Posts (page 2)

Hi everyone!

Jared and I have been in much better spirits since being back on the trail. My foot feels much better, but still flairs up every once and awhile. Even so, the milder terrain of Virginia has allowed us to increase our average miles. Back in Georgia, 18-20 mile days would've been unthinkable...but now they've become the norm. And the weather! Finally (!) the couple weeks of snow and cold have passed...the temps have been in the 70-80s with cool breezes, which is ideal hiking weather.

After leaving Damascus for the second time, we passed through some of the loveliest terrain of the whole AT. The trail took us over Mt. Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, and through Greyson Highlands State Park for a couple of days. It felt as though we woke up to find ourselves in Montana...the ridges were exposed and grassy, providing that "big sky" effect, and we watched groups of wild ponies (one of the reasons that this region is famous) roam the countryside. The weather was still pretty cold and windy at this point, so clumps of snow still persisted on the ridges. Snow always makes hiking a lot more challenging, and since it was in the process of melting, our shoes got soaked....but you can't argue the fact that it made things even more pretty.

Once through the Greyson Highlands, the weather got a little warmer. I took of my jacket, hat, and gloves in the first time in a long time (or what felt like a long time). We met up with many fellow thru-hikers over the next few days, as everyone seemed to have left Damascus at around the same time. Everyone pooled together at the famed Partnership hiking shelter. This shelter is special because of its proximity to a road and ranger station with a pay phone. A town is located a few miles down the road, making it possible to order pizza to the shelter....this is the _only_ shelter on the whole AT where it is possible to do this, and we all took advantage of this novelty. Once the pizza arrived, all talking stopped...we were so focused on eating. Then a huge thunderstorm rolled in to shake things up a little bit. We got drenched, but hiked fast to make it to a motel near Atkins, VA where we could stay dry. Parents of one of our fellow hikers, "Biscuits", met up with us and provided food the following night. These guys were so friendly and welcomed all of the hikers to share the food that they brought. 

Since that last motel stay, we've been hiking for 5 days to make it to Pearisburg, VA. Most of this time we have been walking high up on the ridge, with views of farmland and rolling hills to the west and east. Yesterday, we hiked over a suspension bridge crossing a large river. It was hot enough to warrent a swimming break, and we figured "we deserve it". What a wonderful change from the blowing snow only a week prior!

So finally, this brings us into Pearisburg, VA...approximately 25% through the state. This town is only 20 miles away from Virginia Tech (in Blacksburg) and you can tell that this town has been hit hard by last week's horrible shootings. Ribbons and signs decorate every street and business.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well! We are in feeling good and are happy with our progress. 

Much love,

maribeth (aka dirty blonde) 

Just a quick post from the Dirty Blonde. Unfortunately, we are back in Damascus :(

We left Damascus on Friday 4/13 (Friday the 13th) and hiked 15 miles. Woke up the next morning and hiked 8 miles to a road, and made a difficult decision to hitch back into town. For about the past week, I have experienced pain in the arch of my right foot. Ignore it as I may, the pain worsened when we started hiking again. I'm sure it's nothing, but will see a Dr. tomorrow to be on the safe side. We've heard some horror stories about hikers blowing off pain when, in fact, something serious is going on (like a stress fracture, or severe plantar fasciitis). Another bad weather system moved into the mountains last night, and this also influenced our decision. As I look out the window, I can see blowing wet, heavy snow coating everything. Hiking through snow drifts with a bum foot wouldn't be a great idea.

I think both Jared and I are a bit sad today over our loss of momentum. But don't worry! We'll be back on the trail before you know it.

love, maribeth

Erwin, TN to Damascus, VA.

Day 1, Erwin, TN:

After slackpacking 27 miles into Erwin we were beat.  We decided to take a day off and stay at Miss Janet's House (one of the most famous hostels on the trail).  We had a good time socializing with other hikers.  We got in bed by 10pm, but Miss Janet and other hikers decided to drive to the "Beauty Spot" and bestow some trail magic (a case of beer) on some hikers known to be camping there.  Meanwhile, a hoard of rowdy hikers stayed behind. I had to laugh at the impossibility of sleep. Finally Miss Janet (a former preschool teacher) came back and imposed order on the children, but we did not get to sleep until 2am.

Day 2:Erwin to Low Gap (15 miles):

We hiked along the rapids of the Nolichucky River, up into the hills and over Unaka Mountain.  It was a beautiful sunny day, but the wind picked up and the temperature dropped precipitously at night.  

Day 3: Low Gap to Hughes Gap (stayed at the Greasy Creek Friendly) 13miles:

We woke up to a frigid morning and cooked breakfast while pacing with numb hands.  We made it 8 miles to Greasy Creek Gap where we happened across a sign for the Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel a little ways off the trail.  The sign warned us to beware of the irrate neighbor whose dogs are ferocious but contained by a fence.   We wanted to hike continue hiking, but stay the night out of the cold.  We walked to the hostel without harrassment from the neighbor and met the CeCe (Connie Cooks and Cleans), the hyperactive hostel owner.  She talked our ear off about her recent divorce and her neighbor over veggie burgers.  She told us that her neighbor has threatened hikers with baseball bats in the past and she called the police.  He does not threaten violence anymore but is still a nuscience.  This season he ripped down her sign on the trail and replaced it with "Closed for business." Apparently, when he knows that hikers are staying at the hostel, he rides his lawnmower out to get his mail at 4am where he blasts a stereo and bangs pots and pans.  There are no nuscience laws in North Carolina so as long as he is on his property, he can get away with it.  After lunch, CeCe drove us 5 miles up the trail and we slackpacked back to her place, sneeking around barns so her neighbor would not see us, for a good night's sleep.                  

Day 4: Over Roan and Bald Mountains to 19E (18.5 miles)

We started off the day climbing over 2000 feet up Roan Mountain (6,200 feet).  The frozen spruce/fir forest at the upper elevations resembled the north country.  After Roan we climbed a series of beautiful high elevation balds.  The frost heaving from the previous night had thawed creating slippery, muddy trail conditions.  The wind was howling and the snow started falling as we climbed the exposed Hump Mountain.  We descended the mountain gradually over rocky trail and made it to Mountain Harbor Hostel before it really started snowing.

Day 5: 19E to Abby's Place (12 miles)

The temps stayed below freezing all day and 6-12 inches of snow had accumulated on the trail.  We were the first to hike this section of trail after the snowstorm so we were blazing trail.  It was difficult to follow the trail in the morning because it was not well blazed and followed a network of logging roads.  Luckily we were hiking with a group  (Monkey, Cocoa, and Flick) that had a map. The snowy scenery was serene, but the hiking was difficult.  Each step required much more energy and it was a long 12 miles into Abby's Place.  Upon arriving we were disheartened to see that Abby's place was a tool shed turned hostel, with no insulation and wood burning stove.  The funny thing was he had many luxury amenities such as satellite TV, internet, and free long distance phone service.  The hostel owers were extremely nice down to earth folks and we spent much time in their home keeping warm.  We learned that Ken had hiked the AT twice, the international AT stretching from Florida to Quebec, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Long Trail in Vermont.  His step father followed him for many of these treks in his RV allowing him to slackpack long miles and stay in a warm bed at night.  This was the coldest night yet (single digits) and unfortunately the power went out in the bunkhouse leaving us without heat.  We compensated by sleeping close in the same small bunk, wearing all of our clothes, and wrapping the body of our tent around our sleeping bags.  We were able to sleep comfortably. 

Day 6: Abby to Kincora (12 miles)

The snow gradually melted off the trail and we had a relatively easy hike into Kincora Hostel.  It was Easter and also happened to be my 25th birthday.  We were blessed to arrive 15 minutes before a huge Easter Feast was to be served.  There were 20+ hungry hikers and everybody had heaping plates of seconds and even thirds.  We ate until we burst and then had birthday muffins over a spirited game of Euchre.  It was an ideal way to spend my birthday.

Day 7: Kincora to Vandeventer Shelter (17miles)

We climbed though the rocky and scenic laurel fork gorge to Laurel Falls.  We then ascended and descended Pond Mountain to Watuga Lake.  We stopped for lunch at the lake, heard a dog barking, and "Golden Boy" shouting for help.  The dog had cornered him.  I ran to see if the dog belonged to a neighbor near the lake and found that somebody had let the dog free to assault passing hikers. The dog finally bored of harrassing GoldenBoy and he slipped away.  After lunch we hiked around the lake and up onto a ridge with no sign of the dog.   

Day 8: Vandeventer Shelter to TN421 (18 miles)         

Easy breezy ridge walk though some pretty Tennessee pastureland

Day 9: TN421 to Damascus, VA (15miles)

The winds were sustained at 20 mph with gusts to 40.  We had to lean into the wind to stand up straight.  We crossed the state line into Virginia, the longest state on the trail (533 miles).  We have walked 459.5 miles and have now completed Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.  We have walked merely 21% of the trail, though from what I have heard the southern section is more difficult than the middle sections encompassing Virginia and the Mid Atlantic states.  We are slightly behind schedule right now, but expect that after we climb over Mt. Rogers 15-20 mile days will become the norm. 

What an incredible journey with so much more to come!

Backbend (Jared)      

Wow! We got slapped with a cold spell after we left Erwin, TN...the temps have been in the single digits and teens at night, and I don't even want to know the wind chill. We have been "hostel hopping" as much as we can...hiking far enough during the day to get to one of the few hiker hostels in the area, just to stay warm. It's only a $15 difference between being cold and miserable or warm and toasty...easy choice. We've met some cool people at these hostels, and I'll write more about it when we get into Damascus, VA (and we have some beautiful cold-weather pics to upload too!).

So yeah, this is just a quick post to say that we are doing pretty well.

love,

dirty blonde

Hi,

We are at Miss Janet's hostel in Erwin, TN. 

On the AT people are given trailnames that encompass some trait or experience unique to the hiker.  Other hikers refer and remember each other by their trailname.

Mb's trailname is "dirty blonde"
Jared's trailname is "backbend"

Our hiker friends names are hellbender, jonny hand, freight train, stash, remix, invisible man, night rider, anonymous, etc.

First full day of rain on April 1st.  The trees have not yet leafed out and the wild flowers have exploded in the last week.

April 2nd we met "hellbender's" friend at Sam's Gap along a road.  She volunteered to carry our packs to Erwin, TN, the next trail town.  I carried a few supplies to carry us through the day, about 10 lbs in total.  We slackpacked 27 miles to Erwin. We had to hike fast to make it before sunset.  We were torn up and exhausted by the end of the day, but we made it.  We are taking it easy today.  We'll hike 5-12 miles today out of Erwin.  It supposed to storm tonight.

North Carolina Balds
The forest service and the people of North Carolina love bald (treeless, grassy) mountain tops.  We've hiked over a number of balds since entering the state most notably Max Patch and Big Bald.  They were originally created by grazing animals and insect damage that prevented tree and shrub regeneration.   Now the forest service maintains them with a mower and a chainsaw.

Our next stop is 71 miles at Kincora Hiker Hostel.  After that we will hike another 50 miles into Damascus, VA.  

Hi everyone,

I write to you from the trail town of Hot Springs, NC. The AT actually leaves the woods for a little bit and goes straight through this little town. We're taking a day off at the legendary Elmer's Sunnybank Hostel...which is actually more like a fancy bed and breakfast with gourmet meals provided (at dirt cheap thru-hiker rates!!). I fantasize about food all day long, so now I get the chance to give into my cravings (ice cream, beer, cheese, oranges). There are quite a few thru-hikers taking a day off here as well. You can tell us by looking at us: walking around town in our Crocs and raingear (because we're all doing our laundry), unshaven, disheaveled, happy. Some kids mouthed the word "HIPPY" to Jared from a school bus window...we cracked up.

We are 2 days out of the Great Smokey Mountains Nat'l Park, a 70 mile stretch of the AT that boasts the highest elevation of the entire trail, and also one of the greatest bear densities of the entire country. The Smokies have given us some of our best sceanery so far, in spite of it's notorious air pollution haze....the mountains get more rugged and rocky, the ridges a little steeper, and you see more variation in vegetation (southern Appalachian beech gaps, fir stands, grassy patches left over from old pastureland). It's an accomplishment to be through this section. That's not to say that the hard stuff is behind us, there are several more notorious sections to come.

We have been very fortunate with the weather (I think, anyway). We've only had one real day of rain in three weeks, and a little thunderstorm last night. No rain makes for pleasant hiking, but I would worry if this pattern were to continue...our water sources depend on rain to keep them going. A drought makes drinking water hard to find.

Let's see...what else...our morale is generally good. Jared and I have bickered over mileage and pacing and food, but that's about it. For the most part, it is a relief to hike in a team. We have a good partnership...sharing the weight, checking each other for ticks, encouraging each other and laughing about stupid things.

Check out some new pics! Send some kind words! We'll probably be able to post again in a week (Elmer, TN) or two (Damascus, VA).

Much love,

maribeth :)

The wildflowers are beginning to come out one by one and it's a wonder to see the seasons change before our very eyes.

Hi Folks,

          We are taking a "near zero" day in Franklin, North Carolina.  We have walked the first 100 miles of the trail.   

Highlights:

We finished the 76 miles in Georgia in seven days under sunny skies and mild temps.

Three parties of AT hikers have bestowed "trail magic" upon us.  The first in Georgia where "Chief" and "Christmas" served us hot chocolate before a difficult climb up in the Raven Cliffs Wilderness.  Another guy in Georgia asked us if we were thru hiking, we replied "we're trying," he waited in silence for a moment, walked to his car and offered us a bag of apples saying "don't be shy now."  In North Carolina Fishin Fred, Gatorade, and Rum Runner served us lemon lime soda and biscotti.  Fishin Fred claimed that biscotti is a superior to snickers for enduring long climbs.

"Git Fiddler" and "Five String" serenaded us with blue grass banjo, guitar, and vocal hamony at shelters for two nights.  They played "dueling banjos" from Deliverence and sang about getting sentenced to life in prison without parol at age 21.  They are attempting to hike the trail with their instruments on their backs.      

We got severely ill with a stomach flu our second night in North Carolina.  Maribeth was feeling nauseous about 2.5 miles away from the next shelter and  got sick on the trail.  I helped her to the shelter, but I fell ill soon after arriving.  We could not hold down any food or water all night and got very little sleep.  "Slipper" offered us a day of extra food and "Duck Walk" fetched us some water for an extra day stay at the Carter Gap Shelter.  Luckily the illness passed in 24 hours and we were able to walk to Franklin.  We've met many great people, strangers who have been unconditionally generous.  We believe we contracted the illness from a sick person in Hiawasee, GA, although it could have been brought on by bad water or food.

Before the trail I was complaining of knee pain.  My knees have not really been a problem, but my back has been hurting.  I take my pack off and stretch my spine often and so far the pain has been managable with a little help from Alleve.  This early in the long walk I worry that these little aches and pains will get enflamed and will end the adventure prematurely, but then I realize that many other hikers have health ailments, so I am not suffering alone.  We continue to walk and take it day by day.        

I am learning to pace myself with Maribeth. I believe we are getting stronger and the next 100 miles will be easier.  We will be in Smokey Mountain National Park next week.  We will probably post again when we arrive in Hot Springs, NC

Buon Voyage!

Jared  

So...it's already Tuesday and we're still at Jane's house in Alabama. Jared tried to "fluff" his sleeping bag in the dryer last night and all of the down filling settled into the bottom. The sleeping bag was on its last legs anyway, so we needed to visit the hiking store one more time before we went to Georgia.

The store opened at 10 am...they didn't have the correct size....we headed to another store...got a little lost....and by that time it was 11:30 am. This means that Janie would have to drive through rush hour Atlanta traffic with 3-4 hours of night driving (which she can't do). We made a very good decision (I feel) to leave early tomorrow morning instead.

Long story short, we'll be hitting the trail tomorrow, Wednesday 3/7...probably less flustered than if we had left today.

And thanks for all of the encouragement! You guys are the best (smile)!

much love,

maribeth

We are about to embark on the Long Walk from Georgia to Maine.  It has been three years of dreaming and planning.  I first heard about the Appalachain Trail from a graduate student attending classes at the University of Michigan Biological Station.  She had many harrowing tales and beautiful pictures to share that inspired me.  I liked the idea of seeing the country on foot, experiencing the natural rhythms of the seasons, and pushing my physical limits.  Maribeth shared these passions and we set our minds to getting to the trailhead.  

Originally we had hoped to hike the trail last summer 2006, but we did not have adequate time to raise money, find a job, and apply to grad school.  So we pushed it back another year.  It was a good decision because we both held down jobs at Harvard as research assistants, applied and got accepted to a grad program in Botany at U. Florida, acquired the right gear on employee discount from REI, and raised the funds.  We were surprised at the astounding cost of storing and moving our personal belongings during the trail so we sold it most of our stuff on Craiglist and Amazon and packed the rest of it in Maribeth's car.  It is liberating, but we will have to restart when we move to Florida.           

For the past 4 days we have been staying with Maribeth's older sister Jane and her family in Birmingham, AL.  It has been wonderful to relax, heal, and recharge after moving and preparing.  I have been going in their hot tub twice a day.  Jane will drive us to the trailehead (Amicalola State Park, GA) on Monday March 5th.  Their hospitality has been our first experience of "trail magic".    

I am cautiously optimistic about our adventure.  For the past three weeks I have been experiencing pain in my right knee.  I feared that my knee would get enflamed on the trail stopping our adventure short.  I went to the doctor yesterday and he stated that the pain resulted from my bowed legs improper tracking of my kneecap.  He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and physical therapy to strengthen my inner quads and loosen my hips.  The pain has been steadily decreasing since arriving in Alabama giving me hope that it will be manageable on the trail.  

Eighty to ninety percent of all people that attempt a thru-hike in any given year fail to make it to the end for various reasons.  Maribeth and I plan to take it in small steps, mile by mile, shelter-by-shelter, town-by-town.  I hope that we are able to enjoy the entire five months that we have allotted on the trail.  Getting to Katahdin is optional.  

We'd love to have some friends and family hike a leg with us. Please e-mail us and make some arrangements!  We will not have cell phones but there will be many towns along the way where we can check e-mail and make phone calls.           

Send some love,

Jared