Gear

I have added pictures of all the gear I am taking. Although I don't have much the whole pack weighs around 40lbs which is freakin' heavy. I wish I could take less but then I would have to go without sleeping bag, a (only 1) change of clothes, or water. Basically, I have trimmed it down as much as I can, yet it still seems like a lot.

Getting in shape for this trip has been an issue since I have lost my daily biking and hockey habit. Truth be told, I've not put much effort into attempting to exercise other than skating around a few times mainly because I felt like a fatty after consuming delicious poutine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine). But that all changed yesterday when I donned the full weight of the backpack in order to exercise like a good city dweller...I walked up and down the 16 flights of stairs 4 times. Not sure how many steps that is but it's enough to make my legs shaky and sore. Today I must do 5 times and I'll remember to count the steps. (3hrs later: 352 steps)

I will heading off to Atlanta in a few days in order to begin. Until then.

Hiking Tracking

Going into the wild for an extended period of time requires some planning, as you would imagine. Luckily, the internet leads the virtual finger past mountains of information which can be flipped through with ease; anything from maps ( http://rhodesmill.org/thefox/maps.html), trail data, nutrition, biography of John Muir and general hiking tid-bits to help compose a formidable hiking plan.

This is a general outline of the trip for the month of March:

Daily average based on 18mi per day
C-Campground H-Hostel O-Outfitter M-Meals G-Grocery L-Lodging PO-Post Office cl-coin laundry sh-shower f-fuel @-Internet S-shelter w-water V-veterinarian m-miles D-doctor
Day	ETA	Destination	Cum mi	Daily mi	Extra mi	Avg mi	Elev	Sun Rise	Sun Set	Services
S1	1-Mar-09	Start Mt Springer	0				3730	7:06	18:33
2	2-Mar-09	Sassafrass Mtn	11.2	11.2	-6.8	11.20	3300
3	3-Mar-09	Rt 60	20.1	8.9	-9.1	10.05	3150			W2m-POGCDclshf
4	4-Mar-09	Neel's Gap	30.7	10.6	-7.4	10.23	3125
5	5-Mar-09	Poplar Stamp	42.9	12.2	-5.8	10.73	2990			C,w
6	6-Mar-09	Cheese Factory	54.5	11.6	-6.4	10.90	3580			C,w
7	7-Mar-09	Hiawassee	67.5	13	-5	11.25	2675			W3.5-H,f,cl,11m PO,G,sh,@
S8	8-Mar-09	Deep Gap	83.2	15.7	-2.3	11.89	4341			w W3.7m-C,G,sh
9	9-Mar-09	Glassmine Gap	101.3	18.1	0.1	12.66	4160	7:57	19:39
10	10-Mar-09	Burningtown Gap	122.2	20.9	2.9	13.58	4235			w W10 PO,G,cl,@f
11	11-Mar-09	NOC	135	12.8	-5.2	13.50	1740		Full Moon	G,L,O,M,cl,sh,l E1m-C,G,L
12	12-Mar-09	Cable Gap Shelter	157	22	4	14.27	2980			S,w
12	13-Mar-09	Devil's Tater Patch	175	18	0	14.58	4775
13	14-Mar-09	Clingman's Dome	196.3	21.3	3.3	17.04	6643			E.5-R,w
14	15-Mar-09	Peck's Corner	215	18.7	0.7	15.36	5280			w
S15	16-Mar-09	Green Corner	238.3	23.3	5.3	15.89	1800	7:48	19:44	W.1-G,sh,cl,@,f
16	17-Mar-09	Walnnut Mtn Shlt	258.7	20.4	2.4	16.17	4260			S,w
17	18-Mar-09	Hot Springs	271.7	13	-5	15.98	2171			PO,G,H,cl,sh,f,@
18	19-Mar-09			0 Day	0	15.98
19	20-Mar-09	Little Laurel Shlt	291.3	19.6	1.6	16.18	3620			S,w
20	21-Mar-09	Hogback Ridge Shlt	312.8	21.5	3.5	16.46	4255			S,w
21	22-Mar-09	Sping	333.3	20.5	2.5	16.67	3300			w
S22	23-Mar-09	Erwin	339.8	6.5	-12	16.18	1700	7:39	19:50	H,C,O,cl,f,@W3m-PO,G,H, D,cl,sh,f,@
23	24-Mar-09	Greasy Creek	365	25.2	7.2	16.59	4400			E.6- G,C,sh,f,@,M
24	25-Mar-09	Doll Flats	383.6	18.6	0.6	16.68	4600			C,w
25	26-Mar-09	Campsite	403	19.4	1.4	16.79	3420			C,w
26	27-Mar-09	Candervetner Shlt	428.4	25.4	7.4	17.14	3620		New Moon	S,w
27	28-Mar-09	Shady Valley, Tn	446.3	17.9	-0.1	17.17	3384			E2.7- PO,C,G,M,f
28	29-Mar-09	Damascus	461.1	14.8	-3.2	17.08	1928			PO,H, G,L,M,O,D,cl,sh,@,f
S29	30-Mar-09			0 Day	0	17.08		7:29	19:55
30	31-Mar-09	Buzzard Rock	481.7	20.6	2.6	17.20	5080
		Total Extra mi			-22
		Avg mi for month		17.1

All of the shelters and towns can be found with this link (http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/googleat.php?lat=45.88165&lon=-68.99569&scale=6). Just scroll over the points and find the respective mileage for the location. I should be around there somewhere.
Next up, gear.

Heading off to the Appalachian Trail Intro

I'll tell you what - after seeing Los Appalachian Trail, and this here story I'm about to unfold, well, I guess I seen somethin' every bit as stupefyin' as you'd seen in any of them other places. And in English, too. So I can die with a smile on my face, without feelin' like the good Lord gypped me. Now this here story I'm about to unfold took place in early '09 - just about the time of our conflict with (insert insurgent group here).I'd like to mention it because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? Sometimes, there's a man. And I'm talkin' about the hiking Dude here - the hiking Dude from Los Appalachian Trail. Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's the hiking Dude. The hiking Dude, from Los Appalachian Trail. And even if he's a rambling man - and the hiking Dude was most certainly that. Quite possibly the most rambling in all of Los Appalachian Trail, which would place him high in the runnin' for most rambling worldwide. Sometimes there's a man, sometimes, there's a man. Well, I lost my train of thought here. But... aw, hell. I've done introduced him enough.