We woke to this scene at the Thunder Hill shelter.

Greetings from Narrows, Virginia, where I’ve decided to stop for a couple of days to rest my sore left heel. I’m staying at the historic MacArthur Inn which was built in the 1940s and so-named on the suggestion from then President Roosevelt in recognition of the general’s efforts in the Pacific during the run-up to WWII. Past clientele have included John Wayne, Audie Murphy (who died nearby in a plane crash and is memorialized with the below monument on the AT) , Mickey Mantle and Michael Landon.

Items left in tribute at the Audie Murphy memorial. My favorite cowboy movie as a kid: “No Name on the Bullet”

Duck pond one block from the library in Narrows, VA

Virginia
As of yesterday (Wednesday, November 5th) I passed my 1500th mile on the AT and now have less than 690 miles to go to reach the AT’s southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia. As I mentioned earlier, hiking in the great state of Virginia has been magical. With most leaves now off the trees, we are treated daily to spectacular views of the rolling mountain landscape as we gradually traverse south. Virginia is the longest state on the AT with more than 550 miles of trail to walk. I’m about halfway through the state right now. By comparison, Maine is the 2nd longest state on the AT with around 280 miles of trail.

Swish, Sawbones and I spent almost two hours hitching a ride back to the trail from Glasgow, VA

What is not to love about Virginia? A view from the ridge above.

String Bean and Swish apparently hiking without the use of feet…the leaves are calf-deep in many areas

Hydro (Johnny Reb) leading the charge!

Dirty Bird (from Atlanta) picking up the hike pace

I love the AT views from Virginia

From a ridge near Daleville, VA

Hiker silhouettes on the Virginia Hills

Sunrise on McAfee Knob
McAfee Knob features a stunning rock outcropping that juts out from the peak in dramatic fashion, making it the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail. Joined by half a dozen hiker pals, we stayed at a shelter less than a mile from the Knob a couple of days ago, woke up at 4:30 in the morning and hiked with headlamps to the summit from where we watched a breathtaking sunrise on a crisp, clear morning. My phone was our music player so I didn’t capture photos myself at sunrise, but I’ll post some later when I get them from others. In the mean time I’ve included several from an hour or so later where you can see us standing, jumping, etc. on the iconic landmark.

Well-known AT photo spot McAfee Knob

Me, freewheeling on the edge of the Knob

Swish channeling Snoopy

The Priest
Another interesting spot on the AT in Virginia is “The Priest,” a formidable six mile climb that challenges the soul! In the registry/logbook at the shelter near the summit, hikers are encouraged to “confess their sins” for others to read… needless to say it makes for entertaining reading. I opted to write the below poem.

My poem

Switching to headband mode to reign in all this hair

Cold Weather
The biggest story recently has been the cold weather. Per the above photo, we woke to snow at the Thunder Hill shelter the morning after halloween and hiked in it until the elevation dropped below 3000 feet. Daytime temps in the 40s and 50s make for pleasant hiking weather as long as there is little or no wind, but getting out of a toasty sleeping bag to face morning chills in the 20s and 30s is a different story and I’m glad I’ve got ample winter gear. The mountains in northenr Georgia (my ultimate destination) have already reported snowfalls in the range of 6-12 inches, so cold weather will be a big factor the rest of the way.

The trail passes under this boulder called “The Guillotine.” See the white blaze on the tree on the other side

Missing Home
Finally, I’ve chatted recently with Wendy, our kids, my mom, friends, etc. and I think especially with the holiday season drawing near and a winter chill in the air, I find myself missing home more than ever. I can’t wait to be back in good ‘ole Minnesota for Christmas, where I plan to reserve a spot by a fire somewhere and melt the ice out of my beard. I’m enjoying a couple days off the trail right now trying to get my heel to improve, and will have another day or two break next week with our upcoming hikers’ thanksgiving, so hopefully between the two I’ll summon the energy and motivation needed to complete this hike in time to be home for the holidays. Thank you all again for tuning in and my very best wishes to you and yours this holiday season. Max.

This will be a shorter update from a library computer in Glasgow, Virginia- a state that is quickly supplanting Pennsylvania as my favorite on the trail. The footpath is mainly dirt and easy on the feet, and the terrain and surrounding countryside are spectacular, especially with the regal fall colors. I’ve trimmed down my pack weight recently, including sending my tent home. That sounds more radical than it is- it only means that I’ll need to stay in shelters (usually available every day) or cowboy camp (sleep under the stars). I’ve only had to do the latter rarely, and now with cold days hitting us with regularity (and snow in our Halloween forecast) I won’t want to do it much more.

Me, loving the brisk Virginia mornings. Temp for this picture in the 40’s, but you don’t feel it when hiking.

Typical AT shelter, side view. This one sleeps six…you roll your air mattress and sleeping bag out on the floor and try not to hear other hikers snore!

Same shelter, front view. My pack and sticks by the table.

Another spectacular view of the rolling countryside in Virginia

The AT followed this river for a couple of miles, from about 20 feet above.

Mileage

We’ve really started putting on the daily miles now- 20 per day is routine and 25 is gradually becoming a norm. The cold weather has lit a fire under all of us to keep moving south!

Hiker Thanksgiving

Swish- fellow hiker since Maine- and her family are hosting a hiker thanksgiving for us all in mid-November and that’s the big buzz on the trail. It looks like a dozen or so of us hikers will converge on her kin to show them what hungry hikers can do to a thanksgiving feast. Wendy is planning on flying out to meet me there, so it should be a great time!

Hiker badass Swish, surrounded by Virginia hills. That’s one of the white blazes painted at her feet.

Reading/Music List

I’ve had a couple of questions about what I’ve been reading and/or listening to on the trip. Here’s the list of books I’ve read (or reread) so far:

• Walden; Henry David Thoreau
• Call of the Wild; Jack London
• The Long Walk; Slawomir Rawicz
• The Inferno; Dan Brown
• Ishmael; Daniel Quinn
• Peace Like a River; Leif Anger
• The Lovely Bones; Alice Sebold
• Staggerford; Jon Hassler
• Captains Courageous; Rudyard Kipling

And here are a couple of musical lyrics and quotes that stuck in mind on the trip so far:

• “My feet is my only carriage, so I’ve got to push on through.” Bob Marley
• “Travelling in a fried-out Kombi…on a hippy trail, head full of zombie.” Colin Hay
• “Gonna ride me southbound, all the way to Georgia now, ’till the train run out of track…” Marshall Tucker
• “Georgia, Georgia, the whole day through, just an old, sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind.” (Ray Charles)
• “He travels the fastest, who travels alone.” Rudyard Kipling
• “As for doing good, that is one of the professions which are full. Morover, I have tried it fairly, and, strange as it may seem, am satisfied that it does not agree with my constitution.” Henry David Thoreau
• “Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion.” Henry David Thoreau

Thanks again to those of you who’ve commented- I love hearing your input and observations! Enjoy this installment with a few Virginia photos and I’ll try to update again soon! Max.

Greetings from the Waynesboro public library in Waynesboro, VA! As of today, I’ve completed 1327 miles of the AT and have 858 miles left. I’m now over 60% done as reflected in graphical form below.

The blue square portrays the portion completed so far

Cold Weather

One of the biggest things on my mind these days has been the (increasing) cold weather. Most recent mornings I’m waking to temps in the 30s. While my sleeping bag keeps me plenty warm at night, getting out of it in the morning is getting harder by the day. I’ve recently swapped in some additional cold weather gear to help me enjoy the last 1-2 months of the hike rather than just ‘enduring’ the cold. Based on my daily mileage estimates I’m on track to complete the entire AT and be back home in Minnesota for Christmas!

Starting to embrace my inner caveman

My official halfway photo at the ATC in Harpers Ferry

MIsty morning leaving Harpers Ferry, WV

Amazing old stone house that is now the Bears Den hiker shelter

On on a peak in Shenandoah

Shenandoah
Over the past week or so I’ve had the pleasure of walking the 100 or so miles of the AT that pass through Shenandoah National Park. As luck would have it, I was in the park during the peak of “leafer” season, when people from all over flock to SNP to see the changing of the fall colors. While the mornings have been brisk, the scenery has been spectacular, as reflected in some of my pictures this time. You may also be able to tell that the trail (i.e., the footpath) has become much easier to walk. There are fewer roots and rocks than the New England sections and often times the path is dirt, which is a great relief to the feet.

Amazing Shenandoah 1

Amazing Shenandoah 2

Amazing Shenandoah 3

Park Ranger Sally stopped us on the trail and asked us to speak to her group about thru-hiking the AT

People
Over the past few weeks I’ve spent a lot of my hike time thinking about all those who have contributed to my hike in one form or another. It starts with my great wife who has been extremely supportive and understanding of my ‘structured midife crisis,’ as well as my kids, other family, friends, neighbors and colleagues cheering me on with every step, sending kind words, packages, etc. My sincere thanks to each of you! I’ve also made some great new acquaintances recently, said goodbye to dear trail friends and happened upon an assortment of hikers, trail angels and other kind souls. See below photos for more details. One recent example is ‘Stash,’ who I’m calling out here in text because I forgot to take a picture with him. Though we had never met, he left a note on my blog to seek him out in Virginia when we got near his town. He graciously picked us up on a moments notice on his day off and shuttled us a long distance to resupply, run errands and return us to the trailhead where we were still able to squeeze in 15 miles of hiking that day, something we could have never done without his help.

Hero’s last day of hiking

Hero touching his finish line…congrats on completing your thru-hike!

Hydro and Dirty Bird…a couple of amazingly strong, fast hikers

I met Gabe and his dad Greg on the trail one rainy day

Roger- a true trail angel!

..and Kayla, Roger’s daughter! Thanks Sweetie!

Appearances
I’ve also had a lot of time for reflection lately. One of the more interesting observations has to do with my appearance. Nowadays, I look (and unfortunately, smell) like a homeless person. In trail towns people usually recognize unshaven, gaunt, malodorous people with backpacks as AT thru-hikers since they deal with us so frequently. But when one ventures beyond such towns to places further off the trail, the first impression categories I fit into are ‘aging hippie’ or ‘homeless derelict.’ Having looked more ‘corporate’ for the past 25+ years, the contrast in how people react to my appearance has been truly entertaining. Hippie types and tatooed motorcycle dudes treat me like a ‘brother;’ shopkeepers and restauraunteurs look with suspicion when I approach; and somewhat inexplicably, old ladies smile sympathetically, as though to say “God bless you, wayward son- I’ll pray for your soul.” Another surprise has been how many people I meet on the trail who assume I’ve always looked this way. “I can’t imagine you without the hair and beard” is something I hear often. I’m not sure what I’ll look like when I return to ‘normal’ life, but regardless, looking this way on the trail is a rich source of personal entertainment. Thanks again for following along! Max