Week 4

Week 4 

Sunday - Thursday Hello readers! Today, I talk at you from Glasgow, VA. This stop in town will be a short one. We did 15M to get here this afternoon, and we will be hiking out first thing in the morning. We did get to cross over the James River Foot Bridge to get here. It is the longest bridge on the AT measuring at .12 M. 

The town of Glasgow is tiny. It consists of one street with a few businesses on it and a small surrounding residential area. The local boy scout troop created a shelter for hikers in a pavilion located in the center of town. There is also a 20ft. dinosaur in the middle of town. Apparently a local artist created it as an April fools joke years back. I guess the town is fond of it because it still stands there today. Strange. 

I came to a realization today as I hit the local grocery for my resupply. I am walking two-thirds of a marathon everyday.....This is insane. I also came to the realization that I am doing all this hiking with non-perishable junk food as my only means of sustenance. I wonder how many Moon Pies it will take to get me to Maine?  

As I approach day 30 out here on the trail, I have to admit, it still feels so surreal. It's like I'm in a movie. Whether it's a drama, action, or horror film depends on the day.  

Tuesday, for example, I left early from lunch at a shelter and ended up getting caught in a thunder storm alone. The weather went from bright and beautiful, to dark and windy within minutes. By the time I hit the ridge line, it started hailing on me! A bright flash of light and a loud cracking sound made me duck. Lighting had struck so close to me that I felt the heat of it on the back of my left shoulder. The storm went as fast as it came though, and I arrived at Thunder Mountain Shelter in one piece.

Wednesday, the rain storm for the day came at about 5:30PM. I finished 15M and made it to what I thought was going to be a campsite. Instead, it just ended up being a footbridge next to a gravel road (thanks guidebook). With the clouds opening up as I arrived, I quickly set up my tent without checking the grade of the ground. I dove into my tent right before the bottom dropped out, but minutes later, I realized I was set up right in the middle of where the water runs off the road. My tent felt like a water bed within minutes. Hot, dirty, alone, and damp, I said "Screw it!" I took off all my clothes and hopped out of my tent naked as a Jay bird. I got out my Dr. Bronner's soap, and for the first time in my life, I took a legitimate shower in the rain. It felt spectacular! Coffee the next morning on the foot bridge wasn't a bad experience either. 

We have hit some climbs these past couple of days that have made my life flash before my eyes. I can honestly say I have never done something this physically challenging in my life. The saying on the trail is that Virginia is "flat". I beg the differ.  

In addition to the epic ascends, it is HOT, and the bugs are multiplying by the millions! Yesterday when I got to the top of Bluff Mountain, I was able to wring a puddle of sweat out of my shirt. As a Georgia girl, I consider myself use to the humid and hot misery that is Summer. However, I have come to realize over the past few days that running the slight ups and downs of the sidewalks in my neighborhood is a little different than hiking up and down 3000 ft. a few times a day in the heat.  

I have crossed over the Blue Ridge Parkway over half a dozen times and have lost count of how many miraculous mountain views each day has brought me. Wolf-dog and Windfall got off trail on one of these many BRP crossings. Wolf-dog has Hist girlfriend coming up to spend time with him for a few days, and Windfall has family that lives local that he will be visiting. Both should be back sometime this weekend. 

I have hit a few hiccups on the trail during these past few days. First, one of my trekking poles (my favorite piece of gear) broke on me going up some rocks at the beginning of my hike Wednesday morning. I had barely made it into the third mile of my 15M day when it happened. Trekking poles are essential for me. They are like four-wheel drive for my feet. They are especially needed on the descent down a hill because you are basically on your toes, leaning forward, and catching yourself as you fall. Anyway, I got through the day, but I had to improvise with a stick I found in the woods. It's heavy and it hurts my hand, but it will hopefully get my through to the next town.

Friday- Sunday Today was a tough day. One of my Tramily members left the trail for good. Windfall had gone off trail to visit his grandma a few days ago, but his return to the trail was unsuccessful. He spent one night back on before he met up with us and said that he decided he was leaving. He said he had some personal things he was working through and left it at that. While I am sad to see Windfall go, I am glad to have met him. I will miss the fancy attorney talk and constant fart jokes. He gave us some of his resupply food and a big fat hug before he shuffled down the mountain toward the trail head. I will probably never see him again.

This experience reminded me of how it feels when someone leaves the recovery community. Whether it's through choice or overdose, I always feel like a little piece of me goes with that person when they leave. It is because that piece of me knows, first hand, how that guilt and shame that surrounds relapse makes you feel. You feel like a failure. You feel helpless. You feel defeated. Getting sober is easy. I've done it dozens of times. It is the staying sober that is the challenge. Only 1 in 5 people who start the trail finish. Only 1 in 10 people who suffer from addiction actually get access to treatment in this country, and the amount of people who sustain long-term recovery after treatment is ever smaller. I hate these statistics. I wish I could wave my magic wand and give everyone who wants to summit Katahdin and everyone who wants a sober life their wish granted. Unfortunately, that is not how it works. This is what makes my sobriety and this trip so special. It's rare. It is all so rare and beautiful. I think all my Tramily felt Windfalls defeat personally, but all you can do in these situations is keep going. You only have control over yourself at the end of the day.

On top of the devastating moral killer of Windfalls departure, we hit a major climb today. Three Ridges Mountain kicked our butts, and a huge rain storm hit us right at the beginning of the ascend to boot. Right after the storm, the rocks were so slippery, Spills took a tumble, and I fell and skinned my left knee. On top of all of this, my other trekking pole broke down on me. I am now having to use two sticks in the woods to get up and down these mountains. Luckily at the end of this brutal day, the trail gods shined down on us. As we were crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway a mile before our campsite, we threw out a couple of thumbs to see if we could get a hitch to this brewery we had heard about. Not thirty seconds later, two SUVs pulled up and gave us a ride to Devil's Backbone Brewery.  

This place was a godsend. The compound consisted of the brewery, several bars, a restaurant, a green house, and free camping for thru hikers. We had hit the jackpot! Due to the horrible smelly state we were in, we opted to eat outside where they had a small window food service station. I had a pretzel, a BBQ Sunday, a chocolate chip cookie, and two sodas. The brewery also served breakfast and shuttled us hikers back to the trail in the morning. 

There is a saying "The trail provides." This has proven true thus far. Whenever I am feeling down, tired, hungry, or defeated in some way, something arises to help me exactly when I need it.  

Monday & Tuesday After almost ten days straight in the woods, I finally made it to town last night after a 19.1M hike. Waynesboro, VA is the town, and a hot shower and soft bed were beyond wonderful last night. Today we will zero and get an assortment of chores done before heading back to trail. REI will have hopefully sent my new trekking poles to the post office, and if I get everything done in time, I might be able to lay by the pool for a bit of R&R this afternoon.  

The Shenandoah Valley is just 1M up the trail and I am so excited to see it. Keep checking back for pictures and updates. Happy Summer to all!