Search This Blog

Friday 19 July 2019

Aquablazing!

Aquablazing!
The noble art of cheating on the AT un à Way That's more accepted by others.
Instead of hiking through all of Shenandoah National Park and climbing another dozen mountains, one can float serenely (ish) down the Shenandoah River.

We started in Luray on Saturday, 13th, and aimed for Bloomery. We arrived on Thursday, 18th.
Four of us went, two to a canoe: myself, Soulsurfer, Thistle, and Soup. Said canoes were provided (for FREE) by a friend of Soulsurfer, which made this officially the cheapest aquablazing ever and also makes the friend officially the best trail angel ever.

Trent, the trail angel, dropped us off and paddled for a day with us in his own canoe with a friend of his. After we split up, we paddled alone, but when we reached our final destination he drove over an hour to come pick up the canoes, brought us fast food, and then dropped us off again away from the water. And refused any money for it.

Onto the paddling itself then. The first two days were very relaxed, we saw lots of others out on the water, and went past more than a few strange parties on the shoreline. Day one also included our first and only Class 2 rapids on the trip. We got a little wet but nothing was lost. Though no one else wanted to haul the canoes back upstream to run the rapids again...

Day three took us to Front Royal for a resupply. Mostly of beer for the other three. Day four involved a pretty sketchy portage around a dam. To launch the boats again, we expected a boat ramp. We had a bunch of gravel patches, and the options were: into rapids, into rapids, straight into rapids, or into churning aerated water with reduced buoyancy. Obviously we all died and I type this from my watery grave.

On days five and six we actually made decent progress. In the longest day before these, we only managed about ten miles. On days five and six though, we made it twenty miles each. Even though we got washed off the water by a pretty severe storm on day five. Some frantic paddling and a little bit of panicking brought us onto a bit of shore where we managed to huddle under my tarp until the scary stuff went away.

Monday 8 July 2019

The snake and the marathon

Insert more complaining about the heat until we get to the 7th of July.

On the 7th, dear readers, let us return to our hero. A hero brave, but foolish. A hero who decided to hike a marathon (and a little bit more).

Twenty seven miles from the Priest Shelter, where trail sons were confessed to much rejoicing, to a shelter five miles from Waynesboro.

Hiking poles were shaken, toes were blistered. A sore day, a hard day, ere the sun rose!

For we woke at half five and sunrise was technically at six but there was early dawn light from about five.

Soulsurfer and I embarked upon this marathon. A few hours into the hike, atop a hard ascent of many switchbacks, we encountered my first rattle snake.

An angry rattlesnake. He did not want to move, instead coiling up and glaring at us as best a snake can. In the end, the only option was to hike off trail around it.

From here, we descended again to water features. A lovely little pool with a little stream filling it. Next to a huge pool with a large cataract filling it. Many pools of various size fed by many parts of the same river ultimately entertained us as we hiked through drizzle to lunchtime.

The rest of the day was largely the same trudging along as other days, but Witham added jokes of hiking thirty miles to the road to town and then possibly four miles into town to camp in the Mcdonald's car park until they opened at five in the morning. Thankfully, wisdom prevailed and camp was made at a reasonable time.

Thursday 4 July 2019

Buena Vista

Oh god it's still so, so hot.

I want it to end.

I hate heat.

Eugh.

I did however get my feet and toesies nibbled on by little fish on the second of July, on the way in to Buena Vista. I've continued hiking with friends, and we ended up getting an Airbnb in Buena Vista, which is rather lovely.
I have however accidentally cracked the protective lens of my gopro, so no videos or photos for a while...

Monday 1 July 2019

Leaving Daleville

So.. Hot...
I'm melting...

I hate heat.

It was over thirty in Daleville. It was over thirty leaving Daleville. I no longer know what it feels like to not be overly hot.

Heat is awful.

I hate it.

What I don't hate, though, was a paid campsite I found that had a pool and lake. It was incredibly cool and refreshing.

Leaving it was then hot. So hot. Super hot. Heat is awful.

Luckily the towns of Glasgow and Buena Vista aren't far.

Monday 24 June 2019

McAffes Knob, Tinter Cliffs and Daleville.

From four Pines, it was a short Sunday stroll to McAfee Knob.
A surprisingly hard stroll...
But I got there and had some wonderful views! Spoiled only a little by a woman lounging on the iconic view point for at least five minutes, and so not letting others take photos from the iconic point. Ah well. The view isn't much different from the other promontories.
I then pushed on to Tinter Cliffs which had even more spectacular views, in my opinion. It wasn't quite sunset when I was there, but it was close. They probably weren't worth walking over seven hundred miles, on their own, but they were close.
Having seen absolutely no sign of others out for longer than a day, it was a big surprise to find the shelter completely filled and another dozen or so camping. All told, a nice Sunday.

Today is the 23rd, the following Monday. And I walked through the fires of Mordor. It was ten degrees hotter than it was yesterday. The knle consolations are that it was a short nine mile walk over easy terrain.

Well, it would be easy if I weren't melting...

I managed, eventually, to make it into town. Thankfully, a fellow hiker met me at the trailhead with cold water. He had already been there for a day or so. I've now checked in to a hotel, and just need to navigate a dual carriage way to get anywhere.

Sunday 23 June 2019

Four Pines

From my last day, finally, at Angels Rest on the 20th, I did a leisurely ten miles. There weren't many views or events of note.
The day after, technically International Hike Naked Day, I climbed Dragon Tooth. Thankfully I saw no one partaking in the holiday.
Dragon Tooth is a smaller mountain, whose actual name isn't dragon tooth but nobody cares
The Tooth itself is a prominent natural monolith nest the peak, that can be climbed. This offers some spectacular views.
The descent down was very rocky, with many scrambles. After doing the hard part, someone had put - as a sick joke - a sign warning of the danger and difficulty I had just travelled through. Great. Thanks. Luckily, I had arranged a slack pack with the nearby hostel so I didn't have tk navigate these climbs with a full sized pack, unlike some.
The hostel itself is.. OK. There isn't much to say about it. The bunkroom is in an otherwise unused garage, it has free laundry and showers, some hanging opportunities for my hammock, and a lot of field for tenting. I stayed there today on Saturday the 22, and plan to leave on Sunday the 23rd of Jun.

Thursday 20 June 2019

Angels Rest Hiker Haven

So. Angels Rest was... Interesting.

I hiked in on Thursday, had a wonderful zero on Friday where a bunch of us watchers The Lord Of The Rings, and then I hiked out on Saturday. Sounds nice.

.. I ended up going back on Sunday, after camping at a shelter and hiking twenty miles away. So I took a nearo on Sunday. Then another zero on Monday where I barely left my room and watched Star Gate. On Tuesday I did a 20mile slack pack, thereabouts. On Wednesday, we watched Outlander - it was surprisingly good and I'm a little hooked now. Today, Thursday the 20th, I am hopefully leaving again. For good.
Though.. I'm not sure I won't be phoning at the next road to come back.....
Goodness.

Friday 14 June 2019

The Quarter Way Inn to Angels Rest Hiker Haven

As mentioned before I ended up at the Quarter Way Inn. I ended up staying the night, and had an amazing breakfast. One twenty mile slack pack later, I stayed another night and had another wonderful breakfast.

The twenty miles were wet, stormy and wet. Parts of the trail were basically rivers, again. The Quarter Way Inn was a warm refuge to return to at least.

It turned out, however, during the storm a tree a had been blown down and so we couldn't be dropped off at the same spot. Thankfully though, when we were dropped off it was sunny and remained so for the next day. There was rain over night occasionally.

Highlights included Dismal Falls, where I swam and/or jumped in water. It was fun.

The path eventually lead me to Pearisburg, and the Angels Rest Hiker Haven where I arrived on Thursday the 13th, and am now sat writing on the 14th as I take a zero.

Monday 10 June 2019

Quarter way!

More rain. Is it day four or five that's raining? Is there such a thing as being dry?

The days have been uneventful since Marion apart from passing the quarter way mark. I did a short seven mile nearo to the next shelter and managed to hang around there from maybe one in the afternoon. It was a nice day of resting.

On Sunday, I planned to do a twenty mile ish hike. But still it rained. The mud was slippy, the rocks treacherous, the rivers high and fast flowing. I did not make it that far. I did, however, make it to the the Quarter Way Inn which is gorgeous.

Leaving the Highlands and heading for town

I was awoken on Thursday by the sound of ponies. A small herd of them had meandered over towards camp and then ended up in camp. They were surprisingly loud when I was trying to sleep. Once I grudgingly got up and started the day, they quietened down.
Not the nicest of alarm clocks...

Thursday's hike began with rain. It ended with rain. And there was rain in the middle too. It was just a damp day. I also did twenty miles in the damp rain.

Friday was similar but shorter. I ended up at the Mount Rogers Trail Headquarters. It has snacks and a few museum-y displays about the place. I also saw an Eastern Box Turtle along the way, which is very much a tortoise despite American naming customs...

Thursday 6 June 2019

Grayson Highlands

Wednesday started sunny. Then it got wet.

After a looong climb, because my pack is over full of food, I made it to a short climb. After the short climb, there was a bit of flat where I saw ponies in the mist.

The day continued in a similar way. I loved it. It was cool and wet and damp but not too soggy. And occasionally there were misty ponies.
Towards mid afternoon, the weather cleared. I also discovered there were free shuttles to a restaurant where one might have real food.

They also had a banana split....

One banana split, one burger, a portion of chips, a portion of mozzarella sticks, and two scoops of ice cream in a cone later (in that order), Hermes and I foot our free ride back to the trail and could barely walk. He through-hiked a few years ago, and is now out for a few days.

Grayson Highlands

Wednesday started sunny. Then it got wet.

After a looong climb, because my pack is over full of food, I made it to a short climb. After the short climb, there was a bit of flat where I saw ponies in the mist.

The day continued in a similar way. I loved it. It was cool and wet and damp but not too soggy. And occasionally there were misty ponies.
Towards mid afternoon, the weather cleared. I also discovered there were free shuttles to a restaurant where one might have real food.

They also had a banana split....

One banana split, one burger, a portion of chips, a portion of mozzarella sticks, and two scoops of ice cream in a cone later (in that order), Hermes and I foot our free ride back to the trail and could barely walk. He through-hiked a few years ago, and is now out for a few days.

Wednesday 5 June 2019

Post Damascus

At Damascus I had a rather pleasant surprise. My two bounce boxes were there at the post office, but not only those: care packages from home had finally arrived along with a replacement battery! A small resupply of 8 dollars wort of spam, and an oversized lunch left me happy to continue. (I'm still not sure how I feel about the fact that I seem to like spam. I hope it's just hiker hunger..)
Having done that I marchés another six miles into the woods with an overly heavy pack.
And so ended Monday.

Tuesday was a short day to the next but one shelter. Not much of note happened beyond discovering my pack is very heavy and I wasn't just tired on Monday.

Monday 3 June 2019

The 'Tennessee Turnpike' and Damascus

Having left Boots Off and made the climb up out of Hampton, I was well and truly on the 'Tennessee Turnpike'. So named because aside from a climb up out of Hampton and a climb down into Damascus, both of which are relatively easy; the 30+ miles between the two are some of the flattest, smoothest and straightest parts of the entire trail. There was even a Disabled Accessible portion of trail!

The only downsides are a lack of views and a lack of water in some place - a whole ten miles between water sources, gasp! How ever were we to manage. But I've now made it into Damascus for lunchtime this Monday. Hopefully the friends I was supposed to meet here won't be too long....

Saturday 1 June 2019

Boots Off

Having left the Station, I managed the 18 miles to get to Boots Off. There I found a Soulsurfer and Doc, who both persuaded me into taking a zero day on Saturday (partially to hang out, partially to not hike during a thunderstorm).
During that rainy Friday, I managed to teach Knockout Whist and Mao to a few people who subsequently became edited to the games.

It is now Saturday, as I write this, and I have finished a late lunch at my halfwayish shelter. I'm waiting on a handful of other hikers to hopefully then push on to the next shelter for the night.

Thursday 30 May 2019

The Station at 19E

On Monday, I came down from Roan Mountain the mountain to Roan Mountain the town. It was a 16mile day with some brilliant views out from the various balds I crossed. I was then treated to a lovely dinner and pretty good bunk room.

Tuesday followed and I managed to do work-for-stay. I had my accommodation for two nights covered, along with free lunch and dinner. All I actually ended up doing was a little sweeping, showing people around, and holding things for a plumber.

I then had to pay for Wednesday as j took a 14 mile slack pack past some gorgeous waterfalls. I met a few friends and encouraged them to try tk make for Kincora hostel - it'd be a 20-something day, but over some of the easiest terrain we'd seen yet, to get to a hostel that only takes voluntary donations for a bed, shower and laundry.

Tuesday 28 May 2019

A hot day and a long day

Saturday was hot. So very hot. It was over thirty degrees. My forecast for Erwin said a high of thirty-two, but it felt much worse. I still managed a thirteen or so mile day, with Soulsurfer for much of it. We camped just shy of Unaka Mountain's peak, having done the last four or so miles without much in the of water. We met a father, son and uncle sectiowayn hiker group at camp where the two of us were also joined by a woman named Ladybird (and later at night, Doc too). Icewater pushed on to the peak.

But this is all just set up for Sunday.

Icewater, Ladybird and I met for lunch before planning a dubious plan. I was originally planning on trying for twenty miles to Ash Gap when Icewater mentioned wanting to get to the highest shelter on the AT, which was twenty-two miles. Guess who did it?!

That makes Sunday my longest day by about two miles, but also had some serious climbs such as two thousand feet gain in four miles.
I also ate more than two thousand calories of twixes. I'm not sure what I'm most proud of....

Tomorrow, that is Monday, I'm going to get all the way to Roan Mountain - which is about fifteen more miles.

Saturday 25 May 2019

Leaving Erwin

I'm finally done and waving Erwin. A day later than I'd like.
My stove and battery bank are both non functional, so I had to replace the former. I'm waiting to hear back about warranty for the latter. I was supposed to leave Erwin yesterday - on Friday - and I'm only leaving it now on Saturday. Roan Mountain is in about fifty miles where I'll hopefully have packages awaiting me.
I might not be able to talk or update much between now and then as I'll have to conserve battery even more than I normally do.

Friday 24 May 2019

Uncle Johnny's

I took the stroll into Erwin from where I left off last time. A thirty mile walk over two days - it was fun. I managed to do a little under two thirds one day and a third the next, and then dropped me off at Uncle Johnny's hostel right in the trail outside the town of Erwin. I managed tk do some postal things, resupply and am now ready to head on out at some point.

Wednesday 22 May 2019

Foolishness and a bad day

On Monday the 20th, having left Hot Springs Kaitlin and I hiked. I hiked too far in my folly. I pulled an 18mile day but timed it wrong - I ended up coming over Firescald bald at night and only got into camp at half ten.

The day after was.. Bad. For the most part. I hadn't slept well, I hadn't slept long, and I missed home terribly. I wasn't enjoying the things I should have. But in the evening I managed to phone home, and a friendly voice managed to turn the day around.

Monday 20 May 2019

Back to Hot Springs

The Sunday was quiet. Lot of hangovers I imagine. John Wayne gave Kaitlin, now Sponge, and I a ride back to Hot Springs. He's has to get off trail due to an injury, and so bought a car to tour the USA that way.

He dropped us off at the Visitor Centre a little after noon, where we charged phones and lounges about a bit. At around half three, the two of us still hiking set off for the trail again. We made about eight miles progress before perhaps annoying people already asleep when we tried to cook at our chosen camp site. In our defence, we set up and cooked as far from the others as we could.

Sunday 19 May 2019

Trail Days part two

Friday night was different.
Gone were the vendors and gear. Tent City, where most people stayed, was split in twain. On one side, it turned into a party that lasted into the early hours of the morning. The other suffered in quiet as the drums rang out. Drum circles, fire dancers, alcohol, drugs, and more consumed the woods and fields of the 'loud section' of Tent City.

That Saturday was busier and therefore louder. But even more companies had turned up, and perhaps more importantly, the freebies were being given out. I won a handcarved wooden mug from Dutch Ware Gear.

That night was louder yet, as everyone had to get rid of all their 'party supplies'.

Sunday was a mild, relaxed rush to get packed up and then head home. Well, to Hot Springs at least...

Friday 17 May 2019

Trail Days part one

After a few days in Hot Springs, I finally left. But not to hike. On Thursday I managed to find a way to Trail Days. Kaitlin (now Sponge) and I, plus someone we had met the night before, got a two hour shuttle to Damascus.

Trail Days is a three day festival, of sorts, celebrating the Appalachian Trail. Many outdoors gear companies set up stalls to repair, replace and sell things. Some even sponsor the event. Big Agnes and Granite Gear are even willing to try repairing gear from their competitors! They helped me with my under quilt. Some companies even do giveaways, raffles and more. There are also food stalls, local arts and crafts, discounts at local shops and diners, 'Tent City' where most people camp, live music, free food, and so much more!

So far, I've had a lot of free food and had several people slowly work at converting me. As said, I've had my gear fixed and enjoyed the live music. The merchant stalls are also very cool.

Tuesday 14 May 2019

Hot Springs

So two days from the Smokies lays Hot Springs. On the way is Standing Bear Farm which is disgusting and shan't be spoken of.
The day into Hot Springs is only remarkable for the impressive time I took. I averaged 3.4mph hiking (there was a lot of downhill to help).

The day and night before though...

It was bitterly cold. Especially at night, where we foolishly camped atop a ridge. It got below 49 Fahrenheit, whatever that means....

Last days in the Smokies

The penultimate say wasn't as wet as the day before. It was mostly just damp. There isn't much to say of it. That night, though, the heavens opened again.

The final day started well enough. I had slept warm and dry, and the weather was comfortable and cool. Views were non existant though.

I made it out and went to look at Standing Bear. 'tis a commune. They give you a slip of paper upon which you write any purchases, and then pay at the end. It was also dark, rank and nasty looking. I didn't stay. So I pushed on, to have a long day. Longer than I expected. Halfway up Snowbird, the heavens opened again. A deluge. I was walking through streams again like the last couple of times it stormed. Not wanting to face setting up camp in the rain, I ended up pushing to the next shelter. Including side trips to Mt Cammerer, whose good view I did not get, I did  20miles. Maybe more. I am exhausted.

Sunday 12 May 2019

Final two days in the Smokies

The penultimate day was a fairly boring day without note. It was very wet. A brisk 13 miles with a very heavy pack (from a complete resupply of food, fuel and so forth) got me to the Cosby Knob shelter. Which was full so I got to hammock overnight through a storm! Funsies.

The final say dawns and I have made it to Mt Cammerer Lookout. It should offer spectacular views. Unfortunately, I am in the middle of a cloud and so it doesn't. Alas. I'll be leaving the smokies later today.

Gatlinburg and onwards

From Mt Collins shelter we got into Gatlinburg. What happened there isn't terribly interesting. It's an expensive town to stay at, but we managed to cram four into one room, see Avengers and resupply. Gatlinburg is loud, full of bright garish colours, and busy. I hated it.

Now Kaitlin and I are heading back out. We've had reports of bears and a shelter being closed because of them. The hitchhike in was.. Interesting. We sat in the back of a pick-up, which was exciting.

The first shelter was closed due to bears. Kaitlin and I wisely ate lunch there like numpties. We then pushed for the second shelter for a ten mile day, approximately, in rather fair weather.

Wednesday 8 May 2019

It's all downhill from here

We made it to the highest point at about five o'clock! Woo! Its all downhill from here, technically anyway...
It was a rather lovely day and hike, and the wood was lovely. Many firs and other trees reminding me of home for whatever reason.
Clingman's Dome is about 6600 feet up. The views were amazing.

Tuesday 7 May 2019

Into the Smokies

Yesterday, on Sunday the fifth, we left at twelve and walked twelve miles in five hours. It was cold and wet and lovely! It was finally a temperature I am suited to! I loved it. The fog or mist at night was almost spooky, especially sjnce we had heard tell of bears nearby. There were no problems though.

On the morning on Monday, we saw deer. Sadly no photos... The twelve mile day started off lovely, and we had some great views from Rock Top; however, in the last three miles or so there were some surprisingly difficult climbs without much of a view.

Tuesday dawns, early. Too early I dislike it. Today we are attempting a thirteen mile day uber Clingman's Dome - the highest part of the trail. Hopefully, all goes well and there are many good views. It is almost all gently uphill though.

Sunday 5 May 2019

Fontana Dam

So yesterday on Friday the third, I made the long trek of fifteen ish miles to Fontana Dam and met some friends who I didn't expect to see.
We stayed up too late, missed our chance for the iconic photo, and now are taking a zero today on Saturday.

On Saturday, the storm hit. It started at about lunchtime and didn't really end until ten o'clock the following morning. There was a respite in the evening during which many people chatted about the fire, but then overnight everything was drenched again. It is now Monday, and we're going to finally leave Fontana Dam over said iconic dam.

Into the Smokies!

Fontana Dam

So yesterday on Friday the third, I made the long trek of fifteen ish miles to Fontana Dam and met some friends who I didn't expect to see.
We stayed up too late, missed our chance for the iconic photo, and now are taking a zero today on Saturday.

On Saturday, the storm hit. It started at about lunchtime and didn't really end until ten o'clock the following morning. There was a respite in the evening during which many people chatted about the fire, but then overnight everything was drenched again. It is now Monday, and we're going to finally leave Fontana Dam over said iconic dam.

Into the Smokies!

Thursday 2 May 2019

The Fry Up

On the 1st, we took a half day to Wolf Creek Hostel to resupply. This is largely unimportant.
What is important is that Thistle and I decided to try to make a Full English out of American food.
There was so much food..
Dear god... So much...

Ten sausages, six eggs, fourteen strips of bacon, twenty eight hash browns, and a portion of beans for four people. So so much food...

We can barely move.. We're only going to do two miles now.

Wednesday 1 May 2019

The NOC and the day after

Yesterday (the twenty ninth), I made a shortish day downhill. Since Wayah, we had done a handful of easy days instead of a couple medium days. It was not quite short enough to be called a nearo, maybe half a normal day?

Sassafras, Frog, Thistle, Magic, and I hiked into the NOC. I got there for lunchtime and the others slowly trickled in.
NOC stands for Nantahala Outdoors Centre. It's a ratting company but with a rather large campus filled with other things including zip wires, two restuaruants and so forth. I purchased some hand sanitiser, the permit to hike in the Smokeys, and a floor mat for when staying in shelters at the Smokies (for one cannot camp in tents, but must use the shelters).

I also ate too much pizza. I ordered what I thought was a 16'' diamater pizza and received a 16'' radius pizza. I managed it, eventually.

Today, the thirtieth, we had a very difficult eight miles out of the NOC. Whereas yesterday was almost all downhill, today was almost entirely uphill. And a steep uphill at that. In temperatures exceeding 25 degrees. It was not the most fun day so far....

Saturday 27 April 2019

Trail Magic at Wayah Bald

It's the 27th, a Saturday, and I'm planning on doing a short day. Seven miles ish from Siler Bald to Wayah Bald.
I am so very glad to have made it to Wayah today. There was a lovely woman ag the top of a surprisingly hard climb giving out trail magic from the back of her car.
She gave me two bottles of water, some rice crispy cake and SIX bananas!

The rest of the day after that was devoted to debating whether to have an easy seven mile day or a medium twelve mile day.

A log concerning the twenty fifth and sixth of this month

Dear diary, on the twenty fifth of April I walked a little. Skypilot had developed a pain in her back shoulder area and so she and Mushroom got off trail. I managed to catch a ride with them and so I entered Franklin with them. I resupplied and so my pack is rather heavy again, and met up with a few people for dinner.

On the twenty sixth day, today, your loving writer was dropped back off where he was collected yesterday. Then came Mount Albert. It wasn't the highest climb but it was the steepest (at parts). It was most fun. I'm feeling young fit and healthy and so will be silly and push on for a long day.

I was silly in pushing on. But it meant catching up with some friends which is always good.

Wednesday 24 April 2019

St George's day and yesterday

It's too sunny!
I've had a great time hiking, including some seriously steep tall climbs to start the day with. But it's so sunny. It's maybe 20 degrees.
Yesterday I hiked through the heat, but today I'm planning to hide from the sun during noon.

24th Of April

I made it up Standing Indian from the shelter. The views were phenomenal. The rest of the day was nice but far too hot. There were a few steams to ford or skip over rocks with but nothing major.

Monday 22 April 2019

Slackpacking in the snow

On Saturday, the 20th of April, we slack packed with TOG. The Top If Georgia hostel dropped us off at Unicoi gap with only water and snacks before abandoning us to hike the 17 miles back home.

Eight of us started. I ended up hiking slowly in the rear with Soul Mum. We had great fun on our ten hour stroll back to the hostel. Though we are definitely incredibly grateful to Thistle for buying us dinner before the shop closed as we were set to arrive in the depths of night. At around quarter past seven, about an hour before sunset.

The snow was very pretty, but we didn't really get to see any great views due to the never ending fog or mist or clouds we were walking through.

My first zero and a trip to the doctors

On Sunday, Easter Sunday, I took my first zero.
And visited a highly recommended doctor due to a minor problem in my left ankle.

There's a thing called a birsa underneath the tendon that is supposed to be soft and loose and squishy. Apparently my tendon was tight and rubbed against it which annoyed it and made it swell. Which increased the rubbing and so the swelling increased and so on... You see where this is going.

Now I have to ice it (dunk it in a stream) twice a day for ten minutes, and have a couple extra stretches to do. But I get to keep on hiking! Though the doctor mandated ten miles a day maxium until the pain goes away.

The doctor at Serendipity Clinic was very thorough and examined my legs and all the rest of my that might have any problem - she head my cough and made sure my heart and lungs were okay - and then charges about 60 dollars, which she charges everyone. It took over an hour for her to finish with me. She's highly recommended.

So today, Monday, I have a shorter hike planned but I still get to hike which is the main thing.

Friday 19 April 2019

Another storm

I need to resupply so we hiked two miles to meet a shuttle in to a hostel.
We're staying at the Top Of Georgia, where there's plentiful room and warmth. Which is very good as another storm appeared last night. We managed to set up camp in the dry, but over night the heavens opened. Thunder, lightning, and strong winds!
Than goodness we're staying at a shelter now so where things can get warm and dry. I got through the night without major issue, but some worry. My hammock got a little damp somehow along with my quilt, but they're drying now.

Rest days

Aftery. Long day I've taken two shorter hikes. The first took me to Low Gap Shelter where I met a few old friends eventually and think I've made some new ones. I then hiked to Blue Mountain Shelter with some of them and met up with the new friends I didn't hike with. They've been short uneventful days for the most part.
Tomorrow, three of us are getting beds at a hostel for a nearo day where we won't be hiking very far up trail but will have a chance to rest and recuperate. Or more importantly km my case, resupply: I have four twixes left and have ran out of dinners. I still have plenty of porridge though.

A chance encounter

Yesterday was a long day. Too long, I think. The miles weren't too bad but by the last few miles I was just feeling emotionally exhausted.
When I reached my camp spot for the night, I was a little dismayed to see it already mostly full with strangers. However, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. One of them offered me help setting up if I needed it, one offered me water. Later on some others, whom I had met before, also started to arrive. Eventually we all ended up laughing and chatting around a warm camp fire, courtesy of those unwanted strangers.
That evening really turned the afternoon around.

Tuesday 16 April 2019

Blood Mountain and Neel Gap

I left lance creek somewhen about eight in the morning. I'm not saw atop the tallest mountain in Georgia. It's really rather hot but the views are stunning.
Neel Gap and real food are only a few short miles away now.

Only an hour or so after summiting, I'm now sat in the baking sun outside the outfitters at Neel Gap. I have a pizza on the way, fresh water and some company too.

I think I'll push on for the next shelter, but there are several spots along the way if I don't want to keep going.

The Day After The Storm

It's the day after the storm now, and it looked
like very sunny weather. We got dropped off at the trail by the same shuttle driver, at the same place. We arrived there at about 1130 after a busy drive up - a lot of people were being picked up or dropped off along the same logging road.

Dana wanted to phone his wife, I think, and so Carly and I were set to head off sooner. She insisted I hike at my own pace so I know what it's like to not be slowed down by her. I already knew that - it means walking alone for a long time - but I ended up setting off alone.
The backup plan was to get to Gooch Shelter, which I got to for lunch. There I met another three through hikers - Mat, a welshman from Ipswich; and Audrey and Shaun, but I don't know where in the USA they're from. They finished lunch and were heading out from Gooch when I arrived to start mine. We chatted for a bit but then they set off.

After lunch I signed the logbook at the shelter to let people know I was OK and headed for Lance Creek. Along the way I saw some amazing views, of which photos will be published eventually, and bumped into Audrey and Shaun a few times. I overtook them and then kept stopping for views which let them catch me.

I also saw a familiar face. A woman who greeted me and wished me luck almost immediately after leaving the visitor centre way back in Amicalola! If this were a novel she'd reappear a few more times and secretly be an angel. She sent me off,l at the very start, appeared to me again after a harsh storm and sent me off, and so on.

I made it the the tent site at about five and maybe made some new friends. However, I've not had word from or seen anything of the three I left behind or of Andy who I met in the hotel last night. Oh well.

Goodnight

Sunday 14 April 2019

STORM!

We had a big storm blow in with huge thunder, terribly rain and over 30mph winds!

Carly and I made it to Cooper Gap where we met up with Dana again. MJ left Hawk tentsight with us but eventually left us behind. No word from her yet.
Dana had already phoned for a shuttle when we caught him. He had stayed at the shelter ahead of us. Carly and he wanted to get off and I grudgingly let them persuade me to take the shuttle to a hotel with them.... So now we're in Dahlonega for the rest of the day.

Day 2

Today was a nice, easy day of only about 9miles. Shorter than yesterday. Apparently, though, it's the easiest 8 mile stretch in all of Georgia. Things can only get more fun!

I think we've started forming a small trail family. There's me, Dana - a middle aged ish man from the States who wants to get at least there if not the whole trail, Carly - a 29 year old therapist also from the States and wantingto go the whole way, and MJ - a Northern Irish woman looking to through hike too.

We've all done similar mile days, we're planning to get to the next shelter together at Gooch Mountain Shelter, which is about another 7 miles off. I think MJ has the fastest pace and we probably won't hike together, the other two hike slower than me but I've hiked with them today. I don't know if I will tomorrow. We'll see how I feel and if they set off before me.

Saturday 13 April 2019

Hike date 0001

I have made it to the first shelter before Springer Mountain. Its only 1600 so I might be able and willing to push on to Springer and start the AT proper. But for now..
Food and drink.

1900: I am now sat stop Springer Mountain. Hell yeah!

I also have my first trail story already. My shuttle had a scheduling issue? The shuttle driver tried getting a backup driver to take me but in the end he ordered an Uber for me all the way to Amicalola.
Easy trips don't make for good stories though, right?

Wednesday 10 April 2019

Hiker's Log

I've made it! To Atlanta, anyway.
I was told it would be overcast and it is 21 degrees! At least it's dry heat?

The flight to Canada was lovely. I got to watch two films and young Buffy. There was no turbulence and we were given plenty of snacks and drinks. I even got three yoghurts, that's two more than most people get!

The flight from Canada to the USA was also nice, I slept for most of it and read for the other bits.

However the changeover was not so fun. I, unexecptectly to me, went through customs and security in Canada and not the USA. There, a rather unhappy looking lady questioned me on why I was going to the USA. Not just "business or pleasure" but also "am I staying with someone" and "have I been working". Questions I thought I had already answered and satisfied the US government when I got my visa.

That was scary.

But, now I'm here and getting to my air bnb.

Leaving home

Hiker's log, star date 20190409: Saying goodbye to my girlfriend was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. There should have been much weeping but I am too masculine to have done so.

Hiker's log, Star date 20190410 0500: Good grief.. I hate early mornings.

We had to get up slightly before five and then rush through everything again at the last minute, making sure I wasn't leaving anything behind.

I'm so tired.

0630: Sleeeeepy

I have tickets now and have said goodbye to my backpack. But not yet my family. A quick snack first, and then the hard bit where some people cry. Not me of course, I'm too macho manly. Obviously.

0715: less sleepy, and through security. I now have much food.

End transmission (until a later date / time)

Thursday 4 April 2019

GoPro + Instagram

I have a GoPro now!  I bought a GoPro Hero 7 the other day and have had a play with it.  It seems pretty cool so far,  and I've been playing with it on the mini-holiday I took with my girlfriend the last couple of days.  I'll be using it to take photos, record videos, maybe vlog as well as blog whilst I'm out hiking.  I've also got myself an instagram account to go with.  I'll be posting photos and videos and all sorts there, as I work out how to use it.  This blog will still be my usual place to update I think.



And here is a snazzy, ish, photo of all my gear, ish.  It doesn't have my water filtration system or water bladder visible in it, but it's got most of everything in it.  The GoPro is a far better camera than my phone is.  So with one week left to go, I'm a little bit worried but also very, very very excited. 

Thursday 28 March 2019

New gear

 So I've been quiet again lately.  I don't have much to say at the moment.

I do again now though.  I have new kit since my original kit lists.
I've overhauled some of my electronics kit, I have new footwear, and I have lighter dry bags.

Let's start with that last one.  Before I had some old exped drybags that weighed I don't know how much and carried I don't know how much.  Now I have two osprey 'ultralight' drybags that are 6L and 12L.  They fit my clothes and my quilts.  I can also shove my electronics in the clothes bag.

Speaking of which.  Gone is my heavy anker powerpack, now I have a Zendure X6 and a 60W charger.  It holds about as much charge, but has more USB ports and can charge quicker.  As in it can be charged faster and it can charge other things faster, in part thanks to the 60W plug.

Now for the most important thing. Shoes!

I've let myself be convinced in trail runners, after my boots went a bit wrong a while ago. After an ordeal at Cotswold where, despite their valiant efforts and nearly a dozen different types of shoes, we decided they didn't have any that would fit.
However!

The Cotswold Man, whose name shan't be revealed, told me of.. another place.

In a place hidden in fields and woods..

      .....there is a village...

                                           ....a village untouched by modern road design or town planning....

And in that village is an outdoors shop.
And there I met another man.  A man whose name shall also not be revealed.
And his wife whose name I did not learn for it was not spoken in words.

It was there that we sat, and pondered.

We thought...
               ........and debated.......
                                                         ....and discussed...

Until at last, these wise sages of many an outdoor activity suggested a shoe unlike others.

A shoe little seen in these lands, and imported from a far off place, from across the shining sea.
These shoes were light, soft and flexible but also broad of toe.

They were a running shoe, named the Altra Lonepeak 4.0, and into them we place my feet.

And then we placed special insoles, like but unlike superfeet.
 They supported my arch like the legendary superfoot, however they were softer and more malleable elsewhere unlike the superfoot.


But we were not finished, for then they clad me in garments most strange and unnatural.
For instead of my sock and liner sock, they had me strip bare my foot and placed upon it..

                                                      ...injini..

These socks are as like you have never seen before, I wager; for they are to other socks as gloves are to mittens.  Now each toe was free to wiggle and probe, isolated and yet together - separated into little toe socks.



It felt fucking weird.


Many thanks to TrekHireUK for helping me find what is the best fitting shoes I've had in a while.
Also, here's a link to my lighterpack where I can worry about how heavy my gear is.

Tuesday 26 February 2019

Support Network

Do I have one?


Well yes, but actually no.

Or no, but actually yes; but I couldn't find an image for that.


My girlfriend, other friends and family will be (hopefully) reading along at home.  Possibly watching along if I post videos.  They'll be with me in spirit.  But in person? If I'm lucky?  Maybe?

My girlfriend and family have expressed interest in flying out to see me whilst I'm away, but there's no guarantee that they can.  They certainly can't do it more than once (unless it's an emergency).

Unlike some American and Canadian (or even Mexican) (or maybe Cuban) (or any one else in North America), my friends and family can't just pop over to see how I'm doing.  They might be able to send me supplies or gear, and I might be able to send stuff home, but that will be costly; and will have a significant delay between them sending it and me receiving it.  

I'll be working under the assumption that I cannot get aid from friends and family, and it shall be a nice surprise if I do get anything nice.  I plan to be fully self supported, because I don't have the option not to be.  

However 

I do have a sort of lifeline guarantee.  If something goes wrong, if something bad happens, or even if I just want to give up; I do have a one use only Get Me Out Of Here card, if you will.  But there's no takebacks, no rewind or undo button.  No Ctrl+Z.  
Unlike local(er) people, if I quit I will not be able to un-quit without saving up and booking flights all over again.  

No pressure, though; right?

 

Wednesday 13 February 2019

Aren't I Worried?

I'm going to confess a secret.

I'm getting worried.

Not, you know, lot.  But.. a bit
I keep thinking what if my bag is too heavy?
What if something goes wrong?  I could get injured! 
I could miss out on important things back home!  I might not be recognised, maybe I won't recognise my friends and family when I get home! Six months is a long time, after all.

And worse, what if I don't enjoy it?  I can't easily come home if it turns out to be completely awful.
Don't get me wrong, I am still very excited and I am looking forward to it all.  But.. what if!? 

So here's what I'm doing

I am doing as much as I can to not read about other people right now.  I can't keep comparing myself to others who might be lighter, who might be heavier.  I'll get stuck in a loop and panic. 
So I'm throwing myself into my other duties right now.  I'm still exercising and keeping myself fit and ready for the hike of a lifetime, but I'm also not going to read anything more.  If I need to get lighter stuff, I'll do it when I'm in the USA.
I'm taking on more tutees and engaging in my other hobbies more, and hopefully I'll stop worrying for now. 
Because all of these worries are unfounded and silly.  I will have fun, if I do get injured I have insurance, if something goes wrong I have backups.  So everything will be fine, I know it rationally.








....but what if...?

Thursday 7 February 2019

Ursack AllMitey

It's been a while since I've written anything.  I've not had much to write.  Now I do.

Ursack AllMitey

So on the trail, there are bears.  Bears are a little bit scary even though they have cute fluffy ears and look adorable.  They are cute, they can also chew me up and spit my out literally.  So I don't want to keep food in my tent in case a bear decides it's hungry.  A fed bear is a scared, possibly hurt, me but also a dead bear.  bears that associate humans with food tend to get put down eventually, and we shouldn't want to put down anything that looks that cute

Generally, people on the AT use something called the PCT Bear Hang.  In short, this means hanging a bag full of food (and other smelly things) from a tree so that hopefully a bear cannot get at the food.  I'm not going to do this.

Now before I have an angry mod attacking me with pitchforks for indirectly harming the population of one of the cutest apex predators in the world, I do have my reasons.
Andrew Skurka, adventurer (I want that job title), has relatively recently posted on his own vastly superior blog about why bear bags are probably not the best.  In case you don't want to read a better blog than mine, I'll summarise:
  • It's probably going to be done wrong.  
...that's pretty much it.  It actually takes a lot of skill, and thus a lot of practise, to successfully hang a bear bag.  It needs to be far enough off the ground  (approximately 12' or 3.5m), far enough down from the branch and far enough from the tree (about 5' or 1.5m).  Even if someone is the absolute best bear bag hanger to ever hang a bear bag, they still need suitable conditions to it in.
Now I know, I know; I'm going hiking through the woods - of course there'll be trees I can do that from!  But that still means finding one accurately.
It's also time consuming, and can be dangerous as it involves throwing a rock over a branch and hoping to not hit anybody when it comes down.

So what am i doing instead?  I'm going to use an Ursack AllMitey.  Mine arrived earlier this week.  Obviously,  I've not had a chance to test it myself, but it has excellent testimonials.  It's a bag that by its design material is impervious to bears and to rodents.  (Notably, it isn't dog or presumably wolf resistant.  Something about sharp enough teeth and strong enough jaws.) 

I shove all my food and other bear-attracting items into it, tie it shut and then secure it to a tree.  It doesn't need to be high up a tree, it doesn't need to be out of reach.  It's only secured to a tree to make sure a bear doesn't run off with it. 

Sunday 20 January 2019

Practice Hike

So, on Friday I had a test hike.  

I grabbed all the gear I have (except for a few things I forgot), shoved it into my backpack, and walked ~7 miles to a pub, had lunch and walked back.  Upon leaving, my backpack weighed just shy of fifteen kilos (14.96kg to be exact) of which two (and a bit) was extra water that I didn't allow myself to drink.  It was ballast.  To simulate food (and the gear I forgot or didn't have).

The hike went well on the whole, I made good time in taking a bit over 2 hours each way.  My pack wasn't too heavy and I think I could do the same walk with a slightly heavier bag without much difficulty.

However. 

I did manage to get two blisters.  The first half of the walk went without problem, but the second half - the way back - suddenly left me with pain in two spots on my feet.  This might be because of bad lacing of my shoes.  The alternatives are slightly more worrying and troublesome - my shoes don't fit my feet or my feet don't fit my shoes.  Over summer, I did quite a bit of walking and hiking in my boots with no problems; since then I've been excercising.  It is possible that my feet have changed size or shape because of the gym; or perhaps it's because I've not worn my boots in quite a while and my feet have grown used to my everyday-wear trail runners.

Once my blisters have healed up, I'll be heading into town to check if my feet have changed and to reluctantly buy new shoes if they have.

Also on the to-do list is to have my final couple of shakedowns before waiting (impatiently) for the trail.

Wish me luck!

Thursday 10 January 2019

It's Happening!

IT'S HAPPENING!

I have confirmed tickets to fly out from London Heathrow on the 10th of April, getting me in the following day at Atlanta, Georgia!  Then I have a flight home from Boston Logan on the 8th of October to London again!  These aren't direct flights, though but they are fairly cheap and I can adjust them for free(ish) thanks to STA's multiflex pass.

As such, I am very very excited!  I am also panicking a little about my gear list.  Here's a link to my lighterpack list; but this isn't final yet.  It's sitting at about 12 or 13kg, when I want it to be around 9kg really.  If I ditch some of the starred items, I get it down a kilo or two but not to that 'magic' number of 9.  So yeah, I'm worrying over that.  It's probably unnecessary but still.  Now that I have flights booked, thoughts keep racing through my head such as"What if I don't make it?" or "What if I trip?" and these mostly turn into "What if my bag is too heavy and makes me fall?" or "What if my bag is too heavy and slows me down?".

To try to help deal with this, I'm rereading and rewatching other things.  I just finished rereading How To Hike The Appalachian Trail by Chris Cage, and started rewatching Dixie's Homemade Wanderlust (since completing the AT, she has gone on to do both the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail).  I also plan to rewatch both Darwin On The Trail and Follow Bigfoot.  I'll also try to get around to rereading Appalachian Fail by John Desilets's failed through-hike.  Hopefully, they'll help calm my fears, and if they don't?  Well.  I'll just have to start hiking scared.

Friday 4 January 2019

Gear Testing

Testing gear is important

Before going out on hikes, especially long ones, it is important to make sure it all works and you know how to use it.  It is beyond stupid to go out into the woods and spend ages working out how to put up a tent in the dark at night after miles of hiking.

So, last night I tested my gear in the garden.

Temperatures dropped to about -3, but I stayed toasty warm.  Using a DD Hammock Stand to hang my hammock and starp up, I was comfy and dry in case it rained.  It didn't, but just in case.  The tarp was a little lower than I'd like, as it was hung from the hammock suspension and not its own suspension.  It meant I didn't haven't much headroom; I had to stoop rather a lot to get under the tarp. 

My two fluffy quilets from Enlightened Equipment, the Revol and Revelation, kept me very warm.  I was dressed up in thermals and had a bottle of boiled water in case I needed it; but the quilts were more than enough. 

I grabbed a pillow from the house to make sure I was comfortable, and I was.  Very.  Very very comfortable. 

In all in all, my gear works pretty darn well it seems.