Two days, 24 miles

Well last time I wrote I had an easy 3 mile hike downhill. Got to
Stover Creek Shelter at 1:30, decided to go the extra 5 miles up Hawk
Mountain. Got near the shelter, and people were putting up tents. I
was informed the shelter was full, so I had better do the same. Got
the tent set up, filtered water, cooked some noodles, tied up my food
to keep it away from bears and went to bed after a hard 12 mile hike.
Slept very well, am very pleased with my REI sleeping bag. Got up at
6:30, hit the trail at 9ish. About a mile in, came around a big tree
and ran into a man in a camo jacket taking a puff off a pipe of
marijuana. After an awkward silence, I told him not to stop on my
account, upon which he continued to smoke and introduced himself as
Holy Smoke( his trail name). We hiked the next 7 miles together, along
which he told me about a place called the Hiker's Hostel that had a
shuttle at Woody Gap, 5 miles from my intended destination Gooch
Mountain Shelter. I don't normally take advice from hippie potheads,
but a hot shower sounded too good to pass up, so after a pita bread
and cheese lunch, I hiked an extra 5 miles to Woody. It was brutal,
and I almost got religious when I heard cars. Took a 20 minute ride to
the hostel to find chickens and bees in front of a cabin. Had a
wonderful shower, ate some mac and cheese, and been talkin to a really
nice guy from Irwin, Tennessee that goes by the name of Tenderfoot. I
feel rejuvenated and plan on goin 10 miles to Neel's Gap tomorrow, in
the process summiting Blood Mountain. Will probably spend Tuesday in
Neel's Gap as a snow storm is comin in Tuesday. Allright, miss you all
and I will write again soon.
Sent from my iPhone

Weird field on the hike up Hawk Mountain

My hiking buddy Holy Smoke at Jessup Creek

One down...

Well, we are dropping like flies. Bart bailed out today and is headin
home. I am headin out on my own. Writing from atop Springer Mountain,
the start of the AT. Have done 5.4 miles this morning, have 3 to go to
camp. My pack is much heavier now that bart is gone- 58 pounds! But my
spirits are high and I look forward to the trail ahead. Adios amigos
for now.

Sent from my iPhone

Atop Springer Mountain!

Sunrise at Len Foote Hike Inn

We made it to the trailhead at Amicalola Falls State Park! Bart is
taking a nap after a brutal travel day. I am at the falls... What a
view. We are staying at the lodge tonight. It is quite chilly, we have
already met a wimpy New Yorker who left the trail after 2 days because
of the weather. Hope all is well with you, I'm off to get some fried
chicken
Sent from my iPhone

Amicalola

On the road...

Whoops!

Always read the instructions of your camping stoves!
In a test of run of my WhisperLite gas stove, I stupidly set it up upside down in the backyard. Sorry about that charred spot by the live oak, mom and dad.

Intro

Hello everybody!
For those of you who are unaware, I am about to embark on a two and a half month hike with my cousin Bart Hobbs on the Appalachian Trail, starting in Georgia and heading north through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and ending in West Virginia(spanning a distance of a little over 1000 miles). I will be leaving this Thursday and coming back sometime in early May. I thought it would be fun to keep everyone back home informed of our progress, or lack thereof.

Some of you may be wondering why the hell I am doing this. Well, there are several reasons. First, I love the outdoors. Though equipment these days can make life a little cushy in the back country, a hard hiking trip can still trigger those poignant feelings of man versus or, if you are lucky, man in harmony with nature. Secondly, my window of opportunity to make a trek like this is rapidly closing. Medical school starts in August, and after that... well, life changes. Third, there is something just damn interesting to me about the Appalachian Mountains. They are about as old as mountains come, contain insane amounts of biodiversity( Smokey Mountain NP has more species of trees and shrubs than all of Europe!), and are the backdrop for the wonderful world of bluegrass music. Fourth, I imagine we will be in pretty good shape by the end and fifth, it will make a good story at the very least.

I'll be updating whenever possible via iPhone. I will say adios for now with more to come on Thursday.