Up the Hill, Down the Hill, Repeat - the 2010 version: THE SMOKIES!!!

The Smokies, concluded

2010-06-15T00:05:00.001-07:00

Some ask 'what do you think about out there?' Well, I think about
everything. And sometimes nothing. I think about my family - Brandy,
Macy, Lily - their health and their happiness. I think about my
parents and the last few months of exhaustive caretaking of my
grandmother as her health was failing. And the lingering effects of
that effort on their health. And I think about my Gram. A lot. I miss
her. I think about my extended family and how I should keep in better
touch. I think about friends..and that I should be a better friend.
And of those friends who have faded away for one reason or another.
And why they faded away. And business associates who have moved on and
what are they doing. And what should the treehouse look like that I
want to build for the girls. And why we used to get challenged at my
work to be more efficient and productive every year..and we WERE every
year, year over year but now that doesn't matter. We only get to
manage to half the equation - cost only - and in that vacuum, there is
no choice but to cut US jobs and if you still need people, hiring will
have to be done offshore. Owning cost cutting is not as fun as owning
productivity improvement. And why do those little birds who reside
next to the trail wait until I am 18" away before they fly out and
about make ne jump off the mountain. And how great my life has been
and still is! And lastly, really, if you are on a narrow trail and so
is the bear.. And he begins walking toward you, what are you supposed
to do? Luckily, we didn't get to that point to have to decide!
Thus concludes the 2010 Smokies hike! Thanks for joining, Ed and Jim.
Dad - you are the inspiration. Get better and do the Smokies!

Ron McClarin

Today, the finish line

2010-06-14T23:39:00.001-07:00

Through the alignment of the stars, we were ahead of schedule and Ed
thought he was meeting us today. In our excitement to get to the
finish line, we knocked out the last 8 miles in 3 hours. We dropped
2500'. It was a beautiful day. And it was beautiful to see my car at
the bottom of the hill with Ed in it! We commenced with backslaps,
high fives, boots off, and story swapping. Caught a shower at a local
hostel then drove to Hot Springs to get Eds car. Ate a great lunch at
the Iron Horse Station restaurant, accompanied by Kazmir IPA and Starr
City Stout, both top quality microbrews.
We decided to go ahead and drive home. It's 2:40 am and we are now
just outside of Tampa.

Ron McClarin

A shot of wild turkey

2010-06-14T23:28:00.001-07:00

:)
Get it? I just noticed 2 earlier attempts to send this through
failed..and darn it all, this was very amusing to me! So, here is the
picture. The (wild) turkey is on the roof of the shelter. It was
looking in the window clucking away. We think he was mad that there
was another turkey on the roof, or so he thought!

Ron/Jim 1, Mother Nature 0

2010-06-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, that was only Sundays score. I think Mother Nature has won the
other days. But that's ok. We overcame our feet with a nice ridge run
followed by some downhill. 3.5 hrs to go 7.7 miles. Only 1120 vert
today as we are headed out of the mountains. 2 minutes after we
reached Cosby Knob shelter, it started to rain. It didn't last long.
We were in early so we gathered a bunch of wood and had a big ol'
fire. We were joined around 5 by a man who called himself Paul the
Bunion (Bunyan?). He has apparently hiked the entire trail. I surmise
he is 'without home'. He told trail stories for 4 hours nonstop. He
might have still been talking when we went to bed. I'm not sure. No
more rain and we woke up to sunshine for a change. Must not have been
as tired ad the dreams were coming fast. Ditto for Jim. We are about
to head out. Hoping to find a signal to send this and get in touch
with some of our peeps!

Our 'doorbell'

2010-06-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

We had been warned by other hikers that they stayed at Tri-corner and
a bear came down the side of the shelter and stuck his head in so Jim
rigged our 'bear bell' so that if he came that way, he would 'ring the
door bell'.
The bear never showed up. Honestly, we aren't real disappointed!

Truly majestic

2010-06-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

The attached picture was from the top of mt sequoia. Most of the day
on Saturday was spent on a 'ridge run' along the mt tops. Not all
though, as evidenced by the 3075 feet of elevation climb we still did.
We hit our target destination of pecks corner by 12:30 and decided to
press on to Tri- corner shelter. This made for 12 miles but would save
us from a 15 miler on Monday. A good trade-off except our boots were
still wet. It rained a little more on us and we walked through a lot
of wet grass and mud. Our feet were without a doubt, 'tortured soles'.
Jim has blisters on both heels and I have them between toes and on the
bottoms.
We are at 5600' still. Oddly enough, we ended up with the shelter to
ourselves. It is a beautiful setting. The water source is right
outside our 'front door'. Bathroom relatively close by, as well as the
bear hooks for hanging our food. If we could walk to find wood for a
fire, that would have sealed it. Salmon, rice, and broccoli for dinner.
It's now Sunday morning and we each had a second cup of starbucks
coffee. The instant stuff they sell called 'via' is very good.
Especially in the middle of the woods while sitting here listening to
the - you guessed it, rain. Jim is trying to dry our boots out over or
camp stove. A noble effort.
Today we plan to go up and over 'guyout spur (6300')' on our way to
Cosby Knob'. 7.7 miles. Monday we have another 7.1 miles mostly
downhill and then Tuesday morning a 700' drop in a mile gets us to the
edge of the park. What I affectionately call 'the finish line'. We are
not going on to Hot Springs. I miss my girls and...my/our feet need to
rest.
Jim has been wearing my Longleaf Triathlon shirt. It is quite a
conversation piece along the trail.
I somehow underpacked oatmeal by 2 days. Bad move. Gonna have to
'borrow' from Jim.
We think a lot about Ed. Hope he is enjoying his slow solo hike back
to the Dam. Report on my dad is that he caught a flight back to Fl and
the doctors checked him out and found nothing 'permanently wrong'.
That's good news for sure.

Sitting on top of the world!

2010-06-12T06:03:00.001-07:00

A mile up at a place called Charlies Bunion. It's sat morning. Stayed
at Icewater shelter last night with a boy scout troop. It was a
crowded house but good kids. They saw 2 bucs behind the shelter. We
missed that. Looking forward to a phenominal day!

One of the views from clingmans dome, 6650 foot elevation

2010-06-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

2010-06-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Last night, a couple from Fl rolled in after dark. They had turned the
wrong way and re-hiked 2 miles before realizing what they did. It took
them 14 miles to go 10 miles. They were whipped. This morning (fri) we
got off early. We had to go 1000 feet up in a mile to get to Clingmans
Dome, but what a view. 75 miles in all directions. 6650 feet
elevation. During the 7 miles to Newfoundland Gap (road to Gatlinburg)
we saw literally 100's of large trees downed, presumably from the rain
washing out the roots. Based on rings the trees were 200+ years old.
Assuming the picture goes through, you can see Jim standing by one of
the trees' root structures.
We hit The Gap and that was interesting. Suddenly 100s of tourists and
cars. One lady said 'you sleep out there with the bayerrrs?' I said
'no, I use advil'. :D
We had 3 more miles up to the shelter. We were beat. Jim has a slight
ankle sprain and I have a few blisters from walking all day in wet
boots. Otherwise, we survived the 14 mile day, which included another
3780 in vert elevation.
The icewater shelter is full. Boy scout troop, AT&T guy and fam from
Chicago and 3 other guys from Charlotte. No wildlife today, that I
recall. Tomorrow is a nice short 7 mile day . Looking forward to it.
I might have to go back to the Gap just for the entertaining
conversation! 'Are you hikers!? Wow..is that pack heavy?..you have to
CARRY your food!?..that's CRAZY!'.
Maybe so.

View from Clingmans Dome, 6650 feet up!

2010-06-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Picture with bear update

2010-06-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

Not sure u can c the bear. He's there though!

Picture goes with mollies ridge update

2010-06-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

Picture goes with high view update

2010-06-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Picture goes with holy smokies update

2010-06-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

A shot of wild turkey

2010-06-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

I guess the other title was 'Turkeyon a hot tin roof'! This is silar Bald shelter. We stopped for lunch on thurs.

Ron McClarin

2010-06-11T06:33:00.001-07:00

Playing a little catchup. Wed we had a gentle 6 mile hike followed by
a toturous up and down 6 miles.. 2 hours of which were in a hard
rainstorm. We hiked about 9 hours. 3700 feet in climb. No bears! We
got to Derrick knob shelter. There was a volunteer work crew there
with a fire going. They were great! One guys name was 'Hopeful'.
Really. Jim and I got separated from Ed as he wanted to go his own
pace. He made it in at 9! He was whooped. We all got sort of dried
out. Boots were like walking on sponges.
In the morning, we lost another man when Ed decided he would take his
own pace back to Fontana Dam and meet us later. We hooked in with 5
others going our way. Nice people. 3 ladies and 2 guys.
Today..we got a late start as it poured again this morning. We were
still under cover. And today - no rain or bears! The previous turkey
picture was from our lunch stop.
Fire bug Jim built a great fire tonight that everyone enjoyed. While
sitting there, a deer walked right through our campsite! Other than
that , we are definitely in the clouds at 5500 feet. The clouds are
rolling right through us. A little surreal.
Time for bed. 13 miles tomorrow including up and over Clingmans Dome
at 6600 feet.

Ron McClarin

A shot of Wild Turkey

2010-06-10T15:02:00.001-07:00

I guess the other title was 'Turkeyon a hot tin roof'! This is silar Bald shelter. We stopped for lunch on thurs.

Ron McClarin

Mollies ridge picture

2010-06-10T14:59:00.001-07:00

Ron McClarin

High view update picture

2010-06-10T14:49:00.001-07:00

Ron McClarin

The picture that goes with Holy Smokies update

2010-06-10T14:45:00.001-07:00

Ron McClarin

First night - Mollies Ridge 'hotel'

2010-06-10T11:36:00.001-07:00

The location can't be beat. Spacious. No one here but us. According to the log kept here at the hotel, we can expect to see bear #6, who likes to stick her nose in. Really. Today we met Brad Johnson (no Noles fans, not THAT B. J.). He is trying to do the whole trail-2150 miles in 4 months to raise money for charity. He is from Tulsa. His blog is www.AT2010tulsa.com. Go Brad! Time for bed. No cell right here, although coverage otherwise available. Got to text Brandy while being chased by bear #1 - how cool (stupid?) is that!? Ron McClarin

Bear Bear Bear Bear Bear!

2010-06-09T08:48:00.001-07:00

So, we heard there were black bears in the Smokies, but today we saw a total of 5! Jim and I were apart from Ed when we saw the first one right next to the trail. He ran ahead and then circled around behind us. Then we spotted a cub and momma bear in front of us! Surrounded! We started blowing our bear whistles and clanging the bear bell (thanks Brent and Melissa!). They were unafraid. They got out of the way and we hustled by. I had Eds food with me and I was prepared to sacrifice it! We saw the fifth bear about a 1/2 mike later. We had gone about 6 miles. 5 bears. Wow. Ron McClarin

A high view of where we started

2010-06-09T08:43:00.001-07:00

We climbed some 2000 feet in the first 3 hours, to get to Shuckstack Mountain, which is where this picture is from. We are looking down on Fontana Dam. We climbed a total of 4568 feet. Ron McClarin

Holy Smokies -their off and hiking!

2010-06-09T08:42:00.001-07:00

Here is the obligatory starting line picture. You will note there are only 3 of us. My dad, the driving influence behind this hiking madness, pulled a back muscle a few weeks back, and it was so uncomfortable, he couldn't make a go of it. He was catching a flight back to Orlando. I think what really did it was driving the tiny, curvy mountain roads as we got near our destination. First to get Ed in Hot Springs, then to get over to Fontana Dam. Anyway, we three are going forward with the hike, in his honor! Ron McClarin

BEAR!!!

2010-06-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Time to fire up the blog!

2010-06-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, and we are leaving very early tomorrow
morning, driving to the Smoky Mountains, to hike another 100 miles of
the Appalachian trail. I will update more tomorrow while driving. For
now, I just needed to resync my Iphone and get ready to do some mobile
blogging as we hike along. Although I mostly do this for self-
amusement, feel free to follow along on our journey!

Ron McClarin

It is done

2009-05-30T15:21:00.001-07:00

This concludes this blog. I have had a ton of fun doing it..I hope it
has been enjoyable and somewhat informative to you all!
I appreciate those friends and family who took a small amount of time
out of their busy lives to read, comment, text, and email me with your
thoughts (ridiculous, arbitrary and sublime, as they were!). The
communications were great!
Special thanks to my college buddy Bryan who took on the fist 39
miles. He was quite a trooper but best of all, he was great company.
We missed u on the final 60!
And last..congrats to my dad, who is "livin' his dream" and marching
up the AT! I am glad I can help! Helping someone else live their dream
might be the key to finding your own. It might be right in front of
your nose! As for me..I can't wait to see my girls and give them kisses!

OUT

Ron McClarin

Boom! Boom! Pow!

2009-05-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

We have completed the 'Happy 100' as we popped out today after
completing the last 7 or so miles. I forgot to mention that last
night, while making stuff up around the campfire (which is what guys
do), a young girl and guy came blowing down the trail. They stopped
for only a minute. They had already hiked 22 miles and were continuing
in the dark. She had pink hair and nose piercings. They had covered
160 miles in 7 days so far. When asked how she prepared to be able to
hike like that, age said "I skateboard. A lot. Like 8 hours a day." if
only my dad had known that was the secret! He could gave hiked a lot
farther. I see this (a skateboard) as his next Christmas present.
The last cruel joke played on us was when we got to Fontana dam, it
was still 1.4 miles to the visitor center (and showers/shuttle pickup
back to our car). And it was rugge up over a small mt! We thought we
were already done. About 30 more grueling, leg seagfibg minutes and we
were.
The attached view was from on top of some mt (I have lost track of all
the goody mt names) looking down on Fontana Dam, NC.

The home stretch

2009-05-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

I need to play catchup. Coverage along the NC border was spotty and I
was also running low on battery, as u r always in extended range 'out
here'. So thurs night, we made camp at 7 miles outside of the
Nantahala gorge. 3000 foot climb to get out. It was rough going. Turns
out lots of people had the same idea! About 13 people in the same
spot! 2 people were interesting in particular. 1 guy wandered off into
the woods and then starting wailing the blues on his harmonica. Good
stuff! Makes me want to find mine. So that was a nice change of pace.
Spoke with some of the others, one of which was an ultra marathoner,
triathlete, and outdoor adventure racer. I was amazed that someone
would go to those lengths - beyond sanity, I think. Anyway, it rained
that night. Big shocker.
We blew out of there fri morning with 9 miles in mind, but with about
23 left to go. We went 9, and my dad agreed to plod on. Up and sown we
went until we had gone 15 miles! I know Bryan will be shocked by that!
Way to go dad! We ended up camping with many of the same people as the
night before. We ended up pitching our tent, since the shelter was
crowded. Then it started raining, which stunk, of course. One of the
reasons we could go 15 was because the weather was decent for most of
the day. Anyway, I'm talking to the ultra marathon dude, and he says
he lived in Clearwater fl for 8 years in the 90s. Used to commute to
Tampa. Used to work for IBM. Until that piece was sold to ATT and he
left after that. Hmmm, says I. "your name is..?" "Sean (sp) Butler.
Too funny. We knew of each other from 'back in the day'. That, my
friends, is an 'It's a small world story, after all' story!
And after a 15 mile day..we were done!
7 miles to go to get to the finish line - Fontana Dam, NC.

69 is just a number

2009-05-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

In this case, 69 is my dads age! Picture below. The man is right near
the end of our 3000 foot ascent out of the Nantahala River Gorge!
Impressive I think. He was helped by the pizza we had last night. It
was called the 'Lotza Protein' pizza. And he had a blueberry beer.
Each to their own I guess. So, we hikes in the rain again. Am now
sitting in sassafras gap at about 4500 feet. Tomorrow we climb to 5200
feet. Ian told when u get to a mile up, there is a hot tub there! That
would be SO COOL! Had they said the Swedish bikini team was there too,
I'd a known they were lyin'!
Last gap was called Licklog Gap. Gaps are between mt tops called
balds. When I saw the name I thought..I have to know what the story
is. I saw the log. I approached, bent over and went to lick it when my
dad yelled "it might be poisonous!" Or maybe he said "it will poke
your eye out!" so..iguess w'ell never know the magic behind the name.*

*some embellishment may have occurred. This was not a 100% true story.

As of tomorrow, about 20 miles to go..

Good, tough day

2009-05-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

We had a real tough day covering almost 12 miles. We climbed to the
top of a ridge in NC and went up and down.. Eventually coming down
some 3000 feet to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. The climbs and decents
were rocky and steep. The clouds did break enough for me to get the
pic below. We were some 4500+ ft. My feet are toast. Dads knees are
feelin it. We did snag some beer and pizza in nantahala. Nectar of the
gods. Less than 30 miles to go. Send your love...:)

Mountain man magazine, may 2009 cover

2009-05-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Young, spry, and with a passion for looking out over his domain, Ron
McClarin was recently chosen for the cover of this magazine. Here he
is looking out over the nantahala gap. Had he not selfishly asked his
father to take his picture, his father would have a similar pic on the
front of Sr Mt Man Mag. :)

Interesting people

2009-05-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

We got 4 hrs of sunshine yesterday. I was singing "I'm walking in
sunshine, oh yeah, and don't it feel good!"
Then it rained buckets on us again last night. Then the dang mouse got
my protein bars again. The mouse brigade is winning all the battles.
No other real worries.
We have spent the last 2 nights with the same 5 other people. There
are the 3 college kids from tenn. They don't say much. There is Lee
(female) from Boston. Wears a backwards Red sox hat, but is otherwise
not annoying about it. That would be a problem for me! She calls
herself homeless. Been in the army and has done heavy
construction..but is unemployed. She has been hiking right along with
us. She is aimless and without direction, yet..undeniably happy.
Stumbling up the trail. The other woman is from burma. Moved to the US
in 84 to escape bad stuff. Name is Winn. She also calls herself
homeless. Been that way for 3 years. She says she will go back to the
eat race after finishing the 2100 miles of the AT. She also hitch
hikes across Mexico. And she can't spray Spanish. I find this
amazing..no fear, traveling alone..all in about a 110 lb package of a
person. She also has a 30 lb pack. Then there was old man Pat. We
shelters with him during hurricane I. Traveled with a pipe and a
flask. Last job was driving a fuel truck in Iraq. He said the
mortality rate was 50%, but the pay was great. If u made it. He has
done it all. Multiple jobs and wives. So..in the middle of the night,
I see a glow coming from his sleeping bag, he rises up, puts on his
flipflops, and walks in to the hurricane. In the morning, I'm like
'dude, what was that all about?!' he says 'when nature calls, I
answer'. Really. Last two people was Alan and Amanda, husband and
wife. Clearly on his idea of a vacation, not hers. She was a really
good sport though. Down to earth.

Attached picture was last nights shelter. This is kind of a crappy
one, but kept us dry. Now, on to Nantahala- a gap where they held the
whitewater rafting for the Olympics a few years ago.

Joy, and pain, sunshine and rain..or hurricane part II

2009-05-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Joy - it's tues at noon and we are at around 50 miles for the trip. A
beautiful hike
Pain - I need a volunteer to rub my bunions, bone spurs, calves, etc
Sunshine - ummm, yeah. The missing element to this hike.
Rain - shortly after last nights blog was sent, the rains rolled in.
All night. Did I mention there are tin roofs on the shelters? It's
like sleeping in a war zone. Would use the tent but NO, it's STILL
wet! Geezohfreakinpete.

Did see some baby birds crying for food. Just so you know there is
wildlife! Picture attached also shows some good scenery is available.
Well, 6 more miles to go until we stop to try to dry off again. Today
has been like hiking in the clouds so far. Hoping for mr. Golden sun
still today..
Later...:)

1 pot dinner

2009-05-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

For those of u who r cooking challenged, u2 can make the 1 pot dinner!
Have your guests hike at least 5 miles to get to your house, and they
will rave about your cooking!

We have landed for Mon night in a shelter. Still no rain (yet). Trying
to dry the tent out. Might need it tomorrow. We had to climb almost
1000 ft to get here. Next shelter is 12 miles and some big ups and
downs in between. And..good night..

Dang mouse part III

2009-05-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Successfully climbed over blood mt this morning. 4500 ft of mostly
rock. Fun. :). After about a 4 mile day, we got off to move to the
next part of the trail and to drop Bryan off. Got to my car..dang
mouse got IN THE CAR. Ate some more oatmeal and protein bars..made a
little bed out of tissues, and was indiscrimanant as to where he went
bathroom. This is WAR!
I have no idea how he got in.
We are now entering at SR64. 3.5 miles to a shelter. About 55 miles to
go. And....they are off!

Ron McClarin

Hurricane season is upon us

2009-05-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Last night, Sunday night, we pushed my dad up the mt..did 13 miles.
Got to woods hole shelter. It rained all day and we were mostly all
wet. Turns out there was more fun to be had! The rains kept comin'! We
went to bed and sometime in the night, it became as close to a
hurricane as I wish to experience. Freight train like sound coming
through the shelter? Check. Can't hear my own voice? Check. Can't see
my hand in front of my face? Check. That was..scary. I feel sorry for
those who camped in a tent..which would have been us if it wasn't all
wet! Smokey (Bryan) did get a fire going briefly last night. That guy
is impressive!

Ron McClarin

View?

2009-05-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Top of big cedar mt on this rainy, rainy day..

Dang mouse part II

2009-05-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Did I mention the mouse got my iPhone? Phone was in a ziplock bag,
under my boots, in the bottom of my bag, covered by a bag cover,
hanging in a tree. See? EveryTHING wants an iPhone. Couldn't figure
out how to turn it on so just nibbled the leather case. Send me a
liitle message. It's not over between us, mouse!!

Calm and then the storm

2009-05-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

The attached picture is our campsite on sat night. We had just
completed another 11 mile day. Nice spot with a river next to it.
Cooled our feet and I went ahead and 'dunked the melon' (washed head).
Everything was going well until 8:30 when the skies opened up and
pounded us with rain all night. The tents held up! We packed up in the
rain, after cooking in the rain,..and then we hikes all day..in the
rain! We went 13 miles today as we had to get to a shelter and dry
out. That's sort of happening..it's still raining hard!
So besides the rain, I must add that he who laughs first does not
laugh last! Dang mouse climbed a rope 15 feet in the air, shimmied
down to out food bags..nibbled though MY foodbag and sampled a protein
bar. I guess it's too late to take back the 'nuts' comments. All I can
say is, apparently Bryan is the only one who knows how to properly
stow his nuts.
Healthwise, we are basicly doing great. My dad keeps saying he can
only do 8-10 miles a day. Not sure what that's all about since we are
doing 11-13!
Rumors of bears is 'all the talk' on this mt. Blood mt. Tomorrow we
climb it to 4500 feet and down to neels gap. That will end Bryans
portion of this trip. He will be missed. He is a stud hiker and
willing firebuilder!

Almost the hyatt, etc

2009-05-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my dad and my sleeping accomodations. A little smaller than a
standard hyatt room, but certainly much less expensive! Bryan had
similar. There were prob 12 or so other hikers at the place we
stopped- stover creek shelter. No rain, a little windy last night.
Slept great! IT band is holding up well. Health is good across our
team. This morning, my dad found a mouse had eaten his nuts!
Hmmm..that reads funny. He left some lunch in his pack and the mouse
ate right through it in the night! Through his pack. At least those
dang things can't get in your tent. Unless of course, you are sleeping
with your nuts. :)

The bathroom, etc

2009-05-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Inquiring minds always want to know "like..where is the bathroom?" the
short answer is 'everywhere'. However, on the AT, the hiking clubs
install sort of a permanent portalet, called a privy. Last night,
another hiker saw a doe and her baby, whilst using the facilities.
Seriously..u don't get that at the hyatt!

Made it to springer my!

2009-05-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

8.8 miles and 2000 ft higher than where we started, we have made it to
the top of springer mt, the unofficial beginning of the trail. The
part we just did is called the appoach trail. Just a warmup, I guess!
No rain so far. That's good. Feelin good, for the most part. 8 other
bikers are up here, so we are not alone. Would like to push on some
more..seeing if dad is up for it. Like to get down the mt today .
Happy day today! :). Btw, it was bryans car that got the flat. I
realized inquiring minds would want to know! Up the hill, down the
hill...rock on...

And they are off!

2009-05-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Ok...we made it to the starting line! Flat tire 3 miles out though.
Good times. Tired of driving. Let's hike!

2009-05-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a driving day. We made it to Monroe, Ga by 6:30. Rained the whole time. I'm SURE the intent was to get all the rain out of the air - leaving none for tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day, etc. The weather forecast suggests otherwise, however. Staring at day after day after day of a 'chance of rain'. Excellent. Love that. Anyway, the 'last supper' was provided by the Parry household. Very appreciated. And a real bed. Going to enjoy that in about 10 minutes. Bryan has his pack together now. He is new to this. He is jacked up about going, which is cool. We are going to get up early and get on the road...should be hitting the trail by 9 or 10, after we drop one car at Neel's Gap, Ga and take the other to Amicalola Falls..where we start with a climb alongside a large waterfall. I want to say it is the highest east of the Mississippi. If that is inaccurate, it doesn't really matter. I think it supports the story better by making that claim. So..don't google it. Accept it. It's the highest! I think we will be ascending into the woods...maybe 2000 feet. Need to cover a minimum of 8-10 miles tomorrow, regardless of weather. I'm not worried. I water proofed my boots. Pretty sure that means I won't get wet. Pack weight is checking in at just under 30 lbs with water, fuel, and the rest of the stuff previously mentioned. Will squeeze in the necessary group pic at the starting line, sometime tomorrow morning. Until then...ciao

2009-05-19T19:04:00.001-07:00

Here I sit, sipping a Summit Brewing Co Extra Pale Ale, recognizing that in aproximately 60 hours, my father Don and I, along with one of my best friends from college, Brian Parry, known as"The Beeper" due to his initials, are going to hit the Appalachian Trail. We are starting at Amicalola Falls (not sure I spelled that right), Ga, which is a little north of Atlanta and the official start (or stop) point for the Trail, depending on which way you are headed. It's 2100 miles start to finish. My dad has done...well, I don't know...a lot of miles. Lets say 1000, as I think that sounds pretty good. Give or take a few. I have done...81. I think. We are going to do 100 more miles. We are going to come out at Fontana Dam, North Carolina. It is my intent, God and AT&T willing, to blog my way through this adventure. So, without further ado, the picture uploaded in the first blog, was the pile of stuff I intend to load in my pack. My dad says he thinks we can do this in 20-25 pounds for the first 3-4 days before we reload with more food at Neel's Gap. That sounds good. In my head, I was thinking the pack would weigh 30 pounds. I feel lighter already!

In anticipation of this "180 degrees from what I do every day" experience, I have been participating in unsolicited sleep deprivation. How is it that I have so much on my mind? I need to focus! Like my wife. She is focused. 9 hours at a time. Impressive. Man, I could use a little sleep, as I recall from the last time I was out in the woods, it is the noisiest quiet you could possibly imagine.

So...back to the pack. Carrying a tent, a sleeping bag, some fuel, some cooking stuff, 2 of each clothing item, a book...my iPhone (text me at 813-505-8915)...some oatmeal for breakfast, protein/power bars for lunch, and lipton noodles with chicken or salmon packs for dinner. Oh..and I scored some instant Starbucks coffee at the local shop. Its not for sale yet, but..I have some! That will come in handy each morning. I'm sure of it. So...there you have it. The table is set. The pack is packed. We are on the clock. Driving to Beeper's house near Atlanta on Thursday morning.

2009-05-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

WOO DAWG!!! I'm so excited I can't stand it! I've been thinking how fun it would be to blog remotely...say..from the Appalachian Trail! I got my handy iPhone. I work for AT&T, so they will like that I'm doing this. I like to think I'm part of the mobile generation, although some of my friends think otherwise since they had iPhones or Blackberries first, and they had to teach me how to text, how to send pictures, blah blah blah. I don't care. Know why? Because none of those clowns have BLOGGED FROM THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL! LOL So...share my excitement...be excited for me...enjoy the ride! I think this will add a dimension to an otherwise wacky idea of my dad's to walk in the woods for, oh...about 100 miles. And this is not Florida terrain I'm talking about. I think we peak at 5500 feet. But we bounce between like 2500 feet and there....up the hill, down the hill, repeat. Rock on...Let's HIKE!

Mobile blogging

2009-05-19T18:32:00.001-07:00

Can he do it? Can he update a blog from his iPhone?! I THINK SO!