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 By 2:10 we arrived our campsite for the night - 30-24 on Lac Grand.

Because it’s Sunday and the campsites/route for circuit 35 along Lac Grand are shared with circuit 30 I thought we might see other canoeists today. Nope not a one.

Not even using the drone.

On this trip each day after we’ve set up camp @toesalad likes to take a drone tour of the area. It’s always such an interesting perspective.

Today I learned how to fly the drone. I went to that island across the channel and back.

The beach here is lovely. Not a swimming beach “beach” but a nice canoeing beach “beach”.

Today’s paddle was our longest of the trip. Approx. 22.75 km, because we had a wee portage of 20 m and mostly the wind at our backs we made great time. And finished the day in 5 hours. Portages and wind direction make all the difference in terms of how long it takes. At one point our pace was 6.5 km/hour.

Day 30 - Hot Springs, NC to Spring Mountain Shelter

11 miles

We left the hostel at 8:30 this morning. It was hard to feel motivated after last night's thunderstorms and the forecasted rain for today.

I enjoyed my morning coffee with Lumberjack and Flipper.

On our way out of town we stopped for breakfast at the Take Out Grill, by the French Broad River. We ate a huge hiker breakfast. I thoroughly enjoyed my kale and 4 pieces of french toast. Left the dinner to start our hike in earnest around 9:30.

It was a boring, uneventful day and an unremarkable camp. Bloodroot & Red Hawk and Seven are here tonight. I'm considering stopping blogging while we're on the trail. This is a hard thing to consider.

Tenacious Bling had sore legs today and was kind of mopey. (She didn't complain once when hiking with the families last week.)

Padawan has an irritated eye.

@toesalad made a great veggie red curry supper with rice.

Day 77 - US 60/Buena Vista, VA to Hog Camp Gap

6.3 miles

Today is Sunday. Usually I forget details like days of the week but since we were in town I was reminded with a closed post office and church gatherings. There is no Sunday vibe for us, in town or on the trail, it's all the same. This morning I finished the laundry, @toesalad did computer work and we repaired some gear.

We left town at 2pm, getting a ride back to the trail with Loon. I was sad to leave Buena Vista. This seems like a nice community to live in, lots of potential and a great location (close to mountains). Of course I'm just hiking through, but I liked it. When I visit new towns I often ask myself the question, "could I live here?" And I felt a yes answer to Buena Vista. But maybe I'm just missing home, wherever that it.

Getting back on the trail was a let down. Hiking up Bald Knob I was overcome with homesickness, a longing for domesticity, and a life where you drive cars and visit friends on a Sunday afternoon, not hike out of town.

And then I was overcome by hunger, ravenous. I didn't tank up enough in town, making sure instead that the kids ate a lot of food. The hostel was far enough from the grocery store that we only made one run there even though I could have easily scarfed down more snacks.

I was sobbing with homesickness and hunger. Or maybe it was just hunger. Who can tell? And I had to climb 2,000 feet. I was miserable, so I sat down and ate a bunch of food from my food bag, and there was plenty in there to choose from because we just re-supplied. @toesalad and @celine went ahead to filter water and I caught up with them at the next junction.

Our hiking day ended at Hog Camp Gap. It was a short hiking day but we didn't start till after 2pm.

I love this camp spot. It's a beautiful meadow with wild strawberries. There is a wilderness school camped out here tonight, over in the trees by the water source.

We're camping tonight with Casper and Padawan is in her new tent.

Where is home? And how can I miss something so much that I can't even define?

Day 7 - Unicoi Gap Resupply to Cheese Factory Site Camp on Tray Mountain

3.4 miles

Overcast day, rain in evening, cool.

During our 24 hour time off the trail at the Whitlarks we resupplied our food for the next 5 days on the trail. I did all our laundry, managed our finances, caught up on email, and we worked on our video series.

I was anxious to get back on the trail after the whirldwind of work off-trail, but hiking again felt strange. I suppose we'll grow used to these post-resupply transition periods.

We started back on the trail at 3:15 this afternoon and arrived at camp at 6:30, having realized along the way that Toesalad left his watch at the Whitlarks. Ugh.

There is a hiker group here tonight, people we recognize: Bloodroot, Red Hawk, Fall and Oats. Nice to see the "gang" again.

It started raining while we were finishing supper. Feeling cranky about items left or misplaced during our resupply.

Went to sleep late last night, looking forward to a good sleep tonight.

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.

Day 13 - Winding Stair Gap to Siler Bald Shelter

4.2 miles

Had a busy morning shopping for food, doing laundry and taking care of mail. Shipping and receiving stuff along the trail is handy but it also complicates our town stops.

@toesalad and the kids packed the food, the Easts provided pizza for lunch (pizza....) and we were able to get back on the trail by 4pm. (2 hours later than we hoped. It's hard to get out on a schedule, always so much to do.)

Siler Bald is 4.2 miles from Winding Stair Gap, plus the .5 mile access trail. Even a half mile feels so long at the end of the day.

The Lost Boys, as I'm calling Viking and his gang, are here tonight. Along with Jack & Diane. The Lost Boys were happy to see us. And the kids were thrilled to have met up with them again.

Everyone climbed on the roof of the shelter for a photo op. The boys had packed in a box of wine and shared some with me. It's good to be back on the trail.

The moon is amazing tonight.

Day 64 - Pearisburg to Rice Field Shelter

6.9 miles

After a fitful night's sleep shared with 20+ hikers, Smoking Bear's snoring, and the fluorescent glow of the Pepsi machine, I was relieved to get up this morning in anticipation of getting out of Dodge.

This is the end of the trail for my parent's hike with us and @hammerhead got a shuttle back to Damascus to pick up their car, about 2 hours there and 2 hours back to Pearisburg. It took us 2 weeks to hike that distance.

We took care of our re-supply this morning, sorting and re-packing our food bags and doing laundry. At check-out time we moved from the motel to the Dairy Queen where we "hung out", using wifi and doing our internet work with a spotty connection.

Dad rejoined us by this point and had a car, so he helped us with making 2 trips to the post office. It's getting too warm for our tights so we mailed those back along with the Bearpaw Wilderness Designs tent (we prefer our Tarp Tent).

Both @toesalad and I are frustrated with the work of town stops, no rest for the weary.

We said goodbye to my mom in the Dairy Queen parking lot and Dad drove us back to the trailhead .9 miles out of Pearisburg. I was very sad to be saying goodbye to my parents and getting back onto the trail, and Dad was sad to be leaving us.

I was downright miserable hiking out of town. My hip is bothering me today and it's hot and the pack is heavy with a 6 day load of food, our heaviest yet. The fragrant honeysuckle at the trailhead was a small consolation for my misery.

We crossed the bridge and hiked up behind the big factory in town. The trail here had been newly graded with a machine and was re-routed to a longer route to the shelter. Ugh. Lots of climbing.

We found wild strawberries off Pocahontas road, what a gift and way better tasting than the ones from the grocery store in town.

Our arrival at the shelter tonight was glorious. The view was magnificent from Rice Field and we saw Loon who is camped tonight out on the field.

We didn't arrive at the shelter till 8 pm, since we started out of town late at 4 pm. @toesalad prepared supper, as he always does and it was dark by the time I did the dishes.

I am grateful there is no one here tonight, other than Loon out in the field, past the fence. After a couple nights of crowds I'm happy for the privacy.

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.

Day 32 - Jerry Cabin Shelter to Hogback Ridge Shelter

14.7 miles

Hard day number two. The day started in fog, which was beautiful.

In the early afternoon we hiked up from the road crossing at Rector Laurel Road, which was also very beautiful. An open meadow leading to woodlands with a cascade. That was my favorite section of the day.

And coming up to the top of Lick Rock (!) mountain, the trees in bud, rolling terrain, that was lovely also and the happiest part of the day.

Tenacious Bling and I did a lot of complaining today.

We all feel pressed for time trying to make camp at a decent time, since we all look forward to that time of the day, when there is "time" to do our own thing - read, journal, play games, relax.

This is a real struggle.

@toesalad did a lot of walking with me today as my feet are sore, from the rocks on yesterday's ridge trail, and I'm slower because of that. That was a kind thing.

We reached Hogback Shelter around 6pm, had a great supper, as usual.

Three solo hikers, older men, are in the shelter tonight. Red Hawk and Bloodroot are camping here tonight.

Day 46 - Double Spring gap campsite to Damascus, VA

12.8 miles

We crossed into Virginia this afternoon and hiked down into Damascus for Trail Days.

It rained on and off the whole day and it rained hard as we were coming down the mountain into Damascus.

I felt a bit disorientated on our arrival and trying to find accommodations in a town full of hikers. I was cold and wet and not feeling great. Found temporary shelter at the public library while @toesalad found a place to stay.

We secured a spot on the grass at The Place, a hiker hostel in town. I've read so much about this trail institution. It shows up in all the trail stories I've read.

Then I got sick, violently ill with a stomach bug. Throwing up into the blue chemical soup of a porta-potty in the midst of a bunch of one-person tents stretched on a lawn in the middle of Trail Days, and stumbling back to the warmth of my sleeping bag and wanting to die - this is something I will never forget.

I want to go home. And I don't even have a home to go back to.

This is the worst day ever.

Day 36 - Indian Grave Gap to Orchard Campsite (363.6 mi)

13.1 miles

I'm writing this while @toesalad is massaging my calf.

It was a great hiking day, one of my best. Gorgeous, early summer temperatures. Clear skies, good pace, and a happy crew.

I was up early again, at 5:20.

We got out of camp, with ease, at 7:30 this morning. Hiked in one hour segments, before taking a 15 minute break, instead of our usual 45 minutes.

Took our lunch break at Cherry Gap Shelter. Met Bear Juice, saw TBird and met Bill Murray, so named because he looks a lot like the actor.

Trail magic at last road crossing at Iron Mountain Gap. Bob has been there every day since March sometime. Enjoyed sodas and loosened up on our "no sodas" rule that we made after Hot Springs.

We made camp tonight in an old apple orchard. Three other hikers are here also, we don't know them. It's lovely here. And we weren't completely exhausted by the time we arrived. The evening was relaxed, it feels like I haven't had one of those in weeks.

I laughed a lot today which was a nice change from last week. Today was a hiking gift, gratefully accepted.

Day 19 - Cody Gap to Fontana Dam Shelter

9.8 miles

It was overcast today but no rain.

For days we've been looking forward to Fontana Dam and the start of the Smokies and now we're here.

Padawan wasn't feeling well this afternoon so @toesalad carried her pack for a while, he's a good leader.

We arrived at the Fontana "Hilton" early midafternoon. That last mile of hiking seemed to take forever, hiking along the lake's edge. The lake's water level is controlled by the dam, as evidenced by the trash that's discarded at the high water mark along the shore.

The Fontana Hilton is a large shelter and there is a large group of hikers here tonight. They are enjoying themselves and it's easy to see how this shelter gets its' party reputation. It's a gathering place and it's easy to bring alcohol here located as it is just a few miles, a short hitch or shuttle ride, from Fontana Village.

In addition to the shelter there are tents set up everywhere.

It's 9pm and we're tucked into bed now, fellow hikers are drinking, chatting and laughing outside, but most people are making their way to bed now and things are quieting down.

Tomorrow we enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Forest.

Attending #hikenovascotia summit this spring introduced me to new trails - those already well-travelled and others in-the-making - and to kindred-spirit hiking friends. Two of whom (#mindymccleave and #meganmoore) were eager to test new tents and experience a first over-nighter on the trail. I suggested we choose an entry-level hike within 3 hours of our homes, where I experienced my foray into overnight camping with @hammerhead @toesalad @reneetougas @brienne @mypictograph @celine, the Bluff Wilderness Trail which I’ve posted about before. https://wrweo.ca/wp/blufftrailmaprevised2016-10-26/. For having just met we were a very compatible three-some: stopped regularly for photos and snacks and views, shared enjoyable trail-talk, and maintained a steady hiking pace that got us into camp early enough for a dip in the lake, short trek to stream to filter water, and have supper eaten before the black flies chased us to our tents. A full moon; a symphony of peepers, loons, owls, geese - a magical night leading into the next day’s 4-hour hike back to the trailhead.

To and from the parking lot, plus the perimeter of the four trail loops and one cross-cut, we hiked about 33 KM - each carrying packs with 25-34 lb. We all agreed we’d packed along more than needed (excluding the tetra pak of red wine!) and that the trek was a unanimous success to launch into over-night hiking!

Day 29 - Zero Day at Hot Springs, NC

0 miles

Slept in this morning till 7:30. Enjoyed some leisurely computer time then went to the main hostel area and watched the slow trickle of thru-hiker friends coming in - Lost Boys, Bloodroot & Red Hawk, Flipper and others.

It was a busy day but I had some fun feeling like a thru-hiker, hanging out a Hiker's Ridge Ministries downtown, doing laundry, walking up and down mainstreet doing errands.

Cooked the strangest lunch of curry mung bean noodles. Baltimore Jack shared with me food he'd prepared just for our family and I felt obliged to add it to the existing fare, so I mixed it all up, like a hiker hash, into one pot. Not sure that was such a good idea.

After lunch we went back into town to do more errands: to the post office, haircuts, and shopping at Bluff Mountain Outfitters.

Said goodbye to James family. Not sure when we'll see them again.

Back at the hostel I did more computer work, ordered stuff online, made arrangements for our next resupply at Roan Mountain, TN.

Cooked a great tofu and veggie supper with only oil, salt and pepper for seasoning. @toesalad organized our food bags.

The kids enjoyed hanging out with their hiking buddies today, Lost Boys et al.

Going to bed a little late tonight, 10:30.

Day 78 - Hog Gap Camp to VA 56 Tye River

19.1 miles

Today was a long day and the 3,000 ft descent down from The Priest to VA 56 was tiring at the end of the day, that's for sure.

The day was beautiful but the weather is heating up and we were hot at midday.

The morning was fairly easy hiking, a lovely morning really, rolling terrain and nice trail. We met up with Loon and interviewed him on video. We're always happy to see Loon.

We hiked through another Salt Log Gap. This one at a road crossing, USFS 63, and there was trail magic soda, always a welcome treat on a warm day.

We were making really good time today so we stopped for a midday nap. @toesalad is still recovering from being dehydrated a few nights ago, when he expended a ton of energy and water looking for water, to no avail. He seems more tired since that experience and like his body needs more rest. I'm always ready for a midday rest.

This was my second nap on the trail in two and a half months of hiking. I take naps on a semi-regular basis in my normal life, once or twice every couple week, whenever my body needs an afternoon rest. Not having that option on the trail has been both mentally and physically difficult. Some days it seems like every fiber of my being longs to have an afternoon nap, and we walk on, but today we rested.

Ironically, I didn't sleep but I did enjoy the reprieve. Because of the bugs, which weren't bad in that spot, but definitely bothersome if you're trying rest, Padawan, @toesalad and I set up our tents. We're experienced now so that job only took a few minutes. Padawan enjoyed the quiet time in her tent but Otter found the break boring.

We decided to have our big meal at 3pm, at the end of our siesta. That allowed us to hike through late afternoon and early evening till dusk. And just snack during the afternoon and evening before bed. It's nice to mix things up a bit.

The hike up to The Priest was buggy. The shelter area at the top of the mountain was unappealing and the log book, which has a hiker confession theme (Priest Mountain) was more ribald than necessary.

We left the shelter and hiked the 3,000 ft down to VA 56. It was difficult and tiring. We got our water for the night from Cripple Creek. We're not in wilderness in this part of VA, not the wilderness we're used to at least, and the water from a mountain creek seems safer, less chance of all manner of contaminants, than the river at the bottom of the valley.

There is no campsite here, we've pitched our tents so they aren't visible from the road but there's nothing stealth about our site. Camping across the suspension bridge seems more prudent but we couldn't find the space.

I don't like being so close to the road and to houses and the accompanying guard dogs. There are loud dogs in this neighborhood. I miss the woods.

Day 41 - Upper Laurel Fork to river campsite

14 miles

This morning was rain showers and uninspiring terrain.

At 3pm we hit Dennis Cove Road and we could smell the grill before we saw the sign, "trail magic". And just like that the day went from blah to wonderful!

We stopped for a couple hours and @toesalad was able to get off his feet and relieve some of the swelling and pain from his bee sting. One of the hosts was a paramedic and wrapped Damien's foot for him.

We all enjoyed a full course bbq meal from hosts Jake and Jennifer who have family connections to a cabin on Dennis Cove Road.

At 5:30 we pulled ourselves away from rest and friends, hiked to Laurel Falls, the most spectacular water feature so far on the trail. The rhododendrons are in bloom and the hillsides are pink with the blossoms. Hiked along a gorge out of Laurel Falls. It was magical with the intense spring green, the profusion of blossoms and the water below.

We're camping tonight along a river, not sure of the name. Trail magic saved us the hassle of cooking supper so all we had to do was set up camp and hang bear bags before going to bed.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and we'll be hiking as usual but this afternoon's trail magic, the beauty of Laurel Falls and this campsite all feel like a Mother's Day gift to me.

A few new town acquisitions.

1. Camp/town shoes. Turquoise crocs with added toe loops (thanks Quiet Storm for that idea) to attach to carabiner on backpack. On the AT I had various pairs of run-down flip flops for town. I didn’t start this hike with any town/camp shoes, wasn’t sure I’d need them. But after all the mud and rain I definitely wanted easy dry lightweight shoes for town. And one of my fav. colors!

2. Compression sleeves for calf and knees. After taking this photo at the motel I bought another knee sleeve because it felt so good on my “bad” knee that my good knee was feeling “bad”. I don’t know if it’s inflammation, arthritis, both/and something els, but my knees were starting to really hurt the last 3 days before town, especially bad on day 5 coming into Manchester. I have been enjoying the hike so much but the pain in my knees was really demoralizing. Also my Achilles was killing me. Ack, makes me feel old! @toesalad did some research when we got to town (as he is so good at doing) and figured compression sleeves would help the Achilles and also probably the knees. I thought I’d only need one but bought another.

While in town I also bought a s$&tload of turmeric pills at the health food store to help with the inflammation. Arthritis is a likely culprit as my mom struggles with that also.

I’m leaving town with compression sleeves, supplements, and lots of ibuprofen.

The night before @toesalad started his second section and southbound hike on the Long Trail in Vermont we needed a place to sleep in the Burlington area.

One thing we LOVE about the United States are its public lands, forests and parks. The mountainous regions of Northern New England have lots of these lands. And in many places primitive camping is allowed, under certain conditions and restrictions.

This is free camping and we’ll take this option over a campground any chance we get. The price is right, free. The locations are usually quieter and more remote. And it suits our needs great which is to just have a place to pitch a tent and sleep.

We’re not campground people. We don’t go camping to camp. We don’t need services like toilets and showers and activities. We camp as accommodation on our way places, we camp to be in the woods. We camp because we want to hike nearby. Primitive camping suits our needs and interests perfectly.

It’s been hard to find these places in Quebec.

After hiking the AT and never paying for camping its disorientating and restrictive to pay to sleep in the woods.

We are very respectful of the land, always LNT, and we try to follow the rules. 1000 ft from the road was a hard one at this spot and we fudged it.

At this particular spot we met the grandson, a grandfather himself, of the man who donated this land to help build Camels Hump State park. He is working in a habitat restoration project in the area.

It was a privilege to meet him and consider his family’s gift to Vermont and people like us - foreigners who love the woods and appreciate places where we can responsibly recreate.

#dispersedcamping #vermont #camelshumpstatepark

Day 65 - Rice Field Shelter to Bailey Gap Shelter

16.5 miles

Slept in a wee bit this morning, started hiking just before 8:00 am.

It was a nice morning walking on the ridge, easy terrain.

Fog and mist rolled in, followed by rain. Took a break at a trail crossing with Tuna, Connecticut Girl, David Bowie and 2 more people whose names I've forgotten. It was fun to be with people, which was surprising to me since I was SO done with people after Pearisburg.

Enjoyed another break at Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, chatted with Smooth D, shared his avocado.

Shortly after this shelter we passed The Captain's, a renowned trail stop, just across the stream from the AT. You take a zip line to cross the stream and arrive in The Captain's yard, where you are welcome to pitch a tent for the night. We missed the annual Hiker Feed by a few days, hosted 2 weeks after trail days.

After this we had a long, steep climb to Bailey Gap Shelter, where we are camped tonight.

It was a long hiking day, but ok. We listened to music for hours and no one was particularly low today. And earlier, while we were walking through the fog, the kids reminisced for what seemed like hours about their early childhood. Listening to them I thought, "these kids have had a good childhood". Something I need to be reminded of on this intense (sometimes grueling) family adventure. It was a happy mother moment.

@toesalad and I talked about future possibilities of traveling and adventure with base camp and how to set up our lives to support this. This was a fun, lighthearted, and optimistic conversation unlike some of the heavy and hard conversations of last week.

There are more days of rain forecasted but none at camp tonight.

Day 16 - NOC

0 miles (a zero)

I slept in this morning and listened to the rain, probably the most delicious feeling ever. To hear rain outside the tent and not have to get up and hike.

Did some internet work while cozy in my sleeping bag.

At 10 am we packed up to go hang-out for the day at the open air bar/pavillion area. I imagine in summer this is a busy place but it was fairly quiet on this early spring day, midweek.

Used the outlets to charge our devices and did more online work: paying bills, email and attempting to upload photos to Facebook, while the kids did their own thing.

We applied, paid for and printed our Smokies Permits, and spent part of the day chatting with friends, eating chips, drinking coffee and hot chocolate.

A good day but still a busy day for Damien and I, though not as hectic as a resupply stop.

At 4pm we checked into the room we reserved at the motel lodge. We are sharing a double room, with a loft, with Red Hawk & Bloodroot. They get one bed, @toesalad and I get the other. The kids are on mattresses on the floor.

Feels like luxury to have laundry facilities, TV, large common room and small kitchen area. We ate leftovers we found in the fridge, and it didn't even seem like a weird thing to do.

We ate a trail supper (can't afford supper out two nights in a row) and spent time chatting with other hikers, as well as blogging and doing email.

I'm going to bed late after wrestling with a writing app on my iPad.

The weather here in the valley wasn't the icy rain predicted by the weather forecast but it was chilly and it was a nice rest to not be hiking today.