Day 41
Miles Hiked Today - 11.6
Total Trail Miles - 404.5

Kincora Hostel near Hampton, TN

Again, I'm exhausted tonight! Hiked 11.6 miles into town today. I stopped at the supermarket and bought peanut butter and pita bread, as well as Life cereal and a quart of soymilk. Also bought some o.j. and chocolate soymilk. Yum! I drank a quart of that like a teenager chugging a six-pack.

This hostel is great! Bob and Pat Peoples have been hosting hikers for five years for a suggested donation of $4. They give us rides into town and offer free packs for slackpacking.

I've got two big days ahead of me - 17.5 miles tomorrow and 11.5 miles Saturday morning. Scott is meeting me at Tennessee 91 on Saturday at noon. I can't wait to see him!!!

Hiking today was great. I felt wonderful. Most of my friends were complaining about the PUDS, but I've renamed them the LUDs (Lovely Ups and Downs). The A.T. goes over every little hill in sight! It seems as if the Trail could go around them, but it never does. At least it's a good workout!

Must sleep . . .

Day 42
Miles Hiked Today - 17.3
Total Trail Miles - 421.8

Vandeventer Shelter

I'm tired once again after hiking almost 17.5 miles in hot, dry weather. It seems as if the weather is always extreme out here. The afternoon was very difficult for me. I just kept going up and up forever! At one point I thought I had heat exhaustion, so I slowed down, took more breaks, and drank more water. I knew from my guidebook that there would be no water at this shelter, so I had to schlep three liters for the final two miles of my hike. Water is heavy!

When I hiked over Wautaga Dam today I had the same strange feeling I had at Fontana Dam. The dam was made by blasting away at the sides of several mountains. Huge holes were left in the landscape. Very sad.

Tomorrow I get to see Scott! Words can't describe my excitement!!! I also get to see my parents! It will be like a holiday for me, but first I have to hike 11.5 miles before noon.

Day 43
Miles Hiked Today - 11.5
Total Trail Miles - 433.3

Iron Mountain Inn

I heard my first whippoorwill at the Vandeventer Shelter. These birds sound so funny and call all night long.

This morning I was up by 5:00 a.m. and hiking by 6:30 a.m. I almost ran the 11.5 miles to the road where I was to meet Scott. We had planned to meet at noon, but I arrived at 11:00 a.m.! I was so excited!

We met my parents and drove to the Iron Mountain Inn, a gorgeous B&B. This log cabin sits on top of a mountain overlooking the areas that I've been hiking through for the past few days. It was wonderful to see my parents and Scott and to relax in a luxurious way. Before bed, I took a whirlpool bath. Wow! And my mom gave me a foot massage!!!!

Day 44
Miles Hiked Today - 11.8
Total Trail Miles - 445.1

Abingdon Gap Shelter

Today Scott started his week-long hike with me. He has already met all of my hiking partners and really likes them. (Of course, they're great people!) And, he's in great shape so he isn't having any trouble at all keeping up with me.

The weather was beautiful today. The rest of the week is suppose to be lovely too so Scott is in for a treat.

Tomorrow it's 10 miles into Damascus for some R&R. We may even go bowling or see a movie. Yay!

Day 45
Miles Hiked Today - 10
Total Trail Miles - 455.1

The Place (Hostel)

This morning we were awakened at 4:30 a.m. by the sound of a bear galloping right past the shelter. He had gotten hold of a plastic water jug and was kicking it around like a soccer ball. Even though we had all hung our food bags ("bearbagging"), I had made ice tea in my water bladder (like a camelback, but mine is called a platypus) and forgot to hang it. At some point during the night, the bear decided to try to drink the ice tea. He chewed up the bite valve. That meant that he was right in the shelter with us! Yikes!

Tonight we're staying at The Place, which is a hiker hostel run by the local Methodist church. It's basically a big old house with bunks in every room. It costs $3 a person to spend the night, and you get a shower too!

Day 46
Miles Hiked Today - 0
Total Trail Miles - 455.1

The Place (Hostel)

We had planned to hike out today, but peer pressure and the temptation of a relaxing day in sunny Damascus won us over. We've been eating at Quincy's, the local bar & pizza place. I ate two medium pizzas (without cheese). Scott is still amazed by my appetite.

I mailed home 6 lbs. 9 ozs. of gear today. Yay! My pack will be much lighter.

Having Scott here is wonderful. It's not exactly a romantic vacation, but it's so much better than being separated from him. I hope he likes hiking and keeps visiting me often.

Day 47
Miles Hiked Today - 16
Total Trail Miles - 471.1

Lost Mountain Shelter

Today was a day to forget! Every time I leave town I feel so tired, probably because of all the greasy town food I eat. Scott and I crawled our way up and down the hills until we reached this shelter, exhausted. Somewhere in the middle of the hike, I broke down and cried because I wanted to go home. The terrain was so difficult and I just didn't feel like walking. Having Scott here brings out so many emotions in me. Sometimes I can't remember why I'm out here.

All my hiking friends took a shortcut today and hiked on the Virginia Creeper Trail, which is an old railroad bed. While I was suffering through 16 miles of pure hiking hell, they were lollygagging along the river. I was jealous of them for hiking such an easy day, angry with them for not doing a "pure" thru-hike, and proud of myself for hiking the real A.T. I also considered the fact that I was ridiculous for worrying about whether or not I go past each and every white blaze on the A.T. That was when I asked myself what I'm doing out here. Am I walking from Georgia to Maine? If that's all I'm doing, it doesn't matter which path I take. But if I'm out to do a thru-hike of the A.T., I should really hike the A.T. and not take shortcuts.

One thing I'm sure of is that it's going to be really difficult to continue my hike without Scott. I'm so used to having him here. Plus he hangs a mean bearbag!

Day 48
Miles Hiked Today - 12.0
Total Trail Miles - 483.1

Thomas Knob Shelter

Today was a wonderful day! We slept great last night and woke up happy and well-rested. I made us a triple serving of hot multigrain cereal with maple sugar, dried fruit, and vanilla soymilk. Yum!

We hiked up about 2500 feet to Buzzard Rock, which is above the treeline. The rest of the day consisted of little ups and downs and several relaxing breaks. I took lots of pictures of various flowers for my mom who wants to identify them later.

Scott has some bad blisters. He has two more days to hike, so I hope they improve.

Day 49
Miles Hiked Today - 12.7
Total Trail Miles - 495.8

Best Western in Marion, VA

Scott and I finished our hike together today. We had planned to hike through tomorrow, but Scott's blisters changed that. I've gotten quite used to his presence and will be very sad to see him go. But I'll remind myself that he'll be back in one month to hike Shenandoah National Park with me.

The highlight of the day was seeing the feral ponies in Grayson Highlands. One walked right up to me and proceeded to lick the salt from my arm. Later we saw a mare scratching her rear end against the "Grayson Highlands State Park" sign. Hilarious!

When we got to the road crossing (VA603), we attempted to hitch a ride to Scott's car in Troutdale. Although it's usually very easy to get a ride if you're wearing your patch, we had little luck on this road. We hiked along the road for over three miles before we got a ride, for which our sore feet were very grateful. (Although I have walked almost 500 miles of the A.T., I try never to walk on the road because it's very, very hard on your feet and ankles.)

We are now clean and relaxed. Tomorrow starts another long day of hiking for me and a long drive home for Scott.

Day 50
Miles Hiked Today - 10.0
Total Trail Miles - 505.8

Raccoon Branch Shelter (During a break)

Scott dropped me off early this morning back at the road crossing where I met my friends. I was still teary-eyed when I ran into them. After a short visit, I headed up Iron Mountain. This morning's hike was such a peaceful one. The birds were all singing in their best voices and the sunlight shone sideways through the trees.

Today I've been thinking about where my life is going. It's something I think about a lot out here. Do I want to continue my current career path or do something completely different? Part of me would like to take more time off and travel with Scott.

On the topic of my engineering education . . . I feel that my training has forced me into certain patterns of thought. Engineers are taught to be skeptical of everything. But being a skeptic isn't fun for me. I want to unlearn those thought patterns and revert to the way I was before I became an engineer.