Day 18 (Wednesday, April 30th) - Stecoah Gap to Fontana Dam Shelter

Today's Miles: 15.10 
Trip Miles: 165.80

Donna from the Cabin in the Woods drove us out to the gap to resume our hike. We had everything dried out and a new appreciation for the weather in the mountains. Cassidy, a young woman from New Jersey, started out with us, but was going slowly to get through an injury.

I think this doohickey right here is the flash....DOH!

A mile in we began to climb "Jacob's Ladder," a steep climb over a short distance. I had added more protein to my diet and it seemed to help; I had a lot more stamina on the rises. The wind was still blowing through the mountains and it looked like it would rain. The sky was a washed grey tight against the tree tops.

We made good time after the ladder and passed a few hikers on the trail, but no one we knew. The cool, wet day meant we weren't worried too much about finding water. We didn't stop until noon at Cody Gap. Natalie and Mike were eating and I went down a side trail to get water. The way to the creek was a staired path among jumbled stones. I kept my head down and eyes to the ground to avoid tripping. About a hundred yards in I stopped and turned to call back to Mike and Nat and saw that I was surrounded by thousands of white flowers. The wind was rocking them back and forth making them look like butterflies between the trees. I got the water and went back to show the kids what I had found. Natalie was as taken as I was. Mike said, "Oh."

We hiked the next nine miles in good time and got to Fontana Dam Information Center around five p.m. It was raining pretty heavily now and the views were limited. We headed out for the last 1.3 miles to the Fontana Hilton, a 20 person shelter on the lake formed by the dam. It filled up pretty quickly with hikers and some were camping nearby. It's called the Hilton because there are showers and flush toilets just up the road.

We had supper late and sat around talking to the other hikers. Natalie and Mike will go for resupply in the morning and we'll head into the Smokey Mountains.

Bye for now.

Day 17 (Tuesday, April 29th) - Sassafrass Shelter to Stecoah Gap

Today's Miles: 6.70 
Trip Miles: 143.70

Today's account actually starts with last night. We weren't quite prepared for the storm that raged through the Appalachians and so much of the south. We were sorry to hear about the loss of life and the damage that was caused. For us, the rain began around midnight and the winds began to blow in gusts of forty or fifty mph (by my guess). Natalie's little one man tent was overwhelmed by the strength of the wind and she was forced to bunk in with us. A tight fit, but the extra guy lines on the three man helped to keep the tent upright.

The wind really began to howl around two or three in the morning. It sounded like a train roaring through the gap. We heard and felt the tent poles start to give as the wind velocity rose. Mike had to keep his hand pressed against the tent top to stop it from collapsing. The rain fly came loose on one side and I went out to make repairs. I ended up tying the fly off on a tree. I had trouble standing out there with the soaked ground and what were probably sixty mph gusts. The sound of the wind through the trees was incredibly loud and frightening.

We all did what we could to keep the tent upright, and by four we seemed to enter an eye-like portion of the storm. The rain stopped and it was eerily quiet. We took the opportunity to get a little rest, but the respite was short lived as the winds began again, now pummeling the opposite side of the tent. Mike, Natalie and I all worked at keeping the tent together and by seven things began to calm down.
Exhausted, we went out to check the damage and found Natalie's tent just about flat on the ground and mud covered. We worked fast to wrap it and our tent up and get ourselves the almost seven miles to Stecoah Gap.

Mike was checking weather reports and thought we should push on the nine miles to the next shelter, but he deferred to the tired old man and we headed to Stecoah Gap and the Cabin in the Woods, where we could dry out and get some sleep. I promised we'd make up the miles tomorrow.
As we were beginning the days hike it started to rain again and the winds picked up in intensity. A half hour out, as Natalie and I rounded a corner, a birch tree about a foot and a half around came crashing down just ten feet ahead of us. I can assure you we kept our heads up after that. There were trees and branches down all along the trail.

Grumpy wet Mike

After a couple hours of driving rain things began to brighten; the trail however, was drenched and slick with mud. Mike took a butt slide down one particularly oily section and stayed to warn me around it.

Trail Magic! Isaac, Natalie, No Pants and Mike

Four hours in we got to Stecoah. There was a picnic table with fruit on it at the roadside. Trail Magic! We had an apple and banana and waited for our ride out.
Isaac from Ohio, Duct Tape, Thad aka No Pants, and a section hiker from Canada came by as we waited and we talked about the storm of the night before. They had all stayed in the shelter (which was down the hill out of the wind) and didn't realize the full extent of the storm until they hiked through the debris. I guess we'll have to examine our anti shelter bias.

We got to the cabins (thanks, Donna) and pulled out all our wet gear to dry. There are more storms predicted for tonight so I'm glad we are here. We'll hit it hard tomorrow and try for Fontanna Dam fifteen miles north.

Night all.

Day 16 (Monday, April 28th) - A. Rufus Morgan to Sassafras Shelter

Today's Miles: 7.70 
Trip Miles: 143.70

The overlook

 After feeling so confident yesterday, today reminded me that this won't be easy. I thought that after two weeks I was finally getting my hiking legs, but the climb we made today put things into perspective.

Dean, aka Duct Tape

We woke up to wet tents from the rain the night before and packed up quickly to head to the N.O.C. (Nantahala Outdoor Center, a sports center with rafting, horseback riding, zip lines etc.) where Natalie had a mail drop. We grabbed some food while we waited for the store to open. We bumped into Dean, aka Duct Tape, from Knoxville, who we hadn't seen since before Lance Creek a week ago. He decided to hike out with us.

When the store opened, Natalie sorted through her fifty pound care package from home and we began the 6.7 mile climb up to the Sassafras Shelter. It was almost entirely vertical and neither Natalie's guide nor mine showed any water along the way. About two hours in we took a break and a solo hiker, John from Pennsylvania, sat down with us. The five of us were talking about how little wildlife we'd seen. Duct Tape and I had seen rabbits, everyone else only birds and squirrels. John headed out before us and we followed soon after.

Trail Magic: water from rocks

About a mile later a spring was bubbling out of some rocks on the side of the trail. Trail Magic! John was there and had already filled his water bottle so he headed out. He had only gone a couple hundred yards when he called out, "Rattlesnake!"

We hurriedly finished filtering our water and raced up the trail. There it was on the side of the path rattling away. Natalie wanted to get a close look, but used good judgment by keeping well back. It was maybe three feet long and as thick as my wrist. We all got some pictures and then stepped carefully past it.

First Rattlesnake!

We finally made the shelter around four. Like most shelters in N.C. so far, the tent sites are sloped. We found some flatter ground above the shelter and set up there. We ate our supper, toasted marshmallows over the fire, and rested our very weary bodies.

I got a call through to Amy, wrote this and now to bed. After all, it's almost 9 p.m. Goodnight.

me at the overlook

Our campsite

Day 15 (Sunday, April 27th) - Wayah Bald Shelter to A. Rufus Morgan Shelter

Today's Miles: 15.50                                                                                      
Trip Miles: 136.00

Click here for Trail Notes!

On the trail

 Two weeks in and we're feeling more confident about what we can accomplish. We decided to hike the fifteen and a half miles to A. Rufus Morgan Shelter. We actually had breakfast before we left, which is unusual for us, figuring we'd need the calories.

 The weather looked good for the day, though
hot. We headed out at a good clip and made it to Cold Spring Shelter in good time. It's well named; thewater there was freezing and delicious.

Showy Orchis

I went out ahead of Mike and Natalie toward Wesser Bald. It's nice that we all hike at our own pace and get the opportunity to hike alone for a while. You see things in a different perspective when you're by yourself. When we hike together we're usually gabbing so you can miss things that you notice when you're alone.

a log along the trail

I got to Wesser Bald before they caught up, and climbed the observation tower. There was a group of people there from Nashville, and I answered their questions about the trail so far. Natalie and Mike showed up and collapsed under the tower. It had been a pretty difficult climb from Tellico Gap. The Nashvillians asked if I could take their pictures and offered to take ours. Then M&N climbed up the tower and we swapped pics.

I DUMPED WATER ON THEM FROM THE TOWER

The hike from Wesser seemed to take forever. Natalie led the way and never lost pace. On the map it looked like a nice downhill run, but things are never what they seem. It was a series of ups and downs, many rock strewn, and lots of twists and turns. We made it into camp about five and immediately took off our shoes and stood in the cool creek water. Ahhh! We ate, hung our bear bags and now we'll gab till bedtime.
Tomorrow the NOC and a long climb out of the gap. BBFN.

soaking tired knees

At Cold Spring Shelter

Wesser Bald Tower

Wesser Bald view

Day 14 (Saturday, April 26th) - Winding Stair Gap to Wayah Bald Shelter

Ready to Go! Thanks, Sarah!

Today's Miles: 10.70 
Trip Miles: 119.90

I couldn't wait to get back out on the trail. We had some packing to do and a little more shopping, which had to wait until ten when the stores opened. Sarah got us back out to Winding Stair Gap at eleven, and after Thank you's and goodbyes, we headed up the first of many rises today.

It was warm, and the leafless trees let the sun beat down on us unchallenged. We had only snacked for breakfast and didn't stop except for water, which was scarce, straight through till four when we reached Wayah Bald.

Stone tower, Wayah Bald

At the stone fire tower, we met a couple from Wisconsin who just couldn't believe we had hiked from Georgia, and were flabbergasted to learn we were heading to Maine. Of course, I suggested they read our blog and they said they sure would. We also met Handlebar, who had been at Mulligan's with Wayne, Tracy, and Mike B. He was headed to the shelter as well. He said Tracy and Wayne weren't far behind and they did catch up to us at the shelter.

Taking a break

We finished the hike late for us, at six. After getting water, setting up tents, eating and cleaning up it was almost eight and getting dark. That's when we realized we needed to hang our bear bags. There weren't many suitable trees to hang the bags. We tried tying a line between trees with Mike, then Natalie climbing onto my shoulders to get the line set and hanging from that, but our resupply made the bags too heavy. Finally we found a tree that would work and Mike made a good throw, with our headlamps blazing.

I'm in my sleeping bag now contemplating a fifteen mile day tomorrow. We'll see. Bye for now.

Mikey pointing out our upcoming route

Natalie on Wayah Bald

View from the tower

Day 13 (Friday, April 25th) - Zero in Franklin

Today's Miles: 0.00 
Trip Miles: 109.80

Sarah, Mike, Natalie and I shared a room at the Sapphire Inn. Not the best place I've ever stayed. It was short money, but I don't recommend it even on the cheap. We did get a chance to clean up and do laundry. I also had the opportunity to give the foot a rest.

We got breakfast at Miss Lois' for the second time. It was good and the prices were reasonable. We also made a second visit to Mulligan's because Wayne, Tracy and some other hikers were going there. It was great to catch up with them again.

We met Mike Byrd, who knew Wayne through a Google Plus site about the AT. Mike's a writer and has an interest for the AT and thru hiking. He lives in the area and tries to catch up with hikers as they pass through Franklin.

Got a chance to Skype with Amy on Sarah's iPad. She's been working on the blog and making this effort easy for me. All I have to do is walk and write; she takes care of the hard part.
We picked up our resupply and are anxious to get back on the trail. We needed the break, but maybe not such a long one. We'll try for Wayah Bald Shelter tomorrow.

Goodnight all.

Day 12 (Thursday, April 24th) - Rock Gap to Winding Stair Gap

Today's Miles: 3.80 
Trip Miles: 109.80

sunrise heading to Franklin

Mike and Natalie bugged out early to get to Winding Gap, hitch into Franklin, N.C. and secure a room for four. I finished packing up and headed out shortly after.

The hike was short, about four miles. Got to see a beautiful sunrise over the mountains. It was different hiking alone. The only sounds were the bird songs and the wind. Very few trees have leaves on them up here so you can look a long way into the woods. You can see the trail snake it's way out ahead of you. Lots of switchbacks here make the climbs a bit easier.

I got to the gap and started to hitch the ten miles to Franklin. A few cars passed when a young man who was packing up his gear in the parking lot came over and offered me a ride to town. Patrick, his friend Jeff, and their dog had done a short section hike and were heading back to Nashville. Thanks for the lift guys.

Finally caught Ethan (Pantry) at the hotel

By the time I got to the hotel, Mike and Natalie had the room and had already cleaned up for breakfast. I cleaned up quick and we walked to Miss Lois' for a pretty good meal.
Went back to the hotel to wait for Sarah to get in from Nashville. We bumped into Ethan and I finally got a picture of him. He's been the man of mystery, always just out of frame in my pictures. He was going to walk into town for a backpack cover, but we had an extra that was too large for our pack and it fit his. Done deal.

Ethan, who started the trail with eleven days of food, has a bear bag the size of a small refrigerator. He has everything in there which led to his trail name, Golden Pantry, Pantry for short.
Sarah got in around five-thirty and after introductions and delicious chocolate chip cookies she made us, we went out for dinner. Mulligan's Grille for burgers, pulled pork, chicken and veggies. Oh yeah, and a few beers for me.

Natalie and Sarah winding down

Back at the hotel it was decided Amy needed a trail name for all the work she's done on the blog. Whenever I referred to getting things arranged at home I'd say I needed to speak to my Administrator so that was it, The Administrator. Thanks, love! (you're welcome, honey! ^_^)

Sarah says her trail name would be, I Don't Hike. It's nice to have some time with the girl. We'll be shuttling around Franklin on our zero tomorrow getting resupplied for the next few days. Tracy and Wayne are coming into town and we want to catch up with them for some good craic.

TTFN.

Sarah Clara and me

4/24/14 - update from Amy

I hadn't heard from John since Sunday, but he gave me a call yesterday afternoon. They had reached 100 miles! This morning they plan on getting a ride into Franklin, NC, a popular spot for thru-hikers to re-supply, and maybe take a "zero day" (i.e. no miles; a resting day). I expect that when they're settled in a motel and are connected to wifi, I'll be getting John's updates so I can get the posts back up to date. I'm also working on a map to show their progress, so stay tuned!

Sarah is taking a little time off from work and will drive out to meet them today (270 miles from Nashville, about 4 1/2 hrs). She baked them chocolate chip cookies, which I'm sure they'll devour! It's great that she's "so close," and I'm glad her work is allowing her the time off, especially on such short notice (as John says, "You can't really make plans out here"). Safe travels, Sarah! ♥

-Amy

Day 11 (Wednesday, April 23rd) - Carter Gap Shelter to Rock Gap Shelter

Today's Miles: 12.10 
Trip Miles: 106.00

The morning was quite cool, high 30's to low 40's. We headed out for Rock Gap Shelter 12.1 miles away. The early part of the hike was fairly easy with a great panoramic view along the way. We made quick time, the first four miles in just over an hour. The one tough stretch was over Albert Mt. 5,250'. It required some scrambling and some high stepping. While it was the most "White Mountains" like section of the trail so far, it was of short duration.

100 miles, Albert Mountain

We stayed at the summit for an hour. There was a fire tower there and more great views. Everyone caught up at the tower and took time to de-shoe and air out their feet. We had Natalie, Ginko, Ethan, Acorn and Granite all share a break with us.

I got some cell service at last and was able to coordinate through Amy (Thank you, love) our visit with Sarah in Franklin, N.C. She's coming from Nashville and will bring our Smoky Mountain passes. As of two years ago you have to pay ($20, I think) for a pass to go through the Smokies. That doesn't guarantee you a space at the mandatory shelters. In the park, you have to stay in the shelters, unless they're full and then you have to stay next to them. Bear problems or people problems, I'm not sure which. The pass only allows you to hike through the park. Day hikers get first dibs on the shelters. I guess they want to create class distinctions even out here in nature.



Natalie hiked the rest of the way to Rock Gap with us. She's not sure if she'll thru this year or finish her hike with her brother in the future. He's home preparing to be a first time dad. Congrats! Natalie will share space with me, Mike and Sarah in Franklin. We're all trying to save our pennies. We'll all hike to Winding Stair Gap in the a.m. Try and catch a ride into town and zero on Friday.

Got another nice fire going, another night of fun chatter, and to bed. Goodnight.

*SPECIAL*
Heather, Bradley's a terrific young man. He amazes me with his knowledge about nature and has been great company on the trail.
                                      John T.

Acorn, Albert Mt.

Natalie, daring to look over the edge

Mike, Ginko, and Natalie chowing down GORP

Day 10 (Tuesday, April 22nd) - Muskrat to Carter Shelter

Today's Miles: 12.50 
Trip Miles: 93.90

In and out of the rain all day. I've got to get new rain gear. The Dri Ducks I bought don't cut it. They're super light, but I get wetter from sweat than I would from the rain. They're not durable at all either. I've punched a hole through one knee and the shoulders are wearing out from the pack straps. Live and learn.

Our hike to Carter Shelter took us over Standing Indian Mountain which looked formidable in the guide at 5,498', but wasn't a bad climb. There were lots of switchbacks to ease the elevation.
We are tenting again tonight with Natalie, Ethan, Ginko, and Garnet Turtle. Two other hikers came in late, Celeste (Acorn) from Bennington Vt., and Dan (Granite) from Nashua, N.H.. Ethan is entering medical school and is hiking to Fontana Dam. Ginko, from Pennsylvania, is attempting a thru and is incredibly knowledgeable about plants and animals. All self-taught because they interest him. When talking to Acorn she told us that her grandfather had studied Ginko trees as part of a research project. How coincidental is that?

I got a fire going despite the drizzle and we sat out for quite a while talking about anything and everything. The younger members of the group stayed up late watching the embers fade.

We oldsters went to bed. Night all.

I got nothing to say

Day 9 (Monday, April 21st) - Crossing into North Carolina

Today's Miles: 11.80
Trip Miles: 81.40

Patriot's Day, Boston Marathon, Sox!

We had another hiker come into camp last night, Natalie from Nashville via the Washington D.C. area. She had started her hike on 4/5, but had to take a break due to illness and is just getting back on the trail. We hiked out while she was packing up.

A lot of P.U.D.' S today (pointless ups and downs: see trail notes) over the course of ten miles. We didn't see many other hikers today, a few section hikers going south and two NOBO's (north bound) outpacing us. I caught up to Mike after climbing one of the many rises and he looked at me and said, "I like pushing it on the inclines, it gives me a bit of a workout." A BIT OF A WORKOUT! Definitely putting rocks in the boy's pack tomorrow.

We crossed into N.C. around noontime, took a few pics at the sign and at the old gnarly tree not far from the border. Our plan was to make it to Muskrat Creek Shelter (81.4 miles) and we stuck with it, though we both thought we could have gone further. Easy does it.

I'm glad we stayed here. Up a blue blaze trail (a side trail off the AT) there was an airplane crash sight with a lot of wreckage still among the trees. Kind of a spooky place. Beyond that was the most beautiful overlook we had seen yet. Just spectacular! We sat there quite a while soaking it in.

Back at the shelter, more people drifted in. Natalie, Ethan, Ginko, Garnet Turtle, Sistah and a couple who are staying at the shelter to promote their line of freeze dried hiker food. I forgot to thank Sassafrass, who was hiking with Sistah until a knee injury forced her off trail. She had given us some watermelon back at Dick's Gap. She's supporting Sistah along the trail at different crossings.

We all sat around a fire pit talking about the day and having some laughs about what we thought this hike would be like. Everyone began with their own preconceived notion of how it would be, but it seems each of us underestimated the difficulty and the pleasure of the hike.

Well, it's after nine. Time for bed. Bye for now.

 

 

Day 8 (Sunday, April 20th) - Easter Sunday

Today's Miles: 11.80  
Trip Miles: 69.60

Found the perfect shelter

We hiked twelve miles today. There were some rough spots for both of us. I think maybe we hit a bit of a wall. We were having difficulty where we didn't think we should at this point.

We made more stops along the way than usual. Partly because of the terrain. There must have been more than a dozen rises over the course of the day. We took snack breaks and water breaks and just plain I'm tired breaks. We still managed the twelve miles in six and half hours.

It was warm today, in the 70's. We had to put on sun screen. I think we'll be investing in sunglasses.

We got to the campsite at about two. I got a fire going and Mike went the half mile round trip for water. We had a tasty pasta side for dinner, yum. If all goes well we should be in North Carolina tomorrow.

I asked Mike if he had anything to add to the blog.
He said, "No."

Sunset at unnamed campsite

Day 7 (Saturday, April 19th) - Unicoi Gap to Tray Mt.Shelter

Today's Miles: 5.70
Trip Miles: 57.80

With our town business finished, we took the shuttle back to Unicoi Gap and started a two mile uphill climb at 11:30. I couldn't get going today and struggled with the weight of the pack, the drizzle and the sticky rain gear. We had opted for wet over sweat the last storm and it didn't work out, so we kept our jackets on today. Every once in awhile it would clear enough for a view which was nice, but  most of the day the mountains were a mass of clouds. 

We had some trail magic today, the first actually on the trail. The Hiawassee Gang, the Johnson and Hayes family, (sorry I can't remember the third name, all part of the same family though) were  set up at Indian Grave Gap. They had hot dogs, hamburgers, cookies, sodas, you name it. What a great treat. A little further on at Tray Gap, Kevin, another Trail Angel, was there with sodas and fruit. He said there were usually others there too. I'm guessing with Easter weekend people are busy at home. 

We had another long climb to the shelter and I wasn't feeling much  better. We had hoped to put in more miles, but the next campsite was five miles away over tough terrain and I didn't want to get there late in the day. We met up with Wayne and Tracy along the way which was nice and we are all camping together again. We are set up where if the weather reports are true, we should have an incredible sunrise.

I'm beat, time for bed. Hoping for a big day tomorrow. Goodnight.

I and Mike (tee hee)

Wayne and Tracy on Tray Mt.

Day 6 (Friday, April 18th) - Low Gap to Unicoi Gap

Today's Miles: 9.70
Trip Miles: 52.10

I wrapped up the sore foot and we headed out of Low Gap about 8:30am. We were hoping to make Unicoi Gap so we could get to Hiawassee and pick up some rain gear. Mike's pants got soaked in the last storm. We weren't happy about going into a town so soon, but we had no choice with rain in the forecast. 

It was cool and cloudy all day as the trail rolled along at an easy rate. We made good time and my foot didn't bother me much at all. The miracle waters of Georgia's creeks. We hiked for a while with Wingnut, a registered nurse from Idaho. I asked and he gave us some nutritional advice. We'll be adding more protein to our diet.

We made the gap by 1pm and tried to hitch into Hiawassee. It took us more than an hour and only after I left Mike alone did we get a ride. That little cherub face is hard to pass by. They even let me go along. Ryan and Nicole were fishing at a family cabin nearby and decided to take a ride into Hiawassee. Lucky for us! Thanks, Ryan and Nicole!

Besides the rain gear, we knew that we needed to get Mike's new debit card. His bank decided now was a good time to close his old one because of the Target Christmas fiasco. We decided to stay in town to see if we could take care of that too. We got a room at the Budget Inn. Mary (Mom) had sent the new card to the Blueberry Patch Hostel, which is outside Hiawassee. The hostel owner, Gary Poteat, was very helpful, even calling Mary back to help with things. Mike grabbed the shuttle from Budget and they took him to pick up his card. Thanks for your kindness Gary!

When Mike got back, we got the rain gear, something to eat and arranged a ride back to the trail in the morning. (Free with a stay at Budget). We hope to be on the trail for the next week with only minimal town time. 

Bye for now.

Day 5 (Thursday, April 17th) - Neels Gap to Low Gap

Today's Miles: 11.50  
Trip Miles: 42.40

11.5 miles today with heavy packs from resupply equals re-aggravating an old foot injury for John. I iced it in a creek and swallowed some iboos. I'll wrap it tomorrow and we'll see how it does.

On the bright side, we four (Wayne, Tracy, Mike and I) all ended up at Low Gap at the end of a spectacular day for hiking. Beautiful views and great weather. Also, Mike's knees seem to be getting better the more we hike.

A lot of people at the Gap tonight. This is the area's holiday week so there are a lot of overnighters as well as thrus. Got a nice fire going which always draws people in. We met Nightwalker who has never finished a thru but has hiked about 5000 miles in total along the trail.  

All in all, boo boo aside, it's been a fantastic day.
   

TTFN

Day 4 (Wednesday, April 16th) - Lance Creek to Neels Gap

Today's Miles: 6.80  
Trip Miles: 30.90

We had a little snow last night, temps in the 20's and howling winds, but slept warm in our bags. There were some strange noises in the night, however, that kept us up. What we thought at first were the growls of animals unknown, turned out to be the snores of tired hikers. Parvan, a section hiker, was the champ, rolling out deep grrrs with every breath. When we got up, Tim and Dan, father and son hikers from Maine, said they thought it was Tracy who was camped next to them and were shocked to realize it was Parvan 50 yards away.

Once the sun rose over the mountain tops, the air started to warm. We all broke camp and headed, each at his place own pace, toward Blood Mountain and Neels Gap beyond. It was a beautiful day for hiking. Quite a change from yesterday.  We finally had some spectacular views. 

Everyone was a bit leery of Blood's reputation. Word was it was a very tough climb, but I think because we had all suffered through yesterday's hike it didn't seem bad at all. We took an hour at the summit enjoying the views and the old stone shelter. While taking our break, Wayne, Tracy, Mike and I decided we would share a cabin at Neels Gap. $60 a cabin at Blood Mountain Cabins. Great deal.

Baltimore Jack

We got to the outfitters at the gap around 2, and went inside to grab some snacks. There was a guy in there with a Red Sox hat on, Baltimore Jack, a past thru-hiker who's well known in the hiker community. Being that he's a Bostonian via Cambridge, when he heard my accent, he knew instinctively that this Bostonian via Quincy could use a beer and he presented me with a frosty. Thanks Jack!

We said goodbye to Tim and Dan who were moving on and headed toward the cabins. After settling in, we paired up and hitchhiked to Blairsville to resupply and get some pizza. I didn't realize it at the time but, Mike, Wayne and Tracy were all virgin hitchhikers. It seemed strange to me because hitchhiking had been my primary mode of transportation when I was a kid. I forgot how dangerous the world had become in forty years. We went to The Pizza Company next to the Hi Lo grocery in Blairsville, all you can eat buffet $5.36, sodas and ice tea free for thru-hikers. Yes! We hitched back to the cabins and were up past 10, late for us. 

A special thanks to those who gave us rides in and out of town. Good luck to George, thru class 2009 on her upcoming wedding. She dropped Mike and me off at our cabin door. She works at Mountain Crossings in Neels Gap, so we'll thank her again in the morning.

Special note to Kay:

Tracy is doing great and it's been a pleasure to have met such a remarkable young woman.

Day 3 (Tuesday, April 15th) - From Gooch Gap Shelter to Lance Creek campsite

Today's Miles: 8.50
Trip Miles: 24.10

We set out by 7:30 with a promising weather report that turned out to be all wrong. What looked like a day of light showers and decent temps quickly became a cold and rainy day with heavy winds.

We decided to hike in our regular gear rather than rain gear. Oops. By the time we got to the parking lot at Woody Gap trailhead, 5 miles into the hike, we were drenched. The wind was blowing about 30mph so we ducked into the bathrooms they had there. We rearranged our clothing to something warmer and headed out the last 3.5 miles to Lance Creek.

As soon as we got there we threw up the tent, got into our only dry clothes and crawled into our sleeping bags to get warm. There was a tent set up but, no one there. They must have bugged out in the heavy rain the night before.

After an hour we checked the weather again. They were predicting 28 degrees for tonight.  We were thinking of hiking back to Woody Gap to try to get to a hostel but, the rain stopped and we had a chance to dry our wet stuff by hanging them in the trees.

As we were putting things out, a hiker we've been keeping pace with the last three days came into camp. His name is Wayne and he's from Arkansas,  a real nice guy. We were glad to see him. I got a fire started Davy Crockett style by squirting alcohol on the damp wood. Voila, fire! Had time to sit around chat and eat.

Bed time comes early out here. We were in the tent by 8.

Heading to Neels Gap tomorrow. Bye.

Day 2 (Monday, April 14th) - Beating the Rain

Today's Miles: 7.70  
Trip Miles: 15.60

Up early today, well not really, since we didn't sleep much at all. The excitement and strangeness equaled a long restless night. We had our packs ready at six and we headed out at first light just before seven.

We were hoping to beat the predicted rain. Our destination Gooch Gap Shelter. We were warned that Sassafras Mt. was the first real test, but it wasn't too bad. It was more about being tired and not eating much that made it tough at all. Again, the excitement of the start. We've met some nice people out here already. Wayne Hall from Arkansas, Tracy Renaut from Mansfield and Dean from Knoxville, Tn.

Mike and I beat the rain with the early start, cooked some food and napped through the storm. Most everyone else got caught in the rain, but the storm went by fast and we all enjoyed some time around the campfire talking. A good ending to a good day.
   

A quick check-in

I got a quick phone call from John today around 3pm. He sounded pretty exhausted. I don't know what time they got started this morning, but by then they had made it to Gooch Mountain and were hiding in their tent, out of the rain. He said I might not hear from him tomorrow; the cell phone reception isn't that great, and I would imagine he's trying to save power on his battery (he does have a battery bank, btw). Truthfully, I expect to go a few days at a time without direct contact ~somehow the thought of being on a cell phone out in the middle of the woods just doesn't seem fitting...

16 miles in --and only 2,169 more miles left to go!

Day 1 (Sunday, April 13th) - Springer to Hawk Mountain Shelter

Today's Miles: 7.90
Trip Miles: 7.90

We started out from the hostel at 8:30 this morning. It takes an hour, a half hour of it is on a narrow switchback road with long drop offs all the way up.There were 14 on the bus, 7 of us started at the Springer Approach. When we got off the bus i asked everyone to face me. I said, " I want to look you all in the face now because all I'm going to see of you from here are your butts." I was right too, they all took off like rabbits.


You have to go south for a mile to reach the plaque. There is a registry there that I promised myself I would sign...I forgot.

The mile to the sign is an easy uphill and the first four miles north were primarily down hill. It's a lot like the Blue Hills in Milton. The pathway was wide enough to walk side by side most of the way and more like a fire road in parts.

We got to a camping area called Three Forks. There were lots of families there out for the day. We started to climb from there. The heat was a bit much and it slowed me down quite a bit. We hiked on to Hawk Mt. Shelter at 8.1 miles out. It was only 2:30 but we were done for the day. We set up our tent, got water and something to eat. Chilling out and waiting for the rain.

The trip to Dahlonega

We arrived at the Hiker Hostle in Dahlonega ( I've been mispronouncing it all this time, it's Daa lon egah, accent on the second syllable) at about 1:30 p.m. I went up to the bunk to try and rest while Mike hung out downstairs gabbing with people. You know Mike, such a people person. He lasted about ten minutes and came up and got me to go for a walk. It actually helped with the jitters I've been fighting.

 

I don't think there's any way to get ready for this hike. You can read about it, you can do practice hikes but, unless long distance hiking is what you do for a living, there's going to be a long training period at the start. I hope that by taking my time and looking at the first few weeks as a series of day hikes, I'll figure things out. Here's hoping.

On our way

Well, we're finally headed to Springer. Of course life always likes to hammer your dreams with nails of reality. My dad, Big Papa, and Amy's father, Allan Hale, both ended up inthe hospital the day before we were to leave. Papa with a stubborn infection on his leg and Allan with a mild heart attack requiring surgery.

 

Amy's father did well with his surgery and I'm thankful that my sister, Jean, is there to take care of Big Papa with the help of the rest of the clan. 

 

We left home at 9:30 a.m. and drove 12 hours to Roanoke, Va. The rental car we got started acting weird. The brakes whistle like someone's blowing into a bottle and the car's hesitating on every hill. I hope it makes the last six hours to Gainesville, Ga.

 

We're not sure if we'll start tomorrow, Sunday or Monday. We're watching the weather hoping to have a dry start. Right now Sunday looks best.

I'm beat from the drive. Time for a couple Long Trails and bed.

 

Goodnight All!

Welcome to our 2014 AT Thru Hike Blog

   Mike and are I are nearly done with our preparation and will be heading to Dahlonega, Ga. on Friday the 11^th for a start on the 14th. It’s been an interesting journey just to get to this point. There have been lots of decisions to make on gear and clothing, trying to decide when and how to get to Springer Mt., and most importantly, trying to figure out why we’re doing this at all.

   To the last point let me say, I… don’t… know. The idea of thru hiking the AT was never on my mind until after “The Failed Inheritance Hike of 2011.” For those of you who don’t know, the FIH was conceived and plotted by my sons Joe and Mike. It was an attempt to wrest the fortune I have amassed, by getting their hands on my Will. They figured I would surely expire on the still snowy slopes of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, June 4^th, 2011. But, their plans went awry. Not only did I survive the grueling climb and descent, I liked it. Oh, there were tears and swears, bruised egos and rears, but I did make it back to Pinkham Notch where it was suggested I buy a souvenir shirt that said, “I cried Mt. Washington.” There were none. Fortunately, my wife Amy is a resourceful woman and she made me shirts and coffee mugs with that sentiment printed on them. The days following the FIH were like the days following childbirth, or so I’ve been told; when the pain is forgotten and the joy and beauty of the event are all that can be recalled.

   Many day hikes later, the idea of an AT thru hike crept deeper into my thoughts. I read, “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson (as had everyone else) and though he didn’t finish his hike, I thought, why not? He was, after all, in bad shape, a desk jockey. I had been working construction for 33 years and was in, all right, I was in so-so shape but, I learned that people from 8 to 80, male, female, physically challenged and whole, had completed thru hikes; so why not me?

   It looked like a cool adventure. I’d hike 2,185 miles in quiet contemplation, ahh. I decided I make a solo attempt at an AT thru. As I read more, I learned that while thousands attempt the thru every year, only hundreds finish. It didn’t seem to matter if you were a novice or a pro as much as it did if you were lucky. A good attitude was more important than good gear.

   Doubts began to swirl in the narrow corners of my head. “Can I do this? Should I even try? My gear sucks, my attitude sucks, and I don’t feel lucky. Do I really want to go it alone?” Fear of failure is a tenacious beast.

     Luckily for me, my son Mike started asking questions about the AT. As he became more interested, I became a little less apprehensive. I don’t remember exactly when he decided he was going with me but, I’m glad he did. Unless of course this is a “Games of Thrones” move to finish what he started on Mt. Washington.

   As our departure got closer I came to an important realization; I had to make starting just as important as finishing. Taking my first step up Springer Mt. will be a success, each step beyond will add to that success and touching the sign on Mt. Katahdin will cap an already successful adventure.

 Well, this is way more than I wanted to burden you with but, it’s done. The next post will be from Dahlonega. They’re predicting rain for our start date, YAY!!!

   P.S.

   I don’t know how much Mike will be willing to contribute to this page but, he’ll be forced into helping his analog Dad through this digital world.

 

I Cried Mt. Washington; all six thousand, two hundred and eighty-eight feet of it