Date: 2016-01-26
From: Thank You

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Well it's been just over two months since I completed my SOBO hike. My feet have partially come back to normal but I still have pins and needles in my toes almost like they are always asleep. I am far from an expert and prior to my hike the longest I hiked was 5 days. But wIth a new group of people getting ready to hit the trail I thought it might be useful to others to reflect on discoveries I made on my journey.   During my trip I was constantly thinking about pack weight, what I might be able to do without and how I might be able to cut weight. My top three weighed about 10lbs, my pack, an Osprey Atmos 65 liter pack served me well but was much heavier than other packs. As I lost weight the pack felt heavier and if I was to do it over again I probably would have gone with a lighter pack. I had a Nemo 20 degree bag that I did not need for the summer months but I kept because it was so light. Again if I was to do it again I would find a lightweight quilt to swap out in the summer. I also took a heavier tent then I could have, a Big Agnes Flycreek 2 but I liked the space for my gear in my tent. I did however see a tent on the trail that I liked even better by Tarp Tents that used your hiking poles and appeared easier to pack in the rain. My son, who works at outfitter, talked me out of buying a Neolite air mattress because he had seen so many returned, but I saw many on the trail and wished I had gone with one. I had a Sea to Summit pad that just didn't have the loft or thermal factor and ended up popping anyway. Being a side sleeper the loft on the pad and the Nemo bag were critical to comfort at night. On other equipment notes I started with the Sawyer-mini to filter all my water and eventually converted to the Sawyer- squeeze as did many on the trail. The output rate was just that much more and was well worth the extra weight. I thought about using Sweetwater drops as I ran across a few spots where the water was sparse and there were signs that stated the water needed to be treated. In the summer months in NY and NJ the water was tough so I packed almost 3 liters but as I moved further south I embraced the saying drink a liter, carry a liter. I also followed the wise words from Psycho, and stopped at regular intervals, typically hourly, for 5 to 10 min max, removing my pack and taking on water and a bit of food. I struggled throughout my hike with trying to find a way to keep my leather boots dry. I had to go with leather boots because of the ankle support but during heavy rain I could not stop them from filling up with water. I tried gaitors and even sealskin waterproof socks, but if the water found wool it inevitably filled up the gortex bootie inside my boots. I did however master the use of a hotel hair dryer to dry my boots. A vigorous application of waterproofing on the leather kept the dew and light rain from working its way into the leather but nothing seemed to work in the heavy downpours. I also used Lucky's recommendation with clothing and went to a spandex undergarment, which limited chaffing and often doubled for shorts on hot days. Having had Lyme disease twice already I was very conscious of ticks and wore long pants and a long sleeve shirt most of the hike. I probably sweat more than others but didn't have any ticks on me the whole hike. For maps I went with Awol's guide which served me well. I did run across a lot of people using Guthook's online app which I did download a section of when I got in a jam. If you use AT&T I would advise you it might be worth your while to get a tracphone with another carrier while down south. I think Verizon had the best service but AT&T really sucked. I found myself hiking to summits so I could call home at night. Also in the cold months I slept with my phone and battery backup in my sleeping bag to preserve their charges. For cooking I used a white box alcohol stove which was very easy to use. I did however see a volcano stove which I was told you could order online and I was very jealous. The one warning I have about alcohol is that it burns on anything so you have to be very careful. The weight of the alcohol and stove vs a jetboil is the same however I saw many empty gas canisters lying around and didn't think that was right. For food I packed as much high calorie junk food as I could but still lost 30 lbs. I ate mostly knorr sides with added dehydrated meat added for protein. I had learned about freezer bag cooking online and bought a caddy and used it throughout the trip without any issues. This method was great on clean up and limited the waste to just a plastic bag. The trail is full of many nice shelters and the creatures of the woods know this so I tended to stick to my tent and would use the shelters if the weather was bad. I did try to follow the ATCs words of wisdom and broke the trip into multiple 5 or so day hikes. What I mean by this is I tried to get into a town or hostel every 5 or so days. I often found myself hiking in the rain but shooting for a hostel or hotel at night to dry out in. This made bad weather a bit more palatable. With that in mind I am going to wrap up with places that I stayed that I would really recommend and a few that I might stay away from but throw in the caveat to hike your own hike.Hiker Hostel - a great start or finishCabin at Neels Gap - worth the extra moneyTop of Ga - nice clean friendly placeNantahala Outdoor Center- a nice place but a bit expensive, they had changed rates in July Hike Inn - nice place and nice hosts but off the trail and a bit expensive also have to reserve ahead of timeHostel at laughing heart- private room was niceUncle Johnny's - I had a nice cabin but hear it gets crazy in the spring Greasy creek hostel - was told to not stay here by nobosMountain Harbor - nice and comfortable and awesome breakfastBlack bear resort- nice little cabins, was told to go here over kincora even though it was furtherCrazy Larry's - was clean and affordable and Larry was very interesting I was told that the woodchuck hostel was nice Comfort inn over relax inn in Atkin no comparison, way from trail but worth itWoods Hole - nice folks and accommodations worth the walk off trailBoth hotels in Pearisburg were tough would go to holy family hostelFour pines- was not recommended and would warn about pricing on shuttle, pay each wayDaleville - super 8 is way better than HoJos Three Springs - excellent folks,clean place, and excellent foodStanimals 328 Hostel - nice guy free ride and nice accommodations a bit of walk to store and restaurant Bearing Arms Hostel - nice place off the trail a bit but Alison picked up and was a savior when it rained in the ShenandoahsMountain Home Cabin - a nice quaint place outside of ShenandoahsBears Den Hostel - a must stop if only to check out the building but the dinner deal is good tooIronmasters Mansion - hadn't stay there but really wished I hadAllenberry Resort - missed because of timing but heard great thingsThe Doyle - was warned not to stay there and I regretted not heeding the warningCommon Ground Farm - a beautiful place food and hosts are very nice but a bit expensiveMohican Outdoor Center - awesome place for the priceMurray property - a very tranquil place to camp for the nightAt the deli before Graymoor - get the Italian iceBearded woods - probably one of the best hostels on the trail, a bit expensive but you get two stellar mealsMaria McCabe - this is a must stay place, Maria is the best, it's like staying at grandma's houseUpper Goose Pond - worth the .5 off the trail- nice place to swimBascom Lodge on top of Greylock - nice bunk and shower great meal at night but cost extraGreen mountain house - missed due to timing but highly recommendedWhite mountain lodge - nice accommodations with meal includedPine Ellis - folks were nice but place was datedHiker Hut - off the grid but a really nice place.Farm House Hostel - missed this but was highly recommended Sterling inn - was a nice homey inn. Shaws- was a nice break after the 100 mile wilderness the meal at the Lakeshore house was awesomeBig moose lodge - just outside of Baxter and cool bed and breakfastI would also recommend camping at Max Patch and then at Antler campsite in 100 mile wilderness