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