The decision has been made. The Smokies have been mis-named. If they were called "The Rainy's", or "The Misties", or "The Snowies" I would be in complete agreement. I hear there are actually great views somewhere along the trail but I've never been fortunate enough to see them.
I started back on the trail at Newfound Gap via a free shuttle from Gatlinburg offered by the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Thanks NOC for your help! I spent that night at the Tri-Corner Knob Shelter with another dozen hikers. That shelter is at 6000', one of the highest on the trail. In the morning it was well below freezing when I rolled out of the sleeping bag at 6:45. Brrr. After breakfast I reached into my ditty bag for toothbrush and toothpaste as my last chore before heading out. It was still dark so I just squeezed a little paste out and moved discreetly away to brush. Hmmm, this toothpaste isn't foaming up like I expected it would. It also tastes a little funny too. Then I realized I had just brushed my teeth with anti-fungal cream (used for athlete's foot) rather than tooth paste. Needless to say, I brushed again with the real stuff. Lesson learned.
My second day out we had a beautiful day for hiking. I stopped at Davenport Gap at noon to celebrate completion of the Smokies. What a relief! There are still lots of big hills to come but the crowded shelters and sloppy trails of the Smokies are now behind me. I spent that night at Groundhog Creek Shelter with Raspberry, Fuzzy Navel, and Bamboo aka Helga aka Lily aka Third Wheel. Bamboo made a great fire that we sat and watched until 9:00. That's the latest I've been up on the trail to date. What a wild life we lead out here.
Mileage to date = 245.6
Maine's 100 Mile Wilderness from atop Mt. Katahdin
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Gatlinburg of Tennessee
Jerky.
Just how much jerky can any one state produce?
Every second store here sells their own special version of jerky. Trout, beef, cuthroat, venison, elk. And what the heck is "all natural jerky"?
There are also wedding chapels and wedding related services on every corner. In fact, I saw a wedding underway down by the river today. The bride was glowing in her white satin dress. The groom looked like he was a bit optimistic in sizing his tuxedo as it was "form fitting" to say the least. Perhaps the grin on his face was a grimace of pain rather than a smile of happiness.
I should have asked. Next time I will.
While I'm at it I'll also ask if jerky is a traditional southern wedding gift.
I should have asked. Next time I will.
Even more intriguing than the jerky question was the "Salt and Pepper Shaker" museum. Who goes to a museum to see salt and pepper shakers? Then again, is it a museum about shakers or Shakers?
I should have asked. Next time I will.
Southerners really love Gatlinburg and I'm not really sure why.
I should have asked. Next time I will.
Mileage to date = 204.4
Just how much jerky can any one state produce?
Every second store here sells their own special version of jerky. Trout, beef, cuthroat, venison, elk. And what the heck is "all natural jerky"?
There are also wedding chapels and wedding related services on every corner. In fact, I saw a wedding underway down by the river today. The bride was glowing in her white satin dress. The groom looked like he was a bit optimistic in sizing his tuxedo as it was "form fitting" to say the least. Perhaps the grin on his face was a grimace of pain rather than a smile of happiness.
I should have asked. Next time I will.
While I'm at it I'll also ask if jerky is a traditional southern wedding gift.
I should have asked. Next time I will.
Even more intriguing than the jerky question was the "Salt and Pepper Shaker" museum. Who goes to a museum to see salt and pepper shakers? Then again, is it a museum about shakers or Shakers?
I should have asked. Next time I will.
Southerners really love Gatlinburg and I'm not really sure why.
I should have asked. Next time I will.
Mileage to date = 204.4
Friday, March 25, 2011
Brrrrr!
Mar. 24
Last night's storm blew any remnant of warm weather far away from here. It was brrrly cold and windy when I began walking today. I always hike in my shorts but up top I had on my wool short sleeved shirt, arm warmers, hat, and my rain coat with hood cinched around my chin to keep me warm. I should have put my gloves on as well as I kept having to tuck my hiking poles under my arm to hide my hands in the sleeves of my coat for warmth. The trail was strewn with debris today from the storm. I stopped a hundred times at least to move branches off the treadway to make walking easier for other hikers. In a few cases there were huge hardwood trees across the trail that I had to detour around. Glad I wasn't out there last night!
Shortly before noon I reached Fontana Dam and decided to hitch a ride to Gatlinburg, TN for a day's rest to recover from some health issues. If it's pouring rain tomorrow, as the forecast seems to indicate, they I'll spend another day here in the real Gatlinburg of the south. I'm not going to break my rule again: "Never walk out of town in the rain." I'll let you all know what my cultural studies investigations reveal here in the honeymoon capital of the south.
It is very satisfying to have reached the Smokies already and to have the legs feeling good. There are still lots of challenging hills left in NC/Tennessee but I feel I can make the climbs and descents without too much trouble.
Mileage to date : 164.4
Last night's storm blew any remnant of warm weather far away from here. It was brrrly cold and windy when I began walking today. I always hike in my shorts but up top I had on my wool short sleeved shirt, arm warmers, hat, and my rain coat with hood cinched around my chin to keep me warm. I should have put my gloves on as well as I kept having to tuck my hiking poles under my arm to hide my hands in the sleeves of my coat for warmth. The trail was strewn with debris today from the storm. I stopped a hundred times at least to move branches off the treadway to make walking easier for other hikers. In a few cases there were huge hardwood trees across the trail that I had to detour around. Glad I wasn't out there last night!
Shortly before noon I reached Fontana Dam and decided to hitch a ride to Gatlinburg, TN for a day's rest to recover from some health issues. If it's pouring rain tomorrow, as the forecast seems to indicate, they I'll spend another day here in the real Gatlinburg of the south. I'm not going to break my rule again: "Never walk out of town in the rain." I'll let you all know what my cultural studies investigations reveal here in the honeymoon capital of the south.
It is very satisfying to have reached the Smokies already and to have the legs feeling good. There are still lots of challenging hills left in NC/Tennessee but I feel I can make the climbs and descents without too much trouble.
Mileage to date : 164.4
Pancakes!
Mar. 23
The advantage of staying last night at the Rufus Morgan shelter was that we were only 0.8 miles from the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Wesser, NC. At NOC there is a diner right on the trail that opens for breakfast at 8:00am. The whole evening before Sam, Tyler, Man Cub and I had been talking about going for pancakes in the morning. Much to my great delight a heap of blueberry pancakes was sitting in front of me at 8:15 this morning. Life is good! I wonder if I could arrange to have someone prepare me a breakfast like this every day out on the trail.
After breakfast I had to buy some new socks at the NOC Outfitter store as the pair I began with had developed multiple holes. New socks were just the thing I needed to keep my feet comfortable as the next 7 miles of trail was uphill. This was the longest continuous climb I have experienced in the southern Appalachians. The day included a couple of other hard climbs up Stecoah Gap and Jacob's Ladder so I called it quits at 2:30 having covered 16.8 miles on an "easy" day. The shelter was full that night as we experienced a wild storm with high winds, rain and hail. Turns out there were even tornado's in the western part of Tennessee. A young woman thru-hiker arrived at the shelter just before dark, 7:30, very proud to have completed her longest trail day to date. She had departed NOC at 9:00am, just moments after I left.
Trail miles to date : 151.0
The advantage of staying last night at the Rufus Morgan shelter was that we were only 0.8 miles from the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Wesser, NC. At NOC there is a diner right on the trail that opens for breakfast at 8:00am. The whole evening before Sam, Tyler, Man Cub and I had been talking about going for pancakes in the morning. Much to my great delight a heap of blueberry pancakes was sitting in front of me at 8:15 this morning. Life is good! I wonder if I could arrange to have someone prepare me a breakfast like this every day out on the trail.
After breakfast I had to buy some new socks at the NOC Outfitter store as the pair I began with had developed multiple holes. New socks were just the thing I needed to keep my feet comfortable as the next 7 miles of trail was uphill. This was the longest continuous climb I have experienced in the southern Appalachians. The day included a couple of other hard climbs up Stecoah Gap and Jacob's Ladder so I called it quits at 2:30 having covered 16.8 miles on an "easy" day. The shelter was full that night as we experienced a wild storm with high winds, rain and hail. Turns out there were even tornado's in the western part of Tennessee. A young woman thru-hiker arrived at the shelter just before dark, 7:30, very proud to have completed her longest trail day to date. She had departed NOC at 9:00am, just moments after I left.
Trail miles to date : 151.0
A Marathon Day
Mar. 22
At 6:50 am it was still completely dark when I was met in the lobby of the Microtel in Franklin, NC by a member of the local hiking club who had kindly offered to shuttle me up to the trailhead at Winding Stair Gap. I came out expecting to see a sturdy hiking type but was surprised to find that my driver was a spry, white-haired 86 year old woman. She said we had to hurry as she had to be back in town for 8:30 to be at school where she volunteers in the kindergarten. She had actually been a kindergarten teaching assistant and then teacher for years before she retired. Just like my mother! At the trailhead pull off she swung her car around to illuminate the AT sign as a background for the photo she takes of everyone that she shuttles. As she was leaving I thought I heard voices next to the road. As my eyes adjusted I saw that Snail and Blue were there cowboy camping next to the road, cuddled up in their sleeping bags, waiting for the shuttle down into town for resupply.
It seems that the big meals the previous day gave lots of pep to my step as I simply motored along all day. As I was making the two mile climb up to Cold Spring Shelter I passed 4 people that I assumed were day hikers as they were walking without packs. I stopped at the shelter to cool my feet and have a little snack. After a few minutes the four appeared and simultaneously asked: "Are you some kind of marathon man?" It turns out that they were thru-hikers who were taking advantage of a slack pack opportunity. Slack packing is when someone offers to drive your pack further up the trail while you hike along un-encumbered by all the stuff you need to survive. I'm all for slack packing but haven't had much chance in my career.
"How", they asked, "can you be beating us up this mountain carrying your pack when we're struggling just carrying a water bottle? We were going to name you 'The Energizer' if you didn't already have a trail name."
"I guess it must have been because I knew I was planning to have a snack at the top. That's all."
"Ha, like we believe that", said Sam and Tyler, two young hikers who were already in the shelter for a rest when I arrived. "Each day on the trail our goal is to try to keep up with you and we haven't succeeded yet. We're 25 years younger than you and yet you beat us up every hill. It's not fair."
"It's not that I'm that fast", I said, "it's just that when I see a hill I feel driven to go up as fast as I can to get it over with. I'll blame that on my friend John who says to attack every hill."
"You're full of it. We can't catch you going uphill, downhill, or on the level. It doesn't make any difference."
"Actually, the reason I go so fast is because I'm lazy. I just want to get the day's walk over with so I can sit around and goof off."
That logic seemed to satisfy them so we all set off to finish the day's hiking. At around 3:00 I rolled into the Rufus Morgan Shelter near Wesser, having completed my longest day to date, a distance of 26.5 miles.
Turns out I actually was a marathon man on this day.
Trail miles to date : 134.2
At 6:50 am it was still completely dark when I was met in the lobby of the Microtel in Franklin, NC by a member of the local hiking club who had kindly offered to shuttle me up to the trailhead at Winding Stair Gap. I came out expecting to see a sturdy hiking type but was surprised to find that my driver was a spry, white-haired 86 year old woman. She said we had to hurry as she had to be back in town for 8:30 to be at school where she volunteers in the kindergarten. She had actually been a kindergarten teaching assistant and then teacher for years before she retired. Just like my mother! At the trailhead pull off she swung her car around to illuminate the AT sign as a background for the photo she takes of everyone that she shuttles. As she was leaving I thought I heard voices next to the road. As my eyes adjusted I saw that Snail and Blue were there cowboy camping next to the road, cuddled up in their sleeping bags, waiting for the shuttle down into town for resupply.
It seems that the big meals the previous day gave lots of pep to my step as I simply motored along all day. As I was making the two mile climb up to Cold Spring Shelter I passed 4 people that I assumed were day hikers as they were walking without packs. I stopped at the shelter to cool my feet and have a little snack. After a few minutes the four appeared and simultaneously asked: "Are you some kind of marathon man?" It turns out that they were thru-hikers who were taking advantage of a slack pack opportunity. Slack packing is when someone offers to drive your pack further up the trail while you hike along un-encumbered by all the stuff you need to survive. I'm all for slack packing but haven't had much chance in my career.
"How", they asked, "can you be beating us up this mountain carrying your pack when we're struggling just carrying a water bottle? We were going to name you 'The Energizer' if you didn't already have a trail name."
"I guess it must have been because I knew I was planning to have a snack at the top. That's all."
"Ha, like we believe that", said Sam and Tyler, two young hikers who were already in the shelter for a rest when I arrived. "Each day on the trail our goal is to try to keep up with you and we haven't succeeded yet. We're 25 years younger than you and yet you beat us up every hill. It's not fair."
"It's not that I'm that fast", I said, "it's just that when I see a hill I feel driven to go up as fast as I can to get it over with. I'll blame that on my friend John who says to attack every hill."
"You're full of it. We can't catch you going uphill, downhill, or on the level. It doesn't make any difference."
"Actually, the reason I go so fast is because I'm lazy. I just want to get the day's walk over with so I can sit around and goof off."
That logic seemed to satisfy them so we all set off to finish the day's hiking. At around 3:00 I rolled into the Rufus Morgan Shelter near Wesser, having completed my longest day to date, a distance of 26.5 miles.
Turns out I actually was a marathon man on this day.
Trail miles to date : 134.2
Monday, March 21, 2011
Franklin, NC
Gipc Girl's headlamp flickered from side to side as we left the shelter in the dark at 7:15am, bundled up against the light mist that was falling. I was following as I don't carry a headlamp, only a small squeeze light to read by. Soon the light of day was enough to illuminate the trail so Gipc suggested that I move on by and go at my own pace. The trail was very nice until we reach Mt. Albert. I recalled that I thought this was my toughest climb in 2000 and it didn't disappoint me today. The first 1000' or so were a steady climb along the face of the mountain, with the 2' trail all that separated me from a fall of 2000' to the valley below. The last 500' of the climb were almost straight up, such that I had to put my poles on my pack and lean my hands into the mountain face as I climbed to keep my balance. Phew, that was a challenge. At the top was a fire tower that gave an extended view of the mountains of southwestern NC. Spectacular!
I made it out to Winding Staircase Gap at 12:00 and hitched a ride into Franklin, NC to get cleaned up and re-supply for my next left to Fontana Dam, NC.
Trail miles to date: 107.7
I made it out to Winding Staircase Gap at 12:00 and hitched a ride into Franklin, NC to get cleaned up and re-supply for my next left to Fontana Dam, NC.
Trail miles to date: 107.7
Why are you out here again?
On Sunday Mar. 20 I left the Plumorchard Gap Shelter in much cooler temperatures. At 8:30 I crossed the Georgia/North Carolina border and celebrated with a whoop and a small tear of joy. One state down and only thirteen more to go. As a welcome to NC the climb out of Bly Gap near the border was a real kicker. I even had to stop a few times to catch my breath. The rest of the day was surprisingly easy with only a few ups and downs, despite the fact that I was now well above 4000' elevation all the time. At 2:30 I reached the Carter Gap Shelter, a distance of 20 miles from Plumorchard, and decided to call it quits for the day. Already in the shelter were Enzed, a woman from New Zealand, and her hiking friend Forest Gimp. They had just taken a zero day in the shelter and were spending the time watching movies on his iPod. Also in the shelter was Gipc Girl (you read that right) from Australia. She tried to thru-hike the AT last year but broke her leg at Unicoi Gap and spent 6 weeks in a motel in Franklin, NC while it healed. She then re-commenced the hike but could only get to Mt. Washington in NH before here visa expired. So, she came back here again this year to re-do the whole hike again. She is a 62 year old interior designer who just loves to be outdoors hiking. The final two occupants of the shelter were a woman who thru-hiked the trail last year and her hiking partner.
At one point Gipc Girl asked last year's thru-hiker : "When did you decide to hike the AT again this year?"
"Well," she said , "I went home to New Mexico last fall after summiting Katahdin on Oct. 3. I was only home a few weeks when my daughter called and asked if I could come help her look after my new granddaughter. So, I went and found I was spending all my time looking after the granddaughter while my daughter was out working and socializing. It felt like I was married again. I did all the cooking and cleaning and child care but wasn't getting anything in return. She wouldn't even let me drive her car. So, after a month of that I just said I was leaving. At that point I decided to hike the AT again this year. It seemed the only way to get away from them. When I was married I was a truck driver for 6 years as well. That and the AT just seem to satisfy a craving I have to be on the move."
At one point Gipc Girl asked last year's thru-hiker : "When did you decide to hike the AT again this year?"
"Well," she said , "I went home to New Mexico last fall after summiting Katahdin on Oct. 3. I was only home a few weeks when my daughter called and asked if I could come help her look after my new granddaughter. So, I went and found I was spending all my time looking after the granddaughter while my daughter was out working and socializing. It felt like I was married again. I did all the cooking and cleaning and child care but wasn't getting anything in return. She wouldn't even let me drive her car. So, after a month of that I just said I was leaving. At that point I decided to hike the AT again this year. It seemed the only way to get away from them. When I was married I was a truck driver for 6 years as well. That and the AT just seem to satisfy a craving I have to be on the move."
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