Got my first pay check today and put 300 dollars of it away for gear, chyeaaaa on mah way.

lindseyharris:

Appalachian Trail (near Blood Mountain, Georgia) back in November.

northtomaine:

Poor man’s panorama of view from Blood Mountain, Georgia.

northtomaine:

This poem - The Journey, by Mary Oliver - seemed to be about the Trail, about me, about all of us, at that moment, so I took the book of poems with me from the Blueberry Patch Hostel (which was encouraged), copied the poem in my journal, and then later left the book in a shelter. Much like my hat, I later ran in to a hiker that had picked up the same Mary Oliver book and carried it along. What a fascinating little ecosystem the Trail creates. 

northtomaine:

Wayfinding:
White Blazes lead the way and mark the Appalachian Trail.
Blue Blazes indicate side trails (many leading to a shelter or water).
I heard people joke about “Aqua Blazes” - but more about that in a bit. 

northtomaine:

K-Bear (me), Yetti, Yak, John 

Cast of Characters: Yak & Yetti. One of the few thru-hiking couples I encountered, Yak & Yetti actually got engaged while on the trail (and to jump way ahead to another story, I ended up going to their wedding years later… but again, more on that later). Two creative, joyful spirits, they were made for each other and made for the trail. Notice the knit hat Yak is wearing - Yetti knitted it while on the trail. 

lovehatekara:

Bouldering  cousin

White blaze along the Slatington, PA section of the AT.

!!!