"God did not die for the good and beautiful: that is easy enough. The hard thing is to die for the miserable and corrupt."

-- from the movie Silence

Itinerary

I leave tomorrow night. Everything is prepared, just have to do a bit of housecleaning today, and then tomorrow put the final touches on. I was planning, when I was scheduled to leave on Friday, on taking the county transit to the Charlottesville train station. But as they don't run on Sunday, I'm going to have to get a cab. Thinking I'll try that uber thing--I guess I should contact them today.

Anyway, I'm posting my itinerary here, just in case anyone needs to find me or get in touch with me. I'll have my cell phone (434) 981-8303, and you can email (michaelsdupre@gmail.com), text, or call, although most likely I'll have to call you back, since it will be off most of the time to spare battery power, and I'll only be checking in a couple of times a day. But, you never know: I could lose it, or we could get hit by an EMP, or whatever. Also posting it here, so that if I lose my phone where the file is saved, or it dies, I can get on anybody's computer or phone and find out where I'm supposed to be and how to get in touch with them. So here's where and when I'll (tentatively) be.

1/29
Depart Amtrak Charlottesville 8:52 PM

1/30
Arrive Amtrak Gainesville 6:58 AM

1/30
Hiker Hostel 770-312-7342
7693 US Hwy 19, Dahlonega, Ga 30533

1/31
Amicalola Falls Trailhead, AT Approach Trail

2/7
Mountain Crossings Hostel 706-745-6095
12471 Gainesville Hwy, Blairsville, Ga 30512

2/14
Top of Georgia Hostel 706-982-3252
7675 US Hwy 76 E, Hiawassee, Ga 30546

2/21
Gooder Grove Hostel 828-332-0228
130 Hayes Cir, Franklin, NC 28734

2/28
Hike Inn 828-479-3677
3204 Fontana Rd, Fontana Dam, NC 28733

3/7
Grand Prix Motel 865-436-4561
235 Ski Mtn Rd, Gatlinburg, Tn 37738

3/14
Lauging Heart Lodge 828-622-0165
289 NW US Hwy 25/70, Hot Springs, NC 28743

3/21
Uncle Johnny’s Hostel 423-735-0548
151 River Rd, Erwin, Tn 37650

3/28
Mountain Harbour B&B 423-772-9494
9151 Hwy 19 E, Roan Mtn, Tn 37687

4/4
Hiker’s Inn 276-475-3788
216 E Laurel Ave, PO Box 396, Damascus, Va 24236
mail to:
Mt Rogers Outfitters 276-475-5416
110 W Laurel Ave, PO Box 546, Damascus, Va 24236

4/10
Relax Inn 276-783-5811
7253 Lee Hwy, Rural Retreat, Va 24368
mail to:
The Barn Restaurant 276-686-6222
7412 Lee Hwy, Rural Retreat, Va 24368

4/18
Woods Hole Hostel 540-921-3444
3696 Sugar Run Rd, Pearisburg, Va 24134

4/25
Four Pines Hostel 540-309-8615
6164 Newport Rd, Catawba, Va 24070

5/2
Staying with my daughter in Lynchburg

5/9
Stanimal’s Hostel 540-290-4002
328 Lee Dr, Waynesboro, Va 22980

5/16
Home

I'm setting myself a very moderate pace of six miles a day for the first couple of weeks, until I get to the Georgia border. Then I'll increase it to 8-10 through North Carolina and Tennessee, and then around 12 when I get to Virginia. I've given myself enough time to be able to maintain that all the way through, and still finish by October 15th, but I may increase it at some point, depending on how I feel. I'll make those decisions when I stop at home and plan the second "half" (actually, a bit more than half--from Amicalola Falls, Ga to Swift Run Gap, four miles from my house, is 916 miles, leaving 1282 to Mt. Katahdin).

Anyway, when I get home, I'll take a week or so to get a good rest, wash everything, repair and/or replace gear, plan all the stops for the second half, order supplies, pack resupply drops, and check on my house and garden. Then set out again around the last week in May, and that will give me 4½-5 months to walk that 1282 miles.

Can't wait to get on that train tomorrow. I've been going nuts here, confined in this house with nothing to do but plan and prepare.

Just got back from dropping my cat off at my brother's. My heart aches.

My four year old niece gave me this bandaid to take with me in case I get hurt on the trail.

"Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen, both when we sleep and when we awake." -- John Milton

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." -- William Shakespeare

Final Preparations

Packing resupply mail drops.

The current state of my kitchen:

In case you ever wondered what 12 pounds of beef jerky looks like.

A Beautiful Thing

I have made a new friend in India: brother Ravi. One of his ministries, and the one that caught my attention, is providing poor women with saris and dowries so that they can get married. In India, many women are mistreated, abused, and even killed over dowries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowry_system_in_India), and many more simply cannot marry, and thus often end up in the worst place a woman can end up--I don't even like to say the name, but you know what I mean.

This ministry reminds me of what the real St. Nicholas did, which seems to us comfortable Westerners like a tale out of the bad old days, so remote that it's nothing but an allegorical moral lesson. But much of the world is still in the darkness of paganism--modern India is in many ways very much like ancient Rome. (And the rest of the world, which once had the light of the Gospel, is moving with great determination and rapidity back toward that darkness.)

It only costs $4 to provide this beautiful gift to these lovely and vulnerable women. If you want to help, contact Bill Bray at Overseas Students Mission, who processes the funds for Ravi.

Date Set!

I found a hostel in North Georgia that specializes in AT hikers. They're going to pick me up from the train station in Gainesville, put me up for the night, and then drop me off at the trailhead next morning.

I'm leaving here on Amtrak January 27th, and will hit the trail the 29th, Lord willing and barring unforeseen circumstances such as severe weather, in which case I'll be at the hostel additional days. Three weeks!

Why Georgia?

The question inevitably arises, if my goal is to avoid the crowds of the northbound "bubble" on the trail, why not hike some other way in better weather? I could go north to south, flip-flop, etc., still avoid the pack, and not be hiking in the dark of winter.

The thing is, you see, I'm from Georgia. Born in Atlanta. And the AT has called to me since I was a boy. North Georgia was where we spent as much of our time off as possible; it's where my family is from, and it's the place from which I've always imagined starting the trail. It's familiar, and the North is the unknown, which I'll be walking off to explore. My father, my grandfather, my great grandfather, and my great-great grandfather are all buried 18 miles northwest of the trailhead, in Blue Ridge.

And I'll be starting at Amicalola Falls, on the "approach trail" rather than the official start of the AT at Springer Mountain, because that's where I've looked at this sign

all my life, and wished. I'll start at the top of the falls, though, rather than walking up from the bottom: I've done that hike plenty of times, including way back before they built the fancy wooden stairs. In fact, here are some photos I took of the falls, and from the top, when I was 8 or 9. 

The approach trail isn't officially part of the AT, so I'm not cheating or avoiding anything by not repeating the falls climb, except a lot of exertion and exhaustion on my first day out.

There are other reasons, as well: more practical ones. For starters, I'm anxious and don't want to wait that long. I'm already antsy, sitting here waiting to begin, and sitting out the rest of the winter while waiting for the earliest I could start from Maine would be intolerable. Also, it's commonly reported that if you start from Mt. Katahdin as soon as it opens, you'll be passing through the north country at the height of the infamous and abominable blackfly season, and I hate bugs. Frankly, I'd rather deal with bitter cold any day than incessant swarms of tiny biting flies. There's still the "flip-flop" option, but that doesn't really feel like a through-hike to me, although I know the ATC recognizes it as such.

So, it's Winter in the southern Appalachians for me. I should be back through here sometime in the Spring, if anyone cares to have a visit.

Sleepyfaces

Adjustments

After going over the shortcomings of my sleep system, I've decided to go with an option that corrects both the hammock and sleeping bag issues at once, and get this. It's specifically designed to fit my hammock, and this company is a small business owned and run by two retired Army vets here in Virginia.

As an added bonus, it covers another dilemma; that of whether or not to take a seriously warm, big down parka "just in case" (specifically, the one I'm wearing in the photo at right). But with this system, the top quilt can double as a down boreal jacket in an emergency (as in, temperatures dropping way below zero on a windy mountaintop miles from anywhere suitable for camp). Also, I didn't mention this in detail before, but the combination of sleeping bag and insulation system I have made it a very complicated and slow process to get out of the hammock, and I hate the feeling of being trapped in there and not being able to get out quickly if I need to. Old habits, I guess. Military sleeping bag zippers, for instance, have a quick-open feature which allows you to just yank the two sides of the bag apart and it comes right open.

Unfortunately, the best option is also the most expensive option, and I've more or less wasted the money I spent on my sleeping bag and wool liner. But, they might still be useful someday in some other situation, so it's not that bad. I think I will, however, return the insulating underlayer portion of my hammock system, as I'm within their ten-day return window. But I'll keep the over-cover, as it's extremely light and small when packed, and will still be useful for extreme cold.

I've also ordered a better set of lighter-weight, more flexible and packable gore-tex top and bottoms to replace my military-style ECWCS ones. The ones I've got are just too heavy and bulky to pack efficiently when they're not being worn, and too loud and stiff when they are. Also, the hood is designed to be worn over a helmet and is annoyingly in the way without one, always falling in my eyes and blocking peripheral vision.

It seems (and feels) like a lot of money to get ready for this trip. But I'll be using this stuff for years to come, only tweaking or replacing a piece here or there for other trips and activities, so it'll pay off in the end.

After Action Report

Warmth test successfully passed. I have, however, identified some deficiencies to be corrected before initiation of combat operations:

Deficiency #1: The interior of the hammock gets claustrophobic after I've been in there a while. I think this is because of the cold-weather "overcover" which covers the mesh top part of the hammock to keep in warmth. There's a ventilation hole near my face on one side, but it doesn't seem to be enough, and I'm not getting enough fresh oxygen.

Proposed Solution: Only use it in extreme cold and, when in use, arrange it so that there is some gap left at the top near my head. Adjust amount and location of gap as needed.

Deficiency #2: Back side begins to feel the cold through the hammock bottom as the night progresses and ambient and body temperatures drop.

Proposed Solution: Increase/change bottom insulation.

Deficiency #3: Sleeping bag awkward and difficult to get into and out of inside hammock. Zipper finicky and difficult to operate, especially while wearing gloves.

Possible Solutions: a) Replace sleeping bag. b) Replace sleeping bag with lightweight quilts designed for hammock camping. c) Adapt to sleeping bag through practice and patience.

Deficiency #4: Angle of hammock hang at foot end causes reverse pressure on knees (hyperextension). This has been noted by other hammock users, but it especially problematic for me because of my injuries.

Implemented Solution: Stuff empty sleeping bag stuff-sack with unworn outer layer (gore-tex shell) to create an under-knee pillow and relieve pressure.

Deficiency #5: Hammock pitch imperfect due to inexperience.

Proposed Solution: Get better.

Also, this can't be identified as a deficiency of the hammock, but I had trouble sleeping because of my sleep apnea and the absence of a CPAP. I'm looking into homeopathic ways of improving the disorder (one of which, fascinatingly, is magnesium, about which I have an entire other post to make). Also, once on the trail, fatigue will be my friend in this respect, as will continued weight loss. I may just have to deal with being less than perfectly well-rested during the early part.

Overall, I am quite pleased, and feeling very confident in my equipment. I've finally made up my mind and ordered a pair of insulated boots for winter hiking. My feet may end up getting overheated a bit during warm spells, but the consequences of hot feet are discomfort and blisters, whereas the consequences of cold feet are frostbite and loss of toes. I ordered them in a wider width than my others, so I can wear two pair of wool socks. Also, although having bought actual boots in very high quality, I'm not concerned that I'll go through 3-5 pairs of shoes during the course of the trail like people who wear the modern sneaker-type hiking shoes, there is a possibility that I'll wear the soles down to a point that they will need to be re-soled, or else will cause problems with my feet and ankles due to uneven wear. But with one pair for winter and one for summer, I should prevent this issue. (I'm not carrying both pairs with me: I'm preparing a box of summer clothes for my brother to mail to me when the weather warms up, at which point I'll mail back my winter gear.) I've also ordered an additional set of merino wool underwear: my camp clothes weren't quite warm enough without that layer, but the ones I've been wearing all day hiking will be damp from sweat when I stop. So this way, I'll have a dry pair to change into.

Speaking of my brother, another example of God's provision is that he and his family just moved back to their house in the NoVa area after his having retired from the Army, and they eagerly volunteered to keep my cat, watch my house (which I also offered them as a weekend getaway whenever they want), and act as my logistics base, mailing me resupply packages and such as I go along. Solved all my biggest worries about the trip in one fell swoop. I love living in His kingdom.

Winterization Training

My old commander made up that term--it means "sitting outside in the cold freezing your @$$ off on purpose".

I've been waiting for it to get really cold so I can test out my gear. Sat outside last night and this morning to see if my clothes are warm enough. (They are--except that my mittens haven't arrived yet, so my hands were a bit cold in just the liner gloves.) My hammock finally arrived this week, just in time, and I set it up yesterday to learn how it works. Tonight, I'm sleeping in it; it's supposed to get down to around 15 degrees.

I'm thinking that Sunday I'll go for a hike, and see how my "walking outfit" does in real cold.

I'd like to see some single-digit or even negative temps before I leave, to test out the outer limits of my stuff before I'm stuck out there with it. Of course, if it comes down to a matter of survival, I'll build fires and even windbreaks and shelters--I know how to do all that. There are sections of the AT where you aren't supposed to, and it's discouraged along the whole length, because of the heavy use it gets. But you're also not supposed to die out there.

Fiona Apple - I Know