To those of you that aren’t really into backpacking, forgive my digression. But, last week’s trip to Virginia was too fun not to share here. Hopefully you can at least enjoy the photos!
It all started with three cars. One traveling from Pennsylvania, one from Massachusetts, and mine from Michigan. None of us had made plans on where to stop for the night so, through many text messages and phone calls, we organized a reunion about an hour northeast of our final destination of Damascus, Virginia. We all agreed we were glad to have had no solid plans…it meant we were all free to the possibility of gathering together. So, we did just that and enjoyed our Tuesday evening in the comfort of hotel beds before hitting the trail the next day.
I’d like to take a time out here and explain a quick thing before I start making introductions. Each of us has previously hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT) and on the AT, it is tradition for hikers to take on a trail name for the duration of their hike. So, when I introduce you to my friends, don’t be alarmed about their off-the-wall names. Most of them have pretty normal names in real life. :D So, here you have Storm, who hiked the AT in 2009. Then you’ll see Cobweb who I hiked a good stretch of the trail with back in 2007, followed by Rocket who hiked in 2009 with Storm. Then there’s me; my trail name is Persistent. And, on the far right, is Andy from Baltimore. Not just Andy but rather Andy from Baltimore. I thought we made a rather colorful and fun group! In this picture, we’re about to set out into the Grayson Highlands, a wonderfully picturesque portion of the trail.
It rained a bit when we first started walking but later in the evening, the rain had subsided so we took in some gorgeous views…
Along the trail, there are privies (think: outhouse) near various shelters. If it’s possible to have a favorite privy, the one we passed on our second day out was mine. Someone had taken the time years ago to write the entire story of The Lorax on the wall. Gotta love it!
Later on the second day, we made it to an incredible space with plenty of room for our traveling neighborhood. Storm, Rocket, and I all have the same tent so I definitely had to get a few group shots!
It truly was a very cozy space. We each set up our shelters, made some dinner by the campfire, and relaxed for the rest of the evening. It was so great to be out backpacking along the AT again and especially great to be with such a fun group of friends!
I just love this last image because I really think it captures a little bit of everything that happens on a typical night along the Appalachian Trail. Relaxation by the campfire, dinner and chats near the shelter, food hanging up high and out of the reach of bears, and wonderful scenery.
The next day, we packed up our things and hiked the remaining miles into Damascus, Virginia. I felt so lucky to be out there again, smelling the amazing smells of the woods and hearing the sounds that you can only find out there! Thanks to my old friends and my new friends for making the trip such an adventure! I can’t wait to do it again!
