454.5 and counting!

It is with a belly full of Ben and Jerry's Mint-Cookie icecream, half a large supreme pizza, some lemonade, Sprite and a few chunks of beef jerky that I write you this blog entry. This conglomeration of food may seem repulsive to some, but to the hiker it is a fat/calorie packed, uncomfortably delightful mixture that will fuel our drained energy reserves and prepare us for 16+ mile-days of hiking where we will burn an average of 4-5,000 calories - 2x a normal day. And, because I'm eating like this, it will also clue you in to the fact that Mike and I are back on the trail - 'SoBo' - or southbound in AT terminology. Mike's parents dropped us off in Blue Ridge Summit, PA five days ago (thanks again for the ride, delicious apples and even more delicious dinners Mary Ellen and Dick!). We can now check off Georgia, NC/TN, Maryland and West Virginia off our lists.

We're now in Virginia, Bear's Den Rocks Hostel to be exact. This place is very cool, built right out of the surrounding rocks and originally run as a summer home for wealthy folks who paid high dollar to stay here and take in the view of the Virginia countryside while hanging out in the petting zoo on site and listening to the wife of the owner sing Wagner operas (apparently she did this while hiking, too - probably would scare away all the wildlife - I wouldn't hike with the lady). Now it's run by a young couple (thru-hikers 2x) and their little girl (Hikling) who runs around laughing and playing while we talk, eat, shower and eat more.

Harpers Ferry was a great history lesson for us nerdy lore buffs. We learned all about John Brown and how the Civil War 'began' in this little town that sits above the intersection of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers - it's a hell of a climb out of it though - especially in a hail storm (ouch).

Thomas Jefferson said of the view from his favorite rock adjacent to Harpers Ferry that, "The passage of the Patowmac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature. You stand on a very high point of land. On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder and pass off to the sea. The first glance of this scene hurries our senses into the opinion that this earth has been created in time, that the mountains were formed first, that the rivers began to flow afterwards, that in this place particularly they have been so dammed up by the Blue Ridge of mountains as to have formed an ocean which filled the whole valley; that, continuing to rise, they have at last broken over at this spot and have torn the mountain down from its summit to its base. The piles of rock on each hand, but particularly on the Shenandoah, the evident marks of their disruptions and avulsions from their beds by the most powerful agents in nature, corroborate the impression."

I think the view of the pizza for dinner was better, but... Mike and I also got our pictures taken at the Appalachian Trail Conference Headquarters (the mothership of the AT) as 'eventual thru-hikers' and Mike talked with the folks working there about the artwork he's been creating of the wonders we've seen along 'the trail' - good networking :)

So, now Mike has more paintings and drawings in his sketchbook and I have more pictures of wildflowers (all of which I will be reading about tonight - medicinal uses and biology) and handstands on rocks. We have all that and the incredible gift of being able to put our feet on the sublime (and soggy) gardens of the earth for three more weeks.

Special shout-out to my dad. Can't wait to hang out with you on Lopez and thanks for driving up to see Mike and I after work - it meant alot and it was so good to see you. Thanks also for the support (on the trail and in 'real life'). Soak up some sun for me in Puerto Rico. Laura - so glad you're coming to Lopez!

Mary Ellen and Anne - Buon viaggio and enjoy your awesome trip to Italia!

Shenandoah here we come!!!

Lisa signing out

AT Fire Towers

Here are some views from fire towers along the AT, once used for (you guessed it) look outs for forest fires and beat poets. Because Kerouac and Ginsberg no longer walk the earth and because of airplanes, the fire towers are no longer used, but lucky hikers can still climb up their rickety metal stairs and gaze out at the heart stopping views.

Flip Flop, Sort Of

Like many explorers and adventurers, Mike and I have decided to alter our course in order to accommodate an illness, the Appalachian God of Rain (*I shall not name him for fear of his wrath), and a dwindling monetary situation. I will first let Mike, the unhappy receiver of a happy colony of bacteria, describe the situation from his own skinny perspective:

"Twenty pounds lighter and later, my curse lifted, and finally some sunshine - my body had to leave the trail and now will return. Of the former, I somehow managed to consume contaminated water, likely in town where we weren't purifying our sources, and became ill in the mountains after walking up Unaka Mountain in hypothermic conditions. We managed to conclude the night in a warm tent, but I became afflicted with violent fevers. We walked eight miles the following morning with my fever worsening and vertigo setting in. We boarded in at the Mountain Harbor Hostel in Tennessee where for three days I sweated out the fever. Then, the bug unexpectedly shifted to my gut, and I became preoccupied with getting to know my insides for days. Test results are still awaiting a name for this beast (or possibly THE BEAST?), but after a week without appetite or sleep (from my busy meetings), and not knowing whether or not a relapse of the bug would occur, we had to leave the trail, having walked 400 miles of the Southern Appalachians to Virginia's back door.

BUT.......Now - having eaten lots of food, regaining my sleep and strength, we are heading back out, though not where we left our journey. The new goal is to meet our departure point, beginning by walking Maryland, West Virginia, and on south through Virginia's Shenandoah National Forest. Yes, dear friends, we will be a-walking, walking with a ferocity that can only be found in the hearts of scalywags, thieves, storytelling murder-creeping pirates, and..... hikers. Because now, and I will enjoy writing this with a smirk, it is personal."

Sums it up nicely I think - thank you Mr. Marks. Now we gain the perspective of the "south-bounder" and we can check off two of the most beautiful National Parks the south eastern US has to offer. This flip-flop was unexpected but necessary and we will be back on the trail tomorrow morning. I'm excited to learn more from the earth and to emphasize this point I will leave you with a quote from the Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, a book I read while Mike was languishing in the hostel watching shoot em' up movies between bathroom breaks:

"Lots of people talk to animals," said Pooh.
"Maybe, but..."
"Not very many LISTEN, though," he said.
"That's the problem," he added."

Now, back to listening and it's time for you guys to do some looking - HERE YA GO!


Sunset after the rain on the Nolichucky River.


The tree of knowledge.


Mike passed out and sick as a dog at Iron Mountain Gap before a shuttle picked us up.


Big Bald - aka gateway to Scotland.


Soft and beautiful evening light after the rain.


Mountain Laurel gracing the trail before the descent into Erwin, TN.

PICTS UP!

We've got pictures up now. I've updated past entries with pictures (see the Smokies and the 'Things that crawl...' entries) and added some new ones. The new title image is from Max Patch.

Max Patch: Bald and Beautiful

Some pictures from Max Patch, a bald that spans the NC/TN border along the AT and gives the lucky traveller a 360 degree view of all the mountains in the universe (at least it seems like it). The pictures pretty much say it all. The mountain is a naturally occurring bald, scientifically unexplainable for the absence of trees - today it is kept clear of trees by mechanical mowing, however. We heard Bob White Quail and Banjo Music up here. During sunset and sunrise no one spoke because the experience took the words out of our mouths. We spent the night up here, enduring 40 mph winds and temperatures in the mid-30's. OF COURSE it was worth it!