But life always comes along-in the year before we left I got prostate cancer, a very close friend and college fraternity brother was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer.
But it was/is something I have longed to do-and now have the time to do it. And with my son with me-it all fit together. Very sad to say, my Sweety (my wife) couldn't go along. This makes it hard. But her support keeps me going.
I had my prostate removed 4 and a half months before we left-don't know if I'm cancer free or not-but going anyway. My sick friend passed away 9 days before we left.
So, after a cold winter, we were off from Springer Mtn, GA on March 23.
Before we went, I knew I couldn't carry as heavy a pack as a lot of folks do-some up to 70 pounds! So I did some research and found the Mountain Crossings store-actually on Mile 30 of the AT and got outfitted there-total weight with food and water-30 lbs. That would work! And the more you eat and drink as you hike, the lighter it gets!
Anyway, this Blog is my summarized journal of my hike attempting to go from Ga to Maine. I plan to file updates as my poor I-phone and my AT&T coverages lets me. You'd think there would be more cell towers camoflauged likes trees out here. Hope you like the Blog and I hope to make it to Maine!
March 23: Worried about the weather-but it cleared off and was not cold to start. Signed up at Amicalola State Park and the "rock" at Springer. Mtn-the southern terminus. No trail name yet. Our very good friend and my Sweety brought us here. I 'm glad they did, cause I probably couldn't have found this on my own-up a forest service road and a mile hike up. But always look for the white blaze-that is always a comforting sight! Gave my Sweety a big hug goodbye-not knowing if I will hike 5 miles or 2173 miles. But this is a first leg for us. Already planned to leave the Trail on April 17 for a wedding. So, this is sort of a warm up. Started out slowly-don't know what to expect from my legs, knees, etc. Did 8 official miles and pitched our tents. Ate some chili my son had made back home. We go to bed very early-when the sun goes down. Couldn't sleep much the first night. Don't know why.
March 24: Beautiful morning. Ate oatmeal- packed up and left by 9:30-need to improve on this!
Hiked til 4:30. Only went 7 miles, but that's ok at this point. I'm very slow on the mountains-the result of no training! My son is very patient. Made it to Gooch Gap-very warm day, pitched our tents and ate spaghetti. Shoulders hurt from the pack straps and calves hurt-need to figure that out. Beautiful vistas today-Sassafras Mtn very hard for me. And there were gnats-biting gnats all day!
March 25: Got up at sunrise. My son purified our water-a must unless you want to get sick and end you hike quickly. Hiked 8 miles today-9:30 to 4:30. Made it to Miller Creek, I think. Lot of "ups and downs"! Crossed a real highway for the first time and had some Trail Magic! A group from the Presbyterian Church of Athens was having a picnic and shared their lunch with us. it was great! They even had "greens"! Don't get much salad on the trail. Rained that night, but cozy in our tents. Drank about 2 liters of water today-need to keep it up. 8 miles seems to be my limit so far. Hope I can improve.
March 26: A rigorous day! Rained all night. But dry and warm in our tents. Very cool day 40s and cloudy. Hiked up Blood Mtn-highest point in Ga on the AT, but cloudy and could see nothing! Got to Mountain Crossing store-Neel's Gap and resupplied and spent the night in a real bed at the local cabins. Our good friends who took us to Springer met us there and brought lots of food and wine! It was great to see them. Talked to my Sweety on the phone for the first time! Love that AT&T cellphone service! I feel like I am in a Verizon commercial. I really miss her.
March 27: A milestone day! Hiked 10.5 miles! I've never done that before-Up and down and up and down. I think I have had my stress test! Very windy and very cool-but clear. Bad day for my feet-super big blisters-outside of both heels. Tried moleskin and pads-no help. My son continues to be very patient with me on the uphills-but we are proud of our 10.5 miles. Climbed Levelland, Cowrock and Sheeprock, just to name a few. We are so deep in the woods we get to see things that most people will never get to see. We climbed the mtn out of Testatee Gap-500 ft in about a half mile. My pulse went to about 150! Some cardio workout! Very cold and windy night.
March 28: All night long the wind just howled! Then the rains came! Slept pretty well but am having the craziest dreams. Got up and packed up in the rain and were off in the mush. Only hiked about 7.5 miles due to the weather-Blue Mtn.-and we were soaked-need better rain gear. So we stopped early-about 3:30. I was cold and wet and it was about 40 degrees. So my son made coffee and I got in my tent and bag to warm up. We were in a pretty secluded place near a shelter, when all of a sudden, after an hour of resting I heard all this commotion-a troop of Boy Scouts had sprung up around me-hooting and hollering!
March 29: I had to yell at the Scouts last night to stop talking! Not sure where their leader was. Probably asleep a couple of hundred yards away. They apologized today. Hiked up Tray Mtn today -cold and cloudy. Hoped to camp on top but too cold and windy and rainy-in the 30s.
No view anyway, due to clouds. Hiked 10 miles to find a somewhat less windy spot-coldest day yet-we were tired-my son is in his tent snoring-good for him!
March 30: Beautiful day! Hiked to Dick's Gap and then hitched to Hiawasse to go to town to resupply. Stayed in a motel, took a shower and got a steak dinner and bought groceries-typical plan for the thru hiker in town. But I really haven't missed showering or shaving as much as I thought-this really surprises me-seem to like this Huck Finn life. Worked on my blisters-they are miserable. Didn't sleep well in the motel-ready to move on.
March 31: Back to the trail late-about 11:30 -needed a ride as it is about 11 miles from town. Only a 7 mile day-coming out of gaps is tough-always uphill-that's why they are called gaps!
Fell flat on my face today with pack. Tripped over a root and that full pack just pushed me over-not hurt-just embarrassed-as there were other thru hikers behind us-luckily it didn't inspire a trail name! My son found our best camping spot yet-beautiful night with moon and stars and we had a great campfire. One of the AT books I read said "Don't expect to have any campfires on the AT, as there is no wood. " We've already had plenty of fires. And how can there be "no wood" We're in the middle of a forest!
April 1: Left our campsite at 9:30 (I need to get going earlier) and we were in NC by 10:30! Hooray! A new state. But, boy do they give you a welcome-Bly Gap-Rough-Straight up! Those folks in NC want you to get to the top of their mtns the straightest was possible, I guess. Hard day of hiking and my knees are hurting again. Hoped to have fairly short day as it was hard-but couldn't stop til we found water-found a great spot near Standing Indian Mtn. Great evening by a stream. We estimated we went up 2500 in elevation today. Really wore us out.
April 2: Super hiking day up Standing Indian -5500 foot mtn-but gentle grade. My left knee hurt all day. So we had to stop after 8 miles. So far it's still winter in the mountains-no green and you can see right through the forest-few animals as well. A couple of birds and a few squirrels. I have seen more wildlife in my intown neighborhoood.
April 3: Much better hiking day-went 11 miles-could have gone longer, but my son found this terrific camping spot overlooking a valley a couple of thousand feet below. Went up Mt Albert today-very tough-but pretty on top. Had more Trail Magic-oranges and beer! Knee hurt all day.
Tomorrow is Easter-wonder if the Easter Bunny will find us. Glad there is no Easter Bear.
My son keeps me on track-I keep going down the wrong trail-if it wasn't for him I might be in South Carolina.
April 4: Happy Easter! Easy 6 mile hike down to road to Franklin NC to resupply. Stayed in the Havens Budget Inn-did the normal-washed clothes, ate a healthy Easter dinner and went grocery shopping. But I get antsy when I get in town and want to get back to the trail.
April 5: Back to the trail. Longest hike yet: 11 miles, and it was hot and grueling. Record highs for this date. Saw our first balds today-like grassy meadows. Climbed Wayah Bald. Tough climb up. But great views from the top. The gravel road goes right to it with a bathroom too! What luxury!
April 6: 2 weeks out. Up and down and up and down. 11 miles today. Very tired and knees keep hurting. But at Mile 129!
April 7: Hiked down to the Nanahala Outdoor Center-NOC-right on the trail. A made up town for kayakers-but stayed in their bunkhouse, like summer camp,-ate, washed, and took a "zero day" for Friday-April 8. Zero days are when thru hikers don't hike. Rain predicted for Friday-so it made sense to take a break-First zero day-ok but ready to move on. Lots of thru hikers resting at the NOC.
April 8: Zero day-ate, napped, planned.
April 9: 5 month anniversary of Prostate surgery. Hiked 14 miles-mostly straight up! Bad planning-ran out of water. Had to hike and hike until we could find it-maps and guide books not very accurate on water sources this day. Finally got to the highway at Stecoah Gap-Mile 149-at 6 PM and found water dripping from moss on the side of the road-had to literally squeeze it from the rocks and moss. Drop by drop. Will make sure we do much better water planning from now on-make sure to always have a liter per person. Long day, very tired, knees hurt, but had to move on to find a camping spot. Uphill, of course, out of the gap and luckily found a camping spot-right by the Trail-where they recommend you not camp-but had no choice. During the night, some night hikers with lights walked right by-very creepy.
April 10: Hiked down to Fontana Marina and Village-Another 14 mile day! To celebrate, my son bought me a Coke at the vending machine on the Trail at the Marina. It was a wonderful gift! Stayed at the Fontana Village Lodge-too fancy for a thru hiker. Plus it was too noisy-seemed to be drunks in the room next door. They were braying like donkeys at midnight! Crazy. Had to complain to hotel.
April 11: Resupplied at Fontana Village store-very expensive! This is the entrance to the Great Smokey National Park-about 73 miles of hiking to prepare-and we did not want to have to go to Gatlinburg or Cherokee for other food-so we geared up for 6-7 days until my Sweety was to pick us up. Hoped to make it all the way through -weather permitting! Highest mtns on the AT in Smokies-6800 feet elevations-plus very tricky weather-snow not unusual in mid April. We are hoping for the best and to make it all the way through by April 17. Crossed Fontana Dam into Mtns.-went 12.5 miles today. Very tough. 3000 ft elevation rise! In the Smokies you have to stay in the Shelters. No freelance camping allowed, as you can everywhere else. Makes it tough, as you have to plan your hike shelter to shelter and forces you to be, sometimes, with rowdy hikers, that would rather party than hike. This happened to us. Saw a grouse flap it's wings today! When you hear the sound it's like a shaking of your whole body-very cool.
April 12: This was my hardest hiking day yet. I had read that all hikers, whether experienced or not, will be equal and in pretty good shape after 3 weeks on the AT. This was my 21st day, but I was struggling and my son was worried about me. Tough climbs and we went almost 12 miles. The trail was rough- I was getting very wobbly and my feet wouldn't go where I wanted them to. Don't know what to make of it
April 13: Something happened today. We went over Clingman's Dome the highest point on the AT. Beautiful forest here-Red Spruce and Fraser Fir-lots of Christmas trees, and the fantastic aroma. It exhilarated me-it was a pick-me-up and I was able to overcome the difficulty of the day before.I have spent some time in the Pacific Northwest and this reminded me so much of that area-a very western US feel throughout. Also, we are now seeing carpets of wildflowers that go on for miles in the upper elevations. It is stunning. The first real green we have seen. We hiked about 12 miles- but I felt so much better than the day before. Perfect weather and tremendous views from the Dome. Lots of snow on AT to hike through- but air temp about 70. Very difficult to hike. We are now halfway through the Smokies.
April 14: Short day today-only 8 miles by design-too short and wanted to go further-but with the Shelter rule and us leaving the AT on April 17, this made sense. In the beginning this would have been a full day-now it sort of a half zero day-weird. Went through New Found gap a big tourist spot to see the Smokies-lots of tourists there-it felt weird to hike by and through them. No Trail Magic-and no vending machines!
April 15: Got up and left the earliest yet: 7:30 AM on the trail. As I mentioned before, you can get stuck with unpleasant hikers in the Smokies-we found ourselves surrounding by a bunch of drunks and realized that we should try to outhike them or we would be doomed to be with them shelter after shelter. Decided to go as far as we could. So we took off, but didn't want to do another short day. So we hiked about 12 miles to the next shelter and knew this probably wasn't far enough. So we go 20 miles to make the next shelter!! It was a very clarifying moment for us. Never thought I could do 20 miles in one day. We felt chased for 20 miles, but we outran the irritations and made it. Finished around 7:00 PM to make to the appropriate shelter. In the Smokies no alternative but to hike or die. A hiking day like this now let's me know that we can do this thing-I may not be able to do it due to an injury or some issue back home-but it is possible to do the miles necessary to get to Maine. Hopefully, it will continue to work out.
April 16: Our last hiking day before returning home for the wedding. Hiked about 10 miles all the way out of the Smokies and to a hostel know as Standing Bear where my Sweety will pick us up very close to I-40 near Asheville. Gone 238 miles so far. Halfway to Virginia. Good hiking day and took a side hike to Charlie's Bunion, a big rock outcrop and the Cammerer Mtn Lookout-I highly recommend both -they can be day hikes for those visiting the Smokies.
We had unprecedented weather throughout the Smokies-6 straight days of perfect weather-clear skies-warm temps-no rain. The oldtimers on the trail said it was a near impossible event. I suppose the AT gods will get their revenge further down the trail-but for now we are very thankful for the good days. Standing Bear hostel was fine. Had some excitement that my son and I missed. A thru hiker saw a bear near the hostel. More excitement followed-when we arrived we were told there were no rules here-just pay your bill. By late evening there were many, many thru hikers. My son and I camped in the yard to be away from all the commotion of such a full hostel. That night, about 20 people assembled around the fire ring and using the hostel owner's guitar, began singing-it was actually nice and pleasant with some pretty good guitar playing. My son and I went on to bed, but the singing continued into the night. Around midnight it suddenly stopped. I thought everyone had just gotten tired. Turned out that the owner shut off all the electricity at some late point in the evening-this didn't stop the singing-so he came out of his house and let them know it was time to quit-the guitar player said something like-"I don't know even know what time it is" and with that the owner said-"I'll tell you what time it is" and grabbed the guitar and smashed it into the ground. So ended the evening.
April 17: My Sweety comes to pick us up at the Hostel. I wait around awhile at the place and then kind of guess when she might be driving up the gravel road-as usual my I-phone gets no signal, so I can't call her. So, I walk down the gravel road to take a look-and what do I see but our car coming up the road-I wave and then I wave again. Turns out, she is looking up the road and sees this strange bearded man in a baseball cap and thinks, "who is this fellow waving, but I guess folks in the mountains are friendly." She ignores me, but I keep waving--after a while she goes, "wait, that's my husband!" She didn't recognize me. Wait til she see me in Maine after 5 more months of a beard! Then we get picked up and it's back home and to the wedding! Plan to be back on the trail May 1 and continue the blog as soon as I can get a signal!
