The End Has Come

FIrst off, I apologize that I pretty much completely dropped the ball on this blog after Damascus. I did have chances to update, but simply just got lazy. I will do the best I can to sum up our last few weeks on the trail right now.

From Damascus, we had to push hard in order to get to Hot Springs on time for Thanksgiving with the family! The miles were tough and the days were long, but we managed to get past Erwin, TN before we schemed a new plan that was much better than doing 26 miles into Hot Springs the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Tuesday was a miserable weather day, cold and rainy, and as we sought cover under an interstate overpass like a regular bunch of homeless guys (which we basically were anyways), we realized there was a better way. I called my mommy, as my family was arriving in Asheville that afternoon. The family came and picked us up 8 miles further down the trail, giving us a night in a warm, dry house rather than a cold, damp shelter. It was GREAT being able to see the family. We had a terrific time at Thanksgiving, eating and enjoying the company of family. We also slack packed 2 days, taking us the final 34 miles into Hot Springs. The weekend was capped off wonderfully with a Florida State win over Florida. Sunday, we returned to the trail, which was difficult.

From Hot Springs we just had 2 weeks left on the trail. They would prove to be 2 extremely difficult weeks, as the weather came to bear down on us pretty hard. In the last 2 weeks we walked in the snow about 7 days. It wasn't just snowy, it was absolutely frigid! In the Smokies and even after the Smokies, we walked several days in sub 20 degree temperatures. Our beards were often frozen, and nights were so cold, we were no longer warm in our sleeping bags whatsoever. We found ways to stay in towns and hostels as much as we could in that final week, because we were just not equipped for weather that cold.

Finally, on December 12, we walked our final 20 miles on the trail. It was a snowy and very, very cold. We were on top of Springer by 5 that night. Conditions were not ideal for getting off the mountain, and we ended up getting extremely lucky. Addison and I had talked to a man at a hostel who would try to come up Springer to pick us up. However, the access road was so icy, the guy couldn't make it. We ended up getting a ride down the mountain from a few good ole Georgia boys who were joy riding the access roads in the their 4x4 Jeeps! Stoker, Baby Face, and a new friend, Lone Ranger, were extremely lucky for this, as they had slack packed to Springer and had none of their gear to keep warm. We got down off the mountain to a Dollar General in Elijay, GA, where our fallen companion Wolfman came and picked us up. It was an odd end to such an amazing journey.

I'm home now, and it is great to be back with family. Things are definitely a little strange feeling. It's odd having more possessions than just what fits into my pack! A room full of stuff is very overwhelming. I know that the full effects of our journey have not sunk in yet. I am excited to keep learning from it, and discovering things about myself that I did not realize before.

Thank you so much for all of the support! I couldn't have done this without the people who were behind me the whole way. Here are some pictures from the end, enjoy!

DAMASCUS!

Hey there from Trail Town USA, Damascus, Virginia! It's a beautiful little town that is synonymous with the AT because of Trail Days, a giant AT party that is thrown here every year for hikers. However, Damascus is even more special to me for 2 reasons: we are done with the state of Virginia, all 535 miles of it, and we are now only 463 miles from Springer Mountain! It's funny how perspectives change while on the trail. 3 months ago 460 miles seemed HUGE to me, and would have been an accomplishment to walk. Now I hear 460 and realize I'll only be on the trail for another 3 weeks (provided I don't have a trip ender in the next 3 weeks).

Virginia has been wonderful. We have been snowed on, sweated out hot days, and we even got to walk with some ponies! From here we go into Tennessee, where we will be at elevation for quite some time, around 5,000 to 6,000 feet for days at a time. It's going to get cold again, but it's still very exciting.

As usual, I recommend checking Addison's blog, which I'm sure will be updated later today, because he is just better at this whole thing than I am. That's www.addisonshockontheat.blogspot.com.

Only 9 days and I'll be getting picked up for Thanksgiving with the family and I CAN'T wait!

Love you all,

Tail End

719 Miles to go!

Hey everybody! Current location, Daleville, VA, approximately 2/3 of the way through the state, the longest on the AT. It is pretty surreal to think that we are at this point, and also very exciting!

No major news to report other than one sad piece of news. Our good friend and hiking companion, Wolfman, had to come off of the trail yesterday. While slicing the pit out of an avocado, his knife slipped, and stabbed him in the hand. The cut went so deep that he clipped a tendon, rendering his pinky unmovable. He flew home today so that he can have surgery, and with 2 weeks recovery time plus 6 weeks of rehab, he will be unable to join us again. We are all pretty bummed, and it definitely served as a reminder that this trip can end in an instant. We all have to be careful each day.

Currently we are 250 miles from Damascus, VA, the last city in the state on the trail. From Damascus it is only another 200 miles to Hot Springs, where I'll get to see my family for Thanksgiving. From Hot Springs, it is 270 miles from the summit of Springer Mountain, GA, the final stop of our journey! When broken down that way, it is amazing how quickly this journey will be drawing to an end (hopefully not too soon though). Thank you for the continued support!

Tail End

Less than 800 to go!

Sorry it's been so long since my last update, it's been awhile since I have had time to get to a computer.

We are in Virginia now! Actually, we have been in Virginia for a little while. On October 9, 3 months and 1 day after we began on Mt. Kathadin, we got to Harper's Ferry, home of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. There we officially registered as SOBOs. I was the 79th SOBO to go through this year. Being at the ATC meant that our hike truly became official, and it was the first time I truly realized the immensity of what I set out to do. Our pictures and information will be in the archives at the ATC forever (whether I finish or not, but I'm definitely finishing!) and that makes everything feel more real.

That night in Harper's Ferry, my Uncle Jim came and picked up Addison, Churchill and I for a night in a bed, and some college football! I'll never forget when he walked through the door of the ATC, as he had found us without even calling me, definitely a highlight of the trip, especially with the slack pack Aunt Maureen took us on the next day! It was definitely good getting to see more family. It was even better when I got to eat Firehouse Subs for the first time in over 3 months!

The Monday we left Uncle Jim and Aunt Maureen, we went and spent the week with Addison's parents. They drove up from Mississippi, picked us up and took us to a campground in Shenandoah National Park. They fed us a ton of good food, took us on a slack pack, and gave us time to really relax. It was wonderful, thank you Shocks!

Since then, we have been making miles through Virginia. We are currently in Glascow, having gone through all of Shenandoah and heading further and further south. My main goal now is to be in Hot Springs, NC in a month, enjoying Thanksgiving with the family!

Anyways, I hope that I can get to a computer again soon and keep you all updated, thanks for all of the support!

Tail End

Halfway there baby!

Woo! We are at mile 1,059, aka halfway done with the trail! We have come a long way, but we do still have a long way to go. I know it has been awhile since I have updated so I will try to get you all filled in.

After leaving New York City, we continued on our trek to New Jersey. Now the one thing that I heard about New Jersey since I was in Maine was that there are lots of bears in Jersey. All of the NOBOs we saw said that the number of bears they saw on the trail doubled in Jersey. Well I didn't see a single bear, so I was pretty bummed. That's 2 states now that I haven't seen the animals that I was told I would definitely see. Never saw a moose in Main or a bear in Jersey. Oh well. Actually it's 3 states, because I have not yet seen a rattlesnake here in PA as I was told, but I'm not too upset about that one.

Anyways, we had 2 really good experiences in NJ. First, we did a 20 mile day with lots of lolligagging, meaning we walked slow and took breaks the whole day. Around 6 o'clock we still had 6 miles to go, and resigned ourselves to night hiking to finish the day at the shelter we set out for. Well as we were going up Sunrise Mountain, the sun was going down, and when we reached the top, we got to see one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. We were perched over a valley on each side, and as the sun dipped below a distant ridge, we sat in peace and just enjoyed the beauty that God laid out for us.

It was the next day that our next big adventure took place, as we aqua blazed on the Delaware River. Our day started normal, planning another 20 miles of hiking. After 3 miles, however, we came to a little sandwhich shop at a road, and stopped for a bite to eat. Stoker and Wolfman, the perennial schemers, sat down with their map as they usually do to see what kind of trick they could pull off that day. Addison called it when he said,"The only thing that can come out of this is something so ridiculous none of us will see it coming." It wasn't long before they said we should canoe the Delaware River. Addison and I are both purists when it comes to the trail, we want to hike the whole thing, however, the idea of a canoe trip down the Delaware sounded like an adventure we couldn't pass up. The Delaware runs parallel to the AT, so it was perfect. We found a ride to the canoe outfitter (see the video on addsionshockontheat.blogspot.com)and spent the rest of that day and the next canoeing down to Delaware Water Gap, the beginning of PA. We saw bald eagles, ran rapids, and just enjoyed a nice change of pace. It was truly beautiful.

From there we began PA. As we were preparing to leave the hostel in DWG, we were told that in fact, there was no water in all of PA. This would pose a problem, and also give us an excuse. Because we couldn't find water, we had to and visit Stoker's friend at Lehigh University. We were just going to go for Friday night, however, it became a college football 0.

Since then things have been wonderful as well. Except for the 0 we took in a shelter due to a tropical depression dropping 6 inches of rain on us.

Once we got to Duncannon, we met up with my cousin Todd and his wife Patty, who let us stay a night at their house. We had the best ribs I have ever tasted, and my grandma and uncle came to visit. It was great. Then we woke up this morning to 45 degrees and rain. As we looked at our books scrambling for a better plan than what we had, Patty said we could hike and then come back again tonight, and so that's what we did. Then at dinner tonight, they said we should do it again tomorrow! We have been extremely blessed by their generosity, and we are incredibly grateful for the slack packing and all of the food we have been given, not to mention warm showers and a bed. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Anyways, in a week we will be in Virginia with Addison's parents, which is exciting. And that's pretty much all I have for now.

Much Love,

Tail End

Hey Everybody

I just wanted to give a short update on where I am and what not. Currently I am in Hamburg, PA, 970 miles from Kathadin. We plan on being in Duncannon, the "halfway" point of the AT on Saturday morning. When I get there, I will have a much more detailed post of our recent adventures!

Tail End

Greetings from NYC?

While I suppose this might come as a shock, it is true. In the middle of my journey through the foothills of Appalachia, I have ventured into one of the largest cities in the world, New York City! While I have only been in the city for a few hours now, I can say for sure that I am in a somewhat of sensory overload. I came from a place where I only need walk in a straight line, everyone smells bad, there are only a few people I see each day, in other words, a place drastically different from NYC. I did find one thing somewhat similar, however. Jessica and I went to the top of the Empire State Building, and the views up there reminded me much of the views from mountains such as Washington and Kathadin (if you take away all of the buildings and replace them with wilderness).

It has been nice taking a break from the routine of the trail. After getting rained on for the better part of the afternoon on Monday, we got picked up by Wolfman and Stoker (who had gone into the city earlier to surprise their families) and taken to Stoker's house. There, we got to watch Monday Night Football, and sleep on soft cushions, after a feast of pies (that's Jersey for pizza). It was heavenly. The best part came, however, on Tuesday, when I went to pick Jessica up from the airport! It was incredible to see her, and it is so nice to be spending time with her now, even though she sometimes has a hard time looking at me due to my new physique, as I look like a different person than the one she dropped off at the airport 2 months ago!

We came out of the woods about 6 miles from the New Jersey border, which is great news, because the state of New York is a pretty crappy state to hike through on the AT. The trail is generally in ill repair, with trash strewn about, loose rock everywhere, and pointless ups and downs (PUDs in trail talk) abound throughout the state. In other words, we can't wait to get into New Jersey, a state that several NOBOs we talked to claimed as their favorite. As we get into Jersey, the hills go from rolling, to non-existent, at least until Maryland or Virginia, so the next few hundred miles should fly by, as we typically average 20 miles a day now.

I forgot to mention that we took a little detour in Peekskill, NY, an impromptu 0 day! This past Saturday we were sitting at a gas station on a road that the AT crosses, when someone said "We should get a hotel room and watch football all day," half joking. Well the idea stuck, and that's just what we did! We laid in bed from 1 until the next morning, with the exception of a dinner break, watching football. It was wonderful.

Oh, I guess I didn't write much about Connecticut, but that's ok, because there wasn't much interesting to say about it.

Well, I hope this blog update finds you all well. Thanks again for all of the support, I love you all.

Tail End