On November 23, 2010 we summited Springer Mountain- southern terminus of the Appalachian trail. We celebrated at the finish line, in the dense fog and rain, with our friends Lucky and Charm and we're so happy to be done! Not because it's over with, (although it was getting pretty cold over the last 2 months) but because we did what we set out to do on July 2, 2010- thru hike the Appalachian Trail together.
We made it! But not with out help and encouragement from friends, family, fellow thru hikers, trail angels, and complete strangers. Our trip was long- 2,179 miles in 4 months and 3 weeks. It was hard- hot, cold, wet, muddy, rocky, rough, and tedious. There were sore muscles, sore feet, long days, and times of complete exhaustion. But most of all it was rewarding beyond words- incredible views, complete solitude, peaceful campsites, mountain air, cooling rain, invigorating winds, sunny places to take long breaks in the afternoons, hot coffee on chilly mornings, a warm sleeping bag to climb into every night, abundant wildlife, instant friendships, time to think, and best of all, we made this journey together, sharing all the beauty, the highs and lows, and the thrill of being in the wilderness, with the one that we love.
Thank you to everyone who followed along and encouraged us! For us, the trail has ended but the journey continues. And as we continue to walk with each other though life, we'll always remember this first, very long walk that we took together.
A Long Walk Together
Still Walking...
We set this blog up to chronicle our Southbound hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2010. We called our blog A Long Walk Together. Our hike was a great success, and to this day we continue to walk to gather in marriage, in adventures, in life, and in love. I decided that if our walk isn't over, this blog's not over either.
12.02.2010
11.09.2010
Highs (emotional ones) and Lows (low temperatures!)
Okay! 1907 miles down! Less than 300 to go! We're having fun walking the North Carolina/Tennessee border. Along this stretch we've seen a number of amazing balds- some natural, some man-made, all with great views of the surrounding mountains. One of our favorite days of the whole trip was the day we went over the Roan Highlands. It was supposed to rain off and on all day but somehow we managed to dodge all bad weather until after we made camp. We climbed up to the top of Roan High Knob and all along the way we crossed over balds with gorgeous views. The skies were an amazing mix of dark and light clouds with the sun always trying to peek through. We ended our day at an old fire warden's cabin now used as an AT shelter- the Roan High Knob Shelter, where we cooked and ate dinner and then set our tent up in the loft to stay as warm as possible. Thus ended one of our favorite days. The next morning we awoke to what has been my least favorite day on the trail. We woke up to rain that turned to snow as we left. We walked a short distance down the mountain and the snow turned back into cold rain and sleet. There was nothing we could do but walk to stay warm. We were wet and cold most of the day. I will admit I had a break down on our first (and only!!) break of the day. The thought of putting my wet rain jacket back on over my frozen hands and trudging through the rain with numb feet was too much. Luckily we are a team! Shawn was patient enough to give me some time to cry before helping me into my wet jacket and leading me on down the trail. By the time we made it to camp we were both feeling better and were happy to crawl into our warm sleeping bags. The next morning there was a dusting of snow on the ground, the next night there was 4 inches in camp, and for two days after that we broke trail through drifts up to a foot high. One morning we woke up and it was 19.2 degrees! We left camp and hiked over snow-covered Big Bald with 360 degree views lit with that early-morning kind of yellow light the sun makes just after it clears the horizon. In our final push to the end we're really experiencing the highs and lows of the trail. Just a little over 2 weeks left. I think we can do it!
10.30.2010
We Made it to Tennessee
We are officially finished with Virginia- the longest state on the trail. Only 3 states left. The finish line is starting to seem like a reality but before we make it to the end, we have about 4 more weeks of memories to make. Here is what we've been up to since Daleville:
First off, we've had tons of trail magic. My sister, Amanda, picked us up(and Lucky and Charm too) at a road crossing and took us out to dinner where we, of course, over ate. We had a great time and Amanda kept us laughing, as usual. A week or so later, my older sister, Kara, and Mom met us near Wind Rock for an afternoon picnic lunch. It was so delicious! Charm ate so much that he could hardly walk. We were sluggish after eating all that delicious food but after a few miles we felt great. We were so energized from having real food that we ended up walking several miles past our intended destination. We walked in the dark for over an hour and it was a lot of fun. The most generous trail magic of all has been extended to us over this last week from Mom (aka Super Woman, Debbie Crocker, Trail Angel Deb) We've been staying at her house for a week now! 3 of those days we didn't walk at all, and on the other days she shuttled us to the trail so that we could get some miles done without having to carry huge packs loaded down with 35+ pounds of gear (this is called Slack Packing). We've had regular showers, clean sheets, and TONS of food. We're so grateful for the stay! Also, thanks to my Uncle Bob for picking us up after one of our slacks and to Rachel (trail name: Hot Wheels!!!) for giving us a ride and walking 17 miles with us! Needless to say, we've been well fed over this last section of trail and feel so lucky to have so many friends and family near by.
Besides trail magic, we've had many other amazing experiences lately. We met another Southbounder, Deep Dish who has been pretty entertaining. He's a bit ahead now (so is 2 Speed) but maybe we'll catch him again. Central and Southwest Virginia have been gorgeous! We've seen the leaves reach their peak and start to fall. The weather is steadily getting cooler. The trail has been so nice! We climb up to the top of a ridge and then follow it for a few miles before descending. Highlights of this section have included Dragon's Tooth- a huge rock protruding from the top of a ridge with great views, McAfee's Knob- a huge slab of rock stretching out from the side of the mountain that you can walk out onto, Tinker Cliffs- a whole ridge full of small cliffs and awesome views, and best of all, the Greyson Highlands- huge, open expanses of rolling highlands with grasses and interesting rock features and wild ponies.
Tomorrow we'll start hiking where we left off- about 10 miles into Tennessee. With the end of the trail looming in the not too distant future, we've been more aware of the beauty around us. In some ways we're ready to be done but in other respects, we wish we could live like this forever.
First off, we've had tons of trail magic. My sister, Amanda, picked us up(and Lucky and Charm too) at a road crossing and took us out to dinner where we, of course, over ate. We had a great time and Amanda kept us laughing, as usual. A week or so later, my older sister, Kara, and Mom met us near Wind Rock for an afternoon picnic lunch. It was so delicious! Charm ate so much that he could hardly walk. We were sluggish after eating all that delicious food but after a few miles we felt great. We were so energized from having real food that we ended up walking several miles past our intended destination. We walked in the dark for over an hour and it was a lot of fun. The most generous trail magic of all has been extended to us over this last week from Mom (aka Super Woman, Debbie Crocker, Trail Angel Deb) We've been staying at her house for a week now! 3 of those days we didn't walk at all, and on the other days she shuttled us to the trail so that we could get some miles done without having to carry huge packs loaded down with 35+ pounds of gear (this is called Slack Packing). We've had regular showers, clean sheets, and TONS of food. We're so grateful for the stay! Also, thanks to my Uncle Bob for picking us up after one of our slacks and to Rachel (trail name: Hot Wheels!!!) for giving us a ride and walking 17 miles with us! Needless to say, we've been well fed over this last section of trail and feel so lucky to have so many friends and family near by.
Besides trail magic, we've had many other amazing experiences lately. We met another Southbounder, Deep Dish who has been pretty entertaining. He's a bit ahead now (so is 2 Speed) but maybe we'll catch him again. Central and Southwest Virginia have been gorgeous! We've seen the leaves reach their peak and start to fall. The weather is steadily getting cooler. The trail has been so nice! We climb up to the top of a ridge and then follow it for a few miles before descending. Highlights of this section have included Dragon's Tooth- a huge rock protruding from the top of a ridge with great views, McAfee's Knob- a huge slab of rock stretching out from the side of the mountain that you can walk out onto, Tinker Cliffs- a whole ridge full of small cliffs and awesome views, and best of all, the Greyson Highlands- huge, open expanses of rolling highlands with grasses and interesting rock features and wild ponies.
Tomorrow we'll start hiking where we left off- about 10 miles into Tennessee. With the end of the trail looming in the not too distant future, we've been more aware of the beauty around us. In some ways we're ready to be done but in other respects, we wish we could live like this forever.
10.12.2010
Welcome to the South!
Today we're in Daleville, Va! Computer access has been sparse lately- sorry for the lack of posts! We're thrilled to be in Virginia and are still feeling great and moving pretty quickly. The leaves are gorgeous and we notice more and more color sweeping over the mountains everyday.
We spent 5 days hiking through Shenandoah National Park and looooved it. The mountains are finally getting big again, the views are better and better, and there is water! (it's been such a dry year that almost every spring we passed was dry, even creeks weren't reliable!)
Also, crossing the Mason-Dixon line means we can now have sweet tea and grits when we're in town. AND being through the Shenandoah means we have family close enough to visit us! Our cousin Melanie brought us a pan of brownies and a plate of cookies to Waynesborough and took us out to dinner. She also brought her two little ones, Leah and Anthony, who provided the entertainment. (Quick story- after dinner we all went back to our hotel room which was full of our old, dirty, sweaty gear and shoes and Leah said, "raise your hand if you want to cover your nose!" and I said, "Shawn, put your hand down!" ) Trail Angel Debbie (aka Mom) paid us a visit at a road crossing beside the James River where we had salad, baked potatoes, steak hot off the grill with onions and mushrooms, brownies, milk, soda and apples. We love the food and we love seeing some familiar faces even more!
We really couldnt be happier! we're well fed, close to friends and family, the weather is cooling but isn't too cold, there's water to drink, beautiful and gentle trail, and we even have friends to hike with! Two speed, who is a riot, has been near by for a few weeks now, and Lucky and Charm have caught us and we are so excited to hike with them again!
We spent 5 days hiking through Shenandoah National Park and looooved it. The mountains are finally getting big again, the views are better and better, and there is water! (it's been such a dry year that almost every spring we passed was dry, even creeks weren't reliable!)
Also, crossing the Mason-Dixon line means we can now have sweet tea and grits when we're in town. AND being through the Shenandoah means we have family close enough to visit us! Our cousin Melanie brought us a pan of brownies and a plate of cookies to Waynesborough and took us out to dinner. She also brought her two little ones, Leah and Anthony, who provided the entertainment. (Quick story- after dinner we all went back to our hotel room which was full of our old, dirty, sweaty gear and shoes and Leah said, "raise your hand if you want to cover your nose!" and I said, "Shawn, put your hand down!" ) Trail Angel Debbie (aka Mom) paid us a visit at a road crossing beside the James River where we had salad, baked potatoes, steak hot off the grill with onions and mushrooms, brownies, milk, soda and apples. We love the food and we love seeing some familiar faces even more!
We really couldnt be happier! we're well fed, close to friends and family, the weather is cooling but isn't too cold, there's water to drink, beautiful and gentle trail, and we even have friends to hike with! Two speed, who is a riot, has been near by for a few weeks now, and Lucky and Charm have caught us and we are so excited to hike with them again!
9.15.2010
A Day In the Life....
Well here we are now in Duncannon, PA! Here at the notorious Doyle Hotel (Great food, a bar, but a dump. I can say dump because thats how the owner describes it. We love it.) we are at mile marker 1041 and nearing the half way point. The trail has been mostly gentle the last few hundred miles. Lots of rocks though. Luckily we have long legs which means fewer steps which means less chances to twist an ankle or stub a toe (which we still do frequently, just less frequently than our less lanky hiking companions). We've settled into our trail routine quite nicely by now. Just the other day I noticed we set up camp and cooked dinner with hardly a word spoken about the actual process- just normal conversation. I decided for my next post I'd run through a typical day for us on the trail just to give you a sense of what we do with all our time.
We wake up about 5:15. It takes us a couple minutes to get out of our sleeping bags, of course. Shawn gathers his things into his pack and gets out of the tent to make coffee. I stuff our sleeping bags into their stuff sacks, re-braid my hair, and put on some layers. Shawn usually puts a water bottle in the tent so I can take my vitamin and takes the rain fly off the tent- he carries that part. When I'm ready I push my pack out of the tent and clumsily climb out into the morning. (Its not really morning. Its pitch dark. The days are shorter now so we like to start early) The coffee is brewing by now and we take the tent down and get our breakfast out. Shawn usually has us a place set up to eat together. It's a picnic table on the best days, a big flat rock on good days, and on all other days its just his sleeping pad on the ground. Shawn pours our coffee (I get 4 oz, he drinks the other 12oz!) and we eat together in the bright, romantic, white light of our LED headlamps. Then we brush teeth, pack up, (I strip off a layer if I'm feeling brave) and head out.
We like to walk for about 2 hours at a time, 2 hours being the longest period of time a thru-hiker can go without a snack. We also like to have most of our miles done before lunch. So by about 1 pm we've done anywhere from 12 to 16 miles (the other day we did 18 by 1:08 !!) Lunch is just like breakfast- best-case scenario there is a picnic table, worst case, just the ground. We eat something on a tortilla- cheese, tuna, PB and honey or J. After lunch, we walk a few more miles and have at least 1 more snack before we make it to camp.
Once in camp, Shawn goes off to get water while I set up the tent and get out the food. I cook dinner, Shawn does the dishes, throws the bear line and hangs up our food. Depending on weather and insect life, we play cards either inside or outside of the tent (the picnic table/ no picnic table situation plays a factor here too). We like to eat M&Ms (usually the peanut variety) while we play. We've been keeping score in a rummy game since Maine and I'm winning with over 10,000 points! After cards we brush teeth and I write in my journal. We read our guide book to see what tomorrow's hike will be like and then it's lights out! (If the lights were even on. We've been known to regularly go to bed before dark- we see far more sunrises than sunsets)
And there you have it! A day in the life of a couple of thru-hikers. We are absolutely loving it!
We wake up about 5:15. It takes us a couple minutes to get out of our sleeping bags, of course. Shawn gathers his things into his pack and gets out of the tent to make coffee. I stuff our sleeping bags into their stuff sacks, re-braid my hair, and put on some layers. Shawn usually puts a water bottle in the tent so I can take my vitamin and takes the rain fly off the tent- he carries that part. When I'm ready I push my pack out of the tent and clumsily climb out into the morning. (Its not really morning. Its pitch dark. The days are shorter now so we like to start early) The coffee is brewing by now and we take the tent down and get our breakfast out. Shawn usually has us a place set up to eat together. It's a picnic table on the best days, a big flat rock on good days, and on all other days its just his sleeping pad on the ground. Shawn pours our coffee (I get 4 oz, he drinks the other 12oz!) and we eat together in the bright, romantic, white light of our LED headlamps. Then we brush teeth, pack up, (I strip off a layer if I'm feeling brave) and head out.
We like to walk for about 2 hours at a time, 2 hours being the longest period of time a thru-hiker can go without a snack. We also like to have most of our miles done before lunch. So by about 1 pm we've done anywhere from 12 to 16 miles (the other day we did 18 by 1:08 !!) Lunch is just like breakfast- best-case scenario there is a picnic table, worst case, just the ground. We eat something on a tortilla- cheese, tuna, PB and honey or J. After lunch, we walk a few more miles and have at least 1 more snack before we make it to camp.
Once in camp, Shawn goes off to get water while I set up the tent and get out the food. I cook dinner, Shawn does the dishes, throws the bear line and hangs up our food. Depending on weather and insect life, we play cards either inside or outside of the tent (the picnic table/ no picnic table situation plays a factor here too). We like to eat M&Ms (usually the peanut variety) while we play. We've been keeping score in a rummy game since Maine and I'm winning with over 10,000 points! After cards we brush teeth and I write in my journal. We read our guide book to see what tomorrow's hike will be like and then it's lights out! (If the lights were even on. We've been known to regularly go to bed before dark- we see far more sunrises than sunsets)
And there you have it! A day in the life of a couple of thru-hikers. We are absolutely loving it!
9.02.2010
Still going south...
It's been quite a few trail miles since our last post. (Tried to post in Kent, CT but the computer was being finicky) So since our last post from Mass, we've been through Connecticut and New York and are now in New Jersey. (although technically this town is in NY but we left the trail in NJ to get here)
We've met several other southbound hikers in this section- Just Jill, Day Tripper, Black Eagle, and Hit Man. Our mileage is still high- 15 to 22 a day, and man has it been HOT! New York was sweltering! The heat, accompanied by limited opportunities to pick up water, and countless short steep climbs made for a tough couple days.
We were pretty worn down when we came to a road crossing with jugs of water in a cooler (trail angels leave water for hikers during dry times in the area) and a note to hikers offering a shower, comfy bed, hot meals, and laundry. The note said call John and Susan. We were in need of all these things (it had been 8 sweaty days since our last shower) so we did. Turns our they're a super nice couple with house near the trail. They picked us up, fed us Chinese take out, got us showered, let us do laundry, put us to bed, and made us breakfast in the morning, all in the most nonchalant,we-have-strangers-in-our-house-all-the-time way. Time and again we have been shown great kindness and hospitality by complete strangers during our journey. We are getting the best of the wilderness and also the best of humanity at the same time. Whoever thought we'd find both in the same place!?
We hope all is well with everyone back home. You can expect our next post to be from Pennsylvania!!!
We've met several other southbound hikers in this section- Just Jill, Day Tripper, Black Eagle, and Hit Man. Our mileage is still high- 15 to 22 a day, and man has it been HOT! New York was sweltering! The heat, accompanied by limited opportunities to pick up water, and countless short steep climbs made for a tough couple days.
We were pretty worn down when we came to a road crossing with jugs of water in a cooler (trail angels leave water for hikers during dry times in the area) and a note to hikers offering a shower, comfy bed, hot meals, and laundry. The note said call John and Susan. We were in need of all these things (it had been 8 sweaty days since our last shower) so we did. Turns our they're a super nice couple with house near the trail. They picked us up, fed us Chinese take out, got us showered, let us do laundry, put us to bed, and made us breakfast in the morning, all in the most nonchalant,we-have-strangers-in-our-house-all-the-time way. Time and again we have been shown great kindness and hospitality by complete strangers during our journey. We are getting the best of the wilderness and also the best of humanity at the same time. Whoever thought we'd find both in the same place!?
We hope all is well with everyone back home. You can expect our next post to be from Pennsylvania!!!
8.21.2010
Made it to Massechusetts
Alright 600 miles and 3 states down! (1500 miles and 10 states to go) Finally we are able to do 20 miles a day on a regular basis. We've made a few new friends and our old friend, Dr. Geo, caught back up with us. Today we're in Dalton, Mass. We woke up and walked 10 miles to town (the trail goes right through town), where we went by the post office to pick up a box sent by my sister, Kara. She sure knows how to pack a hiker box! It was full to the brim with goodies and home made brownies! Thanks, Kara! We're checking our email (and blogging) at the library now. Next is lunch, then we're going to find a free shower we saw advertised to hikers on a bulletin board at the edge of town. We have a few other chores to do and then we'll be walking a few more miles back into the woods tonight.
A few interesting experiences we've had in this last section of trail: 1) There have been multiple fire towers on mountain tops that we've crossed over lately. The views (if you can stomach the climb up the old rickety towers) are amazing. 2) The trail goes through a small town called Cheshire, Mass where we decided to stay last night (for free in a church that offers hikers a room in their fellowship hall) We walked down the street to a pizzeria/pub where we were told immediately upon sitting down that if we didn't have clean shirts to put on we'd have to close the window by our table because it was blowing our smell over to the bar and someone was complaining. For a restaurant centered around the trail, we were not feeling welcome. 3) Saw a naked hiker. He was bare butt naked and offered no apologies or explanations. You just never know what the trail will bring.
A few interesting experiences we've had in this last section of trail: 1) There have been multiple fire towers on mountain tops that we've crossed over lately. The views (if you can stomach the climb up the old rickety towers) are amazing. 2) The trail goes through a small town called Cheshire, Mass where we decided to stay last night (for free in a church that offers hikers a room in their fellowship hall) We walked down the street to a pizzeria/pub where we were told immediately upon sitting down that if we didn't have clean shirts to put on we'd have to close the window by our table because it was blowing our smell over to the bar and someone was complaining. For a restaurant centered around the trail, we were not feeling welcome. 3) Saw a naked hiker. He was bare butt naked and offered no apologies or explanations. You just never know what the trail will bring.
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