Updates

Lots of things have happened over the past few months in regards to my AT hike. The first and biggest thing was my section hike(s). I had originally planned to hike Amicalola Falls to Fontana Dam starting on Labor Day. I got 2 weeks off from work, sent some mail drops, and bought some new gear that I wanted for my thru hike. What I did not count on was the humidity in Georgia in September. It drained me more than I ever would have guessed.

Amicalola to Woody Gap was ok, but not great. The climb over Blood was what really got me down. I knew that I should be able to fly over that section no problem, but I could barely make it to the top. When I got to Neel Gap I tried to get a shuttle back to my car but no luck. So I stayed the night and decided to try for Dick's Creek Gap. Ended up bailing at Unicoi Gap at noon on Day 5.

I was seriously questioning myself at this point. How could I thru hike if I couldn't make it out of Georgia? Kept thinking it over and decided about the end of September that I couldn't quit and I needed to finish my section hike. So I planned to finish the rest October 17-24.

It was a MUCH better experience with the cooler weather. I was loving it, except for one thing, which I will get to later. I was making great time, just cruising down the trail. Passed Standing Indian Mountain, which was my furthest point so far, and was looking forward to everything ahead. I was using my original schedule from the earlier attempt, and decided that with the easier trail in NC, I would stretch day 4 to 20 miles. HUGE mistake. That day I felt great, but in the morning the first thing I realized was that I had inflamed my IT band on my left leg. Not good. I kept hiking until I got to Winding Stair Gap, 3.8 miles away, and hitchhiked into Franklin, NC. I got a motel room at Haven's Budget Inn and iced up my knee and rested.

I also visited Outdoor 76 again for some adjustments to my insoles that I had gotten there the weekend before. They are absolutely amazing. Shoe fitting is their speciality, especially for thru-hikers. Got new insoles and some good advice (mainly don't do a 20 mile day right off the bat and hurt yourself!) from the owner. They have definitely earned more of my future business.

I finished the rest of my trip hiking lower mileage days, ending up at the Nantahala Outdoor Center on Friday instead of Fontana Dam. Ended up being an awesome trip regardless, and I learned some very valuable lessons about hiking.

Back to that one thing... I found myself constantly wanting to be in town. I wanted food, or Internet, or whatever it was at the moment, and I could get it in town. I had to think about this for a while and I realized that a lot of it was wanting to be around people. I was alone most of my hike simply because of the time of the year and locations. I met a few people, but not a lot. When I was around people, I was fine- content with the here and now. I think that a lot of it will be easier to deal with on a thru hike while I am surrounded by lots of other hikers.

I know I have more work to do on the mental aspect, but 5 months will be sufficient time to get better prepared for it. I know you can never be fully prepared for the mental challenges of thru hiking, but I will do my best.

The new plan is to tell my family on Thanksgiving while we are all together. I will probably wait until January to tell work.

Regardless, I am committed to thru hiking at this point, at least in my mind. The thoughts of others matter little in the long run. I will do this for me, for the reasons in my lists. I cannot wait.