Please Give Me Fries With That

(Days 46 to 59)

You may have heard of first and second breakfast… but have you heard of first and second dinner? 

Don’t let my size fool you — I can eat my weight in pizza these days.

I am onto Week 9 on trail and the hiker hunger has come in full force. Given the opportunity, I’ll catch a hitch in and out of town in a heartbeat to get my hands on some “town food” – aka anything warm that I do NOT need to rehydrate in a pouch with boiling water. In fact, I rode in the back of the pick-up truck of the vice-mayor of Glasgow, VA (and yes, this is a real position. I looked it up) to enjoy the pizza you see in the photo above. 

I haven’t always had a monster of an appetite, but being Greek my family’s love language is food – specifically insistently offering you seconds (and thirds and fourths) until you declare for the umpteenth time that you really can’t eat any more. If you are at a Greek’s table and they don’t say “Eat, eat!” at least once, are they even Greek? The answer is no.

“I don’t even feel full. I just feel bad”.

Kachow after walking out of an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Waynesboro. He spoke for us all.

On my first solo trip to Greece, I was bounced around between family members, and all they wanted to do was to fill me with food. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but there was only so much room in this little body of mine. I distinctly remember eating so much out of politeness that I made myself sick and ended up throwing up in the bathroom. Only to return to the table to see that dessert had been ordered for me…

Fortunately, this is not a problem that Whisper has. (Well… we’ll see how the Half-Gallon Challenge goes… *foreshadowing*). I have devolved to a simple, primal creature primarily concerned about food, water and shelter, and the most motivating of these necessities is food by a mile. It’s amazing what I can convince myself to do for food. Whether it’s a 30-mile day or simply coaxing myself up a climb by bribing myself with a peanut M&M for every 100 ft I ascend. 

Now that I have crossed into the great state of Virgina, I’m within driving distance of many of my friends and family. What this really means is access to an abundance of folks who are eager to shower me with love and support and most importantly – to feed me. No “Virgina Blues” for me!

I had my first visit with my parents in Daleville, VA which is about a four hour drive from their home in Maryland. I arrived at the hotel about 3 hours before my parents, and we planned to go out to dinner upon their arrival. My stomach couldn’t wait that long. Of course, the only solution was to order a first dinner as an appetizer. Thank God for Doordash – I was not walking the mile to the McDonald’s. I enjoyed a McDouble, large fries, a cookies and cream McFlurry and a large sweet tea before taking a nap and then enjoying a decadent French toast at Cracker Barrel with my parents later in the evening. 

And the next night, I helped myself to a large portion of a blooming onion and a hefty steak.

A few days later, when faced with the option of a 27 mile day into Waynesboro for a zero day, I opted for a combination of a 22 mile day and a 5 mile nearo. This decision was enforced by the fact that the 22 mile day would take us right by a road crossing that led to the Devil’s Backbone brewery. I enjoyed a basket of brisket nachos and a cold beer before hiking the final 14 miles of the day. Am I thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail or just taking a walking food and beverage tour of the East Coast? Who is to say? Maybe it’s both.

Sorry Disney World, but waysides are where dreams come true.

I’ve just made my way through the second national park of the trail, Shenandoah National Park. I was especially excited to go through national parks on trail because I have a goal to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, and this trek helps me get 2 parks closer to that goal (17 down, 46 to go). Shenandoah successfully bought my love and loyalty with its waysides. Sorry, not sorry Great Smoky Mountains National Park. All you gave me was some fog. Shenandoah has blackberry ice cream pie!

I mean… c’mon! Twist my arm.

Every day in Shenandoah National Park, we made a visit to a wayside. Waysides are magical places where dreams come true. In reality, they are mediocre roadside grills sprinkled throughout the park along the main road, Skyline Drive. But to a poor, hungry hiker like myself, they are havens of warm, greasy, delicious calories. There was even a lodge we passed where we could start the day with a hefty breakfast and warm cups of coffee. Hiking through Shenandoah felt like being on vacation. We cruised through with easy 20 mile days, sweeping views of the valley, mostly clear skies, and full bellies.

Cheeky quips about enormous appetites aside, food (meals and snacks alike) is an integral part of thru-hiker culture. While we do occasionally plan our days around hitting milestones to indulge in town food, even the day to day nourishment of dehydrated backpacking meals, protein bars and candy is a special part of the experience on trail. I often hike alone during the day, but I’m always sharing meals with someone else. It fosters connection and bonding with the trail community and brings up a similar feeling for me as having shared family dinners as a child or apartmentmate dinners and breakfasts in college.

This trek isn’t only a physical challenge, but also a mental one. So food isn’t only fuel on trail. It is the simplest form of showing love and support, often nourishing not only the body but also the mind and soul. Really, at its core, that is what trail magic often is – a kind stranger offering encouragement through a freshly grilled hot dog or a piece of ripe fruit. I have a newfound appreciation for every calorie that I put into my body and every step that takes me closer to Mt. Katahdin.

That all being said, the answer is always yes, I’ll take fries with that.