Friday, June 29, 2012
Medical Report June 29
I saw the orthopedic surgeon this morning after getting an MRI earlier in the week. The fall on the trail caused a hairline fracture of the tibia and and a bucket-handle tear of the lateral meniscus and some minor things like a Baker's cyst. If I don't jump up and down, the fracture will heal itself. I'm going to try physical therapy for a month to see how the meniscus responds and hopefully I can avoid surgery on my knee. I'm sad that this ends my hiking for the year but I can look out the window and see I have plenty that needs to be done in the garden. Being a wimp, I'll wait until these 100 degree temperature days are gone.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Day 24
I blame the bears. Because of their aggressive behavior the Cosby Shelter was closed. That meant on day 23 I had to hike 15.6 miles up and down real mountains to get to the Tricorner Knob Shelter.
I started the day from Gatlinburg with my thumb held out. I had never hitch-hiked. I told myself I would only get in a car with a woman in the car too but after 45 min of feeling quite rejected by the passing vehicles I didn't hesitate to accept a ride from a single man. I did notice Ohio license plates and a New Testament lying on the back seat. Turns out he was from Cincinnati area and had hiked the entire AT in 2005.
I walked strong all day. I seldom had to stop to catch my breath or rest my leg muscles. I don't take breaks longer than 5 or 10 minutes. I saw few hikers. Coming up to eleven hours of continuously walking I knew I was tired but also I was happy with how well my body was doing. But it's usually at the end of the day when you're tired that things happen. About 30 min from the shelter I stumbled and fell hard. I lay there for a few minutes assessing what was hurt. It was my right knee. I struggled up with my pack and limped slowly to the shelter which was filled with about 12 men. The Ridge Runner for the Smoky Mts was there too. He's the guy who's job it is to walk back and forth on his section of the AT making sure all is OK. I told them about my fall but I didn't think I was hurt too bad.
I left before any of them in the morning at about 7:15. I knew I would be walking slowly and I had 16 miles to go to get out of the Smoky Mts. My booklet said this was the most remote section of the AT in the Smoky Mts Park. The trail leaves the park at Davenport Gap near I-40 right where Nina, Terry and I crossed the AT on the way home from their mountain home. Cool I thought.
One of the gifts of the day were the large, pink, rhododendron blooms. The flowers fall to the ground while they are still pretty so the trail was often covered in pink flowers. It was enchanting; like a princess walking down an aisle covered in flower petals.
I walked carefully because I felt another fall would be destructive to my injured knee. The trail was filled with uneven rocks big and small. After 6 miles I met up with four forest service workers and ate lunch with them. I was hurting. One of them had military medical training and when he saw how swollen my knee was he scared me by telling me it looked bad to him and I could do permanent damage if I continued to walk on it. They wrapped my knee in an ace bandage and suggested I take a side trail of 3 miles to a forest service road where their truck was parked. The side trail was about another mile north. They also took most of the weight out of my pack and promised to bring the stuff to me when they finished their work in a couple of hours. I decided to follow their advice and left the white blazes of the AT. I called my daughter, Alicia, and told her what was happening. She was coming to get me. I made it to their truck just minutes before they arrived and they drove me to a nearby campground where I rested on the ground with my knee held up on a picnic table seat. Alicia drove 12 hours straight to get me and take me home. What a wonderful daughter. She has sacrificed so much to help me on this quest.
Judy McGarvey called her friend an orthopedic surgeon who kindly looked at my knee 8 a.m. this morning. I may have an ACL tear or something else but nothing requiring immediate surgery. I'm getting an MRI next week and we'll go from there. In the meantime he has me in a brace as a precaution. I doubt this will end up being anything too bad.
So this is the end of my thru-hiking the AT. I have mixed feelings. I came within 6 miles of walking past all the white blazes from the beginning of the AT through the Smoky Mts National Park and those are the hardest miles on the trail until New Hampshire and Maine. I was feeling strong and I hate to give that up because it's a lot of hard work to get so each step isn't a struggle in your lungs and your legs.
I find I like the hiking but I don't like the camping. What I really want to do is take serious pictures of the beauty not just take snapshots as I walk past.
Still there is something that calls to me from the AT and I find myself plotting how to get back to the trail next week. (Could I take a bus to Gatlinburg and a shuttle to the campground? Hmmm) Sounds like an addict not common sense.
I never saw a bear but I still blame them for the end of my quest.
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Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Day 22
Today was awesome. I left the shelter at 6:15 and made it to Clingman's Dome by 8. I'm so glad I waited until today to go to the highest point on the AT (elevation 6,643) because the sky was clear and I could see miles across the Smoky Mts. If my hardest day walking was a 10 then today was a 5 and the best day for feeling strong. Around every bend in the trail there was a new scenic treasure. Many of the hemlocks here are still alive and I love the mysterious quality of the light that filters through their needles. There were also Frazier Firs. (Both trees are doomed.) The ferns grew thickly everywhere and moss covered everything. Perfectly magical.
On Tues (the day it rained) it took me 10 hours to go 11.7 miles. Today it took 7.5 hours to go 10.8 miles.
And now I'm in a $29 hotel room in Gatlinburg. I've picked up my next food package, had a pizza, a shower and my clothes are washed. Yeah.
For the first time in my life I hitchhiked. At Newfound Gap there's a large parking lot with lots of tourists. I approached several people who looked O.K. And found a nice couple who agreed to give me a ride. Turns out he's a minister so I think I chose well. Getting back to the trail tomorrow is turning out to be problematic. There is a shuttle but it leaves late in the morning and it takes an hour to get back to the trail. Still working on options. The park has closed one of the four shelters on the trail northbound out of the park because of aggressive bears. So now I'm going to have to do two 16 mile days which is probably pushing my limit.
There have been interesting people on the trail but all have been only doing small sections. For three nights I shared a shelter with a Florida father hiking with his 12-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. I admired their positive attitudes even when they melted parts of 2 boots and the father's hiking shorts (not on him) caught on fire while they were trying to dry them in front of a campfire. He just said to his kids: "Well we're learning how to dry clothes in front of a fire. And it is kinda funny."
Virtually everyone has been very friendly. Almost all have seen bears and rattlesnakes on the trail but I've only seen turkeys and deer. Twice I've heard what I think were wild pigs and I've followed tracks so fresh they were still warm. Well truthfully I'm not sure I can tell the difference between pig and deer tracks. The floor of the woods sometimes look like someone dug it all up with a shovel. Pigs are very destructive. Some hikers are more afraid of them than bears because they are unpredictable.
I've reached two milestones: I've now walked 206.8 miles which puts me just under the 2000 mark. (1977.4 miles to trail's end), and Gatlinburg is where Bill Bryson gave up walking the whole trail. (He wrote the most famous book about the AT. Later he did a few section hikes on the trail.). So I feel more than a little pride that I walk tomorrow.
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On Tues (the day it rained) it took me 10 hours to go 11.7 miles. Today it took 7.5 hours to go 10.8 miles.
And now I'm in a $29 hotel room in Gatlinburg. I've picked up my next food package, had a pizza, a shower and my clothes are washed. Yeah.
For the first time in my life I hitchhiked. At Newfound Gap there's a large parking lot with lots of tourists. I approached several people who looked O.K. And found a nice couple who agreed to give me a ride. Turns out he's a minister so I think I chose well. Getting back to the trail tomorrow is turning out to be problematic. There is a shuttle but it leaves late in the morning and it takes an hour to get back to the trail. Still working on options. The park has closed one of the four shelters on the trail northbound out of the park because of aggressive bears. So now I'm going to have to do two 16 mile days which is probably pushing my limit.
There have been interesting people on the trail but all have been only doing small sections. For three nights I shared a shelter with a Florida father hiking with his 12-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. I admired their positive attitudes even when they melted parts of 2 boots and the father's hiking shorts (not on him) caught on fire while they were trying to dry them in front of a campfire. He just said to his kids: "Well we're learning how to dry clothes in front of a fire. And it is kinda funny."
Virtually everyone has been very friendly. Almost all have seen bears and rattlesnakes on the trail but I've only seen turkeys and deer. Twice I've heard what I think were wild pigs and I've followed tracks so fresh they were still warm. Well truthfully I'm not sure I can tell the difference between pig and deer tracks. The floor of the woods sometimes look like someone dug it all up with a shovel. Pigs are very destructive. Some hikers are more afraid of them than bears because they are unpredictable.
I've reached two milestones: I've now walked 206.8 miles which puts me just under the 2000 mark. (1977.4 miles to trail's end), and Gatlinburg is where Bill Bryson gave up walking the whole trail. (He wrote the most famous book about the AT. Later he did a few section hikes on the trail.). So I feel more than a little pride that I walk tomorrow.
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Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Days 20 and 21
First about today. I've reached my shelter by 2 p.m. after a fairly easy 7.2 miles. I'm staying here because 1) there is a good chance of thunderstorms this evening 2) this is a great shelter with the first privy on the trail in the Smoky Mt. National Park 3) there's a good water source that you don't have to walk a couple football fields steeply downhill to get to 4) And I've had two very hard days. 5) I want to cross Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the AT) in good weather tomorrow. The privy part is important because as unpleasant as they are they beat a shovel in the woods.
Now about yesterday: the good news is there were no bugs and the temperature was in the 60's. Nice temp for strenuous hiking. The bad news is it rained all day. The most miserable day yet on the trail. In addition the 12 miles were harder than they looked on the map. The trail is lower than the surrounding ground so the water runs down the trail in a steady stream. You could have collected drinking water if you were so inclined. It was very slick from the mud and wet rocks. I fell twice and was saved by my sticks many many times. Falling with a backpack is unpleasant. To make matters worse, that section of the AT is one of the few that allow horses on it. There were 6 ahead of me and not only did they forget their parade pooper scooper, but their hooves just destroy a trail. I was covered in mud. Water was swishing between my toes as I walked. It was hard to see the trail because my glasses were wet and fogged up.
The shelter last night was overflowing with hikers trying to get out of the rain and our gear was spread everywhere trying to get it dry (impossible). I had to change out of my wet clothes into dry clothes. You can't have modesty in this environment. I'm confident all eyes looked away honoring my privacy.
My hair was still wet when I got up this morning. I had to put back on all my wet clothes this morning. I'm trying to get them dry now. I'm very happy to be at this wonderful shelter with all the amenities. I felt good today. Strong.
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Now about yesterday: the good news is there were no bugs and the temperature was in the 60's. Nice temp for strenuous hiking. The bad news is it rained all day. The most miserable day yet on the trail. In addition the 12 miles were harder than they looked on the map. The trail is lower than the surrounding ground so the water runs down the trail in a steady stream. You could have collected drinking water if you were so inclined. It was very slick from the mud and wet rocks. I fell twice and was saved by my sticks many many times. Falling with a backpack is unpleasant. To make matters worse, that section of the AT is one of the few that allow horses on it. There were 6 ahead of me and not only did they forget their parade pooper scooper, but their hooves just destroy a trail. I was covered in mud. Water was swishing between my toes as I walked. It was hard to see the trail because my glasses were wet and fogged up.
The shelter last night was overflowing with hikers trying to get out of the rain and our gear was spread everywhere trying to get it dry (impossible). I had to change out of my wet clothes into dry clothes. You can't have modesty in this environment. I'm confident all eyes looked away honoring my privacy.
My hair was still wet when I got up this morning. I had to put back on all my wet clothes this morning. I'm trying to get them dry now. I'm very happy to be at this wonderful shelter with all the amenities. I felt good today. Strong.
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Sunday, June 10, 2012
Long hard day. If 10 is the hardest day I've had on the trail, then today was an 8. It drizzled but no hard rain for which I'm grateful. I walked in the clouds today. Very thick clouds. The woods were dark and a little spooky even in the middle of the afternoon. By 8 when I arrived at the shelter, it was nearly dark. I met about 10 hikers coming towards me during the day, but no one going my direction so I was happy to find about 5 teenagers and 3 adults at the shelter. It's quite cool and very windy. I'm tired but doing well.
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Day 19
Today I will walk in the rain and probably for the next 3 days. Sigh.
John and Judy are bringing me back to Fontana Dam where they picked me up a week ago. We are about 30 min. away. Again I say, you don't do something like this without a lot of help. They are going hours out of their way to help me get back on the trail. They would be happier to take me home but they are doing all they can to support me.
I have to say, looking out the car windows at the rain, I feel both stoic and apprehensive. The walk today will be tough. John says the grade I'm walking up for the first 5 miles is at 14 to 15%. Then it will be steeply up and down for 6 more miles before I reach the first shelter. This is the only section of the AT that they require you to stay at a shelter.
I don't know if I will have cell phone coverage as I walk through the Smoky Mountain National Park for the next 7 days. There is only one road that cuts through the park. Once I reach the ridge line, (which is the border of North Carolina and Tennessee) I will be walking along the Eastern Continental Divide. Cool.
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John and Judy are bringing me back to Fontana Dam where they picked me up a week ago. We are about 30 min. away. Again I say, you don't do something like this without a lot of help. They are going hours out of their way to help me get back on the trail. They would be happier to take me home but they are doing all they can to support me.
I have to say, looking out the car windows at the rain, I feel both stoic and apprehensive. The walk today will be tough. John says the grade I'm walking up for the first 5 miles is at 14 to 15%. Then it will be steeply up and down for 6 more miles before I reach the first shelter. This is the only section of the AT that they require you to stay at a shelter.
I don't know if I will have cell phone coverage as I walk through the Smoky Mountain National Park for the next 7 days. There is only one road that cuts through the park. Once I reach the ridge line, (which is the border of North Carolina and Tennessee) I will be walking along the Eastern Continental Divide. Cool.
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Thursday, May 31, 2012
Day 18 - Fontana "Hilton" Shelter
Took me 8 1/2 hours to go a hard ten and a half miles today. I stop a lot to take pictures. In fact I've taken a lot of pictures. Wish I knew how many pictures a 16 gig card shooting raw and highest jpeg setting can hold on this camera. Tim?
I'm plenty tired. Set up my tent at the Fontana "Hilton" Shelter. It's called this because it's the only AT shelter with a bathroom/shower in a nearby building. I've had a shower but there are no towels so had to put my dirty clothes back on while dripping wet. Also bathroom was filthy and I'm not picky. Didn't dare remove my plastic camp shoes. The shelter overlooks Fontana Lake. Pretty location. It is filled with about 8 or 10 young men and I decided I wanted my privacy so that's why I'm not staying in the shelter. It's amazing so many are here because I see almost no one on the trail these days. (Two of the speed demons are spending a second night. So I can't see how it benefited them to go twice as fast as me) It's sad that almost all the thru-hikers are weeks ahead of me. I think I'll be alone a lot now. I read the comments in the shelter logs from the people I knew. Tomorrow I get picked up here to go to the McGarvey family reunion. Not sure when they'll be able to bring me back to the trail. When I start again I begin the stretch of the AT that goes through the Smoky Mt. National Park. The first day is suppose to be one of the top difficult days on the trail.
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I'm plenty tired. Set up my tent at the Fontana "Hilton" Shelter. It's called this because it's the only AT shelter with a bathroom/shower in a nearby building. I've had a shower but there are no towels so had to put my dirty clothes back on while dripping wet. Also bathroom was filthy and I'm not picky. Didn't dare remove my plastic camp shoes. The shelter overlooks Fontana Lake. Pretty location. It is filled with about 8 or 10 young men and I decided I wanted my privacy so that's why I'm not staying in the shelter. It's amazing so many are here because I see almost no one on the trail these days. (Two of the speed demons are spending a second night. So I can't see how it benefited them to go twice as fast as me) It's sad that almost all the thru-hikers are weeks ahead of me. I think I'll be alone a lot now. I read the comments in the shelter logs from the people I knew. Tomorrow I get picked up here to go to the McGarvey family reunion. Not sure when they'll be able to bring me back to the trail. When I start again I begin the stretch of the AT that goes through the Smoky Mt. National Park. The first day is suppose to be one of the top difficult days on the trail.
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Day 17 - Bug Screen
I should have said the mighty chestnut is reduced to a short-lived understory tree because of a tiny fungus and man.
Tonight is the first time I have camped near the trail and not at a shelter. I wanted to go a few miles closer to Fontana Lake where I will get picked up to go to the McGarvey family reunion. If I arrive tomorrow evening I will be able to get a shower before I get picked up. Saw only a couple people on the trail today and I expect no one camping near me tonight. It was a tough day especially around a place called Jacobs Ladder. Started at 7:15 am and stopped at 6:00 pm for 11.6 miles. Very tired. Happy to be in my tent with all the bugs trying to get me but can't because a screen separates us. Yeah. They had enough of me all day. Although very tired, it was a good day.
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Tonight is the first time I have camped near the trail and not at a shelter. I wanted to go a few miles closer to Fontana Lake where I will get picked up to go to the McGarvey family reunion. If I arrive tomorrow evening I will be able to get a shower before I get picked up. Saw only a couple people on the trail today and I expect no one camping near me tonight. It was a tough day especially around a place called Jacobs Ladder. Started at 7:15 am and stopped at 6:00 pm for 11.6 miles. Very tired. Happy to be in my tent with all the bugs trying to get me but can't because a screen separates us. Yeah. They had enough of me all day. Although very tired, it was a good day.
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Day 17 - Blueberries for Pam
The trail runs mostly along ridge tops. It's the getting up and down to those ridge tops that's the torture because of that nasty word "gaps"
You walk through a continuing changing forest. Sometimes it's a ground cover of the mighty chestnut brought low by a tiny fungus and man. Sometimes you walk through pines and their needles soften the trail. Sometimes blueberry shrubs overhang the path and cover the forest floor. The berries are green now and I look forward to when they're ripe. Although after reading the Hunger Games I might briefly pause before stuffing them in my mouth. I also can picture a bear sitting in the middle of the trail stuffing her mouth. Question: does a bear take the berries off the branches with her paws or her mouth? And sometimes you walk through birch forests with their stunning bark that I never grow tired of seeing. Lots of plants overhang the path and you brush by them as you walk. This morning that means constantly getting wet from last night's rain still on their leaves. Lots of hydrangeas with early flowers overhang the trail. And the flame azaleas are just stunning!!
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You walk through a continuing changing forest. Sometimes it's a ground cover of the mighty chestnut brought low by a tiny fungus and man. Sometimes you walk through pines and their needles soften the trail. Sometimes blueberry shrubs overhang the path and cover the forest floor. The berries are green now and I look forward to when they're ripe. Although after reading the Hunger Games I might briefly pause before stuffing them in my mouth. I also can picture a bear sitting in the middle of the trail stuffing her mouth. Question: does a bear take the berries off the branches with her paws or her mouth? And sometimes you walk through birch forests with their stunning bark that I never grow tired of seeing. Lots of plants overhang the path and you brush by them as you walk. This morning that means constantly getting wet from last night's rain still on their leaves. Lots of hydrangeas with early flowers overhang the trail. And the flame azaleas are just stunning!!
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Day 17 - Spider Webs & Speed Demons
Glad I saw my brother's message. A major thunderstorm came through about 6:30 and I was so happy to watch it from inside the shelter (a nice double-decker with a little porch). With me were Laura the retired army nurse/intelligence officer, Tunes who sang and played his guitar, and 2 speed demons who go about 20 miles a day and I will never see again.
This morning is clear and cool. A far cry from yesterday when I couldn't wear my glasses because they were so fogged up. I was first on the trail this morning. I know because I caught all the spider webs built at face level. Since my mouth is open sucking in air, I do a lot of spitting. So I've developed a new pattern of walking with my sticks. I take a step and then swing them vertical in the air before me. I look like a Russian solder marching with their legs straight in front of them. Can't wait till the speed demons pass me.
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This morning is clear and cool. A far cry from yesterday when I couldn't wear my glasses because they were so fogged up. I was first on the trail this morning. I know because I caught all the spider webs built at face level. Since my mouth is open sucking in air, I do a lot of spitting. So I've developed a new pattern of walking with my sticks. I take a step and then swing them vertical in the air before me. I look like a Russian solder marching with their legs straight in front of them. Can't wait till the speed demons pass me.
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Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Day 16 - Biting Gnats & Thunder
Today was a tough day. 7 unrelenting miles uphill in hot, humid weather!! The padding is drenched on the shoulder straps and inside back of my pack. It's like putting on a wet swim suit. Just arrived at the shelter and was considering 4 more miles to a place without a shelter but it has started to rain. My brother says a lot of rain is headed this way :( so I might stay in this shelter tonight. Bad thing is there are hundreds of biting gnats in the shelter. Thanks for the heads up brother.
And for those who have asked, the Freedom Girls took their own pix and showed it to me. I did not actually witness their act of freedom but I fully support them.
I'm tired but not hurting. I'll have 2 long days with possible rain starting tomorrow. I hear thunder now so it's a night with the bugs.
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And for those who have asked, the Freedom Girls took their own pix and showed it to me. I did not actually witness their act of freedom but I fully support them.
I'm tired but not hurting. I'll have 2 long days with possible rain starting tomorrow. I hear thunder now so it's a night with the bugs.
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Day 16 - No Longer Naked
Today I walk. And a long uphill will be my first task of the day.
I'm no longer naked. A friend loaned me a Canon G10. And while with my Canon 5D I felt dressed like a guest on millionaire's row on Derby day, and now I feel dressed for the infield of the Indianapolis 500, I'm grateful for a way to hold the moment. I had thought when I sent my good camera home it would be good to simply experience life instead of observing life, but I was wrong. I felt empty. And now if I don't get a few good pictures I can blame the camera.
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I'm no longer naked. A friend loaned me a Canon G10. And while with my Canon 5D I felt dressed like a guest on millionaire's row on Derby day, and now I feel dressed for the infield of the Indianapolis 500, I'm grateful for a way to hold the moment. I had thought when I sent my good camera home it would be good to simply experience life instead of observing life, but I was wrong. I felt empty. And now if I don't get a few good pictures I can blame the camera.
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Monday, May 28, 2012
Day 15 - Nantahala River
Set up my tent last night on limited, semi-flat ground near another woman hiker. She got up before a hint of light in the sky and started packing. She was using a flashlight but I know it wasn't helping her because it was aimed into my tent most of the time. Clack of pans, rip of zippers, rustle of synthetic fibers mashed into stuff bags, crunch of granola. Heard it all for 30+ min and then blissfully boots walking away. I got out of my tent a little later than normal because I wanted all the other nearby campers to know that wasn't me waking everyone up. But you have to admire someone that can get up and go. It takes a lot of inner strength to get going so early. Life on the trail.
Two Englishmen came into camp. Their plane landed at 2 a.m. They slept in a hotel for 4 hours and then caught a shuttle to the trail and then hiked 11 miles. I was walking by their campsite that evening when one of them climbed into his hammock/tent. It promptly sank to the ground still tied to the trees. I heard him say to his companion: "My back's on the ground and I don't care.". Poor guy. Couldn't help but laugh, I hope in sympathy.
I love walking through the tunnels cut through the rhododendron thickets. Their twisted forms and their thick, dark canopy are straight out of Tolken's Middle Earth. Early men through here cursed these thickets because it's impossible to walk through them. The only choice was to find a way around or cut through, an arduous task.
What makes me sad is to see all the magnificent American chestnuts rotting on the ground from a fungus blight. New chestnuts come up from the old roots and when those trees reach 5 to 10 inches in diameter the blight kills them too. The forest is filled with dead trees with new chestnut sprouts growing below them, all doomed. I had no idea there were so many young trees trying to grow. Maybe somehow one will become resistant to the fungus. And then there's one of my favorite tree the hemlock also doomed from the woolly adelgid. The hemlocks in these mountains are almost all dead. We're going to lose them all. It's a disaster.
The good thing is that the poison ivy that literally covered the ground in the Georgia mountains doesn't like this higher elevation.
Many pretty wildflowers along the trail including Clintonia, the wood lily. The trilliums have seed pods now.
You learn to hate the word "gap" cause that means what goes down must go back up. Today after normal up and downs on the trail, I walked down 4 1/2 miles for an elevation loss of about 4300 feet. Tomorrow I walk back up for about 8 miles for an elevation gain of about 5000 feet. Then more up and downs.
The big down hill of today took me to the Nantahala River where the trail passes a great outdoor center and outfitter. Anything you want to do on a mountain river you can do here from renting kayaks, rafts to trout fishing. It's a really nice place and very friendly. I'd heard about their pizza on the trail and it was excellent!!! But the BEST thing is I'm staying in a bunk house and just a few buildings away are showers and a washer dryer. They even supply a towel and shampoo all for $19. I'm now totally clean. I ate hot food (on the trail I eat cold food) and I'm watching a beautiful river roll by. Google the Nantahala Outfitters at Wesser N.C. to get a look at this place. A true oasis!!! And tonight I sleep inside four walls on a bunk bed. Also my food boxes from Lauren and Lucy were here from a month ago. Life is good.
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Two Englishmen came into camp. Their plane landed at 2 a.m. They slept in a hotel for 4 hours and then caught a shuttle to the trail and then hiked 11 miles. I was walking by their campsite that evening when one of them climbed into his hammock/tent. It promptly sank to the ground still tied to the trees. I heard him say to his companion: "My back's on the ground and I don't care.". Poor guy. Couldn't help but laugh, I hope in sympathy.
I love walking through the tunnels cut through the rhododendron thickets. Their twisted forms and their thick, dark canopy are straight out of Tolken's Middle Earth. Early men through here cursed these thickets because it's impossible to walk through them. The only choice was to find a way around or cut through, an arduous task.
What makes me sad is to see all the magnificent American chestnuts rotting on the ground from a fungus blight. New chestnuts come up from the old roots and when those trees reach 5 to 10 inches in diameter the blight kills them too. The forest is filled with dead trees with new chestnut sprouts growing below them, all doomed. I had no idea there were so many young trees trying to grow. Maybe somehow one will become resistant to the fungus. And then there's one of my favorite tree the hemlock also doomed from the woolly adelgid. The hemlocks in these mountains are almost all dead. We're going to lose them all. It's a disaster.
The good thing is that the poison ivy that literally covered the ground in the Georgia mountains doesn't like this higher elevation.
Many pretty wildflowers along the trail including Clintonia, the wood lily. The trilliums have seed pods now.
You learn to hate the word "gap" cause that means what goes down must go back up. Today after normal up and downs on the trail, I walked down 4 1/2 miles for an elevation loss of about 4300 feet. Tomorrow I walk back up for about 8 miles for an elevation gain of about 5000 feet. Then more up and downs.
The big down hill of today took me to the Nantahala River where the trail passes a great outdoor center and outfitter. Anything you want to do on a mountain river you can do here from renting kayaks, rafts to trout fishing. It's a really nice place and very friendly. I'd heard about their pizza on the trail and it was excellent!!! But the BEST thing is I'm staying in a bunk house and just a few buildings away are showers and a washer dryer. They even supply a towel and shampoo all for $19. I'm now totally clean. I ate hot food (on the trail I eat cold food) and I'm watching a beautiful river roll by. Google the Nantahala Outfitters at Wesser N.C. to get a look at this place. A true oasis!!! And tonight I sleep inside four walls on a bunk bed. Also my food boxes from Lauren and Lucy were here from a month ago. Life is good.
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Day 14 - Freedom Girls
I'd like to know the idiot that pitched my tent on a slope so that I spent the whole night rolling into the tent wall. Oh.......I guess that was me. Sigh.
I also wonder how long it will take me to learn to protect the mouthpiece of the tube to my drinking bag that goes from inside my backpack to where I can drink as I walk. Every time! I set my pack on the ground I let the mouthpiece drag through the dirt. The thing should come with a cover for dummies like me.
Living with little privacy we all pretend not to see what would embarrass a fellow hiker. i.e. I came out of the woods to cross a forest road and a man was totally naked changing clothes. I slipped back into the woods for a few minutes.
I met a nice looking man on the trail who sorta reminded me of Allen Bush. We were resting and exchanging pleasantries when he mentioned how bad the bugs were this year (AGREED). I said I was cautious of ticks because of lime disease. Then he went off about how it was caused by a government experiment gone wrong and everyone in Conn. knew about it but no one talked about it. Even Sam Upshaw wouldn't come up with that conspiracy theory. He was getting so worked up I quickly got back on the trail and then hid in the woods for a while after he passed. You never know what's going on in a nice looking face's mind. Oh and he stopped looking anything like Allen.
Towards evening I climbed the Wesser Bald Fire Tower and there me up with 4 wild and wonderful women who recently met on Facebook. They were hiking together for a week and called themselves the Freedom Girls. We could see the ridge we had just walked down and it looked impressive looking at it from above. They intended to sleep up there to watch the sunset/sunrise. I thought about it but decided to walk down .8 of a mile to the shelter because I needed water. After I set up my camp I walked back up the trail to watch the sunset with them. (Note to Susan Reigler: J J carries Fluffy, a soft toy dog, with her around the world. She mountain climbs in places like Pakistan and the Tetons. She also had a small bear, Duffy, tied to her backpack.) Anyway when I returned they had taken a picture of themselves on the fire tower stripped to the waist with arms outstretched over the mountains like the scene in Titanic. Sadly by that time it was too cold up there for me to mimic them. It was fun to see a real sunset because most of the time we're in thick woods. The next day they told me the fog was so thick during the night they couldn't see 5 feet away and their stuff was soaked from the fog/dew. I walked the .8 of a mile back down to camp with my great head light (photo staff gift) singing Row Row Your Boat over and over. I figured no bear would be interested in someone that sang so poorly but I was a little nervous.
I'm sad the Freedom Girls have left the trail because they made me happy to be around them. One of the problems of being such a late thru-hiker is that almost all of them are way ahead by now. (I'm planning a flipflop: hike halfway north and then go to Maine and hike back)
Fashion note: men are wearing kilts on the trail (and some women are now wearing the kilts made for men). I don't ask the question.
I was resting with one of the Freedom Girls when she looked up the trail and said "here comes some bare-chested men. I may be 40 but I still enjoy eye candy." See why I'm sorry to lose them on the trail?
I'm feeling great. Tired but not too tired. I'm going much slower and going shorter distances. My brother says the turtle often wins the race. I hope this turtle can finish the race.
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I also wonder how long it will take me to learn to protect the mouthpiece of the tube to my drinking bag that goes from inside my backpack to where I can drink as I walk. Every time! I set my pack on the ground I let the mouthpiece drag through the dirt. The thing should come with a cover for dummies like me.
Living with little privacy we all pretend not to see what would embarrass a fellow hiker. i.e. I came out of the woods to cross a forest road and a man was totally naked changing clothes. I slipped back into the woods for a few minutes.
I met a nice looking man on the trail who sorta reminded me of Allen Bush. We were resting and exchanging pleasantries when he mentioned how bad the bugs were this year (AGREED). I said I was cautious of ticks because of lime disease. Then he went off about how it was caused by a government experiment gone wrong and everyone in Conn. knew about it but no one talked about it. Even Sam Upshaw wouldn't come up with that conspiracy theory. He was getting so worked up I quickly got back on the trail and then hid in the woods for a while after he passed. You never know what's going on in a nice looking face's mind. Oh and he stopped looking anything like Allen.
Towards evening I climbed the Wesser Bald Fire Tower and there me up with 4 wild and wonderful women who recently met on Facebook. They were hiking together for a week and called themselves the Freedom Girls. We could see the ridge we had just walked down and it looked impressive looking at it from above. They intended to sleep up there to watch the sunset/sunrise. I thought about it but decided to walk down .8 of a mile to the shelter because I needed water. After I set up my camp I walked back up the trail to watch the sunset with them. (Note to Susan Reigler: J J carries Fluffy, a soft toy dog, with her around the world. She mountain climbs in places like Pakistan and the Tetons. She also had a small bear, Duffy, tied to her backpack.) Anyway when I returned they had taken a picture of themselves on the fire tower stripped to the waist with arms outstretched over the mountains like the scene in Titanic. Sadly by that time it was too cold up there for me to mimic them. It was fun to see a real sunset because most of the time we're in thick woods. The next day they told me the fog was so thick during the night they couldn't see 5 feet away and their stuff was soaked from the fog/dew. I walked the .8 of a mile back down to camp with my great head light (photo staff gift) singing Row Row Your Boat over and over. I figured no bear would be interested in someone that sang so poorly but I was a little nervous.
I'm sad the Freedom Girls have left the trail because they made me happy to be around them. One of the problems of being such a late thru-hiker is that almost all of them are way ahead by now. (I'm planning a flipflop: hike halfway north and then go to Maine and hike back)
Fashion note: men are wearing kilts on the trail (and some women are now wearing the kilts made for men). I don't ask the question.
I was resting with one of the Freedom Girls when she looked up the trail and said "here comes some bare-chested men. I may be 40 but I still enjoy eye candy." See why I'm sorry to lose them on the trail?
I'm feeling great. Tired but not too tired. I'm going much slower and going shorter distances. My brother says the turtle often wins the race. I hope this turtle can finish the race.
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Saturday, May 26, 2012
Day 13 - Tired and Happy
People are really nice to thru-hikers. Today I was at the Wayah Bald Fire Tower which is reachable by vehicle and a couple on a motorcycle offered to fill my water containers with ice water. Yeah!
Been thinking a lot about my Dad. A year ago this weekend he died. I also remember Uncle Jim and Grey Sebree who both died this year. Walking alone on a trail gives you time to remember.
Although because of the holiday weekend there are a lot of hikers. Last night in the shelter log I found notes from Rockin Robin and the other 3 women thru-hikers and Packman and even fertility goddess. It makes me sad to be so far behind them.
Lots of mountain laurel and flame azaleas in bloom. Trail was prettier than when I left it. But the vegetation has grown tall and the bugs are much worse.
Not a bad day of hiking but I only did 8 miles. Still I'm tired and happy to camp near the next shelter. At least this one has a decent privy. The last few have the seat facing the open doorway and anyone walking by gets an eyeful.
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Been thinking a lot about my Dad. A year ago this weekend he died. I also remember Uncle Jim and Grey Sebree who both died this year. Walking alone on a trail gives you time to remember.
Although because of the holiday weekend there are a lot of hikers. Last night in the shelter log I found notes from Rockin Robin and the other 3 women thru-hikers and Packman and even fertility goddess. It makes me sad to be so far behind them.
Lots of mountain laurel and flame azaleas in bloom. Trail was prettier than when I left it. But the vegetation has grown tall and the bugs are much worse.
Not a bad day of hiking but I only did 8 miles. Still I'm tired and happy to camp near the next shelter. At least this one has a decent privy. The last few have the seat facing the open doorway and anyone walking by gets an eyeful.
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Friday, May 25, 2012
Day 12 - Back on the Trail
Well I'm back on the trail. My son-in-law, Jamie, brought me back to where "trail angel Nina" plucked me off the trail when I was hurting. Jamie and his family are camping near Gatlinburg, partly to help me get back to the AT. Sad to say good-by to Jamie. 5 or 6 times I almost called him to come back and get me. I'm afraid I'm not strong enough to do this. I no longer trust my body. I know what awaits me on the trail. My immediate goal is to make it through the Smoky Mountain National Park in the next couple of weeks (but I'm taking a few days off to photograph a McGarvey family reunion).
Thankfully today was an easy walk. I'm going slow and keeping the mileage down for awhile.
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Thankfully today was an easy walk. I'm going slow and keeping the mileage down for awhile.
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Saturday, May 5, 2012
Trillium Leaves the Trail
Today I intended to get back to the trail, but I woke up too dizzy to lift my head from the pillow. The consensus of the people I'm with is it's a result of running out of blood pressure medicine 4 or 5 days ago. I didn't know that there would be any problems before I made my next food drop which included a refill of my medicines. In addition my knee is still a problem. So Nina is taking me home Sun or Mon, probably for good. She also drove all the way to Franklin to get my food package and medicines. Is she an angel on earth or what?
I so appreciate the incredible support I've had for this endeavor. You all have been wonderful!!!!!!! And I feel loved. Maybe that's all I need to learn from this walk. ~Trillium
Friday, May 4, 2012
Day 11 - Trail Angels
Today I rest. Tomorrow is uncertain.
On Wed., day 11, just as my cell battery started beeping, I read this email message from Nina McMahon, "We will be within a few miles of Franklin in about an hour. We have a comfy and a hot shower not too far away." I was 12.8 miles from the next road crossing, about 15 miles west of Franklin. I had something to look forward to that evening and night. The lack of hygiene is really getting me down. The sweat, the sunscreen, the dirt, the body odor all depress me when I crawl into my sleeping bag. I feel clammy and greasy. I have bug bites all over me.
I try to watch for ticks. I'm scared of lyme disease and there's a lot on the trail a little further north they say.
The walk Wed. was fairly conventional except for Albert Mt. Which reaches 5200 ft. It was a 2.5 mile uphill but the last 500 feet were gained in .2 of a mile. Which means using hands to pull up over rocks on a path steeper than stairs. It was the hardest 30 min. on the trail so far. I say 30 min. but I don't know because I don't have a watch. I was out of food, water and battery power when I reached the small remote road. A wonderful Asian couple let me use their phone to leave a message for Nina and I tried to describe how to find me. I also got a call through to Alicia so she could try to talk to Nina. Then I sat down to wait however long it would take for Nina to find me. The Asian couple had hiked 2 hours from their car and they were headed back down the trail towards their car. They returned to me sometime later because Nina had sent a text asking them to let me know she was coming for me. I then talked to her myself and that's when I began to realize what a sacrifice she was making for me. Her mountain home is an hour and a half away and she had 5 house guests just arriving. (the Asian couple then again headed back down the trail towards their car. Real trail angels!!!!!!). I was happy to sit and rest but increasingly embarrassed by asking Nina to come for me!!!!!!! She found me which took meeting just the right man to get better directions. I tried to keep the window down a bit as we headed for her sweet mountain home in the prettiest spot in the U.S. It had been 5 days since my last shower, but whose counting? All day walking I changed the words of a song to: 5 days on the trail and I'm going to get a shower tonight. The first thing I did was get clean and wash my clothes while she her husband and guests followed their original plans to go out for pizza and beer. There was plenty of food in the house and I was extremely happy to go to bed early.
Truthfully, I've been discouraged the last couple of days. I'm so exhausted after 12 or 13 miles. That's not enough daily mileage and I leave early and walk steady all day. No problems at all with my feet but my right knee is hurting. It wants to give when I try to stand up and going down steep hills are torture. The last night in the tent when I tried to get out of my tent in the middle of the night I barely avoided falling back on top of my tent.
So today I took what's called a zero day and hung out with Nina and her friends. It has been a satisfying day. Tomorrow I head back to the trail for hopefully a half day of walking. I have a food pick up in Franklin and I dread a full pack of food again.
It has come to my attention that some of my friends are leaving messages for me on the blog but I don't see the blog. I just post messages to the blog from my phone. I'm not seeing the blog itself. I don't even know what pics Lauren is posting on it.
I'm more than grateful to Nina for being there for me when I needed her. Everyone of you who know her thank her again for me. She's my gift of the day for the last two days.
On Wed., day 11, just as my cell battery started beeping, I read this email message from Nina McMahon, "We will be within a few miles of Franklin in about an hour. We have a comfy and a hot shower not too far away." I was 12.8 miles from the next road crossing, about 15 miles west of Franklin. I had something to look forward to that evening and night. The lack of hygiene is really getting me down. The sweat, the sunscreen, the dirt, the body odor all depress me when I crawl into my sleeping bag. I feel clammy and greasy. I have bug bites all over me.
I try to watch for ticks. I'm scared of lyme disease and there's a lot on the trail a little further north they say.
The walk Wed. was fairly conventional except for Albert Mt. Which reaches 5200 ft. It was a 2.5 mile uphill but the last 500 feet were gained in .2 of a mile. Which means using hands to pull up over rocks on a path steeper than stairs. It was the hardest 30 min. on the trail so far. I say 30 min. but I don't know because I don't have a watch. I was out of food, water and battery power when I reached the small remote road. A wonderful Asian couple let me use their phone to leave a message for Nina and I tried to describe how to find me. I also got a call through to Alicia so she could try to talk to Nina. Then I sat down to wait however long it would take for Nina to find me. The Asian couple had hiked 2 hours from their car and they were headed back down the trail towards their car. They returned to me sometime later because Nina had sent a text asking them to let me know she was coming for me. I then talked to her myself and that's when I began to realize what a sacrifice she was making for me. Her mountain home is an hour and a half away and she had 5 house guests just arriving. (the Asian couple then again headed back down the trail towards their car. Real trail angels!!!!!!). I was happy to sit and rest but increasingly embarrassed by asking Nina to come for me!!!!!!! She found me which took meeting just the right man to get better directions. I tried to keep the window down a bit as we headed for her sweet mountain home in the prettiest spot in the U.S. It had been 5 days since my last shower, but whose counting? All day walking I changed the words of a song to: 5 days on the trail and I'm going to get a shower tonight. The first thing I did was get clean and wash my clothes while she her husband and guests followed their original plans to go out for pizza and beer. There was plenty of food in the house and I was extremely happy to go to bed early.
Truthfully, I've been discouraged the last couple of days. I'm so exhausted after 12 or 13 miles. That's not enough daily mileage and I leave early and walk steady all day. No problems at all with my feet but my right knee is hurting. It wants to give when I try to stand up and going down steep hills are torture. The last night in the tent when I tried to get out of my tent in the middle of the night I barely avoided falling back on top of my tent.
So today I took what's called a zero day and hung out with Nina and her friends. It has been a satisfying day. Tomorrow I head back to the trail for hopefully a half day of walking. I have a food pick up in Franklin and I dread a full pack of food again.
It has come to my attention that some of my friends are leaving messages for me on the blog but I don't see the blog. I just post messages to the blog from my phone. I'm not seeing the blog itself. I don't even know what pics Lauren is posting on it.
I'm more than grateful to Nina for being there for me when I needed her. Everyone of you who know her thank her again for me. She's my gift of the day for the last two days.
Photos Added
Pam's camera arrived home safely yesterday. The photos from the last disk have been added to the following posts:
Day 4 - Pack Weight & Camera Decision
Day 5 - Night Life
Day 5 - Budget Motel
Day 7 - Tent
Day 7 - Exhaustion
Within each post, you can click on any image to view a slideshow of the images in that post. You can also view all the Trillium on the Trail images by clicking the link below.
Day 4 - Pack Weight & Camera Decision
Day 5 - Night Life
Day 5 - Budget Motel
Day 7 - Tent
Day 7 - Exhaustion
Within each post, you can click on any image to view a slideshow of the images in that post. You can also view all the Trillium on the Trail images by clicking the link below.
 |
| Trillium on the Trail |
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Day 10 - Search for Water
Made it to Carter Gap Shelter. 12.5 miles. I'm exhausted and it wasn't even that hard a trail. One mt.: Standing Indian Mountain with a 2 mile uphill and 4.5 downhill. At least in N.C. they believe in switchbacks. I'd rather walk farther then walk straight up. Most of the day was spent on dry ridgeline through scrub forest exposed to very hot sun. Not pretty. I drank 5 liters of water from morning to when I ran out near Beech Gap. I wasn't worried cause map showed water there. I was feeling a little dizzy. When I arrived I asked the brother/sister hikers where the water was located and they said there wasn't any. Just a muddy puddle. That concerned me cause I still had 3 miles to go. I experienced dehydration earlier in the spring when hiking the Millennium Trail at Bernheim. I didn't want to go through that again. Then a section hiker, Mike, came out of the woods with water. He went further down the hill and the muddy start is where the little spring began. It was possible with patience to get water. I drank 1 liter and then filled up with a second one to carry. I used my handkerchief to filter out sediment and debris. Note to self: don't trust other people. Check it out yourself!!! Then not far down the trail were multiple streams. Sigh. I don't think I can walk the 15 miles to the road tomorrow where I hope to get a ride into Franklin and my next food drop.
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Day 10 - Newsroom Dream
We all have vivid dreams. Last night I dreamed it was my last week at work but they had already blocked my Gannett email and I couldn't move my pictures. I went to find Mary Ann to tell her about the problem and when I got off the elevator everything was changed in the newsroom. It had been remodeled and was beautiful with new desks and blue carpeting and lots of people busy working. I was invisible as I walked by everyone. They didn't acknowledge me at all. I broke down in tears and then I woke up.
Very hot and muggy. Bring back the cool, foggy weather. But rain might happen next 2 days. Dread that.
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Very hot and muggy. Bring back the cool, foggy weather. But rain might happen next 2 days. Dread that.
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Day 10 - Water Nymph
Today I walk.
I can't believe it's Derby week and today is the boat race.
Walked 3 hours and taking a lunch break. I'm about a third of the way to my stopping spot for the night. Packman and Cousii (the thing that goes around a beer can. Sp?) showed up at camp last night. Happy to see them. Today they plan to go 19 miles so I might never see them again. It's sad when you lose someone on the trail that you've gotten to know. The last of the churchmen and his son went home yesterday. They were good company. Packman has a gentle soul. Cousii is a navy man and seems like a wonderful young man.
Note to Scott: fertility goddess got into camp yesterday but she was some distance away so I didn't interact with her except I passed her on the trail late in the day. She was sitting on a rock in the middle of a small stream nearly hidden by a rhododendron thicket singing softly to herself like a water nymph. I will regret for the rest of my life that I was too exhausted to take off my pack and dig out my cell phone for a picture. That was the great thing about my front pack. The camera was always easily accessible.
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I can't believe it's Derby week and today is the boat race.
Walked 3 hours and taking a lunch break. I'm about a third of the way to my stopping spot for the night. Packman and Cousii (the thing that goes around a beer can. Sp?) showed up at camp last night. Happy to see them. Today they plan to go 19 miles so I might never see them again. It's sad when you lose someone on the trail that you've gotten to know. The last of the churchmen and his son went home yesterday. They were good company. Packman has a gentle soul. Cousii is a navy man and seems like a wonderful young man.
Note to Scott: fertility goddess got into camp yesterday but she was some distance away so I didn't interact with her except I passed her on the trail late in the day. She was sitting on a rock in the middle of a small stream nearly hidden by a rhododendron thicket singing softly to herself like a water nymph. I will regret for the rest of my life that I was too exhausted to take off my pack and dig out my cell phone for a picture. That was the great thing about my front pack. The camera was always easily accessible.
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Day 9 - Packman
Packman just arrived at the shelter after taking a day off in Hiawasee. I'm very happy to see him. He has a wonderful cheerful disposition. Yeah.
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Day 9 - Border, Sarah & Too Tall
Today I walk. Tomorrow is uncertain.
Made my first goal today: the Ga. N.C. border. Georgia: been there done that. Did 8.5 miles today to the Muskrat Creek Shelter and I'm done. It's only 1:30 but I've walked since 8 and I'm tired and there is thunder nearby. Disappointed that this shelter has no steel bear cables to hang food. Will try for first time to hang from my own rope.
Last evening an attractive young, voluptuous woman walked into camp. Sarah was wearing sandals, thin nylon skirt, see-thru shirt and nothing else. She reminded me of those fertility statues you find in primitive cultures. I don't know if she has a tent cause she slept on a mat in the open last night. There were a lot of young men in camp. I don't know how American men learn to look without appearing to look. Every time she walked by there were very slight adjustments of body positions. Culture is so interesting. It would have been so different in Italy.
It's happened again. "Too Tall" passed me a couple of times on the trail yesterday. (More about him later). At camp last night he talked about this adorable baby bear that ran down in front of him. I asked where I was when that happened and he said he had just passed me and thought of waiting to tell me but since it disappeared he kept walking. Grrrrr. Doesn't he know that cute baby bears have big ferocious mommas? This is the same young man at Springer Mt. where I was trying to discover the very start of the AT (he and his friends were sitting on the rock with the plaque). He pointed in the other direction and said "that way's north" like I was an idiot. He carries an axe so he can learn to throw it at trees. He also carries a book to identify edible wild plants and collects leaves to eat for dinner. You can't make this stuff up.
I listened to my grandchildren today and that was hard!!
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Made my first goal today: the Ga. N.C. border. Georgia: been there done that. Did 8.5 miles today to the Muskrat Creek Shelter and I'm done. It's only 1:30 but I've walked since 8 and I'm tired and there is thunder nearby. Disappointed that this shelter has no steel bear cables to hang food. Will try for first time to hang from my own rope.
Last evening an attractive young, voluptuous woman walked into camp. Sarah was wearing sandals, thin nylon skirt, see-thru shirt and nothing else. She reminded me of those fertility statues you find in primitive cultures. I don't know if she has a tent cause she slept on a mat in the open last night. There were a lot of young men in camp. I don't know how American men learn to look without appearing to look. Every time she walked by there were very slight adjustments of body positions. Culture is so interesting. It would have been so different in Italy.
It's happened again. "Too Tall" passed me a couple of times on the trail yesterday. (More about him later). At camp last night he talked about this adorable baby bear that ran down in front of him. I asked where I was when that happened and he said he had just passed me and thought of waiting to tell me but since it disappeared he kept walking. Grrrrr. Doesn't he know that cute baby bears have big ferocious mommas? This is the same young man at Springer Mt. where I was trying to discover the very start of the AT (he and his friends were sitting on the rock with the plaque). He pointed in the other direction and said "that way's north" like I was an idiot. He carries an axe so he can learn to throw it at trees. He also carries a book to identify edible wild plants and collects leaves to eat for dinner. You can't make this stuff up.
I listened to my grandchildren today and that was hard!!
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Monday, April 30, 2012
Day 8 - Bittersweet Goodbye to Camera
Walked today.
Took an easy day of about 5 miles. Of course that makes climbing up and down Little Bald Knob and Buzzard Knob seem like a walk in the park. Hot and muggy today.
Alicia says that normal hiking requires 1/2 liter of water per mile. Heat and tougher climbs require more. I carry a 3 liter platypus which is a plastic container that fits in your backpack with a drinking tube coming around for you to drink and keep your pack on. I also carry a 1 liter bottle on the side of my pack but it is impossible for me to reach without taking my pack off. I am loath to take my pack off cause it takes so much energy to put it back on. Today I also have 4 days of food which weighs a ton. High calorie food is heavy. Sigh.
As for food, I don't like the beef jerky and I do like the protein powder Lauren insisted I take. Crackers are hopeless. They just become crumbs. Peanut butter is hard for me to swallow without chocolate.
Just as I was getting back on the trail at Dicks Creek Gap after the night at the Blueberry Patch Hostel (which has a fantastic breakfast and went way out of the way to help me), 4 of the other women thru-hikers came off the trail from across the road. They stayed at the last shelter because they were tired and now they are spending day and night in Hiawasee for package pick-ups. I hope we join up again. I like them. The 5th young woman thru-hiker came down the mt with me to spend the night at the Blueberry and then decided to spend the night in Hiawassee because of a bad knee. You are not compatible with everyone walking the trail.
I feel sad about mailing home my camera, cool GorillaPod tripod the photo staff got me, the long exposure cord, and 12 discs, plus the Syncpack I carried them in. But I knew I could not carry all that and 4 days of food/water. I feel naked. I think it's the first time I've put myself in a situation to experience an adventure and not witness it. In some ways it's freeing because carrying a camera is like carrying a baby. You have to be careful to protect it from falls, weather and thieves. But still there were scenes I would have photographed today including the hillside of pink lady slippers in front of me right now.
The bugs are eating me up as I type. Yuck. Maybe 20 or more people staying at this shelter tonight. I've set up my tent.
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Took an easy day of about 5 miles. Of course that makes climbing up and down Little Bald Knob and Buzzard Knob seem like a walk in the park. Hot and muggy today.
Alicia says that normal hiking requires 1/2 liter of water per mile. Heat and tougher climbs require more. I carry a 3 liter platypus which is a plastic container that fits in your backpack with a drinking tube coming around for you to drink and keep your pack on. I also carry a 1 liter bottle on the side of my pack but it is impossible for me to reach without taking my pack off. I am loath to take my pack off cause it takes so much energy to put it back on. Today I also have 4 days of food which weighs a ton. High calorie food is heavy. Sigh.
As for food, I don't like the beef jerky and I do like the protein powder Lauren insisted I take. Crackers are hopeless. They just become crumbs. Peanut butter is hard for me to swallow without chocolate.
Just as I was getting back on the trail at Dicks Creek Gap after the night at the Blueberry Patch Hostel (which has a fantastic breakfast and went way out of the way to help me), 4 of the other women thru-hikers came off the trail from across the road. They stayed at the last shelter because they were tired and now they are spending day and night in Hiawasee for package pick-ups. I hope we join up again. I like them. The 5th young woman thru-hiker came down the mt with me to spend the night at the Blueberry and then decided to spend the night in Hiawassee because of a bad knee. You are not compatible with everyone walking the trail.
I feel sad about mailing home my camera, cool GorillaPod tripod the photo staff got me, the long exposure cord, and 12 discs, plus the Syncpack I carried them in. But I knew I could not carry all that and 4 days of food/water. I feel naked. I think it's the first time I've put myself in a situation to experience an adventure and not witness it. In some ways it's freeing because carrying a camera is like carrying a baby. You have to be careful to protect it from falls, weather and thieves. But still there were scenes I would have photographed today including the hillside of pink lady slippers in front of me right now.
The bugs are eating me up as I type. Yuck. Maybe 20 or more people staying at this shelter tonight. I've set up my tent.
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Sunday, April 29, 2012
Photos
Photos have been added to Day 1 through Day 4 posts. Disclaimer: some photos were taken by Pam and others were taken by Alicia. :)
Within each post, you can click on any image to view a slideshow of the images in that post. You can also view all the Trillium on the Trail images by clicking the link below.
Within each post, you can click on any image to view a slideshow of the images in that post. You can also view all the Trillium on the Trail images by clicking the link below.
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| Trillium on the Trail |
Day 7 - Exhaustion
Today's been a hard day. That beautiful sunrise turned into a harsh, hot sun. I think I drank 7 liters of water and by the end of my hike I wasn't feeling well. 11 miles today from Tray Mountain Shelter to Dick's Creek Gap where I got a shuttle to the Blueberry Patch Hostel. Primitive place but I'm so grateful to be here. The tiny shower and toilet is an outhouse size building about 30 feet from the little building that is the hostel with about 4 bunk beds. But I'm clean and that's all I care about. It's run by a Christian couple who only take donations.
Today was my first food package pick-up. Thank you so much Lucy. You are wonderful!!!
Today is the first day when I've questioned my physical ability to do this. I'm totally wiped out. For sure my camera goes home tomorrow. Sorry to all of you that disappoints. :( The food is the problem. I can't carry up to 4 days of food and 4 liters of water at a time. Maybe a few weeks later I'll be stronger and can get it back. My kids and even a few friends insist I take the food.
I don't carry a stove which would mean carrying fuel and a pan-more weight. I eat cold food.
Hikers get water out of small streams and use some form of purifying system. I use Aquamira tablets. Takes 15 to 30 min until I can drink. Rockin Robin just drinks the water out of the stream. She thinks everyone gets sick on the trail whether you purify or not. I'm worried about her; think she's asking for trouble.
When the day is cloudy I wear a nifty hair bandanna which hides increasingly bad to worse hair days. When the sun shines brightly, like today, I wear my baseball hat to shield my eyes. I have a bandanna tied around my wrist to wipe sweat and anything else that drips. My feet have done well. It's my knees and hip that hurts.
After great debate, I decided to wear my lightweight trail shoes and they have worked well so far. My heavy hiking boots would have been terrible on my knees.
Tomorrow I'm taking an easy day of about 6 miles, but some steep climbs in those miles and I'll have a full pack of food for the next 4 to 5 days. Did I mention I'm exhausted?
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Today was my first food package pick-up. Thank you so much Lucy. You are wonderful!!!
Today is the first day when I've questioned my physical ability to do this. I'm totally wiped out. For sure my camera goes home tomorrow. Sorry to all of you that disappoints. :( The food is the problem. I can't carry up to 4 days of food and 4 liters of water at a time. Maybe a few weeks later I'll be stronger and can get it back. My kids and even a few friends insist I take the food.
I don't carry a stove which would mean carrying fuel and a pan-more weight. I eat cold food.
Hikers get water out of small streams and use some form of purifying system. I use Aquamira tablets. Takes 15 to 30 min until I can drink. Rockin Robin just drinks the water out of the stream. She thinks everyone gets sick on the trail whether you purify or not. I'm worried about her; think she's asking for trouble.
When the day is cloudy I wear a nifty hair bandanna which hides increasingly bad to worse hair days. When the sun shines brightly, like today, I wear my baseball hat to shield my eyes. I have a bandanna tied around my wrist to wipe sweat and anything else that drips. My feet have done well. It's my knees and hip that hurts.
After great debate, I decided to wear my lightweight trail shoes and they have worked well so far. My heavy hiking boots would have been terrible on my knees.
Tomorrow I'm taking an easy day of about 6 miles, but some steep climbs in those miles and I'll have a full pack of food for the next 4 to 5 days. Did I mention I'm exhausted?
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Day 7 - Tent
Today I walk. Tomorrow is uncertain.
I spent the night on top of Tray Mountain. In my tent in a spot where you can see both the sunset and the sunrise. Trees block the view for photographs but not for your eyes. Beautiful. And wow the stars!!! There are so many and they are so bright!
I'm increasingly impressed with my Six Moons Trekker Tent despite my kids saying it looked like a garbage bag. There was a brief shower last night and not a drop inside.
At this campsite/shelter are the 5 other women thru-hikers, and about 10 men scattered about in their tents like me. The other women slept side by side in the shelter but I think I'll only sleep in a shelter again when it's raining or I'm too lazy to set up my tent. Too confining and noisy and I like the privacy of my tent.
It might be a long hard day if I go as far as I had planned. I was quite tired after yesterday's climb.
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I spent the night on top of Tray Mountain. In my tent in a spot where you can see both the sunset and the sunrise. Trees block the view for photographs but not for your eyes. Beautiful. And wow the stars!!! There are so many and they are so bright!
I'm increasingly impressed with my Six Moons Trekker Tent despite my kids saying it looked like a garbage bag. There was a brief shower last night and not a drop inside.
At this campsite/shelter are the 5 other women thru-hikers, and about 10 men scattered about in their tents like me. The other women slept side by side in the shelter but I think I'll only sleep in a shelter again when it's raining or I'm too lazy to set up my tent. Too confining and noisy and I like the privacy of my tent.
It might be a long hard day if I go as far as I had planned. I was quite tired after yesterday's climb.
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Saturday, April 28, 2012
Day 6 - Pay Attention
The motel owner told the taxi driver the wrong location. Note to self: pay attention where you're going.
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Day 6 - Taxi Troubles
Got a late start this a.m. The motel offers free shuttles back to the trail but his driver just quit. (This is the same motel which has exposed rug tacks between bathroom and bedroom which I was slow to remember they were there). Being honest motel owner he paid for a taxi to take us back to trail, maybe 15 miles. When we arrived, unpacked our gear, I looked around and turned to the driver and asked "is this Unicor Gap?" No it wasn't. It's where I'll be in 2 more days. I want to walk by all the white blazes for however far I walk. All the way back to motel we went. Owner wasn't happy to pay another $25 to take us to right spot but he was nice. All this took us till 10:30.
My knees are hurting a lot. Just took Advil. Don't like to do that but oh well.
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My knees are hurting a lot. Just took Advil. Don't like to do that but oh well.
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Day 5 - Flashlight
Forgot to mention the light in the hotel bathroom doesn't work and the office closed right after we checked in. So Tom's flashlight saves the day again.
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Day 5 - Budget Motel
Today I walk.
And a difficult day it will be with long steep climbs up and down.
Yesterday made it to Blue Mountain Shelter by 3:30. I was getting water about .1 of a mile from shelter when another hiker came along and said "did you see the bear in the tree about 1/2 mile back on trail?" It was just sitting there watching him pass which means it was just sitting there watching me pass.
The shelter was very nice but the privy was disgusting. You open the lid and hundreds of nasty flies were buzzing around and flying out the opening.
I was also disgusting after several days with no shower. Why is it that human beings smell so bad when other animals don't?
Packman and eventually 5 other women were spending the night. The Ridge Runner then joined us. His job is to walk up and down the whole AT Georgia trail for 6 months looking for problems. He told us that at the road crossing in 2 more miles we could call Gene and get a ride into Hiawassee about 15 miles away. Now that 2 miles is down a difficult steep decline. I thought it was too early to stop and the thought of a shower gave me energy. Packman wanted food and decided to come too but the other women were too tired. So we packed up our stuff and left the shelter for the hour and half decline. On way down we met 2 boys and their fathers coming up. They were all excited because they just saw a baby bear running down the trail. No doubt scared by Packman and me. So walked rest of way knowing a momma bear was nearby. It was fine with me that Packman never stops talking.
We got our shuttle to the Budget Inn (and well named). While I took a long hot shower (greatest luxury ever invented) Packman went for an "all you can eat" dinner. We are sharing the room. I ate at Subway and then washed my clothes while wearing my rain gear cause only have one set of clothes. Then we spent a pleasant evening on chairs outside our rooms talking with the 5 churchmen who had been on the trail with us but 4 were going home while the 5th will be walking with us with his newly arrived son for another week.
Never knew Georgia was so beautiful. Maybe prettiest place I've ever been.
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And a difficult day it will be with long steep climbs up and down.
Yesterday made it to Blue Mountain Shelter by 3:30. I was getting water about .1 of a mile from shelter when another hiker came along and said "did you see the bear in the tree about 1/2 mile back on trail?" It was just sitting there watching him pass which means it was just sitting there watching me pass.
The shelter was very nice but the privy was disgusting. You open the lid and hundreds of nasty flies were buzzing around and flying out the opening.
I was also disgusting after several days with no shower. Why is it that human beings smell so bad when other animals don't?
Packman and eventually 5 other women were spending the night. The Ridge Runner then joined us. His job is to walk up and down the whole AT Georgia trail for 6 months looking for problems. He told us that at the road crossing in 2 more miles we could call Gene and get a ride into Hiawassee about 15 miles away. Now that 2 miles is down a difficult steep decline. I thought it was too early to stop and the thought of a shower gave me energy. Packman wanted food and decided to come too but the other women were too tired. So we packed up our stuff and left the shelter for the hour and half decline. On way down we met 2 boys and their fathers coming up. They were all excited because they just saw a baby bear running down the trail. No doubt scared by Packman and me. So walked rest of way knowing a momma bear was nearby. It was fine with me that Packman never stops talking.
We got our shuttle to the Budget Inn (and well named). While I took a long hot shower (greatest luxury ever invented) Packman went for an "all you can eat" dinner. We are sharing the room. I ate at Subway and then washed my clothes while wearing my rain gear cause only have one set of clothes. Then we spent a pleasant evening on chairs outside our rooms talking with the 5 churchmen who had been on the trail with us but 4 were going home while the 5th will be walking with us with his newly arrived son for another week.
Never knew Georgia was so beautiful. Maybe prettiest place I've ever been.
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Friday, April 27, 2012
Day 5 - Wild Leeks?
I think what I thought were wild leeks are really lady slippers not yet in bloom. If so, I'm shocked at the thousands and thousands of them! Allen Bush will be ashamed of me. :(
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Day 5 - Stay This Moment
Taking an easy 7 miles today from Low Gap Shelter to Blue Mountain Shelter. Beautiful walk in the mist. It's magical and mystical. I prefer to walk alone and take in the beauty around me and then spend the night with other people. I don't like to talk along the trail and others do like to talk. I keep seeing beautiful scenes with lovely sounds of dripping water and birds singing. To borrow a phrase from Sam Able I wish I could "stay this moment" - i.e. hold the vision forever but it's fleeting.
From the beginning the woods have been covered in poison ivy. Think about the inconvenience of that.
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From the beginning the woods have been covered in poison ivy. Think about the inconvenience of that.
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Day 5 - Night Life
Today I walk. Tomorrow is uncertain.
Sounds of last night: sweet singing of the small stream 20 feet from shelter. Late evening birds. Thunder in distance. Thunder closer. Thunder overhead and big downpour. Storm passes and left with sounds oif dripping leaves in breeze. Men starting to snore. People turning over on loud plastic mats. Men snoring in 4 part harmony. Deep bass 2 feet from me. Never stopped all nit. His poor wife. Early morning birds I can't ID. Everyone getting up in early morning fog. Quite lovely.
Not fun getting up in middle of nit to walk half a football field, up a hill, with Tom Hardin's flashlit, to privy with "bears active in the area". Saw nor heard no bears on three trips. Yeah.
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Sounds of last night: sweet singing of the small stream 20 feet from shelter. Late evening birds. Thunder in distance. Thunder closer. Thunder overhead and big downpour. Storm passes and left with sounds oif dripping leaves in breeze. Men starting to snore. People turning over on loud plastic mats. Men snoring in 4 part harmony. Deep bass 2 feet from me. Never stopped all nit. His poor wife. Early morning birds I can't ID. Everyone getting up in early morning fog. Quite lovely.
Not fun getting up in middle of nit to walk half a football field, up a hill, with Tom Hardin's flashlit, to privy with "bears active in the area". Saw nor heard no bears on three trips. Yeah.
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Thursday, April 26, 2012
Day 4 - Pack Weight & Camera Decision
I have a decision to make. Do I want to walk a long time or do I want to take professional pictures? I can't carry the weight with 3 to 4 days of food plus 3 to 4 liters of water. I'm trying hard to eat the 3 to 4000 calories a day but it's hard because it's too much food. I've been solving that by continuously eating as I walk; constantly grazing. Still it's too much weight and I can't finish my day's allotment of food. Not hungry and it's more than I ever eat. Everything else I'm carrying is extremely lightweight and nothing I don't need. Fact: I'm not taking professional pixs anyway because the job of the day is to walk. I will decide in 3 days when I reach the Blueberry Patch Hostel if I will send my beloved camera home. Perhaps I can pick up a cheap lightweight amateur camera just to record the adventure.
Spending the night in a shelter with five church men and one other woman all sleeping side by side with sleeping bags touching. Church guys are leaving trail tomorrow. There are also five other female thru-hikers in tents around the shelter and several couples. Lots of hikers!
Beautiful day to walk today. Bright overcast and cool. It hailed and stormed on other side of mountain but missed most of us.
My method is to walk continuously all day. I don't like to take breaks. I just stop for quick pictures, for nature calls and to open up a new meal bar to munch on. When I pass hikers taking a break I might visit for a few minutes but not for long. I go slow but steady.
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Spending the night in a shelter with five church men and one other woman all sleeping side by side with sleeping bags touching. Church guys are leaving trail tomorrow. There are also five other female thru-hikers in tents around the shelter and several couples. Lots of hikers!
Beautiful day to walk today. Bright overcast and cool. It hailed and stormed on other side of mountain but missed most of us.
My method is to walk continuously all day. I don't like to take breaks. I just stop for quick pictures, for nature calls and to open up a new meal bar to munch on. When I pass hikers taking a break I might visit for a few minutes but not for long. I go slow but steady.
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