Congrats to all my Trail Friends now finishing!

Well, its been several weeks and I still don't feel completely at home back in Gainesville. Last weekend I ran off spontaneously to New Orleans just to feel like I was going somewhere. I still feel like I am wasting time going nowhere, at least in the back of my mind. I have gotten back into the swing of going to classes and all the stuff that goes with being a college student. I've also changed in many ways in which I don't waste as much time inside and now lead a much richer and active lifestyle. Cooking, biking, running and spending time with friends have certainly become more of a priority for me, where as last year my life seemed to revolve a lot more around finding time for myself and watching tv. This spring, before I left for my trip, I was restless most of the time, discontent without any adventure, feeling trapped in my little bubble world. I think now, I feel a little of the restlessness I felt before. I thought I'd come back too tired with the adventure bug out of my system but now I feel like I am open for anything. The difference between now and then though is that I have the trail to think back on. At any moment I can close my eyes and vividly picture walking along the trail ontop of Little Haystack or through the soft rain falling around me with the fir trees brushing up against me somewhere in Maine. I can feel the gentle cold rush of fording a stream or even the sting on my palms after a slip on the slick rock faces. Almost all of my experiences evoke some sort of positive memory. Once I can picture that, I am instantly calmed. Its a nice feeling to go back to.
Anyways I really wrote this particular blog entry to congradulate every one who has finished the trail this year. Of course there was Shennanigans, Trigger, and the Stooge who finished with me, along with Greenlite and Blue Sky who finished the day before me. Ive congradulated them in person. But also Congrats to Ducky, Mudd, Sneaks, GiddyUp, Joker, Ewok, Tin Man, Gaspard, and everyone else who just reached Katahdin. And congrats to Prarie Dog and Smart Ass Saint Beaver, who are finishing up in two days along with Leon and Halifax wherever they are. I miss you guys more than you could know.
Its time for class, pictures still arent up yet, I really am working on that. Walking off, HULK

p.s. The album Ursus Major by Third Eye Blind is one of the most amazing things I have ever listened to. Just a suggestion.

COMPLETED!

Hi readers, Im all done. Im also very sorry I didnt write sooner but its been one of the most hectic weeks of my life. The trip to Mt. Katahdin was incredibly hard. I got sick off of some bad ramen my first night in the wilderness and it slowed me down some. It's not easy to hike when you are throwing up every couple hours. Because of this I got really dehydrated and with the heat we faced in Maine in the 90s which made hiking even 15 feet a challenge. "One step at a time" is what I had to keep telling myself as my stomach perculated draining me of all energy.
However I perservered and after fording several rivers and climbing the last of the rigorous mountains of Maine, Katahdin, the holiest of mountains to all hikers was in my sights. Katahdin, when spoken sounds like a quiet prayer. I could finally see the fruits of my labor in sight as I neared the northern terminus. It felt like nothing else I had ever felt before, like I was living to my full potential or completing some destined task.
I met my dad in Millinocket ME, famous for being where the discovery channel show "American Logger" is taped. Other than that, it is home to the Appalachian Trail Inn and Cafe run by the wonderful Paul and Jamie Renauld. My Dad was generous and loving enough to come complete the journey with me. For the last five miles up the mighty mountain my dad would join the ranks of us smelly, stringy hikers in our glorious quest of completion. From Millinocket we drove (feels like a first) to Baxter State Park and started at the base of Katahdin. To give you some perspective of how hard the mountain was, my father and I started at 7am and finished(total up and down was 10 miles) at 5pm. It was a long day and a hard climb. The most interesting thing about the mountain is that it seems to be a microcosm of the entire trail. It starts out easily enough crossing streams and idling its way under beech, pine and fur trees. The trail further progresses climbing Katahdin Stream Falls and begins a steep ascent with a few technical climbs. Once you make it finally up above tree line, the trail changes from a slantedly horizontal trail to slantedly vertical one where you feel like you are actually climbing a rock wall. Its a hard and steep rock scramble up to the area known as the "tablelands" which is a mesa on top of the mountain filled with more rocks and short grasses. There is one more climb and then the sign is in sight. You can finally see the sign that marks the end of the trail and the end of the journey. A large rock cairn stands next to it for effect. At the end of it all, I ran and kissed that sign at the end of the trail. The weather was beautiful and clear and all around you could see for endless miles of green, lakes, ponds and distant mountains. At the top, people kept asking where I had hiked from and all I could really answer was "you see that horizon, well the end of that." It was an amazing feeling finishing something I had dreamed of doing since I was twelve. And now that everything is said and done, I really feel that I have been changed for the better.

Pics coming soon, signing off,
HULK

Into the Wilderness

Rob is in the 100 mile Wilderness and I hope to meet him on the other end at Baxter State Park on Thursday night. Pray for his health, strength and endurance on this last section. I am sure he will want to give you all the details then.

Maine

Hey there readers,
well as my father said, I am in Maine. I got hailed on all day yesterday which was absolutely miserable and it has been unbearably cold(at least for this florida boy) with highs in the 40s and 50s. The terrain has also been the hardest we have faced so far. We( Trigger , Larry the Stooge and I) hiked a section yesterday called the Mahoosic Notch which felt like we were on some kind of obstacle course. We climbed boulders, ducked through caves and leaped over deep crevices with ice at the bottoms of them. The miles have been slowing us down but we are pushing on as hard as we can to be at Katahdin on the 21st of August. The good side of Maine is its extreme beauty. The views off of every cliff or ridge have been incredible, undescribeable in so many ways. The mountains up here have such grandier and regal beauty. I have such a love hate relationship with it. Im completely ready to get back to Florida, but reflecting on this journey; it really has been the best experience of my life. Hope everyone else is doing well.
Hiking on, HULK

Maine!

The Hulk (Rob) should be in Maine as I write. He left the Hiker's Paradise in Gorham early this morning. Since his last post he has hiked the White Mountains (very hard above the treeline, rainy), restocked in Lincoln and stayed at Chet's One Step At A Time. There was the best hour of the best day on Mt. Lincoln with 40 mile views. There have been high winds at Mt. Garfield and Mt. Washington (tourists make Hulk angry). At Pinkham Notch you go straight up or down over all kinds of boulders, got to the shelter late (work for stay was nice). Rob said he almost fell off when he stood up at the top of Wildcat Mountain. There was a side trip into Gorham for a new shoes and candy mail drop. R.I.P old boots (730 miles of service). Hulk is confident and walking with Larry (Mo and Curly's brother, really, from Holland) who has the remaining 280 miles of the trip mapped out. We are praying for his continued endurance and safety.

Into New Hampshire and into New Challenges

Well Friends, Its been a long 2 and a half months since I've talked to most of you. And believe me when I say, I've missed you all. And then I think to myself that I will see most of you all again in just a short while, approx. 25 days. It seems like I've been out here for so long testing my grit and proving to myself what I am made of. I feel like I have learned so much since I started; matured, toughened up, grown smarter, hopefully more compassionate and I've certainly learned the value of being patient. Well, now comes the real test. It will be more physically, mentally and definitely more emotionally challenging for me than I have ever experienced in my life. The test: to complete 440 miles of the toughest part of the Appalachian Trail in 25 days so that I can climb Mt. Katahdin in Maine, the northern Terminus of the AT with my father on the 20th of August. I honestly do not know if I can handle the schedule before me, but I will try damn hard to complete this and give it my sincerest all to finish up before I have to head back to Gainesville for my Senior Year. But up still ahead of me are the White Mountains, many peaking at over 4500 feet, The Presidential Mountains, Mt. Washington, a mountain infamous for having weather rivaling Everest, the bogs and rivers I will need to ford in Western Maine and then finally the One Hundred Mile Wilderness before I reach Katahdin. This will probably be my last post before I get back as any forms of civilization will be far from reach where I'm going but hopefully my Dad will be able to represent me while I push through this wilderness adventure. I'll leave you all with some photos since its been so long since I've updated those but until I see you all again,
Happy Trails, HULK

p.s. Pics are at the bottom of the page. Some of my favorites.

On the heights

The Hulk is now in Vermont! Weather has been varied, cool/cold nights but nice right now. He stayed at Kid Gore Shelter on Sunday and called from Mt. Stratton where he had a view of 7 mountains. His 2nd pair of shoes is breaking up after 500 miles and he keeps wearing out 'lifetime' guaranty socks. The plan is to reach Rutland by Thursday for resupply. After hearing about the lightning we are praying more fervently for his safety across this adventure. (Dad)

Mass.

Well hey there again readers,
Sorry its been so long since I've last written. There hasnt been much internet available lately, nor the time to write. Im in Dalton Massachusetts right now after a couple of short easy days. I spent one of those days working at Moon in the Pond Organic Farm where Im sure I was plenty of help tending the crops( I say sarcastically). Well I dont know if I was much help weeding and mulching but it was a bit dissapointing as Angry Beaver, Prarie Dog, Hellbender, and myself didnt really learn anything about farming and we're not treated with the most respect or gratitude, but oh well, cant win them all. The next day Angry Beaver had a big fall off of a ledge and fell about 10 feet down the mountain and into a tree, badly scratching up her legs. So we hitched into town for pizza and beer. It was a nice way to end my hike with them since they decided to take a zero day in Great Barrington and I have to hike on to make my deadline. Today I did 28 miles into Dalton where Tom Levardi is graciously letting me share his home for the night and tomorrow night while I slack pack. Today I also had another close call and glimse of my own mortality as a storm hit and a lightning bolt struck within ten feet of me. Scary stuff. I could just see a blinding column of light striking the ground near me and the sound of it was deafening. The force of it almost knocked me off of my feet too. Was it trying to hit me with my metal ten poles and cooking gear? Who knows? Well hopefully the weather will improve as it has been this month. It still rains plenty but the nice days really make the trip! I will try and post pictures tomorrow if I can. Hope everyone is well,
-HULK

Massachusetts

Hulk is in Massachusetts with over a 1030 miles completed this summer. Hiking again with Gaspar and Tinman, Apache caught up too. Enjoying the fresh blueberries and raspberries. Rained Saturday, so only made about 8 miles and spent night at Mt. Prospect. Sunday should end up at Hemlocks / 675 miles left. Monday will get to Barrington / Moon in the Pond organic farm, where you work to stay and eat. The push is on after that....

Hailstorm

Spoke to the Hulk today.

Tuesday night was terrible all around. They got to Telephone Pioneer Shelter and it looked like the shelter was full so camped nearby. Around 10 there was a heavy rain that turned to hail. Completely soaked and cold, Hulk moved into the shelter with a few dry clothes and one of those foil emergency blankets trying to warm up. Of course it makes a lot of noise everytime he shifted around, waking everybody in the shelter up. Around 3 am one woman had had it and got up and night hiked to Pawling, but she was nice and left her sleeping bag for Hulk to climb in and finally warm up. He was very sorry to bother the group and carried the bag to her the next day. Thank you sleeping bag lady.

Anyway, He, AB, PD spent night at Duchess Hotel in Wingdale, Connecticut on Wednesday for a full recovery. They are in Kent right now, doing laundry and resupply. Kent is very New Englandly nice. Hulk is a little sad because he has enjoyed the company of Angry Beaver and Prairie Dog, but they are taking it easy today, and he still has 15-17 miles to go.

Goal is to be in Mass. by Sunday.

New York - City View

After watching Transformers II in Delaware Water Gap (mi 894), Hulk has been pretty busy hiking again. He made it through New York and should be through New Jersey by lunchtime tomorrow. While resting at Blue Mountain Camp, a bear came up to his pack, but he says he was pretty calm as he huffed and clapped to scare the bear away. It was a rainy hike to Gyps Tavern but nice views from Fire Tower campsite. They swam in Sunfish Pond, saw another bear, and made it to Unionville. He stayed in the Mayor's basement for a couple days, with some slackpacking thrown in (Warwick Turnpike back to Unionville. The mayor remembered Atrip4steve (Ben and Spencer). Then dropped off again at Warwick and hiked to Wildcat Shelter (814). Had hoped to see some fireworks on the 4th, oh well - they had a great view of the NYC skyline / Empire State building, about 30 miles away the next day on the way to Graymoor, a monastery where they spent the night. 3 days of great weather, hiking with and enjoying Braid's music and song, Prairie Dog (not really a dog), the lovely Angry Beaver, FrankNStien, Brave Little Toaster and Pork (the dog). Some fresh blueberries, enjoying lunch in Stormville, a passing rain shower, hoping to make Telephone Pioneer shelter (743 to go) for the night and into Conneticutt tomorrow. Hulk's Dad.

Hey there readers! I am now officially done with Pennsylvania! 230 miles done in 11 days. I did a 32 mile day (my biggest ever) on friday and made it to the border. I hiked that day from 7am to 10:15pm and then took a day off yesterday where it was founder's day here in Delaware Water Gap PA. They had a classic car show and steam engines and a rubber duck race in the river where it was hikers vs little kids. It's already been such an amazing trip and I keep running into cool small town events like these. I didnt see my PA porcupine unfortunately but I have seen lots of other cool wildlife. So far my count for the whole trail is 16 bears, 3 rattlesnakes, 1 wild hog, about 20 feral ponies, 1 grey fox, 1 weasel, lots of groundhogs, turtles, other snakes,rabbits and too many deer to count. Also tons of birds, hawks and falcons. But I still have 800+ miles to see a porcupine and further up, a moose. A lot of people ask if I can still finish in time for school to start seeing as I still have 800+ miles. The answer is Yes! I feel like a machine right now easily knocking out 20+ mile days. If I can keep up my current pace and get past Hanover New Hamshire by the end of July (400 miles from here) than I should be able to finish by the time the fall semester starts back up. It's not going to be necessarily easy as hiking is a lot of hard work and hiking 20 miles a day means a lot of long days. But, my muscles have grown significantly in my legs, I have slimmed down from what I see about 30 lbs, so Im pretty lean now, and I have figured out how to hike big miles with a light amount of food so that my bag is just a little bit lighter. I dont know when the next time Ill be able to update this will be, but I should finish up with New Jersey(75) miles in a few days and will be well into New York by the end of the week. Hope everyone reading this and all of my friends and family are doing well,
signing off and walking on, HULK

New Boots

Hulk spent the night in Duncannon at the 'world famous' Doyle Hotel. He was wet and tired, getting in around 8 pm. The trail in was 1/2 mud and farmland and 1/2 rocks and mountains. Even with the 3 am fire alarm he got a real meal, a good nights sleep, did laundry and got new Northface Hedgehog boots. The old ones kept him going for 673 miles. Although a little tired of walking he is loving the hiker life, meeting many new people (veggiesteve) and seeing the country. Hoping to see a porcupine in Pennsylvania.....

PS - Thank you to Polly and Stella for the food and company at PennMar Park last Sunday!

PSS - Thanks to Uncle Ed for the birthday assets (helped to buy the boots).

PennMar Park

Hulk is now in Pennsylvania. He had a nice but rocky hike in Maryland, more climbs than he expected from the topo map at ATC.

When he got to the PennMar Park (.02 miles from Penn.) there was a great view and a Summer Concert with lots of food (nice people), music and dancing. So, 3 states done (Va, W Va, Maryland) and many more coming.

Heres the Pics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/HUlLKhikesAT/At02?authkey=Gv1sRgCNDj8ra40e3_qwE# These are all my photos up to Harpers Ferry.
http://picasaweb.google.com/HUlLKhikesAT/At02?authkey=Gv1sRgCNDj8ra40e3_qwE#
These are from DC.

Half Way

Well I made it Harper's Ferry West Virginia yesterday. It was a huge day. First of all, June 10th was my 22nd birthday, but I had forgotten all about that when I woke up at the Bear's Den hostel yesterday. Yesterday I hit 550 miles of the trail hiked this summer! On top of that it marked 1000 miles of the whole trail hiked since 2007. And Im finally out of Virginia, another big accomplishment. Now I can start knocking down states a lot more quickly. Also Tyler and my Dad came up to visit me and spend today in DC. We all had a blast. Its been absolutely amazing to see how God has been working in my life this summer and seeing that when I abide in him, just how he is able to provide wonderful things for me. There are tons of struggles with the size of this trip, the physical toughness, the ticks and hopefully not looming lyme disease, dangerous animals, lightning storms, freezing weather, etc. But the gifts provided to me have been innumerable including beautiful views, new friends, great conversations, exciting new experiences and much more. I wish I had more time to tell more stories. The pictures I'm posting will have to work for now though. Hope you all enjoy.-HULK

Skyland Lodge

Hulk is travelling with a large band of thru-hikers (Mud, Giddyup, Porkchop, Sneaks, Flyby, Joker, Beefight, Mosey, Gator, Earlybeard, Goodspot, Rattler). Saw a fawn, still wobbly on its feet, salamanders, more rattlesnakes, and this morning a bear. He spent the night at Skyland Lodge and a nice couple with a 'Pay it Forward' attitude picked up the dinner and drinks tab. Thanks mister man. Getting a late 11 am start back on the trail.

Shenandoah National Park

Put together from various phone calls and texts.....Hulk is enjoying Shenandoah, lots of deer and nice views. Since Lexington, hiked with Troubador and Rocktopus to Rustys Hard Time Hollow (delightful place, 1.3 miles off trail) T and R are going to take it a little slower, so after a morning prayer, Hulk is pushing ahead on his own again. Spent Sunday night at Paul C. Wolf Shelter (cool creek). Made it to Waynesboro the next day Monday June 1st for food and supplies. Just now I think he is heading to Loft Mountain campground (415 down / 1300 miles to go). Needs to do +/- 20 mile days to make it to his birthday (22nd) goal in Harper's Ferry and through another state (Virginia). Dad and Brother Tyler will meet him there for a day off to visit DC and friend Ozzie Mutts.

Day in Lexington

Well its been a good week of taking it slow. Graham(who is now Troubador) is adjusting well but I've had to slow down a bit for him to adjust and find his hiking legs. We've been hiking with some cool guys from Indiana, and surprisingly, a lot of gators. We spent one night at the coolest place called Marble Spring which looked like something out of a movie. We had hiked through a lot of underbrush, then the trail just opened up to this big clearing with a few big trees. We had some bears make a lot of noise around 5am, but no trouble came to us or to our food. We're in Lexington now and its been amazing how God has timed out everything perfectly. We arrived at US. 60 at 3 today and had to wait an hour to hitchhike the 15 miles into town. Graham and I went to the Washington and Lee dining hall where we made friends with all the service people who knew we looked, and smelled, out of place. Afterwards, we went to the movies and as we left we saw fireworks. A nice couple drove us to the field where the fireworks were being shot off for Washington and Lee's graduation and it was just cool to watch them being fired off. Then Beau Craparo picked us up and we're at his house now. Getting back on the trail tomorrow morning and picking up the pace. We are trying to make it to Harpers Ferry WV by June 10th, my birthday and will have to push through Shenendoah National Park to do so. Hope everyone else is having a summer as phenomenal as I am, HULK

Daleville

HULK here, I dont know what happened with the pictures. They should have linked but they havent and I dont really have the time to work on them. But heres the link for them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/HUlLKhikesAT/At?authkey=Gv1sRgCKL8vZuJrpTswAE&feat=directlink
that should bring up the photos I've taken so far for this trip. 282 miles down, 1459 to go. Im bushed after this last week and now that my buddy, Graham Wigle has joined me, we should take it slow for the next couple of days. I'm going to see my friend Beau in a few days as I have about 90 miles to go to Lexington Va, home of Washington and Lee university. Talk to you all then.-HULK

Hard Push

Hulk has endured...another larger timber rattlesnake that caught him off guard, bears (unseen, but heard) crashing about the campsite in the last night or two and it was very cold the last two nights. He slept near Sarver Hollow Shelter last night. Went to sleep hot, but woke up chattering for 45 minutes till he got his thermals and jacket on. Otherwise the weather is great during the day. He is trying to get to Daleville / I-81 crossing by Wednesday evening to meet up with Graham. He has gone 45 miles in 3 days, with another 49 to go today and tomorrow. He got a cell signal and called us from near Niday Shelter at 11am and will try to get to Catawba Va / Johns Spring Shelter late tonight. Keep him in your prayers.

PS- I did not see any new photos up yet, there may have been a problem uploading them at the last stop. Maybe he will fix that Thursday morning. 16 days / 214 miles down / 1500 to go. Dad

New Pics Up!

Well photos are finally up. Im writing today from the Pearisburg public library. Pearisburg is not a friendly town and Im more than ready to leave. In fact, I have to start booking it because I am meeting Graham Wigle in Daleville on Wednesday and Daleville is a good 90 miles from here.
It's stopped raining, at least for now and the weather couldnt be more favorable. The views from the mountain tops and ridgelines that I have been hiking almost seem endless and Virginia's beauty has me completely captivated. The other day I saw 3 baby bear cubs and one got within about 6 feet of me. I didnt see the mother, nor did I want to, but I got a picture of one of them and high-tailed it out of there. Ive also seen several snakes, one of which was a rattlesnake and he caused me a 20 minute delay by not moving off of the trail. He was an aggressive one.
My favorite day so far has been thursday. I hiked to the Dismal Creek waterfalls and went swimming with two other hikers, Knickers and Hobbit(two sisters). The water was freezing cold, but we asked ourselves how often do you get to swim under a waterfall and had a blast in the cool waters. As we were sunning ourselves out on the rocks above the falls, a local fisherman gave us several freshly caught rainbow trout which we fried up when we got to the Woodshole hostel that night. The Woodshole hostel is, at least for now, my favorite place on the trail. It has so much history and character behind it. It has only been open for 3 weeks now and is run by Michael and his wife,Neville. They were some of the nicest and most generous people I have met so far and wish them the best.
Continuing in that fashion, I have really felt the southern hospitality. Hitchhiking has been very easy and all of my rides have been very friendly. I got a ride from 3 kids yesterday, none of which looked 16 or older, but thats just the fun of the journey. Trail magic has also been a great treat whether its a cooler full of gatorade or a knee brace to help out with the tendinitis ive been having in both my knees.
Well, thats all the time I have to write. Im ready to get out of Pearisburg and get back on the trail. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for reading.

hey everybody, im writing from a gas station in Atkins Va, today and so far ive made it 75 miles. I need to start picking up more speed but it was a good first week. Its rained everyday so far, which means ive been quite the soggy dog this week. the company has been priceless and everybody has had a great additude about everything despite the weather. the mountains are beautiful and the wildflowers are just beginning to bloom. In Damascus last week I met a man I had met in 2007 named Larry(his trail name was the only wanderer) He shared his testimony with me in 07 and told me he had been running from the law on the AT years ago when a hurricane hit. He prayed for the first time in that storm and told the Lord that if the Lord spared him that night in the hurricane he would become a Christian and change his ways. God did spare him and the next day he walked into a town and turned himself in. He's a christian now and shares his testimony along with free phonecalls to all hikers who pass by. He offered me and a few other hikers a free breakfast and it was amazing. Led to a strong start on my hike this summer. Also had some fun up in the grayson highlands where wild ponies came up to our shelter. There were about ten of them and they were a lot of fun. Ill write more when I can. Im going to try and be in Pearisburg by next saturday and Graham Wigle might join me there if his knee can hold up. Its so beautiful out here and the people are amazing. I wish each of you all could experience this adventure. I will post pictures when I can. Happy Trails-Rob

First 5 Days

Alright, We talked with Robert today around 3:30 pm. As I mentioned in the last post, He had a huge, delicious breakfast with Larry and 3 other hikers (trail magic) before hitting the trail. Hiked 14 miles in the rain to Lost Mountain Shelter. Monday was a 12 mile hike in the rain to Thomas Knob where He had some nice feral ponies hanging around. They like to like the salt off of you. There were some pregnant mares and foals. Tuesday was a rainy 11 miles to Old Orchard shelter. He says shelters have been packed and most of his stuff is damp. His knees are bothering him a bit, but what do you expect? He has a pair of walking sticks to ease the impact. Wednesday was also walking thru rain and the little streams that cross the trails, hiking 11 mile. Thursday was 14 miles to Trumpi shelter. Finally today, the sun came out and the hike was a shorter 10 miles to the Partnership Shelter and the Mt. Rogers Nat. Rec. Area HQ. He got there by 2 in the afternoon, had a warm shower and ordered a pizza, which I am thinking tasted pretty nice about now. He is drying out his stuff and relaxing for the afternoon. 63 miles completed / 1650 to go. Mom and Dad are very relieved getting this first call. Tomorrow he will hike to Adkins, VA and restock his food.

Dad

Finally on the Trail

Rob / Hulk left Tampa around 2 on Saturday. His friend Beau picked him up and drove him from Roanoke to Damascus that evening. He spent the night at the Place. Sunday morning he had breakfast with a Trail Town friend, then took off for the Lost Mountain shelter (15 miles).

The Adventure Starts Tomorrow

Well I fly out tomorrow, Saturday May 2nd, 2009 to Roanoke Va. My great hike starts sunday and will go till about august 20th. 1718 miles. And to think, last time I was in Damascus was two years ago and I was 19 years old. Im excited and am glad things have come together whether they were in the original plan or not. Beau Craparo, my friend from high school, is picking me up and driving me to the trail and I'll see him again in two or three weeks in Lexington Virginia. Graham is not coming with me anymore, although there is some talk of him joining me in a couple of weeks from now. Im ready and have my gear packed. My pack weighs right around 25 lbs. loaded down with food and water. Im starting with a quick pace and should be able to handle a schedule of 15-20 miles a day by the second week. Time to go finish packing and planning. Next time we talk, Ill be on the trail. Happy Trails.-Rob Foss

One Week!

Well, it is now officially one week until I leave for Damascus Va. As of now, I don't have a ride from the Roanoke Airport to Damascus next Saturday. Also, Graham, my hiking companion for all of May just hurt his knee playing ultimate frisbee last week. It's already shaping up to be an interesting trip!
I am still very excited about the trip though. I really cannot wait until I see my first white blaze again or wake up to the sunrise over the mountains. All of God's aesthetic beauty is waiting for me up in those mountains only a week away. It is already proving to be challenging and I'm only in the planning stages. I have faith that it will all come together for the better and look forward to every step of those 1718 miles I have yet to tread. -Hulk

I guess I should write a little more about this whole thing. First of all, its called the HULKhikesAT blog because my trail name is the Hulk. One of the neat things about the Appalachian Trail is that everybody on it has a trail name. You trade your name for a different moniker that other hikers usually choose for you. A guy named Hawkeye named me on my third day out at the Nanthahala Outdoor Center.
Now heres a little more about the trail. It's a 2178 mile trail through the mountains. It crosses 14 states including Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, New Hampsire, Vermont and Maine. There are shelters (huts) and camping areas every ten miles or so where hikers usually spend each night. Each year about 2000 hikers set out to finish, but only about 10% of them finish.Most of what is eaten is freeze-dried or doesnt need to be refrigerated. Granola bars, energy bars, beef jerky and dried fruit make up most of my breakfast and lunch and snacks while ramen noodles, instant mashed potatoes and instant pasta and rice are favorites for dinner. Then when we get into towns, hikers will pig out to regain lots of calories since typically about about 400 calories are burnt each mile.
I am leaving April 30th for Damascus and should finish around the 20th of August. I'll be going with my friend Graham Wigle until he has to leave for summer B at UF. I have almost all of my gear with the exception of a few items of clothing and some extra pairs of boots. And I would leave now if I could. Thats all for today

starting up

Well readers, I've now made a blog. I am 24 days away from leaving for the biggest adventure of my life! I've got most of my equipment and a flight and ride up to Damascus Virginia to begin my "as close to a thru-hike as I'm going to get" hike from Damascus Virginia to Mount Katadhin Maine on the Appalachian Trail. If you dont know about the hike, I'll be walking 1718 miles through 11 states, making my way north. It will take about 3 and 1/2 months and after I finish this hike, I will have hiked all 2,178 miles of the Appalachian Trail having hiked all of Georgia with a few friends in 2008, and all of North Carolina and Tennessee in the summer of 2007. This is going to be the trip of a lifetime though and hopefully one that will change my life forever. I'm going to learn a lot about myself and about God and his wonders and see my great country a different way than most people.
Ill try and keep this updated throughout my hike and make it as interesting as I can filling you all in on everything. -Rob Foss