What Is He Seeing?

In Black and White. When one removes the color from a scene, the image becomes more about form and light. www.athike.jollyoutthere.com #appalachiantrail #appalachiantrail2018 #nationalparks #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

The Camp. These are some shots of a recent shelter where I stayed in the NP. Most camp areas will have a shelter, a fire pit, a cable to hang your food bag (unreachable by bears), and if you are lucky, a privy. If there isn't a privy, which I have experienced on a number of occasions, then you need to find spot away from the shelter, dig a 6 inch deep hole, and...which was the case a few days ago when it was 25 degrees and snow on the ground. www.athike.jollyoutthere.com #yikes #appalachiantrail #2018appalachiantrail #nationalparks #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

The Ol' Watering Hole. Since there aren't water coolers or Fiji water dispensers every mile on the AT, I need to get water from springs, creeks, etc. Given that some of these sources may be contaminated, all water consumed should either be filtered or boiled. Here I am collecting water from a spring and my system is pretty straightforward. I've included a pic of the items in my system. I first fill the squeezable bag with water. After I screw on the filter, I then squeeze the water into my bottle, and then pour the contents into my Camelback bladder. A hose from the bladder is easy for me to access and what I drink from. Typically carry around two liters of water. Also do what I refer to as "cameling up" when I do get water, which is drinking around 1.5 liters so that I have that in me. This replenishes my system and results in me needing to carry less water. A liter of water weighs 2.2 lbs., and I'm always looking for ways to minimize what I carry up a mountain. www.athike.jollyoutthere.com #camelup #appalachiantrail #nationalparks #appalachiantrail2018 #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

My CLO. Tomorrow morning I head into Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a 70 plus mile trek across it. I figure that this will take me about a week and I will be pretty much radio silent for the duration. Laura, my wonderful wife and Chief Logistics Officer (CLO), will do what she does best: keep everything running smoothly. And all that I need to do, is just continue walking North. If you get a chance, check out the great website that she created for my hike: www.athike.jollyoutthere.com. Thanks for all of your love and support, sweetie. #myclo #appalachiantrail #2018appalachiantrail #nationalpark #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

One Frosty Morn'. The night before the temperature had dipped into the low 20's which turned the evening's drizzle into ice on my tent. I had worn just about every article of clothing that I carried as I sealed myself in a sleeping bag that was only rated to 35 degrees. Through the night my comfort level teetered between perhaps OK to moderately chilled. When morning came, I crawled out of my tent into heavy fog, and when I shook the rain cover on my tent the ice flew off like tiny shards of glass. I packed everything up and started to walk through a clouded scene where everything was covered by a very heavy frost. Once again the set had been changed into something that was both magical and a bit surreal. #frostymorn #appalachiantrail #2018appalachiantrail #nationalpark #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks. www.athike.jollyoutthere.com ...

Hotel Santiago. A few days ago after humping almost 12 miles up and down one steep mountain/hill/knob after another, I finally arrived at my destination, the Cable Gap Shelter. I was a bit surprised to find no one in the shelter, and wanting to get an early start the next morning, decided to take up residence in the shelter instead of pitching my tent. I arranged my sleeping pad and bag, made myself some dinner, and waited for others to arrive. Given the nice weather, those who did come to the site decided to sleep in their tents. And by the time the sun set, it was apparent that I would have the place all to my own, and would not have to listen to a symphony of snoring as I've had to in the couple of other occasions that I've slept in shelters (perhaps I also contributed a solo or two). But just after I zipped myself up in my bag and became still, I could hear the telltale sounds of mice scurrying within the shelter. This was no surprise, as they are in every shelter, but I was the only person of interest on this evening. But even though I took great care to ensure that I had no crumbs around me, and placed everything in my backpack and hung it, I could hear my curious roommates on more than occasion moving around my bag, and even climbing up on the part of the bag that covered my face. A somewhat eerie experience to say the least. #countingmice #appalachiantrail #2018appalachiantrail #nationalpark #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks www.athike.jollyoutthere ...

A Walk In The Clouds. Many who walk the trail are dismayed when the fog rolls in and hides the beautiful mountain vistas. I on the other hand, welcome the shroud as it isolates me within a larger world to a stretch of trail that is all my own. I can go miles without seeing another soul or anything else except the saturated beauty that surrounds me. #aloneonthetrail #appalachiantrail #2018appalachiantrail #nationalpark #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

Old Friends. Almost 40 years ago in 1979 I reported to the USS Albany in Gaeta, Italy. Being that I was just a farm boy who had never been to Europe, it was a welcome sight when a fellow shipmate named Perry Polsinelli met me at the ship, helped me find my quarters, and then took me out to a dinner of spaghetti carbonara and something called a cappuccino. I have never forgot how generous that was. Fast forward to present and just a few days ago I came out of the mountains at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in NC in need of a good meal, a place to do much needed laundry, and a place to flop. Once again Perry, and his wife, Dee Dee, were waiting for me and were kind enough to put me up in a beautiful nearby home, allow me to do a wash, take a long, hot shower, and then made me a delicious Italian meal. However, their choice of attire for me to wear while I did wash was pretty interesting. If this hiking thing doesn't work out, perhaps I'll join the ballet. While much changes in each of our lives, it is wonderful when old friends are ever present. Thanks Perry and Dee Dee. #oldfriends #appalachiantrail #2018appalachiantrail #nationalpark #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

Spring Is Springing. As I walk along the trail there is much to take in, and it is the small vignettes that are easy to simply stroll past. But, if one slows down just a bit, and looks, you see what is once again emerging after a long sleep. #anewbeginning #appalachiantrail #2018appalachiantrail #nationalpark #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

Milestone. Those who have successfully thru-hiked the AT will tell you that reaching the 100-mile mark is an important milestone. It certainly is for me given that my prior hiking experience generally amounted to single-day hikes with a light backpack and relatively limited mileage. But I have gotten this far slinging a 38 pound pack, humping up and down mountains, preparing "gourmet" dehydrated meals (without starting myself on fire), and sleeping in a tent with temps dipping down near freezing. I've often said that the steepest and longest climb that I will do on this thing, is my climb up the learning curve. And slowly, but surely, I keep advancing. #keepmovingforward #appalachiantrail #nationalpark #2018appalachiantrail #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

Along The Trail. If you are so inclined to travel along with me on this journey, I thought that I would share a few shots of what I've seen thus far along the trail as I've moved through Georgia into North Carolina. Regardless of where you look, there is beauty. #surroundedbybeauty #appalachiantrail #nationalpark #backpacking #hiking #appalachiantrail2018 @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

One State Down. On April 3, Day 9 on the trail, I crossed from Georgia into North Carolina at mile marker 78 on the AT. Only one down and 13 to go, but at least I made it out of GA. I just need to take them one at a time. Actually, I'm employing a mindset that has worked previously for me. When I rode my bike across county when I turned 50, I learned to just get through the next mile, and in that case, had 3,000 of them to deal with. Here I don't focus on just the states, but narrow my view down to when I'll try and come off of the trail for supplies, etc. in 5 to 7 days. Then narrow it even more to just making it to the next camp where I can cook a hot meal and then after a decent night's sleep, get up and do it all over again. In the end, it comes down to perspective and perseverance. In the attached you will find a short video that I recorded sharing some of my thoughts on making it this far. #perspectiveandperseverance #appalachiantrail #appalachiantrail2018 #backpacking#hiking #nationalpark @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

The Etheric Climb And The Ninth. Day 4 on the trail took me up Blood Mountain, one of our most challenging ascents at the beginning of the AT, on a cold morning that was shrouded in an etheric fog. It is a very steep climb in places over scattered, uneven rocks that are made even more treacherous by a thin layer of mud that covers a portion of them. As I began the climb I pulled out my iPod for the first time and went to my favorite piece of music, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. I labored up the climb alone, stopping periodically to breathe deeply and take in the saturated beauty that surrounded me while the music played as a soundtrack in my own production. It was truly extraordinary. Then when I hit the final, steepest part of the climb, with the wind howling over the ridge and sleet raining down, the fourth movement began and the 100 plus Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Ode to Joy pushed me along until I finally reached the summit and a stone shelter that provided a welcome sanctuary. No pain, no rain, no Maine. Santiago out. #etherealbeauty #ethereal #appalachiantrail2018 #appalachiantrail #nationalpark #backpacking #hiking @appalachiantrail @goparks ...

Black and White. When you attempt to thru-hike the AT, you either make it all the way, or you don't. In some respects, it's pretty black and white. No pain, no rain, no Maine. Santiago out. #blackandwhite #appalachiantrail2018 #appalachiantrail #nationalpark @appalachiantrail @goparks ...