Date: 2010-09-28
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Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Last year I told my family and friends, "I'm going to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2010." A few asked, "What's that or why?" My friends shook their heads. People asked if I was going to take a gun, and I wondered if I should. They asked what I was going to do if I saw a bear, a rattlesnake, a lunatic, a skunk. I had no idea. They asked what I would do if it rains. "Get wet," I answered, trying to joke about the fact that I had no idea what it meant to be wet for a week. I packed my hiking gear and hoisted it up and realized it was too heavy to lift, let alone for me to carry for six months.I planned and weighed equipment for my hike for a year. My wife and friends had to listen to my plans. I made 100 trips to REI. I was ready when the day arrived although I did not sleep the night before I left home. I made it up Katahdin. I was on the trail for 184 days and I took over 6 million steps. I hiked for 160 days. My average hiking speed was just over 2 miles an hour. I averaged 11.81 miles per day. My longest day was 24 miles and the shortest was 1 mile and I took 24 days off (zero days). I spend 30 nights in a hotel, 10 nights in hostels, 120 days in shelters, and I used my tent 15 days. The elevation change was 475,200 feet.Clingmans Dome was the highest peak wat 6643 feet. The Hudson River was the lowest point at 124 feet.I didn¢t take or need a gun. I did get to see a few bears, a few rattlesnakes, and one lunatic in the Smoky Mountains. I survived. I found out about being wet for a week. I packed my hiking gear and hoisted it up and realized it's a lot lighter than when I started.SummaryMy likes on the trail are similar to EZHiker. I will always have a fondness for walking up to a shelter with the anticipation of seeing other hikers I¢ve met previously on the trail. Seeing another hiker you have not crossed paths with in awhile was always a happy encounter.Spotting a moose or a bear unexpectedly was exciting. I did get to see bears in Virginia and New Jersey and I saw moose in Maine. I saw a flock of wild turkeys on the Skyline Drive in Virginia. There were deer all along the trail. The bugs, ticks and the snakes I don¢t miss.I miss standing on the tops of ridges and being able to see for miles and miles. This is rare on the trail as I was usually looking at my feet. The best views were in North Carolina, New Hampshire and Maine.   These views were spectacular.                  I miss hitting an all you can eat buffet places and not worrying about gaining weight. In Catawba, VA, seventeen thru-hikers waited at the Home Place Restaurant as it opened. They put us in a private room because of our smell, I guess. Since I¢ve gotten back I¢m trying not to gain weight.I miss turning a corner on the trail and finding a cooler full of trail magic. That act of kindness by someone I¢ve never met made even the hardest day on the trail suddenly much better. My wife and I plan next year to pay it forward. I miss talking to thru-hiker that tell me about their hike. Sea bear, Cotton Patch, Billy the Kid and Silver back met me along the trail. They encouraged me to keep going. They were right. I made it to the top of Mount Kathadin. I miss seeing people like Fireman, Mud Foot, HDMama, Whipper Snap, Sid, Magnet, So Far, and Dodger. Of all the great things that happen on the trail, it is the friendships I made with other hikers that make it a memorable experience. Most of these are now on Face book with me. So for the last time, Happy Trails.