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$LAYYYTER
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KIROKAZE
Kaledo Art
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One Nice Bug Per Day
Peter Solarz
YOU ARE THE REASON
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
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Monterey Bay Aquarium
Love Begins
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he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
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d e v o n
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@atthru2017
These are all from Virginia, which was spectacular. It really was a great way to end the hike. But, again, you do spend about 98% of your day inside the forest, so these are definitely not representative of a typical day on the trail. That said, after spending a lot of time in the woods, a great view felt pretty special.
NEWS NEWS NEWS!
Rachael and I initially planned to get up to Harper's Ferry (mile 1020), where she would leave and I would go on. We got pretty close and instead decided to go into Charlottesville, which is about 863 miles into the trail. AAAAND I decided that I'm also going to end my hike there.
The 800+ miles we've done have been a ton of fun. When I hiked the PCT I had a lot of moments where I wanted to leave the trail, but I always felt compelled to the do the whole thing. When you have to hike 20+ miles a day, that's really not possible unless you are absolutely determined. And honestly, I'm happy to get back to work and sleep in a bed and so on.
I was worried that I would regret the decision, especially given that we are in such good shape now, but I really don’t. So that’s that! And of course, it’s worth noting that I wouldn’t have made it fifty miles without Rachael. She’s one of the toughest people I know (and generally great). Anyway I have a ton of photos to post, so stay tuned.
We made it to Virginia and it really is beautiful. We’re running into a lot meadows and open space, which is nice because at times it’s easy to feel locked in the forest.
Today we cross over the 600 mile marker, so we have stepped up our mileage quite a bit. Yesterday we did something called slackpacking, where you give your pack to a trusted person, they drive it down the trail and leave it somewhere for you to pick up that night. Then you hike with a tiny little backpack that holds the bare essentials (water, food, filter etc.). So that allowed us to knock out 37 miles in one day. We’re pretty sore, but after 40 days on the trail, our bodies recover quickly.
An interesting element of the AT is the presence of hostels. They are everywhere on and off the trail. We try and stay away from them as they tend to be… “interesting”. But every now and again there is an owner who keeps things clean and organized (and safe) and those places are a great way to wait out rain for a night. Generally speaking, it’s really interesting to see the economy that has built up around the AT. Most people have good intentions, but there are definitely some people who take advantage of hikers.
We’re still in Southern VA, but in about two weeks we’ll be crossing Route 64 which leads to Waynesboro and Charlottesville (the latter is where my alma mater is). So we are continuing to march march march! In two days we zero in Pearisburg so we’ll update then.
I got about 400 miles out of these which, for lightweight trail runners on the AT, is pretty good.
Heavy rain is slowing us down a bit. Rain is a bigger issue than just getting wet. Wet shoes and socks that don't dry overnight can (and have!) result in really bad blistering. And if you can't dry your tent during the day, then you're in for a really bad night's sleep. I was wondering why there were tons of hostels on trail, and now I know why. It looks like rain and thunderstorms will linger for the next two days, but then we have a nice opening to make our way to VA by Sunday or Monday. Living in California allows you to forget how muggy and rainy the East is. While the PCT has the desert heat, the AT has the driving rain that is equally as challenging. Still, it's a lot of fun and we've fallen into a nice rhythm of about 23 miles per day. So today we wait out the rain, watching tv and eating pizza and fruits and vegetables, and tomorrow we move on!
The Green Tunnel
We spend most of our time in The Green Tunnel, but we get amazing views every few days.
We’re at mile 207 and taking a zero day in Gatlinburg, TN (which is an ~interesting~ place… lots of confederate flags etc). It’s hard to believe we’ve been hiking for just 17 days. Our flight into Atlanta feels like months ago.
The terrain is still really tough but we’re quickly getting into shape. It’s funny to think that I barely blinked at a 1000’ climb on the PCT, but 500’ feet on the AT is something you have to mentally prepare for. Honestly, I’m surprised the AT doesn’t have a more notorious reputation for it’s difficulty.
Not totally unrelated, two nights ago we had a bear outside our tents (maybe 10’-20’ away). It woke me up at 12:30am because it was crashing through the woods. As it got closer we could hear it grunting with a weird moaning bellow. We started making noise and it ran around us, headed towards the shelter, and then took off into the woods. The whole interaction lasted about two minutes. Still, it was unnerving as we were camping at a shelter where a hiker was bit last year.
Over the next week we’re going to step up our mileage quite a bit. While we’re tired, we don’t really have any nagging pains that can turn into serious injuries. We’ve been smart about zero days, given our pre-hike level of conditioning. Most people who drop out in the first 200 miles are hurt in one way or another.
Generally speaking, a thru-hike is a funny thing because while it’s a super fun experience that we are incredibly lucky to have, it is really REALLY hard. It’s easy to romanticize the trail (see photos), but the reality is that we’re hot, cold, dirty, tired, dealing with bears, itchy, smelly etc. Of course, this is by choice, so it’s absolutely not a complaint, but we definitely ask ourselves why we choose to do something like this. Thru-hikers are a weird bunch.
So, we move on tomorrow. Sooner than later we’ll be in Virginia, one of my favorite states, WITH TONS OF BEARS. Hope you all are well!
Mile 130ish. On top of a fire tower. Snow capped mountains in the distance (last night was coooold).
Storms are rolling in.
1 state down, 13 to go! We’re taking a day off in Franklin, NC. More to follow.
The clouds have parted.
The terrain in Georgia is no joke. We're about 33 miles in. Lots of short, sharp ascents and descents. 800 feet there, 1000 there, and it really adds up. Today was all rain from 6:45am until 5pm. Almost a non-stop downpour. And the mud! No one tells you about the mud. We resupply in Hiawassee on Sunday and take our first zero as well.
The terrain in Georgia is no joke. We're about 33 miles in. Lots of short, sharp ascents and descents. 800 feet there, 1000 there, and it really adds up. Today was all rain from 6:45am until 5pm. Almost a non-stop downpour. And the mud! No one tells you about the mud. We resupply in Hiawassee on Sunday and take our first zero as well.
Team MV, I stole our store dog and and am taking her on the hike.
Two households, both alike in dignity.
Former REI employee, Rachael! And my hiking partner for the next two months.