PICTURES

Our stove & pot.

After Franklin, NC, we found "Apple," a trail angel, 15 miles on the trail. He cooked us hot dogs and had a buffet of candy & cookies. Plus, we spent the night in his tent with 2 other thru-hikers (the bonus: his wood burning stove.)

We built a wall of shoes around a fire-place in the Smokies. After hiking in the rain, a few boys from Kentucky were able to build a fire (they did have a fire block starter ;)

"Walk-About" & "Endor" in the Smokies. This shelter had a fire-place as well as a bear cage.

Christian Trail Angels "Fal" & "Herecules" opened their home to provide hikers with a meal & a book. It was so good to have a home cooked meal!

Surprise! We found cold Cokes in the spring...more trail magic.

An awesome care package from our parents...THANKS!

Kirstin somewhere around Big Butt.

SCENIC VIEWS

Dustin a.k.a. "Myco-Polo" & Kristin on top of Big Bald.

Hello from Hot Springs, NC

water source for drinking & cooking...rainy day in the Smokies

QUICK NOTE: We are having issues downloading pics. More to come soon!

QUICK RECAP: We've finished the Smokies a few days ago. It was rough-it poured each of the 5 days, there were no views, the terrain was rough (the trail was steep, stream-like, and icy in parts), the trail wasn't well marked. Luckily, we met up with our 2 hiking buddies ("Endor" and "Splinter" at each shelter. This was nice as the Smokies is a bit freaky. For instance, the first night we stayed at a shelter that was caged in order to keep hikers safe from bears. A mama bear chased a group of hikers from Michigan out of the park earlier that morning. We didn't see her...phew! We took another unexpected pit stop (only 14 hours) in Gatlinburg, TN in order to find respite from pouring rain and cold.

After the Smokies, we rested at Standing Bear Farm hostel (200 yards from the AT). We enjoyed a $10 DiGiorno (sp?) frozen pizza and warm shower. Thanks "Rockhound" and Curtis for your hospitality!

The last shelter we stayed with "Endor" and "Splinter" was mice-infested. They ran all over us throughout the night. To make it worse, this shelter was known for bear visits. Needless to say, none of slept well.

Now, we are taking a zero day in Hot Springs, NC which we are enjoying immensely-coffee, food, shower, laundry, and internet. Our next planned stop is Erwin, TN which we should be at in 4-6 days. We hope to have cell service (but unlikely!) so we can catch up with all. Happy Hiking!

OFFICIAL TRAIL NAMES:

• BRITT a.k.a "HOT MESS" - As mentioned earlier, Britt constantly falls, spills, loses things, has a bizarre organizational system (one that Kirstin doesn't understand nor appreciate).


• KIRSTIN a.k.a "IDAG" or "TOO CLEAN" - While Kirstin wants to hang on to Idag which is explained in a previous post, our hiking buddies are disturbed by her obsession with being clean. She'll take every opportunity to do laundry (even if by hand) or take a shower. It doesn't help that she carries an oversized bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap. Fellow thru-hiker "Walk-About" said it is the size that the car wash buys once a year.

STATISTICS:

• Tuesday, March 17, we've been on the trail for 3 weeks.
  We've hiked 12.5% of the trail.
• We're out of the Smokies (72 miles)...all in the rain and no views.
• We've been in 3 states: Georgia, North Carolina & Tennessee.
• We'll be on the border of North Carolina & Tennessee for an additional 115 miles until we are solely in Tennessee.
• We've eaten 5 jars of peanut butter.
• We've taken 5 showers...not bad, not bad.
• We've had 7 rainy days and 1 snowy day.
• So far, we've had 5 hitches into town. There was a 2 part hitch from Gatlenburg to New Found Gap (15 miles). Our funny story is that every hiker says we are more likely to get a ride since we're girls. However, as we waited on the side of the roade, are trail buddies (2 boys that were 150 yards ahead of us) got picked up first. We know it was our hard work :) When we caught up to them, they told us they road in the bed of the pickup truck, whereas we got to ride in the cab with the driver. Chivalry still exists!
• Kirstin has 26 bug bites on her hands (not counting all the other bites on her other body parts). Keep in mind, it's not bug season yet...YIKES!
• We received our first mail drop a.ka. care package (THANKS Mom & Dad! Yeah, for home cooking, sweet notes, and real deodarant!).
• We've tried 2 new candy bars, Zero & Zagnut. More to come:)
• Britt almost a dozen times on the trail. Kirstin has stumbled but no complete falls yet!
• We've seen only one other girl hiker.
• We've been called Yankees at least 7 times.
• Britt's lost a mitten and dark Snickers bar. Kirstin's lost her bandana.
• We've completed our first 20+ mile day (a bit further than our 19.3 mile day)
• Sprint doesn't work ANYWHERE...grrrh!

THE THINGS PEOPLE SAY:

• "What made you want to do this horrendous thing?" Will a.k.a "Burns"(a fellow thru-hiker)
• "Are you them...there...those...long distance hikers?" An ederly couple offering a ride into town. We would have taken it, but we would have cut off 2.5 miles of the AT (talk about a white blaze purist which is an AT hiker that treks the entire trail with no shortcuts)
• "Are you for sure heading back to Chicago? Because if your not, I'd have to call you a damn yankee!" One of our rides.
• When we ask what kind of hike is ahead of us for the day. Everyone responds "A few MAJOR climbs, but nothing harder than what you've already done." This is code for "it's going to be a rough day again." Once we complete the AT, the elevation climbed will equal climing up and down Mt. Everest 16 times. We believe it!!
• While on a steep climb, Britt asked Kirstin if she had her hiking legs. Kirstin's response: "Not yet."
• "I'll quit tomorrow." - "Walk-About" told us to use this motto any time we feel like ending our adventure.

General Store Closed

We heard from Brittany and Kirstin yesterday from a payphone outside a laundromat in Franklin, NC (Sprint service hasn't been very reliable on the trail). They had a couple days of nice weather for hiking, but the rain came in and the temperature dropped drastically. The general store was closed so they had to buy their lunch and supplies from a gas station (pricey), and of course get quarters for their laundry. While in their rain gear they washed their clothes (at least that is what I understood) - but no warm shower until the next stop. Here are some spot messages and their locations from the last couple days and one from this morning.

Monday, March 9:
SPOT Check OK. We're doing fine. Love you and miss you! ESN:0-7418605 Latitude:35.3243 Longitude:-83.5901 Nearest Location:not known Distance:not known Time:03/09/2009 08:22:10 (US/Central) http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.3243,-83.5901&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Tuesday, March 10:
SPOT Check OK. We're doing fine. Love you and miss you! ESN:0-7418605 Latitude:35.3308 Longitude:-83.6671 Nearest Location:not known Distance:not known Time:03/10/2009 08:46:30 (US/Central) http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.3308,-83.6671&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

and this morning Thursday, March 12:
SPOT Check OK. We're doing fine. Love you and miss you! ESN:0-7418605 Latitude:35.4482 Longitude:-83.7937 Nearest Location:not known Distance:not known Time:03/12/2009 07:18:16 (US/Central) http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.4482,-83.7937&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Am not sure if this will work, but if you click on the http address (or copy it to the address bar), you should be able to view where they are and their progress. You have the option to view their location on the map, the terrain, and/or the satellite. It is fun to see their progress. I hope it works for you.

They are on their way to Hot Springs, N.C. about 100 miles from Franklin (where they were yesterday), will be starting their trek through the Smokey Mountains today, and hope to be in Hot Springs in about a week.

It is always so wonderful hearing from them. They sounded good, and said they can tell that their legs are getting stronger. I will sign off now and let them blog more on their adventures. Thanks to all of you who are following their blog, they so appreciate it and especially enjoy the comments. They are on their way to Hot Springs, N.C. about 100 miles from Franklin and hope to be there in a week.

Trail Traditions

Trail Magic:

Yesterday, prior to leaving the trail and heading to Franklin, we encountered our first Trail Magic. Former thru-hikers placed a cooler full of pop & honey buns at the end of the trail. This was an unexpected, lovely treat. The Mello Yellow tasted amazing, and it also help us patiently wait for a hitch into town.


Trail Names:

Another tradition on the trail is to acquire a trail name. This is a moniker that hikers use on the trail instead of their birth name. Often times, you don't know another hiker's "real" name. Prior to leaving, Kirstin creatively chose "Idag" which in Swedish means "today." She chose it to remind her of the importance of living each day to the fullest; to focus on the present day; not to worry so much about what lies ahead; not to reminisce too much over the past; and to incorporate her heritage.

Britt is having some trouble narrowing her name down. The trail names she is considering include: "Bobby Pin," "Stumble" or "Trip." If you know her, these words all fit her well. We'll break it down for those of you who don't know. Help her choose a name or offer a suggestion.
-"Bobby Pin": She is obsessed with keeping her bangs pulled back (which she cuts often despite wanting to grow them out). When she can't find her buzillion bobby pins, she freaks.
-"Stumble" or "Trip": She has already fallen three times, and Kirstin hasn't at all :) She lost a hand-knitted mitten that our mom made but wasn't willing to hike back to find it...who would? She spills food and water every time she eats/drinks. She loses our knife and mace on a consistent basis (but manages to find them at some point). She is a mess when she puts on her pack (gets all the straps in a tangle). The list goes on, but you get the point

When we've been registering, we've signed in as "Chicago Sisters." The other day, a man on the trail yelled "Hey Chicago" to get our attention. We also both have Chicago flag patches sewn on to our packs. We love representing this great city!

"It's a Matter of Survival" by Dave

Saturday morning, we left our comfy hostel in the pouring rain with our next planned next stop in Franklin, North Carolina (76 miles away). This plan went awry due to weather. The rain continued through the night, which meant we woke up to soaking wet, cold sleeping bags & hiking gear.

It only got worse. Sunday, during our 15.5 mile hike, the rain turned into a blizzard. Snow covered trees made it hard to follow the white blazes to our shelter. We continued to get even more cold. Once at the shelter, we attempted to make macroni & cheese; however, our stove burnt out. So, we ate cold, cheesy liquid with crunchy noodles. The guys we shared the shelter with used various tarps and tent parts to desperately try blocking some of the wind and snow that gusted into the shelter. After 14 hours in our sleeping bag (got in around 6pm to warm up and dry off with no avail), we got very little sleep & remained FROZEN. Beyond our frost bitten bodies, our water and shoes were frozen. Even our hiking socks and clothes that we stuffed into the bottom of our sleeping bags were frozen. To make matters worse, we had only had 3 liters of water each for 3 days. When hiking 9 hours a day, one liter per day is clearly not enough. We knew we were severly dehydrated especially since Kirstin didn't go to the bathroom in a 22 hour period. Needless to write, we were miserable. It was the coldest we have ever been for an extended period of time. We had no other choice than to overcome our pain and hike the 10 miles off the mountain to find respite. The guys that shared the shelter with us that night told us it was necessary to get into town as quickly as possible. As Dave said, "it's a matter of survival."


These conditions forced us to make an "emergency" pit stop in Hiawasee (10 miles from the shelter). It was definitely not a good hike. We stayed at the Blueberry Patch hostel in order to thaw out, dry our gear, take showers, warm up, and try and sleep. The next morning, they dropped us back on the trail, and we hiked the 40 miles to Franklin. We are still trying to recover from the frost bite but it is healing.

Quick story. On Wednesday, we planned to hike 12.5 miles. This turned into 19.3 after a crazy man turned around to hike with us. He followed for over 5 miles despite every effort to lose with a quick pace. To make sure we weren't sleeping near him, we trekked another 6.8 miles (through the darkness). You'd be proud mom, we followed our instincts.

Every day has been a learning experience (nod to the Starcom folks) :)

Now, it's Thursday and were in Franklin, North Carolina. We are taking a "zero" day tomorrow which means no hiking. Plus, we'll enjoy showers, pillows, own bed, running water, flushable toilets, stores, food variety, people, and much more!! YEAH!

Milestones:
-We've hiked over 100 miles
-We've left Georgia & crossed into North Carolina
-We've night-hiked (kind of forced to)
-Kirstin's "being clean" obsession is breaking
-We've slept with wild boars and mice
-We've eaten a candy bar nearly every day (and don't feel bad about it)
-We've hitch-hiked

Kim's Smell-O-Meter: Leaving the huggable phase and moving into shaking hands territory

Unfortunately, our reliable cell service isn't working. So, to all of you...we love you tons, miss you bunches & will talk with you in 55 miles when we're in Fontana Dam (start of the Smokies!). Happy Trails!