Another update! Still in Maine, though
I am in a hiker hostel in Stratton, Maine. I have about 93 more miles in Maine. Yesterday I passed the line for 2000 miles. It was referring to North-bounders. I wrote in a shelter log that it is a bit disheartening for a southbound hiker like myself - instead of celebrating that I have done 2000 miles (quite an accomplishment), it was reminding me how much more I have left to do.
In the south, you are only in Georgia for about 60 miles. I will be in Maine for over 250 miles. I am really looking forward to my first state line, into New Hampshire. Of course New Hampshire will bring with it some tough mountains (the Whites), but I am feeling up to the challenge.
The blisters have mostly healed. I have changed boots, and while the blisters are still there, they are slowly going away, even though I am doing 15-19 miles a day.
Today was a tough day, though. Bigelow Mountain. 15.9 miles. This was not a lot - the two previous days I did 19 miles and 17.3 miles.
A sign warns you when entering the nature area (for an interesting read, check out the history of Bigelow Mountain in Maine, and see how the residents of Maine prevented it from turning into a "Aspen of the East") that a through-hike involves over 6000 feet of climbing over two mountains. I started at the bottom of the first one, Little Bigelow, climbed that, went down, and then went to both peaks of Bigelow Mountain. One peak was even named after Avery, one of the architects of the Appalachian Trail.
It was a very rough day. I probably should have stopped at a very nice shelter a few miles north of Stratton, but I was really looking forward to getting into a town. The last five miles were very tough. The terrain over them was not terribly difficult, I was just getting frustrated that I was not done yet. I was tired,and I wanted to be done.
The Appalachian Trail never gives up a mile easily.
Some other random thoughts about the AT: The AT is a four month long diet of one foot after another.
Someone asked me what I thought about while hiking. In order of least to most: 1) Everything else. Average: 0.2% of the time. 2) Random songs that get stuck in my head. Where did the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't it be Nice" and The Temptations' "My Girl" come from? Average: 1.8% of the time. 3) The next town I will be getting to, and what I will be doing once I get there. Average: 3% of the time. 4) The milage for that day, how many miles I have done, where the next landmark is, where I will be taking breaks, and where I will be stopping for the night. Average: 10% of the day. 5) Where I will be putting my next foot down. Average: 85% of the day.
There is a saying that the AT requires about five million steps, and each one of them can kill you.
You think a lot about where your foot is going to be coming down.
I am slowly developing a routine for each of my days. I wake up between about 5:30am and 6:00am. Mornings take me almost exactly an hour. Unpack my food bag (hung to make sure animals do not get into it during the night), unpack my pack (filled with nonfood items), pack my sleeping bag, eat 600 or so calories, drink 20 oz. of water, brush my teeth, pack my pack. I get on the trail by 7am at the latest.
I stop about 2-3 miles in for a second breakfast (usually either 420 calories of Pop Tarts, or 230 calories of a Clif Bar) and 8-12 oz. of water. About 5-7 miles in I stop for an early lunch. That is usually a bagel broken into pieces and dipped into peanut butter, as well as a granola bar, also broken into pieces and dipped into peanut butter. Finish off my second 20 oz. of water for the day. Refill water and treat it. I also take my boots off, change my bandages, and possibly put on drink socks, if needed.
By about 10-12 miles I have finished off my liter water bottle that I drink while actually hiking. I stop again for a second lunch, usually just a granola bar and some candy (the current favorite being Gummy Bears) or dried fruit. I also finish off the treated 20 oz. of water. The next time I see a water source I refill and treat again. I get into a shelter at about 4-5pm. I get out of my boots, grab my 2 liter water container and my 20 oz water bottle, head to the water source. First I fill both containers and then I usually get into the water to clean off a bit.
I get back to the shelter and empty my pack, dividing up everything into "Need for dinner", "Need for the night" and "Back into the pack for tomorrow". I eat (trying to break about 1500 calories for the meal), I journal a little bit, I socialize with people if there are any in the shelter, read a little before bed, and usually get to bed sometime between 8pm and 9pm.
Dark=Sleep on the AT.
Lather, rinse, and repeat the next day.
Speaking of which, I need to get going. Tomorrow morning will be breakfast at the diner across the street (7am) and then on to the town general store for resupply. Tomorrow should be an easy day - tough mountains, but only 7 miles. I am hoping to get out of town by mid to late morning.
Good night, and I hope things are going well with everyone.
In the south, you are only in Georgia for about 60 miles. I will be in Maine for over 250 miles. I am really looking forward to my first state line, into New Hampshire. Of course New Hampshire will bring with it some tough mountains (the Whites), but I am feeling up to the challenge.
The blisters have mostly healed. I have changed boots, and while the blisters are still there, they are slowly going away, even though I am doing 15-19 miles a day.
Today was a tough day, though. Bigelow Mountain. 15.9 miles. This was not a lot - the two previous days I did 19 miles and 17.3 miles.
A sign warns you when entering the nature area (for an interesting read, check out the history of Bigelow Mountain in Maine, and see how the residents of Maine prevented it from turning into a "Aspen of the East") that a through-hike involves over 6000 feet of climbing over two mountains. I started at the bottom of the first one, Little Bigelow, climbed that, went down, and then went to both peaks of Bigelow Mountain. One peak was even named after Avery, one of the architects of the Appalachian Trail.
It was a very rough day. I probably should have stopped at a very nice shelter a few miles north of Stratton, but I was really looking forward to getting into a town. The last five miles were very tough. The terrain over them was not terribly difficult, I was just getting frustrated that I was not done yet. I was tired,and I wanted to be done.
The Appalachian Trail never gives up a mile easily.
Some other random thoughts about the AT: The AT is a four month long diet of one foot after another.
Someone asked me what I thought about while hiking. In order of least to most: 1) Everything else. Average: 0.2% of the time. 2) Random songs that get stuck in my head. Where did the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't it be Nice" and The Temptations' "My Girl" come from? Average: 1.8% of the time. 3) The next town I will be getting to, and what I will be doing once I get there. Average: 3% of the time. 4) The milage for that day, how many miles I have done, where the next landmark is, where I will be taking breaks, and where I will be stopping for the night. Average: 10% of the day. 5) Where I will be putting my next foot down. Average: 85% of the day.
There is a saying that the AT requires about five million steps, and each one of them can kill you.
You think a lot about where your foot is going to be coming down.
I am slowly developing a routine for each of my days. I wake up between about 5:30am and 6:00am. Mornings take me almost exactly an hour. Unpack my food bag (hung to make sure animals do not get into it during the night), unpack my pack (filled with nonfood items), pack my sleeping bag, eat 600 or so calories, drink 20 oz. of water, brush my teeth, pack my pack. I get on the trail by 7am at the latest.
I stop about 2-3 miles in for a second breakfast (usually either 420 calories of Pop Tarts, or 230 calories of a Clif Bar) and 8-12 oz. of water. About 5-7 miles in I stop for an early lunch. That is usually a bagel broken into pieces and dipped into peanut butter, as well as a granola bar, also broken into pieces and dipped into peanut butter. Finish off my second 20 oz. of water for the day. Refill water and treat it. I also take my boots off, change my bandages, and possibly put on drink socks, if needed.
By about 10-12 miles I have finished off my liter water bottle that I drink while actually hiking. I stop again for a second lunch, usually just a granola bar and some candy (the current favorite being Gummy Bears) or dried fruit. I also finish off the treated 20 oz. of water. The next time I see a water source I refill and treat again. I get into a shelter at about 4-5pm. I get out of my boots, grab my 2 liter water container and my 20 oz water bottle, head to the water source. First I fill both containers and then I usually get into the water to clean off a bit.
I get back to the shelter and empty my pack, dividing up everything into "Need for dinner", "Need for the night" and "Back into the pack for tomorrow". I eat (trying to break about 1500 calories for the meal), I journal a little bit, I socialize with people if there are any in the shelter, read a little before bed, and usually get to bed sometime between 8pm and 9pm.
Dark=Sleep on the AT.
Lather, rinse, and repeat the next day.
Speaking of which, I need to get going. Tomorrow morning will be breakfast at the diner across the street (7am) and then on to the town general store for resupply. Tomorrow should be an easy day - tough mountains, but only 7 miles. I am hoping to get out of town by mid to late morning.
Good night, and I hope things are going well with everyone.