Q&A #1

What inspired you to take on this adventure?

I have watch a YouTube video of a gal who did it in ‘16. She got the spark going for me in June of last year. And also the fact hat she went and did the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.

How long had you been thinking about doing it? From June to August, last year, I was thinking about it and looking into some of the gear. It wasn’t until early August when I made that decision to do AT this year.

Some of you have asked about food in some ways and I’m little surprised about the amount of food questions that I have gotten.

What do you eat each day? What have you been eating?

Food. It depends really. The first 1.5-2 weeks I force feed myself instant mash potatoes and peanut butter tortillas. I have also snacked on Cliff bars and homemade trail mix. For the past week I have been eating more of the knorr sides, Cliff bars, beef jurky, tuna creations with different flavors of tuna and other snack type foods.

Are you more or less hungry than at home?

When I’m hiking not so much but I do eat a meal when I get to camp. Home depends on the day and how long I work.

Getting tired of dried food?

The only thing that I’m tired or “sick” off is instant mash potatoes, forced feed my shelf allot of those. I may go back to them at some point.

What is eating and sleeping like?

Eating and sleeping it depends on the hiker. I am going the cold soaking route, where I’m eating food that doesn’t need to be cooked. Other hikers have a stove/cook system to cook their meals, originally I was going that route but never used it and sent it home. Sleeping there are tenters, like me, or hammockers. There are shelters that you can sleep in and there is also campsites and stealth sights that you can stay at.

What do you do after I set up camp?

I set up set up tent first. After depending on when I get into camp or the shelter I’ll eat supper or filter water. After that I’ll either put my food bag in the bear box or hang it on bear cables or over a tree branch. And after all my camp chores are done I’ll retire to my tent and journal/read/get updates ready. The last thing I do is get my bed ready and change into my jammies and into bed for the night.

Is it hard to find water?

There is streaches there is no water and it’s hard to find water. But there is streaches that there is water, even seasonal water, every couple of miles.

Have you met any nice/interesting people? If so, do you ever see them again?

Alot of people that I have met. Some I have met and have seen them week later seen them again. There is one group that I have hike around that I ended up getting ahead of them and want to see them again.

What’s your favorite part of the trip?

Besides the views. There’s not much that I can call the Favorite Part of the trip. Close to the amazing views is hanging out with fellow hikers in the evenings.

What are hostels are like? Just a big room? Heat? Noisy?

Hostels. I have stayed in two as of right now. Both of them where on the two different ends of hostels. The first one was, and still is my favorite of the hostels, is very home away from home. It was very clean and hostile owners only host 4 hikers at a time, so it’s every nice to have a small group of hikers. The other hostel is more like a co-ed dorm. Very crowded and you can be in someone’s way. They have rooms that you can rent out or you can get a bunk and thats more in a big room with a common area. Heat wise it wasnt really bad.

What have you learned about yourself?

1. Failer. Because I have tried to make bigger miles and the trail will tell me otherwise with steep hard terrain. 2. I like to hike in warmer weather. The Smokies have been cold, wet, and rainy. (temps ranging from mid 30’s-50’s and rain almost everyday single day)

How are your feet? Blisters?

I have not much problems with my feet, except some sore muscles but they are better. Blisters, I only had one about 2 weeks in.

What is something in your pack that you haven’t used?

My cook set. Used it once before Neels Gap and Mountain Crossings (31.1 miles in) and sent it home and it saved me some amount of weight.

How do you keep your food safe at night?

Bear boxes, bear cables, or on a tree. GA has spoiled us with the bear boxes and cables and when we got to NC we had to hang out food bags in the trees, which was very slim pickings.

What is your estimated return date?

Do the really know. Hoping September.

That last part…list of animals you’ve caught and eaten?

I have not cought and eaten any of the animals that I have seen. And I don’t think I have time to hunt, kill, skin, and eat them and be able to make miles at the same time.

What is your estimated return date?

Do the really know. Hoping September.

That last part…list of animals you’ve caught and eaten?

I have not cought and eaten any of the animals that I have seen. And I don’t think I have time to hunt, kill, skin, and eat them and be able to make miles at the same time.

What are the shelters like? Wood stove or fireplaces to warm up when it’s cold? Or to heat food? If it’s raining and you get soaked, it’s there a way to dry out your stuff/ clothes?

The shelters are one to three floors high. Most I have seen are 1-2 floors, the last shelter in GA is the only 3 floor that I have seen. Shelters have a fire pit, Smokies shelters have a fire place in the shelter. Rain, wants to make me cry, I have dry bags for the important things like clothes quilt and electrics. My pack was soaked when I hiked 9 miles in the thunderstorms with 20-30 mph winds and everything on the outside pockets even though I had a rain cover on it. Its hard to dry gear and clothes out when it’s cold and rainy out.