Date: 2016-05-29
From: Starting at Roanoke Virginia

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is Sunday May 29th, I took a quick shower and put on enough deodorant to last a while and we headed to the airport. I was worried about my pack so I decided to carry it on the plane with me.  All I had to do was get my hiking poles through the security check point.  I received my first random act of kindness from a TSA agent.  That's right a TSA agent.  The hiking poles were no problem but my 16 ounce jar of peanut butter was.  She initially said it was considered a liquid, then said you spread it so after she was going to toss it in the garbage.  Then I tried to look hungry and old her that was my food for the next two days on the Appalchain Trail and believe it or not she let me keep it.  So one on my goals for this trip is to pass on this act of kindness.  I left the Milwaukee airport at 5:40 am and arrived in Charlotte at 8:40. After a few hour layover I arrived in Roanoke, Virginia at 12:15.  Last week, I sent a message to the airport inquiring about ground transportation to the Appalchain Trail. They sent me the information on two options.  It's only 13 miles so it should be pretty cheap. The taxi company wanted $45.00 and I was afraid to call the limo service but surprisingly they only wanted $27.00  In 2013, I paid ¢Survivor Dave¢ $100.00 to take me from the Atlanta airport to the start of the Appalachian Trail (AT) on Springer Mountain. My daughter Teresa was convinced that Survivor Dave was a serial killer. I didn¢t take her seriously at the time but I think she was actually worried about me.  It¢s kind of funny when your kids are young you're their world, when their teenagers if you¢re doing your job as a parent sometimes they hate you, by the time their 30 or so ¢ they won¢t admit it but NOW realize you were right during many of the arguments you had and when you¢re my age the roles are reversed your children actually worry about you. Before I left most of my kids asked me if I was sure I really wanted to go back to the AT. While they didn¢t say it I think they were really worried about the old man.   As I mentioned in an earlier Journal entry, this year my goal is to cut the weight of my pack from 32 pounds (which I carried in 2013) to 25 pounds or less. I eliminated as much as I could and will carry only the minimum amount of food possible. Food is the one variable in your pack that adds a lot of weight. That means that I will have to re-supply every day or two. That wouldn¢t be bad but I have to get off the trail and get into town. Most of the towns are 5 or 6 miles (and sometimes further from the trail) and if you¢re in town you¢re obviously not on the AT hiking. So this may put a little crimp into making my mileage goal by the end of June.  Getting into town will definitely be a challenge.   Right now I¢m carrying one day of food because I intend to resupply in Daleville which is about 20 miles away. I ate in Charlotte but wasn't really hungry in Roanoke I just wanted to get to the trail. The limo dropped me off at the AT and I started my little journey about 1:30. It will be interested to see if I can hike 10 miles today or if I¢m going to behind the 8 ball on the very first day. I only had to hike about 4 miles before reaching McAffe Knob which is one of most photographed locations on the AT. I stopped and took a couple pictures which my daughter Tara will put in this Journal and on Facebook in the next few days. I could probably figure out how to do that myself but it¢s much easier to simply send it to her. I have my Iphone and tried to take my first selfie but I¢m pretty sure it didn¢t work.  Hey by the way, I was very successful in cutting the weight of my pack.  After seeing the long range forecast called for 4 straight days of rain I decided to purchase a light weight bivy. A bivy is a small sack yor crawl into n and sleep.  It's basically looks like a body bag - so I cut a pound with the bivy and this will be easy to set up and take down.  Also after checking out the nighttime low temperatures for a few weeks I decided not to take a sleeping bag. The low temperatures are about 60 degrees and I¢ll sleep on my little air mattress in pants and a long sleeve shirt. That saved another pound and a half. Anyway carrying one day food my pack weighed 22 pounds. Since I¢m not really in great shape this low weight should help me in the early days of my hike. Each additional day of food will add about 1 to 1 12 pounds to what I¢m carry. I hiked 5 miles and arrived at the first shelter where I was told the next shelter was closed because of unusual bear activity. It was already about 4:30 so rather than hike another 11 miles I decided to stay put and be happy with 5 miles on the first day. I got a good spot in the shelter and that was great because it rained all night. I know this because I didn't sleep a wink. That happened on my first night on the trail three years ago. It was surprisingly cold and my no sleeping bag - cut all the weight out of your pack philosophy could turn out to be one of my dumber ideas (but there's plenty of those to go around). Basically even with long pants and shirt I froze my little tail off. That may have contributed to my first miserable night. I'll keep my rain jacket handy next time - this is my new dress in layers philosophy when you're an idiot and don't carry a sleeping bag on the AT. When the thru hikers found out I don't have a sleeping bag they just kinda smiled which told me what a foolish idea that was. Oh well it sounded good on paper so that's got to count for something.