Beyond Day Zero

June 11, 2023 - 344 - 292 - 📸
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does this mean I'm famous now?! 🤣
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We made it, family...it's been such a wild ride to get up here, and I've checked this live cam more times than I care to admit 😅 but now I finally made it up here - the weather isn't too bad, so I enjoyed the climb up here...and just wow...I am blessed to be here in this moment...🤩🧡
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Now, I just gotta get down the rest of this and finish off the rest of these astounding - only a few more days at most...see you soon!! 🧡🧡🧡
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June 8, 2023 - 341 - 289 - It's been very wet, to say the least...but we're not going to let these mountains bring us down 🙏
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The rain hasn't really stopped much, especially at the higher elevations...all of the trails are flooded, and it's been impossible to retain dry feet, or dry anything for that matter...but I've become fairly proficient in getting my tent set up in the rain 🥹
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But it hasn't been all water-logged gloom...there's beauty to behold even in the most miserable of conditions, and I'm maintaining a childlike sense of wonder with all I encounter...🧡
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I met a couple of people day hiking with their pup, Boomer, and they were all so excited to meet a thru-hiker that I was asked to take a picture with Boomer ☺️ - he looks psyched if you ask me, but not as much as I was 😅
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But I made it down to and began walking down the road to the gas station...about a mile into it, I was fortunately offered a ride by a local guy named Steve...and now I've gotten what should be my final resupply for this journey, with the needed microspikes for the likely winter weather I will experience through the of the 🏔 - 47.1 official miles left 🙏
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⏪: May 13, 2022
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I was down at the outfitter, Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap in Georgia, and I made friends with some of the other hikers that were there. During that time, I was fortunate enough to meet this guy who offered me a ride up to the festival. I accepted on the condition that he'd get me back to where we were because I had the trail to get back to...and Trail Days was is in Damascus, Virginia, about 400 miles from where we were...
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But we made it, and I was so excited to be there...Trail Town USA, and immersed in a swarm of people who either were hikers, affiliated with a company related to hiking, or those just interested in the show.
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So much happened over the course of my weekend there...and I wish I could be there this weekend, but I'm up in ...and I'm seeing the finish line - which for me is right after I complete the section of , and descend down into Gorham, NH, which is where I left off when winter kicked up.
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But while I'm here reflecting, I decided to share some of the people I met, and got a picture with (which unfortunately wasn't all), that have or had a significant impact on this journey, that I was thrilled to meet up with there...and a few others that otherwise continue to inspire me 🧡
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I know this year is going to be just as much fun, wildness, and happiness...and I hope with much more diversity in areas other than just gear/food options...and I look forward to attending next year, perhaps with our own booth 🙃
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