10/25/2022
Hey Family and Friends
This is a VERY long-awaited letter/story of my trip of the Appalachian Trail that I did from March 31st to May 28th. I was out for 59 days, and I been on the extreme side of the weather out on the trail, from upper teens at night to 70’s during the days.
The first couple days out it was COLD. The first day out I did the Approach Trail it was wet. When I left Christi and Andy’s house it was raining and when I started the Approach Trail it was drizzling, and I was decked out in my rain gear to head out. The only views that I saw was foggy mist. I got to the shelter that I stayed for the first night around 8 at night, after starting the trail about 10 in the morning. By the time I got to the shelter I was cold and wet, me going between my long sleeve shirt and my rain jacket. I got my tent up and forced some food in me.
This night was the first of three nights that that was down to 20 degrees if not upper teens and it was windy on top of that. I did not sleep more than couple of hours that night. The next morning was little bit of a slow start and filtered water before I left for the trail since I didn’t get to do it the night before and I had breakfast while I was hiking.
This day ended in a turn that I didn’t plan, started out cold but sunny which is a plus over cold and rain. I was heading to a shelter that was 8 miles away from where I started that morning. It was the day that I got lost……………… And it was the only day where I got lost. Along the trail there are white blazes that are on the trees to mark the path to make sure you are going the right way; I saw some but they were few and far between. I think some of the marked trees ended up coming down to do big heavy storms the weekend before I started and that might have been part of why I got lost. I came up on a gravel service road and saw a sign for drinks and snacks 200 yards to my left and I went straight on what looked like the trail. And why would I want to do 400 yards round trip for drinks and snacks, right?
Wrong!!! If I had turned left at that homemade sign I wouldn’t have gotten lost and spent a chunk of the afternoon and evening getting lost and freaking out that I was lost and have no idea where I was and by the time that I had set my tent up at a stealth campsite, unmarked campsite, in the middle of what looked like a trail by 7 that night and I was getting cold and tired. I also forced myself to eat and I filter water from a stream that was close by. That stream I ended up crossing quite of few times, royally soaking my boots. That night was also brutally cold night as well with the temps right around the night before but not as windy.
That night ended up with me sleeping few hours putting me in a mental slump. I ended up packing everything in my tent and the last things that I did was pack my up my tent and put my boots on. My feet turned into blocks of ice. It took half of the 0.75 of a mile back to the trail before I got feeling back in them. Top all of that my sunglasses broke within the first 10 minutes of the hike for the day. When I finally got back to the trail there was a group that was doing trail magic, trail magic is where people come out and have fruit and drinks, like hot coffee, for hikers. There was one hiker that was done and told another hiker and I heard coffee and that was the end of that day hike.
My mental stat was throwing reg flags left and right. One of the guys was nice enough to bring me into town for the night. And that was the best decision that I made that day, if I hadn’t listened to my mental state that day I wouldn’t have made it to 3080.5 miles. And I just need that night to get good night sleep and out of the brutal cold at night. Once I got back on, I kept going and ended up doing several small days before doing the big push over Blood Mountain. That was way rough, rough climb up and a steep rough hard on the knees climb down. Coming down I ended up slipping and I just sat down, it happened so fast that I didn’t know what happened. It was one of those “What just Happen?!?!” moments. And I finished gimping down the mountain to Neils Gap and the outfitter there, where I camped out back and did laundry there to.
I kept going for another 20-30 miles before I start getting my appetite back. I did 8.1 miles with good elevation profile. I stopped at Unicoi Gap to get some trail magic and I ended up staying for 30 minutes and I ate! I felt like I ate like a pig. And still got till to the shelter in good time. Up until that I day, I was only eating one meal a day because I wasn’t hungry and I was forcing myself to eat that one meal.
It was at Unicoi Gap were my appetite started coming back and starting to get my tail legs. The day that I did the 8.1 miles, with the 30 min break with tail magic, I had allot of ups and downs and still manage to get to the shelter in good time where I can do my camp chores and relax before going to bed.
I kept trekking and made it to GA/NC border, it was a sunny warm day. Just about quarter of a mile just pass the border, I was talking with another Hiker and mentioned that I couldn’t get Guthooks, gps navigator app that works on your phone with cell service and in airplane mode, to show where I was along the trail. She was able to help me and showed me where go to show where I was. By this time I was 80 miles in and I was just winging it but it came in use after the hiker helped me.
The terrain in NC was still hard and tough as GA but I was keep plugging away and still having good and bad days. And one of those bad days was Albert Mountain, rough and fear of heights trigger. I left camp right around the time that I normally leave, and when I got to Albert Mountain and I had to free style rock climb. Yes! Rock Climbing with 35ish pound pack onyour back and no rock climbing equipment, not for the faint of heart!!
I know I would have to do some rock climbing but more towards the Mid-Atlantic/New England states but not this south. Between the rock climbing and a drop off to my right as a walking up to the top of a 5,250 foot mountain the fear of heights got triggered and I started to freak out and was texting family and pretty sure my dad was laughing at me at home in the comfort of his recliner…….
I ended up calming down enough to keep going and pass A HUGE MILESTONE. 100 Miles!!!! I was still little shaken up over the climb up to fully appreciate the full amount of the milestone. And the best part I was able to get into camp before 5, almost 9 miles in 8 hrs. and at that shelter is where I felt peace and relieve just seating by a small flowing stream.
With couple more days out hiking I went into Franklin, TN for two nights as there was a cod snap for those two nights and if I can avoid the cold snap and get a full day in town, I, taken it up and not have to deal with it again like the first two nights….. it was nice to just have a day in town to get town chores done. For lunch and dinner I ended up hanging out with a group of hikers that where in town as well, and some did order Adult drinks and I was the only one that didn’t and they didn’t ask me or I hope didn’t judge me that I didn’t drink.
When I got back on the trail I took it easy since I had a short day and went up to Siler Bald. It reminded me so much of going up to Michigan to visit grandparents and going sledding at a camp that was close to where we were staying. And the views up there AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! Cant beat them. And I ended staying in my tent the next day due to rain and I didn’t feel like packing up, hiking and setting back up in the rain.
After Siler Bald Shelter I started to push myself by going either one of two shelters and usually ended up at the shorter distance shelter. I started to think that the option of Flip-Flop. A flip-flop is where you start at Point A go to a point between Point A and Point B, go up to Point B and go down to where you left between points A and B. And family said that I wont be able to finish in time and with the flip-flop I would have 3 weeks more to work with. I was averaging about 5 miles at that time I needed to be averaging about 12 miles a day just to get it done or close before Baxter State Park in Maine close the summit of Kahatdin.
My first longest mileage day was 10.7 miles from where I camped to the shelter right before a small out post town and there was few parts was hard and steep right along the ridge line that I was walking on. And had to sit and butt scoot down to where I can keep walking and did the that in 10 hours and rolled in as it was getting dark in the valley where the shelter was. There were people there with their tents set up and I ended up having the shelter to myself and there was hiker let me hang my food bag with his since at that shelter there was no good spots to hang your food bags and no bear boxes or bear cables to store or hang your bags.
The next morning I finished the way into the NOC, Nantahala Outdoor Center, and started to charge my phone and power bank, or at least give it enough charge to hold me over to Fontana Dam that was couple days out. While I was waiting for that I got lunch with a group of hikers and got the permit for the Smokies printed out. Ended up going about 2 miles out of the NOC to stealth camp that night. The section between the NOC to Fontana Dam was uneventful and when I saw the Fontana Lake I started to start thinking of the grandpas and how the love to take the family out on the water. Side Note: Fontana Dam is the Highest Dam in the Eastern USA.
The Great Smokies Mountains. After a night stay at Fontana Dam resort I was on my way to start my 8 day trek through the Smokies. First several days was uneventful except for going up and over Thunderhead Mountain with Thunderstorm(s) going around me. In that 9 mile day I was more freaking out of the lighting, than missing a step and hurting myself since the trail was a rushing creek. Thankfully I didn’t get hit and the few people that were hiking ahead of me didn’t get hit. The next couple of days I have heard that two gals had gotten hit, one was worse than the other, far as I know they are alive and don’t know if they have any major lingering affects from the lightning hit and there where also about 7 people that also got hit that I have no idea what the outcome of those people. Right around that time and in my way up to Clingmans Dome there was couple bears the meander into camp after I retired to my tent for the night and I heard couple guys alert us other hikers and scared them away. About 30 min later another one actually meander through the camp. Side Note: I always wanted to see a bear to saw that I saw a bear but I stayed in my tent that night.
Going up Clingsman Dome, there’s one spot where the landscape made feel like Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit. From there I got my most favorite photo from the AT. When I got up to the Dome, I went up on the Overlook Tower and mom was surprised that I went up there after I sent some pictures and update. Clingmans Dome is another Huge Milestone of 200 Miles. After Clingmans Dome, I kept hiking north with some cooler wether with hail in the morning. Once I got north of Newfound Gap, which is about halfway through the Smokies and start going between Tennessee and North Carolina, I’ll be bouncing between TN and NC till I got off and head home.
Also I needed to do some planning with the the shelters and mileage because the second to last shelter was closed to do bear activity, that day would be a high mileage day. When I was couple shelters away from the closed shelter I did a biggest day of 12.6 mile day and missed a shelter that was about 0.5 mile off the trail. And during the 12 mile hike I started to think of one of my grandpa’s and came in to a crowed shelter and no cell service to talk about my day to My Man.
After my biggest day to get to the shelter that I stayed at right before the closed shelter was the busiest one that I have seen and been in. And the next day was another high milage day of 14.6 mile day pass the closed shelter and going to the last shelter in the Smokies and in last mile to the shelter strap on my pack broke. Thankfully I had cell service so I can look into how to replace my pack and there where a small group of hikers that stayed at that come in and helped field patch the strap so I can get out of the Smokies and be able get to a town where I can get a new pack mailed to me or go to an Outfitters so I can pick up a new pack.
From the last shelter to the place that I will be staying to stay to charge everything, shower, laundry, and figure out how to get a new pack to me on the trail was just under 4 miles. When I got up and started to head out I had let mom and dad know where I was going and let them know that my phone and my Garmin satellite gps is close to being dead. On my way to the place that I was staying at I had seen someone that I hadn’t seen in a month and I saw his service dog first and called out to the fellow hiker and at first he didn’t recognized my voice till I told him that it was me.
Once I got in to Standing Bear Farm where I would be spending the night. I called mom to help me with getting the ticket in to were I got my pack in and to see if they can warranty the pack out and mail me a new one to Hot Springs by Friday or Saturday. Thankfully it was under warranty after they reviewed the ticket and the pictures that I sent to mom to include in it.
From there I did about 35 miles from Standing Bear Farm to Hot Springs, the first day out had steep climbs in it and stealth camp pass a shelter that had bear activity at it. One of the Smaller Iconic spots on the Trail is Max Patch with its views, and the day that I go up it has to be foggy, damp, and misty. After a bummy day with the weather the day prier with Max Patch, the weather decided to give me fabulous weather for the day that I pulled my biggest day yet of 14.7 miles, beating my previous mile high by 0.1 mile. In spite another record breaking day for me but also another day were I deeply missed my grandpa and missing home. And with that I was really bumming out that I wouldn’t be seeing him for Memorial Day or for your birthday with my mom and GG. Spent the night just couple miles out from Hot Springs for the night.
That morning that I went into Hoy Springs I was up and out by 8. Knowing that I was 3 miles from hot breakfast and COFFEE!! Mom was surprised that she had gotten a link to track me on my Garmin about 1-2.5 hours before I normally head out for the day and when I said coffee and breakfast in town, she understood. The tracking number for my new pack was saying Monday when it would be delivered to the post office, which means 3 days in Hot Springs. Great, missing out on 3 days in the trail and good weather. But it turned out that it was delivered on Saturday but didn’t know until to late.
After I got my new pack from the post office, moved my stuff over to the new pack, and mailed the old one home I was finally on my way in the trail. Didn’t do the miles that I wanted to for that day and the bugs. Climbing out of Hot Springs was steep and hard to do after spending 3 days of the trail waiting for my new pack.
With the weather getting warmer, not drinking enough water, and the bugs started to come out in droves didn’t help my mental state at all. And top of that I felt like I was going to run out of food before getting into the next town for a resupply. Up to this point I have gotten good of estimating when I would get into camp but today was one of those “nope not today” days. Was thinking that’s going to be about 14 miler day and I’ll be getting in about 6ish. Nope, not in about 8 after pulling a whooping 15.5 miles. After I got in and got set up and gotten water, it was pretty much dark and I was ready to crash for the night.
After long the day before and forcing myself to eat, the next day was not a good mental day for me at all. Going to bed in a bad mood sets up a bad day the next day. Even though started out bad it turned into a good day as I got up to Big Bald on a fabulous day and was able to see the views. After I got a video of doing 360 degree turn and texted it home, Big Sister responded back with the view reminded her of the song How Great Thou Art. After that day’s hike, dad and I made a bet to get 796.5 to Boiling Spring, PA. Mine was Mid – July and 300 miles early in Tennessee the last 80 miles what it’s really hard times it was more and more Juanita come home to the tall ad’s was end of July. The bet was the loser owes the winner Black Forrest coffee and ice cream. Well………… no one won since I came home at the end of May.
First really warm day on the trail and missed that fact that the shelter that I was going to didn’t have water source there after I got there so I needed to go back about quarter of a mile to get water. It was fine but little bummer. The next day was little bit of a dose, I packed up and left and about a 30 min I realized that I forgot something back at the shelter so I turned around and booked it back to the shelter to get it and then back on the trail in hopes of having cell service to be the call in for Sunday School. Which I had service that whole time, but was little upset because My Man overslept and needed to call some else in the class so I could be included in Sunday School. They were surprised that I called in and had service during my 6 miles into Erwin, TN.
From Erwin, the weather broke and I really started to miss home and my man. Being a walking buffet for the bugs and the water sources were fewer and farther between and unreliable. And being out on the trail makes it hard to plan for a wedding when your man and family was miles away from you and have little to no cell service. Told everyone that I wanted to come home and mom said to give it couple more days but I was dead set to come home. Mom came down and got me at Carvers Gap along TN/NC border.When I got off I had gotten 380.5 miles and getting 300 miles of the Appalachian Trail around Erwin Tennessee.
