Euro trip: Spain pt. I

Friday, December 13, 2013

My final exams have ended for the semester, and I am in need of a break. Julie and I have been saving and planning for this trip for a long time. I'm so thrilled to go to Europe. I've never been before, though I consider myself to be fairly traveled. Julie has actually traveled many more countries than I have.

We caught our noon flight from Memphis to Atlanta, but then had a 5 hour layover. We sat in the international terminal people-watching and killing time. We finally boarded our 7pm flight bound for Madrid, Spain. The flight was long and uncomfortable. Typically drinks were served, with complimentary wine and beer (surprise), and a wide array of personal movies were offered via the personal screen on the seat-back in front of me. The 7 hour flight was exhausting. 

Saturday, December 14, 2013

When we arrived in Madrid, the sun was was coming through the fog across the airport runway. We saw one day end and another begin wihout any sleep. We gathered our things and made our way across the airport to the metro. Via the directions of the Terrell's, we found our way to their apartment. It was nice to see a friendly face, and I could tell they were thankful for seeing old friends from back home (Olivia and Andrew work for Mission to the World, they live in Spain, and they are currently on year 1 of a 3 year commitment). We settled in at their apartment in the guest room.

With Olivia and Andrew as our guide, and meandered through the old city streets, got a quick meal of tortilla de patata, and visited the city plazas decorated in Christmas fair. We ate a small lunch at El Corte Ingles, and my lack of sleep caught up with me as we sat in the sun. The city was unusually crowded, even to the surprise of the Terrells. That night, Julie and I explored the city by ourselves and wondered to a huge palace lit up amongst the fountains and cityscape. We found our way to a street known for its tappas bars, but the shear amount of people out, even at 8pm (which is very early for the Spaniards), was shocking. We got a quick drink and made our way back to the apartment. The Terrell's had a few visitors over the might for church, so we when to bed. I fell asleep faster than I can remember, and we never heard a peep for the party hosted by the Terrell's at their apartment. 

Sunday, December 15, 2013

The next day in Madrid, our first full day, we ate breakfast at the Terrell's apartment and explored the city a bit. We did a bit of shopping, and then walked to a beautiful park with a small lake with paddle boats. The weather was amazing with blue skies. We ate at a small German burger place (I know...not Spanish), but the food was quite different than anything in the state. All the native food here is straight carbs with no veggies or fresh ingredients. The coffee however is delicious... café con leche. That night, Julie and I hard a nicer dinner at Olé Lola, a great tappas bar. We couldn't communicate well with our server, but our meal was delicious. Back at the Terrell's apartment, we stayed up late talking and laughing.

Monday, December 16, 2013

The next morning, we walked to a small cafe for breakfast: pan con tomate, fresh OJ, coffee, and a muffin. Afterward, we strolled to Olivia's jewelry workshop and saw how she makes her stuff. It was really fascinating. We were catching a bus to Granada that afternoon, so we back up our things and said our goodbyes. Staying with the Terrells was a real treat, and we had a great time seeing the city from a " local's" perspective. We got on the metro and quickly realized that we were cutting it very close to the bus station. We were those people running through the station trying to figure out where to go. However, our attempt to make the 2:00pm bus failed, and the next available ride was 5:30 that evening. We stowed our luggage in a locker and explored the streets around the bus station. We stopped for pizza, which ended up being a language lesson trying to read the menu. The server was so helpful and nice.
While walking back to the car, we saw a guy peeing by the sidewalk next to his car. Maybe that's a Europe thing, but I seriously doubt it.

We boarded the bus and left Barcelona as the sun was setting. I listened to music and read while Julie watched a movie and slept. It was actually a fairly comfortable bus ride, far more than the flight over from the US. We made a quick stop about half way through the 5 hour trip. We arrived in Granada at 10:30pm, and finally made it to Casa Bimbo after some difficulty. A couple from the bus was helpful in giving directions. We rolled our luggage up the steep cobblestoned streets. Casa Bombo, a relatively newer hostel, was situated in the older part of the city. It had the classic Spanish look and seemed ancient, yet clean. The view across the valley of the Alhambra was breathtaking. We were shown our room, grabbed a shwarma from down the street for dinner, and went to bed.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

For some reason, I was wide awake at 6:00am. Julie slept while I checked various school things on my tablet. By 8, we both went upstairs to the lounge for a hostel breakfast of coffee, cereal, and toast. I got to see my first daylight view of the Alhambra across the valley which was beautiful. At 10am, we walked up through the city streets to the Alhambra for a walking tour. The gardens were beautiful, even in winter. The Alhambra itself was massive, and it seemed like a great place to live in ancient days. The view from above looking down to the city below was spectacular. Granada is a beautiful city with lots of charm. The Sierra Nevada Mountains could be seen to the east with their gradual snowy peaks.

After the Alhambra, we walked the streets to Julie's school when she studied aboard. We even ran into on of her teachers! We stopped at the Restaurant Europa where I had a cerveza and not so great sandwich. We walked the plazas, stopped in stores, and experienced the city. After stopping by a "Chino" for cheap wine and lemon Fanta (to make tinto de verano), we hiked up to a higher point in there city to watch the sunset. It was spectacular with a view of the Alhambra, the mountains, and the entire city below. Later that night we ate Spanish tapas at a small bar called La Bella y La Bestia, and then we went to a flamenco show. It was in a tiny shotgun style venue/cave, and the music was classic Spanish. I was so tired that I dosed off during the first slow songs, but when the dancer came out and the music picked up, it was a great show. We met a guy from Munich who offered some advice on NYE, so I emailed him later that night. We left during intermission because we were exhauated (and we couldnt understand anything). We slept well that night.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

I woke up early again, around 6am, for no reason. I let Julie rest while I drank coffee and ate breakfast overlooking the Alhambra. When Julie got ready, we walked downtown through Granada and walked through El Corte Ingles, the European (or Spanish) of a superstore. We walked through the city for a while, saw the shops, the trinket stores, etc. We got a salad at La Bella y La Bestia for lunch, then went back to the hostel for a bit to rest.

That afternoon, we went to the Arab bathes. The hostel accidentally messed up the reservations, so the bathes only had three people! It ended up working out for us though. The bathes were so tranquil and warm, such a relaxing environment. They were located in a cave-like structure with multiple room with different temperature pools. Delicious hot was served in the rooms as well. I checked out the steam room for a bit, but those things are just hot and miserable. Another room had a massage, which took up about 20 minutes of the 1.5 hour bath time. It was my first massage too. It was good, but it kinda felt weird too. We left the bathes, got a little lost, and ended up back at the lookout to watch the sunset. We shower and went out for tapas that night at Pöe. The bartender was England, so we had some good conversation with him for a while. It was a long day, so we when to bed early since we needed to get up early.

Colorado Fourteeners. One Week. Five Peaks.

I haven't blog in almost two years. I have fallen away from this online journal because the AT is over and there isn't much to write about, not publicly at least. I have decided to continue my blog as more of a trip journal. Maybe people will stumble across it, but it will mainly serve as a semi-private online trip journal. This trip: climbing Colorado's fourteen-thousand foot peaks.

We left on Saturday morning from Nashville. My dad, sister, her fiancé Miles, and I flew to Denver where we got our rental car, a Chevy Tahoe. Quite a bit better vehicle then our Dodge Nitro last time. We had some time to kill in Denver, so we (of course) visited REI, and a restaurant called "My Brother's Bar". Decent food, great beer. We then took a brewery tour at Breckenridge Brewery. It was a great craft beer experience with lots to choose from. We continued on our way to Buena Vista, Colorado which sits at the base of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness.

We stayed at a small motel room, ate Mexican that night, and turned in for the night. We wanted to take it slow before we started approaching high altitudes, so staying in BV that night was probably smart. 

The next morning we hung out in town, walked downtown, and watched the kayakers surf the waves on the Arkansas River. It is always fun returning to that river because I guided rafts on it all summer in 2008. 

 Around midday we drove to the trailhead of Missouri Gulch, a large, beautiful valley surrounded my 14ers, all of which we were planning to climb. The trail up was steep with many switchbacks. After a mile or so of hiking, a storm rolled in a began dumping hail violently. It was an unexpected storm, as they usually are, so we scrambled to gather our rain gear. The hail pelted our exposed hands and stung, but it did not last long. After the storm passed, the ground glistened white with hail. Shortly after, we came upon the remains of an old miners cabin. This would be our campsite for the next two nights. The drizzling rain stopped, and we set up camp.

 The clouds never pulled parted, but the sky didn't yield anymore rain. 

The next morning, Tuesday, we rose about an hour before the sun and started up our first 14er, Mt. Belford. The approach through the valley was beautiful in twilight, but the trail quickly started straight up the northwest shoulder of Belford. The grassy switchbacks gave way to a rocky trail to the summit. The ascent took a few hours, but we made good time. The summit was a small rock pile topping out at 14,197 feet. 

Having another peak to conquer the same day, we started for Mt. Oxford, about 1.5 miles away. Miles' altitude sickness started to get more severe, so he stayed back to recuperate. The descent down the saddle to the east between Belford and Oxford was steep and tedious. A trail runner who had passed up going up Belford was now passing us going back after having summited Belford and Oxford. Quite an athlete. My sister, dad, and I made good time traversing the saddle and back up Oxford.

A storm was threatening our ascent, so we were up and down pretty quick. We retraced our steps back to Belford, then back down to our base camp. All in all, it was a great day with two peaks under our belts.

Since Miles was still feeling nauseous, he and my sister stayed back the next day while my dad and I went for the summit of Missouri Mountain. The inconspicuous peak was to the west of Belford and was comprised of mostly a ridge line to the summit. My dad and I rose extra early (3:30am) to be on the trial before 4:30am. We hiked with our headlamps on for the first half hour or so. The air was cold and many of the stream crossings were frozen. Marmots scampered away as we hiked through the Alps-like valley toward Missouri Mountain. The snowy ridge dominated our view to the south as the sun began to rise to our east.

We began climbing up Missouri's eastern face across several boulder fields.
 The ascent was exhausting, but we keep to it. After a few hours, we finally made it up to the ridge the occupied Missouri's northern ridge. Now, it was just another half mile of ridge walking. Much to our surprise, the snow and the steep angle made for a dangerous hike to the summit at 14,067 ft. We summited by 9:30 and had a fantastic view of the two peaks we had just climbed the day before.

Even better, we could see just about every fourteener within a 50 mile range. Mt. Harvard and Mt. Columbia to our southeast, Mt. Huron to our west, and far beyond, the famous Maroon Bells near Aspen. The Collegiate Range spread out further south and Mt. Elbert and La Plata Peak dominated to the view to the north. It was breathtaking, and we found ourselves not wanting to leave. 

After an hour, we began our descent down to the green valley below. The hike down was somewhat straining, but the ability to talk to each other made the foot pounding more bearable. With the sun high in the sky, the temperature rose dramatically. He hiked in shorts and T-shirt back to camp where Miles and Mary Chris had been waiting for us. We made it down to camp by 2:30pm. We gathered the rest of our overnight gear and began hiking back down. The way down seems longer than the hike up 2 days before, probably because I was tired. 

After reaching the car, we drove to Leadville for a dinner of pizza and Avalanche beer accompanied. Our hotel was quaint and relaxing. I got to talk to Julie a while which was great. The next day, we check out of our hotel and found a great little coffee shop in downtown Leadville, City on a Hill Coffee. We sat, ate breakfast, and talked for a while. It was one of my dad's favorites. With that day being our day off, we decided to drive to Aspen. The drive itself makes it worth it, over Independence Pass. 

We arrived in Aspen around mid morning, so we passed the time by walking around the shops. This town has some really amazing flowers too. They were everywhere. Since being there last, the town had a more uppity feel to it. Maybe I just noticed it more.

We ate a Mexican restaurant (again) and relaxed most of the day. We drove over Independence Pass again. We knew forest fires were going on throughout southern Colorado, but we noticed a large plume of gray smoke coming just south of Twin Lakes. It looked to large to be a brush or campfire. We pulled over to get a better look and noticed a helicopter hovering over the smoke. No flame were visible, but they were certainly there. Hopefully everything was extinguished before other tree caught fire. We continued on to our next climb and final climb for the trip, Mt. Greys and Mt. Torreys.

The dirt road to Greys and Torreys trailhead was literally right off of I-70. It was a steep rocky drive to the trailhead where we set up camp for the night. Mt. Grays was visible to the south and its craggy ridge surrounded us to the east. That night we sat around camp and talked until the sun went down, something we hadn't really done yet. It was nice to relax in the cool air on our last night in the woods. I slept well that night after reading a few chapters in of the WWII survival novel "Unbroken".

We started up the trail early the next morning. It was unlike any other 14er trailhead I had experienced before since the start was practially above treeline. However, the approach through the valley was still long. After a couple hours of hiking, a trail runner passed us running up the trail. We watched him ahead of us the whole way. Since these two peaks are fairly close to Denver and easily accessible, the trail began gathering people behind us. We could see other groups start up the trail far below us, many of them with dogs. Our first peaks was Mt. Grays, a featureless rounded peak at 14,270 ft. We continued up the switchbacks until we finally made it to the summit. James, the only other camper at the campsite with us the previous night was on top with his dog Gemma. We chatted with him for a while, took in the views, and visited the mountain goats. As other climbers began reaching the summit, we started down for the saddle to Mt. Torreys. The hike down to the saddle was steep, but not as bad as coming down from Mt. Belford three days before. I got a second wind and pushed it up the summit of Mt. Torreys, a much sharper peak with little room for more than 10 people to occupy. With a height of 14,167 ft, we could see for miles. Mount of the Holy Cross stood to our west with its snowy cross unmelted. Just like Mt. Grays, the peak got congested with hikers, dogs, and gear, so we decided to make the trek down.
 To be continued...

AT Photos

So I am home and have very much enjoyed it. I asked Julie to marry me before I even got home! I was welcomed by tons of friends and family at my house for the engagement party. The weekend was full of emotion, from finishing the AT, getting engaged, and just being home and seeing familiar faces. I hadn't seen most of my friends and family since Liz & Corbin's wedding back in June, so I was ready.

Since being home, I have rested and started to unpack...and pack. My girlfri...fiancee teaches in Memphis and I will be moving there. I am living with some guys who Julie knows. Since leaving Knoxville, I thought the "live in a house with 5 other guys college style" was over, but I'll be jumping back into it again. Fortunately, I am excited about it. My house is about a mile from Julie. I am also applying for research/medical jobs which should be nearby too. Hopefully I'll find something soon.

Here are some photos from the trail. I took 1508 pictures total, so this album only scratches the surface (200). It's the same album that I uploaded to facebook. Click HERE

I've never been much of a blogger except for on the trail, but that's because I had something to write about. Now that I am back, I might continue blogging. Now that my friends from college are all dispersed across the world, blogging has been a link into their lives. Maybe mine will serve the same purpose.

Stay in touch, and thanks for your support while I hiked. The past four month were beyond incredible. I'm glad to be home...time to plan a wedding!

Mt. Katahdin: The Final Day!

I was in middle school, perhaps even elementary school when I heard about a trail that extended from Georgia to Maine. I remember thinking I could hike it in sections over many years, but I never really was interested in doing it that way. I never thought I would do it because it was so hard to find time, and it...was just so hard. As college rolled around, the thoughts of thru-hiking surfaced again. I looked into it more seriously and realized after school might actually work well.
I asked Julie, "What do you think about me hiking the AT after I graduate?"
I remember her saying, "You should do it! It would be great."
Perhaps after being apart for almost these entire 4 months, she may regret that answer, but it is finally complete!

Journeyman and I pushed through the 100-mile Wilderness in 3.5 days, celebrating my 24th birthday on Sunday and his 26th birthday Tuesday. We hiked 20, 28, 30, and 33 miles into Baxter State Park at the base of Katahdin. We sat at the shelter the night before and talked about the amazing experience the trail has been: the people we had met, the places we've stayed, the things we'd seen. I tried to capture it in the three (now full) journals I kept daily and over 1300 photos.
On summit day, we were excited and exhausted from the past few days all at the same time. We started up Mt. Katahdin, a 4000+ ft gain in 5 miles. We pushed up near the top and during the last mile, we hiked without speaking. I was sorting through the thoughts and emotions as I took the last steps of the hike. 2,181 miles of hiking was about to end. I saw the famous Appalachian Trail sign in the distance through the breaking fog. As I approached the summit, I just couldn't stop smiling. This was it. I got to the top, rested my hands on the sign, turned and looked to the south where I started 4 months ago to the day (May 15th), and let out the loudest yell so loud my ears were ringing.

I wish I could describe the feeling of finishing to AT, but I don't even know where to start. The descent down Katahdin was slippery and wet, but I didn't even care. The miles of the AT were over, and my thru-hike is done. I'm torn on how I feel. One half is immensely sad that the adventure is done as my mind races through all the memories of the trail. The other half is beyond excited to be back with family, friends, food, and especially Julie. She supported me the whole way and was separated from me during a hard first few weeks of her first year as a teacher. I can't thank her enough, as well as my family and friends for all the support and encouragement. I'm also thankful for all my friends on the trail: AYCE, Peach, Five Stones, Waterboy, Turbo, Jedi, Chef Boyardee, Fish Hook, Mojo, Grizzly, Milkman, Ever Ready, Journeyman, and all others for the company on the trail. I hope life treats you well...

Thanks for following the blog and for the comments along the way. I hope to see everyone soon back home. I will be posting a handful of highlight pictures on a photo website, so if you're interested, check the blog again in the next week or so.

I'm excited about the NEXT chapter of my life, but I am sad to see this one come to a close.

-NEXT ~NOBO•GA->ME '11~

Monson, ME: The Beginning of the End

Through the 2067 miles I have hiked so far, I have crossed through 14 states starting at Springer Mountain, GA. Now I am 114 miles away from the final destination: Mt. Katahdin, ME. I am in Monson, ME, the final town before the 100-mile wilderness before the final summit.

Last night, I sat on top of Moxie Bald with a friend "Journeyman". This was a short but humbling climb which gave expansive views in all directions. We both sat on top of the granite summit staring into the distance. On the horizon past the hundreds of acres of lakes and pines stood a faint blue peak against the sky: Mt. Katahdin. It was our first view of the end, though it seemed so far away. 100 miles of wilderness is now what stands between me and the end of my journey. The end is now in sight.

I hiked through southern Maine over the rocky summits and rainy weather. I've generally been pretty optimistic through the hard times, but the past week was truly a test. I ran out of food sooner than I thought, and the rain just wouldn't stop. I was discouraged to be honest. This trail will test you through and through, both the physical and the mental. However, as quickly as the rain started, it stopped and left blue skies.

I have been hiking with Journeyman for a couple days now, and we are planning on hiking the last few days together. We are currently staying at our last hostel: The Lakeshore House and Pub. The past few days have been really amazing with good company, great sunsets, and a full moon every night. This is truly a week of "lasts". My last resupply, my last hostel stay, my last meals on the trail, and my last steps of the thru-hike. I am planning on summiting Mt. Katahdin on Thursday, September 15th, the exact 4 month mark from the start of my adventure on Springer Mountain.

I am able to use a computer here, so here are some photos from the past few weeks:

Hurricane Irene damage in the White Mtns

Dad and I had to be creative to get back to the trailhead
Summit of Mt Washington, the day after Irene.


Welcome to Maine!

Trail Frog


Morning Fog in the Bigelows

The 2000 mile mark (though it was actually a few miles south of here)

The Famous Maine Blueberries

Night Photography on Moxie Pond with a Full Moon

Moxie Bald with Katahdin WAY off in the distance (camera couldn't pick it up)

"Journeyman" crossing the Bald Mtn Stream...at 7am. Brrrrr!

Journeyman and I hitching back to Monson, ME after our last resupply.

I will have a few post-trip entries after the last day. Thanks for your interest and support. I'm excited to get home to the civilized world once again!

Insane Maine Terrain

I wasn't able to write much on the last post, so I'll fill in some details...

Dad and I hitchhiked back to the trail as far as we could with a friendly hotel employee. We came to a highway bridge that was out from Hurricane Irene. The high water caused the bridge to buckle several feet as if an earthquake came through. Cops and workers were swarming the scene, so Dad and I walked across a nearby railroad bridge when the cops weren't looking. Rebels! We hitched another time, crossed more washed away roadbed, and finally made it to the trailhead (I wish I could post pictures, but I'm using my iPod touch). Since the hurricane threw off our plans, we crunched our 6 day trip into 5. The next two days were spent mostly above treeline with expansive views and dangerously rocky trails. We spend the night at Lakes of the Clouds Hut, but since the park was "closed", we got to stay for free in a warm bunkroom. It was great!

Another hard day over Mt. Washington and all the way down to Pinkham Notch left us exhausted. I was glad to be done for the day but was also sad it was my last day hiking with Dad. Being with him was like being at home in a way, and it made me miss it. I was sad to see him go.

Since then, I have seen pushing through Maine but it has been hard going. The terrain very difficult with slick rock everywhere. The past few days have been rainy and wet, so now I'm in Rangeley, ME getting a good meal, restocking on food, and doing laundry. At the grocery I ate a big bag of potato chips and drank a quart of chocolate milk immediately. I hope the weather is better so I can make it to Katahdin on Sept. 15! I can't believe my adventure is coming to a close...

Almost to Maine!

Here is a quick update from Gorham, NH. I left my dad yesterday morning, and I was sad to see him go. We crunched our 3 remaining days of hiking into 2, so we were completely exhausted. The Whites has brutal trails with no switchbacks whatsoever.

I am now hiking alone, but I feel the surge of energy for this last push until the end. I am about 15 miles from the Maine border and am really looking forward to it. Though New Hampshire has been the prettiest state, it has been the most unfriendly (except the town of Hanover). There are nice people here, but there are equally rude and unwelcoming people. The AMC (club that operates the Whites) was especially cold to us...

I have just two weeks left which I still can't believe...my time on this computer is about to expire, so I must go. I fill you in on the details next post.