So here I am in Bland, VA which is about 2 miles from mile 590 of the A.T. I’ve met up here with Woodstock and Giggles. You might recall I’ve hiked with these two before, back in the early days. I last saw them at Standing Bear Farm back in April.
My plan to travel to Maine with Gray Wolf to hike southbound fell through, as he was unable to return to the trail this year. As such, I decided to seek out people I’d met on the trail and travel out to hike with them for a while. Everyone I attempted to contact has left the trail, except for Woodstock and Giggles. So here I am with them. We’ve been at the Big Walker Motel here in Bland for the past few days.
We’re hitting the trail tomorrow morning and have an 11 mile day planned. That may sound like a lot for my return, but the options are severely limited for tomorrow. There’s either a 2 mile or 11 mile option with no campsites between. Fortunately, the terrain is relatively easy so that will help.
I’ve decided to keep the day number format for my posts even though the thru hike attempt is over. Mainly that’s because I can’t think of another scheme to replace it with. For any math geeks out there, I just noticed a strange coincidence… I left the trail on day 81 which is the square of 9. I’m returning on day 100 which is the square of 10. Two consecutive squares… interesting. I wonder what happens on day 121???
I am looking forward to hiking tomorrow with friends. I’m not sure how long I’ll be out or how far I’ll go. It’s a little liberating to not have a specific plan this time. I for sure want to experience different trail environments, so I’ll probably move to another part of the trail in a few weeks.
Daily posts (depending on signal) and GPS tracking begin tomorrow so stay tuned!
Wandering on…
Mojo
Hi MoJo. Cindy and I have had the busy day to day life suck us in but we were thinking of you this morning and checked in. WOW what a lot to read. Your hike is a great lesson for anyone reading your blog. We are excited for you no matter how you finish. So glad to read your still at it and doing well. Loved your comment on how to ruin a vacation spot! Our fear when we talk about moving to one of ours. Take care and be safe.
Randy and Cindy