4/27

A plethora of color lay before me as I woke up with the sunrise. The sun itself had already breached the far mountaintop but the colors surrounding it were a warm pink faded to blue as you looked higher in the sky. Once again I dawdled a little in the morning but no where near the extent of the day before. I hit the trail and before I knew it the temperature was already miserably high. Heat stuck to me as I sweated profusely. After something like 12 miles I took a rest at a shelter. The heat as it was, I had been unable to travel very far without taking interval water breaks. I waited out the remainder of the beating down sun in the shade of the shelter. I can't wait to start exercising a plan for the summer temperature that I learned from Toast and Big Spoon. Treats and snoozing is I the name of the plan, and it is basically exactly what it sounds like along with an earlier idea I had.. This one just sounds better. 

Treats and Snoozin 

The idea is to merely get up early enough where you are hiking during the cooler temperature points of the day rather than hiking/suffering through extreme heat and building up a layer of sweat and slime that would otherwise take days to accrue. 

In the the middle of the day you ingest your "treats" (lunch and snacks, what have you) then immediately following it is time for a snooze, thus avoiding the high temperatures around the middle of the day. Bonus points for snoozing in shelters or finding air conditioning to lounge in (few and far between). Treats have no specificity.

I left the shelter around 6 with news that a storm would be rolling in. I hoped I would make the next shelter with a little bit of night hiking but around 10 I felt the first rain drop and immediately put up my tent and just called it  a day. 

My first night hiking adventure was not so much fun, but I think I am less bothered by the darkness now. This second attempt was cut short by weather so I will have to make a third attempt when it isn't overcast and about to rain to give a true test on my thoughts about night hiking. 

Tomorrow should be really interesting, there is a section along the trail with wild ponies that I have a been told are quite friendly. I would love nothing more for another day with stellar weather so I may enjoy their company on a hillside. Shoulda brought a bag of apples.. 

4/26

I woke early knowing that I needed to get out of town. My new timeframe allotted me a little time for dawdling though so with one last sweep through town I stopped at the last little cafe on the outskirts to merely read and enjoy something good to eat before I departed. Letting myself become enveloped in the "pages" of my ebook, i soon realized how late it had become. It was already past noon by the time I had surfaced. I grabbed my things and refilled my drink one last time only to suck down the contents like it would be my last and departed. The days are getting hotter still and as I traversed out of the town the hot pavement was no friend. At a point, the AT joins the Virginia creeper trail. As I headed north I was passed by many families and what seemed to be Boy Scout troops on weekend outings. The trail split and rejoined with the creeper several times before finally departing fully. My final destination for the day was just outside of town. I left far to late to get a good days hiking in and because of that I just allowed myself to stop early. I read all afternoon in the shade of a pine grove. The bed of needles on the floor making a soft nature made mattress that I would fall asleep on for a spell. I know I should have gone further but I really was in no mood.

The first day out of a town is usually a climb. The trail will always drastically drop in elevation to meet with the town and on the other end the reverse is said to meet with the surrounding mountains. Every time a full restock is done, the pack weight is above the average for sure. Putting quick rise in elevation and pack weight together made for a not fun afternoon. My last and final misfortune of the day was only that I started when I did. Starting at noonish meant that I was to encounter some of the worse part of the climb out of town right during the hottest portion of the day. 

Well at least in this town I didn't overheat 

4/25

Today marks my having been on the trail for exactly 1 month. I feel a though time hasn't moved that fast yet my unkept facial hair and miles covered tell otherwise. I feel like my days at work and socializing out at night are right behind me. If I went back I feel like everything would be foreign for a little bit like brain was working through math problems. I stand here having learned so many new skills and tricks while on the trail, and all i I can think is, when I get back I want to plan another adventure for next year. Maybe not such a long outing next time though. 

The day in itself calls for rain, I am going to leave out of of own in the afternoon and try to avoid all the vicious showers the day is calling for around noon. 

It's strange for me to think that I will be doing the exact same thing I have been doing for another 3 months or more. Like Atlas, the weight of the entire journey sits heavily on my shoulders both literally and figuratively, but seems to pull me down a little more than usual today. I know this is part of the trail so I see no  reason  to think that I will let this temporary attitude affect me the rest of the the day. It is just a matter of lacing up the boots and moving out before I can dwell on it anymore. Zero days make it a little harder as well I think too. Getting comfortable and enjoying some consistency rather than getting up and just moving all day has the problem of allowing a hiker to slip back into the cotton lifestyle.

Cotton lifestyle - hikers all wear microfiber or ultralight gear while people living in towns wear cotton. Cotton lifestyle in is case I am comparing to going home and back to the same old routine one had before the trail.

I need to be more careful of how comfortable I allow myself to be if I do another zero any time soon. Planning a destination out of town to make sure I leave after my zero day has finished would help to limit my break rather than just hanging around. In my defense though, I have pulled big miles and if I wanna hold out of the rain, the I am going to avoid it. I will be back in Damascus in less than a month anyway for trail days. 

Planning my pick up and return to the trail took a lot longer than I thought. Not having phone service and having to use wifi all afternoon hindered my departure and I ended up just camping outside of town when it was all said and done. Not a bad day overall, but the last thing I wanted to do was allow myself 2 zero days. 

I am getting picked up Wednesday in Atkins VA which is only 70 miles away so I have plenty of time to take the next few days at a relaxing pace and then still get there. 

I will be in Knoxville from Wednesday to Sunday after the wedding and then I will be rolling back to the trail. I may try and cut some weight while I am home. Leave some of my old weather gear and then mail it back to myself in a few months. Now that it is truly warming up I don't seem myself wearing much more than a shirt and shorts. 

Being home for a few days is gonna feel strange I think. I may try and work for a few days since I would be sitting around otherwise. I still don't seem myself finishing all the books I loaded I my iPad, but I may add a few extras to give myself some varying literature to delve into. 

I set up my tent right as a group of Boy Scouts came back from dinner. This was far worse than any snoring in any hostel. I am not gonna be mad about boys being boys, but how much soda did those children drink at dinner? Damn kids go to sleep. That's either me getting old or my hiker side, can't tell. 

Toast and big spoon

http://youtu.be/-q9UUbrQ3Ns

http://youtu.be/DWL-CYHvpDw

Left - big spoon

Right - toast

These guys left the trail today to go to a Merlefest. I hope to see them again and if I do I will have to get more videos of them. It completely slipped my mind to video them playing rocky top. I can't believe I missed that opportunity. Have fun at the festival guys. See y'all down the trail

After looking at this post on the web page I just wanted to put a note down at the bottom here. There are 2 links to videos I took of the guys at the top. They don't show up very well with the background. Just wanted to make sure they were found. 

Adjusted trail plans

So having left Damascus I was just gonna hike until trail days and then hitch back enjoy trail days and then head back to wherever I got off. I am gonna make a random pit stop and go to a wedding. 70 miles from Damascus I will be picked up in Atkins VA and then have a few days to just sit, cut some weight off my pack, wedding, and then get dropped back off on the trail again. I will update every day and keep my random posts coming as well. There will be a separate post this afternoon with YouTube links to big spoon and toast playing music. If I think of anything else I will post it up as soon as possible. 

4/24

Today is a rest day, otherwise known in hiker lingo as taking a zero. Knowing I don't have to do anything feels good. I get up early and got breakfast in town with a few of the the guys. Damascus is so small but has quite the allure about the simplicity of the town. Everything one could want is located within a mile walking distance. And bike rentals are located all over the place for any who would wanna ride the Virginia creeper trail. After breakfast I sit around with some friends who organize their packs in a picnic area located just outside the hostel we had stayed in. Sunny and clear I read and then fall asleep in the grass. I wake after a bit and split a pizza and some snacks with a friend. There is a carefree nature to every zero hiker that I pass. Knowing our bodies won't be pummeled by repetitive beating and heat is enough to make anyone a little lax I infinitely. I love moving and seeing the trail one a day to day basis, but towns like this make it hard to go back to my gypsy like pack life. 

Later in the afternoon everyone kinda does their own thing. I split off and read and write in a quiet restaurant for a few hours finishing one book and beginning another. Around 4 toast and big spoon walk in. They had been playing on the street and the owner of the restaurant asked them if they wanted to play a gig in the very place where I was reading that evening. They said yes and after spreading the word to friends we have made we all gather into the tiny hole in the wall place enjoying good live music from me duo and great food. Seeing is little place packed is an idea of what the whole town will look like when trail days hits in mid may. I am excited at the thought of returning and just enjoying a weekend dedicated to the trail. 

After the set finishes the entire group rallies to visit a local brewery and the remainder of the evening is spent sitting enjoying craft beer. I fade out to my hostel later than I have stayed up this entire trip. I wasn't particularly tired. Just kinda blah. The day was fun but there still was a part of me that felt as though I let the day go to waste somewhat. I could have hiked out of town a few miles but of well. Tomorrow for sure. 

4/23

6:00am

I feel bad getting up early and disturbing everyone. It's funny how at the beginning of the trip I would have been the one that would be fighting to go back to sleep. I lounge in my sleeping bag and read till the sun is fully up and then I scramble to get on the trail. I have come to enjoy my daily routine and the consistency that it holds for me. Continuing the trail is far easier when you have a plan you can execute on a daily basis. Same could be said for anything I'm sure, but out here I have seen people go home because they can't find a rhythm or never get accustomed to the daily little things. 

It's clear and warm. Trees are still somewhat barren or beginning to bud now. The foliage on the forest floor seems to have a little more color and I continuously see more and more wildflowers. Many more insects have begun to make their presence known as well. I think spring will finally set in over the next few weeks.

3 miles outside of Damascus a sign tells me I am out of TN.  From here it is something like 500 miles of VA. There will not be as many vicious mountain climbs with elevation change to irritate me. Ah I have been told when the leaves truly grow in, one will only see the trail and green while in VA. Apparently the canopy and the rolling hill sections cause one to feel almost enclosed in nature as you walk the trail without view of open space around you. I will have to see how I feel about these descriptions given to me when I get farther in. I have a tinge of sadness as I look over the sign again. Up until this point I never wanted to drop out by any means yet there was some comfort in knowing that at any point I could jump in a car and be home in a couple hours. No longer will that be the case, I have no intention of abandoning my adventure and into the unknown I tread now, with spirit as high as the day I started and mind open to the exceptional. 

Got into Damascus around 5 and all I could think about was candy and food. I got a burger and some cheap candy, set up my bunk at a local hostel and then just looked for something to do. Arriving in town always prompts people to do their own thing depending on what kind of adventures they plan on having off the trail. 

Having run into some friends I have made along the way, we lawless decide for a draft beer and good company. It's nice that hikers can get together and we have such a kind community. The small town bar we visit ends up holding something like 20 hikers and we play cards and run the jukebox. Hiker midnight hits hard early and we all head to our respected bunks. 

Hiker midnight is a new term I have learned that means, around 8:30 - 9pm when we all get tired, that feels like midnight to us for sure.. 

4/22

Mattress or not, I seem to always toss and turn these days. The nightmares I was having at the beginning of e trip have vanished completely now, but I never seem to get a full nights sleep either. I am always forcing myself of I go back to sleep around 3. My brain seems to think that it is time to get going while my body is about 10 paces behind. 

I got out of my bunk far earlier than I had intended to. Coffee is not my style so hot tea with a little honey was the best course of action. I went ahead and started to preheat the over for my pizza breakfast and drank green tea while I read. 

The slack pack group was dropped off at the lake to continue on around 8. The day was absolutely beautiful. I couldn't believe how lucky we were considering weather was calling for scattered showers. 

5 or so miles in I realized I wasn't as lucky as I had initially thought

This is how I feel when I wake up to a beautiful day and I am about to hike 

And then this is how I feel when the day turns to crap with rain and fog. 

The day quickly became a mess. The views from the mountains I was climbing quickly became void of color. Like peering into a haze all around me, my day became more confined visually. I made about 15 miles into a shelter and it was only 2:30. I weighed my options about going on and as I I did so the rain came harder. 

I spent the remainder of my afternoon eating everything on my food bag as I curled up and read. I know I can make Damascus VA tomorrow if I want. It will be a long day but there is not any challenging climbs either. I guess 15 miles in a day is pretty good. I would just prefer to be dry if I can help it. 

Pictures

Ms. Janet's hiker box

Little guy I found crossing the trail

Chimney remnants located on the trail

Over mountain shelter, possibly my favorite thusfar 

Toast and big spoon playing with the view from over mountain shelter behind them..

Double rainbow from over mountain as the sun set

Where the hardcore hikers take breaks 

Laurel fork falls outside Hampton 

The backpack I picked for slack packing

Size - infant 

Bob Peoples - I can't wait to work hardcore after trail days with this guy. He is the most interesting person I have met on the trail

Bear proof trail magic - little Debbie's, soda, first aid... Thank you to whoever stocks it

Completely out of TN now. No more dancing on the boarder..

4/21

Knowing the hostel was only 7 miles away I got up early and booked it for Kincora. The owner of this hostel, Bob Peoples, was apparently voted most helpful to hikers last year at trail days in Damascus, VA. With such a sterling reputation I thought I would pick up my package and at least stay part of the day if not the night. I arrived and was greeted by a goofy employee of Bob's named lumpy. Lumpy is the younger more responsible and with a better sense of humor version of rocket, a gentleman I discussed earlier in my blog. Lumpy gave me the tour and said Bob had gone into ton and would be back soon. I took off my boots and got comfortable and waited for Bob to get back so I could get my pacokage. 

Lumpy was nice enough to give me a few eggs from his stash in the refrigerator which I promptly used to make an omelette. Mornings at home i love before. 

Bob returned a short while later and I acquire my package. The items dad hipped to me he packed in pop corn instead of packing peanuts. It was definitely a little stale, that however did not stop 2 other hiker and I from eating the contents of the he the box over the rest of the afternoon. 

Toast and Big Spoon decided the were going to stay at the hostel that night but slack pack the rest of the day so we still got some miles in. Slack packing is leaving your stuff to be babysat at a hostel and getting dropped off further down the trail, then hiking back. Doing this allows us to still get some miles in without having to worry about carrying all the mess we usually would. We drove into town to buy a few supplies and dinner. Bob promised to put anything the needed refrigeration away for us after he dropped us off at the trail head. Dinner was decided as frozen pizza for me. The tiny market in Hampton, TN really seemed to be geared for hikers and then just essentials. Only 5 or so aisles with nothing in bulk sizes for the most part. I only bought enough food to get me to Damascus, VA where I knew I would stop and do a full resupply. I bought a few extra snacks and then we were off. The slack pack was a nice warm day. The trial took us past a waterfall and then a quick 8 or so miles later we were back at Kincora. The whole way back, our trip had built up our pizza's and a powerful hunger for them. Upon our return we were pleasantly surprised to find that a couple in the hostel had cooked a big pasta dinner for all hostel occupants. The couple from Korea was just showing some trail magic to other hikers while they both were nursing injuries. Pizza was moved to a breakfast meal.. Super healthy. I ate my weight in pasta and then Bob gave us all a whole cheesecake to split to add to the couple's provided dinner. I was terribly full. although with my metabolism burning as quickly as it is now, the feeling did not last long at all. I managed to get a little bit of reading done and before I knew it I was too tired to comprehend any of the words on the page I was attempting to read.. 

4/20

Happy Easter! 

I am never the first one to wake up in the morning, just the first one out of camp every day. I have decided that  ion longer find it a nuisance when I am awoken by my shelter mates. The days are quickly growing hotter and I plan on taking a long break during the heat of the day when the sun truly begins to beat down. If I can get into a routine of waking up at 5 or earlier then I can hike as the sun rises. For now 6:30 will have to do. 

My cold breakfast I may have to do away with when the weather gets hotter as well. I don't feel myself enjoying a warm lunch of oatmeal in the middle of the day. I will have to play that by ear and augment my grocery trips accordingly. 

Because the barn was located in the valley, the sun may have been up, it had yet to  break over the mountains surrounding it. I got out as quickly. A I could because after stopping early to enjoy the barn yesterday and also to avoid the sleet, I had managed to end up 7 miles behind my schedule for the day. After the barn the elevation quickly rose over 2 mountains. At the top of the second one I stopped to admire the beautiful turnaround in weather. A little wind at the top but past that the skies were clear and the day was bright. At this point I will say I was a little sad I was not enjoying some kind of Easter Sunday ham or mimosas or just some kind of Sunday shenanigans. The night before Easter at the shelter was all hopeful talk of what could be waiting for us at a large road that we would be crossing that day. I booked it to that road in hopes that a Easter roadside feast awaited me... 

There was no feast. 

I wasnt terribly heartbroken I must admit. I know that having high hopes that someone would be parked with a spiral ham on the side of the road is completely ridiculous, I just really wanted some ham or a chocolate bunny. I waited at the road for half an hour just in case and then carried my stomach void of Easter cheer down the trail. The day got hot quickly after my stop at the road. Considering I am not hiking with anyone and I am not even remotely trying to impress anyone, I began hiking with less clothes. Now before you get the wrong idea, I just hiked in my shorts, socks, and boots. It's so hot that my shirt throughout the day becomes drenched in sweat. When night falls it is still cold so while it's warm I choose partial nudity. At one point I passed a church getting out of Sunday service. I put my shirt on to pass the church thinking it would be in poor taste for a half naked hiker to pass the small town crowd in their Sunday best on Easter. 

My miles for the day optimistically were going to be 27.6.

I made the full miles. Today I also crossed the threshold of 400 miles. I have never been so happy to see a shelter. My only Easter celebration was a bag of fun sized M&M's another hiker gave me. I managed to eat almost the remainder of my food bag minus a couple packets of oatmeal and some instant grits. 

Tomorrow I will go to Kincora hiker hostel and pick up a hiker box sent from my dad with some food, a portable battery to help charge my i devices, and some waterproof Sea to summit bags. I haven't made as much progress into my books over the last week or so as I would hope. I am either socializing or being so tired I just can't stay awake to read. I need to work out a better system for writing/reading. 

Things I have learned, found interesting, love or hate on the trail

 1. Trekking poles - I had never used these magnificent devices before a test hike I did right before I left. They were at first a very awkward extension of my arm that I had trouble getting used to and had originally planned to leave them. To think I ever got on without them is what amazes me now. The company for which I have trek poles "Leki" also has a lifetime guarantee. If any break or bend, I can call them and they will either send me replacement parts or allow me to exchange them at the next outfitter for free. You are doing good Leki keep it up. 

2. Candy bars - may as well be currency on the trail. 

3. Switchbacks - I can't decide what I truly think about these. Only one occasion have they actually served to benefit me whole on every other I felt as though I was gonna smack someone if I had to encounter another one. They're is nothing Ike rounding a corner on an uphill climb thinking you are there only to have the rug pulled out from beneath your dreams by a switchback. 

4. Snoring - for some reason there seem to be a lot of fog horn impersonators on the trail. Nothing sucks more than having a whole room of them going back in forth in a hostel as if it is mating season for some nasally animal. As soon as it is warm enough I will be camping as far away from shenanigans like this as possible. 

5. Word of mouth - the most useful tool on the trail. I have learned where to go and what to do from all different walks of life. It doesn't matter who it is, all thru hikers stick together and share the best things so if someone offers you an opinion of somewhere to eat or stay, at to least check it out before you write it off. This especially applies to hostels. If it is a shitty hostel. You will know. It will be written in hiker log books and everywhere in between. Pay attention to what people around you have to say. 

6. Food - you are gonna eat so much more than think you can. Plan to start carrying more after the first month. Once a body adjusts to the wait and miles are increased you are burning through more calories than you know. Feed the factory and be kind to it, it will respond in kind. Also when you go into town don't just eat crap. Drink a V8 and eat some fruit before you pack in a half dozen doughnuts. You can treat your body like a dumpster on the trail, in of own at least pretend you eat healthy for a minute. 

7. Personal hygiene - if you are staying at a hostel, as soon as on as you walk in take a shower. For the rest of the people who have already been to here washed and clean we smelled you down the street. If we are all sharing a shelter and we all smell like the ass crack of a backcountry hillbilly then by all means pull up a seat next to me by the fire and let's pretend we once had standards and dignity... Shower when you can and wash your clothes when you can. Farther north it may be more difficult with a lack of hostels but that's what streams and warm days are for. 

Please god brush your teeth. If nothing else brush your teeth. 

8. Communing with nature - I tried to put this as subtly as I could. In the woods you have 2 options (depending on location/availability).

1. Digging a hole - there is nothing quite like a brisk half naked morning doing you business in the woods. Like ah da bears do.. This may seem kinda strange at first but considering most people on the trail shower weekly you will get used to it. This also has the added advantage of not having to use a privy. At first I was all for the privy but now not so much and moving on we can see why 

2. Privies - it is essentially a human waste compost pile in he he woods. Cool, you got a toilet seat and 3 sometimes even 4 walls and a roof, what more could you ask for? Here is my problem with this. That whole everyone not showering for a week thing, means everyone's nasty un-showered smelly donk has to share the same space. 

I will enjoy my hole in the ground thank you. 

These are all just random thoughts and how I see them. There may be more later, I just wanted to put these up for now. 

  

4/19

It rained again last night. I keep hearing that the warm days are coming, but all I have greeted the majority of the the time is more almost discouraging weather. Today is the day for a longer day, with hope that the rain was clear for the day I set out. A few miles down the trail a road crosses over and to my great surprise there was trail magic. 2 different couples had set up tables and coolers with different food stuffs. You would think arhat after gorging myself the day before I would have learned my lesson. There really is no overdoing food on the trail. Every hiker is gonna burn an incredulous amount of calories and to help fight that, we eat unnecessary amounts when it is offered free to us. So a list again of what I ate..

3 hot dogs with spicy mustard, onions, cole slaw 

Many handfuls of giant pretzels

1 yoohoo

1 purple powerade 

4 hard boiled eggs

1 bowl of cereal with whole milk 

A few handfulls of cheesy poofs

2 clementines 

1 natural light 

Now I will say this, we as hikers continuously joke about how we wish trail angels occasionally had beer. I almost passed up the beer because it was still very early in the morning. I also arrived at the magic first, so I didn't want to be the only hiker sucking down natural light. When the rest of the group showed up we all celebrated naturday properly.... 

The only problem I have with this trail magic is how inconveniently it is located. Right before a continuous couple hours of rigorous uphill climb. Roan mountain is one adversary to be contended with by itself, stuffed with trail magic it is a completely different demon entirely. I learned that until a few years ago it was a straight climb up the mountain, it wasn't until recently that switchbacks were added.  I have never been so thankful for switchbacks. I feel like I had the mobility of a pregnant woman with a bladder to match. The uphill climb althought gradual did nothing to initially ease my stomach. Maybe when I receive retail magic in the future I shouldn't treat my body like a trashcan I which to stuff calories.

Once I reached the far side of roan it had begun to rain some. After Roan there is a series of balds to cross. Usually I am sure they are very pretty sights, but the wind was whipping very hard and with not a strip of shelter it made for terrible viewing conditions. Just after passing the height of the bald it began to sleet. Matched with the wind I pulled my hood down lest it sting my face. Twice before I pulled my hood down I was caught in the eye by pieces of sleet. Both moments had me cursing a collection of furious words that would have scarred any small children passing. The trail only got mucky from there. I made it to over mountain shelter initially to eat a late lunch and then head on my way to a campsite. I had heard from both of my previous trail angels that it was a beautiful spot, and everything they said about the place was an understatement. The shelter is an old barn that has been reconstituted into shelter space sitting halfway up a rim of a valley. No other human scar can be seen from this place except at night where only a handful of I guts flicker in the distance. With sleet and wind still coming down although slower I would rather sit in  a beautiful shelter. The afternoon was spent jut enjoying the scenery.

2 guys who I had shared space in the super 8 with, big spoon and toast arrived soon after. The story with these 2 is, they both are I carrying a musical instrument. Toast carries a banjo and big spoon carries a fiddle. With the sun setting and the beautiful valley giving off a plethora of color from the sunset, the scene was only added to when they began to play. They played until dark after many rousing songs and lots of pictures from everyone. When the sun set just over one of the mountains, the rays still cast on the far side of the valley. The storm was being pushed out by the wind at the same time, revealing a double rainbow at sunset. The scene was magnificent all the while being serenaded by the duo. 

I have plenty of pictures now I think. I also have a few videos which I will have to figure out how to embed into the posts next town visit.

4/18

Iwas very lucky again to not have any shuffling to wake me. I cram my bag and everything other than my food in my tent, so space is limited though. Rolling over throughout the night becomes an interesting jigsaw puzzle with my bag and I. The night inside the tent wasn't cold. Unzipping the tent brought a rush of chill over me that quickly was battled away by layers and gloves.i packed my tent and with my friend (trademark) we hauled out. Our initials intention for the day was to pass over road mountain and secure something along the lines of another 20 mile day. Roan mountain is from what I have been told the second highest point on the trail behind Clingman's dome(will research when I have chance). We began with gusto and made very good time until we crossed a road and received trail magic. This stop was spent ingesting cookies and sharing conversation. As I have said before, trail magic is never unappreciated, today however it merely put us behind schedule. Our initial intention was to stop at a hostel that had been recommended by ya fellow thru hiker to trademark. The greasy creek hostel is run by a woman named Connie, and has a sterling reputation for being a more than welcoming hostel with food and attitude to match. After talking to the trail angel we learned that the neighbor to this hostel is not a huge fan of people and has been known to put up signs combatting the actual signs of the hostel in hopes to scare off business. We called just make sure we would be able to grab lunch and after a quick conversation with Connie we hustled to her.

We arrived in a clearing and noticed 2 signs for the hostel. The trail angel made sure to tell us than any signs hand written would most definitely be the work of the imposter, we took care to pull all of his signs down. As we continued along the trail we realized quickly that we had actually missed a turn as decided to stash our packs off trail and continue back for lunch without the weight. The hostel is located a half mile off trail down a steady incline. The incline itself was much easier to combat without the weight of our packs. There really is no point when I don't have it on now. Day in day out, I carry it. When it's time to take it off I walk just far enough to get water, use the restroom, cook, or get in my sleeping bag only to restart 

the process the next day. As we got closer to the hostel, we passed the angry neighbor's house. Nothing out of the ordinary there. With his reputation preceding him, the vicious property dog and the no trespassing/private property signs didn't surprise me at all. Another 20 or so yards led us to a cabin where our host welcomed us with a warm hearth. This woman is incredible. She has more energy than anyone I have met on trail and her service and dedication to making hikers feel welcome is unwavering. Now I said we went there for lunch, but to say we only ingested a lunch is to be understating it. My true hiker hunger kicked in days ago. For those who aren't quite sure what that is, it is exactly what is sounds like. There comes appoint where no matter how well you have planned for this trip you are continuously hungry even after eating. I sat and consumed half a box of instant oatmeal for lunch one day just because I was still hungry after the first and then second bowl. The "lunch" at greasy creek went as follows though. 

1 angus burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeños, spicy mustard

1/2 Red Baron pizza topped with mushrooms, jalapeños (split with trademark)

1 banana smoothie

1 snickers ice cream bar

1 banana

1 bag of Doritos 

2 drumstick ice cream treats 

1/3 pint of Ben & Jerry's scotchy scotch scotch (split with big spoon & toast)

The only problem with having eaten all of this is not that we were uncomfortably full(maybe a little) we just didn't want to march back up the hill. Now our initial plan was still 13 miles away, by this point there was no actual way that was gonna happen. After gathering our packs we settled on a shelter just a couple miles past the turn off for greasy creek.  We trekked the last few miles and let the night descend upon us as we watched the shelter began to fill up. All of the residents made for good company and conversation. It has truly been a great experience to come in contact with such great people and criss cross paths throughout the trail. After 2 hours I managed to eat again and feeling completely satisfied I laid down. 

4/17

Up early. The monotony of the trip is starting to settle in on me a little bit. This is always offset by really fun things on the trail. For instance, trail magic has had a very positive influence on the occasionally droning nature of the trail. I love the trail, and I do not want what I just said to drown out the fact that I am loving every day and the new challenges (both physical and mental) that the AT brings. I also however realize that at this stage of my journey, I realize that I need to continue being positive in mind and taking care of my body, lest one wear out. I managed to get going before 8. The day would be a relatively long one with another 23 mi day. About 5 miles in was a hostel located just off trail. I got to it far before any of my shelter mates in hopes that I would be able to write and catch up. That was somewhat the case..?

It's not that I isn't do what I had initially set out to do. I merely found a nice warm spot in the sun and had trouble focusing on my task at hand. Since I am usually hiking throughout some of the most warm sections of the day, or even just not stopped to enjoy them. Sitting doing nothing while being warmed by the sun was truly hard to beat on this day. The shelter was located near the Nolichucky river, so my lazy dawdling was made better by an ambiance of flowing water. I sat and planned, wrote, and rested at that hostel for far too long. I knew I wouldn't make my destination before nightfall and as I departed at almost 3pm,,I prepared myself for what would mot definitely be a night hiker later. The rest of the afternoon was hot.  Sections of trail with no leaves overheard left the in beating down. Where I had been basking in it's warm and radiance before, I now was cooking as my body temperature rose. I hiked quickly and for the ret of the afternoon had no slip ups minus a few twisted ankles. 

I approached my last large climb of the day as the sun was beginning to set. I knew that I would not make it over before the in completely set. Before I even got a third of the way up, I went ahead and put on all the clothes I knew I would need the ret of the evening along with my headlamp. The climb wasn't overly difficult or strenuous, but with the sun setting and most of the trail seeming to be rocky, I tried to make sure to not twist anymore ankles. As I began approaching the summit of the mountain, the forest made a very distinct change in appearance. The summit was a complete fir forest, the trees were spread far enough apart that the thicket felt open. Each tree had a number of branches close to the top that created a canopy and blocking out a lot more light than usual. The forest seemed very picturesque and in my brain the kind of area where a group of deer might bed down. I kept imagining myself look up and a mighty stag just be staring back at me before it loped away. Sadly no such picturesque moment graced me while in the thicket. 

As I reached the far side of the mountain and began to descend, my sight became more and more stained as the dark closed in around me. The summit of this particular mountain meant that I still had at least 5 miles remaining.  Sections of trees closer together hid patched of mud that the fading light did not illuminate. I readied my headlamp, holding out as long as possible before using it. Now I will tell you, I had fully prepared myself to do some night hiking. What I had not prepared myself for was the initial fear of doing it. The first few days I endured on this trip, the only noise I remember hearing was the wind. Not a single bird or other graced me with it's sound. Hiking during the night is so much worse. The dark invites a certain amount of fear no matter how throng willed you are. The forest ha a certain amount of stale to it that at any moment, shatters focus with the crinkling of leaves off trail. I had a very long way to hike and with no companion other than my headlamp, the only way to describe it is with horror movie intensity. Outlines of far off trumps instantly became something to be wary of. My initial fear was not of what lingered in 

the forest itself, but whom. I have met many people on the trail  none of whom seem out of place or unhinged. I don't really feel like I have to worry about this, but there have been years (not at all recent) where people have been murdered. I managed to pull through the darkness and run into a friend of mine in a gap pitching a tent. 1 mile away from the shelter I had initially planned on staying at. Yea I'm done. 

As much fun as hiking in an abyss is, I had my fill for the few miles that I did it. I need to plan my night hikes better. I think if I could manage to find a full moon with clear weather it would be a much different experience. 

 I pitched my tent and then cooked and was out. 

22 mile day completed at 9:30pm

4/16

I woke up early. Tag sound of my iPhone alarm is something that I have yet to hear the entirety of this trip. It was not a welcome noise. I left the room heading for the complementary breakfast thinking I could eat a lot early and have it Ethel by the time I hit the trail. I sat and enjoyed a measly breakfast that didn't quite fill up my entire appetite. since I was the first awake in the group I tried to contact Ma. Janet to secure a ire back to the trail. One by one hikers I had stayed with and more filed into the breakfast area for the few morsels the hotel had laid out. It took quite a while to get a hold of Ms. Janet, but by ten the hiker box wait sitting outside super 8 our chariot back to the woods. The day was much warmer than it's predecessor. A light dusting of snow littered the ground and trees. The day was a complete turn around from the weather that had chased us off the trail the day before. They day started quick with a climb to a bald. The bald was beautiful and was a double whammy of awesome when we discovered trail magic at the summit. A bag of apples and a bag of oranges was an amazingly simple gift that we hikers loved. The remainder of the day a fluctuation of uphill and downhill. The shelter end up arriving at was, without a doubt, the most trashed shelter I have ever seen. It is the no business shelter.. Graffiti, trash, and sheer lack of upkeep for this shelter made it less appealing to stay in. I did end up staying in it merely because I have been using my tent as a pillow, and I refuse to give that up if I don't have to. The sun fell on us all cooking dinner and soon enough 1 more day had drawn to a close. 

4/15

The storm ran deep into the night. It fell continuously alternating from a heavy pour to a sprinkle. The metal roof of the shelter I managed to stay in, echoed loudly as the rain fell. I faded in and out of sleep all night in accordance with the storm. Morning came and I felt pretty good. I managed to get something stuck in my eye the night before, thankfully by morning it had been ousted. I woke up before anyone else in the shelter and started getting ready to go quickly. My consistent strategy for getting up every morning.

Get up. 

 pack up everything but food and sleeping pad.

Eat peanut butter slathered bar of some sort.

Drink an incredulous amount of water. 

Snack on anything within arms length that doesn't require cooking (optional).

Finish packing.

Head north. 

The day itself was a very beautiful day at the start. The day before had held light rain patches throughout the day. Without any phone connectivity, I thought today would hold a very similar promise as far as temperature. I left the shelter by 8 wearing nothing but shorts, a T-shirt, and a rain jacket. By 11am I had made it  8.7

miles and felt as though I was about to freeze  During the few hours I had been hiking, the temperature had managed to drop significantly. The storm from the day before had also managed to linger, dropping freezing rain and sleet. When I arrived at the shelter I was cold, wet, and hungry. I managed to change into all dry clothes and cook a nice hot lunch. The pinnacle was pulling out my sleeping bag at noon and curling up making sure that I stayed warm. I had serious worry about getting sick, something  I haven't felt at all this entire trip. The last 2 miles before the shelter I began losing feelings in my hands. The sting of sleet on my face did not add to the day at all either, only bringing further misery on a day I thought would be clearer than previous. 

After waiting almost an hour, some of my thru hiker brethren that I have continuously seen for the last week or so, began showing up at the shelter. Not a single soul passed the shelter without stopping. As more of us began to show and I lingered in my sleeping bag avoiding the frigid wind and sleet, the sleet began to thicken and fall in larger quantities at a slower pace. This was quickly becoming  a snow and freezing weather hazard. The shelter quickly became a haven for hikers trying to find phone signal and try to find some amount of foresight for the weather. Had it not been for a woman who was able to get her husband on the phone, we may have all sat huddled in that shelter all afternoon. She told us the snow was only to thicken and also it would be 20 degrees or colder. I have never really hiked with a specific group, but when situations like this arise, and you share common space with other hikers, there is a very awesome amount of comradery that goes along with it. There were 6 of us who had thought optimistic of the day, and had managed to get chilled to the bone. We needed an escape to dry out and avoid the cold weather lest we all get sick. Just over 2 miles away was a gap we learned we could get picked up from and as soon as we all gathered our wits and bundled up as best we could, we made a quick break for it. The going was very easy from the shelter to the gap. Almost all down hill the whole way, a distance that usually would have taken much longer to cover, was cleared in record time by hikers overly excited about hot showers and dry clothes. We had to spend another half hour waiting for 2 cars to come pick us up. Getting into the car was one of the most magical feelings ever. I am continuously cold on the trail the majority of the time. As soon as I stop hiking, I immediately have to put on layers. I believe I mentioned something about this earlier in my blog, but having instant heat is something that I no longer take for granted. I sat shotgun with our chauffeur in his honda ridge line (love that car). I remember getting in and pointing all the front passenger AC vents on me, without missing a beat my automobile host turned the car into full blast, and I started stripping layers like it was my job. 

A short ride into Erwin, TN landed us at a super 8. We tried getting into a hostel but because of the cold weather, many people had very similar ideas. The super 8 had a limitations on the number of people that are allowed to stay in a room. We did not get away with cramming all 6 of us into 1 room. The rooms themselves were fine. Warm and dry is all we were worried about. After we all got showers we managed to get a ride to KFC for dinner. It is at this point I must bring up the ride. Our ride came from trail angel " ms. Janet". Nashe lives in Erwin, and from what I understand about her, used to own a hostel, but now travels in a van along the trail helping hikers wherever she can. Her giant 10 or so passenger van is aptly named "the hiker box". The van is peppered with stickers and duct tape, with a giant AT painting on the front. She is truly a trail angel in the most continuous sense, as she gives out her phone number to hikers and runs the van ferrying hikers anywhere they choose to go on donations only. 

To say the least we were very excited about KFC. The excitement grew in substantial size when we learned that this particular location was all you can eat. 

I think at some point I am going to learn that all you can eat and hiking don't go together, just not any time soon. I made just enough trips back to the buffet bar to feel full but not sick. After our thorough gorging, Ms. Janet picked us up again taking us to walmart and then returning us to super 8. The remainder of the evening was spent relaxing while unpacking and repacking food. It seems harder and harder to fit all the food I buy into my bag. I have noticed that I have begun to eat a little more and combat this have begun to buy additional snack type foods. I can't always boil water and wait to cook something on the trail. Some days I need to be able to grab a handful of something and then get back to it before my muscles tighten. 

We all stayed up a little late and each ended up fading out to our respected rooms and chosen sleeping spots. 

4/13-4/14

Just highlights in this point so I can catch up. 

4/13 

All you can eat pancake breakfast for hikers... I over ate.

Hung out in hot springs trying to just enjoy my day before I left. Left around 2:30.

Ridiculously steep climb out of hot springs matched with sheer and brutal heat made for terrible conditions. Never eat all you can eat pancakes and then hike later that day, most miserable experience of my life. Found a dammed spring and jumped in. The water was excruciatingly cold, but against the hot day it felt pretty good. Full 15 miles out of hot springs. 

4/14 

Pretty regular day on the trail, nothing outrageous or mind blowing except... 

This is day 21 on the trail and I cross mile 300. Still managing to average 100 miles every 7 days. 

I managed to catch a glimpse of an owl as he flew from a branch overhanging on the trail. He perched not far away and stared at me before taking off again. 

It rains a very considerable amount but the day is warm and actually feels incredible. I manage to get a shelter spot so I am not setting up a tent in wet weather. Rain picks up very hard before bed. 

Back on track

Back on track 

I just wanna let everyone know, according to multiple sources I hope to believe viable and trustworthy. I plan to be more current with my posts than I have been. Hot springs was the first time I was able to find wifi again since before the smokey mountains, but without phone signal and too many people clogging all the wifi all the time, I was never able to get enough service to send anything out. I am going to rope the last few days into 1 post in hopes to catch the highlights and then get back to the more intricate and descriptive stylings I led with early on. Any questions or comments can be left at the bottom of each page or by emailing   hankindenmark@yahoo.com

I really do love writing this blog. Considering how many hits it has received, I just wanna thank you all for either reading it or sharing it with those you thought might enjoy it as well. It really has been an inspiration to write more and put more time and effort into making sure there is plenty of material to infatuate. I think I should also have enough pictures for at least one more picture update. Should be all caught up  and dated if not ahead with a random post or 2 by the end of the 16th or the 17th in the am... 

May your boots be dry

Your sleeping bag warm

And your sense of smell lost in between showers

Happy trails

4/12

Considering how early I continue to wake up on this trip, sleeping until 9 may as well have been winning the lottery. I got up and moving to met dad and Leslie for breakfast at a local diner. The place packed. hikers and locals all trying to get a place to sit and some food as well. It took a little longer than we would have liked to get our food, but it was a great breakfast. We headed back to our 2 cottages after that so I could sort through all the food and decide what I was gonna take. The drive me into town with my now heavily laden pack and dropped me off. Leaving them this time was just as hard as he last time merely because I know the time in between our meetings will me months hand not days. 

Keeping my brain distracted proved easier than I thought it would be though. the hot springs trail fest was is full swing and made for there feet opportunity. 

Food, games, and outdoor brand vendors. A long list of activities had been planned by the town to entertain locals and hikers alike. Hot springs, because of such a high hiker population both thru and otherwise, has a hiker ministry building which allows a place for hikers to relax, use the restroom, wifi use, and many other really useful tools. Because of the festival the hiker ministry was doing pack babysitting. It is traditional for thru hikers that pass hot springs and stop at the hiker ministry, to get a picture taken there with their name on a dry erase board and it will then be posted to a thru hiker picture log. I am not saying it was a great picture, but it's one of the few I have of myself where I have recently taken a shower. 

The festival had many different activities , one in particular catching my eye. After a short time tracking down the woman in charge. I signed up for the talent show... Yes I did. I signed up and waited. Now here is where I am gonna say that. I coughs up on all of my blogging and it should have sent out..

There were so many hikers attached to the very few limited wifi connections about town that I couldn't get any amount of service working for my IPad at all. I managed to read and kill some more time just by walking rap round and saying hey to many other hikers that I had met along the way. 

2:00

Talent show. 

I managed to borrow a guitar from a local who was playing at the hiker ministry and also watching the packs. I played in theme talent show and had a great time doing it. Out of the 20 ish acts, only 3 hikers performed, and the other 2 performers worked together... None of the hikers won. We essentially competed against little kids. I know we had a good time, maybe next time I need to look at who else is competing before I get smoked by a bunch of little girls though... 

The festival ended and it was time to figure out where I was going to stay. Just for participating in the talent show, I managed to score a free stay at the hiker hostel in town. This hiker was also where a free chili night was being held for thru hikers.. It was like Christmas.. Chili was eaten in a quantity that would possibly be deemed unsafe by human standards. After the chili many a dessert was brought on. I managed to muscle past my comfort zone and ingest just enough food to feel like a food filled balloon, but not get sick. There was a campfire following where 2 hikers (one carrying a fiddle and one a banjo) played tunes for a couple hours and then with too much food and a warm place to crash. I was out... 

4/11

The night was difficult to find comfortable for a little while. Cowboy camping is a different experience without a tent to protect one from wind. From what I could tell in between waking up and rolling over, the wind seemed to have died down and then ended by 4. I finally stirred around 7 which was perfect timing to watch the sunrise. I used my bag as a back and sat up just enough to watch the sun crest the mountains before me. After the bright amber orb tipped over the mountains, it seemed to move incredibly fast and before I knew it it was hung completely suspended adding  a whole new array of colors to the landscape around it. After the initial excitement of the sunrise I packed and left. It would be 19.8 miles to hot springs where I would meet my dad and stepmom to resupply. I never really thought about it until this day, but I feel bad for whoever offers me rides in future. Now that the weather is starting to get incredibly hot, I am sweating a lot more and I am sure this will do nothing for the already grimy feeling I continuously have. 

To day passed of quickly and I arrived in hot springs by 3:30. I haven't had any more trouble with my feet even though I hike very fast. I have taken to putting extra effort into stretching though. I know my body needs it. 

Hot springs at first glance, is probably the smallest town I have ever visited. There seems to be one road with all of town located on it over a space of 300 yrds. The town itself is incredibly warm to hikers , and even has a hiker ministry building where we can use wifi, bathrooms, and relax on the porch. Initially my interest in this town was merely to meet dad and to keep going. I landed in hot springs just in time to catch a festival for the Appalachian trail and hikers. Tag festival itself is just as much a day for families to come out and have fun things to do as it is for the hikers. More on that later though. 

I ate lunch when I got into town since I had skipped to make it into hot springs and try and eat something really good. There is no phone service at all in hot springs, so I wasn't quite sure how dad was going to find me initially. Eventually he and I did meet up. As a kind of relaxing point for me, a trip to the actual hot spring was scheduled. The spa in town pumps in naturally heated water into private tubs for a hourly fee. After the last few days of long hikes this was exactly what I wanted. 

An hour was spent in the he perfect temperature water discussing all aspects of the trail. I have never felt so relaxed. The day was very rushed to get to hot springs and meet them so the wind down was that much sweeter. 

After our trip to the spa, we went to dinner at a local restaurant and had a delicious and big meal. One thing I don't get enough of on the trail are vegetables. I ate my salad and sides before even worrying about the chicken on my plate. The remainder of the the evening was spent enjoying the atmosphere of the he small town over drinks and good conversation. Eventually dad and Leslie went to bed and I stayed out for a short while to enjoy the company of my fellow hikers who were maybe celebrating a little too heartily. After an hour or so I headed back to the cottage that had been rented for me and enjoyed the best sleep of my entire trip. Why the best sleep you ask? Because it was on a real bed. A gigantic bed with warm sheets and no hostel shuffling to wake me.... 

4/10

The hostel didn't wake me. I was far more awake and motivated than the majority of that lot very early on. Today is scheduled to be a short(ish) day of 15 miles, so I decide maybe Ill hang around the hostel for a long while. The kitchen area of the hostel is a small building with a lot of windows and all the essentials for cooking. Breakfast for me consists of oatmeal and a carnation instant breakfast with a scoop of protein. This is the first hostel where I have been able to weigh myself. Even with all me peanut butter and extras I have been shoveling into my face at every given opportunity, I am already down 8 lbs. I hope that is not correct. that scale had been sitting outside for a good long while from what I could tell, so it might have been off. I need to start figuring ways to increase my calorie intake at every given opportunity. 

For the next few hours I did nothing but sit in the breakfast area enjoying the sun break over the mountains. I don't know If I told you  I am now into my 6th book on the trip. I thoroughly enjoy completing my miles every day and having a lot of time to write and read. Rather than carrying a bunch of books and switching out or ditching them periodically over the trip. I managed to load my iPad with something like 10,000 pages to read over the period of my adventure. 

I didn't even bother gathering my stuff until after noon. Something about standing bear hostel just spells relax and don't go anywhere and relax. I didn't have too far to hike but I just couldn't gather myself to leave for the longest time. Today's hike wasn't nearly as far as some other days, but when I finally got together to leave it was almost 3. Coming out of the hostel was uphill and then some, not exactly the most fun way to get back on the trail after a half day of being relaxed. I ended up making about 15 miles and stopping at max patch. I came up to the top of max patch which initially looks like a mountain that has been cleared for farmland. The whole mountain itself is continuously mowed down to provide incredible views in every direction. I climbed to the top just as the sun set and with views in every direction, the hills became alive with color as the sun faded into Amber skies. To the east was a light blue with the border of mountains stretching to the west where each color flowed into a brighter version of itself. The sunset was an amazing sight to see and the perfect end to the day. A couple guys I had met at the hostel had spread a tarp out and were going to cowboy camp on the top of max patch that way they could watch the sunrise. Cowboy camping is where you don't set up a tent, you sleep under the stars in your bag and ground pad only. They were nice enough to share a free section of tarp with me. We put all our bags at our heads to provide somewhat of a wind shield against the chilling night wind. As the sun continued to drop and nothing to do on top of the hill, everyone who camped there faded quickly. I had trouble sleeping initially and took a short walk before going back to bed. The darkness revealed a whole new view, as lights in the distance made a beautiful display of a city beyond. The sky was completely clear also revealing an array of constellations only a few of which I could recognize. 

I got back in my bag and then while watching the stars, I faded. 

4/9

The common theme in the smokeys is, when you wake up its gonna be cold and foggy. Today will be my last day in the smokeys, so I am wholeheartedly ready for some warmer weather. It rained again last night, but luckily none of my stuff got too wet. I will need to dry my tent and one side of my sleeping bag. Luckily I never got cold at any point. At some point the rain must have turned to sleet and snow, the ground is littered with patches of white. Since I didn't stay in the shelter, for the first time in a long while I am able to wake up and get going at my own pace. It is too cold to stand around and worry about cooking again so I gorge on peanut butter and begin my day. 

The path is high enough elevation where many of the trees for the first half of the day are frozen. Mile long sections are covered in a coating of winter, and turning down some paths looks as though I am walking through a wonderland of white. As the sun comes up the fog starts to break allowing for larger sections of white to be seen. Whole mountainsides are glistening white as thin clouds roll through them. Again I pass through fir thickets, but none as fantastic as the day before. 

As the sun begins to climb many of the paths begin to thaw revealing a mess of trail the likes of which I have yet to see. At some points walking straight down the middle of the trail means sinking inches into mud. Today is somewhat warmer than past days, but that may be in part of the elevation drop as well. The sun climbs higher and by 1, I am close to 13 miles in. With the sun occasionally peeking through the clouds I stop at a shelter and have a hot lunch. 13 miles sounds like a lot for a day, but most of the trail has been very rolling or downhill. I quickly eat and then set off for the remaining 7 miles to the last shelter of the park. As the downhill truly sets in and my elevation falls, for the first time since I have started my hike, it feels like spring. I smell budding flowers and green surrounds me on all sides. Shrubs and ferns spring up around me while some trees have begun to grow leaves. Signs of spring have been sparce until now. I hope that it stays this way. 

By the time I reach the final shelter it is only 4:30. I decide that this is not far enough today and I make a quick snack and then I get back on the trail. Because the trail has been so nasty all day I change socks to some dry ones to try and help my feet. I can feel at least one blister forming on my right foot. Lacing up my boots halfway and then considering how wet it is have not helped at all. After bypassing the shelter the next place to go is standing bear farm, it is a tent/bunk hostel. I am hiking up the hill to the hostel when the owner passes me and offers me a ride the last half mile. This hostel has got to be one of the most interesting out there. The owner and his best friend run it, the best friends name is rocket. Rocket is the burnt out rock version of a wild redneck past his prime. The hostel itself looks more like the adult version of a summer camp. The resupply shed works on the honesty rule. Everyone gets an envelope as they arrive and as you take things from the shed, write what's you took and how much it was on the envelope. There is no washing machine, so all laundry must be done by hand on a washboard. I realize that is a very old fashioned thing to say and I assure you I never thought I would have to do laundry on a wash board. The ash board tub is located night next to a dryer, which makes sense? I opt to stay in the bunk house, which remind me of an actual summer camp bunk house. All the bunks have been cut and built with what I can only assume is local wood. There is only 1 outlet to share among the 14 bunks. 

There is a kitchen area where we can make use of any utensils and or cookware. The whole hostel winds down early. Once the sun goes down, there is not much else for a hiker to do. Most of us are far too tired to worry about staying up to find any amusement. I manage to stay awake for a little while to read and the head out to a campfire where rocket is having a good old time. I listen to the ramblings and enjoy the warmth and before long it is cold and I am ready for my bunk. 

I have managed to only come out with 1 blister so hopefully dry socks and some shorter miles will help to cater to that. Today's final miles has once again set the record for farthest number of miles in 1 day. The new record stands at 23.6 miles. I don't see myself breaking that record again until Virginia when the landscape is supposed to be rolling and not so drastic in elevation.

4/8

Once again it's cold. I think for dad having tried to plan ahead and join me for a few nice days. He has picked some real stinkers. The problem with trying to plan ahead in the smokeys is, you almost can't. The difference in temperature say in Gatlinburg vs the trail is night and day. The final leg of dad's section will take him 10 miles to newfound gap. We get up and moving and once again the fog has rolled in. The views that we would be able to admire together are blocked by a vortex of swirling clouds manipulated by a chilling wind. The first few miles of the trail are cult but not nearly as bad as it has been on previous days. A few miles into the day we arrive t clingman's dome. Initially I had intended and hoped to get a picture of us standing atop the tower with the wilderness soon to be conquered in the background. Thanks a lot fog. We opt to keep going. There is very different atmosphere at this altitude that I quite enjoy. The sections of forest below this point have had floors littered with leaves and smaller shrubs. The forest has managed to separate to a very drastic measure past a certain altitude into closely knit for thickets. The floors of which aren't littered with leaves but with needles and dead trees covered with bright green moss. Every time I walk a spine the wind buffets me right until I enter one of the fir groves. The wind, not able to advance through the tight trees becomes harmless as I wander through each beautiful section unscathed by the cold breeze.

Each time I turn a corner, I feel as though I am walking into a movie set. the moss with its rich green and almost yellow gives the dark thickets a bright amount of life while the trees grow together into almost a cage. This is by far my favorite edition of the forest I have come across. I wish that my Technology I had brought with me had not been all dead, I would have far too many pictures of just this section I'm sure. 

A few more hours and we reach newfound gap. My step mother is there with food and supplies for me. Of the things she brings, I eat as though I have been starved on a deserted island. After I have consumed far too much we even have leftovers. This is the first time I have gotten to bestow some trail magic, it will not be my last.

After eating, charging all my tech, and submitting my posts (there has been no service) it's back to the trail. Initially it was hard getting out I of the car just because I do want to go home at times. I didn't particularly want to give up, quitting feels to easy especially after how far I have come and how positive I continue to maintain. I merely did not want to go back out into the cold. After a few days of cold weather and rain, I may as well have been a cave man and that car heater was my fire. I did not wanna give it up. Alas I got my self out of the car, put back on my wet boots, took a few pictures and was down the trail again. 

Now apart from the fir thickets,a very cool and interesting thing also happened to some of the trees today. At certain intervals along the trail many of the trees would be frozen with ice chips all along the branches. Now I don't know why some sections had it and some failed to freeze. As a hiker all I know is that they made incredible dots of color all over the trail. Sections of trail would be littered with frozen chips as if a higher power had dropped wood chip size pieces of white quartz all along the trail. At one point I was unlucky enough to walk under a tree when it shook and dropped it's chilling/beautiful contents down my neck.

Here is where I am gonna rant a little bit about a problem I have come across that actually irritates me some. I arrived at the shelter and had to tent. Not a big deal overall but annoying nonetheless. In the smokeys it is illegal to tent camp anywhere in the park, unless you are a thru hiker and a shelter is full. So what that means is, in every other park I have passed thru thus far, in addition to shelters, there will be campsites sprinkled along the way for anyone to use. Here in the smokeys all thru hikers have to stay at designated shelters or around them. On top of this rule, any day hikers that reserve a spot in the shelter, can kick out thru hikers if they arrive and there is no space in the shelter. It's a mess and the park needs to find some donations towards upgrading the shelters or designating tent camp sites. Each day is a race to wake up as early as possible and race for a spot at each shelter. Nothing different from the last few parks I passed through, but here shelters are small and most people aren't willing to squeeze if you arrive late. Also I ran into what is called a trail runner this evening, a trail runner (I have come to learn), is a guy who walks sections of trails and checks that everyone is maintaining the rules of the park. When I asked if I could sleep on the floor of the shelter instead of putting up my tent, he said no... What an ass... My last little peeve with the whole smokey mountain national park is, this section of trail is the only one in 2,183 miles where you have to pay to hike. Yes, it is 20 dollars to thru hike this section of the AT which must be purchased ahead of time.. I will get off of my soap box now. 

On a lighter note I would like to say that 2 very exciting things happened today. I find them exciting at least.. Today I hit 200 miles. In 15 days, I have managed to travel 200 miles of rough terrain and weather not many would enjoy, and I am proud to say I am ready for more. The second exciting thing that happened today is both exciting and a little eye opening. My miles today ended at 217, this means that I have successfully completely 10 percent of my final goal. When I initially thought about it and let it sink in, it was somewhat heart wrenching. I am ready though, it just looked scary initially, like stepping to the edge of a high dive for the first time. I have had fun this far, why would the next 130 or so days be any different. I say 130 because as of right now, I have no set return date. I know I would like to complete 100 mile sections in 7 days or less. With that number in mind there is a lot of wiggle room there to add rest days and or push on. I don't know how long I would like this trip to last but I know for now I love being out here and I am content to continue the challenge I have started.

Lastly my injury/whatever it is..

I have removed the insole from my shoe, which has allowed my heel to move freely without pressure being applied to it. Some research has told me that because I hike uphill by driving with my toes, I may have tight calves which in turn is putting added pressure on my heel. I have never had a pair of high boots before and I feel like the pressure from my calf and the tightness of the boot around my Achilles may be a connecting factor. I have stopped lacing my boots all the way up, instead I lace them tight only to the top of my foot. My foot slides around and I am sure it will be even worse during the next rain, but blisters I can deal with. 

 The next few days are gonna be very long and I am going to try and focus on more pictures for the blog. The last picture post has been edited to have 5 pictures. The post itself was originally supposed to have 5 but I am not quite sure where I went wrong. I'm off to sleep. 20 miles tomorrow with surely no spot in a shelter. 

Happy trails.

Trail angels

I just wanna talk for a split second about these trail angels. I think I went into a brief description of what these people are and what they do, but I don't think that you all will grasp how much what it means for us hikers unless I explain. 

In short, trail angels are person(s) who take personal money and time to stand at points where the trail intersect with roads and disperse some amount of delight for hikers. I have heard of all kinds of trail magic and it seems to know no bounds. I had a gentleman notice my pack slightly ripped and offer to buy me a new one in Franklin, NC. I did not take him up on it, but I was astounded by the kindness he would show an utter stranger. These people are so excited that we would go on such a long pilgrimage just for the sheer enjoyment of it, that they would help us any way they can in the hopes that we will succeed. I have had a family hand me food, I have accepted rides, and I have had someone pay for my meals without my knowledge. Every single one of these acts of kindness adds up and truly makes each section of the trail that much more enjoyable and memorable. I can't help but say that I love trail angels with food. Many of my friends back home know that it is not uncommon for me to put away second or third helpings if the he offer is available. Every time I accept food from an angel I make sure and know how thankful I am that they took time to help me in such a simple or extravagant way. My  most memorable trail angel with food was on Wayah bald, NC. After an excruciatingly long trek uphill for the better part of a few miles, I rounded a bend to see 2 fold out tables filled to the brim with food. Every possible delicacy I could have wanted I gorged myself upon. The gentleman who put all this together went by the trail name kaichu, and I truly hope that I haven't spelled it wrong. He had a tent and a few fold out chairs for us to lounge in while we waited for our friends to show up and eat their fill. The day was beautiful, clear, and hot. We enjoyed Gatorade, crispy creme, and hard boiled eggs. In the cooler next to the chilled Gatorade was something I had to have 2 of, fresh oranges. That guy knew exactly what every hiker wanted and mad sure to supply some kind of tasty treat to please every hiker pallet that passed.

The most useful trail angel gift I have received was from a gentleman I met in Franklin, NC. He gave me the updated trail guide for northbound hikers. This book has helped be better plan my days and distances by showing me elevation gain, every giving numbers for hostels, and even supplying helpful hints for different towns along the way. His trail name was Intents, and just in case you ever read this sir, I cannot thank you enough. 

 

It is truly an honor to meet these people along the trail and I hope to meet many more on the way, I am not even 10 percent into the trail yet, so the possibility of finding a few more oranges or free rides still seems pretty good. Hope y'all are enjoying the read. 

Happy trails

4/7

The storm hit with a force that shook me from my sleep. The metal roof of the shelter rattled with the pangs of heavy rain while the wind outside shook the trees surrounding our shelter. I don't know how the ret of hue he group slept, but I had very serious trouble. I could tell I fell back asleep only once but it seemed as though the rain invaded my dreams as well. The sun came and the rain continued. I took all had to pull myself from my bag and begin to pack. The shelter, although covered with tarp on the front, seemed to allowed just enough wind through gaps to make the inside of our meager accommodations freeing. Like a daily step program I ate my cold breakfast, packed, and dad and I hit the trail. Dad and I had only taken maybe 10 steps out of the shelter when the rain came to halt.other than the trail magic I have been bestowed with along the way, this might have been the best stroke of luck I have yet to encounter. Since space in shelters is limited and dad had a reservation, I pulled away quickly and didn't stop for lunch. I wanted to make sure that I got a space in the shelter before anyone got there. Rain didn't fall while I was hiking again, only occasionally would a drop fall from a tree and fall cold onto my neck. The scenery was very similar to the 2 days of fog and rain I endured the week before. The addition of more wind made it seem like I was lake king through clouds rushing past me. Walking along some high spines was interesting at times. The cross breeze was so violent and forceful it was as if a unseen force was pushing me to walk off trail. The hike was short today as dad could only get a reservation for a shelter not too far down the way. I arrived to an empty shelter and had my pick of the bunks. I always tend to pick a spot with a wall next to it so I don't feel like I am kicking 2 people during the night. Dad arrived quickly after me and the remainder of the afternoon was spent attempting to catch up on sleep from the night before and reading. I have successfully finished 5 books on this trip in addition to my writing and making friends. The limitations of my iPad and it's battery life is the only thing keeping me from putting more time into all of my posts. Perhaps I will find a way to remedy that in future. Tomorrow I will cross over the highest point in huge trail clingman's dome, then it's all down hill from there. Yea I know an elevation joke is terrible but I have been in the woods for almost 2 weeks. 

4/6

The morning starts very early for some. I choose to get up and read while many others pack. Dad's first night on the trail has been good, but he says he had some trouble sleeping. I rally out of my sleeping bag and teach dad how breakfast on the trail works for me. We leave around 8 and head out into a cold windy day. The views from every mountaintop we are clear, but wind quickly chases us from our views. A day that dad had said was supposed to reach into the 70's is definitely no warmer than the low 60's with wind. Around 11 we stop for lunch. It is now warm enough to cook my usual oatmeal lunch. The wind is inescapable as it tears in between trees and through layers. Our lunch stop is elongated somewhat as I play with the insole in my shoe. It seems to me that my insole is not leaving enough room for my heel while I climb with my toes. Putting on a second pair of socks in hopes that maybe some padding will cushion my heel, seems to only exacerbate the problem. Just to see what will happen, I remove my insoles completely. It is as different as night and day. My foot has enough room at the heel to not out any pressure, the trade off being that my foot now slides around in my boot and may cause blisters. Blisters I can deal with and treat, for now my heel is much better. 

The day continues on and dad and I accompany each other at good pace to the shelter. It is around 4 when we arrive. There is only so much one can do to fill time at a shelter. Between dad and I, we manage to prepare ourselves for the  coming evening and tomorrow. Dinner is instant grits and powdered mashed potatoes. This is the first night on the trail that I have done potatoes. After my first bite I know that I will be packing them in for another night at some point. It is not even 5 when dad and I have nothing to do. 

When I write it is hard not to listen to bunkmates all around me. Many discuss the trail, home, things they wish they had. My favorite however are the random stories. With such a menagerie of ages and types of people from all over, you never really know what kinds of tall tales may be told around the cooking table. Whole careers are discussed by those who are retired, while many younger people merely discuss party's and events attended. All are interesting, some more than others of course. One person can only tell so many stories of close calls and feats accomplished before the listeners mentally call bullshit..

A few people show up late to the shelter and everyone squeezes closer together. They bring news of a storm rolling in tonight to hit around 3am. The storm will bring with it 40mph winds or stronger. I am so glad I managed to get a space in the shelter. Everyone but the late comers bed down for the night before the sun sets. 

I read for a long while and finally my eyes become to heavy to fight through another page.