So, you've made it to Vermont...the end is near but still so far away...the last 3 states are some of the best hiking on the trail and full of adventure...the trail towns in this area are different from what you've seen and the weather begins to cool...this is a great time to be on the trail! take your time, stay in the moment and appreciate the trail...

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Posted by Jill

This post is part of a series that was originally written during our 2012 section hike on the AT.  To read all of the entries, click here. 

Originally written 4/16/12
Day 10
Big Spring Shelter, NC (mile 100.7)

Today was our longest day yet and a first for me… we hiked 19.3 miles!  It was pretty hard on me physically, but the rain is coming and we wanted to squeeze in as many miles as possible.  Now we only have 9 miles to do tomorrow to get into town and even if it’s raining it won’t be too bad.

The day started off great and I was keeping a great pace for the first ten miles, but I should have stopped sooner for lunch because miles 11 and 12 were tough.  I’m stubborn though and wanted to eat at the shelter with Serial.  Lesson learned… fuel when the body asks for it, not when the shelter appears.

After lunch, we hiked together and made our way to camp, about 7 more miles.  They were mostly flat and downhill except Albert Mountain.  That was a heck of a climb, but we were rewarded with a fire tower and amazing views.  My body was aching and tired by then, but it was still a beautiful sight and I loved sharing that moment with Serial.  Bonus… the fire tower marked our 100th mile on the trail!

It’s starting to rain lightly so I’m going to let the sound of rain lull me to sleep now.  Franklin tomorrow!

Posted by Jill

This post is part of a series that was originally written during our 2012 section hike on the AT.  To read all of the entries, click here. 

Originally written 4/15/12
Day 9
Muskrat Creek Shelter, NC (mile 81.4)

Today we left Georgia and crossed into NC!  The trail was no joke though, it was a lot of uphill with our heavy “just out of town” packs.  We were sweatin’ and working hard for those miles today.

Tonight’s shelter is super full and it’s fun to see so many people that we know.  Of the guys that we met in the beginning, Octo/Geoff, Brown/Rob and Red/Andy are here tonight.  Octo is one of the first people we met and he hikes pretty much the same miles we do so we see him a lot.  He’s a relaxed, nice guy from Maine.  The others are hiking different miles so we only see them from time-to-time.

There’s also a newer group of people that we have seen consistently the past few nights.  Little Foot (the only girl I see regularly, so far), Flinstone and Toby Keith (TK).  

The whole gender dynamic on the trail is fascinating and even though you know the ratio of girls to guys is 9 to 1, it’s still surprising how dude-centric it is out here.  I’ve met girls, but not a lot.  Little Foot is really nice and I like talking to her, but we hike at different paces so we can only really talk at the end of the day, if at all. 

Oh!  I almost forgot!  I finally took a trail name.  So each day as we hike, there is always a point were Serial gets ahead of me.  I keep a decent pace too and would pass other hikers who would tell me “you just missed Serial, he was here 10 minutes ago.”  And each time I would meet up with Serial I would ask him how long he’s been there and every time he would say “10 minutes.”  So for the first week, I was hearing “10 minutes” 5-6 times a day and it finally just stuck.  My trail name is….10 minutes! 

That’s it for me tonight.  We have a long day tomorrow… trying to cram miles since weather is supposed to bring rain on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We figure if we can get as close to Franklin as possible, we can time our next town stop with the rain.

Posted by Jill

This post is part of a series that was originally written during our 2012 section hike on the AT.  To read all of the entries, click here. 

Originally written: 4/14/12
Day 8
Dicks Creek, GA (mile 69.6)

I woke up today with pep in my step, knowing we were heading into town.  We got up and moving early and hiked the 4ish miles to the shuttle pick up location.  Laundry, showers, food.... what's not to love?

In also gave us a chance to get Rooney more good food.  We loaded him up with chicken, yogurt, peanut butter, eggs and olive oil.  We also resupplied Rooney's trail food for the first time.  We took rice, olive oil and meat packets for him. 

Tomorrow it's back to the trail, but first we have some major lazy to take care of. 

Posted by Jill

This post is part of a series that was originally written during our 2012 section hike on the AT.  To read all of the entries, click here. 

Originally written: 4/13/12
Day 7
Deep Gap, GA (mile 66)

Today was a great day and we cranked out miles.  We got such great sleep at the hotel and ate a hearty breakfast before the shuttle dropped us back at Unicoi Gap.  Our spirits were high and our packs were light because we knew we were getting picked up to go back into town tomorrow. 

Instead of taking a zero in town we decided to take two nearos and keep our pace going on the trail.  It ended up being a perfect solution and just what we needed.  I feel like I can actually do this hike and I'm not discouraged like I was 2 days ago.  Rooney is rested and fattened up on town food.  Serial got to have a beer and watch soccer.  Plus we still did 9 miles the day we went into town and 13 the day we left.  High fives all around. 

We've met some great people so far on the trail.  We sort of have two groups that we see a lot.  There are the guys from the first few days, but we've passed most of them and the only one we see anymore is Octo/Geoff.  We caught up to a second group and there are a few that we are keeping pace with.  There should be a few of us in town tomorrow which will be fun. 

Posted by Jill

This post is part of a series that was originally written during our 2012 section hike on the AT.  To read all of the entries, click here. 

Originally written: 4/12/12
Day 6
Unicoi Gap, GA (mile 52.9)

Last night was cold and sleep was hard to come by.  I must have woke up twenty times to readjust and try to warm up, but nothing worked.  When we woke up this morning I was feeling tired and a little discouraged.

We packed up in the cold morning and set out to do our first 15 mile day to Tray mountain.  The first 7.2 went by quickly and I was surprised at how good I felt physically, but mentally I was still dragging.  While we were eating lunch Serial suggested taking a night in Hiawasee to get a good night's sleep and rejuvenate my spirits.  Brilliant idea and just what I needed.

We hiked another 2.4 down to Unicoi Gap to get the shuttle to Ron Haven's Budget Inn and now I'm curled up in bed already feeling a million times better.  Tomorrow we will catch the 11am shuttle back to the trail and get back at it.

Rooney is resting up too.  His cough faded and we got him some good grocery store meat and oils.  We spend so much time watching Rooney and talking about how he's doing.  He is so important to me and I just want to make sure he is happy and healthy too.

 

If you make it to Harpers Ferry, WV, you've done something pretty exceptional...and that should be celebrated...take a night, enjoy Harpers Ferry, then hit the trail! And enjoy...by now, summer weather has kicked in and it's hot...real hot...you'll be hiking early in the morning and later in the evening, your pack will be super light and the towns become more frequent...also, you'll see tons of berries...blueberries, blackberries, cherries, mulberries, wineberries, strawberries...it's a fantastic time to be on the trail...

Before we move on to the next section, i need to add one more thing to the last section...at Mile 496.9, take the Wilburn Ridge Trail...it parallels the A.T. for about a mile, but takes you up and over some awesome rocks with fantastic views...definitely check out this trail...

And with that, let's hit Maryland...click here to read more.

(This is a lot of fun to do...)

By this point, you'll have reached Damascus, VA, one of the best towns on the trail...Damascus is a milestone on the trail, the quarter way point...by now, you'll have strong legs and a great feel for what the trail is like...you'll have seen a lot, but the next challenge you face isn't physical...it's mental...my piece of advice for that is this: EVERYONE goes through it...the trail is hard...fight through it, the trail experience is worth it...what you have seen in GA, NC and TN are nothing like what you'll see anywhere else...what i did/do when the trail blahs hit, i hit the nearest town, get some beer and pizza, take a shower and relax...one day, two days, heck three days...the cost of a hotel or two is far less than a bus trip home and the inevitable regret of being off the trail and away from your new hiker friends...as long as money isn't the issue, stay on the trail!

Anyway, here we go - click here to read more.

Posted by Jill

This post is part of a series that was originally written during our 2012 section hike on the AT.  To read all of the entries, click here. 

Originally written: 4/11/12
Day 5
Low Gap Shelter, GA (mile 43.7)

We rolled out of Neels Gap a little late today and didn't start hiking until 11 or so, but still managed to get our 12 miles in.  We got to Low Gap shelter around 5pm and settled in for the night. 

We seem to have jumped up to another group of hikers and left all but one of the hikers from our original group.  Maybe we will see more of them after we take time off in Hiawasee.

The weather was doing some bipolar stuff with us today.  One side of the mountain would be sunny and warm, then we would come around a corner and be hit with super cold wind.  The sun was out regardless so it was still a nice day. 

Rooney is still doing well.  Has a bit of a cough so we're going to call his vet and see what he thinks, since we've never seen him cough before. 

It's too cold to write much more tonight so I'm going to bundle up and shiver myself to sleep.

Posted by Jill

This post is part of a series that was originally written during our 2012 section hike on the AT.  To read all of the entries, click here. 

Originally written: 4/10/12
Day 4
Neels Gap, GA (mile 31.7)

Last night we camped on our own instead of at the shelter and for some reason my hips and back were hurting so much all night.  I didn't get very solid sleep and it made for a slow start this morning. 

We had a bunch of mild ups and downs and one decent climb up blood mountain, and even though I was tired and eating lame granola bars, I handled it pretty well.  The descent down blood mountain and into Neels Gap was rough though.  First we went the wrong way down really steep rocks and had to climb back up them.  Then when we were finally back on the trail it was filled with steep and rocky descents.  Brutal on my knees and ankles. 

When we finally got to Neels Gap it was such a relief.  It had just started raining again so we hustled to set up our tent and went into the outfitter to house pizza.  I finished an entire pizza myself and still found room for veggie lasagna from the hostel later that night.  I'm grossed out and impressed with myself.

Speaking of grossed out, I found a tick in my nose today.  Yep.  Was trying to blow my nose and instead of snot I found a tick.  Pretty disgusting. 

My body still feels good and taking a shower plus doing laundry gave me an added boost.  My arches and ankles are sore in general, but thankfully not blistering.  My shoulders are no longer sore and my pack feels good on me.  Oddly enough my legs don't feel stiff or sore yet.  Maybe it's because I stretch and do yoga whenever I can.

Rooney has adjusted and is his normal and happy self again.  He knows the tent is his home and he hikes with a happy face and tail.  We left him along in the tent for the first time tonight, just to test the waters, and he did so great.  He just curled up in our sleeping bags and took a rest.  We thought it would take weeks to get to that point so it was pretty exciting.  Sp proud of my little pupper.

Tomorrow we have a full load of food and a steep hike out of here.  We're hoping to do three more nights on the trail and then take our first true town stop in Hiawasee.  Can't wait for a real bed!!