Take a Hike! E-Book

Tim Hewitt

• Herausgeber: myOstrich Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Take a Hike! is the story of one man's journey on the twenty-one hundred and sixty-seven mile long Appalachian Trail.  Tim Hewitt, whose trail name was Paddler, writes about trip planning and preparation and includes his daily journal for the six month adventure.  He is joined by his thirteen year old son David for five weeks in the summer. David's journal and perspective are also included.This book is not intended to be an all-inclusive planning guide for your Appalachian Trail thru-hike, but it does contain information that the author believes will help you to plan and succeed in your own long distance hiking adventure.Bonus chapters bring you a sample of Tim's creative writing talent as well, as he introduces you to the mythology of the Cherokee Ugalu, and the Penobscot Pamola, two spirit-beasts that haunt the Appalachian Mountains. These short stories are also available in the stand-alone book Appalachian Trail Myths: The Ugalu & Pamola.

Leseprobe

Take a Hike!

A long walk on the Appalachian Trail

Tim “Paddler” Hewitt

David “Spotted Bear” Hewitt

Edited byKelly Hartigan

Illustrated byJeanine Henning

Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2016 Tim Hewitt

All rights reserved

First Edition, November 2016

With bonus chapters: The Ugalu, Pamola

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contributing Author: David "Spotted Bear" Hewitt

Cover design by Jeanine Henning

http://jhillustration.wordpress.com

Editing by Kelly Hartigan of XterraWeb

http://editing.xterraweb.com

Created with Vellum

Dedication

This trip would not have been possible without the support of my family. My wife, Wendy, and kids, David, Jennifer, and Thomas, were unbelievable through the whole adventure. My in-laws traveled to Maine to spend time with them and help around the house. Fairchild Semiconductor was good enough to let me take a six-month leave of absence and pursue my dream.

Without all of this support, I could never have made the journey. Thank you all.

The unsung heroes of the Appalachian Trail (AT) are those who volunteer their time to maintain the footpath from Georgia to Maine. None of us could do this without the numerous chapters of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and the countless volunteers who spend time repairing washouts, removing blow-downs, building and maintaining bridges, shelters, water bars, and other trail features.

Last, but not least, I want to thank the trail angels who show up at the most opportune time with water, soda, cookies, food, rides to town, or anything that thru-hikers need along the trail. My hat is off to you! Without trail angels, many hikers would drop off the trail and go home before finishing. The morale boost that your little bit of trail magic gives us is often just what we needed to take another step and follow that white blaze to our next destination.

About this Book

Take a Hike! is the story of one man's journey on the twenty-one-hundred-and-sixty-seven-mile-long Appalachian Trail in 1999. Tim Hewitt, whose trail name was Paddler, writes about trip planning and preparation and includes his daily journal for the six-month adventure. He is joined by his thirteen-year-old son David for five weeks in the summer. David's journal and perspective are also included.

This book is not intended to be an all-inclusive planning guide for your Appalachian Trail thru-hike, but it does contain information the author believes will help you to plan and succeed in your own long-distance hiking adventure.

Much of what is in the book was published on the Internet back in 1999, as Tim prepared for and then hiked the trail. Initial sections are reproduced here mostly as they were written, with the perspective of someone planning a trip, not with the hindsight of someone who completed it. Additional information has been added to this book over what was initially published online.

The Ugalu and Pamola chapters of this book are works of fiction. Characters and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. They have also been reproduced as stand-alone short stories in the book Appalachian Trail Myths: The Ugalu & Pamola.

Foreword

Take a Hike! began as just a dream, long before I actually hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT). After a number of years of procrastination, I decided it was time to tell the story.

This is not a planning book for future thru-hikers, though there are interesting bits and pieces here that will help anyone who is thinking about the trip.

It's not intended to tell you how to hike the AT. I won't lecture you on the proper way to do something, as everyone on the trail has different needs. What works for one thru-hiker will not necessarily work for another.

What this book will do is describe the process I went through from finding out that I had permission to go, to the planning and preparation stages, then the hike itself, and finally some post-hike thoughts and perspectives.

I have also included my personal versions of two pieces of trail mythology. The first story is my version of a Cherokee Nation story of the Ugalu. This is a creation myth that describes how the balds were formed in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The second tells a tale of Pamola, the Penobscot Nation spirit-beast who watches over Mount Katahdin in Maine. I hope you enjoy these additions as well.

The Initial Shock

On April 20, 1997, my wife asked me when I was going to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT). This was something I had long talked about, and the answer was always "someday."

She insisted that I either “poop or get off the pot,” so to speak and suggested that I go now.

"Now?" I incredulously asked.

"Well, as soon as you can plan it, and after you finish the upstairs of the house," she replied

The upstairs of the house had been unfinished for ten years by then.

After more prodding and questions to make sure she wasn't pulling my leg or getting me all worked up over something that just wasn't going to happen, the truth finally set in.

I am going to hike the AT beginning in March of 1999.

Thus begins the planning stages for A long walk on the Appalachian Trail.

My plans for the trip are simple. Start in Georgia in March and walk until I get to Maine, approximately twenty-one hundred sixty-seven miles later. I know there is more to it than that, but at twenty-two months and counting, there is little else I can say right now.

I am a geek and a nerd as well as a paddler (hey, there's an appropriate trail name—Paddler) so you can expect to see updates of my trip on the web. Come to think of it, I can take a digital camera, my Apple Newton MessagePad, a cellphone, and a solar charger and update my pages directly! Way cool. Gotta add this to the list.

By the way, in case you are wondering, I asked my boss for permission to take a six-month leave of absence to hike the trail and was immediately granted permission. When I visited the CEO of the company, to have him sign my leave papers, he leaned across the desk and said in his deadpan voice, "Let me get this straight. You are going to fly to Georgia and then walk back home?" After a moment of silence, he added, "I have some extra frequent flier miles if you need them to get back." He signed the papers with a grin and wished me well on my adventure.

I really love working for Fairchild Semiconductor and feel privileged to be able to take this time off without fear of losing my job. Life is great, isn't it!

Trip Planning

I started reading everything I could about current, past, and planned AT hikes in books and on the Internet, and I talked to former hikers on and off the trail.

I was able to do a couple of preparation hikes in the White Mountains on the AT in Maine and New Hampshire, which told me a couple of interesting things about the trail and what I would be up against.

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) are invaluable sources of material, guidebooks, maps, and planning guides. All of that information is still available to you and will be more up to date than any references I can include in this book. Buy what you think you need, read it, figure out what works for you, and get busy!

The Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA) is the key resource anyone needs when preparing for a thru-hike. I cannot recommend them enough. Join the organization, read their newsletters, buy their book, Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion, and enjoy every step of your journey.

I needed to map out a hiking plan—with projected miles each day—so I could determine what food and supplies would go into mail drops. I also needed to sanity check that I could complete the trip in six months. As it turned out, it was just a little longer than six months, and my hiking plan was a good guide—even if I did not always stick to the plan.

July 1998

As I write this, there are two-hundred and fifty-one days left before I start hiking. The folks at work are still not quite sure I mean it. Some are in denial, some really supportive, and some are asking me for my cellphone number. They will do fine, and I'm starting to transition my support duties to other people now at a regular pace. As my start date gets closer, I'm sure there will be some trepidation, but the staff here is outstanding, and they will have no real problems with me being gone (Hmmm, maybe there is a downside to this trip after all.).

My plan has evolved, and I am not taking my Newton or a cellphone. I decided I don't want to be tied to anything that closely. The weight is a small factor, but my pack weight is coming along just fine, so I'm not really concerned about that. I will be keeping a journal using a pen and paper, and Wendy has agreed to transcribe it for the web page regularly. I am currently planning to take along a digital camera, an Epson PhotoPC 600, so there will be photos at least.

I am still a nerd and a geek, though some have said I am a bit abnormal for a geek. I coach Little League Baseball, youth soccer, and am currently the Scoutmaster of Troop 350 in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. The boys in the troop are really excited about my upcoming hike, and my son David is now planning to join me in Maine when school lets out. I know this will reduce my daily miles, but what a great opportunity to spend some real quality time with my son. He will be thirteen and is a big kid now at twelve. I'm not overly concerned at the potential drop in mileage, but we'll plan accordingly. Young Thomas doesn't understand why he can't come too. He'll be eight and he thinks he's twelve now. Jenny thinks six months is a long time for Daddy to be gone. I'll miss them all terribly.

Wendy's mother has agreed to stay with her next spring to help her get through the initial weeks. Baseball lasts until July, and all three kids play, so between school, Scouts, and sports, spring is pretty busy around here. She was here this spring for two weeks, after Jennifer fell and broke both her wrists. Life is never boring at the Hewitt house! Wendy is still committed to my hike, and I may need to have her committed when I return. Last summer it was a long way off; now it's almost real. By Christmas, it will be all too real.

Current plans have me leaving work on March tenth and finishing any last-minute details. We'll leave Maine for Atlanta on March thirteenth. Wendy and I will fly down and rent a car. We'll stay in the lodge at Amicalola Falls State Park for two nights. I'll start hiking on the fifteenth.

A copy of my hiking plan, food drop locations, et cetera, will follow.

December 1998

One hundred days and counting! Yes, I'm still going. Yes, Wendy thinks I'm a bit touched in the head, but she's seen worse from me and is still quite supportive.

My kids don't understand yet. Tom and Jenn are not quite sure what it means when I say I'll be gone for four to five months. David is quietly excited to be the man of the house while I'm away and to join me when school lets out for the run to the finish in Maine. The four-foot map of the AT is in the living room now, and it is a constant reminder of my trip—as if the continuous running of the food dehydrator and piles of gear are not reminder enough.

One note on food. I'm drying veggies, chicken, tuna, shredded pork, and shredded beef (all meats are cooked first) to add to basic Lipton dinners for meals. So far, I like the options and varieties. I've been running a Harvestmaid dehydrator from American Harvest for months now, and it's been working flawlessly.

Not many things have changed since July. I'm dumping the Tyvek tarp in favor of coated nylon, and my clothing has been adjusted a bit. Other than that, I'm still working on the food list and mail drop schedule.

February 1999

Twenty-five days and counting! OH MY GOD! Okay, I feel better. Well, it's closing in on me, and no, I'm not ready.

My hiking plan is coming together, and though I know it's just a rough plan, it seems like some days the miles are really long, and others the miles are not anywhere near long enough. I'll probably throw the whole thing out the window once I get on the trail. That's okay; I need a guide.

The family is doing fine. David is excited about joining me in June. We've tentatively picked Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut as the rendezvous point. The family will come down, we'll spend a few days together, and then Dave and I will hike north. This will still get us to Katahdin before school starts.

Tom is not so sure this is a great idea. He's not ready for Dad to be gone for so long. Jenn is quiet and contemplative as usual. She's supportive, but she'll miss her daddy. I'll miss them all very much. Definitely the hardest part of doing this trip.

Food packaging is continuing. I've decided to over-prepare by twenty days. If I hike under the plan, that's okay, I'll use it in Scouts. If I fall short, I won't have to eat whatever is available at Mom and Pop's Corner Grocery Store in Out of the Way, Maine. That means drying more chicken and beef, but that's okay. The process is nearly perfected now.

Shipping boxes for mail drops were a hassle until Wendy brought back a twelve-inch square box from UPS for two dollars. Stop looking for boxes. These are cheap, strong, and just the right size.

Last item up for grabs is toothpaste. I'm looking in vain for tooth powder. The pharmacist remembers it from twenty years ago, but no one seems to carry it any more. Oh well, don't sweat the small stuff.

Update! Thanks to Sandpiper, I now have tooth powder. One two-ounce container will last for six months easy! Check your nearest health food store.

Why South to North?

When I approached my boss at work and told him I was going to take six months off and hike the Appalachian Trail, his immediate reaction was to tell me "You're not going right now!"

Fairchild Semiconductor had just separated from National Semiconductor, and we had lots of work ahead of us to make us truly a standalone company.

I offered to let him pick the date: spring of 1998, summer of 1998, or spring of 1999. These dates let me go before the infamous Y2K bug hits, another time when I feel I should be at work. In an attempt to delay the ultimate loss of my smiling face around the office, he chose the spring of 1999. I suspect he thought I would change my mind. Surprise.

One clear advantage of going south to north, and starting in the spring, is that my son can join me in the summer and finish the trip in Maine—summiting Katahdin and enjoying the beauty of the White Mountains. Other clear advantages are the social aspects and camaraderie I will certainly enjoy. Heading north with the throng of thru-hiker wannabes who will be leaving Georgia in the spring headed for Maine means I won't be alone, hiking against the crowds.

The last, and perhaps the most compelling, reason to travel south to north is best summed up by James Rutter in the following passage from his entry in the Rodale Press series Hiking the Appalachian Trail.

James writes:

That second night of the hike was spent in my little orange tent on top of Rainbow Ledges in a rainstorm. Thousands of black flies spent the night with me, congregated under my tent's rain fly. What occurred in the morning will come to be known in the annals of the Appalachian Trail as the Massacre of Rainbow Ledges. It was fought as I packed my soaking tent and sleeping bag to move on. The breeze had left with the storm and there was nothing to keep the thousands of flies away. I applied insect repellent until it stung. I mixed three repellents, only to have the flies come and drink it from my hand like birds at a fountain. The black flies were like a dark cloud over the ledges that morning, coming at me again and again, while I slapped and slapped. Someday I am going back there in midwinter, when there are no flies, and put up a plaque:

HERE

ON JUNE 7, 1971

THE BATTLE OF RAINBOW LEDGES WAS FOUGHT

AND JIM RUTTER ESCAPED WITH HIS LIFE

I've been in the Maine woods in June, and I know exactly what Jim was referring to. For a few weeks in the spring, the bugs in Maine are as bad as anywhere in the world.

My Gear List

What an interesting process this has been! I've been camping and hiking since I was a very young boy, yet selecting gear for this trip has been a real roller-coaster ride. I started with too much, cut back to too little, and now I think I'm zeroing in on it.

Let me add that I don't consider myself a gear-head, nor am I an ultra-light fanatic. I want to carry what I need and nothing else. I'm also six foot one inch with a large frame and my most comfortable personal weight is about two-hundred and thirty pounds. (I'm thirty pounds overweight at this time.) This lets me carry forty-five pounds on my back much more comfortably than someone who weighs in at one hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet!

This will probably change again, but here is the current list. The total weight of my gear without food is currently thirty-four pounds.

Gear

Gregory Shasta internal frame pack with extra outside pouchCoated nylon pack coverLeki Super Makalu hiking polesSierra Designs Clip Flashlight tent with fly, without groundsheet, with pegs and line. Note: I am changing this to a custom-built Nomad Long one-man ultra-light tent as soon as Kurt, the designer, finishes it and sends it to me on the trail.Nylon ground cloth—goes inside the tent or on the shelter floorL.L. Bean 20-degree down sleeping bag in waterproof stuff sack (replaced with a light-weight summer down bag on 6-1)Nylon sleeping bag linerThermarest 3/4-length sleeping padMagLite 2AA battery flashlight50 feet of nylon parachute cord (for hanging food bag)Epson PhotoPC 600 digital camera with extra memory and 4 AA batteries in a pack strap caseFood bagWaterproof stuff sack for clothes

Kitchen

Trangia alcohol stove1-pint fuel bottlePot Cozy (made from closed cell foam)Refillable butane lighterFirst Need deluxe water purifierOne package of Potable Aqua backup water treatment2 each, 1-quart Nalgene water bottles4-quart MSR dromedary bag1.4-liter titanium pot0.4-liter titanium mug1-pint Nalgene bottle (for rehydrating food while hiking)Lexan spoon1/4 nylon scrub padMountain Suds soap

Hip Pouch (Eagle Creek bag attached to hip belt)

AT maps and guidebook (through the next mail drop)Swiss Army knifeCompass

Data Pouch

8x10 spiral notepad with 2 ink pens (journal)Trifold wallet with cash, traveler’s checks, credit card, ATM card, driver’s licensePlastic watch attached to my pack strapOne-gallon Ziploc "data pouch" bagMicro-mini cassette recorder (Olympus L250) with earpiece

First Aid / Repair Kit / Personal Hygiene / Misc

Toothbrush, tooth powder (2 ounces, lasts 6 months), flossSmall roll of toilet paper with the paper core removedPurell waterless hand cleaner—individual use packetsMoleskin (3 - 4x4 pads)Nail clippersBand-Aids (10 various sizes)Duct tape (6 feet wrapped around water bottles)Antiseptic pads (2)Neosporin (small single-use packet)Bag BalmGold Bond Medicated PowderSterile pads (2 - 4x4)Sudafed (4 tablets)Imodium AD (12 tablets)Ibuprofen (film canister full)Sewing needleBoy Scout flint & steel with tinder (dryer lint)Blistex lip balmOne gallon Ziploc "washing machine" bagEar plugs—comfortable enough for sleeping in noisy shelters

Clothing—including what I'll be wearing

L.L. Bean Cresida Hikers, all-leather bootsExOfficio convertible nylon shorts/pantsActivent anorak shell (windproof)Coated nylon ponchoNylon gaiters—short. Keep the dirt and rocks out of boots.2 pair liner socks2 pair Thorlo wool blend socks2 pair Coolmax underwearNylon shortsPolypro long john bottoms2 Coolmax T-shirtsCoolmax lightweight long-sleeved shirtMedium-weight long-sleeved poly shirtMedium-weight fleece jacketFleece hat and gloves2 cotton bandanasHead netArmy Surplus jungle hatSandals—Nike "US Soccer" plasticNeoprene knee brace

Items in regular (weekly) mail drops as needed

Food—2 pounds per day–packaged in individual meal Ziplock bagsTraveler’s checksMaps and guidebooksToilet paper—1 small roll a weekPostcards already stamped and addressed1/4 nylon scrub padPurell waterless hand cleaner packetsSnowseal for boots—film canister full every 4 weeksReplacement journalCamera memory card

Items under consideration

I have a pair of fleece pants that might go along at the start of the trip depending on the weather in March in Georgia this year.

I'll have a second set of boots broken in. When the first pair fails, they go back to L.L. Bean for repair and are replaced by the second pair. Repeat if necessary.

The socks get rinsed and swapped each night, as does the underwear. Wet clothing goes on in the morning so dry clothing is always available at night.

I will most likely send home a few pieces of clothing when the temperatures rise. This will save a few pounds (long-sleeve, medium-weight poly shirt, gloves, poly hat, et cetera.)

I am not in favor of iodine for regular use in treating water. I will use the Potable Aqua (iodine) only if my filter fails, and only until I can get it replaced. If you are an iodine proponent, more power to you. All I can tell you is to read the label on the Potable Aqua packaging. There are more warnings there than on a bottle of rat poison.

The mini cassette recorder was Wendy's idea. I'll be able to hear messages from my kids, record my thoughts while hiking, talk to the family, interview other hikers, et cetera. We'll see how it works out.

Gear Updates from the Trail

Friday, 3-19-99

The backpack is already too heavy! Here are the items that Tim sent home from Walasi-Yi (his first mail stop):

Nylon sleeping bag liner4-quart MSR dromedary bagCompass4" candleBoy Scout mini can openerSwiss Army knifeLeatherman

While a few things came home, Tim did add a piece of gear to his pack. The eight inches of snow in Franklin, North Carolina persuaded him to get a pair of waterproof pants! A simple nylon baseball cap was added as well to help keep the hair out of his face.

Tuesday, 4-13-99

Another box of stuff arrived today. Here's what he's decided was dead weight:

All the Appalachian Trail guidebooksAppalachian Trail maps of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennesseebutane lighternylon tarpcassette recorderand finally ... one heavy-duty neoprene knee brace

Monday, 6-8-99

Another box containing the cold-weather sleeping bag and headlamp arrived today, along with underwear. Apparently, Paddler will be going commando from now on, as the underwear just gets wet from sweat and causes chafing. The convertible shorts/pants did not work out. They are gone too and replaced with simple nylon hiking shorts.

The Alcohol Stove

I have used all types of camping stoves over the years, and I have watched people fuss with stoves with moving parts, stoves that needed to be primed before they worked, stoves that burned wood, stoves that didn't burn anything because they were broken ... What I've decided to carry on my hike is an alcohol stove. These can be made from a couple of cut-up soda cans, but I decided to use a high-end commercial stove from Trangia.

One trick to using the alcohol stove was my pot-cozy cooking style. I’ll describe that later, but it’s key to low fuel use with any stove.

I have been playing with fuel sources for my Trangia alcohol stove, and it has been an eye-opener. Since Coleman fuel (white gas) is typically sold by the ounce or by the pint all along the Appalachian Trail, I am at a slight disadvantage when it comes to my Trangia stove. My likely fuel sources are 100-proof ethanol (moonshine), methylated spirits (wood alcohol), denatured alcohol (ethanol with methyl alcohol added to make it poisonous), and isopropyl alcohol.

Interesting sources of these fuels exist along the trail. Moonshine is probably available in the southern mountains; however, I don't plan to go hunting for a still! North of the Mason-Dixon Line (the Pennsylvania-Maryland border), isopropyl and methyl alcohol are both available in gas line dryer additives from the local service station. Be careful with these sources, however, as some of these products are petroleum based, and you don't want to fire those off in your alcohol stove.

In any hardware store along the way, denatured alcohol is available as shellac thinner. Be careful to buy a product without additives. Many add acetone, and this burns with a noxious odor. It's probably not too good to inhale these fumes either.

The following brand name fuels were tested in a fairly unscientific manner. I brought two cups of very cold tap water to a boil in my kitchen, after a few glasses of wine. The test was to bring the pot to a roiling boil, usually noticed when the steam pushed the lid of the pot aside and it vented. In all cases, the boil time was probably faster than recorded. It's all relative anyway.

Here are the fuels I tested: Denatured alcohol, Wal-Mart brand shellac thinner; Drygas, isopropyl gas line additive; Ice-o-Dry, isopropyl gas line additive; Heet, methyl gas line additive; Tech2000, methanol gas line additive; and Unigard, methyl gas line additive.

All of the fuel options boiled water between seven minutes nine seconds and eight and a half minutes.

The isopropyl products produced a very large amount of soot, and their flames were generally out of control. They licked up the side of the pot, blackening it and kissing the rubber coating on the handles. I definitely would not use these as my first choice.

The methyl products were the cleanest burning, as well as the hottest.

A second pot of water boiled in about two-thirds of the time of the first pot whenever I did a two-pot boil test. It seems that the alcohol stove really gets going once the stove itself heats up and the fuel boils, causing the fuel to come out the jets as a high-speed gas.

The way this little stove works still amazes me. I can wait eight minutes to boil water, when my stove has no moving parts to break down along the trail.

Food

Food has to be the one thing that concerns me the most on this trip. Do I have enough? Too much? The right mix of stuff?

I've read that I'll lose between thirty and fifty pounds on this trip. I'm not sure that's all bad since I'm overweight to begin with, but I don't look forward to being hungry all the time.

I think I've put together a reasonably balanced trail diet, while trying to stay high in calories.

A few basic principles led me to this list of food.

I will only cook one meal a day.I will only carry two pounds of food per day.I will use mail drops as my principle food source.

Breakfast

Breakfast is the same every day with some minor variation based on the actual selection of items.

2 packages of instant oatmeal (300 calories)1 package Pop-Tarts (400 calories)Lemonade or Tang drink mix (1 quart, every other day)Hot cocoa or hot cider (a few available if needed)

The Pop-Tart flavors are strawberry, blueberry, and cinnamon, and are all frosted.

The oatmeal flavors are regular, maple & brown sugar, cinnamon & spice, and apple & cinnamon. Believe it or not, cold instant oatmeal is quite good. I don't think I'll eat it cold, however, since the stove uses so little fuel just to warm water to where the oatmeal is more palatable.

The drink mix has been on and off the list more times than I can count. It's currently on but not for daily use. Powdered drink mixes are very heavy for the resulting benefit. I think the break from just drinking water will mean I'll carry this for about half of the days.

Lunch

Lunch is the food eaten between breakfast and dinner. It is not likely to be eaten in an extended break, but that could happen. Lunch will be made up from a selection of the following items. Not all items are in the lunch packet each day, but lunch is always around one thousand calories, selected and pre-packaged from this list:

Beef jerky (1/2 cup)GORP (1/2 cup)Cheese crackers with cheese filling (6-cracker pack)Cheese crackers with peanut butter filling (6-cracker pack)Dried fruit (1/2 cup)Power barCandy barGranola barBreakfast bar

The homemade GORP contains peanuts, dry roasted peanuts, macadamia nuts, almonds, cashews, dried cranberries, dried bananas, dried mangos, plain M&Ms, peanut M&Ms, raisins, dried apples, dried papayas, dried pineapples, carob chips, sunflower seeds, and sometimes other stuff.

The dried fruit mix contains apples, pineapples, apricots, mangos, prunes, and papayas.

The candy bars on the list are Snickers, PayDay, Nutrageous, and Baby Ruth.

Dinner

Dinner is the only meal I'll cook. Cooking starts at noon by placing the dried shredded meat and dried vegetables into a small Nalgene bottle and covering them with water. When it is time to cook, the meat and veggie mix is dumped into a pot with a rice- or pasta-based dinner along with enough water to cover. Bring this to a boil. Remove from the heat and cover with a pot cozy to continue cooking. In ten minutes, it's time to eat. This conserves fuel and works brilliantly.

Noodle or rice instant dinner1/3 cup dried mixed vegetables1/2 cup dried shredded meatBrownie or pudding for dessert

The noodle or rice dinners are multiple brands and many different flavors. Some are of the Hamburger Helper variety, split in half and repackaged. Some are rice based and some are pasta based, but all cook in less than ten minutes, and only require that water and the meat and veggie mix are added.

There are at least twenty different dinner bases here of all imaginable flavors. Lipton, Rice-A-Roni, and Pasta-Roni make up the bulk of it with generic brands mixed in.

The dried meats are dried and shredded beef, pork, chicken, and tuna. By combining the different meats with the different bases, I have a wide variety of flavors—no mac and cheese every night for me.

One additional dinner, a shepherd's pie, is made from:

1 cup Idahoan brand instant mashed potatoes1/2 cup dried shredded beef1/2 cup dried corn1 package instant gravy

Post Hike Note: The shepherd’s pie was not good on the trail. Heavy without any real value. I only did this a couple of times and then stopped putting it in my drop boxes.

Pudding is made by combining half a box of instant pudding with one-third of a cup of powdered milk in a Ziploc sandwich bag. Water is added at prep time, and the mix is thoroughly blended in the bag. You can simply cut one corner of the bag to eat, so there are no dirty dishes!

All of the food is packaged on a per-meal-use basis, and much of it is sealed in baby bottle liners using a food sealer from Pack-n-Save. This helps to organize things and keeps me honest. This way, I won't eat all the GORP for a week on Monday. This has been extremely successful in the planning stages.

Here are the various flavors of noodle and rice meals, keeping in mind that dried tuna, beef, pork, or chicken along with one-third of a cup of mixed dried vegetables go into the pot as well.

Type, Calories

Beef Stroganoff, 800Linguine with Chicken & Broccoli, 740Lasagna, 700Vermicelli with Garlic & Olive Oil, 720Noodles & Alfredo, 660Pasta Mushroom, 640Pasta Rotini, 640Angel Hair Pasta with Herbs, 640Noodle Stroganoff, 600Noodles & Butter & Herb, 600Cajun Rice with Beans,600Noodles & Chicken, 580Rice & Chicken, 560Rice & Herb & Butter, 560Rice & Cheddar Broccoli, 560Noodle & Beef, 560Rice & Beef, 540Pasta & Garlic & Olive Oil, 540Rice Medley, 540

Mail Drops

The decision to use mail drops was not too difficult for me. I enjoy food. I don't plan to eat Ramen noodles and mac and cheese for five months on the trail. I enjoyed preparing my food, and I'm bringing home-dried shredded meats and vegetables along to add variety, flavor, and nutrition to my dinners.

I also packaged GORP and jerky in single-day packets to assist in planning.

I'll share with you one story that was told to me by a 1996 thru-hiker. He came into a small town to buy groceries late on a Saturday. The corner grocery store was open, but the choices were slim. He was planning to take seven days to hike to the next town. He ate canned beans, canned smoked oysters, and stale crackers for the next seven days—as those were the only foods available. His seven-day food weight was more than thirty pounds. That is not something I want to repeat. He survived it, but I want to do more than just eat to survive while on my hike.

The Mail Drops

Regardless of whether my hiking plan stays the same or not—that is even if the dates change—these mail drop locations should remain the same. The key is to have the kids pack up my meals and then send the box so it arrives before I get there. Some people will send all their boxes at once before they start, but I wanted the flexibility to change things up so the boxes will be sent just in time.

The mail drops I used are either in the town I'm going through, at the place I'm staying, or at an outfitter. Not all of these places will still be around when you plan your hike, but these will at least show you where I thought my best resupply options would be, based on my hiking plan.

Please double-check any mail drop location before sending anything to these addresses. Some will have changed names, ownership, addresses, or even have disappeared completely since this was first written.

Remember, you will likely need to be flexible before it's all over with!

Packages or letters should be addressed and marked:

Hiker Name

c/o Location (General Delivery for Post Offices)

Address

Please Hold for AT Thru-Hiker: Arriving MM/DD/YY

Neels Gap, GA—US19, US129 (UPS)

Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi Center

12471 Gainesville Hwy

Blairsville, GA 30512

Dicks Creek Gap, GA—US76 (UPS)

Blueberry Patch Hostel (Closed)

5038 US Hwy 76

Hiawassee, GA 30546

Nantahala River, NC—US19 (UPS)

Nantahala Outdoor Center

13077 W Highway 19

Bryson City, NC 28713

NC28 (USPS)

General Delivery

Fontana Village Resort, NC 28733

Davenport Gap, TN—TN32, NC17 (UPS)

Mountain Mama's Kuntry Store & Bunkhouse (Closed)

1981 Waterville Rd.

Newport, TN 37821

Nolichucky River, TN (UPS)

Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel

151 River Road

Erwin, TN 37650

Hampton, TN—US50, US321(UPS)

Laurel Creek Lodge (Now Black Bear Resort)

1511 Dennis Cove Rd.

Hampton, TN 37658

US58, VA (USPS)

General Delivery

Damascus, VA 24236

VA683, US11, I-81 (USPS)

The Village Motel

PO Box 160

RT 2

Rural Retreat, VA 24368

Pearisburg, VA—US 460 (UPS)

Holy Family Church Hostel

516 Mason Court Drive

Pearisburg, VA 24134

US220, VA (UPS)

Econo Lodge

240 Roanoke Road

Daleville, VA 24083

Rockfish Gap, VA—US250, I-64 (USPS)

General Delivery

Waynesboro, VA 22980

Bears Den Rocks, VA (UPS)

Bears Den Hostel

18393 Blue Ridge Mountain Road

Bluemont, VA 20135

Gardners, PA (UPS)

Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel

Ironmaster's AYH

1212 Pine Grove Road

Gardners, PA 17324

Port Clinton, PA (USPS)

Port Clinton Hotel

Port Clinton, PA 19549

NJ94 (USPS)

General Delivery

Vernon, NJ 07462

CT4 (USPS)

General Delivery

Cornwall Bridge, CT

Jerusalem Rd, Tyringham, MA (USPS)

General Delivery

Tyringham, MA 01264

Bennington-Brattleboro Hwy, VT9 (UPS)

Autumn Inn Motel

924 E. Main Street

Bennington, VT 05201 (Now Woodford, VT)

VT11, VT30 (USPS)

General Delivery

Manchester Center, VT 05255

Hanover, NH (USPS)

General Delivery

Hanover, NH 03755

Franconia Notch, NH—US3 (USPS)

General Delivery

North Woodstock, NH 03262

USPS

Gorham, NH—US2 (UPS)

The Barn @ Libby House B & B

55 Main Street

Gorham, NH 03581

ME27 (USPS)

General Delivery

Stratton, ME 04982