Well, here I am. After crossing the Ohio River, I’ve left Mountaineer country and entered the Buckeye state. While I’m certainly glad that I’ve made it over the Appalachians, I will miss them dearly. Some of my first glimpses of unmanned wilderness took place back in Cub Scouts: hiking the Appalachian Trail and learning the basics of survival, gaining an appreciation for nature, and generally utilizing the outdoors for everything they have to offer. Within the past few years I gained a newfound love for these same mountains, and they are symbolic of the general terrain that I’m used to and have hiked most often. With this milestone, I’ve crossed the threshold- out of the mountains and slowly into the flatlands.

Walking through West Virginia was a great learning experience for me. I ate squirrel for the first time, discovered how awesome military MRE’s are, and saw how wolves use body language to communicate firsthand. I learned how to effectively light a fire with the lens of a projector, (from a tip) that a diver’s decompression chamber is the best cure for a hangover, and that (fortunately for me) black bears are often more scared of humans than we are of them. West Virginia presented many of my toughest challenges so far, but also showed me that the land is twice as beautiful, the people are twice as kind, and that time either moves twice as fast or twice as slow as I thought. Today will be day 50 of Dudetrek, and I’ve been loving every second of it. I can’t wait to see what Ohio has to offer, but for now, I’ll take it one step at a time.

Thanks to the Taste of the Town restaurant in Fort Ashby for showing me a taste of the town; to Bill and Jean Bailey from Keyser for the delicious squirrel to start off my WV experience; to Chuck Elza for the MRE’s (and watching my back); to the entire Mt. Zion church for your enthusiastic support; to Ken from God’s House of Prayer and Ralph for preparing me for the journey ahead; to Bill Signor for reminding me that the world is a small place; to Joyce for finding me and being a great mom; to Dan, Katie, Holden, and Harper from Canaan Valley for taking me in like part of your family; to my cheering supporters at the Leaf Peeper’s Festival’s 5K in Davis for keeping my spirits up and my feet moving; to Aaron, Brooke, and Casey for good company when I needed it; to Louren and Shenay from Parsons(sorry if I butchered spelling your name) for showing me sights I otherwise never would have seen; to officer Gillis from the Phillippi police station for helping me stay out of harms way; to Johnny from Grafton for pretty much everything, not to mention being a bad-ass!; to the entire city of Morgantown and all its inhabitants for a wild and wonderful weekend; to AMANDA from Clarksburg for your friendliness and the delicious tea; to Vicky at CJ’s Pizza in Pennsboro for helping me stay pumped up about hiking!; to Gary from the Happy Trails Café in Ellenboro for the tour and the reminder to live my dream; to the Conrads and the Ungers for the lovely conversation, the apples, and the wisdom that we must find our passion and stick with it; to the whole gang of kids on bikes that shared their time and some of their talent with me near the Eaton tunnel; and to Monique from Parkersburg for the inspiration, the sign language, and for wrapping up West Virginia with a small moment I’ll never forget. All of your help and kindness is truly priceless and only goes to show that the world is indeed good.

As the days get shorter, the nights get colder, and I approach the heartland of this great country; I must slowly adapt to my ever-changing environment. For now, however, I’ll see what tomorrow has in store and take it from there.

“Welcome to wild and wonderful West Virginia!”

Just as I crossed the creaky, one lane wood bridge to leave Maryland and enter West Virginia, I stopped to take a picture of the sign that had the quote above in giant bold letters. I can’t help but feel accomplished after reaching this first momentous milestone, but I am quick to stifle my excitement as soon as I see the mountains I will soon be climbing. While taking my first couple steps up what would eventually feel like an endless ascent, I briefly wonder whether or not this is all worth it. What could possibly make my swollen, blistered feet and aching body, my constant and unending hunger, my mosquito bites on mosquito bites, and my sweats and shivers and stenches and solitude all worth while?

For one, it is exactly that which makes me most uncomfortable that brings me the most wholesome peace. Take the words from my Nana’s favorite Kelly Clarkson song for example- “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
As if that isn’t enough, I have already seen more vivid, National Geographic quality natural surroundings in the past 23 days than I have in practically my entire life. Yesterday alone, I saw thousands of frogs, caterpillars, and their butterfly brothers; hundreds of birds from ducks to woodpeckers to geese and even a bald eagle that snatched a fish from the Potomac, and spiders that would nearly fill the palm of your hand; dozens of turtles both in and out of the water, deer from the smallest fawn to a massive buck that didn’t back down till the last second, and fish of all shapes and sizes; a handful of snakes of varying colors, groundhogs or woodchucks or whatever you call them, and seemingly wild cats and dogs that roam where they want to; and last but certainly not least a pair of beavers that posed for my camera right until I was ready to take their picture. Take all of this and surround it with a landscape of rocky mountains and towering trees straight out of a Paul Bunyan-style folk tale, and it’s easy to see how breathtaking the world (or at least that part of Maryland) truly is.
But hands down the most pleasantly surprising and motivating aspect of my trek so far has been the unquestionably friendly and compassionate people I have had the chance to meet. To Ann and Jim, who made my first night on the trail one that i will never forget; to Serinda and her family for EVERYTHING and more; to Lee and his family for teaching me that we are all living our own adventures and sometimes they intertwine; to James, Gero, Ethan, Steve, and Miami Jack for being total bros; to Kathy for spotting me from afar and making sure i had a good day; to Sam and all my boys from back home for a wicked sweet party in College Park; to the Central Union Mission for housing me, but more importantly for housing everyone else; to Tim and Ron for an unexpected and extremely appreciated gourmet lunch; to the female AT hikers whose names I have forgotten for the quick tips on how to better manage my pack; to Rob and his sons Noah and Evan who treated me to a heap of inspiration and a warm rehydrated raspberry dessert; to Sami, her family, and her boyfriend Alex for a shower, clean clothes, delicious food, and the feeling of being home away from home; to Bill, Tony, Betsy, and John for the company, the conversation, and the pizza; to Steven Walker, who was extremely easy to talk to, and taught me that the Paw-Paw tunnel has 7 million bricks in its ceiling, and that sdrawkcab seton fo lanruoj eritne na etorw icniV aD odraneoL; and to the literally countless others I have met along the way- Thank you so much.

After crossing the state line, i realize that the past 23 days have flown by. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun. So as I lie here under the stars, snuggling up in my sleeping bag, I can’t help but wonder what exciting new adventures will present themselves in the days to come. Welcome to wild and wonderful West Virginia.

Dudetrek T-shirts are now for sale- only $12 dollars! Big Jeff Jenkins from Corporate Promotions is making the shirts in all adult sizes, just like the one I wear every day!
My mom is coordinating the sales and distribution for all the shirts, so email her at monkeybrothers@comcast.net if you are interested. It is a great way to show your support, and who doesn’t love tye-dye?

Alligator not included with purchase of t-shirt.

Spending the night at the Central Union Mission in DC. Can’t describe how thankful I am for their generosity and compassion. If you have an air conditioned house with a warm bed, enjoy it- but don’t take it for granted. Many of these folks have never known that kind of comfort. During chapel time today, the preacher asked us to pray for his strength because his daughters asked if they would see him tonight. He had to say no; Instead, he is here making sure we are all off the streets and in good hands

Click on this link to see my interview with Fox 5!

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/19487419/jonah-boyer-hiking-the-american-discovery-trail-on-dudetrek

Many thanks to Beth and Darrell for the interview!

Stats for all 5 days

Day 1: 18 miles, High of 94, 0 dollars spent, sunset at 7:33, bed time at 10pm

Day 2: 20 miles, High of 91, 1.70 dollars spent, sunset at 7:32 bed time at 11:35pm

Day 3: 21 miles, High of 89, 0 dollars spent, sunset at 7:31, bed time at 12:00am

Day 4: 19 miles, High of 89, 2 dollars spent, sunset at 7:29, bed time at 12:30am

Day 5: 0 miles- rest day at Washington College in Chestertown

Also, here are some pictures I found online of the things i have passed in the last couple days. I’m having trouble uploading pictures from my camera, so this will have to do until i figure out how to manage that.

Zwaanendael Museum

Milton, Delaware

Redden State Forest

Recycled Tire park in Tuckahoe State Park

Joppa Wharf/ Museum in Denton, Maryland

Dudetrek begins tomorrow, and I am as ready as I will ever be. All my gear is packed and ready go, and at 5:30 tomorrow morning, I will see my last glimpses of Eldersburg for a while. People often ask me questions about my gear, and what exactly i will have with me tomorrow morning when i take those first steps. Well, I have decided to lay it all out for you in the following diagram. To see everything up close, click on the picture

1. Martin “Backpacker” guitar
2. ALPS Mountaineering 45L “Orizaba” backpack (100oz. “Omega Waterbeast” Camelbak inside)
3. Hygiene/ Spiritual/ Misc. Bag (First aid kit, Swiss army knife, toothbrush, toothpaste, whistle, vitamin C supplement, water purifier tablets, deodorant, knife sharpener, sage, licorice root, white quartz stone, incense)
4. Delaware/ Maryand Atlas & ADT trail guide (in plastic sheet protectors)
5. Food (Poptarts, oatmeal, fruit snacks, tuna, sandwich crackers, freeze dried mac n’ cheese, freeze dried Stromboli)
6. Poncho, Wallet, Hobbies bag (yarn for crocheting, Sea Wolf by Jack London, blank Dudetrek notebook)
7. Tecnica “Pro GTX ms” boots
8. Big Agnes “Encampment” Sleeping bag (rated for 15 degrees F)
9. ALPS Mountaineering Lightweight Air Pad
10. Big Agnes “String Ridge 2″ 4-season tent
11. Clothes (Everlast thermal, LL Bean button-down T-shirt, Coleman Rain Jacket, New Balance Socks, Underwear)
12. GSI Outdoors “Pinnacle Soloist” Cookset
13. Toilet Paper and a Birch bark fire starter
14. Good ol’ Nike flops
15. Discraft Ultrastar Frisbee and peace sign bandana
16. .75 L Camelbak “Groove” filter water bottle
17. Canon Digital Camera
18. Sterno Fuel Cans

Other than my underwear (which was in the washing machine when i took this picture), and the new dudetrek shirt on my back, this is every piece of my gear. For now, I am going get some well needed rest. Tomorrow is a big day