From Luray, VA to Harpers Ferry, WV

Woo Hoo!! We are over 1000 miles and 5 states in! For the past week we did our canoe trip. It was a lot of fun, but not near as relaxing as we all thought it would be. We did get to rest our feet and legs for a week (which we all needed), but our arms were not use to the workout we got! The water was kind of low and not flowing very fast, so it was a decent amount of work. Still a great time! We basically just floated down the river most days and partied. (Some more than others).

We got to Harpers Ferry and we're staying with Hotsauce. It was so great to have him back with us for a week, and we're certainly going to miss him (again). He let us stay at his mom's house, so we got to shower and do laundry and what not. Eric has family in Maryland who came and picked us up from Harpers Ferry and we're staying with them for the night. His aunt Susan and uncle Bobby Joe. They're super fun and nice!

Our next big goal is the four state challenge! We actually have to backtrack maybe 2 miles from Harpers Ferry to the VA/WV border. We hike from Virginia, into West Virginia, through Maryland, and into the Pennsylvania within 24 hours!! I believe its around 44 miles in 24 hours! It will be intense if we do it, and we're certainly going to try our best! We'll be starting this Sunday at midnight (06/27) and go until monday at midnight. Then I'm sure we'll crash and burn for a day :)

Overall we're doing very good! We are a little worried about finances sometimes... this trail has proved to be much more expensive than we planned. Actually, the trail isn't so bad... but a hotel when we're in towns and gear replacement, and laundry, and food certainly adds up very quickly! We might end up begging for some extra money before the trail is over!! Well, that's all for now! We miss everyone and can't wait to update everyone again!

From Daleville, VA to Luray, VA

Welll, its been a while since an update, so I will do my best to remember the important things! After I'm done with the trail, I think I will go back and insert dates and details that I may not have written about. I've been keeping a journal and have written every day that we've been out here! We've had a few people tag along with us, but for the most part we've stuck with our little group. Its so nice to be doing this with people that we get along so well with. We have encountered ALL types of people out here, some good and some not so good. A lot of people talk about having the "Virginia Blues". This is a very long state (there's almost 500 miles of the trail in this one state), but we haven't really experienced it. We hiked along side the blue ridge parkway for almost 100 miles and then Skyline Dr up until now. The views have still been incredible, but being so close to the roads mean that the trail has been rather crowded with day hikers and section hikers. You'll feel like you're out in the middle of no where and then a motorcycle group will pass 100 feet away on a road you can't see but can hear. Its kind of bizare. I'm ready to be back in the middle of no where :)

There's been some great trail magic though! There is a bed and breakfast somewhere between Buena Vista and Waynesboro called the Dutch House which picked up hikers and fed us an amazing lunch! (I can see how people would get stuck there-- their hospitality was up there!) Then, we met a couple who were just out for the weekend and they gave us their number for when we got into Waynesboro in case we needed a ride. We called, and they actually came and picked us up! Not only that, but they then drove us all around (to the outfitter, the grocery store, they even ate chinese with us for lunch). They then offered us to stay at their house and do laundry and shower and what not. Alan and Janet were very kind to open their home to 5 stinky hikers :) It was actually one of the more relaxing stops for us because we weren't frantically running around trying to get all of our "town erronds" done.

Shenandoah National Park has been nice so far (minus being close to Skyline Rd). We've seen all kinds of wildlife-- a couple rattlesnakes, lots of deer (even a bnuck), and there's been lots of bear sitings, though none for us while we're hiking. We did however have our camp get circled by a big bear for a couple hours in the middle of the night. That was pretty nerve-racking. There's been a lot of campgrounds and stores the trail skirts, so we've been able to eat a couple of real meals lately! Now that we're in Luray, we start our canoe trip for the next 6 days! We're very excited and Hotsauce is even back!! (Though just for the canoe trip) We've really missed him so the group is back together and about to be on the water! I'm excited for the change of pace!! That's all for now but I'll update again in Harper's Ferry, WV and let everyone know how the aqua blazing went!

From Pearisburg, VA to Daleville, VA

Wow! So this section of the trail is probably my favorite so far! (Even though I said the same thing when I was surrounded by mini ponies in Grayson Highlands, hehe). The views lately have been absolutely spectacular!! Of course... the hiking to get to these views has been very intense, but at least its rewarding when you get to the top! Our group is still going strong! We really miss Hotsauce but we'll see him soon in Harper's Ferry :) We're planning on doing a little rafting trip in a couple weeks, to change the pace a little. I finally got a new pair of shoes! My original ones lasted for 700 miles, which is awesome, but I was in some serious need of new shoes and socks. My heels got rubbed raw on the way into town a yesterday, so it was just in time! Eric's family has been really supportive and we wanted to thank them for that, along with my family, and all our friends. Its been so great to get e-mails and messages from people. It really keeps us motivated! That's all for now! We'll be back in a town in the next week or so and we'll update again as soon as we get to another computer!

Love and miss everyone!