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 ♥