Yes, you can take vacations while thru hiking. It may seem weird, but thru hike vacations are very common! Most hikers take 0 days relatively often, and I figured I would just make mine more effective by taking them at once. I'm currently at the tail end of my 6 day vacation. Maybe you're thinking that I'm essentially taking a vacation while on a vacation, but I can assure you that thru hiking is definitely not leisurely or relaxing. If you've been following me via Instagram or Facebook you probably know that I'm almost 1/3 of the way done, and you've probably noticed that I seem to be moving more quickly, because I am! I've been consistently hiking 17-25 miles every day, and while it does feel easier than when I started, it is by no means easy. My body needed a break! Fortunately, massage therapist and friend Sarah Maxfield (who has helped me overcome all of my running issues/injuries) had time to see me and work out all of my muscular issues while I was home! http://massagebysarahmax.com/ But seriously, Sarah is the best! Go see her! In addition to recovering, I had really been looking forward to seeing all of my friends! When I left I had been hiking for right under 50 days, and I was homesick!
While home
I dedicated my first day off to laying on the beach, relaxing, and trying to get rid of my sock tan (this was a failure). I spent the majority of my time in Richmond visiting friends, riding my bike, and eating.
Cinco de mayo was celebrated.
Had delicious lunch at Stella's (thanks for treating me Grant and Jamie)!
Had a Texas train wreck with my favorite running buddy Amanda Neely
I ran into my friend Taylor Kincaid, who offered me a VIP ticket to see Interpol at the National. I accepted, and my friends Grant and Amelia got to come too!
Ate all of the pimento cheese at Pasture with Andrea and Samuel. After that I headed back to Yorktown for the night, and then Kellie Lingle and I left for Raleigh the following afternoon. Olivia Randall gifted me with a ticket to go see Brand New! Thanks again Olivia! I wish you could've been there!
Kellie and I met up with our friend Samantha Ducan, who is amazing and let us stay with her! We met up with our friends Jake and Rachel, and we had dinner together before the concert. I'm currently still in Raleigh, but am heading back to the trail this morning! I had so much fun seeing all of my friends/ eating delicious food again! Thanks so much to everyone who paid for my food/ drinks! Grant, Beth, Jamie, Dare, Amelia I love you all! Andrea, Matt, Samantha thanks for letting Sullivan and I stay with you! The biggest thanks to Maella for being amazing and driving forever away to come pick me up!!
I actually managed to be productive, and accomplished tasks I meant to do before I left.
Maildrops
My spirit guide Carl told me that groceries/ resupply become more expensive the farther north you get, so I had planned on doing maildrops to myself for Maine and potentially New Hampshire in order to save a little money. Naturally my first order of business was to go to Costco and acquire as many items in bulk as possible. After Costco and many Wal-mart trips I finally had my supplies and sat down to begin packing. First and foremost, I have no idea how people do all of their resupplying via maildrops. Last night I spent 6 hours repackaging and packing roughly 40 days worth of food, and I can't imagine having to do more than that.
FOOD
Speaking of maildrops, many of you have asked me what I need/ want, and that's a great question! I figured that showing you what my typical resupply is would give you a good idea of what I need.
My 4 day resupply:
• 4 packs of Pop-tarts• 6 oatmeal packets
• 4 jif packs (I got tired of carrying a one pound container)
• 6 kind bars
• 4 clif bars - I would carry more of these because they're the best calorically, but they also weigh the most
• 4 various other granola bars
• 2 Lara bars - also great, but expensive!
• Peter Rabbit Organics kale, broccoli, and mango & beet, carrot, and pear - technically these are baby food, but they're the easiest way to get fruits and veggies while on trail and they taste pretty good!
• 2 twix
• 2 milky ways (but Milky Way midnights are better)
• 3 packs of sour patch kids (because Costco doesn't carry Haribo or sour gummy worms)
• 2 servings of easy mac
• 1 package of pepperoni
• 2 packs of better tasting ramen type noodles
• Tyson grilled chicken
• Instant gravy
• Potato flakes (they weigh less than instant mashed potatoes!)
• Mountain House (would eat these for every dinner if they weren't $9/meal)
Thrilling, right?
I try to maintain a diverse/ healthy diet, but that's virtually impossible unless I was willing to spend more, and had easy access to a nice grocery store. That being said, if you're sending me a maildrop creativity and consideration go a long way! My friend Trevi Wilson sent me wine (which is something I never get to have) in tetra packs in a maildrop and it was amazing! In all seriousness, I love hearing from home, and anything sent to me is greatly appreciated!
More soon!
Kylie
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