Expected, but still surprised!

Oh my, well, one of the first things that people say on my return after "welcome home!" has been "you're so small!" For those of you who know me, you know that I've spent the last five years of my life sitting behind a computer screen and not paying a whole lot of attention to my health. I quickly went from being the healthiest I had ever been to a fat blob of a man.

Well, it turns out that hiking up and down mountains with a 30 lb backpack full of food, water, and gear for 40 days is quite a workout! Despite the fact that I would stuff my face in town (including one dinner of three chicken pot-pies with a bag of mini-corn dogs for dessert) The calories were being burned off faster than I could take them in. A healthy American adult will burn something like 1500 calories a day. The average AT hiker will burn somewhere in the range of 3000 a day. And, with each ounce of extra food adding weight to an already heavy pack, you try and pack and eat only what is necessary. The result?...

M and I thought it would be fun to see just how much weight I would lose on the trail, so we took some before and after pics. The results were kind of surprising! I'm no John Basedow, but a lot of my animator pounds were left on the trail! Honestly, I wasn't going to post these pics, but what the heck?! Flabby and pale to close to fit in 40 days! Keeping fit, well, that's yet to be determined...

I made it!

Two days ago, after a 23 mile day of walking, from 8 in the morning to 7 at night, I took my last step on the AT for this trip! I arrived in Damascus, VA just as the last of the hostels were closing up for the night, and was able to secure a bunk to rest my weary feet. I'll be back in NYC on Thursday.

It's been a great 41 days of hiking. I met some of the most friendly, interesting, and diverse group of people along the way. A big shout out to my shelter pals Crabapple, Professor (a.k.a. Mailman), Bobbins, Oops, So-Close, Mountain Goat, The Riddler, Tea-Time, Rambo Ron, Shatter, Crazy Kim and his dog "Dog", Carver, Jody, Big Bear, The Sierra Club '07 Smoky Mountain trip group, Sir Packs-A-Lot, BP, Mike! and Tom! and their Father, Kun-Su, and all the others that have walked the trail this year!

Crossing my path along the way were 2 rattler snakes, garters, salamanders, snails, slugs, deer, 10 black bear, wild turkey, horses, one cow, songbirds of all kinds, five hummingbirds, eagles, two radio collared dogs, and more gnats than I care to remember.

Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way! When I return, we'll do a nice big southern style BBQ and chill in style!

The Last Leg:
7/13 - 0 miles (in Erwin, TN)
7/14 - 12 miles
7/15 - 14 miles
7/16 - 7 miles
7/17 - 12 miles
7/18 - 15 miles
7/19 - 12 miles
7/20 - 11 miles
7/21 - 17 miles
7/22 - 23 miles!

A Day in the Woods

It's 3:30 in the morning. My eyes open but all I see is black. The blackness of night. Something is scurrying along the leaves on the ground to the left of my hammock tent. I pull my arm from the sleeping bag and look at the faint glow of my watch. Ungh... three more hours until daylight. I close my eyes, turn on to my side, and drift back in to sleep.


I wake again at 6:30. This time the sunlight streaming through the leaves in the trees and my hammock rainfly light up everything. My book and journal hanging from the centerline, the bear spray above my head in it's pouch, and my 'ditty bag' full of all my electronic goodness. It's cold outside the sleeping bad. My nose is chilly.

I doze in and out of sleep for another half an hour trying to will myself out of the bag. Finally, around 7am, I unzip and crawl out in to the morning air. Aaah. It's always better after the inital shock. Time to start packing up. The sleeping bag, long underwear (which is usually used as a pillow), and sleeping pad go in to the pack first. Then my books, ditty bag, and sandals. Finally the hammock is closed up and stuffed in. I give Crabapple's tent a shake.

"hey... Crabapple...."
"unnnnn......."
"morning!"
"uh... hunnnnn....."

The bear bag rope which we use to hang our food at night is brought down and I pull out breakfast. Half a bag of granola and powdered milk. Two Nature Valley bars are stuffed into my pocket for the day. Once Breakfast is done, all the food stuff go back in to the bear bag, and in to my pack. One final check around the campsite. Yup, got everything. Clank my poles, discuss where to meet up with Crabapple that evening, say goodbye to the others sharing the shelter, and I'm on my way.

The air is thick with moisture. It's almost 9am and there's a fog covering everything, making the narrow trail feel endless. A steep ascent up some mountain with the name of Laurel or Hump or Sassafras. No views on the top. And even if there were, It would probably be covered by the fog.



An hour after leaving camp, the fog has started to lift. Every five minutes my face runs in to a spider's line crossing the trail. I'm the first one out this morning.

Two more hours pass. I can see each upcoming turn of the trail clearly now. Another mountain. This time there's a clearing at the summit and I look back at the progress I've made so far. Six and a half miles. Rolling mountains as far as the eye can see. And the other direction, more rolling mountains. It's beautiful and daunting.

It's a good time to stop for lunch. There's a shelter not too far up the trail and I pull out my lunch ziploc there. PB&J, crackers, and some beef jerky. It's good for the first three weeks... then it starts to get a little repetitive.

Fifteen minutes later and I'm back on the trail. Every once in a while I'll pass a white blaze painted on a tree and I can rest assured that yes, I'm still going the right way. Yes, I'm still on the Appalachian Trail.

A deer bolts up a ridgeline to my right. I pass a stream, a road, another stream. I think a lot. I think about work, and family. About things that I don't take time to contemplate with all the distractions of home. There is a clarity that comes with being out here, walking the trail day in and day out. I realize what's really important to me. Family, M, friends, soap.

I arrive at the shelter where Crabapple and I planned to meet. It's four in the afternoon. My feet have taken me 15 miles today. Over three mountain tops, and along two ridgelines. I lean back on the picnic bench in front of the shelter and watch the trees rustling in the breeze. Crabapple shows up 30 minutes later.

The sun is breaking through a small opening in the trees. I take off my boots and set them in the sunlight to dry the sweat out. The solar charger and batteries go next to them. Time for evening chores. The hammock goes up, water bag is filtered and filled, books and bearbag rope hung. At half past six I heat up some water for dinner and pour it in to my single serving of Mountain House pasta primavera.

With stomach full, and feet relaxed I clean up the dishes, brush my teeth, hang the bear bag, and say goodnight to everyone around the shelter.

After crawling in to my sleeping bag, I check my phone for reception. Nothing. Do part of a copied down sudoku from my journal, write in my journal, and read a few chapters in my book.


At eleven the sun is down, and I hold my headlamp up to my watch to give it's glow-in-the-dark hands enough charge to last to the morning. Zip up my sleeping bag, and close my eyes.


The wind is rustling through the trees, I can hear an owl in the distance hooting out it's call. Sleep comes quickly.

Last week a group of section hikers gave me a trail name! I am now known as McGyver on the AT.

PICTURES!

Well, I've just arrived in Erwin, TN and picked up a nice little card reader at the local Walgreen's so it's time to share a few pics from the past three weeks. Click on the pics too see them full size.

Aaah, Georgia shelters! They've got some of the nicest I've been in so far. I came across this one just two days after M had returned to NY, after the first five days on the trail. You can't really tell, but there's actually 3 levels to this one, making it a real resort experience. My pack is sitting on the bench in front.

The Georgia - North Carolina border marking. My first state line crossing!

The first 10 days of hiking were not kind to my poor dogs. They were blistered and beaten. I also got some wicked nasty blisters on my pinky toes (almost totally covering them!). A few days after this pic was taken, they had all calloused up, and have felt fine since. This pic was taken at Haven's Budget Inn in Franklin, NC.

One of the many local inhabitants of the trail in GA. There are so many of these little snails all over the place, it's hard to miss stepping on them. Every once in a while you hear a soft 'crunch' under foot and know that a snail-ey's live is about to go to heaven...

A view of things to come...

My trail buddy, Crabapple, receiving a package drop of food and supplies at the Nantahala Outdoor Center where we bunked at a hostel for the night. That day we arrived early and after sorting through our goods, went for a little whitewater rafting! It was a great break from the trail.

A dead rattler. This one was a bigguns at around 5' long when fully stretched out. Some hiker had apparently encountered it just before we got there and had smashed it's poor head in with a rock. A few days back I encountered another rattler while rushing over an open ridgeline during an oncoming thunderstorm. As I was scurrying across, I heard the unmistakable rattle of one of these guys tails and scurried past without delay.

One of the more open sections of the trail along the NC - TN border. There aren't many open balds like this on the trail, and so when you come across one, it's quite a treat.

A survey marker. These are placed all over the place. Not quite sure exactly why tho...

The afternoon before out party in the Great Smoky Mountains. You can see the three pizza boxes on the table. The guy sitting on the log at the left of the photo is 'professor', He's thru-hiking the trail and has been inflicted with a bad ankle for most of the trip so far. I've been playing leapfrog with him for most of the second half of the trip. Meeting, passing, meeting up again, etc.

Chillin' and chatting at the party. The blurry man at the center is 'rambo ron' the last of the '06 southbound thru-hikers. He started in June of '06 up in Maine and was on his last two weeks before finishing in Georgia. That old man had quite a few interesting stories to tell!

Sitting on top of a rock outcropping in the smokies. It was a spectacular view that day!

Mornings tend to be a bit foggy and it's like walking through a horror flic. You never know what will be lurking around the next corner, just waiting to pop out at you. A bear, rattlesnake, crazy backwoods yahoo.... Despite the freak factor, morning fog is one of my favorite times to hike. It's cool, and stunningly beautiful.

4th of July on Max Patch. One of the largest balds on the trail. This guy was completely passed out at the summit. Maybe a little too much moonshine? His buddy was a super beefy army guy who was staring in to the distance, with a rambo pose. I walked up to him, but he was in a zone, staring off in to the mountains, and didn't seem to notice me.

One of the many places on the trail to do a little clothes cleaning. This shack was tacked on to the local convenience store/pool hall in Hot Springs, NC.

Walking out of Hot Springs, NC in style! The AT runs directly through the main street of town here and I got myself a double scoop of mint chocolate chip before heading back out in to the wilderness. Mmmm! That was good!

Well, I've got tons more pics to share with you all, but that's a teaser. Sorry it's taken so long for me to get them out. I've only got about a week and a half left before I hit Damascus, VA, my final destination. I'll be spending one more night here in Erwin, and then heading to a hostel about 6 days away. I'll write and post some more pics then.

miles and miles...
7/6 - 0 (stayed an extra day in Hot Springs, NC)
7/7 - 3 miles
7/8 - 8 miles
7/9 - 15 miles
7/10 - 15 miles
7/11 - 10 miles
7/12 - 16 miles

Trail Magic

Sorry folks, one more post without pictures. But next week I'll be in Erwin, TN and they've got a Wall-Mart so I'll pick up a card reader there and finally post some pics! WOO HOO!

So, the last 10 days have been amazing. The Smoky Mountains were all they are cracked up to be. 70 Miles of wonderful forested ridgeline. The climbs were fairly tough, but worth it for the views. Crabapple and I even discovered a little trail magic along the way.

For those of you unfamiliar with trail magic, it's a term given to when you find something amazing while on the trail. Usually in the form of a weekend or day hiker carrying extra beer, pizza, ice cream, or the like. For Crabapple and I it came in the form of two weekend hikers, Jody and Carver.

We met them on our second night in the Smokys at the Silers Bald shelter. They were up for the weekend and were planning on meeting up with some more buds at the next shelter north. We planned to meet them again there the next night.

Walking the short 6 miles to the next shelter was short and amazing. Half way through the day I climbed Clingmans Dome, at 6400+ feet it's the highest point on the AT. The peak was a bit underwhelming with cloud cover and tourists streaming in from a parking lot 1/2 mile down a paved walkway, but the walk up was where it was at. Beautiful views of the southern Smokys on one side of the ridge, and clouds pouring over the top on the other. The vegetation looked almost manicured it was so perfect. If you ever get a chance to take a walk there, I'd highly recommend it.

That night we partied it up. Crabapple had gotten a ride in to town with Carver and a few others to get supplies and they had all brought back a ton of beer, pizzas, and whisky. The shelter (which holds 12) was filled to the brim, and thru-hikers had to tent outside. All in all, there were 16 of us, most all having a great time drinking and talking late into the night. The more seasoned hikers all commented that it was one of those 1 in 100 nights that rarely comes along when everyone is getting along, the weather's nice, and everything clicks. For me, it was a great break from the routine of the trail and I met some of the most fun people I know.

When one of the weekenders by the name of Big Bear started falling over and puking next to the shelter after watching three of the other hikers trying to perfect the "scorpion" yoga technique, I knew it was time to crawl into the sleeping bag.

My poor feet carried me HOW far?!!

6/27 - 11 miles
6/28 - 11.7 miles
6/29 - 5 miles
6/30 - 8 miles (to the party shelter)
7/1 - 15 miles
7/2 - 12.8 miles
7/3 - 12.3 miles
7/4 - 14 miles
7/5 - 17 miles! (my longest day yet)