My Trails

4/26- 220 miles
I was out of the shelter early, a heavy mist had settled in in the night saturating the trees and causing them to constantly drip. I was hoping for a clear day. I would pass by Charlie’s Bunion, a unique rock formation, and climb several mountains over 6000 feet. What happened next gave me the scare of my life.

In less than an hour the weather turned from mist to steady rain. The wind turned from a breeze to hurricane force, lightning crashed all around me, and it was getting cold. I hiked faster to try to stay warm and almost considered turning back for the shelter. The trail led higher into the mountains, sometimes crossing narrow gaps only a few feet wide, drop-offs of undetermined depths on both sides. The wind buffeted me with such force on the exposed ledges that I would crouch down and run to the other side. At one point, I paused behind a narrow ledge while lightning, high wind, and driving rain, turned the ledge into an obstacle I didn’t have nerve to cross. I must have waited 20 minutes before the fear of standing there and risking hypothermia outweighed the fear of crossing the ledge.

Charlie’s Bunion was obscured in fog and there was only one time the weather cleared enough to see more than a couple hundred feet.

I actually saw a tree blow over only a few feet away, and the trail was scattered with blow-downs for the rest of the day. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I was hit by golf ball size hail.

4/24/12 – 0 miles
Today has been a rest and eat day. I did walk a couple of miles to get supplies, do laundry, and look around town. There are many hikers here, including the girl I met very early in my hike. She met a guy and they are now traveling together. A lot of the time, girls that start out solo will join a group or another individual, and most of the time it’s just a friendship relationship. Like I said before, we are like a family watching out for each other. It’s nice.

I’m headed back to the trail tomorrow. I hope to finish the Smokys and be in Hot Springs in a week. I had Daryl help me by ordering a new tent that should be waiting at the PO by the time I get there. Even though the National Park is a unique and beautiful place, it will seem nice to be beyond the northern border and away from all the strict regulations.

The weather is supposed to be good tomorrow so I may get some views from Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap, but future outlook for the rest of the week is unsettled. It could be worse – I could still be in Buffalo in a snow storm.

– 4/21 . 19 miles
From Spence Field Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter, we experienced the full challenge the trail could throw at us: steep climbs and descents, rocky traverses, muddy, rutted, and rooted sections, all the while encompassed by a mist that had increasingly turned into a steady rain.

We donned raingear and pack covers and pushed on until at last, through the swirling mist, the shelter appeared. Once again the shelter was crowded. There was so much gear scattered about it was hard to find a place to cook your meal. I use an alcohol stove and had to find a ledge out of the wind to heat my noodle supper.

We had an industrious older man that managed to get a fire lit and several of us sat huddled close to the flames and talked. A lot of the conversation turns to people on the trail. Most of us have trail names now and are somewhat of a loose knit family. We are always asking if someone has seen some hiker from earlier encounters. Just last night I ran into a young Guy that I hadn’t seen in over two weeks. He told me of another hiker I met about the same time that was trying to catch me. She would read my shelter journal entry and say, “Castaway is still a day ahead of me!”

The next day was a perfect repeat. Walk in the rain, slip in the mud, and sweat beneath rain jackets. Towards afternoon, however, the weather turned particularly ugly. It started off as light sleet, and then cold and strong winds made us careful on the ridges. Soon the ground was covered with a layer of ice and sleet as one by one everyone found the shelter.

One of the hikers had a tarp and I helped him string it over the opening. It was still drafty and cold but infinitly more snug than before. We managed to gather wet wood and get a fire going with the help of a weekenders remaining fuel supply. Most of the hikers warmed themselves by the fire and then retreated to the warmth of their sleeping bags. By 7:30 we were all in our bags.

In the night the temperature dropped like a rock and the wind snapped at the tarp. The girl next to me opened up a space blanket to wrap herself in. I stayed pretty warm except when i rolled around getting comfortable, and I had to keep my face inside my bag. It was a miserable night and most of us were happy to hike out in the morning and get warm. It was time to go to Gatlinburg.

4/20 – 14.5 miles
This is the last year AT thruhikers will get to hike through GSMNP for free. Next year it will cost $20 – $10/Golden Access pass – for a permit to walk through the park. It goes against the spirit of the AT – every bit of it has always been free – but I guess the Parks are hurting for funds.

On the first day through the park, as we climbed from 1700 ft. to 4700 ft., there were splended views of wild, craggy mountains and deep, vast valleys. As the day wore on, wisps of fog obscured our views, and later in the day, a cold, penetrating, misty fog enveloped everything beyond 50 feet. Soon our high mountain trail became a tunnel in the clouds.

When I reached the first shelter where I planned to stop for the night, I met a Trail Runner (a kind of volunteer trail caretaker) that suggested I go on to the next shelter. It was only three more miles, and it would position me for an easier assault on Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountains on the coming day.

At the next shelter I discovered six hikers already there and more rolled in throughout the evening until we were packed with 14 people. Part of the regulations in the Smokys is that everyone must use the shelters and only tent if there is no more room.

I’m getting used to sleeping in shelters now. At first I was afraid of offending people, but almost half of the men in each shelter have been snorers, and in some cases, outnumber the non-snorers. Most of the girls carry earplugs as standard equipment.

I woke at 5 am this morning and forced myself to rise and break camp. There was a shuttle to Franklin rumored to pick up hikers at 9am where the AT crosses route 64. It was 4 miles away and I was not sure how long it would take me to walk there. I packed by the light of my headlamp, shouldered my pack, and headed north in total darkness, following the nervous beam of my light.

The AT is so well trod that it was easy to find. The only time I got confused is where I crossed a road and had to search the other side for a blaze. I finally found the path, zigzagging up an embankment on a narrow ledge. It’s not something I would do on a regular basis, but it was kind of cool to see the lights of distant cities far below.

Daylight finally began to filter through and I made good time up over Winding Stair gap and down to the road. It was only 8am when I reached the parking lot, so I resigned myself to wait for an hour. As luck would have it, five minutes later a camper from Canada pulled in, it was Spot and Starcraft whom I had met before. She was dropping her husband off for a section of the AT and offered to give me a ride onto town – a gift of trail magic for sure.

The rooms at the motel were not ready yet so I walked to a nearby McDonalds for breakfast. Restaurant food, even fast food, tastes wonderful after several days of noodles and constant exercise. By the time I finished breakfast, my room was ready and I enjoyed a hot shower and then went for a walk up town.

The outfitter’s salesman talked me out of buying a new sleeping bag. We both agreed that it will be warning up soon and I would be mailing the new bag home (Karen’s). I did mail a pair of heavy fleece pants and bought a new Patagonia puff jacket. It’s pretty stylish so I can wear it after the hike, too.

I’m sort of getting an idea of what I like to eat on the trail. I bought a small bottle of red pepper to spice up my noodle dishes, and of course I pack lots of snack food, mainly Rice Crispy Teats and granola bars.

Tomorrow I will get back on the trail again. The Smokey’s are only about 50 miles away. I know there is no cell service in the park and very little in the Nantahala Mountains before there so updates may be sparse. I changed the blog title because several people have asked me about it. They know me as Castaway and it will be easier to find it with a Google search.