Mom & Daughter Team NOBO to Katahdin

Hello Friends,

I let Shenandoah and miles 400 – 500 slip by without writing a post, but for good reason! My 23-year-old daughter, Chloe, decided to join me full-time on the trail. She plans to hike NOBO all the way through to Katahdin.  What an amazing time we’ve had meeting new tramily members, fighting off mice in the Bearfence Hut, eating breakfast with a window view at Skyland, moving a rattlesnake off the trail, and cooling down on an 88-degree day while relaxing on the porch swing at the Blackburn Trail Center.

We were cruising the Roller Coaster into Harpers Ferry before we knew it.  Chloe decided to keep the trail name she has had since she was 17 years old: Prickleberry. If you see us on trail, make sure to ask her how it came to be!

I celebrated my 48th birthday in Harpers Ferry with an Appalachian Trail Conservancy check-in, meeting up with new and previously acquired tramily members at the Flip Flop Festival,  and a visit with my parents. It was such a memorable day hiking down Shenandoah Street from Harpers Ferry into Maryland with my mom and dad by our side: three generations on the trail together for the day.

We are one day away from the Mason-Dixon line and my 500+ miles in Virginia will forever leave an imprint on my mind and heart. Journeying the first 300 miles alone was an experience I will never forget and hope to articulate in greater depth once my journey is complete. Sharing the rest of the miles north to Katahdin with my daughter will surely be a lifelong bonding memory.

My Top 10 Moments on this Section of My Journey:

1. Meeting new tramily members in Shenandoah: Stumbledore, BougieBoss, Ultra, 100%, Leapfrog, Rhythm, and multiple section hikers who made our time at shelters so much fun.
2. Signing in at the Harpers Ferry ATC. For years I have seen other thru-hiker’s iconic photos; it was a dream come true for me.
3. Watching the sunrise over Blackrock Summit.
4. Soaking in the beautiful views of the Shenandoah and Potomac River confluence.
5. Eating a big ole salad twice at The Rabbit Hole in Harper’s Ferry.
6. Surviving our first timber rattlesnake encounter.
7. Helping my daughter get acclimated to trail life; what an amazing gift to have her by my side.
8. Receiving trail magic from two previous 2022 thru-hikers: a two-week supply of our favorite electrolyte supplement, Liquid IV
9. Walking into Spring and watching mayapple umbrellas shoot up, wildflowers cover the forest floor and trees bloom within a two-week period of time.
10. Making it through Virginia, the longest state on the Appalachian Trail.

Happy hiking, and thank you for following my journey! 

Joanne,
“Lucky Penny” on the AT 2023