Story Time #4 I think
This is where every thing went “south”. It was April 1st and it was my first full day on the AT. What happen could class as a April’s Fools or lack of hiker preparation with Guthook, trail guide that works with the hiker’s phone eternal GPS.
Or it could be both. I ended up getting lost. Between not having Guthook working for me and the lack of blazes on the trees, possibility that the marked trees where down from storms the week before, I ended up going straight when I should have turned left where the trail met up with a gravel road. I “knew” that I was getting close when I saw the the sign for trail magic, a person or a group of people provide food and drinks to the hikers, that was 200 yards to my left down the gravel road. That’s where I made that mistake! It took me about 2 miles before I even realized that I was not on the trail and have no idea where I was or even relative to the trail. If only, if only, if only I had had walked the 200 hundred yards to the trail magic I would have saved myself and my parents a major scare that day.
Once I realized that I was lost, I started to back track the way that I have came and once and while I called out thinking that I have heard someone nearby. Thankfully I had Garmin InReach to communicate with my parents because where I was at I couldn’t get cell service. When I started the day I sent out a link to my parents so they can track my progress throughout the day. Where the point of the arrow is, is where I realized that I was off the trail and stealth camped half between where I turned around and the trail. I ended that day on a off note because getting lost, not knowing where I am, and knowing that’s going to get down near 20 degrees that night.
Which didn’t set me up for a good morning either. I got everything packed up besides my tent first before botting my boots on and they were freezing cold. I had crossed a little creek right before I set up camp and it was cold enough that they didn’t dry out. Once I put the boots on I felt the cold move right into my feet and turning them into block of ice. It wasn’t until half way up the climb to the trail and broken sunglasses that I started to feel my feet again. And it felt good to get the feeling back in, though getting my sunglasses broken was almost the last straw for me after two nights out with temps about 20 degrees and about 2-3 hours of sleep. Two things that brighten up my day was: 1. Trail magic with HOT COFFEE, for anyone who knows me I’m a coffee connoisseur. 2. One of the guys, in the group that was hosting the trail magic, offered to take me into town for the night, which I took up on the offer. Man after couple rough days and nights out on the trail I needed to stay in town.
