My Trails

5/7/12 – 374 miles
I left camp early in the morning. I like to walk by myself for a while when the woods are just waking up, the air is cool, and I’m fresh with a good nights rest. I walked for about an hour at a slow pace and then Chicken Feathers caught me and we hiked together for the rest of the day. Shortly before midday, we decided to detour .6 miles to a hostel in hopes of a Burger or other type of greasy food. When we got there the owner was just getting ready to give her dog a bath so she couldn’t be bothered with us. We had a soft drink and headed back to the trail, vowing to tell everyone we met what a waste of time the Greasy Creek Hostel is.

On the way to our campsite at Ash Gap, I started to develop a sore shin. It would turn into one of the most painful ordeals I’ve ever undergone.

5/6/12 – 359 miles
It was a nice walk from Erwin to the evening campsite. The mountains were still pretty serious but the trail was graded well and the weather was perfect. We ate lunch on top of a bald (a mountain meadow) called Beauty Spot that had views in all directions.

There are a lot of foreigners doing the trail this year. On top of Beauty Spot we were joined by Metric and Sticks, a guy from Australia and his girlfriend, and Knife, a guy from Switzerland. The biggest group of hikers from another country are the Germans. There was a documentary film about the AT, made by a German company and widely shown all over Europe that pricked the interest of a few hearty souls to come over and try it.
We spent the night at Cherry Gap Shelter after 17.5 miles

5/5/12 – 341 miles
I’ve been wearing the same clothes for five days. When I peal off my socks my feet look like I’ve been walking on mud. And the smell… let’s just say there’s no way to describe it. I’m not sure you could call me a mountain man but I know a little about the depths of squalor the absence of hygiene provides.

We woke early today and took down our tents before it was light. It started to sprinkle just as I was stuffing the rainfly into my pack and I grabbed everything and ran to the protection of the shelter. Chicken Feathers wasn’t so lucky. He decided to eat breakfast, and by the time he took down his tent, it was raining hard. It was 6 miles to town and we covered the distance in 2 hours. I don’t like to walk that fast but we were anxious to get to a motel and out of the rain. As usual, it stopped raining and the sun came out once we reached Erwin.

We walked about a half-mile, trying to hitchhike along the way, until we came to the Holiday Inn. Since we weren’t having any luck getting a ride into town, we decided to get a room and split the cost.

After we showered, did laundry and ate breakfast – they still had the food out for guests – we headed for the grocery store. This time a man stopped and gave us a lift after only a few minutes. All in all, we caught rides two more times, once with a young couple who gave us a ride to the Wallgreens, and the last with the Ford dealer owner that saw us in front of his lot.

We head back to the trail tomorrow.

5/4/12 – 335 miles.
We are camped 6 miles south of Erwin, TN. It’s a good thing I will be in town tomorrow, I only have two Rice Krispy treats left in my food bag. What I thought was was enough food for seven days was gone in four. My appetite is getting stronger all the time.

I have been hiking with the same guy for the last week. He has more or less made me his partner. I guess it will be okay for now, he’s a pretty good guy. One thing he has done before is hitchhike into town, something we will have to do tomorrow, and I will be glad to have a partner for this new experience. He says it is easy and we shouldn’t have any problems.

5/3/12 – 321 miles
It is my one month anniversary today and to celebrate I hiked 21 miles. It was not easy. I am really tired and sore. We have been planning the days so that the resupply into Erwin, TN will come with a few easy miles in the morning. That gives us the best advantage for food, groceries, laundry, and finding a motel before the end of the day.

I think I mentioned the two Eagle Scouts I met before the Smokys. I came across one of them yesterday.

“Pocahontas, where is your friend Wrench?” I enquired.
“He broke his foot.”
“Oh no! How did it happen? ”
“He stepped wrong and rolled it on a stone. We had to carry him down the mountain. He is going to meet me up the trail in a month.”

And just that quick your hike is over. Those two kids were some of the nicest people I’ve met out here. Chicken Feathers and I have been hiking off and on with Pocahontas the last couple of days, but understandably, he seems sad.