July 14, Mile 1096.0 Just a quick post at the halfway point. The trail officially this year is 2192.0 miles long, so the halfway point means I’ve walked over (if you include blue blazes and town walking) 1096.0 miles to get here. Reaching the halfway point is a huge milestone for me and it feels like I’m finally starting to count the miles down instead of up. Shortly after that I also hit the 1100 mark. Getting to 1192.0 will…
Miles 470.6 – 1025.5, May 31 – July 12 The state of Virginia comprises approximately 544 miles, or over 25%, of the total length of the Appalachian Trail. As I sit here on the north side of the state I reflect on all of the experiences I’ve had over the last month or so it took me to hike it. There are a few defining moments that really stick out in my mind. The 500 mile mark shortly after Damascus…
Posted from Waynesboro, VA mile 863.7. I know I’ve been slow on posting updates on where I’m at and things I’ve been doing. The reality is I’ve been too busy having experiences to write about them. It kills me because I have so much time to think on the trail about all the stuff I want to write about. But when in the woods my day is packed with hiking and camp chores, and when in town it’s packed with…
May 18-May 30, Miles 344.3 – 470.6 Posted from Pearisburg, VA mile 637.0 I know it seems like I focus a lot on the more challenging aspects of this trip. Really much of it is quite beautiful awesome hiking, and pleasant weather. I’d describe it similar to how I’ve heard storm chasing or sailing described: hours (or days) of boredom punctuated my moments of sheer terror. While it’s rarely boring out here, hiking itself is quite monotonous. The momements I…
Let’s talk about rules for a minute. Rules help maintain order, and in a chaotic environment like hiking the AT rules help keep people civil. There are well known trail rules (or etiquette) such as always use your red light at night when possible to avoid bothering other people, and downhill yields to uphill (unless the uphill needs a break anyway which is often the case). I’ve come up with a set of my own rules to live by on…
May 9th-May 18th, mile 274.9-344.2, and 470.3 Hot Springs was one of the first towns where the trail actuallyh walks through the main street. Some friends I met from the brewery I worked at in Honolulu, Brad and Beth, have since moved to North Carolina and have been following my adventure closely. Beth was super excited about meeting me somewhere along the trail to being me some Trail Magic, and we decided Hot Springs would be the easiest place to…
A number of people contacted me recently, concerned that I hadn’t updated my blog in a couple of weeks. I definitely appreciate everyone checking in on me, and please feel free to reach out id I’m on your mind or you’re wondering where I am at right now. I’m finding that utting together these posts from my phone can be very tedious. Typing on a phone keyboard doesn’t always let me express myself the way I could with a computer….
April 26-May 11, Miles 164.9-274.9 Fontana Dam sits right at the beginning of Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The trail literally crosses over the dam before heading up to the trailhead. A permit is required to enter the Smokeys – a $20 fee and agreeing to hang your food (for bears), bury your poop, and only sleep in the shelters gets you 8 days to complete the 70 mile hike through the smokeys. Only being able to stay in the…
April 21-April 27, Miles 109.4-166.3 I escaped the comforts of Franklin, NC on Easter Sunday, hitching a lift back to Winding Stair Gap. I felt refreshed after a couple of days in town and while there was still snow on the trail, the weather was warming up and the sun was shining. It felt great to be hiking again, and I’m finding my legs will basically do whatever I tell them now. I charged up the first mountain and got…
April 15-April 20, Miles 69.2 – 109.4 First, I want to thank everyone who has posted comments on my entries so far. I don’t always have time to respond to all of them, but I definitely read them and really appreciate the support you have shown. Thank you! This section started out slow as another weather system approached. I ended up taking two zeros in Hiawassee as buckets of water fell from the sky. I enjoyed the rest while looking…