Sitting in the Hikers Lounge at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's Headquarters in Harpers Ferry, WV. Going to be spending the night with a Trail Angel who is the brother of a friend of the family who lives here! Feeling lucky, grateful, and blessed :)
If you've never checked out the ATC website, learn some history here.
We are off to explore (without having to wear packs!!!!!) the historic-frozen-in-time town of Harpers Ferry. Tomorrow we'll be on our way into Virginia and then the Shenandoah's.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Hello, Virginia (almost)!
Hey Everybody!
Abbey and I are headed back onto the trail today. We are currently over 1/2 way through maryland, which is only 40 miles. We'll have 5 miles in West Virginia, and then we enter Virginia, the longest state on the Appalachian Trail accountable for nearly 1/4 of the total miles we'll do at 550.
We took a couple days off to visit friends and family in the D.C. area, which was nice after our 2 week push doing 250 miles.
Pennsylvania was very rocky, but nothing we hadn't seen before. One of the interesting things about talking to hikers headed in the other direction from us, is they (and we) have no concept of what the others have seen/experienced. We've been hearing for 2 months that Pennsylvania is 'where shoes go to die' 'Rocky, rocky, rocky, rocky hell'. But it wasn't anything Southbounders haven't seen already in Maine and New Hampshire. So we coasted more or less, feet tired, but still able to make good miles.
Pennsylvania also had the Cumberland Valley, which is 17 miles of Valley walking, through woods and pastures, with cows and horses, and corn fields.
Maryland has been lovely so far, just as rocky in some parts as PA, but enjoyable and full of history as we walk through Civil War sites and battlefields.
D.C. was nearly overwhelming just to see that many people... We spent some time in the Air & Space museum and now I (Preston) are pining for flying again! Guess I'll have to do that when we get back :)
Anyway, we're looking forward to returning to the trail as Fall is fully here and blowing in some upper 30's Temps in the mornings, and seeing some fall colors as we go through Virginia.
Shenandoah National Park is on the horizon, in about a week or so, and the highlands and Wild Ponies are somewhere in the big state.
Oh and some big news, we crossed the 1/2 way point in Pennsylvania and now have less miles ahead of us than we've already done, and that feels fantastic. That song by the Proclaimers, (500 Miles), is funny because they talk about walking 1,000 miles and we've done that, and are going to do it twice. I loved singing that song as a little kid and we sing it on the trail.
Also, less snakes the last week, which is nice to not worry about stepping on a venomous snake every step you take.
We love you all and hope you're well, and warm. As always, we love letters :)
-Preston & Abbey
Abbey and I are headed back onto the trail today. We are currently over 1/2 way through maryland, which is only 40 miles. We'll have 5 miles in West Virginia, and then we enter Virginia, the longest state on the Appalachian Trail accountable for nearly 1/4 of the total miles we'll do at 550.
We took a couple days off to visit friends and family in the D.C. area, which was nice after our 2 week push doing 250 miles.
Pennsylvania was very rocky, but nothing we hadn't seen before. One of the interesting things about talking to hikers headed in the other direction from us, is they (and we) have no concept of what the others have seen/experienced. We've been hearing for 2 months that Pennsylvania is 'where shoes go to die' 'Rocky, rocky, rocky, rocky hell'. But it wasn't anything Southbounders haven't seen already in Maine and New Hampshire. So we coasted more or less, feet tired, but still able to make good miles.
Pennsylvania also had the Cumberland Valley, which is 17 miles of Valley walking, through woods and pastures, with cows and horses, and corn fields.
Maryland has been lovely so far, just as rocky in some parts as PA, but enjoyable and full of history as we walk through Civil War sites and battlefields.
D.C. was nearly overwhelming just to see that many people... We spent some time in the Air & Space museum and now I (Preston) are pining for flying again! Guess I'll have to do that when we get back :)
Anyway, we're looking forward to returning to the trail as Fall is fully here and blowing in some upper 30's Temps in the mornings, and seeing some fall colors as we go through Virginia.
Shenandoah National Park is on the horizon, in about a week or so, and the highlands and Wild Ponies are somewhere in the big state.
Oh and some big news, we crossed the 1/2 way point in Pennsylvania and now have less miles ahead of us than we've already done, and that feels fantastic. That song by the Proclaimers, (500 Miles), is funny because they talk about walking 1,000 miles and we've done that, and are going to do it twice. I loved singing that song as a little kid and we sing it on the trail.
Also, less snakes the last week, which is nice to not worry about stepping on a venomous snake every step you take.
We love you all and hope you're well, and warm. As always, we love letters :)
-Preston & Abbey
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
1/2 way through PA
Hello Loves!
Abbey and I are writing to you from The Doyle Hotel, in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, on a brief stop to use internet and have a VERY large order of fries and a woodchuck. Since we got back on from Delaware Water Gap, after our incredibly restful trip with Abbey's Family in New Jersey, we've been very strong. We've been averaging 18-22 miles per day and hit our 1,000 mile mark this week! We're 47 miles from The Doyle to the Mid-Point of the trail. We've had great weather, with the exception of a 17 hour rain yesterday starting at 1AM, which was lovely to walk in (Preston will be posting more about his 'experience' of this including his first opportunity to sleep in a completely soaking wet sleeping bag...).
Fall is here for sure, with nights dropping down to 40 degrees, and low 60's-70's throughout the day. The leaves are starting to change, and some trees have already started dropping their leaves.
Pennsylvania: We saw our first Black Bear in Pennsylvania. The first 6 days of hiking we saw either Rattlesnakes or Copperheads on the trail each day. We also found a 8 ft Rat Snake in a tree (Anaconda was playing in my mind...). We caught up with some old trail friends from Maine and have been leap frogging with them ever since.
It looks like we may have the opportunity to jump off in Harper's Ferry and go into D.C. to visit some friends and family for a couple days which we're looking forward to.
There is so much more to tell you all, but it's nearly 5PM here and we still have over 4 miles to go for the evening. We love you and miss you, and look forward to sharing more about this journey with you.
-Preston & Abbey
Some updated mail drops:
MD 18, Harper's Ferry, WV 25425
September 26th
MD 19 Front Royal, VA 22630
September 29th-30th
MD 20, Waynesboro, VA 22980
October 5th
MD 21 Big Island, VA 24526
October 10th
Abbey and I are writing to you from The Doyle Hotel, in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, on a brief stop to use internet and have a VERY large order of fries and a woodchuck. Since we got back on from Delaware Water Gap, after our incredibly restful trip with Abbey's Family in New Jersey, we've been very strong. We've been averaging 18-22 miles per day and hit our 1,000 mile mark this week! We're 47 miles from The Doyle to the Mid-Point of the trail. We've had great weather, with the exception of a 17 hour rain yesterday starting at 1AM, which was lovely to walk in (Preston will be posting more about his 'experience' of this including his first opportunity to sleep in a completely soaking wet sleeping bag...).
Fall is here for sure, with nights dropping down to 40 degrees, and low 60's-70's throughout the day. The leaves are starting to change, and some trees have already started dropping their leaves.
Pennsylvania: We saw our first Black Bear in Pennsylvania. The first 6 days of hiking we saw either Rattlesnakes or Copperheads on the trail each day. We also found a 8 ft Rat Snake in a tree (Anaconda was playing in my mind...). We caught up with some old trail friends from Maine and have been leap frogging with them ever since.
It looks like we may have the opportunity to jump off in Harper's Ferry and go into D.C. to visit some friends and family for a couple days which we're looking forward to.
There is so much more to tell you all, but it's nearly 5PM here and we still have over 4 miles to go for the evening. We love you and miss you, and look forward to sharing more about this journey with you.
-Preston & Abbey
Some updated mail drops:
MD 18, Harper's Ferry, WV 25425
September 26th
MD 19 Front Royal, VA 22630
September 29th-30th
MD 20, Waynesboro, VA 22980
October 5th
MD 21 Big Island, VA 24526
October 10th
Monday, September 10, 2012
Updated Estimated Mail Drop's
Hello :)
Here is the new estimated Mail Drop Dates. As always, if you sent us something, let us know so we can make sure we get it! These dates should be fairly accurate, especially if the weather stays as magnificent as it looks like it will. We're all rested up and ready to hike. Looking forward to Pennsylvania, our Half-Way Point and getting through some of the hardest of the Mid-Atlantic in the next 150 miles.
MD15 Port Clinton, PA 19549
EDA - Sept 14th
MD16 Boiling Springs, PA 17007
EDA - Sept 21st
***MD17 Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214***
EDA - Sept 24 or 25th
With Joy and Love,
Preston & Abbey
Here is the new estimated Mail Drop Dates. As always, if you sent us something, let us know so we can make sure we get it! These dates should be fairly accurate, especially if the weather stays as magnificent as it looks like it will. We're all rested up and ready to hike. Looking forward to Pennsylvania, our Half-Way Point and getting through some of the hardest of the Mid-Atlantic in the next 150 miles.
MD15 Port Clinton, PA 19549
EDA - Sept 14th
MD16 Boiling Springs, PA 17007
EDA - Sept 21st
***MD17 Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214***
EDA - Sept 24 or 25th
With Joy and Love,
Preston & Abbey
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Jersey and a Break
Shower, Laundry, Climate-Controlled Sleeping, Non-Dehydrated Food.
It's not a thru-hiker dream (well actually, that's exactly what it is) but this dream is our reality this week!
We are so fortunate to be staying with Abbey's family this week in New Jersey. Our trail Angels, Aunt Jane & Uncle Tony, and Cousin Bob (who picked us up just before a wicked storm came in) have helped make some much needed rest and relaxation become our experience for a little bit.
We have had a wonderful time since our last post, taking it fairly leisurely through New Jersey so we could time our arrival with the family, and have Really had a great time hiking. New Jersey has been one of our favorite states by far, and for many good reasons. We started New Jersey with a downpour, as we mentioned before, which proved to be essential for the balance of the environment. We were re-introduced to Spring Water, which we've missed greatly (ALL of the Springs and most of the Streams were dry in New York). Having become accustomed to Spring water for 60+ days, and then relying on tap water spigots for the last 15-20 days, we had forgotten just how good Ice-Cold Spring Water really is, both to the taste buds and to the soul. It's nice to receive from Nature vs. a water spigot...
On that note, a few people have asked us about water treatment, here's what we use: Katadyn Micropur Hiker (you can read about it there). One of the benefits of filtering besides not getting nasty bacteria like Giardia, is it assures we spend 5-10 minutes a day, just sitting with a spring or stream listening to nature and taking a little break.
Back to New Jersey...We left the hostel in Vernon and immediately got to hike with some more cows. This time we had to walk through a heard. I'm assuming hikers have fed these cows because the Mama Cows would corral their babies, and push them towards us and the other hikers we saw, encouraging them to approach us. We were having fun hanging out with them until a Bull got a little jealous of us talking to his ladies and he had no hesitation is letting us know it was time to move on.
We found a sweet little campsite that first night and called it early. The next morning we awoke super early, much earlier than needed, but we had a feeling we needed to get moving. It was lower 40's, much colder than we expected and everything was wet outside. We walked about 15 minutes and then realized we were approaching a mile long Boardwalk. And in perfect time. The sun began to rise over the trees and lifted some fog as rays of sun bursted through the Marshy Flower Fields, while deer pranced silhouetted. (Pictures are currently downloading...) Long story short, one of our favorite miles of the trail.
New Jersey had a few climbs, and some increasingly rocky terrain as we approached Pennsylvania, but we thoroughly enjoyed the scenic views, the terrain, the fire towers, the people on the trail, the atmosphere and attitude towards hikers in the State and a lovely relaxed 12-14 mile pace.
We also walked some super easy mostly flat terrain occasionally in the Delaware Water Gap area, though we had foggy weather a couple times where we couldn't see anything.
Crossed the Delaware River via a pedestrian bridge on I-80 and received an enormous amount of honking and waving from cars driving the opposite way, and crossed into our 8th state, Pennsylvania in the process. It was beginning to rain just as we arrived at 'Church of the Mountain Hiker Hostel' in Delaware Water Gap, PA. Another sweet little hiker hostel that's been hosting hikers and holding weekly pot luck dinners for the hikers since the 1970's.
Had some wonderful food from a lady named Gayle at a little restaurant named Zen Safari, which specializes in cultural food, "if you serve people food, they should be able to feel your love in it" and we DID!
Ab's cousin Bob, picked us up and took us to Jane & Tony's, and thus began our relaxation that we're delving in right this moment.
So, that's all that. As always our pictures are on Facebook, if you want to see what we're doing and where we've been, and they will be updated this week to catch us up with Mass, Conn, NY & NJ.
900 miles behind us, we Love you All :) P & A
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