How can I change my username?
How can I change my username?
Hi White Blaze community..
My name is Susan, trail name Flower Child. In 2015 I hiked 700 miles of the Appalachian Trail, starting at Katahdin.. June 1st, and through the grace of extensive "free blazing" ended in Harper's Ferry, WV. October 1st.
I injured my foot, right around Caratunk ME, and that kinda threw a wrench in my hiking plans. So I embraced tears, hobbling, 8 mile days, and skipping large portion of trails, till even that was too much.. and it was time to go home.. (Which was the hardest part of my journey..)
My latest and greatest plan of action is to thru hike NoBo in 2017!! My first journey (SoBo 2015) I was 100% inexperienced, naive, and clueless in what I was getting into.. and to date it's the best decision I've made. Ranking in the major life changing events category: Hike the AT, pursue career, get married, have kids.. No marriage, no kids, career still in it's infancy... and honestly undecided.. and I might be stalling all that to thru hike again, you know, just maybe.. :PWhich is kind of the disadvantage/advantage? to comparing everything to long distance hiking.. Gaah.. X)
What I'm looking forward to in 2017...
-New Trail Name!
-Living like a hobo/child
and everything else is hard to put into words.. I think what this melancholy new emotion is.. is I'm trail sick.. I miss my adopted home, and family.. :P
Just found this forum last week and joined a couple of days ago. I am an 56 year old American living overseas (Palestine). When I moved here 16 months ago, I fell out of the habit of working out regularly, and I've gotten into pretty awful shape. I get around OK, but I feel weak and fat...heck I am weak and fat. So I was sitting here on Friday night reading about hiking, and thought, "Hey Einstein, maybe you could quit reading about hiking for a couple of hours and actually go take a hike." So on Saturday morning, I got up and had some coffee and oatmeal, threw a 1.5 liter water bottle in my day pack, and walked around Jericho in 100+ degree heat for almost 3 hours. Loved it. Going out again in the morning. So thanks to WhiteBlazes for the motivation.
Hi all,
My name is Steven. I am from south MS. I've been intrigued with the idea of thru hiking the AT since I started hiking years ago. I never really thought I would be able to make it happen, but I have since married an amazing woman who fully supports the idea and is willing to live like a hobo with me for 6 months or so. We will be doing a few test section hikes before shooting for all 5 million steps. She just joined the site today as well, so she's lurking around here somewhere. Looking forward to the info and stories that abound on this site.
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Hello everyone. Glade to be apart of the forum. I love the AT and getting outdoors. I am planing my first section hike next month going from Springer-Neel's Gap. PLaning it as a 3-4 day hike. I have a bulged disk in my lower back so that will give me some time to go slow if need be.
Thank you AT Troll for your welcome. I'm a little lost as to where to start so will be scrolling through the threads to see if I can find a discussion that fits. Our 22 year old son from Eastern Canada got on the trail on April 20th in Georgia. He refused to carry a cell phone and told us (adamantly) that he would get in touch if he found a publicly accessible computer in any of the towns on the trail. He has contacted us twice since then (Gatlinburg, TN and Hot Springs, NC on May 16th). We have now heard nothing for three weeks and we are trying not to go our of our minds with worry. We have been trying to educate ourselves on the trail and we are reading whatever we can get our hands on. Anyway, thank you for this great site.
P.S. I forgot to add, my son's trail name is "Wrong Way" (which we find slightly worrying!)
Hello everyone, and thanks for the great plethora of information in these forums. I am new to the whole hiking thing. Here's my story. I am 37 years old, not very active, and rather overweight. My brother was an avid hiker, mountain biker, mountaineer, well everything outdoors. He passed away in the beginning of April at the very young age of 41, not before he could teach me a few things. I can remember twenty or so years ago when he first took backpacking in college. He began to acquire all sorts of gear, the most memorable to me was the poster on his closet door. It was a map of the entire AT. He always wanted to hike it. As the years went on he started making some of his own gear. From hammocks and tarps to complete packs. He really loved it, taking his children on local hikes with him. He always enjoyed the outdoors. Fast forward to last July. That's when the bomb was dropped on us all. In the beginning it was Cancer but with an ok outlook. After 6 weeks of radiation it was looking ok. Possibly 10 to 15 years. Then another bomb came in January. Less than 6 months. Before you knew it things had diminished rapidly and he was gone. Mostly when we talked it was about random things. Trying not to be grim or talk about what was unavoidably going to happen, but there was one conversation we did have about after. I asked him what he wanted done with his ashes and he simply said spread them at the lake. Seneca lake was a huge part of our families lives. Our parents used to rent a cottage there as children, Our father later had a yacht there and My brother did as well. It was where his wife proposed to him. Needless to say i knew why he chose the place. It was at that point that i proposed my idea to him. It was simple I wanted to take a small amount of his ashes and keep them so i could spread them with a small group of close friends of both his and mine at Springer Mountain where that awesome white blaze begins. We both lost it. I could barely get the words out. So that leads me to today. I am sitting here planing local hikes to start to train for next year. I am shooting for hiking from North Carolina, Georgia border to Springer Mountain, but am toying with the idea of section hiking the entire trail over many years as i won't be able to do more than 5 to 7 days at a time and spreading half the ashes at Springer and the other half in Maine . That way he can go along for the ride. With all that said any advice is welcome. I will be using hammocks to sleep in as well.
Dear at troll,
I just started my membership with the forum and I could use a little help as I get accustom to it. Could you tell me how to start a new post when I need to ask questions about the AT?
Druid1952
I can help. At the top of the screen, under the WB name is a tab that says Forum. Click on that and there will be a list of Forums you can post into, some will have sub-forums. Click on whichever one your question pertains to. Once in the appropriate forum, there will be a button to Post New Thread (near the top). Click on that, type your post, and then under the post box will be the submit button. Submit and your new thread will be posted.
"Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan
Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.
I just wanted to say thanks for allowing me to join. I am new to the whole trail/hiking world. I have done my fair share of being in the woods my whole life with camping, fishing, hunting and some local park trails with my son. My son and I are starting to get into the hammock camping so hopefully that goes great for us. Well again thanks for having me and any questions just ask and I will tell. Happy trails to all!
KatahdinHi WB community!
My name is Kyle, though you can call me Big Heart for now. My little brother and I recently decided to plan a NoBo thru-hike of the AT in 2018. I've followed along with many hiking journals over the past few years and can honestly say I've never been more excited (or nervous!) for the 2k+ miles we're going to force ourselves to trek! I'm using a trail name on here that I received from some friends a while back while day-hiking in Arizona, however, I look forward to earning an a new one on the AT.
I just wanted to introduce myself as I'll be popping in from time to time to do research and ask questions. I've really admired the community built between AT hikers and look forward to joining that and hopefully adding some value to the conversations being had here.
A little about my brother and I - Matt is a 25 year old outdoorsmen who spends his time as a white water raft guide, camp rainey mountain northeast georgia council guide, and anything else he can do to be outside. I am 27 years old and I work for a non-profit in Cincinnati that helps kids and young adults who are enduring cancer, in my spare time i take trips around the country to explore. We're both pumped to have this on the calendar and are looking forward to the planning process but more importantly to the journey from Springer to Katahdin!
Feel free to message me privately if you want to know anything else about us - looking forward to getting to know some of you!
With wild delight,
Big Heart
Hey everyone. My name is Three Bears, I hiked the AT Northbound (the only way!) back in 2010. I also attempted a thru of the PCT in 2012, but had to get off due to personal reasons. A fact that has gnawed at me ever since. The trails, both all the good and the bad, have been a brilliant inspiration to me and have set me on my current path towards a love, and working life, of the outdoors. I'm currently working for (sarcastic drumroll please) an environmental non-profit in New York City! Because of course.
I like to think that someone on this forum has run across me at a trail magic event which I try to do once a year near Harriman State Park. But, if not, hello to everyone! Looking forward to being a member here.
Hello! My name is Eric. I'm not new to backpacking, but I am new to the AT. Currently planning my first AT section hike for early next year. Looking forward to learning a lot from those here who are much more experienced than I am.
Hey!!!! I'm really psyched to be here. I'm Becfoot, or Bec for short, or just Bec for the sake of being me. I'm lucky enough to live ten minutes from hiking, fifteen minutes from the AT (and loads of other great NY trails,) and even though I'd gone on a few hikes as a kid and I've camped plenty, it's only the past few years that I've developed a huge passion for serious hiking and the outdoors. Next year I'll be doing some section hiking. Until then, I'll be day hiking as always and carrying snacks for you thru-hikers I meet on my journeys. I'm thrilled to have found WB--what an awesome resource.
Dreamin of a hike...
Born in Boston 6 decades ago so have 'known' about the trail...
Somehow got to the midwest (where the Mississippi travels from East to West for a spell)...
Ran a marathon @ 52 (almost qualified for Boston) but found some weaknesses in arteries...
So contemplating a walk (as Grandma Gatewood said in '55)...
Last edited by Click; 09-28-2016 at 17:28.
Hello! 28 from the UK looking to thru hike NOBO in 2018Excited! xxx
Hi, I'm Michele (Meesh). I recenly got into hiking when I decided to thru hike the AT in 2018. I'm moderately athletic and I especially love cycling. I'm doing short hikes close to home (in the Texas Hill Country) and slowly acquiring gear while doing research. I have perused several forums and they are very helpful. I'm looking forward to reading more and hopefully finding someone interested in a 2018 NOBO hike.
Cheers, Meesh
Thanks for letting me in! Been a hiker my entire life, and love being out and gone. After my recent knee replacement there won't be any more long hikes in my future, but I still spend as much time wandering with my poles and light day pack as I can.