Shawn is currently hiking through the Smokies! We were able to talk for a few minutes today while he was on top of a mountain. He said that sometime tomorrow or so he will have less than 2000 miles to go on the AT! He also said that within the next few days he'll reach the 10% completed mark.
The weather seems to be a big concern throughout the trip. He said that today was one of the coldest days in a while, and it was in the 50s, so I know he's been luckier than most of us, but apparently there has been a lot of rain.
Since he left Franklin, NC, he spent a night on the trail with a few friends. The people he's been hanging out with the most are Coma, Rambo, No Responsibilities, Bearpaw and a few others. Those names mean just as little to me as they do to you, but it's interesting to hear the other names that people get on the trail.
The next day there was terrible rain, so Shawn and two others, I think Coma and Rambo, hitched a ride to a town and stayed there. Since then, he's been right outside and through the Smokies. He said that it has been a lot of difficult uphills. But while we were on the phone a lot of people who had been traveling behind him were passing him, and it seems as though he's gotten to know most of the hikers. He said that he's still enjoying himself. He also said that he hasn't done laundry in about a week, and it seems to be becoming a bit of a problem. Hopefully he'll be able to do it at some point before all of his new found friends abandon him for someone who has done their laundry more recently.
Reception has been pretty bad in the Smokies, but I'll update again in a few days.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The next few days...
Hi Everyone,
This is Kelsey writing again. Shawn is currently at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, about two days before reaching the Smoky Mountains. Since he last wrote, he spent two nights in Franklin, NC at a 'hiker hotel'. He decided to spend a second night because the forecast for the day on Wednesday was severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings. He left on Thursday morning on an 11 o'clock shuttle and walked a little over 4 miles. He decided that he really likes to walk by himself and then camp with a group at night. So, about 4 miles into the hike on Thursday, he met up with a bunch of people that he got to know in Franklin. They found a big, open field in the middle of the woods. A lot of people thought about pushing on to a shelter, but instead decided to take advantage of the open field. They pooled the beers that they had saved from Wednesday night, stuck them in a bag, and then stuck them in a creek near the campsite, so that they would be cold for the evening. Then they made a fire and had dinner. Shawn said that the moon was almost full, if not completely full, and the view of the stars was incredible.
On Friday, Shawn got kind of a late start around 11:30AM. He left after almost everyone else that had stayed at the field. He had to hike about 12 miles yesterday. It was a hard day, because there was a lot of up hill hiking. He didn't get to a campsite until about 7 or 7:30PM, which is pretty late for a hiker day.
Today he got a much earlier start, because he had another 12 miles to go and was anxious to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. He got to the center around 4 or 5 and said that today was a pretty easy day for hiking. He seems to have lost a lot of the group that he was traveling with on Thursday, but he suspects that they were lured off the trail by a 'trail angel' who had pitched a tent and was offering food and drinks to tired hikers. The Outdoor Center has a bunkhouse, a restaurant, condos, a store and seems to be pretty touristy. It's on a river that is known for it's white water rafting. Tonight for dinner he had a pretty typical Shawn meal of an appetizer of onion rings, and then a bacon cheeseburger and fries for a main course. I just talked to him a few minutes ago, and he was sitting on the porch of the bunkhouse with two other hikers that he ate dinner with. He said that he would be in bed soon and that he's looking forward to starting the Smokies.
He seems to still be enjoying himself a lot. And I've heard that although his hand still does not look great, it feels much better.
Shawn and I have still been able to talk every day, so if you would like to receive a call from him sometime soon, feel free to post it on here or send me an email, kwegner@drew.edu, and I'll be sure to pass on the message.
This is Kelsey writing again. Shawn is currently at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, about two days before reaching the Smoky Mountains. Since he last wrote, he spent two nights in Franklin, NC at a 'hiker hotel'. He decided to spend a second night because the forecast for the day on Wednesday was severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings. He left on Thursday morning on an 11 o'clock shuttle and walked a little over 4 miles. He decided that he really likes to walk by himself and then camp with a group at night. So, about 4 miles into the hike on Thursday, he met up with a bunch of people that he got to know in Franklin. They found a big, open field in the middle of the woods. A lot of people thought about pushing on to a shelter, but instead decided to take advantage of the open field. They pooled the beers that they had saved from Wednesday night, stuck them in a bag, and then stuck them in a creek near the campsite, so that they would be cold for the evening. Then they made a fire and had dinner. Shawn said that the moon was almost full, if not completely full, and the view of the stars was incredible.
On Friday, Shawn got kind of a late start around 11:30AM. He left after almost everyone else that had stayed at the field. He had to hike about 12 miles yesterday. It was a hard day, because there was a lot of up hill hiking. He didn't get to a campsite until about 7 or 7:30PM, which is pretty late for a hiker day.
Today he got a much earlier start, because he had another 12 miles to go and was anxious to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. He got to the center around 4 or 5 and said that today was a pretty easy day for hiking. He seems to have lost a lot of the group that he was traveling with on Thursday, but he suspects that they were lured off the trail by a 'trail angel' who had pitched a tent and was offering food and drinks to tired hikers. The Outdoor Center has a bunkhouse, a restaurant, condos, a store and seems to be pretty touristy. It's on a river that is known for it's white water rafting. Tonight for dinner he had a pretty typical Shawn meal of an appetizer of onion rings, and then a bacon cheeseburger and fries for a main course. I just talked to him a few minutes ago, and he was sitting on the porch of the bunkhouse with two other hikers that he ate dinner with. He said that he would be in bed soon and that he's looking forward to starting the Smokies.
He seems to still be enjoying himself a lot. And I've heard that although his hand still does not look great, it feels much better.
Shawn and I have still been able to talk every day, so if you would like to receive a call from him sometime soon, feel free to post it on here or send me an email, kwegner@drew.edu, and I'll be sure to pass on the message.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
We're not in Georgia anymore
Hey everybody, I am writing to you from soggy Franklin, North Carolina. It has rained all day, with thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow, but I made a shuttle three miles earlier than I had planned, and was able to get a room and a hot shower. Already North Carolina seems different from Georgia. The first climb out of Bly Gap at the state line was immediately harder than anything I have seen so far. There have been some peaks over 5000 feet, including the insane Albert Mountain, which I summited late yesterday. That was a 15 mile day, a new record for me. My blisters are healing well, though my left hand is somewhat useless when it comes to setting up camp or cooking. I tried to make Jiffy Pop last night over a campfire, but that was a disaster (I burned it horribly, but ate it anyway). I learned how to make stovetop stuffing for a meal, and I have a feeling that it will be one of my favorites in the months to come. I'm in the lobby of the motel now, waiting for a shuttle to come to take us to town for groceries and whatnot. After that I need to hit a laundromat up the street and check out the all you can eat bbq buffet for dinner. Then a relaxing night with a real bed and a TV. It's amazing how much you can enjoy a crappy room and greasy food after only two weeks of doing this, but there you have it. I'll check back soon. I'm about a week or so away from the Smokey Mtn's, so I'm sure I'll have a few stories to tell.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Shawn here
Hey everybody, this is Shawn writing. Kelsey posted earlier that I was going to hike a few miles today, but that didn't end up happening. My fingers have some good blisters on them, and the weather is lousy, with thunderstorms coming tonight, so they convinced me to stay. Not a whole lot to report that Kelsey hasn't already covered. My new trail name is apparantly "Poker", after the hot metal poker that i grabbed onto last night. I knew as soon as it happened that an embarrassing nickname would probably come from it, and sure enough this morning everybody was trying to decide what to call me. It was between Poker and Branded. I kind of liked Branded, but oh well. It's been nice to take a couple of days off, but I am excited to get back to hiking tomorrow. Even though i've hardly even seen a squirrel and none of the plants are really in bloom, the trail is beautiful around every turn. I am amazed at how nice and willing to help hikers everybody has been. Kelsey mentioned the elderly couple that gave me a snack and a comfortable chair after climbing a ridiculously steep mountain. The Cloud 9 Hostel/Trout Farm, where I am staying right now, is also very nice. The caretaker, Crutch, got his name from a thru hike attempt a few years ago where he broke a leg early on, and continued to hike with a cast and a crutch. He had to quit in New Jersey, because it was late October and the hiking season was ending. Luckily my injuries aren't that bad, and as long as I go easy on my fingers, I should be fine. That's all that really springs to mind right now, so I hope everything is great back in Mass. or wherever you're reading this from, and I'll try to write again soon!
Update!
Hi Everyone,
Sorry the blog hasn't been updated too recently. I have been on the road.
Shawn is just about to leave a hostel in very northern Georgia. He should be walking into North Carolina tomorrow or Sunday. Yesterday he took a "0 mile" day to rest and go food shopping. I'm going to break this post up by exciting updates rather than days.
Last weekend and the beginning of this week Shawn hiked about 12 miles every day. He had wonderful weather. One night was a particularly cold night. He was wearing all of his clothes but still had a hard time sleeping. The next day he got to the first town, so he decided to invest in a new sleeping bag. This one is ready for 20 degree weather. It is also a pound lighter. He seems to be extremely thrilled with this new purchase. Apparently it also came with a built in pillow at the top.
Thus far, I have been able to talk to him more than once a day. He has a lot of exciting stories to tell. A few days ago on the trail he met what he claims to be the nicest couple ever. He was walking across the road when someone started yelling to him. He walked over and was offered cold water, soda, cookies and fruit to hikers. He sat around and talked to them for about an hour before continuing on his way. The couple said that they come down for a couple weeks every year to help the hikers. The man said that he used to bring a 6 pack of beer every day incase any of the hikers wanted that option, but no one ever took him up on it so he stopped bringing them. I'm guessing that Shawn didn't do a spectacular job of hiding his disapointment.
One of my favorite stories was his experience in town yesterday. He went to a McDonald's, where I'm guessing that he was craving something with more than one 'all beef' patty, bacon and cheese. To the surprise of both of us and I'm sure many of you, half way through his burger and 1/3 of the way through his fries, he looked down at his food and realized that it was disgusting. He promptly threw it away and went back outside. I can tell you with confidence that this is the first time since Shawn and I started going out that he has turned down his burger, his fries or any of my left over food. He said that he will not be eating McDonald's for a long time (hopefully never).
Shawn's experiences with food have been pretty exciting. On Wednesday night for dinner, Shawn had what seems to be some kind of a supreme pizza. Not only he did happily eat pizza, it had mushrooms that he did not remove. Last night for dinner he had chicken marsala, with pasta and mushrooms. (!!). I can't believe it!
Last night Shawn earned his official trail nickname. Apparently every thru-hiker earns their trail nickname near the beginning of the trail. And once you're intensely into the hike no one knows you by your real name, only your trail name. Everyone was sitting around the campfire pretty late at night. One guy was holding a long thin object that appeared to be a wooden stick and asked if someone would hold it for him before throwing it down on the ground. Shawn volunteered, walked over to the stick and picked it up. Unfortunately, it was not a stick. It was metal. Shawn now has burns on his left hand. They're on his middle and pointer fingers and his thumb. One of the guys at the hostel is an EMT, so he was able to diagnose the burns as second degree. Shawn said that he's putting ointment on it regularly and icing it. He was thinking about taking another 0-mile day today, but instead has decided to walk 4 miles this afternoon. He now also has the pleasure of being the first person to get injured at this particular hostel this season. His official trail name is "Poker." Originally people were throwing around the idea of "hot poker," but this way he can also try to convince people that he earned the name because he is so good at cards. Apparently this is an excellent story to carry around with his trail name. I just can't believe that he suffered this intense of an injury while sitting comfortably near a hostel at a campfire, and not out roughing it in the middle of the woods.
I should hear from Shawn again tomorrow, and he said his next town will be in about 4 days. Expect an update soon!
- Kelsey
Sorry the blog hasn't been updated too recently. I have been on the road.
Shawn is just about to leave a hostel in very northern Georgia. He should be walking into North Carolina tomorrow or Sunday. Yesterday he took a "0 mile" day to rest and go food shopping. I'm going to break this post up by exciting updates rather than days.
Last weekend and the beginning of this week Shawn hiked about 12 miles every day. He had wonderful weather. One night was a particularly cold night. He was wearing all of his clothes but still had a hard time sleeping. The next day he got to the first town, so he decided to invest in a new sleeping bag. This one is ready for 20 degree weather. It is also a pound lighter. He seems to be extremely thrilled with this new purchase. Apparently it also came with a built in pillow at the top.
Thus far, I have been able to talk to him more than once a day. He has a lot of exciting stories to tell. A few days ago on the trail he met what he claims to be the nicest couple ever. He was walking across the road when someone started yelling to him. He walked over and was offered cold water, soda, cookies and fruit to hikers. He sat around and talked to them for about an hour before continuing on his way. The couple said that they come down for a couple weeks every year to help the hikers. The man said that he used to bring a 6 pack of beer every day incase any of the hikers wanted that option, but no one ever took him up on it so he stopped bringing them. I'm guessing that Shawn didn't do a spectacular job of hiding his disapointment.
One of my favorite stories was his experience in town yesterday. He went to a McDonald's, where I'm guessing that he was craving something with more than one 'all beef' patty, bacon and cheese. To the surprise of both of us and I'm sure many of you, half way through his burger and 1/3 of the way through his fries, he looked down at his food and realized that it was disgusting. He promptly threw it away and went back outside. I can tell you with confidence that this is the first time since Shawn and I started going out that he has turned down his burger, his fries or any of my left over food. He said that he will not be eating McDonald's for a long time (hopefully never).
Shawn's experiences with food have been pretty exciting. On Wednesday night for dinner, Shawn had what seems to be some kind of a supreme pizza. Not only he did happily eat pizza, it had mushrooms that he did not remove. Last night for dinner he had chicken marsala, with pasta and mushrooms. (!!). I can't believe it!
Last night Shawn earned his official trail nickname. Apparently every thru-hiker earns their trail nickname near the beginning of the trail. And once you're intensely into the hike no one knows you by your real name, only your trail name. Everyone was sitting around the campfire pretty late at night. One guy was holding a long thin object that appeared to be a wooden stick and asked if someone would hold it for him before throwing it down on the ground. Shawn volunteered, walked over to the stick and picked it up. Unfortunately, it was not a stick. It was metal. Shawn now has burns on his left hand. They're on his middle and pointer fingers and his thumb. One of the guys at the hostel is an EMT, so he was able to diagnose the burns as second degree. Shawn said that he's putting ointment on it regularly and icing it. He was thinking about taking another 0-mile day today, but instead has decided to walk 4 miles this afternoon. He now also has the pleasure of being the first person to get injured at this particular hostel this season. His official trail name is "Poker." Originally people were throwing around the idea of "hot poker," but this way he can also try to convince people that he earned the name because he is so good at cards. Apparently this is an excellent story to carry around with his trail name. I just can't believe that he suffered this intense of an injury while sitting comfortably near a hostel at a campfire, and not out roughing it in the middle of the woods.
I should hear from Shawn again tomorrow, and he said his next town will be in about 4 days. Expect an update soon!
- Kelsey
Friday, March 7, 2008
Days Two and Three
Hello Family and Friends of Shawn,
I was not expecting to be able to post again so soon, but thus far on the AT Shawn has had cell phone reception. I've been able to talk to him a couple of times as a day everyday. Hopefully that will continue, but if it does not, at least we know he'll be reaching Neels Gap by Saturday night or Sunday morning/early afternoon and he will have access to a phone.
So, Shawn started out yesterday morning by making oatmeal and then hitting the trail. It was his first official day on the Appalachian Trail. He got started around 10AM. Around lunchtime, he came across a waterfall and was able to enjoy his meal in the beautiful scenery. A few hours later he came across a small path that led to a large meadow. He decided to sit there and rehydrate. After he had been there for a few minutes, he heard lots of people shouting, which isn't what one would normally expect to hear on the AT. It turns out that the meadow he had found was also the setting of an army training camp. He watched the soldiers for a couple of minutes, got to see a helicopter land on the meadow, and then went back on his way. All in all, Shawn walked about 8 miles yesterday. Around 3:30 he said that he might push on to a stream a few miles further, but because of the weather forecast (an inch of rain through the night and day) he decided to stay in his first AT shelter.
Last night he had dinner around a campfire with 5 other thru hikers. There were three men ranging between mid-twenties and early thirties (approximately) and a couple. They all talked about why they were hiking the trail and the last meal that they had before they left. Shawn was the only one who decided to stay in the shelter, until the weather got so bad that another thru hiker joined him in the middle of the night. When I talked to him at 9PM, he said he had already seen a mouse twice. He also told me about the experiences others had in that particular shelter, where one girl woke up with a mouse in her hair and another with a mouse in the bottom of the sleeping bag.
He called me this morning around 10 to say that he was up and having breakfast, but that the weather was terrible. He left around 11:30, but was only going to go 7 miles again because of the rain. He said that he would hike 14 miles tomorrow.
Those are all of the updates as of now, I'll keep you posted if I think of or hear anything else!
I was not expecting to be able to post again so soon, but thus far on the AT Shawn has had cell phone reception. I've been able to talk to him a couple of times as a day everyday. Hopefully that will continue, but if it does not, at least we know he'll be reaching Neels Gap by Saturday night or Sunday morning/early afternoon and he will have access to a phone.
So, Shawn started out yesterday morning by making oatmeal and then hitting the trail. It was his first official day on the Appalachian Trail. He got started around 10AM. Around lunchtime, he came across a waterfall and was able to enjoy his meal in the beautiful scenery. A few hours later he came across a small path that led to a large meadow. He decided to sit there and rehydrate. After he had been there for a few minutes, he heard lots of people shouting, which isn't what one would normally expect to hear on the AT. It turns out that the meadow he had found was also the setting of an army training camp. He watched the soldiers for a couple of minutes, got to see a helicopter land on the meadow, and then went back on his way. All in all, Shawn walked about 8 miles yesterday. Around 3:30 he said that he might push on to a stream a few miles further, but because of the weather forecast (an inch of rain through the night and day) he decided to stay in his first AT shelter.
Last night he had dinner around a campfire with 5 other thru hikers. There were three men ranging between mid-twenties and early thirties (approximately) and a couple. They all talked about why they were hiking the trail and the last meal that they had before they left. Shawn was the only one who decided to stay in the shelter, until the weather got so bad that another thru hiker joined him in the middle of the night. When I talked to him at 9PM, he said he had already seen a mouse twice. He also told me about the experiences others had in that particular shelter, where one girl woke up with a mouse in her hair and another with a mouse in the bottom of the sleeping bag.
He called me this morning around 10 to say that he was up and having breakfast, but that the weather was terrible. He left around 11:30, but was only going to go 7 miles again because of the rain. He said that he would hike 14 miles tomorrow.
Those are all of the updates as of now, I'll keep you posted if I think of or hear anything else!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Day One
Hello Everyone,
This is Kelsey using this blog as a way for everyone to stay connected with Shawn's adventure. I hope to update it after every conversation with him. I'll encourage him to post on this when he has internet access so that you can hear his stories and updates straight from him, until then I hope this suffices as a way to know how he's doing.
Shawn officially departed Winchester, MA for the Appalachian Trail thru hike on Tuesday, March 4th. He flew in to Atlanta, GA, took a Greyhound bus to a town that I currently cannot recollect, and then spent in the night at Motel 6. For anyone who has read Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, apparently it is true that this particular motel has cigarette burns on the toilet seats. Shawn also said that he wore his sandals into the shower, for fear of catching a disease from the bottom of the shower floor.
This morning Shawn was up around 7AM to re-pack his pack, take his last shower in civilization for a while and head to Amicalola Falls. He took a cab to the falls, which took about an hour, and was ready to depart around 11AM. At 12:40PM, I got another call from him saying that he had eaten breakfast/lunch at a restaurant about a mile down the trail and was ready to set out for good. He said that he was surprised by the number of well-dressed business people that had ventured to this particular restaurant for lunch, considering it was in near absolutely nothing but the AT.
He told me there was a small chance he could call from the top of Springer Mtn (the official start of the AT), but that we should say our goodbyes from the lodge. He said that I should expect to hear from him again on Saturday or Sunday. He also said that after one mile on the trail he was thoroughly enjoying himself but was already regretting the heaviness of his pack.
To my surprise, I did get a call from him around 7PM tonight! He had reached the top of Springer Mtn and was ready for bed. He said that the trail leading to the AT had been much easier than he expected, but that his shoulders and back hurt from the weight of the pack. He also said that he knew it would get easier with time. He walked 8.9 miles today. He told me that he was so happy to be out there in GA on the AT, that the weather was perfect and he had just watched the sunset from the summit of the mountain. I asked him what he was having for dinner, and he said that he was too tired to cook, so it would probably just be peanut butter and crackers or tuna and crackers. In the end, it was a couple of handfuls of pretzels. He called about an hour later to say that he was ready for bed. We'll be talking again in the morning before he departs on the official trail. And he did say that he's already taken a few pictures of his journey.
Please let me know if you have any questions or anything in particular you would like to ask him, or if he hasn't called you in a while and he promised he would. I promise to send any messages his way. We're also keeping track of his pace and routine so that I can begin to estimate when he will be arriving in towns. At that point, I have a list of all of the post offices in the area, so please let me know if you would like to know specifically where he is so that I can give you the appropriate address and make sure he goes to the post office.
If there's anything else I can help with, please let me know, but I'm sure that Shawn will be in touch with all of you as soon as he can.
Thanks,
Kelsey
This is Kelsey using this blog as a way for everyone to stay connected with Shawn's adventure. I hope to update it after every conversation with him. I'll encourage him to post on this when he has internet access so that you can hear his stories and updates straight from him, until then I hope this suffices as a way to know how he's doing.
Shawn officially departed Winchester, MA for the Appalachian Trail thru hike on Tuesday, March 4th. He flew in to Atlanta, GA, took a Greyhound bus to a town that I currently cannot recollect, and then spent in the night at Motel 6. For anyone who has read Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, apparently it is true that this particular motel has cigarette burns on the toilet seats. Shawn also said that he wore his sandals into the shower, for fear of catching a disease from the bottom of the shower floor.
This morning Shawn was up around 7AM to re-pack his pack, take his last shower in civilization for a while and head to Amicalola Falls. He took a cab to the falls, which took about an hour, and was ready to depart around 11AM. At 12:40PM, I got another call from him saying that he had eaten breakfast/lunch at a restaurant about a mile down the trail and was ready to set out for good. He said that he was surprised by the number of well-dressed business people that had ventured to this particular restaurant for lunch, considering it was in near absolutely nothing but the AT.
He told me there was a small chance he could call from the top of Springer Mtn (the official start of the AT), but that we should say our goodbyes from the lodge. He said that I should expect to hear from him again on Saturday or Sunday. He also said that after one mile on the trail he was thoroughly enjoying himself but was already regretting the heaviness of his pack.
To my surprise, I did get a call from him around 7PM tonight! He had reached the top of Springer Mtn and was ready for bed. He said that the trail leading to the AT had been much easier than he expected, but that his shoulders and back hurt from the weight of the pack. He also said that he knew it would get easier with time. He walked 8.9 miles today. He told me that he was so happy to be out there in GA on the AT, that the weather was perfect and he had just watched the sunset from the summit of the mountain. I asked him what he was having for dinner, and he said that he was too tired to cook, so it would probably just be peanut butter and crackers or tuna and crackers. In the end, it was a couple of handfuls of pretzels. He called about an hour later to say that he was ready for bed. We'll be talking again in the morning before he departs on the official trail. And he did say that he's already taken a few pictures of his journey.
Please let me know if you have any questions or anything in particular you would like to ask him, or if he hasn't called you in a while and he promised he would. I promise to send any messages his way. We're also keeping track of his pace and routine so that I can begin to estimate when he will be arriving in towns. At that point, I have a list of all of the post offices in the area, so please let me know if you would like to know specifically where he is so that I can give you the appropriate address and make sure he goes to the post office.
If there's anything else I can help with, please let me know, but I'm sure that Shawn will be in touch with all of you as soon as he can.
Thanks,
Kelsey
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