Hot Springs and hitchhiking!

So we made it! 13.5 miles to Hot Springs and it was amazing! The clouds blew off midday and it turned out to be a beautiful day! After checking into our Hostel, we attacked the laundry room and shower with a vengeance! After spending 3 days in the same clothes (trying to stay warm) it was wonderful to get clean and have everything dry and smelling good. We resupplied at dollar general (who knew they had such an amazing food selection) and then headed down to have a beer or two with the other hikers.  These symbols are down the one side of the street to let you know you're still on the AT!

Some random other pictures, a mailbox in a shelter that is used to store the trail register.

This is the back of a T-shirt we found in a local outfitter. Can't wait to go here! 

A sticker I would like to turn into a tattoo when we're all done

A sign on the way to Hot Springs that tells you how much farther you have to go to get to Maine.

One of the most moving images I've seen about finishing the trail. This is the sign at Katahdin and when you reach it, you know you've finally made it!

After some beers and laughs with everyone we went back to the Hostel to get a good night's sleep but ended up talking to the caretaker Mark about the characters we've seen on the trail. I also made everyone popcorn in a pot, not the microwave crap. The Hostel is actually run by 2 hikers (Chuck Norris and yes he looks like him and Tigger, who we never saw). 

So the next day we got up, packed and ready to head out. After a stop at the local outfitter we sat out front having sodas and taking to some other hikers. I saw we were only about 32 miles from Asheville, a veritable craft beer town like Portland. I told Rob we should try our luck in hitchhiking because when were we ever going to be this close again! And there is an amazing brewery there called Wicked Weed. The outfitter gave us some cardboard to make a sign (which said Asheville, c/o Wicked Weed) and we stood out on the road. It took about 45 minutes but a super cool older gentleman picked us up. He was awesome! While talking to him we found out he grew up in Rochester, NY not too far from Rob's hometown in Buffalo. He also went to the original Woodstock. Needless to say, he was a joy and a pleasure to talk to! He gave us a heads up that Asheville is a town for old hippies. It looks just like if Portland had a acid induced love child with San Francisco's Haight/Ashbury st. He dropped us off in downtown, a 10 minute walk from Wicked Weed. We walked into the restaurant/bar and sat down. While we sat, I told a girl behind the bar, hey you want to hear something funny? I told her about us hiking the trail and that we hitchhiked from Hot Springs to specifically come here! We showed her or sign. She loved our story and unbeknownst to us, was the restaurant manager. She (Alayna) bought our first 2 flights. 

She came over a little later and said the Chef was so moved by our story that he sent out this beautiful cheese sampler plate! He said his name was 'Google Bear' so we're assuming a fellow Hiker! 

Aftera few more minutes, she said the brewers asked if we would take a picture in front of the building with our sign and packs so they could put it on their FB page. We agreed and said they could even use our names if they wanted to! 

 We met Walt, one of the main brewers and got to talk to him for awhile. He even brought us this amazing beer to try!

We also got to meet one of the head guys from French Broad brewery who gave us the name of a cab driver that would take us there for minimal cash. When we went upstairs to get our packs, we met 2 ladies that saw our packs and chatted us up about us hiking and how we got here. One even gave us a ride to Sweet pea Hostel! We checked in to what has to be the cleanest, nicest Hostel I've ever seen! We dumped our packs in our room and called Woody, our cab driver for the evening. He kind of reminded me of Woody from the movie Earth Girls are Easy. A quick 10 minute ride, with a brief history of the town from Woody, and we were at French Broad. We went to the bar and were told that the brewer had taken care of all our beers! Such hospitality in this city, it's unreal! Then we walked across the train tracks to sample beers at Catawba brewing! We met one of the bartenders who also hiked the AT (trail name Trail Angel). Awesome guy who sent us with a 6 pack for our journey. After another call to Woody, we were on our way back to the Hostel for some sleep. We did hit the bar underneath the Hostel to sample their beers too but it was kind of like a Gordon Biersch type place. 

The next day we woke up and decided to spend a full day here to truly enjoy the town. Because we're on Hiker time (up at 6:30) we got breakfast, a shower and some coffee. The rest of Asheville apparently does not open till 10/11 or noon, and it was only Tuesday. We wandered around to the fun funky little shops, and had pizza and a beer at the Mellow Mushroom (woohoo that makes 3 we've been to). We also hit a grocery store as our Hostel has a full kitchen! We came back to relax, watch a movie and play scrabble. We wandered to a few more shops before we settled at Asheville Brewing company for 2$ can and pizza slice night. Walking the streets and reading all the menus from all the restaurants, checking out the local fun shops is awesome! We hit another funky place in the way home called the Thirsty Monk which boasts 40th best place in the world to have a beer. Cute place but by the end of our first flight, we were almost falling asleep. After sampling our 2nd flight we were on our way back to get some sleep. It's been wonderful here in Asheville but we gotta get back to the trail! We're missing the fresh air but it had been nice to relax after a month on the trail. 

Standing Bear farm and out of the Smokies!

After hiking out of the Smokies, we had planned to stop at this little Hostel called Standing Bear Farm (in Tennessee. Remember I said we'd be straddling the state lines for the next few miles. Yeah try 200, until we get to Virginia) to resupply and to stay a night in a bed.
Apparently the night before a BIG bear had wandered very close to our shelter but a hiker's cough scared it away. We had to do 11 miles at a jarring downhill. I had a blister the size of a Buick on my pinky toe and then twisted my ankle partway down. However the last 3 miles was very pretty with the river crossings and waterfalls.

So onto Standing Bear. We had no intention of staying but seeing the weather report of 100% chance of rain, we stayed, unfortunately had to take another zero day. But the place was pretty cool. The resupply closet was more stocked than some of the other store we've been to and there was a 'beer shack'. Rocket (the caretaker) is a large source of entertainment with his constant drinking of whiskey and mellow yellow out of his mason jar. He usually starts around 2pm. There are also roosters, chickens, cats and dogs. When we got there we were asked 'are y'all a couple' after saying yes we were asked if we'd like the cabin or a treehouse. It's kind of a no-brained, if you're offered a treehouse, you take the treehouse! 

Our treehouse was right by the creek and between that and the rain on the roof! Sleep was pretty pleasant. I should mention as well that there was no washing machine. Just 2 sinks and an old washboard and wringer. Rob has pictures on his camera of me doing laundry. Thankfully, they had a drier. Oh and also an indoor shower and an outdoor one. The outdoor one was amazing! But no actual toilet so we had to use a privy. (Once again for anyone who has forgotten, a privy is basically an elevated outhouse)

For the record, you very sucked into this place! It's kind of like Hotel California! You can check out but you may never leave!! 

Our second day there, we got cheaper sleeping arrangements (so no more treehouse. Besides, we had apparently caused quite a stir and now there was a waiting list for it), and because of the crappy weather, we sent out postcards, played scrabble, calorie loaded (ate like pigs) and read. The bonus at least is that Rob's lost 20lbs and I've lost 12. 

The next day we did another 15 mile day, the clouds stated to burn off but then the wind blew in and started misting on us. The temperature dropped to the 40s. We went across this bald called Max Patch(a place where there are no trees) and got lucky enough to miss some of the sort crappy weather on top, but the wind was threatening to use my pack as a sail). The views were spectacular! 

We had 18 more miles to Hot Springs, NC where the trail actually goes down the main street. When we got up, it was super chilly and was supposed to be freezing rain later on in the day. Us and 3 other hikers decided to take a short day and bundle up in the shelter to try to warm up. It was a fairly miserable day with no excitement other than us trying to stay warm. The bonus is now we're out of the Smokies and we can camp anywhere we want!! 

North Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Tennessee

When we last left our heroes they were trying to escape the clutches of the touristy town!

So the next morning dawned sunny with a few clouds. We grabbed a shuttle and went up to hike to Clingman's Dome, the highest point of the AT at 6,643ft (in North Carolina). We had to hike up a half mile on the wheelchair ramp from hell! People are stopping every 50 feet out so to take a breath and here's us trucking along with our heavy packs. A nice ranger watched our packs while we went up to the observation deck to take pictures.

This is the observation Deck you walk up. Completely open to the public! 

View just from the parking lot. The clouds had settled a bit in the valley. 

Cheeseballs at the highest point of the AT. 

So we made our way down to the next shelter. The silly thing about the Great Smoky Mountains is you have to pay and reserve a spot at the shelters, you can't just freely camp like you can almost everywhere else on the trail. As thru hikers, we buy a 'backcountry permit' which means we can stay in any shelter we like; however, if someone (day Hiker, section Hiker, overnight Hiker) comes in with a reservation and the shelter is full, we thru hikers have to give up our spot in the shelter. But the bonus is that when the shelter is full, then you're allowed to set up a tent! Oh and also, because it's federally run, the privys have wheelchair bars. Never mind that there's steps only to get to the privy and obviously the trails aren't paved. But whatever, that's government for you.

So anyway that night, we stay at Mt. Collins shelter and in the shelter registry ( a notebook in every shelter that hikers write notes in about whatever. Kind of like a Hiker FB feed) for 3 pages, everyone was talking about beware Buddy the red squirrel. We weren't there 5 minutes and saw this red squirrel. He was very bold! He was sitting on a tree stump 8 feet away from the shelter so when Rob went to grab his camera, this little shit ran right up to about a foot from him! Also, while Rob' & my backpack were suspended on the food cables 15 feet of the ground, this little jerk chewed through Rob's back pack and into his food bag. Apparently he decided ramen was beneath him cause that's as far as he got. 

The next day we hiked on and got amazing trail magic. This lady had backed her car into the parking lot and had coffee, doughnuts, crackers, fresh oranges and other stuff for the hikers.

We kept hiking and about mile 5 we started hearing thunder in the distance and saw huge black clouds rolling in. We got a bit misted on but reached the shelter 5 minutes before it stated pouring and even hailing. After a 16 mile day, it was just nice to be dry in the shelter (now in Tennessee)! 

The next day was a record speed day for us as we did 13 miles in about 6 1/2 hours. We were again racing the clouds and rain. When it's sunny, it was 85 degrees with 80 - 100% humidity. Wet heat, dry heat, doesn't matter, it's all hot and your sticky and soaking wet after awhile! It's definitely more relaxing to listen to the rain patter on the roof of the shelter when you know you and your stuff is all dry. 

Beating the storm

So after a lovely stay at the Fontana Hilton (sans the golf club wielding redneck)

 

We were off again to go towards our next milestones; crossing into our third state, Tennessee, hitting the 200 mile marker, and hiking the highest point on the AT, Clingman's Dome. 

We trekked up an area known as Thunderhead Mountain, but being that it was a rough climb, we renamed it Thunder Dome, Bitch! Mountain. However being a clear day, the views of the Smokies were amazing. 

When we reached the shelter for the night it was very packed. Not only with thru hikers but also with some odd female section hikers that were afraid of mice (pretty much all the shelters are infested with them), were braiding everyone's hair and even putting on make up before they left the next morning. We got out early and hiked 12 miles to our next shelter which was also packed. We met up with our Hiker friend Heavy who offered us a ride into Gatlinburg the next day because of the impending storm. We agreed! 

The next day started cold, cloudy and very windy as we hauled ass up a very rocky mountain towards Clingman's dome. I might add that over breakfast, an old man, very hard of hearing asked Heavy about Clingman's Dome. Heavy said 'my car is parked at Clingman's Dome'. The old man clearly didn't hear him and didn't care but continued to ask Heavy questions. Heavy's answer was still, my car is parked up there. The old man kept talking. We started cracking up. So we hauled ass, 10.5 miles in 5.5 hours to get to the car and narrowly beat the storm down. 

So here we were in a very cheesy town that resembles a boardwalk. Everything is really big and overdone, like a circus or carnival. We're pretty sure Ripley's owns stock in this town cause there's at least 6 attractions in 2 square miles. Did I mention we're about 20 minutes from Dollywood?!?! Yeah that kind of tourist cheese that people looooove! 

Every one was wearing these. Yes it's better than being soaked by the rain but still so hilarious to watch people wearing glorified trash bags that are emblazoned with a black bear and say 'great smoky mountains'. I couldn't stop giggling at the sight. Oh and every bs t shirt tourist store was selling them like beads on Bourbon at Mardi Gras. 

We had beers with Heavy then he had to leave. And today we took our first ever zero (no miles gained on the trail) day. We weren't particularly thrilled about it but it was nice to eat real food for a day and give our bodies a much needed rest. And yes, beer counts!! When you're burning 4000 - 6000 calories a day, you can drink your calories any way you want!! It's all part of the Hiker diet! At the Mellow Mushroom tonight we were entertained by a bartender named "Ike" who was cracking us up with the stories of the 'man hating cabal' from across the plaza at Dick's Last Resort. Too damn funny!!! Amongst all this touristy cheese, there are some cool sights like a candy store that's been here since 1957 and still makes pulled taffy the same way it always has. 

So after a great day it's off to bed to rest out little hiker heads so we can go back to the trail tomorrow. We'll catch up in about 5 days when we hit Hot Springs, NC (the part of the trail we're on for the week through the Smokies straddles the state line between NC & TN). 

Oh yeah! For any of Rob's margaritaville friends reading, we found 'Southern McGovern'!! Seriously, I would pay for a bottle of whiskey to watch these two meet and talk!!! 

Oh and apparently, black bears come down and roam freely in the town. One was wandering the halls of our motel last night and went and checked out Restaurant 'de Dumpster and then left. Crazy.. We still haven't seen one yet. Or wild boars which are also in the Smokies!! 

Long couple days..

So after our delightful town visit in Franklin, we had to hike up to 5000 feet, only to hike down to 1700 to a place called the Nantahalla Outdoor Center.

White water rafting, zip lining, kayaking, super cool place. The fact that we were there on a Saturday was even more awesome. We stuffed ourselves with 1/2 lb burgers and beer and listened to live music. Then we were reunited with some of our Hiker friends, Mary, Skipper, Pickles and the puppies Snaggletooth and Little Spoon.
Then Tramp, Grizzly, and Spyder showed us some awesome free camping right by the River.
Then an ugly hike in the morning up 4000 feet over 6 miles. We ended up going farther to camp (a little rough). And then came down to Fontana Dam. What a tourist trap!! Nothing was open till Thursday through Sunday. Not helpful when you're there on a Tuesday! We stayed at the Hiker famous Fontana Hilton. It's a shelter on the trail with real bathrooms and a solar shower and amazing views of the lake. Oh and even some excitement with a horseback-riding-golf-club-wielding-drunk-redneck.

Now we're hiking through the great Smoky Mountain National Park. I will post more when we get to Gatlinburg, TN!

Rob's Journal entries from 4/25 to 4/29

Friday March 25th, 2014 7:30pm 4532' 61° Tray Mountain Shelter
Great sleep at the Budget Inn last night. Late start on the trail (noon); more trail magic at the Gap that we started from. This guy broughta huge box of chocolate, snacks, etc. Packages of toilet paper. The good people and hospitality had been incredible. Only banged out 6 miles today in about 4.5 hours, 2 huge climbs, 800ft and 1300ft and a big descent. Will make up time in the next few days. Anxiously awaiting Franklin, NC as we found out there are some good craft beer spots; I'll practically be running the next few days to get there. Alas it is still 50 miles away probably looking at 4 days. Supposed to be chilly tonight with a low of 35°.

Saturday April 26th, 2014 8pm 74° 3176' Random campsite past deep Gap shelter.   Up early and started hiking a little before 9am. Wildberry pop tarts and bacon! For breakfast. Some good ups and downs today but managed to squeak out 13.5 miles by 5:30pm. Feet are a little sore and have a little heat rash. It was a warm one today and things were hot, sweaty and sticky. Hung the bear bag tonight and kinda more worried about the damn squirrels running around outside the tent. 3 more 12 mile days and we should be in Franklin on the morning of the 4th day. Looking forward to some good beer and a buffet. Tomorrow we will cross our first state line as we leave Georgia and enter North Carolina. Only a low of 50° tonight. Looking forward to some good sleep.

Sunday April 27th, 2014 8pm 65° 4580' Muskrat Creek shelter, North Carolina
Yay! Or first border crossing, we said good bye to Georgia today and hello to North Carolina. Gonna miss Georgia though the people were very nice and we received trail magic almost every day. Rough day today on the ups and downs, as usual, but north Carolina seems to stay above 4000' with very few large elevation gains or losses. So a big thank you to Georgia for getting out legs and lungs trail ready. It's beginning to rain now as we are tucked away in the tent, it will be the first "wet test" for the tent. Supposed to be scattered storms hopefully not lasting too long, I'd like to pack up a dry tent in the morning and have all out laundry that is hanging to dry. 2 more days to Franklin, if the rain holds off tonight.

Monday April 28th, 2014 8pm 63° 4520' Carter Gap shelter, NC
So it rained for a couple of hours while we were trying to get to sleep and again later at night and also in the early morning. So needless to say the laundry we did was speaking wet still in the morning. Bit the rain stopped and we got up and got to work and then with a slightly damp shirt and pants we hot the trail for a 12.5 mile day. Not a bad hike at all the uphill was gradual and there were long downhill sections that eye gradual as well. So with a late (10:30) start we were still able to bang out 12.5 miles in a little over 7 hours. Kat is still leading and setting the pace she gets stronger and a little faster everyday. 12.1 miles tomorrow and then into Franklin the next day for resupply, buffet and beer.

Tuesday April 29 th, 2014 5:30pm 4396' 65° Long Branch Shelter, NC
We braved the perfect storm last night in our little light weight 2 person tent. 50mph winds, thunder and lightening, buckets of rain. The rain was flying sideways and and we were taking on water, we were able to keep our down sleeping bag dry but not much else. It lasted from 9:50pm till 6:30am, hardly any sleep was had. O climbed out of the tent at 8am, we dragged all of our equipment into the shelter, packed up and headed out. The tent was wet and really dirty... Threw it in a garbage bag to deal with when we get to town tomorrow. We managed to make it 8 miles to the next shelter. An easy 4 miles in the morning to the pick up point to get to town, a Mexican buffet, craft beer and a motel room. The hike was fairly easy today except for a hair raising climb up to an old fire tower, Kat slipped and fell but no injuries, she was ok.



The view from just below the fire tower

Long Branch shelter built in 2012 

Food, storms, and Franklin, NC

Food! No matter which way you slice it, when your on the AT, it's all dry or needs to be reconstituted with water. Whether you've thought ahead and dehydrated yourself gourmet meals or didn't want the hassle and just picking stuff up along the way, your options are still kinda limited. So as you're hiking 8 to 10 hour days, your mind kinda wanders, which is why most of hikers' conversations are about food. What you're craving, what you miss the most, what you'd sacrifice a small child for, etc. So a few days ago when Rob was talking about an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet in Franklin, for 4 days, all I could think about was burritos and tacos..

Now to the storm. For anyone watching the weather channel, yes there were horrible thunderstorms. And yes, we got caught in the worst one. Many of us did. But yep there were me and Rob at 10:30 at night hearing the crack of thunder and seeing the lightening and hoping this would be like the other storm we encountered (it rained for 15 minutes then quit). We checked weather.com, we knew to expect rain, we just didn't know the actual type of storms that were going on. So yeah 50 mile an hour winds, sideways pouring rain and thunder and lightening above our heads, not exactly the best time we've ever had. Our little tent was not built for that kind of weather.

So to ride out the rest of the storm and to resupply, we came to Franklin, NC. The owner of the budget inn here and in Haiawassee, GA picked us up and shuttled us to the hotel. Where we did laundry, took much needed showers and looked over the food options. After talks of craft beer and burritos we headed to a Mexican restaurant. Sadly, the food was kinda bland but served its purpose. Rob ate at McDonald's. And then (with the recommendation of Brave, and seeing they had craft beer) off to Outdoor 76, a local AT outfitter. There's actually a little craft beer bar inside the store!!

 The staff there was so amazing and helpful! After a quick trip to Walmart to resupply or food stocks and a gratuitous spraying down of the tent (so filthy from the storm), we were ready for dinner. There is a place here called Vito's. It's a pizza place that advertised that it would come pick us up from the Inn and bring us back when we were done with dinner. We had delightful pizza made by Miss Jane (Vito's wife) and were entertained by our server/bartender Debbie and even Vito himself! Many laughs were had and Rob even got a couple of craft beers he hadn't had. After a shot with Debbie after dinner, Vito drove us back to our room! Truly one of my favorite spots so far.

The southern hospitality and the people we have met so far on this journey have been amazing!

Us crossing the border in North Carolina

Quick entry.. gotta save battery life.

So today we're at almost 72 miles!! Just 8 more till North Carolina!

Today was rough! We have 3 more days in the wild until we reach Franklin, NC! There is a promise of craft beer there so I have to keep Rob from running! (Bonus, it's right next to Outdoor 76!! Thanks for the suggestion Brave!! I'm going to go see them too).

Thank you so much for the support, comments,  and well wishes! We appreciate it so much!! Catch you all up in North Carolina!!

55 miles down 2,132 more to go!

For everyone reading, I'm icing, elevating and resting my knee when I can. I bought a moderate compression brace at Mountain Crossings and it's helped so very much! This girl is not going home!!

Yesterday we stayed at Low Gap and scored a beautiful campsite next to a little creek. After a little clean up and doing the laundry in the creek, you actually feel like normal. Unfortunately, we both forgot today's map was in the pocket of Rob's shirt.. Oops. It was kind like following a beat up pirate map all day. It was 43 last night so we got a bit of a late start cause we were waiting for it to warm up.

Today started windy and chilly but after another rocky 10 miles, we made it to Hiawassee, GA. After a delightful all you can eat buffet of fried chicken, BBQ ribs, mashed potatoes, corn and fried okra, we did some restocking of our food bags and headed back to our room.

This Trail is by no means a dirt walk through the mountains. There's steep ups and wicked downs. Sections go through what's called the green tunnel where the foliage grows into an almost hallway shape and it makes the warm weather cooler. Others are nothing but rocks which need to be precariously navigated.

We saw some more Trail magic today. Just 2 shoe boxes filled to the brim with all sorts of stuff. The first box we opened had a package of caramel delights in it. Yep.. Those went with us. The fact that people do this so regularly moves me to tears. I'm so in awe of the love given to the hikers. Even to hear the other day that the reason that husband and wife team make dinner for the hikers is because they love seeing their faces light up at the sight of real food. I can't even think of the right word to describe my feeling because of the intensity of it and the overwhelming gratitude that goes with it.

It's such an amazing Trail and experience and we're both so very happy to be out here. Almost every day we joke that no matter how bad the terrain, at least it's better than the bus ride..

without further ado... pictures!!!

The fabulous Hiker Hostel! We were so spoiled here. No other has lived up to the standards this place set! Best place in Georgia!

So amazing, obviously, I bought a patch for my backpack!

Our feet at the first white blaze. These are put on trees and rocks as markers to let you know your still on the AT. Some guy counted then and there's over 80,000 on the trail. 

The Appalachian Trail plaque at the top of Springer Mountain. The starting point for NOBO hikers! 

A creek we stopped at to get water and use our fancy magic sterilizing water. 

This is a tree outside the Mountain crossing Hostel/outfitter. Those are hiking boots and shoes in all the branches. And there were more inside the store. Cool place! Not such a great Hostel. But this was where we got our first homecooked meal! 

The fact that we saw this, in Georgia, was picture worthy! 

This and the next 2 are from the top of one of the mountains we climbed! 

Fun picture of Rob after he took a bunch of pictures of the view. 

This was our campsite last night at Low Gap. Right next to the creek. 

Amazing example of Trail Angels/Trail Magic. These were just sitting on the sign for Unicoi Gap. Left by a local church group. Other items include carmex, tissues, food, candy, etc. It's really heartwarming and awe inspiring when people do this. It's things like this that start to restore my faith in humanity.