Q&A

Thanks again for those that have sent questions. Keep them coming. I know some others have asked questions and I tried to respond. However, they didn't get posted. So if I don't answer your question then please resend it.

- Do I have a bowtie? Yes, Mason, a friend of my and former college roommate, has sent me a bowtie from his company Volunteer Traditions. The bowtie is red with the stars and blue circle from the Tennessee state flag. I am wearing it in support of his company and what he is trying to do. If you get a chance, please check out his website www.volunteertradions.com. He carries Tennessee and out southern state's apparel.

- How do you tell others about your blog? Most of the time it is word of mouth. If they are able to write it down then they will.

- Can I sent out more gps updates? I will do what I can. I try to at least send out one during lunch and one when we stop for the night. Some times I do forget though. Other than those two times, I might not stop too often during the day other than to get water or use the restroom. Even then, it might take quite a while to find a signal and send. Again, I will try though. Make sure to check out the map and zoom in to the places I stop. You might be able to see the hostel or shelter.

- What do I weigh or how much weight have I lost? Well based on all the scales I pass at the river crossings, the number of dead animals I have seen, the number of full moons we've had, the number of miles I've hiked, the number of friends I've made, the number of hills I've climbed, and the number of peach rings I've eaten, I probably have lost between 10 to 12 pounds. I've weighed myself twice. Both times, the scales have been pretty unreliable. One said I lost 8 pounds and one said 20. The 8 seems more reasonable.

- Do you get scared at night? So far, I have not been scared at night. Luckily, I have always been able to camp near others either tenting or in a shelter. When hiking at night, I have been with a group. I might be a different answer if I camped or hiked alone.

- How many new friends have you made on the trail? I have more new friends than I can even count. I can meet someone and make a new friend almost every day. I do have some people who I am closer with and I would consider a better friend. My closet friends out here are Dark Star (Will), Stickerbush (Jake), Danger Mouse (Nora), Tumbleweed (Gilly), Skyrocket (Skylar), and Speed Stick (Mike).

- Have you seen any bears? I have not seen any bears, but others I have been hiking with have. The cool thing about the AT is that one person might see an animal and another person 50 yards behind may not. I have seen plenty of other animals including deer, dogs, raccoon, snakes, fish, multiple birds, bees, gnats, flies, salamanders, newts, squirrels, chipmunks, turkey, owls, wild ponies, cows, goats, horses, donkeys, cats, beetles, centipedes, and other insects.

- If you see a bear will you be sure to take a video before you run away? I will do my best to take a picture or video. That is if I don't pee on myself, either out of excitement or being scared, first. I don't plan on running away cause that would just give the bear a reason to chase me. All that have encounter bears so far said the bear has ran away pretty quickly as soon as it saw a human.

- Have you seen anyone doing any illegal drugs while hiking? Yes, I have seen other hikers or locals doing drugs while at a shelter.

- If pressed, would you eat raw meat to survive? Who wouldn't?