AT – Page 4 – wandering chardonnay

The Zen of Thru Hiking

People sometimes ask if I am hiking alone. The answer is yes and no. You can meet someone hike together then go over a month without seeing then; hike with a group for a while then due to a number of reasons (pace, breaks) not see them for miles/days. Then they pop up outta nowhere the whole time they may have never been more than five miles away from you.

So with the heat I’ve been hiking alone as most people are hiding from the heat. I can deal with heat, no problem. (Yes, Pat i am drinking water!) So I have to entertain myself. In the mornings I just like to listen to the birds chirp and the sounds of nature.

By midafteroon I need some motivation. So, time for a trail dance party! I break out the tunes, usually a dj dance mix from TTITD or some other festival. Then I bust a move on the trail. Swinging my trekking pole or using it as microphone! I must be a sight.

The other day I tried listening to an audio book, The Way of Zen – Alan Watts. But it turns out, the more I concentrate on what is being read the slower I hike. Good for that slow end if the day hike I guess. Hiking is very meditative, more on that later.

Lastly sometimes I just entertain myself with made up scenarios about why I’m out here. Like my small town was captured but Russians, I escaped, and now I’m trying to make it North to the American free zone. I know, totally the Red Dawn plot, whatever.

One must busy the mind or it goes to weird places out here. Sometimes it goes there anyway and you just go with it. Ahh thru hiking.

Trail challenges

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The last couple of days have been, well, great! The sun has been shining and the Pennsylvania rocks haven’t been that bad (knock on wood). Plus got trail magic …..Gatorade floating in a stream! Great for a hot hike day!

Made it to the midpoint, well not my midpoint but still the trail halfway. Still momentus with my PCT mileage and AT miles I have hike over 3000 miles! Woohoo, yeah me.

At this point in Pine Grove Furnace there is a half gallon ice cream eating challenge. Um, yea I passed on that. But these guys did not!

There is also a challenge out on the trail called the “four state challenge” and it consists of crossing from Virginia into West Virginia, West Virginia into Maryland, then Maryland into Pennsylvania within twenty-four hours. I passed on that too due to crappy weather. Oh well I’ll have to come up with my own challenge!

Shout out

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When I went to take the Wilderness Basics Course two years ago my friend Pat told me I’d meet some great hiking friends. He was so right. I met Betsy and Liz. They have been both supportive and encouraging as I’ve tackled both the PCT & AT. Liz snapped me up for dinner/sleepover and kept me from sleeping in the rain. Thanks Liz for everything …..hope to see you in New Hampshire!

liz

Thanks to Stan the realtor who hauled me and two other hikers around Waynesboro. He was super kind to drive us to the store, our motel, then back to the trail the next morning!

Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

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“Through the rainstorm came sanctuary
And I felt my spirit fly”

Spent two days traveling back to the trail, it was sunshine and blue skies. The day I stepped on the trail rain! Seriously I am still over the rain. I know I should stop complaining about it, but that’s not going to happen. I left Harper’s Ferry and was wet for 2 days. It’s not that your just wet, but there are all these really slippery rocks. So of course I had to go and fall. Busted my knee open. Not to worry I have a first aid kit, with a needle. I stiched that right up! Kidding! It’s all good.

So I hiked with two very fast young guys, Scooby and Renaissance. Even though I couldn’t keep up for long i loved their enthusiasm for the trail. It was their first thru hike and they were enjoying it.

Got busted singing yesterday. When I haven’t seen anyone for miles I crank up my tunes and sing! I guy came up behind me out of nowhere and says ‘coming round ya, great singing’! Too funny..by the way I was singing Seal’s Love’s Divine….with feeling.

Next rain day I hiked a bit with an older guy Kans…from Erwin, TN! We walked an extra mile in the pouring rain for….batteries, I think we were rain delirious. Luckily a local offered us a ride back to the trailhead. She didn’t even mind our dirty, wet packs on her nice seat covers.

Stayed in the Ensign Shelter, you can order pizza there! There was a lively bunch of hikers there. One older dude has been ‘on the trail’ for six years. Boy, did he have some stories, and a cool AT poem he wrote. When I went to sleep he was still talking.
Then……….
There was SUN!!
At least until 4pm……..when it started raining again. Doh!
Here’s me at High Rock, my moment in the sun!

Did I mention I made it to Pennsylvania!!?? I did.

Breakerfall

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A break is when you stop doing whatever you’re doing and take just a little bit of time for yourself to relax.

Yes, It’s been a bit since my last post, because I’ve been off trail.

The fun fearless chardonnay was last seen in Erwin, TN; in dire need of a mental health break. Physically I’ve been great, the usual aches and why does that hurt, but good. Mentally the AT had been wearing me down. I needed a couple days to regain my focus. So I popped home to Michigan.

My niece was graduating and my nephew is starting rehab for his new heart, plus nothing like a little crazy time with family to make you long for the simplicity of the woods.

So after a short break I’m BACK ON TRAIL!! For the first time I’m trying a flip/flop, this should be interesting! Starting in Harper’s Ferry headed north….then I’ll flip back and head south.

Yes, the logistics are a little tricky and no I haven’t got a solid plan. But it’s an adventure right?!

I can’t thank everyone enough for your continued support, encouraging words and comments. I’ve read about “unplugging” from social media and the like while in the trail. But I love/need to stay connected to my family, friends, and community! Hearing about everyone’s activities, adventures, and life stuff is great and a partial key to my sanity!

Anyway, having had enough of Michigan May snow (yea that happened) and mom has fattened me up. So I got miles to cover and Kathadin is waiting.

****Shout out to Marie “J-walker” and Tom “10-k” with Hiker Shuttles for getting me where I needed to go. Thanks for the kind words and trail advice.

Hot Springing it to Erwin, TN

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Hiked through an area that was recently closed due to fire. It’s like a sad walk through a camp fire.

The weather turned colder as the day continued. By the time I got near the shelter, camp sites were few and rain had begun. Thanks to my tent and my super sleeping bag I was dry and warm all night. But the morning pack up was, well so cold. Once I started hiking I was warm, but I didn’t dare stop for long.

This was the just the beginning of multiple chilly days. Glad I had stove for some morning tea.

On my second cold day out it started snowing just after this sign:

I took the exposed ridge route even though with the fog and snow there would be no view. But I came upon something else on that ridge. Just at the top of the rock scramble I met up with Daddy Long Leggs. He asked if I’d snap his pic with this pair of boots. Wait! What? It was the boots I had heard about Paul’s boots.

What a great community to be apart of! That sure did make my chilly day!

Trail connections

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So today I was already to pack up and hit the trail. But my new English friend Allister told me I needed chill and enjoy the experience more. He really does and convinced me I should. (Besides i was not to excited about hiking in the rain, again.) So I stayed another day in Hot Springs much to my enjoyment. I spent the afternoon and the evening getting to know my fellow hikers. Sometimes i get so focused on the miles I forget to socialize, sad but true.

The thing about thru-hiking is you get to meet people that you typically wouldn’t. People from other states, all around the world, from different walks of life. We are all on the same trail but all on different journeys, just as in life. (Basically, we’re all crazy enough to think we should walk to Maine) However, once connections are made it’s hard to part ways when you know you may never see each other again.

What I’ve come to learn is that each person that enters our lives brings something special, embrace it, no matter how big or how small. From this point on many people will be leaving the trail for many reasons, speeding up, slowin down. My wish is for everyone in our hodgepodge group is for everyone to get as far as they need to or want to. I know it’s cliche, but yeah HYOH!

Thank you ( Kid, Pops, Chicken Little, Heather, Orange Crush, Alistair, Mosey, Jersey Boy, Nilla, Captain, Lee, Aaron, the Ambercrombie & Fitch models) for being a part of my journey. Happy trails, stay safe, till we meet again.

Trail therapy

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You really can’t be out here and not learn some stuff. Like it or not the trail is gonna school you. Trail decided I was gonna slow down and enjoy in moment. So what you don’t like shelters, what are you gonna do quit? Nope.

I kept going and my last days in the national park were good ones, once I surrendered to it. Back on the trail I was cruising along and ran right into a ……bear. Not one that ran away either. He just kept walking up the trail towards me. So I kept backing up giving him space. I kept backing up til I ran into the father and son I talked about before (trail names Kid, and I named the dad Leo becuz he did not fear the bear). So as the bear kept approaching Leo whips out his phone for pics and his so starts taking video. So there we were bear, Leo, Kid, then me. No lie I thought, I only have to out run one you if the bear turns on us. Ha!! The bear finally left the trail an we zipped on by to the shelter.

The Ridge runner at the shelter told us the no fear bear was not good. I have to say my last night in the shelter was a good one. There was a good crowd.

Met an English chap (Allister aka BBC) who was a hoot to chat with. He is happily carrying a 48 pound pack! It’s full of Mtn house meals, coffee in a tin, a kindle, cigars and usually Scotch. He likes a cocktail and a cigar when he gets to camp! While I sometimes pack out chardonnay, he says prefers red wine as it pairs well with the Mtn house meals! Luv it!

Last trail day in the Smokey’s was a lovely down hill stretch, my fav! Made it to Standing Bear farm just as the thunder and rain started! Yes I was soaked but I got the last bunk!

Guess I’m learning to live in the moment!

Pushing through the tough parts

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So I had this whole post about how much I hate shelters. And I do, they are claustrophobic, dark, creepy and then there’s the mice. I’ve been avoiding them, and hoping the Ridge Runners didn’t catch me tenting.

See yesterday was a really long day. It started with me encountering 2 wild boar! I thought they were bears at first till it turned and growled in my direction. I back peddled up the hill so fast ( with a little motivation I can move uphill pretty fast). It kind of had me jumping for the rest of the day. Even jumped when I saw a turkey. After a couple of long climbs in the rain, I was pretty bummed to stay in a shelter. Everyone at the shelter was super nice and a father and son even got me water and hung my bear bag. I was still grumpy.

In the morning I grab my pack headed out in a huff. When I got to the top of Clingmans Dome it was all fogged in, no view. I wanted to be mad but I didn’t have the energy so I just sat there under the dripping trees. That’s when it hit me, even without a “view” it was so quiet and peaceful…..and perfect. Then why so grumpy?

Lately when people asked me about the PCT I would say how great it was. I guess I’ve kind of been waiting for this to be that. But that’s just silly. The AT is a whole different adventure. The shelters, the climbing, even the scary giant boars are all part of the journey. But this just seems tougher right now.

When I finally hiked down out of the fog I got some great trail magic from a local church group. It really made me feel better. Hopefully after a shower I’ll be able to look at everything differently.

Makin miles & a name

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Fontana Dam, gateway to the Smokey Mountains. I’ve increased my mileage so I should make it through the Smokeys in about 3 days, if the weather cooperates!

Seems I’ve already made a name for myself. People keep going “oh, your chardonnay, we heard about you.” I guess being the only black girl around for miles and pushing 20+ miles gets you noticed and talked about. Also the fact I’ve done the PCT too.

A guy called me fast, ha!! Not even, I’m totally slow crawlin up these hills. I do scrambled down pretty quickly to make up time. But I’m only doing 20+ days because I hike ALL day.

I had a fun time at the NOC, watched some kayaking and had some beers with other hikers. I didn’t want to stay in the bunkhouse (tight budget), so I hiked out all tipsy! Made the climb outta there interesting. By 9pm I still wasn’t at the shelter. So I just camped at the first spot I could find. Turns out I was only like 2 miles away! But I woke to a beautiful sunrise!