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!
Monday, March 28, 2011
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.
Friday, March 25, 2011
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!
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!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
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.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)