Whitewater's Long Distance Trail Journeys

Man, I thought I was only going to be lacking on the writing end of my blog, but now I have to worry about how my videos appear. Check out this halfway point video by Amplexus hiking SOBO (north to south) in 2011. Great video…enjoy!

Wow…2012 is here and I only have 51 days before I head out on the Appalachian Trail!

I have tons to do and wrap up before departing, not so much on the hiking end, but more on the home and business front for me. I’m also working with and promoting the Hudson Family Foundation on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. This excellent foundation assists kids with regard to specific physical, emotional and financial needs. Please visit the Hudson Family Foundation web site to learn more and make a donation today. No matter how big or how small the donation, it all helps and goes to a very worthy cause supporting kids and making a huge difference in their lives.

Everyone at the Hudson Family Foundation thanks you in advanced for your donation and support.

Stay tuned for on the trail updates coming very soon now!

Towards the end of February 2012, I will begin my journey hiking north on the Appalachian Trail attempting a “Thru-Hike” from Springer Mountain in northern Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park Maine. The Appalachian Trail is 2,184 miles in length and winds through 14 states along the way. I will spend approximately five months carrying everything I need in a backpack with the exception of many food and water resupply stops along the way.

I will be hiking alone, which is not uncommon at all because in an average year a couple of thousand people typically attempt a thru-hike. My start date in late February is a little early, with most hikers choosing to start in March and early April. I am hoping to miss the massive waves of hikers and should be able to enjoy the views of the Southern Appalachian Mountains much more without the leaves on the trees. The trail and its hikers will become my community and while some hikers may hike fast and others may hike slowly, hikers will typically cross paths with a lot of the same people many times over on a thru-hike.

Resupply towns for food and gear replacement  are typically every 3-5 days apart. Town stops usually consist of a restaurant stop, a shower, laundry, a post office stop (mail drops), grocery shopping and maybe a motel stay for the night. If I take off a day from the trail, it’s known as a “zero” day because I’m completing zero miles on the trail. Right now, and my situation may change as I progress, I’m planning seven “zero” days on my trip and hope to average about 15 miles per day which totals roughly 155 days to accomplish my thru-hike.

Most of the general information about the Appalachian Trail that I read in most hiker’s blogs or trail journals can be found many times over on the Internet. So when you see a link in my blog, I’m typically sending you to a site that holds the answers and explanations for that subject matter.

Please don’t look for wonderful long written blogs on this site. It won’t happen..I’m not a writer! I’m sure I’ll meet several hikers / writers along the trail with great sites and I’ll keep a reference area on my “blogroll” linking you over to those who enjoy telling the whole story in great detail. I’m going to be focusing my efforts where they’re needed the most, putting one foot in front of the other for approximately 155 plus days. My primary goal on this site is to keep those who are interested updated on my trail progress with some very general information on where I am and what I’ve seen and done.

Feel free to follow along the trail with me through this blog. I’ll try my to keep this site up to date as much as possible with photos and progress while trekking NOBO to Maine on the Appalachian Trail.

Thanks for everyone’s interest and support, it’s truly appreciated!!