What a great 48 hours! After climbing the steepest uphill yet, I finally made it into my last shelter of the week Sunday night. Enzed and Forest took a zero day (meaning they didn't hike any), so I was on my own for much of the day save running into some weekend hikers who "trail magicked" me some chocolate covered coffee beans! "Karma" and "Fawn" also had chocolate and Kashi bars to share. "Burly", another thru hiker, came along and shared some skittles (the rest of which I later found waiting for me at the shelter!). I spent a sleepless night in the shelter and finally headed out on a quick 4-miler before sunrise on my way to catch a shuttle into Franklin. My friend Daniel picked me up and we came back to Brevard for a much needed day of rest. He's headed out to a shelter just 4 miles further up the trail with me tomorrow to spend the night then I'll continue on to the NOC by Saturday and hopefully Fontana Dam Monday or Tuesday! After that I will hopefully have caught up to Enzed and Forest (who probably will do more than just 4 miles out of Franklin tomorrow), so we can hit the Smokies together!
All in all, this trip is stellar! =)
"I haven't got any special religion this morning. My God is the God of walkers. If you walk hard enough, you probably won't need any other god." - Bruce Chatwin, 'In Patagonia', 1977
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Thursday 17 March 2011
Mexican Food and Clean Laundry Make for a Great Day!
Enzed,Forest Gimp and I made it into Dick's Creek Gap around noon today after three incredible days together! The first was rainy, but we were the first into the shelter at 2 and spent the rest of the day curled in our sleeping bags. The next two days were beautiful and productive (15 miles in one!). Today we beat a number of people into Hiawasee, but the inn was full, so we headed down to a motel before pigging out on a Mexican dinner.
There are awesome people out here. I know Enzed (from New Zealand, 'N Z' with a New Zealand accent) and Forest Gimp (from Texas who fell on day one) best. Boomer, Peregrine and Comanche are a couple more regulars along with K-3 and Chris. I met Black Thunder and Wild Card just as we got into town today, both of whom are from Raleigh!
Tomorrow starts a 3.5 day drag to Franklin for my first 'near-o' day (an almost zero day). So far this is a great trip, and I hope some of you can join me over the coming weeks!
"Now shall I walk or shall I ride? 'Ride' Pleasure said; 'Walk' Joy replied." W. H. Davies
There are awesome people out here. I know Enzed (from New Zealand, 'N Z' with a New Zealand accent) and Forest Gimp (from Texas who fell on day one) best. Boomer, Peregrine and Comanche are a couple more regulars along with K-3 and Chris. I met Black Thunder and Wild Card just as we got into town today, both of whom are from Raleigh!
Tomorrow starts a 3.5 day drag to Franklin for my first 'near-o' day (an almost zero day). So far this is a great trip, and I hope some of you can join me over the coming weeks!
"Now shall I walk or shall I ride? 'Ride' Pleasure said; 'Walk' Joy replied." W. H. Davies
Monday 14 March 2011
Just One Step After Another
Dad and I made it 16 miles in two days, came off the trail for a night and I booked it to Neels Gap on day 3. So far that's 30 miles of awesome people and sweet views! I've managed to keep up with N Zed, Kilo-3, Chief, Walking Man and a couple others I don't know well. Hopefully I'll be able to stick with these guys for a while (but they do big miles!).
Dad's leaving in the morning, and I'm pretty bummed about it. But I love being out here, so I'll probably be OK! For tonight we're camping out at some Inn in Blairsville.
Last note- I've got a trail name, 'High Five'!
Dad's leaving in the morning, and I'm pretty bummed about it. But I love being out here, so I'll probably be OK! For tonight we're camping out at some Inn in Blairsville.
Last note- I've got a trail name, 'High Five'!
Friday 11 March 2011
Let the Fun Begin
Woke up with Parfait curled in my lap; I don't think he approves of this trip...
Dad and I packed our bags last night for the last time, and we're headed to GA this morning. We'll take it slow getting down there as he still has loads of work to do before we begin this little journey.
Slept with strange dreams last night, and woke up as apprehensive as I am excited! Tonight we'll stay at the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, and we're shuttling to Springer Mtn tomorrow AM!
Monday 7 March 2011
Dates and Rates
I've loaded up on the last of our final food preparations and dumped it all into bags. Dad seemed a little worried when I mentioned our meals will consist of Easy Mac with Tuna... what could be wrong about that??? I'm also throwing together some personalized GORP (Good Ol' Raisins and Peanuts) and tossing oatmeal and some CLIF bars in for good measure. It's not a lot compared to our usual meals, but I'm loading up light and hoping all will be well for four days until he's headed home again.
I finalized my scheduled town stops last night, too. Here's a guess at when I'll be in major towns...
Dad's staying with me until we reach the Walasi-Yi Center at Neels Gap, then he's taking a day to wander back down south toward Dahlonega where his truck will be waiting. I'm planning to keep on trucking to Haiwasee, GA (March 19), an extended stay around the NOC in Wesser, NC (March 25-26), Gatlinburg, TN (April 1), and finally Hot Springs, NC (April 8).
Here, hopefully, Dad will show up for another quick 4-day hike before he once again wanders back to the real world. That plan is still way up in the air!
Once he's left me again, I'll continue on to Erwin, TN (April 15), Roan Mt., TN (April 20) and another extended stay this time in Damascus, VA (April 28-29). I'll spend another week after that wandering farther north (probably to Troutdale, VA), but some time after May 5 I'll be looking for Dad and some others to meet up for a trip back into Damascus for Trail Days on May 13-15. The latter part of my plan is essentially unplanned!
So, I put up these dates hoping some people might find a few they'd like to drive all the way to northern GA, western NC/eastern TN, or southern VA to join me! If you're interested, my phone number is (919) 274-6917 (it's new, so if you had my number you may need to change it now). The dates will probably waver; these are just rough guesses.
Also, I'm going to try keeping in touch via snail mail while I'm out on the Trail (writing letters in the woods is really fun!). So, message me your address on FB or leave it here!
"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads" -Thoreau
Saturday 5 March 2011
Another Adventures Looms
My love for countdowns started in 2006 after my first summer at High Rocks. It was such a fun summer, full of everything I adored that literally within hours of leaving Brevard I was figuring out the number of days till I’d be back to do it all again. Since then I’ve counted down to not only camp summers, but trips to foreign countries, days left in certain jobs and internships, holidays with friends and family, and, most recently, extended hikes. My exuberance over countdowns has admittedly fallen to the wayside lately, but deep down there’s always a little calendar ticking off the days (and sometimes hours) to one thing or another.
This most recent countdown has reached a pivotal point, the Less Than 10 Days mark. Finally, it can be said that there's just one of each day of the week left until I start the Appalachian Trail!
I don’t have the time (or desire, really) to hike the whole thing at once, though that is commendable and I’d like to try some day. But, there are jobs and fun to be found other places, so I’ll only be hiking for 2 months. Dad’s going to start out for a week with me, and I was worried about us at first. But, as with all endeavors the two of us undertake, no matter what happens, we’ve almost certainly done worse.
Our most recent extended hike comes to mind ("extended" being a very liberal term here). Late last Fall, Dad drove up to Brevard to walk the Art Loeb Trail with me. We each read up on the Art Loeb, and we were both a little concerned about what we read. However, people tend to exaggerate how difficult things are, so we decided to give this “butt-kicker of a trail” a shot. After driving out to Camp Daniel Boone on a Friday night, we set off early the next morning. Right off the bat, we had a bad omen. The trailhead read “Difficult”, but someone had spray painted above it “VERY” in large red letters. They weren’t joking. After almost 2 hours of straight uphill climbs in very cold and overcast weather, we came to a level spot and took a sharp left (after I misremembered the map and led us into the woods for about 20 minutes in the opposite direction). Just as we were blessing the level plane, the skies opened up in a torrential freezing downpour. Instantly soaked and miserable, we continued on only to find a giant yellow jacket nest on the trail. We took to trail running for a number of yards, but then the uphill started again. Another hour passed and we’d made it to the narrows along the ridge and found a group of Duke freshmen who were just having breakfast and finishing their hike down to Daniel Boone (where we’d just come from). We warned them of the bees and fought our way into the cold, wet and extremely dense rhododendrons crowding the trail. Shortly after, both of us collapsed in exhaustion in the middle of the trail and refused to move for a good hour. We set up a little shelter with our rain flies and decided to apologize profusely to any passersby (which, thankfully, there were none). After an hour of debate and complaints, we each decided 5 miles up a mountain in a downpour this close to winter was entirely enough for us. We turned around and started back.
The hike out was almost as bad as the hike in, as the entire trail had turned into a giant mudslide and twice we each found ourselves grasping at branches to pull ourselves back up the side of the mountain and onto the trail. Praising a god neither of us holds much sway in, Dad and I finally saw the truck at the bottom on the mountain and picked up the pace. Apparently, God isn’t cool with near-atheists praising him as a giant tree came crashing down not 5 feet from where Dad hiked just behind me. We stared in disbelief for a second, laughed nervously and hightailed it out of there.
So, basically our most recent "extended" walk in the woods was a complete disaster and it’s unlikely we’ll do worse on the AT next week. It’s always good to have a standard to live up to!
Pack weight is at just under 30 pounds and I'm a mere 7 days to the scheduled launch date! I'd love for any and all of you to join me on the Trail, and I'll try to keep this blog updated with dates and locations. The most important date and location is, of course, Damascus, VA on May 13 where I'll be for Trail Days. To learn more about Trail Days, visit http://www.traildays.us/ and I hope I'll see you there (just bring a sleeping bag and a tent)!!
"I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life" -Og Mandino
This most recent countdown has reached a pivotal point, the Less Than 10 Days mark. Finally, it can be said that there's just one of each day of the week left until I start the Appalachian Trail!
I don’t have the time (or desire, really) to hike the whole thing at once, though that is commendable and I’d like to try some day. But, there are jobs and fun to be found other places, so I’ll only be hiking for 2 months. Dad’s going to start out for a week with me, and I was worried about us at first. But, as with all endeavors the two of us undertake, no matter what happens, we’ve almost certainly done worse.
Our most recent extended hike comes to mind ("extended" being a very liberal term here). Late last Fall, Dad drove up to Brevard to walk the Art Loeb Trail with me. We each read up on the Art Loeb, and we were both a little concerned about what we read. However, people tend to exaggerate how difficult things are, so we decided to give this “butt-kicker of a trail” a shot. After driving out to Camp Daniel Boone on a Friday night, we set off early the next morning. Right off the bat, we had a bad omen. The trailhead read “Difficult”, but someone had spray painted above it “VERY” in large red letters. They weren’t joking. After almost 2 hours of straight uphill climbs in very cold and overcast weather, we came to a level spot and took a sharp left (after I misremembered the map and led us into the woods for about 20 minutes in the opposite direction). Just as we were blessing the level plane, the skies opened up in a torrential freezing downpour. Instantly soaked and miserable, we continued on only to find a giant yellow jacket nest on the trail. We took to trail running for a number of yards, but then the uphill started again. Another hour passed and we’d made it to the narrows along the ridge and found a group of Duke freshmen who were just having breakfast and finishing their hike down to Daniel Boone (where we’d just come from). We warned them of the bees and fought our way into the cold, wet and extremely dense rhododendrons crowding the trail. Shortly after, both of us collapsed in exhaustion in the middle of the trail and refused to move for a good hour. We set up a little shelter with our rain flies and decided to apologize profusely to any passersby (which, thankfully, there were none). After an hour of debate and complaints, we each decided 5 miles up a mountain in a downpour this close to winter was entirely enough for us. We turned around and started back.
The hike out was almost as bad as the hike in, as the entire trail had turned into a giant mudslide and twice we each found ourselves grasping at branches to pull ourselves back up the side of the mountain and onto the trail. Praising a god neither of us holds much sway in, Dad and I finally saw the truck at the bottom on the mountain and picked up the pace. Apparently, God isn’t cool with near-atheists praising him as a giant tree came crashing down not 5 feet from where Dad hiked just behind me. We stared in disbelief for a second, laughed nervously and hightailed it out of there.
So, basically our most recent "extended" walk in the woods was a complete disaster and it’s unlikely we’ll do worse on the AT next week. It’s always good to have a standard to live up to!
Pack weight is at just under 30 pounds and I'm a mere 7 days to the scheduled launch date! I'd love for any and all of you to join me on the Trail, and I'll try to keep this blog updated with dates and locations. The most important date and location is, of course, Damascus, VA on May 13 where I'll be for Trail Days. To learn more about Trail Days, visit http://www.traildays.us/ and I hope I'll see you there (just bring a sleeping bag and a tent)!!
"I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life" -Og Mandino
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