Category: Sherpa’s AT Thru-hike

When I think back to June 30^th, the day my parents drove me seven and a half hours to Maine to drop me off at Katahdin, it feels like years ago and a world away. As soon as their car disappeared from sight, I was unable to hold back tears.  I sat alone at my lean-to, scared to death and feeling completely alone. I struggled to fill the seemingly endless remaining hours of daylight until I could go to bed and stop thinking about what felt like an insurmountable journey that lay before me.

Almost six months later, I look back at that girl trying to be strong and again I hold back tears, but this time because I am so proud of her. I am that same person, but the hundreds of miles and many experiences I’ve been through since then have changed me in ways I am only just beginning to realize.

I was scared to openly admit it before the trail, but before I began hiking the AT, I essentially had no backpacking experience. I’d only camped overnight once in the past ten or so years, and that one time was as ‘practice’ for the AT. Before that overnight, my previous backpacking trip was in middle school with a camp group. Clearly, I was not the most prepared to begin a five month journey in the woods.  Up until a few days before I climbed Katahdin, I’d never cooked with a camp stove. On my practice overnight in the Whites of New Hampshire, I barely slept because I was terrified a bear would attack me in my tent. And so my complete lack of experience makes me all the more proud of hiking the AT. It’s easy to dismiss the sentiment ‘you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to’ as idealistic, foolish, and ultimately hollow words. But my hike proved to me that anyone, not just me—I am in no way unique in this fact—truly can do what he or she sets out to do. So much of my journey—and many journeys in life—was accomplished through patience, hard work, and determination.

But my experience on the Appalachian Trail wasn’t as self-centered as I’m making it out to be. So much of my journey was shaped by the landscapes and the people around me.

I want to summarize these experiences on the trail—accurately describe everything I saw and felt and thought and how it led to affect and change me in profound ways and make you experience those changes, too. But part of the allure of the trail, and what makes it such a special, almost magical, place, is that it’s nearly impossible to adequately describe life on the trail. Perhaps it is this indescribable, intangible element of the AT that creates an immediate and unspoken bond among those who have hiked the trail.  Regardless, I will attempt to articulate my experiences along the trail as best I can.

I began the trail with the expectation that I would have these ethereal experiences in the woods, coming to better understand the world due to my immersion in nature. I would experience solitude and being away from society for so long that I would automatically have profound experiences and become a better person, much like what one imagines when they hear the names Thoreau or Emerson.  While I did experience immersion and nature and grow as a person, my most lasting impressions of the trail weren’t nature-related. Rather, what really stuck with me, what I will remember for the rest of my life, are the people. My fellow hikers, trail angels along the way, people that gave me rides, opened up their homes to me—all of these strangers make the trail what it is and completely changed the way I view the world and interact with others.

 

Let me begin with my fellow hikers. People who choose to walk over 2000 miles for five months straight in all kinds of weather and across all sorts of terrain are obviously all slightly crazy. We have chosen to do something most people would never attempt and put ourselves through unnecessary pain and mental anguish for essentially no reason. Because of this borderline insanity, there is an immediate understanding and bond between thru hikers. There are so many characters I met along the way—the guy who carried two wiffleball bats the entire way, the guy using rebar poles as trekking poles, the guy who took an oath of silence for his entire hike, people that had just graduated high school, just quit their job, just retired, families hiking together, even a five year old. There were so many different types of people, yet together we were one big family—we all shared a common goal and were united in that fact.  Hiking southbound, I was surrounded by far fewer people than I would’ve been had I chosen to go northbound. Yet the people I did meet and hike with are like family to me now. I spent more time with these people than I have with some of my closest friends or even my own family. I saw these people every day for months straight. I shared experiences with my fellow hikers that no one else will fully understand no matter how hard I try to explain: quiet sunrises from mountaintops, hiking for miles in relentless downpours, frustration at mosquitoes and stifling heat, conquering tough uphills and rejoicing in a couple miles of relief found in the rare flat section. We encountered boredom and joy together, frustration and awe. Without technology and the many distractions of society to amuse us, we were forced, like it or not, to spend time together and entertain ourselves. Coming back to ‘real life’ after I finished, I found a slight something missing in reconnecting with old friends and family. I had experienced so much that had somehow changed me and no one could really understand except my trail family. And because of that, we will be forever connected.

In addition to the lasting memories I had with my fellow hikers, what resonates with me is the consistent kindness and selflessness I found in strangers along the trail from Maine to Georgia.  Maybe it’s just a New England or Boston thing, but I am used to not expecting much from strangers. Walking down the street, I don’t expect any smiles or ‘hellos’ from strangers. I find it kind when someone lets me pull out in front of them when I’m driving. Yet along the trail, I often had to depend on the kindness of others to get what I needed—a ride into town, perhaps a place to stay, directions somewhere, etc. And I was not let down. The kindness I encountered ranged from rides from the trail to town and offers to stay at people’s homes. I was given food, money, and most of all encouragement and wishes of good luck. These people expected nothing in return. Often, their only request was that I attempt to ‘pay it forward’ and be as generous as possible to others in my own life. Everyone who helped me was different—there were retired people, artists, doctors, families, people in their twenties, waitresses.  In daily life we often, without even intending to, lump people into categories and hierarchies. The trail erases these boundaries. Rather than a society based on money and material objects, the central form of currency among people along the trail was kindness and respect.

 And so, my outlook has changed. I try to be more giving and I now see strangers as kind people I’ve yet to befriend rather than hostile, unconnected individuals.  I will forever remember the kindness I received, not just those big acts like giving me a warm place to stay, but even the people that did small things, like a genuine wish of good luck and congratulations.

I had so many crazy and weird and great and amazing experiences along the trail. The quiet sunrises and sunsets, the infamous cow ‘attack’ incident, meeting some crazy characters, summiting majestic mountains with only trees and more mountains as far as I could see.

The trail changed me.  I now have a deep-seated, quiet confidence that developed slowly and will stay with me forever. I clearly remember in the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine, there was a day when my blisters had gotten really bad. Each step resulted in searing pain and the sweat on my feet only aggravated my open wounds. I couldn’t keep up with the rest of the group I was hiking with. I felt like they were miles in front of me and I wouldn’t be able to make it to the shelter by nightfall. I felt so alone and helpless and it was only day three or four. Getting to Georgia was an insurmountable, laughable goal that I now saw I would absolutely never ever be able to achieve.  I was such a fool for even thinking I could do this! As these thoughts raced through my mind and the pain of each step got to me, I had to stop. The pain was so intense and I was so tired and hot and sweaty and alone. I will never forget that moment. I stopped and just started crying. This was not what I imagined. This was not fun or some serene, transformative experience in nature. This absolutely sucked. How could I possibly do this everyday for the next five months? I wanted to quit. I wanted to be home and shower and not wear these painful shoes. Even writing about it now, I am transported back to the moment and my breathing becomes shallow and my eyes begin to fill with tears. I felt so hopeless and defeated. Writing this now, it’s clear I didn’t give in to those feelings. But in the moment it was not so easy. With all the willpower I had left, I composed myself with a few deep breaths and forced myself to keep walking. One of my friends had recently sent me an email saying she thought I was “strong, independent, and brave”. HA. I felt the complete opposite of these words. But I wanted to exemplify them. So, I chanted those words in my head over and over, so that each step I took was in beat with one of those words I wanted to be. Brave—STEP—strong—STEP—independent—STEP.  With each step, the words became a mantra giving me momentum and determination. My feet still hurt and I still felt weak and foolish, but I wasn’t going to give up in this moment. And so that’s how the rest of that day went. 

It is easy sitting comfortably inside writing this now to look back on my difficult days and act strong and proud about pushing myself. But I know I wasn’t strong or brave in those moments. There were so many times I felt so helpless and miserable and it was sheer willpower that got me through those moments. Hiking the trail hasn’t made me magically confident and able to cruise through tough situations.  But it has made me sure that I can push through it if I refuse to give up.  Without these terrible days and moments on the trail, reaching that plaque on Springer Mountain wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting or rewarding.  And so I will be sure to remind myself of that when I undoubtedly encounter difficult experiences in my life ahead. It is those tough times and how I react to them that matters. Just like the difficult and seemingly never-ending uphills on the trail, difficult times in life can seem overwhelming and never-ending. But the trail taught me that I can’t let myself be defeated. We are capable of so much more than we often give ourselves credit for. Those difficult days in Maine, I wasn’t thinking about the tough times I’d encounter down in Georgia. I could only focus on each step, one at a time, and by doing that step after step for 2185 miles, I somehow did what I thought was impossible that day in the 100 Miles alone in Maine.

It’s been just over a month since my last steps on the trail. I think about it and miss it every day. Sure, part of me knows I am remembering much of the good and blocking out many of the tough times. But those days filled with pain, boredom, frustration, and cold, made the good days that much better in comparison. I miss the simplicity of my life on the trail where the only necessary concerns were what to eat, where to get water, and where to sleep. Having experienced such a simple existence, so much of my life back in society feels superfluous. On the trail, I came to understand what really mattered in my life. Back in my old life, I already see myself getting distracted by what society tells us is necessary to care about. Yet when I find myself getting stressed over jobs or money or friends, I only need to think back to life on the trail to know what really matters. I imagine walking the trail in the early morning; the only sound the leaves crunching under my feet. Immediately, I am transported back to that simple lifestyle and mindset.  I smile as I imagine the sun warming my face and the wind brushing my skin and, for a moment, I remember.

Sherpa’s Appalachian Trail Thru Hike SOBO 2013

After Gatlinburg, I spent two more days hiking through the Smokies. Unfortunately pretty much that entire time was spent in a cloud. So instead of incredible views, I could see no more than thirty feet in front of me. At least it wasn’t rainy. We climbed Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT which was cool, but again no view. Luckily the temperatures were warmer so a lot of the snow and ice had melted, making the hiking significantly easier.
The Smokies are the most visited national park so even though it was the middle of the week we saw a couple groups of section hikers. We stayed with two at a shelter one night and were delighted when they offered us beer and sandwiches. I saw what I think was a coyote one day. It ran away as soon as it saw me. There are apparently wild hogs all over the smokies–you can see pushed up dirt all around the trail where they’ve dug up. I would freak out if I saw one–they are huge and have big tusks and can run fast. I luckily didn’t see any but two SOBOs behind me saw four.
The day delta and I left the smokies we stayed at a shelter nicknamed the Fontana Hilton because its so clean and spacious. Crunchmaster and gospel, SOBOs that caught up to us in Hot Springs, caught up to us again so it was nice to have company in the shelter for a change. Gospel was jumping ahead about 100 miles the next morning though because he’d hiked those miles earlier in his hike when he was home in Georgia for a wedding.
The day out of Fontana was off and on rainy but luckily not cold. Also it was almost entirely uphill and a long-ish day at 22 point something miles. I actually was doing well pacing myself on the uphill and the day was flying by and didn’t feel too bad. But the final four or so miles were a tough uphill that felt never ending. I also had run out of water and was hungry but didn’t want to stop to eat because it was rainy and getting colder and darker by the second. Eventually I made it to the top and put on an extra layer. Delta had kindly waited for me and we had to use headlamps for the last mile or two as it was dark. But it was still hard to see because it was super foggy. I went to bed pretty exhausted that night–it was one of the more physically trying times I can remember recently.
The next day we had a seven mile downhill down all that climbing we’d done the day before. Our goal for the day was 18.4 miles to cold spring shelter. Since it was a shorter day, we planned to stop at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (right on the trail) at their restaurant for lunch. When we got to the NOC, delta checked his phone and we found out we would end our day right there. We’d been talking to (get this) deltas best friends uncles brother, who lives near the trail and offered to host us for a night. He’d left delta a message that he’d pick us up at the NOC, a day (and twenty odd miles) earlier than we expected. I couldn’t complain though, I was excited for a warm bed and shower. We had time to kill until he picked us up so I had lunch with delta, Breeze, and Crunchmaster. Then about an hour later, cool blue and Blondie showed up! Their 30 mile days had allowed them to finally catch us. I was glad I got to see them before they flew by us. I said my final goodbyes to them which was a bit sad–I’d hiked with each of them for over a month and don’t know when I’ll see them again. But I’m glad they are finishing together.
Eventually delta and I got picked up and had a great afternoon that included a hot shower, running errands, having a delicious steak dinner, and enjoying the company of Pat and Holly, the generous couple that took us in. We somehow convinced them to slack pack us the next day. So today (Saturday) I hiked (slackpacked) my biggest day ever of 27.5 miles. We did it northbound though and ended up passing blue and Blondie which made for a hilarious encounter. But we had a nice long lunch with them and then said goodbye…again. The long day actually wasn’t bad at all and a significant portion was downhill (main reason why we did it northbound). We didn’t even have to night hike–we hiked from 7 to 5:10. Tomorrow (Sunday) we set out again and won’t be going into another town before we finish. We have three days of rain to look forward to which I’m really dreading. But lots to be happy about–only 110 miles left, crossing into Georgia in a day and a half and almost to my goal!!!! Right now the plan is to finish on Friday (yes it’s Friday the 13th, lets hope I have good luck though). My parents and brother (who is flying down to visit my parents) will drive up from Florida to meet me at springer and might even walk the last mile with me. I can’t believe the end is so near. I have so many mixed feelings about almost being done. I’m excited and sad at the same time. I know I’ll miss my life on the trail and the many people I’ve met. I suppose I have the next few days to process it all.

First off, Asheville was amazing and I want to move there. I’m sad I didn’t get to spend more time there. I have to go back sometime.

It’s been three days since getting back on trail after my weeklong vacation. I definitely feel the difference–I’m super sore since I’ve been out of my daily routine for a while. I’ve also developed new pack sores where my pack is rubbing my skin raw for some reason so that’s fun.

So far the Smokies have been pretty good. Our first full day of hiking in them was beautiful, sunny, and clear with great views. These mountains are HUGE and it’s crazy to look down and see just how far down it is to the valley floor. The temperatures haven’t been too low either. It’s definitely chilly but the temps here can get absolutely frigid and luckily we haven’t experienced any of that yet. I’ve actually been hot at night of all things! A thru hiker I met in hot springs who had already finished is letting me use his zero degree bag instead of my 15 degree bag and I’m noticeably warmer at night now, thank goodness. The hiking in the smokies has been tougher than I expected. Part of that is the huge uphill– we had a 5000 climb to get up to the ridge line in the park and its lots of ups and downs everyday. But what has made the hiking tougher than usual is the snow and ice. You know how when you go sledding you have to trudge all the way back uphill to sled back down again and you are always super exhausted by the time you get back to the top? That’s what hiking in the snow has been like. Except with heavy packs on. There are also sections of trail that are pure ice and every step feels like I am about to lose my footing and fall. The combination of the snow and the time off trail has led to me feeling more exhausted than usual.

Today delta and I hitched into Gatlinburg with the intention of resupplying then hitching back and hiking five more miles. But by the time we got to town we’d only have had an hour and a half to get everything done and decided to just stay in town. Kind of a wimp decision but oh well, I need the rest. Gatlinburg is a super touristy and hoakie town with tons of restaurants and old time photo places and mini golf and mirror mazes etc. it was very overwhelming but also hilarious to walk through. Back on the trail tomorrow for two more days in the Smokies. Tomorrow I hit the 2000 mile mark and also hit under 200 miles left. Wahoo! It’s supposed to rain for about a week straight after that which I’m not too excited about but I won’t have to deal with that too much longer. I just found out about three people who just got off trail, two in Hot Springs and one at the end of the smokies. It’s so sad to hear about friends leaving and giving up especially so close to the end!! I’m determined to keep going, I will crawl up springer if I have to.

What started into one zero has turned into five. Oops.

Delta and i planned to leave Hot Springs Monday morning and have three twenty something mile days into Gatlinburg where we’d get picked up to go to thanksgiving at Shuffles. We got up at 6am on Monday and were getting our stuff together to head out when Delta brought up the weather. Tuesdays forecast was for all day rain and in the 30s. Not hiking weather. More like hypothermia weather. If we headed out this morning we were basically committing to walk all day in the cold rain and then likely have our wet clothes freeze overnight and then have to walk 23 miles in the snow the next day.

So instead we decided we’d try to slack pack Monday and then take rainy Tuesday off. This meant we’d also have to take Wednesday off because that was the day we needed to be at a road so we could get picked up for thanksgiving. I wasn’t crazy about taking so much time off but it was more appealing, not to mention safer, than hiking in the 30s in rain. Now to find someone to drive us up to Max Patch, 20 miles away, so we could hike from there North to Hot Springs. We had to wait until 9am til the outfitter in town opened to call and see if they could drive. When we got a hold of them they said it’d be $55 which was more than we wanted. Then, miraculously, a group of college kids came into the hostel we were staying at and they just so happened to be hiking Max Patch and had extra room in their cars. So we got a free ride! They took me, Delta, and Afternoon Delight up to Max Patch, a beautiful bald mountain. We were lucky enough to have great views on this day. We had 20 miles back to Hot Springs, mostly downhill. It ended up being the easiest and most enjoyable twenty I’ve done. Time flew by and the hiking was even easier with just a daypack. I made great time, finishing in about 6 and a half hours including breaks and wasn’t even tired after. I could do this all downhill slack pack everyday!

The next two days I relaxed more than I ever have. I must have watched ten movies. That’s not an exaggeration. Delta and I hung out with AD and a guy Stripe who just finished his thru hike and was back in town. Crunchmaster and gospel, two other SOBOs also got to town and stayed at the hostel so we had a nice little group going. One highlight was enjoying Hot Springs’ hot springs with a bath at the spa. Delta, Stripe and i reserved an hour and relaxed in a hot tub filled with the hot spring water drinking beers.

It snowed about three inches overnight on Tuesday. I’d gone to bed at 3 the night before because I was up late watching movies so I was sleeping in the next day. I awoke being pelted by snowballs in my bed by a pack of boys. So much for sleeping in! Ha. Wolf Bird drove to Hot Springs on Tuesday evening and we had a wonderful reunion and had fun catching up and drinking beers and playing cards at the hostel.

On Wednesday we went and picked up Blondie and Cool Blue about an hour away from Hot Springs. They are about 60 miles behind me and delta on the trail. But they are both ready to be done and so they plan to do ten 30 mile days to get to springer. I think they’re crazy and will hurt themselves but they are pretty determined.

It was so great being reunited with so many people I hadn’t seen in many months. We were all making fun of each other like old times in a matter of minutes. The five of us drove about four and a half hours Wednesday afternoon to Shuffles house near Atlanta for thanksgiving. Shuffle finished the trail on Sunday!!! It was a miracle Wolf birds crappy car made it but we got there and had a great time. Shuffle and her family are so kind and cooked us so much food. They tripled recipes and got two 15 pound turkeys to feed our hungry hiker appetites.

After much eating and relaxation, we left Shuffles this morning (Friday). We are currently on our way to Asheville NC on a spontaneous trip to check out the town which is supposed to be awesome. I’ve wanted to visit here for a long time so I’m really excited. And a SOBO named junco who already finished lives in town so I think we have a free place to stay. It has been a very long break from hiking but it’s been great to see my hiker family and have a mental break. I’m excited to get back on trail though tomorrow (hopefully) and finish up these last 250 miles. It should be about two weeks til I finish. Wish me luck!

I’m being lazy and skipping blogging each day for my last section of hiking from Damascus VA to Hot Springs NC. Rather, I’ll just write a quick summary.

Leaving Damascus was tough as leaving town always is. It had rained/snowed overnight in Damascus but not stuck on the ground. However, once I gained elevation after the first mile or two of the day, there was an inch or two of snow on the ground. Thus I walked through snow all day and my feet got pretty wet by the end of the day. Since we were slow to leave town, I had to squeeze 18 miles in starting at 11 am. I only took one quick break and the rest of the day I was kinda rushing to try to make it to the shelter before dark when it’d get even colder. The overnight low was forecast to be 17 and I was staying at 4500 feet so I think it ended up getting down to single digits. It was by far the coldest and most miserable night I’ve had on trail. Once I stopped walking my feet got so cold that they went numb and didn’t regain feeling for almost an hour. I set up my tent in hopes of it providing extra warmth but setting it up on top of snow was not warm. I felt like I was laying on a bed of ice all night and probably only slept two hours. By daybreak it was still freezing and extremely tough to motivate myself to get out of my sleeping bag. Once I eventually got moving I felt better but boy was that cold tough to deal with.

One day in this section we met a SOBO we hadn’t met yet, Afternoon Delight. We hiked with him for a few days which was nice to have new company. Another day delta and I were hitching into town when a giant semi truck stopped for us. It was bringing Christmas trees to Connecticut. He offered to drive us to CT if we wanted. We did not take him up on that offer but it was the best hitch and so hilarious that I still laugh thinking about it.

We climbed Roan Mountain, which is supposed to have beautiful views, but on the day we did it we were in a cloud. The mountain has open bald ridges but we were being blown by extremely high wind gusts and then later sideways blowing rain. The visibility was very low and it was a cold, wet, windy few hours. The shelter we stayed at that night was the highest on the AT and luckily had four walls and a door, keeping us warm and dry from the howling wind and rain outside.

A major highlight of this section was trail magic from Mr Rob Bird. The day after Roan, I was feeling kind of miserable. The weather had cleared but I had to put on my still wet clothes in the cold morning. Also lately I’ve found the mental aspect of the hike to be more difficult. The cold weather all the time makes it hard to stay motivated. It can be tough to enjoy everyday when all I want to is be warm in my sleeping bag. I’m getting so close but it still feels so far in many ways. Anyway I was having a tough day mentally when delta and I crossed a road with a sketchy white van parked on the side of the road. We both made comments about getting in and getting kidnapped. Then, the front door of the van opens and a man yells to us, “want some snacks? Come hope in the van. It’s warm!” And, like the smart girl my parents raised, I hopped right in that van. It really was warm and there was a cooler full of sodas and plenty of snack food. We met Rob Bird, who had run a hiker hostel in MA for over ten years but recently retired and moved to TN. Now he drives up to trail crossings waiting for hikers to walk by so he can give them snacks and such. After a few minutes of chatting (and being relieved that he wasn’t a kidnapper when he talked about meeting other hikers we know), he invited us to stay at his house for the night. We accepted his offer and waited for Afternoon Delight and the three of us and Rob were off! It was the most unexpected trail magic at a low point in my day/week/hike. Robs kindness was yet another reminder that things will work out and get better and the trail has mysterious ways of working. Rob let us shower and do laundry and then took us to a Chinese buffet. He then slack packed us twenty miles the next day and we got to sleep in warm beds two days in a row. Most of all though Rob was a truly generous and fun person to be around. He was full of stories and made us feel so welcome, inviting us to come back anytime. It’s people like him that I’ll remember from my hike even years down the road.

The next three and a half days were cold again and cloudy and one day rainy. I had one pretty miserable night where the shelter was so incredibly infested with mice that I opted to tent in the rain rather than be kept awake by mice all night. Yet it was equally or possibly more miserable in my tent, where everything got wet and it was still raining in the morning. I had to pack up all my wet stuff in the freezing cold rain and ugh the weather just sucks lately. Luckily I was going to town that day so it helped motivate me.

I’m in hot springs NC now with only 272 miles left. This town is tiny but awesome and we opted to take a zero because the high for today (Sunday) is about 30 which would’ve made for cold hiking. Unfortunately the weather for the next week is supposed to stay unseasonably cold with overnight lows in the low 20s. But I’ll be entering the smokeys where I’ll remain at about 5000 feet throughout the park, making for even colder temperatures. I’m actually really nervous for the cold and it’s also supposed to snow and rain. I’m sad my hike is drawing to a close and would want it to continue even longer if the weather were nicer. Yet the cold is so miserable that I am kind of at the point where I just want to finish to get it over with and be warm inside all day. I’m trying to enjoy my last two weeks or so though and looking forward to thanksgiving which I will spend with shuffle at her house with a mini reunion with wolf bird and cool blue.

Town today!! The day started off freezing cold in the 20s but surprisingly warmed up to the nicest it’s been in weeks, nearly 60 degrees. I was hiking in a t-shirt and shorts for the first time in as long as I can remember. It’s amazing how much my mood is affected by the weather, as I was so much happier with the sun and warmth. The trail coincided with a bike path for part of the day and we ended up talking to some people biking the rail trail. These particular people hadn’t ever heard of people thru-hiking the AT so they were beyond amazed at Delta and I, asking tons of questions and saying how impressed they were with us. It was flattering and kind of funny how much of a celebrity we felt like. They took our photo and then later when we got to town we went into a local gear shop and found this same couple browsing backpacks, saying we’d inspired them.

Hiking was good today but it felt like it took forever to get to town because I was so eager to get there. We are taking the day off tomorrow, the first zero day since Vernon NJ–way back in September. I am SO excited to relax and take a break. I’m even more excited because it just so happens that the weather is supposed to be freezing cold, rainy, and snowy and I DONT HAVE TO WALK IN IT! I have under 500 miles left, so I’m really excited about that. I don’t have an exact end date planned, but it’s definitely doable to finish in a month or less from now. So a month from now I may be done. It’s crazy how close I am, but at the same time 500 miles is still a ways to go. I’ll get there eventually though!

Miles today: 17.3

Total miles: 1703.2

Today was such a good day! It was cold and windy in the morning, but I didn’t care because the scenery today was so beautiful. The day started with a climb and then I had views for nearly an hour or two of my hike. It was beautiful open, treeless highland meadows surrounded by mountains in the distance in every direction. It was one of those rare times when I was so in awe of the beauty around me that I had a smile pasted across my face as I hiked. Also, I saw more ponies!!! This herd was less shy and one of the ponies even let me take a selfie photo with it.

I stopped for a break at a shelter 5 miles in and discovered an awesome blanket/hat. It has a unicorn face/head that you wear as a hat and then there are gloves attached you put your hands in and then a blanket part, so it’s like a cape with a unicorn head. I of course had to take it and proceeded to wear it for the next two days like the true crazy person I’ve become. It was fun to see people’s differing reactions, from people who immediately said “I like your hat!” to others who were clearly uncomfortable and pretended not to notice.

The hiking continued to be pretty easy today and the day wasn’t that long. Delta and I got to the shelter to discover Foot, the basically homeless guy there. Along with another guy who seemed also fairly homeless. Great. With that, we decided to tent instead of stay in the shelter, which turned out to be a smart decision. It got down into the 20s at night, so tenting helped keep us a little bit warmer.