Appalachian Trail

[BoyNhisDog]

I was on Mt Washington several years ago and it was unbelievable weather. The valley below was completely sunny, warm and calm. It is under 6300' at the summit but up there it was so cold, windy and totally covered in clouds. Through hikers were like wraiths or ghosts in the landscape. It was very cool to see that but you will want protection against the elements.

Send in reports when and if you can. This will be some fun reading. The terrain that I have seen is beautiful.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

[Lizard]

Awesome! I did a big hike in 2000 on the PCT. I hiked ~ 1000 miles of the trail. Not a thruhike but a great BIG adventure all the same. I remember the insane fever pitch of my excitement in the days before I left for my trip. You must be going out of your mind

About the gear, I wouldn't worry. You will find your style in time. I have only two pieces of advice. First, don't kill yourself in the beginning. Pace yourself and enjoy the journey.

Second, get contacts from the people you meet. The other hikers you'll meet on a thruhike are a COOL bunch of people. You will often hike and share experiences with a person for several days, then they disappear into thin air as you or they pull ahead. In retrospect, I wish I had asked more people I met for their email when I first met them. The few people I am still in contact are great friends despite living in various places all over th world.

Hope you'll check back with stories of your adventures. Enjoy your trip!
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"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”- Sir Ernest Shackleton, newspaper classified.

[srlatty]

As soon as I saw this post, I thought about the book "A Walk in the Woods". I read it a couple of years ago and have wanted to hike the AT ever since. This will be an adventure that you will never forget. Keep us updated on your progress.
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Steve

[Trishness]

Steve......"A Walk In The Woods" is a great book and a must read for anyone hiking the AT.

I talked to some of my AT thru hiker friends on Whiteblaze and they'll be on the lookout for Tommy as they go on their merry way. Who knows if their paths will cross?

2174 is a lot of miles to cover on foot. And I think there still might be snow in the Smokies and Blue Ridge.

We're thinking of ya Tommy!

Does anyone have his contact person info or his parents telephone number? It would be cool if we could send him an AZ care package for a pickup along the AT....say in West Virginia or Pennsylvania to cheer him up.


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~~~Trish~~~

"Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight into guess; it was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of the memory and old tales, of the high and distant mountains." � J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings.

[azbackpackr]

That's a super idea! But he should be finding a computer along the way and posting here, I would think. After all, the trail goes through a lot of towns which cater to the hikers. So, hey there, Tommy, let us know how to send you stuff!

It's a long way all right. Most people who start the thru-hike don't finish, for various reasons. Even Bill Bryson, who wrote A Walk in the Woods, if you'll recall, did not hike the whole thing--hired a cab and skipped a portion. At least he was honest about it! In fact, he made it sound really funny. Have you read his other books? They're funny too.

My cousin has been doing AT "section hiking" for about 20 years--has almost hiked the whole thing that way. She lives about 1/4 mile from the trail in Burkittsville MD in a house that was built in about 1850. There is a trail from her house to the AT. Nice, huh?

[azhiker96]

Tommy, sorry I posted this after you hit the train. I'd suggest a bug net for your head, especially if you don't like chemicals. That trail has a lot of water which = bugs. When my brother hiked a portion his GF had a bug head net, cost a couple of bucks. At one gnatty place she could have sold extras for $10-$20 each! I can stand bugs on my hands and legs but a gnat in the ear or lungs is pretty distracting.
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It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[wanderingsoul]

Hey Trish, that is a good Idea... Hope we get a place to be able to send him a CARE pkg. Maybe a bug head net as azhiker96 suggested.
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Wanderingsoul (Michelle)

Positive Thinking Is the Spark that Makes Dreams Happen~~~Unknown

[srlatty]

OK, I.m thinking his town/mail stop #2 is the best place to send him something. Maybe we can come up with some ideas and he can tell us what he really needs when he comes to his first town to check the site. That way, they can be there when he gets to the next town. I will check the website to see where the most likely places for him to check in are. Guess it all depends on if he does check in...
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Steve

[Davis2001R6]

I would wait to here from him. After all he is thru hiking a 2000 mile trail and will not be taking anything he doesn't need. He plans on resupplying every week in the local towns. If there is stuff he needs I would gladly like to work it out and get it too him. He said he would try and post as often as he can (once a week, every couple weeks?). So we can try and find out from him then.

He has a trail journal set-up here:

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=5635

[azbackpackr]

I posted a short message on that trailjournals site, I suppose a few of you did as well? I don't see where to read any messages, except ones he posts himself?

So anyone keeping up on the big storm supposed to hit the East Coast this weekend? It could have delayed or messed up his start somehow.

[srlatty]

If you look under the Guest Book and View, you can see where people have written things to him. It looks like his dad got a text message from him that he officially started a day earlier, on Saturday morning at 10:30.

Good luck Tommy! It will be an adventure.
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Steve

[azbackpackr]

Huh, found the guest book, but I don't see my own message on there. I saw two messages. I wonder if you have to actually log on to leave one. It didn't look like you had to when I wrote mine.

[thesuperstitions]

I just added a note and it seems to be showing up, but you're right Elizabeth, there were only 2 other notes showing.

[azbackpackr]

OK this time I think I got it--it posted. I didn't get that Hi Tech Wizardess moniker for nuttin!

I have often thought about doing that hike. I don't think it's in the cards for me, though. I'd have to leave my husband for all that time. He is disabled, needs help now and then, and gets lonely even when I go on short backpacks. Oh, well, you do have to count your blessings sometimes. No use worrying about what you can't do.

[Tommy]

Just a quick update here.

Thanks everyone for all the support and encouragement! It means a lot.

Here it is Day 6 and I'm still alive. Sitting in a hiker hostel/motel in a town called Franklin, North Carolina. Made it to the Georgia/NC state line yesterday. Officially, I am at trail mile 106.

I originally was going to follow Lizard's advice and take it kind of slow to start. Yeah, that lasted about a day.. I just felt so good hiking I didn't want to stop - Day 2 thru 5 were all 20 plus mile days and today was a mere 16 before I hitched 10 miles into Franklin for resupply. Everyone here is so accomodating to thru-hikers, it's unbelievable.

You guys are all so nice to offer to send care packages, etc.. but like Tim said, I'm trying to stick to resupplying in towns along the way. If I start to be able to better predict where I'll be at a given time, I'll let you know.

A few words about Georgia. This state reminds me of my ex-wife: For the 4 1/2 days I walked these woods, there was wildly unpredictable weather changes - from sunny cloudless days, to overcast, rain, sleet, hail, and sideways cheek biting snow (my favorite). The terrain is rugged, with lots of highs and lows, ups and downs. And while it is strikingly beautiful, I am glad to be out. Now come the Smoky's--Can't wait!!

And the other hikers I've met have been awesome. I met two quirky cool dudes the other day in a shelter. One packed a banjo, and the other a mandolin. Quite the luxury items. (I know what you're thinking: Banjo+Appalachia=Deliverance). But they were dang good though and jammed for us before going to bed.. Just another typical encounter on the AT.

Oh yeah, and I just got my trailname today: Gopher. Something about me wearing red shorts that said Minnesota. ugh. somehow fitting though. I don't know how much say I have in this matter - trail names are sort of the thing out here, and if people name you, that's who you are.

I'll work on uploading pics later on. And Trish, thanks for the whiteblaze.net recommendation. I'll be checking it out.

Until next time, Happy Trails.