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).
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
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."
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."
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
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!
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!
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