My life after life

I thought I would give an update to everything that has come to be since the trail.

Life after the trail is...interesting. You get off the trail on this amazing life high. Life on the trail for 4 months, in my case, was simple, challenging, and amazing. Everything life demanded of me was on my back. I looked out for me, and didn't have to worry about other people's ignorance and idiocracy stopping me from accomplishing and doing everything I wanted. I said it before, I'll say it again - my hike was grueling and exhausting, often painful, frustrating, at times monotanous, and the most amazing experience I have ever encountered. Every single day I think about when I will be able to go back and finish, and I wait with eager anticipation.

Now I have been off the trail for almost 3 months. Less time that I spent on the trail. And it's mildly numbing. My life experiences more variety than it ever did on the trail. I now have more human contact in a day than I had in a week out there. I have access to luxuries on a daily basis. To the "normal" person, my life should be better and easier.

While my life is more convenient, it's rough. Finding a job to pay for all the things that come with living in a permanent home has been exceptionally difficult. I seriously toyed with the idea of giving up my apartment and living out of my car/tent. I eventually decided that finding a roommate was a more acceptable solution, and while I am extremely happy with my new apartment, I still dream about how life presented itself on the trail, and I struggle to find a way to adapt that mentality to my day to day off trail living.

Part of what is so wonderful about trail life is the adventure that every day held. Also, each day held a uniqueness. Every day was special, and I can literally remember nearly ever single shelter/tentsite I stayed in every night for 4 months, and I can remember snippets of nearly every single day I hiked for 4 months - animals I saw in what state, what the trail was like, mountains I hiked, weather, and so on and so forth. Interestingly, I can hardly remember what happened a week ago, and can barely tell you what I did yesterday. Yet each day on the trail stands alone as a vivid and special memory. What a way to experience life!

I've been fortunate that my boyfriend, Matt, or Rocket as you know him through this blog, has helped generate adventure off the trail. We have found lots of smaller free adventures to experience, and that has helped so much with the overall transition. I'm so lucky to have someone in my life who loves life like I do, who seeks out new experiences like I try to, and who is constantly in search of something exciting to challenge himself with.

I'm adjusting. I'm loving my "new" life. Slowly my life is unfolding and molding into something that is amazing and makes me excited and proud. So stay tuned :) There is certainly more to come!

Last Post

Final pictures up: www.flickr.com/photos/theashface

Decided to do one last post, now that I am officially back in Philadelphia.

I finished my trip Saturday, 7 August on top of Mt. Washington. What an amazing end to my journey! HUGE thanks to my Aunt and Uncle who drove up to the top of Washington to pick me up. I spent a few days with my aunt and uncle and cousin, flew to Virginia to spend a couple days with my immediate family, and then drove back to Philadelphia.

Being back has been the most trying part of my journey, adjusting back to civilization. And most days I just think "I wish I were still in the woods." Life out there is simple and uncomlicated, and I believe that's how life is supposed to be. That's not to say I want to live the rest of my life in the middle of wilderness, surrounded by nothing but trees and animals, and live off the land. It just means that I'm in the middle of translating my life on the trail to my life off the trail.


So what did this adventure do for me? It has slowed me down, mellowed me out. It has given me back more patience than I knew I could have. It has caused me to realize that what we want, and what we need, are truly different, and has helped me to see the difference more clearly in my own life. I am in a process of paring down my life to surround myself with what makes me truly happy. The rest is just clutter, and I'm removing it from my life, bit by bit.

All in all, this summer was one of the most important things I've ever done for myself, and could not have been more perfectly timed in my life. It has opened up a whole world of possibility. I can truly do anything if I just put my mind to it. I plan to finish the trail as soon as I'm able, and look forward to more adventures on the horizon. Big thanks again to my family and friends that supported me.

coming to an end

It's funny, when faced with the end of a journey, how you suddenly truly understand the magnitude of how significant that journey has turned out to be. I'm sitting just shy of 2 weeks from having to get off the trail, and I feel like my eyes are more open than they have been the last 15 weeks. As odd as it sounds, it's quite a gift to see so clearly the truly life changing path I've been able to be a part of.

I'm in Vermont now. Absolutely beautiful. And absolutely muddy. So muddy it's dubbed "Vermud." It has quite possibly been my favorite state so far though. Views are good. We're getting back into real mountains. The people in towns are super friendly. It definitely makes me think the Long Trail will be my next distance hike I attempt. I certainly have plans for more adventures after this :)

We'll be in New Hampshire in just a few days, and then into the White Mountains. One of the toughest parts of the trail. It's a little nerve wracking, such beasts of mountains, but at the same time, I'm not scared or worried. One thing this trail has taught me - one foot in front of the other - and you can get to the top of the mountain. And then to the bottom of the mountain. Which obviously goes for anything in life.

I'm running out of things to talk about, and there will likely be no more updates other than photos. The trail is beautiful, often so beautiful and amazing I cannot even put it into words, and I encourage every single person to hike some section of the trail - any trail. A day, a weekend, a week, whatever you're capable of. When I was at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Harper's Ferry, WV, there was a quote from Benton MacKaye about his vision for the Appalachian Trail, and its purpose:

"To walk. To see. And to see what you see."

And that about sums it all up.

Happy Trails.

Well, to state what's probably the obvious to anyone reading this - it's been hot. Like, really hot. And let me tell you, hiking in 95+ degree temps really is not fun. But, we're moving along quite nicely despite the heat and humidity. We've made it to Connecticut and expect to enter Massachusetts in another 2 or so days. I can't believe how far we've come!

Yesterday, Rocket and I headed out of camp pretty early - we were the first to leave. About half an hour into the hike, we hear the sound of running. We stop, turn around, and a fawn jets across the trail not 10 feet from us and up into the woods. Just as we were commenting on how amazing that was, we hear more footsteps, and a coyote runs across the trail chasing the fawn. What an amazing once in a lifetime sight to witness!

There has been some great trail magic, mostly water left at roads, which sounds wonky, but with the blazing heat and no rain in probably 2+ weeks, all the water sources are drying up and have been quite unreliable. So water left at a road crossing is one of the best sights you can see! We even came across some tea mix left at one of the water coolers left - amazing!

It's looking more and more likely that I will have to get off the trail before I hit Katahdin. I'm sad to think I won't be able to finish (this trip), but I'm still so grateful to even be able to get as far as I have in one trip, I can't really complain. And believe me, I am looking forward to coming back and finishing whatever I can't finish this time around. I've fallen in love with the trail, and all that it holds for me. It's exhausting and grueling at times, and each challenge leaves me feeling stronger and more confident and more in love with nature than before.

As usual, check out the picture updates :)

www.flickr.com/photos/theashface

3 deer 2 bears 1 porcupine

Lots has happened since my previous update (guess that's the obvious statement of the day, oops).

Boiling Springs, PA - Rocket and I unexpectedly stayed at a sweet resort, where they offer thru-hikers $125 rooms for only $25. We then unexpectedly zeroed there, meaning we spent one full day not hiking a single step on the AT. We swam, played ping pong, and ate pizza. Entirely too much pizza. We also visited the "bubble," a local artesian well (hence "Boiling Springs") which while the Bubble in itself was not super exciting, we were shown the spring by a little 8 year old girl, whose parents scuba dive in the Bubble to learn about where the water is coming from, etc, and she was a wealth of information. So for anyone who is curious, the Bubble is 52F, pumps something like 22 million gallons of water a day (or was it year?), and is fresh clean drinkable water right from the ground. Yums :)

Duncannon, PA - not much to say about this place, except that the 25 mile hike into town was one of my favorite parts of the trail. It traveled through various farmfields, and was quite pleasant. Rocket and I stayed at the Doyle, a very old Anheiser Busch Hotel that is probably infested with mold and bugs. Not any place I would recommend anyone not hiking, but there is a bar downstairs, and the rooms are cheap, so us hikers can't complain too much I guess.

For the past week, Rocket and I have been slackpacking. Slackpacking is where someone graciously takes all of your backpacking gear, except for your pack, some snacks for the day, and water. You hike all day, and are met at the end of the day with all your gear, or, in our case, a ride back to Rocket's mother's house and a shower, laundry, real food, real bed, etc etc. We took a couple planned zeros while we were home to relax and get some errands done. It has been lovely. Tomorrow we return to the trail for real. HUGE thanks to Rocket's madre for going out of her way so much for us this past week. Rocket and I were constantly changing our plans daily, but she patiently put up with us :) and we are extremely grateful for the break from the normal daily routine.

The hiking itself has been relatively uneventful. Couple of views, terrain has been mild, but the excitement of the week was the porcupine we happened upon at the end of one of our hiking days that we dubbed Porcupine Joe. Then, the next morning, we saw a mama deer and two baby fawns. Ten minutes later, we saw two bears! We startled them, they went running, didn't see where we were standing, and started running towards us! EEK! Thankfully, as soon as they saw us they bolted in the other direction. What a sight though :)

Also, the climb out of Palmerton, PA, which is reportedly the most difficult south of New Hampshire, was a crazy rock scramble, loads of fun, lots of blueberries and raspberries at the top of the ridge, and a hike I would definitely like to do again :)

While hiking itself gets monotonous, the adventure of thru hiking is still a blast and I'm lucky to not only be able to experience this adventure, but also to share it with Rocket. Even though sometimes he is grumpy, haha.

Haven't taken too many pictures the past little bit, will get up ones I have taken as soon as I'm able. In the meantime, check out Rocket's pictures!

www.flickr.com/photos/gcadventures

Changed my link, not sure of the old one will still work, so here is the current link to my photos:

www.flickr.com/photos/theashface

Everybody was night hiking

Lots has happened since my birthday. So I'll give some of the highlights as quick as I can :)

Finally got some night hiking in. Night hiking is exactly what it sounds like - hiking in the dark at night. It's a crazy experience, and I'm quite fond of it :) I've night hiked a few nights now, the most memorable night was about a week or two ago. We had a craazy thunderstorm during the day, and Rocket and I got to a shelter just as it was starting to wait it out. Hardly got wet, which was nice. Made dinner, relaxed a little with a bunch of other hikers. About 6:30 pm, it stopped raining, so me, Rocket, Stretcher (who has been hiking with us for a while) and another hiker Cowgirl all decided to head out for a few more miles. Unfortunately, just as it started to get dark, it also started to rain. And, of course, we were hiking along the side of a mountain, and it was a steep downhill to the left, and a steep uphill to the right, and absolutely no place to pitch our tents. So there we are, Cowgirl way in front, and Stretcher behind us (we had no idea he was even behind us until his headlamp came up behind us in the dark!), getting drenched in the pouring down rain, climbing over slippery rocks up a mountain trying to find a place to camp. Then we see the sign: "no camping the next 1 mile" Ack! Well, about half a mile later, we found amazing camping on a cliff, where Cowgirl had already set up her tent, and decided to forget the rules, and pitched our tents. Woke up to an amazing view of the clouds below settled over the town. So amazing.

A few days ago, Rocket and I were walking out of the Shenandoahs (which were quite boring, I must add...if you ever go to the Shennies, don't backpack the AT...do the side trails, they offer way better scenery, or so I hear), and we ran into a family with two daughters who were only 4 or 5 and 7 or 8, and they were backpacking! The dad was carrying most of the stuff; the youngest daughter just had a little purse, and the older daughter had a mini backpack. How cool to give your kids such an amazing experience at such a young age! Anyway, the daughters were excited to see a female thru hiker, and had something for me - it was a lucky bracelet :) A green rubber band in the shape of a rhino! What wonderful trail magic :)

Waynesboro was great. Took a zero day, my parents came down for a couple hours to visit. Got to swim in the pool at the YMCA, and had an amazing grill out with veggies and burgers. Shenandoahs were okay. The hiking itself was boring, we had only one good view. We camped in the woods most of the time and avoided the shelters.

Currently in Harpers Ferry, WV, where the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters is located. Got my picture taken for the thru hikers book. I was the 275th Northbound thru hiker to come through this year. Pretty amazing. Of course, if I don't finish the entire trail this year, including the section I skipped, I'm considered a section hiker, but hey, an entire summer out backpacking is as good an accomplishment as any right? :)

After all, it's the journey to Maine, not Maine itself, that makes this trip amazing and life changing.

New pic updates. And I remembered to actually add that video of Rocket this time :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48651563@N04

Trail Birthday

Finally got a trail name! To tell the story, I need to give lots of background story though...

So first off, most or all of you know that my boyfriend Matt (trail name Rocket) started hiking the Appalachian Trail 3 weeks ahead of me. We talked about hiking together, but ultimately we decided that this was our own personal selfish adventure, and we would both gain the most out of it by going at it solo.

Fast forward a month into my journey. There is a trail festival called Trail Days that occurs every year in Damascus, VA. Current hikers, previous hikers, outdoor gear vendors, etc all gather in this little town for a weekend of chaos. I ended up hitching from Erwin, VA on Friday, 14 May, to attend, and met up with Rocket. Saturday evening, Rocket and I decided to hike together. So Sunday, I jumped up almost 300 miles, which I will go back and complete at another time, to Pearisburg, VA.

Fast forward to the next day, we were planning on hiking 17 miles or so. But a couple miles before the shelter we were aiming for, on the other side of a river, is a house. The Captain's house. The Captain is an older man, who has rigged a zip line from the AT to his lawn, where he allows hikers to camp out (since there was only a couple of us, we actually got to crash on his couches), lets them shower, and just hang out. So I zip line across, the Captain meets me, and this is the conversation that occurs next:

Captain: I'm the Captain

Me: I'm Ashley, no trail name yet

Captain: 600 miles and no trail name??

Me: Well, actually somewhere between 300 and 350. I skipped ahead to hike with Rocket.

Captain: Well, then your trail name is Skip.

So my trail name is Skip. Not the best reputation to have on the trail, but it's okay because I plan to still complete that section. And because the name came from the Captain. Which is super cool.

PS, make sure you go to my flickr, because there is a SWEET video of Rocket falling off the zipline into the river the next morning. You will pee your pants laughing.

Okay, on to the rest of the week. I just had a trail birthday! Which is just a coolish way of saying I celebrated my birthday on the trail. And I must say - best birthday ever.

Rocket and I hiked 17 miles into Daleville, VA after getting up at 5am to hike almost 2 miles to watch the sunrise at McAfee's Knob, and split a hotel room with another hiker, Stretcher. We were all just hanging out after a fun dinner at the Mexican restaurant across the street, when Rocket says something about taking a walk, which I found weird that he would be taking a walk by himself but whatever. Because 5 minutes later he comes into the room with a birthday cake and candles singing. Omg. For those of you that don't know, cake is my favorite food. Yum yum. And I had not had any cake since I left. Wowzers! Then he pulls some sushi out. Then he pulls out my fuel bottle, refilled. And *then* he pulls out a new sleeping pad, one that blows up and is waaay more comfortable than my flat one I had. Way more than I ever expected. So Rocket and Stretcher, thank you. And thank you Bennie for not giving it away, after you talked to Rocket and he told you what was happening. You guys are all amazing :)

So basically, life is great. It's been raining a lot. Since Rocket and I started hiking together, we've had 1 or 2 days where it didn't rain. Most of the rain has been intermittent, but since it's so humid, nothing has a chance to dry out between showers. Quite annoying. But it hasn't got us down yet! We're averaging 17+ miles a day, cruising along quite nicely :)

As they say, "if you're lucky enough to be in the mountains, you're lucky enough"

Again, be sure to check out my flickr photo updates. And that video. :)

Hot Springs

Okay, so I took my first zero finally. For those that don't know, a zero is where you spend an entire day off the trail. I stayed two nights at a really nice hostel here in Hot Springs that only allows thru-hikers to stay. I got in Saturday evening, relaxed all day Sunday, and am about to head out back to the trail after I finish this posting.

The Smokies were incredible. I talked a little about it in my last entry, but I want to talk about it again. We got incredibly lucky with weather, and though a terrible storm was forcasted (the same storm that killed some people in Tennessee about a week ago), we only got bad rain at night while we were sleeping and didn't once have to walk in it. The diversity in the Smokies was amazing - I literally walked through 3 or 4 distinct ecosystems over a 5 day period. Definitely the most unique part of the trail so far.

Coming out of the Smokies, a group of us stayed at a super relaxing hostel, where we sat in the sun all day and chilled. Was much needed, since I pulled my first 20 mile hike the day before! Coming out of that hostel, we climbed up to Max Patch 14 miles almost all uphill in 80 degree weather, and were instantly rewarded with an amazing 360 degree view. I watched the sun set up there, took some amazing pictures - it was actually very emotional, working so hard all day to have it end with that sunset.

Still no trail name, but I think it's coming soon haha so stay posted :)

It's been an amazing journey so far, and it's only begun! I'm learning a lot about myself, and what I'm capable off, both physically and mentally. I've realized that the only thing I miss so far out here is my family, which is actually a pretty incredible realization.

Once again, check out the updated photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48651563@N04/

200 miles

Just hit another milestone, and am sitting a few miles over 200 :) Feels so good.

I'm hiking through the Great Smoky Mountains this week, and let me tell you, it is incredible up here. We were supposed to get a crazy storm, but luckily, the only rain we got was at night. Hiking has been a little rough, as far as terrain is concerned, and I pulled my first 17+ mile day the other day.

Got new boots about a week or so ago, and they have made a world of difference - no more blisters, hiking is so much easier, and my knee even feels better. Makes hiking so much more enjoyable.

Gatlingburg tonight, some amazing food and beer, can't wait :) Then back out to finish the Smokies tomorrow and knock out another 100 miles, w00t!

The trip has been so amazing so far. I keep meeting so many incredible people. And everyone out here is so generous. We all share everything, trade food, everyone is really nice. I even got popcorn on the trail the other night! (Which, btw, was **amazing**)

More photos have been uploaded, sorry there aren't more, but the weather has been so foggy and gross that my camera has stayed hidden away.

Oh, also, my phone died, so if anyone called or texted in the last week or so, I didn't get it, and might not at all. Feel free to drop me an email, leave me comments here, comment on photos, etc :) I'll hopefully be back on a computer in another week!

Miss all you guys!

crossed 100!

Well everyone, I've hiked over 100 miles :)

Quick recap of the past 10 days:

Mostly have been staying in the shelters for now. Have met a ton of cool people. Some people thru hiking have next to zero backpacking experience. Some people are on their 2nd or more thru-hike. Most people are like me - some experience, just out to have a good time and walk a couple thousand miles in the process!

The terrain hasn't been too bad so far. That doesn't mean I don't huff and puff my way up the mountain, just means that nothing has been too difficult I thought I couldn't reach the top or the bottom. The views have been absolutely amaaazing. The weather has also been perfect. Only 2 days of rain so far. We had a craaazy thunderstorm last night, and while I'm normally quite afraid of those kinds of storms, somehow this one was actually pretty cool :)

Haven't seen too much wildlife. One deer, tons of butterflies, a sweet red salamander, a snail which made me stop and smile (isn't it funny how slugs are so gross, but tack a shell on it and it suddenly becomes something quite adorable?). One night we heard some crazy coyotes. No mice in the shelter so far, which has been nice. Oh, and a bear took one of the guy's food bags that was camped with us one night. Oops!

Let's see, what else. Been in two towns, Hiawassee, GA and Franklin, NC where I am now. You can't imagine how incredible it is to take a shower when you've gone 4 or more days just getting grimy and sweaty and dirty. You also can't imagine how great even the worst of "real" food tastes when you're diet is mostly ramen and trail mix.

All in all my body is in good shape. Had a little bit of a blister problem that I've taken care of. Knee is starting to get sore, but I just got a brace that should help a lot. Saw my full body for the first time since I left in a mirror...maybe I'm trimming up? One can only hope!

That's all I got, sorry it's not more exciting. I am putting all my pictures on flickr whenever I get a computer to do that, so check out the highlights of the past week:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48651563@N04/

Thanks for all your support everyone! Being out here is definitely so much more mental than anything else, and knowing you guys are rooting for me keeps me going for sure :)

neVer forgeT

Getting my finals things together to leave in the morning. Since I obviously won't be posting for a few days, just wanted to give a quick post about tomorrow.



Tomorrow, 16 April, not only begins possibly the most amazing adventure I could hope to embark on, it also marks the 3 year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings. 3 years ago, 32 of my Hokie brothers and sisters were taken away, and I still to this day think about it nearly every day.



As painful as the event is, I like to think of it as a reminder. A reminder to constantly live your life to it's fullest. To love every minute. To laugh at all the little things, and find joy in all the smallest moments.



My first day of my hike will be hiked in rememberance of 32. My entire trip is dedicated to 32.



We will never forget.



RIP Jarrett Lane, Nicole White, et al ♥

Things Missed

I decided it might be fun if I made a list of all the things I think I'll miss during my trip. Then, when I get back, I can evaluate how much of it I was surprised to find I didnt' miss as much as I thought. So here's my top ten list, obviously there are many many more. More or less in order.

1. My sister and best friend, Bennie.
2. A hot shower whenever I want.
3. My puppies, Charlee and Delta, and little Rogue.
4. A real bed.
5. Food variety.
6. Q-tips.
7. Hair conditioner
8. Cake!
9. Looking and feeling pretty.
10. Privacy. Movies. Deodorant.

Somehow, I'm thinking it could be worth it though :)

I am Woman

Okay, taking a break from packing up my apartment (it's looking so empty!) and working on my thesis (I just want it to be done!) to post a quickie. A good chunk of my time has also been spent reading a book that was recommended to me, via Matt, by a woman who solo hiked the Appalachian Trail a few years ago: "Women and Thru-Hiking on the Appalachian Trail." I've been flipping through it for about a week now; it's full of information and quotes from other female thru or section hikers.

I obviously am not a thru-hiker (yet!) but I can already tell this book is going to be extremely helpful with tips specific to women. It's helped me feel real good about my decision to do this hike solo, provides great tips on things like safety, staying clean, clothing options, gear options, "women" issues, how to help your family and friends feel a little better about taking on such a huge journey, etc etc etc.

So for any woman that wants to get into long distance hiking, as of now, I *highly* recommend this book. My personal copy is going to my Mom when I leave in hopes that she and my Dad read through it, and help qualm some of their fears and answer some of their questions.


You can check it out here: http://http://www.amazon.com/Women-Thru-Hiking-Appalachian-Trail-Beverly/dp/1885640609

Counting down the days

26 days. Wow.

Matt leaves tomorrow. Makes it feel like I'm seconds away from leaving myself. Though, with all I have to do, between wrapping up my thesis, getting my apartment packed, stored, and cleaned, and making the final preperations for my departure, it might as well be seconds. I'm jealous of him. Wish I could just pack my pack and leave. It's so stressful having so much to take care of before I can start hiking.

Buuut, the closer it gets, the more crazy excited I get. Matt's leaving, and I'm leaving shortly thereafter, and the more days that pass by, the more real it becomes. I'm still in denial, mind you, and probably will be until I hike into my first town, but it's becoming more apparent that this is something real that's about to happen. For both of us.

He's going to read this, so I feel a little weird and corny saying this, but I'm excited we're both going to experience this adventure this summer. Even though we aren't hiking together, it'll be nice when I get back, and someone close to me is on the same kind of hiking high that I'll be on. Will be nice to have that outlet, and hopefully will make the transition back to "normal" life a little smoother.

Stay tuned for some thesis postings soon :)

Tent!

Two reasons for update today. First off, finished my pot stand! Got it to stay nice and round, so there's a good 1/4" gap all the way around the pot now, and finally got a hole punch (thank you!) and was able to make the air vents along the bottom. Anyway, check it out :)

Okay, time for the more exciting update. Finally got my tent. I'd been putting it off, secretly hoping that someone would be joining me and I'd be getting a 2 person tent instead, but that's not happening, so I did a ton of research, and finally made a decision :) Most tents I looked at were either too expensive (I was looking for something under $200), weren't really the right size (most 1 person tents were too small, and a lot of 2 person tents seemed too big), were too heavy (I was hoping for something under 4lbs) or just got terrible reviews. I also was pretty sure I wanted a freestand tent with side access. So what did I look at...Well, I looked looong and hard at the Eureka Backcountry, and came super close to buying it. I also considered the North Face Mica 12, the Marmot Limelight, and the Mountain Hardwear Lightpath. The more I looked, the more frustrated I was getting...I just wanted a decent sized 1 person tent that was light, and cheap. Is that too much to ask? Haha, guess so :)

Then I found the Marmot Eos. Hearts in my eyes. When my mom tells me she knew the day she met my dad that she was going to marry him...well that's how I felt about this tent. As soon as I saw it, I knew that would be it...but to be sure, I researched: Size: check. Freestanding: check. Lightweight: coming in under 3lbs...double check. And two bonuses I was really hoping for: without the rainly, offers supreme visibility on a nice night :) AND can be set up with just the footprint and rainfly. Which is not only good on those nice nights, but is also convenient on rainy days when I can set up the tent under the rainfly and keep the inside of my tent a little dryer. BTW, it originally is a $225 tent, but I got it on ebay, brand new for under $200. Was meant to be ♥

So after waaaay more writing than I'm sure any of you actually wanted just for a stinking tent, here's the beauty.

Sleeping bag and pad are chilling in there :) Just the right size for meee!

With the rainfly. I'm cheating, obviously, because it would be staked down in real life, but my backyard is a concrete pad...no grass anywhere close by...

And just cause I'm silly, here's me in the tent!

I'll post more pics when I actually get it out in the elements :)

16 April

I booked my flight......

Hold Yo Pot

Pot Stands!! So exciting I know. Well, most of you probably don't know, but awhile back, I made my own stove that burns using denatured alcohol...pretty simple soda can stove.

That's the first go, I'm making another one soon, that should be a little shorter, and better crafted....

So, once I got my pot (which, btw, is the REI .9L ti non-stick, shallow but wide, which will make stirring much easier) I decided it was time to make my pot stand and wind screen. I did a lot of research (so many smarter people out there on the interwebs than me). My first go was two different stands. One is just a pot stand. The other is a combination pot stand and wind screen. I made them both out of a large tin can, and needless to say they were both very rough drafts.

I realized quickly that while I might not always need a wind screen, for weight and packing reasons, it would be helpful if the pot stand just included the wind screen automatically. The problem with the one I made is that it's rigid, so it wouold be difficult to fold into my pot. I tried to come up with better designs, and just kept hitting road block after road block.

Then I stumbled upon a post about a lighterweight stand/screen, and decided to give it a go. It's made out of aluminum roofing flashing, which is pretty cheap. Like $6 for a 10" x 10' wide roll, which will allow me to...well, make many mistakes haha. So I give credit where credit is due, here is the link I used to make my screen, which I ultimately found on zenstoves.com: http://web.archive.org/web/20051210090354/www.datasync.com/~wksmith/newdesign.html

Anyway, I need to punch holes in the bottom of it, but I won't get my hole punch for another few days, so here's my first draft, of pot stand #3. Substantially lighter than the tin can stands, and a much better looking design. Which, while isn't important persay, is always appreciated by a designer at heart :)

Haven't tested it out just yet, I will once I get some holes in it, and will report then. Oh, and it weighs 1.3oz Not bad! :)

Snow Day

Another loverly trip on the AT :) Except this time there was snow!

And loooots of it! In fact, we grossly underestimated how packed down the snow would or wouldn't be. Opps. Lesson learned: next year, I'm going out with snowshoes.

This trip, we set up our sleeping bags in the shelter. No tent. It was so nice waking up, right to the sun and seeing the trees and sky, and no tent around you :) This is kinda like my home shelter. It was my first shelter I stayed in, and this hike around here, which I've done several times, was my first hike in PA. And the first place I stepped on the Appalachian Trail :) I'll be super excited when I get here this summer, walk around the resevoir, and there's the shelter!

For dinner, Matt and I made this recipe he found in a backpacker magazine (so I certainly can't take credit for it!). Chicken flavored ramen, can of chicken, oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, and garlic pepper...so tasty. Like, honestly, I would eat it in my house. (great food for the unemployed! Cheap!) If anyone wants the actual recipe, I'll be happy to share!

On a side note, I officially put in my 60 days notice to my landlord over the weekend. It's super official now, but hasn't completely set in that this is really happening...probably won't until I get dropped off in Georgia haha. So unreal :)

Subscribe!

Well, I fiiinally figured out how to make it so you can receive an email whenever I update this thing :) Huzzah! On the right bar, under "followers" is a subscribe link. Enter your email, and voila! Automatic updates :)

Now you have zero excuses :)

Happy Happy

Wellllll, just had some meetings about my thesis. Sometimes, you think about your thesis ideas so much, you get really scared that it's not really a great idea...you start to doubt how important it is or if it's big enough or whatever.

And theeen you go to class, and you talk to people, and discuss all your ideas, and get feedback, and people help you move forward and think about things in a different way, and you get really excited and confident and motivated and it is such a great feeling. I got some really good ideas today in our small groups, and I am pumped. Everyone loves my concept, and it feels so good to be reassured.


Oh

happy

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I am about to start actually designing, and I have some sweet ideas. I'm excited about creating a place where people can come together, be outside, learn from thru-hikers, and even be in an environment where they might not normally envision themselves being. I'm excited to push some boundaries, and design a place where other people have opportunities to push their own boundaries. This is why I fell in love with design in the first place - providing people with experiences just by the kind of space their a part of. How cool is that.

Soon I will hopefully be putting up sketches on here. I know this was supposed to be a hike blog, but since my hike is partially geared to aid in my research and design of this community. But I want to share the ideas, you guys can give feedback too, the more feedback the better! I'm excited and hopefully when my ideas start coming to life, you will get excited too :)

So that's all for now. Stay tuned for some design drawings soon!

No Thesis

Well after a bit of a battle with my university, I am not allowed to do the thesis in conjunction with my hike. Well, let me rephrase. I'm not allowed to finish my semester early to leave for the hike. Since I will not be registered for classes over the summer....what I do on my own time is my perogative :) So now I will be leaving right after I give my final presentation, which should be 14 April. I'm really bummed that I can't leave sooner, but happy that I still get to go at all.

Still not a lot of time.

The more I think about it, the longer my list of things to do before I leave grows. It's quite intimidating, adding things to my list, taking things off as I do them, buying new gear, testing gear...Today it took me at least an hour just to choose between two fleece jackets! That's crazy talk!

So as of today, I have a final date to prepare for :) ...finally.

And it feels good.

Kinda like this :)

First Post

Okay, first post. Nothing to write about...yet :) Just wanted to get this thing created, and sent out. This will serve as my blog to talk about all things hiking related in my life. AKA my Appalachian Trail hike, all the little hikes before and after, products I like/dislike, hikes I like/dislike, photos, comments, everything!

Subscribe to my blog, you'll be automatically updated when I create a new post! Makes things easy :) Love to all my family and friends that actually end up following this...means a lot to me!

PS, I wanted to make my blog be "hikerash.blogspot.com" but I thought it might be too easily misconstrued as "hike rash" so I ditched it. Stupid name.