Day 10 - 3/11

Daily mileage: 12.2
Total trail mileage: 107.7
Starting location: Betty Creek Gap
Ending location: Franklin, NC
Weather: showers last night, cloudy/foggy/raining all day, 40-45
during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.181578,+-83.377208

Another day of rain, but today was more steady and it rained harder.
The rain does have some benefits: it brings cloud cover to help my
sunburn and rain to melt some of the snow and ice.

Someone yesterday said that Albert Mountain was one of the top ten
most difficult climbs on the trail. It wasn't that bad and contained
a short section that was on par with any day on the Long Trail. If
that was actually one of the more difficult sections, then I can
understand why people say the Long Trail is more challenging than the
AT.

On top of Albert Mountain, there was a fire tower, the first tower on
the trail so far. I climbed it and had a fantastic view of a white
cloud. Seriously, there was absolutely nothing to see with the cloud
cover.

I continued a little further and stopped at the next shelter for a
late breakfast / early lunch. I quickly started to get cold as soon
as I stopped moving. I then looked at the guide and noticed that the
next town was only 9 miles away. Rain and 40 degrees are not ideal
conditions.

I wasn't planning on stopping at Franklin, but I am on schedule and a
place to get everything dry seemed rather attractive. So, I continued
on until I hit the road. Whenever there wasn't ice and snow I could
start to cruise and made really good time. Whenever there was ice, it
was very slick and I fell a couple times.

When I got to the parking lot, 12 Percent also showed up, so we
decided to split a room at the Haven's Budget Inn. I did laundry,
took a shower, and then we went to dinner with another thruhiker and
his father (who is warming up for the PCT).

Tomorrow I am back on the trail. Depending on how things go, I might
skip the NOC (my next planned stop) and continue straight on to
Fontana Dam where I am meeting my dad.

Day 9 - 3/10

Daily mileage: 16.2
Total trail mileage: 95.5
Starting location: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Ending location: Betty Creek Gap
Weather: short shower last night, cloudy/foggy/drizzling all day,
40-45 during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.020680,+-83.581608

Not much to report today. It was cloudy and drizzling all day so
there wasn't much to see. It wasn't enough rain to get me wet
though. The snow and ice on the trail did reappear, unfortunately. I
did, however, hit the highest mileage so far this trip and the highest
elevation (almost 5500ft).

I am starting to feel hiker hunger. I think it will be a couple days
before it will be in full effect though.

I hiked with Athos for a bit but then it seemed like everyone wanted
to stop at Carter Gap Shelter. It was only 3:30 and it is unclear
what the weather tomorrow and Friday will be (I heard possibly
thunderstorms), so I decided to push on and do a couple more miles.

From that point down to Betty Creek Gap, I was following bear
tracks. They looked fairly fresh, but it hard to tell how old (I am
not a tracker).

I set up camp in a small rhododendren grove on the side of the trail.
It should keep me pretty well protected from the wind.

Day 8 - 3/09

Daily mileage: 11.8
Total trail mileage: 79.3
Starting location: Hiawassee
Ending location: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Weather: clear all day, 75 during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.020680,+-83.581608

Last night I had problems finding a place to hang the bear bag in the
hotel room. Good thing no bears came during the night.

Today was a fantastic day.

I woke up and was a little concerned about hitchhiking back to the
trail. I imagined it would be a little harder to find someone headed
to the trail than it was to find someone heading into town. So, I
went downstairs to the hotel breakfast where I saw someone who looked
like a hiker and asked him how he was getting back. He was going to
ask me the same thing and had a number for someone who shuttles
locally. It turns out Mark (the other hiker) also grew up in NJ and
also went to RPI (graduated two years behind me). Crazy small world.

Anyway we got shuttled for $15 for both of us and started hiking by
10:30. I was making good progress, the weather was good (not too hot,
not too cold with a slight breeze), and the snow is all melted at
lower elevations.

I COMPLETED MY FIRST STATE!

Yep, I crossed the GA/NC state line and have now finished all of the
AT in GA. 13 more states to go. My quick impressions of GA:
rhodendren tunnels, rolling mountains, lots of high gaps, and quality
signage along the trail.

I then started to hit snow and ice again which slowed me up, but it
wasn't as bad as yesterday and the day before. The trail went up a
neat, steep peak through more rhodendren tunnels with pretty good,
although obscured, views. Unfortunately there weren't any clear
vistas so the pictures probably won't come out great. There are a lot
of thruhikers near the shelter tonight including Mark, Jerry, 12
Percent, etc.

Quite a bit of rain is in the forecast.

Day 7 - 3/08

Daily mileage: 6.2
Total trail mileage: 67.5
Starting location: Sassafras Gap
Ending location: Hiawassee
Weather: clear all day, 65 during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.952353,+-83.756897

Yay, a nero and a town! The hike out was fairly uneventful. More snow
and ice...slipped down a couple times but then made it out to Dicks
Creek Gap.

There was a cooler there with drinks and apples and oranges. I neven
knew an orange could taste so good! Thanks Tagless and Tagalong :)

I hitchhiked into town for the first time. It literally took about 20
seconds. The first car to go by picked me up. Hopefully getting back
to the trail tomorrow morning is just as easy.

I went to the postoffice, picked up my package, and started walking to
the Holiday Inn when Chef Bama noticed me from across the street. He
and 3 other hikers were staying at the Motel there.

Checked into the Holiday Inn. It was more expensive but the hot tub
was enticing me. It turns out there is a hot tub in the room. I took
a shower, did my laundry, spread out all my gear to dry, and then
walked to the Chinese Buffet. After dinner, I went back, read my book
in the hot tub, and drank coffee. It was great, and my knees no
longer hurt. I think House is going to be on TV as well!

Day 6 - 3/07

Daily mileage: 12.6
Total trail mileage: 61.3
Starting location: Blue Mountain Shelter
Ending location: Sassafras Gap
Weather: clear all day, 35 degrees in the morning, up to 60 during
the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.803225,+-83.676941

Ugh. As much as I was setting a good pace yesterday, today was the
exact opposite. The snow and ice became slick, especially into and
out of Unicoi Gap. I was sliding all over the place. Again, good
thing I have poles. The blowdowns became tricky, especially in the
section right after Tray Mountain Shelter. I had to climb through the
branches like a jungle gym. It looked like a hurricane went through
there. I thought I missed the trail so I dropped my pack and then
hiked back until I saw a blaze.

"There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack
lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." -
Douglas Adams

Yea, well I was failing at the missing part. I fell once and nearly
fell a bunch of times but I caught myself (dad, I didn't break my pole
this time!). Well, I suppose it has been a few days so falling was
inevitable eventually.

There were some nice views from the top of Tray Mountain in all
directions. I could see Fontana Lake off in the distance (where I will
be in a little over a week). One thing I have noticed about Georgia
so far is that there are a lot of roads high in the mountains. Also,
the gaps are not always low in elevation. The mountains seem more
like big rolling hills.

I ran into Dan (from Clinton, NJ) and Jerry coming out of Unicoi Gap,
but they went past me as I was stopping for water and breakfast.

I was going to push on to the next shelter, expecting to get in close
to dark when I went by Jerry camping at a nice campsite. So, I set up
camp here, along with him and two other thruhikers (I can't remember
their names). Anyhow, we built a fire and hung out until past hiker
midnight.

Tomorrow I have 6 miles and then am heading into town. My legs will
be happy for the rest.

Oh, one thing regarding the blog. The maps to the right were supposed
to update as I progressed using Google Latitude. Well, I was updating
Google Latitude, but I was signed in with a different account. D'oh,
that has now been fixed.

Day 5 - 3/06

Daily mileage: 14.6
Total trail mileage: 48.7
Starting location: Wolf Laurel Top
Ending location: Blue Mountain Shelter
Weather: clear all day, 30 degrees in the morning, up to 85 (!)
during the day at lower elevations, 45 in the late afternoon

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.817355,+-83.766785

It was warm today! After again waking up to frozen boots and a frozen
water bladder, it very quickly rose in temperature. My thermometer
said 85 degrees around lunchtime, although it may have been sitting in
the sun. I think it was really around 70 (which is still quite warm
given the last couple days). It feels like it changed seasons
overnight; the snow on the one side of the mountain is gone, the sun
was shining, and a few birds were out.

I think I am getting my trail legs. My walking pace has gone up, but
that might be due to not having to slide in snow quite as much.
Unfortunately, I also got a trail knee. It started hurting a little
yesterday before stopping and was hurting again this morning. It
isn't a big deal on flat ground or going uphill but I need to be
careful going down. Good thing I started using trekking poles a
couple years ago; I don't know what I would have done without them.
At lunchtime I stopped for an hour and kept that leg raised the entire
time. That helped alot and I was able to cruise after lunch.

I took stock of my remaining supplies. I am going to have a decent
amount of leftovers for this section...I guess I need to eat more!

Where did all the thruhikers go? I didn't see one the entire day, but
there are a lot of section hikers out. I know a lot of people were
stopping at Neels Gap. Hermit is camping at the shelter with me
tonight, but he is going back and forth a bit before returning to
Maine through means other than walking.

Oh I forgot to mention yesterday, I am pretty sure I saw bear scat on
the trail yesterday afternoon. There are a few reports of bears
sighted in this area recently. I haven't seen any yet though.

Tomorrow I will get as close to Dicks Creek Gap as possible, so I can
get into Hiawassee early Monday for a night in a hotel (shower, real
food, laundry, bed, etc.).

Day 4 - 3/05

Daily mileage: 10.8
Total trail mileage: 34.1
Starting location: Lance Creek
Ending location: Wolf Laurel Top
Weather: clear all day, 35 degrees in the morning, up to 55 during
the day at lower elevations, 30 in the late afternoon

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.858927,+-83.940052 (again not very
accurate)

Last night was a little warmer but quite windy. Again this morning I
was the first one on the trail but didn't get a very early start. I
passed El Toro going up blood mountain and then ran into Chef Bama and
Kentucky at the Mountain Crossings outfitter at Neels Gap.

I did switch out the stove for a jetboil at Mountain Crossings. So
much easier; it is worth the weight penalty on this trip. So, that
now becomes my first gear change. Right now I don't anticipate
needing to change anything else but we'll see.

What else to talk about...oh, right, the reason I am out here, the
trail...

The trail up Blood Mountain was fantastic. It wound through
Rhododendren corridors as it accended and then open up to a view in
almost all directions. It reminded me of Camel's Hump in Vermont.
Atlanta was even visible in the distance. There was also a stone
shelter at the top of the mountain, which is one of the few stone
shelters left. It looks like it would be rather cold though with wind
blowing right through.

The decent was not as treacherous as I was fearing. There were a few
icy spots but trekking poles were sufficient enough to keep me
standing upright. The trail today was again a mixture of snow, ice,
mud, dirt, and rocks. In some places the snow drifts were up to my
waist but there are enough foot holes that it wasn't too bad. In
other places there was no snow at all.

Tonight I set up camp at the top of a ridge. I have a feeling it will
be cold and windy all night, but last I heard tomorrow should be
pretty warm. I heard rain for the later half of next week though :(.
Water has not been a problem so I really don't need rain.

I haven't hit the hiker appetite yet (as expected), but I don't think
it will be long before that comes up.

Day 3 - 3/04

Daily mileage: 12.1
Total trail mileage: 23.3
Starting location: Sassafras Mountain
Ending location: Lance Creek
Weather: clear all day, 25 degrees in the morning, high 30s to close
to 60 throughout the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.683283,+-83.906752 (this is pretty
far off though; I don't think I am getting a gps fix)

Last night I was warm and had my best night of sleep in the hammock.
I don't think I woke up at all. The cold feed syndrome went away; I
think partially because it was a little warmer and partially because I
lowered the foot end of the hammock. It causes me to slide down but
if it keeps my feet warm I don't care.

Today was much warmer. I was surprised when I checked my thermometer
in the afternoon and it was almost 60 especially after having to
painfully put on frozen boots in the morning. I didn't think it was
that warm but the snow has softened up and there was occassionally
this strange brown stuff someone called dirt. So far tonight feels
much warmer than it did at this time yesterday. Maybe tomorrow I'll
be able to use my water bladder again without it freezing.

Lots of views today! The trail started to go up mountains with
lookouts and it was nice to see the landscapes.

Didn't run into any of the guys from yesterday, but ran into Traveler,
Mandy, Sharon, Sheryl, Mark, and a few other section hikers. Traveler
was stopping at Suches Gap. Mandy, Sharon, Sheryl, and Mark continued
on and are camping with me at Lance Creek.

It seems like a bunch of people are headed into Neel's Gap tomorrow.
I think I am going to press on though and try to get to Hiawassee by
early Monday afternoon. I have enough supplies to get me there and
right now everything is mostly dry.

If you were wondering if olive oil freezes, well it solidifies and
congeals. It is still good though ;). I am liking the cold no-cook
breakfasts, even in the cold weather. I can throw a few granola bars
in my pocket, start heading down the trail and begin warming up, and
then eat the food at a small break or even while moving. Now I just
need another bladder filled with granola...The wood stove worked well
again tonight, but it is still a hassle. I would enjoy it much more
on a shorter hike when I have time in the evenings between hiking and
dark.

To address some comments. Thanks everybody! I have been receiving
the comments so far, but responding directly has so far been a no go.
For some reason I can update this blog through email by letting the
outgoing mail sit for a while. But, webpages are very infrequently
loading. I do hope to continue updating this each night, but when it
actually gets posted may be delayed. Doing this is partially for my
memory and partially to let everyone back home know I am still alive.
I do have a feeling though that the posts will get shorter as I get
lazier.

Day 2 - 3/03

Daily mileage: 11.0
Total trail mileage: 11.2
Starting location: Springer Mountain Shelter
Ending location: Sassafras Mountain
Weather: clear all day, low teens last night, 18 degrees in the
morning, high 20s to low 30s during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.652872,+-84.093963

Wow, it was windy last night. I didn't know which was more likely:
one of the trees I was tied to blowing over or me and my hammock
blowing away in the wind. Fortunately neither happened. Throughout
the night I was warm except for my feet again in the early morning.
Trying something different tonight...I'll let you know how that goes.

I was the first to leave the shelter this morning but Doc Bob caught
up to me before too long and Stiltz and Mike (no trailname yet,
possibly No Pants or Sasquatch) ran into me later. We got to Hawk
Mountain Shelter in the early afternoon, had lunch, and then 12
Percent showed up. We were faced with a decision to continue or not.
If we wanted to stick to the shelters it would either be 7.3 more
miles or a rather long day tomorrow. Stiltz and 12 Percent decided to
try to make the next shelter, Doc Bob decided to stay for the night at
Hawk Mountain Shelter, Mike was going to build a fire and then decide,
and I decided to just do a few more miles and then camp away from a
shelter. So we split for now. I didn't see NateDog at all after the
morning, but I think he was going to start late and then stop at Hawk
Mountain Shelter.

Snow cover is noticably less at lower elevations, and the snow has
mostly been packed down thanks to foot traffic. It is really easy to
follow the trail right now, and the snow provides enough traction so
there is no need for the traction devices. Being short helps when
trying to navigate the snow-covered rhododendren gauntlets.

The hike today was nice with all the snow cover. It passed a number
of streams, and it had a decent view while climbing the mountains
(although there weren't any clear vistas so I don't know how the
pictures will turn out).

I had much better luck tonight with the wood stove. I was shielded by
wind, had a good supply of very dry wood, and remembered to put the
lighter in my pocket for a while to heat up. It didn't take much to
get it going, but melting snow is highly time consuming. I am still
leaning toward switching stoves though as there is so much hassle that
I don't want to deal with when I just want food. It is fun though to
cook on a fire without needing fuel.

Anyway, I'll see what the plan is tomorrow. I might try for Woods
Hole Shelter or I might just camp again somewhere off the side of the
trail.

Day 1 - 3/02

Daily mileage: 9.0
Total trail mileage: 0.2
Starting location: Amicalola
Ending location: Springer Mountain Shelter
Weather: snowing most of the day...at least 8 inches of snowfall, mid
30s during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.629768,+-84.192689

I ran into Compass on the train before arriving at Gainesville. He
isn't thruhiking but is going to Damascus, VA. After getting shuttled
over to Amicalola, he was also there along with NateDog. Despite the
heavy snow, Compass and I headed out on the approach trail and NateDog
was following shortly behind. Before too long I ran into Stiltz and
his dad (his dad is only doing a short section). We ran into a few
more thruhikers and section hikers and there is a group of us staying
near the Springer Mountain Shelter.

Regarding weather: yes it snowed, yes I was getting wet, but it was
fairly warm so I was able to just hike in my Tshirt and rain jacket.
The temperature has dropped now though as the sun is going down and I
have been able to get everything dry.

Regarding the trail: The stairs on the approach trail are, um, fun.
They reminded me of highschool track practice when we ran stairs.
Except instead of running it was carrying a pack. If the trail is
icy, I wouldn't know as the new snow provided enough traction. There
are some blowdowns but it hasn't caused any delays.

Some of you may wonder how the daily mileage is 9 mi and yet the trail
mileage is only .2 miles. Well, there is no road access to the
southern terminus of the AT so I took the approach trail to it. The
approach trail (8.8 miles) isn't part of the AT.

Equipment: the woodstove continues to be a hassle. There is a lot of
downed wood, but it must have come down recently as it is still
green. I might have to switch back to the pocket rocket but I'll
continue to experiment. Everything else is working out. The gaitors
are fantastic: they are keeping all the wetness out of the shoe.

On the train

Had lunch with a few coworkers today and then jumped on the train.
Currently at:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.476988,+-77.994655

11 hours left. The train is so much more comfortable than a plane
though. 15 hours to get down to GA; 3 months to return...I will have
to get used to a slower pace of life.

Ready to go!

My bag is packed (starting weight is 34.5 pounds), my pre-trip checklist is almost complete, and I
finished up what I could with work. In less than 24 hours I will be
sitting on the train on the way to Georgia. After months of planning
and years of dreaming I can't believe it is finally here.

Thanks to everyone who came last night. You all (as well as everyone
else who couldn't make it) will be missed. But, I am sure the time
will fly by. Keep me posted on anything that is going on so I am not
completely shocked when I get back ;)

"Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo,
going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep
your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." -
J.R.R. Tolkien

Calendar

I will try to update a calendar as I progress:

Calendar

If you want to send me a package, either check with my Mom or e-mail me to get the Post Office or mailing address that I should next arrive at (and how to send it). I will be happy to receive packages, but remember that I need to carry anything that you send ;)

Updated Gear List

I have updated my gear list and put it into a publicly accessible spreadsheet:

Gear List

It will be interesting to see the changes from the start of the trip to the end.

4 Weeks to go...

I depart for Springer 4 weeks from today. It is kinda scary that it is so close but I am ready.

I didn't get to do both of the warm-up hikes that I had planned between New Year's and today, but I was able to get out for a snowshoeing overnighter on the AT in VT. It was a quick trip from Rt 11 to Spruce Peak Shelter and back. Although I camped by the relatively warm shelter, I stayed in my hammock as I was testing out the gear. Other than the snowshoes, I had everything that I am planning on bringing with me to Springer. About 10 degrees F, 2-4 feet of snow, and everything was working out. I decided to add short gaiters though given the possibility of deep snow. So, yes, I think I am set on my gear list (although a few minor things changed in the past couple months from the list below, like adding a NeoAir).

So, the biggest 2 questions I have been receiving from people are: (1) "Are you going alone?" and (2) "Are you bringing a cell phone?". For the first one, yes, I am going alone. It is quite typical for thruhikers to start out alone. The AT is a fairly populated trail, especially during the time that I will be starting. For the second question, yes, I will have a cell phone, but it will be off 99% of the time. It is a mistake to go into the woods relying on phones, GPSs, or other similar technology. Electronic devices tend to fail at inopportune times. Besides that, cell reception is iffy in places and part of the reason for a thru-hike is to get away from the busyness of everyday life. So, I will have the cell phone, primarily to update this blog when I can and coordinate resupplies, but it will be used very sparingly.

Now I play the waiting game as I get ready to depart...

2 Months and Counting...

2009 is coming to a close and I have just 2 months left before departing for Springer Mountain. For the most part, preparation is done: resupply boxes for the first half of the trip are prepped and delivered to my parents, gear is pretty much settled, and mentally I am ready to go. But, I still have to get everything in order with the "real-world" (bills, taxes, work, etc.) before I begin the hike. So, that will still keep me plenty busy. As far as warm-up trips, I am planning on 2 more remaining...one being a snowshoe hike next week in VT and another being a trip somewhere in PA/NJ with some people from whiteblaze. I am sure these next 2 months are going to fly by.

Food

Well, planning is continuing and the focus as of late has been on FOOD. The plan is to pick up mail drops with resupplies every 6-7 days and supplement the food drops with whatever I find in towns. I am preparing the packages for the first half of the trip and will take care of the second half when I am taking my mid-break.

What I have found to work for me is to do a cooked dinner, a mix of cooked and cold breakfast, and snacking for lunch instead of a formal lunch. All the cooked meals are freezer bag cooking so they are already prepared and just need boiling water.

Breakfasts:

• Oatmeal
• Cream of Rice w/ Cranberries
• Rice Pudding
• Carnation Instant Breakfast and Pudding
• Granola
• Poptarts
• Cereal Bars
• Coconut Bars
• Granola Bars

Lunches:

• Granola
• Trail Mix (Nuts, Butterscotch Chips, Banana Chips, Wasabi Peas)
• Assorted Bars
• Assorted Chocolate
• Crackers
• Tuna Packets
• Cheese
• Salami

Dinners:

• Sesame Seed Ramen
• Spanish Rice
• Salami Ramen
• Mountain House Stroganoff
• Salami Rice
• Parmesan Ramen
• Indian Couscous
• Ramen Pot Pie
• Roasted Garlic and Almond Couscous
• Chili
• Stovetop, Mashed, and Sausage

Gear List

Here is my current gear list that is approaching the final list of what I will take with me at the start of the trail. Some of the items are meant to be only for the winter and will be dropped as soon as the weather warms up.

Pack / Shelter (134.6 oz)

• Gregory z65 (62 oz)
• Marmot Helium (33.7 oz)
• Hennessy Hyperlight Asyn Hammock with tarp, 4 stakes, guy lines, tree hugger, and z-line cord for tarp pullout (28.7 oz)
• Section of Heatsheet Blanket (0.7 oz)
• Hennessy Hammock Undercover (7.5 oz)
• Thermarest Z-Seat (2 oz)

In-pack Clothing (99.8 oz)

• Northface Denali Fleece - Winter Only (24 oz)
• Northface TKA 100 Fleece Pants - Winter Only (11.5 oz)
• Balaclava - Winter Only (2 oz)
• Northface Prophecy Jacket (14.4 oz)
• Northface Lightweight T-Shirt (3.3 oz)
• Northface Lightweight T-Shirt (3.3 oz)
• Northface TKA 100 Fleece Pullover (10.3 oz)
• Adidas Shorts (4.5 oz)
• Rain Shield O2 Rainwear Pants (3.8 oz)
• WrightSock Coolmesh Double Layer Socks (1 oz)
• WrightSock Coolmesh Double Layer Socks (1 oz)
• Bottom Thermals (6.8 oz)
• Upper Thermals - Winter Only (8.6 oz)
• REI Underwear (3.4 oz)
• Mountain Hardwear Fleece Hat (0.9 oz)
• Glove Liners (1 oz)

Cooking / Water (42.9 oz)

• Ursack with OP Bag (10 oz)
• Titanium Spoon (0.5 oz)
• Foldable Bowl (1.5 oz)
• 1/2 Bandana (.4 oz)
• Bic Mini (0.3 oz)
• MSR Titan Titanium Pot (4.5 oz)
• Bushbuddy Ultra (4.9 oz)
• Katadyn Pro Filter (11.5 oz)
• Platypus 70 oz water bladder (3.9 oz)
• 16 oz Nalgene (3.2 oz)
• Gatorade 20 oz Bottle - Winter Only (1.5 oz)
• Small Swiss Army Knife (0.7 oz)

Miscellaneous (34.4 oz)

• Jacks R Better Gear Hammock and Pack Cover (3.7 oz)
• Minimal Elevation Profile, Data Points, TopoMap (0.1 oz)
• Sea to Summit Stuff Sack 9.5 x 19 for sleeping bag and clothes (1.3 oz)
• Sea to Summit Stuff Sack 4L for stove and pot (0.5 oz)
• LED Headlamp (1 oz)
• TP (0.3 oz)
• Toothbrush and Baking Soda (0.1 oz)
• First Aid Kit with matches, candles, and flashlight batteries (3.4 oz)
• Credit Card / ID / Cash (0.7 oz)
• iPhone 3gs (4.8 oz)
• iPwr Battery Pack (1.7 oz)
• iPhone Charger and cable (1.5 oz)
• 2 Plastic grocery bags (0.6 oz)
• 4 Quart Ziploc bags for various items (0.8 oz)
• PowerShot SD780 IS (4.7 oz)
• Spare Camera Battery (0.5 oz)
• Knockoff Crocs (8.6 oz)
• Pen (0.1 oz)

Consumables (210 oz)

• 4 Esbit Fuel Tabs (2 oz)
• 2 L Water (64 oz)
• 6 days of Food (144 oz)

Wearing (69.3 oz)

• WrightSock Coolmesh Double Layer Socks (1 oz)
• Northface 104 Trail Running Shoes (27.8 oz)
• Northface Lightweight T-Shirt (3.3 oz)
• Northface Convertible Pants (17.6 oz)
• REI Underwear (3.4 oz)
• Leki Trekking Poles with Duct Tape (14.5 oz)
• Mapdana (1.7 oz)

Total Baseweight = 19.5 lbs (16.6 lbs w/o winter gear)

Total 6-day Pack weight = 32.7 lbs (29.7 lbs w/o winter gear)

My thoughts on my gear...

--Resupply--

I am planning on resupplying approximately every 6-7 days including a town-stay at those points. Most of the resupplies will be handled through mail drops (thanks, Mom!). I'll talk about food in another post, but I will pick up a few items in towns to supplement my mail-drop food.

--Pack--

Yes, my pack is not one of the lightest options out there. I am willing to compromise though because (a) I need a slightly larger pack than normal given that I am only doing food drops every 6-7 days, (b) I feel that a more comfortable pack is well worth the weight, and (c) I am not bringing a sleeping pad, so the pack with decent padding will act as that if necessary.

--Shelter--

I used to hammock when I was younger. Then I got sick of the bugs, and switched to tenting. Now I am switching back to hammocks (the hammocks nowadays are so much nicer and even have bug netting :). My plan is to sleep in a hammock for a majority of the time with possible shelter stays every now and then.

--Warmth--

Ok, this is an area that I am still messing with since I have recently switched back to hammocks and that requires some additional thought. My current theory is that I will be fine in early march with my clothing layers, the Marmot 15 degree bag, the Hennessy undercover, heated water bottle, seat pad under cold spots, heatsheet blanket, and my pack as a pad. And, oh, yea, I sleep warm. The good thing is that I have the whole winter to figure out if this is sufficient or overkill for me.

--Cooking--

I am going to go with a wood stove along with Esbit tabs for those times when everything is wet or I am too lazy to collect wood. A part of an Esbit tab can also be used as a firestarter and I also have a few trick candles and TP to help with starting fires. I do all my cooking in freezer bags, so all I need is boiling water. All my dinners require hot water, about half my breakfasts require hot water, and my lunches do not require any cooking.

--Water--

I have been unable to convince myself to drop the filter and go with drops/tabs. I like having the security of being able to get water from any stream/lake/spring/puddle/etc that I find, regardless of the volume of water or the clarity of the water. And, I don't have to wait to start drinking (if I can drink immediately I can avoid having to carry that much water). I also have a filter adapter on my bladder so I can pump directly into the bladder. On the topic of Nalgenes, yes I know they are relatively heavy. I have not dropped my last bottle though, because I know it is indestructible and can hold boiling water safely (for tea and sleeping bag warmer). The gatorade bottle was included for winter, because I have had issues in the past with the bladder hose freezing, which ends up being a pain in the butt. In those cases, having another 1+ L in other bottles is helpful until I can thaw out the bladder. But, I might decide to ditch this before too long.

--Tech--

As much as I am opposed to heavy tech on the trail, I finally decided on a Canon Powershot camera and an iPhone. For me, a camera is a necessity. I really want to bring my Nikon D60 DSLR but I can't justify the weight and pack space. Plus, to be really useful it would need to always be accessible, requiring some sort of rig or sling. I would also be constantly concerned about it getting wet and/or damaged. So, I will fall back to the Canon P&S cameras. On the phone front, I was going to bring a phone for use in towns to communicate back home with people anyway. A smartphone, and particularly the iPhone, provides a lot of multi-functionality without additional space and weight. For example, I was going to bring a paperback book. But there are problems with books. They are quite heavy and what do I do if I get to a town and have 100 pages left in one book? Do I take two books? Stop reading the first and pick up a new one? Go through the next section of the hike without reading material? I know some people burn books as they go along or tear it apart and leave sections in the shelters. I have an issue with damaging books, so I will instead use the Amazon Kindle App on the iPhone for books. That way I can have a few already queued up and downloaded to the phone. A few other uses are listed here:

• Amazon Kindle App for reading books
• Update this blog and facebook whenever I have reception
• Update the blog with my GPS location
• Digital versions of the guidebook and elevation profiles to reduce the amount of maps and datapoints I need to carry on paper
• Topomaps using the iTopoMaps App
• Compass
• Weather information if I have reception
• Backup flashlight
• Music for those rare times when I wouldn't mind listening to something on the trail
• I am sure I will come up with other uses

There is then the issue of battery life for tech devices. I am planning on having a spare battery for my camera and rotate out dead batteries via mail drops when necessary. I will be carrying a backup battery for the iPhone that is good for another 1.2 charges. With the phone in airplane mode whenever possible, off when not in use, 3G turned off, and the screen dimmed as much as possible, I should be able to make it between resupply points. If not, I'll update my plan as necessary.

Thru-hike Details (well, mostly)...

Planning for this trip is full speed ahead, and I am now 95% committed to a 2010 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (or at least an attempt).

For those of you who don't know what the Appalachian Trail (AT) is, it is a 2178-mile continuous hiking trail that travels from Georgia to Maine passing through Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. A thru-hike is a trip covering the entire trail and typically takes 5-6 months. More information can be found at: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/ or http://www.whiteblaze.net

My plans are to go northbound (NOBO) starting March 2-3, 2010 at Springer Mountain in GA and ending sometime last August. I will be jumping off the trail for 1.5 - 2 weeks at the end of May for my friend Matt's wedding and am hoping to be at Harper's Ferry, WV by that time. I am planning on doing resupplies through mail-drops (thanks, Mom!) about every 6-8 days, with a night (or 2) off the trail at each resupply point. My Dad is likely doing the sections through the Smokey's, Shenandoah, and the NH Whites with me. My gear list is mostly finalized, with just some minor tweaking that will need to happen and I have ordered a lot of the bulk-purchase food that I will be consuming (I'll post separate posts on gear and food). Of course, this will all likely change a million times along the trek. Next step is to work out all the logistics regarding being away from my house for 6-months (bills, work, insurance, etc., etc.).

I can't wait :)

Days like today...

Days like today are miserable on the trail...40 degrees and raining
constantly and hard. Good thing I haven't started yet :)