Somewhere on the AT #5
I know, I know this update is late. You ladies and gents are chomping at the bit to know how my hike is going. From the NOC, Nantahala Outdoor Center, to Fontana Dam the terrain was harder than thought and it was to hard for me to start cranking out big miles that I want and was making me feel like a failer. Which wasn’t helping my mental state at all.
Fontana Dam Lake reminded me of both Grandpa’s, because growing up we where out on the water on pontoon boot or a speed boat skiiing and tubing. At Fontana Dam I got my first resupply box to help me out to get through the The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, with my shorts. Mom surprised me with homemade cookies, they didn’t last long at all.
Started the Smokies in good weather and it was the last good day that I will see, untill I got out. The forecast called for rain and lows in the 30’s all week, wet and cold is not a good combination. Third day in the Smokies I hikes 9 miles in thunderstorms and some places where I was exposed to the elements and gusts up to 30mph, maybe higher. The only thing that I was scared was being strucked by lightning, which thankfully I didn’t, I can handle the pouring rain, the wind, the trail being a fast pace creek (sorry for no pick because of the down pour of rain), but lighting at a altitude of 4,500+ feet. Scared. That was the word for that day, Scared. Finished homemade cookies that day! Through the Hiker Grapevine that couple hikers got hit by lightning. Had one more day of misty rain then to cold but clear days, though I did have a morning I had hail before I left.
Had a clear but chilly day for Clingmans Dome which is a big day for me. Getting to the highest point on the AT and 200 Miles all in the same day. Yes 200 miles, did a small happy dance where day hikers weren’t around.
With a normal hiking day after that I did a high mileage day of 12.6 miles(1.9 miles higher then my first high mile day) and all day I was in a good mood and happy. Shortly after I go to the shelter and get my tent set up I mentally lost it, don’t know if it’s from doing high mile day or cell service coming and going or really full shelter and no place to eat there. The shelter that I stayed at is the fullest that I have seen, people in it with about 20ish tents around. I think why it might be this full because there is a shelter that is closed due to bear activity around that shelter and the park rangers want to see if there is any aggressive nature there. There was mother bear and cubs seen around that shelter, which means another high mile day. I did that another high mile day on a less then a good night sleep and on a negitive mindset. After I did my 12.6 mile day I went in doward spiral mentally and it didn’t really help when I needed to get up and out first thing in the morning for my 14.6 mile to skirt the shelter that is closed because of the bears. If you have forgotten last update I told you that I did 10.7 miles as my biggest day, not any more I have beat it by 3.9 miles.
The Juicy Stuff: Elevation Gain: 18,544. Elevation Loss: 18,381. Steps: 267,715 Steps on Trail. Total miles: 105.1
Animals: Centipedes 11. Squirrels 6. Butterfly 22. Spider 4. Grub 1. Lizard 1. Slug 2. Chipmunk 2. Deer 3. Bear Droppings 6