Update from Marion, VA

   Putting pictures on here seems to be a bit strange so I will upload most of them to Facebook. If I haven't said so already my trail name is Simba. I guess I look like a lion? Who knows, I like it though.
   Anyways, it is Wednesday, May 5th and I am now 1/4 of the way done with my hike. The past month and a half have gone by so quickly. In the beginning the trail was littered with thru hikers but ever since Trail Days on May 17th-19th people have been dropping like flies. The trail no longer seems like a social event around a camp fire. As you have probably guessed I am still hiking with Lighthouse and Bobsled. Lighthouse and I believe we may have gotten some kind of food poisoning from bad pepperoni or summer sausage. So for a few days it got a little tough, but we still managed to average about 20 plus miles everyday the past week. After 530 miles I am officially hiker trash.

A few things I have learned:

1. Most people thru hiking the AT had no previous hiker experience. Thankfully I was not the only one.
2. Hitch hiking is fun for the first couple times. After that it is pretty boring and repetitive.
3. It will rain almost every day.
4. It is a very small world. Forget six points of seperation; more like two points of seperation.
5. Carry plenty of toilet paper.
6. The trail provides.

What I am eating:

Ramen Noodles, Instant Potatos, Snickers Bars, Trail Mix, Beef Jerky, Tuna, Peanut Butter

What I'm tired of eating:

Ramen Noodles, Instant Potatos, Snickers Bars, Trail Mix, Beef Jerky, Tuna, Peanut Butter

Oh and I miss my family.

Simba

"Everything the light touches..."

One Month/Trail days

  Sorry for the delay in posts. I want toz keep this short and sweet but I have a lot to say. I haven't had the a lot of opportunities to get online. It is kind of a bitter sweet experience, I enjoy being away from technology but I want to keep everyone updated.
   So, anyways, I am just over a month into this at mile 360ish. I'm right one target with the miles I need to get me to Maine by mid September. I have no injuries to report and am totally blister free. I'm not sure whether to thank my boots or the guy that told me to hike on asphalt barefoot before leaving. Either way being blister free is a blessing. I am one of very few and couldn't be more thankful.
   We hopped a ride in to Damascus for Trail Days( a huge hiker festival) to keep it short.... it's a party, it's a party!!!!
   I'm still hiking with Bobsled(probably the funniest girl on the trail) and Lighthouse(a guy with one of the best stories to why he is out here). Lighthouse was a robotic engineer making a REALLY good amount of money at the age of 25 until tragedy struck. His sister was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years back. She was winning the battle against cancer until she got pregnant. Apparently when you get pregnant your hormones go crazy and allow the cancer to spread at a faster rate. Unfortunately she passed away at 30 years old just after having her baby prematurely. Luckily, the baby did survive and is now completely healthy. After Lighthouse's sister passed he felt like he needed some liberation so like many others and myself he took to the trail. I'm not the best at telling his story but it should be told. He told it to Bobsled and I as were walking and I realized how close both of them were to their siblings. It really hit home that I could do a better job at involving my siblings in my life. I just couldn't grasp the idea of losing one of them. Lesson learned. Be a better brother.