They are halfway there!

Hi all- this is Eddie posting for Kelli.

Kelli & Gracie are now in PA! They have officially reached the half-way point in the journey. I spoke to Kellie just a bit ago and she sounds in good spirits. She and Gracie are healthy and they are back to doing longer days, which is between 15-20 miles. She said she is carrying most of Gracie's pack currently because of the extra miles. Kelli said her foot and leg problems have cleared and she is feeling well and making good miles. She said it still gets a bit chilly at night (I was jealous and told her of our heat wave). She is still sleeping in wools at night.

Apparently it is tradition when you make it halfway through the trail to eat a half gallon of ice cream. Kelli made a valiant attempt, assisted by Gracie, but couldn't finish the whole half gallon-- at least not in the interest of not getting both of them sick! Gracie did, however, finish ALL of a half-way hot dog!

Overall, good travels, good health and fair weather. Who could ask for more than that?

hang on for the ride

The last 30 days have been a roller coaster. Starting with foot/shin problems outside of Pearisburg, then excellent rest and rejuvenation at the Evans' in Lynchburg, getting to hike with Jenny, dealing with biblical proportions of rain, bloodsucking gnats and ticks, two weekends of rest and rejuvenation with my friend Ed, more shin problems in the Shinandoahs, the onset of frustration and doubt, and the hardest reentry to trail life yet following my last days of rest at Ed's. Wednesday of this week, Ed drove me back to the trail. After a whole week without rain, the skies dumped on us as we neared the trailhead. Ed parked under an overpass so I could get out my rain jacket and readjust gear for the weather. I waited until the rain let up to head out, took some farewell photos, got Gracie suited up, then it was the moment of truth. I said goodbye and started walking with a heavy heart. I wanted to look back and wave goodbye, but knew if I did, I'd have a hard time continuing on. So I put my head down and kept walking into the rain. As soon as we started our ascent into the woods, the thunder started, and I went into worry/prayer mode. Fortunately, the rain let up by the time we got to the first shelter. I was not keen on staying there because there had been lots of reports of copperheads at the shelter. So, we trudged another 5ish miles to the next shelter. Whereupon one of the section hikers already there let me know he was not interested in sharing a shelter with a dog. The hike in had been difficult. My pack was heavy, my legs were heavy, my heart was heavy. And now, I had to make my poor baby dog sleep beneath the shelter. I think she had it better than me, since I had to share space with a puppy-hater. But, I was in no mood to pitch the tent. I had a cold dinner, fed Gracie, and went to sleep.

The next day was an improvement. We hiked 19 miles to Bears Den Hostel, got there in plenty of time for an unexpected cookout (trail magic!), and Gracie had her own doggie shelter for the night. A pint of Ben & Jerry's, introduction to speed scrabble (I totally ruled!), awesome hostel hosts and guests, and a great night's sleep did much to renew my hiking spirit. I'd spent much of the hiking day feeling kind of down, missing family and friends, and wondering if I really had it in me to keep going for another 2-3 months. Harpers Ferry kept seeming further and further away. The next day we crossed the 1000 mile mark and enjoyed a free meal at the Blackburn ATC center & hiker hostel. Gracie & I stayed in the bunkhouse, and I was up at 5:30am to start the day. When I turned on my phone to see what time it was, there was a message waiting from my mom. She had called from Knoxville, TN the night before. After breakfast and packing up, I called her, and found out they were on their way to Harpers Ferry to meet me!

I practically floated into Harpers Ferry, after finding out that my parents were gonna meet me there. So, now, here I sit, at the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conference. Gracie & I had our picture taken and added to the album of 2009 hikers, I've collected our resupply boxes, and have found a great restaurant for a celebratory T-bone (Gracie gets the bone!).

Speaking of bones, Gracie has been racking up the treats, lately. She had her very own buffalo burger in Linden, courtesy of Ed, got the leftover rib bones from my last in-town lunch, and I shared my breakfast pizza with her yesterday.

Next major stop is Duncannon, PA. Until then, Happy Independence Day!
Peace,
George & Gracie

rest for the weary

I have decided that walking 15-20 miles a day makes me pretty tired once I stop. Had planned to return to the trail this evening, but almost passed out this morning and decided I was too tired/dehydrated to attempt the 7ish miles I had planned. They'll still be there tomorrow. Ed has been a fabulous host, although things are a little quieter around here than last week. He keeps telling me he only throws giant parties once every three years, but I figure if I hang around long enough, there will be another one.
My last three days in the Shinandoahs were pretty outstanding. I got my shin taped correctly and was able to walk relatively ibuprofen and (mostly) pain-free. A steady diet of cheeseburgers, blackberry milkshakes, and a spring-cooled beer each evening definitely helped. My last night, a park ranger tipped me off to a nice camping spot atop Mount Marshall, and I had my best rest of the entire hike in the fabulous tarptent (thanks, Jenny!). Sleeping in the woods has taken some getting used to. During our last three days we saw 10 bears, including a mama bear with three tiny cubs. Some of them were pretty close to the trail, and I got some decent photos. Gracie seems less anxious about the bears (she didn't lose her lunch after any of the sightings!) and even held a down stay at one point.
Speaking of miss Gracie Ann, she got good reports from the vet in Waynesboro when I took her in for Lyme disease and Leptospirosis vaccines. She's only lost .4 pounds, which is great. A young man from a boy scout group we ran into in SNP commented on her muscular legs. I got a good tick collar for her from a vet in Warrenton, VA, because I'm still pulling quite a few ticks despite using topical flea/tick meds every 21 days. In addition, I got some permethrin spray to treat my clothing since we're entering deer tick territory.
I'm really glad to be feeling better, and have so much gratitude for the support I've been receiving through comments, emails, and voice mails. Not to mention the mail drops, cards, letters, and care packages. I've had my lonely, frustrating, and challenging moments on the trail, but I'm convinced that it's this community of support that keeps me going when the trail is tough. Thanks for everything!
Peace, George and Gracie

By George

Shintastic Shinandoahs
The left shin continues to be the bane of my existence. However, the gentle, well-graded terrain of the trail (probably the kindest section of the AT), great weather, and the availability of blackberry milkshakes and burgers is making life bearable. Speaking of bears, no sightings in Shinandoah for Gracie and me, but lots of other people are reporting seeing bears as they hike. Was really happy to see the Texas Train a couple of days ago. We all started from Springer on the same day, but hadn't seen each other for six weeks. They caught and passed me at the first Wayside (grill/snack bar where they serve burgers and shakes in SNP). We took some time to catch up and compare notes about who was still left on the trail, and they gave me some great advice for taping my shin that has helped (along with plenty of ibuprofen) to make walking tolerable. The Waysides in the park are like tiny oases for hikers (at least this one). I discovered today that beer singles are cheaper than sodas, so I've tucked one into my pack and plan to dunk it in a spring and have it with dinner. I think that will help the shin situation, too!

I finally got a trail name, as well. Climbing up to Dragon's Tooth in central Virginia, Snakeman asked me what my trail name was. I replied I didn't have one yet, was given a hard time for not having one yet again, so I said, maybe we should be "George and Gracie." When I ran into Snakeman the following morning, he called me George, and it's stuck. For the younger set, it's George and Gracie, as in Burns and Allen. We're fine-tuning the training for Gracie to speak when I ask her to "Say goodnight, Gracie."

Wayside Tour '09 continues...

the shins and other stuff

Unfortunately, this post makes no reference to a musical group named after the lower legs. I'm currently resting at my friend Ed's house north of the Shenandoah National Park, though I have yet to hike the park. Ed picked me up outside Waynesboro this morning so I could make it to his big Ed-a-Palooza party tomorrow. That gives me at least a couple of days to rest and recover from shin splints/tendinitis. My deep muscle bruise theory for the cause of my right shin pain was disproved yesterday when I started having the same symptoms in my left shin and knew without a doubt that I hadn't done anything to bruise it. So, I'm going with the shin splint/tendinitis explanation and resting/icing it while I can. Meanwhile, the right shin seems much better.

In other news, the Baytown Sun (the local paper from the town where my parents live) is running a story on Gracie & I in this Sunday's paper. You can see it online at www.baytownsun.com (look for the lifestyles page). We've seen five bears in Virginia, and, I'm really looking forward to hiking through Shenandoah National Park because there will be opportunities for showers at least every other day. Good times!

so many possible titles

For this post I couldn't pick just one:
Feet don't fail me now
I haven't got time for the pain
Pain is every step
Applicant for the Ministry of Funny Walks
Don't change hiking shoes (or insoles) mid-hike

Everything was great until I replaced my insoles in Pearisburg. Unfortunately for me, the new insoles made my shoes about a half size smaller, and caused achilles pain, chafing on the tops of my toes, and, once I ditched the insoles, chafing on my right ankle. At some point between Pearisburg and Daleville, I also bruised my right shin. It could've been worse. Until I discovered the bruise, I spent much hiking time wondering if I had given myself a stress fracture. Sometimes lots of time to think is not a good thing! I hobbled into Daleville and bought a new pair of shoes at the outfitter, opting for the ones that hurt my feet the least. Soaked the shin in Epsom salts and have spent the last two days eating and resting at the Evans' in Lynchburg. Their goal was to put 5-6 pounds on me, and they've done a great job trying! My best zero days yet!

Simply put, Bob & Pam totally rock! Pam went shopping and had all kinds of gluten-free foods and baking mixes at the ready, and had made a batch of gluten-free brownies for the night I arrived. The first full day I was there, I didn't leave the house, I just rested, cooked, and ate. And ate. And ate. Breakfast alone was four eggs with green chile and cheese, three sausage patties, and almost a whole batch of gluten free blueberry pancakes. Then I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and ate more brownies. I almost didn't want to leave Lynchburg! Pam and Bob were excellent hosts. I arrived a worn out, burned-out hiker, and left rested, fortified, and a little fatter!

Rested, supremely well-fed, shin somewhat improved, and feet much better (though still swollen), my friend Jenny from Austin and I head out this morning to hike a few days together. I've been looking forward to the company because I've started to get pretty lonely and homesick on the trail. I've finally had a chance to post some pics. They're all lumped together in this album, and not in exact chronological order. Be prepared for lots of pictures of scenery, and my head with scenery! http://picasaweb.google.com/kelhardin/AT09

It's not nice to fool mother nature...

Or to hike when mother nature is putting on a heckuva lightning show! Back on our 31st day of this adventure, we got stuck in a thunderstorm between Roan Mtn and the Stan Murray Shelter. Just as we got to the shelter, a small bolt of lightning struck about 25 yards from the shelter. Poor Gracie got a little shock when the current traveled over the rain-soaked ground. She yelped and jumped into the shelter, then the other hikers pulled me in. We sat, cold and wet, Gracie shivering, and waited over an hour for the worst of the storm to pass. Then we jumped back into the weather and hiked/jogged another 2 miles to the next shelter, because there was no room for us at Stan Murray. It was a scary two miles, and left me concerned about whether I should be putting Gracie through all of this. The long miles, unpredictable weather, ticks, snakes, Giardia. Yet every morning, she's happy and ready to hike some more. So we keep going.
This afternoon, as we were making ready to hike out of Pearisburg, everyone was talking about a severe weather system moving into the area. I could see it in the distance, over the mountains we were headed toward. Then I saw the lightning, and decided the Holiday Motor Lodge would be a wise choice. So here we are. We've got a lot of miles to put in over the next seven days, but they'll still be there tomorrow. Tonight, it's important that we're safe from the storm. I don't mind hiking or camping in the rain, but lightning is another story.