Well, this is the end of the journey. For now, at least. While I did not reach my goal of making it to Maine, I am proud of what I accomplished and I have no regrets. Most importantly, the trail will always be there for when I am more ready, physically and mentally, to face such a daunting task. For now it's on to saving for the next adventure.
Thank you to everyone for all of the support. It has been amazing and life changing.
Love,
Sara
Friday, August 23, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Back in Business
Well, I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but here we go again. A lot has happened recently. Max got off trail, I took almost 2 weeks off to have a wonderful time visiting every one at home, and then finally got back on the trail with friends in Connecticut. So 3 days in, and I've been having a good time hiking, Connecticut is beautiful and has very nice terrain. I am looking forward to completing from here to Katahdin, even if I did miss a big chunk of trail. The trail will always be there, and I can always come back to those sections when I can, hopefully in October.
Things are looking hopeful.
Sara
P.S. I saw my first rattlesnake on my first day back!
Things are looking hopeful.
Sara
P.S. I saw my first rattlesnake on my first day back!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Maryland
Will it ever not rain? Just one day, that is all I'm asking for. Doesn't make things any easier. However, we passed quickly through Maryland and have crossed the Mason-Dixon Line into Pennsylvania!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Shenandoah, Virginia's Revival
Enjoying these wonderful days in the Shenandoah National Park. Feeling fantastic and making more miles, for instance today we did 22.6! Looking forward to Harpers Ferry for the 4th of July :)
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Back On the Virginia Grind
Getting back on the trail after zero at our friends place was one of the hardest and agonizing ventures thus far. Every time we stay in town, in the lap of luxury, it becomes increasingly more difficult to return to the trail. Even with the biggest tree on the trail we just weren't impressed. The trail was losing its luster. We were losing are will and motivation to press on. All the reasons we started the trail began to conflict with what we were experiencing on the trail. I personally had thoughts of getting off all together. It was then that I realized the only way I was getting off was if I was in Maine after summiting Katahdin. If I wanted I to end I would just have to go faster. It was then that I crossed the continental divide and was almost a symbolic halfway point. Going from south to north and from honeymoon to crucible. Realizing that the trail wasn't going to be a walk in the park and actual one of the hardest challenges was a great turning point. Since then I've actually been enjoying it a whole lot more. The next day we planned on doing big miles but we were cut short by a very windy and aggressive lightning storm. Today we had a lot to look forward to. We first got to climb Dragons Tooth ridge! We climbed up and a got a really nice view of Virginia. The descent however was a rock scramble that was very difficult and fun. When we reached the bottom we got to go to a delicious buffet restaurant just a little ways off the trail. With full bellies we another 5 miles up to McAfee's knob to watch the sunset. It was a exceptionally beautiful day and really gave a little shine back to the trail where it was lacking. After all that we hiked another mile to a shelter putting us at 17 for the day! Doing bigger miles never felt so good!
With love,
Pyress and Comrade
P.S. We saw a rock that looks like a bears head!
With love,
Pyress and Comrade
P.S. We saw a rock that looks like a bears head!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Virginia, Black and Blue
The skies have been black and we've been a little blue. Virginia's been a little hard to go through. We've been making our way little by little. It's good to be hiking with our friends nightingale, Cinderella, and Amazon! The terrains been fairly easy I think the hard part is that Virginia is redundant. There are hardly any views and just seems a little boring. The mental aspects of the trail are really starting to take there toll. Sometime it feels we have more to look forward to when we get back than the rest of the trail. Sara and I aren't quitters though and even if something sucks we always find a way to push through.
There have been some great parts to Virginia too. We met a very interesting fellow Trubrit! He's trying to build an outdoor center and a hiker haven on a property that he owns. He's a real entertainer with stories and music. We had the pleasure of partying at his place for a few nights! We had a great break in Pearisburg as well where we had AC, a pool, friends, beer, and family feud! The next exciting thing after that was a place called the captains! An older man with a nice lawn just let hikers pitch tents on his yard. You got to zip line across the lake to get there too!
The day after was quite a tale. We had planned a 17 mile day and of course we got up late and hiked through the heat and up and over a mountain. Around 5 we arrive at a shelter 11 miles in. My feet were aching real bad and I wanted to consider stopping there. I took ibuprofen to help with the pain. After the group recouped a bit we decided to move on. Moving on meant going up a 3 mile mountain. As we began our ascension it began to rain. It began to pour. We were drenched in a matter of seconds! We went for a mile and then the hunger hit. Our bellies began to roar as loud as the thunder in the clouds! We cursed the skies and our aching bellies but made sure to keep moving ourselves forward. We climbed and climbed as it continued to rain and pour. Then as we come across the top of a ridge we see a man and our friends. We hear the words "trail magic"! We wipe the fog from our glasses and look closer. The clouds even seem to clear and a ray of light shines through. Soda! Nutter Butter! Cookies! The next thing I heard was the crisp sound of and aluminum soda can opening. There I was drinking it down like I had been parched for days! I must've had two nutter butters and a soda before a man reached out his hand to me."Hi, I'm super Dave" I shook his hand introducing myself and letting him know how spectacular a circumstance it was that he was there. He spoke to us as we enjoyed his treats. He was a triple crowner and had been suppling this trail magic box during hiker season for a few years now. We had just caught him when he was doing a resupply. If we had passed 5 mins sooner there would've been nothing In that box! I remember thinking and exclaiming to everyone there " this is true trail magic, no poster sayin be here at this date and we will feed you. This was real trail magic where it's dumping rain on your ass you're hiking up this god damn mountain and you're hungry as ever, here's a soda and food have a seat"! I must've thanked super Dave 5 more times before we decided to continue to a campsite just a mile up the hill that super Dave had told us about. Sure enough by the time we got there and setup everything we had done it all just before the rain came back.
Even with that trail magic, today was a low morale day. I suggested we go into town for some morale boosting. We made plans to do 4 miles to a hostel. Along the way a man passed us by and told us " hey stick around this road for some trail magic, my sons bringing colas" that's all we needed to hear and by the time we reached the road it was there waiting for us. We sat around just making some small talk when the gentleman invited all of us to stay at his house for the night in Blacksburg! Now we're sitting in his living room watching movies drinking cokes and eating chips! We have had a very fortunate past two day. It's the days places and people like this that make the trail so special and so worth every second!
With Love,
Pyress and Comrade
There have been some great parts to Virginia too. We met a very interesting fellow Trubrit! He's trying to build an outdoor center and a hiker haven on a property that he owns. He's a real entertainer with stories and music. We had the pleasure of partying at his place for a few nights! We had a great break in Pearisburg as well where we had AC, a pool, friends, beer, and family feud! The next exciting thing after that was a place called the captains! An older man with a nice lawn just let hikers pitch tents on his yard. You got to zip line across the lake to get there too!
The day after was quite a tale. We had planned a 17 mile day and of course we got up late and hiked through the heat and up and over a mountain. Around 5 we arrive at a shelter 11 miles in. My feet were aching real bad and I wanted to consider stopping there. I took ibuprofen to help with the pain. After the group recouped a bit we decided to move on. Moving on meant going up a 3 mile mountain. As we began our ascension it began to rain. It began to pour. We were drenched in a matter of seconds! We went for a mile and then the hunger hit. Our bellies began to roar as loud as the thunder in the clouds! We cursed the skies and our aching bellies but made sure to keep moving ourselves forward. We climbed and climbed as it continued to rain and pour. Then as we come across the top of a ridge we see a man and our friends. We hear the words "trail magic"! We wipe the fog from our glasses and look closer. The clouds even seem to clear and a ray of light shines through. Soda! Nutter Butter! Cookies! The next thing I heard was the crisp sound of and aluminum soda can opening. There I was drinking it down like I had been parched for days! I must've had two nutter butters and a soda before a man reached out his hand to me."Hi, I'm super Dave" I shook his hand introducing myself and letting him know how spectacular a circumstance it was that he was there. He spoke to us as we enjoyed his treats. He was a triple crowner and had been suppling this trail magic box during hiker season for a few years now. We had just caught him when he was doing a resupply. If we had passed 5 mins sooner there would've been nothing In that box! I remember thinking and exclaiming to everyone there " this is true trail magic, no poster sayin be here at this date and we will feed you. This was real trail magic where it's dumping rain on your ass you're hiking up this god damn mountain and you're hungry as ever, here's a soda and food have a seat"! I must've thanked super Dave 5 more times before we decided to continue to a campsite just a mile up the hill that super Dave had told us about. Sure enough by the time we got there and setup everything we had done it all just before the rain came back.
Even with that trail magic, today was a low morale day. I suggested we go into town for some morale boosting. We made plans to do 4 miles to a hostel. Along the way a man passed us by and told us " hey stick around this road for some trail magic, my sons bringing colas" that's all we needed to hear and by the time we reached the road it was there waiting for us. We sat around just making some small talk when the gentleman invited all of us to stay at his house for the night in Blacksburg! Now we're sitting in his living room watching movies drinking cokes and eating chips! We have had a very fortunate past two day. It's the days places and people like this that make the trail so special and so worth every second!
With Love,
Pyress and Comrade
Time to Get Moving
Unfortunately the Virginia Blues have taken their toll on us, but after too much time in town I think we're really ready to start pushing bigger miles. Virginia has been great so far, but the honeymoon phase of the hike is long over, and keeping the mental will to keep going is difficult. However, we will do our best to keep moving forward.
Much Love,
Sara and Max
Much Love,
Sara and Max
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Trail Days and Beyond
Trail Days is a really fantastic event held in the town of Damascus, Virginia. It's a hiker festival the town hosts each year. There are gear booths and food stand and a huge campground! Thursday night Max and I got there and stayed at the campground and it was a huge party all night. We went to bed relatively early and could hear it going on for hours!
The next day Sara's parents came down and we stayed and hung out with them. It was so nice to see them and to spend the day browsing the booths with them. Max and I participated in the hiker parade, which normally a a huge fun water fight down the Main Street. This year turned tragic when I car lost control and went into the parade of hikers. Luckily no one was killed or wounded more seriously than they were. We also feel so lucky as to have been in the front of the parade away from the accident.
We spent the two nights Sara's parents were down in a cabin with them a few miles from the town. It felt nice to relax and spend time with loved ones! It was sad to say goodbye on Sunday morning, and we miss them already!
However, finally getting back on the trail felt good! We met up with YNOT2K, Rammy, and Squirrel for breakfast and to hike out with. We wanted to get on the trail with fervor and do a 14 mile day but 8 miles in we realized how taking 2 zero days can really put you out of shape! We all decided to stay at the first shelter and get out of the storm that was on the way. It rained all night but thankfully we had a spot in the shelter. The next day we decided to stay out of the storm and actually took a zero in the shelter. We were really so tired and off schedule that day. We watched as the rest of our group headed out. The next day we got on the trail with a vengeance! We pulled out 18 miles over Mt Rogers! We even got to see some wild ponies! One particularly friendly one name Salt Licker liked to nibble on our clothing. We arrived at the shelter just in time to setup our tent before a thunderstorm came rolling through! Probably one of the most terrifying nights with our tent in the middle of a field and a lightning storm above our heads! We survived and the next day we really felt good and began cranking out the miles when another lightning storm came through! It really slowed us down, so now after 11 miles we are in a shelter. Safe from the thunder and safe from the rain!
Hostel Hopping
(From about two weeks ago)
The past few days we have been hostel hopping! Going to hostels is part of the AT experience because you get to meet the people who have really devoted themselves to the trail community and get to see towns that you would've never seen otherwise!
After leaving Greasy Creek Friendly we hiked to Overmountain Shelter which is this renovated barn that could easy hold 30 or more hikers. The day after we went to a hostel, Mountain Harbor Hostel! It was a decent sized farm with a nice hostel on top of the barn. In the morning they served such an amazing. Definitely the best breakfast I've had on and off the trail! The day after we went to the Vango/Abby Memorial Hostel and got the one private room there, with a real bed and TV. The hostel in run by a very kind 3 time thruhiker named Scotty who was extremely friendly and hospitable. He had some of his buddies there who were triple crowners so there were plenty of stories shared all through the night! They were also doing trail magic and grilled us up plenty of burgers and hot dogs. We liked it so much there that we spent the next day there too! It might have been the people, the bed, or the Ben and Jerry's but Sara and I just didn't want to leave! However the next day we decide we didn't want to fall too far behind our buddies and left the hostel.
We hiked out around 10 and arrived at the infamous Kincora hostel run by the trail legend Bob People's around 4! Bob was a really interesting fellow who knew a lot about the trail. He even told us about some of the trails he plans on doing this summer! Baltimore Jack was also there cooking up food for the hikers. Two trail legends in one day! As far as the hostel was it was good for the price. We were happy to get back on the trail the next day!
We hit the trail early! The first time in awhile. It felt good being back out on the AT knowing we were going to be staying in the woods. I missed the tent believe It or not. Out of Hampton the trail goes up and down 1700 feet in a 7 mile span. One view but mostly a big pain in the butt. Before we did the climb we took a side trail to get into town for lunch. We met a very sweet lady who was so excited when she generously offered us a ride back to the trail. She asked all sorts of questions and told us how she dreamed of doing it one day. Deborah was so sweet she even offered us food and drink! A real trail angel! I gave her a big hug as we said goodbyes. Back on the trail we felt great! It must of been the full tummies and great vibes from lunch. We took our time and got it done. We got to our campsite around 430 and decided to try and hike into town for dinner! We've been treating ourselves lately. We met this strange old thruhiker. He gave us and our friends a ride back to the campsite. When one of our friends lost her hat in the wind he immediately pulled over and drive back for it. Without stopping he opened his door and scooped it up! He was quite a character and probably gave us one of our most action-packed rides thus far! Hampton is quite a place with a lot of great, kind, and interesting people. Hopefully I will see them all again at trail days!
With love,
Comrade and Sara
The past few days we have been hostel hopping! Going to hostels is part of the AT experience because you get to meet the people who have really devoted themselves to the trail community and get to see towns that you would've never seen otherwise!
After leaving Greasy Creek Friendly we hiked to Overmountain Shelter which is this renovated barn that could easy hold 30 or more hikers. The day after we went to a hostel, Mountain Harbor Hostel! It was a decent sized farm with a nice hostel on top of the barn. In the morning they served such an amazing. Definitely the best breakfast I've had on and off the trail! The day after we went to the Vango/Abby Memorial Hostel and got the one private room there, with a real bed and TV. The hostel in run by a very kind 3 time thruhiker named Scotty who was extremely friendly and hospitable. He had some of his buddies there who were triple crowners so there were plenty of stories shared all through the night! They were also doing trail magic and grilled us up plenty of burgers and hot dogs. We liked it so much there that we spent the next day there too! It might have been the people, the bed, or the Ben and Jerry's but Sara and I just didn't want to leave! However the next day we decide we didn't want to fall too far behind our buddies and left the hostel.
We hiked out around 10 and arrived at the infamous Kincora hostel run by the trail legend Bob People's around 4! Bob was a really interesting fellow who knew a lot about the trail. He even told us about some of the trails he plans on doing this summer! Baltimore Jack was also there cooking up food for the hikers. Two trail legends in one day! As far as the hostel was it was good for the price. We were happy to get back on the trail the next day!
We hit the trail early! The first time in awhile. It felt good being back out on the AT knowing we were going to be staying in the woods. I missed the tent believe It or not. Out of Hampton the trail goes up and down 1700 feet in a 7 mile span. One view but mostly a big pain in the butt. Before we did the climb we took a side trail to get into town for lunch. We met a very sweet lady who was so excited when she generously offered us a ride back to the trail. She asked all sorts of questions and told us how she dreamed of doing it one day. Deborah was so sweet she even offered us food and drink! A real trail angel! I gave her a big hug as we said goodbyes. Back on the trail we felt great! It must of been the full tummies and great vibes from lunch. We took our time and got it done. We got to our campsite around 430 and decided to try and hike into town for dinner! We've been treating ourselves lately. We met this strange old thruhiker. He gave us and our friends a ride back to the campsite. When one of our friends lost her hat in the wind he immediately pulled over and drive back for it. Without stopping he opened his door and scooped it up! He was quite a character and probably gave us one of our most action-packed rides thus far! Hampton is quite a place with a lot of great, kind, and interesting people. Hopefully I will see them all again at trail days!
With love,
Comrade and Sara
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