[at-l] Hillbilly internet cafes?

[Arthur Gaudet]

I snickered when I read about the dangers of the trip: hunger, black bears,
cougars, snakes and parasites. 
$7500 seems a lot for the hike, even for me and I'm not sure how I could spend
$2250 on gear for an AT thru.
Will they send home the Ipod solar charger & mobile phone early or later? And
just where are the "hillbilly internet cafes" and "mountain musicians"? Ah, an
Englishman's view of the world! On their website they quoted from Bryson: "there
is always the possibility of being killed by a chuckling axe wielding hillbilly
whose mind has been destabilized by gross quantities of impure corn liquor and
generations of profoundly unbiblical sex..." I don't know if they thought he was
kidding.
I hope they have a nylon tent and not the "canvas" one that's mentioned. 
I don't mean to sound superior here, after all I sent a box home from Neels Gap,
and another from Harpers Ferry. It's just that I (we) know the pre-hike view of
the trail changes so much once we're out there... They're going to have to keep
moving, though, to make it to Maine this year! --RockDancer 
Friends to walk the Appalachian Trail
(this is from the Plymouth, UK Herald newspaper)
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/
Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 09:15 
FRIENDS Tom Gale and Colin Ross are setting out for the adventure of a lifetime
– walking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail in the USA.
Tom, 21, from Mannamead, and Colin, 19, from Oreston, flew out to Atlanta on
Tuesday and were due to set off within a day or two after arrival.
They aim to finish their epic hike by mid-October, after which heavy snow is
likely to make trekking in the mountains impossible.
The pair hope to raise up to £15,000 for Cancer Research, and have a special
reason for supporting the charity.
Colin's father, Keith Ross, died of prostate cancer aged 54 last October.
Tom, a chef-barman and Colin, a carpenter, expect to cover 15 miles a day,
carrying packs of up to 40lb.
They hope to re-supply at small towns once a week, but will have to source water
from local streams as they go along.
Tom admitted carrying enough food could be a problem, as they will burn around
7,500 calories a day yomping in the rugged terrain.
But far more dangerous than going hungry could be the wildlife, including black
bears, cougars, snakes and parasites.
Tom said: "We will be carrying a mobile phone but not relying on it for rescue
if anything goes wrong."
The pair are self-funded and have spent £1,500 each on equipment, with the whole
trip expected to cost each of them around £5,000.
Despite sleeping under canvas, they will have help from new technology, taking
ipods with solar chargers and carbon-fibre hiking poles.
They also hope to encounter hillbilly internet cafes where they can update their
website, and bars where Colin, a keen guitarist, can jam with mountain
musicians.
The walk starts at Springer Mountain in Georgia and takes Tom and Colin north,
ending up at Mount Katahdin in Maine, passing through 14 east coast states along
the way.
Daytime temperatures will be a pleasant 15 degrees Celsius at the start, dipping
to minus five at night, but midsummer could see them walking in up to 40 degrees
before autumn cools the air again.
Tom said: "My mum doesn't think I'll do it, but my dad's in awe.
"Colin's father would have been very proud."
Follow the pair's progress on http://walkforacure.terapad.com

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