Most fun weekend hikers!
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
PHOTOS!!!!
Friday, May 16, 2014
To hike or not to hike? There is only one answer.
It has been a while since I last posted, but the whirlwind of the last few weeks has kept me distracted and lazy about writing. The trail life has a different feel to it now and we are enjoying the ability to take easy 19 mile days without rushing.
The days going into Waybesboro had some more hills to them and we got through some gorgeous climbs. A few days we woke up at 5am and got out of camp by 6 am. We watched the sunrise as we walked and would get at least 8 miles in by 10 am. Going into Waynesboro we had zero food and that felt rough. Some friends on the trail had been raving about this all you can eat Chinese Buffett so when we got into town our first stop was to The Ming Garden to stuff our faces and bellies. We got to take free showers at the YMCA and then free camping nearby. The next day we entered The Shenandoah Narional Park. We were not entirely sure what to expect but here is a quick snippet of our experience in what we call the Shannies. 6 ticks the first day, 3 bear sitings of their behinds running away from us, millions of nats attacking our faces and ears, easy but boring terrain, maybe 3 good views, crossed Skyline drive at least every 2 miles to see more wynabegos, saw a lot of wild flowers, and the best part was the blackberry ice cream at the weigh sides. Basically the park is set up for people to drive in and see all the pretty views. Skyline drive used to be to AT, but it makes since because they get their money from people who drive in to camp and see the sites.
The other downside of the Shannies is the second day in I got shin splints. They might not have been the technical shin splints but my ankle to mid-shin were in a tremendous amount of pain. This was not fun. Walking down every hill felt like getting shot in the shin with every step. It might have taken me longer, but I still made it to every shelter we planned on going to wether it was 24 miles or 18.
Now the real best part of the Shannies was the people we met. We got to spend a lot of time with a fellow thru hiker named TwoForks. Joules was dragging along somewhere behind us and TwoForks and I ended up walking together. We passed this place called Skyline Resort and thought we would go cook dinner outside on a table by this restaurant. We walk (I hobble) over to the restaurant and this couple stops us and asks if we are section hikers. We tell them that we are actually thru hikers. They had just finished a week section hike and were going to dinner at the restaurant. They asked if we were going to eat there and not really meaning anything by it I say "no it's too expensive we are just going to eat out here". They also noticed my hobble and asked what was wrong, I explained about my shin. I turn around to set my pack down and they come back and say "how about a little trail magic, we would like to buy you dinner here." Well we did end up having dinner with them and their friends and Joules found our note in the dirt and found us for dinner too. So to Bill, Cindy, Clay, and Kosha thank you again for an incredible dinner and great time getting to know you. You made the Shenandoah's so much better and are the highlight of our trip so far.
We had to keep moving through the Shannies and passed them because we had made a date to be in Harper's Ferry where we met my Dad, Grandma, and Uncle John. We did make it there when we said we would and felt so much anticipation on the days leading up to it. Finally making it there and to the ATC was such a good feeling. 1019 miles!! We got to take our picture and be the official 115th and 116th thru hikers to pass through! It was an awesome moment and we felt really proud of ourselves.
So we spent the next 3 days in Harper's Ferry taking care of some chores and such. We got to stay in a beautiful appartment right on the main road in town. It had great big couches, a good kitchen, a huge back porch, three bedrooms, and three bathrooms. It was decorated with some impressive antiques and funny photos. What a fabulous treat that was. On one of these days there was a really big rain that flooded everything. So much water was coming from the mountains it was insane. The streets were rivers and there were waterfalls off the sides of buildings. With all of this water the footbridge coming out of Harper's Ferry was closed. So when we were leaving we had to skip a 3 mile section and my Dad dropped us off instead up the road. It sucked that we had to miss a section, but we plan to come back and walk those 3 miles at some point.
Back on the trail we have a new state of mind. We have no big town we are trying to make it to. We already hiked halfway so we know we can hike the second half. We know we can easily make 20 miles in a day so why rush it. The trail is here for us to stroll down, enjoy our day, and eventually get to where we set out to be for the night. We are in really good shape to make our perspective end date and know that as long as we hike over 16 miles a day and only take 3 zeros a month we can make it. So by doing 20 mile days now we are doing really good. We are not in a hurry and will not be upset if we don't make it exactly on August 1st, but the stars seem to be alining pretty well for us. The weather is great, the people are greater, and the trail is super easy right now. We feel like we are getting spoiled and are almost worried our legs are going to get weak. I can't express enough how greatful I feel everyday to be out here.
As Forest Gump says "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what your gonna get."
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Some pretty sites!
Coming into Daleville
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