June 6 - Goading Rattlesnakes

Woo hoo!!!

Luna Moth

From PJ:

It's [the Luna Moth's] wing was torn, so it might be in trouble.

This is the third turtle I've seen. They always make me laugh because it seems like they are hiking the trail, too - just very slow.

Plus, we like to say that we are in "turtle mode" whenever we are moving slow.

I made this into the wallpaper in my phone.

***

A group of at least five helicopters just flew over me. Must be Burt Reynolds or something.

I'm only about 50 miles out of DC. Down in Georgia and North Carolina we would see a lot of military planes training.

***

I just finished a little snack. I'm pretty excited because in about 6 miles there is a pizza place so Patriot and I are gonna go there and pig out.

And tomorrow only doing about three miles into Harper's Ferry. Probably eat a bunch of food there, possibly go tubing if the weather holds up. I know there is a hurricane/tropical storm to the south of us. Beautiful weather today, though.

[Catania: When Pete and I watched this, Pete said, "I can tell PJ has been on the hike a while now - he is GOADING a rattlesnake!"]

From PJ:

Haha! I almost stepped on him. He didn't rattle until the last second. I may have used a "sentence enhancer"...as dad likes to call it.

Circle of Life

It stunk bad.

Worse than I do.

I always want to pick up the turtles and bring them with me, but we try to let nature be out here, maaaaan. {peace sign emoji, peace sign emoji, peace sign emoji}

June 5 - In VA

From PJ:

The Proclaimers can kiss my grits.

[Catania - I think that PJ is referring to this post.]

This is an old picture, but I don't think I sent it to you.

June 3 - Turtle Power

Leave Me Alone

Bear count is up to 11. The two I saw today didn't want to be photographed.

June 2 - The Byrd's Nest (or something like that)

From PJ:

[The bear from last night] never came back. I'd be in trouble if a bear attacked me in my sleeping bag. It's mummy style and takes forever for me to get out of.

Not snow - just dirt.

I'm sleeping in a shelter tonight for only the third time on the trip. Been raining steady for a while now. I'm at the Byrd's nest or something like that. No bears today...yet.

Don't feel like dealing with wet gear.

I'm more worried about the mice in a shelter than the bears.

There's a dog in here which is good for keeping away critters. Fireplace, too.

I got a ride to breakfast...

June 1 - Big Meadows Campground

From PJ:

[Those videos] are from yesterday. Saw one more big one after that. Although that could have been a squatch.

Snail

From PJ:

Only wildlife today so far.

He looks like he outgrew his home

Another Bear Sighting

This one was pretty big. We scoped each other out, and then he ran off.

Dude Crew

We are in bear country for real. Patriot and I just set up camp in a very popular area - Big Meadows Campground. Technically we are not on the campground because it costs 20 bucks, so we just set up on the other side of the road in the woods a bit. We got camp set up and were just hanging out when I saw a black bear about 10 yards away. Just casually walking towards us. He walked off when I yelled at him, but I figured he wanted to check out the dumpsters about 200 yards behind us.

There are also tons of deer around here that could care less about humans. The Shenandoahs are awesome because it is a really touristy area, so every 20 miles or so there is a wayside (restaurant) or camp store. I sold out today and did laundry and took a hot shower. It was glorious.The showers were actually really nice, I came out feeling like a new person.

Also the terrain and elevation are really easy. I was able to get in 20 miles today by 4 o'clock, then eat, shower, do laundry, charge my anker and phone before bed. 

May 31 - BEARS!!!

From PJ:

[Catania said: AHHHHH!]

I'm in VA for another week. I saw the first bear cub when I was on a side trail. He seemed a little curious about me and took a couple of steps towards me but backed off when I yelled at him. I took a few more steps and didn't even see the mom right in front of me. I was within 15 ft of both of them. 

I went to the loft Mt. Wayside to eat lunch. Burger and fries. Came back with a girl who was waiting for me because she saw the bears, too and didn't want to walk back alone. When we got back, I saw three and then four bears! They couldn't care less about me, the mom especially.

The mom was just in the stream looking for fish or bugs. There was one cub who walked towards me again, probably the first one I saw but they weren't scary at all.

One was climbing a tree, which was pretty funny.

It was awesome. Right next to the road, too. But it really wasn't that scary. They quickly accepted me as one of their own.

[Catania: Maybe it's because of your scent...when's the last time you showered? ;) ]

Its been 9 days or so. I could have showered today, but I'm not a sissyboy.

Might as well poop on the toilet.

[Catania: Rex just told me he wants you to catch the baby bear and bring it to him so he can tame it.]

I'll try to capture one for him. These cubs were pretty big, though. Probably a year. Over 100 lbs.

***

Up to seven bears for the day. Also passed 900 miles.

May 28 - Living Like Kings

From PJ:

Patriot's friends from home are hiking with us, so we had marinated chicken and roasted potatoes last night. Today I left before everyone and already hit trail magic this morning. Now someone just told me there is trail magic half a mile ahead. Tonight we will have steaks for dinner. Living like kings out here.

And only hiking 16 miles today!

Taking a break at Cedar Cliffs. Mile 846.5

We did a 3,000 ft climb yesterday and that was a challenge. Took a while with a lot of people.

***

Only one snake today.

One of the craziest things about hiking so much is your calorie intake becomes very important. I've been trying to eat 500 calories for breakfast and lunch (each) which can be tough when you're carrying food for a week or more. Also been drinking over a gallon of water most days. Today was awesome, but an aberration. Trail magic definitely thins out the further north you go. Usually very hard not to run a calorie deficit.

It's weird how routine everything has become. I can't say I sleep great out here, but I do enjoy just laying down after hiking all day. I can lay in the grass with bugs crawling on me and still be comfortable.

***

Tomorrow we hit the Shenandoah's. The trail is supposed to be relatively easy through there. A good thing about the touristy areas is that the trails are usually a little easier. Still some climbing, but the terrain is usually much easier than normal.

Also there are little stores and restaurants right off the trail there.

We're really exicted to be getting into the 900s and of course 1000. Every 100 mile marker is a big mental boost, but 1,000 will be huge. Also should be out of Virginia in a little over a week.

Still taking it easy this weekend, but on Tuesday will pick up the miles. 20 mile days will be relatively easy in the Shenandoahs.

West VA and Maryland will be really quick. Some people try to do 4 states in a day. Camp at the edge of VA and hike to the southern edge of PA - 40 miles or so. Not me, though. I plan on stopping in at Harper's Ferry. I'm not gonna stay at the hostel tomorrow. I got a ride in town to resupply, but will come right back out.

I'm excited [about seeing family in PA], too. Still haven't taken a true zero day. A couple short ones, but it will be nice to rest. And eat!

I might go a hundred or so miles into PA before I meet with mom, hopefuly Clyde Miller will do a little section of the AT with me. He'd love it!

There are a good amount of dogs out here which is fun. The day we had the hound dogs it was pretty cool to have hiking companions. I think that Clyde would be fine hiking on the AT, but I'm not sure about camping. He's a foo-foo.

May 27 - Rattler

From PJ:

I just saw a massive rattler. Probably 4x the girth of the one I saw the other day. I have a picture, but the signal isn't strong enough. This one had more of a typical rattler pattern and a loud rattle. Lucily, I was behind a bunch of people who let me know it was there.

Gotta look close to see him

May 26 - Battletoads

battle toads

From PJ:

99.2 miles in five days. I'm pooped.

Easy weekend coming up. Probably gonna stay at a hostel on Sunday in Waynesboro. I need to resupply. All these miles have me eating a lot of food.

[Catania told PJ that she hoped he had a chic-fil-a in Waynesboro.]

No chic-fil-a there, but there is just about everything else. I plan on hitting the Ming Garden all you can eat buffet. I may put them out of business.

May 25 - Punch Bowl Mountain

From PJ:

Sad, but this was one tough kid. I'm at the top of Punch Bowl Mountain. I'm sweating buckets.

Just had a standoff with a Rattlesnake.

Got a photo and video, but signal isn't strong enough to send right now.

I didn't even realize it was a rattler til after I moved it with my trekking pole.

I got by.

He was sunbathing. He was black, so I thought it was another rat snake, but when I flipped him I could see more of a typical rattler pattern. Then he rattled his tail, and I ran like a little schoolgirl.

rattlesnake

800 Miles

The snake doesn't look like a rattlesnake, but in the video, you can hear the rattle.

I also saw some cool frogs/taods today. I should be able to send out some pics in the morning. Yeah, I didn't know rattlesnakes could be black, but I googled it to be sure, and saw some photos.

This one looked like a young one, which are more dangerous than adults. They don't know how to control the amount of venom they release, so they end up letting it all out.

This snake acted differently than other snakes I've encountered, too. Usually, the rat snakes slither away as you approach them. This one coiled up after I poked it, and it wouldn't move.

The video is pretty funny, too. The camerawork sucks, but you can hear the rattle and then me freaking out.

Finished up today at mile 807. Had to do a couple extra miles because there was nowhere to camp.

Oh - also I twisted my ankle today. Not too bad. I put a brace on it. It's a little swollen and bruised, but nothing major. One more big day tomorrow, and then some 12-15 mile days this weekend. Patriot's friends from home are coming and bringing a bunch of real food for us so that will be fun.

I'm actually really proud of how my ankles are holding up. If that happened last year before I started training for this hike, I definitely would have at least sprained if not broken it...

Or maybe there's just so much scar tissue that it holds my ankle in place.

May 24 - Jon's Hollow Shelter

Alien Monitoring Station

The guillotine 

From PJ:

So today will be the first full day it won't rain in a month. Pretty awesome.

I've been watching this thing by Ken Burns about America's National Parks. It's really cool. It's free on Amazon Prime.

[Catania told PJ about some of her own hiking plans]

That sounds like a good hike. I always like when we go through evergreens. It's like a whole different trail.

Well, I just finished lunch. I'm at Highcock Knob (I didn't name it). Will finish tonight at John's Hollow Shelter. Another 20 mile plus day.

***

This is gonna sound like a commercial, but I bought an Anker eternal battery charger off Amazon, and this thing is awesome. It was only $21 and it will fully charge my phone 5 times. It's small, too, and it only weighs 8 oz. It's great for hiking, but I will definitely use it when I'm done, too.

It will charge anything with a USB port, too. I charge my iPod as well.

It's much better than the solar charger I bought. I ended up sending that home. Even when it was sunny, that thing didn't work as advertised. Also the battery pack that came with it would barely charge my phone once.

The Anker is cool, too because it chargers quicker than a regular outlet. It takes less than 45 minutes to charge my phone once.

I should be on their commercial.

There were some kids jumping off this bridge. It was tempting, but I kept hiking. 

That is the James River.

Spiderwort

We did 21.7 miles, and I was done by 4:45. We cookin' with gas now.

That's why I like hiking with Patriot. He's a little younger, so he pushes the pace. I usually can't keep up with him but we always end up at the same spot.

He's got some friends coming this weekend, so we'll tone down the miles a little bit for three days.

Next week we hit the Shenandoah's, and it's basically flat from there to New Hampshire.

[Patriot] got the nickname because his gear just happened to be red, white, and blue. He didn't plan it that way.

And yes - I'm still Earnhardt. I did have Talladega Nights on my phone, but I decided to delete it to make space.

***

The best part about the AT is that there are no rules. Well, therea re just no lame bosses or anyone to enforce them.

***

It's funny. Out here even a crappy restaurant sounds really good. Even when I ate at Wendy's, it tasted really good. Although Wendy's was always better than BK and especially McDonald's.

I will not eat at either of those even if it was the only option.

I put Chic-Fil-A in a separate (non-fast-food) category...

May 23 - Cornelius Creek

From PJ:

I just read that they killed the wrong bear that bit that guy in the Smokeys.

So...I'm at Cornelius Creek shelter - mile 764 or so. It ended up storming pretty bad last night, so my stuff was dry for about 12 hours. The weather is supposed to be good for the next few days though, so that's exciting.

Trails have thinned out a lot. I only saw 5 other hikers all day. Much easier hiking now that I was able to resupply. Mom sent me a bunch of food, and Dad hooked me up with some cash, so that helps a lot. Also helps that there was a Kroger in the last town, so I was able to get a lot of stuff there for only 20 bucks. At the gas station, it probably would have been 60 bucks. Been really upping the miles. Will be at 800 by Wednesday afternoon.

Also, someone left a bunch of soda, candy, and homemade cookies and brownies at this shelter - which is awesome.

22 May - Black Horse Gap

From PJ:

Bird.

[Catania's guess - it's a tree swallow...not sure though.]

Mountain Laurel

[Catania sent this video to PJ]:

Ha ha. I have a present for Rex, too. Not sure when I'll get it to him...

PJ's present for Rexman

It's a turtle shell.

Sorry...no red turtle shells out here, so he's going to have to [paint] it himself.

We're at Black Horse Gap right now. 741 miles. Cruising today because I stayed in Daleville last night and ate a bunch of food so I have plenty of energy. The last few days I had to ration my food, so I was crawling into town.

Also it's nice weather today which helps. It still rained for a bit, but nothing bad.

And I ate at Wendy's for the first time since college. Really the first time I ate any fast food besides Chic-Fil-A in over ten years. It was pretty good, too. I feasted for 7 bucks.

I haven't weighed myself, but I would bet I'm down 30 pounds since the last time you saw me. The baby bump is gone.

[Catania wrote to PJ - haha! Sweet! The AT weight loss protocol. Eat whatever you can shove into your mouth. And hike 750 miles in a month and a half!]

Yep. It's a beautiful thing. I actually look for the food with the most calories.

I really want sushi.

May 21 - Weird Ball of Light

From PJ:

Not sure what is going on. There's this weird ball of light coming from the sky.

May 20 - McAfee Knob

From PJ:

[The Video] - McAfee Knob

That's McAfee Knob from the other side. We're well into the 700's now, but there was no marker yesterday which was kind of a bummer.

But at least the weather is better. Still overcast, but drier.

[Still traveling] With Patriot. The rest of our crew partied in Damascus too long and are 3 days back.

We've met up with other cool people, but we're putting in good miles right now, so we won't stay with them for long. They can't keep up with us. haha!

May 19 - Lot's of Rain - A quick update

From PJ:

I still haven't had much service, but I'm on top of some mountain. Rain, rain, and more rain. Luckily it hasn't been downpouring much, but the sun has not come out since last Saturday. 

Still hiking with Patriot and still getting in decent miles. Will hit 700 this afternoon. Been really tough terrain. The trails are either very rocky or muddy so I've been hiking for about ten hours a day to keep a good pace.

Also, yesterday my foot got caught on a root, so I tore a hole in my shoe and fell in the mud. Broke the tip of my trekking pole, too. Don't want to make it sound all doom and gloom, though. Spirits are still relatively high, but it has definitely gotten tougher.

Going to Daleville on Saturday which is very exciting. By then it will be 17 days since the last time I slept on something dry - let alone a bed. Really looking forward to it.

This tree was massive. Keefer Oak.

Dismal Falls

Anyway, I gotta get back to it. Hopefully I can check in more often, but we'll see if I have service. If not, I definitely will on Saturday.

Live Shot

Dragon's Tooth

May 16 - Weirdo

From PJ:

I haven't had reception lately and used up my data. Tomorrow I should be able to send out some stuff.

I'm at mile 648.

Some weirdo just put his hand on my tent thinking I was someone else. I almost stabbed his hand.

May 13 - Trent's Grocery600

600 Miles

From PJ:

That [600 mile] picture is from this morning. I'm at Trent's Grocery right now.

This is where I just took a shower and did laundry.

I'm not sure if I am any cleaner, but my clothes are dry and they had hot water.

This is where I set up camp. Trail days is going on right now in Damascus, so there is no one on the trail.

Trail Days is a big festival. I may go tomorrow. Patriot's parents are in town so they can give me a ride in and out. Damascus has a population of 900, but during trail days there will be 30,000 people going through there. I'm sort of up in the air about going.

It's going to be packed. It's also going to be hard to get in and out of town without spending a lot of money. But there will also be a lot of free stuff and just about everyone is going to be there. We'll see how I feel in the morning. If I go, it will be my first zero day. (As in zero miles)