The view on our approach to Pearisburg
For my birthday in February, Shiz took me out for a delicious dinner at a local restaurant. Farm fresh foods, good wine, and soft background music. For Shiz's birthday on Sunday, I treated him to Dairy Queen. We take what we can get in the trail towns! In my defense, after another week of Clif Bars, trail mix, and beef jerky, the DQ Blizzard was pretty fantastic.
We've arrived in Pearisburg, VA, about 160 miles from my last blog in Damascus. Our first couple of days back on trail were surprisingly tough. We'd been so excited to reach VA and specifically Damascus; so leaving town we suddenly felt goal-less and overwhelmed by the enormity of miles still ahead of us. It didn't help that we had three days of uphill terrain on rocky trails that were still muddy and wet from the rain storms. For the very first time, I wondered, "do I really want to keep doing this all the way to Maine?"
Enjoying the pastures and farmland
The answer so far is, yes. After the VA highlands, we returned to smoother trail and less windy campsites and our spirits lifted. We've actually come to love hiking in VA and agree that it's our favorite state so far. Despite our post-Damascus blues, the highlands weren't without their charms. I've included pictures of the wild ponies that live there, but for the full effect check out two videos in the Google album linked below. Beyond the highlands, the scenery has expanded to include pastures and farmland as well as the deciduous forest that dominated the landscape so far. We've also been impressed by the trail maintenance in VA. The shelters are noticeably in better shape than in Tennessee, and some privies even have doors!! (Remember that, folks, if we ever visit you in the future. No need to clean up the house - our standard for grandeur is a toilet with a door!)
With somewhat flatter terrain and stronger legs, we're starting to hike longer each day. The goal is always to maintain a balance between covering the miles and taking care of ourselves. We've certainly learned that staying well fueled is critical to our relationship health! More on that next time :-)
Two months on Tuesday...amazing.
- SP
Link to the full Google album, recent pics at the bottom: https://goo.gl/photos/yVaQgu5Xce88YoVb8
Making friends with the highland ponies
Mother and foal - again, see the Google album for video
Sunrise over the Grayson highlands
If we'd had a car, we would have been home before midnight!
The farmlands remind us of Vermont :-)