Accomplishments and Setbacks

Trail Update #3: Hiawassee to Franklin.

This post goes out to my sister, Nicole, who hopes to thru-hike in the next few years! Thanks for always being supportive of my adventures, and for doing things before me so Mom and Dad get used to the ideas.

Day 9: April 7th: Foggy Nights 
That morning, Ron, Shay, Thomas, Dylan, and I all decided to take the 11am shuttle back to the trail, but by 9:45 I was already antsy and ready to start hiking. 

Bandit wanted OUT of the Budget Inn.

I suppose the timing worked out though because when we arrived back at Dicks Creek Gap, we had trail magic waiting for us! I honestly feel like I have a network of Moms and Dads all looking out for me/making sure I have enough food (trust me, I am carrying more than enough food). Surprisingly, these trail angels had vegan pulled pork sandwiches!  

I definitely enjoyed hiking with multiple people - we all shared snacks (pepper jack cheese. yes.) and stories as we hiked the last portion of Georgia and crossed into North Carolina.  

The first major accomplishment! 

Ahhhh! 

Some of my friends camped right after the border, but I pushed on a few more miles until the next shelter where I ran into Rock-boat and Cambo. Though it was too foggy and wet to even start a fire, we spent a few hours gathered around our tents joking around.  One of my favorite nights so far.

Shelter: Muskrat Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 11.8
Miles from Springer: 81.4
Miles to Katahdin: 2103.9


Day 10: April 8th: A Long and Winding Lonesome Hike.
I woke up the next morning and honestly, I spent three hours just hanging around camp. I lounged in my sleeping bag, made Ramen for breakfast, read my book, etc. I was the last hiker out of the shelter that day and I absolutely loved it.

Not such a bad bedroom-window view. 

(Yay for breakfast in bed)

I spent the entire day hiking alone and listening to music. About 5 miles in, I came across a trail angel named Rodney who was handing out pineapple, strawberries, and orange juice (!!!!!!!!!) - I stopped to chat for a while before making my way up the mountain to check out the Standing Indian Shelter, and later took some time to meet Huckleberry and his wife who had stopped for lunch. I blue-blazed a bit to explore the summit of Standing Indian, but the bugs were too bad to stay. 

Miscellaneous waterfall/water source

Campsite on top of Standing Indian Mountain. 

I made it to Carter Gap Shelter with an excess of daylight and energy, so I pushed on to Betty Creek Gap where it was rumored that many of my friends were staying for the night. I was the last to arrive, but received a warm welcome.  After a 16 mile day all alone, I was pretty beat, so I snuggled in my 10 degree sleeping bag and called it a night. 

Unnecessary bonus photo from April 8th

Shelter: Camping at Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.2
Miles from Springer: 97.6
Miles to Katadhin: 2087.

Day 11: April 9th: A Tree Falls in the Forest 
Again, I was one of the last hikers to leave camp that morning - in fact, part of "the family" who had camped 4 miles back passed me as I was taking down my tent. 

I spent the first hour or two hiking with Simple Man and Chocolate - one of the sets of parents of "the family". I enjoyed going at a slower pace and talking with unfamiliar hikers - we climbed Albert Mountain with one another and crossed the 100 mile marker together at the fire tower. 

Another major milestone!  

Sorry my selfie blocks the whole view!

Flapjack and Nick caught up to me at the fire tower, so we continued together with the intent of camping right near the road crossing that would take us into Franklin, NC the next morning.  In our travels, we passed by the Longbranch shelter - possibly the newest shelter on the trail (2012), and we were lucky enough to catch an unexpected show at Rock Gap Shelter - an 88 year old Hemlock being cut down with a chainsaw as we ate lunch. 

Apparently I can't upload videos on here.

(Even so, the video didn't do it justice)

Another 4 miles and we arrived to my favorite camp-site so far.  We passed a gorgeous waterfall and set up our tents on the side of a river. 

Mile 110

Just three of us this night.

Shelter: Camping near Winding Stair Gap 
Miles today: 12.5
Miles from Springer: 110.1
Miles to Katadhin: 2075.2

Day 12: April 10th: A Night of Normalcy

I awoke to rain - which allowed me the opportunity to learn how to dismantle my tent while keeping the rainfly up. The 9am shuttle was late - leaving me and a handful of hikers standing in the downpour for an hour on the side of Winding Stair Gap. 

Within the next hour, the sun had emerged and I was checked into the Budget Inn Hostel.  Despite rumors, the hostel was clean, comfortable and spacious - I basically shared an apartment with 3 other roommates (Mother Nature, Michelle and Emily). Mother Nature and I  did our usual town chores and then headed out to Outdoor 76, a well-known outfitter that specializes in shoes. The co-owner Ron spent almost 3 hours thoroughly discussing our foot issues and creating custom insoles for my friend. I ended the visit with Brooks Cascadia trail-runners - apparently a very popular shoe on the AT. 

Sweet.

They realize that they need a bigger banner....

The rest of the day consisted of food shopping (fresh mozzarella, pepper jack, cheddar, tortillas, avocadoes, BBQ sauce, skittles, powdered donuts, a honeybun, bagged salad, ranch. Yum.), walking around town, and chatting with other hikers. We decided to check out the live music at Rathskeller - a local coffee house and pub, which I would definitely recommend to future thru-hikers. 

Oh! I almost forgot - for some reason, Franklin, NC is home to North Carolinas largest and finest Gem Museum. And what a gem it was. I haven't really looked too much into the 'energy' of stones (nor have I ever really believed in all that....), but I was definitely feeling a pressure headache after being in there. (As Mother Nature pointed out - no one questions the energy of a magnet....). In all seriousness though, this free gem museum was crazy impressive.

Shelter: Hiker's Den Hostel ($15)
Miles today: 0.0
Miles from Springer: 109.8
Miles to Katahdin: 2075.5

Day 13: April 11th: An Unexpected Zero.

I had been toying with the idea of spending a second day in Franklin since the previous evening but was a bit hesitant for a few reasons. Though I hadn't found a best friend yet, I had become friendly with a group whose company I enjoyed. It took me until day 13 to realize that I couldnt sustain the pace/lifestyle I had been attempting to maintain.  At this point in my hike, my body isnt used to 16+ mile days, and I was getting bored with waking up at dawn to hike straight until dusk.

In light of that, I decided to finally "hike my own hike" (one of those super corny/cliché thru-hiker phrases). I came out here alone, and I am no longer afraid of being 'left behind'. Everyone is treating this as if it's a frantic race to the finish-line - it's not. 

That being said - I took a second zero day because I do what I want! I woke up at 7 (my body won't let me sleep past 7 anymore), and walked to The Sunset Restaurant to get breakfast with Shay and Tom. Being in the south, I figured it would be appropriate to order some biscuits and grits (which were decent) - but my omelette did not even compare to the omelettes of Park City Diner (I miss waitressing and free food - who would've thought!). Afterwards, we stopped by the Farmers Market (where a trail angel gave Tom free fresh bread), did some more shopping and I even took a nap (it was heavenly). The rest of the evening passed by pretty uneventfully until I decided took walk down to the Sapphire Inn to socialize for the night. 

I never made it past the Budget Inn because I stopped to say hello to a dog I hadn't met yet. Little did I know that this pup would set me back an entire day. I had previously met Peas, but we had not become friends just yet. When he told me that he had just found the dog roaming town, I offered to help walk her around in an attempt to find the owner. She had her rabies tag, but no phone number to the owner and none of the local vets/humane societies were open on the weekend, so we had very little to go off of at the time. 

As luck would have it, the first person we approached was helpful. He didn't recognize the dog, but had a friend around the corner who owned a hiker hostel out of his house (news to us....) and a kennel in his yard. We walked into the residential neighborhood of Franklin and found the dog a place to stay until tomorrow (but not before we got extremely attached and named her - Leila). We left for the night with the intention of potentially doing a work-stay at this hostel so we could save on money (once we realized we needed to stay until Monday in order to call the vet and get Leilas info).

I'm not going to go into details (solely because its a long long story), but this hostel owner gave me a bit of a bad vibe - instincts told me something was off. Before I went to sleep for the night, I had decided that I would just spend the money at the Budget instead of staying at the unknown hostel.

Shelter: Hiker's Den Hostel ($15)
Miles today: 0.0
Miles from Springer: 109.8
Miles to Katahdin: 2075.5

Day 14: April 12th: The Most Adorable and Loving 24 Hour Setback. 

Though I reallllly did not want to take a third day off, I knew I couldn't just leave Peas to handle the situation by himself.  I told him that I didn't feel comfortable staying at the other hostel, so we shared a room at the Budget since they allow dogs. We went back to retrieve Leila and continued to walk around town in case her owners were looking for her. Here's a fun fact about Franklin, NC: the entire place shuts down on Sundays. Literally 90% of establishments are closed. We exhausted all options - even calling the local dispatch office. The only help they could offer was to put me in contact with Animal Control who would then take her to a kill shelter (Um, no. How could someone think that was an option.)

Notice the billboard for the Gem Museum!

Passing the time...

So we waited out the day - and I found Peacock! We took a sad walk to McDonald's where I tried to convince her not to quit (I haven't heard from her in a few days...). And best of all, my acquaintance from home, War Cry, finally caught up to me! She introduced me to her trail-family (My Best Friend, Auto-draft and Zissou) - it was nice to know not ALL of my friends were days ahead of me. 

Peas and I went to sleep that night not knowing if we would find Leilas owners the next morning. What we did know was that we were getting back on the trail, whether she had to come with us or not.

She was so cuddly!  

Shelter: Budget Inn ($55 for a room with a dog)
Miles today: 0.0
Miles from Springer: 109.8
Miles to Katahdin: 2075.5

A detailed account of all the days that are beginning to blend together...

Trail Update #2: Neel Gap to Hiawassee.

This post is dedicated to my little, Johanna, for gifting me a series of 'read me when...' letters so that I may never be without her wisdom and advice, even when I'm days away from cell service. Her words are a wonderful dose of home when I'm feeling a bit lost in the woods. 

Day 5: April 3rd: A Late Start...

Waking up in a queen sized bed with clean sheets was definitely a luxury (at this point, my tent always has tid-bits of leaves and other surprises), and I toyed with the idea of staying an additional night. But considering the fact that I'd spent 2 out of the first 4 nights inside, it was time to get moving. Drew continued southbound, while I met up with my parents at Mountain Crossings to say goodbye, receive my first resupply and get a gear shakedown. 

Though I didn't end up sending too much unnecessary weight home, I did enjoy my shakedown with Pretzel, and I did shave off about 1lb. (Some hikers got rid of 12+ lbs of gear!) I sent home a collapsible cup I had never used, a washcloth, sunglasses, an extra pen, and a windscreen that was not compatible with my stove. (I will soon do a full blog post dedicated to my gear/reviews).

So after all was said and done, I didn't get on the trail until 12:45pm. I knew Ron was headed to Low Gap Shelter, 11.5 miles past Neel Gap, and I wanted to catch up. I was alone, it was ridiculously hot, the trail was pretty much completely uphill and I knew I had a long day ahead of me - it only took about 15 minutes for me to start crying. Luckily it was a short-lived self-pity party, and I was back to my solid mental state.

Unfortunately, the trail always throws you curveballs in an attempt to teach its lessons. Three miles past Neel Gap, I realized my feet could no longer tolerate my boots - every step hurt. Due to the fact that I think crocs are fugly (they are the top choice 'camp shoe' of AT hikers), I had splurged and bought myself really nice Chaco sandals that could work as hiking shoes in a pinch. I strapped my chunky boots to the back of my pack and continued along... until I realized the bottom of my pack was wet and water was dripping down my legs - my camelback had somehow developed a slight tear and was leaking. I did have backup water bottles, so I wasn't concerned for my wellbeing, it was just annoying to have to take off my pack everytime I needed water. 

I made it to mile marker 38.4, Hogpen Gap, where I found a fellow thru-hiker sitting by the parking lot. We got to chatting and she explained that she was intending to hike to the next shelter but didn't know if she could make it and was not ready to camp alone on the side of the trail if need be. We had enough daylight left, so I convinced her to attempt the rest of the hike with me - and thus began my friendship with Peacock. 

That night was a crazy thunderstorm! To tell you the truth, I loved it (granted, my tent was already set up before it began). My only concern was the possibility of branches falling on my tent... needless to say, I survived.

Lincoln makes a guest appearance!

Where I found Peacock

Shelter: Low Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 11.5
Miles from Springer: 43.2
Miles to Katahdin: 2141.0


Day 6: April 4th: No Gear Left Behind.
Ron and I had ambitious plans for the next morning, but when I woke up, I decided against a strenuous day. Instead, we opted for a leisurely 7 mile stroll. Ron set us back an hour by forgetting his trekking pole, but we ultimately made it to the shelter by about 4pm. I was amazed at how much time I had to do all my camp chores/bum around before bedtime, and I was in the greatest mood (especially when peacock arrived a few hours after us - yay peacock!) I met Bota, Vista (who was only hiking the first week), Peas, Cruiser, Jeremy, Duck, and Nick. We all sat around the fire for an hour or so before getting chilly and heading to sleep. Finally I was social! (Be proud, it's hard for me).

I sat here for about an hour, waiting for Rons return.

Shelter: Blue Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 7.3
Miles from Springer: 50.5
Miles to Katahdin: 2133.7


Day 7: April 5th: Easter Blossoms and Epic Trail Magic.
The morning of April 5th was cold - not quite cold enough to be considered frigid, but I wanted to hide in my tent all morning. I've never been a very sentimental person, but Im happy to say that the trail brought us magic in the form of blooming cherry blossoms - a sure sign of spring on Easter Sunday. 

Shout out to the AOII Cherry Blossom family! I was thinking of you :)

Ron and I had heard rumors of potential trail magic a few miles ahead, but I tried not to get my hopes up in case we arrived too late in the day. Though Addis Gap was about a half mile off the trail (adding an extra mile to your day is not always what we're looking for...), we decided to follow the signs to this alleged hiker party. And a party it was. A few families were camping out all weekend sharing food (varieties of cheeses, crackers, roasted corn, roasted turkey, chips, salsa, more cheese, apples, bananas, oranges, hot dogs, etc), alcohol (wine, beer, liquor, and two full kegs...), and hospitality.  Many hikers chose to set up camp and spend the night around the bonfire, but I had to get up early the next morning - so I stuffed my belly to the brim and shuffled along to Deep Gap. 

All the trail angels were slightly tipsy and extremely generous!

April 5th was also the day I met "The Family" - a group of 2 couples with 11 of their children (aged 9-17) all thru-hiking the AT together. They are remarkably kind, and I have had the opportunity to get to know a few of them fairly well. I hope their hike continues to coincide with mine for a while. 

Unnecessary bonus shot from April 5th!

Shelter: Deep Gap Shelter
Total miles today: 15.5
Miles from Springer: 66.0
Miles to Katahdin: 2118.2


Day 8: April 6th: Trail-Named.
I woke up to a busy campsite and Jeremy making pancakes (a regular occurance for which he later received the trail name flapjack), but I needed to hike 4 miles to Dicks Creek Gap, walk along the road a half mile to the Top of Georgia Hostel, pick up my resupply, and get back to the Gap before the 11 am shuttle - so I booked it out of camp that morning.  I enjoyed the solitude, and I was glad to have a chance to check out the TOG hostel. I had originally planned on staying the night,  but rumor had it that they didn't allow dogs (that rumor was wrong), so Ron convinced me to stay at the Budget Inn. I met my friends at the Gap, and while we waited for a ride, I was christened with the name Maybelline - due to the fact that I have been wearing eyeliner on the trail. At first I was not into it at all - I had wanted a deeper trail-name - one based off of something in nature. But I suppose that the trail names you what it will - I've been told that I certainly earned the name Maybelline.  People often believe that it is my actual name. 

The Budget was in the center of town, which was convenient, but that was about the only thing it had going for it. It rained heavily almost all day, which deterred us from exploring Hiawassee. I spent the day doing laundry, cleaning my gear, following Duck around Ingles while mindlessly reading Cosmopolitan, and chatting with Flapjack and Nick. 

Dicks Creek Gap - Where my trail-name found me.

(Nick, flapjack, dylan, duck, jester)

Shelter: Hiawassee Budget Inn ($15 when split 4 ways)
Miles today: 3.6
Miles from Springer: 69.6
Miles to Katahdin: 2115.7

I am in Love with the Appalachian Trail and the Appalachian Trail is in Love with me.

Trail update #1: Amicalola Falls to Blood Mountain.

I would like to dedicate this blog post to my parents, Jeanine and Anthony, for taking a week off and driving me down to Georgia. I want to thank my dad for enduring the first 9 miles with me, and my mom for being a tremendous help with logistics and mail drops. I couldn't do it without you guys! 

Day One: March 30th: The Approach Trail.

(The 8.8 miles from Amicalola Falls to Springer Mountain aren't technically part of the Appalachian Trail, but I felt the need to take part in this "tradition".)

The morning of March 30th began at 5:30 am when I awoke in my hotel bed to the sound of thunder and heavy rain. Yikes. Though it was suggested that I skip the approach trail and start the next day, I was too wound up and anxious to wait. I decided to push back my start time an hour or two, hope for the best, and brave whatever weather I was blessed with. (Luckily, the skies cleared about 5 minutes into my hike, and the day turned out to be beautiful!) I'm grateful to have had my father hike the first 9 miles with me, and that he was able to experience my summit of Springer Mountain, the official starting point of the Appalachian Trail. He endured a strenuous hike that many thru-hikers complain about for the majority of their trip.

While the majority of the approach trail isn't very scenic,  Amicalola Falls State Park was worth the extra milage. I weighed my pack at the visitors center (36lbs), got my AT passport stamped, and was deemed hiker #862. After taking a ton of photos with my pup, my dad and I set out to climb 604 steps up the breathtaking Amicalola Falls, where I met my first friend, Jason. The morning was still a bit foggy, which meant we couldn't see the top of the falls when we were standing at the base. At the top, we met an older man who was attempting to hike to Maine - he was wildly unprepared. I think about him often, and I hope we was able to figure it out. We're all rooting for each other out here. 

After a long day, we finally summited Springer and I took my first official steps on the Appalachian Trail as a 2015 thru-hiker. We took photos, signed the log book, and headed down to meet my mom on the other side.  Because my dad joined me on the approach trail,  I was able to "slack-pack" (when a hiker only carries a day pack), which I was extremely grateful for. 

After saying goodbye to my parents, I continued another 2.8 miles to the next shelter, along with a new friend, Tom (who I haven't seen for a few days...). My first night was the perfect start to my thru-hike. About 15 people made camp at Stover Creek that night - including Jason, Ron and Bandit,  Fiddler, and Tom. We all set up our tents, compared food, started a fire, told some stories,  hung bear bags, filtered water and headed to bed. I was content,  and all was well. 

The start of the AT! 

Shelter: Stover Creek 

Miles hiked today: (8.8 plus 2.8) = 11.6 miles 

Total miles: 11.6

Miles from Springer: 2.8

Miles to Katahdin: 2182.5

Day Two:  March 31st: A Full Pack,  A Full Day 

Though I packed up camp much later than most (9 or 10 am), I was determined to make it a solid 13 miles.  I had originally intended to give myself 4 days to make it to Neel Gap, but the desire for a zero day convinced me to squish the next three days of hiking into two. The beginning of the AT crosses paths with the Benton MacKaye quite a few times,  and the lack of AT white blazes caused some confusion and fear of being on the wrong trail. I kept leapfrogging with Ron and his dog Bandit, which eventually lead to us hiking together.  

We arrived at the shelter before nightfall, but it was late in the day and it was difficult to find a flat spot to set up my tent.  The atmosphere at this shelter was much more young and lively,  but I chose to be a loner and head to bed early. It rained that night, and inside my tent was hot and humid, but the weather cleared up by the time I needed to pack everything up the next morning. 

Long Creek Falls! Worth the blue-blaze.

Shelter: Gooch Mountain Shelter 

Miles hiked today: 13.0

Total miles hiked: 24.6 

Miles from Springer: 15.8

Miles to Katahdin: 2169.5

Day Three: April 1st: 16 Miles To Neel Gap
Wednesday was quite a long day - Ron, Bandit and I walked for over 12 hours to make it to Mountain Crossings by sundown. Summitting Blood Mountain after the first 13 miles felt like a huge accomplishment - but we didn't realize the final descent would be rocky, difficult, and seemingly neverending. 

Arriving at Neel Gap was a bit underwhelming, due to the fact that we arrived after the office was closed - the hostel was all booked up, but a wonderful woman named stephanie offered up a bed for me. As soon as I walked in the hostel I was handed a plate of baked Ziti and a salad, as well as a fluffy towel. After taking a gloriously hot shower,  I assessed the damage to my body - feet were sore, my collarbones were swollen and red from my pack straps, and I had a decent sunburn - but nothing of concern. 

Apparently the oldest shelter on the trail.

(Built in 1934)

Elevation: 4461 

Shelter: Mountain Crossings Hostel ($17 each bunk)

Miles hiked today: 15.9

Total miles hiked: 40.5

Miles from Springer: 31.7

Miles to Katahdin: 2153.6

Day Four: April 2nd: A Perfectly Cozy, Rainy, Zero Day 

I woke up early on Thursday and checked into the Blood Mountain Cabins. (These cabins are absolutely gorgeous - a loft? a fireplace?  Yes, please.) I had intended to blog on this day (sorry), but I spent the day with a friend from home who was walking southbound (trailname:fresh). The weather was horribly gloomy and wet, so I cherished the time I spent warm inside. Future zero days have a lot to live up to after this.

Todays activities included: watching Star Wars on VHS, eating until my stomach hurt, casually browsing the store at Mountain Crossings,  napping, reading, discussing the fact that I should be writing a blog post, watching drew make a fire, not hiking. 

In reality, Drew reads while I take candid photos and bum around on my phone...

Shelter: Blood Mountain Cabins ($60 each cabin)

Miles hiked today: 0! 

Total miles hiked: 40.5 

Miles from Springer: 31.7

Miles to Katahdin: 2153.6

***PS. Please bear with me while I figure out how to blog through my phone. 

***PS again. This is my third attempt at writing this post, as the entire thing was accidentally deleted twice. I'm bitter about it. 

Reasons Why.

For all of those expecting to endure 4-6 straight months of thru-hiking, it is advised to focus heavily on mental preparedness. While the trail is definitely physically taxing, weeks of solitude can turn into the ultimate psychological game. Though all attempting thru-hikers hike with a common goal, we hike for different reasons. Many people in my life have asked me why I have decided to embark on a journey of this magnitude. You have Zach, over at Appalachian Trials, to thank for the following "3 Lists"

1. Why I need to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail...

- because I told myself (and practically everyone I know) that I would. I’ve been talking about it for years. Time to stop talking and start acting.

- the time is now! The opportunity has presented itself, how am I to say no? I have nothing holding me back. No financial issues, no career, no boyfriend.

- I need to figure out my next steps to take for my career. Getting away from distractions will allow me the time to think. 

- I crave a life changing adventure. 

- I have never been given a challenge of this extent. I need to know that I have what it takes.

- to learn how to rely on myself, and myself alone.

- to break my addiction with the internet, electronics, and social media.  

- to take a break from daily societal expectations.

- to be part of the hiker community

- to prove that women are equally as capable of thru-hiking solo. Women shouldn’t be reluctant to achieve their dreams based off the fact that they must venture on alone.

- I'm terrified of living an average, expected, conventional life.

- I don't spend enough time outside. 

- I’m afraid the AT won’t always be what it currently is. I want to take advantage of it while I can. 

- to learn how to let go of schedules and realize that not having a plan may very well be the best plan.
- I need to learn how to not over-pack! (Seriously, those who really know me know that this is a serious issue…)

2. When I successfully thru-hike, I will…

- be confident in my ability to overcome obstacles and endure hardships.

- have a new-found sense of independence.

- consider myself a fucking bad-ass.

- better understand myself and my desires in friendships, relationships, and my career

- know that I can succeed in anything I strive to accomplish.

- happily give advice to future thru-hikers.

- appreciate all the people and material items I had been taking for granted.

- donate all of the belongings I realize I no longer need.

- buy a huge map of the Appalachian Trail.

- probably get a tattoo.

- eat lots of New York pizza and bagels.

- move in with one of my best friends and force her to go on future adventures with me. 

3. If I give up on the AT, I will...

- be ashamed of myself for not sticking to my word.

- have an easier time quitting future tasks. 

- force myself to make up an "acceptable" excuse as to why I quit.

- have to embarrassingly explain why I couldn't make it the whole way.

- prove the discouraging people right - that I couldn't make it.

- have spent way too much time and money on a failed goal.

- become a statistical failure of the trail.

- probably never attempt to thru-hike again. I have too many places I want to see. I don't have the time to try again. 

A Bit of Background...

I suppose I got a bit ahead of myself in my first blog post. It would probably be best to give those who haven't been recently obsessing over the Appalachian Trail a bit of background in regards to my upcoming adventure. 

Woo fun facts about the Appalachian Trail! 
- The AT is roughly 2180 miles in length. The exact milage is usually under debate. 
- It passes through 14 states (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine). 
- Virginia is home to about 550 miles of the trail, while West Virginia only has 4. 
- About 25% of those who set out to complete a Thru-hike make it to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. 
- The elevation gain across the trail is equal to that of Mt. Everest 16 times!

Well, I'm setting out at Amicalola Falls State Park tomorrow morning at 8am. My dad has decided to join me on the approach trail which I hear is pretty strenuous, considering it starts with about 600 stairs (but hey, we'll be climbing up the side of a waterfall). I've spent the past two days in the car with my parents and puppy, Lincoln (it's his first vacation!). After slack-packing from Amicalola to Springer Mountain (the official start of the AT), my parents will spend a few days vacationing in Atlanta before meeting me four days later to make sure I've made friends and want to continue. 

Planning and preparing for this journey has had quite the learning curve - I can only imagine the unexpected lessons I will be subjected to while I'm living in the woods for the next 4-6 months. 

Pre-Trail Notions

Seeing as I'm leaving New York in less than a week, I figured it was about time to begin a trail blog (it seems to be quite a tradition). As per usual, it appears that I am waiting until the last possible moment to complete all the tasks on my "Ultimate Pre-AT To Do List". Fortunately, I am confident in my ability to thrive under the pressure of my ever-approaching start date.

For those curious:

Ultimate AT To Do List

1. Create a tentative sleeping/hiking schedule

2. Plan resupply points and mail drops (addresses, costs, dates)

3. Separate food and supplies for each resupply box (create a rough estimate of calories)

4. Finish buying gear (test, weigh and learn how to pack efficiently)

5. Learn how to operate and understand all gear (headlamp, water filter, stove, etc)

6. Final doctor appointments, figure out prescriptions

7. Start a blog (wooo!)

8. Update phone with: pictures, addresses, important info, e-books, etc

9. Download music, update mp3 player

10. Establish some-sort of budget for the trail.

11. At least pretend to be physically training

12. Last-minute socializing

So here's to all my fellow procrastinators out there! May my last minute scrambling provide me with a frenzied excitement that I will sustain for the next 6 months of my life.