Memorial Day Call

Received a call from Ryan Memorial Day morning.  He was just getting ready to cross over I-77 right around Bastian, VA.  He called at 10:30 and had already covered 9 miles.  He said with the heat he’s been trying to get out of camp at sunrise and cover as much trail as possible before it warms up.  He reported that he hiked 21 miles the day before and was planning to cover 23 miles on Memorial Day.  He also reported that he had rolled his ankle again on the 27th and ended up stopping early at a shelter to give his ankle a rest.  This is the third time he has rolled his ankle.   We talked about this for a while and Ryan tells me it is a common thing on the trail.  He said every shelter has a person nursing a black and blue ankle.   He said that although Virginia has had less altitude the trail is very rocky. Hiking downhill on rocky ground is difficult with a pack because you don’t have a good view of foot placement.  His plan is to hike 18 miles today and get into Woods Hole Hostel where he can ice his ankle and try to stay off it for a while.   
 

Ryan continues to rave about the beauty of Southern Virginia.  He’s hikes the past few days alone.  He lost Habitat and Kipper after his ankle layover.  Everyone has plans to meet up at the Woods Hole Hostel.  Lemon, Fish and Beer Burger should be there as well. As much as he enjoys company Ryan also enjoys hiking alone and at his own pace.  He felt that you just can’t get the entire AT experience unless you spend time alone in the woods.  One issue he has had since entering Virginia is drinking water.  He‘s run out a few times.  Most of the trail runs along the mountain ridges and stream and spring are rare.  Earlier on in the Smokies he was consuming about 4 liters a day and rarely carried that much because water access was good.  With the added heat, he’s pushing 6-8 liters and has to carry more when it is found since there is not guarantee of access. 

He’s run into several cases of Trail Magic this past week.  Trail magic is simply unexpected or timely acts of random kindness or good fortune along the trail.  Trail magic generally occurs when least expected or often most needed.  He’s run into a couple of instances of a cookout along the trial for hikers.  He also camped with a group of day hikers that packed in meat and vegetables for kabobs for all of the thru hikers.

In talking to Ryan something occurred to me when he talked about days of hiking without seeing a house or a road or other hikers.  He calls when he is at a location where he can get phone service.  Days go by without this being the case.  Most blog entries are based on town stops and the ability to connect.  Most of the solitude and wilderness is between the entries.  This can only be seen in the pictures.  On his last picture SD card, I found a movie clip that was accidentally started on his camera.  The camera was hung from it’s strap and moved around quite a bit.  It captured the crossing of a high mountain bald in  driving rainstorm.  You can hear the wind howl. You can hear the rain pelt his pack and thunder in the distance.  You can hear the effort in his breathing.  You can almost feel his footsteps. You see a bouncing panorama of a muddy trail, ominous clouds and distant mountain horizons.   It brought an audible “damn” from me.  This gave me a better perspective of the challenge he faces than anything I have seen so far. He seemed very far way.    

He was in good spirits.   We’ve set up a mail drop for Daleville, VA.  It’s about 6 days out. 

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.    

500 miles +, Marion VA 5/25

Talked to Ryan this afternoon. He’s in Marion, VA. He was in a shuttle into town to do some restocking and will return to the trail this evening. He will be staying back on the AT at the Partnership Shelter. Since leaving Damascus, he’s done 13, 16, 24, and 18 mile days. He is currently at 520 miles. Ryan separated from the group in Damascus by deciding to lay over an additional day. He’s currently hiking off and on with Habitat and Kipper. He caught back up with Lemon, Fish, and Beer Burger this afternoon.

He describes Virginia as awesome. He ran down a long list of wildlife they encountered since entering Virginia that included wild ponies, a variety of snakes, turtles, salamanders, and an equally large list of small mammals. He said they hiked though Grayson Highlands yesterday and met up with wild ponies that came up to them unafraid. He said they were friendly and like licking the salt off hikers arms. It was a close as he has come to a shower in 4 days.

He was amazed at how quickly the terrain and views changes after crossing the Virginai border and lists Virginia as by far the best state yet. He will be dropping a SD card in the mail today with pictures. Telephone reception was good since they were within 15 miles of Interstate 81. Looking at the map he will have little reception in the coming week.

I always ask the question of how are you doing. Ryan responds positively and then I ask how are you really doing. His answer has always come back again positive but he seemed exceptionally upbeat and excited this time. He said something clicked over in Damascus and he still views the milestone as some sort of change or new beginning. Hiking 500 miles is exceptional from any perspective. Applying this to the entire AT puts you right at 25%. It's unfortunate that the accomplishment of hiking 500 miles has to be diminished by being compared to the overall objective. But I really don't get the impression that someone at 500 miles on the AT is ready to discuss a through hike. They are just hikng. He said the key to the final destination is completing and enjoying today's destination. That was a rather profound "poet but don't know it" statement.

He sounded great.

New Maps, Donate Button - 5/24

I added a new progress map for 5/7 to 5/24.  These are located at the bottom of the right column.  If you click into these links you can get a detailed progress map and look at Ryan's day end locations on either a map or satellite photo.  I also got the donate button set up several people have asked for.  You can donate to his trip by either a Paypal account or a debit or credit card.
We've not heard from Ryan since Damascus.  I believe they got in there late Friday and left sometime on Sunday. He had a terrible phone connection so I was only able to talk for a minute or two.  He did receive his package because he returned quite a bit home in the same box.  I weighed the stuff he took out of his pack and he's about 10 lbs lighter.  He's completely out of trail boots and is wearing short trail runner type hiking shoes. He sent his mid weather sleeping bag home, his blown out sleeping pad, and a LOT of small items.   

Damascus, VA - 5/21

It’s me, Spork!  Greetings from Damascus, VA. First I’d like to thank everybody for all of you support and interest. Thanks Dad for all of the work you have done keeping the blog up and running, it looks incredible, and for the help and support along the way. This is really the first time since leaving Georgia that I have had a chance to get to a computer and answer some emails.  It’s amazing how quickly typing and a computer gets away from you. I’m at the Damascus library and am pretty limited on time but I just wanted to let everyone know I’m doing well. 

It’s been 41 days since I left Springer Mountain. That may not sound like a long time but it’s amazing what changes take place in your frame of mind and perspective in that amount of time when everything you are familiar with is not longer in reach. I expected this to be tough but there’s really no way of knowing how tough until you are out here. I thought, oh, I’ve got this …. ha! I got my butt whooped and am getting it whooped daily.

As tough as it is, it is so rewarding hiking 2,000 feet up over 2 miles and seeing a view that words do not do justice. It’s moments like that that keeps me going. The days are starting to run together, time doesn’t really seem to matter anymore. Most of the time I don’t know where I am exactly. Maps and books are useless for the most part. I’ve been pretty unimpressed with the quality of trail maps.  The best way to get lost is to follow the maps. The trail is clearly marked with blazes but there are occasions that you wonder. 

My body is in some sort of constant discomfort at all times but you learn to ignore it. I have rolled my ankle twice, had many blisters, a constant tightness in my shoulders, sore knees, ankles, and back. It’s great!  My body is being put to the ultimate test and so far it has been resilient. I realize our bodies are meant to handle way more than what is normally expected. The most important thing so far is that I am having a blast. Sure there are bad days where I wake up and really don’t want to hike but once you get going everything is good.  Mornings can bring on your moments of doubt.  Wet days can get rough.  It’s not like you have a roof to get under in a driving thunderstorm.

 It is really hard to write this, It’s been a while since my fingers have touched a keyboard and my brain is in an entirely different place. I write daily in my journal but I mostly ramble on about my frame of mind or a bug I saw this morning. It only makes sense to me.  My favorite things out here are the little things, the flowers, strange bugs, mangled trees, and the ability to stop and just take it all in just because I feel like it. I try my best not to get too firm on destination and just enjoy getting there.

The people out here are great. The community of hikers was what I was looking for. People take care of each other and genuinely want to help. I am slowly regaining a bit of faith in humanity. There are a lot of good people out there. Well, I am running out of time at the library. I am taking 2 zero days in Damascus and I will send more tomorrow, possibly by regular mail.  I’ve got to get a few new pieces of equipment and will be sending some stuff home.  Damascus has some good outfitters and will probably be the last I’ll see for quite some time.   It has been 15 days since I have taken a true zero so i am really looking forward to the time off.  The last day into Damascus was a 27 mile hike.  That’s the longest day so far.  Part of that was anxiousness to get in and get my package and part was the trail.  There are still lots of ups and downs but the 6,000 foot mountain are behind me for a while.  Damascus has a feel of change.  For some reason it feels like a new beginning.  I am anxious to get into Virginia and the added mileage it will offer.  Although the higher peaks are behind me Virginia is still very hilly and will definitely be a lot hotter.   

Thanks again for being interested!

Spork (Ryan)

Pond Mountain 5/17

Ryan called Monday to set up his next drop package for Damascus, VA.  He was camped Monday night at Pond Mountain Wilderness, TN.  Today, they should reach the Watauga Lake Shelter.  At that point, they will have hiked a total of 424 miles.  This is slightly under 20% of the total trip.

Since leaving Erwin, the group has been wilderness hiking some of the higher mountain peaks in the eastern Appalachians.  Midweek they crossed Roan Mountain at 6,275 feet.  This is the highest mountain they will climb until they reach Mount Washington in New Hampshire.  They are a day’s hike from Watauga Lake where they had planned a down day.  Ryan said they have had a lot of rain over the past few days and it is forecast for the next 4.  If it is raining when they reach Watauga, they will resupply and move on to Damascus, VA.  Damascus is about 5 days out of Watauga. Damascus is a milestone destination.  It represents the start of Virginia and a significant change in topography.  Mileage should pick up at this point. The elevation is a little less aggressive. Damascus caters to hikers and has several outfitters and hiker hostels.  It is a major trail stop off.    

He proceeded to fill me in on the past week’s wet trek. On the way into Overmountain Shelter, he said lightening struck 20 feet away while crossing a bald.  Hail the size of marbles pelted them for an hour.  He almost stepped on a 4’ Cottonmouth snake.  He turned his ankle again.  His sleeping pad developed a hole he can’t get plugged. His water bag is leaking.  He lost his knife.  He ran down the list with humor in his voice.  I can tell when Ryan is faking.  He’s taking it all in stride. He said he and everyone else has had their “moments” this week, both positive and negative.

The scenery is starting to change.  Spring is in full bloom even at the higher elevations.  They have passed 4 beautiful waterfalls in the past two days and Ryan said the Pond Valley Wilderness looks a lot like Red River Gorge in KY.  He reports Lemon, Fish, Beer Burger, and Habitat are all doing well.  Everyone was wet but they all recognize they have been very lucky with the rain.  

The group has come to the realization they are carrying far too much weight.  Ryan said he weighed his pack in Erwin at 50 lbs.  In discussions with other hikers, some report hiking with as little as 25 lbs.  No one in this group has yet to figure out how to pull that off. They all vowed to investigate the topic in detail once in Damascus.  Ryan guaranteed things would be shipped home.  In the coming weeks they will be moving into lower elevation and warmer temperatures.  It’s time to go to summer weight sleeping bags and Trail Runner type shoes.  I am shipping new shoes, protein powder, carbohydrate energy gels, protein bars, packs of tuna, toilet paper, a new knife, Virginia maps, camera cards, and candy to Damascus.  I was told to never send a package without toilet paper.  It apparently is almost a currency on the trail.  Ryan will be buying a new sleeping bag, water bladder, and sleeping pad in Damascus.  He did mention that he absolutely loves his tent. 

I have had several requests as to how to ship things to Ryan.  Due to weight, he is very particular as to what extras he carries.  I’ve thrown a few niceties into his box and they’ve all come back in his bounce box…unless they can be eaten immediately.  He appreciates the thought.  One concern he has is the speed at which he is moving through his budgeted finances.  As free as the experience seems to be, equipment, food, and an occasional town stop brings the whole experience back to monetary earth.  As he continues to advance toward Maine I will be adding  a Paypal donate button to the Blog for those interested in helping him along. 

He apologized for not sending journal entries with the last pictures.  He’s not really found a good way to get these home.  He does not want to tear pages out as the book will fall apart.  He said he writes nightly and has almost filled a notebook.  I get the impression verbalizing the experience in not easy.  He’s used the term indescribable frequently.  He promised to spend some time at the Library in Damascus and get some files emailed.  The past 6 weeks has had very limited telephone and internet access.  Virginia should offer more opportunity. 

He sounded good. 

New Pictures 5/15

We received over 800 pictures from Ryan in the mail.  There is a new link with a selection of these on the right column.  This group covers his trip trough the Smokies and ends at Erwin TN.  Still waiting for some journal entries.  Hope to get these soon. Here are a few pictures and the rest are in the Picasa Web Album. 

Erwin, TN 5/10

Ryan called from Erwin, TN this evening.  They had just got off the shuttle to Uncle Johnny's Hostel.  I overheard the welcome speech and laundry, showers and breakfast was mentioned. The hostel offers a bunk and transportation to and from the trail head.  Ryan said they had a long hot and humid 17 mile day trying to get into Erwin this evening. They decided to push on into Erwin because rain was in the forecast for the next few days and they all wanted to get rested up for the wet hike ahead. 

Ryan said he, Lemon, Fish, and Beer Burger are all doing well.  They have a new hiker with them, Habitat (Tabatha) from Ontario.  Ryan says her pace and personality fits the group well.  Bear Bait has moved on to Damascus for Trail Days.  He plans on getting a ride back to the trail and meet up with the group in a week or so.  Everyone else in the group has decided to avoid Trail Days over concern for too many hikers getting back on the trail at one time. 

Ryan reports 340 miles as of today.  He expects they will be crossing into Virginia in 10 to 11 days.  They are planning their next down day at Watauga Lake, Tennessee in 4-5 days.  He said the group has made an informal decision to get back to their previous practice of getting on the trail early, hiking until 4 or 5 in the afternoon and setting up camp early.  Everyone felt they were pushing too hard into the evening and really missing out on one of the more enjoyable parts of the trail - camp. He felt that even after 30 days they are still working out the details for such a long hike.  He’s finding that even out in the woods some sort of a schedule and discipline is important.

He said they have hiked in very dense wilderness over the past 3 days.  The views have been spectacular.  The Rhododendrons and wild Azaleas are just starting to bloom. I didn’t get much other info from him because of a very bad phone connection. He’s sending another picture card home tomorrow.  I’ll have these and the last posted by the weekend.  I’m currently out of town myself.   

30 days - 323 Miles - 5/9

Today marks 30 days on the trail.  Ryan has hiked 323 miles which is 14.8% of the 2181 to Maine.  He should be in Erwin, TN in the next two days for a package and hopefully to call home with some details for the blog.  He has sent pictures and journal entries. I hope to receive these in the mail and posted by this coming weekend. 
Ryan is carrying with him a Spot GPS broadcaster which he uses mark his GPS location nightly.  He has three levels of communication with this device.  He can send an "I'm OK" message, a "Minor Emergency" message which communicates with a variety of phones and emails he has pre programmed, or and Emergency beacon which alerts multiple government and private rescue services. All broadcast a precision GPS location.  The Emergency beacon will broadcast hourly until turned off.   

Trail Progress Map

The trail progress to date map has been updated.  It is located at the bottom of the right column. 

Hot Springs, N.C. - 5/4

Ryan called this evening from Hot Springs North Carolina. They arrived there late yesterday in a driving rainstorm after their first 20 mile day.  They decided to lay over in Hot Springs for the day.  They are headed back into Tennessee in the next few days and will have little opportunity for resupply.  Since leaving Gatlinburg they have pushed pretty hard.  The last 4 days have been 12, 15, 17 and 20 miles on some serious ups and downs.  He said the 20 miles into Hot Springs was particularly rough.  The maps had shown a water supply point on the trail that they were never able to locate.  They hiked 4 or 5 miles of incline without water in 80 degree heat.  The final 4 hours was in a torrential downpour.  He said everyone got seriously soaked and their wet boots caused quite a few blisters.  He managed to work the word “fun” and “sucked” into the description of the day.  

He said they were on Max Patch Monday.  This is one of the biggest balds in the Smokey range.  Ryan said it was quite a hike to the top.  Lemon and Fish had friends in the area and they met the hikers at a crossroads with a picnic lunch. Awesome was the description. 

He said they are seeing more and more greenery as they work down out of the Smokies.  The trees are in full leaf and the wildflowers are in full bloom.  He said the rhododendrons are just now coming out and smell beautiful.  With the leave on the trees and flowers in bloom he said the trail was like walking in a fragrant tunnel.  He was enjoying the change in scenery and color.   He also mentioned that everyone had noticed a huge change in their sense of smell.  He said whenever they got into a town they noticed every smell. 
It's hard to have much of a discussion with Ryan and not talk about food.  He's obsessed.  He said the food conversation on the trail and at camp is never ending.  He's also backed down off his high protein freeze dried meals and is stocking up with a lot more calorie rich grocery products. Bagels, peanut butter, honey, easy mac, packaged tuna seem to be his current craze.  He went into an entire discussion about olive oil and garlic.  I'm not sure if that was fact or fantasy.  He seemed to black out for a few seconds.  We ordered Ryan some protein shakes, carb gels, and high protein bars that were sent in his Hot Springs drop package.  He said overall he's lost about 5 lbs.  This is a correction to an earlier claim of losing 12.  He didn't start the trip with a lot of weight on him.  Maintaining his weight and energy will be a continuing battle particularly with a long hot hike through Virginia. The trial will start to flatten out a bit and heat up in the coming weeks.  They will need to start pushing harder for 20+ mile days.   

He said that last night was the first time they had seen fireflys.  While sitting around the campfire their first inclination was that the glowing lights were the eyes of animals watching them around the campfire.  They were so convinced they walked into the woods before they realized what it was. 

They are starting to catch up with an entire new group of hikers on the trail.  There are new faces every day and had picked up a new hiker named Tabatha. She went into Hot Springs with the group.  I asked Ryan to update me on the group.  Fish and Lemon are the couple he has hiked with since the first few days.  Beer Burger, Bill is with the group still. Tabatha, a new hiker.  Ollie, Bear Bait is still hiking with them but elected not to go into Hot Springs. They will catch up with him on the trail tomorrow or the next day.  Chris, Data has left the group and has pushed on.  He reported everyone was doing well with the exception of the blisters they received from the 20 mile wet hike yesterday.  Ryan said Lemon had a blister that would make you pass out.  But that she was pretty tough and was nursing it along.  He said his sprained ankle was about 95%.

I asked Ryan directly if he was going to make it….the entire hike.  This was the first time I asked.  He said yes.  He was getting his rhythm down and getting it all figured out.  He felt like the last few tough days with rain and heat had really sealed his doubts and solidified his resolve.  Right now they have hikes 290 miles. 12.7% of the trip to Maine. 

They were all headed down to soak in the natural hot mineral springs and crash for the evening.  The next opportunity for resupply will be in Erwin, Tennessee, about 6 days out.  We worked out his drop package.  Ryan said he was sending journal entries and pictures from Hot Springs and they all planned on shooting a video this evening.  He’d get that in the mail before they left Hot Springs. 

He sounds like a guy planning on hiking to Maine.