It is official, we have stumbled, trudged, limped, hiked, crawled, our way through 850 miles of the Appalachian Trail as of today. An amazing feat. I get so excited everytime we cross the next 100 mile mark. Waynesboro, Virginia is our home for the night. We hiked in this morning, sat down to a huge breakfast at the local diner called Weasies. 2 pancakes larger than my head, 2 eggs, and 2 orders of bacon all under $4. Can't beat that now can you?
Since the weather has turned warmer or hotter, however you want to describe it, we have noticed a few changes in our hike. First and foremost, the increase in the insect activity. Besides the skeeters that are now prevalent, we have the nearly invisible "no-see-ums" which are quite aggressive buggers. The spiders are also in full effect. I'm sporting a few massive spider bites on my legs and one large one on my side right now. Carefully watching them in case they begin to ulcerate, in that case we need to get to a doctor for some antibiotics (could be brown recluse). But so far so good on the spider bites. Speaking of spiders...every morning now as we hike through the thick, green forest we have to break through thousands of spider webs. If you've ever walked through a spider web you know how unpleasant it is to have those sticky strings catch on your face, neck, legs, any part of your body really. It is a constant battle, pulling the webs off of your face and neck. Very irritating.
Sleeping has also become problematic due to the heat. Sleeping outside of the sleeping bag is a definite mistake, unless you want your body to be covered in insect bites. But sleeping inside the sleeping bag is nearly as bad because you become one big sticky, sweaty mess. What a fix! Megan purchased a mosquito net that we can rig up in the shelters, that has been quite useful I must say. It has saved us from hundreds of bug bites I'm sure. She purchased it in Troutville last week when she counted 54 bug bites on only one of your arms. Not a happy camper!!
The Shenandoah National Park is the next section to check off of our list. There is nearly 105 miles of A.T. in the park. According to most folks, the trail grade is reasonable, there are great vistas, and snack bars and garbage cans within walking distance every day. A true thru-hiker's paradise, I'd say. Can't wait to experience it.
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9 comments:
Hey Leslie & Megan,
Glad to hear you've made it into town. 850 miles- wow. That's absolutely amazing. Not so good to hear about the spider bites. You keep watch really good on those. Hope your package arrived in time. I put it in the mail on Monday before 12:00 noon. We just watched Spencer graduate this morning so we are off to the beach for some work and relaxation( I hope) We are praying everyday for your safety. Enjoy this day- eat good and sleep well. If you have any extra minutes on the phone card give us a call before you hit the trail again.
Love-
Tracy and Tommy
If yall got any left over antibiotics, i got a cold sore that keeps flarin up.
Hi, Leslie, Other seems to be what I check these days! I've really enjoyed reading about your adventures...I am so impressed that anyone would do this...and want to! The Moms In Touch Ladies are praying and fasting for you on Wednesdays. We pray for you physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being and that God would keep you protected and safe. Even though I wouldn't want to be doing what you're doing--I'm a little envious of your jouney and all your learning. I'm just choosing to experience vicariously through your writings and your mother's stories. Glad to hear you got a big breakfast the other morning. God bless you and Megan. Be SAFE AND HAVE FUN!
Les,
You're amazing and this journey is something that will inspire so many. Every time you retell your adventures, people will reassess their lives, I think.
I can't wait to see you soon. Hope you can enjoy the upcoming break.
Much love,
me
Leslie...
My sister traveled to northern GA for her honeymoon this week. I asked her if she and Charles hiked any of the A.T. since they are big hikers. She said she did - 10 feet of it just so they said they had. I guess they had better things to do?
Im praying for you!
Men wouldn't take a break.
Hey Leslie & Megan-
I go to the computer every day once or twice to see if you have shown up anywhere else yet. I keep you both in constant thought. Just thought you'd like to know Tommy and I are going to be in Erwin, TN next Saturday to raft down the Nolichucky. I'm so excited about it. Can't wait to hear where you are next. God Bless you both- and we love you- Tommy and Tracy
She's not the only one. Maddie and I check this site constantly. She is still asking when she will see pictures of your haircut, the way her haircut pictures were on our blog.
Can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks!
I can't believe you are going whitewater rafting, Tommy and Tracy. How fun. Who are you going with? Emily, I can't get pictures up on the blog without a personal computer of sorts. Most of the public computers that I use won't let me download pictures from my camera. Sorry. I'm working on it.
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