EMILY'S ESCAPADES

Day 54 Tuesday May 16, 2017 Time: 7:20am - 6:10pm Hot and Sunny Tented There wasn't a bunch to see today. It was a rocky day but another one with sunshine. I don't care what the Trail bed is like as long as it isn't cold and wet out. Lately it seems we keep having to hike more miles then the plan of the day. Today it was because there were so many hikers. There were three options in the guide book for tenting. Each time we arrived they were all full. So we kept trucking until

Day 53 Monday May 15, 2017 Miles: 497.6 - 510.9 Time: 7:27am - 5:29pm Weather: Sunny and Breezy What a fabulous day we had as we explored Grayson Highland. It's a must see for all. This is the busiest place on the Appalachian trail. The main attraction is not the endless hiking trails or the spectacular views. The stars of the show are the feral ponies that reside in the park. They are wild in the sense that no one owns them but they are far from skiddish like most creatures.

Day 52 Sunday May 14, 2017 Mile: 486.1 - 497.6 Weather: sunny, partly cloudy, breezy It was a wonderful night. Just the right cool temps for good sleeping, nice and cold. But the morning was a little chilly when it came time to get out of tent. Not only were we cold but the car remote failed to work also. All long distance hikers know in cool and cold weather you need to sleep with your electronics, when you get up at night to go pee zip up tent to conserve heat, and sleep wi

Day 51 Mile: 469.2 - 486.1 Time: 9:40am - 7:50pm Weather: partly cloudy, sunny at times. Nice We left basecamp for what will probably be the last time. We have hiked too far north to have the luxury of returning to zero again. The only reason to drive that far off trail would be not a good reason. North we go back on the trail. Bruce dropped us off at the Dollar General in Damascus where Larry our shuttle driver rescued us from the storm three days earlier. This little hiker

Just taking a snack break. Wanted to let you all know we are still on the trail. Cell service has not been strong enough to do posts.

Day 50 Friday May 12, 2017 Zero Miles Hiked At Basecamp This is a first for this long distance hiker. A triple zero set. I have done 2 rest days in a row but never 3 days off from hiking. It was fabulous. But I am ready to hit the trail again to see what kind of gems we can uncover. The other day I forgot to mention how the trail always provides. It is a saying I often use because it's true. May 9th we were hiking along then Shortcake stopped abruptly and retraced a few steps

Day 49 Thursday May 11, 2017 Zero Miles Sleeping at basecamp I love zero days. Even better when one zero day is followed by a second zero. It's nice to get off trail and re-energize our bodies and spirits. I did a few more chores of repacking my pack and preparing resupply bags for future drops by Batman. I took another wonderful soak in the tub with Dr. Teal. I also polished my boots. I wonder if I am the only hiker who actually cleans and polishes their footwear every chanc

Day 48 Wednesday May 10, 2017 Zero Miles Hiked Dinner at basecamp for two Today we did nothing except rest, a few errands, and eat. Today was really hot outside and I spent time in the kitchen cooking. It was worth every degree and drop of sweat. We make sure we eat as much as we can. Calorie loading is just awesome. We have each lost 10 pounds so far and we count calories. But not the normal way. Instead of making sure we are under a certain number we focus on just how many

Day 47 Tuesday May 9, 2017 Miles: 447.5 - 470.1 7:42am - 6:30pm Weather: Rain to cloudy and humid then rain. Made it to Damascus, VA Sleeping at basecamp The rain pitter-pattered all night upon our tent. It was a soothing and comforting sound that helped lull me back to sleep each time I woke from discomfort. It stopped just in time for us to get up. Thank goodness because I despise packing up in the rain. It's one thing to have a wet tent to stuff away. It's a totally differ

Day 46 Tuesday May 8, 2017 Mile: 431.4 - 447.5 8:40m - 6:30pm Weather: sunny, breeze, and cool I didn't want to leave the cabins. I really just wanted to stay there. I kept thinking of every way possible to justify another night. But we hiked on. Today was 16 miles of ridge walking. We finally left the view of Watauga lake. After that it wasn't too interesting but we did see another snake. The second one Shortcake almost stepped on. Glad it wasn't poisonous. We also saw a fat