Chuggin along

The last few days have been a real blast. Here is a list of some (in my opinion) cool things I've done:

-foraged wild berry bushes and made my own berry infused spring water


-hiked a mile off trail and back to go swimming in Thompson Lake on a 95 deg day
-hiked the "roller coaster" - approximately 12 ascents (and descents) ranging from 200-650 ft in vertical gain over a 13.5 mile stretch.
-found a magical castle-hostel in the middle of the woods named bears den, where captain red beard and I ate a pint of ice cream, a pizza, drank 6 sodas, and watched the 1977 animated classic, the hobbit. It was 99 outside, we deserved the 3 hr break


-reached the 1000 mile mark!!!!
-was downpoured on immediately after reaching 1000 mile mark
-reached harpers ferry, WV, home to the Appalachian trail conservancy. We got our pictures taken and signed in. Harpers Ferry is considered the half way point, even though it's technically not. Guess there not going to put the ATC in the middle of the woods.


-finally left VA! Feels like forever ago we were in damascus. Maybe because that was in may...

I've had a really great time these past few days and hiking with a good group right now. 1000 miles is a long way and I'm proud of that accomplishment. I'll be honest. I didn't 100% believe I would make it this far when I started. Its always a great feeling when you prove the doubter in yourself wrong.

-mojo

Top o the mornin to ya!

Good morning! I had a shelter all to myself last night and I successfully defense my fort against all intruders.

Woke up early this morning and hit the trail at seven am! I hoofed up 3000 feet and I am feeling accomplished for the day; the rest is icing on the cake.

Drying my sweaty clothes on this rock face right now and about o descend into yet another gap before yet another, surprise, ascent back up to four thousand feet.

I want to give a shout out to Tiffany: thank you for the Clif Shot energy goo as well as the iced coffee mix; I am flying across these ridges like a hawk-leopard.

Have a great day, All!

Hybrid


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Laggin, Jetlaggin'

I am back! Jetlaggled, like a hibernating bear awoken in mid-winter, but I am back!

Slow progress thus far but it feels good to be hiking again.




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Location:USA?

Back on the trail

First day back on the trail felt very good. Felt like I got my step back quickly and no loss of trail legs after the marathon canoe trip. Also got to see my second bear! At first I think capt red beard and I startled him, but he slowly made his way back and just continued on with his business.

Also awoke this morning to see this right above my head:



It must have been there yesterday, I just missed it when I was setting up camp. Pretty cool, all natural dream catcher! Or it could be a satanic symbol. Either way, my dreams were sweet.

-mojo

Canoe trip complete

After 8 days on the river, captain red beard, Peter pan, red sox, Foon, legs and I have completed the nearly 100 mile canoe journey. Aside from the one capsize I mentioned earlier, no other canoe flips to be reported.

Most days we followed bald eagles, ospreys, and cranes up the river. Pretty cool sights, especially the eagles. There was one day where we had to of followed a bald eagle for 3-4 miles. It seemed almost like he was trying to show us which way to go. He would wait for us to get close then leap off his perch and soar about 500-1000 yards away. Can't say I've seen that before.

Capt Red Beard found an arrowhead one morning too. His giddy reaction reminded of a child on Christmas. But I guess it's deserved since he says he has been searching for them for over two years. After the find, he was on ultimate arrowhead lookout.

We conquered the class 3 rapid, Compton rapids, with ease. We are all fairly confident in out canoeing skills at this point and feel we are "guide ready". Well Peter pan should be since he was a canoe guide for 4 years.

All in all, a fantastic time, much like this entire journey has been so far. Great experiences with great people.

Heres some photos of our canoe crew:

Foon



Red sox



Legs



Peter pan



Captain Red Beard



Yours truly

Konnichiwa

Hi All,

I hope everyone had a relaxing long weekend.

I have finally gotten over the jetlag and enjoying my stay in Japan. This unexpected trip has yielded lessons not unlike the ones taught to me on the trail.

I visit the statue of the great Buddha of Kamakura two days ago and today I am headed to downtown Tokyo to study some architectural styles unique to the region.

It is very surreal to be here and I am curious to experience what it will be like to be teleported back into the wilderness of the eastern united states.

Meanwhile, I have been running and walking to keep myself active. And yes, I am eating very well, for training purposes of course.

I would like to coin a new term for the AT: "aero-blazing".

See you in the future,

Hybrid


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Happy July 4th!

Our river adventure has been going about as well as any of us could have hoped. We are having a blast battling "rapids", meeting locals along the banks of the rivers, and all around, feeling like we are on top of the world.

Foon and red sox tipped their canoe on day one (lesson learned - bag EVERYTHING) but other than that, no other mishaps. We've camped in all types of places so far - sandy bank, outskirts of a cornfield (which capt red beard and legs got lost in), a campground and an open field. At the campground, we had a round robin horseshoes tournament. Naturally, capt red beard and I were victorious.

July 1st was Canada day and since Peter pan is from Quebec, we felt it our duty to celebrate it with him in style. We get two national holidays in one weekend, which I think is a real treat. Only wish I was able to get a picture of that crazy Canadian dancing around the bonfire we had that night.

I also picked up The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the last town from a goodwill store for a quarter. Prob just about the perfect read for this trip. I'm not too far in and I can already tell I'm going to like it a lot more than when I first read it in high school.

That's all for now. Happy fourth!

-mojo