NOBO ( NORTH BOUND) ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL By David Fix (Trail Name: The Mailman) This is the first update regarding my 50 year-old Bucket List of thru hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT). I have wanted to do this since a teen when I earned the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America in 1975. The AT is one of the most famous long-distance hiking trails in the world, stretching 2,197 miles through 14 states. If all goes according to plan, as you read this, I should be on my way from Springer Mountain, GA to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Plans were to sign in at the Amicalola Falls Visitor Center in Dawsonville, Georgia on February 26. I will then attend a short class regarding safety on the AT. This class is provided by volunteers sharing “No Trace Left Behind” guidelines and includes information on how to safely keep bears from getting your food supplies etc. At the end of the class, thru-hikers are given the coveted numbered hang tag. (Tags are numbered in the order thru hikers start their hike.) Next month I will share with you what number I am for the 2025 thru hiker season. There is no way to actually prepare physically for a thru hike. It is said you must just start walking the first of the five million steps it takes to complete a thru hike. The first couple of weeks I will keep my mileage to between 8 and 10 miles a day while carrying a 35 pound backpack. As my body becomes accustomed to hiking and carrying a backpack, my daily mileage will increase, with the expectation to hike between 14-18 miles each day. I am hoping to complete my thru hike by late July or early August. In between monthly LA Times updates, I will regularly be posting on Talk of Lake Ashton Facebook page as well as my own personal Facebook page. For now, onward! WWW.BROCKSWINDOWCLEANING.COM 17
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