Start of Week Two

On Saturday, March 26 I walked 10.8 miles in an all day cold rain arriving at the shelter area.  I set up my tent and ate a dehydrated meal of pasta primavera.  Dehydrated dinners are popular.  What a treat to have a lighter backpack!  I went to sleep at 8:00 PM and awoke at 7:00 AM.  The last time I slept 11 hours I must have been a teen or in college after an all night cramming session.  Unfortunately the rain made mud everywhere--on my shoes, clothes, tent, backpack, etc.  I loaded up my gear on Sunday morning and started out.  For many hours the visibility was 75 yards at most as a cloudy mist covered the mountains.  Then as if someone opened the shades at home, the clouds lifted and the sun came out.  I hiked 9.4 miles over an extremely rocky tree rooted path.  Only my hiking sticks kept me from falling several times.  I stopped mid afternoon to call my wife.  I told her I was sitting on top of a mountain and all I could see in all directions were mountains.  On Sunday night I stayed at a Super 8 motel in Helen, GA, the Gatlinburg of Georgia, 50.8 miles from the start of the trail.  Every building looks like a chalet.  I'm getting a late start this morning because the weather forecast looks good this afternoon and evening and all day Tuesday.  However rain is forcasted for Wednesday and Thursday

Week One

The first week was extremely difficult but exciting.  The Georgia terrain is both rugged and steep.  I climbed several mountains including Blood Mountain (elevation 4,461 feet-the highest peak in the AT in Georgia).  I also created hotspots on both heels and several of my toes are sore.  To lighten the load after four days of hiking, I bought a lighter tent and backpack from an outfitter.  In addition I also reduced backpack weight substantially by shipping somethings home and sending a box forward (bounce box) with items I may need later.  I couldn't continue to carry such a heavy backpack.  My backpack now weighs about 32-35 pounds.

The trail is really in the wilderness.  I have not seen a home since starting the trail and I have passed only two paved roads in the first 30 miles.  Rhododendrons were plentiful in the first few days and tiny white, yellow, and purple violets were just merging along the trail.

On the third night the temperature got in the 20's as my water bottle froze.  After camping for three nights, I was blessed to stay in a cabin last night with indoor plumbing, kitchen, and bathroom.

So far this morning, it is raining hard so we haven't started hiking.  Thanks for your prayers and support!

The Time is Near

Hi everyone!

I appreciate your interest and and will remember daily your support.  I am pleased to tell you that I now have nearly 300 sponsors with all financial support going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Alzheimer's Society.  If anyone else wishes to sponsor me one cent per mile for a maximum of $22, let me know and I'll gladly get you on my list.

 

I am both excited and anxious as the beginning of the hike is just days away.  I will fly from Cleveland to Atlanta on Monday, March 21.  The hike will begin the next day, Tuesday, March 22 at Springer Mountain, Georgia, the southern terminus of the AT.  The final destination of Mt. Katahdin in Maine will be only about 5 million steps or nearly 2,200 miles away.  In the early going I expect to average only 8-10 miles per day.  As my body adjusts to the backpack weight of about 42 pounds and to the rigors of the rugged trail, the mileage is expected to increase gradually to perhaps 15 miles on average per day.   

 

At the end of every week of the hike I look forward to keeping in touch with you as to my location, progress, joys and woes.  I plan that the weekly update also will include a photo from the trail.  Starting next week, my oldest daughter, Cindi Akers, will be taking over this email address for me while I am gone and she will be sending you the updates from here.

 

The AT was completed in 1937 as a wilderness trail along the eastern seaboard.  It traverses the Appalachian Mountains, the most rugged terrain in the eastern U.S.  It winds through 8 national forests, 6 national parks, and numerous state parks and forests.  It changes in length each year due to constant rerouting of various sections in order to prevent erosion or to accommodate new land acquisitions.  Currently the AT is 2,179.1 miles in length versus 2,178.3 miles last year.  If only I had thru-hiked the AT last year, I could have shaved .8 of a mile off my thru-hike!

 

Over the past several months I ate lunch at two Chinese restaurants.  At the first restaurant my fortune cookie stated, "Don't judge the height of a mountain until you have reached the top."  At the second restaurant my fortune cookie stated, "A new voyage will fill your life with untold memories."  Since I will be attempting to climb many mountains on my trek, both messages seemed to be personally intended for me!

 

I have talked at length with several AT thru-hikers for advice and information.  Each spoke of their hike as a life-changing adventure and reflected on the memories they have.  Not all memories are positive as each hiker at times suffered physical injuries, illness and hunger.  Yet all concluded that their joys far outweighed their difficulties of the hike.  

 

Please keep me in your prayers for a safe hike as I embark through the wild, scenic, wooded, pastoral lands of the AT mountains!

 

Bob Grau