Summit

Since I've last had service I have climbed the last 4000 foot peak, crossed 2000 mile mark, and broken 10 days to go! Maine is great, but excited to get home.

Finally made it into stratton after taking a day longer than expected due to CAKE's sickness. Still on track for a June 30th finish though. 187 Miles to go!

Got distracted by television in the hotel today and didn't escape from its tractor beam grasp until 3:00. Hit the trail @ 330 and made it 10 miles. 22 tomorrow

In Rangely. Beautiful tourist town on one of Maine's bajillion bodies of water. 220 Miles and 2 weeks remain! Looking forward to heading home.

In Andover tonight. Ate a 16" pizza and a famous Maine "Whoopie Pie" for dessert. 780 Calories of creme-filled chocolate something. Only 3 more towns to go!

Mahoosuc notch was really fun. Steep granite cliffs on both sides with the trail running through collapsed boulders below. Lots of snow hidden in crevasses!

Made it into Maine today! Swam in Speck Pond a few minutes ago, the highest body of water in the state @ 3500 feet. Spending the night here, then to Andover

Tommorrow we hit the single hardest mile of trail on the AT. It's called Mahoosuc notch and involves crawling over and under rocks in a giant boulderfield.

Nice 20 mile day today to Gentian Pond shelter where the beaver work busily and the pond drains off a cliff creating a waterfall. Great view from here too!

100th day on the trail today, and we are 1860 miles into things. Tough day over steep, rocky, alpine terrain in the rain, but we made it into Gorham to dry out.

Asleep at the base of Mt. Washington tonight! Winds howling and "mixed precipitation" forecasted for tommorow. Good thing we're @ Lake of the Clouds hut!

For dinner I ate cashews carried 1400 miles from Damascus, VA. And banana cream pie from the half way mark of the trail in PA . Good to get those off my back!

Best day on the trail so far today, hands down. Franconia Ridge was spectacular! The White Mountains are beautiful in every direction. Plenty of granite too!

17 Mile slackpack today up 4200 ft Kinsman Mountain. Hand over hand climbing on slick granite up a flooded creekbed of a trail. 5200 ft Mt. Lafayette tommorow.

Previous post was from a few days ago. Moosilauke is conquered, and we now have less than 400 miles to go! New Hampshire definitely takes the best state award

Going to sleep in an abandoned fire tower atop Smarts mountain. The 'Shire is living up to its reputation for beauty! Hitting 4800 feet soon on Mt. Moosalaukie

5:30. AM. Can't sleep. Being swarmed by giant assassin mosquitos.

Last night in Vermont. I've come to realize that I could live in this state for a while and be totally happy. Sunset over the Green Mountains sealed the deal.

24 Miles tomorrow, then 17 and we'll be in Hanover, New Hampshire and have only 1 more state to go. Excitement for the White Mountains is building rapidly!

Staying the night at the home of my childhood babysitter's mom's brother's house. Distant connection, but happy to be indoors as thunderstorms start up here!

Enjoyed the sunset from 4300 feet on top of Killington Peak tonight. My favorite view so far. Looking forward to sharing my photos with everyone! 1 month to go!

Made it into Manchester Center tonight after 26 miles. Watching TV and sleeping in a bed. Stratton Pond in Green Mountain National Forest was beautiful today.

Vermont is going well. Great view from a fire tower north to Straton Mountain and south back to Mt. Greylock in MA. Watching lightning from Kid Gore shelter now

Just ate 1240 calories of cinnamon raisin bread (entire loaf) while taking a water break down in a valley as we procrastinate to avoid the mountain ahead. Mmmm!

Saw multiple beaver ponds today with awesome dams that retained ponds at higher elevations than the trail next to them. We hiked on wooden planks to avoid muck.

I've enjoyed the first few miles of Vermud, but jumping from stone to stone amongst the flooded, muddy sections of trail is kind of annoying. No views yet here.

Entering Vermont today where we will finally hit some real mountains! 2 States to go after that. Estimated finish date: June 30 with a plane ticket home July 6.

Starting my first "slackpack" right now, headed south over Mount Greylock back to the same town we slept in last night! Got a shuttle up the trail.

Cabin was open a week early, so we got bunks with mattresses and all you can eat pancakes with fresh blackberries in them! On to Dalton tonight, then Greylock

Massachusetts is going well, nice shelters, nice trail. 40 Days of hiking and 655 mi left to go! Headed to Upper Goose Pond cabin tonight to sleep on the porch!

Hanging out by a waterfall on the Housatonic River under a rock outcropping out of the rain.

Done for the day @ RPH shelter. 26 More miles of NY 'till we enter Connecticut. 5 states left!

Hiked through a zoo this morning where we saw our first live bear! Bear Mountain, NY is the most beautiful area on the trail so far. Woke up to views of NYC.

30 Miles yesterday officially killing New Jersey. 30 More today to a campground by a river and a section of trail through a zoo! Also lowest point on AT, 124ft.

SHOOT! Just noticed a grammatical error in a previous post. ITS, not it's... Sorry everyone. My education is slipping away by the mile. : )

Made it to unionville, NY and we are staying at the mayor of the town's house! Dinner, Breakfast, shower, bunk all for $10.

Good news: Leki ships replacement pole parts to all it's retailers on the trail so new pole sections are available at no charge! Back in action.

Steep, rocky, panoramic-view-filled climb out of Palmerton claimed one of my carbon fiber trekking poles today. 1263.4 Miles on the pair 'till one snapped!

Headed to the PA-NJ border tomorrow, then the unofficial "New Jersey" challenge. Two thirty-five mile days in a row to NY, spending only one night in NJ. Whew!

15 Mile day today to a shelter out of the cold. Got here @ 4 pm and with all that time on our hands decided to make a bonfire. Telephone pole size log on now...

Currently @ the "Jail House" Hostel in Palmerton, PA. Spent 2 hours organizing stuff here! Enjoying the trail, rocks not as bad as everyone says. NJ in 2 days!

In Pine Grove Furnace SP, I became the first thru-hiker of 2010 to complete the 1/2 gallon challenge! 1/2 Gallon of ice cream in one sitting. 39 Minutes. Ouch.

Enjoying hiking with my Dad for a couple of days in Pennsylvania. Slow and steady is the name of his game but we still managed 25 miles today. Very impressed!

4 State challenge complete. 43 Miles hiked in 4 states (VA, WV, MD, PA) in 15 hours, 15 minutes! The farthest I've ever walked in a day!

Forgot to mention that yesterday we crossed the 1000 mile mark! No sign or anything, just an imaginary line in the forest that marked us @ quadruple digits!

Mmm... Over 1 pound of spaghetti to myself and 2/3 a tray of brownies for dinner! Watching the lightning roll in from another adirondack chair. Satisfied...

Hanging at the Blackburn Appalachian Trail center tonight. Home-cooked pasta on the stove courtesy of the care taker Brian. 10 Miles tomms, then 45 and 4 states

Beautiful Sunday morning here in VA. Late start out of the shelter for an easy 18 mile day. Prepping for the 4 state, 45 mile challenge day in 4 days.

Made it those last 5 to the shelter. It's really nice, with a porch, solar shower, adirondack chairs, and an awning over the fire pit seating area! Life is good

14 into Front Royal today, 5 more miles after batteries charge and stomachs filled @ the KFC here. I do not recommend the "Double Down" sandwhich. No bread!!!

Thanks so much to Mrs. Long for feeding us during our 28 mile day yesterday! 2 Hours in town was nice, and a bright moon led to a nice couple of miles @ night.

24 miles today and 28 planned for tomorrow to get us within a stone's throw of the northern border of Shenendoah National Park. Today was day 50 of hiking!

Tried Nutella for the first time today and ended up eating the entire jar. Yes, 2000 calories of hazlenut spread. With a spoon. Walked for 12 hrs though, OK!

Whew! Been a while since I've posted, and we are now 140 miles farther north on the trail! Big miles often now, and we are over 1/3 of the way done! 1/2 in 2wks

Another big day: 27 miles to camping by a waterfall. Short 22 into Pearisburg tomorrow for a Chinese food buffet, motel, and resupply @ Walmart. New camera too.

Just swam in a spring-fed pond on top of a bald! We've gone straight from winter to summer with highs around 90 degrees. Night hiking and early starts are norm

Hiked 28 miles yesterday! It was worth getting to the shelter with the pay phone so the four of us could order $100 worth of pizza last night... Hiker hunger!

Camped on a bald the other night after leaving Damascus. Applseed, Branch, Cake, and I hiked 'till midnight to summit Buzzard Rock where we watched moon rise!

John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods Market, emailed me personally to wish me luck on the trail and let me know I might run into him on the trail this year.

Made it into Virginia! Approaching the 500 mi mark rapidly, and planning on picking up the pace with the longer days and more agreeable temps. 10 States to go!

13 Miles today... harder than the 22 yesterday. Lotsa elevation, mid-thigh level snow, bum knee, no views. Now I'm sleeping in an abandoned barn to escape cold.

Haven't had service in a couple of days, now have lots to say, but tired after 22 mountainous miles and I'm going to sleep! Alive and well here on the trail.

20 Miles today with nice weather and a great view from a fire tower. Two 24 mile days coming up! We will cross the 300 mile mark tomorrow!

Those 18 mile days were nice. Rolled into hot springs today around 4:30 and checked into the Sunnybank Inn which is a hostel in a house that is 170 years old!

Made it out of the snow-kies! Finally got some great views when it cleared and the sun came out today! Wore a t-shirt most of the day. Two 18's coming up!

Resupplying tomorrow during zero day, planning on 15, 15, 18, 18 mile days to Hot Springs. Will try to get to the library and post pictures tomorrow.

Clingman's was nice... 20 Degrees with winds of 40 mph. Numb fingers and frozen hair instantly! Rode into town with 6 guys all a once in an RV. What a god-send!

Got lost on clingman's dome, ended up going 19 today. Taking a zero tomorrow in Gatlinburg. This town is crawling with tourists! There is a ski resort, too!

22 Miles planned for tomorrow, then 16 the next day including a summit of the highest point on the trail and the state highpoint of Tennessee, Clingman's Dome!

GSMNP has more plant species than the entire continent of Europe, and is the most heavily visited of all the parks in our nation.

We'll be entering Great Smoky National Park tomorrow around noon, and hit our third state, Tennessee, shortly afterward. We got snowed on during lunch today!

Nice and easy 12 today. resupplied 2 days worth of food in Fontana Village. 42 Miles to Gatlinburg where we'll get food again. It's kinda all we think about...

Super rough climb today... raining, slippery rocks, lots of blow-downs, 3000 vertical feet in 6 miles, all for a view of the inside of a cloud! Kinda depressing

Passed the hundred mile mark, 20 miles yesterday and hopefully 20 more today. North Carolia is nice! Waiting for epic t-storms to hit...

Hiawasse, Georgia

60 ish Miles in, left on the morning of the 3rd from Springer (the southern terminus). Only 1 more day of hiking 'till I've ticked my first state!  Didn't manage the 12 mile side hike to the state high point of Georgia, but it'll be there when I get back.  Also, there is a road to the top, so I figured it wasn't worth it to burn a day and go 0 miles toward Maine, especially since I can drive up there!  Discovered how calorically dense spam is, so it has become a new staple on top of peanut butter. It is much cheaper than cliff bars.  Ate 6,000 calories for DINNER today, on top of anchovies and cliff bars while on the trail.  Planning on the next 70 miles in 4 days, with the 5th day off to enjoy the Nantahala Outdoor Center.  Also, Alieve has become part of a daily cycle, and it enables me to churn out the high mileage.  Still waiting for the first day without snow drifts and slippery slopes, but I don't think we'll get it 'till after the Smokies. Sorry for a lack of photographs, but I can't hook my camera up to this computer because we are at a Holiday Inn and it is stripped down to the internet and the recycling bin, with no USB recognition.... oh well, you'll see 'em eventually!

(3/3) " and up north, "notches". 10 of us in camp today!

(2/3) cassarole, trash collection, tea, cookies. Thanks so much Linda and Dwayne! Parked on the side of the road at a "gap". In the west they're called "passes

(1/3) Headed to a town tomorrow. Food, bed, shower, food, electicity, food... a BUFFET! Experienced my first trail magic today! Scrambled eggs, juice, fruit,

(3/3) the 8" of snow on the ground!

(2/3) guys. Lowest temperature was 10 degrees... Kinda miserable in my 35 degree sleeping bag, but survived. : ) Making very good daily mileage considering

(1/3) 30 Miles into the trail... body feeling good. Currently "camping" in a heated cabin with three other guys. Spent last night in a shelter with 8 other

Road Trippin'

Photos from the Drive over...

Yee-Haw! Lousiana!

Passing through Lousiana

Mississippi Rvier... man it's so BIG!

M- For Mississippi, the self- appointed birthplace of American Music!

A- For Alabama- the state where Bob Riley is boss, and he wants YOU to know it!

Focused....

Night-vision

The place where all the kids go to make out...

G- For Georgia... it was real hard to make a "G", and their sign wasn't that great... and it was dark.... AND the bathroom was closed!

Thanks for Following!

Just a shout out to Ron Brown @ the Amicalola Falls State Park visitor center, and Bob (Longshadow) and Diane (Little Red) who I met in the visitor center as well.  Ron, thanks so much for shuttling my Dad back to the park and for all your hard work in the visitor center registering hikers and greeting them positively with a wealth of information and a smiling face! Bob and Diane; thanks for your support and I look forward to reading your comments!  Glad the two of you have enjoyed some great adventures over the course of your lives, and I wish you well on those still to come!

To everyone else:  I'm sitting in a grand lodge overlooking forested blue-hued mountains preparing to head out tomorrow morning after exploring this beautiful state park.  Just stood atop the tallest waterfall east of the rockies, 720 foot Amicalola Falls.  Thanks for your prayers, and look forward to reading your comments!

Trip Overview

Black line = Driving
Yellow Line = Walkabout

Then I'll fly home from Maine!

I've Escaped From the Clutches of Texas!

We made it to Louisiana and are currently trying to weave our way through all the Saturday night gambling traffic and potholes... Louisiana's roads suck!  It's funny that all the casino billboards have a mandatory "Gambling Problem?" hotline number on the bottom. 1-877-770-STOP if anyone would like to give it a try!  The moon is rising and it's full tonight, so our dusk/ dark summit attempt for the 535ft bump that is Driskill Mountain will be well lit.  Check this webpage: http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151925/driskill-mountain.html for details on this lowly state high point we are going to "climb" tonight.  Following that hike, we have another couple of hours of driving to the Mississippi/ Louisiana border where we will stay the night in a La Quinta.  Final night in a real bed!  Alabama's high point tomorrow! Pictures to follow.

I've been informed by my father that I consumed $54,623 worth of groceries of the course of my 18 year lifespan... Well now I know that I'm not having kids!

New to this text-to-blog feature, but it seems very handy. Currently packing room for AT/ guiding @ summer camp/ college in Durango.

Schpelunk

So the other day we did Airmen's Cave back to the Aggie Art Gallery.  This experience will not help me on the AT, but it was fun nonetheless and definitely worthy of mention. We spent 5 hours underground crawling on our stomachs the entire way!  In the end it was worth it... the gallery is awesome and totally unique.

Itinerary

This is a spreadsheet whitblaze.net put together that gives a good general idea of where I'm going to be along the length of the trail.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=15%20mile%20plan