Huffhike

After writing my last blog, the owner of the lookout yardsale approached myself and another hiker Forge. She mentioned that someone had offered “trail magic” to us, meaning if we wanted to we had the opportunity to stay at the hostel another night for free. After taking some time to think about it, I decided to take the opportunity to stay for free and slack pack one more day.

Normally, I would have taken more time pondering “cutting” miles, but with the incoming storm I wanted to stay the night somewhere dry. After waking up myself, breadcrumb, and Forge went and slacked packed 14 miles. It was a great time, with great people. After the slack pack we went back to the hostel where the Amish stopped by and offered us food. Obviously I ate as much healthy food was possible.

As I went to bed that night I ran into a crew of thru-hikers I knew from down stream. After talking to them, and watching some world cup matches they mentioned they were going to push to a town to watch the team USA game. Knowing I was 27 miles ahead I started to look. I noticed that there was a town 26 miles away called, Delaware Water Gap. Orginally my game plan was to make it through the Gap to cross into New Jersey. However, they had a donation based church hostel, a post office, and a bar where I could watch the game.

So, I decided my best bet would be to do the 26 mile day which would allow me to check all of the boxes. The only downside being that the post office opened at 8:30am and closed at 4:45. On paper, the timing would be realistic and make sense if not for the shuttle. Due to the storm rolling on until 7am, we opted to shuttle at 7:30, meaning that I wouldnt most likely be on trail until close to 8:30. Once I got on trail, I got to work, still being in Pennsylvania, I was dealing with pleanty of rocks. To make matters worse the 2-3 inches of rain the night prior caused the rocks to become slick.

Growing up in New England, I knew how to manage the rocks, and was able to pump miles. However, as I got closer, I noticed that due to the time of day, Id need to begin to hike faster if I wanted to make it to the post office before they closed. As I was zooming listening to the classic Click Click Boom by Salvia, my foot slipped on a rock and I lost my balance. Before I knew it I had smashed my knee against a rock, and instantly felt the pain.

Naturally, I began to curse out the rock and threw my trecking pole. I instantly, realized how childish I was being, and limped my way to my trecking pole and began to walk again. As I walked I felt the adrenaline slowly dissipate and I realized that maybe it was more than just a scrapped knee. Naturally, I reminded myself “No pain, No rain, No Maine” and kept walking. As I walked I continued to blair 90s/00s hard rock.

After a bit I pulled out my phone and realized I was a mile away from the post office at 4:15. So I started to run to the post office. After about 10 minutes of running I made it to the post office and picked up my package. Once I grabbed my package I was leaving when I ran into a hiker I knew, Beefstick, after bullshitting a bit he mentioned that he and a few other hikers I knew were heading to a bar to watch the US national team. Naturally, I tagged along and watched the US loose; however I had a great time at the bar.

The following morning, myself, Warhammer, Sarge, Guru, and Beefstick crossed into New Jersey. Since then Ive been hiking with that crew and we went through the whole state of New Jersey together. While having a blast we deli blazed the state, meaning instead of eating the same old snack foods we would eat lunch or dinner at delis. On top of that New Jersey has a drive in theater where hikers are allowed to camp at. Naturally, we took the 3 mile hitch into town and watched Toy Story 5.

As fun as the alternative adventures were in New Jersey. The true beautiful portion of the trail came in the hidden beauty of the trail. Prior to the trail, I imagined that New Jersey would almost feel like a fly over state without any real views or anything fun hiking wise. I was wrong, throughout the state there was beautiful views of everything. At one point we even crossed through a swamp which I wouldnt expect in New Jersey.

I think that is the beauty of the trail as well as national parks. Even if a park may seem like it serves no purpose it has a purpose and should remain protected. As ugly as the swamp may have seemed there was ducks, frogs, and so many creatures that calls the swamp home.

Unfortunately, the current administration does that share that belief. I think that outside of the social and economic issues that they have caused, them removing protection on public land is something that should scare anyone who loves nature. Removing parks from public land it allows the limiting of protections on animals who are going extinct on that land, making it un accessible to the public, as well as opening the door for the very real possibility where we begin to remove the distinction of public land so we can scrap it for resources to feed our consumeristic society.

The current state reminds me of my favorite warning from Teddy Roosevelt.

Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.

Happy Trails 🤟

Day 76 (Mile 1261.4)

The day after my greatest accomplishment (eating a half gallon of ice cream). My brother and Dad came down to Pine Grove to visit and do a gear trade off. Specifically, I traded my 30 degree bag for a 50 degree sleeping bag. I also snagged my kindle and transformed my rain pants to rain shorts. After meeting them, I decided to take a zero day. It was definitely the better decision as it allowed me to catch up on calories.

The next day, started the hardest week of hiking Ive done in my life. The first challenge came on the first day where there was a no hiking area. The challenging aspect of it was that the distance before the no camp zone was 20 miles meaning Id either have to hike 20 miles or 34. However, the temperatures were good and the terrain was immaculate, so after talking to a trail maintainer I decided to opt for the 34 mile day.

I ended up arriving to camp close to the end of the day where I ate a bagel and a mountain house meal I bought the day before. Knowing I was 10 miles away from Boiling Springs, I decided I was going to sleep in a bit. Due to the heat wave, I ended up waking up at 6am and made it to town at 11am where I drank a slushy and got a pizza.

After grabbing my resupply box, I debated possibly pushing some miles, but as I was leaving I ran into two thru hikers I knew whl were at the bar watching the world cup, so I decided to join them. After talking with them for a bit they mentioned there was a local church hostel. After hearing about the benefits (namely the air conditioning) I decided to stay there.

The next morning started the hardest days of hiking of mile. Over the next 4 days and 97 miles I battled extreme heat, days that went between 82 for a low and 109 for a high, with high humidity. In an attempt to beat the heat, I broke my hiking into two portions of the day. Id wake up at 4am and hike from 9am to 10am and I would then find somewhere cool, namely a shelter to wait out the heat of the day. After napping or reading (specifically River of Doubt) I would pack up at 5pm and then start hiking again until I hit my destination for the day. Even with hiking during the “cooler” parts of the day I would find my pace slowing to 2 miles an hour or dripping with sweat on flatter portions of trail.

On any incline, I found myself having to stop and catch my breath even if the climb was “easy”. Even with those difficulties I was able to pump out miles, during the 4 days, I hiked a 29, 34, 26, and a 8 mile day (going into the hostel).

On top of battling the heat, finding reliable water sources were incredibly hard due to the on going drought. Thankfully, on most road crossings the trail angels would leave a cache of water that allowed myself and other hikers to avoid dehydration. The closest call I had was on the 34 mile day. Orginally, I wanted to hike 29 miles that day. However, the water crossing where I was planning on camping near was bome dry, meaning I would have to hike 5 more miles in the dark to my next water source. Knowing I had 1/2 a liter of water I decided I wouldnt drink until I hit a reliable source.

While walking to the shelter I ran into a road which was half a mile from the shelter. Knowing it was 11:30 at night, I wanted to just hit camp and more specifically water. However, once I hit the road there was 5 gallons of water waiting for me! I was extremely excited and started to drink as much water as I could. As I drank the water, I debated wether or not I should fill my water bottles or rely on the shelters water source. Knowing how dry it was I decided to just fill my bottles. That was the smartest decision I made as the water source was bone dry at the shelter.

As I reached the shelter, I found myself extremely greatful for the trail angels. I can say for certain if that trail angel had not left the water cache there may have been a much worse off story. But becuase of random strangers acts of kindness I was able to have water and not have to continue to push miles in 109 degree heat. I think that is the part of the trail that I love the most, people helping people for no reward or loud thank you. Instead they are helping because they genuinely want to help.

As I write this today on July 4th, I am 14 miles ahead of the hostel Im staying at, due to a slack pack today. I ended up staying two nights to avoid another 109 and 95 degree day. On top of that there is a rumor of an Amish trail magic taking place at the hostel tonight.

Looking ahead it appears that the heat may begin to pass which is incredibly good to hear. However, the reason the heat is going to dissipate is because of a rain storm over the next 3 days, which of course will have its own set of challenges.

Day 69 (Mile 1105.9)

So it has been a while since my last blog entry. I feel like over the past month I have had various reasons for not catching up on my blog.

The first reason and probably the most irritating came around the 800 mile mark. After leaving Glasgow VA, I ran into Titanium. The last time I saw him was in Damascus VA at trail days. After catching up a bit, he mentioned he was going to hitch into town to camp at a $5 “campground”. Then get free ice-cream at a place that offered a scoop to thru-hikers. Not being able to say no to ice cream I decided to tag along.

After a half an hour of unsuccessfully hitching, we decided to just get a ride from a local shuttle service. We were then informed the ice cream place was closed on Sundays so we opted to get margaritas and Mexican food. The food was delicious and we made our way to the campground. After the mile walk we realized the playground was a baseball field, so we setup and went to bed. All went well until 4am when I awoke with a gurgling stomach and realized I was sick. After running back and forth from the bathroom to my tent for about 2 hours I passed the bug and was feeling better and was finally a true thruhiker.

Knowing I didnt have noro, but instead food poisoning I decided I would rent a room at a hostel to rehydrate and rest as it was a warm day. While resting and rehydrating, I was feeling hot, so I decided to cut my hair. After the inital shock, I felt immediately cooler.

After contuning to hike, I passed several of the harder climbs in Virginia including The Priest, and the Three Ridges, eventually I made my way to Waynesboro where I stayed at the church run hostel. I was eventually knighted and had a quicl run in with noro (thankfully one I avoided) and found myself hiking through the Shanendoah National Park.

While hiking through the park, I started to push the biggest amout of miles Ive done on trail. One day Chestnut, Yoohoo, and me did a 34 mile day. We ended up hiking the milage because my shoes where falling apart, and because we wanted to food blaze the Shanendoah. We ended up completing the food blaze by eating breakfast at the Big Meadows Wayside, lunch at Skyland, and ended the day at 11pm at Elkwallow Wayside. Unfortunately because of the timing, I totally missed the black raspberry ice cream.

After the Shanendoahs I continued to hike with Chestnut and Yoohoo until, we eventually split about 30 miles before Harper’s Ferry. After a few days, I reached Harper’s Ferry. I then took a zero day to allow two of the best friends Ive made on trail to catch up to me, Sophie and Alex. After reaching Harper’s Ferry we took the half way photo and then ran some trail errands.

After leaving Harper’s Ferry, we took a few days and eventually reached the offical halfway point. At the halfway point there is a tradition where thru hikers try to eat a half gallon of ice cream. Of course being a traditionalist, I decided to partake in this challenge. I purchased one quart of neopolrine ice cream and a pint of cookies and cream. After 22 minutes, I stomached both and then decided to take the rest of the day off. Id like to say that after that much dairy and food I called it a day, but the hiker hunger took over and I ate 3 burritos before calling it a day.

As Ive reflected about the first half of the trail. I realized that much of this trail, is a solo adventure. You focus on yourself, and at the end of the day, you are responsible for yourself. If you quit or complete the trai its because you decided to do it.

But, Ive also learned that the most beautiful part of the trail comes in the community aspect. The trail is maintained by people who want to help people. The main way hikers get too and from town is from people willing to help hikers and give them a ride. Then every hiker treats and cares for other hikers as if they are family.

I would like to think that being surrounded by the woods and the natural dopamine you get is the reason why. But I dont think that is it. I think that community comes from the commonality. Everyone at the shelter each night had to climb the hill or had to battle the weather. But in the “real” world its hard to find that commonality sometimes. But at the end of the day, we all have the same basic commonalities, and I think finding that commonality is what makes life beautiful.

Either way, Im extremely excited for the northern half of the trail. Im sure Im going to be incredibly anxious about miles (I already am), but the important part will be focusing on the present moment and not getting too far ahead of myself.

Day 53 (Mile 788)

After reaching the playground, I made camp and hung around for a little bit. After watching the new season of Tom Segora’s show I fell asleep. I was sound alseep until 12:30 when I woke up to the sound of a train whistle and the earth shaking. I instantly dropped some “what the hell” before falling back asleep.

Knowing I was 2 miles off of the trail, I knew I needed to pack up quickly. So by 7am I had my whole tent packed and was walking up the road with my thumb out. After a handful of cars drove by someone driving a paint truck drove by and offered me a drive. After a quick drive he dropped me and within a mile I passed the 1/3 mark on the trail. As I continued to hike, I corssed some beautiful portion of trail, after a bit I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Like most Parkways, the views where immaculate. Rather than the trail staying consistent on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Appalachian Trail instead would zig zag on and off of the parkway, meaning the views were inconsistent. Knowing that I decided I would instead just walk the Blue Ridge Parkway until the last zig zag. Although the black top was incredibly hot, I made the right choice as the views were breathtaking.

Later that day, I made camp at a shelter. Knowing how rampant the Noro Virus has been,  I opted to sleep in my tent instead of the shelter. As I fell asleep I heard some russelling, knowing the amount of deers I passed throughout the day I knew it was a deer. That was confirmed when I heard a buck outside of my tent huffing.

The following day, I woke up at 5am and started to knock out some miles. For the most part the miles were fairly easy, there was some normal appalachian trail ups and downs, but for the most part it was uneventful until noonish. When noon hit, I was sitting around the 15 mile mark. I ran into a hiker named Rabbit, and he mentioned to myself and a few other people that if we stuck around there would be beer and subway up ahead. Naturally, when I heard free food and beer I agreed and devoured a 6 inch sub and a Corona.

After two hikers, Pig Pen and Tombstone mentioned they were staying at the next shelter and I should join them to play cards. I agreed and played some cards. The following morning, I pushed 15 miles before 9am and was shuttled from the James River to Stanimals. After arriving at Stanimals, I ran into another thru hiker Always who is finishing his Tripple Crown. We then went to the pizza restaurant where I ate a salad and a buffalo chicken sub.

While eating, I did my best to engulf any / all advice from him as I would like to get my tripple crown at some point. One piece of advice that stood out the most was this idea of two types of thru-hiking. One group is thruhiking for the adventure while the other is doing it to complete the trail.

Obviously, you cant have one without the other, but knowing your own personal motivation is important. For me, Im on the trail to finish the trail, so sometimes I have to pass up the “adventures” or “fun” to instead push miles. But that is what will help me get closer to finishing the trail.

I then spent the remainder of my day at Stanimals, eating food (they had a killer hiker feast) and eventually hung out by a fire and called it a day. The next morning I had 10 blueberry pancakes and was shuttled back to the trailhead.

Day 46 (Mile 732.5)

So it has been a bit since my last entry. I was hoping I could return to my previous layout of blogging where I break each day down with my milage split as well as what I did, but that has become harder and harder to maintain.

So, this week started with me staying at Woods Hole Hostel. The original game plan was to take a nero and a zero at the hostel (near zero and 0 miles). However, one of my friends I met along the way was waiting for a package that had his glasses in them, so we had no choice but to stay. Not that it took much persuading as the gratitude circle, yoga, farm to table food, and great vibes made it hard to leave.

To avoid taking a double zero we opted to slack pack 17 miles. Obviously the lack of weight made the miles cruise by, but the real motivation came in the Dairy Queen 0.8 miles off of trail. After a quick mint oreo blizzard we were back on trail, and after hitting the 17 mile mark we hopped in the shuttle and were back at woods whole where we had our last gratitude circle and went to bed.

The next 2 days were fairly uneventful. We traversed through deep forrest, walked through pastures, and eventually found ourselves within a few miles of the 700 mile mark as well as the Virginia Tripple Crown, which consists of Dragon Tooth, McAfee Knob, and the Tinker Cliffs.

Throughout my time hiking in those 2 days, I found myself in and out of hiking with a group of my friends (Alex, Side Quest, Gibson, and Sophie). Throughout the time, I found myself incredibly greatful and appreciatative to run into them on trail and have the opportunity to share the little and big moments of the trail with such a special group of people.

But in the moments where I was alone, I became incredibly greatful and appreciatative for myself and my past. So many times on trail, I have laid out my past negatively to explain why Im doing the trail now. Numerous times I have gone into detail about the housing market, my shingles and panic attack, and so much more insignificant speed bumps that led me to being here now, as if I need some grand reason.

I think I realized over the past few days, that the past or your reasons are irrelevant to why you are on trail. At the end of the day, all those minor or major reason led me to being here, so they all have a purpose and beauty to my story. Maybe the event was a brutal uphill or a cruisy downhill, either way they led me to this section of trail.

The following day we crossed the 700 mile mark of the trail, with a new friend Funky Flames. It was a nice reflection moment realizing that I was roughly a third of the way done the trail (also acknowledging how difficult it will get the more north we go). After a few more miles, we hit the first section of the Virginia Tripple Crown; the dragon tooth. The Tooth is a massive bolder that over looks a massive section of Virginia. I attempted to climb to the summit of the Tooth, but I ended up stopping short after realizing how large it was.

After summiting we headed down the tooth, and began hiking towards the store a mile off trail. After hitting the trail head we instantly threw out our thumbs and began to hitch. Instantly, like a sign from the universe White Wolf appeared with his pickup truck and offered us a ride. Once getting to the store, I purchased way too much food and began to chow down. After a bit of discussing with White Wolf he offered to give us a ride to the trail head at 4am to make the sunrise on McAfee Knob so long as we stayed at the Four Pines hostel.

Obviously we agreeded. So we packed back into the bed of the pickup and made our way to Four Pines. We were greeted to a beautiful farm and lasagna. Knowing we were going to be moving at 3am we all packed into a barn and made camp for the night.

The following day, we woke up at 3am and headed off to the trailhead. While riding in the back of the pickup through the dark, I had this quick thought. That this is the life we are meant to live, not through the Instagram posts, or validation. But the excitement of everyday life and the little miracles that occur everyday.

Anyways, as normal I throguh on some music (Zach Bryan) and zoned my way up the mountain. It was a great climb and we made McAfee just as the sun was peaking, a perfect execution of a perfect iconic AT picture. After seeing the sunrise, I said goodbye to my tramily (knowing I wanted to hit bigger miles for the day) and headed off to Daleville.

After a few miles, I hit the Tinker Cliffs and slowly made my way to Daleville. After making it to town I resuppled, and had some Bojangles (wicked good btw). I then walked 2 miles outside of town and hitched to a local children’s park where they allow AT hikers to camp, charge, and shower.

Since getting to the park, I wrote this blurb and have been waiting for it to be a bit more dark to set up my tent. I also will be on the swings once the children leave.

All in all a great chunk of trails, with truely the most amazing and cool people.

Happy Trails!

Day 40 (Mile 625.8)
Its been a few days since my last blog entry. I would like to say it was because I havent had time. But I suppose when all you do all day is walk, eat, and sleep its hard to use that as an excuse. Either way, I figured I would spend this zero day catching up to this point.
Over the past few days, Ive done two resupplies (both coming from boxes) and Ive had 3 days in hostels or a motel room. The most recent stay was yesterday and today I took a zero day today to dry off my gear and to allow my feet to dry out from the past 4 days of rain storms.
Through the rain storms Ive stayed motivated by enjoying the cows and the pastures in between of the green tunnel. On top of that Ive found motivation by focusing on the little milestones and small victories. Over the past couple of days, I surpassed the 600 mile mark and the 1/4 way point. Ive also taken opportunity of each little detours for warm food. Three days ago it came in the form of grilled cheese, corn dog, and French fries. The following day I bought a chicken bacon ranch pizza at a gas station.
After eating half of the pizza I packed out the remaining pizza, and a tall bud light. After 10 quick miles I made my way to the Wapiti Shelter. For those unaware, in 1981 the shelter was the location of a double murder. Contrary to the several Farout comments I did not see any ghouls. I can confirm there was a presence of mice, as they ate an entire log book. Knowing that information I hesitantly set up my tent in the rain.
My greatest motivator, and I suppose my appreciation the last 4 days came in the form of trail angels. Sometimes thru-hiking can feel like a solo adventure, where you are hiking your own hike, and everyone else is hiking there own hike. But at the end of the day that is the furthest thing from true.
After leaving Akins VA, I had a full portable battery and a full phone battery. But after 12 miles of hiking, I noticed I had accidentally turned on my headlamp. Effectively killing the battery of the headlamp. Naturally, I plugged it into my portable charger. But the battery didnt produce any power. It then hit me that battery pack had died. I quickly started to look on Farout when I noticed there was a hostel within half a mile.
I quickly walked to the hostel where I asked the owner if he could shuttle me to Walmart (36 minutes away, the closest place to buy a charging bank) and I would pay him. He told me “no” and said I could charge my phone there if I needed to. After looking through google maps I realized that the Walmart would be the best option, as the closest town outside of backtracking was 80 miles away.
While doing my research, a fellow thru-hiker who was at the hostel was trying to get it to work. After futzing with it she confirmed it was fried fried and asked what I was planning on doing. I told her my plan was to back track 10 miles and hitch to Walmart. After hearing that she told me that there was no way she was going to let me go back and gave me her power bank free of charge.
I think that is the beauty of thru-hiking. I think that sometimes in our lives both on and off the trail, you get caught up in our own lives and our own journey. In doing so we inadvertently choose ourselves over others, and accidentally miss opportunities to help others.

While thru-hiking I think you are more apt to help others because you see the humanity in everyone you meet.

Everyday, I walk a trail that is maintained by volunteers who remove blow downs, re-route the trail, clean and empty privys. Then we hit towns where town people offer free rides or free food to stinky hikers. They dont do it because they get paid, they instead do it because they care about hikers and want to return the favor that was given to them or someone they know.

That appreciation for others and willingness to help everyone and appreciate “trail magic” of everyday life is something I hope to carry back home in September.

Moving foward, I hope to go back to a daily check-ins.

Happy Trails 🤟

Day 25 (Mile 470)
After waking up we knew we had a short 9-10 miles into Damscus for the start of Trail Days (while crossing into Virginia). Little did we know that the last 10 miles into town was incredibly easy and was a great grade for cruising some miles. We ended up crossing into Virginia before 11am, and we made it to town by noon.

After we got to town, we pitched our tents in the woods portion of tent city. The game plan was that we would set it up there so that we would be in the shade rather than in the baseball field. Anyways after we setup, I went over to the town post office to grab my new shoes. They ended up not being in yet. So I then walked over to the Appalachian Trail headquarters in Damascus to get my hiker tag (thru hikers get a tag that shows you are a thru-hiker). Most hikers get the tags when they start the trail, but I was a late start so I was not given one.

I then got my tag, and went over to the food lion in town to get food. I then went back to camp to call it a day.

Day 26 – 28 (Mile 470)

Over the past few days I fell behind on my blog. Which Im not the most proud of, but in the same aspect I think its okay. I would rather be present and fall behind on this then be focused on writing everyday. Anyways over these days I was at Trail Days. Trail Days is a festival that is held by the ATC in Damascus Virginia. The festival includes vendors, a parade, events, and some parties in the woods.

While at trail days, I camped in the woods of tent city (tent city is where the thru hikers are asked to camp). It was a great spot with solid ground. The only downside was that the crew next to us left there music playing throughout the night. Even with the restless nights, I had a great time at the festival, and was even given a 6 pack of Long Trail Ale once someone found out I hiked the trail in the past.

Outside of the parties trail days had pleanty of opportunities to buy some gear. I was hesitant to purchase gear due to my budget but I was easily persuaded due to the deals. Over the 3 days I purchased the following.

Jolly Gear short sleeve shirt (the long sleeves were killing me in the heat)
A water bottle holder (to hold peanut butter)
An Umbrella (to stop the rain more)
A fanny pack (so I can have more snacks available)

On top of selling stuff the vendors were giving out stickers and other cool free things. I collected a sweet pile of loot. After realizing that I had too many stickers, I sent home the stickers with a pile of some gear (puffy jacket, winter hat / gloves, and my old shoes (got a new pair in the mail)). Some vendors were also doing raffles for thru hikers. I ended up winning a hammock at one of the raffles.

After winning the Hammock, I ran over to the post office. But they were closed, realizing that I didnt want to carry two sleep systems, I started to look around. At first I tried the local outfitters to no luck as well as a few hostels. After about half an hour of trying, I found a hostel owner who was willing to send it for me. So I met up with him and the package was off!

Outside of the fun times, trail days is about bringing together all of the classes of thru-hikers. So during the last day of the festival they throw a town parade where the local people throw water at the current thru-hikers, and sorta heckle them.

All in all I had a phenomenal time at trail days. I think that it was well worth the 3 zero mile days.

Day 21 Continued (Mile 382.2)

After I posted my blog, I set up my tent and was taking in the view when another thru hiker I knew came up the trail. He complemented me on my campsite and then mentioned the trail angels gave him 6 beers and offered me one. Obviously I accepted his offer and took one.

As the day came to a close I went towards the summit of Jane Bald to watch the sunset, I met two professional photographers. They were incredibly cool and we talked photography and sports a bit as we watched the most beautiful sunset I have seen in my life. After the sun had fully set I wandered off to my tent and called it a day.

Day 22 (Mile 404.2)
At 4am, I felt the wind pick up. Seeing I was sleeping on a bald there was no tree coverage. So when the wind picked up I could feel the tent shake. After a bit I figured I should get up to watch the sunrise, so I battled the wind and picked up my campsite and hit the road. Feeling the dinner from the night before hit I figured I would quickly push 4 miles to the next campsite.

The site was the last site in North Carolina, so I knew it would be the last privy until Virginia. So I made the push and made the privy in great time. After doing my business I ran into a few hikers I met a few days earlier Side Quest, Alex, and Gibson. We talked a bit when they mentioned they were going to stop by Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast to recharge and get boxes. Obviously being a thru hiker that was music to my ears so I asked to join in.

The first peak we summited was Hump Mountain which was a beautiful summit that had phenomenal 360 views. It was very reminiscent to the Franconia Ridge if it was plains instead of rock ledges which was really cool. After we summited we hiked a bit more until we hit 19E where we took the 1/4 mile detor to the bed and Breakfast. We then grabbed food (I had a chicken cordon blue burger) and started to charge up while we listened to live music.

After we ate and were ready to go, we kept on hiking north where we eventually crossed into Tennessee fully and crossed the 400 mile mark. We then made it to a stealth camp where we called it a night.

Day 23 (Mile 429)
While hiking the day before I mentioned to the group that I needed to get a package at Boots off Hostel. After talking they mentioned they wanted to stay there as well as they were a legendary hostel, and on top of that they were having some pre trail day festivities. So we started looking at lodging options in the morning and settled on splitting the cost of a yurt.

The hike started off dry and slowly switched to rain, a staple of the Appalachian Trail. After hiking for a while through the rain we stopped for lunch. I was offered some Fruity Pepples with dehydrated milk. It was phenomenal and so worth it. After a bit we crossed paths with an old farmstead which was incredibly cool to see. We then ran into a Riff Raff trail magic. They gave us grilled cheese sandwiches with chilli. They also mentioned they were doing pre trail festivities and offered slack packing for the next section.

We collected all the information and figured we could reasses it later on. After a while we crossed an amazing section of trail that had crazy erosion as well as probably the coolest waterfall Ive seen on trail.

After a bit we made it to Boots off Hostel and ate the McDonald’s we got when we got off trail. I then headed up to grab my box. After talking to the receptionist we realized my resupply box didnt make it. At first I was worried I would be out of food, but I realized that I had enough dinners as I made it a day early and didnt need dinner for the night. So I bought some snacks and then listened to some live music.

Day 24 (Mile 449.4)
After hanging out a bit too late the night before we quickly packed up to make it to pur rides RV at 7am. We decided the Riff Raff offer was too good to miss (free food, place to camp, slack packing (hiking without “uncessary” gear (tent, quilt, etc.)). However, because they were taking business from Boots Off they declined to shuttle us, so Side Quest came up clutch and lined us up a ride with a trail angel who hands out Klondike bars throughout the trail. So by 7am we pilled into the RV and made it to the Riff Raff event in time to get breakfast (our second of the day).

After we dropped off our gear we got a ride lined up and took the very quick ride up to Rt 91. Once we got to the trailhead we were greeted with McDonald’s trail magic where I picked up a beer and a sausage sandwich. We then went off on a 20 mile slack pack heading South on the trail. It was amazing to slack pack. The packs felt incredibly light and the trail was an amazing green tunnel over a ridge line.

Once we finished the 20 mile slack packing I headed back to the Riff Raff event where I ate some pizza, and ate a questionable amount of garlic bread and drank a questionable amount of free Miller Lites.

While chilling around the campfire the topic of my trail name came up. I was originally given the trail name of Bear Bait (BB). But I wasnt a fan so I ended up going back to my name. My friend mentioned Good Will Hunting would be a cool name due to my usage of Wicked. I thought that was a good name and figured I would sleep on it.

Day 24 (Mile 460.8)
Seeing that we had only 20 miles to Damscus and the start of trail days, we figured we could take a mellow day. So we woke up late, ate 3 breakfasts and 4 doughnuts and took the last shuttle out of Riff Raff. We decided to also go back to full packs so we could walk into Trail Days Wednesday instead of shuffling it.

Once we got shuttled we ran into trail magic again where I ate 3 hot dogs and ran into my buddy who I “lost” after Erwin. After catching up a bit he mentioned he thought of a cool trail name for me, “wicked”. Due to me saying it alot. That settled it, I am now Wicked.

After chilling for an hour we started to hike, the first we got was of the iconic barn with the AT logo on it in a meadow. One of the hardest things Ive done on trail so far was continuing to hike. I was so tempted to take a siesta but I knew I had to keep on keeping on. So I kept hiking, throughout the day I hiked with the crew as well as Breeze who is a cool guy I camped with a few days prior.

I think that is something Im so appreciative of about the trail. There is so many amazing and cool people. Everyday you are greeted by a new face and a cool story.

I think so much of our current ecosystem and life is dictated by our differences. Obviously those differences are then played by 24 hour news networks (CNN, FOX, MSNBC) and social media companies to divide us to keep the attention and revenue coming in. But on the trail there isnt a focus on that instead there is a focus on a common goal, Maine (or the last 2 days Damscus). It causes this constant positive vibe where everyone is working in unison and not trying to one up another person.

I think that commonality could easily be found, as its what got us through WW2, economic collapses and so much more. I think if we just remove those dividers like the trail naturally does we’d all be better off.

Anyways the rest of the day was amazing, we made it to camp before the rain got too bad, I ate too much food and crashed hard.

Day 20 (Mile 366.1)
Seeing that I had the luxury of a “full” night of the luxurious WiFi, and an Air Conditioner. I took full advantage and I stayed up maybe a little too late and caught up on the Boys before bed (I did strech and use my cork ball, so not a total wash). By the time I finished it was 11pm. So I plugged in my earbuds and phone and fell asleep.

After I woke up one of my bunk mates offered me her bannana and apple. Obviously I accepted and devoured both in a matter of minutes. I then began to pack up my gear, after I had everything packed and ready to go, I ran to the common area to grab my lunch (a ceaser salad). I then walked to the front of Uncle Johnnys to wait for the shuttle. Due to Hurricane Helen a few years ago, the bridge across the river was washed away. So rather than taking a 5 mile road walk (that doesnt count as part of the AT) I opted for the shuttle.

After getting dropped off, I instantly felt the zero day. My mind and body were just pulling me back in, my knee would tighten, then my mind would go on a tangent trying to get me off trail. But I kept on walking until my mind and body shut down and I was moving.

The first half of the day was amazing, I had some trail magic where I had homemade banna bread and some Arnold Palmer, I then took advantage of the free trash and deleted my ceasear salad. It was wicked good. I would highly recommend it. I then started my teeth up Beauty Spot, which was an amazing view. After summiting, I continued to hike until I hit the AT detor. Due to the storm they closed a section of trail, I looked on Farout and it said that there was stealth campsites as well as water sources along the detour. No worries I thought so I started to hike and I slowly realized that report was over exaggerated as there was no stealth sights.

No worries, I figured at least it was on a road so the next couple of miles should be easy. I was extremely wrong, as the detour crossed a highway and darted through the woods going directly up and down hills. On top of that the hills had wooden stairs, which are incredibly difficult.

So my short day turned into a 20 mile day where I camped at the closest water source and had a campfire with a few other thru hikers.

Day 21 (Mile 382.2)
When I woke up I noticed my tent was drenched. Knowing it didnt rain at night, I knew it was a mixture of my condensation while sleeping as well as the condensation from the ground. I then brugently packed my soaked tent and headed off.

The start of the hike was uneventful, a few PUDS here and there, but it was still amazing. I ened up hiking with a hiker Big Bird and he gave me some photography advice (a hobby Im hoping to get into when I come back). After a bit of hiking, I reached Roan Mountain.

Roan was hit particularly bad by the hurricane. It was wild, there was these massive trees that were destroyed by wind. But the beauty in it was that although some trees were uprooted from the ground they were still blossoming (presumably because they had a root or two still attached). I think it says alot about our ability to survive. Like trees our whole purpose here is to live; like everyone we’ve survived the storms in our lives and were still blooming.

Anyways, after I took the hike into Carvers Gap where I was greeted by trail magic and a privy (a rarety in Tennessee). I ended up spending close to 3 hours at the trail magic, where I ate 3 hotdogs and 3 hamburgers. I also drank 2 beers and carried up one hard seltzer up Jane Bald. I then found the most beautiful stealth campsite, so I set up camp and have been streching and cork balling, while I wait for hopefully an amazing sunset and sunrise.