THIS JUST IN…

Endless rocks, swollen ankles, tunnel vision and miles to go in the dark…welcome to the 4 state challenge.

A few weeks ago I, Katniss, got it in my thick skull that the 4 state challenge sounded like a good way to add some “zest” to my trail experience. For those unfamiliar, the 4 state challenge consists of trying to hike in 4 states in one day on the Appalachian Trail, starting on the Virginia/West Virginia border, hiking through Maryland and ending on the Pennsylvania state line. This means doing 44.3 miles in a 24 hour period. Fun, right?

Peeta, being the sensible one in our dynamic duo, said that while she would not participate in the challenge with me, she’d feel much better if I wasn’t undertaking the challenge alone. For two weeks I asked everyone I knew on trail if they’d like to take on the challenge with me, to which the answer was always a resounding “Hell No!” I had almost given up hope of having a hiking buddy but along came Quiet Riot.

Quiet Riot, a hilarious albeit quiet man that lives up to his name, is an army veteran of 25 years that is part of the Warrior Expedition on trail. I had asked him and his buddy, Care Bear, if they were interested in doing the challenge with me. At the time they were both enthusiastic but as the date drew near, Care Bear bowed out in fear of injury. Thus, my final hope was Quiet Riot. Though rightfully reluctant, a father to three daughters of his own wasn’t about to let this stubborn gal hike alone. 😂 We zeroed in on our plan of attack for this undertaking, and the date was set.

The night before we began, Quiet Riot opted to spend one more comfortable night in a real bed in town, and would shuttle up to the meeting point in the morning. I, on the other hand, figured it’d be a good time to try cowboy camping for the first time alone.

For clarity, cowboy camping is sleeping out in the woods with narry a tent or shelter to hide you from the elements. While I wouldn’t recommend this on a rainy evening, the weather was perfect and I can definitely say that my first night (ever!) cowboy camping alone was a wonderful experience.

I found a pristine little stealth site right next to the border of Virginia and West Virginia and despite not having a way to hang my food away from any curious bears, the night was blissfully quiet and made for a good nights rest. Truly, the only things that woke me up in the night were two different night hikers passing through. That, and the midnight munchies of a neighboring mouse. Whatever he had for dinner must have been pretty good, because I woke up to an intact bag devoid of any mouse evidence. Phew!

I woke up at 5am with a heart full of excitement but covered in a nervous sweat. By 5:45, QR (Quiet Riot) met up with me at the start and we were off to the races.

Our pace was quick and the first 20 miles ticked by seamlessly, despite the rocky terrain wreaking havoc on our feet. I worried what the last miles would feel like if my feet were already so beat up. QR’s intermittent “dad” jokes brightened the impending miles of what was certain to be a long and strenuous day. By 1pm we had nearly half of our miles completed, and stopped to refuel.

While we didn’t have time to lolligag along the trail, there were some beautiful historic sites we passed along the way, such as the historic little downtown of Harpers Ferry, Washington Monument and more!

The day was a blur of rocks and root navigation, with breaks that were few and far between. I was feeling utterly bamboozled by the terrain, given how much research I did online! Everyone boasted about the lush, rolling green pastoral landscape of Maryland. “Miles and miles of easy terrain” they said. But now I knew, it was all lies and slander, a muddled down version of the truth to entice unassuming hikers like myself to try this nonsensical challenge.

But alas, I was too far in now to stop. That’s the curse of being a Swasey child, you absolutely cannot stop until you’ve reached your goal. I didn’t care if I had to crawl to the end, I wasn’t giving up!

Around 6:30, our proverbial “dogs” were barking, our water was dry and we were in dire need of respite. Low and behold, there was Peeta! I’d never been so happy to see her little pink jacket amidst the trees. There she was, waiting with liters of filtered water, dinner and words of encouragement.

With 10 miles left to go at 7pm, we hit the trail again, knowing we had one more steep climb and a lot of rock scrambles to boot. My second toes had gone numb at this point from banging them on rocks, but hey, numb is better than pain, right?

Just four miles after we left Peeta, we got our final well-wishes from “Ranger” who supplied us with more water and snacks. To add to the fun, I also happened upon “Phoenix” who is a wonderful gal we hadn’t hiked with or seen in weeks and it was a lovely little reunion catching up with her. We had to keep things brief, as QR is not one to be easily taken off task, and reminded me that we had another 6 miles left.

Our last 6 miles were the toughest, not only for the rocks that turned into a complete Boulder field, but for the exhaustion that was quickly setting in and to top it all off, we hiked the last miles in total darkness. Thank goodness for headlamps!

Little spider eyes reflected in the lights, making the forest look aglow with sparkly diamonds. Despite how tired I was already, there was still a sense of whimsy in the air and excitement that the finish line was near! Big yellow eyes looked back at us on occasion, which were usually just some grumpy deer we had awoken.

The downhill was downright treacherous. 10 out of 10 would not recommend doing that in the dark! We wandered slightly off trail on more than one occasion, and tripped enough on the large rocks to last a lifetime.

With two miles to go, the trail became a little more forgiving, and I couldn’t have been more grateful for soft dirt. My head and eyes were so weary from focusing on every step and I couldn’t hardly move my shoulder it ached so much. I didn’t dare think about the state my feet were in.

Arriving in PenMar park, just .3 miles from the border, was a most joyous occasion. QR and I took our time switching into comfy shoes, establishing our sleeping arrangements for the night, and made our way down to the finish at the Pennsylvania/Maryland border.

Honestly? I was more excited for sleep than anything else. It had been a long day, 17 hours and 45 minutes of straight hiking! We officially ended the challenge at 11:30pm and snuggled up into our sleeping bags for the night. My gosh, I’d never been so excited for sleep! But like most things in life, it didn’t come easy.

Having finally given my body a break, it finally occurred to me how much everything hurt. My feet throbbed, my hips were aching, my shoulder just wanted to be a part of the pain party, and I now have a new understanding of just how painful chafing can be! It was quite an affair to find a comfortable sleeping position. As I sat in my sleeping bag, I reminisced about what we had just accomplished.

All in all? What a freaking FANTASTIC journey. I loved it. I’m incredibly glad I did it, grateful to have not sustained any injuries and more than anything it was a testament to how wonderful the folks on trail are. The camaraderie of having both friends and strangers alike cheer you on (or tell you your insane) was certainly beautiful. I’ve never pushed my physical limit so far and I can’t wait to find another challenge (after the thru-hike of course) to continue learning the limits of myself.

How beautiful it’s been to learn just how much potential a person has, not just in this challenge but on the trail as a whole. The human spirit seems to be an indomitable one, as seen from the number of inspirational folks we’ve met and stories we’ve heard. Stay tuned for our next challenge coming up! 😉 I think this one will be a little more fun. Till next time!