Stories from Luke's Phone Call w/Mom

Luke asked that I update the blog and give followers a summary of the latest highlights. Evidently, small-town libraries don’t have an abundance of computers and so time on them is limited. This was the first time Luke asked me to do the blog for him. I feel very honored, and I’ll try my best to relate the highlights as well as Luke told me on the phone. . .
The first highlight he wanted me to mention was the unlikely meeting of a group of southbound hikers on the trail north of Damascus that turned out to be a group from Morganton. One of the hikers was Alex Rector, a senior in high school that Luke knows well because he dates Megan Hussey, Luke’s cousin. The hikers were from TASK and they were doing a Spring Break backpacking trip. It was quite a coincidence for them to cross paths with one another. On a 2,175 mile hike, what were the odds that these guys would be on the same section at the same time? Anyway, both Caleb and Luke were blown away by this “coincidence.” Since Caleb’s sister Hana had been a member of TASK, Caleb knew the leaders and many of the hikers, and of course, Luke knew Alex. Running into familiar faces unexpectedly like that was a real boost and just another one of their many stories of “trail magic.”

The wild ponies were also a well-timed surprise. The boys knew they were hiking in the region where the ponies live but also knew they were nearing the end of that section without having seen any signs of wild ponies. Luke said they were walking a section of the ridge where they couldn’t see too far ahead of them when they suddenly heard and saw the ponies fast approaching. Luke called it a stampede and said they were in single file running on the trail straight towards them. Luke, ahead of Caleb, yelled “ponies,” and quick-thinking Caleb got out his camera. Caleb got the pictures while Luke cooperated with the ponies who only wanted to stop and lick the sweat off of him and Caleb. Luke laughed as he told me he could feel the ponies’ teeth as they lovingly licked him.

The boys are still dealing with wide ranges of weather. Luke described an amazing view of weather he and Caleb got to experience. They were overlooking miles of space below and could literally see about five different types of weather all at one time. He said he has never seen anything like it and was in awe of the view. . Luke said they’ve seen rain, sun, snow, hail, crazy wind, pushing clouds, and the weirdest combinations of weather.

It seems weather-related issues are teaching the boys a lot. One night they arrived to a shelter but it was full. Luke said he was feeling lazy and so instead of setting up his tent, he and Caleb threw a tarp over a picnic table that was at the shelter and slept under it. Waking up wet and miserable, Luke learned that his “easy-way-out” idea hadn’t been so smart.

Many of the boys’ highlights are posted via the pictures Caleb has taken. Both the boys are soaking in the beauty around them, and while the pictures are beautiful, both Luke and Caleb agree the pictures don’t measure up to the beauty they experience. I was glad to see they posted a picture of Mule. He’s the hiker I serendipitously met who carried three bags of food three miles to two boys he didn’t even know at the time! That is another great story . . . and while I can’t take up space to tell my version of it here, I’ll be happy to tell it to anyone who wants to hear it. Mule is my hero, though, and I was glad to see that Luke and Caleb have run into him again. Luke says he thinks Mule is about two days ahead of them now because of their stop at Emory and Henry. I’m sure they haven’t seen the last of Mule . . . he is one of their trail angels for sure!

Luke says they are feeling great. They are finding the Virginia terrain a bit of a break from the previous steep climbs and rugged terrain they experienced in GA, NC, and TN. They’ve hiked two 27 mile days and a 26-mile day. They met one hiker who had done 35 miles in one day in this Virginia section. Related to this, Luke asked me to update the featured question on the blog. Their new question is posted. Be sure to cast your vote!)

I’ll close out with a funny story Luke wanted me to include. . . The guys were just a couple miles from Pearisburg; they could literally see the town from their campsite the night before. All they could think about was getting into town and getting to Hardee’s for breakfast. They woke up to watch the sunrise, packed up, and excitedly headed toward town and their Hardess breakfast. Unfortunately, when they got to the point where they had to get off the AT and get on roads that would take them into town, it wasn’t real clear to them which roads to take. They got to the city limits but all they were seeing were factories and then finally a landfill. They had gone the wrong way. Starving and anxious to get to Hardees before breakfast ended, they made the decision to hitchhike. This was a hiking first for them. Luke said they both put out their thumbs and were immediately picked up by an “awesome” guy and his dog. They rode in the back of his pick-up a couple of miles to the right part of town where Hardees awaited them. Luke said he ate a loaded omelet biscuit, a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, a cinnamon biscuit, hashbrowns, and 3 things of sweet tea. Life was good again. They waited a couple hours and then hit the all-u-can eat buffet at the local Pizza Hut for a long lunch. After doing some laundry, visiting the library, they were thinking they were ready to return to the trail. My conversation with Luke ended suddenly as I was hearing Caleb chatting happily with a lady. It turns out this lady was offering them a ride, so Luke said “got to go . . . this awesome lady is offering to give us a ride.” Look for Luke and Caleb to post another blog soon. They sincerely appreciate your support and encouragement. Leave Comments!

–Karla for NoseHose and Hillraiser