On my way to Springer Mountain

So here I am in the van on my way to Springer!

Like a kid at Christmas!

It's 2:30am and I can't sleep. In 90 minutes the alarm will go off. In 2 hours I will be on the road to Atlanta. It's gonna take us about 10 hours to get there. I hope to arrive with time to spare as Josh and Leigh from the Hiker Hostel are picking me up at 5pm. I'm pretty sure I will sleep well tonight.

I finally got my pack packed the way I wanted and everything still fit. I am amazed. I also finished and organized all 9 of my mail drops. Speedy will send them to me based on a rough itinerary I set up. I started with 8 drops but added one to the NOC at the last minute after a hiker friend strongly suggested it. He said the shopping say the NOC is very limited. Since I'm leaving at a peak time, I'm sure that everything will be very picked over too. I'm so glad I have such a great support person in Speedy. He is also taking care of my fur baby, Mack, for me. Thank you Speedy!

I guess I may as well get up and have coffee.

The day is finally here at last!

Springer Mountain, HERE I COME!

I leave in 8 hours

Title says it all, I've packed my pack and cleaned the house.  Time for a long hot bath.  It will be the last one I take for a long time.  (I WILL be taking showers, LOL!)  After that, I am hoping the back rub fairy will make a final appearance.

Goodnight from the laptop, I'm shutting it down.  All future blog posts will be via smartphone.  Thanks for your interest and support, I look forward to your comments and maybe even a letter!

Kirk out.

12 Hours Before I Leave For Georgia

It's almost 4pm and I am getting up at 4am tomorrow.  I've packed my backpack and to my supreme amazement and utter astonishment, everything FITS!  I'm starting to suspect I've forgotten something very vital...hmmmmm.

It's been really sad to see so many of my Facebook hiking friends leave the trail with injuries.  I'm going to be extra vigilant about safety when  I start out Thursday morning.

Well we're going out for Chinese buffet and I need to log off.

Follow me by email and feel free to share my blog with all your friends.

Love to all - blessed be!

29 more hours!

I will be leaving for Georgia in just over 29 hours! I am so psyched! Speedy is taking me to IHOP for breakfast and we are having Chinese for dinner. Goodnight!

Excited!

I leave in 5 days. It's becoming so real to me. I have stuff all over my living room floor, all my gear and my mail drops... I thought I was going to get everything done today but I didn't. I can't put my finger on it but I'm kind of down today. I think I'm just feeling overwhelmed. there are so many last minute details and things to do. I'm worried about money worried about my phone bill worried about food. I just need to relax and stop worrying so much about everything. this is going to be an amazing experience an adventure of a lifetime I am really looking forward to it and I just need to change my way of thinking and  adopt that positive attitude that I like so much in others. sorry if I'm rambling and I'm also using voice to text on my phone. I will go back and edit this on my computer when I have time. this entry is it really about anything at all it's just a random rant. I'm going to clean up my gear now and have something to eat.  later.

Some Of the Nicest People...

Today, Speedy and I went all over Little Rock getting our Passport stamped at various historical and park locations.  We have a National Park Passport and a Civil War in AR passport.  We're also working on earning our State Park patch from the Louisiana Purchase State Park Patch Program.

One of the places we went to today was the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.  We arrived there this morning and were immediately greeted by Park Guide Brian Schwieger.  Brian was warm and friendly and proceeded to talk to us about the museum and all of the displays.  It was obvious he enjoyed his job and was very knowledgeable about the associated history.  Speedy and I walked through all the displays.  It was very clean and well laid-out.  The exhibits were interesting, educational, and very thorough.

Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas

Side note:  Central High School was the site of the 1957 forced racial school desegregation.

We chose a few items from the gift shop and Park Guide Schwieger rang us up.  We chatted and got on the subject of parks in Arkansas, camping, and hiking.  I told him about my upcoming AT thru-hike and he was very excited for me.  I gave him my blog address and he promised to follow along.  I asked him for a business card so I could type this entry since I have the memory of slug, LOL.  I enjoyed meeting him very much.

Hi Brian!  :)

After that, Speedy and I went to MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.  The woman at the desk at the entrance was very nice and very knowledgeable.  We toured the museum which includes some very good WWII photos and General MacArthur's Army Jeep.  As we were leaving we stopped by the desk and looked at the merchandise.  (Speedy and I collect patches and he also collects pins.)  I forgot the lady's name but I must say she was incredibly nice to us.  We chatted for some time and she gave me a camouflage bandanna!  I also got to choose one free postcard!  Thank you so much!

Wood carving of General Douglass MacArthur

MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History

After lunch, we went to One Capitol Plaza to see Jay Miller who is the Administrator of Program Services for Arkansas State Parks.  We had a few questions about out Louisiana State Purchase State Park Patch Program.  He is the man to see!  We were so lucky to find him in the office and available to talk.  He invited us into his office, warmly greeted us, shook our hand and answered all of our questions.  We told him about all the parks we've gone to see and hike in the past 10 weeks.  I told him about my AT thru-hike and he was so excited for me.  I gave him my blog address and the addy of my YouTube channel.  I told him about all the videos of Arkansas State Park hikes I had posted.  I know we took up his entire lunch hour but he was such a great conversationalist the time just flew by.  Mr. Miller, if you're reading this, hi and thank you!

This is the capital at Christmas.  The building we went to is behind this one but I like this pic better!

All in all we met and talked with some incredible people today.  Even the cashier at Wal-Mart this evening was smiling and nice!

For those of you who are new, Speedy is my BF and he earned his trail name by hiking really fast!

I've written to Clif Bar company and asked them for sponsorship.  I'd love to have tons of Clif Bars to eat on my hike!

It's hard to believe I leave in 8 days!  It's almost here!!!  I'll keep ya updated.  Time for me to go now.

Goodnight and Blessed Be.

Thank You Emergency-C!

Emergen-C has graciously sponsored my hike and has sent me 500 packets of assorted flavor powers, 25 stickers and 2 lovely tee shirts!  I will be so happy and glad to use and share Emergen-C all along the Appalachian Trail!

Toltec Mounds State Park

This is one of the mounds.  I found the entire park area to be beautiful, peaceful, and serene.


Toltec Mounds Wiki Page

Mail Drop Information

Hi all, I've finally got my mail drop information done.  If you'd like to send me a card, letter, or CARE package, here is all the info you 'll need.  Every word of encouragement is greatly appreciated.  Money is awesome but not required.

Tammy’s Appalachian Trail Adventure

You can write to me at the places listed below.  Please remember to use my married name, Lambert, because that is what is on my ID.  I will not be able to get mail with Petry.

There are many post offices on the trail but these are the only places I am DEFINITELY stopping at.  I’ve also included a list of approximate dates of arrival.  These are highly fluid and subject to change but the post office and the 2 non-PO mail drops listed here will hold mail for AT hikers for a minimum of 30 days, often longer.  I have phone numbers of all these places  too, I can call if I’m REALLY off-schedule.

Any mail, letters, cards, packages, etc . are GREATLY appreciated.

*Cash is always welcome but not required*

It will mean so much to just get a little note of support and love.  Remember, anything you send, I will have to carry over the mountains.  Travel sizes are wonderful.  Putting everything in Ziploc baggies would be awesome.  I am not a picky person so just use your imagination.  A few things that are always good to have are:

Beef jerky, nuts, seeds, trail mix, granola bars, pork rinds, candy bars, chips…(salt n vinegar or BBQ are my fav but I love them all!)

A roll of toilet paper, AAA batteries, Ziploc bags, duct tape, ink pen, baby wipes, sauce packets (salt, pepper, spices) a clean bandana, small bug spray, small sunscreen…

Surprises are great too.  Thank you!

Early April:

Fontana Village Resort

PO Box 68

300 Fontana Road

Fontana Dam, NC 28733

Attn:  Hold for AT thru-hiker Tammy Lambert

Mid April:

Tammy Lambert

c/o General Delivery

Hot Springs, NC 28743

Hold for AT Thru-Hiker

Mid May:

Tammy Lambert

c/o General Delivery

Pearisburg, VA 24134

Hold for AT Thru-Hiker

Early June:

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

PO Box 807

Harper’s Ferry, WV 25425

Hold for AT thru-hiker Tammy Lambert

Late June:

Tammy Lambert

c/o General Delivery

Delaware Water Gap, PA 18327

Hold for AT thru-hiker

Early July:

Tammy Lambert

c/o General Delivery

Dalton, MA 01226

Hold for AT thru-hiker

Late July:

Tammy Lambert

c/o General Delivery

Hanover, NH 03755

Hold for AT Thru-Hiker

Mid-August:

Tammy Lambert

c/o General Delivery

Monson, ME 04464

Hold for AT thru-hiker

Hiker app test

Position: Latitude 34.606225 N Longitude 92.522714 W Altitude 427 feet http://maps.google.com/?ll=34.60622486,-92.52271396&z=14

This is a test of a new app I downloaded for my Android-based phone.  It's called, "Hiker".It lets you send your GPS co-ordinates to your blog, email, text, or social media.  It is also a compass, a map, and a satellite locator.

Here is the link if you'd like to download it to your smartphone.

Click here for the Hiker app in the Android Market/Google Play

Hello friends!

I see that one of my blog posts didn't make it online so I will repost it.  This is from Friday, February 24, 2012.

2-24-12

Wow!  Great news!  My good friend Kim Pintabona of Appleseed Camping has agreed to sponsor my AT hike AND has made me the Exclusive Ambassador of Appleseed Camping on the AT!  She has also graciously agree to provide me with a cookset.

Appleseed Camping provides assistance to people and their pets during times of natural and/or economic disasters.  I love this because they include the pets.  My cat is my furr-baby and I wouldn't dream of vacating without him.

Thank you Kim and Appleseed Camping!

Here's a link to Appleseed Camping's Facebook page and to their business homepage.

http://www.facebook.com/appleseedcamping

http://www.appleseedcamping.org

You can also follow them on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/AppleseedCamp

I am so happy to represent Appleseed Camping!  Thank you Kim!

My PayPal Button

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to do a short post about my PayPal button on here.  I put that button on here so anybody could donate a few dollars to my hike.  It's really simple.  I'm not beggin for money but I'd greatly appreciate any and all donations to my hiking fund.  Food costs have gone insane.  I have enough to scrape by but getting a hot cheeseburger and fries in town with a room and a hot shower is heaven.  I'll love you forever if you donate.  Thank you!

First 2012 Hikers at Lake Ouachita-Caddo Trail

Good morning!

After looking at my blog I see that I need to update a lot of posts and add more entries about all the hikes I've been on lately.  I'll do that before I head out to Springer at the end of the month, promise!

Yesterday, I went to Lake Ouachita and hiked the Caddo trail. (we were the first hikers allowed on this trail this year due to previous storm damage) On the map, it looked kinda flat and boring.  I thought it was just a cute little trail that followed the peninsula on the shore of the lake.  WRONG.  It was four miles of very creative ups and downs.  I was pleasantly surprised.

I had a WONDERFUL time.  The rangers were very helpful and friendly and the crew there had done a FANTASTIC job of clearing the trail from the storm damage.  I was very impressed that they'd done so much work.

Last spring, Lake Ouachita was hit by tornadoes.  The tornado cut a huge path of destruction thru the forest and down by the lake.  The first and last parts of the trail (it was a loop) were all downed trees and small fires where the rangers were burning off the damaged trees.  After getting past the fires, the scenery improved a lot.  The lake was gorgeous!  The trail was designed to give you great lake views.  We would gain some elevation and see stunning vistas, then we'd go steeply down again and hike near the shoreline.  Around the next bend, it was straight up again.  Rinse and repeat.  You get the idea.  It was a very intense workout for me.  I am still out of shape and was carrying a full pack.  It was also pretty toasty warm outside that day.  The only thing I'd change would be to add a couple more benches along the trail.

It was my first day humping my new fully loaded Mountainsmith Falcon 55 pack.  I'm not one for doing anything gradually so I just filled that pack up and swore it wasn't coming off till I was finished.  My hiking buddy "Speedy" is retired US Navy and used to hump a pack with the Marines.  Talk about incentive!    We did that 4 mile trail in about 4 hours.  Pretty damn good, IMHO.

We stopped for lunch on a bridge and I cooked some Ramen noodles.  I used the yellow bottle of HEET for the first time.  It cooks a lot better than the denatured alcohol and I like that it's in its own bottle.  I'll be using HEET yellow from now on.  While we waited for the noodles to boil, I whipped out 2 cans of barbeque vienna sausages.  Nom.  For dessert, we split a Kashi bar.

It was almost 80 degrees here in  central Arkansas yesterday.  We went thru 6 bottles of water and my Nalgene.  I was thirsty when we got to the car.  I inhaled a Coke from the visitor center.  I could have drunk a 2-liter of cold bubbly heaven.

There were several times where I just flopped down on my pack and laid down right on the trail.  Once I cried.  Despite this, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment when we got finished.

Yesterday afternoon, post-hike,  I came home and showered, ---ahhh what heaven that hot water is! --- put on my favorite tee-shirt like nightgown and WENT TO BED.  Yes, I was in bed before 5pm.  Speedy whipped up a cool meal of cut up sausages fried with onions (YUM), green beans, corn, and mac n cheese.  I inhaled that plate food and went to sleep for about 3 hours.  I got back up around 8 and had 2 packs of Ramen noodles.  I felt famished!  I can only imagine how much bigger my appetite will become on the AT.

I think I've found the perfect hiker snack food, based on weight to calorie ratio:  PORK SKINS.  They are incredibly light and fantastically full of fat!  I think I'll be clipping a bag of them on my pack.  Just please, don't call me PorkSkin.  Now, If I can only find a cheap beer Sherpa...

This morning I am aching in places I didn't know existed.  I almost feel human again after 2 giants cups of coffee.  Almost.   I do however, feel very much ALIVE.  It's a great feeling.

I think I could get used to this pretty quickly and I'm really looking forward to the AT.

Now, I'm going to go do battle with Verizon again.  They keep trying to make me pay a $350.00 charge that I don't owe.  Wish me luck.