In Memory

Life on the trail is occasionally hard.  Lately I've been battling black flies and ticks, hot and humid weather, and swollen and sore feet.  However, feeling like I'm missing out on important events is one of the hardest things, and while being out of touch with world events is often a blessing, at times it hits home, hard.  Several weeks back I got an email from my sister with the subject line "Sad News," and a description of a childhood hero who had passed away. 

I spent some time reflecting on this most unlikely of heroes, and trying to figure out how to honor him while on the trail.  I thought back to the time when I watched him regularly on television, and how for a time my sister and I would cheer him on, every Saturday morning, without fail (much to the bewilderment of our parents).

And as I do not have black fringed arm band and sunglasses to wear, Mr. Macho Man, I snap into this Slim Jim in your memory.

Ooooohhhhh Yeeeaaahh.

Rest in peace, good sir.

Mary's Rock

Hazy, hot, and humid. As Bon Jovi so eloquently put it, "it's 99 in the shade."  That does it... I'm going to spend the rest of the day at Luray Caverns, where it is 58 degrees, year round. Huzzah!

A Post In Which I Confess To Poor Decision Making

On Sunday I hiked 28 miles. The Shenandoah, as it turns out, are gently rolling hills, weaving in and out of Skyline Drive and around many campgrounds.  This is significant for one reason, which has multiple consequences: there are a lot of people here. In many ways this is great- the prevalence of showers and flush toilets makes me very happy. Sadly, wildlife here doesn't seem scared of hikers, probably because they're crammed into a long and narrow area and because at some point someone probably fed them (either accidentally or not). Bearfence Mountain Hut was closed last week because someone left their food in a tent, which was then destroyed by a bear (while hikers were 100 yards away, socializing).  But I digress, so let me start again: on Sunday I hiked 28 miles because I wanted a milkshake.

Lately it's felt like hiking is something I do to spend time when I'm not eating or sleeping.  Thoughts about food occupy a large part of my brain while hiking, whether its thinking about what I will eat for my next meal, fantasizing about my all time favorite meals, coming to the slow but poignant realization that I am the type of person who likes beef jerky, or wondering if I'll have a hankering for trail food when I'm done with the AT (I believe I will, because instant mashed potatoes with beets and cheese is delicious).  So, when Grimey mentioned that there was a wayside only 7 miles away that sold milkshakes,  I was in. Granted,  my guidebook indicated that the wayside closed in 3 hours, at 5:30, so I knew I'd have to fly. And fly I did, until I rounded a corner and saw a great, big, bear. (Actually it was more like this: I rounded a corner and saw a great big stump, which lifted its head and glared at me. To my credit, my first reaction was not "MONSTER," as it has been in the past when I've been startled by animals, but "BEAR!") I approached it, talking, in an attempt to drive it away from the trail so I could continue my pursuit of a milk shake (preferably coffee, I'd decided, although I thought that something fruity might be nice, too). The bear moved away slightly,  but then turned back and stared straight at me. And then, not 40 feet away, two baby bears scrambled up a tree. 

In the interest of full disclosure,  my next reaction was OH SHIT and I backed up, out of sight. I sang the bears a couple verses of a Tom Waits song, thought I heard the trio moving away, and then proceed forward again. As it turned out, Mama Bear hadn't moved, and consequently I treed the babies a second time. Not wanting to stir up any more trouble, I backtracked and hiked along the road for 0.8 miles.

To make a long story short, I hadn't double checked Grimey's math: the wayside was actually 9.5 miles away, along with a 0.5 mile detour off the AT to get there.  By the last 1.5 miles, I was running. When I got to the detour I dropped my pack, grabbed my wallet,  and sprinted down the path. I arrived at 5:34, covered in sweat, out of breath, only to learn that the wayside was open until 7. While waiting for my meal and milkshake to arrive (it was blackberry, by the way) I told Grimey and Ogre about my afternoon.  At the conclusion of my story,  Grimey said, "So let me get this straight: last night we learned that a shelter has been closed because of bears. Today you were delayed by a bear. And after that, you left your pack, full of food, a half mile away in the middle of the woods?"

"Huh," I said, "I guess I REALLY wanted this milkshake."

And then I wolfed down my dinner, downed my milkshake, and sprinted back to my pack, which had not been touched.

Ladies and gentlemen: I am a dumbass when it comes to food these days. But still, it was a delicious milkshake.

More Mail Drops

Hi everyone! 

I'm updating my mail drop locations for the next few weeks.  If you want to send a letter, please send it to "Bree Carlson, Thru Hiker" by the dates at the following addresses:

~ June 9: General Delivery, Front Royal, VA, 22630
~ June 11: Bear's Den Hostel, 18393 Blue Ridge Mountain Road, Bluemont, VA 20135
~ June 12: General Delivery, Harper's Ferry, WV, 25425

Check it out: less than two weeks until the unofficial halfway point of the AT!  AMAZING!!!!

Flora and Fauna

The Mountain Laurel, Rhododendron, and Honeysuckle are blooming, and flowery perfume is lingering in the air throughout the AT.  The 'Long Green Tunnel' is finally in effect- I spend most of my days hiking through leafy green forests, with only occasional views of gorgeous topography or a visual sense of elevation gained or lost.  Compare, if you will:

Georgia, in March

Virginia, in June

 Pretty different, eh?  There are some parts of the trail where I'm walking, surrounded on both sides and above, by flowers in full bloom.  It's crazy beautiful, although none of the photos I've taken can capture the feeling that I've accidentally snuck into someone's no-so-well manicured English garden.

 Rhododendron, finally in bloom.

(I've been waiting for MONTHS for this.)

 Mountain Laurel.  (Silly me, I thought these plants were 

mini-Rhododendron until they started blooming.)

With the spring has also come an abundance of wildlife: squirrels, chipmunks, vultures, ravens, raptors of some variety or another, deer galore (including a sneezing one), hard-working dung beetles, gorgeous black/brown/red millipedes, fleet footed lizards, tubby tummied toads, newts, fish, raccoon, and snakes (although I've only had ONE good snake sighting so far).  No bears, no rattlesnakes, and (thankfully) no catamount.  

 There's not a chance of me catching one of these guys.  They're too fast!

Gorgeous!

I thought I knew what a milipede was until I met this guy.

I will never confuse them with centipedes again.

Yesterday, during my 22 mile hike, I was surprised by a snake.  Now, I've been surprised by snakes before- catching their tale end as they disappear into the grass, which, as an appreciator of snakes, is rather disappointing.  Many of my friends have seen multitudes of snakes, including rattlesnakes, but not me.  The other day I came across this sign, which got me all excited, but then, nothing.

 The AT isn't big on truth in advertising.

But then yesterday, I happened across a scene that was so startling that it took about 20 seconds for my brain to process what my mind was seeing.  And then, once I finally recognized what I was looking at, I was floored.  (If you're squeamish about snakes or are really sensitive, you might not want to look at the next photo, because it's a doozy).

This isn't going to end well for anyone, I think.

And finally, because I didn't want to leave you with something sad, here are two very industrious dung beetles, and grand, grand view. 

Hard at work!

Goodnight!

Waynesboro

I'm currently in the Waynesboro, VA public library, having partaken in an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, which was followed up with free camping and a free shower at the YMCA [with soap and shampoo and other goodies provided by Peter, a blog reader (THANK YOU!)].  It was really easy to get a hitch into town this morning, and the folks at Graham's Shoe Service were very friendly (and lived up to their tag line: The Most Eccentric Shop in the USA!).  Slightly less hiker friendly: the Chinese buffet, where we had to leave our packs outside, were seated in a separate room from the other patrons, and were greeted at the front door by this charmingly informative sign (sorry I can't rotate it):

It says: Attention Hikers.  We wanted to let you know 

that the YMCA (two blocks away) has free showers.

Well then.

So I've only got about five more minutes on the computer before I have to run to pick up my newly repaired brand-new boots (Why do brand new boots need to be repaired, you ask?  Well, because they're Keens, and as it turns out, the only two good things that I can say about Keens are that a) they have a really roomy toe box, and b) that they have good customer service.  I've yet to have one of the FOUR pairs I've worn on the trail last more than 100 miles before something breaks, and something tells me that if I call them again to request a non-defective pair they're going to send a personal assassin out to hunt me down.  As is, I think my policy of calling them frequently has caused them to change their policy: the hiker grapevine tells me that they've started sending only one replacement pair to thru-hikers, not three.).  I'll update more when I get back from the shoe shop.

Like I said earlier, it's been easy to hitch around here, which may or may not be to me and my trail buddy Hoop practicing our "PLEASE HELP US" hitching faces. 

Effective, eh?

Staying Positive

The last few days have been brutually hot and humid, and despite my body beginning to adjust to this weather, it's still sapping my strength with each step I take.  To keep myself from breaking down and melting into a mushy pile of sweat, I've been trying to come up with reasons why it's okay to be spending my days hiking up and down mountains instead of lounging by a pool with a margarita in hand and a cabana boy fanning me. As such, I present to you: Things I love about hiking in hot and humid weather.

1. The sweat pouring off my body keeps the ticks and flies from biting me. This is a good thing, as they've finally noticed how tender and tasty I am.
2. Post lunch siestas. Especially 2 hour long ones.
3. The smell of Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron lingering in the air. The humidity really brings out the perfume of the flowering bushes and the stringent smell of ripe grass.
4. Feeling like a badass for hiking 10 miles when the temperature with humidity factored in is 107.
5. Afternoon thunderstorms become pleasant events that one looks forward to. (Hint, hint, Mother Nature.)
6. Unexpected swimming (or wading) holes. Also: expected ones.
7. Drinking a lot of water, and occasionally for a treat, flavoring the water. Mmmm... cool tea in the middle of the woods.
8. Shelters or campsites next to streams, where one could conceivably soak their feet while fetching water.
9. Knowing how good sitting in a movie theater in Waynesboro is going to feel when I get there on Friday.  The funny thing is that I don't really want to see a movie; I just want to sit in an over air conditioned room far away from nature, drinking a soda.
10. Being done with big climbs in hot weather until Mount Greylock, in Massachusetts.  While the next 700 miles aren't flat, they certainly don't have any monsters, like today's 2000 foot climb over 2 miles.
11. Turning a corner and finding a breezy spot.
12.  Views like this one, when the humidity finally breaks.