We can’t believe it – we are only 50 days away from standing on the summit of Springer Mountain!
In prep for our hike and to celebrate the 50-day mark, we headed out for a 6 mile hike this morning. It was a lot fun and we even made a video!
Check it out below and let us know if you have any suggestions for sound, video, etc. We are beginning to practice using only our phones to make videos and write on the blog, so hopefully it all loads correctly.
A little while back, we shared that we had purchased the Leadville Gordo LUNA Sandals to try out and review. We’ve had the chance to test them for a few months on hikes, runs and as an everyday shoe.
Wearing the Leadville Gordo sandals when hiking has been a dream! Have you ever walked through a river that is supposed to be a trail and had soggy feet for the next few days? Not with LUNAs!
In a matter of minutes your feet will be dry again and the sandals not long after. The only places that will hold water is in the laces, but, hey, I would rather deal with wet laces then a waterlogged shoe.
Now, you may be thinking, what about when it’s 30 and 40 degrees out AND IT’S RAINING? For us, we have hiked without any type of insulation down to around 40 degrees and lots of rain and mud without a problem. I’m a cold natured person and my feet never felt cold while hiking.
For days when it’s really, really cold, LUNA Sandals offers a bootie called the Tabu that works with any LUNA Sandal model. The Tabu bootie will help keep water and other debris off your feet while hiking and running.
If you are looking for something warm, but not necessarily concerned about keeping water off your feet, enter Injinji Nu-Wool toe socks. It’s like wearing a glove for your foot, plus you can wear these around camp after a hike.
So, this is definitely a different approach for the average hiker looking for shoes to take on a hike or even a thru-hike, but they have performed wonderfully and now we couldn’t imagine wearing a heavy boot up a mountain.
Pros
–Lightweight: All you gram counters out there rejoice! 13.1 oz for size 11 (both sandals)
–Performs great in rain and mud
–Easy to put on and take off
–Comes with added “tech straps” for a secure fit. Just out for a walk? Detach and leave at home for later.
–Comfortable: With a 15mm Vibram sole, you’ve got a pretty sweet ride.
–Happy Feet: Your toes will thank you for all the air flow and movement.
–Customizable: Don’t see your size, or your in-between sizes, send LUNA Sandals an email. They will take care of you!
–Price: Non-customized models range from $80 to $125
–Awesome customer service: I always received a quick email reply and they made me a new pair when I realized I had ordered the wrong size. Easy to get my refund and return.
–Supporting a small business is AWESOME! Learn more about LUNAs in our previous post.
Con
-The only con, which really isn’t a con, is it can take a little while to get the laces to feel just right. Knowing this, just take some time to practice with the laces and walk around with them on and adjust as you feel necessary. I also noticed that I always end up tightening more than I would think after few minutes of hiking, but after that, I’m good to go.
Jake and I can’t wait to wear these on our upcoming Appalachian Trail thru-hike! Stay tuned on social media for photos of them in action.
Disclosure: The author owns this product and was purchased using their own funds.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT HERE!!!
On March 27, 2016, Jake and I will be setting out from Amicalola Falls State Park to start our journey of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. We are dedicating this hike to our precious son, Nicholas Emerson Adams.
Initially, Jake and I intended to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail starting the spring of 2014. However, during the planning phase of the trip in the winter of 2013, we found out that God had another exciting plan for us.
Fast forward 7 months, God blessed us with our beautiful baby boy on June 29, 2014. Nicholas was heartbreakingly diagnosed with neonatal hemochromatosis, and after the hardest week of our lives, our son went to be with the Lord on July 5, 2014.
The doctors, nurses and healthcare team at Levine Children’s Hospital provided the upmost care to our family during that life changing time. As we embark on our thru-hike this coming spring, we want to honor Nicholas and show our deepest thanks by giving back to Levine Children’s Hospital.
1. Support us in prayer. Hiking the Appalachian Trail is one of the biggest challenges we have ever signed up for and we are asking for your prayers as we go along this journey. The Appalachian Trail attracts people from all walks of life who are out searching for answers and meaning. We pray that God will present us with opportunities to share our testimony and the Gospel during our hike.
2. Make a donation. Our goal is to raise $2,189.10 for the Levine Children’s Hospital NICU. We chose this number because it is the exact number of miles we will hike from Georgia to Maine. If you would like to help us support the Levine NICU, you can donate here. When you click to donate, please select the Neonatal Intensive Care Fund from the drop down options.
3. Like and follow us on social media. We need your help to spread the word about our blog and our cause for hiking the Appalachian Trail. We’ll be posting weekly videos so that you can follow along with us!
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4. Support us financially. We greatly appreciate any size gift to help us hike the Appalachian Trail. If you are interested in blessing us with a financial gift, you can contribute through our PayPal account.
So, come along with us on our journey however you decide!
T minus 100 days!
Jake and I, along with our good friend, Ethan had a wonderful time hiking this past weekend! There were plenty of ups and downs (pun intended) along the way, but we had a blast.
We hiked just over 30 miles, which was shy of the 40 miles we had planned, but we decided to hop off the trail a day early after lots of rain, mud and tired feet. Shout out to Jake’s mom and stepdad for picking us up at 7:30 in evening and driving us another hour back to our car!
We headed out of Damascus at 9:15 am after a 3 hour car ride. Jake and I had to take a few more stops than planned trying to get our Luna sandals just right. We realized that they need to be a lot tighter than you would think! But, they were great after we figured out what felt best.
After hiking just under 10 miles, we rolled into camp at Saunder’s shelter around 3 pm. It’s a great place to spend the night if you are tenting. The only complaint was the distance to the water source. It’s down the hill a ways, but there is a pipe, so that was nice.
I had mentioned to Ethan before the start of the trip that I hoped I had the chance to experience hiking in the rain… and I did. Day 2 started out with an unexpected morning rain shower, but thankfully it tapered off to light sprinkling when it was time to start hiking.
Around 2 pm, we had a decision to make. Do we hike Whitetop Mountain to our planned destination at the top or just hike another 2 miles down to the bottom of Whitetop and hike it in the morning. Since the sun was shining and we all felt better after lunch, we decided to go for it and hike our planned 12 miles.
To anyone planning to hike Whitetop Mountain… it is not joke! Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but it definitely kicked my butt! It could have been that I had already hiked 8 miles, I don’t know, but it was HARD.
Thankfully, like most challenging hikes and for that matter, challenges in life, you are rewarded at the top.
It was breathtakingly beautiful! Once you reach the top, it is another 0.9 miles to the campsites, so with a looming thunderstorm, we headed out after just a few pictures.
The thunderstorm finally rolled in, but thankfully I had just turned my stove off and we were all settled in. Despite being almost completely out in the open on top of the mountain, we survived the thrashing rain and wind and slept really well!
Our last day was a breeze compared to the other two days. We had formed a routine and we had the downhill advantage that morning. We hit Va 600 and the parking area in one hour, which meant we were able to knock out 3 miles! Good feeling!
After a little snack break and bathroom break, we headed up the foggy backside of Mount Rogers. It was beautiful watching the fog dance around the mountain base.
Just imagine an open green area with beautiful trees aglow in hues of orange, while the fog settled in its place till it was ready to move again. Beautiful.
After such a lovely setting, I was quickly reminded of my times hiking Mount Rogers on the Massie Gap side…rocks, lots and lots of rocks! Add a mix of rain, mud and even more rocks and I was ready for a nice hot shower by the time we got to Massie Gap!
Since we didn’t have cell service till Massie Gap, we had the pleasure of hiking out to the parking lot and for two hours cooked food, chatted about the weekend and put all our clothes on to stay warm – hiker trash at its finest!
The parents showed up around 7:30 pm and we were in comfy beds by 12:15 am. It was an amazing weekend and even though my legs are still a little sore, I can’t wait to get back out there!
For anyone interested in replicating our 3-day hike, here are the milage and campsites according to the 2015 AWOL guide:
Day 1: 9.3 miles – Mt. Rogers Outfitters Damascus 469.3 to Saunders Shelter 478.6
Day 2: 12.1 miles – Saunders Shelter 478.6 to Whitetop Mtn Rd. Campsites 490.7
Day 3: 10.4 miles – Whitetop Mtn. Rd Campsite 490.7 to Massie Gap 501.1
Jake and I couldn’t be more excited this week to head out of the city and into the woods! October is our favorite month to camp and this weekend we will be heading up to the Virginia Highlands to hike around a 40 mile section on the Appalachian Trail. Who doesn’t love sitting around a camp fire in the cool brisk air surrounded by mountains?
Our plan is to hike from Damascus, VA to Fox Creek. We will also be testing out a ton of new gear like shoes, camera clips and more during our section hike, so be sure to check back over the month of October and into November for full gear reviews.
My favorite long distance hiking trail is the Appalachian Trail. I have not had the privilege of thru-hiking the trail yet, so for fun I live vicariously through others by watching trail videos.
If you love watching videos about hiking as much as I do, then I hope you will appreciate the videos below!
1. ManCub & KitFox Thru-Hike The Appalachian Trail 2012 by Micah Goldberg
By far, this is my favorite Appalachian Trail video! It doesn’t have over 90,000 YouTube views for nothing, so definitely check this one out. Plus, you can read ManCub’s AT journal on his blog.
2. Appalachian Trail: The 3.5 Minute Thru-Hike by Horizonline Pictures
Take a 3.5 minute walk on the Appalachian Trail with Horizonline Pictures. Great film quality! Sit back and enjoy the scenery. You can learn more on the Horizonline Pictures website.
3. We Are The Appalachian Trail by K McCann
Put your dancing shoes on because by the end of this video you’ll surely be on your feet busting a move or two. C’mon, embrace the the living room dance party!
4. Hiking The Appalachian Trail by Hitched Hike
Hitched Hike is a fun and entertaining group of friends who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2013. It’s hard to pick just one video from Hitched Hike, so I recommend watching all of the their Appalachian Trail update videos!
Last but not least, I give you TNT+C! This is another series of trail update videos similar to Hitched Hike. Dreamer did an excellent job filming life on the AT, including the good days and the bad. Even though Dreamer and Socks didn’t get to make it to Katahdin in 2013, they are truly an inspiration! You can read their story on the TNT blog.
This weekend was great! Jake and I hiked 19 miles, 16 of which were on the Appalachian Trail from Massie Gap to Old Orchard Shelter and back.
We drove up to Virginia on Friday night and spent the night in Grayson Highlands State Park. Staying in the state park is always a treat and even though we were there for such a short time we enjoyed every minute.
On Saturday morning, we repacked our backpacks, said goodbye to running water and flushable toilets and headed off to the backpacker’s lot.
For this backpacking trip we decided to go north on the AT, short for Appalachian Trail, because it was a section we had never hiked before.
Heading north on the AT, we came across several streams, hiked up and over Stone Mountain and Pine Mountain and witnessed large fluffy clouds dance along the mountains in the distance.
After finishing our descent of Pine Mountain, which I had clearly underestimated, we set up camp at Old Orchard shelter. It was a great choice! We had a great water source, a privy and we met some amazing people.
We were fortunate enough to spend the evening talking about gear and hiking with two thru-hikers hiking the Appalachian Trial. Thanks again Rock Boat and Kingfisher for talking with us!
The next day felt like a breeze compared to the first day. I was sore, but after climbing up Pine Mountain again and eating a Snicker’s bar I was ready for a great day of hiking!
It was a bittersweet end coming back to Massie Gap. I was tired, sore and sunburned. Wear sunscreen! Do as I say, not as I do. But, I enjoyed being on the trail so much, I was in the car planning our next adventure.
Until next time Grayson Highlands!