The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately 2,181 miles long. The path is maintained by 30 trail clubs and multiple partnerships,and managed by the National Park Service and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The majority of the trail is in wilderness, although some portions do traverse towns and roads, and cross rivers. The Appalachian Trail is famous for its many hikers, some of whom, called thru-hikers, attempt to hike it in its entirety in a single season. Along the way, the trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Call from the trail 4/12

Ryan called this morning from the downhill side of Blood Mountain.   He was at the first restocking point on the trail, an outfitter on the trail called the Walasi-Yi Outfitter at Neal’s Gap.  He met and is currently hiking with a group of 3 guys from Germany, Florida, and New Jersey. He said they all met at the first shelter and have hiked together for the past few days.  Ryan sounded in good spirits and genuinely seemed to be have a great time.  He reported a thunderstorm last night but said his equipment kept him dry.  He said he’s not sleeping a lot because he feels too hyped up.  He also said that the guy from Germany got his food broke bag into by a bear last night.  I got the impression the experience gave them all a different perspective on the possibility of meeting bears.
    
He said that every day is tough and he was starting to feel a little beat up as was the rest of the group.  Ryan said he was getting his first good blister.  He was pretty matter-of-fact about it all. He also commented that the hardest part of hiking was going downhill.  They had just climbed Blood Mountain this morning which was the highest peak in Georgia.  The long downhill hike shifted weight and put different pressure on his feet.  At this point on the trail you are either going up or down, nothing in between.  He’s already rethinking his whole eating regime.  He’s giving up on cooking a hot meal twice a days and giving in to cold “snack” stuff for lunch.
He discussed his next food shipment to Blue Berry Patch Hostel and that he may be sending a few things home but in general he was handling the weight in his pack well. 
For some reason his GPS ping did not come through last night so he re-sent from the outfitter.  He will mark his location tonight when they camp.
He said he'd been doing a lot of writing and would be sending some stuff to post on the blog along with pictures one he gets to Hiawassee.  
All in all he sounded great.  There was a completely different tone to his voice.  It was almost a cautious cockiness. I think he has crossed a mental and physical boundary.

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