Category: Uncategorized

Miles today: 11.5
Total miles: 30.1

Wow. What a day. We started off pretty early getting up at six and off around seven. We hiked in mini groups and split off as we found our paces. I spent most of the day leap frogging with Cool Blue, Mika, Brandon, Popeye and Thorny.

The day started out with a steady climb which woke me right up. After a couple miles we reached the top of the hill that was supposed to have a view of Katahdin. But alas it was cloudy and we couldn’t see it. The next couple hours were downhill mostly and flat.

However the majority of the day is what I will remember most of Maine I think: Roots and mud and bugs. So many of all of them. Literally like walking through a swamp but I didn’t want to get my feet wet so I had to hop from stone to root which made my feet very sore. The last two miles were endless. Soo much mud and bugs flying around my head and into my eyes. It’s funny bc I was semi miserable but also the last two miles were so beautiful right along the (flooded and muddy) bank of a huge lake surrounded by pines. At least that helped make it a little better.

Got to the shelter around 220 and it was right next to a beautiful stream with fast moving water. We got in and washed ourselves a little and it was super refreshing. We set up camp and hung out and greeted others as they arrived. Even had the luxury of playing cards for a bit.
All in all it was a good day but tougher. My feet are sore as are my shoulders. But I’m really worried about my pinkie toenails. They hurt so bad and I think they’ll eventually come off but right now they are making walking pretty unbearable. So I hope they come off sooner rather than later

Tomorrow we are planning a 14 miler. Gonna be an early start to try to avoid the heat and get a move on since it’ll be our longest day yet. Hope my feet feel better and I get some rest tonight.

Miles today: 13.4
Total miles: 18.6

Today was a good day. I slept through my watch alarm again (ive given up on it) and got up later than I wanted. I was on the trail by 8 and it was a wet drizzly morning which made it hard to get moving. I was sore from yesterday but after the first hour I felt good. I was alone for the first two or three hours. It was so peaceful with mist rising over quiet ponds surrounded by pines. A couple times I thought I lost the trail because the white blazes are not always very clear especially with intersections with other trails.

About two hours in I came to a register and saw two sobo girls were about 20 min in front of me. I hiked at a quick pace to try to catch up. I did before I knew it and met Brittani and Robyn. They are from Georgia and starting together and met bc of the AT. I was so glad I ran into them bc soon after was a river crossing. But it was no little rock hop across. There were rapids and white water and you had to walk in the water to make it to the other side. Another southbounder brendan was on the far bank and he said he fell while going across and got totally soaked. I was so scared and Brittani and Robyn were looking for places to cross while I decided I’d blue blaze (take a detour not on the AT for 0.9 miles) on the high water bypass trail. They eventually decided to also and we later found out everyone else did except one guy. I think usually the water is wayyy lower. This would prove true again when Brittani and I had to wade through water up to our upper thighs where the trail usually is. It was crazy. I did it barefoot so my shoes didn’t get soaked for days. I hiked with Brittani nearly all day. It was great to have company.

There are SO MANY bugs. It’s ridiculous. 100% deet helps but when you stop for just a minute you will get at least five bug bites. After all the bugs and several water crossings we made it to Abol Bridge. There is a small shop there and it’s the last place to resuppy before the 100 mile wilderness. When we got there we ran into James and Cool Blue (another southbounder) hanging out. I got two pieces of pizza and a soda and as we rested Robyn, Steve (MDot), Ray, Brendan all caught up. We set off in a nice little pack for the last 3.5 miles to the shelter.

The boys were so fast. I tried to keep pace with them but got worn out and ended up in the middle alone which was nice. I got to enjoy the wilderness and beautiful moss covered scenery.

We got to the shelter around 4 or 430. There are two older guys (Popeye and Thorny) doing the 100 mile wilderness and one flip flop hiker (Bus–he says it stands for Big Ugly and Slow). He’s already hiked from Georgia to Harpers ferry (the at halfway point). And now is doing Maine to harpers ferry.

I’m tenting tonight and so are many others. Met two other southbounders Mika and Brandon from Texas. James picked up his dog Mabel today so it’s fun to have her around. It was nice, we all cooked our dinners together and sat around chatting and trying to teach Mabel tricks. We’ve got a nice little group going. It is such a relief there are so many of us bc going southbound that doesn’t always happen. I think most of us are aiming to get to the next shelter tomorrow which is about 11 miles away. Everyone is sore and tired.

I’m actually feeling surprisingly good but the shelter after that is 19 miles and that does not seem like a good idea. I don’t want to push it so early and like the group so i will stick with them for now. And 13 was plenty today So I can’t imagine 19. It’s 8 pm and every one is in their tents winding down. I’m feeling good and happy. Originally when walking alone this morning I thought to myself “wow how am I going to do all this?” But now having found others my morale has picked up and I’m feeling good. Excited for tomorrow especially because the next shelter is supposed to have a swimming hole (I’m getting stinky I think).

Miles today: 10.4
Total miles: 5.2 (the AT technically starts at the top so my ascent doesn’t “count” toward total miles)

Wow. What a day. I’m exhausted. A very long tough hike and a lot of stuff happened.

I overslept my alarm but luckily woke up at 5:30 and was off by 6:20 (I got back around 3 pm). I was nervous about the weather because it was cloudy and the forecast was showers but when I got to the summit it was pretty clear and beautiful.

The hike was very uphill and steep. I knew we were supposed to go over a boulder field and I thought I was climbing boulders for a while until I passed a hiker named Ned who informed me the boulder field was just ahead. Great. The boulders ended up being huge and there were hand holds in some places to scale the rock. I was somewhat worried about falling off the mountain but it was fun at the same time.

After the boulder field I thought it was the top. I was all excited to get there but once I did another, real summit was revealed to me. This next part is called the Tableland and is supposedly flat and easy but I found it long and actually tiring especially on the uphill right toward the summit.

Finally I got to the top! It was beautiful and exciting to be there. I met some fellow southbounders-my first I’ve actually met so that was exciting. There was Steve, trail name MDot, a 59 year old retiree from Texas who has done three iron mans in the past year. James, 31, from Tennessee. And Ray, 26, from Delaware. At the summit we also met a guy called Saber who was a northbounder just finishing his hike. It was exciting to see him ending what we are just starting and hear his perspective. He was surprisingly nonchalant about the whole think and repeatedly said “it’s just walking”. Ha.

At the top we also found out Steve’s buddy Ned, who had told me about the boulder field earlier, had gotten hurt apparently right after I passed him. Ned has thru hiked the AT before, is an older guy, and was planning on joining Steve for a couple months. While he was climbing, a boulder came loose and fell on him. He ended up dislocating his shoulder, getting a huge gash that required stitches, and breaking his foot. He later had to be airlifted out and then flown to Bangor to get foot surgery. It was scary and quite an awakening to be so close to something like that happening and see how important it is to be careful. I think he will be okay but it sure was sad.

Overall it was a good day besides that though. Good hike and glad to meet people. Feeling a little lonely and nervous if ill be alone or not. Excited to get started south tomorrow!

Highlight of the day may have been passing a guy with an infant strapped to his back. I don’t know how he climbed the mountain-or got down. Because there are places you have to slide down on your butt etc, but the baby was fast asleep (or dead… Haha hopefully not. Sorry poor joke) so I guess it was fine.

I asked my dad to write a quick blurb about his thoughts on me hiking as a fun guest post (and to judge if he thinks I’m crazy for doing this). Little did I know he’d reply with this tearjerker. I am beyond lucky and grateful to have such a supportive dad. 

You’re going to do WHAT!!

It seems like a faint echo from a long time ago when Julie said, “I think I’ll try walking the Appalachian Trail”.  Like any good parent, I didn’t say “no” or object.  I just simply acknowledged the remark – hoping that this was just a passing fancy and that she would change her mind.  Not surprisingly, that hasn’t happened. The echo from months ago has grown louder and louder as we moved from winter through spring and into early summer.  Now, we are only a few days away from when Julie will leave on her (and our) life changing adventure.  As her father, I know I should be strong and supportive and I want to be, but I’m scared beyond words.  That said – I’m bursting with pride about Julie’s decision.  Her inner strength and determination to take this fork in the road is certain to lead down a long path of unexpected difficulties and challenges.  Few of us risk taking that path in life.  It’s usually much easier to “follow the crowd”, do what everyone expects, or let circumstances determine our next steps. But, that’s not Julie. 

Julie is a person that never fails to surprise and amaze me with her perspective and unique ability to not only set very high and often non-traditional goals, but then to go out and achieve them.  In high school it would have been easy for her to earn a little money working in town and hanging out with her friends, but she chose to work as an unpaid research intern at a Boston hospital where she helped to create an online Motivational Enhancement Therapy program for at-risk teens.  In college, she could have had a semester studying abroad in one of the world’s hot spots for college students, but she chose Nepal, a very poor country where she had to learn the Nepalese language and to adjust to being without such “basic” essentials as reliable electricity.  During her last summer break before her senior year in college, she could have taken a job anywhere, but elected to go to Tennessee to work as a counselor for youth with aggression and behavioral problems.  So, I guess it shouldn’t come as any surprise to me or anyone else that Julie is now about to undertake a new challenge: The Appalachian Trail

One can only imagine what it must be like to be out in the Appalachian Trail wilderness for months on end relying solely on willpower and physical stamina to trudge forward day-after-day, step-by step, over relentless miles of rugged terrain.  Few of us would be willing to survive on the limited food supplies in our backpack, or the need to pitch a tent or to find a shelter in order to be able to sleep every night.  Even fewer (I head this list) would want to endure or cope with the elements of rain, wind, heat, cold, and to deal with the certainty of blisters, wet clothes, and the lack of any human conveniences.   For Julie, it’s these very challenges that motivate her.  Conquering the fear and obstacles and doing it in her on her own way is part of what drives her.

Like I said at the beginning, I’m really nervous and scared to death for Julie’s safety and well-being, but I have complete trust and confidence in her judgment and I support her determination to move forward.   And whether she completes 100, 1,000, or the entire 2,000+  miles of The Appalachian Trail, my positive thoughts and unending love will be with her to help cushion her every step along the way.

She makes me very proud to be her Dad.

What does it mean to “thru-hike” the Appalachian Trail?

It means I am going to walk approximately (it’s always changing ever so slightly) 2180 miles from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia.  I’ll be a Southbounder, which is significantly less common than starting in Georgia as a Northbounder (1500 annual Northbound vs a couple hundred Southbound). I just read that fewer than 1000 Southbounders have ever finished, so that’d be pretty cool to join such a small club. Some fun facts from the AT website are that the total elevation gain is equivalent to hiking Mt Everest 16 times, 1 in 4 thru-hikers that attempt the trail actually completes it, and it passes through 14 states (Maine and NH are the hardest–I am in for a rude awakening).

How long will it take you?

Obviously it varies and it’s hard to predict how fast I’ll end up hiking, but the average is 4-6 months. My goal is to be done by Thanksgiving, and starting on July 1^st, that puts me at just under 5 months.

Why are you going alone?

Part of it is by choice and part of it is out of convenience.

 First, the easy part to describe: With work not ending until June, I was unable to join my friend Brenna on her Northbound hike in April. I thought about asking other friends if they were interested, but few can get or are willing to take time off of work to walk 2000 miles. Fair. And probably smarter than I am.

Now onto the more complicated-to-describe part: I ultimately made the choice to go solo because it’s what I desired. Although it is probably safer and less lonely or scary starting with friends, these are also the reasons that made me decide to go it alone. If I am going to challenge myself to walk 2000 miles, why seek out a safety net in asking friends? I’m not saying that going with others is a cowardly decision. Yet I know myself and for me, I know I would rely on the other person or people to make decisions or show me how to do things. By going alone, I’m refusing to take the easy way out (again, for me).  If I get lost or don’t know if I should push myself or need to fix my gear, I am going to have to learn what to do. And I like that. Going by myself also allows me to truly hike my own hike, or HYOH as thru-hikers abbreviate. I won’t be obligated to hike at someone else’s pace or go into towns (or get back on the trail) when I’m not ready. I can decide to stop for three hours for lunch or push myself for a really long day or sleep in one day. Going alone can be intimidating, yes, but it’s also exhilarating knowing I can control pretty much every aspect of my hike (okay maybe not weather or the number of uphills, as much as I’d like). 

At the same time, I know I will meet many people along the way that I will become close with. So I guess I won’t get a truly solitary experience, but at least beginning alone gives me an added challenge.  There is a sort of thrill that comes from attempting something entirely on your own and an even greater thrill and sense of accomplishment after achieving such a task. My hope is that I will be able to experience this.

What are you going to do about food?

There are two ways that thru-hikers get food on the AT, through maildrops and through resupplies in towns along the way. While I may do some maildrops, I am planning on relying nearly entirely on resupplying in towns.

Maildrops are when a hiker prepares meals ahead of time (or has someone at home doing it for them) and mails them to post offices along the trail. The advantages are obvious—less planning/thinking required on the trail and the ability to have more variety or food that may not be available at local stores. While this is appealing, I ultimately get stressed out just imagining trying to plan out so many meals so far in advance and then having to coordinate going into towns with post office hours.

I may later regret it, but I plan on going to local grocery stores, shops, etc. to get my food. The options in some places may be sparse, and in those cases I may do some mail drops, but to me the easier option seems to be figuring it out as I go. That’s not to say you can’t ship me cookies along the way…

Where are you going to sleep?

I have a tent so that gives me the freedom to sleep pretty much anywhere (minus a few exceptions like the White Mountains). However, there are also over 200 shelters along the trail at an average of something like 14 miles apart. These often are basic three walled wooden shelters, but some of them are fancier, with bunks or even fireplaces. Each morning (or the previous night) I’ll decide how far I plan to hike often based on these shelters. Right now I plan to set up my tent near shelters so I can have the camaraderie and company of others found at the shelters, but be free of loud snorers and mice in my solo tent. This may change completely as I go.  Who knows.

Can I join you?

YES! I’d love company for any length of time at any point on my trip. Yes, I wrote all that BS about hiking my own hike and the exhilaration of going solo, but I want to hike with you! Seriously. Just imagining seeing familiar faces along the trail makes me excited and grin sitting at my computer typing, so imagine how excited I’d be to have you join me! I will be updating my blog so you can probably have a general sense of where I am from that, but if you are genuinely interested, text me (I’ll have my phone) and we can work something out.