Month: February 2024

Kit Complete! Let’s Gooooo!!!!

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Today I finalized my kit with a base weight of 13 pounds, 5.5 ounces.  This kit will handle temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit.  I loaded it up with two liters of water, a day’s worth of food, and a medium tank of fuel.  I barely noticed it.
With that, I need to send a box forward to Fontana Dam and order my hiking permit for the Smokies.  I’m ready to go!

T-Minus 8 Days!

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My wife asked me this past weekend if I was getting excited.  I am leaving next week for a March 6th. start.  I told her that in all honesty, I haven’t had much time to think about it.  I’ve been focused on crossing off items on the task list.
I finished training my replacement at Calvary Presbyterian Church.  I originally came there to help them close.  I failed miserably.  My replacement is better suited to helping them generate revenue as a home for the arts in downtown Milwaukee.  Although it wasn’t necessarily my job, the congregation is healthy and growing.
At home, I’ve finished all the tasks my wife had requested.  The downstairs bathroom is remodeled.  Many other items have been fixed or refurnished.  She is most pleased.
I have finished applying for seminary and will be attending Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary this fall.  That gives me a deadline of Labor Day weekend to get this hike done.  That should be plenty of time.  I hike better if I have a deadline.  I need to complete a psychological examination.  Does quitting your job to hike 2197.4 miles indicate that I’m mentally unstable?  I don’t think so.  I’m happy to be lost in my thoughts.
I’m able to check the ten day forecast for Amicalola Falls State Park.  There was plenty of wailing and nashing of teeth over the amount of rain there would be March 1st., it should all be clear by my start date of March 6th.  Low 60’s during the day and high 30’s at night.  Perfect hiking and sleeping weather for me.
My flight is currently on time.  That is always a concern.
So, I spent some time going over my food situation.  I’ll be carrying 3.5 days worth of food at the start.  That means I’ll need to hike roughly 12 miles a day.  My wife and I did 9.5 in three hours on Saturday.  It included some Wisconsin up-and-down, which is by no means AT quality, but did include a 126 staircase.  I’ll write up more about my food in a upcoming article.
So, I’ll take it easy for the first couple of weeks until my hiker legs kick in.  No sense hurting myself at the start.
It is amazing the difference you feel for your second thru-hike.  I don’t have any anxiety this time around.  I trust my gear.  I know what I’m capable of doing.  Resupply is so much easier. Water is plentiful.  Soon I’ll be out there crushing miles and making smiles.

Trail Situation Report

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We are getting closer and closer to my start date!  So, it is time to start reading up on trail conditions.  To assist me, I found a past hiker with the trail name of Ramdino who posts weekly on YouTube.  I hope that you check him out.  I signed up on his list of hikers, so you might hear my name mentioned.

Water

All water sources in listed on FarOut are flowing nicely all the way through the Smokey Mountains National Park.  The park starts at the Fontana Dam at mile 166.6 and ends at mile 239.2.  Unlike the PCT, water is readily available through almost all of the AT.  That in and of itself will significantly reduce my overall pack weight.  I’ll keep my water strategy.  Camel up by drinking a liter at a water source and carry a liter.  That should get me through ten miles.  My overall water carrying capacity will be 4.5 liters, two smart water bottles and a 2.5 Platypus dirty water bag.
That may seem like overkill, but if you have to hike to a water source, carrying enough water to cook is really nice.

Snow

There is snow up in the mountains as high as 18 inches.  I suspect that it will be melted by my March 6th starting date, but just to be sure, I’ve added my  Kahtoola MICROspikes to my gear list.  My wife and I hiked the Monches segment of the IAT on Saturday.  There was still plenty of snow and ice on the trail and I had no problem staying at my full hiking pace with them on.  They are also good for traction on mud.

I will be monitoring conditions.  They weight 13.1 ounces, but provide X-Mode traction in snow.  Better traction means fewer calories burned.  I can always return them after the Smokies.

Weather

It has been cold but manageable.  What I’m going to do for this hike is fly down wearing some Kirkland Jogging Pants.  Instead of tossing them when I change into my hiking clothes, I’m going to take them along.  I’m hiking the IAT in them with a pair of 32 Degree Heat base layer and I’m just fine.  I’ll have them for the evenings and if conditions are very cold at night.  Once it becomes warm, I’ll toss them.  After 200 miles or so, they won’t fit anymore anyways.
I’m a Wisconsinite.  We wear shorts once the weather is above freezing.  Once I’m walking, I’ll warm up.  It is extreme heat that I worry about.

Conclusion

I’ll be keeping an eye on the snow levels.  I have the gear to deal with it if need be and I can always send stuff home.