April 15-April 20, Miles 69.2 – 109.4

First, I want to thank everyone who has posted comments on my entries so far. I don’t always have time to respond to all of them, but I definitely read them and really appreciate the support you have shown. Thank you!

This section started out slow as another weather system approached. I ended up taking two zeros in Hiawassee as buckets of water fell from the sky. I enjoyed the rest while looking out the window glad I wasn’t camping in that mess, but I was also anxious to get back on the trail.

It turns out a friend-of-a-friend from Eugene was also section hiking the exact same area I was at. It was nice to connect with someone familiar, and I hiked with their group for a couple of days before they all had to head back home.

Two beautiful days of hiking were worth the wait. I managed two 12+ mile days in a row and was feeling pretty good. I laugh as I say that though because I think I jinxed myself. One day I pass a couple of guys and mentioned my knees were doing pretty well (my biggest concern physically going into this). After parting ways I’m moving along making good time on the trail when I stepped on a small piece of wood on the trail and feel my left ankle roll. My pole is too close to my body to catch me and I feel my weight pushing it sideways as I fall into it. The bottom of the pole is firmly planted on the ground, the top of the pole is strapped to my hand, and I’m putting weight on the middle. As physics would dictate, I was then catapulted off the trail. After rolling a couple of times down the embankment I ended up stuck in some branches turtle-style wondering exactly what sequence of events just conspired to land me in this predicament. I felt like I was going through a POST check after panic (Power-on Self Test for my non-geek friends) as I systematically checked that nothing too serious had happened. I managed to unclip myself from my pack and get upright. My ankle was sore and swelling but I could put weight on it. I hoisted my pack out of the bushes and back onto the trail. I still had two miles to go to get to camp and was unsure of how my ankle would hold up. Fortunately the injured part didn’t seem too affected by the weight or walking so I was able to carefully walk into camp and wrap it up with an ace bandage.

Hiking on the ankle the next day was OK, so I think I dodged that bullet. Strider asked how it was holding up after I finished another 8 miles and I said it felt great. Oops, I jinxed myself again! After setting up my tent up a hill I was walking down to get some water near a muddy spot on the trail. As soon as I stepped on the mud one foot slid about 3 feet while the other stayed put. My arm flew out to catch myself on the hillside and that’s when I heard my shoulder pop. I rolled into the mud to avoid putting any more weight on it and after a second or two it popped back into place. I got pretty muddy and can’t lift my left arm above my head, but I can still carry a pack and hike. If nothing else I realize how quickly accidents can happen, especially when I’m tired, and things like this can easily take someone off the trail.

Anyway, enough about injuries. This stretch represented a couple of big accomplishments: I crossed my first state line from Georgia into North Carolina, and I hit the 100 mile mark on the trail! While it represents less than 5% of the length of the trail, taken on its own it feels like a big accomplishment. This is my training period and not an easy part of the trail. The miles will come.

One cool part of the trail in this section too was the fire watch tower on Albert mountain. The weather had been superb and the view from the top 360 degrees was fantastic. It made it worth the climb up, which frequently required putting the poles away and scrambling up rocks with both hands. It was one of the more challenging climbs on the trail so far.

After only a few nice days of hiking I’m again in town in Franklin, NC, to avoid severe weather. While this budget hotel is pretty shitty, I’m thankful for a bed and roof over my head as the thunder and lightning and torrential rain come down. Snow was reported up on the trail and the river in town was at its banks. I took another two zero days for weather and to enjoy Franklin. It’s an official “AT Town” and has all sorts of signs welcoming hikers. A very different feel from Hiawassee, where I felt like I was getting dirty looks from the locals. (I even showered!) The Lazy Hiker Brewery was a popular way to waste away the day when not getting gear at the outfitter or resupply (food) from the Ingles supermarket. Saturday night was a big music festival in town, but being on hiker time, as soon as 9:00pm (also know as “hiker midnight”) rolls around I’m ready for bed.

The weather for the next several days is looking pretty good. I’m looking forward to hitching a ride back up to the trail to start hiking again. I’m pretty unaccustomed to hitchiking in regular life, but I was excited when I landed my first ride into town in about 3 minutes. Especially in trail towns people seem happy to pick up hikers. It’s quite an experience to bum rides off strangers.

Next stop is the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) and then on to Fontana Dam where I get my first resupply package from myself and prepare to set off into Great Smokeys National Park.