Half way there

Last week Pat and Mike passed the 700 mile mark on the trail. When added to the miles that they did in the winter they have hiked 1050 of the 2181 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But that was Wednesday, they have probably covered about another 50 miles by now.

On Wednesday they enjoyed the view from McAfee Knob, which boasts itself the most photographed place on the AT.

Pretty awesome view

On Thursday night they stayed at a Howard Johnson's in Daleville, VA before they were off again on Friday morning. When I talked to Pat on Thursday she said they need to average about 16 miles per day to reach Hawksbill Peak on or around June 6th where Carolyn will meet them and drive them home.

It sounded like they are running low on supplies and, while I have no idea what day, sometime in the next week Linnette is meeting up with Pat and Mike to take them to the grocery store so they can resupply.

Below is a picture that Pat sent with the caption "All that has to go into that backpack.". I am going to assume that the point is that it isn't very much, thus emphasizing the need to resupply!

Yesterday afternoon (5/22) they made it to Blue Ridge Parkway and sent the below photo.

For a possible point of reference, below is the map which shows Daleville (on the left side), where they slept Thursday night. The red line represents the AT and the smaller white line shows Blue Ridge Parkway. I believe where the lines appear to meet is where they are. This is pure speculation on my part, so take it with a grain of salt. 

Pat & Mike have just reported that as of yesterday they have now covered half of the AT. That's 1090.5 miles hiked in 2015!  And, if my math is right, 1090.5 more to go!!

The great, the good and the less good

Pat and Mike continue to make impressive time up the Appalachian Trail. It's almost like they were made for this. Most recently they stopped in Pearisburg, VA, arriving a day earlier than expected. They enjoyed another "day off" and were able to stay with some friends of Mike's sister where they engaged in late night domino playing (up until 10pm!!) and a night out to dinner to treat their hosts.

Treating friends to supper

View from the front porch of friends house. I think we all might be interested in visiting!!












At the request of Erin, who has been a faithful follower of this blog, Pat has sent a list of highs and lows, that she has called "trail facts." Although upon reflection they are mostly highs.

Most unexpectedly useful gear - little Swiss Army knife, specifically the tiny scissors
Highest mileage in one day - 22 plus miles (yowza!)
Biggest surprise - making friends on the trail. They have made friends with people, many of whom they would not associate much with in the "real world." Sounds like there is a nice kinship with other questionably sane people who have elected to hike thousands of miles free from the burdens of mattresses and plumbing!
Southern hospitality - yes folks, it's not just a myth. Residents south of the Mason-Dixon line really are friendly, open, generous and more than helpful!
Biggest emotional boosts - listed in no particular order after #1:

1. getting a voice mail from me (Charlotte) for Mother's Day, 
2. a text from Tara
3. extra goodies (Starbucks coffee, Mothers Day cards) in a package from TJ, Olivia and Elliott
4. a letter from Erin
5. a homemade "Tanya" card in the resupply box

Hardest hiking - Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Biggest letdown - the outfitters. In over 600 miles only two came close to REI standards and they were found in the earlier miles.

After yesterday's zero day they are off again this morning. I look forward to hearing from them again and sharing their latest news.

On the road to Damascus

Our favorite AT hikers checked in from Damascus, VA yesterday. They are so popular on the trail their likeness has been illustrated on the trail signs!

They entered Virginia on Sunday and have sent a a bunch of pictures which I will share here in favor of trying to come up with a bunch of clever stuff to say!

Magnificent sunrise

Hiking through the gap. Not sure what gap, from the map it looks like it could be Spivey Gap. But then again it could just be the gap that Pat is standing in. An excellent picture though!

The sleeping tarp arranged in the warm weather position. 

Pat sitting in the oldest shelter on "this part of the trail." Looks homey. 

We are looking forward to hearing from them again soon! Stay tuned....

Zero day tomorrow

Pat and Mike are giving themselves a much deserved rest tomorrow. They are in Erwin, TN, home of Pal's Sudden Service!! I've never heard of the place, but it looks like fun. I am actually pretty sure Erwin isn't the true home of this fast food joint. I don't even think they ate there, but they shared the picture so I feel compelled to write about it.

What they did eat is a VIP breakfast this morning which consisted of two eggs, hash browns, bacon, a dinner plate sized waffle and biscuits with gravy. Below is one of the VIP's ready to dig in.

 The other VIP even had extra room for grits!!

They will be in Erwin all day tomorrow and have good reception so if anyone has been waiting to call them, give it a try tomorrow. That would be Saturday, April 25th :) 

From all accounts they seem to be making excellent time. They even had a day they hiked 19 miles. This may not have been their actual plan, but they are super stars in my book!! They will start hiking again on Sunday morning and expect to enter Virginia early next week. 

Leaving the Smokys

Pat and Mike checked in on Thursday from the trail. They were at the last shelter before leaving the Smokys. It was happily reported that only rained for 15 minutes on Thursday. They were not so fortunate on Wednesday, however. AT hikers in GSMNP haven't seen the sun in over a week and have had to endure 2-3 inches of rain over the past 7 days. Pat reported that after lunch on Wednesday it was a deluge for the rest of the day. She said she has never seen it rain so hard for so long. They spent the night with 28 other people in a shelter meant for 12 that night and set out Thursday morning in wet clothes.

Pat included a picture of her and Mike at the Cosby Knob Shelter with her text on Thursday, offering a rare glimpse into their life on the trail. They are looking forward to moving on from GSMNP and being able to make their camp wherever they choose, instead of being confined to a shelter.

It looks like they're in for more wet weather today and possibly even some severe thunderstorms. Hopefully they make it through okay and have better weather soon.

In the Smokys

Despite having only a single bar of cell phone service, our favorite AT hiking couple managed to check in via text message yesterday afternoon from a shelter in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Gigi didn't specify from which shelter they were checking in, only that they were staying there for the night even though it was only 1:30 in the afternoon. The fact that the next shelter was farther than they wanted to go yesterday was cited as the reason for stopping so early in the day (although, being old and having just walked over 200 miles in the past two and a half weeks would have also been acceptable reasons in the eyes of this blogger). The best guess at their precise location, based on that information combined with the date they started hiking in GSMNP and their average miles a day, is the Mt. Collins Shelter. If that is indeed accurate, it would appear that there is a potential rendezvous with modern facilities at Newfound Gap in their near future. Only time will tell.

They reported that the hiking in the Smokys has been difficult and two straight days of rain aren't making things any easier. The forecast for the next few days would indicate that they're in for a few more days of wet weather. While in GSMNP, hikers are required to camp only in designated campsites or shelters. So, while it has been raining quite a bit, they at least have a roof over their heads at night.

Fontana Dam, NC

Just a quick update, Pat and Mike checked in this evening from Fontana Dam. I got to talk to Pat for a few minutes and she also got to say hello to Olivia and Elliott. I learned, although some of you may already know, their trail names are Gigi and Mr. Magoo.

This was their first scheduled mail drop stop and will be their first night indoors since March 29th. They were able to do laundry, take showers and do all kinds of stuff we have been taking for granted for the past two weeks! Tomorrow they begin their time in the Smoky Mountains. For those of you wondering about those forgotten passwords, the help of Tony and Noah was needed to recover the passwords but everything is A-OK!