3/17/17

Another great day to be on the trail. It was a little cold to start the morning but one of the guys we camped with got up and started the fire back. After packing up Max and I had our first breakfast at where we had camped. Usually it has been to cold to stay long enough to make breakfast so we would do it later in the day, but this morning it was bearable and breakfast was great.

Today was a push, we were able to get 15.4 miles in and 9 of those miles were before we ran into some trail magic at unicoi gap. Keith Ivey and some others had some awesome Boston but sandwiches, along with other snacks and drinks for hikers that came through. I can't begin to express how amazing it is to get trail magic. It's such a blessing, and I feel like after the trail I will have to do some of my own.

On the other hand after the long day I have come to the conclusion that the worst part about hiking other than awful weather is the down hills. They are so rough on every joint in your lower body. Right now I'm alright though only nursing a bum tendon in the ankle. Prayers for my ankle would be great!

Once we arrived at Tray Mountain we saw Milo and his mom. Milo is a 13 year old boy that has decided to hike the Appalachian trail with his mom. He is a really cool kid and has a mans pace. Max and I can't even come close to keeping up with him, luckily we can usually keep pace with his mom. Tonight we were able to get to know them a little better around the campfire.

God has really blessed me with an awesome opportunity. I'm constantly around amazing people with many different backgrounds. Hopefully through this experience someone finds the Lord! I can already tell I'm getting closer and closer each day! Thanks for the continued prayers and support!

PS. More pictures to come soon!


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Location:Tray Mountain Shelter

3/16/17

What a day it has been! We got back on the trail this morning around 12:30 at Neels Gap and was able to put in some good miles before stopping at Low Gap Shelter for the night. This was around 11 miles that we were able to cover in 5 hours!

Once we were in camp we met back up with a Adam and April which was a couple we had met a few days ago. They are some pretty cool people.

Sharing a camp fire us 4 along with 3 other guys spent most of the night sitting around sharing stories and talking about each other's lives. Hopefully these are the people we will be hiking with for a good bit of time.

On the other hand the weather was great today, mostly sunny (I might have gotten sunburned) with some brutal winds. It's currently really cold. It said it could get down to 29 tonight which I'm not looking forward to. Luckily though where we set up camp is out of the wind, not 100 yards up the mountain though the wind is whipping and it is making sounds like a huge waterfall.

Physically I'm alright, having a little pain on my left foot. I think it's just a tendon that is super sore. I'm gonna try to take it easier tomorrow. We will see how it feels.

Please continue to pray for Max and I. Thanks for everyone's support.


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Location:Low Gap Shelter

3/14/17

Day 4 was pretty brutal. Throughout the night Max and I were hit with 20+ mile per hour winds and a good bit of snow fall. Making it to the morning was all I could think about. The crazy thing about it was that we had set up our tents so that we wouldn't be effected by the wind, unfortunately during the night the wind patterns changed.

When I woke up at 6 am my boots were frosted over and had ice on the inside. What a way to start the day right? During the night the wind had blown some of the snow up into my boots which were placed in the vestibule (compartment of the tent that is made to house your gear from weather.) I through them on anyways and started to pack up.

After texting Max around 7 or so we went up to get our bear bag from up the trail. This is a bag with all of our food in it, that we hang in the tree away from our camp to keep the bears from rummaging through camp. We found that the knot Max tied was completely frozen, this in my opinion was like a foreshadowing of our day...

We started our hike this morning from Garrard Gap over to Neels Gap which is around a 5 mile trip. There was only one thing between us and our destination. Blood mountain, with an elevation of over 4000 feet, intense snowfall, and blistering winds it was definitely the hardest challenge we had yet to face.

We prayed over what was ahead of us today and took off. Two miles up a steep incline to the top, we charged. Once we reached the top we were able to stop at a cool all rock shelter. Here we tried to rehydrate and rest a bit before we started back. During our break we also was able to meet some people spring breaking. They came down from Virginia to avoid the bad weather, they soon realized that they avoided nothing.

As we started down Blood Mountain heading into Neels Gap we found that the Trail was poorly marked for conditions in which we were facing. None the less after a few tries Max lead Jacob (a guy we met the night before) and I down the mountainside.

I couldn't have been happier to reach Neels Gap. After enduring the wicked winter spell that came through we were able to get warm at the Mountain Crossing store.

We decided like most others hiking on the trail, to take a couple of days off before continuing to hike. We will be back on the trail Thursday! Thanks for everyone's support and prayers!


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Location:Neels Gap

3/13/17

Day 3 on the trail was great! Woke up this morning to freezing cold temperatures and it pretty much stayed that way all day. Max and I made great miles today though, it was around 12 miles of tough terrain. Finally felt like eating so I ate most of what I plan for a day. The best part of the day was this evening we were able to meet a group of hikers and talk and enjoy a camp fire for a few hour before the rain and snow pushed us into our tents. All of the stories of the people out here is so interesting. People come from al aspects of life to hike. There has been so many cool experiences so far and I know God has already been at work! Can't wait to see what's to come!


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Location:Garrard Gap

3/12/2017

Day 2 on the AT is in the books! We were able to hike 14.5 miles today. It was really cold today and they say it's gonna get even colder in the next few days. Physically I'm pretty sore but I knew that would be the case! I'm just happy I'm out here! We have meet tons of people already. Most of them we cross paths with at least 2-3 times a day so we are getting to know them! Everyone we have came into contact with so far has been really friendly and nice, which for me was shocking. I expected most to be distant. Also was able to experience our first trail angels today! At Coopers Gap there was a big white food truck looking van that had hot water for cooking with and refills on our water supply! It couldn't have came at a better time because I was down to 1/2 a liter. I know tomorrow will be just as great!
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3/11/2017

First day in the books! We were able to hike around 9 miles today after our 12:00 departure! Although it wasn't easy and I'm sore already, I can tell it will be such an awesome experience! I have already meet people all across the country and I'm sure I will meet many more tomorrow! Right now it is sleeting and it suppose to snow during the night. Not ideal for hiking but I'm so glad to be out here! God has truly blessed me with this opportunity. Worst part of the day was saying goodbye to the ones I love. They say goodbye is the worst part so I am extremely confident! Please continue to pray for Max and I.


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Location:Springer Mountain Shelter

March 10, 2017

Hey everyone,
It's the day before I start my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I just wanted to say thanks to all that has helped in supporting me this far as well as those who will continue through prayer and encouragement! I am extremely excited to embark on this journey and will be posting on this blog at least every few days. I am confident that God is going to work through Max and I on the trail! Please keep us in your prayers!




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