Day 5 - Sunday, April 20

I'm feeling much better today and I made it to Low Gap Shelter with time and energy to spare. I'm going to be conservative with my mileage anyway until I am sure I am over whatever my problem was. If I still feel good after my next supply stop in Hiawassee, I'll push my mileage up again.

I was really negative about my hostel experience but I wanted to balance that with a good story. Friday I was hiking with four other guys, including a couple of speedsters, Matt and Jefe. Seeing how weak I was, Matt and Jefe raced ahead to the Hostel, got us all registered and had a cold Coke waiting for me when I finally made it off Blood Mountain. Nice guys.

Quick notes:

* Mountain House's Potatoes and Cheese with Broccoli is the best dried meal I have had so far.

* The Thru-Hikers Companion, our Bible, says that in 2000 a hiker woke up at Low Gap Shelter to find a bear straddling him. Sleep tight. Luckily I have plenty of company tonight.

*I'm not used to composing on paper, let alone in a tent with the wind whipping outside. Please blame the literary shortcomings on me, not on my parents, who graciously agreed to transcribe my journal to the blog. I'm doing my best, while keeping an ear out for bears.

All's well.

Low Gap Shelter, GA: Day - 10.8 miles, Total - 41.5 miles

Day 6 - Monday, April 21

I felt really good today and went 13 miles by 4:15. The next water source was four miles further and I didn't feel like doing that so I am camped on the site of an 1800s cheese-making operation. There are six of us here. Me, a married guy named Mike and four college kids who are sitting around a fire right now, laughing at their own farts.

Mike started with a partner, Jim, but Jim went home today. Jim was the weaker hiker of the pair and I think he ran out of will power. They got to the road crossing near Helen, GA and found an elderly couple picnicking. Jim politely asked them for a ride to town and they agreed. In the true spirit of thru-hiking, Mike talked the oldsters out of some water and a big handful of nuts before he hiked on. Mike claims to have talked some other picnickers out of a Whopper, Jr. a couple of days ago. He'll make it to Maine.

Quick Notes:

* Rumors on the trail move like lighting. I heard that there is a guy ahead of me who smuggled a collapsible bike onto the trail. He carries it uphill and rides it down.

* Despite keeping moleskin on it since yesterday morning, one of my hot spots turned into a blister.

* I am 13 miles from Hiawassee, GA, reputed to have an AYCE (all you can eat) steak restaurant.

All's well.

The Cheese Factory, GA: Day - 13.0 miles, Total - 54.5 miles

Day 7 - Tuesday, April 22

I did 13 miles today to reach Hiawassee, where I am sharing a hotel room with Mike. Also, Mike shared the food Jim left behind when he dropped out so I don't have to come off the trail until Bryson City in five or six days. I'm feeling 100% except for a couple of blisters.

The most surprising thing to me so far is how crowded it is. I'm sharing shelters and campsites with eight or more people every night. It isn't the individual wilderness experience I expected. Last night I got to the Cheese Factory early and set up my tent. I spent a nice half-hour reclining in my tent, reading and enjoying the quiet. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by people. Not what I expected. Oh well.

All's well.

Hiawassee, GA: Day - 13.0 miles, Total - 67.5 miles

Day 3 - Friday, April 18

The two sock trick worked and my feet feel much better. Sadly, the rest of me does not. I did 14.2 miles today, climbing four named peaks including Blood Mountain, the AT's highest point in Georgia.



I'm tired, hungry, and dehydrated. The thing that kept me going was the promise of a hostel at Neel's Gap that offered a shower, laundry service, and a bunk for $16.

So that's where I sit, enjoying a Coke and trying to rest up for tomorrow. All's well.

Neel's Gap: Day - 14.2 miles, Total - 30.7 miles

Day 4 - Saturday, April 19

I've heard glowing tales of the close knit atmosphere in the AT hostels, but I didn't enjoy my first experience. I didn't fit in my bunk and the kids my group was sharing the hostel with wanted to stay up late to drink and socialize. They were respectful and kept the party in the living room, but every time one of them needed something from their pack, they came into the bunkroom with a flashlight to dig it out. So we had a routine:

First, one of the twenty-somethings would come into the bunkroom and I would wake from my light, fitful sleep. Next, I would flip over, searching for a position that would allow me to sleep through the next intrusion. Since my feet hung inches off the bunk, my heels would kick against a plastic tub between Phil's bunk and mine. Phil would jerk awake, wondering if this was the time I kicked the lid off the tub and onto his head. Twenty minutes later, we got to do it again.

Anyway, I'm not enamored of the AT hostel scene based on my experience. I woke up nauseous and weak. I gagged on my daily vitamin when I tried to take it but took a shot at hiking anyway. I made it about one mile before giving up. I think the problem is with my eating. It's hard to get enough calories to support this level of activity and my stomach is paying the price.

I'm spending the night in a rental cabin down the road from the hostel, eating and napping. I think I'll have my strength back tomorrow and be ready to go again. More snacking as I go this time. All's well.

Wake up feeling stronger. I'm off!

Neel's Gap: Day - 0 miles, Total - 30.7 miles

Day 2 - Thursday, April 17

Leaving Stover Creek.



Several of us had the same problem today. One shelter was 12 miles from Stover Creek, where I camped last night. The next was 24 miles. We wanted something in between, so we have a tent city set up in a clearing by a spring at a place called Gooch Gap. We had our second pretty day in a row . . . highs around 70.



Two trail terms:

Trail name -- Everyone who hikes the trail gets a trail name, a hiking specific nickname. I don't have one and I have been thinking about it as I hike. Gnormal, who is not tall, suggested "Big Stride." Magellan suggested "Oriole" for my Orioles cap. I'm tempted by Oriole. Dessert Oriole? Dessert O?

Trail magic -- Unexpected good fortune on the trail. When Braz left, he gave me a pair of sunglasses. I already had a pair, but he is looking for a way to be part of the hike and I didn't want to turn down the gift. Tonight as we were filtering water for camp, Phil, a British hiker, complained that he left his sunglasses at home. Trail magic! I got something out of my pack and Phil got my spare sunglasses.

Physically I am holding up well. My left boot is slipping a little and I have a hot spot on the ball of that foot. I'm going to try two socks on that foot to fix the problem. Otherwise, all's well.

Gooch Gap: Day 2 - 13.7 miles, Total - 16.5 miles.

Day 1 - Wednesday, April 16

I started hiking the AT on a perfect Georgia spring day. Braz, who I met through a running team, got me at the Atlanta airport and we spent last night at his house with his family. Thanks to them all for putting up with the imposition. First thing this morning, we jumped in his car, then sat in Atlanta traffic. We arrived at Amicalola Falls State Park around 11:00am. Check my shaved head - no ticks on me!



The ranger brought me to the registry book and with the stroke of a pen, I became 2008 AT potential thru-hiker #567. Other northbounders (NOBO) register at the Springer Mountain summit and southbounders (SOBO) register in Maine, so there are many more than 567 potential thru-hikers this year. My pack, with 6 days food, was 34 pounds. Not bad, but over the next weeks, I will identify what I'm not using and shave a few pounds. The lightest pack, shown on the registry, was nine pounds, the heaviest was 100 pounds. The ranger said the 100 pounder was trying to set a record. For biggest fool on the trail?

From the Visitor's Center we caught the approach trail to Springer Mountain. The first mile is VERY steep and runs along the Amicalola Falls. There were groups getting guided tours blocking the way. Braz, who is a character, ran ahead yelling "Make way for a real, live thru-hiker; he's going all the way to Maine." One group actually applauded.

The rest of the approach went fine. It has a reputation for being tough but I think that is just because of the first mile, which features 600 steps built along the falls. I reached Springer summit in 4 hours, 15 minutes. The sign at the trail head said 6 hours, so I felt good. I was also excited because Springer is the official start of the AT. Roger, the caretaker, took a picture of me kneeling between the "Start of the AT" plaque and the symbolic first white blaze.

For a change, my smile in the picture wasn't forced.





Since I had plenty of day left, I walked 2.8 miles further to the Stover Creek Shelter. I had a freeze-dried dinner (not bad, not great). There are six or seven guys sharing the shelter, so I pitched my tent down the hill a little. I pitched it without a rainfly. That is a chance I won't take often but, for my first night at the AT, I want to be able to see the stars. I have more to write, but that will be for another day. I am using the rest of my daylight to read, then I will do some stargazing until I fall asleep. All's Well.

Stover Creek Shelter: Day 1 - 2.8 miles, Total - 2.8 miles

To make my trip a little more meaningful I am going to correspond with a second grade class in Las Vegas. The teacher, the wonderful Miss. O, is going to use my letters to the class to teach about geography and miles and animals and things like that.
Above is a picture of me meeting the class for the first time. Check out the bald head...I shaved it for the trail. The kids were terrific. They seemed to get what I am doing although they had trouble understanding the time of the trip. They are mostly Hispanic and I think the units of measurement in English are confusing for them. They understood the geography surprisingly well and they had lots of good questions about animals I might see and food I will eat. One of the kids asked what I would drink if the water I found was "dirty." I thought that was a very clever question and I told them about my filter. It was a fun class and I am looking forward to reading their letters.

I am in Colorado doing a final sort on my stuff. My folks are keeping my car and things like extra boots that I will need mailed to me on the trail. Other things are going into what is called a "bounce box." A bounce box is a box of extra supplies that I mail to the next post office I will visit. Once I am there, I take out whatever I need then bounce it to the next post office. Tomorrow I am flying to Atlanta and I start hiking Thursday.