day 49 - 04/28

it was so nice waking up in a warm bed at the bears den hostel cuz it was frickin cold this morning. i finished the remaining four hills in the rollercoaster and then it started to hail. it amazes me how such a tiny little piece of ice can pack such a punch. just as my hands were starting to freeze again i made it to the blackburn trail center, which is the home of the potomac appalachian trail conservancy group. boy did i hit some trail magic. there was a cub scout troupe staying at the center with way too much food that they kept giving me and i got to teach the cubs about my long distance hike. they were so in awe it was very entertaining. i then hit the trail to make it to harper's ferry by 17:00 so i could visit the main office of the appalachian trail conservancy (atc). the pic below is of my recorded pic of the 2012 class album. it surprised me that i was number 35 to check in. there were over a hundred people that left from springer just on my weekend alone and probably 500 from the time before i left. harper's ferry is such an interesting place. it is like stepping back in time. it actually reminds me of some towns in rural england, like ludlow. there is a specific charm to floors and walls so old there is a pronounced slant that is noticed when walking down a hallway. i also met three great thru hikers. the pic is attached simply cuz the boy to the right of me is 12yo! 12yo and he is hiking the entire at with his father. i was humbled. such a cool young man. mentally he is way beyond 12yo. also, the woman all the way to the right has hiked over 16,000mi! i am staying at the towns inn hostel for the night and then will probably nearo out of town tomorrow. oh, and apparently harper's ferry, while not the half way point mileage wise, is the chronological half way point. meaning that it typically takes twice the time as it takes to get to harper's ferry to complete the entire trail. so, at 48 days if i kept up my current pace i would finish in 96 days, or 23 days ahead of schedule. ya, no thanx. i enjoy it too much to be done that quickly. so i basically have some banked zero days to play around with. it's always nice to have savings. i also passed mile 1000 today. 20.5mi from bears den hostel to harper's ferry. 1015 total.

blueblaze - the matrix

so first of all, you need to have enjoyed the movie "the matrix" before you can even understand this post. if you haven't, stop reading, go watch the movie, and then please continue reading. secondly, i have to share some of my root assumptions as i find them to differ from a majority of other people's root assumptions. first, i guess i should define what i mean by root assumption. so in any system, be it the individual, church, corporation, government, or group you have a basic and fundamental set of agreed-upon, regardless of whether or not they are necessarily agreeable, rules, codes, laws, ideas, etc. here is where i like the word "assumption" cuz it is more general than the aforementioned words. i also like the word "root" cuz it gives you a definite sense and even possibly a visual of the assumption being fundamental and root-like as the foundation from which all other ideas and group consciousnesses spring, just as a tree or plant sprouts and rises from its root system. gosh, hopefully i am making sense and haven't lost y'all already. so in any given intersection of space and time, humanity has a set of root assumptions. for example, we all, well most of us, agree that the earth is a sphere. then more and more finite sub groups under the overarching group of humanity have their own root assumptions. for example, in the west we have a focus more on the individual whereas in the east there is more of a focus on the group. so with all that said, i will share some of my root assumptions so you will be able to understand what i mean by the matrix. first of all, i will out myself right now (no, not in the way many of you assume or predict i should based on my gender identity within the currently available choices of the matrix - sorry to disappoint, but at this intersection of time/space there are no boxes in the matrix in which i fit ;) ) by telling y'all that this hike is primarily a spiritual journey above all else. my mind is in the realm of the topics of these blueblaze posts for a majority of time as i hike the seemingly unending miles. i only share what i think i can verbalize in a way that will be comprehendible and what i think people are ready to integrate. there is the primary root assumption of my hike - spiritual awakening. why, you may ask? this process actually started way back in 2007 with a series of very personal and life changing events, culminating with (here is where i will out myself again) my death this past labor day. yes, my death. when my gall bladder ruptured and i was air-lifted to the hospital to have it removed, i actually died for 2 minutes. to say this was life changing is stating it mildly. i haven't shared this with anyone as i have spent the six months leading up to my decision to hike processing my own death experience. so as for root assumptions, prior to 2007 one of my root assumptions was: not sure about god, but i basically believe in a biological model where we exist and then die, end of story. sound familiar? maybe your's varies a little, but i have found this to be common in western cultures. ya, my existential root assumption has changed quite a bit. first, i should say that as a psychologist i believe that reality is all perception and is therefore what you make of it. starting in 2007 i began changing my reality to include the possibility there is existence beyond the biological model - that we do eternally exist. who was i to argue with the world's oldest religions? then there came a point where i made a choice and said to myself: it doesn't matter what the real Truth is, with a capital T, i am choosing my reality to be that i have a soul, eternal and separate from this vessel of a body that currently carries it, which can never be harmed or destroyed in any way. now remember before you judge me, for you too where once a slave in egypt (love that phrase), that i have already acknowledged that reality is of your own creation and that it is what you make of it. this is what i can tell you of what happened when i died: one enters a place i will call "the in-between." not like with ghosts who are actually trapped in a quasi dimension because of their inability to accept the reality of their own physical death. this is a reality of your own making. if you believe in heaven, heaven it shall be. if you believe in hell or purgatory, there you shall be. this will be your reality until you become conscious of the reality of your physical death and that you still "exist." for me, i was already in this frame of mind so i went on to an immediate gestalt review, not linear (hard to describe), of my life - my dharma and my karma. (please just look up concepts or words so i don't have to be too verbose, which for many of you i fear i already am) aka - my intentions for this life and my desires. there was no judgement. there was just choice. in my case, it was remain or move on. the sense was: rejoin fully with "the one," (insert god or whatever your favorite phrase is, but for me this being of perfect unity was unnamable), or return to this current life, cuz my body was salvageable, or a new reincarnation to continue experimenting with separation and duality. there even seemed to be a countless number of choices within which i could continue my learning about separation from unity - in other words earth was only one choice of many three dimensional places, within many dimensions. well, needless to say, i chose to return to this life. i was, however, fundamentally and forever changed cuz my root assumption changed. i chose a spiritual versus biological belief system and then had my proving experience to back up my belief. what is the Truth with a capital T? idk! i think that only the avatars and our fragmented souls when we choose to rejoin "the one" know the Truth. i choose to believe in my current root assumption because it is just a happier and more pleasant one than any others i have experienced. let me make it clear that while i may integrate concepts from the world's religions, religion is ultimately the creation and machination of man and therefore fundamentally flawed. i believe our little three dimensional school of separation here on earth would actually be a much happier and freer place if indiviual spiritualism was the order of the day and religion no longer existed. so anyway, there you have some of my root assumptions. i chose to share this so as to be even more authentic with y'all and so as to give you a basis for this concept of the matrix. now i don't mean some evil machine created technological matrix like in the movie, but a matrix nonetheless. look up the word matrix. hinduism has the concept of maya, with which i actually gravitate more towards, but i use the term matrix for the western mind because it is so technological in its essence. within any given culture or group consciousness on earth, there is a matrix into which people plug themselves. i observe this so clearly cuz currently i am not plugged into the american matrix on a daily basis. the biggest human matrix i could possibly plug into on this hike is the thru-hiker culture. but i have been blissfully in a bubble of no hikers, so clarity is a great gift at the moment. i of course enjoy plugging back in from time to time, but i have to admit it is quite overwhelming at times. i accept being called feral by the woman at skyland restaurant on day 46 cuz thru the eyes and perception of someone fully plugged into the matrix i must absolutely look wild and feral. i mean, i am. i am unplugged and untamed by the matrix in which i physically live. i want to be clear that i am not placing any negative, or even positive, value upon the matrix. it just is. this further hits home as i read "the hunger games" in camp in the evenings on my iphone (a part of the matrix i still refuse to unplug from). this is a conceptually brilliant literary example of a matrix with an utterly disagreeable root assumption. do you agree with people starving in this world when most americans just throw food away? of course you don't. it is our current matrix. i can see it so clearly because i am unplugged. this is the whole purpose of my hike - the spiritual awakening that comes from physically removing myself from the matrix in which i live. does everyone need to do exactly this? no. would the world be a better place if everyone found there own way to unplug even for a brief moment? yes. be a revolutionary. be change. step out of the matrix of your life and take a look around. what are you afraid of?

day 48 - 04/27

i planned my miles so that by the end of today i could stay at the bears den hostel, reportedly one of the best on the trail. so after hiking 18.8mi in 5.75 hours, i got to sign put up by the blackburn potomac appalachian trail committee warning hikers that one is about to enter "the roller coaster." upon studying my guide i discover that i will quickly ascend and descend 9 peaks, some with a 600+ft elevation change, in only 9.8mi. so basically a mountain per mile. it was quite a roller coaster of a ride. so, needless to say, when i got to the bears den hostel, with its thru-hiker special of a bunk, hot shower, laundry, pizza, soda, and a ben n jerry's pint of ice cream all for 27.50, i was in elysian fields! (yes, that reference was for you uncle bink) i realized as i was putting in my laundry that other than rinsing my stuff out in streams and springs when dry weather permits, i haven't done laundry since damascus - aka 530mi ago. oops. i must not have smelled bad because when i asked the ladies at pass mt shelter they said i surprisingly smelled good in an "outdoorsy, manly way." maybe it's the pheromones??? lol. absolutely love the bears den hostel, which is on top of the 9th roller coaster hill, northbound (nobo), of course, in an old castle-like stone building. really cool. definitely tops the list of all the places i've stayed so far. 28.2mi from denton shelter to bears den hostel. 994.5 total.

day 47 - 04/26

so last night was great because i was finally at a shelter with some company. i haven't seen anyone other than day hikers on the trail since i entered snp. there were three young ladies who were quite funny plus it was just nice to be around some women. there were also two section hikers. who finished section hiking the whole trail back in '94 after 41 years of doing different sections! so cool. it was great to hear their stories and the changes that have taken place. after saying goodbye, i stopped after only 6mi on the trail to visit my final wayside before leaving snp, where i again had a yummy breakfast. i did a longer hike today, sadly leaving snp and despite my sore right ankle, so i could stay at the jim and molly denton shelter, which is a newer shelter with a nice front porch with a comfy bench and even a solar shower. unfortunately, when i got there the temp had cooled quite a bit and the wind was really blowing, so no tepid solar shower for me, thank you very much. the shelter itself was very nice and thankfully, and so far uncharacteristically, had very little mouse activity. schweet. 31.7mi from pass mt to jim and molly denton shelter. 966.3 total.

day 46 - 04/25

so i have started calling the shenandoah national park (snp) "campground disneyland." i don't mean it a judging way at all, but it is very commercial and gives only the facade of wilderness. it was an awesome change, but not the kind of hike i would want to do every day. the great part is that i haven't had to carry a whole lot of food because of the many waysides and restaurants. today i hiked from bearfence shelter and stopped at big meadows wayside for an egg and cheese bagel sandwich and an order of french toast and then hiked 'til 13:30 where i stopped at skyland resort and restaurant for some great local beer, soup, a burger, fries, and bread pudding. yummy. i also heard myself described in a whole new way thru the eyes of someone plugged into the matrix (to understand what i mean just read my blueblaze post about the matrix). so i am sitting about 30ft away from an older couple and since my hearing is very acute from not being bombarded with noise all the time (yes, i have discovered that humans are quite noisy), unbeknownst to them, i can hear every word they are saying. when i sit down the husband says that i look different. "how?," the wife asks. he says, "not as plump as these other hikers." (there are several day hikers also eating lunch) a few seconds go by and he says "very lean." about a half minute goes by and in the meantime i notice the wife assessing me from head to toe (mind you, they are dressed in their sunday best on a wednesday) and she leans in close to her husband and whispers "feral is more like it." lol! i apparently look feral! i love it. officially the best name i have ever been called. got to love the matrix. mahamaya ki! jai! the restaurant, in addition to having great food, had awesome wifi so i also got to chat with my mum and dad, which always makes for a great ending to an awesome day. 26.8mi from bearfence to pass mt shelter. 934.6 total.

day 45 - 04/24

from winter to spring in one day. there was still quite a bit of snow leftover from yesterday's freak snowstorm, as you can see from the pic below. it was so incredibly beautiful hiking today in a t-shirt and shorts with nice cool snow all around. such an awesome gift of a rare hiking experience. i have been struggling with a little, but very persistent shin/instep soreness in my right leg and foot, so hence the lower mileage. i decided to listen to some music today to take my mind off the soreness, which is something i rarely do. i don't and generally can't listen to common or popular "music" anymore cuz it just sounds noisy and angry and mostly just gives me a sensory overload headache. so there is music i have found that is of a higher consciousness, imho, of course, that really integrates with and even enhances my natural surroundings. thanx to zoe keating, emancipator, tom kenyon, and yo yo ma performing the bach cello suites for providing some real trail magic. i did venture into popular music yesterday by listening to mumford & sons, who have a great celtic influenced folk sound. they do have the requisite angry, hurt, sad, and devastated broken heart/unrequited love tracks on the album, but there are completely awesome spiritual, non-religious themes and i eventually happened upon "awake my soul" and was blissfully singing "awake my soul/for you were made to meet your maker" as i was strolling thru the forest. i think i had some songbirds chirping along and made more than one day-hiking couple grin from ear to ear. i finished my day by grabbing a couple beers at the lewis campground to enjoy just a mile up the trail at bearfence shelter. oh, and i passed mile 900! 20.6mi from pinefield to bearfence shelter. 907.8 total.

day 44 - 04/23

snow! the weather said it was possible and given the temp drop yesterday it is not surprising. but it is april 23rd! i am not even that high up in elevation. only 2000ft or so. wow! the pic below is from when i started, but trust me that there was much in only a couple hours. it was really coming down. i hiked 8mi and decided to take a chance on the first wayside that i passed in shenandoah national park (snp). in snp you cross skyline drive, which is a scenic road that goes thru the entire length of the park, about 100 times and every 25mi or so there is what is called a wayside. it is a small single pump gas station and then a restaurant with short order food. my guidebook said that the loft mt wayside opens on 04/22, but maybe because of the several inches of snow on the ground they decided it was still winter, cuz it said "closed for the winter" when i walked up to the door. i was very cold at this point, but i got back on the trail and hiked another 5mi to pinefield gap shelter. i have never been so happy to see a shelter! at this point my hands were not working so well. i of course became fascinated by this phenomenon - that my core could be fine, but my extremities were so cold they were sluggish and not responding right away. then i reminded myself that it was probably a good idea to get warm. lol. they were definitely hypothermic cuz i had to use my teeth to open my backpack and get out my sleeping bag. i just crawled right in, put my hands in my armpits, and went right to sleep. i am grateful that my core stayed warm cuz i suppose it could have gotten dangerous. i just love the experience. the latest i recall winter weather like this was on april 1st, 1997 in massachusetts during my freshman year of college. this is april 23rd in virginia! so cool. i love snow. obviously i am writing this after my hands have warmed up cuz they were not iphone functional 5 hours ago at 15:30 in the afternoon. i wish i could have hiked farther today, but the weather was just a little too much. 13.2mi from blackrock to pinefield gap shelter. 887.2 total.

day 43 - 04/22

i hate to admit how much i enjoy starbucks coffee, but it was oh so good as i sat there and waited for my aunt and uncle. we had a great breakfast and visit together. they have been so generous and i appreciate it so much. i was appreciating my aunt, her name is karen, as i set off on the trail after leaving them at 10:45, because she has taken such an interest in my hike and invested so much time in researching thru-hiking info. just to make sure they would be able to meet up with me she made a list of all the possible shelters on the trail given my average daily mileage thus far and the towns near i-81 with which they intersect. waynesboro worked out perfectly. she also knows all the things a hiker might want, like ziplock bags. this may seem silly, but ziplocks are like gold for a hiker. she even brought the exact right ones. also, even though i already got one, she brought a perfect-sized, half used, compressed roll of toilet paper. karen you rock! thank you so much! and my uncle has been so generous! to top it off, my cousin's girlfriend, shelaigh, baked me a whole batch of home made cookies. you have no idea how great this was because the weather got really funky yesterday. it was raining off and on all day and the temp really started to drop. so, by the time i made it to the shelter, i was very cold and wet and those cookies, which i ate in one sitting cuz they were so good, really cheered me up. i actually cried in appreciation thinking of all the support and love people have given to me on my journey. thanks karen, john, and shelaigh. you made my difficult day of hiking so much easier. 20mi from waynesboro to blackrock shelter. 874.0 total.

day 42 - 04/21

waynesboro is such a great little town and the people are super hiker friendly. i got a hike into town immediately and lots of info on where to eat. i first hit ming's chinese garden for a $13 all-you-can-eat (or ayce for short) buffet. not only was there great chinese food and sushi, but an awesome salad bar. fresh vegetables is something every thru-hiker seriously lacks, so i really enjoyed a huge salad. well, two huge salads actually. after updating this blog at the library, which has the nicest staff ever, i found out my aunt and uncle (the same from last wednesday) are driving past on their way back to florida. we made plans to meet for breakfast tomorrow at a local diner called "weasie's." can't wait to see them. staying here in waynesboro for the night. 15.5mi from rock point overlook to waynesboro. 854.0 total.

day 41 - 04/20

holy hiking, batman! i hiked over 10,000ft in elevation change today. after hiking up to the priest mt at 4,063ft, i descended down to the ty river (where i skinny-dipped again - shhh, don't tell anyone), only to hike up 3,016ft to three ridges summit. totally awesome day, except i'm pooped and am going to bed. it is way past hiker midnight at 21:05 anyway. the video above is of where i am hammocking tonight. what a sweet spot. on to waynesboro tomorrow for a resupply, hot food, and some r&r with another nearo. 26mi from seeley-woodworth shelter to rock point overlook. 838.5 total.

day 40 - 04/19

so the forecast said it would clear up and while it is not raining, it is still chilly, cloudy, and damp. just one of those days. i guess i figured that with the weather like it is, i might as well put in some miles. man did i hike. short journal tonight cuz i'm tired. the pic below is of a suspension foot bridge i went over. it is the third one and just goes to show the level of dedication and commitment there is to improving and maintaining the appalachian trail. oh, and i passed mile 800 today. 34.1mi from johns hollow to seeley-woodworth shelter. 812.5 total.

day 39 - 04/18

well, after 12 days with no rain, it finally poured last night. it then continued raining off and on all day. the mountains need this rain so badly. the only problem is that all the rain i have encountered thus far has coincided with high elevation. it happened to me in the smokies and roan mt and now as i summited apple orchard mt. i am not complaining at all as it is to be expected for spring weather, but it does make for a cold frickin hike. it is hard to believe i went skinny-dipping in a river just yesterday evening. oh, whoops. shhh, don't tell anyone. when i got to thunder hill shelter around noon after summiting apple orchard at 4,225ft. i quickly ate lunch, peeled off my wet weather gear and crawled into my sleeping bag to get warm. the funny thing is that no sooner had i crawled in my bag, when in came another thru hiker to follow suit. it was cold! after warming up enough i got back on the trail and descended 3,547ft to the james river foot bridge, which is the longest on the appalachian trail at 2/10 of a mile. i then made it to johns hollow shelter for some good conversation with a section hiker named "ike." 26.6mi from bryant ridge to johns hollow shelter. 778.4 total.

day 38 - 04/17

after a free buffet breakfast and my totally amazing epsom salt bath last night, i said goodbye to two awesome thru hikers, "meats" and "butters," and hit the trail at 07:30. i decided that i would get to waynesboro, which is at mile 854.0, in 5 days. so 134.2mi in 5 days. it is very doable since it is only an average of 27/day, but the 5 days in a row may be tiring. nothing really exciting in terms of scenery today. the awesome part is that i crossed the 1/3 mark at mile 728. so i have finished 1/3 of the trail in 38 days. i also really pushed myself today. at one point i was going so fast i did the 13.8mi from wilson creek shelter, where i ate 2nd lunch, to cove mt shelter in only 3hr 40min. that's almost 3.8mph! i still can't believe i did it, especially since i am wearing new shoes that i just bought yesterday. obviously they are a great fit. i also went far because i wanted to make it to bryant ridge shelter, where i am as i write this. it was designed and built by architects so it is very different from all the other shelters, having three floors laid out in a sort of modern design. very cool. there is also a creek the flows right by so the sound is very soothing as you sleep . . . which i think i will do now. 32mi from the hojos in daleville to bryant ridge shelter. 751.8 total.

day 37 - 04/16

so after so many awesome sites yesterday, i got to walk tinker cliffs this morning. the video above is of me walking part of the cliffs on the way to daleville. since i took a nearo yesterday i wasn't intending on taking another one, but alas, i'm taking another nearo! since my goal is to get to katahdin on july 7th, my daily average should be 18.5 to be on track. but since i will slow down in the nh and me, i have to bank some miles. i figure if i get up to an average of 22mi i will have banked enough. so, anything less than my running average is basically a nearo cuz it lowers my running average. but, i have been convinced to stay at the same hotel as a bunch of other thru hikers. i am actually really excited to buy me some epsom salts and just soak in the bath for a good 2 hours. when i got here to daleville i immediately went to the local outfitters. yes, it was time to retire my new balance trail runners. they gave me 800 solid miles, including my training miles, but i was feeling way too much of the trail in my feet. the picture below is of my trusty-dusty nb trail runners right before i threw them away. oh, and did i mention they were 100% made in the usa! i got a pair of vasque trail runners on sale, so we will see how they do. i also hung out at the coffee shop where i updated the blog thru day 36 and had some much anticipated coffee. i am off to dinner with some other thru hikers and then i will enjoy my bath. 15.3mi from campbell shelter to the hojos in daleville, va. 719.8 total.

day 36 - 04/15

today was such a great day. i met a whole group of great people last night at the shelter and then hiked with some today. i first made it to the dragon's tooth, which is this huge stone monolith on top of cove mt that you can, carefully, scale and sit right on the edge. the first picture below is of me sitting right up on the top and edge of the tooth. then i hiked down into catawba, va to a restaurant called the homeplace with a guy named "meats" that i met at the shelter the night before . it had just gooooood homestyle cooking. all tables get fried chicken, then you order another meat (we got roast beef), then it comes with green beans, baked beans, biscuits, gravy, apple butter, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, and apples in sauce. ya, i had like 5 pieces of fried chicken, 3 of roast beef, at least 2-3 helpings of all the sides and then finished it off with 2 dishes of berry cobbler and ice cream. i have started to call the little belly i get from eating these big meals my food baby, cuz it looks like i've got a little bump there cuz i'm getting so thin. i had a big food baby today and it was great! we then hiked up to macafee's knob where the next two pictures were taken. the first is where i got down on my back and shimmied to the edge, looking down the sheer drop. the second is of me standing on the edge where it just drops off several hundred feet. pretty amazing. i had great company hiking today, great food, and then just had great conversation to end the night by the campfire. i am in my hammock without my rain fly on as it is a clear and warm night. hopefully it won't rain! oh, and i passed mile 700 today! just 17mi from pickle branch to campbell shelter. 704.5 total.

day 35 - 04/14

unbelievable day of hiking. so beautiful. it started with being treated to a hot cup of coffee, which always gets me hiking real fast. three pics for everyone today. the first is of a random eastern continental divide sign. it just caught me by surprise and i thought it was funny. i have only ever thought of "the" continental divide, meaning the one in the rockies, but i guess it makes sense that there is an eastern one as well. maybe someone can look it up and give me more info. such as, why in the middle of frickin nowhere in the woods of va? lol. the second is of a 5ft snake. it must just be a black racer or something, but it sure did make me stop short. it was a big frickin snake to stumble upon on the top of a mountain ridgeline. the third is of the keiffer oak tree, which is the largest on the southern portion at 18ft in diameter. it is also over 300 years old! there is another, called the dover oak in ny, which is apparently slightly larger. well, big day tomorrow. i summit both the dragon's tooth and macafee's knob, which is probably the most photographed part of the appalachian trail. so look for some great photos of me standing on ledge! 28.3mi from war spur to pickle branch shelter. 687.5 total.

day 34 - 04/13

another chilly morning around 30deg, so not nearly as bad as yesterday. i haven't mentioned that aside from wednesday the 11th, when it did actually flurry for a while, and aside from the nights being cold, the weather has been unbelievable. almost every day since i left damascus on the 6th has been clear and sunny all day with almost no clouds. just amazing. the hike today was a little rough. i am not sure why, but i am sore. i am thinking it is the night hiking i did the past three nights. when you night hike it is oh so enjoyable because it is so completely silent and still and the focus it takes to be sure-footed is so very meditative and relaxing. the downside, however, is that when you lose focus and are not sure-footed you can end up jarring your legs fairly badly by tripping or jamming into rocks and roots. i did my fair share of tripping and jamming over the past three nights, hence the soreness. hiking at night also affords me the opportunity to face my fears. every little noise seems exaggerated and huge in the total silence. it could just be a squirrel but it sounds so much larger . . . even though it has quickly become one of my favorite things to do, i think i will lay off the night hiking at least until my soreness goes away. i saw a bear today. at least i think i did. it looked to be a yearling cuz it was lanky, but the coat was a milk chocolate brown and i have always thought black bears were born with a black coat? maybe it was a sasquatch that runs on all four legs? lol. oh, and i have seen at least 50 deer since entering va. it is unbelievable. i think they stay close to the appalachian trail cuz they know us hikers are safe and that it is a no hunting zone. 25.2mi from rice field to war spur shelter. 659.2mi total.

day 33 - 04/12

this morning was even colder! the thing that got me out of my sleeping bag today was knowing that a new backpack was waiting for me in pearisburg, va. i don't think i mentioned this, but i have been dealing with a poor fitting backpack for about 400mi now. i thought that it was because i lost so much weight. apparently, it is actually because i measured myself incorrectly when i measured my torso myself instead of going to a professional. when i was in damascus i was measured by tom at the mt rogers outfitters. i have always considered myself to be on the larger end of a medium/large frame and at 5'11" i am fairly broad shouldered. well, this has absolutely nothing to do with your torso measurement. i hope any potential backpackers read this and learn from my mistake. the measurement is actually from the top of the hips to the protruding bone at the base of the neck. so in actuality what is called the hip belt doesn't fit on the hips, but above the hips and navel, around the waist and resting on the top of the hips. therefore, silly me is actually a small frame! my hips are really high, meaning i have long legs and a short torso. oops. so anyway, getting my mew backpack was a great motivation for getting me out of bed on such a cold morning. when i stopped for lunch at a shelter along the way, i could still see my breath at 12:30! ya, cold! as i was cruising along to the po in pearisburg, i stopped to "smell the roses" as i always do and took the picture below of pearisburg from above an hour before i descended down into the town. very picturesque. the new backpack rocks! it takes some getting used to as it feels like the "hip" belt is very high. i kind of feel like an old man who wears his pants almost up to his chest, but i don't care cuz it is oh so comfortable. i pigged out again in town and then hit the trail to get to the next shelter, after chatting with my mum, of course. 28mi from my dismal falls camping site to rice field shelter. 634mi total.

day 32 - 4/11

it was very cold this morning. i really didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag and didn't for quite a while. the thing that got me going was knowing that i was going to meet my aunt and uncle in bland. i hiked with tommy lee and then got a ride into bland from a great old fella named levi long, who used to run a hiker hostel in bastian, the next town over from bland. i got to do some much needed "real" world schtuff on the computer in the library and then my aunt and uncle picked me up to go eat lunch. we had burgers, and two hot dogs and a bowl of chili extra for me, at a restaurant in the local citgo station. lol. they also gave me two pairs of awesomely comfy wool socks - one pair of which i currently have on my feet after having used them as mittens. ya, it's a little chilly. i had such a great visit and it was great to see familiar faces. everyone has been so supportive of my journey i can't express how appreciative i am of all the well wishes, enthusiasm, and sponsorship. oh, and i just passed mile 600 right before setting up camp. 28.6mi from laurel creek campsite to a little campsite along a stream just after dismal falls. 606mi total.

day 31 - 04/10

and they just keep getting better . . . i read somewhere before i left that those who successfully complete a thru hike typically enjoy all trail experiences no matter what they may bring. i am so glad i have adopted this frame of mind. i think i have always been this way, but the trail has really brought it out in me. i woke up at 03:30 with three other hikers and we hiked until after sunrise, mostly just by the light of the moon. it was magical. the forest is so unimaginably silent and still. it was great how we all just non-verbally agreed to hike silently and enjoy all the night had to offer. it was very meditative because one has to be extra focused so as not to trip over something on just about every other step. at the same time it was amazing to me how with just the light of the moon my brain could see portions and silhouettes of objects and then accurately predict my foot placement about 90% of the time. the sunrise was also very beautiful, but i could not take a picture, unfortunately, because my phone would not turn on because it was so cold. or maybe it was my fingers that weren't working properly - i'm not sure. in any case, we made it to chester field shelter, which was totally enclosed with bunks and an indoor picnic table!!! you don't understand! on a cold, windy day on the trail this is like the ritz carlton of shelters. i ended up crawling in my sleeping bag and napping until noon. then i went another 15mi to laurel creek campsite where i am camping with one of the three other hikers from today. tommy lee jones and i had some great campfire conversation and i am now again tired and ready to sleep at 22:30. i have an easy day tomorrow, just 7mi, into bland, va, where i am meeting my aunt and uncle for lunch. can't wait! 9mi from knot maul to chester field shelter then 14.8 from chester field to laurel creek campsite. 577.4 total.

day 30 - 04/09

i caught up with some thru-hikers i met in damascus at the shelter i stayed at last night. lots of great conversation. i ended up hiking with the three of them all day, which was great. we went 5mi and came to a little mom and pop restaurant that had 1lb hiker angus beef burgers for $6.20. it was awesome. we made it to the shelter and decided to go to sleep early and we are going get up at 03:00 because of the mostly full moon and do a night hike together. it should be fun and i will let you all know what kind of wildlife i see, if any. oh, and as of mile 546 that i passed today i am officially 1/4 finished with the trail! 18.4mi from chatfield shelter to knot maul shelter. 553.6 total.

blueblaze - tripping into now

what? what the hell is tribhu philosophizing about now? ya, tripping into now. there is this amazingly cool phenomenon that has been happening to me almost on a daily basis. i am hiking along and i glance up at the sky to the west. i see clouds, so immediately my mind jumps to the future predicting weather patterns and whether or not it'll be a dry night in camp and bam!!! i trip. the only thing saving me from a totally mangled face are my two best friends, my trekking poles (i think i have mentioned my hiking bffs before). later on i hit a big incline and start to predict in the future where the trail will go up around the next turn - will it be switchback and head west, will it continue up the hill to the north east, or maybe it'll go straight up and bam!!! i trip and luckily my bffs are there to save me. i continue and later on up the trail i start thinking about the 16" pizza i devoured yesterday and how it tasted so good and oooooo, maybe the next trail town will have good pizza and bam!!! i trip. do you see where i am going with this? i am lucky to have these amazingly intelligent things called trees that endeavor on a daily basis to remind me, by way of their root system, to stay in the now. i thought i would share this little metaphor for life because it is easy to observe in everyday life how we get distracted and pulled out of the now into the past or future. you are driving along and you start to think about the various things you have to get done at work, get distracted, and bam!!! you just rear-ended the person in front of you. only it doesn't always end there. oh no. sometimes that still wasn't enough to bring you back to the now. cuz now you are in the future thinking about how you will be late for work, how this will affect your insurance, do you have enough money to cover the deductible, etc. how much of a crash or a trip or a slam or a bam or a boom does it take to bring you back to the now? i fully admit that i am in a pristine environment in terms of being removed from the day-to-day distractions that pull us into the future or past and out of the now. however, i have become very thankful for these little reminders. when i am not in the now and i trip i am then forced to react. think about that word - react. re-act. by breaking down the word i am re-acting the action of not tripping. well, yes i am! i am catching myself and re-acting as opposed to taking the appropriate action in the now. when i am in the now i see the root and take the appropriate action thus avoiding having to re-act an extra step to negate my misstep. one of my favorite theatrical allegories for this concept is the movie "crash." the narrator sums up and ties the whole movie together by saying something to the effect of sometimes we just need to crash into each other . . . and here is where i would say to bring us back into the now. these moments are there all the time to remind us. it just depends on whether or not we pay attention. i could easily just allow my tripping to become habit, but i think i will accept the lesson the trees are attempting to teach me by paying attention to what time frame my mind is currently focused upon. stay golden!

day 29 - 04/08

happy easter to all, if applicable. i stayed at the shelter last night with a father/son duo on a section hike. we had some great conversation and i lucked out cuz they unloaded some snickers bars and goodies as they were getting off trail today anyway. being around this father/son team really made me want to hike with my dad. he mentioned it before i left and i plan on banking enough miles that i can slow down and maybe do a 4-5 day section with him in vermont and then still make it to katadhin on my birthday, which is july 7th. it is a good thing the father/son duo gave me the goodies because i have always lost weight rapidly when i actually get off my lazy ass and exercise. anyone who has met my dad can see how easy it is for us to lose and keep weight off once we actually exercise. unfortunately, it is not physically possible to eat enough calories compared to calorie expenditure on the trail. i just can't carry the weight without destroying my knees. and yes, bad knees is unfortunately another family trait. (my dad and aunt can appreciate that comment) so this is why i pig out in towns - to get some much needed calories. speaking of which, after hiking 19.7mi in 5.5 hours i got to the jefferson national forest welcome center that has a phone dedicated to local calls so that thru-hikers may order food and have it delivered to the welcome center, which you can enjoy at the partnership shelter nearby. so i found an italian place open on easter and after delivery proceeded to eat an entire 16" greek pizza, drink a 2-liter bottle of pepsi, and finish off a ridonculously (credit for that word goes to you, jaz) ginormous 8" canoli topped with whip cream. ya, and i ate it all in under 20min! gross, i know, but totally epic. the crazy thing is that i had so much energy i put my boots back on and hiked another 7.1mi to chatfield shelter. this is where it gets crazy, cuz i was actually hungry again!!! so i ate the foot long sub i had also ordered and was intending to save for tomorrow. lol. oh well, c'est la vie . . . la vie. sorry, bad pun. as you can tell, at 21:06 at night i still have an abundance of energy after all my gorging. or maybe i'm just food drunk? the first picture below is of a nice little waterfall i passed. i thought y'all might enjoy. the second and third pics are of this bush i passed in an old cattle pasture. this plant had the best smell i have ever had the pleasure of breathing in. it was completely intoxicating. i had a moment like in the greek/roman(?) tale about the sirens where i could have just laid down and lost track of a lot of time just breathing in the utterly pleasing scent of these bushes. if anyone knows what they are, please let me know. it would be greatly appreciated. as a perfect end to my joyous and gluttonous easter day of hiking, a very nice 62yo thru-hiking couple let me borrow their iphone to call my parents. so schweet! i can't think of a better way to celebrate the story of christ's death transformation than by being in nature and enjoying all the beauty that earth has to offer. 26.8mi from hurricane shelter to chatfield shelter. 535.2 total.

day 28 - 04/07

whoa! ya it was a really chilly night. my water is just a little slushy, but i think it didn't freeze only cuz it was hanging from my hammock line and was probably warmed from my body heat. i was warm enough all night for the most part. when i set off hiking i noticed that water that was seeping from the ground near springs was frozen like little ice worms coming out of the ground. today was an incredible day of hiking. the mt rogers area is so cool because the ecosystem is so unique for the east. the first picture is of a wild pony that came up to me a little ways south of mt rogers. apparently they are really common in virginia. unfortunately i couldn't take any pictures of the terrain because as i was making my way down a park ranger stopped me and explained that they were doing a controlled burn of all the grasslands so i had to hike fast so they could start. very interesting. the way they start these controlled burns is by shooting ping pong balls filled with naypalm (i have no idea how to spell that, but you know what i mean) thus igniting only the grassy sections. the second picture is from where i was hiking a little too slow and the fire ended up catching up with me so i had to actually hike thru the fire. on such a cool day it was actually nice and toasty warm. the smoke wasn't bad either cuz there really wasn't any wind. just another day in my crazy adventure! oh, and i passed mile 500 today! 22.6mi from whitetop mt to hurricane shelter. 508.4 total.

day 27 - 4/06

i'm not even going to attempt to list all the food i ate in damascus cuz it will probably just make people sick to read it. just know that it was epic. damascus was a cool little trail town and the picture below is from a little mom and pop restaurant. i thought the motto was very apropos for not only the way i have chosen to live this life, but also for any thru-hiker. i had a nice leisurely morning at the coffee shop in town and made plans to meet my aunt and uncle this coming wednesday in bland, va, which is totally awesome and definitely not bland. it will be great to see supportive, familiar faces. it was so great to be back on the trail. exhilarating actually. and with all the food i ate i was really cruising. it was as if uphill was downhill. i made it to whitetop mt, which is just 6mi before mt rogers, the highest peak in va. the videos below are from buzzard rock, right before i set up camp. sorry about the bad editing and that it is in two parts, but it was already pretty cold and my fingers weren't working properly. lol! the terrain in this section is quite different for appalachia. with the trees not yet fully in bloom it is almost reminiscent of northern arizona or the southern siera nevadas. it is very unexpected. i also got the idea while hiking today to start mixing in some blueblaze posts. on the appalachian trail a blueblaze is a side trail that goes off somewhere else or skirts a section of trail. so i will use the term to mean a post that is an aside or off on a tangent from my everyday journal. so look for some blueblaze posts coming soon. i am also going to attempt to integrate a q&a section because i have been getting a fair amount of questions. well, i am settled in my hammock for probably my coldest night so far. it already feels like it is in the upper 30s at 20:30 at 5200ft. hopefully my water won't freeze. lol. 20.1mi from damascus to whitetop mt. 485.8 total.

day 26 - 04/05

so i forgot to mention yesterday with all my philosophizing, that i also hiked from one side of a thunderstorm to the other yesterday afternoon. by the north side i was hiking in rain, thunder, lightening, and sunshine. so cool! it stopped just long enough for me to dry out a little and make it to the shelter and then it rained all night long. yay shelter! today was very easy - just 11.5mi to damascus, va. i actually did the 6.5mi to the virginia border in only 1hr 45min, which was exhilarating. the picture below is of my milestone. i'm spending the night in damascus to refuel and enjoy the thru hiker company. out tomorrow after a relaxing morning. i'll be out of touch for about 7 days as i go thru some mt rogers state park. stay golden everyone and thanx for the support. 11.5mi from abingdon shelter to damascus, va. 465.7 total.

day 25 - 04/04

it is incredible what i hike thru in the course of a day. as i wrote yesterday, when i got into watauga it started to downpour. i woke up at 1:30 in the morning and actually thought it was dawn cuz the sky was clear and the moon is almost full. i woke up this morning and it was as if a white curtain was in front of the shelter. the fog was so thick i couldn't see more than 10ft at most. i started hiking and only an hour later and a 1000ft in elevation gain and i am looking down on the fog in the valley as if it is a lake. see the picture below to see how thick it was. this got me thinking, which is always a dangerous thing. lol. hiking out of this fog was such a great metaphor for the drama we all encounter in life. we can't see thru the dense fog of the dramas we get immersed in until we remove ourselves from the fog. then i thought that it doesn't even require the effort of hiking. it just takes surrender. it doesn't matter what are your beliefs or non-beliefs, just surrendering to something greater than the self: god, allah, jesus, buddha, mother nature, mary, the universe, source, (insert your choice), etc. you get the picture. just saying that i no longer desire to be in this drama, please help me to move past it. then i thought how this hike out of the fog was also allegorical for enlightenment - seeing thru and transcending the veil of illusion between our ego selves and our god selves. those who have ascended the fog before us (before us meaning from our limited view within this dimension of space/time), like jesus, buddha, lau tzu, haidakhan baba, have all ascended thru the fog of illusion that is this reality to view this reality from a higher place. ok, enough philosophy for today. ;) 29.8mi from wautaga lake shelter to abingdon shelter. 454.2 total.

day 24 - 04/03

i had a great night's sleep last night. no rain and i had my hammock set up so straight that it was really comfortable. the morning and early afternoon was a fairly easy hike. mostly just lots of quick up and downs, which made it easy to cover a lot of terrain fast. in the afternoon i hit this river and the terrain was so cool. i would hike along the river for a while and then climb and go thru these huge crevasses in the rock ledge. then i climbed down a really steep rock section to this amazing waterfall. i followed the river from there for a bit and at mile 18 at 14:00 (yes, i got an early start), i decided to take a 1 mile side trail to a saloon on the outskirts of hampton, tn. i had me a 1/2lbs cheeseburger with all the toppings and two beers for a whopping $7.75 and then hit the trail again at 16:00. i was sure glad i had that burger cuz right away i climbed 1800ft straight up and then straight down. it was kind of underwhelming cuz the mountain is called pond flats, but unfortunately there is no pond up there and there aren't and good views either. this is what a thru-hiker calls a pud (pointless-up-and-down). they can be kind of annoying. upon coming down a thunderstorm rolled in just as i was getting to watauga lake. i kind of booked it around the lake and made it to the shelter just before it really started to rain. i am the only one here tonight, which is a first for me. there is a stream just before the shelter, so i took advantage of the privacy and had a nice bath in the stream. with the side trip to hampton i actually did 28.2mi of hiking today and my body feels great. i actually did the last 7.6mi without my knee braces, which included that rather difficult pud. oh, and i passed mile 400 today! 26mi from mountaineer shelter to watauga lake shelter. 424.4 total.

day 23 - 04/02

wow! what an amazing day of hiking. it is crazy to think about what i hiked thru in one day. i woke up and the storm actually intensified throughout the night. my water bladder that i left out on purpose was a little slushy, so it was definitely chilly. i starting hiking in all of my clothes, which i also slept in. everything, that is, besides my shorts and t-shirt. so base t-shirt, wool long sleeve, fleece vest, wool long johns, rain pants, rain jacket, and a wool hat. i was just warm enough when i started. about 30 minutes in as i'm hiking thru a dense spruce and douglas fir forest, which was very reminiscent of the pacific nw, btw, and was totally sheltered from the wind and rain, i peeled off all layers, put on my hiking t-shirt, put my shorts over my long johns, and put back on my rain jacket. fast forward to 10 minutes later and i'm on a bald, covered in very fast moving clouds with pelting rain that actually hurts thru my clothing, and gusts of wind that almost knock me over. ya, quite a change. i think of my thoughts of yesterday and how inconsequential i am in the scheme of nature, and bam!, i totally get knocked flat on my ass as a strong gust of wind comes from the left precisely when i lift my right trekking pole. i haven't laughed so hard in a long time. i finally get up after laughing for at least a minute, and swoosh!, there goes my backpack cover as if it were a kite. so now i'm laughing as i chase my cover over mounds of grass. i so wish this episode was on you tube for all to see. it was quite entertaining, at least to me anyway. oh, and did i mention my shoes are making a slooshing sound even when i step on rock, cuz basically there is a stream of water running down the trail. my hands feel a little funny cuz i can't really move them fully, meaning they are partially frozen. got the picture? needless to say i am know dreaming of this hostel that is only another 10mi up the trail with some hot food and a warm bed. fast forward to 14:30 in the afternoon, when i am partially dried out and my hands have gone thru the pins and needles process of thawing out, and bam!, the clouds break and the sun hits me square in the face. i think to myself that i don't need that hostel. so i dry my feet out, change my socks, grab a bite to eat from my food bag, and hike another 9mi to mountaineer shelter. it is just so amazing how so much can change in the course of one day. i am so glad i pushed thru, cuz the scenery was amazing. just another amazing day on the trail. 25.3mi from roan mt shelter to mountaineer shelter. 398.4 total.

day 22 - 04/01

i got a treat this morning. the woman i camped with made me a hot cup of starbucks coffee. man was it good. even though i woke up to roosters at 6:30, i didn't hit the trail until nearly 9:00 mainly because i was savoring that cup of starbucks. mmm. i also made a decision last night to really try and push myself and get to damascus, va, about 115mi away, in 4.5 days. i got so much food in erwin that it is totally doable. i did 24.9 today over some tough terrain. i went from about 2200ft to 6285ft and there were a couple big elevation changes. of course my feet are sore, but i feel really great and very strong. the terrain from here to damascus only gets easier, so i think i can do it barring no setbacks. we shall see how i feel after day 2 of high miles and i'll plan from there. the cool part is that the climb up roan mt was totally exhilarating. to go from 4040 to 6285ft on miles 21-25 was just totally awesome. i did not stop once that whole way up. i am loving the shape i'm getting into. can't wait to start running and biking big, fast miles once i'm done with the trail. another high for the day is that i hiked thru a fast moving rain storm and the temp dropped about 20degrees in a half hour and now that i am at the top of roan mt i am staying at the highest shelter on the at. the temp in this totally enclosed shelter with 6 guys and 2 dogs is a balmy 45degrees, so with the wind outside it has got to be in the low 30s. i am just nice and toasty warm in my bag. i can see my breath and when i just took my socks off a few minutes ago there was steam coming off my feet like they were a pot of boiling water. and why, might you ask, do i absolutely-fricken love this? probably cuz i'm crazy. everyone on the trail already thinks i am cuz of the big miles i do so i guess i am. i just love this entire experience. it is a journey and everything, everyone, and every experience is something to revel in, whether challenging or carefree. i was thinking today when the storm started that the rain just makes the sun that much sweeter. mother earth must take care of her planet and i am just a traveller and so inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. it is quite an emancipating thought to realize and gladly accept one's place on this planet. cheers to all and remember to stay golden. 24.9mi from indian grave to roan mt shelter. 373.1 total.

day 21 - 3/31

i woke up at 7:00 this morning to soft drizzle and the remaining droplets of the previous night's rain falling from the trees on my hammock fly. i slept with my food last night instead of doing a bear bag simply because the rain helped to mute any food smell and i never opened the bag at the site cuz i wasn't very hungry anyway. so, i got to eat breakfast right there in my hammock as i waited for the drizzle to cease. the terrain was fairly easy so i was speed hiking and made it to the next shelter by 10:07, took a little break, and then hiked the next 6mi to erwin, tn in under 2 hrs, which is crazy cuz it means i was doing over 3mph even up some steep inclines. i got to call my mum when i got into erwin, which was awesome cuz it always feels great to talk to one's mum! i did a quick resupply in erwin, had tons of pizza at an all-you-can-eat pizza place, a pint of ice cream when i got my food, and was back on the trail by 15:30. i met a section hiker on the way up to the next shelter and we enjoyed each other's company so much we ended up hiking another 4mi to a campsite up the trail. as a solo female and in her first day back on the trail for this section i think she appreciated not being alone and i appreciated the company and stories, so it was great. settled in at indian grave gap for the night. today was supposed to be a nearo, but i ended up doing nearly 20mi anyway. oh well. 19.5mi from a stream just before spivey gap to indian grave gap. 348.2 total.