Day 1, Part 1: An Unexpected Delay

I woke up refreshed around 6:30. My bed was super comfortable and I slept like a rock. I went downstairs to find my roommate (trail name Halloween) and the hostel owner Laurel having coffee in the kitchen. We chatted a bit before Laurel went off to substitute teach, and then I hung out with Halloween in the kitchen for a while.

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Halloween started NOBO at Springer Mountain in Georgia and has been hiking since February, covering about 1000 miles. He filled me in about his experience on trail so far. He got the trail name Halloween because his birthday is October 31 and he frequently hikes at night. He started with a dog, which helped on the cold nights, but he sent her home because it was getting to be too much for her. He had just gotten a new pack and was figuring out how he wanted to keep his stuff organized. As we chatted he worked on packing the gear that was spread out on the table. His previous pack was 6 pounds, and his new one was only a pound. We discussed gear for a bit, spending a fair amount of time talking about popular tents. I told him I saw a lot of excitement online around the Durston X-Mid Pro 2, but the Zpacks Duplex still seemed like the most popular choice. His current tent weighs 3 lb and he could save close to 2 lb by making the switch to one of these single-wall trekking pole tents.

He mentioned that the previous days of cold and rain had been hard on him. I felt like it wasn’t that cold, that it was perfect hiking weather, and I was planning to start the trail in shorts (high of 51 degrees Fahrenheit). I asked where he was from and he said Tennessee. Since I’ve been living in Boston for 8 years, it makes sense we have different definitions of cold.

He informed me that there was a good likelihood that the ATC was closed for the morning. Apparently they were short staffed and would not open until the afternoon. I was glad for the information so I could be prepared with alternate morning plans if I had to wait to start my hike. The ATC, or Appalachian Trail Conservancy, tracks the progress of hikers who are attempting the complete the trail within a calendar year and takes photos of the hikers for their records. If you’re starting your hike in HF like I am, you can also pick up a hang tag for your pack that signifies you are a thru hiker. Since my planned mileage for the day was low, I wasn’t concerned about getting started later in the day.

Halloween and I said our farewells after he finished packing. He was going to meet a friend for breakfast and would hit the trail after that. We both planned to resupply in Rouzerville/Waynesboro at the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, but he would take 2 days to go the 40-mile distance, whereas I would be keeping my daily mileage low to start, giving myself five or six days to do the same stretch of trail. It was unlikely we would run into each other on trail again, which will be the case with most of my thru-hiker encounters during my first 2-3 weeks on trail given the disparity in daily mileage. After that, however, I might find that I’m hiking or camping regularly with the same folks.

After getting my last shower of the next few days and readying my pack, I took a look in the hiker box at the hostel. Most places with high hiker traffic have boxes where folks can leave things that aren’t working for them and take things they need. I had a sport bottle cap that I didn’t need, and I put it in the box.

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I set out for the ATC and discovered it was closed for the morning. Thankfully Laurel warned me that restaurants and cafes in town tend to have unpredictable hours. I opted to head to the library and see if there was a computer I could use.

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I used the computer to publish my second blog post and to start composing my third post. I needed to print and mail some forms to secure my health insurance, but I was still waiting for one to arrive. I wondered how I would get this done on trail but figured I’d manage somehow.

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After finishing with the computer, I found an outlet to charge my phone a bit, and then I set off for the ATC. I got my photo taken and was quizzed on principles of leave no trace (LNT). When asked to recite the seven principles with examples, I was at a loss, but when asked what I know about LNT, I responded: “if you pack it in, pack it out! Even TP! Bury human waste in a hole 6-8″ deep 200 feet from trail, campsites, and water sources!” The quizzer was pleased with this response and asked me how I’m protecting wildlife from my food. I told him I’m carrying a bear can, and he awarded me bonus points for this. He informed me that along certain areas of the AT, camping is restricted to designated sites, and the first state I’d be camping in, Maryland, was one such stretch. He explained that areas of trail near major metropolitan areas require these restrictions due to high usage. He asked if I could guess which other states might fall into this category. New York? I guessed. Bingo! New Jersey? Bingo! Connecticut? Yep! In all other states, I could camp anywhere as long as it was 200 feet from the trail or water sources, with the exception of areas at higher elevation to protect the fragile alpine vegetation. With this leave no trace primer complete, I was given my hangtag and free to start my hike.

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Since it was lunchtime, I ate one of my lunch snacks before heading out. I knew that since I would need to pack out all the trash I would generate, I should take advantage of all opportunities to get rid of my trash.

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I put my empty tuna packet in the trash can at the ATC, then set out to start my hike!