Here is a video slideshow of my 1994 Thru-Hike on the Appalachian Trail. I mixed the video two years later in Charlotte, NC using an old VHS camera and a mic/mixing system from the Video Editor. The technology is archaic by today's standards but it captured the moment at the time.

The slideshow clocks in at nearly 40 minutes which is likely too long for most, and my kids tell me I sound a bit sad in the early narration. But be patient - things pick up as we close in on Katahdin.  If nothing else, it's a look back at the A.T. in the early 90's - before modern technology caught up with the Trail and when few hikers were equipped to record the moment - other than with a 35mm camera.

I hope to make a shorter, more upbeat, and a more modern version of this video at some point ... but here it is in the original 90's format. I hope you enjoy it. If you want to see a day-by-day log of the hike, then click this link.

I miss my dog – not that I don’t have a new one, but I can’t forget my old one.  It was 18 months ago, when Rebel sat outside the door watching me pack for a hike to The Perch in North Georgia.  He died within ten days of that trip, and I vividly recall (and photographed) him sitting by my shop door – barking as if to join me.  Arthritis kept him from the trail in his later years, but he never gave up hope that I might take him along.

I have a new dog now, and he too has taken to the trail - as all dogs do.  Boone made the hike to the Perch last fall much as Rebel did five years earlier.  He had a great time, and I enjoyed having Boone with me.  But Rebel is never far from my mind.  He’s still with me in spirit.  He still hikes with me every trip.  Gone – but not forgotten as they say.

We all must move on at some point, and I decided the time had come.  So on what would have been Rebel’s 14^th birthday, my wife, kids and I scattered his ashes on a grave site that we set-up in the backyard.  Beneath it were buried some of his possesions: a personalized water dish (made by my wife in pottery class), his tennis balls, a blue bottle of old arthritis medicine, his toothbrush, an old stuffed toy, etc.  I put them there one year after he died in November 2011. Boone and the kids stood nearby, but my wife and I were the only ones to fully appreciate the moment. 

It has always been our plan to scatter Rebel’s ashes on the trail.  So, I saved some for the second anniversary of his death.  I have a photo of Rebel taken on the trail in November 2002 where he appears to descend from the sky.  That is the spot for his final resting place. This November my wife and I will scatter his remaining ashes for the last time – and I will finally let him go.  Farewell my friend.  

 

Here's some photos from the Whitley Gap Shelter on the evening of  March 23, 2012.  There were lots of thru-hikers in the house - and the weather cleared in time for a great sunset.  Best wishes Class of 2012!

BirdShooter

A stormy start to the day.  It rained all morning and in to the afternoon.  The forecast was for it to continue in to the night - but fortunately that didn't pan out.

Zip and WalkAndEats at the Whitley Gap Shelter.  Zip is joined by his two dogs Skye and Mojo.  So I guess there really is Mojo on the trail (as I wrote in a previous article). 

KC (aka 30 Pack) watching the sun set over Cow Rock Mountain and the Appalachian Trail.  He hiked this ridge line only hours earlier.  

30 Pack after the sunset - looking southwest.  The storm clouds that lingered from the morning/afternoon made for some great photos this evening. 

2012 thru-hikers gathered around an evening campfire.  Despite the rain today, the wood went up easily and burned well in to the night.  

Atlas leads some jams around the campfire.  He earned the trail name for carrying both a guitar and a ukulele.   

Sunrise at Whitley Gap Shelter which sits 1.2 miles off the Appalachian Trail near Hogpen Gap.

Bear bags on bear cables at Whitley Gap Shelter.  Bears have been active south of here on the A.T. around Blood Mountain - but no issues last night.

2012 thru-hikers at Whitley Gap Shelter.  Only 2000 miles to go to Maine!

Scott "Zip" Willits continues the march northward the next morning.  You can follow his blog by clicking here.

 

Spring is a special time on the Appalachian Trail.   Every year, 2000+

people show up at Springer Mountain (the official start of the A.T. in

Georgia) to head north.  In 1994, I was one of those people - and ever since

I pause for a moment to think about the next group to head North.

 

 

This year, I had a friend making the annual pilgrimage and drove across town

to meet Scott "Zip" Willits on 3/16/12.  We met up at his sister's house in

metro-Atlanta, and it was a beautiful spring day - the kind that makes you

want to skip work.  We had some beers, worked on reducing his pack weight,

then talked of the adventures to come.  The Mojo was strong, so I met him

five days later at Whitley Gap Shelter in North Georgia.

 

There is magic on the trail and it is hard to explain.  If you are lucky

enough to experience it, then you know what I am saying.  Yet some things

are more easily understood through photos and video ...  so I'll let them

do the talking.  Best wishes 2012 thru-hikers!

 

BirdShooter

 

 

A while back, I subscribed to the ATC Southern Regional Office Newsletter to keep up on activities along the Appalachian Trail in the South.  In the March 2012 issue, it said ...

 

With spring lurking around the corner, it's an exciting time of year!  We hope you'll join us for some of the many activities that ATC and our partners are involved with this month.

 

The activities have been timed with the northbound migration of the 2012 thru-hiker pack, and there is no shortage of events:  

March16-18: “Spring on Springer” AT Trail Fest in Dahlonega, Ga.  (www.Dahlonegatrailfest.org) 

March 30-31:  Franklin’s April Fools Trail Days in Franklin, N.C. (www.aprilfoolstraildays.com)

April 6-7: NOC's A.T. Founder's Bridge Festival in Wesser, NC (www.noc.com/noccom/festivals-a-events/noc-founders-bridge-festival/)

April 21: Trailfest, Hot Springs, N.C. (www.hsclc.org/newsevents/trailfest.html)

May 18-20: Trail Days, Damascus, Va. (www.traildays.us/)

 

Any event that brings awareness and generates support within the community for the A.T. is a good thing, and with the 2012 thru-hiker season underway some backpackers will certainly partake.  

When I hiked in the mid-90's, Trail Days in Damascus was the "go-to" event.  Thru-hikers and enthusiasts hitched from North and South along the A.T. to get there - and many traveled significant distances for the festival.  Yet two well known backpacker blogs - Whiteblaze.net and Trailspace.com - have recently debated the longevity of Trail Days.  

Has Trail Days lost it's dominace as the premiere event on the A.T.?  The hiking community will decide with their feet (and/or thumbs) this Spring - and they'll have plenty of festivals from which to choose.  

Has it ever been debated on who are the most influential hikers of all time (Top 5 )? With the creation of the A.T. Museum, I know there was discussion about the most influential Appalachian Trail backpackers of all time (ie. Earl Shaffer), but what about in general?

I'd argue that Earl Shaffer makes that cut for pioneering the first "official" thru-hike, but what about someone like "Flyin' Brian" Robinson who became the first hiker to conquer hiking's Triple Crown in a calendar year? He definitely took thru-hiking to an entirely new level? Curious to get your thoughts on this.... BirdShooter

Should the Great Smoky Mountain National Park charge backpackers for camping overnight in the park?  According to an article published yesterday by National Parks Traveler, the answer is a resounding NO:   

 

John Quillen, a Tennessean from Knoxville who fought to have the public comments on the fee proposal made public, says that by his calculation the comments were "almost 20 to 1 against the fee." 

Part of the concern was that the proposed fees, which range from a low of $4 per person per night to a high of a $10 registration fee plus $2.25 per night per person, could eclipse front-country campsite fees, which range from $14-$20 per night, depending on how many are in your group. 

 

The Park obviously needs money to operate, and with no ability to collect money at the entrance (due to a 1936 Tennessee law), the Park doesn't have these funds to generate the operating revenue that benefits the other major parks.  So, maybe we should give the Smokies a break?  Improved trail conditions and better management of the shelters and campsites would benefit us all, and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most heavily traveled (and used) in the nation.  

Yet as a frequent visitor to the park, I wonder if more user fees only encourage the Federal Government to take their money elsewhere - making it difficult to get the funding back to the Smokies when they really need it.    

I expect that Park Superintendent Ditmanson would say no to that, but my prediction is that backpackers will eventually pay fees to camp overnight in the Smokies backcountry.  I doubt it will be to the extent that backpackers pay user fees in the Whites (of New Hampshire), but I fully expect the day is coming.  So enjoy the free camping while you have it. The Smokies backcountry is a great place - even at $4/night.    

 

I have used both stand-alone GPS units and Smartphone apps on the trail and have yet to resolve which is better.  For short day hikes - the Smartphone apps win hands down for convenience and their instant access to trail databases from companies like the North Face.  But in the backcountry?  I tend to agree with this assessment by Backpacker Magazine gear editor, Kristin Hostetter:

In a nutshell, here are the pros of using a smartphone with a navigation app: great for local hikes, daily activity mapping like runs and bike rides, perfect for snapping and georeferencing photos on the go. Maps are seamless and less expensive that what you will pay for expensive map packages from the standalone GPS dealers.

And here are the cons: Like with most smartphone, you can’t swipe the Defy with gloves; in direct sunlight the screen washes out; and the BLUR social networking software is a bit intrusive. And let’s face it: if you’re going for a week or more on a backcountry jaunt, you’ll want the convenience of replaceable batteries for your handheld GPS. Solar panel chargers need to pick up the pace to match the development of the phones they hope to power.

 

I only sporadically use my Smartphone as a GPS in the backcountry, but the software is improving and with some extended battery life - my stand-alone GPS may soon become a thing of the past.   

The Mrs. and I just returned from a trip to the Grand Canyon, and if you haven't seen it - the winter is a great time to go.  There are fewer people, there's no summer 100+ heat, and it's fairly easy to book a room at the last minute - even on a weekend.

I made my first trip to the Canyon in 1996 during a three month cross-country roadtrip that put 17,000 miles on my car and had us touch all four corners of the Lower 48.  We arrived on the North Rim in mid-summer with 104 degree heat and mobs of people in every direction.  I'm embarrased to say that we didn't hike a single mile on that trip.    

After that experience, I longed for cooler temps and for a backpacking trip to the bottom of the Canyon.  I returned in December 2002 to find snow at the South Rim and scant crowds three weeks before Christmas.  We hiked 16.6 miles on that trip and stayed at both the Bright Angel and Indian Garden Campgrounds.  The hike was on corridor trails which are heavily traveled - even in the off-season - but we enjoyed every minute of it.

When I returned to the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago, snow lingered once again along the 7300' rim at Shoshone Point.  And the canyon looked much as it did ten years earlier -massive, tranquil, and even dangerous as you stand on the unguarded rim.  

If you haven't seen it - you owe it to yourself in this life.  It's one of those fascinating places that (despite its great age) just never gets old.      

Since the early 90's, some old Appalachian Trail thru-hikers that I know have maintained the tradition of an annual winter hike.  As I detailed in "40 at 40", the trip is never easy and is typically booked within a few weeks of the MLK holiday.  

After a four year absence, I made a guest appearance during their three-day ramble of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park this year.  It was mid-way through their hike when we met up at the Mt. Collins Shelter after the machoists had gotten pelted by hail for 30 minutes on Mt. LeConte at 6,593 feet. They then spent the rest of the day climbing to the Mt. Collins in a driving downpour. Well - some of them anyway.  Half of the crew hitched a ride with a park ranger in to town and dried out over a hot meal.  At least they showed up at the shelter with some beer that night - their penance for bailing out on the rain deluge.  

But who am I to say?  I only hiked 10 of the 35 miles this year (and only about 4000 of the 32,000 feet of elevation change on the route).  And I admit that the rain stopped by the time that I hit the trail.  Luck of the draw, I guess..  Anyway, here's a few photos from the weekend: