I left my van at Dicks Creek Gap and got a shuttle back to pick up at Neels Gap. This is my first hike of the season and I have made some changes to my gear. I am not too happy with the Arcteryx Needle 65 pack I switched to. I can barely cram the basics in there and I thought it would have more room then my old pack.

The weather was quite pleasant my first day on the trail and I hiked 11 miles… much less than the 16.5 miles my first day out last year. I am surprised how out of shape I got so quickly. The views were very nice, but I discovered that the charger had malfunctioned and the battery was dead in my camera so no pictures from this section. I made it to the shelter mid afternoon and had plenty of time to eat and relax.

I am finally about packed and ready to head to Georgia. I am exhibiting in Kennesaw for the weekend and then on to the trail first thing Monday morning. I’ll be picking up at Neal’s Gap. I still haven’t reached the lady for my shuttle, but I’ll try again now. If not, I’ll have to call down the list. If anyone is interested in doing any short (30-60 mile) sections this summer, drop me a line. I will be hiking for photographs this summer and to give my gear a good shakedown in preparation for next year’s thru hike. It is much more practical to park a vehicle at each end and save on the expensive shuttles or having to double back. I’ll update weekly when I get into town.

Today is the day I leave Florida for 6 months. Unfortunately, it is only to section hike until next year. I can’t wait to be back on the trail. I will be picking up at Neals Gap and finishing GA. Then I have an art show in Kansas City,MO-very long drive. I hope it is worth it. I have to do as many art shows as possible this year to save enough money for next year’s thru hike. After Missouri, I drive a very long day back to the trail, this time picking up in Virginia. I am doing some photography there for a couple of weeks before Trail Days in Damascus. I expect to have some great new panoramics for the festival. Even though I am still in Florida, I put out 8 new pictures from the AT in my booth last weekend and people loved them. I hope that I feel the love in GA. I am exhibiting in Savannah in a couple of weeks.

My pack is packed and ready to go. I made a lot of gear changes this season for greater comfort and to lighten the load. I got 5 lbs off my pack weight and got it down to 30 lbs. For some reason, things aren’t fitting as nicely in my Arcteryx Needle 65 pack compared with my old Jansport weekender which was 52 cu liters. I haven’t hiked at all since January and then only briefly so it will take about a month to get my trail legs back somewhat.

I have had some issues with rain gear. It looks like next week might put the new gear to the test.

I am eagerly anticipating next year’s thru hike. I plan to start the first week in March 2011, weather permiting. I have already gotten my gear together and plan to thoroughly test it section hiking this year. I am a professional nature photographer so I will be heading out in a couple of weeks to pick up at Neels Gap. I will hike a series of sections this summer during the week in various states to obtain more pictures. On the weekends I exhibit in art shows…hence my Trail name Art Gypsy. During April and May I will spend some time in parts of GA, TN, NC, and VA. I am looking forward to exhibiting my pictures at Trail Days in Damascus. I have already hiked about a quarter of the trail and have some nice pictures. Unfortunately a hard drive crashed with pictures from 6 week’s worth of hiking. At least I will get to revisit all of those great places next year. I am also continuing my hikes in the Adirondack High Peaks this summer. Some of them involve very steep scrambles and unmarked trails. I hope to complete my 46er list this year. So far I’ve done 29. I had better continue packing. More news soon.