Starting the Journey
02/19/2017
NC only 13 more states to visit, time flies by...
Another shelter, seen a sign thanking an Aviation unit (guards) for moving the shelter in.
Just a plant growing along the trail.
The man carries 44 lbs, the dog 15 pounds... dog is stsrting to walk strange, looked to me like a limp but i am no expert on dogs... the dogs weight was reduced from 20 lbs to 15 lbs
Top of Georgia Hostel, great place...
02/18/2017
yesterday was a great day to hike, the view was great...
Today was little different, little overcast and the rain came in around noon, not a heavy rain but enough to make a person feel cold... rained for about 2 hours.. hiked 12 miles to a hostel called Top of Georgia... pretty nice place, clean, great people... nice place to stay... had all you can eat chicken taco's prepared by the hostel volunteers...
you know that was a great dinner... free, all you can eat....
I have done 70 miles, which has me right on my desired average for conditioning,.. will be approaching the smokies soon... looking forward to that, will be hiking above 6,000 feet elevation in several areas... the views will be well worth the accent...
At the hostel I have ran into several hikers that I have seen previously, a man who calls himself Fescue, after the grass... retired something or other... waiting on his house on the six acres he just purchased in Hawaii to be completed, he had an older home moved onto the six acres... he is escorted on the trail by his young companion who cooked up some really great food last night...
An older gentleman who i have been playing leap frog with who has a dog with him, they seem to keep each company... he stops a little more often than i do so he can get some dog food... couple other people have dogs i have passed...
need to go print out my Smokey Mountain permit while i can
Boy Scouts headed up the mountain for an overnighter
Trail becomes slick after the rain.
Trail appears darker after the rain.
Weathered tree
Bear been busy
Sometimes the trail just seems so long... guess it is
sunrise this morning
Screen used to collect waste food from washing dishes. Goes in the trash, helps keep the critters out of the camp site areas
Trails are well marked
View from the top of Tray Mountain.
Trails are great to be on, will be a lot of weekend hikers and campers out the next couple of days, always good to see people enjoying the parks.
The walk today was great, couple of tough mountains but they are behind me now.
Damn that is an ugly foot!!! Put some cream on it before i moleskined the 3rd toe.
02/16/2017 Sleeping area for the night!!! So far me and another hiker utilizing it... 10 other hikers camein after us, got a whiff of me and decided to set their tents up, can not understand that.... they are a group and wanted to stick together... Ended up being 14 of us at this site for the night and it is still February. the number of hikers has become an issue, some sites have been roped off to sllow the vegetation to return. The Park Service in Georgia is doing a good job of trying to keep the park as is for other generations to view while still allowing a growing population access... tough balancing act. Many feel it is "their" park and that they have the right to do as they desire.
02/16/2017. Great day of hiking... morning started out with a dense for, lasting until around 11:30 am. It was a cold morning, started out in the 20's with winds blowing 20 mph plus.... The day ended clear with some fantastic views. Seen a lot of bear sign but no bears. Still I about s*** myself, hiking along a trail in deep thought about something, when I was startled to hear something right behind me. Funny how fast an overweight, balding grey haired man can move with a 50 pound pack on his back and walking sticks in hand... well it seemed to me like I was moving fast.. I turned to see one of rhe younger campers coming up behind me, he had left later than I had and was passing on by.
so far I have seen many of the same people, up until today anyway. Three guys I call the stoners, only because I was offered the opertunity to burn one with them.... that was 4 days ago. At that time they planned to be at a particular point at a particular time... two days later they pass me climbing Blood Mountain... seems one of them had hiked 14 miles for some beer and they remained at the shelter burning a few more... The next morning I see them again at Mountain Crossing, sipping coffee headed to another preplanned destination. rain was in the forecast so I remained overnight at Mountain Crossing and the Stoners continued on. Around 3:00 pm the next day I climb down off of a mountain and sitting along the highway are two of the three Stoners... they had gone to Helen Ga for a zero days and beer. We sat along the highway, they offered me a beer they were trying to get rid of so they did not have to carry it any longer, for about an hour catching up and talking about the 3rd member of this group and the fact his where abouts was unknown. Was getting late, we all decide to move on, no I was not hiking with them. As it got dark I arrived at the shelter where I was spending the night and two of the three were there setting up their hammocks. When I left this morning they were still sleeping, but passed me a couple hours later.we agreed to meet again if they took six or seven zero days in the next couple of weeks allowing me to catch up. They were meeting the 3rd member of the group 20 miles up the trail, again at one of their predetermined destination at a predetermined time... this is only the beginning of their 2,000 mile predetermined journey... they kind of motivated me, handicapped as they are mentally and still making this journey... surely I can do it too...
Today as I hiked it hit me that I was actually hiking the Appalachian Trail... that it was no longer a dream but that I was out here on the trail attempting a 5-7 month journey over 2,000 miles of some of the most beautiful country together with people from all walks of life having the same dream...
02/16/2017. Great day of hiking... morning started out with a dense for, lasting until around 11:30 am. It was a cold morning, started out in the 20's with winds blowing 20 mph plus.... The day ended clear with some fantastic views. Seen a lot of bear sign but no bears. Still I about s*** myself, hiking along a trail in deep thought about something, when I was startled to hear something right behind me. Funny how fast an overweight, balding grey haired man can move with a 50 pound pack on his back and walking sticks in hand... well it seemed to me like I was moving fast.. I turned to see one of rhe younger campers coming up behind me, he had left later than I had and was passing on by.
so far I have seen many of the same people, up until today anyway. Three guys I call the stoners, only because I was offered the opertunity to burn one with them.... that was 4 days ago. At that time they planned to be at a particular point at a particular time... two days later they pass me climbing Blood Mountain... seems one of them had hiked 14 miles for some beer and they remained at the shelter burning a few more... The next morning I see them again at Mountain Crossing, sipping coffee headed to another preplanned destination. rain was in the forecast so I remained overnight at Mountain Crossing and the Stoners continued on. Around 3:00 pm the next day I climb down off of a mountain and sitting along the highway are two of the three Stoners... they had gone to Helen Ga for a zero days and beer. We sat along the highway, they offered me a beer they were trying to get rid of so they did not have to carry it any longer, for about an hour catching up and talking about the 3rd member of this group and the fact his where abouts was unknown. Was getting late, we all decide to move on, no I was not hiking with them. As it got dark I arrived at the shelter where I was spending the night and two of the three were there setting up their hammocks. When I left this morning they were still sleeping, but passed me a couple hours later.we agreed to meet again if they took six or seven zero days in the next couple of weeks allowing me to catch up. They were meeting the 3rd member of the group 20 miles up the trail, again at one of their predetermined destination at a predetermined time... this is only the beginning of their 2,000 mile predetermined journey... they kind of motivated me, handicapped as they are mentally and still making this journey... surely I can do it too...
Today as I hiked it hit me that I was actually hiking the Appalachian Trail... that it was no longer a dream but that I was out here on the trail attempting a 5-7 month journey over 2,000 miles of some of the most beautiful country together with people from all walks of life having the same dream...
View from mountain
Foggy morning start 02/16/2017
The trail the morning of 02/16/2017 later in the day
Lunchtime view 02/16/2017
One of the steeper climbs the first week, other climbs were longer
Couple hikers sleeping in
just a kind old tree showing it's age
Burl at the bottom of an older tree
Enough shade to keep the ice around
Afternoon ice
Rocky trail, hard on the boots.... spent about 30 minutes navigating this section of trail.
Water purification for highly silted water
Little ice in the shaded areas along the trail.
Arrived in Gainesville Georgia this am, catch a shuttle to Springer Mountain in the morning... 9/2/2017... the beginning of the Appalachian Trail in the south... allowing a month for conditioning... should be interesting for the Southern end of the trail is only exceeded in difficulty by the northern part in Maine.
Pack weighs in at 50 lbs.
Shuttle ride was nice, considering the Georgia driver. Got to Springer Mountain then hiked to the trail head which was a mile from the parking lot.
The above plaque marks the start of the AT.. 2180 miles to go.
water falls, relaxing place to speend a little time.
Camp shelter, sleeps about 14 people... has a loft and ground floor... these are located every 8-12 miles along the trail... AT thru hikers are suppose to have priority, do not know if this actually happens... my first experience was not the greatest, mice and a man who snored...
This is something new, food storage to keep the bears out... They also have cables to lift your food 10 feet into the air... these also can be in short supply as the camping season moves into summer... something like 2.000,000 campers/hikers use this trail each year... it gets busy, enjoying my solitude while i can, although i have seen six hikers already today...
The white mark identifies the AT, blue identify the side trails to toilets/shelters, diamonds identify side trails
Privy... these are located where the shelters are, shelters are located near water.
Food stored up off the ground, totgpaste, deodorant, anything with with and odor that may attract bears
Tent, when i do not feel like going to a shelter
Volunteers maintain the 2180 miles of the trail.
The trail is very well maintain, it is clean and considering the number of people who use it... people all seem to stay on the trail.
TRAIL ANGELS!!! AFTER ONLY THREE DAYS OF HIKING I HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED THIS ACT OF KINDNESS, WATER ALONG THE TRAIL, FOOD LEFT AT HUTS, PEOPLE APPROACHING ME ASKING IF I NEED WATER OR FRUIT...IT MAKES A PERSON FEEL GOOD, SUCH A SMALL ACT THAT GOES A LONG WAYS...
Trail angels leave water for hikers where the water holes are further apart.
The Trail Angel Project
WHAT: The Appalachian Trail (AT) is the country's longest marked trail, running from Georgia to Maine. Every year, hundreds of hikers attempt to thru-hike all 2,000+ miles and only about 20% are able to complete it. It often takes people 6 months to complete the entire trail. Not only is it a physically challenging adventure, it also is mentally and emotionally draining. This is where Trail Angels come into play. A Trail Angel is defined as someone who provides help, transportation, lodging, or food to a hiker. Many times these random acts of kindness are what it takes for a hiker to pull through and continue on their journey when they feel like they have reached their breaking point.
WHY: In Connecticut, the Appalachian Trail runs from Bulls Bridge to Salisbury. Most AT hikers start arriving here by June at which point they are 3/4 away from completing their journey, and in many cases are mentally and physically maxed out. Last year, the town of Kent, CT made the news when the only laundromat in town banned hikers.
With The Trail Angel Project, I would like to counter that inhospitable act by creating a pop up "Trail Magic" station which would provide necessities like water, food, toilet paper, and soap to hikers.
WHERE: At Trailheads Between Kent and Salisbury, CT. The locations will change based on the flow of hikers and will be announced via twitter as well as White Blaze and Trail Forum which are the go to sites for AT hikers, in addition to a website that we will create for this project. We will update the website with information on our location in addition to the items we will be handing out to hikers.
WHEN: Weekends, June-August 2014
WHO: Initially myself and the group of people I hiked the AT with last year. I would also like to engage the CT hiking community to volunteer to hand out supplies.
WHAT: The Appalachian Trail (AT) is the country's longest marked trail, running from Georgia to Maine. Every year, hundreds of hikers attempt to thru-hike all 2,000+ miles and only about 20% are able to complete it. It often takes people 6 months to complete the entire trail. Not only is it a physically challenging adventure, it also is mentally and emotionally draining. This is where Trail Angels come into play. A Trail Angel is defined as someone who provides help, transportation, lodging, or food to a hiker. Many times these random acts of kindness are what it takes for a hiker to pull through and continue on their journey when they feel like they have reached their breaking point.
WHY: In Connecticut, the Appalachian Trail runs from Bulls Bridge to Salisbury. Most AT hikers start arriving here by June at which point they are 3/4 away from completing their journey, and in many cases are mentally and physically maxed out. Last year, the town of Kent, CT made the news when the only laundromat in town banned hikers.
With The Trail Angel Project, I would like to counter that inhospitable act by creating a pop up "Trail Magic" station which would provide necessities like water, food, toilet paper, and soap to hikers.
WHERE: At Trailheads Between Kent and Salisbury, CT. The locations will change based on the flow of hikers and will be announced via twitter as well as White Blaze and Trail Forum which are the go to sites for AT hikers, in addition to a website that we will create for this project. We will update the website with information on our location in addition to the items we will be handing out to hikers.
WHEN: Weekends, June-August 2014
WHO: Initially myself and the group of people I hiked the AT with last year. I would also like to engage the CT hiking community to volunteer to hand out supplies.
The view is constantly changing, always amazing.
Great stopping for photos when you are so tired you can not go any further!!!
11 February 2017
Conditioning for the first 2-3 weeks were part of my plan, use the same principle the army uses for new troops. Today I started off on the wrong foot, or better yet the wrong direction, had to backtrack a mile... Much of the terraine was steep, some of the trail was carved out of the side of the mountain, if one falls not sure they could stop before reaching the bottom unless they ran into a tree.
Trail carved out of the side of the mountain.
Spring for collecting drinking water, if the water is not clear I use a filter system, if it is clear i add a few drops of bleach.
Learning as I go, sit down to take my backpack off, allows me to put it back on without lifting it.
Today I seen 10-15 thru hikers, maybe that many day/weekend hikers. Had lunch with three stoners, forgot what it was like being young. Lol They were very entertaining. They had planned on going further than I was today, strangely enough they never passed me... they might be back in the same shelter?
Made it to blood mountain yesterday, 4400 ft elevation, while it was rough it was not as bad as I expected... beautiful view..
Mountain Crossing, a really nice outfitters... they also have showers, bunks to rent porta potty etc also will mail packages back it you need to..
Piney at Moutain Crossing
Traditions can be a wonderul thing, boots on fence post to hiking boots in trees... some belonging to those who quit, others to those who started in Maine and are finishing up...
Bunkhouse, the hostel cost $18. per night and that includes a towel for a shower.
Kitchen, dining area.
Sign inside the hostel.
VHS for entertainment.
The trail is not exactly what i expected... that may be because I started early for the additional time to complete the trip but so did a lot of others. So far I have the unwanted honor of being the oldest... nothing wrong with that but it does create numerous mental challenges others do not have.
Most ofthe shelters on the southern portion of the trail are 8-12 miles apart, which is the distance recommended to hike while adjusting to the hiking. Yesterday I did 11 miles, finished early while climbing the highest mountain in Georgia.
Mental challenges are younger hikers passing you at a very high rate of speed. While looking at a map, planning out a section of say 60 miles, younger folks may allow 3 days, i must allow six days, and I am perfectly content with that. My pack needs to have 7 days of food, takes me longer between water points so i carry additional water... The trail yesterday had two springs that werr dry, knowing this I carried extra water. As time goes on and my body adjust the distance traveled each day will increase, which will decrease what I need to carry, that is great.
why am I not hiking today, I went over my gear and mailed things back, replaced my tent with a tarp shelter, got rid of some, not all my winter gear... can survive a week wearing the same gear if need be.
Already I am really happy with the people along the trail, as mentioned we have hiking in common. For me it is the experience of seeing places and things I could not otherwise see. Yes the trail is well traveled yet one can be alone to enjoy the outdoors. Of course one never knows the history of the person they are talking too...
Hostel living... convenient, good for a shower, provide your own blanket/pillow (sleeping bag, and bag of clothes for a pillow) bunks are made of 2X4's a walk in the woods could have been filmed here... hope this bunk above me does not come falling down on me... it is about half ful tonight, 10 people... most interesting isa couple from Atlanta Georgia, in their 30's this trip has always been a dream of his... they quit their jobs, drew their retirement out and are going for it... she said she told him we do it together or not at all...