April 29, 2016 - Finished packing my bag and ready to leave

 The pack weighs in at 38.6lbs, 

including three days food and 64oz of water.

     Tomorrow, Saturday April 30th, Pat is driving to PA with me to shuttle my car to the place where I'll come off the trail for four days to attend Julie's graduation. I'll leave my car there then we will stay in a local hotel Saturday night. The next day Pat will drive me to Pen Mar, MD where I'm kicking off the hike. On May 11th, I will have hiked to my car and I'll drive myself home. After graduation day, on Sunday May 15th, a good friend is going to drive me back to the same place so that I can continue hiking northbound.

     It looks like I'm going to start the hike in the rain. I'm well prepared and have some experience hiking in heavy rain. I'll attempt to stay in the shelters when I can if it's raining even though I prefer my own tent.

     BTW the Crocks are my camp shoes and double as stream crossing shoes. I found them abandoned in Shenandoah Nation Park a year ago. Real leather on crappy plastic shoes...really?

Just some random stuff...

If you add up all the hill climbing (altitude gained) on the big 3 long distance hikes, the AT exceeds the other two:

• Appalachian Trail:  470,000'
• Pacific Crest Trail:  314,000'
• Continental Divide Trail:  374,000'

I thought this was humorous:

    The Pennsylvania Rocks -- this is a section of the Appalachian Trail beginning in Pennsylvania (for a northbounder) where rocks abound on the treadway of the AT...
This rock section in PA isn't quite as bad as hikers make it out to be. We hikers do claim (that) the people of Pennsylvania travel out to the AT each spring and sharpen their assigned rocks....in order to make hikers better remember their time in Pennsylvania.
(From a post on Whiteblaze (Datto's AT Thru-hiking Tip 41 for 2017 AT Thru-hikers In-Planning)

Some other interesting links:
http://appalachiantrials.com/7-reasons-hike-pennsylvania/
http://matadornetwork.com/sports/11-things-wish-knew-hiking-appalachian-trail/

April 27, 2016 - Begining to packing up my gear for the AT

 This is some of the weight I've been carrying around in my 

training pack for the last couple of months.

     Only 3 days until my AT start day, May 1st, 2016!

In the mornings, I'm confident and bold. By the evenings I'm thinking to myself, "What have I gotten myself into? I must be crazy". Time will tell....

April 25, 2016 - Finished last training hike

 A small spotted newt, dead and dried. I brought it home to show Pat and Julie.
It's currently enjoying the sun from the kitchen window sill.

     I made my last training hike today. I was out at the private preserve again. I tried to finish every trail I could find there before the AT trip. However, I know of at least three very short trails haven't explored. Time has run out, it's time stop training, pack my backpack and start the serious AT hiking next Sunday.

 Some of the bottles I found on the trail today, the green one is a Whitehouse vinegar bottle

The map of the trails I've hiked at the private preserve to date.

 The ones circled in red are the trails I hiked Monday.

The hike was just under 5 miles but there was some 

serious uphills, bushwhacking and of course the 40lb pack.

April 20, 22, 24 2016 - The last week of training

Self portrait

I had some really good hikes this week, I was out exploring the private preserve again.

I've just about finished all the trails there, I think...every new trail I explore has lead to other trails. 

The last couple of weeks I've been carrying 40lbs in my pack. I haven't loaded it up for the trip yet but know from experience that it will be under 40

I'll be hiking tomorrow, Monday 4/25, but then I won't hike again until Sunday May 1st when I actually begin the AT from Pen Mar, MD and head north. I want to give myself a few days to really relax and build up some mental and physical strength before the big trip.

If anyone would like to hike the first few miles with me let me know and we can hook up Sunday May 1st in the morning. My wife Pat is coming along for the first mile.

Trails explored at the private preserve to-date

Red Spotted Newt 

House built on cliff top

Rustic mountain cabin

April 17, 2016 - Beach Training at Grandview Nature Preserve, Newport News, VA

 Chesapeake Bay/Atlantic Ocean Beach

    While in Newport News this weekend I was able to get in a 4 mile hike on the beach with my full pack. The weather was perfect, cool, breezy and sunny. Pat and Julie (my wife and daughter) accompanied me for part of the hike then we split up so that they could beach comb and I could continue training.

Location of Grandview Nature Preserve

Today's hike was along the red track

 There was a lot of sea plant life washed up on the beach

 Pat and Julie wearing my coats. 

There were quite a few crab pots washed up on the beach.

 Is this the remains of a car frame or a boat?

 Nearing the 2 mile mark, the beach got a little rougher

This is where I turned back to return to meet up with Julie and Pat on the way back to the car.

 Sand pipers in a small surf pool

 Looking back a mile the way I'd come, the beach comes to a point where a lighthouse used to be then turns right and then another mile back to the car.

April 15, 2016 Last day of work today

Only 15 days left to my AT start date, May 1st.
The training continues, my pack weight is up to my goal of 38lbs.
I'm hiking every other day with the pack. I'm doing hill climbs and decents to strengthen my knees and ankles. I had a small retear of my left calf muscle about a month ago so I'm staying under 5 miles per workout for now. The muscle is fine, I'm just being careful.

I discovered today that I've worn off the tip of one of my treking poles. I've had them for over 10 years. I'm going to try to get replacement tips this week.

I've been back out to the private preserve that I have access to. I've been building up a trail map of the place using my gps. I'd like to finish all the trails there before May 1st.

 Trail Under the American Legion Bridge 

 Trillium kurabayashii

Unusual pavers

Just a thought to calm myself on a dark night.

I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

(from The Old Astronomer to His Pupil - by Sarah Williams)

April 4, 2016 - Small Trip Report

On my drive to the park, I passed this fire on the Dulles Toll Road

     I don't usually post my weekday hikes but two incidents made me want to post pictures. Driving on the toll road I passed this huge fire.

     The other thing that happened is that I got down is this ravine with my 35lb pack on and couldn't climb out.  It doesn't look like much but it's shoulder deep. I finally went 'up stream" a bit and came to a tree root system that I used to scramble out. Of course, I could have always removed my pack or went back the way I came but I wanted to push forward and see if I could "man up" and make it through. When I finally climbed out I was dirty wet and sweaty, oh and it was raining too.

Skunk Cabbage

Turkey Run Flowing into the Potomac

Bluebells

Bluebells

Dutchmans Britches

April 2, 2016 - Training Report

200 year old house

   I'm finally over being sick, I don't need to go into the details but I've only hiked twice in the last two weeks. Last weekend at First Landing State park where I was in pain the whole hike and this Saturday April 2 at this private preserve. 

     About a month ago I got permission to hike on this "closed to the pubic" preserve. However, after hiking there once was asked to wait until after May 28 for safety reasons because hunters were managing the deer population until then.

     I don't have a map of the area so it has been interesting just roaming around using the GPS and making my own map as I go. Each time I reach a trail intersection I mark it on the map and randomly choose a direction. Then later, I can then return to the marked intersection and try the other direction.

The long view

Today's Hike (6 miles)

     On the map above (I've removed the names to obscure the location) you can see the orange/brown dots where I've marked a trail intersections. Note the lake in the lower left corner.

 The trail head

  

A stone cairn

 

Interesting 

     Just as I was finishing the hike and I'd reached the old house again when a truck drove by and stopped. It was Robert, the preserve overseer (not sure of his real title). He was the one that suggested that I ask for permission to hike here when we met at a different park. We talked for about 5 minutes and I asked about the old house. He told me that it was owned by the family of "Leo" named on the plaque above. Leo had also built the overseer lives in down the road as well as another house on the property. He invited me in to see the old house. He unlocked the door to the smaller side room and we were able to access all the rooms from there. The house did not smell moldy as I expected. It was rather a pleasant old time scent, perhaps reminiscent of visiting one of the old houses in Williamsburg. We checked out the upstairs and the main room, it wasn't furnished so there wasn't much to see other than the building itself. It was in really fine shape considering it's age. It's obvious that been looked after.

     I also asked Robert about the lake. He told me that it once was a private recreation area that you could pay to camp etc. but Hurricane Agnes (1972) had flooded the lake and breached the dam and it was forced to go out of business.

 

The stream that feeds the lake

 Crossing a side stream

 

A house on the preserve property

 The empty "Lake"

 A view from the "lake" bottom

Me resting, about a third of the way thru the hike

 

Don't you just love spring?