Conditions: Low 70s, Partly Sunny
Distance: 15 miles

Woke up with my right shoulder stiff and my left knee sore. I popped an Aleve for a temporary fix. It wouldn’t last. I’m carrying so much food I can’t pack it right. One side of my backpack is heavier. So that shoulder suffers. It’ll be a few days until I’ve eaten enough food for everything to fit right. Until then, I’ll switch sides each day.

My knees aren’t bad. It’s just the weight and the elevation changes. I use the pain as an indicator of when to stop. Normally my knee starts to feel a little thick. When it does, I know I have another mile. Then I should rest.

Still a little uneasy on the trail. I keep looking for signs of bear. Watching for snakes. Nothing so far. I’m less uneasy than yesterday. I imagine in a few days I’ll be one with nature.

I powered through 6 miles in the morning. The goal is 16.8 miles for the day. While I planned for distance I didn’t consider elevation changes. I crossed 3 mountains already. Still with Big Cedar and Blood Mountain ahead – the highest peak on the Appalachian Trail so far at 4,755ft. Good views at the top of each though. The sun seems to come out when I reach the top of each. In addition, I passed an awesome waterfall. With all the rain, it flowed right across the trail.

I passed few south-bounders on the trail in the morning. The first north-bounder I ran into was a college kid from Connecticut. He’s a thru-hiker (Hiking Georgia to Maine). His goal is to complete the Appalachian Trail in 100 days. That’s an average of 22 miles per day. I stopped to take a video while he kept going. I caught him a few miles up the trail filtering water. We discussed the “bear zone” ahead. Flyers were posted at each road crossing indicating a 6 mile stretch of the trail that had been designated “bear active”. To stay in this area required a bear canister – a crush proof capsule for your food. They were expensive and heavy. Most hikers didn’t have them.

It was getting late in the day. We decided we’d get as far as we could. If necessary, we’d camp together in the “bear zone”. We pushed hard to a campsite about 1 mile from the edge of the “bear zone”. The elevation changes were slowing both of us. We were only a third of the way up Blood Mountain. We sat around the campsite for about 30 minutes. Unsure if we should push on or set up camp. We hadn’t seen anyone else on the trail. Blood Mountain shelter was at the top. A little over a mile away and another 1000ft climb. We decided to go for it. We agreed to take breaks along the way and stay together. Just as yesterday, as the day winds down, so does morale. Exhaustion sets in. It’s tough.

We stumbled into an empty Blood Mountain shelter around 7:30pm. A break in the clouds let the sun out and lifted our spirits. Since the shelter was empty, we decided to set up our tents inside. The shelter was an old stone cabin. Looked abandon for years. Like something out of Blair Witch Project. If nothing else, the tents would keep the critters out and allow them to air dry from the rainy night before.

Blood Mountain had a rocky top. I used my last bit of energy to climb the highest boulder and enjoy the view. I felt like shit. I was hungry, tired, and dehydrated. I definitely pushed myself to the limit. My original goal was to make Neels Gap. Another 1.8 miles away. I would not have made it. Blood Mountain was fine. I felt a lot better once I had dinner and a Propel mix. It provided the energy to spark up conversation with my fellow hiker. He didn’t have a trail name. So I suggested “Machine”. He had been in front of me all day. Rarely stopping. I have no doubt he could have gone on to Neels Gap. But I was glad he stuck around.

I had passed several people during the day. A lot were questioning their commitment to the trail. Blood Mountain is the first milestone. It’s nearly 30 miles from Springer Mountain. You cross several mountains before Blood Mountain. Combined with the “bear zone” it seems hikers were dropping out. With barely 1% of the trail complete, it had already separated the men from the boys. I was proud to make the first cut. Even if the downhill to Neels Gap would have to wait until morning.

A few lessons from the day:

• Know the topography of the trail. I only considered linear distance. Elevation changes play a huge factor.
• Drinking water alone will not keep you hydrated under such physical strain. You need electrolytes and minerals.
• You need to dig deep on the trail. And that won’t always cut it. Sometimes you need a partner.

~ Bootstrapper – 0010

Conditions: Low 60s, Rain
Distance: 15.2 miles

The Appalachian Trail is marked with white blazes – a painted white stripe. It’s like Miyagi sent Daniel-son into the woods to randomly make perfect brush strokes on trees.

And they are random. I questioned several times today if I was still on the Appalachian Trail. Eventually when I’d see one, I’d shout “white blaze”. This served as both a positive reinforcement and a bear alert. It quickly turned into a game. I started to sing “white blaze” (I did so in a Robert Goulet voice). I’d also sip from my Camelbak every other blaze. Anything to pass the time.

The day started with a small success. It was unclear how to reach Springer Mountain most efficiently. Coming in FSRD 42 is best. It puts you .9 miles north of Springer Mountain. While you double-back, it’s the closest you can get. Springer Mountain is the southern end of the Appalachian Trail. I had to start there. There is an approach trail to Springer Mountain. 8.8 miles to the top. But who wants the extra miles.

My parents dropped me off. We stayed the night in Ellijay, GA so I could start the trail first thing Monday morning. They did the .9 mile hike to Springer Mountain with me. We took pictures at the start of the trail and signed the hiker log. We each grabbed a rock from Springer Mountain. It’s tradition for thru-hikers to carry the rock to Katadin Mountain – the northern end of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. We got back to the parking lot and said our “Goodbyes”. It was 11:30am when I hit the trail.

It rained on and off. About 20 minutes each time. Pretty steady downpour. It was a good distraction. I still had some anxiety about being on the trail. It was all so unknown. Although in shape, I was not a hiker. With almost 50lbs on my back, who knew how far I could hike in a day. Or how many days I could hike in a row. Also, I was a solo hiker. I’d never camped alone before. Would their be people on the trail? May is considered a late start for the Appalachian Trail. A lot of unanswered questions.

About a mile in I passed a father/son group. Soon after I passed a family. They split into two groups. The parents were first, and the kids about a mile ahead. I also passed another father/son group. The son had gone ahead to hold a spot at Hawk Mountain shelter. Everyone seemed to have Hawk Mountain as their stopping point for the day.

I reached the shelter around 2pm. Right on schedule. I made a quick peanut butter sandwich (I mistakenly bought chunky) and gave the legs a 20 minute break. The shelter was already near capacity. And as much as it was nice to socialize, I decided to move on. Hawk Mountain was only 8.3 miles into the trail. My goal was to do around 14 miles a day. 2:30pm was too early to stop. I felt confident I could make it further before dark.

Justus Creek was another 6 miles. It offered water and campsites. To my surprise that 6 miles crossed 2 mountains. By the time I reached Justus Creek, I was exhausted. My knees were shaky and my arches felt flat. Mainly though, my shoulders were sore. I pack differently tomorrow and see if that helps.

I spent the day hiking alone. And after Hawk Mountain, I didn’t see anyone on the trail. But fortunately as soon as I crossed the creek I saw a couple filtering water. As a courtesy I asked if I could camp with them. I was glad they said “Yes”. While I would have kept going, the next shelter was another 1.7 miles. It would have been slow-going.

I didn’t want to spend the night alone. I think that would have been tough on the first night. There was a point after dinner when the couple went back to the creek for a good half hour. About 15 minutes in, I felt pretty lonely. I think the exhaustion and the hunger allowed negative thoughts to creep in. Once I rested and ate I felt better. Emotions seem to swing easily on the trail. This was going to be as much a mental challenge as a physical one.

It took me a good half hour to hang my food bag. Hanging your food is a precaution for bears. Black bears are excellent climbers. My research dictated at least 15ft off the ground and several feet from the trunk of the tree. At first the line was tangled. Then it was too close to the trunk. It was nearly dark. A hook-shot over a 30ft high branch takes a few tries. I finally hung it where I felt comfortable. I’ll know in the morning.

A few lessons from the day:

• Watch where you’re going. Stop if you’re want to look around.
• Snack more often. Food is fuel. Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner is not enough.
• A 40lbs pack is my upper limit. I should have reviewed my gear until under.

I better get to bed. Trying to hike 16.8 miles tomorrow. I did 15.2 miles today. From 10:00am to 6:30pm. So long as the legs aren’t sore, I should be able to make it.

Writing this entry before bed helped me relax. I’ll likely make this a routine.

I look forward to the morning.

~ Bootstrapper – 0001

Atop Springer Mountain, Georgia, Appalachian Trail

The following is a complete gear list for my 14-day hike through the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail. Without water, my pack weighted 43lbs. I chose to only resupply once. So I carried a 7-day food supply. Otherwise, I imagine my pack could have been under 40lbs.

Equipment

• Gregory Baltoro 75L
• Gregory Rain Cover 5000 (L)
• Sierra Designs Velox 2 Tent
• 15L Outdoor Research Lightweight Stuff Sack
• 10L Outdoor Research Lightweight Stuff Sack
• 25L Outdoor Research Dry Sack
• Custom Lightweight Sleeping Bag (1 side Flannel, 1 side Cotton Pad)

Food, Water, Cooking

• GSI Halulite MicroDualist
• Collapsable Metal Eating Utensil
• Bunton Raptor
• 8oz Fuel Canisters x 2
• MSR Water Filter
• Iodine Tablets
• 2L Camelbak
• 1L Nalgene
• 14 Multivitamins
• 14 B Vitamins
• 20 Propel Energy Mixes
• 7 Breakfast Dehydrated Meals
• 7 Dinner Dehydrated Meals
• Flat Bread
• Small Jar of Peanut Butter
• 1lbs Beef Jerky
• 1lbs Pistachios
• Dried Bananas
• Chocolate Bars

Personal Care

• Homemade First Aid Kit
• Travel Soap
• Travel Sunscreen
• Travel Hand Sanitizer
• Travel Toothbrush
• Travel Toothpaste
• Travel Vasoline
• Several Aleve

Clothing

• Marmot PreCip Pant
• Marmot PreCip Jacket
• North Face Hiking Pant
• Columbia Hiking Pant
• Under Armour HeatGear Shortsleeve
• Under Armour ColdGear Mock Longsleeve
• Terramar Lightweight T-Shirt
• Nike DriFit
• SmartWool Midweight Hiking Sock
• SmarWool Lightweight Multi-Sport Sock x 2
• Underwear x 4

Additional Gear

• 100ft Para-cord
• Smith and Wesson 6″ Fixed Blade Knife
• Leatherman
• Headlamp
• Solar Lamp
• Flint Striker
• Lighters x 2
• Camping Towel
• iPhone
• Solar Charger
• Chattahoochee, Nantahala, and Smokey Mountain Park Maps
• Relevant Pages from 2012 Appalachian Trail Data Book

After a week on the Appalachian Trail, I sent the following items home:

• Columbia Hiking Pant
• Under Armour HeatGear Shortsleeve
• SmartWool Midweight Hiking Sock
• Solar Lamp
• Flint Striker
• Half of the First-Aid Kit
• Travel Sunscreen
• Solar Charger (it rained most of my trip)
• Maps and Data Book pages for completed sections

In addition, I did not take all of my dehydrated meals from my resupply. Instead I bought some lightweight items such as tortillas, snack crackers, tuna packs, and summer sausage. I noticed other hikers with such common food. At first, I thought they were inexperienced. But it turns out that some of these items are lighter weight with higher calories and others are simply more appetizing. Both of which are welcome after a long day of hiking.

I definitely could have gone lighter. I think 40lbs is a threshold. I could have gone without the tent, packed a smaller food supply, and dropped some of the additional gear. However, I preferred sleeping in my tent and avoiding town saves time and money. Ultimately, my pack got lighter after each meal.

In May I will set out on a 14 day, 206 mile hike through the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail, continuing on to Tennessee. I will be dropped off at the southern trailhead – Springer Mountain, Georgia. I plan to journal each day. When able, I will post my entries under Appalachian Trail.

I labeled this trek Bootstrapping. Both for the hiking hyperbole and also the computer reference – a successive process that evolves a base program.

I will do this alone. For me. To reconnect to the being within. Nature as my catalyst.

My feet will carry me. Hiking as much as 18 miles a day. Lugging 35 lbs of gear. Crossing mountains and creeks. Rain or shine.

Once on the trail, there is one simple bearing – North.