Appalachian Trail Virtual Challenge November 12, 2023

We are "The Appalachian Conquerors"!  We are a Team of 34 Conquerors who are located in various places on our planet and have come together to virtually attack The Appalachian Trail.  Our goal is to cover the entire 3168 kilometres (1968 miles) by end of day on Thursday, November 23rd (western hemisphere time zone).  The distance was divided equally amongst us with each member taking on 93 kms (58 miles).  We began this Virtual Challenge Sunday November 12th in our own respective time zones.  Entering our actual daily contribution is based on the honour system.

The idea to create a Team to conquer this challenge was brain-stormed by a couple of conquerors and a third joined in to be our Team Captain. The shout was then put out by all three, to all conquerors, to join in on the attack.  Not taking even a second to ponder this, I jumped on board. The distance of The Appalachian Trail was not a distance I was interested in taking on solo as a virtual challenge.  Being part of the Team to conqueror it is like having my cake and eating it too!   I was currently not signed up for a challenge, my motivation to be out & about has been lacking lately, no challenges were currently jumping out at me to join. Being a part of this Team effort is exactly what I need right now!

In our Team you will find great leadership, support, motivation, respect, connection, inspiration and fun!  Teaming up could be the direction I head for a few of the virtual challenges. 

Each of us will receive a medal upon completion of the challenge.

The Appalachian Trail Virtual Challenge runs south to north starting at Springer Mountain, Georgia and finishing at Mt Katahdin in Maine.  

a closer up view of the route

We each received a bib with the Team name on it and individual bib numbers.  

I signed up on the 9th so changed it to the 12th to represent the start day.

This is a photo of the start of the Appalachian Trail in Springer Mountain, Georgia.  This photo is from the Georgia Tourism website which provides official information about the trail.  This was my "virtual" start to today.....

.....and this was my "reality" start to the day!  

I arrived at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park just before sunrise.  

It was a cold and windy start.  

the sun beginning to peek out from behind the trees

view along the Tiger Lily Trail

Exiting Tiger Lily, I came out at the bottom by this frozen pond. The sun was now up and it was high enough to create the alpenglow on the higher hills.  This is why I love early mornings! 

a sweet sight

I left Tiger Lily and veered off onto Badger Bowl.  

As I hiked up the Bowl, it was now full on alpenglow, the peak of the golden hour.  

This is a 360 view from further along the Badger Bowl Trail.

When the ascending was complete, I had this view to the west.  

I zoomed in to capture the photo.

continuing further west

Instead of carrying on even further west, I retraced my steps to the intersection and descended to a main trail.  It was snack time so this was where I stopped to savour those snacks and the scenery.

as I head east, the Canada Geese head west

The wind picked up quite significantly as I was heading east.  I always try to appreciate the wind even if it is wild because that is what gives us the pretty cloud formations.  I worked my way to the bottom of Yodel and hiked along the tree-lined trail until I popped back out into the open.  

It was all up hill from here!

After completing the hike, I was excited to add my contribution of distance to our Team effort and to also see what my other Team members added to our daily total.  Our Team Captain created a spreadsheet showing what part of the world we are from and will fill in each of our contributions.  The updated spreadsheet will be shared with us on a daily basis as we attack The Appalachian Trail Virtual Challenge.