Kickin butt!

After 2 zero days with my parents and my dog in Damascus (well technically Abingdon) we were feeling well fed and rested. The first day back on the trail was rough though. It's so much harder to get moving after sitting around for 2 days. But we have been making up for it. In the past 8 days we have done about 155 miles. We did our first 20 mile day in the rain, sleet, and snow mix, but the day before we got to see the wild ponies in the Grayson Higlands. We did out biggest day of 23.8 which we arereally psyched about. When we reached the side trail to the shelter we might have started running and screaming down the hill to get there! So we are really proud of ourselves and our feeling pretty awesome. Our feet and backs feel the damage at night when we are trying to sleep, but somehow we still want to get up and hike another 20 miles the next day. 

One thing that I have been thinking about with this blog is how disconnected I feel with whoever is reading it. It is not so much that I care how many people are reading it, it is more knowing who is out there. We talk to our families all the time and I know they read it, but I would love to hear from everyone else. We got our first letter from my friend Dan and I could not tell you how awesome that was. So please write us back on this blog little messages or send my parents something in the mail so they can get it to us wherever that may be. 

Now for something else I have been working on. If you are thinking about hiking or have been wondering what benefits trekking poles give you I have some answers!

1. What they are intended to be used for, to help propell you up hills and keep you from slipping down them

2. Poking things like squishy moss 

3. Getting leaves stuck on them and making a game out of trying to step on the leaves to get them off

4. Flinging sticks on the trail out of your way

5. To pick up trash, which would probably be easier to bend down and pick up but it is more fun to see if you can do it with your poles

6. To get frozen bear bags out of trees

7. Using one pole to pick up the other or to pick up a friends poles

8. Hitting them together makes great drums for the songs you sing while walking

9. To get spider webs out of the way on the trail

10. When walking on the road it is fun to pretend that they are batons! 

We are having a great time out here and loving life. We our so greatful that we get to have this opportunity.