Shenandoah

I have a love / hate relationship with the Shenandoah National Park.
The wildlife in the park isn't so wild.  The AT crosses Skyline Drive 24 times in the park!  I could hear traffic most of the day.  I was often within 0.1 mile of Skyline Drive.  The trail is a lot more populated in the park with day / section hikers. The trail itself was poorly maintained in some sections; so bad that I was bushwhacking for a short stretch. The spur and circuit trails were often more maintained and lead into more "wilderness-y" areas...  Also, there's fewer views on the AT than on Skyline Drive!  That's just wrong...
However, I saw my first rattlesnake and five black bears in Shenandoah!  I also saw tons of deer-- fawns and bucks in the velvet.  Surprisingly, Shenandoah is a wildlife mecca!  I also got to meet some really nice new people due to my newly slowed pace.  I wanted a change from hiking around the same people day in and day out.  For instance, Pigeon was doing trail magic for her friends Skid and Flame and I saw her a total of three times in the park.  I took my time, engaging her in conversation and waiting around to see what other hikers would take the short side trail to the parking lot where she was set up.  She reminded me of my love for Alaska with her "Alaska Makes Me Happy" t-shirt.  Pigeon told me of her time spent in Alaska as a nature guide of sorts and her cross-country drive from DC.  This woman rocks.
Aside from the wildlife and new people, I got to hike stretches of the AT that I had already done (no, I wasn't going to skip them!).  For me, re-hiking sections of trail already completed was a cool experience.  I tried to pinpoint places where I had stopped to pick and eat apples from the apple trees near Compton Peak.  It was difficult to pinpoint these places because of the overgrown summer vegetation and some places were scorched due to a wildfire in March.  But I think I nailed it...
Finally, the end of Shenandoah means that the end of Virginia is right around the corner!  I've been in this state for almost 40 days and over 500 miles!  On the whole, Virginia had some gorgeous scenery and diverse scenery at that. I walked through meadows, blossoming mountain laurel tunnels, over countless fence stiles and stream crossings, and boulder scrambles.  Virginia was nice and didn't really get old but I'm glad to be moving on to new territory!

The "Why" Factor

Yes, the dreaded "why" question.  Why are you hiking the trail?  Why are you out here?  It starts where... Georgia?!  And goes to where... Maine?!  It's going to take how long?!  That doesn't sound like fun...  Or whatever variant of the "why" question the person can come up with.
People hike the trail for a lot of different reasons.  Some are out here to prove themselves or to others.  Some want an adventure.  Some have had "hike the AT" on the to-do list for years.  Others decided a short time before leaving (like me).  Some want to simply get away or find peace with themselves.  And the list goes on and on...  When answering the "why" question, most hikers by now have fabricated a canned answer that is hopefully easily understood by those that can't quite wrap their mind around hiking from Georgia to Maine.
For me, hiking the trail was a dream acquired less than one year ago.  I've always had an adventurous and spontaneous spirit.  One day last summer, I remember I wanted to go for a hike.  I don't know why, I just did.  I had a calling...??
I discovered the AT and decided to do a short section hike last summer.  On that section hike, I fell in love with the trail, the scenery, the community the AT can harbor, and the personal discoveries, satisfaction, and ties to nature the trail can offer.  Before I knew it, I had acquired gear and had hiked multiple sections along the AT before the year 2010 came to a close.  The rest is history.
However, it wouldn't be 100% true for me to say that the reason I'm thru hiking is because of a whim I had last summer.  Since I started my hike, a few reasons for hiking have been added to the list.  For me, I discover new reasons for thru hiking as the hike progresses, while other reasons remain steadfast.  I wanted an adventure and a challenge.  Check and check.  I wanted to see spectacular scenery.  Check.  I wanted to see more of America via foot travel.  Check.  I wanted to discover things I didn't know about myself.  Semi-check.
If you had asked me back in Georgia why I was attempting a thru hike, I probably couldn't have given you a clear answer.  And to be honest, I still probably couldn't give you a clear answer.  Even after 850+ miles. It's just something I felt I wanted (and dare I say, have) to do. I look forward to discovering why I am out here.  Until then, I hike on...

James River footbridge (the longest foot-use-only bridge on the entire AT)

The Virginia Blues

I certainly don't have them.  But other hikers are certainly feeling the affects of the Virginia Blues.  I know of several hikers that are calling it quits.  In fact, one hiker put their whole pack, contents and all (including a Kindle) in the hiker box and bought a bus ticket back to NYC.
By now, hikers have been in this state for almost a month, the views have gotten hazy from the humidity, the summer heat is turning on full force, the bugs threaten your sanity, and the "green tunnel" seems like it will never end.  Plus, I've noticed that if a hiker is dependent on other hikers, they have a hard time continuing on the trail if their friends drop out or can't keep up.
All of that and more plays in to the Virginia Blues.  It's been said more than once that hiking the AT is more mental that physical.  Reason being?  It's easy to get frustrated and discouraged when ascending 3,000 feet up a mountain in 95 degree heat, only to have the view from the top shrouded in haze as you gasp for your breath while sweat just drips off your body.  Sounds fun, right?
That's not to say that I haven't had my fair share of "trying" days out here.  This past week it was over 90 degrees during the day with suffocating humidity.  And it's not really the dirty aspect.  Once you're dirty, you're dirty -- it's fine.  But the heat is another factor for a hiker's feet.  My feet are wet all day from sweat and it's easy for them to develop "hot spots."  Therefore, it looks like someone has taken a cheese grater to my heels.  The adhesives on band-aids, mole skin, athletic tape, etc. don't stand a chance from my sweat.  I was in some horrible pain for a few days until I ran into a friend by the name of Hollywood.  She gave me an ACE bandage to wrap my ankle / heel area with to prevent the friction from making a raw gash again.
Hiking on with a smile!   I'm enjoying the new scenery Virginia is showing me and all that is to come.  :-)

Slowing It Down

720 miles into this hike!  Yet, it took almost 650 of that 720 miles for me to realize that there is no point in rushing.  That's not to say that I've "wasted" those previous miles.  That wouldn't be fair. However, if I wanted to get to Maine in a quicker fashion, I would take a train, plane, or car.  I'm hiking voluntarily.  If I want to see a certain sight or do a certain task, why not?  I'm out here to be out here.  The ultimate goal is Maine but why not enjoy the days along the way?  In short, I've decided to slow this journey down a bit for several reasons...
One reason is that I would like to see the fall colors come out in Maine.  Another reason is that I've found out the hard way that pushing to do big miles just for the sake of doing big miles is pointless.  It wears you down too much.  What do you see or hear during the day?  Very little... you're too focused on going, going, going.  It's not enjoyable.
My biggest day so far is 24 miles in one day.  That's a lot.  You might think I would get to see a lot in that 24 miles, but not really.  It's so easy to get caught up in the miles and trying to make big days that it's even easier to lose sight of why you're out here.  I'm not out here to rush or push.
During the first month of my hike I would hear birds singing. I would stand at overlooks.  But now I fully listen to the birds singing-- how they answer each other and sing a perfect song.  I study the land and my thoughts at overlooks.
It's time to slow it down a bit.  After all, isn't that why most of us are out here?  The picture below is of me dangling my feet from McAfee Knob.  Dangling my feet from here was one of the things on my to-do list.  Check!  :-)

The Weather

It's fickle.
However, looking back to the start of this hike, I've been fortunate. It's rained only a handful of times during the day. The rest have been sunny or overcast. Most of the rain has been at night; and usually it was bad thunderstorms. But I knew the days of good weather wouldn't last. They never do. I knew I would eventually be in for a week or more of crappy weather. Well, it's here! And it looks like it might be here to stay...? I hope not! I switched out my winter sleeping bag to my summer bag and I've been cold at night! The sun and warmth needs to return!
I haven't seen the sun in about a week or more. It's rained a part of the day every day for the past week. I routinely pack away a wet and muddy tent. My trail runners don't dry out. My pack is moist. In fact, everything is moist. Eww.. All of that "moistness" coupled with the infamous "thru-hiker smell"... it's not pleasant.
This past week was full of situations such as this one: I'm hiking along and see a sign that says "view." I glance to my left or right and all I see is fog and blowing mist. I keep hiking without hardly breaking my stride. A little further down the trail, the trail has been transformed into a stream with mud that easily comes up to my trail runner laces. My footing is unsure and my feet slide in whatever direction they wish. The trail is marked with long skid marks of unfortunate souls that wipe out. I almost become one of them but remain upright all day.
That was last week in a nutshell. Now I'm at Woods Hole Hostel. What a retreat--and a sight! This retreat serves both hikers and non-hikers. Hikers are mingling with guests that drive up from the city to enjoy this hostel. I just love being exposed to all of these different ways of living, such as what is practiced here at Woods Hole. Neville & Michael emphasize and practice sustainable living, bee keeping, yoga, meditation, and rejuvenation. I have received my massage thanks to Neville and now I'm listening to some good folk music. Soon I will cook my own wood-fired pizza. Yum!

Wet and soupy trail...

Food

It's official. Hiker hunger has hit--hard. Honestly though, my non-stop hunger started about a week into the trail. But now it's serious! I'll eat anything I can get my hands on! If other hikers offer up food, I never decline. The reason is breakfast usually lasts me about an hour before I'm hungry again. Lunch and snack time often blend together. And dinner is always a rice or noodles dish. Meh... It's a well-known fact on the trail that thru-hikers can't carry enough food to sustain them, thus we incur calorie deficits. Studies indicate that we burn between 3,000 to 5,000 calories per day!
Therefore, whenever I get into town, there are always "town chores" to be done but one of them is to eat real food! And lots of it! Eating whole large pizzas, downing a whole Ben & Jerry's ice cream container, or ordering the "hiker special" (a lot of food)... it's all normal now. When in town, I usually eat more in one sitting than I would during an entire day back home.
I'm trying to keep my weight up, but it's almost fruitless. I currently weigh about 120 lbs and no matter what I eat or how much, I don't really gain any weight. I think I've lost a few pounds since starting my hike..

This picture below was taken at Kincora Hostel. I ate that whole pizza, drank all of the 2-liter soda, had two doughnuts, and brownies and ice cream for dessert.

The People You Meet

It may be hard to believe, but hiking through the woods and across the mountain tops on the AT is not really a solo experience. A lot of people are out here hiking on the trail! However, I generally like to do my hiking alone.
You meet some very interesting folks out here! Total strangers, really.. But besides hiking, what else do I have to do? Interact with these people!
I was staying at Kincora Hostel, one of the most reputable hostels on the entire trail, and it was packed! The hostel was full, the tent sites were taken, etc. People were even sleeping in the laundry room! But what a fun time it was swapping trail stories and singing along to "Wagon Wheel" while Gravity strummed his guitar. Some of the guys even got mohawks and their nails painted by the few girls present. I received the Hair Award. Most people couldn't believe how smooth/silky/straight my hair is and everyone was touching it. One girl even entertained us that evening by showing us her "fire spinning" talents. Bob Peoples, the owner and operator of Kincora, walked in and saw the mingling that was going on and said it best in his Boston/Elmer Fud accent: "that's why there's no TV or computer here... it's about the people."
Such a melting pot of people are out here.. you're bound to find someone you mesh with. Or, more importantly, you're bound to learn something about yourself.. should you indeed choose to throw yourself into these situations where you have to interact with people from all walks of life.
Here's a steller picture of Overmountain Shelter, a converted barn. It was taken while climbing up Hump Mountain onto Houston Ridge. You can click on the picture to enlarge it.. Also, the itinerary link was updated as well.