Happy Thanksgiving Folks!

 Well, it has been a long time since our last update. I was getting frustrated with the lack of internet access, but we are out in the woods after all...

We have passed several exciting landmarks recently.
Mile 1,049 - the length of an Iditarod. By the end of the trip we will have walked the distance to Nome twice.
Our record mile day into Boiling Springs, PA. 30 miles!  It was a rough day, but crossed the Cumberland Valley and was mostly flat. We had to try it...
Halfway was a big one, and cause for celebration. We camped near halfway, mile 1090, near the end of PA on Nov 9th. Already seems like so long ago!
Harpers Ferry had been a big destination for me since starting in Maine, so that was a fun place to walk through. We signed in at the ATC office on Nov 13th, and had our pictures taken for the yearly log book. We were numbers 112 and 113 for Southbound thruhikers in 2010. We went out for breakfast... and kept walking.
Maryland and West Virginia(4 miles) were short states, only two days for both of them. And then into Virginia -state number 11! It is a long one though, nearly 600 miles.
Shenandoah National Park was also an exciting section. 105 miles of beautiful, wide, well graded trails. We loved it! We also saw our first black bears.
And now we are spending Thanksgiving in luxury. Tyrell's grandparents picked us up on a gravel forest service road yesterday. We had just passed the 1,400 mile mark and were very ready for a break. We have appropriated 3 days for the holiday and are very excited for some time off the trail, especially after our hectic schedule the last 3 weeks. I will be missing my extended family get-together, but am happy to be here meeting more of Tyrell's relatives.

Our assorted shoes after 900 miles, just before Tyrell bought a new pair

 Stopped for a snack break on the trail. Eating chocolate macadamia clusters, thank you Papa!

A 1,000 mile smile!

 Walking through one of the trail towns around Halloween time we noticed these pumpkins... I was sad I didn't get to carve one myself.

 That's a lot of hay. Has been fun to walk through the farmland. I like seeing the livestock- horses, cattle, sheep.

We are starting to catch up to the other SOBO's(Southbounders). It has been fun to meet in person all these other hikers that we have been following in the log books for so long. Our friend Golden Ray thought this was an important half-way picture.

 A Washington monument. All the historical sites and remnants, and battlefields have been interesting to see. It's nice to learn some history and have something different to think about as we walk along.

 Harpers Ferry! I was super excited this day. Had been looking forward to this place for a long time. We also picked up a mail-drop from Mom. Thank you for another excellent box! She has been sending us extra goodies and homemade treats along with our requested food and clothing; the fruit roll-ups were fantastic. We also enjoyed the caribou meat, something we haven't had a lot of on the trail.

 Our friend Andrew, from VA met us in Shenandoah National Park and hiked with us for about 6 miles, and then treated us to dinner! Was awesome to visit with somebody else on the trail.

In Shenandoah National Park

 The apple trees! We have been munching on these for a couple weeks now. As much fresh fruit as I can hold, perfect. What a great kind of trail magic. We have met many kind people along the way and have received great "trail magic". One couple lives right beside the trail and hand out ice cream bars to hikers. We were number 600 something in their logbook, my first thought was, "That is a lot of ice cream bars..."

 A page out of Tyrell's guide book. Shows the elevation for the day and mile marks along the way. This was a tough day. We climbed the Priest(on the right). Dropped into the valley there, 970 ft, and then all the way back up to 4,000 something, ooof. And Mt. Marathon is only 3,022!

Cold Mountain. They mow the top to keep it open. Grass felt wonderful on my bare feet!

 The adventure continues...