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.
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.
10.30.2010
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.
8.17.2010
Vermont
We're in Vermont! (actually, we've been here a couple days but this is the first post from Vermont) Last time we posted we were in Glencliff and I was not feeling well. After a day off, I felt no better. Luckily, a friend of mine from my hike in 2007 had offered her place when we got to Hanover, the next town up. In true trail angel form, Pinky (aka Rachel Lynch) picked me up and took me back to her family's home to recover while Shawn hiked the 42 miles to her town (which he did in 2 days because he is a machine) The Lynchs opened their home to us, fed us, gave us a private cabin on the water, let us take out the boat, swim, play with their dogs, and relax while Shawn took a day off as well. We could not be more grateful!
After all that rest and good food (which I was finally able to eat) we felt great and were off to Vermont. The trail has mellowed out a little for us now. The climbs are shorter and switchbacked (zig zags going up and down mountains instead of going straight up and straight down) and the trail has far fewer obstacles (like rocks, roots, giant mud puddles). This means we're able to do more miles- we've had 3 days over 20 miles so far in Vermont. Just the other day, we did 14.9 miles before our lunch break at 1:00.
The best part about Vermont is that we've finally caught up to some other Southbounders! Lucky and Charm are a couple about our ages from Georgia that we've been walking with for a couple days now. And here in town we met Boss Lady and Sherpa- SOBOs also! And the biggest treat was reading a not in a trail register from our old friend Dr. Geo who we walked with in Maine. He was ahead but was taking 3 days off and said we might catch him. Sure enough we passed him but he did a 29 mile day (whaaat!???) to catch us here at the Green Mountain Hostel (which is an amazing place that even Amanda would appreciate). So now there's a pack of 7 us that will all be with in a day or so of each other for a while.
Two other highlights from this section of trail- first, last night at the hostel, the women staying here decided to pick up groceries for a big hiker dinner. Lucky made spaghetti, Boss Lady made black bean tacos with cheese and avocado, Rocket (a northbounder) made salad and veggies, and I made fruit pizza for desert. We were all in the kitchen having a blast together while our significant others watched TV and later did the dishes. I miss cooking in a kitchen instead of on the ground (although we hear the shelters near here and then on down south have picnic tables! Don't know why Maine and New Hampshire opt not to have them...) Highlight number two- We had a shelter all to ourselves one night, or so we thought. Then something woke us up in the brush near the shelter. We turned on a light and there was a big porcupine! He was shy at first but after testing the waters he realized we weren't getting out of our warm sleeping bags so he came right up to the shelter and proceeded to gnaw on the porch floor. We laughed and took pictures and watched for a long time. Then the gnawing sound was too much- we needed sleep. Shawn (I mean Picker) asked him to go ahead and leave.
After all that rest and good food (which I was finally able to eat) we felt great and were off to Vermont. The trail has mellowed out a little for us now. The climbs are shorter and switchbacked (zig zags going up and down mountains instead of going straight up and straight down) and the trail has far fewer obstacles (like rocks, roots, giant mud puddles). This means we're able to do more miles- we've had 3 days over 20 miles so far in Vermont. Just the other day, we did 14.9 miles before our lunch break at 1:00.
The best part about Vermont is that we've finally caught up to some other Southbounders! Lucky and Charm are a couple about our ages from Georgia that we've been walking with for a couple days now. And here in town we met Boss Lady and Sherpa- SOBOs also! And the biggest treat was reading a not in a trail register from our old friend Dr. Geo who we walked with in Maine. He was ahead but was taking 3 days off and said we might catch him. Sure enough we passed him but he did a 29 mile day (whaaat!???) to catch us here at the Green Mountain Hostel (which is an amazing place that even Amanda would appreciate). So now there's a pack of 7 us that will all be with in a day or so of each other for a while.
Two other highlights from this section of trail- first, last night at the hostel, the women staying here decided to pick up groceries for a big hiker dinner. Lucky made spaghetti, Boss Lady made black bean tacos with cheese and avocado, Rocket (a northbounder) made salad and veggies, and I made fruit pizza for desert. We were all in the kitchen having a blast together while our significant others watched TV and later did the dishes. I miss cooking in a kitchen instead of on the ground (although we hear the shelters near here and then on down south have picnic tables! Don't know why Maine and New Hampshire opt not to have them...) Highlight number two- We had a shelter all to ourselves one night, or so we thought. Then something woke us up in the brush near the shelter. We turned on a light and there was a big porcupine! He was shy at first but after testing the waters he realized we weren't getting out of our warm sleeping bags so he came right up to the shelter and proceeded to gnaw on the porch floor. We laughed and took pictures and watched for a long time. Then the gnawing sound was too much- we needed sleep. Shawn (I mean Picker) asked him to go ahead and leave.
8.06.2010
The Whites!
We are officially through the hardest section of the trail- the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This 80ish mile section of trail gets a lot of hype for being difficult- which it is, but also beautiful- which it most definitely is! We really enjoyed the views. Much of the trail here is above tree line which is a nice change of pace. Having 360 degree fantastic views and being able to see the next several miles of trail ahead of you is really a treat. Mt. Washington was, for us, a bit of a disappointment. It's the highest mountain in New England and we felt proud to walk all the way to the top until we saw hundreds of people who had arrived by car, bus and train. It was a Saturday and the place felt like Disney World! The one good thing about a mountain that's a tourist destination is the snack bar. Pizza, Chowder, Nachos, Coke and a New England delicacy known as Whoopie Pie lifted our spirits a bit. Tourists aside, the rest of the Presidential Range was amazing and we had perfect weather. We were able to enjoy ourselves by not pushing huge miles and taking breaks often.
After a stop over in North Woodstock, NH a few days ago, we're here at the Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff, NH with 398 miles of trail behind us. We'll pick up some groceries and hopefully be on the trail soon... (I have yet another stomach bug, and am trying to feel better ASAP)
After a stop over in North Woodstock, NH a few days ago, we're here at the Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff, NH with 398 miles of trail behind us. We'll pick up some groceries and hopefully be on the trail soon... (I have yet another stomach bug, and am trying to feel better ASAP)
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