Shelter Registries

At the majority of shelters along the AT, there are registries that hikers use for the following reasons:
-Leave fellow hikers personal messages
-Provide advice and tips (places to go when in town, location of water sources, issues with animals, etc.)
-Write down how their hiking day went
-Express their thoughts and feelings
-And...anything else you can think of
-Track other hikers (you can tell how far ahead folks are). Authorities also can use entries to find missing hikers.

Some are funny, some sad, some straightforward, some inappropriate, some weird, some insightful...below are some examples...

Below is an entry we found at Wapiti (which means elk) Shelter in Virgina. It is post by Scott Johnston. He and his hiking buddy was shot last year by Randall Smith. Randall Smith was convicted of killing two women AT hikers in the early '80s at the same shelter. He was released from prison for good behavior and went back to the AT to attempt to kill again. Randall Smith died in jail a few days later after being apprehended. Scott went back to the trail a month later with a Washington Post reporter. Take a peek.

Below is one of my favorites. A fellow hiker, "Easy Goin'," wrote his thoughts about why some of us have chosen to thru-hike the AT even though it can often be tedious. It really resided with me. He plans to write a book someday. In case you can't read it...

"I've just been thinking a lot about what this trail means to me & what it is I'm doing out here or this journey. The only solution that I can find that seems lasting, meaningful, & substantial is the pursuit of love. I think that is why I am out here on the AT - only we're all out here - to learn to love ourselves, each other, nature, our world, & our lives. Love seems to be the answer, so I will walk the rest of this trail, step-by-step, in its pursuit. Not too fast, or too slow, but just right. Just the way that love requires. Much love." -Easy Goin' GAME '09