2012 is all about new adventures, right? Well, we had our first new adventure for New Year’s. We took our first ski-to-hut trip in Colorado! Let me first give you an education about the huts in CO. Back during WWII, the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army trained in central CO to prepare for…
Since I know everyone is waiting with bated breath, I figured I couldn’t let 2011 slip away without telling our big news … Santa brought us a job for Christmas. That’s right, Internet, a real, paying J.O.B.We will be living and working at this “castle on the hill” pictured above. It’s an 8,000 square foot…
On Oct. 24, we finished our hike on the Appalachian Trail after 141 days, 14 states and 2,181 miles and took a train to Danville to pick up supplies and our vehicle. 42 days, 17 states and 7,100 miles later, we are back in Danville for a “resupply.” After leaving Florida, we made our way…
This weekend, we’ve been hanging out in Tampa with our good friend BEEF! (Casey). It was time to give our bodies and Trailblazer a little R&R, plus there was a lot of football to be watched; perfect timing to roll into Beef’s territory. We’ve visited Beef a few other times. I love Beef, but I…
We spent 3 glorious days and 2 glorious nights exploring Big Bend National Park. For a trip we weren’t planning to make, we have no regrets. I have so much to say & don’t know where to begin. This is a warning, folks, this could get long & ugly. We weren’t sure we wanted to…
We may be off the AT, but we are still making the most of being unemployed and homeless! We are proud to be temporary vagrants and for the last couple of days and next couple of days, our home is the road in Texas. Texas can easily be described as a land of oil rigs,…
As we trekked through the last 70ish miles in Georgia, we got a little bit of everything. We planned a long time ago to slow down and take our time in our last state. I definitely enjoyed doing smaller-mile days, but Deal was more anxious with the goal being so close. In the end, we…
2,181 miles 14 states 141 days June 6 to October 24 Dream come true! Thank you for all your support and prayers – couldn’t have done it without you all. Bigger update to come later …
We have reached our 14th and final state, Georgia! Theoretically, we have accomplished our goal: we hiked from Maine to Georgia. But, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail is actually 67.5 miles south at Springer Mountain and that is where our journey will end in just 5 days, on Oct. 24. For now, we…
Folks, we have walked 2,018.4 miles and have been out in the woods for 131 days so far. We have 162.6 miles and 10 days left. That all just seems unbelievable, doesn’t it? We resupplied tonight in Fontana Dam, needing very little after opening all our mail magic! Something else monumental happened. Fire Marshall loves…
Hello from Hot Springs, NC, at Mile 1909.2 on Day 125, where we took a nero (near-zero) to shower & resupply! We are staying at a super-cool hostel; an old Victorian house from the 1800s called Elmer’s Sunnybank Inn. Hot Springs itself is a neat little town, but we did not indulge in the hot…
Happy Birthday to my lovely husband!!!! I don’t have much service, but I had to send a shout-out!! My wish for him is that he gains weight because his belt loop can’t tighten any more!!!
Remember how I said it was unseasonably cold here and we were about to climb to higher elevations where it was even colder? Well, we conferenced and decided to take a ZERO day at the Mountain Harbour B&B/Hostel, where they serve the most unbelievable breakfast!! Fire Marshall & I left it up to Deal, since…
We are currently at a hostel in Elk Park, NC/Roan Mtn, TN at mile 1791.4 on day 118. And thank God we are in a hostel, because it is in the 30s and we are at a lower elevation (2,000 feet). I can only imagine what it is like up there in the mountains ……
Hello from Damascus, VA, a very hiker-friendly town we walk through. We are at mile 1716.6!!! We are merely 3.7 miles from the end of Virginia and the beginning of Tennessee, but I’m going to pretend we are done and just give you the summary of Virginia prematurely. So wow, I never realized how much…
Lots of people have been asking where they can send something (for example, home-baked goods) for Deal’s 35th birthday on October 6. Cell service has been crappy, so I’m sorry for the delay. Here’s the best place to send something (baked goods): Justin La VigneC/O Bob Peoples1278 Dennis Cove RoadHampton, TN37658Please hold for SOBO Thru…
We have completed Central VA, all 227 miles! It took us 12 days. We did stop in a few towns, mainly to resupply, shower & get a good meal, but we haven’t really taken any significant “neros.” We also stayed in the famous Woodshole Hostel, which our book describes as a little piece of heaven.…
We are in town tonight … Once again, our trail angel, Fire Chief (Fire Marshall’s dad) met us on the trail! He did this for a few reasons, but mainly because we are hiking right near Fire Marshall’s Alma Mater, so we had to make that pit stop! It was actually perfect timing and if…
We have completed 154 miles of VA! 854 left of the whole trail! And we just celebrated 3 months (94 days) on the trail! Seeing the numbers just feels like amazing progress!! Tonight, we are staying at a hotel in Waynesboro, VA. When we walked into the room, it smelled of alcohol cleaning products. One…
We are actually 30 miles into Virginia now, but I have yet to give my report on Maryland and West Virginia! MD & WV were the shortest states we’ll go through on the AT (47 miles combined), but they provided us with the MOST magic!! I’ll just give you the play-by-play. On Thursday afternoon, we…