AT Day 3

Rain.   Sometime in the night it had started pouring, drowning out the deafening roar of the tree frogs and crickets.  We didn't have backpack covers of course.  After taking our time packing up and punching holes in the front sole of my shoe so I could lace it against my foot, we headed out.  We trudged 6 miles through the rain with rain soaked backpacks to the next shelter.

We ended our day early, around 1:00.  About an hour after we arrived a group of 6 grandmas in their 60's and 70's stop by.  They had originally planned to spend the night here, but after getting a glimpse of us decide to hike on to the next shelter.  A 14 mile day for them.  Maybe it was our smell.  Or the Jim Bean.  Regardless, they continued on.

Sub-man and Pringles stop by a short time later and share a piece of their sandwiches from Subway.  Brining fresh food to share the first night is definitely a great way to make friends.  They are also going to continue on to the next shelter.  We ended a bit too early, but lets face it, hiking in the rain was miserable.

Summary:
6 miles, rain.

AT Day 2

We woke up early and hit the trail.  The water source at the shelter was quite bad, no more than a one inch puddle with a tiny drip from a pipe.  With a single bottle of water in hand, we decide to wait for a nicer water source and head out.  It was about a .2 mile climb from the shelter to the actual trail, and at the top we hear Pringles yell out for us as he runs up behind us.  Allan forgot his headlamp at camp.  A mile up the road Sub-man comes trotting up behind us delivering Allan's jacket.  Forgetfulness seems to be a genetic trait. 

Two miles later, all up hill, we come across the next trail with signs for "Raccoon campground" 3 miles away which appears to be the water source marked with blue blazers.  Unwilling to take a 6 mile trip out of the way for water, we forge ahead.  We run out of water as the day approaches the hottest hours.  Stranded, confused, a little lost, we take a break and lay down on the trail.  Once again Sub-man and Pringles come up behind us, and offer us some of their water since they're getting off the trail in a mile to stay at a nearby town and wait for Pringles' brother to arrive.  

Offering a starving hiker steak and wine certainly has it's benefits, and I dare say Pringles and Sub-man more than paid for their steaks with their saving grace today.

My shoes break towards the end of the day.  The front half of the sole of my right shoe detaches and flops around.  With broken shoes and will, I barely manage to make it up the last mountain; after which I immediately fall asleep at shelter(@ 4:30pm.  For those that don't know me very well, I usually go to bed around 2:00am), wake up long enough to eat two packs of Ramen noddles and immediately go back to bed.

Summary of Day 2:
10 miles, broken shoes, exhaustion.

AT Day 1

Most of the planning for the Appalachian Trail Hike happened Thursday, the day we were starting it.  How hard can it be?  You find the trail and you walk on it.  

We picked up a map on the way, found a spot we thought looked like a good starting point and began our journey.  It was 6:00 when we got to the trail, and we hiked the 3 easy miles to the first shelter.   Serious hikers all have "trail names".  Something that identifies them.  At the first shelter, we met Pringles and Sub-man who were finishing up the last couple days of their two week hike.  We shared fresh steak and wine with our new comrades; a sure way to make a friend for life on the trail.  

I forgot to pick up a air mat and spent my first night on the hard wooden floor.  Between the hard floor and the significant change of schedule, I slept very little.

Summary of Day 1:

3 miles, easy hiking.

Appalachian Trail

Planning has never been one of my fortes. As such, I ended up getting a map of our section and decided where to start 1 hours before we embarked. The next several posts will share the adventure with you as it unfolded.