Appalachian Trail Journey - It's Finished

[faxanadu]

I'll start by saying:

ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE


It was a journey and not a hike because i did maybe 85% of the trail and did whatever the hell i wanted during that other 15%. Most of all, it was a journey, because it wasn't about hiking, but about becoming more than i was. A lot of people asked me, "What was the hardest part?" Well, it was taking the fear of leaving my job, leaving everything behind, going against the norm, disregarding the naysayers, disregarding pissing off people close to me because they think it's a waste, and ultimately grabbing some sack and living my life and not the life everyone else wants me to live.

I cannot describe to the feeling that overcame me when i took that first step by myself, after my friends had driven off, on the Appalachian Trail. As i took that step, i took a deep breath, and a joyful smile swept my face as i realized i'm making my dreams reality.

I no particular order... here are some thoughts and accomplishments:

- Meeting all kinds of awesome people
- People are extremely generous (especially in the south)
- Rain gear sucks unless you're in town or trying to stay warm. Otherwise, you will sweat and get wet and hot.
- I think 95% of people smoked weed
- Minimalist shoes are the way to go. Almost all other shoes will cause ball of foot pain unless specifically designed for you (our you're just a freak or damned lucky).
- Lots of people went broke on beer
- I spent a lot more money than i should have
- My fitness level potential is way better than i ever thought it could be. (realized after doing 25+ mile days through rain and crap terrain 5 days in a row)
- People on the trail will tell you their entire life story within 5 minutes
- Drugs killed two people on the trail
- You can't run away from your problems. They WILL follow you. You MUST deal with them.
- That item you want to bring with you because you think the .5 ounces wont be a hassle. Yes, it will be a hassle and you'll send it home.
- A lot of hostels are breeding grounds for sickness.
- Pooping in the woods is pleasant.
- Baby wipes are DA BOMB DIGGITY
- A little hygeine can go a long ways towards getting a little trail magic

Some interesting things on the trail i did:

My first mental breakthrough was about a week into the trail. I was 22 miles from a road that has shuttles to the town of Hiawassee. I heard on the radio that a bad rain storm was coming. At this point the most i had walked was about 14 in a day. However, i'm a determined son-of-a-bich sometimes. I hiked all day and into the night. Used my headlamp the first time. Eventually made it to the road. Was about to just through up a tent because it was too late for a shuttle. Then i heard a diesel engine in the distance and i stuck out my thumb. Dude pulls right into the little side drive and tells me to jump in (my first hitch hike & solo). He gives me so food and drops me off in Hiawassee.

My second mental breakthrough came when i got lost outside Erwin, TN. The trail kept crisscrossing a dirt road and some how i got lost on a fake trail on one of the crosses. I eventually found an old lumber road. Started following it, but it kept going up and around the top of the mountains. At that point i filled up with as much water as possible and made a detour to what sounded like running water. Well... it was a trickle. However, it was running down hill between the ridges. I decided, "If the water can get out... so can i". So i started following it. It went from a trickle, to a stream, to a creek, to a river. I had to ford that bich 5 times (on the 5th it was up to my waist I'm 6'1). Eventually i found a road. That road led to a highway. I followed the highway 10 miles to Erwin. After 30+ miles i made it to Erwin at 11pm.

One of the coolest things i did was build rafts with 3 other hikers. We built them out of tractor tubes, plywood, and zip ties. We did it in the parking lot outside our motel room. We then spent 3 weeks floating a 150 miles of the Shenandoah River (Port Republic to Charles Town). As far as i know this is the first time it's been done on home built rafts.

Another hiker buddy and I decided to buy bikes at a Walmart in Pennsylvania and ride them 60 miles to the next trail crossing and return them at the next Walmart. It worked, and it was fun as hell. It was Harrisburg to Stroudsburg. One of the other reasons we did this is because i just got new shoes at the Cabelos and within 2 miles i had quarter size blisters on each heel.

Bored of hiking solo and craving another bike ride. I decided to rent a mountain bike this time in Bennington Vermont. The selection was limited (i would of liked a bike with a rack on the back like before but they didn't have any). So i rode a crappy 85$ bike with my pack on my back from their to Lebanon New Hampshire. I managed to do this in about 24 hours stopping at a motel in Ludlow Vermont for the night. It was about 100 miles. Beautiful.. beautiful ride.

Buddy and I decided to hitch from Gorham NH in the Whites back to Hanover. We rented a car, drove to foxwoods, and played poker for three weeks. Haha... so random.

I'm sure ill think of more stuff. And if you have questions ask them. Here are some pictures:


This is right before a town in Virginia.



This was right before i got lost outside Erwin... literally the same day.



F--K New York and their death scrambles. That's all i gotta say!



My rafting buddies river shorts when tossed in clean water... DA FKKK



My rafting buddy and I. His river name is White Jesus. One of us has a video of him jumping off a 60 foot cliff.



Sign in the smokies.



Thirty miles north of Erwin on the way to trail days.



Double Rainbow on the River

[HeftyTesticles]

In to read tomorrow

[faxanadu]

I ran into a lot of deer on the trail. I only saw one bear the entire time.



Pic from my ride across Vermont.



Some of the stupid things the trail takes you over. There is a blue blaze that goes right around this. It really annoyed me when they did these sketchy rock scrambles.



One of the many dams we had to go around on the river (i think 7 total). Most of the time as you neared them our rafts slowed to 1 mph.



In the Smokey Mountains.

[BloodofDante]

really jelly.
Gotta set up a week end sometime to get back in the woods. Wish I could hike a whole trail that big.

[jumpman18]

Would you recommend doing the hike/trip with a good friend? Or is it better to go by yourself?

[faxanadu]

It rained for 7 days straight on me outside Roanoke Virginia. But i got this awesome pic.



Another cool pic from a rainy day in Virginia.



My hiking buddy Hump. We started and finished the same day (we did about 50% of the trail together i'd say. I didn't know him prior). He also floated the river and did the bike thing with me. This picture was funny. I had hiked to Hot Springs ahead of everyone. This was my second night there and i was in my room. I heard a banjo start playing and i thought, "I only know one banjo player so far (dude's name was Banjo)". I stick my head out and there is everyone i knew so far just chillen. I honestly wasn't sure i'd see any of them for the rest of the trail. And i decided to shave my head.



This is right after the boardwalk in New Jersey i believe.



Me eating like a mad man at the Greymoore Monastery.

[VTheKing]

sickening sickening thread. keep it up

[stronggator]

that's awesome brah

[faxanadu]

Hump and I's Walmart bikes for our 60 mile Pennsylvania ride. His is the Panama Jack bike.



Posing for our hiker calendar...



Old half way point.



The basic setup of our home made raft.



Best camp spot ever. Right outside Stroudsbeg on a cliff side.



It started pouring one day and like usually i could give a crap less. The trail turned into a stream. My boots needed cleaning anyways.



Us posing with a dude that helped us around a dam on the river (he's on the right).



Banjo and I getting drunk at trail days.

[faxanadu]

The nicest friggen shelter...



One of my favorite pictures. Outside of Duncannon PA.



Trail on the New Jersey boardwalk.



Wooden bridge window before Kent CT. We swam in this river. Cold but awesome.



Nice little spot in New York.



On top of Katahdin.



A pic from my second bike ride.

[JM2412]

You better have drank some Yuengling while in PA.

GJDM.

[dvylwd]

cost and time of trip? What time of year was it? I hear some of the trail cant be done in winter

[Bulkytheboot]

awesome thread.. can you give more details on the two people that died from drugs?

[faxanadu]

My reaction to the sign before Mt. Moosilauke in the Whites.



Waterfall going up Moosilauke.



Hiker Trash on top of Moosilauke



Bich of a rock scramble up Katahdin. And this is only a slight section of it. I think i went up and down within 6 hours.



A bunch of use chillen at a guy named True Brit's ranch.



You can see how my hiking gear has changed from the beginning of the trail towards the end.



This was my gear at the beginning.

[mike.hunt]

Wow epic tale mate, I remember the original thread vaguely. What's next, where do you go from here?

[faxanadu]

Would you recommend doing the hike/trip with a good friend? Or is it better to go by yourself?

Unless it is a friend you've done serious hiking with my answer would be 'no'. If you don't have the same mindset and pace you will get annoyed as hell with each other after a while. This especially applies to dudes hiking with their girlfriends. I saw that sh-t go south so many times. However, some people do manage.

You will meet so many people along the way that everything will be cool.

[j_spurg]

So jealous. Looks like a good trip, what was your projected budget vs. money spent?

[jumpman18]

cost and time of trip? What time of year was it? I hear some of the trail cant be done in winter

I imagine that OP started in the spring and ended in the fall

[faxanadu]

You better have drank some Yuengling while in PA.

GJDM.

It was our breakfast beer. I honestly didn't care for it much though.

[faxanadu]

cost and time of trip? What time of year was it? I hear some of the trail cant be done in winter

You can definitely do the trail on 2-3k. Actually, there have been people that started with 0 cash and just worked odd jobs along the way. I wont even talk about how much money i dropped lol. Basically, i was known as the guy that was either A) Hiking like a beast or B) Chill'en at a hotel for two days. Except for hotels and the smokey mountains i slept like crap the entire way.

I started April 6th and finished Sept. 29th. Honestly, if all i did was hike i could of done the thing in 3-4 months.

[jumpman18]

Did you go into town and restock on food every couple weeks?

[faxanadu]

awesome thread.. can you give more details on the two people that died from drugs?

One died in Marion VA at the hotel i was staying at. I think i met him the day before at the liquor store. That night he supposedly was really drunk and then popped some pills are something. I think he had a room by himself and they found him the next morning.

The other died at a hotel i was staying at a few days past that. It was the town i mentioned in the first picture. I belief the circumstances were similar.

[faxanadu]

Wow epic tale mate, I remember the original thread vaguely. What's next, where do you go from here?

Some of us are talking about the PCT. I'm really interested in cycling East to West across the USA. Cycling is a lot more enjoyable than walking IMO.

[faxanadu]

So jealous. Looks like a good trip, what was your projected budget vs. money spent?

I wanted to stay under 5k. That didn't happen lol.

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

pretty fukin cool. would like to do this on the pacific crest trail.

[faxanadu]

This is the river i had to ford 5 times outside Erwin. No i didn't ford it right there.



What my food started looking like.



I almost ran it to this branch. Apparently many in the past have ran into it lol.



One trail angel has a zip line you can cross if you want to chill at his house.



Something rewarding when you stop on a ledge, look back, and see that you just walked 15 miles across valley.



The NOC in North Carolina. This place is really cool and is a must stop.

[faxanadu]

Looking at the pictures... i still can't believe everything that i did. What a journey.

[Shiden11]

damn have to get to bed, in for later when I have more time

[FatCatty]

FUKING IN ON ONE what an incredible accomplishment my dude, insane. WWP shirt is ballin too. im mirin, so hard

[JM2412]

How fukked were your feet from hiking?

How did you deal with blisters, etc.?