Fontana Dam, NC

According to the math that Shawn and his new friend Y2K did last night, they are now 7% done with the trail... only a little more than 2000 miles to go. Y2K got his name from the dehydrated food supply that some friends had gathered for the millennium and never needed, and then donated to him for the trail. Everyone's got a story behind their trail names, it seems. Shawn has stuck with "Keychain", and even purchased a North Carolina one yesterday during his afternoon off. Other folks he's met include SlowGoin' and Johnny Thunder.

So far, everything is going well. He has received everyone's postcards, letters, and snacks, and asked me to pass on a big thanks to everyone. He stayed last night in an actual hotel instead of a hostel or bunkhouse - I can only imagine how nice a real bed must have felt after 2+ weeks of the floor or the ground! The weather has been a bit of a challenge, with fluctuations between 26degrees at night and 74 degrees during the day. However, since he mailed me back his heaviest long underwear, I think he's doing ok. Also in the "I-decided-I-don't-really-need-this-anymore" box that got delivered to our doorstep last night: extra bandanas, a small microfiber towel, and some campsoap.

He's spent a couple of nights on the tops of mountains, some alone and some with other people. I think part of the inspiration behind the hotel room last night was the snoring factor - apparently there's one in every group of hikers you come across and bunk with.

The Smokies (and the snow on them that is visible from where he is now) are next, so it will be about 7 days before we hear from him again.... surprisingly, his next stop is Tennessee, followed by a return to North Carolina. That tricky trail - it never goes in a straight line! By the 28th or so, he'll be relaxing in the hot springs at Hot Springs, North Carolina - probably the one and only time that we will be jealous of him!

He's in Georgia... I think.

After a short debate as to whether it was better for him to walk away from me, or for me to drive away from him, Shawn headed off into the woods at around 10am on Monday morning.

He registered at the Amicolola State Park Visitors Center as a northbound thru-hiker in the morning. The sign in procedure is kind of fun – you walk in, and tell them you’d like to register for the Trail. The question is then, “Where are you going?” and when you answer, “Maine,” they smile, say, “That’s the right answer!” and let you sign in. We also weighed his pack, including food and water, and it came to 37 pounds, which I think he’s pretty happy with. We took a lot of photos (if you’d like to see more, let me know!), walked over and saw the beautiful waterfall, had some tears, and then he was off.

Interesting Trail Fact – Shawn was the 500^th northbound thru-hiker to register this year. According to the staff, that number is down a little from last year at this time, but they expect to pick up soon. There were three hikers who left earlier that morning, and we met one other who was expecting to start later on in the afternoon.

Interesting Trail Fact #2 – It is around 800 miles from Fishtown to the start of the trail… and a distance that took us 2 days to drive will take him about 3.5 months to walk. Kind of puts your commute into perspective. Of course, the other kicker is that once you set out from the Visitors Center, you're not actually on the trail yet... you're on the 8.5 mile "Approach Trail," which them takes you to the official start, on Springer Mountain. I'm guessing he arrived there, to the shelter, before dinner time last night.

We also think he’s settled on a potential trail name – “Keychain.” It comes from the two photo keychains I gave him as a going away present (Camille and my photos), which he has hanging on his pack. Those plus his small thermometer and whistle keychains make a nice little jingle as he walks. We also bought him a keychain from Georgia. He’s hoping to buy one in each state as he hikes through. We’ll see if it sticks or if the other hikers decide on something they’d rather call him!!

Thanks for everyone’s well-wishes… I expect to hear from him sometime on Thursday, and I’ll be sure and let everyone know when I do! (and if you look very closely at this photo, you can see Shawn, walking off onto the Trail...)

TRAIL NAMES

One of the more fun aspects of this trip is coming up with a trail name. It seems most hikers don't go by their real names, but assume some sort of new identity. I suppose its a way of completing the escape from working life and creating a new trail life, and it probably helps bond hikers to each other and the challenge itself.

Usually the name comes from a character trait, like "Old Man" or "Wingfoot" or the person's original name, like "Mountain Laurel". They also come from happenings on the trail: I've heard of a "JumpStart", who started his thru-hike by parachuting from a plane, or "The Rhymin' Worm" who would leave little rhymes for entries in the trail registers. One of the best has to be Greg "Pooh" Knoettner, who got his name after sitting down too hard, breaking a bottle of honey and coating everything inside his pack.

I've been trying to come up with a name before I go, if only to avoid being named "Farts in His Sleep" or "Toiletpaper Tail" or something else embarrassing by my trailmates. Its tough, and I suspect I won't settle on one until I'm out there. At first I thought of names like "Hilladelphia" or "Medium Rair" but I think my best potential names have come from my favorite soft drink: "Mountain Dewde" or "Mountain Do". Elizabeth ruled out "Mountin' Dude".

All suggestions are welcome...