Rob on the Trail

2007-10-26T00:15:00.000-05:00

It's over.

Sorry it has taken me so long to post anything, I'd be surprised if anyone has the patience to keep checking a non-updated blog, but here I am regardless. To be honest, I kept putting off writing a post because I have been at a loss for words. Since I returned, I have talked to a bunch of people who ask me how the Trail was, and I find myself unable to answer them. It was such a, well, BIG experience! Six and a half months, highs, lows, in-betweens, boring days, exhilarating days, 25 milers and zeros.

Another reason I have had trouble coming to some kind of grand conclusion is the awkward way my hike ended, in a way. I was extremely fortunate to have my dad and Mr. Bush, a family friend and father of one of my closest friends from home, join me for the spectacular ascent of Katahdin. It was a surreal experience, and one of the most magnificent mountains of the entire trek. Afterwards, we met up with Jake (!!!) at the base of the mountain, and went to the Bush's summer house near Bangor and drove home from there. Once home, I took a day just recovering physically, and then jumped right back in to working on the house restoration. I felt bad asking for more time to recover/adjust, seeing as I was coming back from a 6.5 month vacation, and underestimated how unprepared I was.

Luckily, and thanks to my unbelievable friends, I got to see off my trail experience more properly. After a re-energizing visit to Jared at Fairfield, I was visited by Grizzle on his way back to Georgia. Grizz stayed in town for a few days, helping at the house and hanging out for baseball games. After that, Jake, Candybar and Tater all arrived for one last night in the basement and one last "High school hangout". We road-tripped into Boston, where we watched Game 1 of the World Series from a bar RIGHT outside of Fenway, and stayed with the always amazing Tobin. This morning, we drove back to Gbury, parting ways with Jake as he returned to Philly, and drove into New Haven to visit Tater's friends at Yale and watch Game 2.

...And then we parted ways, as I drove back home and Tater and Candybar stayed in New Haven, from whence they will travel back to their respective homes.

Saying goodbye to those guys gave the trip a sense of closure, and made the drive home in the wee hours of the night surprisingly emotional. After spending months bonding with hikers in the ridiculously close contact we keep, getting to know them like family, it is finally to a point where I don't know when I will see them again.

I realized that saying goodbye to Tate, CB, Grizz, Jake and everyone else was at LEAST as hard as saying goodbye to the woods that had become home over the summer. A thru hike, at least for me, does not happen in a vacuum. It is not just you and the Trail. Instead, the AT is a venue for an adventure. It is the backdrop, the unwavering constant in a lifestyle that is otherwise unpredictable and sometimes absurd. You never know how far you'll go, how you'll get there, who you'll be with, what will happen, but you do know that you will keep hiking North, keep following the white blazes until they stop. When they do stop, dramatically and suddenly atop Katahdin, I came to a flash realization that hiking to this summit was not the point. If I had wanted to get to Baxter Peak so badly, I would have driven to Millinocket and day hiked up!

No, the uber-simplistic and linear goal of hiking from Georgia to Maine is a concrete anchor to which thru hikers can tie their own goals or desires. We don't hit the trail just to walk in the woods, we do it to learn something about ourselves, or our world, or to find a lost spark, or any number of unique reasons.

So when you ask me how the trail was, don't think I'm being a jerk or blowing you off if I have a hard time answering. I'm not trying to make it into something it isn't: It's not the most extreme adventure, or the most difficult, or anything like that. I am more impressed by people who successfully live abroad, or better tackle the challenges of everyday life, than by the achievement of thru-hiking. But even if it isn't the greatest accomplishment, it is something tremendously special. It is a chance to live a drastically more simple life, to enjoy the simple silence of the world's surviving wild places, a six month service in the vast green cathedral we call home.

To all my brothers and sisters from the trail: thank you so much. You were the alpha and omega of my trail experience, and I'll cherish the pictures and memories of you more than you know. To the friends and family without whom I couldn't have made the first step, especially to Mom for providing ridiculous amounts of home support, and Dad for taking time from his unbelievably hectic schedule to come out to the woods, a million thanks.

The final summit - 11:30 AM this morning

2007-10-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

On his way to the summit!

2007-10-13T12:34:00.000-05:00

Received this photo by phone this morning - Rob's almost there! Looks like a pretty good (but chilly) day.

Katahdin in Sight

2007-10-11T11:46:00.001-05:00

I just waved goodbye to Dave (Dad K) who is setting off to Maine with Bob Bush (dad of Bigby's good friend and fellow Eagle Scout Dan Bush.) They will drive up to the Bush family's camp in Maine, about an hour from Baxter State Park. Then tomorrow, they will make the short (hour or so) hop over to a campground in the Park, and wait for Rob to join them for his last night on the Trail. I've sent beef stew and goodies to prepare them for their four-mile ascent, scheduled for Saturday, just two days before the Park closes for the winter! The weather prediction, which had been kind of dismal, has just brightened up for Saturday - to "partly cloudy" - a big improvement over the showers that had been predicted all week.

I'd sent off my last big resupply about two weeks ago - to prepare Rob for the "Hundred Mile Wilderness". He received 16 pounds of food - enough for 8 or 9 days - see below!

Connie, Postmaster-Relief at the East Glastonbury P.O., has overseen many of the supply boxes I've sent over the past six months. Thanks, Connie!

Rob sent this photo with the message "Katahdin in sight" from about 200 miles out. He hasn't seen it much since - due to cloudy weather whenever he was up high.Haven't been able to hear too much from Rob during his transit of the 100 miles of wilderness!

Enjoy your last hours on the Trail, Rob! Can't wait to have you home - (expecting them on Sunday) and hear about all your adventures. Wish I were there too! Love, Mom (Mom K)

PS: A couple hours after I posted this I got a phone call from Rob - heading out of Millinocket, ME. He'd made it to Abol Bridge, a few miles out of Baxter State Park. Tomorrow he'll have a 10 mile hike to the Katahdin Stream campground. Then, Katahdin. So, he now has 15 miles left on his >2000 mile journey.

2007-10-05T07:18:00.001-05:00

Leaving Monson, ME this morning to enter the 100 mile wilderness.

See you on the other side!

Bigby

2007-09-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

Well, today turned into a surprise zero! I woke up intending to hike out, but a second day of stormy weather and some surprise tiredness (not to mention an impromptu poker game at the hostel) motivated me to hang out. Tomorrow, it's time to climb the Bigelows, some of the last major mountains before Katahdin. It's a 70 mile stretch to Monson, ME, the very last trail town. Out of Monson it's straight into the 100 mile wilderness, arguably the most uncivilized portion of the trail. the Wilderness will drop me off at Abol Bridge, right at the base of Big K. Then it's up the mountain and... that's it.

I've been having a very hard time contemplating the fact that what remains of this adventure can be summed up in such a concise paragraph. The defining characteristic of the Trail experience for me has been its length... 2000 miles and 6 months is nothing if not a prolonged experience. I cannot believe that in just 2 weeks, if all goes well, I will be standing on Katahdin... no more white blazes to follow.

I have been hiking largely solo for the past several weeks, seeing my friends mostly when I get off the trail (like a GREAT 2 day adventure to the "Common Ground Fair" in Unity, Maine with Tater and Candybar and Blackfoot and Tater's SUPER AWESOME GENEROUS family! Thanks a million Mr. and Mrs. Tater!) The solo hiking has been a distinct contrast from the "buddy hiking" that took up a large chunk of my trip. I have gone whole days without seeing another person, and even without uttering a word aloud. I look forward to the solace of the Wilderness, 100 miles away from civilization, as a last chance to reflect and listen very closely to what the Trail is trying to tell me.

The week in the woods will also be an opportunity to consider what the best way to express the trail to the rest of the world. I've struggled with questions about the trail, it's so unlike anything else that it defies regular comparisons. I'm glad I still have 180 miles to think about it!

Can't wait to see you all
Rob

2007-09-20T16:04:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!
I am writing this time from, as you may have deduced, THE GREAT STATE OF MAINE! I am ecstatic to be here, after spending the last 5+ months yearning to cross into this still largely wild and untarnished green state. On the trail, I am at Andover. However, that does not tell the whole tale: My buddies Jake and Grizzle rented a car after Jake blew his knees out, and have been touring up and down the east coast visiting old friends. This morning they picked me up, tossed me in their Kia and carried me up to Stratton, Maine to visit some MORE old buddies.

The trail in the last few hundred miles has been spectacular and rugged. The Whites provided some of the most difficult and extreme terrain of the trail so far, and the pace has not slacked since then: Southern Maine has been just as difficult if not more so! Some sections have been especially punishing, like the incredible Mahoosuc Notch and Arm, a combination rock scramble and climb of 5 miles that took an entire day.

Time is short, dinner calls, but I promise to put up more details as soon as I can! Can't wait to see you all, and thanks again to Mom for putting up such great posts!

Rob

Maine at last!

2007-09-17T13:14:00.000-05:00

Text message received Monday, September 17, 2:10 PM: "At last! One more state left!" Go, Bigby!!

Through the Whites!

2007-09-14T17:11:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Lots of photos on this post! We document Dad K's trip through the Whites (including a scary brush with the famously bad weather of the Presidentials,) a change in Rob's 'do, and the gorgeous scenery in Vermont and New Hampshire. First, pretty Little Rock Pond in VT.
Who says only gregarious Southerners are capable of Trail Magic?
Lots of cold sodas for everyone!

And finally (above), the beautiful GREEN Mountains, on the Long Trail in VT (which runs with the AT in VT.) Rob very much liked the Vermont experience.

Below, Bigby decides it's time for a haircut.

And a new man emerges from beneath the mop! This 'do is much easier to maintain on the Trail.
One doesn't always have to rough it on the Long Trail! (Softies like MomK can contemplate hiking inn-to-inn.)

When Rob crosses this bridge, he'll be in New Hampshire!
Next-to-last state line on the Trail.
In Hanover, Rob runs into some old friends - hiking buddies (Byte Code and Churchmouse) from the Southern half!

Here, on September 2, the White Mountains at last.

Rob was delighted to reach the top of Mt. Moosilauke, and the first alpine biome of the AT. "Above treeline at last! I couldn't be happier!"

Above, the craggy White Mountains stretch out forever. Below, a mountain sunrise.

Dad K hits the trail again! Dave drove up to Joe Dodge Lodge, Pinkham Notch, on Thursday Sept. 6 (Happy Birthday Sister Jess!.) MomK called him en route with the news he'd left the rainfly at home. (I was wrong, actually - the fly I found in the hiker staging area (AKA dining room) came from another tent.) Dave decided to ditch the tent, 6 less pounds to carry; and grabbed the hiker shuttle to Franconia on Friday morning, where he and Rob met up. Enjoy the good weather, guys! Won't last long!

After spending the first night 'under the stars' (i.e., no tent for Dad), they used the hut system for the remaining nights. Hikers can often "work for stay" - some huts are more accommodating to thru hikers than others...scene below is from Zealand Falls. Thru hikers on the floor; on the deck; everywhere. (Regular paying guests fork over big $$ to stay here - up to $87/night.) Here, Dave (top tier, left) learns a new card game.
"Work for Stay" includes doing the dishes (below) or, in Lake of the Clouds, washing down an entire bunkroom with soapy water then bleach, preparing to close up for winter.
In exchange, hikers get a floor to sleep on, out of the weather; and LOTS of food.

Below, see the weather begin to change - rain most of the six days they were together.
And impressive fog. Good thing Bigby and DadK have seen those beautiful ridgetop views before...
Foreshadowing: the familiar yellow sign that warns of Mt. Washington's weather. The sign reads: "STOP: The area ahead has the worst weather in America. Many have died there from exposure, even in the summer. Turn back now if the weather is bad."

Dave had first-hand experience with this weather when, the day after this photo was taken, they went over the summit of the pointy mountain above. The weather was finally clearing; rain had stopped. I'd been monitoring the Mt. Washington observatory weather conditions, and was glad to see that - thought they'd finally have a clear day for their last day above treeline. Didn't notice the wind forecast - "gusts of over 70 mph" - they didn't take note of it either and set off to descend back to Pinkham Notch - in totally exposed surroundings.

One of those "gusts" literally blew Dave over - and we can only be thankful that he smacked his shin a good one, not his skull. Other scenarios that didn't happen include blowing off the mountain altogether, breaking a bone, or even sustaining a bad sprain! The first aid kit helped, though by the time he got medical attention the next day it was too late for the stitches he could have qualified for. Whew!

Here, safe below at last!
After this eventful day, Bigby and DadK hit a motel and a nice restaurant for dinner. Next morning, Dad K waved good bye to Rob, who sets off for Maine. Happy Trails! We all miss you!

Bigby finally gets above treeline

2007-09-06T16:15:00.000-05:00

Rob sent this photo from atop Mount Moosilauke, his first White Mountain on the AT. He was happy to be "above treeline at last!" His Dad will join him tomorrow, though without the rainfly to his tent. I'm sure they will improvise and I hope they have a wonderful trip!

2007-09-05T11:20:00.000-05:00

Hello friends!

Geeze, looking back through the blog and seeing that I haven't posted a word since Wingdale! Seems like a long time ago. Writing this time from the "Hikers Welcome" hostel in Glencliff, NH. I am ducking in for a quick lunch of microwave pizzas and soda before fording a river and starting the first of the Whites! The first mountain is Moosilauke, which is an imposing 3700 vertical foot climb that I will take on immediately after leaving this lovely hostel. Moosilauke will also be my first foray above treeline on the AT, the imaginary boundary of altitude above which no full size trees can grow. I am excited to get into the beautiful and unique alpine ecosystem that can only be found in the high peaks of the Northeast.

It's surprising that these truly immense peaks will not be the highest point on the trail, elevation-wise. That honor is reserved for Clingman's Dome, a comparatively tame mountain in the Smokeys.

Even though I still have a long way to go (Just under 400 miles), I can't help but feel that this is finally the home stretch. As the hostel owner here said, we've been through the appetizer (the mountains of North Georgia and the Smokeys), the main course (everything from there to here), and we're just now getting into the dessert. The spectacular wilderness ahead is what I've been waiting for this whole trip, and without question some of the premier backpacking trails in the nation, if not the planet.

At the same time, I am starting to get eager, if a bit apprehensive, about the return to civilization that is now just a month away. I cannot wait to see my family and friends, but I have a hard time imagining what it will be like to live normally after over half a year of such a uniquely free and distinctly different lifestyle. For now, my solution is to just enjoy the miles and nights I have left as much as possible, and listen quietly to whatever lessons the next 400 miles have to teach me.

I can't wait to see you all, and to take an extended tour of visits as soon as I get home in early to mid October. I plan on doing a lot of couch surfing for about a month, so let me know if you have room for a wandering hiker!

Happy trails,
Rob
Bigby

White Mountain Bound

2007-09-03T16:03:00.000-05:00

Rob has crossed his next-to-last state line - arriving in Hanover NH yesterday (Sept. 2.) He has gone ahead of some of his hiking buddies and is hiking long days to make it to the White Mountains for Friday morning, when Dad K will once again take a hike! Dave will be loaded with cold weather supplies and food for the gorgeous 50 mile ridge walk in the Whites. He'll travel to Pinkham Notch on Thursday evening and stay at the Joe Dodge Lodge next to the visitor center at the foot of Mt. Washington. Friday morning he'll take the hiker shuttle over to the Liberty Springs trailhead in Franconia, and walk back to Pinkham Notch via the scenic route with "Bigby". We'll post photos when Dave returns!

Rob passes through home territory!

2007-08-23T18:14:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos documenting Rob's approach to New England.

August 6 - New York. 793 miles to Katahdin, and the approach to the "Lemon Squeezer" shown on bottom sign. Here's Grizzle getting the squeeze.
August 10, still New York. Jake and Candy Bar pose by the largest tree on the Trail - the "Dover Oak."
August 12 - Happy Day! Rob ("BigBy") poses by a special tree - with the sign marking the Connecticut border.

The Connecticut AT features the Trail's longest river walk, along the lovely Housatonic.
Tater and Candy Bar (above) and Bigby and Candy Bar (below), enjoying the Housatonic on Aug. 13.

A beautiful Connecticut sunset.

August 15 brought them to one of the places that triggered Rob's love of the outdoors - site of many Boy Scout campouts! Here's Rob at a familiar spot - Bear Mountain, CT.
Aug. 15 - Welcome to Massachusetts!
A view of Connecticut.

Last week, friends Mark and Di Orenstein offered their hospitality at their wonderful summer home on Otis Reservoir in the Berkshires. The hikers were quick to accept! This was also the perfect opportunity for Rob's sister Annie to get a taste of the Trail

August 15 - Annie hits the trail! DadK and MomK delivered her to Bear Mountain State Park, where the Trail (and a shelter) are very close to the "road." We entered the park from the Turnpike exit (north) and our route included a near-perfect circle marked on the GPS, as we took the truck down what we thought was the right road to the trail crossing. When the trail became a cowpath, complete with giant potholes, we turned around, and traveled all the way down to the south entrance of the park, and followed directions UP to the trailhead. Turns out we were about a quarter mile away when we rejected the cowpath route!

Annie spent the night at a shelter, and hiked out to the next trail crossing on the morning of Aug. 16. There Dad K met them again, to bring them all to the Orenstein's home.

The truck cab was a little crowded, so Jake chose to ride in style!

Here Tater performs some earthmoving chores at the beach.
Supper at the Orensteins!
Kneeling: Tater, Jake, Bigby; Standing: Annie, Chele Orenstein, Mark and Di Orenstein, Candy Bar, Grizzle and Dad K. (AKA "Mr. Bigby")
A thousand thank yous to the Orenstein family, and to their friend Pete who helped shuttle the hikers back to the Trail after their Otis interlude.

2007-08-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!

This time it's Wingdale, New York! The trip into Glastonbury, New Haven and New York was an awesome battery recharger, although I was unable to visit any of my awesome Gbury friends (sorry guys, I feel really bad about that). Anyways, it's good to be back hiking. We hit the trail at Bear Mountain, NY in the midsts of a pretty brutal heat wave that seriously slowed us down for a few days. Luckily a well-placed lake and a swimming pool presented themselves at the perfect moments to keep us cool and happy.

While I was home, a few people requested that I post up what currently resides in my lovely backpack, the items necessary to keep a thru-hiker alive. The list is much simpler than it was when I left Springer Mountain 4 months ago! I'll list items from the bottom of my pack to the top.

-Mystery Ranch Futura Sport 4200 CI internal frame pack w/ pack cover
-25* EMS Caribou down sleeping bag (long, left zip)
-Insulmat Thermo-max insulated self-inflating sleeping pad (think therma-rest)
- Clothes
-1 pair shorts with liner (my everyday hiking wear)
-1 pair convertible pants/shorts with zip off legs (town pants)
- 3 pairs synthetic hiking socks (Smartwool)
-2 synthetic t-shirts
-1 cotton town shirt
-Fleece pullover
-EMS System 3 windbreaker/rain coat
-Antigravitygear 1.5 liter pot
-homemade "penny" stove
-8 ounces of denatured alcohol (stove fuel)
-Food bag with bear hanging line
-Random stuff
-headlamp
-small first aid supplies
-cell phone
-Katadyn Hiker water filter
-3 liter MSR Dromedary Bag (water bag)
-Maps, compass, and AT guide book
-digital camera
-AM/FM/TV/Weather band radio

Thats about all you need to survive for... an indefinite period of time.
Hiking across the Connecticut state line today, and into NEW ENGLAND FINALLY!

Love, peace, and bacon grease,

Rob!

Thru PA and NJ and into NY with a detour to CT!

2007-08-06T17:08:00.000-05:00

Mom and Dad K, along with Sister Bear the Eldest (Jess) were privileged to host five hikers at our home this weekend. First - some photos to catch you up on Rob's progress since returning to the Trail post-Lyme Disease.

Heading back! Rob heads back to Port Clinton, PA, with buddy Matt Tobin (who provided the transportation.)

Is it Disney? NO, it's CABELA'S! Everything from a shootin' gallery to a living room. Matt's thinking about taking a shot; Rob is contemplating taking a nap, looks like.
Scenes of wildlife to ease Rob's transition back to hiker status!

Back on the Trail!!

Pennsylvania supplies a lesson in geology.

Over 1200 miles from Springer Mountain! We had heard there were rocks in Pennsylvania...
The Trail goes right over them, seems like EVERY one in PA! (Note the blazes.)

Minimalist Fishing

BigBy prepares his line...

Casts off...

Caught one! Really!

Rob was rather pleasantly surprised by the New Jersey section of the trail! Here, a boardwalk through a lovely wetland. Crossing into New York on August 1!
A scene from New York -
- soon after which it was time for their rendezvous with Dad K, and a LONG ride home crammed in our pickup. While it seats 6, it was a bit cramped!

Here, some scenes from our hiker weekend! Dinner at the house - menu included barbecue beef (appetizer); then lemon chicken, jambalaya, shrimp cocktail and fruit salad; followed by cheesecake. That's just the first night! Clockwise from left: Tater, Jake, Grizzle, BigBy and Candy Bar. The guys went out to Good Will to purchase some evening duds - and all journeyed to New Haven to meet up with some of "Tater's" friends at Yale.
MomK (the short one) almost made Jess (AKA Sister Bear) late for her train by insisting on a group photo first, prior to waving goodbye on Sunday Aug. 5.
Then this great group of people jumped in the pickup w/ DadK and journeyed to NYC, where they met Jess and helped her move to her new apartment. Many hikers made short work of the move, after which they had a hot dog feast and were delivered back to the trailhead near Bear Mountain, NY. Hopefully I can meet them again with "Medium" Sister Bear when she's home on break from Chicago next week!

Some photos, some news

2007-07-30T15:27:00.000-05:00

First some updates, thank you for being patient!!

Thank you, Matt Tobin, for ferrying Rob back to meet up with his friends in Port Clinton, PA. Matt shared lunch with some hiker buddies, and acquired some trail angel points by offering rides to the hostel. Rob was still a little uncertain about being ready for the trail again, but called a couple days later to say he was feeling much better and getting back into hiker mindset.

He made it to the Delaware Water Gap last week, and is now through New Jersey and into New York. Last night (July 29) he "spent the night at the home of the Mayor of Unionville, NY!" I understand we will get all the details on Thursday when I will get the challenge of feeding several thru hikers who will be making a tour to Glastonbury for a few nights off-trail. I've started shopping already, and preparations are underway!

Til then, here are some photos I finally was able to download from Rob's camera card. These take you first back to Shenandoah National Park, where DadK had his "Taste of the Trail".

Rob's sisters may or may not fondly remember the Lewis Mountain Cabins, where we stayed in 1996. Our cabin also housed a family of mice - and MomK lied bigtime, telling the kids "oh no, they are all gone now" as I watched Mama Mouse peeking at me from behind a bed. Camp cooking!
Does anyone have a guess as to where Rob may have acquired Lyme Disease? Shenandoah deer practically jump into your pack.
Once more scene from Dad K's trip to VA.

Here are some scenes from Harper's Ferry - approximate half-way point and home of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Put your photo on the wall!
Rob and, I think, Grizzle. Check out the little kid on the bottom left - gawking at the thru-hikers!

Rob's birthday eve, courtesy of trail angels also known as the RoseSniffer Family! On the right, the notice of their offer of angelship - bonfire and cheeseburgers followed by indoor accommodations (showers!) and pancake breakfast. And below see the birthday cake they surprised Rob with. We all continue to be awed at the good will of people along the Trail.

2007-07-17T05:06:00.000-05:00

Hello friends!

Time for a long overdue update on the Bigby situation here. Here's how it went down:

On the day before my birthday (Friday the 6th) we hooked up with the Rosesniffers, a pair of incredible trail angels who took us into their home and provided us with kind hospitality and terrific food, as well as promising to help us fineagle our way into Gettysburg the next day for my b-day. As if that weren't enough, they surprised me with a birthday cake just before the big bonfire.

Despite the awesome day, I was starting to feel a little lousy. Luna's talk of Lyme disease worried me, since my flu like symptoms seemed to fit the description of the nasty bug. I napped in my hammock and chugged orange juice and seemed to be doing alright. That night, I tried to sleep it off, and was fast asleep when I was hilariously awakened at midnight (the stroke of my 21st) by my buddies, who shook me awake to celebrate the moment.

The next day, after a delicious Rosesniffer breakfast, we shuttled our way into Gettysburg. We managed to work out a convenient downtown hotel room to jam our 10 person party into, and started to enjoy the town. I was feeling so/so, but started to decline as we drove around the battlefield in Tater's parents' car, checking out the sights. At dinner, where we were lucky enough to have the Rosesniffers and their friends Sue and Nick drop by and join us, I was feeling pretty good, especially after chugging four ibuprofen. After dinner, Nick took us out to the town for the celebratory bar crawl through Gettysburg. Fortunately I was feeling up to it, and had an awesome time with all my friends.

The next day, my symptoms set on with a vengeance. I felt completely miserable, and was lucky enough to have Tater's folks take me to Gettysburg Hospital to get checked out. Not only did they drive me, but they took the time to wait for me to get diagnosed, and take me to get my Rx filled when the doctor said it was probably Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted fever.

I spent the next 48 hours practically immobile and completely sick at the hotel in Gettysburg, barely moving from my bed and wondering what the next play was. Luck struck again in the form of Tater's parents' generosity: they were driving right by my hometown of Glastonbury on their way back to Maine and volunteered to shuttle me home to recover. It seemed like the best idea, so I headed back.

Now, after a week of R&R and much needed catching up with my friends, it's back to the trail! I am skipping up to stay with my friends, and will update as soon as possible.

All the buddies I saw in Glastonbury: you really recharged my batteries, and are making it hard for me to leave. It was great seeing you and I miss you already! But, trailward bound!

Heading Home for Rest, Recuperation + Friends

2007-07-10T13:33:00.001-05:00

Rob made the decision to come home to recover from his Lyme Disease symptoms and to get some weight back on before resuming his hike. He is en route now (Tuesday afternoon) courtesy of "Tater's" folks, who are detouring to Glastonbury on their way back to Maine. Rob's found another wonderful set of surrogate parents! I'll be so happy to meet them and thank them, and of course to see Rob. I expect they'll arrive sometime this evening.

So, Friends, be sure to come on by - the door's always open to you all and he's not contagious! You'll speed his recovery. And I'll be happy to see all of you myself, house feels kinda quiet and lonely this summer!

Birthday Addendum

2007-07-08T20:22:00.001-05:00

Rob received an unexpected birthday present - fever, malaise, flu-like symptoms and (this won't work for hikers) no appetite. These symptoms - which had bothered him for a couple days then really blossomed this morning; coupled with constant tick exposure, led him to decide to visit the Gettysburg Hospital emergency room (thank you, parents of "Tater", for helping him get there and ferrying his pack to the hotel!) He spent most of today there, got some blood work back (looks, so far, like it isn't Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) - and they are treating him for Lyme Disease. He picked up his antibiotic and is spending the night at the Quality Inn in Gettysburg. He'll visit the ER doc again tomorrow, and see how he feels. Hopefully after a few days' rest, the resolving of his symptoms, and the antibiotic kicking in - he'll be able to walk again!

I guess the "present" was the fortunate situation that he was in a place with hotels and hospitals when he started feeling pretty bad - and he continues to be the recipient of many favors from Trail Angels. Feel better soon, Rob!!

Happy Birthday Rob/Bigby!

2007-07-08T07:49:00.000-05:00

While the MomK and DadK were a bit sad to have the whole family scattered this 4th of July holiday - Rob-on-the-Trail, Annie in Chicago, Jess in NYC - we took comfort in knowing everyone is well and happy. And congratulations, Rob, on reaching well over 1060 miles AND your 21st birthday (July 7)!

Rob and friends made a side trip to Gettysburg NP, where they were able to watch Civil War re-enactments all day. Years ago when we did a family trip to Gettysburg, Rob wouldn't have predicted he'd be spending his 21st birthday at this particular location. (A feature of that trip was a guide-led tour of the battlefields. In a strange dichotomy, the guide managed to be simultaneously boring, as he rattled off a well-memorized monologue at each stop of the tour; and terrifying as he drove our van at breakneck speed between stops. I seem to recall his getting our van stuck at one point - even DadK, normally serene in all situations, was perturbed. The kids still remind us of this "bad trip" event and had sworn off Gettysburg forever, we thought.)

Happy Birthday Rob, we love you!! (and miss you.) We look forward to hearing about your continuing adventures on the trail, and to your getting closer to home every day!

2007-07-02T11:33:00.000-05:00

Well, in the immortal words of Bon Jovi...

Whooooaaaa---- we're halfway there whoooaH! Livin' on a prayer! Except, in this case, the prayer is really Lipton noodles and Snickers.

Yep, that's right... we've reached lovely and historic Harper's Ferry West Virginia, site of John Brown's famous raid and home of various historical bric-a-brac. Aside from being a neat little town, Harper's Ferry is also past the 1000 mile mark of the AT! (1008.7 to be precise). Even though it's another 80 miles to the ACTUAL halfway point, this town is considered by many to be the psychological halfway of the thru-hike.

The hike in was surprisingly difficult, with Virginia proving she had at least a few more tricks up her sleeve before we made our escape. The last stretch of trail in VA is a 12 mile section called the "Roller Coaster," a flurry of 10 peaks that makes for a strenuous day of climbing and descending. We pounded through it in the heat, humidity, and rain, and finally put Virginia in the books. After 535 miles, it is AMAZING to be in another state at last! Now there will be a series of borders that will take us through West Virginia, Delaware and into Pennsylvania in just a few days.

To celebrate the halfway mark, we are taking TWO days off. Yesterday, thanks largely to Boognish's friend Amanda, we drove into Baltimore to catch the Orioles/Angels game at Camden Yards! It was a blast, and a big culture shock to be in such a big city. Today, we will bum around and let our resident thru-hiking 5 Star chef (G) cook us a delicious meal!

Anyways, the trails are happy and it's great to know I will be in New England soon. All my DC people- sorry I couldnt fineagle my way into the district, I really wanted to see you guys though!!

Well, off to the outfitter to bum around for a while. Talk to you soon!

Rob
Bigby

Pictures!!

2007-06-27T15:16:00.000-05:00

Here are photos from beautiful Virginia!
Lots of Blue Ridge walking, and, some unique trail features (see below.)

The ridges allow a chance to see weather brewing, like here on the right.

This is where we ended for the last set of photos - here again, Trail Days in Damascus, VA.
This is a Hennessy Hammock - Rob's lightweight "tent"! Below, Rob and friends enjoying Trail Days.
After Trail Days - some work to maintain the Appalachian Trail.

Repainting blazes was one of the easier jobs Rob did for "Hardcore" trail maintenance.
The reward for "Hardcore" volunteers - a free night at Kincora Hostel!
Cooling off on 5/28!

Human and canine visitors rest in the shelter's loft - 5/31.
The fabulous "Home Place Buffet" in Catawba, VA! The one they slowed down for!

You read in a previous post by Rob/Bigby about "Rusty's Hard Time Hollow" - an experience he was glad to have. Below, a picture of the hostel, and of Rob with Rusty himself.

One way to cross a river in Virginia.
How to cross a fence in Virginia!
BIG TREE
Another way to cross a river:

Almost there!!

Looks like Rob is losing his fear of heights...

and fear of falling things!
The Trail is a place for contemplation...

and asking those important life questions, such as: Which way??

HAPPY TRAILS CONTINUES!

2007-06-26T14:45:00.000-05:00

Greetings from lovely and scenic (and surprisingly URBAN) Front Royal, VA! There's a lot to talk about, so I'll try to get everything down before we dash off to eat as much food as humanly possible.

After Waynesboro, we dashed into Shenandoah National Park. And by "dashed," of course I mean did a 7 mile day and hung around at a shelter all afternoon. From there we ventured into the beautiful park itself. I took off, splitting up from my friends to do a big mile day to get to the planned rendezvous point with Dad. The park immediately lived up to all my expectations: the treadway is smooth, flat, wide, and well maintained! Also, I was interrogated by day-trippers (What do you eat? How heavy is your pack? etc.etc.etc.) and saw a bear in my first 2 miles in the park... classic Shennies!

I did 20 quick miles to get to one of the park's huge car-friendly campgrounds, where I grabbed ice cream at the store and waited for dad. He showed up after a long, tough hitch (see below) and a bunch of road-walking, his feet already torn up. However, we still did 6 more night miles to the shelter, where we met the gang (including Sideshow and Shanty) and distributed cookies.

Dad and I had some great hikes through the park for the next days, rising very early and spending two nights stealth camping and one more night in a shelter. He seems to be a reliable good luck charm: when he arrived the weather became beautiful (cool, sunny, breezy... perfect!) and the wildlife came out! We saw a copperhead ("charmed" by Shanty) and at least 4-5 bears... by far more than any other section.

On Dad's last day out, we hiked into Skyland for a delicious breakfast at the touristy lodge, and said our goodbyes. It was definitely tough seeing him go... he had been out long enough for us to develop a fun routine of early mornings, good hiking, and evening tea even! Exacerbating the homesickness was a voicemail from the Bonfire crew (namely Cecca) saying hello. The thought that I could be AT Tobin's that evening (Monday) by just hopping into the tired old volvo and napping through a 500 mile drive was very trying.

To get through the lonely time (a bunch of my buddies had passed us as we mosied through the park) I decided to bust big miles and catch them. Much to my surprise and delight, a single 27 mile day was enough... that night I found Tater and Dirty at the 2nd shelter just as Dad's good luck wore out and the rain returned. I slept (or tried to, next to Binjali's snoring!) and this morning, Tater and I popped out 13 miles to get to town. We lucked out and got shuttled into town, and are now settling in for a shower and meal in preparation for the easy hop into Harper's Ferry and the unofficial halfway point of the AT... just 45 miles until the 1000 mile mark!

Lots of love... missing all my Gbury folks like whoa.
Rob
Bigby

2007-06-26T14:44:00.001-05:00

Just reposting Dad's comment so it appears more readily... it was great having him out here! Real update to follow...

What a great hike! Perfect weather. Relatively flat terrain. The hitch hiking wasn't bad, though not as easy as some would lead you to believe. I think I walked/paced several miles just waiting for a ride. Being in the back of a pick-up was a first for me.After a short hike, I met some of the regulars. What a great group to hang out with! Though sideshow's video of him holding the rattler was unexpected. And Big Shanty does have a knack for finding snakes. (don't sit near him if you get the chance)Saw a couple of bears up close. And those SNP deer are more like pats than wild animals.Food was the favorite topic. Calories, the more the better. I saw Rob stop for lunch then join me minutes later at the lodge for another full meal. I think he left the table hungry...I look forward to joining Rob again when he's closer.And, did I mention sore feet ... I should say very sore feet, yeah and my feet were sore.

Dave's Taste of the AT Continued

2007-06-23T06:49:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of photos sent by phone - the mountain view photo sent yesterday as a very small file, and a better quality pic sent this AM at six-ish - Dad K looks a bit stunned but Rob looks like he's at home! Dave sends text messages from high spots, and I know they got to Hightop Hut, 15 miles from the Loft starting place, yesterday - then further on to camp somewhere near the Rte 33 intersection. Last night's last report: cookies and pepperoni bread were all gone, lightening the load! Hope Dave slept at least a bit last night!

Dad K Hits the Trail

2007-06-21T16:24:00.000-05:00

It must’ve been very early this morning when Rob's dad Dave left Glastonbury to head for an undetermined location outside Shenandoah National Park. (I'm writing from the Cape.) Dave headed out with sort of a plan, by Mom K standards - first things first he was well-equipped with food including several dozen of my famous "Chocolate Mint" cookies and firm instructions these were to be a form of trail angelship. Also jerky, pepperoni bread, and various other dried hiker things. Dave called from Rte 81 in Pennsylvania, and was still planning to park "somewhere" in Luray, VA and hitch into the park and down to Loft Mountain, at milepost 79.5, and meet Rob there. We'd poked around user groups on the internet enough to know that you should be able to hitchhike in the park OK ... but the parking thing seemed a problem. So today I learned that if you call the "general headquarters" number during business hours, and select the right choice from the recorded menu, you get to talk to Crystal who answers all questions, checks maps, gives advice, and presents you with the welcome news that one can park one's car anywhere at all in SNP, and leave it a few days! (Has to be an actual parking space, or well off Skyline Drive; and you have to include that info on your backcountry permit. No problem! Crystal updated the permit with the car info for us.) Thank you Crystal!! So the current plan is: Dave parks at Skyland Lodge; milepost 41; and sticks out his thumb on Skyline Drive, heading south to Loft Mountain, 38 miles down. I expect he got to SNP at around 1ish. Got a call from Rob at about that time, he was lounging atop a mountain, having a leisurely lunch - but then decided it was time to get moving if he was to meet Dave upon his Loft arrival! So now I'm waiting, waiting to hear they met up, then I can relax a bit. And get back to washing the windows. Til then, here's a Rob-and-Dad picture from the archives:

Dave and Rob, somewhere in the White Mountains (N.H.); May 2005

PostScript: I received a text message from Dave at 6 PM: "Met Rob. Off hiking." Have a great time in beautiful Shenandoah National Park guys! Share those cookies!

2007-06-18T14:24:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh trail-y goodness continues.

As of now, I have achieved Waynesboro, Virginia. 850 miles down (848.1 if you're specific), only 1300 something to go! The hike into Waynesboro was definitely intense, with 4 back to back to back to back days with 2500 foot climbs! One of these climbs, a mountain called 3 Ridges, was probably one of the hardest stretches of trail we've hit yet. We climbed from 997 feet above sea level to over 4000 feet, in just a few short and strenuous miles.

We also had an incredible night and morning at Rusty's Hard Time Hollow, a classic AT institution.

After Rusty's, I hiked into Waynesboro at the fastest pace I've pushed yet... 22 miles in 7 hours.

Through the Shenandoah, then Harper's Ferry (Washington DC adjacent... leave me voicemail if you want to visit!) and OUT OF VIRGINIA in 10 days or less!

Take it easy
Rob

ps- hey Murphys, hope the summer starts out strong! Play plenty of frizzers.

2007-06-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

Greetings Friends!!

Well it's been an exciting week or two to say the least. A whole lot has happened, I will try to get as much of it down as I can before the public library in Glasgow, VA is forced to close due to the incredible odor of myself and a fellow thru-hiker seated beside me.

After Pearisburg, some amigos and I became aware of a serious situation in our schedule. We were on track to hit the somewhat famous trail town Catawba early in the week. Now, usually this would not be an issue (actually we usually don't even know what day of the week it is) HOWEVER, Catawba is famous for one reason only... the Home Place. The Home Place is an incredible All You Can Eat, family style restaurant that is only open Thursday-Sunday. The seriousness of this reality forced us to adapt an entirely new plan: The Catawba Crawl. The Crawl was 4 strenuous days of very light mileage and lots of slacking off/side trail walking undertaken by myself, Candy Bar, Tater, Dirty, Blackfoot, G, Boognish, Jake (aka Dr. Vic Nectar, Climatologist) and Jules, the most terrified dog in the world.

While the short days sometimes drove us to temporary insanity (example: one night at a shelter we found a scrap of iron in the fire pit, and decided to forge a sword out of it. It turns out forging swords with rocks is not as easy as you may think), the juice was definitely worth the squeeze. At the homeplace, a dozen hikers packed in beside well dressed families and gorged ourselves. They just...kept..bringing...food...out...

It was amazing.

After the feeding frenzy, we all collapsed on the restaurant's lawn and contemplated our futures. Tater, Blackfoot, Candy Bar and I decided to stick with Laura, a hiker friend of Tater's who had been forced off the trail by a broken ankle and had returned in her cast to give us trail magic and rides. We went to Laura's hotel room in Roanoke where we watched cartoons and ate ice cream.

After that, we actually hiked. Honest! Including a few big days, and some high mileage night hikes that were a lot of fun.

There has been a ton of thunderstorming lately, and I have had the good (?) luck of being at some interesting high elevations to watch these storms blow in on me. Yesterday, I was actually running off a mountain with DIME SIZED HAIL falling on me! I have never seen hail so big! It legitimately hurt. Combine that with one very close lightning strike, and you have never SEEN a guy hike so fast.

Anyways, this morning I crossed the historical James River, and am now in Glasgow after a pretty easy hitch into town. Once I finish my errands and grab lunch, it's on to Waynesboro, the southern boundary of the Shenandoah National Park. After a fun week in Shenandoah, it's FINALLY OUT OF VIRGINIA!! HUZZAH!!

Missing you all lots, send messages!

Rob
"Bigby"

2007-06-01T16:36:00.000-05:00

I know, this is mind blowing, right? Three posts in what... two days? Well, it's just been a funny few days, that's all!

As of now, I am sitting at (you guessed it) yet another computer. Being at a computer two back-to-back days is pretty strange, and my typing seems to be getting a bit faster than it was before.

Yesterday, I hiked out of Pearisburg at about noon, after a delicious lunch at Hardees. However, that lunch didn't seem as awesome when I hit the big uphill back up to the ridge outside of Pearisburg... suddenly 2400 calories of cheeseburger, fries and milkshake was like a giant anchor dragging me down.

To make matters even more interesting, a scant 4 miles into my walk the weather took a dramatic turn. I was amazed to see how quickly the storm came up at high altitude, with swirling winds and rumbles of thunder. I essentially ran the last 2 miles to the shelter, knowing that the broken woods and meadows at high altitude would be a bad place to be stuck if a big storm hit. I dashed across the last field just as the rain picked up, encouraged by Walker, Mellow, and Sir Privywinks who had already taken shelter.We bunked down in the shelter, where we met another interesting character... "CaoBoi" was one of the contestants from Survivor 13, the one where they split up teams by race! He was an interesting, if very talkative, dude.

The storm was all it promised, complete with a strike on a barb wire fence about 20 yards from the shelter.

From that short day, we walked out about 13 miles to get here, to The Captain's house right across the river from the AT, where we are just in time for the big annual "Big Time" trail magic bbq. Since another thunderstorm is rolling in, it looks like we are in the right place at the right time!

All the best
Rob

ps - hows THAT for posting on the blog, jared??

More photos! But be sure to read Rob's entry below!

2007-05-30T17:34:00.000-05:00

After over two blog-less weeks, an extravaganza today. Don't let these great photos deter you from reading Rob's entry below! As you will read, due to his cell-phone-less status for the past 10 days or so, I couldn't get the information I needed to annotate his latest batch of photos. But now I can, so here goes!

Above is a view of "Trail Fest" in Hot Springs, NC (where we left off in the last photo blog-entry.)

Among the fabulous events at "Trail Fest" was a charity duck race - where people sponsor rubber duckies who swim competetively down the French Broad River. To avoid duck-pollution, it is necessary to recruit duck-wranglers who rescue rubber duckies before they make a permanent getaway! Clad in protective wetsuits, the wranglers brave the cold river waters to perform this service. These two photos were taken on April 28.

A couple days later found Rob in the Roan Highlands, heading toward Spivey Gap.

Here are some views of "Big Bald" taken on 5/2.

Below left, Rob cools off later that day, and below right: A scene from camp that night.

Rob arrived at the famous "Miss Janet's" hostel in Erwin, Tennessee, on May 3. Hikers help out with meals and clean-up. Scenes below: Rob contributes his Nachos, hikers doing dishes, and breakfast al fresco with Miss Janet.

Miss Janet provides a shuttle service, which allowed Rob and friends a slackpacking day. They walked back to Erwin from the drop-off. To make sure they didn't lose their way, "Thabian", Miss Janet's black dog, was sent along as a guide!

Miss Janet also provides a tattoo service!

On 5/7, Rob reached Yellow Mountain Gap, which is the junction of the AT and historic Bright's Trace, the route used by a thousand "Overmountain Men" to cross the mountains en route to the Revolutionary War battle at King's Mountain.

On September 25, 1780, a thousand men from the militias of Virginia, North Carolina, and what is now Tennessee joined forces to defeat the British loyalists in this significant battle.

The barn was renovated into a shelter at Yellow Mountain Gap. Inside the barn: Rob's "overmountain" gear!

The lovely Kincora Hostel, in Dennis Cover, Tennessee. Rob got to stay an extra two nights here in reward for volunteering for trail maintenance work ("Hard Core")

5/11: Beautiful, bacterial Laurel Creek Falls, just out of Kincora. This is where several hikers contracted skin infections, probably due to agricultural runoff. Later that day, a safe place for Rob to take a dip!

MAY 13: CROSSING INTO VIRGINIA!

2007-05-30T13:27:00.000-05:00

So, Jared sent me a voicemail threatening to withdraw his support from my AT hike and pursue the trip of another thru-hiker if I continued to fail to update my blog. I am terrified of this concept, so here goes nothing! A lot to update you all on...

Damascus Trail Days was as interesting and exciting as I expected! It was basically a 3 day long party of hikers, complete with tons of gear vendors setting up their wares, lots of speakers and events, and general wildness. As with any good hiking event, an unreasonable amount of free food was distributed and consumed. I also managed to get free equipment repairs from Leki and Katadyn (my trekking pole and water filter manufacturers, respectively) and a brand new tarp for my hammock from a neat little startup company called Warbonnet Outdoors.

After the fun and excitement of Trail Days, I headed off for another annual AT event... HARD-CORE. Hardcore is a yearly 48 hour blitz on trail maintenance put together by Bob Peoples, the owner of the famous and beautiful Kincora hiker hostel. Along with a bunch of other hikers (close to 100 at our peak) we dug out almost a mile of brand new, beautiful trail. Along with some hand blisters and a sore back, I gained a healthy appreciation for just how much work it requires to make the beautiful treadway we walk on every day.

After Hardcore, during which I was granted another two nights at Kincora (so far my favorite hostel on the trail, a lovely little cabin in the woods), I was shuttled back out to the Grayson Highlands where I left off on my hike northward. Along with Chef, Popeye, Lunar, Lightweight and Dingo, I started north!

We made a lot of big mile days, covering the 130+ miles between Grayson and Pearisburg, VA in just a week. Amidst our big days and beautiful hikes, we managed a break to celebrate Memorial Day. We grabbed a ton of food including hot dogs and chips at a store a half mile off the trail, and hiked a short distance into Dismal Creek Falls, a gorgeous swimming hole and campsite where we stayed up late (read: 10:00) chatting and eating around a campfire. All in all, it was a spectacular time.

Now here we are in lovely Pearisburg, Virginia! Mile marker 623, a scant 1500-something miles from our goal on Katahdin! I think I will take a nice relaxing day off here, hopefully long enough for my buddies in the Pain Train to catch up so we can be reunited at last. The only sad part of this all is that today was the last day of hiking for our dear buddy and companion Dingo, the Western Australian gentleman we've been hiking with for some time now. He is a truly incredible guy with an unbelievable wealth of world experience, and a great guy to hike with. He will be sorely missed, but is adventuring onward in life... his travels will take him to Washington, DC, New York City, London, and New Delhi all in the next few weeks!

Anyways, I hope to update with some more frequency, especially now that I have recovered my cell phone (which I brilliantly left charging at Kincora after Hardcore) and can provide my home base with more info.

Keep up the voicemails and messages... they are really great to get!
ALSO: My Virginian Amigos (this means you, D.C. residents and Dan and Rebecca!!) I am 160 miles into Virginia, near Blacksburg (the Virginia Tech campus) and will probably be in the state for another 3 weeks. Get yourselves out here and visit if you want! Drop me a voicemail and maybe we can work something out.

After VA, it's the half-way mark.....
But that IS another 350 miles from now!

All the best from the woods,
Rob

2007-05-14T10:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends

I am delighted to be posting this from quite possibly the most famous of all the trail towns... DAMASCUS, Virginia! That's right, as of yesterday afternoon Ronin and I walked across the border into our 4th state, leaving Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia in the rear view mirror to enter the much-touted Virginia... a state in which I will hike (hopefully) no fewer than 520 MILES. Egads!

Now, most people say Virginia is a nice easy state where hikers start to pick up big miles... Well, today I got my hands on the next set of maps for this section, and let me tell you, there are some significant bumps between here and Pearisburg, our next big town stop.

The interesting thing is, the mountains get shorter and shorter as we go north. For example, after Roan Mountain back in Tennessee (in the beautiful Roan Highlands, where a herd of texas longhorn steer including a 2200 pound bull reside trailside) we will not hit a 6000 foot peak until NEW HAMPSHIRE. However, while the mountains shrink the valleys get lower and lower, meaning we STILL wind up doing a ton of climbing. Just can't win, can we!

GOOD NEWS: Today, I got the most important package of the trail so far. Mom (thank you thank you thank you) sent my Hennessy Hammock and my lightweight summer sleeping bag. Long story short, I dropped several pounds from my huge pack weight, and am now at a base weight of a scant 25 pounds!! (Base weight is packweight without food or water, meaning my total pack is at about 40 pounds still). This is a huge improvement from the 56 pound monster I started with, but I still have room for improvement... Sideshow hikes with about 25 pounds total!

Anyway, staying in Damascus a bit and nursing a hurt foot... a minor infection in a cut I got in Hot Springs, NC has me worried, and I don't want to take any chances. Three hikers I know of have gotten serious infections from small wounds, one that was life-threatening.

Historical note: Kincora was amazing. A lovely little cabin set back in the woods, with tons of hikers circulating through and just a great atmosphere altogether. I bbq-ed up a mess of Rob Kimball Specialty cheeseburgers, and a great time was had by all... though I have to say firing up the grill made me miss summer afternoons at Tobin's pool, and lunchtime on the porch at Cape Cod... Now that some of the physical ailments of the trail have passed, some of the more psychological impacts start to be felt. I miss you all terribly!

The plan from here: Hike out ASAP, and put as many miles as possible between me and Damascus before this weekend, when the famed TRAIL DAYS celebration takes place. Then, I will hitchhike back to Damascus to enjoy the festivities, but be able to hitch back North on the trail far enough to avoid the huge crowd of hikers leaving town next Sunday.

My apologies for this entry, which must be rushed, eclectic, and largely illogical. I had a lot of info to get down!

Sending another photo card home next weekend... new pics should be forthcoming!

LOTS OF LOVE
Rob
Bigby

p.s. - GO SOX

Four hundred + miles!

2007-05-10T17:27:00.000-05:00

Rob phoned this afternoon to report his arrival at the famed Kincora Hostel on Dennis Cove Road, Hampton, TN. He'll be cooking pimiento cheese burgers tonight! He feels strong, feet are getting better, and he's "almost through with the aches and pains" though he is still being careful with that knee. Kincora is at the 404.5 mile mark from Springer!

Sending out the hammock, and waiting for pics

2007-05-06T18:19:00.000-05:00

Mom K decided to occasionally just post a note to "hold a place" for pictures that will come in a few weeks, I hope. Since I can't get into Rob's posts to adorn the stories with the appropriate pictures, I figure I can just post right "above" him from time to time, and when the pictures arrive, I will add them in the proper chronological sequence.

Meantime, the next mail drop is ready, with tent-hammock and lighter bag, plus a few goodies.

2007-05-06T09:42:00.000-05:00

Greetings all!

The moral of this story will come first, just for efficiency's sake: Erwin, Tennessee is impossible to escape!

Time for the story: Two days ago, I had spent the night in the Super 8 motel in Erwin and was ready to pull out and hit the trail. The weather was miserable, but our motto out here is "No pain, no rain, no Maine" so I was ready to put some miles down. I glanced at my map and started to walk back to the trailhead, figuring I would hitch most of the distance once I hit a major road.

This little stroll quickly evolved into 4 miles of roadwalking as I cursed the "Not Drawn to Scale" warning on my town map and the impossibility of getting a hitch down to the Nolichucky river where the trail meets the town. Just then, salvation! A phone call from Grizzle, Chach and Sideshow saying they had arrived in town and were staying with Joe D, a family friend of Sideshow's who lived about 20 minutes away in Virginia. I couldn't resist, and they picked me up on the side of the road and off we went!

After a lunch at the amazing Erwin Burrito, we went to Joe D's beautiful 1920s home, where we relaxed, played some Halo (attn AU people: rest assured that I owned) and ate a TON of food, including a monstrous plate of nachos I whipped up.

The next day (yesterday) we went to Miss Janet's, the legendary trail hostel. There we arranged a 20 mile slackpack South from Iron Mountain Gap back into town, meaning we would spend ANOTHER night in this vortex of a town! The hike took longer than we expected, about 8 hours. We got to hike with Miss Janet's dog, Thabian, who is the best trail dog I have ever met. He stuck with us, waiting when we stopped and finding the trail for us in odd places.

Last night a few friends of Grizzle's came to visit, and we had dinner and hung out for a while with them before heading back to Miss Janet's to sleep. This hostel is amazing... a comfortable home STUFFED with hikers who all pitch in to help things run smoothly, and gather around the table for family style meals.

Today we are FINALLY going to escape Erwin (I swear!) and hike out towards Roan Mountain. We should be into Kincora, another legendary trail hostel, in about 4 days, then it's just 3 or 4 days to DAMASCUS VIRGINIA!!!!

Damascus... the promised land! Start of the famed Easy Virginia section, and probably the most famous of the trail towns, site of the annual Trail Days celebration (which we will be hitching back for in grand fashion!) Also, where I am swapping my tent for my Hennessy Hammock, and my heavy synthetic 15* bag for a light, compressible 25* down sleeping bag. I will drop about 7 lbs from my pack, and life will be GOOD!

A final note: Every morning at Miss Janet's all the hikers discuss a question over breakfast. Today we were talking about what places we wish we had stopped longer along the trail and enjoyed. Turns out everyone has a handful of places that they were in too much of a rush to stop and appreciate, myself DEFINITELY included. I am going to try to leverage this lesson into a new philosophy on this hike... taking every opportunity to enjoy the spectacular places and people I am walking among.

Missing you all a lot, can't wait to hike my way up North and be closer to all of you!
Love,
Rob
Bigby

2007-05-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends!!!

First of all, the spacebar onthis computer does not work very well.

I am currently in lovely Erwin, TN, at the Super 8 motel w/ ByteCode + Churchmouse.

Sadly, the Pain Train has largely spread out: ByteCode plans to slackpack 30 or so miles ahead of me tommorow, Sideshow and Grizzle are a ways behind me (about 1 day), and Big Shanty is still in Hot Springs nursing his ankle. We are all hoping for a speedy and full recovery for him, and a quick return to the trail.

Wow, huge thanks to Mom for doing such great updates! So cool to see my pictures!

Night hiking was incredible, the full moon gave me enough light to do some miles with Blaze, Brisk, and Tater. We hiked under the stars in a big open field, and rose to the sunrise. The next day (yesterday) I pounded out 17 miles largely alone, struggling in the afternoon heat. That left only 6 into Erwin this AM, which I sprinted in about 2 miles.

Now we are in town, dodging yet ANOTHER rain storm.

Time to go snag a legendary Erwin burrito!

Much love
Rob
Bigby

One month, over 300 miles, and 400 photos!

2007-05-02T11:22:00.001-05:00

Rob (BigBy) called last night to say he was about a day's hike to Erwin, TN, and was about to take advantage of a full moon and do some night-hiking! Weather has been very warm. We received his first set of pictures and movies. Take a look!
Sunday, April 1, 2007.
Starting out - this is the approach trail to the summit of Springer Mountain, Amicalola State Park.

Eight miles later, atop Springer Mountain, and the thru-hike begins! This is the southern terminus of the AT, and the starting point for "NoBos" (North-bounders) heading for Maine.

The AT goes right through the Walasi-Yi Center, where Rob had to purchase a new pack.
Here is the pack! Turns out the new internal frame pack is super - making it easier to say good-bye to his beloved old external frame monster.

Hiawasee, GA, is the first "Trail Town" and welcomes AT hikers!
The "Pain Train" at the Georgia - North Carolina border.

Rob loved the Smokies. Here he is at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Gotta keep those Smoky-bears out of the shelter! Hard to see - but the entire front of the shelter is covered top to bottom with chain-link fence. (The bears go to the hiker-zoo at night!)

Here's a favorite scene - Rob "BigBy" atop Charlie's Bunion, Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Rob's new 'do...

and the inspiration for it!

Rob spent the past weekend at "Trail Fest" in Hot Springs, NC. Here he is with "BigShanty" (AKA Tyler) - Rob "BigBy" about to head out from Hot Springs early Sunday morning, April 29. Tyler's Mom and Dad "Momma and Poppa Train" (Lori and Steve) supplied this picture. Now MomK has her own virtual trail buddies! Lori and Steve come from Virginia, and have met up with the "Pain Train" at a few places, including Trail Fest. (And Lori even started the trail with her son - backpacking the first four days!) They were kind enough to contact me and let me know that my son is traveling with a good group of people! Trail magic comes in many forms.

2007-04-26T14:51:00.000-05:00

by the way:

http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=212271&back=1

Check out this picture of the Pain Train (a little old, from the Georgia/North Carolina border... almost TWO HUNDRED miles ago!!!)

Left to Right:
Sideshow, Big Shanty, Bigby (me), Little Spoon, and ByteCode

2007-04-26T14:31:00.000-05:00

HELLO MY FRIENDS!

This greeting is coming to you from the excellently stocked Bluff Mountain Outfitter in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Hot Springs is one of the legendary great Trail Towns, and I can already see why! I have a few gaps to fill in between my last legit entry and now, so I will do my best to start at the beginning and not skip (too) much.

First of all... Great Smoky Mountains National Park was utterly spectacular. Anyone who has not been there must make it a point to visit the many miles of beautifully maintained trail that snake through its woods and over its incredible ridgelines. We spent about 5 days in the Smokies, and fortune saw it fit to reward us for our shivering nights with 5 consecutive BEAUTIFUL days. It is not quite spring in the mountains, but the rhodedendrons and trees were just starting to bud. We have started to hit our groove in terms of actual HIKING, the blisters are healing and our muscles are slowly forgiving us for the torment we are putting them through.

This reprieve from physical agony has freed us to make miles with smiles on our faces (for the most part). The Smokies were a constant barrage of incredible views and strenuous climbs. By far the best day was the 4th, when we swung a meager 13 miles along a very easy stretch of ridgeline, stopping frequently to catnap in the sun and enjoy the views.

The only downsides to this paradise...
1) We share the trail with horses. Horses that sneak up on you in packs, failing to warn you that they are coming up until they are RIGHT on top of you. Horses that produce a COLOSSAL amount of horse poo for us to walk around.
2) Daytrippers. Because of the record-high concentration of black bears, we are not allowed to camp wherever we want. Instead we have to stick to the great system of shelters throughout the park. The only downside is that if a daytripper shows up at any hour of the night and needs a slot in a full shelter, we thru-hikers are obligated to give up our spot. This fun little rule had me pitching my tent at 8:00 pm (well past bedtime for us) so some 9 year old kid could have my shelter space.

After the Smokeys, we hit Standing Bear Farm hostel, an interesting place that runs its bill entirely on the honor system. We take what we want, keep track, and pay when we leave. We had a blast, giving eachother haircuts with the electric clippers and chatting by the campfire. I wound up with the AT logo shaved into the back of my head, which I wear with pride!

After Standing Bear, it was 3 days through the mountains to Hot Springs. They were largely uneventful, except for us picking up Grizzle as a hiking buddy (and newest member of the Pain Train!) and hiking more with Buffalo Bobby, Blu-dog, Chach and Patches. Also, on a sad note, we lost our good friend and 3 week hiking companion Little Spoon, who had to head home. He rode the shuttle to the trailhead with me on day one, and is a great guy who will be sorely missed.

This AM, we rolled out of camp at 5:00, hit the trail before 6:00, and made it the 13 miles into Hot Springs before 11:30. A big change from the first week, when a 13 mile day was a struggle! We barely beat a big storm that is rolling in, and will be here for a few days for the annual Trailfest, a big party with music, free whitewater rafting, and tons of hikers around.

One more note: We have picked up a (temporary) new friend! A hunting dog puppy, who we lovingly named That Dog, found us about 40-50 miles ago, and has hiked with us since. She has no collar, doesn't bite or bark, and is a sweetheart, a born trail dog. While we will probably have to part with her in town to send her to a good, safe home, she has been a lively and fun companion.

ANNNYWayyy... I think that's about it. Thanks for your continuing messages and comments, they are great! Unfortunately I have had no cell coverage in about 75 miles, so I have been unable to respond/check my messages in a while. Hopefully when I climb out of Hot Springs on Sunday, things will improve.

With that, it's 270 miles down, 1903 miles to Maine on this, Day 26.
As my bud Big Shanty says, Love, Peace, and Bacon grease!

All the best,
Rob
Bigby

2007-04-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Hello All!

Made Standing Bear Farm today, a hiker hostel right outside of Davenport Gap. Long story short... the Pain Train is out of Great Smoky Mountain National Park after a lightning-quick (ish) 4.5 days! Our mileages: 15,15,15,13,17. Today was closer to 19 really, and boy I felt it!

Anyway, Internet here is slow and unreliable so I will post this. Expect more from Hot Springs, North Carolina, in 2-3 days.

Rob
Bigby

Clingman's Dome

2007-04-21T09:39:00.000-05:00

Rob "Bigby" called at around 10 and left the message that they had just peaked Clingman's Dome, at 6643feet the highest point on the AT! Rob's message: "It's beautiful, it's an awesome day and the hike was just awesome - so great!" He's feeling good and heading another 10 miles to tonight's shelter, after spending last night (Friday) at Silers Bald Shelter. The shelters in Great Smoky Mountain National Park are impressive (and built to keep hikers separated from bears!) And today, Mom K mailed off his second food drop (to Hot Springs, NC.) I still haven't gotten the hang of these food drops - the box weighed 18 pounds...can't get away from the idea that too much is better than too little!

Greetings from Fontana Dam!

2007-04-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

Hello friends and family!

Finally have a chance to sit at a computer! I read through my old entries and comments - wow, thanks SO MUCH to Mom for keeping such an awesome blog! The stories sound even cooler coming from her! Thanks to you all for keeping up, your phone messages and comments are such a godsend (special thx to Jared for Red Sox updates, Beccap for random voicemails, and sisters for their love + messages!)

Yesterday was a beast... Me and a buddy (Grizzle) slack-packed 12 miles thanks to Murdock, who delivered our packs to Stacoah gap. After that, we backpacked another 3 to the next shelter (Brown Fork). For whatever reason, this hike TORE UP my knee. My left knee hurt so badly on descents, i could barely walk... i had better luck turning around and descending backwards! Grizzle kept an eye on me... I owe him huge. We met Eagle, a cool old timer who is double yo-yoing, meaning he left Georgia, hiked to Maine, turned around and hiked back to Georgia, and is now hiking BACK to Maine. We camped with some new faces too, namely Trail Dancer and Willy Goat. Trail Dancer gave us a new name for the privy and the activity related to it: "the Groover" and "Grooving". Thanks for that, TD!

On the trail today, Grizz and I busted out a good 12 mile day after our 16 mile scorcher yesterday. Somehow, my knee felt fine! I met two MORE eagles: "Young Eagle" and "Old Eagle", two Eagle scouts. We talked about scouting, and I signed a BSA flag on its way to Katahdin!

Arrived in Fontana Dam, a real tourist trap of a village complete with mini-golf and all. Big Shanty's parents (including his mom "Short Timer" who hiked with us the first week) have looked out for us- when I arrived, we had a cabin rented, complete with food and drink! It was great to reunite with the Pain Train... although it wasn't easy catching em! They hike big miles!

Possibly zeroing tommorow... hate to take so much time off, but very concerned about my unpredictable knee. Then, its off into Great Smoky Mountains National Park! I am VERY excited for this 6 day stretch of BEAUTIFUL (and high-bear concentration!) wilderness.

Thanks again for your comments and messages... They really make my day when I get them! If you haven't already, feel free to drop a voicemail on my phone, I try and check them regularly.

Much love to everyone, and happy trails!
Rob
"Bigby"

Week 2 ends w/ bad weather, tired feet, and the help of friends

2007-04-15T17:46:00.000-05:00

"Bigby" and friends made it down the steep descent into Nantahala Outdoor Center yesterday (Saturday) ahead of the N'oreaster that we're now feeling in Connecticut. Spent last night in a cabin at NOC, having had a chance to do laundry and get a good meal. The Five Guys helped out some late-arrivals who came down the Trail by headlamp - sharing their cabin and getting some good food into them. Now today, the favor was returned to Rob - as he awoke to really sore feet (week 2 is notorious for blisters, and he is finding that out first hand) and then couldn't find his cell phone. He was feeling pretty bleak as his friends prepared to leave without him - he decided to take a zero today to try and care for his feet (and deal with the lost phone.) But the situation improved dramatically when he was offered lodging at the cabin owned by "Murdock" (section hiker who was finishing up his hike from Springer. After a hitch involving a classic restored Mustang, Rob arrived at Murdock's cabin, and found his phone buried in the pack. Hikers take care of hikers!

Below see Fontana Dam, site of Rob's next post (April 17).

16 miles on the "Pain Train"

2007-04-11T19:52:00.000-05:00

Today the "Five Guys" were renamed "Pain Train" for the extra effort made to get to town tonight and escape the cold, wet weather! Monday night was spent at Muskrat Creek Shelter, 78.4 miles from Springer. Tuesday: Carter Gap (90.9 miles) and then the 16 mile push to get to Franklin, NC, and the Microtel Suites tonight ($11 apiece.) Rob praises the Georgia shelters and the bear cables. They've been staying warm (though he wakes up a little cold) and the blisters (big ones on the heels) are starting to improve each day. Tomorrow they will do some re-suppling and maybe check out some gear at the local outfitters, then on to Nantahala Outdoor Center, at 131 miles.

Brrr! First AYCE in Hiawassee

2007-04-07T16:34:00.000-05:00

After a night on the trail where the temperature dipped near (in?) the single digits, Rob (Bigby) and companions decided to push hard to hit Hiawassee tonight rather than tomorrow. They are staying in the Hiawassee Inn tonight, and will take a "zero day" tomorrow, staying in the Cloud Nine Hostel. On their way to an All-You-Can-Eat buffet tonight!

Five Guys Burgers & Fries

2007-04-06T17:59:00.000-05:00

After a 13 mile day, Rob (Bigby) made it to the Old Cheese Factory site - 54 miles from Springer Mountain. It was COLD last night (22 degrees, and his extra fleece was one of the items sent home to lighten the pack...) But the sleeping bag is "fantastic" and the new pack is "really nice." He is hiking with "Big Shanty" from Georgia, "Bytecode" (formerly "Cargo") from Virginia, and two hikers from Saratoga Springs - "Little Spoon" and "Mousewheel". They are "Five Guys, Burgers and Fries" - named for the D.C. burger chain whose meals they dream of consuming! They should get to Hiawasee (town!) in about two days.

A thunderstorm, the demise of a pack, and maybe a trail name

2007-04-04T18:35:00.000-05:00

Rob's first trip to the Smokies, 1996

Day 4 - Wednesday April 4

Rob made it to Walasi-Yi (30 miles from Springer Mt.) this morning. So far he has tented each night, and has stayed dry. He stayed at Stover Creek (about 3 miles from Springer) his first night, then walked alone Monday for 14 miles to Gooch Gap for night #2. Last night was spent at Woods Hole just below the summit of Blood Mountain on 4/3. He was in his tent for a big thunderstrom (3 hours worth) last night! So far he is averaging about 13 miles a day.

This morning, after he and "Buffalo Bobby" summited Blood Mountain and were making the steep descent, Rob slipped - he escaped with a scrape or two, but his beloved external frame pack didn't get off so easy - he lost the hip belt and the top pouch also tore. Rob carried it (and the fifty or so pounds within) down the mountain on his shoulders - fortunately only a two mile hike to Walasi-Yi Center - the fortuitously located backpacking store-hostel-grocery whose claim to fame includes the fact the AT runs right through it! Rob is now the owner of a new Mystery Ranch internal frame pack - and he may just be a convert to this style after all - the pack features a unique "X frame" that allows larger loads than most internal frame packs. And the staff at Walasi-Yi performed their other famous function - helping hikers to lose some weight - by counseling Rob to send home several pounds of stuff. (Among his mistakes - "way too much granola"!) He'll resupply on the route for the next 130 miles, and when he reaches Fontana Dam in the Smokies, there will be a package (too heavy) from home waiting. (No granola.)

He has walked with a physicist from MIT, as well as some new friends including "Cargo" and "Big Shanty". And he has been awarded a tentative trail name himself - "Bigby". We will see if it lasts!

Rob is on his way!

2007-04-01T08:00:00.003-05:00

Time for Mom K to keep up the blog for Rob. He took a long train ride yesterday, his leavetaking rendered a little easier for his mom and dad due to the presence of his sister Jess who accompanied him as far as Penn Station in NYC, her home. Our excitement over his trip almost makes up for how much we are going to miss him.

He called at 9 AM from Amicalola State Park, which is "beautiful!" He arrived in Georgia right on time and was able to take a hostel shuttle to the park rather than a taxi. The weather is gray and drizzly, but warm, and he is itching to get started. So rather than spend the night at the lodge in Amicalola, as planned, he is signing his first trip register and starting his trek a day early, April Fool's Day.

Happy trails, Rob!

PS: We heard from Rob at around 2 PM - he had made the 8 mile hike (in the pouring rain by that time) to the top of Springer Mountain and the official beginning of the AT for northbounders.

2007-03-31T07:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm off folks.

Send me voicemails to say hi, or check up on me here at this blog.

See you soon!

2007-03-28T20:04:00.000-05:00

What is it inside of us that drives us to leave behind comfort and certainty of beloved people and places to strike out into the unknown? What vestige of the primal urge to explore still clings to existence within our psyches, steering us constantly away from complacency?

I'm not trying to aggrandize the "adventure" level of what I'm going to try to do starting in a few days. No, I have no delusions about that. The vast majority of the Appalachian Trail falls within just a few short miles of civilization, a few hours or days walk away from parking lots and strip malls and traffic jams. Statistically, I am certain that every mile of the AT is safer than the miles of road we drive up and down to every day while going about our mundane business.

No, it is not some inherent risk that lends the Trail (and any expedition) its sense of adventure, it is the sheer difference in lifestyle that it promises. Many people I have talked about my plans with are surprised at the ambition of such a shift. They think it's bold or crazy to spend six months living in the woods. On the other hand, I put this trip into the same category of the many little adventures we embark on in our lives, from new jobs to new towns to new schools: it is a step out of the comfort zone.

This point resonated strongly with me tonight, as I said some very hard goodbyes to my best friend Jared and his family, a group of people that have been a surrogate family for me for over thirteen years. As anyone who knows Jared and I would expect, we did not celebrate the parting in anything but our traditional way: we sat around goofing off to Star Wars and a Red Sox game. As we split ways, I couldn't help but think of what I am going to miss this summer. Countless days spent in Tobin's pool, and evenings spent with good friends at Jared's house watching the Sox and discussing the magical annual politics of baseball with Mr. Stevenson and the guys. These are some of the most important and excellent people I know, and I can think of few ways I would rather spend a day.

Still, there is something uncanny and captivating about the allure of the Trail. Even as I regret missing out on any opportunity to spend time with my friends and family, I am overcome with excitement for the unknown and unexpected to come.

To this day, I cannot quite say why I am leaving all of this behind me to go on this kind of trip.

With any luck, I'll be able to answer that question soon

One Week

2007-03-24T00:22:00.000-05:00

There's no denying it... Georgia is just around the corner now! Tomorrow I am hanging sheetrock for the first half of the day, then skedaddling to Boston to see my buddy Tobin perform the hell out of Beantown as Tony in West Side Story. After the commensurate merrymaking, it's back home, and SIX DAYS to get myself all squared away, and PSYCHED for the actual trip.

It seems like just moments ago that I was commemorating the one year mark: Just 365 days until my thru-hike began. Now, 358 of those days have fallen off the calender, and here I am, in the same chair, just one week away from the great unknown.

My excitement has been pretty much at odds with apprehension for the past week or so... I have prepared myself as thoroughly as I think I can, and now find myself worrying about the unpredictable nature of the trip. How will I react to (semi) solitude in the woods? Will my food and provisioning arrangements work out? Will all my gear hold up? Will my legs and knees and back stand up to my heavy load?

Just as these worries were piling up on me this evening, I stumbled upon a picture of two happy hikers standing under the stone arch that marks the beginning of the Springer Mountain Appalachian Trail Approach - "Springer Mountain: 8.5 miles," the sign reads, "Mount Katahdin, Maine: 2185 miles"

Looking at that picture, I realized that it would be me walking under that arch in just a few days time. I would be walking up that verdant mountain path into the great swath of forest, that thin green line that winds its way from north to south. A tiny sliver of the grandeur that used to comprise our entire nation, the untamed beauty that Fitzgerald said was the only thing on earth "commensurate with [our] capacity for wonder"...

This thought has pretty much silenced the nagging voice of concern in my head, and replaced it with pure and intense excitement. Whatever is out there waiting for me, I will deal with when I reach it. As my friend and roommate Dan Hart says: I can burn that bridge when I get there.

UNRELATED BUT IMPORTANT:
Last week, my mom took me into UCONN to introduce me to a friend of hers, a ridiculously energetic and informative nutrition expert named Amy. To be honest, I was not quite sure what I would ask Amy about this important element of my hike (I am a skinny guy to start, I can't afford to drop 15 pounds on this walk!). Luckily for me, she came incredibly well prepared, and with a lot of first hand experience in both endurance athletics and nutrition. I walked out with a clipboard full of information and a newfound confidence that I won't waste away and perish from malnutrition.

This is just another example of how so many people, from old friends and family members to practical strangers, have been ridiculously helpful in helping me towards my goal.

Sleep now. Coming up, it's sheetrock, then Boston, then some more sheetrock, EMS one more time, then Georgia...

GEAR

2007-03-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

Today was a day for GEAR. Like any red blooded American backpacker, I have a passion for outdoorsy gear, and today I got to get rid of the monkey on my back (or at least beat him into submission for a while with a trekking pole). Here's what I picked up from my Mecca (Eastern Mountain Sports in Manchester)

EMS Thunderhead nylon shell with pit zips and a rather nifty brimmed hood. Always important to keep style in mind while on the trail.
An EMS pro-stretch middle layer microfleece that I essentially fell into romantic love with the instant I saw/touched it.
A replacement filter for my PUR Hiker, because I have developed a taste for non-infected water.
A coolmax sleeping bag liner to keep some of the funk out of the brand new Mountain Hardwear Lamina 15 degree synthetic mummy bag I got for half off at www.steepandcheap.com!
Three pairs of smartwool midcalf socks
A shiny new bottle of DWR (durable water repellant) to spray all over every flat surface I can get my hands on.
Zipaway pants that, unlike my previous pair, "zip away" into a reasonable pair of shorts instead of hotpants.

This should be my last significant purchase before my Start Date, which has also been confirmed at April 2. I bought an overnight Amtrak ticket, I leave Hartford the morning of Saturday March 31 and get to Gainesville, GA Sunday morning. I am staying at Amicalola State Park in Georgia Sunday night, and hopefully getting an early start Monday morning!!

For posterity's sake, as long as I'm talking gear, here's the remainder of my gear list.

Camp Trails wilderness external frame pack. Approximately 2.5 million cubic inches. Not for the faint of heart.
EMS Thunderlite II two person backpacking tent. Like the aquaducts, full of arch-ly goodness. Also like the aquaducts, carries water. Hopefully far, far away from my sleeping self.
Asolo TPS 520 trekking boots. Some people hike the AT in light boots, or even sneakers, but I have a dangerous combination of loose ligaments in my ankles and incurable clumsiness that can lead to sprained ankles. These full shank leather boots are pretty much foot fortresses.
A homemade, alcohol burning "penny stove" (see earlier post)
EMS trekking poles
Camelback UnBottle
various other... things

I'll admit it. I've lost interest in this list (probably as much as you've lost interest in reading it)

THREE WEEKS FROM SATURDAY
AHHHHHHHHHHH

Stay tuned.

2007-02-23T17:43:00.000-05:00

So, I was flipping through some of my old LiveJournal entries (as much as someone can 'flip through' a web page), and came to late August of 2005, the week in which my good friend and outdoors partner Dan Bush and I ventured out into the back woods of Maine with a canoe, a really great atlas, and a few days open on the calendar.

I won't re-tell the entire story here, as I can't reliably remember the whole trip even after so few years. However, there is one moment that was permanently etched into my memory, and helped to define the insatiable love of wilderness that lives in many of us.

Bush and I made camp on our second night afield on a small, unnamed island in the middle of Third Machias lake in eastern Maine. Since a canoe shoulders a heavy burden with less injury or complaining than most backpackers, and we had no need to portage along our route, we had brought along enough gear to camp in relative luxury. After dinner, we sat in our camp chairs and watched the evening pale as our camp fire crackled to life, a pale solar impostor we raised in an effort to prolong the beautiful evening.

I can distinctly remember looking out through the shroud of evergreen into the heavy twilight that hung over Machias. I was stunned by the silence of a lake too far into logging country to be lined with summer homes and boat launches. Usually, the glassy waters of a lake or pond are a magnifying glass for civilization, carrying the sounds of human conversation or machinery for miles, constant reminders of our neighbors in the world. That night, the only sound carrying over the black waters of Machias were the groans of a thousand acres of white pines leaning against the wind.

That is, until I heard an eerie wail whose plaintive notes cut through the silence with alarming clarity and the kind of superhuman tonal perfection usually reserved for concert halls. I was baffled, unable to guess what could make such an emotive and shockingly loud call. When I asked Bush, a more experienced than I in the back woods, he explained that it was the call of the loon, possibly the same pair we had stalked up on and photographed earlier in our canoe.

I had heard tell of the loon's famous cry, but was nevertheless amazed that such a sound came from these diminutive waterfowl, in their black and white spotted tuxedos, riding low in the water like overloaded canoes.

That night, I laid awake in my tent, listening to a bevy of loons conversing from across the lake. It was an experience that was as humbling and spiritual as any I have encountered

http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/loons/sounds/wail.au

The wait continues...

2007-02-21T19:18:00.000-05:00

Less than 6 weeks until I hop a flight to Atlanta, point myself North and see what happens!

Keeping plenty busy back home until then, working on the new (ancient) house and getting my preparations for the trail squared away.

Progress on the former is slow and steady as usual... Rough electric and plumbing are in, central vac set up, and almost ready for a final inspection before sheetrocking. I hope to get the sheetrock entirely done before leaving for my hike, that would be a pretty huge milestone.

Visited my darling eldest sister Jess in New York City last weekend. While it was a blast (as always), even 48 hours in the Big City serves to remind me of how much I prefer the great outdoors to the concrete jungle. The pangs of vertigo I got eating breakfast on the 53rd floor of Jess's building are just another gentle reminder that I am a country mouse at heart.

Just scheduled a visit down to my alma mater, American U in Washington DC, to visit my friends from school (whom I am so rudely abandoning for 2 semesters to play in the woods!).

In Trail news: I am now in the process of getting my final pack assembled. I recently spent some time making sure my trusty old Camp Trails external frame pack is dialed in and properly adjusted, and gathering up my gear from all corners of the house.

Next step: a little shopping to fill in some of the gaps on my gear list. Most importantly:
A new sleeping bag (I have decided to switch from down to synthetic)
A new 3/4 length thermarest (the old pad I got at EMS has developed yet another leak. It served pretty well for a few years, but just hasn't stood up to abuse like the thermarest can)

Also, considering a digital camera... although it is a big investment! Any guidance on this one would be appreciated

Best
Rob

Alcohol stoves

2007-02-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

So during the course of my regular internet trolling, I came across a rather tantalizing deal on www.steepandcheap.com, my beloved purveyor of one-time surprise outdoor equipment in limited quantity (like Woot.com for gearheads).

The deal in question? The legendary Primus multifuel camp stove for 50% off, a scant $55.

This raised the thorny issue of hot food on long trails. Now, up to this point I have been a devoted fan of my MSR Whisperlite, the reliable old white gas burning jet engine that has been a workhorse for me for more than 5 years. However, I have my doubts about the availability of white gas along the trail. I know, some people who know more than I do about things will say that it is incredibly easy to find, and I'm sure they're right. However, the idea of being able to burn a lot of easy to find fuels (the Primus burns unleaded gas, LP gas cylinders, and white gas)

Enter the Alternative: denatured alcohol stoves. I have heard time and time again about these little home-made wunder-stoves, but have always had my doubts. But, with the half-price Primus sold out, I decided to bite the bullet and make a few soda can stoves.

Thanks to the great guides at PCTHiker.com (http://www.pcthiker.com/pages/gear/pepsiGstoveinstruct.shtml), i was able to bang out a few prototypes. I have to say, it was surprisingly easy. The hardest part of making my first mini stove was drinking two Red Bulls in 48 hours. Yuck.

Even more amazing? These things work. They burn idly for a minute to get up to temperature, and then suddenly ignite like a genuine gas burner in your kitchen range. They boil water in well under 10 minutes, and are silent (a great improvement from the inappropriately-named Whisperlite, which sounds like a jet turbine).

More on this, and pictures, at a later date.

Happy Trails!

Welcome!

2007-01-15T12:28:00.000-05:00

Greetings all!

Today seemed like a fitting day to start my Appalachian Trail thru-hike blog. As of today, two of my best friends (Bush and Jared) have left Glastonbury, and most of my American University friends are back at school getting ready to start a new semester. So basically, this is the point at which my path through this year diverts from the usual and becomes a little more unpredictable.

For those of you who don't know, here's the plan: I have filed a leave of absence for the Spring 2007 and (tentatively) the Fall of 2007 semesters from AU. Right now, I'm living at home in Glastonbury, CT, and working full time restoring the 1900 Victorian home my parents are looking to move into in the next year or so. Once April and fair skies come along, I am hopping a flight down to Georgia to start the Appalachian Trail at its southern terminus, Mount Springer.

From then on, it's a 2,162 mile trek north to Mount Katahdin, Maine.

Stay tuned for updates as I finalize my preparations!

Looking forward to the trail!!