My apologies folks, its been 21 days and 263 miles since my last update was posted other than the “A Day in the Life” post in which I even started by mentioning all my free time for writing. It’s not necessarily that I haven’t had the time to write, it’s just easy to live in the moment until you’re too tired to write about the day. Writing this blog does take some time, and if I miss a day it usually leads to compounding dread like a late assignment you were supposed to turn in a week a go for 90% credit but didn’t and now you’re just ashamed and accept the zero.  With that being said, I’ve truly set aside large pieces of time in order to catch up on my stuff. So stay tuned!

Day 20 we Zero’d in Gatlinburg. The motel we stayed in was generously donated by my Grandma as a congratulations for making it passed mile 200! We left her a voicemail saying thank you as a Tribe, but I’m giving her another shout out from the group to say thank you again! Despite my Grandma donating the room, I gave up the bed to the ladies and the pampered Goalie by sleeping in the arm-chair/footstool. Europeans, apparently, are convinced air conditioning causes people to get sick, so despite the sweltering heat in the room we couldn’t do anything to change it.  My sleeping arrangement actually worked out in my favor as the gap between the arm chair and the foot rest allowed for the perfect airflow. As such, I ended up being the most comfortable person in the room that night! I slept like a baby, and even though the day started with waking up in a chair I felt really good. After some slow wake up time we went to resupply at the local Walgreens, which we learned is the 4th busiest Walgreens in the nation due to tourist traffic! With some Dunkin donuts and coffee in our systems we headed back to the room where I spent a majority of the day hanging out in the sun on the front porch writing my last blog post. It took us all some time to get good at the rhythm of hiking and camping each day, but we didn’t need any time to master the art of a Zero day. We probably made four trips to Walgreens for beer and snacks throughout the day, and spent a bit of time swimming around in the motel pool between snack breaks.  A few motel guests had the same idea of lounging in the sun off the balcony and we even got a few to act as judges in our hiker tan line competition. Naturally, with years of practice through my lawn business, I won 1st place for best farmers tan. Chip won 1st for most even tan. It’s up to you who really won that contest, but I’d like to think the ladies love a good forearm that’s six shades darker than the rest of my body. Later in the day we got word that another hiker, Chewie, who I’d met back at the Blue Mountain Shelter just before Hiawassee, had finally caught up with us and made it into town.  He joined us for some basking and beer drinking before running off to shower and prepare for dinner. Ten’s older brother Mitch arrived around 4:30 to visit and explore Gatlinburg with us too. The Tribe had met him and the rest of Ten’s awesome family for her 30th birthday back in Franklin while Funky Stuff and I charged ahead to miss the cold, so this was my first time meeting the giant teddy bear with a booming voice.  Once the whole crew was assembled, Mitch, Chewie, and all, we went to TGI Fridays for dinner. While this was hardly the legendary steak dinner described by hikers on their Zero days, this was a strategic decision as this location participates in the all you can eat apps for $10 deal. Needles to say they didn’t make a dollar off me. We invited Franky the Sleeper to dinner with our group as a thank you for all he does for hikers. During the dinner we learned that he’d given sodas and rides to 78 hikers, and had the goal of helping 100 hikers before heading back home. We talked about all the stories from his Thru Hike in 2015 and learned a few of the tips he had for the trail.  Apparently you can see Mt. Katahdin from over 200 miles away, and he showed us his pictures with his trail family on top of the first mountain you can see Katahdin from. I can’t quite remember the name of the mountain, but I figure we’ll probably hear about it again on our way north.  He told us it was the first time it really hit him that his journey had an actual ending to it, and how surreal seeing his destination was after months of hiking.  We hung out at the restaurant for at least two hours, during which I ate four plates of pot stickers, one plate of wings, one plate of BBQ chicken flatbread, finished half of someone’s spinach artichoke dip, and nibbled on some ribs and more wings. Just when I thought I couldn’t eat anymore, the waitress brought out two scoops of ice bream for Chewie’s 38th birthday.  With everyone else already full, and me being the designated eater, I ended up finishing the last scoop of ice cream and my tall blue moon before heading off to the Sugarland Moonshine distillery for a $5 tasting. I missed the chance to try the true blue smooth as water strong as gasoline bootleg moonshine in Hiawassee, but I did get to sample 12 different flavors of shine ranging from creamy coffee to PB & J. They only gave us thimble sized tastings, but after a few afternoon beers and dinner drinks some people felt it more than others. Naturally, when done with a moonshine tasting one must try the local brewery too, so we followed up the tasting by heading off to the Smoky Mountain Brewery for some more apps and beers.  While semi new to craft beers, my go to beer has been Saisons. The brewery had an excellent Saison and great panel of a dozen other beers all locally brewed. If you’re ever in Gatlinburg I recommend trying it out! After a few more hiking buddies arrived and some beer inspired rounds of Jameson pickle back shots, a few of the crew, including myself, ended up on the dance floor jamming out to some live music before we headed back to the hotel for water and sleep.  The mile walk back was a wild one. Plenty of singing and shenanigans ensued. Most impressive was the duet of You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling by The Righteous Brothers as performed by Mitch and Goalie. I’ll try to post the video I took if I can, it’s.. an experience to behold. We also passed by a 24 hour arcade, and, in accordance with the American experience, Mitch, Goalie, Chewie, and I hung out playing games there till 2:30 am. Once back at the motel, we went back to our rooms and passed out for a few hours before the Easter bunny arrived.

Day 21 began by waking up realizing not enough water followed the whiskey for most people.  I had a bed and AC this time and woke up feeling great for a second day in a row despite a few snorers in the room. I made the decision to drink a liter of tap water before bed which worked out in my favor. It’s funny how quickly I’ve been sensitized to bleh tap water in towns when compared to the mountain spring water I’ve survived off of for the last 20ish days. It’s just one of the things in towns that makes me miss the trail. So many folks get to towns and find themselves stuck because they love the luxury. I find myself enjoying it for a day or two before I yearn for the trail again. This is what separates the successful Thru Hikers from the rest. By Hot Springs, NC (Mile 273.4) they say 25 – 30% of hikers drop out because they find themselves drawn to the friends and family who visit or the town life after almost a month of pooping in holes and filtering every drop of water they use. I can’t blame them, towns are designed to be alluring to hikers, but I’ve found a certain serenity to pooping in a hole in the edge of a mountain cliff overview or drinking some of the freshest water the east coast has to offer. After packing my gear and dividing my food between bear can and bear bag (for extra snack storage) I headed off to the Walgreens one last time for stove fuel before meeting the Tribe at Flapjack’s Pancake House for a huge pancake breakfast and a ton of laughs. Not a traditional Easter, but a happy Easter none-the-less! Service in tourist and hiker towns always seems to be amazing. The staff are pleasant and have a little spunk when faced with the sass or wit of travelers. We made a game of designing cool stuff using the paper wraps which hold silverware together and had our waitress judge our creations. Despite being the butt of all the jokes after arriving late, my clip on bow tie, which uses a folded tab of paper to hang on the front of your shirt, won the challenge.  While it wasn’t technically a spoken victory, the waitress kept the bow tie and stapled it to her necklace to wear to work every day.  This indicated that I’m either the most creative or the best looking, but naturally I just assume both are true.  The breakfast itself was awesome, I ordered wild berry pancakes and requested some whipped cream for a few extra calories and was gifted the great wall O’ whip.  I really need to figure out this picture situation. Gatlinburg ended up being an amazing bonding experience. Booze always makes things silly or messy, but the time we spent together and the inside jokes we created really solidified a sense of unity in the group.  While I had previously expected to charge ahead of the group to make miles after a while, the time spent over the Zero really convinced me that it’s not just about the miles but the experiences I choose to allow for myself throughout those miles. When I think I should hike but people are going somewhere, sometimes its good to step back and think about what I’m really going to remember when I’m done or in 10 years from now.  Why hike 2,200 miles if I have no stories to remember those miles? Eventually we finished eating and headed back to pile into Mitch’s truck. Goalie, being BFFs with Mitch, decided to take time off the trail to explore the south with Mitch before continuing. He decided to meet us in Damascus in a few weeks, not worrying about the purist idea of hiking every mile. Hunkered down in the back of the truck with Chewie this time, we headed back to newfound Gap (Mile 206.8) to start our hike once again. This trip is actually where I finished and posted my last blog post! Once at the parking lot, we hugged Mitch and Goalie goodbye before marching on.  After a night of drinking, most people weren’t overwhelmingly excited about putting on big miles for the day. We’ve found the first day out of towns is typically the worst.  You’d think the rest would refresh the body, but instead it seems to make you sluggish. On top of having done nothing for a day and having a pack newly  refilled with several pounds of food, most towns and roads sit at the bottom of a valley.. meaning the first few miles go nowhere but up up up. Keeping with the theme of the tourist town we left, the parking lost we set off from was full of people who could smell us, even after showering, and yet were still curious enough to brave the haze and ask us questions or take pictures with us.  After three or four groups of tourists we hurried past a few more in order to finally start hiking again. If we stayed any longer we likely would have been swallowed up by questions and pictures. Despite the uphill battle, the terrain was pleasantly different from when we had climbed down from Clingmans dome. This was the first part of the trail where rocks and roots really made an effort to slow your roll. While both are omnipresent throughout the trail, this section had a comfortable amount which forced you to slow down and enjoy your walk. That is, if you’re a day hiker and aren’t carrying gear and a fresh restock. It wasn’t rock scrambling, just large stone steps and shelves which demanded careful attention to maneuver. Many close calls were had while distractedly talking and walking down the trail. At the Icewater Spring Shelter (Mile 209.8) we stopped for a snack and met a Trail Runner named Chloe.  Trail Runners are individuals paid by the park service to do just what their name implies. They maintain and regulate sections by checking permits, cleaning up trash, and maintain privies and shelters. After commenting about my envy she commented on the difference between her job and backpacking. Even beyond the trash and responsibilities, in a culture dominated by people wanting to leave the world behind, she represents “The Man”. Regardless of being really cool, she’s the bad guy in the eyes of many hikers. I’ve heard several stories of over bearing trail runners who over enforce policies and create tension between the park service and those aiming to enjoy the parks, but after talking to her and living as and amongst Thru Hikers its easy to see how frustrating it must be to try to enforce certain policies. Some people are disrespectful of the parks and shelters, thinking policies are set in place to control them rather than protect the environment because of how some authorities enforce those policies. For most, I think its largely due to a wombo combo of laziness and misinformation. If the clearly bad info coincides with someone’s lazy desire to not do extra work, and other people aren’t doing it, then why do it yourself? It can’t be THAT bad if that guy is doing it. What do Rangers know anyways? I’ve done this for years and it’s still fine! Besides, I’m just one person, so it’s not that bad! Burning trash and plastics is good for the trees! They eat the fumes! Why can’t I sleep with my food in these particularly bear infested woods? I can take a bear in a fight! Besides, I haven’t even seen one yet! Mind you, these are all arguments I actually listened to from at least a dozen Section and Thru Hikers over the 70+ miles of the Smoky Mountains. Chloe was respectful and seemed to enjoy her time with hikers, but one bad experience is all it takes to sensitize a hiker to their presence and sour their attitude.  I can also imagine a season of dealing with rude or ignorant hikers would quickly jade a Trail Runner, which is why it likely isn’t quite the job I would want going forward. Apparently, Ten had been in contact with her before starting in her attempt to gather intel and advice for her Thru Hike so we ended up talking for about a half hour, and I got the opportunity to pick her brain a bit about my previous thoughts regarding getting paid to backpack.  It would be cool for a while, but, again, I think the frustrating hikers would likely taint my love for backpacking. As we prepared to leave the shelter we caught word of the latest weather update: rain for the next 8 days straight now, no breaks. As we hiked to our destination, Pecks Corner Shelter (Mile 217.1), we watched the clouds gather and suffered the cold pre-rain winds.  We’ve been lucky and avoided the famously rainy weather everyone complains about in the Smokies, but the rain is also what gives the mountains their name, so we were ok with the foggy finish to come. The shelter was a half mile off the trail, and when we finally saw the sign we rejoiced as it was finally time to eat some of the weight we were huffing up and down mountains. Once we set up camp, we enjoyed another family dinner and called it quits before the rain to come.

Day 22 started drier than expected. I had anticipated a soggy tent to deal with in the morning while frantically packing in the rain, but we were lucky and got to have a pleasant breakfast before climbing the half mile back up to the trail.  We set off with the intention of pushing for Davenport Gap Shelter (Mile 236.7), a 20.1 mile day when including the half mile push out of camp.  The Davenport Gap Shelter is both the last shelter in the Smokies and the last shelter still covered by a chain link bear cage. I was curious as to why the shelters in the Smokies weren’t caged like I had read in all my books about hikers in the 2000’s, and upon talking to several people in the shelter that night I learned the reason why.  As a warning to my readers, if you’re allergic to stupid or have violent face palming reactions to stupid, please take this opportunity to consult your doctor, take a Benadryl, or cushion your face appropriately.  Cages were removed a few years back from all shelters but The Davenport Gap Shelter because authorities realized the increased bear activity in the area was the result of hikers feeding bears directly through the cages like some kind of backwards petting zoo. Yep. You can do everything in your power to save the planet and help or protect people, but in the end you can’t cure stupid.  I realize I’ve defended bad decisions in a previous post, namely as a result of not understanding another person’s perspective or life, but I, personally, consider Sweet Potatoe’s drug binge to have been more intelligent than whatever hiker decided it was a good idea to feed bears through a bear cage.  It reminds me of the famous story from the Shenandoah in which a mother lathered her toddler son’s hand in honey so a black bear wandering by would lick it off his hand. Unsurprisingly, Winnie had other plans.  If something seems like a bad idea, or there are precautions preventing you from doing something, it’s likely because it is, in fact, a terrible idea. Ok. Rant over.  Today was the day I took the most pictures yet. I’m trying to figure out how to best post them, but the word press app really doesn’t have a reasonable way of doing so regardless of WiFi quality.  I’m working on it folks, but I promise I’m taking loads of awesome pictures for you all to enjoy! While the rain didn’t start till we made it to the Tri-Corner Knob Shelter (Mile 221.9) around 10 am, the famous Smoky Mountain fog began rolling in shortly after our departure from camp. It was hard to get a good picture of the mist coming off the mountains because of the dense fog we were in, but the occasional views of the iconic scenery were breath-taking. Driving through the mountains likely provides better pictures than I could get while in the clouds, so I encourage a quick Google Image search to get a good sense of it.  The rain itself came and went, but the fog went on forever.  We got a few minutes of sun burning off the mist around lunch and about an hour when I ventured off to a fire tower, but it ended as quickly as it began.  Most of the days stories are best told by the photos I’ll try to post, but we had our rain gear half on and half off for ease of transition during the taunting rain which came in intense 15 minute spurts which started with little warning. When we made it to the Mt. Cammerer trail I separated from the Tribe for a bit as the fire tower sat on a cliff 0.6 miles off trail. While it wasn’t raining at the time, the oppressive fog and thunder in the distance deterred the rest of the group from making the extra push. Being stubborn and hiking for the views and experiences, I decided to make the trek for the potential views.  With rain looming, I ran the 0.6 miles to the tower and was rewarded with an incredible view of farm land, towns, and mountains of every shade of green for miles. While every previous view was full of mountains within 15 miles of the overlook itself, this view went on for well over 50 – 60 miles. The fire tower itself could have even been used as a shelter, and Funky Stuff did so upon my recommendation when he passed through a few days later. It was a quaint stone tower which didn’t need to loom high above the cliff on metal legs because the cliff’s view was unchallenged by trees or mountains. The fog stayed away for a good hour after my arrival and I made sure to fully appreciate the alone time with the view. It was the best thinking spot I’ve found on the trail yet, which let do a lot of pondering and plenty of revelations. I won’t post them all here, but taking time to consider my motivations for hiking the trail was the most beneficial piece of introspection I did on that cliff.  Too often we seek distractions in TV or our phones to avoid being bored, but taking even 15 minutes for self-reflection every once in a while can be a powerful tool in life.  It’s funny how some things can bother me for months, conundrums big or small, when a simple hour of dedicated thought can lead to the most profound and relevant thoughts which have the ability to change my perspective or even solve a stubborn mental dilemma.  Put down those phones and use your noodle, folks! Peace and quite are a beautiful and cheap way of finding balance in life. Say what you will about the intelligence of leaving the world behind for 6 months in order to be homeless, eat cheap food, and live in filth, but backpacking is the best thing I’ve ever done for my own happiness. I’ll write a separate post with more detail on my thoughts so i don’t drone on here (about this, at least), but if everyone has their thing then backpacking is mine and I couldn’t be happier with my decision to pursue this dream of mine, despite the challenges.  Living a simple life, that’s the secret to happiness. For me, at least.  After overstaying my intended time at the tower I began my journey towards the Davenport Gap Shelter. The steady downhill after my long break encouraged my pace, and I soon found myself testing the water and doing a little more trail running. After a quick stop for another awesome overlook where I tore a hole in the butt of my rain pants on a rock, I carried on with my jog down the mountain till I made it to the shelter. The reason the bear cage has survived at the Davenport Gap Shelter actually comes from the fact that there are no good tent pads or trees for hanging bear bags.  As such, everyone simply hangs their food on special anti-mice hooks and place backpacks on whatever wall pegs are available inside the bear cage. This is the first shelter I’ve stayed in during my Thru Hike, and while I’ve stayed in plenty of shelters during previous hikes, that was four years ago and there was little competition for space during those trips. Naturally, too busy eating to consider that most folks were getting in bed already, I ignored the fact that I never secured a spot with my sleeping pad and ended up worming my way between a generous Ten and another hiker with one of those super loud sleeping pads I mentioned in my “A Day in the Life” post. While I normally have a long nightly routine in my tent, I cut it short tonight for the sake of not keeping everyone else up.  Really, in hind sight, my attempts were pointless since half the shelter snored, others were sleeping on pads seemingly made of balloon rubber, and the person above me apparently found a way to make a sleeping bag out of extra crinkly grocery sacks.  To continue my luck, throughout the night that same person above my head also let loose the hell fury of whatever freeze-dried meal he’d eaten for dinner. I slept about 4 hours that night and spent the rest praying for the mercy of a quick death by flatulatory asphyxiation.

Day 23 couldn’t come fast enough. When people started waking up at 4:30 am I was tempted to make a break for it, but I managed to doze a bit before realizing those same people left the bear cage open.  While pondering whether or not a bear entering the shelter wouldn’t actually be an improvement, I simply watched the gate till someone else finally woke up and started getting ready. By 6:30 am I crawled out of bed as the rest of the shelter woke up and began my day with 8 packets of oatmeal. It was already raining drizzling outside, but there was enough space under the overhang that I was able to escape the inevitable sogginess for another hour while getting ready. Eventually I had to put my cold wet clothes back on, the worst thing the trail has thrown at me yet, and dawn my backpack once more for our hike to Standing Bear Hostel (Mile 240.3) where  we planned to pick up some packages and restock on snacks for the remaining two days before Hot Springs, NC. it was supposed to be a quick stop, but after hearing they had cold tall boy cans of Fat Tire and hot pizza we decided to hangout for a bit and talk with hikers and owners while avoiding the rain.  This was another awesome bonding time.  We spent plenty of time avoiding the rain in the communal kitchen shack during which a guitar was broken out and bad karaoke began. It kind of counted as karaoke, at least.  It was mostly mumbling followed by a strong chorus.  Over the course of the four hours we ended up spending there hiding from the rain and eating food, I proudly accomplished my first real Yogi. Yogiing? Yogi-ing? However you spell it, I hope you all immediately think back to the days of Yogi Bear and his endless attempts to snag the Pic-i-nic baskets.  Yogiing is the technical term in the hiking community for professionally inserting yourself into a situation for the sake of mooching extra food.  This is usually reserved for that family which brought too many burgers and hot dogs on their camping trip but never invited ou or offered you food, but it is, at its core, getting that picnic basket at whatever cost.. other than money, of course. Despite craving the pizzas everyone was buying, I resisted the expense. Instead I introduced myself to several newly pizza stuffed faces and chatted till their brains registered their filled stomachs and their interest waned enough for standard generosity to kick back in. “Hey, I’m full now, you want the last slice of my pizza?” “No no no, I couldn’t take your pizza from you, you bought it, you enjoy it.” “No man, really, I’m done. Do you want it?” “Yeah ok, why not. Thanks!” Rinse and repeat over six hikers, one of which even gave me three full slices, and I got me a full free pizza. A lot of it did come from their innate generosity, but I’m still quite proud of the full pizza I mooched without having to spend the money.  Now that I’m warmed up I’m quite excited for the camp grounds and boy scout troops which will be packed full of delicious “I’m only hiking for two days so weight doesn’t matter” foods. Full of pizza, beer, and extra snacks from Ten’s mom and dad, we eventually crawled our way back out into the rain to begin our uphill chug up and over snowbird mountain to the Groundhog Creek Shelter (Mile 247.2).  Happy to finally be at camp, we set up and began the process of drying our gear on trees and laundry lines while the rain was held at bay. We met and spoke with several section hikers out for a week with their dog Annie, a playful little terrier.  After another Ramen Bomb, my meal of choice, we headed off to bed, weary from the muddy terrain of the day.

Day 24 was the first day where we all started to get tired of being constantly wet during the day.  With Max Patch (Mile 253.6) coming up we were all bummed knowing we would be passing over the famous bald without any hope for views.  We ate a quick breakfast, I wrapped up my right ankle, packed up our completely soaked tents, and ventured off into the fog.  Every day my right ankle tends to flair up and the tendons get sore coming up through my right arch.  After buying some pre-wrap and athletic tape in Gatlinburg I started wrapping my foot to test if the extra support might allow for a few more comfortable miles.  Oddly enough, my ankle tends to start around 4:00 every day. I could hike 10 miles, or I could hike 22 miles, but its always around the same time every day.  I start my day brand new after my industrial foot massages from the night before, but the day tends to end with me waddling through camp.  Its not a bad pain indicating structural or long term damage, just an “its time to be done” pain. I’ve taken pride in my football grade ankle wraps over my time backpacking and usually tend to bring tape with me on trips for either myself or other hikers with trouble.  I didn’t do it at the start of the trip because I was nervous about the extra weight in my already overweight pack, but I’ve kept myself and many others hiking over the years with the handy skill I learned at school.  Being a little rusty, I wrapped my foot too tight and ended up having to take it off after less than a quarter mile, but a few more days of practice and I’ll be back in action.  Luckily the day was fairly flat after a small morning climb, and after marching through hours of fog and rain, we found ourselves blessed by the trail as we summited Max Patch to find the rain stopping and the sun shining through the clouds! We took full advantage of the opportunity to have a nice lunch in the sun.  Even better than working on those aforementioned farmers tans was getting the opportunity to dry out our tents in the sun.  My current method has been to use a small square of (supposedly) quick dry towel to wipe down my tent, but this method has slowed me down for hours in the morning as I only get two wipes per wring out.  This is the first thing I intend to fix in my gear.  With that in mind, having a warm breeze and gentle sun to dry it out for me was a huge morale boost.  Its much nicer setting up and crawling into a dry tent at the end of a long day when compared to the alternative option.  I chose to set up my tent and maximize my sun bathing, other chose more exciting methods like running back and forth with tent in tow, sailing it like a kite.  The hour and a half of sun was rejuvenating, but, as with all things in life, it too had to end eventually.  The bald had two tiers, each with amazing views which I took several panorama shots of.  It was easy to see for miles, which also allowed us to watch the rain storm blow back in over the mountains over the course of our break.  Bodies warmed, tents and rain gear dried, we suited back up and set off down the trail once more before the rain started up.  As long as there are sunny days once in a while, the rain has no power over my mission to keep on moving forward with my goal.  Max Patch is also where our newest semi-recruit Huggy Bear began his unavoidable bond with the Tribe.  He joined us for lunch, and later shared our eight person cabin in Hot Springs, NC.  While he might be semi intimidating at first sight with his large beard and sometimes stern expressions, Huggy Bear has been an amazing addition to our crew.  There’s something to be said for a group of hikers which attract a new amazing member every week, we really do have quite a group. There will be more examples of our stand up behavior along the trail, going the extra mile to thank Trail Angels with cards and notes, or with dinner like we did with Franky the Sleeper, but we’ll get to those down the line.  We’ve heard mention of other groups of varying size which have picked up bad reputations, and we’ve learned a lot from trail angels about how well word travels between the regular Trail Angels and Hostel owners on the trail.  It always pays to be kind and show respect for those around you; gotta love the Tribe! As we neared the end of our 14.5 mile day, we made it to Walnut Mountain Shelter (Mile 260.3).  Upon our arrival, still a little earlier than our normal quitting time, we found the tent pads full and the shelter buggy, so we decided to eat a quick snack before marching on towards a small camping site 1.4 miles further down the trail.  It was also to our benefit to push a little further. The shelter itself was only 13.1 miles from Hot Springs, NC, so every mile we marched today was another bit more time we would get to spend it town. With no intention of having a full zero in town, every moment with food, laundry and showers counts. As we neared the site, we were fortunate enough to have a break in the rain.  Regardless of the ceasefire from the sky, the thunder was always booming in the distance, reminding us of its ability to shut us down.  We set up in a small grassy field along the trail and started our dinners cooking while I ran 0.2 miles up the trail to a water source to filter a few liters for the group.  As I made my way back to camp the thunder started to pick up and the fog started creeping up the mountain, inspiring me to shove as much of my pasta into my mouth before running off to hang a bear bag line before the rain started.  As if kindly waiting for us to get our lines up, the skies opened up almost immediately after we finished, and in a matter of seconds a torrential down pour consumed the mountain. Panicking, we hoisted up our bags and sprinted to our tents like cockroaches when a light is turned on, calling it an early night at only 7:30.  After 45 minutes the rain let up, and I poked my head out of my tent to find a beautiful sunset.  Curious where a road running through our camp sent, and not quite tired, I decided to explore as everyone else got ready for bed.  I was rewarded with a hidden bald only 0.2 miles away from camp where I got the chance to watch the sun set.  I invited others after a quick jaunt back to camp, but everyone was either already asleep or already in their sleeping bags.  After enjoying the rest of the sunset in a peaceful solitude, I headed back to camp and called it a night.

Day 25 was a special day indeed for me.  I woke up early to watch the sunrise on the same bald before having my breakfast and packing up my wet tent.  There’s a noticeable difference between a hiker with a shelter and a hiker with a town in the near future.  After all the rain and cold we’ve endured, regardless of how often we find resupply or beer, a town only 13.1 miles away is a beautiful thing.  Charging down the trail at record pace, we rolled into Hot Springs around noon with a cabin already reserved thanks to Chip.  Hot Springs is a one pony kind of town, really consisting of a single main street and a few surrounding neighborhoods and farms.  With all the hubbub I heard on the trail, I had expected more from the town, but it was still a sight to behold.  The trail runs directly through the town, with custom AT paving stones leading the way in combination with the famous white blazes.  The town seems to primarily sustain itself off a Dollar General and a few restaurants, so my first mission was to buy as many snacks as possible from the Dollar General before heading off to take my shower and drop my gear at our cabin.  For the sake of allowing you to fully appreciate my appetite in Hot Springs, I’m going to skip ahead a bit and just write down a summary of everything I ate for the day. I proudly boast my 10,000 calorie day.  I could absolutely have had more nutrition in this list, but the fresh produce and organic section at the Dollar General was a little lacking.  For breakfast I started the day with one Big Texas Cinnamon Roll, and one Cheese Danish, each contributing 580 calories to my day. Solid start! On my hike to town I finished about 6 ounces of trail mix, containing approximately 600 calories per oz, and a 300 calorie (i think) Cliff Bar.  Once in town, I drank a standard bottle of coke, ate one pack of gummy worms and an extra large Slim Jim followed by a full 1.5 quart container of Neopolitan ice cream.  To keep the ball rolling, I drank a pint of chocolate milk, ate a bag of sour straws, and solo’d a family size bag of peanut M&Ms. The list is already impressive, reading it now I can feel my arteries and veins shuddering at the memory.  I’m not done yet though! For dinner, we went to the Smoky Mountain Tavern for a beer and the fabled AT Burger.  Frankly speaking, it was only a 12 ounce burger meat wise, which is still less than the Cheeburger pounder challenge I’ve done twice in past.  This burger, however, was also topped with 3 thick cut cheese slices, all the standard lettuce, tomato, pickle fixings, grilled onions, four strips of bacon, and a healthy slathering of southern style biscuit gravy.  I’m not talking the stuff you have at Thanksgiving with your turkey, I mean the kind that matches the consistency of mashed potatoes. All between two slices of Texas toast.  Any other day on the trail, this would have taken me 20 minutes tops. After all the other snacks, only excluding the M&Ms and Sour Straws at this point, I was intimidated at the point of ordering the burger.  There isn’t any time challenge which earns me a free burger with this AT burger, and its a good thing too. After 25 minutes I had made it through half my beer and 2/3rds of the burger.  This is about when I hit the wall.  The waitress said she’s only seen one other hiker finish the burger and it took them 3 hours, which I can’t help but think isn’t true considering some of the appetites I know, but it took me just over an hour to finally put down the rest of the burger.  Other than hating myself for that last 30 minutes of eating and the rest of the night, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would absolutely do it again.  Once I hit the wall I depended on moral support for the Tribe to keep what I’d eaten down.  “Come on Grant, you’re in Vermont right now! If you can finish that burger you can finish the trail!” Four bites and several pictures of me clearly suffering later. “Only two states left! Keep going!”  After the meal we went back to the cabin to relax for a bit where I immediately started eating the sour straws and M&Ms.  This is the day I earned the side title of Tapeworm.  Mixed into the day we dried our tents on the lawn and enjoyed a bit of sun between bursts of rain.  Once showered and laundered, we ventured off to the tavern for the burger. The night ended with a camp fire and s’mores and my bag of M&Ms before we all called it quits and headed to bed.  The day was really memorable, for me, because of the food, so the other details kinda blend together.  So far this has been the best example of hiker hunger I have to offer the folks back home.  Even as I write this, currently day 40 something, I haven’t managed to eat as much I did in Hot Springs.

I know I haven’t really made it through 7 days to make a full week, but I think 7,000 words is a good bit to chew on for a bit while I work on catching up with my writing.  Hopefully I didn’t add too much detail for a mere 6 days!

Summary:

So far even the rain hasn’t been able to slow my roll.  I’ve had a few grumpy days due to little things, usually not eating enough snacks throughout the day or hyper focusing on my sore ankle, but everything has been great despite the rain.  I’ve had a lot of thinking time during my solo sections, a lot of which is coming up in some of the future posts, and its been healthy taking the time to think about things.  I’m not necessarily having huge life changing revelations, but I definitely think good thoughts I should have thunk long ago.  The peace and quiet of the woods is incredibly refreshing.  Hearing cars drive by in camp grounds or the constant noise in towns is something you can really only appreciate when you experience the total silence of a mountain at night.  Its strange to think about how rare genuine silence is, its kind of eery sometimes because its something I’ve rarely experienced before this trail.  One of my favorite experiences so far has been standing on a bald at night completely consumed in mist. No wind, no bugs or bird, no cars or people, and only 5 feet of visibility when using a headlamp.  It was almost like being in a sensory deprivation tank, but without floating.  I’m excited to write more for you all to read, honestly, I love hearing your feed back.  I have to be strong going forward, its all just a matter of will power when writing at night.  Physically, I’m feeling good. I’ve really hit my stride and even my ankles have gotten stronger to the point where my feet don’t really hurt at the end of the day. I’ve had to do a little repair work on my shoes after 469 miles, but I think I can get another 100 miles, at least, out of them with a little more duct tape.

I’ve had a few questions about wild life interactions in my posts, and I’m happy to say that bugs haven’t really come out yet.  There are biting gnats in some of the shelters where water pools or grassy areas prevail, but so far I haven’t seen any ticks or mosquitoes despite the warm winter.  I have, however, seen a ton of salamanders.  The 5 year old in me has been giddy in Tennessee which boasts the most diverse salamander population in the US (or so I’ve heard). I’ve done well taking pictures of a lot of the little critters I see on a regular basis, and I’ll make sure to post those.  I’ve seen a Water Snake while filtering in a river recently, a four foot Black Rat Snake on the side of the trail, and a Garter (Garden?) Snake on the trail.  The Garter Snake spooked me a bit because I looked down just in time to see a mystery snake slither right between my feet.  There was a pretty manly GAH combined with a four foot leap forward when that one snuck up on me.  Other than that I’ve had a few owl sightings, though I hear them arguing all the time. I’ve seen TONS of mice, usually in or around shelters, and even had a few nibbling on acorns inches away from my head in a shelter I’ll talk about later. We’ve seen a few deer and a couple rabbits, but I don’t really have any personal stories with them.  I did hear about a group of six or seven hikers who posted up in a shelter one night only to have a four foot black rat snack fall out of the rafters onto their sleeping bags. Needless to say the whole shelter erupted in screams of terror as a black snake was thrown back and forth between people in the dark. Black Rat Snakes are a hiker’s best friend because they keep the mouse populations down and are harmless to people, but tell that to the people who couldn’t even see the snake they were passing back and forth in the dark like a hot potato after being half asleep only a moment earlier.   I’m pretty sure most people hiked out of that site that night because they couldn’t sleep after the adrenaline rush. I’ll keep my ears open, there are always awesome stories out there. Till next time!

 

With all the rain that’s trapped us in our tents over the last week I’ve had a lot more time to write. With that, I should have a few more updates and information posts coming. I’ll do my best to keep them coming, but I’m just having so much fun digging cat holes and cursing at those stupid stealthy rocks that trip me up. Now that I’ve found a good rhythm to my hiking, I think it’s time for a day in the life!

Wake Up

Most days on the trail begin around 6:45 am. I set my alarm each morning because I know I’ll sleep till 8 – 10 am if I don’t, and I’m usually the slow poke outta camp. Waking up with an extra 15 minutes before others has become a nice little ritual; I try to grab bear bags off the bear cables (I’ll get to those) for the Tribe and start my hot water for coffee and oatmeal while the world is still for a few more minutes. This is also my chance to walk around camp naked, which has proved vital for my mental state. It’s easy to tell when other hikers wake up because of the distinct sound of sil nylon, some unreasonably loud sleeping pads (seriously, imagine rubbing two balloons together every time you move), and the always famous zipper sounds.  At night these noises are the bane of sleep, cursed by all those condemned to crowded shelters or packed tent sites. In the morning, this early warning system has proved key in protecting other hiker’s mental state during my morning spread. On days without the alarm, usually because I forget due to exhaustion, those same sounds are the standard alarm clock that start the whole camp moving.  There are always early risers, but they generally stay to themselves when camping to keep from waking others in the wee hours.  No matter what you do or who you are, there is no real stealth when packing your gear, but effort is always noticed and appreciated by the hiking community. Ps. My nakedness is usually caused by changing out of my sleep clothes into my day clothes, I don’t just get naked for fun. That would be weird..

Once the camp is stirring, the fun begins.  Several groggy, but cheery, good mornings start the camp conversation of how many times someone woke up, who slept like a baby for once, and who had to pee how many times in the middle of the night.  This is always followed immediately by the conversation about not wanting to get out of the sleeping bag. Some things never change, even in the woods.  I start my noisey part of the day by rolling up my sleeping bag and gathering my gear up from around my tent.  My chargers and electronics stay by my head in a dry sack, knee brace (and shoes on rainy days) down by my feet, and pack off to the side.  My sunglasses hang from a hook to keep from being crushed, and my hat dries, from either sweat or rain, on the same hook. I usually hang my daytime underwear in my vestibule (the part of my tent that’s under cover, but not inside the bug netting) to dry and air out, and leave my stove, water bottles, and camp shoes off to the side in the vestibule as well. I’ll do a little video tour of the inside of my tent one of these days.

Breakfast

My stove set up, something I’ll do a video on later as well, is a combination of a wood based and alcohol based stoves. On rainy or lazy days with little dry wood or motivation, I use the alcohol stove, burning 91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol as fuel, to boil my water for meals.  I try getting fancy with my cooking, sometimes I’m even successful, but I’ll save that for another post when I’m a little more consistent and not a contender for world’s worst chef or boldest stomach. Cooking is definitely a creative outlet out here, some are better than others. I digress.

In the beginning I started my day with a reasonable two, maybe three instant oatmeal packets. Now that the hiker hunger has set in, I typically range anywhere from four, when rationing, to eight, when trying to cut weight and/or splurging because I’m beautiful and deserve it, packets of instant oats.  Some reasonable people would say, “Grant! That’s almost a full box of oatmeal packets per morning!”, and those people would be correct.  I should probably find a better system, but how can anyone who’s tried fruit and cream instant oatmeal possibly argue with my addiction? I don’t have a problem for loving them, you have a problem for not loving them enough.  If they made it in bulk I’d buy it, alas, here I sit with my 4 – 8 packets.  I’ve discovered instant oats are also the best way to avoid dishes because you can pour the water straight into the packets.  For coffee I combine a packet of instant coffee, at least one Swiss Miss hot chocolate packet, and a tablespoon or two of butter, then dump the rest of my hot water into my camp mug. If I have instant breakfast packets I’ll add that to the mix as well. This is my favorite part of breakfast.  Calories are the name of the game out here folks, and fats have the highest value with 9 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates or protien. Butter is typically good out of the fridge for at least 4 to 6 days, so I’ve started the habit of adding it to my coffee in camp and town, and all my pastas along with olive oil which has a whopping 120 calories per tablespoon! Pure gold.

Once I’ve scarfed down breakfast, which, since I eat significantly more than most other hikers, takes me a lot longer than the rest of the Tribe (also why I wake up early), I finish tossing all my gear into its standard configuration in my bag and pack up my tent.  If I haven’t gotten water already in order to cook breakfast, I’ll head to the closest water supply and filter a liter of water to start out my day on the trail.

Hiking!

I walk. The end.

In all seriousness, this pretty much sums up the majority of my day.  I walk alone a lot due to my pace or late departure, but I frequently walk n’ talk with folks from the Tribe. I share plenty of views and tough climbs with fellow wanderers I meet along the way, and our meetings are always joined with good humor and bright spirits in spite of the challenge we face together. It’s an incredibly welcoming team community out here since we’re all just people on the same big journey.  If you ever need anything, have any questions or doubts, or even just want to join a random group and chat, you’ll rarely find a problem with that. There are some strange folks out there, and as long as you can tell which information you hear is reasonable and which isn’t, those folks are harmless.  I’m asked all the time if I ever feel as though I’m in danger or if I carry protection, and to those still wondering or waiting for a report: nope. I carry an oversized knife for emergencies and because it makes me feel manly, but it’s almost exclusively for cheese and summer sausage at this point. I did use it for fire wood one time, and I’m proud of that.  As a healthy young male, I do, however, have a different standard of sketchy than others.  The two women I hike with, Ten and Chip, have felt uncomfortable around some people, really just one nice but creepy guy in particular, but they usually just leave the situation and rejoin the group.  We keep everyone as aware of trouble as we can, and with proper communication and a little common sense there isn’t any issue. If a real situation appears it’s simple enough to just hike on to the next site. 

We meet up as a Tribe for lunch at predetermined spots, and though we leave as we ready up, we normally end each day hiking together as we get into camp. Lunch varies each day and each week depending on the variety at restock spots or how much we’ve snacked.  Nutella and peanut butter spread on a tortilla is a personal favorite, but other times I wrap cheese, hot sauce, and summer sausage or pepperoni in a tortilla. Trail mix, fruit snacks, and granola bars also pass as lunch, usually on the days before town after we’ve eaten all our better/heavier foods. Other than lunch, the day is only broken up by pee breaks, digging cat holes (which we’ve started to just refer to as “hanging the bear bag”), and the amazing and ever important snack breaks which are typically accompanied by awesome views. Other than that, it’s just one foot in front of the other!

Setting Up Camp

The immediate response to setting up camp typically depends on the mileage and weather of the day. On sunny days we collapse at our claimed tent spots and either take a moment to contemplate how much our bodies, namely our feet, hate us, or setting up our tents. If weather is iffy, the tent is always the immediate starting point so we at least have some cover.  Once set up, we unpack our gear into our tents, then set off for water. If the day was particularly rugged, I’ll begin with a foot and leg massage before doing anything else, but that’s just me. I like to take the time to thank my body for what I put it through each day.  Dinner is also a huge motivating factor through the last 3 – 5 miles each day, so if we’re out of water we quickly filter some and start our dinner prep.  This is my favorite part of each day and also why trail families are a beautiful thing.  Plopping down to make dinner and share jokes, bear bag hanging experiences (these conversations make up about half of our dinner talk, even with strangers. It’s surprisingly normal to discuss poops), and stories from the day with a bunch of fellow dorks and goobers is why people are able to make it through the trail.

Pasta and rice are the go to meals for a lot of hikers.  Some adventurous folks bring fruits and veggies to the picnic table, but jokes on them since they have to pack out the peels and less desirable bits.  Most people bring out Pasta Sides, a brand of quick meal pastas which come in an exciting variety of flavors. Those flavors are never in the towns we visit, but they do exist, I hear. One generally sees Alfredo, Broccoli Cheddar, or Chicken Fettuccine. Once bored with those, mac n’ cheese or instant mashed potatoes are a good carb loading substitute. The hungry ones go for Ramen Bombs, a package of Ramen in a package of instant potatoes. Mind you the potatoes are usually portioned for a family of four, but I’ll be darned if they’re not delicious and super filling. So far I’ve done one Ramen Bomb. My one mistake was not adding enough water to the potatoes, or not stirring it enough; either way, it was a touch powdery. Still a solid 8 on the tastey scale I just invented. I’ll try to offer my rating for each meal I try as I go. Once food has been consumed the dishes are done, teeth get brushed, pees get peed, and all food or food smelling items are gathered into bear bags. These get hung in a tree when not at at shelter, or on cables set up by the volunteer groups which maintain the trail when at shelters in certain sections. Bear bags are pretty much any bag which can hold food. They aren’t (all) bear resistent, usually people just use dry sacks or even grocery bags which they tie or clip on to the rope and hoist up out of reach. I, personally, use good ole Darryl the Bearrel, my 2 lb 9 oz bear canister/instant bench/pain in the ass. It’s nice because I don’t have to hang a bag at night, I just lock it up and move it out of camp and away from a hill a bear would roll it down. It’s not noisy, and when I inevitably forget my toothpaste in my pocket I can just drop it in the can rather than take down my bear bag and wake up the whole camp. My only complaint comes from its incompatibility with my backpack. Due to the nature of my near frameless pack, it tends to push into my back while walking if I’m not careful while packing. It’s a tedious ordeal when doing it everyday, and it’s limited capacity usually means I hang a bear bag with my extra food for the first day or two out of town because I eat unreasonable portions. That last part is exclusive to me and my stomach, but it does play into a day in the life.
Once all that gets done, all that’s left are a second round of massages followed by stretches, changing into my sleep clothes, journaling, and Z’s! Rinse and repeat with new terrain, interesting people, and occasional unexpected events.

I hope you enjoyed a day in the life of a hiker, we certainly love it out here! If you have any other questions or subjects you would like a detailed post about just let me know! 

I’ve made it to Gatlinburg, TN at mile 206.8! Official countdown: 1,983.5 miles to go! The best part about that number is despite not really changing much it FEELS like it’s changed a lot with less than 2000 miles to go now. If we do what we’ve done 10ish more times we’ll be at the top of Katahdin! Cake.

Day 13 was a good day. Funky Stuff and I parted ways with Huggables and Yeti (Tyler and Emily) as they had to make an emergency run to a local Walmart to replace their new phone after its screen died. They’ll be meeting some friends on the trail soon and will have to catch up later, so it’ll be a little while till I see those wonderful folks again. According to trail gossip, the First Baptist Church of Franklin hosts a hiker breakfast of bacon, pancakes, and eggs every morning for a few weeks each year as part of their service to the community. Hikers and towns folk gather at 7 am for an awesome meal and cheerful conversation, reinforcing that even though we’re odd and smell terrible, we’re actually people sometimes. That’s how it’s supposed to go, at least. Funky and I are terrible at mornings, so according to another sign in town we showed up at 11:50 for their 12:00 hiker lunch. Naturally, we ended up walking in, packs and all, during the tail end of the 11 am service. Quickly realizing our mistake and attempting to minimize the damage, we started to back out but were excitedly welcomed in by the congregation. They invited us to have a seat and listen to a bit of the word of God before the star of our day, good ole’ Ernie, took the stage to talk about his rebirth through Christ and the profound effect it had on his life.  This man is amazing. Now, I’ll preface this by saying I’m not a particularly religious person, but while walking to the front door 10 minutes earlier we passed a car with a sticker on the dash that said, “Be Kind and Love One Another”. That’s the kind of message I can get behind. We found out later, as he drove us back to trail, the car and sticker belonged to Ernie.  After the service ended many of the people wanted to talk to us about our hike and the experiences we had. We chatted with a few, but spent the majority of our morning talking to Ernie about his life and the challenges he faced. Shunned by his own family and friends due to his gambling problem, he only found more trouble by getting involved with the mafia and spending a few years in jail after stealing thousands from them and others.  After serving his time, he quickly wound up back where he started at the horse tracks, but this time he found the strength within himself to walk away. He turned to God and was born again despite his Catholic upbringing, and through his experience he turned himself around and sought forgiveness from his family and community. He even faced the mob he stole from to repent for his crimes, knowing well the consequences could be his own death. When asked, he explained his rebirth and asked for forgiveness. Much to his own surprise, he received it. Since that day he’s lived through the word of God, saving those he felt he was meant to without ending up like that overbearing guy on the corner who yells that we’re all going to Hell. We learned about his experience over pancakes and bacon (for lunch) and he taught us about God and our simple path to salvation.  This experience was one of the things I craved when I set out on this journey.  Meeting people with a simple, yet life changing passion who live only to share with those willing and open. It’s incredibly refreshing compared to everyday life where people with more money and stuff force their thoughts and opinions on us as if it’s the only way to live; usually for their own sake and not ours.  While the lessons I took from Ernie weren’t entirely holy in nature, they’ve proved to be great food for thought over the many miles.  After plenty of discussion and funny stories from back in the day, Ernie waved good bye and offered Funky and I his blessings as we marched off into the mountains. Being 1:40 we negotiated our intended distance for the day. With daylight lasting till 7:30 pm now we had plenty of time to push on 10 miles or so to catch up with the Tribe. Instead, we wound up on top of Silers Bald Summit (mile 114.1) only 4ish miles into the day because of its incredible 320 degree view above all surrounding mountains. We knew it was too early to call it, but we’re here to see some awesome places and not worry about the miles, right? We have plenty of time till Maine, and I’d hate to regret not seeing enough stuff.  I’d also bought significantly too much food (or so I thought) and the bear canister I’m carrying started pushing into my back which caused my right shoulder blade to go numb. All these factors led us to an amazing sunset, an almost starry night (the moon was too bright), and a gorgeous sunrise in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  After a big fire with some section hikers, we called it a night.

Day 14 we woke up at 6:45 am to catch the sunrise. It was a great way to start the day. After a leisurely breakfast we started down the mountain with a goal of 17 miles in mind.  I found my groove quite quickly, chugging through the mountains at a strong 3.5 mph pace.  A comfortable walk usually ends up around 1.5 – 2 mph, so even though it seems slow, and despite some leftover snowy areas, I worked up a good sweat. After making it to the first major land mark, a partially burnt down stone tower (the wooden roof was burnt down in a recent forest fire) on Wayah Bald (mile 119.6), I hung out and ate till Funky caught up. After lunch, we gladly dumped all our trash in the nearby bear proof trashcan and launched back down the mountain. We hiked separate for the rest of the day, getting some good solo time after 2.5 days of being in a hotel room.  I made it to Wesser Bald Shelter  (mile 131.1) around 6:30 pm then joined some other hikers for a quick jaunt back up to another fire tower to watch the sunset. Funky Stuff was waiting there with the same idea, and after it got dark we headed back to the shelter to eat all the s’mores I’d been carrying in order to cut some weight out of my pack.  The shelter and surrounding area were full of tents and people, a record (for me) of 43 people staying the night. This is a perfect example of a “bubble”. As such, I found myself sleeping on another slope with Funky barely squeezing his sleeping pad and tarp on the “flat” next to me. As he set up his site we discussed the plan for the next day and realized Funky had a package arriving in the next town, Fontana Dam, NC, only 34 miles ahead. With three days till delivery, we decided to part ways since he’d have to slow down to 11ish mile days till the package arrived.  Itching to finally have an all out day I decided to set my alarm for 6:30 am to make the big push to catch up with the Tribe 10 miles, most of a full day of hiking, ahead.

Day 15 I woke up ready and rearin’. I packed up my tent and gear while most of the camp slept, planning to eat breakfast somewhere ahead so I could beat the huge group of people about to charge their way to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) only 8 miles down the trail.  The terrain was rigorous, with large rocky steps down the steep descent which never seemed to end. My feet hurt by the time I made it down to the NOC. Eager to eat I stopped in the restaurant for two cups of coffee and an awesome breakfast burrito, then went to the rec center to print out my Thru Hiker’s permit for The Great Smoky Mountains National Park which runs the NC/TN border for 70.5 miles. After a quick look around, I crossed the bridge over the rafting river and began the never ending 3,300 foot climb over 8 more miles towards the Tribe. Much to my own surprise, I found them leaving the Sassafras Gap Shelter (mile 143.7) as I arrived. Ragged from the climb, which I was informed wasn’t actually over yet, I plopped down next to an old hiker name poke man (nothing to do with Pokémon), named because he’s a slow poke. We chatted about the Pacific Crest Trail, 2,700 miles from Mexico to Canada along the West Coast, and the bulk water carry he was training for. A muti-day portion of the PCT through the desert requires upwards of 25 liters of water with no water sources. One liter of water weighs 2.2 lbs, so on top of all your gear you have to carry over 50 lbs of water! We also discussed some quirks about the Continental Divide Trail, 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada through the Rockies, and the required group permits for certain sections due to Grizzly Bear populations. If a person does all three trails, AT, PCT, and CDT, it’s known as the Triple Crown. New dream? Maybe! I keep thinking as I hike, how can I get paid to do this for the rest of my life? Sponsors? National Park Service? State Park Service? Alas, I’m only 200 miles in; slow your roll, Grant, slow your roll.  After lunch, I continued my climb to Cheoah Bald (mile 144.9), then began my trip back down the mountain towards the Brown Fork Shelter (mile 152.8) where I would end my 22 mile day and meet the Tribe. At the bottom of the last mountain I found the Tribe waiting with a fresh banana from a trail angel who had just left. That banana was, to me, as the ring was to Golem in Lord of the Rings. Recharged, I finished the day and found a cool shelter with more sloped tent pads waiting. Exhausted from the dumbest 22 mile day I could have chosen (who likes flat easy miles?), I chose my site and enjoyed my evening with the Tribe I had worked so hard to catch. Awesome group, absolutely worth the crazy antics. I’ll be hiking with them for a while yet, I think.

Day 16 we hiked from Brown Fork Shelter (mile 152.8) to the Fontana Dam Lodge (mile 164.4). A 12 mile day was more than welcome after the rigorous day before, let alone the satisfying shower and refreshing beer waiting at the lodge. Despite the expensive prices at the general store, we stocked up and prepared for the Smoky Mountains the next day. This was another learning moment for me, though it didn’t click till day 18. We’ll get to that in a bit. After some shower laundry (which never stopped rinsing brown) we lounged in the sun with beer and snacks. Another moment to live for. Nothing like kickin’ back on beautiful sunny day with a beer and good people. Goalie, a German hockey goalie, and Free Man, an older Swiss man who speaks almost no English yet bravely came to hike the hike, are two other folks who have melded into the Tribe. It’s become a fun game teaching Goalie the cultural norms of Americanized English. How do you explain the difference and interchangeability between probably, maybe, and perhaps? They’re different, yet the same. Probably is more than 80% likely? Maybe is 50%? Perhaps is circumstantial or less than 50%? Comment what you think!  Later that night we went to the grill at the lodge and devoured burgers and pizza. We also met another hiker known as Sweet Potato. He seemed like a cool guy, but we later learned he’d been at the lodge for 3 days either drunk, high, tripping, or a combination of all three. He usually ended up in someone’s care, but it was quite the experience getting him under control during dinner (he was doing all three that night).  After a series of ridiculous events he walked out on his tab and our ever generous Gourmet, who had spent a long time talking to him, covered the cost.  Sweet Potatoe ended up wandering off that night, leaving all his gear and beer sprawled over the porch of the restaurant. He came back for it the next day before making camp to recoup from his night. Learning that Gourmet had covered the cost I quickly became frustrated. How can someone impose on others like that? How can someone put that behavior out there to a generous and accepting community, then attach themselves to a group and give them (all Thru Hikers) a name like that by association? While his circumstance doesn’t necessarily justify his behavior, it wasn’t till later that I learned of the rocky road by a steep cliff that was his life.  His first attempt on his life occurred at the age of 9, and it’s been a roller coaster ever since. His journey on the trail has become a mission to regain control and find meaning, something many hikers relate to when they set off on this odyssey.  It’s easy to assume we understand someone’s motives or mistakes and get frustrated by comparison to what choices we think we would have made in their shoes; just think about the last road rage moment you had, then think of the last time you made a stupid or selfish driving move. What’s the difference?  I consider myself well above average when it comes to empathy, but this was an exceptional example of how much I still have to learn and grow, as well as how I can keep learning to Be Kind and Love One Another. A little faith, either religiously or personally motivated, can change even the most far gone person. Be the bumper sticker and be the change you want to see in the world. Thanks again, Ernie.

Day 17 we woke up early and lazed about till we got the hungry hiker breakfast. All the classics: eggs, hash browns, bacon, toast, you name it! Once it was time to check out I found myself scrambling to pack up and ration my food, then sprint down the hill where we all gathered for the shuttle back to the trail. A quick $3 ride later and we were hiking towards the Fontana Dam Shelter (mile 165.5), also known as the Fontana Hilton by the hiker community. With room for 25 people, phone chargers, a pre-filtered water pump, and hot showers, it’s truly a hiker’s dream.  Many hikers celebrate the free luxury and gather in mass. Upon our arrival, word was over 50 people had stayed there the night before! Gah! I came out here to avoid the crowds! I’m glad people are communing with nature and enjoying the trail, but that shelter is Dam popular! After checking out the shelter I went to check my map, which never leaves it’s spot.. until now. Mind you, I keep my maps, sentimentals, and my Smoky mountain permits all in the same bag. It’s an important bag. For those of you in my life who have had the absolute pleasure of knowing me, this is a super Grant move. For those who don’t, now you know. Me forgetting vital things then panicking and flying by the seat of my pants to find them and sort things out is a natural byproduct of my inability to plan and my lax organization. I can hear my parents and friends facepalm or sigh and say, “yep, called it” from here. Needless to say, I had to run back the mile we just hiked with my pack to beat housekeeping to our room. Upon making it to the shuttle, and here comes the next facepalm, I hopped in and was driven to the shelter I had just run from to pick up other hikers on our way back to the lodge. In my defense, I called the lodge and talked to people before running and NOT ONE mentioned that shuttle stop to me. At least I didn’t have to hike back to the shelter from the lot again!  When I got back to the room my heart sank as it had just been cleaned, but nobody was around to ask about my maps. I rummaged through three bags of trash before breaking into a complete profanity-mumbling frenzy around the already cleaned room. This is the exact reason why I always do a double take when I set down for water, a snack, or stay in a hotel. Due to my scramble earlier in the day I forgot my golden rule. I decided to look around the maid cart a little more since I could only wait for the maids to return and I was rewarded with a bag tucked behind some towels. A cry of joy and relief sounded when I confirmed it was mine. This was quickly followed by dread when I realized I had also kept all my journals in that bag too. Everything was there, this was my equivalent of dodging a bullet matrix style. I rushed back to the kind shuttle guy who had put off his lunch break to wait and help me out, then made my way to the shelter where I headed for the smokies (Now you understand the random text, Camille!).  The Tribe had continued on towards Mollies Ridge Shelter (mile 177) and after some solid solo chugging I met up with them and made camp for the night.

Day 18 we set off on an 18 mile day. Due to bear populations in the smokies hikers are required to camp in or near shelters, so when planning out a day you’re limited to those sites. Our original goal was a shelter 12 miles ahead, but with a little coaxing towards a longer day I was able to sell breakfast the next day with a sunrise from Clingmans Dome Tower, the tallest mountain/point on the whole Appalachian Trail.  Excited for a sweet view we started our now 18 mile hike over a relatively easy terrain day.  I hiked on my own for a good portion of the day, stopping to soak in the views from a few mountain tops. My favorite surprise from the smokies has to be the miles of wild flowers we’ve walked through. I wish my camera could do them justice, my week 1 post includes a picture of a small white flower with purple pin stripes, now imagine thousands of those spread throughout miles of mountain forest landscape. I held my bladder for miles because I didn’t have the heart to pee on them! This landscape was another item checked off the list of things I dreamed of seeing on the trail, but I expected it in the hills and fields of Virginia, not the mountain tops of the smokies! An amazing treat that’s still going through the whole 70.5 miles of the National Park. We met up for lunch at Derrick Knob Shelter (mile 189), this is where that learning moment from day 16 clicked for me. Just as I thought I bought too much food from Franklin, I bought too little and the wrong kind of food from Fontana. Today I learned about the REAL struggle behind the hiker hunger. What I thought I knew was just a drop in the ocean, and my current fear is that this is too.  I hypothesize my mistake was made when I tried to save money by buying pop tarts instead of granola/protien bars. I’ve been craving them because of their popularity on the trail, and with a $3 box of 4 packs of pop tarts compared to the huge $1.70 mark up per granola bar my choice was clear. I knew going into the pop tarts how void of anything but calories they are, and when I hit lunch on day 18 it became clear what that’s really worth on the trail. Building up to the lunch shelter I got anxious about getting to the end of the day so I could make dinner. I was blowing by places I might have otherwise stopped at and practically falling over things trying to pick up the pace. I was desperate for food, but didn’t really know it. I wasn’t hungry, but I needed food immediately.  This is a hunger I’ve never experienced. It was like being that chubby kid from Willy Wonka when he finally gets to the room that’s entirely edible, or the starving kid brought into a palace and presented endless decadent food and told go for it. When I finally sat down, I destroyed my last pouch of pop tarts, a whole 12 oz brick of cheese, and a 9 oz summer sausage which I sliced up into tortillas. With the beast finally tamed my whole world returned to normal. That was when everything clicked. Realizing how much my hike and mental state had changed due to my body’s calorie crave put my diet into perspective. Whatever food I carry, I will eat it. However much food I think I’ll want while normal, it’s not enough. From this day forward food doesn’t fall into the category of saving weight, and snacks are just as important as meals. After lunch we hiked on, enjoying the scenery and flowers till we finally made it to Silers Bald Shelter (mile 194.7) only 4.6 miles from the top of Clingman’s Dome.  After setting up for the night, I promised to wake up a bit early and make coffee for everyone before our alpine hike to the summit of Clingmans Dome, then we goofed off with other hikers till it was time for bed.

Day 19 I woke up at 4:30 to prepare as much coffee as possible before other folks began to stir.  We packed up our gear and gathered at the trail where an unexpected 2 out of 9 people had coffee. Most decided it was a bad idea before the pace we needed, which left me with lots of hot water. So four cups of coffee and one to-go mug later I was zooming down the trail with my head lamp lighting the way.  About a mile in I came to a rock with a few white blazes and some confusing arrows. Tribe already ahead and mind buzzing I picked the direction that seemed to make the most sense and resumed my march. Another mile in I started to worry. Where are the white blazes?! Do I keep hiking in a possible wrong direction? I’m gonna miss sunrise! Then a blaze appeared like an answer to a prayer. Ask and the trail shall provide! A quarter mile later I caught up to the Tribe, all marching in a line with lead lamps glowing.  We hiked through some cool forest from what I could tell, I almost wished I had waited to see it all in the daylight. Unfortunately, we misjudged the time of sunrise by about 20 minutes, but on the bright side I got to see the cool terrain! A bit later a huge concrete tower with a spiral ramp and round platform cut through the trees to let us know we’d finally arrived.  We dawned our wind breakers and warm gear and headed up to the top for breakfast and tons of pictures.  I managed to get a good panorama shot, but I encourage you all to drive to the parking lot at the base of the tower so you can see the real deal someday. Mountains for days.  The tower sits at 6,600 feet above sea level, so it was 23 degrees colder with a good bit of wind. In spite of this we spent an hour at the top eating and chatting with tourists about Gatlinburg. I had my first experience with instant grits on top of the tower too. Hubba Hubba bought grits thinking they were oatmeal and quickly learned to never make that mistake again. Going back to the hiker hunger section above, I traded him five oatmeal packets for his five grits thinking about how everything tastes good to me now. Even with the hiker hunger, I can’t say I would choose to condemn myself to that experience a second time. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t terrible, and I ate most of the packets, but if I’m describing them as “not that terrible” while in starvation mode I don’t know that I want to try them with normal standards. Once we were thoroughly filled and chilled we walked back down to prepare for our 8 mile movement down the mountain towards the Newfound Gap parking lot (mile 206.4). The tower itself was at mile 199.6, so a short time into our march we came across a bunch of sticks arranged into a big 200. 200 miles down, baby! The hike down the mountain was a gorgeous one, but not for the views. The change of terrain was something unlike anything we’ve seen so far, moss and old growth everywhere! Movies about magical far away lands could absolutely be filmed here. Goalie, suffering from some serious chafing, ended up hitching to town early to make hotel reservations for the night.  With four miles to go we broke out the trail games, namely Contact! (Thank you UD Outing Club for that one). The miles rolled by and we eventually found ourselves in the middle of an enormous parking lot full of cars and tourists. Coping with the sudden change of environment we sought out a few friends and lined up for pictures on the NC/TN border sign. We’ve been bouncing back and forth for days, but it’s not real till we have a sign picture!  While talking to tourists about our journey and inspirations Hubba Hubba asked me if I had anymore water, which I had just chugged a quarter mile earlier. With few water sources on the way down the mountain we were all parched and desperate for a ride to town. As if in response to his question, a Trail Angel who had Thru Hiked in 2014 appeared offering water, as much soda as we wanted, and a free ride to town in his truck. Praised be the trail! He introduced himself as Franky the Sleeper, though I never caught the story behind his name. He was able to fit five people in his truck, but with seven people in tow two had to hop in back for the 15 mile drive to town.  We learned it’s not exactly a legal move to do so in Tennessee, so Ten and I buried ourselves under the packs and snuggled up for the ride to town. It’s an interesting perspective driving through the woods while smushed in the bed of a truck, but the real fun happened when we made it into town. Gatlinburg is like a tourist trap beach town in the mountains. Thousands flock here every day from all over the world, which made their diverse expressions even better when a few finally noticed two people in the back of the truck buried in dirty gear smiling back at them.  The night was spent restocking and eating pizza with a few cold beers and plenty of ice cream. Gotta love the good days.

Summary:

The 22 mile day took its toll on my legs.  My calves, despite already being enormous, have solidified into dense muscle and even started to grow.  I can’t even roll up my pajama legs anymore! I’m loving every day and I’m always excited to see what the next day will bring, it’s always something new and unexpected.  It’s great have good company too; hiking alone is nice,  but having a group of familiar and exhausted but still smiling faces to make camp and eat dinner with makes the miles even more worth it. I’ll try to write more about the people I’m with soon, we’re a crazy bunch. It’s gonna be a rough week ahead,  4 days of rain followed by a day of sun then 4 more days of rain (in theory). I’ll keep you posted!

If you all want to see anything more or have any suggestions for my posts make sure to leave me a comment!  I have to approve all comments so if you have suggestions and don’t want them posted just let me know!  I make sure to read everything. I added more thoughts based on some previous suggestions, hopefully I don’t ramble to much!  Till next time! 

It’s still a bit restricted because of Internet and no computers, but I’ve posted the weekly highlights in each post. So last week’s pictures are in a slideshow at the top of the post, but I’ll likely make a single album page with all the photos on it. Enjoy! More to come soon.