Trail Marks

"And so we walked. We walked up mountains and through high forgotten hollows, along lonesome ridges with long views of more ridges, over grassy balds and down rocky, twisting, jarring descents, and through mile after endless mile of dark, deep, silent woods, on a wandering trail eighteen inches wide and marked with rectangular white blazes (two inches wide, six long) slapped at intervals on the grey-barked trees. Walking is what we did." Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods

All along the trail trees are marked with white paint. These markings help hikers make sure they are on the AT. Jack said that when they went through the open fields that instead of trees there are poles lined up very close together to take you across. He wasn't sure why this was necessary until he went through one when the fog was heavy. He said if he didn't have the poles to look at he would have been totally lost.

Food For Thought

"Every year between early March and late April, about 2,000 hikers set off from Springer, most of them intending to go all the way to Katahdin. No more than 10 percent actually make it. Half don't make it to past central Virginia, less than a third of the way. A quarter get no father than North Carolina, the next state. As many as 20 percent drop out the first week." (A Walk in the Woods by Bill Byrson)





Jack and the other boys are already at Virginia with no plans of stopping...

Jack's Hostel Stay

I mentioned that Jack was staying in Atkins, VA, so when Mom talked with him today he told her all about his stay at the hostel in Atkins. For 40 bucks Jack was picked up (and dropped off) at the trail and taken to the Inn. The Inn is an old farm house that a couple from Maine refinished to be used as a hostel. The couple cooked the hikers dinner that was eaten family style in the dinning room. Jack said it was like JoJo and Momene's (our grandmothers who are great cooks) on a holiday and he hadn't eaten that good since he left SC. They also washed his clothes, took the hikers to the nearest Walmart, and let them watch a movie when they got back. Of course they didn't leave without a huge breakfast to boot. Pretty good deal for 40 bucks!

THE 500 MILE MARK

Jack crossed the 500th mile mark on the AT this week! He is about 1/4 of the way through! He will be staying in Atkins, VA for the night and start back out on the trail tomorrow.

We were especially glad to hear from him because the last time he was able to call (due to cell phone reception) was 8 days ago. As you can imagine things were a little scary around the Wiggins' household. So Mom called Tyler's mom and she said Tyler had heard word of mouth that Jack was with another hiker named Ned the Fed ( who mom has met) and they were a few days behind. I know Jack was a little surprised to finally get service and have a ton of voicemails and texts from me asking him to "phone home because Mom is freakin out!" Anyway I am so happy that Jack and the others have made if 500 miles.

This Tuesday Mom and Dad left for Cleveland, OH because Dad is having a small procedure on Thursday. When they were in Wytheville, VA they took 20 minute detour off of I-77 onto I-81 South and headed into Atkins, VA, where the AT trail head came off at the Settler’s Museum. Inside the museum they signed a guest book and left a message for Jack. They were able to get out and walk onto the trail, but accidently wandered into a nearby meadow where they were attacked by ticks, so they quickly got back to the car. They also saw where the hikers stay at the Relax Inn. Mom meet two hikers from Florida named Natty and Amero. She offered them some candy bars but they declined. However they were so excited when she gave them a coke!
Mom and Dad are planning to meet up with Jack on the way back from Cleveland.

Food for Thought

"And of course on the AT you must lug on your back everything you need. It may seem obvious, but it came as a small shock to me to realize that this wasn't going to be even remotely like an amble through the English Cotswolds or Lake District, where you head off for the day with a haversack containing a packed lunch and a hiking map and at day's end retier from th ehills to a convivial inn for a hot bath, a hearty meal, a a soft bed. Here you sleep outdoors and cook your own food. Few people manage to carry less than forty pounds, and when you're hauling that kind of weight, believe me, never for a moment does it escape your notice. It is one thing to walk 2, 000 miles, quite another with a wardrobe on your back."

This is a paragraph from A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I just started reading this book and I am going to try really hard to finish it. As of now I am on chapter two. Anyway I thought this paragraph really helped describe the magnitude of living in the woods and having to carry your belongings with (on) you. The picture is one that I took while Jack was going through the process of packing up before he left home. The constant argument Jack and my mom had was why he couldn't take ALL the food and other items she kept buying with him...the weight was adding up! When we were visiting the boys in Damacus alsmost every conversation revolved around or ened up being about how much stuff weighed, what they could do without, and how other people were packing up their backpacks. Now I understand why that topic of conversation was so important.

Back to Damascus

Jack has been in Damascus the last couple of days. He is washing clothes, nursing his shin splints, and of course- eating. It was lucky that Jack had to go back through Damascus because he was also able to pay the parking ticket that we got at Trail Days. He is the only person staying at the hostil in town which is hard to believe because the last time we were there the whole town was packed!

Pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apmalnVzueE

Lauren and I left Columbia on Friday at 4:20 pm. I talked to Jack at about 5:30 and he said they had been hanging out at the Ice House Saloon in Hampton, TN and they would wait for us there. I was worried about how I would find this place, but Jack informed me that Hampton was about the size of Holly Hill, so immediately I knew there was going to be no trouble. He also said that he couldn’t wait for us to meet their new friends…the locals. We pulled into town about 8:50pm. Jack flagged us down on the side of the road and directed us to the back where we got rock star parking. After we all said hey and hugged, Jack said, “Ya’ll are just in time for karaoke!” I didn’t think the weekend could get any better after that statement. We went in and sure enough we were NOT in Columbia anymore. The locals were exactly what you would hope to find in a “one horse” Tennessee town- add some beer and karaoke and it was fabulous! We listened to the local talent for a couple hours and then sadly we had to leave our new friends and be on our way to Damascus. The trip only took about 1 hr but it was the windiest road I have EVER been on. Jack volunteered to drive so I was quick to call shotgun…so poor Lauren was in the back seat between James and Randall and all the boys’ smelly equipment. Luckily Tyler’s mom informed me that they stink and I better have some car deodorizers ready (thanks for the tip Tyler’s mom!).



When we got to Damascus we followed the traffic to “tent city”. As soon as we got out of the car there was loud drumming and a huge bond fire. People were dancing and hopping all around the place. Everywhere you could see there was nothing but tents and people (and by people I mean AT hikers). We set up in the dark (actually Lauren and I held the flashlight while the boys put up the tents. I felt a little guilty about them doing all the work but then I remembered they made a personal choice to set up tents every night so I didn’t feel too bad about it anymore). Lauren and I had to use the bathroom before bed and we were very excited to see there were working toilets and showers! (I was also glad because I was hoping Jack would opt for a shower… He said his last real shower was about 9 days earlier or something in that ballpark!)


The next morning we woke up and slowly starting moving around. We ate breakfast and sat around under the tailgating tent. Lauren and I did a lot of people watching. Three things that I saw an abundance of were tattoos, beards, and CROCS (which apparently are NOT out of style)! There were people of all ages at this thing. Some people, like Jack and his friends, are “thru hikers”. That means they are hiking, or planning on hiking the entire trail in one swoop. Other people were people that had hiked some or all of it before and they just come back every year for the celebrations. I like to think this is exactly what Woodstock was like but instead of hippies there are hikers, which I believe are very similar. Everyone was very nice and they were always giving away food and drinks. We hung around the tents until early afternoon then we headed to Main Street where the parade and other festivities were taking place. There were LOTS of vendors all over this park and tons of people running around. All the hikers got in groups according to the year they finished the trail and walked down the street dressed in crazy outfits throwing water balloons and shooting water guns. There was also a talent show. Hikers sang, spoke, juggled, and played musical instruments. The winner was a guy who preformed a really cool beat boxing routine (Mom- that is when you make noises with your mouth and it sounds just like you are listening to a rap song on the radio).


Saturday night we cooked dinner and Lauren and I were able to meet some of the boys’ friends. They all call each other by their trail names…so for most of the people I met didn’t even hear their real names. They told lots of funny stories and talked about different places they have been on the trail, where they are headed next, and all the people they have met. We met people who were experts at killing the mice and rats they see in shelters, people who won’t drink water unless it has a good aura, one girl who was extremely jealous of Lauren’s deodorant and people who were from far away countries.


Then at about 10 o’clock we heard thunder and saw the lightning. Needless to say that was my calling to get in the tent. Right before the rain started pouring I heard a man yell from the back of tent city “Better run for cover boys… She’s coming in!” And sure enough it rained hard all night.


The next morning it was wet and misty. We slowly packed up all our stuff and SOMEHOW fit it into my car (4 backpacks, 2 Vera Bradley duffels, 2 tents, 2 coolers, 2 chairs, 1 grill top, 4 boys, and 2 girls!) and went back down that windy road to Tennessee. We all ate breakfast at a Bojangels and then headed back to the AT to drop the boys off. When we got out of the car it was windy and just about freezing, the guys unloaded their packs, told us goodbye, and started walking. Jack hung around a few extra minutes to repack his things, say goodbye, and then he started hiking to. The last thing he said was “Goodbye… See you in a few months.” Then he disappeared into the woods.

Despite the long drive, sleeping on the ground and the war my allergies waged against me the weekend was so much fun. It was great to see the boys again. Jack and James both looked so different and they seemed really happy. They are definitely living a new lifestyle where walking is the only transportation and a daily shower is unheard of. Lauren and I both said that if we were getting dropped off to go hike in the cold rain that we would just jump back in the car and say “Take me home, please!” but they didn’t even think about it. The only thing they were thinking about were the next stops between them and Mt Katahdin (the final destination).


I read that every year about 3000 people start out to hike the AT all the way thru, but only about 20 percent actually finish. I think that Jack and the boys are completely capable and extremely motivated to finish what they have started!

We Wish Them Well!

And we're off...

Well tomorrow Lauren and I are heading to Hampton, TN to pick up Jack, then we are going to Damascus, VA for the popular Trail Days Festival! Keep your fingers crossed that we make it ok...because we don't know where we are going! :) I will have lots of stories and pictures next week.

New Pictures!

This is a slideshow of Jack's pictures from Georgia to Tennessee.

Erwin, Tennessee

Today the guys are in Erwin Tennessee. Last night my mom spontaniously decided to go see Jack. She left Holly Hill around 6:30 and went to Gray Court and stayed with my grandparents. This morning Mom, Jo-Jo, Mark-Mark and my Aunt Cindy left Gray Court to go visit Jack! I talked to Jack after I got off of work and he was telling me about the town and what all of them were doing. He said the town is famous because in 1916 there was an elephant that went crazy so the townspeople hung it from a bridge.....something like that! I was curious so I googled it...it's true. Here is the link if you're interested: http://www.blueridgecountry.com/elephant/elephant.html

The principal at the school where I work is also a hiker. She has hiked many sections of the AT. She actually gave Jack a lot of tips and good advice before he left. I told her this morning where they boys were and she said that they have hiked the hardest parts so far. She also said they have gone about 400 miles!

Tyler Hollingsworth is not feeling too well. Please keep him and Jack, James, and Randall in your prayers...we don't won't them getting sick or catching any kinda funky forrest thing!! :0

Next weekend one of my roomates and I are going to meet the boys in Damascus, VA. I'm sure there will be LOTS to talk about when I get back!