What a wonderful town! I'm on my THIRD zero day (hehe...) and will be hitting the Trail again tomorrow, but stopped back by the ATC headquarters in order to use the computer. I purchased new boots and a new pack online (both of which I badly need) and should be getting them in a few days. I can NOT wait! The tread on my boots has worn nearly away after 1015 miles and it makes rock-hopping a little dangerous as it gets really slippery. My pack is and always has been way too big for me and it's too heavy and smelly and all around just a pain. Ugh. I will let you know how the new gear works out.
Dad, Becky and mom came to visit me in town, which is a beautiful historic village. Look it up online. Lots of Civil War/early US history here. We walked around and ate and looked at the beautiful buildings and rivers. It was a very memorable visit.
So how does it feel to get half-way? Amazing. :) Yet then I look back on the time I've spent on the Trail and realize that although it seems like my life is totally different and March is a million years distant, in actuality these three months have flown by and it will all be over in another three. Pretty soon this will all just be a time to look back on- a distant memory. I'm not sad about it yet, as it really hasn't sunken in... but I can start to understand the tinges of what I might be feeling when I step up to that sign at Katahdin.
Virginia claimed a lot of thru-hikers this year, as far as them quitting the Trail. It was just too hot. So our ranks continue to thin. I was hiker 506 to reach Harpers Ferry this year, and the guys here at the headquarters say that 50% will not reach Katahdin. I still feel as confident as the day I set out... time will only tell. :)
I got sick again in the Shenandoahs- something in the water I drank I guess. I haven't been treating the spring water I drink (it just tastes too fresh) and I think there was some privy run-off at the first shelter I got to. Without saying too much, let me just tell you that I couldn't keep any food in my body, nor water, and so actually really wondered aloud if I was going to die as I rolled around in agony all evening on the forest floor. BC actually said "I don't know", which wasn't the most reassuring comment from a friend. I sent him on ahead of me the next morning, as I didn't want to hold him back or gross him out with my constant retching/bathroom usage. He ended up doing 20 miles that day, and I BARELY crawled 8. That day ranks among one of my worst not only on the Trail, but in life, and the only day on the Trail that I've contemplated hitch-hiking to avoid doing miles and (only for a moment) quitting it altogether. It took me 8 full hours to do 8 miles. I didn't eat anything, and actually felt my body using muscle as fuel. I can't tell you what that felt like, but I understood where I was getting the energy to hike up mountains and it didn't feel right.
But, as you know, I DID NOT die or quit... !!! I recovered the next day and, luckily for me, had multiple restaurants to look forward to as the Shenandoah National Park is full of them. So I hiked by myself (always a day behind BC, reading his entries in the shelter logs every night) and ate all I wanted for a few days until I was back to full health (but 5 pounds lighter).
While BC and I were hiking alone through the Park he was lucky enough to have multiple bear sightings... even watching for 30 minutes a female rip apart a tree for grubs as her 2 cubs wrestled and climbed trees nearby. I was SO jealous to read of that in the register. I lamented to some friends that I would NEVER see a bear, not even one of the hundreds in the Shenandoah, and tried to get it in my head to accept the fact. I sulked down a grassy path near the shelter in search of the spring to fill my water bottles, and had FINALLY come to terms with having seen no bears, when (hahah!) I turned a blind corner to the spring and saw a fuzzy black mass in front of me, not 15 feet. It was huge, head down and drinking noisily from the spring. :) My heart leaped not with fear but with joy! I silently and slowly backed away about ten feet, coughed lightly to alert it to my presence, and watched as it quietly ran away up the mountain, stopping once to scope me out before heading on. I later saw another (younger and more curious) bear on the Trail, but my first sighting was wonderful and at the most coincidental moment. I loved it.
So, BC and I finally met back up our last night in the Park. We both enjoyed hiking solo so much that we continued to do so, but still seeing each other throughout the day on breaks at at night at the campsites. When you hike alone you don't have to rely on anyone, have anyone rely on you, and can take breaks whenever you please. When I walk alone I am filled with happy thoughts on life in general/life after the Trail and often dream of things to come (jobs/things I'll do in my free time). Of course, hiking with someone has its benefits as well, but after 800 miles of hiking behind someone it was refreshing to find my own pace, realize my own strength, and see the Trail as if I were the only one on it.
I've been taking many pictures and will upload them when possible, but it has been very hard the last month or two to find a place that will allow that or to even find the time in my day. Most places allow only 15 minutes of computer time, which probably wouldn't even be enough to let me upload ONE picture, let alone multiple. I will post them to facebook when I can (and if you haven't seen them, there were some I put on there from central VA a few weeks ago).
Speaking of 15 minute limits... I've been here at the AT headquarters now for 3 hours and probably should leave (though I'm having fun trading one-liners with the staff and volunteers). This is a GREAT place and if you're ever around the Harpers Ferry area I'd recommend stopping by.
Till next time! Pennsylvania, here I come...
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
First Half of Virginia
I know, I know, I know! It's been waaaay too long since my last post. But let me tell you, it is NOT easy to find internet access when you live in the woods and have almost ZERO free time! :) So, all apologies... but please forgive me.
I don't think I've written since Damascus, which seems like a long, long time ago. In fact, I think it was a little over 300 miles ago. And, to put it another way, in "Trail time" it was YEARS ago. Even things that happened last week or a couple days ago seem too long ago to remember. Every day really is its own adventure.
I will go ahead and admit that I lost my camera right before I hit the most beautiful section of the trail I've hiked yet: the Greyson Highlands. Ugh. Too bad, huh? The Greyson Highlands is the section of Trail in lower Virginia that basically extends from its highest point, Mt. Rogers, for just a handful of miles. However, it really feels like you're in a whole other part of the country. As I walked through, all I could think of was old westerns and cowboys and the deserts of California. It was rocky and scrubby and very beautiful. However, the absolute best part were the wild ponies. Not to mention the newly born BABY wild ponies. Not only did I get to see the baby ponies, I was lucky enough to actually PET one! Haha! It was scared at first, but since its mother was calmly browsing nearby and since I snuck up nice and slowly, it didn't run away and let me scratch its back. In fact, the look on its face told me it actually ENJOYED my petting it. :) !!! Or maybe that's just what I'd like to believe. But not having my camera is just reason enough to go back again one day and hike the Highlands. Preferably in spring when the baby ponies are out...
Not long after leaving the Highlands I got sick... like really really sick. I think I had either a sinus infection or the flu. Either way, I was craving antibiotics like I never have in my entire life (and that's saying a lot for a girl who hates medication). But, since I don't have insurance and there weren't random doctors wandering around in the woods, I got no medication. I just had to take it easy. BC and I still hiked the trail, but our miles slacked off a bit and we took one entire day off from hiking where we just camped by a desolate country grocery store. It allowed us easy access to food and free showers. And since the only way for me to get any relief from the sinus pain and headache was to be in the shower, I think I took about 10 in the 30 hours that we were there. After a day we had to move on, but we came upon Woods Hole Hostel within a few miles and stayed the night there. Woods Hole is probably the most famous hostel on the entire trail... it was founded in the 80s by a couple who took in hikers in their old 1880s cabin. The granddaughter of that couple runs it now with her husband (who stopped there during his 2005 thru-hike). They specialize in organic gardening, cooking, healing arts and massages. It's a very hippy sort of place. In fact, Amanda Wikan: if you read this please look up the hostel online. I thought of you and Jono the entire time I was there. I think you two need to visit because I could really see the both of you running something like this up in Iowa. Anyways, the granddaughter, Neville, cooked some amazing food, and I've honestly never had a fresher salad than the one I ate that was plucked from their front garden. I also did meditation with Neville and another girl right before retiring to bed... and I'm surprised that anyone reached relaxation with my sniffling the entire time (stuffy nose), but somehow I think we did. Oh! I almost forgot... Dad sent me a camera to Woods Hole, which I was ABSOLUTELY EXCITED to receive. I will take extra special care of this one and not leave it loose in my pocket. :(
So the last week and a half or two weeks has been spent traversing the area of Virginia leading up to where I am now: Glasgow. Don't be surprised if you haven't heard of it... there are probably 800 people living here... but it's the first town I've come to in awhile that has unlimited internet and in which I have more than an hours' free time. And I have reached a very important milestone this week: I'm 1/3 of the way through with the Trail. Can you believe it?! In fact, I'll soon be in Harpers Ferry, which while not the EXACT halfway point of the AT, has always been the symbolic halfway point. Hopefully (and I'm keeping my fingers extra-crossed for this one) my mom and dad and brother can find the time to come visit me when I arrive, sometime in mid to late June. It will be great to see a familiar face on the trail as I haven't really seen friend or family for almost three months now.
The Trail through Virginia has been gorgeous, and summer has definitely arrived. Everything is glowing green, and recently the temperatures have been in the 90s... much to our horror. I can't tell you how hard it is to hike the crest of a rocky mountain carrying 35+ pounds with a noonday sun beating down on you and humidity so thick you can feel it. Oh, and did I mention the constant drone of thousands of flies, gnats, mosquitoes and other bugs flying around the Trail, into your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc. I have so many bug bites I look like I have chicken pox! Nothing really keeps them at bay, either. Guess I'll have to learn to live with it. But summer has brought much wildlife and flowers, too. Some parts of the Trail look like planted Japanese rock gardens, with the moss-covered boulders and the bonsai-looking mountain laurel in bloom. It really is gorgeous. BC and I have seen lots of animals as well... in fact, we ran right up on a fawn curled up and hiding only about a foot off the Trail a day ago. I almost didn't see it, but when I realized what I was looking at I gasped and put my hand to my mouth, I was that shocked! It blended in perfectly with the leaf litter and was totally silent and small, just lying there instinctively waiting for us to pass. It was beautiful. Maybe even better than baby wild ponies... ;)
I'm in the process of trying to upload some pictures now, but my camera is nearly out of battery (of course) and I don't know how many I'll be able to get uploaded before it dies. I'll post some soon, I promise.
Just want everyone to know I'm doing well and mileage-wise, am still on track to finish the entire Trail by late September. There's no reason to rush it... who doesn't want to see New England in fall colors? And aside from an unforeseen injury, there really is no reason that I see that I WON'T finish the Trail. I'm not bored and have no thoughts of quitting. So if you don't hear from me in a while, it just means that I can't get to a computer... NOT that I've gotten off the Trail!
Until next time. :)
(Waynesboro, maybe?)
I don't think I've written since Damascus, which seems like a long, long time ago. In fact, I think it was a little over 300 miles ago. And, to put it another way, in "Trail time" it was YEARS ago. Even things that happened last week or a couple days ago seem too long ago to remember. Every day really is its own adventure.
I will go ahead and admit that I lost my camera right before I hit the most beautiful section of the trail I've hiked yet: the Greyson Highlands. Ugh. Too bad, huh? The Greyson Highlands is the section of Trail in lower Virginia that basically extends from its highest point, Mt. Rogers, for just a handful of miles. However, it really feels like you're in a whole other part of the country. As I walked through, all I could think of was old westerns and cowboys and the deserts of California. It was rocky and scrubby and very beautiful. However, the absolute best part were the wild ponies. Not to mention the newly born BABY wild ponies. Not only did I get to see the baby ponies, I was lucky enough to actually PET one! Haha! It was scared at first, but since its mother was calmly browsing nearby and since I snuck up nice and slowly, it didn't run away and let me scratch its back. In fact, the look on its face told me it actually ENJOYED my petting it. :) !!! Or maybe that's just what I'd like to believe. But not having my camera is just reason enough to go back again one day and hike the Highlands. Preferably in spring when the baby ponies are out...
Not long after leaving the Highlands I got sick... like really really sick. I think I had either a sinus infection or the flu. Either way, I was craving antibiotics like I never have in my entire life (and that's saying a lot for a girl who hates medication). But, since I don't have insurance and there weren't random doctors wandering around in the woods, I got no medication. I just had to take it easy. BC and I still hiked the trail, but our miles slacked off a bit and we took one entire day off from hiking where we just camped by a desolate country grocery store. It allowed us easy access to food and free showers. And since the only way for me to get any relief from the sinus pain and headache was to be in the shower, I think I took about 10 in the 30 hours that we were there. After a day we had to move on, but we came upon Woods Hole Hostel within a few miles and stayed the night there. Woods Hole is probably the most famous hostel on the entire trail... it was founded in the 80s by a couple who took in hikers in their old 1880s cabin. The granddaughter of that couple runs it now with her husband (who stopped there during his 2005 thru-hike). They specialize in organic gardening, cooking, healing arts and massages. It's a very hippy sort of place. In fact, Amanda Wikan: if you read this please look up the hostel online. I thought of you and Jono the entire time I was there. I think you two need to visit because I could really see the both of you running something like this up in Iowa. Anyways, the granddaughter, Neville, cooked some amazing food, and I've honestly never had a fresher salad than the one I ate that was plucked from their front garden. I also did meditation with Neville and another girl right before retiring to bed... and I'm surprised that anyone reached relaxation with my sniffling the entire time (stuffy nose), but somehow I think we did. Oh! I almost forgot... Dad sent me a camera to Woods Hole, which I was ABSOLUTELY EXCITED to receive. I will take extra special care of this one and not leave it loose in my pocket. :(
So the last week and a half or two weeks has been spent traversing the area of Virginia leading up to where I am now: Glasgow. Don't be surprised if you haven't heard of it... there are probably 800 people living here... but it's the first town I've come to in awhile that has unlimited internet and in which I have more than an hours' free time. And I have reached a very important milestone this week: I'm 1/3 of the way through with the Trail. Can you believe it?! In fact, I'll soon be in Harpers Ferry, which while not the EXACT halfway point of the AT, has always been the symbolic halfway point. Hopefully (and I'm keeping my fingers extra-crossed for this one) my mom and dad and brother can find the time to come visit me when I arrive, sometime in mid to late June. It will be great to see a familiar face on the trail as I haven't really seen friend or family for almost three months now.
The Trail through Virginia has been gorgeous, and summer has definitely arrived. Everything is glowing green, and recently the temperatures have been in the 90s... much to our horror. I can't tell you how hard it is to hike the crest of a rocky mountain carrying 35+ pounds with a noonday sun beating down on you and humidity so thick you can feel it. Oh, and did I mention the constant drone of thousands of flies, gnats, mosquitoes and other bugs flying around the Trail, into your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc. I have so many bug bites I look like I have chicken pox! Nothing really keeps them at bay, either. Guess I'll have to learn to live with it. But summer has brought much wildlife and flowers, too. Some parts of the Trail look like planted Japanese rock gardens, with the moss-covered boulders and the bonsai-looking mountain laurel in bloom. It really is gorgeous. BC and I have seen lots of animals as well... in fact, we ran right up on a fawn curled up and hiding only about a foot off the Trail a day ago. I almost didn't see it, but when I realized what I was looking at I gasped and put my hand to my mouth, I was that shocked! It blended in perfectly with the leaf litter and was totally silent and small, just lying there instinctively waiting for us to pass. It was beautiful. Maybe even better than baby wild ponies... ;)
I'm in the process of trying to upload some pictures now, but my camera is nearly out of battery (of course) and I don't know how many I'll be able to get uploaded before it dies. I'll post some soon, I promise.
Just want everyone to know I'm doing well and mileage-wise, am still on track to finish the entire Trail by late September. There's no reason to rush it... who doesn't want to see New England in fall colors? And aside from an unforeseen injury, there really is no reason that I see that I WON'T finish the Trail. I'm not bored and have no thoughts of quitting. So if you don't hear from me in a while, it just means that I can't get to a computer... NOT that I've gotten off the Trail!
Until next time. :)
(Waynesboro, maybe?)
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