I am in a shelter tonight so I am going to keep it brief. It is the first time that I have actually stayed in a shelter.
Last night we ended up staying on a NOC's buildings porch, and it was one of the best nights if sleep I have gotten. As we were waking up NOC employees started to arrive. None of them really said anything to us. Jilie and Skylar stayed on another porch and awoke to cupcakes beside their head.
The morning was about 6 or 7 miles straight up. It ended up not being that bad of a climb, but my right shin started to bother me. It got worse as the day went on. I now have a pretty good knot/inflammation on it. I don't know what shin splits are, but I think I have a pretty bad one. I am going to try to make the 12 or so miles into Fontana tomorrow. I might have to re-evaluate there on what to do (i.e. keep hiking, take another zero, or get a ride to a doctor). Yes, I said doctor as I think it is that bad.
Tonight, I was cooking dinner when two guys showed up. They introduced themself as Wazi and Short Stack. I have actually been waiting to meet them. Wazi and I share a mutual friend Margaret. She had been telling each of us about the other. I spoke with Wazi for a little bit. I don't think after tonight I will really see him. Short Stack is only with him for two weeks and they are trying to get to Clingman's Dome in the Smokies before he has to leave. They are already to the same spot as us and started three days after.
Also at the shelter tonight is Mike. He rolled out early yesterday, but ended up having to take it slow due to some ailments. I'm glad that we are getting to hang out with him again.
Before going tonight, I meant to mention a few folks Michelle and I met while eating dinner in Bryson City. One of the ladies asked about my shoes as I was wearing my five fingers. They are shoes with individual toe slots. Anyway, I spoke with them for a few minutes, and they asked questions about the trail. It was fun. I got their names, but left the sheet of paper with Michelle. I hope they get a chance to read the blog. I'll try to get their names later.
Have a good night and keep my shin and others' ailments in your thoughts tonight. I don't want it to hold me back or keep me from hiking with the people I have been hiking with.
Showing posts with label NC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NC. Show all posts
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
March 26 - 14.9 / 123.5
This morning I woke up and tried to get a good internet connection. However, I couldn't get anything long enough to get my post out for yesterday. So make sure you read it below. I did get a connection long enough though to see that my friend Courtney had her baby. Congrats to her, TK, and AJ on the addition to the family.
I feel like most of today was spent hiking just to stay warm. The day was very dreary and hazy. Some places were kind of dark to walk through. Brad described some of the path as an Ewac (sp?) village. It fit. We also had more snow on the ground and were occassionally pelted with ice falling from the trees.
At 9.2 miles for the day we made it to the top of Wayah Bald. We ended up having lunch in the doorway to a bathroom beside the parking lot as that was the only place to escape the cold and mist. Afterwards, we were hoping the fog/haze would burn off to see the Smokies from an observation tower, but that was not the case. We made a 3 second stop and kept going.
A little down the path, I stopped to us a privy at a shelter. A privy is pretty much an outhouse for a hiker. Brad had taken another path to go get water. Will was with me, but took off as I was putting on my pack and was gone before I knew it. I went back to where all the trails met, but didn't see anyone. Not knowing where people were I just started to hike. I hiked by myself for about two hours and only saw one guy. I stopped to look at the map and Brad came rolling up. Neither of us knew who was ahead and who was behind. We hiked together until we caught up with Stickerbush and Danger Mouse. All of us the made it to the shelter where we found Will.
The shelter was already full. I have yet to stay in a shelter, but that is fine with me. A tent gives me my personal space. All of us hiked a little down the trail and set up our tents on a ridgeline. About 30 minutes later the sun came out enough to heat us up a little bit and finally burn off the fog. The view through the trees is great, and all of us are looking forward to a good sunrise.
Mike, from Ukraine, stopped by and said he was going to hike on a few more miles. We hope to meet up with him later. All of us had dinner with the best meal going to Will. He scored some olive oil from the pizza place yesterday. He cooked some noodles in it and added some tuna. It was very good.
All of us are heading to bed fairly early tonight. Tomorrow we are hiking into NOC and will spend our first zero day there. Also, my friend Elizabeth is hiking south from the NOC tomorrow to met us on the trail and day hike from there. Before I go, I was told I had to talk about this noise. All of us keep hearing was sounds like a ball dropping from the ridgeline we are staying on. I think it is some to do with rock or granite being pulverized, but it is kinda strange.
Speaking of strange, we learned more about the guy I blogged about the other day. It appears that people are referring to him as "Wildman." Supposedly the markings on his face are self tattoos and he has more on his legs. We were told that he is carrying around a machete and was seen cutting a tree for like three days straight. No one really knows how he ended up on the trail, but we were told it has been a good thing for him as he is discovering himself. Don't really know what that means, but I hope it is a good thing. The trail teaches each his own, and I wish him the best. I hope he stays warm and safe as it looked like he really wasn't prepared, but I could be wrong. That is all I have tonight.
TGIF even though that doesn't mean much out here. Out, BT.
I feel like most of today was spent hiking just to stay warm. The day was very dreary and hazy. Some places were kind of dark to walk through. Brad described some of the path as an Ewac (sp?) village. It fit. We also had more snow on the ground and were occassionally pelted with ice falling from the trees.
At 9.2 miles for the day we made it to the top of Wayah Bald. We ended up having lunch in the doorway to a bathroom beside the parking lot as that was the only place to escape the cold and mist. Afterwards, we were hoping the fog/haze would burn off to see the Smokies from an observation tower, but that was not the case. We made a 3 second stop and kept going.
A little down the path, I stopped to us a privy at a shelter. A privy is pretty much an outhouse for a hiker. Brad had taken another path to go get water. Will was with me, but took off as I was putting on my pack and was gone before I knew it. I went back to where all the trails met, but didn't see anyone. Not knowing where people were I just started to hike. I hiked by myself for about two hours and only saw one guy. I stopped to look at the map and Brad came rolling up. Neither of us knew who was ahead and who was behind. We hiked together until we caught up with Stickerbush and Danger Mouse. All of us the made it to the shelter where we found Will.
The shelter was already full. I have yet to stay in a shelter, but that is fine with me. A tent gives me my personal space. All of us hiked a little down the trail and set up our tents on a ridgeline. About 30 minutes later the sun came out enough to heat us up a little bit and finally burn off the fog. The view through the trees is great, and all of us are looking forward to a good sunrise.
Mike, from Ukraine, stopped by and said he was going to hike on a few more miles. We hope to meet up with him later. All of us had dinner with the best meal going to Will. He scored some olive oil from the pizza place yesterday. He cooked some noodles in it and added some tuna. It was very good.
All of us are heading to bed fairly early tonight. Tomorrow we are hiking into NOC and will spend our first zero day there. Also, my friend Elizabeth is hiking south from the NOC tomorrow to met us on the trail and day hike from there. Before I go, I was told I had to talk about this noise. All of us keep hearing was sounds like a ball dropping from the ridgeline we are staying on. I think it is some to do with rock or granite being pulverized, but it is kinda strange.
Speaking of strange, we learned more about the guy I blogged about the other day. It appears that people are referring to him as "Wildman." Supposedly the markings on his face are self tattoos and he has more on his legs. We were told that he is carrying around a machete and was seen cutting a tree for like three days straight. No one really knows how he ended up on the trail, but we were told it has been a good thing for him as he is discovering himself. Don't really know what that means, but I hope it is a good thing. The trail teaches each his own, and I wish him the best. I hope he stays warm and safe as it looked like he really wasn't prepared, but I could be wrong. That is all I have tonight.
TGIF even though that doesn't mean much out here. Out, BT.
March 25 - 4.7 / 108.6
Sorry, my connection was not good last night. So here is yesterday's entry...
Today was a short day when it comes to hiking. This morning we got up and broke camp around 8. We hiked 3.8 miles down to Winding Stair Gap and US 64. An older couple and their pastor were there with coffee, hot chocolate, chips, cookies, and other goodies. We all had our fair share while waiting for the shuttle. Also the was a guy named Jon, going by Caribou, and his dog Yolo. They were both at the shelter last night. Something instantly amazed me about Caribou. He is not only hiking the trail, but he is deaf. Once I realized this, I went over to him and signed "My name is Brian." This was something I learned when I was like 3 or 4 and still remember it today. Shortly after he was spelling out his name and his dog's name. I signed asking where he was from and he said D.C. After realizing that I was mainly having to sign words letter by letter, he pulled out a pen and paper. It gave me a good laugh. He mentioned he was going to stay in Franklin tonight to get some better rest and then start increasing his miles to what our pace has been.
Before we knew it, the shuttle showed up and took us to the Budget Inn is Franklin. The Inn is owned by the same guy who owned the Inn we stayed at in Hiawassee, Ron Haven. Ron is a great guy and very hiker friendly. He owns a view motels/inns along the trail. He has staff that runs shuttles to and from the town as well as into the towns for resupply and what not. Ron actually showed up this afternoon and started driving the shuttle himself. He took quite a few people to an outfitter and then was going to take them to Wal-Mart and even some to the movie theater. He even offered to take us back to the trail if we were still there later this evening. He definitely has a good heart to help out people like us.
From the hotel, Will and Jimmy went to pick us some packages sent to the local post office. The rest of us headed to the Ingles to get some food for the next two days. Soon enough, W and J showed up and said they had gotten us a ride to the Three Eagles Outfitter. We all piled in to an SUV and it turned out the lady driving was the mother of the manager for the outfitter. She was very nice. At the outfitter we all purchased the items we needed or at least thought we needed. I left with a new pair of rain gloves and camp shoes. I am going to try them out over the next few days and send what I don't want back with Michelle who is meeting me at the NOC. Stickerbush and Danger Mouse (Nora officially said that was her trail name) got a taxi and ran some more errands. W, J, and I headed back toward a pizza joint that a few had recommended. Soon enough a guy in an exercusion pulled over to give us a ride. I wish I could remember his name, but it has slipped my mind. He told us he had to go pick up his daughter so we ended up riding with him to a local church to pick her up from day school. He then dropped us off at Main Street Pizza. While thankimg him, I noticed he was a UT alumn. He actually had gome to UT Memphis for dental school.
Stickerbush and DM met us, and we had a great lunch. If you are ever in Franklin, the stop at Main Street Pizza. After lunch, S and DM headed back to the trail. W, J, and I went back to the Budget Inn to figure out how to get Jimmy back to his car near Helen...some 60 miles away. We ended up finding a guy, but it wasn't cheap. We sent Jimmy on his way amd then waited a few more hours for a former co-worker of mine to arrive. Once Brad arrived, we said our goodbyes to those at the Inn, including Caribou and Yolo. Caribou has my number and is going to try to meet up with us. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to hang out with him and see life through the way he experiences it.
Also looking forward to hanging out with Brad. I like having the chance of people meeting me along the way. You don't even have to hike. Feel free to help with a ride to a town, surprise us with food, or even just stop to say hello. The experience with Sleepy Pizza and Clark was one I will never forget. I really am glad I got to hang out with them and am looking forward to it happening again down the road. Stuart and I are already planning the Smokies and a hostel further north.
Brad, Will, and I started to walk back to the trail head which was 10 miles from town. With my thumb out, a small SUV pulled over. It was a couple probably in their 30's. We told them where we were going and they told us to get in. Then they realized there were 3 of us needing to fit in their vehicle which was already occupied by two baby seats. The moved the seats to the back, and the three us us, with our packs in our laps, headed back out to the trail around 7 or 8 this evening.
We hiked a mile in to a site where SB and DM had already set up. Also here are a brother and sister duo we met two days ago, Gilly and Skylar. We had a quick dinner just in time to get camp set up and the bear bags hung before the rain. It is raining right now and the wind is picking up. Time for me to join the others for a little rest. Looking to do 16 miles tomorrow. Keep on keepin' on.
BowTie
Today was a short day when it comes to hiking. This morning we got up and broke camp around 8. We hiked 3.8 miles down to Winding Stair Gap and US 64. An older couple and their pastor were there with coffee, hot chocolate, chips, cookies, and other goodies. We all had our fair share while waiting for the shuttle. Also the was a guy named Jon, going by Caribou, and his dog Yolo. They were both at the shelter last night. Something instantly amazed me about Caribou. He is not only hiking the trail, but he is deaf. Once I realized this, I went over to him and signed "My name is Brian." This was something I learned when I was like 3 or 4 and still remember it today. Shortly after he was spelling out his name and his dog's name. I signed asking where he was from and he said D.C. After realizing that I was mainly having to sign words letter by letter, he pulled out a pen and paper. It gave me a good laugh. He mentioned he was going to stay in Franklin tonight to get some better rest and then start increasing his miles to what our pace has been.
Before we knew it, the shuttle showed up and took us to the Budget Inn is Franklin. The Inn is owned by the same guy who owned the Inn we stayed at in Hiawassee, Ron Haven. Ron is a great guy and very hiker friendly. He owns a view motels/inns along the trail. He has staff that runs shuttles to and from the town as well as into the towns for resupply and what not. Ron actually showed up this afternoon and started driving the shuttle himself. He took quite a few people to an outfitter and then was going to take them to Wal-Mart and even some to the movie theater. He even offered to take us back to the trail if we were still there later this evening. He definitely has a good heart to help out people like us.
From the hotel, Will and Jimmy went to pick us some packages sent to the local post office. The rest of us headed to the Ingles to get some food for the next two days. Soon enough, W and J showed up and said they had gotten us a ride to the Three Eagles Outfitter. We all piled in to an SUV and it turned out the lady driving was the mother of the manager for the outfitter. She was very nice. At the outfitter we all purchased the items we needed or at least thought we needed. I left with a new pair of rain gloves and camp shoes. I am going to try them out over the next few days and send what I don't want back with Michelle who is meeting me at the NOC. Stickerbush and Danger Mouse (Nora officially said that was her trail name) got a taxi and ran some more errands. W, J, and I headed back toward a pizza joint that a few had recommended. Soon enough a guy in an exercusion pulled over to give us a ride. I wish I could remember his name, but it has slipped my mind. He told us he had to go pick up his daughter so we ended up riding with him to a local church to pick her up from day school. He then dropped us off at Main Street Pizza. While thankimg him, I noticed he was a UT alumn. He actually had gome to UT Memphis for dental school.
Stickerbush and DM met us, and we had a great lunch. If you are ever in Franklin, the stop at Main Street Pizza. After lunch, S and DM headed back to the trail. W, J, and I went back to the Budget Inn to figure out how to get Jimmy back to his car near Helen...some 60 miles away. We ended up finding a guy, but it wasn't cheap. We sent Jimmy on his way amd then waited a few more hours for a former co-worker of mine to arrive. Once Brad arrived, we said our goodbyes to those at the Inn, including Caribou and Yolo. Caribou has my number and is going to try to meet up with us. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to hang out with him and see life through the way he experiences it.
Also looking forward to hanging out with Brad. I like having the chance of people meeting me along the way. You don't even have to hike. Feel free to help with a ride to a town, surprise us with food, or even just stop to say hello. The experience with Sleepy Pizza and Clark was one I will never forget. I really am glad I got to hang out with them and am looking forward to it happening again down the road. Stuart and I are already planning the Smokies and a hostel further north.
Brad, Will, and I started to walk back to the trail head which was 10 miles from town. With my thumb out, a small SUV pulled over. It was a couple probably in their 30's. We told them where we were going and they told us to get in. Then they realized there were 3 of us needing to fit in their vehicle which was already occupied by two baby seats. The moved the seats to the back, and the three us us, with our packs in our laps, headed back out to the trail around 7 or 8 this evening.
We hiked a mile in to a site where SB and DM had already set up. Also here are a brother and sister duo we met two days ago, Gilly and Skylar. We had a quick dinner just in time to get camp set up and the bear bags hung before the rain. It is raining right now and the wind is picking up. Time for me to join the others for a little rest. Looking to do 16 miles tomorrow. Keep on keepin' on.
BowTie
Thursday, March 25, 2010
March 24 - 19.3 / 103.9 miles
Sorry about not posting last night. Yesterday was a long day of 19.7 miles. At 14.4 miles in, we decided why not hike another 5 miles and have a little less than 4 miles into Franklin, NC. By the time we rolled into Rock Gap Shelter, daylight was running out and all I wanted was to get my tent sent up and some food made. It did that and then crashed.
Overall, the ups and downs for the day were fairly easy compaired to most days. That helped with such the long distance. The weather was also great...sunny and hot. At about five miles in for the day, all of us were in shorts and short sleeves and some even ventured to go shirtless. I think I even got a littled sunburned. We ate lunch at Carter Gap Shelter. Mike, from Ukraine, showed up as we were leaving.
Late in the day, we made it to Albert Mtn. It was a 500 ft climb in about 0.3 miles. It was pretty extreme. A ranger watchtower was at the top of the mountain and offered some pretty good views. Again, pictures are coming.
We "slayed" the last 5.3 miles in 1 hour 40 minutes. Jimmy provided the word slayed. As I was laying in my tent last night, the other people at the shelter were talking about the "strange" kid. Somehow he got in front of us and made it to the shelter. He was there when the others arrived. We think he took a side trail that cut off about 12 miles of the AT.
Finally, we hit the hundred mile mark yesterday. There were some sticks on the ground noting this. Other than that, uneventful.
Currently we are in Franklin, NC. I'll get another post out later tonight.
Overall, the ups and downs for the day were fairly easy compaired to most days. That helped with such the long distance. The weather was also great...sunny and hot. At about five miles in for the day, all of us were in shorts and short sleeves and some even ventured to go shirtless. I think I even got a littled sunburned. We ate lunch at Carter Gap Shelter. Mike, from Ukraine, showed up as we were leaving.
Late in the day, we made it to Albert Mtn. It was a 500 ft climb in about 0.3 miles. It was pretty extreme. A ranger watchtower was at the top of the mountain and offered some pretty good views. Again, pictures are coming.
We "slayed" the last 5.3 miles in 1 hour 40 minutes. Jimmy provided the word slayed. As I was laying in my tent last night, the other people at the shelter were talking about the "strange" kid. Somehow he got in front of us and made it to the shelter. He was there when the others arrived. We think he took a side trail that cut off about 12 miles of the AT.
Finally, we hit the hundred mile mark yesterday. There were some sticks on the ground noting this. Other than that, uneventful.
Currently we are in Franklin, NC. I'll get another post out later tonight.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
March 23 - 16.7 / 84.2 miles
I thought I enjoyed hiking in the snow. But I found outr today there is a huge difference between hiking while snowing and hiking in inches of snow.
The morning began with a hitch in the back of Caveman's truck the 11 miles back to the trail head. His wife came into Hiawassee last night so he was only going to put in 4 miles this afternoon. The morning was fairly decent except for the cold weather. We made it 4.5 miles to Plumorchard Gap in really good time. This is when we met the first "strange" guy our entire trip. From the trail leading to the shelter at the gap came this guy with his pack on his back, what appeared to be a longsleeve cotton shirt (you don't wear cotton hiking!), and he was holding his sleeping bag. As he got closer we noticed he had some marks on his cheeks. I thought he had been in a fight or something. But I some noticed it was either stamps, sharpie, or some crazy tattoo. We asked how he was doing and all he said was "cold" and kept walking. More of him later.
At 8.9 miles we finally made it to the GA/NC state line and the Nantahala National Forest. The miles were slower since Plumorchard due to the snow that had fallen the night before. The state line was just a sign on a tree, but we knew a famous tree was close by. We continued to hike the next tenth of a mile to Bly Gap but the snow on the ground seemed to get worse. At Bly we saw the most photographed tree on the trail. It is a really old oak that is right in the middle of the trail but is oddly shaped. We took pics and continued on. We went the next mile or so over Sharp Top and Courthouse Bald. Both of these seemed to be straight up. Plus the ground was covered in snow/ice about 3 or 4 inches thick. A cloud was coming through so you really couldn't see. Every step forward was almost a half step back. It was miserable and very slow going.
After a while we made it to Muskrat Creek Shelter. This put us at 11.8 for the day, and we had all intentions on staying there. However the shelter was very full with people who had stayed at Bly Gap the night before. They couldn't make more than 2 or 3 miles for the day since they were so cold. One gut told us it was down in the 20's. With the wind chill, I would be willing to bet it was 0 degrees or colder. We had lunch at the shelter,b but before we could leave, the guy I mentioned above showed up. None of remember passing him so we have no idea how he got behind us. He was into the full shelter and just begins to unpack his stuff. All 20 or so people just kept watching him not knowing what he was going to do next. He roamed around, had a pb and j, the repacked his stuff (still with his sleeping bag in his arms). Then all of a sudden he just took off running down the trail. None of us knew what to make of it. THEN...about a mile or so later we come around a bend and he is just sitting in the woods staring. I didn't see him at first, but will did and spoke up. Will asked where he was staying for the night. He looked at us with almost no emotion and said "the mountain." We just said alright and kept moving. It was a freaky encounter. We made sure the last one back did not hike alone.
The end of our journey brought us almost 16.7 miles and just downhill from Standing Indian shelter. We found a camp area and just set up there. We found out during dinner that the shelter was not full and that if we had kept hiking the we probably would have been able to get all of us in the shelter. Oh well, I kind of like having my own space in my tent. Mike, a guy originally from the Ukraine and who we had met back at Neels Gap is with us also.
Tomorrow we have some options on how far we are going to go. It is either going to be 11, 14, or 19 miles. If we feel good then we are going to do the 19 which will leave us only 3 or so to Franklin. There we will resupply, meet up with a former co-worker of mine who is joining us until the NOC, and getting Will's friend Jimmy back to his car near Helen. We'll see if that happens. Today was our longest day yet, and I am felling it. The pain from my knees of going downhill has now moved to my shins. I hope I am not getting shin splints. My last few miles were very rough and I could not put all the weight on my right leg. I also got my first blister. It is on my right pinkie toe. I'll wrap it in tape tomorrow and keep putting Hydropel (anti-blister ointment) on it.
Thanks for all the comments and prayers. To comment back on a few...Richie, a BIFF is a bathroom in forest floor and yes, Sleepy Pizza is a wimp. Colby, it is 2010, but going to towns for a resupply and sleeping in a 1 star motel/inn is not glamorous. I'd rather be in my tent. It is must cleaner.
Before I sign off after a long post, don't forget to pledge money to a children's charity. A penny a mile is only 20 dollars once I complete the whole trail. Thanks to those who have already pledged. I will get the actual money raise based on the number of miles I have hiked updated as soon as possible.
Night...Bowtie
The morning began with a hitch in the back of Caveman's truck the 11 miles back to the trail head. His wife came into Hiawassee last night so he was only going to put in 4 miles this afternoon. The morning was fairly decent except for the cold weather. We made it 4.5 miles to Plumorchard Gap in really good time. This is when we met the first "strange" guy our entire trip. From the trail leading to the shelter at the gap came this guy with his pack on his back, what appeared to be a longsleeve cotton shirt (you don't wear cotton hiking!), and he was holding his sleeping bag. As he got closer we noticed he had some marks on his cheeks. I thought he had been in a fight or something. But I some noticed it was either stamps, sharpie, or some crazy tattoo. We asked how he was doing and all he said was "cold" and kept walking. More of him later.
At 8.9 miles we finally made it to the GA/NC state line and the Nantahala National Forest. The miles were slower since Plumorchard due to the snow that had fallen the night before. The state line was just a sign on a tree, but we knew a famous tree was close by. We continued to hike the next tenth of a mile to Bly Gap but the snow on the ground seemed to get worse. At Bly we saw the most photographed tree on the trail. It is a really old oak that is right in the middle of the trail but is oddly shaped. We took pics and continued on. We went the next mile or so over Sharp Top and Courthouse Bald. Both of these seemed to be straight up. Plus the ground was covered in snow/ice about 3 or 4 inches thick. A cloud was coming through so you really couldn't see. Every step forward was almost a half step back. It was miserable and very slow going.
After a while we made it to Muskrat Creek Shelter. This put us at 11.8 for the day, and we had all intentions on staying there. However the shelter was very full with people who had stayed at Bly Gap the night before. They couldn't make more than 2 or 3 miles for the day since they were so cold. One gut told us it was down in the 20's. With the wind chill, I would be willing to bet it was 0 degrees or colder. We had lunch at the shelter,b but before we could leave, the guy I mentioned above showed up. None of remember passing him so we have no idea how he got behind us. He was into the full shelter and just begins to unpack his stuff. All 20 or so people just kept watching him not knowing what he was going to do next. He roamed around, had a pb and j, the repacked his stuff (still with his sleeping bag in his arms). Then all of a sudden he just took off running down the trail. None of us knew what to make of it. THEN...about a mile or so later we come around a bend and he is just sitting in the woods staring. I didn't see him at first, but will did and spoke up. Will asked where he was staying for the night. He looked at us with almost no emotion and said "the mountain." We just said alright and kept moving. It was a freaky encounter. We made sure the last one back did not hike alone.
The end of our journey brought us almost 16.7 miles and just downhill from Standing Indian shelter. We found a camp area and just set up there. We found out during dinner that the shelter was not full and that if we had kept hiking the we probably would have been able to get all of us in the shelter. Oh well, I kind of like having my own space in my tent. Mike, a guy originally from the Ukraine and who we had met back at Neels Gap is with us also.
Tomorrow we have some options on how far we are going to go. It is either going to be 11, 14, or 19 miles. If we feel good then we are going to do the 19 which will leave us only 3 or so to Franklin. There we will resupply, meet up with a former co-worker of mine who is joining us until the NOC, and getting Will's friend Jimmy back to his car near Helen. We'll see if that happens. Today was our longest day yet, and I am felling it. The pain from my knees of going downhill has now moved to my shins. I hope I am not getting shin splints. My last few miles were very rough and I could not put all the weight on my right leg. I also got my first blister. It is on my right pinkie toe. I'll wrap it in tape tomorrow and keep putting Hydropel (anti-blister ointment) on it.
Thanks for all the comments and prayers. To comment back on a few...Richie, a BIFF is a bathroom in forest floor and yes, Sleepy Pizza is a wimp. Colby, it is 2010, but going to towns for a resupply and sleeping in a 1 star motel/inn is not glamorous. I'd rather be in my tent. It is must cleaner.
Before I sign off after a long post, don't forget to pledge money to a children's charity. A penny a mile is only 20 dollars once I complete the whole trail. Thanks to those who have already pledged. I will get the actual money raise based on the number of miles I have hiked updated as soon as possible.
Night...Bowtie
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