(3/19)

     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 at or near shelters any more and we will try to resupply as infrequently as possible, only using the towns that the trail runs directly through. This way we will minimize our spreading of contagion as much as possible. Furthermore, we are basically quarantined in the woods at all points other than our resupplies. For right now, hikers have been encouraged to stop hiking, but since we are not local and have a set finish date we will continue to hike unless it is made illegal or we feel we are bringing a real risk to the small towns which we pass through.

     For now, the trail has been an incredible experience. Although I really appreciate the rest, I am looking forward to continuing the journey.

Goodnight.

Walker

Check out Tyler’s blog too- https://tylerat2020.blogspot.com/?m=1

P.S. I am now uploading from a 3-4 day backlog so that I have more time to edit and add pictures whenever possible. This way I should be able to update everyone more consistently as well. Thanks for reading!

Comments

  1. E R Stick, JrMarch 24, 2020 at 6:50 AM

    Thanks for the details. The contents of your blog always add an interesting and valuable dimension to the account of your adventure with Tyler.

    ReplyDelete
  2. John McPhersonMarch 25, 2020 at 12:48 AM

    Walker, congrats on reaching VA! Thrilled that you are hiking the AT with Tyler. A perfect hiking mate.

    I am waiting for you to post the pic of your shorts though and seeing if anyone comments. Lol

    ReplyDelete

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