Well folks! I've made it! I did the summit yesterday around noon, such a great feeling! I'll update more when I find a computer!

20 miles to go! If all goes well I will be on top of Mt Katahdin tomorrow afternoon!

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Lesson 253 from the Appalachian Trail:Falling down and jamming your face into your trekking pole will result in bruising.

I almost lost a fight with a beech tree today. It decided it wanted to slam down right on the trail when I was hiking past. I've never run so fast!

2,000 miles!! Such beautiful weather today. I can't believe I only have 2 weeks left on this trail! ME has so many nice views and ponds, but it is very muddy!

190 miles left to go! I found some friends on the trail again so hiking is fun again! I'm in Stratton, ME about to do the Bigelows.

I'm back on the trail and it's quite a muddy wet mess! The trail is a bit lonely right now, it feels like I'm the only person out here.

I'm sitting in the ATL airport! Isn't it crazy that I can go from GA to ME in 2.5 hrs on a plane? It took me 5 months to walk that!! Not as much fun in a plane!

Trip to NC!

I'm just finishing up my 4 day weekend with Greg down in North Carolina. It feels weird being off the trail but I had a great time relaxing, eating lots of food, and spending time with the husband. Somehow on my days off he convinced me to go to the gym... twice. It wasn't so bad now that I've shed a few pounds! Now that I'm fully rested and my iPod is full of new music I'm ready to head back to Maine. I will head back to Andover, ME where I will have 257 miles until I summit Mt. Katahdin!!

Taking a brief vaca to N.C. to visit the hubby. Successfully hitch-hiked 85 miles across ME. Part of the journey was on a motorcycle :) Living the DREAM!!

Mahoosuc Notch was the most fun mile of this trip! I didn't even freak out too much when I squeezed through a rock tunnel. I kept my pack on the whole time!

I've made it to MAINE! 1900 miles down! About to do the Mahoosuc Notch! Look it up, it's a crazy sectionm

My last night in New Hampshire! I had so much fun here even if the weather was crappy! 285 miles to go, the end is near!

Just finished the Whites in NH! They closed the trails at 6pm due to the hurricane. I'm going to spend tomorrow nice and safe in Concord with Johanna!

Vermont

I've been having a lovely time here in the Green Mountains! There are lots of nice mountains to climb, great views, and lots of places to get a good meal. Right now I am sitting in Mountain Meadows Lodge where I just ate a fantastic veggie wrap and sat in a hot tub for an hour!
I would like VT more if there were less slugs. For those of you that don't know - I'm terrified of those slimy beasts. Every morning I have to pick 2-10 of them off my gear, shoes, and hammock rope. It is disgusting.
The other downfall in VT is the mud. The trails here get heavy use and there has been a lot of rain so there is a ton of mud.
Two days ago I had an extremely bad slug/mud day. I had to pick an unusually large number of slugs off my stuff in the morning. Then I slipped in a pile of mud. Mud all up my leg, butt, down my shoes --essentially everywhere. About 20 minutes later I started to slip again so I grabbed on to a tree. Apparently the world's juiciest slug lived exactly where I planted my hand, eck! About an hour after that I stopped next to a brook for a well deserved break. I sat on my backpack and BAM! I must have found the only bee around on that rainy day and planted my ass right on him. I got stung right on my butt cheek. Every step I took for the rest of the day hurt like mad. Now it's lunch time and I stop and make pasta. Everything is great, no slugs anywhere, I checked. I pick up my trekking poles, take ten steps and feel something slimy on my hand. A damn slug made a home in my wrist strap. I threw a temper tantrum until my friend got it off for me. About another 20 steps down the trail, SLIP! I fell straight on my stung ass.
Looking back on the day I can see how it could be very amusing, but I was not in the mood at that time. Now I have a giant bruise on my shin and a itching butt cheek to remind me of all the fun I had in Vermont.
1,697 miles down!

VERMONT! 1,600 miles in. 581 left to go! I've had the best 2 days of food, dinner last night was Indian! Section hikers gave me 2lbs of food and chocolate!

I'm sitting on the highest peak in Mass in a cafe! There's no better reward after climbing a mountain than lunch! Perfect hiking weather today and a great view!

I'm still in skeeter filled Mass. There seems to be a lack of views but plenty of bugs. 1,555 miles down. 625 to go!

Lessons from the trail: if you throw your pack on a bee hive, you will get stung. 4 times.

So happy to be in Mass! There seems to be an excessive amount of mosquitoes here. 10 states down. 4 to go!

I've made it 2/3rds of the way! I'm in Kent, CT. It's very exciting to be in New England even if it is pouring down rain!

A great way to end a heat wave! Two angels let me stay in their beautiful home. Great food, shower, clean clothes, and a bed! Oh, and delicious home micro brew!

So hot in NY! Gotta love hiking in a heat wave. Luckily today I found a refreshing lake to wait out the afternoon heat!

State #9! New York! I'm eating dinner on the highest point on the AT in NY, Prospect Rock. NJ was fun but a little too swampy, I'm not sad to see it go!

I just ran up a mtn to watch the sunset. I just made it, luckily the view was to the west. The sun set right behind the tower I started hiking from this morning

Another great day on the AT. I laid out on a beach and ate nachos! 1,340 miles down. 840 to go! I went to the highest point in NJ; 1,800 ft. No mountains here!

Bye PA! Hello NJ!

Surprise trip to NJ for a buddy's bday!! Hiked 22 miles yesterday to get to a road. Still in PA for another 110 miles and will be in NJ again in about a week!

I had such a wonderful unexpected visit from Greg! So glad to have him for 4th of July weekend!! I saw fireworks from the ridge I camped at last night!

Had such a fun day in Boiling Springs, PA with Sara Bowers! It was nice to kick back and shoot the breeze about the good ole fencing days!

1/2 way tttttttthere! 1090.5 miles! At Furnace State Park, PA.

Harper's Ferry was good for the body and soul! Tourists seem to think what I'm doing is a big deal, I got a lot of encouragment today. What a beautiful town!

Made it to Harper's Ferry, WV!!! The mental half way point!!

West Virginia!! Now I have to walk 15 more miles to be out of Virginia for GOOD!

Emac got to see a bear with us!! Also a black snake and two turtles. Thanks Shenandoah for making her trip complete! We also had lunch on Skyline Drive!

Aqua Blazing

We just finished our three day canoe trip! We went 50 miles on the river and had to portage over 2 dams! The first day out it was cloudy but still warm. We stealth camped next to a cow pasture. The second day it was sunny. We got a ride into town and ate at a chinese food buffet! An older gentleman in a kayak let us camp in his front yard!! Today it was sunny, and then it started raining. We rigged up our tarp over the canoe, it mostly looked ridiculous! Now we are getting cleaned up and waiting for the arrival of our best friend EMac to arrive tomorrow!! This trip is getting better and better!

Today we are "aqua blazing" (canoeing) the South River. We saw lots of cranes, a muskrat and an EAGLE!

Blue Blazing!

When you hike on the Appalachian Trail it is called White Blazing on account of all the white blazes on the trees that you were to go. When you take a side trail it is called blue blazing because most of those paths are marked with blue. On Thursday Kara and I decided to take a detour. The AT runs right along the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) for 90 or so miles. We hopped off at mile 75 on the BRP and just started walking along the side of the road. It was amazing. Every 2 or 3 miles there was a gorgeous view of the mountains. We became familiar with the park rangers, cleaning crew and campground hosts. Everyone knew who we were, either because they thought we were crazy or because there isn't much to gossip about in the National Park Service! The road doesn't have much traffic because it is just a scenic parkway. Around mile 50 on Friday Greg came into town. He wasn't supposed to meet up with us again but I'm so glad he did! On Thursday we walked 22 miles with no packs on! We threw them in the car right next to the cooler. These girls were hiking in style, every three miles we took a break in the car with AC and sodas! We walked 83 miles in 5 days! Not too shabby! Now we are in Waynesboro, VA. Tomorrow we will be in Shenandoah National Park.

Bear!!

Well folks, 700 miles into the trip we finally saw a bear. It was about 150 yards away and maybe 150 lbs. He was like a teenager bear. We were excited! We saw some turkey vultures today and a doe with her extremely newborn fawn. Also, I started a campfire all by myself!! I know that may not sound like much but I've always been with someone who was a pro fire-starter! This last stretch of trail through Dragon's tooth and Mcafee's knob has been awesome. Well, the views have been awesome, the trail has been horribly rocky.

We are just past Pearisburg, VA. Greg came out with us for Memorial Weekend. He only got to hike 20 miles with us. We got distracted at the Hiker Feed at the Captain's. It was totally worth it. Food, beer, music and a zipline across the river! The next day we realized we couldn't make it to the road in time so we took a shuttle back to Pearisburg and spent the day lazing about. I think he may have gotten the wrong impression about hiking the AT. I swear it is not a 6 month long party!! Now it's time for Greg to go :( and it's time for these girls to get their butts back on track! Of note: last week we hiked 99 miles in 6 days. We did our longest day ever at 23.9 miles.

We' ve made it 1/4 of the way in 1/3 the time! Looks like we'll have to hike a little faster! We are just past Bland, Virginia. Only 1,594 miles to go!

Our trail names!

BTW if anyone ever needs to get a hold of us on the trail you need to know our names: My trail name is P.C. (Politically Correct) and Kara goes by Ros (Rain-pants of shame). Hardly anyone out here knows our real-world names!!

500 Miles!

Yesterday we hit 500 miles! We have completed three states (Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee). We had fun last weekend at Trail Days in Damascus, VA. The First Baptist church there was AMAZING. They gave the hikers free showers, free food, free medical attention, free foot massages and new socks! We also got a free hand knit beanie from the church ladies! Kara and I bought Hennessy Hammocks - they are so comfy. They are like a tent and hammock in one. I can finally sleep on the trail after 7 uncomfortable weeks. Greg came out for the weekend and brought Mr. McCarthy and another buddy. It was a crazy fun weekend and I was so sad when it was over :( I had too much party this weekend and now I am sick. I thought it was just a cold but I'd bet money that I have a fever. We did 5 miles today and I think we are going to walk down the road to the church hostel and chill out for the night. We have been wet for the last 4 days and I am looking forward to drying my stuff out. Yesterday we went through Grayson Highlands State Park, it's supposed to have some of the prettiest views on the trail. All we saw was fog and rain. We did get to see some ponies, one licked my hand and I pet one of the foals. We're still having fun even though this week has been fairly miserable, hopefully the sun will come out soon!

Erwin, TN

We have made it 340 miles on the trail in 5 weeks. I am officially off the crutches!! I am so excited to start hiking with trekking poles again!! To date we have completed Georgia, hiked the tallest point on the trail, and completed the Smoky Mountains!! We have major farmer's tans but Gregory took us shopping so these girls will now be sporting tank tops (hopefully to tan the tops of our arms) and visors (to stop tanning our faces!). The tornadoes that came through didn't hit near us. We did have some storms but they weren't even that bad. One night during a storm a small tree branch fell right next to my tent and scared the crap out of me, but nothing major.
As far as weight loss goes - not a pound :( All of the guys on the trip are dropping major pounds right now but not us! I'm not worried about it because even though the scale hasn't noticed I can tell that we have both slimmed down around the middle and my legs are more muscle.
Both of us are pretty lucky in the foot department. No major blisters or grossness. I had a heel blister at mile 150 and Kara has had a few hot spots but that's all.
Right now we are taking 2 zero days (no hiking on zero days) in Erwin, TN. We just hiked 8 days straight to get here and are thoroughly enjoying the time off!

Made it to Hot Springs, nc! 270 miles. Hiking with crutches is slow going, but at least I still get to hike! We r down lower elevation and it's spring now!

Detour

We've only gone about 25 miles since my last post. My ankle started swelling again and we decided to get off the trail and get it looked at. We had to go to Sevierville, TN and that put us a long way off the trail. Now we are back in Gatlinburg, TN and are trying to get back to Davenport Gap to start again. The ankle is better and we are ready to get back on the trail.... the problem is getting a ride back!

3 Weeks In!

Today marks our 3rd week on the trail! Yesterday we went over Clingman's Dome- the highest point on the AT. It was miserable; 45mph winds, rain and fog. We are currently in Gatlinburg, TN because of the bad weather.
We have done so many awesome things so far: hitchhiked, rode in the back of pick-up trucks and ate at an all you can eat pizza buffet!!! What more could you ask for?
We hit the 200 mile mark yesterday!! Unfortunately internet access has been hard to come by so far- but we are still alive and well!!

192 miles in! We had to summit Rocky Top Mtn, Tennessee today. The song has been stuck in my head all day!

Made it to the Smokies! 163 miles in. We should be thru them in 6 daysg!

111 miles so far on the AT! Went into Franklin, nc today. Spent 9 hrs in town and still hiked 8 miles! These girls rock! We already have quite the appetite!

crazy storm last night! golf ball size hail. ground was covered in snow this morning. warmed up throughout the day, thankfully. legs r hurting bad 2day.

Made it to north carolina! The hills are already tougher, but I am glad GA is behind us! Had a nice day off yesterday, our legs needed a break!

Rain rain go away!

On Saturday March 26, 2011 Greg drove Kara and I to Amicalola Falls State Park. Fresh and happy we signed the thru-hiker register. We are hikers 481 and 482 that are headed to Maine so far this year. We weighed our packs (mine was 35# and Kara's 36.5#) and headed on our way. After 604 stairs I was huffing and puffing and it was kind of raining. Then is started REALLY raining and continued that way the whole 9.2 miles to Springer Mtn Shelter. Our time at the top of Springer Mtn was short lived because we were so cold and tired. That night I don't think anyone slept a wink because there was a thunderstorm right on top of us... I thought we might perish. All was well but the next day was quite painful when we had to put on all of our soaking wet clothes from the day before (think wet sports bra...). Gregory went on his way back to NC and Kara and I continued on. That day was better than expected because it didn't rain, it just misted. That night- thunder storm. The next day was the same. That night- thunder storm. Yesterday was misty and COLD... 38 degrees and windy. The sun did peek out around 1:30 and the mist cleared out when we got to the shelter. That was the first time we saw a view... we didn't even know we were surrounded by so many mountains, all we had seen was fog and trees. The weather turned quick, guess what? Last night - thunder storm. Luckily we have been safe and happy and dry in a shelter every night. Today we had burgers and tonight we are staying in a hostel. Clean girls with clean clothes and a dry bed to sleep in!!! Despite the rain and cold this is still much nicer than our last job!

"I'm tryin to take this to the mountaintop, Appalachian" - Bun B

This past weekend I went to Myrtle Beach with the husband. The Atlantic was beautiful (we could see it from our room!) and the food was great. We had equal amounts of relaxation and partying... the perfect weekend. Greg is back in class and I'm trying up some loose ends paperwork-wise. We just switched Henry (my... I mean our car) into his name and we have to switch our car insurance. We had to get my dental coverage, get to Verizon to get a new phone, finalize payment for the bills on my apartment, get my security deposit, etc... luckily my fam is helping me get some of this taken care of on the MI side. There is a lot to do when you are peacing out (mostly) from society for 6 months. I got freaked out the other day, what happens if I get jury duty?? Just call them and be like, "JK lol I'm not coming?". Let's just hope something stupid like that doesn't happen.

On Friday Greg and I are headed to Dawsonville, GA. Saturday is go day!! At Amicalola Falls State Park we will weigh our packs and hike up 600 steps to the top of the 729 foot falls. Greg is going to hike the approach trail with us up to Springer Mountain (about 8.5 miles). He'll camp with us overnight! Then it's bye-bye husband and hello Appalachian Trail!! Sunday March 27, 2011 will be our first official day hiking the AT (as the approach trail doesn't truly count).

On the road in the Green Mtns, Vermont

11 days!

My last few days have been very full. I am now un-employed! I moved out of my apartment. I have left the Great Lakes State. I drove to New Hampshire with my cat (yes, 13 hours in a car with Callie!). The drive was long, but there were some beautiful views. The Green Mountains in Vermont were breathtaking. The trees had a layer of ice on them so they seemed to sparkle as I drove through. It really got me excited to start hiking the AT even though I won't see those mountains for at least 4 months!
I spent 5 glorious days in Concord, NH with Johanna. We watched to make sure Callie and Emma (her cat) got along okay, as Johanna is watching my cat for the duration of my hike. It seemed to go well, a few hisses and growls, but nothing remarkable. I bet by the time I hike to the White Mountains and see Callie again ( in 5 months) they will be inseparable!
While I was in NH we went to Portsmouth, an adorable coastal town, and did some shopping. We bought cheese. And then some more cheese. It was so delicious; cow cheese, goat cheese, sheep cheese, I am going to miss cheese!! Johanna and I ate so much good food that I am starting to get nervous about 6 months of instant oatmeal, rice and potatoes!
Yesterday I left NH (sniff) but after 14.5 hours in the car I arrived in North Carolina! They have green grass and flowering trees here! This got me SUPER excited to start hiking as Fayetteville is east (and slightly north) of Springer Mtn, Georgia. I think it will be just as pretty there when I start my hike.
Now it is time for me to relax and enjoy the next week and a half with my love! After so much planning all I have left to do is wait for March 26th to get here. Oh, and eat some more good food!

One Month!

In 4 short weeks I'll be on my way. I am so ready to go! My re-supply boxes are just about done and I started moving out of my apartment. 4 more days of work. Just tying up the loose ends! Woo-hoo!

5 Weeks Left!

In just 5 short weeks from today I will be at Amicalola Falls State Park starting my 6 month hike north. Every day has become a countdown for me. Days until I quit work: 12. Days until I move out of my apartment: 15. Days until I leave Michigan: 18. I feel like time has been moving extremely slowly these past few weeks. I just want to go already! The warm weather here has not helped my eagerness very much.
I have many reasons why I am ready to leave here, but mainly I am excited to start my journey. For 6 months I will get to move at my own pace. There will be no deadlines. Society works differently on a trail of that length- and I am looking forward to discovering it. I feel like I don't fit in here and I am looking for a place to belong, if only for a little while. I am excited to be dirty and stinky and to not be forced to pee in a toilet! I am yearning to listen to the wind and rain, to feel dirt and rock under my feet. I want to go to bed every night exhausted and to wake up every morning excited to live!
I will miss some of the comforts of home, don't get me wrong. I will miss my family and friends. I will miss the security of having a paycheck every week. I will miss my animals. I will miss having more than one change of clothing and shoes.
I know that only about 27% of hikers who start the Appalachian Trail going north actually successfully make it to Mt Katahdin in Maine. http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805579/k.DA92/2000Milers_Facts_and_Statistics.htm I hope to be one of the successful hikers that make it this year! However, if I should not make it, I do not want to look at it as a failure. My goal is to complete the AT, but the journey is much more important than the end result. I will be proud of myself if I only make it one mile because I will have already accomplished so much. I have already made life changing (and bettering) decisions that I may have never gotten around to if I hadn't decided to hike the AT. I might still be working at a job that makes me miserable or living far away from my amazing husband. If I decide to quit for any reason, I don't want that decision to negatively effect anything that had gotten me to that point. But damn, I sure do want to do a victory dance on the top of Mt. Katahdin!!

I just quit my job!

So, today I took a huge step in my journey towards completing the Appalachian Trail. I put in my notice at work. March 4th will be my last day in retail (hopefully forever!). Then starts the tedious task of moving out of my apartment :( However, fun is just ahead because I get to go hang in Concord, NH for a week and North Carolina for two weeks! What happens next? March 27th I start my 6 month adventure on the AT!!

Yes, this is everything I will need for 6 months.

Here it is, folks. The infamous gear list-
Packed Gear (w/ weight in ounces):
Jansport BigBear 5000 64
Ultra-sil Pack Cover 3.5
Mont-bell Down Hugger #1 35.8
Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 73
Stoic Sleeping Pad 23.9
Katadyn Water Purifier 20.3
Camelbak Hydrotanium Reservoir (100 oz) 6.7
Nalgene (x2) 8
GSI Microdualist (Pot&Dishes&Scrubber) 18.1
Light my Fire Spoon 0.3
Light my Fire starter 1
Compass 0.9
Princeton Tec Headlamp 2.8
Camera 5
Camera charger 2.4
Cell phone (LG ENV3) 4.1
Vibram Five Fingers 11.4
Mountain Hardwear Rain Jacket 12.9
Smartwool Socks (x2) 7
Nylon Rope 1.2
Shovel 4.7
Condiments 1.9
First Aid Kit 10.2
Pocket Knife 2.7
Playing Cards 1.4
Serius Gloves 3.3
Patagonia Wool long underwear- bottoms 7.6
Patagonia Wool long underwear- shirt 5.1
Norrona Fleece 10
Montbell Down Jacket & Ultrasil pack 6.8
TP 1.2
Toothbrush & Paste 2
Data book 3.8
Loose leaf paper & pen 1.2

Total (in ounces): 394.4
(in pounds): 22.76

Worn Gear:
Wool Shirt 9.2
Columbia Titanium Pants 13.5
I/O Bio Underwear 1.6
Smartwool Socks 3.5
Belt 3.6
Watch 4.6
Sportsbra 3.3
Asolo Stynger (boots) 51.3
ID, credit card and money 0.5
Total (in ounces): 91.1
(in pounds): 5.69


This 31 lbs of gear is pretty much going to have to get me to Katahdin. There are a few exceptions.... like my boots. I have a second pair of those that will get mailed to me when the first pair get worn out. I also have short sleeve shirts, socks and another pair of pants that I can get when the conditions arise.

My car insurance just went down!

There are many reasons why 2011 is going to be my year of adventure:
a) I just turned 25 years of age. That's a quarter of a century, folks. I'm not getting any younger.
b) I need to quit my job and join my husband down south. What a better time
to go for a long adventure?
c) I've had many adventures in the past. You'd think this would be enough, but it has only made me want to do more:
2004: Graduated high school
2005: Studied abroad in Mexico
2006: Learned to scuba dive/ went scuba diving in Mexico
2007: Studied abroad in London, England/ backpacked some of Europe/ took a 14 day trans-atlantic cruise/ graduated college
2008: Started rock climbing
2009: Cruised and scuba dived in Bahamas/biked from Michigan to Washington, DC
2010: Eloped/bicycled from Traverse City to Mackinac/ biked my first century
2011: What will this year bring?

My decision to thru-hike:

It started back in summer 2009. I was on a three week bike trip when I heard about the Appalachian Trail. One of the group members had a friend that was doing a thru hike that summer. I didn't know what the Appalachian Trail (AT) or a thru hike was, but I was intrigued.

During Labor Day weekend I flew to Concord, New Hampshire to visit with a college friend. She mentioned something about hiking, so I lugged my backpack and gear with me, ready for an adventure. After the purchase of a map of the White Mountains and a few trips to Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) we had planned an overnight hike.

The hike was so beautiful I wouldn't even know how to put it into words (or pictures - it was very hard to captured the depth and detail). A couple of miles into the hike we passed a sign for the AT. That started a whole slew of questions, "how long do you think those hikers hike a day?", "how do they get water?", "how do they get food?" and "how long does it take?".

When I got back home I immediately started Googling those questions. Then I went to the library and read guides and memoirs. Then I bought planning and data books and joined online forums. I was sold. I decided to do a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. Now it was time to tell my husband, family and friends.