Here is our first video! Sorry the quality is not great. We have had a difficult time getting it to upload. Hope you enjoy!
A Time To Reflect | Preparing for the Appalachian Trail
Well, we have finally made it. We are in Georgia!
My heart is heavy knowing we are leaving family, but it’s also filled with so much excitement I can hardly believe it.
These past few months have flown by so fast, and I have learned a few things preparing for the Appalachian Trail…
- Waiting until the last minute to make decisions only adds more stress.
- I don’t like making decisions.
- It’s easy to make big goals, but they don’t always go as planned, and it’s OK.
- Time with family is more important than stressing over minuscule things.
- God is in control, and He has everything planned out!
So, these are really basic realizations and I’ve made them before, but the last one is the most important and I need to be reminded of it daily.
I’ve had the hardest time picking out what clothes I want to wear for 6 months. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT COLOR TO WEAR EVERY DAY?
I also decided the last week at home I needed to try on 5 other backpacks just to make sure I have the right pack… We have made countless trips up the interstate to REI. Thank you Jake for all the hours you spent there with me. Thank you John, Dash, Justin and the other awesome employees at our local REI.
We have finally made it though! We have made it 100 days since we announced are plans to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. What a crazy thing to say. One hundred days have passed, and we are about to spend that amount of time plus more out in the woods!
I’m not going to lie, I’m going to miss a hot shower every morning and warm bed to sleep in. I’m going to miss calling my family whenever I want to. I’m going to miss having a schedule.
But… I’m excited to really cherish the times I get to shower (it probably won’t be often) and nights I get to sleep in a bed. It’s easy to take those things for granted. I am excited to meet new people, make new friends and have the potential to share the gospel. I am excited to embrace a schedule made by the weather, food needs or how my body feels.
Life on trail will very different. It will be challenging, but if I can put one foot in front of the other, know that I am ultimately not in control and live life to glorify God, we will do exactly as God planned for us.
Thank you to all who read our blog, and thank you to those who have donated to our fundraiser. Thank you!
Have a question or want us to feature some particular part of trail life in our videos (soon to come)? Please don’t hesitate to send us a message over one of our social media channels or by email.
Stay tuned for LOTS of pictures to come on Instagram!
Appalachian Trail Practice Hike
This past Saturday, Jake and I ventured back up to South Mountains State Park for another Appalachian Trail practice hike. We hiked a total of 10 miles over 5 different trails. Check out our video to see how it went!
South Mountains Day Hike
Our goal for this weekend was to do 8 miles with fully loaded packs, so we decided to check out some new trails at South Mountains State Park in North Carolina.
We started off our journey with a stop at the visitor center, where I decided it was a good idea to ask the lady running the desk for a recommend trail around a mile to help us meet our mileage goal. The only reason I say that sarcastically is because I FORGOT to ask what the name of the trail was…
We were trying to take a connector trail to a second parking lot, which would have helped us get in the mile we were going to be short. Instead, we hiked up a horse trail to the top of the mountain overlooking the waterfall.
Our original plan had been to climb the 400 and something stairs to the top of the waterfall so we could practice for the AT Approach Trail, but nope we just hiked straight up the backside of the mountain.
Everything worked out in the end, we just hiked down the stairs instead of up them. It was still really great practice for going down steep terrain.
After we got our bearings and finished descending the falls, we hiked up the Chestnut Knob Trail and stopped at both overlooks. Sadly, it was a really cloudy day so we couldn’t see a lot of the distant mountain range, but we still really enjoyed getting a lot of ups and downs in for practice.
Overall, we had an awesome time and got in 8.1 miles. We will probably be coming back to do our 10 mile practice hike soon. The park offers over 40 miles of hiking trails, so if you are ever in the area, definitely check it out!
Side Note: We had planned a really fun video to go with our post, but unfortunately, some of the videos did not shoot correctly. We are not sure how it happened or how to keep it from happening next time, but we are glad we are working out the kinks before our AT hike starts.
AT Thru-Hike | 50 Days Out!
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.
Merry Christmas
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”Isaiah 9:6 ESV
I am so thankful that the Lord, Jesus Christ is a counselor, mighty, everlasting, father and a Prince of Peace. How awesome is the God we serve!
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Hiking The Appalachian Trail
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.
Ways We Need Support
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!
Like us on Facebook
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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!
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Jake and I are thankful for everything God has blessed us with, including this blog. It’s awesome how far we have come that now everyone has the ability to put their thoughts and ideas out there for others to read and enjoy.
We hope that all of our readers are having a wonderful Thanksgiving and maybe enjoyed some time outside today. Tomorrow afternoon, we hope to join the over one million people who will OptOutside with REI. We hope you will too!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jake & Rachel
Section Hike | Damascus to Massie Gap
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
Appalachian Trail Virginia Section Hike
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.