Up at 5AM after a short night of the wind howling and rain driving into the side of the house. After ten days being off work getting ready for the hike this was the worst weather we had seen. Things didn't look much better when I checked the computer weather picture, rain from WV back to IN. Threw the packs in the car and pulled out of the drive at 5:30. Ran down to Mansville and picked up PJ a dear friend who is driving our car back home after we get to Harpers Ferry. Driving down I-81 the wind and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Here is the link to our tracking device we will use this year. Once on the trail (start 1 May) we will update our position twice daily at a minimum. Lunch time and at the end of the day. We will also update at state lines and such. http://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=0GzkzKZdmy7ngYeKQAlt24bTBTBUIKFmd Just copy the above and paste it to the address bar, then off you go. I find the "Hybrid" view best, shows the satellite photo with the names of things pasted on top. We have all the 14 food resupply boxes packed, transportation to and from the trail set up. Now [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hello All. CC and I will be returning to the trail on or about 1 May for the remaining 1,164 miles to Mt Katahdin, Maine. I will be doing my normal Blogging and will try to get the pictures in from last year before we start. This year we will be adding one piece of gear you will find interesting. It is a SPOT device. You will be able to track us daily on a Google Earth map. I will post the link here once we have the device up and running. I will send our location at lunch time and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well the night went well, no rain just a constant medium breeze. There were two young men who wanted to get up and out of the shelter by 4AM so they could see the sunrise from Clingman’s Dome. Both were still in the shelter sleeping soundly when we got up at 7AM. The one with the watch couldn't hear the alarm with his hand down inside his sleeping bag! We had a continuation of the previous evenings levity as everyone made breakfast, we all took group photos on at least five different cameras. We were lucky to clear the shelter [View Full Entry]

---

---

Another night of wind and rain, but again as the night before some kind soul had hiked a tarp into the shelter. This was used to enclose the front of the shelter keeping it quite livable. There was a pair of small resident rodents on patrol, but did little damage to anything. They did however go out into the rain, climb the bear cable, and scout the food bag that hung there (someone else’s food). Then proceed to chew through and sample each and every food item within. These hikers were not amused to say the least. The rain seemed [View Full Entry]

---

---

The night passed with only minor interruptions, wood rat chewing on the shelter and a howling dog in the distance. I was up by 6:30AM working on breakfast and hot beverages. We had eaten, packed, and were on the trail by 8:05AM. The plan for today was an ambitious one, 18.8 miles to Hot Springs! What had started out as a four day stroll has turned into a two day hump buster. The weather was turning bad, barometer was dropping like a stone, wind was up, and the sky was clouding up quickly. The first part of the day was [View Full Entry]

---

---

Sleep of babies is the best way to describe last night. Warm room and thick blankets pulled up around your neck and the babble of a brook that just happens to run beneath your bed, almost heaven. I woke early and finished out some of my blog and fired it off through cyberspace to Matt. Then it was make up a breakfast that was other than oatmeal, "HotPockets" from the hostel store, hot coffee for me and cappuccino for CC. We were packed and on the trail by 9:20 AM, a bit later than I wanted but not bad for [View Full Entry]

---

---

37 degrees was the low for the night, the sky stayed clear and the wind dropped, sleeping was good. The sun was warming us nicely as we ate breakfast. More good conversation was made. Today will be a short day, just 7.2 miles. We lounged around talking with Phexen making it out of the shelter around 10AM. The day was warming quickly and CC felt it on every hill. Most of the day was spent climbing as the park portion of the trail climbs towards Clingman’s Dome then drops towards the Pigeon River and I40. We made quite good time [View Full Entry]

---

---

Rest is wonderful. Half a day off with a nice room and a soft bed without the wind and rain sharing your bed. There was a very bad storm move through the area about 3AM this morning and the mountains were still clothed in mist and fog when we got up at 7:30AM. We had oatmeal for breakfast then packed away the last of our gear. When we went to the lobby to checkout five other hikers were all there waiting on the shuttle van. Before we finished our paperwork the van arrived to cart us all to the trailhead. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Wind and rain pelted the shelter all night. Trees were snapping and falling in the forest around us all night long. No nocturnal creatures came to visit us while we slept. The temperature dropped in to the mid 30s, but we were comfortable enough. Cloaked in a thick blanket of fog, wind blew though the underbrush and roared as if we were camped on the ocean shore. One tree we had worried would fall over last evening was now standing straight, tall and proud. I slid out of the bag and rustled up breakfast for CC and I. She was [View Full Entry]

---

---