I would walk 500 (more) miles

I haven’t blogged in a while for lack of good things to report; from Waynesboro to Pearisburg the trail was pretty hard on me mentally. I came really close to quitting several times. I decided I needed to take a few days off to rest and reevaluate what I’m doing out here. So I did, and now I’m feeling much happier!

First, I stayed at Woods Hole hostel two nights, which was incredible. It’s a self sustainable farm that’s been hosting hikers pretty much since the AT started. It’s right off the trail in the beautiful Virginia countryside, nestled between mountains in their full fall color. The owner of the hostel, Neville, is an awesome host and amazing cook. At night, we would gather around a big table inside the main cabin for family-style dinners that consisted of fresh locally grown vegetables, farm raised meat, and Neville’s famous homemade bread. You seriously can’t get this kind of food anywhere else on the trail, and I don’t even eat this well at home! It was a great place to relax and enjoy being outdoors without hiking.

Then, Kyle came to visit again last weekend, which of course lifted my spirits greatly. We explored some local breweries in the Blacksburg and Roanoke area, as well as ate more delicious food. Also, I went to an outfitter and got a little lightweight stove so I could make hot food and drinks! I’ve been eating cold peanut butter since Maine, and I thought hot food might cheer me up in this cold weather. Kyle also put some music on my phone so I could jam down the trail. And just like that, Chicory 2.0 was born.

After two days back on the trail, I stayed with the coolest trail angel, Trubrit, in Bastian, VA. I really think he may have the best story I’ve heard on the trail. Born into an extremely wealthy family in England, he fled from a life of nobility and became a boy soldier in the British army at the age of 16. After serving for 23 years in the military, his family expected him to come back and take care of their large estate. Instead, he decided to go to America and start a construction company building English cottages. He started his business with two thousand dollars, and in 7 years he was a millionaire by his own hard work. He married a rich British socialite living in the states, and they had several vacation homes, numerous vehicles, and a life of luxury. Then three years ago, Trubrit left it all to go live simply in the woods. He gave his wife everything, and took only a truck and some clothes. Now he lives in a camp that consists of tarp tents and wooden shelters. In his own words he confided in me, “I have nothing, yet I have everything, and I’ve never been happier in my life.” He is a true angel to hikers- he picks you from anywhere in the area, lets you camp and slackpack, and cooks an amazing pancake and bacon breakfast for everyone each morning. I can’t say enough about how generous he is, not to mention how much fun. Every night is a party around the bonfire, with Trubrit playing hilarious songs on his guitar and promoting stimulating debates and conversations. I did not want to leave this wonderful place! But alas, Georgia calls.

Yesterday, a cold front came in and I got caught in a SNOWstorm on top of a mountain at 4,400ft! Snow in October?! I couldn’t believe it. A surge of adrenaline sent me running across the mountain down into the valley to escape. Then, it snowed again on the ridge I was hiking on all afternoon today! Like always, snow is fun at first because its so beautiful and rare (for me anyway). Then you remember snow is just freezing rain, which leaves you cold and wet- a complication on the trail because you can’t run inside your warm house and get dry. But I guess that’s part of the AT experience. However, I have temporarily escaped the cold and am staying in town tonight 🙂

So, I’m back on top and feeling pretty good about this trail. Only (haha!) 530 miles remain, which should take a little less than a month. Maybe even less if it stays cold, because that definitely speeds my pace up! I only have a few days left in Virginia, and there’s some cool things to look forward to- the Grayson Highlands and Mount Rogers. And I’m REALLY looking forward to entering a new state soon, Tennessee! Yippee!

Stop playin’ the blues

When we hiked together, Wolfbird used to whisper in my ear behind me: “You’ll never make it! You’re just a little Chicory!” just to aggravate me. Hearing that always made me want to hike faster and show him who was the real trail boss. But lately, Virginia has been whispering that same thing to me, and it’s having the opposite effect!

There’s something about Virginia that seems to get thruhikers down. The phenomenon has been termed the “Virginia blues” by many. I think part of the reason is because its sooo long- over 500 miles, or almost a quarter of the trail. I really enjoyed the feeling of progress when I was knocking out those little states in the north. Now, I’m in the middle of Virginia and I feel like there’s no end in sight!

Also, these Virginia mountains ain’t no joke. I’m tired. Maybe from the cumulative fatigue after 3 months on the trail now, or possibly the easier midatlantic section made me soft, or most likely I’ve just got a disease of the mind. Still, these long, slow climbs that seem to never end wear on you!

Thankfully, I’ve had ole Junco around to keep my spirits up. He makes me hot chocolate and keeps me laughing with his quirky ways. Also, we made a new friend on the trail- Cody Coyote. Now this dude, he is the real deal (the man! the myth! the legend!). He’s my age and on his 4th thruhike, in a row! Crazy! He’s actually legitimately homeless, and the trail is his home. He doesn’t have any family, and he gets by with less than anyone I’ve ever seen. Yet, he’s such a sweet guy with a great sense of humor that you just love being around. Hanging out with him this past week really helped me gain some perspective on my situation. Sometimes I joke about being homeless out here on the trail, but I always know I have somewhere I can go back to at any time. It’s not a true reality situation. Plus, I’ve chosen my current lifestyle of my own accord. The biggest problems I have right now are low motivation and homesickness, which seem trivial compared to Cody’s. So, I’m actively trying to become more aware of the amazing opportunities I’ve been given and not waste them. Also, I’m trying to find and appreciate the beautiful things about every day- things like Cody’s simple way of life and positive spirit- that inspire me to become a better person.

For the love of the mountains

I came out to the trail thinking that there was no freer place in the country to be. Yesterday that freedom was taken away from me. I was experiencing some of my favorite times on the trail yet while I was hiking through Shenandoah National Park. It felt great to be back in some real mountains after the somewhat less exciting Mid-Atlantic; I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the epic climbs and beautiful views. I think Shenandoah has been my favorite section of the trail so far- the climbs were big but well graded, the fall foliage was beautiful, and the park was so quiet after the government shut down. We thruhikers basically had the place to ourselves! No tourists or day hikers made for great hiking and lots of wildlife sightings- I saw two bears yesterday morning!

Word was that the rangers were going to leave thruhikers alone even though the park was closed. Which makes sense, because the trail is our home, plus we walked there all the way from Maine! Even so, I was trying to stay mostly out of sight. Then yesterday, 70 miles into the park with 40 left to go, they kicked me out. I was crossing a road and a ranger was just sitting there looking for trouble. When I saw him, I immediately started running back into the woods. Sirens wail. Too late, they’ve caught me. They take my information down. The ranger was rude and threatened a ticket if I tried to sneak back in. Oh the injustice! At home, what the government does never really affects my daily life, so it seems crazy to me that it has such a big impact on my life out here on the trail. Hopefully I’ll be able to go back and finish that section when the park opens again, it would be a shame to miss!

Anyway, there is a bright spot in this situation- I hitched to the next trail town outside of the park, and guess who was here?! My boy Junco! I’ve been chasing that kid since I got back from the Long trail in Vermont. We had a great reunion eating at an all you can eat Chinese restaurant, and then camped out at the park last night with some hobos (no worries, it was the legally designated area for thruhikers to camp). So now I have a hiking buddy again! And Virginia is supposed to keep being beautiful, so I’m excited about keeping on southward.