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3/25/01, day 11, 3.8m in 2h. Franklin Motel in Franklin, NC. Today's my birthday, and I figured my ankles/shins could use a break, so I've gotten myself a hotel for the night. I'm having a blast, although every damn thing is closed on this Sunday, including the library, where I had hoped to post this on my webpage and check my email. I did, however, get the opportunity to hear my niece sing "happy birthday" to me as well as have a fabulous birthday dinner - two 9" pizzas and a beer. I'm anxious to get my mail tomorrow and head back to the trail. 3/27/01, day 13. 10am - I didn't write anything yesterday 'cuz it was too freakin' cold. It started out as a nice enough day. I caught a ride to the Trail from this lady who was so excited to be able to give me a ride, like I was doing her a favor or something. Once I got started I discovered a few bottles of free beer for AT hikers, one of which was consumed. This might have been a mistake, as I was a little sleepy the rest of the day. This was the day that I started seeing several "balds" - places where the forest just disappears, creating a wider open, grassy area. It's weird, but pretty neat. Later on in the Trail I found a bottle (a large bottle) of Southern Comfort just sitting in the middle of the Trail, which was odd enough. I spent the day with a few I know and a few I just met, including a girl in a lot of pain, which sucks 'cuz there's nothing you can do. The campsite most of us had planned on sucked, so we all hiked late into the day, myself arriving just before nightfall. And yes, it was in the teens last night, and that was little fun. 7:50pm - Telico Gap Hiker Hostel. ~7m in ~7h. Today was another trail day - unpredictable and unique. It was so damn cold when I woke up that I decided to sleep in until 8 - 2h after the usual. Unfortunately, I had to pee like a racehorse, so out I was in the teens, trying to locate my penis under so many layers of pants. Once I did get started, I realized that it would be a low mileage day for me - I just didn't feel much like hiking. So I sauntered up to Cold Spring Shelter at 11:30 and decided to spend the night there. I took a good 2.5h gathering firewood and trying to get something lit, until Scott and Larry arrived and read an advertisement for the Telico Gap Hiker Hostel, just 3.6m downhill. So, I joined the folk, slipping on the ice and mud more than a few times, to arrive at a little house in the middle of nowhere, with Steve, Robyn, Eric, Trish, Metro, Lightkeeper, Leftovers/Eric, and Mo sittin' around in the sun waiting for the owner to arrive. Once he did we had a grand old time chatting and assigning/rejecting trail names. "Mary Poppins" seems to be sticking well, and the phrase "at least [trailname] isn't as bad as 'Mary Poppins'" came up more than once. We watched a movie until 10pm! Then snuggled down to sleep. It just plain rocked. 3/28/01, day 14. North of NOC. ~10m in 7.5h. 4pm - I love the AT. I just can't quite put my finger on it, but I know that I'm already looking sourly on the day I'll have to stop. Today was yet another low mileage day, although at least I'm doing the minimum I set for myself when buying food. I enjoy the hiking, but I just don't like overexerting myself, at least not lately. The AT is about discussing nothing remotely important, ever, and free sodas with somebody you just met but feel like you've known for a long time. I suppose the AT means a lot of things for a lot of people but for me it doesn't really have all that much to do with hiking. Today was a beautiful day, with decent temps, clear skies, and not a hint of snow on this low-altitude day. It started with an AYCE waffle breakfast at the hostel, of which I consumed ten. It was tough leaving all the cool people that hung there until late in the day, but the Trail was calling (I had originally planned a 15m day) and so I was out by 7:45, full of syrup and orange juice. The first 8m of the day was pretty much a long descent to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) where I purchased some painkillers, as I had passed them out to Robyn and her wounded knee the day before. My ankle seems to be shaping up, which is pleasing me to no end. We're expecting rain tomorrow, but by the looks of things I wouldn't be surprised if we got drenched tonight. 3/29/01, day 15. Sassafras Gap Shelter. ~5m in ~4h. Today was a day of cold, cold rain. It started out well enough, but I stopped for a break and I had trouble taking off my chest strap, as it was so cold I couldn't close my thumb and forefinger tightly enough. So I pulled into the shelter around 11/11:30 and got some dry things on. Eagle was here, and was nice enough to start my stove (I couldn't operate a lighter, either) for tea. Since there was a bad novel and a nice guy to talk to, I fuggered the day's hike to be done. Eagle's a hearty Alaskan, has done the PCT, X-countried the Ididerod, and a whole host of other things. I read the novel for a little bit (I seem to be hooked, so now I have to bring the damn thing with me) and took a quick nap. A few hours later we were joined by Trish and Eric, newlyweds on their honeymoon and always nice to have around. Much later the WOE showed up. It's always nice to have women around, 'cuz they're just plain better people and more fun to talk to. So I've been snuggled in for a bit and I'm ready to tucker down with my book and hope for blue skies. 3/30/01, day 16. Cable Gap Shelter. 15m in 9h. Today was a long, wonderful, hard, and gorgeous day. I awoke pleasantly surprised that the skies were clear, so I decided to do a few more miles than planned, to the shelter near the town of Fontana Dam, where I will (finally) wash my underwear. It's official; I've got the thru-hiker stink. I had previously been told that the smell is indescribable, which it most certainly is. As Trish put it the other day, "I've never smelled this bad in my life." It's a trip, to say the least. There's not much to say about the day, 'cept that it was full of very steep MUDs and other knee-bustin' experiences. However, it is quite nice to be able to do a decent-mileage day after so many wussy days. Anyway, I'm exhausted, so I'm going to read the bad novel until it's a decent hour to get to sleep. 3/31/01, day 17. "Fontana Hilton." ~6m, town day. It's a simple question of antonyms: Without "dirty," there is no "clean." I propose that since most people have never really worn dirty underwear, they've never worn clean underwear. Dear reader, I have worn dirty underwear, and today I washed and wore some clean underwear. And let me say this, friends: there is nothing more fine than clean undies. Not the AT, not sunny days on the beach, not even pie compares to really wearing a pair of good, clean underwear. Enough said. So, today was pretty much a town day, with an easy 5.5m walk to a road, where I caught a shuttle with the WOE to the Hike Inn to fetch their maildrops (where they were charged $10 each!) then off to the ghost town of Fontana Dam, NC where I washed me clothes and paid 50 fucking cents for Rahman and one dollar fucking 35 for mac and cheese. It was pretty much another thru-hiker convention, as this is a summer resort town and we were the only current residents. After I hitched back to the Trail on the back of a truck (which was pretty damn fun after 2 weeks in the woods) I hiked a little over a mile until the trail joined a paved road for a bit. It then hit a parking lot, with an actual white blaze on a freakin' water fountain. I banged a right on a paved road and sauntered down here to the shelter, that which is called the "Fontana Hilton." I'd heard about it for weeks, but it just dropped my jaw. Water fountains, benches, picnic tables, a gravel fucking walkway, and a gorgeous view of the lake. What's more, it's huge. I shall sleep well tonight, indeed. I also grabbed a free shower. I filled out my smoky mountains backcountry permit (the smokeys seem to be run by the NPS Gestapo), so I'll be ready for a steep climb up to ridgeline tomorrow. 4/1/01, day 18. Mollie's Ridge Shelter. 11m in ~7h. Well, I'm in the Smokies. I'd say more but it's freakin' cold and it's been a mud and sleet day. I'm holed up in a small shelter with good people. 4/2/01, day 19. Derrik Knob Shelter. 11.6m in 8.5h The Smokies aren't exactly living up to my expectations. It's been cold and snowy, but what really stinks is the freakin' rules, especially the constriction that you have to stay in a shelter every night. Not only are the shelters packed as hell, but you can't hike the miles you want to hike. I'm trying to get to Gatlinburg either tomorrow or the next day, but because of the shelter system I'm set up for a long day, a short day, or a good distance shelter that's 0.5m off the Trail. It certainly takes away from the freedom that the AT permits. However, tomorrow is Clingmans, the highest point on the AT, and I'm excited. 4/3/01, day 20. Grand Prix Motel in Gatlinburg, TN. 18m in 10.5h Well, today just plain sucked. Due to the aforementioned forced shelter system, I had the choice of - well, I mentioned it yesterday. I hauled my biggest miles today, which was cool, but it was an assbuster in the rain. It was mud for the first few hours, but Clingman's Dome was snow and ice. The ice particularly sucked, 'cuz of the puddles of water over it. So overall, there was a decided lack of friction throughout the day, which resulted in several bruised body parts on our Mary Poppins. I did climb the Dome, the highest point on the AT, but I couldn't see a thing, making it a big, icy MUD. I also passed the 200m mark, which is pretty cool, but not that cool. So it was a slippery day with icewater in my boots and cold hands etc., etc. BUT now I'm in town sharing a room with Robyn and Steve and we had a good time at a microbrew house where Leif and Clark showed up (a fun pair of people) and we had ourselves a grand old time where we bitched about people and I spent way too much money. And now, I sleep, and sleep well.
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