Date: 2022-04-29
To: Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well it has been a very humbling experience in the first week of our thru hike. Brian and I thought that we would cruise right through the trail at the very start. Boy was I and he ever wrong! For starters we didn't start the Approach Trail hike until 5:30 pm on Friday the 22nd. There is somewhere between 700 and 740 stairs that you climb at the early portion of that trek. That was probably the most brutal part of our first 8 days. It was hot, sweaty, and hard. The approach trail is 8.8 miles. In Kansas when Pat and Maggie and I would hike 7.5 miles with my backpack on it would take about 2 hours and 10 minutes. On those hikes my backpack weighed generally 27 pounds. My actual total backpack weight hiking the trail ranges from 32 to 37 pounds depending on how much food and water I'm packing.Kansas is flat as a pancake compared to the AT. You are usually either going uphill or downhill, with lots of rocks to navigate. Our long day was 15 miles. A gentlemen I talked to on Preacher's Mount from Florida said his workout regimen was the same as mine. Using a stair stepper, and hiking the flatlands of Florida. I believe he successfuly thru-hiked, but it takes persistence and fortitude. Brian Cook has been invaluable to me. His army experience and general knowledge of camping exceeds my experience, which prior to this was zero.3 days ago I fell 2 times in the rocks in the last half mile of our day. I finally realized that the long canvas type pants were causing me trouble trying to step up on high rocks as well as on long steps down rocks. I bought a pair of lightweight Patagonia shorts at Neels Gap and now wear those. No falls since then.One thing that disappoints me is that I determined that it's probably in Pat's best interest to send her home to Kansas. The mantra on the trail is Hike Your Own Hike. But when you have your dog it becomes Hike Your Dog's Hike. I'm afraid with the warm temperatures that we've experienced it would be detrimental to her health to make her go the miles that we're going. At nighttime we have had some cold nights though. I believe that it was Tuesday night we were camping at a tent site high on a mountain. The wind was blowing hard and a cold front moved in that put the temperature in the low 30's. I woke up at 3 am and poor Pat was shivering badly from the cold. I have a mummy sleeping pad that isn't conducive to having a dog be in it with you, but I got her in and she was very grateful. Every night since she has gotten in to my bag at some point in the night.What else was new to me? Going 8 days without a shower. I knew going in that you had to embrace the stink as part of the process. But I can tell you when you"re working up sweats all day without bathing for 8 days you do smell! Finally today on Friday the 29th we are spending the night at a hostel in Hiawassee, Georgia. It was a real pleasure to be able to shower and get a great lunch with real food at a restaurant. It seemed like my sandwich was the best thing I ever ate. Tomorrow we will be in North Carolina.I have pictures to add, but since it's already 11:15 pm I need to get to our cabin (I'm typing this in the hostel's living quarters). Anyway, I pray every day for the Lord's guidance and that I might not depart from Him, because boy it's hard to do it on your own. I might also ask for prayers for my son's brother-in law who is probably only 27 years old and has been stricken with cancer. His first name is Daniel. Goodnight!