minnesota smith and faithwalker and matthewski update thread

[High Life]

Geez, if he left today, then when I get to Franklin around the 11th....

Oh, no. Funny thing, I first met the sonofabitch at Miss Janet's Hostel.....

Now it looks like it's gonna happen again!!

Is that crazy luck or what?

Honestly I'm Hoping to catch him myself .

[Jack Tarlin]

Be careful what you wish for.

[saimyoji]

MS is lost???

[SGT Rock]

Should of had a SPOT so we could all track him.

[Lugnut]

SAR is expensive. Is he worth it? I think he is!

[SGT Rock]

I say we get up a fund and outfit him with one.

[ed bell]

I say we get up a fund and outfit him with one.

I'm in. He would love it.

[Alligator]

MS is lost???

Probably sleeping in a privy somewhere.

[saimyoji]

Probably sleeping in a privy somewhere.

what a crappy thing to say.

[MOWGLI]

SAR is expensive. Is he worth it? I think he is!

Do you mean, "can he afford to pay for it"?

[JERMM]

Should of had a SPOT so we could all track him.

I say we get up a fund and outfit him with one.

Winton at MTX has 4-5 SPOTS on display, don't know if he sells them or if they're rentals. Either way MS should have one for US, he will never notice the additional 7.5 oz.

[High Life]

Be careful what you wish for.

ahhh haha ..true

[STEVEM]

MS is lost???

The GATC was fully aware that MS was on their section of trail and that snow was expected. There's no excuse for that trail not being properly shoveled.

[minnesotasmith]

Got through the Sunday snowstorm and following 2 nights of very cold weather. Found room in all shelters, amazingly. Over 8 thrus/short sectioners turned back or shelter zeroed due to weather. BIL decided Monday AM his bedding was insufficient, could not afford to get sick with all his responsiblities, and headed back to his vehicle at Amicalola. Has warmed up to point day temps mild and night temps only cool now. Still scattered snow and ice in shadier places on Trail.

Most interesting observations are seeing JustJim (4x thru, had LONG BS session with him), Tagless/Tagalong, and an astonishing # of aspiring female thruhikers (sadly for lonely young male thrus, generally with the usual endowment/availabilty/apparent interest lacks). Very few alcohol stoves, everyone cooking. Generally all couples and nearly all women are tenting rather than sheltering. Many people do not have trail names, and are having trouble in many cases remembering to use theirs. Only about 10% have heard of WhiteBlaze, and all only read, do not post due to, ah, tone. Have seen one other Ursack-user.

Have given one trail name out (to someone who asked for one), 29-YO dark-haired guy, that of Tibetan. (He was carrying a book authored by the Dalai Lama.)

Have seen fair # of short-sectioners, even on Sunday and Monday. Blue jeans (especially) and Rambo knives among them.

Felt uneasy when passed a group of trail "not fitting in"/scuzzier-than-carnie-hangers-on types that just didn't add up and majorly raised my hackles as conceivable trail predators of some sort. ( I hiked fast and went off the trail to the side, sitting down for half an hour to avoid them.) Can prove nothing, so will leave it at that.

Is nice to have blazes and privies, unlike the Pinhoti Route.

Have decided that do not have as much in common with other thruhikers at this point as I thought I would have. (Cemented in this view after my chat with JustJim on #5.) They are still flocking almost completely by age and gender at this point.

Only one dog issue so far. Two guys blew past BIL and I around Frosty Mtn. Sunday afternoon, one with a 50-pound or so black & brown mix dog that was still trying to turn around and growl at me 20'+ after passing me (when being dragged at close to 4 mph).

I am sick as a dog to point virtually cannot hike. This affliction hit me hard Monday, and is going nowhere fast. (Will spare everyone details of my symptoms.) Taking some time off as of Woody Gap. At Hiker Hostel overnight.

Motor home runs now, but using about a quart of transmission fluid per mile (not a typo). Need place in/near Dahlonega to park it for now, or someone else to work on it. Think problem is gasket? FW about in market for a job.

[FaithWalker]

Got through the Sunday snowstorm and following 2 nights of very cold weather. Found room in all shelters, amazingly. Over 8 thrus/short sectioners turned back or shelter zeroed due to weather. BIL decided Monday AM his bedding was insufficient, could not afford to get sick with all his responsiblities, and headed back to his vehicle at Amicalola. Has warmed up to point day temps mild and night temps only cool now. Still scattered snow and ice in shadier places on Trail.

Most interesting observations are seeing JustJim (4x thru, had LONG BS session with him), Tagless/Tagalong, and an astonishing # of aspiring female thruhikers (sadly for lonely young male thrus, generally with the usual endowment/availabilty/apparent interest lacks). Very few alcohol stoves, everyone cooking. Generally all couples and nearly all women are tenting rather than sheltering. Many people do not have trail names, and are having trouble in many cases remembering to use theirs. Only about 10% have heard of WhiteBlaze, and all only read, do not post due to, ah, tone. Have seen one other Ursack-user.

Have given one trail name out (to someone who asked for one), 29-YO dark-haired guy, that of Tibetan. (He was carrying a book authored by the Dalai Lama.)

Have seen fair # of short-sectioners, even on Sunday and Monday. Blue jeans (especially) and Rambo knives among them.

Felt uneasy when passed a group of trail "not fitting in"/scuzzier-than-carnie-hangers-on types that just didn't add up and majorly raised my hackles as conceivable trail predators of some sort. ( I hiked fast and went off the trail to the side, sitting down for half an hour to avoid them.) Can prove nothing, so will leave it at that.

Is nice to have blazes and privies, unlike the Pinhoti Route.

Have decided that do not have as much in common with other thruhikers at this point as I thought I would have. (Cemented in this view after my chat with JustJim on #5.) They are still flocking almost completely by age and gender at this point.

Only one dog issue so far. Two guys blew past BIL and I around Frosty Mtn. Sunday afternoon, one with a 50-pound or so black & brown mix dog that was still trying to turn around and growl at me 20'+ after passing me (when being dragged at close to 4 mph).

I am sick as a dog to point virtually cannot hike. This affliction hit me hard Monday, and is going nowhere fast. (Will spare everyone details of my symptoms.) Taking some time off as of Woody Gap. At Hiker Hostel overnight.

Motor home runs now, but using about a quart of transmission fluid per mile (not a typo). Need place in/near Dahlonega to park it for now, or someone else to work on it. Think problem is gasket? FW about in market for a job.

Well, MS, in reference to your comment above; MS may have to leave the trail for awhile to work AS WELL. (I am tired of being the preparer of everything ( x 2 years), doer, stress/anxiety of the trail ( before, during), being sick myself and having no one around).

AS for the motorhome, it is the front seal of the transmission, not sure where MS got info about a gasket, he hasn't even seen it.

[minnesotasmith]

Those are the most memorable photos of your hike??? Gee, if you'd paid some attention, you would have seen amazing Longleaf Pine ecosystems complete with Red cockaded woodpeckers, incredible watersheds, and much more natural beauty. Better luck next time.

But, the GA Pinhoti is basically roads with trash along them. When it is trail, it's commonly someone else's trail. Either way, blazing at only half-mile intervals is common (even with multiple trail/road junctions in between), with only motorbike ruts and horse t*rd piles to step in to let you know you might still be on the "trail". Pretty much, if you want to get the GA Pinhoti experience, just alternate hiking in dog-infested suburbs, mildly to very trashy busy 2-4 lane highways (still with occasional dogs), very to landfill-level trashy FS roads, the local vacant lot where mid-teens ride bicycles through the mud, and some well-used pastures. No need to travel to GA to have those experiences.

Alabama's Pinhoti people are getting the job done WRT getting their trail section ready for joining to the AT, if erratically and in spurts. In another five-ten years, if there could be a way to hook AL right up to Amicalola Park gate, I predict they'll about be ready.

Georgia? Not in 40 more years at the current rate. They can't do a fricking thing over at the GPTA, and just need to have some group take over who can respond with something other than "Donno how" to trail work needed this year, not 10 from now.

One thing that the "AT extended to include the Pinhoti" boosters should understand is that hooking into Springer puts the "extend the AT to include the Approach Trail" crowd in their opponents column. If (as I have previously suggested) the Pinhoti's northern terminus was right across the road from Amicalola State Park, they'd be natural allies instead.

P.S. I never saw your woodpeckers, Mowgli. I saw tons of WPs in MN/WI/etc., though (especially the 2 sizes of downy woodpeckers). Anyway, geologists don't get too excited over foliage (as long as it doesn't obscure our view of the rocks), let alone particular species. 99% of all species that ever existed are extinct (and generally not due to Man). They generally pop up, hang around up to a couple million years, then whiff. Easy come, easy go.

[saimyoji]

dissension in the ranks?

[SGT Rock]

Hey MS, you may want to re-read post #415 and then make a phone call.

[RITBlake]

trouble in paradise... communicating through a public hiking board.

[Hooch]

Well, MS, in reference to your comment above; MS may have to leave the trail for awhile to work AS WELL. (I am tired of being the preparer of everything ( x 2 years), doer, stress/anxiety of the trail ( before, during), being sick myself and having no one around).

AS for the motorhome, it is the front seal of the transmission, not sure where MS got info about a gasket, he hasn't even seen it.

Minnie, your next line should be, "Yes, dear.".