The Unpolished Princess

Start: US 52, Bland, VA (AT mi 591.8). Stop: VA 606 (AT mi 610.2). Today’s miles: 18.4 miles. Total AT mileage: 1592.3 miles.

Same thing, next day. I got up at 6:20 and was ready to go by 7, this time with my day pack and my full pack. I didn’t put my shoes on, just my crocks, since I was going to get my new shoes later this morning. Groovin took me and Butterfingers on our way right on time.. and stopped at Hardee’s for me, the 3rd day in a row! I got the 4 biscuits again, since they were so easy to eat and so filling yesterday.

Butterfingers got dropped off first and had a look of determination on his face-he was ready to crush my 9:50 time, and I was ready to see him do it. Groovin then drove me over to Weary Feet Hostel. I thanked him immensely for his kindness over the last few days and then walked to the patio area. This hostel is an older house on a gorgeous farm.. just lovely really. A man came out to talk with me, and as we were discussing the plan to take me to the post office after dropping Lizard and Finch off (so I could ride with), Lizard came out!

Y’all. It felt like seeing a childhood friend after years of being apart. I know that’s dramatic, but my God I had missed her SO MUCH! Just being able to see her and give her a hug and catch up made my whole heart happy! And to make it better, Finch came out the door too! And it happened all over again. I’ve really missed my people. Robert, the hostel guy finally calmed us down and got us to get a move on for the morning.. they went to finish breakfast and packing, I took my pack inside, and then Soundscape appeared, too! He was going to do the same slack as me! Heck yes! Today really is just perfection!

We all load into the truck and we talk the whole way to the trailhead. Lizard and I make plans to be in the same town on Saturday, so we can live stream Lizard’s girlfriend, Hannah, and her band playing a show! (Hopefully that’s not supposed to be a secret, I don’t think it is-but also, how badass is that?! Hannah is in a band! I’m excited to see her perform!). If I’m still a day behind Lizard, there’s multiple roads going into the same town, so I’ll still be able to get there.. if anything it’s more motivation for me to get to the same road crossing-so the next day we can hike out together! Here’s to praying that happens!

Anyway-we said our goodbyes for now and then Robert and I headed to the post office. I got my new shoes mom sent along with my favorite hiking pants. The shoes felt funny at first and I knew they’d require some breaking in, so once I was dropped off at the trailhead I gave myself some grace and took it slow for the first few miles. I had to stop and fix the laces, then retie them, then loosen them. Every 10-15 minutes I was messing with my feet.

The trail started off by a highway, but there were some gorgeous views out over mountains and down into the valleys with their cities below. But once the trail turned into the woods, it was the same old woods I’ve seen for days and days. Please don’t take that as a complaint, because I enjoyed them very much. I love the trail being an actual trail and not the obstacle courses of the north. It’s just sometimes it feels monotonous and gets more difficult to describe.

I was moving right along without a care in the world for most of the morning. A little after noon, I passed Soundscape and Moose sitting down eating lunch. Moose was hiking southbound and we were hiking northbound-and Soundscape and I were already half way at this point. I stopped to talk a minute before carrying on. I ate my biscuit while walking about 30 minutes before this.

I checked my phone not long after that encounter and discovered my phone battery was only at 26%!! I must not have fully charged my phone last night, if barely at all. I remembered disconnecting it from the charger this morning, but it obviously wasn’t all the way connected or something. Since I still had 9 miles to go I put my phone in airplane mode to try to save the battery I had left. Which also means I had no podcasts or music to listen to. It was fine though, I was decorating and designing my dream bedroom, bathroom, and closet. Ha-I’m sure that scares the crap out of my Uncle Keith..

At a road crossing, I ran into LongShot. He was headed to the shelter I had just passed. He told me he took a road walk around this last 5 miles, which was almost the same mileage, but the road walk went by farmhouses, fields, pastures with cows.. basically it was more enjoyable to him because of the change in scenery. I decided to take the road walk instead of the trail. I saw the pastures on the way here in the car 2 days in a row now, and I just wanted to see some pretty Virginia country. Was it technically the AT? Nope. Do I regret hiking around it? Nope.

The road walk was beautiful! There was a pond, so many cows, some goats, a gaggle of turkeys, and even a beagle that wanted to snip at my heels a bit before being called away from me. There were farmhouses and barns, and stunning mountain views the whole way. I loved it! Seeing these older homes and country life made me envious of these people and their rocking chair front porches with their cows mooing just over the little fence.

At 3pm I got to Trent’s Grocery, a little convenient store that cooked hot food and sold everything a hiker could want, including fuel. Zebra, Smash, and Sunshine were there! I ate 2 corn dogs and some potato wedges while talking with them and some of the locals. The three of them headed out as Cactus and Bones came in. We chatted, and then Robert appeared. He offered to drive me back to the hostel in his tractor that he was there filling with gas! As Cactus always says, “If not now, then when?” Ok!

He climbed up in the tractor and pulled down the buddy seat for me. That thing was the most fun riding in! It was only just over a mile to the hostel, but it was so much better doing that mile in the tractor than walking! I got all checked in at the hostel, showered, washed clothes, and sat out on the porch awhile. I don’t have service here, so I couldn’t upload the blog posts.. so I just enjoyed the company I was with. Mrs. Julie, Robert, and a section hiker named, HikerPole.

A bit later, Robert went to get Soundscape from the road crossing and returned with him, Cactus, and Bones. They all settled in. We talked on the porch and then had dinner together. Julie made BBQ chicken, macaroni salad, butternut squash, baked beans, and a roll. She topped it off with red velvet cake. I need you to know I am suffering while I lay in this bed typing this out. I ate absolutely too much food and can barely breathe! Tomorrow is going to be a tough one with a full pack. I’m already dreading it.

Knowing that hiking out tomorrow will get me closer to catching Lizard and Finch, and hopefully Sauce and FarOut, too, is really my only motivation. It’s easier to say that while lying in bed, so we’ll see how tomorrow pans out! Haha I have a feeling when I wake up in this bed in the morning I’ll be fantasizing about taking a zero here and having another home cooked dinner..

Sweet dreams y’all. It’s time to drift off into my food coma!

Start: VA 606 (AT mi 610.2). Stop: Pearisburg, VA (AT mi 637). Today’s miles: 26.8 miles. Total AT mileage: 1574.5 miles.

I got ready much like yesterday, ready to leave right at 7am. As I was in the living room getting my shoes on, I chatted with Cactus and Groovin who came in for coffee. I was drinking an energy drink, so I didn’t get any for myself. But I’m starting to miss the warmth of coffee in the morning, so I think that’s going to be making a return real soon..

Groovin took me through Hardee’s drive thru. I got 4 egg and cheese biscuits, 2 for now, 2 for lunch. We drove the 35 minutes to the trailhead, passing pastures, cows, and farms almost the entire way. I got out and started hiking northbound at 7:45.. it was quite chilly.

I started moving pretty quick, even for me, simply because of being cold. My fingers were getting numb and I was trying to pull my long sleeves down over my hands.. and then I moved as fast as I possibly could without actually running. The trail was smooth and easy going for miles and miles.

Sometime mid morning, I got to thinking about my house and I got hyper focused on the addition I want built on the back. I got so detailed in my head that I got excited and called my Uncle Keith once I realized I had service. He and I talked for almost an hour before I lost connection and never really got it back for long during my hike.. we talked about the addition and then absolutely everything else under the sun. I miss him so much. Part of me wishes I was already done with this adventure just so I can be at home and surround myself with the folks I love.. Uncle Keith being real high on that list.

While we were chatting away, the trail started going uphill.. I was sucking air and at one point choked on a spider that was in a web that went across my face. That was not enjoyable and my throat was itchy the rest of the day from the way I freaked out and coughed so hard making sure it wasn’t stuck.. so gross. Can you imagine that conversation? “So, Courtney, why did you get off trail?” “I got injured.” “How?” “Oh you know, choked on a spider, and then fell hard when I passed out trying to cough it up..” sheesh Louise.

Anyway. Once up the hill and connection lost, I hiked along the wooded ridge line and didn’t really see any views. I counted all of the people I passed going the opposite direction, there was 18 total: Smash, MashedPotatoes, HappyFeet, Moose, a section hiker, 5 guys I didn’t recognize, Cactus, Bones, Zebra, Sunshine, 2 hikers I didn’t recognize, and 2 men that looked like day hikers. Somehow I missed Soundscape.. he must have been at a shelter eating or a viewpoint or something when I went past. Also, LongShot and his friend were on trail too, but they got to their destination before I could pass them.

The top end of the mountain closest to the downhill ended up having some gorgeous views. I paused briefly at them all, snapped some pictures. I did sit at a shelter picnic table for 10 minutes to rest my feet and eat my biscuit. I sat on a rock at the Angel’s Rest view point, but other wise, I was moving all day. I think I may have stopped for a total of 15-20 minutes-and that includes pee breaks! I was cruising!

Then that downhill came. It was steep switchbacks all the way down. I would jog down the steepest ones, then speed walk the flatter chunks before jogging again. I felt unstoppable! I text Doc at 5:05 and told her I’d be at the parking lot in 30 minutes.. I literally crossed the road to get to the truck at 5:35:58. Ha! Just on time! But not a second early! Lol

I got driven back to the hostel by a hostel worker I hadn’t met yet. He was an older gentleman and very polite. Then, when we arrived, I was greeted by Butterfingers, TwoHats, and Bookworm! We talked all about my slack and how well it went, all in all 26.8 miles in 9 hours and 50 minutes. I was super impressed with myself.. and Butterfingers decided that’s what his plan was for tomorrow since it went so well for me today.

The 4 of us went to eat.. at the Mexican restaurant.. right after I changed out of my hiking shoes. I really love that place. It’s so filling! We all chatted and ate and enjoyed each other’s company. I’m now ahead by a big chunk, tomorrow Butterfingers will be a day behind me, but quite a bit farther than TwoHats and Bookworm. It’s so easy for hikers to get separated! It was nice to enjoy each other while we were all still in the same place.

We walked back from dinner and I headed to shower. I’ve officially used each of the 3 showers in the bathhouse now. They’re all equally awesome as far as cleanliness, water pressure, and hot water.. but I like the middle one best because the rug and shower curtain are purple. Such a girl sometimes, and so far from girlie other times.

I headed back to my room to organize and pack for tomorrow. The Praise Team were eating dinner in the kitchen, so I chatted with them a bit before handling business in my disaster of a room. They are seriously so nice! When I could delay the inevitable no longer, I set to work with my gear. I had to pack up my tent and ground cloth that I had been leaving draped over the chair and spread out on the floor beside the bed-I like my gear to air out and not stay stuffed in bags, just in case they were damp or something. Then I set to work on the food bag. It’s so stupidly heavy.

Finally, when I had everything packed that could be, I laid down to type this up. As I’m laying here, my eyelids have been fighting me.. I’m so absolutely worn out from today. But even still, my shuttle leaves at 7am again tomorrow.. and I’m excited about that because once we drop off Butterfingers, Groovin will drive me the half mile down the road to another hostel-Weary Feet-that Lizard and Finch are currently at! I’ll drop my pack off with the hostel and share the shuttle to Bland with them!! I’ll get to spend a whole car ride with my friends and I’m so ridiculously excited about it! Then, once they’re dropped off, I’ll get driven to the post office to grab my new shoes and then I’ll be brought back to the same trailhead-to hike the opposite way of Lizard and Finch, back to the hostel.

If none of that makes sense, maybe it will by tomorrow when I detail how the day went 🙂 Hopefully, anyway. My eyelids are starting to win this game I think, goodnight y’all.

Start: Peter’s Mountain Trailhead (AT mi 657). Stop: Pearisburg, VA (AT mi 637). Today’s miles: 20 miles. Total AT mileage: 1554.5 miles.

I slept so so good! I think it was a combination of the full belly and the incredible mattress. When my watch alarm started it’s vibrating, it took all of my willpower to ignore it, and I mean all of it.
I got out of bed at 6:20, grabbed my toiletry ditty bag and walked over to the bathhouse. I handled business, brushed my teeth and hair, then came back to my private room to quickly dress and load up my day pack, which I love by the way, it’s one of my favorite and most useful purchases!

What I took: my umbrella, rain jacket, a liter of water, a large Gatorade, my water filter and the liter collapsible bag (not the cnoc and not as good as the cnoc, when it doesn’t have holes in it-but this little bag works for now), toilet paper, my kula cloth (hooked to the outside of the day pack, this is the little pee cloth thing, the TP is just for number 2s these days), headlamp, Garmin Inreach, an egg salad sandwich, and some pickle slices. Ha. What a combination.

Doc drove me through the Hardee’s drive thru-I got 2 egg and cheese biscuits, she didn’t want anything. And then we carried on to the trailhead she picked me up from yesterday. I got started right at 7:30. By 7:40 I passed a shelter.. I could see the couple, The Praise Team, inside their tent, and a couple other people at the shelter that I didn’t recognize. I threw up a wave and carried on.

The trail swiftly started climbing, most of which was switchbacks. I was grateful, not only for the ease switchbacks create, but also for the heart pumping the climb was creating-warming immediately up. It was chilly! I think the temperatures over night were in the high 40s, so it was maybe 50 degrees by now. While it was cold when I stopped moving, I was also extremely excited over the lack of bugs and spider webs!

The climb seemed to fly by. Once at the top the trail continued along the ridgeline, all of which seemed to be under tree cover. I passed several campsites that seemed less than desirable, and then the trail became overgrown with briars, huge flower stalks (which I liked but also hated tearing through and damaging), and then for fun there were boulders and ankle turning rocks thrown in.

It was pretty frustrating though that chunk of things, and I remember thinking how much worse this would have been yesterday after I was already tired and over it. I think I made the right call to bail yesterday. If I wasn’t completely convinced right then, it was most definitely confirmed by the time I reached the campsite I would have been aiming for yesterday.

Thankfully, there was some open fields with gorgeous views that I happily soaked in. I ate lunch sitting on a rock overlooking the cities below. A bit later, I crossed the campsite I was supposed to stay at yesterday. It was so covered with downed trees that I could barely figure out exactly where it was! In the daylight! And I never found the spring.. imagine if I had shown up there last night at 7:30, with the sun gone and my headlamp on. It would have been a disaster!

I continued past it, continuously thanking God that whatever came over me yesterday did, and that I listened to that voice telling me it was ok to get a ride to town. Almost 2 miles after that, across another gorgeous field, I came to a shelter with an incredible campsite overlooking the city below. It was STUNNING! This is where Moose and Soundscape pushed to last night. I can’t imagine have been able to go 2 more miles as late as I would have been hiking. Both of those guys are faster than me though, so I’m sure they got the full beauty of this site before the sun left the sky. I can only imagine how incredible that sunset and sunrise had to be.

The next 8.6 miles was basically downhill. Parts were steep, parts required me to jog down a bit. All of it was fast moving and very refreshing! There was some bridge crossings over the New River, which looked beautiful from above. I finally made it to the pick up parking lot at 3pm. 20 miles by 3pm. Hell. Yes. Doc came and got me. I have to tell you, I quite like this lady. She’s wonderful!

When we arrived back at the hostel, Cactus was there! She introduced me to the folks she was hiking with/around.. Bones, Zebra, HappyFeet, Sunshine, Mash, and MashedPotatoes. LongShot zeroed today, so he was still here along with his friend (I forget his name). I showered, did laundry, and a group of us went to Mexican. It was just as good today as it was yesterday, although today I wasn’t nearly as ravenous. The company made today that much better, though.

After dinner, most of us quickly went to the grocery store. Many did their resupply, I just had to pick up stuff for tomorrow’s slackpack. When I realized how quick I was doing the 20 miles today, I had text Doc and told her I wanted to do the 26.8 mile slack pack tomorrow. I decided originally thinking that it would put me with Lizard the following day-but I quickly realized even with the big day I was a full day behind her. Dammit. BUT, I decided to do it anyway so I’d ONLY be a day behind her and not 2!

Once back at the hostel, LongShot made a campfire and most of us sat around it for awhile. When I started getting sleepy I decided to say goodnight and head to my room.. to write this all up so I can now say goodnight to you, too. Tomorrow will be a long day! Here’s to sleeping well in this comfy bed!! Sweet Dreams!