Live - Appalachian Trail Thru Hike ... GA to MA

[Todd P]

Wow!! I'm not really even sure what to say and can think of a million questions!
I'll just leave it at this... Thank You for sharing your journey. I don't see how a person could read this and not be inspired to get up out of their chair and do something!


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x1000

I still find myself coming back to this thread to see what other insights Brandon is giving out.

Todd

[Anvilheadtexas]

x1000

I still find myself coming back to this thread to see what other insights Brandon is giving out.

Todd

Todd, what insights do you want to hear, I could talk about the hike forever. Post more pictures?

[Cajun Blake]

Todd, what insights do you want to hear, I could talk about the hike forever. Post more pictures?

yep ! . keep sharing your journey with us brother

many of us find your hike fascinating , awe inspiring, as we were living vicariously through your photos & blog

[Todd P]

Like Cajun said just keep talking about it


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[Anvilheadtexas]

Like Cajun said just keep talking about it


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Here we go... Since there has been a couple bear threads on TBH lately, I'll talk about the bears.

I think it would be impossible to walk from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail without seeing a black bear... That being said some people certainly saw a greater amount than what I observed. I would guess I saw about eight. I hiked with one girl named Ten Bear she received her trail name because she saw 10 bears in one day in the Shenandoah's! Another hiker named Liquor saw 5 in one day in the Shanendoah's and when I saw him the next day he was very frazzled about it (of course he might have been frazzled about his liquor supply running low, who knows?)

The largest bear I saw was through a window of Gyps Tavern in New Jersey (near stokes state forest). The 300 pound plus bruin was trying to get into the dumpster and when somebody opened the bar door the bear bolted. There were a lot of bears in New Jersey and everybody had encounters.

I did see a really big one in the Smokies. If you've read my blog I described it. This particular bear chased a hiker down the trail for about a half mile. I didn't believe him so I walked up the trail and around the corner and I was face-to-face with this bear. The bear didn't seem to want to get of the trail and after a while he just meandered over the ridge. We found out later he meandered over the ridge and back to the shelter where we just hiked from and held several hikers at bay for about an hour.

The reality is most black bears just run and that includes the infamous "momma in the cubs" encounters. Many people saw cubs and they would immediately run up a tree.

In the beginning there were bear cables where we would hang our food bags at night. I can't recall but the further north we went the cables started to be less frequent. I think this was in Virginia where them boys keep their bears in check! There were a lot of bears in the Shenandoah's as they do not allow hunting. Instead of cables there were bear poles, where you would hang your food bag on a pole. After Virginia all poles and cables were gone and one would see an occasional bear box.

I was not consistent on hanging my food bag I typically did it in order to keep mice away and not bears. I did sleep with my food bag most of the time after I was on the trail for a while. Every once in a while a mouse would get into the bag especially in shelters.

It's funny people make black bears into something much more than they really are...it's a big raccoon that typically runs very fast when they see you... That being said there were incidents last summer including One thru-hiker who was bit in the Smokies not far from where I saw that bear that chased the hiker down the trail. It was about a week later and the theory was it was the same bear?

The biggest danger at the end of the day was the bear spray that people carried. I walked with a guy named Mace, who on day one rolled over on his bear spray and sprayed himself in the face. I wasn't there to help him wash his eyes out, but I was told it took some doing! Mace would make it all the way to Hanover, New Hampshire where his back would be what ultimately drove him off the trail.



Smokies bear that chased hiker down the trail. He was kind enough to pose so I could get a portion of an AT sign in the picture.

[Anvilheadtexas]

Bear selfie. This is the same bear in Smokies right before he went over the ridge to the shelter!

[Anvilheadtexas]

Bear cables with food bags hanging. Somewhere in Georgia.

[Anvilheadtexas]

And since we are talkin bears... Here is Hula Bear and Kia Bear on McAffee's Knob in VA. While they are not really bears, I thought I would share the very cool picture. Unfortunately both Hula Bear and her dog Kia Bear got off trail not long after this.

[Chad_E]

Do you know what happened with the young girl that was hiking in your same group early on? Do you know if she made it to Maine?

[Anvilheadtexas]

[QUOTE=Chad ...Do you know what happened with the young girl that was hiking in your same group early on? Do you know if she made it to Maine?[/QUOTE]

Special K! I talked to her mom via text right when I got back to Texas. Special K was about to hit the 100 mile wilderness in Maine I believe. She was banged up, tired and reportedly weighed little. Thanks for asking I just texted her mom and I will let you know if she made it. It was sounding pretty rough.

[Cajun Blake]

B

any idea how many people complete the trail in a single attempt like you did ?

do you think it's < 5% ?

I know lots drop out due to injury, fatigue, physical/mental breakdown, etc ..... and return months/yrs later to finish the journey


when you were hiking, did you prefer to hike alone or with others for support ? I'm sure some people can get on your nerves and act like idiots

[Anvilheadtexas]

B

any idea how many people complete the trail in a single attempt like you did ?

do you think it's < 5% ?

I know lots drop out due to injury, fatigue, physical/mental breakdown, etc ..... and return months/yrs later to finish the journey


when you were hiking, did you prefer to hike alone or with others for support ? I'm sure some people can get on your nerves and act like idiots

A guess that is tossed around is 20%. I think it is lower.

I am a social person so I liked people. That being said at times I was very happy hiking alone. I did camo alone several times, but I felt I was missing out on human I interaction so those times were only a handful. Ironically, human interaction at camps was not like big parties or amything... Especially towards the end. Hikers went to bed!

I know I got on others nerves and ithers got on my nerves, so again, walking alone was typical as the hike matured.

[Cajun Blake]

A guess that is tossed around is 20%. I think it is lower.

I am a social person so I liked people. That being said at times I was very happy hiking alone. I did camo alone several times, but I felt I was missing out on human I interaction so those times were only a handful. Ironically, human interaction at camps was not like big parties or amything... Especially towards the end. Hikers went to bed!

I know I got on others nerves and ithers got on my nerves, so again, walking alone was typical as the hike matured.

I agree there has to be a happy median between isolation and human interaction

the socializing part is what makes up this journey and creates friends/memories for life .... other times you just want to find yourself and experience the spiritual side of things

I bet there was lots of "Zen" happening


your journey has got me thinking about a canoe/kayak trip down 'Ol Man River from MN to the GOM... most do the 2,350 voyage in approx. 90 days

http://bucktrack.com/Mississippi_Canoe_Planning.html

[Todd P]

Wow Cajun!

[Anvilheadtexas]

I agree there has to be a happy median between isolation and human interaction

the socializing part is what makes up this journey and creates friends/memories for life .... other times you just want to find yourself and experience the spiritual side of things

I bet there was lots of "Zen" happening


your journey has got me thinking about a canoe/kayak trip down 'Ol Man River from MN to the GOM... most do the 2,350 voyage in approx. 90 days

http://bucktrack.com/Mississippi_Canoe_Planning.html

I am in on the canoe trip! You have to do it in a pirogue!!!

Zen happenings... Hmmm...define that term! Lol