I was up early, ate packed and getting ready to leave by the time the other guys were getting up. I got on the trail at 6:30. I love hiking in the cool early Morning and we were planning a long day.
About 6 miles along the trail I came across an elderly Chinese woman from NYC. She looked a little confused and said she was lost. We looked at a map and she was trying to go to the same place as me. We turned her around and got her going in the right direction. She was on a pretty long section hike and her trail name was 'Hi Again'. She stopped and called her son who was tracking her by GPS to tell him every thing was now okay. About 2 miles down the road at Telico Gap I stopped, sat down on a rock and took off my shoes. Along came Hi Again, she sat down and we chatted some more. The guys caught up and I introduced them. The four of us started the 1 1/2 mile climb up Wesser Bald where we sat under the watch tower, relaxed and ate lunch. Along came Hi Again. I was starting to understand how she got her trail name. She climbed the tower, took some pictures then went down the trail.
In the heat of the afternoon we started down the last 7 miles to our days destination Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). Some of this trail was treacherous. There had been a forest fire the previous year and it was very exposed. It was a steep Rocky downhill where parts of the trail were washed out. In the middle of one of those sections I came across Hi Again, we said hi again. She looked a little flush so I asked her about her water. She warned me to be careful. She was a slow hiker but very steady and determined.
About 4:30 I arrived at the NOC where the guys were waiting for me. We rented a very Spartan room with two bunk beds, an air conditioner and a light. There were showers and a kitchen in the next building. I took a shower and went down to the store for beer and ice. Near the store I had one last Hi Again. She was waiting for her son who promised to take her to dinner.
Friday, June 8, 2018
Wednesday June 6, miles today 11, miles from Springer 115.1
I we started a little late probably due to the carb load at the Lazy Hiker the previous night. Obi-Wan had a 7 am call to Switzerland so after that we went to breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen. Obi wanted a little more sleep so I spent a couple of hours packing and updating the blog. At 11 am we caught a shuttle to the trailhead. I started out ok but heat of the afternoon wore me out especially the last climb up Wayah Bald. When I finally got to the top I found Obi-Wan and Hellcat lounging by the rock tower. Views were spectacular. We could see the Smokies in the distance. We decided to pool our last water and have dinner and coffee at our penthouse.
We finally got up and made the mile trek down to Wayah shelter. When we got there we found Major Tom who had a zero day there. He had cleaned and organized the shelter. Even the dirt in the vestibule was swept. We exchanged the day's stories and slept without any mice disturbing us.
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| View of the Smokey Mountains from Wesser Mountain |
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| Dinner a the penthouse |
We finally got up and made the mile trek down to Wayah shelter. When we got there we found Major Tom who had a zero day there. He had cleaned and organized the shelter. Even the dirt in the vestibule was swept. We exchanged the day's stories and slept without any mice disturbing us.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Tuesday June 5, miles today 0, miles from Springer 107.2
Zero day. A zero day for an AT hiker is a day of rest. We decided to take one in Franklin. Franklin is a hiker friendly town and they advertise it, in the trail guide, on signs and even in the names of some of the businesses.
I started out my day early by getting some breakfast at nearly Country Kitchen, then gathered all my clothes and washed them. By that time Obi-Wan and Hellcat were up and we went back to the Country Kitchen where I had a second breakfast. You really develop an appetite on the trail. We then went to the local outfitter where I bought a new stove, Hellcat bought new shoes and trekking poles and all of us bought some freeze dried food. Next to the grocery store for more food and then to lunch. We lounged around the afternoon cleaning and reorganizing our gear. We had dinner and went to the Lazy Hiker saloon where we carb-loaded.
It felt good to rest.
I started out my day early by getting some breakfast at nearly Country Kitchen, then gathered all my clothes and washed them. By that time Obi-Wan and Hellcat were up and we went back to the Country Kitchen where I had a second breakfast. You really develop an appetite on the trail. We then went to the local outfitter where I bought a new stove, Hellcat bought new shoes and trekking poles and all of us bought some freeze dried food. Next to the grocery store for more food and then to lunch. We lounged around the afternoon cleaning and reorganizing our gear. We had dinner and went to the Lazy Hiker saloon where we carb-loaded.
It felt good to rest.
Monday June 4, miles today 12.2, miles from Springer 109.2
As mentioned in the blog introduction the primary purpose of my hike is re-calibration. After working 40 years, nose to the grindstone, one develops "etched in stone" mindsets. Re-calibration is starting well.
Major Tom had moved on the previous afternoon to the next shelter, he now seems to be driven to get in as many miles as possible per day.
Obi-Wan, Hellcat and I started our morning with a 2 1/2 mile climb of Albert Mountain. This was a particularly hard climb due to the steepness and rock surface of the last 1/2 mile. I had to hold on trees and roots to get up some parts. I needed to rest every 100 steps.
When we got to the top, the morning view was spectacular. We took pictures and since we finally had cell coverage we all called home. There was a watchtower at the top and we climbed up as far as we could and enjoyed a better view. Hellcat the pulled out his stove and we had a nice coffee party. Hellcat and Obi Wan compared hiking in the Alps with here, I learned about Oktoberfest in Munich, we made a decision to take a zero-day in Franklin the next. At about 10:30 am we decided to get back on the trail. I hiked alone for a bit and started to wonder why I always was in a hurry. I am missing so much in trying to get in more miles, including the most delightful coffee parties.
It was a nice day to hike. We arrived at Winding Staircase Gap shortly after 3 and got lucky as Beverly, a shuttle driver happened to be driving by. She loaded us up, gave each of us a Georgia peach and drove us to another seedy Budget Inn. We checked in and I coincidentally was given room next to Major Tom. We caught up accidentally.
Major Tom had moved on the previous afternoon to the next shelter, he now seems to be driven to get in as many miles as possible per day.
Obi-Wan, Hellcat and I started our morning with a 2 1/2 mile climb of Albert Mountain. This was a particularly hard climb due to the steepness and rock surface of the last 1/2 mile. I had to hold on trees and roots to get up some parts. I needed to rest every 100 steps.
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| Uphill battle of Albert Mountain |
When we got to the top, the morning view was spectacular. We took pictures and since we finally had cell coverage we all called home. There was a watchtower at the top and we climbed up as far as we could and enjoyed a better view. Hellcat the pulled out his stove and we had a nice coffee party. Hellcat and Obi Wan compared hiking in the Alps with here, I learned about Oktoberfest in Munich, we made a decision to take a zero-day in Franklin the next. At about 10:30 am we decided to get back on the trail. I hiked alone for a bit and started to wonder why I always was in a hurry. I am missing so much in trying to get in more miles, including the most delightful coffee parties.
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| Coffee Party on Albert Mountain, Hellcat (L), and Obi-Wan (R) |
It was a nice day to hike. We arrived at Winding Staircase Gap shortly after 3 and got lucky as Beverly, a shuttle driver happened to be driving by. She loaded us up, gave each of us a Georgia peach and drove us to another seedy Budget Inn. We checked in and I coincidentally was given room next to Major Tom. We caught up accidentally.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Sunday June 3, miles today 11.3, miles from Springer 97
Bears! Bears! Bears! For the last several days we had been hearing about the bear problems in the area we're hiking. There were reports of a large wily black bear that has become an expert at getting to food sacks. Before I left the Top of Georgia hostel, I received a quick lesson from Bob the manager on hanging food bags, he prefers the double tree method where your send your cord up a tree then toss it over to another tree and tie it off. At Standing Indian shelter we had a little competition on hanging food bags. Obi-Wan and I used the double tree method, Hellcat used a double carabiner method where you throw your rope over a high branch, attach a carabiner to one end with your food bags, pull it all the way up then tie another carabiner as high as you can then let the rope slide back up, the second carabiner is stopped by the first and the only way to bring the food bag down is to pull the rope down, untie the second carabiner and let the food bags slide down. The rest of the folks at the shelter pretty much tied their food bags to the end of a line, threw it over a branch and tied to the tree trunk. After judging the merits everyone added their food bags to Hellcat's or our contraptions. We had no problems with bears.
We started our hiking with a two mile climb of Standing Indian mountain. At the top, there were about two dozen girls and six escorts from the YWCA taking pictures. They had been raided by bears. I heard they hung their bags over trees at about 5 foot off the ground, good enough to keep most rodents out, but the bears had a smorgasbord. I started to wonder if we were skillful or whether the bears were just full. Three miles further, there was a note at a campsite saying they had bear problems and warned to be careful how you hung your food bag. A mile and a half further we ran into Carter Gap shelter to escape a mid afternoon downpour and met two woman hikers who were planning on getting out at the next road because they had just been raided. They had just left their food outside their tents.
At about 5 pm we we stopped at Betty Creek campsite where the log book warned of two smaller bears. We set up our tents, cooked our dinners and hung out food bags using Hellcat's double carabiner method over a large leaning oak. We had no problems, but there was still a lingering question of whether we were skillful or whether the bears were just full from the weekend of hiker food.
We started our hiking with a two mile climb of Standing Indian mountain. At the top, there were about two dozen girls and six escorts from the YWCA taking pictures. They had been raided by bears. I heard they hung their bags over trees at about 5 foot off the ground, good enough to keep most rodents out, but the bears had a smorgasbord. I started to wonder if we were skillful or whether the bears were just full. Three miles further, there was a note at a campsite saying they had bear problems and warned to be careful how you hung your food bag. A mile and a half further we ran into Carter Gap shelter to escape a mid afternoon downpour and met two woman hikers who were planning on getting out at the next road because they had just been raided. They had just left their food outside their tents.
At about 5 pm we we stopped at Betty Creek campsite where the log book warned of two smaller bears. We set up our tents, cooked our dinners and hung out food bags using Hellcat's double carabiner method over a large leaning oak. We had no problems, but there was still a lingering question of whether we were skillful or whether the bears were just full from the weekend of hiker food.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Saturday June 2, miles today 16.7, miles from Springer 85.7
Busy day today, Major Tom and I caught the 8 am shuttle to the Dick's Creek Gap trailhead and started a long day of climbs and drops. Mostly climbs, we ended up 2100 feet higher.
I passed Major Tom about two miles up the trail and he told me my pack smelled like gasoline. I climbed the next hill which was long, steep and unusually straight before I stopped to investigate. Digging out my fuel bottle I found that a gasket was missing. I had an extra in my maintenance kit at the bottom of my pack so I started digging stuff out. In the process I dug out my sleeping bag which was perfect tightly packed cylinder. Seconds later I looked back and it was rolling down that long, steep, straight trail. I took off in a sprint but it was accelerating. After about 50 yards I finally caught up. What a waste of energy. I climbed back up the trail, fixed my fuel bottle, repacked my backpack and continued on.
About 9 miles along I arrived at the Ga-NC border. To celebrate the entry into my second state I decided to do something I have never done in my life, take a selfie. It was pretty ugly so I combed my hair and tried again, it didn't help.
About 1/4 mile further I came upon Obi Wan who was sitting on a log near the trail famous gnarly oak that represents the North Carolina border. As we took pictures of each other by the oak a woman backpacker and told us that there was bear problems here the previous night. About 50 yards off the trail was a tent so the 3 of us went over to investigate. The entry to the tent was torn off and there was the remains of food packages, a stove, some sleeping pads and other junk scattered around it. I guess a good lesson is don't keep food in your tent while in bear country.
Hellcat, Obi Wan and I arrived at Muskrat shelter at 5 pm to find a note from Major Tom saying he had gone on to Standing Indian mountain shelter 5 miles further. We decided to follow and arrived there pretty tired at 7:30.
I passed Major Tom about two miles up the trail and he told me my pack smelled like gasoline. I climbed the next hill which was long, steep and unusually straight before I stopped to investigate. Digging out my fuel bottle I found that a gasket was missing. I had an extra in my maintenance kit at the bottom of my pack so I started digging stuff out. In the process I dug out my sleeping bag which was perfect tightly packed cylinder. Seconds later I looked back and it was rolling down that long, steep, straight trail. I took off in a sprint but it was accelerating. After about 50 yards I finally caught up. What a waste of energy. I climbed back up the trail, fixed my fuel bottle, repacked my backpack and continued on.
About 9 miles along I arrived at the Ga-NC border. To celebrate the entry into my second state I decided to do something I have never done in my life, take a selfie. It was pretty ugly so I combed my hair and tried again, it didn't help.
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| NC/GA border selfie |
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| Bear ravaged camp |
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