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World Cup Blazing

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New York was a rollercoaster ride of a state. We entered NY after camping on top of a rocky ridge line 2/10’s of a mile from the NJ/NY border. Upon entering the state we became immediately frustrated. We were greeted with extremely technical and slippery rock scrambles for the first 8 miles. The terrain slowed us down to about a 1/2 mile/hour pace. On top of the trail being physically challenging it was poorly blazed, so we were constantly loosing our way. This would prove to be the case for the majority of the state. The first couple of days in this state were a slow struggle, which only led up to one of the most disturbing experiences we have had on trail so far. We set up camp relatively early for the day at a campsite close to a water source. We used our extra time to dry out our tent from the stormy night before. We cooked dinner quickly and turned in for the night once our tent was passably dry. We fell asleep quickly around  8:30 . At  12 am  on the dot we were abrup
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Rock This Way

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We took the 2:45 train to Harrisburg PA and then rode an uber to The Doyle in Duncannon PA. To refresh anyone who lost track- we hiked northbound from Harpers Ferry, WV back late February, got off the trail for a week for a funeral, then hiked southbound from Harpers Ferry, WV to Amicalola Falls, GA from late winter to late spring.  TeaTime and I had an amazing and relaxing couple of days off in Atlanta and in Philadelphia. We were concerned with loosing our trail legs so we walked and biked as much as we could. We would learn quick that no matter how much you try and keep in good shape, your legs and knees and feet and ankles have muscles that only long distance hiking can tone.  Back to The Doyle we went. The Doyle is known for being a trashy dive bar and hiker hostel with owners who self proclaim the place so. Every time a hiker comes in the door, the owner Vicky mumbles something under her breath like ‘oh, here comes more hiker trash’ or ‘did you all know we just got inf
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Done Flippin' Y'all!

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Some time has passed since our last blog. There is a lot to cover. Part of the reason it has taken so long to write is that the last 350 miles leading to the Southern terminus of the trail Mt. Springer, were perhaps some of the most trying miles of the trail both mentally and physically. We tackled the highest peaks on the whole trail traveling through the Smokies and the Natahalas. We battled injuries, as the miles started to take a toll on our bodies. We have narrowly avoided camps being raided by bears in the night, and we hiked directly through tropical storm Alberto. No doubt I will miss some things in this post, but here is what I remember from the last month. There were a few towns that I did not want to fly-by as we hiked through the South. One of these being Hot Springs NC. This town was a definite highlight. It was sort of like a really laid back version of Damascus VA, which provided all the same amenities a hiker looks for but better. There was a tavern sat right
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Life in the Highlands

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When chatting with other thru hikers the conversation will almost definitely come down to two topics; Everything to do with food and the thing you miss most about life off trail. When asked the latter question in Damascus VA my answer was easy. The thing I miss the most is instant access to potable water. Processing water for our daily consumption out here is a serious chore that takes up a lot of time and energy. Our relationship to water is ever changing as we move through different regions, into the next season, and are around more people. Here are some tricks we have learned through 800 miles on trail that help to make our relationship with water a little bit more manageable. Don’t hike with more than a liter of water at a time, especially when traveling up hill.  It took a few weeks on trail for us to get comfortable carrying small amounts of water at a time. The fact of the matter is that it is rare to go more than 6 miles without hitting a water source on the AT. Wh
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It's Good To Be SOBO

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Peak here, giving y’all a good ole’ update from Southwest Virginia. This update is mainly from our most recent stretch of the trail, Roanoke to Damascus, VA. Roughly 680 miles have been covered since beginning our thru hike and we have been averaging over 15 miles a day along the way. What a crazy thought to think about! It seems like yesterday that we were gearing up for this adventure and to think we are now more than a fourth of the way through it is kind of frightening. Doesn’t take an expert to prove that time really does fly when you are having fun.  We took a few days in Roanoke to slack pack the trail and to hang out with our friend, Tommy, and my sister, Maria. We hiked over the famous MacAfees Knob in some clouds but still had a great time.      Dragons Tooth is another famous mountain in the area, and the top is considered the toughest mile in Virginia due to the boulder climbing required. It was amazing and we saw some of the best views in Southern VA.       
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