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!

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

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

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!