Exactly 375 days ago I took my first steps on the Appalachian Trail headed north towards Maine and Mount Katahdin. Exactly 234 days ago I took my finals steps, at Mount Katahdin, running out of trail to walk on. Hiking the AT was the hardest, most cultivating and most rewarding experience I have ever had. It is my greatest accomplishment, trumping academic and sports achievements. The people I met, difficulties I endured, and sites that I saw are impossible to describe on an internet web blog. The only way to know what it is like to walk towards one goal for 141 days is to do it yourself. Or you can watch this video http://nobo2010.blip.tv/ which pretty much sums up the whole thing.

Hiking became an all day activity from sun rise to sun set. At night I barely had enough energy to make dinner and frequently fell asleep while writing. In addition, lines for computer use were often long in trail towns, making it hard to post updates and not to anger the people behind me. So I am left with a half complete blog which will probably never be finished.

Instead I am going to start over.

While hiking the AT one enters a community of long distance hikers not just Easterners. I met triple crowners, PCTers and people that have hiked well over 10,000 miles in just the last few years. People that work 6 months of the year and hike during the other 6. One thing they all have in common is talking about this gem of a trail out west, The Pacific Crest Trail.

Now it is impossible to thru-hike the AT without once considering completing the Triple Crown. In the hiking world this consists of thru hiking the Appalchian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail. In other words hiking every major mountain chain in the US, essentially from end to end.

When I was on the AT the idea had crossed my mind of one day hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, which extends from the California/Mexican border, to the Washington State/Canadian border. All in all 2650 miles, ~400 more than the AT. This idea however was very faint and non-existent on the difficult days. But as I came closer to Maine the idea grew. In the weeks succeeding the AT I had almost made up my mind that I wanted to go out west. But in reality it was a dream. I was broke, tired, skinny (lost 20 lbs) and had put a lifetime of stress on my knees. I was ready to get back home, see friends, get a job, eat fast food and get back to "normal" life. Little did I know what would happen to me when spring rolled around.

Harpers Ferry, WV / College Park, MD - 1012.7 miles

Hikers crave all you can eats along the trail. Somehow after 850 miles I had not yet been to one. Well this ended in Waynesboro, VA when I went to the Ming Garden Buffet. I had a silly grin on my face the entire time and helped my self to 4 fully loaded plates, plus desert. I even had some to go. The next day I walked to the outfitters in an attempt to get some of my worn out gear replaced. Luckily Lowa replaced my boots for free and shipped them ahead for me to pick up.

At around mid may every year there is a hiker fest/ party called "trail days," held in Damascus, VA. Since I was over 400 miles north of there I decided to have my own trail days and go home once I reached Harpers Ferry. To get there I had to hike over 100 miles through my second National Park of the trip, the Shenandoah's.

After Waynesboro I got back on the trail at 12:30pm but managed to hike nearly 20 miles with off and on thunderstorms rolling through. When I got to the shelter it was full and just about everyone was asleep. So I pitched my tent nearby. When I woke up the next morning I saw Twigs, who I had not seen since Erwin, TN. It was great to see a familiar face. Twigs was hiking with a group of guys consisting of Specs, General Lee, and Wildman. I joined them through the park.

In the park the gradient of the trail is fairly easy and I saw my first second and third bears. However it really is the McDonald's of National Parks. One can literally drive through the entire park and the vistas offer up views of the valley which consists of WalMarts and gas stations. Visitors were amazed by the view, however, us thru hikers didn't give them a second look and rolled on through.

One nice thing about the park are the wayside restaurants throughout. They serve great milkshakes and overpriced food but it is very welcome after a long day of hiking. My guide book informed me one particular wayside closed at 7pm. However, I ran into a couple of girls that told me it closed at 5:30. Thus I ran the remaining 4 miles I had to the wayside and got there at 5:15, just under an hour to enjoy a delicious blackberry milkshake.

That same day a father and son thru hiking team, EZ and Trail Trash, were attempting to get to the wayside aswell. For some reason the son, Trash, was not feeling well. When they showed up EZ was carrying both backs and Trash collapsed as he approached the restaurant. He was in a lot of pain and cramping badly. We gave him food and Gatorade but he was still in pain. We decided we needed to get him into town but the people in the park that day were very self centered and unwilling to help. A big scene was made and eventually the Park Rangers came. They said they couldn't do anything for Trash. Thus it took the whole group of us hikers to finally find someone decent enough to drive them into town. Other than that the park was fairly uneventful and I was actually very happy to leave.

When we got out of the park Twigs and I decided to hitch a ride into nearby Front Royal, VA. We got a ride immediately and stopped in for some pizza. We noticed there was a movie theater in town so we had to check it out. Twigs had already seen 3 movies on the trail, he loves them more than I do. We had heard Robin Hood had just come out and were hoping to see that. However, this particular theater was only showing 4 movies, three of which Twigs had seen. The only remaining movie was Letters to Juliet. So Twigs and I watched Letters to Juliet along with 12 other girls between 13-17 years old.

From here I was on the home stretch. All that was between myself and home was 50 miles and a section known as the "roller coaster." The roller coaster is a 13 mile long section with consistent ups and downs with no switch backs. By the time I made it to the roller coaster it was cold and raining. Luckily there is a hostel right at the end of the section called Bears Den. They have a hiker special rate which includes, bed w/ lines, shower, internet, pizza, soda, ice cream, and laundry. They even had a TV and clothes to wear while you did your laundry. Twigs, SPecs and I wore matching PJ's to bed and watched Indiana JOnes.

The next day I said goodbye to Twigs and Specs as I made my way to Harpers. This is the unofficial halfway point of the trail and location of the ATC headquarters. After a 20 miles hike to the city I got my picture taken at the headquarters and checked out some of the history of the city. I was the 79th thru hiker that had made it to Harpers this year. My chances of making it to Maine go up from 15-20% to 50%. The headquarters also has a gigantic 3D map of entire AT. I spent several minutes retracing my steps before my dad came and picked me up. I was on my way to College Park and said goodbye to the trail for a few days.

Update Coming soon.

I am currently in Kent, CT and will have a full update within the week. Sorry for the delay.

Waynesboro, VA 853.1 Miles

I have spoken to several past hikers and they repeatedly tell me that Virginia is easy and I will be able to hike 25-30 miles a day. Well I am Into central Virginia and am still waiting for the terrain to get "easy." I am still having 2-3 2000 foot climbs a day and I could easily go the whole way without doing a 30 mile day.

Since I got separated from my old hiking group I have entered some sort of thru hiker black hole. Before, at the end of the day, I would arrive to a fully loaded shelter almost daily. Now all I see are empty camp sites, trails and shelters. A couple of days I have not seen a single NOBO. I did meet a guy named Youngone from Indiana. We split a hotel room in Daleville and hiked together for a few days, but he went home for a few days. Youngone and myself made the climb to McAfee's KNob, which is considered to have one of the best views in VA and on the entire trail. As soon as I got there my camera died...still a great stop though.

After Youngone left I met up with Roughin It, who I had not seen since Georgia. Although he too was planning on going home when we reached the James River. The bridge over the river is the longest pedestrian footbridge on the entire trail. It also is a great place for diving and swimming. When I arrived there were about 20 young college students jumping of the bridge into the river. I got a hitch into town for a quick resupply and returned with the intention to jump off myself. The group of kids that drove me back said they were camping by the river that night, even though it is not allowed. They told me it is not enforced and offered for me to join them. I said I might go swimming and camp there as well. As I was setting up my tent a ranger came walking up. I figured he was going to kick us out, but he made a B-Line to the tent of the college kids who drove me to the bridge. Apparently they were smoking weed in there tent and the ranger busted them. Luckily for them they only got tickets. The ranger allowed us to stay camped where we were and went on his way.

This ticket did not deter the group of college kids. They were courteous and offered to move to another spot as not to bother me of the other thru hikers. I told them it wouldn't be a problem and I went to bed. In about 30 minutes I was awoken to a full on party by the river. 30 people showed up, built and bonfire, sang songs, drank and played guitar until 4am. I did not get much sleep...

The next day I crossed the river and hiked in about .5 miles. There I saw a hiker named Willard. He said even he could here all the noise from the night before. I guess I learned my lesson, as to not sleep by the road on a friday night.

I am now in Waynesboro, VA and about to enter the Shenandoah's. I am making great time and putting in 130+ miles a week. Hopefully I will catch up with the group ahead of me and get out of this black hole of hikers.

Pearisburg, VA 626.4 Miles

The weather so far on this journey has been incredible. After the freezing rain and wind I encountered on Springer Mountain I figured I was in for a cold and wet hike. Thru hikers last year went through a stretch of 18 straight days of rain. Therefore I have been very lucky. The weather has been mostly sunny and mild.

The worst weather to hike in is heat. I remember climbing Pond Mountain in 90 degree temperature. Once I got to the top I was drenched in sweat. It was as if I had just jumped into a pool. But on cold mornings I will be begging to be in that heat again and vice versa.

But with all the great weather we have had it was bound to get bad eventually. And that is just what happened when we left Atkins. Apparently tornadoes had hit just west of where we were and for the few days after my stay in Atkins we got the remnants of the severe storms. Fortunately companies make waterproof rain coats, pants, and pack covers to keep everything dry. Unfortunately, despite possessing these items, I got soaked.

After the rain I got separated from my hiking group. Al hurt his hip, Sonic got giardia from drinking contaminated water, and I have no idea what happened to Samurai. At first I thought they were ahead of me, as they typically are, so I hiked a couple of big mile days. Then I found out they had all stayed behind. Since I was making good miles, and was afraid to catch the hiker flu, I decided to push on without them. I figure they will catch up when I stop home once in Maryland.

Just before Pearisburg I stopped at the Woods Hole Hostel. Here they host a family style dinner and breakfast all with homemade organic food and Amish ice cream. While there I met an interesting guy named Antawn from Montreal. The Caps happened to be playing the Montreal Canadians that night in game 7. And THEY LOST. Great... Luckily Antawn is a humble guy and refrained from rubbing it in. I did not know what to do with myself for a couple of days. I had fully expected the Caps to cruise through the playoffs. I was even planning on getting off the trail for a bit in order to see them win the cup. Now I guess all there is to do is hike.

After my stay I made it into Pearisburg, VA which starts the central portion of Virginia. They break VA into 4 sections. There are a lot of miles in VA. The Virginia Blues are catching up to me...

Atkins, VA 538.8 miles

There is little I like about the state of Virginia. They have bad drivers, feud with Maryland in the Supreme Court more than any other state, have 2 ACC rivals of UMD, and seceded from the Union in 1861. The only saving grace, in my eyes, is the fact that a majority of Virginians voted for Obama in the past election. Other than the poor state history, politics and rivalry, the country side is quite beautiful.

Virginia houses the Graysand Highlands, which is a range of bald and bouldered mountains. All with beautiful views. They maintain their bald appearance due to a population of "wild" ponies i the area. They're very tame and you can get close enough to pet them, or in James' case ride them. Turns out the ponies are not so wild. They were introduced into the area by humans in the 1940's and a series of fences, which I constantly am climbing over while hiking, keeps them penned up. Each year they are herded together and checked by vets. Some are even sold to keep the population static.

Sadly James and Sherpa are leaving. James has a flight back to the Isle of Man and SHerpa has a wedding to attend. It will e tough to see them go. I have gotten to know well over the past month and I literally hike with them almost daily. The three of us all hike at about the same pace and don't care too much for early mornings. It is not as though we are lazy. Generally get on the trail by 9am each day but most people are up by 7am. I often find that James, Sherpa and myself are the only ones remaining in camp in the mornings, even though the sun hasn't come up yet.

Anyways the three of us chat about various subjects while walking. Yesterday I gave a brief history of the United States and James lectured on British history. We also talk about business ideas to get rich, and world sports. Thus it will be sad when they leave although they have planned an awesome trip in order to return home. The two of them plan to hitch a ride over 300 miles to Harpers Ferry, WV, rent bikes down the C & O canal into DC, and then catch their flights. I am slightly jealous.

A couple of days before they were to depart we arrived at Partnership Shelter, which is one of the nicest on the entire trail, equipped with warm showers. However, Samurai can attest that they are not warm. As we approached we were greeted by many thru hikers that we knew who were cooking burgers and throwing a going away party for Sherpa and James. Many of the hikers had zeroed at the shelter just for the event. Nefis was playing his ukulele as we sang songs which we did not know the words to. Thus the choruses were repeated over and over. At the en of the night a few of us remained around the campfire. It happened to be the close group of guys that had been together for the past month. After a game of hot potato, played with a hot coal from the fire, we went to bed. The next day we hiked into Atkins and booked our typical cheap motel room which we crammed with 5 hikers. After our stay James and Sherpa found a ride to Roanoke to begin their journey after the journey and we said goodbye. The rest of us continued on a footpath headed north.

Damascas Part 2

The trail has many hidden treasures along the way. Most of the hostels have been unique and fulfilling. The day after Beauty Spot was Samurai's birthday. I did not realize this until lunch time. I asked around but no one had anything resembling a cake. Luckily Pop-pop was going to a hostel nearby so I joined him with the plan on picking up a cupcake and candle for Samurai. When we arrived there was no one around. We walked around to the front of the house where the owner was installing a gas pump into her 1980's Chevy. As we approached she asked us if we were mechanics. Unfortunately we could not help. After 15 minutes she gave up and said she would make us food. We sat down to some cokes and ice cream. Luckily she had cheesecake and a candle. At that time Samurai, Sherpa and James arrived. We got the cake ready and surprised Samurai with the bday song. CC, the owner, then showed us her insanely obese cat who she said did tricks. She got a stool and put the cat on top. She then sang songs to the cat while feeding it food. All the cat did was eat...

Roan Mtn is the highest mountain on the AT until NH. On top sits the highest shelter on the AT and more snow. I hate hiking in snow but luckily it was only in a few places. After Roan begins a section of bald mountains known as the Roan Highlands. It looks like a scene out of Lord of the Rings. The last mountain in this chain is hump mountain. When we reached the summit I dropped my gear and declared, "Welp. I'm camping here." Soon the whole gang followed suite. We sat around a fire with 360 degree views, played cricket, listened to the radio and watched the sunset. This was my favorite mountain thus far.

I am now in Damascas, VA the "friendliest" town on the trail. The gang I have been hiking with have been planning a zero here for sometime. Like Hot Springs the trail goes right down main street. It is also just 3 miles into VA which houses over 550 miles of the AT, the most by far than any other state.

In Damascas there are no cheap motels. Only Bed and Breakfast's which cost nearly $100 pp. However, Sherpa and I like the finer things in life and refused to believe the hostel was the only cheap place to stay in town. While walking along the street/trail I noticed a sign next to a bike rental shop that read "vacation Rentals - 4 Bed, 3 bath." Later we came to check out the place in greater detail. It was $150 per night which included a fully furnished house with laundry, showers, full kitchen and more. We asked if they had cable and the owner said, "no, sorry only satellite." Sherpa and I quickly gathered every thrue hiker we knew in sight and booked the place. Since they had not changed the beds over they knocked another 50 dollars off the price. The place even had a movie library (we later watched Lion King.) After gathering 9 hikers it came out to $11 per night per person. Not bad.

That night Sonic, James and I went to the grocery store to buy dinner. James and I were thinking Spaghetti but my idea is much different then his. Apparently he is a miniature Gordon Ramsey. Anyways I boiled noodles while he did the rest. We had a delicious and filling meal. Oh yeah the Caps happened to be on that night and won. As were the Orioles. They obviously lost.