Sprout Day 211 (Monday, October 24, 2016)

We tried to get up really early but stayed in our sleeping bags until 7:00. The first half of the day was slow moving and we weren’t sure if we were going to hit our miles today. We ended up picking up speed in the second half of the day and we hiked a little over 16 miles before 6.

We're tenting at Mountaineer Shelter. It was a perfect day for hiking because the weather was cold enough for a jacket when you stopped but as soon as you started hiking you warmed up to a perfect temperature.

We saw a few more people on trail. There are six people staying in the shelter tonight. We heard there's about 25 behind us. I'm sure the southbounders that are down this far are going to try to be done right before thanksgiving like we are planning. 

I hope it's easier to get up early tomorrow because we want to be ready to go early and plan on staying at Overmountain Shelter 18.4 miles away. We’ll see how that goes!

Day: 211
Miles hiked: 16.3
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1792.6
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 3
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6

Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 210 (Sunday, October 23, 2016)

It got really cold last night so I slept in my base layers, hiking pants, and puffy jacket. I was warm but it was one of the coldest nights in awhile. I didn't get the best sleep because the neighbors dog was outside barking from about 3 to 4 a.m. Once I was up I realized how cold it was.

Breakfast was good; we had an omelet, sausages, and hash browns. There was coffee, fruit, cereal, and doughnuts out too. By the time we ate and packed up we got a late start. It was around 11:00 when we got on trail.

We only hiked 8.8 miles today but we're making it up tomorrow with a 20 mile day. It's so much easier to get an early start when you're already comping on the trail. We just wake up really early and get going.

We probably would've went further today but towards the end of the day we stopped by Bob People's to meet him. He's a trail legend and has done so much for the trail. We've wanted to meet him since we started researching about the AT. He’s one of a kind. We hiked past Laurel Fork Falls right before Bob People's place. It was an awesome waterfall. The side trip went right to the bottom of the falls and there was a perfect spot to take little break. The climb out was super steep but there were stairs going up, probably stairs Bob Peoples put in.

Day: 210
Miles hiked: 8.8
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1776.3
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 3
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 209 (Saturday, October 22, 2016)

It felt great getting into my warm camp clothes last night. I had on my base layers, an extra pair of pants, two pairs of socks, my base layer top, and my puffy jacket! Usually, I'm too hot to sleep in any of that but it was so cold last night. It was in 30’s and the wind was blowing. We woke up early but it was so cold there was no way we were getting out of our sleeping bags. We eventually got up and moving around 10:00!

I don't think we've ever started getting ready that late but it felt good to lay in the warm sleeping bag. Everyone else at the shelter was doing the same thing and thinking the same thing, it was too cold! We got up and had some breakfast and coffee and tried to stay warm. My boots were wet and I was waiting to put those on last. When I did put them on it felt like I was walking on needles because my feet were ice cold. We had to start moving to warm up.

We planned on going 16 miles to Boots Off Hostel to get dry and resupply enough to get to Erwin, Tennessee. We had to stop first thing in the morning for water and that took longer than usual because the water source was shAllow. It was so cold we were moving quick to stay warm. On the way down we saw a bunch of signs warning about a problem bear around the shelters in the area. We made great time getting to the hostel and had our fastest day yet. We made it the 16 miles before 6:00.

Boots Off Hostel is a new hostel and it's only .2 miles off the trail. It's nice, clean, and the staff is very friendly and helpful. All the bunks were taken so we paid the ten bucks to camp outside. Whiskers and Toad are camping outside too. It's not nearly as cold as last night and we are lower in elevation so it’s a lot warmer. We were able to wash and dry our clothes and had dinner as soon as we got here, a delicious chicken alfredo and eggplant parmesan. After dinner, the owner Jim took us to the Dollar General for a resupply. The inside was nice and toasty with a wood burning fireplace and there was a big TV with college football playing. I’m really glad we stopped here.

Day: 209
Miles hiked: 16
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1767.5
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20

Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 3
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 192 (Wednesday, October 5, 2016)

Woke up early but it was cooooooold so it took a few extra minutes to get moving and to get the motivation to get out of the sleeping bag!  We were planning on getting up at 5:00 or earlier but I ended up deflating the air mattress at 5:30. The sun isn’t rising until around 7:30 so I needed my headlamp.  The usual routine took place, I got up and put in a lot of water for breakfast and started taking the food bags down.  We had a couple packs of oatmeal and a lot of cowboy coffee for breakfast.

We set up camp 0.6 miles before Doc Knob Shelter and we had to stop there for water.  We were out of water and the next water source after Doc Knob was nine miles down the trail.  It took a little longer than expected there because the water source was a puddle in between a couple of big rocks.  You could hear the water flowing under the rocks but with this dry season all we had was the pool.  It was cold and clear so no complaints from us.

We had a good day overall.  There were a few climbs but nothing we haven't seen before.  The last half of the day was down a big decline and then relatively flat after that.  We hiked 16.3 miles and are staying at Dismal Falls Campsite. We plan on doing a little over 18 miles tomorrow and staying at Helveys Mill Shelter tomorrow night.  We heard from a couple of Northbounders that it is supposed to start raining tonight at midnight, then stop at some point, and rain during the early morning and most of the day tomorrow.  It made sense to just enjoy today for what it was and stay at Dismal Falls instead of pushing any further. If it's going to rain tomorrow we're going to get wet and there's nothing we can do.  At least we know it's only for one day.  We're getting picked up Saturday morning and we're going to be pretty close after hiking tomorrow. 

I think on the way out of here we're going to go to this store down the road called Trents. Hopefully we can get something good to drink and maybe a little treat to get us through the day since it's going to be bad weather.  Not sure what time we're getting up tomorrow.  I guess it all depends on how hard and if it is raining in the morning.  Fingers crossed we get up and it's still dry.  I'd like to be able to put everything away and keep the tent dry!  We've been getting bigger miles in lately and it feels good.  After we go to Works farmhouse on Saturday we’re probably going to try to start getting as close to 20 a day as we can.  I love being on the AT but I think it's time we get home and spend some time with family right before the holidays.  It's been a crazy ride and we still have a lot of miles left.  I’m excited to see what the rest of Virginia is like and really excited for the Smoky Mountains!

Day: 192
Miles hiked: 16.5
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1584.4
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 3
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 185 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)

We woke up today with temperatures colder than it has been in some time. It was in the high 40s - low 50s. It was cold enough for me to put on some pants and my jacket. I bundled up and put water on for breakfast early. I could even see my breath. It was a little cool but perfect hiking weather once you get moving.

We went 12.7 miles with some steep incline changes. We would've made it further but we had a storm roll through and we waited it out in a shelter. After the storm passed we went another three miles. I am lying here now and listening to another the thunderstorm close by. I hope it doesn't get too bad out there but we're ready for it if it gets bad.

After hiking for 2.7 miles, we made it to the top of a 1,400 foot incline change. At the top was a sign of the Eastern Continental Divide. Water on one side of the mountain leads to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico and the other side leads to the James River and the Atlantic Ocean.

There are ledges with a view towards the direction of tomorrow’s sunrise. We are getting up early and heading that way so hopefully there will be a nice sunrise in the morning.

Our day was epic because we hit 1500 miles and it's our 6 month anniversary on trail! It feels great to still be on trail and it's crazy to think we've walked 1500 miles!!! Life is good on the Appalachian Trail. l I love being out here and getting closer to our goal, Springer Mountain!

We went past a cool memorial for Audie Murphy one of the most decorated war veterans. There were some benches up there, a big flag, and a bunch of other things people took up there. It was a great memorial.

We made it 1500 miles!

Day: 185
Miles hiked: 12.7
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1512.1
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1

Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 3
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 178 (Wednesday, September 21, 2016)

We woke up at 5:45 a.m. and made breakfast and cowboy coffee. It was dark and the moon was still out so we grabbed our headlamps and started our daily routine. Once I've 100% decided I'm getting up for the day I sit up and immediately let the air out of my mattress. I have a quick release valve so when I open it there's no turning back! As soon as I get dressed I go grab the food bags and start boiling water. I usually have enough time to get most of my gear packed while the water is boiling and the coffee is settling.

It was a little cold this morning until the sun came up. We ended up going 12 miles to Cove Mountain Shelter. There's not any water for a good little stretch so we had to pack water up to the shelter a few miles and there's not going to be any for 6 miles tomorrow.

We packed up plenty for dinner and breakfast in the morning and enough to drink on until the next water source. Our packs were a little heavier towards the end of the day but we have to have water. We want to get up early tomorrow and get as far as we can because we still have 25 miles to Daleville.

Day: 178
Miles hiked: 11.9
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1444.2
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20

Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 2
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 133 (Sunday, August 7th, 2016)

We woke up early but it was still pretty dark and ended up falling back to sleep until about 7:00. We got on the trail around 8:00.  It was a cool morning which was perfect for hiking but a little too cold before we started moving.  

We weren't even a couple miles into our hike when we came up on some trail magic!  It was perfect.  Right before the end of this steep climb was Route 17.  It's a busy highway with parking and a scenic view.  I was thinking it would be nice to have a can of pop or something and not too long after that I looked up and saw a cooler. It was filled with coke! Perfect!!  There was even a Tupperware container filled with different bags of chips, cow-tails, protein bars, and a bag of peaches! It was all by a bench overlooking Mooselookmeguntic Lake.  This is some of the best trail magic we've had in awhile.  Not too long after the trail magic we hit our halfway point.  It's crazy to think we're halfway done with the trail!  We still have a lot ahead of us but I'm happy we made it this far!  We've been having an amazing time!

We stopped at the Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to, had lunch, and decided to meet at Long Pond.  It was a few miles away and our Guthook app said it had a sandy beach so we thought we better check it out.  When I got there Smudgy was already in the water.  I jumped right in the water.  It was cold but it felt great.  It wasn't what I was expecting because the pond had a soft white sandy bottom.  Bubbles got in as soon as she showed up.

Tomorrow we are going to a hostel to get a food drop and getting a ride into town to get some food from the store.  

Lots of roots on the trail today

Trail magic!  THANK YOU!!

Making funny faces

Day: 133

Miles hiked: 9.4

Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1102.6

Bears: 0

Bluegill: 2

Butterflies: 8

Chipmunks: 3

Cows: 24

Crawfish: 1

Deer: 20

Donkeys: 2

Grouse:  1

Horses: 15

Hummingbird: 1

Inchworm: 1

Really Big Dog: 1

Mice: 2

Nest of bugs: 2

Newts: 2

Owl: 1

Rabbit: 1

Skunk: 1

Snail: 1

Snake: 2

Squirrels: 11

Toads: 3

Trout: 2

Turkeys: 4

Turtles: 107

Vultures: 6

Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 114 (Tuesday, July 19th, 2016)

I'm really feeling thankful to be where I'm at right now. The White Mountains are such a unique and beautiful place. I can't really put it into words it's just breathtaking being here and I feel blessed to listen and see all of the views. As far as I can see there are mountains. It’s so cool to be able to see the mountains we’re going to hike over next. We can map out our direction and see for miles where we’re heading next.

We're literally climbing over mountains. There are a lot of vertical up and downs. It is so much fun. It's cold right now, getting down to the 30’s at night!! The hike today was through cold mist and rain today.

We started off in the cliffs and did Mt. Webster, Mt Jackson and Mt. Pierce. I hope tomorrow is a nice clear day because we are going to summit Washington!!! We have to climb Eisenhower and Monroe first.

Got to keep those teeth clean!

Breaking camp in the morning.  Don't worry, everything was picked up and packed!

Bubbles coming up the trail

Going up!

Here comes Bubbles!!

Bubbles making food!

Bubbles on the trail

Camp is set up for the night!

Sunset

Day: 114
Miles hiked: 4.9
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 989.7
Bears: 0
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Horses: 12
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 2
Squirrels: 11
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1

Smudgy Cheeks Day 76 (Saturday, June 11th, 2016)

I only hiked 2.8  miles today to Tom Levardi's house.  He allows hikers to stay on his property, and has since the 1970's, but has strict rules about noise level and respecting the fact that he has neighbors close to him.  He also requires his porch to stay clean and dirt free.

I'm pretty miserable right now.  I kept spraining my left ankle while hiking the Pennsylvania rocks.  Then I think I did it again during the last two days of hiking over 30 miles.  I also feel like I have a bit of a fever because I have the chills.

The temperature is also getting down to 40 degrees at night and I'm getting too cold.  I need my winter clothes back.  I know that icing my ankle will make it feel better but its pretty hard to find ice in the middle of the woods!

Looking east off the trail

Looking west off of the trail

Day:  76

Miles hiked: 2.8

Total Miles hiked on the trail:  636.1

Bear: 1

Chipmunk: 1
Deer: 1
Lizard: 1

Snakes: 4
Toads: 2

Vulture: 1

Zoo Animals:   2 foxes, 1 porcupine, 1 bobcat, 1 turtle, 2 bears

Sprout Day 33 (Friday, April 29)

Day 33

It was wet, cold, and rainy today.  It felt good staying in Duncannon again last night at the Doyle. We met some cool people and it will definitely be something we will never forget. We stayed up late with Tricks last night watching movies and talking. He gave us a ride to 325 after we ate breakfast.  He is such a cool guy and I'm really happy we met him.

Lots of room in Tricks car!!

As soon as we got dropped off it started raining, it was a constant drizzle.  We went ten miles today through rough rocky terrain and the rain made the rocks slippery.

We walked past Peters Mountain Shelter today

Inside Peters Mountain Shelter

We hit our 300 mile mark today! It feels so good to be this far! We stopped at 300 miles to take a celebration video. It's crazy to think we're out here doing it.  We’re actually hiking and getting more miles everyday.  To me 300 miles is huge.  It's the furthest any of us have ever backpacked.  Each day I feel like we learn something new or something gets easier.  We're lucky to have people back home that care about our journey and people who want to help us along the way.  The trail gives back and will take care of you.  It feels like we're meeting the right people at the right time.

300 miles baby!!

Rocks on the trail!

Pretty sure these are ferns popping through??

Love it

Awesome fire pit!

When it's rocky like this the white blazes are on the rocks!

Blue blaze to the spring

We camped here

Day:  33

Miles hiked:  9.6

Total Miles hiked on the trail:  303

Bears:   0

Butterfly:  8

Chipmunk:  2

Cows:  24

Crawfish:  1

Deer:  20

Horses:  12

Inchworm:  1

Really Big Dog:  1

Mouse:  1

Nest of bugs:  1

Rabbit:  1

Skunk:  1

Snail:  1

Snake:  1

Squirrels:  11

Toad:  1

Trout:  2

Turkeys:  4

Turtles:  107

Vulture:  6

Woodpecker:  1

Bubbles Day 8 Our first Nero (near a zero day) (Monday, April 4th)

We got a later start today than we would have liked. It was cold and I sat in my sleeping bag until Robby peeled it off of me and gave me a good push to get ready. Jeff headed out before us (like always).  We had a short hike today (about 4.5 miles for the day.)

How I felt when I woke up today!!!

We hiked to Mary's Rock (3,514 feet).  It was only a tenth of a mile off of the trail.  We said we HAD to hike to it because our hike day was so short. It was the best decision we have made.  Mayhem told us to go check it out too. It was really a sight to see.  I recommend, to anyone who visits SNP, to check out Mary's Rock. We climbed to the top for photos and then sat there for a minute. It was projected to rain around noon so Robby wanted to get moving. I, on the other hand, would have sat there until it started raining!! It was unlike anywhere I have ever been.

Robby on Mary's Rock

We finished our hike three miles later at Pass Mountain Hut.  We got there so early in the day we didn't know what to do with all of our time!  I got water from the spring and washed some of my stinkier clothes.  It took a long time because I had to walk back and forth from the spring (to get water) to where I was washing my clothes. You don't want to wash clothes, dishes, or anything in or near the drinking water. Robby tied a rope up and we dried all of our clothes.

View on Mary's Rock

We had the shelter to ourselves for about five hours. Ten minutes after Jeff said, "We are going to have this shelter all to ourselves tonight," we got company!  We were excited about it. Birdman and Cornchips strolled up after they finished a 15 mile day!  We felt bad because all of our stuff was EVERYWHERE. We quickly made room for them and really enjoyed their company.

Next, Little Phoenix arrived.  Talk about an amazing woman! She had been out for nine days and it was her first time backpacking.  She is going to make it as far as she can in the next month and a half before she has to go back to school.  She told us she had to buy new boots because her feet swelled 3 sizes!  She is a great artist and I have enjoyed reading her entries in the shelter books. She is a SoBo (SouthBounder).

After Little Phoenix got settled in, and made dinner, Woody arrived, another SoBo. We didn't talk much but he seemed very nice and knowledgeable. I sat by the fire after everyone went to bed relaxing and smiled to myself, a lot. Where else in the world would I meet all these amazing people? Nowhere but out here on the AT!  

Me on top of Mary's Rock