|
9/20/05- Photos Posted
Take a look the the photos from the trip. VIEW PHOTO ALBUM
9/14/05
The Appalachian Trail has intrigued me for as long as I can remember.
Growing up in North Wilkesboro surrounded by mountains, I always loved the
idea of a trail turning, twisting, up steeply and down, to places of pure
untouched natural beauty. A continuous path through the woods, is still an
irresistible thought to me, what's the around the next bend in the trail?
Am I disciplined and committed enough to hike with a 40 pounds pack up and
down those steep mountains all day? Can I wake up every morning and be
inspired by another days' hike, curious to keep going no matter how I feel
physically and mentally? On March 31st, 2005, I stepped off the plaque at
the top of Springer Mt. Ga., the southern terminus of the AT to find out. I
've never made a better decision my entire life.
The AT starts in North Georgia, 75 miles from North Carolina. Right away,
the terrain is rugged and steep. Throw in an unexpected snowstorm on my 2nd
full day on the trail and I discovered right away that it was going to be
tough. At that point, there were a lot of other hikers on the trail with
me. All hopeful to become a "thru-hiker", someone who walks the entire
length of the trail, 2175 miles to the top of the tallest mountain in Maine,
Katahdin. No doubt about it, they kept me on the trail. For the next 5
months, I met and hiked with so many wonderful people. I got swept up by
them. On days when I started thinking I was ready to come home, I'd stick
with it just so I could stay in this long band of hikers known as the "trail
community". The best people that I've ever met in my life.
The southern Appalachians have the highest peaks on the trail. The trail
wasn't originally intended for thru hiking. Instead its founder, Benton
MacKaye, envisioned a series of connected trails that allowed the local
communities hiking access to the near-by peaks. For us, that meant lots of
really steep climbs early on, real testers day after day. The benefit
outside of the reward of breath-taking views is that after 3 or 4 weeks,
fitness is no longer a big concern. You've got your trail legs. You can do
whatever the trail demands physically. From there on out, the hike is a
mental test. Only 15% - 18% that start the thru hike each year, actually
finish. That statistic, while daunting, probably helped me as much as
anything else. I was desperate to keep hanging in there, until I got to
that famous sign among hikers that marks the northern terminus of the trail
at Katahdin. Georgia and my beloved North Carolina done, I am in great
shape. I've lost a lot of weight in 4 weeks. Just 12 states to go.
My brother, Jack, who dropped me off a month earlier at Springer rode his
motorcycle over to Roan Mountain, TN to spend a day with me and see how I
was doing. I'd lost over 20 pounds by then. That's a lot in a month. He
got there at 2 pm. He was a little taken aback - to say the least. His first
comment to me was, "Have YOU eaten lunch yet?". I said, "Yep". He said,
"Get on my damn bike, you are eating again!" An excellent older brother.
In fact, one of the best things about the hike is it is really important to
eat as much as you can - the more calorie-rich the meals, the better. Every
4 or 5 days, an AT hiker will hitchhike into a town to re-supply on food, go
to the laundry mat, use a phone, etc. If there is an 'all you can eat"
buffet in town, watch out! It is amazing how much you can eat and still the
pounds keep coming off. Oh, how I am going to miss the trail.
Virginia is the longest in miles at 541. Really easy hiking a lot of the
time, surprisingly hard at others, always beautiful though. When you are
hiking through 14 states, it is always a psychological boost to see a marker
that you are in a new state. Virginia has the reputation of being one of
the toughest because of this. On the trail it's called, the "Virginia
Blues". A lot of people go home. Recognizing this, I just kind of settled
in and enjoyed. This state took about 5 weeks to hike, about a quarter of
my time spent on the trail.
9/8/05 - He Made It!!!
Dan has returned to Charlotte. His trip was remarkable and he will have a
summary ready to post (with pictures) no later than September 15th.
5/25/05 - Notes from phone call.
He is doing great.
His feet bother him a little but no worse than anyone else out there.
Great progress.
Made a lot of friends.
He is a head of schedule and leaving the younger walkers behind.
Father visited too.
5/11/05 - Transcribed from a letter.
Happy Cinco De Mayo!
Sorry for the delay on the journal. It's hard to
write when you're walking and that just about all I've been doing since
Fontana Dam. The trail rises steeply into the southern entrance of the
Smokey Mountain National Park from there. It was extraordinary. Especially
the 2nd day. Perfect from start to finish. I hiked with a non stop smile.
They say that God is present everywhere. In the Smokies, he keeps it
cranked to 10. I've never felt a presence like that and I'm grateful for it
to say the very least. The weather was cold but clear all 4 days. The trail
travels 71 miles south to north, mostly along the ridge tops. At that
elevation, the trees had not begun to bud so huge and I mean huge fields of
wildflowers cover the ridge sides, taking advantage of the early spring sun.
Small white flowers literally stretch for miles with spring beauties.
Yellow trout lilies sprinkled in. I'd never known the forest floor could be
so beautiful. As I exited the park, I was tempted to turn around and hike
right back through it.
After the Smokies, the elevations remain high, often over 6000 feet! Unique
to the southern Appalachians are boulders like Mat Patch, Big Starp and Roan
Mountain. There are treeless grassy meadows filled with ancient looking rock outcrop, rhododendron and mountain laurel. These areas offer great 360 degree views, if the weather is clear. Usually though, it is foggy and
windy. At Big Starp, the winds were so high, it knocked me off the trail 7
or 8 feet to the left. Then the wind turned into my face and I took several
steps in place without moving forward. I later heard wind gusts had been 60
to 70 miles per hour.
The last week of April brought lots of challenging weather. I left Hot
Springs, NC on Sunday morning in a beautiful light snow. By mid-afternoon,
I was hiking in at least a foot of snow. When it's cold and windy like
that, the best way to stay warm is to just keep hiking. I put in 20 miles
and more or less kept that pace over the next 5 days. On that Saturday, I
met my brother Jack for a day off in Roan Mountain, TN. It was wonderful to
visit and catch up. Since I've hiked into Damascus, VA, I am now about 460
miles into the hike. I'; be in Virginia for 3 or 4 weeks. The trail is
around 500 miles just in Virginia. I should have photos posted soon.
Many
thanks to all those who've sent e-mails and pledges to the preschool. It
puts an extra spring in my step.
Tinkerbell
4/19/05 - Transcribed from a letter.
WOW! I started @ noon on Springer Mountain, GA on Thursday, March 31st. I
met a fellow from New Hampshire -- his trail name was "Hot & Sweaty". We
hiked together for the next 4 days. We stayed in shelters a couple of
nights and tented a couple of nights. April 1st was truly an April Fools
day from the weatherman. The forecast had called for good, clear hiking
weather. Instead, we tented late in the day, high up on an exposed ridge in
very heavy winds and a huge rain. We woke to wind chills in the teens
around 8:00 am. We were hiking and warming up finally when the weather
changed back to high winds and heavy snow! We hiked around 14 miles over
the top of Blood Mountain, the Appalachian Trail highest peak in GA and down
into Neels Gap and civilization.
That was 2 weeks ago and its still being talked about on the trail. I am in
Fontana Lake, NC today. I've taken 2 zero days (no miles hiked) to rest my
feet after 14 consecutive days on the trail. There have been a few hotel
and cabin stays along the way -- in Helen, GA, Franklin, NC and the
Nantahala Outdoor Center. Hiking in and out of trail towns can slow you
down some but they are needed to re-supply, for laundry, phone calls, etc...
I feel really good about the miles I've put in so far, 164. I hiked 20
miles with tough ups (4), high elevation gains on my 7th day out. Since
then, I hiked a 17 mile and an 18 mile day.
I spent most of the first 2 weeks hiking with some collage-aged guys and I
kept up fine so they were not only great company and a lot of fun but also
supplied me a confidence boost in my ability to hike the miles each day.
I've seen grouse, wild turkeys, owls and more than a few mice in the
shelters. Around midnight, it's not unusual to hear coyotes howling. I saw
a bear scat on the trail. I would love to see one under the right
circumstances, of course.
The wildflowers along the trail are incredibly beautiful. The terrain does
vary, so the variety of scenery continually changes. Sometimes the trail
can be really challenging. Rock outcrops are frequent and can be really
slick. The trail can be muddy on downhills.
When the ridge line changes to predominantly elm trees, the forest canopy
rises and takes on a new beauty. But, it also fills the trail with the elm
tree's shallow roots, which are dangerous if you're not watching your step.
One day, just into NC, it seemed I hiked through rhododendron thickets all
day. Cant' wait 'til they start blooming. My favorite is the flame azalea.
Not nearly as common as the Catawba Rhododendron but I've always thought
ever more beautiful.
The Appalachian Trail has been called the long green tunnel. It was
especially so that day.
Different types of trillium are beginning to appear. May Apple, Dutchman
Britches, Indian Pink and so on. Hope to see Lady Slipper soon. Their
fairly rare but I'll be hiking in the Smokey Mountain. National Park the
next 5 days where my chances to see them should be good. Also the chances to
see bears are very high. Just wish to say hello. Don't feel the need to
shake hands or anything. Hope to be in Hot Springs in 7 days. I'll write
about all the remarkable people I'm meeting next time. That's truly been
the highlight so far. Oh, my trail name started out as Sasquatch but a few
people liked calling me Tinkerbell. The consensus on the trail is I should
adopt it so, good bye for now -- Tinkerbell
4/15/05
On the way! Has been hiking for 14 days, having a blast, and just arrived in Fontana Village, NC at the foot of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Plans to be through the Smokies and into Hot Springs in the next seven days. He will try to post some journals and photos for the next update. He is throughly enjoying the emails from everyone.
|
