Hello readers, it's hard to believe but today marks a month and a half on the trail. Oh my what a month it's been, i've conquered almost 500 miles (about 1/4th of the entire trail) and sit now in the public library in Damascus, Virginia. Surprisingly i've arrived without any serious bodily harm and am still fairly mentally stable. which is more than i can say for poor darwins feet
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| and this piggys nail fell off |
I've hiked through it all rain,sleet,hail,snow hell even giant spiders.
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| snake runners head for comparison, i slept in the shelter with that thing! |
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I would like to think i am now a hardened mountain man, except that my beard is weak at best. It's hard to explain to someone the joys of hiking and just what is so fun about doing this. When i tell people i've been out in the woods for almost 2 months they always have the same question, why? That is something that you really just have to be out here to understand. The joys in this come from the hard work, it comes from 3 days of soaking wet boots and clothes and finally getting into a town to dry off and have a burger and beer. My friend Matt decided to hop on the trail with me in hot springs and hike to Pennsylvania (about 500 miles) he drove for 3 hours from his house in high point to meet up with me, after buying all of the gear and food needed.
Lets look back at some of the fun times we've shared....
oh that's right we can't because Matthew K. Mccarron lasted approximately 2 miles up the trail, he spent more time driving up to the trail then he did on it! Matt thats bad, and you should feel bad. But it just shows that it does take a certain type of crazy to do something like this. Though one of my virtues is my optimism (when it was snowing hard on top of a mountain i simply stuck my tongue out arms wide and relished in the fact that i was actually seeing snow for the first time in years and not at the fact that i was wet and freezing) its still rather hard to see the fun in this sometimes and i do question why i'm out here.
But then i think of the alternative, i think of how my time would be spent otherwise. In front of a computer or a tv screen, safe in the comfort of my home and seeing the same old crap and same people that I always do. I've meet so many different people from so many different walks of life, people 40 years my senior that share their life experiences and pass down advice that you just can't buy. My days are filled with new mountainous views and animals and plants I've never seen in person before. My days are also filled with self reflection and meditation, i have become closer with my self then ever and find that I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I know that I am learning things that i never would at a desk in a classroom, i'm learning to survive and thrive in a climate were I am not comfortable.
This brings me to one of the coolest things i have learned and thats how to pick wild veggies. The woods is just full of stuff you can pick and shove in your mouth.
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| This mouse not being one of them, they are so cute when they're babies and not dragging their filthy disease covered bellys over you in a shelter. |
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One of the tastiest treats is something called a "ramp".
Allium tricoccum to be exact, basically a wild leek with a strong onion-y flavor and garlic undertone. They're great for tossing into soups,tortillas, or even just eating raw.
I'm also fortunate enough to have one of the best mom's in the world (happy mothers day btw i love you <3) who is periodically sending maildrops to me full of food from the real world. She just got hold of a food dehydrater and has been making some fantastic dried fruits and veggies for me. Not to mention some amazing beef jerky, I am serious this stuff is stellar I had another hiker offer me money for it. So I have been able to make some pretty decent dishes.
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| Here we have some miso soup with mushrooms and ramps |
However there are some points were you run out of all of the tasty stuff and have to just throw whatever is left into a tortilla and hope for the best.
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| This is called hiker gourmet |
So of course there's good and there is bad about this lifestyle but at the end of the day there is nowhere else i would rather be and nothing else i would rather be doing.
