Date: 2017-02-10
To: 2 Weeks to Go
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Just two weeks before the start of my hike. I finished my last job today, so now I¢m officially (quasi-) retired. I¢m both excited and nervous at the same time. I¢ve gotten all my gear together but still need to pack. I also need to complete the boxes I¢m going to mail to myself along the trail.To physically prepare for the hike, I¢ve been walking on my treadmill for the past year. I¢ve skipped some days due to work, vacations, appointments, etc., but have managed to knock out more than 2,200 miles. I know the treadmill probably isn¢t the best method to use to prepare with but it¢s what I¢ve got. And, when you¢re trying to squeeze in your exercise with the rest of your schedule, having it right in the house is very convenient. I¢ve also managed to complete a few day hikes and overnighters during the last year and did one mountain hike to the top of Guadalupe Peak with my wife (about 8,400 feet). In addition to those, I completed a 107 mile hike on the ¢Lone Star Hiking Trail¢ north of Houston, Texas, in March and a 170 mile hike on the River-to-River Hiking Trail in the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois in September.When I tell family and friends about my trip, I often receive the same questions. I thought I would take a little bit of time here to answer the most common ones.Why am I doing this? This is probably the hardest question I get. And, to be totally truthful, I¢m not sure I can explain all the reasons or even know all the reasons I want to do this. Let¢s just say, this is something I¢ve always wanted to do. I¢ve dreamt about it my entire life. I remember as a kid, hiking and camping with my friends and talking about doing this hike. Like almost everybody else, I grew up, finished school, got married, got a job, and raised my children. But, the dream never went away. Now, I¢ve finally gotten my chance!Who are you going with? Like just about everybody else, I¢m doing this by myself. Think about if for just a moment. Do you know anyone that you want to be with for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 6-months straight? And if you do, do they share the same passion for the adventure as you do? And, are they at the same point in their life where they can get away for 6 months? If you do know someone like this, consider yourself very lucky because there are very few people who do. I¢m hiking by myself, but I won¢t be alone. There are about 4000 people who attempt a thru-hike each year (the whole trail in one year). Of this 4000, about 20-25% finish the hike. There are about 3 million people who day-hike or section-hike a portion of the trail each year. I doubt there will be a day that I won¢t see at least somebody on the trail. And, I suspect, I will get to know quite a few people along the way. We are all going the same way on the same trail and at about the same speed. Even though I probably won¢t be hiking with them specifically, I¢m sure we will meet up time and again along the way. I¢m actually looking forward to it.How far is it? The trail is approximately 5,000,000 steps. It passes through 14 states along the way. It goes up and down for approximately 464, 464 feet along its length. That¢s equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest 16 times. This year it is 2,190.3 miles long; it changes slightly each year due to minor changes in the trail (often due to fires or erosion control). That¢s further than the distance from San Antonio, TX, to Chicago, IL, and back or just about the same distance as San Antonio to Seattle, WA.How long does it take? I expect to take about 174 days to complete my hike. I will start on the 24th of Feb and hope to finish by 15 Aug. My plan is to take one day off each week and an additional day off each month to rest, recuperate, re-supply, laundry, sleep in a real bed, and eat. These days of non-hiking are known as a ¢Zeros¢. A day of almost no hiking is a ¢Nero¢. To meet my goal, I need to average 15 miles a day. This includes the days I¢m not hiking. So, I actually need to walk about 18 miles a day to break even.Where will you start and finish your hike? I plan to start my hike at the approach trail in Amicalola Falls State Park in Northern Georgia. The actual official starting point of the AT is about a mile away from the nearest road so many people, myself included, start their hike at the park headquarters about 8.5 miles south. I will end my hike at the top of Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park in north-central Maine. Since I¢m headed North, I will be known as a Nobo. About 80% percent of the thru-hikers will start in Georgia and go north. Most of the rest will start in Maine and head south. They are known as Sobos. A few, known as flip-floppers, will either start in the middle and head north or start in the south and go to the middle then catch a ride to the north end and come back south. There are pros and cons to each method but starting in the south and heading north will allow me to start earlier in the year.Are you taking a gun, a knife, or a dog as protection? No. Actually, I will be carrying a small knife. It has a 2.5 inch blade and will be used primarily to open plastic food bags and to spread peanut butter (I¢m also not carrying a fork¢¦but I will have a spoon!) What about bears!!!? There are bears, wild boars, moose, coyotes, etc., on the trail. As for bears, if I¢m lucky, I might get to see one¢¦from a safe distance. From my reading, I¢ve learned, that almost always, a black bear will leave you alone if you don¢t get too close or get between it and its cubs. I plan to work very hard to keep a safe distance. I¢ve been told, loud singing along the trail lets the bears know you are there and gives them plenty of time to get out of the way. I¢ve also been told that ¢Gospel Songs¢ work best. To keep bears away from me when I¢m sleeping, I plan to hang all my food, and anything that smells like food, in a tree a good distance away from my tent. As I get further north, there are moose on the trail. They should be considered about as dangerous as the bears. I can also expect to see rattlesnakes, copperheads, and other non-poisonous snakes. I plan to watch where I walk and sit. My biggest animal fear on the trail are ¢deer ticks¢. I¢ve already contacted Lyme disease once and would really hate to get it again. To keep them, and other insect pests away, I¢ve sprayed all my clothing with Permethrin and plan to reapply it several times along the trail. Overall, statistically, I¢m much safer on the trail than I would be walking through any city in the country.What will you eat or where will you get your food? I expect my dinners will mostly consist of lots of Raman Noodles, Tuna, Knorr¢s Sides, Instant Massed Potatoes, Spam (Hiker¢s Steak), Mac-N-Cheese, and Peanut Butter. Much of this will often be eaten with, or spread on, a flour tortilla. I¢ve also purchased quite a few of the dehydrated camping meals over the past year for this trip. Most of them are surprisingly good and will add variety to my diet. Lunch will probably be spread out throughout most of the day and will usually be in the form of nuts, dried fruit, some form of power bar or Cliff Bar, and chocolate. Breakfast will almost always be instant oatmeal, instant coffee, and possibly a cup of hot chocolate (actually a meal replacement drink). Some, probably about 25%, of my food will be mailed to me at different locations along the trail. The rest I will purchase at trail towns, hostels, gas stations, and convenience stores along the way. My wife also plans to visit me about once a month and will resupply me each time. Without her assistance, both mailing packages and bringing me a resupply, this trip would be much more difficult. As often as easily possible, I will eat in towns along the way. This will also add variety and give me a chance to add some fresh fruit and vegetables (and an occasional beer) to my diet.All of this will usually be washed down with lots of water. I¢m carrying a Sawyer Water Filter designed to remove anything in the water that might make me sick. I will also carry some water treatment pills too to be used if my filter fails. I¢ve got a very handy trail guide that, in addition to other important information, shows me the location of water sources along the trail.What will you wear? Basically, the same clothes every day. For the hiking day, I plan to carry one pair of pants (the legs can be zipped off to make them shorts), one shirt, light-weight thermal underwear, two pair of socks, and two pair of underwear. I am bringing two caps. One is a normal cap that hopefully will keep the sun out of my eyes and keep my bald head from sunburn and a knit cap to keep my head warm. I also have a rain jacket and rain pants and a down jacket, and gloves. For night wear, I have another pair of socks, a mid-weight set of thermals, and a pair of running shorts. I will also have a light pair of sandals I can wear in camp and to cross streams. As winter turns to spring and then to summer, I will send most of my cold weather gear home. I hope to wash everything at least once a week¢¦probably while wearing my rain gear in a laundromat. Actually, I¢ve read that many of the hostels and hotels along the trail supply ¢loaner¢ clothes while you do your laundry.I expect I will go through 4-5 pairs of footwear along the way. I¢m starting out in a pair of mid-height waterproof boots but will change to trail shoes as the weather warms up. Will you have a phone for emergencies? I plan on carrying my cell phone on the trip. I use Verizon as my carrier and have been told, that at least in the first half of the trip, it gets much better reception than other companies. I hope to text and/or call my family and update my journal every day. But, I¢m also carrying a locator device called a Spot. Since it works off satellite instead of cell towers, I should be able to send a prerecorded message to my family at the end of each day. Basically, just an ¢I¢m Okay¢ and my GPS coordinates. It also has an emergency button (kind of like calling 911) I can activate if I, or anybody else, has a life threatening injury or illness.How much does your pack weigh? Counting food and water, about 40-45 lbs. at the start of my hike. After the weather warms up, I think I can reduce my load by about 15 lbs. when I send my cold weather gear home and replace my sleeping bag with a summer bag. With less gear, I can also change out for my smaller pack. This will allow me to shave another pound off my overall weight.My phone will also be my camera, my Kindle, and my backup flashlight. I have a PDF version of the trail journal downloaded and a neat little program that gives me the weather conditions all along the trail. I¢m carrying a backup battery to recharge my phone but will probably turn the phone off most of the time to conserve the battery. In addition to my phone, I¢m also carrying my iPod. My iPod has about 36 hours of music (mostly 60-80s Rock) recorded on it and 50 movies.Where will you sleep? I¢m carrying a two-person tent that I plan to sleep in most nights. I considered a one-person tent but finally decided that the extra 8 ounces would be worth the extra room. My opinion may change somewhere along the way. There are approximately 260 shelters along the trail. Most of these are three-sided and sleep about 8 people. Depending on the circumstances, I may use these on occasion. As with most things, there are pros and cons each way. About once a week, I plan to stay in a hostel or hotel. This will give me the opportunity to re-supply, do laundry, shower, eat real food, and sleep in a real bed.Where will you go to the bathroom? The same place as a bear. Many of the shelters are supposed to have outhouses but most are very primitive. Some don¢t even have walls. I¢m carrying a little shovel for all the other times. I¢ve been told, that you have a whole new appreciation for porcelain by the end of the trip. Don¢t you have a job? Nope, not anymore! I¢ve shut down my business but will maintain my license and insurance for the next couple of years. I¢m not sure if I will start it back up when I¢m done with the hike.And you do this for fun? Yes!!!!!!!