Living a blessed life

Before setting out on this adventure we heard about the Virginia Blues. This is when hikers get to Virginia and feel like the state is lasting forever and they get depressed about it. We have decided that those people must be pretty dumb because this state has been so incredible. If you get too caught up in the big picture there's no doubt that it will be depressing. It is the little things that are important. It is getting excited about small accomplishments and sites. Like we passed the biggest oak tree in the southeast the other day. How cool is that? It is called the Keffer Oak. Or passing 700 miles. We keep ourselves happy by appreciating everything and knowing how much we are achieving everyday. 

One cool thing that happened to us is seeing our first bear! We were quietly walking along this 14 mile ridge top when Marly calls from behind me "what's that?". Well it was a baby bear running across the trail about 200 yards in front of us. We stood there and watched it run from the right side of the trail to the left and then back where it came from. It was actually really adorable, but just as you are probably wondering we wanted to know where mama bear was. In trying to figure out what to do Marly says we should make noise and walk quickly by and that I should start singing. The first thing that came to mind was "the sun will come out tomorrow." So there we were nervously walking by singing "tomorrow" at the top of our lungs. Some of the lyrics might have changed to "the bear won't eat us tomorrow!" It was pretty funny we thought at least. Our first bear encounter was perfect!

Whenever a moment comes when we don't know what we are going to do next exactly or how we are going to get somewhere it always works out. The most recent of these times being that we heard great things about this restaurant called The Home Place Restaurant. It was 1.5 off the trail so we needed a ride there. We walk into the parking lot set our packs down and not 1 minuet a lady pulls up to us and asks if we need a ride. Turns out she is a former thru hiker and loves helping out in any ways she can. She also didn't mind that we were soaking wet from it raining all day. 

The people out here are so amazing and the kindness we have received has been magical. Sitting eating a bunch of amazing southern food, dirty and wet in this nice restaurant a woman and her daughter come up to our table. She lays a bill slip on our table and says "your meal has been paid for because you are thru hikers". We were in such shock we didn't know what to do but say thank you over and over. We took a picture with her and gave her our blog info. When she walked away we just sat there staring at each other and might have teared up a bit because we couldn't believe it. This woman just paid for our meal for no reason. Her son thru hiked the year before and they just enjoyed helping out hikers. How could you ever get the Virginia Blues when people in this state our so generous? Not to mention how beautiful it is out here. 

We feel so blessed to be out here. A few days ago we decided to wake up at 3:30 am to hike 2.5 miles up to McAfee's Knob to watch the sunrise. It was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen or experienced. A true once in a lifetime experience that I feel so honored to have done. When was the last time you watched the sunrise? Get outside and see one because they are worth the little sleep the night before. 

Love to all :) 

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. 

Settling in

It has been over a month now on the trail and things are becoming routine. Marly came to her comfort place on the trail before I did and shared her realization. It took me another week before I understood what she meant. 

When people ask where we are from, often they will ask after where do we live now. Marly always answer "I live on the trail now". We know that's not what they are really asking, but the truth is that these woods are our home. 

Life is simple out here and it took a month to relax into the trail to really enjoy and appreciate that simplicity. When I go to bed at night I don't have to think about homework or chores or stress at work. I know that tomorrow all I have to do is walk. Yes, maybe there will be a big incline or a rocky cliff, but I will get past it like I do everyday. Maybe to some people the idea of having nothing to do but walk sounds boring and repetitive. To us it is wonderful. I have time to think, really think and remember stuff I haven't thought of in forever. For instance today I'm pretty sure a bug flew into my mouth while I was walking uphill and it reminded me of that children's song we used to sing that went "there was an old lady who swallowed a fly, I don't know why she swallowed a fly". I spent the next hour trying to remember all the animals that went down her throat.

The point is that I love it out here, we love it out here. We have met some pretty incredible people and have made some great friends already. I have heard about all sorts of peoples lives before the trail and it's thrilling learning the reasons why people are out here. One guy just retired from being a minister, one guy quit his corporate job, one guy just got out of the army for the past 9 years, one guy is about to go to med school, one guy has been a trail angel for years and wanted to know what life was like as a thru hiker, one girl took time off from her outdoor therapy job for some time in the woods, and one guy is hiking to Katadhin where he his spreading his wife's ashes. But whatever the reason for being out here we all have one goal one purpose. We are connected to each other by our chosen lifestyle. We decided to be out here in extreme weather conditions, busting our butts up and down mountains all day, and hurting all over. It is not our job to complain about the situation we are in. It is our job to accept the difficulty, work through the pain, and love everything the trail brings. 

There is so much to be thankful for in life, but right now I am thankful that I have a opportunity to be out here walking my way to Maine. I am thankful I have enough money to do such a crazy thing. I am thankful for two strong legs and feet. I am thankful for supportive loving family and friends. And I feel blessed to be carrying my Granddad's ashes on this adventure. 

So all in all we are doing great out here. Spring is arriving, we have hiked over 350 miles, we have almost completed our first 3 states, we are seeing and hearing all sorts of birds, and we look forward to what the next day brings. 

"To the Smokies and beyond!"

It is hard to believe it has been 14 days since Franklin. So much has happened in the past 2 weeks, but almost at the same time not a lot has changed. 

What has not changed is this: we are still living in the woods, we still hike over 10 miles a day, we still are eating about the same food although Marly is tired of peanut butter, we still are cold at night, our knees still hurt, we are still singing as we walk, we still crave pizza and chocolate, and we still are having fun!

What has changed? Well it has been 2 weeks of hiking so we've been getting some good miles down everyday. We past through the NOC which was fun because we ran into a fellow hiker G-walker and his wife Linda. They bought us breakfast and we had a good time chatting with them. It was a rainy day with lots of fog and we hiked out of the NOC up a very long steep hill. When I say hill I really mean mountain! 

That night we stayed in a 16 person shelter with 18 people in it. It was crowded but very warm! The next day we went over the dreaded Jacob's ladder in the fog and rain again. Out plan was to only go 9 miles to the next shelter, but when I got there and all my friends had kept going I decided to hike the extra 6 miles as well to the next shelter. 

I have this reoccurring sequence of events happen, granted it's only been twice, but it feels like a lot. My knee and leg will start to really hurt me as it did this day, I call my mom upset because I think I have really hurt myself this time, I then call my physical therapist and he tells me to rest, ice, and stretch and that I will be fine. So through the pain and reassurance from my PT I managed the next 6 miles and had some happy friends unexpected to see me. 

The day after that was 6.6 to Fontana Dam plus 1.1 to the shelter where we found one of our favorite people there, a trail angel named Fresh Ground! We saw him back at the beginning of our hike but this time was so much better. We had 3 incredible meals with him and have never been so full. It was beautiful at the shelter looking over the dam and the sun was out too! We also got to take showers! 

Our next adventure was the Smokies. We all set out the next day ready to concure and so we did. We put in the miles and crossed over the highest point of the AT Clingmans Dome. We made it to Newfound gap by Friday afternoon where a wonderful woman who might have been my mom picked us up and took us to Gatlinburg, TN. 

When we got there the guy at the check in desk to our hotel have us warm chocolate chip cookies, we might have screamed in excitement. We got to take showers before going into a glorious hottub that made us feel so much better. That night we went to Bubba Gumps for some great food and entertainment. But it was off to bed pretty quick after that. The next day we went to Mellow mushroom for lunch and walked out after to live bluegrass and free shots of moonshine. We also might have met the guys from that show Moonshiners, I didn't know who they were but Marly walked right up and introduced herself and I followed having no idea what was going on. We had some pretty incredible beds to sleep in and got some great sleep. 

Back to the smokies we go through the rain. The next day was beautiful and sunny, but cold. We made it to the last shelter in the Smokies and that night we got a little bit if snow. The next morning we walked just a mile down to Davenport gap where we found ourselves some trail magic! Such an awesome couple who gave us a good resupply, hot chilly nachos and coffee. Out of the Smokies we felt a lot more relaxed and just a few days to Hot Springs. 

Well that day it started snowing and that snow got pretty intense. We ended up walking through the snow storm. It was fine because most of it was a slow uphill, but once we started going down it was really slick. I ended up slipping and sliding down the side of the cliff not once but twice. Thankfully the snow was there for a soft landing and I didn't hurt myself. I got to the shelter at about 5:00 and by the time I set up my stuff and ate dinner everyone was in bed sleeping because it was so cold out. 6:00 bedtime is pretty early, but considering it was that cold there's really nothing to do but to go to sleep. 

The next morning was really rough because it was so cold. We didn't want to get out of our sleeping bags so instead we snuggled up in the shelter and ate food until about 10:30. The hike that day was through the insane snow in some places piled up to 1.5 feet. So for me it got up to my knees. It was hard walking through but thankfully we only went 13 to the next shelter. We got to go over this place called Max Patch. It is my favorite view so far on the trail. The scene was so beautiful and all of the hills were covered in snow.

That night was cold as well but we knew that we would be in Hot Springs the next day. This day ended up being beautiful and sunny. A little cold at the beginning but it warmed up and we had a beautiful walk down into Hot Springs. The local community center provided a potluck dinner for hikers and had some live music too!

A few photos!

A rainy morning

Winter wonderland of ice

Rock stair case up Blood Mt

Coming down Blood Mt on sheets of granite

Pretty view

Yup

Hiking friends on Albert Mt

Home sweet home

Ups can be hard but the downs hurt

Back on the trail again after a good night sleep in Hiawassee. We only had 6 miles that morning but it was a little bit harder getting back in the groove. We got to stay in a beautiful shelter that night and watched both an incredible sunset and sunrise on Tray Mt. 

The next day was to be our biggest mile day yet of 12 and a big portion of it was downhill. Some would think that downhill is great, but in the hikers world we would rather have uphill then down. This is because of most humans weakest bodypart...the knees. When you go down mountains there can be large angular steps and small rocks that roll under your feet and slick roots that twist the ankles funny. With 11 miles downhill and a lot of pressure on the knees it was a very painful day. 

I caught up to Marly which never happens because one of her knees was really hurting. I gave her my knee brace because mine were holding up at the time. We finally got one big uphill and found a man named Tater handing out sodas on top of the big hill. It was only 11:30 and had 6 miles left. It should have been really easy, but those downhills caught up to my body and the pain in my left IT band and knee was intense. Some weekend day hikers passed me limping down the mountain and asked if I was alright. They were so kind and gave me a whole bottle of IB proffen and an ace bandage. They even offered to carry my pack down the hill to the next gap. I couldn't let them do that but I took the painkillers and ace bandage. 

I did make it down the mountain and Marly was waiting so patiently for me. We then hiked 1.1 more miles to the next campsite on a beautiful mountain. It was a bit windy but we managed not to blow away. 

Day 9 we got to cross our first border!!! Back in my home state of NC goodbye Georgia. It was not a bad hike to the border of about 8.5 miles but I did go really slow to not push my leg. Marly waited for me at the border and we took some good pictures. After that only 3 miles to the shelter, but 2 very steep hills to climb to get there. 12.5 miles that day!

We have been making some great friends along the trail and a lot of then were there that night. We make fires every night and have been having some great times around the fires. 

Day 11 the plan was to hike 8.5 and then 7.5 the next day into Franklin, NC. But all of out friends were doing 12.1 to Rock gap and then 3 ish the next morning. So we changed our plans which turned out to be great! 

This day we climbed up the intense peak of Albert Mt and at the top was our 100 mile marker!!! We hung out on the top for a while 1 because of the great view and 2 because these nice spring break hikers gave us food! We made bagels with tomato sauce and cheese slices and salami for the meat eaters. What an awesome lunch! The 6 miles down to the next shelter were not too bad but the knees started to hurt toward the end of the day. 

It was the warmest night yet on the trail and all we had to do was hike 3.5 to Winding stair gap (which didn't actually have any winding stairs...). It was raining a little but at least it was warm. We got up early and started to hike in order to make the 11 free shuttle to the Budget Inn. When I arrived (last of the group) all my hiking buddy's were missing. Turns out they were sitting on the shuttle bus waiting for me. I got there at about 9:45 and the 9 bus had stopped for my friends who arrived before me and the bus was fine waiting for me to arrive too! 

What a nice shuttle bus driver! When we got to the Budget Inn we ran into some of our other hiking friends who are a day ahead of us! It was such a wonderful reunion and we were so glad we got to see then again.

It has been an interesting community of people on the trail. Everyone is so nice and you are instant friends. You end up spending 2 or 3 nights with the same people and you feel like best friends. You hike and cook and sleep with the same people and get really close really quick. It doesn't matter how much you really know about them because you know what you have shared together. I have learned and gained so much already from the folks around me on the trail and we are only on day 13. I can't imagine what I will learn in the next weeks to come and I am stoked to find out! 

Next adventure is the Smokies! Can't wait to see what these beautiful mountains will bring us! 

100 mile marker

100 miles down!!