These are the things that thru-hikes are made of: food, weather, miles, and people. You may want to hike to be in the woods and see the sights, and thats all fine and dandy, but this is what will make it an experience.
The Food
When you're hiking for hours on end you tend to only really think about food, especially the kind of food you can't get on the trail. During our stint in the Smoky Mountains, we actually took the song "Peaches" by The President's of the United States of America and made our version with lyrics such as "Going to the hostel/Gonna eat a lot of pizzas" and "Millions of pizzas/Pizzas for me/Millions of pizzas/Pizzas probably not for free." Needless to say, our trail foods tend to be a little lacking in one way or another. For breakfast, we tend to have a few scoops of Nutella and peanut butter, paired with a pack of breakfast biscuits or spread a-top a hearty piece of Hudson Bay Bread. Lunch has evolved into a tortilla filled with peanut butter and Nutella. Snacks are varied: Snickers, trail bars, GORP, gummy bears, Cheez-Its, etc. Dinner is a couple of packets of Ramen mixed with peanut butter, olive oil, hot sauce, and black pepper (backpacker's pad thai). When we get into town, we are often craving a burger and a beer. Then Chase (who has been dubbed The Ramen Shaman) usually buys a pizza, a two liter of Coke, a couple pints of Ben & Jerry's, and whatever else strikes his fancy. Town stops have proved expensive when faced with such a voracious eater.
The Weather
We have been blessed with exceptional weather so far. It's snowed maybe 3 times? It has rained a few more times than that. We often have freezing temperatures in the morning, but nothing too serious. Lots of sunshine and 50 degree days. Our first two days in the Smoky Mountains were incredible, weather-wise. Highs in the mid-60s (which is really hot when you're hiking) and clear views. Our climb up Rocky Top Mountain was hot and dry, and we really felt like we were hiking in the Southwest. It's definitely harder to stay motivated when there is a constant drizzle. I have to really try and stay positive during days like these. Weather is also common camp talk, in addition to poop. Get desensitized y'all.
The Miles
Our mileages have been kind of all over the place. We've done as many miles as 16 in a day and as few as 0.3 mi. For those close friends and family who have our spreadsheet plan, we are about a week behind schedule, which given the number of zeros we've had is about right. We hope to take fewer zeroes in the future, but the trail may have other plans for us. We are hoping to increase our mileages to between 13 and 18 regularly now that we have our trail legs. "It ain't about the miles, it's about the smiles!"
The People
Thru-hikers are crazy awesome. A lot of them are weird, but you're probably weird too, so its all good. We've camped with all types: from stoners and retired Army Lt. Colonels to recent grads heading to med school in the fall. Almost everyone exudes a genuinely "good guy" feel (and hiker funk, mind you) that can't be matched in the outside world. It's really incredible making what are sure to be life-long friends in such an environment. One of my favorite days on the trail so far has been the day that we zeroed at the Double Spring Shelter in the Smoky's just because of the amazing camaraderie felt between all of us after pulling together to gather firewood and cold-proof the shelter as much as we could. Falling asleep to Quailman and Icicle reading The Hobbit is a great memory. Giving Pacman the secret trail name of "Gandalf" brought us all closer together. We've met a Batman and a Penguinman, a Windscreen and a Rocketgirl, a Tog, a Socs, a Blaze (named so because she caught her hair on fire the first night), a Vegemite, a Priest, and countless others. Most of them are way past us now, but I've heard tale that the trail often brings people back together when they least expect it. We are so grateful to the trail for bringing all these crazy folks together! I look forward to meeting many more characters!
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