Mid-Virginia (Mile 1800)

I have some catching up to do. Here goes - mid-Virginia was fantastic.

We were served a curveball on Halloween: Snow. Already. Way sooner than we anticipated. Fortunately it didn't stick around for too long but from then on it just got colder and we learned to move faster.

The thing that really got us through the cold was the people. We received some incredible trail magic from a fellow hiker: a paid stay at Woods Hole Hostel near Pearisburg, VA. This was the nicest hostel we've been to on the trail and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area. From what I remember reading while I was there, the original cabin was built in the late 1800s and has been restored beautifully with salvaged wood from other historical buildings. The resident farmers/hostel owners/massage therapists/yoga instructors/artists (yeah, they're busy) are a couple of awesome people that are great to talk to and learn from.

The stay was so appreciated - Thanks Rockstar!! An incredible gesture from an awesome person.

Another hostel on the trail had a beautiful station wagon (the "Dragon Wagon") depicted below, which shuttled hikers to a family style all-you-can-eat restaurant called the Homestead rumored to be the best on the trail. (Other hikers were legitimately sorry for me that I didn't go.) Sometimes you finish hiking in the dark and are just too tired for anything besides poptarts and bed.

Some more trail magic occured going into Blacksburg, VA. We met up with Marathon Man - an incredible event because we had last seen him 3 months prior in Maine and he had caught up to us despite our missed miles. He is an impressive hiker. The next morning, our water filter broke and we didn't have any clean water. Fortunately there was a road 3 miles away from our camp, and were given a ride by a really generous hiker into Blacksburg, VA, where the kind people at Back Country Ski & Sport replaced our filter free of charge. After finishing a meal downtown, we were approached by some VT students that provided a place to crash, brought us fishing on the New River, and drove us back to the trail the next day.

With this kind of support, how could you quit?

First half of Virginia (Mile 1404)

Just to be clear, the mileage in the title is our distance from the northern terminus of the AT and no longer reflects the distance we have covered. We have hiked about 1100 miles so far.

Today we decided to only hike a couple miles and decided take the rest of the day to hang out in the woods. We stayed in a hiker pavilion built by the boy scouts in Glasgow, VA last night and picked up a care package from my lovely and generous friend Nicole at the post office. The shelter is wonderfully built and maintained but the town is small and it was hard to get a hitch back to the trailhead. We didn't start hiking until 11 and decided against pushing it 17 miles to the next water source (apparently it's dry in this area).

I have too many stories to share from Virginia already. Our best experience on the trail so far happened last weekend. We met a rad hiker named Stef and hiked with her for a few days in Shenandoah National Park. She took us to a folk, funk, and bluegrass music festival called Festy at a brewery a few miles from the trail. We spent the weekend getting down with the locals in the valley and it was incredible. 

Now we are back up at high elevations and have been climbing more and walking around on ridgelines overlooking miles of Virginia wilderness.

Our only worry is the encroaching cold weather, particularly in the high elevations of the Smokies, but we can get through it! Less than 800 miles to go!

Hello Vermont!! (Mile 445)

Wow... I made it through The Whites all in one piece. I was even blessed with good weather and incredibly smooth terrain for the last couple of days. It was certainly a challenging stretch but a rewarding one that part of me is already missing.

After Pinkham Notch I climbed over Mt. Madison and got to sleep on the floor of an AMC hut and eat like a king in exchange for doing some dishes. It feels great to work for something necessary and tangible rather than to stockpile money for some possible future purpose (or some past purpose that hasn't quite worked out yet like a college degree). The stretch after the hut was amazing - 13 miles or so of ridgeline over Mt. Washington, the tallest peak on the east coast, along with some other 5000 footers.

Luckily I got through the toughest parts before getting stuck with some rainy days. It was raining with strong winds through most of the Pemi Wilderness and I felt like I was going to get blown off of Mt. Guyot. It can be a little sucky to work so hard climbing a peak just to be socked in with fog and rain, but such is life in New England sometimes. At least it is an adventure.

Yesterday I walked into Hanover, NH (the trail cuts right through downtown) and I have been taking advantage of the trail magic here. It's off the hook. I am staying with two trail angels named Betsy and Grey Beard who are definitely some of the most generous people I have met in my life. They let Sagacious (Craig) and I stay with them for two nights, did our laundry, and gave us a ride. In town we got free donuts and pizza, not to mention all of the free samples at the farmers market. All that we have been asked to do in exchange is to pay it forward in the future. The people we have met on the trail are like the people at our church - they not only recognize that people should be living differently and treating each other differently - they actually take action on their beliefs and make differences in the world.

I have to take more pictures of the trail over the next couple of days. It's unbelievable how much easier it has gotten. Pine needle paths, switchbacks, and miles without elevation gain or loss are finally daily occurences. Life is good.

Greetings from NH (mile 300)

My first state is done!! So long Maine! It's a little sad - the people there were incredible and from what I gather it's definitely the most wild state (very few roads and small isolated trail towns) - but I'm proud of my accomplishment.

The southernmost 20 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maine are rumored to be some of the hardest. I don't doubt it! The trail goes up a mountain, all the way back down to nearly sea level, then back up again. My knees were killing me. I ended Maine with Mahoussic Notch, involving a steep decent down Old Speck Mountain and a mile of scrambling over boulders and through narrow caves. Even the last 0.5 of Maine was difficult. There was a big rock wall to climb right at the end.

I am on a never ending quest to lighten my pack weight. I have sent home a lot of things and am down to what I think are just the basics. I'm even ripping pages out of my book as I read them but it still seems too heavy after I ressuply on food. It's a learning process. I keep getting tips from people as I talk to them.

I am having a little trouble uploading pictures and was waiting to post an entry until I could figure it out but internet access is rare so I can only do a few for now.

Through the 100 Mile Wilderness (Mile 114)

I completed two pretty big AT challenges in the past couple of weeks -- Mt. Katahdin and the 100 Mile Wilderness. Katahdin was definitely more difficult than I anticipated, especially when it started raining as I was descending some intense scrambles, but it was so rewarding.

We set off for the Wilderness the first day after the hurricane and had to battle our way around fallen trees, high waters, and ridiculous mosquitoes, but it cleared up a couple days in and we were blessed with clear skies and incredible scenery. It took us 10 days to amble through while getting used to toting our 40 pound packs and climbing over roots and through mud. Hopefully we will be able to pick up the pace as we develop our trail legs.

Last night we finally made it to Monson, bruised and sore but in good spirits, and stayed at the Lakeshore hostel and pub. It's a wonderful little place run by an incredibly hospitable crew. It will be hard to leave the town comforts but I already miss the woods and the feeling of accomplishment that comes after a long day of hiking.

Throughout the hike we have met so many awesome people -- too many to list -- but the comradery out here is probably the best part of the trail. More about that later. I have written to much already. <3 Happy Trails.