Chapter 1 - The South has a lot to teach

I have finished hiking the Appalachian Trail, as you know if you've been following this site. However, in the entire ~150 days I posted only a handful of pictures.

I want to publish a few posts reflecting on the trip, as well as showing the pictures and telling the story thru the pictures. Pictures are worth a thousand words, as the cliche expression goes, but it is true that a picture will jog the memory, even a blurry one (don't worry, I will let them jog away, but won't bore you with those!).

I began in Georgia, as that is where the Appalachian Trail begins (or ends). My brother and his girl-friend Jen drove me down and dropped me off. I stood at the Southern Terminus on a cool spring morning full of anticipation with maybe a little trepidation.

Left alone, I began hiking. My excitement level was through the roof! I came to the first shelter and found a pile of junk people had lugged only this far before ditching. Someone had written a sign: 'Free to a Good Home'

In my excitement I hiked 16 miles! Much further than I should have. I would pay for my exuberance for weeks afterwards. I developed a fairly painful tendon in my right knee from over-use, going downhill became quite painful. All the way through the Smokies I would still get pings of pain.
The first couple nights I camped in stealth sites, not at shelters. I was a bit in shock after my initial happiness wore off. I started to comprehend the monumental task still before me, I began to feel the loneliness and the want of the company of home. The first few nights I slept well, though away from other people. I had big plans to stay out of towns, not stay at shelters, and be strong and resilient and alone. I wasn't against meeting people, I just wanted to prove to myself, at least this early in the game, that I could do it and not fall into a group as many were around me.
I viewed the sights by myself, and had only me to enjoy the breadth of the land below me from the top of Blood Mountain.

the Privy was the cliff?

The same day that I was at the top of Blood Mountain was also the same day I became extremely low. I made my way down the mountain to Mountain Crossings in Neels Gap. I picked up a drop box of food that contained 7 days worth of food. I made a huge error. The 7 days worth of food could've ended up being enough food to feed 2 people for 14 days! I had over-packed so much! I didn't realize it until that evening. I carried a nearly 50 pound pack over several mountains, I did 16 miles that day, over half with the massive heavy pack. Exhausted, at another campsite alone, having a couple other hikers pass me like I was standing still, with a dinner that I had no appetite for that could have fed four people. I was lonely, had no cell phone signal to say "hi" to Cara. I was very frustrated. After burying a few dinners (I know, not LNT!) and leaving some bars at Hogpen Gap for hikers that may actually be hungry, I began making mental lists of items in my pack I no longer wanted to carry. Three days in and I was already dreaming of a light pack. Even in the nice weather I was having I was struggling up and down the Georgia mountains! I was not is shape for this, and though I did eventually got in better shape, I always dreamed of a lighter pack!

Blue Mountain Shelter was the night I decided to stay near a shelter, and glad that I did. I talked with people, I made friends in common misery, I found other hikers much more ill prepared than I, and I heard about some Trail Magic  happening at Tray Gap the next day. Being around other hikers was a balm. I still, thankfully, had enough sense to stay out of the shelters. I did eventually stay in shelters during this trip, but only a handful of times, and most of those times I regretted it!

First stay at a shelter area

The following day I made it to 'B' Team - a support team for a group of section hikers called the 'A' Team. Armed with a pancake breakfast I was well armed to continue a long day ending over a very steep mountain (Kelly Knob) at the end of the day.

I ponder whether I have 'Swag'

Of those times that I spent in shelters, one was right after I did a few monumental things in one day. I made mile 100 at Albert Mountain! I hiked in a hail, rain, and lightening storm! I hiked an 19 mile day! I also talked to my folks and setup a time for them to come and meet me on the Trail, after 8 or 9 days without a real resupply, day off, bed, or shower, I was in desperate need of any one, or preferably, all of those! Another hiker said, "Wow! We've been to every town in Georgia!" to which I said, "There's towns in Georgia?" I didn't stop at any.

Raining hard whilst I'm dry in a shelter

View from Albert Mt fire tower... post thunder storm!

I met Hotshot, with whom I jumped and was passed by later on at Siler Bald Shelter. He and I would hike together at the end of the Smokeys and beyond. I would also see him again in Monson, ME after not seeing him for months! Also from this time was a hiker by the name of Teddy Bear - I would see him coming south bound at the end of August! The community and familiar faces that cropped up at unexpected times was heart-warming and one of the best parts of the Trail.
After Albert Mt I was feeling like a big man, getting my Trail legs and ready for a big day. I decided to hike to the NOC and do a 23 mile day, by far my longest day. I made good time, by late in the day I was standing on the brink of a long steep down hill into the rafting resort. I was exhausted but I figured all down hill wouldn't be bad. The Trail followed a ridge, going up steeply, before losing the altitude, only to gain it back. I was so frustrated! The Trail finally descended down into the valley, I went as fast as I could, imagining burgers and a bed waiting for me. As I crossed the road I noticed that the 'Open' sign on the restaurant was extinguished - aghast I hurried over and dropped my pack. They had closed 5 minutes earlier!! But, being hiker friendly, they still served me a burger! I inquired about lodging and was told they had no vacancy (FUTURE THRU-Hikers TIP: come to find out later this was untrue - if you ever find yourself at the NOC and need a room, go to the dorms and look for an empty bed knock on doors, I spoke with several hikers that slept in rooms that had 3 empty beds!). Mark, my server, offered me a spare bedroom at his place, he has a hot-tub and beer on tap! I accepted his most gracious offer and was rewarded after a very difficult arduous and trying day!
My parents came and met me at Stecoah Gap a day after; we got a motel room and took me to a buffet. They sent some items home for me and we got some needed items from stores far from the Trail. The next day they hiked with me to the part of the Trail known as Jacob's Ladder before turning back. I was very happy to see familiar faces and to be able to include them in the journey. They were both very supportive of this trip. My dad would follow me daily using my SPOT GPS to track me, if I skipped a day or forgot to turn it on I would get a text message soon after, "People want to know where you are, Jon".

I made it to Fontana Dam and stayed at the Lodge there. I was finding that, (FUTURE THRU-Hikers TIP:) if the opportunity presents it self and you are in a position to afford it, stay in comfort, there are plenty of days to sleep in the woods! The next day Jimmy (aka Flip) left his car in Hot Springs, NC and got a shuttle to Fontana to hike the Smokeys with me. It was quite a nice change to have a hiking partner! The Smokeys were high, tough mountains. We faced blowing flurries, hail the size of golf balls, and winds that knocked over a dozen trees on to the Trail. At the time I figured the Trail was going to be this spectacular most of the time, I took for granted what the Smokeys were, the difficult terrain and high mountains wouldn't be seen again for over a thousand miles! Flip came prepared with gourmet foods and it was a great motivator to be hiking with a friend. Looking back, that time on the Trail was one of the best sections of the trip. We also had great views from Clingmans Dome... just hours after Hotshot, who had no views at all.

During this time I was suffering from my second ailment of the trip: shin splints. Going down hill was torture and really slowed us down. We still made a solid 17 mile day in the Smokeys, and by the last day I had finally pushed through the painful swelling and got relief. After we hiked triumphantly from the National Park we got a shuttle from Standing Bear Hostel back to Hot Springs and we drove to Asheville for some R&R.
Back on the Trail alone, I ran into Hotshot almost immediately and we hiked together for the next few days.

Between the edge of the Smokey's and Hot Springs I had changed batteries (might I add expensive) on the Steripen, and it stopped working. I had spoken with several other people who had similar experiences. I went in the outfitters in Hot Springs and they said they had stopped carrying Steripen for awhile because every one they sold was returned! Wow, not good P.R. I bought Aquamire chlorine drops and used them for the rest of the Trail with ease. Every outfitter everywhere carries Aquamire (except REI for some reason!!), and the drops lasted nearly a month and were cheap and light weight, they didn't have a strong after taste either.

Hot Shot on Max Patch

While on the border of NC and TN I stayed in my first hostel: Hemlock Hollow. The place was run by a retired couple, very nice once you got to know them. I got the impression that often times hikers had acted like they deserved special treatment and they were wary to open up, but once they found they could trust you they became a lot more pleasant. I did a my first (and only until Pennsylvania) slack pack. Slack packing is leaving your pack and doing a day hike back to where you started. The draw back of slack packing is that it burns through cash - 2 nights at the same place, plus shuttle rides two days in a row. I did enjoy doing 19 miles without a pack on though!

On the road back to Hemlock Hollow

 I had gotten away from Hotshot at Hemlock Hollow, he had to go home for the day to take care of some business, and I was looking forward to hiking alone again. I was trying to push myself to get to Damascus to meet my friend Dan, who wanted to come hike with me. The Trail was good, spring was blooming all around me, really showing its gorgeous face. The sights were pretty, I was going over those awesome southern balds, my Trail legs were getting stronger, and I thought I was adjusting well. Little did I know my body was still in shock from the adjustment of hiking every day. My weight was plummeting and my energy levels would soon be following...

Part 2

Advise to Thru hikers in the Making

In hindsight I should have taken a more laid back approach to tackling the Appalachian Trail. Most of my planning and research was nearly useless. Of course all the planning kept my mind occupied leading up to the trip so it wasn't completely wasted.

I wasted money on food drops.
I had thoughts, some of them good, on ways to save money buying bulk and adding variety by planning ahead. However, I had no idea what food items I would get sick of a week in (almonds), a month in (Clif Bars), or items I would always eat everyday and continue to enjoy (Clif Mojo, Quaker Oatmeal Cookies). I ran into nutritional issues early on and lost 20 lbs in the first 40 days, and I wasn't over-wright. I wasn't eating all the bars I had on hand, breakfast wasn't big enough, everything was processed.
I added to my diet by getting the food drops and then going to a grocery store and buying all the things to fill in the gaps - which was most everything! So I wasn't saving time by having a food drop and going to a market in the same town.
I now have about 200 extra bars here at the house that I didn't need, not including the ones Cara has eaten while I've been gone, given away, or got lost in the mail (yeah that happens)! I hiked faster and shipped myself less by HALF from what I planned for - I was 2 boxes ahead by the time I reached the end of the Smokey's.
Never hike with more than 4 or 5 days of food, that is the 'break-even' limit, any more and it will slow you down or make you carry less food than you should be consuming. I had big plans to carry 7+ days of food and it was a huge mistake, the AT is almost always 2 days between places to get food, doing 4 or 5 days is just to relieve the pressure of going into a town that often.

Staying in the woods for more than a week isn't fun.
Between the lack of showers, prepared food, and just the same routine of setting up and breaking down camp more than 5 days became wearing. So really my hike consisted of many long-weekend hiking trips, between 3 and 6 days on the Trail before (preferably) getting a hotel room. Save enough money for this! I'm glad I didn't have to worry or spend time in hostels. Hostels are, for the most part, horrendous and a waste of time and money; full of the party crowd, fleas, sickness, snoring hikers, mice, unwashed sheets over dirty mattresses, and mooching disrespectful hikers. So basically all the drawbacks of sleeping in a shelter - except you're paying for it though you usually have access to a shower. There are exceptions, of the ones I stayed at I would recommend Hemlock Hollow in TN, and Woods Hole in VA. I would never go to Uncle Johnny's, Standing Bear, or Kincora seeing and hearing the state of those three made me very wary of any hostel going forward.
There is great pleasure to be had to having a private room, or as the case was in Damascus, an entire private house!
I did share a room at the Allenberry in Boiling Springs, PA with Daffy Duck and the Sterling Inn in Caratunk, ME with Dirty Girl. I made the right call both times, I was a good judge of character in both those situations and it did really help with the cost of the room.

I sent most of my gear home
Things like the Osprey Exos 58 breaking couldn't be helped, I would've gotten the same pack again had it been in stock, it wasn't so I switched to the Osprey Talon 44. The MSR Hubbahubba tent leaked a bit and was on the heavy side, so I changed first to a tarp tent (1lb), then eventually added a hammock (1lb) under that tarp. Of course I switched out my sleeping bag for a lighter one in warmer weather, and clothing too. Mostly I just sent stuff home! If I wasn't using something, or I could make due without it, or even better I could dual use something (my hiking poles in the tarp tent) I would unload it quickly! I got my base-weight 7 to 10 pounds lighter than when I started when I thought I HAD to have everything in my pack! At the end it was 16 or 17 lbs.
The gear list all hikers should have:
- Backpack
- Shelter
- Sleeping bag/ground pad
- cooking set (unless you go cold)
- Water purification
And that's it. Everything else should be food, first aid, comfort items, and what you're wearing.

Setting dates is a mistake
To tell someone that you will meet them at this place at this time is a burden you shouldn't bear! I did this the first time to meet Flip at Fontana Dam ten days after I started, that was a doable goal, however I shouldn't have pushed myself at the beginning like that. I shouldn't have assumed that I wouldn't have had to slow down or take days off that early in the trip because of overused feet and knees. I made it there by that deadline, but I paid the consequences by spending most of those nights in the woods, with sore knees and shin splints, and the days pushing to get there.
My next deadline was to meet WoodTeeth in Damascus. I did not make that date, I had to skip ahead a few miles and made myself sick pushing to get there. I did some good sized days and felt great, then I hit a wall and I still had days of big miles to do. If you are planning on 15 mile days and start doing 20s you need to eat equivalently more! It took me a long time to finally figure that one out. That was the last time I made a deadline for myself in that direction, the rest of the time I made it the opposite way, so I had to slow down to meet with Surplus in July.
You might get sick. You might wake up one day and want to do little miles. You might want to be able to stop and have a long lunch and a swim in a creek. Setting plausibly realistic goals can ruin portions of your hike! Just take it easy and let your friends come to you, they are in cars, and the AT crosses roads everyday.

Have enough money
There were quite a few hikers that couldn't stay in town at all unless it was a donation-hostel so they could not donate and stay for free. If you only have enough for food on the hike then wait another year and save double that. The immediate gratification of hiking will make the trip painful. Also being a constant moocher gives the rest of us hikers a bad name. There is a difference between accepting a ride or accepting Trail Magic or raiding a Hiker Box because it's there and relying on using other people because you are unprepared. You know what you're getting into, you know how much money you should have before starting. Don't expect people to do things for you just because you're hiking a Trail, you're not that special.

Take a Blue Blaze
Sometimes the planners of the AT got it wrong. Sometimes the best views are off the official Trail. This is more a matter of opinion, but I was in no way a purist. The picture below is the North Mountain Trail in Northern PA, it was a mile of awesome views, rock scrambles (like I thought PA was going to be), blue-berry laden bushes, and a sense of un-used trail giving me a sense of adventure. I asked hikers what the AT was like on the portion paralleling this, and it was flat, easy, and had very little rocks (like most of PA - don't believe the lies!!)
I had great side adventures on blue blazes, sometimes making better time, sometimes getting lost and turned around, seeing sights I never would've seen and giving me memories unique to any other AT hikers, 'cause they didn't see what I did!

I probably heard all of this advise before I began the hike. As is in evidence, I ignored it and thought I knew better. So heed this, or don't, you will figure out what works best for you. Enjoying the journey is the only thing the trip is about; a point I occasionally lost sight of, as all of us do, I think, even in life!

Big K

Is it really over? I really don't live in the woods anymore? I'm really going home?!
I have so many thoughts and feelings it will take awhile for me to sort all of them.
I left Monsoon on Tuesday and began the 100 Mile Wilderness. The day began wet, rain had been falling over night but the clouds appeared to be breaking up rapidly though. Five of us hikers got a shuttle to the nearby trail head. There was a lot of excitement everyone felt the end coming, felt the end of the Trail looming closer. Funny how spilt the mentality was, everyone was ready to be done, but half the hikers wanted to speed up and half wanted to slow down.
I was dropped off with: Tex, Craisin, Rebound, and Ranger. We stuck together for a bit, I passed them, later all but Tex passed me later. I was feeling real good, especially after the Trail dried out and the sun came out. The trail was a bit rooty and slippery, but I faired well and only had one minor fall on wet rock. Falling is always scary, it happens so fast and you have no idea if you are about to be in a world of hurt!
I did 19 miles the first day and made it to a windy cold campsite, Cloud Lake Leanto. I woke up early with plans to go as far as I could go! I came down out of the Barren Chairback range to a road crossing. I didn't know what my pace was going to be so I had a food drop hidden in a bucket here, I picked up the four additional days worth of food and headed up Gulf Hagas Mountain. Over the four peaks I headed, up the nice trail and well made steps. The Maine AT Club does a very good job on some portions, the amount of stone steps is incredible! On top of White Cap Mountain, as the sun was setting, I got my first good look at Katahdin. Still so far away, but so close. I stood staring feeling mixed emotions, relief that I was coming to the this hike, but with sixty miles left I also felt a large stirring of determination to get there! After 24 miles I got to Logan Brook Leanto and setup camp for one of the last times... I was very aware of the trip winding down, I would sometimes just pause and look around, trying to capture these memories, to imprint these last days. The days had been pleasant, the miles easy, I was feeling good and really enjoying myself, maybe because I knew I would be home shortly?
The following day the Trail left the mountains and crossed rolling hills and winded around lakes for the next 50 miles. I did 27 miles and camped next to a river. I skipped over going to the famous White House Landing, not needing a night in a hostel!
There were several good views of Big K, but mostly I was hiking through beautiful Maine flat land, over roots and rocks with sections of pine carpet floor. Another 25 mile day got me within 3 to the end of the wilderness! I shared Hurd Brook with an older guy, we sat and chatted for a long time, he was doing a long section hike with the intention of summitting the same day. The next morning the three miles to Abol Bridge went very quickly, in time for coffee! I had gotten a text to my parents letting them know I would be at Abol around lunch, not having cell signal I decided to wait to see if they were in the area. Also a good time to eat burgers and ice cream! I sat and chatted with the hikers there and a Trail Angel, the view of Katahdin from Abol bridge is spectacular! Can't wait to be able to upload pictures! After awhile Craisin, Ranger, and Rebound showed up just as I was about to leave. I was glad that I was going to be summitting with them - good guys! Into a wonderful warm periwinkle-blue skyed day I strode; the last nine miles followed a river into Baxter State Park, waterfalls and rapids making watery music. What a perfect day! I got in to The Birches, a long distance hikers campsite, late in the afternoon. I set up my tent and hammock one last time. I cooked dinner one last time, treated water, and readied myself for the next morning. A bit after dark another Trail Angel showed up in camp: with a cake! Thanks Jonathan! I set my alarm and woke easily and full of excitement at 4:45. I packed up and ate and headed down to the ranger cabin. Dropping off my full pack and taking a day pack I truly became a day hiker, my backpacking days of this trip were over! I got to the trail head and saw that a group of ten started the trail before me, I was imagining a mobbed summit - but I've been hiking for nearly give months, I can beat them up the mountain. The first couple miles of the trail to the top were great, following Katahdin Creek. The trail began to get steeper, and I soon passed the group of ten. Right at tree line Craisin caught up and we walked the rest of the way up... actually a lot of it was climbing! Up boulders and rock faces, along a incredible rock ridgeline to the tablelands. The wind blew chilly and I had to put a few more layers on. The last 2 miles was spread out before me, the summit still hidden. At last the top came into view! The celebration began in earnest! The sign I never really believed I'd see, I was now standing on it! Ranger and Rebound showed up quickly and we all congratulated each other, they spewed champagne all over. I got a bit of signal and got to talk to Cara for a few minutes! After pictures and lots of smiles we headed off the mountain. And that was it -the end of the trip, the summer of hiking over! An amazing trip, filled with pain and exhaustion, frustration and hunger. It was great at times and the most challenging task I ever committed to. There were good views, awesome weather, and fun people. At times I never thought I would ever get to the end, at times I wanted to quit more than anything. Next - going back and doing the Whites! So I am done hiking this Trail for now, but I'm not complete with this Trail. Am I happy that I have trail left undone, a reason to come back and do small sections? YES! I am very happy that I'm going home now, and I never want to be gone from home for that long again!