Day 31

Origin: Big Bald Shelter
Destination: River Rd, Erwin, TN
Today's miles: 16.4
Total miles: 342.5

The rain stopped last night but our clothes were still soaking wet when we woke up so we decided to hike in our sleeping clothes since we knew we'd be able to wash them. We didn't see any hikers on the trail this morning so we didn't have to feel too awkward in our long-johns.

Magge twisted her knee in another fall yesterday and had a difficult time with ascents and descents. We made poor time over the first five miles of the day and knew that we'd pull into Erwin late if we continued. Magge was concerned whether she would be able to make it at all. She therefore decided to try to hitch a ride to town from Spivey Gap along US route 19. I arrived at the road about 10 minutes before she did and didn't see a single car. I thought about calling a shuttle but I didn't have cell service. When Magge arrived, I told her I thought it'd be tough to get a ride due to the lack of traffic but we waited 20 minutes; we saw one motorcycle and it was heading the wrong way. We decided that Magge would walk to a parking lot in the direction of town while I hightailed it to Erwin and we'd see who'd succeed first in finding her a ride.

I covered the last 11 miles in three hours and arrived exhausted to not find Magge at Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel, where we're staying. While trying to figure out a way to get her picked up, she pulled in with a heavily-bearded elderly man. She had spotted a house while walking and had asked to use the phone to call a shuttle. While waiting, the owner of the house brought her a Coke and offered her food. After waiting nearly two hours for a shuttle that didn't come, the owner offered to drive her into town. Trail magic.

We had an early, big Mexican dinner and are about to fall asleep. We'll be back on the trail tomorrow but will have to test Magge's knee out.

Picture below is from my hike from Spivey Gap to Erwin.

Day 30

Origin: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Destination: Big Bald Shelter
Today's miles: 10.1
Total miles: 326.1

The conditions today made a short day a tough one. Fairly heavy rain with some occasional biting wind has left us cold and wet. We're snuggled up in our sleeping bags now drinking hot chocolate to keep us warm. It's a shame the visibility was so poor, because we climbed Big Bald Mountain, which I've heard is one of the prettiest summits on the whole trail, and could barely see 100 yards ahead.

Erwin tomorrow for a bed and a shower.

Thanks, American Express

So often, we like to complain about big companies and how they don't deliver on their promises or that customer service isn't what it used to be. I've already given a thumbs up to a small company, ULA, for being the opposite, and now I'm going to do the same for American Express.

As I wrote the other day, Magge accidentally cracked the screen of the iPad mini I bought for this trip. Since I bought it with my Amex, I filed a claim under their purchase protection program. I was expecting a back-and-forth hassle, during which I'd be asked all kinds of unreasonable requests. Instead, I was asked when the damage occurred, when I bought the item, and where I bought. Two days later my account was credited. Two days. It's nice to know the card benefits they promote aren't just part of a bait and switch.

Day 29

Origin: Jerry's Cabin
Destination: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Today's miles: 14.7
Total miles: 316.0

Despite the day's constant drizzle, today was fairly easy. The biggest climb was only 1,500 ft and we eat those for breakfast at this point. The temperature was mild enough for most of the day that the dampness didn't really bother us. We made great time and arrived at the shelter before the rain picked up in intensity. Once we settled in, it became too cold and wet to do anything besides nap or read. The picture below is of the view from my seat against the back wall of the shelter.

Magge had the best fall of the trip so far. We were walking downhill when her left foot jammed against a rock and she tipped forward. Guided by the 25 lb weight on her back, she had nowhere to go but face down. She lied still with her face in the dirt and I waited for some kind of signal but none came. "Are you hurt or are you just embarrassed?" I asked. It's a good thing I couldn't see her face because her expression probably would have melted mine. I helped her get her backpack off so she could roll over. She has a bruised elbow and knee, and perhaps ego, but she's otherwise fine.

Tomorrow will be difficult. It's supposed to rain all day, and much harder than it rained today. We may try to push a 20 mile day so we can quickly get into Erwin, TN the following day, but conditions may force us into a short 10 mile day, which will mean a lot of sitting around in a shelter. Erwin would then be 16 miles away.

Yes, this is still awesome.

Day 28

Origin: Spring Mountain Shelter
Destination: Jerry's Cabin
Today's miles: 15.4
Total miles: 301.3

I felt like we had slept in today and implored Magge to get ready before realizing it wasn't even 7:00am yet. I just can't wait to get on the trail, I guess. Once on the trail, we made pretty good time over the first eight miles until we got to a shelter and took a break. Magge took a little nap and we ended up spending nearly 45 minutes there.

Our momentum never returned, and we slogged through the biggest climb of the day. At the top, I thought the rest of the day would be easy, but that wasn't the case. We had a 1.5 mile stretch bracketing Big Firescald Knob that was covered in large rocks that slowed us down considerably. In the end, the 15 miles took us a little longer than I thought it would, but I'm pleased that what would have been a huge day three weeks ago is now a normal day. We've got another 15 miles planned for tomorrow and it looks like they'll all be in the rain, so we're mentally preparing ourselves.

There was a woman sick with the norovirus in the middle of the tent sites at the shelter today. She had to be evacuated via ATVs. Despite our resolution to stay out of shelters, I didn't want to tent close to where she probably threw up all day, so we went ahead and set ourselves up in the shelter. Fingers crossed.

Big milestone today: 300 miles completed.

Day 27

Origin: Hot Springs, NC
Destination: Spring Mountain Shelter
Today's miles: 11.0
Total miles: 285.9

You might think it was tough to leave our warm bed, hot showers and plentiful food this morning, but I was ready to go. I feel very driven right now to make forward progress and put in big miles. Magge is probably a little less so.

We got on the trail around 10:30am and leisurely walked along the French Broad River for a while before the trail got steep led us up 1,000 ft above the town. We knew we didn't have to get too far today, though, so we were able to take it relatively easy. The terrain the rest of the day wasn't too bad but Magge struggled a bit. I'm hoping it's just a matter of getting back into the groove after a zero day, because we have to make 13-15 miles a day over the next four days, three of which will be in the rain.

We pulled into the shelter around 4:30pm and set up our tent a few hundred feet away. There's been a strain of Norwalk virus running around this section of the trail, so we want to avoid areas where there have been concentrations of sick hikers. We actually haven't tented in a while since the Smokies discourages it. While it's nice to be in a shelter when the weather is really bad, I like having our own space.

The only other thing to report today is an injury: Magge clumsily cut her finger while slicing salami. She's in stable condition and on knife probation.

Day 26: Zero in Hot Springs

After three and a half weeks, we finally took our first zero. Nothing exciting happened today - just a lot of food and laundry. Magge accidentally cracked the screen of our iPad mini so I had to spend time on the phone with Amex to file a claim to get a new one under their purchase protection plan (it seems that many cardholders don't realize they're protected against damage or theft for 90 days from purchase). They didn't ask me today, but I may end up having to send this one, which is usable for now, before I can get it replaced. If that's the case, then these updates will be much less frequent.

Hot Springs is easily the nicest, quaintest town we've been in so far. It's tiny, though, and there isn't a whole lot to do besides the spa and hiking, so I'm ready to get back to the hiking tomorrow.

Day 25

Origin: Roaring Fork Shelter
Destination: Hot Springs, NC
Today's miles: 18.0
Total miles: 274.9

Last night was the coldest I've been, although I don't think the temperature got as low as it had the last few nights we were in the Smokies. I think it was just that in the Smokies, we packed 20 people into a shelter meant to accommodate 12, so there was a lot of body heat, whereas we had spare room last night. We had another big mileage day today, putting our three day daily average over 17 miles. The motivation was to get to Hot Springs, a tiny town that is the first to have the AT run right through it. We haven't been in a town since leaving Franklin, NC and we're taking our first zero day of the trip. Most hikers we've talked to have taken at least one already and many have taken more than that.

Time to rest up a bit and get some food that hasn't been dried or frozen.

Day 24

Origin: Green Corner Rd
Destination: Roaring Fork Shelter
Today's miles: 15.1
Total miles: 256.9

Today was a day of challenges and rewards. We had a tough climb right away, and we especially felt it after our big day yesterday. The top of the climb presented us with the peak of Snowbird Mountain, a grassy bald with postcard-perfect views (pictures below). We had multiple descents and ascents afterwards, and some of the climbs were especially taxing. Towards the end of the day, we reached the summit of Max Patch, the prettiest bald we've seen so far. I didn't get the iPad out of my bag, but took some good pictures and videos with the camera. The last two miles down from Max Patch were very pleasant. We have a long day planned tomorrow to get into Hot Springs so we're trying to get mentally prepared.

As of today, we have finished a quarter of our planned mileage.

Day 23

Origin: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Destination: Green Corner Rd (then 0.1 to Standing Bear Farm hostel)
Today's miles: 18.4
Total miles: 241.8

I wrote this post once but it didn't save for whatever reason, so I'm writing it again a day later so I'm missing some details.

Our biggest day yet. It didn't get quite as cold as we expected, but it was cold enough with temperatures in the low 20s. We ate a cold breakfast and got going. We had an initial tough climb, but most of the day was downhill. From our highest point of the day to the lowest, we dropped nearly 5,000 ft in elevation. Despite the long miles, we made really good time. Magge really impressed me; she's improved immensely since we started.

We had some great views and enjoyed the change in greenery as we descended. The forests at 6,000 ft are still bare but there's young green and flowers everywhere below 2,500 ft. With roughly three miles left, we could hear the traffic on Interstate 40 and we came up on a ridge with power lines running across. I thought it would be a noisy, ugly three miles, but we then dropped into a valley with a beautiful stream tumbling through several waterfalls. If we hadn't needed to resupply, it would have been a perfect place to camp. We came out of that valley just in time to cross I-40. Magge's and my hometowns are separate by about 500 miles on this interstate and we've crossed this point countless times, but we never knew it was an AT crossing. We'll look at this point differently next time we come across it.

We're staying at a hostel just off a gravel road that the AT crosses. It's a collection of simple mountain cabins and is in a really peaceful spot. Our cabin is built right over a creek. We ate a DiGiorno pizza and it was the best frozen pizza we've ever had - the magic of an 18 mile day.

For the record, Magge said today was one of the best days of her life.

Day 22

Origin: Icewater Spring Shelter
Destination: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Today's miles: 12.6
Total miles: 223.4

We expected this morning to be cold and it was. We didn't have a working thermometer but it was in the low 20s at 7am. All of the clothes we wore yesterday were frozen stiff on the laundry line and our shoes were blocks of ice. I walked outside and was greeted with a Christmas scene (picture below). It had been foggy all night and as the temperature dropped, frost accumulated on the branches. This morning it was nearly an inch thick in places.

Someone started a fire and I tried to get our shoes thawed enough so that our feet could get inside them. Other thru-hikers were also trying to thaw out various items. We battled for space with a weekend hiker, who hiked to the shelter after it had stopped raining so he was completely dry but was trying to warm his hands and soften his Power Bar for breakfast because it was too hard. If I hadn't been so cold, I would have found his lack of awareness amusing.

We ran out of dry wood and the fire died, so we put clothes on the emergency blanket in the sun. By noon, we were finally ready to go. I thought it was too late to get in the 12 miles we had planned, but Magge said that she would really push it and we agreed that if we hit the shelter 7.4 miles away by 3:30pm, then we'd press on. We had an amazing day of hiking. The sky was completely clear and much of the day's hike was along ridges so we had nearly constant views, often on both sides. It never warmed up that much (there were still icy spots in the shade at the end of the day) but the sun and the continuous movement kept us warm enough. We hit the checkpoint exactly at 3:30pm so we kept moving.

We're at Tri-Corner Knob now and they're forecasting a low tonight of around 15 degrees Fahrenheit. I think it's actually below freezing. I've adjusted my shoes so that I can put my feet in them even when they freeze and will now crawl into my quilt.

Day 21

Origin: Mt. Collins Shelter
Destination: Icewater Spring Shelter
Today's miles: 7.5 (plus 0.5 from the shelter to the trail)
Total miles: 210.8

A tough, tough day. We had planned to do around 15 miles today, but we knew it'd be tough in the rain. I went ahead of Magge and we agreed we'd meet at the next shelter 7.5 miles away. It was a long 7.5 miles. I was soaked to the bone within 10 minutes and large sections of the trail were essentially running streams. When I got to the shelter, I decided this was far enough as it was best to get out of my cold, wet clothes. I then crawled under my quilt and waited for Magge.

Two hours later, I poked my head up and saw Magge standing in the shelter with her wet clothes still on, wrapped in an emergency blanket. I asked her how long she'd been there and she said a while. I told her she needed to get out of those clothes and helped her get changed and into her sleeping bag. She couldn't stop shivering and I assumed she had mild hypothermia, so I squeezed into her sleeping bag with her to get her warm, which she eventually did.

This shelter is absolutely packed and there are laundry lines going everywhere with dripping clothes hung on them. It's going to get into the low to mid 20s tonight so everyone will wake up with frozen clothing. At least it's supposed to warm up tomorrow with sun.

Yes, I still think this is awesome.

Below is a picture taken from the shelter in the 10 minute window that I had a view today.

Day 20

Origin: Derrick Knob Shelter
Destination: Mt. Collins Shelter
Today's miles: 13.5 (plus 0.5 from the trail to the shelter)
Total miles: 203.3

Fog, wind, a little rain, long miles, long day. Two big milestones, though: we climbed over Clingmans Dome, the tallest point on the AT and second tallest point in the US east of the Rockies, and we passed the 200 mile point.

The best part of the day was hiking through the fir forests at the high elevations. Along with the heavy moss and the damp weather, it felt a lot like the Pacific Northwest.

Magge left an hour after I did and was slower getting up the trail, and by the time she got to Clingmans Dome she actually got to see the view.

I have pictures on my camera but not my iPad. Still waiting for a chance to upload pictures.

Day 19

Origin: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Destination: Derrick Knob Shelter
Today's miles: 12.0
Total miles: 189.8

The first part of today was fairly easy. We had twelve miles to cover and we did the first seven by lunch. We reached Rocky Top, where Magge and I gave a stirring rendition of the eponymous song and I showcased my Tennessee hat for the camera. Unfortunately, the clouds had rolled in and the view from Rocky Top wasn't great. About a mile later, the rain started to pour. It's actually the first time we've been rained on while hiking since the freezing rain of April 4, so we can't really complain. It stopped by the time I got to the shelter and I was able to get most of my things dried out.

The shelter is packed tonight, so I'm not looking forward to the cornucopia of noises I'll have to listen to while trying to fall asleep.

Day 18

Origin: Fontana Dam Shelter
Destination: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Today's miles: 11.0
Total miles: 177.8

A relaxing morning turned into a tough day. We had a nice breakfast at the Fontana Lodge, took our time to pack, bought some supplies to supplement our mail drop (chocolate bars and beef jerky) and got back on the trail around 11:30am.

The hike was easy enough at first, with a neat view of the dam, but once we entered the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we had a steady and steep climb for a few miles. To add to the fun, it was a very hot day with almost no wind at low elevations. The last element to complete the day was the bugs. They were absolutely awful today - I had no idea they would be this bad on this section on the trip. I think most of them are gnats, so I'm not really getting bitten, but they invade nostrils, ears and eyes. When I kept a good pace, they would leave me alone, but I couldn't stop for more than a few seconds without being attacked. Poor Magge can't walk fast enough to escape them so she was hounded all day and nearly had a psychotic break. We didn't have any bug spray because they hadn't been bad enough to warrant carrying the weight yet, but Magge was prepared to keep walking to Gatlinburg to buy some. Fortunately for us, a couple of women at the shelter are going home tomorrow and gave us the rest of their bug spray.

We got hit with a quick but wicked storm after arriving at the shelter. Lightning struck maybe 100 to 200 yards from here and we got some pretty big hail. I think it has passed us now and we're getting ready for bed. We're staying in the shelters throughout the Smokies because you have to by park regulations unless the shelter is full. Although we like having the shelters for nasty weather, I much prefer staying in a tent otherwise, but we'll have to make do for the rest of the week.

We gained nearly 3,000 ft in elevation today, but due to some descents, we probably climbed over 4,000 ft. Tomorrow should be a bit easier, but we'll see if the bugs cooperate.

Picture of the shelter below.

Day 17

Origin: Cable Gap Shelter
Destination: Fontana Dam Shelter (then to Fontana Village, NC)
Today's miles: 6.6
Total miles: 166.8

We had a relatively short walk to the Fontana Dam Shelter, where a shuttle picked us up and dropped us off in Fontana Village, a little resort community. The dam, which I believe we'll actually walk across tomorrow as part of the trail, is the tallest in the eastern US and was once the fourth tallest in the world. The closest towns are around 30 miles away, so we had to rely on the resort for our resupply and laundry needs. Luckily, it's currently the offseason and they have cheap rooms for hikers.

Tomorrow, we'll enter the Smokies and won't resupply for 6 days. I'm not sure what the cell service will be like, so it may be at least that long until updates get posted here.

I want to take the opportunity here to praise the service of Ultralight Adventure Equipment, the maker of my Circuit backpack. It's been a great pack so far, but one of the adjustment straps on the hip belt ripped off on Saturday. They are very popular backpacks for thru-hikes and I've never read about durability issues, so I must have just had bad luck. From the NOC, I emailed the owner on Saturday at 7:15am his time in Utah and received an email 20 minutes later stating he'd send a replacement hip belt that day so that I'd have it to carry my heaviest load of the whole trip through the Smokies. As promised, the belt arrived at the hotel today. Thanks, Chris from ULA.

Picture below is of Fontana Lake from the AT just past the shelter.

Day 16

Origin: Cheoah Bald
Destination: Cable Gap Shelter
Today's miles: 14.0
Total miles: 160.2

Another bear-free night is in the books. We woke up to a cold and windy morning and got going. Not too much exciting happened today - we covered 14 miles over rolling terrain with one fairly challenging climb, Jacob's Ladder. It had been built up by other hikers we talked to as being tougher than Albert Mountain, which we climbed to reach the 100 mile point. However, I didn't feel as though it was nearly as tough. Although it was longer, it wasn't as steep and wasn't full of rocks so we could properly plant our trekking poles.

We're in a shelter right now because it's supposed to rain today. We were told by a hiker a couple of days ago that it was his favorite shelter, but I don't know what he was talking about because it's cramped, dirty, and has a warped floor. For dinner we had a "just add water" gumbo we found in the grocery store in Franklin. Magge used the whole bag, which contained eight servings. It was a ridiculous amount of food, but I tried to eat it all because I hate dumping food in the woods. I made a valiant effort, but ultimately failed, as a serving or so remained. It wasn't very good either.

We have a short day tomorrow as Fontana Dam is only 5.5 miles away.

Day 15

Origin: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Destination: Cheoah Bald
Today's miles: 8.9
Total miles: 146.2

Just a fantastic day. We woke up with a little pep in our step knowing a big breakfast was only a mile away at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), a big rafting center on the Nantahala River. We arrived there shortly after 9am and took a seat at the River's End restaurant with a view of the river. I ordered the Fontana Hashbrowns, which were home fries topped with sautéed onions, peppers, tomatoes and broccoli, topped with bacon, topped with scrambles eggs, topped with cheese. I'm not normally a big breakfast eater but I easily took the whole thing down. Magge ordered an omelette and a biscuit.

After the long breakfast break, we bought a few supplies and hit the trail. Today was short on mileage but big on climbing. The elevation change from the NOC to our destination of Cheoah Bald is approximately 3,300 ft over 7.9 miles. That's nearly the vertical drop of Vail Ski Resort. The climb actually wasn't as bad as the elevation profile made it look, but there were two tough sections. The perfect weather all day made it easier.

We got to the top of Cheoah Bald, a grassy bald sitting at just over 5,000 ft. There was a great camping spot sitting there completely empty and we jumped on it. We didn't even see another hiker the rest of the day so we still have it all to ourselves. Magge built a great fire and we ate dinner looking out at perhaps the best view we've had so far. We're normally in our tent before sunset, but tonight we stayed by the fire until it got dark. Today was the best day we've have so far, and we've got lots of pictures here to prove it.

Pictures, top to bottom: Magge's breakfast at River's End; Magge crossing the Nantahala; Magge at the Jump-Up point right before the toughest ascent of the day; our awesome campsite; Magge's fire; me, taking pictures; our view during dinner

Day 14

Origin: Wayah Bald Shelter
Destination: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Today's miles: 15.5
Total miles: 137.3

The storms last night were pretty strong, but the shelter did a good job of keeping us warm. A hiker wandered in around 12:30am and scared us half to death. He wasn't able to find the previous shelter and had to keep walking seven miles in the dark in the rain to get to ours. We weren't prepared to see a figure slinking around, illuminated by the flashes of lightning.

After another slow start, we hit the trail for what would be our biggest day since Day 3. We had some decent climbs up Copper Ridge Bald and Wesser Bald that gave us some great views (pictures below) but weren't overly taxing. The most difficult part of the day was probably the six mile descent, often steep, down Wesser Bald to the shelter, during which we lost 2,400 ft in elevation. The difference was noticeable, as it actually looks like spring down here, whereas at the top the trees still aren't even budding.

We have a big climb tomorrow, but not before we stop at the Nantahala Outdoor Center for a hearty breakfast.

Day 13

Origin: Winding Stair Gap
Destination: Wayah Bald Shelter
Today's miles: 11.0
Total miles: 121.8

We woke up early to make it to a free all-you-can-eat pancake and bacon breakfast hosted by a Baptist church in Franklin. I thought we'd get a hard Baptist pitch but there was none of that. The generosity is pretty amazing, especially when you consider that they've fed over 500 hikers so far this year.

A nasty storm is forecasted to hit us tonight. Magge and I debated whether to get back on the trail. She was/is a bit more nervous about it than I am. I figured that if we got a spot in a shelter then it shouldn't be too tough to wait it out. Once again, I sped ahead of Magge to secure space and spent most the day hiking on my own. I only passed a handful of people, so I guess most hikers decided to wait out the storm in town. It was a fairly light day, with a couple of moderate climbs. There's an old stone fire tower at the top of Wayah Bald that provides great views. I got a few pictures with the camera, but the iPad was tucked away in a waterproof bag due to the threat of rain, so I can't post anything here.

I'm waiting for Magge to show up so we can get started on dinner and discuss our plan for tomorrow. I'm going to push for a 16 mile day, but I don't think she'll be too warm to the idea.

Day 12

Origin: Rock Gap Shelter
Destination: Winding Stair Gap (then to Franklin, NC)
Today's miles: 3.8
Total miles: 110.8

There isn't much to write about today. We took a nero (near zero), hiking less than four miles to the highway and then hitching a ride into Franklin. We had lunch, bought supplies, rested, did laundry and ate dinner. Franklin is a slightly nicer town than Hiawassee, with a typical small town Main St, but with only 3,000 residents it still doesn't have much to do.

We should be back on the trail tomorrow, unless the forecasted storm hits earlier than expected.

Day 11

Origin: Carter Gap Shelter
Destination: Rock Gap Shelter
Today's miles: 12.1
Total miles: 107.0

Another late start (I guess at this point I should say it's expected), as we pulled out of our campsite around 9:30am. Most of the morning's walk was very pleasant before our toughest climb yet, which was up Albert Mountain. Although it was very steep, it was luckily pretty short. The top of the mountain had a fire tower that we could climb partially up to get a great view (picture below). The peak is also notable for being the 100 mile point of the AT.

We finished the rest of the hike in a few hours in more perfect weather. We're staying in a shelter tonight for the first time since Low Gap because the tent sites are far off the trail and right next to a road, which I don't like. We have a fairly light 3.8 mile hike into Franklin, NC tomorrow and we'll then take the rest of the day off.

We're starting to get our hiker's legs. Magge particularly seems stronger, as she's able to maintain a good pace without getting completely drained. That was especially noticeable today. The improved conditioning, great weather, big milestone and beautiful views made today my favorite day so far.

Day 10

Origin: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Destination: Carter Gap Shelter
Today's miles: 12.5
Total miles: 94.9

I had my best night of sleep outside by far last night, but Magge can't say the same. Despite having a relatively big day planned today, we got a very late start. We were about to leave around 9:45am when some other hikers encouraged us to walk a short side trail. We left our packs at the shelter and walked up Raven Rock Trail, which took us past a plane wreckage (I don't know any of the details and will try to remember to do some research) to a beautiful lookout point. Eventually, when I get some pictures off the camera, I'll post the view here.

We got on the trail at 10:30am and had a gradual climb all morning up Standing Indian Mountain. At nearly 5,500 ft, it's the tallest mountain we've climbed so far by about 1,000 ft and will remain the tallest until we reach the Smokies. It was already 2:30pm by the time we reached the summit and we still had around six miles left, so we decided that I would walk ahead to make sure camp was set up before we lost sunlight. I made great time, finishing the six miles in under two hours. It's probably the best rhythm I've had since we started. Magge made great time too despite feeling worn out and sore, and we were able to eat and get all of our camp chores done with light to spare.

Day 9

Origin: Dicks Creek Gap
Destination: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Today's miles: 11.8
Total miles: 82.4

Feeling refreshed after a solid night of sleep, clean clothes, and some bacon, we took a shuttle back to Dicks Creek from Hiawassee and started hiking. Prior to leaving, we were able to get the few pieces of gear we needed. It was another beautiful day, with blue skies and temperatures in the low 60s, which made most of the hike relatively easy despite the continuous incline. After about 9 miles, we crossed into North Carolina. We had a good run in Georgia, as I was pleasantly surprised with its scenery. I half expected the Georgian part of the Appalachians to be more like foothills, but they are the real thing.

The last third of today's hike after the border picked up in intensity. We had two nasty little climbs before we got to the shelter. The place was already packed with tents but we were able to find a quiet spot by the creek. I can hear the water running now and it's putting me to sleep.

Day 8

Origin: Sassafras Gap
Destination: Dicks Creek Gap (then car to Hiawassee, GA)
Today's miles: 6.3
Total miles: 70.6

I woke up this morning to the sunrise shining through my mesh tent door. The temperature was mild enough that I didn't dread getting out from under my quilt and I was excited about getting started. We had a short day planned because we only needed to get to the road to Hiawassee so we could pick up a package and resupply. It was a gorgeous day and I was in good spirits the whole hike, while Magge was just looking forward to getting done with the day so we could do our first clothes wash. We had one tough climb over Kelly Knob, but it was an otherwise easy day.

A fellow hiker got picked up at the gap and was able to share his ride into town. We had lunch, bought some food, struck out on getting backpacking gear, ate dinner and did our laundry. Tomorrow: North Carolina.

By the way, this is awesome

Rereading some of my posts, I'm afraid they give the wrong impression of this experience, as they focus mostly on negative elements. This isn't because my day is mostly negative. It's because the negative things tend to be very specific - like the rain, or the guy vomiting all night and keeping us up, or the snagged bear line - and specific things are easy to write about. On the other hand, the best parts - just being outside all day and feeling free - are more difficult to describe and don't change day to day so they would get repetitive in a daily narrative.

My job right now is to walk through some of the prettiest areas of the eastern US every day, and make no mistake - it's an awesome job.

Day 7

Origin: Unicoi Gap
Destination: Sassafras Gap
Today's miles: 10.4*
Total miles: 64.3

* I ended up doing 15.2 due to backtracking

Anyone who knows me relatively well will not be surprised at the first part of this post.

I couldn't find my wallet yesterday (a ziploc bag with money, a credit card, an ATM card and my driver's license). I had to take it out at Blue Mountain Shelter to reserve the hotel room and I assumed I hadn't put it back in my pack. I took everything out of my pack and flipped it upside down, but no luck, so I assumed it was left at the shelter. No problem - one of the hikers would pick it up and I'd head them off somewhere on the trail.

We got dropped off at Unicoi Gap around 8:45am and I told Magge to hike on her own while I backtracked and I would catch up with her later. As I passed hikers on the 1,000 ft ascent, I found out none of them had seen my wallet. I walked all the way back to the shelter, 2.4 miles from the gap. No wallet. I searched under the shelter in case it had fallen through the floor boards. No wallet. I searched around it in case the wind had blown it away. No wallet. I decided to search my pack fully one more time before heading back down. There it was. I wasn't sure whether I was angry at myself or relieved. Still undecided, I headed back down to catch Magge. After a couple more climbs and descents, we met up in the early afternoon.

As bad as yesterday's weather was, it was incredible today. Sunny skies, light breeze, and the perfect temperature for hiking. If I didn't have to make up so much ground, today would have been perfect. Well, not making up ground and not losing my Leatherman tool. And not getting the bear bag line snagged in a tree and having to cut it down, losing 20 ft in the process. And not finding a hole in our tent. A nearly perfect day.

We will have a short day tomorrow as need to go to Hiawassee, Georgia to resupply and make a visit to the outfitters. We need a new bear bag line, a tent repair kit, a Leatherman, and an ankle brace for Magge.

It's still light out, but today took it out of me so I'll try to get some sleep now.

Day 6

Origin: Low Gap Shelter
Destination: Unicoi Gap (then to Helen, GA by car)
Today's miles: 9.7
Total miles: 53.9

Strong winds, temperatures in the mid 30s, freezing rain driving across the face. Today wasn't a day for meandering. We woke up to a light drizzle and I got started quickly to ensure we got a spot at Blue Mountain Shelter 7.3 miles up the trail to protect us from what we knew would be bad weather. Before long, the drizzle turned into a steady rain and I just put my head down and powered through. I finally looked up about five miles later and noticed icicles were hanging off tree branches. No matter - I knew I'd be at the shelter in under an hour and everything would be better.

I pulled into the shelter around 11am and almost immediately tried to come up with an alternative plan for the night. Ice was everywhere and strong gusts of wind were pounding the open side of the shelter (most shelters only have three walls). I pulled out my trusty AT Guide to look for the next road crossing - 2.4 miles away to get to a road to take us to Helen, GA. I found a hotel listing, dug into my pack (which was frozen) for my cell phone and turned it on and prayed for a signal. Success - two bars. I made a reservation and just had to wait for Magge. We're going to have rough nights when we won't have the option to escape, so I don't feel bad about pulling the ripcord on this one. Besides, putting in nearly 10 miles in the mountains in the weather we had today contributes enough towards roughin it status.

As other hikers arrived at the shelter, I asked the if Magge had left when they left. No was the answer each time. I was worried I'd have to wait for four hours as I tried to keep moving to keep warm. At about 1pm I heard Magge shout, "I'm here!" and I was ready to run down to the gap. An hour and a half later, we were sitting in warm car headed to Helen, Georgia's answer to Gatlinburg.

Magge went to the Dollar General to pick up "some" drinks and snacks. She came back with a 2L Coke, a 32oz Powerade, two Vitamin Waters, a six pack of Snickers, a pack of Butterfingers, beef jerky, a box of crackers, a can of Pringles, and a couple of processed meat sticks with cheese thingies. This is in addition to the two medium pizzas we ordered for dinner. I'm petitioning to have her trail name changed to Eyes Bigger Than Stomach.

We'll be back on the trail in the morning. The weather forecast over the next few days is looking pretty good and we're hoping to pick up the pace.

Day 5

Origin: Wolf Laurel Top
Destination: Low Gap Shelter
Today's miles: 7.9
Total miles: 44.2

The cold didn't bother us too badly and we were on the right side of the ridge to be protected from the wind. Despite being afraid that a bear would get our food bag, I managed to sleep some. The 5ish hours I got was probably the most I've had so far. Some animal noises did keep me up, including some hissing that I couldn't place. I kept picturing it as the sound two raccoons were making as they fought over our food bag that they managed to get down. I woke just as the sun rose and rushed out of the food to find our bags still nicely hanging. I did hear later today that someone else a couple of miles behind us got robbed by a bear.

We broke camp fairly quickly and planned to make 15 miles so we could get to Hiawassee, GA on Friday. However, Magge's ankle is a little sore so we decided to stop at Low Gap Shelter halfway there. It's supposed to start raining tonight continuing into tomorrow night, so it'll be nice to not have to pack the tent up in the rain. We should be able to get to a shelter early enough tomorrow to get a shelter spot again, so we're pretty happy about staying fairly dry through this wet spell. The extra stops do mean we're a couple of days behind schedule already, but its worth it to stay feeling good. Healthy for the marriage as well.

The other hikers are overwhelming friendly and helpful. Tonight's crowd at the shelter is the best we've experienced so far - lots of laughing.

Magge and I took on our trail names today (very common for long distance hikers). I will now introduce myself as and go by Bobsled on the trail. I took it because I go pretty quickly on the downhills (Magge wanted me to go as Nicky Flash, which is from one of those AT&T commercials with the kids). Magge is Little Engine, as in "I think I can, I think I can".

Day 4

Origin: Neel Gap
Destination: Wolf Laurel Top
Today's miles: 3.6
Total miles: 36.3

We had an even lighter day than I thought we'd have. Once again, the distances of the sleeping locations were awkward. We either could do a very short 3.5 mile hike to a tent site with no water source, a 6 mile hike to a trail to a shelter that is 1.2 miles off the main trail (and has a water source an extra 0.3 miles farther) or an 11 mile day to a shelter. After the big day yesterday, the last option was off the table. 6 miles would have been perfect, but we both hated the idea of adding an extra 3 miles off trail. So we decided to pick the nearest tent site.

We took it easy getting ready this morning since we had plenty of time and left Neel Gap at 10:30. A leisurely two hours later we made it to the camp site of the top of a ridge, which had a beautiful view east. We had lunch, napped on the ground, dried our wet clothing, ate dinner and struggled to hang our bear bag for the first time. Shelters have a cable system for hanging up food bags, but you're on your own if you stay at a camp site. It took us about 30 minutes just to find a good branch. I think we did a sufficient job, but I'm sure I'll be paranoid with every rustling in the bushes I hear tonight.

It's going to get cold tonight, so we've jumped in our sleeping bags and will try to stay warm.

Views of our camp site and Magge's nap site below.

Day 3

Origin: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Destination: Neel Gap
Today's miles: 15.9*
Total miles: 32.7

Another night of little sleep. Although we stayed dry in the shelter, it was a full house and there was a smorgasbord of weird noises all night long. A couple's dog sleeping next to me was snoring, there were gunshots in the distance, and a guy was vomiting every two hours. At least we didn't have a big hiking day planned for today.

Oh wait, we did. There's a 5 mile stretch where you can't camp without a bear canister due to smart bears who have figured out how to take down bear bags. Since we didn't bother getting one just for this short distance, we'd either have to camp before it, which I thought was too short of a day, or hike through it and stay at a hiker's hostel just past the bear area in Neel Gap, which is nearly a 16 mile day. It wasn't optimal to have that big of a day this early before we get our hiker's legs, but we decided to do it anyway.

Magge and I hiked together for the first six miles. We passed some "trail magic" (nice things done by strangers for hikers) and got some fresh fruit, perhaps the most prized commodity on the trail. Fruit weighs too much given its calorie content to carry, so we cherish it when we can get it. We stopped for lunch on a rocky clearing with the best view we've had so far, and then decided that I'd press ahead of Magge to make sure I'd get to the hiker's hostel before it closed at 6pm. If we missed it, the next site was another one mile farther on the trail, which we didn't want to do. Besides, the hostel also would have hot showers available.

I maintained a quick pace, making it up Blood Mountain, where there some great views and a stone shelter built in 1934 (which I'm guessing almost no one uses because almost no one has a bear canister). It was a steep decent from there and I made it to Neel Gap at 5. I reserved two bunks, bought some food and waited for Magge. By 7pm, the sun ducked behind Blood Mountain and I started to get worried. Then a man told me he had been hiking behind Magge before passing her and he had already been in Neel Gap for 20 minutes. I decided to head back up the trail to find her. After a mile, I found her steadily pushing ahead. I took her bag and we made our way back to the hostel, where grilled pork chops were waiting for us.

About that hot shower - I was in there for 30 seconds when the power was shut off and the hostel keeper inexplicably decided to pad lock me in. He eventually let me out, but I'm still confused.

Because today was so tough, we'll do a short day tomorrow. We'll probably need to pull back from our planned pace for now.

* I pulled about 17.9 including my backtrack to get Magge

Day 2

Origin: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Destination: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Today's miles: 7.7
Total miles: 16.8

Last night was a little rough. The rain was unrelenting and the interior of the tent got a little damp. Neither of us slept very much. It sounds like we did better than most, though, as many got soaked. We were very slow to pack up camp, leaving second to last at 11am. After hearing that tonight's forecast included thunder showers, I decided to push the pace to get to the next shelter before it filled up. I left Magge in my dust and passed a number of hikers, but to no avail. Despite showing up at the shelter at 2:30, it was already full. I decided to push to another campsite two miles farther, but after about half a mile, it started to rain and I double backed to the shelter. I figured that at least we could store our gear under the roof to keep it dry.

I set up the tent in the pouring rain and watched the tent site fill up with a puddle in about 10 minutes. All the other tent sites were even worse. I went back to the shelter and claimed the picnic table for Magge to sleep on, so that at least one of us could be comfortable. Magge pulled in 45 minutes later, soaking wet and upset because she had lost her raincoat. The day was not shaping up to be a smashing success.

30 minutes later, a hiker showed up with Magge's coat and our luck was turning. Two people in the shelter decided to leave and we took their spots. Then it stopped raining (and hasn't started again, so far). Then I dominated some youngsters at hackey sack. After one of Magge's Martha Stewart meals, we're feeling good.

We've got a big day tomorrow - about 16 miles with a tough, 5 mile climb. The payoff is a hot shower.

Day 1

Origin: Springer Mountain
Destination: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Today's miles: 9.1
Total miles: 9.1

We kicked things off with a long day, getting up at 6am to make the seven hour drive from Chapel Hill to Springer Mountain. Many thanks to Marcia, who made the drive with us and made the long drive back alone.

We quickly knocked out the walk to the terminus from the parking lot and then retraced our steps to head back north. Besides my first fall of the trek, it was an uneventful and fairly easy day. There were two decent climbs, but overall it will probably be the less strenuous hiking day we'll have until Virginia.

Weather was beautiful all day but quickly turned on us right after we cleaned up from dinner, with rain coming from nowhere. We were able to jump into our tent without getting too wet. Headed to bed early tonight and hoping we get a good night of rest.