The kindness of strangers and the taste of home

So, I probably wanted to write this article three times already, but I’m too busy having fun and walking, always walking… But let’s do this in order.

In mid-May, after debating whether or not to go, we visited Trail Days. And thank God we did it. It was a weekend full of fun, meeting friends, dozens of free stickers and prize giveaways. We organized the trip with a friend from the PCT Class of 2019, who picked us up and then drove us back to Waynesboro after the «party» so we could continue hiking.

The plan was to do some aqua blazing, something we were looking forward to because three days on a boat instead of on a trail sounded like an oasis. I also found it to be a great upper body exercise and a good way to balance out the entire hike. Unfortunately, after a long drought, the river was too low and kayaking was not an option.

So we put our hopes in our backpacks and headed back to the trail.

After the disappointment of burning water, we entered Shenandoah on a low note, which didn’t exactly help our overall impression of the park. The first two days were incredibly humid and hot, the kind of weather that leaves you completely exhausted. It’s definitely not something those of us who come from the Czech Republic and Canada are used to.

The brutal heat was replaced by incessant rain that followed us practically the entire time we were in the park. Visibility was zero and the temperature dropped so much that we were carrying everything from our backpacks except our swimsuits, and we were still cold. Everywhere we went there was humidity and wet clothes.

To be fair, we later found out that the AT doesn’t really show the best of Shenandoah. Most of the famous viewpoints, waterfalls and attractions are located off the trail. After days of rain, cold, and zero visibility, we weren’t exactly motivated to add extra miles, which is perhaps why we never got to see the park at its best.

Fortunately, hikers can handle almost anything. They turned two tent awnings into a windbreak at the shelter, which looked like an outrageous retro top (think 80s Madonna). Another night we were lucky enough to stay in a shelter with a fireplace. How lucky I am to be hiking with Fuego in situations like that.

But along the way everything can change in a few minutes. In the morning you freeze on the road and in the evening you eat delicious lasagna, warm yourself in a jacuzzi and fall asleep in a clean, good-smelling bed.

Yes, yes, you are reading that correctly.

By pure coincidence, Fozzie’s parents (a member of our tram) had rented a condo at a resort in the park not far from where we were, and the incredible became reality. Seven smelly, soaked hikers were somehow packed into a van and transported to the heat, where they were served incredible food for two days straight. Judy: Fozzie’s mom and the rest of the family made sure we had everything we needed and took incredible care of us all and we can’t thank them enough for that hospitality.

Life is beautiful, especially because it changes all the time; That’s something I think about often here. When you are connected to your flow, miracles really happen.

Well, the luck didn’t last long for some of us. After so much rain, the trail became extremely slippery and we had to be very careful while walking. A friend from the tram ran past us and when we met them further down, I jokingly shouted and asked them how that whole run had gone since we caught up with them anyway.

Bushwack turned and all I saw was his pale face and pain in his eyes.

“What the hell is going on?” I immediately asked and apologized for my obviously inappropriate joke.

He told me that he had slipped and fallen on a wooden board and dislocated his elbow.

Shoot…

There was no time to panic.

Luckily we were close to a road. I ran for help getting a vehicle, while the others who arrived shortly after took care of everything else. They secured his arm, put it in the anti-shock position, found the nearest hospital and just 50 minutes after the accident he was under the care of doctors.

Moments like this remind you how quickly things can change along the way. One minute you’re laughing and making stupid jokes and the next you’re helping a friend get to the hospital.

Everything went well and the next day we returned to the trail with the plan to meet everyone again at Harpers Ferry (we’re already halfway there). The time here really flies.

States change as often as hiker socks (which, let’s be honest, still isn’t very often), and we crossed from Virginia to West Virginia. My goodness, the roller coaster (a 15 mile long stretch full of PUDs, useless ups and downs…) was something extraordinary. We did almost 27 miles that day and it was pretty intense, but in the end we ended up in a beautiful cabin with an incredibly welcoming host. I couldn’t wish for more after a hard day of hiking. It was about 6,460 feet of ascent and 6,350 feet of descent and I’m telling you, our knees were not happy with it.

At the Harpers Ferry hostel I was finally able to enjoy cooking and prove once again why I’m basically MasterChef. Finally, I had the opportunity. Meeting the tram, grilling vegetables, cooking steaks, and spending the evening talking about the trail and the community over a beer… I love the hiking lifestyle.

We really liked Harpers Ferry. You could feel the history everywhere and the whole city had a great atmosphere. Being at the symbolic midpoint seemed surreal. We had already walked over a thousand miles, but Katahdin still felt incredibly far away.

In the last few days we crossed Maryland and are now in Pennsylvania. We passed the 1,100 mile mark and are officially past the halfway point.

After relaxing by the pool at Boiling Springs, we hiked a few more miles and then spent the night at John and Natalie’s trail angels’ house. It’s hard to put into words how special that night was.

With European roots, they prepared us escalopes, mushroom sauce, spätzle and red cabbage. After months of road food, I felt at home served on a plate. The kind of food I never expected to find in the middle of America.

As soon as I took the first bite, I was transported back home. And judging by the smiles around the table, I wasn’t the only one. For a few hours it didn’t seem like we were hikers passing through. I felt like I was visiting family.

The hikers around us are amazing, the people in the trail towns are incredibly friendly, and at Boiling Springs we spent half the day by the pool. I even found a book, so I felt like Alice in Wonderland: lying by the pool, reading a book, cleaned up after swimming for the first time in what seems like forever, and filled with gratitude for being able to do this.

That we get to be part of such an amazing hiking community and that we are really enjoying our final trek to the Triple Crown (finishing all three long trails in the US: PCT, CDT, and AT) to the fullest.

Pennsylvania awaits us now with its famous rocks. Everyone keeps warning us about them, so we’ll soon see if the stories are true. TRUE.