Not Quite Thru: Appalachian Trail 2012

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been off the trail now for two months.  Life has a way to quickly pull you back into the “reality” of “normal.” I adjusted back more quickly than Sandy did.  After walking for months, driving the rental car was a “welcome back to the real world” slap in the …

Every day I find myself thinking about our time on the AT, slowly realizing that you don’t have to do a thru-hike to have the trail change you. With only a quarter of it behind us, I feel different.  Simple things are appreciated, like turning on the faucet for water.  Being inside on stormy days.  …

Almost lost my hat on Rocky Top, up in the Tennessee Hills … winds were blowing strong on Rocky Top, guess they always will.

“Your pack weight,” said Dan, “is directly proportional to your happiness on the trail.” Returning to Franklin after sore knees plagued us both, we sat with Dan “Sheltowee” and Nina “Waterfall” Rogers, friends and experienced long distance hikers who could coach us out of our weight conundrum. John and I are steadily losing weight so …

As we hopped rocks climbing a cascading stream north of Devil’s Fork Gap, John yelled out “look what you missed!” There, on the wet rocks, an equally aqueous brown salamander blending right in. For the next hour, we amused ourselves looking for them amid wet rocks and mud. There were many, all well camoflauged. As …

It rained, of course. Rain pattered down through the thickening canopy overhead, leaving the  mountain laurel and persistent rocks with a glistening sheen. Climbing up from our dropoff point at Caledonia State Park, we knew we didn’t have far to go, but the trail immediately headed straight uphill, a rarity in this part of Pennsylvania. …

And some are much more obvious than others….

Two days of supported hiking to make it through Memorial Day Weekend: it was my idea, and it seemed like bliss. We’d already encountered large groups of hikers heading into the woods for the holiday, so we knew the shelters and camping areas would be crowded. Very crowded. Add to the mix hitting the Cumberland …

After our unplanned zero in Lickdale, it took sheer willpower for John to return to the trail today. Roadwalking to Swatara Gap and climbing to the ridgetop, he was a zombie. Sore feet and a tired mind were taking their toll. As he perked up, my spirits fell: I misjudged the distance to the next …

A sign that means welcome relief. At Gooch Mountain, the tent sites were on a mountain slope and even a walk to anywhere in camp meant a workout.

Having never camped on mountaintops before, it was a delight to discover what spring in the North Georgia mountains means after the rains depart and the skies are bright. We pushed hard after our first zero day, feeling refreshed and fleet of foot climbing up from Neels Gap and over the mountains to our first …

Traversing the broad Cumberland Valley, we’re finally off the rocky ridges that led us here and into gently rolling hills topped with farms as far as the eye can see. For much of its length, at least what we’ve experienced thus far, the Appalachian Trail has been an exercise in seeing how many mountains you …