Day 10, 7 MAY, The Journey before The Journey

As the portions of the AT that I have not hiked push further and further away from Salem, the challenge of transportation to the trailhead becomes more difficult.  Hiking southbound provides the advantage of a shorter drive home at the tail end of the trip.  Therefore, the specific challenge for the two week hike across PA was to find a ride to the Delaware Water Gap at the NJ-PA line.
     Enter Duff Rearick and Graham Fenton.  Duff is the father of one of my best friends in Salem and colleague at Roanoke, Matt Rearick.  Graham is a good friend (and student) at Roanoke who lives in PA.  They are the real reason that I was even able to make the hike.  I drove up to the Rearick's home early in the AM from SAL, where Graham met me.  Then Graham and I were able to spend some quality time driving across the state.  One of the highlights for Graham and I was visiting a super-cooled cave that was used by Native Americans for refrigeration. (YES, it was THAT cold.)

     If you've never been to the Delaware Water Gap (and I hadn't), it is ominous.  The sheer enormity and hardness of a sheet of rock that has not submitted to the rolling and seemingly eternal waters of the Delaware.  It was certainly one of the highlights of the trip, and I had barely walked a mile.  In climbing those initial miles view a continual view of the Gap, I almost tripped several times.  It is one of those natural wonders that commands attention; the Delaware Water Gap is mesmerizing.  If you are ever driving I-80 at the NJ-PA line, you should definitely take the exit and the few minutes to stop and stare.  What a great way to start an adventure.  I made it to the Kitredge shelter in plenty of time to enjoy dinner and the sunset.

A Short Reprieve for a Great Reason

Here's a picture of my friend, Ashlee Lakin, and Marianne.  It was March when this picture was taken, but they are already thinking about the traditional "Women's Beach Trip", which typically happens in May.  When Marianne told me that they were planning the trip for the first of May, it was no problem to rearrange the hiking plan for her to be able to go.  She really enjoys the time, and I am glad we have the friends who want her to go with them.  Even though I really don't know what goes on during their time (you should ask her sometime), I think trips like these are really important.  As parents, it is important to refresh one's mind and spirit with great conversation and laughter among peers.  As spouses, it is important to have time apart and be reminded of the good things in life.  I will always support my wife getting away from the craziness that so often surrounds her (craziness = the 5 other people she lives with).  That time makes us better people and a better family.  Wooo-hoooo.

Glorious Day 9, 29 APR, Big Meadows VA (15.5mi)

No matter how many miles I hike, no matter how long I have been out on the trail, I am always glad to reach the final goal.  It is a feeling of accomplishment at what lays behind me, and an anticipation of seeing the familiar things and people that make life comfortable.  It is not a matter of being tired of hiking or of homesickness.  For me personally, it was an opportunity to complete the state of VA, which contains my home and over 500 miles of the AT (except for 4 miles at Turk's Gap).
Another restaurant on the trail provided my morning meal, a brunch buffet at Skyland Resort with Cobweb and Magnolio.  I had told myself that I was going to go lite for breakfast (just coffee and a bagel), but you know how that one went.  I will have to say that the buffet was amazing, the coffee was excellent, and I had a dinner muffin AND a dessert muffin.  Of course, when sitting in the restaurant, I was oblivious to the fact that I had a good 11 miles remaining.  My reward was to belch up breakfast for the next 10 miles.  Nice.
Slipping off the boots, hearing the engine start of the beloved Civic, and being able to drive the distance it took me 9 days to walk are all somewhat surreal moments at the end of a hike.  I am always thankful for the people who make these events happen for me - loving parents and extra-loving wife.  Be back in 5 days for Part 2 of the 2012 AT Hike-o-rama.

Day 8-D, 28 APR, Things you don't do in Shelters

We had heard that Byrd's Nest #4 had a fireplace in the shelter.  Standing in Elkswallow wayside, there were smore packets, hot dogs, and fire logs.  Magnolio made the comment about roasting marshmallows, and the event took on a life of its own.  Since I was hiking out tomorrow, I agreed to carry the extra 3 lbs to ensure that we had a good start to the fire (bec the wood was damp from the rain).  Cobweb confessed that he had never eaten a s'more (he is 50 mind you), and Magnolio bought the most unconventional pre-packaged s'mores that included roasting sticks.  To top it off, Cobweb also purchased hot dogs and buns.  These are things that one does when they go car camping, not thru-hiking on the AT.  It was glorious, and a fitting way to spend our last night together on the AT.
Cobweb is no longer a s'more virgin.  These are the memories and experiences that make hiking on the AT so permanent and lasting.  I am planning to meet Cobweb this weekend in the Smokies as he makes the 200 miles of his journey Southward.  The connections are so deep because of the difficulty required to achieve the goals of hiking hundreds (and even thousands) of miles.

Day 8-C, 28 APR, What's in a Name?

Another hallmark of AT thru-hiking is the establishment of a proper "trail name."  Many hikers walk together for weeks on the trail and never even exchange their given names.  Oftentimes, hikers receive (or proclaim) their trail names within the first 24 hours.  For a long time, I thought a trail name could only be given by other hikers walking with them.  However to an ever-increasing degree, I have noticed more and more thru-hikers who have given themselves a trail name.  Other examples of trail names that I remember are "Flipper", "Arrowhead", "La Tortuga", and "Tumbleweed."
One of the disadvantages of section hiking, and especially southbound section hiking, is that I am often not on the trail long enough and/or with enough people for more than 12 hours to receive a trail name.  However, being with Cobweb and Magnolio for a number of days brought up the conversation of trail names and sent my mind decidedly to establish my own.  With the agreement of my new hiking friends, I settled on the name "Humble Pi."  There are several reasons why such a name fits me well.  1) I am prone to forget some of the most basic elements of hiking gear.  There was the time I forgot to pack any extra clothes. (Fortunately, it was just a weekend trip adn the weather was warm.)  I have also forgotten maps of the terrain. (Again, fortunately the AT is well-marked with white blazes.) Most recently on this trip, I actually forgot my eating utensil.  2) I get lost often and lose sight of the seemingly ubiquitous white blazes.  This happens especially when the trail moves to more urban areas, and it is especially embarrassing to walk around in circles looking for a white blaze on a street sign or telephone pole.  3) I make terrible predictions about the remaining distance to the shelter, as well as the weather for upcoming days.  For this particular trip, I made the bold and incorrect prediction that the front would merely blow over. (That was extremely wrong.)
Long distance hiking is a continual invitation to meet my own weakness, my own inability to solve problems, and my neediness and fragility.  All of these realizations speak to the concept of humility, which usually comes about through the process of humiliation.  The AT is replete with instances of humiliation, and I have learned to welcome it as a natural part of the process.  Eating a daily slice of humble pie is not necessarily something I look forward to, but I have accepted it as normal.

Day 8-B, 28 APR, Food, Glorious Food

One of the best parts of any long distance hikes (and particularly AT section hikes) is the food options located directly on the trail.  Most of these are located at "trail towns" (places like Damascus, VA, or Hot Springs, NC), but Shenandoah NP has these special places called "waysides."  Since the park is frequented by a variety of nature enthusiasts, the waysides are basically stock for car campers, trinkets and bathrooms for the driving sightseers, and filling stations for thru-hikers.  It's really kind of sad how the thought of food (not trail food, but "real food") dominates one's thinking as a form of motivation.  As you may have guessed, Day 8 (and Day 9) presented us with the opportunity to visit SNP's Waysides.
I was also excited to get out of the rain.  It was a misty but constant drizzle on the morning of Day 8 when we rolled into the Elkwallow Wayside.  We had hiked over 6 miles in less than two hours. (>3 mph is the break point for me as to whether I am hiking "fast," so I knew that I was looking forward to charging my phone, drinking untreated water, getting dry and warm, and getting something "real" to eat.  We were not disappointed.  I had the biggest sausage, egg, and cheese bagel ever and a significant order of unsalted fries (awesome).  After 4 cups of "real" coffee (the first in over a week), I was ready to walk (or so I thought).  I always eat more than I want to eat at these trail towns, and there is invariably a huge uphill directly after the trail town.  However, I can never seem to remember while I am visiting the wayside how much I hate belching sausage-egg-and-cheese for (at least) four subsequent hours.

Day 8-A, 28 APR, Byrd's Nest #4 (18.3 mi)

Another highlight of hiking the AT is the variety of people that I meet on any trip of longer than a few days.  In particular, it is especially fun to find folks that hike a similar pace and/or have similar mileage goals.  This means that I will have sustained time with the same person or group of people. (To get a really clear picture of how this principle can bring together people who are quite diverse, you should definitely watch the movie, The Way with Martin Sheen.)  Although I met Cobweb and Magnolio (the male form of Magnolia?) on Day 4, I was excited to see familiar faces on the evening of Day 7 (it is especially encouraging on a day with bad weather).  They are pictured to the left with Cobweb in front.  I knew that our paces were similar, I liked being with them and wanted to get to know them better, and I looked forward to our few days together.  We had only been separated earlier because they stayed in a hostel one night (a regular occurrence for thru-hikers, but not as frequent for section hikers, especially me).  It was fun to be able to hike with them all of Day 8 and Day 9.