Daily Miles: 16.8, Total Miles: 41.9 What better way to start the day than with a climb to the top of Blood Mountain. This is the highest point on the AT in Georgia at 4,458′. This section of trail to Neel Gap requires a bear canister if camping but I was just passing through. I’m sure the views would have been impressive. But I couldn’t see more than 50 feet in front of me due a heavy mist. I did…
Daily Miles: 15.6, Total Miles: 25.1 I woke up to an owl nearby hooting loudly and urgently and clearing skies and a stiff breeze. So I jumped out of the tent and threw my wet clothes on tree limbs for an hour or so. Still wet but at least not dripping. Lots of rolling hills and gaps today with a few steep climbs to Sassafras and Big Cedar Mountains. Stopped for lunch at Gooch Mountain Shelter and another opportunity to…
Daily Miles: 9.5, Total Miles: 9.5 When I went to bed last night there was to be no rain until Saturday. Up early this morning and checked the weather – drizzling rain until 8am. Just light enough at 7:30am so took off on the approach trail thinking the rain was about to stop. Four hours later I reached the AT start at Springer Mountain and it’s still raining, even harder. I nearly missed the AT southern terminus monument in the…
First of all, I would like to give a shout out to Mrs. Haze, my No. 1 Trail Angel. She has been so supportive of my passion for thru-hiking. An avid hiker herself and my training partner but understandably, doesn’t like to sleep on the ground. As such, she hiked the Cotswold Way in England last year with friends, staying in B&B’s every night. I’m quite jealous! I had an uneventful flight to Atlanta today, even arriving early. My duffle…
Getting closer to getting back on the trail! Kind of strange week, weather wise – actually cooler here in Tucson than Springer Mountain. A bit of snowfall down to the base of the Catalinas last night. Won’t last for long however – we’ll be in the 70’s by next weekend. Got in close to an eight-mile hike this week with Mrs. Haze up in the nearby Catalinas. Full dress rehearsal with full pack and good elevation gain. Even got to…
I got the schedule pretty well nailed down. We’ve got some other plans this summer which may include sections of the Oregon Coast Trail. So it looks like I will be breaking up the AT into a couple of large chunks. Hope to get close to halfway on the AT by early June this year and then come back and finish the second half next year. Base weight for this hike will be a bit over 12 lbs due to…
I have said many times that the only way I can lose weight is to go for a long hike. What a great excuse to go for a hike! The only problem is that I eventually gain it back. I will typically lose 20-25 lbs on longer hikes although my record is 40 lbs on the PCT. Still learning about nutrition and a tough bout with giardia were contributing factors on that one. I enjoyed my “high school” weight for…
I have slept with my food on all my hikes with a few exceptions. Bear vaults are required in the Sierras on the PCT. I also hung my food in grizzly country on the CDT from the Tetons to the Canadian border. I used an Opsack bag for food storage on the Colorado Trail because of problem bears around crossings and campgrounds. Have had close encounters with multiple black bears and a few grizzlies but, knock on wood, no problems…
I’ve hiked in cold and wet weather but not for an extended period of time. I’m kind of a desert guy that doesn’t even like the cold that much. I have been drenched in rain, hail and thunderstorms, and hypothermic or close to it on western hikes. I understand the importance of having a dry set of clothes and dry sleeping bag. My limited research confirms March to be potentially, maybe even typically cold and wet. So what am I…
We’re just back from visiting my son and family in Helena. Then on to Ketchum ID for a reunion with old friends. Driving through Stanley and along the Sawtooths got me thinking again about an Idaho hike! So what were the best days on the CT? Best wildlife encounters: big bull moose in pond near Cottonwood Creek and another in the headwaters of Cochetopa Creek. “Most” of any trail I have hiked: days rained or hailed on, mountain bikes, dirt…
