Day 24: Happy Easter!

Day: 24 Miles: 5 Trip: 206.8 Started: Mt. Collins Shelter Destination: Newfound Gap

Had a lot of steady rain last night that helped to knock down the slush a little.  The group I am with is pretty much soaked to the bone and we have decided to go into Gatlingburg to dry off.  I did not want the extra expense of a day in town, but its hard to resist the allure of a place to dry out after the wet conditions we have had for the past few days.  Staying at the Grand Prix Motel, it's such a good deal that we will probably do a zero to give the mountains one more day to drain.  So much for clearing the Smoky Mts. in six days like I had planned!  I would love to come back here in the summer , the trails seam really well maintained and would be a joy to hike under better conditions.  I pushed out a quick five miles in the morning and made it to Newfound Gap in time to make the free 11am shuttle run by the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

Day 23: Clingmans Dome

Day: 23 Miles: 13.5 Trip: 202.3 Started: Derrick Knob Destination: Mt Collins Shelter

Had a pretty good day despite the slogging in slush.  Gortex socks worked good again today and the weather was holding out in the morning.  I was happy to find clearing skies as I got my first glimpse of the summit of Mt. Buckley and Clingmans Dome.

Just after Clingmans Dome we entered a large stand of pines and were getting drenched by melting snow in the trees.  Lots more slush today but we still did 14 miles down to Mt. Collins Shelter.

View from the top of Clingmans Dome

Day 22: Slow going

Day: 22 Miles: 9.2 Trip: 9.2 Started: Russell Field Shelter Destination: Derrick Knob Shelter

Yesterday was a rough day.  The warming temperatures started to melt the snow and going up hill felt like I was learning to walk all over again.  The snow had become very slick and my shoes just could not a good grip.  Before I started the trip I knew I might have cold and snowy weather so I bought a pair of Gortex socks to help augment my light weight extremely porous trail running shoes. I should have used them.  Up until this point I thought they might have been a waste of money.  By the end of the day I had given up trying to stay dry and was slogging through two foot snow banks, slush and mud with reckless abandon.  My feet stayed warm while I was moving, but were soaked to the bone and got very cold if I stopped for a break.  At the end of  the day yesterday I went down to the water source to fill up and decided to just completely dunk my feet, shoes socks and all,  just to get the mud off.  Completely soaked!  Overnight it got down to about 22° F and my shoes were hard as a rock in the morning.  It snowed about 6 more inches overnight and I decided to try out the Gortex socks for the day.  I was glad I did.  They were truly a lifesaver,  I even think they were better than Gortex boots.  At the end of the day my shoes were soaked again, but my feet and socks were dry.
I was glad I had them.  I got an early start today to take advantage of the cold temperatures as it's much easier to hike on frozen slush!  I ended the day at Derrrick Knob Shelter and by 8pm we had to squeeze 28 people in a shelter made for 12.  The tough walking conditions caused many people to do shorter miles than they had hoped.

Day 21: In the Smoky Mts!

Day: 21 Miles: 15 Trip: 179.6 Started: Fontana Rt 28 crossing Destination: Russell Field Shelter

Had to hold up at the Fontana Lodge for two days as snow piled up in the mountains.  We received word from the park service that 10 people had to be rescued from the mountain due to lack of supplies.  We started the day with great weather as we crossed the Fontana Dam.  About 6 miles up the trail we started to encounter the heavy snow.  The warm weather started to melt everything and going got pretty slow.  By the end of the day we had been walking through up to two feet of snow in some places with lots of slush. One highlight of the day was the view from the Shuckstack fire tower.

 By the end of the day my shoes and feet were soaked, but all in all it was a good day.  Did 15 miles.

Day 18: Bad weather!

Day: 18 Miles: 17.0 Trip: 163.9  Started: Locust Cove Gap Destination: Fontana 28 Crossing

Weather is starting to get real bad.  It started to snow pretty hard at about two in the morning.  The forecast is calling for heavy snow and very low temperatures for the next two days.  I hiked my longest day so far so that I can get into a room at Fontana village.  Temperatures overnight got pretty cold and I was not able to keep my water bladder from freezing even while sleeping next to it.  I should have put it inside my sleeping bag for the night.  Hiked all day and did not find water until about mile 10.  Despite the cold and lack of water I fet good and was having a fun time.  Of course that might be because I knew I could get out of the cold at the end of the days hike.

Day 17

Day: 17 Miles: 10.1 Trip: 147.6 Started: NOC Destination: Locust Locust Cove Gap

It's 37 miles to Fontana Damn, the southern border of Tennessee and the Smokey Mountains.  I had planned on doing this stretch in three days but the weather is getting bad and thunder storms are forecast for later today.  Only did 10.1 miles so that I could get my tent set up before the storm.   

Day 16

Day: 16 Miles: 8.4 Trip: 137.3 Started: Tellico Gap Destination: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

Past two days have been very cold and we had quite a bit of rain.  Looking forward to staying at the NOC tonight and drying off.  Zen, Lentel, Peanut and Jordana should also be here at the NOC by later today.  Looks like quite a few other hikers I have met are also headed here to wait out the rest of the days rain.  Weather for the next few days looks like its going to be getting bad with lots of snow and rain in the forcast.

 

Day 14

Day: 14 Miles: 14.1 Trip: 120.8 Started: Wallace Gap, NC Destination: Wayah Bald Shelter

Rest of group is doing a zero today in Franklin, but I decided to push on.  Had a really great day with clear skies.  The sun was a nice break after the past several days of rain. Got up to the top of Wayah Bald at about 2pm.  Got some good pictures from the top of the stone tower there.   It got real cold at the shelter with temperatures at about 25 with a strong steady winds.  A few people came in later and set up tents but I was the only one in the shelter. With the wind that was probably the better option.  I had dinner and got in my bag early to stay warm and was asleep by 8pm.  Going to do a short day tomorrow and let the group catch up.

First state complete!

Day: 9 Miles: 12.8 Trip: 81.4 Started: Dicks Creek Gap Destination: Muskrat Creek Shelter

Had a good day with some warm temperatures today. Well rested after Blueberry Patch hostel. Leaving my first state! Georgia is done. On to North Carolina.

Blueberry Patch Hostel

Day: 8 Miles: 3.4 Trip: 69.6 Started: Deep Gap Shelter Destination: Dicks Creek Gap

I've heard so much about the Blueberry Patch hostel that I decided to take a low mileage day just to stay.  This is a great place to spend the night.  It is run by Gary and Lennie Proheat.  There are great couple and provide these service for free, but a small donation is definitely in order if you decide to stay.

They offer a great pancake breakfeast with homemade blueberry syrup!  It's called the Blueberry Patch for a reason!

Cold morning start

Day: 5 Miles: 11.5 Trip: 43.2 Started: Neel Gap Destination: Low Gap Shelter

Started today on a very cold and foggy morning.   The fog was freezing to everything making for a surreal hike throughout the day.   Later when it started to warm up the ice was falling in large chunks, almost like being inside an ice machine.

First stay in shelter

Day: 7 Miles: 9.4 Trip: 66 Started: Cheese Factory Destination: Deep Gap

I did not get a photo, but found this one on the web

 Going to stay at the Blueberry Patch Hostel tomorrow.  The hostel runs a shuttle service from Dicks Creek gap at 9:30 so I decided to spend my first night in a shelter to save time in the morning..  This one was nice and had two loft spaces.  It was a great night out of the wind for a change.

Day: 6 Miles: 13.4 Trip: 56.6 Started: Low Gap Destination: Cheese (cake) Factory

Feeling good for the last few days.  Stayed at a tent site called the Cheese Factory.  There evidently used to be a factory here, but there is no longer any trace of it.  Winds have been very fast today and the temperature is expected to go down to about 25 tonight.  I can handle the low temperatures with my current bag, but if the winds stay this fast, I may need another solution.

First Zero

Taking a zero day today (no miles).  I met Jordana, Lentil, Zen and Peanut two days ago.  We split the cost of a room at Neel Gap and decided to stay another day to wait out the rain.  Its a little early to take a zero day, but the company was good and the rain made for an easy decision.  There is a hostel at the outfitters at Neel Gap, but the cabins just down the hill are actually cheaper with our group of five.

Day: 3 Miles: 7.4 Trip: 31.7 Started: Lance Creek Destination: Neel Gap

 Met some great people at Lance Creek last night.  Looks like a group of us will pool our resources and stay at Neel Gap tonight.  The weather report calls for rain.  Might stay the extra day and wait out the rain.

Day: 2 Miles: 12 Trip: 24.3 Started: Cooper Gap Destination: Lance Creek

Had a good day today and got up early.  There is a local Army base conducting drills in the area and I was woken up by the sound of 50 cal. machine guns.  Nice alarm clock!  There were only a few section hikers at Cooper Gap but when I make my way down to Lance Creek there were about 20-30 other thru-hikers.  I met some nice people at Lance Creek and it looks like we might share the expense of a cabin at Neel Gap.

Trail Magic!

My first trail magic!  Trail magic as I understand it was started in Georgia by the Boy Scouts.  They would come out to some of the larger road crossings and provide food and water for weary thru-hikers.  The term trail magic has since expanded to cover any form of good will or aide to AT hikers.  I was pleasently supprised to come across this first small offering.

 Later in the day I came across 'Fresh Ground'.  A former thru-hiker himself, Fresh Ground comes out early in the season to provide hot coffee, soup, fruit and hot dogs for hikers.  Its a great surprise to come out of 12+ miles of trail to find a hot cup of Coco!  He is especially proud of his homemade gadgets for making coffee on the trail. 

 

My first official 'White Blaze'

The trail is marked by 2" x 6" white paint marks found on trees, rocks, and even telephone poles. They will be my primary form of navigation for the next few months. While this is not the first one I have seen its the first one of my first full day on the trail.  The trail is actually very well marked and you never have to walk more than a thousand feet or so before seeing one of these "White Blazes". There are about 160,000 of these on the trail according to some sources.  Don't ask me to count them, I will be too busy counting the miles.

A cold start

Day: 1 Miles: 12.1 Trip: 12.1 Started: Spring Mt. Destination: Cooper Gap

Spent the night at Springer Mt. shelter.  The temperature here is pretty cold this time of year.  It was about 28 last night.  Feeling good and its a nice clear day...but cold!

First day on the trail

Well I'm officially on my way now.  I spent my first night on Springer Mtn. about 1 mile down the AT.  It's pretty cold at night dipping down into the mid 20s. Only one section hiker was there.  I look forward to meeting more through hikers in the coming days.  The big kick off at Amicalola is Saturday and Sunday and it expected that up to 120 will start over those two days. I hope to stay in front of that big pack. 

At the southen terminus

 At the start of the trail 

I'm on my way.

I'm on my way.  I did the approach trail thursday and stayed at Springer Mtn shelter. Now it really begins.  I was not sure if the approach trail was going to be worth it but now that its done I'm glad I did it.   The stairs are a really neat feature that take you rightfully over the falls.  Its worh doing if you are undecided about the aproach trail.  Mary and I did the stair section on wednesday and I got to do it again with my pack thuPlease rday.

Gear review!

Jump over to the Gear page on the right to view a quick video of my starting gear.

Starting Thursday.

It's Tuesday night at 11pm and we just arrived at Amicalola state park.  Going to spend tomorrow getting food and some last minute items.  I'll be starting Thursday morning.

My gear is almost finalized.

My pack fully loaded with (almost) everything except food and water.  I still need a few odds and ends.  I need sunglasses, a hat for daily wear that I don't feel stupid in.  I'm not much of a hat person to start with but I think I would like one to keep the sun out of my eyes and reduce sunburn.  I need to flush out my first aide kit add a pair of rain pants.  I'm still not sure about the rain pants.  I have a lightweight pair of wind pants that are not water proof but might just let my legs get wet.  The only thing I am afraid of is being too cold early in the trip if it get wet (and it will).

I'll do a full gear post when its finalized!.  Only five days to go!  I leave NJ on the 4th and am on the trail the morning of the 6th.