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Awareness Trail

Awareness Trail


Last Updated: 11/23/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Single
Age: 28
Sign: Taurus

City: Erie
State: Pennsylvania
Country: US
Signup Date: 3/24/2009

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August 17, 2009 - Monday 
COME JOIN THE FUN
help support the NWPA Autism Socitety
"Kamikaze-Karaoke"
Location: **Night Flights**
4707 W. lake RD. (corner of 12th & Asbury)
Friday August 21,2009
7:00 to 10:00
4:01 PM 
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June 27, 2009 - Saturday 
Starting out from Erwin, Tn with our re-supply was slow, we made it to the trail just before noon. After hiking for a while we settled for lunch at a rocky vista that overlooked a valley. The rest of the day was spent climbing up Roan Mtn high bluff. At the top of the mtn there was an awesome display of rhododendrons in bloom. We decided to set up camp in order to catch the sunset and settle down for the evening. Waking up at the crack of dawn had paid off again. I caught another unbelievably cool sunrise. I also spoke to a few families about the cause as we passed through a tourist area. We stopped for lunch at a massive old barn that was remodeled and turned into a shelter. Its located in an open field situated at the top of a series of valleys. Its also said that the best view from a shelter on the AT is from the Over Mtn Shelter. The group had agreed on staying the rest of the day here and to have an early departure in the morning in hopes of catching the sunrise from the top of Hump mtn. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards and reading. We set out at O' dark 30 and were amazed at the stars, which are normally hidden by the city lights, were out, and fully illuminated the sky. Climbing up Hump mtn as the night turned to day was very rewarding with the endless breath taking views. After reaching the top, we decided to eat breakfast as the sun continued to rise. We had our fill of oatmeal and coffee, it was time to move on. While descending the mtn, we crossed a field that had horses running freely. They were curious about my presence and immediately came to greet me. This was an amazing encounter that added to what was already a great day. We hitched into town in the back of a pick-up truck at the next road crossing for lunch and a quick re-supply. A few miles outside of town we grabbed a campsite which sat beside a descent sized creek. I took this opportunity to bathe in the cool yet refreshing mountain water before turning in for the night. The next section of the trail turned out to be my favorite thus far. The AT crossed a couple of roads and took us through a fairly diverse area of the forest. Today we hit the 400 mile marker but we are unsure of the actual total due to the numerous daily trips to do our miscellaneous chores, errands, etc. The last few days have been great because of the many streams and rivers that have given us a place to cool off and relax. Early the following day we came across a field that was surrounded by trees. It was empty except for a large tree that stood proudly in the middle with a nicely built fire pit near its base. By now, we have discovered that there’s no point in searching for a perfect spot when you’ve already found it. I laid around and read through the rest of the afternoon. We also watched some deer grazing in the field as the sun was setting. A nice way to spend the day. The next day we started hiking around our usual time and headed towards laurel falls. On our way we had passed our New Zealand friends so we stopped to chat before continuing on. Its always nice to see a familiar face. The falls were an impressive sight which is probably why it was swarming with day hikers. We went for a swim and walked further down stream to do some laundry. Drying the clothes is as simple as tying them to your pack as you hike. There was 1 more climb for the day and it was somewhat challenging. Running out of daylight and trying to beat a storm puts a little twist on the situation. Fortunately we had missed the threatening part of the storm as it passed just north of us. We only caught a bit of rain. I was ahead of the group when I stumbled upon a black bear that was drinking out of the same water source that I was searching for. This bear was rather small. It was startled by my presence and trotted off in a hurry. I feel lucky to have spotted another one of these powerful creatures. The bear was long gone before the others had arrived. Up until this point, they haven’t seen a bear and were growing tired of that fact. We sat around and chatted while we prepared a late supper. I slept like a baby due to the colder temperatures at higher elevations. The weather was perfect when I crawled out of my tent the next morning. Lake Watauga was about 3 miles away from where we camped and I was in high spirits. When we arrived, I took a nice long swim in the lake and soaked up the sun for a while. After a well deserved break, we followed the trail around the edge of the lake and decided to look for a camp site. We ended up walking to the north end where the dam is located and found a small peninsula that was connected to mainland by a 5 ft wide path. This place is truly spectacular. I could see a large part of the lake and the mountainous terrain that surrounds it. It was very captivating. Our campsite was also in a perfect location to watch the sunset & sunrise. After we set up camp, we took another swim in the lake and collected some firewood for the evening. I was in my tent reading with the rain fly off to the side. It was about 11pm when I put down my book and turned off the light. I must have just drifted into sleep when I heard a noise shuffling outside of the tent. I spoke out to whom I thought was one of my friends. There was no response. I glanced behind me and saw a nice sized black bear leaning against the tree. I quickly yelled to my friends who were 15ft away from me. They were sleeping in their tent with the dog and hadn’t heard a sound. The bear was going for our food bags. They were tied up in the two trees which separated out tents. Mike and Marisa finally woke up but the bear had already disappeared. He glanced back at me then ran off with their food bag in his mouth. Normally we make sure the food bags aren’t within reach. Today however, we went against that cardinal rule and it bit us in the behind. We felt that the heavily used recreational area, where we were staying, would be a deterrent in itself. We were wrong! We were gathering the food that fell out of their bag when out of nowhere popped a cut down tree stump. Trying to move quickly to clean up the area had turned out to be a bad idea. I hit the stump with a blunt force in my bare feet and new immediately that something was wrong. The pain I felt was excruciating yet the thing I feared most, was the thought that I would have to get off of the trail. The bear who was lurking within our sights, would not leave us alone. I hobbled along to a tree that was hanging over the water. Marisa held a flashlight on the bear and clashed pots together as Michael and I hung my food bag, our only hope. We succeeded in scaring away the bear only momentarily. After making sure the tents and area were clear of anything with a smell, we went to bed. Shortly after, he was back. This time, the dog had alerted us. Making noise was only a short term solution. This bear was used to humans. I laid in my tent for a while and could hear the bear going for the food. Splash! I yelled to my friends that I thought he had achieved his goal. By this point we were exhausted and agreed on leaving it be until morning. This bear was persistent. I awoke to Marisa yelling at him as the sun was rising. After a while, we went and saw that the food bag had been bear napped. We found the remnants not far away. He ate just about everything. I even found a bite mark in my honey container! Looking carefully around the tree we could see his claw marks on the bark and his tracks were everywhere. We believe that the bear cut the rope while swinging at the food bag and that is what released it into the water. Unfortunately, my foot hadn’t felt any better in the morning. We had to walk about 5 miles back to town in order to get more food. This was extremely difficult for me. Michael and Marisa decided to stay another night in order to see what I was going to do. We chose a camp site that was near the road. They went to get more supplies while I stayed at camp. The next morning my foot still hadn’t improved so I made the decision to get off of the trail and seek medical attention. This was by no means, an easy decision to make. I was unable to hike any further with my foot in that condition so I had to leave the trail for now. I intend to section hike the remainder of the trail in the future. Due to my (Matt) injury on the trail. I have decided to continue to raise awareness and money by driving across the country and speaking with people I encounter at state and national parks. Josh and I are also planning to have two more fundraisers. We will post the details of these events at a later date. We would like to thank you all again for your support and will keep you all updated on the upcoming events. Matthew Renner Joshua Baden
8:41 PM 
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June 10, 2009 - Wednesday 
            The Great Smoky Mountain National Park has a very diverse ecosystem, we were very fortunate to see a variety of animals and plants while we hiked through this seventy mile section. These mountains are known to be one of the most unpredictable areas to hike through on the AT and they certainly lived up to their reputation. Within the 1st four miles into the park, we had seen our first smoky bear, awesome. It looked like a female and was quite small by bear standards. It was no more then 15 yards from where we were standing. She didn't appear to be bothered by our presence so we watched her for a while, as we snapped pictures. We ran into a side trail which offered a view from an old rickety tower which raised about 6 stories, you could see for 100 miles in every direction. As the day wore on and night started to fall, we got to our campsite where we saw a fellow hiker from Indiana named Mark. He pointed out that there were four bears (2 of which were cubs) on the exterior of the camp, watching our every move. As we sat around eating, the day which was sunny and warm disappeared into a foggy cold night that turned into rain as the night wore on. Altogether, the 1st day in the Smokies was exhilarating.
            When we set out in the morning, we half expected to see bears popping out from behind every tree, alas this were not the case. Throughout the rest of the days hike, the sightings of wildlife were minimal due to the 3 to 4 days worth of weather in a 5 hour period. The day started off misty and cleared up before it started to rain, after which the sun shown back through just to fall back into fog and rain before the day was through. The highest amounts of rain that fall on the Appalachian Trail happen to fall in the Smoky Mountains with an average annual rainfall of over 70 inches. The lush vegetation and numerous broad leaf trees seem possible because of the ever changing weather. We arrived at the shelter and found it full of people, so despite being wet we had to set up our tents and after a quick meal we fell right to sleep.
            The next morning we began at a leisurely pace and found the shelter, that was full the night before, completely empty. As we ate breakfast and the sun began to shine through the clouds, a very bold and large turkey came into our campsite. He was not bothered by our presence whatsoever and went about his business like we weren't around. Our lazy start turned out to be a wonderful idea as the early afternoon was full of blue skies and breathtaking views. The late afternoon however was not quite as enjoyable. As the blue skies turned to grey and then to black, it was clear a rain storm was eminent. The rain that came was one of the must unnerving storms we have faced so far, it was coming down heavy and fast, the kind of rain that soaks through everything in a matter of moments. By the time we reached the shelter, we were soaked to the bone and have never been happier to find a dry place to rest for the evening.
What a surprise, more fog which was just the thing to lift our spirits, seeing as how we were still soaked from the night before. As we set out, moral was low but the mountain we faced was high. We were about to climb the highest mountain on the AT. The climb as well as the views from the top, were supposed to be phenomenal but with fog, they where not going to be seen by us today. With that in mind we decided to camp at the base of the mountain and hoped for better weather the following day. We gathered some wood for a fire during which Josh was again bit by a spider. This bite did cause some swelling to the hand but did not seem to warrant a doctor visit. As we sat playing cards and relaxing, four deer came into our campsite and began grazing. These deer, like all of the wildlife in the Smokies, weren't intimidated or concerned with our presence. Obviously this didn't bother us in the least bit, it was actually quite entertaining. The rest of the evening was spent chatting with fellow hikers about the foods we would eat, when we reached our next town.
            The day we climbed the tallest mountain on the AT, Clingmans Dome, which stands at a whopping 6643ft, started bright and early thanks to the older gentlemen, who stayed at the shelter. Waking up early isn't a problem for Matt. Josh however, sees this as an unpleasant inconvenience that should be put off until later in the day. Thankfully, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and our plan to wait out the fog, worked out perfectly. As we ate breakfast and cleaned up camp, the sun took away the chill in the air and we set out towards the peak. The views along the ridge were spectacular and made for lots of good photo opportunities. Once we reached the top, we took in the views while talking with day hikers who were interested in long distance hiking. They turned out to be a very interesting and diverse group of people from around the world. We had had a nice hot lunch before heading back onto the trail. The weather was sunny and clear for the rest of the day so we decided to walk further than we had originally planned and take in the views, while the weather permitted. We had arrived a few hours later at the Newfound Gap and were snapping some photo's when a very friendly family had approached us and offered us cold water and deli sandwiches, we couldn't resist(you guys are awesome!) Time flew by as we chatted and before we new it, we had expended all of our energy for the day and decided to hitch into town for a hot meal and a shower. Our luck was still running in the right direction when we met a father and son who were hiking in the area. They decided to give us dirty, stinky hikers a lift into Gatlinburg, TN, very nice folks! Earlier in the day, we had met 2 hikers who had recommended a cheap place to stay, thanks again! We were also aware that our friends from the trail were still in town after visiting with their families. Of course we all got together and went out for food and drinks. Having the whole group together again, along with our new friends, turned out to be a very fun and memorable evening.     
            Do to an inevitably late start from Gatlinburg; we only went 3 miles up the trail to a shelter that sat directly on a ridge. We once again shared stories of our trail adventures with the other hikers while sitting around the fire. The morning that followed was an extremely cold one. Even the amazing sunrise that we saw from our warm sleeping bags, wasn't enough to pull us out for pictures. The elevation in the Smokies stays around 5000 feet and the trail runs along the ridgeline of the mountains. At times, it will appear like a bridge, connecting the mountains and at its narrowest points; it was around 2 ft across. The hike took us to an area called Charlie's Bunion. It is a picturesque series of rocks that stick out of the side of the mountain. On the way to this bit of the trail, there is a warning sign that alerts parents of the dangerous terrain and that children must be kept under close supervision. The climb out to the edge of Charlie's Bunion was exhilarating and the views where worth the risk. After the days hike we settled in to our home for the night. Right after eating dinner we were preparing to hang our food bag on the bear cables when all of a sudden, a very large black bear had wandered into the area in search of food. This was the perfect opportunity to get some good pictures and video footage. We believe it weighed roughly 400 lbs plus. He didn’t mind our presence and continued to snoop around the campsite when he found a rotted log that he ripped apart as he was looking for food. It made for some good footage, you can check out the video on the MySpace website. On our last night in the Smoky Mountains, we saw the largest bear that we’ve seen yet. It was a bitter sweet ending to another part of our adventure. We want to thank you all once again for your support and donations.
JMB
MTR
3:10 PM 
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June 9, 2009 - Tuesday 
After re-supplying, Josh and Matt took a much needed break in Bryson City, NC. We began hiking with a group of hikers. On the A.T., everyone acquires a trail name Matt goes by Rand McNally and Josh goes by Grumpy. Before leaving the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center), we got together for one last meal. After a short hike, we discovered a great campsite that was nestled at the base of a very picturesque rocky cliff and figured, why not? At that point, it was Hatchet, Charlie Horse, Grumpy and Rand McNally. The rest of the evening was spent climbing the rocks and playing spades around the fire.

The following morning we had a relaxed start and headed to Cheoah Bald. We decided to stay for the sunset and it turned out to be a great move. The sky was clear and there were tons of constellations. Once again, Hatchet built a fire on top of the mountain which made for a warm ending to a great day. In the morning, the view was completely obscured due to some intense fog that had enveloped the mountain top at some point during the evening. Visibility was down to three to four meters when we first glanced out of our tents and stayed predominately that way until just around noon. Unfortunately a fellow hiker, Hatchet, injured his ankle and decided to get off of the trail at the Stecoah Gap, a place where we had lunch and spoke with some bikers who were in the area in order to ride the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap. We covered about 14 miles and stayed at the Cable Gap Shelter. It was well after dark when we arrived to find the tenting area, crawling with massive spiders which none of us are big fans of.

We set off towards the Fontana Dam campsite and happened to get a site that had an amazing view of the face of the dam. We wanted to have a relaxing Memorial Day and to allow the weekenders, extra time to leave the trails and return to their homes. This turned out to be a wonderful idea. At the campsite we met a group of retired couples who were camping with their RV’s. After a night of story telling and relaxing, we re-supplied and prepared to enjoy a great Memorial Day. While we were playing cards, there was a visit from CeCe, one of the ladies from the RV’s. She offered to make us apple dumplings. We had found our Memorial Day Mom! She also made us some meatloaf as well as carrot cake. Thank You CeCe for making a holiday away from home, much more enjoyable. The following morning, we said our good-byes and Grumpy, Rand McNally and Charlie Horse headed into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Thank you all again for your support as well as donations.

MTR
JMB
3:58 PM 
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May 20, 2009 - Wednesday 
Hello everyone,
 
   We have hiked roughly 135 miles and everything is going as expected. I (matt) have been having some knee problems and am looking into getting a brace for it. It's nothing terrible, I just need to take an easy pace. On the other hand, things have been pretty exciting on the trail. Josh had a run in with a spider that sent him into town for a check up and some antibiotics. He was also fortunate enough to see a mother black bear and her two cubs on Thursday evening. He just walked back a little bit and waited for them to stroll along on their way. My encounter with a black bear was a little more exhilarating. It was around dusk when a fellow hiker and I startled a black bear doing whatever it is that black bears do. The bear barreled into the woods with such a powerful and distinctive stride, it would send chills up any ones spine. I made some noise and waited for my heart rate to slow down before I continued towards camp. By the time I had arrived, everyone in the shelter was a sleep so I was forced to set up my tent in the rain. I would prefer to stay in shelters when it rains for obvious reasons but on a nice night, tenting is definitely the way to go. Today is a beautiful day, now that the sun is finally shining. The last 3 nights/days have been challenging as the weather has been on and off with thunderstorms and hail along with a steady rain or drizzle.  It seems that as soon as we get near the highest peaks of the day, the thunder rolls in and puts us on hold until the storm passes. The worst place to be during a T-storm is on top of the mountain, we try and avoid being there as much as possible. It's too bad that the weather isn't predictable.
   After being side lined in Franklin for two days due to the spider bite, Josh hiked out with a few fellow hikers and decided to play catch up. He started out 27 miles behind myself and hiked for 21 hours up 4 mountains through the night to catch up with me the next day. He said that at night, the woods appear treacherous and the trail is like a black ribbon, curving through the woods for you to follow.
   We are each carrying 5 pairs of socks. It's very important to keep your feet as dry as possible in order to minimize blisters. With constant rain, its nearly impossible. There has also been massive cut backs on the amount of clothes we are carrying to minimize the weight and stress on the body. When it rains day after day, everything gets wet and there is no time for our tents to dry out, sleeping bags etc. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. Sunny skies would be preferred but regardless of the weather, we are in this for the long haul. We just arrived to the town of Bryson City, NC to pick up some supplies and equipment. Next week we enter The Great Smokey Mountains and we plan on taking our time to enjoy this great National park and all it offers. We will upload more pictures in a week or so. Thank you all again for helping us help this wonderful cause. 


MTR
JMB 

8:13 PM 
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May 12, 2009 - Tuesday 
This is how our journey on the Appalachian Trail has gone so far. We started the trail on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Springer mountain, Georgia. The first day took us 7.8 miles to Hawk Mountain Shelter in a steady downpour. We discovered that setting up camp in the rain can be challanging and slightly discouraging, yet our spirits remained high. The next day we set out on another 8 mile day to THE GOOCH Mountain Shelter where a tornado warning forced us to our first 0 day. After a day of sitting around with a fun group of hikers we set off to cover some serious ground. It was 15 plus miles to neels gap that took us over 3  mountains, Ramrock 3260 feet, Big Cedar 3700 feet, and Blood 4450 feet, after all those we arrived at a hostel, got a bed and a shower. We then realized that carring 60 plus pounds on our back was a little much and were able to unload over 25lbs in useless stuff. The next day we covered 11 miles to the Low Gap Shelter and camped there. We were feeling great do to lighter packs, sunny weather, and great new hiking buddies so we decided to push another 15 miles through 3 mountains all over 4000 feet in elevation. After that we pushed another 12 miles to make it into Hiawassee, GA to call our family on mothers day, rest, and resuply. All together it has been great so far. Thank you all for the support and we will talk to you soon.
4:59 PM 
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April 20, 2009 - Monday 

Current mood:  hopeful
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
I would like to thank you all for accepting the invites. We are now at 113 members, that means that if you each donated a mere $10 we would have raised over $1,000. It has come to my attention that some of you may not be comfortable donating online, if that is true you can donate through checks made out to NWPAASA and mailed to

Northwestern Pennsylvania Autism Society of America
PO Box 3923
Erie, PA 16508

if you do mail a check please acknowledge that it is for the Awareness Trail.
Thank You again for the support
Joshua Baden
Matthew Renner

8:09 PM 
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