Sunday to Friday. A zero day and lots of adventures.

So Jordan has officially made it to star status. Plus he has a posse now. You’ve met Torque from an earlier post. Giuseppe the German shepherd has now joined the gang. While staying at the Standing Bear Farm, all the hikers got to know Jordan. He was allowed to run around and meet everyone. So now, Hollywood is always having people come up any ‘So that’s YOUR dog. We saw him at SBF and yada yada yada.’ Hollywood and Julia Childs have been hiking in the same pattern as a group of others. They are  Napalm, Sam, Sage Monkey, and Snow. They initially just met at various spots and sheltered along the trail, but have jelled into a group. They are a group held together with the bond of canine companionship. There is so much to tell.

 They all took a zero day in Hot Springs. It was the generous donation of a sprint phone from one of them that allowed Tyler and Melissa to have a nice three hour conversation. She has ATT and the service is literally nonexistent in Hot Springs. Her phone call was very broken up last night.

One of the coolest things I learned is that Hot Springs as well as many other towns they hit ARE the Appalachian Trail. The trail markers run right through main St. So everyplace they went while on a “zero” day, they were either NoBo or SoBo on the AT.  The sidewalk has AT’s carved into it.

Wednesday Zero day was supposed to be very productive but she actually got little done. Tyler called and by the time they had a few minutes to catch up, the library had already closed. She intended to upload some more photos so we could enjoy them. Maybe next time.

Tuesday night when they rolled into town, they rented a little cabin, ‘perfect for five’ with only three beds. How that was supposed to fit five, he world may never know. Plus the three musketeers, Jordan Torque, and Giuseppe. That makes for a tight squeeze.  That night they pulled in a bunch of the other people staying at the campground and, in Melissa fashion, got the two adjoining cabins occupants to join the party so nobody would complain about the noise.  A couple of the hikers in the group had trail guitars, they lit a nice fire, and a whole hootenanny was had by all.

Going into town is a funny thing for them now. They are focused and intent on getting so much done, Restock, catch up with family, clean, get mail, send mail, wash clothes, shower, go to a bar or a restaurant to get some calories crammed in, post photos to facebook and chat for a bit on 56K dialup computers at the library, charge batteries, and a bunch more as you can guess. But there is never enough time and they know there isn’t before going into town. No number of lists and good intentions can get all the stuff done or stretch the time in town.

Hence the idea of going into town to face all this becomes stressful. While they are on the trail, it’s simple. Everything you need is in your pack. You hike all day, setup camp, eat some food, go to sleep, pack it all back up. Rinse and repeat daily.

However, once IN town, it becomes your haven from the bug bites, cold nights, ground sleeping, drafty shelters, sore feet world that is a thru-hikers life on the Appalachian Trail. And on top of it all, whenever they leave town, it’s always an uphill hike they face. The towns are primarily situated in gaps and gorges, so it was nice downhill trekking on the way in, but grueling trudging on the way out.

The Standing Bear Farm was a nice place to board Jordan. The family, who run it, took him right into their house with them. He got to play with the family and other dogs he’s met along the trail. The reuniting with Jordan was great. He peed he was so happy LOL J.  He was very happy there. He met up with Kiwi so they got to spend the week together. They hung out on the porch all day and said hello to the hikers coming in. They never kenneled him, so it was a really nice relaxing week for the J-Dog.

Standing Bear Farm was a bit more stressful for Melissa. They got there late, found out the facilities were less than desirable. The ‘bathroom’ was a privy, the ‘laundry’ was a washboard, and no running water, so no showers. The trail guide had boasted about the place, which is a nice stopover, but it said these facilities plus shower were available here. They had sytayed for a very long time at the trail magic I mentioned on Easter. They never expected to have to hike too far because they were only three miles out of Standing Bear. So they arrive late, find the place is OK, but they get nothing more than they would on the trail and have to pay 15.00 to pitch a tent in the yard.

They decided to just get Jordan and hike on to the next campsite. It turns out to be much further than expected. Melissa had the extra food from Fontana Dam for Jordan, plus his Standing Bear Farm pickup. They had to don headlamps to make it there and all the while Melissa was carrying over 40 pounds and also carrying Jordan’s backpack in her hands. Eventually they had to stop long enough to put Jordan’s pack on in the fading light and she packed as much food as she could into his pack. it was so dark by the time they arrived at the site, they couldn’t find good places to pitch tents without disturbing others. They set up where they could and it slept exhausted, sweaty and uncomfortable on root riddled ground.

But Melissa had Jordan back and that made everything tolerable. The gang was whole again. Both doggy and human.

They left town Thursday morning at 1:00PM and she was calling me just after 9:00 PM. They were at the Sprint Mountain Shelter when she was calling. That is 282.8 NoBo. Plus another large gap and peak they had to hike over today before hitting some relatively flat ground. Our next expected contact will be when they hit Erwin, TN to pick up some of Jordan’s food and other essential sundries. 

Melissa says hello to everyone and can’t wait to see you along the trail. And there you have it. Sunday to Friday.  Another week on the trail and many more miles to go. We wish them all the best.

Zero day in Hot Springs, NC tomorrow.

Got off the phone with Melissa a short time ago. She has no service with her phone and was borrowing one to call me.

They are taking a 0 day tomorrow to rest, rejuvenate and so Melissa can talk to her hubby for more than five minutes. They did 20 miles on Easter Sunday so blew right past all expected stops. Hot Springs, NC is at mile 270.7 NoBo. That makes 32.2 miles in just two days. Now that is some hiking. With sore tired feet and satisfaction of a job well done, they will take a well deserved day off.

Melissa is sorry she didn't call Sunday because they were too intent on putting on miles. She is borrowing a phone so she can talk for a few hours with Tyler. She hopes to call me after that, but we will all understand if she forgoes updating us for extra time on the phone with Tyler. She thinks she should have internet access so her Facebook page will hopefully have some photos which I'll repost here for everyone to enjoy.

I'm getting more background info trickling in as the people they've hiked with come off the trail and pass along stories. This will serve well to fill in the days that we don't hear from them and give us more details of what they are experiencing.

Hot Springs won't know what hit them when Tripwire, Hollywood and Julia Child, AKA The Kickin Cousins, and a whole host of thru-hikers get through with it. From what I'm learning, Melissa is doing what she does so well; Getting many individuals who normally would be independent grouped together to enjoy each others company en-masse. 

Missing her J-Dog sure is a great motivator

Happy Easter everyone. I hope you day was wonderful. I spent it with Melissa's folks and we were lucky enough to get a trail call from Melissa.

Thay had met up with some trail magic about three miles out from Standing Bear Farm. The girls put 19. Count that again... 19 miles... on today. Melissa has been missing her buddy and pushing the miles to the breaking point so the troop can be whole again.

Someone who was dishing out the trail magic also let her borrow their phone to call home. She told us she was being filled with grilled cheese sandwiches, hard boiled eggs and all kinds of sweet delicious stuff. Many thanks go out to those incredible people who took the time to make their Easter celebration with the thru-hikers. Lots of merriment and cheer was had.

By the time this is up on the blog, Melissa and Jordan will be reunited. Christina, Melissa, and Jordan are together again and the pack is once again whole. I should get a call from Standing bear Hostel and Hollywood will be updating her Facebook once they settle in and she gets Tripwire out of prison and back in her loving arms.

They are officially out of the Smokies and in Hartford, TN. This puts them at mile 238.5 NoBo. When looking at the A.T. Guide, the elevation was a pretty steady downhill for them with one minor uphill section. I'm sure that helped with the miles but not as much as the motivation to see Jordan again.


I was able to find a small video taken at the Standing Bear Farm Hostel. The person narrating shows us just how much trail names are used and we get a quick glimpse of the facilities.

The video is one of a three part series that goes through the SBF very well. IT was taken 4 years ago. Thanks to youtube user dzimme20 for the video.

I'll fill you in on the details of the Smokies hike when Melissa calls. Thanks for reading.

Greetings from Gatlinburg

A post from Facebook:

Melissa Chamberlain

We hit 200 + miles today and the highest point on the AT Clingmans Dome! We're in Gatlinburg for the night. Still missing my J dog :( 30 more miles till I get him back.

We miss him too. Almost as much as we miss you, Melissa. If she gets a chance, I'll probably hear from her tonight. If so, I'll post details here. Jordan's next shipment was send to Standing Bear Farm in Hartford, TN. Jordan is already there waiting for his mommy to finish the 30 miles to get out of the Smokies.

Some more info about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:
THE NATIONAL PARK
Hosting over 9 million visitors annually, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America's most visited national park.  It is a landscape that combines natural and cultural history beautifully.  History unfolds before the eyes, emerging from lush forests and rich lowland valleys. The national park was officially created on June 15, 1934.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the ceremony at Newfound Gap, a central point along the spine of the mountains that separates Tennessee from North Carolina.  Unlike the vast western parks, the Great Smoky Mountains had been inhabited for some time and parcels of land had to be purchased from settlers. Pioneers crossed the mountains from North Carolina in the early 1800s to reach rich, isolated valleys.  Before them, the Cherokee lived from these lands.  But by the 1920s, the verdant southern Appalachians had been damaged by fires and stripped of most of their timber.   A $5 million  investment from famous industrialist John D. Rockefeller, along with the support of concerned citizens throughout the region, helped attain the final goal of the park's establishment, protecting nearly 500,000 acres of land from development and creating a public space for the entire country's enjoyment.

This is such beautiful country,we can only be envious of the views they must be enjoying. This is also when we bid Farewell to Y-Knot and Y-Know aka Dennis and Melissa. Hollywood and Julia Child strike out on their own tomorrow. I can only imagine this is another new and exciting starting point for them because they no longer have anyone in their party but themselves. Although there are lots of people on the trail in case of trouble, this is the start of their independent days relying solely on each other. I think they have had the absolute best experience thru-hikers could have. Experienced people along to help them get started, then the majority spent experiencing the wonder of the Appalachian Trail trained and ready for tough stuff, but on their own.

Once Jordan rejoins the party, they will be whole again. The next 30 miles won't be as tough for Melissa  knowing Tripwire is at the other end waiting to get back on the trail.

An idea of what it is like hiking through the Smokies

While we wait to hear word from our weary travelers, I found this really great video taken
by someone who hiked in in 2009. The weather you see is very similar to what they are exoeriencing now. Thanks to youtube user milapse   For the cool video. 



They most likely made it over Clingmans dome today. Highest peak up and over, but it's far from downhill the rest of the way.

Signal strength one bar but Melissa got a call out from the Smokies

None of us expected to hear from her, but Melissa called me to update her food shipment amount for Jordan. We were able to talk for a few minutes with very sketchy service.

They made 10.7 miles today and are staying in Mollies Ridge Shelter 175 NoBo. They are required to stay in shelters while in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If there is room in the shelter and a person is in a tent, they are subject to fines if caught by rangers. Melissa is in bliss at the shelter because it is the first one she has found that has a fireplace built into it. So after night after chilly night, they will sleep toasty warm. Permits are also required to hike through the Smokies.

Y-Knot's wife Melissa, aka Y-Know, is on the trail with them. She will be hiking with them until Dennis leaves the trail. This will be about half way through the Smokies. After that point, the girls are on their own.

Jordan is being trucked to Standing Bear Farm at mile 238.5 NoBo. Melissa will pick him up there. She will have leftover food, so my next food drop is going to be much less. I'll be adjusting the next food drop from 28 cups down to 19. Jordan is doing well with 2 3/4 cups of food on average a day. Melissa misses her buddy so much right now.

Tomorrows goal is Derrick Knob Shelter 186.7 NoBo. The day after they will shoot for Mt. Collins Shelter 200.2 NoBo. That will put them up and over Clingmans Dome.

I've been asked to send out the A.T. Guide that I've been using for reference. Hollywood hasn't found a book that is its equal. I ordered a copy for myself so I can update the mileage totals for you. So for a couple posts, I might not have accurate mileage.

She couldn't talk too long because of battery power and service, but wanted me to thank everyone for the support. Rock on AT soldiers. We will hear from you in four or five days.

A Letter to everyone from Melissa.

Hello all,

I know you have all been anxiously awaiting an update. Since my internet access is limited please follow my (Jordan's) blog for weekly (or so) updates. It is being written by my dear friend Bud who is mailing me all of Jordan's food while I am on the trail, I call him when I can to let him know what we're up to. He posts the link on my wall when he updates the blog.

FB has no spell check so bear with me.

We, me my cousin Christina (Julia Child's), my uncle Peter (Tail Wind), friend Dennis (Y-Knot) and Jordan (Trip Wire), hit the approach trail on April 1st, the approach trail is 8.8 miles and is not an part of the AT, it is the trail that leads to the AT. So we technically didn't start hiking the AT until April 2nd. Currently we (minus my uncle) are in Fontana Dam, NC. We will leave tomorrow morning to start the Smokies. A 70 miles stretch that is known for it's difficultly. Jordan is not allowed in the Smokies and I was very sad to leave him today. :(
Y-Know and Maureen will be leaving us half way through then Julia and I will be on our own.

We have had amazing weather thus far. We've only had to hike in the rain once, well technically twice but the first time was only for 10-15 min. Other than the one day of rain it's been in the 70's most days. We've had a few really cold days but mostly cold nights and mornings. Our best mileage has been on our cold or rainy days. 15.8 on the rainy day and 15.1 yesterday on a very cold and windy day, walking fast keeps you warm :). We've been averaging 10-12 miles a day and have hiked over 140 AT miles.

Our first week we were living in what I like to call the Melissa Bubble, where we hit trail magic every day and some days twice a day. Trail magic is any random act of kindness by a stranger, generally burgers, hotdogs and candy when the trail meets a road crossing (oh and fruit too, fruit is a precious commodity on the trail).
We're having a great time and have met a ton of awesome people. We're at the point now where we know a pretty decent group and see/camp with them often. People are at the point where they've started to figure out their pace so I assume we will stay near most of the people we are with now.

My body doesn't hurt like it used to and my feet seem to finally be adjusting to the weight and abuse. Thanks to my parents for sending me lots of socks and new insoles. THANK GOD! For a while Ibuprofen was a side dish for all meals but now I only take 2 every day or other day.

My pack generally weighs around 30-35 pounds depending on how many cookies my mom sends :) For the record, cookies are heavy but worth carrying.

I'm not sure what else to tell you... I have so many stories and so little time.

Lightning is very scary where you're in a tent surrounded by trees, everyone thinks having a dog in camp is a safeguard against bears (not sure how I feel about that), all you can eat is like music to my ears and GAP is a four letter word. Gap - a low point between two mountains, meaning you walk down a lot but then you have to go up....

Many of you have given me suggestions of how I can keep you all updated from the trail "don't you have a smart phone"... While I would love to keep you all updated more regularly and probably could by using my phone and other methods, I don't want to, it's an inconvenience. I want to experience the AT for what it is and not be on my phone uploading pictures and my status every night. I want to be social with my hiking buddies and sit at the fire and what not.

Besides the fact that I am in the woods and have no way to charge my phone (yes I've heard all the suggestions that go along with that comment too, again an inconvenience). Yes we come to town every 4 or so days but we are very rushed from the min we get here till the min we leave. There is a lot to do in a small amount of time and finding a computer is difficult esp. one that works well. Most have a 30 min time limit, like this one which I have gone way over.

I will do my best to upload pictures and leave FB notes but I am sorry it won’t be as often as you all probably had hoped. Again, please follow my/Jordan’s blog written by Bud. The best way to get a hold of me is through text message, I can generally get and send those with little to no service. I am happy to answer any questions people have but please allow a few days for me to get back to you as I typically don't check my phone on the trail.

I miss you all!! I wish you could all be here! I expect to see lots of you when we hit NH!! If you can't hike you can still bring us candy and beer :) or drive us to hotels (aka shower and laundry).

We're having a great time! An experience of a lifetime for sure!!

If you are interested in sending me mails please contact Bud Green (on FB).
I hope all is well!! Happy Trails

Hollywood

Jordan takes a break while the gang hikes the Smokies.

They arrived at Fontana Dam today. They put on 15 miles yesterday. Unfortunately, the Great Smokey Mountains National Park doesn't allow dogs. Dogs have been prohibited since the parks creation in the 30's. Here is a link to an explanation why from the website. NO DOGS ALLOWED

So Tripwire / Backtrack will spend the next days in Day Care while Hollywood, Julia Child, and Y-Knot hike through the Smokies. Don't feel too bad for him though. He now has a chance to catch up with a lot of his trail buddies he has met along the way.

They will spend the night at Fontana and start tackling the next section in the AM. This puts them at 162.5 NoBo. They will come out at 236.9 NoBo. There is no cell service in the Smokies so there will be a blackout period while we wait for them to reach the other side. But, depending on the track they decide to take, we may hear from them at the midway point if they take a break and head into Gatlinburg, TN. Here is a pretty good map of The Great Smoky Mountain Naitonal Park so you can get an idea of the next leg of the trail. GSMNP MAP

They are going to be going up Clingmans Dome while in the park. There is an incredible observation tower there.  Click the picture below to see a full size image. It is very impressive a sight. Clingmans Dome is the highest elevation peak on the trail at 6643 Ft. It doesn't get out of the alpine zone however, and has trees all the way to the top. This is because Clingmans is in a more temperate zone than the mountains here in New England. As anyone who's hiked around the Whites knows, the trees stop right around 3500Ft up here.

Jordan gets to take a few days break while we wish good luck and happy trails to our intrepid travelers. Be sure to leave comments and words of encouragement for them all. When they finally get internet access again, they will be glad to hear from their fans.

Jordan's buddies on the trail

Jordan has been making friends as well as Melissa and Christina. He met up with Kiwi early on along the trail.Kiwi is a girl. No matter how long the day is, if Kiwi is in the camp, they play together like puppies.
They lost Kiwi and her human when they got off the trail in Franklin, but Jordan hopes to see his trail girlfriend again.

 And here is Jordan's buddy Tork. Tork and Jordan are both boys. They get along great too. They are camp friends. Their humans have setup camp almost every night in the same places. They love hanging out together. They are all through hikers so we expect to read more tails about them.

Along with all kinds of new friends, Jordan will have plenty of company on the trail too.









Jordan has started to get used to the backpack and the daily trek. He's up to his old tricks anyone who's hiked with him knows. Running forward, then dashing back to clip his mom in the legs, then a bump from behind as he dashes up the trail again.


Our next expected contact should be Fontana Dam. 

Greetings from the N.O.C.

I just heard from Melissa. They are at the Nantahala Outdoor Center Also known as 'The NOC'. The NOC is a large complex at the intersection of the AT and the Nantahala River. They have bunks, river rafting, alpine towers and all sorts of outdoor activities there. Most importantly for the through-hikers, shower and laundry facility are there too. I supplied links above so you can check the place out.


This puts them at mile 135.2 NoBo. They've had five really good days putting miles behind them. Tuesday it rained all day. Although it was wet, they were able to stay cool and motivated and put on 16.8 Miles. That was their highest mile day so far. Jordan was in heaven. He got covered in mud and rolled around in it at every opportunity. He left the dried mud for mommy to clean out of the tent the next morning. I'll introduce you to a couple of his fellow canine trail buddies in the next post.

They have started getting into the swing of things mileage wise. Melissa is still having issues with her feet and thinks it is her hiking shoes. The blisters are healing, though. Her mom has sent socks and insoles and they are helping somewhat. A new pair of shoes is what she really needs, but the outfitter at the NOC and the one at Fontana Dam are pretty limited. She will try replacing them after that. It is the balls of her feet that ache after a day of hauling a heavy pack over the trail that gets her.

Jordan is the camp chowhound. He is adored by everyone as you can imagine and gets fed all the food he isn't supposed to have. Fortunately he is working so hard during the days that the human food isn't affecting him in the ways it would if he were at home. He is barking less now when he is in the tent. It's only when people move around in the dead of night that he gets riled up now.

 Keep the comments coming, Melissa says thank you for sharing the journey with her.

No news from the woods so a little more details about life on the trail.

I haven't heard word from Melissa since Sunday. They are in and out of service and this is not unexpected. I was actually quite surprised we had heard so much and so often the first week.

Jordan would want me to assured everyone that he is taking good care of everyone and they are never REALLY alone.  This is the typical night camping on the Appalachian trail. There are 12 in this particular group on this overnight. You can see Jordan tied outside Melissa's tent keeping an eye on the scene. They usually make camp a short ways off the main trail. Campfires outside of shelters and huts are non-existent. They are inefficient for heating and cooking, and threaten to start wildfires. The Shelters and Huts that are close to water will sometimes have a fire pit. Those places are where you find the classic 'hang around the fire telling ghost stories' moments.

Mice are very common in the huts and shelters along the trail. More people opt to sleep in their tents than the huts even when there is space available. Melissa told me that the huts are usually colder than your tent as well. This makes sense since they have a much higher ceiling.

From the A.T. Trail Guide:

White blazes on the north side of trees are identical to the blazes on the south side. Make sure you are headed in the right direction, especially when sleepily leaving shelters in the morning.

They are in Macon County, N.C somewhere.

UPDATE : Tailwind informed up they stayed at Wesser Bald shelter 129.3 NoBo. 

It rained Today but the Weather for the next couple days will be sunny mid 60's days and upper 40's and clear at night. Great weather for hiking. Next likely rain will be Friday. They are in the Nantahala National Forest. We will either hear from them again back in Franklin, The NOC, or at Fontana Dam. When they got off the trail, they went North to get to Franklin. So they went back to the trail where they jumped off at Deep Gap. The NOC is at 135.2 NoBo and Fontana Dam is 162.5 NoBo.

I'll update you with all the details as soon as they check in. If you read the blog, please feel free to comment. Melissa reads the blog as well when she has internet connection, and words of encouragement are always appreciated.

GA/NC

I got an awesome large picture of Melissa and Christina as they crossed the border from Georgia into North Carolina. I hope they are ale to get a picture like this at every state crossing. It will make a nice set of photos to group together when the trip is through.

Jordan Eats Chinese and DQ.

So when the group stopped in Hiawassee, GA a couple days ago, they went out to an 'all you can eat' Chinese Food buffet. Melissa tied up Jordan outside the restaurant and, in typical J-Dog fashion, he started barking soon after everyone sat down to eat in an attempt to get someone to come pet him. He has it in his head that if he barks constantly, people coming by will pet him. Counterintuitive to us, that's true, but hey, he's a dog after all.

So after a few minutes of barking, the waitress at the restaurant asked the group if Jordan belonged with them. Melissa said yes, and apologized for the barking. She figured the waitress was gearing up to ask her to do something with him because of the barking. Instead, the waitress asked if it would be OK if she went out and gave him a piece of chicken. I guess she thought he was barking because he was hungry or a piece of chicken would make him stop. Hollywood told her it was OK and she went out, gave him some chicken and petted him for a bit.

She came back inside and a little while later, Jordan started barking again. This time, the waitress just up and walked out with another piece of chicken. It was as if Jordan was asking for more and she was serving him up just like she was doing for the patrons inside.

Jordan's no dummy, despite how he acts sometimes, and quickly figured out to wait, bark, get chicken, get attention, wait, rinse and repeat. She had gone out four times before they had finished their meal. He got to eat Chinese along with the rest of them.

His mom also gave him a nice treat at the DQ they stopped off at once the buffet was devastated. Our pal Jordan has his humans wrapped right around his paw.

The Tail of Trail Magic. We say so long to Pete.

I talked to Melissa a couple times today. They made a short day of it today and they are in Franklin, N.C. They hiked to Deep Gap 85.5 NoBo then got off the trail to go into town. Pete is coming off the trail and headed back home. We want to wish him farewell and thank him for being along with our adventurers for their first week on the trail. Dennis will be with them for another two weeks. We'll be introducing new guest stars as the journey continues. They are spending the night at a hotel, Pete, and his wife Margaret are in a B & B catching up. They will be getting a ride back to the trail in the morning and then it's Northbound they go again.

I learned about 'Trail Magic' this morning. Previous hikers and just really kind good natured people set up spots along the trail where they give hikers snacks and such to brighten their day and keep the energy up. They've been fortunate to discover Trail Magic every day so far.

Today was a day of fog, rain and 100% humidity. They never got a chance to dry out at all. A night in a hotel drying out gear is just the thing they needed.

Melissa still has her 'Bubble'. Those of you who know her well, know she calls her ability to ignore bad things and only experience good things her' Bubble'. The whole group has been fortunate enough to be in the bubble with her all along the way. Other than today, they have missed rain while hiking on the trail, and they've hit trail magic every day just when they needed it.

I'm going to update the slide show in the previous post to include all the pictures she has posted so far. They will not be completely in order but I'll correct that as time goes on.

I've got a cute Jordan story to share with you tomorrow.

Week one. Prep, pack, and hike from Springer Mtn. to Hiawassee.

As well as keeping everyone safe, making sure they are motivated every day, and trying to trip Melissa whenever he can, Jordan has made a slide show of week one ;-) A retrospective for everyone back home. It almost feels like we are on the trail with them. I hope you enjoy

A post from FaceBook. Georgia is a memory. Hello North Carolina

Melissa Chamberlain

We are officially in north carolina! 1 down 13 to go! 76 miles of the AT complete! (plus the 8.8 we did before we were actually in the trail)

 

Melissa Chamberlain Not bad for our first week. We devastated an all you can eat buffet last night :) 

Another long day. Melissa is posting at 10PM.You go gang. First state is done. North Carolina is calling you. They camped at Bly Gap 76.4 NoBo.

Pictures along the trail including our hero, Jordan, in his cool Backpack.

 Hollywood uploaded me a few pictures from Hiawassee. I had asked her to upload the full size images so she couldn't upload them all due to time and bandwidth restrictions. I asked her to tell us the locations the next time she can e-mail. So without further ado, here they are:

Jordan the Wonder Dog chillin like Bob Dylan

 Our first picture of J-dog. YEAH!!  Rockin the cool orange doggy backpack. This may be the calmest most sedate picture I've ever seen of him. He is posing all professional like for the camera.

Southern Terminus Springer Mountain

This one was taken when they started out. As you can see by the plaque on the rock if you look at the full size version, this is the Southern Terminus at Springer Mountain. Our intrepid trio as they head out on an adventure of a lifetime.

Top of Springer Mountain

Taking a break at the top of Springer mountain. Is it me or do you also see a real family resemblance between Melissa and Christina?

Christina, Dennis, Pete, Melissa, and in the front row, Jordan the Wonder Dog.

This is the first picture of the whole group together. With the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in the background, I'm so happy they were able to get someone to take a picture of all of them together. We now have a face to all the names.Julia Child, Y-Knot (the original), Tailwind, Hollywood, and Tripwire.

Next Mail drop will be:

Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel

3255 Green Corner Rd.

Hartford, Tn 37753

28 Cups will be going out along with a few treats for Jordan. Some Cow Ears, Sweet Potato chews, and a several different kinds of biscuits. 

JTWD aka Tripwire

 Jordan Looks pretty excited to be out of his pack for a while. No rest Big Dog, tomorrow is another long day of new adventures along the trail.

From Facebook this morning:

Melissa Chamberlain Jordan is doing great! Damn dog, we should put more weight in his pack haha he's having a great time. His trail name is trip wire because he's constantly trying to take me out. I haven't had a real computer until today, all posts and comments have been done with my phone. Posting pics now :)

Facebook Post from Hiawassee, Ga

Melissa make a quick Facebook post at 10: 15 PM. They must have spent a very long day on the trail. Here is her FB post: 

Melissa Chamberlain

We're in hiawassee ga almost to nc, 9 more miles! 

Dicks Creek Gap is at mile 67.6 NoBo. There is a campsite at mile 68.6 NoBo and the closest town is Hiawassee, Ga. Most people opt to go into town. It's a full service town with all the amenities. I got a text from her at 10:19 telling me they are in Hiawassee and staying at a hotel. She was hoping to post pictures to Facebook but when they got back from dinner, the Office with the computers had already closed.
We should have some more pictures up tomorrow night. I'll pull them in from Facebook.

Tomorrow will mark day 7 on the trail. One week into the the adventure and they're averaging 11.25 miles a day. Keep on truckin' gang.

 

We have a sighting. Pictures from Unicoi and Neels Gap.

I haven't heard from Hollywood since Monday but I got a couple pictures sent back home from Tailwind while on the trail today. They've made it to the Cheese Factory Campsite. This is 1.5 miles before Tray Mountain (elev. 4199). 

This top one was taken at Unicoi Gap 50.9 NoBo. They had come upon this nice group offering Homemade peppermint patties and cookies and hotdogs. They then hiked another 3.8 miles to the Cheese factory campsite 54.5 NoBo. Pete sent this one Today, Wednesday 04/05 at 16:30.

This one was taken when they got in at Neels gap 30.6 NoBo Monday 04/05.  Pete sent the following in his e-mail: 'Yay! Staying 2nite in a cabin nearby. All are well. -Pete' I can only imagine how nice a cabin stay with a shower must have been. They are still all smiles. If you haven't gathered, the person beside her is Christina. Everyone say hello Christina...... Now that we have a Hollywood sighting we can see where she got the trail name. Awesome sunglasses.

It's really great that pictures are starting to roll in, I'll find some space online and post full size versions and link them here.

Day four and 12 sore feet.

Melissa gave me a brief call when they checked in at Neels Gap in Blairsville, Ga. Neels Gap is the first peak of 'Georgia 6 Gaps'. The others are Jacks Gap, Unicoi Gap, Hogpen Gap, Wolf Pen Gap, and Woody Gap. The peaks are between 1500 to 2000 feet in elevation and drop per peak. Click the link to see a side view of the 6 Gap section. As I can, I'll put reference links into the blog.

There is a hostel here so they will be able to clean clothes, take a shower and get a little trail dust cleaned off. Neels Gap is at mile 30.6 NoBo. There is a full service outfitter there Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi. No dogs allowed in the hostel so Melissa and Jordan will spend another night curled up next to each other.

There is another member of the hiking crew I was unaware of. Dennis Y-Knot (the original) has been with them since Springer mountain. Pete has settled in on Tailwind as his trail name. Hollywood alternates between calling Jordan Tripwire and As#%ole. I imagine that name is dependent on how tired she is and how much chaos J-dog is getting into.

Jordan is doing the best of the group as far as the feet go. But then again he has twice the feet to work with. :-) His collar broke early on. No more skull and crossbones. He's graduated to a lighter weight cloth collar. It's better for him because, just like the people he's escorting, every ounce counts. He has some hot spots on his shoulders from the pack. As he gets used to carrying his pack the problems should be less. Melissa is going to try some mole-skin on the pack side to see if it may help. Jordan's pack weighs 9 pounds at this stage.

I asked if she had any stories to tell about our four legged hero. He learned the limit of being in a pack pretty early. He's only run off the trail to chase a squirrel once. He got caught up and soon realized carrying a pack is a job that requires a modicum of concentration. His habit now is to be the Jordan we are all familiar with when he's out of his pack hanging around camp. But once his pack is on, he settles down to the task of walking right with the group never straying too far. He has become the camp alarm system. Every time they've set camp, when they settle in for the night, if anyone gets up and moves around Jordan barks an alert to his mom sleeping right beside him. He's taken on the responsibility of being her guardian quite well.


Today was a light day as far as miles traveled goes. They put 8 miles on the trail. Melissa and Christine have blisters on their blisters and need to have a couple short days to toughen the tootsies up. Melissa thinks I can cut back on the food amount and increase the number of shipments. Jordan can carry 6 days worth of food in his pack and that will leave more weight available for water on Melissa's back.

A little more A.T. info for you from the guide. I'll use these terms in future posts. Mile marks are listed in NoBo and SoBo mile numbers. NoBo means North Bound and SoBo is, obviously, South Bound. The first shipment waiting for them at Fontana Dam is mile 162.5 NoBo. So there is a long way to go until that first drop is reached.

So as day four closes on our intrepid hikers, we find spirits still high, feet sore and blistered. A nice refreshing shower, stock up on essentials, and back out on the trail in the AM.

Checkin after day three

 Melissa just texted me from the trail. She has blisters on her blisters but is in great spirits. They hiked 13 miles yesterday and 10 today.  Lots of duct tape is in use to try and keep down on the blisters, but they are sure to happen this early in on the trail no matter what. Considering she's breaking in all of her equipment while on the trail this is to be expected. Sore feet is a complaint that will be with them from beginning to end, to be sure.

Jordan is doing well. He's eating 4 cups of food a day right now. So each shipment should cover 8 days. I'll weight out the food on the next delivery and fill you in on how much he is carrying. Jordan is mostly self sufficient on the food front. He has a pack too and is holding carrying his own food water and bowls.

They are working on their trail names now. Earning your trail name is a part of the social aspect of hiking the AT. It's a name you either pick out early in or earn along the trail. Jordan's trail name is Tripwire. I'm sure he's earned it well. Melissa is Hollywood. I had to call her parents for some information and found that Christina is Julia Child. Scatcatcher or Snake. She seems to find these before anyone else does.  I found out Christina's dad Peter is on the beginning of the trail with them too. His trail name is Tooter. or Toot.

I'll probably start referring to them by their trail names once they settle in on them. It makes the adventure feel that much closer. I'm sure some of the stories she will tell throughout the trip will use trail names only.

She's in the woods right now and the service is crappy. Tomorrow they'll be headed into town and I'll get more details. Once I have more to share I'll fill you, my readers, in so everyone can enjoy a hike through the AT even if it's vicariously.

So there you have it at the end of day three. Bedtime comes early on the trail. I'm writing this at 8:30 and I expect they are all asleep by now.

PEACE

Mail drop one headed to North Carolina

Well, I sent out my first shipment of dog food to Jordan. Jordan is my friend Melissa's dog and they are both taking a life changing adventure. They are on day three of the Appalachian Trail. She is hiking with her cousin as well as Jordan. I've got the proud pleasure of being one of their mail drop locations. I'm responsible for shipping out the food and other needs for Jordan and the girls and receiving shipments from them.

I'll keep everyone posted on their progress here. I sent 32 cups of food and Mushers Secret to the Fontana Dam Post Office. They should get in there soon for the pickup.

At last report they had done 9 miles on their first day. No report back of the second day. I'll encourage Melissa to ship back her note books so I can transpose them for her. With her permission I'll stat a new blog specifically for the trip. If that happens, I'll post a link here.
Fontana Dam here they come.
Good luck Jordan. Oh and good luck Melissa and Christina too ;-)

Map of the AT in pdf format