Day 18

(My lunch spot)

Day 18-

Spent the morning wondering about my piloting. Can I fly A-10's near DC? I need to find out. Can I volunteer for the civil air patrol?

Today's 21 mile jaunt left me a lot of time to see the wildlife and think about stuff. Saw some turkeys - yesterday I was attacked by a grouse! Saw some deer. Plenty of birds and rodents. Good stuff.

Hiked more than 9 miles in 3 hours this morning, humping it up a big bald before noon. What a lunch spot; cashed my peanut butter on the top of a mountain! Fuckin' A. I think I have head lice. Little jumping bugs all over my stuff. That sucks. Good thing I only have 25 or so lbs of gear to wash. *Day 25 update- no weird bugs in my hair.

Any who, Ben and Kenji show up while I'm chowing down like mad on my snacks. I took some pictures and headed off. Storms threaten all afternoon but none hit. 21 miles is a long way. I stop for water because I'm drinking so much. Fresh filtered out of a mountain stream? Yes it is that good. Ben and I hit the shelter at the same time anf find it full of old dudes. We pitch our tents and make dinner right before a huge storm rolls in. 1st real test of the Big Agnes tent. She's dry as a bone! Two Lions has named me 'Spaceman' which I cool with me. Tomorrow we'll head into town for supplies, A&W, Mexican food and junk. They seem to have adopted me, so I'll keep with them (should keep me ahead of schedule) as long as it makes sense. I was wrong, I don't feel lonely without Dad. Everyone out here is a friend until they prove otherwise. Rain on the tent tonight. I will sleep well...

*You might not know this but before I left for the trail, I failed a flight physical on my way to becoming an Air Force pilot. I'm a private pilot right now and things are looking good for me as far as my flying career is concerned. I love sleeping in tents in the rain.





A doodle

Day 17

Day 17-

STORMY! Nothing motivates like a summer storm. Two today, one at 2, one at 4. Big cracks of lightning are fun when you're flirting with the bottom of the clouds. You could see the bolts race through the cloud base; it was awesome. Slower paced morning... really just enjoying the walk. The Trail opened up into some beautiful meadows. Been playing tag with Craig and Lisa all day. Shelter @ 4. Ben, Two Lions, Kenji laugh like hell. Late night again, 20 miles tomorrow.

Here we gooooooooooooo --------->

*Today I meet Ben, Two Lions and Kenji; I'll be hiking with them for pretty much the rest of the trip. Get ready for some good banter about these smooth operators.

Day 16

I love sleeping in tents

Day 16-

I like sleeping alone in tents. I have so much space on my own little planet. Zip the flaps and this patch of earth becomes my domain. And then, in the morning, I take it with me. Too cool. Last night we burned the midnight campfire and talked about god knows what till late. I retired as the stars clicked on. Up and at it for the morning, I had the tent down, breakfast, coffee, new H2O packed and on the trail at 8:10am. Nice.

2 hours of downhill later found Craig, Lisa and I sitting at a country store .6 miles off the trail eating ICE CREAM! I ate 3 ice cream sandwiches (.50 ea), a twix bar, bought 2 bags of tea and 2 snickers and an orange. Even though I am eating candy I am still losing weight. The owner drove us back to the trail so it only cost me $6 and .6 miles. The orange went well with PB&H lunch. Chunky did NOT work well in the dispense tube. Today's 15.4+.6 was pretty tough. Crazy uphill till about 2pm followed by hard ridge scrambles over rocks, some vertical for 5-6 feet. It was fun, but strenuous. Craig and Lisa showed up 45 mins after I arrived at Larry's Cabin. Danny followed 15-20 later. Without Nikki. He left her alone. He waited an hour and said he was worried, so I mounted up my flashlights and we went to go find her. She was about 1.5 miles back and had been crying because she thought she was lost. I can't believe Danny left her. Glad she was OK. Hopefully she won't let that happen again. We got back at about 9. 14 miles tomorrow. I'm tired. I don't have any more time to talk to you, loser.



Craig and Lisa; The coolest couple ever.



Danny and Nikki

Lateness

Hey readers... right now I'm working or in class for my masters 12 hours a day and I'm also moving apartments and trying to maintain some contact with the outside world. What I'm trying to say is that I'm a slacker but I'll do my best to update this as much as I can.

Day 15

Goodbye, Dad!


Twas the night before Day 15
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse,
When suddenly I sprang from my bed,
And took the best dump of my entire life.

7am, on the button, I took care of business old school. Now I'm ready for the trail. Dad and I walked across the street to the diner and ate pretty light. Took our last showers at the hostel and bid the staff farewell. At the outfitter I got a new watch band and hooked it up in a futile effort to avoid thinking about Dad's departure. The van pulls up, his pack goes in, one last picture and hug and he's gone. I felt very alone all the sudden. I realized I had nothing left for me in Hot Springs and 11am is plenty late to start a 11 mile day. I picked up a can of V8, an apple, a snickers and a smooshed fruit for lunch. Went to the post office and discussed my detest for V8 with a loitering local, dropped off 8 post cards and I'm out! Down the trail. 31Lbs of fully loaded hiking fury. I tore into it, really enjoying my pace. I will miss having Dad here, especially during breaks and at campsites. This adventure is new and totally different from the last two weeks. Also, I am a day behind. I'll spend the next two days at this schedule, but will (in 3 days) double up two 10.x days for a 21 mile catchup. That will be a good day's work but I will stay in a hostel that night I think. I'm in my tent tonight, the Spring Mountain shelter was dank. They've been going downhill since the smokies. Met Craig and Lisa on the trail and they're camping nearby. Danny and Nikki showed up late and will be coming up here too. I have a fire ready to light; it should be a good night. So lets talk about how my thoughts differ when Dad is not around:

Thought Breakdown With Dad:
What are my Feet/Hands Doing? And when will this downhill end? 20%
Personal Biz, Move, DC 10%
Friends/Family 5%
Boobs 5%
Is Dad about to Die?/Am I slowly killing Dad? 30%
Cliff bars, snickers, dried fruit, coffee, breakfast specials, beer, steak … 30%

Without Dad:
Boobs 20%
Move to DC 10%
Crazy, Zany Inventions. Future trips. Plans w/ friends in the future. Random Plots 30%
Boobs 10%
FOOD 30%



Climbed to the fire tower before Spring MTN, met locals, one gave me a trail magic cookie. It was delicious. Took some good pictures, too.



Fire Tower

Day 14

Dinner at Elmer's

Day 14- Zero

1st day in 15 that I've laid my head in the same spot as the night before. I feel refreshed yet anxious. Dad and I spent the day being mildly constructive but mostly lazy. We ate breakfast for about two hours, which consisted of a biscuit (two for me) and many cups of black coffee. We went to the outfitter where I squared away the rest of my meals and snacks and dreamed of buying a tarp tent. The confounded Frenchmen put it in my head that my ultralight monopole Big Agnes [tent] just isn't light enough! Too bad that less than two pounds of fabric with n poles or footprint runs for about 1.5x what I paid for my whole setup. I decided that I can wait for a tarp tent. Clearly, this bothers me. We went to the Hot Springs Spa and found that there are no hot springs, just 17 whirlpool tubs along the river with natural mineral water pumped in from the earth's molten core as the operating fluid. Of course, no one told us this before we paid our $25/hr for two in #7, but we enjoyed it anyway. It may have soothed my ankle. I'll find that out tomorrow. The whole time as we soaked behind a privacy fence I was haunted by two thoughts: 1) what has been done in this tub before we got here and 2) what has the staff done about it? Regardless I lay here freshly showered and presumably still STD free. We left the spa and went straight to the bar, where we found our fellow hikers and had a few beverages. Came back to Elmer's to relax before dinner and did just that. Met Chris, Danny (Steve), and Nikki. The Vontramp family is also staying here, along with the crazy Kentucky guy from Fontana. Emily the Vontramp daughter, at a breakfast fit for a race horse. Truly awesome. Dinner was good but not as spectacular as yesterday. The salad was the best part without a doubt. Amazing greens, veggies, and dressing. I will be hungry in the morning this time, however. Following dinner, Dad, Steve (Danny), Nikki and I went to the bar and watched the [Red] Wings tromp on the Penguins to win game 1 [of the Stanley Cup Finals]. I reflected on this in my post card to Randi. I admired Nikki's choice in music at the juke bo and reflected on my lack of female trail companion. Someday. Not yet. Soon, I'll be lacking a companion entirely. I am anxious. I offered for Dad to stay on, but he's gotta go back to real life. I think he is very sad to leave, and I am sad to see him go. He'll hit the trail back to MI when I hit the AT in the morning. We'll have breakfast, go to the outfitter, then I'll bid him farewell and start the next chapter of my trek. I assume that my experience will change greatly. I expect to be faster, lonelier, more efficient, more introspective and will reach out to others more. I wonder if the miles will go faster or slower. It will be interesting. I will miss Dad. I will not miss his snoring. I will now enjoy this bed and breakfast tomorrow.

*The only other time I've encountered hot springs was in Idaho, and they were just pools within a rock formation that had just shown up on their own time. These were not hot springs at all, they were just hot tubs. I wouldn't really recommend the place... I'd just recommend you stay at the bar. It's less awkward that way. This was a fun day just chillin' with Dad as I really had nothing else to do. I think my body was grateful for the recovery. I keep calling Danny by Steve because he looks just like my friend Steve from college. I was jealous that he managed to get his girlfriend to hike with him, but that story unfolds in a later entry....



Dad Celebrates! [French tarp tent in background]



Eclectic Elmer's

Day 13

Dad's Last 3 Miles down to town

Day 13- This is extraordinary

Last night was your average shelter night. Woke up to hammering rain on our tin roof. Still woke up dry as a bone thanks to our circa '38 shanty. 3.2 beautiful morning miles into town. Breakfast at the diner was good. Real good. I had a western omelet with apples + a pancake. Dad had eggs + pancakes. We walked across the road to Elmer's hostel and then it all changed. Wow. The house was built back in time and everything inside is ageless. All the cards, letters, nick-knacks, instruments, newspapers, furniture, dogs, people and sights and smells add up to everything and nothing. It all just fits. We check in and we know that this just feels like home. We have a quick tour by Nancy and she shows us our room. I can't wait to sleep in the bed. Gonna be sweet. We hit the showers immediately and I soaped over twice because the first time just didn't do enough. Been over a week. We did laundry in town and split some beer in the garden. We moved the party to the local watering hole and used some local IPA to wash down some great conversation. We returned to Elmer's to find the Hiking Poles (Polish couple) playing piano. The French couple departed just before. The Poles can play beautifully. Time for dinner: four courses straight from their organic garden in the back yard. Chris prepared miso tofu soup, amazing salad w/ home made dressing, vegetable enchilada and flan for dessert. Holy crap, I was about to split I tried to eat so much, it was delicious. Tea and hiking stories cap off the meal. Some real good laughs too. Now I'm sitting in the music room listening to Nancy and Dan (neighbor) play guitar and sing folk music. Dad's reading nearby and Sean (resident) will join in the music occasionally. Dog cruises in and out at will. I wish I could write this house's vibe down. It's intangible. It's too home, too strange, to different to describe. All I know is that I love it and I'm already planning my return. Tonight, I'll listen to their music and read. I'll also sit with way too much good food in my stomach. Tomorrow, we'll go check out Hot Springs' Hot Springs, square away my next few meals and drink a few more beers. We'll do dinner here again, I'm sure. Sunday I'll head out on the Trail again but for now, this is just great.

*Elmer's hostel in Hot Springs, NC is an AT institution. He's a hippie that's never quite given up the 60's and the house surely fits that creed. I am continually surprised by the sense of community found along the trail. As soon as we set foot in that house the staff greeted us like we were friends they hadn't seen in forever. I will post pictures soon, but right now I'm sitting in an airplane headed out to Alabama on a business trip and my pictures are at home. I'm flying over the trail at 30,000 feet as I write this, how crazy is that? What I didn't write about here is that we also did laundry this day and it feels SO GOOD to have dry, clean socks and underwear. To this day, I can't wait to find a reason to go back and have dinner with Elmer.

Here's a youtube video of the John Prine song that Nancy and Dan were playing for us:






Dan and Nancy Play

Day 12

Fresh Bear Print in the Mud

Day 12- Dad's last big day.

Last night after I shut this book the French couple treated us to a game of 'pass the pig' where you roll pig dice and the way they land earns you a score. It was weird but a lot of fun. I taught them Euchre and they learned very fast. After on game it was plenty dark and everyone hit the sack. At 4am, a branch broke and I woke up DEFCON 4, rock in hand, ready for bears. Unfortunately, the only thing I scared was my companions so I slipped my trigger happy self back to sleep. Dad and I woke slowly, well after our new French friends. Last to leave out the gate. The morning was uneventful but good. Sunshine! Wow! Few sprinkles here and there but not bad. Summited 2 mountains. Past by Pastor Dave & Mikah. Past by a pair of biker looking hikers. Caught up to Josh, who I've named "Hipster" because he fell and hurt his hip. Weathered a storm at 1:00pm through about 1:45... not too bad but we're still soaked. Wound up at the deer park shelter at about 5. 3.2 miles left to Hot Springs. Dad thinks we'll just grab a bite and high-tail it for the hostel. 10 minutes later, we're knee deep in Mountain House (I <3 my Jetboil) and BOOM! [illustration of thunder cloud] The heavens open up. Dad takes off his shoes. We're stayin' here tonight. This shelter sucks, but it is dry. One more night in the woods for Dad. He's tired, we did about 15 miles today. The Roaring Fork shelter is not correctly located on the map. Pastor Dave & Mikah show up soaked. They say they were on the ridge during the storm. They were hailed on! They say 'Hell with it' and hike down to Hot Springs to get out of Dodge. Biker couple shows up, but they set up tents. Guess they're too cool for us. Hipser makes mac+cheese+ramen+tuna and enjoys it. I may have to try this later. Dad hits the privy and says it's nasty. So lets talk about poopin' in the woods. It's a game of chess, strategy, skill and sometimes luck. See, I know there is a flush toilet in town for me tomorrow, so I'll hold out. This morning, however, I hit the privy because I knew that although the comfort level was marginal and my need was not imminent, it may be better than the next privy. Well played for me. The alternative is digging a hole, which is liberating but takes a lot of time and energy. All these factors must be wighted to win the poopin' game:

Need
Imminent
Could possibly
Nah

Comfort
Padded Seat
Clean
Nastay

Outlook
Flush in town
Privy next shelter
Ass in wind


Tonight I have: Could possibly + nastay + flush in town. I'll just hold out for the diner.

3.2 Miles of triumphant march into the town tomorrow for some greasy food + 1.5 days of rest and dryness. Woooooooot!

*Yep, I planned my bodily functions around availability and possible availability of facilities. In the future, I'll just go for the 'Ass in wind' option. It's really not that bad! This was a pretty normal hiking day. Just a lot of walking, looking around and just enjoying being outside despite the weather. It was a good last big day for Dad.



Dad on the Trail



Our Crappy Shelter

Time Out!

Hey all,

I haven't had time to type out today's entry. I need to take a break from this to have some current weekend adventuring.

Catch you next week.

Memorial Day Update:

The weekend was worth the delay

Day 11

Dad's and My pack on Max Patch


View Larger Map

Max Patch: If you zoom in and look real hard, you can see the AT emerge from the Southwest and disappear into the woods on the Northeast side of the bald.

Day 11-

This ain't that bad. Rain again today. But my knee feels 100% better. I still don't trust it, but it feels better. Last night, in our tiny off-kilter shelter, I slept fantastic. Woke up twice to find the blackest night I have ever seen. I could not see my hand on my face! One wake was following an exquisitely derailed dream of Catherine's upcoming wedding. I was late because I was out climbing with no cell phone and they found a replacement groomsman. Looks like I'm having some cell separation anxiety. With only 11 miles planned, I'm in no hurry. My sleeping bag felt perfect this morning. I popped an advil and away we go. Up to Max Patch. What a climb! But what a view. I took some great shots of the rain clouds and mountains. We had lunch just before the summit and man do I love Hawaiian snack mix. It's funny the tings I have said I love out here. Clif Bars! I love Clif Bars they're unbelievable. Snot rockets, dry socks, coffee, oreos, snickers, bald peaks. Lots of things to love. My leg is not on my s-list anymore but I do not love it, not right now. Looks like we're bunking tonight at Roaring Fork w/ Pastor Dave, Mikah and two Frenchies: Dorian and Virginie. They were at Double Spring [shelter], Dad gave them our tarp. They recognized me by my slings that I use to hang my pack. They shared our disdain for the stupid CMC rise/fall lady and thought it peculiar that no one told her to STFU. They are each only carrying 7-8 lbs dry! Wild. Their trekking poles are their tent poles. Dorian made an alcohol stove out of a pop can. I need to learn to do this. He says there are how-to's online. They are very cool people. One day left for Dad. I think he has enjoyed the adventure but is ready to be done. He is looking forward to a hot tub in Hot Springs. I expect to sleep well tonight and feel even better tomorrow. Bet you it'll rain again ;)

Virginie Writes: 'encule le donneur' Explanation tomorrow, Translation rated PG-13



Virginie, Dorian, Pastor Dave and Mikah

*I planned this trip to fall between some pretty important life events, and it all worked right well. The day before I left for the trail, I was wearing a Tux, helping my friends Jeff and Beth start their marriage in Style. The day after I returned, I was to start my new job in Washington DC and then soon after I was to go stand in my Sister's wedding in Chicago. I'd decided to abstain from using my cell phone for the duration of the hike, which really was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Probably because I don't have any friends. Just kidding.

Max Patch was an AWESOME SIGHT! The rainclouds which were blowing at low level this day really made the landscape a beauty to behold.



Clouds over Max Patch



Dad hiking on up the Patch

Day 10

Standing Bear Farm

Day 10

This entry will probably make me sound like an emo kid. It's funny how fast things change. Last night between 12:15 and 1:00am, 2 more hikers moved in. Noisily. Bangingly. Disrespectfully. In the morning it was apparent that they had no idea what they were doing. Shelters by the road are no place to be. The day started off OK. Threatening skies lead us on: no rain in the morning. Uneventful hike down to the Davenport Gap but damn, my right knee HURTS! We spent an hour at the standing bear farm, a local hiker hostel. We ate candy bars + bought peanut butter, honey, saltines, hot chocolate and a post card for Mom. Then the fun started. The climb from the Davenport gap was more than we bargained for. My right leg and I were mortal enemies by the end. I wanted it to fall off, it wanted me to sit the F down already. Intermittent downpour ended our dreams of peanut butter lunch, although the top of the climb included a bald with great views of storms + a VOR. Dad's pack won't hang straight off his shoulders. The rain just dampens everything, including spirits. We arrive at the shelter to find pastor Dave and son Mikah, who has discovered a 5ft snake in the shelter. Soon the snake is removed to the point of no return. Food and hot chocolate make us feel a little better. Dad hits the sack at 7:02pm. I hope my right leg heals for the morning. Tomorrow should be a little easier. Rain forecast for the next 3 days. Gonna do my best to stay dry, happy and excited.

*I bet you were wondering when I would stop spouting rainbows and unicorns. I can still remember the pain from this 4 miles of straight steep downhill hiking. It's not intuitive that hiking downhill hurts worse than up, but I can vouch for this. The two hikers who moved in were obviously inexperienced and even asked Dad if the rainwater was safe to drink out of puddles in the ground. Dad had them boil it first as they had no filter. They were not moving into the shelter in a disturbing fashion on purpose, they just had no idea what they were supposed to be doing. VOR stands for VHF omnidirectional range, it is an aviation navigation beacon and the flying geek inside of me was psyched to discover one in the middle of the woods. We were so wet this day. It rained so hard we could have been in a pool when we stood on that hill and ate beef jerky and felt drier. Not everything you do on the trail is fun, but all of what you do is a great experience.



I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER!

Day 9

Day 9

Sitting here on the porch of the Davenport Gap Shelter, watching the rain come down, I feel like I'm on another planet entirely. I'm looking into a ravine filled with trees 60-80 ft high easy. Rain's been falling on and off all day. Shoes are caked with mud and socks are soaked. But. I. Feel. Great. Last night the shelter was so packed we had a French couple on the floor, bunks full over capacity and 2 in a tent. The stupid wench mentioned in yesterday's entry kept the whole place up with her shrill voice asking "Is it easier to rise or to fall" and discussing her pretentious answer with the rest of her crew. This was after an obnoxiously loud conversation with the French folks about the moisture content of cheese. Now, I don't want to fill these pages with bad vibes, but she's the only person I've met on this trip that I have not enjoyed. I figured it was worth recording. Especially because of the cheese moisture conversation. That was priceless. Today the Mines left us 2/3 through the day's hike. Yesterday, it took them (Dads) 2 hours longer to arrive at camp. Today, we waited an hour at the lunch spot. Dad learned why I was frustrated the first few days! It was sad to see them go because their time was short and they were happy to be out with us, but Dad and I were happy to have our pace back. We had a great talk about the frustrations I had and he experienced. Then we finished a 15 mile day like it was no big deal. Dad's got his trail legs. This is a lot of fun. Views came and went today as the mountains went in and out of a tide of clouds. Rain came in ribbons and sunlight would come through every now and again. Very interesting weather today. This shelter is a bear cage as well and it has me paranoid. As I write I keep checking my peripherals. Tomorrow we leave the park and will stay at Groundhog or the local hostel... time will tell. 36 miles to Hot Springs!

*So if you know me, you know I generally like people. The woman I had such a problem with was the president of one of the trail clubs which maintain the trail along the section we were currently hiking. She was chastising us aloud about not packing out our gray water after cleaning our dishes, as she was putting hers into a ziploc bag and then into her pack. Now, I love the planet and I think we should leave no trace along the trail, but don't yell at me for watering local flora with my soapless dish water. That night after everyone was comfortably snuggled into their sleeping bags, Tim from Michigan would have to shine a headlamp into her eyes in order to subtly communicate that she better shut up or she might wind up duct taped to a tree. Hikers appreciate their sleep. Later on, we'll meet back up with the French couple and get their side of the cheese story.

Day 8

Mountain flowers on a rainy day in the Smokeys

Day 8: RAIN!

Woke up this morning to drumming on the tin roof of the shelter. I was very happy to find that the shelter was very water tight. Every once in a while, a drop would find its way down but for the most part we are all happy to be inside + dry. For some odd reason we all broke camp way early. I think we were ready to go at about 8. We've been out at 8:30-9: every morning but today I think everyone wants to finish this hike like tearing off a band-aid. Started out with full rain gear + fleece. About 3 steps in it was time to drop the fleece. 2 miles in and I'm down to my smartwool shirt + hiking pants. I love my smartwool shirt! Paul and I ripped through the trail, disappointed every time we crest a ridge to find ourselves inside a cloud. We're moving fast enough that I'm comfortable in the shirt + my hat. We stopped for lunch at the trailhead to the shelter and in between stops. Paul and I arrived about an hour before our dads would arrive. We got cold slowly + started wearing more + more clothes. Finally, Paul made up some oatmeal for a bit of warmth. After an hour, we left our packs and started South on the trail to find out where our Dads had gone to. Found them 2.5 minutes into our backtrack, Paul's dad sitting down on a step in the middle of the trail. We lead them down to where our packs were + had some lunch. Following our recharge, we rocketed back into step all the way to Tricorner Knob shelter. Been hanging out w/ a good crew. 2 old guys from Bama, 3 Michiganders, the rabbit + the tortoise. There are a few others here too. A foreign couple, 2 thru kids and 4 club reps, one of whom is an annoying bitch. This shelter is packed. The foreign kids are going to sleep on Dad's tarp on the floor. Paul + I beat the Mich kids at euchre and then Dad and I ate Ramen + Mountain House. He and Mr. Mines arrived about two hours after Paul and I. Tomorrow, we will hike 14 miles to Davenport shelter. Paul + Mr. Mines will leave at the Cosby campsite. I hope for better weather tomorrow although the clouds broke for a few minutes this afternoon with spectacular views. 2nd to last day in the smokies.

*It rained at least once on more than half of the days I was on the trail last year. Most of the time we’d get an afternoon or evening storm; it rained so regularly that it was almost weird when we had a dry afternoon. Waking up to rain on the shelter or your tent roof isn’t entirely motivating as you know that you’ll be some degree of moist for the next 12 hours or so. After a few days of rain in a row you wind up just getting used to being damp and that becomes the norm. For rain gear on this trip I had packed a pack cover, rain paints, rain jacket and my sleeping system was stored in a hefty garbage bag. I wore the rain pants one time (this particular day) and discovered that the sweat I worked up inside the nylon was 10 times worse than the cool rain and I was getting wet regardless. I’d say that the pants were my most worthless possession. Smartwool shirts are INCREDIBLE. They’re cool when it’s hot, warm when it’s cool and continue to feel great even when soaked 100% through. If you ever plan on camping, you need one of these shirts. Paul’s Dad was hurting during our long hike this day. Not only were the conditions miserable, he was carrying way too much gear. Paul and I felt bad leaving our Dads behind but we found it taxing to walk at such a slow pace. Although my Dad and I were not together during this day, it was incredibly valuable for our trip and our relationship. He had come to understand my frustrations at the beginning of the trip and I had come to appreciate his initial pace and how much he had improved during the course of the first week. I think it’s awesome that Mr. Mines was able to make it out for the weekend and in spite of his heavy load, I’m pretty sure he had a great time.

Day 7

Grims and Mines Hiking Christmas Card FTW!

Day 7:

Sitting at Icewater Spring shelter. The water at the spring really is ice cold! It'
s delicious! Speaking of delicious, Dad and I ate cheddar broccoli salmon rice for dinner and it really wasn't that bad. This morning we woke up in the Quality Inn Gatlinburg, ate some delicious biscuits + gravy, tossed Dad's extra gear and swapped his damn Sumberjack sleeping pad for a Big Agnes backer pad. Happey Hiker Gatlinburg; what a cool outfitter. I bought a waterproof stuff sack to replace my food sack. I was sick of worrying about carrying sopping wet rations around. Now I can sleep in peace. Maybe. Still have yet to sleep through the night. I will do a victory dance when that happens. The shelter is FULL, which is bad because the Mines are illegal. We both have tents though so I'm not too worried. Paul and I went for a side hike, as we arrived at the shelter at 3pm. We climbed to "The Jump-off" which is about 300 feet of sheer cliff followed by a steep body-shredding slope. We promptly wizzed off of it. After we got back, the 3 dudes from Michigan came back to visit and I built a fire from wood Paul and I dug out of the slopes around the shelter. Views form the shelter are the best compared to any shelter we've stayed at so far. Fellow hiker reported a bear here in the morning. We'll find out soon enough.

*There are going to be a lot of things I casually write about in my journal entries which may not make sense to a non-hiker. I apologize for the plot holes but if they get too wide just drop me a comment and I'll patch it up. Shelters along the AT are spaced at about a half day's walk apart from each other. They range in style and size from a four person lean-to built during the great depression to fantastic multi-story log lodges (that you can order pizza to). You do not need to stay in the shelters except in some locations, including the Smokey Mountains. The Mines are illegal in the sense that they do not have shelter reservations, which are required for hikers who are not walking the entire park's length. If they were caught by the rangers they would probably face a fine and be extracted from the park. Shelters are usually situated around a natural water source, such as a river or a mountain spring. The springs usually have a pipe or a pool which allows you to draw water in order to treat it with either a filter or purifying chemicals. You can choose not to use purification equipment, but that may leave you with a nasty infection of Giardia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia). Once you read that wiki, I'm sure you'll choose to pump or pill. I love that the little critter is named after some French guy... if I'm ever famous enough to have something named after me I hope its symptoms don't include the runs.



Paul and I at "The Jump Off"

Day 6

Dad at the top of Clingman's Dome



Me at the bottom of Clingman's Dome

Day 6:

Day of days. Dad and I started out very late (10am) thinking that we'd cut the planned hike short from the Icewater Spring shelter to the Mt. Collins Shelter (14+ miles to 8 miles). Plan was to meet Paul + Mr. Mines at the Mt. Collins shelter but upon arrival, we found that the 5 miles they would travel at night would have been terrible. We continued to the next gap. But I digress. The day started with a hard 3 mile ascent of Clingman's Dome. Dad and I met back up with Needles, Flash and Chairman. We had some oatmeal at the observation deck + answered the tourists' questions. They're always disappointed that we're not headed to Maine. The hike down was rocky and difficult. My left ankle was pretty painful. Dad's boot's sole is separating from it's toe. The Mines are bringing epoxy to see if we can fix it. After we reached the trail head to the Mt. Collins shelter we started down it, but decided that we shouldn't let the Mines do this at night. We committed to the extra 4.5 [miles] to get to the Newfound Gap. The hike was mostly downhill but difficult. Lots of obstacles + scrambles. Once we made the gap, we settled into the business of finding out way to town. I got a B+B on the phone, discussing how the hell we're getting off the ridge. Two guys in a Jeep from [Florida] overheard us and offered to bring us down. 1/2 hour later and we're in the lobby of a Comfort Inn, setting up for the night. Showered, underwear + shirts hand washed in the sink + burgers in our bellies, we feel pretty good! The mines show up at about 9, fully prepared and also with our resupply! We've got too much food. Maybe tonight will be the 1st time I sleep the whole time. Hope my underwear is dry come morning. Tomorrow is a planned rest NERO! We're on schedule! 3+ mile climb to Icewater Spring and time to kick around.

* Gatlinburg sucks ass. There is no reason for you to go there. In Gatlinburg, there is a small building that's sole function is to get you dressed up in funny hats for an Old West photo shoot. Gatlinburg, TN isn't even in the West! That point is moot: you shouldn't be wearing that hat. Having a burger and a beer was only marginally better than drinking in the concerned looks of the old dudes with socks and sandals and their wives on vacation over Memorial Day. I don't think Dad or I said a word to each other after the waiter dropped the food into our piranha tank of a restaurant booth. We slaughtered those sandwiches without mercy or remorse. I owe my friend Paul a favor; not only did he drop my Dad and I off at the trail, but he delivered my first resupply package and hiked with us over the long Memorial Day weekend. I had a lot of fun planning the logistics for this hike: quitting one job, starting another, counting miles, elevation, calories, dividing food caches and mailing them to myself hundreds of miles apart, and setting up travel by car, air and bus. I over-planned a few things, including quantity in my food caches, but in the future this would make me a very popular guy. This day was long but surprisingly fun! NERO means "near to zero" or however you want to interpret it. Pretty much, NERO means you hike a very short day as a recovery without hiking zero total miles. My itinerary, which I researched and developed multiple iterations of, included a NERO and a zero (day off) per the recommendations of the guidebooks.




Wildflowers

Day 5

Dad and I on one spectacular bald in the Smokey Mountains

Day 5:

Turning point. 16 some miles from Russel Field. No bears today. Some amazing views between the morning + afternoon. Most peaks are covered in trees but a few offer tremendous vast eyefuls of miles + miles of huge ridges and valleys. Particularly satisfying are the ones with clear views of where we've been. In the morning, Dad would stop + look but after mile 14, he did not have the patience to stop. I realized today that I'm ruining the experience for Dad. We need to slow down. I have two days of leeway built into my schedule and I will invest them in the next few. Hopefully, when we ascend Clingman's Dome tomorrow (the highest point on the trail), we'll have some time to poke around and enjoy more of the scenery. I can't let my goals get in the way of this experience we're having. It's awesome! Meeting many cool people along the way. Might lose this crew over the Smokies but there's no harm in new faces. This was the first day my back hasn't hurt. Which is AWESOME. In the morning my right thigh was in a lot of pain and in the evening it was my left ankle but overall, I'm in good shape. Dad's really only good for about 10-12 miles. After that you can really see his posture + body language indicate fatigue. I hope this shorter day tomorrow will be uplifting for him. This shelter is nice; maybe I will sleep through the night this time.

*"Turning point" was an apt title for this entry. I believe this is the day when I really started to open my eyes and look around. My Dad and I did the Boy Scouts together from Tiger Cub (1st grade or so) until I earned my Eagle in 2000. We've been camping, canoeing, hiking in many places together (including an amazing trip to Isle Royal in MI), but the AT was something we had in the back of our heads. It just happened that both of us could commit two weeks at the same time so we capitalized on the opportunity. I'm beginning to realize that what we're doing isn't about the distance or what I had planned to do. I think this day was the day I realized that this was much more than just a hike, and what it was I can't tell you. Mostly I can't describe it because I'm not a poet, but partly I won't because the AT feels different for everyone; it would be a disservice to tell you how it would feel to you. I can tell you that there are certain times, things, songs, people and places which have a specific flavor that lingers in my brain and the AT was a feast.



Packs hanging out after a hard day's work



Where I had stopped after mile 14; Couldn't get enough of these valleys

Day 4

Fontana Lake on our clear morning



Dad walks across the Fontana Dam at the foot of the Smokey Mountains


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Day 4:

1st day in the smokies. Startlingly clear morning really allows you to take in the mountains ahead. Can't help but to think that you're on the verge of a great adventure: stopping on the dam, looking at your target 4k feet above. I'd bet the first thousand was easy. I am getting comfortable wearing the pack longer and longer. Dad is kicking it into gear today. We don't need to stop as often and hit the campsite 113 by lunch. Thought that was the top of the climb but nah... probably about 750ft more. Told the old guy he was at the top. I'm an ass. Oh well, topo maps suck and we'll never see him again. Dad and I are way too fast. met 3 Michiganders. Played tag on the trail all day till about 2. Saw 4 bear on the way to the Russel Field Shelter. 1st ran off into the woods. 2nd two were together + took some yelling to get them to leave. 4th ran so fast away I just glimpsed his head. When we got to the site there [were] signs of DANGER BEAR ACTIVITY and the shelter had a human cage to keep the bears out. 4 Texans showed up, then 3 more bears. They sauntered S[outh] to N[orth] on the east side of the camp where "chairman's" tent was just pitched. Despite the warnings and laws, he doesn't want to hit the shelter. We'll see how he fares this evening. Looks like 8 in the shelter. We can still hear the bears to the east. Longest day tomorrow for Dad... I think he's ready.

Day 4 Amendment

BEAR! Hell 15 yards from the fire before we heard it. Momma bear, took some rocks and noise. Mom climbs a tree. Still poking around.

HAHA! Make that 9 in the shelter.

Momma bear showed up w/ cubs in tow at 12:45 am and attempted to get inside the cage. Lots of growling, banging, and photo ops! Weird being inside the zoo getting your cage tapped on.

By the way, found my underwear.

*Trail names will start appearing more often in these entries. People obtain trail names during their trek from fellow hikers. Chairman's name is Chairman because he works at a chair factory. Most trail names involve such kinds of craftiness in their inception. The AT involves walking on the ridge of the Appalachian Mountain Range as it snakes it's way Northeast from Georgia to Maine. You'll spend days walking on top of the ridge with small elevation changes, but the trail drops in altitude to meet towns and bodies of water. Hiking up from the Fontana Dam is a pretty tall order. The bears we saw at the shelter, as we discovered later, are known problem bears and have probably been relocated by now. Loyal had a nice run in with mamma bear the day after we passed through. Our crew's only casualty was the handle of one trekking pole which was chewed off through the fence. The funniest part of the bear attack was that the common response was to shuffle deeper into one's sleeping bag, but only after whipping out a point-and-shoot. No one was about to be a hero and go yell at the bear, myself included!



Russel Field Shelter and the Human Cage



I can haz sum hikerz?!

Day 3

My savior and envy of fellow hikers: Wise Bean Blend + Jetboil French Press

Day 3:

Today was supposed to be 12+ miles but we cut it short by hiking past the planned shelter. We arrived at the Fontana dam shelter at about four. Caught a ride into town and picked Dad up a trekking pole so he now has two. Well, now I get to use two again. This shelter is nice but filled with crazy bees. They have a shower + flush toilets. I discovered that I have no backup underwear! It's 6:31pm right now and I am fed, content and am looking at a mountain lake. Tomorrow will be rough. Looking to make it 13.8 miles. We have a steep 4 mile long hike to start the day, which will be a bitch. If we can get to the top by noon, I bet we'll make it. We hear there has been a lot of bear activity, so we'll be lookin' out for Smokey. Time to shower, play some cards? Hit the sack. Bastards beat us at euchre. 2 games in a row! Beautiful Sunset.

*My Dad and I both learned a ton about hiking gear during the AT trip. When we had backpacked while I was in the scouts, it would seem we prided ourselves on how much stuff we could bring. One of the things this trip taught me is how little I truly need to be comfortable in camp. One thing this trip taught my Dad is how much easier it is to hike with two trekking poles. The poles really make a difference when you're headed up or downhill, and catching yourself when you're about to bust your head after falling for no good reason. I had given Dad my set to use until we were able to outfit him with a matching stick to the one he brought. I was very excited to get my 'ski poles' back in hand.



The Fontana Hilton; The second best looking shelter I will stay in on the trek

Day 2

Dad and I on Cheoah Bald


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Day 2: SUNNY!

Today took a greater toll on Dad than planned. The steep hiking causes us to take frequent breaks. It will be a challenge to stick to the schedule. That said, his attitude is good and his heart is in it. Today we hiked past the Brown Fork shelter and tented at the Blackhorn gap. This was to make our trek to Fontana more Downhill than up. Time to crash, more to come tomorrow. Views are excellent.

*My Day 2 entry was short because I was writing it by headlamp, wedged between my Dad and a tent wall. My relationship with my Dad is strong, but I had set a high bar with our planned itinerary. We were to stick to a schedule and I had only allotted myself one buffer day in order to finish my planned distance. This early entry is in stark contrast to what I will write in the future. Right now, I don't have a grasp on what this trail is all about. To hike is to enjoy being in the moment; focusing on the future only erodes the magic. For the record, I was not afraid of wild animal attack as my Dad snores like a grizzly.



Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2: Mansion for 1, Spoon Factory for 2

Day 1

Dad and I at the first white blaze.

Day 1:
Longest "5" mile hike ever. Turns out, it was 6.9. Dad thought it was 5.9, so I let him run w/ it. Rains on Day 1. That's how we know it's real. Shouldn't have started at 5pm, got into the shelter well past sunset. Cold night, but lafuma + my liner took care of me. Fellow hikers are good but coffee to warm me up is AWESOME. 9.1 to brown fork Day 2.

*Day 1 happened to be our shortest hike and also my shortest journal entry. I had misjudged our put in time and trail difficulty, landing us at our first shelter well past hiker midnight. Respecting elevation changes and trail difficulty was just one of many lessons I'd learn during the first few days on the trail. It happens that Dad learned how to sneak into the sack next to a grown man stealthily enough to scare him by magically appearing in the morning.


Sassafras Gap Shelter, Day 2 AM

The Adventure Begins

During the Summer of 2009, from May 17 until June 19, I hiked 403 miles along the Appalachian Trail. I put in with my Dad at the NOC in Wesser, NC and took out solo but not alone in Atkins, VA at the Happy Hiker Hollow Hostel. Along the way, I met some awesome people and had equally amazing experiences. I wrote in a journal every evening before I went to sleep, and sometimes during the day. Over the course of May 17 - June 19th 2010, I'll type out my journal entries and post pictures in order to relive the experience. You are welcome to join the hike!