On February 24, 2019, my older son, Gavin, and I set out on the adventure of a lifetime from the summit of Springer Mtn., GA, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. We aimed to hike the trail to its northern end at Mt. Katahdin, ME, nearly 2,200 miles distant. As those of you who have followed my blog know, we ended our hike nearly six months and 1,325 miles later in Vernon, NJ, just a few miles south of High Point State Park.
Looking back on it, we knew why we were no further along. Though we intentionally started the trail slowly, hiking only 6-8 miles each day to prevent injuries and to allow our bodies to adjust to the stress of daily hiking, we never picked up the pace to the point we should have. A scan of our hiking log shows that in the final month or so of hiking, we only covered about 300 miles. Our daily average was just over twelve miles, and we spent five or six days in hotels or hostels taking zeros, days when zero miles were hiked. Over the whole of the hike, we took about 30 zeros, not counting twelve days when we were off trail due to injury and waiting on our hiking partners to catch up with us. Counting only “hiking days,” our daily average was just short of 10.5 miles. Forgive my sudden purge of numbers and statistics. As you likely know, I taught math for 29 years, and even though I’m now retired, the use of numerical evidence is a hard habit to break. The point is, posting totals like those, it would be difficult to make it to Katahdin in one season.
There are many reasons why we didn’t “hike harder” that I don’t need to delve into here, but suffice it to say we’re older and (hopefully) wiser now. With the benefit of five years of rumination and 20-20 hindsight, we’re excited to announce our 2024 Do-Over Hike!
We’ll be starting in February from Springer Mtn. and are looking forward to rejoining life on the trail. Since 2019, we have updated some of our gear and are focusing on the psychological aspects of long-distance hiking. When discussing this year’s hike, many have asked whether we are going to pick up in New Jersey where we left off. Though that may be the most sensible option, Gavin and I both want to earn the title of thru-hiker by completing all 2,200 miles from start to finish in one season.
We’d be honored to have you join us on our journey. As I did in 2019, I’ll be posting blogs on this site weekly, or at least as often as possible. I’ll also be posting daily videos on my YouTube channel (@WaffleHikes) which is linked in the menu above. I encourage you to subscribe to both this blog and my channel to receive notifications of new content.
On day 17 Gavin and I got a late shuttle back to Rock Gap from Franklin. We had all hoped to make the 11:00 ride, but since there were no hikers staying at Baltimore Jack’s hostel, they didn’t run that one. Instead, we took the Macon Co. Transit shuttle for $3/each. Our destination was 7.9 miles away at the Siler Bald shelter. We were very surprised to find not only Fresh Ground of Fresh Ground’s Leapfrog Cafe at the trailhead but also the complete Crawford family, who hiked the trail as a family of 8 last season. They are the first YouTube “celebrities” we’ve met on the trail- check them out. They were cooking homemade corn dogs, fried cheese sticks, and french fries. Even though we had a long day ahead of us, starting so late, we paused for a little while to enjoy the free food.
I am pleased to report that this day was far and away our best hiking day of the trip. Even though it was after 1:00 when we left for the trail head, with Gavin in his new shoes, we did almost 8 miles in just at four hours. The hiking this day was mostly uphill, with one stretch being a 1,000 foot climb almost to the top of Siler Bald. The shelter was one of the nicest tenting areas we’ve come across. There were only three folks staying inside the shelter, but quite a number of folks were tenting down the hill. Gavin had his first go at hanging the bear bag line and he did a great job. This was also our first run-in with groups of section hikers. There were two groups of three, one from UNC-Wilmington, and another from Auburn, that were out for a spring break trip. They were quite interested in hearing the stories that we thru-hikers had to share. At this shelter we met Coco, from the UK, and Snowbird and her new puppy who were from Oklahoma. We actually happened to meet her on her 52nd birthday.
On Wednesday we had a slightly shorter hike to the Wayah Bald shelter. This was our first day of multiple gorgeous views along the trail. Our first peak was the top of Siler Bald at just over 5,000′. Even though we had to walk a few tenths of a mile (without packs) uphill through a meadow to reach the top, the summit afforded us 360° views of the surrounding mountains. I pulled out the PeakFinder app on my phone to put names to the mountains we had crossed or are going to cross. The top of Siler Bald was our first place where we had completely unobstructed views of our surroundings. I was disappointed that we couldn’t see Wayah Bald, which was our next summit, but it turns out, it was tucked in a few peaks away.
At the top of Wayah Bald there is a covered, stone observation tower. I don’t believe it was ever intended to be a fire tower like the one on Albert Mtn., but we did have phenomenal views from the top. Along this part of our trip, we kept crossing back and forth with Wednesday, a lady around my age from Kansas City. Gavin was struggling a bit this day, and she was kind to stop and offer suggestions and encouragement. I hope we run into her farther up the trail. One of the most difficult parts of this day was thinking we were climbing up Wayah for quite a distance before we actually were. At one point, we saw a sign that indicated the distance to the top was “smudge.6.” The sign had been carved on and I read the “smudge” as a zero when in fact, it should have been a one. It was quite disappointing to go a ways down the trail and realize we still had over a mile to go. Thankfully, we powered through to the top. I only wish I had worn my puffy jacket up on the tower so I could have stayed longer.
We arrived at Wayah Bald shelter quite late in the day and there was no room for Gavin to camp inside. We pitched our tents in the best places we could find, but there were way more folks tenting at this shelter than we had encountered before. As a consequence, we had to settle for a couple of spots that weren’t as level as we would have liked. The way my tent was pitched, I had to be very conscious to not roll off my mat. Actually, I had about as good a night’s sleep as I’ve had, even though I remember several times waking up to make sure I still had an appendage hanging over the top of my sleeping pad to hold me in place.
We got a really late start out of the shelter the next morning. By the time we were up and around, the shelter itself had cleared out except for one gentleman who was a two-time thru-hiker. He was nursing a sore knee and said he was going to take a zero at the shelter. We wound up moving our stuff under the shelter and packing there. It was also nice to have use of the shelves/benches to cook and eat our breakfast. Just before we were ready to head out for the day, Travis hiked in. He took an extra day in Franklin because of a family emergency and it only took him a day and a half to catch up with us. It was great to rejoin a good friend. We hiked together for much of the day.
When we reached Burningtown Gap we were once again met with trail magic from the Crawfords and Fresh Ground. The fare was similar to that of two days before, but this time we hung around long enough to enjoy some blueberry fritters. Gavin also enjoyed playing with Rainer and Filia. It was really heartwarming to see Gavin pull out his stuffed dog to entertain Rainer. We were also treated to some great guitar songs by Kami. As I said earlier, it was an unexpected treat to run into “internet legends” along the trail.
The final part of this day was another slog. We had a 3.3-mile trek over the Copper Ridge Bald to the Big Branch Campsite and we thought we’d never get there. Thankfully, we found tent spots that were much more level than the previous day. As a bonus, there was a spring right in our campsite so we didn’t have to go anywhere to hydrate. We ate and went to bed pretty early after a long day of hiking. Unfortunately, we had some pretty loud thunderstorms through the night. On the bright side, we slept late enough that the rain had stopped so we didn’t have to pack our things in a shower. That is the down side to tent camping: it is absolutely no fun trying to get your gear stuffed into your pack inside the tent. Even though the rain had stopped, we still had to pack our tents wet. Thankfully, this was our final day of hiking, so we knew we’d be able to spread the tents out and let them dry when we got into Bryson City.
Our last day of hiking this week was our longest, at 9.6 miles. It was in many ways the most difficult because we lost nearly 3,000 feet in altitude with few uphills to “rest” our legs. Hiking down is often more challenging on the feet and legs because of all the pounding they take and because of the need to “hold back” from going downhill too quickly as to be reckless. Fortunately, we were able to make our destination, the Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City, NC. Gavin and I got there around 5:00, a little after Travis. We ate a light supper, and Beth and Griffin picked us up a short time later for our weekend in the Hummingbird Cabin.
On Saturday afternoon, Beth, Griffin, and I did a little reconnaissance on Fontana Dam, Fontana Village and the resupply options therein. The dam was truly an amazing sight. We were able to look down into the spillways that lead to the turbines. I cannot even describe how large they were. After walking part of the way across the dam (which is on the AT), we drove down to the bottom and took some pictures and videos from that angle. The amount of water coming out of the spillway and gushing into the air was incredible. It amazes me that such a structure could have been completed in 1945.
It was a thrill for Beth and Griff to meet Travis, having heard us talk so much about him. He has been such a positive influence on Gavin and a great hiking partner for me. It was our pleasure to share the cabin with him this weekend. We had a good time just relaxing around the cabin, eating, and going into the local Ingles to resupply. Travis also got to meet Joy, whom he has heard much about from Gavin.
Tomorrow morning we’ll head back to the NOC to start hiking again, and Beth and Griffin will head back home. It has been really great seeing them, and we also appreciate Aunt Sallie for making our cabin arrangements for the weekend. She is truly the queen of the VRBO! Our plan is to get to Fontana Dam by Wednesday and spend one night at the Fontana Lodge. From there, we’ll be hiking into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the next 70 miles. We hope to be able to get off for at least one night in the middle at Newfound Gap. From there, we can introduce Travis to the joys of Gatlinburg, TN!
Hello and welcome back to our blog. This is Gavin again. Today I’m going to be talking about the gear that I’m going to be taking on our thru-hike. Let’s start with the big three. The big three are my pack, my shelter, and my sleeping system. Let’s start with my backpack. Originally I was going to take a North Face Terra 55L back, but I decided to change to an Osprey Exos 58L pack to save weight and because it could carry a little bit more. This new pack is about a pound-and-a-half lighter than the older one, and it fits me more comfortably.
Next we shall talk about my shelter. I’m currently camping in an REI Quarter Dome one-person tent that weighs about 2.75 pounds. It is a very comfortable tent, and I fit in it very well. My pack goes on the outside under the rain fly so that it doesn’t take up so much room in my tent. I really like this shelter because it’s so small and so light. I have noticed that the lighter a tent gets the more expensive it is. REI equipment is generally lightweight, quality gear at a reasonable price.
The sleeping bag that I am taking is the REI Lumen 25 degree bag which weighs about 2.38 lbs. I am also taking a Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme sleeping bag liner which weighs about 14 oz. This bag liner will increase the comfort rating of my sleep system by about 15 or 20 degrees. It is also way easier to wash the liner than the whole sleeping bag. I will be bringing a lightweight Trekology inflatable pillow and a Therm-A-Rest Neoair Xtherm sleeping pad so that I will sleep warmer and more comfortably. Together the big three: pack, shelter, and sleep system, weigh about 9.91 pounds.
I’m also going to need to take something to cook with, which includes my stove and fuel, pots, a spork, and water storage and filtration. My stove and pots are the Soto Amicus stove and cook set combo which weighs about 7.6 oz. My water storage units are 2-1L Gatorade bottles which are lightweight and disposable. We need to filter our water so that we do not get sick from harmful bacteria or parasites. For this, dad and I will share a 4L Platypus gravity filter.
Since it’s inappropriate the hike naked, I also will be taking some clothing. I couldn’t just grab some stuff out of my closet because hiking clothes need to be lightweight, warm, and sweat-wicking. It’s important for the clothes to be non-cotton because cotton absorbs moisture and doesn’t dry quickly. Wet clothing has the potential to give you hypothermia so it is important to wear wicking, quick-drying clothes. When I hike, I will be wearing Smartwool crew socks which are really padded on the inside and wick away moisture. I’ll be wearing REI Sahara Convertible pants with legs that can zip off. I’m going to wear either a Patagonia capilene midweight crew shirt or a sweat wicking tech shirt. I’m also going to take my Buff. When it is cold and rainy, I will be wearing Seirus Extreme gloves with REI Gore-Tex mitten shells. And finally, for camp clothing, I’m taking REI merino wool long johns as well as an extra pair of socks.
There are several other things that I will be bringing with me for camp use and use while hiking. For night hiking and seeing my way around camp, I’ll use my Black Diamond Storm headlamp. I am also taking some trekking poles. These are hiking poles which help you keep your balance and prevent falls. So that I can sit down on logs and rocks without getting wet, I will be taking a Therm-a-Rest Z-Seat which is basically a lightweight, folding foam pad. In addition to this, I’m taking a Classic Swiss Army knife, trowel and toilet paper, a bandana, and playing cards.
We really hope that we won’t have any injuries on the trail, but it’s best to be prepared. Because of this, I’m going to take a first aid kit, which includes simple items such as band-aids, antibiotic ointment, meds, nail clippers, duct tape, and ibuprofen. We will often be close to the roads and towns, so if there are any big injuries, we can get medical attention fairly easily.
That pretty much wraps it up for my gear list. There will probably be a few other small items that I have forgotten to mention, but I have described the most important items that I will be taking. Thank you for reading and be sure to watch the video attached. You can subscribe to receive email updates when we post. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel as well. May all your trails be happy, and just remember to keep taking the Next Step.
