Georgia Appalachian Trail Trip - 2015

99% Humidity. Close to 80 miles in five days. Lost about 10 pounds. It was a brutal hike of the Georgia AT. The type of hike that you wish was over, then - two days later - you wish you were back out there, sweating and suffering once again.

If I could do it over, I would have done less miles, increased our overall days, and would have either tried to achieve this in May/Early June or October. Backpacking in Georgia in August is plain insane. But, we did it. And it took me a couple weeks to heal.

In any event, my good buddy and hiking partner Shuan put together this video for your viewing enjoyment. It's about six minutes long, but it's worth a look-see - especially if you're considering this hike. Enjoy.



Also, if you're really interested, check out my Flickr Account to view more hiking pics.

Run to the ... woods!

So, every year for about as many years as I can remember, I head out with a group of guys on a hiking/backpacking excursion.

This year, there were a couple options tossed into the fray:

- Knobstone Ridge Trail in Indiana (56 miles)
- Back to the Adirondacks for three days of day-hikes and cabin drinking at night (? miles)
- Appalachian Trail - NC Border to Mount Springer, Georgia (80 miles)


Welp, everyone voted for option 3. I gulped. Truth be told, I always have a little anxiety before these trips. I mean, yes, they're fun adventurous trips that are filled with new sights and new sounds every single day. But, for some reason this year's trip has me more anxious than normal.

First off, these trips require a lot of stamina, a lot of dedication, a lot of muscles, a lot of confidence and mental fortitude.

This ain't your normal trip to the beach. If it was easy, everyone would do it. KnowwhatI'msayin?

I think one of the reasons for my worry is the distance.

My first Appalachian Trail in Virginia way back in the early 2000's consisted of 36 miles in 3 days, and 3 nights for an average of about 12 miles per day. Not too shabby.

Last year, we upped the ante to 60 miles in 4 days in the Smoky Mountains for an average of about 15 miles per day.

To complete this year's quest, we'll need to average 15+ miles a day. We must do this to get out by Friday/Early Saturday.

Another worry, we're not getting any younger. Look by no means do I consider myself a geriatric. But, the median average for the guys is 42.8 years old - with the youngest dude a nimble 37.

Typically, after we tackle our first taste of elevation, the ages go out the window, the anxiety wears off, and the survival instincts start to kick in . And boy, do we have a doozy this time around. We're going up, straight up about 2,000 feet in four miles.

That should get the heart pumping. No worries, indeed.

While I'm here, I have to tip my hat to these four gents who are taking bonafide vacation days away from their family, away from their jobs, to join me on this 5-day excursion.

It takes a different type of cat to want to do this type of thing. It's a big commitment, but there are going to be a ton of memories and a ton of photos to share from this awesome adventure.

What's that you hear? Is that the cry of the West for next year? You better, you better, you bet. But, I digress. Let's first focus on the task at hand. See you on the mountain!

Eimer's Summer Hike - 2013 - Black Forest Trail

Every summer for the past 12 or 13 years, I've gone on some sort of summer hike with my friends. I've seen a lot of cool stuff.

Back in the summer of 2013, the crew decided to stay close to home. My buddy Drew McCauley found this 45-mile loop trail - Black Forest Trail - nestled in the middle of Pennsylvania (Slate, to be exact). This place would make a great horror movie. No cell phone service. No restaurants. And the rattlesnakes.

You know, I read about the rattlesnakes. I knew Pennsylvania had rattlesnakes. But, man, this trail was infested with the suckers. Although we saw only 3 rattlesnakes, I've heard horror stories by other travelers about seeing numerous rattlers on this trail - and by numerous - I mean more than 20.

I also ran into a local resident who told me that a park ranger took him on a hike down to this rattlesnake pit where all the rattlers roll around and mate. "It was disgusting and fascinating at the same time," he said.

In any event, check out my pics on Flickr and enjoy this video from my buddy Shaun Culbertson...

Smoky Mountains - 2014 Hike

Four friends and myself traveled down to the Smoky Mountains at the Tennessee/North Carolina border on a 4-day, 60-mile hike via the Hazel Creek/Lakeshore/Forney Ridge Trail.

My buddy, and fellow hiker (or is it hikee?) Shaun Culbertson took this video of our escapades. The video reminds me of 'Easy Rider in the Smokies'. Cheers Shaun, and cheers to the rest of the studs who joined me on this awesome trip.

For more Eimer Debris hiking stories, check out:

• Mount Washington
• The Day After Vacation
• Del Water Gap
• Adirondacks, Here I Come!
• Adirondacks Day #1
• Adirondacks Day #2
• Adirondacks Day #3

Mount Washington Trip - Videos

As I'm getting revved up for this year's hiking trip to the Smoky Mountains in July, I forgot about these two little gems that my buddy Shaun filmed on our hiking trip to the White Mountains circa 2012.

As an annual summer tradition I get a group of three to five guys and we drive to key hiking destinations in North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, etc. However, this particular trip was a gift I gave myself for my 40th birthday. We flew into Boston (via Airtran) and rented a car to drive our hiking destinations in New Hampshire.

And, as luck would have it, two of my adventurous buddies, Shaun and Drew, were kind enough to come along.

This video documents our trip from Crawford Notch to Mount Washington:

And this video documents our hike of the Franconia Ridge:

Del Water Gap exceeded expectations!!!

Just returned from my four-day hike along the Appalachian Trail in the Delaware Water Gap.

I'll post a full report after I get the pictures. But, all in all, very impressed. It exceeded my expectations.

Having hiked most of Virginia Appalachian Trail and a small part of the Adirondacks; all I can say is that this hike, the entire Del Water Gap National Park, had some of the most impressive vistas of all my trips.

No shit.

Besides the endless miles of rocks, this trips will be one of the tops on my list. And it will be one of my first recommendations to anyone who asks which section they should hike on the Appalachian Trail.