900 Miler

I'm now a 900 miler.  If you are unaware of the 900 mile club, it is a group of hikers that have completed every trail on the Great Smoky Mountain National Park trail map.  It is actually about 800 miles and there is some debate where the 900 mile name came from, but nonetheless that is the name.

Joining the club is bittersweet.  I'm excited to have achieved a goal that I've been pursuing in earnest for about 1.5 years, but I hate that I won't be traveling any "New" trails.  I won't be seeing any "new" overlooks, or waterfalls, or just big trees or rock formations that you find on many trails.  I'm sure I've forgotten things along the way and missed some things in my rush, but still... I've seen the big ones.

I've been asked numerous times "What is Next?".  That is a good question that I don't know the answer to.  At the moment, I can't imagine that I'll stop hiking, so I suppose I'm working on my 2nd map.  Maybe I'll take it a little slower this time.  Perhaps I'll plan things a little better to have more company on the trail.  I marked off 360 miles on solo hikes.  I had to hike 684 miles to mark off those miles.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the solitude, but that is a lot of solitude!

I have met many friends that I love to hike with on this journey.  I'd wager that I've made more new friends in the last 2 years that at any 2 year interval in my life.  Those friendships are as meaningful as achieving my map marking goal. Hikers are just good folks.  We may have nothing else in life in common, but the trail brings you together in a way most other activities cannot.

Some have asked about my favorite hikes.  I have a hard time singling out hikes that were my favorites.  Some I love for the grand vistas (AT, Mt Sterling, Shuckstack, High Rocks, LeConte)  others I love for the waterfalls (Trillium, Rainbow, Indian Flats, Deep Creek), others I loved for the challenge (Jenkins, Eagle Creek, LeConte), but I come home just as happy after the nothing special walk in the woods hikes.  I believe the combination of the physical exertion, the solitude and nature does something to restore your soul.

Here are the final statistics
Number of Hiking days: 98
Number of Nights in the Woods: 5
Number of Total Miles: 1301
Total Map Miles 2012 (Oct 19-Dec31): 30.9
Total Map Miles 2013: 181.8
Total Map Miles 2014: 518.1
Total Map Miles 2015 (Jan 1- April 4): 70
Starting Weight: 185ish
Finishing Weight: 166

 Lets Go Hiking...