent is now dry for the night (hopefully). It's been a relaxing afternoon, and we've met some new people including Air Bud, Y'all, and Fit Bit, all of whom we've seen quite a bit but have never met. They seem like a really nice group! About to read for a while and go to sleep early. We look so forward to seeing Uncle Steve in a couple of weeks!</div>
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Day 75, Mom 5/29 (Memorial Day); to campsite mile 643 to Bailey Shelter</div>
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An uneventful day, really. Easy miles until the very end. Damn a climb at the end of the day! The Captain's Place is closed because he's had surgery. He allows hikers to zip line across the Creek and camp in his yard, and many among us were excited. His place wasn't part of our plan, but we have the circumstance. I listened to Pride and Prejudice for much of the day which passed the time easily. More tomorrow.</div>
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Day 73, Tuesday 5/30; Doc Knob Shelter to Laurel Creek Shelter</div>
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14.5 today and it seemed like 20. I call the final climb and descent the mountain that wouldn't end. Sweet Tea and Morning Glory feel behind us today and stayed at the previous shelter. They weren't feeling it, and quite frankly, I can't really say I blame them. Part of me wanted to stop as well. We kept going though. Goodness knows if we stopped every time I wanted to, we'd get to Maine sometime in the next century. We hope they'll catch us soon. We haven't been just the two of us in so long it here. We'll see how this goes...</div>
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Day 73, Tuesday 5/30; Laurel Creek Shelter to Niday Shelter</div>
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What a beautiful day today was! We took our time and wandered through the day passing the Keffer Oak which is said to be the oldest oak tree in the South. We also saw the Eastern Continental Divide. We walked a rock face/ridge line with sprinkles coming down, and we willed the storm clouds to pass They did, thank goodness? I think we might have slid off the rocks and into the abyss of mountains below had they gotten wet. We then dodged more sprinkles on our way down to the shelter, but chose to sleep inside anyhow. We normally wouldn't, and it's currently pouring. I think we're happy with our choice as it means no we tent in the morning. Though walking in the rain if it keeps up is not appetizing. </div>
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Uncle Steve had to change his plans and will be meeting is a bit later which may work out even better for us. Looking forward to it either way!</div>
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Day 74, Wed 5/31; Niday Shelter to VA 620 (shuttle to Four Pines)</div>
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We were lured to a donation based hostel by way of The Home place restaurant. Bean wanted the all you can eat family style home cooking so Morning Glory called for a shuttle on the way down the mountain and asked for a 4PM ride from the road crossing. We got down the mountain in fantastic time and waited about 40 minutes to 4. Then 5, then almost 6. We finally got a phone that worked and it turns out the owner completely forgot to come get us. He sent his wife who dropped us straight at the restaurant where we are SO. MUCH. FOOD! It was tasty and the service was friendly and prompt. We had fried chicken, roast beef, bbq prob, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, green beans, warm cinnamon apple, pinto beans, Cole slaw...It was amazing! </div>
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Day 75, Thurs 6/1; VA 624 to Pig Farm Campsite</div>
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I had a bit of an emotional evening and day, but today's hike was pretty spectacular! We decided to skip Dragon's Tooth due to the fact that EVERYONE we know was going about it yesterday. With my emotions running high and still not fixed feet/shoes, we opted to come back and slack it later. Which made way for McAfee Knob today, and boy was it gorgeous! Just take a look at the photos. There are no words. Done friends took in sunset while we opted for setting up camp and cooking dinner. I think we should come back and do sunset here, though. We saw a couple get engaged while we were up there, and they were so, so nice! We really enjoyed talking with them. </div>
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We'll get up early tomorrow and be out by 8 for a 17 mile day into Troutville where we'll see Raid and Pogo! They'll be around doing trail magic since they're now both of the trail (Raid with a broken foot and Pogo with a nerve injury). We're super excited to see them! And way the brownies they promised. It's the important things friends...</div>
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Saturday 6/3; Pig Farm Campsite to Daleville, VA</div>
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Into Daleville/Troutville we go...</div>
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A very successful, not-so-zero, zero day on Sunday 6/1. Erik and I borrowed Raid's car to drive 2.5 hrs each way to the REI in Richmond, VA. I replaced my boots, and Erik replaced his failing pack. Here's to hoping that a brand new pair of beautiful, bright, blue Sportiva trail runners help my feet. </div>
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A HUGE Shoutout to Rob at Outdoor 76 in Franklin, NC for his extensive help and knowledge in selecting my new shoes. He went so far above and beyond to help me an dI can't begin to express my gratitude. If you need shoes, make the trip. He deserves every sale he makes, and I will sing his praises for the rest of time!</div>
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Side note, I think our days/dates are a little mixed up. I'll fix it tonight in the tent as it's raining and we'll make camp and stay bundled up. Nothing like hiking out with brand new gear into the rain! </div>
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As always, thank you to all our family and friends! We love and miss you more and more and are looking forward to successfully completing this goal and rejoining you all!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-31527639009563804682017-05-10T10:52:00.000-04:002017-05-10T10:52:03.673-04:00Erwin, TN to Damascus, VA (Day 44-56/April 28-May 10)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Day 44 & 45, 4/28 & 4/29; Erwin, TN to Curly Maple Shelter</div>
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A
lovely day at Uncle Johnny's yesterday. We arrived about 12:15 which
means we made GREAT time. An 11+ mile day in about 5 hours of hiking
time (6 hrs including breaks) is unheard of for us. In order to
accomplish that, we woke at 5AM and were walking out of camp at 6:08. We
began by headlamp but very soon we were walking with the rising sun,
and less than two hours into our hike we hard our first bear sighting! A
mama and her cub which was up a tree. They were down a ravine and a
very safe distance away, but we still talked to them and let them know
we were there. It was a very neat experience!</div>
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We
wound up choosing to tent at Uncle Johnny's hostel when we learned that
we could also shower and do laundry there, and there was a festival to
include low country boil in the evening, And we would also receive free
shuttles to food and resupply. It worked out splendidly... Until my
allergies flared and I've been itching and congested since. Thank
goodness for antihistamine eye drops and Benadryl! </div>
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As
Hikers, we eat a lot. We had breakfast at Huddle House. The food was OK, the service terrible! And we stopped at a hiker feed this afternoon
before heading up the mountain. The Zion Baptist Church of Jonesboro, TN
had burgers and hotdogs with all the fixings, along with chips, beans,
coleslaw, veggies, and dessert. It was super tasty and greatly
appreciated by all!</div>
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We
then headed up the 4.5ish miles to the shelter. We're currently in said
shelter (normally we prefer to tent, but tenting is limited here), and
we're sharing it with mice and a few very large spiders. The destructive
nature of mice, and my allergy to spiders had me a bit worried. If
there's no part after this one... You know what happened.</div>
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Day 46, 4/30; Curly Maple Shelter to Cherry Gap Shelter</div>
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What
a gorgeous day today was! The sun shone all day, but unlike yesterday
there were nice breezes most of the day. We took a long first break
while i caught up with my sister and Dad, which was nice. We had a day
full of climbs, but they didn't feel terribly bad and the walking was so
nice. We topped a mountain to find a small field with fantastic views
of the surrounding mountains. We then moved on to Unaka Mountain which
was a little challenging for me, but very pretty. There was another
Spruce forest, though not nearly as large as the one in the Smokies. But
neat just the same. Shortly before the summit we saw a Spruce tree with
ornaments, as though it was decorated for Christmas. This was a
memorial to young man who who does early in life (I believe by suicide),
Max Norrell. We'll go on Facebook and leave a note as we were asked to
do. It was a bit sobering to visit. Despite this, we ended the day on a
positive, having hung out this evening with The Colonel, U-Turn,
Macaroni, Alex, Steel Head, and Alex. All super nice and we're happy to
have met the! I felt a little discouraged this afternoon thinking I was
too slow, but then I did the math and realized that we managed 12.8
miles in 7ish hours isn't so bad. Tomorrow is a short day at only 9 and
change. Looking very forward to an early day!</div>
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Day 47, 5/1; Cherry Gap Shelter to Clyde Smith Shelter</div>
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We
hate rain. I mean, we know it's important and necessary, and we like
having water to drink, but walking in it sucks. Today brought rain and
wind like I don't think I've ever seen before. I almost took a picture
of the leaves on the trees. They were blowing so hard it looked like
they would come right off the trees. First it was just wind, then the
rain started. My boots were full of water for the first time. We'll see
what the morning brings. Our clothes are mostly dry, thankfully.</div>
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We're
sheltered with some friends and hunkered down for the night. U-Turn is
sleeping next to me, and is currently worried about how the mice get up
the walls. </div>
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Tomorrow is
going to be tough with our last 6,000 foot mountain until New England.
We're hoping for a 16 mile day, which is long, hard mileage. We'll see
how far we get.</div>
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Day 48, Tuesday 5/2; Clyde Smith Shelter to Over Mountain Shelter</div>
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Oh
wow, what a day! The weather was so absolutely perfect to go over Roan
Mountain today! We had expected the climb to be pretty awful, and we
were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it was
pretty darn hard. But doable. The sky as we approached the summit was
clear and cool with views until forever (aka "the Peter Pan Line" --
thank you Roller Rinkin). The summit if the mountain itself didn't
afford much of a view, but after finding our way down (we both hate
walking on rocks!) We topped a bald with 360 degree views of the entire
valley. It was simply astounding. We walked all day just the two of us
as U-Turn and the colonel were an hour or more ahead of us, and we
started talking about the night and where we'd sleep. We like to discuss
this before arriving so we don't have to have awkward conversations in
front of friends. We agreed to try to push the nearly 16 miles to the
Over Mountain Shelter. It's a large shelter in an old barn and it's
beautiful here! The Barn itself has ties to the revolutionary war era,
as it was used as a rendezvous point for the army. We're tented in the
grass (I'm already having an allergic reaction) and many of our friends
are here. We're discussing tenting at the hostel tomorrow with a few
people and maybe going into town for dinner together. We are just loving
the people we meet here and look forward to getting to know more of
them in the weeks to come. Side note: today marks 7 weeks on the trail,
and today was our longest day yet at about 16 miles. Sharon, I missed
you terribly today knowing you'd wanted to hike this section with us. We
definitely will have to come back together. It's so gorgeous!</div>
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Day 49, Wed 5/3; Over Mountain Shelter to Mountain Harbor Hostel (tent)</div>
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Last
night, we got to camp pretty late and quickly set to doing chores so we
could eat and relax. The tent and beds always go up first thing
(thanks, Dad), then food, then socialize. We were tired, but glad to be
in such a beautiful setting with so many friends, and we agreed that
today would be a leisurely day to the hostel. We woke without an alarm
this morning to clear skies and sunshine and cool temps, and took our
time getting up and moving. It was such a nice start to the day! We got
moving about 930 (we usually try to be out of camp by 8) and enjoyed
views looking back down over the valley in which we slept. The barn was
visible below Mountains stacked to the horizon. We don't make a habit of
memorizing terrain in the book, and will often simply look ahead to
know basically what kind of day to expect; climbs, downs, easy,
difficult, etc. **Please note that we've dubbed our guidebook's
elevation profiles, "AWOL'S Book of Lies and Deception" due to the fact
that about a 3rd of the time, they seem inaccurate and misleading.
Anyhow, we knew there was a bald on today's itinerary, but didn't know
much about it. Oh. My. Gosh! The wind was pretty fierce and almost
knocked each of us over more than once, but the views simply cannot be
described. I videoed them because a panorama wouldn't capture it all.
The clearest sky lead way to breath taking views of blue mountains
stacked back as far as the eye could see. I have absolutely fallen in
love with The Roan Highlands! We did make now after arriving at the
hostel that we're all beyond grateful to have had only wind and no rain
while we were up there. </div>
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We
arrived at the hostel about 230 after a short 9 miles. I day sorry
because we hiked 16 yesterday, but today's 9 seemed to take forever!
Even Yard Sale agreed that yesterday was tiring and we were both ready
to be finished. So we arrived to find that U-Turn and The Colonel are
staying the night, set up the tent near a stream on the property, and
showered, before Hydro took us to town for pizza! We meet Hydro at
Laughing Heart in Hot Springs and he's super nice! He and a friend are
using their cars and day hiking together, and then doing trail magic for
fellow Hikers. The pizza was pretty great, and the fresh bakery items
we so tasty! We highly recommend anyone in the area to check out Wood
Fired Pizza! Add friends like Yard Sale and U-Turn, and a jam session
to Backstreet Boys in the car on the way back, and you have yourself a
good time. Clean laundry and a shower, well you've just made a hiker's
week!! </div>
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Photos are still a
challenge on the blogspot app. If you know anyone working with Google,
please tell them to fix this. It's a real pain in the butt! Until it
works, check out Facebook and Instagram for photos as we can post! Love
to you all, and thanks for your loving support! We wouldn't be where we
are without you!</div>
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Day 50, Thurs 5/4; Mountain Harbour Hostel (tent) to Mountaineer Falls Shelter</div>
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Oh
my gosh, breakfast at Mountain Harbour Hostel! Holy Wow! They had fresh
everything; eggs, egg casseroles, hash brown casserole, breakfast
tacos, pastries, muffins, ham, sausage, French toast.... The list goes
on. It was all freshly made and tasted amazing!</div>
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Otherwise
the day was pretty blah. The highlights are that we got one beautiful
view, and we crossed the 400 mile mark. The terrain was decent other
than the up out of town. We made our 9 miles to the shelter and beat the
rain in the process. The storms are supposed to be bad tonight and we
are in the shelter. The tree limbs are already falling on the shelter
roof and we are safely inside. The next days call for pretty yucky
weather and we don't look forward to it at all. Though Little Foot
reports that behind us a bit, a holler was hit with a falling tree limb
today and injured. All 18 of us in this 12 person shelter hope that this
person is OK. It's scary to know your friends are out there and could
be hurt. We learned recently that one of our early friends was the
person airlifted out of the Smokies due to hypothermia. Here's hoping
the weather report is wrong.</div>
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Day 51, Friday 5/5; Mountaineer Falls Shelter to Black Bear Cabins</div>
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The
weather wasn't as bad as we expected. Last night there was a lot of
rain and wind, and we found many downed tree limbs and whole trees as we
walked today, but overall it wasn't so bad while walking. It started
raining about 1:30 this afternoon which, coincidentally, was about 25
minutes after we'd stopped for lunch to find a note from U-Turn in the
trail journal saying they had a reservation at Black Bear and we're
welcome to join. Erik and I talked about it for a minute and decided
when we were packing up that we would walk the 6 miles to the road and
the extra .4 to the cabin.</div>
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Day 52, Sat 5/6; Zero day at Black Bear Cabins</div>
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So
now it's Saturday morning, and we've just awakened from a night of
sound sleep after a shower, in a bed, with real pillows and covers, and I
think it's the best sleep I've had yet in 7 weeks. We are taking a zero
here to let our bodies and minds rest. I've been feeling pretty poorly,
mostly due to allergies which have been exactly as expected. Though
sleeping in this morning may have helped some as I didn't wake up stuffy
in the middle of the night. So zero today and back at it tomorrow. Stay
tuned...</div>
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Day 53, Sun 5/7; Black Bear Cabins to Iron Mountain Shelter</div>
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We
had to leave U-Turn at the cabin to spend some rest days with The
Colonel. He's not feeling well. It's so strange to be camping without
them after weeks of landing together every night. It was becoming pretty
familiar. We're excited to spend some time getting to know some others.
We hooked with Pig Pen (Alli) some today for the first time and and
she's very nice? We had a good talk about life and expectations and how
we compare ourselves. </div>
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The
weather was nice, the couple of views we got beautiful, and the hiking
relatively easy. We're into Damascus on Wednesday for a nearo and a
zero, and we're pretty excited. Hoping to see Sweet Tea and Morning
Glory there!</div>
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Day 54, Mon 5/8; Iron Mountain Shelter Abingdon Shelter</div>
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Another
16 miles on the books! It hurts. A lot. Not a lot to share today. Pig
Pen has a master's in Divinity and we had an interesting discussion
tonight about G-d and religious leaders. We ran into a mom at the last
gap whose son is starting his hike from Springer in a few weeks. She had
great questions and kind words that come with genuine interest. We
arrived to find that Sweet Tea and Morning Glory found us!!! We're SO
excited to see them! The Colonel is starting to feel better and we hope
to see them in Damascus, where we'll arrive tomorrow! We can't wait for a
couple of days off, especially with more bad weather moving in. More from town.</div>
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Day 55 & 56, Tue 5/9 & Wed 5/10</div>
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We made it to VA! We're in Damascus for a couple of days and enjoying the down time. We walked just under 10 miles yesterday to get here a day earlier than expected. We'd intended to stay about 2 miles out of town and walk in this morning, but decided the terrain looked good and we would come on in. We stayed at "The Place," which is a hostel run by the local Methodist Church. Overall it was fine, but it's a bunk house with plywood bunks that you place your sleep pad and bag on. It's less than ideal for comfort and we didn't sleep well. Additionally, the "caretaker" is a man we dubbed "The Warden" due to the fact that he seems to think he has some vested power to be a big pain in the butt. One of the rules is that lights out is at 10 PM. No big deal as hikers are usually ready sleep by 8, making 10 more than generous. Since lights out is 10, your bed as to be ready to sleep before 10. The Warden wandered into our bunk room and informed me that my sleep pad needed to be inflated by 10...it was 3:30. He was quite irritating to say the least. We only stayed there the one night, though. It was cheap (suggested donation of $7 pp) and we needed a bed for the unplanned night in town. We're headed to a place called Woodchuck Hostel where we are looking forward to a private room with an actual bed for the next two nights! We hope for decent pillows as well, but we don't want to push our luck.</div>
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The hiking yesterday was pretty easy. We had a little rain to start, but it stopped quickly. We got a picture at the state line and marveled at the fact that we have walked to Virginia, and then continued on. We'd planned to spend 2 nights here in town, but coming in early has us spending 3 nights/3.5 days. In part we feel guilty for taking the time, but we also enjoy the time off. There's so much to do in town and when we jump in and jump out, there's no rest and we leave feeling rushed and frustrated. So, we're taking our time. </div>
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I was able to stop into the pharmacy here in Damascus (Laurel Family Drugstore) and talk with pharmacist, Kim, about my allergies and possible options to better control my body's aversion to the outdoors. She was so fantastic and helpful and I want to be sure to shout out to the shop--Please visit for any/all pharmacy needs while in Hot Springs!</div>
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U-Turn and The Colonel have met up with us after his illness, and we're happy to report he's on the mend! We hope they'll hike out with us on Friday! We're excited to be hearing from so many of you on Instagram photos! We love the encouragement and thrive on the communication from our support system! Much love to you all--Enjoy the photos!!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OZzBWaLD9AZKMBxw_XKxhycfdcwuk9SLG6cyT0iW40PA9vS76mgOizNe0Djsvvhx4qUi7Qvjfc9tno8zLeyjjCLW9LZDPOKkJle-qAqEv7ZTGwQv80jAU3mNlqNsTg5U2I-ZNi1n9n4/s1600/IMG_20170428_192625646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OZzBWaLD9AZKMBxw_XKxhycfdcwuk9SLG6cyT0iW40PA9vS76mgOizNe0Djsvvhx4qUi7Qvjfc9tno8zLeyjjCLW9LZDPOKkJle-qAqEv7ZTGwQv80jAU3mNlqNsTg5U2I-ZNi1n9n4/s320/IMG_20170428_192625646.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low Country Boil at Uncle Johnny's in Erwin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrPAO0arvuDrnYfZ7Mk2VBTw5Fbx7Vvz1RPONpAumiUA-ffCziI8RGjQLY8RymRz4mHBYWa8vTlWaOOuCHmCj7H4MKR9Cc2G4z3Le45mvXKMmHLIamSqPOaQKhTHriOE_lSzr0gIqAvQ/s1600/IMG_20170429_163710550_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrPAO0arvuDrnYfZ7Mk2VBTw5Fbx7Vvz1RPONpAumiUA-ffCziI8RGjQLY8RymRz4mHBYWa8vTlWaOOuCHmCj7H4MKR9Cc2G4z3Le45mvXKMmHLIamSqPOaQKhTHriOE_lSzr0gIqAvQ/s320/IMG_20170429_163710550_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady Slippers are a very rare orchid--we have seen many in the last 4 days and they are gorgeous!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Overmountain Barn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiker Trash jammin' to Backstreet Boys! Shout out to Hydro for the lift!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it to VA!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2/3 of our Tramily--missing U-Turn and The Colonel</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">notice the white blaze on the sign-the AT goes straight through Damascus!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-76824420254121704132017-04-28T17:26:00.001-04:002017-05-10T11:00:18.181-04:00Hot Springs, NC to Erwin, TN (Day 39-43)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Day 39, 4/22; Hot Springs, NC to Spring Mountain Shelter<br />
Yesterday in Hot Springs was wonderful! We had a local, all you can eat spaghetti dinner which was tasty. And we wandered around town a bit.</div>
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The first day out of town is usually hard. Today was no exception. A full resupply (today's is for 7 days) is very heavy, and two days of town food and not going far or fast makes me feel a little sloth-like. However, we shocked ourselves on our sluggish hike out today when we got a Gap we new was 6 miles from our start in only 3 hours and 20 minutes! I couldn't believe it! So naturally because we'd made great time the first half of the day, I had an excuse to take about a zillion breaks in the second half. We made it to camp around 530, finishing an 11 mile day in good time, and splitting camp chores quickly to try to finish before the rain. The new Sawyer filter works beautifully (and oh so quickly--thank you gravity!), So I took it and the bottles while Erik put the tent up. We were just about to with on dinner when the sky opened. There was a lightening/thunder combo that literally made me scream. Thankfully the thunder has moved farther away, but I think the rain may be here to stay. BUT, the tent is up and we are dry! It's the little things in life! </div>
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U-Turn and The Colonel stayed in Hot Springs another night, as"Momma U-Turn/Mrs. Colonel" came for a visit. This gives us an excuse to zero in a week in Erwin while we wait for the tramily!</div>
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My feet are still an issue, so we plan to try for some new shoes in the near future and see if that helps. </div>
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We're also having some major issues with this Verizon Pre-paid phone. Such a pain in my royal behind...I can't wait to visit the store in Erwin! The help info on the website is useless, I have to call customer support for hello, but the phone won't call (one of the major issues), and the online support people can't help because they don't support pre paid. Gah! </div>
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Largely uneventful day.</div>
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Day 40, Sunday 4/23; Zero at Spring Mountain Shelter<br />
An absolute Bust, today was! We got the tent up last night before the rain came in, and then it rained all night. Not little rains either. Big, fat, heavy rain drops. So when I woke this morning to the same, I decided that if Erik wasn't opposed, we were staying put. The forecast called for up to an inch of rain today, and I think we got it. Tomorrow brings a chance, but only up to a tenth of an inch, so we'll certainly be on the move. We're currently dry in our tent after a relaxing (boring) day of quiet listening. We did some reading, talked a bit, napped some. It was actually kind of nice. We don't get as much rest on town days as our bodies need. Only down side is we now have to make up the time in the coming days. Here's to long miles.</div>
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U-Turn and Colonel just arrived. I know because I can hear U-Turn. Excited to have them back for tomorrow's miles!</div>
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Day 41, Monday 4/24; Spring Mountain Shelter to Little Laurel Shelter<br />
What a good day after so much rain! We had clouds, and we stopped sorry of it 10 mile goal for fear of rain, but it held off for us! We had a few muffled views of Spring Green through the thickening foliage throughout the day, which were very much enjoying watching! And we're pretty proud of our progress in our daily work. Hiking is getting a bit easier each day. Now I didn't say "easy," but "easier." The goal tomorrow is 14 miles which will be our longest day yet. The terrain looks very doable after the 1500 foot elevation gain in the first mile of the day. We forward to some sunshine and hitting 300 miles, and we're enjoying our time out here!</div>
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Day 41, 4/25; Little Laurel Shelter to Flint Mountain Shelter<br />
MUD! That's what today was. We walked through mud as deep as our ankles. It was absolutely a mess! The rain there last few days has just made a royal mess of the trail to the point that we were walking through what seemed like a stream for part of the day. I meant to take a photo, but the wet and mud coupled with very dense fog means the camera didn't come out. Really, though, it was a pretty great day. 14 miles down, knocked off our goal. We hit 300 miles, as well, which means we've got fewer than 1900 miles left to go! I know this send like a ridiculous thing to celebrate, but every mile walked means a mile less to go. We're excited to rest tonight, and since we've now proven to ourselves that we can accomplish some moderately big miles, it may be hard to settle on fewer. We'll see how the next couple of days go trying double digits, and then resupply in two days.</div>
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My feet are getting stronger. They hurt today, but more from fatigue, I think than actual ache. I just keep repeating, "I think I can, I think I can..." </div>
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Day 42, 4/26; Flint Mountain Shelter to .5 miles before Sam's Gap<br />
Our first night stealth camping. Today was a pretty great day. The climbing was hard and seemed to never end, but the sun was shining and we were in good company. We visited Laurel Hostel, which we choose not to resupply at because two different phone numbers were wrong and disconnected. It turns out the current owner, Tim, is in his first season of ownership. We're certainly glad we didn't plan to resupply as all he had today was frozen foods and soda. We thanked him and gave him some pointers on hiker food. I hope he'll take them to heart as he's got a great location! </div>
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After snacks and a chat we continued on. We had a big climb to look forward to, and though it thoroughly sucked, we hit multiple stream crossings and a beautiful waterfall! Had we not just stopped for a snack we would have stopped at the stream to soak our feet, snack, and take in the sound of the falls. We continued to climb and it continued to suck. But then we came into what I dubbed "The Emerald City." We had started calling Hot Springs, on our way in, The Emerald City because we were so excited to get there. But as green as the mountainside was today, I think we may have to recycle the name. It was a sea of green growth splattered with flowers in whites, yellows, purples, and an occasional red, and it was so beautiful! I was frustrated from the very uphill day but couldn't help but be grateful at what we're seeing out here. It's just such a treat to watch Spring spring. The flowers and birds, butterflies (Nancy, I always think of you when I see one), insects, moss.... It's all so spectacular when considered a tiny spec in an entire ecosystem! </div>
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Late in the day, we hit the nearest shelter to get water, as we wanted to go about two more miles and knew there wouldn't be more water before making camp. Well, I'll be darned if we didn't walk a half mile each way to the water source! We don't like situations like this because it takes a lot of time and energy to accomplish, and we need both of those to get through the day. But, we walked the two more miles to camp, found stealth camping for 5 tents (on private property, apparently), made camp, are and promptly went to bed. Tomorrow is an 11ish and Erwin in Friday for resupply only.</div>
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Day 43, 4/27; .5 miles before Sam's Gap to Spivey Gap<br />
This morning as we headed out of camp, I was thinking to myself, "this will be a 'not much to report day.'" And largely it is. However, we started our day at 8 this morning, began pretty easy, reached a giant climb to the top of Big Bald Mountain, summited (finally!), had ok but not great views, got pushed around by the wind (it was CRAZY windy!), took a couple of photos and a video, realized we had to climb Big Bald part 2 (not nearly as bad as Big Bald part 1 except for the insane wind that was literally pushing us), and finally found our way to the shelter where we got it if the wind to take a break for lunch. This was all before 1PM. Please recall Max Patch and make note that we've decided The AT does not wish us to enjoy balds. On the flip side, we ran into U-Turn and The Colonel at lunch. We hadn't seen them since camp so it was great to have a friendly face. Sweet Tea, however, was nowhere to be found. We were worried because we have seen him in quite a while, and I knew he was going to be frustrated with the climbs. </div>
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We saw an interesting sign today: about 2 miles into the AT from a major road crossing was a wooden sign denoting a "nature trail." We'll, if The AT isn't a nature trail, I'm not sure what is...</div>
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We trucked through the rest of what turned out to be a 12.9 mile day, stopping for a break at the campsite we originally planned to stop at, and continuing on another almost 2 miles to where we wound up. Still no Sweet Tea. I felt awful and hoped he'd keep following until he found us. He did and we were so glad to have him back!</div>
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Camped with us tonight are Morning Glory, a couple called Amber and Andrew, Mishap, and a guy who will remain nameless. He's nice and I think quite harmless, but boy is he irritating! I think he would have a discussion with a rock. Seriously. U-Turn and I think he may have some sort of delay.</div>
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Erik and I plan to get up very early and get moving so we can make it into Erwin for a resupply, shower, and laundry, and get out at a reasonable time on Saturday. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow.</div>
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Day 43, Fri 4/28; Spivey Gap to Erwin, TN<br />
We made it to Erwin. Update coming after some R&R.<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-70866814909788772912017-04-21T11:17:00.000-04:002017-04-21T11:17:46.500-04:00Gear Failure!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the woods, one of your most essential gear items is your filter. It's a bad day when it looks like this:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">see the crack?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While the filter was purchased approximately 7 years ago, it has only less than 2 months of use on it. Katadyn only warranties their product for two years and can't help us with this issue. <br />
<br />
So...<br />
<br />
We bought a Sawyer Squeeze. Our fellow hikers are very happy with the product, and many, many people out here are using one. While the pump filters to a smaller micron, this will keep us quite safe for the duration of our journey!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-6835433439517703742017-04-21T11:11:00.000-04:002017-04-21T11:11:36.642-04:00Grassy Gap Campsite - Hot Springs, NC (Days 22-38)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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**Sorry for the exceptionally long post. We're learning to work with technology in the back country! </div>
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Day 22; Grassy Gap Campsite to Sassafras Gap Shelter</div>
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We
wound up with a great campsite last night with Sweet Tea, Morning
Glory, Frozen, and Rock found his way in just before bed time. We really
like Sweet Tea and Morning Glory.</div>
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We
woke knowing that today held rain, and we weren't looking forward to
it. It started raining shortly after we started walking, and continued
for the rest of our walk. The mountain... didn't end. We'd get to the
top, the lightening would flash and thinner would rumble, and we'd turn
the bend only to find that the damned mountain just kept climbing. I was
a little afraid being on one of the tallest peaks around for an entire
storm. We finally came to the shelter with the storm still in full force
and officially decided we're finished for the day. We only walked four
miles, but we were wet and cold and looked forward to stopping.</div>
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So
we're sheltered at a big shelter (holds 14), with 12 other people, plus
tenters, and a trail dog. There are wet clothes hanging from the
rafters, literally. And there are more cigarette smoking hikers than I
imagined existed. But we're warming up...just in time to do it again <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839344" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tomorrow</span></span>.</div>
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Day 23; Sassafras Gap Shelter to Brown Fork Shelter</div>
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We
have created a scoring system of our days out here. The day can be bad,
OK, or great. An OK day is one that is uneventful. Maybe it went as
planned, maybe it didn't. A great day is one that usually brought with
it beautiful weather, good people, and all around good hiking. A bad day
needs no explanation, only to say how bad and why. Today was an OK day.
We expected rain and cold, and instead began hiking in snow. The snow
lasted pretty much all day, turning into a "wintery mix" on and off. Let
us say that we certainly prefer snow over rain (Sharon, you're so
right), though today's was very cold! We had hoped for shelter space as
it's dry and, in bad weather, can be warmer than your tent as the walls
block some of the wind. A few hikers we know stayed hunkered down today
and called it a zero in in the shelter at which we've just arrived on
account of the weather, so we're currently in our tent, grateful that
were dry and I (Sari/Fresh) have finally warmed up a bit. It takes me
about 2 hours to feel comfortable after changing out of wet clothes on a
day like today. Thanks, dad, for instilling the value of dry camp stuff
in me from a very early age. Anyhow, like I said, not terribly
eventful. A good bit of up hill climbs today. Some of them just stupid
in angle/grade. We were glad to find camp when we did and get the tent
up. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839345" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tonight</span></span>
was a cook in the vestibule kind of night as it's frigid outside. A big
group we sheltered with last night went into town as have many others.
They may be quite wise. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839346" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tomorrow</span></span> is supposed to be sunny and dry, so here's hoping one more night of cold will pay off in the morning.</div>
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Day 24; Brown Fork Gap Shelter to Cable Gap Shelter</div>
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Wow,
what a beautiful day! Still pretty darn cold and windy, but with sun
and easier hiking. We finally got a view today after days in fog, rain,
and snow, and remembered the answer to the often asked, "why do you do
this?"</div>
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It was so
gorgeous, we considered making it a 12 mile day to get us to Fontana
Hilton Shelter, but cut it in half in preparation for The Smokies coming
up <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839347" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">in two days</span></span>.
When hiking in the Smokies, you're only allowed to camp in designated
camp sites which invariably are either 4 miles apart or 12 miles apart.
In most of the other areas of the trail, you can camp in many places
with few restrictions. The Smokies are supposed to be beautiful, though,
and the forecast looks perfect! So Fontana <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839348" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tomorrow</span></span>
and into town to pick up our mail drop and eat lunch, and then a
relaxing evening before launching into The Great Smoky Mountains. This
will include a shower at the Fontana "Hilton," a shelter with bear
cables, electronics chargers, and a shower. </div>
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We're camped <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839349" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tonight</span></span>
with Honey Bee and T-Squared, among with new faces Sunshine and Pogo.
It's s great group and looks like we'll spend some time together over
the next week. </div>
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Day 25; Cable Gap Shelter to Fontana Hilton</div>
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What
a nice day of largely downhill. There were a few boulder fields, but
overall it was smooth going. We arrived at the parking lot to pick up
the shuttle into Fontana Village at about <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839350" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">11:30 am</span></span>,
and took the short ride to the resort there where we'd sent a package
of resupply (food). We had lunch at the grill there which was pretty
good, and found all of the staff to be friendly and helpful. It was an
absolutely beautiful day and we were in no hurry, so we dumped our
resupply out on the grass and started dividing it all out. We also hit
the general store on the property for a few miscellaneous items. We'd
read that the store is sparse and overpriced. We found it to be pretty
well stocked with all the typical hiker essentials. It was a bit pricier
than the grocery might be, but you save yourself the cost and hassle of
mailing a box, so we really feel that the extra cost evens out.</div>
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Then...
We printed our Smokies permits! We're officially slated for back
country data in the Great Smoky Mountains! By the time we arrived at The
Fontana Hilton, it was time to throw up the tent and take FREE showers
(with warm water, flushing toilets, and sinks)! We enjoyed the rest of
the evening with Pogo, Sweet T, Raid, and some new faces.</div>
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Day 26; Fontana Hilton to __ Campsite</div>
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The
Smokies! But oh my gosh the up hill into the renowned park! We stopped
short of our original plan as Erik was ready to call it a day. We were a
little bummed to not catch up with Taylor and Curt (they're back out
today and on par with us), but we have to listen to our bodies. At one
point on our relentless up hill, we came to a junction that has a view
point and an observation tower. Erik calls the tower "sketchy," as it is
4+ stories tall with open stairs, and it moves with the wind. I made it
to the first observation deck and sat down to scoot back down the
precarious steps; Erik only made it to the second platform. It was a
little much. We came to our campsite about a mile later and made the
decision to stay instead of pushing on another 5 miles today. We've net
some nice people including the section's Ridge Runner, Nick ("Master
Splinter"), and excited chatting for a while. It's now past hiker <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839351" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">midnight</span></span> and time for sleep.</div>
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Day 27; __ Campsite to Spence Field Shelter</div>
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Today
was a great day! The weather was gorgeous, and our walk moderate. As we
began our walk, Erik and I agreed that the forest is alive. We heard
birds and owls, woodpeckers in the distance on a "very hollow tree"
(according to Erik), and we saw these beautiful would be meadows were it
not for the forest. Tiny little flowers covered the floor in every
direction and it was so picturesque. It looked like a painting, or
something out of a story book.</div>
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We
spent most of the day hiking with Sweet T which was a nice change. Erik
Hikers so much faster than I do, and Sweet T and I have very similar
paces. So we walked and talked all day, catching Erik for a little while
before he'd wander off ahead again. The shelter is full, but not over
full with a good group <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839352" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tonight</span></span>,
including a few people we don't know. We still haven't caught Taylor
and Colonel (Curt), and I imagine they're now a full day ahead of us. We
hope to see them in Hot Springs in a few days.</div>
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Another 11+ mile day <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839353" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tomorrow</span></span>. The Smokies have lived up to the hype so far, so we'll see what the rest of the week holds.</div>
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Day 28; Spence Field Shelter to Siler Shelter</div>
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The
day started beautifully with one of the best views yet atop ____! We
were afforded 360 degrees of spectacular! We moved on to see flowers all
day with some moderate ups and downs. I took a few photos, but none if
them really do the scenes justice. While stopped for lunch with Sweet T,
another hiker stopped to say hello. He's from very near where Sweet Tea
lives, so they chatted for a minute, and it if nowhere, a young buck
with brand new antler buds walked out of the woods and across the trail.
He was not 20 feet from us, and was absolutely beautiful! A while
later, we ran into Erik (who hikes very quickly) making turkey calls at a
wild turkey. He even got the tom to call back once. Pretty darn neat if
you ask us! I'm currently listening to an owl coo as I write.</div>
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We
walked the same distance today as we did yesterday, but it took us
nearly 2 hours longer to walk it today, and this caused a bit of stress.
The Smokies have been challenging and beautiful. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839354" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tomorrow</span></span>
we'll climb Clingman's Dome which is the highs point in the AT. We
expect a hard day, but we've also planned to make it a short day, so
hopefully we'll get to enjoy some time with a view from up top.</div>
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Day 29; Siler Shelter to Mt. Collins Shelter</div>
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Let
us tell you about today... We started the day as any other and the
scenery was the same. Until it wasn't. Because we walked from a southern
Georgia/North Carolina first, into a Spruce forest similar to something
you might see in the Pacific North West. The transformation took place
almost immediately and was so incredible! It smells like a Christmas
Tree. The sun shines through the trees to the forest floor covered in
pine needles and more types of moss than I think either of us has ever
seen. It looks like something straight out of a book! Today's walk was
definitely Sari's favorite so far! Other milestones today: We hit our
200 mile mark, Visited Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the AT),
and we're half way through the Smokies. The view from Clingman's went on
forever on the clear day. We've also become a bit of a spectacle out
here. Erik was talking with a couple about the trail and what were
doing, and they were flabbergasted. At the end of the discussion, she
asked if she could take our photo. The only other this has happened to
me was in India. Erik and Sweet Tea (who we've officially adopted as our
"tramily") have never experienced this before. Our photo was taken by
another woman as well before we left Clingman's. </div>
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<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839355" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tomorrow</span></span>
will be another short day, only about 7.5 miles. We're all looking
forward to it as we're tired and hurting a little after today's rocks
and downs. A big Happy Birthday to my mom who I didn't get to talk to
today. I'm sorry for the lack of service in the back country. I love you
and I hope you're day was fantastic!</div>
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Day 30; Mt. Collins Shelter to Ice Water Spring Shelter</div>
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We
found Taylor ("U-Turn") and Colonel!!! Now our tramily is complete!
Today was a pretty great day. We walked a pretty easy 7.5 miles, and
found trail magic only about 1.5 miles in. Some sweet ladies who enjoy
hiking bring it out for us. They had sweets and peanut butter, crackers,
fruit, juice, and soda! We ran into some friends while resting and
snacking, and then took off for what we were told was an easy .5 miles
up before 1.5 down into Newfound Gap. </div>
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During
those two miles we came across a Beech Forest, which happened to be
smack in the middle of the Spruce Forest I've loved so much. The space
is protected from wild hogs with stile-like barriers. Apparently they
destroy the area.</div>
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The
ladies were right, though, and a little while later we arrived at a
large parking lot with LOTS of people. And trail magic! Cookies, fruit,
more soda, and jelly beans to go. All this trail magic served two
purposes: 1. We are concerned with our peanut butter supply to get us to
Davenport which we didn't open today, and 2. It was very tasty and made
the day!</div>
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While enjoying
our snacks at The Gap, we were something of a spectacle. At Clingman's,
many people asked questions and we're interested in the hike. Today,
people just gawked. One man even tried to slyly take a photo of a bunch
of us hanging out taking a break. I know we look like hiker trash, but I
didn't know we were photo worthy.</div>
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After
a while we made our way up the hill to the shelter where Taylor/U-Turn
and Colonel had already arrived! We're so glad to be back with them! We
caught up some and will do more <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839356" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tomorrow</span></span>.
It'll be a bigger day at about 12 miles, but the terrain looks
manageable. We're going to get an early start with the sunrise in the
morning.</div>
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Day 31; Ice Water Spring Shelter to Tri Corner Shelter</div>
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Oh,
what a day! We started the day with an early wake up to see the sun
rise. It was so beautiful and I'm glad we woke to see it. Very shortly
after our start this morning we came upon"Charlie's Bunion" which is a
large outcropping of rocks overlooking forever. We were told the view is
spectacular, and it most certainly didn't disappoint! We had our
biggest mileage day yet (12 miles), and Sweet Tea and I (Sari) had a
GREAT hiking day! We pushed on without breaking most of the day, and
there were a number of ups! We finished the 12 in about 7.5 hours which
is a pretty big deal for us! We're very proud of our accomplishment and
are loving looking at where we started and how far we've come. We're
also very excited to see how we'll continue to improve. The walk
afforded some truly spectacular views today, and we all marveled at how
amazing it is that were out here to see it all. Our bodies ache and
we're very ready for a break in Hot Springs, but we're really enjoying
ourselves! A short day <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839357" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tomorrow</span></span>
at under 8 miles, so we're looking forward to getting it done early and
having the afternoon to relax. Only 2 more days in the Smokies. We
can't believe how fast this week has gone, but The Smokies are a big
accomplishment for us and we're excited to have them under our belts. We
hear that about half of the drop outs will have occurred by now, as
these days are hard. By Hot Springs (about 6 days away), we'll lose the
majority of those who'll throw in the towel in these beginning weeks.
Here's to hoping we can manage to accomplish this goal without injury or
illness!</div>
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Day 32; Tri Corner Shelter to Cosby Knob Shelter</div>
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A
short day was so very needed! We arrived at camp early and have really
just been hanging out. And then...40 people showed up at camp.
Thankfully they're mostly thru Hikers, though two were sectioners and
knocked the last two arrivals it of the shelter. Unfortunately, there
are very few good tent sites here. It's been fun to meet new people and
see some we lost when they went into Gatlinburg resupply. </div>
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I
was supposed to write something about Little Foot and U-Turn, but I
can't remember what it was now. It was very funny a few minutes ago. </div>
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Fortunately,
there's not a lot to write today. I'd love to have great stories every
day, but sometimes no news is good news. We're out of The Smokies <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839358" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tomorrow</span></span>, and have a reservation for a room in Hot Springs for the 20th. We're super excited!!</div>
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Day 33; Cosby Knob Shelter to State Line Branch</div>
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We
finished The Smokies! This is a big accomplishment for thru hikers! We
understand that half of all attempts will we've in failure in Hot
Springs, which we'll reach <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839359" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">in 4 days</span></span>. We're so excited to enjoy a day off the trail there. </div>
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Today
was a good day. We hiked about 10 miles and find our campsite beside a
stream. As we came down out of the elevation of The Smokies, we walked
into Spring green and amazing flowers and ferns, many of which I've
never seen before. </div>
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We made a stop early in the day which was 0.6 miles off the trail to a lookout tower with a fantastic view around the valley. </div>
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<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839360" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tonight</span></span>
has been a quiet one with our little tramily. We received some sausage
and Parmesan cheese today from a section hiker, and U-Turn and Colonel
sliced and heated then as an appetizer. It was so amazing! We're really
hurting for something different than our normal meals. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839361" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tomorrow</span></span>
we'll pick up a short resupply early before heading on. It looks like
rain is possible, but we're hoping for sunshine. Three days until a
nearo into Hot Springs!</div>
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Day 34, Monday 4/17; State Line Branch to Groundhog Creek Shelter (Deep Gap, mile 247, camping just before shelter)</div>
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Today
was largely uneventful. We walked about a mile this morning before
hitting or resupply at Standing Bear Farm. The farm is a hiker hostel
and is very interesting visit. They have a bunk room which is a bunch of
bunks in a cabin-like building. A hiker kitchen with a small fridge,
sink, and a gas camp stove, and of course a pizza oven to cook the
frozen pizzas their patrons buy. Attached to the table in the kitchen
are a bunch of power strips for charging of electronics (these guys know
what Hikers are looking for!). They also have a small store for
resupply with most of the hiker essentials including junk and soda. The
store works on the honor system and you write what you buy, how much it
costs, and the total cost on an envelope, which you then take to a
staffer to check you out. The costs are a little higher than a grocery,
but similarly to Fontana's General Store, sending a package would cost
the same difference so it evens out. It was a quaint visit to a little
mini village farm. </div>
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While
I was adding the total on our resupply, a duck wandered by. Her name is
Chi-Chi and she follows her person around. It's pretty darn cute! She
waddles after him quacking her little heart out as if to tell him,
"Wait, you're going to fast! Come back!" There are two little Boston
Terriers on site. One is very young, the other older, and I don't know
their names. The younger one has been trained to drop a stick at hikers'
feet--over and over and over. We briefly saw chickens, another dog (a
hound, which apparently chases/assaults the duck), and a cat, which we
didn't see. </div>
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Other than
this stop, there isn't much to speak of. My feet are terribly achy
today, and I've got a blister on each heel. Erik feels pretty well over
all, but he's as ready as I am for a day off. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839362" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tomorrow</span></span> we're shooting for 13 miles which is our biggest day yet. We really need to hit it to make our <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839363" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Thursday</span></span> reservation. And I'm super excited to post all this <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839364" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">on Thursday</span></span> for you all to catch up!</div>
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Day 35, Tues 4/18; Groundhog Creek Shelter (Deep Gap, mile 247, camping just before shelter) to Walnut Mountain Shelter</div>
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A mix of emotions <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839365" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tonight</span></span>.
Today was our biggest day yet at about 13 miles. The terrain was pretty
easy and we finished the day in about 8 hours. We had some rain last
night, just a little, and woke to fog and clouds and hopes of it
clearing for lunch on Max Patch. Since we started learning about The AT,
we've dreamed Of Max Patch's sun and bald top with grass all around. We
were very unlucky today and the sky opened up as we started for the
summit. I was pretty bummed, not gonna lie. We hurried off the bald on
search of shelter from the wind and rain, and pushed on to the next
shelter for our lunch break. The last 4.8 miles for the day were mostly
easy going and flat, though we climbed the last mile in good time. Our
campsite <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839366" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tonight</span></span> is OK, even though we set up in the rain and wind. We're dry now and in our tent, hopeful that <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839367" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tomorrow's</span></span> weather is better. Moods tend to flare with stressors like bad weather, and I fell down the muddy hill to the water source <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839368" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tonight</span></span>.
Tears ensued, along with a fierce desire to just go home where it's
warm and dry, and life is predictable. Erik have me a big hug and
reminded me that we don't quit on bad days, and we went back to camp to
make dinner and hunker down. Now to make my feet feel better before
sleep. Two more wake -ups and we'll be in Hot Springs for a day off our
feet and lots of rest. Looking so forward to that soon! </div>
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Day 36, Wed 4/19; Walnut Mountain Shelter to Deer Park Mountain Shelter</div>
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The
rain continued on and off last night and we woke to cold and windy
conditions. Erik let me sleep a little longer than usual and it made for
a nice morning. The hiking today was pretty great with mostly good
grading and relatively flat terrain. We stopped for an early lunch and
were graced by a couple of guys day hiking. They were celebrating one of
their birthdays, and were giving trail magic including beer and candy
bars. Yum and happy birthday to him!!! We've been pacing well and
continued today with 10 miles in about 5 hours. We'd talked about
walking the last 3 miles into town <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839369" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tonight</span></span>
in order to get two full zero days, and we were going to go for it
until we started feeling drops again. We opted to stay put and get the
tent up rather than walking in the rain to tent one more night in town
before our reservation <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839370" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">tomorrow</span></span>.
We are currently in our tent, on our sleep mats hoping the lake
outside, stays outside. But we're mostly dry, and we really enjoyed
dinner and conversation with our tramily, Little Foot, and a couple of
new friends who all seem super great! Giggles is British and so sweet.
She was zipping her tent and feel backwards onto her rump. Most everyone
laughed, but I felt her pain. I think my pants are permanently stained.
Many Miles and Blaze Berry also joined us.</div>
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<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1088839371" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tomorrow</span></span>...HOT
SPRINGS! We've informed Sweet Tea (who, if it's possible, is even less a
morning person than I) that we're getting up early and if he wants to
eat a hiker skillet at the diner with the tramily in the morning, he
better get up and get going! He gave me permission to wake him so he
won't miss this. We have absolutely no idea what's in the hiker skillet.</div>
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Day 37 & 38, Thurs/Fri 4/20 & 4/21; HOT SPRINGS!</div>
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We arrived in Hot Springs yesterday and have very much enjoyed our time here! We considered pushing out the last three miles into town on Wednesday afternoon as we'd made great time to camp and had plenty of daylight left. But the rain started moving in and we decided to get the tent up instead. Turns out it worked perfectly!! We were up early on Thursday and made great time into town, arriving before 9 AM, and in perfect time to hit the Smoky Mountain Diner up for breakfast. You really have no idea how amazing "town food" is until you haven't been in town for over 2 weeks! We are staying at a little hostel called the Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge, and it is just perfect! We have a private room (with a BED!), and a shared bathroom (with a SHOWER!). At the time of arrival, it had been 20 days since our last laundry day, and 14 since the last shower. We STUNK!! Any of you who come out and visit, know before you arrive that we will smell very terrible! Consider yourselves warned.</div>
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Anyhow, the hostel owner made dinner last night. Never has a taco tasted so good! There's a "Hiker Fest" going on this weekend here, and we are excited to join an all you can eat spaghetti dinner tonight with many trail friends.</div>
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Bluff Mountain Outfitter has been very kind to us here and carries a full resupply including many foods and necessary gear! This includes our new water filter (more on that in another post). The people are fantastic and eager to help!</div>
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We visited the hot spring last night with U-Turn, and enjoyed some time relaxing in the mineral-rich warm spring water! Roy Family, thank you for the splurge!! What an amazing surprise to receive your card and gift! The springs are located at the local Resort and Spa, and the people there were kind and friendly.</div>
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We're currently typing at the local library, which invites hikers to use their facility for only a donation to the library itself. Which is no problem here as I'm a total book worm and love supporting a local library grow!</div>
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We'll sign off for now and continue doing as we've been. Hopefully the next post wont cover so many days and you'll be more easily caught up. Until then...Thank you for your love and support! Your patience means the world as we navigate this new life and figure out how to get around tech and connectivity barriers. Love and Hugs to you all!! XOXO</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhiJEW478uxNCh9K2GBR9ZTLOZwc8RalVBhXPn0W3BV_X1JQFqokG8WYK0IiFgyWu0fI0yjH_XwHZkxgl5079klxwk1zVEFmbCw6pv9d5kH22x3zy6N9_SXecNJAoR_-b9Z4ooncwD_Y/s1600/IMG_20170416_172129247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhiJEW478uxNCh9K2GBR9ZTLOZwc8RalVBhXPn0W3BV_X1JQFqokG8WYK0IiFgyWu0fI0yjH_XwHZkxgl5079klxwk1zVEFmbCw6pv9d5kH22x3zy6N9_SXecNJAoR_-b9Z4ooncwD_Y/s320/IMG_20170416_172129247.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkQ4Fsc3h5SkPFZo_IWUw04NoRKklJLQYFYP7Db644CfyogB6vTpkCcyVuPQyl5NaiiNeHcx3O_e4JvmWd6s4T3X8m2ns0INuAfq9xeVLbtv4hYkDAeQRMcgdfuvbkaNOJ0nwt5WuCik/s1600/IMG_20170420_085340537_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkQ4Fsc3h5SkPFZo_IWUw04NoRKklJLQYFYP7Db644CfyogB6vTpkCcyVuPQyl5NaiiNeHcx3O_e4JvmWd6s4T3X8m2ns0INuAfq9xeVLbtv4hYkDAeQRMcgdfuvbkaNOJ0nwt5WuCik/s320/IMG_20170420_085340537_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to Right: Little Foot, Colonel, Bean (Erik), Fresh (Sari), U-Turn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyd7Olu6-uOUHZFUcGIJ9EcDyuT_n6EH5gul6ttx2mtTLh3WEf4LFabcgQ-jukSwcP4EjfofqTqhu6NmuHo6dOSkUDK3CEhA7XSVXzfuHd5fJsHuRtv9eYhOLjpzTu8gUI9t0Tnry0wwE/s1600/IMG_20170416_172922082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyd7Olu6-uOUHZFUcGIJ9EcDyuT_n6EH5gul6ttx2mtTLh3WEf4LFabcgQ-jukSwcP4EjfofqTqhu6NmuHo6dOSkUDK3CEhA7XSVXzfuHd5fJsHuRtv9eYhOLjpzTu8gUI9t0Tnry0wwE/s320/IMG_20170416_172922082.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9GArpHYTm-N5MPtJcCfHKw3Qd88MuN3ZoXh7gy8zFntRXcSyNZQ3egTzHL51e44m0KkaI884Z5vJQzO8F4nB0no9GkwuP26mNlrgFi8O4RvJXdhMwK3jpGFRO75Ktnii8-M4hWMuIoY/s1600/IMG_20170416_172624541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9GArpHYTm-N5MPtJcCfHKw3Qd88MuN3ZoXh7gy8zFntRXcSyNZQ3egTzHL51e44m0KkaI884Z5vJQzO8F4nB0no9GkwuP26mNlrgFi8O4RvJXdhMwK3jpGFRO75Ktnii8-M4hWMuIoY/s320/IMG_20170416_172624541.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEQFtH4XS3PC2rvY-_fMbsiaHI2y2mNipbMoD8I4WUhDD9BMbPWf95I1chKTnyuDChQw4r7-hwYbfl3y7xK2eQT5GLgwMxcsAEfP9Cj53mLhS0vK87h2-jUgFZVjc-_TJoUw6bdKgJVw/s1600/IMG_20170416_172638571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEQFtH4XS3PC2rvY-_fMbsiaHI2y2mNipbMoD8I4WUhDD9BMbPWf95I1chKTnyuDChQw4r7-hwYbfl3y7xK2eQT5GLgwMxcsAEfP9Cj53mLhS0vK87h2-jUgFZVjc-_TJoUw6bdKgJVw/s320/IMG_20170416_172638571.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SPRING!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHItb8LDKxDvwbLeBzvuWdzhZrr2S6m5WVQLe-9JmxiTiNL0tAnvivR_BDUPMiOxgMjMd9HWS9Tmxwu_Ugi5Wmcc9KJmwOJjnnUfRxWvDVZ95izd-ruXAyZ8CG_Dia7oPWXZUytfphu40/s1600/IMG_20170416_103843830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHItb8LDKxDvwbLeBzvuWdzhZrr2S6m5WVQLe-9JmxiTiNL0tAnvivR_BDUPMiOxgMjMd9HWS9Tmxwu_Ugi5Wmcc9KJmwOJjnnUfRxWvDVZ95izd-ruXAyZ8CG_Dia7oPWXZUytfphu40/s320/IMG_20170416_103843830.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Cammerer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hud-Ds8BmdMHaFBj8mKKDSr59DE_kFHSqAvsdmv1ymIpbMtUgD5TLpPj6uAdYmRqDfGi3FZyRUReDQqP_dji73lxK6fDyaT6Ky3NxnA8laG236Cn-5M_Zf7UWkC6DgoHpPkiP1ueM6o/s1600/IMG_20170415_192804104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hud-Ds8BmdMHaFBj8mKKDSr59DE_kFHSqAvsdmv1ymIpbMtUgD5TLpPj6uAdYmRqDfGi3FZyRUReDQqP_dji73lxK6fDyaT6Ky3NxnA8laG236Cn-5M_Zf7UWkC6DgoHpPkiP1ueM6o/s320/IMG_20170415_192804104.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoky Mountains Back Country Shelter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JWVdKOOeB1xRlqRVB4-OrVotXv0F4rUp7b_MQE_ePdwfIufIeFB7MaemTQDP4zgJJGwkAFKfJXTONyD8tOFLweTAGn9Xp33KG6PsV7VlDQivn58tLEBHpRk6Sy73Z_lYz6B07YqrDQM/s1600/IMG_20170415_130253663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JWVdKOOeB1xRlqRVB4-OrVotXv0F4rUp7b_MQE_ePdwfIufIeFB7MaemTQDP4zgJJGwkAFKfJXTONyD8tOFLweTAGn9Xp33KG6PsV7VlDQivn58tLEBHpRk6Sy73Z_lYz6B07YqrDQM/s320/IMG_20170415_130253663.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoky Mountains Back Country Shelter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3SHAvxwvb7ui38QfMBt7xnpZZIEW7PMXX2a8BKFq1Gw7Rst0VzKIGw5wgKATs28ozlIIpGfELmaGzQ-Q57mBMbcm82CJBijSjAc6b-dHIIOMTuoBEygoB0un3HQGskh13Jdi5Y3AwfE/s1600/IMG_20170415_130544772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3SHAvxwvb7ui38QfMBt7xnpZZIEW7PMXX2a8BKFq1Gw7Rst0VzKIGw5wgKATs28ozlIIpGfELmaGzQ-Q57mBMbcm82CJBijSjAc6b-dHIIOMTuoBEygoB0un3HQGskh13Jdi5Y3AwfE/s320/IMG_20170415_130544772.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoky Mountains Back Country Shelter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1H146cB34FZxzi6rw17aYV_dyKDw2ePBIt05uq-sxzksIGpHEvJdTW6rIIIQA7I2bnjglVZggdnsDe52IR13zJVG-jNdOGJlEXAq7JwXwf48aLDIUI9E4P6Au8H00HYm8EDDGQrwkRg/s1600/IMG_20170414_091034565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1H146cB34FZxzi6rw17aYV_dyKDw2ePBIt05uq-sxzksIGpHEvJdTW6rIIIQA7I2bnjglVZggdnsDe52IR13zJVG-jNdOGJlEXAq7JwXwf48aLDIUI9E4P6Au8H00HYm8EDDGQrwkRg/s320/IMG_20170414_091034565.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie's Bunion </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYlW7knZCnR4Cz1fBfua9oUu3vcwG9xarWXruMtxBkt2_Y-RLLArS5yK6RsGk4MUQ3ShOM8MQrEAKQ4kA8i7Z8j_OlUaY4nPcduJCJc-HyhpWc8_hGa-vrFA_Iq0p0mZZqbvWh9dxqyk/s1600/IMG_20170414_090843587_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYlW7knZCnR4Cz1fBfua9oUu3vcwG9xarWXruMtxBkt2_Y-RLLArS5yK6RsGk4MUQ3ShOM8MQrEAKQ4kA8i7Z8j_OlUaY4nPcduJCJc-HyhpWc8_hGa-vrFA_Iq0p0mZZqbvWh9dxqyk/s320/IMG_20170414_090843587_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie's Bunion</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCELU6ux1AEKfPmKMIYWtZ67DJGACm1oojcqMPKBERx_rk7tqy2cC7kiO9mP09NnJDG-GwuTfA2HatfAoAb8ZD0kS323bfiola_qJeUVVa8BtNlGwinqDLaaJh6VrhfW8m2NLqsBnKGc/s1600/IMG_20170414_090316505_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCELU6ux1AEKfPmKMIYWtZ67DJGACm1oojcqMPKBERx_rk7tqy2cC7kiO9mP09NnJDG-GwuTfA2HatfAoAb8ZD0kS323bfiola_qJeUVVa8BtNlGwinqDLaaJh6VrhfW8m2NLqsBnKGc/s320/IMG_20170414_090316505_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie's Bunion; Bean and Sweet Tea</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1_Km2MKavSn0nA_RB_jxLXtT59knNF6Bo4hcBZ8u9zYshdAt3uUmPwJWdk60qBt2wfu4mVGcTsMvKEiIQQ7_GliB11P8ZmjVuzU9Mt7dcrkLuX3gncZIgse5iEm1zce5PnTc8Zg6SbU/s1600/IMG_20170414_070452709_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1_Km2MKavSn0nA_RB_jxLXtT59knNF6Bo4hcBZ8u9zYshdAt3uUmPwJWdk60qBt2wfu4mVGcTsMvKEiIQQ7_GliB11P8ZmjVuzU9Mt7dcrkLuX3gncZIgse5iEm1zce5PnTc8Zg6SbU/s320/IMG_20170414_070452709_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in the Smokies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh330biDhyphenhyphen6bbkw5K4sI00fwYryDKxYP1wCphY07GcWy4fhHbVAFj7EBdRyN1tcfKPRIZ4PY7CVrxyRhgEinAQzRT6dSgcrOAZNZ99RvSZs3Lg95Re2U7vms8Oc8ziSHiDnl_dLfFqqlLU/s1600/IMG_20170412_124600747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh330biDhyphenhyphen6bbkw5K4sI00fwYryDKxYP1wCphY07GcWy4fhHbVAFj7EBdRyN1tcfKPRIZ4PY7CVrxyRhgEinAQzRT6dSgcrOAZNZ99RvSZs3Lg95Re2U7vms8Oc8ziSHiDnl_dLfFqqlLU/s320/IMG_20170412_124600747.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the AT!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh25EEvdjE5m614wnJLdRjgzkKhnNUD8LKx0Z2jMQVVwL5WZ8ENAgMC2dkuHsLhrzxtLuJdkanHghslYB0wOgU0traltu47o9N0UWTRsc0vvHr11d3SEpWbIXSPBOOFmEo2ppkUxmjXq4/s1600/IMG_20170412_124344406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh25EEvdjE5m614wnJLdRjgzkKhnNUD8LKx0Z2jMQVVwL5WZ8ENAgMC2dkuHsLhrzxtLuJdkanHghslYB0wOgU0traltu47o9N0UWTRsc0vvHr11d3SEpWbIXSPBOOFmEo2ppkUxmjXq4/s320/IMG_20170412_124344406.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the AT!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fontana Dam before entering the Smokies-there were about two miles of road walking this day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fontana Village Resupply</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first view in days was GORGEOUS!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain before snow! There were at least 18 of us in a 14 person shelter. Everything was SOAKED!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby it's cold outside! We walked through snow and sleet, and when we arrived at camp, spent the rest of the night in the tent in sleeping bags trying to warm up!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First campsite out of The NOC was so neat!</td></tr>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-16340012623587687932017-04-02T19:11:00.001-04:002017-04-04T14:09:52.541-04:00Siler Bald Shelter to Wayah Gap Shelter<p dir="ltr">We got a late start today after talking with a really cool family. All 7 of them are out here thru hiking together, and call themselves The Thru Crew. Dad is recently retired military, and mom has been educating the children for many years. We got into a discussion this morning about the choice to homeschool, and the decision to come out here. They are super interesting and we really enjoyed the conversation. If you'd like more info, check out www.FarNotFast.com.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We had been a little anxious to get a few extra miles in today on top of our plan in order to walk a shorter distance in tomorrow's forecasted rain. But we found ourselves talking to day hikers on to if Wayah Bald Tower and got delayed. By the time we passed out originally intended shelter we decided to call it a day and get to bed early in order to get an early start tomorrow. Hopefully we can get packed up before the rain starts so at least the tent will be dry.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Erik's knee is doing well with only a little pain lately. My feet show signs of improvement and I hope will be up to snuff very soon. The bruises from my fall last week are healing, though are all very tender and have required some TLC these last couple of days. Looking forward to a zero in Hot Springs in a couple of weeks!</p>
Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-52389677446712612572017-04-01T10:14:00.001-04:002017-04-01T10:14:49.310-04:00Unicoi Gap to Winding Stair Gap (Day 10-17)<p dir="ltr">Well, we are having more technical glitches and can't access previous posts currently. So I'll share some majors...</p>
<p dir="ltr">We both have trail names: Sari is "Fresh," and Erik is "Bean."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sari took a pretty big fall and had some pretty bruises up the right leg and right cheek. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We met Butterscotch who carries raw eggs, butter, and a 9 inch skillet. He made ribs abd brownies the other night. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We left Georgia and entered North Carolina! </p>
<p dir="ltr">We hit the 100 mile mark (currently at 108 after a night in Franklin, NC. We shared a room with Sigh and Hummingbird, took showers (we a STUNK!), washed laundry, resupplied and sent boxes boxes ahead, and ate A LOT!</p>
<p dir="ltr">NC had been beatiful hiking, with lots of water and rocks (hence the slip and fall). There has been a lot of fog and some rain, along with a couple of gorgeous days which make it all worth it. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We're gonna take a zero day in Hot Springs in a few weeks and will try to recover the original post. Otherwise, this is what you get.</p>
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Day 1; Springer to Three Forks</div>
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We finished day one early rolling into camp at about 2:15. Sharon is out with us for night one and was a little concerned with getting back to the car tomorrow in time to drive home. We mostly came down today which means she'll be going mostly up tomorrow. We completed somewhere around 4.5 miles today, making it from Springer to a little past Three Forks. We're currently resting in the tent because it's frigid. Yeah, snow makes for gorgeous hiking, but it's stinkin' COLD! Over all a good first day out. Dinner in a few and then sleep early while we all try to stay warm tonight!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Springer Mountain and the start of the trail. You can see a white, rectangular blaze next to Erik's right foot on the left of the photo!! Only 2,180 miles to go!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharon being a trooper and attempting a fire on our first wake-up. It Was COLD!</td></tr>
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Day 2; Three Forks to Cooper Gap</div>
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We had intended to try to make it to Gooch Mountain Shelter, but my feet were hurting and I just had nothing left. I was relieved to know Erik was ready to call it quits, too. I feel like I'm slowing him down, but he assures me he doesn't mind. He's been so patient and kind in this endeavor. I hike at a snail's pace and he's more the The Roadrunner. But he waits at junctions and at the top of hills for me before moving on. Today has been simply frigid. I'm not sure what the temp is, but the wind is blowing and it's so blustery! Couple that with the hardest climb I've encountered yet (in life--not in our 2 days on the trail), and you get one somewhat discouraged Sari. I'm very ready for warmer temps and some hiking legs to allow us the fun friendships we seek out here. We met some very nice people today, but not making it to shelters limits the relationships we can build currently. I have to remind myself that it's not a race, and that the people aren't going anywhere. We're currently committing a major no no and are about to eat dinner in the tent because it's so stinkin cold. Uncle Steve, we officially think you're nuts for winter hiking. After this endeavor, I'm a fairweather hiker/camper. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erik cooking in the vestibule. Our feet were double-socked and inside liners and sleeping bags.</td></tr>
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**Excuse the first two days' short posts. We apparently are the only two hikers who stayed out while everyone else got into town out of the winter weather. Now that my fingers have thawed a bit, we hope to give more details. </div>
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Day 3; Cooper Gap to Gooch Gap</div>
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Oh wow, what a difference a day makes! Early in our day today we met Indiana Stones (trail name-this is a nick-name bestowed upon a hiker. There's always a story, though I didn't ask what hers is). She was essentially running up the mountain and ran out of steam. Huffing and puffing she said she needed to slow down, to which I replied that I'm going super slow and yesterday was rough. They say the trail gives what you need when you need it...Stones was SO needed. She told us she thru hiked last year and did 2 miles on her second day, and suggested that we do what we do and not pay attention to others. She said it took her 8 days to get to Neel Gap. I was so overwhelmed and asked her for a hug. The trail gave me exactly what I needed in that moment. The rest of the day was glorious with warming temps and beatiful sunshine. We crossed Justus Creek and stopped for water. It was so beautiful and we took our time filling water and enjoying the sun and the view. We continued on with little ups and downs for the rest of the day, and arrived in camp early by around 2. As soon as we got the tent up and were inside setting up beds, we heard our "neighbors" arrive. We wound up with a full campsite including a faster daughter pair, Taylor and Kurt (love these two!), and a group of three who are new to each other, Mike, Anchor, and The Roaming Gnome. Our first night with fellow hikers had been so nice. We built a fire and all talked while we prepared and ate dinner. Here's to a GREAT day 3 following a really discouraging day 2. Erik remains more patient and kind than ever! We plan to make it to Neel by Saturday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to Right: Anchor, Taylor, Kurt, Erik, Sari</td></tr>
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Day 4; Gooch Gap to Lance Creek Campsite</div>
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Today was a pretty great day. We started with morning trail magic from Lion Heart (breakfast items including fruit and sweets), and managed to make it over a couple of mountains with some pretty significant climbs and land in camp by about 3:30PM. Just about 7 miles in about 6 hours is cruising pace for our little trail family. I'm feeling pretty great with our miles thus far, and am loving that we found a hiking group that moves at about my pace. There was a downhill section t<u>hough</u>, that was a slip and slide made of mud from the last of the snow melt, and was a challenge to navigate safely, and Erik has mildly injured a knee. He felt a little pain two days ago and took some pain killers, and it hasn't really gotten worse...until today. He was limping significantly and had us all a little worried, but especially me as I've not ever seen him act this way in response to pain. We got into camp and he checked it out. It was pretty darn swollen. He iced it and took it easy for the evening and says he's feeling much better. We'll decide tomorrow if we'll head out with the group or zero here and rest him a bit more. Blood Mountain is on the itinerary and we won't be able to stop until we're down the other side due to bear activity. Blood is also a big climb up, which means an equally big descent. For now, we're camped with with most of the group we stayed with last night. There are "four" tent pads and tons of people in the area. Our single tent pad alone has 4 tents and 6 people alone. It was cool to be among so many of us. The night was the warmest yet, and most of us got the best night's sleep yet as a result. <br />
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Day 5; Lance Creek to Neel's Gap</div>
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Well, we made it over Blood Mountain. I think we really psyched ourselves out about the climb, and while it was really, really hard, we all agreed it wasn't as bad as we'd expected (or as bad as Sassafras),and we made good time. The view from the top was beatiful abd we enjoyed a few minutes there before we had to move again. We were all drenched with sweat from the climb and it got cold quick. I found it very interesting that the shelter at the top seemed to be very interesting to day hikers,with a patent lifting a child to see through the window--there's a doorway around the other side. The funniest part is that no one is sleeping there now as The ATC has warned of extensive bear activity and suggested not sleeping there. We didn't tell the day hikers this. The down was pretty rough with stone stairs much of the way, a lot of mud which is very exhausting to walk in, and at the end of our day with already tired feet and bodies. Erik's knee is still hurting some, so he maintained a slower than usual (for him) pace today. We made it to Mountain Crossing which is an outfitter directly on the trail and immediately outside of the Blood Mountain Wildness. We were excited to figure out what we'd get for dinner and rightly assumed that all the bunks in the bunk house would be taken. Taylor, Kurt, Erik, and I had been talking about pizza all day, and by the time we arrived to the freezer, the was only one left. Erik was hurting, we were all tired, and cooking really wasn't in the plan. He was going to pick some other microwaveable items to eat so we could share the pizza wed all been dreaming of all day. And then....TRAIL MAGIC!!!!!!! All we've read about trail magic doesn't do it a bit of justice. This lovely Church group came out with all the fixings. Burgers, hotdogs, baked beans, slaw, desserts galore, drinks. It was so amazing! Everyone was so very friendly asking us where we're from, why we're hiking, etc. Some were very impressed that Erik and I are hiking together, being that were a married couple. They were all excited for us and wished us well, Karen and John even let me borrow their cell phone to make contact with my parents (mom, check your voice mail). They also offered to pick us up and let us do laundry if we make it into Hiawassee. Our first trail magic experience in the book as completely amazing. These days have been hard, long, and full of learning, but they've also been full of self discovery and fun, too. We're enjoying ourselves for now and have planned a short day tomorrow with a bit of rest. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy fog at the start this morning!</td></tr>
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Taylor and Sari on Blood Mountain</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left front to Right; Erik, Kurt, Taylor, Shaggy, Anchor</td></tr>
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Go Eagles--GA Southern represented at Neel's Gap!! This is the trash receptacle at Mountain Crossing Outfitters!</div>
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Day 6; a spot between Wolf Laurel Top and Cow Rock Mountain</div>
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We got a late start today getting out of Neel's Gap and Mountain Crossing Outfitter. After the lovely trail magic which filled our bellies well, we retired to tents only to be kept awake all night by what can only be described as a mountain wind storm. We had to deplore all the stakes on our tent for the first time ever, and place rocks over each to be sure they stayed rooted in the wet soil. We'd planed a short day today to rest ourselves a bit, and I had no provoked getting up and out a little later than usual. I got my bag "shaken down" by the wonderful staff at Mountain Crossing. This usually means they pull stuff out and tell you to throw it out or send it home, but I already knew a lot of what needed to go home, so I had pulled it out. I got my pack weight down to 29lbs, including food and 2 liters of water! I was so impressed with myself! And really, it only weighs that much because of Joe much food we're carrying. Once we get through our monstrously over packed food bags, I'll be even lower and we'll look at splitting some items up between us. And all this from an embarrassingly almost 50lb pack to start. </div>
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Anyhow, we planned to make a stop one mile in today at Bull Gap to filter water, and to evaluate how long we'd walk. Erik's knee is still bothering him, and my right foot is hurting a lot, also. I bought inserts for my boots hoping it would fix the issue. I think they'll helpin the long run, though today was rough. My belly was hurting, too. Not sure from what but a sore tiny while hiking is not fun. So we walked, and walked, and walked some more until I took my pack off and took a break to let my stomach settle, and Erik walls back to me and tells me tat he and some guys have decided that we've all missed Bull Gap. Apparently it was pretty poorly marked. So instead of our intended three mile day, we put in six. Tomorrow we're assuming for fewer as we with toward our zero in town in a couple of days. Camp tonight was a lot of fun with a familiar face and sone new ones. Patrick has been dubbed "Roller Rinkin'" after staying with a friend who wanted to take him line dancing--on roller skates. He couldn't get over it and is now so named. I missed hanging out with Taylor, but it was nice to meet some new faces. It's "hiker midnight" (9PM), and time for sleep. I can't wait to be in touch on Wednesday! </div>
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Day 7; a spot between Wolf Laurel Top and Cow Rock Mountain to Hogpen Gap<br />
We got our short day today. Yesterday was going to be a short day, and it was in the grand scheme. But a planned three mile day turned into 5. So today, we were set on walking the two miles to where we are and resting our sore spots for the afternoon. I'm currently in the tent doing just that, and it's a a relaxing afternoon with very nice weather. We walked over Cowrock Mountain earlier which had a nice spot at the top with some grass and rocks to sit on, and a pretty view. It was a pretty quick up and down, abd Lion Heart was waiting at the bottom with some trail magic! Fruit and goodies, soda and water. We each took a piece of fruit and a treat for later, and I downed a bottle of water. Lion Heart is a super nice retired man who loves the woods and her people and really enjoys coming out to support the AT community. He's been out every day for 5 weeks doing this, missing only one day. It's been a pretty uneventful, quiet day and may stay quiet, though we're kind of hoping for some camping buddies tonight. We'll see how it goes. Is been nice, though. I think we both needed the rest.</div>
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Day 8; Hogpen Gap to Low Gap Shelter<br />
Our first night in a shelter! If I'm being honest, I'm not looking forward to any mice or other critters who come to visit, but the fact that we're currently hanging out in the shelter with the Wolf Pack (we finally met them, and they're super nice!) during a thunder storm makes it worth it. So in the morning, we can wake, pack, eat, and go. And the kicker....NO WET TENT! The group is friendly and fun, and is made up of Raisin (a 21 year old education major on a gap year), Igloo (a 26 year old free spirited vegan, Krazy Korean (a Roll Tide airport security manager), and Ned (a guy with a baby on the way collecting stories for him/her). We leap frogged with them all day today and could hear Korea's radio most of our walk today. </div>
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We came up a little short on water yesterday and didn't drink enough, meaning I woke up pretty swollen. We arrived at the shelter to filter water in the lovely stream and learned of the coming storm, so we decided to stay put. The afternoon has been lovely with time to visit and soak our feet a little. We met a couple of other people, including Mountain Man and his tiny little toy sized fluffy dog, "Critter," who his running along side him out here. It's been a good day, all in all. A long day tomorrow for Erik's birthday in town and a Zero (no miles day)!!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelter life with an incoming storm. Uncle Ned and Korea made rain barriers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erik and Raisin--She gave me a Trail Karma medallion for sharing our water with The Wolf Pack. I'll pass it along to another thru-hiker for a kind deed! #TK043</td></tr>
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Day 9; Hogpen Gap to Unicoi Gap/into Hiawassee, GA</div>
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Oh. My. Gosh! We thought we'd lost all the posts we'd written when we had to take my phone back to factory settings. Of course it's the only phone we brought, but we figured it out, and we're back on-line--AND we lost NOTHING!! </div>
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Ok, so back to the hike. We walked our longest day yet today, 9.6 miles from Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi Gap, then we called a ride into Hiawassee where we plan to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights. We're taking our first zero day and have enjoyed our first showers in over a week. We were GROSS! Erik is upstairs right now washing our laundry which thoroughly stinks. We had Mexican for dinner to celebrate Erik's birthday and no less than 2 trail families ("tramilies") /groups sung him happy birthday today! The fact that it was our longest day yet has us hurting a little. Erik's feet are fine, and his knee is on the mend. Still a little swelling there, but the pain is nearly gone. My feet, though, are aching pretty well. Otherwise, our bodies feel pretty good. The weather has warmed up a little bit with days all the way into the 60s, which makes hiking a bit more enjoyable. There was a pretty nasty storm last night, during which we spent our first night sleeping in a shelter. Fortunately, the weather kept the mice away. We likely won't spend many nights in the shelters themselves, opting instead to sleep in our tent near the shelter. We're not too keen on mice crawling over our faces while we sleep. We really enjoyed the time with the Wolf Pack and find them to be a super friendly, diverse "tramily," and we hope to run into them again soon.</div>
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Our own little tramily began early and included Taylor and Kurt, and we'd hoped to see them today when we arrived in town. They made it in yesterday and we missed them. I miss the friendship and hope to bump into them again soon! </div>
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No Spot updates today or tomorrow as we'll be safe in a hotel showering and resting feet. But we'll be back out there on the 24th and will update the blog sometime in a week +/-. Until then, thank you so much for the support and excitement! Keep it coming. You guys really have no idea how much it helps us every single day! We walk the trail wondering what you all would think and what kind of stories we'll share when we finish and return home to you all. </div>
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIK! On our way to town!!</div>
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-40349830981987081542017-03-12T22:34:00.000-04:002017-03-12T23:21:11.149-04:002 More Wake Ups!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's nearly time to go, and we just can't believe it! We did our grocery shopping today and bought WAY too much food! It's very common to over pack food the first days/weeks out, and many hikers learn quickly that they need far less than they pack. Often other gear is also over packed, and items are sent home in the first couple of weeks. For this reason, we have likely intentionally over prepared. We have a very real concern, though, with regards to Erik's metabolism and how to support it. Getting him enough calorie each day is going to take some practice, which is why we've packed So Much food for our first days. The upside to this is that he is his own furnace and usually stays pretty warm. <br />
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It has become very cold in the last day or so, and snow is expected in our first day to two. Add that to the fact that I am usually referred to as a "Sari-sicle" with a "broken thermostat," which has led us to do the same with clothing; prepare for very cold knowing we can send items home if we find we don't need them. Hypothermia is a real concern in these early days of our journey.<br />
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We've opted to push our departure back by one additional day which has helped my nerves So very much! We have this one additional business day to make sure we have all our lose ends tied up. My nerves are still quite high, but this tiny change in itinerary has allowed me to be truly excited in addition to very nervous and anxious! Our coworkers sent each of us off well with kind words, gifts, and cards full of encouragement and excitement. We couldn't be more lucky to have found workplaces which are so supportive of our dreams, even though this one is a bit off the wall.<br />
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Additionally, we're so excited to share these days with friends and family who are both very excited with us, and some of whom have hiked themselves in the past. Brian, Alana, Su, Lindsey, Sharon, Courtney, Rick, All the Bloggers we've followed, and random others we've met over the last years, thank you for your guidance, your positive thoughts, and your encouragement of our goal. Knowing you've hiked your hikes helps us know we can hike ours!<br />
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Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7402942425953082039.post-41158033501726234192017-03-05T20:19:00.000-05:002017-03-13T11:23:11.082-04:00Surreal and Overwhelming...The Mountains are Calling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A long overdue update: <br />
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We're a week out, and we can't even believe it! I had always envisioned the weeks leading up to this adventure being full of excitement and giddy nerves. In reality, however, that is the farthest from what I've experienced. I am a very talented "avoider," and have only proven as much in preparation for this endeavor. It hasn't helped that our sweet and lovable fur-baby ("Stitch") became very sick a few weeks ago and we had to say goodbye quickly. We were both upset, but I was a bit of a basket case. All I had intended to do was out the window and I found myself in a tail-spin of grief and stress, accomplishing nothing. So...we're at T-minus 1 week with multiple items left on our to-do list. We did, however, check off a couple of purchases this weekend, making the final list very doable. <br />
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We have been truly blown away by the support we've received. Genuine questions and interest, and loving support coming from directions we didn't even know existed. Erik and I work in vastly different settings: He in a small privately owned retail franchise, and I in a very large, not for profit healthcare system. People he worked with in past years, and that he works with currently, are popping up with supportive words and requests to join us at various points on the journey. People that I work with on a daily basis are excited for us and our next steps, many are inquisitive. And some people who I talk to weekly but don't spend a lot of time with are just over the moon for our endeavor and all that it means to us.<br />
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We have widely different emotions on the subject. We're both very excited; Erik would drop it all and leave tomorrow if it weren't for me and my notice at work. I however, am a bit anxious for a number of reasons. It has all become very real in the last few days as my replacement has finally been confirmed at work, we've begun planning my short return in order to tend to some important family needs (we could use any extra positivity/prayers you can muster thrown our way), and we purchased travel isurance today which is the largest single purchase to date, in preparation for this adventure. Meaning...there's no turning back now! I try to go into experiences without expectations, and I feel as though I've done a pretty great job of it this time. If you don't think of what's coming ("avoider," remember?), you can't have expectations. This counts as a plus when the feelings are a combination of overwhelmed and terrified, and completely taken aback with yourself for the absolutely ludicrous life decision you're making to go gallivant in the woods for months on end. <br />
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Despite the nerves and the many items left to accomplish, we are getting very excited and look forward to the time together outside, the people we'll meet, and most importantly, to accomplishing our goal! We wish that our start was able to go exactly as planned, but with changes in dates and family health, we've had to make some changes to starting plans. Despite the changes, however, we are super excited to be spending our first day to two with one of our favorite people! She's taking us out and spending the first night or two with us and we couldn't be more excited to share the first steps of this journey with Sharon. <br />
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Stay tuned...more to come, including, gear lists & pack info & weight, final preparations, and our first days out!!</div>
Burning Daylight Outdoorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12480029654416544258noreply@blogger.com0