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Days 44-49: Hokie Homecoming
636.3 miles, 1,265,067 steps After a month and a half of sojourning through strange lands, the “country roads” finally took me home. If the AT is a river whose course guides me through unexplored frontiers, then Virginia Tech is an island that disturbs the current and harbors recognizable comforts. Emerging from the daily flow of…
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Days 37-43: The Mane Attraction
534.5 miles, 1,065,901 steps Hay there! Over the past few days, I’ve trotted through two of the most hyped-up locations on the AT. Host to the grandest hiker festival, Damascus is the quintessential trail town. To the north sprawls Grayson Highlands. The combination of rocky outcroppings, gorgeous overlooks, and unique wildlife grant this spot a…
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Days 29-36: Turning up the Heat
428.8 miles, 870,886 steps Apparently, the Big Man Upstairs set the refrigerator to “defrost”. The sunny days boasted highs in the 70s, and no night dropped below 40 (even at elevation). It seems the groundhog was right, this just might be an early spring. The heat means Phase 2 of the hike has officially begun.…
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Days 23-28: Cheeseburger in Erwin-dise
311.7 miles, 666,619 steps Though far from the tropics and overlooked as an enticing travel destination, my sights have been set on Erwin, TN for some weeks now. Aside from the typical delights of scrumptious meals, abundant supermarkets, and comfy lodging, this locale hosts a priceless diamond in the rough: Pal’s Sudden Services. Though I’m…
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Days 16-22: Smoky Mountain Majesties
241.2 miles, 521,383 steps While this journey is filled with grandiose summits, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is on its own scale. In the midst of quaint mountain towns and bustling cities rises a formidable range, untouched but for a few roads and minor park service infrastructure. Dividing the peoples of Tennessee and North Carolina,…
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Days 10-15: Walk-in Refrigerator
Total Mileage – 150.7 Higher latitude, greater elevation, and weather patterns produced outdoor conditions much closer to expected for February. Whereas last week afforded 60-degree highs and lows safely above freezing, these days and nights were 5-10 degrees chillier at least. I generally enjoyed the mixup: colder days are less tiring and sweaty, although nights…
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Day 9: Humbled
Plum Orchard Gap Shelter to Blue Ridge Gap – 1.3 miles Total Mileage – 75.2 What, back so soon? Today was an exercise in situational awareness, proactively using resources, and tempering confidence. No injuries or any life-threatening events, just to get that out of the way (yes, Mother, I still have regard for your poor…
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Days 2-8: In High Spirits
Total mileage: 73.9 After critical gear adjustments and drier weather than forecasted, finishing the week was much less emotionally draining than expected. Day by day revealed incredible sights, tricky scenarios, and intriguing characters. Two quick notes before I jump in: First, in order to save storage on the website, I’ve decided to keep photo uploads…
