Appalachian Trail Journal

September 4th, 2006 - February 25th, 2007

     September 4th, 2006 ~ Cincinnati, OH ~ We are packing the car as I write this journal.  We hope to be standing on the top of Mt. Katahdin on wednesday, the northern end of the trail or in our case, the beginning.  I can't wait to be standing on the top, talking to all the hikers that are just finishing the trail.  It will be glorious.
Joe

     September 5th ~ Millinocket, ME ~ The road brought us to the small town of Millinocket, Maine about 30 miles from the trail head.  This is our last night of fast food, caffeine, warm showers, comfortable beds, and all the other amenities of our routine lives.  We met a North bound hiker, "Johnny Storm", today while getting dinner at Subway.  He had just finished the entire trail in just over four months.  Johnny storm was in great spirits, it was exciting to see and talk to him.  We are very anxious to be starting the trail tomorrow.
      The drive up went really well considering how late we left cincinnati on monday.  We didnt take the most direct route to Maine to say the least.  We took a detour through D.C. at 2 in the morning, ran through rush hour traffic in New York, and still made it in time to eat breakfast in Connecticut with our friend Mike Sobol, a fellow guide in Alaska.  We crashed on his couch for a few hours then made the final stretch into Maine.
Joe & BJ

     September 16th ~ Monson, ME ~ Here we are taking a "zero day" in Monson ME, our first town! We have just conquered 5,267 foot Mt. Katahdin to Abol Bridge, and then blazed the 100 Mile Wilderness. At 114.5 miles of the AT done we are enjoying a break in town. The trip started off Thursday morning at 2:30, I did say morning. You see, we arived too late on Wed. to summit, so in a joke we asked the ranger how early can we start? His reply, I don't know, maybee 2:00 to see the sunrise. We took the opportunity, rested and strapped the head lamps on for a night hike. We reached the summit after 5 hours of grueling climbs, one after another. The clouds were beneath us, and we watched as morning came and the clouds returned above our heads. For that time at the top, there is no better feeling, litterally on top of it all, the views astounding! The climb down equally challenging and rewarding, as we saw much of the scenery for the first time. We didn't even notice that we had been covered in frost untill we looked back at each other. We enjoyed a power nap and hiked another few miles to a stealth camp site. It was like being in the deep forests of Endor.
      The days to follow were isolated within the 100 Mile Wilderness. This is the longest section along the AT with out a town nearby. Over the next few days, we fought with overweight packs, sore ankles, knees,...everything pretty much. The amount of miles we were able to cover during the day was very inconsistent. We just couldn't find our pace. About a third of the way through the wilderness, we found a side trail that took us a mile down to this huge lake. At the lake was this little boat dock and an air horn. When we blew the air horn, a man comes across the lake in a little bass boat to take you back over to their hostel. At the hostel they serve a huge 1lb burger, delicious. We spoiled ourselves and spent the night there. We sent home about 35 lbs of extra gear that we just didnt need to be carrying.                                                                                                                                                                       The following days to Monson were a little easier because of lighter packs, but the trail still kicked our butts. I cant believe how intense the trails are up here. The trail is unlike anything we had imagined, every step becomes a test of strength and balance. Everyday becomes a test of perseverence. Unfortunately our time has run out here for the computer, so we will leave you with that until we hit our next town. We have uploaded pictures for you to check out. Enjoy.  AT pictures set 1
Ice Man & Tundra Wookie   

     September 23rd ~ Stratton, ME ~ We have made it to our 2nd town in Maine ! We have blazed about 187 miles of the trail so far. Just the day before, we crossed the 2000 mile marker for all the northbound hikers, which is a little less exciting benchmark for us, but we will be hitting 200 miles in the next day or so. Since we left Monson, it has been like a total different trail. Our spirits are high, our bodies don't want to fall apart when we make it to the lean-to or camp. Actually, we feel pretty good overall. The miles have seemed to go by really smooth even when we are climbing up and over the mountains.
Only a couple of miles out of town, we crossed a logging road and stumbled on some trail magic, an old cooler filled with all different kinds of beer. Of course, we sat there and had a drink, but before long, two hikers in their 50s or 60s sat down with us and killed a few. They told us cool stories about the trail and about the time one had to take a SWAT team on a canoeing trip that turn into a drunken free for all. We parted ways and pushed on. That night we cowboy camped under the stars next to the river, supposedly we should have seen meteor showers but no dice.
      Two days later we came to the Kennebec River in Caratunk , ME. The river is far too wide and too deep for us to ford and there is no bridge, but there is Steve the Ferry Man. He, ferries hikers back and forth across the river in a canoe. He has been doing it for like 18 years and the AT Conservancy pays for it, so we dont have to. Well we made it to the river too late in the day and we needed to resupply on snacks for the rest of the week, so we hitched a ride down to the ferry man's store. We also figured we would just cowboy camp outside so we didnt have to pay for a bunk, and since it was suppose to rain, Steve was going to lets us sleep on the porch under the awning. Although, when the rain starting pounding, Steve told us to sleep in one of the cabins for the night, a most excellent gesture.
      We awoke the next morning and were taken back to the trail head by steve, walked a half mile with him, and then strapped on the life jackets. We signed our waiver and then were ferried across the beautifull Kennebec . Steve was imediatley greeted by Northbounders as well. We made about 14 miles that day, and in about seven hours. We were definetly proud of the pace and the ease of the rolling hills. There we stayed in a crowded lean-to with 7 others, 3 of them going south on section hikes. We thought for a second we may have company on the trail, but the next day we would find ourselves pushing on past the 7 miles that group would do.
      The following day started as an easy 8 miles to the next lean-to, but by the time we got there, it was only 11:00 in the morning. We had to push on to the next lean-to on top of Bigelow Mtn (4100 ft), only after climbing Little Bigelow Mtn (3100 ft) first though. The first mountain was tough, but it went by pretty fast. Actually the traverse across its ridgeline seemed to go on forever though. We had to drop down about 1000 ft before we could start climbing back up the next mountain. We found some really cool caves that we could have slept in, but it was still too early in the day and the weather was too perfect not to summit. The summit was cold and the winds were howling around 50 or 60 miles an hour. It was hard to simply stand in one place without being shoved around, so climbing back down was not an easy task.
     Once we got down to where the lean-to was supposed to be, we found out that it was torn down and replaced by campsites. We were worried about cowboy camping because it snowed up there the night before. The next set of lean-tos were another 3 miles over the ridge. We had to push on even though we only had another one to 2 hours of hiking before it was too dark. We could have made it, but Tundra Wookie's knee was giving him trouble. Several times, he had to sit down and work out the muscle. After an hour of hiking with headlamps, we made it safely to our lean-to.
      The following morning we took the 5 mile stroll downhill to the road that would bring us here to Stratton. We didn't even walk 100 ft before this jeep honked his horn, dropped of some hikers, and picked us up. Thanks to him, we didn't have to hike the 5 miles into town. Nothing much to say about Stratton, its not like home, but there's a grocery store across the street that we raided for food and mt. dews. The tent, maps, and food all made it to the post office in time, thank you guys. we push on toward Andover in a hour or so. We hope to be there in 6 to 7 days. Hopefully we will be able to upload pictures there.
Ice Man & Tundra Wookie

     September 29th ~ Andover, ME ~ 256 miles of the AT in 22 days leaves us 25 miles from the Maine - New Hampshire state line!!!! We are really excited to have made it to Andover , ME. It means we have cranked out alot of hard miles and we are about to finish the 2nd longest state only to Virginia and 2nd hardest only to New Hampshire . After leaving Stratton on the 23rd, we had to hike through 2 days of cold rain. It was more like walking amongst the clouds and the wet rocks and roots were like walking on ice. We had to climb over Crocker and Sugarloaf Mountain ranges except we couldn't see anything other than a screen of fog.
      There was no rain on the 3rd day as hoped and forecasted, which really helped us get up and over the incredible Saddleback Range . The views from the 4000+ ft mountains were incredible. I think we were able to see Mt. Washington for the first time in the distance. We had plans to put in alot of miles, but when we came across Piazza Rock lean-to, the best well kept lean-to on the AT, we just had to stop. It was an early day, but we built a nice fire, dried out the tent and some clothes, and just enjoyed the evening. We had a huge owl join us by the campfire just after dark. It was so sweet, I could see the fire in his eyes.
      The next morning, we hiked a couple of miles and hitched a ride into Rangely, so that Tundra Wookie could get some knee braces and grab some grub. It took a couple hours away from our hike, but it was worth it. We still continued to do another 14 miles after our hitch back to the trail head. It feels good to have a good hiking day like that, especially after a long break in the day. Our bodies are becoming more adjusted to the work load that we force on them day-to-day.
      The following day was bright, as the sun smiled upon us our whole way over the Bemis Mountain Range. The range was not the highest, but the sun on the fall colors bellow was awesome! We were in-between the several peaks when the two of us stopped dead in our tracks, and in silence, listened. It was obvious, there was either a tank running through the trees, or a moose was approaching? We stared, and watched as a Bull Moose, with a rack that four people could sit on, crumpled the surrounding brush as it slowly walked by. It was crazy to see, it was like a mythical creature until you see it so close in the wild. The day was capped off at a tent site by an old state road and a small brook. There we met a couple that was doing several day hikes on their vacation, and had hiked the AT before. We would enjoy in some "Trail Magic" as the couple volunteered two Red Hook Late Harvest Ales that night, and oatmeal cookies the following morning. We built our fire, enjoyed hot cider and our dehydrated lasagna dishes, yum yums.
      We were visited the next morning by a moose as well, unable to get a look, we could only hear it as it ran though the brook splashing like a stampede of horses. The next morning we moved up, over, and around mountains like they were nothing at all. Before we knew it we had done nearly 11 miles to the road to Andover , the afternoon had barely begun! We are staying at the Roadhouse hostel, it is a little weird for us. The place is great, clean, warm, well equiped, and friendly, that is when people are here.
      We spend so much time it the wilderness, and then come into the smallest of towns, somthing we are already not very a custom to. We arrived and a general note on the door says to make yourself at home, so we do. One attendant leaves about an hour into our stay and the other never shows up? So its the two of us in a huge three story B&B style/Hostel, internet, kitchen, bath, living room, dining room, laundry, a dozen private rooms, and bunkhouse all to ourselves, all night. We came and went, to the general store and post office and back. It feels like were not supposed to be here, like we broke in or something. We are enjoying our time and gluttonous urges as we restock, and carefully plan out our hike for the days to come. Our next "Zero Day" is planned for Hanover NH , right before we reach Vermont , about 180 miles from here, our bodies will be fully exhausted by then. We miss everyone very much, and thank you for the strength you give us each day. Everyday becomes more amazing! Check out our new pictures.   AT pictures set 2
Ice Man & Tundra Wookie
      

     October 10th ~ North Woodstock, NH ~ It has been a while since you last heard from us in Andover , Maine . I'll start from the beginning I guess. The first few days out were also our last in Maine . The first day, the weather was incredible and we tackled two 4,000 ft + peaks in 15 miles. We were so excited to have done so much over that terrain, but the following day put us in our place. The Mahoosuc Notch, the hardest mile on the whole trail, took us 3 hours to do a mile. It was nothing but climbing over, in between and under boulders, of course it was wet too. We had a few close calls, but only a bumped head and some scratches. That day we only went 5 miles before we called it a day.
      The following day was soiled with bad weather, yet crossing into New Hampshire and finishing our first state kept us in good spirits until Ice Man fell into the mud. His right leg missed a board and sunk into the mud up to his thigh. Luckily, his left leg was still on the board, otherwise, I don't know how he would have gotten out. We called it an early day and stayed dry at the next shelter. We stopped in Gorham , NH for a dollar menu feast at Mcdonald's and Dunkin Donuts in the morning.
      We had 2 and a half days until Pinkham Notch, which is the gateway to the Presidential Mtns. They were spectacular mountains to say the least. They are called the "wildcats" and the views the gave of Mt. Washington were incredible. Our second day in the wildcats, there was ice covering the whole north side of the mountains(the pics turned out great). We have had nothing but the best weather since we left Pinkham Notch. Locals say that the weather we had going over the Presidential Mtns and Mt. Washington , was by far the best all year. This was the place we expected to be having the worst weather. We had warm days, clear skies, 120 mile + visibility, and winds of less than 10 mph for days. Not even the columbus day weekend crowds and tourists on the mountain could make us wish for better. We were down right spoiled. We hiked 2 and a half days above treeline in the White Mtns with unimaginable weather. Mt. Washington put us over 6,000 feet at exactly one month since we summited Katahdin, a nice coincidence.
      A couple nights ago, we camped right on some cliffs, watched the sunset after dinner, and relaxed under the stars with hot apple cider. We stayed up swapping trail stories with a going to be "3 time" thru-hiker named Doc Narley. Oh, he had some crazy stories. Last night, we spent a few hours relaxing on top of Mt. Garfield . We are going to miss these mountains. We rolled into North Woodstock today to refuel, and send you guys an update. We hope you enjoy these pictures. We love you all and wish you could be here. We have to catch a ride back to the trail soon. We figured we would "troll camp" tonight under the I-93 bridge. We hope to update you again in Hanover in less than a week. Dont forget to check out the pics.   AT pictures set 3
Tundra Wookie and Ice Man
     

     October 16th ~ Hanover, NH ~ It is amazing to think that it has been almost exactly two weeks since we crossed over into New Hampshire . Tonight, we sit in the Dartmouth College Library just a mile from the Vermont border. We will cross over late tonight after updating the journal and dinner in town. The NH - VT border marks a big milestone for us. Its marks our 2nd state completed (hardest 2), 20% finished, 440 miles, and 40 days of continuous backpacking. This is my longest consecutive backpacking trip ever, but lets not forget that it is Ice Man's first backpacking trip. Both of us are still excited and feeling great.
      After our night camping under the I-93 bridge outside of North Woodstock , we had a beautiful short hike back into the mountains. That night Ice Man built his first fire on his own with no fire starters or fuel from the stove. It was a nice size fire that kept us warm before dinner. That night, we had the heaviest rainfall of the whole trip. In the morning the stream beside the shelter had risen almost a foot higher than the day before. Ice Man was excited to summit Mt. Wolf , but disappointed that no one actually put a sign at the top. The sadness didn't last long. We stopped later at a stream to filter some water and the water filter has been making strange noises. Well, as Ice Man was pumping water, a moose walked up behind him making a similar grunting noise as the water filter. It was the funniest thing. The moose stopped just 10 or 15 feet away and looked at us, and we just starred back. It didn't take but a few seconds before it realized that we were not another moose, and took off running. There wasn't enough time to even get the camera out.
       We had hoped to climb up and over Mt. Moosilake , the last of the White Mtns, before the following day was over. The rain slowed us down, but not nearly as much as the beautiful mile climb up Moosilake. Almost the entire climb paralled a brook with endless cascading waterfalls. We stopped at the shelter just below the peak instead of risking night hiking. As the night went on, the weather cleared, the mountains hidden in the clouds came out, and the night sky was perfectly clear. It was a great sign of what was to come, or so we thought.
      In the morning, there was a 1/2 inch of snow on the ground, our boots were frozen, and the water filter was iced over. We boiled 4 qts of water for the day and used the stove to de-ice our boots. We were not expecting this to happen anytime soon. It was a miserable start to a great day. The views from the top of Moosilake were clear. To the east, was the taller rugged White Mtns that we already conquered, and to the west, hahaha. We were a little bummed out to be standing on a mountain that was taller than anything to come in a long while. On the maps, we started to see not just mountains labeled, but also hills.
      We knew we were leaving the hardest part of the trail behind as we came down the mountain. The trail almost instantly became smoother and more gradual than before. We ended up doing 16 miles that day even after taking a two hour snack break at the bottom of Moosilake. We wanted to make sure we could make it into Hanover by this morning, so the following day we pushed out a 20 miler over smaller mountains and fields. Yesterday, we made 18 miles to the edge of town. We were hoping to stay in town, but there was nothing cheaper than $80 a night. Luckily a wonderful man, named Dwight offered us a place to stay for the night.
We were so excited. He had a wonderful family and he and his wife treated us very well. They treated us to hot showers, laundry, and a fabulous dinner. He mapped out the town and dropped us off to wonder around. We stopped by Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Murphy's Pub. It was nice to sit and relax for a while. We slept on a nice comfy bed with a down comforter and our own bathroom right next door. It was excellent. We came into town this morning to resupply and tie up loose ends.
      We are going to experiment with our diet this week by doubling our calorie intake. According to backpacker magazine, winter hikers that hike for 8 hours need 5 to 6 thousand calories a day. I think we were somewhere in the ballpark of 2500 on a good day. Food is heavy, but we are loading up this time. The only thing harder to hike with other than an aching body is a hungry stomach. It is amazing the diet we can handle out here. It really is. The plan is to be in North Adams , Mass. in 9 days which is where we hope to update you once again, but it may come sooner. We have to resupply in a town again in a few days. Once again, we hope you enjoy. There is another link to more pictures. We love and miss you all.  AT pictures set 4
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man
      

     October 26th ~ Bennington, VT ~ It has been about 10 days since we began hiking in Vermont , and tonight we will camp just a few miles from the border of Massachusetts . Vermont has been such an amazing and unique state in comparison to Maine and New Hampshire . Vermont didn't have all the spectacular views and glorious climbs, but it had simpler gratifying aspects. Much of the trail has passed through farmland, open fields, cattle ranches, and maple syrup harvests. To us they seemed like rolling hills, but somehow we found ourselves exhausted and stopping after a dozen miles two days in a row. Our expectations to push out serious miles were perhaps too great to live up to just yet. With rain both days we would call it quits and hang out in our shelters for the remainder of the day.
      It was then we had met "Stitch", a 19yr old from Chicago , he is finishing his thru-hike down to Hudson river . It was nice being alongside another hiker for a few days and share a few laughs while jammin' out to our new transistor radio. Ice Man and Stitch would take part in the first ever Winturri Shelter Putt-Putt Classic. Despite the early lead with a shot off the top of a water bottle, Stitch took the prize with a shot up a ramp from the farside of the shelter. The next day the three of us decided to push harder and go 18 miles to get to an irish pub and grill just off the trail. The day flew by and the miles were well worth the hot sandwiches and cold soda. It was too dark and we were too tired after dinner to hike to another shelter, so we camped just across the street in the woods. The night was warm, but it rained non-stop. Not only was the tent soaked, but somehow so were our sleeping bags.
      The four different weather forecasts we were picking up said anything from on and off showers to flash flooding all day. That's all it took. We decided to go into Rutland and stay at the Back Home Again Cafe and Hostel. It is a "work for stay" hostel operated by the 12 tribes religious community. Their hospitality was unbelievable. We took the day to dry out our gear and relax. Later that day we helped them paint some woodwork and hang drywall in exchange for our stay. The following day, we enjoyed some donuts and bagels before going back to the trail.
      The trail immediately started with a climb up Mt. Killington . Nearly the entire 12 miles up and over the mountain was in 2 inches of snow and ice. It was really exciting to finally get a taste of what was to come. The following day just got us a little closer to our resupply point in Wallingford , so the following day we could just go in and out of town. We picked up our package and got a ride back to Rutland to resupply at the store. On the way back to the trail, Tom, the gentleman that took us into town, offered to pick us up after we finished another 8 or 9 miles to the next road and take us back to the hostel for the night. We couldn't pass up the offer, but we would end up semi-regretting coming back to town.
       After dinner, we helped in the bakery until close to midnight, so we didn't really get all the sleep we were hoping for. The next 3 days were long and cold. We ended up at 60 miles in those 3 days even through the snow. We picked up another layering of clothing to sleep in, so now we just have to keep our feet dryer and warm. We came into town last night because the road wasn't too far from the shelter, all of our socks were soaked, and we had heard about a free place to stay. It was actually a barn that was renovated into basically a nice little hang out with a pool table and radio. We hit up the outfitter, the laundromat, and now the library.
       I think that is everything in a nut shell. I wish we had more time to write these journals. I feel like we leave some many details out. We can't upload pictures this time, but hopefully soon enough. Oh, I almost forgot. We are now 578 miles in, 51 days, and more than 25 % completed. Luckily, we only have 11 miles to push out today because its already 1 in the afternoon. We will cross into Mass. tomorrow and pickup our package in North Adams . We love and miss you all. Good Luck to our ultimate frisbee team back home in their tournament this weekend.
Tundra Wookie & Iceman

      October 30th ~ Dalton, MA ~ I know its only been 3 days since you heard from us last, but we made another pitstop. We are staying with a family that we had met coming down Mt. Washington 3 weeks ago. They have been absolutely wonderful, very hospitable. We had a great dinner and we got to watch some football too. Two days ago, we crossed over into Massachusetts , our 4th state. We had to hitch into North Adams to pick up our maildrop at the post office. We didn't think anyone would pick us up because it had been raining so hard and we were soaked, but we were wrong. While we were in the post office sorting our packages, two different people had come up to us offering rides back to the trail. We hit the trail and hiked another 7 miles to a shelter and called it a day.
      It had been raining for the past 24 hrs and wasn't letting up. Alot of our gear got soaked and to top it off, the shelter leaked really bad. The wind was also blowing rain into the shelter, so it was impossible to stay completely dry. There was some uno cards left in the shelter, so Ice Man taught me how to play gin with a deck of uno cards. The following day, yesterday, we climbed Mt. Greylock , our last above 3000 ft until we get down into Virginia . There was snow, ice, and the winds were blowing around 80 mile and hour on top of Greylock.
      It was definetly an adrenaline rush. We ended up doing 20 miles into Dalton that day. We are hoping to be in Salisbury , CT by friday I think. The weather is suppose to be dry, but the nights are suppose to dip below freezing, gotta love it. There is a link below for the latest set of pictures that we were not able to upload in Bennington . There are lots of pictures with lookout towers and the views around them, but they are not all from the same place. There were 3 different lookout towers on top of Bromley, Stratton, and I can't recall the 3rd. Happy Halloween everyone.   AT pictures set 5
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man
"Chuck Norris & Rambo"

      November 7th ~ Kent, CT ~ We told you that we were leaving Dalton, Mass. in the last journal, only not as soon as we expected. After Anna took us to the store to resupply, she dropped us back off at the gas station next to the trail. It was already after noon, so putting in alot of miles was out of the question. Instead of hiking just a few miles out of town, we decided to visit Rob Bird, a gentleman that has been welcoming hikers into his home for years and is really well known on the trail. We had heard so much about this man that we had to stop in and meet him. He welcomed us in and we felt immediately at home. Rob volunteered his time to drive us to different parts of the trail for "slack packing". We would hike fourty miles, and all the while end the night in a warm bed four nights in a row. One of the highlights for us was the Skyline Chili that Joe's family sent, its never tasted so good, Rob enjoyed it as well.
      The first day back,the trail brushed by corn fields and mountain sides. We would walk bogs over swamps and river-walk along the Housatonic River for a few miles. We got halfway up Mt. Everett when the snow began and night fell, with just about two miles to go. The night would end cold for what was such a warm day. The next morning began early because we had to make it in to Salisburry for our mail-drop. We felt good about our quick start, our first dark morning night since Katahdin (day 1). We found the sunrise just as we reached the top of Mt. Everett. The trail then followed the Mt. Race ridgeline, completely exposed to the view below. It was a great morning! We came down Race and crossed over into Connecticut, our 5th state! By the time we realize we are here, we will be in New York. This fine state starts with Bear Mtn., the tallest in the state. The mountain offered amazing views of what is past and whats to come. We resupplied and left town fairly quickly to do another 3 miles to our lean-to.
      In the past few days we have crossed over,and done countless miles next to the Housatonic River. Having already planned a short day, this worked out to our benefit yet again. We came to the river and its glorious water falls and spent the vast majority of our afternoon enjoying its scenery and the bright sun in the blue skies. That night would be shared with the very first southbound thru-hiker we have met, his name is Early Bird. Still ahead of us, Little Engine, Elipse, and Chase. We have not met these hikers, but have followed them in registers, there have been a few others get off the trail already.
      Today marks not only 2 months, but also 722 miles behind us which puts us at one third of the way. We are staying in Kent, CT tonight with a relative of another gentleman that we had met on Mt. Washington. Bill picked us up from the post office and treated us to a nice italian dinner, then opened up his home for us to stay. He has a wonderful family and he tells some good stories. We feel truley blessed to have met so many wonderfull people on the trail, we call them "Trail Angels". Our confidence is higher than ever, and we owe it to the overwhelming generosity they have provided.
      From here we cross into New York tommorrow, and just a few days to Jersey and then a few more to Pennsylvania. It gets tough after that, we'll be in PA for some time as it stretches 230 miles! The forecast looks good as a heat wave is coming in to give us high 50s to mid 60s for the next week! That sounds sooooo good! Feel free to check out our latest pictures. Best wishes!   AT pictures set 6
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man

      November 20th ~ Deleware Water Gap, PA ~ Well, we made it to Pennsylvania in one piece. This has been the longest we have gone without updating everyone, sorry it took so long. I hope no one was too worried. Since we last updating you in Connecticut , we hiked straight through New York and New Jersey without taking any showers. These states were not as spectacular as we may have liked them to be, but they held there own little highlights so to speak. Rather than give you a day to day break down and take up hours of your time, we will just touch on some of the cool things.
      First off, the heat wave that we had through New York was a nice break from the cold, but it also brought alot of miserable rain. I would rather the cold than the rain to be honest. We hiked with "Early Bird", another south-bound thru-hiker (or a SOBO), for a few days. A 4th personality was nice for a while. While staying at the ballfields courtesy of the Graymoor Monestary, we stumbled upon ruins of a once immaculate garden and sanctuary. We offered to volunteer some of our time to clean up some of the debris, but we were told that the ruins were to be completely removed at a later date, what a shame.
      Veteran's Day was a disaster, the post office was closed, so we couldn't pick up our maildrop nor send anything home that we didn't need. Luckily, Alex, a hiker we met in Maine , lived nearby and took us to a grocery store to pick up what we needed to get to Unionville. Not all of Veteran's Day was a disaster, the weather was beautiful, and we got to mingle with society. The trail goes through the trailside museum and wildlife park, so we got to learn about all the different geology and wildlife of the region. The lowest elevation of the AT is in front of the black bear exhibit (124 feet).
      After that, we came out into Bear Mtn. park with a huge lake, a wide open green space, an ice-skating ring, and our favorite, concessions. After two soft pretzels, two hot dogs, and talking to lots of people, we climbed up Bear Mtn in hopes of a glimpse of the NYC skyline less than 40 miles away. The sun had set when we reached the top and the fog had rolled in, so no luck on the skyline. We still had another 4 or 5 miles to do over to West Mtn. in the dark. The hike wasn't too bad and it went fairly fast, but when we came close to the top, smoke and the smell of fire filled the air. I was honestly kind of worried there was a forest fire nearby, but it was just 40 or so boy scouts camping near the shelter.
      On Monday we called the post office, and they assured us that they would forward our package to Unionville, awesome. We made it into New Jersey and the trail opened up and we were able to make some good time. Wednesday night, just before we were going into Unionville, we found out the package never left the last town. The made sure it was there for us to pick up thursday morning, but only 2 of the 3 packages made it (actually we are still waiting for it to catch up). We got to enjoy some small town hospitality and good home-style cooking at Sara's Soda Shop. She had about 400 hikers come through this year, amazing. We hung around there for lunch and used a corner of the shop as a base while we ran to the post office and grocery store. The locals warned us of the 2-5 inches of rain headed that way, so we hurried outside of town to the first shelter.
      The shelter is actually a "secret shelter" that is built on Jim Murray's property for thru-hikers only. It was done up real nice with electric, running water, and a shower. He also had a couple of donkeys in the field that kept bellowing out coarse sounds whenever the rain would stop. The trail from then on was easy. One morning we stopped by a farmer's market next to the trail and ate a big cherry pie, oh so sweet.
      The day before last a big group of boy scouts stayed outside of our shelter. They didn't even say hello, which has actually been a common occurence for us in Jersey. Yesterday was a big day, we woke up at 3 in the morning and started hiking, so we could finish the 25 miles into town before 4 in the afternoon, it was our biggest mileage day so far. We had to walk over the I-80 bridge into PA over the Deleware River , and the cars were just flying by, weaving in and out of each other. They weren't doing anything we wouldn't have normally done, but to us, it seems so scary and dangerous. We haven't moved that fast in a while.
      We are staying in the basement of a church, they setup a small hostel for thru-hikers with a sitting area, bunk room, and hot showers. It is a wonderful place. Last night, we both slept on the leather couches instead of the bunks, so comfortable. We will hit the trail again in the morning for a couple days until we meet Ice Man's parents for thanksgiving on thursday. We are excited that they are coming up. Hopefully they will do some hiking with us and check out one of the shelters. We also caught wind that some of our friends might be coming up at the end of the month to visit, its all too good.
      Well, I am sorry to say that the pictures won't upload from this computer, which is a shame because there is 30 or so pics. We may not be able to update for another 7 to 10 days, so don't send out the troops if you don't hear from us too soon. We love and miss you all, have a great thanksgiving.
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man
(Chuck Norris & Rambo)

     November 23rd ~ Palmerton, PA ~ Well, we are about 40 miles farther into Pennsylvania , so far so good. Our climb out of Deleware Water Gap had a lot of great views looking back into the gap and over New Jersey . It has pretty much been a ridge walk with little elevation change since, but the rocky terrain makes up for that. The ridge before Lehigh Gap was completely destroyed. We thought a fire might have swept through a while back, but apparently Palmerton used to have some Zinc factories and the air pollution killed off all the vegetation on the ridge. The factories have been shutdown and they are supposedly trying to revegitate the land.
     The climb down into Lehigh Gap was probably the hardest and most dangerous descent we have had since leaving New Hampshire . We spent last night in the old jailhouse in Palmerton , PA. Unfortunately they had tore out the old cells, but it was pretty sweet. We got to play some basketball in the gym upstairs. Its so hard to play in boots.
     We were picked up by Ice Man's parents this morning and were treated to a delicious thanksgiving dinner at the Cracker Barrel (thanks for being open). They brought fresh clothes and shoes from our closets, so we could feel like we were home. We now have a new set of boots, new socks, and a new water filter, ahh so nice. We will be hanging out here at the Hilton (a really nice shelter) all night playing games, watching football, and chilling in the hot tub. Luckily the shelter had internet access so we could upload all the pictures we couldn't do before. Thanks Mr. & Mrs. Wolf for everything. Happy Thanksgiving to all. Check out the new pics.     AT pictures set 7
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man
"Grizzly Adams & Weight Watcher"

      December 2nd ~ Duncannon, PA ~ We made it to Duncannon , PA , a nice milestone for us. Its hard to believe that we have been out here for 87 days now! In just three more we'll reach the official half way point on the trail at 1,087 miles! We have learned so much thus far, not just of hiking, but of the hardships and joys in life. Our imagination stirs with whats to come next. Overall, in the past week, we have been making alot of good ground. The terrain is completely different than any other so far. It has been alot of flat ridge walking with the occasional steep 1000ft climbs in and out of the gaps, however, it is very rocky and a struggle some times. There were a couple of nights we cowboy camped out under the stars. Once because we missed the shelter, and the other because we spent too much time having to hike into Hamburg for fuel and resupply.
      We walked some old railroad beds and abandoned carriage roads from the 1800s. The trail took us through some ruins of an old coal mining village of Rausch Gap . The town went under in the early 1900s when the railroad pulled out and moved elsewhere. There was a cemetery with a couple headstones from 1854 and a really sweet stone arch bridge over a stream, and it was all out in the middle of the woods. The past few days of hiking have been fair weathered with rain and fog moving in and out. The weather killed our views from the ridge except for yesterday. We had great views of the Susquehanna River and the world's longest stone arch bridge.
      Our biggest concern over the past week has been the arrival of buck season and all the surrounding hunters. They seem to surround our camp early morning just before sunrise, and when the sun rose, the gunshots filled the air. We have seen over 60 hunters just in the first 3 days of hunting season. Not to worry though, we have been wearing blaze orange hats and ribbons to keep from getting shot. We caught up to 2 other south-bounders, "Little Engine" and "Ellipse". We stayed with them last night here in Duncannon and we are all hiking out together today. By the looks of it, we should have some company for a while. We are pretty excited to be hiking with them.
      Last night, Ice Man and I had an interview with a gentleman that hosts a very popular backpacking website called practicalbackpacking.com. He also hosts a series of podcasts, downloadable audio files, of interviews with different men and women in the field of backpacking. Including interviews with gear companies, authors, organizations, and backpackers. We are very excited to be included with the other respected and well-known subjects. The podcast should be up and running in the next few days, and we will put a link to the page when it is up. If you want to check out the other interviews or check to see if ours is updated goto www.practicalbackpacking.com/blog .
     Our next town is Harpers Ferry , WV in 7 or 8 days. We were also fortunate to upload our 8th set of pictures, so feel free to check them out. Thank you for all the comments you've sent, we really have enjoyed them.   AT pictures set 8
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man
(Bob Segar & 2Pac)

      December 8th ~ Harpers Ferry, WV ~ Here we are in Harpers Ferry , West Virginia . There is only 4 miles in WV, so we will be in Virginia as soon as we leave here. Virginia will be our 10th state and will also be the longest state, about 545 miles. Since leaving Duncannon , PA 7 days ago, we have gone another 124 miles without any real problems. We are impressed with ourselves and happy to see that we can still have 20 mile hiking days despite the short hours of sunlight. It has been pretty cold though. We have been taking extra care to ensure our water bottles and filter don't freeze at night, which isn't hard, just have to put in the sleeping bag. Today it was so cold that our mustaches started to ice over while hiking, so to keep the water from freezing, we had to keep the bottles inside our jackets as we hiked. The wind chill brought the temperature down into the teens.
      As you can see in the pictures, we have come to quite a few nice views looking out over Pennsylvania , Maryland , and West Virginia , but they should be even better in Virginia . We passed the half way point marker (now outdated) and took a step past into the southern half of the trail. We are more than happy to be done with Pennsylvania , and Maryland only lasted two days. The trail took us through another small family cemetery from the 1800s. It was nice to see someone still keeping it fairly cleaned up. We also past by the first monument dedicated to George Washington, as well as several other civil war memorials. We have enjoyed not only the scenery but also the walk through time and history.
      In the last entry, we told you about Little Engine and Ellipse and how they would be hiking with us for awhile. Well, that didn't last long, actually, we never got to hike with them. They left town a little before we did and Ellipse hit the ground running and we can't catch him. Little Engine must have gotten off the trail for one reason or another because we didn't pass him on the trail and he certainly isnt in front of us.
      Overall, we are feeling really good, just have to get back in the grove for cold weather. It is hard to believe that 3 months has already gone by, exactly 92 days and 1165.2 miles behind us. Our mountains await us, above 3000 feet we go again. Our podcast/interview is now online at http://www.practicalbackpacking.com/blo g ,feel free to check out some of his other work as well. We also have a new set of pictures. Once again, thanks to everyone at home for your never ending support, we miss you all.     AT pictures set 9
Tundra Wookie and Ice Man

     December 11th ~ Bear's Den Hostel, VA ~ In order to do the trail, you have to accept that things don't always go as planned. It's not that what happend is bad, it's actually kind of funny that its the opposite of what we wanted to do. We are at the Bear's Den Hostel, just 20 miles south of Harpers Ferry which is the funny part. We made it to Harpers Ferry 3 days ago, granted one day was an off day, but what we did in one day last week, we did in 2 days. The terrain is not to blame, nor the weather. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club has been very hospitable. We bumped into the trail club in Hapers Ferry and the invited us over for dinner both friday and saturday night. It was a great time and we really enjoyed hanging out with all the people that are not just building and maintaining the trail, but also working to protect the wilderness around it.
     They talked us into stopping by the Blackburn Trail Center last night, which is just off the trail, to stay the night and have dinner with the caretakers. We also celebrated the caretakers birthday with cake and ice cream. Of course, we still had to stop by here to do laundry and grab some more food to get us to the next town. Pizza, ice cream, internet, electric, hot shower, and a bed? OK, we'll stay, but tomorrow we are doing 23 miles. Tomorrow we hit what they call the "roller coaster", a long series of quick ups and downs, sounds like fun. We uploaded another set of pictures. Most of them are of our day off in Harpers Ferry , but a few from the trail, including us passing up the 1000 mile marker.    AT pictures set 10
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man

      December 21st ~ Waynesboro, VA ~ The roller coaster wasn't much to scream about, nor was it long enough to wear us out. We should have been more tired after 23 miles. The next morning, we went into Linden to pick up our maildrop and food. We were so excited to be sleeping less than a mile from the beginning of the Shenadoah National Park . In the morning, we registered for our permit for camping in the park and started strolling down some of the nicest trails we have seen yet. The weather was beautiful and so were the views. The views were better than any since Vermont and Massachusetts . It is nice being above 3000ft again.
      After 23 miles, all we wanted was a good nights sleep, but there were a couple of mice that kept us up most of the night. In the morning, we hitched into Luray for mail, resupply, and a bucket of chicken from KFC. We were told that it was illegal to hitch in Virginia , but so far its been the easiest place to get a ride in and out of town. The rest of the day was still filled with great views and nice trails. We stayed the night with a couple out for the weekend. The one guy was in the Navy at Norfolk , and he was planning a thru-hike once he finishes his service. We shared alot of stories from different adventures we have had as the campfire slowly burnt out.
      The following day we hiked 21 miles until we hit rt33, which passes through the park, so we could be picked up by a trail angel named Melanie. Before we made it there, we bumped into a thru-hiker named "super dave" and he was also from Cincinnati . He started in WV and hiked north to Maine , then went to Georgia and was on his way to WV. We were all so excited to meet each other, because we had met his friend in New Hampshire and we were told to look out for him. He actually knew who we were before we introduced ourselves. He should be finishing up his journey in the next couple of days. Congrats Super Dave and we wish you the best.
      We finally made it to the road and Melanie picked us up and took us in for the night. We met her in Harpers Ferry at the trail club dinner, its funny how everything falls together. She cooked us dinner, let us shower, and do laundry. She had an awesome music collection. In the morning, she took us to the store to pick up enough food to get us to Waynesboro and then back to the trail. Thanks Melanie.
      In the Shenadoah National Park , skyline drives runs parallel to the AT and follows the ridgline all the way, so the mileage is pretty much the same. We had to hike along the road for both that day and the following, about 45 miles. The reason: Around thanksgiving, the southern section of the park was hit with a devastating ice storm leaving the trail and road covered with trees, branches, and tree tops. The AT was closed and was recomended to skip, but we instead walked the closed skyline drive.
      The road walk hurt and it seem to go on forever. There were a few good things though. We could listen to our transistor radio while we walked, we still had great overlooks, and we didn't have to stare at our feet to make sure we weren't going to trip. Our last shelter in the park had a big rat living there that was rumored to eat holes in backpacks. We hung our food and packs outside the shelter, but we still caught a glimpse of the nasty beast. The last 20 miles out of the park was miserable. We were hurting so bad and we looked funny as we were limping along. We made it though, and we were fortunate to know another trail angel that picked us up and dropped us off at the Quality Inn.
      Some of my family came down that night and stayed with us. We ate some Papa John's pizza while watching our first Bengals game. It was a depressing game though. The next morning 8 of our friends from home dropped into visit. The rest of my family came down later in the evening. By the end of the night, there was 18 of us, it was like being at home. We spent the day tossing frisbee and football. They even brought down the corn hole set. That night we all went down to the bowling ally, what a great time. The fun lasted until 3 or 4 in the morning, way past our bedtime.
      Yesterday, they all went home after we all went out to lunch together. It was sad to see them go, but it was a reminder of all the great people we can't wait to get home and see once again. Someone did get left behind though, by choice, her name is Ginger Snap, formerly known as Barbara. She is going to hike with us for a week and a half or so. Last night we just kicked back and relaxed and tried to recooperate. Today we are just doing the usual in town resupply and journal update before we hit the trail. We will hike out of town here in a little bit to the first shelter 5 miles away. We hope to be about 135 miles farther in about 8-10 days where we can update you once again. Thank you to all of those that came to visit. Merry Christmas to everyone. We miss and love you all. Check out our latest set of pictures.   AT pictures set 11
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man

      January 4th, 2007 ~ Daleville, VA ~ Its been 2 weeks since we left Waynesboro and we have been having a awesome time. It so nice to be back in the mountains. The views have been absolutely amazing. The day after leaving Waynesboro , we spent an entire day hanging out in the shelter because it rained for like 30 hours straight. During the cold rainstorm, we entertained ourselves with yahtzee and uno. The following day wasn't much to scream about, it was a clear and cold day. However, we did share the shelter/camp with an older couple and two goats that packed her gear, it made for an interesting conversation.
      In the morning, we hiked over the Three Ridges, the sun was out and it was near sixty degrees! It was all too grand, the continuous views captured our attention and we all agreed to go about half the distance planned. We hiked over to "Chimney Rocks" where we sat for the rest of the afternoon admiring the view, watching vultures fly over their domain.
     So then it was Christmas. It could of been better to be honest. We hiked up and over "The Preist", our first 4000 foot mountain since New Hampshire ! The cold rain kept us from enjoying it though. We cut the day short to avoid getting sick, as we were all drenched and shivering. We built a christmas tree out of water bottles and just enjoyed getting warm and dry. The following day we decided to treat each other to a Christmas present. We hiked a few miles to a old dirt road, and just another mile and a half down to Montebello and the Dutch Haus Bed and Breakfast. We were pampered with great meals, showers, a warm fire, and The Chipmunks Great Adventure on VHS.
      Our weather improved for a few days, and we sure did enjoy it! Great view from the grassy top of Cold Mountain , Bluff Mountain , and on down to the James River . We hitched into the small town of Glasgow for resupply, it took a while to get in, but the town was friendly and it was quick getting out. Then we crossed the James River footbridge, the longest on the AT, at 642 feet. From there it was just a quick creek side walk to the shelter. Most of the shelters in Virginia have had mice, some an army of mice. This shelter however had a rat, he lived in the privy (outhouse).
      Happy New Years! Like every other holiday, it rained New Years Eve. It was not as cold so we still pushed out our planned thirteen miles. At the shelter that night we finnaly enjoyed the two heavy bottles of wine Ice Man was carrying. It was only Arbor Mist, but the celebration was priceless! The next morning we played Uno untill the rain stopped, and the most beautiful blue skies followed. We crossed Apple Orchard Mountain , a gorgeous grassy bald, the way down kept our attention with cliff side views and short trails to overlooks.
      The next few days would have us following and crossing the Blueridge Parkway . It was nice cause they had the trail cross at overlooks. We went later into the night a few times, but enjoyed the sunsets, and the light of the full moon. We stopped at one point to admire the moon framed between the forest limbs and the mountain horizon behind. We feel so fortunate to capture whats "behind the scenes". The night before last, our shelter was perched above the city lights of Roanoke , magnificent.
      We hiked into Daleville yesterday morning, where we met Ginger Snap's brother and close friend. They spent the night with us at a hotel just off the trail. They were nice enough to shuttle us around for food and resupply. We shared many laughs and we decided chinese buffets should have microwaves too. Oh, and coconut ice cream is disgusting. The three of them are leaving today to road trip down along the Gulf Coast and Texas . We wish we could tag along, but that just wouldn't be right. We uploaded about 60 new pictures. You will find alot more people pictures this time around, Ginger Snap loves people pictures. The pictures describe the views so much better than words too.     AT pictures set 12
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Happy New Years!
Tundra Wookie, Ice Man, and Ginger Snap
"Shadow", "Chance", and "Sassy"

      January 11th ~ Pearisburg, VA ~ We made it to Pearisburg, VA, about 100 miles farther. The weather has been all over the place. Its been hot, cold, rainy, snowy, and windy. The first day out of daleville wasn't much to scream about. The rain wasn't too bad, it was the dense fog that gave us problems. We spent more than a half hour going back and forth on the trail trying to find the shelter. When we finally found it, we were surprised to find Early Bird all snug in his sleeping bag. You may remember us writing about hiking with him back in Connecticut and New York around veteran's day. Well, he caught up to us and now he is actually a day in front of us. I'm sure we'll meet again.
      The following day was absolutely gorgeous and we took advantage of it. When we came across Tinker Cliffs and Mcafee Knob, we took our time to soak in the views. The numerous mountains and ridges just fill the landscape, its amazing. Next, was a climb up to Dragon's Tooth. It was a tough climb with little room for error, but I sure am glad we didn't have to climb down it or in the rain. The rain hit us that night, but no bother really. We stayed dry, but it did start cooling down.
      The day before last, we were hit with wind and snow storm. It wasn't bad in the valley, but when we climbed up on the ridge, it was bitter. There was probably 3 or 4 inches of snow, just enough to completely hide the trail. We had to push on 3 hours into the night to make it to the shelter and what an experience that was. Most of the white blazes on the trees were disguised by a dusting of snow, so we had to pay close attention to everything. The wind was terrible and it kept blowing snow into the shelter. We ate our dinner and drank our hot cider and didn't get out of the sleeping bags until the next morning. So, yesterday, we pushed out 24 miles into town, so we could dry out the gear overnight. It was rough, but much of the snow was starting to melt along the trail and the wind died off. We made it in sometime around 8 or so last night, just in time to hear the presidential address and all of the critics. Its nice not to have to always hear about the news while on the trail, but then again, we have to remember that we can't always block out what's happening in the world.
      We are heading out in a few hours, and moving south towards Tennesee. It looks like it is going to warm up a little the next couple days, but after that who knows. We will work with what we get and hope for the best. In just a few days, Marc, a former scout leader and friend of mine, will be joining us on the trail for 2 weeks. We are very excited to have him join us. We were lucky enough to upload our 13th set of pictures, so feel free to check them out. Best Wishes            AT pictures set 13
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man

     January 23rd ~ Damascus, VA ~ Our first day out of Pearisburg wasn't too bad. We started going through the "green tunnel", which is where the trail passes through dense rhododendron thickets. I love it when the stream flows next to the tunnel and its all misty. It makes me feel like we are in the rain forest at the zoo. The tunnel continued the following day, which led us down a side trail to Dismal Falls. They were so sweet, but we couldn't stay there forever. We were pushing out 26 miles to meet up with my friend Marc. We only had to hike 30 mins into the night, but we were worn out. The last mile was along the road, and as we were hiking, two hound dogs came out of the woods and stayed by our side until we met with Marc. It was fun, but we had to keep yelling at them to get out of traffic.
     We stayed in town with Marc that night and we went over the plans for while he was here. He brought us our maildrop and some new trekking poles to try out. It was tough to switch out our sticks for the trekking poles, but they ended up working really well. The hitch out of town the next day took forever. It wasn't until we just started walking back to the trail, when someone picked us up. The first half of the day went smooth, a good break in for "sky watcher". It didn't last though. We had problems crossing rivers and bush whacking back to the trail. The second half of the day was miserable. To top it off, I had a mouse run across my face that night. It was gross.
     We took a lunch break on the edge of some cliffs on top of Garden Mtn. The views were great, but it was a little windy. When I started to get cold, I reached for my jacket and it had been blown off the cliff. I couldn't believe it. Luckily, it didn't land in a tree because I was able to find a way to climb down. The weather started to turn that afternoon and night. We stayed in a sweet fully enclosed shelter on top of Chestnut Ridge. The following morning there was snow on the ground and ice on all the grass in the fields. It was cold, but a pretty sight. That night was a long one. It got down to 15 degrees. We had to sleep with everything. It was colder than what we were expecting to get.
     We stayed in Atkins the next night to get warm and dry out. On the way in, we watched the sunset over the fields. The shelter was the most exciting part of the following day. It sat behind the Mt. Rogers Visitors Center and we could have pizza delivered to the parking lot and buy sodas for the vending machine. It was suppose to be in the 20s overnight, but the enclosed loft of the shelter kept us above freezing. It makes such a difference. In the morning, we were sad to see sky watcher calling for a ride to get back to his car. We completely understand his reasons and know now the weather didn't get any better.
     The hike to the next shelter was nothing to scream about, but we were in for a treat. It was a stone shelter with a fireplace between the bunks and someone had stocked up the shelter with dry firewood. We hung a tarp over the front of the shelter to block the wind and built a fire. We kept it going all night and it kept us really warm. Even though it was 17 outside, it was 40 inside, perfect. We pushed 25 miles over Pine Mtn and the Highlands around Mt. Rogers. We were mostly exposed above 5000ft for most of the hike, so the views were incredible. We got to see lots of wild ponies on the Highlands. Its amazing they can withstand the winters up there. The night hike took forever, but thats mostly because I couldn't stop looking at the moon and stars.
     We woke up to a dusting of snow and freezing rain. Within a few minutes crossing the open fields, we were covered in ice and so was the trail. Luckily, those silly trekking poles have a removable boot with a spike underneath to help in icy conditions. Once we were below tree line, the winds weren't so bad, but the trail kept going out into open fields. For the first 8 miles we were fighting 60 mph winds, freezing rain and an icy trail. With windchill, it was below zero easy in those exposed areas. We just kept pushing for treeline and lower elevations. We finally climbed down to 3000ft and the trail improved, but ice chunks kept raining from tree branches. We were able to remove the sheets of ice from our packs and clothing. We cut the day short when we made it to the shelter.
     Yesterday morning wasn't so bad getting into town. Most of it was hiking along on old railroad bed that followed a stream all the way into town. The trail goes right through town. Subway was only a few hundred feet away. We stayed at the Lazy Fox Inn last night, and gorged on some pizza. Mrs. Adams, an 82 yr old woman takes care of the place, and she made us a humongus breakfast this morning. There was eggs, grits, hashbrowns, apple turnovers, pancakes, bacon, sausage, cinnamon apple slices, and fruit plate. We had to lay down for 2 hours afterwards. Now were are finishing up here at the library and in a little while, we will be crossing over into Tennessee, the 12th state. We are getting so close. The 14th set of pictures are up.
Best Wishes       AT pictures set 14
Tundra Wookie, Ice Man, & Sky Watcher

     February 4th ~ Erwin, TN ~ Our first night out of Damascus brought us into Tennessee, the 12th state of the trail. We didn't leave town till 2 in the afternoon, but we made sure we left with full stomachs. Our first impression of the trail in Tennessee was awesome, very smooth nice hiking. The following day was a nice 22 mile ridge walk with a lot of amazing views of snow capped ridges in the distance. There wasn't enough snow on the ground to pose a problem, but the snow bothered us later on. The shelter was too wide to hang our tarp over the opening, so the wind kept blowing snow onto everything.
     We clean the snow off all our gear and hit the trail. It was a cold and snowy morning, but it cleared up as the day went on. We could look down on Watauga Lake as we climbed down to the dam. It was a beautiful walk around the massive lake. On the way down to Laurel Fork Gorge, I slipped and busted my left knee. Nothing too serious, just a little blood and a mild limp. Laurel Fork Gorge and Falls were incredible. Probably the most spectacular falls of the trip. Just a little ways farther and we made it to Kincora Hostel nestled between the mountains. The hostel is run by Bob Peoples and his wife. He has pretty much dedicated his life to helping hikers and volunteering on the trail. Since he started taking in hikers over a decade ago, 13,000 hikers had stayed at his place. He is a very inspirational man. The walls and ceiling of the hostel were covered in pictures from hikers that finished the trail. Once we send him our picture, we will be the first of 2007 to go up.
     In the morning, he ran us into town to resupply and pick up our package from the post office. "Sky Watcher" met us at the hostel to join us for a few more days. Luckily, his brother was able to drop him off on his way the coast. He was excited to break in his new boots. The climb out of Kincora gave us our first glimpse of Roan Mtn and the surrounding highlands. Sky Watcher's 2nd day was a long 18 miler over some nice terrain. We also passed by the highest falls on the AT, Jones Falls. There wasn't much water gushing over the falls, but there was a lot of ice built up all over it.
     We thought the following day would be simple, only doing 8 miles, but we were wrong. The deep snow slowed us down and the -10 degree wind chill over the balds cut right through us. To top it off, the shelter was a nightmare. It is an old barn that was given to the trail to use as a shelter, it sleeps like 40 people, the views are great, and its well ventilated. Basically, it is perfect for summertime, not during a wind and snowstorm. The snow blew in from every direction and every crack. We tried hanging both of our tarps to block the snow, but it didn't help. We ended up wrapping ourselves in the sleeping bags with the tarp, but the snow still managed to pile on our faces. Needless to say, we didn't sleep to well. The thermometer read zero degrees when we crawled out of bed. It was hard to get moving.
     We climbed up to the Roan Mtn highlands and were greeted with spectacular 360 degree views. We haven't seen such breathtaking views since the White Mtns. When we crossed over Carvers Gap, we met up with Ice Man's cousin Karma and the wonderful Miss Janet who was nice enough to shuttle her up to the trail. Since our sleeping bags got wet the night before, Miss Janet threw them in her car and cranked up the heat to dry them out. We are so lucky. After a nice lunch break, we finished the climb up to Roan Mtn Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT over 6000ft. The trail was like an endless white alley all the way to the top. We were fortunate to have a fully enclosed shelter with no wind finding its way in.
     It still got really cold inside and Karma had a rough night's sleep. She woke up with a bad headache and a sore neck, so instead of pushing out big miles, it was smarter just to climb back down to Carver's Gap and head into Erwin to rest up. We continued on in the deep snow, half-skiing down the mountains. We met Karma at the next road crossing and she took us back to Miss Janet's hostel in Erwin. While we cleaned up, Karma spoiled us by cooking an excellent dinner. In the morning, we had a great big breakfast and bid farewell to Sky Watcher once again. Since we had Karma's car, a day off, and a need for warm weather, we drove down to Savannah, GA to visit a friend from back home. We were lucky to see both the moonrise and sunrise over the ocean. It was an amazing feeling to be at sea level just hours after being at 5000 ft covered in snow. We didn't stay long, but we wish we could have. When we made it back to Tennessee, three of my brothers came down to visit. We got to enjoy the company while playing cards, eating pizza, and sitting down to watch a movie before bed.
     The following morning Karma bid us good luck and headed home. The rest of us boys drove up to Carver's Gap and hiked up onto Roan Mtn Highlands where we had been just a few days before. The views were just as immaculate as they were when we first crossed over the highlands. I was glad we were able to take my brothers up to see the things that keep us moving. That night Ice Man and my brother cooked a huge mexican style feast. It was awesome. When they headed home in the morning, we picked up from where we left off. We brought Miss Janet's dog, Fabian, with us on our hike since she was going to meet us at another road in 19 miles. He was fun to hike with. Supposedly he has over 5000 miles under his collar.
     Today Miss Janet dropped us off at another point and we hiked 25 miles back to town again. We came across a couple more balds with views on all sides as well as some great overlooks near the Nolichucky River. It was a real workout to hike through the deep snow, but once we dropped in elevation it cleared up quite a bit. After 9 hours of straight hiking, we were ready for a footlong sandwhich, a shower, and a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we will be at the hostel working off our stay for the past few days. We were lucky enough that Miss Janet opened her doors to use since she isn't open for another 10 days. Lots of new pictures.     AT pictures set 15
Best Wishes
Tundra Wookie, Ice Man, Sky Watcher, Karma, and Fabian

     February 17th ~ Franklin, NC ~ This journal entry is going to be a little different than usual. I am short on computer time, and this will be our last entry until we make it back to Cincinnati in a week. We will post another from Cincinnati to sum up the trip from here to Springer. We also hope that you will follow post-hike entries that will follow the Make-A-Wish events.
     Since leaving Erwin, we have had alot of different weather, good and bad. However, the most consistent part of it all, is that we have so many spectacular views. The Smokey Mountains were amazing. We hit Clingman's Dome just after sunset, still a beautiful sight. Clingman's Dome is the hightest point on the AT at 6,643 feet! Its the second highest peak of the East. We stayed with 3 North-bounders while in the park, great group of guys. They even led us in prayer before setting out in the morning. I have faith in these guys. The trail presented challenges as usual, cold nights and iceburg covered trails. The Smokies were one of the big milestones for us and we're glad to have them at our backs.
     After leaving the Smokies we dropped down onto Fontana Dam. The visitor center was closed, but we still roamed the Dam grounds waiting for our shuttle to town. We stayed at the Hiker Inn, the nice people there took us to town to resupply and get dinner. We went to town with northbounder, Tom. He's a great guy and it was fun to get to know him and help him with any uncertainties. We are on the other end of things now.
     We have stuck to a pretty hard schedule, eager to get home, we have averaged about 20 miles a day recently. It all feels good though, we set our final day at the 23rd, and even more specificaly, reaching the end by noon! Our minds race with all the people we'll see at home and the life that awaits. We are in Franklin NC now, our last town! We got lucky at the road, a police officer gave us a ride to town after just a few minutes. In town we caught another break meating "Just Jim", a veteran thru-hiker. The Inn was all filled up, but he offered to share his room. The trail continues to share its magic and we continue to count our blessings. At this point we have 6 days and 6 nights left to go, its hard to imagine. Also, a congratulations to our friend "Early Bird", who finished his thru-hike just a few days ago.
Check out the latest set of pictures:     AT pictures set 16
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man

     February 23rd ~ Cincinnati, OH ~ Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know we made it home safely a few hours ago. It is hard to believe the journey is already over. I will have the last journal entry and photos up tommorrow. Its time to rest. Thank you all for your support.
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man

     February 25th, 2007 ~ Cincinnati, OH ~ Our 1st day out of Franklin was cold and the trail was covered with a fresh dusting of snow. Parts of the trail were still pretty icy too. Ice Man took a bad fall on some ice and bumped his head. He had a bad ear ache for a while. I hadn't seen him take a fall like that since Maine. At the shelter that night, we stayed with a north-bounder named "music man". It warmed up a little bit the following day as we crossed into Georgia. The trail dramastically changed as we crossed the border to Georgia, alot smoother.
     Over the next couple days the weather jumped to the 60s. We were lucky to dodge the rain and thunderstorms that were supposed to hit. We had some of the most beautiful weather in a long time. I even cut the sleeves off my shirt. We finally made it down to Neels Gap. Its about 30 miles from Springer and the trail runs next to an outfitter and hiker bunkhouse. This is the spot most North-bound thru-hikers decide that the trail isnt for them and go home. We stayed the night and resupplied there for our last day and a half. The outfitter treated us to a free pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, delicious.
     We had 23 miles to do before our next shelter, but that didn't stop us from taking a 3 hour break to enjoy our last great overlook. The sun was blasting all day without a cloud in the sky. There was a nice breeze going on though. It couldn't have been better. Ice Man thinks I am crazy, but I could swear I could smell the ocean even though we were far from it. While we were enjoying the overlook a couple out on a day hike stopped to enjoy the same view. They treated us to some wine and good conversation, nice trail magic. We passed more than a dozen north-bounders and we sat down to talk with a few for an hour or so. Some are so excited to be there and others are already doubting themselves. They have great journeys ahead of them. We hiked into the sunset and a couple hours into the night. As the sun was setting, we could see the skyscrapers of Atlanta in the horizon. The stars were out in full force, what a great way to finish up the trip.
     We thought we wouldn't be able to sleep, being our last night in the shelter, but it ended up being like any other night. After hot choclate, we were out. We were up at sunrise and bidding farewell to the other hikers at the shelter. It was a weird, yet exciting feeling as we put each step behind us, getting us that much closer to Springer. It was a beautiful hike along stover creek which was surrounded by virgin hemlocks and rhododendron. The trail was smooth and the climb was nothing compared to Katahdin. They shouldn't even be related. Some of our family met us a mile before the summit and joined us for the last mile. It was great to share the experience with them. We even had the opportunity to show them the shelter on top of springer. I have never felt so accomplished and whole as I did when I touched the last white blaze. I have never been so proud of anyone as I am of Ice Man. The family jokes of me helping him get here, but I couldn't have done it without him.
     It was a mile back to the cars and a long road home, haha long... not for a car and my brother behind the wheel. Once back to Cincinnati, we warmed up our cars and headed out to Skyline for 3-ways and cheese coneys. What a treat. Before the night was over, I stopped up at Mt. Adams to see the city. That makes it final.... The boys are back in town. We uploaded the last set of pictures, the link is below. Just to let everyone know, the family is throwing a welcome home party next sunday (March 4th) at the Cactus Pear restaurant in Blue Ash. There will be lotsof music and we will have a slideshow of the pictures from the trip. Everyone's invited. I can't wait to see everyone. Thanks to everyone for all their support along the way.
Tundra Wookie & Ice Man      AT pictures set 17
South-bound AT Thru-hikers of 2006/2007