Mile 391.8 Roan Mtn, TN

Sat 4/19

After a few zeros in Asheville and Hot Springs, I finally get back on the trail. But first, we had lunch at a little convenient store/restaurant in town. This place is known for their grilled cheese hamburgers. I had a veggie kale burger with fries. We hiked 11 miles to Spring Mountain Shelter. One section we passed through had a black forest floor due to a recent proscribed burn. 

Sun 4/20

Sloth, Southbound, Big Sexy, and I slept in and then hiked to Little Laurel Shelter. We all took naps after lunch. In the evening, there was a rock scramble leading up to Firescald Knob. This was an exposed ridgeline with awesome views. We cooked dinner at the top and watched the sunset then hiked down to Jerry Cabin Shelter. 15 miles for the day and over 300 on the AT.

Mon 4/21

Today I hiked 18 miles to Sams Gap. I hiked alongside waterfalls cascading down a mountain with wild flowers and lush green colors. I stopped to hang out and prepare a meal at Hogback Ridge Shelter. In the evening, Beth met me at Sams Gap and took me back to Asheville   with her. This is now my third time in Asheville since I started the trail. I can't seem to escape from this city. Tonight I learned that Honey Badger left the trail. I saw Honey Badger last time in Hot Springs. He came up to me and gave me a hug. He told me he was behind schedule and needed to push ahead. I was looking forward to catching up with him on the trail and I'm bummed that he left. He just missed his girlfriend and others back home and was just as happy to be leaving the trail as he was when he started. At least now I have a friend to visit in Santa Fe.

Tue 4/22

Beth and I had lunch together at a sandwich shot in Asheville. I wandered around town for a while. Time seems to move slowly when I'm in town but I enjoy my time off trail as well. We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Krista joined us for margaritas.

Wed 4/23

We got back to Sams Gap around noon and a man was setting up for trail magic. The man had previously thru hiked and wanted to give back to the trail community via of cookies and soda. Beth hiked with me a for a while until she had to go to work. I hiked 18 miles and stayed at No Business Shelter with for older section hikers. Here, I am on Big Bald with Murman, Big Spoon, and Snickers.

Thurs 4/24

I was the last to arrive at the shelter last night and the first the leave this morning. I woke up early and hiked into Erwin. 

I met Sloth, Big Sexy, and Southbound at Uncle Johnny's Hostel. 

We got a shuttle to a pizza buffet and grocery store. Soon we were back on the trail where there was a steep four mile hike up to Curley Maple Shelter. Sloth carried up a piñata that we got for her. 

For dinner, I made dehydrated hummus mixed with an Asian rice side. It was terrible. Worst thing I've ever eaten! I hiked 10 miles today.

Fri 4/25

It rained on and off all day today. We had lunch under a tarp in the rain.

The top of Unaka Mountain is a dense spruce forest which is lined with bright green moss which is even more impressive after a fresh downpour. We camped at Cherry Gap Shelter for a total of 13 miles.

Sat 4/26

We hiked three miles in the morning to Iron Mountain Gap where 12 of us got a ride to Unicoi for a bluegrass festival. We were there to volunteer but there wasn't much left for us to do. The festival was held on the mayor's property. In addition to the music, they had a car show, food, and peacocks roaming the property. In the evening, they had a 10-year-old fiddler prodigy perform. This kid was really good and had performed previously on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Unfortunately, we missed his whole performance because we were at a Chinese buffet. 

Sun 4/27

Our group had breakfast at a diner in town and then got dropped back off at the gap. We hiked 12 miles up to a camping spot at Ash Gap. I fell for the first time today. I made it almost 400 miles without falling- not bad. It's estimated that a thru hiker takes 5 million steps from Georgia to Maine. I realize that with just one misstep, my journey could be over. But I think I'm becoming pretty good at walking. I'm developing some mad parkour skills. 

Mon 4/28

We woke up early and hiked a couple miles to Roan High Knob Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT. 

I hiked over a couple more balds and continued to Overmountain Shelterfor a total of about nine miles for the day. Overmountain is a big red barn, perhaps the most unique shelter on the AT. 

Tues 4/29

We were expecting a storm today so we hiked 9 miles to Mountain Harbor Hostel in Roan Mtn, TN. We had to cross over several more miles of bald mountains, Hump Mountain and Little Hump Mountain. We had heavy fog and some strong winds. The guidebook says that northbounders will have several false summits but that didn't matter to me. I couldn't see where I was going anyway since the fog was so thick. We tried crossing over the mountain as fast as we could because we didn't want to be on the bald in case it were to start thundering. In 2010, a girl died on top of Max Patch from a lightning strike just moments before her boyfriend was to propose to her. The boyfriend put the ring on her finger as the EMTs were working on her. We made it before the weather got bad and got ourselves a sweet room at the Mountain Harbor B&B. Today is also my birthday today!

Mile 273.9 Hot Springs, NC

Sat 4/5
I woke up early to get to the race start. Just because I'm a thru hiker doesn't mean I can't run a hilly half marathon every once in a while. I was the only thru hiker racing and apparently some of the runners thought that was pretty cool since a few asked to be photographed with me. The race itself was difficult, up and down a mountain, but I did it. Thanks again to the race director, Run Bum, for letting me race for free! Run Bum is a cool guy and has made an attempt at the AT speed record. The current speed record is held by Jennifer Pharr Davis, who in 2011, completed the trail in a little over 46 days. Imagine hiking from 5 am to 9:30 pm everyday, averaging over 50 miles a day. Davis' hike was supported, meaning that she had a crew helping her on the trail. The unassisted speed record is held by Matthew Kirk, who in 2013, hiked the trail in just over 58 days. I think Run Bum is planning giving the speed record another try. And here is another fun fact about Run Bum: Run Bum loves marshmallows.

I had lunch with Beth, who I met before the race. Beth offered me a place to stay in Asheville for the night. I spent the night in Asheville.

I have a post where I list 13 reasons to hike the AT. There are many more reasons to hike. I'll list more reasons as I go along. Here is reason #14: Run hilly half marathons for free.

Sun 4/6
Beth gives me ride back to the trail and hikes with me for a few hours. I get to Sassafras Gap Shelter still early in the day. I only hiked about 6 miles and would have kept going but I was tired and others at the shelter mentioned that it was going to rain. It did rain. It was windy too. Even in the shelter, we were getting wet.

Mon 4/7
I hiked 15 miles to Cable Gap Shelter with Sloth, Big Sexy, and Honey Badger. It was a fun day. We were singing songs and laughing the whole way. We ate some apples and bananas. There was a whole arrangement of fruit left outside for hikers on a picnic table.

Tue 4/8
We slept in and then hiked 6 miles to where we were able to catch a shuttle to Fontana Village. Fontana Village is a little resort by the southern end of the Smokies. I picked up my resupply box that I had mailed to myself from Franklin and hung out with other hikers sitting outside. They had had a gift shop, laundry facilities, and a small and overpriced selection of food. The shuttles cost $3 per person, each way. When we were ready, we took the shuttle to the Fontana Hilton. The Fontana Hilton just another shelter on the AT, however, it can sleep 20 people and has showers and bathrooms with running water. The shuttle dropped us of at the shelter rather than at the road were we got picked up originally. In the evening, Honey Badger and I hiked the 1.1 mile section that we would have skipped otherwise. It was a nice stretch with views of Fontana Lake and the Smokies. It was also nice to hike a couple miles without our packs on.

Wed 4/9
Today I entered the Smokies. I walked across the dam and up the hill to the park entrance with Canyonman. At the entrance was a dropbox where we put our permits. It costs $20 for a thru hiker permit to hike the Smokies. I didn't have the permit so I just wrote my name and date on a piece of paper and dropped it in the box. I printed the payment confirmation instead of the actual permit by mistake. There was a nice fire tower a few miles into the Smokies, Shuckstack Fire Tower. I completely missed it. I walked right past it. I hiked by myself until I meet Southbound and Why Not? for lunch. Southbound got his name because he hiked a section a while back and went the wrong direction. Why Not? is hiking to raise money for an organization that helps HIV/AIDS orphans overseas. You can read about his program here: http://throughhike.com/. Why Not? got his name at church when he was speaking about his plan to hike the AT and some woman in the back yelled out, "Why?" His response was simply, "Why Not?" Some people were joking about his name later saying he could pretty much do whatever he wants on the trail. If he wants to get naked and climb a tree, he can do that. And if anyone asks him why he is doing that, he'll just respond: "Hey, why not?" We camped that night at Russell Field Shelter.

Thrus 4/10
I hiked 16 miles to Double Spring Gap Shelter. We took a lot of breaks and had enjoyed some nice views. I was hiking with Hawkeye, Science Tooth (formerly known as Bill Nye), Bo, and Buchanan. So far, I haven't seen a ranger but I've heard some not so good things about them here. One hiker got woken up by a ranger just so that he could check his permit. They'll kick you out if you don't have a permit. There are a bunch of other regulations as well, more than other section of the AT. Hikers have to purchase a permit and then they only have a limited time to hike through the Smokies. Hikers can sleep only in the shelters provided. Camping is allowed only when the shelters are full and only in the designated areas. There is a fine for not properly hanging a bear bag. Bear bagging is when food and other scented items are hung at night so that bears cannot get to it. I have yet to see a black bear out here. A thru hiker is actually much more likely to encounter a gummy bear along the trail than a black bear. I've encountered of several handfuls of gummy bears myself already and I've only been on the trail a few weeks! Gummy bears are perhaps less threatening but are definitely more delicious.

Fri 4/11
We woke up a 3:30 in the morning for a night hike up to Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT. The four of us were the first ones on Clingmans. It was so cold and windy. I was afraid to put my jacket on because the wind was so strong. I didn't want my jack to be blown away. We got into our sleeping bags because it was so cold. We watched the sunrise.

We hiked to Newfoud Gap and got trail magic from a man named Godspeed, a former thru hiker turned trail angel. He provided us with sandwiches, chips, fresh fruit, and sodas. He then gave us a ride into Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg is nothing but a tourist mecca and if you're not careful, you can get sucked in. You'll see backpackers just walking the strip, back and forth, knowing neither how they ended up in this mess nor how to escape it. Our group knew better. We went in, hung out for a while, ate at a dinner buffet, and hitched a ride back to the trail. We got a ride back from a really nice lady that told us that, had it not been in the opposite direction, she would have taken to her house for dinner. And even though we just got done with an all-you-can-eat buffet, we totally could have gone for dinner #2. We hiked three more miles, in the dark at this point, and arrived at Icewater Spring Shelter.

Sat 4/12
We went to a nice lookout point, Charllies Bunion. I'm finally starting to some green, lots of pine trees and the moss covered forest floor. This is much better than the brown dead leaves and bare trees that I've been seeing up until this point. We hiked 12 miles today and camped at Tri-Corner Knob Shelter. The shelter was pretty full but I squeezed in. 

Reason #15 to hike the AT: See it now before it's gone. We are hiking through a threatened ecosystem. In the Smokies, there is a lot of air pollution, poor visibility because of thick smog, and acid rain. The effects are visible. Dead spruce and firs are can be seen along the trail and there is a whole list of endangered and threatened species. 

Sun 4/13

The fire tower at Mt. Cammerer is one of the best side trails on the AT. Some hikers were planning on staying at Cosby Knob Shelter and waking up early again to see the sunrise from the lookout tower. I wanted to join them but I was almost out of food. When we were in Gatlinburg, I bought 6 Cliff Bars but those didn't last me more that a day. My plan was to hike the 20 miles to Standing Bear Farm Hostel where I could resupply. I stopped at Cosby Knob Shelter to eat lunch and a couple hikers offered me their extra food. Since I had food, I decided to see the fire tower. There were some awesome views and I met a young couple, Trip and Nikki. They offered me their food as soon as I mentioned that I was a thru hiker. I hung out with them at the fire tower for a while and then hiked to Standing Bear Farm with a guy named Long Stride.

Mon 4/14

Standing Bear is a very interesting and rustic place. There is outdoor privy, chickens running around, a nice stream through the property, and tubs for hand washing clothes. One hiker had a chicken lay an egg on his lap. I took a shower in the morning in an outdoor shower house. I didn't make it back to the trail until after 1:00. It started raining and we got some trail magic at the top of the hill from a man named Apple from Ohio. I had a couple sodas. I usually only drink water but my body was telling me I needed the calories. I continued hiking in the rain. It was a wet, cold, muddy mess but I loved it. I felt like a little child going outside to play in the rain. I was hiking by myself all day and got to the summit of Max Patch. Max Patch is a bald with 360° panoramic views. I had the whole to mountain to myself. I camped at a shelter a couple miles from Max Patch. 

Tues 4/15

I got up early so that I could hike the 18 miles to Hot Springs and meet Krista I the afternoon. It rained all night and continued throughout the day. I experienced freezing rain and snow. I didn't realize how cold it was until I stopped and tried to light my stove to cook lunch. I couldn't light my lighter. I had lost dexterity in my fingers. I was also just hiking in shorts and a t-shirt with a rain shell. I changed into dry and warmer clothes and I was fine. Earlier, I had passed a hiker that was huddled under a rock in his sleeping bag trying to get warm. I made it to Hot Springs. It was still cold and rainy. I wanted a warm drink and place to sit down for a while. I customer from the restaurant saw me waiting outside and gave me their leftovers. The sandwich had a bit out of it but I didn't care. There really isn't much difference between a thru hiker and a homeless person. We smell bad and are willing to eat half eaten food from strangers. Krista came to pick me up and took me back to Asheville. 

Wed 4/16

Krista and I went to lunch and then took her dog to the park. 

We meet up that evening with Chris and Sunshine who I meet at the NOC. Chris thru hiked last year and is making a documentary about his trip. They also have a really cute dog.

Thurs 4/17

Krista and stuffed ourselves at an Indian buffet before dropping me back off at Hot Springs. I was planning on hiking out but some hikers offered me a space in their motel room. Besides, there was a free potluck and live music. I stuffed myself for the second time today. Hot springs has a potluck for hikers once a week where community members bring food for us. This another town that is really easy to get trapped in. We met a man that attempted a thru hike six years ago, made it to Hot Springs, and then just never left. 

Fri 4/18

We ate breakfast at the diner in town. I had an omelet as well as a sweet potato pancake topped with fried apples and whipped cream. I hung out in town all day with all the other hikers. We enjoyed another free dinner in town that the Hiker Ridge Ministry provided. 

Then we went to the hot springs. These are hot tubs with mineral water pumped in from underground. 

Reason #15 to hike the AT: Hot Springs, NC. Voted best small mountain town. The community is awesome here. And if you want, you can get a mud bath, massage, and time relaxing in the hot springs when you come. 

 

Mile 137.3 Nantahala Outdoor Center

Sun 3/30

At the Top of Georgia Hostel, free shuttle service is provided. I received shuttles into town the past two nights. This morning, Bob gave us a ride back to the trail. Bob, a.k.a. Sir-Packs-Alot, is the owner of the hostel and former an AT thru hiker. But Bob not only hiked the AT, he also hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Contintinal Divide Trail (CDT). Bob has the elite distinction as being a triple crowner. Elite, because only about 200 people have successfully thru hiked all three trails. The PCT is 2,663 miles from Mexico to Canada by way of California, Oregon, and Washington. The CDT, is 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. A triple crowner will hike more than 7,900 miles with a vertical gain of over 1,000,000 feet. For an extra challenge, try thru hiking all three trails in one year. This was done by hiker, Mathew Hazley, in 2005. My friend, Tony, completed his triple crown last year. Bob is now the second triple crowner I've met. 

Bob dropped us off at the trail and within a few miles, we made it to the GA-NC border.

Just past the border, there is an old and twisted tree that is often photographed. I was hiking with Growler, Canyonman, Bill Nye, and a girl named Whisper. We hiked over 16 miles and spent the night at Standing Indian Shelter. While hiking with Bill Nye all day, we were continuously singing the Bill Nye theme song. This got me thinking, it would be nice if I had a theme song of my own. I could be hiking along the AT with my own theme song. 

Mon 3/31

We spent the night in the shelter. Sleeping in the shelter is nice, especially in inclement weather or when you just don't feel like setting up your tent. But beware of mice. All night, we could hear the mice scurrying back and forth in the shelter. If food is left in your pack, the mice will get to the food and gnaw through your pack in the process. Even if you hang your pack on the wall, the mice can still get to it. At the shelter, there were strings hanging from the rafters with a stick at the bottom end so you can hang your pack from the ceiling. But apparently, this still wasn't sufficient. There were aluminum cans on the middle of the string to prevent mice from climbing down the string to get to your pack. I  headed out in the morning with Whisper and Canyonman. Growler and Bill Nye were still sleeping. I had a chance during the day to experiment with some new camera filters. Canyonman and I climbed Albert Mountain in the evening. This might be the steepest part on the trail so far. The Albert Mountain fire  tower was at the top. And after another 16 mile day, we made it to Long Branch Shelter. I've now hiked over 100 miles on the AT.

Tues 4/1

I hiked about four miles on the morning and took a break at Rock Gap. Whisper and Canyonman came down and joined me just as a couple day hikers were finishing their hike and getting back to their car. We were offered a ride to town. I was planning on getting to Franklin anyway so that I could resupply. Whisper came too since there is a gear shop in Franklin and she needed new boots. Whisper may be a low talker but she is definitely a powerhouse on the trail. We get to Franklin which is a really cool little town. A man approachs us at the gear shop and offers to drive us around town so we can eat lunch and go to the grocery store. The man's name is Intense and he tells us it can be spelled as either 'Intense' or 'In-tents.' Intense is a retired computer scientist from Cleveland and decided to move to Franklin after a failed thru hike attempt about 10 years ago. At the grocery store, I bought 10 days worth  of food. My plan was to take half with me and ship the other half to Fontana Village where it is more difficult to resupply. I'll need enough food from Fontana to make it through the Smokies. Intense took us to lunch at the Huddle House which is basically like a Waffle House. He bought us all lunch and drove us back to the trail.  Intense will definetly be getting a postcard from Maine! And we weren't the only ones that had an amazing experience in Franklin. People that provide assistance to thru hikers are called trail angels and Franklin has a lot of trail angels. Canyonman got a ride into town by a local restaurant owner and got to eat at his restaurant. Bill Nye got to go to someone's home and received a home cooked meal and a place to sleep for the night. There was another large group of hikers that night. They were out to dinner and a stranger paid the bill - for all 12 of them! When we got back to the trail, we hiked to Siler Bald Shelter. Every time we stopped along the trail, all I wanted to do was eat. Not because I was hungry, but because I didn't want to carry the weight. Although my pack was still lighter than most, I had just resupplied and now had a full food bag. I've decided not to think of this journey as a 2,000 mile hike, but rather a 2,000 mile eating competition. 

Wed 4/2

In the morning, we ran up to the top of Siler Bald which is two tenths of a mile off trail. This gave us full 360º panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. We could see the Smokies from where we were. There are many bald mountains in North Carolina. We went to Wayah Bald and received some trail magic. The guy had a table set up and was offering gatorade, donuts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and chips. There was also a fire tower. We then hiked just past Cold Spring Shelter and camped alongside the trail. 

Thurs 4/3

We hiked about 11 miles down the mountain to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It was very steep decent but we got to see another fire tower and we were able to get to the NOC by noon. I enjoy hiking in groups but It's also nice to hike alone sometimes. I hiked with Whisper, Growler, and Stevie Wander. If I were by myself, I would have taken a break at the fire tower and at a place called The Jumpoff, both of which had spectacular views. But I got to the NOC by noon was was able to eat at a restaurant and take a shower. I was happy. We hung out for the rest of the day and paid $20 a person to sleep in the bunkhouse. 

Fri 4/4

The NOC had a hiker festival going on this weekend. The NOC is a resort along the river that has whitewater rafting and zip-lines. There was a big sign advertising a half marathon happening on Saturday and the packet pick-up was today. I went over and talked with the race director, Run Bum. I mentioned that I'm a thru hiker and wanted to run. He was super excited about me running and told me I can run for free since I'm a thru hiker. The hikers all thought I was crazy, but I didn't care. I just thought it would be fun. Besides, I have to live up to my new trial name! 

In the evening, they had filmmaker, Chris Gallaway, give a presentation and show clips from a movie that he is currently working on about hiking the AT. I had known about Gallaway's project from reading about it online. He and his wife, Sunshine, live in Asheville and I wanted to contact them while I was spending time in Asheville before my hike. I never got around to doing that. Now here they are showing their movie. I talked with Sunshine afterward she gave me her number telling me I have a place to stay when I get back to Asheville. They are such an awesome couple and the story is truly inspirational. Check them out here and make a donation if you can so they can finish the film. 

http://thelongstarttothejourney.com

After Gallaway's presentation, there was a screening of a film called Mile… Mile & a Half. This was a documentary about the John Muir Trail in California. This is another awesome film about a another great trail. I really want to hike this trial as well. 

http://themuirproject.com

The NOC provided free camping this night thanks to the hiker festival. Canvas tents were set up and I had a nice place to sleep.