A.T. third installment

So, Sam, how has the adventure of a lifetime been going? Funny you should ask: freakin' fantastic! I suppose I have a lot to update on, so I'll start with the gloss-over logistical stuff. We made Dennis Cove Rd. about 50 miles south of the VA border at the same time that the annual Trail Day's festival was starting in Damascus VS, so we took a shuttle north to catch it (amazing). After that I needed to return to NYC for a brief gig and Dad went to check that his house was still standing. Wed. I flew back to North Carolina where we are awaiting a ride back to Dennis Cove road to pick up where we left off. Which should be next Thursday, all things permitting.

Sounds like a lot of time off the trail, neh? Well, yes, it is, but in truth it works out better than not. I got time to roll up a little more cash just as finances were becoming strained, and K.T. (dad) got hit by a bad cold, and some major foot problems. By next thursday he should be better, we hope, and I should have time to wrap up a few loose ends, like a server migration I have been postponing.

We had some bad weather leading up to and following Erwin, TN. We were basically rained on for five days straight. I'm feeling pretty convinced this is what caused the toe problems and the cold. As for me, I was hitting some low morale. It can be difficult to continuously convince yourself that you really are having an amazing time when you haven't been dry in a week. This all manifested itself 1 day out of Erwin in the middle of the night. I had reluctantly strung my tarp up over my hammock, hoping for good weather, yet planning for yet more rain. Sure enough, I heard it start pitterr-pattering in the middle of the night, I reached up and pulled the tarp over me, and rolled back over to go back to sleep. A loud tearing noise and a short fall later I went right through the bottom of my hammock. Yay. I rolled up in a spare tarp and went back to sleep on a rocky hillside - who chooses their hammock site with sleeping on the ground in mind? - nobody. I don't blame the hammock manufacturers as it wasn't really designed to be used quite as I had been using it, but it still wasn't pleasant. I've retired the Byer Traveller hammock (not that their was much use left in it after that), and now have the Grand Trunk Hammock, which I think I will like more.

Trail Days in Damastic was one great big Hippie Fest that was a ton of fun. There is literally a new sheriff in Damascus, so cop-reveller relations were a little strained, but nothing we couldn't live with. Sans hammock, I was sleeping under one tarp with one end propped up by a hiking pole in tent-city. Saturday morning K.T. decided to try to hitch-hike as close to home as he could get before calling his friend for a ride, and in a staggering feat strung together 5 rides that got him to within a half-mile from the house in just about 6 hours. I've never had that kind of luck.

In other news, in case it wasn't obvious you burn a ton of calories on the trail. In 6 weeks of hiking I have managed to lose about 27lbs. I feel like I should have a late night infomercial. 'For just $19.95 you too can lose 30lbs in 6 weeks, just go to Georgia and walk back. If you aren't completely satisfied, just return yourself and keep the rice and beans as our gift to you!' I feel great and don't think I've been in such good shape since my early twenties. And EEK! I'm about to turn thirty.

Being on the trail has given me plenty of time to reflect on things. What I'm going to be doing when I get off the trail, what is going to be important in my life, how best to accomplish my goals, etc, etc. For anyone who is wondering, yes, you do gain a whole new sense of clarity by giving yourself the time and space to sort things out. I'm not gonna tip my hand just yet, but I do have some big plans for when I come off the trail, and almost all of it revolves around one question: How do I ensure I always have the freedom to live a life of adventure?

Meanwhile, last night we caught a 'mess of fish' and today we're just bumming around the house. I've got some work to get to, pictures are still going up on facebook (maybe I'll try to move them here this week...) Hope all is well, and thank you all for taking the time to wish me luck, here or in person.

Cheers - Sam