Better late than never...

It's done. All of it. Every step.

We completed our 2,190 mile journey on Monday, September 18th, 2017 at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail on Mount Katahdin in Maine.

I still cant believe it happened and even more that it has ended.

Now, we are just over two months after the end and we are still trying to gather our things strewn across three different states and set up a new life for ourselves in Western North Carolina. We keep talking about the trail and trying to convince ourselves that it was real. We really lived outside for six months. We actually completed a life long goal of ours and that we need to set some new life goals soon!

Over our 6 month trek, I took over 14,000 photos with my phone and cannot wait to share some of them (most? maybe just the goods ones?) with you. Now I have some time on my hands, a strong wifi and dry place to sit, I am looking forward to going back through my journal and sharing our stories with those photos on this blog.

So don't go far, I'll be updating soon. We may have finished hiking the AT but we have so much to say and so much more to do.

♡ Ziploc & Hot Sauce

Fast Forward: Live Update

We are in Vermont. VERMONT! We walked here from Georgia! We still can't believe it but we can feel it. It's absolutely beautiful here. 

My blog posts have become few and far between. I keep a journal every day and fully intend on updating the blog... Eventually. Finding time to update from the trail has been hard but I am looking forward to sharing all the amazing photos with you. 

We did have time to visit with a friend, Erika, who was working in the area recently. It was so nice to catch up over dinner, hear about her adorable daughter and all the growth in Belmont since we have moved.

We have been hiking about 20 miles a day since we got back on the trail in PA after our vacation. It has been rewarding and trying. The terrain has become increasingly difficult and we haven't slowed. For me,  (Hot Sauce) sometimes the mornings are the most difficult. Willing myself out of my sleeping bag and back into my boots is hard. Knowing I'm going to put my body through the same demanding schedule I completed the day before is exhausting. But of course, once I'm up and out, (if) the sun is shinning and the birds are singing, I am so very thankful to be here. 

The weather has threatened rain for days but we have been fortunate to set up before it arrives in the evening. It's so much cooler now. According to the locals 40° at night in August isn't normal but the 75° days are not surprising. 

Our daily miles will decrease significantly once we reach New Hampshire and the White Mountains. We know the most difficult and beautiful part of the trail is ahead of us through NH and Maine so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue on our journey. 

Couple of random trail realizations:

• With all the hair he has grown, Ziploc finally understands and (maybe) even appreciates the purpose of hair conditioner. 
  
• I have realized I can live without grits. Who knew?!? This is temporary and only for efficiency, of course. 
  

You can follow our journey in real time on Instagram as CampBevis or at the top of our web page www.campbevis.com

Virginia

5/23/17

• Miles hiked: 15.3
• Shelter: Doc Knob Shelter

We trekked out of Dismal Falls and through the mud in the morning. 

And then hiked through a river that was the actual trail!

No where to go but through it. 

Despite our smiles it was a miserable and awful day. We traversed wet slippery rocks in the rain and it poured on us for hours at a time. 

We eventually made it to a shelter and thought certainly it's full with this weather. But we had to see if there was room for us. 

We came around the corner of the shelter and it was almost empty!!! We were so relieved. We couldn't have taken ten more minutes in the rain, or so we thought. 

We hopped in the shelter and introduced ourselves to the only guy in the shelter, Dana, and proceeded to make ourselves comfortable. We hung stuff to dry, we ate, and we changed out of our wet clothes. 

We talked to Dana for a while. It was so nice to meet him. He just graduated High School a week earlier and was out with some friends doing a section of the trail. The rain compromised his gear so while he was in the shelter, his friends were in tents just down the trail. 

We were all happy to be dry and warm in the shelter. 

5/24/17

• Miles hiked: 9.3
• Shelter: Plaza Motel in Pearisburg VA

When we woke, the sun was breaking through the clouds and we SMILED!!

When you hit a low, you keep hiking. The weather will change, eventually. 

We had our sights set on Pearisburg VA. We needed to dry out EVERYTHING and mentally recover. 

We passed Angels Rest Overlook before the steep descent into town. 

We hit the Hardees as we entered town and downed some milkshakes we had been dreaming about. 

5/25/17

ZERO MILES HIKED 

Showered and smiling, we enjoyed a day off the trail by sitting outside at the hotel, drying all our gear and soaking up some sun. 

We watched a home burn on the hill across from the hotel and the entire town try to put it out. ☹️😢

We ate lots of food and did loads laundry and typical zero stuff. 

More of Virginia & Rain

5/21/17

• Miles hiked: 15.5
  
• Shelter: tent at 585.5 near Trail Boss trail crossing

We had a rainy boring day. We hiked all day without any views. We listened to podcasts and finished another audio book. I took a few photos but really today was just about walking the miles. 

You would think we would get used to walking in the rain, but I don't think it's possible. Rain is still miserable. 

More green. 

The rain does bring out these little guys. They add a bit to color to a rainy green forest. 

5/22/17

• Miles hiked: 11
• Shelter: tent near mile 595

The day started in rain again. But it ended pretty quickly and we were able to get our stuff out to dry. Trees are the perfect place to hang your wet gear. 

 

We passed some cloudy views but they seemed to be clearing, giving us hope for the rest of the day!

We were looking forward to seeing Momma and Papa Bear later on so we packed up quickly and headed 5 miles to the meet up point.

It was so good to see them. We ate lunch, did a quick resupply at the Dollar General and tailgated a bit to enjoy the sun which finally decided to show up. 

They also brought me some new shoes!!! The new ones have a much better smell!!

It was sad to say goodbye but we must continue north. Here a few more photos of the 6 miles we hiked the rest of the day. 

We always follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out what we pack into the woods. When we came up to a trash can in the woods that gets emptied regularly, it was a good sight!

It came with one caveat...

600 Miles

More on Leave No Trace principles here... LNT

5/23/17

• Miles hiked: 14
• Shelter: tent at Dismal Falls

So much more rain. 

We hiked 12 miles in the rain to an iconic spot on the AT, Trents Grocery. With a grill inside and a place for a shower and some laundry, we pleasantly waited out some of the rain here. I did laundry and showered and eventually we headed back out into the rain. 

We hiked 2 miles to Dismal Falls where there was plenty of room to set up our tent because no one goes to a waterfall... In the rain. 

Except maybe this guy...

We ended the day with drinks we packed out from the store in our tent as we tried to as much as we could dry. It was in fact, Dismal. 

Quarterly Review & 5/20

We passed the quarter way point so we decided to do a quarterly review. We must miss work so much. 

Ziploc:


• Favorite piece of gear: sleeping pad

• Favorite place/part of trail: Carvers Gap to 19E

• Least favorite place or part of trail: Newfound Gap in the Smokies, tourist trap
• 
Favorite trail meal or snack: Reese pieces

• Memorable moment: getting back in trail after ankle injury

• Something you miss the most from normal life (vs hiker life): familiar faces
  

Hot Sauce:


• Favorite piece of gear: sleeping bag, it's heavenly

• Favorite place or part of trail: Charlie's Bunion & ridge walking in the Smokies

• Least favorite place or part of trail: pastures

• Favorite trail meal or snack: Ramen Bomb with jerky and jalapeños

• Memorable moment: Garden House w friends in Hot Springs and crossing the first 100 Mike marker

• Something you miss the most from normal life (vs hiker life): chairs

5/20/17

• Miles hiked: 13.2
  
• Shelter: tent on the ridge near Burkes Garden

We did some hiking and thinking today. 

We hiked past a pretty awesome shelter where a hiker brought brats and party lights. It would have been fun but we didn't stay. 

We hiked up and around Burkes Garden, VA. A bowl-shaped valley carved out of the top of a mountain made for a pretty amazing view, too bad the clouds were rolling in. Google it to see some truly amazing photos. Otherwise here is mine. 

There is a whole town down there, surrounded by mountains.

I turned off the audiobooks and thought for a little while today. I think about a billion things while hiking but mostly today I thought about our hike. Choosing to complete a thru-hike is a very selfish act. I know people can hike to raise awareness or hike to raise money for a great cause but before all that... they are hiking in pursuit of a goal they set for themselves. A goal that will require a journey which not only demands everything they have but also demands so much from family and friends. 

Sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my mind how completely and totally selfish this is. We wont be there to show our love and support to those friends and family who need it in the next six months because we are out doing this other thing we chose to do instead. We won't be there for birthdays, anniversaries, doctor appts, vet visits (for our fur babies), and we wont be there when we are needed for hugs. It's selfish. It's the choice we have made and we will complete this thru-hike to make it worth it. 

Sorry to get heavy on you. Love you all. 

Southern VA

5/16/17

• Miles hiked: 17.9
  
• Shelter: tent at VA 601, mile 528
  

Woke up next to Fox Creek and it was a lovely morning. 

The bugs and crawlers are out. There are all kinds of millipedes, centipedes and caterpillars on the trail now. 

Since spring is in full bloom now and our views are shrinking due to the growing canopy. 

5/17/18

• Miles hiked: 4
  
• Shelter: Travel Inn in Marion VA

We hiked just 4 short miles to the Mount Rogers Visitor Center. Neat stop with lots of information for visitors and hikers. We bought a soda and charged our phones while we waited on a local shuttle to take us to Marion, VA. 

Here we ran into Tango Hombre and Ranger. Friends and fellow hikers we hadn't seen since Franklin and the Smokies, respectively. It was good to catch up. 

We rode into town, did our town chores: shower, laundry, resupply, and we made a beeline for the Mexican restaurant next door. Dinner was great and so was the rest we were able to get. 

5/18/17

• Miles hiked: 11.5
  
• Shelter: tent near Adkins VA mile 544

We got up in Marion and took our time leaving town. We hit the McDonald's and rode the shuttle back to the Visitors Center and then headed north. The weather was beautiful. We hiked up to a Ridge line and across miles. 

As I was hiking a half mile of so behind Ziploc, I was just minding my own business when all of sudden I heard the strangest sound. It was coming from the left side of the trail and sounded a LOT like a rattle or moroccas. I knew what it could be and froze immediately. The noise stopped. I looked straight ahead and assessed that nothing was on the trail in front of me so I decided to RUN as fast as I could and get out of there ASAP. I was not going to look for whatever made the noise just in case it didn't like the look of me. The noise cranked up again as I ran past but I was not turning around. 

The plan worked. I was out of breath and far from that spot with a quickness. 

It's amazing how everything is in bloom!! 

We hit a few rocks on our hike. Not really used to them but it was a change of pace. 

Near the end of the day we came to another AT milestone. The Lindamood Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse houses trail magic and the perfect place to take a break. 

The schoolhouse had cold drinks, snacks, and just about EVERY random thing a hiker could need. We walked around the schoolhouse and had some snacks before heading out. 

It was a good day. 

5/19/17

• Miles hiked: 12.5
  
• Shelter: campsite behind O'Lystery Pavilion mile 556

We started the day with a hearty breakfast at the Barn. It's a restaurant about 100 yards off the trail that is known for good home cooked food. 

We walked through lots of pastures today. 

Pastures are one of my least favorite things about the trail. I do understand that the AT is a national scenic trail and that pretty much means more than one terrain across the trail. But so far, they may be pretty but I am not in love with pastures. 

In the pastures, the grass is tall and itchy, lots of direct sun, and they are filled with cow patties and flies. Lately, we haven't even seen any cows (possibly the only perk of pastures) and you never just walk directly through a pasture. You aways meander back and fourth. You know, to maximize your pasture time. 🙄

We survived an isolated thunderstorm this afternoon and remained fairly dry. We were lucky it cut some of the humidity and heat we had been dealing with all morning.