So what is it?

So what is it?...

For those of you who have stumbled across this, or are just having a quick browse through curiosity; what is the Appalachian Trail? Well, it's a footpath. In North America. Going from Springer Mountain in Georgia, north to Mount Katahdin in Maine, covering a distance of somewhere between 2000 and 2180 miles depending on which source you read. The 30% of aspirational thru-hikers that complete it take 4-6 months, cross 14 states, take 5 million steps, and I've heard somewhere that they climb the equivalent of 16 Everest's. Ok, enough about the manliness of the feat at hand; its basically going to be a cracking walk through some beautiful environments and (I hope) one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences in my life.

For those of you who're interested I'm going to keep this page updated as I plan, prepare, and eventually hike the trail. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Sunday 9 March 2014

Last post before I start!


It is one week until I leave Cornwall and head to London for my flight. One week! Holy Crow. Apart from un-packing and re-packing my kit, consuming copious amounts of tea, and trying to plough through the rest of season 8 of Supernatural, what have I been up to?

I finally chose and paid for my travel insurance. It cost me about £120, so around what I was expecting. It was a backpackers insurance so covers hiking up to 3000m (more than I need), and the medical part of it would foot the bill if I were to be air-lifted for any reason. The chances of this are exceptionally slim, but I know of someone who broke an ankle in an awkward place and ended up with a $90,000 bill, so it’s nice to know my ass is covered anyway.
Plans were finalized with the lovely chaps at the Hiker Hostel. I’ll land in Atlanta and have a few hours in the largest urban space I’ll be in for five months to find fuel and food for the first few days, and get a phone.

I got my passport back with a shiny visa attached inside and filed it away safely (hopefully somewhere I can find it…). This, unfortunately, isn’t the end of the visa saga! Although my visa is provisionally granted, it is up to the US border official as to how long I can stay in their country.
There are a few documents I will be taking along to show as evidence of the nature and duration of my trip, if they are required. First and foremost, a bank statement to show that I have raised sufficient funds for my trip. A B1-B2 visa does not permit work so this is a pretty important one. Second, I will have the address and contact details of the hiker hostel I will be staying in for the first couple of days. The final thing, and hopefully the clincher, is the return flight booking. Good, solid evidence that I have parted with hard earned cash to leave their country once I have completed the trail.

My gear is all prepped and ready to go. Waterproofs, pack and boots have been cleaned and re-proofed and everything is nicely organised into dry bags to throw in the holdall I’ll be transporting my kit over in. My fuel bottle and stove have been thoroughly cleaned and are currently airing out to get rid of all the fuel smells so it will be allowed on the flight. Last thing to do is sort out some music and pick a good book to take with me!

Thoughts like: ‘This time in nine days I’ll be having a brew on top of Springer Mountain’ keep on occurring, and occasionally get voiced, much to the despair of my colleagues who all wish they were coming along. My last day at work was yesterday; it was very strange to finally clock-out for good, having been there pretty much every day for the last couple of years! All the hard work and long hours have paid off; my original budget plan has been absolutely destroyed so I have at least $6000 to hike the trail on.

Woo hoo! Ridiculously excited now! This will more than likely be the last post from home.

A huuuge thanks to my friends, colleagues, family and especially my very patient and incredible girlfriend who have put up with endless AT talk, provided moral support, and told me to shut up when necessary. To everyone who has imparted general advice on gear, logistics, trail wisdom e.t.c: Cheers! I wouldn’t have known where to begin without useful input from folks on whiteblaze.net and on various blogs. I’ll hopefully catch some of you out there!

2 comments:

  1. You'll be fine. And $6,000 will plenty enough cash to comfortably get you to Katahdin with plenty of hostel and shared hotel stays with the purchase of all the food you need. Just be careful of too many pints in the pubs that will be the budget killer.

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  2. I see you are making your way along the trail in the cold and snow. You are showing up in other hiker's blogs on trailjournals with the trail name of Cornwall. When you get to Newfound Gap in the Smokies, I hope you get to meet Beth and Bernie, two of the best trail angels along the AT. Go into Gatlinburg to witness the most honky tonk city in the states.

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