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