Day 2

Made it to the starting point of the trail. Will stay at a shelter .1 miles downhill 

Day 1

Amicalola falls state park to Black Gap Shelter.  7.3 miles.  A mile and a half from Springer Mountain.  Been cold all day legs almost giving out.  

Amicalola Falls

A view of the falls.  Excited and nervous about tomorrow.  I will officially register as a thru hiker in the morning after breakfast and then the journey begins. By the way there are 600 + steps up or down the falls. 400 to where this picture was taken.  No we did not walk those steps.  I'm saving my energy for tomorrow. 

Excited

Well it is almost time to start walking.  My wife and I will head for Amicalola Falls State Park in the morning.  We will spend the night there.  Wednesday morning she will return to Talladega, leaving me behind to start walking.  From Amicalola Falls there is an approach trail (8 miles) to Springer Mountain, the official start of the Appalachian Trail. I am a little concerned about my new boots.  These boots are high tops as opposed to the mid height boots I was wearing, therefore a little heavier.  After a hike of almost 6 miles, they seemed comfortable enough.  The problem started 24 hrs later with shin splints.  I hope this was just happening because of my legs adjusting to the boots and is not going to be a daily thing.  Will this be something I can overcome?  Time will tell.  In the mean time I don't think I will be able to sleep for the next two nights.

Almost ready

Several people have asked how they could keep up with me once I start the trail.  One way is the daily posts to this blog. Although they may be short I will try to post something every day and a couple of pictures, if I have cell phone service and my phone doesn't go dead.  Another way is my gps tracker, which will show my position every hour for the last 7 days.  Of course it will only work if I can remember to turn it on each day and keep batteries in it.  It also has a motion sensor that turns on and off automatically to help conserve the batteries.  I have not tested this out but I may decide to set this up.  Anyway below is a shared link connected to my device.  It should only show location points on a map and I am not sure what else it would show such as roads or towns near by or anything worth while. We will just have to wait and see how it works.  The link should start showing location points on February 26, 2014, the day my hike begins.  If you want to follow each day, you should add a shortcut to the website that opens once you click on the link below.  You can also add a shortcut to this blog so it will be easier to find.

 

Track me now

Anticipation Building

Reality has set in.  There seems to be no more time for me to hike/camp before I start my AT journey.  I had wanted to get in one more two night trip on the Pinhoti Trail, but I don't think that will happen.  My start date will be February 26.  My wife and I will celebrate her birthday at Amicalola Falls State Park on the 25th.  Then on Wednesday I will begin the 8 mile approach trail to Springer Mountain, the official starting point of the Appalachian Trail.  I am extremely excited and filled with anticipation.  Even though I have planned and purchased everything I think I will need I still have a lot of uncertainity.  I am very much aware that my pack is heavier than most, but I don't know what I can do without.  A friend of mine who has hiked the AT will go through my pack to see if something can be eliminated.  The item with the most weight and bulk is my sleeping bag.  I will be able to send it home after the cold weather and go with a lighter one.  I probably am carrying twice the amount of water I need to, so that could drop a couple of pounds if I can get by with less.  Anyway, I will make one more trip to REI to get a larger size boot.  The ones I have are okay, but I should have a size larger.  I am nervous about some aspects of this trip.  I am a couch potato not an athlete, older than most of those who will pass me on the trail, with a bad back and bad knees.  I expect to be slower than most on the trail, but I am not going to even try to keep up with others.  I expect sore muscles and sore feet.  I am a little concerned about the weather but I am prepared for the cold. Of course being cold and wet may present a problem.  I think that once I get started I will be able to learn exactly what to do from other hikers.  At this time I feel as ready as I can be.  More to come later.