March 22, 2016 - Day 4

The previous day I had stocked up and that morning I made them a warm breakfast of bacon, omelet (with onions, peppers, mushrooms, chicken breast, cheese), toast and coffee.  One last big meal before they were on their own.  Their trail angel was headed home that day.

All three repacked their bags and weeded out what they now deemed were non-essential.  I brought all the extra stuff home with me and will take it back to them at the end of the trail.

The AT Trail Store had suggested that they all get a pack 'shake down' before they hit the trail.  The shake down is intended to identify stuff they don't need and give advice on how best to pack.  Dennis had given them some suggestions based on his experience, so the store only identified a few changes for Ken and Dennis to make.  The store is employed by experienced long-distance hikers.  They said most hikers who have a shake down usually start with a pack weight 35-40 lbs.  Ken's was 29.2 lbs, Dennis' was 31 lbs and Jill's was only 26 lbs.!  Jill didn't figure they could improve her weight and didn't want to add the time to shake down her pack.  They were able to reduce Ken's down to 28.6 and Dennis' to about 29 lbs.  The packing/organization advice was even more valuable.


The trail store is also an A.T. hostel/shelter and the trail goes right through the buildings (note the white blaze between Dennis and Jill).  One last hug and kiss to them all and they were on their way...swimming without floaties.

That night, they trail camped at Low Gap after approximately 10 miles of hiking.  They had reached Mile 42.

Ken's text that night:  "ouch, ouch, double ouch"