We are Angels. Where are our Halos?

Trail magic has a win win outcome. From experience, receiving trail magic is one of the most wonderful things a hiker can find on the trail. Also from experience, giving trail magic is a lot of fun. Saturday Danae and I went on a day hike with her aunt Karen. We hiked a total of four miles. All we brought with us were two backpacks full of fruit and cookies. We only saw about 6 thru hikers, but most were very grateful for the unexpected snacks. Notice I said "most". There was one guy who rejected our offer of fruit and cookies. I think the sun must of been getting to him. No hiker in their right mind will reject trail magic. However, there was another hiker on the other side of the spectrum. We said "do you want a bag of cookies and a fruit". He said "I'll take 8 bags of cookies and 3 oranges". Wow!!!   We were glad that he was able enjoy it. 

Sunday we went to church at Faith Christian Fellowship near Hageratown. Being able to go to church is another thing that we've learned to appreciate more while on the trail. We love singing along with a congregation and talking with fellow Christians. We would often listen to sermons on our iPods and Rend Collective (a worship band), but it isn't the same as being at a church. The bible says "where there are two or three gathered, there am I". Danae and I only make up two which I guess is good enough, but being in a church with hundreds is like a fail-safe. After church and lunch we went outside and scrubbed all of our stinky, dirty gear. Tent, sleeping bags, tarp, rain poncho, backpacks, everything needed de-stinkafied. After spending several hours of hard work and letting everything dry in the blazing sun, our gear smells as good as a day-hiker's armpit. (That is a good smell). 

Today, Monday, Danae's grandpa and I went out to a road crossing to grill burgers and hotdogs while Danae stayed with her grandma and baked more goods for tomorrow. The road we went to was a gravel road near a beautiful creek. There were already 2 guys sitting there taking a break when we arrived. They were pretty excited when they saw us take out a grill and two coolers. After feeding them another hiker came. After him three more came. By the end of the day we had about 8 hikers stop by and fed them a total of 16 burgers and 7 hotdogs. We also had chips, oranges, apples, doughnuts, cookies, and lemonade. We still have leftovers which means we planned well and had plenty of food. It was fun talking to the hikers. I was easily able to carry a 40 minute conversation with any of them just because we were all AT hikers and experienced the same things over the past 2 months. I saw one familiar face. We met a girl named Pockets in the smokies. She is from Switzerland. When she came she was so confused. She recognized me, and knew I was a hiker, but it just confused her when she saw me grilling and not hiking. We also asked everyone if they know Neon or Rod N Reel. Almost everyone was familiar with the names. Apparently they are about a week away from where I was at today. Hopefully we will see them tomorrow if we do trail magic in Bonsboro instead of the northern part of Maryland.

Tomorrow Danae and I will do a long day of trail magic. Grilling and then later hiking and handing out baked goods. 

Cleaning our gear. 

Trail magic with Danae's grandpa. 

Eating CiCis with Eric. 

New Appalachian Trail magnet. 

Danae, Eric, I

After enjoying tacos, mocha punch, chocolate cake, doughnuts, and time with friends and family, we had to go back on the trail. Eric decided that he wanted to join us for 3 days. In these three days we went from Front Royal VA to Harpers Ferry WV. It was fairly easy for Danae and I. 11 miles Tuesday, 18 Wendesday, and 12 Thirsday. For Eric , I can't imagine going 18 miles my second day. We didn't do 18 miles until our second week. It was also hot, humid, and rainy. Despite the poor weather we had a good time. We were all celebrating the last mile. We all went to the AT headquarters where Danae and I got our official photos. We also bought some AT souvenirs. To continue the celebration we went  to Cicis pizza and refilled on some much needed calories. 

We are celebrating Eric's manliness for doing an 18 mile day and Danae and I hiking a total of 1,013.3 miles in 2 months. And we decided that this is all we are going to hike this year. I'm glad we hiked the AT this far, but I'm also glad that it is over. Instead of hiking for 2 more months, we are going to visit family and friends while traveling up to the New England states. After leaving Harpers Ferry, we drove to Danae's grandparents house in Hagerstown. We will visit with them for a few days and go out to the trail and do some trail magic. We will continue the blog with our experience as trail angels. Today we went to walmart and bought doughnuts, hotdogs, hamburgers, ingredients for cookies and brownies, and fruit. Tomorrow we plan on hiking for a few miles while handing out cookies, brownies, and fruit. Monday we will grill burgers and hotdogs. Hopefully we will have some good stories to share along with pictures. 

Thank you everyone for the support. This has been a great experience for Danae and I. We've learned to appreciate the little things in life a lot more. Such as a bed, showers, hot food, etc. We will continue blogging about our trip this summer and our new jobs as trail angels for the next 2 months. 

Tired! Finally done with the longest state in the AT, Virginia. 

Last time hitching before going to Eric's party. 

Finally! Out of the Shenandoah.

After being sick, recovering, and going to Eric's graduation, we are finally on the trail again. My cousins Ben and Alecia let us stay at their place Sunday night after going to my other cousin's, Chrysantha, graduation party. We left Ben's house at 5:30am and he dropped us off where 33 and Skyline Drive meet. This was his "scenic route" to work. After enjoying a nap after lunch, we came across a ranger giving a tour to about 5 day hikers. She gave us candy bars in exchange for us answering some questions about our thru-hike. We truly were a tourist attraction and we got paid in Snickers. We walked 17 miles that day. 

Tuesday was a normal day in the Shenandoah. Comparatively, the Shenandoah is flat with few scenic views. These views aren't even that beautiful compared to NC, TN, and southern Virginia. I complained to Danae a lot about how boring the Shenandoah is. Anyways... Today was the day that we would reach my parents trail magic. A few weeks earlier my parents were in the Shenandoah giving trail magic to thru-hikers. They also left us some trail magic under a rock. Some encouraging letters and a $10 gift certificate to anywhere in the USA. After finding our trail magic, it started raining. We walked 1 mile to a picnic area. This is one thing I do like about the Shenandoah. They have picnic tables and pavilions everywhere. We found shelter under a pavilion. Another family was there and they offered us bread. As usually, we never reject food. We sat with them and ate bread along with the other food they offered us. grilled zucchini, grilled onion, and grilled asparagus. Yep. They were vegetarias, and I was craving a grilled burger. Even though I didn't get a burger, we were very thankful for the vitamins the veggies provides us with. We then walked to our camp. 19 miles Tuesday.

We decided to make Wednesday and easy day. We slept in and took our time in the morning. We came to a "wayside". A wayside is a little store in the Shenandoah that offers milkshakes, sandwiches, burgers, etc. We used the $10 we got the day before to buy ourselves chocolate milkshakes, a Yoohoo, and grape juice. We also had the chance to use real toilets! After taking a break at the wayside we only walked a few more miles making the total for the day 13. 

Today was an even shorter day. 10 miles!! New record. Since Eric's graduation we decided to slow down. Nothing excited happened today other than leaving the Shenandoah. It is interesting to see people who we passed weeks ago now pass us. We are still hoping to see Rod n Reel and Neon. 

Tomorrow we will only hike 11 miles to VA 55. We will hitch into Front Royal where my cousin Chrysantha will meet us. She lives a few minutes away. She is going to Eric's graduation party and has agreed to give us a ride. We will be off the trail all day Saturday and Sunday. Monday we will be back on the trail with my brother Eric. He wants to see what it is like to hike the AT for a week. We should be at the half way point by Thursday!

Mother'a day

 

April 3rd

35 and Break

After taking our first zero at Ralph and Cinda's house, Danae and I finally felt well enough to hike again. We hit the trail Thursday without our packs. This is the day that my parents picked us up. Without our packs we were able to hike our longest day, 35 miles!!! We hiked from 6:45 to 5:30. We then sat by the road and waited until 6:30 for my parents to pick us up. It was rainy and cold and we were shivering uncontrollably. My loving family came to the rescue with blankets at hand. We then drove back to Ralph and Cinda's house to get our packs. We also took a quick shower which helped us warm up. Finally, we are off the trail for a few days and able to get some rest. So far we have been able to spend some quality time with my family and watch my brother graduate. Sitting on those hard bleachers for a couple of hours is almost as difficult as hiking. I think it is because my butt has less cushioning. I almost forgot, we also went to the Grantsville circus yesterday and made monster cookies. I brought the dough with us to the circus for a snack. Need to get that sitting cushion back. 

Tomorrow, Sunday, we will be able to see some friends and family at church before we go to Winchester for my cousin's graduation party. We will then get back on the trail either Sunday evening or Monday morning. We will start where we left off, route 33 in the Shenandoah. We should be able to make it to Harpers Ferry WV. This is the "half way point" on the AT. 

There are three places where people often quit the trail. Neil's Gap GA, Damascus VA, and Harpers Ferry WV. Those who quit at Harpers Ferry normally quit because they are bored. This might be us. The last serval weeks have been monotonous. We hate the idea of quitting, but we told ourselves at the beginning of the trip "we won't continue if we aren't having fun". I cringe at the thought of continuing the monotony for 3 more months. There are also several other factors. Finances, job deadlines, weddings to go to, and other summer activities to do. After this being said, Danae and I will try to slow down this next week and try to enjoy the trail a little more. We will see how this next week goes and then make a decision. This has been something Danae and I have been discussing for the last couple weeks. 

Sorry, I don't have any pictures. My phone died and I finally had to get a new phone. 

Sick and Slow: Round 2

We are currently sitting at the side of the road waiting to be picked up by Danae's uncle Ralph. Ralph and Cinda live just a few miles from Skyline Drive and they invited us to stay at their when we get in the area. We were planning on making it further north today, but today Danae got very sick and threw-up twice already. Instead of doing 25 miles, we made it 15.  We feel ba because this means that Ralph has to drive a little further to pick us up. Between me getting sick and Danae getting sick, our plans didn't work out as well as we wanted then to this week. 

However, yesterday was a great day. We woke up and I felt much better. After walking 7 miles and taking our morning break, we heard a man in front of us making weird noises. At first I thought he was crazy. Then I realized it was just one of my crazy uncles... Willis. I should have known. If you read our previous blog, you know that Willis and Greta saved us when I was feeling really sick. Yesterday they decided to hunt us down on the trail and give us trail magic. They took us to Golden Coral and then gave us some candy bars and protein bars for on the trail. We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Willis and Greta and we are very grateful for the trail magic. I need to go to doughnut fest more often to become as witty as my uncle. I'm sure Greta will disagree with me on that last idea. 

After getting back on the trail yesterday, we were able to slackpack for 5 miles since we dropped our packs at a road crossing 5 miles ahead. Normally slack packing is easier and helps you go faster, but we had a lot of food in our stomachs weighing us down. At the end of the day, we made it 5 miles south of Waynesboro.

They are trying to fatten us up! And we love it. 

   

Sick and Slow

Well the last few days we feel as though we have been making very slow progress. Which in a way is nice since it gives our bodies more of a break, but it's also frustrating since were used to getting a lot more miles in. Several days ago Daniel had a pretty bad headache, but he downed some ibuprofen and we kept on. Yesterday morning he woke up feeling pretty misrible but after waiting an extra fourty min past our normal getting up time he insisted he wanted to get ready and go. We tied the mileage from our very first day on the trail, making it 10.5 miles by around 11. By this point Daniel was feeling to awful to keep going. (Nausia, headache, etc.) Fortunately since it was a Saturday there were a lot of day hikers out and we decided the best thing to do would be to get a ride to where we would have cell service. We met a wonderful family (Jason, Joy and their four kids) who offered us a ride to where we would have cell service and then invited us back to their home to get showers and eat delicious food! It worked out perfectly, as Daniel's uncle and aunt ( Willis and Greta ) were somewhat in the area and very willingly came by to pick us up and take us back to Harrisonburg where we invited ourselves to crash at Daniel's cousins (Felix and Roxy) for the night. Sorry if that was a very long and confusing sentence :) Felix and Roxy were wonderful,  fed us more delicious food, and gave us soft beds! The plan was to just hang out till Daniel was feeling better and then get back to the trail. This morning Daniel said he was feeling good enough to try hiking again, so once again Willis and Greta gave us a ride back to the trail right where we had left off. We decided to do a shorter day since we got a late start and since Daniel was still not feeling a 100% better. We made it 11.5 miles and arrived to a lovely camping spot. Ideally this is where we would have camped last night. However one thing that I'm continuously learning is that usually when we try to make plans, they don't work out anyway, and it's best to just be flexible. Since I'm such an organized person and enjoy having every detail planned out this can be hard sometimes, but I do believe I'm getting better. :)

-Zae

Jason and Joy and family. 

Getting back on the trail thanks to our wonderful aunt an uncle, Willis and Greta 

Rhododendrons are blooming! 

McAfee's Knob and Tinker Cliffs.

After Dragons Tooth we came to some of the most beautiful overlooks the trail has to offer. McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs. After waking up, we only had a 2 mile hike to McAfee Knob. It was a beautiful warm morning. See picture below. The only complaint was that the sun was still near the horizon and we could not take good photos. Afterwards we hiked several more miles until we took our lunch break on Tinker Cliffs. In the afternoon we resupplied in Daleville VA at a Kroger. This time we got orange juice and icecream for our special snack. After eating our snack, we hiked 2 miles to rt 11. There we were planning on hitch hiking into Troutville where there was a park and a volunteer fire department that had free camping, showers, and laundry. Before we could even try hitch hiking, a couple came up and asked us where we were going. We told them and then they invited us to stay at there house for the night. Homer and Theresa through hiked in 2002 with there 2 kids. They spend a lot of their free time going out on the trails to keep them clean and maintain them. We got our showers, did laundry, and then watched a movie with them. They told us to make ourselves at home and they gave us popcorn to go with the movie. Best trail magic so far! 

The last 2 days we followed the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRPW). We cross this road about every 5 miles. This makes hiking easier since we follow the ridge. Today (Thursday) we were away from the BRPW and had some huge elevation changes. We started at 3,073 ft then went down to 678 and then back up to 3,372. Due to the difficult terrain and us needing a break, we only went 18 miles today. Just in case you are curious here is the mileage we have been doing recently starting with today's. 

18.2, 24.1, 23.5, 19.3, 24.5, 21.9, 21.5,17.2, 21.4, 27.6, 22.9

Tomorrow (Friday) we will resupply in Buena Vista VA. We should be able to resupply enough to get us to the Shenandoah.