Hello folks!

First things first...

I've finished!!!! Summited Katahdin on the 15th August to complete my thru-hike. What an incredible journey! Apologies for not keeping the blog on-go whilst I was out there; I had issues with internet security, blah, blah... so basically I couldn't access my account. I still want to share my adventures with you all, so I kept a good old fashioned paper journal, and will be writing up the story of my hike in a number of weekly posts, along with photos and videos.

I think this will be a pretty good way of doing things. Firstly, it will let me re-live the last 5 months of my life- they have been incredible. Secondly, for the class of 2015 who have been following along with 'real-time' blogs which are now coming to an end; it will hopefully keep you occupied/ mildly entertained until you begin your own journeys next year. I will be able to dig through my journal and pick out the really important aspects of my hike, rather than giving a detailed account of why I decided to swap from Oatmeal to Poptarts... I want my blog to be useful in terms of planning and preparation, but most importantly I want it to give an informative and true insight into what it is like to hike for 2185 miles and 151 days up the Eastern Seaboard of the USA.

Hope you enjoy!

Hi folks,

It's not Will, unfortunately he's having some issues signing in to the blog to keep it updated. Hopefully this problem shall be resolved soon, although for the next 8/9 day he'll be taking on the Smokies, so this'll have to do for now.

It's going really well, some rather extreme changes in weather, but all in all he's pleased with his kit and how the trail is going. Meeting lots of wonderful people and is in a group of four who have all fallen into the same rhythm. They had a rest day yesterday at Fontana and are hoping to reach Hot Springs in just over a week.

Right, so, some pictures (not in any particular order I'm afraid, no doubt Will'll arrange at a later date)...

                                                          L-R: Will, Wes, Simon, Bri

Hopefully more to come soon first hand from the trail.

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!

Gear list video

In a months time I should be a good 40 miles or so into my Appalachian Trail thru-hike! Crazy times! This month I have been compiling and prepping all of my kit, finalizing travel arrangements, and generally preparing myself to leave Cornwall. I have 11 more days at my job in Cotswold Outdoor Truro. It'll be very strange to leave, having been there for the best part of three years, and I will definitely miss the awesome bunch of people that are my colleagues. I'm feeling a mix of emotions at the minute: my apprehension has given way to excitement and eagerness, It's been a long time since the last substantial trip and I'm looking forward to shouldering my pack and taking those first steps north. Undoubtedly there will be homesickness at times, although I'm confident I'll be able to channel this into propelling me on-wards!

As a final overview/ analysis of my kit list, here's a bit of a video...

Protect your grub from bears!

Today I took a walk down to the local woods and taught myself to tie a bear bag. I believe the method I was learning is the PCT method, so named as it is widely utilized by Pacific Crest Trail hikers. It now seems the favored option for anyone hiking through bear country. The technique was surprisingly quick to pick up, and the only extra piece of equipment you need on top of your gear list is a karabiner, 50-ish foot length of paracord, and a stick about an inch or so thick and 12 inches long.

So this is how I did it..

I first selected a suitable branch. Ideally the bag wants to hang at least 10ft in the air and 4ft away from the tree. Any closer the bear will just admire your stupidity/ misguided optimism, grab it, and enjoy your next three days food!

I took the bag I will be storing my food in (some people use their tent stuff sack, I'll be using a dry bag) and attached it to the end of the cord using a bowline knot. Into the bag I placed a rock to give it a bit of weight and make it easier to throw. Making sure nobody was in the firing line I chucked the bag towards the branch. First attempt made it about half way. Second attempt hit the branch and came whistling back down towards me as I cursed and ran for cover. Third time lucky! With a nice under-arm throw I cleared the bow, keeping hold of the other end of the cord to make sure it didn't pull everything over.

(At this point I would remove the stone from the bag and put in my food). I then clipped the karabiner through the bowline loop and thread the tail of the rope through, before hoisting the bag. When it was almost touching the branch I tied the stick onto the trailing cord just above head height, and slowly let the bag down until it had locked itself against the karabiner. And there we go! My food is now safely out of reach of pesky bears. If they do decide to have a go at the cord, even bite through it, the bag will stay where it is.

To retrieve the bag you simply pull the trailing cord until you can reach the stick to untie it.

First bear bag! Wooo!

Thanks to the contributors to The Ultimate Hang and Backpackinglight for their awesome information:

http://theultimatehang.com/2013/03/hanging-a-bear-bag-the-pct-method/

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/bear_bag_hanging_technique.html?utm_source=2011-02-15&utm_medium=samh_personal_blog&utm_campaign=2011-02-15sling-it-and-swing-it#.UwOvf_l_ugc

Bear bags...

I've never tied a bear bag in my life. The only creature with any potential to steal your food when hiking the South West Coast Path is a seagull; but they can fly so hanging food in a tree wouldn't really be of any benefit. In fact it would probably make life easier for the seagull.






Any how... have a read of this, it's brilliant! Hilariously funny and pretty useful.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/bear_bag_hanging_technique#.Uv_cAfl_tJI

Water, water everywhere!..

My experience with water purification is somewhat limited. On the majority of walks I've done I have had good access to tapped water sources so purification was unnecessary. When I started reading into the world of techniques and devices there were a lot of options; boiling, filtering with a muslin cloth or pump, UV pens, purification tablets, purification droplets e.t.c. They each have their own merits, although are seemingly inefficient, time consuming, expensive, or bulky to carry.

After much ummm-ing and err-ing, and mild panicking as my departure date loomed, a solution presented its self! Friday's product training at work was on a new water filter device: the Sawyer Mini Filter.

At 60 grams it is among the lightest options I have seen. It is also versatile; able to be used as a straw, attached onto the included pouch for an instant drinking device or decanter; or as I have opted for. fixed onto the hose of a hydration bladder.

It works by channeling water through a membrane composed of 0.1 micron hollow fibres. This is small enough to remove bacteria, parasites, e.t.c. although not viruses (hence it is a filter, rather than a purifier). Water-borne in North America and Europe are very rare, and additional boiling would remove these if the source looked particularly suspect. The filter can be easily cleaned by back-washing with the included plunger, and the life of the device is given as 100,000 gallons 378,000-ish liters), so it should outlast me. Oh, and it's only £30. Looks good from the reviews so far (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E2-F2jRUlk) . Looking forward to taking it out for a test run this week; especially interested to see what the flow-rate is like through the hydration bladder tube.

Full product info can be found on Sawyer's website. Review to follow!

My brother's impending adventure...

My big brother is a legend, and next year is cycling The Tour Divide; a 2745 mile self supported race from Banff, Canadato New Mexico, USA. Follow his adventures here:

http://banditsandbicycles.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-tour-divide.html

Good luck Benjamin!

New kit and other exciting goings on...

45 days and counting! It really is feeling rather close now. I spent the last couple of weeks up north seeing family before I head over to The States, which was awesome. It was strange leaving to come back to Cornwall: in reality it will be no longer than usual between now and my next visit, although the scale of what I will accomplish before hand makes it seem like a lifetime away. All in all I'm feeling ready; physically, mentally, financially and kit-wise. The last thing I have to do is pay for my insurance policy.

New kit!

My kit list is now complete! Very happy that I've got enough clothing e.t.c. for the cold start and the base weight is bearable. My on-going stove saga was finally resolved- I've settled for an MSR Whisperlite International liquid fuel stove with a Primus Eta pot. It's fast, efficient, will work on a variety of fuels, and more importantly will work fine in cold temperatures. It also happens to be the stove I used in Scotland and Iceland so I'm happy with how it operates.

Tilley hats are the way forward!

The 6 weeks-ish of non-stop rain here in Cornwall have led to some pretty vivid flashbacks to my exceptionally soggy week in Iceland last June. Undoubtedly there will be days on end of rain on the trail, although I don't really fancy seeing them from within the eVent cave that is my jacket's hood: It would get pretty claustrophobic and depressing after a while. This is where a Tilley hat will come in...

Tilley hats are a very water resistant, super comfortable and versatile piece of headgear. I'll be donning  a medium brimmed hemp hat for my hike. It will keep the worst of the rain off admirably during the down pours, and shade and breath nicely to keep me cool on those hot humid days. The main thing that sets a Tilley apart from any other hat is its insane durability! They are pretty much impossible to break:If it can survive repeated journeys through an elephants digestive system I am happy that it will serve me well out on the AT.

For anyone considering hats, they are definitely worth a look:

http://www.tilley.com/Hats.aspx

Camera!

I've always used a pretty basic point-and-shoot camera to capture my adventures. For this one, however, I wanted something more rugged that can take photos at a higher quality. I think I've found my ideal camera in the Nikon AW110. It's waterproof down to 18m; so will definitely survive the rain; and shock proof to 2m so won't break so easily when I undoubtedly drop it. It also has GPS with a world base-map, electronic compass and barometric altimeter (Gucci!). I wouldn't usually ever bother with this but it will be nice on this occasion to know where about the copious amounts of photos of trees and sunsets were taken.

Still getting used to it at the minute but there'll be more to follow in the gear section, for those who are interested.


Apologies for the rather dis-jointed and rambling nature of this post; there's a lot going on at the minute!

Winter camping.

It’s been a year since my first winter camping experience. With the weather doing what it’s doing in The States, it’s looking like I will be in for a chilly start! Time to reflect on what I learnt on my Scotland trip and handy hints I've picked up since to help me stay warm.

Clothing

 1)      Be bold, start cold. Set off in the morning a little bit chillier than is comfortable. Within ten minutes you will have reached a nice temperature.

 2)      Don’t rotate your clothing daily. With the possible exception of socks, wear your wet gear for walking and have a dry pair to change into in camp.

 3)      Nothing will really stay dry. After a few days in the wintery wonderland most of your kit will be at least a bit damp. Even kit stored in dry bags will suffer due to condensation build up. Do your best to keep hike/ camp clothes segregated and dry out clothing at night (by hanging in your tent/ in your sleeping bag).

   4)      Pull your insulation layer over everything. For example if you have been wearing a shell during the day, rather than take it off and lose all that precious heat build-up, sling your insulation layer on over the top to create a layer of warm loveliness.

   5)      Mitts are awesome. Take along a nice thick woolly (or insulated) pair. Definitely worth the extra weight.

Sleeping

 6)      Liners are good! It’s like having a base layer in that it’ll trap and extra layer of heat around you; the extent of this depending on the fabric. Liners will also protect your down bag. They will trap moisture which would otherwise affect the down fibres and cause them to lose their loft.

 7)      Pillows. I often use my down jacket as a pillow. In the time between waking up and getting up I pull it into my sleeping bag. Then when I’m bimbling around camp in the morning it’s pre-warmed.

 8)      A metal water bottle (e.g. Sigg, Primus) acts as an excellent hot water bottle. By morning it will also be a nice drinking temperature rather than a block of ice.

 9)      If you need a wee, have a wee. I read this in a book recently; A lot of bodily warmth will be lost to heating a bladder full of urine. So if you need to go, go. You’re better off braving the cold for a few minutes than holding out until morning.

 10)   Store batteries for your camera, e.t.c. in your sleeping bag overnight as the cold will drain them quickly.

 11)   If you are using gas cylinders to cook with, try to keep them warm so your stoves pressure doesn’t drop too much. You could bring them into your sleeping bag or store them on your person for a little while before cooking. If you are using liquid fuel stoves with a rubber seal on the pump, this will likely need lubricating a bit more regularly in a cold environment.

 12)   Enjoy it! Camping in a winter environment is incredible as long as you are prepared and organized. There’s nothing quite  like waking up nice and cosy to a fresh dumping of snow.

Kit

Finally got round to laying all of my kit out and seeing what's what. It may seem strange for me to be doing this pretty late on in the game, although in practicality my kit list doesn't vary all that much from what I used in Scotland ad Iceland last year; minus a few bits and swapping a few things.

So here's how it looks:

My beautiful Osprey Aether pack has been dismantled, cleaned, and TX-Direct'ed so is beading water very nicely indeed. I have never felt the need to use rain covers but instead separately dry-bag everything.

I've gone for Rab MeCo base layers (short sleeved T and boxers) as they have the usual benefit of merino wool garments but are tougher wearing and dry a bit quicker. A long-sleeved Powerstretch top and micro-baffle down jacket should keep me warm on those chilly mornings and evenings bimbling around camp. I've also thrown in a set of synthetic leggings which I can wear with my short-shorts for that super sexy winter hiking combo.
I'm taking 3 pairs of socks; two mid-weight pairs I can rotate, and one spare snuggly heavy weight.

Rain gear- possibly taking my good old-fashioned Berghaus over-trousers, definitely going to be using my Rab Latok Alpine. Slightly heavier than other options but is absolutely bomb-proof and eVent breathes exceptionally well.

For my sleeping arrangement: will predominantly be sleeping in my Hennesey Hammocks Expedition Asym. Been getting on really well with this over the last 6 months or so. It pitches in literally seconds ad never has to touch the floor, and the tarp provides enough cover to cook under if the weather is grim. I'll be using a Rab Ascent 700 down bag. This has been excellent in winter conditions, and comfortable enough over the summer; could possibly be tempted to swap out with something lighter as the months progress; we shall see! A last little luxury is the Pacific Outdoors sleeping mat. It has wings so wraps around me very nicely in my hammock, and will also be comfortable if I decide to sleep in lean-tos.

For my boots, after much deliberation I've gone for the Salomon Cosmics. Firstly, they fit my narrower feet nicely and feel not a lot different from their XA Pro trail running shoes. They flex comfortably whilst providing the lateral stability I need for carrying a pack over the terrains I will encounter. And they're bright green.

The last major piece of kit I'm waiting on is my stove. After chatting to folk with more experience than myself I've ordered an MSR Whisperlite International liquid fuel stove. It's not the lightest thing in the world, but is reassuring rugged and run efficiently at lower temperatures. I've used one previously with Primus liquid fuel and petrol; either one will be fine combined with the Primus Eta pot. There is also the added bonus of cheaper and more widely available fuel.

And that's just about it. The main bulk of my kit is sorted, apart from the odd alteration here and there which will undoubtedly occur until my departure date. Constructing my kit list has been a very fun process; there are so many factors to consider with each and every item. Overall I'm pretty happy: there is a nice balance between weight and comfort. Many items of equipment I have used before so I am confident that they will perform for me. Oooooh, I'm getting excited now!

71 days...

Hope you've all had an awesome Christmas and New Year! Been pretty busy over Christmas but things are beginning to quieten down again so I've got chance to get the last few bits sorted. So... to re-cap!

My visa has been approved, flights have been booked, and my shuttle from the airport and night in the hiker hostel (http://www.hikerhostel.com/prices.php) booked. I've been browsing through data and guide books so have a good idea of where replens and town stop-overs are for the first few weeks walking. I've decided against food drops purely because of the logistics of sorting them out from here in the UK; depending on how I get on without them I might consider getting a bounce-box going a bit later on.

Kit-wise I'm just about there. I've bought my boots (settled for the Salomon Cosmics in the end: reviews to follow!) and worn them to the point of being nicely broken in. An MSR Whisperlite International liquid fuel stove is on order which should work very efficiently indeed with the Primus Eta Pot. Just got to get a few dry bags and put together a first aid kit and I'm sorted!

Going to lay out all of my gear tomorrow and see what I need/ can get rid of.

Committed!

Booked my flights last night, so I'm now fully committed to the trip! It feels good to have an actual departure date set. I'll be heading down to London Heathrow on the night of the 16th March and jumping on a plane to be in Atlanta by 2pm on the 17th. From there I'm going to get a shuttle to somewhere I can get food and gas for my first leg and find a hostel close to the trail head. Then it'll be an early night to sleep off any jet lag and time to hit the trail!

Prices weren't as high as I'd been expecting; only £510. I opted to book a return flight as it was a lot cheaper than two one-ways or an open return. It's a bit of a gamble but I'm confident that I've given myself plenty of time to finish. Any later my visa will expire anyway! Altogether I'll be in The States for 156 days, a maximum of 150 of which I can devote to being on the trail.

As for getting back from Katahdin, there are plenty of (surprisingly cheap) options available which I'll look into closer to the time. Exciting times!

A couple more reviews...

Evening! A couple of more reviews have been uploaded to the Gear Talk section of the blog. The first is of the new Gore-Tex Pro-Shell which I was fortunate to have the chance to test on a winter skills course in Glen Coe, Scotland, last January/ February. The second is of the Osprey Aether 70, the pack which I'll be using on the trail. Enjoy!

Oh, and here's a nice photo from said trip I just found on my laptop:

Glen Coe, February 2013.

Night on the beach

We managed to get another over-nighter in this week: We stayed on a beach near Dodman Point on the south Cornwall coast. I used the hammock, this time set up as a sort of bivi/ tarp shelter, which is what I'll be doing on the trail should there be no suitable trees to pitch between and no room in the shelters. It was a perfectly clear night so I ended up rolling most of the tarp off of me so I could see the stars through the mosi net. I awoke to this view...

and even managed to get a sea swim in! Good old South West Coast Path! One day I'll get round to walking the whole thing in one go...

Update: what's been going on/ budget breakdown.

Budget breakdown...

Nothing much exciting has been going on lately. Now I've got my visa, it's just been full on working and saving to reach my target budget! Money is an exceptionally boring, unfortunately vital subject. Here's a quick breakdown of how much I reckon my hike will cost...

There seems to be a huge variation in budgets for AT thru-hikers. Those living in relative luxury and eating exceptionally well could pay several thousand pounds, although most seem to do it for much less. An often quoted 'golden rule' says $1 a mile is about right for money-conscious hikers. This would mean that once I started walking the trip would cost around £1300 or about £65 a week (assuming I take 5 months to finish). Adding the cost of flights/ travel to and from the trail-heads (I guesstimate £850) gives a base cost of £2150 (~$3400).

This figure looked decidedly optimistic. From past experience there are always unforeseen circumstances or over looked factors (unexpectedly pricey hostels, broken limbs, mangled feet e.t.c) which end up costing more. My current savings are on track to give me £3350, which after flights e.t.c. leaves me with with £2500 (~$4000). So I'll have £125 (~$200) a week to play with.



So if all goes well, I should be all good! I can't imagine food costing more than £50 a week, and from what I've read and talked to people about I can pay as little or much as I like for accommodation. My savings plan should give me enough to live pretty reasonably with a nice buffer for those unexpected costs.



Cornwall bimblings...

Brown Willy summit, Rough Tor in the background.

Although I seem to have been living at work recently, I did manage to get a couple of days off to go and meet the family in Boscastle. Whilst I was up there I had a walk up to the highest point in Cornwall; Brown Willy. Its only 420m, but in the relatively flat Cornish landscape it gives quite an impressive view. Or it would do if it wasn't misty. Still, I'm glad I finally got to do it. Seems ridiculous it's taken me this long considering I've been visiting Cornwall for about 12 years and living here for 4!



One observation I made when we got to the top. People like putting bunting on summits!

Left: Brown Willy, Right: Everest. Photo from http://www.vmeverest09.com/2009/06/08/the-summit-push-2-%E2%80%93-all-the-pictures/ check it out, there are some cool photos on there from their '09 Everest expedition.

More reviews and stuff coming soon...

The stove and hammock in action! Looking forward to using them both properly next year!
The review for the Woodgas stove is on the 'kit talk' page. I'll get one of the hammock done as well, now that I've had the opportunity to use it a bit more.

I eventually hope to do a video going over all of my gear, once I've gathered everything together. This should hopefully be done by the end of this year. Stay tuned! (or the equivalent of)

Inspirational stuff

This year Chris Gallaway has been NOBO thru hiking the Appalachian Trail, recording the whole thing in film and photos to make one awesome series of short documentaries. Congratulations to him for summiting Katahdin on the 3rd September! His journey has been particularly challenging. Not only has it taken him longer than average; given the extra equipment he was carrying and recording he did along the way, and the harsh weather experienced with the early start; he has dealt with a personal tradgedy yet still managed to accomplish what 70% of aspiring hikers do not.

His story, 'The Long Start To The Journey' can be found via Osprey Packs website. Its inspiring stuff, definitely worth a look!

http://thelongstarttothejourney.com

I met Leo Houlding!!

Leo Houlding came to Cotswold Outdoor Truro to present the first of his series of lectures he will be doing up and down the country over the next few months. It was an awesome night, truly awe-inspiring stuff! He chatted about all of his major trips, especially his most recent ascent of Ulvetanna which was made into to a film by Alastair Lee called 'The Last Great Climb', due to be released in November. Looking forward to that one! The stuff he's done almost makes the AT look easy... :)

Training, sort of...

I've been keeping myself pretty busy over the last few weeks. I've spent most day when I'm not at work doing little day hikes or climbing down at the local crag. I'm not 'training' with the specific aim of getting super trail fit, although the more active I can stay, the better my core strength and aerobic fitness, the easier I figure those first couple of weeks of breaking myself into the trail will be.

A couple of weeks ago I managed an overnight trip from Truro, down to the south Cornwall Coast to Portscatho, and around the Roseland Peninsula via St Just in Roseland to St Mawes. The trip was about 30 miles in total with some good hills, and I was very generous with the kit I took so was carrying near AT weight.

 

 

Overall it felt pretty good! Despite the fact I hadn't been out for a while and it was hot, humid weather, I made good time and the mileage felt comfortable. The kit performed like a dream: The hammock went up as easy as ever and I had none of the problems I have had with the stove.

I should hopefully get another weekend or two in this side of Christmas. I'm thinking a trip up on Dartmoor in wintery conditions could be fun!