Back into Civilisation - Rich's Adventures beyond the AT

24 April 2010 - Eating, drinking and sleeping like royalty

2010-07-04T02:22:00.006+01:00

Mendoza turned out to be quite a treat. Firstly our accommodation was a family run B&B rather than the usual hostel fare and secondly it was Lisa's birthday whilst we were in town which meant that we could take our eyes off the budget for a little while. The next few days included:

A delicious meal for Lisa's birthday made up of a huge pork steak, morcilla (blood sausage) and chorizo as well as an excellent bottle of red;
A full day touring the vineyards of the region including wine tastings at three vineyards and an enormous Jacobean banquet of a lunch;
A day recovering from earlier excesses in the wonderful and enormous public park in town.

It was excellent to take our first adventures in wine tasting (especially having previously passed up the opportunity in Napa, California) and it thoroughly lived up to my expectations as our driver took us down dusty roads to huge wineries where we nodded patiently through explanations of the wine making process anxious to get our hands on a glass of the good stuff. And good stuff it was, I'll definitely be searching out Mendoza Malbec when we come back to the UK.

The journey out of Mendoza was in style. Having endured some nasty journeys on our travels so far we decided that for the overnight bus to Rosario we would push the boat out. So we ignored the semi-cama (literally 'half-bed') class of bus and its upmarket cousin cama ejecutivo and went right in at the top - we were travelling royal suite. This involved sitting on huge leather armchair-like seats, eating an inordinately large three course meal, drinking a glass of wine with dinner and then champagne as a digestif, enjoying a movie on our personal plasma screen TV, then the coup de grace, reclining our seats completely flat in order to get a surprisingly good night's sleep - see pic of Lisa snoozing as evidence. A worthy investment.

Rosario was a pleasant if slightly non-descript town but it was nice to be released from the pressures of 'must-see' sights for a couple of days. This meant we could wander the streets, drink coffee, eat pizza and go to the movies (Clash of the Titans - truly awful but hilarious for all of the references to 'saving Argos'). The town wasn't completely replete of sights though - we checked out Che Guevara's birthplace (and accompanying groovy mural - see photo), a huge monument to the designer of the Argentine flag and a rather disconcerting monument to the Falkland Islands (or Islas Malvinas as they are known here) that declared that the islands are 'always Argentina's.'

Rosario provided some much needed respite as next up was the rather full on Buenos Aires, an international mega-city to happily compete with London, New York or Paris. We have just completed our first full day here and already we've explored the famous Recoleta cemetery which features some family vaults that make Vegas look tasteful and taken in a tango show that varied in quality from excellent to confusing - c.f. a tango to Sweet Dreams by Annie Lennox featuring light up feather boas, bewildering. Tomorrow we move it up a gear with another big one, a visit to La Bombonera for a Boca Juniors match. Very, very excited.

16 April 2010 - Take me down to Panama City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty...

2010-06-19T03:31:00.006+01:00

Boquete turned out to be a very nice place to relax and we easily filled our days exploring the small town and taking in the Easter week celebrations (including the obligatory procession). Christina and I spent a day hiking the Senderos los Quetzales, a path that extends through the rain forest to connect Boquete with the town of Cerro Punto. It was a nice hike and as always, I quickly started reminiscing about the Appalachian Trail. It was fascinating to learn more about Christina's job during our hike - she works as a back-country ranger at Sequoia National Park in California which means that she lives in a cabin deep in the woods for six months of the year getting to known the local terrain by going hiking everyday. Sounds incredible.

Following lots of games of table football and an ill-judged game of Monopoly (surely the meanest game in the world) it was time to go our separate ways - Christina back to San Jose and Lisa and I further south to Panama City.

Panama's capital was quite a contrast from the other Central American cities we experienced. It is the region's richest city and it wears its wealth with pride throwing up high rise buildings and designer shops all over the place. Nowhere is this feeling of new found wealth more apparent than in the Casco Viejo neighbourhood. Once the heart of the city, this area was abandoned and left to rot for years before more recent attempts at restoration and gentrification. The result is a fascinating mix of tumble down buildings that look as if a decent breath of wind would knock them over next to brand new swank-a-dank restaurants and boutique hotels. It was a unique place and the changes going on were so dramatic that it almost felt that if we came back the next day it would have changed dramatically.

During our cab ride back from Casco Viejo, we noticed (on the enormous video screen that sits on the waterfront) that there was something of a big event taking place in the city that evening - Guns 'N Roses were in town. After some speedy internet searching, Lisa found out where to buy tickets (strangely, the Panamanian equivalent of Boots the Chemist) and by early evening we had secured our place in the company of Axl Rose for the evening. We wolfed down dinner and hot-footed it to the venue on the outskirts of town.

We arrived just ahead of the scheduled 8pm start time ready for an evening of classic rock tunes. We took our spot in the crowd and were quickly approached by a girl gabbling away in Spanish about having seen me before in Boquete - she had been hiking the trail the same day as Christina and I and remembered me (the ginger beard makes me pretty memorable in these parts). So now equipped with a new group of friends for the evening we were introduced to the legends of Panamanian rock, Trente-Tres fronted by a chap who (in direct contravention of Rock's anti-establishment rules) is now a member of the countries national congress. They cranked out a few tunes (and a few ill-advised dance moves) and then made themselves scarce.

It was from here onwards that the night got frustrating. The next band, Sebastian Bach, played a full two hour set, long outstaying their welcome and pushing the time to around 11pm. This was followed by an awful lot of waiting around before finally at 12:30am, Guns 'N Roses took the stage. So, after keeping his loyal fans waiting for hours, many of whom have waited for years for his bands first visit to their country, how did Axl Rose repay them? By coming on stage and immediately having a hissy fit about somebody throwing a plastic water bottle that landed close to him. His first words to the crowd were to tell them to 'play nice boys and girls' or he wouldn't be continuing with the show. Agonisingly this did not sour the Panamanian crowd who seemed to be endlessly forgiving (either that or their English wasn't too sharp) and still cheered him along albeit a little sheepishly.

Despite the early bad blood, the distinct lack of guitar legend Slash and the insistence on playing a large number of 'hits' from their new record, when the band finally got around to cranking out some of their classics I couldn't help but smile. Sweet Child O' Mine, November Rain, Paradise City - classics every one. The show, delayed again by Axl Rose making more costume changes than Lady Gaga (how many check shirts does one man need?), finally drew to a close at 2am. We were exhausted and very glad to make it home to our beds.

Now, it's safe to say that Panama is famous for two things. Having established in Boquete that it was going to be difficult to find a Panama hat big enough to fit a Waggott sized head, it was necessary to make a visit to the country's other point of international notoriety, the Canal. Being a Birmingham boy, I fancy I know my canals, but the Miraflores locks rather put the Gas Street Basin in the shade. We arrived just in time to see a huge container ship passing through the locks and it was impressive just how quickly they get them through and how tight a squeeze it is (the ships are built to fit the locks almost exactly). We hung around for a couple of hours taking in the excellent museum (including a simulator version of the bridge of a container ship for which Lisa developed quite an affinity) and watching more ships pass through including a huge US Navy transport vessel, the Watson.

The next morning it was time to say farewell to Panama City, Panama and Central America as we took our seats on our flight to Santiago, Chile and the South American leg of our trip. Much like my emotions on leaving the US for Mexico (see here) I looked back with fondness on our time in Central America, but was ready for a change, not least towards more developed countries where simple things like using public transport are less of a trial.

Santiago couldn't have delivered this any more perfectly. Despite having suffered a pretty hefty earthquake just a month earlier, the city and all of its services were fully functional which was a delight having endured the defunct US school buses that often pass as public transport in Central America for about as long as I could bear. But it wasn't just the basics that cheered us up, Santiago felt like a thriving young city that seemingly had a university on every corner. Equally prevalent, much to our delight, were shops selling the South American favourite, empanadas. Similar to Cornish pasties from back home these half moons of delight come stuffed with cheese or meat with onions and olives (as well as various other flavours). Put this alongside decent bottles of wine for a couple of pounds and strawberries and other soft fruit at incredible prices and you have the recipe for a pretty delicious place to stay. One particularly happy morning Lisa and I ate a kilo of strawberries for breakfast for the princely sum of 60p.

We spent a couple of days taking in the city including the beautiful Cerro Santa Lucia, a hill covered in fountains and small parks affording a great view of Santiago and its spectacular back drop of the Andes. To put the icing on the cake of a great visit, we spent our final evening in the city watching a football match in the Copa Libertadores (the South American version of Europe's Champions League) something I had desperately hoped to be able to do on this trip. The match between Universidad Catolica (of Santiago) and Flamengo (from Rio de Janeiro) was a cracker. There was plenty of goal mouth incidents and the home side ran out 2-0 winners (always best, atmosphere-wise). The win kept Catolicas hopes of progressing to the next round of the competition alive and inspired a whole lot of singing in the stand behind the goal where we were sat (or rather, stood). After something of an Olympic bus journey back into the city, we returned to our hostel after midnight, tired but satisfied. After the awful football we watched in Guatemala, the game helped to rebuild some of Lisa's faith in the beautiful game.

From Santiago we headed west towards the coast and the port town of Valparaiso which also surpassed our expectations. What at first appeared to be a fairly grim port town turned out on closer inspection to be something of a bohemian enclave complete with brightly coloured suburbs in the hills surrounding the harbour with graffiti murals on just about every wall. Lisa's camera went into overdrive and we had fun riding the creaky funicular railways that run up and down the hillsides. We also sampled the local speciality chorrillana - a heart stoppingly greasy pile of french fries topped with onions, eggs, spicy pork and cheese (and served with a massive beer). We both agreed it was the Chilean equivalent of the Teeside after-pub delicacy, the Parmo.

Our final evening before leaving we went to the docks to see the spectacular tall ships moored there as part of some sort of round the Americas race to celebrate Chile's bicentennial. The ships, with their towering masts all decked out with lights were incredible and it seemed that all of Valparaiso had turned out to see them in all their glory.

Sad to leave the town and the country behind, we boarded a bus the next day to cross the Andes and head for Argentina. I feel that we only scratched the surface of Chile and it is definitely somewhere that I would like to return to and get to know better (particularly the wilder areas in the south). But for now we are climbing up and up into the mountains headed towards Mendoza and more delicious wine.

1 April 2010 - The sweet taste of liberty

2010-04-25T19:34:00.005+01:00

We're free! We left the farm the day before yesterday under a cloud of negative energy. Maji asserted that there would be no further volunteers at the farm after us, something that in it's current state would probably be a good thing. We are definitely glad to have our liberty again and it is nice not having to get up at 5:30am or wrack our brains for ways to fill the day any more.

After leaving Costa Rica (including a border crossing where the staff in passport control were watching the Manchester United vs Bayern Munich game whilst issuing tourist visas) we spent one incredibly hot night in Panama's second city David before moving on to the mountain town of Boquete. We have been joined here by Christina, one of our fellow inmates at Earth Rose Farm, who met us following an incredibly speedy visit to San Jose to replace a stolen passport. We will stay here for the Semana Santa (Easter Week) celebrations and hopefully take in some hiking amongst the cool mountain air.

P.S. As a last reminder of the crazy wildlife on the Farm, our last day saw an encounter with a huge scorpion in our lean-to toilet (see picture - click into it and then zoom in to see the full horror). The little blighter was tucking into an enormous cockroach, a meal that proved to be his last...

28 March 2010 - The pantomime continues...

2010-04-21T15:08:00.000+01:00

Last night saw some fireworks as Sarah and Darien informed Maji that they wanted to leave the farm early and would not be completing the minimum stay of three weeks (or 15 working days). Maji had a genuine tantrum including a string of expletives and then stormed off like an angry teenager. He drove off the farm and spent the night in his car (not least because he managed to get it stuck in a ditch). There were more arguments this morning but things seem to have died down now. This place is really something of a soap opera and it sometimes feels like we are here against our will as we talk of 'just doing our time'.

Anyway, there is just one more day of this madness until we can get back on the road and, hopefully, to some measure of normality.

27 March 2010 - Abandon hope all ye who enter here...

2010-04-21T14:18:00.003+01:00

Since the last entry my opinion of the farm has gone downhill (if that were possible). The lack of direction has continued and we have increasingly been making ourselves scarce rather than risking being put to work on mind-numbing or ridiculous tasks. Today took the biscuit as we attempted to drag some large freshly cut trees uphill using the farm's two dilapidated horses. This was both impossible and very dangerous and something we quickly gave up on. This was part of an unplanned, uncosted and generally ill-conceived project to build a new kitchen and dining room on the farm, a project that Maji seemed to think could be completed in 2 days but would take more like 4 weeks.

Some positive highlights of the last week have included:

A visit to the local town of La Rivera for a dance. We had envisioned a quaint, traditional fiesta but were greeted with a full on disco complete with smoke, lights and dance music choicely selected by the local equivalent of Fatboy Slim, DJ Danny;
Walking to the neighbouring farm, La Chinchilla, to see how real Costa Rican farming is done. The farm had emus, hundreds of chickens and beautifully kept vegetable gardens (as well as wonderful owners, Guillermo and Luz);
More amazing smoothies and juices including the almost freakishly orange mandarina juice.

As I said before, the other volunteers continue to be a source of positivity and our ranks have been swelled this week by the arrival of two newcomers, Sarah and Darien, two Floridians. We were also briefly joined by Joaquin, a Spanish chap who wisely decided to scarper after two days on the farm having quickly assessed that Maji was chronically difficult to work with and the farm a directionless mess. We have stuck it out largely because it provides us with a low cost option in a relatively expensive country and because we have paid a deposit that we would forfeit if we left early (something not particularly in agreement with the principles of the WWOOF programme).

Ah well, we only need to bear with it for a couple more days before we have our liberty restored and can return to a more normal sort of traveling.

P.S. The latest addition to the menagerie of creatures on the farm is an incredibly huge cockroach - about the size of the head of a ladle - that has taken to frequenting our toilet at night. Think the attached picture just about does him justice.

21 March 2010 - More farming (or something like it)...

2010-04-17T00:10:00.007+01:00

We have been volunteering on Earth Rose Farm for a week and it has been quite the learning (and eye opening) experience. Before arriving here we had read various travel blogs online about the farm's owners Rosie and Maji (see here). Some people had painted them as loopy hippies and others as incompetent gringos out of their depth on a Costa Rican farm. Both of these views are at least in part true.

Maji (single name only like Madonna) is an aging hippy in his mid 60s living out his dream by owning a farm in Costa Rica, a dream that is somewhat undermined by the fact that he spends six months of the year living in retirement-ville Florida watching the Boston Red Sox on his flat screen TV. He loves the sound of his own voice and has a very specific way of doing just about everything although a heart condition prevents him from doing any of the work on the land. Mealtimes are when he attempts to hold court, chancing his arm at just about any subject and arbuptly changing topics when they don't suit him.

Rosie, his wife, is an amiable and down to earth woman who is always keen to chat and to talk about her gardens and beloved chickens. She is knowledgeable and practical as is evidenced by her management of her three small vegetable gardens - the only successful areas of the farm. She is also a good source for clear concise answers to questions about the work on the farm.

The farm itself is around 45 acres of hillside leading down to a river and is made up of some pasture, fruit trees (bananas, mangoes, star fruit, oranges and different varieties of mandarins) and a lot of neglected coffee plants. Maji is also attempting a reforestation project that aims to see hardwood harvested from the farm over the next 15 years.

On arriving the first thing that alarmed us about the farm was that neither Rosie or Maji spoke Spanish which meant that they are more or less isolated from the local community and from their single paid employee Carlos. Watching them try to communicate with him is somewhere between abject farce and complete horror as Maji mangles both the English and Spanish languages before inevitably turning to one of the volunteers to translate Carlos' responses. Then there is the work - taking direction from Maji is painstaking as he seems to have little concept of what he wants to achieve or in what order. When we asked him about his priorities for the farm he told us that maintaining the coffee plants was one of his top two things to focus on. A day earlier he had been lamenting how the coffee harvest was not worthwhile and Rosie had said that she would like to pull all of the plants out. The volunteers here are often put in the middle between the husband and wife owners meaning that often you are best to listen to neither of them and do your own thing.

Our time here would certainly have been negative were it not for the other volunteers. Christina, Kimberley and Brian have made being here worthwhile and provided some hilarious moments along the way (see picture, ably taken by Brian). We have drunk amazing fresh fruit smoothies and freshly squeezed juices every day which has helped to keep us in a (largely) positive mindset. We have decided to forgo days off in order to fulfill the minimum requirement of 15 working days more quickly, and so have 8 days remaining which we are hoping to make as pleasant as possible.

P.S. No note on our last week would be complete without a mention of the wildlife. We have had both a huge spider (6 inches long) and a whopping scorpion (4 inches long) over our bed in recent nights. This has been supplemented by the late night snufflings of an armadillo who mooches about outside the volunteer dormitory most evenings. Every night heading to bed is something of an adventure. Here's hoping for a few quiet nights ahead.

14 March 2010 - Costa Rica on the double

2010-04-08T18:02:00.002+01:00

In the end the rainforest won out over the beach and we headed for the town of Santa Elena and the famous rainforest reserve at Monteverde. Since Costa Rica is substantially more touristy than the other countries that we visited in Central America, the next few days required that we loosen our purse strings and live a little more like holiday makers and less like budget travellers.

This allowed us to enjoy a number of activities including:

A day of hiking through the rainforest spotting birds and crazy insects and getting our first sighting of a coati (see picture);
A visit to a frog zoo where we saw all manner of brightly coloured and highly poisonous amphibians;
A transfer to our next port of call, La Fortuna, by tourist bus and boat across Lake Arenal;
A night tour to watch the lava exploding and tumbling down the slopes of Volcan Arenal;
A day soaking in the wonderful hot springs at Eco Termales near to La Fortuna (complete with a visit from a dinosaur sized iguana).

From here we moved on to the Costa Rican capital San Jose for a night (spent at a very modern mall watching a movie with all of the locals in their Saturday night glad-rags). We are now on a bus towards San Isidro and our next calling point for the coming three weeks - volunteering on Earth Rose Farm.

9 March 2010 - Adventures on a fairytale island

2010-04-06T01:42:00.004+01:00

Our remaining day in Livingston was cheered up a good deal by seeing Sannee, our housemate from Antigua, sailing into the harbour as we were eating breakfast. One of the benefits of the rather narrow backpacker trail in Guatemala is that (much like on the Appalachian Trail) you're never really sure when goodbye means goodbye. We spent the day with him and his friend walking along the beach and sampling the the very disappointing local specialty, tapado. Whilst we had been promised a big bowl of coconutty soup packed with sea food and plantain, what arrived was more akin to the leftovers from the stockpot (complete with whole, but meatless, crab). This didn't diminish the evening though as we caught up on each others thoughts on Guatemala and then said farewell once more.

If the tour around Guatemala was whistle-stop, then the next 9 days were express. We were more or less in perpetual motion after leaving Livingston visiting four countries in nine days (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) having previously managed four in nine and a half months. We left Livingston for an epic overland journey involving 5 different modes of transport (boat, minibus, random Honduran chap's car, taxi and, mercifully, luxurious air conditioned bus) and made it to the Honduran capital Tegulcigalpa that evening understandably exhausted. But the next morning it was the road again and another bus, first into Nicaragua and the capital Managua and then on to our next port of call the colonial city of Granada.

It was a blessing to call somewhere home for a few days, but we were less than in love with Granada. It had something of the feel of Antigua, and was not without its charm, but was inundated with tour groups and American high school students pushing up prices and creating a resort type vibe. The town served us well enough though, enabling us to do the usual towny stuff - laundry, internet, etc - and for me to put the finishing touches to the video we had made for Andrew's 30th birthday (see here). We also sampled the local delicacy, vigoron, a combination of steamed yucca, pork scratchings and pickled cabbage served on a banana leaf - odd but surprisingly palatable.

Next it was another of the things that I'd been eagerly looking forward to in Central America. Whilst hiking the Appalachian Trail, I met a chap called Greenlite who had done some traveling in Nicaragua and he was the first person to tell me about Ometepe, a place that immediately sparked my imagination. Ever since I have been looking forward to getting there and seeing it for myself. Ometepe is an island in the enormous Lake Nicaragua formed from two volcanoes that, due to eruptions over the years, have emerged from the lake and joined together to form one island. The larger of the two, Conception, is regularly seen with smoke billowing from its crater. We got our first glimpse of the island on the ferry from the mainland (see photo) and it was like something from a fairy tale, two huge peaks rising from the centre of the lake.

Our plan for our three nights there were to simply relax by the lake and breathe in the atmosphere. Having spent a day getting our bearings (and making good use of the many hammocks), we then ventured further afield for a short hike through a nature reserve where we saw spider monkeys swinging and sleeping in the trees. From then on however it was just relaxing all the way. There was definitely something about Ometepe - it had just enough tourist services to make life comfortable (somewhere to sleep, somewhere to eat) but still maintained its rural spirit (cows, pigs and horses wandering around on the beach). Put this alongside the cool breezy climate and the incredible setting and you have just about the perfect place to relax.

From here we had another epic journey first to the Nicaragua - Costa Rica border (which is a big, dusty, traffic filled and very confusing place) and then onwards into the heart of Costa Rica. The 12+ hour journey concluded in the touristy (and slightly grubby) beach resort of Puntarenas where we are currently considering whether to head to the beach or to the rain forest. Decisions, decisions.

Saturday 27 February 2010 - Militant teachers and rivers of lava

2010-03-31T23:42:00.004+01:00

Having recovered from our illness, we returned to lessons for our final week studying Spanish. However, when we totted up all of the things that we had planned to do before we left Antigua, suddenly our days were looking very full indeed. We decided to cram in as much as we could, and so in seven days, as well as studying Spanish for 20 hours (plus homework), we:

Took our first salsa class where I shambled around like a slow witted giraffe in an attempt to move my hips to the rhythm;
Climbed to the top of a hill overlooking the city allowing Lisa to take several hundred photographs;
Explored the myriad ruined churches in town and worried about the magnitude of the earthquakes that ruined them;
Climbed an active volcano (Volcan Pacaya), complete with river of lava that we were allowed to go alarmingly close to (see picture);
Finally enjoyed our belated Valentine's dinner at a swanky restaurant;
Saw some of the Antiguan celebrations of lent including huge ornate carpets of coloured sawdust depicting religious and natural scenes on the floors of the local churches. Also part of the festivities was a procession of hundreds of people through the streets carrying a ridiculously large statue of Christ resisting temptation from the devil;
Returned (like gluttons for punishment) to Antigua F.C. for our second match and were rewarded with a 1-0 victory and the discovery that women will bring you a hot individual pizza to your seat for less than 1 pound. Genius.

After managing all that, as well as saying goodbye to our teachers (Ana and Mariesol), our Guatemalan family (Cornelia, Irma, Lionel and Luis Enrique) and our new friends (Rob, Sannee, Ines and Cathy) we were almost exhausted before we hit the road for our nightmare journey to Coban. The travel agent that we had booked our shuttle bus with assured us that we would arrive in Coban in the early afternoon after a 5 or 6 hour journey. Little could he have known the calamities that awaited us. Just over an hour out of Antigua our bus was instructed to leave the highway by a police officer that seemed to be employing an arbitrary system as to which vehicles could pass through his road block and which needed to adhere to it. This forced us through the outskirts of Guatemala City and into heavy traffic. After around an hour crawling along at 10 miles per hour we came to a complete standstill where we remained on our tiny un-airconditioned bus in the baking sunshine for two and a half hours. And the cause of the traffic? A terrible accident perhaps or some major roadworks? A teacher's strike. Although it was tricky to understand exactly what was going on (my Spanish still needs an awful lot of work) it seemed that teachers in Central America are a militant bunch not adverse to blocking highways to get their point across. When we finally got moving again and passed the barricades (which the strikers had, by then, rather genteelly moved to the other carriageway) we saw that it was constructed from just a few large tractor tyres and manned by a smallish number of protesters comfortably outnumbered by policemen. It seems Guatemalan teachers are not to be trifled with.

Having cleared that obstacle and following a break for lunch at the all conquering Guatemalan fried chicken franchise Pollo Campero, we returned to our bus to find that it now had a flat tyre. This necessitated a further hour and a half whilst a chap removed the wheel and then fixed the inner tube (confusingly using a file). As we crawled towards Coban (and were caught in more jams including one amidst a cloud of black flies) it became very clear that our projected afternoon arrival time was not going to materialise. We finally rolled in at 7:30pm, our 5 or 6 hour journey had taken more than 11 exhausting hours.

Our sleep that evening was not as peaceful as we had hoped as we were awoken at 5am by a fairly alarming earthquake (which we later learned had measured 5.6 on whatever scale they use to measure earthquakes these days) and then a smaller aftershock a few hours later. There was no real damage in Coban although a few places lost electricity (not surprising looking at some of the bonkers wiring in the streets. Thankfully our day in Coban provided some much needed respite. We visited an excellent orchid farm where we saw hundreds of plants and some wonderfully intricate flowers (as well as tasting fresh cardamom for the first time). We then went on to a coffee plantation where we saw the entire (surprisingly laborious) process from plant to cup and then finished off with a delicious cup of joe whilst looking out over the coffee fields.

From here it was something of a dash through Guatemala's highlights. First on the list was the natural splendor of Semuc Champey. This consists of an odd natural phenomenon where a river disappears underground into a large cave and re-emerges 300 or so metres further on. Above ground this has meant that water coming down from the surrounding mountains has no river to enter and so forms a series of bright blue pools perfect for swimming (and general larking about). We hiked up to a viewpoint to see the whole complex of pools (see picture) and then went for a swim. Our guide took me and a couple of others off to jump off waterfalls and explore more of the site whilst Lisa and the rest of the group stayed behind to relax in the cool water. It was a fun day completed by a visit to a local complex of caves (complete with bat colony) and a night in a shack in the jungle.

Our next calling point on our whistle-stop tour was somewhere that I had been looking forward to for weeks. When we first thought of coming to Central America, one of the big draws for me was the possibility of seeing ancient temples poking out from dense jungle. This was exactly what I had been promised from the mother of all Mayan ruins, Tikal. We awoke in the picturesque city of Flores at the ungodly hour of 4am in order to arrive at the ruins around day break when the wildlife is at its most active. We were not disappointed. Tikal was everything I had hoped for - spider monkeys swang in the trees whilst all manner of brightly coloured birds filled the air with their songs. We walked amongst the jungle and then emerged at huge temples from the top of which we could look out over the forest canopy. Also, since we arrived so early in the morning, for the first few hours the site was more or less deserted. Lisa and I sat alone at the top of huge Mayan temple and ate our breakfast. Add to this the realisation that Tikal is one of the locations for Star Wars (see here) and you have the ingredients for a wonderful day. The trip to Guatemala would have been worth it for Tikal alone.

Wasting no time, the next day we were on the road again to the riverside town of Rio Dulce for the much vaunted boat ride to the isolated town of Livingston. The journey was absolutely spectacular - the jungle was dense right up to the water's edge and was teeming with birdlife. Pelicans, comorants and herons flew alongside the boat whilst children paddled up in small canoes to sell shells to us. It was the sort of boat journey you would imagine in an Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider movie.

As soon as we reached our destination the contrast with the rest of Guatemala was apparent. Livingston is a town populated largely by Garifuna people - black people who came ashore from the Caribbean many years ago to settle here. Hence the feel of Livingston is very different with reggae playing in every bar and women asking every five minutes if Lisa and I would like our hair braided. We will stay here for one more night to get more of a feel for the place before rolling on again.

14 February 2010 - Sickness strikes Valentine's Day

2010-03-11T21:49:00.007Z

Our second week in Antigua was much less fun than our first. We continued with Spanish lessons and my vocabulary and ability to communicate certainly improved although after two weeks, conversations with my teacher Ana are beginning to become a little strained. There are only a finite number of conversations that you can have with a limited number of words and a grasp of only the present tense. An explanation of the London congestion charging scheme was something of a tour de force on my behalf, but then, with a sudden burst of over confidence, I over-reached myself with an attempted explanation of the British Freedom of Information Act (ambitious, particularly as I don't have a particularly thorough understanding of it myself). Cue lots of blank looks and shoulder shrugs before an awkward silence and then a swift return to learning verb endings. Lessons are still interesting though and I continue to enjoy the challenge.

As part of school on Wednesday we took an impromptu trip to a small local snake and reptile house. They had an excellent variety of creatures which our guide helpfully ranked for us in terms of deadliness. At the end of the tour we had the chance to hold some of the animals - I held a large tarantula (see picture) and Lisa got her hands on a bright red snake. However the most affecting part of the visit for all involved was the sight of a fluffy bunny rabbit hopping around happily in a glass case whilst above him slept two enormous boa constrictors. The rabbit, we learned, was to be dinner for the snakes when they got around to crushing him to death. Didn't go down well with the girls...

The reason for the less pleasant edge to the week reared its ugly head on Thursday. On coming home from a local bar (where I promise I'd only had three beers) I was struck down with flu like symptoms and endured a horrible sleep free night. The next day I was forced to miss school whilst I recovered in bed. My condition had picked up enough by Friday for me to return to lessons, but by then Lisa had fallen sick and was unable to come along. Friday also saw my visit to a local doctor in order to try to resolve a blocked ear that has been driving me increasingly bonkers - his repeated attempts to blast warm water into my ear with equipment that he described as 'dinosaur' (presumably meaning old rather than highly dangerous) were unsuccessful - I will return for a second attempt next week and will hopefully recover my powers of hearing then.

As the weekend dawned Lisa and I were hopeful that we would recover our health enough to enjoy some R&R and a nice Valentine's Day dinner. Unfortunately we just couldn't shake the remenants of the illness and so spent the majority of Saturday and Sunday convalescing in our room. Our romantic dinner was reduced to a tentative hamburger in a desperate attempt to find some familiar food that would be gentle on our stomachs. We then returned to our room to watch a film on our laptop only to discover two hours in that the last ten minutes had for some reason been cut off leaving our heroes stranded in space and sorely lacking a conclusion to their adventures. So it was that we took to our bed early to shake the last effects of our illness. Who says romance is dead?

Here's hoping our third and final week in Antigua sees our health and spirits pick up.

P.S. Should mention that Valentine's day wasn't without some joy: Lisa bought me a year long subscription to Newcastle United TV meaning that I can now watch all the goals and highlights as the Toon attempt to regain their Premier League status. This was a truly selfless act by Lisa as now not only do I monopolise the computer when we have internet access, but she is forced to smile pleaseantly as I spin the computer round to show her Andy Carroll shambling into the penalty area to prod a ball past a hapless Coventry City goalkeeper. Romance dead? Never.

Sunday 7 February 2010 - Yo hablo un poco espanol

2010-03-10T00:17:00.003Z

We have now completed our first week of studying Spanish in Antigua and I have certainly improved my language skills (although they could hardly have gotten worse). We have been having four hours of one on one tuition each day (from 8am to noon) and although my progress has been a little slow (largely due to the sheer volume of vocabulary, verb endings and grammar rules to learn) I am definitely improving. I can now at least communicate basic ideas in a rudimentary way which would have been jolly useful in my conversation with a 12 year old last week. Lisa's Spanish also seems to be progressing apace - she is remembering lots of what she learned in Mexico in 2003 and formalising some of what she picked up there.

The school has also arranged for us to stay with a Guatemalan family whilst we study here - we have settled in quite well although it's still difficult for me as my Spanish is a long way from conversational. Thankfully though much of the language barrier has been bridged by food. As part of our stay we are served 3 meals a day much of which has been made up of typical Guatemalan cuisine. This has provided us with plenty of opportunities for conversation as we try to understand the nature of a strange Guatemalan vegetable or work out how Irma (who prepares the bulk of our meals) manages to make the incredible refried beans that appear on our table most days.

Antigua itself is something of a strange place. It sits on a flat piece of land between three volcanoes (the placid Volcanes de Agua (see picture) and Acatenango and the forever grumbling and smoking Volcan Fuego) which makes the town's setting spectacular. The population of the town is what makes it peculiar - the thriving language school scene in Guatemala very much has its heart in Antigua resulting in the city being awash with people learning Spanish. Add into this mix a prosperous tourist industry and a not insignificant American ex-pat community and you have a Guatemalan town whose very 'Guatemalan-ness' has been diluted (not unlike some of the tourist towns in the south of Spain).

This has, however, suited us pretty well - we are getting plenty of genuine Guatemalan chat at home and with our teachers at school so it is quite nice to have some western luxuries in town. These include a thriving coffee shop scene and a McDonald's restaurant that is outstandingly lovely. I have often scoffed at the use of the term 'restaurant' to describe McDonald's franchises, but the branch in Antigua (the first one we've been to in a long time) is amazing. It has mahogany coloured furniture, a huge open air courtyard (complete with topiary), a free internet cafe for customers and table service in its coffee shop. Eating there was really quite a pleasant experience (something of a change of gear from the Chelmsley Wood branch).

Other things we've been up to this week include:

A (less than spectacular) visit to a macadamia farm;
A visit to a local indigenous village with which our school has a charitable relationship. A particular highlight was when, halfway through explaining the local traditions and clothing, our guide had to stop to answer her mobile phone;
Watching Antigua FC (who play in the second tier of Guatemalan football) grind out one of the dullest 0-0 draws it has ever been my displeasure to watch. In the second half it seemed that both teams could think of nothing worse than staging an attack on their opponents goal;
Enjoying the Antiguan nightlife with a few of the local beers imaginatively entitled Gallo (cockerel) and Cabro (goat).

We plan on staying in Antigua for two more weeks to further develop our Spanish skills (and enjoy more of those beans). Maybe I can convince Lisa to give Antigua FC a second chance...

30 January 2010 - Loopy borders and impossible conversations

2010-03-03T03:55:00.002Z

It was difficult to tear ourselves away from the beach, but after three nights the road was calling again. A taxi, three buses and an overnight stay later we found ourselves in the mountain town of San Cristobal de las Casas, probably the best example of a Mexican town handling the tourist trade well. Although there are lots of bars, restaurants and local handicraft shops (and a large local artisan's market) the town maintains a distinct local character, helped out by the fact that some Mexicans visit as tourists, not only foreigners. We spent some time exploring the markets, looking in churches and generally breathing in the local atmosphere. The local markets here are on to a winner selling hats, socks, mittens and jumpers to tourists who, having come from warmer climes, are unprepared for the distinctly chilly evenings. Having been in Canada not too long ago the frigid mountain air still felt positively balmy to us - I didn't even need my thermals.

On our final day in San Cristobal we took a tour of the unique indigenous Mayan village of San Juan Chamula. In order to get there we first took a ride in a purple VW beetle (with classic 80's rock pumping on the stereo) and then met our guide, 16 year old Juan, and our trusty steeds for the day - two fairly tired looking horses. This was my first ever riding experience and it wasn't exactly problem free. Namely:

Wooden saddles are very unforgiving indeed;
The old problem of being tall in Mexico arose again as both Lisa and I had our feet grazing the ground (and various rocks and bushes) on uphill sections;
Lisa's horse, Colorado, was not particularly responsive to instructions, frequently getting a little up close and personal with the other horses;
The sun in the mountains is deceptively strong - I ended up a less than delicate shade of pink.

The town itself was interesting - the locals beliefs blend Mayan and Catholic traditions meaning that although the church looks quite ordinary from the outside, inside the floor is covered with green palm fronds and people sacrifice chickens and drink soft drinks in order to burp and release evil spirits. But, as ever with indigenous villages, visiting was not without its problems. Most unfortunate was the feeling of tourists looking at the locals as if it were a zoo - turning up to see the local dress and rituals for the afternoon before heading back to their hotels. The locals seemed to bear this as a necessary evil (as tourists bring much needed cash) but with an understandable lack of pleasure. After whipping round the town for an hour it was back on our horses (including a short ill advised gallop), back in the beetle (more rock classics) and back to the hostel to wile away the rest of the afternoon talking to our parents (Skype really is excellent) and making plans for the trip ahead.

Bright and early the next morning, we boarded our minibus for the Guatemalan border and the next stage of our adventure. If the journey to the border was uneventful, the trip from there onwards was anything but. As we approached the border, the roads were suddenly thick with people and lined with market stalls. We disembarked from our minibus and walked the last few hundred metres in order to cross over in to Guatemala on foot. Unfortunately, our bus driver who was supposed to guide us to the border did not show any consideration for his passengers being laden with large backpacks and went dancing off into the hubbub at speed. In trying to keep pace with him, Lisa, unsighted by backpacks and the crowd, rolled her ankle, managing to grab our fleeing guide in order to break her fall. She hobbled on and we made it to the passport check point in one piece.

My perception of international borders has always been much the same: sterile places with heavy official presences that one just tries to get through with (hopefully) the minimum of fuss. It's safe to say that the border at La Mesilla defied this stereotype. Whilst we waited to have our passports stamped, locals merrily walked backwards and forwards past the barriers without showing any paperwork. People were literally going to Guatemala for a taco and then back to Mexico for an ice cream. It was excellent.

When we finally got moving again (our bus waited for an hour or so for other passengers) we were suddenly plunged into stunning scenery - the road weaved through valleys flanked on either side by unfeasibly steep mountainsides covered in lush green forest. It was exactly as I'd imagined Central America in my mind's eye. After a few more hours of traveling, we rounded a turn in the road and got our first glimpse of our destination - Lago di Atatlan. The lake is located high up in the mountains and on one side is bordered by two impressive volcanoes - it was quite a sight.

Our first night at the lake was spent in Panajachel, a very touristy, but very fun little town. We had arrived on the bus with a British chap called Mike who we went for beer and dinner with that evening. The latter consisted of sitting around a small street stall whose name translated as 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.' This was quite literally the case as we sat around a charcoal grill as two women prepared sausages, chorizo, chicken and pork. Served up with guacamole, tortillas and a carrot side dish (all for the princely sum of 1 pound 50) it was delicious. However, the best part about dinner was listening to Mike conversing (in his fluent Spanish) to the ladies working at the grill and the chap sitting next to us. Lisa was able to follow the conversation and pitch in, but for me it was a case of grabbing what snippets I could understand. The experience only intensified my desire to learn at least some Spanish.

This feeling was multiplied the following morning. Having taken a boat across the lake to the small village of San Marcos La Laguna, Lisa went to look for somewhere to stay whilst I waited with the bags close to the docks. Almost as soon as Lisa was out of sight I was approached by two young girls (who I later learnt to be 12 and 14). They didn't want me to buy anything or to give them money - it was much worse than that - they wanted to chat. The conversation was difficult to say the least (my Spanish vocabulary being limited to around 50 words) but we muddled along somehow helped in no small part by Antonia's (the younger of the two girls) tendency to happily monologue for five or ten minutes at a time. Rarely have I been as relieved as when Lisa arrived back.

We checked into our hotel (a very funky affair - all new age chic and stained glass) and set about relaxing and enjoying the lake - first off though we thought we would explore the village. It was here, more than anywhere else, that the contradiction of the place struck us. On the lake shore were a number of small hotels and hostels similar to ours along with other new age style places offering alternative therapies, meditation, massage and month long spiritual discovery retreats running in time with the lunar cycle. Alongside all of this was an ordinary Guatemalan village complete with avocado trees, coffee bushes and a dusty football field. The locals seemed to view the tourists with a kind of weariness (almost all of the businesses were owned by westerners) as they saw other people coming to their town and making all of the money whilst the best that they could hope for were a few fringe benefits (increased sales on fruit stalls, a job at one of the hotels). This gave the place a feeling of unreality and not necessarily a pleasant one.

It was good therefore to see a local woman castigating one of the western travelers for making an inordinate amount of noise one evening down on the beach. The locals, it seemed, would put up with a certain amount of odd behaviour from visitors, but they had their limits. As for us, we just did our best to enjoy the place (and made a pretty good fist of it) spending our days swinging in hammocks, listening to music and swimming in the lake. From here we leave for Antigua, our base for three weeks of intensive Spanish study - hopefully on my next encounter with a Spanish speaking twelve year old I won't feel such a half-wit.

23 January 2010 - Those Damned Cucarachas...

2010-02-14T20:50:00.003Z

Although Puerto Escondido provided a beautiful beach (an isolated cove down 140 steps from the headland) our accommodation there was not quite as salubrious. At first glance our room seemed excellent, almost like a small apartment with a separate living area, a fridge and our own bathroom. However whilst having a beer in the bar on our first evening, other guests were complaining of cockroaches and other creatures in the ceilings of their rooms. Sure enough, when we turned in for the night, we found that several large cockroaches (about the length of fun size Mars bars) had emerged from the wooden rafters above our bed. Having made our best attempts to deal with them (using bug spray) we then put together our mosquito net in order to prevent ourselves being rudely awakened by falling roaches in the night. What followed was a night of fitful, but thankfully 'roach free sleep.

We toughed it out for one more night (as we had paid up front) and then were very glad to get out of there. We caught a taxi to the small coastal village of San Augustinillo and as soon as we arrived the contrast couldn't have been more pronounced. We secured a nice beach front room looking out onto waves crashing onto a more or less deserted beach. It was a little slice of paradise and a place that felt like it wouldn't stay small and undiscovered for long.

We wiled away two days snoozing in hammocks, sun bathing and playing in the sea and generally having the sort of experience that I'd hoped for when we headed towards the coast. I've never been one for beach holidays, but San Augustinillo definitely brought home why so many people find them appealing.

19 January 2010 - More bus adventures...

2010-02-05T03:44:00.001Z

Just a quick one to note another hair raising bus journey, this time through the mountains that separate Oaxaca from the coast. We drove for six hours on a large minibus and the vast majority of the time was spent on mountain roads perched over some very deep valleys. Add into the mix a bus driver happy to talk on his mobile phone whilst overtaking four vehicles and approaching the brow of a hill, leg room sufficient only for your average Mexican (who is generally smaller than 6' 3") and two hours sitting next to a sleeping old lady who nuzzled into me more at every bend in the road and you have the recipe for quite a fraught journey. We will need some time at the beach to recover.

18 January 2010 - I Don't Like Cricket...

2010-02-03T02:43:00.002Z

Lisa's cold finally cleared up and allowed us to get on the road again to Palenque - the site of another set of Mayan ruins. Whilst the Chichen Itza ruins were impressive, Palenque was much more fun. Huge stone buildings rise from jungle covered mountain slopes and we were more or less free to explore as we chose, which meant lots of climbing of stone pyramids.

On leaving the ruins came the part of the journey that Lisa and I had been viewing with some trepidation for the last few days - the 15 hour night bus to Oaxaca. Despite the frequent stops, very bumpy and twisting roads (on which our driver decided frequent overtaking was necessary) and inspections of the bus by soldiers, I managed to secure a pretty healthy six or seven hours of sleep. Lisa fared less well. The journey for her consisted of a running battle with the portly Mexican gentleman in front who kept trying to recline his seat further and further in spite of the presence of Lisa's knees. I soundly slept through all of this. So it was that we arrived in Oaxaca with me feeling spritely and refreshed enough to keep Lisa from falling asleep in her breakfast.

We are currently on our third day in Oaxaca and are both enjoying it greatly - if there was a Mexican city built for us then this would be it: huge chaotic markets, lots of delicious street food (I had a tomatillo tamale which was incredible), hot chocolate like none I've ever tasted and a general feel of friendly bustle. We decided to be adventurous at the markets and tried some dried crickets (palatable but far from delicious - see picture) and cheese ice cream (not really very nice at all), but it was all fun voyage of discovery.

From here we're heading to the Oaxaca coast for some time at the beach - it's a hard life this traveling lark.

P.S.Last night, we went out to the cinema to see Avatar (which we've long been hunting for in English) and were blown away by the 3D and the incredible way the movie looked. We'd been kicking ourselves for missing it in the States, so it was really nice to have a night at the movies.

12 January 2010 - Beheadings, drownings and a nasty cold

2010-01-25T15:44:00.001Z

Merida was excellent and definitely the rest that we needed - it was nice to have a few days of not doing too much, sleeping late and generally relaxing. We managed to fit in a few sights - we visited the city's anthropological museum and on Friday the site of the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. The latter was particularly impressive as it comprises the ruins of 15 or so large buildings that were used as temples, ancient sports arenas and for other ceremonial purposes. Chichen Itza was made particularly fascinating as it was the site of a large number of human sacrifices both of vanquished military foes and and members of sports teams unfortunate enough to find themselves on the losing side. Sacrifice took the form of beheading or being thrown into the sacred cenote - a large watering hole - to drown. All very grizzly, but very interesting.

We left Merida for Campeche on Sunday planning to stay for a couple of nights before moving on. Campeche is a pretty walled city that served as an excellent place to relax some more by sitting in the sunny zocalo (main square) during the day reading our books, exploring the old ramparts of the city and eating Mexican food in the evenings. Our stay has been extended from our initially planned two nights to four as Lisa is suffering with a terrible cold and hopefully some more rest here will help her recover.

We've also been doing some planning here with the intention of doing some more voluntary work and perhaps a language course as we move further into central America. It seems that our appetite for standard traveling has been tempered a little recently as moving from place to place only staying long enough to see the main sites has become a little repetitive (arrive by bus, find hostel, get map, find supermarket etc, etc) and probably needs to be broken up with a more permanent stay. Our thoughts have frequently turned to our time at Pretty River in Canada and how spending an extended period of time with the same group of people made us really happy - I think that this is what is driving our attempts to have some more extended stays in places.

Thursday 7 January 2010 - Quite a Month...

2010-01-13T19:49:00.005Z

It's been just over a month since my last journal entry and hence we've done a great deal and traveled a long way since I last wrote. We now find ourselves in the Yucatan town of Merida and a jolly long way from Seattle (where I was headed at the end of my last entry). In the intervening weeks we have:

Visited and loved Seattle, staying longer than we had planned uncovering new and excellent things every day such as the Freemont Troll (see picture). We also found a genuine pinball parlour serving cheap beer, sailed across Puget Sound as the sun was setting, saw country/swing/rock and roll threesome Hot Club of Cow Town bust some grooves, watched a Seattle bands showcase and (a personal highlight of mine) ate at a genuine Chili Parlour (see here);
Spent a day searching for locations from the TV series Twin Peaks, humming the theme tune and being generally spooked out by the North West woods and the potential presence of 'Bob' around every corner (if you don't know what this means I recommend that you get hold of the box set);
Been bewildered at the array of Twilight merchandise available in the town of Forks, Washington where the books and movies are set;
Driven the highways of the west coast hugging the shore all the way from Washington state to San Francisco and taking in some beautiful views (and more motel rooms than I ever thought I would stay in);
Spent 6 days in San Francisco (expertly guided by Lisa's friend Tom and his fiancee Christie) including taking in a Lady Gaga concert (at which I felt greatly lacking in flamboyance), visiting Alcatraz and eating some wonderful Mexican food in the Mission district;
Drove from Los Angeles (taking in Venice Beach and Santa Monica) to the barren salt flats of Death Valley which was like a theme park of natural wonders and like nowhere I've ever been before. Everywhere we looked the views were breathtaking that made me feel very small indeed;
Spent three nights of wonderful excess in a suite in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (including taking in a Cirque de Soleil show and rather more frozen margheritas than I would recommend);
Had Christmas (complete with impromptu rucksack based Christmas tree) in an apartment near to Sedona, Arizona. We took walks out into the amazing red rock country on both Christmas and Boxing Day and cooked our first ever Christmas dinner (turkey, beef and all the trimmings) which was a more or less unmitigated success (if I do say myself). We also marveled at the wonder of Skype which allowed us to feel as if we were simultaneously enjoying Christmas in the UK and the US;
Visited the Grand Canyon which was beautiful but incredibly icy and watched a succession of people slipping over (including me);
Saw some very large saguarro cacti in the Sonoran desert;
Spent a very drunken New Year's Eve in San Diego (happy hours right up to midnight are a recipe for disaster).

And now we have found our way south of the border to Mexico for a definite change of pace and what feels like the second leg of our travels - we no longer have rent-a-cars or the comfort of communicating in English (although Lisa's Spanish impresses me daily) but do now have the wonder of excellent food seemingly on every street corner and for the first time in a while, some sunshine.

Having flown into Cancun, we spent one night and then made our way to the city of Merida where we had decided to stay for a week. Having moved around a lot in the past month we really wanted somewhere to call home for a little while and so managed to secure the rental of a small apartment. This gave us a base to relax and do some planning ahead of our Mexican adventure (much as we did in Montreal at the start of our Canadian adventure).

Merida has been very good to us so far (setting aside a brief drama where having locked my passport in the apartment's small safe I was no longer able to unlock it - a locksmith with a hammer and chisel soon resolved the problem). We arrived here on 3 January just in time for the festivities for Dia de los Reyes (or Day of the Kings) on the 5th and 6th. This happens to coincide with the town's birthday and hence causes quite a fiesta. On a trip to the supermarket we stumbled upon part of festivities - music and some pantomime-esque comedy around trestle tables supporting literally hundreds of feet of cake which was both very impressive and, for the nominal fee of of 1 pound per enormous chunk, delicious. That evening we headed for the central square for more celebrations including some traditional Mayan dancing (which was a little like Morris dancing but with better costumes) and then a procession through the streets led by four Mariachi bands each with more than twenty members. The procession concluded with some genuinely impressive fireworks and ended what was, all in all, a thoroughly enjoyable party.

It was all an excellent introduction to Mexico that made me reflect on all that we've seen over the past months in North America. I'll certainly miss the US - there's many things that they do incredibly well (I don't seem to be able to shake my American football fixation for one) - and Canada provided some of the friendliest people I've ever met, but I think that after 21 states and 4 provinces, it's time for pastures new. I can't wait to see what joys central America holds.

Monday 30 November 2009 - The Great Vancouver Dreadlock Battle

2010-01-09T18:22:00.002Z

We arrived in Vancouver at 10pm after our epic bus journey and made our way to our hostel where we had two beds booked in a dormitory. Fortunately, on arrival, due to some odd complexities with the booking system, we were allocated a private room with our own bathroom. Somehow we had booked 4 nights in the cheapest accommodation available and were given 4 nights in the most expensive. We were very happy (since we only had to pay for the cheap beds).

As you may remember, after finishing the Appalachian Trail, I undertook a battle to remove the two big dreadlocks that had naturally formed in my hair following months of neglect (the full of extent of which can be seen to the right).
I had made some slight progress, but it had become increasingly clear that if I wanted them fully removed I would need some professional help (from a hairdresser, not a support group). It just so happens that Vancouver is home to the legendary Knotty Boy Lock Shop - an international authority on all things dreadlocked. I called and agreed to go in for a consultation. The salon is located in the super-trendy Commercial Drive neighbourhood full of coffee shops, book stores and restaurants and I was encouraged that my initial consultation was not as negative as I had feared - they were confident that they could remove the dreads without having to cut my hair off. So the next day I returned for what amounted to a woman pulling my hair for two and a half hours (fairly painfully) but resulted in the removal of one enormous knot from my hair. I have one smaller dreadlock left that Lisa and I are going to work on over the next week.

As for the rest of Vancouver it was really very nice - the city is located on a peninsula and so benefits from lots of coastlines and water views. On Saturday we went for an incredible meal at the Twisted Fork Bistro (courtesy of the lovely people at Pretty River) which included confit duck, cod with chorizo, a caramel biscuity dessert and a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc. Roughing it? Moi?

On Sunday we took in lots of the aforementioned water views from Granville Market and some of the paths around Stanley Park. We saw some excellent totem-poles (the native art in Vancouver is really outstanding - lots of beautiful carving) and then did our first very Christmassy thing - a train ride on a miniature railway lit up with thousands of fairy lights and playing Christmas songs. Very festive.

This morning saw an early start to make our train to Seattle and some initial stress as we cleared passport control (who knew that you needed to pay $6 US to re-enter the States?) but having crossed that obstacle we have now entered Washington state - my 17th state of the trip so far. Looking forward to some good coffee in Seattle.

P.S. A particularly dull aside, but one I can't forget - Vancouver has particularly wonderful tap water - one of the first places to rival the good old Brummagem canal water.

Thursday 26 November 2009 - A bus from Lake Louise to Vancouver

2009-12-03T17:41:00.001Z

Our visit to the Scandinavian spa was initially scuppered by a powercut meaning that as we arrived the staff were starting to tell people to leave the hot pools (which were quickly cooling down). The spa looked incredible and we made sure to plan another day for our visit.

During the weekend after our aborted spa visit, the Inn was inundated with two large parties. Firstly on the Thursday and Friday a group from Mars Canada visited (bringing along a welcome bundle of sweets and chocolates). I went with Paulie (one of the son's of the couple that own the Inn) to take the eight Martians (as they call themselves) on a guided hike of the Bruce Trail and caves (which went surprisingly well). Once the Mars group left, there was a quick turn around as a large (20+) 80th birthday party arrived on Friday evening. Accompanied by a set of screaming triplets, the party was a big challenge, but lots of pre-planning on the behalf of Linda and Paul made it go off without a hitch. In fact, the bakers made the birthday cake twice as big as it should have been resulting in lots of wonderful left overs for us. Yum yum.

The week following was much more relaxed with just a few guests each day and Lisa and I went about our usual chores (by now we were getting to know the personalities of the horses quite well) until Tuesday 17 October when we went for our second attempt at visiting the spa. It was truly amazing and amongst the most relaxing things I've ever done. The spa was composed of a series of steaming outdoor pools, cold plunge pools and log buildings housing a sauna, steam room and relaxation areas all built amongst the trees (you can see more about it here). The routine suggested for visitors is hot-cold-relax which means going in one of the hot pools or steam room / sauna then into one of the plunge pools (the first of which was a little colder than we had expected) and finally either relaxing indoors or outside by open log fires. We repeated the process five or six times and left feeling wonderfully mellow. To complete the day we went into Collingwood for an Indian meal and then met up with Linda, her neighbour Connie and Manu to a watch a movie - 2012. There's no better way to round off a day of relaxation than with some hardcore disaster and destruction.

The remainder of our time at the Inn went along quickly and before we knew it were saying our final goodbyes to the gang. It was particularly sad to say farewell to Libby and Manu as we'd forged quite a friendship (based in no small part on our quiz winning feats). We'd both felt very comfortable at the Inn and felt thoroughly at home, but often that is a sign it's time to move on and start mixing things up again. Linda kindly dropped us at the airport and sent us on our way.

Our 4 hour flight to Calgrary was surprisingly pleasent - the plane had live satellite TV so I watched an ice hockey game as we jetted across country (although agonisingly the plane landed as just as a penalty shootout was beginning). Mac met us at the airport in a friend's car that he had borrowed because, as we soon learned, shortly after seeing us in Ottawa, he had rolled his car and written it off - winter driving conditions in Canada can be very treacherous indeed. He drove us up to the resort town of Lake Lousie where he has been living and working for the past two years. Since we arrived in darkness, we really didn't have any idea of the scenery thay surrounded us until the following morning - it was stunning. Huge snow-covered mountains form a bowl around the lake at the head of which sits the hotel that Mac works in. It was like some sort of chocolate box winter wonderland with snow covered pine trees everywhere and icicles hanging from every building.

We spent the first day hanging out and relaxing whilst drinking a few beers and watching American football (for which I am developing an increasing obsession) and in the evening went out to watch some surprisingly good comedy in one of the pubs in the resort. The lifestyle in the town for employees reminded me a little of being at university with lots of young people living in close proximinty and flitting in and out of each other apartments. Over the next couple of days we engaged in some wintery pursuits firstly visiting Johnson's canyon (complete with incredible frozen waterfalls and treacherous frozen walkways) and then renting some snowshoes and heading out on the packed snow of a local circuit trail (which was deceptively tiring). We were, however, discouraged from attempting snowboarding or skiing by the bewildering array of injured people coming down from the slopes each day. Mac's girlfriend Jo was nursing a broken wrist and during our 4 day stay, two other friends suffered a dislocated shoulder and a broken collar bone respectively. It seemed that half of the hotel employees must be walking around in slings or casts.

Mac was an excellent host even somehow managing to secure a second apartment so that Lisa and I could have a room to ourselves as well as cooking us lots of meals and hooking us up with snazzy cocktails in the very swanky lounge of the super swanky hotel (see here). What a guy. We managed to squeeze in some discussion of our best man duties too - I'm confident we'll be excellent.

As ever with this trip though, we had to roll on and so it is that we are now on a 13 hour bus journey from Lake Louise to Vancouver, our final stop in Canada.

Tuesday 10 November 2009 - Pretty River Valley Country Inn, nr Colingwood, Ontario

2009-11-18T23:39:00.000Z

... And what an impact we had! Heading into the last round, we were firmly in last position which was hardly surprising as this was a Canadian 1980s themed quiz. We didn't have a Canadian in our team, and we were all young children in the '80s (which made the sports round which was all about ice hockey and baseball particularly tough). Fortunately the final round of the quiz allowed teams to gamble some of their points on a final question with the team that got closest to a perfect answer doubling their gambled points. Since we were in last place we had nothing to lose and gambled everything. Then came the final question 'What are the full names of the four Ghostbusters? (character names not actor names)'. My face lit up, I scribbled down the names Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Ray Stanz and Winston Zeddemore and since no-one else in the room knew the answer, it came to pass that a team made up of three Brits and a Frenchman won the pub quiz at the Admiral's Rest in Collingwood, Ontario (and took home the $70 prize). I'm certain the story will pass into local folklore.

Since that euphoria, life at the Inn has continued as usual but as always there is lots of interesting variation in the work that we have been doing. Since the last entry we have worked on making outdoor Christmas decorations, cooking up some apple and lavender jelly, helping cleaning the rooms at the Inn (which are very swanky indeed) and cutting back the garden ready for winter. This morning we helped with the particularly tricky task of convincing the farm's three pigs to get into the horse trailer for their trip to the abattoir (or the piggy holiday camp as it's euphemistically known around here). It was a job that required eight people and at times resembled a game of American football played played between pigs and humans in knee deep mud. In the end, inevitably, the humans were victorious.

Yesterday I went for a short hike on Ontario's equivalent of the Appalachian Trail, the 500 mile Bruce Trail. It was nice to be back hiking again (and following white blazes) and we walked through quiet forests stripped of leaves (much like those at the start of my AT hike) and then down into some impressive caves. Tomorrow we are in for a special treat - a trip to the local Scandinavian spa - lots of outdoor hot pools and log cabins await!

Wednesday 4 November 2009 - Pretty River Valley Country Inn, nr Collingwood, Ontario

2009-11-14T22:45:00.002Z

Toronto was a lot of fun, it had much the same liberal spirit as Montreal. We stayed at one of the most outstanding hostels I've ever visited - the Clarence Castle. Located right in the heart of downtown Toronto, it was newly renovated with flat screen TVs and very plush communal areas (which just about made up for the very loud snoring in our dorm room).

We spent a day walking around Toronto taking in the atmosphere in the different neighbourhoods (including the wonderfully named Cabbagetown) before taking a day trip to Niagara Falls on Wed 28 October. Our morning started a little frenetically as I slept through my alarm meaning that we had 40 minutes to make it from our beds to the train. Fortunately a quick sprint through the rush hour packed streets of Toronto meant that we made it on time. Niagara exceeded my expectations by some distance. I had repeatedly been warned that it was a tourist trap and had imagined something like a north American equivalent of Blackpool (albeit with a big old waterfall). As we arrived in the area close to the Falls, it seemed that these preconceptions were going to prove true - the streets were lined with video game arcades and gaudy tourist attractions. However, once we approached the riverside, the tackiness faded away and was replaced by a pretty spectacular natural phenomenon as two separate falls (the American and Horseshoe falls) pound water down into the large river basin. We paid to enter the 'Journey Behind the Falls' attraction which was worthwhile as it allowed us to get close to the base of the falls and see the raw power of all that water.

For our final day in Toronto, we had a mission - Lisa and I had decided to buy ourselves a small laptop. Having been repeatedly frustrated by the limits of available internet terminals at libraries and hostels we reached the conclusion that our own little PC would make life considerably easier and so we took the plunge (on the Samsung N110 to anyone interested). After trips to several computer shops, a lengthy phone call, a train journey and a bus ride, we secured the little beauty. That evening we celebrated our purchase by tracking down a genuine fish and chip shop (like real Brits abroad) that demonstrated it authenticity by serving some outstanding mushy peas (although there was a distinct lack of battered sausages and Pukka pies).

The next day took us towards the next part of our adventure - and something quite different to our travels so far - our first experience of WWOOFing (see here for more details). During our time in Montreal, Lisa did some internet research into some alternative ways that we could spend some of our travelling time. She came up with the idea of volunteering as a worker on an organic farm in return for our room and board. We contacted several potential hosts and settled on spending three weeks at the Pretty River Valley Country Inn near the town of Collingwood, a couple of hours north of Toronto (you can see the website here). We figured this would give us some substantial time in one place and also provide an opportunity to get off the well trodden backpacker trail from one Canadian city to another.

We have now been at Pretty River for 6 days and are having a blast. Linda and Paul, our hosts, have been very welcoming and it's like Lisa and I are members of the family. Tasks that we've got involved with so far include:

Feeding the animals (horses, reindeer, pigs and chickens);
Picking apples in the orchard;
Digging out overgrown plants and replacing them with new shrubs;
Building fences and hanging gates as part of a new horse enclosure.

Last night we went for a group trip to the cinema with Linda and Emanuel (another WWOOF volunteer, from France) and tonight we are going to try to take control of the pub quiz in Collingwood. We'll see if we can make an impact...

Photos

2009-11-11T23:08:00.003Z

For anyone who hasn't seen my Appalachian Trail photos, they are available online at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=117126&id=722472306&l=616d0ff5bf

For other photos from our trip, see the links to Lisa's blog at the very bottom of this page which includes link to many more beautiful crafted photo albums.

Monday 26 October 2009 - A bus from Ottawa to Toronto

2009-11-07T03:19:00.001Z

For all of those people back home who have said that they are jealous of what Lisa and I are doing on this trip, take comfort from Exhibit A: Friday 16 October 2009. We awoke in the town of Augusta, Maine having driven down from Bar Harbour the previous evening. Our itinerary for the day was as follows:

Drive from Augusta to Portland Airport to switch one rental car for another (because of some complications with our original booking);
Drive from Portland to Burlington, Vermont to drop off the car at the airport;
Take a taxi from the airport to the bus station to meet the 3:00pm bus to Montreal;
Arrive in Montreal and check in to the apartment we had reserved for the week.

The day started badly when, as we were leaving Augusta, we realised that the drive to Burlington was more like four a half hours rather than the three we had allotted. This meant that our times were very tight. I drove to the airport where we switched over the cars (at speed) and drove on to Burlington. The drive was very stressful as we knew that making or missing the bus was going to be decided by only a few minutes either way. We dropped off our second car of the day at Burlington airport and hastily got a taxi. "How long is the drive to the bus station?" we hurriedly asked. "20 to 25 minutes came the response" - we had only 15 minutes until the bus departed. I felt like Jack Bauer in a particularly dull and stressful episode of 24. The taxi driver using all of his years of experience took us on a labyrinthine route and somehow delivered us to the bus station in all of 12 minutes. Inevitably after all of that stress, the bus was half an hour late, but at least we were on our way to Montreal.

Unfortunately as the journey had been progressing towards Burlington, our accommodation situation had been deteriorating. During our time in Winston-Salem I had found an advert online for a perfect looking Montreal apartment and had contacted the owners about renting it for the week. We had confirmed that we wanted to stay and spoken to them numerous times on the telephone. We agreed to send them a deposit of $115 to secure the reservation. As the date approached for our rental the contact with the owners went dead. They were not responding to our emails and the phone number which we had previously been able to contact them on came back unavailable. As I continued to try the number during the drive to Burlington it became increasingly apparent that the owner of apartment (if indeed any real apartment existed), one Akko van Aelst, had conned us into parting with our money. Despite our growing unease at our accommodation situation we both agreed that we could not be certain that this had been a fraud until we stood on the doorstep of the address we had been given (4321 Christophe Colomb).

Our bus arrived in Montreal and we took the metro to the address where we found no lights on and no-one home. After an hour or so of waiting (and some valiant attempts at detective work by Lisa, knocking doors and interviewing neighbours) it became clear that we had been diddled. We were stood on a dark suburban street in Montreal at 8 at night having driven for more than 6 hours (plus a two hour bus journey) and we now had nowhere to sleep. The pressure and calamity of the situation got to both of us - Lisa had a bit of a sob and I was upset and frustrated. Although we were dejected, we were not beaten. I used my cell phone to get the number of a hostel in Montreal and within 20 minutes we had secured a bed for the night. We arrived at the hostel and I was ready to eat something and turn in for the night, putting off any planning until the next day. Lisa was having none of this and instead suggested we got on the internet to identify another apartment for us to stay in for the week. We had planned Montreal as a special week for the two of us, where I would show Lisa some of my old haunts from my time there in 2002, and she wasn't giving up on that idea easily.

We went online and within the hour Lisa had identified an apartment, contacted the owner and secured us a place to stay for the coming week. It felt like a football team finding themselves 3-0 down with ten minutes to go and coming back to earn a hard fought 3-3 draw. When we arrived at the apartment the next morning, the 3-3 draw became a stunning 4-3 victory. It was owned by a designer who had renovated it himself and was huge with wooden floors throughout, a huge walk-in closet in the bedroom, a study and dining room (in addition to a very generous kitchen and living room) and a wet room shower. There was even an internet ready computer, a movie projector and satellite television. It was awesome.

With our accommodation finally sorted for the week (and how!) we were free to enjoy Montreal, and enjoy it we did. Highlights included:

Attending a storytelling evening on the theme of love and sex as part of the Quebec-wide international storytelling festival;
Visiting the botanical gardens' stunning Chinese lantern festival including hundreds of incredibly intricate illuminations;
Eating the Montreal classics - poutine (chips with cheese and gravy) and Schwarz's smoked meat (unbelievable as ever);
Watching the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team batter the New York Islanders 5-1;
Seeing some seriously huge bugs at the Insectarium;
Watching two movies - Where the Wild Things Are (Lisa loved, I was luke warm) and A Serious Man (both of us enjoyed but found a little slow and very odd);
Visiting Old Montreal and our second pirate museum of the trip so far.

More than anything though, we relaxed in our apartment made lots of plans (and some delicious meals) and recharged our batteries for the push west across Canada. Montreal was fantastic - it remains one of my favourite cities in the world - so it was with a heavy heart that we left our beautiful apartment and boarded a bus for Ottawa on the the afternoon of Saturday 24 October.

I think that Ottawa exceeded both of our expectations. It was a compact handsome city that reminded both of us of Edinburgh. As part of making plans for the next stage of our trip I called my friend Mac to make arrangements to stay with him in November when we arrive in Alberta. I knew that he was travelling but was shocked and delighted to that when I called he told me that he too was in Ottawa. So, after another visit to the cinema (Cairo Time - a distinctly average Canadian movie) Lisa and I met up with him for a few beers. Having not seen him for close to a year, it was great to catch up, plan our trip to see him and, most importantly, begin to plan our joint best man's speech for the upcoming and much anticipated Godwin-Simms wedding. Beware Mr Godwin, beware. Really looking forward to seeing Mac again in a few weeks time.

Next morning it was time to pack our bags and hit the road again, which is where you find me now - on a 5 hour bus journey to Toronto next to a sleeping Lisa Richardson (hence this epic journal entry).

Thursday 15 October 2009 - Bar Harbour, Maine

2009-10-22T17:34:00.003+01:00

Our opinions on Nantucket were echoed during our visit to the mainland of Cape Cod - more perfectly groomed and uninspiring houses and dull touristy towns - until we reached the northern-most point of the Cape, Provincetown. P-Town (as it's known locally) is markedly different form any of the other Cape Cod towns in that it is a hotbed for local culture and arts and is openly (and frequently flamboyantly) gay. Taking place during our visit was the annual leather festival which was demonstrated by large numbers of men walking the streets in tight (and often ill-fitting) motorcycle leathers. Quite a sight. The town was excellent and, considering the town's small size and that our visit was out of season, there was an awful lot going on (in addition to the leather based activities).
From P-Town we travelled back through Massachusetts to Boston stopping off to visit a cranberry farm during harvest time and Plymouth - the site where the Pilgrims landed in 1620. Although the trip to Plymouth was largely stymied by the awful weather, it didn't affect our enjoyment of the cranberries. Harvesting the berries (which go straight into the Ocean Spray drinks we get in England) is quite a spectacular process as the bogs in which they grow are flooded causing the berries to float to the surface. The resulting sea of red berries is quite a spectacle and one of the iconic images of New England in the fall.
Our 3 nights in Boston were punctuated by lots of walking around the city looking at historical sights and (at Lisa's insistence) important locations from Ally McBeal. I wish that I had read more of Boston's history before visiting (I am only now reading a history of the war of independence) as it so much informs and pervades the city.
One highlight of our visit was on Sunday 4 October when Monkey Wrench, fresh from completing his hike of the Appalachian Trail in late September, came out to Boston to meet Lisa and I for lunch. It was excellent to see him and his wife Jodi again and hear his tales of finishing the AT (after initially having to get off in New Hampshire with knee problems).
From Boston we took a day trip to Salem, Massachusetts (not to be confused with Old Salem, North Carolina where Lisa lived). Salem was the site of the witch trials in the 17th Century in which more than 20 people were executed as witches as hysteria gripped the town. The modern town of Salem was pretty grim - there is a witch museum (that we visited) that tells a basic story of trials and crudely attempts to set them in a historical context. This museum is accompanied by a myriad of other tourist attractions about the more macabre and Gothic side of witchcraft (compounded by our visit taking place on the approach to Halloween). This caused me to get very self-righteous and indignant - it seemed to me horribly distasteful to create such a grotty tourist attraction on the back of what was one of the more shameful moments of early American history. As I was in the midst of my grump, Lisa noticed that all of the actual historical sights associated with the witch trials (such as the town hall, church and the houses of the protagonists) were not in old Salem at all, but in the nearby village of Danvers. So, in the afternoon we drove out of Salem to look at the genuine historical sites. This was a much more gratifying experience as the buildings are simply part of a pretty New England suburban neighbourhood without tourist bell and whistles. A small monument brings home how this was an event that took place in a sleepy community, not against the backdrop of Gothic music and spooky lighting.
Danvers also gave us a taste of what was to come as the towns showed the first signs of the fall colours that we went in search of over the next few days. Driving across to Vermont and first through the Green Mountains and then into New Hampshire and the White Mountains provided some truly spectacular views that vastly exceeded my expectations. Whole hillsides covered in reds and oranges and rural highways where trees of bright yellow surround the road meant that turning every corner brought something new. If Lisa's camera was busy in Charleston, here it went into overdrive! Vermont also allowed me to stand on the Appalachian Trail again for the first time since completing my hike. Although this doesn't seem a big deal, it felt surprisingly profound as it brought home to me the magnitude of my adventure.
Even more memories of the trail were invoked when the following weekend we drove to the Maine coast to stay with Peggy and Paul who I had hiked with off and on until Waynesboro, Virginia (about 800 miles into the Trail). We stayed with them in their new apartment, a 2 minute walk from a beautiful beach. The weekend was excellent as we visited the local tourist attractions (including the Bush family's summer house) and caught up on what had happened since we last saw each other. On Saturday night we went out to a local brewery to meet Beccy and Matt (Spitfire and No Toys) who I hadn't seen since Erwin, Tennessee - it was amazing all being together again and hopefully the start of some long friendships off the trail.
We were sad to leave Peg and Paul, but on Sunday we got in our car (a Toyota Yaris - it looks like a go-kart compared to some of the huge pickups on the highway) and began our journey north along the Maine coast. We spent a day in the pretty fishing village of Camden and then pushed on to Bar Harbour and Acadia National Park.
Acadia is located on an island just separated form the coast and is made up of sharp jutting mountains and forests which run right to the edge of the rocky coastline. Lisa and I drove around the park and took a hike up the Beehive - a very steep expanse of rock that commands amazing views of the coastline. It was beautiful and somewhere I'd like to return to in order to explore the network of hiking trails that criss-cross the island.
Also in Bar Harbour we had the ultimate Maine culinary experience - lobster. I found it delicious, but a surprisingly savage process. Tearing apart a whole lobster leaves you under no illusions that this little fella was happily swimming in the ocean until a few days ago. I enjoyed it, but it was a little fiddly (I really prefer my food to be shovel-able).
From here we leave to cross our first border and enjoy more culinary delights - onwards to poutine and smoked meat, onwards to maple syrup, onwards... to Canada!

Monday 28 September 2009 - A bus from Providence, RI to Hyannis, MA

2009-10-01T18:35:00.002+01:00

Have just concluded an excellent week in Providence staying with Regan and are currently on our way to Cape Cod and our ferry to Nantucket. We got up to lots of adventures in Providence including (but not limited to):

Attending a shockingly poor acoustic open-mic night where two acts performed equally dreadful versions of 'Living in a land down under';
Seeing an excellent, mustachioed six piece band called Tallahassee playing bluegrassy rock with an ex New England Patriots American Football player as a lead singer;
Eating out in Providence's Federal Hill neighbourhood which is so Italian-American it felt like eating in a scene from Goodfellas;
Watching a movie about the campaign to elect Ron Paul to the presidency in 2008 - the first time I've encountered spontaneous applause in a cinema;
Enjoying one of the oddest days of my life by attending a carnivorous plants show and then taking my first ever waltz lesson;
Witnessing first hand just how bad Rhode Island drivers are including seeing a crash happen on the highway and a lorry driver reversing into a tree outside Regan's house (knocking it to a 45 degree angle).

As well as this Lisa and I met lots of Regan's friends as they all came over for pizza on Saturday afternoon. Am sad to be leaving Providence but excited to be on the road again. Cape Cod here we come...

Tuesday 22 September 2009 - Providence, Rhode Island

2009-09-22T17:09:00.002+01:00

We've left North Carolina now for our first stop in New England- Providence, Rhode Island. We are staying with Lisa's best friend Regan who is a biologist at Brown University. However, before thinking about what awaits us in the North Eastern United States (and beyond), it's worth mentioning what we got up to in our last weeks in Winston-Salem.
Firstly there was my first taste of college American football with a game between local Wake Forest and Stanford Universities. Lisa's friend Ryan got us some tickets for the game and made sure that we sat with the students (rather than with the regular fans) as this is where all the singing and general rambunctiousness goes on. The game was really quite good with Wake Forest staging a big comeback in the second half to win 24-17.
Entertaining as this was, it was merely a precursor to our leisure activity the following weekend. It should be recorded for posterity that, on Saturday 19 September 2009, Richard Waggott attended his first ever chili championship. Frankly, it was wonderful. There were about 40 vendors giving out samples of their chili hoping for votes for the people's choice award. I'd really started to think that my chili was good but now realise just how much work there is to do - these people were serious. There were smoky chilis, beef only chilis (i.e. no beans), chilis with a hint of cinnamon and fennel and all manner of other varieties. I felt that my status as a chili expert was borne out somewhat as the vendor I selected as the best was duly awarded the people's choice award. The day was rounded off with some country music and Lisa, Janet (Lisa's friend from work) and I went home very happy indeed.
After some frantic packing (and a rather expensive visit to the post office to send things back to the UK) Lisa and I boarded our plane to Providence on Monday (21st), We plan to stay here for a week relaxing with Regan before kicking on with the rest of our trip.

Thursday 10 September 2009 – Winston Salem, North Carolina

2009-09-10T21:26:00.002+01:00

The dreadlock battle is ongoing, but slowly but surely, I think I am winning.
I’ve been up to lots of interesting things in the 10 days since the last entry. Firstly, I’ve been helping out Lisa with her work with the Office of the Capital Defender (the office that deals with all cases in the area that might carry the death penalty). As part of this we went to an exoneration hearing last week where a guy was let out of jail after serving 14 years for a crime that he didn’t commit. We went to the jailhouse to see the moment he was set free prompting lots of hugs and tears from his family and something of a media circus outside (as much as Winston-Salem ever generates a media circus). We also went along to a press conference where a group of local religious and community leaders called for the resignation of the District Attorney because of some unfortunate comments he made in a local newspaper about why black people are more likely to be convicted of crimes than white people. Life has been like living in a very slow paced episode of ‘The Wire.’
Away from the justice system, Lisa and I have just returned to Winston- Salem from a long weekend in Savannah and Charleston. Both are beautiful cities with lots of amazing architecture. Lisa’s camera has never worked so hard. The highlight of the weekend was a BBQ and bluegrass festival that we went to on an old plantation just outside Charleston. The food was excellent (very good ribs), but the music was the real star – rush out post haste and purchase anything by the Carolina Chocolate Drops, they rocked my banjo-pickin’, hoe-downin’ world.
We’re in for more treats over the next couple of weeks – this weekend we are heading to a college American football game, and then next weekend is the North Carolina Chilli Championship right here in Winston Salem. I’ll be going along with a notebook to poach ideas.

Monday 31 August 2009 – Winston Salem, North Carolina

2009-09-10T21:26:00.001+01:00

Since the last entry a whole host of things have taken place – I crossed the 2,000 mile marker, spent the night in my final trail town (Monson), hiked through the ‘100 mile wilderness’ and most importantly, on Monday 24 August 2009, climbed Mount Katahdin and completed my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
In total the hike took me 159 days to complete including 26 days where I did not hike (largely made up of 5 days off with shin splints, 10 days in Washington and 5 in Burlington). My longest day was on the 12 July when I covered 27.6 miles concluding my longest week on the trail of 159.9 miles. I carried my pack for the entire 2,178.3 miles of the trail and did not miss any section, always returning to the trail from the point at which I had left it. I can now officially call myself a thru-hiker and a member of the class of ’09.
The final miles of the trail were an unusual experience – I experienced a number of conflicting emotions: happiness at being near the end, anxiety at the prospect of picking up an injury in the home straight (particularly as I seemed to grow more accident prone the closer I came to Katahdin), restlessness as wanting to be finished and sadness at knowing that once I’d finished I would no longer be part of the thru-hiker community.
The final day on Katahdin however was wonderful. It is a tough, technical climb, but one that is a lot of fun and gives some fantastic views. The experience at the summit with David, Rolling Stone, Freeze and Motor was excellent as we took lots of photos to ensure we had our perfect ‘summit picture.’ As if completing that trail weren’t enough I got just enough cell phone signal on the summit to receive a text message from Lisa telling me that England had won the 5th Test at the Oval and reclaimed the Ashes. What a day.
That evening we went into Millinocket (after some shenanigans with our ride getting a flat tyre) for a day of relaxing (and celebrating) before moving on to Bangor and my flight, first to Philadelphia and then on to Greensboro, North Carolina to meet Lisa.
I am now sitting in the Office of the Capital Defender in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where Lisa is doing her internship. The last few days in Winston-Salem have been nice (being back with Lisa is wonderful) but my body has started to react a little peculiarly to normal life – my legs ache and my stomach has started to cramp in the last two days – hopefully that will sort itself out soon. I also still wake up every morning thinking that I need to go hiking.I’ve trimmed back the beard a little for my return to polite society, but it’s still very much a woodsman’s beard. My current project is trying to untangle the enormous dreadlocks that have formed in my hair over the past few months – it’s a time consuming and painful business.

Thursday 13 August 2009 – Stratton, Maine

2009-09-10T21:25:00.002+01:00

Have just spoken to Lisa and booked my flights down to North Carolina on 27 August – seems very final to be thinking about plans for the end of the trip, but it’s part of the reality of closing in on Mt Katahdin. Am in my second to last town – they’re getting smaller and smaller as we get further into rural Maine.

Monday 10 August 2009 – Bemis Mountain Lean To

2009-09-10T21:25:00.001+01:00

Crossed my final state line on Saturday and moved into Maine and the last 280 miles of the trail. Since then I’ve walked what is purportedly ‘the toughest mile on the A.T.’ through Mahoosuc Notch. The Notch is a valley floor crammed with lost of huge boulders that you have to scramble and climb over and under – it was tiring, but fantastic fun – the mile took me just over an hour to complete. That evening I had the welcome pleasure of having dinner with a boy-scout troop who had cooked spaghetti with sun-dried tomatoes and pepperoni, decidedly nicer than the noodles that I’d planned to eat.
Earlier today I was reunited with Rolling Stone, David, Motor and Freeze, and just before entering camp this evening, David called to me and Stone to be quiet – there was a moose grazing near to the trail. It was an awesome, trip completing sight – the moose was huge; at least as tall as a camel and much more imposing. Really, very impressive indeed.Still some tough miles to come though…

Tuesday 6 August 2009 – Gorham, New Hampshire

2009-09-10T21:24:00.002+01:00

Am more or less done with the Whites now – they were very tough indeed. All of the downhills made my knees (and everybody elses) really ache. However we were fortunate enough to have a beautiful day on Mt Washington and some incredible views (apart from the crowded summit complete with car park and snack bar). My feelings towards the hut system softened a little as I moved through them – some of the staff were really friendly and we had some good times. I was even asked to give a presentation to a group of boy scouts on my thru-hiking experience as my work for stay at one hut. My favourite question in the Q&A afterwards was a little boy who asked ‘what do you get more of: up-hills or down-hills?’ Ermm….
Am staying tonight in a motel with Wags, Gangsta, Plunger and Mr Right – it’s been fun travelling with them for the past few days. Still have some very tough terrain to come across the border in southern Maine, but I’m slowly getting there.

Sunday 2 August 2009 – Galehead Hut

2009-09-10T21:24:00.001+01:00

The hiking the last couple of days has been very tough – the Whites have some huge up and downs (as well as some incredible scenery) and the terrain is very rocky and muddy. The peculiar thing about the Whites is that the shelters where I usually sleep and that are free to stay in on the remainder of the trail, here charge $8 a night for the privilege. There is however, the option of working for stay at one of the 8 huts maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club. These huts accommodate between 30 and 50 people and charge around $80-$100 per night to stay. The work for stay arrangement entitles thru-hikers to eat the leftovers at dinner and breakfast and sleep on the floor in return for the completion of some chores. The problem is that this creates a very distinct sense that thru-hikers are second-class citizens – I’m currently sitting writing this tucked away in a corner as all of the other guests are tucking into a hearty dinner. It’s something akin to Chinese water torture.
I’ve had to reduce my mileage from those that I was doing through Massachusetts and Vermont but am still managing to do around 15 miles a day. Still got a lot of climbing to go in the Whites including the Presidential range and Mt Washington – the second highest peak on the trail.

Friday 31 July 2009 – Beaver Brook Shelter

2009-09-10T21:23:00.000+01:00

Have been back on the trail now for three days after seeing Lisa and am well back into the A.T. life. The break was fantastic though – it was wonderful to see Lisa and we had a great time exploring Burlington and northern Vermont as well as gorging ourselves at the Ben & Jerry’s factory. It was very hard to say goodbye, but I am glad that the next time that I see her, I won’t have to disappear into the woods again.The days on the trail since getting back on have been a little more interesting than usual. There has been an awful lot of rain, which has meant that rivers that would usually be easily fordable have been a little more challenging – on more than one occasion I’ve had water up to my thighs. Today I climbed Mount Moosilauke the first of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, supposedly the toughest part of the trail. The next few days should be very interesting…

Wednesday 22 July 2009 - Thistle Hill Shelter

2009-07-24T16:15:00.002+01:00

I caught up with David and Rolling Stone a couple of days ago having not seen them since before my break in Washington D.C. I hiked with them for a few days which included a stay at the 'Inn at the Long Trail' for a few beers. Since we are in the heart of ski country in Vermont, we visited one of the ski resorts to ride the alpine slide which they have open in the summertime. It was like a bobsleigh track that you ride on a wheeled sled. It was fun, but I couldn't help worrying about falling out and injuring myself.
I have just 15 miles to go now until Hanover where I will meet Lisa on Friday. It will be fantastic to see her and will also be good to rest for a few days as my body has taken some punishment recently. In the 39 days since getting back on the trail after D.C. I've hiked more than 700 miles.

Wednesday 15 July 2009 - Congdon Shelter

2009-07-24T16:12:00.002+01:00

Moved out of Massachusetts today and into Vermont, one of the last three states on the trail. Resupplied at a grocery store and bought way too much food, but in honour of entering Vermont I bought a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream which I ate sitting on the pavement outside the store. Getting closer to Hanover, New Hampshire and my break with Lisa - really, really looking forward to it - it's nice to have a target to aim for other than Katahdin.

Monday 13 July 2009 - Dalton, Massachusetts

2009-07-13T21:43:00.003+01:00

Having my first day off for a while at Tom Levardi's house in Dalton, Massachusetts - it's another example of incredible hospitality. He fed me and a group of others last night when I came in from hiking and let me stay at his house and take a shower. Then this morning he took 5 of us to the local mall so that we could watch a movie. I watched Transformers which was noisy and stupid, but surprisingly enjoyable.
Apologies for the lack of journal entries recently - I've been doing some serious miles and not really stopping - in fact yesterday I did my longest day of the entire trip. Will try to be better in the coming weeks.

Saturday 11 July 2009 - Camping (no shelter)

2009-07-13T21:38:00.003+01:00

Am camped alone for the first time in a long time this evening as Greenlite, the guy that I have been hiking with for the past couple of days, still had some miles in his legs when I decided to call it a day. Have camped in some strange places the last two nights - yesterday we were on some waste ground behind a garden centre and the evening before that we were in the woods behind an old people's home. Was good though as it allowed us to do exactly the mileages that we wanted.
Went for my first swim on the trail today. We came to a lake that was too good to pass up. It felt incredible to be in the cool water and swim around. Unfortunately this evenings tent spot isn't quite so pleasant - it seems to be mosquito central. I'm just thankful that they can't get through my tent's bug net.
Am piling on the mile and I passed the 1,500 mile mark yesterday.

Monday 6 July 2009 - RPH Shelter

2009-07-13T21:34:00.002+01:00

Am well into New York now, in fact I only have two days left here until I leave for Connecticut. Am making good miles and averaging around 20 miles a day. Just had some great trail magic from a family who brought me birthday cake and ice cream - they also brought along their huge pet parrot Simon to the shelter where they met me. Feeling pretty positive about the trail at the moment and am starting to focus on my next big milestone: seeing Lisa again in Hanover, New Hampshire in just over 300 miles time. Can't wait.

Friday 3 July 2009 - Camping on the New York/New Jersey border

2009-07-13T21:28:00.004+01:00

Have just crossed into New York state and am camping just across the border having finished with New Jersey today. Had an amazing night last night in Unionville where I, along with about 20 other hikers, stayed with at the house of the former mayor Dick Ludwick. He fed us dinner and breakfast and let us have beers at 25 cents a piece. His hospitality was incredible and as well as feeding us and letting us take showers and do laundry, he also tried to provide us with some motivational material for the rest of our hike. Oddly this came in the form of watching a video of opera singer Paul Potts' winning performance from Britain's Got Talent. It was strange sitting in a room full of Americans listening to Ant and Dec doing their presenting. Although strange, I think I got what Dick was trying to tell us - a message about ordinary people doing extraordinary things (or something similar). It was an excellent place to stay.
Onwards into New York!

Monday 29 June 2009 - Church of the Mountain Hostel, Delaware Water Gap

2009-07-08T19:39:00.002+01:00

Have had a couple of shorter days recently after a day off in Palmerton and am now having a night in town following a 15 mile day. Unfortunately my new hiking shoes that I bought in Washington DC have started to fall to pieces having done less than 300 miles. I'm currently waiting on the store in DC returning my call to see if they will ship me a new pair to the next town - I'm not desperately hopeful. Also one of the hotels that Lisa and I stayed at in DC charged my credit card twice so I'm also trying to chase them up. Now I remember why I came on the A.T. - town life is stressful!

P.S. Passed the 1,250 mark a couple of days ago.

Wednesday 24 June 2009 - Eagle's Nest Shelter

2009-06-27T17:13:00.002+01:00

Had a bit of a scare whilst in Duncannon on Sunday - I noticed a large red bullseye type welt on my lower back, the tell-tale sign of Lyme's disease caused by the bite of a deer tick. Saw a doctor who prescribed the relevant antibiotics, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Have been hiking with Monkey Wrench for the past few days which has been great although the rocky trail in Pennsylvania is starting to take its toll on my feet.
Saw my first rattlesnake yesterday - a huge thing curled up at the side of the trail - a little scary!

Friday 19 June 2009 - Alec Kennedy Shelter

2009-06-27T17:09:00.002+01:00

Did the half gallon challenge no problem - half a gallon of Cherry Jubilee ice cream polished off in just over 30 minutes. I then also managed to hike 15 miles after eating eat (to make a 25 mile day).
Am very tired now though so will leave it there for now... oh I'm halfway on the trail now too - just less than 1,100 miles to Kathadin.

Thursday 18 June 2009 - Birch Run Shelter

2009-06-27T17:06:00.002+01:00

19.6 miles today and feeling pretty good. Strangely I seem to have dropped into an area of trail bereft of thru-hikers. I was alone at the shelter last night (a first for me) and as yet there is only one other section hiker here tonight.
Tomorrow is a big day - the halfway point of the trail and the notorious half gallon challenge. Can I eat half a gallon of ice cream in one sitting? I'm gonna try my hardest that's for sure!

Wednesday 17 June 2009 - Tumbling Run Shelter

2009-06-27T17:00:00.003+01:00

Got on the trail this morning feeling very nervous indeed about my knee - took some painkillers hoping that would allow me to at least hike the 14 miles to the second shelter down the trail. However, I'm sitting here now having hikes 18.1 miles and with no real pain to report from my knee. I feel cautiously relieved. Yesterday for the first time I entertained the possibility that I had picked up the injury that might end my hike and it scared the life out of me. I also think it made me realise for the first time just how much importance I've placed on completing this adventure.
Although my body felt better, the weather was horrendous, so I've arrived at the shelter this afternoon soaked to the skin. I'm writing this dressed in my only dry clothes - a fleece, a blue waterproof, long underwear and plastic sandals. Quite the fashion icon.
After writing last night, I spoke to Lisa (on my new US cell phone) and then met some other thru-hikers, both of which raised my spirits. Am hoping that tomorrow is equally positive on the knee front and that I can start to generate some of the rhythm I mentioned yesterday.

Tuesday 16 June 2009 - Ensign Cowall Shelter

2009-06-27T16:49:00.003+01:00

I got back on the trail yesterday after an amazing 10 days in Washington D.C. with Lisa. Spent the majority of yesterday's hiking thinking how great it was to back on the trail again and covering miles. However, around 18 miles in to my 22 mile hike I began to get some severe pain in the outside of my right knee - a recurrence of the problem that I had in the months leading up to the start of the trip (but this time in the other leg). I hobbled the last few miles to a shelter where I did all of the exercises and massage routines that the physio taught me during my treatment prior to my hike. I felt good this morning, but over the first section of rocky ground, the pain returned meaning that I have managed to hike only 8.1 miles today, a pretty poor effort. What makes this injury so much more worrying than my shins is that my prior treatment to resolve this problem took 3 months - clearly I don't have that time now. I feel awful as the idea of being forced to quit the trail has entered my head for the first time - when I think about it, it makes me feel physically sick.
The plan for now is to reduce the mileage to around 10 a day and do all of the stretching and strength exercises from my earlier treatment. Having left Washington with a head full of positive thoughts, I now feel very low, a feeling that is compounded by the fact that, having taken 10 days off, I now don't know any of the thru-hikers around me on the trail. Also feel that since Waynesboro I have lost any real rhythm to my hiking - I would love so much to have a period of 2 or 3 weeks where I hike 18-22 miles a day.
Turns out this thru-hiking lark really is a difficult business. I just hope that with some T.L.C. my knee will be up to the job.

Tuesady 9 June 2009 - District Hotel, Washington D.C.

2009-06-09T16:38:00.002+01:00

It's my birthday! Lisa and I are currently in our hotel room where I've just opened my presents and watched the happy birthday video that Lisa put together for me of messages from the folks back home. Having a nice relaxing time at the moment, eating excellent food (and lots of it) and seeing the sights of Washington. We are taking it easy though, as some of Lisa's cuts and bruises from the crash are quite nasty and need to be rested.

Tonight we're going to a famous Washington D.C. hot dog restaurant and then to a baseball game - quite a yankee-doodle evening. Lisa got me some tickets to see Jenny Lewis (an American singer-songwriter) on Thursday night which I'm very excited about.

P.S. On Thursday I got to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia and passed the 1,000 mile mark on the trail.

Tuesday 2 June 2009 - Dicks Dome Shelter

2009-06-09T16:24:00.003+01:00

Stayed in the town of Front Royal last night as it was David's 30th birthday, so myself, Rolling Stone, Robert (the middle Smith brother), O.G., Scout and Braid went out for a meal and some drinks. Although I had fun, my mind was pre-occupied with the news from Lisa that her and Regan had been in a car accident in Nashville on Sunday and had written off Regan's camper van. Although they were both okay except for cuts and bruises, it was obviously an upsetting experience and one that made it hard for me to be apart from Lisa. The upshot is that Lisa and Regan are recovering and sorting out the relevant paperwork in a hotel in Nashville and are planning to fly out on Friday - Lisa to Washington D.C. where I plan to meet her at the airport. It's a turbulent start to her trip and definitely not what we'd have hoped for, but hopefully we can take some time to relax and recover in D.C.

Saturday 30 May 2009 - Pass Mountain Shelter

2009-06-09T16:16:00.004+01:00

Glad to say that the shin is now in full working order after being tested on a 20 mile day yesterday and a 19 mile day today. Spent last night at the Big Meadows lodge where David, Rolling Stone (and his dog, Coal), the three Smith brothers and I shared a very small cabin to allow us to make best use of the pub on site at the lodge. We were there until it closed and it was great to relax with a few beers.

Also yesterday came the moment I've been hoping for since entering Shenandoah National Park - I saw my first bear. The mother bear was sitting around 25 feet from the trail (see picture below) and her cub was playing in the tree above her. It was amazing and a huge rush. Since then I've seen 7 or 8 more.

Feels great to be properly hiking again and seeing the miles disappear. I passed the 900 mile mark yesterday.

Wednesday 27 May 2009 - Loft Mountain Campground (still)

2009-06-09T16:10:00.002+01:00

Last night and particularly this morning were wonderful. Lisa and Regan arrived at the campground after 11pm and had had a torrid time driving in some awful foggy conditions. I stayed up until 2am with them and had a late dinner and a beer then I slept in Scooby (Regan's camper van) instead of in my tent. It was fantastic to see Lisa again and now I can't wait to get to Harper's Ferry to spend some more time with her. It made me feel that my shin injury was, in a way, serendipitous as although it slowed me down, it allowed me to meet up with Lisa and Regan which was a huge plus.

This morning Regan cooked pancakes for breakfast and we relaxed until just after 12pm when they hit the road. To make things even better, my shins feel great and I will be back hiking tomorrow. Have just worked out some mileages and despite the delay, I think I will be less than 50 miles short of where I had planned to be at this stage. Today the world looks a little more rosy!

Tuesday 26 May 2009 - Loft Mountain Campground

2009-06-07T22:45:00.002+01:00

Spent the day icing my shin, writing postcards and reading the book that Spaceman gave to me at Calf Mountain shelter (a Vladimir Nabakov for anyone interested). All of the above falls into the shade compared to today's piece of wonderful fortune. Since my shin has slowed me down and meant that I am around 80 or 90 miles south of where I'd expected to be, I'm in a perfect spot to act as an overnight stop for Lisa and Regan on their roadtrip. I spoke to them this morning and we arranged that they are coming to meet me this evening at 8 or 9 (although I suspect heavy fog may slow their progress). Can't wait to see Lisa - feels like Christmas!

Monday 25 May 2009 - Loft Mountain Campground

2009-06-07T22:39:00.002+01:00

Got back on the trail this morning to do 13 miles, but pretty quickly decided that my current course of action really isn't working. Hiking short days and trying to let my shin recover seems fine in theory, but in practice it means days full of worrying about whether the pain is getting better or worse. Hence, I've come to a campground with a store and a phone where I intend to stay until my shin gets completely better - even if it takes 5 days. Having made that decision I now feel much better and know that all I have to concentrate on is healing up.

As a huge bonus, today is the day that Lisa arrives in the U.S which is a big morale boost. On the whole I think my spirits have begun to pick up today, hopefully my shin will follow suit.

Sunday 24 May 2009 - Black Rock Shelter

2009-06-07T22:26:00.002+01:00

The time since my last entry has been the toughest on the trail so far. The shin pain I developed prior to Waynesboro was very slow in healing so I ended up spending 4 nights in town. In theory this doesn't sound so unappealing - lots of restaurants and grocery stores and plenty of time to relax, but by the fourth day doing it, it was becoming very difficult. Essentially, I'm out here currently (and in towns like Waynesboro) to hike, so if I'm not making progress life gets very frustrating, a frustration which is intensified by seeing other hikers come and go from town back on to the trail.

Hence on Monday I got back on the trail despite my shin not being 100% to do a tentative 7 miles. I didn't feel much pain during the day, but when setting up my tent in the evening, I had some pain that made me think I'd taken a backward step in my recovery. I spoke with Lisa on my mobile phone and decided that the best course of action was to hitch back to Waynesboro in the morning and spend more time recovering in a motel.

When the morning arrived, my shin felt surprisingly positive - not pain free, but better than it had been. I figured I would test it out over the first five miles and decide on a course of action from there. Since it felt good, I hiked 13 miles in total (still a short day) and kept my pace down. Aim to do the same tomorrow and hopefully the recovery will continue. Either way I'm not going back to Waynesboro - I completely killed that town.

On a different note, I managed to get mobile phone service today to keep in touch with the last day of the Premier League season - I can't believe that Newcastle are no longer in the top flight of English football. Mike Ashley is a halfwit.

Tuesday 19 May 2009 - Waynesboro, Virginia

2009-06-07T17:49:00.003+01:00

11:30am

Today marks two months on the trail for me and I'm celebrating by spending some time in town. I got a ride to Waynesboro with a 'trail angel' that drove out especially to pick me up from the Visitor's Centre 5 miles out of town. I am camped by the river at a small area maintained by the local YMCA - it's free and since I spent so much money on my last town stop, I'm going to try to do Waynesboro cheaply.

Currently sitting in a Laundromat that looks as if it hasn't changed a thing since 1985 waiting for my clothes to wash. Next things on the agenda are eat lunch at the diner across the street, shower at the YMCA, internet at the library and eat ice cream from the grocery store. Resupply can wait until tomorrow.

Just noticed a sign on one of the washing machines that reads 'To prevent oversudsing do not use more than 1/4 cup of detergent.' Since when has 'oversudsing' been a word?

12:30pm

Just eaten an awesome lunch of roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. The beef also came with a choice of one additional vegetable side dish. I chose 'macaroni cheese' from the list of vegetables. Since when has pasta been considered a vegetable? Next stop, the bookstore.

Monday 18 May 2009 - Paul C Wolfe Shelter

2009-05-19T21:42:00.003+01:00

Shin pain was quite bad today, but managed 22 miles to give me a nice easy 5 miles into Waynesboro tomorrow where I'm going to take a day and a half off to recuperate. Hiked this afternoon with Hermes which was great as it took my mind off my shin, but also as we talked about football for a few hours.
At lunchtime today as I was sitting on some cliffs with my bag unpacked eating a peanut butter tortilla wrap, a dog ran over, slobbered on my food bag, jumped on me (headbutting me in the process) and then ran off with my red fleece jumper in its mouth. The owner eventually showed up and persuaded the dog to give the fleece back. The net result is that since I use my fleece as a pillow, I am sleeping this evening with my face resting on dried dog slobber. Don't say the trail isn't glamorous.

Sunday 17 May 2009 - Harper's Creek Shelter

2009-05-19T21:35:00.002+01:00

Have had better luck with the tent since the last entry - another thunder storm last night caused me no real problems and it's wonderful to have the reduced pack weight.
Have been hiking some big days (yesterday 23 miles, today 25) and getting yet more trail magic - got some apples and muesli bars from a Canadian couple yesterday and then yet more apples and candy from Hermes' Aunt and Uncle today (as they were dropping him at the trail head). In fact I've done so well that whilst most people have to hitch into a town to resupply in the 134 mile section between Daleville and Waynesboro, I haven't needed to.
Feeling my shin a little this evening but only a day and bit to Waynesboro when I can rest it. Very excited about Lisa arriving in the States in just a weeks times.

P.S. Passed the 800 mile mark today.

Friday 15 May 2009 - John's Hollow Shelter

2009-05-19T21:28:00.003+01:00

Last night was one of the most crazy topsy-turvy evenings on the trail so far. I arrived at the Thunder Mountain shelter at around 6pm having hiked a 24 mile day and met a guy just leaving carrying a large gas stove and a big cool bag. He said that he had just cooked dinner for the people in the shelter, but that he'd happily set up again for me. So it was that last night I ate sausage, scrambled eggs and pancakes and drank orange juice (with ice!) until I was full to burst. The chap's name was John Hasty and he said that his son had hiked the trail 2 years before and he'd been coming out to two shelters that he could get his car close to to occasionally cook dinners for hikers ever since. I was more grateful than I could say.
So I settled into my tent with a full belly only to be greeted with the most intense thunderstorm on the trail so far. Water pooled under my tent and was soaking my pack which was sitting in the vestibule, so I decided to bail out and sleep in the shelter (albeit terribly).
In the tent again tonight hoping for better luck...

Wednesday 13 May 2009 - Bobblets Gap Shelter

2009-05-19T21:23:00.002+01:00

After the excellent day documentedin my last entry came another shocker. I hiked into Daleville on Monday with incredibly painful feet - they were so bad that I found it hard to stand by the end of the day. Decided to take a day off from hiking to let them recover so I treated myself to a motel room just for me (for the first time).
My feet healed pretty well and it was really nice to have some space to myself - I watched a baseball game on TV and relaxed. At the outdoor store in town I bought some new insoles and a new tent - the MSR Hubba for anyone interested (I've sent my old one home).
Hiked 18.5 miles today and the rest and the new insoles seemed to do the trick - the pain has gone away and hiking is fun again!

Sunday 10 May 2009 - Catawba Mountain Shelter

2009-05-19T21:12:00.005+01:00

The AT really does provide some crazy contrasts - yesterday was so tough and today was just awesome. As I planned I got up early to hike with Snuggles. The sun shone as we reached Dragon's tooth a famous tower of rock - I climbed it and Snuggles took an awesome photograph of me - one of the best on the trail so far (see below). The hiking was very technical but really good fun.

We then resupplied at a grocery store just off the trail before hitting the legendary Homeplace Restaurant. We picked up an easy hitch in and the sight that awaited us was staggering - around 100 people milling around in their Sunday best waiting to get a table. We waited for one and a half hours, but the time passed quickly as lots of locals asked about the hike (one woman stood open mouthed for literally 20 seconds when I told her the trail was 2,178 miles). Then Snuggles, Ninja and I got out table and it was genuinely mindblowing. Imagine all you can eat fried chicken, roast beef, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits (like savoury scones), beans, coleslaw, spiced apples and homemade lemonade. And then cherry cobbler and ice cream. We sat giggling and stuffing our faces until we could eat no more then dozed on the lawn in front of the restaurant. Snuggles and I then hiked 2 miles to aid digestion and camped at a shelter.
To finish off a fantastic day I got mobile phone reception and spoke briefly to Lisa (whic was wonderful as always) and then checked the cricket scores to see that England won the first test against the West Indies by 10 wickets.
What a day!

P.S. Passed the 700 mile mark today.

Saturday 9 May 2009 - Pickle Branch Shelter

2009-05-19T21:05:00.002+01:00

Had my first taste of the Virginia blues today - my feet were killing and my water bladder leaked inside my pack (fortunately my dry bags did their job and kept my clothes and sleeping bag dry). Only did 16 miles but found it really tough - felt genuinely like I was hiking through the pain at times. Will be hiking on painkillers tomorrow for sure, but we are headed for Catawba and the famous Homeplace Restaurant - it's all you can eat is meant to be fantastic. Only problem is that there are about 20+ other thruhikers with the same idea and tomorrow is also Mother's Day - could be pretty busy. The guys I've been sheltering with the last few days (Wags, Gangsta, Dutch, 1Pint , Stretch, Tinman, Hermes and Cricket) are all getting up at 3am to nighthike and be there when it opens. I'll be leaving camp about 7 with Snuggles who I saw today for the first time in weeks (we started the trail together). One of the best things on the AT is seeing people that you haven't seen for a long time - it's always raises a smile.

Thursday 7 May 2009 - Camping

2009-05-19T20:58:00.002+01:00

Quite a lot of time has passed since the last journal entry - since then I've been in and out of Pearisburg, VA and stumbled upon some awful weather.
Pearisburg was good - I stayed in a motel room with Truckin', Narwal and Young Gun and unexpectedly it had cable TV so I was able to watch the Manchester United vs Arsenal game in the Champions League. Although the match itself was a little disappointing, it was great to watch some football again. Also ate an incredible amount typified by my breakfast on Wednesday morning. I drank a cup of coffee and a bottle of orange juice and ate 11 croissants and a jar of jam. And I wasn't full. Crazy.
Hiked out of Pearisburg on Wednesday but the weather was awful with torrential rainstorms so I ended up calling it a day after only 7 miles. I stayed in a very crowded shelter and slept terribly between two people that were snoring (and whose faces were just six inches from mine).
Am back in my tent tonight after a much more respectable 20+ mile day. Think I have finally decided to get a new tent as my pack weight is beginning to get to me and I could shed an easy 2lb with a lighter tent (that would also be quicker to put up in the evenings). Will aim to do that in Daleville next week.
Unbelievably sleepy now so will sign off here...

Saturday 2 May 2009 - Helveys Mill Shelter

2009-05-05T19:20:00.002+01:00

Had a really long day yesterday (23.7 miles) which left me very tried and with painful feet - looking forward to Pearisburg (the next town) to give them a rest. We were rewarded for our efforts with a campsite that had an amazing view out over a valley with a dairy farm (exactly as I'd imagined Virginia).

The most memorable moment of the day was coming across a 3 foot long black snake lying across the trail. You could see that it just eaten something quite large so was docile enough that we could just walk around it.

Today I walked 17 miles and they flew by as I had an ipod day - sometimes music really helps to eat up the miles. Other than that today was laregly unremarkable - bit too much road walking (which is very rare for the AT). Will hit a small grocery sotre tomorrow and then hopefully campout by a waterfall.

Thursday 30 April 2009 - Camping (Crawfish Valley)

2009-05-05T19:13:00.002+01:00

Am camped tonight at the 25% mark of the Appalachian Trail - have sore feet, but otherwise feel good. Hitch hiking was a doddle - we got taken into town by a woman in a pickup truck and taken back to the trail in the back of a van.

Met some very unusual folk in Atkins - it's the first time I've been served at a supermarket checkout by someone smoking a cigarette. One of the guys in the store asked me 'So how is it in England?' When I asked what he meant he said 'Is its very clean? I hear England's very clean.' He then went on to tell me, Paul and Peg at length about how marrying a hillbilly womand had caused him to lase his hair (at least I think that was what he was saying, I could only really catch one word in five).

Got back on the trail this afternoon after speaking to Lisa but decided to call it a short day (just 10.8 miles) ahead of hitting another 20+ day tomorrow. Onwards to the next 75%!

P.S. Had my first bona fide culinary disaster this evening. I bought a can of BBQ pork from the store in Atkins that looked like low grade dog food when I opened it and tasted little better. It was more than 800 calories though, so I chowed down regardless - it was not pretty.

Wednesday 29 April 2009

2009-05-05T19:09:00.002+01:00

As predicted the weather broke today with several thunderstorms - the afternoon saw me hiking along an exposed ridgeline as storms threatened all around. I was trying to hike the 7 miles to the next shelter as fast as possible, but was impeded by the fact that at lunchtime I'd eaten a large pizza, some cheesy bread sticks and drank 1.5 litres of fizzy pop. Finally made it to the shelter, but the storms were all bark and no bite.

Into Atkins tomorrow to resupply - looks like I'll need to take my first steps into the world of hitch hiking as the town is 3 miles off the trail and I'm not walking extra miles if I can avoid them.

Tuesday 28 April 2009 - Camping (No Shelter)

2009-05-05T19:01:00.002+01:00

Odd but interesting day today. It was beautifully sunny again and my calves joined the catalogue of body parts that I've sunburnt.

This morning, through a rocky section of the trail I somehow managed to get truned around so that I began retracing my steps south - fortunately some of the people I camped with last night were following close behind so I realised my mistake quickly (but not without embarrasment). Shortly afterwards one of my trekking poles with which I've been having some problems finally gave up the ghost and broke - I need to call the company to see if they can ship me some replacement parts.

I hiked with Monkey Wrench to the shelter that we were aiming for, but we arrived early (around 3:30) and so with Peg and Paul decided to hike a little further to find a campsite. However, there were no campsites forthcoming and so our planned 16 mile hike became a 22.7 miler. Finally found a campsite with lots of other folk (Skip, Truckin, Young Gun, Narwal, Gritty and Gromet) some of whom had packed in some beer from a nearby town. Was nice to sit by a campfire and drink a beer.

Apparently the weather is scheduled to break in the next day or so with rain on the way - at least it will give me abreak from sunburn...

Monday 27 April 2009 - Thomas Knob Shelter

2009-05-05T18:55:00.002+01:00

Following on from the last entry, I hiked 27 miles on Friday so that I was just 2 miles out of the trail town of Damascus, Virginia (having crossed the border from Tennessee). Hiked into town on Saturday morning to use the post office and the internet. Met some guys who had hiked a short (70 mile) section of the AT then rented a house in Damascus - they'd bought 200 beers and were inviting thruhikers over to party with them.I popped in and had a beer, but I'm tryin to avoid it at the moment as hiking is substantially more difficult even after just 2 or 3 beers the night before.

Did the usual things in town (resupply, waste money at the outdoor store, stuff my face) then hiked out with Peg and Paul on Sunday. We got about 7 miles from town when, because of the heat, we decided to take a dip in the river running alongside the trail - it was awesome to cool down. We camped alongside the river with Skip and I got a campfire going - happy days.

By the way, it's now coming up to 2 months since I had a shave and the beard is coming on a storm (although it's very ginger). It's reached the stage where food gets caught in it - I love it.

Thursday 23 April 2009 - Camping (no shelter)

2009-04-25T17:17:00.002+01:00

Hiked 21 miles today in glorious sunshine and without any pain whatsoever from my shin. Hiked with Peg and Paul all day and was really nice for a change to have some company during the day. We hiked past waterfalls and alongside Watauga lake and over its dam which made for some excellent views.

Thinking that we'll hike most of the way to Damascus tomorrow and then camp just outside town before heading in to hit the post office.

P.S. Have just noticed that I didn't mention earlier that I have now left North Carolina for the final time and am now in Tennessee. I also passed the 400 mile mark on Tuesday.

Wednesday 22 April 2009 - Kincora Hostel

2009-04-25T16:53:00.002+01:00

Wow, so much to write about over the past few days...

On Sunday I hiked a crazy long day over Roand Mountain (which is more than 6,000 ft) and planned to finish at Overmountain Shelter having done a total of 22 miles. However I was so tired towards the end of the day that I walked straight past the turning for the shelter. By then the rain was coming downand the wind really blowing. I walked about 2 miles past the turn before realising my mistake - fortunately I quickly managed to find a water source and some flat ground to pitch my tent and the rain let up so that I got everything erected dry. Getting into dry clothes (after dinnes) and then into my sleeping bag was bliss - the rain hammered on my tent all night, but I slept like a baby.

Next morning I had another dry spell to strike camp and had some excellent views (that reminded me of hiking in Yorkshire and the Peaks). I rolled into Mountaineer shelter at 3pm having done 16 miles just before a huge rainstorm - seems the weather Gods were smiling on me - I'd also been lucky enough to have sunshie at Jones Falls (the highest falls on the trail) earlier in the day. Mountaineer shelter is excellent - it has three tiersso that some people sleep in small loft area. The two people up there - Hammock + Rapunzel entertained us with music (Hammock on the ukelele and Rapunzel singing). We settled in for sleep but were awoken around midnight by Squeegie, one of the girls staying that night, having awhat sounded like a terrifying nightmare. In the pitch dark of the shelter, she suddenly shouted (in a very scared voice) 'Hello?!, HELLO?!' I awoke convinced a bear had come into camp. Thankfully some of the other girls staying at the shelter comforted Squeegie back to sleep as she'd been in tears.

On Tuesday morning I planned to hike to Kincora hostel, spend the night and resupply before hitting the trail to Damascus on Wednesday. However, during Tuesday's 15 miles I developed a pain in my left shin which, although not debilitating, warranted some attention. I iced it but awoke on Wednesday morning to find that there was still some pain. I was in two minds as to whether to hike or not, but Longhaul gave me some good advice about there being little to gain and a whole lot to lose from hiking through the pain.

It's worth talking a little about Longhaul while I have time - last night he bought all of the ingredients for the 15+ people staying at the hostel to have a huge dinner of steak, salad, pasta + tomato sauce and garlic bread. He's also one of six people carrying a video cameras as part of documentary that's being made about the trail - he interviewed me yesterday as part of it. He is probably in his 50's and loves the comrarderie of the trail and is super generous - he's also a really nice chap.

Also worth a mention is Bob Peoples, the owner of the Kincora Hostel. He runs the hostel as a hobby (rather thanas a money making exercise) amd only asks for a voluntary donation 0f $4 per night. The hostel really feels like home. Bob also undertakes a huge amount of trail maintenance (in fact him and a group of 10 or so volunteers have just left to do some work today). This includes an annual 'hardcore' day when upwards of 100 volunteers come together to do a large project on the trail. In 2006, 143 volunteers hauled all of the wood and equipment into the woods to build Mountaineer shelter (that I mentioned earlier) in just 1 and a half days - quite an acheivement.

I've also caught up with Peggy and Paul so I might hike into Damascus with them. I've got big plans to make jelly in my plastic water bottle, leave it to set overnight and then eat it for breakfast. Will see how that works out...

For now it's back to the ice pack on the shin - it seems to be doing the job.

Saturday 18 April 2009 - Cherry Gap Shelter

2009-04-25T16:47:00.002+01:00

Lying in my tent and just I started writing an owl began to hoot - that's going to be irritating this evening...
Today was a good day - although the hiking was tough due to lots of uphill and hot temperatures I had a real boost from talking to Mum and Dad (and Simon and Sam) and particularly Lisa as it was her birthday. I spent yesterday taking a day off in Erwin, TN which allowed me to resupply (I've gone over the top and am carrying way too much food) and fill my face. I ate (all you can eat) KFC buffet on Thursday night, 4 double cheeseburgers and a milkshake for lunch on Friday and then a large pepperoni pizza for dinner. I ate so much at KFC that I thought I'd done myself a permanent mischief, but it's all a necessary evil - it's about getting the calories in when you can. My energy levels felt good today as a result.

Going to try to get back into the habit of sleeping in my tent as although it's less convenient, it's far more comfortable and relaxing.

Feeling very tired, hope that owl has taken a break...

Wednesday 15 April 2009 - Bald Mountain Shelter

2009-04-25T16:28:00.004+01:00

Since I've had a short day today and am already in my sleeping bag at 6pm (and currently all alone in the shelter) I thought now would be a good time to jot down a few reflections and memories as I approach a month on the trail.

Firstly I'd say that the thing that prepared me best for the A.T. wasn't being in the scouts or doing my preparation hikes, but going to the Glastonbury festival. I reckon that if you can put up with 5 days of rain at Worthy Farm, Pilton then the hardships of the A.T. will be a piece of cake.

Secondly, I've noticed that I've written in my journal hardly at all about the people I've been hiking with. Over the past week or so I've hiked and sheltered with the same group most nights - they are:

Monkey Wrench: A 50 year old guy from Boston who quit his job as a web designer to hike the trail . His wife is back at home while he hikes, but previously together they have cylced from Lands End to John O'Groats, climbed Kilimanjaro and lots of other things. We've hiked plenty of the trail together - he cracks me up and is a good source of info on life in the States;

Peggy (Cuppa Joe) & Paul: Husband and wife from southern Maine, Peggy is a waitress and breakfast chef and Paul is a landscape garner. They've been excellent company on the trail since I met them wya back at Standing Indian Shelter. Peggy + Beccy are the source of much giggling and high spirits on evenings in the shelters.

Matt (Tumbleweed) & Beccy (Spitfire): Also from southern Maine (and sick of being told that they are 'hiking home') Matt workd in marine technology and Beccy is an occupational therapist. I've hiked with them a few days and they set an awesome pace and are lots of fun.

Seems like the group has (inevitably) broken apart a little now, but it's been excellent in the evenings reflecting on the trail with them all.

So far I'm really enjoying my time out here, but am excited for the day that Lisa arrives in the States both so that she can start her adventure and so that (at the start of June) we can see each other.

Doesn't look like there's anyone else coming to the shelter this evening, so it's just me and the mice...

P.S. Got my favourite piece of trail magic so far last night when I arrived at the shelter to find three cold beers sitting in the stream. Me and two others took one each - mine was as delicious as it was unexpected.

Tuesday 14 April 2009 - Hogback Ridge Shelter

2009-04-25T16:22:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was an unusual day - the wind was too strong for me to light my stove at breakfast time and that started the day on a negative note and my mood just got worse - so much so that I missed an opportunity for some trail magic (a house where a couple were serving dinner). However, later in the day my mood picked up as the trail went up and over an amazing ridgeline. The wind was howling and blowing me sideways, but the views were awesome and the climbing a lot of fun.

I was the first to arrive at the shelter, and since it had a fireplace, I got a fire started that kept us warm as the weather closed in.

Today was a more even tempered affair - quite a lot of uphill in the 15 miles (including a section that I hiked twice because of taking a wrong turn to look at a waterfall). I'm now settled into the shelter and am, for once, satisfied with my bear bagging efforts. Two short 10 mile days coming up which will mean that in my first month on the trail (which will be complete in 5 days time) I will have done 350 miles.. Will need to increase that to around 400 miles a month to make 5 and a half month pace. I passed the 300 mile mark on the trail today.

Sunday 12 April 2009 - Spring Mountain Shelter

2009-04-25T16:10:00.002+01:00

Back on the trail today after two days of relaxing in Hot Springs, NC. Stayed at Elmer's, an amazinplace where I slept in a huge double bed for $20 a night. They also prepared amazing breakfasts and dinners so I'm well fed.

Had a beautiful day today as I walked out by the French Broad river out of town and then up into the hill above - got some great views from a fire tower too. Lying in my tent at the moment writing this and I can hear the wind picking up - rain is predicted overnight and into tomorrow - hopefully it's not too nasty. Going to be taking my time for the next few days to make sure that I'm in Erwin on Lisa's birthday to give her a call - tomorrow and the next day are still 15 miles though.

Just been stood around the campfire with some local Tennessee folk explaining who's next in line to the British throne and whether it's possible to do a hike from castle to castle in the UK...

Thursday 9 April 2009 - Deer Park Mountain Shelter

2009-04-11T22:12:00.002+01:00

Beautiful sunshine today - melted the snow wonderfully and made hiking nice. Saw some bear tracks near the shelter down the trail from where we slept last night - it had been walking around where people had hung their food very close to the shelter.

Planning on going into Hot Springs tomorrow morning (we are only 3 miles away) so gonna get some food - was a really nice evening though, was finally able to sit out and have a campfire. Really looking forward to a good feed in town as I've lost around 10lb since starting the trail - fancy a good burger.

Just had a nip of Bourbon from Odysseus before bedtime which was very welcome - should help me sleep...

Wednesday 8 April 2009 - Roaring Fork Shelter

2009-04-11T22:10:00.001+01:00

Really hard today - very deep and slippy snow underfoot made 15 miles fell like 20. Hiked all day with Spitfire (Beccy) and Matt who made a really good pace so we got a spot in the shelter rather than having to pitch our tents.

Tuesday 7 April 2009 - Standing Bear Hostel

2009-04-11T22:04:00.001+01:00

The snow really came in last night and this morning I was greeted with around 6 inches of snow on the ground that had drifted to more than a foot in places - made hiking (particularly uphill) very difficult at time.

Made it the 10 miles or so to Standing Bear Hostel only to find there was no room in the bunkhouse - hence I am writing this lying in my tent pitched inside the hayloft of a barn - at least it's out of the snow! Generally feeling good and happy - looking forward to getting to town on Friday to speak to Lisa properly and to Mum and Dad.

Monday 6 April 2009 - Cosby Knob Shelter

2009-04-11T21:58:00.002+01:00

Some serious weather today - was kept awake last night by a huge thunder storm - thought it was going to tear the roof from the shelter. Then this morning we had snow that set in and stayed all day - the temperature was so down so low that the water in the tube of my Platypus pack froze. Did my first 20 miles day to ensure that we have a shorter day tomorrow into the Standing Bear Farm hostel. Sleeping in a packed shelter with 17 people (and an official capacity of 12). Was a fun day though - I've hiked the past few days with Monkey Wrench, Peggy + Paul and Beccy + Matt and it's been real fun, hilarious in fact. Tonight reached the height of delirium as we speculated wildly on what delights would greet us in Hot Springs.

P.S Hit the 10% mark on the trail today.

Sunday 5 April 2009 - Icewater Spring Shelter

2009-04-11T21:51:00.002+01:00

The last two days have been absolutely beautiful - sunshine and barely a cloud in the sky. We've had some amazing views, particularly from Rocky Top and Clingman's Dome (which is the highest point on the AT at 6,643 ft). Saw my first hoard of tourists today at a parking lot that the trail crosses - met a family from Worcestershire who asked lots of questions about the trail and then pointed out that I was 'taking my time' aiming for a September finish - I wasn't impressed.

Just for the record (and to act as an aide memoire) my menu for today was:

Breakfast: 2 x poptarts and 1 x packet of instant oatmeal (uncooked);
Lunch: 2 x wholemeal tortilla wraps + 1 sachet of tuna;
Dinner: 2 x packets of beef ramen noodles with 4oz of pepperami style 'beef sticks';
Snacks: 1 x pecan granola bar, 1 x almond granola bar, 1 x Snickers.

Seemed to be plenty and I'm feeling pretty full before bed. There's meant to be some serious weather coming in over the next two days so it looks like a case of getting the hammer down to make it to Hot Springs sooner than planned.

Friday 3 April 2009 - Russell Field Shelter

2009-04-11T21:46:00.000+01:00

Hit the Smokies today after spending last night in the Fontana 'Hilton' - a shelter with running water and its own bathrooms (imagine the luxury). Got to walk across the Dam which was fun but the weather turned out to be grotty with fog and rain all day. Looks like it's going to be a cold night too.

Spending this evening in a shelter with a chainlink fence covering the front to protect us from bears and looking at the shelter register it sounds lilkes there's been a mother and two yearlings in the area in recent nights so might see them - not sure if that's a good or bad thing!

Carrying 8 days of food that I picked up in Fontana so my pack is pretty heavy - having to make sure I eat everything as scheduled to lighten the load.

P.S. Having lost my knife the other day and bought a new one, I've now found my original one so I am now carrying two - I might be getting fitter out here, but I ain't getting smarter.

Wednesday 1 April 2008 - Brown Fork Gap Shelter

2009-04-11T21:42:00.002+01:00

Very tough day today that started with me finding my boots full to the brim with water thanks to a leaky roof at the hostel I stayed at last night. Hiked up some huge hills and probably pushed myself a bit too hard - felt very sick and dehydrated towards the end of the day. In my tent now (albeit on a hill) and have done another poor bear bagging job, but am too tired to worry. Shorter day tomorrow (11 miles) into Fontana Dam and then into the Smokies.

P.S. I think I have a trail name (and an unofficial knighthood) as everyone has begun to call me Sir Richard.

Monday 30 March 2009 - Cold Spring Mountain Shelter

2009-04-11T21:37:00.002+01:00

Left Franklin today on the yellow school bus that (ex pro wrestler) Ron Haven uses to drive people out to the trail. The sun shone all day long and I hiked 15.8 miles. As I was eating dinner (chicken flavour noodles) the sun was setting over the valley which my campsite looks out on - it was truly beautiful.

We've talked a lot in the past few days about success and failure and what might prevent us from making it to Kathadin and I was talking to OB about it today. As Miss Janet pointed out, the chances of making it are less than 10% which was a sobering thought. Just gonna keep doing what I'm doing and hope things go my way.

Was very annoyed to realise that I've left my penknife behind in Franklin so will need to get a new one at the Nantahala Outdoor Centre tomorrow. Also had some trouble bear bagging tonight so hopefully my food will still be there in the morning...

2009-04-11T21:35:00.000+01:00

2009-04-11T21:33:00.000+01:00

2009-04-11T21:31:00.001+01:00

Saturday 28 March 2009 - Franklin, North Carolina

2009-03-29T18:41:00.002+01:00

In town waiting in Domino's for a pizza ahead of a zero (no hiking) day tomorrow. Going to sort out some groceries to post ahead to Fontana Dam as I hear that resupply there is quite poor.

Had a good couple of days hiking in the rain (after my low Thursday) and made excellent time - my mileage for the past few days has been 15, 11, 15, 11, 16, 14 which puts me in pretty good shape. Stayed in a shelter last night with some nice people (and some not so nice mice) and hiked 9 miles this morning before 10am in order to meet the shuttle into Franklin. Planning on pushing a little harder through the Smokey Mountains as I would like to spend a week or so on the trail without going into town as I feel that Hiawassee and now Frankiln have broken my momentum a little.

Staying in Miss Janet's hostel - she's a trail legend, known as the 'sweetheart of the trail.' The hostel is excellent and she's a great source of advice. Looking forward to a lie in ahead of an easy day and then some serious hiking.

P.S Passed the 100 mile mark today which already makes this the longest hike of my life by some margin - just 2075 miles to go!

Thursday 26 March 2009 - Standing Indian Shelter

2009-03-29T18:36:00.002+01:00

Didn't enjoy today very much at all. We left Hiawassee at 9:15 and began our hike in the rain. I'd initially only planned to walk 5 miles, but decided to go further. On reaching Muskrat Creek Shelter where we had planned to stay, we found it full of 6 or 7 very morose characters. The rain seems to have dulled people's spirits quite a lot and when we reached the next shelter (also full) things were very much the same. Made big miles though (16+) and crossed my first state from Georgia to North Carolina.

Have just learnt how to hang my food from a tree to avoid bears taking it and am now in my sleeping bag waiting for it to get dark so I can get some sleep. Gotta love those 8pm bed times!

Tuesday 24 March 2009 - Tray Mountain Shelter

2009-03-25T19:49:00.002Z

Had my first genuine low yesterday, but hiked with a girl called Wendy for a little while and it helped to have some human contact and conversation to keep me occupied.

Much better day today as I hiked around 15 miles and gained around 4000 feet of elevation. Experienced trail magic (when people turn up to give food and drinks to hikers) for the first time today (in the form of iced tea and spaghetti bolognese) at just the right point and came into a shelter just as I was feeling ready to drop.

Hiked with Patrick for most of the day and we dragged each other up some pretty big hills.Am camped out tonight with three of the people I started the hike with - Kelly, Ian and Anita. Hitting Hiawassee tomorrow -I need food!

Sunday 22 March 2009 - Neels Gap (Hostel)

2009-03-25T19:44:00.002Z

Have just spent twenty minutes with the owner of the lodge where I am staying, trying to break in to my accommodation as he'd forgotten the keys. In recompense for having to drive the 3 miles back to collect them, he offered me a taste of some genuine north Georgia strawberry moonshine! Yee-ha! It was the real deal, made in an illicit still and everything.

Hiked 15 miles today over Blood Mountain and encountered an amazing couple having their 25th wedding anniversary picnic up there. They fed me huge amounts of trailmix and (bizarrely) talked in detail about how typical of Britain Keeping Up Appearences was. Very odd.

Fantastic day though.

Saturday 22 March 2009 - Gooch Shelter

2009-03-25T19:43:00.001Z

Just a quick one - favourite line from yesterday came from Chuck who, when asked how he was feeling after a days hiking said 'I got shot once and it didn't hurt this much.'

Friday 20 March 2009 - Hawk Mountain Shelter

2009-03-25T19:35:00.002Z

Have just finished my first day on the AT proper (having hiked the 8.8 mile approach trail yesterday). Feeling really good and strong and the sun is shining - have had to resist the temptation to do big miles and so am restricting myself to 8/9 miles a day at the moment to ease myself in. Stayed in my first shelter last night with a good few folk, all American. Kirk (a guy from Georgia) and I really hit it off, but he was just finishing a southbound hike, so we went our seperate ways this morning.

The hiking so far has mainly been through forest (with only a few breaks in the trees). Really enjoying the life at the moment - I'm writing this in my tent which I've pitched for the first time. Think I will try and trim my pack weight a little as I would like to get it down to around 40lb from my current 45lb.

Favourite comment on me being English so far - 'You're English huh? So are potatoes a big vegetable in England?'

No phone signal so haven't been able to call home yet. Aim to try in Neel's Gap in two days time.

2009-02-11T10:25:00.000Z

Just spotted this online journal which looks like quite a good version of the Appalachian Trail experience:
http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html

2009-02-02T12:43:00.002Z

As the Twitter updates note, Lisa and I went out for what was intended to be a 7 mile canalside walk in Brum from Spaghetti Junction to Bourneville on Saturday. However, when we reached the city centre (after about 4 miles), my knee began to ache, so I thought I was better that we called it a day there.

I saw the physio this morning and she said that I am likely to feel more pain when my leg muscles are tired (which makes sense as the day before the canal walk, Lisa and I had been to the gym). She has given me lots of exercises designed to strengthen my leg muscles and stop some troublesome movements that (when repeated ad infinitum on a hike) are causing my knee pain. Going back in two weeks, but in the meantime, it's lots of stretches, strength exercises and visits to the gym.

Fingers crossed...

First post...

2009-01-29T13:40:00.000Z

Hooray - I've set up my blog! Just need some content now...