not so fast with that rope...

New Jersey has been pretty awesome. Today is a short day, only 6 miles of hiking, so I'm taking some time to rest and update the blog at the Episcopal church hostel in Vernon. They don't allow dogs inside, so we pitched the tent outside the volunteer firehouse last night. I was blessed with a great sunset and sunrise while in town. In the mountains, the surrounding trees usually obscure the views. Maybe you remember those Pace picante sauce commercials with the cowboys who almost string up the cook because the salsa is made in New Jersey? Well, I don't know what I was expecting from the Garden State, but I have been pleasantly surprised and delighted by the generous people, tasty local peaches, and yes, even a locally made organic salsa that was better than Pace!
The hiking theme for New Jersey is "rocks, mosquitos, and bears, oh my!" The mosquitos are probably the worst part. Three nights ago, I stopped at a shelter intending to get water at the nearby spring, but got attacked by a swarm of mosquitos. I frantically removed my pack, found the deet and doused myself, then got out of there before they could carry Gracie off. The next shelter was a little more hospitable, so I pitched the tent across from the bear box. But it would not be a peaceful night. Around 9pm, the air raid siren sounded at the nearby lake. I've been hearing a lot of those lately; most communities seem to have holdover sirens from years back, and sound them once a day, so I didn't pay it much mind. Less than an hour later, we started to hear some pretty intense thunder. We spent the next couple of hours (although it seemed like longer) cowering in the tent as the most intense storm I've ever experienced passed right through camp. The rain was not that bad, but poor Gracie was shaking and panting as the lightning and thunder crashed around us. At times there was no delay between flash and crash. We stayed dry in the tent, though, and eventually got to sleep after the thunder and lightning passed.
By noon the next day, I was in need of some trail magic. I was feeling bad that Gracie had such a frightening experience with the storm, and had let myself get too hungry. Wanting to get to the mayor's house in Unionville for the night, a 20 mile hike, I hadn't taken enough breaks for water and snacks. I stopped at High Point State Park headquarters for water and lunch. When I staggered out of the visitor center, a guy asked if I was thru-hiking, and said he was grilling out back and I was invited to come eat. I joined Grey Ghost (GA-ME '93), his wife, Ann, Bullet, and West for burgers, hot dogs, sodas, salads, and chips. I left the park at 2:45, a much happier hiker, and still made it to Unionville in time for dinner and the hospitality of "the Mayor." This guy will soon be a trail legend. There were 26 hikers at his house the night Gracie & I were there. He fed all of us supper and breakfast, did our laundry, and offered us some encouragement and inspiration for the rest of our journey. Once again, the kindness and support of others relieved my frustration and worry, restored my confidence in myself and humanity, and sent me back on the trail with enthusiasm. More than ever, I *know* that I am not alone on this journey, or in life.

Feeling like a real hiker

Here's the update Kelli left on Sandra's voicemail Sunday, 7/19, around noon:

I am a couple of days from Delaware Water Gap. A couple of days ago I left Port Clinton, where the burgers are huge and the fries are enormous. And people love their yard ornaments, above-ground pools and fake deer.

I've had one evening of rain but it hasn't been terrible. I've been in the tent for six consecutive nights, so I feel like I'm turning into a real hiker. I actually passed up an opportunity for a shower yesterday.

I have passed the 90-day mark, and have fewer than 900 miles to go to Katahdin, so I feel like the countdown has begun. I had some really awesome views in Pennsylvania. My new shoes are great, and re-supply has been totally, totally awesome.

Gracie's doing great. She's making friends on the trail. She may have picked up giardia again so I'm just kind of keeping an eye on that and looking at getting her in to see a vet in the next couple of days. But she's eating great and her spirits are great, and she is totally a champion of the rocks of Pennsylvania.

craziness in Duncannon

We hit Duncannon yesterday afternoon, and immediately checked in to the Doyle Hotel, a thru-hiker tradition. It's an original Anheuser-Busch hotel, with shared hallway bathrooms, an awesomely huge clawfoot tub, and a bar/eatery downstairs. There was a big, rowdy crowd here last night. I turned in pretty early at 10pm. We were awoken at 3am when the giant siren (think air raid/tornado warning siren) went off on the roof of the firehouse, calling the VFD into action. My first thought was "what did Bam Bam do to set off the alarm" my second thought was that my friend Missy's son would love to have heard the horn. We're back to the trail this afternoon. Weather has been great, and the one thing I forgot to tell Eddie was that the berries are ripening in quantities sufficient to gather. I picked enough blueberries a few days ago to add a generous helping to my granola for second breakfast (yes, I now eat with the frequency of a hobbit). Also, Gracie likes blueberries, and can even pluck them from the bushes herself, although she prefers I pick them for her. Am planning to get a new pack sometime in the next couple of weeks, because my load has become too much for my current pack. Also need to figure out where I can get off trail to see the new Harry Potter movie. Thanks for all the support!

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...