(Sat. 7/6/12) Killington, VT (Phone Update)

Brett was staying at The Inn at Long Trail, near where The Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail split. Brett said it had rained all day and he was tired. He decided to share a hotel room with another hiker, Gun Runner.

I asked how Brett's Fourth of July celebration was. He said it was a bust. He got a rider to a soccer field in town to participate in the festivities. They had a nice presentation before the fireworks but they had to delay the fireworks because of a big lightning storm the next town over. They delayed again. And again. Then there were reports of hail the next town over, so they had to cancel the fireworks altogether. Brett had to walk to meet back up with his ride and ended up soaking wet. Bummer.

Brett said he crossed the point where there are less than 500 miles left to go. He still faces mental challenges every day.  Every hill is still a challenge.

Killington is the first 4,000-ft. climb since maybe VA. He met up with four college kids were there hiking Killington as part of a reunion. He climbed with them and talked the whole way. Brett said it was nice to have the company while climbing. It made it go by faster and easier.

I asked Brett if he could feel that the uphill climbs were easier now that he has been hiking for over four months. Brett said that every climb is tough. But the recovery after a climb is quicker and the breaks are shorter.

We talked about wildlife on the trail. Brett had not seen a moose, but he did see moose turd. He saw a porcupine in New York. And he saw a bear in Mass. Brett was a switchback down from the bear. The bear came down from a tree, sat on the trail, and walked off.

Brett said that he hasn't been hiking with many other hikers. There was a section hiker, G-Paw (?) that Brett had been enjoying hiking with. But he broke his wrist and was now off the trail. Brett said he is about two weeks ahead of the pack. Brett left in mid/late February, and most set off in March. Brett said he "had my lonely fill" and would be okay with some more people.

(Tue. 5/15/12) Front Royal, VA - Phone Update From Brett

Brett made it to Front Royal today. (He kept trying to call it Fort Royale, but it's FRONT Royal.) I had a mail drop sent to a hostel for Brett. The hostel was in the basement of someone's home. Brett said it was nicer than most of the hostels he's stayed in: simple, but nice; clean; one of his favorites so far.

"Buzz Kill" was staying at the shelter as well. It sounds like their pace has been very similar.

He was able to do some laundry, take a shower, and dry off from all the rain he's had. He has walked in wet socks for two days. They just never had a chance to dry out.

The shelter is so nice that Brett was tempted to take a zero day. He will definitely take a shuttle in to town to resupply and maybe go to the library to use the computer and print off some information. (I forgot to send the pages he needed from his A.T. Guide--Bad Hun!)

Brett finished the Shenandoah's today, another milestone for him. Harpers Ferry is about 60 miles away. Brett thinks it will take him about 4 days to get there, so he should arrive sometime this weekend. Between Front Royal and Harpers Ferry Brett will have to hike "The Roller Coaster," thirteen 500-foot hills, up-down-up-down-repeat. Those kind of hikes are known as PUD's: pointless ups and downs.

Everyone says that you can't go through Shenandoah National Park without seeing a bear. Brett heard a bear in camp; he saw bear poop; but he never saw a bear. Other hikers saw a bear. A few asked him, "Hey, did you see that bear back there?" Apparently, Brett just missed it. I'm sure he'll have more opportunities to see a bear along the trail.

I think Brett enjoyed hiking through Shenandoah N.P. There are "waysides" along the way, concession stands where you can resupply as well as get a hot meal (burgers, fries, and a blackberry shake). Apparently, the park is known for their blackberries. They sell blackberry everything: jams, syrups, etc.

On Mother's Day, another hiker encouraged Brett to eat the Sunday brunch at a resort/lodge. It was a fancier restaurant and they were keeping longer hours for the holiday. It ended up being a little more expensive than they expected, because they had a more extensive buffet. Brett said they were serving a pork loin with red cabbage (a traditional German meal) as well as pickled/marinated mushrooms (a traditional Mitchell appetizer). Those foods really tasted good, a reminder of home.

Brett had another funny "homeless" experience. Brett had tented in a grassy city park by the YMCA in Waynesboro. He had set up his tent, picked up his new backpack, emptied the old pack, and left it there for a bit. He picked up his complimentary shower kit (soap, shampoo, etc.) at the YMCA and showered. When he got back to his tent he started packing everything into his new backpack when he saw a few dollar bills in the tent. Brett thought it was kind of odd, but thought maybe he had dropped some bills with all the packing/unpacking. Later, a lady approached him with some grocery bags full of food, books, etc. She said something like, "I'm so glad I saw you. I went home and couldn't stop thinking about. I put these bags together for you. Just thinking of me as your angel. Don't you worry. We've all be there. It'll get better." Poor Brett just didn't what to say. The woman was so sincere in her desire to help homeless-looking Brett that he simply couldn't refuse her. Brett did tell the woman he was hiking the trail. But that made her desire to help just as great; after all, he'll really need all this food to make it to Maine! In the end, Brett took the donations to the YMCA and asked them to donate it to the church that puts the shower kits together for the hikers. Surely they can find someone in greater need than Brett.

I'm sure that Brett was very gracious as he talked with this woman. It's nice to hear about people being kind and generous with no expectation of compensation or reward.

(Sun. 5/13/12) ?, VA - Phone Update From Brett

What a great start to my Mother's Day--hearing from Brett before I headed off to church. I didn't get to take my shower, and I was still 10 minutes late to church, but it was worth it. We talked mostly about home and less about updates from the trail.

Brett had mentioned that one thing he misses on the trail is hearing his cuckoo clock. Brett took off the weights before he left, knowing that I wouldn't care to keep up with winding it every week. So, I have not heard the cuckoo clock singing every half hour either. But I can't really say that I have missed it.

Brett was still in the Shenandoah's and was expecting to see more wildlife. He heard a bear come by the shelter during the night, snorting and checking out camp. But the bear got spooked and took off. Brett never got to see it.

There are a lot of tame deer in the area. Brett had gotten up early and peed about 5 feet away from his tent. That morning there was a deer who was eating the dry, brown leaves Brett had peed on. The deer got spooked off for a minute, but came right back to the same spot to munch on the pee-leaves. Brett thinks there must be something the deer needed from the urine--salt? Very strange, a little gross, but also kind of interesting.

Brett was calling from the peak of a mountain and expected to be in Front Royal in about two days.

(Tue. 5/8/12) Waynesboro, VA - Phone Update From Brett

Brett made it into Waynesboro, so he had reliable phone service. He was tenting outside of the YMCA. They allow hikers to set up tents outside and use the showers in the YMCA. He was expecting heavy thunderstorms that evening.

Brett had to replace his backpack. He had a new one shipped to Waynesboro. Brett had made some modifications to his first backpack. There was a few things, including a "poofy pocket" for a water bottle, that he wanted to add to this new backpack as well. So he ended up spending about two hours sewing the new pack until his fingers were bleeding. He whittled down some of his gear again and sent a box back home.

Brett has been hiking in his Chaco sandals for about 100 miles so far. He has always been a sandal person, and the weather is only getting better for them.

It was still early enough that Brett was headed to the library in town. I think he was looking forward to having some indoor quiet time for writing in his journal and maybe using the computer (if they allowed non-residents to use them).

Brett finished the Blue Ridge Parkway that day and would be starting the Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive. The trail in Shenandoah should be easier.

Brett is down at least 37.5 pounds, even though he's eating as much as he can carry. (Yes, he's taking his vitamins.)

Brett's tooth is feeling better this week. It's not hurting like it was. I hope that he will get it taken care of when he visits his friend Don in Pennsylvania.

I asked about wildlife. He sid that he is hearing more birds in the woods, but hasn't seen anything spectacular. He did see a black and white nuthatch that was pretty. He saw a big rattlesnake on top of a mountain. And while he was walking through Waynesboro he saw some pretty cute baby goslings in the park.

When he was staying at the Dutch House Hostel he enjoyed seeing the pretty goldfinches and hummingbirds at the feeders the owner had said up. Apparently, at certain times of the year the hummingbirds come through in such great numbers that the feeders have to be refilled daily.

What Brett has really liked seeing on the trail are the red/bright orange salamanders. He said the color is so unreal, they look like little gummy worms you could just pick up and eat. (I'll have to get him to identify the species when we get to a computer.)

I think Brett is looking forward to seeing  more wildlife in Shenandoah, which is known for tame deer . . . and bears . . . and ticks. He has found about a dozen or so ticks on him, only two of which were buried in. The rest he could just brush off.

Brett is really enjoying the small towns on the trail: small-town America. He feels completely comfortable in these small towns and doesn't feel out of place. He does look a little out of place, though. Brett said he definitely looks homeless: long hair, long beard, dirty, smelly, with pants that keep falling down. He had been sitting by the side of a road. Someone passing by stopped and offered him a beer saying, "You look like you could use one." (Brett graciously declined.)

Brett did comment on the sad dental state of many a small-town West Virginia/Virginia resident. He was shopping in a Dollar General recently, and the young, pretty girl at the cash register had just one front tooth. Brett said these kind of toothless smiles are, sadly, prevalent.

I asked Brett whether he has been keeping the same pace with any hikers. He said "Buzz Kill" is still around. They started at Springer on the same day and have leap-frogged each other throughout their hikes. The last few days he enjoyed keeping up with a retired Marine from Virginia Beach. The Marine was a section hiker who would be getting off in Harpers Ferry, I believe.

Brett's attitude is definitely getting better. I can hear the difference in his voice as we talk. He said does not have the big doubts that he had earlier in Virginia. (Those of us at home never doubted him!)