Day 25, March 25, 2009

It was a crazy day. It rained all last night and while we were packing up camp this morning. But luckily as soon as we started hiking, the rain stopped. Yes, the rain stopped, but the unfortunately the wind began. The wind was blowing so hard it made a very loud, howling noise as it whipped through the forest. At some points, it even blew one off the trail. We crossed over a couple of big “bald” areas today with large grassy, treeless fields. When we hiked across those fields, we had to lean into the wind or we would lose our balance. It didn’t rain all day and even though there were some clouds, the views were still awesome. We also made really good time today. We got to the shelter before 3:00 pm after hiking 13 miles today. As soon as we got to our spot for the night and got our tent set up, it started raining….good timing! Luckily, since we already had out tents set up, our stuff didn’t get wet. Plus, we are camping next to a shelter that had a covered cooking area! Sweet! One of the guys sleeping in the shelter tonight is through-hiking with a small backpackers guitar. So we got to hear/play some music tonight which was really nice. Tomorrow we are going to hike 18 miles (our longest day yet) to get into Hot Springs, NC. So since its going to be a big day, we are going to bed early. Tomorrow, Friday, we will do laundry, take showers, make phone calls, get on the Internet, and sleep in a bed. It will be nice! XOXO, good night! OUTLOUD

Day 24, March 24, 2009

It is about 9:00 pm and Giggles and I just got into our tent to go to sleep. It was a fun, but tiring day. We had an awesome morning because instead of waking up around 8:30 am and hitting the trail by 8:30 or 9 am, we didn’t leave until about 11:00 am. We woke up early, but we just stayed in our sleeping bags until about 9, ate breakfast and chilled with Indiana Jones. We only had a few hours of hiking to do to meet up with Topo’s parents, but they were not going to be there until 5:30 or 6:00 pm, so we enjoyed taking our time. We stopped at a really cook, old look-out tower about ½ mile off the trail for lunch. It was called Mount Camerer. The old tower looked like a beach house and we sat on some warm rocks in the sun and enjoyed a long lunch. Then the hike down to meet Topo’s parents was very flat and enjoyable. We saw a little garden snake, some gorgeous small waterfalls, and enjoyed the sunny, warm weather. We got the road where we were meeting the Palmers a little early, so we stopped at Standing Bear Hostel to hang out for a bit. Topo’s parents brought us a re-supply of food, a delicious dinner and Mosey back! We had roast beef sandwiches, Caesar salad, sweet tea, fresh berries, and brownies. Yummy. Plus, we finished the section of the trail in the Smoky Mountains National Park that dogs are not allowed on, so we were all excited to see our buddy Mosey again. We hiked 2 miles more up the trail after dinner to o……camping at Painter-Branter (spelling????) campsite. We met back up with our friend Evergreen tonight. I think I will sleep well tonight. XOXOXOXOXO OutLoud.

Day 23, March 23, 2009

Its about 5:30 pm and we are hanging out at Crosby Knob Shelter. We hiked about 13 miles today and got into the shelter around 3:00. We had warm weather today and there were some fair-weather clouds shading us. We hiked along the ridge line all day. There were many majestic views along the way. We stopped at a delightful grassy spot with a pretty view for lunch. We hiked about ½ the day with a friend we met a week or so ago on the trail, “Indiana Jones.” We spent the afternoon collecting firewood and hanging out. We are about to cook some dinner and have an awesome fire in the fireplace inside the shelter we are staying in. Tomorrow we get Mosey back! Topo’s parents are going to meet us in the evening with roast beef sandwiches and with our 4th partner in crime, Mosey. Good bye for now!

Day 22, March 22, 2009

Today was another great day in the Smokies. We hiked 4.9 miles out of the woods to Newfound Gap. There we met up with Topo’s girlfriend, Whitney, who brought us donuts and our food re-supply for the next 3 days. She came hiking with us for a few miles down the trail and then we stopped at a shelter for lunch. Soon after lunch we came to a place called Charlie’s Bunion. It was a rocky outcrop with an amazing view. Topo took an awesome picture of me jumping up with the view in the background. Then we hiked on. The weather was gorgeous. We hiked a total of 15.4 miles today. We met some more new people tonight. Some college students from Brown. They shared marshmallows with us and we toasted them over a fire that we build inside the shelter. We also played a fun word/charades game with them. It was a fun night. Time for bed. XOXO – good night.

Day 21, March 21, 2009

Today was another spectacular (and gorgeous) day. I just found out that we have now completed 200 miles on the AT. (editorial note by mom: "Wow, impressive.") We had beautiful, sunny weather all day during our 15 mile trek in Smoky Mountain National Park. We also summitted the highest peak on the AT today. It is called Clingman’s Dome and it is 6,643 feet high. At the top of the mountain, there was this crazy tower which you could walk up a ramp to get to a 360 degree view at the top. It was beautiful and we had no clouds blocking the view. Then we hiked on to Mount Collins Shelter. The high elevation is filled with balsam fir trees and the slightly cool fresh air smelled so great. We enjoyed the refreshing scents all day. Tonight we built another fire inside the shelter we are camping at. Trapper is here, along with a few other new people we had not met before tonight. There is also a 60 year old “ridge runner” that is staying at this shelter. He is a volunteer that cleans up the trail and does other maintenance all day as he hikes his territory. There are 3 ridge runners in the Smokies. They do a great job maintaining the area for us hikers and we appreciate them. Good night for now.

Day 20, March 20, 2009

It was a great day. We hiked 11 miles through the gorgeous Smoky Mountains and we had lovely weather all day long. It was about 32 degrees when we woke up this morning, but it was blue, sunny skies all day. The slightly chilly air and breeze was nice for the uphills. We hiked 3 peaks today including Rocky Top, N.C. We got the shelter at 3:45, so we had a while to hang out and collect firewood. Luckily there was room for us in the shelter, AND another fireplace inside the shelter. We cooker dinner, watched the colorful sunset and hung out around the fire. We met some more cook people tonight just in the Smokies. Just another fun day along the Appalachian Trail! Goodnight.

Days 17, 18, & 19. March 17-19, 2009

Well, we are back on the trail after taking off to Asheville for a bit. Tuesday was St. Patty’s day, we hiked 6 miles out to a road in Fontana Dam and Topo’s girlfriend, Whitney, drove up about an hour and a half to Asheville.

Sound Tribe Sector 9, my favorite band, just happened to be playing in Asheville, so we all went out to the show. When we got to town, we dropped Giggles off to hang out with her boyfriend, Dalton, and then we went to Topo’s sister’s house. We were lucky to have a sunny day because we were able to lay all of our wet gear out to dry in the sun. I hung out with Topo and his sister, until Korinne and a few others from Charleston came and picked me up on their way into town. We went to a hotel downtown, and then we went out to see Sound Tribe. Korinne brought me some clean, cotton, non-camping clothes to wear while I was not hiking for a few days. That was awesome! We chowed down on some delicious Mexican food on the way to the show. The STS9 show was great fun. I saw a lot of people I knew from Charleston and from Boone. After the show, Noah got into town! We hung out for a little while than I got to sleep in a real bed! Wednesday was our first day of no hiking, or a thru-hikers call it, a “zero- day”….and it was awesome. I woke up on the early side and it was an absolutely gorgeous out, so Noah and I walked around Asheville all day. We also ate at my favorite Asheville restaurant, Tupelo Honey Café. I had candies ginger cornbread with peach butter and grilled cheese (with goat cheese and havarti) and the best tomato soup ever! It was a wonderfully satisfying and awesome meal. After lunch, we just relaxed for the afternoon and than at sushi and Thai food for dinner…mmmmmmmm! I was tired, so we just took it easy for the rest of the night while Korinne and my other friends went to the show. Then this morning we left Asheville around 9:00 am to drive back to the trail, right where we left off. Today we entered Smoky Mountain National Park and hiked about 11 miles. It was sunny all day until about 4:30 pm, then the rains came pouring down on us. Luckily, there was room for us in the shelter, so we managed to stay fairly dry. The day off was nice and much needed, but it feels great to be back on the AT. We met a bunch of cool people in the shelter tonight and saw some people we already knew. This shelter is nice because it is big, sleeps 14 and has a covered cooking area and a stone fireplace inside the sleeping areas. A man named JD, his son (a 5th grader named “Close Call” and one of JD’s students (an 8th grader named “Bad Punster”) have been keeping the fire going all evening…..pretty nice for this damp, cold, night. Tomorrow is supposed to be pleasant for which we are grateful. We are going to hike about 12 miles further into the Smokies. Good night.

March 16, 2009 Day 16

DAY 16, March 16, 2009

Today was fun and empowering. We hiked 9 miles (mostly in the rain again) before we stopped at Brown Fork Shelter for lunch. After lunch, we hiked another 5-6 miles before we stopped for the night at a small shelter for the night at a place called Cable Gap. The shelter was full, but luckily we got here when the rain had just slowed down enough for us to put up our tents. We cooked dinner and we shared a fire with the people staying in and around the shelter. Now we are going to bed early because we are getting up at 6:45 am. We have to hike 6 miles out and meet Topo’s girlfriend, Whitney who is going to pick us up and drive us to Asheville. Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and we are going to see Sound Tribe! Woooooooo hooooooooo! Then on Wednesday, we will take our first “Zero Day” as AT hikers call it. And get back to the trail on Thursday. It should be a great time. PEACE OUT YO!

Day 15! March 15 Yeee Haw
We woke up this morning to another foggy, damp, drizzly day. We packed up at the shelter and had a quick mile hike down to the Nantahala. The trail crosses right by the Nantahala Outdoor Center and over the Nantahala River. We took a quick look around at the N.D.C. and then headed back UP into the mountains – 6 miles up, that is!. The rain sort of subsided but it was still very foggy and rain was dripping off the trees. The coolness in the air was nice considering all of the uphill hiking. Even though we couldn’t see far off the trail, the trail itself and its borders were very pretty today. There was a few rock over-hangs, a water fallish type creek, lots of rock out-croppings, and many spots where the trees and brush outlining the trail formed an arch over the pathway. It was inviting and beautiful. The long uphill trek was very rewarding when we got to the top. On the way up, I passed by a friendly couple that gave me a piece of Amish Friendship bread. It was delicious! We stopped at a shelter where we planned to have lunch…and ended up just staying here for the night. It is still wet and raining out and the place we were planning on going to was only 3 more mils, and didn’t have a shelter. So we decided to tack on an extra 3 miles tomorrow’s plan and stay dry tonight. The shelter here is called Sassafras Gap. It holds about 12-16 people. There are 11 of us here tonight. We got kin kind of early since we cut the day short, so we have just been eating and hanging out. We also wrote out own mad-libs and played a game called contact. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, so I better get some sleep. Good night

Day 14 WOW

So 14 is my lucky number and today was very fitting. We got to sleep in a warm, dry tent while it rained all night. Then we woke up to a local Baptist church group providing even more trail magic! They had homemade biscuits with sausage gravy and scrambled eggs, bit thick slices of bacon and homemade sausage patties, orange juice, hot drinks, milk, homemade jam, apples, carrots, and more. They also had a huge fire roaring by 8:30 am and big tents set up because it was raining pretty hard. After that amazing breakfast, we hiked about 11.8 miles today...in the rain. It has not stopped raining since last night, but it was actually kind of fun to hike in the rain today. Some of the "views" were way too foggy to see anything at all, which was a bit disappointing, but there were also some spots where fog and low sitting clouds covered only parts of the mountains, but bits and pieced of the giant rocks poked out. Today was also awesome because Topo's parents, Methan and Mozzy Lou came with amazing amounts of trail magic. They had to come pick up our 4th partner, Mosey, because doggies are not allowed in the Smokies and we are taking the 17th and 18th off to go to Asheville. So....since they were coming to pick up Mosey anyway, they decided to hike up and meet us at Rufas Morgan Shelter with a 70 pound pack full of goodies for us. They brought....cheeseburgers, pizza, chili, brownies, fruit, salad, a veggie tray, beer, sweet tea and so much more! They made sure we were all stuffed full of the wonderful treats and even brought along a laptop computer so we could all upload our pictures. Then they had to go (and take Mosey, too) before it got dark. Tonight, we are camping with Big Boots and a new guy named Trapper we met tonight who is section hiking. Trapper got a big fire going even thought it didn't stop raining all night. We are lucky to be in shelter tonight. Its a pretty small one, probably sleeps about 6 and we only have 5. Tonight we will sleep to the sound of rain on the shelter's tin roof. Goodnight.

Day 13 aka Friday, March 13, 2009

Today has been awesome! We had some cloudy and very foggy weather, so we missed out on some of the views, but just before we got to where we planned on camping tonight, we came across a sign that read "Trail Magic", free hot-dogs.....etc! Just a few yards from the sign we found a huge orange dome tent and a very nice man named Apple. He had a propane heater, a wood burning stove, a generator, a stove, a microwave, coolers, hot dogs, hot chocolate, coffee, cherry Coke, oranges, Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, and more! We also found out that a church group from a nearby town is coming to this same spot tomorrow to provide more trail magic in the form of free biscuits and gravy for breakfast and burgers for lunch. So......we decided to cut out the last mile of our plan for the day and stay awhile! When we arrived, Evergreen and Big Boots were already here. Eventually, a man named Chestnut who has thru-hiked 3 times already and is attempting his 4th, joined us. Other hiking acquaintances, HardCore and Ketchup joined us later. We talked with Apple, consumed great quantities of food and just hung out in the toasty warm tent that would be our home for the evening. This trail magic could not have come at a more perfect time. The first rain we have had this trip has been pouring down hard down, while we are happily remaining warm and dry in Apple's amazing set up. Apple has been a trail angel since 2003. He even has a book full of pictures and stories of past hikers in past years. He provides trail magic on the AT for one month every spring and one month every fall for AT thru-hikers. Then, Apple goes out to Colorado to provide some magic for PCT hikers. When he is not busy providing trail magic, Apple is doing rail maintenance such as cutting away fallen trees that are blocking the trail, building shelters and privies, and whatever else needs to be done. It has been a memorable night. Tomorrow we will eat our fill of biscuits and gravy and then head out to Rufus Morgan Shelter, about 11 miles away. Then we will get treated again because Topo's parents are coming to pick up Mosey and to bring us dinner and treats. Until tomorrow.....good night.

Days 11 and 12: March 11 -12, 2009

Yesterday (Day 11) we decided to hike 3 more miles than we had originally planned in order to get into Franklin, NC and spend the night there as opposed to just stopping by the next day to pick up our drop boxes. That turned Day 11 into our longest hiking day yet. We hiked 16 miles yesterday including crossing the 100 mile mark on our 2,175 mile journey. It was a great day. It seemed to be on the brink of raining all day long, but it never did. The clouds were a nice and effective shield from the heat of the sun. We got to Franklin around 6:00 pm and left there this afternoon. The town itself did not have quite as much character as Helen, GA, but the people we met there sure did. A man named Ron Haven who owns the hotel/motel we stayed in and had our re-supply packages sent to, also happened to own a hostel across the street from the hotel, a bunch of rental properties and about half the town. He was quite a character and very friendly to hikers. He sent a hiker named, "The Dude" to pick us up from the trail and give us a free ride to the hotel. (This is a service he offers to people, even those who are not staying at his hotel or hostel, even those they are the best deals in town.) We did laundry (much needed), took showers (also much needed), and went to eat at a Mexican restaurant. Needless to say.....It was deeeee-licious! After that, we dragged our stuffed bodies back to he hotel to get some sleep. This morning, Kat and I ran some errands around town, sending some things back home at the post office, getting some more fuel at a gear shop, and picking up a little bit of extra food to supplement our re-supply boxes. Then we packed up at the hotel, went and got some fresh, delectable sandwiches and headed back up to the trail. Mr. Haven himself gave us a ride back to the trail. We just had to go with with on a quick "pit stop" so he could help lift a bathtub up to a second story doorway at one of his rental properties. Topo and the other men in our shuttle ride helped the workers lift the tub while Giggles, Mosey, and I watched. It was pretty random. After that, Mr. Haven entertained us with stories of the Native Americans that used to inhabit the mountains we are hiking in. He was very familiar with their tribal language as well. He told us that "Appalachia" means forever and that "Watauga" (like the name of the county where Boone is located) means water, amongst many other interesting factoids. Ron Haven was a very engaging guy. We hiked about 4 miles into the woods up to a bald spot and landed at a shelter called Silar Bald Shelter. We are spending the night here with Evergreen, Saw Man, and Big Boots. We got here pretty early and had plenty of time to chill this afternoon. Then we cooked dinner and hung out around another enormous fire for the evening. Tomorrow, we will get back into the grind and hike about 12 miles. Better get some sleep!

Day 10: March 10, 2009

Today was a very chill hike. It was relatively flat except for one big mountain known as Standing Indian Mountain. It was the highest peak we have climbed so far, but it had many switch-backs that very slowly wound us up the mountain at a low angle. Sot is was actually quite pleasant. The weather was still awesome today: warm, sunny, dry, and a gentle breeze. We hiked about 12 miles and landed at Carter Gap Shelter. There are 2 shelters here. One that was built in the 1950's and looks like it may even to too shoddy for mice to inhabit. And one newer shelter. Topo, Giggles, Mosey and I, along with Evergreen, Memphis, Indiana Jones, and SawMan decided to claim a large, flattish area in front of the older shelter so we could all camp together and use the big fire pit in front of the shelter. We cooked dinner and then sat sroung th fire all night telling each other stories. We talked about the craziest things we had ever done and gotten away with. Talkes of car crashes, survival, food, music, and who knows what else. SawMan was in the Marines and stationed in Iraq for a while. He had some pretty crazy stories. We are all getty pretty dirty and very stinky by this point. But we are all still having a good time. Peace!

Day 9: March 9, 2009

Well, we made it to North Carolina. We have gone almost 80 miles since Springer Mountain. One state down, 13 to go! Today we hiked about 10.6 miles and landed at Muskrat Creek Shelter which is just a few miles into North Carolina. It was a bit rugged today as we had many steep uphills. The temperature was hot for the most part, but there were some clouds so provide relief in the morning and a pleasant breeze for the better part of the day. We stopped for another long lunch break about 7 miles into our day right after we crossed into N.C. There was a really cool, old, gnarled oak tree and a pretty view. After lunch, the terrain got much steeper. Tonight we are camping again with Memphis, Indiana Jones, Evergreen, and Left Toe. A few others are also camping with us including Saw Man from Rhode Island and a guy who has already thru-hiked going southbound in 2006 and is now attempting to thru-hike northbound, like us. We have decided to call ourselves (Kat- "Giggles", Adam- "Topo", me- "OutLoud", and Mosey the dog) the Mosying Mountaineers. That is how we sign all of the registers in the shelters along the way. We told some more riddles around the campfire tonight and are enjoying the cool evening. Good night.

Day 8: Sunday, March 8

Today was a gorgeous, warm, bright sunny day here in Georgia. We all got a lot of sun and a little sun burn. It was hot and sweaty while we were hiking, but its certainly a lot better than the freezing temperatures we were dealing with just a few days ago. We hiked about 12 miles today. Due to daylight savings time and more light later in the evening, we were able to take a luxurious 2 hour lunch break. We have been hanging out with 2 guys and a girl we met on the trail: Indiana Jones, Memphis, and Evergreen. They all came out separately, but have been getting to know each other on the trail because they all hike around the same pace. Tonight, we hung out around the campfire with those three and Left Toe. A little later on, another hiker named Growler came to join us. We enjoyed the evening telling riddles. Now its time to go to sleep. Goodnight.

April 5-6 Ahhhhhhhhhhh....Boone

Erin & I rented a really nice 3 BR cabin in Valle Crusis complete with all the amenities including a great Jacuzzi hot tub. I met the Crew at a restaurant Topo had worked in prior to graduating which was just up the road a piece from the cabin. They had just finished a nice day after several horrible rainy days ascending Roan Mountain. Giggles was not with Topo & Outloud since she was helping her parents with an engagement party for her sister, but Indiana Jones was. He has been with our Crew for several weeks and has become a member of the family.
They had a lot of stuff to unpack and reorganize, but they could only think of getting into that tub. So in the tub they went….for about 30 min. Aaaah!
They each showered, unpacked, did laundry and kicked back for a long deserved R & R!

Erin & I, well Erin, prepared a beautiful Surf & Turf meal for our weary hikers. Sirloin roast with a reduction of Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 large fresh lobsters, Au Gratin potatoes, a beautiful Yorkshire pudding, and a great salad with prosciutto, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and herbed goat cheese. As you can see, Whitney arrived in time for dinner. We knocked off a few bottles of some good wine and then relaxed for a while. The “kids” took another tub, redressed, and were ready for desert. Hot brownies smothered with Vanilla Bean and Coffee Hagen Das and fresh strawberries, along with Champaign.
Topo made a nice fire in the living room fireplace and we all sorta faded out.

I started the morning bacon early, so all awoke to that so familiar smell. We all pitched in to make cheesy scrambled eggs, tons of buttered

pancakes and OJ.

We all took our time and packed. The Crew will take 2 zero days and hit the trail Thursday morning. And it’s a good thing too in that it snowed 4” in Boone last night and they were all real happy they were taking THIS day off !

Days 6 and 7: March 6 & 7, 2009

Yesterday, (Day 6), Topo, Giggles, and I decided that it was time for a day off! Our knees and joints were sore, we were tired, and it was Giggle's birthday. So....we hiked the 3ish miles out of the woods and got ready to hitchhike into Helen, GA. After only about 20 minutes, we got a ride from a man with a truck and 5 hunting pit bulls. It was about 11:00 am. When we got to town, it immediately felt like a fairy tale. Helen, GA is a small, quaint German village. Every building looks like it came out of a German Disney movie. The hotel we stayed at, called the Helendorf, had murals of Rapunzel painted on the walls and we went to a chocolate shoppe called Hansel and Gretel's Chocolate Kitchen. A friend we met on the trail, "Left Toe," stayed with us. We had all day to shop, relax, hang out, eat restaurant food, and drink ice cold beer out of frosty mugs. It was amazing how much we enjoyed such simple pleasures. The only little "bump" we encountered was after we got dropped off at our hotel Topo realized that Mosey's doggie pack had been inadvertently left in the the guy's truck. As it was not something that can be easily or conveniently replaced, Topo was kind of freaking out at the loss of the doggie pack. As soon as he realized what had happened, Topo hitched a ride back to the trail head to see if the man with the truck (and hopefully Mosey's doggie pack) was there. We told the lady at the front desk of the hotel our situation and that we were hoping a man might possibly come by bringing Mosey's pack to us. We gave her our phone numbers in case he showed up. Unfortunately, Topo had no luck in his quest. He got a ride back into town and met us at the hotel. He had already discovered that he could not buy a dog pack anywhere in Helen, Georgia (no surprise there). Topo was understandably upset. Carrying Mosey's food would have added about 8 pounds to Topo's pack. As we sat there weighing our options and deciding what we could do about the situation, the phone rang. The man who had given us a ride had discovered Mosey's pack and brought it back to us. He lived quite a distance away and the folks at the hotel told us that it must have cost him $20 in gas just to do us that favor. The hotel staff were so impressed by this man's kindness, that they called in the story to the local paper! His good deed captured someone's heart because the paper decided to write an article about him. This morning, they came by to take our picture (including Mosey with his doggie pack on) to accompany our story. The rest of the day and night in Helen was awesome. We got to take showers, do laundry, eat lots of food (that was not freeze-dried or came out of a bag), go swimming in the hotel's heated pool and most of all celebrate Kat's birthday. We got some good "bed sleeping" in and woke up around 9:30 am. We chowed down on the free danishes at the hotel, went to the library to use the Internet, picked up sandwiches for lunch, and then hitched a ride back out to the trail. We picked up right where we left off....a huge uphill!! We only hiked about 6 miles today, but the elevation was quite high. Tonight we are camping at a campsite right in front of Tray Mountain Shelter. Left Toe is still hanging out with us. We enjoyed extremely warm weather today and a nice toasty campfire in the cool of the evening. Tomorrow is back to the grind. Oh yeah..... one last and perhaps most significant event, I got my trail name today. And it is Out Loud. I have tried a few other names, but none of them felt right and none of them stuck. I think Out Loud is perfect and anyone who knows me would probably agree. I am a very open person. I say what is on my mind and I don't have anything to hide. I also frequently tend to think aloud. I feel my trail name describes my personality well and I will be proud to be know as Out Loud from now on as I continue my journey on the trail. Good night for now.

Mosey: Member of the Team

Day 5: March 5, 2009

Today was our longest hike yet..... 13 miles. It was also our warmest day to date. The sun was shining down on us all day long. We stopped for lunch at Low Gap Shelter. There we took about an hour long break during which we enjoyed the creek and basked in the warm sun before we continued on. Most of the hike today was right along the ridge line of the Georgia Appalachian Mountains. It was truly awesome as there was a view in both directions. No matter where we looked, a beautiful vista lay before us. While we hiked today, we met a nice guy named "South Side" who is on his second attempt to through-hike the Appalachian Trail. Tonight we are camping at a site right before Blue Mountain Shelter. Left Toe is joining us again and we had another raging fire. After dark, another hiker, named "Hardcore" showed up to camp out with us. We had previously met and hung out with him a few times already. In fact, we helped him decide on his trail name. The other day when we saw him, he shared a story about a terrible car wreck he had survived. He was telling us and some other hikers about the experience. One of the guys said, "Man, you are hardcore!" Then proceeded to ask him his name. When he answered that he didn't have a trail name yet, Kat and I knew it should be "Hardcore." He agreed. Tomorrow is not only our first resupply stop, but it is also Giggle's 22nd birthday. We will go into Helen, Georgia tomorrow and pick up packages of more food and supplies that we mailed to ourselves before we left for our journey. Then we will celebrate Giggle's birthday.

Day 4: March 4, 2009

This morning we woke up early and got out of camp quickly. We hiked up Blood Mountain and a total of 3.2 miles before we stopped in the Neel's Creek. When we got there, a group of students on spring break from Georgia State were providing "Trail Magic" in the form of hot, juicy hamburgers, free to all hikers! It was awesome. We gorged ourselves on free burgers and drank a cold soda. After we ate, we went into the gear shop and the employees helped us do a "shake down" in which we took everything out of our packs. Then they told us what we could afford to get rid of. I lost about 5 pounds off my pack. Prior to leaving Neel's Creek, I spoke to a dad who was out on the trail with his two children. He and his son were enjoying the day, but his daughter was in the car complaining of the cold weather. The father asked if I would meet his daughter to show her that this was not a "guy" thing and that girls did hike the AT. I hope my presence that day impacted his daughter in a positive way. After our 3 hour break at Neel's Gap, we hiked another 4.2 miles. We are camping at Baggs Creek campsite. We saw a spectacular sunset and built a roaring fire. A really nice guy from Ohio named "Left Toe" is camping with us tonight. Like Giggles and I, Left Toe also majored Recreation Management. He is going to be a summer camp director at Camp Otterbine when he completes his time on the Trail.

Day 3: Tuesday, March 3rd

Another great day here on the Appalachian Trail. I realized that I have not mentioned our 4th trailmate. His name is Mosey and he is a very energetic, tall, red, Irish Setter. He is Adam's (Topo's) dog and he is a very entertaining part of our team. He's always out front leading the way and he protects us at all times. Today, we left camp around 9 am and had a few miles of mild terrain before a very "hilly" afternoon. We hiked up a number of small peaks today, as well as a few bigger ones.....namely "Big Cedar Mountain" and "Gaddis Mountain". It was a total of 12.5 miles. But it was a LONG day! A few highlights of the day (besides the perfect sunny blue sky, the slightly milder weather, and the gorgeous views) include: Lunch- We stopped for lunch just before the summit of Big Cedar Mountain. We found a large, warm, sunny rock with a stunning view and took a 45 minute lunch. During that time Topo noticed that we had cell phone service so we got to talk to our parents. Another highlight of the day was meeting a character named "Dart Man." He was currently unemployed, had already thru-hiked the AT two times, and was next headed to the west coast to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. He had a long beard and seemed like a very nice, wise old man. We also passed over Georgia Highway 60 today and saw a big group of bikers. We are camping out tonight at Slaughter Creek Campsite. We are just before Blood Mountain and a town called Neels Gap where we will stop tomorrow just for a bit to buy some extra food and gear. The shop in this town has a noted claim that they can take 10 pounds off your pack weight. I guess we'll see about that. Tonight we had an awesome fire and now we are going to sleep. It was another great day I wouldn't rather be anywhere else!

Monday, March 2, 2009 AKA Day 2

It was a most excellent first full day on the Appalachian Trail. We "woke up" around 7 am after not really getting much sleep due to the chilly weather. We packed up our gear, ate some hot delicious oatmeal, went to a nearby creek to filter some water to drink for the day and headed out on the trail around 8:45 am. It was still very cold and snow was still covering the ground and trees, but it was a gorgeous, sunny day and the sky was nothing but blue. The Georgia mountains were beautiful. We hiked 12.3 miles up Hawk Mountain to Sassafras. It was tiring, but we made great time (especially since it was our first big day). We got to Gooch Mountain Shelter around 3:45 pm. We had to set up our tents at a campsite because the shelter here is a lot smaller than the one last night, but we got a nice site nearby. We set up camp, cooked dinner, drank some hot chocolate, hung up our food on the tall trees (so bears or other critters can't get to it). Then we filled up our water bottles and headed to bed. It was an awesome day.

Starting our journey in a blanket of snow

Day 1: Sunday, March 1, 2009

So... its the end of Day 1! Can you believe it! We left Charlotte this morning at 8:30 am and had a very rainy drive down to Springer Mountain, Georgia. In fact, it rained the entire drive right up until the moment we got on the service roads that would lead us to our destination...Then it started snowing! It was beautiful. Adam "Topo" Palmer, his dad "Methane" and I met up up with Kat and her parents, and started up to the beginning of the trail at the peak of Springer Mount. There was already a lot of snow on the ground, the trees, everything. . . and it was still coming down pretty hard. It was a bit chilly, but my excitement overcame every other feeling in my body. Besides, it was gorgeous! We hiked down the trail only about 3 miles and stopped at a big, new-looking shelter. There were only a few hikers already there, and plenty of room for a few more, so we decided to call it a day. We have already met a lot of cool people. A couple of guys from Chapel Hill, a guy from Raleigh, a legend of the AT named Sarge who seems very wise, and an Army vet from California named Autumn. As soon as we got to the shelter, we set up our pads and sleeping bags and got inside them to warm up! It was difficult to get out . . . but a hungry belly and an awesome campfire that Methane and Topo was enough to convince me! We ate some food and we all sat around the fire talking. Even though it was kind of cloudy, the sunset was beautiful and we could see a Cheshire cat moon and some stars peeking through. Upon meeting Kat and talking with her for a few minutes, our new friend Autumn assigned Kat her new Trail new. And it is (drum roll please) . . Giggles, of course! It was a great first day. I know this endeavor is going to be the most challenging thing I have ever done. But I have a positive attitude, courage, a great community of support, and I am ready to learn a lot and take away as much as I can from this amazing opportunity.

http://wershblog.blogspot.com