Gatlinburg!!

Day: 14

Starting: NOC, 137.1

Ending: Sassafrass Gap Shelter, 144.0

Total: 6.9 miles

Happy Easter! Our day started with a hearty breakfast of biscuits and gravy and egg sandwiches at River Bend restaurant at the NOC. We then picked up a few items at the NOC General Store for a six day resupply. Unfortunately, they were all sold out of lunch items and the nearest store was about a mile away. This was my first opportunity to try to hitch a ride because as my good friend James always likes to say, "I'm lazy." So I started up the road and left Jessica behind to pack up what we're able to buy at NOC. With my thumb out and a smile on my face, I headed down the road with the hopes of getting a ride. Two cars passed by and didn't even bother to slow down, then a third and a fourth, all of which had only one person in the car. I was getting discouraged after a few more cars passed. Then an older gentleman in a pickup with a Navy license plate stopped to pick me up. The Navy plate made me laugh because the Navy is responsible for transporting Marines and now he was transporting me to the store. He was kind enough to wait while I shopped at the store and drove me back to the NOC. After packing everything up we went back to the River Bend restaurant and had lunch. Afterwards, we sat at the river's edge and soaked our feet and ankles in the frigid water, it felt great.

We finally pulled ourselves away from the NOC to starting hike around two. The first 8.1 miles from the NOC the trail climbs from 1,723 ft to 5,062 ft. Our plan was to do a short 6.9 miles today since we won't have another zero day until next weekend. Although it was a short day, it was rather difficult because of the heat and the constant climb of over 2,600 ft. We pulled into the shelter around 5:50, set up camp, had dinner and enjoyed some Easter candy trail magic.

Easter Trail Magic from the NOC

Climb out of the NOC.




Day: 15

Starting: Sassafras Gap Shelter, NC 144.0

Ending: Cable Gap Shelter, NC 159.2

Total: 15.2 miles

Started the day by finishing the last 1.2 miles of the climb out of NOC. We reached the summit at Cheoah Bald at 5,062 ft.

Panoramic from Cheoah Bald.

Benchmark at Cheoah.

After an arduous decent to 3,165 ft over in less than five miles we were greeted by trail magic!! The thoughtfulness and generosity of people is amazing along the trail. To quote Jessica as soon as she spotted it, "people are great!" It's true! I don't think I've ever smiled that big for simply bananas and apples.

Trail Magic!!

We then continued our hike to meet Jacob's Ladder 7.2 miles up the trail. As the name implies, the trail is nearly vertical, it was an absolute beast, you could have easily reached out in front of you and touched the ground. We stopped for lunch right past the summit at Brown Fork Gap Shelter where we met a young couple from Nashville. They're the first hikers we've met from Nashville, it was nice spending time with others talking about home. The day ended at Cable Gap Shelter where we were lucky enough to find flat ground to set the tent on. Flat ground at the shelters is a premium.

Day 16

Starting: Cable Gap Shelter  159.2

Ending: Birch Spring Gap 171.7

Total: 12.5 miles

Very wet day. It started raining as soon as we started packing up and didn't let up until we got to Birch Spring. On the way there, we stopped at the Fontana Dam visitors center which had a snack shop that was closed for remodeling. It was very upsetting because there were signs for ice cream and other snacks and we were both pretty hungry. Nevertheless, we were able to get a soda from the vending machine which turned out to be a nice treat with lunch. We were also lucky enough to have a dry covered pavilion with picnic tables to relax and eat lunch. Although it was cold and raining the setting was very nice alongside the Fontana Lake.

Fontana Lake, NC

Jessica referred to it as the Great Spooky Mountains since the visibility was around 20-30 ft sometimes less, it was very eery. Also, we didn't see another person on the trail the entire day, including the campsite at night. 

A couple miles into the park we stopped to take a drink and two bears went scurrying down the side of the hill right in front of us. It looked to be a mother and its cub. The rest of the day we were either whistling or talking so that we didn't sneak up on any other bears. As soon as we arrived at the campsite the clouds opened up and the sun started shining, it was the perfect ending to the day!


Day 17
Birch Spring Gap 171.7

Ending: Derrick Knob Shelter: 188.8

Total: 17.1 miles


Today was the most difficult day yet, both physically and mentally. Physically, because of the mileage and difficult terrain and we were both exhausted from the prior two days. The first half of the GSMNP is very difficult hiking. Mentally, it was difficult because we got to the shelter over an hour after we expected to arrive there. At one point I thought we had wandered off the AT onto a side trail because we didn't see any white blazes for some time. I swear the signs and the profile map we use were both wrong because our ETA was so off. But like I always say, "99% of the time, it's user error." We eventually made it into the shelter with our legs and feet hurting pretty badly. We were glad to have this day behind us.


Day 18
Starting: Derrick Knob Shelter: 188.8
Ending: Mt. Collins Shelter: 202.3
Total: 13.5 miles


It's all down hill from here!! Today we crossed over the highest point of the entire AT, Clingman's Dome at 6,643 ft. The pictures speak for themselves...

On the climb up to Clingman's Dome.

Selfie from the top!

Day 19
Starting: Mt. Collins Shelter: 202.3
Ending: Newfound Gap: 206.8
Total: 4.5 miles


I wish everyday could be like today! We had a nice, easy 4.5 mile downhill hike to Newfound Gap, where we were going to meet Jessica's parents and head to Gatlinburg. Because we were so excited to see the family and have the weekend off we ended up getting there much earlier than anticpated. Jessica's parents were also running a litte late because of the bad weather and traffic heading into Gatlinburg. While we were standing in the parking lot debating on what to do until Jessica's parents showed up, a nice older gentleman offered us a ride into town, we gladly accepted. He had just gotten back from doing a 3 day hike with his brother-in-law and was heading into town for lunch. On the way there, he kindly offered to buy our lunch, which again, we gladly accepted. It worked out perfectly, as soon as we were done eating Jessica's parents showed up at the restaurant. It was great to see them.



Newfound Gap

Day 20-21
Starting/Ending: Gatlinburg
Total: 0


We spent the weekend in Gatlingburg with Jessica's parents, brother, sister, their spouses and our niece and nephew. On Friday, we spent the afternoon with Jessica's parents and our niece, Abby. They went and rode the earthquake ride while I caught on some phone calls, including my boss Alec. It was great taking with him and getting caught up with work matters. That evening, Jessica's sister, brother-in-law and nephew arrived. We built a fire and roasted marshmallows and had a nice evening hanging out. Jessica's brother and sister-in-law arrived late into the night.


Saturday, I continued my ritual of visiting the local barber to get my haircut, but not my beard, while the family went to the aquarium. We all met up afterward and had lunch, rode the skylift and enjoyed the sights and people watching in Gatlinburg. We capped off the night grilling bbq chicken, enjoying the hot tub, playing corn hole and having smores. It was a great weekend and we were so happy to be able to spend time with them.

The only (semi) group picture we got all weekend! Eli is sleeping and we accidentally cut Kate and Abby out.

Riding the skylift

Abby in the front yard of the cabin

Eli enjoying brunch Sunday morning

Eli and Brandon playing in the water

We get back on the trail tomorrow morning. Our goal is to stay safe in the upcoming weather and to hit Hot Springs by Friday!

Happy Trails,

Z & G

Put a fork in Georgia and other updates

We have experienced a lot of milestones this week! Some highlights include: crossing our first state line, hitting the 100 mile mark, and completing the Chattahoochee National Forest! 

We are currently resting and resupplying at the NOC, a huge outdoor recreational center in Bryson City, NC. We are planning on getting back on the trail this afternoon. We are meeting up with my parents for our next zero in Gatlinburg, TN on Friday so we have lots of miles to cover! 

Here is a breakdown of our last week:

Day 9

Starting: Dick's Creek, GA 69.6

Ending: Muskrat Shelter, NC 81.4

Total: 11.8

We took an early shuttle from the Holiday Inn and got back on the trail by 10am. We managed to avoid most of the bad weather during our time in Hiawassee but it was still a cold and rainy day.  We hit the Ga/Nc border and were greeted by our friends Rob and Ash! We all celebrated crossing our first big milestone. 

The rest of the day was a cold and windy hike to the shelter. NC definitely welcomed us with cold weather and big hills! We got to the shelter and set up the tent quickly. The weather dropped into the low 20's that night so we did our best to stay warm! 

Day 10

Starting: Muskrat Shelter, NC 81.4

Ending: Betty Creek Gap, NC 97.6

Total: 16.2

We got a very late start today. It was still pretty cold and neither of us wanted to get out of our tent. By the time we got on the trail the sun was starting to come out and we were finally starting to warm up! 

It is interesting to see how much the terrain has already changed only two days into NC. The soil is much darker and the hills have become longer and not as steep. 

We found a great spot to camp by a stream and got to bed pretty early. Overall, it was a good day of hiking!

Campsite for the night

Our makeshift drying rack

Day 11

Starting: Betty Creek, NC 97.6

Ending: Swinging Lick Campsite, NC 110.7

Total: 13.1

We got off to a pretty early start today. We were excited because we knew we were in for some good views and we were also going to cross the 100 mile mark today!! We hiked with our friend Wolf for most of the day. 

One of the side trails that crossed the AT

Right after we hit the 100 mile mark we climbed to the top of an old fire tower observation deck. The views from the top were amazing. Unfortunately, most of the pictures/videos we have are currently stuck in Mikes GoPro (we are still trying to figure that thing out)!

Selfie from the fire tower

The rest of the hike was pretty easy. We had some long rolling hills but nothing like what we were used to in Georgia! 

We met a woman at a road crossing who thru hiked in 1981. She was talking about some of the main differences between hikers now vs then. One of the main things she pointed out was the volume of people on the trail. In her year, 800 people attempted and about 100 finished. Our year close to 3000 people will attempt to thru hike! She also said that her pack weight averaged between. 40 to 60 pounds and she usually packed 15 days worth of food. Our packs are around 30-35 pounds and we pack 6 days max! There is a lot more support/options available for hikers now than there was 35 years ago.

Waterfall close to our campsite

We camped at a great site that had a stream running right beside. We had dinner with Wolf and sat by the campfire for a bit before bed.

Day 12

Starting: Swinging Lick Camp 110.7

Ending: Cold Spring Shelter 125.6

Total: 14.9

We were out of camp today by 9am which is really moving for Mike and I! We were feeling good and we completed our first 5 miles in 2 hours! The profile was pretty easy at that point. We ended up doing another 5 before lunch as well. That stretch included another observation tower which had a great view of the Smokeys. We got to see a lot if the mountains we would be climbing in the coming days! 

After lunch the weather started getting cold and rainy. We did our last 5 miles to camp in a constant drizzle. We set up the tent quickly and didn't leave for the rest if the night. We even had a cold dinner of tuna fish tortilla wraps because we didn't want to leave the tent to cook!

Day 13

Starting: Cold Spring Shelter 125.6

Ending: NOC 137.1

Total 11.5

Today was tough! It was probably the hardest day for me on the trail to date. I think the combination of the slick, technical downhill coupled with our desire to get to the NOC made for a hard hike.

We got up super early and made record time getting out of camp (8:30)! It had rained all night and we got really wet and muddy trying to pack everything up. We kept good spirits because we knew we would be enjoying a burger and a beer by lunch time! 

Some of the views on the trail were amazing. We hiked above the clouds for the first 5 miles of the day! The last 4 miles to the NOC are all downhill. There are some pretty steep switchbacks and rocky steps. It made for really sore ankles and knees by the end of the hike. 

We made it to NOC by 2 and had lunch with Wolf, Half Moon, Moxie and Picnic. The burger at River's End definitely lived up to our expectations and we were happy hikers by the end. 

We spent the night at the cabins and are getting ready to hit the Smokeys by Tuesday!

NOC Nantahala River

AT trail over the river

Happy Hikers!

Happy Trails!

Love,

Z & G

We Have Internet! A 7 day recap.

During our first week on the trail we have come to find out that the AT is definitely not Sprint friendly.  While some AT&T users are literally "live tweeting" their entire experience, we are struggling to find a signal on any mountain top.  We are now enjoying our first "zero" day of the trip in Hiawassee Georgia after hiking 70 miles on the trail.  Here are some highlights of our first week:

Day 0:
Starting Point: Nashville, TN
Ending Point: Hiker Hostel Dahlonega, GA
Total Miles: 0

We left Nashville Sunday morning (April 6th) after a great attending a great fundraising event for Benchmark Adventure Ministries (www.benchmark.org) Saturday night.  We were picked up in Gainesville, GA by Patty, the mother of the owner of the Hiker hostel where we spent our last night before the trail.   We spent the evening going over our gear and meeting other thru hikers.  We shared a room with Lightfoot and Caveman.  A couple from Virginia who had a goal to finish the AT by August and were slackpacking Georgia with the help of the hiker hostel.  

Checking my pack

Day 1:
Starting Point: Springer Mountain 0
Ending Point: Hawk Mountain Shelter 8.1
Total Miles: 8.1

The hostel fed us a great breakfast and we loaded into the shuttle for the hour ride to the southern terminus of the AT.  The weather forecast called for heavy rains all day but by the time we were dropped off at the start the rain had stopped and we were able to get pictures from the top of Springer Mountain.  We spent the rest of the day hiking in light rain and made it to the shelter around 3.  We were happy to set up our tent and get out of the rain.  We were tired but happy to have completed our first day on the trail!

Waiting for the shuttle at the hostel

Starting point of the AT!

Day 2:
Starting Point: Hawk Mountain Shelter 8.1
Ending Point: Woody Gap 20.6
Total Miles: 12.5

We had beautiful weather all day and the hiking was relatively easy.  We had lunch by a nice stream and ran into some of the thru hikers that stayed in the hostel with us.  We have met a lot of great people from many different backgrounds.  The hostel owner said that this season is averaging 47.5 thru hikers starting a day.  Its great to hear all of the different reasons people are out on the trail.

Day 3:
Starting Point: Woody Gap 20.6
Ending Point: Neel Gap-Raccoon Cabin 30.6
Total Miles: 10

We were excited to get going today because we had made reservations to stay in a cabin just outside of Neel Gap.  The cabin promised a hot shower, clean bed and clean laundry (we really like to rough it).  We were sold.  The hike had some difficult climbs including Blood Mountain.  The views from the top of Blood Mountain were definitely worth it.  Again, we had clear skies and could see for miles from the top. 
We resupplied from the outfitter at Neel Gap and walked over to our cabin for the night.  We stayed in the "Raccoon" themed cabin which included 4 stuffed raccoons mounted in various poses over the fireplace.  The star the pack was Ricky, a local raccoon who used to eat out of the cabin's trash but was hit by a car crossing the road.  He now lives above the fireplace in the Raccoon cabin.

  Overlooking Blood Mountain

Raccoon Shelter

Ricky and Friends

Day 4:
Starting Point: Neel Gap-Raccoon Cabin 30.6
Ending Point: Low Gap Shelter 43.2
Total Miles: 11.5

We didn't get on the trail until after 11 today.  We couldn't pull ourselves away from Ricky and the comfortable bed.  The weather again today was beautiful but the trail proved to be pretty difficult.  We had some tough climbs including a hill that seemed to be more difficult than Blood Mountain (the highest point in Georgia on the AT).   We have come to realize that the trails in Georgia are a series of steep rocky hills. 
We also experienced our first Trail Magic today!  After coming down from a particularly large hill we could see a blue tent set up by the side of the road.  We didn't want to get our hopes up too much but we were pretty sure it was trail magic.  By the time we got to the bottom of the hill there was a nice couple inviting us to sit down in the shade and enjoy cookies, soda, fruit, and other snacks.  They were a retired couple from Atlanta who like to come up to the trail a few times a year to do trail magic.  While we were there, a man on a motorcycle drove by and told us there was a bear by the road a few hundred feet away.  Mike raced down the road to take a picture, I stayed with the cookies.  The bear still looked to be a cub and this was probably the first year away from its mother.
 
After lunch we still had about 4 miles to go before reaching Low Gap.  The trail proved to be harder than anticipated, which has definitely taught us not to underestimate the "easy" profiles on the map.  We made it to the shelter around 5.  We had an early dinner and went to bed while the sun was still out.

We also finalized our trail names today.  Mike is officially known as "XYZ" (Z for short) and I am "Gia."  Mike's is from having his zipper down all day the first day on the trial and mine is an old college nickname.

Bear by the trail

Day 5:
Starting Point: Low Gap Shelter 43.2
Ending Point: Cheese Factory Site 56.6
Total Miles: 13.4

We got on the trail by 9:15 this morning which has been our earliest start on the trail by far.  The beginning of the hike was fairly flat and we made good timing on our mileage.  We have been averaging about 2 miles per hour on the trail (including hills and water breaks).  We had lunch at Blue Mountain Shelter.  It was very well maintained and was a great location for lunch.  We also celebrated a mini milestone right before lunch by crossing the 50 mile mark!  We actually didn't even realize it until we were looking at the map later that night. 
We set up camp near an old cheese factory site.  We learned that the factory closed in the 30's and there is no evidence that there was ever anything there.  It was a nice flat place to camp.

Breakfast at camp

Day 6:
Starting Point: Cheese Factory Site 56.6
Ending Point: Deep Gap Shelter 66.0
Total Miles: 9.4

As we were finishing up breakfast a group of about 20 boy scouts stopped for a break at the camp site.  They were on weekend hike preparing to go to Philmont.  We also learned that they were planning on staying at the same shelter we were that night.  Thankfully, they were a well behaved group and went to bed early. 
We had lunch at Sassafras Gap and met Chicken Feathers, an AT veteran who was very knowledgeable about the trail.  He told us about places to stay and avoid along our trip.   His advice also caused us to change hotel reservations in Hiawassee. 
We made it to the shelter by early afternoon.  We spent the afternoon playing cards and talking with other hikers.  We were excited to get an early start the next day because we were taking a shuttle into town for our first official "zero" day. 

Day 7:
Starting Point: Deep Gap Shelter: 66.0
Ending Point: Dicks Creek Gap: 70.0
Total Miles: 3

Today was an easy 3 miles to the highway that leads into Hiawassee Georgia.  We were originally planning on taking a $10 shuttle into town but we found a ride from a nice retired couple who live in Hiawassee and maintain part of the trail.  They dropped us off at the Holiday Inn Express where we are staying until Tuesday morning.  Our timing has been perfect as there is a storm coming through over the next two days.  We will resupply here and rest up for next week.  We are hoping to increase our daily average to around 15 miles per day next week.  Our goal is to make it to the NOC for resupply by Saturday. 

Happy Trails to All!
Z & G