Today was a good day of hiking. It’s always fun to hike when it’s more than just the traditional walk in the forest. In fact, I was reminded of the North Country Trail, where the trail is more diverse than simply a walk in the woods. Today, we walked near highways, country roads, and even made it to a convenience store near the trail.

It was a cute little store, with all the usual amenities, and then some. Not only did this store offer snacks in the restroom, there was also the option to camp with a shower and laundry service available. I decided I still smelled pretty good, so I decided to push on. I hiked today with Teabag, and with a new Hiker I met, Wild Turkey, and her dog, Cormac. Yes, he was named after Cormac McCarthy.

Stopping at the convenience store was an entertaining and enjoyable break from hiking, where I purchased a banana, a tomato, and a pint of ice cream.

Teabag and I headed back into the woods for another few miles, where we met up with some friends who were camped near a peaceful waterfall. The area was called “Dismal Falls,” which I think is a bit unfair, seeing as how nice they were. I soaked my feet and am headed to hammock early for an early start tomorrow.

I have been enjoying a new piece of gear the past few nights: ENO Christmas lights! I hang them on my hammock, and they provide enough light for reading. I will read some before snoozing tonight.

It’s good to be back on the trail. I did anticipate a slow start, having been off the trail for a while, so I am still only a few miles North of Bland, VA. Nonetheless, it’s good to be back.

I’ve been hiking with Teabag. We seem to have similar paces and senses of humor, so it had worked out pretty well so far. The official hiking group is about 25 hikers or so, and is spread out over quite a stretch of the trail presently, though I expect to see them all relatively soon. I think we will be in groups, leapfrogging each other for a while. It is more practical than hiking in such a large group, but we will see what happens.

Today was not the greatest hiking, as a lot if it was fairly close to the highway. I was also shocked to see so many hikers. I presumed they would all have gone back for Trail Days, but I guess some didn’t. And a lot who didn’t are what we call the “serious hikers,” those who are a bit too preoccupied with daydreams of Katahdin. It wasn’t as bad as we feared though: the other hikers were relaxed enough, and there was certainly plenty of beauty amid the urban stretches of hiking.

The rhododendrons are finally blooming! It was beautiful to see, and I look forward to hiking further into the woods tomorrow to find more beauty.

During Trail Days, I added a few pack pounds, one of which was a book by Emerson. I plan to read some tonight and get a good night’s sleep in my hammock.

Well, the last week has been a break from hiking. While it may seem like I was leaving the Appalachian Trail behind, I felt the presence of the trail this week more than ever.

The first few days were gradual, but soon the parks were crowded with vendors and people. There were loads of people who live nearby, previous theuhikers, current thruhikers, and people interested in the AT. I was most interested in the current thruhikers, some of which I had not seen in what seems like a very long time: Truck, Tatanka, Sits-In-Chair, and so many others. It was amazing to catch up with them and learn of the whereabouts. Truck, for instance, accepted a position managing a hostel, so he will be heading there soon and hiking the trail next year. So much change is occurring! Safety, my recent hiking buddy, is leaving the trail for some other adventures. It is sad to see some people leave, especially people that I enjoyed so much. But the hike goes on.

Most of my time was spent catching up with hikers and enjoying the various joys of Trail Days. There was a parade, a hiker prom, a handful of free meals, and Tent City, the main camping area that was very festival-esque. My time there was divided between the drum circle bonfire and the more relaxed campfire by the river.

Time went by fairly quickly, but there was time to ponder over the differences of town life. I realized how much I missed the woods. I had even been thinking about leaving the Appalachian Trail. I know now that I can’t. In talking to various people about it, I realized the resistance I was feeling is part of hiking, part of any difficult and important event in life. I will fight that resistance and complete the trail.

The Rock, Teabag, and I hitched back to Bland in only one ride. Some section hikers were headed that way, Cruiser and Mofo. It was a contrast to our last hitching experience, but it was certainly convenient. Moreover, it was exciting. They are two of my favorite hikers, and it was a great feeling knowing that we were all headed back to the trail.

I am looking forward to beginning hiking again. Hopefully, my legs won’t be too weak after my recess from hiking. It seemed quite a few hikers had left off near Bland, so I am excited to see who we run into.

Today was definitely one of the most memorable days on the trail. We all woke up in Bland, a tiny town in Virginia, at a humble hotel room. We took advantage of having the shower and the sink for washing bodies, dishes, clothes. We restocked on toilet paper and checked the hiker box for leftover food and supplies. We blared the television because we could.

A local church was having a free hiker breakfast, and after a phone call, a very kind lady came to pick us up. She drove us to many more kind people, who showered us with eggs, sausages, biscuits, pancakes, homemade jam and maple syrup, orange juice, chocolate milk, applesauce. On top of that, they gave us snacks and homemade cookies to go.

Wow! It was such a wonderful thing, for them to treat us so well, simply because we are hikers. A lot of other hikers that I had been hiking with arrived, so it was a giant party. I had been considering Trail Days, the hiker festival, and whether to attend or not. I knew then that I was supposed to go. Almost all of my favorite hikers were going, and it is part of the experience. Hiking the Appalachian Trail is more than just literally hiking the Appalachian Trail. I understand that now.

Hitchhiking is definitely a part of that experience. Now, I have hitched a few times before, both on and off the trail. But that was usually a two-minute ride down the road. This was a 70-mile trip that involved multiple highways. Getting out of Bland was the hardest part, as few people seemed to know (or else care) about Trail Days or the AT. We even had a lady think we were simply homeless and who gave us some granola bars. Luckily, the same kind lady who gave us a ride that morning picked us up on her way to the eye doctor. Small town. It may not seem like much, but it gave us momentum. And later, sitting in the bed of a truck, smiling in the sun and the wind, I knew it was precisely where I was supposed to be. After pleading, dancing, and ten rides later, we found ourselves in Damascus, VA. Not too bad at all.

The festivities for Trail Days are starting slowly, but people are arriving, and we will enjoy the time, living joyfully and frugally for the week. It was definitely a great experience today.

Recently, I have been hiking with a larger group, with ten or so usually. Some people think that is too large of a group, but honestly I am having more fun with them than I have so far on the trail.

There is a big festival called Trail Days in Damascus, VA next weekend. Yes, I already hiked past Damascus, but a lot of hikers are planning to be there, so I may hitchhike back to enjoy the festivities. It is something I am considering this weekend. I also plan to consider a few other things. Hiking the trail was not what I expected. It doesn’t end up being what most hikers expect, but it is difficult both emotionally and financially. As of right now, I do plan to finish my thruhike, but it has been something that we hikers have been discussing. Is it worth it to hike 2200 miles when we have more fun just camping? Or do we only have as much fun because we are thruhiking together?

Not that I expected it to be easy! But I did think the hiking would be my favorite part, and things turned out differently.

However, I would feel incomplete going home anytime soon. The hike yesterday was great, though water was less readily available. We hung out in the shelter, told riddles, stories, read aloud. A hiker came in late at night who was hiking nearly 30 miles every day. He was not having fun. In fact, he admitted that the ten minutes of talking to us was the highlight of his trip. Maybe we are that awesome, or maybe he was simply focused on Maine too much. It was interesting that it happened right when I had been having the same sort of dilemma. It made me want to focus on balance, finding a good balance for comfort. Discipline, goals, fun, meaningful life.

This morning, Safety and I woke at 4:00 and started hiking. Well, we started after Safety got his dog Kota, who was hiding under the picnic table, then inside the shelter, climbing over sleeping hikers. Kota apparently wanted to sleep in, but once we got going, the hiking was enjoyed by all of us. As it got lighter and warmer, we got closer to town. Upon reaching a real road, we got an immediate ride. A fellow who owns a hostel of sorts gave us a ride toward the hotel, while bashing the hotel and promoting his paid camping. We opted to check out the hotel, which was much nicer than he pretended.

For now, we are enjoying the amenities, and I will spend my time here contemplating my next moves.

Happy Mothers’ Day to all the mothers!

After the cookout and fun from the night before, we slept in through the heat of the day. I don’t do very well with hot temperatures, so I decided it was too hot to hike, but we all agreed to night hike.

The day was really enjoyable. Everyone got to do things they had been meaning to do, like reading or talking. Surprisingly, there is usually very little time for activities other than hiking, eating, and sleeping. The change in routine was a necessary one.

By the time evening rolled around, we had had meaningful discussions with a lot of hikers who passed through, surprised that we were still there. Some of them decided to stay. Rock and I cooked a community dinner of Beef Stroganoff (Without beef though) and a rice side. After, we had a pep talk and some stretches, and by then, we were 15 strong.

We started marching at dusk, shouting out “Nighthiiiike!” Even during the night, the temperatures were in the sixties. We made a good haul, most of it uphill, and fell asleep… quickly.

At dawn, we all woke up (slowly) and cooked some pancakes for breakfast, among other snacks. We started hiking (Safety and I), but it became hot and very humid. I am a little worried about summer because it will bring more heat. With the heat, I sweat more, and bugs stick to my skin. I will get some water, but in obtaining the water, I sweat it all out. Sunburn, heat exhaustion, and so on. I know I will make it through the summer, but it will be a challenge, not your average Michigan summer.

After a lot of uphill in the heat, we stopped at a large shelter. It was just in time, as rain started to fall. The weather forecasts storms for the next week. We shall see. I have been meeting a great new crowd of people, people I really enjoy spending time with. One hiker knew some sign language, so we were signing and talking about it.

If the rain holds off, it will be a nice hike toward town today.

Alright, so I skipped a few days. But since this is the first time I have had reception in the past few days, I decided to condense to one post.

Waking up the next day, we had decided to get some miles in. It seemed a good idea, since we hadn’t been for a little while. After a long day of hiking, we ended up at a shelter near Mt. Rodgers, the highest point in Virginia. One of my friends teased other hikers about bear-bagging, as if bears wanted to climb to the highest spot in Virginia.

For most of this past week, I have been hiking with my crew, now known as “The Lost Boys.” They are quite spontaneous and a lot of fun to hike with. We ended up waking up the following morning and leaving in different groups. I started to feel a little dehydrated and low on energy. Even wild horses couldn’t drag me away from the trail though. In fact, they encouraged me to stay.

After we horsed around for a while, we kept hiking. We did another longer day, but around mid afternoon, we were cut short by some trail magic. A crew had set up camp with meatball subs and plenty of magic for everyone. Also, I saw some old friends!

We stayed until dark but decided to night hike out to get a few more miles in. After cruising through some miles, we arrived near a shelter. It was a beautiful, clear night, but there were few places designated for tenting. Looking down at the trail, I said, “This spot is pretty flat.” So we slept on the AT, waking up to hikers passing us around 6:00.

That next day, the lack of sleep an dehydration kicked in a little, and it was one of the harder times for me on the trail. I was feeling queasy and generally low on energy. After ten miles or so, I took a nap at a shelter, and woke up… the next morning.

It took me a little while to feel back to normal, but I am feeling better now. In the meantime, we stopped at Partnership Shelter, near Marion, VA. The town of Marion had a lot of fast food, but I was more interested in the grocery stores, stocking up on fresh fruit. We also got some wardrobe changes to generally increase morale. The shelter was a nice one, with a shower and all. We spent time hanging out, playing whiffle ball, and doing logic puzzles.

We left this morning, and had a beautiful hike, though it was a hot day. We hit some excellent trail magic, most of which was in an old one-room schoolhouse.

Passing through Atkins, we stocked up on hot dogs and such and hiked on. Tonight was an excellent cookout around the campfire. It’s a great feeling to be sharing a wonderful time in the woods with wonderful people, so I’m glad I can share it with you too.

I’m looking forward to what is to come, despite the hot weather! GAME on!

There is always more than one path. There is always more than one way to hike. Even when hikers have different paces, we sometimes end up at the same shelter, and we will all end up in Maine.

We reached a spot in the trail where they had created a detour because a bridge was out. Hikers are called “purists” when they hike every inch of the trail, pass every white blaze. The dilemma was (especially for the purists): to take the original AT trail or the detour? One is officially the AT, while the other is currently the AT. The blazes had been changed over to the detour and all.

I am not a purist. I try to hit all the blazes, and I don’t think I would try to skip any great portion of the trail, but I wouldn’t backtrack for the sake of passing a white blaze. I am out here to hike the trail, but the main reason is to really enjoy the experience.

I was hiking with two of my favorite hikers: The Rock and Safety. We ended up taking a detour of our own. Why not add a little extra fun and adventure? The distance was about the same, but it was a nice walk on a beautiful day.

We enjoyed hanging out at a shelter with a pine forest behind, prime for hammock hanging. Our plan is to wake early tomorrow and hike a longer day. We may run into wild ponies tomorrow, which everyone is pretty pumped about (horses carrying our packs, riding horses, jousting with trekking poles).

Another day of hanging out with hikers, you might think I would get sick of it. I don’t. There is always so much to talk about. Today was actually justified as a productive day in town, as I finished resupplying, did laundry, and finished some errands.

We made plans to rent bikes and bike the “Creeper Trail,” but the multiple bike rental places all decided to close sometime around noon. It would have been fun, but there will be more adventures.

The Rock decided to organize a potluck, which was a fantastic idea. Rather than all spending half of our savings on more meals at a restaurant, we all chipped in for the potluck in the park. Of course, in the last three days of forecasted 100% rain, the only time it really rained hard was during the potluck. We had a roof though, so it was fine. There were more calories than could be counted, and we talked about everything, but mostly about food : bread, sourdough starters, wine, tea, coffee, gardens, greenhouses. It’s always a pleasant surprise when someone shares many interests, especially if they are knowledgeable.

After a while, Forest pulled me aside and said, “We need to leave tonight, or we’ll never get out of here.” I had already mostly decided that, as the rain was stopping, it was 9:30pm, and I had nowhere to sleep. So as the potluck died down, we got everything together and hiked out into the woods. Back to the land of beauty, peace, and no rules. It’s good to be back.

The weather here has been horrible! Thunderstorms and tornado watches every day… I’m mostly joking, but the forecast showed 100% chance of rain and storms for most of the day. Right now, for instance, is a 100% chance of rain.

So there’s no rain right now, but it’s threatening! There are a lot of hikers in town, and almost all of us are waiting out the weather. I have been taking care of some things while in town, but I have also been having a great time talking with hikers and playing rummy.

Despite how much fun it is hanging out in town, a lot of us are surprisingly eager to get back into the woods. Is that odd?

Ah well. The hostel is paid for another night. I will enjoy my time here while I am here.