A couple, a baby, and a 2,200-mile hike
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If you expected Bekah and Derrick Quirin to give up on the Appalachian Trail after a few days, forget it.
The couple, as I wrote last month, is trying to thru-hike the entire Georgia-to-Maine trail, armed only with their wits, the supplies their moms strategically deliver to them, and a 1-year-old kid who isn't pulling her weight.
They set off in mid-March and they update their blog as internet service allows.
In a dispatch on Sunday, the couple reports they haven't gotten into a pattern that fits the baby's needs, yet.
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And it doesn't sound like much fun:
When we got to the bottom of the Valley at the end of the day, I expected to see the beloved shelter we had been waiting for. And it wasn’t there. Ellie was upset, I was upset that Ellie was upset, my body wanted to just fall over from soreness! So I stopped in the trail, looked back at Derrick and just cried.
I wanted the day to be over! We kept going and half a mile later, the shelter appeared. We stayed at Bailey Gap that night, and hope to never have to sleep in a shelter again! It was filled with mice and was very cold and drafty compared to the cozy tent.
Brave faces, everyone. The internet is watching.
The couple started their trip near their home in Virginia and will hike south, then return home and head north.
