Appalachian Trail thru hike video!!

Well, it's finally done. Gonzo's 2014 AT thru hike video is now on YouTube. Hope you enjoy it. Leave a comment and like the video! Thanks for watching. 

Now get out there and have an adventure of your own!

Copy and paste this link in the browser to go to the YouTube video. 

http://youtu.be/9XYxCdPdMmk

Day 156 through 161

Day 156 - 11.9 miles

Mel took us all back to the trail after breakfast. We had such a wonderful weekend back home. She made sure everything was perfect and took great care of us all. Thanks Mel!!

Had a great hike today. We had an elevation gain of 3,000ft over 10 miles. 

Wesser Bald observation tower

Day 157 - 23.1 miles 

Cold and rainy day but still a great hike. 

This was Wayah Bald and it had a beautiful stone tower. "Wayah" is a Native American word for wolf. 

We stayed at a nice shelter and made a huge fire that night. 

Day 158 - 32.9 miles

Long day today. Hiked from 6:40am till 7 pm. I had switched back to trail runners and had rolled my ankle several times during the day. I was hurting. I was shooting for Dicks Creek Gap today. I had already completed 48 miles of GA this year from Dicks Creek to Woody Gap. I decided to skip this section instead of doing it over again. This would also put me 48 miles ahead of my hiking partners Matt and Liam. I was sad that I wouldn't finish with them but I was hurting and needed a break. Melanie and Cyrus picked me up at Dicks Creek and took me home for a rest day. This would also allow me the ability to plan my summit of Springer Mt so my family could be there when I finish. 

Day 159 - Zero day/ rest

Day 160 - Mehdi took me to Woody Gap and I started hiking about 2 pm. Only one more day on the trail I wanted to savor every second of daylight I had left. 

Then.... It started to rain and got really foggy. It was kind of spooky. 

I ended up hiking for 2 hours in the dark and made it to the shelter. I met another hiker who had thru-hiked the AT in 2012. We traded stories and had a good night. 

It was a restless night knowing that tomorrow would be my last day on the AT and that I would be meeting my family on Springer Mt at noon tomorrow. I thought about my journey and all amazing people I had met. I was told before I started hiking that I would be changed when I got back. Well, they were right. 

Day 161 - 8.1 miles 

Had a leisurely hike knowing that I only had to do 8 miles before noon. I took a side trail to Long Creek Falls. I sat by the falls and closed my eyes. It was a beautiful time to reflect and relax. 

I made it to the summit and everyone was waiting for me, Melanie, Anita, Ed, Mehdi and Brenda. Mel was waving the checkered flag for me. 

Thanks to everyone for all your support!! Thanks to everyone following this blog, everyone who donated and everyone that cheered me on. Thank you!

Special thanks to my amazing wife who has supported my every move these last 161days. I couldn't have done it with out you baby. 

2,185.3 miles total 

0.0 miles left

Day 140 through 155

Day 140 - zero

Came back to Hot Springs and ended up staying with Mehdi and Brenda for the night. I will hike out early in the morning. 

Day 141 - 20.5 miles

Hiked out early that morning from Hot Springs and will get picked up by Mehdi and Brenda at Max Patch. It was a very cold and windy day. 

Views from Max Patch. 

Got picked up and taken back to Hot Springs. I got a call from my friends that night and they were only 6 miles ahead of me. Bad weather was coming in and they were gonna come back to Hot Springs the next day to let it pass over. We made a plan to meet up the next day and Mehdi would pick everyone up and bring us all back to Hot Springs.

Day 142 - 12.6 miles

Had a fun hike today. I ran for about 6 miles to catch up with everyone. We all met up at Standing Bear hostel and Mehdi picked us all up. It was 6 of us total: me, Matt, Liam, Clam, Bug out and Moxie. They had taco ready for us when we got there! What amazing trail magic. We would take 2 days off to let the weather pass. 

Day 143 - Zero

The view from our room in Hot Springs. 

Day 144 - Zero

Day 145 - 7.9 miles

Left Hot Springs and got shuttled to Standing Bear Hostel. 

It was so cold that the van doors were frozen shut! We hiked through snow and made it to the northern boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was very cold and windy. 

We hiked 0.6 miles to Mt Cammerer lookout tower. It was enclosed and had amazing 360 views. We decided to spend the night there because it was cold and very windy. 

Clockwise: Me, Matt, Liam, Moxie, Clam and BugOut. 

Day 146 - 15.7 miles

Had a wonderful sunrise. 

The trail was frozen solid, you could have ice skated on it. 

Day 147 - 10.4 miles 

Short day because we were going into Gatlinburg. Had some great views along the way. 

Views from Charlie's Bunion. 

Made it to Newfound Gap. 

Day 148 - 12.5 miles

Had a huge breakfast this morning. 

Got a ride back to Newfound Gap and headed for Clingman's Dome. We had awesome views from up there. 

Made it to a shelter and met some really interesting characters. We ended up with 14 people in a 12 person shelter but still got a good nights sleep. 

Day 149 - 14.7 miles

Cold, windy, rainy miserable day. Went over Rocky Top and Thunder Head. Hit 2,000 miles today. Made it to the shelter and got dry and warm. 

Day 150 - 13.8 miles

Had a beautiful day of hiking but a very windy day. Went up in Shuckstack Fire tower for some great views. 

We left The Great Smoky Mountains and made it down to Fontana Dam. 

The lake was very low. 

Stayed in a nice shelter and a couple we all met gave us s'mores and this happened..... S'mores beard. 

Day 151 - 21.8

Long hike today. Made it up on Cheoha bald and caugh the last bit of the sunset. 

Day 152 - 6.7 miles 

Easy down hill hike to NOC in Bryson City, NC. My brother Cyrus picked us up and took us back to Athens, GA. 

Day 153 - Zero 

Had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. 

Day 154 - Zero 

Relax day

Day 155 - Zero

We all went to the UGA vs GT game in Athens. Liam's first football game!! We had a great time. 

We should complete the trail in 8 or 9 days. Only one more post people!! Thanks to everyone who had been following along, writing comments and donating. It's been an amazing journey. Thank you!

Enjoy-

Total miles: 2,048.0

Miles left: 137.3