Amicalola Falls.....

We are starting the approach to the AT from Amicalola Falls State Park.

The AT begins 8 miles from here at Springer Mt.

Track Our Progress.....

You can track our progress through my SPOT

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0OuY25jLW8NevpXT7b79dtHK6S9pXhZVl

First forgotten item (almost)......

We forgot to pack towels for the boys and having stinky wet (dog) boys is not an option.

Luckly we were able to stop at bass pro for the above.

One Million Dollar Hostel.....

Tomorrow night we will be spending the night at Len Foote Inn/Hike Inn. It is 4.4 miles on the approach trail to Springer Mountian.

It is eco-friendly and has no power. Apparently it cost one million dollars to build.

A million dollar hostel, got to see that......

Start of hike

Tomorrow we will start our hike. Get this, you have to hike 8.3 miles to get to the start of the AT. We will start the approach trail at Amicalola Falls State Park.

MJ says she wants "credit" for hiking the approach trail.

Going to get out fit checked.....

Got our packs on going to REI to get out fit checked. Seth has an external frame pack that he has taken a liking to..

Hiking Avatars.....

MJ and I have hiking avatars..... You will be seeing more of them.

Packing......

It is a lot of stuff, and a lot of planning. I will try to make a list of our items while on the trail. Our full packs with 5 days food (no water) weigh 24-26lbs. Here are my items laid on a white sheet for organization.

Mapdana.....

It's a map, no its a bandanna, no wait, its a mapdana......  and it's brilliant.


There are four mapdana's, each printed with a section of the A.T.  This one is Springer Mountain, GA to Damascus, VA.  I plan on carrying this and marking it with a laundry marker (for a keepsake).

Also I want to give a shout-out to Heather at AntiGravityGear (creators of the mapdana) for digging around and finding the last one in stock.  The website indicated they were out-of-stock but I placed a note with my order asking if there were any left (I would take a demo, second, or return).  She left me a note, "found one, last one, may be a little dusty, wash first).  Great customer service.  Thanks!!!

Prepping the food.....

So think about it. 

Four dinners, four lunches, four breakfast's, times fourteen days.  That's 168 meals to account and plan for.  Thinking and planning for that many meals could cause mental paralysis.  But it's like eating a elephant, possible one bite at a time (however I will now take that elephant freeze-dried and dehydrated).

Surprise, Andrew's coming...... Trail Mix

Two weeks before the trip it was finalized that our oldest son Andrew would also be coming.  He is now twenty-one, and at a point in life where hiking two weeks with his parents would be a *good* thing for him.

MJ thought I should title the blog "Trail Mix" because we will probably have a mixture of family and friends going with us over the years.

Trail Mix - great title!!!

Hiking the AT

As most of my friends and family know, both Seth and I (and now MJ) are into Scouting.  Big Time!

At the age of seven I took Seth to Cub Scouts.  He has been a Wolf, Bear, and now Webeleo.  I have gone from parent, to Den Leader, to Cubmaster, and MJ from Pack Trainer to Den Leader.

We have all taken to scouting, and the girls are very involved.  Looking back I have been amazed with all of the things that Seth has done and how he has grown through scouting.

And now to the point......   After seeing all the amazing things that Seth has been able to do, I thought wouldn't it be cool to start section hiking the Appalachian Trail.  That if we started now, we could hike the entire trail (2,100 miles) by the time he reaches eighteen.

What a story that would be, what memories, a huge accomplishment for "both" of us, him by eighteen, and me by fifty (I feel old saying that).

Hiking with a nine year old may sound a little rough (on him), but the kid can walk miles and miles without complaint.  We walk five miles together (no complaint), biked fifteen miles (no complaint), and have done various activities (no complaint).  I truly believe Seth can out hike most adults (I might be a different story, but we will see).

So there you go, hike 2,100 miles with my son over the next decade. Plan and simple......  But wait, MJ wants to go.  She wants to start with us and doesn't want to miss out.  So change in plans, now its Me, MJ and Seth.

But what about the girls?  Brooke was not interested, and Scout needed some more maturing (so they will be staying with Grandma).  However I have a feeling that will change.  I know Scout is rearing to go, and Brooke is now showing some interest.  Maybe the next leg of the hike?

Our first section hike will begin mid-September 2010.  Wish us luck!!!!