Day 12: NOC - 137 miles

May 21, 2014 by Gary Sizer in Hiking, Appalachian Trail

The Nantahala Outdoor Center is a significant point on this trip because it marks the first part of the AT that I recognize. Katie and I used to be fairly active kayakers and have been here many times. This is the first time I've walked here though!

Big Ups is about a day ahead of me now, and Floats is a day back. About a day and a half ago I fell in with yet another interesting group and this time I got to hand out trail names.

Green Giant, Voldemort, Droid (formerly Roadblock) and Blue Indian

We stopped here long enough to get supplies and have a big breakfast, during which we were rewarded by a surprise visit from an old dear kayaking friend, Joe Bill.

Life on the trail continues to be amazing. Every day is full of new surprises, whether it be a jaw dropping view, a new friend or watching a centipede battle a beetle.

Starting tomorrow or the next day I'll be in the Smokys. Today I am at the lowest elevation so far, and once we're in the Smokys it'll be a four day non-stop uphill journey to the highest point on the whole trail, Clingman's Dome.

I have something special planned for that section of the hike, but I'll save that for the next update in about two days.

Day 9: Franklin, NC - 110 miles

May 18, 2014 by Gary Sizer in Hiking, Appalachian Trail

While I was hiking this morning, I found myself thinking back to my days in Marine Corps Boot Camp. Every day, before you're ready, you're awakened in order to perform some unpleasant task. Sure, crawling out of a warm sleeping bag is not the same thing as rolling around in the sand or doing push-ups, but the principle remains. Every day you have to do this whether you want to or not. So you might as well want to.

My mom likes to tell people how when I was in boot camp that no matter how bad things got, she could always see a little bit of humor in the letters and postcards I sent home. That tradition continues here on the trail as well.

Into every life a little rain must fall. This is how I greeted day number 10 on the Appalachian trail.

My hiking buddies from Georgia are now off the trail. Thanks for your message, Geoff. Cheers to you and Matt! I've spent the last three days hiking with a couple of guys named Big Ups and Floats. No one knows anyone's real name out here on the trail. Big Ups is now about a day ahead of me, while Floats will be a day behind because he's taking a day off in Franklin. It's been really interesting to see how news from other hikers travels up and down the trail by word-of-mouth.

This tree greets anyone brave enough to climb out of Georgia.

Here are some random statistics from the trail.

Number of places so far named Deep Gap, Bull Gap, or Sassafras Gap: 2

Number of individual barred owls heard: 14

Number of individual barred owls seen: 1

Number of fake samurai swords and crumpled up discarded ninja costumes found by the trail: 1

Day 5: Helen, GA - 51 miles

May 14, 2014 by Gary Sizer in Hiking, Appalachian Trail

This morning I passed the fifty mile mark! I meant to go into Hiwasee tomorrow for resupply but I was worried that I didn't have enough food for the difficult 15 miles ahead. I opted for Helen instead and now I'll have to carry an extra day of supplies or find one more before this weekend.

Yesterday I reached a level of hunger which made me realize that my previous notions about that word were but a mere shadow of the real thing. I suspect that I will have that same realization six more times before we're through.

I stayed at Low Gap Shelter last night and had dinner with a father and son I've been running into for the last four days. The mice weren't bad and quieted about an hour after dark. A nest of baby juncos squeaked at me from the roof. There was a steam nearby and once again owls. I snapped a good picture of one but that is on an SD card I need to mail home.

My feet stopped hurting after day two and now I have chaffing on my pelvis from the hip straps on my pack. I smell. I miss Katie. My legs are covered by a million red bites. But I'm having the time of my life.

I am doing two things every day: walking and writing. If I don't make a post here I'm putting pen to paper in my tent or a shelter.

If I stopped to give each breathtaking view the full attention it deserves I'd never get anywhere.

Day 3: Flat Feet

May 12, 2014 by Gary Sizer in Appalachian Trail, Hiking

I am sitting at the world famous Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap. It's near the end of day 3 and I have about one more mile to go. That will put me at 33 1/3 miles in!

Katie walked the first 2 miles with Mark and me, and he drove back home this morning. I'm already starting to run into the same people again and again and I actually like some of them.

One such fellow traveler was 71 year old "Flat Feet." He sported massive calves and each patch of the triple crown of hiking. He asked me how tall I was and I told him 6'-3". He looked at my green shoes my green socks and my green shirt and said, "Have a good hike, Green Giant!" I suppose it fits. Plus I am jolly... Well, most of the time!

When I told Flat Feet that I felt great he said, "Of course you do. You're just getting started!"

T Minus Three... Two... ONE!

May 09, 2014 by Gary Sizer in Appalachian Trail, Hiking

Starting tomorrow, I live outside.

I've spent the last week obsessively packing and repacking, weighing gear and clothing, studying maps, running from bears, planning meals, and trying to streamline my off-trail life to the point where it doesn't matter that I won't get my mail for six months. I've also somehow managed to fit in a few hikes just to keep my legs ready.

One thing that's absolutely blown me away during the past week is how well the kickstarter for the publishing project has gone. In one week, we reached 80% of our goal, which is amazing! A huge thank you to all my friends and family who helped to spread the word. Another big thank you goes out to the wonderful listeners at The Morning Stream - you guys are like a second family, too!

The biggest thanks of all however goes to my wife, Katie. She's been working every waking hour to help make this a reality, too. She's my "Trail Boss," and in addition to keeping me alive and sane while I live outside, she's also taken on a huge role in managing this website (she added the email subscription feature you see below...USE IT!)

Tomorrow morning (Saturday, May 10th, 2014) I'll get to Springer Mountain, GA somewhere around 10AM. (It's about 3 hours from my house, so this time may or may not hold true.) My good friend Mark will be joining me for the first two days, and after that I'll just walk north until I get there.

I don't really know what else to say right now, so I'll just answer some of the many questions that have been sent in, in no particular order: No, I won't carry a gun because I won't need one; If it rains I'll get wet; I'll see Godzilla in the first town I reach after May 16th that has a theater; the atomic mass of beryllium is 9.012182 u; I am bringing an old Kindle which is okay if it gets demolished; I don't have a dog; 25 pounds not counting food; blue.

See you on the trail.