Sunday on the AT
Winter has finally come to an end and even though I love the outdoors, I rarely venture out before Spring so it feels awesome to be back out in the sunshine. If you follow Renegade Camera on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you already know that I spent Sunday hiking with my family on the Appalachian Trail. We spent 4-5 hours walking through the woods, up a steep climb to some cliffs overlooking the Shenadoah river, and then on to the Ed Garvey shelter which must be one of the nicest shelters on the AT (because it has two levels and windows). It was hard not to be inspired by the backpackers walking by with their enourmous packs, pulling out maps and planning their journeys.
My favorite part of the visit was when my Dad started reading entries and trail names out of the trail registry...things like "You shall not pass- Gandalf" and "Whole sleeve of Halloween Oreos left- Stinky Jesus". There were also entries from the weary; "Feet hurt so fucking bad" and then there were the inspiring "Left the rat race for a hike on the AT". I took many GoPro shots of that book but this was my favorite.
This time of year is when the serious hikers hit the trail- the ones who follow the whole AT from Georgia to Maine over the course of 5 to 7 months. There was something really cool about being there at the start of hiking season, reading the registry and passing backpackers that gives you a twinge of wanderlust. I wonder what sort of journeys we will all capture this year.
