Saying Goodbye

The date has been set in stone after years of waiting , on February 17 I start my trek.
I was previously really  hoping to leave on the 15th but due to a "wintery mix" on the weather forecast for the roads. The 17th is the day!

Today is Sunday which means I went for my last trail run with the running group this morning( beautiful view of the Marsh )  and  also that I'm having my "happy trails " farewell get together with very few family members and friends.

This past Monday was my last day at work and I had to start saying my goodbyes to friends and co-workers. It's a little strange but it hasn't felt real until now... ( And for those of you who don't know, as soon as I finish the trail I move out to Hawaii for work for a 6 month internship with the national park service) so I was saying goodbye to people that could've very well be the last time I will ever get to see them.  But the way I have  always looked at it is this , people come in and out of your life and it's a wonderful learning experience, but what matters is how you spent the time you had together. And I can  proudly say I made the most of it and learned a hell of  alot from all of you whether you know it or not.

This has been such a pipe dream for the longest time now that it almost seems a little overwhelming now that it's arrived. 

Now the key is just to live in the moment and go with the flow and remember it's always worth it in the end!

Check out the photo of the tree with that white Blaze on it! That just shows you how awesome my mom is , she made the get together a trail theme and that was really the cherry on top! (The white Blaze is what I follow the whole trail) 

So I knew going into this I would have to say goodbye , but hot damn I didn't think it would be this hard 

Marathon

I was going to hike the A.T. last year leaving around the same time but decided to push it back a year for a few reasons , at the time i was pretty bummed about not going ,but looking back now I don't regret it for a second.
I was able to do things the proper way, spending time with family members and new and old friends, I  accomplished goals I set to myself and really solidified my desire to go hike.
Because I stayed I was able to finish getting my captain's license  (a process I was working on for 5 yrs)  Also I dedicated myself to training for a marathon that was ran on the  3rd of January.  (After training for 26 weeks I'm now obsessed with running and accomplished something I never thought I'd be able to do.)

So as the trail comes speeding towards me it's bringing alot of things into perspective.  I have a really good life filled with truly great people. Leaving will be hard for many reasons but my mantra while I was training for the marathon was this, "No matter how hard it gets, it's always worth it in the end"  so I will hold true to this while on the trail. Under no circumstances will I give up, I know saying that now is one thing and it will really be tested once I'm doing 20 miles a day and walking through a foot of snow  and dodging lightning  on mountain tops while sleep deprived and hangry (but that is what makes it awesome right;)

I recently posted a video on a YouTube channel that I plan to keep updated along the trail. 
https://youtu.be/FllpsvmN4UA

This morning I'm out to go for a trail run with a really great group of people who I met because I stayed this year.

Gearing Up

So in the hiking world your base weight comes down to your big 3. Being your pack itself then your shelter and finally your sleeping system. The General rule is that if you can get your big 3 under 9 lbs you are golden .

                          My big 3

Pack: frameless Go Lite jam 70 - 1lb 14 ounces

Sleeping system: Rei flash 29° down/primaloft - 1lb 10 ounces
Therma rest sleeping pad so lite R value 2.8 (this pad also doubles as a frame for my pack ) 14 ounces
I have a pillow but it is a stuff sack that is reversible with a fleece liner so,I'm not including that as part of my sleeping system. I will more than likely add a sleeping bag liner to my system for the winter season in the beginning.

Tent : six moon designs, trekker
It has no poles included,  you use your trekking poles as the tent frame so it really cuts down the weight.
24 ounces

So my big three comes out to 5.8 lbs so let's round up call that 6 lbs!  Not bad!
(Side note I never purchased any of these items at retail price , I always waited for them to go on sale.)
We will go into more detail on gear later on when things get closer.
Currently sitting at 74 days out till Springer mountain. 
My marathon is on January 3rd so I'm just trying to focus on one thing at a time.

Changing of the seasons

132 days out (at the latest )

The cooling temperatures and more frequent northeast breeze signals winter is coming, which means the trail is that much closer. For the past few nights I have found myself restless with my mind going 100 mph contemplating my gear selection and going over what needs to be done before heading to Amicola falls.

I recently went on a small overnight backpacking trip (shakedown hike) to Jennings state forest. Me and my hiking partner got a very late start on the day and arrived to the campsite an hour and half after  civil twilight to be met with another family of campers that were more than welcoming of us , offering us food and drinks and even better a warm fire to gather around. Turns out they were from a neighboring town and had canoed out to the spot to celebrate their son's 18th birthday. My hiking partner and I contributed what would could (which consisted of gather a bit of wood for the fire) but It's people like those that make hiking and camping really an amazing experience more than willing to share with people they have never met and have little to offer in return. (Trail magic)

I am currently 10 weeks out from my first marathon so the training for the race and trail continues.

I Hope everyone is enjoying this fall weather. -J.T.

Shakedown hike= smaller hikes that help determine your gear's usefulness and what is not really needed. More gear means more weight and remember I'm carrying my house on my back for 7 months so every ounce counts!

Trail Magic, defined as an unexpected act of kindness, is a quintessential part of the Appalachian  trail experience for many long-distance hikers.

A walk north

It's been a good while since I have posted on this blog, (probably a little after I got back from Montana with my grandparents) But I considering picking it back up once again for my next journey.

I won't be really leaving for this nomadic feat until late February/early march of 2016 but I have been preparing mentally/physically since I got back from my first trip in 2013.

The Appalachian trail spans nearly 2,200 miles running from Georgia to Maine going through 14 states

So If you'd like to follow i will be starting on the top of Springer mountain in Georgia  and walking north towards Katahdin in Maine, NOBO!! (northbound)
I will be posting a fair amount before my departure showing my gear preparation (shakedown hikes) and physical training  (marathon training)

Hope you enjoy the journey with me!

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not,when I came to die ,discover that I had not lived."    - Henry David Thoreau 

Abigdon, Maryland

Since leaving the west and getting back to the north-east coast I have noticed a few differences, everyone in the east seems to be in a hurry, you can see it in their driving, and the way the communicate with you.
The towns are plastered with graffiti and traffic jams are part of your daily routine.

We were going to stop of in Philly but we decided against it once we drove through, it's not that it is a bad town, it's just a little to fast paced from what we have been experiencing and it's a bit of a turn-off. (Me and the fresh prince will have to get a cheese steak some other time.) But from here on out we are just basically hitting big towns while we head south down the east coast. Wish us luck!

I feel like I do need to include this aswell... when driving through Philly we were just trying to find any campground to park the R.V.  and disconnect the car to go sightseeing. We got a little lost and decided to stop a a gas station to gain our bearings and come up with a game plan. While me and my papa were going over the map and looking up any campgrounds on the phone, my nana was doing her usual thing and going to ask strangers were we could go. She came back about 5 mins after leaving and explained the gas clerk said "what does my gas station look like a directory to you? This is Philadelphia we don't just have places to park your rig." So Again just the attitude kinda turns you off about the city. But nana wasn't done searching for directions, she met a gentleman named nate who happened to be working for the local utilities company and he was more than willing to take the time out of his day to give us directions to the nearest RV spot. And personally pulled up the directions on his G.P.S. and the phone number of the Campground. In the end he ended up recognizing the area of town it was located in and and strongly decided that wasn't a very safe place to go having grown up there. We ended up leaving Philly completely and continued south we we are now some where north of Baltimore on a creek that comes off of the Chesapeake bay. Nate, you really are an exceptional human being and I appreciate the kindness you showed to us.