Out of the Jungle and Into the Woods

So?

2007-05-06T20:06:00.000+10:00

Anyone figured out where we are going yet?

Puffies' grand adventure

2007-05-06T17:38:00.000+10:00

650kms, 5 weeks, 2 states and possibly a territory... anyone still reading... get a life :-)

Mike and Zan's European adventure in a nutshell.

2006-11-17T20:54:00.000+11:00

Portuguese bull fighting Arena, Lisbon

Portuguese fishermen, Lisbon.

Mike and Zan Champ de Mars, Paris.

A Sunday afternoon in the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris.

The White Cliffs of Dover from the Channel ferry.

Lord Nelson's ship HMS Victory, Portsmouth, UK.

View from Thor's Cave, The Peak District, UK.

Mike dress to impress under the direction of Danann.

Zan, Danann and David outside Buckingham Palace, London.

Here's what you've been waiting for (White mountains to mt Katahdin)

2006-11-16T22:49:00.000+11:00

Mt Lafayette, White Mountains NH
Fiddlehead, Treehugger, Bean, Rip, Orc, Mike and Zan

Hot Springs Contemplating Mt Katahdin. The first view - 47.7 Miles to go!

Mike and Zan, Daicey Pond Campground. 7.6 Miles to go!

Looking up at jellybean Jellybean "You mean we have to climb up there??" 3 miles to go.

First view of the summit. 0.1 Miles to go!

Baxter Peak, Mt Katahdin, ME Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail!!!
Zan and Mike "Is it real?"

Mike and Zan "So... I hear it's only another 300 Miles to Quebec City..."

8th of September Thru-hiker summit group
Mike, Zan, Donkey, Jersey Boy #1, Mouse, Baro, Jellybean, Hot Springs, Lifesaver, H-Bomb, Jangles, Shasta, Jersey Boy #2, Jersey Boy #3, Cash

Knife's Edge, the view from the summit

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, Home again, home again, jiggety jig.

2006-11-11T12:48:00.000+11:00

Many of you said we couldn't do it... A number of you said that we were all talk... But here it is; the last and final blog post!

When we last left our intrepid travellers, they were waiting for a flight out of Heathrow Airport. After an uneventful flight from Heathrow to Lisbon, we exited the terminal, followed the signs to the taxi rank and found a driver leaning against his taxi. It was about this time that we realised neither of us spoke a word of Portuguese. After much consideration, we pulled out a piece of paper and pointed to the address. This did not achieve the desired effect. Within seconds, the drivers from about twenty other taxis gathered round and began talking animatedly. Giving him the benefit of the doubt we decided that he must be new. 10 minutes later as we passed the Sousa Marins Statue for the fifth time, we had to concede that they must have been discussing the longest possible route to our hostel and knew that there wasn't a thing we could do about it.

We spent five fantastically relaxing days in Lisbon. We did the touristy thing and jumped on a double-decker tour bus with grand plans of hopping off to visit museums and historic landmarks. We highly recommend that if you visit another country, to find out a bit about it first. We were so caught up with plans for the Appalachian Trail that we didn't think we'd actually make it this far. Despite not having a really touristy time in Lisbon, it's still great just to absorb a foreign city. Walking along the foreshore, we felt like locals as we sat and watched the fisherman, interrupted only by the occasional whispered offer by passers by of "hashish, hashish!"

We hopped a train from Lisbon to Madrid and enjoyed being able to finally understand a little of what was being said. We even worked out how to order a 'numero quatro' from burger king, and in a push we could order a 'numero seis'.

On our fourth morning in Madrid, we awoke to the sound of fighter planes and military looking helicopters flying circles over the city centre. Using the only Spanish we knew, we walked to burger king and ordered a 'numero seis' (desperate times call for desperate measures) and sent a message to Mike's mum asking if the world was ending. It turned out to be a practice for the following day's national holiday.

Our tour of Madrid's fast food restaurants was over before we knew it and we found ourselves in Paris. What can we say about Paris except, "le plume de ma tante est sur la table".

We knew we were in Paris as soon as we saw the skyline with the Eiffel Tower. It was much more impressive that we'd expected and didn't even slightly resemble the giant television towers that you see in North Sydney. Even though this wasn't the first time that we'd seen the Eiffel tower on our trip (refer back to the entry of Las Vegas), it's pretty impressive walking through the Champ De Mars towards the tower. We went to the top the next day and the view was, as the French say, "le bloody unreal".

Lines at the Louvre were not nearly as long as we'd been told and we were soon standing in front of the Mona Lisa. We walked down the Champs-Élysées and stood under the Arc de Triomphe. Notre Dame was spectacular and we spent quite some time sitting, staring up at the roof. We'd had a restaurant recommended to us where the owner happily spoke English and we enjoyed a lovely meal of venison, Pâté, a cheese platter and Crème Brûlée. We had drinks at a street-side cafe on the Bastille with some family friends of Zan who are living in Paris for two years.

We were soon staring at the 'White Cliffs of Dover' from the decks of the P&O channel ferry. It felt great to be back in a country where you didn't have to get out the phrase book every time you looked at a menu. We caught a bus back to London and to Zan's uncle's house (henceforth known as the 'London townhouse').

For the next two weeks we did a whirlwind tour of England. We started off in Southampton visiting Jill, Harry, Dominic and Julia S (Family friends of Zan). We saw Lord Nelson's ship The Victory in Portsmouth, The Roman Baths in Bath, Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, had dinner with Zan's Aunt and her family in Burton, visited the Peak district and went exploring with Tim and Laura and painted the town pink with David and Danann in London.

We want to thank everyone who made us feel so welcome when we visited them throughout this trip. And to those of you who have posted comments we really enjoyed seeing them. And we would like to apologise to those of you who were distracted from their university studies, work, housework, television, exercise and life in general over the last eight months.

And just to keep up the suspense... there maybe another post.

2006-10-14T20:23:00.000+10:00

We are now in Paris. We'll try to do a full update some time soon.

Also, we both have phones on global roaming, so you can send text messages to our old Australian mobile numbers. The American ones no longer work.

A series of unfortunate events and a psycho.

2006-10-10T23:34:00.000+10:00

That describes our final night in a New York hostel, although we had a wonderful experience despite that and we still like New York.

We arrived in London extremly jet lagged after very little sleep and several hundred games of Tetris(damn those little tv´s). We managed to make it to where we were staying and after a $10 can of soup for lunch, slept the rest of the day only waking long enough to eat another $10 can of soup for dinner before heading back to bed.

We awoke at midday the next day and hurridly packed our bags worried that we might miss our flight to Lisbon, Portugal. We arrived at the airport a recommended 3 hours before our flight, and after waiting in the check-in queue for over half an hour, were advised by the British airways agent that it was against regulations to check-in luggage so long before the aircrft´s departure time. She kindly pointed us in the direction of the 'quick' baggage drop queue. We finally got to the front of that queue only to be informed we would have to move to anohter queue. After waiting in this line for a large portion of our already reduced duty free shopping time, we were pointed in the direction of the 'oversized baggage' check-in, the only one permitted take backpacks. Fortunately no one else seemed to be lining up to drop oversized baggage (they had not yet been sent on from the previous line) and within minutes we were putting our shoes back on after going through airport security. We´d read in our Lonely Planet book on England that Brits loved to queue, and so far our experience of London had done nothing but confirm this.

New York, New York.

2006-09-30T11:55:00.000+10:00

We arrived in New York with a long list of things we wanted to see and a very definite schedule. We find ourselves sitting at this computer still with a very long list of things to see. We both love New York and highly recommend that you all come and visit.

We were lucky enough to be welcomed into the home of Mrs J. in Brooklyn, right next to an F line subway station. Thank you to both Mrs J. and Michael J. for organising this for us. It was great to have space in an apartment to ourselves and the local knowledge from Mrs J. She seems to know every single street and subway station in the city.

We spent the first two days riding the big red bus around the city, taking in sights like the empire state building, Wall st, ground zero, south st pier, Harlem, Chinatown, Little Italy, SOHO and everything else you've ever heard of. Our tickets included a night tour of Manhattan. It was impressive to see the skyline and Times Square at night.

We spent Wednesday wandering the streets before going to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. We had dinner at Red Lobster near Times Square.

We decided to duck out of US territory for lunch on Thursday and headed to UN plaza which is officially international territory. We saw the security council chamber as well as the general assembly. The UN even has its own postage system complete with international postage stamps.

Today is Friday and we've just visited the Guggenheim museum and the metropolitan museum of art. They are both huge and impressive. We capped off our day with a stroll through Central Park and dinner in a restaurant where none of the staff spoke English.

Tomorrow we fly to London. We'll only be there for a day before we head to Portugal.

Washington D.C. (again)

2006-09-20T01:30:00.000+10:00

After four nights in Millinocket, it was time to join the real world again and head to Boston. We traded our zipoff pants for jeans and jumped on a bus heading south. No more hiker discounts. No more hitch-hiking. No more eating out of eskies (coolers) left on the side of the road. No more pints of ice cream. Needless to say, we were going to have a hard time adjusting.

We spent three nights in Boston and saw... nothing. We basically just relaxed in the hostel before heading to Washington to do the tourist thing.

One thing we discover in Boston was that it was possible to get to Washington for only $35 (greyhound was about $80). One of our fellow hikers told us about the Chinatown buses, a group of bus lines that travel between major cities on the East cost for a fraction of the price of the more major lines. The only difference is that these buses stop in the Chinatown district. We arrived at the address from where the bus was supposed to leave, but it was deserted. There was not a bus in sight. We rounded the next corner to be ambushed by a group of street vendors from different bus companies. They were all yelling, "twenty dollar! twenty dollar!" but even when we asked would not tell us where the bus was going. We eventually handed over $40 and again asked where the bus was heading. "This way!" and we were shoved on a bus none the wiser as to its destination.

Six hours later we arrived in DC and we were quite proud of the success of our budget traveling. We made our way to the hostel and were surprised to find that our room had been upgraded from a 12 person dorm to a 4 person dorm. Things were shaping up well for Washington. We headed across the road to the nearest pub and ate the money that we'd saved on busses.

We saw all the essential tourist attractions that we'd missed on our first visit to Washington; Arlington cemetery (Kennedy graves, tomb of the unknowns and Gen. Robert E Lee's house.), the presidential memorials, various war memorials, the Holocaust museum and the spy museum.

We jumped on the train to Pennsylvania and met up with Mark and Karen. It was great to see them again and we spent three relaxing days in their home and exploring Downingtown. Mike even got a haircut!

Finally it was off to New York.

Katahdin, Baxter State Park

2006-09-10T23:01:00.000+10:00

You know you're a thru-hiker when... You've just walked 2174.6 miles in just under 5 1/2 months and stood on top of Mt Katahdin

We got out of the car back at the trailhead after three nights in Bethel just as Donkey (love) and Hot Springs came wandering across the road. They were the first other hikers that we'd seen in a couple of weeks. We could almost smell Mt Katahdin in the distance, but every time we were promised a view of Katahdin over the next few weeks it was raining, cold and we could barely see our hands in front of our faces.

Between Bethel and Andover (the last 220 miles of the trail) we managed to stop in every town along the way; hamburgers in Caratunk, shoe shopping in Rangely and sleeping on the floor in an overcrowded hostel in Stratton. We finally made it to Monson, the last town-stop before the 100 mile wilderness (114.5 miles to go).

We'd been warned that there was not much in Monson - just a general store and a few places to eat. What it lacked in size, it made up for in small town charm. Within a few minutes the general store owner knew us on a first name basis and was inviting us over for breakfast the next morning (home farmed eggs). He also invited us to his store after hours for a bluegrass jam session. We stopped by that evening and the store was crowded. The music was fantastic. Basically anyone who could play was invited to have a go. They do it every Friday night, so if you're ever in Monson don't be afraid to drop by.

After an enormous Breakfast, we hit the trail with the aim of summiting Katahdin seven days later. We'd always intended to run through the 100 mile wilderness but we also spent lots of time relaxing next to lakes looking for that elusive moose. We'd heard that there were lots of hikers walking around us and planning to summit on the same day.

The 100 mile wilderness is not quite as wild as it used to be. There were numerous road crossings every day and you could frequently hear large trucks in the background and motor boats on the lakes, although we have to admit that it was still very beautiful.

Our first view of Katahdin came two days before we were due to summit. There were about thirty trail miles left to go, but it looked like we could reach out and touch it.

We met up with Baro, Jangles, H-Bomb, Shasta, Mouse, Hot Springs, Donkey, Cash, Lifesaver , Snuffy, Jellybean and the Jersey Boys. (3 of them) just as we left the 100 mile wilderness. They were all planning to summit the same day as us.

At the ranger station at Katahdin Stream campground, we were given a number for the thru-hiker we were that year. We were numbers 210 and 211, but we still had 5.2 miles to go until the Katahdin summit. We'd heard of several people who'd injured themselves between here and the end. That night we had a spaghetti cookup hosted by Mouse's parents who'd driven all the way from Alabama.

We summited on the 8th of September at 10:44 am, which makes Cat the winner of our little competition with a guess of 10:43 am. Half way up the mountain we joked that it would be funny if someone guessed the exact time. It wasn't until we got into town that we realised just how close Cat's guess was. We thought she'd guessed 10:40 (sorry Cat, that's what the postcard says).

It was Friday evening when we arrived in Millinocket, the closest town to the end of the trail. We were eager to pick up our real town clothes (jeans etc) from the Post office, but we arrived 10 minutes after the post office closed:-( It was like the night before Christmas. We were trying to go to sleep so that the morning would arrive sooner. Unfortunately we were still on hiker time and woke at 6 the next morning, 3 hours before the post office opened.

We got there just as they unlocked the door and handed our ID to the clerk and smiled apologetically and told him we had a few boxes waiting. We wondered why he muttered under his breath, "just a few, huh?!?" He turned to the letter pigeon hole behind him and began counting as he pulled them out... 1... 2... 3... 4... Next he came out with our clothes boxes. We thanked him and began to leave as he was turning his back again. He came back with two more boxes and again we tried to leave. This time he said, "you'd better make yourselves comfortable." Eventually we ended up leaving the post office with 9 boxes and 4 letters.

Our parents had sent us the usual supply of Tim-tams, vegemite, stuffed toys and miscellaneous newspaper clippings. Thanks for keeping us refueled throughout the hike and giving us a way to mess with American tastebuds (see photo of Cash trying Vegemite earlier in this blog).

The next one was a pleasant surprise. We'd jokingly said to our friends, "We'll be here in about a month. Send us a package if you want." Bel, Cat, Pete, Im and Will sent us birthday and congratulatory presents. Thanks guys Zan says, "It's great to wear real pj's for a change." Mike says, "I've been helping old ladies cross the road." Zan says, "I really have to stop Mike from running down the street in his Superman underwear!"

We finally got to the last letter and read...

Dear Michael and Roseanne,

Congratulations. By now you should be in Millinocket, Maine...

Yours Sincerely,

(insert signature here)

John Howard MP
Member for Bennelong
Prime Minister of Australia

We're now kickin' back in the thriving metropolis of Millinocket deciding where we want to go next...

The White Mountains, New Hampshire and Maine

2006-08-24T03:18:00.000+10:00

You know you are a thru-hiker when... a challenge to eat three industrial size pot pies is taken seriously.

It is great to see everyone's guesses and comments. At the moments we only have a very vague idea of when we are going to finish so all of them are possible. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.

Our resupply in Hanover was interesting to say the least. Mike climbed the first mountain out of town with a french bread stick strapped to the side of his pack while Zan carried a pound worth of tea-cake. A few months ago while we were still in New Jersey we invited everyone we were hiking with to High Tea. On the invitation we specified that "some tea and pot would be provided..." This combined with the fact it was called "High tea" lead to quite a few misunderstandings. (marijuana has been decriminalised in quite a few states here.) Unfortunately we only had one guest, who just happened to be English so we spent the next hour discussing the peculiarities of American culture.

After leaving Hanover we eagerly headed towards the White Mountain State Forest. We had been warned that from there on the trail was going to be tough and that we could expect vertical rock faces and alpine areas but would be rewarded with spectacular views.

Franconia Ridge was our first major walk above tree line. We powered past multitudes of tourists and struggling day hikers to summit Mt Lafayette. The view was breath taking. In the distance we could faintly see Mount Washington, our destination in a few days.

We spent the night of Zan's birthday in the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, just below the summit of Mount Washington as hired servants for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)Hut crew. It was a blast. For a few minutes of sweeping we got all the chicken pot pie we could eat, a spectacular sunset and free bunk space on the mess hall tables. Despite all claims we finally conceded that 3 pot pies are entirely too much food for even 4 thru-hikers to consume in one sitting. Maybe two would be possible... We awoke the next morning to the paying guests drinking coffee by our feet at 5am.

After our morning chores we finally pried ourselves away from the hut and climbed the 1.5 miles left to the summit of Mount Washington. We had some photos we took of the view to show you but we had technical difficulties. The best way for you to experience what we felt and saw is...
1. Find a room sized freezer (a refridgerated truck will suffice).
2. Put as many people as you can find in it.
3. Turn a fan on full blast.
4. Hold up a white piece of paper in front of your face.

Welcome to Mount Washington.

Mount Washington is 6288 feet and is the tallest mountain in New Hampshire. Its claim to fame is that it is the place where the highest wind speed ever was recorded, 231 miles per hour. You would expect such a harsh environment to be a little bit inaccessible to the general public. Through the fog we staggered towards the snack bar only to be almost run over by a train as we stumbled onto the railroad tracks and then have a car swerve away from us at the last minute.

We stayed in the snack bar building for about an hour. By the time we were ready to leave the wind had picked up so much that we could barely stand outside. Playing it safe we decided to hitch into Gorham for the night. It seems strange to be hitch hiking from the tallest mountain in New Hampshire and our poor little thumbs almost froze off before someone felt sorry for us and picked us up.

Two days later we finally made it back up to the top of Mount Washington. The day was clear, the wind was calm and the views were great.

Our next big hurdle in the White was the Wildcat Range. It is a series of peak with some climbs up shear rock faces. At the top of the first one we discovered a gondola where Zan firmly stated, "No, we are not going to the snack bar at the bottom. I can see us ending up in Gorham for the night if we do that." Ten minutes later we were sitting in a gondola car heading towards the snack bar with Gorham as our ultimate destination and Mike nursing a swollen wrist. Some people will do anything for a cheese burger.

Ten minutes earlier (Zan's side of the story):

Dodging our way past all the gondola day hikers we breathed a sigh of relief as we finally left them all behind. Just as we could no longer her the whistle of the gondola Zan stopped to make use of the wilderness facilities. Humming away to her self she began following Mike down the trail. Suddenly she heard a loud "oh bother" (contents censored for sensitive readers) corner to see Mike lying half in the bushes and half on the trail.

Ten minutes earlier (Mike's side of the story):

Mike was walking along thinking about what he normally does when he is walking... steak.... Suddenly he found himself lying half on the trail and half in the bushes. Staring harshly at the slippery rock (Mike does not like rocks) and said, "Oh bother" (censored for sensitive readers)

Deciding to play it safe we headed into Gorham to get Mike's wrist checked out. As we were sitting outside the gas station waiting for the bus to the local hospital a woman pulled up. "Are you guys thru-hikers? I hear you are on your way to the hospital. Can I give you a ride?"

Within seconds we were on our way to the Hospital as she explained to us that she was the editor for the travel section of a newspaper out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was writing an article on thru-hikers as part of a series on pilgrimages.

While Mike was getting his wrist seen to Zan spent two hours chatting to the reporter. No break showed up in the x-rays but was told to "take it easy." The next day we were back on the trail.

A couple of days later we crossed into Maine, our final state of the hike.

Mahousic Notch is infamous. It is a mile long section of the trail that passes through a boulder field. We found ourselves scrambling over, under, around and through boulders the size of houses all in the freezing cold rain. We had a whale of a time. (Phil would understand)

So here we are in Bethel, Maine. Where we have been for the last two nights. Never fear we plan to head back to the trail tomorrow and knock over the last 266 miles soon...

Hanover, New Hampshire

2006-08-05T03:26:00.000+10:00

You know you are a thru-hiker when... You measure your weeks in Miles per day.

That bring us up to date. We are currently in Hanover, New Hampshire and have 440 miles and 2 states left to walk. We have the White Mountains and the 100 Mile Wilderness to look forward to.

Since we know that some of you have bets running as to how far we will get on this trip we would like to propose our own challenge for you all. See if you can guess our finishing date and time (to the nearest minute).

To help you in your guess:

1) We currently have 440 miles to go.
2) We plan to average around 15 miles a day, however there are sections where we are told we may only be able to manage a mile every 2 1/2 hours and other sections where we may be able to average 20 miles a day.
3) Today's date is the 4th of August.
4) We are currently planning to finish around the first half of September.
5) On the day of our summit it will be a 5 mile walk to the top. We climb around 4000 feet over those 5 miles. You can do the conversions yourself.

The Rules:

1) No parents guessing (or helping others guess).
2) Post your guess in the comments section of this blog (so we can find it easily) with your name, a finish date and time.
3) No guesses after the 17th of August.
4) For those of you with itineraries, throw them in the bin. They no longer mean anything.

The Winner:

1) Will be the guess closest to the time we touch the sign on the Summit of Mt Katahdin (US Eastern Standard Time).
2) Must reside in one of the countries on Planet Earth.
3) Must be older than 3 months.
4) Will receive an autographed postcard from Baxter State Park written on the summit of Katahdin.
5) Must know what Mt Katahdin is.
6) Will be invited to join us for drinks, country permitting. We will be in Europe during October, New England and New York for the latter half of September (So foreign nationals feel free to enter) and Australia after then.

Good luck and look foreword to seeing your guesses.

Bennington, Vermont

2006-08-05T03:25:00.000+10:00

You know you are a thru-hiker when... signs that say "no public access" do not apply to you.

As we walked out of Pennsylvania into New Jersey we began to see where the flood waters had been. There was mud caked 3 meters off the ground and trees were listing at a 45 degree angle from the force of the water. The State Park authority had cordened off the trail for health reasons with huge neon signs stating that there was "No public access until further notice." Being thru-hikers and needing to head north no matter what (see last blog) we stepped around the baracade without breaking stride. A few meters later we came across a Park Ranger sitting in a fold out chair. Within minutes we were sitting down and discussing the trail conditions before he happily waved us on our way. He pointed out to us that the bridge we were about to walk under had been 3 meters under water.

They say that if you do not see a bear in New Jersey you will not see one for the rest of the trail. We did not actually see one...

It was getting dark when we arrived in camp and we spent 10 minutes arguing about whether we needed to hang a bear bag. Eventually common sense won out and we proceed to throw a line. Let us just say that we lost the first two and the third one was a bear pinata. We had to cut our 15 meter rope a few times and the remaining length was about as long as a child's shoelace. Just as we were getting into our tent Mike realised that he had forgotten to put most of his food in the bear bag. After much swearing we lowered the bag and re-hung it, but not before we lost another few meters of rope. About 10 minutes later as we were just settling down Zan began to laugh hysterically. 2 minutes later she threw a bottle of Coke out the tent...

At midnight we both awoke to the sound of something large, heavy and bear-like attacking our food bag. We debated the merits of drawing attention to ourselves all wrapped up in our tent like a 'little debbie snack' as E-rock so eloquently puts it. Rather than be stumbled upon by our midnight guest we began to shout, sing and generally shake the tent. The poor little bear must have thought it was strange to hear a 'little debbie' signing and dancing. It must have worked because our food bag was still there in the morning but the coke bottle was mysteriously empty.

We felt at home in New Jersey, it was a lot like hiking in Sydney. That was until we reached Vernon, NJ. About 10 miles south of town the world's entire population of mosquitoes descended on us. As we ran along clouds of the followed and strategically attacked any exposed skin. Aeroguard was useless.

We arrived panting and harassed at the road into town and confidently tried to hitch a ride. An hour, 3 rude gestures and 6 "it is illegal in New Jersey!" comments later, we eventually managed to make it to a local bar in time to watch the World Cup Soccer finals with Tex and Hot Springs.

Mouse, Jangles, Baro, Shasta, Mike and Zan at the highest point in New Jersey

By the time we got back on the trail we were eager to leave New Jersey behind. As soon as we entered New York everything was different, or so we thought. It rained, there were mosquito clouds, there were lots of boulders to climb and people were generally in a big hurry.

The trail in New York goes through a zoo and thru-hikers get free entry. At first we were really excited about it until we saw the "Do not feed the hiker" signs. All through the zoo there were exhibit signs explaining about thru-hikers and "their natural habitat". We both felt like the guy in the Mickey Mouse costume at Dinseyland as parents grabbed us to have our photo taken with their precious darling child. As the Sexy Monk puts it, "hey come have your photo taken with the freak."

Things began looking up the moment we entered Connecticut. As soon as we crossed the border we were greeted by a cooler full of beer, soft drink, bagels, animal crackers and bug repellent. We were in hiker heaven. We found the perfect campsite next to a picturesque river in a pine forest where we reunited with some hikers we had not seen for ages, Low-gear and Kilgore Trout.

Mike enjoying some "Trail Magic"

Before we knew it we were in Massachusetts and began to see sub-alpine areas. We saw tiny pine trees on top of Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts.

For Sale. Anyone interested? (near the Mount Greylock summit)

We have been told that the further north we go the more beautiful the scenery will get. If Vermont is anything to go by Maine will be phenomenal.

We told you so!

Last seen heading north

Another great thing about being in Vermont is that we've started to pass people who started in Maine. We always had the suspicion that they were crazy and finally meeting them has confirmed this. If they're like this after only 400 miles, we can only imagine what they'll be like after 2000!

Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania

2006-07-23T02:53:00.000+10:00

You know you are a northbound (NOBO) thru-hiker when... you must head north no matter what.

We sat in the Doyle Hotel for 2 days after Mark and Karen dropped us off and watched the weather channel's Storm Warnings which became flood warnings. After waiting we decided that it was time to head out. Just as we were about to set off down the street the owner of the Doyle came into the pub and said, "a thru-hiker, G-walk, just called to say the Clarke's creek 17 miles north from here is flooded."

With this news in mind we decided to try and head out the following day and camp just up the mountain from the swollen river if we could not get across. The weather the next day was beautiful and there was no sign of the predicted storm or rain. The trail out of town was only slightly flooded but we managed to keep our feet dry with some creative manoeuvering.

Later that afternoon we came to Clarke's Creek. It was indeed impassable although we did watch with morbid curiosity as three other thru-hikers proclaimed that they could and would cross it. After 20 minutes orangutan, Stinky and Homeward admitted defeat and set up their tents next to ours with Windtalker and Mom.

We were hoping that the following morning the water level would have receded enough but we were prepared to wait rather than skip that section of the trail (like many other thru -hikers had done).

The next morning we were awoken by Mom telling us that there were some nice men with a frontend loader who were willing to drive us across the river. We packed up in record time and watched as Windtalker and Mom hopped onto the shovel and the driver tentatively drove towards the rushing water. Within minutes we were all safely across the river eating oatmeal for breakfast.

There is a photo of the river crossing at the website mentioned by Kerry it was taken by Mom. (if you are reading this Windtalker and Mom we also have a photo of you two and will send it to you if you send us an email.)

Mom's parents are driving an RV north to Maine and resupplying Windtalker and Mom. At most road crossings when we are hiking with them it is great to see them sitting waiting. For most of the bad weather we hiked with them and got constant updates about flooded areas.

So after crossing the creek we knew that Swatara State was underwater and a 2 mile road walking detour was recommended. Other than that we were heading north and clear of the floods.

After taking the detour around Swatara we ran into the 3 Australian sisters who had skipped north and were heading south towards Duncannon. They told us that when they drove out of Duncannon they were sandbagging The Doyle and that the there were cars under water one street away from the Doyle. Looks like we got out just in time.

Needless to say we survived the floods and made it to our next resupply point in Port Clinton. The following was written about Port Clinton in one of the registers, "if Pennsylvania was given an enema the tube would be inserted in Port Clinton."

We arrived to the smell of burning couches (sofas)- it seems that they got hit really badly by the floods as well. We walked carefully past a 12 year old with a rifle (yes a real one. We thought it was an air rifle but heard a shot go off as we left town)

The only thing in town that was open when we arrived, on the 4th of July weekend, was the "Peanut Shop." We needed to resupply and as it was our only option we went inside.

3 days later we were getting a little sick of eating peanuts and were looking forward to spending a night in jail, as there was no other cheap accommodation and it was the 4th of July this seemed like the best option.

We flagged down an officer on patrol and after a few minutes of talking he agreed and took down our details and we were set with a free bunk for the night. We walked into the building and noticed a few other packs. Apparently we were not the only hikers with this idea. (the town of Palmerton runs a free hostel out of the old jail house. The instructions for checking in are to flag down an officer on patrol.)

We had come into town with Baro who we had passed heading south earlier that morning. We were a little confused but he told us that he had left his rain jacket 17 miles south and was going to walk back to get it. To cut a long story short he eventually got it back and met us just outside of town. After having lunch with us, 16oz T-bone steak, fries, veggies, salad and sundaes, he quickly announced that he liked eating with us and that from that day forth we would be his eating buddies.

After eating for 12 hours straight we forced ourselves to leave town and tackle the 'super fun site.' Palmerton was a town built on an old mine site and the surrounding vegetation was an advertisement for an antimining campaigns. It is barren and rocky. The hill out of town was 1000 foot climb in .3 of a mile. It was awesome and different and the majority of it required rock climbing.

We tried for 3 days to book a room in Delaware Water Gap but on the 3rd day we learnt that they to had been badly hit by the floods and that the only motel in town and the outfitter had been underwater. We decided to take a cab into a nearby town and resupply before hitting New Jersey.

Duncannon, Pennsylvania

2006-06-28T08:25:00.000+10:00

You know you're a thru-hiker when... people cheer when you walk into the pub.

That brings us up to date. We tried to post some photos in the main body of our blog, but due to technical difficulties (in other words 'it didn't work') we had to instead put in links to the photos. We've added links to a few previous posts as far back as trail days, so be sure to check them out. We hope you enjoy them and we hope we won't get that far behind in posting again. We enjoy seeing your comments, so keep them up.

We arrived in Duncannon on Friday afternoon and headed to the pub (The Doyle) where Mark was due to pick us up for the weekend. Mark and Karen are family friends of Mike's family and we'd been looking forward to meeting them since we flew into the states. As we walked in the door of the pub, everybody looked up from their beers and cheered. We felt special.

The two of us with Mark and Karen

When we were organizing a pickup location with Mark, he'd given us specific instructions not to eat before we met him. We were not disappointed. All weekend we were spoilt with wonderfully delicious food made by Karen (lamb, steaks, apple pie...) We saw the Brandywine River Museum which houses the paintings of N.C. and Andrew Wyeth. Fantastic painters. Check out a sample at the website: http://www.brandywinemuseum.org/. We also drove through Amish farms on the way back to the trail. It was interesting to see horse buggies driving down the main street in town.

Mark and Karen dropped us back in Duncannon two days ago and sadly we're still in town due to heavy rains. It seems that half of Pennsylvania is flooded and the other half has flash-flood warnings. One of the bridges a few miles out of town is impassable, which is unfortunate as it's the only way back to the Appalachian Trail (AT). We hope to get back on the trail in the next few days when it's not so soggy.

The Shenandoah National Park

2006-06-28T08:03:00.000+10:00

You know you're a thru-hiker when... you can walk 25 miles in a day and still have 3 cooked meals.

We went through the Shenandoahas on the 6th of June so this post is still a little behind (this happened before Harper's Ferry). The Shenandoahas is a 80 mile stretch of National Park through Virginia. A road runs its entire length and it is dotted with campsites with restaurants.

On our first night in the park, we decided to hit the Loft Mountain campground for dinner before heading another 5 miles to the next shelter. Unfortunately for us, we arrived just as the camp store was closing (5 mins early!!!) and were unable to buy anything. We were sitting in the car park despondently contemplating the next 5 miles on an empty stomach when we saw two families pull up and start unloading eskies (coolers for all American readers) of food. On the way past they said, "We see you sitting there, we see a tent site, but we don't see a car. Where did you leave it??" Still bitter about the store closing early, we said cheekily, "We parked it in Georgia." They seemed amused by this and asked us a few more questions before heading down to the campsite.

We had to walk past their campsite on the way back to the trail. As we walked past, they hollered out, "Have you guys got hot food for tonight?" We couldn't lie, "We have noodles and rice." He smiled, "How about hotdogs and hamburgers?" 5 minutes later we were sipping wine, eating stuffed olives and could smell meat cooking on the barbecue. We even had live entertainment with an interesting interpretation of The Wiggles by one of their kids. It turned out that one of the party was a chef and we were definitely well fed. Thanks for the food and the hospitality if you're reading.

Barbecue Party!!

We ate our way through the rest of the Shenandoahas and saw some wonderful views and tame wildlife.

Sunset from our campsite
A creepy but tame deer

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

2006-06-28T03:59:00.000+10:00

You know you are a thru-hiker when... you only know people by their trail names.

(This post is out of order. We arrived in Harpers Ferry on the 15th of June and the half way point on the 21st of June. We are slowly getting around to catching up.)

Ten miles outside Harper's Ferry we passed the 1000 mile mark. A spot that is marked by an unbelievable shelter and by an arrangement of temporary stones. We arrived just as the sun was setting and a thunder storm was rolling in and were surprised to hear the sounds of Banjoman playing his hiker guitar. We have been treated quite a few times to concerts from him as well as other hikers who carry instruments but it is always a special treat and was a great way to celebrate the 1000 mile mark.

1000 Miles

On arrival in Harper's Ferry we checked into the Hilltop House Hotel, cleaned up and went to visit the ATC. As soon as we walked in the door one of the volunteers asked us "where are you from?" Not sure exactly what he was asking we replied the same way we always do, "from Springer Mountain but we live in Australia." People generally get very excited when they hear that you are thru- hiking. At the ATC they took our picture for their records and gave us a number. We where the 337th and 338th northbound thru-hikers for the year so far. (as of the 15/06/06)

Outside the ATC office

Harpers Ferry is about an hour train ride from Washington D.C. so we decided to catch the commuter train into the capitol for a day. We awoke at 5:30am and amid much grumbling we made it to the station just in time to catch the 5:56am train. Arriving at Union Station at 7:30 we wandered the streets waiting for all the tourist attractions to open. We took a tour of the Capitol building and then headed over to check out the White House. Standing with our noses pressed to the fence to get a better view we notice several snipers standing with their rifles to their shoulders. Suddenly we were not so eager to get that fantastic fence free photograph and went off to visit some of the other D.C. sites.

The White House - We left the photo large so that you can see the sniper on the roof

These vests are sold to hikers before visiting the White House

After being in the woods and small towns for the last 3 months we both felt like fishes out of water in the busy streets of D.C. On our way back to Harpers Ferry we had to ask for directions to the platform, our slow, conversational way of speaking that we have been using on the trail seemed to annoy the information attendant. We enjoyed D.C. but is was definitely good to get back on the trail.

1086.8 miles 'til Maine

2006-06-26T03:06:00.000+10:00

You know you are a thru-hiker when... you can eat half a gallon of ice-cream.

As of 21st of June we officially have fewer miles left to walk than we have already done. We have finished 6 states and have 8 to go. We have gone through 2 pairs of shoes / boots each and eaten 504 fun size snickers bars in 3 months. It is customary for all thru-hikers to buy half a gallon (about 2 litres) of ice cream at the store closest to the halfway point and eat it as quickly as possible without throwing up. The record is 2 minutes and 37 seconds.

The Halfway Marker

The 21st of June is the Summer solstice, it is the longest day of the year, the begining of summer and also the annual 'hike naked day.' A lot of hikers mark this day by hiking naked...

We appologise for the lack of photos. We're still having technical difficulties but are trying to post them at every opportunity.

Daleville

2006-06-25T13:09:00.001+10:00

You know you are a thru-hiker when... you can walk 90 miles in four days to meet your Dad.

After Jose dropped us back in Pearisberg on Saturday night we realised that we had to walk 90 miles (144 kms) by friday morning in order to meet Zan's Dad in Daleville. On Friday morning as we were sitting on top of the mountain looking down on Daleville having a healthy snack of snickers we decided to look at our watch. It was 1:20pm and we were supposed to meet at 2:00pm and we still had 3 miles to go. Needless to say we set a new personal best down that mountain and arrived only 5 minutes late.

We met Dad on the trail and introduced him to a trail tradition. Food before shower. Heading to the 'Three Little Pigs BBQ' we got a table outside and proceed to astound him with the amount of food we consumed. By the time we were finished we were both ready for a shower before eating second lunch (another hiker tradition). Eager to see what care packages had arrived from home with Dad we were disapointed to hear that he had lost his luggage, although it did explain why he smelt almost as bad as we did. (We hear you were complaining about how bad we smelt).

We stayed in the Holiday Inn in Roanoake, Virginia. It was luxurious, there was a bath, a bar and a resturant, all the hiker essentials in one spot. Several showers later we were ready for dinner. All week long we had been hearing about a homestyle resturant in Catawaba and it turns out that on the flight over so had Dad. Wanting to show Dad as much of the hiker culture as possible we agreed it was the best place to eat. The resturant was an old homestead surrounded by paddocks of cows. Inside there were several other hikers, we introduced Dad to Cash, Rusch Hour and Goldfish who proceed to put on a very enlightening show for him.

After a fantastic feast we waddled outside to the car to find Cash, Rusch Hour and Goldfish sitting outside contemplating how they were going to get there 3 cases of beer, their packs and themselves the 3 miles back up the hill to the trail. They had strategically placed themselves in our path in the hope of a lift. Without even consulting Dad we waved them over to the car and before Dad knew what was happening the 6 of us were driving back to the trail head.

Things really began to get interesting once we arrived back at the trail head. Deciding that a case of beer was too much to carry the mile the next shelter Rusch Hour and Goldfish proceed to drink a few. Sometime after the first beer Cash brought out a rusty hunting knife he had found earlier that day and demonstrated how he had tried to hitch-hike down to the resturant by wielding it at passing motorists.

After a few days of relaxing, shopping and eating we made plans to show Dad some of the trail. We picked a fairly 'easy' 4 mile stretch that ended at a spectacular rock formation, Dragon's Tooth, and instructed Dad to bring his new hiking poles. Along the way we introduced him to the other hikers we passed as we gave out some soft drinks.

Dragon's Tooth

Trail Days, Damascus, Virginia

2006-06-25T12:44:00.000+10:00

You know you're a thru-hiker when... You'll hitch a ride 150 miles in the wrong direction for the possibility of free gear.

We arrived safely at Trail Days to a free dinner and a dry tent site. Despite local liquor laws prohibiting the sale of spirits and the consumption of any alcoholic beverage, upon arrival we were invited to Jessie's tent. "BYO 'vessel,'" he said in his tennessee twang as he held up a full bottle of "Elmer T. Lee" bourbon. It's the "Passion Pop" of bourbons. We finally mannaged to pry ourselves away from the tent as it started pouring with rain and went to bed. About ten minutes later we began to hear the sound of bongo drums comming from the 'drum circle' by the river. It was quite rhythmic and southing to begin, but after the first half hour it began to feel like a tribal sacrifice was about to be made. They never stopped...

We awoke early and decided to see if we could find some free breakfast. As we emerged from our tent, we were plesantly surprised by three Australian flags flying next to our tent. It was the Three Sisters; Waltzing matilda, Vegimite on Toast and Bluey. We had met the three of them a few weeks before when we walked through Damascus and had hiked with them between Damascus and Pearisberg. About half way through the day we were back at our tent stashing away some of the free and cheap gear we had 'aquired' when we both heard another unmistakeable familar Australian accent, it was Kaptain Kangaroo. All together this year there are 8 Australians hiking the trail.

The Aussies

Every year at Trail Days there is a 'Hiker Parade' which is just an excuse for a huge water fight between hikers and the town. It seems that everyone else knew what was going to happen during the parade except us so we were a bit suprised when people started throwing water bombs at the local sheriff.

Hiker Parade

We have a saying, 'The trail always looks after you.' With this in mind we were not too worried about how we were going to get back to Pearisburg, but as Saturday was drawing to an end and a ride had still not materialised we decided to try a more direct approach. Another hiker eariler that day had jokingly suggested that we walk around town with a sign. Armed with some paper towel and a black permanent marker we made a sign, 'Thru-hiker looking for a ride to PEARISBERG' and stuck it to Zan's back with her earrings. We strategically walked through the crowded streets of Damscus, eventually we decided to go hang out in the outfitter. After ten minutes of Zan generally making a nusicance of herself to draw attention to the sign we made our way outside. About 5 meters down the street one of the people from the outfitters came running after us. "My name is Jose, I live near Pearisberg and i will be leaving in about an hour if you want a ride." We ran back to our tent site, packed up and headed back to the outfitters to wait.

On the ride home Jose told us that he was the local rep for Marmot, Jetboil and a few other equipment brands. He promised to load us up with free gear before he dropped us off and offered to get our broken tent pole fixed for us.

Pearisburg

2006-06-07T01:25:00.000+10:00

You know you are a thru-hiker when... You approach a man in a skirt to ask him for a ride.

In the interests of getting our blog up-to-date, we've decided to skip a few weeks and continue from Trail Days. A few weeks after crossing the Tennessee/Virginia state border we arrived in Pearisburg. Coming down a mountain into town, we were debating whether to make reservations at a local motel. We decided against it. After all, how busy could a small country town with three motels get?

Trail Days is an annual hiker festival held in Damascus, Virginia and for weeks on the trail it had been the only thing talked about. Every hiker within about 200 miles of Damascus generally hops off the trail for a few days to attend. It's famous for free gear, food and lots of beer. Our plan was to stay in Pearisburg for a few days until it started and then hitch the 150 miles back to Damascus. Unfortunately it seemed that everyone else had the same idea.

After checking out two motels and finding them full, we moved onto the third. We saw a "No Vacancy" sign in the window and decided to go inside anyway to ask if there was other accommodation nearby. As soon as we walked in the door, the receptionist asked, "Are you guys hikers?" From previous experience we knew that this line generally preceded something nice. "We have to look after our hikers. We don't have any real rooms left but we can move a couple of mattresses into the gym if you want. It has a bathroom and it's yours for $17 a night." Before he could change his mind, we said, "Done," and put the money on the table. Our next problem was finding a ride back south.

Problems always look better when you're clean. After a quick shower we headed to the Laundromat. Half way through the spin cycle we overheard a guy in a skirt talking on his phone, "So you'll take us all the way to Damascus? Great. See you tomorrow." We went over to ask him how he went about organizing his ride and were pleasantly surprised when he (Lush) offered us two spare seats. We were set for Trail Days. We thanked him, sat down and waited for the spin cycle to finish.

Just as we were putting our clothes in the dryer, another hiker entered. He could best be described as looking like a cross between Louie the Fly and Franklin the Turtle. He was a large man who wore thick glasses and walked with a hunched back. He introduced himself as Minnesota Smith. For the first 20 mins of conversation he had us in stitches as he related his trail journey so far. Then halfway through our drying cycle, he asked us the loaded question, "What do you guys do?" We explained that we'd finished university and were avoiding getting a real job. Then he focused on Zan, "So what are you planning to do with your degree? Become a housewife?" Thinking he was joking, we both laughed as Zan replied, "Maybe a school teacher." Then he launched into his well rehearsed monologue, "The only true profession that a woman needs to fulfill is to have babies. The Muslims are outbreeding us and the only way to keep this country pure is to have more babies than them." We prayed that our washing would dry quickly as he kept speaking, "Married women should not get the vote because they are going to vote for whoever their husband tells them to anyway. I'm not saying that women can't have a career. Once they're done having babies... Say when they're 40 or so, their husband can support them if they choose to go to college or do something else." We took our still damp clothes, said our goodbyes and were glad that he wasn't going back for trail days.

An American tries Vegemite

2006-05-27T07:25:00.000+10:00

Hot Springs, North Carolina to Erwin, Tennessee

2006-05-18T05:15:00.000+10:00

You know you are a thru-hiker when... You follow a sign posted on a gate for free food at someone's house.

We left Hot Springs a few days later in the poring rain, but made it no further than a hamburger shop on the edge of town. After procrastinating for a few hours we decided not to do the planned 13 miles and instead to head to the next shelter 3 miles away. We arrived at the shelter to the sound of guitar music. Goldfish was showing off his latest purchase, a hiking guitar.

It was still raining the following day, and we decided to try another 20 miler to pick up the lost miles from the day before. That plan quickly changed when we found a sign directing us to "trail magic" at the home of some former thru-hikers about 1/4 of a mile away. On the walk to their house, we were imagining everything that could possibly happen and we decided that if there was any sign of a shotgun and a rocking chair on the porch that we were out of there. We were greeted at the door by Hercules and Fal. They ushered us to the table and promptly fed us everything in sight. We started off with waffles and bacon, then had homemade bread and apple butter followed by a BBQ pork sandwich and pear crumble for desert, all washed down with coffee and iced tea. Just when they'd filled us so full that we couldn't budge from our seat, they began piling numerous books onto the table and offering to send them to us chapter by chapter. "We think these will help you question the truth. Jesus said that the only way to heaven was through him... And Jesus wouldn't lie, would he?"

We arrived in Erwin soggy and ready for a break. After dumping our gear at the Motel, we decided to take care of business by doing the laundry and the shopping. On our way back from the shopping, we noticed that people kept honking their horns at us as we walked down the street. Just as we were wondering if we were walking down the wrong side of the road or whether we were breaking some other law, a police officer pulled over beside us and rolled down the window. We looked at each other as if about to yell, "RUN!!", when he asked if we wanted a ride. "Um... Sure," we replied and piled into the back seat with our groceries. "There's a big storm coming. They say about 100 mile winds. I thought I'd save ya'll from getting wet and take you back to your motel." As we pulled up in front of the glass doors to the motel, he said, "the doors don't open from the inside. Ya'll'll have to stick your hands out the window and open them from the outside." With many thanks we waved him goodbye. Strolling into the lobby, we were met by the impressed looks of some other hikers, "How in the hell did ya'll pull that off?"

Davenport Gap, North Carolina to Hot Springs, North Carolina

2006-05-18T05:09:00.000+10:00

You know you are in a trail town when... There is a tent pitched next to the historic train monument and the pub's been drunk dry.

We emerged from the smokies eager for food that was something other than gravy, rice and tuna. We had heard from other hikers about a little place called 'standing bear farm' that was rumoured to sell pizza. Needless to say when we got to the road crossing we took the 0.3mile detour to the store and spent the next 3 hours gorging ourselves on pizza, milk, soft drinks and ice-cream. We made the hard decision not to stay the night and trudged our way back to the trail nursing our full stomach until the next shelter.

As we approached Hot Springs a few days later we decided to set up camp 6 miles out of town. We spent the evening swapping stories with Windtalker and Mom. Just as we were settling down for bed we heard a strange, tortured, inhuman howling coming towards us from up the mountain. As we froze, Windtalker had already pulled out his knife ready to attack whatever was coming towards our campsite. A human figure emerged from the trail looking disoriented, exhausted and frantic. Looking out the window in our tent, we saw the figure slowly look around and then sit down facing our tent and pull something from his pack. We were petrified. We spoke in whispered voices, "what's he doing??" "I think he's eating a snickers bar." With that, he set up a tent and went to bed. We slowly zipped up the tent, careful not to make too much noise and went to sleep ourselves.

It was raining in the morning when we woke and the tent was still there. Just as we were about to sneak away quietly, a bleary-eyed figure emerged. It was Cash, another hiker we'd met at standing bear farm a few days earlier. "What the heck happened last night? We heard you being chased down the hill by something." Laughingly, Cash explained that he'd been doing some night hiking when his torch had failed. Remembering stories about hikers being harassed by bears, hillbillies and other creatures at night, he began to hear them around every corner. He'd started howling to scare off anything that may be watching from the woods. It certainly worked on hikers anyway.

In Hot Springs the trail goes right down Main St. There are two things by which a hiker rates a town. A good town has an outfitter and a great town also has a pub. This town had both. We were promised a selection of beers from around the world and after perusing the menu for several minutes we were ready to order. "I'll have..." We were cut off mid sentence. "Just so you know, the pub's almost out of beer, but I might still be able to dig out a few Bud's from out the back." We looked dismayed and glared at Fish, who was sitting in a corner of the room drinking the last Newcastle Larger with a knowing smile.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

2006-05-18T04:26:00.000+10:00

You know you're a thru-hiker when... a perfect stranger becomes a good friend when they're trying to lighten their pack of food.

We hopped into the car for a ride from our motel back to the trail. On the way there, we were given an exhaustive list of things that could and would kill us in the Smokies. As we watched the car drive away we were certain that we were going to die a horrible death sometime in the next few days.

As it turned out the Smokies were not as terrifying as we were expecting. We never did see any bears or copperhead snakes. There were no freak snow storms and the water was safe drink.

We spent five very enjoyable days walking through the national park including our first pine forest and the tallest peak on the trail - Clingman's Dome (6600ish feet). We also had our first wildlife encounter of the trail (not including squirrels and smelly hikers). We saw a deer running lazily south down the AT towards us. Hunting is illegal in the national parks here so the animals are not afraid of humans so we were able to get to within a meter of the deer.

Due to the large number of bears in the park some of the shelters have a mesh cage on the front. It would be impossible for a bear to nibble on one of your limbs while you sleep. Unfortunately for us the shelters were all full so we had to put up our tent outside the shelter. Thin wire mesh may not seem like much when faced with a bear but it is a lot more comforting than a sheet of nylon.

The only other event worthy of note is that we did our first 20 mile day (32kms).

We've done about 500 miles and finished

2006-05-11T07:56:00.000+10:00

We've done about 500 miles and finished 3 states. We're staying the night in Marion, virginia but unfortunately there's not a computer to be found. The photo is of our tent with one of the trail shelters in the background. Unfortunately we can't do a more complete post until we find an internet cafe, which may not be for another week or more.

We've met three other aussie hikers from Perth and we both got a package sent from home containing vegemite, tim tams and other australian stuff. It's always funny to see the look on the face of an american trying vegemite for the first time.

We plan to hike on for about another week before hitching a ride back to Damascus for 'trail days,' a hiking festival where there are free equipment give aways and lots of beer (even if is only the american stuff).

Hiawassee, Georgia to Fontana Dam, North Carolina

2006-04-27T04:56:00.000+10:00

You know you're a thru-hiker when... you accept a ride from a random stranger with mullet and a shot-gun across his lap driving a beat-up Chevy.

We will pick from where we ran out of internet time on our last post.

When we arrived in Hiawassee we found the motel where we had mailed our package of 'town essentials' was booked out. The owner clad in Moose patterned pajama pants at 2:30 in the afternoon offered us his bed. We offered to put up a tent in the motel gardens but he eventually managed to find us a bed (not a room) with another hiker named Hong Kong who looked like a bear and snored like a freight train. We awoke after a sleepless night to the sound of rain on the roof and decided that it was better to brave our tent in the storm than spend another night.

After a hearty breakfast, we'd been traveling for a few hours and were beginning to feel a bit hungry. We pulled out a pack of Tortillas and a couple of apples and began to munch away. Satisfied, we began walking again. After a couple of minutes walking we saw tents through the trees and could smell a barbecue cooking. When we reached the tents, we were asked, "are you thru-hikers?" Out of breath, we both managed to nod. At this, ice cold soft drinks were thrust into our hands quickly followed by a plate bulging with hamburgers and salads. We had met our first trail angels.

We'd come across the term 'trail angel' for the first time a few days before and were clueless as to its meaning. We were told that they were people who appeared when hikers were at their lowest and did something to lift their spirits. This group was made up of a few precious thru-hikers, a few of their friends and a gorgeous dog named Georgia-Maine. We stayed an hour before reluctantly resuming our day's planned hike. Just as our bodies had begun to digest our feast, we saw more tents in the distance. Jokingly we said to each other, "Wouldn't it be funny if there was more 'trail magic' up ahead?" Little did we know...

Three hotdogs and a couple of beers later we decided it was finally time to tackle the hill ahead. After stopping a few times to prevent throwing up, we eventually made it up the hill and on to our camp site for the night.

As we crossed the border into North Carolina on the third of April, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. We hoped this wasn't a sign of things to come. A few days later and with no more signs of foul weather, we arrived in Franklin, North Carolina for a few well earned days off. We were picked up from the side of the trail by Crutch, another former thru-hiker turned trail angel and driven to our motel. We spent the day cruising the local food establishments before we eventually found our favourite; an all-you-can-eat steak buffet!

There are some curious liquor laws in the US. There are several dry counties. In other counties it's illegal to sell alcohol on a Sunday unless it is out of a restaurant. However it is still legal to buy a six-pack of beer over the counter, even if you don't have a meal. The most unusual liquor law we uncounted was in Franklin. Take-home alcohol was perfectly legal, however it was illegal to drink in public unless there were two tennis courts on the premises. It seemed to be a common trend to build a bar with a tennis court at each side and use them as car parks.

The only other event worthy of mention between Hiawassee and Fontana Dam occurred while we were sitting down to lunch where the trail crossed a highway. Two camouflaged figured emerged from the woods, rifles in hand, hopped into their car and drove away. We looked at each other and wondered if anyone had told them that the civil war ended a long time ago. We hadn't seen any wildlife big enough to kill with a rifle. Unless you include hikers...

Arriving at Fontana Dam, we prepared ourselves for the smokies with a steak dinner and a trip to the supermarket. We settled down for the night and dreamed of all the bears and other animals we would see over the next 70 miles.

We promise photos are coming eventually. We are having a few technical difficulties at the moment.

Springer Mountain to Hiawassee, Georgia

2006-04-21T04:26:00.000+10:00

You know you're a thru-hiker when... you would rather walk half way across the country than get on another greyhound bus

Sorry it has been a while since our last post. Mobile phone reception is patchy at best and it's not always easy to find internet access in the woods. Although we've already done just over 250 miles (400km), we thought we'd start at the beginning.

From Atlanta we took our final Greyhound journey to Gainesville. We're happy to report that it was an uneventful trip, and it only lasted an hour:-)

On arriving in Gainesville we went to the Burger King for food. As we sat crammed into the booth surrounded by our packs, a local with a mullet approached us and said, "do y'all need a lift to the trail?" We quickly refused his offer, stating that we were being picked up the next morning by the owner of the 'Hiker Hostel' recommended by all the hiking guides.

We decided to walk from our room in Gainesville to the local supermarket and set off following vague directions from the motel clerk. After an our of walking with no supermarket in sight, we decided to stop off at a petrol station for directions. After asking the cashier about the location, she replied, "You have to keep in the right lane and..." We quickly informed her that we had no car. Looking a bit perplexed, she thoughtfully responded, "I don't think you can get there without a car..."

We were picked up by Josh from the hostel, an avid hiker who was able to give us heaps of advice and reassurance for the trail. He told us that there was a shuttle leaving the hostel later that night to one of the local bars for dinner. In the same breath he also gave us a lesson in Southern bar etiquette, "Don't stare at anyone and don't mess with anyone. We have carrying laws in these parts. People have guns."

We shared our dinner table with a few guys who'd been out on the trail for a few days. By the time dinner was finished, we were convinced that we wouldn't make it up the first mountain without full climbing equipment and snow gear. On returning to the hostel, we saw a seasoned thru-hiker stripping down someone's pack to the bare essentials. We were slightly confused; two pairs of undies, two pairs of socks, one jumper, if you were feeling strong maybe a rain jacket. A tent was considered a luxury.

We were dropped at the start of the trail, Springer Mountain on the 27th of March and began our trudge into the woods waiting intently for our first encounter with a mountain/bear/shotgun wielding hillbilly.

According to our map, we were supposed to be climbing over the craggy mountains that we'd been told about the night before. We were puzzled after we spent the first three days pleasantly zig-zagging over gently undulating hills. The only problem we did have after the first few days had to do with hanging our food in a tree each night. All those who have ever hiked in Australia will know that this is a big no-no as it will be eaten. Amid much swearing and "buggered-if-I-know"ing we eventually bumbled through the first few days and are now quite efficient at it.

We survived the first 50 miles and managed to get a ride into town with one of our fellow hikers walking only a section of the trail. Hiawassee was quaint, but it provided for all the essentials; steak, shower, shopping...

Unfortunately we're out of internet time, but we'll try to update the rest when we can...

2000 miles to go!

2006-04-13T09:38:00.000+10:00

Mike: that guy thinks that we should put our toothbrush in our bear bag too.

Zan: isn't that a bit over the top?

Mike: i don't think so. What if the bear wants to brush his teeth after tea?

We've had trouble finding internet access to check our comments and update, but thought we'd do a quick update from the mobile phone. We've walked about eight percent of the trail - Only 2000 miles left! We've walked through three different states and we're currently dodging the american wildlife on the north carolina/ tennessee border in the smoky mountains. There's supposedly one bear for every two miles in the smokies. It'll probably be about 10 days before we can do a full update or check comments.

Atlanta

2006-04-07T07:53:00.000+10:00

Bison steak - $16
Slice of pie - $5
Hotel Room - $267

The look on Mike's face when he got the hotel bill - Priceless.

Austin - The self proclaimed "live music" capital of the US.

2006-04-07T04:02:00.000+10:00

Mike (ordering in a restaurant): I'll have the 16 ounce prime rib steak thanks.

Waiter: Sorry Sir, all out of beef steak but we do have chicken fried steak.

Mike: Okay I'll have that then.

Ten minutes later...

Zan: You look like someone just shot your dog.

Mike: I think I just ate the dog.

Mike and Zan:

You would think in Texas it would not be hard to get a good steak. You could not be more wrong. We spent 4 days trying to find an edible slice of beef with no luck. Mike did however manage to get food poisoning from the suspicious chicken-like substance mentioned in the above dialogue.

People in the hostel where we were staying raved to us about the great live music scene in Austin. Our only experience of this 'great live music' was a tone deaf twang during karaoke night at a local restaurant. We missed the city's great music festival South by South-West by three days :-(

Texas has changed hands a few times during its history and at one time it was actually an independent state. We took a tour of the Capital building (the equivalent of state Parliament House). The tour guide mentioned on several occasions that the Texas building was taller that the one in Washington D.C.

Unfortunately we have no pictures of Austin as they were locked in the dorm room of the hostel where we were staying. It was a bit like being a school with curfews, specific lights out times and a strict no fun after 11pm policy. Once you left the building in the morning (which had to be before 8am) you were not allowed back in until 5pm that night. On the up side the hostel was a lovely building on the edge of a lake and next to a park.

Boulder #2

2006-04-07T03:33:00.000+10:00

Mike: So how late you planning on sleeping in tomorrow?

Zan: Until I bloody well get bedsores!

Mike: So about 7am then?!

Mike & Zan:

(This post is a little late but such is life. Check out the comments sections of the last post for answers to your comments.)

Lesson #8: Don't eat yellow snow.

Looking out our window to the snow capped mountains we could not resist taking a wander through them. Deciding to be educated hikers we approached the local park ranger asking for suggestions for walks. Armed with the name of a mountain, a newspaper clipping of a map and 'training packs' we were prepared to take on the Rockies. After a few hours of strolling through icy mud with a slight layer of brown and sometime pristine white snow we took a little traveled side trail to 'Bear Peak.' Somewhere in our conversation with the ranger he must have assumed that we knew something about hiking in the snow and what snow cloud actually looked like. As we parted ways with the locals on their mid afternoon autumn run we began a step ascent up a mountain with a two feet of snow covering the path. Where there was not snow there was a thick layer of slick ice. We got three quarters up and it began to snow. Between the two of us we can count on one hand how many times we have seen it snow and still have fingers to spare. Needless to say we decided to give Bear Peak a miss and head back to the safety of town. We discovered that the descending a snow/ice covered mountain is harder that it looks. But improvising a toboggan is extremely fun.

There's a bear in there...

2006-04-02T02:25:00.000+11:00

Mike: Why did we have to come to a country with bears? I hate having to hang our food in a tree each night.

Zan: Do you think we have to hang our tea?

Mike: Of course! What if the bear wants to make a cup of tea?

Mike and Zan: Sorry we haven't posted in a while. We are 50 miles into our hike and just had our first town stop in Hiawassee. We will try to do a more complete post soon.

10th St, 11th St, Broadway, 13th St... But no 12th

2006-03-19T09:27:00.000+11:00

Mike: So which way's south?

Zan: According to the GPS it's straight ahead and according to the compass it's to our left.

Mike: Bugger. According to the direction of the sun it should be straight behind us...

Mike & Zan:

Lesson #7: A two year old without a ticket has the right to at least four times the leg room of a twenty-one year old paying customer on a Greyhound bus.

After an unexplained two hour delay in leaving Vegas we were relieved to find two seats next to each other. We were quite surprised by such a find as the bus was already at least three quarters full. There is generally enough room for an average height person to cross their legs comfortably and have a few centimeters between them and the chair in front. As we tried to squeeze into our nights accommodation we knew it was going to be a long night. The chairs in front were fifteen centimeters away. It was impossible to sit without your legs pressing into the chair in front. In normal circumstances we would have coped. However this little misfortune was made worse by two little things: 1. The chairs in front of us had at least a meter of leg room. 2. The passenger in front of us was a two year old without a ticket who's feet didn't actually make it off the edge of the seat.

After eighteen hours of traveling with our knees around our ears we eventually arrived in Denver. On the upside being unable to sleep meant that we got to see some spectacular scenery through Arizona, Utah and the Rockies.

Being warned against staying in Denver we decided to take a bus north to Boulder, home of the University of Colorado. We had our $3.75 to pay the driver but during the confusion of putting our packs in the baggage hold we ended up with a 'complimentary ticket.'

Most streets in America are arranged in a cross-hatched pattern, with streets being numbered in ascending numerical order. Theoretically it should be logical, if not easy to find a hostel on 12th St. One would assume it would be somewhere between 11th and 13th. A bus dropped us off in downtown Boulder and from here, it took 6 maps, three hours and a GPS to find our way to the hostel. We've always thought that America was a little unique, but South changed direction at least four times during our trip.

It's really strange to walk down snow-lined streets. Looking out our window we can see snow-capped mountains a few streets away.

Paris for lunch, New York for dinner...

2006-03-16T12:33:00.000+11:00

MIKE: I'm full. Do we have to eat any more??

ZAN: We payed $23 for this buffet. You've got to eat at least another 10 prawns before we can leave!!

MIKE & ZAN:
Lesson #6: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...

Being careful to learn from our mistakes, we arrived at the bus station four hours before our bus was due to leave to ensure that we got seats together. We are happy to report an uneventful bus ride despite missing our connection in LA. Arriving in Vegas about as refreshed as can be expected after an 18 hour bus ride, we had a surreal 20 block walk to our hostel.

Vegas is certainly different...

Before we'd even crossed the road from the bus stop, we were asked, "Are you two married yet?" We were handed a brochure for "A Wedding Chapel by the Courthouse" and informed that if we went in the next ten minutes and mentioned his name, Elvis would perform the ceremony at no extra charge.

Making our way down Las Vegas Blvd, we came across a row of newspaper vending machines. We've made a habit of buying a newspaper in each major city we visit. Just as we went to put a quarter in the machine, we discovered that it was a 'special' Vegas paper. Cindy and Candy posed provocatively on the front cover.

Our hostel was across the road from a drive-through wedding chapel, next door to a strip club and surrounded by bail bond lenders. All in all, it was a very cheerful place with wholesome values, despite its name, "Sin City Hostel." When we checked in, we were told that the hostel had a strict single-sex dorm policy and we would have to sleep in different dorms. A bizarre contradiction considering all that we'd experienced of Vegas so far.

We spent the next day walking the 4 mile stretch of casinos along 'the strip.' 'New York New York' was a miniature replica of the streets of Manhattan complete with steam coming from the ground. The casino, "Paris" was also a replica of the city, complete with the Eiffel Tower. We got tragically lost inside "The Venetian" and just as we found the exit, we were pushed out of the way by a conga line of singing Gondoliers. Taking a tip from the hostel, we checked out the Mirage buffet where we can fairly safely say that we ate our $23 worth of crab and shrimp.

After a slow start on the slot machines, Zan won 25c. We gradually warmed up and won enough on the blackjack tables to pay for dinner.

While waiting for our bus, we checked out the old part of Vegas, the Fremont St Experience. We saw the Golden Nugget and Golden Gate casinos. Very different from the ones on the strip.

"911 what is you emergency?" - SFPD

2006-03-10T10:33:00.000+11:00

MIKE: They say in Sydney that if you call the police and order a pizza at the same time, the pizza generally gets there first.
ZAN: How fast do you reckon San Francisco police are?
MIKE: We'll have to wait and see...

MIKE & ZAN:

Lesson #5: NEVER stay at the Sonoma Inn, San Francisco.

We awoke at the crack of dawn with plans to visit Alcatraz before the $3 morning discount expired. Just as we were about to step out the door we heard a suspicious thud, thud, thud coming from the room next door. We waited in our room a few minutes in silence. As we went for the door again we heard a rough male voice yell, "wake up..."

A few minutes and several thuds later we heard an anguished plea, "will someone call an ambulance for my girlfriend?!" Not knowing whether to call 911, and with his room between us and the exit we made an executive decision to hide in the bathtub.

We soon discovered that our bathroom may not be the safest place to hide. With each subsequent pound the bathroom wall began to crack. We soon heard a distressed woman's cries which intensified with each thud. This quickly put an end to our debate about whether to call 911. Three cop cars and an ambulance later, less than a minute after our call, we were standing on the street giving our statements to the police.

Needless to say after our little adventure we quickly checked into a lovely little hostel several streets away in an area recommended by the police officer. After a heated discussion with the receptionist at our former lodgings we eventually got our money back, not before she tried to convince us that the police had taken him away. As she was talking we could hear him yelling in the background. We were not convinced.

As we had already missed the cheap ferry to Alcatraz we decided to sooth our frazzled nerves by riding on the cable cars, our favorite thing to do in San Francisco. We made our way to Lombard Street, the world's curviest street according to a plaque on one of the houses. (see picture to come.) Then visited the cable car museum and saw the inner workings of the cable car system. We dined in style at a French jazz restaurant before heading to bed in a much calmer environment.

The following day we finally made it to Alcatraz. We took a tour of the maximum security prison and saw Al Capone's cell and heard about daring and bold escape attempts. (see picture to come)

Despite everything we really enjoyed San Francisco and found it relaxing :)

Hotel Isomnia

2006-03-10T10:15:00.000+11:00

Mike: I've tried skydiving.
Zan: I've tried throwing myself off a cliff.
Mike: I've tried sailing through a gale in New Zealand.
Zan: I've tried micro-lighting over Victoria Falls.
Mike & Zan: But nothing beats riding a Greyhound bus for the ultimate thrill experience. For just $69.95 you will receive an uninterrupted 12 hour trip complete with a former cocaine addict, ex-con, prospective social worker, an Irish backpacker and a crazy stoned Canadian.

Mike & Zan:
Lesson #4 - a) When riding the Greyhound it is essential to arrive early to ensure that your traveling companion is not a cocaine addict. b) Avoid eye contact with serape wearing Canadians. They may think you want to be friends.

Our Greyhound adventure began at the San Clemente bus stop which was run out of the local liquor store. After purchasing a one-way ticket to San Fransisco and were on our way. Things began to get interesting after our stopover in Los Angeles. After hopping off the bus we had to chase after our bags as they were unloaded and claimed by the aforementioned cocaine addict. Once inside terminal we came across two regular greyhound travellers in the middle of a heated theological debate, "You're the devil!" "No, you're the devil!"

People begin to line up about an hour before the bus is due to leave. By the time we found the correct gate, we were already towards the back of the line. The bus left LA at 10pm and was due to arrive in San Francicso at 5:30am. We were contemplating buying a bottle of sleeping pills for the journey, but after seeing our fellow travelling companions, I think we were both relieved to be as alert as possible.

After a sleepless night, we arrive at San Francisco. It was dark, cold and wet. We sat on our packs in the bus stop until we were moved on security. Then we bagan our 14 block trek to the hotel. Although reception was not due to open for another 6 hours, we were hoping that there might at least be somewhere to leave our bags while we waited. No such luck. The doors of the hotel were barred and locked, with no sigh on life inside. We set out with fully laden packs in search of breakfast.

A bakery, a McDonald's, and a Burger King later, it was time to check-in. Paying the ballance of our bill (including an absurd amount of hotel tax), we were given a key. Jumping lose floorboards and the local rodent population, we headed up four flights of stairs to our room. The entire hotel could politely be described as a "renovators delight", or more acurately a demolition workers dream.

Our room was small, but cozy. We were both exhausted to the point of hysteria, and hopped into bed. After a few minutes, it became apparant that sleep would not be easily forthcoming. The hotel was "centrally located" next to highway 101, and we were treated to a symphony of traffic and emergency sirens punctuated with the occasional vocal interlude from passers by.

For those of you back home who received a 3am wakeup call, we're sorry. It seemed like a good idea at the time;-) We bought a 3 day public transport pass for $18 which allows unlimited travel on all city-run transport. We jumped on the next cable car and headed to Fisherman's Wharf, where we feasted on seafood and chocolate. We were both exhausted, so we decided again to brave the hotel.

Supersize everything!

2006-03-09T14:02:00.000+11:00

MIKE: This tub of mayonnaise is bigger than you!!

ZAN: Put it in the trolley.

MIKE: I'll need a hand lifting it...

MIKE & ZAN:

Lesson #3: everything is supersized in the states. The kiddies meal at McDonald's is the same size as a large back in AUS. No wonder there are so many supersized kiddies. Shopping centers the size of warehouses carry everything from laundry detergent (see picture below) to cars. And speaking of cars, they too have been supersized so that they can cart home the supersized groceries. They take up the equivalent of two Aussie lanes. Good luck driving one of these down the Pacific Hwy.

We were picked up from Santa Monica by Bob and Betty, host parents of my (Mike's) dad when he did a student exchange year to an American high school. We spent three days relaxing and eating like kings in Dana Point, about half way between San Diego and Los Angeles.

On our last night in Dana Point, we went to Cathy and David's place (Bob and Betty's daughter and son-in-law) where we were treated to barbecue steak, the oscars, our first experience with self-service checkouts, and a ride in a 40 year old (correct us if we're wrong, David) mini. It almost felt like we were back home during our mini ride. It was a right hand drive!! And even if we were still on the wrong side of the road, we were in safe hands with David's excellent driving skills, which were put to the test when we forgot something at the market;-)

It's amazing how many things are subtly different in the states. The Pelicans are brown, the toilet flusher in on the side of the cistern, and we had to get Bob to show us how to turn on the shower. The view from Bob and Betty's apartment was amazing. It looked over the whole of Dana Point beach, and when the weather was clear, we were able to see all the way to San Diego.

LA: City of Automobiles

2006-03-05T12:13:00.000+11:00

Mike: 2 tacos for 99cents!!
Zan: Filet-o-fish for 99cents
Mike: 6 sodas for 99cents
Zan: 99 cents store.
Mike: Does that mean we get the whole store for 99 cents?

Mike and Zan: We just spent 3 nights in Los Angeles and we think we can safely say that they are the last three nights we will ever spend there. Our hostel was conveniently located up the road from the beach, down the road from the shopping mall and right opposite the road from the cop shop. On a positive note if you can survive the freezing cold wait for the Metro ($3 for an entire day) the local bus system will take you anywhere you desire to go. Unfortunately there aren't many desirable places to visit.

We decided to embrace the culture that is LA by visiting Hollywood Boulevard. Well what can we say... the local pickpockets were out in force that day. We saw them with three wallets right before they began following us down the street. We did manage to see the GIANT Hollywood sign and snap a few pictures and follow the walk of fame but were unable to find Mann's Chinese theatre or Whoopies hair :-(

With the next day came rain and even colder weather. We hopped on a bus to Downtown LA. We saw city hall - the building used as the daily planet HQ in Superman (which was subsequently destroyed in war of the worlds), Disney hall, had lunch in the Latin quarter (even the signs to the toilet were in Spanish) before getting on another bus to Venice beach. It was dark when we got there, and although nothing was open, we managed to find a Starbucks for a warm drink.

Lesson #2 - Walking around LA we discovered 2 things: You need to look LEFT then RIGHT before crossing a road and pedestrians are not welcome. While following what we thought was the sidewalk to the Museum of Contempory Art we ended up wandering onto a six lane freeway. I think the following photo pretty well sums up LA.

Our favorite place in LA was the Santa Monica Pier. It is the home of Bubba Gump Shrimping Co., a pub that plays the Cat Empire, the Gregory Colbert nomadic museum (we highly recommend you look this up - www.ashesandsnow.com) and many lifeguard towers.

All i want to do is have some fun till the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard - Sheryl Crow

2006-03-03T08:05:00.000+11:00

Zan: This wouldn't be so hard to eat if my nose and mouth weren't so close together.
Mike: Here. I'll hold your nose.

Mike & Zan: We arrived at LAX yesterday morning expecting to be harassed by immigration and customs but were waved on through. Apparently we don't look threatening. Looking a little lost as we left the terminal, we were approached by a lady with a clipboard. Lesson #1: nothing is for free in the states. After kindly showing us where the local shuttles were, she tried to collect a "donation" for a battered women fund.

We boarded the shuttle, and as it drove away, began talking to Nicholas from Germany. Although we were moving it didn't seem like we were actually getting anywhere and it wasn't till ten minutes later that we realised that the driver was circling the block waiting for more passengers. He had the meter running the whole time. (Refer to lesson 1.)

Unfortunatley, the computers at the YHA don't accept USB drives, so we can't post any pictures yet, but be assured that there are many on the way.

2 sleeps to go!!

2006-02-27T14:47:00.000+11:00

MIKE: $40 a night for a hostel in Santa Monica?! We haven't even gotten to the States and we have already been robbed!

ZAN: Lol. From now on we are camping.

MIKE: I'll cancel the reservations and we can pitch a tent on Venice beach.

ZAN: Sounds good.

MIKE & ZAN: For anyone who wants to meet us at the airport we are leaving Sydney airport on the afternoon of Wednesday March 1st. And arriving in LA on the morning of Wednesday March 1st.

After spending a few days in Santa Monica we are heading down south to Dana Point to stay with some family friends. Next stop is San Francisco before heading east to check out Las Vegas, Colorado, Texas and eventually start our hike in Atlanta.

The Plan

2005-12-17T17:01:00.000+11:00

ZAN: Hi my name is Zan. I’m 21 and that’s me on the right.
MIKE: My name is Mike and I’m an alcoholic.
ZAN: Mike your meeting is next Wednesday. This is our blog post.
MIKE: Oh…and I’m also 21.

MIKE AND ZAN: Sometime during our obligatory stint at university we read a book. As if three years of an Arts degree wasn't enough of a waste of time, within its pages we found another way to avoid our meaningful entry into society. Most Aussies spend a few months abroad at some stage in their early 20's but rather than join the masses pulling beers in London we have decided to be a little different…

6 months, 2,174 miles, 14 states, 2 hikers and one trail. And we are going to walk the whole thing. The Appalachian Trail. We decided that if Bill Bryson could do it and flog 10,000 copies of his book (A Walk in the Woods) so could we.

Since its conception eighty years ago, it has tortured thousands of hikers. We plan to start at Springer Mountain, Georgia in March and finish at Mount Katahdin, Maine in early September.