Sorry for the long delay. It's been a bit harder to stay connected than I
expected. Last night I spent plenty of time typing out this entry and inserted photos but then couldn't get it to post. Luckily I could save the text.
One week out and already it's been great.
Ugly (Tyler) and I
ended up hitting the road late and driving in shifts but neither of us could
really sleep. We made it to Amicalola Falls, GA, registered, weighed in, and
headed towards the stairs at the beginning of the approach. They were def a
challenge but with a couple breaks we finally made it to the
top.
Of course this was after strapping on Bruce's boots and
carrying his pack for him.
The rest of the way up Springer Mt. wasn't
anywhere near as tough as last time. We made good time and the dogs flew with
some help.
We
met James near the summit and ran into Johnathan, the same ridge runner that we
met on Springer the year before, plus a bunch of other really cool people. Day
one was a success.
Day two was my first day on
the actual Appalachian Trail. It started out with us all heading from camp back
to the summit to say bye to Ugly and Tobias and head off on our own...
Sorta.
Bruce, James, and I hiked in and
had a great day. We kept finding some killer spots to break including these
falls Ugly told us about. There were tons of awesome people on the trail
including a bunch that would end up becoming a crew of sorts. Tapeworm, Stewart,
Stone Seat, Metta, Sir Richard Flap (aka Gator), and Stumps. It was a really
great crew at Hawk Mt., too bad I was too distracted to take pics.
The
next couple days were similar with more great views and even better people.
James, Stumps, Tadpole, Bubba Gump, Bruce and I spent a bunch of time hiking
together.
Unfortunately at the end
of day four while camping at Lance Creek the weather took a turn for the
worse.
It started pouring and James' tarp wasn't keeping any water out so he
ended up climbing into the tent with Bruce and I.
We were crowded and
damp but that really didn't mater. Day five we woke up cold and wet, packed up,
and set off for Blood Mt. and Neel's Gap.
Some of the views might have
been limited but they were still beautiful.
The climb was intense and I flew downhill which in retrospect was
stupid. Not good for the knees. That being said at one point on Blood Mt. it hit
me that even if all my hikes back home were flat I pushed myself hard and
nothing I've done on the trail has laid me out the way some of those hikes did.
I've got this.
When we got to Neel's there was good news and bad news. It
turns out the hostel was full so we were stuck in the rain again but at least
they were able to toss Bruce a few free hot dogs. I'd call it
even.
Around this time we had to say bye to some friends that had either
only been on short hikes or were on different schedules. I hope to see Stumps,
Tadpole, and Angry Mom down the trail again, but won't be seeing Mega Man and
his lady since they're heading home after a weekend hike. Sadly I think Bubba
Gump cancelled his plans for his thru hike.
Still every day we meet more
great people out here. Between Low Gap and Deep Gap we met and re-met Padre who
told me he's a 72 year old retired Pastor and Why Not? who said just that to his
doctor when asking for his opinion on hiking after recovering from heart
surgery. On the other end of age spectrum was the scout troop that showered
Bruce with love on day 8.
But that brings us
here.
Since Lance Creek it seems that every night we go to
sleep in the rain, and every morning we wake up to it. The fog is thick and
everything is damp.
Don't get me wrong
it's been amazing. One great thing about hiking in the mountains is that the
weather can change dramatically when you round a corner or climb a
hill.
And even in the rain all you have to do is look at your feet
and you'll find inspiration.
Too bad
inspiration doesn't fight colds and sore joints.
It's day ten and Bruce
and I have been taking the past couple days off in Hiawassee, GA to dry out. I'm
resting my knee and we're both putting some weight back on in this warm hotel
room.
It's been a nice stay and there are friends at the
hotel. A hiker couple staying two doors down from me adopted an abandoned pup
that was found near Neel's gap when we were there. Bruce said we could share
food with Hester.
Today a nice couple in town paid for my meal at South
Side Cafe without even saying a thing to me. I had money on me but the gesture
was amazing and made me so happy. I wish I had a chance to thank them. Def what
I would call trail magic.
Speaking of trail magic...
Almost all
the wildlife has been small stuff like birds, and a few different salamanders
including a monster in one stream and a bright orange one on the trail in the
rain. But there have been some bigger sightings like hawks riding the currents
across the valles and then Bruce helped my find what I think was a rabbit and
what was def a black bear cub right before Unicoi Gap.
I swear
it was adorable before it ran behind that tree and was reduced to a black
smudge. We were careful to look around for Mom before taking another
step.
And I think that covers my first stretch on the
trail.
Tomorrow I'll be taking a shuttle back to the trail and
I'll be put for another three and a half days. Here's my itinerary.
Day
1- Tuesday
Start: Dicks Creek Gap (mile 69.6, elev 2675)
11.8 miles across
the GA-NC border.
End: Muskrat Creek Shelter (mile 81.4, elev
4580)
Day 2- Wednesday
Start: Muskrat Creek Shelter (mile 81.4, elev
4580)
12.5 miles over Standing Indian Mt. (elev 5498)
End: Carter Gap
Shelters (mile 93.9, elev 4520)
Day 3- Thursday
Start: Carter Gap
Shelters (mile 93.9, elev 4520)
12.1 miles over Albert Mt. (elev
5250)
End: Rock Gap Shelter (mile 106, elev 3787)
Day 4-
Friday
Start: Rock Gap Shelter (mile 106, elev 3787)
Hike either 0.1 or
3.8 to road crossing and get ride to Franklin, NC to
re-supply.
I'll be working on making more streamlined, regular
updates along the way. It's been amazing. Thanks for
following.
-Nick&Bruce
