I’m really glad that we didn’t stop hiking after Katahdin. That was such a terrible day to finish with the weather being what it was. It has been very refreshing to come back to Virginia and hike an easy section of trail. It has allowed our bodies a chance to wind down and start recovering after the strain of VT, NH, and ME.
The walk into Pearisburg is not a bad one at all so we took our time getting ready after the communal breakfast. We got to spend some one on one time with Neville and have decided we will probably come back in the future to help out when she’s in the height of season (work for stay). This is an amazing setup but it takes a lot of work to keep everything going. Sadly, Neville and her husband have separated and she has decided to keep the hostel going. She will close for a while around the end of the year to get in a vacation.
When we woke up this morning, it was snowing outside. The roof outside our window was white but it was melting as soon as it hit the ground. Neville told us we could stay as long as we liked. She knew we were finishing today as soon as we got to Pearisburg.
Bunny’s son is picking us up, but he won’t get to town until 6ish. By noon, we decided the weather was about as good as it was going to get, so we headed out for our last day of hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I had mixed feelings. I was sad that it was over but I guess I am ready, especially with the cold of the last few days. It will be nice to get into a normal routine for a while. 8 months on the trail is just about my limit for one go.
The day was clear. It was the type of day I wished we could have had on Katahdin. The last time I covered this section, it had been raining and foggy. Today, we had great views so we could see the town below. As we were coming down the last hill to the road, we met a couple of sobos. They asked if we were section hiking. I couldn’t let it pass without explaining how we were finishing our thru-hike. They genuinely congratulated us.
We could see the road in front of us. We quietly walked out to it and, “wa-la” we completed our thru-hike. After all the crap I gave Patches over finishing on a gravel road in NY and telling her she should join us for the hundred mile wilderness (she declined the offer), we finished on a blacktop road in southern VA.
I asked Bunny if she wanted to call for a shuttle to town. She said “No, what’s the hurry? We just walked 2190 miles, we can go one more.” We walked into the Hardee’s where we had agreed to meet her son. The manager asked us how we were doing and I told her we had just finished our thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. She congratulated us and then did something special since there was no band to celebrate our victory. I’m not one to brag, but we each got a $6 burger for only $3.95 each. To the victor go the spoils.
EFG
The Final List: We have encountered so many wonderful people on this trail. I am not a religious or even spiritual person, but I do feel blessed that we were fortunate to have the opportunity and resources to hike the Appalachian Trail. I will just take this opportunity to shout out to a few of the special people who were so important to us on the trail. I am glad that I got to know all of these people and I will not forget any of them even though, I know, I am Easily Forgotten.
Patches—Bunny was immediately attracted to Patches because she’s the same age as Bunny’s daughter. Plus, it felt refreshing to hang around someone her kids age that actually doesn’t think everything we say and do is stupid. As I’ve said elsewhere, Patches was always happy. Another thing, Patches could eat. She was at her happiest while eating. When she had to get off the trail for a wedding just before Waynesboro, she was afraid she wouldn’t have her hiker appetite to maximize her trip to the Chinese AYCE buffet.
Zoom Zoom—we met Zoom Zoom before she even had a trail name. She is from Indianapolis where I only know one person in a city of over a million. Of course I had to ask if she knew him…she did! We couldn’t keep up with her because she got her trail name for a reason; she’s a fast hiker.
Hot Sauce—Hot Sauce is one of the most gifted artists I have ever met. Like Zoom Zoom, we met him before he had a trail name and before the Top of Georgia Hostel. We were lucky enough to be included in one of his video updates on the YouTube channel “Jake Hikes.” Zoom Zoom and Hot Sauce ended up hiking the rest of the trail together and had one of the best summit photos of Katahdin with Hot Sauce pulling Zoom Zoom horizontally off the summit while she held on to the sign.
Super Dave—I was walking down the trail and looked up to see a guy sitting in a lawn chair reading a copy of Walden. This was the first time I saw Super Dave. He stopped reading and offered us hot dogs and Special K sodas (K for Katahdin). After talking with him for a while, we discovered he had hiked the Triple Crown. He then offered to pick us up later in the day and take us to some friends’ house for supper. We ended up spending the evening welcomed into a new home with new friends we hadn’t met before. Super Dave was a lawyer and part-time judge who knew one of our friends, RTK, who he had done the same thing for (supper in town, that is) just the week before.
Rich Grzanka—we met Rich and his wife, Laura, in a concentration camp in Germany. How many living people can make such a claim? Rich said he’d come out and hike with us on the AT, and he did. We got to spend three days on the trail, together. It was a major undertaking for him to catch up with us because he travels so much for work. We have met the most amazing people on our travels and Rich is definitely one of them.
Dan and Sue Settle—I used to work with Dan in a previous life. They are a big reason I am freed up to hike because they spent numerous hours helping me fix up my place to sell. Dan and Sue were planning on meeting us in Damascus in April, but one of numerous snow storms caused them to back out of coming. Nonetheless, they have been a constant source of support for us before, on, off, and after the trail.
Mr Overhill—We spent a night in a shelter in NC with Mr Overhill, Dirty R, and Grape Stomper. Mr Overhill seemed a little underwhelmed with the difficulty of the AT as he was already putting in 25+ mile days. He passed us the next day like we were standing still (mainly because we were standing still, but he was fast). We didn’t think we’d ever see him again. Flash forward to ME when we ran into him in late September. He told us he had pushed hard and fast all the way up to VT by early April (when we had only made it to Damascus). He was cold, miserable, and hating the AT. He had skipped the social aspect of the AT in lieu of getting big miles. He quit for the summer. Now he was back hiking in more of a style that we were and having a better time going slow, meeting people, and enjoying the trail. He is capable of putting in the big miles (I know he’s done the PCT) but now likes to enjoy trail life. He made us feel good about going slow.
Lucky 59 and Pepper Pot—People in our age group stand out on the trail. Pepper Pot and Lucky 59 were just a few years older than us, but still in their 50s. She, Lucky 59, had always wanted to hike the AT and they decided the time was right. They sold their house in Key West and started hiking. They were a couple days ahead of us in the Smokies. The day we got into Gatlinburg was the day they got back on the trail from Cherokee. They ended up with a 5 day lead on us that we never could cut in to. They sumitted while we were in VT.
Purple Haze and Earl Grey—This is another couple in our age group that we hiked with for a period in PA. It’s rare to find thru-hikers (especially women who aren’t too soft) willing to spend the time out. I’m not talking about the young people where the solo female demographic is rapidly growing, I’m talking about the creaky bone types our age. Of course, they were faster than us and we lost them at Delaware Water Gap when we got off trail for a few days to visit my old college friend. It was great to see that they completed the trail over a month ahead of us.
The Family (the Crawfords)—I used to follow this family’s videos before we hiked the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier NP. While I was hiking with Gnome when Bunny had to leave the trail for a family crisis, we ran into “The Family” at Chestnut Knob Shelter. Gnome had a very emotional encounter which they included in their trail movie. Imagine a family of 8 (kids ranging in age from 2 to 17; the youngest had to be carried) hiking the entire trail. Not only hiking it, but hiking it fast. Ben and Kami have got to be the coolest parents I’ve ever met.
Pappy—from the youngest thru-hiker, Rainier Crawford at 2, to the oldest, Pappy at 87, there was quite a span of ages on the trail this year. Pappy started within a few days of us but we didn’t get to meet him until we were in Maine. Because he was worried about timing, he flipped up to Katahdin and hiked sobo. We met him at Pine Ellis when he dropped by to visit Ilene who he had met over 20 years ago when he hiked the AT the first time.
Ilene, Naomi, and Gloria—these three lovely ladies keep Pine Ellis Hostel open out of love and for the memory of Paul, Ilene’s husband who died 7 years ago. Gloria and Naomi live together with a third sister that has special needs. Between the 3 of them, they run a hostel, shuttle hikers to/from the trail, go shopping, and share their knowledge of the trail all with an average age in the mid 70s. They were incredibly friendly and fun, but do not brush your teeth in the kitchen sink or use Ilene’s bathroom without asking first.
Curb and Vagabond Jack—Bunny and I had the honor of taking Vagabond Jack’s bed on two separate occasions. Like us, he sold everything and hit the road. Unlike us, his wife had recently died and he’s 72. He met up with Curb (from outside of Nashville) on the trail and they hiked together until Jack had to get off because of an injury. Curb ended up making it all the way to Katahdin well ahead of us.
Geo, Summit, Bear Foot, and Little Blue—Geo and Summit are another couple that thru-hiked together. They met Little Blue and Bear Foot within the first 3 days of starting the trail. The amazing thing is, this foursome remained together almost the entire way and summitted together almost two months before us. We leapfrogged with this group almost all the way to Shenandoah. Geo is who shaved my head at Uncle Johnny’s when I fell asleep. He’ll claim that I asked him to do it. Bear Foot got his name because he was less than sure footed. I remember riding a bike and having a conversation with him. I turned my head and he was gone. Just like that, he had wiped out. A fitting name for him, indeed. I really enjoyed this group and wish we had been able to keep up with them, but youth trumps the geriatric crowd. I’m sure they had some difficult times, as all thru-hikers do, but the chemistry and humor of this foursome was infectious.
No Worries—No Worries is a person that you meet that you don’t realize you had so many experiences with and had so much fun with until you sit down and think about it. Maybe it’s because there might be a slight alcohol haze around those memories. The first encounter I hazily recall is at the NOC when I ate her dessert. I’ll blame Patches for this one since she decided to drink beer and take a zero rather than hike in the rain. Next, I remember a woman falling from the upper level at the Fontana Hilton. There was beer involved there, even one in her hand that didn’t loose a drop in the fall. No Worries also followed me into the bathroom because the men’s room had electrical outlets. Then she started talking about her dog and wouldn’t leave. Something else that was in the men’s bathroom was toilets which I desperately needed but had to wait. We last ran into her at Stanimal’s where she eventually had to get off trail because of an injury.
Pit Boss and Play by Play—Play by Play was only 14. He did all of his 8th grade school work ahead of time so he could take off in February to hike with his stepdad, Pit Boss. We hiked with them early on, leapfrogging all the way to Uncle Johnny’s before they got ahead of us. Postcard ended up keeping with them for quite a while and we managed to stay in touch until Play by Play went home at the end of summer. Play by Play was an intelligent and fun kid. Bunny definitely had mothering feelings for him. We missed them once they got ahead of us but knew they had a tighter schedule and had to push on.
Finnegan—Finn was part of our Smokies tramily. Along with Patches, Stickers, Lady Bug, Dancing Dog, and Trail Runner we shelter hopped as a group through the blizzard to survive. Over a five day period where the temperature never got above freezing, our tramily worked as a single unit collecting wood, building fires, and fetching water. Sadly, Finnegan got frostbite on his hand during this period. He got treatment in Gatlinburg but was forced off in Hot Springs when he got caught in another blizzard a day behind us.
Dancing Dog and Trail Runner—These are two friends of Bunny’s from home. They came out to hike a couple weeks with us through the Smokies up to Hot Springs. Unfortunately, they timed it with the blizzards in the Smokies where we were forced off trail into Gatlinburg. Dancing Dog showed an amazing pain tolerance having one of the worst blisters on her heel I have ever seen. She never complained and pushed on in spite of the adversity (intestinal problems, too); all the while laughing and enjoying being out. Trail Runner was also an animal. She was by far, in the best shape of the four of us. They were with us through some of our worst experiences on the trail, yet we’re still friends (I think ☺️).
Postcard—coming out of Gatlinburg and getting back on the trail was when we met Postcard. She was part of our family all the way to Pearisburg where we lost her. Like Patches, she had started her thru-hike last year and was racing the clock to finish before her year was up. She was a part of out hot tub gang in Hot Springs, with us at Uncle Johnny’s, and part of our house at Bear’s Garden.
Stickers and Lady Bug—we hiked with Stickers and Lady Bug for almost 800 miles. We covered 42 miles in 2 days to make it to Damascus for Stickers’ Birthday. We were very fortunate they slowed down for us to keep up since they were less than half our age. One of the highlights of the trip was when Stickers gave us a sticker saying “Old people are cool.” I figured when they gave us that sticker, it was a parting gift, but they stayed back with us for another 500 miles. We couldn’t keep up any longer by the time we made it to Shenandoah although we still keep in touch.
Mizman—I’ve already shared my first impression of Mizman…serial killer; no one can be that happy. Mizman loves life and every moment of it. We followed his shelter log entries until we met him just outside of Franklin. We hiked with him until Bunny had to go home when her dad was in the hospital. He and his girlfriend, Judy, who was visiting, came and spent the afternoon with us the day before Bunny went home. We spent a couple of days with him when we got to the Hudson River. He then jumped up to Massachusetts where we got to hike with him again until he was forced off the trail for a broken tooth in Vermont. Everybody loves Mizman. He’s our canary in the mine…if someone doesn’t like Mizman, that is a dangerous person that needs to be avoided.
Gnome—We first met Gnome at the Partnership Shelter outside of Marion. Even though the downstairs was crowded, we chose to stay down below rather than go upstairs and chase away Mongrel, again. Until someone snores in your face, you can’t really say you know them. When Bunny went home, I ran into Gnome and Little Blue my first day out. I was a little worried about hiking alone because Bunny and I have always hiked together. Gnome and I became constant companions. Our paces matched and he was fun to talk with. He’s a little older and has lived a life less ordinary. He grew up in Key West where he thinks his father was involved with the Bay of Pigs. He’s lived in a commune. He boated down the eastern seaboard. He is one of the most interesting people I met on the trail. When Bunny returned to the trail, we became a threesome. We got separated in the middle of Shenandoah when we figured out our pace was not fast enough to make it to Katahdin before October 15.
Chad the Dad—We caught up with Chad the Dad when his wife and daughter came out to join him through Shenandoah. His wife had to leave after a few days, but Shea decided to hang on through the rest of the park. Since Shea stayed, we were able to keep up and hike together all the way to Front Royal. After Shea left, we just couldn’t keep up with Chad (and he was injured). We ended up using CTD as a forward scout along the trail. He managed to sniff out places to stay and activities we might have otherwise missed. We had great times together through Shenandoah.
Good Chip Norris—He’s a Norris. Period. Bitten by a copperhead that eventually crawled off the trail and died; walking on knees that grate bone on bone; living on Paydays; afraid of nothing or no one; everything exudes toughness. Underneath that Norris exterior is a thoughtful man that goes out of his way to thank everyone he meets for their effort. He’s funny and considerate. He was a perfect addition to our tramily as he hiked the entirety of Maine with us. I can’t imagine not having Chorris with us, even if we did have to give up the moose.
Bear and Sassy—we may not have hiked the longest with Bear and Sassy, but we spent the most time with these fantastic people. For 75 days, we were inseparable. I have never laughed as much as with Bear. I do hope he writes a book about his time at NASA. They provided the push, organization, and humor to keep us going through the final quarter of the trail. I won’t go so far as to say we wouldn’t have made it without them, but I will say we probably would have had to flip to make it. And we definitely would not have had as much fun. I, personally, learned a lot from these great people and feel that I am a better person from having met them (whether they would agree or not).
Peter and Marcia—these are our oldest “couple friends” meaning the first friends we met once Bunny and I were a couple. We had to go all the way to Scotland to meet them on the West Highland Way. Since then, we have gotten together for at least a week a year and talk often. They have both hiked the AT and even had Warren Doyle at their wedding (they have legitimate trail credentials). They both hiked the AT before trail names were the norm although Peter signed the registers as Peter, Pure and Easy and they were known as “The Cosmic Dance Company” when hiking together. They live in Portland, ME, and have been instrumental in our growth both as hikers and individuals. The only bad thing I can say about our friends is that they are UConn alumni.
Angel Alice, Paul, and Marsha—Alice was a childhood friend of Bunny’s. They hadn’t seen each other for more years than the average age of hikers on the AT this year. She was following our blog through Facebook and sent us a note when we were holed up at the NOC on Patches declared rain day. We were with Mizman, Patches, Stickers, Lady Bug, Pit Boss, Play by Play, No Worries, plus some other “red shirt crew members” when we got a note asking if she could send us a care package. This was the start of her being a trail angel for us on the rest of the AT. We received her first shipment when we got to Hot Springs. In it, she explained why she was doing this for us. Her brother, Paul, had died in a plane crash and her sister, Marsha, had died too young, as well. The family had spent a lot of time in NC when they were younger. Paul and Marsha had aspired to one day thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, but they never got the chance. This struck a chord with us because we had seen people our age, and younger, dying which made us decide to go hike sooner, rather than later. We decided to dedicate our hike to the memory Paul and Marsha. We had planned to take a picture on top of Katahdin with the picture of Paul and Marsha we carried with us all the way from Hot Springs, but the weather conditions just sucked. Even though I never met Paul and Marsha, they were an integral part of our hike this year.
There are, literally, hundreds more people we got to meet and spend time with on the trail. I’m sorry if I didn’t mention someone here. Please don’t take it personally.