Appalachia Calling…

Rivers and rain, interesting folks along the way, friends both new and old, there’s a lot to be told!

The past week has held a lot of meaningful moments, the first of which being that we are officially over 1/3 of the way done with the trail! It’s wild to think that every day we’re plinking away miles to reach Katahdin, some days you get so lost in the moment that you forget the big, wide world beyond the trail.

Debatably the most wholesome and humbling part of this past week was our stay at Stanimals Hostel. We shuttled “downtown” to the local church where every Monday the church goers host a free meal for hungry hikers. We met and talked with a myriad of folks, and got to hear everyone’s story of why they chose to hike the trail. But the most fun surprise? Bagpipes!! The reverend of the church just so happens to be multi-talented, and serenaded us with some classic tunes.

The locals were so sweet and accommodating, as were the folks that ran the hostel. Like many other hikers, after a few days of rain we were driven to stop in so that we could do laundry and shower. One can only stand smelling like a wet dog for so long!

During our stay there, we learned that they had a “slack-packing” option for hikers for a small fee. For those unfamiliar with the trail lingo, this essentially means that you get to hike with a day pack instead of your heavy 30+ pound pack, in an effort to get in more miles. At the end of the day, at a decided location, someone would drop our packs off for us trail side so we could continue North bound. A win win!

So, our next milestone was reached thanks to our slack packing day, getting over 20 miles in in a single day! We ended up getting 22.7 miles in a single day, Woop woop!! It felt like such a feat to be able to accomplish all those miles, and who knows! Maybe Katniss and Peeta’s next milestone will be a trail marathon? Stay tuned…

I’d be doing you all a disservice if I didn’t mention the most inspiring, badass people we have met yet! The first of which being Freedom. While her story is her own to share, I will just mention that she was having a difficult time finding her sense of place in the world prior to her thru-hike last year. Through the trail, she was able to find a love of life again, a sense of self and an affinity for the trail community, as she came back this year to help shuttle hikers! Her story was one I won’t soon forget, and was a wonderful reminder of the importance of not just the trail and outdoor recreation, but the community within it as well.

One of the other incredible people we met was Dragonfly! Though, I think perhaps lightning bug would be better suited because this woman glows with positivity! The world would certainly be a better place if we could all show up with half of the grace, empathy, and zest for life that this gal does. Her story is one of challenging the status quo, and in her own words, “Understanding and believing that I deserve space in every room.” I was reduced to tears hearing her inspiring and mystical story of how she ended up deciding to hike the trail.

It has been so wonderful getting to know the wild and varied stories of folks on the trail. Despite all of us hiking the same path, perhaps it’d be fair to say we’re all a little lost. Even the most sure among us are refining our own sense of identity, community, purpose and belonging all within the challenge of this grand adventure. And while some may be looking for more than others, it is without a doubt that all of us will walk away from this trail having uncovered something new inside of us, or rekindled something long since buried. An idea, a dream, a hope or a wish, or even just gratitude for the humbling journey; whatever it is for each person, it’s evident that the trail holds a little something special for each person that passes through.

And finally, let’s talk trail! The sights, the climbs, the stuff that inspired us to come out here in the first place to be crazy woodland ladies. Heading out of Glasgow, VA we had some beautiful, sunshiny days ahead of us. One of the most remarkable having been our camping night at Spy Rock. As if watching the sunset with a 360 degree view wasn’t incredible enough, we felt like we were in a fairytale with all of the flora blooming around us. It’s certainly starting to feel like summer!

And on a hot day, it was lovely to soak in the river and cool off. We even saw some friendly neighborhood snakes, fish and other critters.

And finally, to round out a wonderful week, we got to meet up with a long time family friend, Carmel! She met us in Waynesboro and we had an amazing time checking out the little town and of course, enjoying the local cuisine! Thanks Carmel, we couldn’t have done it without you!!

And from here, we head into the Shenandoah National Park woohoo! That’s all for now, and enjoy some other random antics below in the pics. Till next week! 🎉🌞