Georgia Timeline (2/18/12 - 2/27/12)

Feb. 18 (Sat.) - Official Start of Brett's 2012 A.T. thru-hike.
Weighed pack and signed in at Amicalola Falls Visitor Center (GA).
Hiked stairs to the top of the falls with the family. Continued on the approach trail with hiking buddy, Ed. Reached Springer Mountain (official start of the trail) and hiked the first mile, set up camp, and said farewells (in the rain).

Feb. 22 (Wed.) - Peaked Blood Mtn. (tallest point of the trail in Georgia).
Got a pack "shake-down" from Mountain Crossing Outfitter (reduced weight by about 5lbs.) and stayed at the Historical Hiker Hostel at Neel Gap (GA) [31.7 mi.].

Feb. 23 (Thu.) - Hiked 11 miles and stayed at Low Gap Shelter (GA) [43.2 mi.].

Feb. 24 (Fri.) - Hiked about 7 fairly easy miles. Arrived early and stayed at Blue Mountain Shelter (GA) [50.5 mi.].

Feb. 26 (Sun.) - Stayed at Budget Inn in Hiawassee (GA) [69.6 mi.].

Feb. 27 (Mon.) - Crossed the GA/NC border [78.5 mi.].

(2/24/12) Blue Mtn - Phone Update From Brett

I got a surprise phone call from Brett in the middle of the day today. He sounded really good. I think his emotions have finally calmed. He said that it is hard work on the trail, but he is really enjoying it. The views have been spectacular when the clouds are gone.

Brett stayed at Low Gap shelter last night (about 41 miles north on the trail). They got up early this morning and hiked 7 fairly level, quick and easy miles to Blue Mountain Shelter. They set up camp there (Brett has been staying in his own tent at each shelter.) and called home about 1:30pm EST. It reached 60 degrees today, but Brett said the wind was picking up and the temperature was starting to plummet.

Brett has been able to stay blister-free, but he did feel a "hot spot" starting to rub a little today. It sounds like the trail hugged the side of the mountain in such a way that made the trail a little slanted. However, they stopped early enough today that his feet should be feeling fine again tomorrow after a little break from hiking.

Another good thing about having time to rest today is they will have a little more energy for tomorrow's hike. Brett said they are in for a hard day. It will only be about 7 miles (which is what they completed today), but tomorrow they will hike straight down, straight up, straight down, and straight up again.

Tomorrow they should be near "the old cheese factory" (just an old building foundation and chimney), which is supposedly a nice camping spot. In a few days he expects to be able to go into the town, Hiawassee, Georgia, where they hope to stay at the Blueberry Patch Hostel. They will either catch a shuttle if they can, or hitch-hike.

I would imagine that good food and showers are always welcome amenities. Brett said that "everything stinks. I mean, stinks."

Brett and Ed have been sticking together and will continue to do so. They may not always be always be hiking side-by-side; one of them might be 70 yards in front of the other. Brett said that it is nice having the company. He also said there is a lot of time to reflect while you are walking. He said if you are happy with yourself, then you can enjoy the time with yourself that much more. All you need is something to eat and somewhere to sleep. He hasn't missed the distractions of TV or computer at all this week.

Brett and Ed have settled into their trail names. It is standard for hikers to give each other nicknames that they will use throughout their time on the trail. Brett has dubbed Ed "Tator Tot." Ed started calling Brett "Simply Good," but the nickname wasn't sticking very well with folk (no one could remember it). So they fell back to Ed's long-time nickname for Brett, "Big B."

Go, Big B!

(2/23/12) - E-mail From Brett

Subject:  Oh joy, what a day tomorrow

... WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM TO 7 PM EST FRIDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM TO 7 PM EST FRIDAY. * LOCATIONS... NORTH GEORGIA... ESPECIALLY HIGHER ELEVATIONS. * WINDS... WEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. * TIMING... BEGINNING MID MORNING ON FRIDAY LASTING THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY EVENING. * IMPACTS... HIGHEST GUSTS WILL BE ALONG RIDGELINES IN THE MOUNTAINS. WEAK TREES AND TREE LIMBS MAY BE DOWNED BY THE WINDS. ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 20 MPH... OR GUSTS TO 35 MPH OR STRONGER ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT... ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

(2/22/12) Blood Mtn, Neels Gap - Phone Update From Brett

The call I had been waiting for! I finally got to hear from Brett last night. And already I'm looking forward to hearing from him again, in another few days or so.

After four full days hiking on the trail, Brett and Ed completed 33 miles, including a 12-mile day on Tuesday (2/21/12). The hiking they did on Saturday (2/18/12) didn't "count", since it was the approach trail and is not an official part of the Appalachian Trail. Still, Brett said the 8-plus-mile approach trail up to Springer Mountain was tough.

Brett said they have been averaging about one mile per hour. He said there are a lot of slooooow ["grandma"] steps goings up. The good news it that his feet are doing great, and his muscles are feeling good. His knees do get sore from going downhill, but they feel better after being rested.

Although he is in bed for almost 12 hours a night, Brett said he has probably been averaging only 7 hours of sleep, what with various interruptions.

There is almost no green in the forest, and Brett has essentially seen no wildlife. He might hear a crow's caw or a little bird's tweet from time to time, but apparently it's too cold for the wildlife to come out.

It rained on the guys all night on Tuesday (2/21/12). Brett said it was cold and the icy rain on the tent was so loud. He was listening to the rain when it stopped, instantly quiet. Snow. It only snowed for about 10 peaceful minutes before returning to loud, icy rain.

On Wednesday (2/22/12), Brett and Ed hiked four miles going over Blood Mountain, the highest point of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. They arrived at the peak while it was still sunny and were rewarded with an incredible view. Brett has naturally been emotional beginning this adventure. He was teary-eyed registering at the visitor's center and going through the gateway there. He understandably lost it when he got to the peak of Springer Mountain and saw the plaque marking the start of the trail. And saying good-bye to the family was not without tears. But even a few days later Brett said he was still emotional about this trip. The view at the top of Blood Mountain brought his feelings back to the surface.

They ended up at Neels Gap on Wednesday (2/22/12), the only point where the AT goes under a roof. The trail goes through a covered breezeway between two old buildings, one of which is an outfitter. This business offers pack "shake-downs" for hikers. Hikers empty everything out of their pack and employees help them reduce their pack weight. Brett unloaded about 5 pounds (some clothing and I'm not sure what else), which he will have shipped home.

Brett and Ed stayed at a hostel there that night (shower!). Ed has friends who live nearby. They picked up the two guys and took them into town to resupply and eat a good meal (big, juicy hamburger!).

Brett said some of his trail food has been good, some just okay. The trail mix we put together earned great reviews from Brett. The instant stuffing was also a winner. The Parmesan cheese that was in a pasta dish stuck to everything and was too much of a pain to have again.

Brett said that one of things he has really enjoyed is the relationships he is forming with the people on the trail. He said there is an almost instant bond of friendship made with these "strangers," fellow hikers, that will be remembered for life. He said it is a very trusting friendship. There is no judging. They are all equals.

Besides being cold and perhaps a little tired, Brett seems to be doing well.

(2/20/12) Amicalola Falls and (2/18/12) Saying Goodbye - Becca's Update

It's hard to believe that we just sent Brett off on the Appalachian Trail--estimated hiking time about six months. Brett has been preparing for this adventure for over a year, and it's finally here. Brett put in a huge amount of time preparing for the trail: reading books, blogs, forums, and equipment reviews; watching documentaries and more YouTube videos than you can count; gathering his equipment and supplies bit by bit (you better believe that the UPS driver knows our house!); packing and repacking all of said equipment; and making adjustments here and there to get everything just right for his needs. And now it has begun.

It will be an adventure for Brett as he faces the elements, pushes his body to the limit, and tests his endurance both physically and mentally on the trail.

It will also be an adventure for his family as we support him from home. We are used to leaning on Brett to take care of everything that breaks or goes wrong. He is our Can-Do-Anything Man around the house and we will miss that. I knew that I would have to keep up with mowing the yard while Brett is gone, but the day before he left Brett mentioned that I would have to clean out the gutters after the oak trees drop their leaves. I jokingly said, "Wait a minute! I never agreed to that!" There is so much that he does around the house that I am not aware of. It will be a good learning experience for me. I am also looking forward to tracking Brett's progress on the map and keeping up a journal (in the form of blog posts). It will be a fun challenge to document the happenings at home for Brett.

The adventure began with a Family Road Trip. We caravaned up to Cumming, Georgia, with Ed's family and stayed in a hotel Friday night. My boys had a blast with Ed's three kids all weekend. On Saturday we drove to Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia, and spent some time at the visitor's center. Brett and Ed weighed their packs and signed the A.T. thru-hiker register. We took photos, let the kids play on the playground a bit, and began the A.T. approach trail. The approach trail begins with 740 steps going up Amicola Falls. The waterfall was beautiful, and I seemed to be the only one who seriously struggled all the way up. It was a beautiful waterfall and park, but I don't think we fully appreciated it all because of the many emotions we were all feeling, anticipating the farewell that was soon to come. We almost lost Ryan and Noah, but our family's matching tie-dyed T-shirts helped us track them down. We continued walking with the men, but soon let them continue the 7-plus-mile approach trail as we made our way back down to the visitor's center where are cars were parked.

We let the kids play some more, then drove to Elijay to pick up some food for the evening. We had heard that there was a severe weather warning beginning at 7:00pm that evening. We decided that it would be best to say good-bye that night and stay in the hotel again, rather than camping at the top of the mountain with all the kids during the thunderstorm.

Having finished the approach trail to the official start of the Appalachian Trail at the summit of Springer Mountain, the guys continued the next mile to the parking lot. They beat us to our rendezvous point, and the weather quickly started deteriorating as it got dark. They had made a fire while waiting for us, and the kids had fun with that while the men raced to finish setting up their tents before the rain came in full force. They ate a quick dinner (while simultaneously setting up camp) and we said quick good-byes.

Kristie and I were anxious to get back down the mountain before the rain turned the 6.5-mile clay road into a dangerous slip-and-slide down the mountain. Brett was anxious to have the good-bye's over with, because he was already starting to get emotional and didn't want to be a blubbering fool in front of everyone. He hugged us all, we said good-bye, and we got back on the road. I got teary as we drove away from the two little tents in the rainy dark with our husbands and fathers. All of a sudden it hit me how vulnerable my big, strong, Can-Do-Anything Man will be on the trail. Todd got teary as well in the car. Of course, it didn't help that Ryan cried the entire drive back to the hotel. Ryan asked me to talk about something to distract him. Talking about the chicken farms and electric fences didn't distract him. And even playing some of his favorite songs, "Axel F", "Don't Worry, Be Happy", and even "Funky Town" did little good.

Some things Ryan said that nearly broke my heart:
"I feel like I'm never going to see Daddy again."
[Even though we've stayed in lots of hotels without Daddy] "This is different because last night Daddy was in this same hotel with us and tonight he's not."
"I don't want Daddy to hike the Appalachian Trail. I just want him to be home with us."
"Saying good-bye to Daddy was the hardest thing I've done in my whole life."

ouch.

I know that it was harder for Ryan because he was overtired from a busy and emotional traveling weekend. The next morning, after a good night's sleep and with the distracting help of some favorite friends, Ryan was feeling better. But back in the car he still missed Daddy. On the way home he said, "Raise your hand if you really miss Daddy."

Todd didn't raise his hand.
Ryan called him on it, and Todd replied that although he missed Daddy, he was "pretty much over it." Apparently Todd takes after the stoic Mitchell side of the family (including a little, his mom--though I certainly raised my hand).

Now that we are home I will attempt to distract myself with the mess and laundry left over from the trip. I will have baseball, homework, housework, piano lessons, chorus practices, and church responsibilities to keep me busy. I have a huge list of projects that I would love to tackle during this time. But right now I just find myself anxious for news. How is my man faring? How is he feeling? Is he cold and miserable and lonely? Or has the excitement of his adventure seeped back in, making the miserable parts only secondary? I can't wait to hear.