Day #68 - The Guillotine

Miles: 17.2 to Thunder Hill Shelter
May 28

So much uphill today! So much! And highs near 90. We saw some snakes, deer, lizards, and skinks. I also saw a racoon scurrying down the trail as we got near the shelter. Early in the day, we stopped at Jennings Creek, a nice wide water source with great flow! We got water, did creek laundry, and waited for Wing It to find the hole in his inflatable sleeping pad. He found it and will repair it tonight.

I heard noises last night and assumed it was people coming into the shelter around midnight. Instead, it was Scout leaving camp. Apparently he wasn't sleeping well on his thin pad and some rodents were making noises by his head. Since he couldn't sleep, he decided to just start hiking. More power to him! I don't think I would enjoy that.

We stopped for lunch at the amazing Bryant Ridge Shelter. It's a two-story shelter with lots of open space, a great water source, legit mouse hangers, and several picnic tables. I would have loved to stay the night! Because it was so hot, most of us stripped off our sweat-soaked shirts to dry them in the sun and ate "naked lunch."

We were scared of the final ascent after Apple Orchard Falls, but it was pretty flat with nice switchbacks. We could hear thunder in the distance, so we were trying to beat any rain or storms and get to the shelter as soon as possible. We passed an FAA tower (see photo) on the way to The Guillotine, a cool rock formation that looks like it might fall on you at any moment. The trail passes right under it.

The shelter was super buggy and we expected rain, so Bluebird and I decided to set up our tents inside of the shelter. I wouldn't normally do that, but the only other person using the shelter was Muffin Man, so there was plenty of room. We stayed dry and bug free, but I could hear mice around my tent all night. I'm glad they didn't chew through it!

When I threw the bear line tonight, I got my rock sack lodged in a tree. We weren't able to get it out. R.I.P. rock sack. At least I got to use you a whole three or four times! Maybe one day it will fall out during a storm and another hiker will get to use it.

Best Thing: The Guillotine, Bryant Ridge Shelter, and conquering a tough day.
Looking Forward To: Getting to town tomorrow.

Day #67 - Get Well Soon, Mighty Blue!

Miles: 20.0 to Cove Mountain Shelter
May 27

Last night, Muffin Man told us how the German Girls (Cowboy and Indian) split up and why Indian ended up leaving the trail. He said that they got in an argument and Cowboy ended up leaving with some of their shared gear. I guess that was the last straw and Indian decided to spend some time in Atlanta before heading back to Germany. Apparently, her dog died of Lyme disease after she got off the trail. What a horrible experience! I hope she's doing okay.

I talked to Muffin Man about Africa and wild dogs today. Those are my favorite animals, and he had the opportunity to see them hunt when he visited Africa a few years ago. I'm so jealous!

Today was a pretty good day for wildlife. We startled two deer and watched them run up the mountain. We also saw two rat snakes (Muffin Man almost stepped on both), a toad, an eft, and a gorgeous Luna moth (at camp). We also passed a beautiful garter snake just as it finished swallowing a meal.

Speaking of meals, I packed out guacamole and had it in a tortilla wrap today. Yum! It beats tuna salad any day! I can't wait to eat more!

It was a long day and the heat drained us. The humidity out here is relentless. It FINALLY rained for about 30 minutes today. We donned our pack covers but no rain gear. It's just too hot. The rain felt wonderful and helped cool us down a bit. The terrain has been pretty in spite of the heat. The pink blooms on the rhododendrons are beautiful!

Tomorrow we hit the 750 mile mark. I remember what a struggle it was to get to the 100 mile mark. That seems so long ago! The miles are flying by now!

Mom texted me that Mighty Blue has cellulitis and doesn't know if he can continue hiking. Apparently a dog scratched his leg and it became badly infected. Oh no! Muffin Man wants to send him a card but we don't know if it will reach him before he leaves the hospital. I hope he is able to return to the trail soon! I hate it when I hear people have to get off the trail. Crossing my fingers I can make it the whole way!

Best Thing: All the wildlife we saw today.
Looking Forward To: The Guillotine!

Day #66 - Spah-klers and S'mores

Miles: 5.0 to Fullhardt Knob Shelter
May 26

We did it! We're 1/3 of the way through the trail! I made a 1/3 mark out of sticks but it's hard to see. I'm kind of sad this will be over soon, but there's so much left to experience. I don't feel like 1/3 is behind me. It's been so much easier lately. I guess I'm stronger and the terrain has eased up.

We stopped by the outfitter this morning and resupplied at Kroger. I couldn't find a new Rite in the Rain journal, so this one will have to last until Waynesboro. I only have a few pages left! When we got to the outfitter, a kid named Swashbuckler told us that a girl named Lopsang is MIA. Apparently, her phone called 911 this morning from somewhere near Tinker Cliffs. When 911 tried to call her back, she didn't pick up. Somehow, they notified her parents and word made it back to other thru-hikers. I'm sure she's fine, but we got her photo and her dad's number in case we hear anything. (Turns out that her new phone is hard to use and she accidentally dialed 911. When they called her back, she hung up on them. Odd, but she's perfectly okay).

We ate lunch at Pizza Hut as a last resort because the other restaurants nearby were closed and we were ready to hit the trail. It was really disappointing, but Bluebird tried sweet tea for the first time. After she had a sip of Muffin Man's, the waiter brought her her own glass for free! Not too shabby! She has been ordering it when we go out to eat ever since.

We didn't end up leaving town until 2:30 in the heat of the day. The hike out of town was very hot with lots of road noise and a steady climb uphill. When we crossed under an overpass Muffin Man found a box full of porn DVDs labeled in someone's handwriting. Each one was labeled for a particular fetish. How the heck did that box end up under the overpass? I'd love to know.

We decided to only hike five miles to the first shelter before calling it a day. Apparently Wing It was very tired because Muffin Man was moving around a lot last night. He laid down in the shelter as soon as we got there. Bluebird and I went behind the shelter to try to figure out how to get water out of the cistern. I rarely read directions, so I just fussed with the pump until I gave up. After reading the directions, we still couldn't get it to work and I thought I had broken it. We had to seek help from the guys. Scout, one of the guys we met at the shelter, came back to show us how it worked. He began digging in the mud under the spigot and I thought we were going to have to use the muddy water! He totally played along and had me almost believing him. That would have sucked! Instead, he just pushed the handle much harder than we had and the water began pouring out. It was MUCH easier than I had tried to make it. Doh! I'm glad he was there. I probably would have gone thirsty.

We made s'mores over the first and lit sparklers ("spah-klers") in celebration of Memorial Day. Muffin Man and I think Scout are both veterans. We also toasted with our rum to completing 1/3 of the trail. We will be in Harpers Ferry before we know it!

Best Thing: 1/3 mark, s'mores and sparklers.
Looking Forward To: Beginning to cross the Blue Ridge Parkway tomorrow.

Day #65 - Daleville, VA

Miles: 6.0 to Daleville, VA

May 25

Last night was the first night I woke up eager for it to be morning so that I could get into town. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. Last night I heard what sounded like twigs breaking under foot at about 4:00 a.m. It kept me up for a while, but it could have just been pinecones falling from trees.

It wasn't as flat of a walk to town as the guide book indicated, but it was pretty and had some great views down to a lake. Made me miss my kayak a bit. 

Just before arriving to town we came across a man wearing a very unusual pack. It was made of poplar bark and looked just like a log! I knew you wouldn't be able to picture this, so I asked to take his photo. 

He also makes his own hiking poles. I didn't catch his name, but he was very nice and described in details how to make the pack. He said it weighed about 7 lbs! Cool but impractical. 

The trail dumped us out to a very busy road, but it was a very short walk to our stay for the night at the Howard Johnson. Once showered, we headed straight across the street to the Mexican restaurant so that Bluebird could get a "mah-garita." I only notice her New Hampshire accent when she says "mah-garita" and "spah-kler." We love to tease her about it. There was a sign on the door that said they didn't have their liquor license so they couldn't serve alcohol. We stood at the door torn between our intense hiker hunger and our desire to alcoholic beverages. Our hunger won out and we decided to eat there anyway. We passed the fully-stocked, unattended bar on the way in. Torture! The food wasn't all that bad, but I noticed when the waiter brought our checks that he didn't include the $2 discount advertised on the sign out front and on the hostess stand. He tried to tell me the discount didn't apply to our orders, but I quoted the sign and we got our discounts. Success!

After lunch, we headed down to the liquor store for some celebratory libations. Somehow we all ended up buying our own bottles of Captain Morgan rum. We could have shared, but were feeling greedy I guess. Bluebird loaded up on mini bottles of fruity rum. After hitting up the Kroger for a few small things (and getting free ribs at the door), we sat outside while Wing It and Muffin Man walked to the Super Cuts to get their hair and beards trimmed. They look so different! 

Back at the HoJo, I joined the boys at the pool. A thru-hiking Texan, Willy Wonka, was floating in the pool on her inflatable sleeping pad. Genius! It took me so long to notice that. I'm sure a non-hiker would have noticed immediately. I think I'm getting a bit too used to "hobos."  Willy Wonka is from Dallas and is hiking by herself. I wonder if she likes candy bars as much as I do? 

We also met someone Muffin Man has been talking about for a few days, Cannon. He has a killer farmer's tan. It looks like he's wearing a wife beater even when he's shirtless. He's a nice guy and hung out with us until almost midnight. While at the pool, some guy that clearly wasn't a thru-hiker waved to us from the hotel balconey. I turned to Muffin Man, confused. He said it was our waiter from the Mexican restaurant. Haha! Small town!

We had heard good things from several hikers about the Three Li'l Pigs BBQ restaurant, so we decided to have dinner there. There was decent live blue grass music and the food was good. They even had free banana pudding for thru-hikers and a "shelter" register, which we all signed. After the band finished playing, they came over and gave us guitar picks. I kept mine as souveniers of the trip. Daleville has been great so far!

Best Thing: Taking a shower!

Looking Forward To: Passing the 1/3 mark tomorrow.

Day #64 - McAfee Knob!

Miles - 12.8 to a stealth site before Angels Gap
May 24

Today was awesome! The terrain wasn't bad for the most part and the weather was great. It was hot enough to make us sweat while we were hiking, but there was a nice breeze to cool us off when we stopped. We knew there were lots of iconic spots on the trail today, so we built that into our schedule and planned a short day.

We got to McAfee Knob around 9:30 a.m. when pretty much no one else was there. It was a clear day and we were able to get some great photos. Sitting and standing at the edge was pretty scary, especially with the strong winds. When I thought of it, I got vertigo. I don't like heights, but I had to get that iconic photo. The views were incredible! I've been wanting to take those photos for over a year, so it was very exciting. Since it's a holiday weekend, it quickly became very crowded. I'm glad we got there early!

After a long break, we walked about five miles to Tinker Cliffs for lunch. They weren't as scary as I anticipated. You only had to walk along the edge of the cliff (where the white blazes were) if you wanted to. You could easily walk a few feet from the side of the trail in the safety of the woods.

We stopped for lunch at a shelter and met EKG and Mad Dog. I also found a lovely fake fingernail (see photo). I really want to know how that ended up on the AT. I can't imagine someone with those fingernails hiking the trail. 

After lunch, we hiked until we didn't feel like hiking any longer. We can't technically camp wherever we want because we are on National Park Service land, but that kind of stuff isn't really enforced. We found a spot on an old trail crossing. While we were setting up our tents, Bluebird suddenly announced that she smelled poop. Muffin Man had just taken off his shoes. It was definitely his feet. He was a bit embarassed, but we all thought it was really funny. Clean is a foreign concept out here.

I finally used my own bear line and rock sack to hang the bear bags. It's day #64 and I've yet to use my own. I typically just hang my bag from someone else's line. I decided to start throwing the bear lines because my old job was to help hoist the bags. Bluebird takes a long time to eat, so by the time the bags are ready to hoist I'm normally in my tent for the night. I figured I should pitch in earlier in the process instead. I like the rock sack! It makes it pretty easy to throw the line. I'm definitely still perfecting my technique though. I had Velveeta shells and cheese for dinner. That's a very messy meal and weighs a lot, so I don't have it often. It was a treat! Yum!

Best Thing: McAfee Knob on a gorgeous morning before the Memorial day crowds converged.
Looking Forward To: A shower and spending the night in town!

Day #63 - Dragon's Tooth

Miles: 14.9 to Johns Spring Shelter
May 23

Today's terrain was tough! Even the "flat" sections were tough rock scrambles with lots of smallish ups and downs. We reached our first metal rungs in the rocks today. I'm glad they were on a downhill portion and not an uphill. I think there will be many more to come. Without a 30-40 lb pack on, I'm sure these types of challenges wouldn't be very daunting. It's a different story when a pack changes your center of gravity. I'm definitely getting used to it though!

Dragon's Tooth was pretty neat, but not really what I expected. I felt like we were on the backside of it so we couldn't get the full effect. I still got a pretty cool photo of Muffin Man at the top though. He's giving the thumbs up. I was too scared/smart to climb up there.

Bluebird said her knee has been hurting her these past few days so I loaned her my knee brace. I haven't worn it for weeks, but will carry it all the way to Katahdin just in case. I hope it helps her! Then we hiked into Catawba, a small gas station just off the trail, for pizza and resupply. I spent $40 (a ton!) for two days of food and a pizza, but a girl's gotta eat! I packed out the other half of my pizza to eat for dinner.

Hiking out was tough after so much food and the heat was pretty brutal. Muffin Man was particularly struggling. About a mile from our first shelter option we passed two 2013 thru-hikers in the parking lot. They were passing out sodas and beers to thru-hikers. I've learned that I can't drink carbonation while I'm hiking (it makes me feel awful), so I politely passed. The guys took them up on it though. We decided to call it quits for the night at the next shelter. We're just too full and worn out!

Best Thing: Meeting the former thru-hikers.
Looking Forward To: McAfee Knob, the most iconic part of the trail.

Day #62 - The Muffin Man!

Miles: 17.9 to Trout Creek campsite
May 22

I'll start off with the best thing that happened today. Muffin Man caught up with us! We haven't seen him since 4/20 in Hot Springs. That was over a month ago! He looks great! It's so weird seeing people after a few weeks of separation. The guys have normally dropped a significant amount of weight and they have beards. Sometimes it's hard to recognize people, especially if they have new clothes on. You get so used to seeing people in the same stuff day in and day out. His shoes are totally busted. They blew out about 30 miles after he got them but he didn't bother sending them back again (he had already sent them back once). He says it's probably because they are only 1/2 size bigger than he needs instead of a full size bigger. Ha! I need to take a photo. I think the only thing holding those shoes together at the laces.

Early in the day we passed Keffer Oak. It's 300 years old! That's older than the U.S. It's strange to think about all that tree has lived through.

The large "flat" portion of the day may have been flat, but it wasn't easy! It was a very slanted rocky ridgeline walk mixed with a few thorns for good measure. Bahhh! The views were good though. We could see green, tree-covered mountains for miles and there were no signs of civilization. The end of the "flat" portion was marked by the Eastern Continental Divide, which was not marked in the AWOL guide. Seems like a strange thing to omit.

It was hot today, so we took many breaks and moved slowly. We saw a toad, lizard, garter, and rat snake. We decided to stop short of Pickle Branch Shelter and campe by a gravel road because we were tired and it was a good water source. I saw my first tick (a dog tick, not the kind that transmits Lyme) crawling on Bluebird's trash bag. Eww! We resupply tomorrow (Friday), then overnight in town on Sunday. Can't wait!

Best Thing: Reuniting with The Muffin Man!
Looking Forward To: The Dragon's Tooth and town food!

Day #61 - If a Tree Falls in the Woods, It Does Make a Sound

Miles: 17.9 to a stealth site at Sinking Creek
May 21

It's already 9:00 p.m.! Today was rocky in many places. Hiking on rocks for hours on end is simply exhausting, especially for my ankles. Last year's SOBOs compared it to Pennsylvania in the shelter register. Pennsylvania is known for its rocks. It has even earned the name "Rocksylvania" in thru-hiking circles. We had several nice views today including Wing Rock and Kelly Knob. There were beautiful pasture views at the end of the day.

As we hiked this morning, we heard a huge crash. We all stopped and looked at each other trying to decipher what the sound was. It soon became clear that a large tree had fallen not far from us. The trees are constantly creeking along the trail as the wind moves them around. I always wonder how many hikers have been hit. I'm glad it wasn't us today!

We ran into Sherpa at War Spur Shelter when we stopped for lunch. He told us Twist and True Story got ahead of us when we stopped for Trail Days. Doh! He also said Simba, Muffin Man, and Stealth are hiking together. Maybe they'll catch us soon!

I saw a turkey, snake, toad, and lizard today. Lots of wildlife! There were some brutal uphills today including an old rocky fire tower road. It felt like that one just went straight up. And up. And up. We conquered it though! It seemed like the trail maintainers were too lazy to make switchbacks so they just blazed the trail up the existing road. Sigh....

Bluebird loves movies and insisted that I watch a clip from "The Sweetest Thing." She was willing to sacrifice her phone's battery life to show me. It was a song about penises. We were on a rock outcropping at a great view when she handed me her phone. Unfortunately, as soon as the chorus started Sherpa joined us at the view. There is no way to turn the volume down on Bluebird's phone, so Sherpa had the pleasure of listening to the penis song. Luckily, he's a cool guy and didn't bat an eye. The timing was hilarious.

P.S. Hike Naked Day (the summer solstice) is one month from today!

Best Thing: Finding out True Story and Twist are close!
Looking Forward To: Visiting the Keffer Oak, the second largest tree on the AT, tomorrow.

Day #60 - Deer or Beer?

Miles: 14.8 to Bailey Gap Shelter
May 20

Writing in my journal is getting tiresome, but I don't want to miss any of the details. I know I'll appreciate having this record once the trail is over. I saw two deer today. One let us get very close. When Wing It and I stopped to look, Bluebird caught up with us. She asked what we are looking at and we whispered "A deer." She asked, "Beer or deer?" several times. Lol. If it was a beer, it would have been gone by the time she arrived. Another group saw an albino deer. I'm sorry I missed that!

The first five miles of our hike were pretty flat. I kept tripping over sticks though. There are caterpillars (I think they are web worms) EVERYWHERE! They get on your pack and all of your stuff if you stop for even a few minutes. I am not a fan. When we stopped at Pine Swamp Branch Shelter I noticed two partially charred mice on the grill over the fire pit. It was really gross. We talked for a while about what sort of person would do that. And leave them there. I'm glad we didn't stay with whoever did that. Not much else to note today, but I did snap a few photos. Enjoy!

Best Thing: Seeing a deer up close.
Looking Forward To: Another shortish day tomorrow.

Day #59 - On the Trail Again

Miles: 8.8 to campsite 

May 19

We ate a delicious breakfast at Mojoe's this morning, then I was able to mail my bounce box up to Harpers Ferry. Woohoo! We'll be there before you know it! Bluebird's parents dropped her off at our hotel, then we headed off to Pearisburg to get back on the trail. Her dad drafted our car for an hour or so. Dad was very entertained and they managed to go quite fast. Right before we returned to the trail we stopped at a gas station to use the bathrooms and get water. One of the other customers was talking loudly on his cell phone and he was very irritated. He was threatening to take his ex-wife/girlfriend to court and talked about her sticking her nose up her boyfriend's ass. Yeesh! He was very animated and a bit scary. Glad he left us alone! 

Mom and Dad dropped us off where they picked us off and, after snapping a few photos, we were off! The hike out of Pearisburg was the lowlight of the trip. It was a hell hole. We walked across a big, high traffic bridge then under an overpass. We passed an industrial landfill and walked through construction zones. It was hotter than heck too, which compounded the ugliness. Hopefully the pending trail reroute will bypass that nasty section of trail. I'm glad my parents picked us up in the woods at Cross Avenue rather than at one of the many ugly spots in Pearisburg. It would have been a totally different experience.

We stopped for lunch at a pretty creek, but dared not drink the water that flowed past. We were too close to the industrial landfill. A section hiker named Bob, who was miserably hungover, caught up to us there. He seems like a really nice guy. I felt bad for him. He visited some friends in Blacksburg last night and was paying the price.

Later up the trail, we heard a bunch of crashing through the woods and saw a juvenile black bear scurrying away. My first bear of the trip! It stayed near enough to take photos, but not good ones. I made sure to note the encounter at the Rice Field Shelter a few miles away. It's always good to let other hikers know when there are bears in the vicinity, especially at shelters. 

We ended up at a trailside campsite with a bunch of other hikers, including Squirrel. She has a new Osprey pack too! Did I mention Bluebird got the same pack as me? Ospreys are probably the most popular brand out here. I'm sleeping in my "new" (it's 12 years old) summer sleeping bag and trying my pillow for the first time. Hopefully I get a great night's sleep!

Best Thing: The bear sighting!

Looking Forward To: "Flat" terrain tomorrow!

Day #58 - Take Your Parents to "Work" Day

Miles: Technically 0 although we did hike
May 18

Another awesome day with Mom and Dad. Breakfast at our hotel was really bizarre. When we came downstairs, it looked like someone had started to set up a breakfast buffet but gave up. There were a bunch of empty chafing dishes lined up and a smattering of breads, yogurt, and fruit placed on random tables. Apparently, that was the continental breakfast. There was one guy in the kitchen cooking eggs to order. We were one of only two tables there. It felt like the place was abandoned. Little did we know that would be the theme for the hotel that day.

After breakfast, Mom and Dad laced up their new trail runners and we headed out to the Grayson Highlands. I was excited to show them one of my favorite parts of the trail and maybe see some ponies. Mom was carsick during the ride but the views were pretty. Three Porsches pulled up behind us on the road. Seems odd to see such nice cars out here. We passed a ramp festival (kind of like wild onions) where the Porsches pulled into a grass parking lot. We thought about stopping but were eager to get to the Highlands.

We took a 0.8 mile spur trail up to the AT. Mom and Dad did great, especially considering we didn't have any hiking poles. The terrain was pretty flat but there were a few roots and muddy areas to contend with. We went southbound on the AT towards the spot where I saw the ponies last time. Mom got in front and did a great job following the white blazes! 

For a while I was worried that we wouldn't see any ponies, but then we came across a big herd of them near the entrance to the park. They even had babies! We took a bunch of photos. One of the babies looked like he might have been half donkey. Who knows?!

Near the ponies, we met a 2012 thru-hiker who said the Grayson Highlands and New Hampshire were his favorite parts of the trail. He talked about how dark the New Hampshire spruce forests get and how deep the pine needles get on the ground. He said it's hard to even stake your tent. Sounds comfortable to me!

We hiked 0.5 miles down the Rhododendron Trail to get back to the car. I'm so glad my parents got to see a little of what I do all day, every day. Dad asked me if I ever get winded while hiking. I thought it was a funny question. I am panting much of the day, every day. It takes a lot of work to haul a 30ish pound pack up and down mountains all day. I'm definitely in great shape and never feel out of breath, but I do sweat and breathe hard and all of that.

We stopped in Abingdon, a really pretty little town, for lunch and then went back to Damascus to resupply. It was fun taking my parents grocery shopping. They got to see some of the horrific food I eat. Yum!

When we finally got back to the hotel, we discovered the entire place was locked up. I knew how to get in using a special blue key they had given us, but no one else got that tutorial when we checked in so no one else knew how to get in. They gave us no warning that the hotel would be locked all day. Poor Wing It. If I had known, I would have given him the key and shown him how to get in. Instead, he was locked out all afternoon. They had even locked our rooms, which we intentionally left unlocked so that Wing It could come and go as we pleased (they only gave us one key per room). When we got in, there was no staff anywhere. Who locks up the nicest hotel in town on one of the biggest weekends of the year? The whole thing was just weird.

I sorted through my resupply and gave mom a bunch of stuff to take back to Austin. I now have my summer gear, including a lighter sleeping bag and a tank top. Even with four days of food and two liters of water, my pack feels light and roomy!

We ate dinner at the Blue Blaze (again!), then just relaxed for the rest of the evening. I'm sad to see Mom and Dad go tomorrow, but it's been a great visit!

Best Thing: Seeing the baby ponies with Mom and Dad.
Looking Forward To: Riding back to the trail with Mom and Dad in the morning.

Day #57 - Trail Days

Miles: 0 in Damascus, VA
May 17

We did so much today! I had a list of talks I wanted to see, but we had to throw that out the window because time got away from us. After breakfast at the Blue Blaze Cafe, we headed to the vendor tents to sign up for raffles. I became a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and got a free t-shirt and a special Trail Days rate! I had to get a medium shirt because free shirts are NEVER offered in size small. Drives me crazy and I want to make it my personal mission to change that. Anyway... I can't wait to start getting the ATC magazines.

At another vendor booth, Dad bought me a purple AT cap. I love it! We also visited David "AWOL" Miller's booth. He wrote the guide book everyone carries out here. He was much more soft spoken and unassuming than I expected him to be. He was very nice though and asked Dad if he'd tried using the GPS coordinates in the book to find road crossings on the trail. Dad said he had. That's how they found us in Pearisburg! I guess it's a new feature or something. I also put my name on the map AWOL had taped to the side of his booth. It was all of the pages of the guide book taped together and everyone stuck their name where they last left off. It looks like we are at the leading edge of a big bubble, but I'm guessing the people that are significantly further ahead of us didn't both coming back to Trail Days.

We stopped by the Hyperlite Mountain Gear booth and picked up one of their reversible pillow stuff sacks on Bluebirds recommendation. She has one and thinks it might help fix some of my neck problems. (I have been sleeping on it for about 3 weeks now and can attest that my neck feels MUCH better!)

Next stop, Gregory. I saw in the Trail Days brochure that they had a pack similar to my Osprey Aura but with features I might like better (like a longer zipper on the brain and bigger hip belt pockets). The guy working there was SUPER nice and measured me for the proper size. I liked the pack, but I don't need a new one right now. While I was chatting with this guy (I wish I could remember his name), he told me that they had a prototype pack in my size and asked if I'd be interested in testing it for them. Um, hell yes! They took me back behind the booth where a woman pulled a pretty blue pack from the trunk of a car. I loved the new features it offered, some I've never seen in packs before. I can't say what they were, but it's enough to make me want to wait until next year to buy one of these cool new packs. Everything was going great until I tried the pack on and she put a watermelon in it to add some weight. Neither she nor I were happy with how the shoulder straps fit me. The pack rode on the sides of my neck rather than my shoulders. She took some photos and we agreed it wasn't going to work. Boo! That would have been awesome to test a new pack. Wing It visited the Gregory booth separately and got a men's pack to test! What are the odds? I signed up for the Gregory raffle before leaving but forgot to go back during the drawing later that day. Wing It thinks he remembers one of my ticket numbers being called, but I'm going to pretend that I didn't win anything. Hopefully someone that needs the gear more than I do won instead.

We wandered down to yet another booth full of cheap gear, mainly shoes. For some reason, Mom and Dad didn't bring any good hiking shoes when they came to visit, so they bought some Montrail Mountain Masochist trail runners for a great price. The same shoes that I've worn the past 600 miles! Now we can go hiking tomorrow! I'm excited. We started to walk down to Sundog Outfitter to find some new shoes for me, but were picked up by a shuttle van on the way there. Mom and Dad's first "hitch!" The shuttle driver was named King Tut and works with a group that knits free beanies for thru-hikers. Some of my friends have those!

The experience at Sundog was disappointing to say the least. The employee asked my shoe size and just brought out every pair of women's trail runners they had in that size. He didn't measure me or help me with the shoes. He just stood sort of nearby while I put them all on and walked around the store. None felt quite right, but I took a picture of the box of the best-fitting pair so I could come back and purchase them later if I didn't find anything better. Apparently the employee assumed I was just going to buy the shoes online and made some snide comment to his buddy. When I went to use the bathroom he complained to another employee about how he hadn't sold any packs that weekend because everyone was buying online. Dad got upset and let him know that I had no intention of buying online. If I am going to hike another 500 miles in shoes, I need to be sure they fit perfectly. The employee pretended not to hear him. Not cool.

Luckily, our experience at the other outfitter in town, Mt Rogers, was MUCH better. A former employee had come back to help out during Trail days and was a shoe expert. He measured my foot and my arch (apparently I have narrow feet with a slightly high arch) and explained the pros and cons of the shoes they carried. He also talked about insoles and why my arches might have been hurting even though I have the proper insoles. I really liked a pair of Oboz he had me try. He gave me a hand while he had me jump up and down and stand sideways on a ramp they had in the store. He was very thorough and very concerned with ensuring the proper fit. I bought the shoes and some insoles. Dad bought some things too. I was happy to give my business to Mt Rogers rather than Sundog. The customer services experiences were night and day.

After that, we walked BACK to tent city to drop off my poles at the Leki booth. I'm excited to finally have the twist lock on my right pole repaired. I also entered Backpacker magazine's huge gear giveaway. While we were over there, I saw Boss at one of the booths! I haven't seen that kid since Hot Springs! I gave him a big hug and asked if he was going to hiker prom. He jokingly asked if I was asking him on a date, so we became unofficial prom dates. Unfortunately, he stood me up! He got sucked into a party in tent city that night and never made it out to the prom. Not cool! Haha

Mom, Dad and I tried to get Philly cheese steaks at Blue Blaze for lunch, but it took so long to get our food that I had to ditch them to go line up for the hiker parade. Guess who I ran into there? Doug "Banzai" Douma! I hiked with him a few times in Austin before he thru-hiked the trail in 2013. It was great to see him!

People lined up for the parade according to what year they hiked. Current 2014 hikers were at the back. Some people were wearing some crazy things! There were two guys in AT-themed body suits, a man in a leotard and tutu, and LOTS of people with water guns. It was cold and I crossed my fingers I wouldn't get wet. We walked down the main street through town waving at the crowds that had gathered on the sidewalks. Many of them sprayed us with water, but I managed to stay dry by dodging and hiding behind people. When we got to Blue Blaze, I left the parade to find Mom and Dad. The fire truck in the parade sprayed water all over the place. It looked awesome, but I kept my dry distance. 

When I FINALLY found Mom and Dad back at the hotel, we walked back down to the Leki booth to pick up my poles. They replaced the bottom sections of both poles for free! Awesome!

After picking up my poles we wandered back to the park to watch the hiker talent show. So much walking, especially for my parents! My friend Squirrel and her dog Zima performed in the talent show. There was also a guy dressed like pizza juggling fire, several singers, a comedian, a hula hoop dancer, and a guy doing martial arts, among others. Some two stepping Aggies won the contest. They were pretty impressive!

Wing It, Bluebird and I prepartied in my room before prom using the bottle of Makers Mark my mom brought me. World's Best Mom! Then we walked over the Damascus Brewery for the party. None of us wore prom attire, just our town clothes. That seemed to be the trend, although some people had hit up the thrift stores beforehand. There were definitely a few old bridesmaid dresses in the crowd. The place was PACKED and there was hardly room to stand, let alone dance. It took forever to get drinks too because the bartenders were way overworked. It was the first thru-hiker prom the town has ever attempted, so I tried to keep that in mind. It didn't feel like prom at all though and we ended up leaving after two drinks. Jess, the helper from Elmer's in Hot Springs, was there and said hello to me. It took me a while to figure out who he was, although I knew I recognized him. I also ran into a girl at the bar that I followed last year on YouTube. She didn't complete the trail last year, but plans to finish the parts she missed this year. All in all, it was a very FULL, very productive and fun day.

Best Thing: Everything.
Looking Forward To: A more laid back day with Mom and Dad tomorrow.

Day #56 - Family Reunion

Miles: 10 to Pearisburg, VA
May 16

Where to begin? I got to see my parents today! After 10 miles of walking on relatively dry trails (some parts were still streams) and seeing some pretty nice view, we made it to Cross Avenue in Pearisburg where Mom and Dad were waiting. Wing It saw them first and let me get in front for the hike down to the road. I introduced Wing It and Bluebird to Mom and Dad, then we piled into their rental car for the drive to meet Bluebird's parents. We met them at the Dairy Queen in town, then drove to Nagel's Grill where we had a lovely lunch. My parents got their first glimpse of the infamous hiker hobble. When a thru-hiker sits down for an extended period of time (during a lunch break, for example), their legs stiffen up to the point where they can't really walk. You kind of hobble around like an extremely old person that just got off a horse. It's not comfortable, but it's part of my life now.

The drive in to Damascus took about two hours. We checked into the Old Mill Inn, the nicest spot in town. Our rooms are awesome! I expected to fill mine with more hikers, but it's only me and Wing It. Not sure where all of my other friends ended up, but that means more room for us! Wing It is staying on the pull out couch and I get an entire queen bed to myself! Dad went down to the front desk to get my bounce box for me. Guess who put on makeup for the first time in 60ish days?! Woohoo! Mom brought my town clothes so I got to wear real clothes including jeans and a real bra. Such luxuries! I shower, blow dried, and even straightened my hair. It looks so weird to me. Normally it's pulled back under my buff or just an air-dried, half-wavy, half-straight mess. I also opened a card signed by my relatives and a picture Joshua scribbled for me. That was great!

I discovered that my missing Mountain Hardwear delivery ended up at the outfitter, so we walked over there (Damascus is small so it was a VERY short walk) and picked up my new shorts! Love them! They have biker shorts built in so I don't have to worry about them riding up too high when I sit down. They are very comfortable. I highly recommend them! Bluebird has them too. Dad really wanted to buy me something at the outfitter, but I didn't really need anything. Or so I thought. When we left the store, none other than Gene Espy, the 2nd man to ever thru-hike the AT, was standing at the door selling and signing books! I had to have one, so Dad got one for me. I had a great time talking to Gene. He flipped through the book and explained many of the photos to us. Since you couldn't take selfies back then, he propped his hiking pole at the Katahdin sign and took a photo of that. I jokingly told him I thought the pole might have been him given how much weight he must have lost on the trail. He laughed at that. He was a really nice guy. I'm so glad to have that book. I can't wait to read it when I get back home.

I introduced Mom and Dad to my hiker friends as we passed them in town. I didn't recognize as many people as I expected to, but there were a handful of familiar faces around. I had my photo taken for some sort of thru-hiker yearbook. Not really sure what that is, but I look forward to seeing it. We walked down to tent city, where most hikers stay, and saw some cops searching a car for drugs. I've heard they really crack down during Trail Days. Apparently so.

Mom, Dad and I ate dinner at the restaurant in the Old Mill. We ordered a bottle of wine. The waitress twisted the corkscrew in, but she didn't pull it out because she said she wasn't good at it. She gave it to Dad to finish. Very strange. My steak (yes, I like steaks now) was way overcooked so I sent it back. It was still a great meal though with great company! I'm glad my parents get to meet my friends and see a glimpse of what life is like out here.

Best Thing: Seeing Mom and Dad and meeting Gene Espy.
Looking Forward To: Everything about tomorrow!

Day #55 - Woods Hole Hostel

Miles: 7.2 to Woods Hole Hostel
May 15

It's raining! It's pouring! It started raining in the middle of the night and hasn't stopped since. Thank God we did 22 miles yesterday so today was a short hike. I packed my tent up in the rain for the first time, which wasn't too bad. Knowing I'll spend the next three nights indoors probably helped my mood because I knew I had time to dry my gear before having to use it again.

Wing It and I got off to a fast start. Bluebird takes more time on the uphills so we left her behind to try to snag bunks in the hostel before the heavy downpour started. I knew several people were headed to Woods Hole that day and that even more would probably show up because of the rain. I wanted to make sure we had dry places to sleep! I could feel the water rushing down between the back of my rain jacket and my pack. There was also one flash of close lightning and thunder that made me hesitant to climb up the ridge. It was just one strike though, so we kept going. The trail turned to a river in places and my feet were soon soaked. Moving kept us warm though.

We got to the road to Woods Hole much sooner than anticipated. The guidebook (I also call it AWOL sometimes. Hope that's not confusing!) said that some people confuse a previous road crossing with the correct turnoff, so I had a hard time believing we were actually there. We allotted four hours (worst case scenario) to get there and it only took two hours and forty five minutes. Five of us ended up on the road at the same time. We discretely tried to outwalk each other to get to the hostel first.

Neville, the owner, met us on the porch and showed us the ropes. Her grandmother discovered the place as a newlywed and Neville decided to take it over when she grew up. This place is not at all what I expected, but it's not too bad. We were able to hang out wet clothes on a line on the front porch of the hostel and I hung my tent over the railing. They probably won't dry by morning, but at least I tried.

We climbed to the top level of the hostel to find beds. I snagged the last real mattress. Bluebird and Wing It ended up having to sleep on crappy pads on the floor. They still had to pay the same price though, which sucks. This hostel seems to me just like a glorified Overmountain Shelter (that big barn we stayed in during the last big storm). There's no insulation (and it's cold outside!) and there are mouse hangers over each bed to hang your food bag. Most (if not all) of the other hostels we've stayed in have had heat, beds, and solid walls with no drafts. Oh well. At least there's electricity to charge our devices. They have an awesome extra-long powerstrip with a bunch of outlets for hikers to use. Downstairs in the kitchen area they also have a refrigerator full of sodas and some hiker goodies for purchase. They also have homemade cookie bars that I can't seem to stop eating. There is a shower, but it's outside and the floor is made of gravel. It doesn't drain, so you are standing in a puddle the whole time, but it's hot water.

We dropped our laundry off at the main house. It'll be nice to have clean, dry clothes. The other day, I ordered a new wool T-shirt and a collapsible water bucket from REI. My shirt has weird black stains near the armpits (I guess from rubbing on my pack straps all day?), holes ripped in the back from a washer incident early in the trip, and is permanently twisted to the right from when I put on and take off my pack. Time for a new one! The bucket will allow me to do trail laundry and clean off DEET and sweat before bed without contaminated the water sources. I got the idea from Sprinkle Burst.

One of the selling points of Woods Hole is that they offer massages. I got my first-ever professional massage. Oh my! It was amazing and sooooo relaxing! Neville's husband did it. Anyone who massages a hiker's nasty body, especially their blistered, callused, feet, is a saint! I know I still had bits of dirt stuck to them from the walk from the hostel to the main house. I've hiked 600 miles and my body really needed the massage. My neck is still a bit stiff and sore, but I'm sure it will feel even better in the morning. Sleeping without a pillow hasn't done my neck any favors. Plus I'm pretty much looking down all day, every day. Hopefully the massage will help.

At the end of the day we went back up to the main house for a delicious dinner. Before dinner, we all held hands and went around the circle introducing ourselves and saying what we were thankful for today. I said I was thankful to see my parents tomorrow. I'm so excited! Neville and her crew made a special gluten-free, vegan version of the Mexican casserole for Bluebird. The salad they served was amazing! After dinner, we had icecream cones for dessert. It was a nice evening!

The main house:

The hostel:

Playing cards on the porch: 

Hiker map:

Day #54 - Not-So-Dismal Falls

Miles: 22 to Wapiti Shelter
May 14

I had crazy weird dreams last night. I dreamed I was Emma Stone in some sci fi movie with Miley Cyrus and Elijah Wood. The dream involved a whale with the head of an angler fish. No, I hadn't been drinking, smoking, or eating strange things I found in the woods. So weird...

It was hot today. What's new? We decided to take a break mid-morning at a road crossing to cool down and take off our packs. Bluebird has a Hyperlite Mountain Gear pack that she's exceeding the weight limit on. It's uncomfortable so she's planning on getting a new pack during Trail Days in Damascus. I invited her to try on my pack once the sweat had dried, but she tried it on right then, sweat and all! Even I didn't want to put that pack back on! It was nasty. She must really be desperate to find a more comfortable pack! She also tried on Wing It and Spice's packs. She said they were all more comfortable than hers. This whole thing took 15 minutes or so. When I stood up to get going, I noticed not one, but four deer carcasses just yards from us. I can't believe we sat there that long without noticing them. There was fur everywhere and an intact deer leg, complete with hoof, at the edge of the road closest to us. Some hunters must have dumped the carcasses there. Not the most responsible thing to do, but I like skeletons so I enjoyed looking at them. Bluebird, on the other hand, is a vegan and was horrified.

We lunched at Jenny Knob Shelter and had our first chance to fill up on water during the past 18 miles (excluding the gas station in Bland). I offered to carry some of Bluebird's pack weight since she was struggling so much today. She gave me her cook kit and fuel to carry. It wasn't much, but hopefully it helped at least a little. Spice spotted another smaller rat snake just past the 600 mile mark after lunch. Those things are everywhere.

Later this afternoon we reached Dismal Falls. The name didn't sound promising, but we had heard it was a great swimming hole. We dumped our packs at the intersection for the side trail (a blue blaze) and hiked 0.3 miles to the water. Aviator, Ygrette, Indy, and Merman were there too. The water was COLD but it felt sooooooooooo good to be able to "wash" my hair and do "laundry" (both without any soap) and cool down a bit. I still need a real shower (it's been 6 days now) and a laundromat, but it helped a little and gave us the motivation we needed to complete the rest of the day's hike. We dried ourselves and our clothes in the sun then hiked the last six miles to Wapiti Shelter. We hit Woods Hole Hostel tomorrow! I get to see Mom and Dad on Friday! It's the beginning of an awesome few days.

Best Thing: Dismal Falls
Looking Forward To: Woods Hole Hostel, a shower, and laundry.