Virginia Part II

Day 133, Mile 1715

Hello from Damascus, VA, “The Friendliest Town on the Trail.” Or so they say. So far, I have found Damascus to be just about as friendly as every other town. But we’re planning to zero here tomorrow, so there is a still a chance for the town to amaze me. More importantly though, I am less than 5 miles from the Tennessee border, and after 530 long miles, I am almost out of Virginia!

This last stretch through Virginia has been very nice. We had a thumping good rain storm on Halloween which knocked all the leaves from the trees in one fell swoop. I felt like I woke up one day in September and it was all-of-a-sudden autumn, and then I woke up on November 1 and it was just as quickly winter! Although it’s been nice to be able to see the landscape through the bare trees, I do miss all the spectacular colors we had last month.

Lightweight and I have been hiking together since my last post, which has been really nice. We’ve both been in good spirits since we left Woodshole, I have felt very recharged and ready to take on this last stretch. A few days back G-Fog finally caught up to us as well! Since it was also his birthday, his mom and girlfriend were up to visit him, and so we ended up spending a night in their motel room and slackpacking the next day. His mom also took us to Waffle House one morning for breakfast–and it was absolutely delicious.

Owl near Old Orchard Shelter

Our last 70 miles was through the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, home to the highest point in Virginia. It was a really significant spot for us, being our first time over 5000 ft. since New Hampshire, hitting the less than 500 mile mark, and the chance to enjoy its unique “wildlife.”

Foal with its Mare

Surveying the Damage

Friendliest Pack Animal on the Trail

As you can see, the Highlands are populated by a herd of very friendly wild ponies! They came right up to us, nipped at our pockets, and dug through our bags. Fortunately, they didn’t get any of our food. Apparently, the Forest Service put the ponies there in the late 60s to help keep the “bald” areas on top of the mountain from being reforested. Whatever their purpose, they provided for a fun afternoon of photography!

Sunset from Rhododendron Gap

As I mentioned above, G-Fog finally caught up to us again and I am a firm believer in “the more the merrier.” I feel very conflicted about finishing, now that I am so close. Part of me is so anxious to be done and at home, enjoying the holidays with my friends and family. But an equally strong half of me doesn’t want to finish, because I just don’t know what I’ll do with myself if I am not walking 20 miles every day! I’m already in the job application process though, looking ahead to my next adventure. And so all I can say is “onward.”

This is what happens when we get bored…

Lightweight and I were feeling a little bit bored one afternoon, and this is what ended up happening…

One State Down, Thirteen to Go!

So long Maine, nice knowing you!

Day 31, Mile 298

As you can see by the above picture, I have successfully made it out of Maine and into New Hampshire, or the Promised Land as we have been calling it out here. I rolled into NH yesterday about 9 AM and headed into Gorham to take a zero day before hitting the White Mountains, which many consider the hardest part of the trail.

The last few weeks of Maine were really tough. After the nice sunny weather I had in the Bigelows, the rain came back in and kept everything pretty soggy. The first four major mountains outside of Stratton (my last stop) were all boxed in with clouds, so I didn’t get any views. The terrain got a lot steeper too, with 1500 foot climbs almost every day. I have begun to start thinking about my days in units of “Empire State Buildings”—oh, I’m climbing 4000 feet today, that’s four Empire State Buildings. All this is to say, there were a few really crummy, hard, long days — but then views like this one make up for all that!

Bemis Mountain

After days of rain we finally got some sun for Bemis Mountain, and it was awesome. That day had been a root/rock/mud-fest for the first 12 miles, and I was not in the best of spirits when Lightweight (a guy I was hiking with that day) and I popped up over a ridge and found a beautiful sunset waiting! It made the rest of the day worth it.

The last stretch of the trail in Maine goes over the Mahoosuc Range, what many consider the hardest, toughest, ruggedest stretch of trail on the entire AT. Time and time again, Northbounders have told me that once I am past the Mahoosucs I am golden, and now having done them I sure hope they’re right! The Mahoosucs were tough, really tough. Along with the steep and long climbs, in the middle of the range is the infamous Mahoosuc Notch, a mile of house-sized boulders that you climb over, under, around, and through.

A Typical Portion of Trail in the Mahoosuc Notch

Their difficulty really took it out of me, and I was exhausted at the end of every day, but they had some very rewarding parts as well, including long stretches of trail above treeline and views into New Hampshire. Climbing Old Speck was definitely the hardest thing I have done yet on the AT, and the whole way up I kept telling myself that I need to carry less weight! But I made it to the top and got an awesome view into New Hampshire and the White Mountains.

View from Old Speck

Speck Pond at Sunset

On my last night in Maine I got an addition to my trailname. I was talking to a northbounder about how I have had so many gear problems and that my nifty little alcohol stove (yes, it actually runs on alcohol!) was actually my third stove so far. He looked at me and said, “Three stoves in three hundred miles? At this rate you’ll have been through 20 by the time you make it to Georgia! You should be called Three Stove!” I thought it over and decided that it fit, so I’m now officially “Three Stove Tex.” It’s a good thing too, since I’ve met a lot of northbound Texans out here all called “Tex,” so I need something to distinguish myself!

I’m off to begin tackling the White Mountains tomorrow! Thanks to everyone who has read/commented/emailed/called, it’s really pulled me through. I miss everyone lots!

Away I Go

I’m here at the airport, finally on my way! It was a whirlwind weekend trying to get everything ready. Yesterday I had my ceremonial last hair cut (see picture), it feels really good. It’s been a few years since I’ve had a buzz cut, so it’s still a litttle shocking when I see my head in the mirror.

Anyways, my dad and I are flying Manchester, NH, then taking a cab in to Boston, then taking a train up to Portland to spend the night. We’ll rent a car and drive up to the trailhead in Baxter State Park tomorrow morning and start walking. Turns out the the forecast calls for rain for about the first two weeks…let’s hope my rain gear holds out.