Mom's AT Adventure

New Blog had a mistake

2010-03-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

If anyone read my previous entry you would see a link to the new blog - it was unavailable today as I missed one flag. It is now corrected so if your interested and want to take a gander, I hope you enjoy it.

The end of a wonderful year

2010-03-08T21:06:00.000-05:00

This is the last entry on this blog. All good things must come to an end, right?

First and foremost, I have great news - WE attained my goal of raising funds for MS research and I would like to thank each and every person that donated from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot truly express my gratitude and thanks.

I have not written in a while as I have struggled to return to "real life". I find that my "real life" is on the trail as that is where I am happiest. I just cannot play the game as most of you can but then all of you who know me know that I have always walked to the beat of a different drum. So this should not be a surprise to anyone but it is to me.

For those of you who might miss my posts I have good news - I have started another and I assure you that I will continue to have adventures and wander wherever the mood strikes. The address is: http://moms-adventure.blogspot.com/. My goals for 2010 are posted there and I will reports back on how well I manage to attain those goals as the year goes by.

Thank you all for being interested in my thru-hike I could not have done it without my family and your support.

NATURE

End of the trail??

2009-09-28T10:54:00.005-04:00

Hello all - I am sure that you are all asking yourselves, is she done? is this out of her system now? The short answer is NO. I am off to finish the Long Trail in Vermont. I am leaving this week and will return once I have reached Killington, Vermont from the Canadian border. It is only 170 miles so I don't expect that it will take me too long to finish and then I can look forward to more substantial goals like the PCT (2650 miles), CDT (3100 miles), or the IAT (1400 miles). I will write again when I return from the LT.

No words needed...

2009-09-23T10:18:00.003-04:00

The Last Food Box

2009-09-07T19:41:00.003-04:00

Well everyone I just finished packing the very last food box. It feels unreal and a little sad too, this whole adventure has been fun for everyone and it is soon to end. She expects to finish in about 2 weeks. I am so excited for her and proud. I know that she will be making entries herself when she gets done to share stories and pictures, so stayed tuned. Since this maybe my last entry I wanted to say Thank You to everyone who found it in their heart (& pocket) a donation for Mom's fundraising efforts for the MS Society.

Mom is in Maine

2009-09-02T12:39:00.002-04:00

I heard from Mom last night, she was at a hostel in Andover, Maine. She is still in good spirits, but the hiking has not gotten any easier. She said that it has been more like rock climbing than hiking, the picture is of Old Blue Mountain and just a few of the many thousands of boulders she has been encountering. The winds have not died down at all and she has had to be VERY careful lately not to get blown right off the side of the rock face. (Be careful Mom) It is getting very cold at night and for those of you who really know Mom she is ALWAYS cold. I guess between wearing all the clothes she has with her, the new coat, and the sleeping bag she has been getting through it just fine. She is fast approaching the 100 Mile Woods and before we know it she will be at Mount Katahdin. Only 2 more food drops...seems unreal...

332 Miles To Go...

2009-08-24T12:31:00.003-04:00

I spoke to Mom 1/2 hour ago. She was at the summit of Mt. Washington. She was thankful to have the winter coat that I sent her as the high for today is 50 degrees up there. Despite the cold, wind, rain, and fog and 6000+ foot climb she never sounded happier. She was able to send me this photo of her at the summit to share with everyone. She will be in touch in a few days once she reaches Gorham, NH and before we know it she will be in Maine.

Two states to go!

2009-08-14T16:23:00.004-04:00

Well, I crossed into New Hampshire at noon today, August 14. The miles seem to be flying but I expect that to change in the Whites. I am only planning on 10 miles a day as there is substantial climbing every day now until Kathadin. If I manage more miles, great, if not that is okay too as I will have planned food drops for less. I am happy to say that I finally caught someone that I was hiking with before Trail Days.

Today I did something very special - visited my cousin, Heather, who works at Dartmouth College. She was very surprised and I wish I could put our picture up here but my USB port is at the bottom of my pack and it would take me a half hour to find it. Sorry Heather, I will get your picture up as soon as I can.

I can summarize Connecticut and Massachusetts in two words - mud and mosquitoes. That is it. The mud was ankle deep and the mosquitoes were relentless. I was able to enjoy a family camping weekend which was absolutely wonderful. I was able to visit with everyone and relax for a change. And I had a pillow to use at night. It makes a big difference.

Vermont - well a few things, less mud, fewer mosquitoes which was a relief. I was able to spend a night with my uncle and a day canoeing with him. Sitting in the canoe was very nice for a change. Then back to the trail to Manchester Center where I got to visit with my friend. I was very happy to see her and visit the town. I, also, had to go to the doctor's while there as I thought I had another infection like I had before and unfortunately I was right. I am back on two antibiotics but was not advised to leave the trail and therefore am still out here walking. Climbed our first 4,000 footer in quite some time when I got to Killington and then turned east toward NH.

There has been a lot of up and down hiking for the past few days which I hope has gotten me in shape for the next goal - Moosilake (over 5,000 ft). I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and will write again when I can.

Now in New York!

2009-07-19T16:02:00.011-04:00

Howdy, it has been a while since I have been able to submit a post but here I am in New York, tomorrow New Jersey, and then the next day New York for good. I have done more than 1300 miles so far and have less than 900 to go. Oh no, I am going to have to slow down or else this journey will be done before I know it. Then what will I do, get a job???? Still have not figured out how to get paid for long distance hiking but I wil before I get to Kathadin for sure.

Sorry most of the pictures are sideways, don't know how to rotate them.

I could not begin to remember all the adventures that I have had since I wrote last but I will share a few that will give you an idea of them. Shelly is right PA sucked. I only saw a four foot path of gray rock. You cannot look up at all or you risk a broken ankle from the boulders underfoot. This picture does not even begin to show the misery that is Pennsylvania but it should give you and idea. I did like hiking out of Palmerton, however. Palmerton is a superfund site with a mountain that they are trying to rescue that was dying due to zinc smelting. I had a lot of real climbing to do that was a lot of fun.

This is my impression of a turtle. Yes, I feel again in slow motion and my pack fell right into a hole. I was stuck with all four "legs" waving in the air. Android came back and offered a hand but I asked him to take a photo first. I had to take my pack off as advised by Cool Breeze many months ago now before attempting to get up. We laughed for several miles following this incident.

Not all is fun though. This past week I did see my first two rattlesnakes and litterally fell apart. New Jersey apparently has more than it's share of snakes. I was hiking alone ahead of everyone and came to a ledge that I had to climb down. I saw a huge snake (big enough so that I could not see it's head and the ledge was 5 ft long) with a rattle at it's tail. I turned to run and it started rattling at me. Never will I forget that sound. I ran at full speed until I got to a rock big enough to stand on. I looked back to see if it was chasing me which I know is illogical but that is what a phobia is, right? One Step came down the trail and asked if I was okay. I feel to pieces at his question and asked him to bring me home! He responded with "I promise to get you to the next shelter" I so wanted to talk to my son, Kyle, who was supposed to get me through the tough days but I couldn't so talked to One Step. He went to see if he could find the snake. Moe and Whup Whup came along the trail in the meantime and talked to me. One Step returned to say all was safe and we walked together to the ledge. One Step and Whup Whup went down first and literally beat the bushes for me. I could not step off that ledge and stood there crying hysterically. One Step looked me in the eye and said "It is okay, C'mon". I knew at that moment that I have some true friends and that I had to trust him. Crying I climbed down that ledge and followed One Step down the trail. All stayed with me that day and as we rested at Rattlesnake Mt. (oh yes, had to climb that mountain as that is where the trail led me) Whup Whup stood up and said "Nature, stay where you are". I knew what was happening as he stood in front of me. I put my shoes on asap and he and I left. All the others admired the little 4 footer that had come out of hiding. Android has escorted me through the remainder of New Jersey. A heartfelt thank you to my friends and I know that I have been blessed with lifelong friends on this trail.

Lion King tells me that New York has rattlesnakes as well but One Step who is now in front of me sent me a message via a southbounder that he has not seen any snakes and it is okay. I am truly blessed.

Finally a picture for Dan! and of a bear that could have cared less that I was watching him gorge on blueberries.

Will write again as soon as I can.

So I am a slacker...

2009-07-14T12:31:00.003-04:00

It has been a while since I made an update, no excuses I have just been busy. I was however threatened over the weekend (Aunt Ginny) that I had better update the blog or else...Love you too! :)

So I am sure you are all wondering...where is she??? I spoke to her last night and she will be in Delaware Water Gap, PA tomorrow, which is .2 miles away from New Jersey. That's right New Jersey. She will be close enough for everyone to go visit before we know it.

It has been a while so let me back up a little. All the AT hikers are required to check in when they begin their hike, when mom checked in down in GA there were about 2500 people who had checked in before her. The next check point is in Harpers Ferry, WV. I guess if you make to Harpers Ferry your success rate for completing the hike sky rockets because most people don't even make it that far. Mom was a proud number 506 when she checked in at Harpers Ferry. That means at least 2000 people in front of her could not make it.

She continued on from there through MD and into PA. The PA hiking has been miserable overall and that is putting it nicely. She said that there are so many rocks that you CAN NOT look around at the scenery she has to watch her feet and the ground at all times. This was expected, but it doesn't make it any easier when you are walking through it. She of course wants to enjoy her surroundings, PA has not allowed for that and I know she is looking forward to crossing the state line. They are stopping tomorrow to go into town for food and to go to the movies...all she could talk about last night was buying herself a jumbo size popcorn and eating the whole damn thing herself.

A few good stories from the past few weeks...

She did a 25 mile day last week. About 20 miles in to the 25 miles she could see a sign off in the distance to the side of the trail. As she approached and read the sign she couldn't help from falling down not due to rocks, but from laughter as the sign read "Pennsylvania apologizes for all the friggin' rocks..." that got her through the last 5 miles that day.

About 2 weeks ago my phone rang and the person on the other end of the phone was claiming to be Mom, but I really don't know who it was. This person was staying in a hostel upstairs from a bar, had actually been in the bar, and had been shooting pool all night long. Who was that?? Any guesses because I don't know.

That is it for now. We are projecting she will be in CT/MA by the end of the month. A bunch of us are going to go camping and meet her on the trail. She and her fellow hikers are going to come back and camp with us for a night or two. I hope to get some pictures and perhaps she can make an entry herself. I encourage all of you to meet her somewhere and walk for a mile, or two, or 100 feet if that is the distance you can go. To have the opportunity to share this with her is something that none of us should pass up.

A few Mom Pics

2009-06-26T07:43:00.005-04:00

Left to right:
Basher, MND, & Dragon Breath

I know I am slacking no map today, I will have to do one next week. Meme was able to forward me a few pictures of Mom with her current hiking buddies that I though you might enjoy. She has been through the Shenandoas with them and they should now be 1 day away from Harper's Ferry, WV. Can you belive it??? WV already...we will be seeing her in person before you know it.

Shenandoahs

2009-06-23T14:28:00.002-04:00

Hi all, well today I am in Front Royal, got here about noon. Front Royal is the end of the Shenandoah National Forest. The Shenandoahs are simply beautiful. The Skyline Drive winds through a hundred miles of forest and the AT follows the Drive although far enough away so that we do not here the cars except where we need to cross the road. Road crossings here are dangerous in that there are waysides at road crossings. What is a wayside you might ask - a restaurant for one with real food, oh my! and Blackberry milkshakes, you have to try one if you ever come here. They are awesome.

I have seen about 10 black bears and 40 deer in the Shenandoahs. I love it especially the bears. They are a beautiful animal. They are very quiet and you do have to look for them but they can be found. A friend I am walking with (Basher) has a great picture of a small bear trying to steal his water bottle. He had taken a break with his headphones on and did not here the little guy walking up to him until he saw the water bottle moving. I will try to get a copy of it for everyone to see.

Well, I have to share a story as Shelly told me that if I don't share with everyone she will. We ended up camping at Big Meadow Campground one night. My first priority was a shower. To that end we had supper, got a campsite, set up tents and then I went to the shower and laundry area. I put my stuff in the shower and then had to go get quarters for the shower. I then jumped in the hot shower so happy until ---- I heard male voices! Oh my gosh, I had not once but twice walked into the men's shower room rather then the women's. Now what to do, take the longest shower ever that quarters could buy and wait them out - what else could I do? Oh well, the water was hot and I was clean by the time they got done. Alls well that ends will, right?

I do have pictures to share but not the time to upload them - sorry. I will try to next time. I plan to leave tomorrow for Harper's Ferry, WV. I expect it will take me three and a half days to get there and then onto PA and the half way mark. I simply cannot believe that I have come so far and have enjoyed every step of the journey.

Thank you to MEME and LEGG, my southern support team. I saw them for the last time in Waynesboro, VA. It was great to see them and I will miss them as I move through the next few states. I will be back to visit you both before you know it.

Nature.

Mom More Notes for You...

2009-06-08T13:35:00.000-04:00

1/3 Done!! Go Mom!!

2009-06-08T13:07:00.010-04:00

That's right everyone by the end of the day today mom will be a third of the way done. I spoke with her this morning as she was in Daleville, VA picking up her food drop. She (like always) sounds great. I asked her if there was anything she would like me to share...

She wanted me to let everyone know that although she has fallen behind her original crew she has found another group of wonderful people that she is hiking with and really enjoying their company. These are really good people...her words not mine. Surprisingly she bumped into a few who she figured were way ahead, at camp one night when talking with a new friend she hears "Nature is that you???" and who peers around, but Radar!! She has been spending her time climbing cliffs in the pouring rain (she loves the Tinker Cliffs), enjoying time with new friends, and hitting up random dudes for rides to the post office (they were headed that way anyway, but that is not the point). Although she was not able to send me her own photos she asked that I find a few of the places she went in the past few days that she enjoyed the most.

McAfee Knob, VA

Dragon's Tooth, VA

That is all for now. We expect to hear from her again next Wednesday when she will be in Waynesboro, VA meeting up with Meme and Mark for the last time (on this trip anyway...I have heard rumors about wanting to through-hike southbound).

1/3 done...over 700 miles...Go Mom!!

Pearisburg, VA & still trucking

2009-06-02T12:10:00.002-04:00

I talked to Mom Sunday night and again Monday morning. She was in Pearisburg and was a day ahead of schedule. She says that was my fault as I asked her not to stay at the Wapiti shelter due to its history. So she didn't sleep there and as a result spent the night at the summit of a mountain in the worst thunderstorm she had seen so far this trip. Sorry Mom. On the up side her knee and ankle are fine. Her feet are sore everyday once she hits the 12-12.5 mile mark, but we determined that is a result of breaking in new boots not her injury. She picked up some gel insoles in town along with her food drop and was headed back out in high spirits.

She is definitely happy to be back on the trail. She has met other people out there, but has every intention of catching back up with her crew soon. Soundtrack and K-bar are each taking some time off in the next few weeks so Mom hopes to make up the time while they are off trail.

I expect to hear from her again next week, probably Wednesday, she should be in Daleville for those of you keeping track. I will keep you posted and encourage everyone to go check out the pics she took. She really is having the time of her life...

Returning

2009-05-27T12:20:00.002-04:00

Well, I am returning to the trail tomorrow thanks to Meme and Mark as they are driving me north to Bland, VA. I heard from K-Bar today that she and my friends are in Daleville, VA. I wish I was with them and am hopeful that I can catch up to them at some point. I don't think Kathadin will be the same without my partner. They need to slow down and I need to run! Not!

I have enjoyed my time with Meme very much and she has made sure that I am well fed and rested. I am not even sure today if my clothes will fit anymore. She makes the best popcorn ever and we have it every night.

I am very happy to be returning and can't wait to get back out there. I will stay in touch and let everyone know how it goes.

Darn it all!

2009-05-19T15:16:00.008-04:00

Well, I made it to Damascus this weekend after hitchhiking and subsequently riding in the back of two pickup trucks and a car. One truck was full of manure! It figures I would get that one. Once I got to Damascus, I set up my tent in Tent City and then went to Medical because I knew that I had to. Well, to keep a long story short, I am at my Meme's house updating the blog because medical looked at me and sent me to the emergency room. They thought I had a blood clot and was in mortal danger. I knew I wasn't but also knew something was going on in my ankle. It was hot, very swollen, red and burned. The Baptist Church of Damascus is a caring, loving community. They provide the medical tent and provided me with a ride to the ER, a new life long friend (Sandra from Birmingham, AL), and a ride home from the ER. I don't know what I would have done without their support and caring. Bottom line, I have a really bad infection in my ankle, likely from my knee injury, that could get bad fast and the doc said "NO, hiking. You have to be within reach of a hospital" So I am at Meme's taking all the antibiotics they gave me being a "good girl" for the moment but..........

as soon as the darn meds are done, I am out of here and back on the trail. I will get to Kathadin this year. Of course, now all my friends will be a week ahead of me which really saddens me but as Cool Breeze reminded me several times I can meet more people and have more friends when I return for Trail Days next year.

Trail Days what a PARTY!!! Book signings, flutists, drum circles, the biggest water fight in the U.S. I am sure, contra dancing and more food than anyone could ever imagine. Thru hikers eat - eat a lot and most are told at medical to eat more as many are losing too much weight. If you offer free food, hikers will come, never doubt that. Yeah, can you imagine, I partied for 3 days with lots of people and loved every minute of it. You know what, I realized the month of May is not all that bad. I don't think that I hate it this year as I have in the past. Yes, I have thought and continue to think about all of my friends at my former employer trying to get through this month. I think and celebrate every second of every day that is stress free and that I am not stuck behind a computer screen for 80 hours a week during this month. I am sorry everyone and support your hard work during this time. At the end of the month, go outside, look up at the sky and know that I am looking at the same view with you, watching clouds meander by a beautiful blue sky, birds fly by and that you can now breathe and enjoy the sunshine.

I have been at Meme's less than a day now and have realized what a luxury hot water and toilet are. Anyone who has those two things is a wealthy person in my mind. Guess, my future goals will have to include these two things but beyond that, hey, I could live in a three sided building and wander the forests and be happy. I just have to figure out how to make money doing that.

I can't belive that I have come this far.

2009-05-19T09:00:00.002-04:00

Wow, 583 miles completed when I arrived in Bland, VA last Thursday. That is more than a quarter of the way done. I can't believe that we have come so far. It is mind boggling although we have all decided that we need to slow down, enjoy the ride and make it last. Not going to do many more 23+ milers unless it is for a good reason, like getting close to town so that we can hike in and have hot coffee for breakfast. Oh yeah, have I told anyone that this coffee drinker has only ONE 8 ounce cup of cold coffee mixed with protein drink for breakfast. I miss my pot of hot coffee for sure. But what I have is sufficient to allow me to hike throughout the day and get going in the morning as quickly as possible so that we have enough time to hike the miles we want.

There is so much to write about that I do not really know where to start so have decided to talk about the best day yet. Hiked out of Damascus, VA to the Mt. Rogers State Park - okay let me back up a bit first with a scary story as it precedes the good day. While hiking out of Damascus, VA, we had to hike a part of the Virginia Creeper Trail (for those of you that are bikers, you should check out this trail, it is beautiful) and then cross a bike bridge. There was a plaque there telling about the bridge, the man that it was dedicated to etc... I read it all and then stepped onto the bridge, viewing the river and bridge. I noticed that the bridge was screwed together and that there was one big screw. Why I wondered and decided to check it out - until it opened it's eyes to view me! Biggest snake I have ever seen in my life, being a girl about such things, I of course ran down the bridge screaming, which disturbed the other big black snake that was sunning itself. Oh yeah, hysteria ensued ---- finally got off that darn bridge and into the woods where I think I am safer. Later, at the shelter, there was quite a discussion about these two characters and general consensus was that they were six feet long. I disagreed, I am sure they were more like twenty feet long when I saw them. So the snake count is two to date. Soundtrack has a great picture of one of them that I will upload when I get a copy from him.

The hike to Thomas Knob the following day was a nice hike through forests and fields to the highest point in VA, Mt. Rogers. Mt. Rogers was a bit of a challenge as we have encountered some rain along the way and all the streams are running high. We had to ford streams were all the stones were below water, cross bridges that had waterfalls crashing down over them, and follow the white blazes no matter where they were. At one point, I thought I had gotten lost and was following a stream instead. No, it was the AT "creek" I was following once I found the next blaze. Once we got to Thomas Knob Shelter, it was clear that we were in for more storms. That night, I think the winds got to 60 mph. Wow, what a windy night. I found out later that not too far away (Atkins, VA) they had a possible tornado. I love the wild weather, don't you? We did not get to have pizza at the shelter though. That would have made it a perfect night.

The good day - left the Thomas Knob shelter and hiked to the Grayson Highlands State Park. My heart sang as we climbed over the rock outcroppings, crossing the bald and finding the WILD PONIES!

They have free run of the state park and look very happy and healthy. I had apples for all and played with them for quite some time. K-Bar has the best picture of this but I do have a few to share with you. I fell in love with this area and fully intend to return to explore more of this beautiful area. The park is mountainous and grassy with lots of rock outcroppings to explore. Aren't there guys and girls cute? Yes, there is a foal in one picture and he is one of many that I saw. There were paints, buckskins and lots of solid color ponies to watch. Make no mistake about it, they are wild. They are not domesticated and are just as happy to bite or kick you as let you come near. Of course they also like apples and let me feed them. The park ranger was not around when I was there but I understand that they discourage people from interacting with the ponies. I do understand why but am so glad that I got to visit with them for half the day. This day has been my favorite so far. I hope that all thru hikers enjoy this area as much I did.

As favorite as it was, there have been so many others since I last wrote that I could go on for pages talking, describing the beauty that I have lived with. But there other things as well, have you heard of trail magic? Well this is what it looks like sometimes. That is right, just a cooler set off the trail with drinks maybe a snack or two for thru hikers to look forward to, enjoy, and be thankful for. Of course, the worst, is when you see the cooler, imagine the cold Coke and Little Debbie's Oatmeal cookie, savor the idea while you are getting down the switchback only to find the cooler empty - what a let down. Crazy Horse says trail magic doesn't happen in New Englad much, well, K-Bar and I have decided that we are going to prove him wrong next year. While approaching Bland, VA, the trail magic consisted of two gallon jugs of water (there is little in the area) and a print out of the next 10 day's worth of weather forcast. It doesn't take much to make trail magic happen or to make a thru hiker happy.

Friends - oh my gosh, I love all my fellow thru hikers so much. We have fun everyday. We celebrate every day even if it is raining which really is not so bad unless everything you own is dripping wet which does happen but not too often. I have met so many wonderful people on this trail that I could not begin to introduce them all to you. I think a few pictures will suffice to show us at our best. Enjoy - I will write more later.

Off to Trail Days

2009-05-15T08:11:00.003-04:00

Mom came off trail yesterday and is headed back towards Damascus. There she is going to get her supply box I sent her and PARTY!!! When we spoke yesterday she was almost more excited about getting Model-T to sign her book than she was that she is almost 600 miles in (1/4 way done). I expect she will be able to make a post herself while she is there although getting some PC time with 30,000 hikers in town maybe a challenge. Still has her head up, feet in motion, and moving along to the Fillet o' Fish song (with new words).

She made it to Virginia

2009-05-07T12:52:00.007-04:00

Mom has made it to Virginia, but hey we all knew she would. If she puts her mind to something she can do anything, raise 4 kids...go to college...walk 2200 miles...I am excited (maybe a little scared) to see what is next on the To-Do list. Anyway, I heard from her this morning and she is in good spirits. Aside from needing a new pair of boots things couldn't be going any better. Yesterday was her last time to visit with and receive a food drop from Meme. I just went and sent food box #1 for her to pick up next week. I am grateful that Meme was able to meet her these first few weeks it put all our hearts at ease knowing that she had family near by if she needed it. And Meme, I thank you it has meant a lot to me and others for you to have been able to do that for her.

Here are some more pics that Meme was able to get yesterday at their meeting in Damascus, VA. And hey is anyone else noticing...Mom is getting buff. The pounds are a dropping I guess all of those who want to drop a few know a new diet that actually works.

Lodging last night (Damascus, VA)

Mom and Meme (aunt)

Mom and Mark (cousin)

She is coming off the trail next week for a three day all out party known as Trail Days. 30,000 hikers invade Damascus every year and enjoy things ranging from water gun fights to talent shows and more. Please see the following address if you want to learn more http://www.traildays.us/

Pics...

2009-04-27T15:40:00.009-04:00

Mom called yesterday and like always she sounds great. She was not able to get to a computer as there were about 100 hikers and only one computer for them all to share. She is now hiking towards Damascus, VA and where they are planning to go to another hiker party. Meme was able to send me some pics that she took yesterday when she met with Mom for a food drop. We thought we should share them with all of you. A new map and some new pics...

This is where they stayed last night

Hiking Gypsy (i.e. MND) (i.e. Mom) (i.e. Donna) and her friends...

Left to right (hope I get this right)

Cloudbuster

Pellet

MND

Soundtrack

K-Bar

Creatures of the Trail

2009-04-21T17:28:00.004-04:00

Flowers of the Trail

2009-04-21T17:23:00.007-04:00

Hot Springs, NC

2009-04-21T16:55:00.004-04:00

Howdy all, yes, I am having the time of my life out here on the trail. I left Fontana Dam and had a wonderful trip through the Smoky Mountains that included cold (again), ice (again), rain (again) but the last 2.5 days were sunny and clear! We got to Clingman's Dome and the weather cleared after hiking there in ice. The views are indescribable. I did take pictures that I am sure will not share the majesty of the mountains here. I will share those when I return. I can tell you that the mountains range in color on a good day from midnight blue to the a pale sky blue depending on distance from peak that I was standing on and I could see for miles. On a stormy day, those same mountains range from pearly gray to a dark forbidding gray that chills the heart. Those chilly mountain ranges peak in and out of swirling, misty clouds that curl around or bash against the mountain range. You know I do love a stormy day as much as a sunny day so all are good ones to me. Radar joined us through the Smokies, as a former thru-hiker, he had a lot of knowledge of the area and brought us to Mt. Cammerer Tower (a mile of the trail). The tower is poised right at the end of a cliff and offers 360 degree views of the northern Smokies. Well worth the extra miles to see how far we had travelled and how far we had to go to make it here.

The bear - now that is a story for sure. We stayed at Roaring Fork Shelter two nights ago. A feisty male bear decided that he might enjoy our food and climbed a tree next to the bear cables. (I will post a picture sometime of the bear cables so that you can see them) Well, a man had set his tent up not too far from the cables and the bear has not pleased with his choice of campsite. He was up the tree, huffing at the man. I had heard tree branches breaking as the bear climbed the tree but did not realize what it was until I heard him yell "Jones, there is a freaking bear out here over my head!" We all had our headlamps on in a flash as this was happening at 10:00 PM (hiker midnight). Sure enough, there he sat on a small branch trying to reach out and snag a food bag. We watched him, yelled and eventually, he climbed down and ran away. By that time, the three men in tents had climbed into the fully occupied shelter for safety. We were now packed liked sardines in a can and had to all turn from one side to the other or no one turned over. My friend from Israel, Tom, turned his head lamp on and to our surprise there stood the bear again less than 20 feet away! He was so quiet we never heard him. We all joined in the fight to save food by yelling, blowing whistles etc... until he left again and hopefully for the last time. We took turns sleeping, turning and checking the woods with our trusty headlamps and finally morning arrived. The oatmeal was especially tasty that morning as we had worked so hard to protect it. What would have happened if someone would have lost their food bag - all would have shared to make sure that no one went hungry. Thru hikers do take care of each others and those that they share the trail with.

Dan - I found evidence of Bigfoot and wanted to share with you. This picture is K Bar's boot inside the bootprint of the biggest bootprint I have ever seen. Maybe he is out there tracking me - What do you think?

I only have a half hour at the library so have to make this short. I am going to try and add a few pages for everyone with the flowers etc..that I have seen. I do not carry field guides with me so if you recognize a flower or such please do let me know what they are. I thought maybe the Clarke School for the Deaf elementary kids might be able to find out this information for me too.

And lastly, a shout out to the Springfield YMCA. I have made it up a lot of mountains thanks to you and your classes. Pilates has certainly helped me carry that 35 pound pack too.

270 Miles in 26 Days

2009-04-21T13:15:00.002-04:00

Just spoke to Mom. She sounds great. She is in town and plans to make a post herself so I won't give away too much. Bears, Bigfoots, and Fifes...she is never coming back...Love you Mom.

18 Days on the Trail

2009-04-13T09:19:00.003-04:00

Over 100 miles done. I spoke with her yesterday, she was so looking forward to the 12.5 miles uphill today. Go Mom!!

Made it to the Smokies today!

2009-04-12T20:51:00.010-04:00

Howdy all, wow made it to Fontana Dam today. I can't believe it, I am in the Smokies. Today, Meme treated K Bar, Cloudbuster and I to a day off and some great food - real veggies and fruit. I love it and have eaten way too much but will be working it off tomorrow. 12 miles uphill!

So we have dealt with the cold and some very intense storms thus far. I have a number of pictures to share that can say more than my words so here we go ....

This is Fontana Dam from 3400 feet!

This is what a shelter looks like from the loft after a day of hiking in the rain. Everything is hung to dry by everyone.

I hate to say this but I have seen lots of evenings like this thus far.

The summit of Blood Mountain, highest peak in Georgia. A cold day for sure with lots of ice everywhere.

K-Bar and Nature walking out of Neels Gap, GA on the adventure of a lifetime. Check out K-Bar's website if you have time. She is awesome. http://www.northbound-biney.blogspot.com/

Charlsey, you must come by your modeling skills genetically. I know how to strike a pose too!

A Shelter during the snowstorm, we are trying to get the fire going, finally did and then burned my socks trying to warm my feet.

A snow angel in the making.

More pictures can be found on http://www.flickr.com/. That's all for now folks as I want to visit with my Meme for a few minutes and we leave early tomorrow morning to attempt the first of the Smokies.

Week Two...

2009-04-06T14:22:00.006-04:00

Mom sure sounds like she is having fun...Mad Hatter, mud bording, Hebrew...what next? As I understand it she and K-bar came off the trail just before the GA state border to go to the hiking "party" in Franklin, NC. They have returned to where they left off and have the feat of hiking the tallest mountain in the Smokies this week.

Breathe Mom breathe...

Saw this picture this morning of the Great Smokies, I can't believe that this is what she is waking up to as we speak.

Franklin, North Carolina

2009-04-04T15:58:00.002-04:00

Hey all, I am in Franklin, NC for the weekend and then off tomorrow to cross into GA to TN through the trail. Sorry to say that I don't have any pics to share this time around as I don't have my usb port. Will add pics when I can.

I am having the best time ever - have met the best people ever. On Springer Mt. I met K-Bar who believe it or not is from Holyoke as well. She is a wonderful young woman and we have decided to do the trail together to represent our hometown. We are hiking well together, she passes me uphill, I pass her on the downhill as my legs are a bit longer then hers. So we play leapfrog down the trail for miles, taking pictures, and her eating. Never been much of an eater during the day and that has not changed while on the trail. Oh guess what, I am also learning Hebrew, so cool. There is a great man that is hiking with us from Israel and I asked him to teach me Hebrew. What better way to learn, no need for a classroom.

So far we have covered a little more than a hundred miles. There is no doubt that I am going to make it to Maine despite the weather. It rained, no, make that poured, for the first four days and is supposed to rain tomorrow and snow on Tuesday. Gotta love it. I have decided that to make it easier for myself, I am going to strap bark to my boots and mudboard down hill rather than hike. It would be much faster than trying to not fall, slip and slide down. You can tell who is through hiking in town by the level of mud up their pants. If it is not up to your knees you are not a thru hiker.

I have found that shelter life is not all that bad, kind of like summer camp. We have been squeezing many more bodies in the shelters than I thought possible as everyone is trying to get out of the rain and setting up a tent and taking it back down in the rain is not fun. So we pack as many as we can, no one has the option of moving around at night. And all get up at the same time as one moves all move, kind of like a pack. We then filter out and onto the trail and our individual goals of the day likely the next shelter or two away depending on how much rain and mud there is on the trail. There was rime ice on Blood Mountain when I was there and 24 degrees. We were going to stay in the shelter at the top but it was a stone building with open windows, wet and cold - NOT. Went on for two more miles to Neels Gap.

One group of hikers has lost their food bag to a bear in the area! We do have to be careful out here as they are all around. And for my mom - MICE - running around all the shelters, have to leave our packs open so that they can get in and then back out without chewing the pack to heck. The other night someone trapped them in the ceiling and they diligently chewed all night trying to escape to find the errant ramen noodle that someone may have dropped. We always sleep with our heads toward the outside so that they do not run over our faces while we sleep. I do think of you Mom as I drop off to sleep knowing that you would likely be on the picnic table, praying for the bear rather than the mouse.

The other night was the first night I slept well, why you might ask? Well the shelter was full but the stream was running past the front of the shelter and the wind was blowing through, my kind of wild crazy weather. I was laying there listening to the sounds of nature, at peace, and fell sound asleep. First night that has happened. Most nights, I am up til midnight as everyone on the trail goes to sleep at sundown. I have never done that. The other night I was up til midnight and then woke up at 4 am. Sat around talking to the Mad Hatter til 7 am when everyone else woke up. That is right are you hearing this, I, the loner, was talking and do talk to all kinds of people everyday! Can you believe it?

Well everyone, I could go on for pages. I hope to reach Fontana Dam to meet my aunt and go to her house next weekend. If I make that goal (that means a lot of uphill climbing for sure including Standing Indian Mt (5000 ft. I think)) I will send another post hopefully more organized than this rambling and pictures to go along with it. And K Bar's website, I forgot my journal which has her web address and my Hebrew lessons in it as well as my thoughts of the day. Love the Journal Nikki - absolutely love it. I write every day. And by the end will have the snake count for each day so that I can average the number of serpents that I have seen per day. So far - zero - too raining too cold.

Mother Nature's Daughter is out of here. Or should I say Nature as someone wanted to shorten my name and asked if he could call me Mother - to which I said I am no one's mother out here, call me nature. I do hear a rumor that someone wants me to change my name to Hiking Gypsy! as they are worried that I am having too much of a good time and will not to return. Not to worry I will be back some day. I am out for now.

4 days down...

2009-03-30T14:18:00.004-04:00

I just heard from Mom. She sounds great, more importantly she sounds happier than I have heard her in a long time. She needs me to send long johns and mud (peanut butter, honey, chocolate chip mixture). The first few days have been rough due to rain and her body getting adjusted to the hike and aside from coffee withdrawal she is getting along fine.

I asked if there was any message she wanted me to pass along to everyone she said to sum it up... "I am having the time of my life and am with my kind of people."

Mom - These are notes for you!

2009-03-27T15:38:00.001-04:00

Please comment away...

How to reach Mom...

2009-03-27T15:21:00.002-04:00

There was recently a question asked of how can any of you reach Mom to send a note or words of encouragement. I have thought about it and have come up with a few options, so here it goes...

1) if you have her yahoo email account you can certainly send her an email to that address. If you do not have the address contact me, Allison, or Meme and we can provide it to you. This site is public so I really don't think I should post it here.

2) I am going to create a post called "Mom these are notes for you". You all are more than welcome to comment there as she will be reading the blog every time she makes it into town (hopefully). Next time should be 3 weeks from now.

3) All of you are more than welcome to send me any hard copy items that you want to get to her and I will send them in the next drop box. Please keep in mind that she is either going to have to carry everything that is sent to her on her back or she will be sending it back to me in the return box.

At this point I feel like option 2 is most feasible and encourage everyone to comment away. I am open to additional suggestions if anybody has one.

2009-03-26T13:05:00.003-04:00

Alright everyone, I just got the official phone call...Mom is on the trail. (YEAH!!!!) If anyone saw the radar there this morning it was not pretty flood warnings and downpours everywhere, but if you know mom there was no chance a little rain was going to stop her. Well, my inside source tells me that it rained buckets all the way to the trail head, but once they got to the State Park, would you believe, the skies cleared, it stopped raining, and the sun came out. It must be a sign. By 10:30am this morning she was on her way. Go Mom!

This morning, one of her life long dreams is coming true. I am so happy for her. We all will worry, but MND2009 will be fine.

I am a map maker by trade, so above is the first of many maps to come so that we can track her progress. Start to finish almost 2200 miles, most of us would dread a car ride that long never mind that distance as a "walk" as she calls it.

She's down south

2009-03-23T14:28:00.002-04:00

I just heard from mom everyone. She and Meme made the trip to Tennessee safely. They are planning on spending today and tommorrow together decompressing from the long car trip. She was scoping out all the meal drop locations (i.e. towns) on the way down and I get the feeling is very excited to get started. Mom is going to make her starting goal of Thursday 3/26. Meme is dropping her off and so it begins...

I will update you again once I know more.

I am on my way!!!!!

2009-03-21T15:55:00.007-04:00

Well, I leave tomorrow for Georgia with my aunt who lives in Tennesee and has graciously offered to drive me to Amicola Falls. Can't wait to get started on this journey and be out there.

This is my tattoo - a christmas gift from my daughter. (She did not think that I would actually follow through - now she knows!) I hope the list contines to include the Pacific Crest (PCT), Contintental Divide (CDT), International AT (IAT), Long Trail (LT), and more if time allows. Hopefully this tattoo will grow in size to reach the nether parts. Oh yeah, this in on my shoulder.

Throughhikers are not generally know by their name but their trail name. Just so everyone knows I am Mother Nature's Daughter (MND). This name was given to me about 20 years ago by a very good friend.

Another Reason Why

2009-03-19T22:16:00.004-04:00

Everyone has their reasons why - the mountains, spiritual journey, the hike, to find oneself, life long goal and many of those reasons are mine as well but I do have one reason most will not - Multiple Sclerosis.

I have someone very close to me that lives with this disease daily and meets those challenges with a brave heart and positive outlook on life. For this reason, I have contacted the national MS Society and offered that they use my journey to raise funds to fight this disease and find a cure in this lifetime. They were overjoyed at this prospect and have created a web page for me so that others can donate directly to the MS Society. I do not ask you, my friends, to go give but if you choose to it will be appreciated. More importantly, I ask, if you know of any businesses or organziations that would be interested in donating that would be fantastic. Please do pass this link and information on to anyone that you know that might know someone else that might be able to help me raise funds for research. Our network could help find the cure for this disease and that would truly make this hike well worth all the preparation and challenges that I will face in the coming months.

If anyone has any fundraising ideas, please let me know if there is anything I can do. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make a difference and help this cause.

The link is: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Donna.Delisle-Mitchell

Thank you all for listening.

Preparation

2009-03-03T23:59:00.000-05:00

How do you prepare for an adventure of this size?

To start with READING - oh yeah, I am an avid reader and this is only a few of the many books I still have. When I gave up the apartment, I did give away about a thousand books and I am not exageratting. These books are some of those that I will never leave behind. All hiking reference materials. There is always another book with some bit of information that I would have missed if I don't get them all. Since moving to Shelly's basement I have added at least another 5 books since attending the AMC annual meeting.

Beyond that, training, training training - first and foremost. Hiking as much as possible and going to the Springfield, Mass YMCA every night in this cold weather weightlifting, cardio, water fitness class, pilates. The Y is awesome. Staff are wonderful and everyone who goes is a joy to work out with. My appreciation of training comes from my experience on the Smith College crew team - go crew! Training will get you to the end of a race or at the trail's end without it this would be one miserable trip from beginning to end.

And planning - have a huge spreadsheet going with the hike mapped out, stuff to see, food lists, mail drop addresses, daily and weekly goals. I am now working on getting the mail drops ready(boxes for Shelly to mail). I love the challenge of trying to figure out the where, when and how much will all this weigh but it can be a bit overwhelming.

Food, oh my gosh, what a lot of work. I plan to have a mail drop every week or so with some food and some that I will buy along the way. I am vegetarian and do not plan on eating ramen every night. I bought a great dehydrator and am cooking and drying most of my food so that I know I will be getting the nutrition I need to stay healthy. If I am healthy I will finish this hike. It is a lot of work to decide now what you are going to want to eat in June!

A concern I have is that today I drink a pot of coffee,. that right a whole pot, in the morning and talk to no one. On the trail, I still won't talk to anyone but one cup will have to suffice. I have a feeling that it is a good thing that I do not have to talk to anyone and anyone out there will likely be glad too.

At this point I am tired of cooking, drying, packaging but no it will be worth the effort in the end.

Some things NEVER change...

2009-02-26T12:22:00.004-05:00

So it has been many years since I have had the distinct pleasure of living with Mom. Some of you will appreciate and understand my saying that life is never boring when living with Mom. And as I have discovered that despite the years that have passed some things never change.

A brief story to illustrate...

So I have this fire detector that is very sensitive. I complain about it all the time, I can not cook bacon in my house with out this damn thing going off. So one night last week Mom and I were sitting in the living room eating dinner and watching Survivor when all of a sudden to my surprise what do I hear...you guessed it...the fire detector was going off. I look at her, she looks at me, I begin to yell "great now the damn thing is going off when nothing is cooking".

It was to my great surprise when I went into the hallway it was not going off for no reason the hall was full of smoke. Then I hear "Oh no...the beets, the beets!!". Really the beets, yes you heard or rather read me right I said the beets. Mom had been boiling beets, which had boiled for so long that the water was gone and now the beets were being pan fried (or burned). We then had to run around the house 1) to save the beets (of course) & 2) try and air out the house so the smoke alarm would stop going off.

When all was said and done she explained to me that she was simply testing the smoke detector to make sure that it would still respond to actual smoke. Thanks Mom.

My house still has a faint beet odor and my pan will never be the same, but I am glad to know that some things in life never change.

Making this real

2009-02-18T00:06:00.008-05:00

I have talked about this forever and I do believe that others did not believe I would actually do it. So I had to make it real for them as much as for myself. So gave up the apartment in January. My thanks go out to my landlords as they graciously let me leave early. I am finding that it takes a village of people to support you when you take on the adventure of a lifetime.

Shelly and Dan have graciously shared their home with me. This is what I call my pool table loft, I love it. But it is in the unheated basement and my zero degree bag is getting a workout for sure. To my Navy kids, Shelly and Dan said if you get the opportunity to come home, you too can use the Loft!

Tomorrow is step two - quitting the job, oh my! Why quit you might ask? I did ask for a leave but the employer decided they could not support my quest. That really hurt but all I could do is ask. They have every right to make the decision they did. Oh well.

Will let everyone know how it goes.

Well - it is done. It would seem the employer was hoping for this and are extremely pleased their plan worked. I am sad but will get over it at some point.

Oh well time to move on....

Meet Mom

2009-02-10T22:21:00.006-05:00

Hi there, Mom here - how would I characterize me? Single mom first and foremost to five that is right 5 of the most wonderful adults in the world. I love them all and am so proud of the adults they have grown into. All are off on to their own adventures in life, is it my turn finally?

Beyond mom, I would say, a independent women who is willing to take a risk and know that I am going to succeed in whatever I attempt as long as I follow my intuition. It never leads me astray. I started college when my youngest was 8 months old at a community college and then went on to Smith College in Northampton, MA and then graduated with my master's when she was 12. It was a long journey but one that I knew I had to take, I was not destined to work in a factory 12 hours a day every day to support my family. And we made it through all those years poor but with lots of love. What more could you ask for?

I do love the natural world. As a child, I grew up outside, summer vacations were generally involved car camping. I had a horse and rode her all spring, summer, and fall. During the winter it was snowmobiling, ice fishing, sledding, building snow forts that passed the time. No inside play for us. As the kids were born, we too camped, hiked (they all lived in a back pack til they were old enough to hike), and learned about life through the outside world. We had many a great adventure out hiking the local trails. Do any of you want to describe the "Dilly Trail"? Of course I could find your descriptions in the hiking diary but a first hand reflection is much better.

As the kids left to walk their own path in life, I continued to hike and do every year. I set a goal for the summer and go for it! I have done the 50 Hikes series in Massachusetts and Connecticut, section hiked the M-M trail, section hiked most of the Long Trail and even at my uncle's request completed the 90-Miler. A three day, 90 mile, canoe race that was incredible.

Anybody want to add another perspective?

Introduction to Me

2009-02-10T21:36:00.007-05:00

I guess I have to introduce myself for those of you who may not know me. Most of you will, but for those who do not my name is Shelly. That's me in the picture (Camden Yards if anyone cares).

I have started this blog for a few reasons, but mainly because my Mom (Donna) is going to through hike the Appalachian Trail (AT). She is leaving in a few weeks and I thought that this would be a great way for all the family and friends who are interested to able to track her progress.

I plan to post every time I hear from her enabling everyone to be updated at the same time. I believe anyone can sign up to be subscribers to the blog and leave her comments as well. She is also an author to the blog, she plans to make posts and read your comments as she is making her way from Georgia to Maine. That's right Georgia to Maine...sounds crazy, but hey that's Mom.

I hope everyone enjoys what is to come...I am scared and nervous about the long trip, but most of all am happy for her as this has been a life long dream, which she deserves more than anyone I know. Hopefully everyone rallies support behind her as we maybe what helps to push her through to the end.

Talk to you all again soon :)