The Town Stop

Franklin, NC is a cool and friendly little town, great choice for a town stop, though I'd opt for a local restaurant

Here's a rundown of what happens when I get to town:

1. SHOWER!
2. Laundry!
after these two, the rest can go in pretty much any order according to post office and store schedules
3. Food!
4. Resupply (food, gear repair/replacement, cooking fuel, toiletries)
5. Check in with friends and family as much as time allows
6. Soak the feet
7. Air out gear
8. Gaze in wonder at such fascinating conveniences as ready-to-drink water, no filtering required, flush toilets, running water (again), and stores with aisles and aisles of non-backpacking worthy foods.
9. Relax and enjoy sleeping in a real bed, where (hopefully) rodents aren't skittering through the rafters.

Today's town stop meant retrieving my new knife (thanks, Stephen!), a visit to the local outfitter for new insoles, a replacement tent stake, cooking fuel, and a town shirt (gotta have something to wear while the rest of the laundry launders). Had a good meal (the rotisserie chicken made me miss Julio's) and caught up as much as I could online, natch. Gracie has spent the day lounging in the motel room, much deservedly. Looking forward to a night of uninterrupted rest and a lazy Sunday morning before hitting the trail again.

100+ miles

Down, 2078 to go! Gracie and I are taking a short break in Franklin, NC to celebrate our first milestone. We did a little early celebrating/resting at Neels Gap (around mile 30) to nurse a blister, and have been trucking ever since. Seven days without a shower is tooooooo long. Won't do that again if I can help it.

This'll be a quick update because I've got to get to the outfitters to resupply before they roll up the sidewalks at 6, but I found a cool coffeehouse/winebar with a computer, and will fill you in as much as I can in the time available.

Highlights from the first 9 days:
Eve of the start: Meeting "the rifleman,"a sketchy character deposited at the AT hiker shelter at Amicalola Falls State Park at midnight by a flashlight-toting person. We were sound asleep, and Gracie went ballistic when he came in the door, thankfully, because as soon as rifleman had settled in the upper loft, he started to tell me about the rifle and machete he was carrying. I was glad I had Gracie, otherwise, I'd have been a little freaked out. This guy didn't last long on the trail, and creeped out everyone else who met him. I'll elaborate more when I get the chance.
Day 1: Summiting Springer with time and energy to spare!
Day 2: Meeting the "Texas Train," four guys who went to school together, one of whom (Matt) is from Austin and knew of me and my supply boxes through Carson. We've been leapfrogging each other ever since.
Day 3: Perservering through blister pain (thoughts of Naomi and Wildflower '08, if she could do it, so could I!) and a bear sighting in camp. Gracie slept right through it!
Day 4: First nero (nearly zero mile day), resupply box, trail magic at Neel's Gap (cheeseburgers, protein-style!), and Goose Creek Cabins
Day 5: Surviving the major rainstorm at Low Gap
Day 6: Camping atop Rocky Mountain (away from a shelter) with Geoff, and successfully throwing a bear bag (bear pinata) for the first time
Day 7: First 15 mile day, whew!
Day 8: Lazy day, lots of sightseeing (cliffs, cessna wreckage) and taking our time
Day 9: Gracie's bravery leaping onto a log bridge and her prowess pulling me up Albert Mountain.
Day 10: Trail magic sodas, snacks, and dog treats at Winding Stair Gap and the free ride to Franklin, a hot shower, and laundry! I was starting to smell like the Gorilla exhibit at the Zoo!

Unfortunately, I can't upload photos from here, but will do so when I get a chance. Next major update won't be until Hot Springs, NC, which is 170-something miles from here. Thanks so much for the phone calls and emails, they are so sustaining, keep 'em coming. We'll keep walking!

After 10 days, the list of things that don't hurt has finally gotten longer than the list of things that do. As I told my Mom, though, my heart and spirit feel great, so the physical pain is really inconsequential. We're still finding our groove and getting the hang of things, but trail life is good, so far.

on our way

My life for the next six months reduced to a 3x4 foot square.
<-----
Gracie and I are headed to Baytown this afternoon, soon after I finish this post. We'll have a quick visit with family, then hit the road for Georgia Monday morning. The plan is to start the Approach Trail to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian National Scenic Trailway Wednesday morning. Just getting to this point of departure has been an incredible journey, and I owe my thanks to many people who have helped make this a reality. It feels really strange to be leaving, and it is actually hard to say goodbye. It helps to know that I am definitely returning to Austin - to my friends, family, community, home. Your love, support, and belief in me is invaluable. My deepest thanks to:
Emily - for the spreadsheet to end all spreadsheets, I would've been lost without it!
Mykel - for the dehydrator that will no doubt make me a contender for "best fed hiker" status
Krista, Ken, Eddie, Laura, Jenn, Sandra, and Emily for making incredible meals out of a mountain of dehydrated food
Sandra & Katie - for helping me nail down logistics for Gracie
Doug - for sharing your experience and enthusiasm for the trail
Tim - for planting the seed by telling me years ago that I should do it, when I asked you about your AT bumper sticker
The TUMC community - for walking this journey with me in spirit
Mom & Dad - for your generous and loving support and help with getting things squared away in Austin
The MailDrop Angels - for signing up to ship resupply provisions, you sustain me!

There are many others who have been involved in some way in making this happen, and you have my deepest gratitude. For now, Gracie and I are headed out, next time you hear from us, we'll be somewhere in North Carolina. Peace and love!

Need More Cowbell!

To alert bears to her presence, Gracie will be wearing a bell while we hike. You can get a "bear bell" at places like REI, but I figured I could find or make something that would work just as well and cost less. I found just what I needed at a hobby supply store. In their bell section, they had 3-packs of bells for less than a single bell at REI. But better than that, they had mini cowbells! Impossible to resist. Do you think it will be obvious we're from Texas?

Hill of Life

This morning, and yes, I consider 10:30am to be morning, Gracie & I set out with full packs from the Mopac/360 greenbelt access. Our goal - hike to the top of the Hill of Life and back. A 5-6 mile round trip. The weather was cool and I had about 2L of water for us. The approach to the Hill felt great. A 25+ pound pack pushes me into a forward lean, and it feels like I'm being pushed along the trail. Gracie was wanting to surge ahead, and I kept having to hold her back. Someone is a little driven and goal oriented, as well as goofy. Wonder where she gets that? About halfway up the Hill of Life, repeats sounded like a good idea. We took a water break at the top, and I had a snack break, then we went down and back up again. Two was enough for today. I rewarded Gracie with a swim in the creek, while I tested the water filter.

When do we swim?









Atop the Hill of Life!










Filtering water is such hard work!









Glad you filled that water filter before I jumped in!









Best dog and backpacking partner Ever!

backyard shakedown

In a perfect world, by now Gracie and I would have been on a number of brief overnight trips and at least one week-long hike to test everything out and develop a routine. That has not happened, and at this point, we've got over 2000 miles ahead of us with which to fine tune. I'm planning to start slow, 10+ miles per day average, while we get everything figured out and create a routine that works for us. Still, when I saw the weather report for last night, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to test the gear for cold weather.

So I pitched the tarp in the front yard. Of course, I waited until 10:30pm to put myself at a little disadvantage, since I won't always get to pitch in ideal conditions, and I was able to test the headlamp. I'm still working on getting a good, taut pitch to the tarp. The trekking poles make this easier, and I'll have it down before too long.
Last night's pitch, shown above, was much better than the one for the party Sunday, shown below.
The sleeping bag was a great investment. It only got down to 34 last night, but Gracie and I both stayed toasty, with the exception of my feet. That's probably because the sleeping pad doesn't extend beyond my lower legs. I cut that section out for Gracie to use, but I'll remedy that on the trail by placing the backpack there. Gracie did a good job staying close to keep us both warm, and the bag was roomy enough that I could throw a section over her and we could easily use it quilt-style. If we see colder temps, and it's likely we will, I've got additional layers I can wear, and Gracie has her fleece coat, so I think we're set. If need be, a silk bag liner will add an extra 5-10 degrees comfort range to the bag, but I'm gonna wait and see if I can get by without it.

After coffee, granola, and blogging, we're off to pack everything up and hike the Hill of Life!

Gear tests to date:

• Headlamp
• Pitching the tarp at night
• Camping in the cold
• Sleeping bag
• Wool baselayer top & bottom
• Buff - balaclava style
  
• Backpacking stove

AT Info

Here's a map with the elevation profile of the AT and a couple of links if you want to find out more about this National Scenic Trailway. I'm thinking this map looks pretty daunting simply because it's so horizontally compressed. I'll let you know how that theory plays out!

Appalachian Trail Conservancy - a volunteer-based organization dedicated to the preservation and management of the natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources associated with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in order to provide primitive outdoor-recreation and educational opportunities for Trail visitors. This is where my research began, by requesting free information packets about hiking the trail and hiking with dogs. The graphic comes from that info packet, but I somehow don't remember seeing it before today. One-stop source for maps, guidebooks, trail memoirs, mementos, and where I purchased my AT Thru-Hiker's Companion, which will be my primary guidebook for my hike.

WhiteBlaze.net - a community of Appalachian Trail enthusiasts, named for the 2" x 6" white painted blazes that mark the AT approximately every quarter mile. A fantastic source of information for trip planning, including food, gear, resupply, lodging, and just about any question a hiker might have about getting ready to hike the AT. I used information here to develop my itinerary, research gear, and get an idea of what life on the trail might be like. WhiteBlaze led me to information and gear lists for lightweight and ultralight backpacking.

Trailplace - An AT resource website and publisher of the Thru-Hiker's Handbook, another useful guide. Trailplace also has a forum that's a good resource for info from fellow hikers. I'll be taking the first section of the Handbook on my hike. It's a good table of distances to shelters, campsites, roads, water sources, and towns, and includes elevation profiles at the bottom of each page. If I decide I don't like seeing the elevation profiles, I can always send this section home, since the same information is included in the Companion (with elevations shown numerically, instead of graphically).

TrailJournals.com - Global backpacking journals from long-distance hikers. A fun and motivating diversion.

Many thanks to my friends and family who picked up supply boxes yesterday. It was great to see you all and know that you are supporting me in many ways as I continue on this journey.

Tiki-Tiki-Tavi

This article in the NY Times brought back some memories. The year I came out, I took a trip to San Francisco to visit Ernest, my friend from the zoo who'd moved to SF with his partner. They kindly hosted me in their awesomely quirky SoMa apartment. I spent my day exploring the city, and in the evenings, accompanied them at a number of social engagements. One night, a friend of theirs was celebrating a birthday at the Tonga Room. Pure, over-the-top decadent and dated kitsch. I loved it. What can be better than gargantuan drinks with umbrellas, fruit skewers, and two-foot straws in a basement that has a tropical lagoon and a Polynesian show. I don't remember (gargantuan drinks be damned!) what the show involved. I really want to say it paid tribute to Esther Williams/Busby Berkeley, but I think that's more wishful thinking than a reflection of reality. Still, it was great fun, even if no one from our party ended up in the pool. Long live the Tonga Room!

Trail Names

Long distance hikers often have "trail names," a nickname they go by on the trail, either self-created or bestowed upon them during their hike. Trail names usually represent some character trait of, or funny thing that happened to the hiker. There's always a story behind it. I don't have a trail name yet. It seems presumptuous for me to give myself one before I've stepped foot on the trail. I have considered names that I thought would be fun or fitting trail names for myself and for Gracie, but I'm gonna wait and see what my fellow hikers come up with. I retain the right of first refusal, but I will let you know when (and if) I get one that sticks. I think the best suggestion for Gracie, courtesy of my housemate, is "Bottomless Pit."

A Journey of a Thousand Miles

Begins with a single step, and so does a journey of 2178.3 miles.

What's with the talk about hiking gear, and the Appalachian Trail? A couple of years ago I set a goal of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail (the AT) in 2009. So, it's time to get to it. Here's some info about the how and why of it, from my perspective.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to do some kind of long distance outdoor adventure. Things like biking the Pacific Coast Highway, adventure races, and long distance hikes have captivated my imagination. When major life events happened in 2005/2006, I slowly began to take stock of how I'd chosen to spend my time, and realized that I had never really challenged myself to the kind of major personal goals that I often found myself daydreaming about. Sure, I'd been a committed runner since I was in my teens, and was quite happy with my professional accomplishments, but I'd never really taken on a major goal of my very own. I had been complacent and willing to let others direct the course of my life. So I started writing goals down, and actually pursuing them. The AT became part of a three year plan, and I'd never planned more than three months ahead for anything.

Honestly, I don't remember exactly when or what inspired me to add the AT to my goals, but as I started reading about it, and the experiences of people who'd hiked the AT, and other long trails, I was hooked. Now, as the trip looms ever closer (less than two weeks away by the time I post this entry) for the first time in my life, I know what Joseph Campbell was talking about when he said "follow your bliss."

"...if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be."

That has certainly been the case in preparing this trip. I have been embraced, supported, and guided by my community of friends, as well as people I have sought out, and people have appeared in my life to help me as I have researched and tested gear, considered logistics and planning, and discovered how to make this work. Each time I feel scared, overwhelmed, or doubtful, something happens to reenergize me, motivate me, and remind me that I can do this, that, for now, I am meant to do this. There's a certain sense that I've gone past the point of no return, there's no turning back, and I feel compelled to keep going. I laughingly say too many people know about and are a part of this journey for me to back out now. But deep down, I also feel a quiet, unmistakable yearning that this is something that I must do.

If the Joe Campbell quote didn't sum it up, this, from "Ten Fun Things to Do Before You Die," written by nun other than Karol Jackowski as part of a "last lecture" series at a college, says it pretty well when she talks about how it felt to be called to be a nun. I've taken the liberty to replace nun-specific language with references to my hike.

"Truth be told, all I really knew when I felt called to [hike the AT] was this surprising need, a growing impulse to follow my uninformed, naive fascination with [long distance hiking], to yield to the mysteriousness of it all, even leave family and friends for the sake of it. At the time I vaguely knew that when anything stirs us that deeply, moves us to the point of distraction, and urgently invites us to follow, we must pack up, go, and be not afraid. Never fear the less-traveled road. Respect such mysterious calls always and take them very seriously. Never minimize or regard them as foolishness. In the beginning, I blindly believed and trusted, but now I know and see for sure that such is the call of the Gods."

So, why the AT? There are several other "long trails" in the US, such as the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. I chose the AT because, for my first solo adventure, I wanted to do something that many others had also done. I'm not quite ready to get out there with a compass and map in truly remote territory. I wanted to step into a well-traveled path, and the AT is that. There is an abundance of information available about thru-hiking the AT, and it's not that hard to find people who've done it, or some part of it. Yes, to hike the entire 2178.3 miles is a major undertaking, but it also felt like a manageable goal for me and for Gracie. In exactly two weeks, the hike will begin, but it's just another step on a journey that began long ago.