Musings from inside a four-walled structure.

I finished the Appalachian trail on November 17th, 2011. Meeting me a mile from the end were my parents, who came to walk Springer mountain with me. After taking a few photos at the top I jumped into our van waiting at the bottom, and scarfed down three pies... I had made it, and just in time too - my friend Chrissy's wedding was on the 19th in Florida...a great way to celebrate the end.

I figured I should finally give the answers to the poll questions that have been on the right side of the screen for so long.

Total weight loss: 31lbs (I've already gained half of that back)
Time taken to hike the entire 2,181 miles of the AT: 4 months 10 days.

I'm back home now enjoying home-cooked meals, living in a four walled structure, and walking only when I feel like it. It took a while, but my body has finally healed to the point where I can wake up and get out of bed without first planning where I'm going to place each limb in a way which minimizes pain.

For now, I'm working at Gordon College on the moving/setup crew. I'm just beginning to face the inevitable truth that I need to start looking for employment. Before that happens, I hope to do a bit of writing - ideally, that would entail writing about specific events that took place on the trail, as opposed to attempting to scribe the whole journey in one huge text. It's nice to have an abundance of source material for once - it makes the creative aspect of story writing much easier. If nothing else, the trail has gifted me with personal interactions and dramatic elements that will continue to mold and enhance my writing. Now that I've actually had close run-ins with bears and snakes I don't have to fabricate what that encounter would look like - I've lived it. When it comes to enhancing the way you communicate, there's no workshop or class that is going to teach you quite like living out your life does.

I was often frustrated with the limited time I had to write while hiking, or the quality of work that I was putting together. Hiking with a deadline wasn't exactly the Shangri-La of writing situations that I thought it might be. If I was even able to keep my notebook dry on a given day, it was a good day. When I set off on this journey I thought "I'll write a book about this when I get back!" And I still might...but for now I need to work on cementing the memories I have in written form piece by piece before they fly away to be replaced by basketball games and whatever information comes along with a hectic job search.

You haven't heard the last of 9 Lives, a guy who went totally unprepared into a maelstrom, the most difficult challenge yet experienced in his 22 years on this earth. Stories will be written, and you can say you were there, following along as it happened. And I thank you for that...

Here's a few more goodies from the last days down south to send you on your way.

The Great Smokey Mountains

Although most of the trip was spend walking through a tunnel of trees, there were more than enough jaw-dropping moments to make it worth it.

I got the opportunity to see a lot of "old America" that is being swallowed up by nature.

One of the last of many animal encounters on the trail.

By the end my boots were freezing at night.

RightClick after we stumbled upon a plethora of apple trees...and this ridiculous hat.

9 Lives and Framework, nearing the end.

The further south I went, the lazier they got...or was it friendlier...?

Alien landing pad on top of a mountain?

My final landing pad.

- 9 Lives, signing out.

IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

7 days, 160 miles left to the summit of Springer Mountain. I just completed three days in the cold, icy Smokey Mountains, and now mere hills (ok, some of them are 5,000 feet) stand between me and my goal.

For those of you left wanting more from the last post, here's the rest of the story...

Before even reaching the center of Damascus, VA, a hiker named Broomstick picked me up and took me to the farm at which he worked. I was cold, wet, and had just hiked 16 miles that morning in a freezing rain. The farm belongs to a hiker named Mountain Man. I took a hot shower, cleaned my clothes, we went out to eat, and when we came back - a pig was dropping babies fast. After helping transfer the piglets to a new pen that had just been constructed, it was time to get momma pig in there with them. The two pens were on opposite ends of the yard, and unfortunately for us - this was the meanest pig in the history of the world. You might think that after giving birth to several piglets she would be tired, or at least a little maternally inclined. Not so with this gal.

We tried food. We tried dragging her with a rope. We tried cornering her towards the new pen. We tried herding her with a trained dog. This lady would not budge. My job was to not let her get past the house. Not only did I fail horribly at this task, I learned something new about pigs that day. They are extremely agile - even for a hiker in the best shape of his life, I was no match. For about twenty seconds she put on a series of complex moves that I kept up with until she put on a move so quick, so clever - that I fell in a heap on the ground. This is what it looked like (Allen Iverson as the pig, and the defender as me). It's actually spot on. 2 hours later we finally had her in the new pen - and she eventually calmed down enough to feed her piglets. It was a blast though and I was glad to get some "farm experience".

I'll post another entry once I finish and get home, but this will be my last "on-trail" post. A big "THANK YOU!" to all who have been reading, praying, encouraging - I couldn't have done all this without you. It's not over yet! 7 days. SEVEN DAYS! I'm pretty excited if you haven't noticed. I don't think I can eat too many more freeze-dried meals...

God Bless!
9 Lives

Soooooieeeeee!

Wilbur, Babe, Porkchop, Bacon, and Esteban.

A long and funny story found me delivering these five piglets tonight. Fill ya'll in later, but I just had to share quickly!

God Bless!
-9 Lives

P.S. For all those craving beard update shots...and I know you're out there...

5 States – One Blog Post …because I owe you.

 New Jersey

The one thing every thru-hiker hears about New Jersey before arriving is its abundance of bears. Apparently there is a bear every square mile along the New Jersey section of the A.T. By the time we get there every hiker knows three key points of proper bear encounter conduct.

1.     The worst possible combination of bears to encounter is a mother and her cub – mothers will kill to protect their young.

2.     NEVER startle a bear (make enough noise that they know you’re coming first).

3.     DO NOT travel alone in New Jersey.

So I cross the border – extremely excited to be out of New York. The past couple weeks have been rough after the torrential rains from Irene and Lee have turned hiking into a nightmare, and for some reason I thought that crossing an imaginary border line would bring about positive change in this regard. With an upbeat attitude I strode confidently into the rocky New Jersey terrain. Sixty seconds later I was frozen solid as a mother black bear and her cub stalked fifteen feet to my right – completely oblivious to my presence. They had come out of a group of bushes, not giving me time to alert them of my presence. I held my breath, not twitching as dozens of bloodthirsty mosquitoes ripped into my arms, neck, and face. Better to lose an ounce of blood than all of it. A minute later and the bears had passed out of range (I have not since seen one). Unfortunately my experiences with mosquitoes were far from over. New Jersey is filled with the most ravenous, aggressive mosquitoes I have ever met. DEET does not deter them. We (my buddy Framework and I) would hike twenty-something miles without stopping, grab water from a stream, set up our tents, eat, and go to sleep. There was simply no way to exist in the same world as these minions.

Pennsylvania

A while ago I posted a picture of a stick bug and someone eating a sandwich. Yes, the connection was that someone ate a stick bug. It was awesome. One of the funniest things I have seen happen on the trail. It had a roomful of twenty-something-year-old hikers jumping around like a group of girls at a Justin Beiber concert.

While in PA I went to the world’s largest Cabela’s, dined at a restaurant in my long underwear (Framework donned an elegant towel – our stuff was in the laundry), lost a pair of shoes to the sharp rocks/an out of control bonfire, and passed through more cornfields than I care to remember. PA is also the state in which I met the current group of guys that I am hiking with – so it will always be dear in my heart.

Maryland

I wore a Yankees hat on the last day of the MLB regular season. The Red Sox lost. The Yankees blew a 7-0 lead to the Rays, eliminating the Red Sox from the playoffs. I burnt the Yankees hat.

West Virginia

We had planned this for weeks – our entrance into West Virginia was going to be special – epic, even. The night before we went through the lyrics over and over – Roarshach plucked along on his Ukelele. So on September 30^th, 2011, six men crossed the Pennsylvania/West Virginia border – belting out the only song that would have been appropriate – Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver. I had verse two. What we didn’t know was that directly on the other side of the bridge was a school group on an historical field trip. Well, they got a little more than they bargained for, and as our song came to a conclusion we were not without our share of fans – or fan, rather – as one lonely child out of all the confused field trippers ventured a painfully slow clap that will remain in my mind forever. We never performed again.

WV is the mental “halfway point”, although the actual mark is a hundred miles or so north of Harper’s Ferry. All of us attempted and completed the “half gallon challenge” which saw us each devour a half gallon of ice cream. We then had our picture taken for the picture book in the ATC headquarters, which keeps track of  how many thru-hikers have made it that far. I was SOBO number 79. At the time 800 NOBO’S had already passed through. By my mathematical calculations that means there are about 10% as many NOBO’s as SOBO’s out there this year. No wonder the SOBO completion rate is so low.

Virginia

Big state. Big mountains. Big views. With 550 miles of Appalachian trail running through it, Virginia is by far the largest state I will pass through. Completing Virginia alone means you have finished over a quarter of the entire AT.  Virginia is a state blessed with amazing views, and the Shenandoahs have easily been one of my favorite sections. The cooler weather has finally arrived, which makes for great hiking – although recently it has been so cold that the rain has turned to sleet/freezing rain. At these times all I can do is put my headphones on and listen to my iPod. Thankfully, Kristen recently updated the songs on it, so I can listen to great hiking hits such as “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus and “We’re All In This Together” by High School Musical. All joking aside, The Climb” is actually a perfect song to think about while hiking…

”There’s always gonna be another mountain” – check.

“I’m always gonna wanna make it move” – yes.

“There’s always gonna be an uphill battle” – you bet.

“Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose” – well…hopefully not, but you get the picture by now. It’s the most topical song I own (was given – thanks K).

On a side note, the best song rhythm-wise for my stride? - “Miami” by Will Smith. Who knew?

I have 615 miles left. Six-one-five. It doesn’t seem like much, but with less than a month to finish, it’s going to be one wild ride. Which reminds me, I’ve been told that there are wild horses in southern VA, just miles away from here. Maybe I’ll try to tame and ride one…

And lastly…one more entry of  THINGS THAT MAKE ME SHAKE MY HEAD ON THE AT…

-                   ----People that go to campgrounds and buy bags of sticks at the camp store. They’re sticks, just like the ones you find on the ground. If this is some sort of rising market that has somehow avoided the recent economic turmoil – count me in… I can sell sticks. I can be that guy.

Thanks for reading, and until next time…God Bless!

1330 down, 850 to go...

It's been a while, I know. I apologize. I also apologize for the lack of photos in this post. I haven't been able to successfully transfer any of my pics from my camera to a computer in weeks. I have all my photos and continue to take them, I just can't share them until I figure this out.

As you can see in the title, I've been making some good progress. This is mostly thanks to the beautifully maintained trails in the Shenandoah National Park, which have been like candy to my feet and have allowed me to walk 150 miles in the last six days. There's still a loooong way to go, but I feel like I'm in a groove now - and unless something unexpected happens, I should be able to make good time the rest of the way. It's getting colder now, and harder to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning. The cool weather is perfect for hiking, and the weather in general has been stellar, giving me spectacular views from the tops of the Shenandoah peaks. The cold weather has also aided my cause in the bug department. The mosquitoes are almost non-existent, allowing me to ship my tent home and rely solely on shelters for sleeping. This is a bit of a risky move, but it will allow me to move faster and carry more food (-: Also, the spider webs, a.k.a. "invisible walls" have diminished greatly, which is a bigger deal than you might think. There were times in the mid-atlantic when I would literally have to stop and peel spiderwebs - along with the distraught web-makers - off of my face and neck. The trekking poles help - I look like a lunatic waving my poles in the air as I walk - but nothing really protects you from something you can't see until it hits you. I've never felt happier to see perfect strangers walking towards me in the woods, because I know that however far they've hiked is now free and clear of webs. The taller they are the better. I've actually thanked and high-fived hikers (they're as happy as I am) before moving on.

I've benefited from the hospitality of many friends and family along the way. Last week I got picked up by my aunt and uncle in Frederick, MD and was treated (along with hiking-buddy Framework) to a smorgasbord of amazing foods every meal. I'm currently at the house of friends Seth and Cari McCormick in Waynesboro, Virginia. I brought another hiking buddy, RightClick, with me this time, and we've had fun going out to eat with these guys and getting much needed rest at their wonderful home. Seth told us today that he's going to hike with us today and tomorrow! Today's hike will be short as we're carrying way too much food, but we hope to cover 20+ miles tomorrow before cranking into high gear again for another push towards Georgia.

I appreciate all the prayers and help from various friends and family, and continue to be thankful for all the blessings I have received along the way. I continue to hike, and until next time - God Bless!

Mini Update from Duncannon, PA

I am no longer alone in the least. I recently caught up to a bubble of southbounders that rolled into Duncannon together. Last night we filled up the Doyle Hotel, a hundred year-old hotel that is definitely showing its age. We stuffed a double room with five guys last night which made the price an astounding $11 per person. Walking alone has its benefits, but I'm having a blast with this crew - when I have more time I'll be able to share some absolutely outrageous stories. I've caught up with some of my original buddies from the beginning of the trip, Moose and Easy - five weeks later. My pace, though slowed a bit by the recent festivities (We are calling this assemblage of SOBO's in Duncannon "SOBO Palooza 2011"), has remained steady enough that I should be able to make my goal of finishing the trail before Thanksgiving. If I have to eat Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant...I don't know what I'd do - but that's not going to happen!

A typical shuttle to the grocery store. (From left: Easy, Denim Chicken, Framework, Rorschach, and Moose)

I have so many stories to tell, but there are people waiting to use the computer at this library that is only open twice a week for a couple hours. I will write a much more substantial update when I get to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Frederick, MD in six or so days! For now, I will leave you with these two pictures (they are related - connect them as you see fit!) Just a teaser for the longer post to come!

A stickbug.

  

Phenix eating a sandwich.

God bless!
-9 Lives

Floods, Snakes, and James Earl Jones

I am officially out of New England. I'm hanging out with my cousin Paul, his wife Wendy, and their kids - Rebekah and Justin. I'm taking an official "zero day" today - swimming in the pool, jumping on the trampoline, and even hitting Texas Road House for a Texas sized lunch! Life doesn't get much better than this. After wading through the remnants of the Irene/Lee tropical tag-team for the past two weeks, this break was well deserved - if I do say so myself. A fire in the fire pit is still on the docket for tonight and I can't overlook another night in a comfy bed (I pulled into town last night). Three nights ago I didn't think I was going to make it. I was stuck in a downpour at night when my headlamp died. After using my cellphone to fix it (receiving a text in the process saying I had picked Peyton Manning in a fantasy football auto-draft), I finally started moving again only to slip on a rock and fall into a mud puddle. Picking myself up, I took a few steps and jumped from a ledge onto a pile of leaves. It was in every way a safe landing, other than the fact that underneath the pile of leaves was a nest of rattlesnakes. They shot out one direction and I in the other, none of us in the mood for a confrontation, luckily.

For the most part I've spent the last few weeks alone. There are almost no northbound thru-hikers left, at this point they probably couldn't make it to Katahdin before the cold weather rolls in. Every once in a while I'll run into another southbounder, but hiking speeds vary and I rarely see them for more than a day. By myself, in the rain, with no views or mountains to see them on - you might think I'd be losing my drive right about now. Fortunately, I have been blessed with a flow of animal encounters that have made the hiking well worth my while. In southern Massachusetts I ran into a bunch of beavers and almost stepped on a porcupine on the same day within twenty minutes of each other! I have videos of both, which I will try to post in the near future (been having some picture/video posting problems which has tempted me to move the blog to another site). Connecticut and New York have been full of White-tailed deer sightings - I've probably seen forty or fifty in the two states combined. I unknowingly came up behind one and scared it pretty badly - OK, we both jumped, but at least I didn't scream (yeah, deer scream, they sound like velociraptors from Jurassic Park). I don't think that deer get the proper respect or admiration that they deserve. I'm not ashamed to say that from a young age the deer has been one of my favorite animals. If you think about it, how many large animals do you see literally launching themselves through the air on a regular basis? Unless you count Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch, or are in Australia, I'm guessing not many. You hunters out there are thinking, "Yeah, but they taste real good." Maybe, but so does beef, and last time I checked, they aren't doing anything cool. And I don't have any pictures of the deer I've seen, because they're way too fast...

No, I didn't personally meet James Earl Jones. But I almost kind of did, in some sense. By walking through Pawling, NY, I walked the same streets JEJ walks every day (assuming he's an avid walker). A couple hikers just ahead of me met him in the post office - unfortunately I wasn't expecting any packages there so I didn't go in. This made me think about what I would do if I met him personally (you'd be amazed at the things I think about after eight hours of walking). I finally decided that I would have to ask him if I could record him saying, "Remember who you are!" from his voiceover work in the Lion King. Then I realized I haven't really seen too many JEJ movies. I could only think of Star Wars, the Lion King, and Field of Dreams. I know he's been around a long time and has done a lot of work (according to IMDB, since 1963 he's worked on 179 films). How did I forget the Sandlot? Or the Hunt for Red October? Anyway, this makes for a great poll question: Outside of the already mentioned films, how many JEJ films can you name off the top of your head (we're on the honor system here). You have just experienced an example of a thought tangent that frequently accompanies my walk. This might have been the most "normal" of them all...

Here are some pictures (hopefully movies coming soon...)



Did you know that THIS is at the top of Mount Graylock???



At a zoo, but still...regal.

 

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Walt Whitman and I sharing a view.

Thanks for reading, and more to come soon! God Bless!