This is Luke (aka NoseHose), typing from the public library in Helen, Ga (37 miles up the trail).
The beginning of the hike has been awesome! Beautiful weather, beautiful views, and beautiful company. The statistics I have read say that 20% of northbound thru-hikers quit their hike by Neels Gap, which is 30 miles from the beginning of the hike. With all the fun we have had so far, we did not see how that was possible. But then we got to thinking that probably around 20% of people get stuck with cold, windy, rain at the beginning of their hike. So, I guess it may make a little sense. But for us, it has been highs of 72 with a slight breeze the whole time. We even stopped for a nap and tanning session atop Big Cedar Mountain that had a crucial sunny rock with one of the most amazing views I have ever had. Chris (Dirty Seven aka Fireman, formerly know as Fittie) has been creating the best campfires every night which has been a pleasure after long days of hiking.
Which brings me to the topic of Chris. Caleb and I have tried to convince Chris to stay on the trail all the way to Maine with us (or at least to Damascus) during the entirety of our trip so far, but to no avail. Apparently, Emory can't run with out Chris or something. So, we will miss Chris. Caleb and I are convinced we may not see another campfire the rest of our trip. Also, it appears as if Chris brought the good weather with him, because as soon as Chris was on his last half mile, it started to rain and the rain looks like it will be here for at least the weekend.
But, Caleb and I remain in good spirits! We have just begun the journey of a lifetime and are ready to get back on the trail (well, after some nice pizza and beer in town)! I think the next planned stop for us will be in Franklin, NC, which is about 70 miles up the trail from here. So we should be able to update the blog again in the next 5-7 days. The first few days have given both of us confidence that we can put in some big miles on the trail in the future once we get into hiking shape. For those of you trying to figure out if/when you can meet up with us in the future, I think it would be safe to say we will average between 13-14 miles a day here in the beginning.
Thank you all so much for the e-mails you have sent me. They have definitely been a big boost to me here in town. I hope to see many of you out on the trail with us soon!
Don't work too hard,
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
CO and PICS
What an beautiful blog voice Luke has...
I'm enjoying these superfluous post about our lives before we even step foot on the trail. However this post might not be as unnecessary as my last. I am currently in Colorado, because if there is one thing that i know it's before you hike the Appalachian Mountains you test your hikin' legs on the Rookies. These little hills (thousand+ feet elevation change within a mile) were a good warm up for the upcoming adventure. This hike gave me a pretty good idea of three things i have been second guessing myself for a while on. First, my body, shoulders, leg, knee etc. : all still intact and feel great, Check. Second, my pack, today i hiked with two liters of water, two apples, a jacket, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: i think those are about the same items I'll be carrying over the next four months, Check. Third, posting pictures, we'll see: check. See ya on the trail...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Final Thoughts Before the Walk
This is Luke.
I would first like to apologize for being absent from the blog for so long. I have no good excuses, except I felt that my time was better spent doing other things. I will give you a quick update on my life since I last posted.
The Inauguration in D.C. was great. I saved up enough money to hike on the trail and got to wave at Barack Obama. We made eye contact, he read my thoughts, and he is executing my plans for the country. So it was a solid trip. I lived in Old Town for all of January and moved to Silver Spring, Maryland where I lived with my friend Johnny and his girlfriend (who I met in D.C. and were great) until February 20th. I could have started another blog for all of the people, scandals, and adventures that I was introduced to in D.C., but this blog is dedicated to the A.T., so that trip only gets a paragraph here.
Since I have returned home, there have been tons of questions about the trail from all sorts of people. It seems pretty common for people to focus their conversation on a certain part of your life when they are aware how big of a change that part is for you (i.e. going to college, retiring, getting married). In the past when this was the case, I would get really tired of the same conversation over and over again. For instance, when I was graduating high school the same questions seemed to follow me no matter where I went ("Where are you going to college?", "Where is that located?", "What made you choose E&H?", etc.). In many ways, leaving for the Appalachian Trail is the same. Recently, the Appalachian Trail is the main topic of any conversation I have with someone and the same questions are posed to me during these conversations ("When are you leaving?", "Are you bringing ______?", "How long will it take you?", etc.). The Appalachian Trail conversations are drastically different, however, because I get no where close to tired of these conversations. Each person I talk to has had a different perspective of what the Appalachian Trail is. Several people I have talked to have actually hiked the Appalachian Trail and given me great advice, others have wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail their whole life but have never been able to escape the obligations of their life, still more have never heard of the Appalachian Trail, some know it exists, but have no idea it spanned from Georgia to Maine, and many know exactly what it is, but have no clue why someone would want to walk it in its entirety. With all these perceptions of the Trail it has been fun witnessing the reactions of others as I explain my plans.
I have been home with my family from February 21st until today, and will remain here until Caleb and I leave for the trail on March 9th. During these last few days, I have been very appreciative of hot meals, hot showers, the thermostat, and a loving family. I have also been gathering and preparing all of my hiking supplies. With six days to go, I have nearly everything I need laying out on my pool table. Besides doing some laundry, visiting the grocery store for my first few days of food, and waiting for a silk sleeping bag liner to come in the mail, my 1.5 year task of collecting the gear I need for the hike is coming to a close. It has been difficult to sleep at night because my mind has been racing about what the trail has in store for me. I have never been more excited about something in my life.
Have to go now...dad got us tickets to go and see the Charlotte Bobcats!
I would first like to apologize for being absent from the blog for so long. I have no good excuses, except I felt that my time was better spent doing other things. I will give you a quick update on my life since I last posted.
The Inauguration in D.C. was great. I saved up enough money to hike on the trail and got to wave at Barack Obama. We made eye contact, he read my thoughts, and he is executing my plans for the country. So it was a solid trip. I lived in Old Town for all of January and moved to Silver Spring, Maryland where I lived with my friend Johnny and his girlfriend (who I met in D.C. and were great) until February 20th. I could have started another blog for all of the people, scandals, and adventures that I was introduced to in D.C., but this blog is dedicated to the A.T., so that trip only gets a paragraph here.
Since I have returned home, there have been tons of questions about the trail from all sorts of people. It seems pretty common for people to focus their conversation on a certain part of your life when they are aware how big of a change that part is for you (i.e. going to college, retiring, getting married). In the past when this was the case, I would get really tired of the same conversation over and over again. For instance, when I was graduating high school the same questions seemed to follow me no matter where I went ("Where are you going to college?", "Where is that located?", "What made you choose E&H?", etc.). In many ways, leaving for the Appalachian Trail is the same. Recently, the Appalachian Trail is the main topic of any conversation I have with someone and the same questions are posed to me during these conversations ("When are you leaving?", "Are you bringing ______?", "How long will it take you?", etc.). The Appalachian Trail conversations are drastically different, however, because I get no where close to tired of these conversations. Each person I talk to has had a different perspective of what the Appalachian Trail is. Several people I have talked to have actually hiked the Appalachian Trail and given me great advice, others have wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail their whole life but have never been able to escape the obligations of their life, still more have never heard of the Appalachian Trail, some know it exists, but have no idea it spanned from Georgia to Maine, and many know exactly what it is, but have no clue why someone would want to walk it in its entirety. With all these perceptions of the Trail it has been fun witnessing the reactions of others as I explain my plans.
I have been home with my family from February 21st until today, and will remain here until Caleb and I leave for the trail on March 9th. During these last few days, I have been very appreciative of hot meals, hot showers, the thermostat, and a loving family. I have also been gathering and preparing all of my hiking supplies. With six days to go, I have nearly everything I need laying out on my pool table. Besides doing some laundry, visiting the grocery store for my first few days of food, and waiting for a silk sleeping bag liner to come in the mail, my 1.5 year task of collecting the gear I need for the hike is coming to a close. It has been difficult to sleep at night because my mind has been racing about what the trail has in store for me. I have never been more excited about something in my life.
Have to go now...dad got us tickets to go and see the Charlotte Bobcats!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What UP Blog!
First entree, lets make it a good one. I guess i should throw on a brief summery and my ideas about the up coming adventure. For the following months, before the trail, I'm experiencing Raleigh without school. Honestly I miss it. However i knew i wouldn't like the routine of work, so this comes at no shock. Also it has inspired me to further dream of after graduation plans. What do people do after school if they don't work? So far I've come up with being a bum, becoming that guy in dad's basement, or traveling and living a nomadic life in a culture hidden from most. I think I'll be all 'bummed out' after the trail, and Dad isn't going to let me live in the basement, so i guess by the process of elimination...
The trail is well within two months. I've decided to rock the bivy and a 30 pound sleeping bag. I know I'm pretty excited about the bivy too. On the down side it seems that i have been dislocating my shoulder more and more. Pushing Thomas on a swing doesn't see like it would pop a shoulder out of place. The worst and most recent time involved tackling someone in a snow football game. I know what your thinking pushing Thomas on a swing is a much harder task than tackling Trent. I agree, that's why I'm worried. Past that there are no down sides in the recent trail outlooks.
Sweet, that should take care of the boring update/trail response. The real inspiration of this post is to get some ideas for the 11 days i have between leaving Raleigh and Luke's graduation. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to avoid Morganton, depending on money. I was thinking of going on a solo hike, but i think that I'll be getting enough of that in the upcoming 2300 mile trail. I was thinking Charleston, but i don't think i have anywhere near enough money to sustain an eleven day experience there. And i know its just not the right time to become a nomad. I await your ideas, and just so you know anything is possible, I have been watching a lot of Man vs. Wild.
OK sweet, good post.
The trail is well within two months. I've decided to rock the bivy and a 30 pound sleeping bag. I know I'm pretty excited about the bivy too. On the down side it seems that i have been dislocating my shoulder more and more. Pushing Thomas on a swing doesn't see like it would pop a shoulder out of place. The worst and most recent time involved tackling someone in a snow football game. I know what your thinking pushing Thomas on a swing is a much harder task than tackling Trent. I agree, that's why I'm worried. Past that there are no down sides in the recent trail outlooks.
Sweet, that should take care of the boring update/trail response. The real inspiration of this post is to get some ideas for the 11 days i have between leaving Raleigh and Luke's graduation. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to avoid Morganton, depending on money. I was thinking of going on a solo hike, but i think that I'll be getting enough of that in the upcoming 2300 mile trail. I was thinking Charleston, but i don't think i have anywhere near enough money to sustain an eleven day experience there. And i know its just not the right time to become a nomad. I await your ideas, and just so you know anything is possible, I have been watching a lot of Man vs. Wild.
OK sweet, good post.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Body in D.C. Mind on the Trai
Luke here. Caleb has now officially checked out the blog and seems to like it. He says he will add a post whenever he gets settled down around a computer.
I have just arrived in Washington D.C. with my girlfriend, Blakeley. We are both going to be working here for the Inauguration at a political memorabilia store. It should be packed busy and exciting. Our boss, Jimmy, has hooked us up with an awesome apartment in Alexandria, VA. It is in the part of the city called Olde Town. It is amazing. Picture Williamsburg, but picture it nicer. This is where I will be staying until I leave for the trail at the beginning of March.
I am so pleased that the blog has its first comment! I am not sure who lmcclees is, but thank you for making my day! And for offering to take us to Georgia and from Maine! You future comment-teers have some tough work to beat that post.
Anyways, I am up here in northern Virginia and caught myself thinking about the trail, so I decided to write a quick post. I am now going to flip through my Thru-Hikers' Companion and daydream about where I will be three months from now.
Take it easy,
I have just arrived in Washington D.C. with my girlfriend, Blakeley. We are both going to be working here for the Inauguration at a political memorabilia store. It should be packed busy and exciting. Our boss, Jimmy, has hooked us up with an awesome apartment in Alexandria, VA. It is in the part of the city called Olde Town. It is amazing. Picture Williamsburg, but picture it nicer. This is where I will be staying until I leave for the trail at the beginning of March.
I am so pleased that the blog has its first comment! I am not sure who lmcclees is, but thank you for making my day! And for offering to take us to Georgia and from Maine! You future comment-teers have some tough work to beat that post.
Anyways, I am up here in northern Virginia and caught myself thinking about the trail, so I decided to write a quick post. I am now going to flip through my Thru-Hikers' Companion and daydream about where I will be three months from now.
Take it easy,
Saturday, December 27, 2008
What? Caleb and Luke have a blog? For their hike? No way...
Last night, over a few beers, Caleb decided that it was time I actually delivered on my promise to create a blog for our imminent attempt at a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail -- this is the result...
I think Caleb and I each realize that this blog will not be viewed by many. We are not trying to receive acclaim for the posts we write about our fantastic adventures, nor are we looking to move up the google hitlist. The primary purpose of this blog is a practical one -- to allow any of our friends, family, or stalkers to know our whereabouts throughout the entirety of the journey from Georgia to Maine.
We believe this will be beneficial to three types of people that care about us. First, there is the group of people that would be worried sick if Caleb and I cut off all communication with the rest of the world. I think examples of people in this group would include Blakeley, Karla, and Grandma Beth. Next, there is the group of you who have expressed interest in hiking a section of the trail with us. This is perhaps the largest group and it is our hope that this blog will be the primary facilitator in arranging these trips. Finally, there is a small group of you who may wish to pick us up from the trail, cook for us, give us a bed, show us the time of our lives, etc. So far, the only person I know in this group is Kevin McGowan. We can let members of this group know when and where we will be so they can achieve their goal of making us happy.
As of today, the plan is to start the trip on March 11th. After that, we should be able to add a post every week or so ("so" could possibly mean "month") when we arrive in a city with public computers and internet access.
I'm going to submit this post and mess around with the rest of the features on this blog and hopefully make it cool.
Take it easy,
I think Caleb and I each realize that this blog will not be viewed by many. We are not trying to receive acclaim for the posts we write about our fantastic adventures, nor are we looking to move up the google hitlist. The primary purpose of this blog is a practical one -- to allow any of our friends, family, or stalkers to know our whereabouts throughout the entirety of the journey from Georgia to Maine.
We believe this will be beneficial to three types of people that care about us. First, there is the group of people that would be worried sick if Caleb and I cut off all communication with the rest of the world. I think examples of people in this group would include Blakeley, Karla, and Grandma Beth. Next, there is the group of you who have expressed interest in hiking a section of the trail with us. This is perhaps the largest group and it is our hope that this blog will be the primary facilitator in arranging these trips. Finally, there is a small group of you who may wish to pick us up from the trail, cook for us, give us a bed, show us the time of our lives, etc. So far, the only person I know in this group is Kevin McGowan. We can let members of this group know when and where we will be so they can achieve their goal of making us happy.
As of today, the plan is to start the trip on March 11th. After that, we should be able to add a post every week or so ("so" could possibly mean "month") when we arrive in a city with public computers and internet access.
I'm going to submit this post and mess around with the rest of the features on this blog and hopefully make it cool.
Take it easy,
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