Training Run #165 — Smile or You’re Doing It Wrong (Andrew “The Goat of Weekly Mileages” Glaze)

Arms + Forearms Workout

Training Run #164 — Beauty and Brutality

Legs + Lower Legs Workout

Training Run #163 — 1 Hour Milly Rock

Tackled the entire Roller Coaster Section of the Appalachian Trail as an Out & Back so I actually hiked the entire route TWICE. This was definitely a serious challenge, if I’m being completely honest with you guys, just doing the first half was hard, I was at some points questioning if I should actually go all the way to the end and was stressing me out just how hard the return hike was going to be. In those moment I detached myself from the challenge and with each climb I’d speak out loud to myself asking “How are we feeling after that climb?”—if I could still crack and smile then I was still good to keep going. I was definitely pushing towards a mental limit, but I know for a fact by the end I still had a lot more to give even if I was hurting and feeling drained. 

The constant steep incline to declines on this route really do hit different than my other longer hikes with much longer inclines but not nearly as frequent as this one’s. Something about the constant pushing up steep to down nonstop was harder than making a big climb and then a big descent. Your body is constantly pushing through the two difficulties that it definitely starts taking a toll. Oh and much of the trail surfaces of this route would make you think this was up in Rocksylvania’s rugged trails. My feet were hurting yet showed no signs of blisters or abrasions even at the very end. It’s wild how great my feet look after hikes like these, you’d never think I’d have just done all these miles if you saw them. 

Overall this hike is great for challenges and is fun for exploring but doesn’t offer much in the way of views or striking land features to hike to. It was very foggy almost all day long so even the 2 views that were along this route were barely visible if at all. There was a very small waterfall somewhere in the middle of this hike named Pua Falls, interesting spot, this part of the Blue Ridge doesn’t not have really have any waterfalls so that was a cool find. Anyone looking for a solid amount of miles and elevation gains to test your endurance, this is the route for you.

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Bryce Henry

Solo Appalachian Trail: Roller Coasters Section Hike

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Training Run #165 — Smile or You’re Doing It Wrong (Andrew “The Goat of Weekly Mileages” Glaze)

Arms + Forearms Workout

Training Run #164 — Beauty and Brutality

Legs + Lower Legs Workout

Training Run #163 — 1 Hour Milly Rock

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