Welcome to My AT Adventure

I arrived in Hot Springs yesterday afternoon. The first hostel that I arrived at closed on 3/17 as the owners are in their 70s. And, as mentioned in my earlier post, another hostel had already announced their closure. Luckily, the 3rd hostel was open. While I was hiking, I received a letter from the Appalachian… Continue reading Update to hiking in the time of COVID-19

I am writing this on Monday, March 16, but won’t be able to publish this post until Thursday, March 19 when I arrive in Hot Springs, NC. Last night, I had WiFi and was able to catch up with some of the evolving news regarding the virus. The last time I had access to the… Continue reading Hiking during the time of COVID-19

Miles: 11 Steps: 46,412 Calories: 2553 Avg BG: 128 Hiked from Tray Mt Shelter out to Dick’s Creek Gap and shuttled into Hiawassee to the Budget Inn. We got to meet up 3 folks we first met at Stover Creek Shelter on our first night – Roadrunner, Wardrobe, and SpiceRack. It was great to catch… Continue reading Week 2 – Day 8

The daily metrics listed in Bridget Jone’s Diary are easier to understand than the ones I am listing. So, here is an explanation of each metric. Miles – This is the official AT miles hiked that day according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy guide/maps. Steps – These are the steps recorded on my Fitbit Charge… Continue reading Daily stats – what do they mean?

Long distance thru-hikers talk about hiker hunger – a state in which all you do is think about food and are constantly hungry. Hikers experiencing hiker hunger will eat large quantities of anything to satisfy the hunger. An example: One of the SOBOs that I met, ate 2 Mountain House freeze-dried meals for dinner –… Continue reading Hiker anorexia vs. hiker hunger

Miles: 11.8 Steps: 44880 Kcal: 1757 Avg BG: 115 It was a cold morning (as forecast), and Ready and I had breakfast at the diner next to the Budget Inn. As we ate, we saw another hiker out on the street. A few men across the diner commented, “what kind of a fool hikes in… Continue reading Week 2 – Day 10

Miles: 0 Steps: 13280 Kcal: 2706 Avg BG: 145 We took a zero day in Hiawassee doing an assortment of chores. The best were the hot showers, the clean laundry, and beds! New boots were waiting for me from REI to address my blister issues. One pair fit and the other pair was returned. I… Continue reading Week 2 – Day 9 in Hiawassee

Day 1: 10.5 miles 39,383 steps Kcal: 1926 Avg blood glucose (BG): 120 Started out from Amicalola Falls Lodge at 8:30 with James. We met over breakfast and decided to start the adventure together. We hiked together for about 5 minutes before he took a different route. But he caught up to me on my… Continue reading Week 1 – Springer to Dick’s Creek Gap

I began meeting other thru-hikers yesterday who will be in my bubble on the trail. I met Atticus last night. Atticus is from Atlanta. His name is a tribute to Atticus from the book titled Following Atticus by Tom Ryan. This morning at breakfast, I met two other thru-hikers. Joe started this morning and Caroline… Continue reading Finding my peeps!