Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Lang and the Smoky Mountains - a love-hate relationship
Greetings from just north of the Smoky Mountains! I am at a very cool little hostel called Standing Bear Farm. I haven't posted in a while, so here goes...
After taking a zero mile day at Fontana Dam Shelter (with the worst snorer I have ever heard - I ended up stuffing my ears with wetted paper from my book) at the south of the Smokies on Sunday, I set off into the wild on Monday. That morning I got a shuttle into Fontana Dam Village and picked up a mailed food package I had sent myself from Franklin, NC. After getting my pack together, I set off at 10:30, much later than I would have liked, considering we were climbing close to 3000 feet and traveling 15ish miles to Spence Field Shelter. I packed two and a half days worth of food, as I was planning of resupplying in Gatlinburg. Because I had heard all sorts of crazy stories about how bad the Smokies were, I packed a good amount of extra food in case the hiking was slow. My pack was very heavy. After crossing Fontana Dam, I headed up Mount Shuckstack. It took me a while to get back in the groove after not hiking for a day. I ran into a park ranger at the top of the mountain who said ominously that things will get easier after the Smokies. The first 8ish miles were cold but without snow. However, slowly the ground became more and more covered with snow. Despite this, we made our goal of getting to Spence Field. I got the last spot in the shelter, as there was a large group of Auburn students on spring break who were unprepared for the cold weather. I was lucky in that no one else came to the shelter, becasue the Smokies have a dumb rule that thru hikers like myself must leave a full shelter if overnight hikers show up. Slept very poorly.
Tuesday was a horrible day. Had stomach problems and got pretty dehydrated. Ate a poor breakfast as a result and got a late start, around 11. The 6+ miles to Derrick Knob Shelter were a disaster. There was fresh snow, and all the trees over the trail were heavy and sagging into the path. Being a tall man, I hit everyone of them. At this point I seriously considered getting myself off the AT. Went over Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountains; Rocky Top was nothing special and I don't get what all the hoopla is about. I made it to Derrick Knob at 2:30 absolutely beat, wet, and freezing. I informed my hiking buddy Beans that I was done for the day even though we planned on going an additional 7 to Double Spring Shelter near Clingman's Dome. Beans was kind enough to stay behind with me. I immediately climbed into my sleeping bag and was catatonic for a good four hours. Got up long enough to cook dinner and get water. Had a horrible snorer next to me again; contemplated saying something really nasty to him in the morning.
Wednesday was cold and misty again. The snow made travel very slow. Beans and I made the 7ish miles to Double Spring by 12:30. I did not feel like I could summit Clingman's Dome that day and then go an additional 8 to New Found Gap; Beans went ahead and we planned to meet in Gatlinburg the following day. Spent an afternoon with three nice Auburn students. Nothing else much of note on Wednesday except it was very cold.
Thursday I set off at 6:30 in the morning in the hopes that the snow would be frozen and I wouldn't posthole as much. My efforts were rewarded, and I summited Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT, by 9. I then headed down towards New Found Gap, which was quite a slog. Got to New Found Gap around 1. Gatlinburg was 15 miles away, so I stuck out my thumb, and lo and behold, the first car that came picked me up. A nice born-again named Dolly drove me into town.
Ahh, Gatlinburg - the redneck Las Vegas, the land of fudge and novelty knives, a place of all-you-can-eat buffets, pancake houses, and Confederate-themed clothing stores. What a town. I met Beans at Shoney's, a place that makes Luby's seem like a 5-star Parisian restaurant. Beans had been there yesterday as well, and his stomach as been killing him since. I went to the outfitter and finally got a 1-person tent ( had ben carrying around a 2.5). The staff at Smoky Mountain Outfitters were kind enough to drive me to the post office and to Ace Hardware, where I picked up a top-of-the-line set of earplugs to foil those damn snorers. Had some lousy Chinese food for dinner, showered, and hit the hay.
Friday was a good day. Sunshine!! After getting back to New Found Gap around 10:30, Beans and I had a easy and beautiful morning. Up until this point I hated the Smoky Mountains, but a little sunshine on a clear day makes a world of difference. Took some photos from Charlie's Bunion, a famous rock outcropping with an interesting name. The snow got worse as the day went on, turning into a slushy mess. The trail was cut into very steep cliffs and slippery mess on the ground left for a nerve-racking hike. Nevertheless, we put in a long day and made the 15+ miles to Tricorner Knob, leaving us a day away from getting out of the Smokies. Had a horrible snorer in the shelter, but I was dead to the world with my earplugs and slept like a babe.
Today was a long 18+ mile hike. Nasty snow at the beginning, but as we descended out of the park we actually got to walk on mud and eventually dry dirt. Beautiful views along the way. We descended 4000 feet today - we got down to 1350 feet above sea level, the lowest i have been on this trip. Popped my ears near the bottom. Temperatures got into the low 70s as the day progressed, an experience I can't tell you how much I enjoyed after countless days in the 30s and 40s. After getting out of the Smokies, we hiked an extra 3 miles to Standing Bear Farm.
I will send pictures when I get cell phone reception. For some reason UT Southwestern has made my email inaccessible at this time, so if you have sent me an email and I haven't responded, that is the reason. Hopefully I ca clear it up in Hot Springs, where I should be in two days. Am 234 miles into the trail - hopefully my pace will pick up as the weather melts off some of the snow at higher altitudes so I can get to Harper's Ferry. Okay, off to bed, hope all is well with you all
After taking a zero mile day at Fontana Dam Shelter (with the worst snorer I have ever heard - I ended up stuffing my ears with wetted paper from my book) at the south of the Smokies on Sunday, I set off into the wild on Monday. That morning I got a shuttle into Fontana Dam Village and picked up a mailed food package I had sent myself from Franklin, NC. After getting my pack together, I set off at 10:30, much later than I would have liked, considering we were climbing close to 3000 feet and traveling 15ish miles to Spence Field Shelter. I packed two and a half days worth of food, as I was planning of resupplying in Gatlinburg. Because I had heard all sorts of crazy stories about how bad the Smokies were, I packed a good amount of extra food in case the hiking was slow. My pack was very heavy. After crossing Fontana Dam, I headed up Mount Shuckstack. It took me a while to get back in the groove after not hiking for a day. I ran into a park ranger at the top of the mountain who said ominously that things will get easier after the Smokies. The first 8ish miles were cold but without snow. However, slowly the ground became more and more covered with snow. Despite this, we made our goal of getting to Spence Field. I got the last spot in the shelter, as there was a large group of Auburn students on spring break who were unprepared for the cold weather. I was lucky in that no one else came to the shelter, becasue the Smokies have a dumb rule that thru hikers like myself must leave a full shelter if overnight hikers show up. Slept very poorly.
Tuesday was a horrible day. Had stomach problems and got pretty dehydrated. Ate a poor breakfast as a result and got a late start, around 11. The 6+ miles to Derrick Knob Shelter were a disaster. There was fresh snow, and all the trees over the trail were heavy and sagging into the path. Being a tall man, I hit everyone of them. At this point I seriously considered getting myself off the AT. Went over Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountains; Rocky Top was nothing special and I don't get what all the hoopla is about. I made it to Derrick Knob at 2:30 absolutely beat, wet, and freezing. I informed my hiking buddy Beans that I was done for the day even though we planned on going an additional 7 to Double Spring Shelter near Clingman's Dome. Beans was kind enough to stay behind with me. I immediately climbed into my sleeping bag and was catatonic for a good four hours. Got up long enough to cook dinner and get water. Had a horrible snorer next to me again; contemplated saying something really nasty to him in the morning.
Wednesday was cold and misty again. The snow made travel very slow. Beans and I made the 7ish miles to Double Spring by 12:30. I did not feel like I could summit Clingman's Dome that day and then go an additional 8 to New Found Gap; Beans went ahead and we planned to meet in Gatlinburg the following day. Spent an afternoon with three nice Auburn students. Nothing else much of note on Wednesday except it was very cold.
Thursday I set off at 6:30 in the morning in the hopes that the snow would be frozen and I wouldn't posthole as much. My efforts were rewarded, and I summited Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT, by 9. I then headed down towards New Found Gap, which was quite a slog. Got to New Found Gap around 1. Gatlinburg was 15 miles away, so I stuck out my thumb, and lo and behold, the first car that came picked me up. A nice born-again named Dolly drove me into town.
Ahh, Gatlinburg - the redneck Las Vegas, the land of fudge and novelty knives, a place of all-you-can-eat buffets, pancake houses, and Confederate-themed clothing stores. What a town. I met Beans at Shoney's, a place that makes Luby's seem like a 5-star Parisian restaurant. Beans had been there yesterday as well, and his stomach as been killing him since. I went to the outfitter and finally got a 1-person tent ( had ben carrying around a 2.5). The staff at Smoky Mountain Outfitters were kind enough to drive me to the post office and to Ace Hardware, where I picked up a top-of-the-line set of earplugs to foil those damn snorers. Had some lousy Chinese food for dinner, showered, and hit the hay.
Friday was a good day. Sunshine!! After getting back to New Found Gap around 10:30, Beans and I had a easy and beautiful morning. Up until this point I hated the Smoky Mountains, but a little sunshine on a clear day makes a world of difference. Took some photos from Charlie's Bunion, a famous rock outcropping with an interesting name. The snow got worse as the day went on, turning into a slushy mess. The trail was cut into very steep cliffs and slippery mess on the ground left for a nerve-racking hike. Nevertheless, we put in a long day and made the 15+ miles to Tricorner Knob, leaving us a day away from getting out of the Smokies. Had a horrible snorer in the shelter, but I was dead to the world with my earplugs and slept like a babe.
Today was a long 18+ mile hike. Nasty snow at the beginning, but as we descended out of the park we actually got to walk on mud and eventually dry dirt. Beautiful views along the way. We descended 4000 feet today - we got down to 1350 feet above sea level, the lowest i have been on this trip. Popped my ears near the bottom. Temperatures got into the low 70s as the day progressed, an experience I can't tell you how much I enjoyed after countless days in the 30s and 40s. After getting out of the Smokies, we hiked an extra 3 miles to Standing Bear Farm.
I will send pictures when I get cell phone reception. For some reason UT Southwestern has made my email inaccessible at this time, so if you have sent me an email and I haven't responded, that is the reason. Hopefully I ca clear it up in Hot Springs, where I should be in two days. Am 234 miles into the trail - hopefully my pace will pick up as the weather melts off some of the snow at higher altitudes so I can get to Harper's Ferry. Okay, off to bed, hope all is well with you all
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Natahala National Forest - where trees go to die and fall on the Appalachian Trail, the Natahala Hiking Club hasn't done trail maintenance since the Roosevelt Administration( Teddy, not Franklin), and the trail was designed by a simpleton
Greetings from Fontana Dam, gateway to the Smokies. Left the NOC at
9pm Friday and was confronted immediately with a 3000 ft climb over
six miles. The first few miles went well - no snow, not too muddy.
However, for some reason, after that every tree that was dying decided
to fall down right on the AT, and they all fell in such a way that you
couldn't climb over them or crawl under them. Why the hiking club
hasn't come out and cut them apart is beyond me, there are tons of
roads to access the trail. Anyways, it's cold outside so I'm gonna
make his short. Lots of rain, blown down trees, and bad trail the last
two days. Did a rest day in Fontana today, heading into the Smokies
tomorrow where supposedly there is 8 feet of snow. I'm sick of hearing
about how bad it is going to be and I can't wait to get after it
tomorrow. I'll write again I'm Gatlinburg
9pm Friday and was confronted immediately with a 3000 ft climb over
six miles. The first few miles went well - no snow, not too muddy.
However, for some reason, after that every tree that was dying decided
to fall down right on the AT, and they all fell in such a way that you
couldn't climb over them or crawl under them. Why the hiking club
hasn't come out and cut them apart is beyond me, there are tons of
roads to access the trail. Anyways, it's cold outside so I'm gonna
make his short. Lots of rain, blown down trees, and bad trail the last
two days. Did a rest day in Fontana today, heading into the Smokies
tomorrow where supposedly there is 8 feet of snow. I'm sick of hearing
about how bad it is going to be and I can't wait to get after it
tomorrow. I'll write again I'm Gatlinburg
Sent from my iPhone
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