At the NOC. Mile 137.3

Sorry that things got a little out of order but I was not sure if Best Day Yet was ever published. It did not so I fixed that. Had a seven mile down hill to day from Wesser Bald Shelter to NOC, Nantahala Outdoor Center. Quite the place with a restaurant, outfitter, general store and an extensive river outfitter with whitewater rafting, kayaking, mountain biking,zip lines and the whole nine yards. Ate a great veggie burger and black bean chilli washed down with a few local brews. Will need all those carbs tomorrow as the day starts with a seven mile uphill. Fontana dam, is the next major destination at mile164. Re-supplied today and hope it last through the Smokeys. Will try to do more pictures but I get so focused on the trail I forget to take pictures.

Best Day Yet!

I am less than a mile from the shelter and have spent the day walking in the most beautiful scenery ever. The morning started in black and white as the snow cover blocked everything except the black tree trunks. Hiked through snow covered tunnels and past gentle streams with moss covered rocks. Most of the afternoon was spent climbing Wayah Bald. At the top you are treated to a spectacular view for miles in all directions. The sky is so clear it almost looks purple. Just great!

Moving Right Along

Like yesterday I am atop a mountain about a mile from the shelter but I do have two bars of 4g service. On Wesser Bald almost 131 miles. Last night was very cold one guy said 15 degrees on his jacket thermometer. The sun is out but the trail is difficult to walk with the packed snow melting and refreezing lots of squishy mud where it is in the sun. One more cold night then a warming tread. Looking to re-supply at NOC before Fantana Dam and the Smoky's.

On the Road Again

After breakfast this morning I am heading out again. The weather prediction is for two cold nights in the low 20's and the a warming trend. No snow. Have had a good stay in Franklin but it is time to get going. Will add posts as I have access to iPhone service.

Will it Ever Stop Snowing?

This marks my third day in Franklin NC. The snow and cold temps continue. Some hikers left for the trail yesterday only to return last night. They report deep snow and drifting, high winds and bitter cold. The weather forecast looks much improved for Wednesday and into the weekend. The hikers I talked to are ready to hit the trail in the morning. I would guess there 50 to 75 hikers in town. This may cause some congestion at the shelters. But no other real options. If I stay in town much longer I will need to do laundry again. In keeping with the spirit of adventure I think I will scout out a barber shop this afternoon. Just hope I don't turn out looking like a Marine Corps recruit. Semper Fi!

Love it When a Plan Comes Together

The major reason for a stop in Franklin NC was to get a new backpack to replace the one that failed at Bly Gap. Got in contact with Osprey the pack maker and made arrangements to swap out the broken pack for a new one. The alternative motive was to avoid 20 degree temps and snow. Being miserable does not equate to the positive trail experience. Anyway I got a brand new pack for only 12 bucks due to great customer service at Osprey. Looks like the weather will dry out but remain cold, low 20's, for the next few days. The owner of the outfitter's is a fellow woodworker and we swapped woodworking stories. He loved the walnut Sam Maloof chairs I made. I am ready to hit the trail Tuesday a.m. And head for NOC, Nantahala Outdoor Center at mile 137.3. Will re-supply and head to Fontana Dam and Great Smoky Mountain National Park, mile 166.1. Customer service for gear manufacture's and outfitters have been great. They have exceeded expectations. Continue to be amazed with what can be done with an iPhone. Perhaps I will evolve to a techno geek by the end of this adventure.

Sunday March 24 Franklin NC

Many of the same hikers I stayed with at Rock Gap Shelter are at the Budget Inn with me. They range in age from 19 to 31. It the shelter last night talk seemed to center around food and who was going to eat what when they got to town. I was very pleased when " Handstand" asked me to join them for dinner. "Angus", pictured below ordered the 18" three topping special. Did I mention the special came with breadsticks.

Rock Gap Shelter Mile 106

Spent my first night in a shelter. Up to this point I have pitched my tent. Decided to stay in shelter due to predicted rain. Overall I would rate the experience a C- It started pouring rain at 1:15 a.m. Complete with thunder and lighting. It was nice to be able to pack up in the dry shelter. Hiked to Rock Gap in cold rain/fog for a shuttle to Franklin. Got resupplied with food and snacks. I have fallen in love with York Peppermint Patties; gotta have 'em.

Betty Creek Gap. Mile 97.6

Left Standing Indian Shelter for Betty Creek Gap 11.4 miles away. The weather has warmed a bit and made good time. Trail gossip is the weather is going to take a wet, cold and snowy turn. Going to try to make Franklin NC to avoid the worst of the weather and get my pack repaired or replaced. It rained hard in the early morning and had to break camp in down pour. Generally a miserable experience. Cold, foggy with a light rain most of the day. The assent up Mount Albert involved many steep, rocky paths. My major concern was slipping on the wet boulders. Made it without falling. Hiked most or the day in a bear sanctuary. Perhaps weaker hikers are a treat for the protected bears. Have not seen any bears yet. Fine with me.

Mouldering Privies

To date each of the shelters has a mouldering privy. This type of privy is part of an on going experiment. It order to insure scientific protocol there are directions on how to use the privy. Some are even personalized welcoming you to the Standing Indian Shelter Moldering Privy for example. They all explain the protocol. Basically, you poop and then throw a handful of leaves into the chamber. Not really sure who monitors the mouldering but it is probably some lowly graduate student. I am honored to participate. The privies are all similarly constructed of several sheets of plywood with a plastic seat. Boy, is that seat cold in the morning and no one leaves a crossword puzzle to work on.

I Have Had Better Days

Shorty after crossing the GA/NC state line I decided to camp at Bly Gap, mile 78.6. The next shelter was three miles up the trail. The night was the coldest I have ever experienced. Low was between ten and fifteen degrees with high winds of maybe 30 to 45 MPH. All my water froze solid so no breakfast in the morning. About a half mile out of camp the stitching on the shoulder strap on my pack gave way. Using the can opener on my Leatherman and the drawstring on my tent bag I was able to made an emergency repair. It never warmed to over 25 all day. Finally made it to Standing Indian Shelter,mile 86.3 for another cold night.

One State Down

At 2:15 today I crossed the Georgia
North Carolina state line. 78.5 miles to date. Left the Budget Inn, home for the last two nights and got back on trail at 9:15. The plan was to go to the next shelter, 4.5 miles out. Got to the shelter at 11:30. Amazing I did 4.5 miles in just over two hours. At that rate I could be in Maine in August! The new boots are like walking on clouds. So nice not to wince at every step. Thank you REI and Connie. Felt so good that I decided to go to the next campground, Bly Gap. Hello North Carolina!

What Cha Gonna Do With Those Shoes?

The shoes have arrived! I just hope they solve the problem. I hate to just start off with them on the trail with no break in but I have little choice. The next shelter is about five miles from the shuttle drop at Plumborchard Gap. Weather looks dry but cold until Monday. Perhaps snow showers on Monday/Tuesday. The Georgia North Caroline state line is at mile 78.5. Plumborchard Gap is 74.1. I have a spot on the 9:00 shuttle. Give a big shout out to REI for their service and a bigger shout out to Connie! YOU GO GIRL! I will try to update the blog more often but service has been spotty. Perhaps it will get better as I get closer to cities.

Amazing People

I have met some people on the trail with life stories that bring tears to your eyes. My unofficial trail count indicates a large number of Iraq and Afghanistan vets are doing the trail. Some of them are in better mental places than others. I have been sharing my room at the Budget Inn with an army medic who saved a Special Forces solder who had his foot shot off. He received a silver star for that. Another vet served combat tours in Kosovo and three tours in Iraq. During the third tour he just lost it and underwent a lot of psychological rehab. He retired from the military after 13 years. He has had to leave the AT today as it is too much like the military to suit his style. We went to dinner last night as his last trail day. He gave a "subdued" flag uniform patch that saw three tours in Iraq. He wants me to send him a picture when I get to Maine.

Hiawassee Georgia. Mile 69.6

Got to the Budget Inn the same time
The next group of hikers was heading out to Dick's Gap to resume their adventure. As I was crabbing about the rain, cold and late shuttle I looked up and saw James and Amy. We did high fives and they handed me three Fat Tires that were left over from their St Patrick's gala. Things were looking up. Still cold too! Connie sent me a message that REI had shipped the new boots. Half a size larger and wide not medium width. Stormed like a banshee in the afternoon and evening. Glad to be in motel rather than on trail

Deep Gap Shelter Mile 66

No trail magic today, just a grind from Tray Mountain to Deep Gap. I have been out for nine days and plan to take a zero day in Hiawassee to rest and recover. My feet are causing me real concern. Usually they are ok in the morning and get worse as the day progresses. Today they ached
From the time I put my shoes on. Upon arrival at the shelter I called Connie to have her order new boots and over night ship them to Hiawassee. Let's see how good REI really is. Left Deep Gap with a 3.4 mile hike to Dick's Gap and the promise of a shuttle ride to the Budget Inn in Hiawassee. It rained the whole time to Dick's Gap. Had to wait almost an hour for the shuttle. My overall good nature was being tested - LOL

Tray Mountain Shelter Mile 58.6

This was a banner day! After leaving Blue Mountain and hiking a mile, bingo, trail magic. A VFW was grilling hot dogs and had cold drinks and snacks. They only do this one time each year. Oh, almost forgot - cold beer. Although it was only 9:30 local time I rationalize that it had to be 5:00 somewhere. Enjoyed the brew. The next gap over, three miles down the trail was another trail magic. Since this was a Baptist group, no beer but great goodies including homemade cookies! Again, they only do this one time each year. After a short prayer, I moved on. Two miles and another gap brought another amazing event. Another trail magic. Hamburgers and beer. Not just whimpy frozen store patties but manly sized fresh larger than the bun slabs. Did I mention beer? Finally on the way up Tray Mountain there was a young family coming down. She asked if I wanted a Snickers? First I declined and she said she had bought them for the hikers
But she had no luck giving them away. I took two. A day for the record book! Three major trail magic events AND Snickers!

Blue Mountain Shelter Mile 50.5

I am sorry that I do not have any pictures for the next few days but it was a struggle just to put on my shoes and do right foot, left foot over and over. The section to Blue Mountain was by far the warmest to date. Blue skies and mild temps. At Red Clay Gap there was a tree shaped like a Lazy Boy recliner. It spoke to me. Took off my pack and took a power nap for twenty minutes. Upon awaking I could hardly move being so stiff. Blue Mountain Shelter sits atop the mountain. The wind blew hard all night and I got very little sleep. At 5:15 am I left my tent to answer natures call. What a sight I beheld. The stars seemed so big and bright one could almost touch them. In the valley below the light clustered by towns and individual dwellings. A real WOW moment as I peed at the base of a tree clad in silk long johns.

Trouble

My intent was to go to the next shelter at Whitley Gap. About two miles from the shelter I experienced my first "Trail Magic". This was a church group that set up in one of the gaps and passed out
Free drinks and snacks to the hikers. It was great. They told me Whitley Shelter was 1.2 miles off the trail. Since my walking pace is about 1.5 mph I really did not want to spend two hours without making some forward progress. The next shelter was five miles past Whitley or about 12 miles from Neel's Gap. About
Two miles from the new destination
My feet felt like they were swelling up. They were. This caused my two pinkie toes to rub on the sides of my boots. Rather annoying and painful especially going down hill. Made it to Low Gap Shelter with the hope of overnight relief. It was not to be.

Mountain Crossing Hostel

Never having spent a night in a hostel I had no idea of what to expect. I was told to see Pirate and that it was Hawaiian night. Pirate gave me a towel for the shower and showed me the door to the bunkhouse. About sixteen bunks in all. Got settled in and Pirate announced Happy Hour. Still needed to get Hawaiian
Shirt in order to eat. Pirate provided the shirts. A good time was had by all while the wind blew to 50 mph outside. It was 50 mph since Pirate said the curtains were moving. Cold too. One of the two hostel
Cats tried to make my bunk his, and we reached a compromise about 1am. At 5 am Pirate started breakfast. Pancakes and muffins. Yummy. Very cold morning to start. Water in my Camelback froze in short order. Needed to set my pack in the sun at the first rest stop to defrost. Just before Neel's Gap climbed and descended Blood Mountain. What a view from the top. Challenging up and down. 31.7 miles done at Neel's Gap.

Froze My Toes

The night at Lance Creek was BRUTAL. Someone said the temp dropped to
22 degrees. I was up several times during the night adding clothes. So glad to hit the trail and get warm. Wanted to make Bull Gap campground, mile 32.9. However, when I got to Neel's Gap, mile 31.7, James and Amy informed that the predicted low for the night was 15 with 45 mph winds. Since there three beds at the hostel I opted to stay. So far that has been the best choice I have made. I paid my $15 and was told to see Pirate in bunkhouse. The adventure continues
In the next post.

Lance Creek

Due to some problems with bears you could not camp for a six mile section of trail which included Woods Hole Shelter. Hiked 9 miles to Lance Creek campground. The difference between a shelter and campground is the shelters have some type of sleeping structure and privy. Campgrounds just have water. My feet have developed several "hot spots" where blisters can develop. I have been treating them with hot pink medical tape. Attractive?

Army Ranger Training

At both Hawk Mountain and Gooch Gap there were the sounds of heavy machine gun fire for several hours every night. It seems that army rangers use this part of national forest for training. A mile after leaving Gooch Gap I hiked through the Army encampment they were in camo and had assault rifles. So glad they are on our side.

Hawk Mountain Shelter

Awoke early this morning while still dark and in need of a "pit stop". It was so foggy you could not see the tree in front of you. A flashlight or headlamp was worthless! Tried to find the privy three times without success. The fog along with a strong cold wind made hiking difficult. Even at noon you could not see 50 feet up the trail. A steep and difficult climb up Sassafras Mountain and decent to Horse Gap. The fog abated in the afternoon but rain threatened. Made the Gooch Gap Shelter and got tent up just before rain hit. Rained all night. Lots of mud but stayed dry.

Day 1. Springer Mountain Shelter

After hiking the Access Trail I got my tent set up at the first shelter on the AT. Met Muffin Man and Hollywood who, as best I could tell are "professional" trail folk. I will classify them as local color. Muffin Man does trail construction for the AT Conservancy in the summer. Departed for Hawk Mountain Shelter 8.1miles down the trail. Followed Stover Creek for a long way. Very scenic. Nice trail after a rocky and rugged hike on Access trail.

We Have Liftoff

The liftoff was at 08.26 hours. I hiked the access trail to Springer Mountain. The trail was rugged and gained over 1800 feet in altitude. I set up camp about 3:30 and had dinner. Dinner consisted of pouring boiling water over a bag of pasta. Yum, yum! I guess I will have to get used to the re-hydrated fare of the trail. Wireless connections seem OK so far.

T minus 12 hours and counting...

We scouted out the AT approach trail at Amicalola State Park. I will begin in the morning. It looks like about 6 hours on the approach trail to Springer mountain. Had a nice final dinner at Ruby Tuesday. I am excited to begin but also unsettled about just what lies ahead. I will try to post a blog every day depending on access and iPhone battery life.

T Minus One Day - and counting

At NASA they refer to the launching of a rocket as "liftoff". I have my own version of "liftoff". It is when I lift my backpack off the rear gate of the Subaru.
The weather looks good for the liftoff tomorrow morning. Clear skies - low in the 30's - high in the 50's and no rain, at least until Monday.
We are in Tifton Ga at a Starbucks sipping on a Chai Latte. May be the last taste of civilization for a while.

Count Down

Today begins the official count down to the beginning of the AT epic. "My bag is packed and I am ready to go " as Peter, Paul and Mary once sang. My bag is 42 pounds without any water. I gather this is about average or slightly lighter than most backpacks.
Connie and I are currently in Naples FL. We leave Thursday and plan to arrive at Amicalola Falls State Park in north Georgia on Friday. Since you cannot
access the trailhead directly I will to start at the park and hike in about 8 miles to the official start of the AT at Springer Mountain.