Journal Entries

Another sick kid!!

Padawan, usually so stoic and steady, was too weak this morning to hike, another kid down and another zero day of rest.

Making plans for the day from the A.T. Guide book. We're going to take a zero today for Padawan to rest and the family will be doing some local sightseeing.

Day 55 - Marion, VA (Mt Rogers Visitor Center) to Chatfield Memorial Shelter

6.8 miles

@toesalad was up early this morning to go buy our resupply groceries. We packed our food bags, re-packed our backpacks, and left the hotel at noon. Tenacious Bling is moving slow this morning but regaining energy.

Walked to McDonalds to finish our work before getting back on the trail.

Hitched a ride out of town at 3:30 with a family en route to a picnic. They squeezed our whole family, all seven of us, into their pick-up truck. The cab had two rows of seats which made this possible, as they were a family of four, plus a dog.

Today was a beautiful summer day.

Started our hike at 4 pm.

I was disappointed and uninspired upon our arrival to the shelter. It was getting dark, there were no familiar faces or friends, the tent sites were terrible, and there was a party feel to the atmosphere at the shelter.

I don't know why I'm so cranky but three family members sick in the last week probably has something to do with it.

Found a hitch for our whole family in a pick up truck. Kids are in front with the driver's family and his dog. The adults are in the box of the truck with our seven backpacks and driver's bike.

The things your parents tell you not to do like hitchhiking and taking food from strangers are perfectly acceptable trail practices.

On the road again. Looking for a hitch out of town.

Before we leave town this afternoon we need to spend some time at McDonalds doing video project and internet work. Kids hang out on the grass outside while @toesalad and I finish up our work indoors.

Tenacious Bling is feeling better this morning. Tired but not sick.

Day 54 - Marion, Virginia

0 miles

Tenacious Bling got sick last night.

After getting back from supper @toesalad and I went for a long walk to talk about my pent-up frustrations with losing my routines around writing and blogging, my frustrations with hiking in general. This was more hard conversations, that carried over from earlier in the day as we hiked to Mt Rogers Visitors Center.

We came back to the motel at midnight with a few things resolved, at least for now, and shortly after we arrived, Tenacious Bling came over to the room (she had been sleeping in Nana & Papa's room) with complaints of not feeling well.

She puked and dry heaved from 12:30 till 4:30. It was exhausting for all of us. I felt so bad for her. We all managed to sleep from 4:30 to 7:30am. And @toesalad helped calm Tenacious Bling down as she was very distraught and anxious in her discomfort.

Even before Tenacious Bling got sick last night we had decided to take a zero today in Marion to help relieve the post-Damascus stress and fatigue.

@toesalad and Tenacious Bling spent the day sleeping in the darkened motel room. I shopped for the day's food, did internet work, paid bills.

Otter spent the day with Papa and my dad helped us with our mail drop and supplies. I tried to take it easy while also managing laundry and tending to sick and recovering family members.

We're all going to bed early tonight to get as rested as possible before we get back on the trail tomorrow.

Day 53 - Trimpi Shelter to Mt Rogers Visitor Center (Marion, VA)

10 miles

Experienced a wild thunderstorm last night at Trimpi shelter. Tenacious Bling was frightened.

Rain splashed into our tents during the night from the hard packed earth we were forced to camp on having arrived in the dark and without many options for better site selection. We slept-in this morning till 7:30 because our late arrival last night. The very wet ground and our dirty tents dampened our moods once we did get up.

We hiked to Marion today. Terrain mostly uninspiring but also fairly easy. While the kids hiked with their grandparents @toesalad and I had some hard talks about marriage, hiking, and life direction.

Arrived at Mt Rogers Visitor Center just after 2pm and met up with YWAM again! We took the Marion Transit bus shuttle into town and paid .50 per person.

We checked into the Travel Inn Motel and went to Yummy Yummy Japanese Restaurant to celebrate Padawan's birthday, she's 15 today. We got a cab to take us back to the motel. It feels strange to be in a civilization as a family without a vehicle.