This article sums it up perfectly! My thoughts exactly: Where Boots Go To Die
As Bill Bryson notes in his best-selling book, “A Walk in the Woods,” the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania is “where boots go to die,” and further, “lots of people leave Pennsylvania limping and bruised.”
The reason is entirely geological, owing to the amazing jumble of rocks of all types, sizes and shapes – known scientifically as felsenmeer (defined below) – that make up the progressively more difficult mountain terrain.
My original pair of boots performed admirably for 1,200 miles to Duncannon, where I replaced them with a new pair sent from home. But by the time I reached New Jersey a week later, the infamous rocks had chewed them up so thoroughly that they looked as badly worn as the first pair. Sadly, the bottoms of my feet were as bruised as my poor boots, tender and sore from the daily pounding.
“I never met a hiker with a good word to say about the trail in Pennsylvania,” wrote Bryson. That’s a bit harsh, but I certainly understand the sentiment, which is widely embraced by this year’s crop of thru-hikers.
FUN FACT:
A blockfield, everest or felsenmeer is a surface covered by block-sized angular rocks usually associated with alpine and subpolar climates and periglaciation. Blockfields differ from screes and talus slope in that blockfields do not apparently originate from mass movements.
Most known blockfields are located in the northern hemisphere. Examples can be found in Abisko National Park in Sweden, Snowdonia National Park in Wales, and River of Rocks and Hickory Run Boulder Field in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. All examples except the first one are outside present day subpolar climate areas, and have thus traditionally been seen as relict landforms from past times when these areas were under periglaciation.The term "felsenmeer" comes from the German meaning 'sea of rock'. In a felsenmeer (also known as a block field), freeze-thaw weathering has broken up the top layer of the rock, covering the underlying rock formation with jagged, angular boulders. Freeze-thaw weathering occurs when water that is trapped along microcracks in rock expands and contracts due to fluctuations in temperature above and below the freezing point. Felsenmeers are formed in situ, meaning that they are not transported during or after their creation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockfield
Blisters on blisters on blisters...finally healed from Rocksylvania
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| Must have hit a rock... |
Day 90 Cove Mountain Shelter
Today was the hottest day on record for this area of southern PA. We left town in late afternoon to avoid over heating. Right away we had a super tough climb; from 384 ft. above sea level to 1,300 ft. in just over 1 mile-insane! We had to try to keep Corinne in between us, as we were on timber rattle snake patrol.
Day 91 Pheasant Hill B & B
We hiked 16 miles, in the rain, over rocks, through Cumberland Valley, and between corn fields to get to my favorite 'shelter' ever...the Pheasant Field B & B. SEE VIDEO TOUR BELOW. The place had a lot of unique history and we were surrounded by charming pastoral scenery. It even had a Labyrinth near by! We especially loved our genuine hosts and their quality hospitality...I even got a goodbye hug from Kit!
Corinne and I had a blast playing in the mud puddles but needed baths big time. Actually, I took a shower and a bath! We ate delicious delivery food, enjoyed being out of the rain, and were thankful to have some much needed R & R.
Day 92 Deer Run Campground
We woke up refreshed to hot coffee and homemade breakfast. We got a tour of the barn, farm, and original homestead. Corinne met a rooster, some chickens, a horse, and even sheep! We walked 5 miles to Boiling Springs Post Office and picked up our resupply. We were overcome with joy and emotion when we opened a care package from our dear friends in Atlanta; the surprise treats were right on time! Truly thankful to have such special friends. Cheers!
After we packed up our goodies we made a pit stop at the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) then hiked 10 more miles to get to the campground. There were way fewer rocks and way cooler temps. so it made for an enjoyable day. We crossed over the old halfway point today...GA or bust!
Check out this hilarious video of the dog...the video is in real-time and not in slow motion even though it looks that way! So silly:
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| 267 Pounds of S'more! |
Day 93 Pine Grove Furnace State Park and Mountain Creek Campground
We hiked 11 miles, in constant rain, to get to the Pine Grove Furnace General Store-home of the famous half gallon challenge-where AT thru-hikers celebrate making it halfway! I am proud to announce that I finished my half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream in just under 40 minutes and didn't throw up! Here is the proof; see before and after pics as evidence:
It was still raining and a little chilly so eating ice cream was not as refreshing as I had imagined. I actually had to put my rain pants on because I was freezing cold, my fingers were getting numb, and Keith said my lips were turning blue! I guess that's what I get for complaining about the heat recently! We then visited the AT Museum and had the opportunity to see the actual shelter Earl Schaffer (1st thru-hiker) built along with several artifacts from throughout history. Way cool. It was still raining so we headed to the RV Park early and enjoyed watching college football via Keith's ESPN app. Good thing we had bourbon...to keep us warm, of course...Go Tech!
We dried our socks by the fire and listened to the live cover band playing at the Pavilion across the way. One of my favorite days for sure.
Day 94 Stealth spot by Rocky Mountain Shelter
It felt like Fall, looked like Fall, and smelled like Fall! We hiked 22.4 miles and didn't sweat at all! The best part of the day was 3 miles in; the official 2015 halfway marker! 1095 miles down and 1095 miles to go! Check out this epic Bon Jovi tribute...a halfway there lip sync video:
We came across an amazing shelter called Quarry Gap and met the 'innkeeper,' Jim. He built and decorated it to look like a house, with potted flowers and all! We had to fill up our water at Caldona State Park because there wasn't any at the shelter we were planning on staying at. The last 3 miles were through bouldery ridge line. We were glad it was so cold because the change in weather has given us a second wind...just in time for the second half!
Day 95 Raven Rock Shelter, a well-built 2 story craftsman style shelter
Beautiful shelters in PA!
We hiked 19.8 miles today, across the Maryland state line/Mason-Dixon Line! I reckon we is in the South now y'all! We met 2 Georgia boys and a guy from Tennessee so we feel totally at home! Still rocky in MD (more like rockyland) but leaves beginning to change so it's making for a beautiful walk in the woods. Speaking of...if you have seen the movie, check out this article about movie myths below:
What “A Walk in the Woods” Gets Wrong About Thru-Hiking and the Appalachian Trail
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| Owl Pellets |
Day 96 Hagerstown, MD with Trail Angels Dawn and Lori
We hiked 17.9 miles to make it to Washington Monument State Park in MD to met up with Ant Dawn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still a rocky terrain, but too excited to even care! Trail Angel Dawn picked us up at the visitor's center parking lot and she had a truck full of trail magic (ice cold drinks and sweet treats including ding dongs!) She even had a special snack for Corinne! Ant Dawn drove us to her friend Lori's place, not far from the trail, where we could take hot showers, do laundry, catch up on the news, and pig out! They took us to dinner at a real Mexican restaurant (which we had been craving since we left Atlanta) and we enjoyed their company as we refueled. Then we crashed early and slept in-awesome! Ant Dawn took us to Waffle House in the morning for the best breakfast and dropped us off at the trail head so we could make it to Harpers Ferry before dark.
We really enjoyed spending time with family and appreciated Ant Dawn going out of her way to take care of us! SHOUTOUT to ANT (that's how you spell it) DAWN for saving us from the Pennsylvania Blues!
Day 97 Harpers Ferry, WV at the Town's Inn
We hiked 20 miles, across the Potomac, and into West Virginia today! We had the easiest hiking terrain yet so we were able to walk about 3 mph and arrived in about 7 hours! SEE VIDEOS BELOW! The pack took a tour of the historic district, went to the ATC to get our official picture made, and picked up some very special care packages from our dear friends and family. We are blessed! Thank you for the well wishes and the resupply!
Keith and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of my sister, Kate, and her boyfriend, Jay, who are meeting up with us to experience a few days of hiking! I wonder what their trail names will be!?!?
Day 98 Harpers Ferry, WV at the StoneHouse B & B
ZERO DAY
Brave Little Toaster (Kate) and GrandDaddy Long Legs (Jay) arrived in the afternoon looking like AT hikers! They settled in and we all went walking around HF and the Potomac. Then we ate dinner at a restaurant that was in an old train car. I finished the evening up just right by eating ice cream (but just couldn't bring myself to order mint choc. chip). We headed back to the B & B to enjoy a bottle of wine and play some dice games. Went to sleep to the sound of trains barreling down the track.
Day 99 Blackburn Hikers Center
We woke up to homemade breakfast and good coffee. We needed it because we had a tough climb immediately coming out of Harpers Ferry, past St. Peter's Catholic Church, across the Shenandoah River, and into Virginia! It was super crazy cool being with my sister in the state where we both were born!
The trail was still a little rocky, but had wonderful terrain sprinkled in. We hiked 13 miles and enjoyed the company of Kate and Jay so much that time flew by. I am honestly so proud of them and glad they had the opportunity to share part of this unique journey with us. We appreciated their grand effort and positive attitudes; thanks for bringing the good vibes!. Kate-a-Kins and JayBro have officially been initiated into out pack!
We set up our tents, cooked dinner, socialized with other thru-hikers, and had brownies with ice cream compliments of the caretakers. The weather was perfect all day and the sky is clear enough to stargaze. As the LEGOS would say..."EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!"
Day 100!!! Sam Moore Shelter
Kate's engaged! You read that right! We hiked 11 miles through the 'roller coaster' and I became a maid-of-honor! Today was the best day on the trail ever because we got to witness Jay propose to Kate! The whole event was absolutely heartwarming! It was so very emotional to be there for such a special moment-thanks Jay for rocking our world (inside joke)! What a wild roller coaster ride! Keith and I are thrilled for them both; we love love! Congrats to Mrs. and Mr. Brave Little Toaster GandDaddy Long Legs. Virginia IS for Lovers!
We have 1,000 more miles to go...gotta make it home by April 2!
Oh ya, and Corinne met a parrot that some lady took for a hike on a leash-weird.
Day 107 Manassas Gap Shelter
We hiked 3.4 miles with Kate and Jay to make it back to Kate's car. They had a stash of candy, chips, pop tarts, soda, Gatorade, and water in the trunk! Thanks for the trail magic and wonderful memories! We miss you both already! Keith and I and Corinne hiked 17 more miles to make it to camp just before dark. Sky Meadows State Park was beautiful to hike through and we were glad to be off of the 'rollercoaster.' Corinne stayed right by our side all day because she got in big trouble for chasing something into the woods. We lost her for a few minutes and had to call and whistle for her, until Kate and Jay found her behind us all. I had a minor panic attack and got a small taste of what it must feel like to be a parent; to love something else so much. Crisis averted, but glad the dog learned from it. We were sure reminded of how careful we still need to be out in the wild, especially during hunting season!
Day 103 Gravel Springs Hut
We hiked 14 miles over the best consistently flat terrain ever! We now know why hikers love VA! The trail is flat, even though there are a lot of elevation changes, because the land was so well graded. Shenandoah Valley is full of beautiful 'green tunnels' and it is even more beautiful because our day was so easy! The easiest hiking we have had yet so we are revitalized and ready to accomplish our goal: to make it home in time to watch Georgia Tech beat Georgia (again)
Nala meets a bear! SEE VIDEO BELOW!
Hiked 17 miles today- falling head over heals for Shenandoah (not literally...which is why...). The scenery is breathtaking, the people are kind, and the trail is still flat-ish. Keith and I are excited to have some big climbs again because it means big views! I like big views and I cannot lie. There are 'Waysides' throughout the National Park that have delicious food (hot meals) and drinks, even souvenirs/gifts and crafts! My kinda place. More importantly, Waysides mean that we carry less food since we can buy as we go. Also, the waysides have trashcans (bear proof of course) so we have chance to shed more weight!
VA Blues? More like VA Smiles!
Day 105 Big Meadows Lodge
Hiked 15 miles to get to Big meadows Lodge and Cabins. We saw a lot of deer up close-Corinne even played peek-a-boo with one. SEE VIDEO BELOW. I ate so much food but enjoyed feeling full/sick. We resupplied and checked the weather for tomorrow; storms! We decided to hunker down here for another day. Super windy at 3,640 ft. elevation but being high in the mountains made for spectacular sunset.
ZERO DAY
Bought Corinne a kid's size poncho to prepare for wet and cold week ahead. I talked to my folks and it turns out that I have been to this campground before when I was a little kid! Like over 20 years ago! Skyline Drive, the road throughout Shenandoah National Park, is so gorgeous that I can see myself returning-maybe 20 years from now!
Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain go away. Trying to stay dry. Good thing the inside of the tent is a happy bright yellow...feels just like a sunshiny day...except its freezing cold. NOT a happy camper. However, good thing about so much rain is no spider webs to the face-you know what they say, "the early hiker gets the spider web!"
Hiked 14 miles to Turk's Gap, in the rain, to the most awesome surprise ever: MY DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was the last to know that he was driving up to VA to bring us trail magic and hugging him brought tears to my eyes! We walked up to a tail gate party set-up. Dad grilled burgers for us while we drank beer and ate candy. It was just like tailgating at a football game but even better! Then he drove us to town where we had a warm/dry room booked. Trail Angel Dad shuttled us to the outfitters to get our mail drop and to the grocery store to resupply and even out to wine and dine us at an Italian Restaurant. We laughed and laughed and laughed about the fact that I so cannot believe Keith kept such a secret, but glad he did! Dad even brought us our suitcase full of clothes that we left with him, to care for, in Maine, so we were able to wear clean real-people clothes! I spent the evening, wearing blue jeans, and looking at pictures and talking about our journey. I am missing home but must remind myself to fully absorb each part of this last leg. So close to home, yet so far away!
Day 109 Waynesboro, VA
ZERO DAY
Spent all (rainy) day doing chores; Nikwaxed all our rain gear because there is more rain in the forecast! Bummed out that it was cloudy for the Blood Moon but watched live feed on my phone.
FUN FACT: If you were lucky enough to see a total lunar eclipse from the Moon, you'd see a red ring around the Earth. In effect, you'll be seeing all the sunrises and sunsets taking place at that specific moment on Earth!
Why Does the Moon Turn Red During a Lunar Eclipse?
On January 31, 2018, the Moon will turn a shade of red in many parts of the World as the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon's surface. This will be the first total lunar eclipse to take place after the Super Blood Moon Eclipse of September 2015 – there will be no total lunar eclipses in 2016 and 2017.
Earth Casts its Shadow
The Moon does not have any light of its own – it shines because its surface reflects sunlight. During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon and cuts off the Moon's light supply. When this happens, the surface of the Moon takes on a reddish glow instead of going completely dark.The red color of a totally eclipsed Moon has prompted many people in recent years to refer to total lunar eclipses as Blood Moons.
Why Red?
The reason why the Moon takes on a reddish color during totality is a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. It is the same mechanism responsible for causing colorful sunrises and sunsets and the sky to look blue.Colorful Sunlight
We all know from our school science textbooks that even though sunlight may look white to human eyes, it is actually composed of different colors. These colors are visible through a prism or in a rainbow. Colors towards the red spectrum have longer wavelengths and lower frequencies compared to colors towards the violet spectrum which have shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies.Earth's Atmosphere
The next piece in the puzzle of why the sky looks blue and a totally eclipsed Moon turns red is the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere is about 300 miles (480 kilometers) thick and is made up of different gases, water droplets and dust particles.When sunlight entering the Earth's atmosphere strikes the particles that are smaller than the light's wavelength, it gets scattered. Not all colors in the light spectrum, however, get equally scattered. Colors with shorter wavelengths, for example those towards the violet spectrum, are scattered more strongly than those with longer wavelengths like red and orange, which pass through the atmosphere. This light then gets bent or refracted back to the surface of the Moon and gives it the reddish-orange glow that total lunar eclipses are famous for.
Look for a Blue Band
Veteran eclipse watchers will tell you that if you look really hard right at the beginning and just before the end of totality, you may detect a light blue or turquoise band on the Moon's face. This happens because the Earth's Ozone Layer scatters red light and lets through some of the blue light that gets refracted to the Moon.Many Shades of Red
The Moon can take on different shades of red, orange or gold during a total lunar eclipse, depending on the conditions of the Earth's atmosphere at the time of the Eclipse. The amount of dust particles, water droplets, clouds and mist can all have an effect on the shade of red. Volcanic ash and dust in the atmosphere can also lead to the Moon turning dark during an eclipse.
Went 18 point something miles, in non-stop pouring rain, until we just couldn't take it anymore. We had hiked in the downpour for almost 8 hours and didn't take a single break. Needless to say, we were soaked to the bone and really, really H-Angry. We set up the tent vestibule first so the dog could take cover. I tried my best to dry her off, but the towel was dripping wet! She was such a trooper all day that we didn't mind having wet dog smell all up in the tent. The best part of the day was watching her meet a box turtle; both were curious of one another and I am wondering if that is what she is dreaming about now! No turtles were harmed in the making of this video:
Beautifully perfect hiking weather so we went 17 plus miles in 9 hours. The day started by putting wet clothes back on-yuck! At least it was warm outside so everything dried pretty fast. Hooked rest of wet gear to outside of backpack and let the sun do the work throughout the day. Great trail scenery...mostly due to flash flood waterfalls! It kinda felt like we were back in Maine screaming " No rain, No pain, No Maine!" We even had to change into our Crocs and ford one river that had some gnarly rapids! The Governor even declared a state of emergency for the state and we can see why! Fortunately, we didn't have to worry about washing away too much because we were on the top of The Priest Mountain, elevation 4,063-it is cold and the wind is whippin'. So really, we only had to worry about trees and dead branches (called widow-makers) falling on our tent. We didn't mind the cold wind since we sweated hauling ourselves up here; we hiked 3,100 feet in just about 5 miles. Saying thank you prayers that we had clear weather because the views were simply spectacular. We are happy to be back in elevation and that we get our winter gear back tomorrow!
Day 112 Beuna Vista/Lexington, VA
Hiked 20 miles, in the mist, to get to town before the rain storm hit. We made it just in time for the P.O. to be closed so took shuttle to hotel and walked across street to Mexican Restaurant. Cerveza por favor! We stuffed our skinny selves and waddled back to warm, dry bed.
Day 113 and 114 Beuna Vista/Lexington, VA
ZERO DAYS
Waiting out bad weather so spent day doing chores. We took a trolly into Lexington, VA/Washington and Lee campus for lunch. Then we went to outfitters to buy fuel and the P.O. to pick up our winter gear and resupply...and a pleasant Halloween surprise from Gma! Thanks Gma! Praying everyone stays safe in path of hurricane-glad to be hiking southWEST.
Day 115 John's Hallow Shelter/Campsite
Hiked 20 miles over fairly easy terrain. It rained a little here and there. Totally enjoyed the George Washington National Forest vegetation; Chestnut Oaks, White Pines, and Hemlocks. Corinne is loving all the pine straw covering the trail-I'm sure it feels almost like walking on carpet.
Hiked 22 miles, in 10 hours, across the longest foot only bridge on the AT, under the guillotine (boulder stuck high up between 2 rocks), and into camp just as the sun set. We had the whole place to ourselves and had good times eating a headlamp- lit dinner. Wearing long johns and down jacket because we couldn't get fire started-wood too wet from all the rain! Fall has arrived...we didn't hear a single cricket chirp all night-kinda eerie silence. I miss summer already!
Hiked 19 miles today in 7 hours and 45 minutes. We started day by going 7 miles in just 2 hours; wide trails and light packs are a fabulous combo.
Listened to a lot of motivational and powerful personal adventure stories via a podcast called Dirtbag Diaries that we discovered by accident on iTunes. See for yourself. click here
Crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway a few times. As the trash lady, I was unusually excited to see trashcans at overlooks! My favorite part of walking through the Blue Ridge during this time of year is that you can see the ridge lines of the other nearby mountains through the trees. I can see the forest through the trees.
FUN FACT: The famous blue haze suffusing the Blue Ridge Mountains is not an actual mist but rather a combination of physics, chemistry, and biology. It’s all a matter of perception when you get right down to it.
First, a physics lesson. Thanks to Sir Isaac Newton, we know that the white light from the sun is really a combination of several different colors. One of the first science experiments many of us perform as children is to use a prism to separate the colors of light into a spectrum. When the colors of light form a spectrum, they always arrange themselves in this order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (remember ROY G. BIV?). These are the colors visible to the human eye. Each color has a different wavelength, with red having the longest, and violet, on the other end of the spectrum, having the shortest.
A quick detour into biology tells us that the color receptors, or cones, in the retinas of our eyes respond best to the wavelengths of three colors of light-red, green, and blue. This reception is what gives us our color vision.
So why doesn’t the sky appear red to us? We can thank Lord Rayleigh, who in the 1850s, explained why. He found that solar light passing through the atmosphere is broadly scattered before our eyes perceive it. Light passing through a medium containing small particles scatters the shorter blue wavelength more strongly than the red. This selective scattering is now known as Rayleigh scattering.
Later scientists (including Alfred Einstein, who settled the matter in 1911) concluded that the small molecules of oxygen and nitrogen in the air are more effective at scattering shorter wavelengths of light-the blue and violet end of the spectrum. Since our eyes are not as sensitive to violet, the sky appears blue when you look up through the prism of air that constitutes our atmosphere.
But you asked why our mountains-which are made up of many colors-appear blue. The blue-sky principle still holds: when you view a dark, solid object, such as a mountain, from a distance, the scattered light makes it appear blue. Yet the distinct blue haze of the Appalachians can also be attributed to the thick vegetation that blankets the slopes. Tiny hydrocarbon particles, including terpenes from pine trees, are released by plants. The particles react with natural ozone molecules to produce a hazy effect over the mountains. Again, the small size of the particles means that the light scatters blue. The Blue Ridge is not unique in this respect. This effect occurs in other mountain ranges around the world, including the Blue Mountains in Australia.
Unfortunately, man-made particles have entered the picture. It’s no secret that, due to air pollution, visibility in the Blue Ridge has degraded significantly in the last 50 years. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide particles from coal-burning power plants, other industry, and from automobiles, mix with the ozone to form a grayish haze that reduces visibility. Sulfate haze may even interfere with the natural terpenes released by certain trees, further diffusing the blue color of the mountains. Unless we continue to improve our air quality, perhaps the Blue Ridge Mountains will be known to future generations as the Gray Ridge. Somehow, that doesn’t connote quite the same air of beautiful mystery.
http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/magazine/august-2004/why-is-the-blue-ridge-blue/
Day 118 Troutville/Daleville, VA
Hiked 17 miles in 7 miles-fast! We even had time to hang out with a big Rat Snake. SEE VIDEO BELOW! Got shuttle to P.O. from guy named Homer. He thru-hiked with his wife and 2 children (ages 8 and 11) in 2002...making his son, Bennett, the youngest thru-hiker.
We ate BBQ and got free dessert (fried oreos!) just for being hikers! God Bless the South!
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| Deep Fried Oreos |
Day 119 Troutville/Daleville, VA
ZERO DAY
Spent day doing chores. Our room has a mini freezer = total game changer. We bought pounds of frozen food, including ice cream, at Kroger and watched TV while we chowed down!
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| NOT working in the Kroger wine aisle! |
step by step picture
I really enjoyed the pictures of my favorite hikers and the music that went along with the videos. You are really inspiring! And it was wonderful to find out that Virginia truly is for lovers. Thanks for helping The Brave Little Toaster have a day she'll never forget! Stay safe! xxoo
ReplyDeletei hope you are having lots of fun i just found all these pictures and they are so cool. Everyone misses you!
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