At Abby's Place

Hello all:

I'm here at "Abby's Place", a hostel on the road to Damascus. It's run by a fellow from Wisconsin who is a very nice gentlemen, and his stepson, who I haven't met yet. There's a bunkhouse out back and they cook up pizza for you in the house. It's about 0.2 miles from the trail, so it's an easy side trip. We'll stay here for the night (at milepoint 397.4) and we've got about 62 miles to Damascus, where Castaway will see his wife on Saturday. We've dialed down the mileage in order to hit Damascus in stride. I'm going to decide my future there. I've been hiking for four weeks now and I'm getting extremely bored, tired, and injured (knee and foot). I've turned my hobby, hiking, into a job. A day in, day out grind. I'm very proud with what I've done so far, but Damascus may be the end of the line. The thru-hiker crowd has thinned out quite a bit and many have left the trail already.

I miss Lisa, my family, my friends, and physics (i.e. job). I've clarified a lot of my passions and plans for life and I think I've achieved my goals out here (outside of reaching Maine). At this point, it's just running up and down hills, which has lost some of its appeal!

Nevertheless, I've got a week to decide on my future. I've been thrilled by the support from everyone and whatever I decide, I thank you all.

--Matt

Roan mountain

Photo: Roan High Bluff rhododendron gardens, remnants of the 19th century Cloudland Hotel resort on Roan Mountain that was demolished in 1915.

Matt is at Roan High Knob shelter, the highest shelter on the AT at 6,275 ft (1804.3 miles from Katahdin, 370.3 miles from Springer). It is quite cold there now, but the shelter offers some protection. Sir Mix-a-lot would like to announce that a few days ago, Matt hiked Big Butt and he cannot lie. This post is dedicated to Joel and also to Nurit.

All Hail, painful hail

Hello all:

Well, the "zero day" has been very productive. My feet feel strong and I'm ready for the push into Damascus. Castaway and I ate at the Dari Ace (fantastic and cheap) and the Pizza Plus. It's been an interesting culinary journey at this point and should get more interesting along the way. My legendary standards have fallen and my criteria for food is "Is it warm?"

The weather report looks dicey, with hail possible tomorrow evening starting around 4 PM, so we'll have to plan our day carefully and get into a shelter ASAP. I don't think my tent will hold up to a hail storm! Thin nylon vs hail is not a chance I'll take.

I can't believe how many comments I've received so far. Grammy and Aunt Kate, it's great to hear from you! I'm glad tax season is finally over for you. Aunt Maureen and Ryan, thanks for following along. It's been so long since I've seen you, Aunt Maureen! Are you still going to NH once in a while? I'll have to meet you when I get back, Ryan. Of course, it's great to hear from the family and the significant others, and I'm glad that I'm featured on the radio show, DJ. Dave, I'm hoping the mosquitos were killed in the brutal cold, because we almost were! Alas, I'm sure we'll get hit hard fairly soon. And Stephen, the weather is almost looking up! The hail is tomorrow, but after that, it looks like smooth sailing through the middle of next week. I know there are many others who have posted (Brian, Juliet, et al) and I'm sorry I can't respond to all, but it's almost time for bed. Yes, I go to sleep now when the sun goes down! It's a bit bizarre, but I sleep when it's dark and wake up at first light. A new and interesting experience, waking up at 6:15 and moving hard out of camp.

I'm rested, ready, and prepared to head out for the next 120 miles. My gear has failed a fair bit, but duct tape and a little Krazy Glue (strong epoxy) has helped. Jon and Chuck, I'll make you proud and get to Damascus ASAP.

It's tough making the miles, and I get down out here with every mountain, so thank you for all the comments. I'll read and write more when I get to Damascus in 1.5 weeks. Thanks for the support!

---Matt

The Zen Art of Hiking

Howdy all!

Thanks again for all the comments. I'll try to respond to a few tomorrow, as Castaway and I are doing a zero day in Erwin, TN. 338 miles on the AT. It's been a rough couple of weeks, but things are starting to smooth out right now. The weather has been pleasantly warm, but it looks like it'll turn downright nasty near the end of the week. I'm on the road to Damascus, for a May 4 arrival. At that point, it'll be 456 miles and 34 days on the trail. I'll reevaluate there, based upon my overall attitude. It's hard to keep the monotony from setting in, but hiking with Castaway has been a big help. He and I reconnected in the Smokies and have been hiking together since. He's highly motivated and won't let me quit, even when I'm as close as can be.

So far I haven't seen any wildlife at all, with the exception of a mule the other day in a pasture, but that wasn't quite wildlife. A small lizard today, the call of a coyote the other day, but not much. There's a lot of graves on the AT; people who wanted to be buried there. What I can't believe is how many miles Castaway and I do every day; the last two days have been a total of 41.6! And I wasn't in a particularly good mood, so you can imagine what it would be like if I can regain my motivation.

Nevertheless, the homesickness is tough, and I can't wait to get back and see Lisa, my parents, and my friends. Five months is a long time. If I stick with Castaway (and the trail) we'll take a one week break in mid-June and I'll catch a train back to Boston. We'll see how that goes. (Damascus is the goal, one week from Friday; beyond that is icing on the cake.)

That's all for now, because I have to tend to the laundry, which is stinking up a storm!

Matt

Jerry Cabin

Matt is at the Jerry Cabin shelter (1877.5 miles from Katahdin, 297.1 miles from Springer).

Spring Mountain

Matt is camped at Spring Mountain (1892.9 miles from Katahdin, 281.7 miles from Springer). The weather has been nice in that neck of the woods.

Hot Springs, NC

Matt is in Hot Springs, NC (1903.9 miles from Katahdin, 270.7 miles from Springer) where he had a "Carolina Burger", which is a burger topped with coleslaw and chili. He said he'd try to post tomorrow.

Missed connections: Matt and Mexican bluegrass

Yesterday Matt stayed at a hostel at Green Corner Rd (1937.3 miles from Katahdin, 237.3 miles from Springer) just past the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where he reconnected with Castaway. Matt discovered that one of the co-owners of the Standing Bear Farm hostel also just happens to own The Front Porch, an excellent Mexican restaurant in Cosby, NC, which is also a great venue for bluegrass music. When Matt and I visited Asheville recently, we went to The Front Porch where we saw Deja Blue play, which was great fun! It turns out that someone else who hiked on the AT last year also saw Deja Blue play at the front porch, as recounted here. I was pretty happy that we had decided to go to The Front Porch instead of going to see some of the bigger theater acts in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Unfortunately, Matt hit the hostel on the wrong day of the week since the restaurant was closed that night.

Today Matt is camped at Walnut Mountain (1917.0 miles from Katahdin, 257.6 miles from Springer). He'll be in town at Hot Springs tomorrow.

Google map access problem note

Newfound Gap Road and Clingman's Dome Road were closed today due to ice/snow/wind damage. It turns out that Matt was able to make a shuttle reservation for tomorrow to Newfound Gap from Gatlinburg.

People have mentioned that they can't follow the link to the Google map in the sidebar. I found that the link doesn't work with Internet Explorer, but does work with Mozilla Firefox. I'm not sure if this is an Internet Explorer issue with long URLs or a Blogger/Blogspot issue. Maybe someone with more technical knowhow could comment on this? Sorry that I don't know offhand how to address this issue, other than to verify that the maps do work in Mozilla Firefox.

The Big, Bad Smokies

Hello All:

Thanks for the comments! Keep them coming, because they keep up my spirits!

I'm taking a zero day in the Smokies, due to the extreme weather conditions. (3-5" of snow last night and gusts up to 50 mph this afternoon). I'm at milepost 203 and I'm extremely tired, so a day in Gatlinburg, TN is worthwhile. I arrived in Newfound Gap yesterday at 1:30 in wind driven snow and hitched a ride down to town, where I ate a full rack of ribs in about 15 minutes. It's called the "hiker hunger" and I believe in it now!

The last week has been rough. I've hiked 136 miles (roughly) since I stayed in Hiawassee and it's been wearing on my body. I am getting some into a rhythm, however, and I don't mind the long days. I don't really have anything else to do!

I lost Castaway coming out of the NOC, as there is a steep 8-mile climb. I didn't see him after that, although I waited for him a couple of times. I hope he catches me here in the Smokies. I move relatively quickly through the Smokies in order to beat the incoming weather. Otherwise, I would have had to stay in Fontana Dam for a few days and I would have been stuck starting the Smokies today.

The biggest challenge right now is boredom. Many people have left the trail (for good or temporarily) and it's become quiet out there. A little too quiet, if you ask me! On Saturday night, I slept at the Siler Bald Shelter alone. Unheard of in the Smokies! It was a bit creepy, with high wind gusts, rain and fog closing in on the shelter. I couldn't see 50 yards in front of me. And there I was, sleeping alone in the middle of nowhere. It turned out to be a great night's sleep!

Today, I've got to pick up some food and gear (one of my water bags failed on me) and I'm hoping to arrange a ride up to Newfound Gap tomorrow, but the shuttle service may be full. Already! I called shortly after I got into town, but this place is crawling with thru-hikers who scattered off the mountain like mice.

I'll be in Hot Springs, NC by Friday, I think, and I'll be able to post again there. The trail walks right through town and I'm planning a "half-zero", where I set down for part of the day.

The weather has hit me with everything it's got and I've made it through so far....I hope to keep on moving!

--Matt

The Great Smoky Mountains

Matt has entered Great Smoky Mountain National Park today at Fontana Dam and is camping around Mollies Ridge shelter on the North Carolina/Tennessee border (2000.7 miles from Katahdin, 173.9 miles from Springer). Mollie's Ridge is right next to the Devil's Tater Patch, by the way.

Approaching the Smokies

Matt is in the vicinity of Brown Fork Gap (2024.7 miles from Katahdin, 149.9 miles from Springer) tonight. Last night's dinner at the NOC was elk steak, medium well.

NOC

Matt called while doing laundry at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) (2040 miles from Katahdin, 133.9 miles from Springer) which he reached at midday in time for some hot food. He says things are going well right now and he's feeling pretty strong.

Cold Spring Gap

Matt is a little past the Cold Spring shelter, NC (2052.2 miles from Katahdin, 122.4 miles from Springer). He should be at the Nantahala Outdoor Center by midday tomorrow. He reports that yesterday he spent the night on a grassy knoll at Rock Gap... Wayah Bald is on the trail in between Rock Gap and the Cold Spring shelter.

Rock Gap

Matt left a message from Rock Gap (2071.8 miles from Katahdin, 102.8 miles from Springer) this evening after a hard push today.

Into North Carolina

Matt called briefly this evening from Standing Indian shelter (2091.5 miles from Katahdin, 83.1 miles from Springer) in North Carolina. It's still cold, but not quite as cold as when he was at the Holiday Inn in Hiawassee.

No corkboard? Follow along on the web!

I've added a link to the sidebar on the right where you can go see an interactive Google map of Matt's progress. This was possible using a neat web tool called multiplotter from CLiK Productions. Have fun!

AYCE

Back from dinner and I'm feeling full. AYCE (All you can eat) is a happy hiker term. I've gone through a range of emotions. Sunday was a great day, rainy but beautiful, and the 8.8 mile hike to Springer (mile 0 on the AT) hurt in a good way. I hiked into Hawk Mountain that night. The following day, I made it to Woody Gap (19.9 miles of on the trail) Then on Tuesday I stayed at Neels Gap at 30.5 miles, where Lisa noted that I should have stayed at the hostel. In fact, I ran down the hill to the hostel when I became quite concerned about hypothermia, due to my wet sleeping bag (horizontal, biblical rain and wind) and the vicious lightning. I slept about two hours that night. I was hiking with Sam and Galen then, the Mennonite fellows that Lisa mentioned. Great guys! Sam is in for the long haul while Galen has to get back to the farm in Ohio to plant the season's corn. They're both in their mid-20's. I pushed ahead of the two of them on Wednesday and started hiking with Castaway, who's from Richmond, Virginia and is a carpenter. He's an ultra-marathoner and a great guy. We play tag on the trail, as my "sprinter" mentality means that I run out ahead and then take a long break, at which point he catches up and passes me. We've had the same goals for the last few days and frankly, I think he's shocked that I've kept up with him! I've been putting in a few 15 milers. On Thursday I stayed at Tray Mountain, which was COLD, and tonight I'm in the hotel, which is WARM! As I mentioned before, it looks dangerous in the mountains for the next two days. I can definitely "handle it", but it would be extremely uncomfortable. I've got a 20 degree bag which is probably good for 30 in reality and a 15 degreee insert which is probably good for 10. Add on to a 5 degree difference in the tent and I can do about 15, which is near record low around here. However, I think the reality is that if it'll be cold here, it'll be freezing on the hills. I've met many other people, some for a minute, some for a day, and it's been extremely interesting. I'm struggling with hygiene, and my skin is breaking out and I've got some minor sun exposure on my wrist (sorry Nurit!). I've been keeping generally good cover from the sun, but I missed that spot.

I've rambled on long enough. Thanks to everyone who has posted comments! I'm ready to start Sunday to make the push across the Georgia state line (I don't think Boss Hog and Roscoe can follow me after that) and should be in North Carolina by Sunday night. If all goes well, I'll be at the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) on Wednesday night.

Oh, and on a gear note, my UV based Steripen is useless. A complete piece of junk. I'm filtering my water, then using chemicals (aqua mira or iodine) to have _very_ pure water, I hope. The Steripen eats batteries and doesn't work in cold weather. It's been my worst purchase so far. And yet, I was so excited about it!

Off to a long slumber and a relaxing day, followed by some hard hiking.

-Matt

Hiawassee Ga here I am

Hello all!

Finally a post from your trusty thru hiker.

I was planning on staying one night here in Hiawassee, GA (67 miles in) and hitting the trail tomorrow morning, but the arctic air has pushed down from Canada and the low in Hiawassee will be around 17, which means sub-10 degrees on the mountain with wind chill. I'm not equipped for that low! Although last night it was 25 on the mountain, probably 15-20 with wind chill, and I slept warm, so no big deal. But I'm going to "zero" here for a day (no miles) and head back out Sunday. If feels good to shower and do some laundry.

If I get some more time on the computer, I'll post some more, but for now, Castaway and I are headed out for dinner. He's an ultramarathoner and we seem to keep pace with each other.

It's been a rough weather week, with chilling lows following that brutal storm, but my spirit is still up and staying a day in Hiawassee ought to refresh me.

Until later....

Sturm und Drang

Last night at Neels Gap was rough - winds up to 60mph, horizontal rain. People said it was the worst storm in the area in the last six of seven years. Matt said that he could have been in a hostel with satellite TV, which is the option he would take in the future if presented with the same scenario. The tent and Matt are still in one piece, but it was definitely a learning experience.
Matt is camping at Low Gap (2133.5 miles from Katahdin, 41.1 miles from Springer) where Verizon cell phone reception is excellent.

Another round of pack vetting, or how to lose 4.5 pounds in one day

Matt checked in from near his campsite at Neels Gap (30.5 miles from Springer, 2144 miles from Katahdin) where there is an outfitter. They went through his pack and made recommendations for how to streamline the contents. They also recommended that he adopt the trail name "Redundant" based on his backups-for-his-backups mode of packing, though I think that sounds more like a racehorse name than a trail name.
Last night Matt camped at Woody Gap (19.9 miles from Springer, 2153 miles from Katahdin), and tonight he is at Neels Gap.










More pictures from the weekend trip in Atlanta: Jellyfish at the Atlanta Aquarium, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. and Martin Luther King, Sr. pastored.

The fine line between yuppie and vagrant

Matt at the trailhead of the trail that leads to the trailhead of the Appalachian trail

Matt and I flew to Atlanta this weekend. I flew back, which was roughly a two hour flight. Matt is walking back.











Georgia is lovely this time of year - there is a record level of pollen to account for all the flowers that are in bloom on the trees. The New England readers can probably attest to the lack of greenery up here as of now. The picture of the road is one of the many passenger seat front windshield scenery pictures I've taken ever since getting a digicam, much to Matt's bemusement.

We toured around Atlanta over the weekend (some pictures from that part to follow in the next couple days); then Matt started the hike on Sunday morning at Amicalola Falls State Park (you have to hike 8.5 miles from there to get to the beginning of the trail). The latest word from Matt is that he spent last night on Hawk Mountain (7.6 miles from the start of the trail at Springer Mountain, 16.1 miles where he started) and encountered quite a lot of rain. He has already met a lot of people on the trail and has recently been hiking and camping with a few Mennonite guys.

Happy trails!