The end is just the beginning

The fact that I'm writing this with a beagle's head in my lap, watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Harrisburg, PA will probably lend you the hint that I am no longer on the AT. Mike, now bereft of his ticket to Valhalla (beard) is sitting next to me so that will lead you to believe that he isn't hiking up steep inclines, wiping away spiderwebs in Nike running shorts while itching mosquito bites either. But, of course, we both wish we still were tickling the backbone of the Appalachians with our worn out hiking shoes... I shall now begin the tale of the end of our hike, starting where I left off last time.

After Bears Den, we trekked through the eroded vestiges of once awesomely tall mountains and were rewarded with views quite different from the sister mountains that we already visited further south.



The valley's of Virginia spread out before us and the farmlands divided up by fences, rivers and roads like a giant jigsaw puzzle of greens, yellows and browns depending on the growth season of the crop being planted.



Battlefields such as Antietam were visible from rocky outcrops that went by names such as Weverton Cliffs, Annapolis Rocks and Raven's Cliffs. During the evening hours the shelters were more crowded than the South, evidence of higher population densities in the area and easier, more gentle hiking terrain.







Please enjoy this interesting picture above of a beetle on a tree fungus. We were lucky to see some of the first lightning bugs - also reminding us that their namesake was threatening constantly from the skies. Indeed Mike and I had to run, sometimes miles, to get to a shelter in order to escape the earth shaking thunder and viscious lightning storms that were going to stick around for good. These storms were the reason we decided, after a few days into the Shenandoah, to retreat back to dry roofs in order to plan our future life-paths. In typical Appalachian style, during the last downpour-day we waded through in Shenandoah, we were rewarded with the sight of a brilliant-red Northern Red Salamander, a beautiful and elusive creature that was glowing like a jewel in our path. The guy had come out because of the rain and would likely not be seen in other weather conditions. If we hadn't sweated and cursed our way through the storm, we wouldn't have had the supreme pleasure of seeing the salamander.

It was with wet tent, shoes, and well, everything that we piled into a taxi-van that took us to a small town in Virginia from which we then took an AMTRAK train back to Maryland. After Maryland (Mikes abode), we drove to PA from which we left for Lopez Island, WA for the Simmons family reunion, plenty of bald eagle sightings, motor bike rides around San Juan (the largest of the San Juan islands), a salmon bake and hippy parade, lavender fields, and of course, a 12 mile walk around the island to remind us that we still had our hiking feet! This trip also included a dance contest involving the Simmons' family girls. My mom and aunt Marianna won with their rendition of 'The Jerk', a painful looking giration that was apparently popular in the 70s. Because of this, I have decided that given the opportunity of time travel, I will NOT visit the 70s. Now we're back and in Harrisburg watching Mike sister Ann's two adorable dogs Simon and Oliver for the weekend. On Monday I'll be headed out to Stroudsburg, PA to work as an apprentice on the Josie Porter Farm, a biodynamic farm that hosts the 80-member Cherry Valley CSA for the summer/autumn growing season and harvest. Interestingly, the AT runs through the farm's property! Mike will be working on a host of commissions for patrons across the US and completing grad school applications and possibly applying to some artist residencies. So, we'll be apart for a time now, but hopefully we'll be able to reunite and join forces once again, after I've got a season of farm work in me and Mike has a new body of work to unveil to the universe.



The Original Appalachian Gang


Lisa and Mike - signing off for now...more adventures to come!