From the Journals: DAY 7

Coach
Carter Gap Shelter - Winding Stair Shelter (Franklin, NC): 15.7 mi

Late start 8:30am due to previous couple of days. We had a hot breakfast and took a slower pace to the Zero Day in Franklin, NC. When we arrived in town we were delirious from lack of food and fatigue. Don't know how the KMART run actually happened. We looked like cripples walking around. Much needed rest is in order. For dinner, we hd 50 wings and a sampler platter from a sports bar called Mulligan's. Ron Haven is awesome.

Zero Day Report:
Mileage Covered- 107.5 mi
Days- 6.5
Pace- 16.1 mi/day
Thru-hikers Passed- 14
Thru-hikers Passing- 0

Other Comments:
-20 mile day
-Legs strong enough, feet holding us back
-Learned the importance of foot care

Professor

Coldest morning yet @ Carter Gap. First time I broke all the gear out, first time it got cold enough.
15.5 miles today to Winding Stair Gap where we are being picked up by Ron Haven (ex-thru-hiker) to stay at Haven's Budget Inn.

I really hurt in the feet after today, part psychological, part physical. Zero Day is going to be much needed!!! Coach and I killed 50 Hot wings, an appetizer sampler and a pitcher of beer... perfect sleep aid. I can feel each individual spring in my mattress and somehow it feels comfortable..

Coach and I have decided to wear women's pantyhose. We learned from a thru-hiker that they are the perfect liner sock- lightweight, cheap, dry and wick very fast. They cut down on friction thus cutting down on blisters. At this point, I am willing to try anything to cut blisters out of my daily equation of different pains, even if it means women's pantyhose... sorry everybody.

From the Journals: DAY 6

Coach
Plumorchard Gap Shelter - Carter Gap Shelter: 19.8 mi.

0500: Wake up & Breakfast (Protein bar with PB) & Pack-up
0615: On Trail
0940: Stop to eat 1st lunch @ Muskrat Creek Shelter (9.3mi) & water stop
1040: On Trail
1340: Stop to eat 2nd lunch @ summit of Standing Indian Mountain (13.8mi) side trail (0.1mi)
1430: On Trail
1730: Arrived at shelter for night, Carter Gap. Total miles for the day 20.0 mi.

*Best mileage day yet.
Thru-hikers met: J.C. (English guy), ate lunch with StormSong and TreeBeard

Today, we basically put into motion the strategy we discussed last night. We also entered North Carolina and grounded out 20 miles on tough terrain.

Professor

TreeBeard & StormSong (supportive wife at home like me!)- It's uncanny how much of a similar situation they have to Coach and I. I wouldn't be suprised if we leapfrog with them for a little while.

J.C.- an older Englishman in his 60s hiking it very slowly from shelter to shelter. He averages 6-8 miles a day and is planning on finishing before Mt. Katahdin closes for the season in October. Seems like a really nice guy and I'm sorry that we won't be hiking much more with him.

I like the dynamic of the Group in the shelter tonight. Everybody is really chill, good @ conversation and positive about the future.

Common topics of conversation amongst thru-hikers so far:
1. Pack weight and how to decrease
2. FOOD
3. Mileage hiked
4. Weather
5. Gear
6. Boots, trail shoes, footwear
7. Feet
8. Future food consumption

We hiked 20 miles today; it was difficult but for the most part my body felt strong. My feet definitely hurt by the last 5 miles or so. We ate a lot to keep fueled (probably 3,000 calories or more). Sleeping at Carter Gap Shelter tonight. Getting colder in higher elevation, oh yeah, WE CROSSED INTO NC!!!! Goodbye GA! I can already tell a difference changing with ecosystems. I feel like I'm getting closer to the Smokies, closer to my childhood home. It smells familiar. I'm really excited to do this part of the trail again. It brings back a lot of nostalgia from childhood...

From the Journals: DAY 5

Coach

Tray Mountain Shelter - Plumorchard Gap Shelter: 15.5 mi.
Thru-hikers: Hawk/Joker, Treebeard/Storm Song, Sensi/Face

Got an early start (5:15am). Hiked until just after 11:00am. Lunch was sort of a flop on the ground, we were so tired we were delirious. We pushed on to the shelter and avoided the thunderstorms. We overtook quite a few thru-hikers our number is now up to 14 with tomorrow getting in another 6. We are kicking 20 yr old's asses.

Staying at shelter with 6 thru-hikers. They provide motivation to go for a 20 miler tomorrow. The Professor and I have discussed and agree all signs point to doing it. Plus, the strategy session makes the hike seem very do-able. Early start will kick it off at hopefully before 6:00am. Hopefully, will catch Treebeard and Storm Song.

Professor
WHERE IT HURTS:
We woke up @ 4:15 today on trail by 5:15. We were worried about the rain so we hiked 15.5 miles to Plumorchard Gap Shelter, hoping to beat the thunderstorm we heard was supposed to happen. It did eventually, early spring flash, we had already been there for several hours... It's hard to concentrate right now because we are in a shelter with an entire group of kids that make me feel like I'm about to turn 30. I wonder if I'll get any sleep tonight.

We met these guys earlier today that I think are going to be a couple days ahead of us named Stormsong and Treebeard that I think are a little more our style. I think we'll catch up to them here in the next couple of weeks.

I can tell I am getting stronger but not without paying the price of every "break-in" period of a thru-hiker.

Did I mention that Coach and I experienced "trail magic" for the first time? As we saw the blue and gray coolers we started laughing... to tears. Coach had a bearclaw and a Fanta. I had a Mrs. Field's Macadamia Nut white chocolate cookie and a Fanta. After, I felt like I had a rocket propelled backpack going up the next mountain from the sugar high!

NIGHT 5: Coyote tonight, storm over, many, many stars, coyotes are talking to each other on the hilltops.

From the Journals: DAY 4

Coach
Low Gap Shelter - Tray Mountain Shelter: 15mi.

Trail Magic: Fanta and Honey Bun.
Passed 3 thru-hikers
Camped @ shelter with Ronin, Trident (beatnik type right out of the 50s), Norsewoman, Bueno and JJ.

I have decided if the Professor wasn't here I would have hiked myself to death. Today was another awesome day. The feet, especially the left one, was still painful, but we still made 15 mi. We experienced trail magic for the 1st time today. I have never been so happy to see and then consume a honey bun. Then, I found out it has 500 calories. I might just eat honey buns the rest of the trip. The sugar rush was awesome. The Professor was so full of emotions tears of joy came to his eyes. It was basically the best emotional rollercoater of my life with only the highs. We once again improved on our hydration supply.

Professor

Good day, took off before 8:00. Passed by several N.Bound hikers. Covered 15.0 miles today; it's supposed to have severe thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. Coach and I are going to get an early start.

People on the Trail:
Trident: Adjunct Professor of Poetry from Louisville, KY!! Lives on 4th street. First saw him on a cliff yodeling and listening to the echo.

From the Journals: DAY 3

Coach

Blood Mountain Shelter - Low Gap Shelter: 13.2 mi.
Coming off the mountain, I injured my left foot. It appears to be a stone bruise. It was pretty painful most of the afternoon and especially after the added weight of the resupply. The Professor looked pretty worried when he saw me limping, but by the end of the day I had adjusted and we got some good mileage in when you add in the 3 hr supply pickup. I also picked up a walking stick that someone left on the side of the trail. I do believe it will be going to Maine. It will be interesting to see how my speed picks up after I recover completely with the aid of the walking stick.
DAY 3 (CONTINUED)
The Professor and I also continued our dialogue about dropping weight. We also caught up with some thru-hikers that started on Monday, which was 3 days ahead of us. In an effort to drop weight, we sent our tents home, so it looks like shelter hopping for the near future. We do seem to be learning and our mistakes are pretty funny, so all in all I think we are doing pretty well.

Professor

Coach Language or Coachisms:
1. Groop = Gorp
2. Golden Honey = Peter Pan Honey Peanut Butter
3. I see them less than when I see them = I don't see them very often
4. Peanut Butter Heaven = Having peanut butter on a grassy knoll basking in the sun
5. Let me tell you something about powdering your balls.. If you ever need to stop and think about whether you should powder your balls, you should definitely powder your balls.

Woke up before the sun to watch the sunrise over Blood Mtn. with some oatmeal. I am a little worried about Coach's foot. I think he has a "stone bruise." Looks like it hurts.

- Resupply @ Neels Gap, they gave me a free roll of athletic tape, was totally pumped. I bought all the Aleve they had in the store. I ate a hot dog, yum! We talked to a guy named Brian (hiked the AT twice with a 15lb pack); after we both sent home our tents, poles, stakes, rain fly,... and I sent home antifungal cream,...sorry Mom. Saved 4lbs. After loading up with 5 days of food and 3 liters of H20 our packs weighed more than when we started. That was downer. "Peanut Butter Heaven" lifted our spirits.

Camping @ Low Gap, total almost 14 miles. Finally caught up to "Bueno" a guy we were reading his shelter journal entries. He's a North Bounder.

People on the Trail:
Norsewoman: From western PA and loves the Pens.
Bueno: Ex-marine; two tours in Iraq; Goofy funny
JJ: Bueno's friend since childhood

From the Journals: DAY 2

Coach

Gooch Mountain Shelter - Blood Mountain Shelter: 13.2 mi.
We are on the trail by 8am. The Professor and I had a lengthy discussion/strategy session concerning the amount of water we carry. The fact that carrying 8lbs of water is a lot of extra weight means we talked about it every time we got water. You can really feel the difference. I am also glad that the Professor brought his seat pad it makes him very happy. He didn't bring it on the gear test and I basically heard about it for 2 days. The view from Blood Mountain was awesome. We arrived around 4pm, so we hung out on a rock in the sun and gave our feet and legs some tender love and care. It made all the difference in the world.

Professor

(morning) "My chocals are raw" said Ole Yeller. "They burned when I wiped them with my antibacterial wipes," he said, which described what I was thinking about my own chafe...

- Big rain last night

Hiked to Blood Mountain shelter, 13.2 miles today. Beautiful/Best views so far. The clouds are gone and the sun is beating down on me., warming my bones and drying my feet and socks. I spent extra time on my feet today. Foot maintenance, Coach and I have Pedicure time. Really phenomenal sunset!! I took several pictures of this.

From the Journals: DAY 1, Feb. 24

Coach

Springer Mountain - Gooch Mountain Shelter: 15.1 mi.

It was a solid day. A little rough; I'm pretty sore, but a great mileage day considering we started at noon. The other hikers were pretty impressed with our pace. The plan called for us to stop 8.8 miles into the day, so of course, we pushed on to the next shelter. The hike was pretty tough elevation wise, but felt awesome. It will be interesting to see how the Professor and I feel in the morning. It was amazing to finally start this adventure.

NIGHT 1: So last night was hilarious. After everyone laid down for the evening, this guy called "Ole Yeller" started talking and basically got a conversation going about this guy he saw on the trail with an umbrella. Well, everybody met this guy and agreed he was very strange. I mean you know a guy puts off a bad vibe when a group of strangers who have not met him think there is a strong chance he could be a serial killer. Ole Yeller's snoring also taught me that I need some ear plugs. So far I have done a lot of laughing. If it keeps up, morale won't be a problem.

Professor

DAY 1: "You boys watch out for that rain tonight" says a man walking with nothing but a denim shirt and pants, short hair, a long, long beard, and nothing but an umbrella in hand.

"You boys better watch out for that rain tonight, don't let it get you... or I will..." my imagination makes him say.

Skipped Hawk's shelter pushed on to Gooch Mountain shelter. 15.1 miles, really tired. Feel better after dinner.

And They're Off!

Coach and the Professor began the Appalachian Trail at 11:47am on February 24, 2011.

But let's backtrack just a little..

First, please let me introduce you to Manager Mike (pictured with the sleepy hikers). Mike is the Professor's Dad and a major reason why planning for the Appalachian Trail went so smoothly. He is also the point man on re-supply and, well, pretty much everything. He will also be referred to as "Wooden Spoons" on the Trail.

These guys were up late the night before preparing their drop boxes, a typical one contains the following: Grits or Oatmeal for breakfast, Summer Sausage, Tuna and Pita for lunch, CLIFF bars and for our main course we went with Alpine Aire. On our gear test we tested the Alpine Aire meals and found them to be the best value in terms of taste, quality of ingredients and calories. Black Bart Chili is the best.

After the early morning picture was taken (by the Professor's Mom who was kind enough to help document!), Manager Mike drove Coach and the Professor to Springer Mountain. Here they are in the parking lot:

From here, everybody hiked up Springer Mountain to begin the AT (yes, they had to hike to get to the start):

They reached the beginning of the Appalachian Trail:

They checked out the view and posed for a picture:

And came to the first of 90,000 white blazes that will guide them from Springer Mountain (Georgia) to Mt. Katahdin (Maine):

And then they struck out and waved farewell:

and vanished....

**Report from Manager Mike aka Wooden Spoons:

• Thursday, February 24 (15+ mile day):Arrived at the Springer Mountain parking area on US Forest Service Road 42, one mile from the top of Springer. The Professor, Coach, and Manager Mike ("Wooden Spoons") and Doc ("Hell Hound") hiked to the southern terminus of the AT at Springer, snapped a few pictures then returned to the parking area. From there the Professor and Coach struck out on their immense journey. Wooden Spoons and Hell Hound drove to Neels Gap and dropped off the first re-supply box. Weather was cool and windy but mostly sunny, a perfect day for hiking. They originally had planned on staying at Hawk Mt but continued to Gooch Mt arriving around dark. Thunder storms during the night.


• Friday, February 25 (approx 14 miles):Stayed at Blood Mt shelter. Amazing sunset reported.


• Saturday, February 26: Report received from Neels Gap indicates they plan to stop at Whitley Gap today and nurse some chafing and minor blisters. Spirits high. Weather remains mild with highs near 60 and lows near 30.