Hi everyone,
I write to you from the trail town of Hot Springs, NC. The AT actually leaves the woods for a little bit and goes straight through this little town. We're taking a day off at the legendary Elmer's Sunnybank Hostel...which is actually more like a fancy bed and breakfast with gourmet meals provided (at dirt cheap thru-hiker rates!!). I fantasize about food all day long, so now I get the chance to give into my cravings (ice cream, beer, cheese, oranges). There are quite a few thru-hikers taking a day off here as well. You can tell us by looking at us: walking around town in our Crocs and raingear (because we're all doing our laundry), unshaven, disheaveled, happy. Some kids mouthed the word "HIPPY" to Jared from a school bus window...we cracked up.
We are 2 days out of the Great Smokey Mountains Nat'l Park, a 70 mile stretch of the AT that boasts the highest elevation of the entire trail, and also one of the greatest bear densities of the entire country. The Smokies have given us some of our best sceanery so far, in spite of it's notorious air pollution haze....the mountains get more rugged and rocky, the ridges a little steeper, and you see more variation in vegetation (southern Appalachian beech gaps, fir stands, grassy patches left over from old pastureland). It's an accomplishment to be through this section. That's not to say that the hard stuff is behind us, there are several more notorious sections to come.
We have been very fortunate with the weather (I think, anyway). We've only had one real day of rain in three weeks, and a little thunderstorm last night. No rain makes for pleasant hiking, but I would worry if this pattern were to continue...our water sources depend on rain to keep them going. A drought makes drinking water hard to find.
Let's see...what else...our morale is generally good. Jared and I have bickered over mileage and pacing and food, but that's about it. For the most part, it is a relief to hike in a team. We have a good partnership...sharing the weight, checking each other for ticks, encouraging each other and laughing about stupid things.
Check out some new pics! Send some kind words! We'll probably be able to post again in a week (Elmer, TN) or two (Damascus, VA).
Much love,
maribeth :)
The wildflowers are beginning to come out one by one and it's a wonder to see the seasons change before our very eyes.
Hi Folks,
We are taking a "near zero" day in Franklin, North Carolina. We have walked the first 100 miles of the trail.
Highlights:
We finished the 76 miles in Georgia in seven days under sunny skies and mild temps.
Three parties of AT hikers have bestowed "trail magic" upon us. The first in Georgia where "Chief" and "Christmas" served us hot chocolate before a difficult climb up in the Raven Cliffs Wilderness. Another guy in Georgia asked us if we were thru hiking, we replied "we're trying," he waited in silence for a moment, walked to his car and offered us a bag of apples saying "don't be shy now." In North Carolina Fishin Fred, Gatorade, and Rum Runner served us lemon lime soda and biscotti. Fishin Fred claimed that biscotti is a superior to snickers for enduring long climbs.
"Git Fiddler" and "Five String" serenaded us with blue grass banjo, guitar, and vocal hamony at shelters for two nights. They played "dueling banjos" from Deliverence and sang about getting sentenced to life in prison without parol at age 21. They are attempting to hike the trail with their instruments on their backs.
We got severely ill with a stomach flu our second night in North Carolina. Maribeth was feeling nauseous about 2.5 miles away from the next shelter and got sick on the trail. I helped her to the shelter, but I fell ill soon after arriving. We could not hold down any food or water all night and got very little sleep. "Slipper" offered us a day of extra food and "Duck Walk" fetched us some water for an extra day stay at the Carter Gap Shelter. Luckily the illness passed in 24 hours and we were able to walk to Franklin. We've met many great people, strangers who have been unconditionally generous. We believe we contracted the illness from a sick person in Hiawasee, GA, although it could have been brought on by bad water or food.
Before the trail I was complaining of knee pain. My knees have not really been a problem, but my back has been hurting. I take my pack off and stretch my spine often and so far the pain has been managable with a little help from Alleve. This early in the long walk I worry that these little aches and pains will get enflamed and will end the adventure prematurely, but then I realize that many other hikers have health ailments, so I am not suffering alone. We continue to walk and take it day by day.
I am learning to pace myself with Maribeth. I believe we are getting stronger and the next 100 miles will be easier. We will be in Smokey Mountain National Park next week. We will probably post again when we arrive in Hot Springs, NC
Buon Voyage!
Jared
So...it's already Tuesday and we're still at Jane's house in Alabama. Jared tried to "fluff" his sleeping bag in the dryer last night and all of the down filling settled into the bottom. The sleeping bag was on its last legs anyway, so we needed to visit the hiking store one more time before we went to Georgia.
The store opened at 10 am...they didn't have the correct size....we headed to another store...got a little lost....and by that time it was 11:30 am. This means that Janie would have to drive through rush hour Atlanta traffic with 3-4 hours of night driving (which she can't do). We made a very good decision (I feel) to leave early tomorrow morning instead.
Long story short, we'll be hitting the trail tomorrow, Wednesday 3/7...probably less flustered than if we had left today.
And thanks for all of the encouragement! You guys are the best (smile)!
much love,
maribeth
We are about to embark on the Long Walk from Georgia to Maine. It has been three years of dreaming and planning. I first heard about the Appalachain Trail from a graduate student attending classes at the University of Michigan Biological Station. She had many harrowing tales and beautiful pictures to share that inspired me. I liked the idea of seeing the country on foot, experiencing the natural rhythms of the seasons, and pushing my physical limits. Maribeth shared these passions and we set our minds to getting to the trailhead.
Originally we had hoped to hike the trail last summer 2006, but we did not have adequate time to raise money, find a job, and apply to grad school. So we pushed it back another year. It was a good decision because we both held down jobs at Harvard as research assistants, applied and got accepted to a grad program in Botany at U. Florida, acquired the right gear on employee discount from REI, and raised the funds. We were surprised at the astounding cost of storing and moving our personal belongings during the trail so we sold it most of our stuff on Craiglist and Amazon and packed the rest of it in Maribeth's car. It is liberating, but we will have to restart when we move to Florida.
For the past 4 days we have been staying with Maribeth's older sister Jane and her family in Birmingham, AL. It has been wonderful to relax, heal, and recharge after moving and preparing. I have been going in their hot tub twice a day. Jane will drive us to the trailehead (Amicalola State Park, GA) on Monday March 5th. Their hospitality has been our first experience of "trail magic".
I am cautiously optimistic about our adventure. For the past three weeks I have been experiencing pain in my right knee. I feared that my knee would get enflamed on the trail stopping our adventure short. I went to the doctor yesterday and he stated that the pain resulted from my bowed legs improper tracking of my kneecap. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and physical therapy to strengthen my inner quads and loosen my hips. The pain has been steadily decreasing since arriving in Alabama giving me hope that it will be manageable on the trail.
Eighty to ninety percent of all people that attempt a thru-hike in any given year fail to make it to the end for various reasons. Maribeth and I plan to take it in small steps, mile by mile, shelter-by-shelter, town-by-town. I hope that we are able to enjoy the entire five months that we have allotted on the trail. Getting to Katahdin is optional.
We'd love to have some friends and family hike a leg with us. Please e-mail us and make some arrangements! We will not have cell phones but there will be many towns along the way where we can check e-mail and make phone calls.
Send some love,
Jared
