It's really all about the food

People seemed to enjoy seeing all of the gear I carry, but that raises the question of what am I eating out here? One nice thing about buying food as I go is that I can accommodate my changing tastes and diet. The drawback is that it usually takes more time and thought than if I had a package mailed to me.

Initially on the trail, even after hiking so many miles, my body just wasn't that hungry. At times, I've had to force myself to finish meals because I knew I needed the calories. Now, I'm a bottomless pit that is in a semi-permanent state of hunger.

A friend, Northstar, once said that hiking the AT is really about the food. You buy a ton of processed food to get you to the next town where you can gorge yourself on food like the picture below (I finished this, along with sharing 2 rounds of onion rings and a plate of mozzarella sticks).

My meals do vary, but typically have been along the lines of...

Breakfast: a package of pop tarts (I like to get on the trail early so I don't fuss with a hot meal).

Mid morning snack: heavy protein bar, usually around 10am.

Lunch: tortilla with with peanut butter or tuna. Candy bar for dessert.

Afternoon snack: second protein bar (usually lighter) and a jolly rancher.

Dinner: I try to have variety. I'm a big fan of Mac and cheese with added powdered milk and bacon bits. Mashed potatoes with milk/bacon is also good. In the picture above you'll see a few Knorr meals (like rice-a-roni) which are okay. I also might do ramen with some tuna added.

Dessert: granola or another bar. I have Gatorade powder for when I did a big mileage day, too.

Even with all that, I've already lost 12 pounds and will likely lose around 25 total on my trip. For a thin guy, that's a lot to lose!

The things I carry

A few people have asked for a "packing list" of sorts of the gear I have. Then, this past weekend, my cousin and aunt seemed amazed by how much I fit into my pack! I've said before that I'm no backpacking expert and the following isn't intended to endorse any particular product, but instead show you all that I have. All in all, I'm about 28 lbs. without food and water, for a total weight of ~37 lbs. when full. A little heavier than I wanted but not too bad considering. Sorry that this post is a list but it seemed the best way to do it. This list will also change as summer comes and will (thankfully) get lighter!

Backpack: I have the Osprey Exos 48. I love my pack! I chose it for a few reasons: the hip straps are heavily padded (and I've had bad chaffing in the past with other packs there) and the back has suspension that both cools you and eases the weight on your spine. It's one of the more popular packs I've seen out here, though many people opt for the 58 liter to have a little more space.

Tent: I carry the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2. It's a 2 person tent which makes it a little heavier, but it's nice because I'm hoping a few people will join me later on in the trail. When I'm hiking alone, it's spacious enough to let me have my pack in my tent which is nice on cold nights so nothing freezes.

Sleeping Pad: I'm actually borrowing a nicer sleeping pad than the one I own from my uncle Rich (thanks again!). It's a Thermarest which means it inflates for extra comfort, but his is lighter and just all around better than mine.

Sleeping Bag: Mountain Hardware Lamina 0 zero degree sleeping bag. It's a little heavy and, since it's been mild weather, has been on the warm side, but when it snowed 6 inches I was pretty happy I had this.

Poles: These are probably my favorite item and have saved me from falling countless times. They're also how I got my trail name! I have the Black Diamond Ergo Cork poles. I like cork because the handles mold to your hands over time and make them even more comfortable to use.

For the rest of my gear, I'm just going to list things out and may add a brief note here and there.

Clothing: (no cotton!) Hiking boots (though many people use trail running shoes), Camp shoes (Crocs), 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of underwear, Long johns, 1 zip off pants/shorts, 1 belt (key for when you lose weight), 1 short sleeve, 1 long sleeve, 1 fleece, 1 micro puff jacket, UVA cap, Fleece hat, Light gloves and heavy gloves, Watch YakTraks (mini spikes for when in snow), Rain jacket, and Rain pants.

Cooking: Stove, Pot, Fuel, Lighter, Fork/Spoon, Swiss Army knife, Mug, Microfiber towel, Soap, Aquamira (chemical water purification with no taste!), 3 liter water bladder, and 1 Nalgene water bottle.

Toiletries: Glasses, Croakies, Extra contacts (just in case), Tooth brush, Tooth paste, Floss, Med kit (key items are Moleskin, Advil, and an ace bandage but I carry a lot more), and Sunscreen.

Miscellaneous: Headlamp, 2 bandanas, Trail guide, SPOT GPS, Whistle, Compass, ID, health insurance, & money, Phone charger, Camera, Journal & pen, Tons of caribiners (clip everything in!), Nylon rope (for hanging a bear bag), Waterproof compression sacks, and Ziplock bags.

Gear I've dumped: Book, Cards, Map, and a Fleece.

It sounds like a lot, but I promise that it's pretty manageable!

Mail stops

I've been putting in some big mileage to get to Hot Springs today and I'm looking forward to my first official Zero Day tomorrow here. Thank you to everyone who sent mail!! The post office was again shocked at how much I've received. I promise a bigger update soon, but wanted to get the next few mail stops out. As always, please mail it to Devin Underhill, General Delivery, Town Name.

Arrive by 3/27 Erwin, TN 37650

Arrive by 4/6 Damascus, VA 24236

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Shoutout to the Smokies

For the past few days, I've been hiking through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After a tough first day that consisted solely of climbing up and up, I've been traversing the tops of mountains and scoring incredible views.

What started out as bare winter forest gave way to beautiful balds (meadows atop mountains). Stunning views of undulating mountains, tinted purple in the distance, showed me how far I have already come and hinted at the climbs to expect.

Since the hiking has been a bit easier these past few days, I've been cruising and I'm a bit ahead of schedule for meeting family tomorrow. Today, I only had to go 7 miles to the last shelter before the road where I'll get picked up. I had planned to take it easy and sleep in, but other hikers in the shelter were moving around and I was up by 7:30am. I'm thankful, though, because about 2 miles into the hike the pale grassy meadows abruptly transformed into a thick forest. Deep green miss covered everything, interrupted only by the brown of fallen pine needles. Pine trees darkened the trail, but ribbons of the morning light peeked through. I tried to capture the experience in pictures but they don't do justice to the beauty.

Eventually, since I had the time, I found a log and just sat. It's amazing how animated nature becomes when we finally sit still. Birds and chipmunks teetered around me as the trees above swayed in the breeze. The forest around me was waking up, and I was fortunate enough to witness it.

Shortly there after, I hit Clingmans Dome (the highest point on the AT) and mile marker 200! It's hard to top a day like today.

I'm looking forward to my day off with family, but I'm also excited to see what the 2nd half of the Smokies will bring.

Making friends and trail names

One of the coolest parts of being a thru-hiker is the community along the AT. Since people are encouraged to stay in shelters (3-sided wooden platforms) to reduce the environmental impact of thousands of hikers, you get to socialize each night with incredible people.

I've met an entrepreneur who sold her coffee business and is in transition, military veterans who are excited to explore the east coast, college students taking time off, fathers hiking with their kids, retirees, and more. All of these people have compelling stories and clear reasons for being on the trail; I've loved learning and living with them. We've shared some fun adventures: the picture above is a bunch of us piled into a maintenance van since the shuttle that was supposed to take us to the post office was nowhere in sight and 2 hours late. Still, we were all smiles because we were in a car instead of walking!

Perhaps my favorite part of the trail community is the tradition of taking on a Trail Name. It could be related to what you eat (Honeybuns eats one daily), what you read (Little Tree), what you do off the trail (Freud), or even how you hike (Hobble and Jelly Ankles). Some people name themselves while others are named while on the trail.

My trail name is Mantis--I wear a ton of green and use my hiker poles pretty aggressively. In a way, I named myself, but others have agreed that it fits. A few other names that were thrown out for me were Slim and Boys2men. I'm pretty happy with Mantis as a result :-)

PS- a HUGE thank you to those of you who sent me mail so far! The lady at the post office said she's never had a hiker get so many packages and the people I'm hiking with are definitely jealous. My next mail stop can be addressed to: Devin Underhill, General Delivery, Hot Springs, NC 28743. Try to have it arrive by 3/23 and be sure to include a return address just in case. Letters, postcards, and small packages are definitely appreciated!

Learning to rest

When doing a long hike, it's important to take "zero days" in order to recover. On a zero day, you typically stay in a town, eat a ton of food that you've been craving, stretch, and relax. It sounds easy, but when you've defined yourself as a hiker, it's hard to fight the urge to keep pushing on. You have this constant reminder that Maine is in the distance and you've got a long way to go.

As a compromise, I've done a lot of "near-o" days--short hikes either into town or out of town. Yesterday, for example, we did just over 4 miles after leaving Franklin, NC. I say "we" because I have been hiking with two girls (Freud and Farasi) that have matched my pace and made the trip a lot less lonely. Still, when we arrived at the shelter after a mere 4 miles, we all felt the pull to keep going (we didn't, and I'm thankful for it). It's been tough, but I'm learning to rest.

On the trail, I want to work on defining myself not by what I do, but in other ways: how easy conversations flow or caring for those around me. One of the best parts of hiking is that there is accomplishment in simply continuing. I don't have to be the fastest or best or anything else; all hikers become equal so long as we each continue. It opens you up to seeing that there's a lot more to life than always trying to beat out others.

The word of the day is...

I was feeling pretty good the other morning. On Monday, I managed over 15 miles for the first time. Then yesterday, I crossed over into North Carolina! In doing so, I have come further than the estimated 30% of hikers who have dropped out at this point.

So there I was, sitting at Bly Gap feeling pretty good about myself. There's this beautiful tree there that looks like a moose laying down and birds were chirping all around me. I felt like I could conquer anything the trail might throw at me.

Then, Mother Nature decided to teach me a lesson.

Immediately after Bly, the trail began to climb. But this wasn't your ordinary uphill--at one point I could reach out my arm and touch the ground in front of me. A brutal, straight uphill that was completely demoralizing. To top it off, those sweet birds followed me from tree to tree chirping and laughing at me.

I made it to the top (no view) happy that I had accomplished that feat. As the trail turned, though, it opened up to show me another mountain that was just as steep but even higher.

As I climbed, I began thinking through each piece of gear I was carrying. Do I really need a sleeping bag? I was warm last night. How about those tent poles, I could just use it like a bug net. What if I ate all of my food right now? Eventually, I made it; but I was feeling a little less cocky.

So the word of the day is humble. The trail is reminding me to stay humble; I have a lot more climbs and a lot more miles ahead.

If at some point while reading this you thought to yourself, "I wish there was something I could do to lighten Devin's load," consider instead helping relieve someone else's burden. Please donate to Next Steps ( www.underhill-afoot.com/nextsteps) and support students in securing affordable mental health services. Thanks!

Well, we prayed it wouldn't rain...

It's been a whirlwind of the past few days, but I am happily in a hotel room right now.

We left the tent site pretty early to get a head start on what we knew would be a tough day. Towards the end of the 10 mile hike we were going to face the infamous Blood Mountain (the tallest part of the trail in Georgia). Unfortunately, the forecast predicted rain late in the afternoon--right when we would be going up and over the peak.

At around 12:30, we stopped for lunch with another hiker, Kerry from Florida. As the first flurry hit, she hopped up and raced ahead to beat the storm. At first, we took our time to finish lunch and take pictures, but quickly the storm was getting worse and we had yet to hit the peak. Wearing glasses in a snow storm is not recommended; it gets hard to see between the snow and inevitable foggy lenses. That, plus the fact that AT blazes (how the trail is marked) are white and don't stick out in snow, made it easy to get lost. We ended up following a new friend's footsteps, but all three of us ended up missing a turn and going down a very steep rocky face. After a while, we turned back and were able to find our way.

We sped down Blood and got one of the last few bunks in a hostel called Mountain Crossing. There were a bunch of other hikers and it was fun to swap stories and get to know each other better. Dad bought a microwave pizza (so good) and then a church delivered a huge dinner (yay trail magic!). After all that snow, 2 hot dinners, a hot shower, and bed felt incredible.

Yesterday was a good day and much less eventful than the day before. We hiked 11 miles at a good clip and managed to get the last 2 spots in a shelter, which we shared with a really fun group. For those of you who worried I'd be lonely on the trail, it's almost been the opposite! About 40 people were strewn around the shelter and tent sites.

Today was my last day of hiking with Dad. We had a beautiful sunny day (crazy after all that snow) and not too many climbs but the terrain was rough. Honestly, today is the first day I've been wiped at the end of the hike. When we made it to the parking lot, there was another church with burgers and they offered us a ride to town. We've been cleaning and I've had to prep for the rest of my journey alone. It'll be sad to see Dad go, but I am excited for what is to come!

Lastly, I promised post offices to a few people. If you want to mail anything, please keep it light so I can keep it and be sure to include a return address just in case! Send it to: Devin Underhill, General Delivery @ post offices listed below: Arrive by 3/10: Franklin, NC 28734 Arrive by 3/15: Fontana Dam, NC 28733

Looking forward to hearing from you!

"Two drinkers with a hiking problem"

So far so good!

Getting to the start of the Appalachian Trail is surprisingly difficult. Many people drive to a state park, hike 8 tough miles to the top of Springer Mountain, and then finally get to begin their real journey. I figured I'd get in over 2,000 miles over the next few months so we decided to take it easy. Rich drove us to a parking lot a mile into the trail (6 miles of off roading definitely wasn't easy) and we hiked back to the start.

Our first day threatened rain but ended up being beautiful. It was a mostly downhill walk and was a great way to get used to the weight of our packs! After hiking 9 miles, we stopped at a shelter and got to meet some other hikers. Hiking shelters are cabins with one wall exposed and people sleep on a raised floor. It was so crowded that my dad actually had to sleep on the lower floor and risk people stepping on him all night. We were glad to have the shelter though because it POURED! It was worth putting up with the snoring and even the mice that crawled on us in the night.

We woke up to a cold morning, it even snowed a bit. We had two mountains to climb that ended up being not so bad and reached the next shelter by 1pm. We decided to push on for another 5 miles to try to make tomorrow (a day with a tough climb) a little easier. Unfortunately, we felt the extra miles. We did manage, however to experience our first TRAIL MAGIC!! We actually had 2 moments of magic. First, two guys gave us each a beer (and my dad took on the trail name Two Beers, I'm yet to be named). Then, once we hit the 12 miles for the day and reached where we were going to camp, this awesome bus invited us in for soup and tea. Much needed!

It's a cold one tonight so I'm off to get into my sleeping bag and crash before another long day. Thanks for reading and happy trails! The picture above is us just before hiking on our first day.

"Let the wild rumpus start!"

After a whirlwind of the past few weeks, I am finally mere days from embarking on the journey of a lifetime. I left my job and my life in Charlottesville (after many bittersweet goodbyes) and returned home for a quick visit home in Connecticut. After a fantastic farewell dinner with family, my dad and I flew down to Charlotte to meet up with my Aunt Cathy and "Trail Yoda" Uncle Rich who has been invaluable in helping me prepare for the next few months.

My pack (yet to be named) will start out at just under 30 lbs without food and water. It's honestly a little heavier than I'd like, but I'm struggling to find anything else that I'm willing to give up. We'll see if that changes a few miles in though!

To be honest, the fact that I start the AT on Tuesday hasn't fully hit me. I feel the (what I hope to be) normal nerves that come with any new beginning. Yet, I also feel this incredible level of confidence and calm--that over a year of planning is coming to fruition. It's a complex mix of emotions, but I look forward to unpacking these and many other emotions on the trail.

Before I begin, I've had a few friends and family members ask me for places to send mail; once I have a sense of my pace, I promise to update the blog with post offices. I look forward to getting (and sending) mail over the next few months. I'll definitely need some words of encouragement to get through these tough days!

I've also had a few people ask for an idea of how much to donate. The average cost of one session of therapy in Charlottesville is $100. Of course, that's a large sum of money so I'd be excited if people are willing to contribute toward half or a quarter of a session. If you're interested in supporting my trip, please see the Next Steps page.

Thank you for sharing in my journey and I look forward to seeing you on the other side of the trail.