Finito!

As most of you already know, we have just rapped up our AT thru hike on September 1st. We appreciate all the support and confidence from everyone throughout this trip; we really couldn't have done it without you. We were picked up by Steve and Nancy Mandt and are slowly making our way home. We have put together a list of casualties from our trip purely for your entertainment....8 pairs of shoes, 4 pairs of trekking poles, 20 pounds of body weight, 3 Backpacks, 4 shirts, 4 pants/ shorts, 10 pairs of socks, 10 square feet of mole skin, 2 sleeping pads, 20 shed pounds of backpack weight, 1 sleeping bag, 5 toenails, 1 marriage.....just kidding!!!

Okay, I have commandeered the keyboard from Jess because this list is getting depressing. While both of us were entirely ready to get this trip over with, we both also correctly assumed that we would instantly miss the lifestyle and mindset that accompanied the journey. For several days we have tried to grasp and communicate what we have learned and experienced, but both of us have concluded that this is an impossible task. While we remain the same people, some intangible change has definitely occurred. First of all, we realize what we can do without, which, in today's society is entirely necessary. We have had to endure quite a bit of depravity from the comforts of a normal life, and the nearly monastic experience has brought with it a sense of change. The most notable change that occurred was directly related to our pace. Travelling across America at three miles per hour versus flying through the countryside in a car, allows you to actually get a feel for the culture and people that you meet along the way. We were fortunate enough to meet an incredible array of people that truly restored our faith in humanity. With the anxiety and stress that accompanies modern life at lightning speed, it isn't hard to become disillusioned with the inherent goodness in people. While in New York City, we could feel the jackrabbit pulse of the population, leading us to completely understand why everyone thinks "New Yorkers are assholes." It's not just that particular city; look at yourself in a traffic jam on a hot afternoon. You're in a hurry and all of the sudden, someone cuts you off and delays you by a mere two seconds. It is undeniable that a sense of rage instantly blooms within you, and a bout of cursing and swearing against all those stupid people will inevitably follow. I am so guilty of this on a daily basis that it isn't even funny. It is so easy to get worn down and pass sweeping judgement on humanity as a whole. It's only when you are standing on the side of a mountain road, dreaming of cheeseburgers and pizza, covered in grime and shivering due to the unexpected downpour that has suddenly enveloped you, leaving you looking like a half-drowned sewer rat, that someone in a truck will pull over and let you believe in people again. Not only will they drive you to town, but they might invite you into their home to clean up and share your stories with them. We have also realized that, as generic and hallmarkish as this may sound, we are fully capable of attaining any goal, however distant and difficult, that we seek. Choosing to hike 2000 miles is really no different than going to college, or starting a new job, or even deciding to lose weight. At times, all of these goals really suck. There is temporary pain and suffering, and while you are working towards them, they seem unattainable and never ending. The mind, however, is a funny thing, and memories are slowly disassembled and reformed. Most of the time, all that is remembered are the good times and the sense of accomplishment and achievement that accompanies reaching the finish line victorious. I told you earlier that this would be difficult to put into words, and after re-reading this, I realize that I have utterly failed to get my point across. Most of this may seem like ranting and babble, but after an hour and a half in front of the laptop, this is the best I can do. Maybe it's time to change gears and simply tell one more story. On our last night, we left the tent in the pack and laid our sleeping bags on the sandy banks of the Penobscot River. Looming above us was the nearly mile high massif that is Katahdin, accompanied by a spread of stars that I didn't dare begin to count. Throughout the night, the haunting calls of the loons were carried across the black water. By four in the morning, I had completely given up on sleeping, and we set off into the North woods of Baxter State Park. By nine we had reached the base of the mountain and exchanged our heavy packs for daypacks at the ranger station, where we discovered that we were the one hundred sixty third and fourth hikers out of the thousands that began to reach Katahdin. Shortly thereafter, we began climbing, and several miles later, we broke treeline in an intense wind and began slowly bouldering and climbing up the razors edge of a ridge that lead us to the summit. By eleven, we were standing next to the weather-beaten summit sign, posing and taking pictures with enormous smiles plastered on our faces. For the next hour we perched on a rock near the summit, looking down on hundreds of lakes that appeared like a mirror shattered and strewn across the landscape. As if this wasn't enough, whenever a section hiker made it to the lofty heights, completely spent and out of breath, they asked where we had hiked from. When they discovered that we had come from Georgia, and had just reached the end of a truly incredible journey, the response was always the same. They always had a mixed sense of awe at the sheer distance, but also a sense of inspiration that they too could set out and accomplish the same feat if only they so desired. I will not lie, that is the single greatest feeling in the world. We are excited to make it home, and we can't wait to see you all and share our pictures and stories. Hopefully, although I guarantee nothing, we will be able to better vocalize and epitamize the experience, and share a little bit of the fire that has been lit within us.

The Final Push

As most of you are probably aware, we are rapidly bearing down on our destination, and we expect to summit Mount Katahdin on September first. We are currently in Monson, ME and are setting out tomorrow into the famous hundred mile wilderness. Following the wilderness, we will be in Baxter State Park for our final day and a half before reaching Katahdin. Over the last week or so, we have been enveloped in the pristine and beautiful landscape of the North woods. Most nights we've caught amazing sunsets over remote mountain glacial ponds and gone to sleep to the haunting calls of the resident loons. We've seen several moose and forrests that are vastly different from everything we're used to. One of the most striking details about the trail in Maine is that we summit many mountains with stunning 360 degree views of nothing but untamed wilds. No towns, no roads, no lights, just trees, mountains, and hundreds of lakes and rivers; this is truly how the trail should be. Most places in the southern and mid-Atlantic states were never quite remote, and you could easily be in a town within a day's walk. Convenient as it may have been, you never felt like you were alone and independent. Jess and I are both very excited to get home and move on with our "normal lives," but we also realize how much we will miss this when it is over. Maybe not having to pack up a wet tent in a driving rain, eat our thousandth pop tart, and hike twenty miles through mud holes, over boulders, and up near vertical rock faces, but we will miss getting to walk along waterfalls on a pristine mountain stream, seeing black bears and moose forage in the dense undergrowth, and seeing stars unimpeded by the lights of a booming metropolis. We're still trying to piece together exactly what, if anything, we've learned out here about both ourselves, and our world, but we realize that we are certainly better off for this experience. Only a few mountains, bogs, and rivers stand between us and our goal, but we are gradually realizing that we are going to complete this undertaking and will be back home, driving cars, worrying about bills, and applying for jobs sooner, rather than later. Keep us in your thoughts over the next week, and we can't wait to see you all and share our pictures and memories when we get home.

The rain in Maine falls mainly.. on us!!

We are finally in Maine! Although it seems like an accomplishment, it is very difficult, and we still have a long way to go. We are doing half the miles we used to do in a day yet exerting 5 times the effort. We are tired and ready to finish this trip. Our spirits were lifted a bit when our friend Tyler came to visit; hopefully he wasn't damaged too much by the terrain. We are in Andover, ME for the night trying to dry out again. The forecast for today was supposed to be 75 degrees and sunny, so we must have imagined the thunderstorm on top of Baldplate Mountain. We've already seen our first moose, and the treeline is dropping lower and lower on each mountain as we continue pressing northward. Luckily, we had good weather through Mahoosuc notch, which is a cliffed in valley strewn with enormous boulders that we had to climb over, around, through and under. We both thought that scramble was fun, but the climbs are what really take it out of us. No more switchbacks, no more packed dirt paths; now we get either flat, slick rock at an eighty degree angle or knee deep mud holes filled with water. This is beginning to look more like an obstacle course than a trail, but the end is near. We have had a total of two days without rain since we arrived in Dalton, Massachusetts, and we are quite accustomed to the smell of mildew on all of our gear. Oh well, onward and upward for now. Hope all is well for everyone at home. We love and miss you all.

Stomp and Shuffles.

New Hampshire

After spending two nights at Meg's house, we were a little reluctant to get back on the trail. We had a great time... showers, laundry, a comfortable bed, and good company. We hiked out of town a little too late and got caught in a storm, thus cutting our would be 17 mile day a bit short ( i.e. the first available shelter). It has cleared up, leaving me cold and wet inside my sleeping bag, too tired for a second attempt. Four more days until Jon and I's Anniversary we are hoping to make it to North Woodstock for a relaxing hotel room. After our day off, we plan on beginning our ascent into the white mountains and later, the presidential range. We hope all is well at home, and we love and miss you all.
PS. Don't expect a blog August 4th.

Love,
Stomp and Shuffles

Vermud

Welcome to Vermont! If you don't drown on the trail, we hope you'll come back and visit us again. We've been in Vermont for about 60 miles so far, and the state has been beautiful, but it has rained the entire time. Not a nice sprinkle, not a spring shower, not even a downpour, but a ridiculous deluge. We have stopped in Manchester Center and are drying out, and hopefully the trail will too. I've got to run, but I'll post again from the hotel room tonight.

Massachusetts

After less than a week in Connecticuit, we crossed the border into our eleventh state and passed the 1500 mile mark. The Berkshires are amazingly beautiful, and we are glad to be surrounded by real mountains again. Tonight we dipped off the trail into the town of Great Berrington for a shower, thai food, and several of the Berkshire Brewing Companies finest. The trail is rocky and steep, and when compounded by the lack of tread on my third pair of boots, makes for a slippery day. After tumbling head over hills into the last valley, I'll be visiting the outfitter tomorrow for some shoe shopping. Between the two of us, we usually have mediocre morale, and as long as we don't both share a bad day, we'll be done by the end of August. New York was an excellent excursion, but it made for a difficult return to trail life. The last few nights have been noticably cooler, and subtle variations in the flora and fauna remind us that we are slowly inching towards our destination. As much as hiking every day, all day gets under my skin sometimes, I have to admit that I will miss being utterly free...especially in a year from now when my boss waddles up to my desk on Friday afternoon and asks if I can come in on Saturday. We hope all is well on the home front, and we love and miss you all.

On the road again!

After a longer than anticiated trip to New York City, it is time to hit the trail again. We had a wonderful time staying with our friends Anne and Lamar who showed us the ins and outs of the city. It is strange to be around so many people all the time, but it has been fun as well as frustrating. We were also treated to a night (which stretched into a morning) out on the town in Manhatten's upper east side with Jon's friend, Ben Klier. We are a bit reluctant to get back on the trail after almost a week off, especially since all of our friends on the trail are more than likely very far ahead. We want to wish Keenie Weenie Jelly Beany (as Jon says) a Happy Birthday. Hope all is well with everyone. Take care.
Stomp and Shuffles

fogedaboudit

For all of you that don't speak New Yorker, that's forget about it. We are on a commuter train to the big apple and are excited to visit some friends and be tourists. New York and New Jersey have both been gorgeous, and, similarly to Kentucky, were preceded by undeserved poor reputations. We saw another huge black bear before crossing into New York, and we joined him in feasting on wild blueberries and blackberries. My birthday was simply celebrated by an afternoon pitstop at Irish Kevin's for a burger and beers. Although we were initially dissappointed that the local motel was full, we got to catch a great sunset from a cliff we camped on. We will be spending a couple of days in the city before returning to Bear Mountain, where we will push a couple days to the Conn. border. Spirits are high, now that the weather is cooperating, and we are hitting glacial lakes every day or so for swimming. We hope all is well at home, and we'll keep you posted on this big city nonsense. We haven't been around more than 10 people at a time in weeks, so this could get interesting. In case we don't get service later, happy birthday Mom!

Rocky Road

Now that we got that out of our systems. Thank you all for your encouragement after our last post. Let's just say we were more than a little fed up with this hiking business. We're continuing north, and we should be in New Jersey on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. Today we're in Palmerton, PA after a thirty mile rock scramble with stellar views but rough, rough, rough trail. I'm guessing we'll both be on our fourth pair of boots by New England. Palmerton is an interesting little town/EPA superfund site with a curious absence of trees on the surrounding mountainsides from the former zinc smelting operation. At one time this area was probably beautiful, but this afternoon we will be climbing another rousing round of exposed rock, compliments of acid rain. The climb out of Palmerton is supposedly the toughest thing south of New Hampshire's White mountains, and we'll let you know how that goes next post. Our morale is slowly rising (buying that fly rod at Cabela's helped me out quite a bit), but Maine still seems a long way off (probably because it is). Jess and I are holding up well, and we're back in a group of some of our old hiking buddies. In the last week we have had some wild experiences, but I think being conscripted as farm labor for an afternoon was the best. We spent an entire afternoon following an antique farmer on an antique John Deere tractor planting pumpkins and gourds at his orchard/farm. For what you ask? A ride to the Cabela's superstore...worth it. It's a long, but good, story so you'll have to ask us about it some day. Congratulations to Amelia and Kieth on their baby boy, and congratulations to Emy for her book signing. We look forward to reading the newborn and meeting the book when we return...strike that, reverse it. Sorry, we watched Willy Wonka in a hotel room a while ago. Jess just called me a weirdo. Anyway, the trail is calling, and we've got to go stick our thumbs out to catch a ride back. We have to hurry, it being naked hike day and all. Thanks again for all the encouraging comments after our last pessimistic post. We hope all is going well at home, and we love and miss you all.

Stomp and Shuffles

The Thrill is Gone

Okay, I'll try not to sound pesimistic, but this is getting old. Jess and I are getting more than a little frustrated after1130 miles on the trail. During a thunderstorm last week, we crested a ridge and both subconsciously thought about how great it would be to be struck, but not killed, by lightning, providing us with an honorable discharge from this 2000 mile death march. As usual, things aren't nearly as bad as the mind makes them out to be, but we are very road weary. We're taking a day off tomorrow and contemplating a trip to a nearby bluegrass music festival to raise moral. Anyway, we're sticking to it for now. The weather has been ungodly hot, the trail has been incredibly rocky, but nether are the root cause of our poor morale. Really, to be honest, we just aren't having very much fun right now. We have decided to postpone any talk of surrender for the moment, and we want to give it another week to solidify our thoughts and feelings. The weather is supposed to cool off later this week, and the terrain is fairly forgiving, so we think things may clear up soon. We are not exactly alone in the quitter camp, as many hikers tend to feel the same way after passing the halfway point and failing to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our decision is to forget about the summit at Katahdin and to make every effort to enjoy the time we have together without regard for forward progress. I think we will be fine and will clear our heads of this nonsensical quitter talk, but I don't know if we're moving fast enough to finish at our five month goal. Anyway, who cares about finishing; barring nuclear war or a meteor impact, the trail will be there when we are ready. I don't mean to sound gloomy or depressing, but I want to be honest and keep everyone abreast of our situation. We still consider it quite an achievement to have made it this far, and we look forward to the ground we have yet to cover. We should be stopping in NYC early next month to visit some friends, and hopefully we will continue pushing northward. Don't worry about us or our morale...if you know us at all, you will realize that we will have a good time regardless of the circumstances. We hope all is well at home, and we may see you sooner than you think. Who's to say what will happen. Blah, blah, blah...sounds like Jon's on another Dennis Leary rant. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer, however scorching it may be. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Holed up in Harpers Ferry

So I lied; you're hearing from us sooner than expected. We're convieniently in historic Harpers Ferry, hiding from the severe weather that is moving through the area this afternoon. The town is remarkably well preserved and full of interesting museums and exhibits. As soon as the weather passes, we'll cross the Patomic and spend the night in Maryland. Jess and I are sore and tired, but we are holding up well. Yesterday we became 1000 milers as we exited Virginia after over a month and 500 miles within the state. We spent last night in nearby Charles Town watching Obama clinch the final delegates he needed to secure the Democratic nomination. Luckily, we've missed most of the mumbo jumbo on tv about the primary elections. Just another thing we're glad to leave behind as we try to lead simpler lives, if only for a short time. Apparently we missed the memo about the civil war never ending because we've encountered any amazing amount of people in northern VA that are still active confederates. They seem harmless, but if I hear one more toothless derilect utter 'the south will rise again' I might have to laugh in their face. And these jerkoffs make fun of Kentucky! P.S. It's called Antietam, not Sharpsburg. Get a map made after 1865 and look for yourselves. If it's in Maryland, they get to name it. One moron was even trying to convince me of Lee's military brilliance by citing his retreat from the battlefield (which he later corrected and called it a tactical withdrawl). I think the word he was avoiding was massacre. Anyway, that was a tangent and a half. I don' think anyone has been this excited to cross the Mason-Dixon line since the underground railroad. Blah, blah, blah...we need to do more hiking and less complaining. It's still storming, but my legs are getting restless. Let's blow this popsicle stand. P.S.S. Jess smells like a yeti.
P.S.S.S. I hate yetis.

An end of an era

That's right folks...we've got a few more days in VA before we breeze through West Virginia, Maryland, and enter Pennsylvania. So far all is well, and we just finished Shenandoah national park. We've seen tons of deer and even had a few bear encounters in the last few days, making our stay in the park a wild one. Andrew jumped ship in Waynesboro after about 170 miles of rugged trail, but he was fortunate enough to witness an acurate cross-section of daily life on the trail. While he was with us Jess nearly stepped on a huge copperhead, and I was the victim of the first recorded animal attack of the season. Yes there have been wild boar, bears, and even the elusive mountain lion in our vicinity, but I was nearly mauled by the lowly grouse. I was hiking near the Blue Ridge parkway when an extremely pissed off momma grouse flared her feathers and charged me. So far, so good. After a brief charge, the winged beast took flight and attempted to remove my eyeballs. After screaming like a girl and executing a combination spin move/commando roll, I evaded the monster while Jess nearly soiled herself laughing. Anyway, we survived the incident to hike another day. Tonight we are posted up at the ritzy Pioneer roach motel in Front Royal, and we will be hitting the dusty trail bright and maybe even early. We will dearly miss Speedbump and the lack of open container laws within the Shenandoahs. We can't wait to see the Hancocks in PA, and we love and miss you all. Next time you hear from us, we'll be in Yankeeland and past the halfway point of our journey!

Daleville, VA

Hey everybody! We've reached the 1/3 mark of the AT, and we are right on track for finishing sometime in mid August. Andrew is slowly gaining his "trail legs," and the terrain has been excellent, even when the weather wasn't. The last few days have included several long and rocky ridgewalks with nice views from the Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs. We are all holding up well with the exception of a few pesky blisters, and we hope to be out of Virginia in a few more weeks. I know it has been a while since our last post, and I don't know if you have seen it on the news, but we were almost unfortunate enough to meet Randall Lee Smith back near Pearisburg. We here he's a real nice guy when he's not shooting hikers or fisherman. Anyway, this hotel has a time limit on the internet so anything else will have to wait. We hope everything at home is going as well as it is here. We love and miss you all!
~Stomp, Shuffles, and Speedbump

Bland is bland

Welcome to Bland...unless you're a hiker. Tonight we are staying in Bland, VA because we are out of stove fuel and rock salt for the water purifier, and the hardware store isn't open on Sundays. This is by far the least hiker friendly town we've been through; we couldn't get a hitch so we had to road walk 3.5 miles, and the motel actually charges more if you are a hiker. It sure is good to see that discrimination is still alive and well in the South...hicks. Anyway, we are making good time, and the weather has been great. We should be in Pearisburg by Wednesday and Catawba about a week after that. Andrew should be joining us soon, and we are excited to have a familiar face hiking with us. Jess and I are holding up pretty well physically, but we are glad to rest up in a real bed...even if we had to do our laundry in the bath tub. Are we complaining too much? Tomorrow we will be back on the trail and living amoung the shelter mice again. Wish us luck and never go to Bland; it lacks flavor.

Ground control to Major Tom

Yes, we're still alive and well. We've been in Virginia for a while without any coverage to post. We are at the 525 mile mark in Marion. Two days ago we crossed Grayson Highlands in two inches of snow and temps in the low twenties. We got close enough to pet some of the wild ponies and their foals...awesome. We hope all is well at home and miss you all. Apparently we picked a good time to leave Louisville between the flood and the quake...hang tough villebillies.
Love,
Stomp and Shuffles

Erwin, TN

Snow sucks; it's pretty to look at through a window, but after three days of living in it, we are ready for warm weather again. Today we descended into Erwin, TN and got a lovely 45 degree temperature increase from last night. After finding a shelter for our temporary canine companions (another story entirely), we settled in for the evening at the ritzy Super 8 motel. It may not be a Marriot, but it beats the crap out of bunk beds in a hostel. We didn't mean to sound so depressing at the beginning of this post, but the weather definitely took a toll on us. We kept reasonably dry and warm, but we are ready to mail home the wool gloves and down jackets. All the flowers were beginning to come out in the lower elevations (were being the key word), and a few trees are beginning to bud. So to elaborate on the dogs, we picked up two half starved coon hounds about forty miles ago and went to EXTREME lengths to get them to town. Unfortunately, however, their predicament isn't much better, as they now have fifteen days to find a home before the "big sleep." If anyone out there has any interest in a couple of sweet pets, check out the animal shelter here in Erwin...Sam, these girls are ready to rabbit hunt. We will probably end up in Damascus, VA at or before Jessica's birthday, so we will keep you all posted. We miss you all and hope you can join us on the trail.

Hot Springs, NC

We're still riding the Tennessee/North Carolina border, and will be for a few hundred more miles. Hot Springs is small, but very nice, and after a soak in the town's namesake springs, we are ready to get back on the trail. Technically, however, we haven't even gotten off the trail, since it travels down all 0.3 miles of Main Street. We are at the 271 mile mark, I think, and we are excited about moving on. We hope everything is going well at home, and we can't wait to see you on the trail.

P.S. We will try to celebrate Jessica's 24th birthday (April 27th) in Damascus, Virginia if anyone wants to join us. We should be there within a day or two and may lay up there for a couple days. All arrival/departure dates subject to change without notice from the management.

Gatlinburg

It was Gatlinburg in mid-July, and we just hit town, and our throats were dry. So we sat down and grabbed ourselves some brews. Johnny Cash knew what he was talking about. We just arrived in Gatlinburg after 205 miles and about three weeks...including three zero mileage days. 10% down, 1970 miles to go. Celebrate the little accomplishments, right? Anyway, we just got back from the Smokey Mountain microbrewery/pizza pub and we are definitely glad for a break. We bypassed the showers in Fontana so my parents could have the full thru-hiker effect when they picked us up half way through the Smokies. Yesterday we crossed Clingman's Dome at 6,643 feet in 35+ mph winds, rain, and fog; supposedly the views are great, but I couldn't see my hand in front of my face so we kept on truckin'. The trail is still fairly crowded, but most of the people who have no business in the woods have packed up and headed home. The back country in the Smokies is absolutely pristine because you can only camp at designated shelters or campsites, which is also annoying when you try to plan the day's mileage. We often find ourselves saying we could go another three miles, but the next shelter isn't for six miles. Life's tough decisions on the trail. We should be in Hot Springs by next weekend, baring any unforeseen circumstances. We hope all is well at home, and we can't wait to see you on the trail.

North Carolina

Good riddance Georgia; hello North Carolina. We have finally made it into North Carolina, and we are pumped. We unsuccessfully attempted to post a blog near the border in Hiawasee, GA, but my phone would not let me post the update. Nice that we paid for service that we are not really getting to use. Anyway, North Carolina is absolutely beautiful. We are about thirty five miles into the first in flight state, and the weather and trails are beyond perfect. Today we encountered three trail magics...talk about southern hospitality. First we ran into a couple of guys handing out coffee, tea, honey buns, fruit and other breakfast stuff about four miles from our campsite. Then we found a handful of Capri Suns in a waterfall. Finally, we got off the trail at Winding Stair Gap and there was an elderly couple and their friends handing out cold drinks and snacks at the roadside. To finish off the perfect day, a Vietnam Vet showed up and gave us a ride into Franklin, NC for the night in the back of his pickup. Although we don't expect the royal treatment often, it definitely restores your faith in humanity to have someone go out of their way to help you out. We continue to meet good people, and spirits are high even though Jessica has a healthy dose of poison ivy and I am waging a war against chaffing. As Matt Webb will attest, North Carolina is one of the most beautiful states in the country, and we are soaking it up. With tough trail ahead and about a week until we enter the Smokies in Fontana, we hope for the best and look forward to seeing you on the trail. P.S. 105 miles down...let's see, that's 5% down. Also, wild boars are not friendly...at all.

Neels Gap

First post from the trail. We're thirty miles from Springer Mountain at Neels Gap after three days of hiking. Yesterday we met former thru hiker Jim "the geek" who was passing out beer (the beast) at Gooch Gap for St. Patrick's Day. I didn't recognize his name until he mentioned his thru-hike in the early 90's with his cat Ziggy. Last night we were both sick to our stomachs and enjoyed 8 hours dry-heaving, hence our staying the night in a cabin at Neels Gap. How can you charge eight dollars for an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner and run out of everything...weak. Feet and gear are holding up well, but our guts are on strike. Pressing on...Jess's trail name may be rotten taters.

Mail Drops

Just a quick reminder about the mail drops. If any of you feel the need to drop us a letter or package...bourbon, cough, cough...the post offices are listed along the right side of the blog near the bottom. Do the postal service a favor and try not to send anything to Maine that will have to sit there for six months. On the other hand, allow plenty of time for them to get it before we pass through. Confused yet? Me too. Anyway, here is an example of how you should address any mail if you intend for us to receive it.

Jonathan and Jessica Mandt
General Delivery (AT hiker)
Fontana Dam, NC. 28733
Expected Arrival Date: 4/1/08

Notice that you do not have to include P.O. for post office. I know the most difficult part of all this will be timing, so Jess and I will do our best to provide updates as often as possible. Thanks for all of your support.

Jon

The time has come.

The time has indeed come, and other than a little bit of anxiety, we're ready to rock. The official departure date is Saturday the 15th, but our boots won't touch the trail until Sunday the 16th. Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement and well wishing. The reality that this little adventure could take six months is starting to set in; it doesn't sound that long until you break it down and start planning for six months worth of food and gear. Now we are in the process of weeding out the unnecessary gear and shaving ounces. We'll miss you all and hope to see some of you on the trail along the way!

T Minus One Month

Well here we go, it's officially too late to change our minds and trail time is exaclty one month away. We are both excited and nervous about our little adventure, and we are franticly double checking our equipment. Trying to reach that perfect equilibrium between not enough and too much weight is virtually impossible, and I have a feeling we will soon find that less is more. Although it seems against the "spirit of the trail," we will attempt to keep everyone posted on our progress via this blog. So add this site to your favorites and check up on us once in a while. See you on the trail!