AT Day 28

2014/4/28 Mile 467

Rain overnight geared me up to deal with the rain all the way into Damascus. However, by 6 the rain stopped. Clouds hung around all day and only sprinkled for most of the day.

Two instances of trail magic. First one I remembered from last time I hiked through here. An orange, steel box staked into the ground filled with honeybuns and brownies. Second was some Cokes at a road crossing.

Took an hour lunch break before knocking out the last 10 miles into town. Had to cook a dinner because I was out of lunches.

On the final approach I saw a little bear but didn't have time to snap a picture before it ran off. The last 3 miles were flat, but the storm finally let loose and even included some lightning. Got my rain gear on but my boots got soaked.

Damascus is a cool town where the trail goes right down Main St. Stayed at The Place, a hostel run by the local Methodist church. Found Fromage was signed in there so I knew he at least made it to town.

Some guys in the living room were about to head out for dinner so I joined them. We ate at Blue Blaze Cafe and I had a mediocre Philly Cheesesteak. Town food tastes so bland for some reason. Maybe I'm using too much hot sauce on the trail...

Back the hostel I met Forrester Gump, Dawg, and Tea Bag who were sharing my room. All cool guys. Went to sleep with the lights on because I was so tired.

AT Day 27

2014/4/27 Mile 441.3

As usual, up before everyone. Quietly made breakfast and got packed. By the time I was ready to roll out the other hikers were stirring.

A few of the slack packers from the day before decided to undertake the 50 mile challenge: 50 miles from Kincora to Damascus in 24 hours. Feeling pretty beat from the day before I declined joking them and hit the trail.

Morning hiking was nice but around noon it started getting very hot. I was not carrying a whole lot of water (1 liter between sources) and ended up getting behind on my hydration. By mid-afternoon, with the sun blazing overheard and no wind, I could barely make forward progress.

Stopped at a water source for about an hour to regain some strength before finishing up the day at Iron Mountain Shelter with a bunch of other hikers. The 50 mile challenge team came through as I was heading to bed and I wished them the best.

AT Day 26

2014/4/26 Mile 417

Tried to get an early start but after getting all packed up someone thought of slack packing to Kincora. This meant a lot of futzing around until we had organized and paid for the slack.

I built the day pack from my hip belt and pack brain. Stuffed a jacket, snacks, trail book and water filter into it. We hit the trail around 1000.

Immediately lost the other guys (Fromage, Magic Man, and Wrong Way) as I wanted to hit 4 mph so I could get into Kincora with enough time to get on the town shuttle. After checking my pace against known landmarks I found that I pretty much had to jog the downhills.

The day went quickly but without a larger lunch I started running out of energy later in the day. Made it to Kincora, 25 miles, by 1640. My whole body was covered in salt crystals from sweating all day.

Cooked some dinner and then Bob Peoples, a trail legend and the proprietor of Kincora, took us into town. I just picked up snacks at the dollar store and hit the ATM.

Driving back Bob told us tons stories about trail work and other AT anecdotes. A notable one was a guy who was taking 800mg of ibuprofen every day in the morning. Ended up the medicine ate through his small intestine and they had to send in people to get pull him out and get him to a hospital. Very close call. Pretty scary how fast things can go south on you out there.

Back at the hostel went to sleep quickly. The combo of a fast and long day was just as bad as a heavy and long day...

AT Day 25

2014/4/25 Mile

Slept a little cool in the barn but wasn't wearing all my clothes so I'm not too worried about it. Woke up to gray skies but no thunder so decided to push on over the balds and hope the weather wouldn't get worse.

This ended up being and interesting choice. On top of the balds there was no rain but the wind was so strong that I had to use my hiking poles to stay vertical. I remember my last time through this section it was storming as well but not nearly this windy.

Made it down to the road and decided to hike over to the hostel for lunch. Ended up getting trapped there for the day. Lots of cool folks hanging out, the rain was on and off all day, and the coffee was free so I decided to tent there.

Bought eggs to supplement dinner and breakfast. Turned out to be an awesome decision. You can add a fried egg to almost anything.

We watched movies and chilled for the evening. Really good to get off the feet for a bit. Haven't had a half day off since Hot Springs.

Made an executive decision to not skip the portion of the trail after Damascus because I'm still not sure if it would give me enough time to finish and would complicate the logistics of finishing next year. I'll just go as far as I can and pick up the rest in one go.

Still need to decide if I want to come back for Trail Days. Would be awesome but could also be a lot of work. I'll have time to think about it tomorrow while I walk.

AT Day 24

2014/4/24 Mile

Its so much easier getting up when the temperature outside your sleeping bag or bed isn't 50 degrees.

So many of the conveniences of modern living go overlooked: coffee maker, fridge, clean water, toilet, etc. Needless to say, not living out of my pack this morning was really nice. Hot Sauce kept chatting through breakfast and while I packed; finally Ron said "Looks like Spice is ready to hike, why don't you go get packed."

Hopped in the Casper (the white van) and hit the post office and dump before getting to the trail at 10.

Lost Hot Sauce pretty early and just kept trucking. Nice view from an unnamed cliff made all the uphill worthwhile. Hit the gap before Roan Mountain at 1300 and there was trail magic: 3 teachers were giving out cokes, turkey sandwiches, brownies, chips, and fruit. I sat and ate lunch with talking about all sorts of stuff before heading up the mountain. The sugar boost was a huge win.

At the top two hikers told me there was more trail magic at the next gap. I needed water so I pushed on but the magic must have ended because nobody was there. Filled up with some of the folks I met at Rob's van the day before and we talked about heading to Overmountain Shelter, an old converted barn that I stayed at my last trip.

Hiked up two balds and got some great views before heading back down into mostly deciduous woods down the aide of the mountain.

Overmountain had about 30 people in it and I was going to tent but weather reports were looking bad for the night and in the morning. Probably just going to take it slow tomorrow and not try to leave if its storming.

Cooked and hung out before crawling into the bag. First test of the liner + summer bag combo in what will probably be 30-40's tonight. Should be fun.

AT Day 23

2014/4/23 Mile 362

Made the frozen breakfast this morning and was sorely disappointed with the taste and texture but at least it was filling. Some sort of mock eggs, bacon, and hash browns combo.

Got on the trail by 0800. Took my time getting ready and took care of some miscellaneous tasks like back flushing my filter and washing out my cookset.

Morning was all uphill but went well. All my town calories were paying off. Started seeing folks during the second half of the day and talking to them found out they were all headed to the same place. Figured I would camp with them.

Hit trail magic at the final road crossing of the day. Rob Bird was running it. He used to run a free hiker hostel in Massachusetts before he moved down to Tennessee for retirement. Now he's a trail angel.

Hanging out he mentioned taking two folks out for dinner and nobody picked up on it so I elbowed Hot Sauce and said we would go. Turned out to be a great choice.

Went to Rob's house and got showered before heading to Hooters for all you can eat wings. Came back and looked through years of photo albums of his hikers from the hostel. He let us soak our feet as well, which was amazing as a hiker.

We noticed a lot of his photos had Mohawks in them and he told us it was something he had been doing so Hot Sauce and I figured "when in Rome..." and took the dive. Also got some awesome Bird Cage t-shirts (the name of this hostel).

Stuffed and motivated by all the photos we went to bed late after Rob played a few songs on the guitar. Busy day but worth every moment.

AT Day 22

2014/4/22 Mile 342

Once again up before everyone so I quietly (as possible) got packed and ate.

Big climb right out of the gates but was rewarded with another 360 degree mountain view from the top of a bald. Sunrise had passed but the dawn-like quality of early morning was still there.

Down the other side of the bald I found Flea and Knoxville. Knoxville proudly described how his big toe's nail had come off last night. Said he had been waiting it for it for a while since it started changing colors. Flea looked ready to vomit from the discussion.

Downhill trending all day but lots of ups and downs. As usual felt solid through lunch then started wearing down. Brief spurts of rain were less intense than anticipated, but I put my homemade tyvek bootcovers on just to test them out. Hard to say how well they work until stronger rains but they did stay on my feet!

Made it to Erwin and pulled into Uncle Johnny's hostel by 1530. Got my own room and picked up my maildrop. 3 boxes this time! One was food. Another was my lighter weight sleeping bag. And the third was my sleeping bag liner purchased during my time in SC.

Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant with dollar beer and dollar tacos. Afterwards we went by Walmart and I grabbed some miscellaneous lunch food, ice cream, and a microwave breakfast for the morning.

Junebug and Tejas/Tex were watching Total Recall on VHS in their room so I joined them and downed my pint of ice cream. After making some calls I got my food organized for the next stint. Pack is heavy again... sad face.

Think I'll sleep in a bit tomorrow. Been feeling pretty run down and I need to keep up the pace. Maybe the 530-600 wake up is a little aggressive.

AT Day 21

2014/4/21 Mile 341

Up before everyone else in camp. Seems like the tents multiplied in the night. I slept so soundly I must have missed the other hikers coming in.

Weather was great. Probably in the 50's in the morning but warming up through the day. No views but ran across tons of hikers so had lots of short conversations.

Crossing under a highway met Flea and Knoxville who were napping in the shade. They later joined me for dinner at at campsite up the trail.

Was planning to do ~25 miles to a shelter but uphill after uphill had battered my legs so I stopped at about 21. Tenting with Once-a-Day and two other guys.

Hoping the rain either comes in the night or waits for me to pack up before coming down. Unlikely that we will be that lucky.

Going to try to make some makeshift gators out of tyvek (sp?). I'm hoping something to keep the rain from going straight into my boots will extend their dry hiking time. Tomorrow will be a good test.

AT Day 20

2014/4/20 Mile 300.3

Woke up at 0550 to get to the diner at 0600 when then opened. Had a big breakfast and headed back to Elmer's to pack. Nobody got up until 7 so I had to hang out so I could pay for my stay.

On the trail by 0730, and by trail I mean Main St. The trail runs right down the center of town. Crossed a large river before starting the climb out.

Spent the morning hiking and thinking about how to make my pack lighter. It feels pretty good but sharp downhills and uphills are still painful. Hopefully the outfitter in Damascus will have some cheap ideas.

Lunch by myself at a shelter. Doing crackers and cheese for this stint. Made up my mind at this point to push for the 300 mile mark which will make for another long (26 mile) day.

Hit two cases of trail magic. First one was some Snickers by the trail and the other was a guy day hiking who gave me an apple and box of Whoppers. Later shared the Whoppers with folks at the shelter.

Amazing views from some cliffs in the afternoon. One direction looked out on mountains while the other side looked out onto flat, developed land for as far as the eye could see. Crazy.

The last 5 miles were rough just because I was so tired. Finally got to the shelter and the Pope and Nora V were there. Bobcat, Turtle, Cupcake, Sprinkles and Sits In Chair joined us. Cooked and hung out but so tired from the day that I hit the bed just past hiker midnight despite everyone else still being up. No cell signal either so I couldn't call to find out how everyone's Easter went.

AT Day 19

2014/4/19 Mile 274

Slept really well. The woods were very quiet, I think the light rain overnight helped. Got on the trail by 0700.

Passed the trail magic spoken of last night and was not surprised to find them all still asleep.

Rain started again but it was very light. Just put the pack cover on... no rain gear. Made it in to Hot Springs by 1000 before things started getting muddy.

First stopped at Laughing Heart Host and almost decided to stay there because they were the cheapest and had internet. However there was a hiker there that I had encountered before who gives me a bad vibe.

Instead ended up at Elmer's which turned out to be an excellent choice. Its an old Victorian style house with much of the original flare (sinks, wood stove, door knobs, etc). I even ended up getting my own room which was the second half of the library. Elmer has a diverse and well organized book collection.

Showered and unpacked before heading over to Smoky Mountain Diner for second breakfast. Eggs, country ham, biscuit, and pancakes.

Next up was laundry. Ran in to Boss and his gang (later we decided to call them the Boxcar Children) at the laundromat and followed them down to a hiker ministry setup that had WiFi. After some internet, a trip to the dollar store for lunch supplies, and some planning back at Elmer's I decided to head to the bar and write some postcards.

After about an hour Bear Bag (self employed gear maker) and Not Black (German SAP programmer) from Elmer's also showed up. We hung out and talked for a bit before heading back for our 4 course vegetarian dinner.

Dinner was tomato bisque, salad, Thai noodles, and cheesecake. Had a big crowd around the table (10?) making great dinner conversation.

By hiker midnight I was stuffed and sleepy so I called it a night. Excellent day in town. Hope to get an early start tomorrow.

AT Day 18

2014/4/18 Mile 265

Got up at 0530 and had breakfast with Rocket and another guy who was a regular fixture of the hostel. Packed up as quietly as possible, paid for my stay, and hit the trail by 0700. Felt good to be on time.

On the first uphill caught up with a girl named Zig-Zag and her dog Lazarus. We both hit the trail magic at the top around the same time. A guy named Apple was giving out doughnuts and sodas.

Headed on up to a cool bald that had one of those directional beacons on top for aircraft (can't remember what they are called).

Afterwards met 3 women thru-hikers who were a lot of fun to talk to: Bama, Coco Peli (sp?), and Tigger. They recounted trying to play a practical joke on some fellow hikers by taking their bear bag down and spreading the food around before they got up. The plan was foiled because they couldn't stop giggling.

After quite a few more miles I hit Max Patch. It's a huge bald with an amazing 360 view of mountains. While the day had been pretty overcast it was still a good view.

Pushed on and had a big lunch because of the miles I wanted to knock out. Ran a across at least 10-12 hikers throughout the day all headed in to Hot Springs on Saturday. Seems like either Easter or 4/20 has everyone excited.

Ended up picking a camp site on an old road bed near the trail. After 25 miles of walking I felt pretty good but didn't want to overdo it by doing 30 to the next shelter. Cooked dinner and got the tent and bear bag taken care of.

Right before turning in a hiker came by saying that there were people camped about 2 miles away with trail magic food and booze. Tempting, but at this point I just wanted to rest so I decided to stay. Figure I'll have enough fun in Hot Springs tomorrow.

AT Day 17

2014/4/17 Mile 240.5

Another cold morning led to a late 0815 start. I was one of the last people out of the shelter. Ice still on the ground but not nearly as bad as yesterday.

Beautiful hiking once I got myself thawed out. Not a cloud in the sky, perfect temp (50's or 60's ?), and light dusting of snow sticking around. Did some nice ridge walking and then moved on to winding trails through old pine forests. 

After lunch was all down hill. 7 miles of it. I knew my right knee was going to be upset so I had an ibuprofen with lunch. Can't tell if the medicine did the trick or if the downhill wasn't that bad but by the time I hit Davenport Gap (the end of the Smokies) it was only a little stiff. Awesome.

Met a hiker named Chigger Bite at the gap who lived on Edisto Island. This was the place my family went for beach vacations while I was growing up. Small world...

Pulled into the Standing Bear Farm hostel to get my mail drop and planned to head on but some level headed hikers convinced me that two miles wasn't worth it. Rocket, who was running the place, showed me around. Kitchen, bunkhouse, beer shed, and store. Store was on the honor system and so were the mail drops.

Lots of folks ended up staying including the British guy I met way back at Neel's gap who goes by Mighty Blue. Gordy, the fireman I met yesterday, was also there. Met Sketch (a hiking artist), Sandstorm, New Heights, and a few others as they wandered in through the evening.

Hung out and made a frozen pizza from the store for dinner. Unpacked my mail dropped food and made a plan to get to Irwin. Going to try to push 20's for the next couple days and see how it feels.

AT Day 16

2014/4/16 Mile 222.4

Had a decent all you can eat breakfast at a local joint which was a nice way to start the day. All the roommates decided to take a zero day but I needed to keep going.

Packed up and wandered down to the NOC to see if there was any room on their free shuttle. No luck. Tried to hitch for a while but it was getting late in the day so I just found two other hikers and we split a cab.

Didn't start hiking until 1130. Getting out of the gap wasn't too bad in terms of terrain but the trail was pretty iced over which slowed me down. Luckily it was a clear day so I was finally getting rewarded with beautiful Smoky Mountain vistas. As usual none of the pictures come close to doing it justice. An added benefit was that, with the few downhills, my right knee was behaving better than it had in a while.

Made it to the shelter a little before 1800 and did the normal camp routine. Not full to the brim tonight. We expect temps in the 20's so everyone is bundled up pretty tight.

AT Day 15

2014/4/15 Mile 206.8

Rain overnight on the metal roof gave me the best nights sleep on the trail. Did not get as cold as I expected which made breakfast prep easier. After breakfast the good fortune ended.

Tanner at the shelter said he was heading into Gatlinburg so I told him I would split a room with him at the Grand Prix. It seemed like the right thing to do with the heavy rain and cold forecast.

Started off uphill in the rain and hit Clingman's dome in no time. With the terrible weather there was no point in going up the observation tower so I moved on. Rain turned into sleet and then snow over the next few hours. Hiking was actually quite nice at this temperature but my boots were soaked because the trail was a miniature river. Not having waterproof gloves was also a problem so I ended up stashing my poles and keeping my hands in my pockets. Of course to top it all off the right ACL was still hurting.

Made it through the 10 miles to Newfound Gap and my rain gear had frozen solid. I hunkered down near the bathrooms to put on my dry camp shoes and met a father with his son and daughter prepping to head out into the mess. They were in surprisingly high spirits and I wished them well.

Tried to hitch a ride without getting blown away in the strong wind and had some luck after 15 minutes. The guy, Chris, was a local who made a living selling pottery. Really nice guy. He was actually heading into town for an art show so his truck was full of pots.

Met up with Tanner who had found two more roommates (a couple: Mellow and Yellow). We hung out in the room with oven cranked up and the door open because the heater didn't work. After showers made a snack and beer run so we could relax in the room until dinner.

Went back to Smokey Mountain Brewing Company for dinner and then walked around town for a bit. Had a chance to sample some moonshine which was not too impressive. They made quite a show of it though.

Ended the night in a warm dry bed. Hard to ask for more.

AT Day 14

2014/4/14 Mile 196.0

Up at 0630 and on the trail by 0730. REALLY windy all night and through most of the day. Gray clouds looked foreboding all morning. ACL giving me major problems. Now to the point where I have to keep it straight when descending hills or else it is super painful.

A hiker was stopped on the trail ahead of me and as I overtook him he pointed out two wild turkeys. We followed them as they followed the trail for about a quarter mile.

Made it to Derrick Knob shelter for lunch and met lots of cool people. Everyone seems to be heading on.

Rain struck right after lunch but I had my gear on already. Light but steady for hours making sure everything got wet. The sideways rain factor did not help.

Siler Bald Shelter was full but it was only 1330 so I pushed on to the next one: Double Spring Gap. First one there and found some coals in the fireplace so I restarted the fire. A real winner considering that the temperature had been dropping all day.

The shelter quickly filled in with about 15 people by 1800. Met an accountant from Houston with a cool dog, a fun group of four thru-hikers, and a group of 7 guys on a wilderness leadership course (and others.)

Cell phone service was acting strange. Was able to send/recv texts for about an hour but after that nothing worked. Maybe too many phones up here? Either way I hope people back home aren't freaking out about my sudden dropout.

Supposed to drop below freezing tonight. Not excited for a cold morning.

AT Day 13

2014/4/13 Mile 179.6

Day 13 of hiking on the 13th. Bad omen? Got all packed up and headed out around 9 to go back to Fontana Dam. Made it there by noon and picked up where I left off. Hard to say goodbye to Mom and the grandparents after such a great week of visiting.

Headed uphill for about 3 miles before the rolling ups and downs started. Having two hiking poles of the correct length really made my life easier. It was a fairly uneventful hike but I did see two snakes. First one was on the trail and quite small, I snapped a picture. The other was at least an inch diameter but up on the hill a bit so it wasn't too worrisome.

Got to Molly's something shelter and there were two people there. One was a ridge runner who, once he checked my permit, encouraged me to go on to the next shelter. It was only around 1700 and with the threat of rain coming the next day I figured the 2.5 miles was a good investment. That would put me at about 13 for the day which is not bad for starting late.

I almost immediately regretted that decision after hitting the first downhill. My right ACL went up in flames which seriously concerned me given the amount of time off I had taken. In hopes that it had something to do with my stride I started trying different movements to see if I could eliminate whatever motion was causing the pain. After about a mile of painful experimentation I hit paydirt. It seems if I focus on rotating my right foot inward when I step I can keep from irritating the ACL. Hopefully this method is a permanent solution.

About 10 folks at something field shelter. It was stone with a fireplace and metal roof just like Molly's. Really impressed with the versatility of the new filter system. I think I'm going to like it.

Chatted with everyone on and off through the evening. Lots of different folks but everyone seemed really nice. Miss having the old gang with me but at least I'm back on the trail.

Back to it

6 days off my feet have certainly made a difference. While the affected areas are not healed, they are greatly improved and hopefully ready for action.

During the week I was lucky enough to get some work done, visit with family (some of whom I had not seen on a long time), and eat lots of food. Definitely attempted to pack away as many calories as possible while I could. I know they will come in handy.

Had the opportunity to do some work on my gear as well. Cut my 2 liter pot down into a ~1.2 liter pan and fashioned a new base for my stove to hopefully improve cold weather performance. Finally I replaced my katadyn water filter with the Sawyer squeeze system. After struggling with a replacement inlet hose and never getting the pump to I decided to invest in a simpler solution to reduce the chance of failure.

Test drove a hammock for two of the nights (the Hennesy Ultra-lite Backpacker) but found it to be too short for me to get comfortable in. I will probably try another model out in the future because once the temperature goes up it will likely be the coolest way to sleep.

I've got my backcountry permit in hand and am ready to get back out there. Still have a long way to go.

Zero Day

First zero day of the trek but not the last. My plan is to stay with my family in SC for a few days to let the blisters heal. This means I'll be leaving Nautilus, Gazelle, and Head Banger which really sucks but I can't risk my feet getting infected.

We all headed into town to get resupplied. Kroger for food, NOC for gear, and Smoky Mountain Brewing Company for lunch. Gatlinburg was a giant mess with terrible traffic and tons of tourists.

Took the scenic route home and saw some of the mountains we will be hiking over.

For dinner Steve grilled burgers and hotdogs while Debbie made slaw, baked beans, and potatoes. Once again we ended up stuffed to the gills with food. Watched some TV and hung out until we could fit dessert in which was brownies with ice cream.

I was literally so full I couldn't fall asleep. Didn't know it was possible.

AT Day 12

2014/4/4 Mile 164.7

Woke up bright and early at 0600 to get a jump on the weather. On the trail by 7. Blisters really hurting today even after moleskin and tape on the worst of them. After getting everything warmed up the first 6 miles felt pretty good.

Stopped for lunch at a shelter and met Misty Pony, a very tall German hiker. Rain started so we geared up to push through it. Heard reports of hail and a tornado watch so we wanted to get to Fontana Dam as fast as possible.

Wet shoes and a long downhill took their toll on the blisters. Icing on the cake was that my right ACL was really barking on the downhills. I managed to hobble through the last 5 miles down to Fontana Marina where the rest of the crew waited.

We hung out and had snacks and drinks from the store until Nautilus's uncle showed up in his truck to give us a ride. Super nice guy. I can't believe he was kind enough to invite 3 strangers over for the weekend.

Long winding drive through the Dragon's Tail and then more back roads showed off some beautiful mountains and lakes. Steve knew every road, valley, and body of water we could see.

Arrived at Steve and Debbie's place around 6. Its a beautiful house on some land just like what I would dream of for retirement. Showered and prepped for dinner. Everyone was hungry.

Dinner was huge. Chicken, green beans, broccoli, scalloped potatoes, and good old sweet tea. A real feast by anyone's standards. After filling up we hung around the living room while Nautilus and his aunt and uncle got caught up and we all shared stories.

AT Day 11

2014/4/3 Mile 153

Woke up at 7 and got packed so we could be at the restaurant for breakfast at 8. Had a delicious stack of french toast and side of eggs.

Got my mail drop and filled up my food bag. The drop had food for the next 7 days which was supposed to get me through the Smokies. This put my pack at 44 lbs with water, fuel, two beers and my old shoes. Way beyond comfort level and quite high compared to Nautilus and Gazelle around 32. They however are only carrying 1.5 days of food.

Today's hike started with 6 miles of uphill where we gained 2000 ft. It was a long climb but the feet were OK in the new boots at least to start. Lunched at the end of the climb. Some section hikers came through and gave us some snacks which we accepted happily.

Went to get more water for the rest of the day and found I was missing my inlet hose to my water pump. I must have left it at the watering hole the day before. I thought it wasn't a big deal but the pump does not work without that hose... must have a valve it it or something. I'll have to try to buy a replacement at the outfitter on our zero day.

This highlights what I see as a larger trend which is that I tend to rush in order to avoid holding the group back. This is likely the reason I left my bear line, bent my pole, and left my inlet hose. Need to be much more vigilant about things otherwise this will be a short trip.

The rest of the day hurt pretty bad with all the blisters. New boots are better but the damage has been done. Hit some trail magic right before Jacob's Ladder when we found some apples people had left at a road crossing.

Jacob's ladder is a part of the trail that goes straight up the side of a mountain. It was a pretty rough climb with such a heavy pack especially after all the climbing we did today. Finally rolled into camp and grabbed a spot in the shelter. Supposed to storm tomorrow so we figured it would be a good idea.

Took care of the beer weight and had dinner before rolling into bed. Ready for that zero on Saturday.

AT Day 10

2014/4/2 Mile 137.8

Semi-cold start but once I was was moving everything went smoothly. Got out of camp by 7:50 again.

Over the the next 4 days we have 2 big climbs and 1 big descent. With the current state of my feet the descent is what worries me the most and that is today.

Bent a hiking pole when I fell today. Tripped on a root and went to compensate as I normally do but my shoelace got hung on the root and I could not recover normally. This resulted in most of my body weight going into my pole which put a nice bow in it. Hope REI will replace it if I can figure out how to do that from the trail.

Put some good miles on before having lunch right before the ~5 miles of downhill into the NOC. Met Snickers there who was also lunching before heading downhill.

Blisters were rough, but manageable on the downhill.

Walked straight into the outfitter from my 16 mile hike to buy new boots. Got some Keens that are 10.5 and put my super feet in them. Hopefully this will put an end to my blister problems.

After visiting the outfitter I hit up the general store for candy bars, ice cream, and beer. Dropped the gear off in the room and had a couple beers with my feet in the Nantahalah talking to Matt (a fellow through hiker and roommate). We all had burgers at the restaurant and showered before retiring to the room for some light reorganization before bed.

Gazelle pointed out my bad luck so far:
  - busted bear bag
  - shoes too small
  - bent pole

My response: I've been warm and dry so far so no complaints.

Also today I was told by Snickers, Merman, and Rhode Island Red that a girl ahead of us was also going by Spice. Looks like I'll have to start using the more formal Spice Weasel.

AT Day 9

2014/4/1 Mile 120.8

Woke up right before my alarm and started getting ready. We were able to get out of camp by 730.

Followed Stevie Wander for a bit but dropped off his pace. Morning hiking was good. I had taped my pinky toe in hopes that I could solve my problems from the day before. While it did help the pinky toe, the larger issue remains: my left shoe is too small.

Climbed a bald with no view and descended again before lunch. Hit some potential trail magic when a guy pulled over to see if I needed a ride. Not today unfortunately.

The climb up Wayah bald was a tough two miles especially with it being a warmer day. At the top an old stone tower gave us a nice view. In the distance you could see Clingman's Dome. Its 100 miles down the trail.

Painful downhill into camp where we tented at Wayah shelter. Serviced many blisters. The one on the middle of the ball of my left foot keeps growing and getting more painful. I hope I can make it to the NOC tomorrow in time to check out their shoe selection.

Met Yote, Taylor, and Jukebox as we cooked. They brought marshmallows... Big win. In bed by 8 hoping the feet make it tomorrow.

AT Day 8

2014/3/31 Mile 102.5

I was having a dream about getting into the shower with my girlfriend and then I wake up to camping with you fuckers. - Nautilus

Another cold morning. Got up at 6:30 and was on the trail by 7:50. Not bad considering that I made coffee on my slow little alcohol stove. Really considering getting a canister stove at the next stop just so food prep goes quicker. 17 miles on tap today.

5 miles in hit Beech Gap around 10. Much warmer now and the hiking looks easy for most of the day.

Albert Mountain was the only real uphill of the day but it was a hell of an uphill. The mile leading up to it was a normal climb but the last 0.3 was straight up. We were rewarded with a view and got to climb an old fire tower for quite the vista.

After that the final ~2.5 miles downhill were rough. Both my knees were upset with the downhilling and my left foot seems too big for its shoe. Pinky toe was getting hammered. Hopefully I can loosen up the laces to give it enough room to get me to NOC. Busted out the Advil in hopes bringing the inflammation down would help with the pain.

Spending the night at Long Branch shelter. Its a double decker for 16 people and fairly new so we are staying inside. Onyx and Dragonfly beat us here (they camped with us last night as well). Later on Canyon Man, Whisper, Marathon, and some other guy showed up later. Sounds like many of them will be heading into Franklin tomorrow.

Some other hikers rolled in late and kept us up while getting settled and eating. Marathon was showing YouTube videos and getting on my nerves. I didn't come to woods so be bombarded with pop music.

AT Day 7

2014/3/30 Mile 85.3

The first 11 states are just training so you don't die in the last 3. - Crazy Horse

1000 kcal breakfast of champions:
- Honey Bun
- Cheese Pastry
- Coffee

Had the above breakfast at the marathon gas station because subway was closed. Dropped off by 930  back at Dick's Creek and had 5 miles done by eleven. Everyone feeling good with all the food last night.

Took a photo op at the GA/NC border.
The 12 miles of pretty much all uphill out of Dick's was rough. Not sure how our out of shape selves managed to pull this off last year (or year before last?) on our little hiking trip.

Put another 4 miles in to get to Deep Gap for tenting. Forgot about how rocky the trail is coming down to the gap, slow going. We have decided to try to make it to the NOC in three nights instead of four putting us at 17 miles a day till we get there. From there I have to start doing 20's or figure out another way to finish on time. Oh boy.

Knee felt OK once on the trail but blisters still abound. The later half of the day was spent crushing my pinky toe so I'm wondering if my shoes really are too small. I'll keep draining the blisters and reevaluate when we hit NOC. Most notable pain is in my right heel on back (not bottom). Noticed it yesterday but it was more prominent today. Can't figure out what it is or what triggers it, must check the shoes tomorrow.

That reminds me: the black smart wool liner socks I bought are like cheese graters. My feet were extremely unhappy in them. I'll give them another shot later on but for now its the white silk liners.

AT Day 6

2014/3/29 Mile 69.6

Lots of snoring last night but feeling well rested. Rain coming down harder than yesterday as we pack up. Nautilus takes an early start to warm up his foot that was giving him trouble. Weather got soaked under the shelter, felt really bad for him but he didn't appear too pissed.

Started off before Gazelle as he was packing and I was getting cold. Lots of solo hiking in the rain for most of the morning. By afternoon we grouped up and began making the trip down to Dick's Creek for a van to pick us up for Hiawasee. Got to the gap in time to see Whisper and Canyon Man pass through on their way to a hostel.

Met another trail legend: Crazy Horse. We talked, and by that I mean he talked, for the entire hour and half wait for the van to take us into town.

Once at the hotel we strung up all our gear to try to get it dry and headed to the buffet for dinner. After dinner I went to Verizon store while the other two resupplied at Ingles.

Spent an hour only to find out my Nexus 5 isn't supported on Verizon but the salesperson (Cary) took pity on me and drove me to a Fred's where they sold prepaid phones and I got the cheapest one. Since Verizon is the only service that seems to work in the mountains it was well worth the investment.

Back at the hotel we packed, cleaned, and drank beer while a LOTR marathon played in the background on TV. Weather looks good up to the NOC so excited about hiking tomorrow. Unfortunately the right knee still hurts. Nautilus says its the ACL.

AT Day 5

2014/3/28 Mile 58.6

Woke up at 6:30 in the rain. Packed up without breakfast and headed for Blue Mountain Shelter. Made quick work of the 5 miles and had brunch around 10. Light rain isn't too bad so far. Trail magic from Double Branches Babtist Church at Unicoi Gap fed us burgers and bananas. Really foggy. Skipping the 14 miler this time sorry coach.

Pulled into Trey mid afternoon where 3 ex marines and Coinslot were already bunked in. Luckily the shelter holds seven. We put up my rainfly to augment the marines' tarp as the overhang wasn't quite large enough to keep out the rain during gusts.

Others rolled in and two tented while most moved on. Weather decided to sleep under the shelter. Very interesting guy. Wearing a pirate shirt and paisley vest he managed to build a fire where the marines had failed. Talking with him later he seemed very smart and alluded to being homeless or transient but never clearly stated it. Nice guy hope to see him again tomorrow. Knee is starting to hurt but hopefully a night of sleep and a shorter day tomorrow will help.

AT Day 4

2014/3/27 Mile 44.5

Started the day off in the hostel. Slept well and legs felt OK. Drained a blister on my right heel and just looked at the one on my left pad. Bought coffee and fuel in the store once it opened. Hawkeye (now Gazelle) and Billy (now Nautilus) are hiking to the same location as I so we planned to meet up at Low Gap shelter.

Got some great trail magic at a gap with food, coffee, and cokes. Met King Tut there who runs it as a ministry. They were giving out crochet hats and I took one. Really nice.

Remembered a lot of the hike from our family outing in the freezing rain in 2012. Low Gap Shelter was full so we hiked on to a nice tent site hoping the rain tomorrow won't start before sunrise. Boss and his friend decided to tent with us.

We are now gathered around a small fire trying to enjoy the last of the nice weather before the two days of rain forecasted for Friday and Saturday. Plan to split a hotel room with Gazelle and Nautilus in Hiawasse so we can dry out Saturday night and maybe get some beers.

AT Day 3

2014/3/26 Mile 31.7

Another cold morning slowed me down. Numb hands made folding up an icy tent difficult.

Hawkeye who was also heading to Neel's Gap got a head start on me so I was chasing him all day. Saw ice and a little snow out all day, proof that last night got nice and cold.

Climbing over Blood Mountain reminded me of our family hiking trip through the same trail. Clear views from the top were a great reward towards the end of the hike.

Made it to the outfitter at Neel's Gap and picked up my mail drop. Decided to stay in the bunkhouse in hopes of avoiding another cold morning.

Hawkeye and another guy I just met named Billy are heading about the same distance tomorrow so we agreed to kind of stick together. Billy and I met while eating dinner with a trail legend named Baltimore Jack who did 8 consecutive thru-hikes. He lectured us on taking it slow and starting early every day ("Be on the trail by 7 o'clock, have at least 10 miles done by noon").

Bunk house was cold but not as cold as outside. Get to charge the phone and test drive the earplugs tonight as I'm sure one of us in here snores.

AT Day 2

2014/3/25 Mile 15.8

Rained overnight. Glad to be in a shelter as starting my first full day wet would have been no fun.

Morning was cold. Hands freezing in the convertible gloves so off to a slow start. Got on the trail by 0930. Hit some trail magic right off the bat at 3 Forks where I got hot chocolate and candy bars. Word was that tonight will be even colder.

Lunch at Hawk Mountain Shelter around noon. Met Greg who had just sent off his girlfriend for a thru-hike. We commiserated about how hard it was to say goodbye.

Lots of small ups and downs for the next 8 miles but kept a decent pace. Snow flurries all afternoon. Made it to Gooch Mountain Shelter which was packed to the gills even though it was a double decker. Grabbed one of the last tent spots.

Cooked pasta with red sauce and beef which was delicious. Stood around the fire afterwards talking with everyone. Met Hawkeye (Kris), Spider, Vagabond, and some others. Weather report says it will be a low of 17 F tonight.

Word is that Blood Mountain requires a bear canister which I don't have so I'll have to push to Neel's Gap tomorrow. Makes it a 17 mile day. After today's ~12 miles my feet hurt but otherwise feeling pretty good so hopefully it won't be too bad.

AT Day 1

2014/3/24 Mile 2.8

Here we are. After a week of not believing its real, a Friday night going away bash, a frantic Saturday and Sunday of organization, I am finally on the trail.

Liz left me at the airport with pack and my boots and about 4 hours of sleep from the night before. A short flight to Atlanta puts me in Alexander's turf so I got to see him briefly before hitting the road for the trailhead with my Mom.

Of course about 80% of the way to Springer the car's GPS claims we are in the middle of nowhere. With no cell service the printed out Google directions were all we had to navigate the back roads up to the top.

Second goodbye of the day at the top of the mountain. Hiked to the top where a day hiker was taking in the view and then turned around to head north to Stover Creek Shelter.

Two families were already there and another thru-hiker. Claims that it may get below freezing encouraged me to sleep with my water filter. Couldn't remember if this model was OK to freeze so I figured I'd play it safe.

Fixed beans and rice with okra and Cajun spices for dinner. Called it a night right before the sun went down.