Day 5: Zero day in Neels Gap

Even though I didnt hike today, I got the whole trail experience, and I am loving it. I’ve met some “trail legends”, people whose trail names I’ve heard in books. Since yesterday, there’s been this crazy old guy here dancing and saying weird stuff, and he said he’s thru-hiked 4 times and done lots of section hikes. He was sooo weird and funny, and then someone told me his trail name was Loon, and I remembered reading about the guy. And one of the guys who works here is Baltimore Jack, who has hiked more AT miles than anyone else, several thru and section hikes, well over 30,000 miles. And there’s been lots of other interesting characters. I think they are doing a reality show at this hostel soon to go along with that Duck Dynasty craze.

Today the hostel is packed. 16 people in one room. It’s cool learning about everyone else’s strategies and stories and tips about the trail. It is making me pumped up to keep going even if I can barely walk. It’s just such a unique experience to do this hike, between the actual hiking, hanging out at campsites and shelters and hostels. I just love it and really don’t want to have to quit.

Day 4: Neels Gap. Mile 31.7 Hostel

Day 4: Neels Gap. Mile 31.7 Hostel

Today was equally as painful on the knees but no worse, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign. I climbed Blood Mountain, the highest peak in GA. The way down was a lot of steep rock scrambling, which has always been my favorite kind of hiking. Until the last few months, I never knew this was painful lol. It was pretty fun. The highlight of today’s hike (other than laying at the top of Blood Mountain enjoying the perfect weather) was when a baby deer came walking towards me on the trail. He freaked out, but I froze and for a few minutes he wearily came closer and closer, all the while jumping as soon as he heard a bird chirp or any noise. He got like 10 ft from me and got scared and ran off

A few hrs ago I got to the Hostel at Neels Gap, checked in and then just went and sat forever unable to move. Then I got an awesome shower. The first since Friday and I feel awesome. I’m limping all over the place, so I’m taking a day off here tomorrow and hoping my knees heal up a bit. It’s just a hostel, a store with food and gear and some picnic tables. A bunch of us are chilling inside waiting for frozen pizzas to cook cuz they cancelled the nightly home cooked meal. There’s a weird old guy dancing a few feet away. Very entertaining stuff out here in the woods. Lots of interesting stories

I will prolly be continuing Thursday. It’s only a little over 20 miles til I can get a shuttle into a real town with doctors so if my knees are still killing me ill be able to get an X-ray in a few days and make sure I’m not destroying my knees permanently. I hope I can continue. I like the rest of the pain, the fatigue and muscle soreness. And I’ve only gotten like 3 blisters

Day 3: Lance Creek: Mile 24.3

Hiked 8.5 official AT miles + 1 mi

Well, today was a total failure. I made lots of mistakes. On top of that, my knees seem to want to kill me for doing this.

Last night I told everyone I was gonna wake up by 6:30 cuz it takes me so long to pack up in the AM. I was sleeping on slanted ground apparently and kept sliding to the edge of my tent so I did not sleep well. When i woke up at 6:30 it was soooo cold, so I slept another hr. Then it took me til 9:30 to get packed up. Everyone was long gone by then.

At mile 5.5 on the hike, I finished off my water because I got to a place that was supposed to have a parking lot, real bathrooms, and a water source. I thought of all the places that might be dry, this was not it since clearly they expected that to be an area lots of people would be. There was no water. I went another .8 miles uphill to where there was supposed to be another water source. Nothing. I was feeling like I was gonna die. I drink like a gallon a day even when not fatiguing my body. I went almost another mile uphill and was freaking out and felt like I couldn’t move so I took off my pack so I could move faster and finally found water. And all was right in the world again.

I was going so slow I never caught up to anyone because of my knees. Because my right was hurting so bad, I was overcompensating with the left. Now that one hurts just as bad. On downhills, I look like the old people who have to put both feet on each step before going to the next.

So I hike 9 of the 11 miles I needed to and end up at a camping area where there’s signs saying it is the last campground u are allowed to camp in without a bear cannister for the next 9 miles. Everyone at the shelter last night thought the camping area 2 miles further was the last place. So I have no idea what anyone else did because I was so far behind. Another guy showed up and we worked together to hang our food bag cuz both of us are donks at that because the shelters have had cables so we didnt know anything.

So ya, apparently this area is really bad for bears. Hopefully I’m still alive in the morning so I can do what is supposed to be the hardest mountain in the South. It’s supposed to be a killer on the knees too. Hopefully I can walk the 9 miles I have to tomorro to get to the hostel. I feel like one wrong step and I’m gonna end up completely unable to walk

So enough of the reasons why I’m a failure at backpacking. Today was very solitary. Only came across a couple people all day. I had fun the last couple of days talking to other hikers and hanging out all night, but today was also pretty awesome all alone. The mountains seem more endless when you aren’t parked at a parking lot a few miles away. It feels like the world goes on forever. It was gorgeous and fulfilling. I just hope my journey doesn’t have to stop just yet

Gooch Mountain Shelter – Mile 15.8

Day 2 – 7.7 official AT mi + 1 mi

Today was pretty intense. I’m going way slower than I had planned. One reason is because I’m hiking slow on the downhills in order to not hurt my knees any worse. One isn’t feeling too good, but unless i get a real injury from it, I don’t care. Also, the hiking poles leave me with no free hands to drink or eat or put on my Chapstick. So I have to stop regularly to do those things. Third, it is hard! Almost no part of the last 10 miles have been flat. Steep ups and steep downs

Today, I was extremely dumb. I didnt bring much water because I thought there would be another creek within 4 miles, but it was more like 6.5. I had to start conserving water like 1.5 miles in. Luckily, an extremely nice day hiker gave me half of a bottle. Then I was almost out of that with like 2.5 miles to go and there were water jugs set out in this cave catching dripping water. I filled up both bottles. I had to thank God and Trail Angels both times for saving me.

Overall it took me like 6.5 hrs to hike all that. If it was flat and I had no 25 lb pack, I could do it in like 2.25 hrs and be able to do another 7 mi more. Today I could have gone further, but it would have meant camping alone, no cables to make hanging the food bad easy, and no toilet. Then I realized there was no way I could do the 14 miles I would need to do tomorrow over the hardest mountain in GA and prolly the whole south AT. Several of us decided to do 11 miles tomorro and doing the final 6ish miles the next day over Blood Mountain. Then ill be to town and a shower and real food and a bed 🙂

I’m so happy! I love being able to hike and listen to books or music or whatever all alone in an endless forest but a couple hrs later be cooking dinner with 10 people around. Also, there is another young girl solo-hiker in this camping area tonight, so that’s pretty cool. I’ve met lots of solo guy hikers, but only one girl that’s attempting a thru hike too. She will prolly pass me up before long tho. The chick did what I did today and yesterday in one day. So hardcore! I thought I was capable of that but have found I am not a hiking baller yet.

Ok that’s all for now. Woke up at 7am this morning and didnt get packed up and going til 8:30. I’m gonna try to get up a little earlier tomorro. It looks like my new bedtime is 9:30 lol

And now its morning and I’m posting this, I didnt wake up til 7:30 cuz it was so cold and didnt get out of camp til 9:15. I was by far the latest to leave so I prolly won’t come across any people for a few hrs

Day 1 – 8.1 official AT miles +2 miles

Finally have service, so Im posting what I wrote last night and taking a break cuz I am ridiculously exhausted:

Well Sarah and I completed Day 1! It was pretty tough, even if I didnt have 25 lbs on my back. We were sooo happy to get to the shelter and set up our tent, filter water, and cook food. There’s tons of people in tents and a few in the shelter. We went to cook and eat at the picnic table with some old people. And I am still a donk at starting my stove and needed help. And then I must have put too much alcohol in it cuz once it got going there were flames all over the place. My pack is sooo heavy. I think i might need to get rid of stuff but everything I have seems necessary.

I am loving it our here by the way. It’s fun. I love hiking but was so happy to make it to where we are camping. There is so much to get done here at night before dark, so I think I’m gonna learn how to be more self sufficient with cleaning and stuff I normally hate. Cuz out here u gotta get it all done before dark and then u get to relax

And Thanx Sarah for doing Day 1 with me!

Goals and Pre-Trail Thoughts

Well I am finally about to get out on the trail (hopefully for 5 months but even if I only last 2 weeks ill consider it an accomplishment).

Goals

I made this goal list in mid-January of the things to do in the next 3 months until I start the trail. It seemed almost ridiculous to be able to complete all of this stuff. I ended up doing almost all of it. I was kept very busy and loved it as always.
I feel like doing actually accomplishing all these things is a start to achieving the ultimate goal of completing the AT, but who knows if I will actually be strong enough physically and mentally to do that. I will probably set smaller goals for myself on the trail: last 100 miles, read another 8th of the Bible, listen to so many podcasts (sermons and apologetics), read so many books…I will def have goals for daily distances, but won’t stick too stringently to that because I know, at least early on, I need to try to pace myself and not push to hard, so I don’t injure myself. So although, I have no strict timeline, my ultimate goal is 5 months. If it takes longer, oh well. I will just have to deal with a little more cold.

Thoughts

The AT is something I heard about a few yrs ago back when I had constant headaches that were made a million times worse by hiking. I thought the idea of doing the AT was awesome, but I could never do it because of the pain it would cause. I used to be so depressed and negative and having no hope. Now, between medication for the headaches, growing closer to God, and just changing my mindset to be more positive, I have been happier than I’ve ever been over the last yr or so. I feel good all the time and I have hope that I can do the AT. Even if I can’t, at least I tried, and I will have no regrets.

I hope that I can keep this positive mindset out there. From what I have read about people’s journeys on the AT, there is constant complaining about pain, cold, heat, etc. I will try not to be one of those people. Hopefully, I can inspire or help others while I’m out there and make a difference somehow. Doing a thruhike is a very selfish endeavor. You are taking 5 months off not earning money, serving others, risking you life (which is potentially hurting everyone who cares about you), and accepting constant charity from Trail Angels (people who give Trail Magic, which is people generously giving you food or rides and helping you complete your goal). A lot of times hikers help or accept help from other hikers because of some emergency (running out of food or water, etc). I hope that I can be a helper and make some kind of difference in someone’s life. I also hope that I will grow personally. Parts of the last few yrs were really tough, and although I was weak and pathetic and not the person I wanted to be, I have grown into a much stronger person. And I am so grateful to God for everything I am now and all the things I have and people I love. Also, to everyone who has been so supportive or this dream of mine, I thank you

Preparations to start the AT

Well I am new to this journal thing and wasn’t planning on starting it til I start the trail, but I’m so excited about the AT, I’m doing lots of stuff sooner than planned. I’m starting April 19 or 20, depending on which day I can have a friend do a tiny bit of the trail with me. I am doing the majority of the hike solo cuz everyone I know who is crazy enough to also want to do this has school, work, or kids

Preparation:

I have bought most of my gear. I have spent a ton because I want to go as light as possible cuz I have back and neck pain that gets a lot worse with heavy backpacks on.

I’ve read lots of AT books and plan on reading a couple more. Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis was by far the best and most helpful in preparations. The dude is a baller and pretty funny, so not only is it informative but very entertaining.

I’m also training fairly regularly. A couple years ago I could hike 15 miles like it was nothing, but over the last yr, my knees have been hurting more and more every time I hike, which would be fine except I know if I do it every day I’m bound to break something pretty quickly. So I’m mostly strengthening and stretching my legs for now and walking only a few miles with ankle weights and a 15-20 lb pack (which gives me horrible headaches so I’m a little worried about the 25-30 lb pack ill prolly be carrying). My knees have been holding up really well since I got good insoles and IT Band braces. I will be depressed if I can only do under 10 miles every day at the beginning of the trail. That would only take like 4 hours a day. Then what do I do?