Author: amschrell@gmail.com

200 miles in and over Clingman’s Dome (the highest point on the AT). It feels much less like a battle with nature now as the hiking legs and feet have started to come in. Longer days leave me much less exhausted and give me more time to reflect and enjoy myself. It seems like a crazy notion to want to spend 4-6 months outside hiking 2200 miles, but the longer I am out here the more enjoyable the days become.

Hiker hunger has officially kicked in at this point. I have lost weight and can eat like there will never be a second meal. The pursuit of high/dense caloric food is never-ending. Honey buns at 550 cal per bun is a favorite. Snickers, cheese, skittles, and cliff bars are also consumed in mass quantity. I am also adding several table spoons of olive oil to dinners to increase the calories. The last time we ate in town I consumed a half pound bacon cheese burger with fries and topped it off with a snickers and a piece of fudge. After which I still felt like I could eat more. The strange thing is I don’t think hiker hunger has hit me in full force yet…. 

Almost 200 miles in! I’m averaging about 11 miles per day (including zero days)I have just made it to the Smokies where privies (outdoor bathrooms) don’t exist. This means that everyone has to do their business in the woods next to the shelter making it a minefield. This also means that I have stopped drawing water from shelters from fear of getting Giardiasis. Which would result in being up for a few miserable zero days. The rule for pooping in the woods is to go 200 yards from water, but the further the better. Also a 6 inch hols to bury the specimen is required. For this many people use trowels (small shovels), which I would said should be a requirement. The deuce of spaces is the Cadillac of trowels out here. The nice thing about trowels is that they allow a decent jolt to be dug, which is difficult to achieve through roots and rocks with a tent stake or stick.

We have also encountered some tough weather up to this point (Snow included). 

Here is Fontana Dam. This is a tiny lake town we resupplied in. There was a lake and what is known has the Fontana Hilton. Its the nicest shelter we have stayed in on the trail so far.

 

100 miles in and through Georgia!! So far I have hiked through rain, storms, sun, and clear skies. I have picked up a small hiker family that I have been hiking with since the first couple days. We have been able to resupply and shower about once every 5 days or so, which isn’t too bad.

It seems that the trail is a constant battle between nature and yourself. Foot maintenance is probably the most important aspect thus far. Proper use of moleskin (and I personally use sock liners) is critical. Foot problems seem to be the biggest reason people drop out after total unpreparedness. Personally I have only had one blister on my little toe, which is slowly getting better everyday.

Hiking in the rain isn’t as bad as it sounds, however, setting up camp in the rain is pretty miserable as staying warm can be problematic after. It is bizarre to think that I’m only 1/22nd of the way in and have already learned so much about long distance backpacking. Ill be sure to post more tips and tricks to long distance backpacking as I go.

With the first five days behind me I’m starting to get my hiking legs back as I work through the kinks of getting hot-spots and blisters on my feet. I have met some pretty cool people already, which makes a big difference mentally. While hiking with people I finally got my first trail name! Washbear! I was given the name because apparently every time I get to a stream I wash my boots off, like a raccoon washes there paws (in German raccoon translates to wash bear).

Luckily all the rain and wind has only occurred at night, but I did have a rough experience camping for the first night in rain in my hammock setup. For the most part I was just nervous that the wind was going to rip my fly up and everything was going to get wet. Unfortunately a few of my steaks did get up rooted in the middle of the night by the storm, as I woke up freezing. I have found the solution is to use a few more steaks for my fly and all will be good.

I apologize for being absent the last couple days that I have been on the trail, I hoping that I will have more consistent service along the way. Here are a few pictures that I have taken along the way.

 

 

Alright so it begins. This is the first day of my 5 month journey on the AT from Georgia to Maine. Only 2108.5 to go! The weather is overcast and it’s predicted to rain tonight and tomorrow, so it might be a rough start. More to come later as my journey continues.

 

Today is the day. I’m leaving my friends house and he is dropping me off at the trail head this morning. Here I have a picture of my first 4 days of food on the trail. This will also be a test of what food will work well and what wont. For breakfast I have instant coffee and instant grits. For dinners every night I have some kind of meet and a starch (pasta, potatoes, ect). And for lunch and snacking I have some peanut butter, Nutella, tortilla rolls, granola bars and raisins. Other than that I have some cooking oil and salt. After packing all of this into my bag it feels officially heavy!!

As I am about to leave to get on the plane for Georgia, I just finished inputting my gear list into LighterPack.com.

My base weight is 24 lbs, which I personally don’t think is too bad. With food and water I would assume that my pack would sit around 35 lbs. My biggest weight problem is definitely my sleep system. I am pretty sure that I won’t need my sleeping bag with my under quilt but I would rather be safe than sorry and I can always send it home. This will be my second extended trip sleeping in a hammock set-up, but my first with cold weather.

I will report back on what I do to save weight as I become a more veteran through-hiker. I know people go so far as the cut down the handle of their toothbrush to save weight so we will see.

A few thoughts on some of the gear.

Toothpaste (Tom’s of Maine) – Non-fluoride toothpaste as swallowing toothpaste is protocol on the trail (leave no trace).

Charger (Anker 2-port) – In town, quickly charging devices will be essential if I don’t want to take a zero so the 2 port higher wattage charger seemed useful.

Personal Locator Beacon or PLB (DeLorme InReach) – Not necessary for the AT in my opinion but it eases the mind of my wife and mother so worthwhile. As an item to have to outdoor adventures it is an excellent addition. I first used one when paddling the Everglades, where cell reception was non-existent and we didn’t see people for days. The DeLorme allows family and friends with the link to track my location via GPS and allows me to send text messages via satellite. Most of the messages I send are pre-written, but you can send custom messages too (in limited supply) depending on your subscription with the company. The most important function of a PLB is that it has an SOS button which can be activated and located almost anywhere in the world (certainly anywhere in the US).

I am sitting at home with my wife trying to figure out WordPress. Tonight is my last night in the west, tomorrow I fly back to the east cost in preparation to start the AT.