Scenes from the Shenandoahs

Shenandoah National Park is only an hour's drive away from us, and we've been twice in the past week to enjoy the scenery. Motorists and cyclists take Skyline Drive, snaking through the Shenandoah range from Front Royal to Waynesboro for 100 miles. Dozens of vistas along the way and 4 or 5 waysides offer perfect rest stops. The Appalachian Trail parallels the road, with several blue blazed off shoots for shorter day hikes.

This weekend we had an awesome bike ride on Skyline Drive; the kind of ride that makes you get totally psyched for the rest of the summer and fall in love with your bike all over again. Husband and I went out with our favorite riding partner (who happens to be 30 years our senior) and got some great shots.

Here's a few photos from our various trips to the Shennies over the past couple years. Looking through these, I'm reminded of how great it is that you can experience each season here in Virginia.



northern entrance to the park, October 2011

 Hightop Mountain, May 2012




~milemarker 10, October 2011

 random rock outcropping, June 2012 

remnants of thru hikers at Loft Mountain Wayside, May 2012

Old Rag, March 2013

Overall Run Falls, July 2013



Old Rag, March 2013

somewhere on the Appalachian Trail, June 2012

Hogback Overlook, July 2013

I can't help myself

"When Comfort is Your #1 Priority"...

...maybe you should just stay home.

Kitten is ready for the AT!

One year ago today, I stepped foot on Springer Mountain and began my thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. In honor of this glorious anniversary, I present to you REI's April Fool's Day contribution:

 

 

As expected, I dearly miss the trail and think about my hike constantly. One thing that helps is reading blogs from this year's crop of thru hikers. I have several blogs that I’m reading and it has been so fun to read about their first couple of weeks. I love seeing the different attitudes and perspectives each hiker has while experiencing the same trail. While I'm rooting for all of them, there are sure to be some that don't finish. Husband and I may or may not have some bets going on, creating our own Fantasy Thru Hike.

If you’re interested in following along, see this list I've compiled on my personal blog.

The only cure for thru hiker fever is to plan another one, right? PCT 2013 anyone?

body image and thru hiking the Appalachian Trail

My friend Dana runs a wonderful collaborative blog discussing body image, eating disorders, personal stories, and more. A while back we were talking about my Appalachian Trail thru hike and she invited me to share on her blog.

I had a really hard time putting all my thoughts into words and really, this only covers a fraction of what I could cover about body image if I were a more prolific writer. But it will have to do for now.

Check it out: emBody: Thru Hiking the Appalachian Trail

the green tunnel

Check out my personal blog- www.beauandmackenzie.blogspot.com to read about my research and prep for thru hiking the Appalachian Trail next summer.

It'll be a blast.

stuff i dig: osprey 2 l water reservoir

Osprey 2 liter Hydraform Water Reservoir

photo and other information here at REI.com

About a year ago, I got a day pack with water reservoir at Costco for 20 bucks. What a steal. Not as cute as the Camelbak brands, but I was willing to sacrifice looks for a third of the price.  This backpack (a pretty detailed review can be found here) fit my needs perfectly for day hike use, but I had some serious complaints about the water reservoir, or more specifically, the mouthpiece. After just a few uses, it was leaking like crazy. I took it back to Costco and exchanged it for the same product, but had the same results a couple months later. Lame, but hard to complain when it came with such an inexpensive backpack.

Solution? The Osprey 2 liter! This will fit in most backpacks and day packs comfortably and has an easy to use cap.  Even on first use, my water did not taste plastic-y and the mouthpiece is holding up well.  My mom has used this product on several multi-day backpacking trips and loves it.

(Note: Originally, I ordered the 3L for 2 dollars more. An extra liter for two dollars? No brainer. However, the 3L won't fit in most packs.)

It comes with an interesting magnet on the mouthpiece that can clip to your should strap or shirt, to make the mouthpiece more accessible.  I found it to be awkward and unnecessary, so I just didn't use the magnet clip.

Hooray for Osprey for making wonderful products!