A week on the trail (sorry just realized it didn't publish...wrong order)

The first day I was set to hike about fifteen miles. The thought process behind this was to beat everyone out of the gate and get to a quieter spot. Well, it turns out that everyone had this preconceived notion that they were going to be able to come out here and hike fifteen miles each day. So needless to say my plan of getting out ahead failed miserably. That night there was eight tents set up. The next day I planned a shorter day and because everyone was hurting (physically and mentally) as their hopes of completing fifteen miles a day came crashing down around them they also competed a shorter day. This resulted in 17 tents being set up that night. Yes my friends, one - seven!!!! It was insane. The third day we reached a place called Neels gap. Here a hiker can restock food, fix any gear (it's like a mini MEC), take a hot shower (for four dollars!), or do laundry. This placed proved to be a saving grace. I stopped here briefly and then continued on for another seven miles. Since leaving Neels gap the amount of hikers has dropped substantially!! Tonight I am sharing my camp site with only one other person! It is nice to have less people on the trail but even nicer to run into a friendly face that you initially met on springer mountain.

So as I feared I am having a hard time taking it slow (I'm a day ahead of schedule). But as time ticks by I am making a conscious effort to enjoy every moment of the trip. And even though I have already put in some big days (longest was sixteen miles) my body is holding up quite well. No issues with my foot, except for blisters from the first day, and no other aches or pains. My gear is also holding up quite well, except for one piece...my thermarest. So all in all I really can't complain and I truly am enjoying it and more importantly I am enjoying the people that I am meeting. So many different reasons why people are out here.

Reasons for hiking the AT:
My wife passed away and I am hiking to honour her
I lost my job
Just finished my college degree
Been planning this trip for the last ten years
Finally quit my job and decided to start living
Wanted some adventure in my life
Reformed alcoholic
Trying to quit smoking
Going through a divorce
Wanted to hike
Couldn't find full time employment
The list goes on and on.... So many different people, so many different stories.

Gear

I've had a lot of questions about what all I have with me as my pack is quite small (osprey 44L) so I thought I would put together a list:

Sleeping bag (stored in a dry compression sack)
Sleeping bag liner (silk/cotton blend)
Neoair thermarest
Hubba tent (with foot print)
Two short sleeve shirts
Pants that zip off into shorts
Shorts
Long John tights
Two pairs of socks
Two sports bras
Two pairs of underwear
OR soft shell jacket
Synthetic insulated small puffy
Buff
Rain jacket
Rain cover for my pack
Food bag
Dry bag liner for my pack
Small pack towel (face cloth size)
iPhone
E reader
Journal
Camera
Chargers for iPhone, camera, e reader
Colour pencils (luxury item)
Spot device
Extra batteries for the spot
Jackknife
Elite headlamp
Hand sanitizer
Toilet paper
Camp soap
Tooth paste and brush (yes, I cut off the handle)
Floss
Sewing needle (floss used for thread)
Leukotape
Duck tape (on tent pole repair kit)
Extra contacts
Contact solution
Baby wipes
Pristine water treatment drops
Nalgene water bottle
Platypus 1L bladder
Gravity mf II stove (able to use all types of fuel)
Soloist pot set from GSI (pot and cup)
Fuel canister
Lighter
Spork

I think that pretty much covers everything. My base weight is only ~18lbs.

Gear changes that I've already experienced:
Replaced a stuff sack as my one for my sleeping bag ripped
Warrantied my thermarest
Replaced my trail runners
Started using canisters of fuel instead of white gas as the quality of the fuel was quite poor
I've gone through three pairs of socks
All of these changes and I'm only 341.5miles in :-)

Day 25 April 20

This morning was an especially hard morning. I woke to find all of my gear frozen solid. Unmotivated to make a warm breakfast I ate two protein bars and slid back down into the warmth of my sleeping bag contemplating the previous day. Yesterday we woke to very dark skies. Around 10am the heavens opened and all hell broke loose. The rain was cold and it came down with a furry. After ~12miles I called it quits and sought refuge in the bald mountain shelter. Upon my arrival I was happy to find puddin and patty cakes also riding out the storm. Votes were polled and the decision was made to stay at the shelter for the night. Shortly after my arrival nova and sleeping beauty arrived. We were also joined by five others including: night rider, quaker, mr rogers, and miami. This was my first night in a shelter and I think it will be my last. My tent is so much warmer! This brings me back to this morning. Unable to get my feet into my shoes as a result of them being frozen solid I was left walking around as if I had high heels on. After much effort, numb toes and the passage of some time I was able to force my feet into my shoes. To avoid breaking into tears I headed out on the trail as soon as my bag was packed and my shoes were on. It took another 30min of hiking to thaw out my shoes so that i was able to tie them. As the day progressed and the sun, combined with the effort of hiking, warmed my body I found my self zipping along the trail and enjoying the scenery. Puddin and Patty Cakes caught up to me and they hurried along, motivated by the thoughts of all you can eat pizza in Erwin, TN and eased with packs empty of food. I took my time and arrived at uncle Johnny's hostel (located right on the trail about 3mi outside of Erwin, TN) by 1:30pm. Here I ran into funnybone (I have been hiking off and on with him since the start of my hike). He spent two days here. There has been a virus going around and sadly he caught it and became very familiar with the washroom facilities over the past two days. Patty cakes, puddin and Nova all needed to resupply so we decided to pitch our tents at the hostel and call it a day. As I didn't need to resupply I was able to enjoy a leisurely afternoon lazing about in the sun and reading my book. Man it was nice to soak up the sun after yesterday and this morning. I was also able to warranty my thermarest as it has had a slow leak since I started the hike and I have been unable to find the hole. I am excited to sleep an entire night without having to blow my thermarest back up in the middle of the night. Hopefully this will help with my inability to get a good nights sleep.

Day 23 April 18

Today we hiked from little laurel shelter to a campsite past lick rock (about 19miles). It was a rough day. The weight of my pack is really zapping my energy on the ups. I went from my usual spot at the front of the pack to the back. We left the shelter this morning with the goal of hiking 21miles, however, my mind and body was not up for the challenge. Today the hiking got to the point where it was no longer fun so I convinced sleeping beauty, Nova and night rider to stop and camp with me. It was nice to get off my feet and put some food in my stomach. Tomorrow I hope to put in another 15miles...time will tell.
The most interesting part of today was a ridge walk that we had to complete. It had great views, but the wind was crazy! At one point my hiking pole was almost blown out of my hand. The wind calmed down as the day progressed and it turned out to be a gorgeous day. An individual I know gave me a new perspective on the wind, since then I actually find it quite comforting to feel the wind against my face or listen to it blow through the trees. I am hoping that the wind will lull me to sleep tonight as I haven't had a great nights rest since the 6th. G'night!

Day 22

I've been on the trail for three weeks now and I have been fortunate enough to stay injury free. For those of you that don't know I was actually in a boot cast for eight weeks prior to the trip. I was a little nervous starting out as I had only been out of the boot for four weeks. However, my body rose to the occasion and I was actually able to hike 28miles (44.8km) a couple days ago without issue. To reward my body I took my first zero day (no hiking) yesterday in Hot Springs, NC. HS is a small town similar to New Germany or about a sixth of the size of Okotoks. I had mailed food here before starting my hike so I was able to restock with 13days of food. As a result my pack weighed 40lbs this morning...yuck! We started hiking around 9:30am and we stopped 19.5 miles later. Today was a little rough as there were lots of hills to climb and I was essentially carrying a toddler on my back. Overall, it was a great day of hiking with my trail buddies: puddin', patty cakes, Nova, Sleeping beauty, and Spanky. Tomorrow we hope to hike another 20miles. Hopefully my pack will feel lighter in the morning after eating a full container of yogurt with granola, two bananas, an apple, three power bars, five cheese strings, two peanut butter sandwiches, and two suppers :-) (what can I say...I have a trail name to live up to...fatty)

Can't run from fear

So I have decided to try and keep a blog. I have been quite hesitant, but I figured I can't run from fear for the rest of my life. So here we go. My goal is to try and write something,.,anything... each night and I will post it once I get wifi access.

Up...up...and away

Well my trip has finally started. After months of planning and eight weeks in a boot cast I am finally on the plane heading to the Appalachian Trail.
The nervous energy is starting to build but it is tamed by the excitement and anticipation of what the next five/six months will bring. My friends back home have been super supportive and I want to thank them for all of their help. My trip wouldn't be possible without their generosity.