4/20/17 -- Mile 469 -- Damascus, VA Dear Andrew, While you have been in Germany living, laughing, and loving, I have been in the woods, hiking, hiking, and hiking. I made it to Virginia! I saw a snake! I ate two foot-long subs from Subway in one day! Three memorable moments: 1) Camping alone at the foot of a waterfall off the trail and finally understanding the concept of white noise as a sleep aid. 2) Hiking with a groundhog--the furry lil' guy would scurry up the trail in front of me, freeze, and then shoot a furtive glance back to see if I was still behind him. It took him a good quarter of a mile to figure out that I wouldn't follow him if he dove into the bushes. 3) Talking to the titular Brown of Brown's Grocery in the unincorporated town of Hampton, TN--which I hiked four miles out of my way to get the aforementioned two subs from Subway. "How long have you been out there?" The pot-bellied old man Brown asked me (people are often asking me this, I think it is because I resemble Tom Hanks from Castaway more and more each day). "About a month," I said. "Well," he said with a smile, "I reckon you'll be mighty tickled to get home." I laughed, mostly I was just tickled that this grizzled man in overalls had used the word "tickled." "Where are you from?" he asked. "Maryland," I responded. He gave me a long look and then said, "Well, I don't know if you'll be all that tickled to get back there." Guess that's southern charm for you, huh? It feels stupendous to be in Virginia, and absurd to have already walked as much as I have. The soft green of spring is slowly seeping into the forest, the violets are blooming, and the chipmunks are brazenly chattering. Spring is nigh! Current mood: optimistically exhausted. Can't wait to hear about Germany and mostly all the food you ate. Most of my social interactions involve collective fantasizing about food we can't have. I've attached a few pictures for your visual consideration. Love, Laura
1 Comment
Karen Kessler
4/24/2017 11:13:01 am
Laura, You are amazing!!! I love reading about how things are going. Thank you so much for having Andrew share your letters. Keep it up.
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LettersThese are the letters that Laura has sent her brother over the course of her hike. They are faithfully and painstakingly transcribed in their entirety. They are meant to keep people updated on how many facts she has learned about trees. Archives
July 2017
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