April 20, 2001 Hello from Fontana Dam, North Carolina! Sorry it took me so long to send this. I am having a great time hiking the Appalachian Trail. I began my journey on April 2nd at Amicolola State Park in Georgia. It poured that day. Currently I have hiked 162 miles, many more to go until I reach MT. Katahdin in Maine. The trail is 2167 miles long! The first week was tough, partly because I was a bit out of shape. I am slowly getting used to the challenges I face each day. I am increasing my mileage little by little. I hiked fifteen miles yesterday, which is the most I have done in one day. A forty pound backpack makes the task more difficult. I lost some weight and gained some muscle! The weather has been crazy. The first week I got sunburned! The next thing you know, it's SNOWING! I woke up one day to 15 degree temperature and did NOT want to get out of my sleeping bag and tent.! Although they say there is no such thing as bad weather on the "A.T.", only BAD CLOTHING. I have met so many nice people. They come from all over the U.S. to hike the Trail. I have even met people from England and the Netherlands. There are people of all ages. Much to my surprise, I never feel alone out here. I do hike by myself during the day, but always meet up with the same people at night. It is almost like we are becoming a family. We share laughs and hardships that go along with the hike. It is what makes this adventure special. As far as wildlife, I am still waiting to see Bear. But I have seen many snakes that cause me to jump 50 feet in the air! I have seen Deer, Mice, Rabbits, Owls, Bats and one Coyote. My appetite is OUT OF CONTROL. It is called "hiker's hunger" and we all look forward to the "all you can eat" buffets when we get into town. The macaroni and cheese, Ramen noodles and instant mashed potatoes which I have mailed to me are just not enough. I have climbed "Blood", "Standing Indian", "Checoha", "Stecoha", and "Albert" Mountains. There are so many more to go. I am constantly going up and down. The other day I hiked seven miles UPHILL. It seemed endless. I will be hiking Clindaman's Dome in the Smokies soon. This mountain is over 6500 feet. The highest on the A.T. So far, for me the most challenging mountain was Albert. I had to pull myself up and hold on to trees several times. It was great! I have fallen twice with my big pack on my back. It was a good laugh, and I am happy that I did not hurt myself. The flowers are beginning to bloom in the Valleys. At an elevation of 5000 feet there is no new growth. It is awesome to come down from a mountain of dormancy to Spring. Trillium, Iris and Daisies were the first flowers I saw. The Dogwoods are in bloom, but there is a terrible blight that is killing them quickly. I get water from Streams and Springs. I have a small filter that I use for drinking water. The filter froze one night so I had to resort to Iodine tablets. "trail Angels" are the best! They are people who help you when you least expect it. On Ester Sunday I was finishing up a long day of hiking. (from 8 am to 4 pm) As I came down the last mountain of the day there was a family cooking Omelets and making huge sandwiches for everyone who passed. For those with 'hiker's hunger' it was a dream come true! Another time the Nantahala hiking club of North Carolina handed out fresh oranges, Snickers bars and hot chocolate! Well I will stop here, although I can go on forever. I have a long way to go. My spirit is good and I feel safe out here. I miss everyone so much. 2005 more mile to go until I reach Katahdin!! Always, "Lady Hawk" (Trail name) here's a postcard that Heather just sent.
It's her... The caption reads: "This is me in Virginia at
McAfee
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