We had recently increased the number of miles we walked each day. The flatter terrain in Virginia and our trails finally taking shape have allowed us to hike longer miles. After leaving Daleville, we had completed an 18 and 19 mile day. Today we plan to walk 20 miles. That seemed ambitious to me and I was a little hesitant. But I didn’t communicate that hesitation very clearly to Cody and simply agreed because I was hoping I could do it, especially if we started early. Unfortunately, the start to this day quickly went down the drain.
Getting off on the wrong foot
About a mile into the trail, I looked down and realized one of my two bracelets was missing. I have used it every day for the last 4 years and it just disappeared. Not there. My stomach dropped. Maybe it fell off when I took off my wet long sleeves last night. Maybe it fell off when I took off my rain jacket about a half mile back. Or worse yet, maybe it fell sometime the day before while shedding wet layers on the trail.
I left my backpack and made the mile-long trail back to the shelter, checking the trail as I had previously stopped to take off my jacket. He was nowhere to be found. Not on the road. Not in the shelter. Not because of the store location. He just left. The bracelet was more sentimental than valuable, but it still hurt to lose it. I ran the mile until I reached Cody, who had waited with my backpack while I went back to get the bracelet. Now my day was going to be closer to 22 miles and we were behind schedule. The emotional toll of losing something sentimental loomed over me as we walked.
Have arguments about the OT
The next two kilometers consisted of a big climb up a mountain. I fell even further back as I watched Cody move forward. Frustrated by the start of this day and feeling exhausted by the cumulative toll the previous days of higher miles were taking on me, I felt defeated. When I got to the top of the mountain, I let it all out. Cody and I talked about adjusting our expectations to do longer miles and better communicate about how we felt when we were pushed too hard. For the moment, it was much less constructive. There was a lot of pointing and deflecting our frustrations onto little things that didn’t really matter.
It took us another five miles of walking and another (much more constructive) discussion later to understand each other. Ultimately, we are doing something really big and difficult together. And we both want the other to finish. This had been a difficult week or two.
Not knowing if Turkenna would be able to get back on the road with us and just worrying that she would feel okay. Walking in the rain. And deal with the pain. Feeling physically exhausted. Do not communicate with each other. In addition to dealing with physical ailments. Everything came to an end.
The bigger picture
Hiking alone comes with its own difficulties, but so does hiking with your spouse. Fortunately, we have a solid foundation and were (finally) able to hear what the other person was saying. «I’m struggling and I need you.» It took some tears and a lot of apologies. I am so glad I came to this with my husband and I wouldn’t change it for the world. 
That doesn’t mean it’s always easy. This discussion continued until we reached a shelter around mile 18. But to get to Katahdin, we have to do it together.
It felt good to reconcile and find our way back to being together. We finished the 20 mile day at a road junction just across the James River. We stood on the side of the road with our thumbs outstretched, waiting for a friendly local to give two tired hikers a lift to Glasgow. If we could get to town, we could eat at a restaurant and take a hot shower at the free shelter in town. FarOut reviews said it was «easy access to town.» Fortunately, it didn’t take long until someone stopped.
Glasgow VA
He dropped us off at the shelter in town, but we didn’t stay there long. We immediately walked to Scotto’s Restaurant, where we met up with several hikers who were staying at a local hiking lodge. 
The Goat was there. He told us how his walk was going since the last time we saw him. We talk about being excited for trail days and watch him eat an impressively large amount of food! I don’t know where he puts it all! It’s the epitome of hiker hunger.
Resupply in Glasgow
Glasgow did everything we needed. We were able to resupply at the Dollar General, eat a hot meal, shower, and sleep. We even arranged a shuttle to take us back to the trail the next morning so we didn’t have to worry about hitchhiking.
The next day
Our hostel driver arrived early the next morning. I was finishing my coffee and Cody was putting the store away. He offered to take us back to the lodge for a free breakfast before heading back on the trail. Absolutely! You didn’t have to ask us twice! After eating a big breakfast of pancakes and leftovers from the night before, we headed back to the trailhead to begin our 17-mile hike.
The first kilometers of the day consisted of a big climb. There always seems to be a big spike right after we resupply. 
By the time we reached the top, it was already hot and Cody looked exhausted. I really needed a short break and refreshment. Fortunately, the resting place was at Fuller Rock Overlook. The views were great, but the sun exposure was not ideal. We gathered in a small shady spot and devoured our newly replenished stash of snacks. We continued over Bluff Mountain and finally stopped at Punchbowl Shelter for lunch…and to get into the loo. I’m not sure Cody can last much longer. It was a perfectly timed toilet!
Getting ready for trail days
Over lunch we spoke on the phone with Nightcrawler about the logistics of traveling with us to Trail Days. We had booked a rental car and informed all the guys on our tram that we could pick them up on our way to Damascus. But he was about 5 days ahead of us, so he decided to slow down to ride with us rather than walk further north and stress about finding a different ride. The phone call made the anticipation for Trail Days even greater. We couldn’t wait to see some of our friends we haven’t seen in a while and experience the biggest AT festival for ourselves.
800 miles down
Shortly after leaving our lunch spot, we passed the 800 mile marker! EIGHT HUNDRED! It felt… crazy. Impossible. Incredible! We remembered our first days on the trail and celebrated how far we had come. 
And then we thought about how much further we had to walk and realized we weren’t even close to halfway there yet. We took a quick photo to celebrate the milestone and continued walking.
The camp was only a few kilometers away. When we got there, we sat by the stream and dipped our feet in cold water. He felt isolated. Not a single tent or hiker anywhere. It seemed like we had the whole mountain to ourselves. It was nice to feel connected to nature and to others. We lay in bed cuddling and watching videos before exhaustion from the walk urged us both to fall asleep.
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