Date: 2009-10-04
To: Mama Loon's Faves
Miles today: 0.0

So it's been almost exactly one month since summitting and the AT seems like lifetimes ago. I am settled back home in Portland, Maine, and I go back to work (after a 7 month leave of absence) tomorrow. I was up in Millinocket this weekend for a wedding and got hit by a wave of nostalgia. Thru-hikers finishing around this time are very lucky...the foliage is at it's peak. My mom had a great idea of posting an entry about the things she really liked while I was hiking...hopefully this information will be useful for relatives of hikers.Mama Loon's Faves:- Dahlonega, GA. My parents met me in Dahlonega to see us (the Packadivas) off at Amicalola State Park, where the approach trail begins. This eased my mom's mind significantly as she was able to meet the ladies I'd be starting my hike with, and see all the other hikers also starting out on the same day. My mom, dad, and sister stayed at the Mountain Laurel Creek Inn (http://www.mountainlaurelcreek.com/), a bed and breakfast less than 1/2-mile from the Hiker Hostel, where I stayed the night. They arrived in Dahlonega a few days before I arrived and spent some time touring the local wineries (http://www.mountainlaurelcreek.com/wineries.html), their favorites being Wolf Mountain and the Three Sisters for wine tastings and Monteluce for tasting and dinner. It rained each day they were there and the temps plummeted, but my mom claims that visiting the wineries was the perfect rainy day activity. Once I arrived at the Hiker Hostel, my parents and sister picked me up and we went into town for dinner at Piazza, a great Italian restaurant with carb-loaded dishes which I needed for the big first day. My mom highly recommends sending your hiker off at Amicalola (http://georgiatrails.com/places/amicalola.html). She enjoyed taking our photos at the start and then driving up to the beautiful cascading waterfall. The non-hikers can drive up to the top of the stairs and watch as the hikers climb them all, and then say farewells at the top before driving back down to the visitor center.- SPOT. She LOVED that I carried a SPOT locator (http://www.findmespot.com/en/), which was probably key in keeping her mind at bay while I was out in the woods. I received SPOT for Christmas and was hesitant to carry it the whole way, but if it eased her nerves, I said I'd do it. I only turned SPOT on in the evenings after arriving at camp. I'd press the 'OK' button, which sent the GPS coordinates of my exact location in an email to everyone on my list. Once I saw it had gone through (a solid green light), I'd turn it off and not turn it back on until the following night. Once my mom received the coordinates in her email, she would import them into Google Earth so she could see where I was that night. Before leaving on my trip, I had her download the AT Centerline for Google Earth (http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=888578), which places the AT onto the map of the US, so she could see where my coordinates were in relation to the AT. Also, if she had this open when looking at Google Earth (http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/), she could even see which shelter I was at (she got REALLY into this). Not only did it show what shelter I was at, but also the mileage from Springer/Katahdin and the weather forecast for that exact location. Granted, SPOT didn't go through every single time, but usually I could at least get a text message out to let her know I was safe and sound. ***If you are using SPOT for your hike, be sure to let family members know they shouldn't get worried if they don't receive coordinates one day; SPOT doesn't work 100% of the time, even with clear skies. Also, tell them not to worry if your 'OK' coordinates don't line up exactly with the trail (if they download the AT Centerline). My mom would get nervous if my location was off the trail (if I was in town or if the shelter or campsite I was at was not right on the trail), especially if my location didn't show that I was at a shelter. Pressing the 'OK' button means you are ok, no matter if you are on or off the trail, so no need for panic - Trailjournals¢¦'nuff said. My mom became addicted to trailjournals within days of me starting the trail. I would often receive text messages on my cell phone along the lines of: "Morning Glory is SICK!!", "Hermes is also in Duncannon!!!", or "Bird Man and Lil Wayne are RIGHT behind you!". 99.9% of the time I had no idea who she was talking about, so you can see how it could get a little annoying , however sometimes her updates to me would be important and informative (i.e., if someone I had been hiking with had gotten off the trail). Reading the journals of hikers in the general vicinity of me kept her at ease, knowing I wasn't the only one hiking the AT. Trailjournals is the perfect way for non-hikers to read about what the trail is really like.- Meeting up with me and my hiking buddies in CT. She really liked spending time with and getting to know some of the folks I was hiking with. She loved hearing stories about our trip so far, and even sent us out on a day of slackpacking with a cooler full of beer, soda, brownies, and cookies to leave at the trailhead for hikers as they came through. When we finally hit the trail after several days of spoiling us rotten, my mom must have gone through withdrawal and ended up driving into Kent to find thru-hikers, treat them to ice-cream, and hear their stories.- Abol Bridge. My parents made reservations at the Big Moose Inn ( http://www.bigmoosecabins.com), located on Route 157 half-way between Millinocket and Baxter State Park and at the junction of the Golden Road to Abol Bridge. It took them about 20 minutes to drive from the Big Moose Inn to Abol Bridge to pick me, Hot Sauce, and Spano up and take us to dinner. If they had stayed in Millinocket, it would have been a 45 minute drive to come get us, so they were happy to have stayed at the Big Moose Inn. The 5 of us had dinner at the inn (the restaurant was closed so we ate at the pub) which had great food and beer selection. - Katahdin Stream Campground. My parents went on a couple little hikes in Baxter the day before I summitted Katahdin. She really enjoyed meeting other thru and section hikers on the AT, chatting with them, hearing their stories! One guy, Wizzard, even showed my parents his most prized pictures on his camera. They hiked to Big Niagara Falls (on the AT) and walked up to Daicy Pond (about 300 feet from the AT), which the park ranger told us has the best view of Katahdin in the whole park. On their way to the Daicy Pond parking lot, they saw a big sign for Katahdin Stream Campground and decided to check it out, knowing that is where I'd be ending my hike the following day. Katahdin Stream Campground has a day use area that is the perfect spot to throw a party for thru-hikers finishing, so my parents and Hot Sauce's parents decided to organize a little picnic at the campground. There are 5 or so picnic tables, each with a grill, and they brought in pizza, wine, beer, and snacks. Folks coming up to Katahdin to pick up thru-hikers can just tell those working at the front gate of Baxter that they are picking up thru-hikers at Katahdin Stream and they will be granted a day use pass. Actually my mom says that they made them pay even if they were just picking us up.