Well, well, well. We meet again. Thanks for coming back. Or being here for the first time!
Not sure if you’ve looked at my new gallery. Sorry, I know the pictures are hi-res, so they take a little while to download. I took more pictures on the morning of the 15th than the rest of the hike so far. Before I explain how amazing that morning was, I feel like I should explain what a normal day on the trail is like.
To understand what the average day looks and feels like, try this little exercise. Bring a tv into the bathroom and turn on an episode of Bob Ross. Spray-paint the tv gray so you can barely see the shapes of trees. Then stand in the shower with your rain jacket on and turn on cold water sporadically. Now, how happy are those trees?
I know I’ve missed some great views from the tops of cloud-covered mountains so far, but a morning like the 15th makes many monotonous, foggy days worth the hike. It was tough to get out of my sleeping bag that morning because it was so cold, plus the sky looked like it would remain cloudy though we heard it was supposed to be clearing up. I sang Christmas carols for the first few miles because it seemed fitting. But it became magical soon enough. You hike along for a while then suddenly realize you can make out your shadow on the ground just ahead of you. The sun is finally doing its job and poking through the fog! “Into marvelous light I’m running…”
It was so windy and cold the night before that any moisture in the air turned to frost as the wind came up the east side of the mountain and down the west. Many of the pictures may look blurry, but that’s actually an inch or two of frost that hung from the branches and trees…parallel to the ground! It was the strangest thing.
So after 3 miles of hiking, I reached the highest point on the AT: Clingmans Dome which is at 6,643 feet. Not that it’s all down hill from here, there are still come big climbs ahead! It was so cold on top of the spaceship-of-an-observation tower that I could only stand it for a few seconds. There were some tourists there that saw our packs and started asking all the typical questions: “Where did you come from?” “Where are you going?” “Where’s Maine?”
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Get comfortable. No, seriously, go to the bathroom now, get a drink, and get comfortable. This will be a good, long read 🙂
I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Franklin, NC. I hadn’t planning on arriving here until this morning (4/8) but after hiking 16 miles yesterday while snowing, I thought I’d reward myself with an actual full day off and 2 nights in a normal bed…
Last Sunday (4/5) was the toughest day on the trail so far. I wasn’t ready for the heat. That morning I even made time to attend a nice, little country church and set off around 12:30pm on the trail. I had only planned on going 13 miles, not too far. I only made it 10. At about 9.9 I reached my first state line, the GA/NC border. What should have been a fun celebration was a mere landmark. There were people there celebrating, which lifted my spirits a bit, but I just didn’t feel good. It was hot, the bugs were out in full force, it was mostly uphill for those 10 miles, I was worried about the weather report, and I had bad Mexican food the night before. Not a good combination.
I enjoy staying at shelters as opposed to just campsites because shelters offer an outhouse and a table for cooking meals. Instead I had to pitch my tent at a campsite with neither. While there were 6 or 7 other tents around (you’re never lonely in the evenings), I was miserable. I was worried I had some sort of stomach bug, or I just hadn’t had enought to eat or drink. I fetched water while being eaten alive by the bugs, cooked my dinner, spilled half of it on the ground, and got in my tent around 7pm in order to fall asleep as quickly as possible, forget about the day, and start new the following day. My mind was racing about how uncomfortable I was. I only had one goal when waking the following day: hike 3 miles to the next shelter and use the outhouse.
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Today was my first car ride in a week. Boy, are cars fast. At one point we were going 1 mile-per-minute!! (That’s 60mph if you don’t want to do the math.) I’ve been averaging 2-3 mph. My hiking gears are similar to the speed of trucks on a highway. Steep uphill = super slow. Easy uphill = decent pace. Level ground = normal to fast pace. Slight downhill = fast as possible without falling. Steep downhill = slooooow.
Tonight is my second hostel night, this time in ridiculously beautiful Hiawassee, GA. It’s so rewarding to emerge from the woods after a quick 11 miles, have free lunch as trail magic, get to a great place like the Blueberry Patch hostel where they do your laundry, feed you breakfast as their ‘ministry’ (donations accepted), and get a warm shower. Hiking is rewarding in and of itself. But I’m learning half the joy comes from setting a goal for a town 3-4 days away and relaxing there.
Anyway, thanks again for your encouraging messages. I’m planning on taking a full day off in Franklin, NC, where I plan to catch up and respond to all of them! That is if I survive the rain/thunderstorms tomorrow and Monday, and the freezing cold and snow we’re expecting on Tuesday. Oh how ironic that just a few hours ago I was sunning in the backyard, skin slightly burned in the 75 degree April sun.
Too tired to type my Trail Report. My thumbs are about to give up. (Update typed on cellphone.)
See you in Franklin, NC. I’ll post some pictures on the site when I’m there. Goodnight!
