SNP, The Clip Show

Hannah thinks I only stand at the edge of cliffs to annoy her. That's not entirely true!

This photo represents so much of what hiking in Shenandoah National Park is like, and what I dislike about the park. This was at Big Meadows Wayside, the largest wayside, on the July 4 weekend. Hundreds of people were visiting the gift shops, eating at the restaurant, and considering themselves to be rouging it. The Appalachian Trail crosses into the parking lot from the left and continues on the other side of the deer. No one was to be seen on the trail. I don't understand how so many people relish the idea of the outdoors, but wouldn't be caught more than fifty feet from their cars. Without launching into a diatribe on laziness I will just state you cannot preserve the wilderness while plowing over the forest to build roads and restaurants. You cannot expect to be a healthy individual if you consider walking from your RV to the corner store to be strenuous exercise. The icing on the cake, of course, is that many people get around this problem by leaving their RV and getting into their golf carts...

Deer not acclimated to humans are notoriously harder to photograph. I tried, however.

The above photos were taken on that miserable, rainy day. It is a lot more beautiful when you do not have to walk through the rain.

This is Blackrock Mountain. Apparently, 1,000 years ago the top of the mountain just fell off.

Onward!

Shenandoah, Vol. 25

The above picture was taken from an elevation of 3,700 feet from a mountain called The Pinnacle. This view shows the approximate ridge that the trail follows from the right corner, over the rock at the end (Mary's Rock), and then one must descend steeply 1,600 feet over a loose gravel path turned ledge that was often worrisomely narrow. It represented a difficult turning point for me.


While beginning the descent of Mary's Rock, I pulled my right quadriceps muscle making every step down quite painful. At the top, my leg felt very tight so I stopped to stretch. Usually this works quite well, but after only a few steps the tightness returned. Aleve was my next course of action when I started limping (with 1,200 vertical feet to go). It seemed like the worst possible time for something like this to happen. It getting later in the afternoon, we still had some distance to travel, but we had already come so far by this time, 11 miles. This was to be our longest day. For whatever reason, the park decided to make the next shelter a day-use facility only so we were unable to stay there. We rested for a bit. I modified a knee strap to fit tightly over my quad, and we pressed on. When we got to the nearest road, it was only a mile to the next shelter according to our map. It really felt like the longest mile yet. After descending for so long, we were required to start walking up another mountain--it felt like it went up forever. Finally reaching the side trail to our shelter, we were somewhat relieved to learn it was 0.3 miles downhill (which felt like 1.3mi). We were both beaten, bruised and wanted to do nothing more than remove the socks and shoes from our blistered, throbbing feet. With apprehension, we approached a warning sign placed by this trail. Our intuition told us what it said before we got close enough to read it:

WARNING: Problem Bears in area. Several bears in the area of this campsite have been known to approach hikers and display aggressive behavior. Please report all encounters to the nearest park ranger. If you are approached by a bear:
1. DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT. Stay calm. Do not drop your backpack. Back away slowly. Leave the area immediately. OR
2. Make loud noises such as clapping, shouting, or banking your trekking poles together. Throw sticks or stones at or near the bear.

To the weary hiker this sign reads:

WARNING: Bears will be coming to eat you in your tent as you sleep. When this happens:
1. Do not provoke the bear by looking at it, and don't leave your backpack because then it wins. OR
2. Do whatever the hell you want to the bear because you are going to die anyway.

Suddenly this changes the woods. Every shadow becomes a bear. Every movement in the woods is a bear. Every twig you step on must be a bear. Your mind has a lot of time to wander when you're in the woods. Well, we never saw any bears on this mountain. We would have been a whole lot more comfortable without the sign...

At camp, there were three guys in the shelter already so we decided to pitch our tent. Meanwhile two hikers and their dog arrived. This was Jonesy, Suzie Q, and Kodiak (the dog). They had been a day or so ahead of us every day of our hike and we read all their register entries. They seemed famous to us. We chatted for a bit. Upon entering Front Royal, VA, they said that they were staying at the Scottish Inn.
"It's a really good deal! It's about $35 a night. You should stay!"
"How is it though, for $35?" asked AJ inquisitively.
"Well...um...the sheets are clean."
That's the mark of a classy hotel.

The next morning, we set out at our normal time. I wrapped my quad and was doing quite well until we had to descend the mountain. I suddenly felt the pain return and every step caused me to wince just slightly. I became quite worried because the 4 miles to the wayside were generally downhill, and afterwards we had a huge mountain to climb followed by a steep descent to the shelter. After some resting and more meds, Hannah convinced me that I was being stupid. Not only was the day going to be any easier, but I risked having to pull off the trail for the summer, tearing the muscle, losing work, etc. We found a side-trail to a bridle trail that led to Skyline Drive, and we did the only thing we could do: hitch hike.

Neither of us had ever hitch hiked before so after a brief discussion of etiquette, Hannah (the more qualified hitch hiker--because who stops for dirty, smelly, creepy-looking guys). The first several vehicles zipped passed, which caused some discouragement. Hannah decided that she needed to put on a cleaner shirt, and I thought I might lay lifelessly on the side of the road to invoke pity. Several more cars went by, some motorcycles, and then a line of RVs. Then, one appeared to be slowing. It was a large SUV from Connecticut hauling a long trailer. It was a middle-aged couple who had spent their vacation in the park and were now going home. They both got out and started clearing all their stuff from the back seat so we had a place to sit. Our destination was just 4 miles up the road, Elkwallow Wayside. Driving in that car was an amazing experience. One who is walking gets a new perspective on the vastness of the country. Vehicles are such amazing technology.

The rationale for Elkwallow was that we could take some time to have a proper lunch, and I could buy a proper Ace bandage while my muscle rested. We sat on the picnic table when a pickup truck stopped by us and suggested we turn around. From the woods emerged these bears pictured to the left. The mama was followed by 2 spunky cubs and 1 shy one who held back, unsure what to do. The crowd, however, knew what to do. They ran in between the bears cutting the mama from the third cub. All the hikers gathered in a group behind the mob shaking their head, waiting to see what a real bear maulin' looked like. A thru-hiker in the group decided to start making noise in order to drive the bears back into the woods. This worked and the crowd dispersed. He was pretty much a hero, but the onlookers didn't appreciate this at the time.

We spent 2 hours at lunch and my leg felt quite good, but then after only a few steps, I could feel the twinge of pain returning with each step. We had to make a hard decision. We went to the road, Hannah hitch hiked, and I hid in the woods. After about 10 minutes, a car pulled over, and I descended the hill.
"I knew there was a boy in the bushes. You had a look on your face, I could tell a mile away!" said Jessica, the girl who picked us up. Jessica was heading out of the park, hitting Route 66. She was on a little adventure herself. After realizing that no one in her family was going to be able to visit her this summer, she decided to drive around the country visiting all of them. She took us a few miles out of the park where we tried to find the Scottish Inn as recommended by Jonesy. After stopping at a gas station for directions, Jessica dropped us at the Inn and drove off on her adventure. We checked in, Shenandoah National Park behind us.

I made it to Maine!

...and it was so much easier driving here.

Some of you may have heard that we are off the trail. It's true. We're home. Now comes the fun part about updating the blog. As luck would have it, I am spending a few days on Peaks Island, Maine, which is just off the coast of Portland. This island, even in the tourist season, retains its quiet, easy way of life. It is a well-known respite for all kinds of artists, writers included. Hopefully I can draw off some of this creative energy and become a prolific blogger. What excites me is that this will be the new and improved blog--the blog with pictures!!

A Quick Note

Currently I'm sitting in the Doyle Hotel and Bar in Duncannon, PA. For those of you that get the reference: it is quite a lot like sitting in the Hot-L in South Deerfield, but with a nice restaurant. The owners are super-friendly to hikers and have really bent over backwards to make us feel welcome. We can just say that the building is "historic." Yes. That sounds nice. It's historic.

Well, right now, I'm sitting in the bar and drinking a Troegs Jolly Scot. It's brewed in Harrisburg, which is not too far from here. Two days ago, we spent a couple of nights in Carlisle, PA. You might say that we are spending a lot of time in hotels at this juncture in our trip. If you are asking that, I say, "screw you." But I say it with love, of course. Well, today we walked across the halfway point in our trip, 320/640 miles to Massachusetts. We've climbed numerous mountains, we've walked through a few corn fields, we've hitch hiked on busy highways. We're tired. I'll tell you--it has been really nice to hike short, 7-mile days and stay in a four-walled structure, eat a nice meal, and drink some good beer. I think we've earned it. From this point, there aren't such amenities for more than a week, so we cannot even be tempted. Hopefully our food supply will last. That would be awesome.

I've been thinking while walking that there is SO much that we need to blog about. We have to amend the normal format of the blog to tell you about these people we've met and the places we've been. The bar has to move the computer to make room for the guitar player, but you should stay tuned for such stories as:

-The fake-haired, fake-contact, stupid (but really nice) girl
-The men and their Ham-MOCKs (they say things funny in these parts)
-TortoiseRear the smartest man in the world (renown historian, poet, scientist, philosopher, and divorcee) "Do you know the story of Homer's Aeneid?" [sic]
-Wrath, the warrior of Jupiter who roams the Earth killing the dark forces when he sees the "star."
-Enterprise Rent-a-car. They'll pick you up (if you ask nicely)
-Hiker's Welcome. But don't walk here.


Oh the things we've experienced!

: )

Cheeseburgers and the trail

The great thing about Shenandoah National Park is that it is somewhat more of what the founder of the trail, Benton MacKaye, originally intended. He wished for the trail to pass through historical sites, past incredible vistas, and to stop at communal inns along the way where the weary hiker could stop, have some tea, have a bite to eat, and continue on his way. Well, Shenandoah has three such days where something like this is possible. These are the three "Waysides" that are found close to the trail within the park. We planned to stop at these three spots because not only would it be delicious, but the extra food supplement would allow us to continue longer and restock less. These Waysides claimed to offer grocery stores as well as gift shops.

On our third day, we left the trail to the Loft Mountain Camp Store and Wayside. Our biggest delight was seeing the recommended hikes that SNP rangers have placed on a billboard. For instance, the section that we just completed was listed. It stated that the 4.5 mile section should take about 5 hours to complete. We just did it in an hour and a half. Ha!

Well, these Waysides are close to car campgrounds and RV parks. As we walked in, we became part of the attraction. People came up to talk to us.

"You walking?"

"Yes."

"Where y'all goin'."

"Back to Massachusetts."

"My God! Well, good luck to you," they said as the whirred away in their golf cart.

We could tell by the way that these stores were set up that they were not meant for hikers. Not many hikers could find use with a bottle of blueberry wine, SNP shot glasses. t-shirts, and necklaces. The food sections were heavy on bulk items and family packs, but didn't have anything for the hiker. Read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. He will tell you all about it.

Well, we couldn't restock on anything, but I did have an expensive cheeseburger, and Hannah had a BLT. They were amazing! The only problem about the high prices in the park is they know that hungry hikers will pay them. Bastards.

Our next stop was a few days later at Big Meadows Wayside. This was a much larger place with waitresses and such. It was entertaining listening to the conversations of all the people, which were strangely unique to us after being in the woods. Here are some highlights:
This hiker and his dog Blue were sitting outside the restaurant. At the table next to us, an older man looked past us to him, "Oh look! It's a backpacker! I haven't seen one of them in ages." At the table behind us were sitting the most uncreative people in the universe:
"Oooh, look at me! I'm a hiker. I'm looking at my maps!!"

Brilliant.


Anyway, even after hiking, I had a pretty bad, though expensive meal. I ordered fried chicken, french fries, and cole slaw. I got friend chicken, mashed potatoes, canned green beans, and a biscuit that was burned in the center. Hannah had a Philly Cheese Steak and a milkshake. It looked yummy. She has good taste.

A third stop for breakfast had the staff tell us at 10:44 that they were sorry, but they stopped serving breakfast at 11:00 and couldn't serve us. If my math is correct, there was something wrong with that equation. Oh well. I was able to get some coffee, and it was the best tasting coffee that I've ever had. We also shared a banana. It was the first fruit that we had in more than a week.

Now that we are out of the park, things are a little different. Food has to be rationed a little more carefully. There is only a town here and there, and sometimes it's a 5 mile walk to the grocery store away from the trail. Now that our training wheels are off, let's see how we do. We just stole 6 bagels and 100 packets of sugar from the Comfort Inn in Harpers Ferry, WV to supplement our food stock. I think we're off to a pretty good start.

A New Day

Hightop Hut to Bearfence Mountain Hut. 13.0 miles.

The morning sun not only helped to dry our clothes, it dried our eyes and warmed our hearts. The ground was still damp, but the blue sky promised a beautiful day. So many people have unabashedly volunteered the fact that a trip such as this will put a monumental strain on our relationship. Well, that is true. We spend long, hard days together oftentimes not seeing another soul except in passing. At night, we are worn out and just want to sleep, but we have to cook, filter water, set up the tent, blow up the sleeping pads, hang the food in a tree, etc. We eat far less than we might at home even though we are putting in longer and harder days physically than we would normally. When it's dark, cold, and rainy all day it does not do a lot for our moods. In fact, as you might imagine, that extra weight can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. But that is the battle. No one is forcing us to do what we are doing. It actually sounds crazy when I describe it this way - it is hell; it totally sucks for most of the day at which point it only sucks a little. On the other hand though, it is quite the adventure. We are learning things about each other. We are pushing greater distances under harder circumstances than we ever imagined that we could do. We've met some very interesting people along the way; we've encountered nature uninhibited. We are not seeing it on a screen, there is not a plaque telling us what to look at - there is no glass or fence to protect us. We've equipped ourselves to meet every challenge. When we realize we've come up short, we put our minds together, we come up with a solution. Every time.

It's true. We have some of the comforts of home along with us. But, it is not comfortable. We are surviving - thriving, in fact. We have been away from home for eighteen days. We are changing physically, growing stronger. We are changing mentally as well. Each day allows for almost uninterrupted introspection made possible by lack of almost everything except time. I can look at myself and see these new things. When I look at Hannah, I see she has changed as well.

From our first hike together until now, I can say with certainty that Hannah has gained physical strength. She is able to walk longer hours and more miles. Mentally she has incredible persistence. Those long hours and long miles wear the both of us thin, but she does not stop. She pushes on until we are in camp, and all the tasks have been complete. I think sometimes she surprises herself with what she can do. However, I can tell that this strength has always been with her. Academically, she knows she possess superior skill. She continues to prove that. Now, she is getting an opportunity to push herself physically, and she still excels. I did not need convincing that she is an amazing person. I hope she sees it in herself.

Today was a new day, and it felt good to be alive.

Pinefield Hut - Criminal Plan

Pinefield Hut to Hightop Mountian Hut 9.0 miles

So these people were back, arguing with each other through the night. We stole their books. They were in the tent, and there was no good way to get them back to their owners. There was only one person that knew that we were in the tents; this big, white-bearded man sleeping in a hammock named Boyd. We knew that he wouldn't say anything because he thought these people were 'tards as well. These were our options.
High Risk:
Sneak back to their tent in the middle of the night, after they had stopped arguing and return their books into their tent, or just outside. At this point, we didn't think they noticed that the books were gone. If they noticed them outside the tent, they would have known something was up.

Medium Risk:
Leave our tent in the middle of the night. Place them in the other empty tent and blame it on the people that weren't even there. It would look like their tent was broken into, but not by us. The downside to this is that they would likely also notice that we were outside because our tent was in proximity to theirs.

Low Risk:
Blame someone else.
Score.

In the morning, we packed our things as normal and I placed the books in my pack. We walked down the hill to the shelter. At 6:30 in the morning, Boyd had packed up and left. We never saw him again. At the shelter, Troop 14 was hanging around. It started raining, and it was getting really dark. No matter what happened, today was going to be a bad day. The mystery people were still fast sleep in their tents. Also in the shelter was Pat, a nice man from Alabama that was going from GA to Harpers Ferry where I now type. (I may have mentioned Pat before. We met him coming up from the road in Rockfish Gap. We stayed with him every night from the entrance of Shenandoah to almost the terminal end. He started having knee problems, and was getting into camp later and later each night. We heard that he dropped off the Trail in Luray, VA just short of the end of the park. Hopefully, with a little rest, he will be able to get back onto his goal). Also in the shelter, was a bearded man who was very nice. A thru-hiker whose name we never learned. At 8:30 Troop 14 departed on schedule leaving just 4 of us in the shelter plus the two sleeping idiots on the hill. Pat and the thru-hiker talked, and Hannah distracted everyone (accidentally on purpose). She stated that she needed to go to the privy. As Pat and the thru-hiker looked to see where she was going, I slipped the books out of my pack (already open when Hannah went to get the toilet paper) and placed them on the wall of the shelter next to the register.

All Shelters have a register where anyone staying the night can sign and say anything they wish. These registers are often kept as a trail record at the Appalachian Trail Club Headquarters for the particular club that maintains that section of trail. Next to these registers, hikers will leave items of particular use to those that will come after them. "Trail Magic" refers to any items that are found on the trail that are left as anonymous gifts to hikers. For instance, strictly utilitarian trail magic might include Knorr Sides (formerly Lipton) which a hiker might pack normally. We sure do. They are delicious. More extravagant things are donuts, soda, beer, or even books!! Well, sitting next to the register were two BOOKS by Bill Bryson. As Hannah came back, the thru-hiker started looking around the shelter for some magic. He discovered the books in the corner and started reading one of them. At this point, we decided to leave just because our time had come. The people on the hill never awoke and never confronted anyone. If they came down and asked the thru-hiker what he was doing with their books I imagine he would have said, "I don't know. They were just sitting right over there." It was the perfect crime. Perfect.

What was not perfect was the weather. As I mentioned, it was raining. The forecast for that day called for "scattered showers." The rain decided to scatter and settle right over where we were hiking. Mist rolled in, and my glasses were fogging so bad that visibility was limited to about 20 feet, or less for me. Those who were more visually inclined ( Hannah ) were asked to lead. I kept fearing that there would be some large animal (bear, especially bear with cubs) that I would fail to see. With Hannah in the lead, I felt much better. Well, there was this time when I had to tell her to stop because she almost walked into a deer (deer in SNP are shameless), but I digress.

I was wearing a rain jacket and rain pants. My pack was covered in nylon. My glasses were wet and foggy, and so was the trail. My shoes soaked through in the first twenty minutes, and it was warm. As I continued to walk, I started to sweat. Soon it didn't really matter that I was wearing rain clothes because they were just as wet inside as they were outside. We just had to keep trekking. It was meant to be a long day, but with the rain, it felt like an eternity. By the halfway point, my feet were all wrinkly and white. They burned like they never have before. My skin was tender and ripped easily. Every step was a chore. I was sweating, but I was cold. The biggest reward of the day was to get to camp, pitch a tent in the mud and crawl into a likely wet sleeping bag. I can't say that my mood was good.

The camps kept getting smaller and smaller, and the tent sites fewer and fewer. As we continued hiking, we were joined by more people who competed for these sites. Luckily, only Troop 14 had beat us, so we selected our sites, pitched the tent in record time, and got in. The sleeping bags were dry and so was the inside of the tent. We fell fast asleep for the next two hours. I was awakened by the sounds of neighbors on each side setting up their tents.

The rain had stopped, but it was still a miserable situation to be in. Since it was about dinner time, I thought that Hannah would like to get up as well. I started rubbing her arm and stroking her face. It seemed like it would be a pleasant thing to wake up to, but this was not the case. She sharply remarked that I was being annoying and that I should immediately stop. As she woke up, she was pissed that I wasn't doing anything and that I interrupted her repose. Well, to make a long story short, she was annoyed at me and my time prioritization skills (or lack thereof in her mind). We made dinner by the shelter, but it was awkward because we weren't really talking to those who were there or to each other. The bear bag was hung and we decided to go back to our tent. We talked things over for a while and came to some conclusions. I woke Hannah up with good intentions. If I nap too long in the afternoon, I can never get back to sleep. Since Hannah does not have this problem, I should let her nap as long as she needs. She wakes up faster than I do, it seems. If there is something that needs to be done, I should wait until I'm ready and then let her know. We do things in a different order, but we both meet deadlines. We have to sometimes agree to disagree on the order upon which these things should be done. This is where Hannah gets annoyed with me most. I can do nothing about this, since, in the end, everything does indeed get done. Well, we had this circular and awkward conversation until about nightfall. We each turned over, and I think Hannah dozed off. However, my mind had thousands of thoughts going through it. I hated the rain and not being dry. I missed the comforts of home and my family. I thought of the sacrifices that my parents made to get me what I have. I thought about my social life and how I've changed in some ways, but in others have remained exactly the same. It all hit me at once, and I cried myself to sleep.

ATC in Harpers Ferry

Well, we are staying at the Comfort Inn in Bolivar, WV which seems to be the same town/village as Harpers Ferry. It's hard to say. The one thing that is certain is that we are in a really small town. (Someone cue the dueling banjos...). Am I stereotyping? Hmmm.

Well, there will be more updates as the day goes on since we do have internet access at the hotel. However, I wanted to say this. We are sitting in the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Hikers Lounge. They offer free internet access, cold drinks (for a donation) all kinds of ATC souvenir crap which I'm probably going to buy and send home : ), a couch, and a large book with pictures of all the hikers that have passed through here over the years. When we leave, we shall leave a part of ourselves and forever be a part of the history of the AT. Awww.

Talk to all y'all later.

Zoning on the Trail

I wasn't quite sure what to post about today, so I've been spending my precious library hours writing emails, surfing law school forums, and reading the applicable sections of a Walk in the Woods (Chapter 11 and on, in case you're following along with your own copy).

AJ's mention of zoing out on the trail inspired me though. I too, am a trail zoner. Now that I am at least reasonably used to the rigors of walking up and down mountains all day, I have some space in my head to do more than breathe loudly and rapidly.

On the uphill sections, I always get a short bit of music stuck in my head which I repeat, in time with my breathing, like an inescapable mantra. The content is widely varied. I have had God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, the kids song that goes "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid will eat ivy too, Wouldn't you?," and various pop songs, which have temporarily eluded my memory.

On the flats and downhils, however, I think about all sorts of things. Often times I think about what it would be like to live in New York City. Will I be able to do laundry in the basement of my building, or do they not do that over there? What food would I buy? Would I buy it online at Freshdirect.com? Maybe I could put it in my pack and walk through the busy streets of NYC carrying all my groceries like a hiker! What shoes will I wear? Will I start wearing fancy clothes? Could I realistically save money by taking extra condiment packets and stuffing my pockets with toilet paper when opportunities present themselves? (Condiment packets and toilet paper are hot commodities on the trail, you see). These thoughts have led to many miles of satisfying plans and wonderings.

Other times, I focus on the details of what will happen in the fall. Which days would be good candidates for doctor's appointments? Career development center appointments? I'm taking half my classes off campus next semester, which will require me to pack sandwiches for lunch three days a week, so a have spent a good deal of time plotting delicious combinations that could be achieved by taking advantage of both the deli and salad bars in the Mount Holyoke Dining Halls. The trail has given me a new appreciation of sandwiches.

The final category of my thoughts are far flung what-if scenarios. After the incidents with the annoying sections hiker "bros" and their SUV (which left me furious for a largly unknown reason, especially since I usually feel sad or annoyed in situations that leave others angry) I spent a full afternoon fantasizing about finding them at the next shelter site, giving them a piece of my mind (with many alternate scripts) and having one of them punch me in the face, possibly knocking out one of my teeth or breaking my jaw. This turn of events would unleash two exciting things to think about: AJ trying to control the bleeding in the woods, and my trip to the hospital via Virginia ambulance and the possibility of a later court case over the assault. I realize that this all sounds incredibly stupid and far fetched now, but on the trail it was truly absorbing. We never saw the Bros again, though. And I bet I wouldn't have said anything to them if we had. And even if I had said something to them (in my head it was along the lines of "Excuse me sir? Could you do me a favor?" "Sure" "Please be quiet and have some respect for the fact that some of us have a long WALK planned for tomorrow") I am pretty sure that they wouldn't have hit me.

So, perhaps the trail is making me crazy, but it is often satisfying to allow my mind to wander, even if it does tend to revert back to food or completely improbable events. The one problem with my coping mechanism is that I walk on auto pilot. I have come within three feet of walking into an oncoming hiker and just about walked past a deer standing fewer than 10 feet off the trail (deer are very easy to see, and there is no excuse for not noticing one so close by, especially since they walk and eat very loudly). A bear or rattlesnake would be much easier to miss, especially for the mentally absent, and for this reason, I try to keep myself much more focused on my surroundings whenever I'm walking in front.

Day 5

Blackrock Hut to Pinefield Hut 13.7 miles

We had two climbs today that we would normally have called strenuous. At the end, however, something happened. We started climbing and we kept climbing until we reached the summit. Then, we walked down the other side. We approached our second mountain, and did the same thing. Could this mean that we are getting in shape. Hells yes!

Well, again, honestly, I don't remember the journey into the shelter. I zoned. Saw some beautiful vistas, took some pictures, had songs stuck on my head, blah, blah, blah. When we got to the shelter, the boy scouts were already there. The tent sites were on top of the hill. All of them were taken except for one. We learned, later, that the permits on the other two tent sites were expired. One in mid June, and the other at the end of June. It seemed that these people had just abandoned all their stuff. It was nice stuff too! Well, curiosity got the best of me. I assumed that we would find corpses in these tents. Who just leaves a $400 tent in the woods? I approaced the first one with my treking pole and knocked on the side. No answer. I looked at the permit. It expired 6/10/09. It was a couple from Florida. Their primary method of travel was "White Cadillac." Their entrance site was "Gravel." I didn't see the white Cadillac parked anywhere. I unzipped the tent. Through the mesh, I saw two figures lying next to each other. "Shit," I thought. "Dead people."
But, then I unzipped the mesh and saw two Kelty packs, fully loaded next to each other. Very interesting. I went to the next tent. An identical North Face tent. This tag expired only a few days before. This was another couple from Florida. They were also travelling by white Cadillac (!) Where were all these Cadillacs?! Anyway, this one got me really nervous. There were flies all over the top, under the rainfly, everywhere. I knocked again. No answer. I unzipped the tent. I again saw two figures, larger this time.
"Shit," I thought. "More dead people."
I unzipped the mesh and saw two sleeping bags lying next to each other, clothes underneath. No bodies. There were two books inside, both by Bill Bryson, The Lost Continent, and A Short History of Nerly Everything. I took both. I went to the other tent and decided to rifle through the other packs to see if there was anything good inside. I figured these people have to be dead somewhere based on what I found:
No food in the tent, on the bear poles or anywhere on site
No water or water containers
No maps
1 t-shirt
2 camp pillows
1 pair of boxers
1 pair of cotton pajamas
AquaMira for purifying the water they couldn't carry
2 Mosquito netting hats
2 Mosquito nets
18 tent stakes in original packaging
1 compass in original packaging
Deodorant

Well, there was absolutely nothing I wanted, so I went back to the tent. I read the Lost Continent out loud to Hannah as deer came close and ate by our camp. Night came and we went to sleep. At about 10pm, there was a commotion in the camp. This older couple came up the hill clanging a metal pot, arguing.
"Try and keep up with me goddamnit!"
"How can I keep up with you when I don't have a light?"
"Well, you could try walking faster."
"I can't see!"
"Move!"
"I can't see a damn thing."
And on and on and on...
It was them. We stole the books of these terribly inept people, and they were back! They continued to argue amongst themselves in whisper tones, and Hannah and I tried to figure out what to do with the books. Surely they would know it was us. There were only 12 other people nearby, but we were closest. We went to sleep and were prepared to enact our master criminal plan on the morning of day 6.

Day 4

Calf Mountain Shelter to Blackrock Hut 13.5 miles

The boys scouts started out as we were making breakfast. We heard they were going on the the same shelter as we planned. Pat, the man we met on the trail the day before, was also trying to make it there, but he wasn't used to the 13 mile days, and was concerned that he couldn't make it.

While hiking I totally zone. I get random songs stuck in my head for hours. In fact, I don't remember most of this day. I do recall that my mental playlist was the following:
Jerusalem by William Blake (an English Patriotic Anthem)
I've Been Working on the Railroad (A popular children's classic)
Wachet Auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Chorale) by J.S. Bach (a nerdy organist's classic)
I Used to Get High by the John Butler Trio (while climbing high up a mountain, get it?)

Somehow, we caught up to the boy scouts near the end of the day. We started out way after them. How was this possible? Well, we decided to be competitive. Our goal was to get to camp as fast as we could, set up shelter, and make it look easy. We ran down the mountain, and up another one, and set up our tent all before the final boy scout made it. What did we prove? Nothing at all. But it felt good.

Day 3

Rockfish Gap to Calf Mountain Shelter 7.9 miles

We awoke to find that you need exactly five pounds of ice to keep 1/2 pound bologna, 1/2 tomato, and cheese spread cold for the evening. In the overnight, a new couple had pitched a tent close to ours. We went over to have breakfast with them. Their collective trail name was French Blah Blah Blah. "Well, we talk a lot. And we are French. So...yeah." They were actually really nice, but they made me feel bad. They were being typically French. They had brick oven fired multi-grain bread, Nutella, sprouts, and other healthy things. We had fake cheese and bologna... C'est la vie. Anyway, Dorian, as the guy was called just happened to have a list of all the shuttle people in the Waynesboro area. I gave one a call. Roy said he would meet us in 20 minutes. That was easy!

I sat on the curb and watched cars pass by. It seems that you can tell the hikers from the non-hikers even by the vehicles that they drive. Hmm. Old Ford Ranger. That's not a hiker. Chevy Suburban. Nope. Not a hiker. Dodge Caravan. Not a hiker. I see a Subaru wagon a mile down the road. That's Roy! It sure was. Roy gave us a ride directly to the trail and then drove away to continue on with his day. What a great service!

We walked up the hill to find an older gentleman walking down. We learned that he had started the trail at Amicalola Springs in Georgia and was headed to Harper's Ferry. For the next several days, we had the same schedule of shelters, so we imagined that we would get to know him a little better. We were both looking for the self-registration kiosk where we were to get our backcountry camping permits as required by the Department of the Interior. The permit wanted to know the following.
Name:
Address:
Emergency Contact Information:
Anticipated Shelters and nights spent at each:
Primary method of Travel: (On the hiking only trail)
Number of stock or pack animals:
Number of Watercraft:
If only I knew beforehand that I could have brought my donkey and speedboat...

In the middle of the day, we descended a steep slope and had a rest at the side of Skyline Drive. Mostly every car that passed waved at us. It was nice to be famous. As we were sitting there playing with slugs, there was quite a commotion on the trail behind us. A group of about 10 guys wearing kilts came down the hill, apologized three times each for disturbing us and then continued on their way. We assumed this meant that there would be no room in the shelter when we got to it.

We got over the top of Calf Mountain and arrived at the shelter which was 0.3mi off the trail. There were two men and a dog, plus all the kilted men who turned out to be Eagle Scouts (of course). We made our tent and felt safe, actually, that there were so many people around. Dinner was eaten and morning followed. The fourth day.

Day Two

Wolfe Shelter to Rockfish Gap. 5.0 miles.

The three of us spent the night in the shelter. At about 7am, there was another rustle in the shelter. Two people had dropped in and were looking for the register. Without any regard for the three sleeping people, they began to read aloud the shelter register and add their own comments. After about 45 minutes of this, they went on their merry way. It seemed like a pretty good time to get up. Well, Hannah already described the rest of the day. Centrail Virginia maps have very little to do with what actually exists on the trail. It always makes for an interesting day. I mentally prepared for an immediate 1,000 foot ascent in less than a mile only to ascent 500 feet in about the same distance and walk on a plateau. In a sense it was nice, but I spent the whole morning dreading nothing.

Our trail guide stated that there were restaurants on the trail as well as lodging and groceries about 4 miles away. Everything in the vicinity of the trail was abandoned and boarded up. However, the parking lots in front of all these buildings were nearly full. We saw three guys in one corner, and then a man and woman over at the other side. The old men looked creepy, and I thought the other car looked like an undercover cruiser so we went to talk to them. There was a guy in his early to mid-20s and an older lady wearing a navy blazer and a pistol. They immediately struck up a conversation with us and offered to take us into town. We had worried about hitch hiking, but as it turns out, people just volunteer to take us places, so it didn't matter. Along the way, the guy driving mentioned that he didn't want to take us close to the Lutheran Church where there was a hiker hostel because the U.S. Marshall was taking down a fugitive in the area, but he would be happy to take us to the Chinese Buffet (see Hannah's post). He also assured us that we were in no danger. Awesome! Actually, the prospect of danger didn't hit me. I had my mind set on the sushi.

After we had our lunch, surprisingly, we were still able to walk. We certainly ate more that the $7.15 that the buffet cost us. The registers said that if we found Grace Lutheran Church, they would put us up for the night. The Marshall said that we just needed to take a left and we would see it. Well, we found the Unitarian Church, First Baptist Church, St. John's Catholic Church, St. Mark's Methodist Church, Bethany Lutheran Church, the Church of Latter Day Saints, and Westminster Presbyterian, nut no Grace Lutheran. Knowing that it was a Lutheran Church we were looking for, we decided to knock on Bethany's door thinking that one Lutheran could point us in the direction of another. The words "Seek and ye shall find" was written on the sign out front. The continuation of that verse is "knock and the door shall be opened for you." So we knocked. The secretary looked out the window and waved at us. So, we knocked again, and nothing happened. Somebody dropped the ball. Anyway, around the corner, there was a funeral home with a bunch of suited men hanging around the back door. I imagined that a funeral director must know where all the churches are. He did, of course, and gave us directions. We were on the right path, but didn't go quite far enough. This Lutheran church was also locked tight, but we found an open door and let ourselves in. The sky was getting cloudy, and things didn't look good. After several minutes, we finally drew the attention of someone who told us that the hiker hostel just ended a few days ago. Apparently, these people are charitable to hikers for four weeks a year. The rest of the time, they would like to invite all hikers to go screw themselves. The heavens opened up, and the rain fell in sheets from the sky. We put our pack covers and rain gear on and headed for the YMCA--the other place mentioned in the shelter register.

The Waynesboro YMCA has a field across the street where they allow hikers to pitch their tents and stay for up to two nights. The also, for no charge, open up their locker room (showers!). Well, we pitched our tent in the field, threw our packs in, and took care of priority 1. We went to the library to check our e-mail and update the blog...

Afterwards, we took a shower. I predicted, having other YMCA experience, that the shower would be a large room with several showerheads. Hannah said I was crazy. This is modern America. They will, of course, have shower stalls. We were both right. However, I had to deal with the creepy guy in the big room of showerheads, while Hannah had a lovely, luxurious shower stall. Well, I entered the locker room and went into the shower area. Looking at me, there was a naked man creepily smiling at me. I decided to take a side trip to the bathroom. He finished his shower and stood just outside my stall drying off far longer than is reasonably necessary. I grew tired of waiting, so I emerged. Again, he was just standing there, creepily looking at me, towel draped around his shoulder still naked as the day he was born. Thankfully, he left when I got to the showers. The shower, I will admit felt really good. I took my time because it was uncertain when I would be able to indulge in this way again. I finished up and went around the corner where this man was still naked. Gross. I dressed and left.

Afterwards, Hannah and I went to Kroger Supermarket where you can buy your Beer, Wine, and Fireworks in the same aisle. There are reasons to like Virginia after all. Since we had nothing to do, and nothing really to buy, we decided to walk the aisles and look at the food that Virginians eat. It doesn't sound exciting, but let me tell you, it was wonderful. We decided that we would need dinner, so we picked out the worst things we could think of. We got some hoagie rolls, a pound of bologna, Frito Lay Cheese spread, a tomato for good health, pork rinds, 2 liters of Cherry Coke, and 5 pounds of ice. We ate half for dinner and half for breakfast the next morning. The ice was used to make a "refrigerator" in the vestibule of the tent to keep everything nice and fresh. I'm telling ya. I feel like MacGyver already.

Day One Continued

That night, after camp had been setup, we had a nice dinner of macaroni and chesse with tuna by the river that was flowing past the shelter. The bear bag was hung by the superiorly cool PCT Method and we went to sleep. Just as I was falling asleep, I heard a rustling coming up from the river and getting closer. The footsteps, which were quite heavy, kept coming closer and closer. I opened my eyes and squinted in the blackness. I could see an outline of a black figure approaching. The figure said, "Hi. Sorry if I woke you." Cool. It wasn't a bear that was going to eat us. Many thru-hikers are crazy people. They wake up at first light and walk all day. Some of them don't even stop until after dark. The fear nothing. They neither need to eat nor sleep nor rest. They are machines. We are proud of our 14 mile days. They settle with their 30 mile days. Hopefully, one day, we will be able to do 20 and not die.

Library closing

We need to come back here tomorrow. There is so much to say and so little time.

stay tuned.

Dude! There's like a deer or skunk over there, bro.

Right now I'm sitting in the Front Royal, VA library. This an amazing new facility that replaced the old one. They apparently tore down the old building and demolished the whole street. It must have been crazy. Anyway, I have to skip a few days of hiking to relate to you this story...the library is going to close shortly.

We arrived at the Rock Springs Shelter later in the evening after a relatively strenuous day of hiking--more than 14 miles. More than an hour later, these two guys walk in, chatting to each other. This didn't seem that unusual. The proceeded up the hill and selected a tent site directly next to ours. For almost the next hour, they deliberated about how their poles were supposed to fit together. Clearly (hopefully?) this was their first night in the woods. After that fiasco, they went down to the water source and filled some containers (I'm not sure why they did this--see below). For almost an hour they discussed the items that should go in the bear bag. The conversation was like this:
"Dude, do you think these candy bars should go in the bear bag, bro?"
"Yeah, dude. I think all food needs to go in."
"Cool, man. What about this Mountain Dew."
"Ummmm. Yeah. Probably. I mean. I guess."
"Oh. Righteous, man. Yeah."
"What about the tooth paste, man?"
"Yeah. I guess anything that's food or smells should go in the bear bag..."
It was 45 minutes of this. No joke.

The other one went away for a little and came back to his friend sipping water.
"Dude, you didn't drink any of that water. did you."
"Oh no bro, I never drink that stuff." (as he sipped from his Poland Spring bottle.)

Well, then into the night they kept talking back and forth. Apparently they were salesmen that were about to close a deal. They spoke about such interesting things as smelly farts and girlfriends and stuff. When the ladies came near, one stated that he was an Eagle Scout. I'm wondering if he knew there was a troop of Eagle Scouts staying in the shelter just below. Anyway, they went on talking loudly back and forth to each other well past when it was decent. Throughout the night, one kept rapping on the other's tent to tell him to stop snoring. Very early in the morning, I finally went to sleep. The next thing I knew, my eyes were open, and it was light. I could hear these guys rustling around and tearing down their camp. I assumed that it was very early. Turns out it was only six, so I went back to sleep. Upon finally waking, they were just leaving. We tore down our stuff, made coffee, ate breakfast, and then set out on our hike almost an hour and a half after these guys. We caught up to and passed them within the hour. So much for a head start.

A little way downb the trail, we came to the Skyland service area, and stopped for some coffee. We met some thru-hikers that we had come to know, and we all talked about how obnoxious these guys were. Then who should come walking in. Yes. It was them. They ignored all of us. Got their coffee, walked across the parking lot. The last we heard from them was:
"Dude. You ready to do the next 20 miles?"
"Yeah, totally man."

They then got into their SUV and drove away. Their hike was 4.6 miles long. They were true outdoorsmen. I have only one thing to say to them:

Fuck you, bro.

The library will be closing in 15 minutes

Hello world!

We are in the Front Royal library. As May said, we've been living it up here as we recover from over a hundred miles walked in 10 days with zero days off. Today we went to another Chinese buffet (it was not Mings, but still good, esp since we had May and a Thru hiker named Two Lions to keep us company) and K Mart.

We've been doing a lot of laundry in the sink of our hotel room, and the color of the water is pretty nasty. AJ's leg appears to be on the mend, and my feet are quickly regrowing the skin that they lost.

On Sunday, Erna will come down from her fancy DC internship and bring us back into the park so that we can complete the last 20 miles of the Shenendoahs before continuing on. I think it will be really hard the first day back after this longish rest, but, as there is not all that much to do in Front Royal, I bet it will be good to get back to the trail.

My computer keeps yelling at me that it will log me off at any second, which is making it very difficult for me to write a good update. Perhaps AJ will have done better. Or maybe we will come back here tomorrow. It's hard to say.

The short story is: we're alive and happy, we're eating a lot of food, and we're making progress. Life is good.

Front Royal and Injuries!

Hannah and AJ are on the phone with me right now! They are in Front Royal, VA staying at the Scottish Inn (run by Indian people, apparently) tending an injury AJ has. He apparently pulled a quad muscle. So they hitch-hiked twenty miles to get to Front Royal.

I am going to visit them tomorrow! And they are going to update soon form the library.

(: !!!!

Direct from Hannah:
They also saw a bear! Their third bear sighting! There were apparently baby bears playing in the trees. Hannah reports it as cute. She also reports that they are going to eat a pizza tonight: Mushrooms, peppers, onions, olives, sausage and pepperoni. She is definitely missing out on fresh fruit and vegetables. She has just bought two six-packs of beer, a pound of cherries and a lot of other things, as well. And tomorrow we are going to eat at the China Buffet!

On the trail again

**AJ and I are blogging at the same time, so please forgive any overlap**
We have survived day 1, and the outlook for day 2 is looking good.

We started about 20 miles south of where planned to begin, which turned out to make a very long first day's walk for us--over 14 miles, or as long as anything we'd ever done before, and with full packs. Thanks to Linda and Lincoln, who kindly drove an hour each way to pick us up at the bus stop in Charlottesville and gave us food, bed, and shower before dropping us on the trail with full bellies, the first five miles felt great. Eventually, however I started struggle, though AJ took it all in stride. My problems were caused mainly because of the following occurances:

a. started seeing bears (AJ saw two, of which I caught a glimpse of the second)
b. got really tired. My feet hurt a lot, my hamstrings felt very tight or pulled, and just wanted to be there
c. realized that our map had very little to do with the actual trail in front of us. According to the map, the final six miles of our hike were downhill. This was not the case.

We made it in the end though, and boy was I happy. We stayed in the shelter, ate mac & cheese with tuna, and I cuddled into my sleeping bag while AJ read to me from the shelter register. People write some absolutely hilarious things in them. This register was deemed a memorial register, since there was a marble bench at the campsite in honor of a hiker who had died on the Pacific Crest Trail (it appears that LOTS of people die there, as there is no water. I will never hike that trail). There were lots of entries in memory of lost or broken camping gear, lost pets and family members, and my personal favorite, "in memory of all the great sex I could have been having with my girlfriend if I had not decided to do this hike."



As we were drifting off to sleep (at the late hour of 9pm) another hiker joined us. We read later that he had hiked 29.5 miles that day. Honsestly, I don't know how that is possible. It would be pretty amazing to get into such good shape! His feet looked pretty gross though... black toenails, etc.

According to our schedule, we would have had a generally uphill 11 mile day today, which I was not looking forward to, especially since it was supposed to start off with a 1000 foot ascent in less than a mile. As it turned out, that ascent didn't really exist, it was just another (way nicer) example of how little our maps have to do with the current location of the trail.

In the register, lots of people talked about going to Ming Garden, a Chinese/Sushi/Everything buffet. When we got to Rockfish gap, we caught a ride for 5 miles into town and arrived in Ming's, which can only be described as paradise. We ate and ate and ate. So good. Oh man, it was so good. And, only $7.15 for all you can eat lunch. Incredible. Ming's will have a special place in my heart for a long time to come.

We also heard that there was an Evangelical Lutheran Church in town where we could stay the night, and even possibly receive further sustanance. However, when we got there (after an extended search) they would not have us. They said that the hosel was "last week" and ended on Sunday. So, I guess I'm not going to be converted to being a Lutheran after all. The YMCA is going to let us shower there for free, which is awesome, and they'll let us spend the night too, but in a field, rather than inside. It's been raining and thundering/lightninging off and on all afternoon, so perhaps it will be an interesting night. If it gets really bad, there's a 24 hour grocery store where we can possibly hang out.

Because of our stop, we are officially 1 day behind our itinerary (people with our itinerary (Mom) should take note). This also means another nice short day tomorrow, only 7 miles, by which time we will be all recovered and ready to speed through Shenendoah National Park.

So, in summary, out trip has been full of ups and downs, some expected and some unexpected, just like the trail.

The First Few Days

Hello Readers,

I am writing to you from the Waynesboro, VA Public Library! Let me tell you some stories.

A few days before the hike:
As some of you may know, I needed to pack all my things and move from my home in Sunderland leaving me officially homeless today. Moving sucks! As soon as my bed was packed away, I ended up making a little place for myself in the corner with all my soft items. It was actually comfortble, believe it or not. It was certainly more comfortable than just having the mattress on the floor (which might be a good indication that it's time to get a new mattress). I have to thank my parents for letting me store most of my crap in my old room. Also to CJ, my now former housemate, Hannah's parents, and my grandparents for also letting me put various items, both small and large in their houses for storage.

On the last day at home, there was so much to do. The final boxes were packed and the empty rooms showed more dust that I thought possible. Hannah helped me with the cleaning, which was a huge help. In the afternoon, I dropped my car off at my parents and they gave me a ride back to my big empty house. I sat on the deck taking a final look at the Mount Toby range. The sun was beginning to set. The fields glowed yellow, and the hills were a deep shade of blue. This was always my favorite time of the day here. The deck was on the east side, so it was in the shade while the sun illuminated everything else. Here I waited for Hannah to pick me. When she arrived, we did a final walkthough of the house, and my eyes were getting a little moist. This was my "paramedic house." I graduated college just before I moved in, and contemplated being a paramedic when I first got there. I enrolled, took all my lectures, did my clinical and field rotations while living there. My official certification marked my final days. I will miss so many things about it, but as they say - onto bigger and better things.

Leaving Massachusetts:
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy publishes a lits of AT Shuttles - volunteers along the length of the trail that will bring hikers from transportation hubs to the nearest trail head. Contacting multiple people did not work out for us, as they all seemed to be uninterested in providing any type of shuttle service...
There was hope, however. Using her biology connections, Hannah was able to get in contact with a family friend who has a sister who lives in central Virginia (conveniently) a short distance from the trail. She volunteered to meet us at the bus station, take us to her home, and drive us to the trail the next day! The only thing in our way was getting to centrail Virginia.
We knew we couldn't easily take a plane. With the items we needed to take (poles with sharp points, knives, preesurized fuel, lighters and matches, pepper spray, and more than 4oz of water...) we would have immediately been considered terrorists. The train sounded nice but was super expensive (plane was cheaper), and the bus sounded the least fun. As it turned out, the train technically went faster, but had longer layovers in NYC and DC. The bus went to the same places and, in the end, got to the Charlottesville station (our destination) at the exact same time. Greyhound was offering a 50% off companion fare so the trip was super cheap. However, when we were finally able to reserve the tickets, the companion fare conveniently disappeared. C'est la vie.

Last Minute Shopping:
What's the best thing to do when you are moving and soon leaving on a long trip? Go to Maine! Hannah called me quite energetically on Saturday morning and asked if I wanted to go to the beach (Hampton) and then to L.L. Bean so she could get a new pack (hers ripped in the front on our first trip). I never refuse such proposals, so we left about noon. I was a beautiful, sunny, hot, humid day...in western Massachusetts. In New Hampshire, it was sixty degrees, cloudy, and super cloudy/misty at the water. We browsed the boardwalk briefly, walked the beach despite the weather, and had lunch before moving on to Maine. Apparently, L.L. Bean has a summer concert series. That night there was a jazz band that I didn't recognize (I'm not sophisticated enough to appreciate jazz...) but such names as Patty Loveless, Blues Traveler, Dar Williams, and The Wallflowers will all be playing free concerts over the summer in case you're interested. You can read about Hannah's new pack below.

The Bus:
Our bus in Springfield was late. Four bus loads of people arrived for our one bus from New York to DC so were we late. We were supposed to have an hour and five minutes in DC before the next bus, but we arrived just five minutes before that bus left...so we still couldn't have any food. We packed snacks, but still, it was a long day of crying children and frustrated adults. I personally don't like traveling by bus... However, we arrived in Charlottesville and were greeted by Linda, our host who took us to the grocery store, and then to her house to stay with her husband Lincoln, and two massive but friendly German Shepards. They have such a nice house set way back in the woods (with a 1.3 mile driveway that includes fording a stream). They fed us that night and awoke early to make us a huge breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, bagels, watermelon, and they even picked raspberries for us. We are so grateful to them for not only getting us to the trail, but for taking such good care of us!!

The First Day:
Linda drove us to Reed's Gap, took some pictures, and sent us on our way. The terrain was rockier than I imagined, but generally flat. We met one hiker right away, but he pushed on ahead of us and we never saw him again. We began our ascent of Humpback Mountain and attained an elevation of 3,600 feet. Just off the summit, there were two deer that ran across the trail just in front of me. A few miles later, we were descending more than 1,000 feet into a valley via switchbacks. I was several hundred feet in front of Hannah at this point. I came around the corner, and found a black bear not thirty feet away. It looked up, and immediately ran away. I've always hiked with the fear of bears, but for some reason, I was very calm when I saw the bear. Actually, I was awestruck. It was quite an amazing, powerful creature. Plus, it was doing the best thing--running away from me. 100 yards down the trail, we saw another, larger bear a few hundred feet away. This one also went away from us. It's nice to hear people say that is what bears will do. It's another, way better thing when that's, in fact, what they really do. We walked another 1.5 miles to the Paul C. Wolfe shelter, and set up our camp

Since my time on the computer is about to expire, I will have to end this way. Please forgive my typos.


to be continued

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Greetings from Washington, DC! This is May with the first Hannah and AJ update of the summer.

I spoke to them last night, they were about 30 minutes away from Charlottesville and very hungry. Expecting rest stop time on the bus trip, they did not pack anything to eat, and when I talked to Hannah she said she had not had lunch or dinner. Hopefully, when they set off this morning they had appropriately full stomachs. AJ says that they have approximately 50 days of hiking planned, which sets their arrival in Massachusetts/Connecticut somewhere in the middle of August.

That's all I know! More when Hannah calls me next!

On the way out

We are on our way out for the real deal long hike. Tomorrow, at approximately 7:00 am we will board a Greyhound bus and ride to Charlottesville, VA (over 13 hours!). We have been extraordinarily fortunate in finding support for our adventure once again, and will be picked up by at the train station and taken in for the night before setting out on the trail.

Our first day will be on the longer side, about 14 miles.

I'm going to sign May up as an author and call her from towns with progress reports, so with any luck, there will be news from the trail here about once a week.

In other news, I've traded packs. My Osprey pack had some good points (simple and light and slightly less expensive) and some bad ones (hurt collar bones, scarred my lower back, front pocket ripped). For the long hike, I will be wearing the Gregory Deva pack, the female equivalent to AJ's current pack. It is a lot fancier and has WAY more cushion. While it makes me feel like an old lady to say so, I really like the cushion and will happily carry a heavier pack (it weighs 1 pound more) to avoid exacerbating the slice the the old pack took out of my back and my still tender (even after a month of no pack!) bruised collarbones. Another thing I like about the Gregory is that it has a totally different shape: short and fat. Short and fat means that I can tilt my head back, something that was not easy with my tall skinny old pack (though, as in life, while tall and skinny was perhaps less functional, it was quite pretty to look at).

Now back to final preparations: learning about my new pack, finishing mail drop boxes, ad plotting the end of the route.

We're back!

Well, the test hike was a success. We hiked about 70 miles over six days, from Salisbury, CT to Dalton, MA. For me it was hard going at first. The pack (full of food) was really heavy, and life on the trail was a major adjustment. Every day entails many house of hard labor, after the days goal is accomplished there's no couch to relax on. There's a tent to set up, sleeping pad to blow up, water to filter, food to dig out and cook, dishes to wash, bear bags to hang, etc. I was stressed out mentally and physically. It was hard for me to eat, despite the fact that I was certainly burning more calories than normal.

Here's an overview of all the terrain we went over. It seems that my main coping mechanism for hiking is that I forget most of what I walk over as soon as I've walked over it, so I'll let AJ narrate the story of what we walked through.

Some of my personal highlights from this trip:

Day One: We thought we heard a bear running through the woods (eep!) and came around the corner to see what looked like a dead bunny (even worse!). But in reality, what we had heard was a deer running away, and there was a fawn lying on the side of the trail. Super cute!

Day 3(?): We walked with Tiger Bomb, a totally legit hiker. How do we know she's the real deal? Well, she's the woman pictured on the 2009 Appalachian Trail Data Book, of course! She autographed our book for us, and at one point even asked us for help and advice in finding her shelter for the night. We both started from the same place, but we ended up walking four miles farther than she did. How gratifying!



Day 4: The Upper Goose Pond Cabin. This place is a little cabin in the woods, with a bunk house, kitchen, and fireplace. We sat by the fire and heard the stories of our fellow hikers Bill and Tia, along with caretaker, Slowfoot Dave. This night probably merits a separate post.

Also, we took a "bath" in the pond, which, as you can see, is beautiful. It was cold, refreshing, and weirdly hilarious. There was no electricity or plumbing in the cabin, but it felt totally wonderful and luxurious to be there.

Day 6: Arriving at the Kay Woods Lean-To. Technically, I never saw the Kay Woods Lean-to. It was .17 miles off the trail, and I doggedly refused to walk to it, even though AJ wanted to. It was cold, and raining, and gross, and we'd hiked over nine miles at a pace way faster than anything we'd ever done before. Arriving at this lean-to meant that we were less than 2 miles from finishing the hike. I felt so accomplished and strong.

Final Preparations for MA

I took a few pictures of our preparations in recent days. The major developments were that
a. Our tent arrived
b. We bought food

There's the tent. It's about six pounds and out of the box it was bundled like a baby. Very cute.

As soon as the tent arrived, we had to set it up in the basement Bill Bryson style. Here's AJ putting up the tent (warrior style) while I helped by taking pictures.


Despite my lack of assistance, the tent was soon assembled. It's really great inside... tons of windows, good height, the whole deal.


In the food department, things were done very meticulously. For our six day hike, we decided that we would need 30,000 calories. 30k will allow us each about 2,500 a day, which, while seemingly a bunch, pales in comparison to the 4 or 5 thousand that this kind of hiking apparently burns each day. We added up the exact calorie content of all the food pictured and made menus for each day. Mac and Cheese, rice, cous cous, cliff bars, candy bars, trail mix, tuna, beef jerky, dry milk, etc. We shopped at 6 different stores to get all this stuff, and attempted to get as many calories as possible per pound. We're bringing about 32,000 calories (some extra just in case!)

All together the food for the six days weighs about 23lbs (yikes!).

Altogether, the two of us will be hauling 83lbs of gear!

Blister Sisters

Yesterday we went on a training hike over the Seven Sisters, which is Part Seven of the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (M-M Trail). It was really hilly terrain, much more than we'd done before... at parts it was basically rock climbing. I know that terrain makes a difference, but I couldn't believe how much it slowed me down and tired me out. After a mile and a half, I felt more fatigued than I had after over five miles on a flatter hike.
Here's the elevation guide, for that section of trail, so you can see what it was like. It the jagged rockiness made it feel a lot more hilly.


While I'm not going to pretend to be in good enough shape that I wasn't having some muscular and aerobic problems, these issues were not nearly as pressing as the pressing of my large blisters against my boots. You see, I moved out of my dorm room the day before we went hiking, and all most of my clothes (including all my hiking socks) stayed in my mom's car, which was gone by the time I was looking for them. So I hiked in lightweight socks instead of my normal medium weights. Big mistake. 3My feet were sliding all around. I could feel the process start: one on each heel, and one under each big tow. Eventually, the big beauty on my left heel broke, and oh boy, could I ever feel it when it happened! By the time I got my sock off at the end, the piece of skin that had broken off had migrated halfway down the side of my foot (the blister actually extends about twice as far as the broken skin...mmm).
So, the lessons learned are:
1. I should not wear thin socks, or else, I should wear two pairs. Blisters suck.
2. Rocks are kind of a pain, and really slow me down when I have to go up or down big ones.
3. Terrain is super important in determining speed and ease in hiking.
4. Food tastes really good, and makes me feel a lot better when eaten in the middle of a hard hike.

There is less than a week until our week long MA hike. I'm apprehensive about the pace we've planned (15 miles/day) and how the weight of the pack will affect my stamina.

Real Estate

AJ has provided us with a beautiful new summer home!


The Eureka Pinnacle Pass Tent weighs less than seven pounds, and features a spacious open floor plan. Over 48 square feet of space within, along with almost 14 additional square feet of vestibule space--perfect for cooking on those rainy nights! The Pinnacle Pass also features high ceilings at 4'2''.

It's a beauty.

Every day, we will rebuild it from the following parts:

And then, we will have a shelter for the night. A breezy, mosquito-free enclosure on the nice nights, and a an escape from the rain on the... other nights.



In other homey news, we also now have a kitchen set, complete with a 1.1 L Pot, Spork, and bowl. And I got a nifty silicone bowl and cup set for my birthday, alone with an anti-bear food storage bag. So, in short, we are all set for some lightweight, collapsible luxury living on the trail this summer.

Dress Rehearsal! Places Please!

As Hannah mentioned, we will be departing very shortly to take part in a 90-mile hike. In accordance with recommended safety guidelines set forth by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, we will not disclose any detailed itinerary, though I have planned one to the 1/10th mile. Also according to these guidelines, I will disseminate copies of this itinerary only to a few trusted individuals who can help arrange search parties if the need arises. There are a lot of safety guidelines set forth by the ATC. After reading them all, I have the feeling that the trail is not a safe place at all, but many people assure me that it is a safer place than most.

Our plan coming up is to hike approximately 15 miles per day. I know, for me, a 15-mile hike is a perfectly doable distance in a single day. What I don't know is if it is possible every day. Since March 1st, I've logged 122 miles hiking and 60 miles biking, but I've always had at least one day of rest between hikes/rides. What I've noticed is that I have a mild case of patellar tendonitis that causes me slight discomfort after the longer hikes (>10mi.). What causes this discomfort to abate, I imagine, is this nice day of rest (which is actually a day of work since I hike on my days off...) - I will soon be investing in my own set of Cho-Pat knee straps so I can fit in with the cool kids. Fingers crossed.

The opportunity to take this "dress rehearsal" hike can't really come at a better time. I've been dreaming almost nightly of hiking, and when my mind wanders during the day, it has something to do with the trail most of the time. We will be able to try all of our gear and hopefully get a sense of what we need and don't need. We should also derive some encouragement from the following fact: after completing Mt. Greylock, we will only encounter 2 taller peaks between Virginia and returning to New England. This gives me the sense that if we can climb Greylock, we can conquer anything else in our path before unleashing our newly acquired athleticism on the tall peaks of Northern New England.

People seem to have really strong opinions of us and our hike. One side says we cannot possibly make it, and they have no faith in our abilities. The other side says they have no doubt we will hike all summer and still ask for more when we finish. I've been shocked by which sides people have taken (and truthfully, that people actually care). Individuals I thought would support us do not, and others I did not think would care really seem to have all the faith in the world in our abilities. Our mission is to prove the first group wrong and not let the second group down. This trip has already been a learning experience, and I can't wait to see what future lessons the trail will bring us. Scores of hikers insist it is a magical place.

It's been too long

Alright, I know, it's been far too long.

Yes, we are still planning to hike. And it seems that the plans are getting more and more ambitious. AJ has been training like a champ, seems like he's hiking practically all the time that he's not working. I have been slacking, in theory working on my finals. We did hike almost 10 miles together one day, and it felt free and easy.

On May 22 we will be doing a test run: hiking for six days and trying to complete the MA section of the trail, a length on 90 miles, concluding with Mt. Greylock the highest mountain in Massachusetts. Oh boy!

With any luck, as we gain elevation, we will move backwards in time and I'll be able to send sweet postcards from the top!

I've been having some nervousness about the summer mileage, which could get up towards 1,000 miles. That's a really long way! Will we get really bored from walking? Will it be uncomfortable 100% of the time? Will it be really awful to eat camping food for so long? Will I get insane blisters (I always did when I was a runner...)? Will we get lyme disease? Dysentery? Eaten by bears? Stress fractures? Hard to say.

We're still definitely gonna do it though, and of course, I'll let you know!