Date: 2013-10-24
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Burrrr! Yowheeee! We shivered all night and woke up to snow covered trees and ground. My mom had this saying I never quite got but now I do. She'd say "I froze my bippy off." Our bippies have been frozen off as well as everything else. I know we are wimps, being Floridians and all, but seriously how do people live in this?! Of course being out in it all day with no escape is a whole different ball game. And, of course, our canister ran out so no hot cocoa or coffee this morning of all mornings! But the silver lining, as I spun it to the girls is this... Just as God provided manna to the original long distance ultralight hiker Moses, so God did for us. We must talk about our desire to drink slurpees several times a day, especially when it was uber hot. When we got home for the arm reset we drank them by the bucket full every single day we were in Florida. Today God delivered slurpees right to us. We licked leaves and delighted in the cool snow which had the exact consistency of a slurpee. We could hardly hike we were so busy licking leaves and scooping snow. Just so you know rhododendron leaves make the best conduit for snow eating. Cub said she liked the change in scenery and that this is one more thing that proves how tough we are. Isn't that awesome, a 12 yr old that wants challenges and is never miserable about them but just puts a positive spin on it. I am so lucky to be with these two kiddos who never complain but turn these moments into playful times and laughter. We did throw snowballs at each other, which is like being in a movie for us as we never get to do that.Last night I had the call of Nature, of course. The plight of being a 50 year old. I had to put on all this gear, ease quietly out of my comparably warm bag and step into the howling winds and blackness. I couldn't find my TP stash so I figured a few leaves would be fine. The only thing my slow Floridian mind didn't factor in was that the leaves would be frozen. It's a wonder the kids didn't wake up when I made contact. I now have a memorable experience I never want to repeat.Cub and I still have our summer bags. They go to 55 and 45 degrees. They kept us warm in Maine where it was 18 degrees one night. I think because we used the tent. Lately we've been using the shelters so that we can be with other hikers and also so we don't have to pack up a wet tent. I think I'm going to have to buy us warmer bags which kills me as we only have roughly 550 miles to go. I might be able to get outer bags. We do have liners. We also sleep very close which has worked before this cold front. Chicory said she looked at us this morning and we were cuddling so close she couldn't tell who was who. She said we looked adorable and was also surprised we woke up so happy. She said she would have cried if she'd been so cold all night. Having the three of us together brings each of us so much support. Chicory asked if we kept each other going when one of us wanted to quit. We all looked at each other and said "We've never wanted to quit. Not one of us. Ever. We only had one bad day" (the day the tent poles and backpack frames broke). I guess that is very rare on the trail. Hopefully we can embrace the cold and find a way of layering that works. We dress warmly and get overheated in 15 minutes so we take stuff off. Then we summit a ridge line or take a turn to the windy side of the mountain and we are freezing again. Our fingers, toes (which are wet from our boots) and faces get chilly. Luckily our hats keep our heads toasty and the buffs are awesome for ear coverage. We are hoping we can acclimate to the cold and that some warmer temps come our way. Until we get to Damascus and get warmer bags we are going to try to hike to cheap hotels and hostels each night. The hotel we are in now is called the Relax Inn. We were told to avoid it because it is "sketchy", "scary" and "flea ridden". It has heat and hot water and washing machines so we are just dandy. After living in the woods in dirty bug/mice/snake/bear ridden shelters our standards are very low. Also, the frozen leaf and outdoor privy situation makes indoors sketchy look good. Can you believe that all of the privies lately have just been toilets on a platform with no walls? Talk about freezing your bippy off! At least there is no more odors coming from them. I've been reading "Camp 14", the true story of a young man who was one of the only people to escape from a North Korean prison camp. The suffering he experienced is beyond comprehension. The horror is that millions of people's lives are being controlled and made miserable by horrible leaders right now. Factor in the past with many people's lives being full of suffering and I can't help but know how lucky I am to live here in the USA at this time in history. I work in a children's hospital and see the unfairness of babies born with cancer or serious conditions and children who have short, painful lives. How can I think of this as tough when I'm lucky enough to determine my own course of life and follow a dream?! Sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I think about all of the humans that have had such torturous lives and that I have been so blessed. It makes me more determined to really live passionately because we all live in times when we are able to do meaningful things. We shouldn't waste these precious lives we've been given.The temps are dropping for the next few days so wish us luck. We are negotiating a whole new world for us. Onward we hike, determined to finish. Pray for sunshine for us. This bleak gray sky is hard to take as we are used to brilliant blues.Thanks for writing everyone. It's the highlight of our day to read your kind words, advice and supportive cheers. It warms our hearts - even if our bippies are frozen.