Mailing Address

Time warp: we got email from Mick who gave us a ride out of Lander, WY last summer. He had written a column and sent us a copy. It was so interesting to read about our ride from another viewpoint. We will post the article when we can move it from email.

We ended up camping in a rhoda thicket at about 8:30 tonight. The ground and plants are wet and fog is starting to form in the trees on the hills around us. It could be a cold, damp night. The frogs are singing us a lullaby.

Rain fell all night until we got up this morning so we were off to a slow start. Grayson Highland St Park was on our route today and feral ponies are allowed to roam to keep vegetation back. The ponies are so tame that they nuzzled us for a handout and then nibbled our bare calves (salt?).

We passed Patience and Snail at a shelter as they prepared for a zero day of rest for the Sabbath. Patience was afraid that she would not see us again.
We proved that 2 skinny thru hikers could squeeze thru Fat Man Squeezer. It is a natural tunnel formed from a jumble of large rocks.

Hiking in this area was lots of fun but slow. The trail crew was very creative with their route and did lots of rock work where we hopped and curved around. We had good views on a long open ridge: the guide said that this area has a Montana big sky.

We have been hiking a month and are just short of 25% done (515 miles). Harpers Ferry is the location of the ATC and is almost the half way mark. A south bound hiker pointed out to us that we are half way to Harpers Ferry. We are making progress in the Long Green Tunnel.

Marion was 50* when we left. The motel gave us a shuttle back to the AT but the driver did not know where VA 670 was. We asked Smyth Co sheriff dept and they call dispatch who said it was Teas Rd and "way out". Next stop was a gas station for a local county map. When the driver saw where we wanted to go he said that he would drop us off at the Sugar Grove PO and we could take care (walk) of the last 5-6 miles. It was important for us to get on the trail where we left it so we started a road walk on off trail miles.

Then, trail magic! AWOL, a thru-hiker with infected blisters, off the trail for several days, drove up in a rental car. He was using the day to go to VA 670 and hand out soda, candy and fresh fruit to any hikers passing by. We were going to the same place. We had the map and he drove us there and we were his first recipients of goodies. We gave him the map...hikers don't carry excess weight of any amount.

At 10 am we were back on trail and really hiked to get our miles. The day was so gorgeous that we just sailed along.

Imagine a world of only pink and any shade of green. That was our walk through the Rhoda dells that were at peak bloom that minute. Bushes were about 12 feet tall and surrounded us on all sides. We walked through them for hundreds of feet. Later we found another dell on the other side of the mountain, then another. The tunnel was indescribably beautiful today! It met all Ken's expectations.

Hiking seemed slow today with packs heavy with food. The sun was out as we walked through the grassy bottomlands. The soil is boggy and produces grass almost shoulder high. Railroad ties are laid in several places to provide dry footing. These meadows are beautiful to look back upon as we climb into the trees.

The last shelter looked like a hikers convention. We counted 6 tents plus the people planning to sleep in the shelter. I forgot to mention that a shelter yesterday had an attached shower! It was at the headquarters of Mt Rogers Recreation Area where a pay phone hangs on the outside wall. Hikers can call and have pizza delivered! The AT is an adventure of a different sort. That is why we...