AT Day 157 Tenting on Whitetop Mountain to The Place in Damascus

October 14
Miles: 20
Total: ~1715

Our camping spot the previous evening was on an exposed hill, so we were a little apprehensive about crazy winds blowing us away into the night.  But to our surprise the winds weren't too bad and when we woke up at 5:20 it wasn't even that cold (first morning in what feels like forever).  This was an important factor for ensuring that we would get up and stay up, which we did successfully.  We managed to get on the trail by about 6:30 which brought us to Buzzard's rock just in time for sunrise - beautiful!  We really lucked out with our camping choice for the evening.

The reason behind our early wake up was to make a big push for town and get there at a reasonable hour.  We had a great start and made it to the first shelter (about 5 miles in) in under two hours, but after lunchtime we slowed down a little bit.  At one point we met a nice gentlemen with two standard poodles (great hiking dogs apparently, smart, generally well-behaved, and really long legs).  He was curious about our experiences so we hiked with him for a couple miles so we pulled back our pace a lot.  No matter, really, sometimes having a chat while hiking can really pass the time.  He was even ready to offer us jobs with his company, but alas, we are not mechanical engineers. 

Today had a lot of what are known as "pud"s - or "pointless ups and downs", where there is alot of vertical change without much of a view.  We were sort of kicking ourselves for not "blue blazing" (taking a side trail off the AT) on the Virginia Creeper Trail, which was a gentle downward slope all the way to town along an old railroad bed.  After seeing hundreds of bicyclists, however, we were glad we made the right decision to stay true to our trail.  There are all sorts of outfits in Damascus that shuttle people and rental bikes north up the Creeper Trail and they then just coast back to town.  We have been assured it is quite lovely and judging by the amount of people doing it I believe the hype.

Anyways, we finally made it into Damascus around 4 (not bad for a 20 mile day), but to our dismay the laundromat was closed.  Soon, however, we were seeing fellow hikers wandering around in hospital scrubs, and, using our Sherlock-like powers of deduction, we figured that there was an alternative means of getting our clothes clean.  Sure enough, the proprietor of the Hiker's Inn was nice enough to do a load for us for 5 bucks.  Not a bad deal.  But we weren't at the front of the line, so hospital scrubs it was to be!

The Damascus Methodist church runs an old house as a long distance cyclist/hiker hostel called "The Place". It can probably hold about 30 people between two floors, has a kitchen area, a bathroom, and a shower room.  We even got hot water!  They only ask for a six dollar donation.  After getting set up there, we headed over the local food establishment/watering hole "Quincey's".  To Jamie's delight they had a pinball machine which he played while waiting for the food to come out.  We spent entirely too much money on dinner and drinks (considering it was a pizza place), but since our lodgings were meager we felt it justified. 

Tomorrow is our third 'zero' day of the southern portion of our journey and we will be moving on from The Place to a new inn called the Clifton Inn.  We will have a TV in our room and we are excited about that. 

On the road again!

Here we are again on the road after a two week hiatus in Massachusetts.  We had a great time celebrating Shannon's birthday, seeing family, resting, and gearing up, but the remainder of our journey is calling us back and we are exited to answer the call!

We aren't exactly rushing to get to Harper's Ferry, however, so we won't actually be starting again until the 14th.  So we are sort of on a journey to our journey!  Currently we are blogging from the Megabus on our way to DC where we will be staying with our trail friend Duffer before we make our way over to Harper's Ferry.

Megabus is pretty great; if you haven't heard of it yet, it is one of these new style of busses that have a progressive pricing system where you can go online and pay based on the order in which you reserve your seat.  If you are lucky (and early enough) to be the first, your tix will only be one dollar.  It doesn't go everywhere, but it is pretty extensive and is still growing its route system.

On the bus there's wifi, power outlets, a couple of table style seats, a bathroom, two floors of seating, and even power outlets!

I highly recommend them, especially if you can plan in advance.

Ok,we are going to take advantage of our time now to further our progress in Star Trek TNG so you'll hear from us again soon!

Day 47 Upper Goose Pond Cabin to Kay Wood Shelter

Miles:  18.3
Total:  452

What a great day today was!  We were woken up at 7am with the question "How many pancakes to do you want?"  I was up in an instant asking how many could I have and what kind are they?  I placed  my order for four pancakes. One blueberry, one banana and two chocolate and banana.  Jamie had Banana and Walnut (also four). When we got down stairs to the table the caretaker Bob and his son (also bob) were in the kitchen cooking and there was coffee on the table. COFFEE!  Heavenly.  The Bobs honored all pancake requests and offered to cook more if anyone was still hungry.   Needless to say, breakfast was great.  OH! did i mention they served us as well?  Wow.  just wow.  Even the drizzle didn't dampen our spirits. 
We finally left around 9:30 after way to many cups of coffee. 

Worrying about rain, we booked it 9 miles to the first shelter and stopped for a snack.   The sky, at this point, looked incredibly ominous but knowing that in another two miles we were going to stop at the cookie lady, we started up again.  Promptly after leaving the shelter it started raining.  Then it started raining harder, and then is started hailing and then the lightening was right above us.  It stormed for about 45 minutes.  The exact amount of time it took us to get to the cookie lady.  As we were approaching her driveway, it cleared up.
Who's the cookie lady?  A lady who gives cookies to thru-hikers.  Her and her husband moved into their house 28 years ago.  They are within sight of the trail.  I think the trail runs along their property.  Anyway, about 25 years ago they started baking cookies and giving them to thru hikers.  They also sell some snacks.  Jamie and I popped in and bought 4 hard boiled eggs, 1 coke and got some cookies.  She wasn't home but we sat and chatted with her husband for about 45 minutes while we warmed up and snacked. 

We were feeling fresh and fine when we left so we practically scampered to the Kay Wood. 

Tonight we're here with Kyle, Drew and TicTac, two of whom we met at the fingerboard shelter and we did a farm stay with all three of them.  There's also a section hiker, Dan, who just came from a Kirpalu retreat and is doing 10 days up into Vermont. Jamie and Dan are lighting a fire to keep the bugs away and all the smoke is going up into the loft where I'm currently sitting unable to breath.  Heading down.

Day 41 - Limestone Rocks - Laurel Ridge Campsite

Miles: 14
Total: 494
Sights:

• Town of Salisbury, CT
• Deer count: 26
• Mystery Animal (possibly a groundhog)

We had our earliest wake-up and departure times to date!  5:10 and 6:15 respectively.  We made it to Salisbury by 8:15 on foot and had an overly expensive but also overly delicious breakfast ($30 for 3 pancakes, 3 pieces of bacon, a burrito, and coffee) at the County Bistro. We be-bopped around town, visiting the general store, the super market, the post office, and the outfitter before heading out for an easy ten miles. Dinner tasted extra delicious. We can't tell if it was actually delicious or if we were just super hungry. This is starting to become a frequent question for us.

Our Campsite for the night.



Laurel Ridge Campsite. Jamie purifying water.

Finally made it to Massachusetts!

A beautiful View.

A facinating Caterpillar.

AT Day 40 - Caeser Road - Limestone Rocks Shelter

Miles: 14
Total: 481

We tried to get up early today but failed.  Not too badly though, we were out by 7:50.  The walk today was nice, with a five mile river/road walk and a gentle upward grade over three miles.  We popped over to look at the falls in Fall River and now we seem to be the only people here (it is around 6:30PM) - maybe it is because the shelter is a half mile away from the trail and 350 feet down a ravine.  Just a guess.  We shouldn't complain though, this really is a beautiful site and there is a series of falls as you traverse down.
There are lots of great bird calls around the shelter tonight, we really like listening to them.
I recently was marveling at the fact that we've been on the the AT for 40 days! We've only slept in a real bed five times since we left, and four of those nights were at the Doyle when we were recovering. It doesn't feel like that long, though. I think that part of the reason for the late starts lately is due to the fact that I'm more and more comfortable in my sleeping bag and it makes it that much easier to sleep in!



A fun looking hostel that we didnt' get to stay in.
 


 Can you find Jamie? 

A road walk in CT

                                                                      A pretty trail

                                           We had the Shelter to ourselves this night. 

It was a pretty great place with lots of birds, but the shelter faced NO light so it was incredibly dark in there.

Limestone rocks shelter from the outside.

AT Day 22 Eckville Shelter --> Bake Oven Knob Shelter

Miles: ~17
Total: ~234

Holy Rocks PA! We are done with you! Got my first blisters yesterday and today on the rocks was super painful. However, we did get a hiking buddy, Colonel Anges. We spent the night in the shelter and attempted an unsuccessful seach for pizza. Colonel Anges hiked with us today and will conitnue on with us tomorrow. Again, nice to have a buddy. He's really into Burning Man and has almost convinced me that we should go THIS YEAR. He's the second hiker I've met who is a big Burner. Ok. Back to today. The rocks were brutal-when they weren't just on the ground, they were massive boulders taht demanded lots of attention. Between the three of us I think we totalled 8 falls. The coolest part of the day was the "Knife's Edge" a ridge of rocks with drops on each side. Really cool. Really scary. Tonight we are joined with Rayo and Uno at the shelter. They are both hilarious-really fun duo. Happy to have them here.

Bake Oven Knob Shelter with Rayo and Uno

Colonel and Jamie on the Knifes Edge

PA Rocks.  UGH!

AT Day 18 Rauch Gap Shelter -> William Penn Shelter

Miles: ~13
Total: ~165.3

Shannon:  The hike today was pretty great.  A NOBO slowed down a bit and hikes with us.   "Peep Show" is his trail name.  He had a great story about how hiking the AT got him a promotion.  Originally his boss siad he couldn't hold his job for him.   Then, when it was obvious he was going anyway, his boss begged him to come back and offered him a promotion. HA!
The terrain today was fun-the initial climb was hellish but it was smooth sailing after that.  We didn't have many landmarks to check mileage so we were going by our pace-2 MPH but ended up at the shelter an hour early!  We were cruisin!

Jamie:  Toughest day for my so far.  That climb we did was pretty crazy-straight up with no switchbacks (sounds like a hiker's drink:  Bacardi, 151 and yellow gatorade mix maybe?)  
We are sort of filled with dread over todays prospect of PA's finest skree, rocks, pebbles and boulders.  YAY!

AT Day 17 Campsite --> Rauch Gap Shelter

Miles: ~13
Total: ~152.3
Stops: Yellow Springs Village Site
Sights: 2 rattle snakes and many many orange salamanders

Shannon:  I LOVE the aircast.  13 miles felt great.  I was tired but my ankle felt fine.  I'm sad this is our last hike with Eleanor. It was fun to have a buddy.
We're in Rauch Gap Shelter tonight with four others: Snarf, Eleanor, John, and Glide. 
Mentally, I'm feeling great. Took a little nap at lunch , had a millipede crawl across my toes and then, when we got going again I almost stepped on a rattlesnake. One more step.  When I first saw it, I thought "oh, how nice" but then it rattled. Scary!

Jamie:  Not to much to add. The rattlesnake business was a trip.   For the rest of the day I was jumping at every little noise/motion in the forest.  Six of us at this little shelter and one camping nearby-popular spot.  Had a great time seeing all the wildlife (except the crazy bugs that keep kamakazi-ing into my eyeballs)

AT Day 16 Clarks Ferry Shelter --> Campsite

Miles ~11.5
Total ~139.3
Stops: Peters Mountain Shelter

Shannon: I really love the ankle brace! It feels so good to walk in and is really comfortable. 
Last night we met a girl at the shelter.  Eleanor. She's hiking PA to Maine.  Our pace is similar so we hiked with her today and will again tomorrow. It's fun to have a hiking buddy.  She's 30 and lives and worlds on a farm in South Carolina with her boyfriend.  She's also really knowledgeable about plants so it's been fun to hike with her and Jamie.  It's like my own personal nature walk.

Jamie:  Started off super foggy but the sun came up by mid-afternoon. Terrain was much improved as well. At Peters Mountain Shelter (huge, btw!) I felt like I was a Shaolin Monk in training.  300 stone steps to the springs. Tonight we had to camp becuase it was to far to the next shelter-we are pretty close to the trail but it's a nice spot.  we are testing out using just our footprint and ruainfly to see if we can send the tent portion home.  It isn't raining thought so not sure if it will be a good test or no.

AT Day 15 Doyle Hotel to Clarks Ferry Shelter

Miles ~4.5
Total: ~127.8

Shannon: Finally left the Doyle after 3 zero days and the swelling in my ankle has gone down.  I wore the aircast-that seemed to work well.  We'll try to go slow for the next few hundred or so. We're not interested in getting re-injured.
On the bright side, we were both feeling good and refreshed on our hike up here.  I was worried getting back on the trail would be painful but it felt great. 
Also, we stopped into a fun antiques  market that had an old penny arcade.  Really fun!
OH OH!  And as we were crossing the bridge over the Susquehenna River we were followed and yelled at by some hawks that must have a nest underneath. The followed us for about half the bridge.  It was partly terrifying/partly amazing as the hawks were so close and it was a unique experience

Jamie: Ditto on that Penny Arcade.  We had a good day today, it was humid but the train never came.  Ordered a smaller pack from REI yesterday. YAY!  Should be waiting for us in Port Clinton within a week (unsure of our arrival time at this juncture).  WE also sent home a few things, totalled 2.5 pounds.  Mostly it was my clothe so that frees up some weights so i can help out with Shannon's weight while she heals up. Glad to be going again and hoping for good weather tomorrow.

Day 13, The Doyle, Duncannon PA

The Doyle, Duncannon PA

Miles: 0
Total: 123

This was, hopefully, our last day at the Doyle.  I spent it practicing Ukulele and talking to the other thru hikers.  Our friend from NY-"Homemade" "shortleash" and "slammer"- caught up with us yesterday so it was nice to talk to them again. And then John McCrillis came into town too. Nice little reunion we had.   Yesterday I went to see the Doctor who gave me the go-ahead to continue hiking.  She said that if my ankle didn't' feel weak that I was OK to walk carefully.  Then I ordered an "aircast" from Rite Aid.   We picked it up today and I've been wearing it. So far it feels good.  Tomorrow we'll head out to the next shelter.  We're going to stop at the first shelter-only 5 miles on.  We thought a nice slow day would be best to test our bodies.  (well, mine).   I've really enjoyed the vacation from our vacation but I'm happy to get back on the trail tomorrow.  I hope everything goes well.  

Also, today we dropped by the post office and packed off 2.3 pounds of unnecessary stuff.  Very satisfying!

Day 12 The Doyle, Duncannon PA

Day 12 The Doyle, Duncannon PA

Miles 0
Total 123

Spend the day at the Doyle recuperating. Ankle still swollen and sore. We at breakfast across the stree at a place called "Goodies" and had dinner at the Doyle.   We took a short walk through town and chatted with a lot of hikers last night.  "JC" is starting his own business making gear.  He's currently hiking with a homemade bag.  After graduating from school for Entrepreneurship and then managing his family business for a few years, he's decided to move away from his fundamentalist christian family to live with his girlfriend in Atlant.
I really enjoyed chatting with his him as we talked about injuries and hurts and i felt much better about taking time off and being a bit hurt.  When the bar closed we transitioned outside with "hotsauce" and "twocents" and got to hear their crazy hitching stories and how they try to look "hungry" to get food from peopel.  Best trick, put change in yoru hand and go up to someone asking "Where are the vending machines?" 

NOTE:  Thru hikers are almost always very hungry and will always appreciate food.  Feeding them most certainly brings good luck.

Day 10 Boiling Springs to Darlington Shelter

Boiling Springs to Darlington Shelter

Miles 14.3
Total 112.3

Shannon: You know, while birds sing and the animals make various rustles-it's really the insects that you hear most consistently in the forest.
Today was lovely. I don't feel quite so tired as before when we did 14 miles.  We had a real slow start this morning. We both decided that five cups of coffee was better than rushing, and you know what?  It was.  Getting ready for bed but supposedly there's a renegage porcupine that steals sneakers.  BRING IT ON!

Jamie:  Someon left a fog horn in this shelter.  So. Tempting.  Today was an easy hike, a lot of flat farm land, very narrow mostly though so the tall grass got a little annoying pretty quick.  With all our new food weight my pack was causing issues again. Enough so that I called the company-maybe some options there.  Moosejaw is a no-go on return. We'll try REI.  Maybe we bought it from there.