My first AT experience proved to be challenging and reflective. Since I haven't done much long distance hiking/trekking, I didn't really know what to expect. I definitely overestimated my enjoyable hiking distance level, especially since I did absolutely no physical preparation for the trail. I didn't reach my 80 mile goal, but I feel I gained valuable trail experience and still have the urge to go back. Here's a recap of the trip:
Day 1: Amicola Falls Visitor Center to Stover Creek Shelter (11.6 miles, 2,082 ft. in elevation)
Packs around 30 lbs.
Rance and I started off enthusiastic and ready to conquer, but we made a rookie mistake, starting at the visitor center. We got to walk through the stone gate at the sacrifice of climbing over 700 hundred stairs past the waterfalls (that we had visited the previous day). Nevertheless, the first day we made good time and distance. We were pretty talkative and excited about being on the trail. A light rain dripped through the trees but didn't impede our pace. Unfortunately, by the time we reached Springer (the official southern terminus of the AT) we were tired and wet. The view was a foggy blur. We debated about staying but decided to press on. As we rested our feet at the Springer Mt. Shelter, we met some fellow travelers. Roger was around 70 years old with a long white beard and hearing aids. As a part-time caretaker of the AT, he had been living in a tent on top of Springer since February. Wow. Looking back, we probably should have stayed at Springer because my feet started pounding the last 2 miles to Stover Creek. Since it was raining we decided to stay in the Stover Creek shelter. It was a little crowded with 3 young guys from TN, a German couple and a homeless guy. After we learned the set up of Stover, we used the privy, filtered water, cooked, dinner, hoisted our food, and got ready for bed. We arrived a fairly late so there wasn't much time for relaxation. And the temperature got surprisingly cold (we think in the 30s that night). Between the homeless guy's loud and crinkly sleeping bag (aka plastic tarp), the cold, and the German's loud snoring, I didn't get much sleep. We also had a mouse running around (later we learned the homeless guy kept a bag of trail mix, honey and chocolate in the shelter). It was hard to get out of my sleeping bag but my small bladder finally won over and I braved the cold to find the privy.
Day 2: Stover Creek to Mt. Justus (9.6 miles, elevation--up and down a lot)
After we finally got going, we fell into a slow, silent pace. Spent a lot of time staring at the ground and thinking about each step. Felt the reality of hiking. Being a very impatient person, I struggled with not seeing much progress. "How much further to the next gap or mountain" seemed a constant thought. The weather was nice but we didn't really see any good views that day. Stopped near Hawk Mt. shelter to fix lunch and wash up a bit. Realized that cooking lunch was a huge impediment to distance on the trail (which pretty much threw off the food supply we brought). Still we had a nice break at a creek. After lunch, it was slow going. We realized we weren't going to make it as far as we hoped and started looking for camp sites. On the downhill parts, my feet were painfully aware of each step. We made it to Justus Mountain around sunset and set-up camp with two Auburn students. They were quiet and not very social so we pretty much kept to ourselves. I was too tired to cook so I ate a cliff bar and helped Rance hoist the food (which took a while since we didn't have the handy bear cables like at Stover). We collapsed in our tent exhausted, but I still didn't sleep well (a common theme for me on the trip). Next time I will have to pack some Tylenol PM.
Day 3: Mt. Justus to Woody Gap (7.6 miles, up and down)
Rise and shine, it's morning time. Got the food down while Rance struggled to wake up. Feeling dirty and longing for some real food but ready to get on the trail. Unpacked my I-Pod and enjoyed some tunes on the trail. Scaled back our goal and decided to only go about 8 miles today. Good plan. :-) Enjoyed this pace much better and thought the trail seemed more enjoyable. Glimpsed some pretty mountain views. Spirits were higher. Woohoo. We're on the AT. Made it to Woody Gap earlier and contacted the outside world (needed to let everyone know we're still alive, don't worry). Found a great campsite a little past Woody's Gap. Made a campfire. Cooked some food, actually burned some food. Yummy. Had time to hang out with my brother, read and play cards. Slept a little better but it was really windy and the trees made creaking noises that kept waking me up.
Day 4: Woody Gap to Neels Gap (10.5 miles)
Since it was warmer, we got up earlier and hit the trail around 9 am. Today we were going to hit our highest elevation at Blood Mt. And at Neels Gap, a warm shower and ice cream awaited. Motivation to get going. We kept a good pace and made good time. Starting to adapt to life on the trail. Had a nice lunch and filtered water at Wood Hole. As we started climbing Blood Mountain, it got hot and sunny. The trees thinned out and I actually put on sunscreen for the first time on the trip. When we finally made it up to Blood Mt. there was a sense of triumph and accomplishment. And also some GREAT views. Took some pics, but we were also eager to get to Neels Gap. The descent took FOREVER and it was a hard descent. The trail was rough and rocky. My feet and knees started hurting. We kept meeting day hikers that said "oh you're getting close." It's funny how a mile on the trail seemed in my mind about 3 regular miles. Maybe I am just not good at estimating distances. We made it to Neels Gap before 5 pm (impressive). Had a hot dog and icecream. Yummy. Took a shower and washed the grime away. Feeling really stiff and sore. Hobbling around to do laundry. Decided to stay at the hostel there because we weren't supposed to camp because of the bear encounters. Apparently a bear had been grabbing people's hoisted food the whole week from Wood Hole to Tensantee. We met two guys at Neels Gap that had their food taken by the crafty bear. Met our first thru-hiker (who was getting a late start). That guy did 2 20 mile days and had the blisters to prove it. Intense. Our little group watched a movie and then headed to bed. Still could not sleep--what is my problem? I alternated between extremely hot in my sleeping bag to cold outside of my sleeping bag.
Day 5: Neels Gap to ??? to Neels Gap
The next morning we got up early and packed up. Started on the trail but my motivation was really low. Eating food and showering at Neels Gap was a great enticement to trudge along. Now I had four more days of pounding feet, blisters and shaky knees. Sweating and no showering. Rain in the forecast. Getting home right before I had to start work again. The terrain didn't hold any challenges (like Blood Mt.) and seemed to be monotonous. As we continued on, my knee started getting worse. Not really enjoying myself. Sooooooo....I made the call to stop early. I debated not reaching my goal, but in the end, decided I had a good experience and didn't want to ruin it by pushing myself too hard. We turned around and headed back to Neels Gap to be picked up. I got the chance to talk to some of the workers at Mountain Crossing who had thru-hiked. It was great to learn more about hiking and the trail. It got me excited to come back and a little sad that I didn't push on. But, I am really glad to have 4 days to relax and get things done around the house before I head back to work. I think I made the best call for my situation. And I know Justin wants to experience the AT so I am sure we'll see those white rectangles again soon.
Total time on the trail: 4.5 days and 4 nights Distance: 45 miles
Traveled: From Amicola Falls to a little past Neels Gap (and back) in Georgia
Pictures to come soon. They're on Rance's camera so I don't have any at the moment.
Yaawwnn. It's a rainy Sunday morning. Instead of the normal cup of English Breakfast, I spent extra time brewing up some chai (black tea with milk, lots of sugar and some cinnamon sticks, cardamon and cloves). I sit snuggled under a light blanket on my couch. I hear the swishing sound as cars race through puddles past my house. I even hear a train whistle. My mind drifts back to Bangladesh and the monsoon rains. The hot, humid weather. The palm trees and rice fields. People everywhere always. Bright saris and plaid lungees. Beeping horns, yelling from various wallahs on the street. It's a romantic, exotic place in my mind. I miss the one road village that I lived in for the last part of my stay in Bangladesh. What an intense yet simple place. The women had such a tight community and the kids were a little "naughty," ever so curious and inquisitive. The ahzan would be going off about now. In fact, I glance out from my balcony and see men leaving the temporary black-market tea stall set up for Ramadan in the fenced in empty lot beside our house. Nazma comes up to me with a tired look on her face. "Oooooo Sister. I am so tired today. It is so hot. I don't know if I can do any work today. My back is hurting too much." Melodramatically she sprawls in the floor as if she has just collapsed. Heather and I have have the most dramatic house helper who you have to threaten in order to get her moving. And we still spoil her way too much. Her son Razul comes in from collecting metal and plastic bottles from trash piles with dirty feet and hands and starts touching the walls. Little maroon hand prints spot our blue and maroon walls, apparently the maroon paint doesn't stay dry in the wet season so it rubs off onto everything. Heather and I tried to get Razul into school, but he was so much older than the other kids in his class and so behind that he dropped out again. I miss Nazma and Razul. Lucky our language teacher comes by in the afternoon to practice language and teach us more about the culture. She tells us stories and we listen intently. Going to the market can be an all day event. Negotiating for prices, vying for rickshaws, finding stores that have what you need, going to other stores because no one has what you need, people staring at you, people not always understanding your funny accent. Time moves slower in Bangladesh. Afternoons visiting friends. Sitting on the one large bed in the one room house. Drinking tea, singing, decorating with mehendi (henna). Asking questions and sharing secrets. Understanding the different family structures in this strange and unique culture. Bangladesh, Bangladesh, Bangladesh. So mysterious and illusive. So vibrant and audacious. I miss you.
