AT NOBO 2008

Springer Mtn April 4, 2008

The Start- March 2008
Trailjournal- Online Trailjournals
Photo Album- Picasa Web Album


In March of 2008, I embarked on a life changing event. I was hiking the 2165 Appalachian Trail. I went on my first long distance hiking trip in March of 2007 and met thru hikers. I decided then and there that I was going to hike the whole trail. This also about the same time I started talking with my future wife, via the internet, yes we met on the internet, it happens. We met in Asheville for a couple of days, then I went on a bit of a backwoods banjo type adventure. Got mixed up with some locals. Caution, be careful if you are on the back roads of Bryson City. Thanks to a nice lady named D'Shadow in Sylva, I didn't have that Deliverance moment everyone jokes about having in the woods of NC and TN. I stepped foot on a cold March morning at the long tunnel called The Road to Nowhere. From there I weaved my way to Fontan through a few snowy ridges and icy streams where I did the traverse of the Smoky Mountain National Park by way of the AT to test my pack and gear to see if I thought Id make it to Maine. As an incentive, Wakapak called me that first day and said she was turning down a job to come out on the trail. She had been out also in 99 and 02. She has a bit of a problem with the trail. She is what you could call a trail junkie. So I had even more incentive to hike to Virginia.

When I reached Newfound Gap, roughly the middle of the Smokies, I met up 2 fellas named Banjo, from Atlanta, and Snappy, from Kentucky. Snappy and I had met in the Smokies in 2007, but he fell ill and had to leave. Anyway, we 3 hiked the AT to the Boulevard Trail and climbed Leconte. I love that trail and that mountain and wanted to do it again while I was out. We did an up and back and then finished the Smokies together. Banjo and I went to Standing Bear where I caught up with some Thruhikers I had met, HalfMile and Po'Boy. These two were awesome and both would finish a few weeks ahead of me. Banjo gave me a ride to Springer Mtn and I left from Springer on April 4, 2008. I had a pretty amazing start. The weather sucked, some thru hikers and I had to rescue a guy that was deep into hypothermia. I met so many people and have so many find memories of the first leg of the trail. I feel like I could write a book about some of the crazy stuff we did and saw along the way.

And FYI, the Trailjournal is a link that goes to something I kept in the planning stages and in the beginning before I pretty much gave up on it. It was more for Wakapak and my family to keep up with me.

Hot Springs, NC to Traildays 2008
Picasa Web Album- NC/TN Pictures 2008

As I made clear, my camera shattered in Fontana at some silly attempt to take a picture at the giant carved bear in the General Store. FAIL! This next section of hiking just got downright awesome. We went through some of the prettiest sections thus far. I used disposables to get some pictures. It worked out. These pictures brought back memories of my hike that I had not thought about in a long time. I spent a lot of time hiking with Mudslide and Thor and it was memorable and full of good times! We went over Round, Jane Balds, Beauty Spot, Unaka, Max Patch, The Humps and the Roan Highlands and Roan Mtn. This stretch we saw very little rain. Uncle Johnny's was just a big party of Thruhikers. Hope you enjoy these lost pictures from 2008
Central Virginia 2008
Snapfish Web Album- Central Virginia 08
Trailjournal: Trailjournal 
The photos on TJ's start with our Creeper Trail hike out of Damascus. Wak and I were reunited and decided to help ease her back into the trail with a silly 17 + mile day. We sat on Buzzard Rocks with JT Matthewski and Orion and C-Bass. The exodus out of Damascus was tough, I spent almost a week there. The hike north was beautiful with an awesome day over Grayson Highlands. The heat was coming and we would take up residence in Daleville, twice. Why? Because we could. We had a pool and hikers jammed into a room. It was awesome. We stayed there twice. The heat was relentless at this point but still beautiful. Wak adapted pretty quickly and we stayed with an awesome group. The magic in Catawba was amazing. We stayed at a woman's house with her 2 kids and had drinks, did laundry and got to use her truck to transport hikers north. Ohhhhhh Daleville!

If you click on the Photo section in 2008 AT you will see some of our pictures from Virginia. As for the online album these are protected pics. If you want to see them, just open a snappish account. We lost the memory cards for these pics and its the only way I have of sharing them. You can also send me an email at jeffphillipsnc@gmail.com and i can just add you to our account list so you can view them. You can order prints as well from these pictures on snapfish. Sorry its a pain. If anyone has any idea of how to transfer them over to my Picasa, let me know. The additional snappish link below is a link to some of the sam epicures on Trailjournals but also shows pictures up to Perisburg, Va.
More Pictures- Snapfish Album

The Shenandoah's, Virginia
Pictures: The Sheni's Pictures

Many hikers, in their planning, are told that Virginia is flat. As we learned very quickly on, it is not. We winded up through Virginia in the heat and still marveled at the beauty of our 3rd state and would spend 500 miles walking. The hardest part of Virginia was the mental aspect. Along that way, people start to tire and drop out of the walk to Maine for various reasons. I think we all had our moments where it crossed our minds, but my motivation was seeing Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Trail Magic was plentiful as well and a big thing that uplifted our spirits. Thanks to ALLLL of you Trail Angels and servers of the trail community. We reached The Sheni's, almost the end of Virginia. Wak, Johnny Thunder and I got off the trail in the middle of the park to go down about 18 miles to the high school I attended in 1993,The Blue Ridge School. We camped next to the football field and were treated with food and a warm reception by Dan Dunsmore and some of my past teachers. We completed Virginia and the 4 State Challenge layer ahead. What else was also ahead was the rocks of Pennsylvania.

The 4 States and Pennsylvania, June-July 2008
Pictures- Pennsylvania

Wak left the trail for a weekend to visit friends in Tennessee, leaving me in Front Royal, Va. I pushed really hard and quietly exited Virginia into West Virginia. Ill admit, I did shed a tear at the border. I pushed to the Blackburn Center to try and catch Matthewski and Thunder. I walked up only to hear a "No Way" from Thunder. I caught up quicker that he anticipated. We entered Harpers Ferry the next morning and was greeted by a former Thru, Bonzi and Rio. We camped out in his yard, had our pics taken at the ATC and stocked up for the hike out. I was secretly going to try and do the 4 State Challenge, but was going to avoid the heat and hike it through the night. I left at 4 o'clock after a bath in the Potomac River. I made it to just 10 miles from the border of PA, but decided to stay at The Free State Hiker Hostel and met back up with Wak. There would be Half Gallons of Ice Cream, hikers puking, and scenic views ahead for us but first we entered PA and cruised along to Duncannon, home of Trail Angel Mary and The Doyle. It was July 4th and we were tired. We set up shop at the park and helped Mary and Baltimore Jack prep for the Billville Hiker Feed. We indulged ourselves for 3 days before hiking out into the rocky PA Hills. It was sad saying good bye to Trail Angel Mary because she is a true spirit of the trail and a friend. This was the day we started the famous 08 Soccer Chant as we walked out to celebrate our progress along the trail.

The rocks of PA were dreadful but a good preparation for what awaited us at the end of our voyage, very rugged trail. We inched closer to New England and cooler temperatures.

New Jersey 2008
Pictures- New Jersey

New York 2008
Pictures- New York

Connecticut 2008
Pictures- Connecticut

Massachusetts 2008
Pictures- Massachusetts

Vermont 2008
Pictures- VERMUD

New Hampshire
Pictures- New Hampshire

Gorham, New Hampshire- Avery Peak, Maine Sept. 2008

Picasa Album: Maine Pictures

I figured that I would follow up the start, with some of the end. Ill fill in the gaps when I get everything else organized. Its a long slow process but fun.

I left Gorham, NH without Wak. She went home for a couple of days to rest and recharge. I would go over some amazing mountains but the first day in Maine was wet and electric. I held up at Carlo Col and hung out with a ton of hikers. Great day. The Rest of Maine needs no long stories. Just enjoy the photos and go hike Maine, This made me pumped about hiking the Long Trail because northern Maine and Northern Vermont are often compared.