Hi,
Today we're on Saddleback mountain, pushing our way north into Maine. By the end of the day today well have less the two hundred to go. We've had good weather, and despite being rugged and challenging maine continues to be some of the best hiking on the trail.
We are getting to the point that the end is in sight. We've planned a mail drop for Monson before the hundred mile wilderness and are looking at submitting katahdin in 12 days.
See you all then
Hey,
We're in Connecticut as of last night. Today we're making way to Kent to resupply. Then just a couple days to Massachusetts where hozzle claims to have family or something. Sweeeeeeeeet.
It's not raining anymore, which is cool.
See you all later.
Hi guys,
This morning we expect to finish New Jersey and begin to take on the great state on New York. Apparently there is a spot today that we can see the NYC skyline which sounds cool. It's very humid and buggy. I miss the biting cold.
Anyways, my mom said I should try to do more blog posts even if they're shorter so this is one of those. Sam is terribly slow at getting ready in the morning so I'm just taking advantage of that to send this out. Uhhhh I think that about covers it. Oh, and totally stoked to see the folks in a couple days.
Ttfn
Mike
Hi,
This morning we're in Delaware Water Gap which is right on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We spent the night at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain Hostel and ate pizza. We're glad to be done with Pennsylvania. The state has been moderately rocky, exceptionally flat, and generally boring. We're looking forward to getting on to new England where we can start looking for actual mountains to climb.
It was really nice to see Matt this past week. I was really glad to have my brother around for a couple of nights. Thanks so much for the hotel, food, ride to Walmart, and slack packing. We're also super excited that the folks might be coming down in the next week.
Asides family visits we have been working hard to save money on this trip. Since it has gotten warm and we have checked our bank accounts we have been much more thrifty in our style of hiking. We've avoided all hotels, and most hostels. Since early Virginia we have spent almost no money on anything but food. It's a neat challenge to try to stretch out our money after we blew most of it in the first couple months. We are out here after all to live on the wilderness, bathing in rivers and sleeping in tents is a big part of that.
The rocks have just about destroyed my shoes. Both Cascadias have big holes on either side of the toe box. The tread is holding up though, I bet they have a couple hundred miles left in them. Especially so if we make it out of the rocks and on to easier trail. My jetboil has also failed. I've been using my partners' stoves in the meanwhile while I try to sort things out with JB.
Aaaaand I think that's most of it. Oh, yesterday was our the month anniversary,so that's neat. We're faster, leaner, and way more low budget than when we started, but it almost feels like we're getting close. Less than 900 to go.
Cheers,
Captain Tying Knots
Listen to Wayesboro at Virginia by Mike Demanche #np on #SoundCloud http://soundcloud.com/mike-demanche/wayesboro-at-virginia
Listen to Marion at Virginia by Mike Demanche #np on #SoundCloud http://soundcloud.com/mike-demanche/marion-at-virginia
And pony pics http://imgur.com/a/T6yIL
Listen to Damascus at Virginia by Mike Demanche #np on #SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/mike-demanche/damascus-at-virginia
Hi
I'm not sleeping well tonight so you get a blog update (yayyy).
We left ceecee's wonderful Greasy Creek Friendly two days ago a booked it over Roan Mountain to Stan Murray shelter. We were originally hoping for overmountain shelter but 20 miles just wasn't in the cards for a team half still recovering from food poisoning (poor frodo and snowshoes). By the time we got to Stan Murray it was nearing dark and it simply wasn't worth moving on. We woke up this morning to a dusting of snow and frost. Our whole morning was spent crossing high balds with wind speeds higher than the temperature. It felt bad ass and cold and also very cold. The extreme conditions are kinda fun in a "keep moving or you die" sorta way (in reality it's more of a " keep moving or you really get a chill" type deal but you get the point). I got some good pictures of the whole ordeal so it was worth it.
Tofay we managed an 11 mile descent to TN 19E where we hoped to in ans out to stealth camp on the trail. We walked about 2.5 into town without a hitch until we came across Jo-Ann. She took us to the grocery and then offered us a bed for the night. It is cold tonight so we took her up on it. She got us some nice southern barbecue, we got a shower, and she even let us use the washer and dryer. We are super duper grateful for her hospitality.
Tomorrow we are shooting again for high miles. We're hoping to manage 25 or so to a hostel just outside of Hampton TN.
Oh, and we're done with NC. Go us!
Anyways. Goodnight. Damascus by Wednesday, maybe even Tuesday.
Hi team
We're at the standing bear hostel about to leave bound for hotsprings NC. We've had a great night and made good time through the smokeys but unfortunately the service here is spotty so I can't post pics. Also the charger I bought doesn't do the whole charging thing too well so I need to sort that out again when we get to hot springs. Let's hope for WiFi.
Anyways, know we all good. The smokeys are behind us and we have less than 2,000 miles to go (yay). The weather is looking up for the next few days and hopefully we can keep out mileages high.
Plenty of stories from the smokeys and this hostel to come. We've made two new friends snowshoes and Wolf. And pics. Such pics!
Till then,
Captain tying knots
Greetings from the laundry room of the Fontana Lodge laundry room.
The past couple of days have brought us to the souther edge of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We've lucked out on rain and made good time getting here.
Leaving the NoC we went straight up about 3,000 vertical feet over 6 miles to sassafras gap shelter. We met flash again, and a couple dudes hiking together who call themselves Mary and Pippin. The weather was warm and sunny that day. Only bad thing asides the vertical gainz was at a lunch break my peanut butter fell down a cliff. Sam well documented the recovery effort.
The next day (Mar. 9) we did 15.2 to get to the cable gap shelter. Mary and Pippin were there again. We managed to time our hiking perfectly in that we left after the morning drizzle and got in before the evening rains. It's been nice that it only rains at night really, though that luck will surely runout in the smokeys.
From cable gap it was only 7 to the Fontana dam shelter where we'll stay tonight. We got the sketchiest hitch yet into the resort where we were looking to resupply, eat, and launder. The only real resteraunt in town is a hotel. Luckily the three of us were the only folks looking to eat on a Tuesday afternoon so they actually let three smelly hikers eat. They even gave us a free chicken pot pie to take back to the shelter which is like, probably the highlight of the week.
Anyways. I have a short time on WiFi while the wash works and then it's back to the shelter. No service there so I guess we'll chat next when we're through the smokeys. I'll try to get pics up before then.
Oh, and I got a charge cable at a gas station. All good.
Cheers
Hi all
Just got a restaurant breakfast at the Nantahala outdoor center. 3 days ago we left Franklin on a 12 miler which took u an to the Wayan bald fire tower. We spent the night at the top of a tower on top of a 5,200 ft mountain. It was windy and kind of terrifying and we slept through the sunset but I guess it was a valuable experience or something. Then we absolutely killed it yesterday with a 16 mile day which took us to A. Rufus Morgan shelter just before the NOC. Today we're planning to climb 3,000 ft out of here to sassafras gap where we'll spend the night. We're hoping to make Fontana dam in the next 3 days. We've had a nice streak of weather which we hope to continue, but I think I heard about rain in the coming days.
That's it for now. I lost my charge cable so this will be my last contact before I find that one. I might be able to do that today though in Nantahala... You'll just have to stick around to find out
EDIT: I wrote this 3 days ago but the hotel WiFi failed to publish it. Working on a new post atm
Franklin. Yesterday we hiked out from Rock Gap to Winding Stair Gap. We got there through driving rain that saturated everything, but it makes it a great day to go into town. We were an hour or so early for our shuttle so we huddled under a tree while Frodo stood in the rain for a hitch. A car stopped and Andrea welcomed us to her Kia Rio.
We've been travelling with a section hiker named Bingo. He's a veteran in his twenty's who has been attacking the trail in sections when he has time. Today he'll be doing half a day with us before returning home to figure out law school plans. We wish him the best and thank him for everything.
Today we are trying to print our permits to hike the smokeys before breakfast and a shuttle out to the trail. Our goal is about 12 miles today, and then to make it to the Nantahala Outdoor Center by Monday morning for a resupply. Fingers crossed on a good forecast.
Ttfn, working on uploading pics.
That's right. Yesterday we made the border of North Carolina. Sorry for the Radio silence these past couple of days, I've turned the phone on every night but this is the first time I've gotten service. It's not even that good right here, hopefully this goes through.
We managed a hitch out of Helen from Henry who played disc golf and listened to phish. We got out around noon and wound up making good miles. The afternoon was pretty sunny and warm and we had nice views all afternoon. A perk of winter trekking is that the leaves don't obstruct our views on the high ridges. We spent the night 13 miles north of Unicoi gap at deep gap shelter. This was the first night we spent alone so far. The shelter had lofts but it was cold so we set up the tent inside.
On Sunday we had a shorter day. We did 8 miles to plum orchard gap shelter where we met milkman and Josh. It was raining that day, which was alright because it meant the snow and ice were melting away. Since then the trail has been almost entirely clear.
Monday we got a late start but still banged out 12 miles to get to standing Indian shelter. This was probably the best day of hiking we've had overall just because it was sunny and warm. We met flash, who is only 17 and hiking as a gap year. It's weird not being the youngest ones out. North Carolina shelters don't have the nice bear cables that Georgia ones do, so we had to rig a beat bag. Brett and I did some great engineering and when you see the pictures you'll be proud.
Today we got another late start. They're kinda becoming our thing now and we're trying to change that. Our options were a shelter at 8 and one at 16 with a big mountain in between. I'm writing fairly early in the afternoon from the 8 mile option. It's warm but raining so I think we made the right call.
We're hoping to make Franklin, NC by Thursday where we'll get another hotel stay and supplies through Fontana dam.
Good to be warm, finally.
EDIT: I meant to post this yesterday morning (Sat. Feb 28),but it didn't go through so I'm trying today.
Aww Helen Georgia. Or alpine Helen, as they seem to call it. Or alpine heaven, as it feels. Today we descended about a thousand feet down Blue Mountain to Unicoi gap. We were hoping to catch a hitch or shuttle into Hiawassee for a night in a hotel. The guidebook said Hiawassee was to the left, but a car parked at the gap full of GPS wielding tourists assured us it was the other way. So we started down the road with the hitch thumb up and a truck pulled over for us pretty quickly. We asked if he was going to Hiawassee and he said that Hiawassee was the other way. So I asked if he was going to Helen, and then decided we should just go to Helen. We climbed in the back of his pick up and rode about 9 miles into town. Now we're in Helen sharing a bed at the Helendorf Inn, which is especially lovely at $50 for the night.
We met a cool veteran and veteran through hiker named Josh down at the local bar/ pizza place who gave us some good advice for the trail, and his number if we need an emergency contact. He had some great life advice too, including the gem, "I would have been a cowboy if I could find a horse big enough for my ass. Then I did, but she was divorce-able". The pizza was good. They didn't serve us beer.
Helen is gorgeous. The town is modelled after a Bavarian village. There is a quaint town square and music and ample trash receptacles. Very nice for one day, but I wouldn't want to live here. Tomorrow when we're pried from our hotel room we will ascend Tray mountain, assuming we get a good hitch to the gap.
Yoooo
Tonight were in Blood Mountain shelter, approximately 50 miles from Springer Mountain. We've been out 6 days now and on the the AT for 5, putting us at 10 miles a day. This is right where we should be mileage wise considering the conditions and the fact that we're new at this. We've gotten ahead of most of the crowd we were with earlier, but they'll probably catchup when we get off to resupply.
It's cold. We got about 6 inches of snow last night on top of 3 already on the ground. You'll think it's new England when you see the pictures. The boots are covered in snow, which will melt and saturate the boots so that by morning they will be blocks of ice. I have one more pair of socks that aren't saturated in ice water. It's cold too. Last night and maybe tonight too we sleep in the tent in the shelter to stay warm. If we bring the boots into the tent maybe they won't freeze. Hopefully this cold snap will break in the next couple of days or a week or so. I mean, it's Georgia.
It's also very foggy. We have only gotten what you might call "a view" twice. Both were photographed and will be in the upcoming imgur album. Today we strode into a sunny spot for about a half an hour. It was nice. Then we turned around the mountain spur and it was a w foggy winter hell again. Georgia, come on.
Anyways, we're 2.5 miles or so from Unicoi gap where we'll head into Hiawassee for a re-up. We're trying to spend the night in a hotel. Sanitary toilets, showers, laundry, groceries. Aight Aight.
And Internet access. I'll post the imgur album when we get there
Greetings!
I'm writing at 5am on Feb. 23, though I don't have service so it may be a while before this is actually posted. When the sun rises in about an hour we will be starting our third day on the trail. Our first day was spent climbing Amicalola falls, and then hiking to about 1.5 miles short of Springer. Yesterday we made it about 10 miles to Hawk Mountain shelter, where we spent the night.
We are not alone. Five people left before us on the 21st, and 59 have left before us as of the whole year. We're sharing this shelter with about 10 others. It's the most full we've certainly ever seen a shelter, and it sounds like quite the exotic variety of snores.
The weather is quite good for hiking. It is cool enough that we don't sweat a ton while walking but not enough to be really cold. We've managed both nights with out tents and just my bag has been plenty. There is a bit of ice though. Day one the hazard was in the trees. As it melted large chunks would fall and occasionally hit us in the head. Yesterday the hazard was on the ground. As the snow on the trail was walked on it had become compacted into a sheet of ice. I don't think tonight spent much time below freezing though so hopefully that should be cleared up. Who knows what today's challenge will be.
Well that's that. I'll post this as soon as I expect to have service, as well as another 30 or so pictures.
9:40 PM. New York port authority bus terminal. Departing for Richmond. We should get in by 6:30 am after one stop at 4.
Today started out great. We all made it out of bed on time and hit the road with plenty of time to make it. We hit traffic but were able to avoid sitting in it by working the back roads. We made it to the station with enough time to print out our 24 separate tickets and got on the bus at 10. Unfortunately we hit some traffic coming into NYC and missed our 40 minute connection. Alright.
The next available route was a 9:30 departur, which I guess is fine... I don't see the other option. We found food in Times Square, took a picture with some people who asked for money (but they were wearing costumes so it's cool), and then back packed South down 4th Ave until we got cold and took the subway back to port authority. We still had hours to kill so we ate a pizza, played hearts, and listened to the sweet classical play list that port authority rocks. It was pretty cool I guess. But now it's almost 10 and we still have 24 bus hours to go, so we'll have to see. Oh, and a male prostitute attempted to solicit Sam, and Brett and I experienced a pretty good solicitation of cash so we can cross that ff the bucket list.
So that's it. We're all good - a little late but whatever, man. Ttyl
Mike <3
