Addis gap to dicks creek gap (hiawassee)

That is actually a lie. We really hiked from 1 mile away on the forest service road....(it was about an 8 mile drive up this dirt road...slow going over muddy ruts)...total hiking today was 6.5 miles...in my humble defense, I carried my full pack except I only had today's food..(30 pounds)..my left knee was perfectly fine, right knee a little pinchy from the extra weight?? Fine tonight, though...
We met "snowy frog" on the trail today and later gave him a ride into hiawassee to the holiday inn express...after dropping off the frogman, we went to michaelees for a great lunch, dessert and a latte....
At the hotel tonight, zag and I have been doing last minute pack inspection with the hope of reducing both volume and weight.  Food is big and heavy(and it's only 5 days' worth)
Zag has some nasty blisters that are being very worrisome...it's hard to enjoy hiking when your feet are killing you...
So our packs weigh 37ish pounds...more than we'd like....makes me want to eat a lot the first few days to reduce the pack weight!
Todays hike was so beautiful...very foggy ..have you ever taken a walk in a foggy forest? Treat yourself to a magical experience.

Day 4 Unicoi to Addis gap

Saturday march 9, 2013

The original plan for today was to hike 17 miles...but after  hiking our butts off for 14 miles yesterday, we decided 17 was just too many for today....not enough daylight or leg energy...
So off we trekked from unicoi gap...uphill for a ways...we met up with a little trail magic at tray mountain gap...BSA troop 605 out of Baldwin, GA was serving up pancakes..had a Nice warm fire going (to dry my hands after washing with real soap and water)...
I love pancakes on the middle of nowhere...go boy scouts! If I'd had my wits about me, I would've shown them my official cubscout  flashlight that my pal Michael gave me to use on the trail (it was safe in my pack the whole time)
We met up with a few thru hikers today:
one bell; a couple from Montana that we leapfrogged with all day...
Up and over rocky mtn & tray mtn ..then we had to decide which way to walk on the fire service road to meet up with our ride...it was to be a 1 mile walk and we didn't want to go the wrong way..that would've been a 3 mile mistake. We chose the right direction, thank goodness...
Lots of rocks and sunshine, less mud and ice...all beautiful : )

Friday march

Today is Friday, March 8, 2013.
Day 3 of our slack packing...on the way to Katahdin....
one issue with slack packing is that someone is picking you up at a specific time and place.
Today our destination was 14 miles.
We got dropped off at Hogpen gap at 8am...there was nowhere to get picked up except unicoi gap which was 14 miles away.
The weather was absolutely perfect. Sunny and a little warmer...I  stripped down to my short sleeved shirt a time or two today(on the uphills of course)
The terrain included several miles along an old logging road which was fast and easy except I was trying to go as fast as I could sustain...for several miles..my legs are not at all accustomed to this as I am not a runner.I learned today that I do best on varying terrain...my legs like change....often is better.
We met our first thru hikers today.
They were leaving low gap shelter when we passed. The older guy (I think his name was "Dixie grits"). We walked together now and then.. He seemed nice; lives in Mississippi but hoping to move to Virginia someday. We leapfrogged with him until just before lunch at Chattahoochee gap. We caught the other guy from low gap shelter at Chattahoochee gap. He walked a bit faster (and we stop for a minute here and there : )..anyway, the four of us walked along the logging road as it wound around the side of the mountain. I kept catching strains of someone really belting it out...just singing as they walked...I commented to myself (as I do continuously throughout the day..this is the only one I'll share from today)"he's really got a set of pipes"..lo and behold
..this is the guy we caught up to at lunch..he didn't have a trail name yet, so I told him I'd been calling him"pipes"all day in my head..so I hope it sticks..I will have bestowed my first trail name if it does...we went up and over blue mountain..then came on down to the parking lot...another awesome day on the AT...my toes and knees are sore..but life is good...
Tomorrow's another day..

Neels gap to Hogpen Gap

Thursday March 7, 2013
Snow is much more beautiful when it's sunny, there's not as far to walk and there's more time to get there.
Today our destination was only 7ish miles.
Melting snow on a well traveled trail is called a mud path.
Praise the turkey bags...
Ascending a mountain makes you hot and sweaty...more so if on the sunny side.
Stopping to eat makes you cold, more so if on the shady,windy, snow- covered side...
Those 7 ish miles took longer than anticipated as we had to keep adding or shedding layers throughout the day.
We actually stopped and sat down in the sun for lunch...cool and breezy, we sat on a garbage disposal bag to keep our rearends dry...worked like a charm!
So we sloshed down the last mountain side and happened upon two fair maidens that had been to several wineries (tasting) and went for a burger and fries....
All is well.. And if it's not, I'm sure ice and ibuprofen will help ...

Woody gap to Neels gap

Wednesday march 6, 2013
Driving through the mountains of north Georgia this morning, we noticed the snow on the mountains "oh look how pretty.."
We arrived at woody gap (which is near suches, georgia.) at noonish only to find the winds whipping the snow around at about 40mph... Thus began our first day of hiking the AT...we had 11.6 miles to get to our destination of Neels gap..(to follow our excel spreadsheet that has our hike mapped out with the assumption that we can average 12 Miles per day....)
The first four days we are doing what's called slack packing...not needing multiple days worth of food really cuts down the weight of a backpack...
So as we stood shivering in the freezing wind and snow earlier today, deciding what we each wanted to include in our pack, all i could think about was warmth, carbs and shelter. So i took my tent and sleeping bag (in case we had to stop for some medical emergency), hat, fleece gloves and waterproof mitten covers, balaclava, Kermit green marmot ether driclime hooded jacket, rainpants (added protection from wind)...this is what i had on in addition to my usual hiking pants and shirt...yes, i had on my Turkey bags..
.the just in case stuff  : down mittens, Patagonia micropuff jacket (the low profile blaze orange one) rain jacket...

For food i had some  homemade salmon jerkey , gorp, and fruit "leather"

We walked all 12 miles (ish)..snow, ice covered rocks, wind...really beautiful except for the wind...I've never been so happy to see a rank old stone structure from the ccc...built in the 30s...i knew we only had 1.5 miles left until our destination..all downhill, over icy rocky terrain..to our sweet companions awaiting with beer and fried pies...yummy..ended the day with beer and pizza in Helen ga...hot shower and bed here i come

Home

Tomorrow morning we leave very early...drive to Georgia, get dropped off and hike 11 miles or so to our first destination.
We're doing what's called slack-packing for a few days. (hiking with a  less-than-full pack...much like "not playing with a full deck") This should help my aging body with the transition into pack-encumbered daily hikes ...hopefully with less chance of actual tissue damage.(..I expect to be very sore, stiff and achy...but that's ok.)
Today I am under the electric blanket....(maybe trying to absorb as much warmth as possible) while the laundry dries and the dishwasher finishes. I'll fill the bird feeder and double check my pack contents, food schedule and bounce box..recharge my spare battery, hang some new lights on the back porch. Eventually I will actually go and fill the truck with gas and gather snacks for the drive over. But for now, I'll stay under the warm blanket...

Humbled

When is the last time you were surrounded by nearly all the people you love?
(Funerals and holidays don't count.)

Let me tell you what a wonderful feeling it is. I understand that some people have some anxiety about their "worlds" colliding.....let them collide.
Let them crash forcefully into each other and mingle and mash you in between...feel all that love, kindness and generosity squish out and fly all over you...leaving you drooping under a thick, heavy coat of "we love you and support you",
"i always thought you had good sense, but you're crazy as hell for doing this", "I'm so envious that you're making this dream come true for yourself",
"I will pray for you every day",
"can we meet you somewhere with supplies?",
"here's the phone number for my friend/sister/parents ....call them and they will feed/shuttle/board you"

This is a heavy garment.
This is love.