40 Days and 40 Nights

Well, we've been at it for 40 days...a rather biblical amount of time. However, we haven't been wandering, or lost, that much, since the AT is well-blazed and easy to follow. We just made it into Damascus, Virginia, which feels like a real accomplishment for some reason. We've hiked over 450 miles in weather ranging from about 10 to 80 degrees. We've hiked through 3 states (Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee). We will be in Virginia for a long time - about 550 miles...but for now Virginia is a new and novel thing.

Last night we made it to the Abingdon Shelter, about 10 miles south of Damascus, not 10 minutes before a truly torrential rain began. We had been hiking on a ridge all day - not particularly difficult terrain, but the wind was incredible, and it was really starting to affect our mood. I know that may seem funny, but try walking 20 miles with 35 mph gusts of wind knocking your 35 pound pack from side to side; sweating from the effort of walking, but too cold to take off your jacket. After a couple of hours of this I was feeling desperate to get out of the wind, but there WAS not place out of the wind. So on we trudged.

Our spirits were not particularly high when we got to the Abingdon Shelter, but when that rain started and we realized how lucky we were to have arrived before it, they lifted considerably. We ate a second dinner and dessert to celebrate, and read a few more chapters of "Travels with Charley" before turning in for the night. The rain poured down all night on the metal roof, the wind howled, and around midnight the thunder and lightening started. We slept soundly, though, and in the morning, when M nudged me awake, I opened my eyes to see a glorious sunrise over the valley, with a clear blue sky overhead. I can't say enough, how fortunate we feel to have the chance to be out here.

I have some more details to post about some other adventures we've had along the way, but first, some shout-outs....

Thanks, Sloan, for putting up my previous posts about the Smokies. We will be in touch about how to mail perishable items to us. Smile.

Endless gratitude to our parents, the Belskis for putting together all those mail drops and sending encouraging notes and pictures with the packages, and the Freys for caring for Rosie the Cat and watching out for important mail.

We are feeling more than a little homesick for our friends and family, and are so grateful for the comments and emails that you've been sending. Thank you!