2%!

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Mel

Another short dispatch from the field…this time because I’m super sleepy, not because I’m in a port-a-potty (or a privy, don’t worry).

We are at Blue Mt. Shelter, 48.7 miles into our journey, or just over 2% of the whole trail. We’re not actually in the shelter mind you, but in our tent right near it. If you want to snag a spot in one of these lean-to-like structures, you’ve got to end your hiking day around 2-3pm. And on a rainy day like today, perhaps even earlier. Our schedule seems to be more like, hike ALL day and then keep going. We’re averaging 12.2 miles per day and they’ve been full of ups and downs. Gimmie a nice long meadow already! But really, it’s all been beautiful.

There seems to be a lot of excitement in the air at the couple of shelters we’ve come across and ate lunch at. Lots of hikers who seem to be traveling the same pace, have gotten to know each other already and who are just so amped to be out here. We’ve run across https://www.twopointzero.com.au/generic-cialis/ lots of the same folks on numerous occasions, but so far just know their trail names and a bit about where they’re from. It would be nice join in on the comraderie, but for now, our schedules just don’t jive and we certainly have the time to get to know em over the next few months!

2 guys from northern Virginia, Rick and Griff, who we camped next to (and who had a great fire going) 2 nights ago, pointed out a super cool and super old settler’s cemetery. Just some stones, all in a row, streamside. We never woulda noticed it. History abounds.

And now it’s way late and I’m shutting down. Thanks to everyone who’s checking in with us! It means a lot to us to get your comments and support. Keep sending it and we’ll be thinking of you often…and of all the food you’re eating inside of your nice warm homes. ~ Mel (or maybe soon to be known as “Click” since everyone keeps asking, “are you really gonna carry that camera all the way to Maine?!”)

Posted in Trail-time! | 9 Comments

Up and Down

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Mel

This post is from Mike – made on Mel’s phone.

(This may be sung to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus” but that’s not required.)

The Appalachian Trail goes up and down,
up and down,
up and down.
The Appalachian Trail goes up and down, from Georgia up to Maine.
The hikers on the trail go up and down,
up and down,
up and down.
The hikers on the trail go up and down,
in the sun and rain.

Mel and Mike and Tim camped out last night,
out last night,
out last night.
Mel and Mike and Tim camped out last night,
in the pouring rain.
(We might be insane!)

Posted in Trail-time! | 13 Comments

Neels gap

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Mel

Thanks to everyone who’s been sending us good vibes! It’s been a great and at times quite literally an ass-kicking adventure so far. As in ass-kicking mountains 1, 2 and 3. Not their real names, mind you, but our names. Blood Mt, which we just crossed over was aptly named. Finding it a bit tough to keep on schedule, but it was ambitious to start with. And according to some other folks, we’re blazing along. Slow and steady is my motto and i’m blister free so far. But Mike and Tim are itchin to move on today so I best get outta this port-o-potty and move on too. Sorry if that’s tmi, but not much chance to multi-task on the trail. Or many port-a-potties!
Until next time,
Mel

Posted in Trail-time! | 3 Comments

The end of the beginning

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Mike

Seems odd to consider this the end of something, but it’s been a long time preparing and a long drive down to the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, Georgia.  Tim and I arrived an hour or so ago.  Melissa will be here shortly.

Tim and I drove yeaterday from Rochester, NY, to Atkins, VA.  We spent the night in a Comfort Inn.  Today we got up early and drove a couple hours to Kings Collision in Bean Station, TN, where we met Lou, who’ll be storing my car for a couple of weeks until Tim finishes his couple of weeks hiking with us.  (Tim will drive my car back to Rochester, pick up his truck and head back to Vermont.)

We say thanks and goodbye to Scott (right) and his father-in-law as they drop us at the hostel

At King’s Collision, we also met Scott and his father-in-law, who very kindly drove us the rest of the way to Hiker Hostel.  They more than generously spent their whole day (starting at 5 AM!) to drive up to Bean Station to get us, then all the way down to Dahlonega.  WOW!  We don’t meet folks like that every day, but wouldn’t it be nice if we did?

Well, we’re settling in,  getting comfortable, meeting others who’ll be hiking tomorrow.  Don’t know when we’ll next be able to post, but finally we’re at the end of the prep and the start of something new!  God bless our feet, and thanks to everyone who got us this far!

Posted in Preparation, Trail-time! | 2 Comments

Georgia…Georgia…

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Mel

So this is my first attempt at the word press app on my iPhone. Normally I’m a big fan of typing with my fingers on the home keys. That’s not really possible on here, but I expect my thumbs, much like my legs, will become much more agile in a few weeks.

But I digress…I’m in Georgia! At the Atlanta airport. I am waiting around to board the MARTA (Atlanta’s light rail) to take me to the end of the line where the folks from Hiker Hostel where we’re staying tonight will be waiting to pick me up. There are some fellow incoming thru-hikers whose flight is a bit after mine, and since we’re ride sharing, I’ve got some time to kill.

It’s slightly inconceivable that the distance I traveled on the 2 hour flight down here from New York will take me 3 months to return to by foot. And that we’ll still have another 5 states to go after that! Wow. I think I will have a whole new understanding of the life of the early pioneers and the native sons and nomads of this land. Traveling by foot was at one time the only way to go. Now it’s nearly unheard of. I mean even in the city we have the subway and buses to get us around.

After weeks of doing everything in my power to make sure all of my ducks were in a row, automating all of my bill payments, pre-writing checks for my quarterly taxes, planning my upcoming wedding, making sure there’s enough cat food, dyeing my hair back to it’s natural color so I don’t have to do the upkeep on the trail – I’m friggin’ here! And I’m not really sure what happens next. Don’t know when I’ll post again, don’t know how long the iPhone battery is good for or my camera batteries for that matter….but I do know we’ll have food, shelter and our trusty hiking poles.

Guess I’ll truly just have to take it one step at a time.

Posted in Trail-time! | 4 Comments

Last day errands

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Mike

It’s the last day before Tim and I begin our drive down to the start.  I just got a call from Tim, giving us his ETA in Rochester late this afternoon.  I guess for him, the trek has already started.  For Melissa, it begins Friday when she flies from NYC to Atlanta.  For me, it starts tomorrow morning, when Tim and I roll out of the driveway.  So this is the day for me to run the final preparatory errands.

I sent two more resupply boxes from the PO in North Chili, NY.

So far, my first stop was the North Chili, NY Post Office, to send off two more resupply boxes.  Tom, the man at the counter helpfully reassured me that the boxes would be there before me, and clarified that if I’m expecting to be able to forward anything along the trail without paying again, the box will have to be unopened, and must be sent at least by first-class rate (no parcel post if I might want to “bounce” a box for free).

I didn't finish it - I'll be an Incomplete Walker, I guess.

Chili Public Library

Next stop was the Chili Public Library.  I’ve read plenty of books in preparation for this hike, and I thought that one of them should be “The Complete Walker”, that classic by Colin Fletcher (now co-authored by Chip Rawlins).  I didn’t get far into the book before needing to return it – I guess I’ll just be an Incomplete Walker.

I’m revealing a top secret with this photo: Wegmans provides shopping carts for their patrons!

Then off to Wegmans, our local big grocery store, to buy a few things for the dinner we’ll have tonight.  Susan is making an awesome dinner so she and I can host Tim along with a few other friends, Chris, MN, and Patti & Geoff who’ve all been helpful and inspiring.  I asked at the bakery counter at Wegmans if I could take a photo, and the lady replied that she’s been instructed to discourage anyone from taking photos inside the store.  It was something about competitors.  I guess Wegmans doesn’t want anyone to learn their trade secrets.  Well, I’m going to reveal one with this photo:  Wegmans provides shopping carts for their patrons!  If any competitors are reading this, take note!  A shopping cart is a great convenience!  It’s like a basket with wheels!  Shoppers will likely buy more if they don’t have to hold it in their hands while they traipse around, aisle to aisle!  (There!  If any of you competitors want to use this top-secret information, just don’t reveal that you learned it from me!)

Thanks to a madman in Libya, prices are a bit higher now than what we enjoyed a few weeks ago.

My last stop was the gas station.  Thanks to a madman in Libya, prices are a bit higher now than those we enjoyed a few weeks ago.  My decision to just walk for the next four or five months is not, of course, any sort of protest or conservation measure, but I’m guessing that after so much walking, after I return home I’ll be more apt to do my local errands on foot.

 

Posted in Preparation | 6 Comments

A quick snippet of what we’ll see…

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Mel

Thanks so much to my friend and fellow photographer, Ber Murphy, for sending me this link.  It is what we’ll be seeing for the next few months, though we’ll be seeing it a bit slower — say around 2 miles per hour.

Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo.

Posted in Preparation | 7 Comments

The Final Push (to the START, that is)!

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Mike

The final push (to the start, this is) is underway.  Yesterday, we visited Bags Unlimited to purchase some boxes into which we’ll pack the resupply items (food, etc.) that we’ll have sent to us at various towns along the hike.  The folks at the Bags Unlimited were very helpful and efficient, and so I’m giving them some free advertising.  If you need boxes or bags in quantity, or any archival storage supplies for just about anything artsy or collectible, this is a place you need to visit!

“Resupply Central” has a new clean look.

Last night I repacked all eighteen resupply boxes into the new good boxes, stuck on the mailing labels and stacked them up in order.  “Resupply Central” has a new clean look.  None of the boxes are sealed, though, as we might be asking Susan to add an item or two as we go (whether seasonal items or just things we hadn’t thought of).  Of course, if she wants to slip in a surprise candy bar now and then, that could be nice too!

We plan to pick up our first resupply box on March 14th, and the second box on March 17th, so today I sealed those two up and drove off to the local PO.  “No, there’s nothing hazardous, perishable, or liquid…” and so Parcel Post will do fine and get them to their destinations ahead of us.

We sure don’t want to arrive someplace ahead of our supplies, and since post offices will hold General Delivery packages for a month, there’s an adequate time window to ensure we can mail them out early, but not too early.

I have assembled several bits of clothing and gear that I might want Susan to send to me sometime during the hike.  Having them all in one place will make it easier for her to deal with when I ask for something; she won’t have to rummage all over the place to find theses “spares” (like spare shirts, shorts, summer sleeping bag, hiking shoes, and so on).

I’ve contacted a lawnmowing service to arrange for that to be taken care of while I’m gone.  There are so many other little odds and ends to try to think of!  I ought to get the oil changed in both cars.  I need to make sure the gutters are cleaned out before heavy spring rains.  I can uncover the air conditioner, and if the weather’s good enough before March 10th, I can rake some leaves out of the beds and maybe even put down the crabgrass preventer (best done early, anyway)!

Tim arrives here from Vermont on the 9th, and we leave town on the 10th – a mere eight days to go!

Posted in Gear and Clothing, Preparation | 6 Comments

For realz?! Just 2 weeks to go??

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Mel

A hungry Winston

Usually it’s the sound of the morning traffic commute out on the busy Brooklyn corner on which I live that signals the time for me to arise.  This time of year, when the days start getting longer and the sun starts coming up earlier, it’s my cats meowing for breakfast at 6 instead of 7am, who tell me what time it is to get up.  For them, this is very instinctual.  As far as I know, they know nothing about daylight savings time.  Just simply, “the sun is up, time to get up and feed me!”  In just over two weeks time, out on the trail, rising with the sun will naturally become my modus operandi as well.

I fly down to Atlanta two weeks from tomorrow.  The day after that I’ll be starting to hike the 2,181 miles of the Appalachian Trail from the top of Springer Mountain with my dad, Mike, and our good family friend, Tim.  Though this past weekend was spent very tangibly gear checking, weighing and re-weighing items and doling out supplies in the mail-drop boxes currently stored in the basement of my parents’ house, the fact that I’ll be leaving my current daily life for more than 4 months still feels a bit conceptual.  Like, “is this really about to happen?”

Perhaps it’s because I’ve left the majority of food prep and mileage planning to Mike that I feel this way.  I haven’t had the time to really be thinking all trail all the time.  I feel bad about that, but let’s face it, I’m working and he’s https://sdarcwellness.com/buy-soma-online/ retired.  (Not to mention simultaneously planning a wedding.)  I’ve been reading books about the AT, doing some prep hikes with weight, letting my employers know that I’ll be gone for a bit, (hoping they’ll have work for me upon my return), but somehow it hasn’t fully hit yet.  I’m not being naïve about this trip, just honest.  It takes a lot of time to plan something like this and I’ve left a lot of it up to my dad.  If I don’t end up liking the flavors of oatmeal he bought, I probably ought to keep it to myself.

I do know that even though we’ll be walking together, (or at least within range of each other), and sharing in many experiences, this adventure is going to end up meaning something different for each of us.  I may have let my dad take the lead in terms of planning, but I’ll be out there too, taking every individual step, relying on my own strengths to get me up to the next mountain peak, on to the next shelter to sleep in, the next state of the union to walk through and perhaps even the next stage of my life.

I don’t know if walking all these miles for all this time will really change anything on my daily t0-do list when I get back, but I expect that just like rising and falling with the sun, my outlook on life will become clearer and more instinctual too.

Gear, gear and more gear.

Resupply Central

Posted in Motivations, Preparation | 5 Comments

19 days to go!

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Mike

There are just 19 days before we hit the trail.  For me, that means just 17 days until I leave town to head for Georgia.  Our friend Tim, who’ll be hiking the first two weeks with us, has just 16 days until he leaves home in Monkton, VT to drive to Rochester.  Tim and I will drive down to meet Melissa at the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, GA where we’ll overnight before the hike.  Melissa will be flying from New York to Atlanta 18 days from now.  She has left her pack and almost all her gear here in Rochester, for Tim and I to bring in the car (it would really screw up our start if the airline lost or damaged her pack, so why risk it?).  This being the only weekend Melissa has available for big preparations, we had to finalize the gear decisions before she drove back to New York today.

So, for Melissa and I, this was a FULL weekend of preparations.  We spread all our stuff out in the living room and dining room.  At times, we spilled over into the kitchen. We went through list after list, checking off the gear we’ll need, the gear we’d like to carry (if not too heavy!) and the things we’ll definitely have to leave behind. Then we made lists of the items we still need to purchase. (“This windbreaker’s too heavy!”  “What about rain pants?”  “I need a different size stuff sack!”  “Should we take vitamins?” etc.)

We shopped.  We counted daily vitamins into Ziploc bags.

We distributed the vitamins, small bottles of hand sanitizer, travel-size toothpastes, lotions, and other medical and personal needs into the drop boxes we’ll have sent to us along the way. We shopped more.  We repacked things, tossing the excessive manufacturer’s packing materials.  We prepared a small first-aid kit.  We stuff-bagged things.  We weighed things.  We packed things and repacked things.  We weighed our packs.

I read somewhere something like “The more I carry, the more I enjoy camping.  The less I carry, the more I enjoy hiking.  We want to enjoy it all, so we made some compromises. After loading all the gear into the packs (distributed about proportionally to our body weights), since three days will be about the average load of food we’ll carry, we added three days worth of food (from yet-unsent drop boxes) into each pack.  We weighed the packs yet again, and added about three pounds to each pack’s weight to account for about 1.5 L of water each.

Now for the moment of truth.

Will the packs be too heavy to carry up and down mountains ...?

The question had been lurking in my mind for several weeks.

The bottom line:  Our packs weigh about twenty percent of our body weights.  Ultralight-style hikers would find ways to cut that in half, but we’re pretty satisfied.  We reserve the right to rethink this several times, especially after the first day on the trail!

The question had been lurking in my mind for several weeks...

Posted in Gear and Clothing, Preparation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments