2020 Spring Semester

       It was another late morning for us. After hiking 23 miles yesterday and getting to camp late we were pretty tired. So we slept in until 8:45 then made oatmeal which takes some extra time. Basically we didn’t get on trail until 9:45 am. Right before we started hiking Boots passed us, another through hiker who we met like a week ago.        Today we had a full day of hiking without rain. This hasn’t happened in like a week and it was so nice. We spent most of the day on a cool ridge with a steady wind and 50 degree temperatures. It was still overcast but we could at least see what was around us.        The trail has been pretty flat the last few days, but soon we will be in the Grayson Highlands. The Grayson Highlands are known for rolling fields, tall peaks, and free range ponies. For now the Blue Ridge mountains have been very pleasant as the mountains evolve into chains of ridges instead of tall mountains s...

       It was a late morning for us. I woke up around 6:30 am but realized that I had been sleeping amazing, it was raining, and didn’t want to move. So I didn’t.         We finally woke up and did our morning chores then were on trail by 8:45. It was still raining but we warmed up quickly. The trail was pretty flat today. We dropped down to Laurel Falls where we stopped for lunch. While we were eating a fellow through hiker named Nor’easta stopped to talk with us. We ran into this guy briefly just before Standing Bear but didn’t talk much at the time. Today we talked as we ate about the weather and the other hikers we had all met so far. Apparently Nor’easta hiked the whole trail in 2018 and had snow all the way to where we are now.         The falls themselves were impressive. For a relatively small stream the water was very powerful.        After lunch we hiked on. We had to make...

       We woke up at 7 am this morning to pack everything up and get back to hiking. There was a great sunrise and view from the house we were staying in.        Taking breaks is good for us but it brings the mental challenge of re-immersing ourselves in the outdoors. We ate a big breakfast of chicken, pancakes, and fruit then got back to the trail. As we were about to start hiking we ran into Chili Head and Bear Paw who had stayed at The Station, a popular hostel just down 19e.         Hiking was slow with our heavy resupply but eventually we found our stride again. We were greeted with rain and a nice view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.         Next we hiked past the Elk River. About a year ago Tyler, his dad, and I stayed at the same place where we just zeroed and fished the Elk River. We had hiked part of the AT as we fished the river. It was pretty cool to hike a section we ...

       Today was our first zero since the NOC. That was 16 days ago. It felt great to not hike for a day. I slept excellently and feel very well rested. I’m sure that my muscles and joints will appreciate the rest as well. Not to mention, we had a great view from the place where we are staying.        Tyler’s dad John made us pancakes and eggs for breakfast. We relaxed for most of the morning then ate fresh fruits and vegetables for lunch. After lunch we went to the Linville Gorge where we hiked about 2 miles around the gorge to keep ourselves from getting too tight.         After the gorge we went to dinner at a barbecue place. Southern barbecue is incredible. From dinner we did our resupply then came back to the house and lounged around for the rest of the day.        Tomorrow we will aim to be back on the the trail by 9 am and will probably hike a 20 mile day. We won’t stay ...

       After Fresh Grounds fed us last night we went to bed contentedly but damp from the rain and fog. I didn’t sleep well at first but around 11 pm I fell asleep and didn’t wake up again until 6:45 am. It feels great to sleep for almost 7 hours straight.        We packed up our wet tents and went over to Fresh Grounds who had already cooked us a breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes, sausages, and toast. We talked with another through hiker named Gung Ho, who served as a marine and attempted a through hike last year before an injury took him off trail.         Pretty soon we were back to hiking. It was a relatively easy day, but we have learned to never underestimate the Appalachian Trail. We climbed up Little Hump which had a grassy bald peak. However, we couldn’t see any of the views around us due to some very heavy wind and fog. The fog was so thick that there was condensation forming on my eye lashes and the ha...

       After our less than optimal performance yesterday we woke up early this morning to get a good start to the day. We ate a dry breakfast due to the heavy rain and were walking by 8:15. It felt like we were doing pretty well until we stopped in a shelter at noon for lunch.        In the shelter was a through hiker who gave us some very confusing stories. He had his guide book out so we asked him how far we had come so far. He told us we had come 7.5 miles. This was very surprising as we generally average 2.5 miles per hour and we had been hiking for 4 hours. After a quick lunch we continued hiking as fast as possible, thinking we were behind our desired pace. However, when I checked my guide book during a short rest I realized we had been given inaccurate information (I doubt it was malicious). Anyway, we were ahead of schedule and had hiked over 12 miles before 1 pm.         We then started a challenging asce...