Day 7-3/17-Hiawassee, GA-Zero Miles

I'll get the previous days' entries up as soon as I can. Today the group decided to take a rest day, and being the good friend that I am I caved. I didn't take much convincing, trust me. Obviously my muscles needed the break, but I wasn't counting on where my mind would wander without the strain of the trail to focus it. I feel like I've been on the verge of crying all day, and I don't know why. I think of where I am and where I want to be. The latter being vague, the path between even more amorphous. I have nothing to complain about. I am in a wonderful position, with almost limitless options on where I go from here and so many great people around me. I am having a wonderful time at my current adventure. But I still have this sense of pain. My past feels unresolved and my regrets are eating at me.
I wonder what could have been different. How things would have changed if I had applied myself more in college, prioritized others in my life, and cared as much about the present as the future. I wonder what I have given up because of my decisions. I know I need to resolve these issues. I don't know how. One of my friends that I am staying with here has had his parents in town for the day. I was speaking with his father who expressed his desire to hike the trail after his retirement. I could see the excitement in his eyes, a love for his son, a pride and vicarious joy. I miss my dad. I wish I could see that in his eyes.
Anybody out there have any good reading material? Maybe something to help in this personal improvement, maybe just something to take my mind off of it.

Day 2-3/12-Hawk Mountain Shelter to Woody Gap-13.1 miles

The rain had slacked off by the time I got up at 8 but it was still coming down. A quick breakfast and I was out by 830. Hiked mostly by myself until lunch. I was well ahead of schedule for a hostel shuttle that was picking up at Woody Gap at 5 PM, so I stopped at Gooch Mountain Shelter to get out of the rain and cook.

Some fresh salmon and Ramen noodles really warmed me up. It was there that I met a few guys taking a zero day (no mileage along the trail) and another getting a late start. His name was Bryan, and the guys were giving him a hard time for having one of the largest and heaviest packs around. Lightweight packing is key to success on the trail, but some hikers can be less than courteous about the subject. Bryan slowly packed up, while David, a hiker that started from the same spot as me that morning arrives. I spoke of my plans to catch the shuttle to the hostel, and both Bryan and David thought it sounded like a good idea. Bryan headed out first, with David and I out about 15 minutes later.

David and I happen to hike at a similar pace, so we struck up a conversation. He has been an outdoorsman all his life, living in Yellowstone when he was younger so he could kayak regularly. He had taken time away from a construction company he owns near Atlanta to thru hike. We passed Bryan soon. We arrived at Woody Gap with an hour and a half to spare.

There we met a nice older gentleman who is section hiking the trail and hid under a small kiosk at the trailhead to avoid the rain. We called the shelter and they were full, no doubt due to the popularity of the start date that weekend for many thru hikers. They kindly offered to take us into Dahlonega for a stay at the famous Super 8. While we waited for 5 to roll around we wondered if Bryan was ever going to make it off the trail. Three minutes before 5 he emerged from the mist on the other side of the road. He said he had stopped looking at the time because it was playing games with his mind, so he had a huge smile on his face when he heard he had best the shuttle. He agreed to split he room with us three ways, making it about the cost of the hostel. Right on cue our driver pulled up.

The Super 8 had "FREE INTERNET," consisting of a desktop in the lobby that I believe was running DOS. We laid out all of our wet items on every available space in the room. I took the laundry for the three of us and walked a quarter mile down the hill to the laundromat. It was there that I met Brad(?) who owned the place. Reluctant to let me enter as I was his last customer, I had to entice him with the promise of how quickly all our synthetic clothes would dry. He caved, and I got to keep him company wearing nothing but boxers and a rain jacket (a hikers wardrobe is limited and everything else was in the washing machine). He seemed not to mind, but he did ask if I was hiking the trail. Not sure how many other customers he gets in his establishment with a similar wardrobe that wasn’t hiking. I proceeded to have a 15 minute long conversation about the exorbitant cost of water in Dahlonega (he owns the car wash next door too). He was kind enough to drive me back up to the motel, where Bryan and David had kindly purchased pizza and beer. It didn't last long. Bryan sorted out things from his pack to send back home, such as a keyboard for his phone and a full size umbrella. I might speak more about Bryan later, as he is a very interesting fellow.

Day 1-3/11-Black Gap Shelter to Hawk Mountain Shelter-9.5 Miles

Day 1 started fairly early with a quick mile and a half to the official start of the AT. Rhiannon hiked out with me to take pictures and send me off. We met a Trail Guardian who was signing people in for the start and helping with general info. He gave me a matchbook, which he asked I carry all the way. Apparently there might be some surprise in exchange at the end. We'll see. 

The view from the top was unobstructed and beautiful, as you can see. I set out ready to get the show on the road. With this much prep and build-up, I just wanted to get started. Day 1 was as beautiful as Day 0, something I was sure would come back to bite me. Rhiannon had quite the hike back to the car herself.

Most of the day was uneventful, getting familiar with my trail guide and putting in some miles. The terrain reminded me of a mix between North Carolina and Tennessee. I made good time and got into the shelter for the night quite early. I would estimate over 40 people at the shelter, which was obviously way over capacity. Tents and hammocks were everywhere, so I set mine up as well. I hung out at the shelter for a while getting to know everyone. I met one person who is actually from Bellevue as well, and he is taking a semester off from Tennessee Tech. It was fun to watch everyone figuring out how to work new gear and generally get in the swing of things.

I attempted to cook using the wood fire capabilities of my stove but couldn't get it lit, so I cheated a bit and used solid fuel to get the wood going. Had a good dinner and talked with everyone some more. The shelter had a loft, and it wasn't long before the marijuana appeared and the migration up the steps began. I called it a night. About 4 AM the rain began to pelt my tent.

 

Water

As you can see, streams like this one cross the trail every few miles. This is where I get water sometimes. Alternatively there is usually water access near the shelters. I gather it from whichever source into my water bladder which holds two liters. It is not usually full.

For purification I use Aquamira, a product made from stabilized chlorine dioxide. It is a two part solution and very simple to use. I mix 10 drops of part a and 10 of part b per liter of water in the little cap. After letting it sit for a few minutes I pour it into my bladder. After 30 min my water is safe to drink, and it doesn't leave a nasty taste like iodine.

Day 0-3/10-Approach Trail

Rhiannon and I arrived at Amicola Fall State Park in North Georgia after a few stops along the way. The Approach Trail is about 8 miles and is not technically part of the Appalachian Trail, it is simply where you hike to the start. Some people also use dirt roads to get dropped off closer to the start.

I signed in at the office (I was the 249th person to start with the intention of finishing in Maine) and we headed off for the almost entirely uphill trip. It was a beautiful day but it was certainly slow going. The trail starts at the base of the falls and climbs 604 steps to the top. Then we took more traditional trails to our campsite at Black Gap Shelter,1.5 miles from the start.

We had a great dinner consisting of Lenny's Subs (amazing foresight on my part) supplemented with some trail food. We stayed in a tent to avoid the mice in the shelter. It was Rhiannon's choice, but I think it probably had something to do with a Chatty Cathy in the shelter. He is a nice guy who has a lot to say. I'm sure I'll see him again. My sleeping bag is rated at 20 degrees due to predicted temperatures but as it has been unseasonably warm I slept ridiculously hot. Not my best night's sleep for sure.

Leaving Nashville

I am heading to Alabama today. Rhiannon will drive me to the start of the trail this weekend. I am looking forward to the trip. A lot of people have asked about how I'm feeling to start. I am mostly just curious. I really haven't put any pressure on myself to finish in a certain amount of time, or finish at all for that matter. If it gets boring, which I think it might, I am not going to hike for 5 months just to say I did it. I've pushed myself like that before (police academy as one example) with only the goal in mind. This time the journey is the goal, and I will find another adventure if this one proves to be monotonous. The nervousness or apprehension seems to be absent. I'm hoping it stays that way.

As I leave, I want to thank all my friends who have been there through my resignation and the preparations for this trip. McDugle is at the top of this list. He always has a positive outlook, even through rocky times for us both, and has been a great friend throughout. I really appreciate him allowing me to stay with him for the months between leaving my apartment and this trip. I also want to thank Drake for joining me for a few warm-up trips before the real thing, and generally always being up for an adventure. I really hope you all can join me for a portion of the trip. While I don't know anyone who has the opportunity to complete the entire trail with me (I'm the only unemployed person I know), I do want to share some fun times along the way. I expect that to be the main things that breaks up the routine of 2200 miles of hiking and makes it more enjoyable.

Finally, I will attempt to use this forum to update everyone along the way. Unfortunately, I have not done any test runs to make sure this is possible through my phone. My goal is to update every few days along with pictures and maybe the occasional video. Whether this is realistic will depend on cell service, internet availability, and phone capabilities. We will see.

Appalachian Trail

I just added a new tab to the top of the page with an interactive map of the Appalachain Trail. I hope to complete the entire trail in approximately 5-6 months this year. Preparations have been progressing steadily and I believe I am almost ready to leave. Work is slowly but surely coming to a close, and I now have almost all my equipment needed. The departure date has yet to be determined, but Leap Day has been considered. This has attracted me solely for its rarity; the weather may likely be poor and it is generally considered an earlier than normal start date.

I am excited about the addition of this map and it should help anyone who is hoping to join me for a section of my hike.