ShakeDown Hike Day 3: Hawk Mountain to Springer Mountain

The plan for the third day was to summit Springer Mountain, and camp at the shelter there. It's a moderately easy hike of 7.6 miles...moderately easy if you don't have crazy blisters on your feet, that is. I woke up to blister on both heels and both balls of my feet, plus a few small ones on the toes. I felt a few hot spots on my feet the previous day, but didn't want to stop and lose any momentum that I had. That was an awful decision. I had a hard time getting moleskin to stick to the blisters, and my duct tape was really un-sticky. After forcing myself to eat the rest of last night's dinner for breakfast...I packed up and we headed out. I was feeling pretty good about my pack weight when I saw a guy carrying a pack that weight at least 100lbs - including a full size thermos and other heavy camping luxuries. There's a saying I heard that says - the less your pack weighs, the more you like hiking. The more your pack weighs, the more you like camping. This dude definitely had a luxurious camping set up, but he was NOT having a good hike.

I hobbled along for 2.6 miles before getting to the Long Creek Falls area and deciding I *had* to do something about my feet. L. had waited patiently for me at Long Creek before taking off again. I found a log to sit on, dropped my pack, and looked at my feet. They were horrendous looking. Even though I had drained the blisters just a few hours earlier they were all puffed up again. I decided to try a method I had read about - where you sterilize a needle (fire) and thread (alcohol) and puncture all the way through the blister, then tie off the thread, which will then wick all the fluid out of the blister as you walk. (L. was not enthused about this idea when I told her about it earlier - but she wasn't there to stop me). I couldn't stand the thought of putting my boots back on, so I decided to hike in my crocs. They were surprisingly comfortable and while I wasn't setting any speed records I was trucking along. I figured when L. saw the shape of my feet she might offer to hike the Approach Trail tomorrow by herself, and drive the truck to pick me up at the forest service road, but I made up my mind that I was going to hike the entire thing, even if she offered. What sort of a precedent would it set if I didn't finish the practice hike?

ShakeDown Hike Day 1 & 2: Woody Gap to Hawk Mountain

Last Friday L. and I loaded up the packs, kissed our wives goodbye, and went on a 4-day shakedown hike. (A "shakedown hike" is just what it sounds like - we wanted to try out our new gear in real world hiking conditions). What better place to hike than the portion of the AT that we had already hiked. We parked at Amicalola Falls State Park, registered at the visitor center, and caught a shuttle to Woody Gap.

The adventure started there. The guy L. had called for the shuttle was scheduled for chemo treatment on our arrival day, so he sent his 75-year-old wife, Dixie. The first thing she said to us after "hello" was "do either of you get carsick?". Upon hearing "no" she started talking - and didn't stop until we had parked an hour later at Woody Gap. She had lots of stories about people she had shuttled. There were 40 year old "kids" who had planned a section hike with their dad, only to find out they couldn't hack it. A man in a business suit carrying a suitcase. A man dressed as Jesus who carried a hollow cross (he kept all his food & supplies inside the cross). A man who called from Savannah, GA wanting a ride. That same man made it to Atlanta with his 85-pound pack, with a machete and "enough rope to tie up the Queen Mary". When cautioned that he should save his cell phone battery for emergencies, he noted that he was just going to plug it up when he got to the shelter. (He spent one night in the woods and then called for a return shuttle the next day). She told stories of her best friend, whose 4th husband set aside $50,000 for a funeral. After he died, she spent $10,000 on a very nice funeral and then got herself a "face lift and a boob job".

When we got to Woody Gap, Dixie was still talking. She pointed at the left side of the road. "You want to go that way, but the bathroom is on the other side of the road". Thanks, Dixie. Your confidence in us is incredible. We set off (in the right direction) a few minutes later.

the planning's just beginning...

I'm still trying to whittle away ounces on my pack weight. It has occurred to me that instead of worrying about ounces, I should be concentrating on losing some weight. (I have plenty to lose!). I've already been working out 3x/week, plus hiking on the weekend, so it is obvious I need to make some changes to my diet. But, my diet really isn't that awful - I just have trouble with portion control and a bit of a sweet tooth. So, I've been living by the "3S" rule: no sweets, no snacks, no seconds (except occasionally on days that start with S). If I can drop 20 pounds by the start of my thru, my knees will be a lot happier!

Not totally official yet, but we're looking at a start date of March 6th.

Overnight trial run

Low is 27 degrees (above zero).

Postscript: It was indeed cold, but I was pretty comfy. Learned a few things:

• I need to wipe off the bottom of my canister before putting it into my pot. Otherwise I get a bunch of dirt in my pot. Or cut a piece of tyvek to be my porch. Or maybe both.
• I can lean my pack against a hiking pole. Kind of.
• I can fit my backpack (the gregory z65) in my tent. Hurray!
• The SteriPEN Adventurer Opti my brother & sister-in-law got me for my birthday is the bomb! Especially now that I have the pre-filter that fits a wide-mouth nalgene; I can submerge the nalgene in water and then treat the non-silty water with the UV lamp. Super easy.
• I need to brush my teeth immediately after eating, *before* getting in my bag. Otherwise I want to just go to sleep/stay warm!
• I don't need my puffy vest.
• I probably don't need half the shit I have in my first aid kit.
• I definitely need to get a handle on my food - I'm packing way too much food and it is weighing my pack down.
• Also I need to trust the water supply - will be easier with a guidebook on the AT to know where reliable water is at. But water is also super heavy - at 2.2 lbs per liter - so if I can carry only what water I need it will make a big difference in pack weight.
• Putting a hot water bottle in my bag before sleeping is the key to success. (And I managed to stay cozy warm the entire night).
• Sleeping in smartwool compression socks is the way to go. 
• My camelbak won't freeze if i wrap it in my jacket and put it between my bag & my sleeping pad. I blew out the water in the hose back into the reservoir, too. (Not sure it was really cold enough to freeze, anyway, but it sure didn't with my precautions!).
• I get claustrophobic in my bag if I cinch the mummy hood up. (Like, waking up in a suffocating panic).  I was a little panicky going to sleep - it was cold, and I had trouble breathing earlier because of the cold - and I had a "what am I doing, I should be at home in bed with E. while I have the chance!" moment. But I tied a bandana over my mouth which helped me breathe warm air. I still woke up panicky - figured out it was the mummy hood - so once I un-cinched the hood I was ok - and still warm. And the bandana ended up above my head, so I didn't really need that, either.
• My super thick sleeping pad (the Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core Sleeping Pad) is AMAZING. Best sleep I have *ever* had while camping. Serious.
• Right now - when it's cold - I want to have a cup of tea and hot oatmeal before getting up. But maybe that will change when it gets to be "less cold". Even with a very leisurely waking process/breakfast/camp breakdown, we were on the trail by 8.

All in all - it was a great trip. I can't wait to go on our 3-night hike next weekend!