Rocks

Hi all. Thanks for continued reading and comments. This is the seventh post. Nothing lost (except us) last couple of legs! No head bumps!! Did get two tent poles busted on two different tents though. Latest was fixable in the field so all is golden. We are moving along and not too long from now will reach Northern Virginia!

The Appalachian mountains are approximately 500 million years old which makes them like sort of ancient! At one time they were as high or higher than the Rockies but over time have not kept up and are now much shorter than their western cousins. They are however extremely large in volume as shrinking made their belt expand. That translates into making certain climbs up to ridge lines and gaps (passes) quite difficult. The trails are not able to go straight up due to their waist belt expansion. There are usually several ravines and/or gullies one has to go up and down before reaching a clearing.

As a result if the high point of the day is 1300 feet higher then where starting from, before one gets to that spot can pretty much count on having to climb at least 2600 feet or more.

As noted the rocks out here are old. As many of them have found their way to the trail it is kinda fun to think of the impact they have had over the years while one is stepping on them. For sure they have caused billions of blisters, sprained ankles, and sore feet. There must be positive impact as well, such as the result of people deciding to stop hiking and therefore lessening the footprint on the aina. Maybe they helped contribute to the rise and fall of the age of dinosaurs. Whatever, at least they provides lots of photo opps.

We have had some smoking days since the snow storm issue. Largest mileage in one day now stands at 18. That was due to my missing the signage for a shelter. By the time realized the mistake we had gone up a 2000 foot side hall and were not about to come down. Got lost a couple of times that day too as it got late and dark on us.

Met some awesome hikers. Most are quite a bit younger but a few are our age, and better yet not all are men with big beards.

Got a few days off here and there for r and r. Now have a new fav southern restaurant chain known as Cookout! Can get a fancy shake there for $1! Also made friends with patriot Sam Adams!

 

Alright that is all for now. Have plenty to write about later. Will continue to ponder the difference rocks make for the trail. They seem to me to be much like us humans. In other words all over the map. Some are helpful, some not, some beautiful, some well lets say would not take all the rocks come across home to Mama. Some make their mark on the world and others seem inconsequential. Am striving to move myself up towards the side that matters on the rock scale! At the end here are some pictures of the trail. Thanks everybody for your well wishes and thoughts. Have a great spring!