An Attempt to Sum it All Up

The trip is over and the only thing I can think is that it will take me a long time before I can completely process this journey.  The peaceful days of hiking, the stillness of the woods, and the fresh smells of the wilderness will always be calling me back into the mountains.  I feel that I have learned a lot of lessons that will stick with me and give me the endurance to get through challenges I face in the future.  After days and days of hiking with Dr. Bundy, 3 Stoves, and Renaissance, I’m sure that the friendships formed will last a lifetime.  I have learned much of God’s faithfulness and was blessed to have grown so much over this trip.  I have learned to be more disciplined and to stay in the Word daily (Psalm 119:105).  The amazing views and the beautiful sections of woods I saw pointed to how glorious our God is to create such beauty.  It will take me time to digest all that happened on the journey and I am afraid many of you will have to let me know you are tired of hearing my stories about the trail in the future.  If any of you has the opportunity to hike this trail, I would strongly encourage you to do so as it was the most unique, spontaneous, and challenging adventures that I have ever had.  I look forward to the days, months, and years that lie ahead to reflect on this odyssey.  The end of this trek has left me craving for more and I believe will always lead me to ask, “What adventure is next?”

Final Update

Ben posted the information below on his facebook page. Given that some of you readers don't have facebook, I decided to post it here. Enjoy his final post before the end of his epic journey!

"I made it through the Whites and southern Maine which were definitely some challenging sections of trail, but also some of the most beautiful. I am headed into the 100 mile wilderness tomorrow and will be camping at the foot of Katahdin on Saturday! It's bitter sweet to see the end of this adventure but i miss family and friends and my body is pretty exhausted so I can't wait to come home. The SOBOS (Southbounders) we have been passing are covered in bug bites so i know some challenges lie ahead with the mosquitos and the black flies. Lord willing I will have the endurance to make it the rest of the way. The final 114.5 miles of my journey starts tomorrow which will include some pretty remote wilderness so i am very excited. My family will be coming up to pick me up and to hike the last 5 miles up Katahdin with me in just one week! Thanks everybody again for your continued prayers and support, I pray and think about you often and can't wait to see you when I'm home."

Mom's update

Ben has not had computer time so I hope I can give you some sort of update.

Ben and Nicholas have finished New Hampshire’s White Mountains gladly. Ben said it “kicked their butts”. This was very difficult hiking with huge elevation change. In addition, much of the trail is above tree line and the weather can change quickly. They did get caught in a storm but were thankfully below tree line and were able to take cover under some evergreens dodging the hail and lightening. It passed over in about 30 minutes then it became cold and windy. The temperature dropped 30 degrees. They had been hiking in shorts and t-shirts.

Thank goodness they were past Mount Washington before the weather became too wicked. Mount Washington is the site of the highest recorded wind speed, ever-231 mph! Snow falls on this mountain during every month of the year. Through the crackle of a cell phone, I understood Ben to tell me that some hikers apparently were stranded there.

Along the trail in New Hampshire are found “huts”. Huts offer hostel quality accommodations, but at hotel prices! But the first couple of hikers can “work for stay”. Ben and Nicholas were fortunate to make the cut off, and traded some free labor for a place to stay and food.

They crossed over the Maine state line on June 3. At this point they only had 280.9 miles to go! The end is in sight. Especially now that they made it over Mahoosuc Notch . This part of the trail is famous for ice found in deep crevices throughout the year. It’s a scramble under, around, over and between the boulders. It is known as the most difficult mile on the trail. When I talked to Ben he confirmed this. According to Paul “Ole Man” Renaud the owner of the Appalachian Trail Lodge and Cafe where we will be staying in Maine when we pick up Ben, this part can take from 1-3 hours, dependent on conditions. Ben and Nicholas covered it in about an hour. Ben said “it’s like caving on top of the ground”. He sounded more exhausted than I’ve heard him so far. He’s heard that it’s “downhill” from there but he still has the 100 mile wilderness to tackle.

They are scheduled to resupply in Rangeley, Maine on Tuesday, June 7. Rangeley is about 220 miles from the summit of Mount Katahdin. They are tired and I hope they can focus so there are no injuries. The end is close and the target date is still in sight.

Prayers are still much appreciated and needed.

3 weeks to go!

My mom spoke with Ben today and had this to say, "Ben and Nicholas are staying at Mountain Meadow Lodge which enables them to get their clothes washed, a shower and a tent platform. They were hoping for a hot meal but you can only get so much for $8.00. It has been raining on them so much and their shoes are constantly wet and very uncomfortable. The hiking is pretty boring so they are looking forward to the White Mountains. They should be in Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College, by Thursday.

They only have 484 miles to go! They will try to summit in mid June. That's the plan right now. Of course, that can change."

Going from Wilderness to City Life

     We are moving along and have made it into our 11th state of 14 states that we will enter on the trip.  A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks so I will try to sum up the events in a nutshell. 
     First I should mention that I have been hiking with a guy named Renaissance for the past 3ish weeks.  He is actually from Marietta, Georgia and graduated from my high school just 5 years before I did.  He has been a really awesome addition to our group hiking and we've had a lot of great times since we all started hiking together.    
    When we reached New Jersey a little over a week ago, 3 Stoves' aunt and uncle took us in for a night, gave us a bed to sleep in and great food to eat.  As if this wasn't generous enough, they let us borrow their car to take into NY city for the day.  Once again I am amazed by how giving people can be to thru hikers.  Though I was excited to head to the Big Apple, the traffic to get there was quite terrifying.  I'm used to Atlanta traffic back home so I know that part of my anxiety was due to the lack of exposure to city life.  After reaching the city and finding a parking spot we decided to do what we do best; we hiked to the south of Manhattan.  We stopped by ground zero and I was amazed to see the construction occuring to make both a memorial to the twin towers and in making a new world trade center building.  Nearby was a small museum recounting the events of 9/11.  It gave me goosebumps to imagine the craziness of that day and I was moved by the stories I read of acts of bravery people carried out to save others.  The visit to ground zero definitely gave me a greater appreciation for our country.  From there, we walked down to Battery Park and saw the Statue of Liberty, watched a street performance, took the subway to times square and walked around there, went up the Empire State Building, and finally found a really cool brick oven pizza place before heading back to New Jersey for the night.  It was a very eventful day off the trail and we were all more tired after being in the busy environment of NY City than we are after hiking a 25 mile day on the trail.
     When we got back on the trail, 3 Stoves had arranged plans that he wanted us to try to make it to.  He is raising money for research for diabetes found in kids so he was going to meet some diabetic kids and family members to walk a 1 mile section of the trail.  In order to make it to this walk with the kids, we had to hike 25 miles a day for the next week to get to Massachusetts where the walk would start.  And so we pushed heavy miles for a week straight and were so excited to make it to the arranged walk except not even one of the diabetic kids showed up.  Of course we gave 3 Stoves a hard time for this but we were happy to get to hike with his family members and friends for a few miles in Massachusetts.
     3 Stoves goes to MIT in Boston so once again we headed to the city to see what there is to see.  Again I was quite anxious on the car ride there but it was much less stressful than our trip to NY City.  Boston was very cool and I loved how historic the buildings were.  We enjoyed walking around the city and got to go to an REI for the first time since the start of the trail.  After touring the city we said goodbye to Renaissance as he had to catch a flight home for a wedding he was attending.  It was sad to see him go after hiking almost a month on the trail with him but he's from Georgia so we will get to hang out after the trip luckily.  We headed back to western Mass. where 3 Stoves' house is.  Once again we had quite a eventful zero day and it is supposed to be raining tomorrow so we decided that we should take another zero day tomorrow lol.
     With a little over a quarter of the trail left I am begininng to realise that this trip isn't too far from its end.  A thing I've learned from the trips to the cities over the past week and a half: adjusting to the busyness of normal life after the trail will take some getting used to.

Ben arrived in New Jersey

Ben arrived in New Jersey sometime yesterday. On Friday, he and the crew are making a trip into New York City via train.

A Mom's Perspective

You've heard a brother's and a father's perspective, naturally, here is a mother's perspective:

A Mom's Perspective

I knew when Ben started talking about taking time off from school to hike the Appalachian Trail that he was serious. He had planned out how much money it would take, how long it would take him, and the equipment he would need for this hike. Jim and I talked about it and agreed that the time was right for him to go. It quickly became fascinating to me and closely watched and listened to Ben as he planned. As the time grew closer the weather was unusually warm for the end of February and I had this feeling he would be leaving soon. And he did. February 26 Jim and I drove him to Amicalola Falls where I took lots of pictures of his beginning hike. While Ben was registering as an official thru-hiker I walked outside to the beginning of the trail to take more pictures and as I looked at the sign that read Spring Mtn. to Katahdin, Maine 2,188 miles tears came to my eyes as I realized it would be a long time before I would see him and that he would probably be greatly affected by this journey. As I hugged him goodbye I wanted to cry but held it back. I was truly happy and excited for him. I was very happy that Matthew would be hiking the first few days with him and that he would not be alone.

All I could think of every day was Ben on the trail. Where was he, what was he seeing, what was he eating, how did he feel and who was he meeting. He didn’t have great cell phone service so I was thrilled when we did get a call from him. I was telling Ben that God would be so glad when he finished this hike because he was sick of the constant prayers he was getting from me and lots of others. lol. That was all I knew to do - pray. I looked at maps and the trail guide book which became new reading material for me every day. Jim was also consumed with these thoughts as well. Every night we tried to figure out where he might be. A friend of mine, whose husband had hiked the A.T., told me it would be this way but that it would get easier as time went along. She was right. It did get easier but the prayers continued and reading the material too. I’ve started reading books by people who have hiked the A.T. and can’t get enough about it.

I was so happy when he met up with some guys just before the Smoky Mountains. They hike about the same pace and get along very well. The Smokies were quite difficult and the weather was bad so I’m very thankful he had companions. They are still hiking together and have reached Pennsylvania now. His hiking buddies were going off trail to meet up with family for Easter and Jim was meeting Ben to hike with him for four days and celebrate Easter together. I’m so thankful he was able to do this. Jim left the trail and Ben hooked up with the guys the next day so they’re back on schedule. Of course, when Jim got home I quizzed him about how Ben. Is he thin? Did he look tired? Was he happy and still enjoying his adventure? Of course, I could tell by the tone is Ben’s voice that we was having the time of his life. I know Ben and he doesn’t want me to worry so he probably isn’t telling me everything like that he has seen rattlesnakes but that’s o.k. because that’s the kind of loving and caring son he is. He sent me a mother’s day card back by Jim. I can’t wait to open it next Sunday. I am so blessed to have my wonderful sons and husband. I love them very much.

Photo update

Ben getting ready for the 4 state challenge. 47 miles later, he finishes.

The official halfway point!

A hostel

Boiling Springs to Memorial Lake State Park

My dad recently joined Ben to hike from Boiling Springs, PA to Memorial Lake State Park. The following is his account of his epic hike with Ben:

The Adventures of White Fang and Jim Dawg

Greetings to all from Ben’s Dad:

I just returned from a 4-day “walk in the woods” with Ben in Southern Pennsylvania. We hiked from Boiling Springs to Memorial Lake State Park and covered almost 60 miles beginning on Easter Day. This was a perfect time for Ben (White Fang), as his hiking partners (Renaissance, Bundy, and Three Stoves) had pulled off of the trail for a couple of days to spend time with family and friends. So his partners would catch up with him by covering the same mileage we covered between Easter Day and Wednesday in a couple of days. Ah-the vigor of youth!

I left home on Friday afternoon, April 22. I drove through the night, passing very close to where Ben was spending the night on the trail, and arrived early Saturday AM in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I fell asleep at about the same time that I had set my alarm for on the day before, a work day. After a few hours sleep, my priority was to determine where roads crossed the Appalachian Trail so that I could provide a little “trail magic”. Trail magic consists of unexpected surprises that hikers find along the way. I determined a couple of points, and rushed out to leave some drinks on the trail at one crossing, and some yogurt at another point. I left a couple of cold soft drinks at point 1, but Ben had already passed that point. About 15 minutes after I left the yogurt at point 2 with a note for White Fang, I got a cell phone call from Ben, and we confirmed our meeting time and place in Boiling Springs.

At around 3:20PM on Saturday, I arrived at the parking lot of our meeting point at exactly the same time that Ben walked up. First impressions were that he had not lost a tremendous amount of weight on the trail, had more facial hair than I thought possible, appeared moderately sane, and smelled very bad.

Back to the weight loss concerns, a hiker moving at the pace of Ben’s group can burn off between 5,000-10,000 calories per day. To put that in perspective, if Ben had two light to moderate days (6,000 calories per day), and “only” consumed 4,200 calories each of those days, he has lost one pound! Ben’s hiking partners had lost 10-15 pounds, but Ben has lost approximately 5 pounds. For those of you that know Ben well, I am sure it is no surprise to you that Ben is treating caloric intake as a priority. It is virtually impossible for a hiker to carry enough food on the trail to hold his weight, so off trail “binges” are critical to maintaining weight. As an example, Three Stoves’ father met the group the day before I met Ben. He brought each of them 4 double cheese burgers, a large fries, and an apple pie. There were no leftovers!

Now that we have covered the “intake”, here are a few comments about the “output”. Having a crazy and sometimes unpredictable GI system, this was a concern of mine. I conducted thorough research and discovered the following. Performing this act in a natural setting can be a challenge. It requires creativity, a fair amount of athleticism, good balance, and careful planning and calculations. The various methods I learned about were the grab and face the tree, back against the tree, over the log, between the rocks, unaided dead squat, half squat, etc. Other variables include pants off, hung over one knee, around the ankles, etc. You can see how poor planning, miscalculations, or a loss of balance or focus could lead to a hiker having to deal with a load other than their back pack. Fortunately my stomach behaved and I was able to confine my sessions to privies and rest rooms.

On a serious note, can you imagine having a GI issue on the trail? One of Ben’s hiking partners, Three Stoves, had to take some time off of the trail after contracting Giardia, a parasite sometimes found in untreated or poorly treated water. According to the CDC, it is tolerant even to routine chlorine disinfection Ben is rigorous about always treating his drinking water with the aquamira system, which hopefully providers better protection.

I had spent months of preparation for this trip. However you need to understand that substantially over 99% of this preparation was mental. My “training hike” consisted of a 3.6 mile hike in southern Alabama. A primary purpose was to test out my boots, and see if my feet remained blister free. I was concerned about the 3 ticks who caught a ride on my body during this hike. By my calculations, that would equate to providing transportation and full meal service for 49 ticks on the hike with Ben. Apparently an Alabama “tick magnet” is not always a Pennsylvania “tick magnet”, so these were not an issue during our 4-day hike. I wish I could say the same about the blisters.

Our shuttle driver dropped us off at Boiling Springs at around noon on Easter Sunday in Boiling Springs. Half way through that day, I managed to tweak a calf/hamstring muscle. It was minor, and I am sure with a little ice and rest, it would have quickly improved, but I had over 50 miles remaining. Obviously ice and rest were not an option, and it did not improve. I did find that massive doses of Alleve gave some relief. In addition I used my trekking poles like crutches at times during the remainder of our hike.

We ended up the last part of the day in the rain, on a pretty good climb through the rocks. We finally arrived at Darlington Shelter after 14.3 miles, where we spent the night. There we met Iron Sergeant, a 71 year old who had retired from the Italian Army. We shared the shelter that evening with him. We would see Iron Sergeant a couple of more times. He had a pack that appeared to approximate his age in pounds-a lot for even a young man to carry.

Early afternoon on our second day, we entered Duncannon in search of the Doyle Hotel. At the Doyle, it became apparent that if you do not give yourself a trail name, you are christened with one. This is usually based on an embarrassing moment in your life or an unusual personality trait. I have experienced more than a few embarrassing episodes. And according to some, I have some unusual personality traits. So just to be safe, and not to end up with names like Puddles or Bubble Toes, I took the initiative to name myself. I am now and forever Jim Dawg (as in Go Dawgs).

Bubble Toes, White Fang (Ben), and I were sharing some beverages and stories on the balcony at the Doyle Hotel. I asked Bubble Toes about the origin of his trail name, and he rolled back the duct tape and mole skin (staples in every back pack) to show off the most horrific foot blisters I had ever seen. Little did I know that by the end of the next day, I would see a similar grotesque situation on my own feet!

We stayed at the Doyle Hotel because of the experience. We had read about it, and received a recommendation from Challenger, a hiker we passed going south bound. He said, “It has clean sheets, no bugs, great food, and the owners, Pat and Vicky are great.” Between those comments and the fact that it was $25 for a room, and $7.50 for each additional person, you have probably figured out that the Doyle would not make “Pennsylvania Living” magazine, based on the quality of the rooms. However, Challenger was dead on with his recommendation about the food and the owners.

Within a few minutes of arriving at the Doyle, Pat gave us a ride to the grocery store, where Ben and I were on a mission to purchase either knee high hose or trouser socks for blister prevention (too little too late for me!). The ladies that assisted us apparently had limited experience with cross dressing hikers, and were still chuckling about our interaction when Pat paid for his groceries.

Challenger, the hiker that recommended the Doyle, was a 53-year old retired Air Force veteran from San Diego. He is divorced and his kids are grown. He sold his car, his motorcycles, quit his job, and hit the trail. With no house and virtually no belongings, he can get off of the trail anywhere. He is more into the journey than the destination.

Tuesday AM, we left Duncannon. This would be our longest hike-17.5 miles. To put that in perspective, Ben and his group average 20-25 miles per day. But with a big uphill climb out of Duncannon, a strained hamstring/calf, and blisters percolating beneath mole skin, duct tape, and my sheer, taupe, knee high hose, 17.5 miles was quite enough challenge for me.

This day was our “nature day”. Before this day, Ben’s big three animal sightings included a wild pony in southern Virginia, a bob cat, and numerous deer. Before this day was out, Ben could add two rattle snakes, a porcupine, and two coyotes to the list. The Pennsylvania portion of the trail is known as “Rocksylvania” and is home to numerous timber rattlers. One of the snakes was approximately 4 ½ feet long while the other was somewhat shorter. Ben probably passed within 6-12 inches of the shorter one. I spotted it coiled up underneath a rock, just after Ben had walked past that rock.

This was my only night of tent camping. We had quite a thunder storm that evening, and our tents held up quite well.

Wednesday was our last day together. With the end in sight, I pushed through my various discomforts. We covered about 15.5 miles through some beautiful wilderness, some of which reminded Ben and me of the Jacks River Falls area in the Cohutta Wilderness in North Georgia. Unusual sightings that day included coal, some of which was on the trail, and some salamanders that were almost florescent orange with small spots on their back. In addition, we paralleled a beautiful stream, with multiple waterfalls cascading into it, early that afternoon.

At the end of the day, we come to a point where there was a white blaze on one side of a creek and a white blaze on the other side. A creek crossing- 200 yards from my car! I suspect the trail Gods are still laughing about that one.

We ended up the day in the parking lot at the state park, recapping our time together. A pleasant surprise was meeting Angel, the park ranger at Memorial Lake State Park. I had spoken with her on the phone, letting her know of our plans, and asked her to please watch my car. She dropped by Wednesday afternoon, in hopes of meeting Ben and me, and we had a nice conversation. At around 4:50, I left Ben. He still had 8.7 miles to walk to reach William Penn Shelter, and there was a tornado watch in the area. I had 740 miles to drive home.

My time on the trail provided a time for reflection, and taught or reinforced some key lessons. It reinforced that we all have LOTS of “wants” and most of us have bought or obtained many of those. But in actuality, we have very few needs. And our truest and deepest needs are not things you can buy.

“For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens.

They neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.

Of how much more value are you than the birds!” Luke 12: 24

Other lessons learned or reinforced:

· Trekking poles make good crutches.

· Wear trouser socks or knee high hose on day 1.

· “Brand” yourself or you will end up with a trail name you do not want.

· Alleve works.

· Do not judge a man (or laugh) at a man until you have walked a mile in their blisters.

· Duct tape and mole skin-don’t leave home without it.

Ben now has a little less than 1000 remaining on his trip to Katahdin, Maine. He will likely average 20-25 miles a day during the rest of his hike. As a comparator, the 59.6 miles we covered together during our 4 days represent less than 2.5% of the Appalachian Trail and we averaged approximately 15 miles per day. And I left the trail exhausted! So my hat’s off to all hikers, especially the through hikers, for their resilience, focus, and sheer determination.

Here’s to Iron Sergeant, Miss Universe & friends, Tabasco, Challenger, Puddles, Bubble Toes, Three Stoves, Bundy, Renaissance, and to the five ladies we met on our third day, all of whom started hiking after their 50^th birthdays. In addition, here’s to all of the hikers I have not met or will never meet.

And here’s to White Fang for being the same person on the trail or off the trail, with friends or with strangers, at UGA or at work. Thanks for the invitation to take a walk in the woods with you, Ben. See you in Maine.

Post script:

Apparently Ben’s colleagues, Three Stoves, Renaissance, and Bundy met him at the 501 Shelter on the evening of Thursday, April 28. Back together, they hiked 23.4 miles on the 29^th and ended up in Port Clinton.

The 4 state challenge, made it halfway, and now hiking with my dad!

     Hello to everybody!  I hope you are all doing well at home and to my college friends I wish you luck as finals approach.  I want you guys to know I pray for you and I will be praying for you with the upcoming craziness that you will have going on! 
     I'm still having an amazing journey out here full of stupidity and spontaneity at points.  One example I'm going to describe is what 3 stoves and I did all Wednesday.  It is called the 4 state challenge.  The challenge is you start in Virginia 2 miles south of Harpers Ferry and pass through West Virginia, Maryland, and finally make it to Pennsylvania.  All in all, this is a 45 mile endeavor, something that is not in the least bit healthy for someone to do.  3 Stoves and I decided it would be a good idea to try and complete this challenge.  After making it to Harpers Ferry and registering at the ATC, we had to hike 2 miles south.  That's right I had to hike south, it was terrible covering ground that I had already been over that was primarily uphill and rocky.  So this is already a stupid idea if you haven't already picked up on it.  But we hiked south and cowboy camped around 9PM for about a 3 hour nap until 12:30AM when we began our challenge with headlamps on.  It started out poorly when we were going through the Harpers Ferry historic district a little after 1.  There were not many blazes in this area and seeing how it was dark, we spent a load of time looking for where the trail even went.  After an hour or so of frustrating navigation, we made it to a footbridge that crossed the Potomac River.  It was an amazing sight to see with the light reflecting off the river from the full moon.  When we began to ascend from the river we hit an extremely dense fog that made hiking extremely difficult.  We pushed on at a comfortable pace and felt pretty good despite the conditions.  But around mile 15 I began to get stiffness in my left calf which has not gone away since (which has also led to what I hope is a temporary trailname "peg leg").  Luckily the hours seemed to pass by quickly and we were greeted with the sun around 6ish.  Headlamps off finally.  We reached a free shower off the trail around 9AM and had to partake seeing how we had hiked 20 miles by this point.  We felt refreshed and amped up for the rest of the miles until around lunch time, 12PM, when we began to feel the lack of sleep hitting us.  We had already hiked 27 miles but we still had 18 miles left on the day and our energy was lacking.  All I can say about the next 8ish miles is that they were not too fun and I tried to zone out for most of them because they were not too fun.  We stopped for dinner at a shelter 10 miles from Pennsylvania because we were exhausted and made the last push for the line.  Right after the sun set and we had our headlamps back out, we made it to the Mason Dixon line.  FINALLY!  Then the next few minutes afterwards involved setting up camp, eating, making a couple delirious phone calls, and then I was asleep.  I never ever want to hike that far again, it is not fun and I do not suggest it or wish it upon anyone lol.  That's it for my stupid adventure but like the Smokies, I'm glad I did it and I'm glad I won't do it again.
     I'm so excited that I have finally made it past the halfway mark and that my dad is here with me in Boiling Springs to hike for 4 days.  I've got my second pair of shoes that will carry me the rest of the distance to Katahdin.  I have mixed emotions passing the halfway point as I realize that I still have 1090.5 miles to go to the end.  That is no short distance to walk but I'm happy that I've been blessed with the health and support to make it as far as I have.  I look forward to the miles ahead and hope that I can find joy in every step of it. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4).

Almost to the Unofficial Halfway Point!

     It has been a while since I have had access to a computer but I finally can post an update!  I've had great weather for the past week or so except for the occassional downpour but that is to be expected.  The saying goes, "No pain, no rain, no Maine!" lol.  We are still trying to push fairly big mileage at this point and a 20 mile day has become an easier day these days.  Unfortunatelly Gadget is no longer hiking with our group and we are not exactly sure where he is but we really hope to see him again soon.  He took a night off at a hotel in Daleville because of a sprained ankle and we haven't seen him since.  But we will be in Harpers Ferry, West Viginia in 4 days which is considered the unofficial halfway point on the AT.  I am still in great health and feeling as good as you can feel out here on the trail.  I'm still amazed I can feel so exhausted and sore by the end of the day only to wake up and feel ready to hike another 20-25 miles.  I thank God every day for the strength and willpower to get out of my sleeping bag and put my boots on for another day of hiking.
     I have met a few interesting people over the past few days that are necessary to note here.  The first, named Bastard Catfish was a guy who had hiked from Springer to Damascus 5 times but had never thru hiked.  He hiked with his dog trash guts and apparantly lived off unemployment so that he could keep hiking, lazy guy.  Then we read about Atlas in the trail logs at the shelters and were excited to catch up to and meet him.  Unfortunately by the time we caught up to him he had bought an 80s beach cruiser from Goodwill, strapped his pack on the back and his boots on the handlebars, and was attempting to ride 160 miles to Richmond to party for 3 days with his girlfriend and friends.  But one individual we finally caught up to that seems very cool is Marathon Mouse who is from New York trying to finish around the same time that we plan to finish.  Hopefully we will see him again and hear more of his story.  Also looking forward to catching up with a guy named Renaissance who apparantly graduated from my high school in 2003.
     We are finally in Shenandoah National Park though.  Being here has been beautiful but a little too touristy for me.  We have crossed a road called Skyline Drive too many times to count and if we haven't been crossing it, you can hear the cars driving by not too far away.  Other than that factor it has had some great views and the hiking has been quite easy.  The thru hikers refer to the trail in Shenandoah as a sidewalk because the climbs and descents are very gradual with few rocks and roots compared to the trail we have covered so far.  This afternoon I drank one of the famous blackberry milkshakes of SNP not far off the trail at a cafe that was very tasty.  I have seen a lot of deer in the park most of which are not afraid of people.  I walked to within 10 feet of one deer to take a picture before it walked away uninterested.  This morning was an awesome sighting as we saw a bobcat running up the trail ahead of us.  Overall the weather has been great so I am in good spirits.
     Tonight I have access to a computer because Bundy's (Nicholas's) family friend has taken us in, fed us, let us take a shower, and given us beds to sleep in for the night.  Trail Magic to the max.  I'm excited to be making such progress on the trail and will hopefully have pictures up tonight or by Harpers Ferry!  Unfortunatelly we have not had the nicest technology to work with so uploading pictures has not been possible since Hot Springs.  If the pics aren't on the blog because i didn't have time to upload them, they will be on my facebook hopefully.  Sorry I can't document in more detail what has happened out here but im exhausted and am headed to sleep.  Gotta hike in the morning!  Thanks everybody for the prayers and encouragement, I pray for you much and am thankful for your support.  A verse that Bundy gave me has encouraged me in my travels and I hope can do the same for you wherever you are.  The verse comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ then I am content with weaknessees, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamaties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Update 4/13/11

Yesterday, my mom received a call from Ben who was eating breakfast somewhere near Waynesboro, VA. Ben, Bundy, Three Stoves (who recently rejoined them after being hospitalized during a bout with an unknown waterborne illness) & Gadget were planning on eating at an all you can eat Chinese buffet in Waynesboro that day. As you can imagine, hiking 25-30 miles a day can give one quite an appetite. I'm sure they got their money's worth.

Every time contact is made with Ben, I learn of some new eclectic person that he met on the trail. Four names come to mind as a write this post, namely, Red Riding Hood, Indiana Jones & Samurai. Samurai got his name because he actually carried a Japanese Samurai's sword. Ben said that he and his three companions did their darnedest to leave Samurai in their dust as they found him to be quite annoying. Not to mention, the guy carried a Samurai sword! As for the other two, I can't recall the source of their trail names. Ben also mentioned a notable hiker, whom he never met, that had Cystic Fibrosis. If you don't know anything about Cystic Fibrosis, click the hyperlink and read a little bit. To be brief, Cystic Fibrosis is a disease which causes an overproduction of mucus in the lungs. Given that one of my best friends has the disease, I can tell you that hiking the Appalachian Trail with Cystic Fibrosis would be a truly epic journey and accomplishment. Odysseus ain't got nothin' on this guy!

Though it doesn't compare to the Smokies, Ben is still battling the elements. When I spoke with him last Tuesday, it was snowing. Despite this, my mom sent Ben his 30 degree bag and he sent back his 15 degree bag. The weather is slowly warming and he's convinced that a 30 degree bag will keep him comfortable for the rest of the trip. Ben also said that he was expecting Virginia to be much easier. I'm not sure if his travels in Virginia have been more difficult than he expected because of the terrain or the fact that he's hiked up to 37 miles in a single day.

Ben said he is enjoying every minute of his journey, from feeding apple sauce to the wild ponies of Grayson Highlands, to the waist-deep snow on the ridge lines of the Smokies, to unforgettable friends and acquaintances. Pray for his continued enjoyment of his journey. Not only so, pray that he would spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples, through Jesus Christ!

Update 3/28/11

As I'm sure you've heard, Ben is now in Virginia and moving along at a much faster pace than he had originally intended. Ever since the Smokies, he has been hiking with his three companions Three Stoves, Bundy, and Gadget. However, Three Stoves has since had to leave the trail with "digestive problems." Ben didn't specify what these "digestive problems" were, but I'm assuming he acquired said problems from a tainted water source. Also, on the subject of water, Ben's filter has broken and my mom is on her way down to REI to express mail him a new water treatment system tomorrow morning. He's also requested that his old bag, rated at 30 Fº be sent to him as well. To be honest, I kind of question his judgement on this one given that it snowed 2-3" on him today. I'll try to post an update soon.

Made it to Virginia!!!

    We made it to Damascus, Virginia and we are fueling up to get over Mount Rogers tomorrow.  The guys I'm with have been going pretty fast and I've luckily been able to keep up with them.  For the past 8 days we averaged a little over 24 miles per day from Hot Springs to here so its nice to take a break for the day. 
     A little recap of the past weekish, we (3 stoves, Bundy, Gadget, and I) did something really dumb by leaving Hot Springs with a 10 day supplies of food.  All of our packs weighed 50+ pounds which made our days of hiking extremely strenuous.  When we got to a road crossing near Erwin, TN a few days later we decided to hitch into town which completely defeated the purpose of leaving Hot Springs with such heavy packs.  This upset me a little bit until I was able to scarf down a huge Mcdonalds meal and I forgot that lugging such a heavy pack for the first few days was completely useless. It was also nice to be able to make some phone calls on my own cell phone because I had service for the first time since before the Smokies.  AT&T stinks.  We hitched a ride back to the trail and were going to embark on what we called the Super Moon Super Saturday hike because the moon was supposed to be really close that night, but it ended up being cloudy and we slept in until 6:30.  Fail lol.
     The next day or so, we hiked to a shelter only to find that a crazy homeless man had made it his home so we decided to hike a little further to stay at a hostel that night for the safety of our belongings.  From that hostel, we hiked to another hostel named Kinkora Hostel that is a famous hostel on the trail because of a man named Bob Peoples.  This guy had some has been running the hostel for 17 years and had housed over 17,000 hikers over the years.  He has dedicated over 6000 hours of service to the trail and has some great stories about people he has met, his military service, and his own adventures that he has taken over the years.  I was so glad to meet such a legendary person of the AT and enjoyed reading some comments on shelters nearby like, "Bob Peoples gives his boots blisters" and "the mice bring Bob Peoples food at night".
     The next few days involved heavy mileage and interesting weather.  Two days ago was quite an epic day as we walked through a short but intense storm.  The weather had been threatening rain all day and around 5:00 it got really dark and started lightening.  The rain began and then we started noticing the rain began bouncing off of our jackets.  It was definitely hailing.  In about 60 seconds the small hail turned into large nickel sized hail that was pelting us and felt like a bunch paintballs hitting you all over your body.  We were all laughing at first at how crazy the situation was until the hail kept pouring down and it really started to hurt to get hit in the head and the hands.  Bundy attempted jumping into a mountain laurel for shelter and I would have followed him but the tree provided him no shelter from the hail whatsoever.  We didn't really know what to do so we just continued hiking.  If it had gotten any worse, 3 stoves would have pulled out his ultralight tarp and we could have taken shelter (hopefully that would have worked).  About 10 minutes after the onslaught of hail began, it ceased and we couldn't help but be amazed at what just happened lol.  It was exciting and miserable at the same time.  When we made it to the shelter that night after walking through a mix of rain and sleet, I couldn't have been happier.  We had a great story to tell and now we were a day away from the TN/VA state line and Damascus.  The hail came again later that night while we were sleeping in the tin roofed shelter and was so loud that it hurt my ears when i didn't have the sleeping bag over my head.  I couldn't have been more thankful for shelters on the trail.  The next day involved more rain and small dip n dots sized hail, but nothing could stop us from getting to Damascus by the end of the day.  We made it by 4:30 and took shelter/dried our stuff at a hostel last night.
     I still don't have cell service in Damascus but at least I have access to a computer for a while.  I have had some great adventures once again and I look forward to more along the way.  I can't upload pictures here, but hopefully I can in the next town I come too with Internet access.  I really can't believe I have come 460 miles, but it's exciting and I can't wait for the next week of travels.  I get to go to Grayson Highlands State Park where there are miniature ponies roaming around and I get to climb up and over Mt. Rogers.  I plan to teach one of the ponies to carry my pack to make the next few days a little easier in case anyone was wondering haha.  I hope you guys are doing well back home, thanks for the continued support and I will hopefully talk to ya soon!

White Fang aproaching the TN/VA border

Check out Ben's latest SPOT check-in! He has been hiking with Gadget, Three Stoves, and Nicholas at an incredibly fast pace ever since he got out of the Smokies. His biggest day was a whopping 26 miles. I spoke to him while he was eating at a McDonald's in Erwin, TN. It was difficult to understand him, as his mouth was filled with cheeseburgers. While I was on the phone with him, he ate three cheeseburgers, a large fries, and a yogurt parfait, and was going back for more. I guess you can't blame him, though. Burning 9,000 calories a day is bound to make one pretty hungry. To make up for lost time spent eating at McDonald's, Ben and his buds got up and hiked at 2:00 AM underneath the light of the "super moon." No bears have been seen. He said he did see a few turkeys, though.

Picture Update

Hot Springs!

     Hey everybody!  I have to extend a special thanks to my brother for keeping my blog updated seeing how I hardly ever have access to a computer along the trail (go figure).  But my spirits are high and I am excited to sleep in a heated cabin tonight in Hot Springs!  I have kept up with the 3 hikers I met at the Fontana Hilton Shelter right before the Smokies and I aim to try to push on with them as long as possible.  All have very ambitious finishing dates (the beginning of June to mid-June averaging 22 to 25 miles a day) so we will see how long I feel like sticking with them.
     I've experienced about every emotion there is to experience on the trail due to crazy weather and steep climbs, but I finally feel my body is getting into "trail shape".  The Smokies were incredibly difficult to get through and I will never forget how miserable it was hiking in the snow for 4 days straight.  Getting out of your sleeping bag in the morning to put on wet clothes was not exactly very fun.  I had to put my clothes in ziplock bags and sleep on top of them so my body heat would keep them from freezing.  Our efforts were made with little reward seeing how we could hardly see a thing being in the middle of a snow cloud for the first 2 days, but luckily it was clear the last 2 days and we got to see some amazing views.  The smokies have a reputation for being the right of passage for thru hikers and I've made it trough so I feel extremely relieved to be done with them.  I'm happy I had the challenging experience of the Smokies, I'll never forget the experience, and I never want to go through it again lol.
     My spot device has not been working correctly for what reason I do not know so I will try to solve that dilemma over the next day that I am in town while enjoying some good homecooking at the Smoky Mountain Diner.  I definitely think good cooking is the big thing that I miss on the trail, but I'm trying to invent some interesting trail recipes.  For those of you who know me well know I eat a lot in general, but the amount of food that I can go through now is pretty amazing.  I have started to develop what they call "hiker hunger" where you can basically eat as much as possible and still it seems like it is not enough.  Food is always a good topic of conversation with any thru hiker.
     The plan is I will continue to hike with Three Stoves, Gadget, and Nicholas to Damascus, Virginia which we will try to reach in about 10 days.  To everyone I want to thank you for you continued support.  I'll try to update this as much as possible and I love you all!  I'm having the time of my life and it's been an amazing adventure so far.  I've only got a little over 1900 miles to go and I can't wait to experience everything that lies ahead.  I thank God for the strength he gives me every day and I pray for you all while I'm hiking!

White Fang lives!

Ben has a trail name.  Drum roll . . .  It is, "White Fang."  While on Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT, Ben was bitten by a small white dog.  Thus, White Fang stuck.

In other news, Ben has passed through the Smokies.  While hiking in the Smokies, Ben, at times, waded through waste deep through snow.  He said that his new sleeping bag kept him warm and cozy during the frigid nights.  One morning when he awoke, it was 10ºF.  He said that he had to use his camp stove, the one and only "pocket rocket," to thaw out his shoes.  Ben is now hiking with three other hikers, namely, Nicholas, Three Stoves, and Gadget.  Nicholas will begin med school in the fall and ambitiously hopes to be finished with the trail by mid-June.  All I know about Three Stoves is that he carries three stoves.  Gadget is a chef near Muscle Beach in California.  Ben said that at the next hostel that has a kitchen, Gadget will prepare a gourmet meal for the hungry hikers.  Gadget is called gadget because he carries with him two portable solar panels and a massager (among other things).  Tonight Ben will sleep in the bunk house of Standing Bear Farm, a small hostel just 30 miles south of Hot Springs, NC, with his three new hiking friends.

While on the trail, Ben has met many interesting people.  One of the most memorable was "U-haul."  U-haul began the trail with a 150 lb. pack.  To put this in perspective, Ben's pack weighs about 35.  Ben said he shared a shelter with him one night.  U-haul carried with him a 4 man family-sized tent, a queen-sized sleeping bag, a lap top computer (which he sold at Neels Gap) and a spice rack.  While he was at the shelter, U-haul prepared for himself a steak.  Another interesting fellow is "Jackrabbit."  Jackrabbit wears a t-shirt, jean shorts, and carries his gear in a fanny pack.  "Dust" seems to be the most interesting through-hiker and is quickly earning a reputation on the trail.  Dust hikes for thirty hours at a time, sleeps for six, and then repeats.

If you haven't noticed, Ben's SPOT device has stopped working.  He will call the manufacturer in Hot Springs in two days from now.  Hopefully, the problem will be resolved and we will be able to more easily keep track of White Fang's progress.

The Smokies

Ben finally arrived at Fontana Dam, the gateway to the Smokies, this Wednesday.  He stayed at a nice shelter overlooking the beautiful Fontana Lake called the Fontana Hilton.  He received the new sleeping bag, a Marmot Sawtooth, that my mom shipped him at the Fontana Village Post Office.  It is rated at 15+F º and should keep him substantially warmer than his other bag which was rated at 30+ F º.  A couple of days before arriving at Fontana Dam, Ben stayed at a hostel at the Nantahala Outdoor Center.  While there, he hitchhiked into Bryson City with a few friends he met out on the trail to get some necessary supplies (i.e.  Fat Tire, Dogfish Head, and food).  While he was at the hostel, he was also able to bathe for the first time on his trek.  He said he was having a great time.  Yesterday, he was to attempt a 22 mile day, the longest thus far, but I haven't heard if he made it.  Next time I speak with him, I'll try to remember to get his SPOT user info so that the blog might be automatically updated with his check-ins!

N.C. and beyond

Ben has left the great state of Georgia for the mountains of North Carolina.  Yesterday evening my mom and dad met Ben at Dick's Creek Gap near the GA/N.C. border to camp and to take Ben some supplies and food.  According to my parents, Ben was really tired for his first few days of hiking.  The big storm on Monday followed by a cold, wet, windy, sleepless night in a shelter full of mice really took it out of him.  However, he's quite quickly getting used to life on the trail.  Although Ben may be holding up well, his sleeping bag isn't.  His current bag is rated at 30 degrees and just isn't making the cut.  My mom and I are trying to get him a bag rated between 0 & 20 before he hits the Smokeys and it gets really cold.  I've attached some pictures of my parents' trek with him. 

Ben ate two cheeseburgers and a Blizzard.

The Easter Bunny came early!

Bly Gap is right on the GA/N.C. border.

On he goes!

Day Four

Well, it is day four of Ben's trek.  He has traveled 57.5 miles and averaging just under 15 miles a day.  He braved some intense thunderstorms last night at Whitley Gap Shelter.

Ben has been checking in frequently using a really cool device called a SPOT.  When Ben presses "OK" on the SPOT,  it automatically sends an email to subscribed individuals containing a map with his exact latitude and longitude.  Additionally, his location is also automatically updated to his facebook wall.  Not only will this device allow him to check in, it will also allow him to get emergency assistance, should the need arise.  I've attached a screenshot below of Ben's location this morning. 

Ben's location this morning.