Getting close...

Just passed the 2 months out mark. March 11th suddenly does not seem very far away.

Success!

Nov 18.

Prep hike was a success! I hit my intended goal and logged about 70 miles in a little over 4 days. Definitely tired, but good to know what I'm capable of if push comes to shove.

Sunset from the side of a cliff

Found an incredible spot under a cliff ledge to camp for the 3rd night. Awesome sunset as I ate dinner.

Woody Gap

Right before I camped for the second night. About 30 miles in.

17 miles in

Hawk Mountain Shelter, ready for some rest

Hit the top of Ramrock Mountain the next morning. I think this speaks for itself..

9 hard miles later...

The top of Springer Mountain, southern terminus of the AT

Amicalola Falls

Long way to Maine...

Hope I have everything..

Most of my gear here is tried and true, but I was especially anxious to try out my new pack, the Mariposa by ultalight company Goassamer Gear (http://gossamergear.com/) as well as a shiny new set of trekking poles. Its packed heavier than normal because I had no idea what the weather would bring me...

Prep hike: do I have what it takes?

I decided to do a prep hike to test out some new gear and get some miles under my belt before winter. So, early wednesday morning, Nov 14th, I set off for Amicalola Falls State Park. 2 hours later, I parked the car and opened the door to a blistering 30 degrees and immediately started to rethink my great idea. I decided if I could handle this though, I could handle conditions on the AT. So I set out for Springer Mountain, determined to spend the next 5 days and 4 nights hiking to Blood Mountain and then back again by Nov 18. the next few posts are from this hike