Happy Mother's Day 2013

Happy Mom's Day to all who are mother's to human children and to pets as well.  Being a dog walker,  I have had the fortune to know many pets who are as special as any child would be.

My celebrations with my children;  Sharon, Lou, Eric and Sina, will be today and tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to my special dinner!

My celebration with Rick was planting our vegetable garden with yellow squashes, purple eggplants, Japanese eggplant, green peppers, carrots, turnip, watermelon, honey dew melon, Swiss chard, radishes, butternut squash, zucchini, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, cherry tomatoes and an already existing pumpkin plant (we believe that's what it is)  Ha..  I think that's everything.   WOW.. if it all grows in, we will have a feast in a few weeks. 

 I wish you all a wonderful day filled with love and sharing.

Indian Tribes that Lived and Traveled the Appalachian Trail

Cherokee - Georgia.. Amicalola Falls means "tumbling water".  Were driven away to the Ozarks.. beginning of the "Trail of Tears"

Cherokee- North Carolina. 

Penobscot - Maine  

State and National Forests Passed Through..

 Amicalola Falls State Park  8.5 miles, Georgia  Cherokee for "tumbling water".

Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia   Cherokee for "flower painted rock". 

Animals, Insects Along the Trail

Mice-  Every State

Chipmunks - Maine

Banded Argiope Spider - Maine

Birds Along the Trail

Ruffled Grouse - Maine

Plants and Trees Along the Way.

I'm looking forward to the Natural Beauty of the Appalachian Trail.  It's wonderful to know what I will see and to be able to look up the plants and trees that I am not familiar with.  What a great bonus it will be to know something about the plants and trees that I will find along the way.  Those to touch and smell and those that are poisonous and should be avoided.  I can only imagine how uncomfortable a "rash" would be while hiking.

Rhododendron thickets

Blueberry thickets - Maine

Spruce , Red Spruce Trees -  Maine, 

Birch Trees - Maine

Azalea - Georgia

Redbud Trees - Georgia

Rhododendron  Very thick in Georgia.


  Bluets These tiny plants can be easy to miss when blooming single, but even with their 2 to 4 inch height, they're hard to miss with the frequent masses blooming together.


  White Oak Tree leave.  White Oak is a large tree, growing up to 100 feet tall.  The trunk can get up to four feet across. Leaves of the white Oak are four to nine inches long. Bright green on top and whitish underneath.


Poison Ivy.. BEWARE.. It's everywhere!



  Red Trillium They have been used traditionally as uterine stimulants the inspiration for the common name birthwort.




Mayapple or May Apple is native to deciduous forests  of eastern North America. The ripened fruit is edible in moderate amounts, though when consumed in large amounts the fruit is poisonous



Lichen varies and is a fungus found on trees as well as rocks throughout the trail. Disturbances causes it to die.  Best left alone though can be eaten. Yellow Lichen is poisonous.

Just how long is the Appalachian Trail?

This is a mystery question!   Ha.   All through the years there have been various miles quoted.  With our GPS technology now, we should have an exact distance.  With changes made in the trail since its creation, the distance has changed with it.   Here is what I have found in my research.

2,015 miles from "The Appalachian Trail" by Ronald Fisher 1972

2,155 miles from "There are Mountains to Climb" by Jean Deeds 1996

2167.9 miles from "Blind Courage" by Bill Irwin with David McCasland 1992

2179.1 miles from "The AT Guide" by David"Awol" Miller 2013 edition

Have you noticed it gets longer with time?  Ha..

Hiking Quotes

"To walk. To see. And to see what you see."   Benton MacKaye

History Along the Trail

In reading all the wonderful books I am finding, the history that is brought up and discovered along the way has made the stories so much more interesting.   I look forward to crossing these paths of history as I make my way North.  To know that people before me were in these places changing the course of our lives before we were even born and after.

I will record my findings following the map of the Appalachian Trail and welcome any additional information you would like to share.

Benton MacKaye dreamed up this idea of the Appalachian Trail in 1921. Myron Avery, chairman of the Appalachian Trail Conference worked 21 years helped make this dream a reality.    Because of all those who helped in this creation and maintain it even now, we are able to hike this trail today.  Thank you!

1925 the ATC  Appalachian Trail Conference began.   An organization for maintaining the trail through membership clubs. 

1948 Earl Shaffer completed the first thru-hike.

1968 the National Trails System Act was signed in.  Federal Protection for hiking trails.

Medical Issues

Reading through the forums and the books, there will be health and body issues to deal with while hiking.

I'm a diabetic type 2 and will be watching for ways to deal with this disease while hiking.  Fortunately I am not on insulin so that is a big relief.  Hiking and exercise does help to lower the blood sugar levels and I am hoping that this big hike will keep me at normal levels.

I am finding that IBUPROFEN is mentioned often for pain relief and inflammation.  It seems that they are taken in large quantities and often.  I wonder what the "overdose" level would be.

For myself, I take GLUCOSAMINE CHONDROITIN  everyday.  It is part of my daily vitamin routine and has made a difference in knee pain from an old injury.   I know when I stop it only takes a few days before I notice a dull pain in my knee.  I don't intend to leave home without it.

Bandages for blisters is recommended.
An Ace Bandage for back and leg pain.
Knee elastic support bands.

To be added to as discoveries are made.....