My Turn On The AT : )

As many of you already know, I had the wonderful opportunity to join Kev aka Tower on the trail a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I picked what seemed like the hottest 4 days of the summer, but in the end those days were some of the happiest days I have experienced in awhile (despite a small much needed breakdown due to exhaustion..hah) Kevin and I drove to Gathland State Park in Maryland Sunday afternoon after a long morning of packing and organizing with the help of the little poos jumping in every box or bag imaginable. After our 2 1/2 hour drive on the road we made it to the park. Shortly after arriving I realized I needed to use the ladies room and made my way down to the restrooms at the park. Of course they were out of order and I was going to have to experience this whole "real hiking thing" sooner than expected. So after taking Kev's advice of finding a "good tree" and feeling like my dog Louie I was ready, or so I thought. "Kaitie, I can see you!" I heard from the parking lot. So some adjustments were made and needless to say the experience was quite memorable but a success! My next big obstacle would be going "number 2!" Yikes!

Camp Site= Middle of Woods

We got on the trail around 6:30 pm and hiked a good 3 miles or so. To be honest, I was a bit shocked when Kevin told me to start looking for flat ground in the middle of the woods. I guess I was expecting more of a camp site or something, but then again I should have known after my bathroom experience. We found a spot after some searching and boiled our water for our bagged lasagna after an appetizer of cheese and wine (yes, Kev actually splurged and let us carry the weight of a wine bottle with us believe it or not). After a surprisingly good dinner, a blueberry Poptart for dessert, and getting used to the daddy long leggers on the outside of the tent I found sleep.

We're fancy huh?!

Waking up in the woods was pretty neat. There were no noises of cars flying down High Street or the humming of the air conditioner in the background, only the singing of birds and occasional rustle of a chipmunk in the dry, crunchy leaves. No one was around as the sun peered through the tops of the flittering trees and I felt at peace. No boundaries, no rules..Just Kev, me, and the trail. A pretty cool feeling I never had the opportunity to experience (I can imagine this is what my brother and his wife experience out in the middle of the ocean and maybe now I can somewhat relate to that feeling). This was a trip of many firsts for me and I was ready to take on world!

Monday morning we were back on the trail and before I knew it we had already hiked 12 miles and evening was coming sooner than I anticipated. One more mile to Annapolis Rocks which would be our home for the night. A mile couldn't be that bad..or so I thought. After an unexpected, never ending, rocky uphill, soaked clothing, a melted off face, and some very heavy breathing I was officially grumpy to say the least (aka the breakdown I mentioned earlier has come) It was difficult to take in my beautiful  surroundings when all I wanted to do was lay down in a pool of ice. After asking Kevin to stop talking to me and only a few 4 letter words later we did in fact make it to our destination and to my surprise I actually survived and was content again! It was pretty cool to see what I was capable of accomplishing and even cooler that we made it in time to watch the sunset over the rocks. As mentioned in almost all of my second grade journals from the Bahamas "After that we had dinner and went to bed." What can I say, we lived by the sun that week. On Tuesday morning I had one of the best cups of coffee I have had all summer. I am not sure if it was the view, the company, the Jetboil, or the Starbucks Via Mocha packets but it was great! I never knew coffee could be so rewarding but that morning it was.

                                              

                                                                                                         

Morning yoga anyone?!

After breakfast on the rocks we were back to the trail in no time. Even though I was still in one piece after our 13 mile day, we decided to take it a bit easy and go about 6 miles to either the next Shelter or a Hostel we heard about along the road. Either way, we had to meet up with my dad in order to get to my car. The original plan was to pick up my car and "slack pack" Kev on Wednesday and Thursday, however, I had the itch to keep going! So, after what felt like a long day of hiking due to the heat index of around 103 degree, we made it to the road close to where we were planning on meeting my dad. We had to make a decision and if anyone knows me I am not the best at decision making. In the end, we decided that staying at the hostel would be the best bet and I am pretty sure we made the right decision...it ended up thunder storming that night and my shower felt as good as Christmas morning. After arriving at the hostel, which was literally a family's house in which they turned the upstairs into a hostel. Turns out the lady's husband hiked the trail years before and wanted to make some type of contribution to the hikers that are still out there..and what a contribution it was. Laundry, shower, delivery food service, telephone, clean sheets, and a mattress to sleep on. My dad finally made his way to the hostel as well and was able to make the trek back to Gathland State Park which was about 30 minutes away. After getting my car, we stopped for lunch at a nice little pub in which we all got burgers and a brew. It was a nice little treat..thanks dad! When lunch was over we continued our drive to the next road crossing which was probably about another 30 minutes in the other direction. It was quite a process to say the least and we are both so glad my dad was able to help us out. (I added a picture of the hostel below but please look for additional photos from the trip under my "photo section")

We woke up Wednesday morning refreshed from the great hospitality the night before. It was definitely hard to leave the air conditioned room that we were so spoiled with, especially since it was yet another muggy, damp morning, but somehow we got ourselves together and we were back on the trail. I actually found it to be cooler if you keep walking because the little bit of breeze your own body makes was better than standing still. Kev may "beg the differ" but it worked for me that week. Our hike started with a gradual uphill which wasn't too bad. I also found out that I actually prefer uphills to downhills because of damn gravity. Although uphills are tiring and hot, downhills pull at my feet and make me feel like I am just going to topple over my own legs (and for those of you who know anything about "Schell legs" you know they are equivalent to a birds). Anyway, the rest of the hike was too bad, however, I did find out why they say to watch out for the rocks in "Maryland and Pennsylvania" and why Kevin was so happy to be out of those states quickly. All of a sudden we would be hiking and a huge "rock castle" would show up before our eyes. We literally had to crawl over some of the rocks and at times I was not sure if I would be able to do it. I actually started saying "Is this some kind of sick joke" every time we would come across these "castles" and that lined stayed with us for the rest of the week..in addition to make all kinds of snake noises while climbing over the rocks. (When I was little my brother and I would climb over the rocks in Rock Hall Maryland where the sailboat was docked. My dad used to tell us to watch out for the snakes! Luckily, we never saw a snake in Rock Hall and I did not find any snakes in the rocks along the trail, but it was fun to mess around with the idea. Kev and I started making snake noises as we climbed, although Kev's sounded more like a pterodactyl than a snake). 

  
After about a 8 mile day of climbing and snakes (or lack there of) we made it to a nice park where we decided to camp, watch the sunset and enjoy our 4th of July Appalachian Trail Style. I must say it did beat last years attempt of celebrating which consisted of moving into our apartment and watching fireworks on tv with all the lights out. We made dinner at one of the picnic tables which consisted of pepperoni roll ups and pasta out of a pasta sides bag. It actually tasted good because I was so hungry but I did in fact feel like I was homeless considering all the people around us had grills, beers, burgers, dogs, chips..ya know, all the normal picnic affair. In the end it was okay though. Kev made me realize, like always, that we don't have to be like everyone else and to not care what the other people were thinking of us. He is so right! After dinner we found our way back to camp, which was only a few yards into the woods. We changed into our "evening wear" and made our way back to the hill just in time to watch the firework show over the towns below. I must say, I was expecting a pretty spectacular show considering the amount of people that were saving their spots earlier in the day. To my dismay, the spectacular show happened to be little bits of light flown up into the sky at different parts on the horizon, however, this was all part of the adventure and the unknown and I was happy.

Thursday morning had a melancholy feel..we only had a 3 mile hike to my car which meant my time on the trail was over  and it was also time to set Kev off on his own again. Despite the heat, my sweaty clothes, and sleeping on the ground I actually was not reading to leave but I knew I had to. On the way to the car we passed the ever famous Mason Dixon Line which does in fact exist!! It was pretty neat to be able to hike into Pennsylvania with Kev and we felt like we were home. Shortly after crossing into Pennsylvania we did in fact find my car at the road crossing. I think there was a small part of me that was hoping someone had stolen it so I would have to stay an extra few days with Kevin but of course that did not happen. Before leaving Kev back into the wilderness alone, we took a little drive into town where we got lunch, saw a movie in the air conditioning, and Kev re-supplied for his adventures ahead.

Even though I was only out on the trail for 4 nights, I feel like this was a big adventure for me. Camping in a tent, using the ground as my bathroom, learning that I am able to sweat probably more than a gallon a day, eating out of a paper bag, and actually hiking 13 miles in one day! Whew! I may never know what it feels like to have the "bug" to be a thru-hiker, however, I do know that I got a sense of having the itch to be out in nature and continue to do camping/hiking trips in the future. 
 I am really proud of myself to say the least and I am extremely proud of Kevin; knowing how fun yet difficult only 4 nights were out on the trail, I honestly cannot begin to imagine doing this day in and day out (and I was even able to shower). I know mom is proud of Kevin as well~


Life Lessons I Learned While Being Out On The Trail: 
10). The sun is hot
  9). Pennsylvania and Maryland are rocky
  8). Dehydrated meals are actually good
  7). Bugs are everywhere
  6). It is important to drink H2O
  5). Sit back and smell the roses
  4). If you think you can do something, you can
  3). Don't take life too seriously
  2). Look at the stars, listen to the night sounds, admire Mr. Moon
  1). Fall in love with your best friend. It makes life so much fun to share : )
 

 

Harpers Ferry

Well, it is about 12:00 a.m. on Saturday night. I just got done reading some of my interesting yet trashy book..the one that starts with "Fifty Shades".. I figured updating this may be a better alternative to using my time wisely..although at this hour maybe I should just be in bed.. I'm home at my parent's house on good old Hilltop Road and it feels good to be in the same bedroom I lived in for the first 18 years of my life. It is calming to be back here for a nice long weekend but yes, the void that lingers within these walls is more present than ever. I never thought coming home could possibly be this difficult--

I got a call from Kev around 9:30 tonight.. Actually, I take that back. Kev texted me to ask when a good time to call would be and I told him 9:30 but actually ended up calling him around 9:27..I was impatient. He is currently camping out at a bunk house with his dad, cousin Corey, Uncle Bob, and of course his dog Spirit (she usually has to carry her own pack but I think she was off the hook on this trip). They plan on being in Harper's Ferry West Virginia by tomorrow and I believe they are going to "slack pack". This is the term for hiking without packs to make for a more enjoyable hike aka cool hiker lingo. Kev's dad and Uncle plan to hike to where they left their cars, drive the cars and Corey and Kev's packs with them all the way to Harper's Ferry where they will meet up with the boys once again, this way they do not have to hike with their heavy packs. (this is the best example I can give for slack packing..Kev may correct me later on this). According to Kev this is "allowed" when being a thru hiker on the AT but I bet if you ask my dad he would say "Boy, Kev is living in luxury out there" (especially the occasionally motel stay with pizza and a 6 pack..can't be so bad right?!) After they make it to Harper's Ferry West Virginia, Corey and Kev plan to continue making their way into Maryland by Monday and then making the drive home to PA on Tuesday (Kev and I have a Shannon and Mike's wedding this week!) The original plan was to meet up with Corey on their way home and pick up Kev about halfway on Tuesday, however, as of tonight it appears the boys may end their trip on Monday instead of Tuesday and stay at my dad's house Monday night. I was pretty excited when I heard this...I think it would be neat to show Corey my neck of the woods! We shall see!

Overall, Kev seems to be livin' his dream and enjoying every minute of it. I could not be happier for him, honestly! Many people continue to be surprised at the fact that he is doing it and even more surprised that I am in fact okay with it..You only live life once so I say live it to the fullest while you can..I also know without a doubt that Kevin has my back on any crazy dream I may have in the future and who knows, maybe we can do some crazy adventure together some day--

I'm not going to get into any detail what so ever but if you are reading this, you know the past few months have been beyond difficult for me despite the smile you see upon my face. I want my family and friends to know how much all of your unconditional love means to me and it does not go unnoticed.  I have never felt so loved and it is just an absolute honor to have so many amazing people in my life. I also want to say an extra special thank you to the Walls Family. Not only have you been supportive but you opened your arms and welcomed me on your family vacation despite the fact that Kev was out climbing in the woods. I cannot tell you how much fun I had and how nice it is that each and everyone one of you embraced me as part of family. You guys are quite a crew that I love very, very much and look to as my family as well.

To close out this night, I thought I would leave you with a few pictures of when Kevin's family and I went down to visit him when he was hiking near James Madison University. Luckily, his sister Erin still had some time left in her apartment lease so we were able to stay at her place for some rest and relaxation. I am not planning on trying to play catch up with Kev's trip, as of course I missed about a month or so. Instead, I plan to continue on from where he is now and my next post will most likely be about my adventure on the trail with Kev starting next Saturday or Sunday! I just bought my hiking boots and poles and am ready to take on the challenge. I am pumped!

** I will be doing my best to update my blog on a weekly basis from here on out. I will be adding pictures, quotes etc as well. My next endeavor is to teach you all a little bit about the camp I work for that has changed many lives including myself. Also, keep in mind, this will be my last update reminder via facebook so you will have to check the website on your own occasionally. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy some of the pictures below!

Kev and Rampage enjoying some trail magic

Erin getting ready for her first trek out on the AT

Kev's First Zero Day

Kev made it through the Smokies and to Hot Springs this past Saturday. He plans to be in Erwin by tomorrow.


TAKING A ZERO IN HOT SPRINGS!

FONTANA DAM

So I suppose I should apologize for not keeping as up to date as I would have liked on this blog. What can I say, life must have gotten in the way...or I simply just have not gotten around to writing. Either way, I am going to once again attempt to bring you up to date on Kev's journey to the best of my ability. Another reason this past week may seem like a blur to me is the fact that Kev was hiking through the Smoky Mountains which had little to no service. I think we went the longest time without talking so far this whole trip. I would say approximately 4 days.. Yes, they were 4 LONG days..for me at least!                   Kev left Fontana Dam at some point last week after the whole mail drop incident. I'm glad that is all over with as I patiently await the next once I need to send. Like I mentioned before, Kev and I did not get to talk so much within this past week so I will do my best in recalling the events of the week. To be honest the three things that stand out the most is the rain, the hot weather resulting in what I like to call "chub rub", and a big black snake. I'll start with the rain. Apparently while in the Smokies it drizzled on and off for about 2 days straight. I don't know about you but I know I would be one miserable person after being spit upon by rain for 2 days. I don't know how he did it! After the rain came the hot weather..Kev mentioned that now that the weather was getting warmer he was starting to get some chafing between his legs..another words "chub rub". Ya know when its hot your walking on the beach in a bathing suit and your inner legs rub together the slightest bit..along with the dampness and sand you begin to get bit or a rash (chub rub). Those of you who have experienced this like myself..God Bless You..and those of you who have never experience this..consider yourself lucky. I told Kev he should have gotten this cream before he left to take care of this issue but I guess he is going to tough it out. Lastly, and most horrific if I say so myself is the snake incident..Kev says as he was hiking he saw something moved and then later heard the inevitable "HISS!" Yes, this hiss came from a 4 foot black snake..GROSS! 
                                                                                                                                                                      

"This guy scared the crap out of me" - Kevin

Unfortunately that is about all I go as far as the Smokies go..however, as many of you may have seen on facebook I got a surprise once Kev reached Hot Springs. I was laying in bed with my best friend Lisa (she stays with me at least once a week since my apartment is closer to her work and I appreciate the company) and just as we were ready to go to sleep my phone rings..but this time it says "Kev <3 wants to facetime (yes you can make fun of me but that is what Kevin's name is in my phone). For those of you who do not know, Facetime is very similar to Skype, and for those of you in the older generation who do not know what Skype is it is basically a way of talking to each other while looking at each other. Almost like a video. I have no clue how it works but I do know it is pretty cool. So I answered the request to "factime" with Kev and immediately started cracking up as I saw Kev on the screen. I am not sure if it was due to the beard or being over tired but I just could not stop smiling and laughing. I actually think it had something to do with the fact that I had not actually seen him in quite awhile and it was almost as thought I was a giddy little girl again. It was very exciting to see him and was so surprised that "facetime" actually worked. That was one of the reasons Kevin got a newer version of the iphone before he left..in hopes that it would work and I think it was definitely worth it. I think I am finally realizing what it is like for my brother and his wife Mia to be apart..her in Sweden and him in the states..and how wonderful it feels to finally see that person after a long time apart. I used to make fun of them for always seeming to be in the "honey moon" stage but now I need to eat my own words because I feel the same way they do. What can I say absence makes the heart grow fonder maybe?! I don't know but I sure miss this guy a whole lot!

So to wrap it all up, and get to the point I was meaning to get to all along..when Kev made it to Hot Springs he took is first Zero Day. In hiking terms, a "zero is a day when you take the time to enjoy the town or area you are in a you do not hike. Kev's zero consisted of playing whiffle ball with most of his original crew he was traveling with, showers, laundry, and then a good amount of time at the local bar eating some grub and drinking some good beer. When I say local bar I really mean the only bar in the small, one street town of Hot Springs.

I got off the phone with Kev tonight and he is camping somewhere between Hot Springs and Erwin. He said he hopes to be in Erwin by tomorrow. The weather is beautiful but hot and he continues to seem very happy and content. He met up with two of the guys he was traveling with earlier. I believe the one guys name is Whiffle Ball but I forget the other ones name. He said he was finishing up dinner which consisted of some Alfredo Pasta Sides and some Ramen. Until next time..Happy Tails!    

Looking down at Hot Springs

**I was at my house over the weekend and as I was leaving my mom usually is the one to give me a few words of wisdom, however, my dad has taken over this role now. After his loving comments about how proud of me he is (which means more than he knows), he mentioned how he continues to support Kevin and to tell Kevin that him and my mom love him too. (That meant a whole lot : ) so I thought I would share)

Maildrops Almost Ruined Our Day!

Kev made it to Fontana Dam on Thursday April 5. Looking on the map, Fontana Dam is along the trail next to Fontana Lake. *Click on map to view larger image.

          

Finally some pizza, burgers and beers at the NOC then off to Fontana Dam!

From left, up right and down: Bluesclues, Halfway, Bigfoot, Whiffle Ball, Hawk, Scout, Overdrive, Soho, Doc
I believe Kev said he had about 5-6 Light beers and felt a bit hungover the next morning. I guess that will do it to you after a few weeks of no drinking and possibly being a little dehydrated. 

 Relaxing at the NOC! Note the beer "cooler". 

"Hey"--This was the text message I received Thursday morning at approximately 10:41 a.m.. I was already late for my physical therapy appointment that was supposed to start at 10:30 but since I was on Spring Break I decided to take my time getting out of bed that morning. As usual, I was super excited to see a text from Kevin but also bummed that I would not be able to chat long as I needed to get inside and start my exercises. I replied to Kev and let him know that I could not really talk, however, I was not prepared for his reply. "My package isn't here yet..." ( Yea, ya know the package a sent almost a week ago on Friday by way of priority mail. The package that the guy promised me would be there by Monday which was plenty of time for Kev to receive it.) My heart sank...I could not believe it and the first few things that ran through my mind was "Did I send it to the wrong address? Was the guy at the post office playing with me? Was Kev going to have to wait for the package to get there?" I felt so bad!! I put all this time and effort to put together this first mail drop for Kev and he was depending on this for food!  So, I quickly brainstormed what I could do in the next 5 minutes before I really had to get my butt moving into the PT room. After saying a few four letter words to myself, I decided the only thing I could do was send Kev the tracking number to see where this package actually was. After that I started my exercises.

Wesser Bald Tower (near the NOC) 360 degree panoramic view

This probably felt like the longest PT session of my life. I did not have my phone on me and the last text I received from Kev before I started my routine was "They said priority could take 4-5 days or longer and since it was mailed on Friday or Monday it's only been 4 business days." My mind kept racing trying to figure out what could possibly have happened and after about an hour or so it was time to relax on the table with some heat. Before I sat on the table to get stretched and get heat, I told my Physical Therapist I needed to go get my phone (Luckily Alison completely understood since it turns out she graduated with Kevin at Garnet Valley and I have been updating her on his trip. Towards the end of all my sessions she asks if I want to get my phone in case he calls haha) Anyway, after sitting back up on the table with my heat pack for my arthritic ankle I quickly looked at my text messages and was so relieved to see this "It was here! They messed up. Thank the lord!" "Thanks so much for the cards and candy babe. I'm so glad my package was here, the backup postmaster held it under your name instead of mine. I love you so much and can't wait to see you". Ahhhh!! "Thank the lord!" as Kev said haha. After telling this story to my dad he made me realize that this was actual a lesson for me. As you may or may not know, I tend to be a people pleasure and automatically blame a bad situation on something that I did wrong rather than looking at all the other reasons something went wrong. My dad brought this to my attention and explained to me how a number of things could have went wrong and in the end it was not my fault after all. I was worrying that I messed something up for no reason and put all that negative energy in my mind rather than thinking positive. My mom has preached "think positive" my entire life, one of the reasons she is fighting her stage 4 cancer with such a positive outlook and probably one of the reasons she is still here sitting in our living room enjoying her chai latte from Starbucks at this very moment . "The power of positive thinking"...I guess I still need a few life lessons for this really to sink in for me.

Cheoah Bald (notice rain shower, so pretty)

Approximately 3 weeks in and still going strong.

The last I talked to Kev on the phone was yesterday morning, however, the reception was not the best and most of the conversation was me hearing my own voice echo in the phone. Like I mentioned before, very annoying. Kev was leaving Fontana Dam and heading into the Smoky Mountains where I am assuming reception will be minimal again. We had my dad's 60th birthday party which was a lot of fun. A lot of homemade food compliments of Andy and Mia and of course cocktails. I also experimented with some appetizers of my own (recipes compliments of my dear friend Aimee) and they were definitely a hit : ). I will be posting them on my recipe page soon. All of my parents old friends showed up and it was nice to hear them all ask about Kev and his trip. The popular question was how long has he been gone and when my response was "About 2 1/2" weeks" it really sunk in as to how much further he has to go! I already feel like its has been forever and its only been 2 1/2 weeks! Anyway, it was nice to see everyone since I have not seen them since Christmas and it was nice for my dad to have the company and for everyone to see my mom (even though she may not have remembered everyone who was there). Either way, I know she had a great time as well considering when I asked her what she thought of all the people at the house she said , "Amazing!": ).

I am currently sitting at the same table in my parents house in which I wrote my last post. The Phillies are playing on my dad's new flat screen tv we got him for his 60th birthday. I felt good about getting him this since out of all his friends, he has the worst tv for football parties, considering he still was using one of those old box tvs from my childhood. I knew he would never buy himself a new tv so we thought the timing was appropriate. Anyway, I am feeling happy and content as I am looking out over my parent's deck at the sun setting against the mountains. It makes me think of Kev.. Right now it looks like a water painting of oranges and pinks that mother nature made but more beautiful than anything any human could paint. I'm starting to get a bit weary considering my spring break is coming to an end and I will be headed back to work in only a day. I can feel myself starting to stress and think about the work week instead of enjoying this time right now. I mean come on, its beautiful outside, thats why I love coming home to my parents house in the country and the Phillies are on which is a sure sign of summer but here I am worrying again...Yet another lesson I need to learn.."Live In The Moment"--something else my own mother has been preaching to me my entire life and I am only now slowly learning how to do this. I can only hope to have at least half of her wisdom some day.

Until next time...Happy Trails!

Waiting out the rain in his tent. One of my favorite pictures of Kev..I'm actually kinda digging the new look ; ) Cute!

**PS: If you read my brother's blog you already know this but if not, Kev's trail name is Tower.

Welcome to North Carolina

Looking at the map, Kevin plans to be around "Wesser" by tonight. Click on the map and then click again to zoom in. Thanks for the maps Uncle Joe : )


WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA!

On Wednesday morning, March 28,  I answered a phone call that started with "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..okay I am not singing the rest." haha Yes it was Kevin and what a great way to start my birthday off right : ). Kevin was just waking up in his tent as I was rushing out the door to work as usual. Like always, the reception was very scratchy and every time I spoke into the phone I could hear an echo of myself..yes, very annoying but I took a deep breath, tried not to be too annoyed, and enjoyed this opportunity to talk to Kevin. As I am writing this I am currently home in Reading and unfortunately do not have my notes so you will have to use your imagination, however, Kevin was on some camp ground after Neel's Gap and before Wesser on the map. None the less, this was good new because he had made it to North Carolina! After telling people this, many were surprised and I have been getting a lot of the same reaction: "Wow, he already made it through South Carolina?" Kevin may be tall and have long legs but no, he did not make it all the way through Georgia and S. Carolina already...the trail is deceiving and it actually goes west of South Carolina touching North Carolina and then into Tennessee. Anyway, Kev said the next few days he would be completely in the woods and not be hitting another town for a few days, however, to his advantage he was in a town the night before where he got to stay in a hotel, shower, and go to an all you can eat diner. Kevin said he has never eaten so much in his life and just when he thought he could eat no more he was recharged and went at it again. Kevin stayed in town with some of the same people he has been traveling with for the past week. I believe they got 2 hotel rooms that were shared with about 5 other people for $15 per person. Kevin had to sleep on the floor. From what I hear, it is about 12 of them, the youngest being 19 and the oldest in his 50's, mostly men and a few women. It seems as though they all meet up at the end of the day to camp together  and then do their own thing during the day, as the saying goes "Hike your Own Hike". Another words, go at your own pace, hike for yourself and enjoy the journey.

Thursday and Friday came and I did not hear from Kev. I don't know why but for some reason I was surprised (its not like he is out in the middle of no where or anything). I guess because I have been spoiled the past week and have been able to talk to Kevin almost everyday and I worried about the day I would call and his phone went right to his voice mail. It was bound to happen one of these days and when this occurred my first reaction was "What if he fell in a ditch or a bear came or he ate the berries?!!!" Of course this is a ridiculous way to be thinking but it definitely crossed my mind. Luckily, I got a call yesterday evening and it was Kev! : ) Everything was perfectly fine despite the fact that he was bundled in his tent and said that it was windy and cold. The lack of phone calls was just from bad reception from being in the middle of the woods between towns. After I got off the phone I began my final birthday celebration with my family at home. It was wonderful to be home and with my family, however, it definitely was not the same without Kev and he was missed by all. Mia and Andy made homemade pizza and to my surprise Mia even made me a homemade birthday cake. It was absolutely delicious! I also got many nice gifts, including the pile of gifts Kevin left for me before he left : ). I think my favorite and most useful present was the sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and compression sack that I got from my mom and dad. Now I think I am all but ready to go meet Kev out on the trail!

I woke up this morning to the Dave Matthews lyrics "you and me together can do anything baby" aka the ring tone I use for when Kev calls. It was the weekend, I was on spring break, and this was not my usual alarm clock. I was happy! Kev said that the camp site was becoming empty and he was getting ready to hike another 12 miles to The Noc, which is short for Nantahala Outdoor Center which is what I pointed out on the map above (near Wesser). The Noc is known to be a place for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers to rest and re-energize at the outdoor center and fill up on food at the restaurant. Kev also said that there are cabins and bunks available there but I am unsure if he is planning on staying in on of them or in his tent. Here is a link for The Noc http://www.noc.com/noccom/adventures/hiking/at-thru-hiker-resources/

After leaving The Noc, Kev plans to head towards Fontana Dam and plans to be there by Friday. This is where he will receive his first mail drop from me. I sent his mail drop on Friday at the West Chester Post Office and you would think that would be an easy task, put the food in a box and send it off...Well for some reason I ended up making this job a lot harder than it needed to be and clearly the post office crew knew that this was my first time doing it. I knew I was in trouble when I heard from behind the counter " How much are you sending, that is a really really really big box". How was I supposed to know how big the box was, it was flat and appeared to be a good size....After getting some strange looks when I explained to them what I was trying to do ( sending food to a hiker) a nice women came out and helped me find a priority box that would appropriately fit all the food. She ended up saving me money in the end too so I was happy and Kev should be happy too when he finds is Easter Surprise inside : )!

Until next time...Happy Trails!