600 Miles, With Company

600 Miles!

In the past 3 days, we've hiked about 25 miles further into Southwestern Virginia. The weather cooled off considerably, producing some nice days for hiking, and the terrain has been mercifully easy, including lots of flat-ish ridge walking.

Ridge Hiking on Tuesday.

The days have not been uneventful, however, because we've had company. Daddy's good friend, trail name Hooter, came up from the deep south on Tuesday to pay us a visit.

Hiking Trio.

Hooter is really much better at this outdoor excursion thing than we are, since he has been known to spend weeks wandering around various wildernesses looking for adventure and elusive game. In other words, he likes being in the middle of nowhere as much as we do. Better still, he is a positively endless wealth of trivia and comic relief. He seems to be an expert on Appalachian flora and fauna, and can usually identify any plant or pile of droppings we pass. When he's not educating us on our surroundings or finding treasures for us to photograph (he's much more observant than we are), he's telling us stories of his own previous outdoor adventures, most of which sound like complete hogwash, all of which are complete truth. Needless to say, I've been thoroughly entertained by something other than nice views, and it's been great having someone who actually knows what they're doing out here.

View from a ridge.

Learning about wild blueberries. Or an elusive Canadian sheep. Or my complete inability to do simple math on demand. One or the other.

Today, we hit the 600 mile mark. That's the equivalent of walking from my house in Kentucky to the Gulf of Mexico. A long way, and it was an exciting milestone. We also saw a baby fawn, found more wild blackberries, and ended our hike on a really neat suspension bridge.

AT Suspension Bridge.

AT Family.

One of the best things about having a visit from Hooter is that it comes with good food. We've had pork chops, salmon patties, breakfast-for-dinner, homemade ice cream, cobbler (again), and a campfire every night. But by far the best treat was desert tonight - biscuits covered in raw honey from Hooter's farm, which, believe me, doesn't taste like the stuff in the bear at the supermarket you're used to. Overall, a great addition to our little adventure.

Honey and Biscuits the way God intended.

Memorable Quotes:

"I have more witticisms than Carter has Little Liver Pills." -Hooter

"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." -Hooter's long distance hiking advice

These are a Few of My (Least) Favorite Things

Climbing fences. Just another day on the AT.

Over the past 3 days, we've hiked about 40 miles. Some of these miles have been better than others. On Saturday, we hiked about 13 miles from Atkins, VA to a trail crossing at a small country road. It was gorgeous out, but very hot, and I have to admit I was rather ill. I don't know if I got a little bad food, or dehydrated, but I was not all there that day. Beautiful hiking is one of my favorite things about this adventure. Feeling poorly while doing it is one of my least favorite things. The AT goes through several miles of private property on this section, so I got to see some interestingly familiar sights.

Cows in the trail.

AT Pasture.

After this beautiful fence, pasture and cow filled day, my stomach settled down a bit and we headed out for an overnight in the woods on Sunday. Sunday was another beautiful day. Still hot, but slightly cooler than the day before. There were some really tough hills to climb, but nothing I had seen before. Until we got to Chestnut Ridge. I'm not sure who is responsible for taking care of the trail at Chestnut Ridge, but they are doing a poor job. After a 2,000 foot climb straight up, the trail ventured out onto an open meadow at the top of a knob. Mountaintop meadows with great views are some of my favorite things on the trail. Mountaintop meadows of weeds taller than me, constantly hitting me in the face, and so thick you can't see the trail are not.

Weed City.

There was a nice view though.

I swear I've never been more congested than I was at the end of Sunday and Monday morning. Breathing is definitely one of my favorite things, so I wasn't too thrilled about that. I don't know how people with allergies stand it. My congestion-watery eyes-clogged ears-scratchy throat fit lasted only a few hours. I can't imagine dealing with it every day. Sunday was a nice night to camp though, and we got up and broke camp just in time for a nice thunderstorm to roll in. A nice cool breeze and a little drizzle on a hot July day might be one of my favorite things on the trail. Being drenched to the bone within an hour is not.

Downpour.

I haven't gotten out my full rainsuit since March. I had it out today. It was like hiking in a plastic bag, but it worked...sort of. By the third hour, I was wishing for something a little more durable...

"Hello, Mr. Turtle, may I borrow your shell?"

So I was drenched and alternately freezing cold and blazing hot, depending on whether I was going up or downhill. I have to say that between the giant weeds and the complete soaking, these were my least favorite two days of hiking thus far. But, it can't be all fun and games out here all the time. This is what will make me tough, and I have to take the good days with the bad days.

All it takes to get through the rough patches is a little fancy footwork.

As a final note, I did get to end my two least favorite days with two of my all time favorite things. First, we had homemade blackberry cobbler made with berries we picked at one of the trail crossings on Sunday. So delicious, it will melt all your cares away. Thanks, Trail Angel Mamma. Second, I just found out today that my first peer-reviewed journal article with my research advisor, on the research that I worked on as an undergraduate in my nano lab for four years, was accepted for publication pending minor revisions. That was some of the best news I've ever gotten, and it made my day.

Yummy celebratory cobbler. My favorite.

Quote of the Day: "If I wasn't so miserable, that would be pretty..." -Me, at the top of Chestnut Ridge.

Heating Things Up

Always take time to stop and smell the roses.

Today was a record day for heat and humidity here in Southwest Virginia. I'm not even sure exactly how hot it was, all I know was that just an hour or so into our 12 mile hike today, I was struggling. Covered in sweat and bugs, dehydrated, the whole bit. I have to admit, I wasn't feeling so well for most of the day. But it's only going to get hotter, and I have to get used to it. Note to self: next time - more water, less clothes.

VA farmland on the trail in the July heat.

Even though we were hiking through a heat wave, we managed to take in some interesting things. One of the greatest things we came across was the Southwestern Virginia Settler's Museum, which was unfortunately closed by the time we got there. We did have a chance to do a little exploring on the grounds though, which, according to the signs, hikers are welcome to do even during off hours.

Old one-room schoolhouse from the 1800s.

Inside the schoolhouse.

View of the Visitor's Center from the trail across the field.

Though we spent most of the hike walking through woods, the last mile or so was across the tops of exposed hills, and when we got there we found a true treasure - the first of the summer's wild blackberries. I was so thrilled, because I've been waiting to find some ripe ones. I love blackberries, and so does the Trail Angel Mamma.

Wild Blackberries!

Berry Hunter.

Found a good one to sample.

A bit on the tart side, but they'll be great over ice cream...

We picked every ripe berry we could find, which wasn't very much, but enough for a small baggie-full. Overheated and tired, I was truly happy to make in back to the RV for some food and some lovin' from the Trail Angel Mamma. It's supposed to rain and cool off tomorrow, and I am truly welcoming that possibility.

Found my note, got my berries, I'm in for the night.

500 Miles and Counting

500 Miles!!!

Unfortunately, poor connectivity has kept me from posting for a few days, but I am very happy to report a huge milestone we achieved on Monday - hitting the 500 mile mark of our hike. This means that we've hiked almost 1/4 of the entire trail. Not bad. We slackpacked for the past 3 days, which is always nice. We got to hike through more of Grayson Highlands State Park on Monday, and saw some familiar sights.

Reunited with my little friend. This time I had sugar cubes.

More open meadows.

We came across an interesting place Monday, called "The Scales" because they used to weigh and sell cattle there, since the cows would lose weight if driven down the mountain to market, thus making them less valuable. Now it's just a field that someone maintains for tourists, and a really excellent camping spot.

The Scales.

The next two days included some relatively low elevation hiking through some dense woods. We saw some beautiful forest, streams, waterfalls and the biggest snake I've ever seen (it was literally at least 8 feet long and as big around as a baseball....no idea what species it was...). Wednesday was the longest slackpacking day we've ever had. We hiked almost 15 miles, which usually only happens when we overnight in the woods and hike all day long. We're regularly doing 2 miles per hour pretty constantly now, which is a great pace for my short legs, and I was proud of our progress.

Comer Creek Falls on Tuesday.

Human AT Signs - Daddy's latest photography gimmick. See the symbol?

Cow Pasture on Wednesday.

Partnership Shelter on Wednesday - by far the nicest shelter I've seen so far. It even had a shower, which I gladly took full advantage of.

Now that I'm almost 1/4 of the way through the trail, I've been think a lot about why I'm doing this. It's a very hard question to answer, mostly because there are lots of emotions and many hours of thought and walking tied up in it. The easy answer is that I love being outside. I was raised outside, barefoot most of the time, at the lake. It's where I feel at home. It's where I feel most like myself. I find myself now with a year of time on my hands, to use as I please. I loved college, and wouldn't trade the past 4 years for anything on Earth. But most of those years were spent under fluorescent lights, and I was craving sunshine. On top of that, I'll never have another chance to spend this much time with my parents, uninterrupted. I recently realized that the past two months has been the longest period of time I can ever remember spending with Daddy without his beeper or cell phone buzzing. Not to mention that this is the adventure of a lifetime, and the chance to do something very few people in the world ever do, and I'm a sucker for a challenge. Beyond the obvious, there's something liberating about being here, away from normal responsibilities. It's not about running away, and it's not about escaping. But maybe I'm looking for something. Within myself, within the world, I don't know. Hopefully it's hiding in the next 1600 miles. I'll let you know when I find it.

In case you didn't catch it the first time: Human AT sign.

Happy Birthday, America

Happy 4th of July from the AT!

This glorious holiday was yet another perfect day for hiking. After a good night's sleep and a bite to eat, Daddy and I put on our best red, white and blue duds and tackled about 7 miles of beautiful trail. Most of it was exposed balds, which, next to waterfalls, might be my favorite kind of hiking. There was a nice breeze and sunshine to go with the sweet smell of freedom in the Independence Day air, and the views just kept getting better all day.

Mountaintop Meadow.

Looking at our destination.

As we got to the top of our hike for the day, the terrain got very rocky. The trail itself was littered with small rocks, which made for slow going when combined with the big boulders we had to scramble over. There were plenty of people out on this beautiful holiday, enjoying the views from the rocky outcrops just like we were.

Big Rocks.

View at the top.

Follow the rocky road.

I have to admit, that as our hike wound to a close, I was getting a little disappointed. You see, the locals, along with my guidebooks, had promised me a very special sight in this section of the trail. One that I'd been looking forward to for days, and walked 6.5 miles today without seeing. Just as we rounded the corner to head to the parking lot, and I had given up hope...

Feeding a wild pony!

There are whole herds of ponies that roam wild through the state park in this area. "Wild" is perhaps a bit of an overstatement, since as you can see, they make friends fast. Especially when you come bearing carrots. The ponies were smaller than your average horse, and came in all shapes and colors, all equally beautiful.

I call this one Bon Jovi.

And this one is Little Jovi.

This little guy wanted to come home with me!

So I got my wish to see the famous wild ponies of Grayson Highlands State Park. A wonderful end to a 4th of July hike. We spent the rest of the afternoon scouting out our pick-up spots for the next few days, and of course no 4th of July would be complete without a little celebration. I can't remember the last time I missed the Kenlake fireworks on the 4th, and I was a little sad to miss them tonight, but we had a good American meal of pizza and chicken wings, and did get to see some fireworks here. God Bless America. It's a great place to be.

U-S-A

Quote of the Day: "You look like Rambo." -Daddy, commenting on my 4th of July getup. I'm pretty sure Sly Stallone didn't have the whole swimsuit top thing going on, but I definitely rocked the cargo pants. It must've worked because a lady stopped me on the trail to ask if she could take my picture for her photography website.

Getting to Know Virginia

One of the few vistas we had on Friday.

For the past 3 days, we've been doing shorter day hikes to have some time to unwind after our 6 day adventure and to plan our next few moves through Virginia. I can't complain, though. There's a huge difference between slackpacking and getting to spend the night in the RV and overnighting in the woods. Mostly, I'm enjoying not having to carry 30 extra pounds around and getting to see my Trail Angel Mamma every night. On Friday, we hiked about 5 miles through a low elevation area right around Damascus. Not too many views, but meandering through several small streams was still pretty.

Feathercamp Branch Stream.

On Saturday, we hiked about 12 miles, and although it didn't include any big climbs to big views, it did follow a big section of the Virginia Creeper Trail, a bike path that this area of Virginia is famous for. We saw dozens of bikers of all ages using the Creeper Trail, which follows the former route of an old logging railroad, and really enjoyed the beautiful river and bridges.

Creeper Bridge.

Creeper River.

One of the best parts of slackpacking - eating Trail Angel food by the river.

Today included a 7 mile hike and the first big climb of our Virginia adventure, up Buzzard Rock. It was about an 1800 foot climb to get to the top, but it was completely worth it, even though my foot was in a lot of pain in my new boots (I've almost worn out 2 pair already).

King of the Rock.

Seeing for miles.

Perfect Pit Stop.

It's been much cooler for the past few days, and absolutely perfect weather for being outside. We made it to our rendezvous point in time to get cleaned up and go to a really nice dinner in a nearby town. Nothing beats a good steak at the end of the day, in my mind. And the one I had tonight was excellent. Southern Virginia is getting crowded for the holiday weekend, and the locals are clearly restless for some festivities. While we were driving back to the RV park, we caught the tail end of a fireworks show. Hopefully we can find some more to enjoy tomorrow.

The Trail Angel is always there, even when you can't see her.