Town time and *Important Update*

Hey all!

I'm currently spending the weekend in Hendersonville with Kaity. I have made it about 119 miles, so I have about 2065 miles to go! My friend Tyler who is also thru hiking made it to Hot Springs Wednesday and is in Asheville with another college friend of ours so we are planning on meeting up tonight for some pizza. I have an appointment to get my knee looked at on Monday. I am currently thinking that a good knee brace will make a big difference, and I just bought a new pair of trekking poles to help take the load off of my knees on the downhills. I'm enjoying the rest and spending time with Kaity, but I am already itching to be back on the trail (especially now that the weather is warming up).

***Also, Dad and I were having a conversation recently about gear and he made a statement along the lines of "If I were to start a thru hike right now, I don't think I'd need to buy anything." and I responded with "Well, do it then!". He hesitated and I could tell that he actually considered the idea. I've talked to him a little bit more about it since then, and I think it would be awesome if Pops jumped on the trail with me soon and went all the way to Maine with me. If he wanted to make it a genuine thru-hike, he would just jump from Maine to wherever he joins me and then hike south to Springer Mtn around September.

If you think Dad should join me, let him know by providing support in the comment box below! Thanks for your continued support, this has already been an incredible journey and I can't wait to continue the hike!

-Dan

SNOW !

Dan has had quite an adventurous couple of days in the snow!  Yesterday and today have both been cold, blustery, gloomy, snowy, dead of winter type days.  After taking the later shuttle from the motel back to the trail yesterday morning, he hiked in snow all day.  In places where the trail was on the wind facing side of the mountain, the drifts were knee high at times.  He made his way up and out of GA and crossed the NC line at Bly Gap. 

Dan at GA / NC Line





He and a fellow hiker arrived about 5:00 at Muskrat Creek shelter in the snow only to find it overflowing with hikers and no space available.  The next shelter was 5 miles further down the trail.  This is where I would have just laid down and said hypothermia go ahead and take me, but Dan just plowed on down to the next shelter.  Arriving just ahead of dark, he found the shelter was 1.) facing into the wind and the floor covered with snow, and 2.) two other hikers had actually set up their tents inside the shelter taking up all the space.  So after walking the extra 5 miles, he had to set up his tent in about 6 inches of snow.  Wait........ it gets better.   When he woke up this morning his shoes and socks were frozen solid.  Couldn't bend his shoes, so he boiled water and poured it in his shoes to thaw them out, then put them on wet and started hiking in snow again!   He made it 17 miles yesterday and 7 more today and secured a spot in a shelter for tonight.  Seems as though most of the hikers are sitting tight and taking a break through the snow storms, so space in the shelters is at a premium.  Tomorrow, he plans to hike 16 miles into Franklin NC, where he will take a couple of days off to rest his knee and visit Kaity, his girlfriend.

Where's the white blaze?

Snow!

The knarly oak at Bly Gap as Dan saw it yesterday and as I saw it on a section hike this summer.



  





 

Trail Magic Karma

I spoke to Dan today and he reports that he has made it to Dick's Creek Gap near Hiawassee GA.   His knee is still bothering him some, but is better thanks to some trail magic karma he received from a very generous hiker.  One of the hikers we spoke with at our "trail magic" station on Friday was a section hiker who happened to bump into Dan near the end of his hike.  We had told him about Dan's knee ailment and he offered Dan his knee brace.  Dan says it has helped a lot!   The kindness and generosity of the hikers on the trail is a huge part of the enjoyment of the trip.  Thanks to the brace, he was able to complete over 15 miles today even with the bum knee. 

The forecast for tonight is 24 and chance of snow, so several of the hikers (including Dan) took advantage of the proximity to Hiawassee and shuttled into town for a hotel room.  He went and lowered the inventory at a mexican restaraunt and also the inventory of Naproxen at the local pharmacy.   Below are some pictures of what a wet hikers room looks like when he gets a chance to dry out!



Dan -  "This pretty much sums up how the trail was today.  It was the muddiest trail I've ever hiked."



 

3/22 Pig Pen Returns and Trail Magic

A really cool day today on the A.T.   Dan got back on the trail after a much needed day off to rest a sore knee.  He really should have taken another day off, but he promised to take it easy and do low mileage the next couple of days.  Kara went with us to see him off, but she probably won't get back on the trail until Dan gets past the Smokies, since she's not allowed in there anyway.   Robin and I took him back to Hog Pen Gap and then passed on some "trail magic" to the hikers as they passed by.  Trail Magic is any form of unexpected aid that a hiker receives.  It's mostly food and drinks, but it can be anything from giving them a ride into town to offering them a place to stay and shower for a day.  Robin baked up a huge batch of brownies and we took boxes of Little Debbies, cases of Powerade, and  a cooler of water so they wouldn't have to filter.  It's really amazing how much a powerade and a homemade brownie can lift up a tired hiker's spirits.  We met people from all over the USA and a group from Germany.  One group in particular was really inspirational. They were a group of veterans participating in the "Warrior Hike."  The warrior hike is a program designed to support wounded veterans transitioning from military service by hiking the Appalachian Trail.  They are "walking off the war."   There were two different groups of them that came by, about 10 altogether, but I don't know how large the total group was.  We really enjoyed talking to them and thanked each one for their service to our country.  You can check out their website at  http://warriorhike.com/.  It was really one of my best days on the trail and I didn't even hike.  



Dan heading out of Hog Pen Gap



Waiting with magic on the first hikers





Warrior Hikers !




Our new friends from Germany !



More Warrior Hikers
(man standing to right is Sean Gobin, co-founder of the Warrior Hike)

Latest Update 3/20/12

Hey all! I just wanted to update on my current status. I woke up this cold morning to a strong breeze, an incredible view, and a bum knee. Between the knee slowing me down and the temperature ensuring that my hands remain numb, it took about an hour for me to pack up my stuff this morning. I figured that when I actually started hiking my knee would loosen up a bit and begin to feel better, but I was wrong. My campsite was perched high on a ridge so I began the morning's hike with a steep downhill. The pain in my knee worsened with every step, and carrying Kara's pack just added to the difficulties. I limped along for a couple of miles and decided I could go no further at the moment. Since dad was already planning on picking up Kara and resupplying me on Thursday, he went ahead and came today. We met up at Hog Pen Gap, got some Mexican food, and I was able to buy a new headlamp to replace the one that I lost last night (or maybe it imploded?). I planned on heading back to the trail, but Dad convinced me to take some extra time to let my knee heal a little longer. So, I rode back home with him and will return to the trail Friday. Mom and Dad are both going back Friday to drop me off and do some "Trail Magic" at the parking lot (they'll be handing out powerade, water, and goodies to the hikers coming through, it's a huge mental boost).

Tired pup after 3 full days of hiking

Hog Pen Gap

Thanks so much for the huge support, you guys are helping me reach Maine with all of the positive thoughts.

-Dan

Or the original Grateful Dead?

P.S. I am now going by "Pigpen"

Is it from Charlee Brown?

Day 3 Report from Dan

Well Dan didn't have to wait too long to hit some severe weather!  Last night on his second day, we had tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms over a large part of north GA.  We were worried about him, but he hunkered down in his tent and rode out the storms, and luckily the nastiest stuff missed him just to the south.  He went from hiking in the rain all day yesterday to hiking in blue bird skies today.  He made it down to Neels Gap during todays hike and was able to enjoy a pizza and dry out some of his gear a little bit. 



Early Morning at Woody Gap



Unfortunately, Kara has developed some raw tender spots from her pack probably from carrying it wet all day yesterday.  Dan decided she needs to come off the trail and let the sores heal up good, so I'm going to meet them a day early - Thursday at Unicoi Gap.  I'll bring Kara home and resupply Dan with whatever he needs.  We'll get Kara back to him when she heals up.  In the meantime, Kara gets to slackpack while Dan carries her pack and all her food!

The beautiful weather today made for some fantastic views:



Blood Mountain Shelter



View from Blood Mountain



Day 3 Campsite









Day 2 - Report from Dan

Dan reported this morning via text:

First night campsite



Day 2  -  Cold, wind, fog, drizzles.   Shooting for Woody Gap, but that'll be over 17 miles.   Might not make it.

Greetings from Springer

Dan texted me "Greetings from Springer" along with these 2 photos.  Kara looks a little tired after her first 8.8 miles carrying a pack .  They are now officially at the starting point and are going at least 5 more miles today.

                                                            Kara at the first white blaze.

Dan and Kara are off to Maine!

Well I dropped Dan and Kara off at Amicalola State Park today to begin the 2184 mile trek to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.  Dan was the 448th thru hiker to check in so far in 2013.  Last year there were over 1200, so he is getting a jump on most of them.  The approach trail that begins at Amicalola is 8.8 miles long just to get to the start of the A.T. which is atop Springer Mountain.  The approach trail goes about 1/2 mile to the base of the falls, and then there are 600 + grated steps to climb to the top.  Because of the steep grated steps and this being Kara's first time carrying a pack, we planned for me to "slack pack" (drive) Kara's pack to the top of the falls.  I drove on up to the parking area at the base of the falls and while I was waiting a young woman hiker with the trail name "Alf" came along the trail with a dog about the same size and carrying the same pack as Kara.  I told her my son was coming along with his dog and since I was carry his dog's pack up to the top, asked if she would like me to carry her dog's pack up to the top as well.  She was grateful for the offer and even asked me to drive her pack up too.  Dan's a purist so I knew he would carry his pack up, but everyone hikes their own hike.

I met them at the top just a short time later along with two other hikers, Boomerang, and Walkabout_1.  Of the 4, Dan is the only one without a trail name yet.   The hikers took a rest at the top of the falls while I took a few pic's.  Then it was time to send them off. 

Dan's Hike - Dad's Pre-Hike Notes

Well Dan came home from college in mid December and our home immediately morphed into an outdoor sports warehouse.  Three boats, three bikes, crates full of climbing and paddling gear, etc. kinda tightened up the space around here.  Then the A.T.  gear started coming in.  Minimum of one box almost everyday for a few weeks.  Sometimes the Fed Ex driver had to wait on the UPS guy to get out of the way!  Everyday I jealously watched Dan unpack new sleeping bags, tent, pack, shoes, clothes, and everything else you could imagine someone might need on a thru hike.  Some stuff had to be reordered. Kara's backpack, which cost $130, (yeah that's for a dog backpack) was lost on the first practice hike.  Kara took off into the woods and got the pack hung on something. Dan found Kara a few hours later, but never found the pack.  New $130 dog pack on order.

I think I'm almost as excited as Dan about his hike.  I'll be driving over and resupplying him with food and clothes several times while he is in the southern half.  Our cousin Jeff might catch him up in southern VA with a resupply and his girlfriend Kaity will meet him a time or two in NC.  I hope to get to hike a few days with him from time to time although I will  have a hard time keeping up.  I plan to drive up to Maine and hike the last leg with him and drive him home.  Taylor and I will be helping Dan keep up the blog.  We hope you will follow Dan along on the blog as he makes his way to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.  Feel free to add comments to the blog posts.  I know he will enjoy hearing from you while he's out on the trail.

Final Preparations

Final Preparations

One of the final things on my to-do list before the hike was to get rid of all of my hair. I met the requirements for a hair donation and decided to donate my hair to "Wigs for Kids". This is a great organization that helps provide FREE wigs for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, radiation, burns, and other medical issues. Feeling inspired? Check out www.wigsforkids.org/ for more information.

In addition to the haircut, I've been stocking up on food for Kara and I. We have 160lbs of high performance dog food in the mail and I have just received a huge box of awesome freeze dried fruits, veggies, and beans from www.harmonyhousefoods.com.

Tyler started his hike today 3/5/13. I'll be about 10 or 11 days behind him but he is planning on taking it slow and meeting up with Kara and I somewhere around the Smokies. I am looking to start around March 16th.

-DH