274 miles from Springer.
19 days since my last entry. My initial intention with this blog and my journal was to share the majority of the significant events and experiences that I encounter along my way, but that has been much more difficult than i anticipated. My schedule goes as so: wake up, get water, make coffee, pack up camp, eat breakfast, and then head on the trail; Hike, snack, hike, snack, get to camp, get water, eat, make a fire, set up camp, hang bear bag, hang out with the boys, then sleep. On most days, this schedule is rushed due to 7 or 8 hours of fighting mountains. So when i roll into camp, the last possible thing that i want to do is write, especially after hiking alone all day. But I'm working on my will power, more and more each day.
Despite the monotony that this schedule sounds like, trail life is amazing, and very exhausting. But the thing that I have come to enjoy most is the camping aspect. Every night, we find a fresh new campsite, in a place that I've never been to before, on a mountain that I've never climbed or seen before. It's quite amazing actually. I'm a man without a home, or at least I carry it on my back. This whole ordeal still baffles me, and I still have certain moments where i realize what I'm doing and how far I've come already, but also how far I have yet to go. 273 miles is minuscule when charted on the AT map, but it still feels like a major accomplishment.
So in the past 2 and a half weeks since my last entry, too much has gone on to recount it all, but it's had it's ups and downs, it's frustrations and joys, and it's pains and comforts. There were quite a few days where i wondered why the hell i was out here, and where i cursed each mile that lay ahead. These thoughts usually come towards the beginning of a long climb or an 18 mile day (definitely not always, but some days can just be mentally painful.) But right on the other side of the spectrum, some days are so breathtaking that i wonder why normal life can't be more like trail life, or why so many people are scrambling to push into debt and materialism instead of experiencing the world. That's a thought that has been on my mind a lot recently. We are brought up through our school systems to crave the American Dream, and aren't shown any other options. You need to get a job that produces six figures that you'll end up loathing, to buy a car that's exciting for a week, and a house that's way too big, and to obtain comforts that only make you lazier, all to find 'happiness'. I'm not saying that I wont go back to school, but i need to find an occupation not for the money, but one that i love and can pour myself into. After all the majority of your life is spent working is it not? I just feel like people should be taught more often that life lived in the most seemingly unconventional ways can often be the most rewarding, and that there is a massive and beautiful world out there, and that it's meant to be experienced and admired.
This has just been an extremely eye opening experience for me so far, and i feel the travel bug burrowing itself within me. I want to see the world and experience life while I'm in my prime. I want to become an old man without any regrets, who feels as though he has truly lived.
Anyways, on a less dramatic note, the highlight of the past few weeks have been my journey through the Great Smokey Mountains. From Georgia up to the southern end of the park, the mountains all start to look the same, and each view blends together. So when I entered the Smokey's, I didn't expect much difference from the first section, but the Smokey's are something to be admired. The trail never goes below 5,000 feet in the Smokey's, and reaches up to 6,600 which is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail, at Clingman's Dome. the majority of the trail hopes from ridge line to ridge line. Some of the most spectacular sections in the Smokey's travel over ridge lines that are two feet wide with a several hundred foot drop on either side, and views into the valleys 5000 feet below you, and of the mountains beyond. Once you're in the Smokey's at elevation and look out into the endless cascade of towering mountains, there is a feeling that you are in a wilderness in one of it's rawest forms. But you can't help but feel microscopic when you're in the mountains looking out into the horizon. Who am I but a spec on this massive object, hurling through an incomprehensibly mammoth space? Foot travel absolutely puts a whole new meaning to size and distance. You don't quite understand the distance of a mile until you've hiked hundreds of them, and it's hard to understand how large the world is until you've spent a month hiking to have hardly covered a pinprick on the globe. Now when i get in a car, it's almost as if I'm traveling through time and fast forwarding hours of my day. I can't imagine how that feeling will be amplified once i reach Maine.
Rambling... cease.
I hope everyone is doing well back home.
Much Love, I miss you all very much.
Go travel = )
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
3/6 Hiawassie
Day 9
The past three days have been intense. Me and the small group that i've been hiking with have been quickly upping our mileage from 7miles a day to 12 and 13, and needless to say, i've been feeling it. Each day i seem to get a new pain that gains a good amount of my concern. One of the worst things i can think of is being forced off trail for a knee or hip injury. The good thing is that with each day, a different part of my body hurts, and the previous pains subsides. I hope that cycle continues and i don't develope anything serious. But After a night in town and a short day of hiking ahead of me, my body is getting some of the rest it needs. I would appreciate it if you could keep my health in prayer, for thats my main concern right now.
Sometime tomorrow morning, I'll be passing out of Georgia, and putting a 79 mile section of the trail behind me. The passing of my first state border is something that i really look forward to, symbolizing my first small step towards completion. 13 states left.
After a little while a group of me and a few other guys almost formed itself. Lonliness was an aspect of this trip i really worried about; but, so far, i've hardly experienced any. I don't know how long we'll stick together, but it's been really encouraging to be in good company. Our group consists of me, Chef, Boxelder, Mel, and Milkman.
On an other note, two days ago we got word of a storm that was rolling in that night. So everyone aimed to get to the next shelter. When i arrived there were two more spaces but a group of girls were just behind me so i left my space to them. We set up our tents, did our camp chores and hung out for a while until the wind started to roll through the mountains. It just so happened that the shelter and campsite was on top of Tray Mountain, around 4,200 feet elevation. Not the best place to be during a major storm. Considering that i hadn't used this tent in the rain or extreme wind before, i was pretty concerned about how it would hold up. When the storm hit full force, i layed awake for hours picturing my rainfly being ripped off in the intense wind leaving me defenseless against the storm or my tent being blown off the mountain with me in it. Eventually i fell asleep amidst the tornadoe-esk wind beating blankets of rain against my tent, and the the crashes of lightening on surrounding mountain tops. When i awoke in the morning, i was dry but cold, and went outside to see my tent covered in a layer of ice and snow, along with the ground around me.
When i got to town that evening, i learned that what i feared happening to me, happened to Boxelder that night. he woke up at two in the morning in his tarp tent with everything, including his down sleeping bag drenched. (Down has no insulating properties when wet) Fearing hyporthermia he packed up all his things in the middle of the night, and hiked 11 miles, mostly in the dark, to the road crossing to Hiawassie that we were aiming for that day. Survival is a main theme here on the trail. Alot of your thoughts consist of how much food you have left, the next water source, how to stay warm, methods to keep away bears, and what you would do in an emergency such as that. It's an interesting change from the tamed and sometimes overly comfortable city life, to thinking of you own survival in the wilderness, days from the next town.
The past three days have been intense. Me and the small group that i've been hiking with have been quickly upping our mileage from 7miles a day to 12 and 13, and needless to say, i've been feeling it. Each day i seem to get a new pain that gains a good amount of my concern. One of the worst things i can think of is being forced off trail for a knee or hip injury. The good thing is that with each day, a different part of my body hurts, and the previous pains subsides. I hope that cycle continues and i don't develope anything serious. But After a night in town and a short day of hiking ahead of me, my body is getting some of the rest it needs. I would appreciate it if you could keep my health in prayer, for thats my main concern right now.
Sometime tomorrow morning, I'll be passing out of Georgia, and putting a 79 mile section of the trail behind me. The passing of my first state border is something that i really look forward to, symbolizing my first small step towards completion. 13 states left.
After a little while a group of me and a few other guys almost formed itself. Lonliness was an aspect of this trip i really worried about; but, so far, i've hardly experienced any. I don't know how long we'll stick together, but it's been really encouraging to be in good company. Our group consists of me, Chef, Boxelder, Mel, and Milkman.
On an other note, two days ago we got word of a storm that was rolling in that night. So everyone aimed to get to the next shelter. When i arrived there were two more spaces but a group of girls were just behind me so i left my space to them. We set up our tents, did our camp chores and hung out for a while until the wind started to roll through the mountains. It just so happened that the shelter and campsite was on top of Tray Mountain, around 4,200 feet elevation. Not the best place to be during a major storm. Considering that i hadn't used this tent in the rain or extreme wind before, i was pretty concerned about how it would hold up. When the storm hit full force, i layed awake for hours picturing my rainfly being ripped off in the intense wind leaving me defenseless against the storm or my tent being blown off the mountain with me in it. Eventually i fell asleep amidst the tornadoe-esk wind beating blankets of rain against my tent, and the the crashes of lightening on surrounding mountain tops. When i awoke in the morning, i was dry but cold, and went outside to see my tent covered in a layer of ice and snow, along with the ground around me.
When i got to town that evening, i learned that what i feared happening to me, happened to Boxelder that night. he woke up at two in the morning in his tarp tent with everything, including his down sleeping bag drenched. (Down has no insulating properties when wet) Fearing hyporthermia he packed up all his things in the middle of the night, and hiked 11 miles, mostly in the dark, to the road crossing to Hiawassie that we were aiming for that day. Survival is a main theme here on the trail. Alot of your thoughts consist of how much food you have left, the next water source, how to stay warm, methods to keep away bears, and what you would do in an emergency such as that. It's an interesting change from the tamed and sometimes overly comfortable city life, to thinking of you own survival in the wilderness, days from the next town.
4/3 Wolf Laurel Top
Day 6
Yesterday I stayed at Neels Gap for most of the day and waited for a buddy trail-named Chef to come down Blood Mountain. I met a ton of new people and eventually hiked on with Mel and Milkman five miles to a campsite on Wolf Laurel Mountain top. The view was absolutely amazing. We ate dinner as we watched the sun set over the mountains, and I got up early and ate breakfast as I watched the sun rise. God seems so present in the mountains, and His beauty is astounding. I'm discovering that it is in places like these, on an adventure like this, and with such an amazing community of people, that i feel most alive.
Yesterday I stayed at Neels Gap for most of the day and waited for a buddy trail-named Chef to come down Blood Mountain. I met a ton of new people and eventually hiked on with Mel and Milkman five miles to a campsite on Wolf Laurel Mountain top. The view was absolutely amazing. We ate dinner as we watched the sun set over the mountains, and I got up early and ate breakfast as I watched the sun rise. God seems so present in the mountains, and His beauty is astounding. I'm discovering that it is in places like these, on an adventure like this, and with such an amazing community of people, that i feel most alive.
4/1 Blood Mountain Cabins
Day 4
The past three days have been amazing, and have drastically soothed alot of my fears. I spent the second at a shelter with tons of interesting people, and hours upon hours of great conversation. With circumstances like this, an interesting bond is formed due to shared goals and exeriences, and as a result friends are made almost instantly. For example, tonight i rented a cabin with "boxelder" and a man named Charlie from London who i only met two hours before. For the better part of the night we talked about about His various travels throughout the world, His experiences with life, and argued a little over the topic of a Creator (God). Events so random, yet so rich with community and depth don't seem to occur so regularly in everyday life. From the small glimpse that i've had so far on the trail, I can't help but think this is what life should be like, and was intended to be like.
This trip so far has majorly exceeded my expectation. Although the terrain is intense, my body has been handling the mountains better than i had expected, and the scenery is amazing. I think I've seen more beautiful things in the last two days than i have in most of my life. Georgia is beautiful and so far, I've only seen 38 miles of it. But right now I'm just amazed that I'm here and have the opportunity to experience such wonderful and intense things. Even though alot of it is rough and overly exhausting, I feel truly alive and i can't wait to see where this period in life will take me.
I am truly thankful to be here.
The past three days have been amazing, and have drastically soothed alot of my fears. I spent the second at a shelter with tons of interesting people, and hours upon hours of great conversation. With circumstances like this, an interesting bond is formed due to shared goals and exeriences, and as a result friends are made almost instantly. For example, tonight i rented a cabin with "boxelder" and a man named Charlie from London who i only met two hours before. For the better part of the night we talked about about His various travels throughout the world, His experiences with life, and argued a little over the topic of a Creator (God). Events so random, yet so rich with community and depth don't seem to occur so regularly in everyday life. From the small glimpse that i've had so far on the trail, I can't help but think this is what life should be like, and was intended to be like.
This trip so far has majorly exceeded my expectation. Although the terrain is intense, my body has been handling the mountains better than i had expected, and the scenery is amazing. I think I've seen more beautiful things in the last two days than i have in most of my life. Georgia is beautiful and so far, I've only seen 38 miles of it. But right now I'm just amazed that I'm here and have the opportunity to experience such wonderful and intense things. Even though alot of it is rough and overly exhausting, I feel truly alive and i can't wait to see where this period in life will take me.
I am truly thankful to be here.
3/29 Springer Mountain Shelter
Day 1
It's Difficult to descibe the feelings brought about by such a monumental undertaking. Fear tends to consume a great deal of consciousness. For me, I have to deal heavily with the fear of failure. From all the way down here in Geaorgia, Maine seems almost like a thing of fairytale. I walked 8 miles today on the approach trail up Springer, and still 2,183 remain. What it really boils down to is patience, lots of it. Patience in dealing with the aches and pains that the mountains bring, patience in the midst of days of rain and cold, and patience in the face of lonliness and an ever distant goal. This all seems pretty dramatic, but the first night of such a drastic change in lifestyle leaves the mind occupied with overwhelming thoughts.
However, the potential this trip has for the good is endless, and i expect the changes i experience as a result will be beautiful. God has guided me towards this opportunity, and He will give me the strength and will necessary to follow through with it.
It's Difficult to descibe the feelings brought about by such a monumental undertaking. Fear tends to consume a great deal of consciousness. For me, I have to deal heavily with the fear of failure. From all the way down here in Geaorgia, Maine seems almost like a thing of fairytale. I walked 8 miles today on the approach trail up Springer, and still 2,183 remain. What it really boils down to is patience, lots of it. Patience in dealing with the aches and pains that the mountains bring, patience in the midst of days of rain and cold, and patience in the face of lonliness and an ever distant goal. This all seems pretty dramatic, but the first night of such a drastic change in lifestyle leaves the mind occupied with overwhelming thoughts.
However, the potential this trip has for the good is endless, and i expect the changes i experience as a result will be beautiful. God has guided me towards this opportunity, and He will give me the strength and will necessary to follow through with it.
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