Ryan Iker on the Appalachian Trail, Summer 2011: New Pictures 5/28

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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Saturday, May 28, 2011

New Pictures 5/28

I received the package from Ryan he mailed from Marion. It included quite a bit more weight reduction items from his pack and a new picture SD card. Most of these pictures are from the trip into, and a few days out of, Damascus. There are well over 600 pictures and they are some of the best he has sent. I'll rotate these in and out of this web album to get as many posted as possible. There is a limit on Picasa Web albums. If you go into the link on the right side of the page you can view the pictures as a slide show.
Two full days of this section were in rain and thunderstorms. There are also some pictures of the wild ponies they ran into. There are several pictures of the various shelters on the trail. Tonight's GPS ping puts him right at the Lick Creek foot bridge. There is no listed shelter in that area.
He should be crossing I-81 in the next day or two and may have enough cell reception in that area to call in. He needs to get his next drop box arranged.

1 comment:

hyndnessMay 29, 2011 at 10:44 AM
great pics looking forward to seeing more! Lemon told me about the ponies & how they circled their campsite during a thunderstorm!
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Why the AT?

Why? ...... I have been questioned more than once what this trip is all about. I’ll try my best to define it in words. I don’t think anything I say will completely describe my thoughts but I need to try to put it into words. I have been working and going to school for 6 and a half years. I haven't had more than a week off at one time since I was 17. I wouldn't trade it for the world but it is time, time to go down a different path. Since I was a kid I have been going to the Smoky Mountains. I grew up playing in the woods. I still do that now. It is where I am happiest. I love feeling the fresh air rush by, hearing the crunch of leaves as animals run around, and being able to think without the distraction of the "real world." Perspective is gained in the woods. Challenge is gained by the trail. Some call me crazy but those who really know me get it. My dad told me, "live for the day." How long has it been since you didn't have to worry about what you are doing tomorrow or next week? Can't answer that question? Me either.

I went over to my dad's house one day about a year ago and he had a National Geographic special on the Appalachian Trail recorded. I sat down and watched it with him. I was sold. This is exactly what I want to do I thought. At first it was; I'm going to do this in a year or 2. Then the realization of in a year or 2 means "things come up" and it never happens. About 6 months ago I pulled the trigger. It was one of the best days of my life. Now it’s time to start an adventure that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Nothing will define my hours. I have no schedule to meet but my own. I have no one to hold responsible for the quality of my day but me. If you stop and think about it when have you ever not had someone telling you what to do, when to do it, and how it needs to be done? It all tends to remove personal responsibility. It put your control in the hands of others. I’m not completely sloughing off normal society. I just want to step outside its bounds for a while and test my will and taste the ability to have complete control over every aspect of my life.