Hello North Carolina!

Finished AT in GA this morning. Miles to go but it's a good accomplishment. Beautiful and challenging so far. I'm lucky to have made it this far. Thanks to those who have made the dream possible!

Georgia on my mind...

Refueling with dehydrated peaches and peanut butter on the 4461 foot summit of Blood Mountain.

Happy earth day from woody gap!

Springer mountain!

Episode IV: A New Hope

I've made it to Georgia! Staying at Hiker Hostel. I've already met some great people and I look forward to starting on Springer Mountain tomorrow. We've got some rain this afternoon but the weather should be clear for tomorrow.

Appropriately for entering the wilderness at the base of my own mountain adventure, the Episocal Daily Office (Moring Prayer for the third Tuesday in Easter) begins with the following from the book of Exodus, "On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain..."

The Office continues with Paul's simiarly appropriate greeting to the Collosians, "May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light."

Good signs for the journey to come!

Take Two.

Two surgeries, three kidney stones, and five days in the hospital later, I am back on track. The trip is still on with a revised scheduled start of April 21 rather March 21. The hike will extend a bit longer into November and may require some creative directional approaches to completion so I don't get snowed out of Maine and the White Mountains. I will still head north from Georgia, but I may flip up to Maine late this summer and head south from there to complete the trail in NYC. The Metro North Harlem Line actually has a station located right on the Appalachian Trail. Five years ago, this is where I started my first backpacking trip on the AT. It seems a fitting place to finish. While not Katahdin or Springer, Grand Central Station is glorious as well.

Ignore the map above for the moment, I am experimenting with the data capture and posting process so it may not be accurate.