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 :)