Two Bad Turns Hard Core

"So I'm hard core now!"  Two Bad reported.  Yesterday he hiked a whopping 17 miles with Hansel and Gretel to finish out his week-long adventure with his kids.  They spent last night in a bed and breakfast called The Dutch Haus in Montebello, VA.  Hansel and Gretel both confirmed that Dad had done a great job with them.  Even though they slowed up for him a little, by the end of the week, they had covered a lot of ground.  Two Bad hiked about 120 miles with Hansel and Gretel!  Not "too bad" for an old guy!

After the first day, Two Bad was doubting himself a little.  "Man, I might have made a mistake," he thought as he did his best to ease out the cramps in his thighs and back.  Even his shoulders were sore.  But the second day was a little better, and by the third day he really felt like he was adjusting to Trail life.  But then the blisters hit him.  Fortunately, Gretel knew the best way to deal with this problem since she battled her own blisters when she first started the Trail.

For Two Bad, this trip has been a physical challenge; one he trained hard for and still experienced plenty of aches and pains along the way.  But it was also a chance to see his children in action and share this life-changing experience with them.  After all, it was Mom and Dad who first exposed Hansel and Gretel to the woods and the joys of backpacking on the Appalachian Trail.

There was pride an his voice when Two Bad said, "They are doing great.  They have it all figured out.  The whole organizing, camping, set up, tear down, shopping, cooking."  He talked about the delicious meals that Gretel makes, throwing extra flavorful ingredients into various concoctions that she has perfected.  Not every father has the opportunity to spend quality time like this with his children after they have left college.  Walking through the woods with only the bear essentials on their back, singing the words to their favorite Bruce Springteen songs as they hiked, sitting around the campfire talking about life as their put their feet up after a long day.  The days on the Trail that Two Bad spent with Hansel and Gretel is a testament to the ever-present support and unconditional love that he has shown all three of us since the day we were born.  We are a lucky crew to have known such love from our parents.


Happy Trails!


Here's one Bruce song they sang together: If I Should Fall Behind
And the Lyrics:

We said we'd walk together baby come what may
That come the twilight should we lose our way
If as we're walking a hand should slip free
I'll wait for you
And should I fall behind
Wait for me

We swore we'd travel darlin' side by side
We'd help each other stay in stride
But each lover's steps fall so differently
But I'll wait for you
And if I should fall behind
Wait for me

Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true
But you and I know what this world can do
So let's make our steps clear that the other may see
And I'll wait for you
If I should fall behind
Wait for me

Now there's a beautiful river in the valley ahead
There 'neath the oak's bough soon we will be wed
Should we lose each other in the shadow of the evening trees
I'll wait for you
And should I fall behind
Wait for me
Darlin' I'll wait for you
Should I fall behind
Wait for me

Two Bad's Out of Reach Feet

Gretel watched her clothes spin around in the washing machine as she called me from the Laundromat in the “lame-o” town of Glasgow while Hansel and Two Bad went to the grocery store to find “some kind of lame dinner.”  So far everything about Glasgow was falling short of expectations.  The hotel they had planned to stay at had closed down.  Then they went to a shelter-type-thing for hikers to take a shower, but there was no hot water.  Gretel said she had to exhale deep breaths so she didn’t suffocate from the shock of the ice cold water.  Hansel spent his shower shouting, “Ooooh!  Oh! Oh! Oooh! Ohh!” which Gretel overheard as she was braiding her hair outside the shower area.   There was a restaurant listed in the Trail Guide book, but that had closed down.  When they asked a Glasgow local, they were told that there was another restaurant across the railroad tracks… but actually it was closed on Mondays.  Finally they heard about some kind of deli that sold Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches.  Gretel, being a vegetarian, asked if the boys could bring her a cheese steak sandwich without the steak.  They still have three more days of hard hiking ahead of them before our family friends (who also happen to be the owners of an awesome bed and breakfast) pick them up in Montebello.

Tonight they will be staying at Johns Hallow Shelter, which is exactly 777 miles from Springer Mountain where they started in Georgia! 

I know you are all wondering how Two Bad is fairing.  Gretel reported he is doing quite well.  Today was a bit rough for him because their hike was characterized by an excess of downhills, which tend to be a little painful for his two bad knees.  Other than that, he is feeling pretty good and getting into the swing of the hike.  One of the problems he encountered was the very same blister issue Gretel had in her first few weeks on the Trail.  The difference between Gretel and Two Bad, is that Gretel can actually reach her feet to tend to her blisters.  Two Bad’s hips sometimes prevent such luxuries, so he had to request a hand from his children.  (Warning: the next few sentences might sound a little nasty.)  Two Bad asked Gretel to help him pop his blisters the first night, but the second night she had to decline on account that such a task is a little too high on the Gross Scale.

“I’m sorry Dad, but I just can’t do that again.  You’re going to have to ask Hansel.”

Luckily Hansel was able to take care of Two Bad’s feet and then they covered the blisters in duct tape for the hike the next day. 

Shoe tying is also a bit of an issue for our dear Two Bad.  His hips are particularly stiff in the morning, so Hansel has been lending a hand with shoes too.  He usually loosens up over the course of the day though.  At one point in the hike he stopped and said,

“Hold on, I think I need to tighten my boots.”

“You mean I need to tighten your boots,” replied Hansel.

“No, no, I think I can reach them now.”  And with some degree of effort, Two Bad tied his shoes all by himself.  Hooray!  (Thanks Vincent* for helping my dad with his flexibility and his endurance!  We all know that without you, this hike would have been a LOT harder!)

Until next time, happy trails!

*Vincent is a wonderful family friend as well as an incredible personal trainer.  Over the years he has trained the whole family and now he has his own business, Westfield Fitness Studio.  You can see a picture of Two Bad pumping iron in the second photo down on the website.  If you are local and want to do something great for your body, I highly recommend visiting Vincent!  He’s amazing! 

Hansel, Gretel and Two Bad crossing the longest footbridge on the AT

Man Down!

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  On his way across a slippery rock, Hansel slipped to the ground resulting a dramatic tear up the bottom of his pant leg.

The good news: he accomplished this potentially catastrophic fall without acquiring a scratch!

"I'm a champion at falling," he joked, which makes sense considering he spent his last four years as a Division I soccer goal keeper at Brown.

Additional endurance, physical and equipment updates:

Gretel's blisters are no longer an issue.  Hansel has been experiencing some strange numbness in his toes.  They both have been having an easier time with the longer hikes (15+ miles).  Hansel's pack is getting a hole in it because he has so much equipment and food shoved into it.  This is a problem that might need attention sooner rather than later.  The pack was new so they are hoping they can replace it at one of the next outfitters they come to.  They used their new water filter for the first time and it seems to be working well.  They haven't needed it until now because the water south of Virginia often comes right out of the mountain and is not likely to be polluted or contaminated.

Finally, you might remember our friend Badger.  He is still with Hansel and Gretel and was, in fact, the very first person to wish Gretel a Happy Birthday.  He too has been keeping a blog of his adventures and if you have an interest in following his story, you can find it at zrdavis.com.

Happy Trails!

Charlie's Bunion

Gretel making breakfast

More on Charlie's Bunion

North Carolina!

Welcome to North Carolina!!  

One state down, thirteen to go!  Hansel and Gretel crossed their first state boarder today as well as reached the 100 mile mark!  From Rock Gap Shelter they reported their tummies have been struggling a bit.  Clearly, their diets have been quite different.  They aren't sure if it has been the food or the water or perhaps even the excessive exercise that is behind their discomfort, but they are working through it as best they can.  

Today was their longest day as they packed in 19 miles!  Gretel's blisters are still bugging her a little, though she is figuring out how to tend to them.  She got some special blister bandaids which helped a little, but she has found the real secret is to then put duct tape on top of the bandaids!  I guess duct tape really DOES fix everything! 

Until next time, happy trails!

Rainy Deep Gap Shelter

After a dreary hike through their first day of rain, Hansel and Gretel arrived at Deep Gap Shelter around 1:30pm.  In the past seven days, they have hiked 64 miles from the top of Springer Mountain!  Although they were a bit soggy, they were right on track for time.  They spent the rest of the day and night drying out, clothes and socks draped over rafters in the shelter.  Hopefully Gretel's blisters didn't suffer too badly from tromping around in wet boots.  


Tomorrow will be what hikers call a "nero day."  They have only to hike 3.5 miles into the next town.  Since they have been averaging closer to 10 miles per day, a mere 3.5 is "not quite zero."  Hence "nero."  At least they will be looking forward to a good meal in town and a real bed to sleep on!


Until next time, happy trails!

Clothes hanging out to dry.

Gretel consulting the book.

Gretel peaking out.

BOOTS!

Three cheers for Gretel's* new boots!!

                 Hip Hip

                           HOORAY!!

                                     Hip Hi...

Ok, we don't really need to go through the whole thing.  But we can be very excited that Gretel can now hike in comfort!  Apparently her boots were a size too small and she ended up getting some hearty blisters on her toes and heals.  Fortunately, the last time Hansel and Gretel were in civilization, they stopped at an outdoor outfitters that happened to carry Gretel's boots.  She mailed back the old small ones which our parents will hopefully be able to exchange for another of the same pair only in the correct size.  It is important to have a pair of back-up boots ready and waiting incase the current pair need to be replaced.  Yay boots!

Happy trails!


*Hansel and Gretel= Jarrod and Becca's trail names.