Well, I guess it was bound to happen. I had hiked almost 600 miles without too many major pains. Then sometime on Tuesday, BAM. Pain out of nowhere. The evening before I had a mild slip on the trail, but nothing out of the ordinary. 4-5 miles into the next day, and it was obvious something was wrong. It feels like shin splints, but it’s in the wrong part of my leg. I saw a doctor today at a free clinic here at the Trail Days festival in Damascus, VA. He said rest, ibuprofin, and heat a few times a day. (Ice if I’m finishing any type of physical activity.)

So…thankfully I had planned on being here for the festival anyway. I ended up 30 miles short of my goal this week when Jason, producer for the “Road Less Traveled” tv show, picked me up. Hopefully it heals soon!

Anyway, this will be new for the blog…a VIDEO blog! Finally, I’ve documented the gear I’ve been using these first 600 miles. Sorry it’s so long…and yeah, I goofed with the zoom for the first minute or so. I didn’t feel like re-recording it. SO enjoy the close-up of my nose 🙂

Trail Report:

5/6 15.8 miles, rained most of the day. Not as depressed as usual to leave town 🙂

5/7 17.3 miles, didn’t rain, yet the trail was mostly a river today as it continued to rain hard last night. Saw cows and ponies today. I like the change of walking through fields.

5/8 20 miles, rained all morning, then the sun came out. Most parts of the trail were still a stream.

5/9 22.2 miles, staying at a cheap motel tonight so I can resupply. Woke up to lightning and hail last night.

5/10 14 miles, got a ride this AM to church, then a ride from church to groceries, then back to the trail!

5/11 19 miles, rained all morning, foggy cold afternoon. Patches of blue sky and sun towards the end.

5/12 23.8 miles, pain all day. Nice sunny day, though.

5/13 6.5 miles, couldn’t walk any farther, leg hurts too bad.

5/14 0 miles, waiting for Jason to pick me up from Trent’s grocery. Overheard fantastic talk of a hay bale falling off someone’s trailer and crashing through an angry neighbor’s fence.

5/15 0 miles, back in Damascus, resting….

All those years of pressing piano pedals and I never once had peeling, cracking feet. Who knew all it took to become an athlete was hiking 470 miles. Luckily, I still haven’t had a blister. And my feet aren’t really bothering me. They just look like…well, I’ll spare you. I did go to the local RX and buy some cream. YIKES. Who knew being an athlete was so expensive? 🙂 Still loving the new shoes. Montrails!

Sitting in Damascus, VA now. That’s right, 3 states down! No more GA, NC, or TN. The bad news is I’ll be in VA for the next 550 miles. There’s a phenomenon called the “Virginia Blues” because being in the same state for so long can be hard. You miss the sense of accomplishment that comes from so quickly checking off 3 of the 14 states you hike through. Thankfully, the opposite happens after VA; you check off WV and MD within 43 miles. Some people actually attempt a 44 mile/four state/24 hour challenge and hike from VA to PA without stopping. The bad news is you miss Harper’s Ferry, WV, one of the coolest trail towns on the AT.

In other news, it’s now official. I now have a Trail Name: Feed Bag.

I got this name because I carry the top compartment of my pack strapped across my chest instead. I like to carry breakfast, lunch, and snacks therein so that I don’t have to stop and eat. If I do want to stop and eat, I don’t have to dig into my actual pack and find my food. It’s…well…in the Feed Bag. I like the hidden meaning as well; I also feed off of my MP3 player while listening to Scripture, sermons, music, and yes, Jim Gaffigan, all day.

Beard update: it’s coming back wonderfully. Thanks for your concern. I really hated the first week of being clean shaven and bald faced. It didn’t feel like me. I’ve told some of you this, but I’m taking the same picture (almost) everyday of the growth. At the end of the trail, I’ll have 4-5 months of pictures and string them together into a fast time-lapse so we can celebrate its growth together. The only bad thing about it will be you have to look at my ugly mug for a few minutes. Thankfully the beard has become the centerpiece again. 🙂 I imagine the video will be 2-3 minutes long. Let’s think of a song that would be fitting to play in the background while watching the progression. Suggestions?

I’m leaving Damascus bright and early tomorrow. Maybe even this evening if I get all my chores/shopping done. However, I’ll be returning here in 1.5 weeks for the biggest festival related to the AT: Trail Days May 15-17. The TV producer will also be here catching up with each of the hikers participating in the show. And so my next full blog will be from the same town. Don’t think I’ve moved here permanently. There’s no Starbucks here; I’d never move here. 🙂 Actually, In the defense of Damascus, I’m sitting at Mojoe’s coffee house, wonderful iced coffee, great music (bluegrass yesterday, Madeline Peyroux today).

Y’all already know a lot about the AT/World Vision. But I was happy to update the FAQ with your Q’s. Any more?

Here’s the trail report. Thanks again for reading! Exciting news in the weeks ahead; some possible newspaper articles about my hike coming up! More on that…later.

Trail Report:
4/27 4.2 miles, left Erwin, as usual had to leave town. I’m the only one not smoking pot at tonights shelter 🙂

4/28 17.2 miles, only planned 12.8, took a 2 hr break, then pressed on. Today marks the end of one month = 370.1 miles total. First time sleeping away from a shelter.

4/29 18.4 miles, saw 2 deer! Sleeping in a barn that’s used as a shelter, beautiful view!

4/30 18 miles, windiest morning, left NC for good! Very different after mid-day. More trees with leaves, great smells, amazing Jones Waterfall, staying at a 3-level shelter.

5/1 15.6 miles, staying at Kincora hostel tonight. Good pace today, easier ups/downs. Ate a whole pizza from Little Ceasars.

5/2 17.5 miles, tough day, light rain. Tried double inserts in shoes, heels hurt a bit, but pretty comfortable overall.

5/3 32.9 miles, so tired. Happy to be here in Damascus.

5/4 0 miles!!! Blueberry pancakes @ Cowboy’s, coffee @ Mojoe’s, lunch @ Subway, dinner @ Quincy’s pizza. Staying at “The Place.”

5/5 0 miles!!! Working on blog, considering gear exchange for summer weather.

I guess that’s not totally true or else I wouldn’t have made it this far. Actually, I like the fact that even podunk hostels like Uncle Johnny’s in Erwin, TN, have wireless Internet while sitting next to a beautiful river and being surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. In 2009 technology and nature can hold hands. So let’s have them do that now, here’s a short clip from one of my favorite comedians Jim Gaffigan and his opinions on camping and the great outdoors:

So I’m going to round up and say I’ve hiked 350 miles so far on arguably one of the toughest sections of the trail. Physically, I can do this thing. For me it’s the mental/spiritual exercise that is challenging. The first few weeks were a mix of silence and music on the MP3 player while hiking. But I got tired of my music quickly, and my times of silence were often filled with doubt. Not doubt that I could hike 2200 miles, but doubt that I was doing the right thing, or spending/investing/losing my money wisely.

Not that the doubt has passed. I’ve shared with some of you my whole AT/2200miles.com plans were almost completed demolished towards the end of last year when I realized just how much I would owe on taxes. It was exponentially more than I had expected, and it was 3-4x more than the estimated payments I had already made (as I’m self-employed/an independent contractor for World Vision). Lesson learned; I now know more about different tax brackets than I ever wanted to know. Yes, I use an accountant.

So I started selling things and I’m still selling things. Things I really love and have enjoyed. In a way, I would say it’s been a “hike of faith,” trusting that if I’m supposed to be out here I’m relying on God to provide because before I thought I could just rely on my earnings from last year. If He wants me to leave the trail, He’ll open the right door I’m supposed to be hiking through. I mean, I had been thinking about this hike for well over a year, and planning on it for months.

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