So I've broken up "The Band," as Mr. George has dubbed us, and am no longer hiking with Snap and snack. I've actually reconnected with some trail-buddies from a month or two ago: Brahma Bull, Sweet Potato, and The Thinker. Here we are: (me, Thinker, Brahma, and Fleur and Buck (a really nice Nova Scotian couple I met way back in Georgia))
So now I'm staying at Sweet Potato's aunt's house in Manassas, VA. Good to have connections. Thanks J.J. and Don, if you are reading this!
Well, I've tallied all the results from each category from my hike, but first, a big thanks to all who donated to the Shenandoah SMA cause. I'm sure everyone out in California appreciates it during this difficult time. My thoughts are with them.
Here's what I ended up with:
Rainy Days: A whopping 4. Each of which was the result of a thunderstorm at some point during the day. It will be perfectly clear one moment, then you will see something like this in the distance:
...and it's coming you're way.Spills: Just 1. And it was during (you guessed it) a storm. I guess it looked pretty bad from the perspective of the people behind me, but luckily, I didn't injure myself. This was a nasty storm too...Full of lightning and grape-sized hail. The trail turned into a raging river, and here we are, standing in the middle of it, holding metal poles. A good adrenaline rush, but a bad place to be. Here's a picture:
That stuff stung.Snakes Seen: 1. Small one. On the road. Dead. Still counts.
Liters of water pumped: 17. A bit less than normal since there was so much tap water along the way.
Comments on my hiking skirt: 1. Some guy described it as being "all decked out." I think it was a compliment.
Money spent on snacks: $40.89. Food was wicked expensive, but since it all beat trail food, we indulged.
LongShot specials:
Pictures of bears: Zero. I ended up seeing 3 total...all were cubs. So naturally I didn't hang around too long to find mama-bear on the other side of me. But once one of the cubs saw me, he scooted up a tree so fast, he must have thought I was going to devour him. Quite the site.
Celebrities seen: does some-band-nobody's-ever-heard-of-playing-at-the-lodge-one-night count?
So the site to donate again is https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=21710
Just put whatever the amount came to in the "other" field and fill out the rest of the form. Thanks again to all who donate.
Well, I'm back on the trail early tomorrow morning, and then it's only 2.5 days until Harper's Ferry: the psychological halfway point of the trail (the real one's about 50 miles or so north of there). But by then I'll have hiked 1000 miles! A milestone if there ever was one. So until then...
actually until then you should check out Brahma Bull and Sweet Potato's blog
which I'm sure has stuff I've left out on this post.
4 comments:
We donated in Skylar's memory for Dave's agreement ($25, as no broken toes were noted), Sandy's agreement ($20, as there was one fall), and $55 extra for the fantastic pic of you in the back of the pickup in Brahma Bull/Sweet Potato's blog. Keep on walking!
Congrats on the halfway point!
We've donated a dollar for every mile that brought Logan closer to us. Awww...
We're going to find a cure for SMA-one donation at a time.
longshot! you're catching up! i'm at fayetville right now...taking a day off at some friends house. should be back on trail june 29 from pa rt 30. hopefully see you soon! :)
ok, nevermind math. Too much thought today.
I've donated a dollar per mile plus three for the cubs in Skylar's memory. Condolences again to the family and keep traveling as safe as possible.
[stick with the 'avoid being between mama bear and cubs' route]
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