DT on the AT: Virginia

Spontaneity has made me a more well rounded person...

There are 544 miles (roughly one quarter) of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. About one hundred of these miles are in Shenandoah National Park. Further south, the Trail generally parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway, eventually going through the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and then coming into the town of Damascus.

I stared outside my window in disdain for the wintry mix that had been falling from the sky all afternoon. As quickly as it arrived, fall had now disappeared. The reds, yellows and oranges of autumn had been replaced by white.

This time last year I was enjoying an unseasonably warm weekend in Shenandoah National Park. After speaking to a friend who had visited the park this week, I decided to take a last minute trip in an attempt to catch one last glimpse of fall. I packed up Saturday night and headed down to Front Royal, VA.

The hike to Mary’s Rock follows a 3.4 mile stretch along the Appalachian Trail (for a total hike of 6.8 miles), starting out from the Jewell Hollow Overlook on Skyline Drive.


I laced up my boots and hit the trail shortly before 10am. The first mile was a bit rough as there were several loose rocks. Once I hit the Pinnacle (viewpoint) things leveled out and the remainder of the hike was easy.


When I reached Mary’s Rock it was cold and windy. I only stayed there long enough to find a benchmark and my first virtual geocache.


Only a few others seemed to have been sharing the trail with me. The dusting of snow must have kept many people from venturing out. I enjoyed the solitude.

don't get comfortable

One of my co-workers at the ropes course said something to a group over the summer...learning occurs when you step outside of your comfort zone.

Those words resonated with me. I was reminded of it yesterday.

During a Bikram yoga class, the instructor made a reference to the recent earthquake in Turkey. She mentioned that they’re still pulling people, alive, from the rubble. Those people are in an uncomfortable position and they don’t have a choice.

We come to this class by choice. We place ourselves in uncomfortable positions to test our edge, to see how far we can go, how long we can hold a posture. She reminded us that many people are in uncomfortable positions and they don’t have any other choice.

Here’s to stepping outside of our comfort zones and learning from those uncomfortable situations.

geocaching 101

Geocaching is a high-tech outdoor treasure hunting game that's a great way to explore the world around you. Participants use GPS-enabled devices to locate hidden containers called geocaches.

There are over one million geocaches hidden around the world today, waiting for you to find them.

Geo-Vocabulary

TNLNSL: Took Nothing Left Nothing Signed Log

TFTC: Thanks For The Cache



A short video to show you how it's done...




Visit geocaching.com for more information and to search for geocaches near you.

DT on the AT: New Hampshire

There are 161 miles of the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire. The Trail enters New Hampshire in Hanover along the Vermont state line and heads northeast into the White Mountain National Forest and exits at Grafton Notch near Bethel, Maine.

My friend and I planned a trip to the White Mountains for the weekend of October 21st. Her main objective was to go zip lining at Alpine Adventures. Mine was to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail. The hike that was most appealing to me, Franconia Ridge Trail, takes six and a half hours to complete. The fact that I had only four hours to hike was somewhat limiting.

We made our way up the Kancamagus Highway around 2pm toward the Lafayette Place Campground parking lot. On the way, we saw an AT sign for Liberty Springs and stopped off.

That hike would have taken too long, so we continued on to where we thought the Cascade Brook trail head was located. The guide at Alpine Adventures gave us the wrong information, which left us scrambling to find a way to get an AT hike in before sunset. Eventually, we located it on a section not far from Basin.

It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but the colors of fall made up for what the hike lacked. It left me longing for a return trip to New Hampshire before winter sets in.

The (Michael) Bolt(on) Bus

Destination: Boston

I’m headed to New Hampshire for the weekend to go zip lining, leaf peeping, and hiking on the Appalachian Trail. The drive to Boston is one of my least favorites. Once you hit the Garden State Parkway, it becomes a free for all through the armpit of NJ, then on to NY (where anything goes), CT (where no one knows how to drive) and finally MA (where drivers are referred to as “Mass-Holes”). Six weeks ago I drove to Boston on my way to Maine and I wasn’t eager to do it again. Fortunately, my friend has class at UMass this morning and agreed to pick me up at South Station. From there, we’ll continue on to Woodstock, NH.

This is my first long bus ride and I didn’t know what to expect.

Departure: 6:45AM, 30th Street Station
The sun was coming up along I-95 as we passed through the city. It was quiet and most of the passengers were sleeping.

Layover: 8:30AM, Newark NJ
This is where it gets interesting...

I set my bag on the empty seat, closed my eyes and kept my fingers crossed that no one would sit next to me.

Loud people began making their way down the aisle, then it smelled like the cosmetics counter at Macy’s, but I kept my eyes shut. I heard a man speaking in another language and thought that my reprieve had ended, but he chose another seat. We departed from Penn Station and I was in the clear.

The Bolt Bus smells like (in no particular order) fried chicken, a ham sandwich, bad perfume, bubble gum, oranges, Doritos and nasty hand sanitizer every time someone uses the bathroom (as a side note, peeing while riding on the bus is not an easy task).

I can’t say that I am necessarily looking forward to my return trip, but $56 is a bargain to let someone else deal with shitty drivers. And, as an added bonus,I heard a half hour long story about natural child birth under the care of a midwife.

I am writing this on the Bolt Bus, which has, at no additional charge, insanely slow Wi-Fi. Three more hours until South Station, hopefully this posts before then.


Photo courtesy of NBH Design

almost whole

some of the pieces that have helped to put me back together...

I had no choice but to listen to that

You’ve heard them in various places...songs you wish you didn’t have to listen to...songs that are now stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Thanks.

Bring me a higher love by Steve Windwood (Staples)

Wishing Well by Terrence Trent D’arby (The Burrito Place)

I’ve been thinking about you by London Beat (Grocery Store)

So emotional by Whitney Houston (Doctor’s office)

Conga by Gloria Estefan (Gym)