Trailing On: 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.