Days 1-5, Springer Mtn to rocky mtn

Wow! We've made it five whole days on the trail! Alive, but so tired each night, posting has been out of the question. I've been keeping a journal, too, so I won't forget to share any big details.

Day 1: we spent the night at hiker hostel before we left. Kind of pricy, but they shuttled us from north of the airport to the hostel, let us shop for stuff we needed, gave us a bunk, and fed us breakfast. Then they dropped us off at the point just north of Springer mountain. That's the start of the at. We hiked up the mountain, took obligatory pics, and started our for real journey! I was practically hyperventilating up the mountain. So scared/nervous. At about mile 4 it started to feel real.  We ran into a guy who was hiking to Springer to start, but he started in ft Lauderdale, so he'd been hiking for sixty some days already. We ran into him again on day 4. We stayed at a campsite about 9 miles in, putting our mileage for the day at about 10, nine of them official trail miles.

Day 2: while hiking we met a mom and her son, Corben, who're attempting to hike the trail, too. Jesse thinks his middle name is Dallas (5th element reference, yall). The hiking was fun, but uneventful. We hiked a mountain called sassafrass, which took 2246 steps to summit. It was really foggy the first two days. We were hiking right thru the clouds. The top of that mountain could have been a movie set for a horror film. We set up camp after about ten miles, so we'd officially hiked to mile marker 20 on the at. Then, it rained. Big thunderstorm. Started at about three am. Went to about 6. We'll write more about living thru storms later. Suffice it to say, the tent I sewed held but we had a river between our inflatable pads. The only things that got wet (thanks to drags and planning) were parts of our sleeping bags, which we hung to dry outside our packs on day 3. All in all, it worked out well. (Truth be told, were still hoping to dry a headlamp that was incidentally flooded during said storm...)

Day 3: after the storm and a poor night's sleep, I had little hope for the day. We pushed beyond my dreams of blood mountain shelter, the oldest standing shelter on the trail, down into mountain crossing outfitters. We supplied and decided to pay for a hostel stay since the hike down blood mountain was torture on our bodies. After a day that started at 3am and included over 11 miles, we didn't have the last mile or more to the next campsite in US. The hostel was not the best, but the people at mountain crossing were stellar. So was the fanta grape pop! We also ran into Corbin and his mom again there. They were also wet from the storm.

Day 4: (my fingers are cold and battery is running lower so this will be short). Left neels gap with one of the shelter kitties in tow. He hiked about .25miles up a hill with us and we had a trail kitty for a short time. Oh God he was cute. The rest of the day was hard but uneventful, and we pulled into our first shelter at low gap. We finally met other hikers, in sum there were 10 people and a dog! And the two weekend campers made a fire for us with their saw. We had fun chatting.

Day 5: we hiked about 11 miles, ending on top of rocky mountain here where I tell the tale. More when I can find a computer.

Also, please text if u want to get in touch with us. We've had much better luck with that than phone signal.

White, sandy beaches

As Jesse puts the final touches on his thesis, I'm in sunny Anna Maria Island, Fl being kissed by the sun.

Truth be told, its actually been 60 or less most mornings during my walks, and crazy windy all day. I've decked myself out in my hiking smartwool most days to stay warm.

But I've been taking pictures of cool coastal processes for teaching back in the real world, done some reading for my dissertation, and, yeah, had a bit of fun.

We've seen dolphins flipping, wind surfers dancing on the waves, and we went to Harry potter land (aka universal).

I try to dedicate the mornings to work and the evenings to play, and get out on the beach to see geology in action all morning. I refuse to pack shells, though I will regret it when I enter the teaching world.

Also, we got to see a ton of talking parrots and macaws, and my dad joined the Moose Club.

That's it for now, soon well be on the trail and the cushy vacation life will be a distant memory. For now, hiking seems like sweet repose from the 'get up and go' vacation lifestyle we adopt here. (Seriously, 5 hours of sleep is asking a lot from this vacation....I know, poor poor me).

All Dressed Up and No Where to Go

Because I am leaving before Jesse and spending time on the beach with family, we had to get ready for the trip a bit early. It must have taken us a day and a half to run around, pick up small things not already in our pack essentials (needle, floss, safety pins, etc.). But we did it!

Biggest surprise? How LIGHT they are! With food (but not water) Jesse's pack is about 22 pounds. Mine is about the same. This is, of course, without mittens, hats, balaclavas, and other things which we'll be wearing or carrying the first month or so. 

Now is a great time, again, to mention the people who helped us get to this point. We turned Jesse's parents' basement into a small outfitter. His brothers helped me move (carload by carload), and everyone up in Snyderville has given us tons of support as we've tied up loose ends with our real lives. 

I'm a little worried about getting on a plane with my gear, but that worry means this trip is so close I can taste it!

In the words of my yooper sister...

Holy wah, its so short!

If you don't recognize the exclamation, watch Escanaba in da Moonlight on Netflix. Holy wah, indeed.

That's me. I don't yet recognize it as me. I think I've scared myself in the mirror a dozen times already, thinking there's a stranger behind me. The nice lady next to me is Tracy, the stylist at Salon Nuveau who did my hair.

I thought this would be a traumatic experience, and in some ways it really was. I had a few nervous energy/emotional tears. That hair has been with me for a long time, and I was an infant the last time my hair was this short. But I was ready for this, and even though the sound of scissors right next to my head was THE scariest thing I've ever heard, I'm glad I did it. Just one more experience, one more way to push beyond my comfort zone.

Thankfully, my mom was there to play the role of photographer and moral support. She forgot the booze, though. Luckily, the lovely ladies at the salon were also able to provide liquid courage! Here's a highlight reel, of sorts:

Oh shit...what am I getting into...

Rocking' the 'gonna sell my hair' ponytails.

*singing* the first cut is the deepest...note my mother, photographer extraordinaire, in the mirror. Hi, Mom!

Looking' good, mullet girl!

Liquid courage, courtesy of Salon Nuveau.

Goodbye, hair! I'll miss you!

A Request

HI!

I say hi, but I have no idea who's reading my blog. Thank you, though! Writing this is helping me chronicle the journey I've already taken in preparation for the AT, and will document my future. And I hope it will keep me connected to my family, friends, and other people who want to travel (or are traveling) the AT.

That said, I've got a request. If you'd like me to send you a post card, email me (trish.smrecak at gmail dot com) your address! I look forward to sending notes to people, and who doesn't like getting real mail??

I'd love to hear from you, too! I won't be checking facebook much, nor will I likely find your email in a crazy full inbox. So please, leave me and Jesse a comment on the blog, let us know what you've got going on!

Finally, if you'd like to send a care package, here are a few helpful tips on what to pack from a blogger hiking another trail. If you want to send a package, let us know via the comments section of the blog about when you'd like to send it, and we'll give you a post office or hostel/business you can send it to. Care packages should be labeled with our names, a note that says "hold for AT thru-hiker" and can have your phone number in the return address (in case they have any questions).

I will also mention that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Wasabi peas! And couscous. And veggies! And Wasabi Peas! Did I say wasabi peas?

Okay, so, leave me your addresses if you want postcards!!!

Here are some pics of friends and I snowshoeing in the Adirondacks to get me in the spirit!
Also, 16 days. Ho.Ly.Shit.

:) Cheers!

Motivation

Jesse and I are both scientists. Sometimes scientific articles have a section entitled "Motivation." This section is supposed to explain the motivation behind your hypothesis, or 'why the hell do this research anyway?'

Along with many other aspiring thru-hikers, I read Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis (the Good Badger). He keeps a great website for thru- and section- hikers at http://www.appalachiantrials.com/appalachian-trail-thru-hiker-resources/appalachian-trail-2014/.

His book stands out from the many other good books out there in that it deals with the mental preparation needed and the mental trials people go through on their AT thru hiking journey. Its great, read it.

In it, he asks would-be thru hikers to write down their list of reasons they are hiking the Appalachian Trail.

I'd like to share mine. Its not the whole list, but it is my primary motivator:

This blog is entitled "Just a Bummin' Around." Keen readers will note that these are lyrics to a song with the same name. The song exemplifies what I'd like my trail experience to be, but it also reminds me of something more. My grandpa used to have a classical country band, and I learned a lot of old country songs from him strumming his guitar and singing with us. I don't remember him singing this song when he used to play guitar, but for a couple years before he died, we'd go out to a local bar and listen to another group of guys sing old country songs. They'd sing this one, and grandpa would join in every time. Even before I met Jesse, before we decided to hike the trail, this song spoke to me.

My grandpa was in and out of nursing homes for the last few years of his life (and years before....he seemed to love rickety ladders....). He was a tough ol' bird. We shared a birthday, and I would always come home, no matter where I was living, and spend it with him. One birthday, 5 or 6 years ago, he was in the nursing home, so we had cake and ice cream up there. I remember him doing laps around the nursing home, pushing himself to build his strength back up so he could come home. His perseverance, internal strength, and mindful living represent everything I value. Long before this, after he retired and for the most of the rest of his life, he walked two miles each day to stay healthy and active.

My motivation on the Appalachian Trail is more than wanting to accomplish an amazing, grandiose journey. More than wanting to see states I've yet to travel to in a way that allows me to connect with them, outside and in small towns that make me feel at home. And more than challenging myself to do something bigger than anything I've ever done. Its doing all of that with my grandpa in my heart, pushing me on. Taking one step toward being the larger than life, amazing person he's always been to me, the person I'd like to become.


That's my motivation for hiking the Appalachian Trail.


Bummin' Around
I got an ol' slouch hat,
got my roll on my shoulder
I'm as free as a breeze
an' do as I please,
just a bummin' around . . .

Gotta million friends,
I don't feel any older
I've got nothin' to lose
not even the blues,
just a bummin' around . . .

Whenever worries start
to botherin' me ( start botherin' me! )
I grab my coat, my ol' slouch hat,
hit the trail again,
you see . . .

I ain't got a dime,
don't care where I'm goin'
I'm as free as a breeze
an' do as I please,
just a bummin' around!