See You Later *Updated!*

[JoshMcMadMac]

Hey guys & gals, I just wanted to say goodbye, for now. I am leaving on Wednesday to go hiking. I am going to through-hike the Appalachian Trail with my father. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Appalachian trail runs from Georgia to Maine, a course of 2,160 miles. I'll most likely be gone until the end of August. I'm sure you'll all be here when I get back, and I will try to stop in whenever I can get internet access and drop a line. I am in the process of putting my "loose" itinerary into a spreadsheet and will host it for everyone to see once I get it finished.

With being gone for six months, my car will be left without a driver as well. Is there anything I should do to the car to prepare it for the long sitting period, and is there anything I should do when I get back before trying to start/drive it again?

-------------------------
03-11-05
I received this e-mail from Josh today and am adding it here per his request. Stay safe and have fun, Josh!

Kat
-------------------------
Hey all! I've been gone a week now. It seems like time is really moving by quick. I know that I'm still a long way from the end, but this past week has been a blast. We've completed about 50 miles so far, and the itinerary has already been changed quite a bit. We pulled
into the town of Hiawassee earlier than planned yesterday. We are taking the day off, then hiking 16 miles tomorrow and getting back into it full boar. This is the first chance I have had to get to email since I left, as we are at a public library now.

The weather was beautiful the first two days, but then a cold front blew in. It snowed on us the past few nights, but we've managed to
stay warm and relatively dry. We've started hiking with a great crew of guys going about the same pace as us, and they've really made the trip more fun. Both my father and I are hurting a little, but that is to be expected. My knees started getting bad on the third day. Once we got into Walasi-Yi I had to pick up knee braces as well as hiking poles. Both have helped immensely. Soon we will walk a little farther into town to get groceries as well as ankle braces, and an ace wrap just in case.

I hope you are all doing well. This is certainly great adventure and one that I will be telling you about much more over the following
months. Feel free to email as you please; just remember that my internet access is very sporadic. I hope to talk to you all again soon.

Regards,
-Joshua

[LSC SS]

Good luck dude, don't forget your compass !!

[DustyLBottoms]

Fuel stabilizer smile.gif And disconnect the battery teminals. Maybe a car cover...or garage it.

[DaKat]

Have fun!

[pro-five-oh]

Have fun and stay safe! smile.gif

[Dereck]

Hi Josh

You had better pack a couple of Steel Reserves for when the going gets tough smile.gif Missing you allready

Best wishes

Dereck

[swampcreek]

WOW! Would I love to do something like that! I'm going to have to start buying lottery tickets.
BTW, (and you had to expect this)----If you hear "You gotta purdie mouth boy"...RUN!

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by LSC SS:
Good luck dude, don't forget your compass !!

Thanks, and we both have a compass. Plus the GPS. ;)

quote:Originally posted by DustyLBottoms:
Fuel stabilizer smile.gif And disconnect the battery teminals. Maybe a car cover...or garage it.

Check. I plan on doing both, but unfortunately do not have a car cover.

quote:Originally posted by Dereck:
Hi Josh

You had better pack a couple of Steel Reserves for when the going gets tough smile.gif Missing you allready

Best wishes

Dereck

Beer is a top priority. :D There are many towns along the way to resupply.

quote:Originally posted by swampcreek:
WOW! Would I love to do something like that! I'm going to have to start buying lottery tickets.
BTW, (and you had to expect this)----If you hear "You gotta purdie mouth boy"...RUN!

The trip won't be cheap, but it's by no means a back-break financially. My father has accumulated a great deal of leave for it, and works for some great people. And I am at a point in life where I don't have a great deal of financial responsibility. And we will only be in West Virginia for a day or so. ;)

[AceFrehley03]

Notice how he doesn't comment on the "purdy mouth" comment. :D

Best of luck, Josh. Don't walk off the edge of the world.

[Jon90LSC]

Sounds like the trip of a lifetime. Have a great time!

[clouderold]

Have fun Josh!! :D

[Bill's89LSC]

The trail ran through my backyard, when you get to Unionville NY, stop by the general store and tell them Bill Laird sent ya. They'll get a kick out of it!

Bill

[John Dancy]

Bro! I am EXTREEMLY jealous!

Me and Lynette drove 60 minutes west of Philly to take a look at a (what else) Mark VII at an auction. To get to the other side of the mountain, we literally drove under a footbridge at the CREST of the hill. On our was back home, empty handed, we stopped at this foot bridge to discover that we had indeed crossed The Trail.

Film at 11.

[John Dancy]

May 26, 2004
Appalachian Trail Bridge
atop a mountain
near Halifax, Pennsylvania. Click to enlarge.

Good luck to you and your Father!

http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290104t.JPG (http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290104.JPG)

http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290110t.JPG (http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290110.JPG)

http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290111t.JPG (http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290111.JPG)

http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290114t.JPG (http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290114.JPG)

http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290115t.JPG (http://www.lscclub.org/temp/20050227/P5290115.JPG)

[ February 27, 2005: Message edited by: John Dancy ]

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by AceFrehley03:
Notice how he doesn't comment on the "purdy mouth" comment. :D

I did to!

quote:Originally posted by JoshMcMadMac:
[QB]And we will only be in West Virginia for a day or so. ;)

;)

[OneWayStreet]

Have a good time and be safe. smile.gif

[Bill's89LSC]

Hey Josh, I wasn't kidding on saying that the trail went through my old backyard in Unionville NY, Along with Horler's general store they have the Post office in the town and we can send things to you if you need anything. I'm not sure of the proceedure but I think that if we were to send something to the postmaster to hold for you we can get you some little goodies to help you along the way. I have seen alot of hikers when I lived up there and they would receive packages so it's something to consider versus buying things along the way. Just let us know and we'll have a package waiting for you when you get that far.

Man, that will be a once in a life time trip and I hope that the weather will be cooperative for you.

Here are some resources if you haven't checked them out yet.
http://hiking-news.hikemore.com/appalachian-trail/survey/hiker-info-2.html
http://www.fred.net/kathy/at.html
http://www.fred.net/kathy/at/atstate.html
http://www.americasroof.com/nj.html

High point, NJ is a spectacular view that you should take a few minutes to admire. It's around 10 miles from where I grew up.

From what I understand, there is a section of the A.T. that someone likes to carve and leave beautiful walking sticks for hikers to pick up and keep. If I can find what section of the trail the person does this on I'll post it up and when you get there you can look around for them.


Bill

[ February 27, 2005: Message edited by: Bill's89LSC ]

[JoshMcMadMac]

Thanks Bill. I have the itinerary complete, but I am trying to make it more usable by inputting it into a spreadsheet. Once I am done with that (no later than tomorrow) I will host it for everyone to see. On there I will list mail locations, and I will describe how they work. That way if any of you get a wild hair up your ass to do something the option is there.

Thanks again for all of the encouragement and envy guys, it means a lot.

[JoshMcMadMac]

I have the itinerary hosted here: http://www.freewebs.com/markviibullitt/Itinerary.xls and a great map of the entire Appalachian Trail here: http://www.freewebs.com/markviibullitt/Appalachian%20Trail.pdf

On the itinerary I have listed mail locations. There are two types: maildrops and post offices. Each are treated differently. When mailing to a post office you must specify "general delivery" on the mail. Also, remember that UPS and Fed-Ex cannot deliver "general delivery" packages. Maildrops are locations where the business owner is kind enough to hold mail for hikers until they get there. Here is an example of what to do on the label:

Joshua McAlister
c/o the business (or general delivery for a P.O.)
City/State/Zip
Please hold for Thru-hiker
(estimated date of arrival)

I cannot assure you that anything mailed will make it to me. There is little reason for it not to, but you never know. Certain post offices may be hidden or off the beaten trail, but other than that I should get everything and will be sure to show my gratituted for it!

[Bill's89LSC]

So who's gonna pick up the classfieds when your away? Someone gonna pull triple duty for a few months? tongue.gif

Bill

[JoshMcMadMac]

Bill, I will have the Classifieds well groomed this evening. It will survive for a few months, it will just be a bit of work when I get back. It's just a matter of everyone staying in line, which shouldn't be an issue. Besides, the last guy (that I replaced) did less work than I will be doing while I am gone. :rolleyes:

I also hosted the itinerary as a website, making it easier to view. See here: http://www.freewebs.com/markviibullitt/Itinerary.htm

[Bill's89LSC]

I printed out yout itinerary, A friend from High school owns the general store in Unionville NY so you may get a package if you stop in. I'll make sure that he can hold it until you get there (as long as it's not a sunday). Good luck and happy travels till then.

Bill

[troubledouble]

Josh;
That is wonderful,its always great to hear of
a great father&son experience!Enjoy.The snow we have,wouldn't be muck fun.We got 12in on Monday,still had some left from last wk.Be careful!

1986 Baby blue MarkV11 :D

[94 Mark8 Sizzle]

have a great time! sounds awesome. i'm running to the store now for lottery tickets! lol ;)

[DaKat]

TTT for Josh! smile.gif

[JoshMcMadMac]

Well guys, we got moving quite well on the trail the past few days. After we pulled out of town we were both in better spirits and health. We got into North Carolina and out of Georgia at 13:30 on Monday. We pulled a 12 mile day, and then Tuesday another 12+ mile day. It seemed that we were slipping into a great rhythm. My knees are doing better every day, and my fathers ankle has not been bothering him. We have overcome 91 miles and an entire state thus far, and are ready for
more.

When we got to the shelter on Tuesday I turned on my cell phone, which I carry in case of emergency. Luckily I had decent reception, and had six voice mails. Apparently my grandfather (mother's father) was in ICU and is being sent home with hospice. I spent over two hours that evening on the phone working on the quickest way to get out of the woods and on our way home. We were blessed with a trail angel that worked out a shuttle to get us from the trail head into town the next morning. We only had to get ~2.5 miles out and then the angel picked
us up and drove us the almost 20 miles and 45 minutes to town. We stayed at a little motel for the day and waited for my friend Ryan
Lord to make the 9 hour, 550 mile drive to collect us. I drove for over 8 hours to get home and we arrived at 5 in the morning this
morning.

It's things like this that are truly trying. We are dedicated to return to the trail as soon as possible, which should be in the following few weeks. I think we will pick up the trail right where we left off and should be able to get right back to it. Despite the
circumstances, the silver lining is that we will both be in the best of health before we start again, just out of shape again. This time we will be even better prepared mentally and will know from experience what to expect.

I want to thank everyone that has been emailing; it means a lot to me. To all of you who are hoping to meet us on the trail, I will revise the itinerary as soon as I know what day we are leaving again. I hope to be sending Trail Notes again soon, and will try and keep in touch until then.

Regards,
-Joshua

[Steve Moran]

It sounds as if things are going well now and you and your Father have some time to really bond.
It is kina funny; a person doesn’t realize just how out of shape they are until they something like what you and your dad are doing
I hope things go well with your Grandfather and you can finish your trek in good time.

[Silver Cobra]

Way to keep the spirits up Josh! A lot of people would become disgruntled and, yes, lazy to return to where they left off. I commend you on your dedication to doing this. I wish I had the time to do it myself. I wish you, your grandfather and your trek the best. Stock up on that trail mix and have a good one smile.gif .

[Michael VII LSC/SE]

All the Best to ya right now.

[pro-five-oh]

This is an amazing journey, Josh. I am very happy for you!

[Conti94]

Good luck man, it's awesome that you are so determined to finish the trail, many people would have just given up.

[JoshMcMadMac]

Alright guys, we are heading out again tonight and will be on the trail again tomorrow. Hopefully this time it will be without interuption. Here is our itinerary: http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/Itinerary.htm

Regards,
-Joshua

[clouderold]

quote:Originally posted by JoshMcMadMac:
Alright guys, we are heading out again tonight and will be on the trail again tomorrow. Hopefully this time it will be without interuption. Here is our itinerary: http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/Itinerary.htm

Regards,
-Joshua

Have a good one man! Take care.

[Silver Cobra]

Have fun and be safe out there. Be sure to think of me too :D

[Speedycat3]

Great news on returning to the trail Josh..
I was able to catch up with your adventure now that I came to the board after my hyatus..
Excellent character building experince, and something you will both cherish for the rest of your lives.
Good luck my friend and Take care...

Angel

[JoshMcMadMac]

Hey all! I've been on the trail again for two weeks, and everything is great! The weather has warmed up a bit, but the rain is persistent, although not too frequent. My grandfather is hanging in there, although they did send him home with hospice. So far we have covered about 270 miles and 3½ weeks. Our health is good, and I have been hiking without knee braces since the Smokey's. The Smokey Mountains weren't as tough as I had thought, but it was cloudy most of the time. We hit the highest point on the trail, Clingmans Dome, at 6643ft of elevation in the Smokey's, which was a great accomplishment. Now we are in to Hot Springs, NC, and I am able to get the internet for the first time in weeks. My father and I have also acquired trail names, which is a common thing. He is "Just Passing Thru" and I am "McGyver." I hope you are all doing well.

Regards,
-Joshua

[DaKat]

quote:Originally posted by JoshMcMadMac:
I am "McGyver."
LOL - why am I not surprised? :D

[Silver Cobra]

Thanks for the update Josh. Hopefully you'll end up with Sir McGuyver by the end of the journey ;)

[JoshMcMadMac]

Hey all! I'm here in Erwin, enjoying the amazing weather. We've had several great days for hiking without a cloud in the sky and ~70º. The nights have been chilly, dropping just below freezing the past few nights. I'm feeling great and loving life. My knees, for the first time in over a month, did not hurt at all today! Speaking of one month, it's been a month and a day of hiking for us, today being day number 32. We've traversed about 340 miles of the trail at this point, and will take out another 20 tomorrow. We are getting a slack-pack (day hike without the full pack, being dropped off and picked up at each end) tomorrow from the wonderful Miss Janet. Miss Janet is a local lady that does amazing things for hikers, including making a hostel out of her home that houses 16 people at a time. We are enjoying ourselves out here and and looking forward to each and every new day. I hope life is treating everyone well, and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver

[pro-five-oh]

Wow, that sounds awesome! :cool:

[Matthew]

It's great to hear from you again. I'm living vicariously through your posts! I can only hope I'll be around and in good enough health to attempt something like this with my sons in 20 years.

[JoshMcMadMac]

Greetings from Virginia! We've now conquered Georgia, North Carolina,and Tennessee. We pulled into Damascus at 18:30 last night after a long 26.2 mile "marathon" day. So now there is 460 miles behind us and 43 days on the trail. This is considered he "mental" quarter-way point, even though it's another 84 miles to the true ¼ mileage marker. It feels good to have accomplished it thus-far, and I look forward to getting Virginia complete. Virginia is home of almost 550 miles of the trail, so it is almost ¼ in itself. Virginia is also some of the easiest hiking, so it should sweep by swiftly.

The weather has been very sporadic, but tolerable. We had a beautiful run of weather for a week and a half, and then it turned cold. Last Sunday we decided to take a zero-day (that is a day of no hiking, or zero miles) due to the snow. We were at a nice little hostel, and we had been pushing hard for the past few weeks unrelentingly, so it was well deserved. At 11:00 that day one of the hikers, Rocky, came in and told us that there was an older couple that was in need of help getting down the mountain. Four of us went up the mountain almost four miles to get them, and three of us were Eagle Scouts; the fourth was a female. We recovered the older couple, who were poorly equipped for the snow and residents of Florida, and got them down off the mountain. They may have made it on their own, but the certainly would not have been in very good condition if they did manage to make it. If only the "civilized" world could show camaraderie like thru-hikers do...

I hope all is well for all of you. I have a bit of a busy day ahead of me, with several serious errands to complete. We need to re-supply with food, and I need to make a few phone calls. We also need to hit the outfitter for some very important gear. Dad needs a new set of footwear, so I think we are going to put him in a pair of trail-runners, which are sturdier than shoes but lighter than boots. I will probably make the switch myself once my boots have seen a few more miles, as taking a pound or so off of your feet makes a huge difference. We are also going to get a smaller cooking pot, as we are carrying one now that is simply larger than we need. And, most importantly, I am going to explore a new pack. The one I have is decent, but does not fit me well. REI has a satisfaction guarantee, so they will be getting this pack back and I will be getting a pack that is a little lighter and hopefully much more comfortable. So now I am off to tackle the chores of today. I hope to hear from you soon!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA --> ME

[Dereck]

Hi Josh

quote:Originally posted by JoshMcMadMac:
.....We've now conquered Georgia, North Carolina,and Tennessee. We pulled into Damascus at 18:30 last night after a long 26.2 mile "marathon" day.

Man are you way off the beaten track I thought Damascus was in Syria :D

Have you tried snaring some squirrels yet? They make some good eating after a hard day on the trail.

Take care dude

Dereck

[Silver Cobra]

Sounds like a great experience Josh. Hope the foreign bathrooms are treating you well ;)

[JoshMcMadMac]

Hey all. As always, never a dull moment with life on the trail. We've gone almost 500 miles at this point, stopping in Troutdale, VA yesterday. We stayed at a hostel at a Baptist Church and worked through a small re-supply at a little local shop. The weather has been pretty cool and nasty, with lots of rain and wind. Wind makes hiking tough, as it becomes almost impossible to properly control your body temperature. Still, we are doing well and feeling good. The boots that Just Passin' Thru got are working out quite well, so his feet are much happier than before. We've been making good time and managing to enjoy ourselves, despite the uncooperative weather.

Unfortunately we have had to return home again. My fiancée came down with pneumonia a week ago and went into the hospital on Tuesday. She returned home Saturday, but is still in poor condition and needs me with her. Mind you this is all compounded upon her ruptured disk in her lower back. One can only attempt to imagine what spending four days in a hospital bed can do to aggravate a severely injured back. We found out the severity of the situation when I was fortunate enough to have a phone at the hostel. Walter came down and got us this morning, and we made it home by around 15:00 today. We managed to be closer to home this time, with about six hours of driving each way. Now that we are home we are going to take a few days and get everything straight that we would have done anyways in a few weeks. My pack should arrive mid-week, along with a pair of trail-runners for me and a few other various "necessities" we ordered as well. I can get that all straightened out, and we can also switch out some of our gear for more summer-oriented counterparts, like my sleeping bag. This should get our pack-weight lower; my dad should get close to 30lbs, and mine just a hair over 35lbs, which is pretty good. So, despite having to come home to doctor my poor lady, we are still able to make good use of our time here, which is a small positive. Everything will work out, as it always does. It's simply a matter of the path that gets us to the end.

I want to make sure that you all know how much I appreciate hearing from you when you send a reply, and the encouragement you add to our journey. I realize that I may not get the opportunity to reply to you sometimes, but please forgive me for that and don't let that keep you from writing back more often. Keep in mind that I often am on a very limited time schedule with the internet, whether it be from having to share the computer with others, or being in a library, or an other unforeseeable circumstances. I try to reply as much as possible, and still love to hear from all of you. It's always a welcome sight to see everyones input. I hope to hear from you soon, and I assure you that you will be hearing from me again soon as well, hopefully with a picture or two this time!

Regards,
-MacGyver

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by Dereck:
Hi Josh

Man are you way off the beaten track I thought Damascus was in Syria :D

Have you tried snaring some squirrels yet? They make some good eating after a hard day on the trail.

Take care dude

Dereck

Damascus is also a small trail town at the very South of Virginia, home of Trail Days. More information here: http://www.damascus.org/

Squirrel is a very greasy critter, with only a small amount of tough meat. Chipmunks are more prominent out here, but are still a rodent. I will stick to the ~3000 calorie diet of bagels, tortillas with pepperoni and cheese, a few candy bars a day, and a Lipton Noodle-Side dinner with a packet of meat. Much more appealing to me, and less work. ;)

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by Silver Cobra:
Sounds like a great experience Josh. Hope the foreign bathrooms are treating you well ;)

Yea, foriegn bathrooms, right. Here is an image of a typical privy, one that I have actually used. It is located aboout 17 miles from the start of the trail at Gooch Mountain Shelter, and is definately one of the nicer privies out there:

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~stewartholt/AT/Gooch%20Mtn%20Privy.JPG

and a more "aged" one here, although I do not know where it is at:

http://www.burningwell.org/albums/Objects/privy.sized.jpg

Any other bathrooms are at hostels, which are typically very utilitarian, but kept clean by the hikers.

[Nick]

You missed! :rolleyes: tongue.gif

Great to hear you're doing OK. I hope your fiance is recovering well. JSev and I expect to hear from you as you get closer to Massachusetts. Best of luck!

[Steve Moran]

Isn't that how it goes, nothing happens until you are in a position that you can’t do much about it or even hear about it for days.
I am glad you could get home again.
Nice pictures of the crappers, reminds me of Kindergarten. I started my schooling in a one room school house much like a "Little house on the prairie" school house. We had an outhouse and no running water slate chalkboards and the whole nine yards. What a hoot to tell my kids, they think I am lying to them when I tell them about it.

[Silver Cobra]

quote:Originally posted by JoshMcMadMac:


Yea, foriegn bathrooms, right. Here is an image of a typical privy, one that I have actually used. It is located aboout 17 miles from the start of the trail at Gooch Mountain Shelter, and is definately one of the nicer privies out there:

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~stewartholt/AT/Gooch%20Mtn%20Privy.JPG

and a more "aged" one here, although I do not know where it is at:

http://www.burningwell.org/albums/Objects/privy.sized.jpg

Any other bathrooms are at hostels, which are typically very utilitarian, but kept clean by the hikers.

Now that's rustic :rolleyes: . Where's the door? If it were me, I'd have a get a friend to act as a door while I am "one with nature". Best of luck in the journey Josh.

[Michael VII LSC/SE]

I'm sure I am not alone in telling you how much we appreciate you sharing your experience with us. I can only imagine some of the pictures you could be taking. I hope you have a digital camera with lots of memory sticks. This is getting enough drama that it could make a short movie. Hope the trials are working out well. smile.gif

[JoshMcMadMac]

I finally got the time to get some pictures together for everyone to see since I've had a little down time at home. I put together a website with a few of the best pictures I've taken. It's only a small portion of the pictures that have been taken, as I have shot over 300 pictures so far. Not all of them are great, but I am pretty pleased with how most of them have come out. I am by no means an excellent photographer, so I am amazed by how well the Canon PowerShot 410a digital that I am carrying has done. The website is here: http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/index.htm and I plan on updating it when I get home again, as it does take a bit of work, time, and patience to get everything flowing together properly. I still hope to shot a picture out with my notes every time I get the chance, though. The itinerary has also been updated again, but remember that it is a very dynamic thing. Very rarely does it correspond to exactly where we are, but it is usually on par with where and when we will end up in a town. There is a link to the itinerary on the website.

Otherwise, Chrissy is recovering nicely. It will certainly take time, but she is doing well. I have taken the time to take care of her and do things like make this website. We plan on heading out again Thursday afternoon so that we can be hiking again on Friday. My gear should be here no later than Thursday, so let's hope that the Fed-Ex man comes at a decent time! I hope you are all doing well, and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[Steve Moran]

I have two things to say.
Very very nice pictures, many of them are aw inspiring like this.

http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/A.T.Pics/IMG_0301.jpg

Then there are pictures like this, all I can think of when I see it is.

http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/A.T.Pics/IMG_0171.jpg

Chicken legs!!

:D

J/K I envey you for what you are doing with your father and for your self, this is something many people wish they could do in a lifetime and you can say you are on the last leg of your journey.

Have fun!

Chicken legs.

[Silver Cobra]

**Bandwidth Allocation Exceeded**

Guess everyone was eager to see it. It's ok to have chicken legs Josh. I have cock legs myself.

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by Silver Cobra:
**Bandwidth Allocation Exceeded**

Guess everyone was eager to see it.

Yea, wow! I guess I don't know enough about this stuff. If any of you tech gurus know of anything I can do to avoid this issue, I am all ears.

quote:Originally posted by Silver Cobra:
It's ok to have chicken legs Josh. I have cock legs myself.

Yea, I'm not sure what he is talking about. I have a 3" tattoo on the side of my left calf, so my legs aren't that small. They aren't huge, but certainly not in the "chicken" category. <<shrugs>>
I suppose the picture is a bit deceiving, though.

[ May 03, 2005: Message edited by: JoshMcMadMac ]

[Steve Moran]

just giving ya some crap dude, don't take me to serriously. ;)

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by Steve Moran:
just giving ya some crap dude, don't take me to serriously. ;)

I know Steve, that's how it goes. ;)

[JoshMcMadMac]

Well, it seems that there was an overwhelming desire to see the website, so we managed to exceed the bandwidth limitation of that server. I have copied the site to another server here: http://www.freewebs.com/markviibullitt/index.htm so now both sites should be available. Both sites have the same pictures, so either one should work fine for viewing the pictures. I hope this works out and provides enough bandwidth for everyone. Sorry for the trouble, and enjoy the pictures!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[waldbaro]

If you come off of the mountain in Waynesboro and need a ride, let me know. (540)255-3928

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by waldbaro:
If you come off of the mountain in Waynesboro and need a ride, let me know. (540)255-3928

Yea, we are planning on re-supplying in Waynesboro. We will be pulling out of Rockfish Gap, if you know where that is. We just might take you up on that offer! Any ideas on a good, cheap place to stay?

[JoshMcMadMac]

We are off, once again! We are leaving today, Thursday, back to the bottom of Virginia. We will be back on the trail again tomorrow morning and back on track. The itinerary is updated and available on the websites, both of which are working at the time of this email. Chrissy is doing much better and recovering nicely. It is going to take more time, but she will be fine. We are excited to hit the trail again, and I am very pleased with my new gear. The new pack fits much better and is much lighter. It is much more pleasurable to wear, which I am sure is going to make a world of difference. The new shoes are also nice, and the lightened load on my feet will certainly make hiking easier, as long as I pay close attention to my footing; it is much easier to get hurt in low-top trail-runners than in high-top full hiking boots. We are both in excellent health and spirit, and ready to get back at it. I hope everything is well with you, and hope to be checking in again soon from the next stop.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[waldbaro]

The Waynesboro Invista Plant has a camping area behind the YMCA. For a small fee you can sleep there and use the YMCA facilities. The library is next to the YMCA and has internet.

We have plenty of hotels. There are some up on the mountain near the trail. Should be cheap this time of year. You can decide when you get here.

Give me an ETA so I can adjust my schedule to match yours.

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by waldbaro:
The Waynesboro Invista Plant has a camping area behind the YMCA. For a small fee you can sleep there and use the YMCA facilities. The library is next to the YMCA and has internet.

We have plenty of hotels. There are some up on the mountain near the trail. Should be cheap this time of year. You can decide when you get here.

Give me an ETA so I can adjust my schedule to match yours.

We will be into Waynesboro sometime Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29. The itinerary (http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/Itinerary.htm) has us pulling in on that Sunday, but from the looks of it we will be there a day or two prior. And what is your name? ;)

[JoshMcMadMac]

Hello from Pearisburg! We pulled in here yesterday around 14:00, now 620 miles into our journey; we are over ¼ of the way done! The trail has been a bit easier, and we are fairing pretty well. The weather has been very nice, although it does become hot at times. We have only had rain to worry about one day, as we tried our best to outrun a thunderstorm and get off of the ridge-line. We've been doing between 17-20 miles each day, except for yesterday which was only 10 to get into town.

The new gear is working out pretty well for me, which is quite a relief. My new shoes broke in very nice after about three days. However, dad's boot began hurting his right ankle, bad enough to bruise the outside of the ankle! We stopped several times in one morning hoping to find a more relieving way to lace his boots, but nothing was working out well for him. I offered him my shoe, and that worked much better for him. We hiked the rest of the day, over 13 miles, wearing mis-matched shoes. Still, it worked out well for him and he is now wearing my shoes. From now on I think I will be the one buying his shoes for him. ;) Other than that small incident all is well and we are moving along great. Two days ago we did 20.4 trail miles, and that was on top of going ½ mile down a road to a small grocery/deli and the ½ mile out, as well as an additional ½ mile at the end of a day to make it to a hostel. It was a long pull, but made for a great day.

Here is a picture of me doing my best "backpacker crossing the road" impression: http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/Road%20Xing.jpg that was taken a few days ago when we did the 20+ miler. I hope you are all doing well, and hope to hear from you soon. Some of you are graduating soon or have just recently, and I want to make sure you know that I am proud of you and glad to know that you have made it!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[Desert Stallion]

Sounds like you're havin' too much fun man. Hope your significant other is the understandin' type. ;)

:D

[Silver Cobra]

Wow. Sounds great but I gotta know if you're packing dirty magazines on the side ;)

[JoshMcMadMac]

We made it to Troutville, VA, and we're doing good with 715 miles behind us. We've really been moving along since Pearisburg. We did 20 miles out of town, then 18.5, then 22.5, 16.5 yesterday and 15.5 into town today. Needless to say we are more than ready to take tomorrow off! We were planning on stopping yesterday at a hostel, but it has closed down this year, so we went on to Troutville instead. The trail has been very rocky and tough on the feet, with the exception of today. Still, we've been pushing through and fairing pretty well. The weather has been treating us well, albeit hot in the afternoon most days. Nothing to complain about, though, as we've dodged the rain for over a week. Friday we will break 725 miles, the 1/3 of the way mark!

We went into the town of Cawtaba yesterday, less than 1/2 a mile off the trail to grab lunch and a days' worth of groceries. We got to the Cawtaba Grocery at 12:30 and ordered a BBQ sandwich each, and a pizza. There was no seating inside, so we sat out front on the sidewalk. A girl came and talked to us about our hike, gave us her phone number, offered to do anything for us we needed, and even offered us a place to stay. We called her today and took her up on her offer! Mandie and her fiance Scott live off in the farm-lands near the Trail and are planning on starting a hostel soon. Scott is a Thru-Hiker from 2001, and they are both two of the most gracious individuals I've ever met. They are lodging us in their home, which is practically brand new, and Mandie is hell-bent on feeding us and giving us anything our hearts desire. The people out here never cease to amaze me. We have also been coming across a lot of Trail Magic; mostly in the form of sodas in a cooler along the trail, or cooled in a stream. We came across Trail Magic twice on Sunday, twice on Monday, and once yesterday! Seeing things like that really boost your spirits out here, especially after a tough section of trail.

I assure you that we are doing great, and are very happy to be relaxing and clean! I hope all is well with you, and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[Desert Stallion]

Sounds like a Helluva trip. Wouldn't mind trying something like that myself, except that you can't hike all day out here without keeling over dead from heat exhaustion.

We're supposed to hit 102* tomorrow and 108* by Sunday. :(

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by Desert Stallion:
Sounds like a Helluva trip. Wouldn't mind trying something like that myself, except that you can't hike all day out here without keeling over dead from heat exhaustion.

We're supposed to hit 102* tomorrow and 108* by Sunday. :(

Well, you could. I hiked out in Cimarron New Mexico back in 2000, at Philmont Scout Ranch. And the following two trails can get pretty hot at times, too. ;)

And there is the PCT: http://www.pcta.org/
And the CDT: http://www.cdtrail.org/

[JoshMcMadMac]

I managed to get a photo uploaded through the dial-up connection here, so that we could share it with you. This one is even funnier than the last, I guarantee it! Some of the things that you see on the trail are absolutely crazy, and some (like this picture) are just too funny and will stop you dead in your tracks. Hikers can have a very interesting sense of humor, and some very unique ideas. This picture was taken yesterday morning as we were making our way up a mountain side, heading for Tinker Cliffs: http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/Smile.JPG

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[JoshMcMadMac]

Hello from Glasgow. We pulled into town this morning, now having completed just over 770 miles. We've been doing well the past few days from Troutville, doing just over 18 miles each day. The weather has been great. Spring is here in full force now. The rhododendron and mountain laurel are blooming, bursting through the drab shades of brown with vivid purples, pinks, and whites. The forest is alive again with a vast sea of greenery, and is now becoming populated with blossoms galore. Birds of all sorts talk from the trees, singing to us throughout the day. The trail has been pretty nice for the most part, making the miles come easier for us and allowing us to enjoy out surroundings more without having to constantly watch our step. A few days ago the rain had pulled a plethora of salamanders out of hiding, then the cold slowed them down, so we had tons of bright orange little guys hanging out on the trail all day long. It's really amazing to see some of the unique sites like that out here.

Coming out of Troutville there is a shelter at mile 725, the 1/3 mark for the trail. We got their for lunch and I had stashed a beer for each of us in my pack, so we sat eating lunch and toasting the accomplishment. Although Virginia is home to an easier section of trail we still have mountains to climb, and that has been keeping us humble. Two days ago we stopped by a shelter for lunch and ran into an older couple section hiking that I never would have imagined we would see again. Chilly Willy and Just Ray, the couple that I and three others had rescued on top of a mountain in a snow storm, are still at it! It appears that they have since revamped a lot of their gear, and learned quite a bit from their experience. Chilly Willly still has yet to regain feeling in the tips of a few fingers, the lingering effects of the frost bite she received on that fateful day in the snow. It was an interesting reunion, and I am glad to see that they are still doing well.

Our plans from here to Waynesboro are still a little hazy, as I am waiting to find out about a ride from hear to a campground today. There is a Bed & Breakfast that caters to hikers just north of here that can provide slack-packing all the way to Waynesboro, so we may take advantage of that and stay with them the next few days. This would allow us to complete more miles, and still be relatively rested when we hit Waynesboro. We would also cut at least one day out of the itinerary, which is never a bad thing. That will be determined in a little while when I call back to the lady that runs the show and she lets me know what they can work out for us. Otherwise we will stock up and head out for Waynesboro tomorrow. Either way we should have decent weather and good health.

I hope all is well with the rest of you, and hope to hear from you soon!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[Dereck]

Hi Josh

Are you sure you are not doing a world tour here, a few weeks ago in Damascus now in Glasgow, Scotland? :D

I have a bit of a trek myself Friday but it will be on a commercial airline, shame you are not a bit closer to Philadelphia or we could have met up and had a Steel Reserve together.

Take care dude and happy hiking.

Dereck

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by Dereck:
Are you sure you are not doing a world tour here, a few weeks ago in Damascus now in Glasgow, Scotland? :D


Being Scotish, I would gladly make a trip to the capitol of Scotland anyday. In comparision, this town was quite disappointing.

quote:Originally posted by Dereck:
I have a bit of a trek myself Friday but it will be on a commercial airline, shame you are not a bit closer to Philadelphia or we could have met up and had a Steel Reserve together.

Take care dude and happy hiking.

Dereck

If only I were farther north at this point! I thought you might go somewhere othere than Philly this time around. A Steel would be a great treat riight now, but the local brews have been keeping us satisfied. Thanks for the well wishes and enjoy your trip!

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by waldbaro:
The Waynesboro Invista Plant has a camping area behind the YMCA. For a small fee you can sleep there and use the YMCA facilities. The library is next to the YMCA and has internet.

We have plenty of hotels. There are some up on the mountain near the trail. Should be cheap this time of year. You can decide when you get here.

Give me an ETA so I can adjust my schedule to match yours.

We will most likely be pulling in the afternoon on Friday. Still haven't caught your name...are you still up for giving us a lift out of Rockfish Gap?

[waldbaro]

Josh,

If you get this, I'd be happy to come get you. Call my cell (540)255-3928 and ask for Dutch.

I have jury duty Thursday. If I'm still there Friday, call my wife (540)255-4820.

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by waldbaro:
Josh,

If you get this, I'd be happy to come get you. Call my cell (540)255-3928 and ask for Dutch.

I have jury duty Thursday. If I'm still there Friday, call my wife (540)255-4820.

Awesome Dutch! Thanks so much. I will probably give you a call tonight (Thursday) and let you know what's up. We only have about six easy miles to do Friday morning to get to Rockfish Gap, so we should get there no later than noon. I'll talk to you soon, and thanks again! :D

[JoshMcMadMac]

What a long three days it has been! We've been slack-packing, based out of the dutch Haus Bed & Breakfast and covering some serious ground. We did 21 the first day, 26 yesterday, and over 24 today. It's been a lot of work, but we're happy to have made so much progress and still be in good shape. Slack-packing is easier, as we are carrying much less weight. Still, the miles don't come easy and we have to move fast as we are on a schedule to be picked up at a certain time and a certain place. We've now covered over 840 miles and will be pulling into Waynesboro after a short day tomorrow. The B&B has been amazing. Note that "Bed & Breakfast", despite it's common connotation, is very different along the trail. Places like this stay alive by catering to hikers, and this place has been top notch. We'll be kickin' into the Shenandoah's on Saturday and hauling through it as quick as we can. I hope everything is well, and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[JoshMcMadMac]

Waldboro, looks like plans have changed for the moment and we won't be intruding upon your services today. I'll give a more thorough explaination later, but we will probably be looking for you on another day. Thanks again for your hospitality! :D

[JoshMcMadMac]

The excitement never ends. Yet again we must make the pilgrimage home. Yesterday, after 20 miles or so of the 24+ day my father took a little spill. It was nothing tough, as he only lost his balance and pretty much just sat down. Unfortunately he twisted his back, which is a problematic part on him as it is. We made it down off the mountain OK, but it was bothering him slightly. Once we got back it really knotted up and started to hurt him. We are not too far from home, so Chrissy will come collect us from Waynesboro this evening.

We are by no means down and out. He is familiar with this injury, and knows that it may take a little while to heal, but it will heal. We are not sure how long this will take, but we will be out here again soon. Regardless, we will be home for a short stint and I hope to be hearing from you from the comfort of my own home for a little bit. This is just another detour in the trip, another part of the journey.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[JoshMcMadMac]

Hey all! We've been off the trail for almost a week now, and are ready to get back at it. Dad had stretched a muscle in his lower back but it is doing much better now, and he has a few stretches he can do that will help work it out quicker. We will be picking up where we left off tomorrow, just south of Waynesboro at mile 841 and heading into the Shenandoah's. It has been nice to come home for a few days, relax, and have some quality time with friends and family. We are ready to get back to it, though! Two guys that my father works for had been wanting to meet up with us and hike for a weekend, so this is working out perfectly to get us back to the trail. They will be with us this weekend, and then we will finish out Shenandoah National Park within the following week. I have updated the itinerary, available here: http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/Itinerary.htm so you can know where we are again. I'll be talking to you all again soon!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME 2005

[JoshMcMadMac]

We have now completed 881 miles of the trail, and the bottom third of the Shenandoah's. We spent the weekend hiking with two guys that my dad works with, showing them what it's like out there. They enjoyed themselves, but were ready to call it a trip yesterday afternoon when we made it back to their car. Unfortunately, so was dad. His back started hurting him quite abruptly at lunch on Saturday, so we caught a ride with his coworkers back home for a few more days. He is doing better than before, he just knows that it is best to let it heal without trying to hike all day, every day. We'll get this sorted out completely this time and be back on the trail in a few days.

I would like to take a minute and thank Waldbaro, who was willing to come get us in Waynesboro and take care of us. Although we didn't impose upon him, we are still sincerely grateful for his offer. When we got into Waynesboro (riding into town with several other hikers) we all went to a Mexican place for lunch. As we sat around the table and I was telling everyone about a particular instance on the trail, a professional looking man walked up to the table. He was looking at me, waiting for me to finish so that he could speak to us. I figured that he wanted to ask us about being hikers, as this happens a lot. Instead he says "You must be Josh." Mind you I have no idea who this individual is, so I am very shocked and confused. Of course, it was Waldbaro on his lunch break! It was quite interesting to just happen to be in the same place at the same time as him.

We should be back out at it in a few days and hopefully this time in good health. Hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME 2005

[JoshMcMadMac]

We are heading out again Sunday morning for another attempt at the trail. Dad's back is feeling better, and we are both ready to get back to it. We will be taking it easy for the next 100+ miles, but we are still in it for keeps. I hope all is well with you and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
MacGyver
GA --> ME 2005

[JoshMcMadMac]

We have now officially completed Virginia! We completed everything up to Harper's Ferry, WV today. Harper's Ferry is 1,008.6 miles from Springer Mountain, GA, the home of the Appalachian Trail Conference, and the psychological halfway point for hikers. It is quite a milestone to finally make to this point. We've overcome a lot of obstacles up to this point, and it was a great feeling to have made it this far.

We got back on the trail last week in the Shenandoah National Park. The weather was incredibly hot for the first few days back out, and very humid as well. Because of Dad's back we have taken a different approach to hiking at this point. We have both my car and his truck; we park one car by the trail somewhere, drive north to the trail somewhere else, then hike back to the first car. This way we only carry what we need for the day, which basically consists of food and water. We still hike every step of the Appalachian Trail, we just do it in a similar fashion to slack-packing... just we are slack-packing ourselves. ;) This approach is a bit more expensive, and it does take quite a bit more planning, but it is necessary in order to complete the trail in time and so that dad can carry on without furthering his injury. As for his back, it has not given him a single pain (aside from the everyday arthritis) since we have been back, which is an amazing relief.

Last Monday we went to Northern Virginia, to a small town called Purcellville, to talk to a scout troop about our hiking. Dad knows a father involved greatly with the troop, and he put us up for the night taking great care of us. Tuesday we hit the trail, hoping to get back into some higher mileage days, but I started feeling poorly around midday. We stopped after 15 miles, and it seemed as if I had become overheated and/or dehydrated. I had the chills, a headache, and a slight fever. I drank tons of water, and I got to bed quite early hoping to feel better in the morning. I woke up the next day and felt a bit better, but still only good enough to make about 14 miles. Thursday it occurred to me that I was not a victim of dehydration, but of an insect bite! On Tuesday I had noticed a small rash on the inside of my left knee, but thought it to be heat rash. By Thursday it had become larger in diameter and added a nice purple coloring to the area, so we knew that this was actually the issue. We continued hiking 14-15 mile days, but by Saturday I still was not getting any better, and actually deteriorating. Dad and I went back to the house of our friend the scouter, then made a quick run to a doctor. The doctor was pretty clueless, and a very poor listener, but she did give me a seven day supply of antibiotics. They seem to be working quite well, as I am feeling much better now, although we have no idea what it was that bit me. The bite has reduced in the purple color it was, and I am actually feeling like myself again and not like I was a victim of the plague. I spent Sunday sleeping almost all day, fighting off what remained of my six day 103º fever, and trying not to shiver too much. That evening we spoke with another scout troop, and they seemed to really enjoy our stories.

We finished the Shenandoah's despite my being ill, and it still felt great. We spotted two bears while in the Park, one of which was crossing the road, and countless deer. One shelter we stayed at even had a clever, fearless raccoon that had figure out how to climb the "bear poles" and get everyone's food bags. In the Park we store our food in a bag and hang it up a tall pole so that animals can not get to it, but this raccoon was a crafty one and figured out how to scale the pole to get to the bags. Yesterday we did a good day of hiking, and for the first time in a week I finished the day without feeling like I was about to pass out. We stayed at Bear's Den Hostel, which is an amazing place that has the perfect place to watch an amazing sunset. It was the most beautiful sunset, and a speechless way to close out the season of Spring. I have attached a picture of it. Today we hiked 20 miles, finishing the oh-so-long state of Virginia. We went to the ATC headquarters in Harper's Ferry and they took our picture for their book. We are hikers 360 and 361 this year, which is a pretty good number of northbound hikers to date. I have attached the picture of Dad and I in front of headquarters as well. Tomorrow we are in to Maryland, and before we know it we will be through Pennsylvania.

I hope all is well with you, and hope to hear from you soon. We've made it through blood, sweat, tears, and more to finish the first one-thousand miles. We cannot wait to see where the next thousand miles takes us!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA--> ME 2005

[JoshMcMadMac]

We are really moving now! We've completed 1,150 miles of trail and are feeling great. We've been completing some pretty high-mileage days, but are doing well with it. We've done 130 miles in six days, with days ranging from 21-25+ miles. We completed Maryland in two days and are now deep into Pennsylvania. The trail is not horribly mountainous here, but it is incredibly rocky and there is poison ivy everywhere! Not to mention the 90º+ days we've been going through for almost a week on top of the sky-high humidity. The weather does not look like it will be toning down anytime soon, either. We still manage to get along well, we just have to be careful to hydrate heavily and end up soaking wet in sweat all day long.

We made it through the half-way point three days ago, at 1,087.5 miles from Springer and to Katahdin. There is a little general store almost right at the half-way point that is part of a state park. This is home of the half-way "Half-Gallon Challenge." The challenge is to consume an entire ½ gallon of ice cream. I took it on with a box of Hershey's chocolate ice cream and conquered it in 38 minutes. That is 2,400 calories in one sitting! It made my stomach a little confused, but I hung in there and actually hiked an additional 8 miles after that. Only a Thru-Hiker could concoct such a horrid display of self-inflicted gluttony and consider it a challenge, not sadism. Still, it was a pleasure to have partook of the tradition and succeeded.

We've been doing 20+ mile days for the past week, and I believe I am fully recovered from the perils of the insect bite. Still, with the tough weather and terrain we have been careful with all of the hiking we have been doing not to over do it. Today we took it quite easy, with only a half day of hiking and 10 miles. It's dad's birthday, so we used that as our excuse to slack a little, take the afternoon to relax, and come to the library to play on the internet. We will be putting in a few decent days until Friday, then we get to meet up with mom and Chrissy in Reading, PA! That will be enjoyable, rewarding, and so much more.

We are doing well and pushing on, and hope to continue making good progress like we have been doing. I hope all is well, and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME 2005

[JoshMcMadMac]

Less than 1,000 miles to go! Yesterday we crested 1,200 miles of trail. We now have just over 970 miles to go. Things are going quite well, and I am writing to you from the comforts of a hotel room and a day off, as mom and Chrissy came to see us in Reading, PA. It sure is a much needed visit, and one that has really lifted dad and I. It is wonderful to be able to spend a little quality time with them right now.

The weather has remained hot and incredibly humid. The days have been near 90 for quite some time now. The last two days cooled slightly, as thunderstorms have been passing through at night and light showers during the day. The weather is tough but tolerable, but it is compounded by the poor trail. Pennsylvania is know for having rocky trail, and it is quite technical at times trying to keep from getting hurt. The trail is routed straight through boulder fields many times during the course of a day, and the trail is always riddled with smaller rocks that are rough on the feet and joints. Not only that, but the poison ivy is taking over the trail completely. There is almost always thickets of poison ivy on the side of the trail, but it is becoming so bad that it is starting to grow over into the trail altogether. Add brambles, briers, and other thorny plants that hang into the trail and shred your tender flesh multiple times a day, and you tend to get a little frustrated. We are enjoying our time in the woods, but are anxiously anticipating a reprieve from some of these less pleasant aspects of the trail currently.

Other than my little rant about the poor trail conditions things are going well. Pennsylvania does not provide a great deal of opportunity to have spectacular overlooks and views, so the days are filled mostly with just walking and avoiding the many perils of rocks, roots, and plants that are designed to inflict discomfort. On the other hand of that, though, is the fact that there are not many (if any) incredibly steep climbs to summit a mountain either, which is a lot easier on us. We have been making good mileage each day and managing to keep safe and healthy as well.

I hope all is well, and hope to hear from you all soon. And I almost forgot, the Tour de France starts today! Be sure to back our American team and Lance to a seventh straight victory! (I had to put in my little plug for my hero, Lance Armstrong. ;) )

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[JoshMcMadMac]

This trip is becoming quite a saga. Tuesday I turned on my phone at around noon and had a voicemail from Chrissy. Come to find out she had appendicitis and would be going into surgery around 16:00. When it rains, it pours! They got the appendix out and she is recovering, but it is a lot to go through. Dad and I finished up hiking as quickly as possible and headed home. I spent Tuesday night and half of the day Wednesday with Chrissy in the hospital until we headed home at around 15:30.

As for the trail, we only have ~920 miles to go. We are almost out of Pennsylvania, and will soon be away from all of the harsh rocks. We are feeling good and moving good everyday, looking forward to hitting New England in a few weeks. Tuesday we went over a stretch of trail that is considered the most difficult part of the trail, aside from the White Mountains in New Hampshire. It was nothing but shear denuded rock, left over from zinc mining. It was very difficult bouldering, but we managed to get through it in one piece. It was quite tough on the knees, but we were happy to get it done. We still managed to complete a 17.5 mile day on Tuesday, then we got home as quick as possible. There is something to be said for having a cell phone that works in the backcountry.

Hopefully Chrissy will be better in a few days and I can get this trip finished. I am thankful that we were close enough to home that I could get here in time, and also that we had the vehicles with us so that we could hop in the Lincoln and get home right away. Luckily she is smart and got to the hospital as soon as she realized it was appendicitis, so it did not rupture. I still cannot believe the luck she has been having, and am praying that the worst is finally over with.

We should be back on the trail in under a week and back to pushing through it. Life does not stop because we go on the trail, so we have gotten to the point where we just hike day-by-day and check the phone a couple times a day. Hopefully this will be the last of our poor fortune, at least in the near future. I hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME 2005

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by Bill's89LSC:
The trail ran through my backyard, when you get to Unionville NY, stop by the general store and tell them Bill Laird sent ya. They'll get a kick out of it!

Bill

quote:Originally posted by Bill's89LSC:
I printed out yout itinerary, A friend from High school owns the general store in Unionville NY so you may get a package if you stop in. I'll make sure that he can hold it until you get there (as long as it's not a sunday). Good luck and happy travels till then.

Bill

Hey, Bill. I will stop by the store when we get there. It will only be a few days after we get back on the trail, which I am hoping will be Sunday. I know to go to Horler's General Store; should I speak to anyone inparticular?

[JoshMcMadMac]

Hey all. Chrissy is recovering from her appendicitis and feeling better. Dad and I are heading back to the trail tomorrow. I have updated the itinerary on the website to now reflect the proper dates, but with any luck we will be pushing on and getting ahead of it quickly. We should be hitting it hard, and hopefully home soon, after we have competed the trek. I hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME 2005

[JoshMcMadMac]

We've been making out pretty well since we got back on the trail. the temperature is still in the mid-80º's and the humidity is still wicked, but we are pressing on pretty well. Pennsylvania is well behind us, and the rocks are starting to fade. We hiked our longest day yet on Wednesday, doing 27 miles. We followed that up yesterday with another 24 miles! We have now completed 1,350 miles, leaving 825 to go. We will be completely out of New Jersey tomorrow and into New York for a few days.

The trail has been decent. We've been rained on the past few days, but that's only fair; it's been a long time since we've been rained on while hiking. The unfortunate side to it is that it has done nothing to curb the temperature. Still, it feels great to be getting some good miles under our feet. We have been seeing a bit more wildlife, like the bear cub we scared off yesterday. Otherwise things have been pretty uneventful. New Jersey is almost behind us. It has certainly been more forgiving, with less rocks than Pennsylvania. However, the mosquitoes are incredibly thick here, so we cannot wait to be rid of them. In less than a week we will be through New York and into New England, another great milestone to shoot for. I hope all is well with you and hope to hear from you soon!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME 2005

[Nick]

The New Englanders eagerly await your arrival. :D

[JoshMcMadMac]

Another state down! We've crossed into Connecticut today, finishing our ninth state. We are now into New England, and have 730 miles to go. We are moving well, but the heat and humidity has been holding us back a little. 90ºF+ days make it a little tough to hike quickly, especially with the astronomically high humidity. It leaves us dripping in sweat and rather soggy within a few minutes of hiking. Nonetheless we are doing well and moving along.

We've been seeing a lot of deer lately, and often scare them off as we hike by. There have also been a ton of wild blueberries, making for great snack breaks through the day. ;) The insects have become viscous, so we are in the tent every night to keep from being eaten alive. Otherwise things have been rather uneventful. We should be into Massachusetts Saturday, and are excited to keep on moving. I hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
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[pro-five-oh]

Wow that is awesome! Glad to hear you're doing so well!

[JoshMcMadMac]

Another state down! We've now completed Connecticut and just over 1500 miles of trail. Just four states and 670 miles remain. The weather has remained warm, but has become slightly more tolerable the past few days, and the nights have actually been quite nice for sleeping. The temperature drops in the evening, making great sleeping weather, and the forest tends to trap that cool well into the day, allowing us to stay a little more comfortable much longer into the day. The weather looks like it is finally going to break sometime at the end of this week, so we are anxiously anticipating this promise turning into a reality! The trail is becoming more mountainous again, giving us more of a view at the summits as opposed to the constant, repetitive views of nothing but trees and each other every day.

Yesterday evening we took a slight detour into Great Barrington, Massachusetts. A friend of mine lives here and invited us to come stay with him. Not one to be impolite, I reluctantly accepted his offer. ;) John, a fellow Lincoln enthusiast, has really taken care of us. A few other Lincoln fans are coming over this afternoon, so we will have a small Lincoln meet and a cook out. Dad and I took the day off today, although not originally our intention. His knee is bothering him, so we felt it was in our best interest to take a day of rest to make sure things did not become any worse. So we have been lucky enough to have John's place to stay at and his great hospitality on top of everything else.

We have another 80 miles of Massachusetts to conquer, then we are into Vermont for 150 miles. The days seem to be flying by now, along with the mileage. Hopefully I will be hearing from you soon, and talking to you again soon from yet another milestone!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[waldbaro]

I was in Pearisburg today. I had forgotten how tall the mountains were there. It make me wonder if the mileage number for the trail include the ups and downs.

[JSev22]

It has been great having you and your pops over Joshua....good luck on the rest of your journey :D

[Bill's89LSC]

quote:Originally posted by JoshMcMadMac:


Hey, Bill. I will stop by the store when we get there. It will only be a few days after we get back on the trail, which I am hoping will be Sunday. I know to go to Horler's General Store; should I speak to anyone inparticular?

Hey Josh, My PC died the night I left to go to NY for a wedding so I couldn't respond until now. I was up in Unionville on July 14 - 17th and I stopped by Horlers. As I was walking in I spoke to an older couple that were eating ice cream outside the store in the back and I asked if they had crossed paths with you and your Dad anywhere.

When I told them you were a Father and Son team that a couple of times left the trail for health and personal reasons they seemed to think they met you. But they were under the impression that you were on the downward leg of the trail going south? :confused:

I'm not sure if you had actually made it past Unionville when I was there but it seems from your other blogs that your well out of NY and into the upper nothern states now. I hope that all is well and that you aren't wearing out too many shoes along the trail. ;)

Bill

[JoshMcMadMac]

Moving on through Vermont, and feeling good. The weather finally broke about a week ago, so the heat has given way. The New England style
weather is much nicer for hiking. It has not broken 80 during the days, and it becomes quite cool at night. It makes for great sleeping and chilly mornings. The terrain has not been too bad, either. The 1000ft+ climbs and decents have returned, as well as hiking above 3000ft. It has even started looking like New England, with wet rocks and roots, as well as lots of pine trees. We haven't seen any deer since Connecticut, and have only seen tracks of moose. All in all we
are feeling good and getting the miles under our feet. We have exactly 500 more miles to go, having completed 1675 so far. Friday should be
our last day in Vermont, then on to New Hampshire on Saturday. I hope all is well, and hope to hear from you all soon!

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[OneWayStreet]

Great hearing from you Josh! Been following this thread all summer. :cool:

[JoshMcMadMac]

Only two states and 400 miles to go! We are in Glencliff, NH and moving well. It feels good to have made it this far north (over 1770 miles!), but some of the toughest parts are yet to come. The White Mountains start tomorrow, which are known to be the most technical part of the entire Appalachian Trail. It is the home to Mt. Washington, the highest peak in New England at 6,288 feet and the second highest peak on the Appalachian Trail, second only to Clingman's Dome. We are ready to take it on, and excited to see how it goes.

The weather has been decent, with temperatures going from the low 50ºs at night to temperatures as high as the low 90ºs during the day. More often than not, though, it is in the high 70ºs and quite nice to hike in. The humidity comes and goes, but for the most part the excruciating heat and humidity are long behind us. Better yet, the poison ivy has almost vanished from the trail, a welcome change of pace from states past. We have not seen a deer since Connecticut, with only one exception yesterday. Signs of Moose are abundant, and Dad is dedicated to spotting one, but no luck yet.

To top things off, we have made it over two weeks without anything adverse occurring! Our luck has been holding out, and we just hope that things keep rolling nice and easy with our luck holding out all the way to Katahdin. I hope all is well with you and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME

[JoshMcMadMac]

Only 300 miles to go! We've almost finished New Hampshire, and will be in Maine tomorrow. Currently we are in Gorham, New Hampshire after completing the 100 miles of trail that go through the White National Forest. The Whites are considered to be some of the toughest of the Appalachian Trail, and you'll receive no argument from us. It traverses through the Presidential mountain range, and straight over Mt. Washington. This is the highest peak in the North East at 6,288 feet, and can be quite scary to hike in 50-60mph winds. The Whites are strewn with large rocks and boulders, and many times we are stuck climbing up a mountain hand-over-hand, or even worse, slowly climbing down the rocks backwards, as if lowering ourselves down a ladder. Many parts of the trail go above treeline, leaving us totally exposed to the elements and hiking across nothing other than shear rock. A straight 13 miles of the trail around Mt. Washington are above treeline, taking us up and over several of the presidential mountains, and right around many others. We were run along the ridge line for six hours, the entire time spent battling the winds that were almost strong enough to take us off the mountain like a kite. It does make for some spectacular views, and along with that some amazing pictures.

The terrain has definitely affected our progress though. Were it was typical for us to be completing 20 miles each day and averaging almost 3mph each and every day, now it is tough to get 15 miles done, and unheard of to get even 2mph. Yesterday we spent 13 hours hiking 21.1 miles over the last section of the Whites, and we are paying for it today. It was by far the worst trail conditions we've seen in over 1850 miles of hiking, and to top it all off it was raining, making the rock scrambles not just tough, but dangerous. We managed to stay safe, although rather battered by the end of the day. We are glad to be done with it, and amazed to finally be making it into Maine. No moose sightings as of yet, but we are still keeping our eyes open! I have updated the itinerary, and it is still available on my website here: http://jmcalister.bravehost.com/Itinerary.htm. I hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
MacGyver
GA -->ME

[waldbaro]

Are you finished yet?

[JoshMcMadMac]

We made it. We never thought we would see the day, but we finished the trail. 2,175 miles, 14 states, and almost six months have gone by and we have emerged victorious. We summited Mt. Katahdin, Maine, which is the northern terminus of the trail, at 12:20 on August 31st. We had set the last day of August as our goal for finishing, and miraculously we actually managed to pull it off, finishing four weeks ahead of our original itinerary.

The last 300 miles have been quite remote, becoming more so the farther north we went into Maine. After we left Gorham we had to get through Mahoosuc Notch, which is considered by most to be the single most technical mile on the entire trail. That one mile of trail alone took us 1 hour 45 minutes to complete, and it took most other hikers even longer. Mind you that this is not something I consider to be hiking; this was horizontal rock climbing. The trail remained mountainous and tough, driving us to get up earlier and earlier every day so that we could complete a full day of hiking before dark. By the time we finished we were at the point of hiking just before sunrise every morning. Soon we came across the illustrious Mr. Warren Doyle. We met Warren as he is completing his fourteenth thru-hike, having done so more times than any other hiker (and I thought once was bad enough!). Warren imparted expanses of knowledge upon us, without which we would undoubtedly still be on the trail. He was not only helpful, but took it upon himself to make sure that he remembered to tell us everything that he could think of. Many times he would come and find us to make sure that we knew something in particular, and even sat down at one point and hand wrote directions for the easiest route out of the park when we finished. It is amazing to think about how blessed we were to have come across him at just the right time,as his help was invaluable. Of course another invaluable item we had was the camera, that amazingly survived the entire hike. Going over Saddleback Mountain in the rain I tried to turn it on to take a picture and was greeted not with a green light, but instead a small plume of smoke from around the power button. I was certain it was toast, but once it dried out it worked fine! However, the LCD gave up in the rain after the last picture we took on the top of Katahdin. It served us until the last step, held on until the end, and then let go. Canon makes an absolutely terrific camera.

The last portion of the trail is referred to as "The 100 Mile Wilderness" and that is no understatement. There is nothing but wilderness and logging roads all the way through until you reach Baxter State Park, which is home to 14.4 miles of the Appalachian trail and the highest peak in Maine at 5,267 feet, Mt. Katahdin. We started putting in some bigger miles and moving quicker again which felt great and really reassured us that we could be finished soon. We had our fun, our excitement, our adventure, and we were ready to wrap it up. On the 31st we got hiking at 5:30 that morning through the rain. We started up from the base of Mt. Katahdin at 9:00, tackling the tallest and toughest climb of the trail. Starting elevation was 1,080 feet, going for 5.2 miles and peaking at 5,267 feet, a climb of almost 4,200 feet! Treeline is at ~3,400 feet and runs for over two miles to the peak. It rained all the way, and the wind became quite scary at points easily hitting 40mph. The weather absolutely abused us, but once the sign on the summit came into view nothing hurt anymore. Dad and I joined hands and touched the sign together, a monumental landmark in both of our lives. We both smiled, speechless, no longer feeling the frigid rain or the blustery wind, or the horrible exhaustion and pain throughout our bodies. Not only had we made it, we made it every step of the way together. Despite every obstacle that stood in our way we overcame insurmountable odds and could now officially say that we are thru-hikers. After the moment passed we went about taking a few pictures and consuming our "celebration" that we brought to the top with us. Dad had his Yukon Jack and I shared my keg with him. I carried a keg up that mountain, although only a keg can. Then we got off that mountain as quickly as possible and headed straight for my sister's house in Rhode Island. I have the pictures from Katahdin hosted here (http://www.filefarmer.com/JoshMcMadMac/index.html), and I will get more up soon.

It feels good to be done, and to have actually accomplished what we set out to do. Now it is back to everyday "civilized" life, a much less abusive way of living. It will take some time for the body to recover from the prolonged pounding it took, but all things considered we came out of this in pretty good shape. We feel great and are in great shape, although many of our joints (knees especially) are going to take some time before we can put any major use on them again. It was a long journey, and now it is complete. Thanks for being there with us through it all. I hope you have enjoyed our hike. I know we have.

Regards,
-MacGyver
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[waldbaro]

Congratulations! What an achievement. I've seen many people who passed through our YMCA who had to quit because the trail beat them up. I'm glad to see that you and your father are ok and headed home.

[JoshMcMadMac]

Thought you might like to see this: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/travel/escapes/23trail.html
The NY Times had an article about the trail, or at least the northern terminus of it. What's really cool is that we hiked with most of the people in that article at some point. We actually found Croc Walkers camera on the trail and chased him down to return it to him. Enjoy the article.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME