I fail to see the humor in that situation, Doctor...

3/31/08 - Climbed 2 mountains - Big Bald & Little Bald (I'm gonna let this one slide... it's too easy) - both had 360 degree views of... fog. But once he descended, he found himself in a land of babbling brooks and chirping birds! How serene.

• So, his hellacious morning was followed by a fairly enjoyable afternoon.
• April Fools! Well almost. Found an empty box labeled "Trail Magic" - which must have been accidentally leftover & forgotten from last year.
• New friends are a couple named Spock & Twiggy - may be hitchhiking in to Erwin with them tomorrow.
• Says he mentally wants to hike more miles but his body seems to be increasingly disagreeable to the notion... his legs have been feeling more & more tired at the end of the day.
• 17.5 mi again - almost caught up to The General but it started to rain so decided to stay at No Business Shelter instead.

Sip & slide...

3/28/08 - Goal was to hike 8 mi to Hot Springs & relax... maybe visit the springs...

• Made it there by noon.
• Spent 4 hours resupplying, playing on the Internet & eating lunch. Ate & drank 2 beers with a old friend he met at the beginning of the AT.
• Once his drinking buddy left (to take a week off & visit home), he quickly became bored & decided to keep on keepin' on...
• In haste to make it the additional 10 mi to the next shelter - forgot to restock his water supply (bad because he was SUPER thirsty from the two pints - as close to drunk-hiking as he's come all trip) & had to bum drinking water off a family on the trail!! (I feel like mooching food & water off of families has become so commonplace it should become its own blog label...)
• Managed to find his own water at the next gap.
• Got to Spring Mountain Shelter (which was bursting at the seems with people) at dark. VERY nice to be around fellow hikers after not seeing anyone for the last 2 days!
• Pitched tarp outside as it started to rain. Must have been a quick pitch (some might say haphazard) cause he wound up sliding a few feet down hill while he slept & the bottom half of him got soaked!

3/29/08 - Woke up wet and to another rainy day ahead.

• Hiked down to Allen Gap & came across a sign that said "Trail Magic to the Right!" - OF COURSE he followed it & it led him to a Christian couple (also former thru-hikers) who had opened up their kitchen to serve the masses: waffles, stew, and an assortment of deserts (banana splits, brownie-fudge sundaes, and cherry pie a la mode)! Hearts went for the chocolate : )
• Here's the twist: Before he made that rather tasty right-hand turn, a man from the Hemlock Hollow Hostel tried to dissuade him from going by spouting something like, "You don't know what's in that food." Amos warned the trail angels of the hostel-owner's attack & a BIG confrontation of the two groups ensued with Amos smack-dab in the middle! I guess the hostel-owner thought the trail angels were killing his business & Amos wound-up arguing in favor of the Christian couple and their trail magic... awkward!
• Back to the trail & up up up 5 mi to the top o' the hill where he encountered a youth group from KY passing out scripture-wrapped Snickers!! Amos took 8 - 8 Snickers.
• I don't know about you but to me this trip seems like it's been inordinately laced with goodies. In my mind walking the AT is like playing a life-sized game of Candyland. This morning, he drew the purple card & moved ahead 5 spaces to hang-out with Gloppy the Chocolate Monster... perhaps tomorrow he'll meet Gramma Nut or The Gingerbread People... yeah, hands-off Princess Lolly the skinny Viking with the sweet-tooth's mine!
• 15 and a half miles today.
• Jerry Cabin was full. One fellow hiker took up 2 spots with his dog so Hearts had to pitch the tarp... again.
• Unusual occurrences: some guy who likes to hike at night wound up walking in circles around the camp in search of a missing food bag - he got lost in the fog - & a frog jumped on Amos' face!

3/30/08 - Wet. Cloudy. Cold. Windy.

• The dense fog that shrouded the mountains all morning lifted part-way through the day, but EVERYTHING he has is wet. Go figure, the fog tends to seep in the cracks & crevices unlike a more reliable rain.
• Devised a way to dry his sleeping bag by wearing it like a cape the latter portion of the day. (It's almost dry!) Who wouldn't kill to stumble across Superhearts on the trail!!?
• 17.5 mi. Camping about a mile and a half past I-26. In hot pursuit of The General - maybe 2 or 3 miles behind him?! Not bad for taking almost a week off!

Not so cool to be all alone...

3/27/08 - Hiked the 1st mile with Isaac (late start - around 3:30 pm) to the top of Max Patch Mtn. One of his favorite places on the whole AT! Said he had spectacular 360 degree view & could see into his past (Great Smokys) present (da Patch) & future (Hot Springs tomorrow)!

• I think it was actually one of his favorite spots because he had Isaac there with him... & beer (which he made poor Isaac carry - with a broken toe!!)
• Saw a few people on the way back down the mtn. & no one else ALL DAY! Even passed 2 shelters around dinnertime & not a soul!
• Heightened senses from being alone all day - heard dogs barking in the distance. Which was weird because he's in a national park.
• Stopped for water 1/2 way down a mountain & 2 wild (WILD) dogs cut across the trail feverishly chasing after a deer. 2nd dog with hair-on-end stopped & stared at him for a second & Amos thought he was going to have to use his trekking pole as a weapon!! Very, very odd. And definitely creepy being so alone.
• Hiked between 11-12 mi & set up camp just past Bluff Mtn.

Has become comfortably numb...

3/26/08 - A late start to the day but got to sleep-in in a warm bed & had a warm cup of joe in the morning. (Wow, warm is a farily new concept!)

• Surprise! Ran into Naked Ron (yeah... that's the name he went with) and his girlfriend(?) at the bridge near the Pigeon & AT.
• 13.5 miles of great weather - climbed up 2 mtns. - Snowbird & Harmon Den
• Isaac hiked along with again today & got lost in the woods somewhere along the way! My understanding is that they'll pick back up at the base of Max Patch Mtn. tomorrow morning & say their goodbyes at the top... : (
• Attack of the killer gnats - got his 1st dose of warm weather complete with all of the "perks" (by perks I think I mean "pests") that come with.
• Medical Report: New blister under toe - weird spot. All of the feeling he regained in his big toes by walking around in Crocs last week is gone - they're numb again... I have a sneaking suspicion they'll go numb every time he dons a pair of sneakers for the rest of his adult life. Knees are holding up good!

Praying for daylight...

3/25/08 - Woke up at 5 am and even Isaac couldn't wait to get out of bed so they could get up and hike. He didn't though... at least not right away... Amos served him up breakfast in bed!! (what a good brother - Brandi don't get any ideas!)

• Put on FROZEN gear (socks were stiff as a board!) & managed to eek out a few jumping jacks to warm-up.
• Beautiful blue skies w/ snowy peaks & green valleys - great views today made up for near zero visibility yesterday.
• Isaac talked to EVERYBODY they came across on the trail - maybe a full hour and a half worth of Isaac being good 'ol lovable Isaac!
• Lunch: (I should preface this by saying that they each have their own personal jar of peanut butter.) Organic dark chocolate and peanut butter sandwiches!
• Took a side trail to Mt. Cammerer - they could see all of Hartford & even Isaac's house!!
• Trail magic just as they came to the end - a cooler full of all that Little Debbie could possibly have to offer: donut sticks, zebra cakes, oatmeal creme pies, etc.
• 17.5 AT miles today & hiked an extra 1.5 mi to the Pigeon & had a friend (Mike) pick them up - they're nice & cozy and at Isaac's house tonight. (Maybe a good 40 degrees warmer in the valley than up at 6000 ft.)
• Isaac quote of the day: "1. Amos is WAY more bad-ass than me... 2. You had the most romantic 1st kiss ever." (he was serious - under a flipped Shredder on the Upper Yough was more idealistic than even I could dream up!)
• Hiking to Max Patch tomorrow - and then back to Isaac's tomorrow night with the promise of La Carreta's Mexican - veggie fajitas I presume. Civilization is sooo tempting... !

It's all downhill from here...

3/24/08 - Ok. So they weren't entirely prepared to head out yesterday, scrambled to find a ride today & BARELY made it on the mountain before the park rangers closed the road to Newfound Gap.

• Just in the nick of time - the rangers told them they were closing down the stretch of 441 that runs thru the Smokys as they were pulling into the parking lot at the top - due to snow, and threatened them with the prospect of 4-5 inches and temps in the single digits in the mountains tonight!
• Passed hikers he met at the Blueberry Patch Hiker Hostel during the day & didn't feel so bad about taking 6 days off... hiked 16 mi today.
• PLENTY of room in Tricorner Knob shelter - no one else was there! At least they'll have each other for warmth. I know for a FACT they're not above snuzzling with one another. Come to think of it - I don't think Isaac packed warm sleeping attire... just boxers...
• Forgot to mention - Clingman's Dome was the highest pt. on the whole AT at 6,643 ft - you know what that means... !

ouch...

[in reference to week III progress chart above - not the video below which is a small slice of Actionality on Saturday at Upper Big Creek, TN. Isaac in the Storm & Amos in the Nomad. Both little piggies were cracked & filled up with water on Upper Big Creek... down Lower Big Creek... and (we we wee) all the way back to Isaac's house on the Upper Pigeon - it was cold and pretty darn miserable by the end - every one's hands were numb. So then again I guess... ouch.]

Isaac.

Amos.

Isaac.

Amos.

Home is where the Hartford is...

3/17/08 - 14.5 mi to Double Spring Gap shelter. Caught 2 FANTASTIC 360 degree views back-to-back! One at Rocky Tops (which was ironically a big grassy peak w/ a small pile of rocks at the wee top) and the other at Thunderhead Mtn.

• The 1st and last 2 miles were BEAUTIFUL but the middle 12.5 were fairly uneventful.
• Some dad made his kid begrudgingly give Amos his chocolate covered pretzels (Amos of course gladly & quickly accepted)!
• REALLY windy, foggy, misty, cold so Hearts made a fire in the shelter.
  

3/18/08 - Started hiking around 5:30 am to catch the sunrise at Clingman's Dome - hiked in the dark & said it was one of the creepiest things he's ever done... especially cause his headlamp was near death the entire time - his back-up plan was light by cellphone...

• Trek up to Clingman's was EXTREMELY foggy & the clouds were "whipping past him at 80 mph"!!
• At Newfound Gap an "Ultra-Republican-Southerner" gave him snacks and a drink on the stipulation that Amos not vote for Obama.... (little did he know, Amos already voted for Obama, and I LOVE that Amos momentarily set aside his deep-seated, ultra-liberal political viewpoints for a lemonade)!
  
• I got there around 1ish & took Hearts & Spruce down to Gatlinsburg - my favorite part of the car ride was when Spruce learned Amos' real name!!
• Ate some mexican, napped at the base of the Smokys in the sun, drank $2 pints at Smoky Mountain Brewery with Isaac, and housed a pint of "Everything But The..." ice cream (Ben & Jerry of course).

3/19/08 - No miles... no miles for the next few days. Staying with Isaac in Hartford. The brother(s) will start hiking again on Easter (this Sunday). Knee needs a break. I need a break.

• Crab rangooon for breakfast, stopped to visit Isaac at work, went grocery shopping (took FOREVER), drank wine, ate peanut butter fudge (which wasn't "peanut-buttery enough" says the man who eats like 8 oz of straight-up peanut butter a day), played rummy (I lost royally, 545 to 355), tossed around football, ran Big Creek with Isaac, power outage, drank some more wine - good relaxing rainy day.
• Thrilled not to be soaked to the bone in the upper Smokys!
  

Hiking in the Smokys made dam near bearable...

3/15/08 - Another stormy day... Hiked 13 mi to Fontana Dam & stayed at the "Fontana Hilton" - the nicest shelter on the whole dam trail. (Brandi - don't get agitated about the missing 'n' - it's a play on words!)

• Hitchhiked into a nearby village with Ron. Stopped at the general store to resupply - he was shy 1 dinner and unwilling to live off of his oatmeal stockpile.
• BONUS: Laundromat open & they were able to dry their clothes! In true Hearts form, he housed a pint of ice cream while they waited.
• You know what's unbearable... no cell phone service when he's hiking along ridges through severe thunderstorms. The same low pressure system that spurred the EF2 tornado in downtown Atlanta the night before!

3/16/08 - Welcome to Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Started out around 60 degrees at the dam this morning but temps dropped drastically once he got into the mountains. Said most of the higher peaks in the Smokys look like they're capped with rime (a lesson in earth science - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rime_ice). Brrr.

• Grabbed a Mr. Pibb at the visitor center to wash down his cereal... bleah! Apparently, he's been craving sweets like nobody's business since he got on the trail.
• Hiked up Shuckstack Mtn. I only mention it because he LOVED saying "Shuckstack" and because on the way up he stopped to fill up his tank at a natural spring & looked 20 feet back down the mountain just as a HUGE BLACK BEAR crossed the trail!!! He tried to snap a picture & may have managed to get a slightly obscured shot as it was passing through some thick weeds!
• Unknowingly wandered into Tennessee & passed a sign that said he has less than 2000 mi to Katahdin!!
• Today's tally: 17 mi. Got the last spot at Spence Field shelter. It's filled to the brim w/ 20 people and an additional 10 more camping outside! TONS of people on the trail today! (Ron, Squire, Matthew, & Spruce are all there)

Got your goat...

3/14/08 - BIG day - hardest so far... 16 total mi, rainy. Climbed up 3000ft then down 3000 ft then up 3000 ft then down 3000 ft & then right before Brown Fork Gap Shelter... back up again!! Said there wasn't a flat mile all day!

• Started off right w/ a good breakfast: pancakes, eggs & coffee.
• Hiked with Matthew. Fun fact for the day - they came across a lot of garbage thrown over a hillside. Someone threw away their goat. Yeah. A dead goat. Which Amos decided to take a picture of while unknowingly standing in a heaping pile of dirty diapers... as Matthew poked it with a hiking pole... Something to look forward to on a future roll of film.
• Best dinner on the trail so far = instant buttery, salty, cheesy mashed potatoes!
• Shelter's holding Matthew, Squire, The General, Ron and a new guy who was pretty much asleep when they got there (Timber, Lumber, Forest... can't remember his name). Those boys are inseparable!

The paridoxical Chubby Hubby...

3/13/08 - Headed 5.5 mi straight downhill from Wesser Bald (which is hardest on the old man's knee) and in to the NOC.

• Breakfast at the Rivers End Restaurant - vegetarian gravy & biscuits! (who knew!? w/ a side of home fries)
• Spent $50 at a local outfitter on a pack-cover & water bag - OUCH!
• Enjoyed a pint of Ben & Jerry's - which I think maybe should have gone on his knee.
• 70 degrees & sunny!! He just got done soaking feet in the Nantahala! Says it's weird watching the kayakers & not in a boat himself...
• About to split a 6-pack with Matthew & Ron (who'll be camping with him tonight), The General & Squire (who are staying at a hostel in town), and Starbucks (don't know what he's up to).

Well hot dog...

3/12/08 - Amos, Ron, Riley, Squire, & the General stuck together pretty much all day. Riley left the group once they reached Wesser Bald Shelter to forge on toward the NOC. 18 total mi today.

• Caught 2 amazing views from 2 firetowers. Wayah Bald & Wesser Bald. Wesser Bald's view was "incredible" - could see all the way to Fontana Lake!
• More trail magic in a HUGE tent that took 2 days in and of itself to set up. Hearts helps himself to 1/2 a package of cookies, some hot chocolate, and his 1st HOT DOG IN 3 YEARS!!
• Knee is awful. Going to stop at the NOC to get knee bands & Glucosamine - apparently vitamin I is no longer cutting it...
• The General, Ron, Matthew, Squire & Starbucks at the shelter tonight.

Stuffed & bald...

3/11/08 - Got up early & set out to Siler Bald Shelter. 10 mi into the trip, came across some trail magic...

• Scarfed down the following delicious & nutritious treats (in no particular order): coke, 2 fudge rounds, a rice crispy treat, snack pack pudding cup & a bag of Doritos - which turned out to be the calm before the storm...
• Because... Upon reaching rt. 64 it was decided to tweak the plan slightly so that it now included hitchhiking to Franklin for an ALL YOU CAN EAT MEXICAN BUFFET and beer with Riley...
• It's apparently easier to hitchhike with 2 people.
• Buffet came with all you can eat cheese sauce, too...
• With full bellies, a nice young lass with a fondness for handsome thru-hikers offered to take them back to the trail where they continued on for 3 more mi to Siler Bald.
• Other knee is starting to hurt & 3rd blister formed on his left heel which is proving much more painful than the previous 2 that were on his toes.
• Tonight's shelter is holding our boy Hearts, Ron, Riley, Matthew, and The General- who's entertaining the troops by telling old war stories in his charmingly unique Brit/Aussie accent.

Hungry hungry hiker...

3/10/08 - 14 miles worth of hiking today. Camping tonight at a shelter about 3/4 of a mile down the back-end of Albert Mtn. known as Big Spring Shelter. Today's highlights include...

• A lot of creek crossing - which of course he loved
• Ate 2 lunches just cause he had the time (what a great reason to eat twice!)
• Trekked above 5,000 ft 2x today & saw his 1st 360 degree panoramic view at the top of Albert Mtn. - which of course he also loved!
• Taking lots of vitamin I for his knee - says it does a fairly good job of numbing the pain while he hikes... no comment.
• Scarfed down 8 servings of stuffing (with a 1/2 brick of cheese) for dinner (Note: eight servings is NOT a typo!!)
• Same guys are at the shelter tonight as last night but they'll most likely split up tomorrow (unnamed hiker from camp yesterday is Squire)

Hiking from GA to NC is snow-joke...

3/9/08 - Woke up to his 2nd infamous organic breakfast & FINALLY left the Blueberry Patch! I bet Gary had to kick him out... (kidding, I know he was antsy to hike yesterday) He was dropped off at the trail around 10 am.

• Started hiking with Ron & finished with Riley, a rugby player from Brown University.
• Very snowy in the mtns - especially along the north-facing slopes that didn't see the sun today. Said he had to trudge through some fairly deep drifts.
• Knee hurts ALOT - under the knee cap. Says it feels horrible going up and down hills with his pack on but it feels fine when walking around camp. Probably not going to hike more than 14 mi tomorrow. Took some vitamin I to alleviate the pain (which I've learned is his pet name for Ibuprofen).
• Hiked 17 mi to the Standing Indian Shelter. Staying with Ron, Riley, The General, and some other guy whose name he can't quite remember...
• It's going to be REALLY cold tonight - in the low 20's. He said his nose is frozen & he won't write in his journal because he refuses to take his hands out of his gloves!
• Looking forward his 1st big climb above 5000 ft tomorrow! Please pray for that knee!

Saw it coming...

3/8/08 - Hiked 0.0 mi... I knew it! He's not leaving the Blueberry Patch... ever.

• Cold, blustery & significant snow in the mountains
• Knee is still a little sore
• Organic breakfast: eggs, biscuits, coffee, oj, fresh fruit, pancakes with... you guessed it... blueberry syzzurp!
• Played Rummy with a few other thru-hikers - Jesse, Bill, Herbie & August - came in 2nd (which means they didn't get to see how disgruntled he gets when he looses)
• Games followed by back-breaking manual labor around the hostel. My understanding is that they wound up cutting down trees, splitting firewood, pulling thicket and feeding briars to the donkeys (!)
• Leftover mexican for dinner then took a bus back to Neels Gap (you're going the wrong way!) for the annual "hiker kick-off" - which is a fancy way of saying "more free food"
• Should cross into his 1st new state tomorrow - NC or BUST!

Please don't throw me in that Blueberry Patch, Briar Fox...

3/7/08 - I'm at a loss - more days like this "on the trail" & he may never come home... total AT mileage = 66.3 mi out of ~2175 mi. Last one to leave the shelter this morning after waking up next to section-hikers Chris & Davey (The General had already set out). Chris promised a warm meal once Amos gets near his his home along the trail in Virginia. Breakfast sounded good: blueberry oatmeal & coffee - yum! Hiked the 4 mi he promised in the rain to Dicks Creek Gap and the Blueberry Patch Hostel/Christian missionary in Hiawassee, Ga. where he declared the owner & former thru-hiker Gary Poteat one of THE nicest men... ever. Lets examine why...

• Upon arrival Amos hops in the shower while Gary does his LAUNDRY!
• They decide to head into town, but alas... they only have one car. So Gary has Amos drop him off at church and lets Amos take his PICK-UP TRUCK into town to run errands!
• Amos then hits up a local MEXICAN restaurant for a veggie chimichanga and Dos Equis. This followed by trip to the library for a quick session ONLINE.
• He gets back to the hostel where Gary has a toasty FIRE built JUST for him and then meets some of the critters Gary & Lennie keep in their back yard including 3 goats named... wait for it... Shadrach, Meshach, and A Billy Goat!!
• He uses a BOOT WARMER to dry out his tennis - who has one of those?!!? And then proceeds to find a half gallon of NUTTY-BUDDY CONE CRUNCH ICE CREAM stashed in the freezer - which I'm assuming he's waist deep in right about now - complete with one of the most severe ice cream headaches of his life... good for him
• Tomorrow morning he's looking forward to what Backpacker Magazine lists as one of the things not to miss on the AT - The Blueberry Patch's infamous ORGANIC BREAKFAST!

He's so spoiled.

Certainly not boaring...

3/6/08 - Originally torn between hiking to Tray Mtn. shelter (12 mi) or continuing on to Deep Gap which was to be determined by tonight's weather...

• Wound up hiking 20 miles (!!!) to the Deep Gap shelter
• Good news: he'll be sleeping-in in the morning instead of hiking through the brunt of the rain (which looks to be peaking around 10 am or so)
• Rolled ankle 2x coming down the mountain - seems to be okay
• Planning on cutting back to 4 mi tomorrow & heading into Hiawassee to restock
• Fun fact: when we spoke this evening there were wild boar rooting around in the bushes outside the shelter - which I've learned aren't necessarily friendly - so we got off the phone fairly quickly so he could get safely back inside... : /

Who knew, too much food...

3/5/08 - Weather was chilly/icy this morning and gear was wet so it was pretty tough to get out of the cozy rented cabin and onto the trail but once out... hiked ~12 mi.

• Weather turned out to be great
• Saw some amazing views
• Came across a cooler stashed with diet soda & beer - no brainer which one he chose
• Set up camp tonight about a mile and a half past Low Gap
• Also realized he may have initially packed too much food - which will bring his pack weight down next time he restocks (in the next 70-100 mi or so!)

To begin...

Original pack weight ~43 lbs

3/2/08 - Dropped off at the head of the service trail by Isaac - hiked ~8 mi to the top of Springer Mtn. to start the "offical "AT & then continued ~2 mi in to the 1st shelter.

• As I understand 51 hikers started on Saturday - maybe 9 or so started on Sunday
• Amos was given the trail name... "Hearts" - my fault... sorry - I smuggled an absurd amt. of paper hearts into his pack & they've apparently been falling out at inopportune times.

3/3/08 - 23 TOTAL miles hiked by the end of today & first blister forms... as well as a rather swollen/tender left knee.

• Good News: Caught up to many of the hikers that started on Saturday!
• Bad News: No room in any of the shelters...

3/4/08 - A TON of rain landed in Ga today - Amos said it was so windy @ the top of Blood Mtn. that he ran from shrub-to-shrub for shelter to get off the mtn. Hiked a total of 16 miles today & made it safely to Neels Gap.

• 39 miles down in 3 days!! (31 of which were 'AT miles')
• Rented a cabin for the night with the Red Ranger (apparently he has thru-hiked the trail before & all of his gear is red) - hot water, queen sized bed, tv, Dominoes pizza, the works!
• 2nd blister... ouch