Hot Springs North Carolina

April 23, 1999 - Hot Springs North Carolina

Folks,

Lots of questions :-)

I am moving somewhat faster than I expected.

The original numbers were taken from a hiking guide

as averages.

First 100 miles April 10

First 200 miles April 18 th

first 10% 216/2160 April 19 th

What's the trail like ???

This is like asking what are Washington's Trails like.

There is a lot of variety.

Best hiking - downhill on former logging roads 6% grade

uphill on former logging roads 6% grade

Worst Hiking.

lots of rocky steep wet downhill which requires

a lot of stepping down, and fearing for your life.

There are a lot of wild Rhodies out here. I have seen more

rhodies in a day than I have seen in my whole hiking career on

the Olympic Peninsula.

For those of you who don't know, there are three types of

overnight accomadations.

Shelters - 4-20 people sleeping on a platform, or bunk

platforms - lots of snoring, lots of mice.

worst mouse story. Mouse licking the lips of

a sleeping hiker, who didn't do a good job of

wiping his/her mpouth off.

Tenting at or near shelters. meet people, don't have the

snoring or mouse worries

Tenting remotely. usually near water sources. don't usually

have a lot of company.

Towns/motels Taking a quick night off or a planned layover

and staying in a motel. rates vary between $20 and

40$. Quick night off means that you are on the trail

the next day. usually means hitchhiking to the towns

Mileage off the trail is between 0 and 4 miles so far.

I am always tenting. Sometimes at the shelters and sometimes along

the trail in established campsites. The rules do vary. In the Great

Smoky Mountain National Park, you had to sleep or camp at the shelters

and store your food in the shelters overnight. This is because of the

bear problem.

I still have my loss of appetite, but the visits to town make up

for some of my eating disorder. I have lost some weight, but I don't

know how much. For those who want more people pictures, I have

included a picture of myself on the last roll of slides that I am

sending in today for development.

I will try to get to the more specific questions in my next

message.

Mike Aken

"hiking the AT"

" No Pain No Rain No Maine "