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Memories from the Trail

Days 83-96: Pawling, NY to Rutland, VT

11 states down I’m in Vermont now! Since my last post I’ve finished New York and hiked through Connecticut and Massachusetts. Coming from Colorado, I’m still not used to passing from state to state so easily, so every time I reach a border I get super excited. It was especially exciting to reach Vermont because…
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Days 70-82: Hamburg, PA to Pawling, NY

Hello from 2/3 of the way down the Appalachian Trail! Since my last post I have finished PA, and hiked through NJ and almost all of NY, which brings my total number of states visited up to 9. Little Apple, Big World This section of trail has had some enjoyably large waypoints. First, the turnoff…
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Days 61-69: Harper’s Ferry, WV to Hamburg, PA

Hello from MORE THAN HALFWAY down the AT! I’m simultaneously psyched and not ready to be this far in (and this close to being done) with this journey. Into the North I crossed the Mason-Dixon Line at the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, so now I’m officially in the north. Now that the south is…
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Days 53-60: Waynesboro, VA to Harper’s Ferry, WV

Hello from the psychological half way point of the AT! Arriving in Harper’s Ferry means I’ve hiked more than 1000 miles, and I’m done with Virginia! Since my last post, I’ve hiked through the Shenandoahs, stayed at a destination shelter, and gotten to spend the weekend with my dad! Milestones It’s super exciting to get…
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Days 41-52: Pearisburg, VA to Waynesboro, VA

Hello actually from more than half way through Shenandoah National Park, about 65 miles past Waynesboro at mile 930. I haven’t had a day off in a while, hiking full days into town, so I haven’t had much time to sit down and summarize. So here’s my best shot at some of the highlights of…
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Days 33-40: Damascus, VA to Pearisburg, VA

Ponies!! At mile 500 I hit the Grayson Highlands, a Virginia state park famous for its feral ponies. For those like me who didn’t know beforehand, feral means that the animals were once domesticated but are now wild. I had been looking forward to meeting the ponies for months (well before I started the trail),…
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Days 29-32: Roan Mountain, TN to Damascus, VA

Trail Town, USA I made it to Damascus! Yesterday I crossed the border from Tennessee to Virginia and now I’m taking my third zero of the trail here just across the border at mile 470. Damascus is a tiny little place-the trail runs right through the one street that essentially comprises the town. In May,…
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Days 22-28: Hot Springs, NC to Roan Mountain, TN

Hi from mile 395.2! As of today I’ve officially made it through 2 states (since the start of the Smokies the AT has basically traced the NC/TN border, so it’s a fun game to guess which state I’m sleeping in on any given night), and I have only about 75 miles of Tennessee left before…
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Day 10-21: Franklin, NC to Hot Springs, NC (through the Smokies!)

Hello from what feels like the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in on this Wednesday morning in Hot Springs. It’s possible that, with the exception of eating and going to go the bathroom, I might not leave this bed at all today. I’m taking a zero here after about 160 miles of hiking…
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Days 6-9: Call me Apple! Hiawassee, GA to Franklin, NC

Hello this time from the Budget Inn in Franklin on my first zero day! The past few days have been full of milestones: crossing my first state boundary, hiking my first 100 miles, and earning my trail name. I’ve again eaten my weight in Mexican food and this time in pancakes as well. A TRAIL…
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