Month: March 2015

An Appalachian Trail Series – Virginia, Part Two

/ Candice Fox / 2 Comments

Part two in this two-part post covers the Appalachian Trail north from Daleville, VA to the Virginia/West Virginia border:

277.5 miles from Daleville, VA to the Virginia/West Virginia border

  •   536.8 miles total in VA (not including the 15 miles +/- that hug the Virginia/West Virginia border)

23 Days from Daleville, VA to the Virginia/West Virginia border

  •   53 total days spent in VA

Fun Fact: Nearly one-fourth of the Appalachian Trail runs through Virginia.

Virginia

Leaving Daleville was a struggle. Not so much from the pull of the town but from the state of exhaustion I found myself in. I don’t know if it’s malnourishment (probably) or the daily wear-and-tear on my body (likely) but I knew I needed to try something new. We’re going to start with upping our calorie count. Little things like adding olive oil to meals and packing out peanut butter are worth their weight in gold in terms of the calories added. Continue reading →

An Appalachian Trail Series – Virginia, PART ONE

/ Candice Fox / Leave a comment

Part one in this two-part post covers the Appalachian Trail north from the Tennessee/Virginia border to Daleville, VA:

259.3 miles from the TN/VA border to Daleville, VA

  •   536.8 miles total in VA (not including the 15 miles +/- that hug the Virginia/West Virginia border)

30 Days from the TN/VA border to Daleville, VA

  •   53 total days spent in VA

Highest elevation: Roan Mountain – 5,729 feet (the A.T. actually skirts the summit by a half mile – follow a blue blaze trail to take you to the top)

Wildlife seen: Deer, snails, a variety of snakes, WILD PONIES, many birds, many dirty thru-hikers

Virginia

The morning after completing our first marathon was rough – more so for me than my Chuck Norris-esque husband. My stomach was in knots all morning and energy levels were so far off the radar that you could compare them to Sarah Palin’s election odds (hopefully you interpret that as “zero”). Continue reading →

An Appalachian Trail Series – North Carolina/Tennessee, PART TWO

/ Candice Fox / 1 Comment

Part two in this two-part post covers the Appalachian Trail north from Hot Springs, NC to the Tennessee/Virginia border:

189.3 miles

  •   384.7 miles total in NC/TN

20 Days from Hot Springs, NC to the TN/VA border

  •   38 total days spent in NC/TN

Highest elevation: Roan Mountain – 6,285 feet

IMG_2283

There is a running joke on the trail that the moment you ride in a car after a week in the woods is comparable to a ride in an F-15 fighter jet. When you become accustomed to walking 2-3 mph, cruising down the expressway at 60 mph is eye-opening to say the least. Put that F-15 on copious amounts of crack and you will begin to understand our near-death experience on the ride to Asheville, NC. Continue reading →