Erwin, TN to Damascus, VA (Day 44-56/April 28-May 10)

Day 44 & 45, 4/28 & 4/29; Erwin, TN to Curly Maple Shelter

A lovely day at Uncle Johnny's yesterday. We arrived about 12:15 which means we made GREAT time. An 11+ mile day in about 5 hours of hiking time (6 hrs including breaks) is unheard of for us. In order to accomplish that, we woke at 5AM and were walking out of camp at 6:08. We began by headlamp but very soon we were walking with the rising sun, and less than two hours into our hike we hard our first bear sighting! A mama and her cub which was up a tree. They were down a ravine and a very safe distance away, but we still talked to them and let them know we were there. It was a very neat experience!

We wound up choosing to tent at Uncle Johnny's hostel when we learned that we could also shower and do laundry there, and there was a festival to include low country boil in the evening, And we would also receive free shuttles to food and resupply. It worked out splendidly... Until my allergies flared and I've been itching and congested since. Thank goodness for antihistamine eye drops and Benadryl! 

As Hikers, we eat a lot. We had breakfast at Huddle House. The food was OK, the service terrible! And we stopped at a hiker feed this afternoon before heading up the mountain. The Zion Baptist Church of Jonesboro, TN had burgers and hotdogs with all the fixings, along with chips, beans, coleslaw, veggies, and dessert. It was super tasty and greatly appreciated by all!

We then headed up the 4.5ish miles to the shelter. We're currently in said shelter (normally we prefer to tent, but tenting is limited here), and we're sharing it with mice and a few very large spiders. The destructive nature of mice, and my allergy to spiders had me a bit worried. If there's no part after this one... You know what happened.

Day 46, 4/30; Curly Maple Shelter to Cherry Gap Shelter

What a gorgeous day today was! The sun shone all day, but unlike yesterday there were nice breezes most of the day. We took a long first break while i caught up with my sister and Dad, which was nice. We had a day full of climbs, but they didn't feel terribly bad and the walking was so nice. We topped a mountain to find a small field with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains. We then moved on to Unaka Mountain which was a little challenging for me, but very pretty. There was another Spruce forest, though not nearly as large as the one in the Smokies. But neat just the same. Shortly before the summit we saw a Spruce tree with ornaments, as though it was decorated for Christmas. This was a memorial to young man who who does early in life (I believe by suicide), Max Norrell. We'll go on Facebook and leave a note as we were asked to do. It was a bit sobering to visit. Despite this, we ended the day on a positive, having hung out this evening with The Colonel, U-Turn, Macaroni, Alex, Steel Head, and Alex. All super nice and we're happy to have met the! I felt a little discouraged this afternoon thinking I was too slow, but then I did the math and realized that we managed 12.8 miles in 7ish hours isn't so bad. Tomorrow is a short day at only 9 and change. Looking very forward to an early day!

Day 47, 5/1; Cherry Gap Shelter to Clyde Smith Shelter

We hate rain. I mean, we know it's important and necessary, and we like having water to drink, but walking in it sucks. Today brought rain and wind like I don't think I've ever seen before. I almost took a picture of the leaves on the trees. They were blowing so hard it looked like they would come right off the trees. First it was just wind, then the rain started. My boots were full of water for the first time. We'll see what the morning brings. Our clothes are mostly dry, thankfully.

We're sheltered with some friends and hunkered down for the night. U-Turn is sleeping next to me, and is currently worried about how the mice get up the walls. 

Tomorrow is going to be tough with our last 6,000 foot mountain until New England. We're hoping for a 16 mile day, which is long, hard mileage. We'll see how far we get.

Day 48, Tuesday 5/2; Clyde Smith Shelter to Over Mountain Shelter

Oh wow, what a day! The weather was so absolutely perfect to go over Roan Mountain today! We had expected the climb to be pretty awful, and we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty darn hard. But doable. The sky as we approached the summit was clear and cool with views until forever (aka "the Peter Pan Line" -- thank you Roller Rinkin). The summit if the mountain itself didn't afford much of a view, but after finding our way down (we both hate walking on rocks!) We topped a bald with 360 degree views of the entire valley. It was simply astounding. We walked all day just the two of us as U-Turn and the colonel were an hour or more ahead of us, and we started talking about the night and where we'd sleep. We like to discuss this before arriving so we don't have to have awkward conversations in front of friends. We agreed to try to push the nearly 16 miles to the Over Mountain Shelter. It's a large shelter in an old barn and it's beautiful here! The Barn itself has ties to the revolutionary war era, as it was used as a rendezvous point for the army. We're tented in the grass (I'm already having an allergic reaction) and many of our friends are here. We're discussing tenting at the hostel tomorrow with a few people and maybe going into town for dinner together. We are just loving the people we meet here and look forward to getting to know more of them in the weeks to come. Side note: today marks 7 weeks on the trail, and today was our longest day yet at about 16 miles. Sharon, I missed you terribly today knowing you'd wanted to hike this section with us. We definitely will have to come back together. It's so gorgeous!

Day 49, Wed 5/3; Over Mountain Shelter to Mountain Harbor Hostel (tent)

Last night, we got to camp pretty late and quickly set to doing chores so we could eat and relax. The tent and beds always go up first thing (thanks, Dad), then food, then socialize. We were tired, but glad to be in such a beautiful setting with so many friends, and we agreed that today would be a leisurely day to the hostel. We woke without an alarm this morning to clear skies and sunshine and cool temps, and took our time getting up and moving. It was such a nice start to the day! We got moving about 930 (we usually try to be out of camp by 8) and enjoyed views looking back down over the valley in which we slept. The barn was visible below Mountains stacked to the horizon. We don't make a habit of memorizing terrain in the book, and will often simply look ahead to know basically what kind of day to expect; climbs, downs, easy, difficult, etc. **Please note that we've dubbed our guidebook's elevation profiles, "AWOL'S Book of Lies and Deception" due to the fact that about a 3rd of the time, they seem inaccurate and misleading. Anyhow, we knew there was a bald on today's itinerary, but didn't know much about it. Oh. My. Gosh! The wind was pretty fierce and almost knocked each of us over more than once, but the views simply cannot be described. I videoed them because a panorama wouldn't capture it all. The clearest sky lead way to breath taking views of blue mountains stacked back as far as the eye could see. I have absolutely fallen in love with The Roan Highlands! We did make now after arriving at the hostel that we're all beyond grateful to have had only wind and no rain while we were up there. 

We arrived at the hostel about 230 after a short 9 miles. I day sorry because we hiked 16 yesterday, but today's 9 seemed to take forever! Even Yard Sale agreed that yesterday was tiring and we were both ready to be finished. So we arrived to find that U-Turn and The Colonel are staying the night, set up the tent near a stream on the property, and showered, before Hydro took us to town for pizza! We meet Hydro at Laughing Heart in Hot Springs and he's super nice! He and a friend are using their cars and day hiking together, and then doing trail magic for fellow Hikers. The pizza was pretty great, and the fresh bakery items we so tasty! We highly recommend anyone in the area to check out Wood Fired Pizza!  Add friends like Yard Sale and U-Turn, and a jam session to Backstreet Boys in the car on the way back, and you have yourself a good time. Clean laundry and a shower, well you've just made a hiker's week!! 

Photos are still a challenge on the blogspot app. If you know anyone working with Google, please tell them to fix this. It's a real pain in the butt! Until it works, check out Facebook and Instagram for photos as we can post! Love to you all, and thanks for your loving support! We wouldn't be where we are without you!

Day 50, Thurs 5/4; Mountain Harbour Hostel (tent) to Mountaineer Falls Shelter

Oh my gosh, breakfast at Mountain Harbour Hostel! Holy Wow! They had fresh everything; eggs, egg casseroles, hash brown casserole, breakfast tacos, pastries, muffins, ham, sausage, French toast.... The list goes on. It was all freshly made and tasted amazing!

Otherwise the day was pretty blah. The highlights are that we got one beautiful view, and we crossed the 400 mile mark. The terrain was decent other than the up out of town. We made our 9 miles to the shelter and beat the rain in the process. The storms are supposed to be bad tonight and we are in the shelter. The tree limbs are already falling on the shelter roof and we are safely inside. The next days call for pretty yucky weather and we don't look forward to it at all.  Though Little Foot reports that behind us a bit, a holler was hit with a falling tree limb today and injured. All 18 of us in this 12 person shelter hope that this person is OK. It's scary to know your friends are out there and could be hurt. We learned recently that one of our early friends was the person airlifted out of the Smokies due to hypothermia. Here's hoping the weather report is wrong.

Day 51, Friday 5/5; Mountaineer Falls Shelter to Black Bear Cabins

The weather wasn't as bad as we expected. Last night there was a lot of rain and wind, and we found many downed tree limbs and whole trees as we walked today, but overall it wasn't so bad while walking. It started raining about 1:30 this afternoon which, coincidentally, was about 25 minutes after we'd stopped for lunch to find a note from U-Turn in the trail journal saying they had a reservation at Black Bear and we're welcome to join. Erik and I talked about it for a minute and decided when we were packing up that we would walk the 6 miles to the road and the extra .4 to the cabin.

Day 52, Sat 5/6; Zero day at Black Bear Cabins

So now it's Saturday morning, and we've just awakened from a night of sound sleep after a shower, in a bed, with real pillows and covers, and I think it's the best sleep I've had yet in 7 weeks. We are taking a zero here to let our bodies and minds rest. I've been feeling pretty poorly, mostly due to allergies which have been exactly as expected. Though sleeping in this morning may have helped some as I didn't wake up stuffy in the middle of the night. So zero today and back at it tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Day 53, Sun 5/7; Black Bear Cabins to Iron Mountain Shelter

We had to leave U-Turn at the cabin to spend some rest days with The Colonel. He's not feeling well. It's so strange to be camping without them after weeks of landing together every night. It was becoming pretty familiar. We're excited to spend some time getting to know some others. We hooked with Pig Pen (Alli) some today for the first time and and she's very nice? We had a good talk about life and expectations and how we compare ourselves. 

The weather was nice, the couple of views we got beautiful, and the hiking relatively easy. We're into Damascus on Wednesday for a nearo and a zero, and we're pretty excited. Hoping to see Sweet Tea and Morning Glory there!

Day 54, Mon 5/8; Iron Mountain Shelter Abingdon Shelter

Another 16 miles on the books! It hurts. A lot. Not a lot to share today. Pig Pen has a master's in Divinity and we had an interesting discussion tonight about G-d and religious leaders. We ran into a mom at the last gap whose son is starting his hike from Springer in a few weeks. She had great questions and kind words that come with genuine interest. We arrived to find that Sweet Tea and Morning Glory found us!!! We're SO excited to see them! The Colonel is starting to feel better and we hope to see them in Damascus, where we'll arrive tomorrow! We can't wait for a couple of days off, especially with more bad weather moving in.  More from town.

 

Day 55 & 56, Tue 5/9 & Wed 5/10

We made it to VA!  We're in Damascus for a couple of days and enjoying the down time.  We walked just under 10 miles yesterday to get here a day earlier than expected.  We'd intended to stay about 2 miles out of town and walk in this morning, but decided the terrain looked good and we would come on in.  We stayed at "The Place," which is a hostel run by the local Methodist Church.  Overall it was fine, but it's a bunk house with plywood bunks that you place your sleep pad and bag on.  It's less than ideal for comfort and we didn't sleep well.  Additionally, the "caretaker" is a man we dubbed "The Warden" due to the fact that he seems to think he has some vested power to be a big pain in the butt.  One of the rules is that lights out is at 10 PM.  No big deal as hikers are usually ready sleep by 8, making 10 more than generous.  Since lights out is 10, your bed as to be ready to sleep before 10.  The Warden wandered into our bunk room and informed me that my sleep pad needed to be inflated by 10...it was 3:30.  He was quite irritating to say the least.  We only stayed there the one night, though.  It was cheap (suggested donation of $7 pp) and we needed a bed for the unplanned night in town.  We're headed to a place called Woodchuck Hostel where we are looking forward to a private room with an actual bed for the next two nights!  We hope for decent pillows as well, but we don't want to push our luck.

The hiking yesterday was pretty easy. We had a little rain to start, but it stopped quickly.  We got a picture at the state line and marveled at the fact that we have walked to Virginia, and then continued on.  We'd planned to spend 2 nights here in town, but coming in early has us spending 3 nights/3.5 days.  In part we feel guilty for taking the time, but we also enjoy the time off.  There's so much to do in town and when we jump in and jump out, there's no rest and we leave feeling rushed and frustrated.  So, we're taking our time.  

 

I was able to stop into the pharmacy here in Damascus (Laurel Family Drugstore) and talk with pharmacist, Kim, about my allergies and possible options to better control my body's aversion to the outdoors.  She was so fantastic and helpful and I want to be sure to shout out to the shop--Please visit for any/all pharmacy needs while in Hot Springs!

U-Turn and The Colonel have met up with us after his illness, and we're happy to report he's on the mend!  We hope they'll hike out with us on Friday!  We're excited to be hearing from so many of you on Instagram photos!  We love the encouragement and thrive on the communication from our support system!  Much love to you all--Enjoy the photos!!

Low Country Boil at Uncle Johnny's in Erwin

Lady Slippers are a very rare orchid--we have seen many in the last 4 days and they are gorgeous!

The view from the Overmountain Barn

Hiker Trash jammin' to Backstreet Boys!  Shout out to Hydro for the lift!

We made it to VA!

2/3 of our Tramily--missing U-Turn and The Colonel

notice the white blaze on the sign-the AT goes straight through Damascus!

Grassy Gap Campsite - Hot Springs, NC (Days 22-38)

**Sorry for the exceptionally long post.  We're learning to work with technology in the back country!

 

Day 22; Grassy Gap Campsite to Sassafras Gap Shelter

We wound up with a great campsite last night with Sweet Tea, Morning Glory, Frozen, and Rock found his way in just before bed time. We really like Sweet Tea and Morning Glory.

We woke knowing that today held rain, and we weren't looking forward to it. It started raining shortly after we started walking, and continued for the rest of our walk. The mountain... didn't end. We'd get to the top, the lightening would flash and thinner would rumble, and we'd turn the bend only to find that the damned mountain just kept climbing. I was a little afraid being on one of the tallest peaks around for an entire storm. We finally came to the shelter with the storm still in full force and officially decided we're finished for the day. We only walked four miles, but we were wet and cold and looked forward to stopping.

So we're sheltered at a big shelter (holds 14), with 12 other people, plus tenters, and a trail dog. There are wet clothes hanging from the rafters, literally. And there are more cigarette smoking hikers than I imagined existed. But we're warming up...just in time to do it again tomorrow.

Day 23; Sassafras Gap Shelter to Brown Fork Shelter

We have created a scoring system of our days out here. The day can be bad, OK, or great. An OK day is one that is uneventful. Maybe it went as planned, maybe it didn't. A great day is one that usually brought with it beautiful weather, good people, and all around good hiking. A bad day needs no explanation, only to say how bad and why. Today was an OK day. We expected rain and cold, and instead began hiking in snow. The snow lasted pretty much all day, turning into a "wintery mix" on and off. Let us say that we certainly prefer snow over rain (Sharon, you're so right), though today's was very cold! We had hoped for shelter space as it's dry and, in bad weather, can be warmer than your tent as the walls block some of the wind. A few hikers we know stayed hunkered down today and called it a zero in in the shelter at which we've just arrived on account of the weather, so we're currently in our tent, grateful that were dry and I (Sari/Fresh) have finally warmed up a bit. It takes me about 2 hours to feel comfortable after changing out of wet clothes on a day like today. Thanks, dad, for instilling the value of dry camp stuff in me from a very early age. Anyhow, like I said, not terribly eventful. A good bit of up hill climbs today. Some of them just stupid in angle/grade. We were glad to find camp when we did and get the tent up. Tonight was a cook in the vestibule kind of night as it's frigid outside. A big group we sheltered with last night went into town as have many others. They may be quite wise. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and dry, so here's hoping one more night of cold will pay off in the morning.

Day 24; Brown Fork Gap Shelter to Cable Gap Shelter

Wow, what a beautiful day! Still pretty darn cold and windy, but with sun and easier hiking. We finally got a view today after days in fog, rain, and snow, and remembered the answer to the often asked, "why do you do this?"

It was so gorgeous, we considered making it a 12 mile day to get us to Fontana Hilton Shelter, but cut it in half in preparation for The Smokies coming up in two days. When hiking in the Smokies, you're only allowed to camp in designated camp sites which invariably are either 4 miles apart or 12 miles apart. In most of the other areas of the trail, you can camp in many places with few restrictions. The Smokies are supposed to be beautiful, though, and the forecast looks perfect! So Fontana tomorrow and into town to pick up our mail drop and eat lunch, and then a relaxing evening before launching into The Great Smoky Mountains. This will include a shower at the Fontana "Hilton," a shelter with bear cables, electronics chargers, and a shower. 

We're camped tonight with Honey Bee and T-Squared, among with new faces Sunshine and Pogo. It's s great group and looks like we'll spend some time together over the next week. 

Day 25; Cable Gap Shelter to Fontana Hilton

What a nice day of largely downhill. There were a few boulder fields, but overall it was smooth going.  We arrived at the parking lot to pick up the shuttle into Fontana Village at about 11:30 am, and took the short ride to the resort there where we'd sent a package of resupply (food). We had lunch at the grill there which was pretty good, and found all of the staff to be friendly and helpful. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we were in no hurry, so we dumped our resupply out on the grass and started dividing it all out. We also hit the general store on the property for a few miscellaneous items. We'd read that the store is sparse and overpriced.  We found it to be pretty well stocked with all the typical hiker essentials. It was a bit pricier than the grocery might be, but you save yourself the cost and hassle of mailing a box, so we really feel that the extra cost evens out.

Then... We printed our Smokies permits! We're officially slated for back country data in the Great Smoky Mountains! By the time we arrived at The Fontana Hilton, it was time to throw up the tent and take FREE showers (with warm water, flushing toilets, and sinks)! We enjoyed the rest of the evening with Pogo, Sweet T, Raid, and some new faces.

Day 26; Fontana Hilton to __ Campsite

The Smokies! But oh my gosh the up hill into the renowned park! We stopped short of our original plan as Erik was ready to call it a day. We were a little bummed to not catch up with Taylor and Curt (they're back out today and on par with us), but we have to listen to our bodies. At one point on our relentless up hill, we came to a junction that has a view point and an observation tower. Erik calls the tower "sketchy," as it is 4+ stories tall with open stairs, and it moves with the wind. I made it to the first observation deck and sat down to scoot back down the precarious steps; Erik only made it to the second platform. It was a little much. We came to our campsite about a mile later and made the decision to stay instead of pushing on another 5 miles today. We've net some nice people including the section's Ridge Runner, Nick ("Master Splinter"), and excited chatting for a while. It's now past hiker midnight and time for sleep.

Day 27; __ Campsite to Spence Field Shelter

Today was a great day! The weather was gorgeous, and our walk moderate. As we began our walk, Erik and I agreed that the forest is alive. We heard birds and owls, woodpeckers in the distance on a "very hollow tree" (according to Erik), and we saw these beautiful would be meadows were it not for the forest. Tiny little flowers covered the floor in every direction and it was so picturesque. It looked like a painting, or something out of a story book.

We spent most of the day hiking with Sweet T which was a nice change. Erik Hikers so much faster than I do, and Sweet T and I have very similar paces. So we walked and talked all day, catching Erik for a little while before he'd wander off ahead again. The shelter is full, but not over full with a good group tonight, including a few people we don't know. We still haven't caught Taylor and Colonel (Curt), and I imagine they're now a full day ahead of us. We hope to see them in Hot Springs in a few days.

Another 11+ mile day tomorrow. The Smokies have lived up to the hype so far, so we'll see what the rest of the week holds.

Day 28; Spence Field Shelter to Siler Shelter

The day started beautifully with one of the best views yet atop ____! We were afforded 360 degrees of spectacular! We moved on to see flowers all day with some moderate ups and downs. I took a few photos, but none if them really do the scenes justice. While stopped for lunch with Sweet T, another hiker stopped to say hello. He's from very near where Sweet Tea lives, so they chatted for a minute, and it if nowhere, a young buck with brand new antler buds walked out of the woods and across the trail. He was not 20 feet from us, and was absolutely beautiful! A while later, we ran into Erik (who hikes very quickly) making turkey calls at a wild turkey. He even got the tom to call back once. Pretty darn neat if you ask us! I'm currently listening to an owl coo as I write.

We walked the same distance today as we did yesterday, but it took us nearly 2 hours longer to walk it today, and this caused a bit of stress. The Smokies have been challenging and beautiful. Tomorrow we'll climb Clingman's Dome which is the highs point in the AT. We expect a hard day, but we've also planned to make it a short day, so hopefully we'll get to enjoy some time with a view from up top.

Day 29; Siler Shelter to Mt. Collins Shelter

Let us tell you about today... We started the day as any other and the scenery was the same. Until it wasn't. Because we walked from a southern Georgia/North Carolina first, into a Spruce forest similar to something you might see in the Pacific North West. The transformation took place almost immediately and was so incredible! It smells like a Christmas Tree. The sun shines through the trees to the forest floor covered in pine needles and more types of moss than I think either of us has ever seen. It looks like something straight out of a book! Today's walk was definitely Sari's favorite so far! Other milestones today: We hit our 200 mile mark, Visited Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the AT), and we're half way through the Smokies. The view from Clingman's went on forever on the clear day. We've also become a bit of a spectacle out here. Erik was talking with a couple about the trail and what were doing, and they were flabbergasted. At the end of the discussion, she asked if she could take our photo. The only other this has happened to me was in India. Erik and Sweet Tea (who we've officially adopted as our "tramily") have never experienced this before. Our photo was taken by another woman as well before we left Clingman's. 

Tomorrow will be another short day, only about 7.5 miles. We're all looking forward to it as we're tired and hurting a little after today's rocks and downs. A big Happy Birthday to my mom who I didn't get to talk to today. I'm sorry for the lack of service in the back country. I love you and I hope you're day was fantastic!

Day 30; Mt. Collins Shelter to Ice Water Spring Shelter

We found Taylor ("U-Turn") and Colonel!!! Now our tramily is complete! Today was a pretty great day. We walked a pretty easy 7.5 miles, and found trail magic only about 1.5 miles in. Some sweet ladies who enjoy hiking bring it out for us. They had sweets and peanut butter, crackers, fruit, juice, and soda! We ran into some friends while resting and snacking, and then took off for what we were told was an easy .5 miles up before 1.5 down into Newfound Gap. 

During those two miles we came across a Beech Forest, which happened to be smack in the middle of the Spruce Forest I've loved so much. The space is protected from wild hogs with stile-like barriers. Apparently they destroy the area.

The ladies were right, though, and a little while later we arrived at a large parking lot with LOTS of people. And trail magic! Cookies, fruit, more soda, and jelly beans to go. All this trail magic served two purposes: 1. We are concerned with our peanut butter supply to get us to Davenport which we didn't open today, and 2. It was very tasty and made the day!

While enjoying our snacks at The Gap, we were something of a spectacle. At Clingman's, many people asked questions and we're interested in the hike. Today, people just gawked. One man even tried to slyly take a photo of a bunch of us hanging out taking a break. I know we look like hiker trash, but I didn't know we were photo worthy.

After a while we made our way up the hill to the shelter where Taylor/U-Turn and Colonel had already arrived! We're so glad to be back with them! We caught up some and will do more tomorrow. It'll be a bigger day at about 12 miles, but the terrain looks manageable. We're going to get an early start with the sunrise in the morning.

Day 31; Ice Water Spring Shelter to Tri Corner Shelter

Oh, what a day! We started the day with an early wake up to see the sun rise. It was so beautiful and I'm glad we woke to see it. Very shortly after our start this morning we came upon"Charlie's Bunion" which is a large outcropping of rocks overlooking forever. We were told the view is spectacular, and it most certainly didn't disappoint! We had our biggest mileage day yet (12 miles), and Sweet Tea and I (Sari) had a GREAT hiking day! We pushed on without breaking most of the day, and there were a number of ups! We finished the 12 in about 7.5 hours which is a pretty big deal for us! We're very proud of our accomplishment and are loving looking at where we started and how far we've come. We're also very excited to see how we'll continue to improve. The walk afforded some truly spectacular views today, and we all marveled at how amazing it is that were out here to see it all. Our bodies ache and we're very ready for a break in Hot Springs, but we're really enjoying ourselves! A short day tomorrow at under 8 miles, so we're looking forward to getting it done early and having the afternoon to relax. Only 2 more days in the Smokies. We can't believe how fast this week has gone, but The Smokies are a big accomplishment for us and we're excited to have them under our belts. We hear that about half of the drop outs will have occurred by now, as these days are hard. By Hot Springs (about 6 days away), we'll lose the majority of those who'll throw in the towel in these beginning weeks. Here's to hoping we can manage to accomplish this goal without injury or illness!

Day 32; Tri Corner Shelter to Cosby Knob Shelter

A short day was so very needed! We arrived at camp early and have really just been hanging out. And then...40 people showed up at camp. Thankfully they're mostly thru Hikers, though two were sectioners and knocked the last two arrivals it of the shelter. Unfortunately, there are very few good tent sites here. It's been fun to meet new people and see some we lost when they went into Gatlinburg resupply. 

I was supposed to write something about Little Foot and U-Turn, but I can't remember what it was now. It was very funny a few minutes ago. 

Fortunately, there's not a lot to write today. I'd love to have great stories every day, but sometimes no news is good news. We're out of The Smokies tomorrow, and have a reservation for a room in Hot Springs for the 20th. We're super excited!!

Day 33; Cosby Knob Shelter to State  Line Branch

We finished The Smokies! This is a big accomplishment for thru hikers! We understand that half of all attempts will we've in failure in Hot Springs, which we'll reach in 4 days. We're so excited to enjoy a day off the trail there. 

Today was a good day. We hiked about 10 miles and find our campsite beside a stream. As we came down out of the elevation of The Smokies, we walked into Spring green and amazing flowers and ferns, many of which I've never seen before. 

We made a stop early in the day which was 0.6 miles off the trail to a lookout tower with a fantastic view around the valley. 

Tonight has been a quiet one with our little tramily. We received some sausage and Parmesan cheese today from a section hiker, and U-Turn and Colonel sliced and heated then as an appetizer. It was so amazing! We're really hurting for something different than our normal meals. Tomorrow we'll pick up a short resupply early before heading on. It looks like rain is possible, but we're hoping for sunshine. Three days until a nearo into Hot Springs!

Day 34, Monday 4/17; State Line Branch to Groundhog Creek Shelter (Deep Gap, mile 247, camping just before shelter)

Today was largely uneventful. We walked about a mile this morning before hitting or resupply at Standing Bear Farm. The farm is a hiker hostel and is very interesting visit. They have a bunk room which is a bunch of bunks in a cabin-like building. A hiker kitchen with a small fridge, sink, and a gas camp stove, and of course a pizza oven to cook the frozen pizzas their patrons buy. Attached to the table in the kitchen are a bunch of power strips for charging of electronics (these guys know what Hikers are looking for!). They also have a small store for resupply with most of the hiker essentials including junk and soda. The store works on the honor system and you write what you buy, how much it costs, and the total cost on an envelope, which you then take to a staffer to check you out. The costs are a little higher than a grocery, but similarly to Fontana's General Store, sending a package would cost the same difference so it evens out. It was a quaint visit to a little mini village farm. 

While I was adding the total on our resupply, a duck wandered by. Her name is Chi-Chi and she follows her person around. It's pretty darn cute! She waddles after him quacking her little heart out as if to tell him, "Wait, you're going to fast! Come back!" There are two little Boston Terriers on site. One is very young, the other older, and I don't know their names. The younger one has been trained to drop a stick at hikers' feet--over and over and over. We briefly saw chickens, another dog (a hound, which apparently chases/assaults the duck), and a cat, which we didn't see. 

Other than this stop, there isn't much to speak of. My feet are terribly achy today, and I've got a blister on each heel. Erik feels pretty well over all, but he's as ready as I am for a day off. Tomorrow we're shooting for 13 miles which is our biggest day yet. We really need to hit it to make our Thursday reservation. And I'm super excited to post all this on Thursday for you all to catch up!

Day 35, Tues 4/18; Groundhog Creek Shelter (Deep Gap, mile 247, camping just before shelter) to Walnut Mountain Shelter

A mix of emotions tonight. Today was our biggest day yet at about 13 miles. The terrain was pretty easy and we finished the day in about 8 hours. We had some rain last night, just a little, and woke to fog and clouds and hopes of it clearing for lunch on Max Patch. Since we started learning about The AT, we've dreamed Of Max Patch's sun and bald top with grass all around. We were very unlucky today and the sky opened up as we started for the summit. I was pretty bummed, not gonna lie. We hurried off the bald on search of shelter from the wind and rain, and pushed on to the next shelter for our lunch break. The last 4.8 miles for the day were mostly easy going and flat, though we climbed the last mile in good time. Our campsite tonight is OK, even though we set up in the rain and wind. We're dry now and in our tent, hopeful that tomorrow's weather is better. Moods tend to flare with stressors like bad weather, and I fell down the muddy hill to the water source tonight. Tears ensued, along with a fierce desire to just go home where it's warm and dry, and life is predictable. Erik have me a big hug and reminded me that we don't quit on bad days, and we went back to camp to make dinner and hunker down. Now to make my feet feel better before sleep. Two more wake -ups and we'll be in Hot Springs for a day off our feet and lots of rest. Looking so forward to that soon! 

Day 36, Wed 4/19; Walnut Mountain Shelter to Deer Park Mountain Shelter

The rain continued on and off last night and we woke to cold and windy conditions. Erik let me sleep a little longer than usual and it made for a nice morning. The hiking today was pretty great with mostly good grading and relatively flat terrain. We stopped for an early lunch and were graced by a couple of guys day hiking. They were celebrating one of their birthdays, and were giving trail magic including beer and candy bars. Yum and happy birthday to him!!!  We've been pacing well and continued today with 10 miles in about 5 hours. We'd talked about walking the last 3 miles into town tonight in order to get two full zero days, and we were going to go for it until we started feeling drops again. We opted to stay put and get the tent up rather than walking in the rain to tent one more night in town before our reservation tomorrow. We are currently in our tent, on our sleep mats hoping the lake outside, stays outside. But we're mostly dry, and we really enjoyed dinner and conversation with our tramily, Little Foot, and a couple of new friends who all seem super great! Giggles is British and so sweet. She was zipping her tent and feel backwards onto her rump. Most everyone laughed, but I felt her pain. I think my pants are permanently stained. Many Miles and Blaze Berry also joined us.

Tomorrow...HOT SPRINGS! We've informed Sweet Tea (who, if it's possible, is even less a morning person than I) that we're getting up early and if he wants to eat a hiker skillet at the diner with the tramily in the morning, he better get up and get going! He gave me permission to wake him so he won't miss this. We have absolutely no idea what's in the hiker skillet.

 

Day 37 & 38, Thurs/Fri 4/20 & 4/21; HOT SPRINGS!

We arrived in Hot Springs yesterday and have very much enjoyed our time here!  We considered pushing out the last three miles into town on Wednesday afternoon as we'd made great time to camp and had plenty of daylight left.  But the rain started moving in and we decided to get the tent up instead.  Turns out it worked perfectly!!  We were up early on Thursday and made great time into town, arriving before 9 AM, and in perfect time to hit the Smoky Mountain Diner up for breakfast.  You really have no idea how amazing "town food" is until you haven't been in town for over 2 weeks!  We are staying at a little hostel called the Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge, and it is just perfect!  We have a private room (with a BED!), and a shared bathroom (with a SHOWER!).  At the time of arrival, it had been 20 days since our last laundry day, and 14 since the last shower.  We STUNK!!  Any of you who come out and visit, know before you arrive that we will smell very terrible!  Consider yourselves warned.

 

Anyhow, the hostel owner made dinner last night.  Never has a taco tasted so good! There's a "Hiker Fest" going on this weekend here, and we are excited to join an all you can eat spaghetti dinner tonight with many trail friends.

 

Bluff Mountain Outfitter has been very kind to us here and carries a full resupply including many foods and necessary gear!  This includes our new water filter (more on that in another post).  The people are fantastic and eager to help!

We visited the hot spring last night with U-Turn, and enjoyed some time relaxing in the mineral-rich warm spring water!  Roy Family, thank you for the splurge!!  What an amazing surprise to receive your card and gift!  The springs are located at the local Resort and Spa, and the people there were kind and friendly.

We're currently typing at the local library, which invites hikers to use their facility for only a donation to the library itself.  Which is no problem here as I'm a total book worm and love supporting a local library grow!

We'll sign off for now and continue doing as we've been.  Hopefully the next post wont cover so many days and you'll be more easily caught up.  Until then...Thank you for your love and support!  Your patience means the world as we navigate this new life and figure out how to get around tech and connectivity barriers.  Love and Hugs to you all!!  XOXO

Left to Right:  Little Foot, Colonel, Bean (Erik), Fresh (Sari), U-Turn

SPRING!

Mt. Cammerer

Smoky Mountains Back Country Shelter

Smoky Mountains Back Country Shelter

Smoky Mountains Back Country Shelter

Charlie's Bunion

Charlie's Bunion

Charlie's Bunion; Bean and Sweet Tea

Sunrise in the Smokies!

Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the AT!)

Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the AT!)

Fontana Dam before entering the Smokies-there were about two miles of road walking this day

Fontana Village Resupply

Our first view in days was GORGEOUS!!

Rain before snow!  There were at least 18 of us in a 14 person shelter.  Everything was SOAKED!

Baby it's cold outside!  We walked through snow and sleet, and when we arrived at camp, spent the rest of the night in the tent in sleeping bags trying to warm up!!

First campsite out of The NOC was so neat!

2 More Wake Ups!

It's nearly time to go, and we just can't believe it!  We did our grocery shopping today and bought WAY too much food!  It's very common to over pack food the first days/weeks out, and many hikers learn quickly that they need far less than they pack.  Often other gear is also over packed, and items are sent home in the first couple of weeks.  For this reason, we have likely intentionally over prepared.  We have a very real concern, though, with regards to Erik's metabolism and how to support it.  Getting him enough calorie each day is going to take some practice, which is why we've packed So Much food for our first days.  The upside to this is that he is his own furnace and usually stays pretty warm. 

It has become very cold in the last day or so, and snow is expected in our first day to two.  Add that to the fact that I am usually referred to as a "Sari-sicle" with a "broken thermostat," which has led us to do the same with clothing; prepare for very cold knowing we can send items home if we find we don't need them.  Hypothermia is a real concern in these early days of our journey.

We've opted to push our departure back by one additional day which has helped my nerves So very much!  We have this one additional business day to make sure we have all our lose ends tied up. My nerves are still quite high, but this tiny change in itinerary has allowed me to be truly excited in addition to very nervous and anxious!  Our coworkers sent each of us off well with kind words, gifts, and cards full of encouragement and excitement.  We couldn't be more lucky to have found workplaces which are so supportive of our dreams, even though this one is a bit off the wall.

Additionally, we're so excited to share these days with friends and family who are both very excited with us, and some of whom have hiked themselves in the past.  Brian, Alana, Su, Lindsey, Sharon, Courtney, Rick, All the Bloggers we've followed, and random others we've met over the last years, thank you for your guidance, your positive thoughts, and your encouragement of our goal.  Knowing you've hiked your hikes helps us know we can hike ours!

Surreal and Overwhelming...The Mountains are Calling

A long overdue update:

We're a week out, and we can't even believe it!  I had always envisioned the weeks leading up to this adventure being full of excitement and giddy nerves.  In reality, however, that is the farthest from what I've experienced.  I am a very talented "avoider," and have only proven as much in preparation for this endeavor.  It hasn't helped that our sweet and lovable fur-baby ("Stitch") became very sick a few weeks ago and we had to say goodbye quickly.  We were both upset, but I was a bit of a basket case.  All I had intended to do  was out the window and I found myself in a tail-spin of grief and stress, accomplishing nothing.  So...we're at T-minus 1 week with multiple items left on our to-do list.  We did, however, check off a couple of purchases this weekend, making the final list very doable. 

We have been truly blown away by the support we've received.  Genuine questions and interest, and loving support coming from directions we didn't even know existed.  Erik and I work in vastly different settings:  He in a small privately owned retail franchise, and I in a very large, not for profit healthcare system.  People he worked with in past years, and that he works with currently, are popping up with supportive words and requests to join us at various points on the journey.  People that I work with on a daily basis are excited for us and our next steps, many are inquisitive.  And some people who I talk to weekly but don't spend a lot of time with are just over the moon for our endeavor and all that it means to us.

We have widely different emotions on the subject.  We're both very excited; Erik would drop it all and leave tomorrow if it weren't for me and my notice at work.  I however, am a bit anxious for a number of reasons.  It has all become very real in the last few days as my replacement has finally been confirmed at work, we've begun planning my short return in order to tend to some important family needs (we could use any extra positivity/prayers you can muster thrown our way), and we purchased travel isurance today which is the largest single purchase to date, in preparation for this adventure.  Meaning...there's no turning back now!  I try to go into experiences without expectations, and I feel as though I've done a pretty great job of it this time.  If you don't think of what's coming ("avoider," remember?), you can't have expectations.  This counts as a plus when the feelings are a combination of overwhelmed and terrified, and completely taken aback with yourself for the absolutely ludicrous life decision you're making to go gallivant in the woods for months on end.

Despite the nerves and the many items left to accomplish, we are getting very excited and look forward to the time together outside, the people we'll meet, and most importantly, to accomplishing our goal!  We wish that our start was able to go exactly as planned, but with changes in dates and family health, we've had to make some changes to starting plans.  Despite the changes, however, we are super excited to be spending our first day to two with one of our favorite people!  She's taking us out and spending the first night or two with us and we couldn't be more excited to share the first steps of this journey with Sharon.

Stay tuned...more to come, including, gear lists & pack info & weight, final preparations, and our first days out!!

REI Flash 30 Frame Mod

     My REI Flash 30 pack needed a little loving, so I put it under the knife.  The frame sheet(~3/16" foam) had been shoved, smashed, rolled, and folded too many times.  It looked flat, but once you put anything in the pack it would start to fold, buckle, and become very uncomfortable.  I love the pack and it is in great condition, having only spent $2 on it at a local Goodwill store I figured if this mod didn't work like I hoped it was no great loss and I would probably continue to use it frameless.

       

 

 I had seen on some blog or another someone used carbon arrow shafts to augment their pack frame and I happened to find some arrow shafts at a thrift store for $3 for 6.  After removing the frame sheet, I used the arrow as a spacer and a straight edge to mark the edge to be removed.  A box cutter made quick work of the frame sheet and a hacksaw  for the arrows.  A little bit of Tyvek tape I had lying around from another project and viola...Supportive frame sheet. 

     

 The pack weighed 673g before the operation and only gained 23g in weight, but gained loads of support.

     

     

The days are getting longer and warmer so get outside and have some fun!