Appalachian Trail

Madison Capital Times Article

2005-11-05T20:28:00.000-06:00

A real post-graduate path
Hiking the Appalachian Trail

By Susan Troller
November 5, 2005
You could call it a 2,100-mile detour on the post-graduate career path. But recent college grads and longtime Madison friends Nick White and Brian Jacobson are quick to say that their four-month trek hiking the entire Appalachian Trail was no bypass, but instead an important spiritual journey. It was also lots of fun.

Both expect the lessons they learned to provide permanent mile markers on the road map of life, especially as they begin their professional and grown-up lives this month.

"Honestly, I had kind of a cookie-cutter kind of life," White observed in a recent interview in Madison along with Jacobson, his fellow traveler. "Went to school, did well, always did the next, expected thing. I wanted to take a break, and really take a look at my life."

The arduous 139-day trip by footpath from Georgia to Maine, beginning in mid-May and ending in October, provided an opportunity for the two to spend four months together following their graduations last spring from Purdue (White) and the University of Minnesota (Jacobson).

"Hiking the Appalachian Trail gave me a chance to think about what I really love, and what I don't love," White said.

White and Jacobson, both Christians, say that they found a closer relationship with God and Christ through their journey and that the hard work and thousands of empty hours spent putting one foot in front of the other provided a rare chance to examine their faith and build their spiritual lives.

Lest it sound too much like a sober walking meditation between humorless monks, White and Jacobson also made friends from across the country, goofed around, and generally traveled with the light spirits of 22-year-olds with the good fortune to have a four-month holiday.

In keeping with Appalachian Trail tradition, they took expressive trail nicknames. Jacobson became known as Cherry Bomb for his outrageous short red hiking shorts. White admitted his trail nickname, Flatus, was self-explanatory.

"It was probably the trail food we had to eat," he laughed.

Every year, about 3,000 hikers take on the challenge of the entire Appalachian Trail, which crosses 14 states, beginning at Springer Mountain in Georgia and ending on Mount Katahdin in Maine. Fewer than 15 percent of these self-identified thru-hikers finish, some dropping off the trail before the end of the first week.

The trail is definitely not a sidewalk through the wilderness. It is often narrow, steep and empty. Hiking the entire trail is a project that requires months, demanding 15 or 16 miles a day of steady trudging, day in and out. At the end of a long day of hiking through all kinds of weather and conditions, the reward is taking off a heavy pack, eating the most basic camp food and sleeping in a tent, on the ground or in a primitive, three-sided shelter.

"Basically, when it's light outside, you walk. And when it's dark, you sleep," Jacobson observed. "You are stripped back to very basic needs. Fatigue, hunger, thirst. You need food, clean water, a place to lie down. A trip like this gives you a profound understanding of what it's like for people who don't have these things. But I like the sense of adventure. And actually, I enjoy the sense that I'm not in control of everything."

Then, of course, there are things like bugs and mice, to say nothing of accidents, wild animals, extremes of weather, fear, loneliness and boredom.

The first night on the trail, White and Jacobson were lying in the dark in their sleeping bags, exhausted but still awake. Suddenly, White said, he heard a startled Jacobson call out. "Flatus, did you just touch my face?" He hadn't; it was a mouse, introducing itself to the hikers and demonstrating one of the ongoing issues on the trail.

Jacobson and White carried about four days' worth of supplies in their packs. With gear, food and water, they carried 30 to 35 pounds on their backs.

"Like most hikers, we started out with more," White said. "Originally, our packs were about 45 pounds but we wound up sending stuff home because we just didn't want to carry it."

White and Jacobson, who have been friends since they were East High School freshmen, first began thinking about the mystique of the Appalachian Trail after a high school science trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. They learned the trail extended along the spine of the mountains running north and south across the eastern United States, and when they came across a portion of it on their shorter hike, they were captivated.

"We remember talking about how you could get on that trail and walk all the way to Maine," Jacobson recalled.

After high school graduation, the friends remained in touch while Jacobson worked on a business degree at Minnesota and White studied aerospace engineering at Purdue. Their outdoor adventures included hiking in the Boundary Waters, in Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in North Carolina and in Tennessee.

Although both are experienced hikers and campers, they had never done more than a week's worth of walking and had never had to think about resupplying on the trail. They learned. Both agreed that credit and debit cards were a huge help in the little towns where they stopped along the way for supplies and an occasional shower.

"During July and August, through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, it was incredibly hot," White reported. "We'd get completely soaked hiking, and then crawl into our sleeping bags at night to try to sleep. They would get soaked, too. There were times when Brian said to me, 'Man, you really smell bad.' He didn't smell too good, either."

In addition to the camaraderie between the two friends and among the other hikers they encountered, there were other rewards Jacobson and White experienced on the long-distance hike. There was the spiritual dimension of the trip, and the sheer satisfaction of accomplishing something rare among outdoor enthusiasts. And, they said, by the time they reached Mount Katahdin in Maine at the end of the trail, they were in the best physical condition of their lives.

"It's true that every single day was a challenge, but the beauty of the trail also takes your breath away," Jacobson says.

"For anyone thinking about hiking the A.T., I'd say just do it. Just go. There are people of all ages, from all walks of life. It's an incredible experience," White said.

This week, Jacobson began working as a financial analyst at General Mills in Minneapolis. And White will begin working next week at Epic Systems as a technical services engineer.

Memoirs of a Trail...

2005-10-12T12:19:00.000-05:00

What a glorious, yet sad, post I am about to write. That's a rather melancholy preface but I guess it's true if I'm going to summarize what my heart is feeling as I dwell on the memories of our trip beginning in Georgia and ending 139 days later in the beautiful, rugged State of Maine.

The question that often arises when my friends and family speak to me is "What is life like now that you aren't hiking?" It is certainly a good question. The best way to answer it is to compile a list of things I miss and things that I don't miss from the trail. I'm sure I will modify this list over time as new things pop into my mind. But it's a good start.

Things Flatus Misses:
- Sunsets
- Sunrises
- Experiencing a complete spectrum of wilderness and beauty
- Spening time with my best friend
- Waking up knowing that I don't have homework (or real work for that matter) to do
- The overwhelming feeling of summitting a mountain and being welcomed by an array of vistas
- Meeting people I would never have met in my circle of friends and community back at home and at school
- Being able to pray with a clear mind and without the distraction of life
- Experiencing the Lord Jesus in a new, refreshing way
- Getting away from life where everything is in a big damn hurry
- Nutty Bars
- Exercise (including the buffest calves I've ever had)
- Actually appreciating how amazing a sunny day is
- Living in a place where the wretched sound of a car horn can't be heard

Things Flatus does not miss:
- Rain
- Chaffing
- Hiking in blistering heat
- Sore knees
- Rain
- Rocks and roots
- Barking dogs
- Sleeping in my sweat because it's too humid
- Mosquitos, no-see-ums, black flies, horse flies and ticks
- Trying to keep mice from eating my food
- Stepping in a pile of dog droppings
- Rain
- Nights with 30 degree temperatures
- Cindy and Katrina (the name of a certain tropical storm and hurricane, respectively)
- Rain coats that don't really keep water off...in the rain
- Passing the most gas I have ever had in my existence

I'm sure that gives y'all an idea and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Despite my trivial complaints of the things I don't miss, there's no doubt that they will teach me lessons that I will use through the rest of my hiking journey through life. There's also no doubt that it applies to my faith: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2-3).

The goal of this journey was not to obtain the pride of accomplishing a great feat and wear it as a medal to brag about. It was an opportunity for us to delight in God by doing what he designed us to love, and that, in turn, brings Him glory. If the goal was our pride and our image, the whole thing would be a worthless becuase we would only be glorifying ourselves. And that, we beleive, would be a waste of the precious life we have to spend here.

In the movie Braveheart, William Wallace makes a bold and truthful statement: "All men die; few men ever really live." My conclusion is based on that very thing. I want to urge everyone (man or woman) to pursue what they love and not settle for the defeat of what others think they ought to do. That will forever be a standard for me to live by until the day I die (However, I can't claim to be perfect at it, unfortunately). Doing all of it for Jesus, and bringing Him glory through it, is the ultimate motivation and the prize I want to fight for. It's tough to ponder and I find it extremely challenging, but I encourage you all: friends, family, even strangers to consider it and live for it.

Thanks to all for your prayers and support. Without the comments, the emails, the gifts, the hospitality, your prayers, and your love...the journey would have been exponentially more difficult and trying. We love you much and value your involvement in our lives...we only hope we can do the same in return.

In Christ,
Nick "Flatus" White

Last Batch of Photos

2005-10-11T13:13:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

Photos from New Hampshire and Maine

2005-10-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

Is this one really over?

2005-10-05T13:55:00.000-05:00

Well, the rumors are true...we did finish hiking the entire Appalachian Trail by summiting Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park (Maine) on Monday. The 280 mile stretch in Maine turned out to be the most rugged section of the entire trail (in my opinion). The trail was not always towering mountains with dangerous rock scrambles, in addition there were sections of mud several inches deep, slippery bog bridges, gigantic roots from the many trees, decreasing temperatures, and a couple of tropical storms. However walking through all of those obstacles, was a small price to pay for the tremendous views we had while climbing Mt. Katahdin. The unseasonably warm weather and the beautiful fall colors gave us that much more ambition to attack the steepest climb on the entire trail. I remember seeing the sign that said 1.0 miles to go and realized that our four and one-half month hike across 14 states covering over 2100 miles of trail was soon to be over. We reached the summit with the famous 'sign' many people have hugged, kissed, cried, and drooled over, had a brief photo shoot and began our hike back down to the parking area where we met Tucker's parents. Even though I am currently in Boston, watching the baseball playoffs, scrubbing down everything I own, and trying to apply some brakes to my runaway appetite, it still has not completely set in that there are no more miles to hike, at least not this year.

I think that our pictures do an adequate job of revealing some of the beautiful wilderness we were able to enjoy, but this was only a small portion of the entire experience. I learned that life does not need to be as complicated as we try to make it. Using my back to carry everything that I needed in order to live was quite a wild experience considering all of the 'stuff' that I have collecting dust at my parents home in Madison, and my apartment in Minneapolis. Hopefully I will be able to let go of some of those things and simplify my life when I return.

I also realized how fragile life is. During the last few hundred miles of our trip, we were hiking in very delicate alpine areas where just a careless step off the trail destroyed the vegetation. In other areas, a careless step off the trail resulted in severe injury or death to our own bodies. At any moment, our lives could drastically change for the good or for the worse that is completely out of our control. It encourages me to make the most out of the time I have been given, and not to waste it. Flatus and I both read a book called "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper, and it helped us realize that there are many ways people can waste their lives. I could continue hiking for the rest of my life, in different parts of the world, maybe even become famous, or I could work hard at my job and get promoted to a prestigious leadership position within my organization. Although these may sound like good uses of time, if they lack the Lord Jesus Christ's involvement, they are a waste. One of the main reasons why I chose to take this trip, was to take away the distractions and quiet my mind so that I could realize more of the plans that the Lord has for my life. Jeremiah 29:11 says: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." It sounds to me that if I were to do something other than those things which the Lord has planned, I would not only be wasting my life, but I would be miserable as well.

I am very excited to start my next adventure by returning to Minneapolis and beginning my career, visiting old friends, and making new ones. I am also excited to use the talents and passions that I have been given to carry out the Lord's plans for my life. For those of you who know me and have supported me during this particular trip or another part of my life, I am extremely thankful. I only hope that I can someday support and encourage you in the same way. Happy Trails.

They Made It!!!!!!!

2005-10-03T19:49:00.000-05:00

Cherry-Bomb and Flatus summited Mt. Katahdin at 11:09 this morning, Oct. 3. The weather was great, a comfortable 70 degrees, and they had an awesome view. They are now at a hotel in Bangor, Maine getting ready to have pizza and watch the Packer game. They plan to do some more traveling around the East Coast before heading home. Hopefully you'll hear from them soon.

Progress: Weeks 1 thru 18 (Stratton, ME)

2005-09-22T07:24:00.000-05:00

Hello! It's September 21 and we have updated the blog!

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******* GEORGIA *********
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Day 1 (5/17/05)
Amicalola Falls State Park to Springer Mtn Shelter (Approach Trail)
Distance: 8.8m
Weather: Partly Cloudy and Hot
Sleep: Shelter

Day 2
Springer Mtn Shelter to Justus Creek (unofficial campground)
Distance: 13.6m
Weather: Sunny and Hot
Sleep: Tent

Day 3
Justus Creek to Blood Mtn Shelter
Distance: 14.5m
Weather: Humid and Sunny. T-storm at Night.
Sleep: Shelter

Day 4
Blood Mtn to Low Gap Shelter
Distance: 13.0m
Weather: Rain in AM. Sun out in PM. Showers in evening, then clear.
Sleep: Shelter

Day 5
Low Gap to Unicoi Gap (Hitched into Helen, GA for night)
Distance: 9.4m
Weather: Foggy/misty all morning. Cleared up in town.
Sleep: Retreat Center

Day 6
Unicoi Gap to Tray Mtn Shelter
Distance: 5.5m
Sleep: Shelter

Day 7
Tray Mtn to Plumborchard Gap Shelter
Distance: 14.9m
Weather: Hot in the pm
Sleep: Shelter

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***** NORTH CAROLINA *******
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Day 8
Plumborchard to Old Carter Gap Shelter
Distance: 19.8m
Weather: Flippin' cold in pm!
Sleep: Old shelter (didn't notice the new one 100 yrds north until the morning)

Day 9
Carter Gap to Siler Bald Shelter
Distance: 19.6m (We did our first night hike on this day!)
Weather: still cold
Sleep: Shelter (met up with Hermit, Gunner, and Keith)

Day 10
Siler Bald to Wesser Bald Shelter
Distance: 17.9m
Weather: warmer
Sleep: Tent

Day 11
Wesser Bald to Sassafras Shelter
Note: We stopped via Natalahala Outdoor Center in Wesser, NC where we mailed our tent home...so from here on out we're sleeping in the shelters
Distance: 11.6m
Weather: Sunny and Hot

Day 12
Sassafrass to Cable Gap
15.2m

Day 13
Cable Gap to Fontana Dam, NC (right before smokies)
6.9m
Sleep: The Hike-Inn for our 24 hr rest

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****** SMOKEY MOUNTAINS ******
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Day 14
Fontana Dam to Mollies Ridge Shelter
Note: We entered the Smokies that day!
11.0m
Weather: Overcast

Day 15
Mollies to Double Spring Gap Shelter
18.9m
Weather: Overcast, foggy in pm, rain started at night

Day 16
Double Spring to Icewater Spring Shelter
13.8m
Weather: Rainy, Windy, Cold
Note: We stopped in Gatlinburg to get our box, and CRAMMED into the shelter that night

Day 17
Icewater to Cosby Knob Shelter
20.3m
Weather: Just damp and nasty

Day 18
Cosby to Groundhog Creek Shelter
17.6m
Weather: Scattered, annoying showers
Note: We stopped at Mt. Cammerer which was neat (Mr. Johnson was there) and we also exited the Smokies on this day, and spent the night with a boyscout troop

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******* N.C./TENNESSEE *******
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Day 19
Groundhog to Deer Park Mtn Shelter
23.0m
Weather: Finally sunny!
Note: We met Lady Longlegs and Megapole at this site

Day 20
Deer Park to Hot Springs, NC
3.2m
Weather: HOT
Sleep: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn
Note: Took our rest day today

Day 21
Hot Springs to Spring Mtn Shelter
11.0m
Note: We leave today for this shelter!

Total Miles after Legs 1-3: 279.5m
Hot Springs

Day 22
Spring Mtn Shelter to Flint Mtn Shelter
21.3m
Weather: Overcast in AM, Sunny PM, HUMID ALL DAY!

Day 23
Flint Mtn to Bald Mtn Shelter
18.8m
Weather: Big PM shower...woo!
Note: We had to share the shelter w/ an 18-person high school group

Day 24
Bald Mtn to Erwin, TN
16.9m
Sleep: Uncle Johnny's Nolichuky Hostel (stayed in Cabin w/ Rob)
Note: We hiked from 6:00 am to 12:30pm! Not shabby.

Day 25
Erwin to Clyde Smith Shelter
25.2m
Note: This was the most distance we've done so far...we rolled in at 8:45 pm!

Day 26
Clyde Smith to Apple House Shelter
21.1m
Note: Saw Hump Mtn! Best views on the trip yet! Also climbed the worst mountain...Roan Mtn. Gross.

Day 27
Apple House to Moreland Gap Shelter
18.2m
Note: Easy terrain made for a relaxing hiking day. Much needed.

Day 28
Moreland Gap to Vandeventer Shelter
23.6m
Note: Great view behind shelter!

Day 29
Vandeventer to Abingdon Gap Shelter
22.7m

Day 30
Abingdon Gap to Damascus
10.0m
Sleep: Montgomery Homestead B&B

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******* VIRGINIA *********
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Day 31
ZERO DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sleep: Dave's Place Hostel

Total Miles up to Damascus: 468.3m

Day 32
Damascus, VA to Campsite 2.5 miles past Lost Mtn Shelter
18.3m
Weather: Perfect!!!! (Sunny, cool, no humidity!)
Sleep: Tarp

Day 33
Campsite to Old Orchard Shelter
20.8m
Weather: Nice in the AM, Brief shower in the PM (made it to the shelter though)
Note: Went through Grayson Highlands on this day

Day 34
Old Orchard to Partnership Shelter
24.7m
Weather: PM T-Storm (again, made it to the shelter in time)
Note: Ordered Pizza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 35
Partnership to Knot Maul Branch Shelter
25.5m
Weather: Nice and Hot
Note: Picked up a box in Atkins, VA and did most miles on trip thus far

Day 36
Knot Maul to Campsites 0.1m past VA 615 (a small road)
23.7m
Weather: Nice all day
Note: This was the solstice hike...and we didn't make it far

Day 37
Campsite to Dismal Creek Falls
27.3m
Weather: Perfect
Sleep: Out in the open near the falls (no tarp!)
Note: Went swimming the next morning

Day 38
Dismal Creek Falls to Campsite 3m South of Pearisburg, VA
19.5m
Weather: Sunny and Hot
Sleep: Tarp
Note: Awesome site, good view, good fire, and awesome mountains in the AM

Day 39 (6/24/05)
Campsite to Pearisburg, VA
2.5m
Weather: Nice so far
Sleep: Holiday Motor Lodge Inn
Note: Rest day today! Looking forward to all you can eat Pizza Hut Buffet!

Day 40
Pearisburg to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
19.6m
Weather: Hot
Note: Met Andy, Ghost, Dilinger, and LUCKY

Day 41
Pine Swamp Branch to Sarver Hollow Shelter
24.9m
Weather: Hotter
Note: Met Kentucky, Lamby, Plus 1, Gavin, and Chase here. 3 trail magics this day. REally nice shelter, too!

Day 42
Sarver Hollow to Pickle Branch Shelter
15.9m
Weather: Hotter than hot, T-storm passed over after getting to shelter

Day 43
Pickle Branch to Lamberts Meadow Shelter
23.0m
Weather: Thought it was going to rain...but didn't

Day 44
Lamberts Meadow to Wilson Creek Shelter
20.6m
Note: Missed rain at the truck stop. Met Caboose that night

Day 45
Wilson Creek to Cornelius Creek Shelter
25.6m
Note: Met "The Dude" and "Mike The Hike" and proceeded to get sick that night.

Day 46
Cornelius Creek to Glasgow, VA
19.9m
Note: Met Spartan along the way
Sleep: Mom & Pops Motel

Day 47 and 48
Zero Days (Brian got sick too!)
0.0m

Day 49
Glasgow to Brown Mtn Shelter
19.6m
Note: Spent the 4th of July smoking stogies

Day 50
Brown Mtn to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
15.8m
Note: Dodged another rain storm and Spartan, Caboose, and The Dude caught up to us.

Day 51
Seeley-Woodworth to Rusty's Hard Time Hollow
20.5m
Note: Rusty's Was amazing. See Cherry-Bomb's blog about it!

Day 52
Rusty's to Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
16.1m
Note: We got SMOKED by Tropical Storm Cindy. Woof. Good thing the shelter rocked!

Day 53 (7/8/05)
Paul C. Wolfe Shelter to Calf Mtn Shelter
12.0m
Note: Stopped in Waynesboro, VA for re-up.

Day 54
Calf Mtn to Bearfence Mtn Hut
20.6m
Note: First Day in Shenandoahs!

Day 55
Bearfence to Pinefield Hut
26.2m
Note: Met "Bo" who was the "hippiest" guy we know!

Day 56
Pinefield to Bearfence Hut
20.6m

Day 57
Bearfence Hut to Pass Mtn Hut
26.8m
Note: Met "Bear Bait" here

Day 58
Pass Mtn to Terrapin Hostel
22.7m
Note: Stayed in a hostel owned by Mike Evans

Day 59
Terrapin Hostel to Terrapin Hostel
~19m
Note: Mike "Slack Packed" us this day. I was also stung by bees this day

Day 60
Terrapin Hostel to Bear's Den Hostel
~20m
Note: We slack-packed again, Stayed in a hostel for the 3rd night in a row, and met up with Jenny that evening

Day 61
Bear's Den to David Lesser Memorial Shelter
11.1m
Note: Hiked w/ Jenny, great time, Lamby found out his leg had a poison Ivy infection

Day 62
David Lesser to Harper's Ferry
8.8m
Note: Went to Jenny's House from here, she also took me back to Front Royal so I could finish the 4 miles I missed when I was stung. We also met our friend Keith who drove down to visit us!

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******* WEST VIRGINIA ********
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Day 63
ZERO DAY in Leonardtown!
Note: Saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Went to church, played guitar. Ah yes, rest.

Day 64
Harper's Ferry to Ed Garvey Shelter
7.0m
Note: When to D.C. Earlier this afternoon

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******* MARYLAND *********
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Day 65
Ed Garvey to Ensign Cowall Shelter
24.8m
Note: Met back up with Bear Bait

Day 66
Ensign Cowall to Tumbling Run Shelters
18.0m
Note: Met up with the Colonel too! The shelters had "snoring" and "non-snoring" section.

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******* PENNSYLVANIA *********
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Day 67
Tumbling Run to Birch Run Shelters
19.6m
Note: Brian made his bracelet and we met the "Garland 5" a family hiking the whole AT!

Day 68
Birch Run to James Frye (Tagg Run) shelter
17.1m

Day 69
James Frye to Alec Kennedy Shelter
8m
Note: Met up with Peter, Kelly, and Hannah

Day 70
Alec Kennedy to Darlington Shelter
18.2m

Day 71
Darlington to Peters Mtn Shelter
22.7m

Day 72
Peters Mtn to Rausch Gap Shelter
17.5m

Day 73
Rausch Gap to 501 Shelter
17.4m

Day 74
501 Shelter to Port Clinton, PA
23.7m

Day 75
Port Clinton to Eckville Shelter
15.2m

Day 76
Eckville to Bake Oven Knob Shelter
17.4m

Day 77
Bake Oven Knob to Leroy A. Smith Shelter
23.5m

Day 78
Leroy A. Smith to Delaware Water Gap, PA
20.4m

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******* NEW JERSEY *********
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Day 79
ZERO DAY in D.W.G., PA

Day 80
D.W.G to Gren Anderson Shelter
31.2m

Day 81
Gren Anderson to High Point Shelter
13.0m

Day 82
High Point to Lott Rd.
7.1m
Note: We got off here, hiked to the Back Track Inn in Unionville, NY, waited for 6 hours before my Unlce Ken Picked us up, and then went to Bronxville, NY where we stayed with Ken, Aunt Mary, and cousins Sean and Luke.

Day 83
ZERO DAY in NYC!

Day 84 (8/7/05)
Lott Rd. to Pochuck Mtn Shelter
5.3m

Day 85
Pochuck Mtn to Wildcat Shelter
23.8m
Note: Met up with "A-Train" and "Captain Morgan" that night

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******* NEW YORK *********
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Day 86
Wildcat to William Brien Memorial Shelter
19.6m
Note: Spent the night with our first South Bounders (SOBOs): "Don King","Semoa","Gills", and "Super T." This Shelter was also one of the first built on the trail

Day 87
William Brien to the Graymoor Friary
15.2m
Note: This was a pavillion located in a local Friar Monestary. The Monks came down and gave us dinner sandwiches to eat that night. This is where the "Friar Triathalon" occured. We also met "Jeweler", "Swingin' Jane", "Simon The Wonder Dog", and Gene the Trail Angel.

Day 88
Friary to RPH Cabin
18.9m
Note: We got to order pizza here

Day 89
RPH to "Pawling, NY"
17.3m
Note: I use quotes b/c Gene slack-packed us to this road...but instead of staying in Pawling, he drove us 7 miles north to the next shelter, and then drove us back to the road the next morning. There was a HUGE oak tree here...the largest on the trail.

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****** CONNECTICUT *******
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Day 90
Pawling to Mt. Algo Lean-To (AKA Shelter)
20.7m
Note: The heat and humidity was outrageous that day. We also met "Dutchman."

Day 91
ZERO DAY IN KENT, CT
Note: The lean-to was 0.3 miles from the road into town. So we bopped in for the day, shopped, chilled, and then walked back that evening. We took the rest b/c the heat got the best of us. In Kent, we caught up to about ten NOBOs and got to see our friend, Tucker, again (he's still a day ahead). And I can't forget that this was Open Mic night as well.

Day 92
Kent to Pine Swamp Brook Lean-To
17.3m
Note: The skeeters were bad and we met a SOBO named "Hannibal."

Day 93 (8/16/05)
Pine Swamp Brook to Riga Lean-To
19.8m
Note: Stopped here in Salisbury along the way. Great Sunrise!

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****** MASSACHUSSETTS *******
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Day 94
Riga to Great Barrington, MA
18.0m
Note: Stayed the night in a motel and got a sweet hitch into town!

Day 95
Great Barrington to Mt. Wilcox North Lean-To
13.5m
Note: Had the shelter to ourselves for the first time in a LONG time! It was also much cooler at night.

Day 96
Mt. Wilcox to Upper Goose Pond Cabin
14.0m
Note: Stayed with a ton of SOBOs and had delicious pancakes in the AM.

Day 97
Upper Goose Pond to Dalton, MA
20.6m
Note: Uncle Mike picked us up and we're in Albany for the night. We got a surprise slack-pack and got to pick blueberries on the way into town.

Day 98
Dalton, MA to Mt. Greylock
17.0m
Note: Uncle Mike slack-packed us this day and we spent another night in Albany. We each got stuck by a yellow-jacket. Those suck. This was the first time since Virginia going over 3000 ft in elevation and it was beautiful (we saw a sunset too!)

********************************
****** VERMONT *******
********************************

Day 99
Mt. Greylock to Congdon Shelter
20.4m
Note: It was COLD that night. We're eager to get our winter clothes! We're also excited to be in Vermont.

Day 100
Congdon to Caughnawga Shelter
18.7m
Note: We got a ride into Bennington, VT to get some fuel, buy a headlamp, and check some email from a guy who lives in his van. Random, yet cool.

Day 101
Caughnawga to Spruce Peak Shelter
22.9m

Day 102
Spruce Peak to Peru Peak Shelter
13.1m
Note: We picked up Brian's cousin, Natalie, in Manchester, VT on the way

Day 103
Peru Peak to Minerva Hinchey Shelter
19.6m
Note: Went swimming in an awesome lake!

Day 104
Minerva Hinchey to Churchill Scott Shelter
18.2m
Note: Climbed Killington Peak (beautiful!) it was over 4000 ft in elevation.

Day 105
Churchill Scott to Wintturi Shelter
21.8m
Note: Dropped off Natalie ("Tofoo") in Killington, VT. It began raining that day...and it hasn't really stopped since.

Day 106
Wintturi to VT 12
3.8m
Note: Brian's parents picked us up for a rest day

Day 107
VT 12 to Happy Hill Shelter
16.6m
Note: Reunited w/ Tucker and met a SOBO named "Butterfly" and her dog, Isabel. Still raining.

********************************
****** NEW HAMPSHIRE *******
********************************

Day 108
Happy Hill to Velvet Rocks Shelter
7.3m
Note: Stopped in Hanover for awhile. Great town so far! We then proceeded to set up tent at this shelter and got absolutely drenched by Katrina before setting up tent.

Day 109
Velvet Rocks Shelter to Stream before Smarts Mtn.
19.9m
Note: We set up tent again because we were too tired to make the next shelter

Day 110
Stream to another stream near NH25C
17.2m
Note: Camped near a rode

Day 111
NH25C to Kinsman Notch (North Woodstock, NH)
14.3m
Note: We entered the White Mtns this day (Mt. Moosilauke) and put up in a motel that night

Day 112
Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch
16.3m
Note: We slack packed this section b/c we had to stay 2 nights in Woodstock (Labor Day)

Day 113
Franconia Notch to Garfield Pond
9.9m
Note: Crossed Franconia Ridge which was above tree line (most of the Whites are). We heard a moose run through camp that night and then saw it 20ft from our tents in the morning!

Day 114
Garfield Pond to AMC-Zealand Falls Hut
10.8m
Note: We did work-for-stay at this hut where you do some random jobs to eat and sleep on the dining room tables

Day 115
Zealand Falls to Mt. Jackson
12.4m
Note: Saw BEAUTIFUL sunset and runrise from here. We also cowboy-camped.

Day 116
Mt. Jackson to Edmands Col ("The Perch")
11.5m
Note: We summited Mt. Washington (6288'...highest in New England) and crossed most of the Presidential range.

Day 117
Edmands Col to Parapet Brook
5.8m
Note: exhausted for some reason

Day 118
Parapet Brook to Mt. Hight
12.1m
Note: I separated from Brian and Tucker briefly b/c I took the wrong trail. IDIOT!

Day 119
Mt. Hight to US2
13.2m
Note: Stayed in Gorham, NH at a hostel called "The Barn"

Day 120
US2 to Trident Col Tentsite
6.9m

Day 121
Trident Col to Full Goose Shelter
14.5m
Note: We entered flippin' Maine!!!!!!!!

********************************
****** MAINE *******
********************************

Day 122
Full Goose to Frye Notch Shelter
14.5m
Note: Went through Mahoosuc Notch...the hardest mile on the trail.

Day 123
Frye Notch Shelter to South Arm road.
15.4m
Note: Had to walk 5 miles in the rain. Extremely unmotivated until arriving at the Cabin. They then slack-packed us 10 more miles. We like the Cabin!

Day 124 (9/16/05)
South Arm to ME 17
13.3m
Note: Hmmm another night at the Cabin w/ Slack-packing sounds great to us!

Day 125
ZERO DAY at the cabin

Day 126
ME 17 to Piazza Rock Lean-To
14.2m

Day 127
Piazza Rock to Spaulding Mtn. Lean-To
16.9m

Day 128
Spaulding Mtn to ME 27 (Stratton)
13.5m

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Miles from Springer Mtn. to Stratton, ME: 1987.1!!!!!!!!
Miles until Mt. Katahdin: 187.8 (We're getting ridiculously closer!) $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Stratton...yesssssssssss

2005-09-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

To all our friends and family alike who are tracking our trek through Maine. Greetings!

Tucker and I are taking a quick night in a hostel in Stratton, ME. Cherry-Bomb is off camping in the woods for the night and we will reconnect in the morning.

It has been really rainy in Maine. Although yesterday was a different case. The weather was clear and sunny and we got to see all sorts of views from Saddleback Mtn and the neighboring ranges.

I have found Maine to be the best and worst state at the same time...and it usually depends on whether it's raining or not. When it rains, you can't see anything, you're cold, and all you think about is the rocky ascents and descents. As a matter of fact, we are slipping and sliding all over the place. Each day the three of us have "The fall of the day" which usually occurs coming down hill, or crossing one of the many rotted, moss-covered bog bridges that are specially designed to make you slip into mud that engulfs your entire foot. However, when it is not raining, we find ourselves captivated by the Lord's beauty which surrouds us every which way. The mountains go on and on and sometimes you can see the mist rising from the valleys.

We have been hiking with two fellows: "Elf" and "Walrus." They are fixin' (note the Texan language that I am learning from Tucker) to summit Mt. Katahdin on October 1st which means they will be scootin' on ahead because we have fallen behind to a date that will land us there between the 2nd and the 4th of October. Unfortunately for Cherry-Bomb, Walrus was "breathing deeply" a little too loud and pitched the tent at 2:51 AM to get 4 hours of undisturbed sleep. That's gotta be some kind of record for us.

Every day Tucker complains of our Flatus...as if it's supernatural or something. I think he's just jealous.

Stay tuned as we plan to stop in Monson, ME in 6 days!

It IS too late to send TRAIL MAGIC!

2005-09-17T05:30:00.000-05:00

Hi all, since we are near the end of our journey...it's too late to send anything more to us. Thanks to all who have!

We're Maine-iacs MAAAAAIINNNIACS!!!!!!

2005-09-16T04:26:00.000-05:00

Holy moly folks, we're in our last state of our journey: MAINE (Sorry for the punny subject).

It's wild to think that we are here. I think we have finally realized that this is the last leg and that unless something crazy happens, we can finish this trip. However, Maine came with its challenges.

First of all the weather went from cool, clear, and nice in the Whites to hot, dreadfully humid, and sweaty. I think this was the most we have sweat the entire trip, and it's SEPTEMBER! C'mon folks!

Secondly, the terrain is just as hard (if not harder) than the Whites. In all honesty it's been brutal. The trail has turned into these steep up and downs that have many rocks to stumble over. Actually each day it seems like we take bets on how many times Brian, Tucker, or myself are going to slip and fall. Each night we come into camp just sore and exhausted.

Thirdly, another terrain obstacle that deserves a paragraph on its own, we crossed the hardest mile on the AT: Mahoosuc Notch. This thing was crazy. It was literally a notch between two mountains that had a bunch of boulders in it. We crawled over them, around then, and underneath them. 1.5 hours to do 1 mile. Then it was followed by one of the hardest climbs on the trail: Mahoosuc Arm. And we still managed to make 15 miles (dreadfully hard).

Anyway, we are staying at this wonderful place in Andover, ME called "The Cabin." It's literally like Paradise for us. "Bear" and "Honey" have run it for 11 years after they retired and they treat us w/ royalty. We had a full course dinner, and we're about to have a full course breakfast. It's all-you-can-eat too so they make sure you are satisfied. The beds have linens so you can stay out of the sleeping back for awhile. It's warm and homey. What a place to reside after hiking 5 miles in the cold rain yesterday morning.

Really quick, some new hiking people we have been with are "Walrus", "Cucumber Boy" (who is actually a girl), and "Crazy Horse." Great people to hang around with. Ok, Cherry-Bomb wants on. Thanks for all your support thus far!

FLATUS

More Photos

2005-09-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

White Mountains What?

2005-09-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you folks, this last week hiking through the white mountains
has been incredible! The terrain has been the most difficult that we have
experienced on the trail so far, and we have had to cut the miles we hike
in a day in half. However, it gave us a little more time to enjoy the
beauty of being on top of some of the greatest mountains in America. Last
week's hike included summiting Mt. Washington, the highest mountain in New
England, and boasting the highest recorded windspeeds in the world at 231
mph. Fortunately, while we were on top, the wind speed was only 10-15mph
and it was a warm 50 degrees. We also did a ridgewalk over the rest of the
presidentials including Mt. Jackson, Mt. Clay, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams,
and Mt. Madison, all of which are above treeline. It is incredible the
change in weather and temperature when you are without the protection of
trees. We spent the night on top of Mt. Jackson in a crevace just big
enough to fit Flatus, Tucker, and myself, and saw an incredible sunset
followed by a just as spectacular sunrise a few hours later. We even had
our first moose encounter while camping near Garfield Pond. At about 1am
Tucker and I awoke to a large animal galloping through our campsite. We
woke Flatus up and looked outside and saw two big glowing eyes about 30 ft
from us, intermittent with sounds of chomping on grass and shrubs. We
crawled back in our sleeping bags, went back to sleep, and at 6am were
surprised to hear the animal again, this time right outside of our tent.
Flatus quickly unzipped the fly and we had a very close encounter with a
huge moose. Fortunately it wasn't really interested in us, or our food and
continued to stroll by.

Another thing that is unique to the White Mountains is that there are many
huts for folks to stay in, that also serve breakfast and dinner. Although
these huts are pretty spendy at about $77/night, the hut "croos" do
sometimes allow thru-hikers to "work-for-stay" and enjoy a warm table to
sleep on and maybe some leftover oatmeal or pumpkin pie. We stayed in one
of the huts, and washed some windows for our work-for-stay, but decided
that it wasn't really our cup of tea and camped the remainder of the time.

Currently, we are in Gorham, NH, staying at the "Barn" hostel which is attached to a bed and breakfast. There are supposedly 62 hikers in town today, most of whom we have never met before. It's hard to believe we're almost to Maine!

Vermont Photos

2005-09-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

New England Photos

2005-08-31T17:26:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

Cherry-bomb's Trivia

2005-08-31T13:50:00.000-05:00

Please comment to these trivia questions. The answers will be coming soon...

QUESTION #1
What is Cherry-bomb's favorite energy bar?

1)ClifBar Cool Mint Chocolate
2)Powerbar Oatmeal Raisin
3)Snickers Marathon Caramel Nut Blast

Although I am quite fond of all of these bars, #2 is my favorite. Congratulations Dad and Tim!

QUESTION #2
What is the significance of the two numbers 10 and 4?

1)It is the number of pounds that C=bomb and Flatus have lost, respectively
2)It is the record of our Gin Rummy matches (with C-bomb winning or course)
3)It is the longest number of days we have gone without taking a shower, and the longest number of days without changing our underwear.

Although we do play Gin, we keep track of the who's ahead. Cherrybomb is up by 5 games. And I believe the longest we have gone without showering is 8 days and 3 days for the undergarments. Congratulations Tim (Tim is now 2 for 2) Way to go!

QUESTION #3
Cherry-bomb recently...
1)Tried out "The Dude's" hammock
2)Tried out "The Dude's" kilt
3)Tried out "The Dude's"sleeping bag

Unfortunately all of the responses thought that I would consider wearing someone else's kilt. Sounds tempting but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. Actually, I enjoyed a night in "The Dude's" hammock. At a whopping 1 pound and 15 ounces, it's one of the lightest shelter alternatives there are. Maybe I'll consider using one for my next big hike...

QUESTION #4
Flatus is...
1)Secretly training to be a cage-fighter
2)Considering quitting his job and attempting a "Yo-Yo" on the AT (hiking back to GA from ME)
3)Having the time of his life on the trip

This was kind of a gimme, however many people have said that Flatus looks like a superhero with his skin tight UnderArmor shirt and I thought some people might think he was training to be a cage fighter. Oh, and there is no way that we would want to turn around and go back after reaching Maine.

QUESTION #5
While in New York...
1)Cherry-bomb almost got arrested for wearing shorts that showed too much leg
2)Flatus got a 2nd degree sunburn on his face from falling asleep on the cruise boat
3)We learned that the people of New York City have more character than anyone else in the world

Although C-bomb's shorts are pretty short, the people of NYC didn't seem to care, and our good friend Tucker is now sporting some shorts that are even shorter. We both did catch a few rays while on the boat, but it wasn't anything too serious. The correct answer is #3 because the boat captain told us that NYC has the most character.

Congratulations C-bomb's Dad, anonymous, and Timmie!

QUESTION #6
Cherry-bomb's favorite picture of the trip is...
1)"Congratulations Robert, you are our 100th hiker" (Flatus, Robert)
2)"Back on the trail" (Sunrise)
3)"Hannah's first steps on the AT" (Cherry-bomb, Cherry-bomb's niece Hannah, Flatus)

This one was a tough one. Although I like all of these pictures very much, my favorite one is the sunrise from "back on the trail". Of course, when my niece Hannah grows up and asks me what my favorite picture is, I may change my mind.

Congratulations Katie Beres!

QUESTION #7
C-bomb's favorite New Zealand word is...
1)Supermarket "Trolley"
2)"Dingo"
3)"Cheers"

Actually, the correct answer was the "Supermarket Trolley". I think it sounds absolutely ridiculous, which is why it is my favorite.

QUESTION #8
What is our favorite snack to eat while in town...
1)Twizzlers
2)Ben and Jerry's ice cream
3)Mike and Ikes
4)Ritz snack chips
5)Fresh plums
6)All of the above

This was kind of a gimme. Congratulations Dad and Tim for getting the correct answer.

Holy hogwash we're in Hanover! (Says Flatus)

2005-08-31T12:10:00.000-05:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's right. We are officially in Hanover, New Hampshire. That means we have only two states and 440 miles to go before reaching Mt. Katahdin. Yes, we are getting excited. At this time, if we average about 14.5 miles a day, we can reach the terminus by our goal time of October 1st. We have also met other people say that it is possible to do this! (yessssssssssssssss).

Man, what to say. In a nutshell, I, Flatus, declare Vermont as my favorite state thus far. The weather has been perfect (minus the rain we've had in the past few days) consisting of cool nights, cool days, and low humidity. It's also been easy to put in large miles (~18-20) without feeling dead when the day was over. My personal favorite has been the fact that we are starting to hike in higher elevations. This gives us cooler weather, fewer bugs, and better views. Some highlights have been Bear Mountain, CT; Slack packing to Mt. Greylock in MA; and tackling the nearly vertical climb of Killington Peak in Vermont. Each view overwhelms me with Jesus' beauty and majesty. I often times am reminded of the glory of the Cross each time. Just beautiful.

The amount of SOBOs we have seen has dramatically decreased. But we are starting to catch up to a lot of NOBOs that have started in early April or Late March that have chosen to take their time hiking the trail. It's fun to have the ability to meet new people even this late in the journey. Brian and I are also excited because we caught up to our friend "Tucker." We are planning on trying to finish our journey with him, he has been very good company to us. It would be swell if Team midwest and A-Train catch up to us (they took a day off in Great Barrington, MA and have been a day behind since). We'll see. All in all, it's been great seeing family and friends...suck as spending a couple of nights with my Uncle Mike, hiking a few days w/ Natalie, and spending most of a day with Brian's parents: Janet and Paul.

We look forward to hearing from you guys. It seems that we are done seeing friends until the end of our journey. We now venture into the White Mountains, home of Mt. Washington (which is known for the highest recorded wind speeds in the world) where the hiking is harder, the tree-line is below us, and the weather is colder. You should hear from us again somewhere in New Hampshire. Happy Trails!

Great Family

2005-08-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

I never thought that choosing to hike the Appalachian Trail and temporarily removing myself from most of society would actually bring more opportunities to see and get to know our wonderful families. As you know, Flatus' Dad and Uncle Mike came and hiked for a few days, and we were able to see Uncle Mike again just over a week ago when we were finishing up the trail in Massachusetts. He took us back to his home in Albany and made sure that we were very well taken care of. We also hiked for four days with my cousin Natalie "To-foo" from Portland, Oregon, who I rarely get to see. Seeing how she will be attending Dartmouth College and running for the girl's track and cross country teams, she had no trouble keeping up with us. We even got an opportunity to go swimming in a beautiful pond, something that To-foo and I loved to do while growing up when we visited our grandparents in Racine, WI. And to top it off, my parents took a slight detour after visiting my sister and her family in Pittsburgh to celebrate my niece's very first birthday, by driving all the way out to Woodstock, Vermont. They picked us up in the morning, provided a place to rest and get cleaned up, brought some winter gear and goodies for the remainder of the trip, and of course made sure the voids in our stomachs were filled. I know that there are many others that have supported us in other ways throughout the trip, and we are very grateful for each and every one of you. In case anyone else is planning on visiting, your time is running out as we are planning to be done with the trail by October first.

Next Photos

2005-08-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

Welcome to Manchester Center, VT!

2005-08-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, just have about 5 minutes before my cousin Natalie arrives all the way from Portland, Oregon to hike with us for a few days. I'm super excited because I don't get to spend to much time with my relatives out west. The weather and trails and views have been absolutely extraordinary...and it will only get better as we head farther north into New Hampshire and Maine. My parents will also be visiting in a few days near Hanover, NH and bringing a warmer sleeping bag, warmer clothes, and some much needed new hiking shoes (800 miles on my last pair!). Miss you all and will write more in the next town.

11 Down, 3 To go!

2005-08-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody,

I don't have much time, so I have to make this quick. Cherry-Bomb and I are finally in Vermont! After this, we have New Hampshire, and then Maine! Wow! Anyway, the weather has definitely cooled off and we are now hiking in higher elevations, which is really nice (except it's a bit hard to get out of bed in the morning) for hiking. We got a ride into town from a nice fellow hanging out by the trail. We have 15 more miles to do, so I better get going! Hope to check in soon (Maybe Manchester, VT).

Later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before you know it, we're in MA! (Flatus style)

2005-08-21T00:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I hope C-Bomb will fill in any gaps I leave out because it is way too late to be typing anything right now...but I'll do my best.

After leaving Salisbury, CT, we trekked through the rest of the state and we now find ourselves almost finished with Massachusetts! Needless to say, the trail doesn't pass through too much of either state (probably 110 miles combined). The Berkshires are beautiful and the much needed cooler weather helps us enjoy them alot more without the discomfort of overheating. And by cooler I mean MUCH cooler! The other night the temperature dropped below 60 degrees. Oh well, I prefer that much more than the heat. The terrain has been nice too, we are reaching higher elevations which makes for nicer views and slightly more difficult hiking, but it's worth it.

There have been some cool places to stay too. Actually, one really. Last night we stayed in this cool cabin called the Upper Goose Pond Lake Cabin. It's run by a caretaker and is located on a beautiful, clear lake. We got up early and hiked in there by 12:30 so we could enjoy the entire afternoon and evening there just relaxing. I'm almost done reading my book Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. Anyway, the cabin was unique because there was no power there, it was two stories tall and everything ran off of propane (stove, lights, fridge, etc).

Another amazing spot was the Riga Lean-To in Connecticut (right after Salisbury). It was East-Facing on a mountain so when we woke up in the morning, we saw a beautiful sunrise. I guess the only other cool place we got to stay in was a motel in Great Barrington, MA b/c we were in desperate need of shower and laundry.

As far as other hikers are concerned, we haven't met any new NOBOs (and we just recently pulled ahead of Team Midwest and A-Train for the time being). However, we have encountered the big wave of SOBOs. At the cabin we stayed with about 10 of them and passed even more the next day. It's fun sharing stories with them and shedding light on the miles we have to come, respectively.

Anyway, I sit here in my Uncle Mike's dining room (yes, the same Uncle from two weeks ago) in Albany, NY. He drove over to pick us up from Dalton, MA where he will take us back in the morning so we can continue hiking. We will be in Vermont when we join you next, so stay tuned!

Flatus' Funniest Moment

2005-08-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

And now for the Funniest moment on the trip for Flatus:

When we got to Kent, CT, we ended up taking a whole day off b/c of the heat we had to hike in the day before and the head we would have had to hike in had we decided to hike that day. So we spend the night in a Lean-To (AKA, Shelter) for two nights. The second night Team Midwest rolled in and A-Train decided he wanted to start "Open Shelter Night." Which was basically the AT hiking version of Open Mic Night.

After a few people stood up and did a little trick, told a story, or told a bad joke. Cherry-Bomb decided to entertain the crowd. After a minute or two, he strolled out in front of us with a bandana wrapped around his head thug style, his aviator glasses, no shirt, some Teva sandals, and his hiking shorts sagging down and his Exoficio brand underwear showing. He then proceeded to ask someone for a microphone in which A-Train tossed his bug spray bottle. That is when I lost it.

His first number was rapping the song "Regulator" by an old artist by the name of Warren G. This lasted for a good 5 minutes. But then he gave us an encore by dancing, and singing, to the "Tootsie Roll." Yet another old-school song that we danced to in 6th grade. Needless to say, all of us were rolling. Yes, you had to be there, but hopefully the picture I got is enough to give y'all a taste of the C-Bomb flava.

The only contribution I had to Open Shelter Night was lighting a fart on fire. Which no one, leave Cherry-Bomb, had seen before. Quite humorous.

Update-NYC to Connecticut (C-bomb's version)

2005-08-16T12:20:00.000-05:00

After a few days off in NYC with Nick's Aunt and Uncle, we were ready to hit the trail again, however we had no idea what was in store for us. The blazin hot temperatures continued to drain us throughout most of the week with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees. The severe drought that has plagued New York this summer also gave us a new appreciation for water, something that we often take for granted. If it wasn't for the "trail angels" that left waterjugs for hikers at many of the road crossings, we might still be in New York right now instead of Connecticut. In addition, the terrain is starting to pick up its intensity as we head farther north, however we have been looking forward to getting back into the mountains.

Last week marked many "firsts" for our trip, and they continued well into this week as well which included the first annual friary privy shuttle, a game of 'spoof' which led to C-bomb chugging a 2 liter bottle of seltzer water, and our very own AT open-mic night at one of the shelters with some of our buddies. Let me explain...

A few nights ago, Flatus and I decided to stay at a pavilion that was maintained by a local friary. One of the friars brought us some dinner and there was even a cold shower and baseball field on site. So, after dinner, I was thinking of a way to make our pal "A-train" from New Zealand look like a fool by challenging him to see how long it would take him to run to the privy and back (probably about 300 yards). I was anticipating that he would be the only one to do it, but after he, "Flatus", AND our new friend "Captain Morgan" all did it, being the competitive guy that I am, I decided to give it a try as well. In case your wondering, C-bomb came in last place with a time of 47.4 seconds, while our friend "Jeweler" (who also made the hemp necklace that I'm now sporting), won with a time of 41.3 seconds. We recorded our times at the pavilion and are hoping that the other hikers will also test their shuttling skills.

The next event that evening was an introduction to the game "spoof". I guess this is a New Zealand classic. Each person that is playing chooses 0-3 coins to conceal in his hand and then each person will try to guess how many total coins are in the hands. If you guess right, when the coins are revealed, then you get to sit out, and the last person standing is the big loser. Since this spoof game sounds like a game of skill and logic, I thought sure I would come out on top, well at least not on the bottom like the last event, however after each round, one of the participants would get to sit out while I remained. As the game went on, A-train and I were the only two people left, and of course, I got spoofed when he guessed the correct number. The predetermined penalty for the loser was to drink a 2 liter bottle of seltzer water in less than one hour. A daunting task since it was already after 9pm and we were all fully hydrated. I have no idea why somebody left several bottles of seltzer water...maybe it's some kind of delicacy in some states. So, I proceeded to hold up my end of the bargain and drink the water. The positive thing was that I was probably more hydrated than I've ever been on the trip. However the negative side is that I had a terrible time sleeping since I had to get up about 5 times to relieve myself. There is a proverb that says it is better to stand between a bear and her cubs than to be a fool in his folly, and although I was the fool of the evening, I'm not sure I would have rather chosen to be between a bear and her cubs.

After arriving in Kent, CT on Saturday night, Flatus and I decided to take an entire zero-day at one of the nearby shelters. This is also the first time we have spent two consecutive nights in the same shelter. A-train, Team Midwest, and Dutchman were there with us the second evening as well. To pass the time, we decided to have an open mic night and open up the stage in front of the shelter to anyone who had a funny joke, a neat trick, or perhaps a lil gangsta diddy. Even though this is our first open mic night on the trail, this is not the first time that Flatus has astonished people by lighting his flatus, nor has it been the first time that C-bomb has busted out in some Warren G or the popular "tootsie roll" during the hike. Where oh where was the video camera?

New York Photos

2005-08-16T12:08:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

Finally found the Net in Connecticut!

2005-08-16T12:04:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Yes, it's true, we've managed to push our way through New Jersey and New York and into the grand state of Connecticut where Shelters are called Lean-Tos and subway sandwiches are called Grinders. We join you from the lovely town of Salisbury.

The trail got increasingly more difficult relative to what we had been trekking through in Pennsylvania. It's true that the rocks went away, but we found ourselves climbing more and more hills. We weren't quite accustomed to this b/c we could usually finish 16-20 mile days by 5 PM whereas now we push it close to dark. But the scenery of New England is slowly starting to reveal itself and we are gradually growing to love the area. The weather, on the other hand, has been ridiculous. The other day we heard the heat and humidity was pushing close to record highs in Connecticut. That made it especially hard to hike in. Also, the lack of rain dried up all the springs and streams in New York. We were forced to depend on Trail Magic (people just leaving jugs of water by the road) or spigots located in nearby towns. It was sort of ironic b/c although water was so lacking, we almost made it through without needing to use our chemical treatment of AquaMira. We also found ourselves battling Deer Flies, which fly into your hair and bite.

This week we also had a new wave of camaraderie. We reunited "Team Midwest" briefly our first night back, but separated the next day. For most of the week, we have been hiking with a mate from New Zealand (Wellington) named "A-Train." He is a riot and his personality jives just fine with us. Our evening antics helps take our minds off of the grueling tortures of the day. One evening we spent the night in a pavillion that belongs to a Friar Monestary. It was quite a place. We also hiked with "Captain Morgan" and a guy named "Jeweler" (known for his skills in hemp-weaving). When we were at the Pavillion, a fellow named Gene rolled up in his car and said he was slack-packing a woman named "Swingin' Jane" and her dog "Simon The Wonder Dog." She had some back problems so he was helping her out for the next few days. Well, Brian couldn't resist and asked if he could slack-pack us too. And that is what we did for 2 and a half days! It was great! Just lolly-gagging around, getting to know Jane, and not having to do as much work in the heat.

Overall, we are glad to be here in Connecticut (we'll cross over into Massachusetts tomorrow) and New England. We have heard nothing but good things from our SOBO companions that we bump into.

The many firsts from Delaware Water Gap to NYC

2005-08-07T10:56:00.000-05:00

Since we last wrote, we were spending a night in Delaware Water Gap and then leaving that next day to hike 10 miles, and then 21 more miles the day after to meet up with my father and my uncle, Mike. As it turns out, we saw that the bank in Stroudsburg (a town outside of the gap where we did laundry and went shopping) listed a temperature of 103 degrees. This, combined with our Barkin' Dogs from Pennsylvania, persuaded us to stay yet another night in the Gap. This leads me to the day when we left to hike 31 miles to meet my father and uncle where I compiled the official "List of Firsts." This happened to be a unique time of our trip where a lot of first experiences occurred for us:

The Flatus and Cherry-Bomb list of firsts through NYC:

First 30+ mile day (~31 miles)

First tick found on Flatus' body

First time visible salt deposits developed on Flatus' Under Armour

First "secret shelter" on the trail (a place for only thru-hikers run by a thru-hiker alumni)

First time being at the highest point in New Jersey

The hottest days of the trip happened (It was pretty hot)

The heat led to the development of the T.F.H. Index (Too Flippin' Hot Index) which was a 9.9 in our opinions and overrides any other weather report the area has to offer

Longest time spent in a bar (we had to wait 6 hours until my Uncle Ken could pick us up to take us near the city)

Longest time to hitch 25 miles (My uncle Mike tried to hitch to his car in that 6 hour period...and never made it...we're giving him a trail name of "Short Thumb")

First time seeing a woodchuck on the trail

First time experiencing young, 14 year-old girls trying to take random photographs of us after rolling into a shelter at night

First time we've seen a bear box at a shelter (a metal box to keep your food in at night)

First time Cherry-Bomb took a nap in the backroom storage shelf at a Bar

First time staying in a shelter that was within 0.1 miles of a road

First time ever playing Hearts (the card game)...with three people...while trying to kill time for 6 hours at a bar

First time swimming at a public beach

First time I had a tennis ball confiscated from me as I tried to bring it into the water with me

Did I mention it was the hottest flippin' day ever?!?

Cherry-bomb was stung 3 times in one week

Whew, man, it was jammed packed the past few days. In all seriousness, we had a blast hiking with my Dad and Unlce Mike and then spending two nights in Bronxville, NY with my Uncle Ken, Aunt Mary, and cousins Sean and Luke. The city was overwhelming, but still a good time. And, as Cherry-Bomb indicated earlier, keep your eyes peeled for the killer shades that we bought (2 for $11...what a steal!).

I have no idea where we will be logging on next. But keep posted and see if you can get the new Cherry-Bomb trivia questions for the week.

New York New York!

2005-08-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

By now many of you know that Flatus and I are in New York City, not because the trail goes through here, but because we were able to spend some time hiking with Nick's dad and Uncle Mike who drove us in to stay with Nick's other Uncle Ken and Aunt Mary. Yesterday we cruised around Manhattan on a boat, ate a delicious dim sum in Chinatown, reflected on the September 11 attacks at "Ground Zero", took a stroll on Wall St., and finished the day with some New York Style Pizza. Ken and Mary and their two boys Sean and Luke have been amazing hosts and it has been such a blessing to rest up at their home before we hit the trail again.

This is my first time in New York and the city reminds me of my semester studying in Hong Kong almost a year ago. So many different kinds of people and an endless number of things to do. At first I was worried that I would stick out here, but I soon realized that nobody really sticks out in New York, even people that wear ridiculous looking sunglasses they purchased from street vendors (pictures coming soon). I think I will visit again sometime, perhaps on the way back from our hiking trip.

The Pinnacle

2005-08-02T11:19:00.000-05:00

Funny Story...

So one beautiful sunny afternoon, Flatus, Cherry-bomb, and our new friend "John Wayne Tucker" from Texas were enjoying hiking over the boulder fields of PA. We came across a vista called the "Pinnacle" and decided to rest for a few moments. As soon as Flatus took off his backpack, he felt a tremendous urge to use the "restroom...#2" and since nobody was around, he proceeded to go about his business. Tucker and I were chatting when we noticed 2 women walking towards the main trail from the vista. At first, I commented on them not being very social since they took an alternate "blue-blazed" path to get back to the AT. Then suddenly they stopped dead in their tracks, paused for a moment, turned around, paused for another moment, and headed back towards the vista. It was at that moment that I remembered what Nick was doing, and that they probably got more of a "vista" than what they bargained for. After several awkward moments, they walked towards Tucker and I and we chatted briefly with them and asked them how the "lookout" was. Flatus then reappeared unaware of the any of the previous events and told us about this "killer rock" that saved him the time of digging a cathole. We broke the news to him after the women had gone on their way. If only we had a video camera...

Pennsylvania is over!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-08-01T17:14:00.000-05:00

Hello people of the USA (or anywhere else in the world)!

As you can see by the explanation points, we are quite happy. The reason you might ask? Well, that's a good question. We are officially finished hiking through Pennsylvania! There's so many reasons to be excited about that.

First of all, it's great to be over half way and have less than 1,000 miles before we reach our goal of summiting Mt. Katahdin in Maine. That's a huge psychological barrier for us. Secondly, Pennsylvania, although very flat, has provided us with some of the most treacherous terrain on the trail yet. Most of that coming from rocks, lots and lots and lots and lots of rocks. Actually, the rocks were bad for only the last 70 miles of the state, but it felt like an eternity each day. Rocks are bad because they just don't provide good footing. As a result, our ankles turn in an awkward way with each step. This leaves us with blisters (I'm still blister-free, but Brian is a hurtin' puppy), sore feet, sore knees, and longer days. Brian also got a wasp sting which made his ankle fat and didn't help anything. The highlight being the 0.8 mile, 1000 foot climb out of Lehigh Gap near the end. Thirdly, there are snakes here! In one day, I saw two rattlesnakes within 200 yards of eachother. They weren't happy ones either, both times you don't see it until you step two feet away from it and it snaps instantly into a coiled position with its rattle shaking faster than you'd like to hear. I, of course, jump back in pure fear with adrenaline racing through my body. Yick. So not only are we dealing with bad terrain, we're constantly paranoid about stepping near a snake.

That was the bad part, however there is definitely a good part. The past week and a half or so we have been hiking with a group of six called Team Midwest with a Texan Connection. Team Midwest consists of ourselves, "Spartan" (w/ black beard), "'Boose" (red beard), and "The Dude" (w/ a kilt). They are from Kalamazoo, MI and have become very good friends of ours. We also met "Tucker" the night we spent w/ Kelly, Peter, and Hannah and he has been a hoot to hike with this past week as well (He's our "Texan Connection" if you will). He graduated from Texas Tech and just decided one day that he wanted to go to the woods. He modified the popular phrase used amongst many hikers which goes "Hike your own hike" to "Hey, Wipe your own wipe buddy!" when we commented on the huge roll of pink toilet paper he carries with him. It's been phenomenal hiking with them, we haved geled really well and we hope to not get separated too soon. I mean, to hike with guys that can play Euchre is a treat in itself!

Pennsylvania was actually cool...contrary to my ranting above. There were two shelters we stayed at that had care-takers and the views have been there for us too. We're now going to venture into New Jersey where I will meet my father and Uncle, Mike for a couple of days and then go visit my Uncle Ken, Aunt Mary, and two cousins, Sean and Luke in New York City. Now that we left the snakes behind, we get to venture into the highest concentration of bears on the whole trail. Stay posted! We will likely update this upcoming weekend from my Uncle's home just outside of the City.

Happy Trails!

An Outsider's Perspective

2005-08-01T16:17:00.000-05:00

Well, after hiking with our friend, Jenny, for a couple of days, we asked her to write a little perspective on our trip from her side after experiencing it first-hand. I'll paste it below for you all to enjoy:

Hey everyone--this is Jenny (Boombox) here. Nick and Brian asked me to write a little something about my experience on the AT as an outsider's perspective. Apparently I really lucked out and experienced a nicer and easier part of the trail. The hostel where we stayed the first night was almost luxurious to the thru-hikers since it was equipped with everything from showers to a fully-stocked kitchen to free dinner. The second night we stopped at a really nice shelter with, thankfully, one of the nicer privies. I learned some of the trail lingo, like "section hiker" (someone who hikes only a section of the AT), or "white blaze/blue blaze" (marks which trail is the AT and which trail is a side trail). I think what struck me the most though is the community of thru-hikers. We spent the first night with a bunch of guys that Nick and Brian knew who are also thru-hiking, and there was no end to the talk about the AT. They shared advise, warnings, funny stories, future plans, and anything else you could think of. Although they had never met before that night or before a night a month ago, they were able to understand each other and support each other in a way that no outsider would. I think my two days of hiking gave me an even greater respect for what Nick and Brian are accomplishing. I had fun for two days, but I cannot imagine hiking everyday for 4-5 months, and having to put on those already sweaty clothes again each morning. These guys have incredible mental endurance that is to be much admired.

Photos and Update

2005-07-29T13:31:00.000-05:00

Cherry-Bomb and Flatus are in Port Clinton, PA, but there is no place to use the internet. They are planning to take a side trip to New York City next weekend.

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

Clarification on "beer" picture

2005-07-25T15:17:00.000-05:00

FYI, the cans of liquid that are scattered about Flatus in one of the photos are actually Dr. Thunder, the caffeine equivalent of a case of beer. It was some "trail magic" provided by a former thru-hiker. Sorry for the confusion.

Postcards Wanted!

2005-07-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

This is for you guys. If you would like a postcard from Cherrybomb or Flatus, please email us your address or respond with a comment to this post. Please don't assume we remember any addresses that we previously knew.

brian.m.jacobson@gmail.com

Ch ch ch ch Cherry-Bomb's Update

2005-07-25T14:27:00.000-05:00

Well we done made it to Duncannon, PA and we're taking a few hours off to catch you all up to speed on what's been going down on the trail. This has been an awesome week for so many reasons. Flatus already mentioned the half-way point, but we've also fell into a new hiking philosophy that is much more enjoyable during the hot summer months. We've started getting up early (and I mean early), sometimes as early as 4am to get some miles down before the heat of the day comes. After hiking 10 miles or so, we've had the luxury of taking a 3-5 hour break at one of the many state parks and historical landmarks of this area. One of the days we happened to bump into a church group that was doing some volunteer work around one of the parks and apparently we looked hungry so they fed us lunch that day, including a short message from their Bible study too. It was very encouraging. I also got to experience my first "craft time" while on the trip at a break in Caledonia Park. We met a group of girls who were doing a leadership camp and they were making beaded bracelets, so I decided to treat myself to a C-bomb bracelet. It's the talk of the trail now and everyone else is jealous of my bead-making skills. We've played some frisbee, took a few dips in some very cool creeks, and took plenty of naps.

I've also managed to get an addition to my trail name. While we were staying at the Bear's Den Hostel with our friend Jenny "boombox", our friend "Lamby" broke out in a song about Cherry-bomb. You can listen to some of our own rendition of the song on the pictures page thanks to my brother-in-law Peter. Now when people ask me what my name is, I say "ch ch ch ch cherry-bomb" with everyone who is familiar with the new name joining with me on "cherry-bomb". You might just have to hear it yourself to understand.

Let's see, what else, oh yes, I have picked up a new hobby on the trail...drawing. I think I might decide to become a professional children's book illustrator. I've been doing at least one picture a day that depicts some event that occured during the day. Our good friend "Bearbait" from Florida, who we have been hiking with for a few days, has got to be my number one fan.

This last weekend, my sister, her husband, and my 11-month old niece came to experience part of my life. They brought us all sorts of treats including hamburgers and omlettes which drove the rest of the hikers at the camp crazy. Hannah's growing up so fast so we decided to get her started early hiking the trail. You can see a great picture of her first few steps on the AT on the pictures page....you have to start somewhere right?

Oh, I will also be adding a weekly trivia question that will encourage you to interact with what's going on on the trail. I will update the trivia question with the correct answer undert the heading "Cherry-bomb's Trivia". There may even be a special prize for the one who gets the right answer. I hope you enjoy!

Okay, time to get some more food and miles down today. C-bomb

Celebrating Half Way

2005-07-25T13:43:00.000-05:00

Well folks, beleive it or not, Cherry-bomb and Flatus are OFFICIALLY past the half-way point of the journey. Yeah, I can't beleive it either.

We have definitely found different ways to celebrate. Firstly, we had a great time with my friend, Jenny. We got to visit Washington, D.C. for an afternoon (Brian's first time) which was a blast, and then we said our goodbyes at Union Station and took a commuter train back to Harper's Ferry and hiked a good 7 miles into the evening. It was a great way to spend our time and we truly felt rested from it.

I was able to celebrate half-way in another style. The official point is close to a state park called Pine Grove Furnace in Pennsylvania. It was a cool place. We got up at 4 am so that we might catch "Team Midwest" that morning and say hello to them! We did, and we met them at a hostel that was a former underground railroad hideout. We got to go into the secret cellar and see all the places where they hid runaway slaves. Anyway, the AT tradition is that when you reach this place, you have to do the "Half Gallon Challenge." That is the quantity of ice cream you must eat. So at 9:30 AM, Cherry-Bomb and I attempted it. I got the Neopolitan flavor which made it much easier, I finished in a whopping 22 minutes and 30 seconds. My mouth is still recovering from the freezer burn. Cherry-Bomb wasn't able to finish his Chocolate Moose-Tracks flavor a) Because it had 1000 more calories, b) He didn't like it, and c) He ate like 4 Krispy Kremes beforehand. He promises to attempt it later with cookie dough flavor.

Overall we feel great. I personally am excited to hook up with my Father and Uncle Mike in a little over a week. Cherry-Bomb will fill you all in on some more details of the new states we entered and the new People we met!

July Photos

2005-07-22T19:28:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

And we're in Leonardtown, MD!?!

2005-07-18T00:29:00.000-05:00

Hello homies!

Boy have I got a lot to write since our last update in Waynesboro. As Brian indicated earlier in his other blog, we are just past the 1000 miles mark and we are currently stopped in Harpers Ferry, WV (which is technically 80 miles short of the real half-way point...but psychologically...we are definitely half way!). "But wait Nick, if you are in Harpers Ferry, why does the title say you are in Leonardtown? In fact, where is Leonardtown anyway? Is that even close to the trail?" Well, I will do my best to answer these questions for you.

After blazing through the Shenandoah's in four days from Waynesboro, we arrived to the Terrapin Hostel which is located at the northern border of the park about 60 miles south of Harpers Ferry. We stayed two nights there because the owner, Mike Evans, offered to let us slack pack for two days. Slack packing is where he drives us ~18 miles north of the hostel, and we can just day-hike back to the hostel with minimal weight. The next day he then drops us off at that same point and we continue north. Things got a little sticky when, about half way through our lovely day of slacking, Brian and I stepped on an underground bee hive while picking wild berries and ignoring the sign saying "Beware of active bees, Marshmallow (another hiker) got stung 3 times!" So we both got swarmed and I was stung in the right ankle several times. After sprinting for a good quarter mile, we walked another half mile to the next shelter where things got ugly. For those who don't know, I am very allergic to bees and I began developing a very severe case of hives all over my body. It was actually quite scary b/c many reactions result in your airway swelling up leading to asphyxiation. "Nick, you always carry an EipPen...right?" Well, yes, unless you go slack-packing and forget to pack it and happen to get stung that very day. What ended up happening is Brian carried both packs and I just went without a shirt. We reached a major road about 5 miles later where I became very fatigued. There so happened to be a fellow who was driving around to different roads helping his friend hike the entire AT in 48 days! When he saw me, Brian kindly asked if he would be willing to drive me to the hospital in Front Royal, VA and he only had room for me. So I went to the Front Royal ER while Brian hiked the remaining 4 miles to the hostel. After two hours of Epinipherine, Steroids, and Benedryl, my hives went away and Mike picked me up. I can only thank the Lord Jesus for keeping my neck from swelling and allowing me to reach safety. I am constantly reminded that my life is in His hands and I live always for Him.

After that whole fiasco, Brian and I got to meet up with my friend Jenny, who I know from my Campus Crusade for Christ trip to Germany two years ago, at another hostel called the Bear's Den. She dropped her car off in Harpers Ferry and had a gentleman drive her up to the hostel. It was such a treat to see a friend that we knew from life off the trail! And to put icing on the cake, there were other trail friends that we had met earlier such as Lamby and Gavin who were also there (Brian and Lamby sang a lovely cover of "King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West too). It was just a great time, the care-taker made us all a home-make pork loin meal w/ beans and potatos.

After spending the night at the hostel and making a killer wild-berry pancake breakfast, Brian, Jenny, and I hiked for 10 miles and stayed at the next Shelter before Harpers Ferry. It was a great shelter! We gave Jenny a trail name there: "Boom Box." Her last name is Groenenboom and we learned that her stomach growled alot after dinner. I would say the highlight of that evening was when all of us foudn ourselved wide awake at 3:30 in the morning and decided to cook up some mac & cheese, play two games of gin rummy, and fall back asleep at 4:30.

The next morning we hiked the last 9 miles into Harpers Ferry and got our pictures taken at the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) Headquarters. The NEXT treat came when our friend Keith, who we hiked with for about a week before Fontana Dam...six weeks ago, drove down from Washington, D.C. to visit us! It was such a riot talking about old times and seeing Brian and Keith sing old songs by the Carpenters. During lunch, Jenny offered to drive Brian and I down to her house in Leonardtown instead of dealing with weekend motel rates...so we gladly took her up on the offer. However, before we left, I, being the purist that I am, really wanted to make up the four miles I missed back when I was stung by bees...so Jenny was generous enough to drive me back to finish that small section near Front Royal, VA while Brian and Keith hung out at the raving Harpers Ferry music festival (4 member band with a 7 member audience). After Jenny and I accidently missed an exit, we drove through downtown D.C. and eventually met up with Keith and Brian at a Golden Corral (sp?) in a town called Waldorf, MD. We parted with Keith and continued to the Groenenboom residence.

Today was just a relaxing day. We had a wonderful time at Jenny's church and with her parents, John and Karla. They had a huge BBQ meal for us that was amazing! I was also able to talk to my family who returned from their vacation to Africa. Other than that we just sat around, talked, napped, and went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Man, it was nice to see a movie! Tomorrow we're going to drive up to D.C. b/c Brian has never been before and then he and I will take a commuter train back to Harpers Ferry and hit up 7 miles of the trail in the evening and continue our journey north!

So to summarize...we are in Leonardtown because of Jenny, no...it's nowhere near the trail, and yes we'll be back in Harpers Ferry in the evening. I hope you are all well.

Sorry about the pictures!

2005-07-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that the pictures have disappeared. This is temporary...we hope! We returned from vacation to find our computer down. We have ordered a new motherboard and hope to get things back up later this week.

1000 Miles Completed!

2005-07-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

In the words of our good friend "Gunner", 'I don't believe it!' We have completed over 1000 miles on the AT already. It seems like just yesterday we were walking with my parents up the approach trail to Springer Mountain, GA. The words that "Friendly Jeff" gave us early on during our trip have become so true, that this trail is not just about the miles, but about the people that you meet along the way. There are dozens of people that we have met during the last 2 months that will remain good friends for the rest of our lives, even if we don't see or hear from them very often. As many of you know, this pyschologically marks the half-way point along the trail, and there are 649 other thru-hikers that have come before us this year that we may have the opportunity to meet in the coming months. We're also looking forward to meeting many of our friends and family members as well including "Boom-box" (Jenny) who is visiting us right now from Maryland, my sister Kelly and her family from Pittsburgh, my cousin Natalie from Oregon, my parents from Wisconsin, and Nick's father and uncle from Wisconsin and New York...and maybe more. Thanks for coming along with us this far, and I hope you're looking forward to the next leg of our journey. -Cherry-bomb-

Hello from Waynesboro, VA!

2005-07-08T17:24:00.000-05:00

Hello everybody!

Boy have y'all missed alot since we've last blogged! Man, where do I begin? Well, lets start with the VERY night after we last updated the blog in Glasgow. We were all settled in to sleep and get up and resume our hiking the next morning when Brian got up 8 times in the middle of the night to vomit. So yeah, tack on ANOTHER zero day for us! Man, we ended up leaving Glasgow on the 4th and we were ready! Man, I just felt like a vegetable being cramped up in our small room at Mom and Pops motel. Boy did we sure help the economy of that small town by staying three nights there.

We've met some new people: "Spartan","Caboose", and "The Dude" are all from Michigan. We have seen them quite a bit and are enjoying their company. We also spent a day before reaching Glasgow with "Plus 1", "Lamby", Gavin, and "Kentucky." All cool people to meet. We also had fun at the Seeley-Woodsworth Shelter with Paul and his daugther, Katherine, and her friend Kathleen. We tried teaching each other card games...but that just didn't work out.

The hiking has been great from there to here. The trail has still given us some challenges, but our legs were up to it after getting all that rest. The weather cooperated with us for the most part. On a usual day we always see these big, threatning rain clouds and even thunder, but it never rained on us. That is, until yesterday. Ah, what a day. After leaving Rusty's (see C-Bomb's other post), we got a late start at 2:30 after meeting up with Spartan, Caboose, and The Dude and we had 16 miles left to hike. The whole day it was raining lightly. But with 5.6 miles to go, Tropical Storm Cindy decided to cross our path...and did she ever. I have never been so wet in my life. We hiked through just a constant downpour PRAYING that the next shelter wouldn't be crowded. When we arrived it was a really nice shelter, and the three people already there were so nice and welcoming. They even made us tea! But it was nice to have space to hang our wet clothes. We found out later that it rained 6 inches that night. Yikes. But now we're all dry after spending most of the day here in Waynesboro. At this point we are pretty excited to get out of Virginia and explore some new states.

As for now, we need to make up for the extra zero-day we took and we're hitting the trail this evening as we venture out into the Shenandoah National Park. You'll hear from us next (Lord willing) in Harper's Ferry, WV which will be about 80 miles short of the official halfway point of the trip!!!! Can you believe it? I can't. Later guys!

Rusty's Hard Time Hollow

2005-07-08T16:17:00.000-05:00

Just when we thought it couldn't get much better than spending 3 days in Glasgow, VA at Mom & Pops Motel (very sarcastically since I got sick too), we ended up at an AT hiker's paradise (not sarcastically at all). Although Rusty's was 2.5 miles off the trail after an already grueling 21 mile day, our curiosity for the hostel was fed by the detailed entries that others had written in the shelter logs like, "you can't miss it", or "just go to Rusty's". We had no idea what to expect, and have no idea how to explain it to all of you, but I'll do my best.

After hitching down the blue ridgeparkway and being dropped off at Rusty's gate, we walked down a driveway that about 1/2 mile long with an important message on almost every tree. Some of the ones I remember are..."This is NOT government property", "Phone" (with a phone hanging about 15 feet up the pole), "You know you're a redneck when all of your trees have signs on them". So anyway, the place was incredible. It's a 19acre farm that has been used as a rest stop for over 14,000 hikers since 1982. There are several bunkhouses (barns) and all of the amenities of home including an outdoor privy, a delicious freshwater spring, ping-pong, basketball, a kitchen stock=piled with treats, a bucket of fresh eggs, a BB-gun, and all the soda we could drink. Oh and there was also a frisbee golf course but it was raining when we stayed there so we didn't play. Now to the average "Joe", the place probably would have been cluttered, dirty, strange, and all sorts of other things, but to us it was perfect. It was all we could ever have wanted after being in the woods for 52 days. We stayed up talking with Rusty until the wee-hours of the morning and were extremely encouraged by his decision to give up his life to serve hikers on the Appalachian Trail. He does not have much other income than what he receives in donations from his guests. Many people return to Rusty's, and I"m sure that we will too...sometime.

Who has control?

2005-07-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

As we looked at the weather forecast in our swank motel in Pearisburg, VA just moments before leaving for the next week's hike to Glasgow, VA, we were concerned with the lightning bolts that crossed 6 of the next 7 days. Just about every single day, it looked like it was going to storm, the black clouds rolled in, the thunder boomed above our heads, and we prepared for the worst. But we somehow managed to make it the entire week without getting rained on. Also, Flatus suddenly and unexpectedly came down with a 'bug' a couple of evenings ago that was not in our original plan and we have decided to take some extra rest time that we did not originally schedule.

Many people make plans around what they think is going to happen or what the "forecast" says, but the truth is, we have no idea of knowing what tomorrow is going to bring. Each day I am on this trip, I am beginning to realize more and more how little control I have over the things that are in my life. People that know me well, know that I'm a "planner" and like to have the next 6-12 months of my life laid out ahead of time. I think that it is good to plan, however I'm beginning to also learn the importance of being flexible with each day that I have been given. The book of James comments that our lives are mearly a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. What a shame it would be to have spent so much time planning our lives and not just living them. So for all you planners out there, I encourage you to step away from your schedules, maybe just for an afternoon, or a day, or a weekend. Take your friends or family on a surprise camping trip or to a baseball game. Or spend a few minutes getting to know someone you run into at work or the grocery store even though you have a million things that need to be done. Have a happy 4th of July! -Cherry-bomb-

James 4:13-17
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Out of the hole...twice!

2005-07-02T10:45:00.000-05:00

Well we have two events this week that are suitable for this subject.

1) This week we finally got out of the hole as far as reaching our goal of Maine by October 1st. We had lost some miles in the first month from our slow start, but we made them all up in Virginia which is a huge relief! We can now hike at a slightly slower pace and not feel pressured. That's a good feeling!

2) On Macaffee's Knob (one of the most gorgeous sites on the AT) a group of boyscouts found a fawn (baby deer) stuck in the crevace of two rocks with no way to get out! So the scout leader brought some rope over and two of the scouts jumped into the hole, held the fawn, and tied it's legs together and they proceeded to lift it out and release it. The unfortunate thing of it all is that we heard that if a doe sees that the fawn has human scent or something on it, it won't nurse it. So it was kind of a no-win situation. But at least it has a chance to survive.

Out of the hole!

In the Pot

2005-07-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

I think I owe some explanation to Brian putting some bodily fluid in our cooking pot. That campsite didn't have any water source near by. So after hearing how people can survive off their own liquid waste in the wilderness, we thought we might try boiling it. However, we quickly changed our minds after looking at it for a good 3 seconds. We proceeded to wash it out and use some real water. Sorry if you cringed.

Unexpected Zero-Day in Glasgow, VA!

2005-07-02T10:32:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends,

Well today we are taking an unplanned zero-day in Glasgow, VA. The hiking conditions for the past seven days have been a litte more unexpected. The rumors we heard in Damascus had it that Virginia would be nice and flat and that we would cruise right on through. However, that turns out to be very not true! At all! We are still making good miles only because we're in better shape and we can put in longer days. Another factor has been the flippin' weather! I think all of you are experiencing this heat wave that has been sweeping across the United States. It's definitely affecting us. We are starting to get up earlier (5 or 6 am) and then taking a 2 hour rest from 1-3 while it's hottest and then hiking late until 8 or 9 pm (just as it gets dark). To cap it off, two nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a 24-hour bug which gave me two glorious trips to the privy with a queasy (sp?) stomach that night. I still felt horrible in the morning...didn't want to walk b/c I felt nauseous. However, we had to b/c we were out of food and we had to get into Glasgow where our food box was. So I hiked yesterday for 20 miles, crappy as ever, on 2 pop-tarts, half bad of peanut butter crackers, triscuits, cheese, a drop of honey, and some tea. Not enough calories. It was a humbling day, but we made it. What carried me through was the promise of Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Wow! I found myself praying that throughout the entire day. That verse applied to me, physically, but it also applies to me spiritually. Four years ago my soul was weighed down with the burden of my sin. I will never forget the moment my junior year in High School when I took His yoke upon my soul and they were forgiven!

Anyway, we will write more when we stop in Waynesboro, VA. We will post a more detailed summary, our progress and some other stuff. I think I'll post another thing though real quick.

Photos from VA

2005-06-29T14:21:00.000-05:00

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

Trail Mixers

2005-06-24T16:43:00.000-05:00

As many of you can imagine, hiking for 8-10 hours every day in between weekly pizza buffets can get somewhat monotonous at times so here are a few ways we have decided to mix things up on the trail during the last week...

1) "100th-person-we've-seen-today-club"
During one of our days traveling through a state park, we realized quickly that we were meeting many more people than usual. In fact we passed a total of 234 that day. So early in the day we decided to do something special for that lucky 100th hiker that we spotted. The lucky fellow's name was Robert from Asheville. He was in a group of about 12 people and as I was counting 98, 99....here he pops from behind some bushes with some toilet paper in his hands..."100! I shouted. Congratulations you are our 100th hiker!". Under the circumstances I let Nick do the honors of shaking his hand and presenting him his cheetos crackers award. I hope I was able to capture his dumb-founded look in the picture that will come soon.

2) "Summer-Solstice-let's-see-how-far-we-can-hike-in-one-day"
June 21 marked this year's longest day of the year and Nick and I decided to see how far we could hike during the day. Unfortunately getting up at 4:45am was not the best idea after getting in to camp late the night before. We hit rock-bottom at about 3pm after going a measely 19 miles, but regained enough energy to hike 5 more miles after a singing girl scout troop came into the camp that we were taking a break in anxiously awaiting their first camping experience ever.

Oh, and June 21 also happened to be "naked-hiker day". I suspect it's to maximize the sun to try to blend in the killer t-shirt tan that so many hikers are prone to getting (see my picture). I won't tell you if Nick or I participated in this peculiar event.

3) "Camping-on-Dismal-Creek-Falls"
2 nights ago, Nick and I decided to rough it by sleeping without any shelter, no not even a tarp, on top of a few rocks in the middle of a creek that just feet from us passed over the falls. It was a perfectly clear night, however the moon was so bright we weren't able to see many stars. Also, when I woke up the next morning to Nick's alarm, and then moments later realized his bag was completely empty (besides his clothes from the previous day), I became worried...but I was comforted to know that he had just decided to do a polarbear cannonball swim to wake himself up for the day. I decdided to stay in my warm sleeping bag.

Partnership Shelter

2005-06-24T15:22:00.000-05:00

One of the big treats of our week came when we arrived at the Partnership Shelter (I think it was the 3rd night after Damascus). Brian was there a good 15 minutes before me. All that I heard about it was that it was "the nicest shelter I've ever seen" from a weekend hiker (we don't take their information too seriously). I was also really drained that day for some reason. Anyway, when I rolled in, before me lay a brand new, two-story shelter. The floor was perfectly flush for good sleeping with plenty of mouse hooks (a piece of string dangling from the ceiling with a tin can in tied to the middle and a stick on the end to hang your food or your pack). Upon further inspection I found that there was a sink around the back to do any washing (clothes or dishes) and A SHOWER on the side. Man, how could this get any better?

"Guess what else this place has?" Said Brian with a smirk

"I don't know man, what?"

"It's a 5-letter word that begins with 'P'"

Oh man, how could it get any better than this? "A flushable privy?" I replied earnestly.

"No, doesn't flush, but it's something that comes before the privy, it's a food with two 'Z's in the name"

"Oh man, PIZZA?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

"Oh yes! We can order from the visitor center 0.1 miles from here."

Yes, oh yes. We ordered the five person meal deal from Pizza Hut which included two medium pizzas, any style, and two orders of cheese sticks. After requesting an additional 2 Liter of Pepsi, the manager came on and said that it's out of range so we need to provide an $8 tip. Man, there was no turning back. We forked over $36 for the meal. It's expensive, I know. But seriously folks, it keeps us sane after nights and days of red beans & rice, instant pasta, and tons of energy bars. So, we enjoyed it and then made a nice fire before a brief thunderstorm rolled in. However, I knew this from the get-go...that night we both woke up, wide awake, at 1 am buzzing from the caffeine (and the mice running around...we even tried to kill them with our sandals...but to no avail). So we played a few rounds of Gin Rummy, which is pretty theraputic, and passed out until the morning. Brian is still up 5 games on me.

I'm not gonna lie, it was a pretty sweet night.

End of Week 5 and Welcome to Pearisburg, VA!

2005-06-24T15:06:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! We arrived early this morning to Pearisburg, VA. There is alot to write about and I will summarize it in increments (our computer access is rather sparatic [sp?] so I will plug away at this whenever I can.

To start off, this has been one of the best weeks of hiking in our opinion. We ended up buying a tarp for $7 as we left Damascus and we have already used it three times! It's nice to have the luxury of being able to camp (we only use if we are confident that it won't rain). We also experimented this week with putting cereal and dry milk in ZipLock bags and it turned out nicely...we'll probable continue doing this. So the first night out we camped about 2.5 miles past the 2nd shelter and it was very nice. As we continued on, we walked into the Grayson Highlands State Park which had a good 10-15 miles of rolling hills and beautiful views. There were also an array of wild ponies coming up to us begging for food (they are often fed by tourists). What made this portion of hiking so neat was the rhododendron flowers that were in full bloom with pink flowers spanning the hillsides. Another interesting fact was that we counted 234 people we saw that day (either thru-hiking, day hiking, or on horseback). I guess that's what you get when you hike through a state park on a Saturday.

Overall, Virginia has been very lovely. The trail is much flatter (and by that I mean there are fewer climbs...but the ones we do see still give us a good workout) which have allowed us to greatly increase our daily average to over 20 miles a day! This puts a smile on our face because we have made up for lost miles in the beginning and we can now put some in the bank (we need to average 16.5 overall to make it by October 1st). The scenery is great, the views are different, the shelters are much nicer, the trail is maintained very well, and the weather this week has been PERFECT. I'm talking sunny, but no humidity. I probably sweat a tenth this week of what I have done in a day in the past. It has only rained twice and both times we managed to make it to a shelter while it passed over.

We really haven't met too many people on the trail this week. Zero thru-hikers and a few section hikers here and there. We both find that funny because in Damascus we literally met and hung out with about 20 of them. Most of them stayed another day or left later in the day and never caught up. We were impressed with a mother taking her four children (3 girls, 1 boy, the oldest about 12 or 13 years) for an 82-mile hike. That's dedication! We also spent the night with a father ("The Chunk") and his two daughters ("2 Left Feet" and "Imok") who knew how to play EUCHRE!!!!! What a treat. They also gave us some leftover Twizzlers. Yum! It's been nice to camp on our own and just spend most of our evenings in solitude. However, we do miss our friends that are behind us...just the times of hootin' and hollerin' after a day of hiking, playing cards, and just relaxing. We hope to catch up to some more new hikers that we can befriend next week.

The only two towns we have been in are Atkins, VA and here in Pearisburg. We hitched into Atkins (it took FOREVER) and weren't too impressed. We picked up our box from the P.O. and hithced back to the trail. At least we got to spend lunchtime at a truck stop and get our fill of food. Pearisburg has been nice so far. It's a larger, but we have been able to get around quite nicely (and there's some good all-you-can-eat deals too!). We're staying at the Holiday Motor Lodge for $40 which is a steal in our opinion. They let us check in early (9:30) and we already have clothes washing at the Laundromat and we've washed all our dishes, and, of course, taken a shower.

To sum it up, we really, really like Virginia! We have appreciated all of your comments to our posts and we encourage you to keep it up we love hearing what's going on in your lives! You can also email us: white.nicholas@gmail.com and brian.m.jacobson@gmail.com. God Bless!

Hump Mountain and our verse

2005-06-16T17:15:00.000-05:00

On our 26th day we experienced the most grueling hike and the greatest vistas on the entire trip.

In the morning we climbed about 1800' over 6 miles. Usually when we see that in our little data book we thing "oh wow, over 6 miles! That's not too bad." But what we didn't notice was that our climb to 6200' atop Roan Mtn ocurred withing the last 2 miles of that leg of the day. And we did it on a measly cup of oatmeal. Needless to type, I was smoked that morning and I proceeded to eat all of my enery and candy bars reserved for the day.

Things got a lot better when we approached the final 6 miles of our day when we scaled another mountain (another 1000' climb) called Hump Mountain (and right before that, Little Hump Mountain). These were the coolest parts of the trip thus far. They were two mountains that were bare at both of the summits (actually, we have a photo from Little Hump where you can see the trail going up Big Hump) and you could see everywhere. It was breathtaking for me. The picture atop Hump Mtn is of my two trekking poles planted next to the white blazes painted on a rock w/ the mountain range in the back ground. Just gorgeous, and so refreshing after weeks of spoiled vistas from the rain or just cloudy days.

Another reason why Hump mountain was awesome was on more of a spiritual level. The climb was still steep, but you could see all around you and the wind blew hard like it does in the Indiana springtime (Sorry, had to add my Indiana simile). Anyway, as I climbed, I could see the clouds right in front of my face and I found myself praying "Lord, I could climb 20 million of these hills straight and it still wouldn't be enough to reach you on my own strength." It was a gospel application for me. The fact that no human can ever live a life free of sin and enter the Lord's Rest on their own. I felt so weak, yet I was made strong knowing and remembering that he atoned my sin on the cross. What a worthy calling that stretches beyond anything I do, even this hike.

This also reminds me that I want to share with you Brian and I's favorite Bible verse for this trip, James 4:13-15 which says:
"13Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"

What a powerful verse. It's true for Brian and I. Everyday we have no idea what's going to come, what the weather will be, the people we meet, nothing. Just miles. Even that is just a guess. We don't want to live just assuming we'll be hiking with certain friends for another day or two...b/c what always happens is that we don't see them. It's about living for the day, for the Lord. WE don't even have the right to assume we'll wake up tomorrow alive! I just can't make that promise to myself. Anyway, it's big stuff, and it's refreshing to know and memorize for a trip such as this...and for the rest of our lives on Earth.

Haircuts

2005-06-16T16:52:00.000-05:00

Well, before we left for this trip I was determined to grow all the hair out that I could. However, as the weeks passed and my patchy facial hair, that could never quite develop into a beard, continued to grow, I realized two things. My head gets really hot with all that shag on top. Secondly, facial hair does a great job of catching the morning cobwebs that are all over the trail. They pretty much drove Brian and I crazy. So we shaved. And it's great. The hair on my head is down to 1/8" and it feels like a 10 degree difference already. That's all I have to say about that.

"Trail Angels"

2005-06-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

One term that is frequently referred to on the AT is "trail angel". A trail angel is basically anyone that provides a thru-hiker with an unexpected gift or service that usually makes the hiker's trip more comfortable, or satisfies a not recently quenched thirst or need. Nick and I have met several of these angels and you may be able to pick some of them out when we write down our stories. The first trail angels of our trip were clearly Justin and Mariam, who picked us up in their car, provided a free place for us to stay at their Christian retreat center, and even let us borrow their car for an afternoon to run some errands. We also have "Lion King" who unexpectedly appeared at one of our campsites with a semi-cold beer for each of the thru-hikers. There was the man at the Dairy Ace in Erwin who forced us to order hamburgers and milkshakes off the menu on his tab, which we did. And then there are the countless section-hikers (Maine-iac, and HB), people who hike for a week or two at a time, who have contributed to our stomachs by throwing us their extra food as they near the end of their trip. We are very grateful to all of these people.

Nick and I even had the opportunity to be trail angels. As we entered Damascus yesterday morning, anxiously looking for a diner to get a heaping plate of biscuits and gravy, we came across a porch of middle-aged women who owned and operated several hostels and B&B's in the area. While Susie was showing us some of the lodging options, she asked if Nick and I were brothers...I paused and said, "well yes, we are spiritual brothers". She immediately grabbed my arm and had a huge smile on her face. She said "ya'll are Christians? Praise God, I have been praying that others would encourage me this morning" We ended up staying at her place and going to church with her that evening where she shared how the Lord answered her prayer and sent her some "angels" that morning. I know that I am not worthy to be compared with an angel, but I do know that the Lord cares about the little things, and He does hear and answer our prayers. I was just glad to be a part of it.

End of week 4 and welcome to Damascus

2005-06-16T12:04:00.000-05:00

Highlights from our fourth week include hiking 145 miles (a new record), with weather similar to that of a produce section at your local grocery store (Nick's words). We met a couple of more thru-hikers named Rob and William and spent a day in Erwin, NC with them at Uncle Johnny's Hostel. We hadn't originally planned on staying overnight, but we thought it was a good idea before the big push to Damascus, where we are now located until tomorrow. I also hadn't planned on buying a new backpack, but I did. It weighs just over one pound compared with my 6-7 pound mountaineering backpack that I was previously using. It has made a significant difference in this last week's hike.

It will be difficult to leave Damascus after a wonderful stay at Montgomery's Homestead B&B. Nick and I actually had the entire house to ourselves! I took a bath, shaved, and watched my first movie since we started. It was a toss-up between Newsies and Forest Gump, and we went with the Newsies (pretty much my favorite musical ever). We're doing laundry, getting haircuts, and eating prime rib tonight at the Old Mill. Maybe we'll take another nap too. Our next stop will be a short one in Atkins, VA and then on to Pearisburg, VA.

New Photos

2005-06-15T10:07:00.000-05:00

Here are the next photos up to Erwin, TN.

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

What DID I do on my birthday?

2005-06-09T16:08:00.000-05:00

Some of you might want a quick review of how I celebrated my birthday.

I think it started the night before when we stayed at a shelter (the one before we entered Fontana Dam) with four, middle-aged women (one being Ruth-kwan-do). They taught us stretches, played euchre (which, by the way, is a BIG treat out here), and gave us good company. There were also three men who gave us all their dried fruit and extra food (including some bacon!). Then this RANDOM guy named "Lion King" came with 6 cans of beer and randomly offered a can to all thru-hikers...which consisted of Brian in myself in which we shared 3 cans.

The next day (my actual birthday), was just relaxing b/c we didn't do any hiking! That was a joy in itself. But the real cool part was when Friendly Jeff (owner of the Hike-Inn) gave both brian and I two bottles of beer (in a DRY county of NC) and then some left-over birthday cake they had in the fridge. What a treat! Honestly, the taste of a beer when you aren't on the trail is very nice in our opinion. People like Lion King are referred to as Trail Angels in the thru-hiker community b/c they just randomly give you stuff you would never dream of packing on the trail (sometimes a bunch of them hike to a high mountain and grill out for you on the top!...we have yet to experience that).

Also, it was a joy to talk to all of my family, who were vacationing in Door County, WI at the same time over the telephone. Gosh, I love those guys! Anyway, I hope that answers everyone's questions!

Hello from Erwin, TN!!!

2005-06-09T15:02:00.000-05:00

Hello all.

Brian and I are now in the lovely town of Erwin, TN. We've had a slight change of plans since you've last heard from us (all of 3 days ago!). The original plan was to take another zero-day in a small town called Roan, TN (or is it in NC? I don't have my trail book w/ me off hand). However, just 60-70 miles beyond that is Demascus, VA which will unofficially mark completion of 25% of the trail. So we decided to hike 17 miles into Erwin today (which is where our food drop is anyway), spend the night at a hostel, and then pound it into Demascus.

This is definitely one of the larger towns we have visited. Fortunately, the Hostel we're staying at (Uncle Jonny's) is 25 yrds off of the trail. So Brian, Rob (another companion we've been hiking with for the past couple of days), and myself decided to get a cabin together (we get to watch videos tonight too!). Unfortunately, we missed the shuttle running into town. BUT, Ol' unlce Jonny didn't let us down, he let us take in three, donated bikes into town where we proceeded to eat pizza. And by eat, I mean WOLF DOWN THE MOST ALL YOU CAN EAT PIZZA IN ONE SITTING EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, it was good, my stomach is satisfied. Now we're at the library checking email and the blog, we're going to buy some lunch supplies, then SLEEP.

Today was an interesting hiking day as well! We decided to try waking up at 5 am (while it was still dark), eat breakfast, and leave by the time light broke. We ended up hiking 17 miles in 6 1/2 hours which brought us into town at 12:30! We were astonished, so not only did we make some decent miles today, we also get to hang out. Very nice. Getting up early will be very beneficial, especially in the summer, to avoid the heat of the day, and to get some crazy miles in.

I'm glad the pictures are turning out. Sorry that some of the shelter ones are dark...we'll try to fix that in the future. Also, there is one posted that looks like a bunch of ground, however, if you look hard enough, you will see a 6-foot long snake! I almost stepped on it...and boy am I glad I didn't. Our friend, Jenbalayah, also posted a comment. She is our first trail friend to do so...yess! It's so encouraging to hear from friends we have met.

Well, we have some other business to take care of. I hope everyone is well!

All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Buffets are Great

2005-06-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

After a grueling "1-mile, just down the street, you can't miss it..." bike ride immediately after an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, Nick and I arrived at the Erwin, TN library where we can once again update the blog. The place we had pizza was called the "Pizza Plus". I'm not sure what the "plus" means in the restaurant's title, but maybe it has to do with the extra weight that you take with you when you leave, which we were more than happy to accept. In fact, lately I can't seem to eat enough. Nick is so sick of me saying, "hey Nick, I'm kinda hungry" or "hey Nick, I'm really hungry", but such is life on the trail. I have not mustered up enough courage to ask a post office attendant if I can stand on their scale, so I'm not sure how much weight I have actually lost (besides the 14 lbs of extra gear that we sent home a couple of weeks ago), but the excess fabric on my backpack's waiststrap only has about an inch left before I will no longer be able to tighten it. If I keep this up, I may be down to a size 24-inch waist my Maine! Who needs Jenny-Craig!!

It's amazing how my priorties have changed since I've started the trip. Our first day off we decided that taking a shower, running errands, eating, and then sleeping were our priorties in order of most important. Now however, it has turned into eating, going to the library, running errands, sleeping, and maybe showering if time permits. I'm actually curious to know how much time I have spent batheing during my lifetime, and count that time as pretty much wasted because I could've been doing so many other things.

Oh, for those of you who have checked out the pictures from the trip, there seems to be a mysterious skin-colored blob in some of the photos. Don't worry, it's not the cameras that you provided us, it's just the photographer (me) has trouble remembering to remove his fingers from the lens. I actually think it adds a nice touch to the photos though. As you may know, there is a 10-14 day lag time for the photos but we are diligently sending a camera in once per week so keep checking. You should get some great pictures of some wildlife in the Smokey mountains including, deer, snakes, turkeys, and bears (probably the bear that met our friend Hermit on the trail and ripped open his bag and stole his almonds and Snickers bars).

Well, that should do it for now. We're going to try to push through to Damascus, VA, our 4th state, in the next five days and then take our first official "zero" day, which will be an entire day of not hiking a single mile. It's also the most friendly hiker town on the trail, but we'll have to see once Nick and I arrive. Keep commenting and sending us emails, we love to hear from our friends and family.

Later,
Cherry-bomb

Photos from Week 2

2005-06-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

Brian and Nick with trail buddies Jenn and Keith

Click on the image above to see the rest of the photos.

What's going on in your head?!?

2005-06-06T12:40:00.000-05:00

People want to know what's going on in our heads each day. I will type more when I have more time (Lady Longlegs is itching to get on this computer). But honestly I think of a lot of things.

Spiritually, I think of my life, I pray sometimes, and I think of things that I really don't want to think about. Brian and I both realize that when you take yourself out of it, the things our flesh makes as idols are gone, and my nature just misses that! I'm glad it's not there before me. Just tons of things.

Musically, we sing so many things. it's funny. Sometimes it's Christian songs, but other times it's like zippity doo dah or Boyz II Men. It's so funny what's stored up there.

I will definitely share more of this stuff the next time...sorry!

Double Spring Gap Shelter (aka, cell block 5)

2005-06-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite evenings on this entire trip was in the Smokey's when we stayed at Double Springs Gap Shelter. It was one of the worse ones on the trail, just a 3-sided shack with a cage to keep bears out, two levels, and a fireplace with a cracked chimney.

First of all, it was so cool to stay there b/c it was the same shelter we stayed at on our trip to the Smokies 4 years ago! How nostalgic. We were also able to catch up to Gunner. All in all we stayed with Gunner, Hermit, and some new guys: Smokey, Crockett, Juan, and Emily. It was such a great group of people, we got along so well. As the night approached, the wind increased and suddendly we found ourselved engulfed in a huge cloud (which brought rain later that night). It was really a mystical feeling. But the atmosphere was so great, Brian and I played spades w/ Emily and Juan, and in the shelter Hermit was chopping wood for the fire while Smokey and Crockett tended to it (but you could only see their shadows in the shelter), and then Gunner played old American folk tunes on his harmonica. It was such a surreal moment. Really funny actually.

I just loved that night, building relationships, being dry BEFORE the rain came (which makes a world of difference), and just enjoying ourselves.

Overview of week 2

2005-06-06T12:22:00.000-05:00

I will try my best to give a good overview of week 2...but I don't have my journal right next to me and it was a lot to remember...I will do my best. For future reference, we will try to keep to a certain outline for our "overviews." Friendly Jeff from the Hike-Inn said that a good experience on the trail is 1/3 miles, 1/3 meeting people, and 1/3 visiting towns. We will try to share bits of all of that.

Week 2 consisted of longer days and sorer legs. It's said that it takes 2-3 weeks to get your "trail legs" which is the blissful state of just being able to walk forever provided that you eat enough calories. We weren't there yet. We did some 19 mile days which were killer...especially the first one. Woof! We also exited Georgia and entered North Carolina, which was a small highlight. The terrain smoothed out a little bit...but not enough to ease our soreness. People always tell you different things about difficulty, and they always contradict each other. The weather cooperated for the most part. We only got some AM showers that week. I also found it interesting how each day you always see new terrain...from lush green, to barren trees.

We met some other wonderful people. Bear-Killer, Keith, and Jenn. They are all great people. Killer is an older guy who hiked with a kilt, that was a new one. Keith hiked the majority of the week with us and we became good comrades with him...but he left for home when we arrived at Fontana Dam. Jenn is hiking alone, and she's from PA. We didn't hike long w/ her b/c she stopped for a rest in Hiawassee midway thru the week. We are absolutely loving the new people we meet and how easy it is to get along.

Finally, we stopped in two towns: Wesser and Fontana Dam. Wesser was really just this outdoors center RIGHT on the trail. It was so nice to walk right up to a BBQ stand and buy food, then more, and some more. We took it easy for awhile, just enjoying some civilization. Fontana Dam was interesting. We actually saw very little of it b/c it's really just a village resort. Friendly Jeff wasn't a big fan, he actually took us to Robbinsville for food rather than the village. The dam was pretty large, and it was also where we camped when we went on our trip w/ East!

Brian's Knee

2005-06-06T10:26:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I had a rather difficult time with my knee during our second week. At first I was rather frustrated with the hindrance, but as I look back at it now, I realized how much I learned from the situation. The first thing I learned is when to slow down. It's difficult to slow down when you're attempting to complete a 5-6 month trip in 4.5 months, but it is absolutely necessary to slow down and give your body rest. I also think that can be applied to life in general. So many times we are just running from one thing to the next and not taking time to rest. I know that I have been a victim of this and we end up being less effective in the long-run. In response to that, Nick and I have decided to take a 24-hour sabbath or rest period every week, and it has been amazing. I would also like to continue that when I return home.

The second thing that I learned is humility, which is always good. I hear about these 70 year olds who have completed the trail, and here I am in my prime and I'm not able to perform the way I would like. I realized that it is not my strength or my age and circumstance that will get me to Maine, it is only through the Lord's strength that I will be able to complete the journey.

The last thing that I thought about was through reading John Piper's book called "Don't waste your life". He explains how necessary it is for us to exalt the Lord in our weakness, and this was difficult for me at first. But as I thought about it, I don't even deserve to be able to walk at all, much less 2100+ miles through some of the country's most beautiful and challenging wilderness. As I began to thank the Lord for the abundant grace that He has provided in my life, I was able to also exalt Him in my weakness.

So you're probably wondering how my knee is doing now...well I'm thankful to say that this week it only bothered me for about two hours! Thanks you so much for all of your prayers, I definitely felt them.

Overview of week 3

2005-06-06T10:14:00.000-05:00

We just finished our third week on the trail today and are now here in Hot Springs, NC, getting refreshed and refueled for the next week of our journey. We travled just over 100 miles, mostly through the Smokey Mountain National Park, during the last week, which was a few miles short of our goal, however we did complete two "20-mile" days which was a great accomplishment for us. The Smokey Mountains are known for their breathtaking views, however we missed most of them because it was foggy and rained almost the entire week. On the bright side we didn't need to drink as much water and learned what to do when all of our clothes get wet.

Among others, we also met four additional thru-hikers during the week. "Smoky" and "Croket" from Georgia, and "MegaPole" and "Lady-Longlegs" from Indiana. We even stayed at the same hostel as the Indiana folks and had a great time with them taking in the sights of Hot Springs (which mostly included eating, drinking, and napping). Oh and we were even able to attend Marie's 80th Birthday Party (a birthday party in town), and get some free cake! Look for the pictures in a week or two.

In a few moments Nick and I will be heading back to the mountains and will be back in touch when we reach Roan Mountain, NC.

First Roll of Photos

2005-06-01T11:11:00.000-05:00

The first roll of film has arrived! Click on the image below to see more.

Photos from Day 5

2005-05-22T22:01:00.000-05:00

Use this link to see all the photos of this adventure. Selected photos will also be posted directly to the blog.

Musings after the first leg of our adventure

2005-05-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

The following are some simple thoughts and reflections from our first few (five) days on the trail.

The reality of spending the next 4.5 months of my life hiking on the same trail through fourteen different states on the east coast of the United States of America didn't really settle in until about three miles into our journey when I thought "Oh crap, this is for real...and my legs hurt already." It seems when we start new phases of life, we can never ready ourselves enough until we just tighten up our [pack] straps and take the first step. That's a lesson I hope to carry.

We arrived with Brian's parents at Amacalola State Park about 15 miles outside of Dehlogena (spelling), GA. A gorgeous, sunny day. We registered at the visitor's center as two people who intended to thru-hike the whole trail. They took our picture and taped it up on the wall with all the other crazies who decided to do it, too. As it turns, out, in order to get to the actual trail, there's one of two ways to do it, you can hike 8.8 miles to Springer Mtn, or drive to a parking lot located about 0.5 miles from the summit of the grand starting mountain. We were leading towards the easy way until the woman at the center said "If you skip the approach trail, you guys are destined for bad trail names from the other hikers." So, as our pride and egos stepped up, we decided to spend our first day hiking to Springer. It was a hot and vertical ascent. We made it to the top and we were ready to spend the night at the shelter there. As it turns out, we have met 6 thru-hikers and not one of them has started from that blasted approach trail...and no, we haven't given them poor trail names either.

I wish I could copy down all of my personal journal entries, but I'm afraid I can only try to give you the essence of our journey. I'll start with the physical aspects. It turns out that Brian and I are doing very well for the first five days. I can count the presence of two blisters on my feet which is fine by me and Brian has about the same. The only things that are sore are our feet and legs, but that's natural after 8 hours of hiking a day. Brian's knee has been acting up, but we bought a brace for it, which should last awhile.

As far as the terrain is concerned, it's very hilly. The first 1/3 of the trail is considered to be the most up/down of the entire trail. It's encouraging to know that we are still hanging in there despite that. We have been actually catching up to several thru-hikers that started a day or two ahead of us. Actually, we are praying against all of our pride that wants to boast in that.

The scenery is fabulous. It always changes, which is why it seems like the hiking portions of our days seem to travel so fast. Sometimes are in the very tropical valleys where there are lush plants all around and a lot of moisture. Then 30 minutes later, you are at the summit of a hill where the trees are still barren and there are lots of rocks. So far our finest views have been from Springer Mtn and Blood Mtn. We saw a fabulous sunset on Springer, and on Blood we saw a big thunder-storm rolling in from miles away. On both occasions, when the sun sets, you can see the small glows of campfires on all the mountains...nearly 50 of them! Sometimes there is an eery fog that covers the whole mountain. Other times is clear, humid and hot. One night, the moon shone so bright that we couldn't sleep for awhile. The experience of staying in unique shelters is also wonderful. The Blood Mtn shelter was made of all stone and resembled a rustic cottage. There's even a place (Neels Gap) where the trail crosses beneath the outfitting store. We love the changes!

A funny little bit that happened to us was on Springer Mtn when Brian and I went to bed. We quickly found out as we lay in the dark after the sun went down that we had scurrying little visitors staying with us. Actually I would continually hear Brian going "Nick...was that you...Nick...seriously..." and I would deny it, b/c it really wasn't me. Mice were everywhere. We were envisioning huge rat-like beasts, however, as we shone the flashlight on one, they were dinky litttle devils. They even attempted to chew into our food bad.

Brian has blogged on some people we met. But I truly love meeting all the different people. It's an honor to be divinely appointed with all of them. I've noticed that almost all the thru-hikers are our age, which is really fun. It makes sense seeing as though school is getting out for most of us.

Our most difficult task is giving this trip to the Lord. As Brian wrote before we left, we want this to be His steps, and not ours. That could mean taking a whole day off to spend time in prayer, reading the bible, or serving other hikers who are in need. WHO KNOWS?!? Man, there's so much. I will do my best to update you with our journey and our general thoughts. As Brian mentioned in his blog earlier tonight, He is working in SO many way. I simply cannot beleive it. He is so worthy. Anyway, I'm tired...I am pumped for a soft bed and some Church tomorrow morning before we set off again.

Much much Love in Our Creator,

Flatus

Our Trail Names

2005-05-21T20:08:00.000-05:00

Hello, I have some encouraging news! Brian and I have new Trail Names!!!!

I'll begin with mine. It all started in the motel we were staying in with Brian's parents (Janet and Paul). It wasn't too soon when...how shall I say it...I passed gas. Janet responded with a comment about my "Flatus."

"My WHAT?" I responded as I have never heard of the term before

"You know, your gas from your f-a-r-t," she responded. It's like flatulence.

I found the term to be profusely funny. As it turns out, I have been releasing a lot of flatus the the past few days...actually, every five minutes Brian has to take it in when he hikes behind me. Hence, my new trail name: "Flatus."

There's not much to Brian's name. You'll have to check it out in some of the pictures when they get posted in the next week or two. On hot days (pretty much everyday so far) he wears these really short, red shorts that are cherry-colored. He also enjoys the act of defecating. As a result of this, he has been dubbed "Cherry Bomb."

For those of you who know us well, it should come as no surprise that our names are named after bodily functions. We like it, and nobody cares when you're hiking in the woods! Yesssssssssssssssssss.

First Time Hitch Hikers

2005-05-21T19:59:00.000-05:00

After departing at 7am this morning and hiking about 10 miles from the Low Gap Shelter with our 4 other hiker buddies, it was time for another brand new experience...hitchhiking. Now I have actually participated in hitchhiking activities, however I have never been the person that was picked up. We came out of the trail on Hwy 75 in GA, Just 10 miles West of Helen and we had a short conversation about the appropriate way to position your thumb to signal for a ride. Evidently we exhibited great form, because a nice gray saturn pulled up after about 10 minutes.

Just to back up a few moments, the decent off of the mountain to the road was probably the hardest part of the trip so far. For starters, I broke one of my "sturdy" hiking poles, next, the terrain was extremely uneven, slippery, and rocky, and a combination of these two things placed added stress to my previously injured knee which began to bother me. As I was gradually making my way down the mountain, I just prayed that the Lord would provide for us that day and that He would get us safely to our destination and give us some time to rest. Oh did He answer my prayer.

So back to the gray Saturn. These two fairly normal looking people, Justin and Mariam, stepped out of there car and began clearing the back seat for us to sit down. They, too were new to the area (about 4 days), and were also taking their first trip to see the wonderful town of Helen, population of 300. Nick and I apologetically (for our smell) entered the vehicle, and after a few brief words were shared with one another we found out that they were working with a Christian home repair/camp ministry very similar to the Appalachain Service Project which Nick and I worked for several summers ago. They were extremely easy to get to know and willing to help us in any way that we needed. We first stopped at Helen's visitor center to find out where our food was and where we could rest for the night. After calling a few places, Justin made the suggestion that we just stay at their "lodge" about 40 minutes from Helen. At first we were hesitant because we knew we had a lot to take care of in town, however when they decided to offer us their car for the afternoon, and to drive us back to the trail in the morning, we immediately accepted the offer. Bizzarre...yup, risky...maybe, blessing...no question. But wait...the story gets even better. As our hosts began to walk into town and Nick and I began driving their car to Wildwood Outfitters to pick up our food, we pulled up behind some familiar faces...I turned to Nick and said "hey, that's "sweettooth", and sure enough it was our 4 friends from Low Gap Shelter from the previous night...riding in the back of a white pick-up truck. We hollered at them, took a picture of them, and just had the biggest smile looking at their dumbfounded faces. We can only imagine what scenarios are running through their mind on how we managed to get our hands on someone's car. I'm sure this was not the last time we will see them.

So...to finsih off the day, my hiking pole was fixed at the hardware store, we picked up our food and had a nice chat with the store owner, ate some sandwiches from Betty's Grocery Store, turned some heads with our "sweet" aroma, did some laundry, took a shower, had dinner with Justin and Mariam, and are now resting peacefully at the Hinton Rural Life Lodge in Hayesville, NC. Oh and I picked up a brace to help support my knee which should work out fabulous for a new day of hiking tomorrow morning. I wonder if all of our hitchhiking experiences will be this great...I praise the Lord for blessing us so much today.

Until next time,

Cherry-Bomb

The "Low Gap Shelter Posse"

2005-05-21T19:52:00.000-05:00

Last night was one of our best nights on the trail. Nick and I stayed with 4 other thru=hikers at the "low gap shelter about 40 miles from Springer Mountain. 2 of the others "sweettooth" and "No hurry" are from the Twin Cities, "Gunner" is from Israel, and "Hermit" is from Califorinia. Our evening consisted of fighting gigantic wild mice, cooking pancakes in the rain, and giving each other trail names. We bonded pretty fast with these other four hikers and look forward to seeing them again. However our next stop will be in Helen, GA, a peculiar German/Swiss/Bavarian town, to shower, rest, and resupply our food.

Later,

"Cherry-bomb"

It Begins...

2005-05-14T23:03:00.000-05:00

Just moments ago, I finished packing my bag for the 10th time, trying to fit everything just perfectly knowing full-well that as soon as I arrive at the trailhead at Springer Mountain in Georgia, it will appear as though a bomb exploded, or as mom's say,"...like a tornado went through it." Realistically, there is not much value in making everything look neat before you leave for a trip, however I think it's just one of those things that makes people feel good about themselves by knowing exactly where to find their can opener, tweezers or the infamous spade. Now that we're on the subject of hygiene, a very popular (or not so popular) subject of people who embark on extended expeditions into the wilderness, my Mother has just commented on my laundry's "strong smell." At first I took this as a compliment because my Mom associated me, her son, with something "strong", something that every man loves to hear, however I soon realized that she was not referring to my brut strength, nor the clothes that were already packed in my bag, but rather a small pile of soiled garmets from the last four years of college (which I just recently brought home) that rested silently a few feet away in the laundry room. I never noticed the smell.

The most challenging aspect of the trip preparation has been making decisions on how and where to resupply our food. Many people have also recently asked us if we know where we will be staying and where we'll be located at certain times. I think Proverbs 16:9 provides us with an adequate answer: "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. We could attempt to have every single day pre-planned for our entire trip, however we ultimately know that the Lord is the one directing our steps. As long as we have our eyes fixed on the goal, and the Lord is directing our steps, we'll reach it, however it may be along a route or under circumstances that no man could have planned.

I want to encourage all of you who will be joining us for this journey to set some of your own goals for the next 4-5 months, and begin making a daily effort to walk closer to those goals, and allow the Lord to direct your steps, even if it's not the way that you would've planned to do things. It may apppear risky and even dangerous, but I guarantee that you will not be disappointed, and you may find the adventure that you have always been waiting for.

Until next time,

Brian

Photo Test

2005-05-14T15:26:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of Brian taken in May 2003, crossing a creek the hard way.

The plan is for the hikers to mail me pictures every week or two so I can post them to this blog.

The Dream a Reality?

2005-05-01T00:36:00.000-05:00

Wow, 16 days...

It was a few days over 4 years ago when the dream of going on this trip was conceived. I still remember it quite clearly. We hiked the Goshen Prong Trail in the Smokey Mountains on day three of our trip with our high school. The end of the trail merged into the Appalachian Trail and it was there when we asked "man, that would be crazy if we hiked the whole thing."

We are crazy.

Tons of questions race through my mind: Am I crazy? What will it be like not using a cell phone for 4 months, or playing guitar, nor a greasy meal at Applebees?

Needless to say, I'm ready to take a sabbatical (spelling?) on life before starting in the real world.

Talk to you later...

16 Days Until Departure

2005-04-30T23:39:00.000-05:00

There is just one more week of class and one week of finals at the University of Minnesota separating me from the adventure of a lifetime hiking the Appalachian Trail. My best friend Nick White and I have dreamed of hiking this trail for almost four years since we took our first backpacking trip together in the Smokey Mountains. Besides growing long beards, eating about 4 times the calories of the average American, and dropping our body fat to rediculously low percentages, we are not quite certain what kinds of adventures and challenges we will face. However we do expect to meet our Creator and grow in our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ in a very real and life-changing way.

Our hope is to update this blog at least every two weeks with some stories of fighting bears, meeting some interesting folks, and of cours a photo gallery. I hope you will come along with us!

Brian
Trail Name...to be determined