Geogia on the AT

We are now staying the night in Hiwawassee, GA where we have found a nice little Inn to shower, do some laundry, and get real food... just 9 miles short of the NC border.

Three days before we started the trail, the temperature at the start was 5 degrees. The last 7 days that we have hiked through GA have been incredible. Over 60 all day everyday, all night every night. A few days have even gotten to 80 and a few of the hikers have a nice sunburn to show for this early Spring weather.... i have a red-neck, which helps fit in nicely down here!

The AT is a really cool family of like-minded individuals. Right now everyone is heading North for Maine... the typical question on the trail is "Going to Maine?" most of us nod and say something to the tune of "That's the plan". It could be said many of us are sick of the day-to-day, television ridden society... some of use came for the solitude... but most of us just want an adventure... being alone can be difficult on the AT, but achievable if that is your MO or what you want that night. The thing is none of us have anything we HAVE to do. Get up and start walking, stop when tired. sit around a campfire at night sharing laughs. we do have to keep our mileage up if we want to be done before September... 12 miles a day makes this a 6 month journey, 16 miles a day is a 5 month journey. 16 miles a day will put you to sleep before the sun drops behind the hills.

Pack weight= 35lbs for 4 days of food, 38 for 6 days. I weigh about 210, and haven't lost a pound yet. but i think I've gained what ever i lost in muscle in my legs. Using trekking poles makes this a Nordic exercise, going up hills is quite a good cardio work-out, going down just plain sucks on the joints.

Having almost completely finished one state, spirits are much more realistic, many of us are becoming mileage experts and almost all of us are really good at dreaming about what kind of food we're going to get first when we get to real hot food. For me it was chicken, eggs, biscuits, a burger, fries, hashbrowns and coffee. I have an order for some freshly BBQ'd ribs coming at 4pm from a guy in the parking lot. I have only been able to carry about 2200 calories of food per day for me, and 1/3 of that for lex. If you figure we burn about 800 an hour of hiking and hike for 6-8 hours a day, you can see the difference adding up quickly, the cravings are intense!

Lexi is sleeping at the Inn, she, like me, is happy to be off the paws for a few hours. My ankles are pretty sore. Full hiking boots would have been a good idea in GA, the terrain is rocky and uneven in many places. GA is much harder than expected, lots of hills and it's been really hot. The water has been good and we're finally getting into the right routine of filling up a few times a day.

Been reading a lot. Just about finished the book, "Mutant Message Down Under" a book that Robert and Tarja sent me off with (Thank you!). This is a great book, and I highly recommend that everyone pick this up and learn from an ancient Aboriginal people. Dad, you may be able to use this testament to update your metaphysical philosophy. Next is at Tom Robbins book from Damion. I picked up a book on Zen, but passed that off to a fellow hiker who was looking for something to pass the time at camp.

There is this thing called Trail Magic. At first it was a turkey sandwich and a cookie, but today this magic came in the form of beer on the trail!!!!! man was that nice.

Dirty hands are the norm, smelly feet and socks are part of the wilderness smell. Rice tastes like a meal from the gods, baby powder is gold, a pillow would be nice (lexi moves too much), pumping water is a pain in the ass, waking up and walking before the sunrises is worth every ache and pain... smelling the pines, tasting fresh clear spring water make me smile; hearing the blue birds, owls, and coyotes sing are a welcome change from trains and cars. Sometimes nothing can be heard, just the howl of the wind.

Music is an item that i could use some more of. I have been dubbed "singer" for now because of my trail tunes... keeps me busy, something to do while doing the right foot, left foot march.

So that's it for now... next stop is the not-so-great Smoky Mnts National Park, where we will be skipping about 80 miles of foot travel thanks to a stupid and unfair rule.

G

side note: i have lots of pics that i will post at some point, the library i am at is really helpful, but we can't get the computer to like my camera.