Day 3

Thursday April 9

Miles hiked: 13

Today was a long day. Woke up about 7:30 and was on the trail by 8:15. Walked with Adam, trail name WooHoo, for most of the day off and on. Theseus started with us then disappeared. Caught back up with iceberg and scoops early in the day.

The climb up sassafras mountain was as fun as usual. It sucked. Justus was no better. After that it got generally easier but still a long day.

Stopped for lunch at Justus Creek. We soaked our feet in the water. Cold! Had a peanut butter and nutella tortilla sandwich with oreos. Yum. We decided to go to the hiker hostel for the night due to the incoming weather.

Hiked on, and the groups changed again. Kate disappeared and I kept leapfrogging Virginia. Not sure if that is a trail name or her real name.

When Woohoo and I got to gooch shelter he went on ahead. When I got to gooch gap woohoo had gotten a shuttle to Suches since the hiker hostel was full. I wanted to hike further so I passed on the offer to go along.

The next 3.5 miles were tough. Not because the trail was steep, but I was just dragging. I need to drink more water. I finally made it through to woody gap and met Kate and Mozy who were looking for somewhere to stay. I called the wolfden hostel in Suches and they had 3 spots for us so we took them. About 4:45 we got picked up and brought into town.

The hostel is average but it has pizza so all is good. I had half a pepperoni and a sprite. Sprite burns after not having one for 4+ years. Finished it off with an orange push pop ice cream. Then went back later for an orange crush.

Took a crappy shower, which was still very nice. I shared a load of laundry with Kate and Mozy. That will be nice to have clean clothes just to get them dirty tomorrow. Fun fun fun!

I managed to get a bottom bunk in the hostel. We will see how that goes tonight.
Now that I am full and relatively clean, it is time to relax.

Everyone hung out until about 9 and then started turning in for the night. The floor squeaks like crazy when someone walks by, so with 20 people in here it is loud.

We have to be ready by 8:15 for the shuttle back that leaves "sometime between 8:30 and 9, or whenever I get ready".

Tomorrow will be an interesting day that's for sure.

Day 2

After a light drizzle last night, we woke to clearing skies and sunshine. Oh, and bugs.

Spoke a lot with Turtle from Virginia. He offered to help any thru hiker out when we get to Virginia near his home. Very generous. He is an IT guy as well and we have similar gear preferences so we talked about that a while. I may have to call him when I get there.

Took my time packing up, trying to let my tent dry off some. Ended up leading shortly after 9. Muddy trails everywhere today after the rain over the weekend. Hiked on and off with Theseus and Nicole from Maryland.

Met a father with his 5 year old son attempting a thru. Best of luck to him but he has a major task ahead of him.

Got to long creek falls about 1130. Taking a good break for lunch and get some water. Some of the section hikers decided to go swimming. The screams that quickly ensued kept everyone else out. It was cold!

After a nasty protein bar and a peanut butter tortilla sandwich, headed on towards hawk shelter.

Ended up at hawk about 235. Several people already at the shelter and more were coming in all the time. About 315 decided to stay instead of going on to horse gap. About 6 people left to go there but there is no water and not that big a place to tent at.

Lots of weed being consumed- seems to be a staple of the trail. Put my tent a good ways away from the shelter.

Met some new people that started at springer this morning. Seems to be an interesting group for tonight. We shall see.

Some of the section hikers has kazoos and a thru hiker broke one out as well. Had an impromptu concert of Disney songs. It was great.

Ate dinner about 530- plain mashed potatoes. Boring, but edible. Then some oreos for dessert.

More and more people keep coming in. It's turning into a real crowd. Wide variety of people represented.

Everyone is cooking dinner and hanging their bear bags. By 7 the cables are full and one took 2 people to haul it up.

At 8 there were 38 tents and at least 55 people at the shelter. We have 3 fires going and about 4 separate groups hanging out.

Very interesting night for sure. About to head towards the tent and hopefully get some sleep. Planning 14 miles tomorrow to make up for the 2.5 miles I skipped today. Heading towards preacher rock, a great overlook with some camping nearby. The weather is supposed to turn bad someone tomorrow afternoon or night so I may be in for an interesting night on the mountain.

The dream becomes a reality

Today my dream became a reality. I officially started thru hiking the Appalachian Trail at 12:45pm when I passed under the arch and began the approach trail. At 5:45 I set foot on Springer Mountain and the first white blaze. It is now as real as it can get.

I signed in at the visitors center and was number 1088 to start there. That means at least 1500 more started at the Springer parking lot and did not get a number.

The forecast called for scattered rain today, but it must have been scattered elsewhere. The sun came out several times, which was very welcome. I hiked from the arch to the top of the falls where I said goodbye to my mom. After that I hiked on up the approach trail.

I only saw 3 other hikers until I got to black gap shelter where there were three more. All but one were section hikers and I didn't talk to the other.

When I got to the summit I was very surprised that there was nobody else there. After hearing for weeks that it was super crowded, it came as a pleasant surprise. I took the required pictures and signed the log under intense bombardment by giant gnats.

I drank some of my celebratory Dr Pepper, which was very good after 4+years. The bugs ran me off early and down to the shelter where there are a bunch of scouts and at least 4 other thru hikers.

We chatted while we ate. There is a guy from Maine, and lady from Maryland, and a guy from Texas who kept hiking after eating. Very interesting bunch.

The guy from Maine is called Theseus. He carried a hiking pole cut into a spear on his last trip and he is originally from Greece. Theseus is apparently a Greek god who carried a spear. Fitting.

One hiker was calling shuttles for a ride. Officially 0.2 miles hiked and he is already quitting. He says that without a doubt this is not for him. I guess now is a better time to find that out rather than later on.

My filter was clogged up when I tried to get water. Uh oh. Not good. I got someone to let me have some clean water so I could back flush and it opened it up a little bit. I will have to work on it or replace it at Neels gap.

It's about 8 and getting dark. The scouts are building a fire so that will be nice.

Two more hikers from Boston showed up later and stayed in the shelter. Someone also came in well after dark and hung up a hammock.

It rained a little bit during the night, but nothing to worry about. The moon broke thru the clouds late and lit up the campsite. Very nice.

Officially I hiked 9 miles today, but 8.8 were the approach trail, so 0.2 official miles down. 2189.0 to go!

The Night Before

It is finally here. Tomorrow I begin my thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. Five months (give or take), 2,200 miles, and a whole lot of footsteps await me in the morning. Everything is packed and ready to head out the door, the house is in as good a shape as I can get it, and the car is gassed up.

We will be stopping by the Smith House Restaurant in Dahlonega for a good meal before heading to Amicalola and the start of the Approach Trail. I will hike up to the top of Springer Mountain tomorrow and spend the night, and officially start my trip the next morning.

The forecast calls for rain for many days ahead. You know what? That's alright. I would rather it rain now in the section that I have already hiked many times before. I have seen the views already, and will see them again. It is further up the trail that I want to see. Rain now, and be clear later. That is my hope. However, rain or shine, I will be walking North tomorrow!

It's Dr. Pepper Time!

After 4 years, 3 months, and 6 days I will finally have another carbonated drink (coke, pop, cola- whatever you want to call it).

I will begin my hike with a Dr. Pepper on the top of Springer Mountain, and end my hike with another one on top of Katahdin. In between, anything EXCEPT a Dr. Pepper is allowed.

After much thought, I decided that turning down a cold drink that conveniently has lots of calories (and thus energy) was not worth it. So my ban on cokes is temporarily lifted until I stand on Katahdin and have (another) last Dr. Pepper.

So Close I Can Taste It

T-Minus four days and counting. I have been waiting for this day for what seems like forever now, and it's finally almost here! I am heading to Augusta to spend Easter weekend with my family and will be back Sunday night. After that its one sure to be hectic day of final preparations and then its go time.

I still have several things to do in regards to my hike. I have to get my initial food supply ready and another for my mail drop to Fontana Dam. I have most of it laid out on the table, but I may still need a few more items.  I am trying to make sure that the Fontana mail drop is as small and light as I can make it so I don't have to resupply at all in the Smokies.

All of my gear is ready except for a small repair on my dry bags. Everything else I can throw in ziplocs and pack it up. I am looking at about a 15 pound base weight which is before I add food and water. So while hiking I will be carrying about 25-28 pounds coming out of towns.

The weather looks like scattered rain for the first week. As the saying goes: no rain, no pain, no Maine. I guess I will get an early dose! Regardless of the weather, I will be on the trail Tuesday and headed north.

Im super excited, super impatient, and ready to start this adventure of a lifetime. Now I just need to wait until Tuesday...

Getting close!

Wow time has flown by. It is now just over 2 weeks until my departure date, and I can hardly wait. A lot has happened in the past few months.

I got all my gear ready to go and now I am just waiting a few more days to get food and the rest of the little things ready. I had to get a larger pack and rain jacket, which was pricy, but should be useful in the future as well. The additional cold weather gear required the larger pack, but I suspect that I will only need the extra layers for a couple of weeks. With my original pack, I could fit everything, but had no room left for food. Slightly important item...

I am looking at right around 15lbs base pack weight starting off. Very reasonable, and will quickly drop once the weather warms up a bit. I have probably over prepared for cold weather, but I would rather carry warm clothes and not need them than freeze my butt off.

I went to the Appalachian Trail Kickoff at Amicalola Falls in early March and had a good time. Met some very interesting people like AWOL, Skywalker, and Miss Janet. Talked to Gene Espy again as well. Very good group of people. I will probably go again, just not stay at the lodge ($$$!!!!!).

I am anxiously awaiting April 7th, and the days are flying by, but not fast enough it seems. I am ready for this adventure to start!

Everyone Knows!

I finally made my plans public on New Years and received very positive reaction from most people. Some took a little more work, but that was kind of expected.

I will be informing my boss Monday morning. We will see how that goes with asking for a LOA. Regardless of his decision, my last day at work will be March 25th. That will give me a full week off to get everything ready, and I will be hiking on April 7th, rain or shine.

I still have a lot of work to do, mainly final cold weather clothing selection and testing, and starting to get into better shape.

Still doing mental preparation and doubt that will ever be done or even close to it. A thru-hike is a big mental challenge. I believe that I am ready for it.

Cold Weather Clothing Testing

One of my bigger concerns is staying warm at the beginning of the hike. Early April in the southern Appalachian Mountains can be quite chilly (at least to my standards- others may disagree). I tend to get cold quicker and easier than most other people.

I got an early opportunity to test some cold weather gear this weekend over in Pine Mountain, GA. It was upper 20s Friday night and low 30s on Saturday. I had my long hiking pants, a light wool t shirt, long underwear, a LS poly shirt, a fleece jacket and a down jacket, and fleece gloves and beanie. My rain gear could also add another layer if necessary. For sleeping I had my REI Igneo 19* bag and a Thermarest XLite.

Friday night in the wool shirt, both jackets, gloves, beanie and the long pants I was very cold when not around the fire. I could only stand that for a few minutes at a time. I slept in just the shirt and my underwear and was a little chilly in the sleeping bag. That is probably about right, since 19* is the lower limit of the bag, not the comfort rating.

Saturday morning was the same clothing, with a fire to keep me warm as needed. That night in camp I wore the long underwear, the LS poly shirt, both jackets, the pants, and the gloves and beanie. I was warm enough down to about 45* or so. After dark it was not enough. I slept in the long underwear this time and was overly warm later in the night.

Sunday morning was warmer, about 45* with a good wind blowing. I had the long underwear top, both jackets, the pants, and gloves and beanie on and was OK for much longer than I expected. The wind was really what was keeping me from being comfortable.

What I learned is that I need heavier long underwear to start with, and better gloves and beanie or a balaclava. The long underwear was too thin. I guess I need some midweight instead of lightweight. The fleece on the gloves and beanie was not warm enough. I may need thicker fleece or just better gloves. A balaclava would keep my entire head and neck warmer so I may go that route.

My fleece is of the JCPenny variety and heavy, so that will be replaced for the sole reason of saving weight. It is actually quite warm on its own when it is not too cold.

The down jacket is also cheap, from Academy costing a whopping $30. Cheap down and thin, so a better down jacket will certainly help some.

The long pants are NOT made for hiking. There is a terrible seam on the leg that would quickly rub your skin raw if you tried to hike in them for long distances. Trying to decide if zip offs are worth it or just go with hiking shorts and wear long underwear as necessary.

Hiking in the poly shirt was fine, as well as the wool shirt. No issues there.

I will be heading up to Franklin, NC and Outdoor 76 on Friday, so I will probably purchase at least a new jacket from them to bolster my clothing for colder weather.

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.

Trail Names

Thru Hikers generally take "trail names" to use while hiking. They can range from completely absurd to really cool - for example: Midnight Sparkle and Salad Days are two that fall into both categories. Most people get their trail names while on the trail, others make up one for themselves to avoid getting a bad trail name.

I have never been given a trail name that was meaningful or that stuck. A day hiker tried to give me a trail name one time. I was standing with a thru hiker (the aforementioned Midnight Sparkle) and the day hiker asked what our names were. When he learned that I didn't have one, he decided that I would be "Moonpie" since that was what I was eating for lunch at the time. Really? Next!

The only other nickname that I have been given is "CP". Half the employees at one of my clients call me that. I am their computer support so they call me Computer Paul, which devolved to CP very quickly. I don't mind the nickname, but it isn't great either.

Unless someone comes up with something between now and April I guess that I am going to start without a trail name and hope that I get a good one.

The first person knows...

So I had to tell someone about my plans. One big reason was to keep me from possibly changing my mind. If someone knew, I would have to live up to my promise. So I told the one person who would most appreciate my trip. She was super excited for me and promised to send me candy care packages. I will hold her to that :-)

Gear

Gear is obviously a very important aspect of a thru hike. I have been building up my backpacking gear for years now. I like buying the latest and greatest as long as I know it is a quality product. Lightweight gear is the goal, but you have to balance weight with needs. Being dry, warm, comfortable, etc are all very important, so the absolute lightest item may not be the right choice if you end up being miserable because of it.

Right now, my pack weight goal is to be under 12 lbs without food and water. This is extremely doable but it does get expensive and you have to leave out some comfort items like a chair. 

I broke down and bought a bunch of stuff from ZPacks. I have ordered from them in the past and liked what I got, so I bought a new ArcBlast 52L pack, a Hexamid Solplex tent, and various other items. $$$ but I think it will be worth it. The waterproof nature of cuben fiber is my main reason for buying new gear. I love the idea of my tent not sagging when it gets wet.

I still need to acquire several important items, the most critical being a sleeping bag. It must keep me warm in the wildly unpredictable southern Appalachian spring weather. One day it can be in the 70s and sunny and the next 20 and raining. I am a cold sleeper so I know I will need a warm bag, but I am unsure of what to get right now. I plan on going by Mountain Crossings this weekend to see if they have any Western Mountaineering bags in stock that I can look at. My other options are a REI Igneo and a couple of other options from Marmot.

I also need to get a camera and battery pack, plus all the necessary cables, and keep it as light as possible. More research to do...

The Decision

I remember the first time I stepped foot on the Appalachian Trail. It was May 2004 on a family trip to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. We drove up and stopped at Newfound Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Everyone was looking at the view or the giant plaque and doing all the touristy things. I was more interested in the narrow dirt path that ran into the trees and disappeared. I was instantly hooked- I wanted to know where that trail went. I wanted to follow it right then and there. So I walked a hundred yards or so up the trail, turned around and came back. I was 13 years old at the time and I knew that I wanted to hike that entire trail one day.

On the AT at Newfound Gap looking north. May 2004.

Two months later I got my first true taste of backpacking on the AT. We hiked Springer to Neel Gap in 5 days with my scout troop. It was amazing. I remember my grand plans to thru hike after high school in 2008, all my research and reading. I bought the ATC's Workbook for Planning Thru Hikes and started filling it out.

Needless to say, that didn't happen. Life got in the way, along with a scholarship for college, and my plans disappeared. After college, I told myself, I would go. I didn't plan for that, just assumed that it would happen. Instead, I got an amazing job in my career field 2 months before graduating college, and out the window went my thru hike dream again.

Earlier this year the idea snapped into my head again. Why not next year? I feel like I have reached my peak at my current job and I am financially able to take 6 months off of work. I feel like I have a good chance of getting a leave of absence so I have a job to come back to, and if not, I can survive. So, why not?

I toyed with the idea for 3 months and I finally decided to go for it. I am going to hike the Appalachian Trail!

Thus the planning began. When? Next year obviously. Only way I want to go is northbound. That means a March-April start. I don't like super cold weather, so wait until April. Looking at the calendar, I picked April 7th as my start date to give me Easter with my family.

So the decision has been made and preparations have started. I am going to wait until the middle of September to make my announcement to family and friends. I have planned a section hike starting Labor Day weekend from Springer to Fontana Dam  to make sure I am ready to go. I have had issues with my feet and knees the past couple of years, so I want to make sure that I am physically ready to go before announcing it.

This is it. My dream is beginning to become reality. Here's to 2015!