Date: 2015-05-31
From: Marion, VA

To: Woods Hole
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I said my goodbyes to Raider this morning as he hopped on a plane back to the lone star state. I've been in Roanoke, VA since Friday night and will be taking a bus/shuttle back to the trail around mile 620 tomorrow morning. My dad, having joined me back in Damascus, VA, hiked about 150 miles of the AT with me. Having my pop be my hiking partner for a few week was a great joy. Our days were full of walking, sweating, resting, eating, and great conversation. I'm thankful that he was able to be a part of my thru hike journey. Jerri, AKA Tree Hugger VA, an AT enthusiast having completed the entire trail herself, was gracious enough to cart my dad and I around Virginia. When she showed up to Damascus with my father in tow, she bestowed upon me some trail magic in the form of Strawberries. Fresh. Organic. Cold. Ripe. Strawberries. And upon picking the both of us up on Friday, had the idea of us grabbing dinner together at the Homestead, an all you can eat veggies and meat comfort food joint in Catawba, VA. Needless to say, I ate my fill of Cole Slaw, Mash Potatoes with gravy, Green Beans, and FRIED CHICKEN. All topped off with cherry cobbler and ice cream. Tree Hugger is truly a trail angel. I haven't given a detailed update since... Hot Springs!? Many miles have been hiked since then. Much trail magic enjoyed. Lots of hiker trash happenings. -One night before Damascus, I slept in the upper deck of what used to be a barn, that had been converted to a shelter for the use of dirty hikers like myself. The morning view during breakfast was one for the picture books. -Another time South of Damascus, I slept in the penthouse of a shelter, even though there were only 3 of us sharing the shelter(if you exclude the mice scurring around the rafters). -Raider and I tented every night on the trail while he was with me. Most of the tent spots we slept at were quiet, sometimes with a babbling brooke to lull us to sleep. -North of Damascus, we hiked through Grayson Highlands, where wild ponies reside. WILD PONIES! Well, they were quite tame for being wild ponies. Probably from eating all that peanut butter that hikers are all too willing to get rid of at this point. -Dad averaged 13 miles a day, hiking over 150 miles in 12 days on the trail. I was impressed with him. Especially after having a pretty tough first week. He seemed to bounce back week two and we made hay, deciding to press on to mile 621 instead of the original mile 606 point. We even had a 17 mile day! We rewarded ourselves with food and relaxing here in Roanoke, VA. -When you're out on the trail, you'll run into different bubbles of people who aren't really hiking together, but tend to move North all at about the same pace. I've started to meet new folks and see some who I haven't seen in a few weeks. It's nice to meet new people as well as see familiar faces. -I retired my first pair of trail shoes after 620 miles of the trail. My sweet mom sent me my 2nd pair that I had purchased prior to beggining. I ordered two more pairs yesterday so I can replace them about every 500 miles. -My mom also sent me my warm weather quilt(17oz) which will replace my 36 oz. cold weather bag. I sent a few other things home with my dad. My coffee mug, my down jacket, and a few other things. I shed about 3 lbs, which will make a great difference. HOWEVER, it's gonna get cold again. I'm going to have to get my cold weather stuff back when I get to the Mountains up North. I'll try not to get too accustomed to the lighter load (about 18-19 lbs. base weight? 27-28lbs with food and water). -Being in a city a bit farther from the reaches of the trail feels a bit strange. Towns along the trail are more accustomed to smelly, poorly dressed, homeless looking folk walking around. Here in the bigger city of Roanoke, I feel a bit naked and out of place in my short shorts, tank top, long hair and gangly beard with my ever fading farmers tan. -I've had take needle and thread to some gear/clothing out here. It just so happened that a hiker named Figgy Stardust gave me an excellent lesson. I may have a job as a seamstress before it's all said and done. -Raider and I passed the "1/4 of the way to Katahdin" sign a few days ago. 1/4 of the way!? Feels like I've only just begun. Tomorrow I'll be hitting the trail solo once more. I feel fresh and excited. I've decided that making miles, although enjoyable and challenging, is not my focus. The journey is my focus. I still enjoy making big miles on the trail. But if I want to hike 1 mile a day, stopping every 5 minutes to jot something down or take a picture or eat or nap or explore, then by god I'm gonna. As always, thanks for reading and thanks for your support. Also, check out this website with my GPS pings on it. www.wanderingbluto.com