Jesse G Takes A Hike

Spending the night with the Grandparents was a real moral booster for Jesse. He was able to clean and resort his pack, got a tasty spaghetti diner and took not one but 2 showers! He said sleeping in a bed and having a hot shower was “amazing”.

Jesse got back on the trail a few hours later than he usually gets started but he picked up steam quickly. He was dropped back off at mile 69.2 and he was at 2675 elevation. He crossed the Georgia-North Carolina border at mile 78.1 and was immediately faced with a HUGE mountain. Jesse reports that he kept hiking and hiking and didn’t seem to be getting any closer to the top. His day ended at Muskrat Creek Shelter at mile 81 and at an elevation of 4562.

Jesse had a fantastic time around camp. Some guy bought a guitar for $1 at a pawn shop and he could only play one song- a Johnny Cash song that Jesse said he had heard before. The guitar got passed around and a couple people played some other tunes. The guitar is being signed by everyone he runs into along his trek. The Hiking Vikings also brought along a light weight set of bocce balls and Jesse is enjoying learning how to play.

The guy in the picture above was just traveling around hippy style and ended up at the Appalachian Trail. A Trail he was completely unaware of. He was hanging out and enjoying the company and just decided “what the heck” and decided to walk it too. He was able to supply himself with some equipment that was left at drop boxes enough to get him by. He is doing tarot readings for those interested and he brought fresh fruit to barter with. This should be an interesting story to follow.

Jesse’s traimaily is growing and starting to branch out. As he continues on hikers come and go because of the difference in pace and zero days taken they get separated. Eventually some will catch up with him. The Hiking Vikings are now his core family and others are now considered cousins. No word on the 9 year old girl. I’m going to try to find out what is going on on the net and hope to have an update on here. Flapjack, Beefy Cheese and the Russian girl are behind Jesse at this point. Jesse writes in the shelter journals “Tree Man was here. Stopping next at..” whatever spot. This is his way of communicating with others. I am also setting up an instagram for Jesse so he can communicate with fellow hikers. It seems this is the most popular way of communicating among each other.

Jesse was able to pick up a few spare parts for his water filtration system from equipment left in a drop box where people leave stuff they realize ,during a shakedown, that they could live without. A filter is a must on this trail. Giardia is a parasite that lives in water. Jesse explained to me that if people dig their privy too close to a water source fecal matter will get in the water. Also, if people dip their dirty hands in the water they too may be contaminating the waters. His water filters are extremely important.

Jesse reports that at the beginning at the hike his ears were popping a lot due to the elevation. He also had a nose bleed. He is doing fine now. His body is getting a gradual introduction to the higher elevations.

one week down! 25 weeks to go!

Reception is horrible now. We get a couple minutes of service and then I lose him. So,not a lot of updates at this point.

Jesse’s day started at 4193 in elevation and ended at 2675 and he hiked a total of 11 miles. Grandparents pick him up around 3:00 and he is going to go back to their house for the night to shower, repack his backpack and Grandma is going to try to put a pound or two back on him.

Jesse just called a couple of minutes ago. He is at the Grandparent’s house now and will be making calls and sending pictures once he cleans up.

Jesse said he caught up with the Hiking Vikings. They are a pair from Minnesota and are posting their adventures on youtube. Funny thing is I saw one of their videos and started following them not knowing they were part of his traimily. Their views are funny because they act like they have no clue what they are doing. Real funny pair. Jesse was setting up and he heard “HEY!! Is that Tree Man??!!” They didn’t think he would catch up with them. They are all taking a zero day so he’ll be able to catch up with them again tomorrow

Jesse said he was sitting and looking around and you can see clouds below him. He said it’s weird that you walk above the clouds and then hike down below them. He walked through them at least 5 times yesterday. He also said he got up to go the privy in the middle of the night. He turned his light off to see just how dark it was. He now knows what Slitter means when he says something is darker than the inside of a cow!

Today’s hike was rough on his thighs. This stretch was a constant up and down hike with no flat areas in between. He would get up one mountain, look down and “damn it!” another mountain.

Jesse said it was a weird feeling being in a car again going 55 miles an hour. Imagine what the ride home from Maine will feel like.

I will be making a post with his pictures in a separate entry once I receive them.

Jesse’s day started at mile 42.8 in (not counting the 8.8 mile introductory trail). His elevation went from 3024 to 4193.

Jesse hiked up to Unicol Gap,Georgia and he decided he had to get into town for a few items. He hiked 2 miles to the nearest road along with flapjack. There wasn’t a single soul around. He called me and was talking to me for a few minutes and then he lost signal. This is becoming a more frequent occurance. So, we and flapjack decided to walk the 12 miles into town. At that moment a man pulled up and told them he was heading into town and would be there about an hour if they needed a ride. Jesse said Del’s rabbit’s foot is the real deal!

The boys went into town,hit the grocery and then split the cost of a pizza and a 6 pack of beer. What pizza they didn’t eat they took back with the to eat for dinner

Jesse and Flapjack then hiked to Tray Mountain Shelter which was another 5.7 miles. The first section of the morning was 9.7 miles. So,that was his biggest hike to date. The shelter was full when they got there so he broke out his tent.

This morning Jesse reports that his tent was covered in a thin layer of ice. He stayed warm in his tent but he forgot to but his water filter cup in his sleeping bag with him last night and it froze. There is a little concern that it may not filter as it should now. He was thawing it out and I guess we will see. He does have water tablets on him so that’s good.

First rainy day of the hike

Jesse reached Low Gap Shelter around noon. Today was a 5.8 mile trek. He started early to get ahead of the rain. Many of the hikers took a zero day at Neel Gap and he was told it was crowded and lots of sick people. He was happy he decided to push on.He started the day at 3625 in elevation and ended at 3024 in elevation.

This shelter has a water source 30 yards from the shelter and a privy set up behind the shelter. That is pretty good living while on the trail. Flapjack (aka pancake) and beefy cheese have arrived as well so they’ll be bunking up for the day. Clammy caught up with them after a zero day in Neel Gap. Clammy is going for his triple crown with this hike meaning he is walking the last of the 3 main hiking trails in the US, the others being The Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. The Russian girl is keeping up with them. ( no name yet) She is just a little older than Jesse and she speaks pretty good English. When she has trouble expressing something they are pretty good at interpreting what she is trying to express but sometimes it’s just frustrating for her.

You will be seeing new terms on this blog so I’ll try to explain terms as they come up. The first is “Trail Angel”. Trail Angels are people who volunteer their time and come to the trail to bring food, pick up camper’s trash bags (hikers carry their waste until they can find a proper place to dispose of it) and occasionally provide a ride into town.

“Trail Magic” as defined by The AT Conservancy: Acts of generosity in the wild and primitive setting of the Appalachian Trail-where basic amenities of civilization are intentionally absent-are often received in a heightened sense of wonder and gratitude by hikers. These acts of generosity are referred to as “trail magic”

Trail magic can cover anything from people popping up to feed hikers; Finding things when you least expected it; experiencing something rare,extraordinary or inspiring in nature; encountering unexpected acts of generosity, that restores one’s faith in humanity.

As you have been following this blog you have already learned that Jesse has encountered several acts of generosity with hot food being prepared for hikers. Jesse’s first bit of trail magic actually started his 2nd day in. He left shelter and realized, as he was walking along,that the mouth piece for his water bladder was missing. This was a huge concern and finding a replacement would mean waiting for a package to be sent. When he arrived at the next shelter area he looked and there was a mouth piece exactly like his. Sitting on the table,all alone,just waiting for him. He was thrilled and relieved.

Jesse has found that you will always make friends when you have a fire. He usually is one of the first to a shelter house and he always starts a fire. It is a must have comfort for him. People come along and are relieved to see a welcoming,warm fire and often stop for the night.

At this point on the trail most hikers have decided what they really need and what they can ditch. Ounces add up quickly and Jesse reports that even just a few packages of food being taken out and consumed, that loss of weight is noticeable. Grandma and Grandpa McLaughlin have taken things back and dropped off other items. For most hikers they must either hike into town and mail stuff back home or they will deposit unneeded items into drop boxes. If you come up to one of these boxes you are welcome to help yourself to the items left, if you find you are in need of them.

Jesse was given a tin whistle by our friend Cody. What do you know? A man on the trail from Europe knows how to play it well and is willing to teach Jesse how to play. It was a light weight luxury item that turned out to be the perfect gift so thank you so much,Cody!

Day 2 or 3 Jesse saw a number of military planes flying overhead and the hikers encountered a number of casings on the ground. Apparently the Army does some military training right overhead.

atweather.org is the app we are using to get daily weather reports along the trail. Today’s thunderstorms are likely to last all afternoon and into the early evening. Then it looks like just a chance of occasional rain later in the week.

Signal is going to be iffy today and tomorrow. Jesse sounded tired when he called. He really put in some miles yesterday. He was looking forward to soaking his feet in the stream , getting a good meal in (Mountain House Biscuit and Gravy meal is calling his name), and watching a few episodes of South Park. He has an old Kindle of mine and a friend of his loaded it up with lots of movies and shows.

I will be mailing some things out tomorrow so they can get to Grandparents’ before he is out of the area where they can meet up with him. They have been such a huge support system for him.

Today’s hike started at 2789 and ended with an elevation of 2865. Jesse hiked a total of 8.3 miles today. The shelter was nice although he did report 2 mice ran across him. Mice are an issue at every shelter along the way. The weather was perfect and he actually hiked in shorts for a bit. It was the first time he’s changed clothes since he started and he said they felt amazing! Trail angels provided coffee and biscuits and gravy. So far roughing it hasn’t been too rough. (day 4 and 5 are posted out of order. I realized I had missed a day. Sorry about that!)

Jesse’s day started at an elevation of 3662 and the first section ended at 3125. He is getting his hiking legs fairly quickly. His thighs aren’t burning as bad and the hot spots on his feet are doing well. Jesse started today’s hike bright and early. He reports that when the sun started to rise above the mountains it was an absolutely breathtaking sight to see. He hiked 3.6 miles and made it to Neel’s Gap where he met up with grandma and grandpa McLaughlin. They live in Murphy, North Carolina which is never more than a 2 hour drive away the entire time he is going through Georgia and North Carolina.

Jesse has found that his comfortable hammock sleep system is just too heavy weighing it at just over 8 pounds. He sent that home with the grandparents and may have it sent back to him after he looses his winter gear later on. He opted for a lightweight tent which he was able to pick up at the outfitter who was located at this stop. Grandma also brought a box of shoes up to him to try on. The shoes he had will be better later on but at this point he is needing something with really thick soles. Lots of rocks and branches is this section and they are hurting the bottom of his feet. He is also opting for a different cook system. Jesse reported that he bought an $8 frozen pizza at the outfighters. He said it was the best pizza he ever ate!

Word has reached Jesse that the father of the 9 year old girl had gone off trail to get water for them. He has injured his ankle and they have had to leave the trail. Hopefully they will be able to resume soon.

Jesse enjoyed his pizza lunch while sitting under this tree. This has been a tradition with hikers for many moons. Hikers toss their old shoes up in the tree.

Monday is suppose to be very rainy with thunderstorms. He will likely take that day as a zero day. He can grab a room at a hostile,shower, do a bit of laundry and enjoy some R and R. He has been very lucky to have some perfect weather so far with temperatures averaging in the 60’s.

There is a site just for hikers of the AT and the Pacific Crest Trail that gives daily weather forecasts for every stop along the trails. We pick our trail, select the state and then select the location. I watch daily and I can let Jesse know what to expect.

We also each have a copy of “2019 Northbound: The A. T. Guide.” This book is made by hikers for hikers. It is very detailed and lets hikers know what is coming up,where shelters are, where good water sources are, where bears are most active,etc. It also gives detailed information of towns close to the trail, business information and phone numbers for shuttle drivers and their fees.

Jesse is able to pick up cell phone signals at least once a day and is able to call and update us. His spirits are very high. I think this is the happiest I’ve ever heard Jesse. He is taking time to enjoy each day by stopping when he still has at least 4 hours of daylight left. He is able to set up camp, get food cooking and just sit and watch the view. Today he reported that he is so high up that he can look down the mountain and see hawks flying way below him.

Last update for the day. After taking an hour and a half break this afternoon Jesse decided to Keep moving. With new shoes and a lighter pack he made some great time. His second half of the day started at 3125 and ended at an elevation of 3625 and covered another 6.7 miles. He is now at a shelter with only 2 spots left so he is taking a spot for the night. With thunderstorms expected tomorrow many hikers are taking a zero day in Neel Gap. Jesse has decided to wake up early and hike to the next shelter about 5 miles up the trail. He is hoping to get there before noon when thunderstorms are expected.

Jesse reports that the day hikers are easy to figure out…they smell good. He also said that when people go into a town and buy something new people will notice that something smells new.

He has met people from England, Germany and Russia,so far. He said those hikers only received a 6 month visa so they are having to really push themselves to be sure they get done and back for their prepaid plane ride home.

Jesse is looking to take a free day in a few days. Grandma and grandpa are going to pick him up and let him do laundry and eat and rest at their place. If he gets no wifi before then he’ll have enough service then to send his videos to me.

Trail names he’s mentioned so far is Wizard who was the guy that gave Jesse his trail name; Pancake who Jesse named because he brought stuff to make pancakes for days; Beefy cheese who isn’t liking his trail name but you take what people give you. Each shelter has a log in page. This is like FB for hikers. You sign in at the shelter and also out where you are headed next. This is the way to keep track of people.

Hawk Mountain Shelter to Gooch Mountain shelter

Jesse lucked out and found another decent shelter house last night. Most of his group was going to hike to the next stop about a mile or so up the road. Jesse chose to stop sooner because word was the other was filling up quickly. Yesterday’s elevation started at 3720 and ended at 3194. Lots of up and down mountains. Bears are pretty active in this area. Lots of babies and Mommas coming out of hibernation.

Jesse reached Gooch Mountain around 3:30. Word was a church group was providing food at the next shelter. Jesse had plans to walk the mile up, without pack, and grab food later. Then a man suddenly appears at his shelter and he is making burgers and he has PBR. Jesse was super excited! And,since it was his birthday he got 2 of each. Later on,he hiked up the trail to the next stop and the church folks had an amazing spread. Jesse had 2 burritos and a huge salad. When he returned back to camp several hikers gave him their beer (3 total) and then a guy pulled up in a pickup truck and he had a bunch of pizzas! Jesse had a fantastic birthday!! And word travels quickly up and down the trails so everyone knew it was his birthday. He hung out around the fire and chatted with a number of people for the evening.

It is noteworthy to point out that trail angels are NOT in every section of the trail. He is lucking out right now that this first section is rich on southern hospitality and this is the beginning of a new hiking season. He will be surviving on his dried foods soon enough.

Jesse was thrilled to report back that he already has a trail name. He got it the first day. His trail name is tree man or tree for short.

The beginning of the official trail.

Jesse hiked 9 miles his first day. His first stop for the night was just past the Springer Mountain starting point. He is feeling a few hot spots but no blisters. He takes the time to soak his feet in a cool stream when he can and then tapes up his feet. His thighs are feeling the burn from all the uphill climbing.

The first stop had a shelter and he was the first person there for the night. He started at Amicalola Falls at around 10:00am and he stopped for the night about mid afternoon. The shelter provided bear boxes so he placed his pack in one of those which also helps keep mice from eating his food. There was a firepit in front of the shelter and someone had already stacked firewood and kindling. A good water source was a short distance away and there was a makeshift “bathroom” already set up. Jesse spent quite a long time sitting on top of the mountain and just taking in the magnificent view. His evening ended with 6 other hikers joining him.

His first night was enjoyable and he is having a fantastic time talking to the other hikers. In the morning he took off and he is enjoying hiking alone. It’s his solitude time. He passes and gets passed by people all day long but he is starting to form a trailmaly (trail family) who he hopes to keep a good pace with and they can share shelters. Many of these people also have vlogs or blogs going on and jesse will be sending me those links so I can follow their journey along as well.

The most noteworthy member of his trailmaly is a 9 year old girl who is hiking the trail to raise 3.1 million dollars for St. Judes. She is from Pennsylvania and her mother is a 4th grade math teacher. While she and her dad hike,Mom will be sending them care packages and Mom is home schooling her.

Today’s hike will be a 7.9 mile hike ending at Hawk Mountain Shelter. At mid-point trail angels came out and provided lunch for the hikers. Jesse caught up with a girl names McKenzie who stayed at the same hotel we did the night before he started his adventure. She is from Idaho and is hiking by herself. She drove to Georgia to start as she is afraid of flying.

Things just got real!

Amicalola Falls State Park is the starting point for all thru-hikers. This is where they register, are able to sit through a short introductory class, get their packs weighed in and volunteers are there to help you go through your pack and help you decide the best way to pack as well as giving suggestions on what you have decided to pack. And,most importantly, hikers get a picture of themselves under the famous archway.

The archway actually leads to the introductory trail. This 8.8 mile section is NOT part of the Appalachian Trail but it is a rite of passage for many thru-hikers. This section was an original part of the trail so walking this section means walking where many of the founding hikers had been. There are 604 steps to climb up in this section. It is difficult and strenuous and never enjoyable. But,the waterfall is beautiful and is the highest waterfall on this side of the Mississippi River. Elevation at the archway is 1,800 and it is a steady climb. The ending point of this section is at Springer Mountain at an elevation of 3,782.

Jesse said that reality really sunk in as he stood at the archway. “This is it! I’m actually doing this. I’ve spent years talking about it and now it is a reality”. The first day he was nervous and anxious but by the time he stopped for the night he was feeling pretty good.

Here are some interesting and informative sites to help you understand the history of the AT as well as the preparation it takes to be a thru-hiker

• http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/about-us/history
• https://www.backpacker.com/trips/long-trails/appalachian-trail
• https://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/appalachian-national-scenic-trail
• https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-appalachian-trail