AT - 1365 - Warwick, NJ

It rained for three days in a row last week. On the first night of rain, the inside of my tent was soaked by the time it was setup because it was raining so hard. The next night I split a motel in Wind Gap and dried out all my gear. Then I continued through Delaware Water Gap then up to  AOC.

 

I'm not going to finish this, I only have a few minutes left. Right now I'm sitting in a library in Warwick, NJ. Lately there have been a lot of towns on the trail. I've stopped at a place for lunch and had a beer the last three days. Tonight I plan on sleeping at a drive in movie theater that lets thru hikers camp for free. There's a grocery store down the street from there. 

 

I smell pretty bad. I did laundry today but I could use a shower. I have a free hotel stay coming up in 40 miles, which is much needed. I plan on hanging out there most of Saturday into Sunday.

Around 1200 miles I got burnt out on hiking. I'd been moving fast and everything felt rushed. I took several shorter days lately and have chilled out. I've talked to other hikers who experienced the same thing. It got boring and I stopped having as much fun. 

Now it's fun to go into towns for random meals or services. I have no shame to plug my phone into a Walmart and hang out sorting my groceries. I try not to be too crude. Thru hikers are pretty bum like to be honest.

A shuttle is picking me up in a couple minutes to bring me to the drive in. The lady who brought me down charged me $14. We'll see what's cheaper.

AT - 1113 - Mount Holly Springs, PA

I hitched a ride into Mount Holly Springs this afternoon. I'm at a library with a keyboard for the first time this hike. It's nice.

Today I passed the halfway mark for mileage. I have a couple stories to tell but I want to mention some trail slang first. I didn't make any of these up and people use them all the time.

white blaze - White blazes are painted on trees to show the AT.

blue blaze - They show the way to things like alternate routes, overlooks, water or shelters.

yellow blaze - The road, for instance if someone skips miles hitchhiking. 

pink blaze - Following women on the trail.

aqua blaze - Using a boat to skip miles.

slackpack - Using a small pack for the day. Usually a hostel will shuttle people so they carry less weight.

tramily - Trail family, group of people you hang out with. 

wa wa - Water. I can't stand this one, luckily it's not used too often

hiker trash - A smelly hiker who has been in the woods a while. Usually looking for a ride to town and an outlet to plug their phone in. 

trail magic - Free stuff like food or drinks people hand out on road crossings.

trail angels - People who help out hikers.

Some of the guys I hiked with leaving Daleville were Push, 2 Steaks, Flavor Packet, and Skywalker. Flavor Packet got his name because he thought the oxygen absorber packet in Mountain House meals was a flavor packet. People get strange names out here. 

I lost most of those guys after a little while. I stayed with Skywalker a longer. One day I was ahead of Skywalker and trying to hitch a ride to a small store in Virginia. I tried for 45 minutes with no luck. He showed up, sat down, said 'what you looking for a ride?', stuck out his thumb and a car going the other direction flipped around and pulled up within seconds. I was annoyed but pumped to get going.

I had my longest day hiking to Seely-Woodworth Shelter. I hiked 34 miles and had to use my headlight for the end. I could hear coyotes yelping and didn't want to look around with my headlamp to see their eyes. I was tired getting to the shelter, but luckily I had it to myself.

After leaving Stanimal's Hostel in Waynesboro I was with a small group and my friend OD. OD (Overdose) started the same day as me and we'd hung out a bit but hadn't hiked together for more than a few days up to this point. OD's goal is to finish the AT in 90 days. The group we hiked with for a day were really fast. One of the guys hiked 20 miles by noon with a full pack, which I wouldn't have believed but I saw it. 

Overdose and I traveled together through the Shenandoahs. The hiking was mellow and there were waysides throughout the mountains. It was easy to pick up food for resupplies and there were lots of hikers around. 

After the Shenandoahs OD and I rented a car to drive down to Tail Days in Damascus. On the way we stayed at his family's property to shower and do laundry. Trail Days was a good time. There were vendors, a tent city, music, free food and a ton of hikers. We stayed for one of three nights because OD needed to get back and the car had to be back by noon on Saturday. Our tents were set up in a big open field, part of tent city. Then there was another part that was back in the trees. Different tramilies had camps all over. Many of them offered free booze and food. People even name their tramilies like; Riff Raff, Ridge Runs, or 20 milers. People are really into this stuff. There was a drum circle going on all night.

OD and I left Trail Days at 7am on Saturday and made it back to Enterprise just 10 minutes late. Luckily the assistant manager was still there. After that we walked through some busy intersections to Walmart and then a trail angel gave us a ride back to Keys Gap. Then we walked the 6 miles on the AT to Harper's Ferry.

We stayed at the Town Inn in Harper's Ferry. It's a 200 year old building. I thought the town was great and full of history. 

A couple days ago OD and I split. He's going to push hard to get done as soon as possible. I decided to slow down a bit and take it easier. It was great traveling with him and maybe I'll see him down the trail.

The trail has been far less busy lately. I had a shelter to myself last night. Some locals told me I'm a about two weeks ahead of the bubble. It's nice that I don't have to scavenge for a campsite anymore.

Now the library is closing and I need to figure out how to get back to the trail. It's around 3 miles, hopefully I can get a ride. 

AT - 730 - Daleville, VA

The weather has been warmer lately. A few days ago the temperature was in the 80s for two days. The trees haven’t fully formed the canopy, referred to as the “green tunnel”, so the warm weather was exhausting. It’s been nice lately.

A lot has happened since Irwin but I’ll try to summarize some highlights. I’d been waiting for a computer with a keyboard to use, but every hotel’s guest computer has been broken and I haven’t been able to get to a library. So this is all done via texting.

Near the road 19E I had a strange time. There was a tent next to a busy road. I thought that’s weird, it’s so loud. I kept walking. Later someone told me the guy staying there was firing off rounds in the night and someone called the cops. So I went through the area as quick as possible. After that I stayed at a donation based hostel called Kincora. I showed up an no one was there. Later a couple more hikers showed up and the owner. I think the hostel started in 1997. It is one of the older hostels. A bit run down but an awesome place to stay. The owner, Bob Peoples, is kind of a legend.

Fifty miles after Kincora I stayed in Damascus. The trail goes right through town. I stayed at a cool hostel called Broken Fiddle. In a couple weeks Damascus will host Trail Days, which is a huge hiker party. The entire town will fill up with tents in every park. Damascus also had a nice diner that was filled with hikers in the morning. The town is about 1/4 way from the start of the trail as I entered Virginia.

I went through Grayson Highlands during a snowstorm. I had already sent my rain pants home so I did it in shorts. It was cold the entire day and I went through quick. There were wild ponies all over the mountains. It was really cool. Unfortunately my hands were so cold I didn’t take many pictures. I passed the 500 mile marker that day.

After Grayson Highlands I spent a night at Partnership Shelter. We ordered pizza delivery because it was close enough to town. I heard that was the only shelter you could get delivery on the trail, which made it a good stop.

I had to get to Wytheville from the trail to get to a Walmart a few days ago. It was off the trail about 15 miles. I walked passed the road I needed so I hitched back. Some guys picked me up in a truck and offered me a beer. They couldn’t drive me all the way because they’d been drinking but they dropped me in a better location. I got a shuttle and made it to town and back. I also got to meet up with a couple trail friends in Wytheville and had enough points for a free Holiday Inn stay.

Yesterday was one of the nicest hikes I’ve had yet. I did around 26 miles through amazing cliffs overlooking rolling hills and pastures. I split a room last night at the Howard Johnson last night with another hiker.

I took the name Steady, so that’s what people call me out here. I’ve been doing around 20 miles a day more or less lately. There are more and more people doing similar mileage so I’ve seen a lot of familiar faces. 

At this point I’m used to hiking everyday. It’s become my normal day to day life. Every three to five days I stay in town or at hostels for a shower and laundry. I sleep either in my tent or a shelter depending on how crowded places are. People are more spread out lately and the ones still thru hiking are more serious than they were a few hundred miles ago. I’m nearly 1/3 done now. I’ve found a good comfortable pace, which is quick but as they say out here “hike your own hike.” My shoes are falling apart. They are still my first pair but I ordered new ones and had they shipped to a hostel 80 miles away. 

Today I’m taking it easy. I told my buddy I’d wait here and eat lunch with him. After that I’ll probably try to get some miles in. It’s supposed to rain for a few days coming up. Hopefully it’s not too bad and I don’t think it’ll be cold.

 

AT - 344 - Erwin, TN

Leaving Franklin I had nice weather hiking for a couple days into the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center). It was a tough downhill and climb out of a valley with a river. The NOC is a rafting facility with a gear shop and general store. I needed a permit to enter the Smokies, which the NOC printed for me.

Before entering the Smokies I resupplied at the Fontana marina on the Fontana dam. Then I stayed a night camping at the Fontana Springs Shelter nicknamed the Hilton because they have a shower, bathroom, and it’s big and nice.

I crossed Fontana dam and went into the Smokies on April 7. In the Smokies you need to stay at shelters the entire time so that limited my choices for where to sleep. Because it was crowded at shelters and I’d finished my book I pushed through the Smokies in a few days, leaving just before dawn on the 10th. Also a bear attacked a tent, so I couldn’t stay in that shelter, meaning it was a long day having to skip the shelter. I don’t think the guy got hurt but I heard it took several backpackers to scare the bear away. On my second day in the Smokies I took the wrong trail for an hour and a half before realizing and turning around. It was near the end of the day and I wasn’t paying close attention.

Coming out of the Smokies I didn’t have enough food to make it to Hot Springs, the next resupply town about 33 miles away. But I got lucky with some trail magic at 2 places. One group cooked me a chicken quesadilla and a bunch of food to go. Then 3 miles later another group gave me a couple chili cheese hotdogs, fruit and salad. After eating two lunches it was raining but I kept going in order to make it to Hot Springs at a reasonable time the next day.The trail goes right through the town. I resupplied at Dollar General and had a burger, wings and a salad at the tavern and kept going. 

Yesterday, 2 nights north of Hot Springs, I met up with a guy I’d hiked with the day I entered The Smokies. I’d lost him when I took the wrong turn. I met another one of his buddies at the camp site last night and today we got Mexican in Erwin Tennessee.

Most people have trail names at this point. I still do not. One guy suggested Steady, but I haven’t gone by that. I think I’ll see in a bit. I met a couple ladies in their 70s that went by Golden Girls. They’d done 14 miles the day I met them on a mountain top. It’s impressive some of the people on the trail. All sorts, young, old, large or small. Just a bunch of people who like to hike.

The weather has been much warmer. At night it gets chilly but not too bad. It’s been raining quite a bit but that’s normal for the area. 

Today a woman gave me a ride for free into town. She picked up my friends and brought us to the Mexican place. I’ve been avoiding crowded shelters but there are plenty of nice people. Feels like I’m beginning to get my trail legs and adapting to life on the AT. 

AT - 109 - Franklin, NC

 Today I got picked up by a “trail angel” at winding stair gap outside Franklin North Carolina. He brought me to my hostel, to a post office, to Walmart, bought me beers and a tshirt at a local brewery. All that just because he’d hiked a big section of the trail and wanted to help out. I’ve gotten “trail magic” a few times where people wait at roadsides to hand out fruit, donuts, or cokes. People love the trail and are super nice.

It was a tough first week. One day I woke up to pouring rain and my tent under a couple inches of water. The next day my boots were frozen solid. It’s been low twenties for a few nights. But tonight I’m in a bed and clean and comfortable. After a week in the woods it was needed.

I hiked through Georgia and I’m 109 miles into the trail. I have blisters and my legs hurt. But it’s great. 

I had no idea what the AT means to so many people. They just want to talk and help and connect with hikers. In the middle of no where there will be some guy in a truck on a back road that gives me a coke.

I’ll try to do a better job in my next post because this hike is difficult to explain. I’m pumped that I made it through Georgia and ready to get back on the trail.

Appalachian Trail Prelaunch

     In two days I fly to Georgia to attempt thru hiking the Appalachian Trail. The last few days have been nerve-racking because I took a hard fall snowboarding. Last Sunday I was at Silverton, hit some rocks, and rag dolled down the mountain. I came to in my car pretty foggy. I don't remember the fall or getting to my car but the people I was with told me what happened. I'm happy to say this morning I woke up feeling great. 

    I'm nervous about the AT. It's over 2,100 miles going from Georgia to Maine. But I've realized something over the past few days. This experience isn't about how quickly I move or how far I go. It's about enjoying every day doing something that I love. I need to pull myself back into the present moment and not think about what comes after or what I'm giving up. This is the trip of a lifetime.

    My first thru hiking attempt was the Long Trail in 2012. I started in the north and made it 3 days before giving up. In 2018 I completed the trail starting from the south. The Long Trail is 272 miles going through Vermont. I'm proud that I went back and faced the challenge that had beaten me.

    Now approaching this trip I took a hard hit. I got my confidence shaken and went through a tough time. The people I was with at Silverton didn't handle the situation in a way I'm comfortable with so unfortunately I may have lost some friends over the ordeal. 

    Yesterday I moved nearly everything I own into a 5x5 storage unit. Part of me thinks 'wow that's really all I have', but I guess that's my style, I don't want a lot. I think about the adventures I've had and how much I've sacrificed in life to do them and every single time I came out a better person. Quitting my job wasn't easy. Moving out wasn't easy. You'd think it gets easier over time, but it's still hard.

      There is another part of this trip that gets me excited, I have a business idea. I want to start a company to supply backpackers with food for multi-day trips making planning and resupplying as easy as possible. The name I went with is Para Llevar. It means "to carry out" in Spanish. Working with Spanish speakers in restaurant kitchens they always used the phrase if food was to go. I had the idea for the business when when I was hiking the Long Trail and an AT hiker was saying how much he disliked resupplying in town. I don't know if the business will work, but the the best way I can find out is to go and try. I have a partner who has been a great help along the way. She's done all the things that I'm terrible at, like building a website, and she's preparing to help make it happen.

    At this point I have not planned anything past my shuttle to Springer Mountain from Atlanta. I downloaded an app called Guthook that tells how far it is to towns, water sources, and other amenities. I also bought a PDF copy of AWOL, which is another guide. I invested in a new ultra-light backpack and got my base weight down to around 20 lbs. I'm sure on my first attempt at the LT my pack was twice the weight.

    When I reserved my shuttle to Springer Mountain the driver, who thru hiked the AT, asked if I knew what I was getting into. I told him I had hiked the Long Trail and his tone immediately changed. He was like "Oh ok, well I heard the northern part of that trail is no joke, so you know what you're getting into." His remarks were a huge confidence boost. I know this will be hard. There will be cold nights, wet feet, and days I feel like giving up. But I'm excited. There is no telling who I'll meet or what I'll learn. Now I'm ready. I wasn't ready yesterday. I second guessed my decision to quit and leave, but that's all fading away. Now it feels like there are limitless possibilities on the horizon.

Back in the US

London was a good time. I hung out with Rob and checked out where he grew up in Windsor. He also showed me around London and introduced me to some of his friends. It was interesting to see where a good friend that I met traveling grew up. Most of the time I meet people abroad and we get along well, but never get to see where each other came from. Seeing Rob again was immediately a comfortable feeling where neither of us had to work to make conversation happen. It’s a strange experience going from not knowing a person to spending everyday with them for three months.

I’ve been back in the US for a little over a month. Usually I don’t do blog posts while at home but I feel it’s a good idea to describe the feeling of being home from this trip in particular. I just got back into Denver and I find myself slipping into my old routines and habits. This scares me because there was a reason I left. I was in a rut and needed change. I’m really going to try hard to be better than I was and to remember the things I learned traveling. Sometimes I get distracted by little issues in life and forget how lucky I am to have the life I do. As Americans, I think we sometimes take what we have for granted. I’ve been very fortunate to have a great family, an education, and to live in a country that provides opportunities. So many people I’ve seen don’t know where their next meal will come from, don’t have transportation, and don’t have access to medical care. I’m not saying its perfect here and there is certainly a great deal of inequality, but most of us aren’t living in rural huts praying for enough rain that we’ll have corn to eat.

I find myself daydreaming and spacey lately. I’ll be having a good time then its like I get slapped in the face and remember how unfair the world is. There are so many people starving, yet I just play dumb and go buy another $8 beer at the bar. Most of us just ignore what’s going on in different parts of the world because for unknown reasons we feel entitled to what we have. Recently two Africans I met have contacted me asking for help with money. I’m not sure what I’ll do. Giving people money isn’t a long-term solution. Yet I do feel guilty because I’m still spending money on things I don’t need.

Another big issue I’ve been dealing with is getting used to having a cell phone. During my trip I never had a phone. I had an iPad, but it didn’t have a data plan, so I needed wifi to connect. Now I’m connected nearly everywhere I go.  Sometimes I’ll sit at a table with friends and many of them just stare at their phone.  I can’t say I’m immune though. If I’m waiting or bored I catch myself staring at my phone. Smart phones have the potential to make people detached from reality. Whenever we feel socially awkward we just stare at the screen. Sometimes its nice to feel out of place and awkward. That way we learn how to deal with that type of situation and aren’t forced to pretend we’re so important that we need to check our phones constantly.

Traveling has shown me some things I dislike about the American culture. For one it’s not whether what we have works, but often we want our things to be nicer than the person next door. There is a competition to outdo each other materialistically. This leads to a great deal of waste and an ugly consumerist culture. Another thing that is apparent while traveling is how opinionated and ignorant many Americans can be. It’s usually easy to pick out the Americans in a room full of international travelers. Typically they’re the loudest people in the room, who seem to just be talking to hear their own voice. While traveling I put an effort into keeping up with both American and international news. I also try to keep my tone down and be open to changing my opinion in discussions. The majority of Americans I met abroad aren’t very well informed, yet they will argue their point and use volume to compensate for their lack of knowledge. I try my best to be the atypical American while traveling.

Some of my points about Americans may be considered offensive, but this is what I’ve seen from experience. My views are constantly changing and every time I’m proven wrong I learn something new. I’d be more than happy to discuss these things with people that disagree. It’s not a bad thing to be proven wrong.

It’s difficult to describe what my point is… Basically it’s been harder to readjust this time. On the surface everything seems normal, but my mind wanders. Soon I’ll be back into the typical life that I used to have. Traveling will be a memory and it won’t come into my thinking all the time. I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing.