Last night at the campfire (aka Appalachian Trail T.V.), I was around the fire with a pack of early-20-somethings. They talked delightedly, loudly, and laughed easily, in a long and remarkably substance-free conversation zone. I was fascinated. I have never been so interested in nothing. (I’m so glad I was never their age!)
Long great day today. I was in the zone, physically and mentally. Climbed Standing Indian Mountain, the first one over 5000 feet, and Albert Mountain, also over 5000 feet and crazy steep. Crossed the vaunted 100-mile mark! You know what they say about completing the Appalachian Trail: If a person makes it the first 100 miles, the odds go way up that they’ll . . . well . . . be pretty tired. Saw weird stuff all day! Look at this spooky section of Trail!
I’m so glad I wasn’t alone, cold, wet, and afraid out in the middle of nowhere when I hit this section of Trail. Or- I was. It’s one of the two; I forget which.
The Dragon Tree.
Tell me this tree doesn’t come alive at night and chase you if you’ve been bad!
The Prehistoric petrified shark.
And then this tree. OMG. We all know that in the forest, one must answer the calls of nature periodically, and that the procedure usually involves a tree. Any tree. And then I came across this: Whatever this poor tree did, among millions of trees, to piss off the Boss so much that it would be designated as THE tree . . . I can only imagine . . .
I should probably stop eating the mushrooms alongside the Trail.
Penultimate 
Great photos of the trees that I’m sure I’ve seen in a movie; I think it was The Huntsman. Just to be on the safe side send me some of those mushrooms for scholarly analysis.
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you look like you are having an amazing experience. I enjoy reading about your trip. These photo’s are my favorite…Most of my nature pictures in Ireland were of “other” things…mostly faces…stay safe!
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Awesome photos!! Really 16.3 in one day? Unbelievable!!! Not many can claim that at our age!❤️
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Kevin, You have inspired me to hike 30 miles, errh I meant to say 30 minutes. I started my trek today at 2:30pm sharp. The weather conditions were intolerable, 84degrees with a nasty ESE wind of 15mph. With wind chill, it felt like 84 degrees. There was a 55% chance of rain and I was unprepared. Luckily it did not rain through the bright sunshine. The UV index was off the charts, listed as extreme 12 and the water temperature was a chilly 78degrees. I decided to ignore the adversity and started my quest. I tested the incline of 180 degrees as my feet sunk in the sand. Can I really do this? What would Kevin do? I bravely set forth and avoided the wildlife flying by. I took your advice and left the coat at home. Can you imagine, I would have burnt up with heat stroke. After 30 long grueling minutes, I found refuge in a low chair and opened a beer to avoid severe dehydration. Thank you for the inspiration, but I think I will wait 6 months before trying such a monumental task again. Farewell, where ever you fare. Tim
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Ha ha ha Tim, that was funny! FYI I was all prepared to go on this 2190 mile hike with Kevin but then he said he couldn’t guarantee that I would stay dry and comfortable. That was kind of a deal breaker.
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he’s not dry and comfortable – and I think loving every minute of it! (maybe)
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Timmy, LOVE this. And just so you know, he went to buy a jacket in town yesterday and then DIDN’T. (he bought some other layer)…we’ll see what happens…hahaha
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I think he is trying to avoid excess baggage. His pack is already way to heavy. In a few months, he’ll forget all about the need for a jacket. Until then…..
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