North Carolina
03/08/2017
A week later and the Smokies are done, to say it met my expectations would be an understatement. Hiked for 6 days on some beautiful trails, some taking me back to a much younger age, the cedar trees reaching 100 feet toward the sky, older trees fallen covered with a green moss, many decaying to the point they are falling apart. My imagination allowed me to vision bears ripping them apart for the grubs. Streams flowing with water so clear... purifying it was an option for you know farm animals are not up at that elevation. Two days of hiking in the clouds, surrounded by them, looking out and seeing nothing but white. So much moisture in the air it seemed to be raining, water shaken from the trees every time the wind would blow. Cross ridges just a few feet wide, not much wider than the trail, knowing from the topographical map that either side was a drop of hundreds of feet yet feeling a comfort from the clouds. The shelters were all made of stone, built back in Roosevelt's era, CCC at work... open fronts covered with old tarps to keep the winds out, an ever constant wind, 30-40 miles per hour, sometimes even higher... trees down everywhere, snapped like toothpicks, others uprooted, creating a wall of roots and dirt 30 feet or higher. At one shelter for 16 we had 18 crammed in, sharing the warmth as the temperture dropped near zero with a wind chill... hiking on a weekend exposed me to upwards of a hundred day hikers, out enjoying what I have been seeing for close to 30 days now... excited to see what they could in the frw hours they had, others parking their car, jumping out, running to the Tennessee and North Carolina State line sign, wanting a photo showing they had been there... leaving as quick as they had came. Kids, unattended being directed which way they should go to maneuver off of a cliff they should have never been on. Other days, crossing ridges, hiking down to gaps you could see the clouds as the winds pushed them over the peaks and down the ridge line at you, a wall of clouds rising high into the sky and then down to engulf you, then back up and over the next peak. Hydrangea bushes with leaves so shiny from moisture shining along the trail as you walked on and on. Never a dull moment, granite changing to shale to dirt and at times mud... trees creating figures from dreams long forgotten... every now and then a wild flower giving a hint of what is to come... then as I left the Smokies a cascading waterfall, several hundred feet high, as I watched it my only wish was it was warmer so I could wash some of the stench off from hiking nearly a week now... what a wonderful week it was.
Many hikers fail to make it this far, they search for a reason... why am I doing this, why keep going... those seem to be the first to quit, defeated because they fail to understand it is not how many miles you complete, it is how the miles, each step completes a small part of the individual, giving one something they never had, would otherwise never see... some say it is the journey... the friendships... the adventure... living what you have seen only from others eyes prior to this... and to think I have 1950 more wonderful miles of sore feet, blisters, knees that hurt to bend and to increase my number of falls from 6 to who knows how many... I am thankful for every minute I am able to spend on this journey...
A week later and the Smokies are done, to say it met my expectations would be an understatement. Hiked for 6 days on some beautiful trails, some taking me back to a much younger age, the cedar trees reaching 100 feet toward the sky, older trees fallen covered with a green moss, many decaying to the point they are falling apart. My imagination allowed me to vision bears ripping them apart for the grubs. Streams flowing with water so clear... purifying it was an option for you know farm animals are not up at that elevation. Two days of hiking in the clouds, surrounded by them, looking out and seeing nothing but white. So much moisture in the air it seemed to be raining, water shaken from the trees every time the wind would blow. Cross ridges just a few feet wide, not much wider than the trail, knowing from the topographical map that either side was a drop of hundreds of feet yet feeling a comfort from the clouds. The shelters were all made of stone, built back in Roosevelt's era, CCC at work... open fronts covered with old tarps to keep the winds out, an ever constant wind, 30-40 miles per hour, sometimes even higher... trees down everywhere, snapped like toothpicks, others uprooted, creating a wall of roots and dirt 30 feet or higher. At one shelter for 16 we had 18 crammed in, sharing the warmth as the temperture dropped near zero with a wind chill... hiking on a weekend exposed me to upwards of a hundred day hikers, out enjoying what I have been seeing for close to 30 days now... excited to see what they could in the frw hours they had, others parking their car, jumping out, running to the Tennessee and North Carolina State line sign, wanting a photo showing they had been there... leaving as quick as they had came. Kids, unattended being directed which way they should go to maneuver off of a cliff they should have never been on. Other days, crossing ridges, hiking down to gaps you could see the clouds as the winds pushed them over the peaks and down the ridge line at you, a wall of clouds rising high into the sky and then down to engulf you, then back up and over the next peak. Hydrangea bushes with leaves so shiny from moisture shining along the trail as you walked on and on. Never a dull moment, granite changing to shale to dirt and at times mud... trees creating figures from dreams long forgotten... every now and then a wild flower giving a hint of what is to come... then as I left the Smokies a cascading waterfall, several hundred feet high, as I watched it my only wish was it was warmer so I could wash some of the stench off from hiking nearly a week now... what a wonderful week it was.
Many hikers fail to make it this far, they search for a reason... why am I doing this, why keep going... those seem to be the first to quit, defeated because they fail to understand it is not how many miles you complete, it is how the miles, each step completes a small part of the individual, giving one something they never had, would otherwise never see... some say it is the journey... the friendships... the adventure... living what you have seen only from others eyes prior to this... and to think I have 1950 more wonderful miles of sore feet, blisters, knees that hurt to bend and to increase my number of falls from 6 to who knows how many... I am thankful for every minute I am able to spend on this journey...
03/01/2017
Today was a great choice to take a zero day. (No miles) It has rained most of the day, at times very hard. My knee has appreciated the rest, still swollen so I will take it slow climbing tomorrow. The temperture is suppose to drop over night for a couple of nights, little chance of rain for the next five days. So overall things look great!!! We shall see.
03/01/2017
Couple days have passed. At Fontana Dam, really a nice view from this shelter which I may call home for a day or two. Did about 12 miles yesterday, pouring rain for about 6 of those. Only fell 2 times, one contributed to my knee giving out. The knee is one of those stiff, swollen injuries so my decision is to rest it up. Frontal system coming in, more high winds than anything else. The climb from Fontana Dam is about 7 miles up.
Couple days have passed. At Fontana Dam, really a nice view from this shelter which I may call home for a day or two. Did about 12 miles yesterday, pouring rain for about 6 of those. Only fell 2 times, one contributed to my knee giving out. The knee is one of those stiff, swollen injuries so my decision is to rest it up. Frontal system coming in, more high winds than anything else. The climb from Fontana Dam is about 7 miles up.
Fontana Hilton, donated by Poppa Smurfe.
Fontana Hilton, the largest shelter on the AT, it is a double wide.
Fontana Hilton
Tomorrows hike into the Smokies, start down in the left corner, climbing to the peak in the top right.
Fontana Dam
Lake Fontana
Lake Fontana
Shelter
Shelter, did not look to great
Spring for resupply
Spring water
When I shot this I seen a buffalo, now I can not see anything
Burls
Never boring, wondering mind keeps me occpied
02/27/2017
Great day of hiking, way more climbing than I expected, steep climbs, really work my calf muscles, maybe to much... Having granola bars and peanut butter for dinner, to exhausted to cook but need lots of calories. Received some rain today, gusting winds but that front has all passed by. Calling for rain tomorrow and possible snow on Wednesday at the higher elevation.
Great day of hiking, way more climbing than I expected, steep climbs, really work my calf muscles, maybe to much... Having granola bars and peanut butter for dinner, to exhausted to cook but need lots of calories. Received some rain today, gusting winds but that front has all passed by. Calling for rain tomorrow and possible snow on Wednesday at the higher elevation.
Trail
Crocodile!
Happy to see you
He seen a ghost
I mentioned earlier eight of and one dog sharing the shelter tonight... one snorerway down on the other end... when camping like this when one person getsup to pee at night he usually wakes someone else who too eventually gives in to the call of nature, inthis caseit was I who had to go after being waken by the first guy... not easy to go pee in some of these shelters, first off you must unzip the sleeping bag, when you got to go really bad the sleeping bags zipper using gets stuck and does so just at the right position so you have very little agility to work the stuck zipper... then once you do get your sleeping bag unzipped you must find your shoes, mine are next to me as is the dog... tonight it wanted to ruff ruff ruff at me as I searched for my shoes.... find my shoes and then I had to get off of this shelters platformed floor, because of spacing the floors are only about 4-5 feet apart so naturally I bump my head which causes the typical "shit" to be expressed.... when I finally get far enough away from the shelter so everyone who I have caused to wake up and can hear the frozen ground crunch as I get that distance I pee...and it is reversed, crunch crunch crunch goes the ground, bang goes the head, shit is expressed ruff ruff ruff goes the dog as I put my shoes in place for the next time, zzzzziiiiipppp stuck zipping myself in, finally I am comfortable and it is number threes turn to basically act out the same circumstances.... life is so good out here in the woods!!!!!
02/26/2017
Back on the trail, must say I did not sleep well in that bed last night.
Trail has been different today, dry... pine needles and leaves.... imagine it would burn rather quickly. So peaceful out here, starting to hear more birds... soon the insects will be pestering me and I will be wishing it was cold again.
Back on the trail, must say I did not sleep well in that bed last night.
Trail has been different today, dry... pine needles and leaves.... imagine it would burn rather quickly. So peaceful out here, starting to hear more birds... soon the insects will be pestering me and I will be wishing it was cold again.
Marker for a fire fighter
Marker for firefighter who died in the line of duty
Elevation, grid coordinates of marker
Spring, not providing a lot of water
Moss
Whitewater on the river
BLACK BEARS
I just realized I must see at least ten black bears per day on average, would take some photos and post them, maybe next time... trouble is they all turn out to be tree stumps!!
I just realized I must see at least ten black bears per day on average, would take some photos and post them, maybe next time... trouble is they all turn out to be tree stumps!!
One of several great views I had of the mountains today
Spring for fresh water supply
So many wonderful views today
Rocks in the spring, frozen moss on a rock
Frozen moss on a log
Section of today's trail
Another burl, they each have their own characteristics, love looking at them..
Beautiful old tree, almost 16 feet in circumference
Sign posted in the shelter
Shelter sleeps 14, will set my tent up before that happens
Very good day, some the best views of the mountains I have had, clear day, right spot at the right time. Made it to shelter quicker than expected, lot of climbing. Filled my water containers from a pipe spring here at the shelter forgetting it is going to get in the 20's tonight.8plus a dog tonight, four of the guys i have been seeing on the trail a lot caught back up this afternoon.
02/25/2017
Had a pretty good night of rest at the shelter, storm came in around 3:00 am, thought we were getting hail for a time, just really heavy rain. This morning I did not eat breakfast knowing I would be able to enjoy a good meal today... a plate of black beans, rice, beef and cheese... taste so much better than top ramen...
The trek here was 7 miles almost all down hill, tomorrows is up hill... trail was a little rough, the fires have burned roots, trees and logs that provided support, at times what appears to be solid has nothing under it, this will continue to be an issue until volunteers are able to make repairs. Numerous places along the trail shows improvement.
Around noon today I arrived at NOC, an outdoors facility catering to rafters/kayakers. They were busy, the complex has grown, hotel, hostel, outdoor equipment gear, couple restaurants as well as a general store. Had a couple good meals and got a room for the night.
My first drop box (box I mailed to myself at a predetermined location) arrived today, The NOC caters to rafters so some of the facilities do not open until sometime in March, that is the case with the general store so I am glad the box was here.
Thirty miles from Fontana where I drop my permit
ti hike the Smokies is dropped off, I have 8 days to complete that portion of the hike which is 70 miles. Seventy miles should not be an issue provided my body holds up.
Had a pretty good night of rest at the shelter, storm came in around 3:00 am, thought we were getting hail for a time, just really heavy rain. This morning I did not eat breakfast knowing I would be able to enjoy a good meal today... a plate of black beans, rice, beef and cheese... taste so much better than top ramen...
The trek here was 7 miles almost all down hill, tomorrows is up hill... trail was a little rough, the fires have burned roots, trees and logs that provided support, at times what appears to be solid has nothing under it, this will continue to be an issue until volunteers are able to make repairs. Numerous places along the trail shows improvement.
Around noon today I arrived at NOC, an outdoors facility catering to rafters/kayakers. They were busy, the complex has grown, hotel, hostel, outdoor equipment gear, couple restaurants as well as a general store. Had a couple good meals and got a room for the night.
My first drop box (box I mailed to myself at a predetermined location) arrived today, The NOC caters to rafters so some of the facilities do not open until sometime in March, that is the case with the general store so I am glad the box was here.
Thirty miles from Fontana where I drop my permit
ti hike the Smokies is dropped off, I have 8 days to complete that portion of the hike which is 70 miles. Seventy miles should not be an issue provided my body holds up.
Todays destination, really an impressive place, started out giving rafting trips down the river.
So much better than ramen
Week two of ???? Down
View from a peak this morning, on a clear day the mountains appear to go on forever
Moss on an oak.
Oaks covered with moss
Type of moss,over time it covers some of the shrub oaks, huge sections of the park, as the sun moves across the sky reflecting off of the moss the trees take on different shades of color
02/24/2017
Staying a shelter tonight, this one is only a one story, four men on the only floor. Outside you have about ten little tents on the ground, maybe a half dozen or so hammocks slung between trees scattered around and they have their littlecanopy ofthem in caseit rains. Not going to rain, I checked weather. We are about get some extenedrain, just when I hit the Smokies... got my poncho.
laying here against the left wallof the cabin, I like being against walls so when i get up in the middle of the night to pee I can use the wall to support myself when standing up, you seen my picture I am no longer a little man, I am a overly large old man, middle age maybe. sleeping in my compression clothes that you wear next to your body so when you sweat in can escape and will decrease the chance of you getting hypothermia. All mean weat compression clothes when they need to lose ten or twenty poinds, helps squeeze the fat in, fat can not escape like sweat. The reason I know all men wear it, Iwrked at Amazon, I picked enough compression clothes. They even make a compression girdle.Imagine an overly large camper standing up in his compression clothes teetering over onto his neighbor in compression clothes because he did not choose the wall.
Mice , that is what got me started on compression clothes. I am curled up in my sleeping bag, cozy.Iwake to the sound of something on the outside of my sleeping bag. Waking ftom a sound sleep with something on the outside of your sleeping bag is not something anyone wants. I lay there trying to figure out what was going on and I hear two or three things running around my face, I sleep with my sleeping bag over my head except when I have beans, which reminds me, my neighbor against the other wall must of had beans. So I have three things running around on my face... I figured out they were mice. When I sit up they take off, not only do they take off but two or three of their buddies that were lunching on my backpack take off too. Now I can not sleep, just as I am about to doze off I hear them. I hear them when they are not even here. At one point I was laying here listening for them just about to fall asleep when I think I hear one, it was my toes rubbing against my sleeping bag. They have all kinds of gadgets to hang your backpack on but they are being used. I thought I would be smart, use my pack for a pillow, that will keep them away. As if the thousands of hikers before me had not thought of that. Why else would they have these gadgets. Backpacks as a pillow only invite the mice to your head. One thing I have decided, when I get a really good signal I am going on Amazon and buying another tent, one made of super lightweight material so I can carry it 2,000 miles because I am getting away from sleeping with dogs, and men that eat beans when they should have had ramen. Sleeping in the woods like a real camper with snakes and bears, damn mice.
Staying a shelter tonight, this one is only a one story, four men on the only floor. Outside you have about ten little tents on the ground, maybe a half dozen or so hammocks slung between trees scattered around and they have their littlecanopy ofthem in caseit rains. Not going to rain, I checked weather. We are about get some extenedrain, just when I hit the Smokies... got my poncho.
laying here against the left wallof the cabin, I like being against walls so when i get up in the middle of the night to pee I can use the wall to support myself when standing up, you seen my picture I am no longer a little man, I am a overly large old man, middle age maybe. sleeping in my compression clothes that you wear next to your body so when you sweat in can escape and will decrease the chance of you getting hypothermia. All mean weat compression clothes when they need to lose ten or twenty poinds, helps squeeze the fat in, fat can not escape like sweat. The reason I know all men wear it, Iwrked at Amazon, I picked enough compression clothes. They even make a compression girdle.Imagine an overly large camper standing up in his compression clothes teetering over onto his neighbor in compression clothes because he did not choose the wall.
Mice , that is what got me started on compression clothes. I am curled up in my sleeping bag, cozy.Iwake to the sound of something on the outside of my sleeping bag. Waking ftom a sound sleep with something on the outside of your sleeping bag is not something anyone wants. I lay there trying to figure out what was going on and I hear two or three things running around my face, I sleep with my sleeping bag over my head except when I have beans, which reminds me, my neighbor against the other wall must of had beans. So I have three things running around on my face... I figured out they were mice. When I sit up they take off, not only do they take off but two or three of their buddies that were lunching on my backpack take off too. Now I can not sleep, just as I am about to doze off I hear them. I hear them when they are not even here. At one point I was laying here listening for them just about to fall asleep when I think I hear one, it was my toes rubbing against my sleeping bag. They have all kinds of gadgets to hang your backpack on but they are being used. I thought I would be smart, use my pack for a pillow, that will keep them away. As if the thousands of hikers before me had not thought of that. Why else would they have these gadgets. Backpacks as a pillow only invite the mice to your head. One thing I have decided, when I get a really good signal I am going on Amazon and buying another tent, one made of super lightweight material so I can carry it 2,000 miles because I am getting away from sleeping with dogs, and men that eat beans when they should have had ramen. Sleeping in the woods like a real camper with snakes and bears, damn mice.
View from mountain top
Rock
False dreams
An old shelter
Two types of moss
02/23/2017
Had a great day today, 12 or so miles, stopped early, could all be the result of starting early.
Dispose of waste properly!!!
Bury feces 6-8 inches deep, bury or carry out toilet paper. Bury your dog's waste.
While relaxing at Top of Georgia's hostel I was laying on my bed when a man and woman's conversation caught my attention. The conversation was more of a debate on the proper way to dispose of poop! One was saying dig the cat hole 6 inches the other 12 inches. Now me, I go with 6 inches because I tried digging in this hard ground, after I am done I fill the hole back up and try to cover it with a stone or piece of wood.
Again, I was not doing it properly.
The two of them never could agree on the width of the hole but they did agree you had to make a deposit... seems simple enough unless you are there for a long time, your legs start getting numb, teeter a little forward or backwards... no hovering for a long time. Then they agreed you find a stick and stir the paper and main deposit, throw some dirt in and stir some more. After completing these steps you finish filling the hole and go about your business.
When I was working at Amazon I picked a book for someone on how to shit in the woods, you can google it to get the exact title. How many people have a conversation in the evening on digging a cat hole? Did I miss out on something while growing up. True it is something every hiker on this trip will have to deal with sooner or later.
To give everyone the proper way to dig a cat hole I have added a disgram below.
Dispose of waste properly!!!
Bury feces 6-8 inches deep, bury or carry out toilet paper. Bury your dog's waste.
While relaxing at Top of Georgia's hostel I was laying on my bed when a man and woman's conversation caught my attention. The conversation was more of a debate on the proper way to dispose of poop! One was saying dig the cat hole 6 inches the other 12 inches. Now me, I go with 6 inches because I tried digging in this hard ground, after I am done I fill the hole back up and try to cover it with a stone or piece of wood.
Again, I was not doing it properly.
The two of them never could agree on the width of the hole but they did agree you had to make a deposit... seems simple enough unless you are there for a long time, your legs start getting numb, teeter a little forward or backwards... no hovering for a long time. Then they agreed you find a stick and stir the paper and main deposit, throw some dirt in and stir some more. After completing these steps you finish filling the hole and go about your business.
When I was working at Amazon I picked a book for someone on how to shit in the woods, you can google it to get the exact title. How many people have a conversation in the evening on digging a cat hole? Did I miss out on something while growing up. True it is something every hiker on this trip will have to deal with sooner or later.
To give everyone the proper way to dig a cat hole I have added a disgram below.
The preferred method.
View from one of the mountains
It was a great day to hike
Just a unique tree
Trail approaching main highway
Water source, so good out of a mountain spring
02/22/2017
Easy day today, started the day with rain, then a heavy fog followed by partly cloudy... Decided not to push it to the next shelter, no reason to hurry today.
One thing I have noticed on the trail is you can be whom ever you choose to be. Nobody is going to check your story, you take on an alias while you out here, something to consider when a profession is ever mentioned, if one is.
Walked a ways with a man called Fresh Ground yes like the coffee... Having seen him on the trail before I knew my next couple of miles would consist of chatter, and not the squirrel type. Now I being socially backwards would rather hike and enjoy the trail, that is one of the reasons I am here, socialize around the table or fire pit at night,
Fresh Ground is known by a lot of hikers, now I can say I too have met Fresh Ground; we parted ways with a fist bump. Fresh Ground has attempted this trip five or six times and never made it, told me he made it to Harper's Ferry one year... Now I say it if I make it to Harper's Ferry I will be happy, that is half way. The tradition is to eat a half gallon of ice cream, that is not much of a challenge for me, I love ice cream.
Fresh Ground offered me some coffee which I turned down and then I was given advice on everything I should do, when I should do it and how. Should have asked him to show me how to carry my back pack. He means well.
Somehow on February 14th 8 hikers all met up at Springer Mountain, all individual hikers that decided to let Fresh Ground show them the proper way to tackle the AT. I previously mentioned this group and how from the start they were doing 16-17 miles per day. Blisters started showing up on feet not use to the pounding, muscle hurting etc. Fresh Ground continued to do his thing, get up at 6:00 am start packing his gear so he could hit the trail, this is how you hike the AT... go at it hard is his view. These 7 individuals are young and influenced easily they had a knowledgeable hiker in Fresh Ground and he was willing to share that knowledge.
Fresh Ground was unhappy, he had to part ways with the group, said his feelings had been hurt but he held no grudge against them. Seemed the knowledgd Fresh Ground was sharing was to hard for these college students so early on. As I was hiking with Fresh Ground at my usual slow pace, that pace that says I will get where I am going when I am there and not before. While walking this pace Fresh Ground was telling me how he enjoyed hiking with someone he could talk to.To me this was a warningof unwanted company. I slowed my usual pace down. Fresh Ground told all the advantages of hiking in pairs and I really could not argue with his reasoning, still I slowed down some more thinking he would say nice talking to you, see you later. We soon approached a camping area near a creek, I told Fresh Ground this was as far as I was going today... Fresh Ground reminded me the next shelter was only a few more miles, I held my ground, we did the fist bump and up the trail Fresh Ground went. Thinking to myself he walks faster than I do so the odds are I will ony be abe to say I ony met Fresh Ground for a short while, seemed like a friendly individual who likes to share his knowledge.
Easy day today, started the day with rain, then a heavy fog followed by partly cloudy... Decided not to push it to the next shelter, no reason to hurry today.
One thing I have noticed on the trail is you can be whom ever you choose to be. Nobody is going to check your story, you take on an alias while you out here, something to consider when a profession is ever mentioned, if one is.
Walked a ways with a man called Fresh Ground yes like the coffee... Having seen him on the trail before I knew my next couple of miles would consist of chatter, and not the squirrel type. Now I being socially backwards would rather hike and enjoy the trail, that is one of the reasons I am here, socialize around the table or fire pit at night,
Fresh Ground is known by a lot of hikers, now I can say I too have met Fresh Ground; we parted ways with a fist bump. Fresh Ground has attempted this trip five or six times and never made it, told me he made it to Harper's Ferry one year... Now I say it if I make it to Harper's Ferry I will be happy, that is half way. The tradition is to eat a half gallon of ice cream, that is not much of a challenge for me, I love ice cream.
Fresh Ground offered me some coffee which I turned down and then I was given advice on everything I should do, when I should do it and how. Should have asked him to show me how to carry my back pack. He means well.
Somehow on February 14th 8 hikers all met up at Springer Mountain, all individual hikers that decided to let Fresh Ground show them the proper way to tackle the AT. I previously mentioned this group and how from the start they were doing 16-17 miles per day. Blisters started showing up on feet not use to the pounding, muscle hurting etc. Fresh Ground continued to do his thing, get up at 6:00 am start packing his gear so he could hit the trail, this is how you hike the AT... go at it hard is his view. These 7 individuals are young and influenced easily they had a knowledgeable hiker in Fresh Ground and he was willing to share that knowledge.
Fresh Ground was unhappy, he had to part ways with the group, said his feelings had been hurt but he held no grudge against them. Seemed the knowledgd Fresh Ground was sharing was to hard for these college students so early on. As I was hiking with Fresh Ground at my usual slow pace, that pace that says I will get where I am going when I am there and not before. While walking this pace Fresh Ground was telling me how he enjoyed hiking with someone he could talk to.To me this was a warningof unwanted company. I slowed my usual pace down. Fresh Ground told all the advantages of hiking in pairs and I really could not argue with his reasoning, still I slowed down some more thinking he would say nice talking to you, see you later. We soon approached a camping area near a creek, I told Fresh Ground this was as far as I was going today... Fresh Ground reminded me the next shelter was only a few more miles, I held my ground, we did the fist bump and up the trail Fresh Ground went. Thinking to myself he walks faster than I do so the odds are I will ony be abe to say I ony met Fresh Ground for a short while, seemed like a friendly individual who likes to share his knowledge.
Waterfalls are plentiful and I never grow tired of seeing them
Sign at one of the highway crossings
No clue to what type of plant this is, hope to see a live one soon, appear to be around the 4,000 ft elevation.
Foggy trail!! Trying to show how steep the mountains are, at one point I was walking the trail and vertigo kicked in, I had to lean into the mountain until I got my head together.
Result of fire, I believe the Park Service let these fires burn if no structures or life are threatened?
02/21/2017
Posted a photo of the shelter I am staying in tonight, six of us and one dog in here. This is a new shelter, you can not tell from the photo but it has a loft, 3 people up, 3 people and a dog down, I am on the lower level. We all knew this was a newer shelter and looked forward to seeing how it was built, you may have noticed, some have a porch others do not. Ealier sitting under the covered area where the picnic table is we were discussing how nice this one is, comfortable I guess would best desribe it. Sits under a nice big oak tree which will provide shade in the summer but for now the branches on the big oak tree that will someday soon provide shade for the shelter are collecting rainwater. You know how it is when you shake a tree when it is raining, all the droplets fall to the ground. Well the branches of this big oak tree that will someday provide shade for the new comfortable shelter are up high. Well the water comes together on those branches and form droplets. When it first started raining there were only a few droplets of water and I laid here in my comfortable sleeping bag, on the ground level of this new shelter under the big old oak tree that will someday soon provide shade thinking a critter, I say critter because I never really decided if it was a raccoon, squirrel or what, was on the tin roof of this shelter, having fun running around keeping the six of us and one dog awake. Nope, not a critter but rain... and the harder it rains the more intense the sound is, like someone trying to play the drums that do not have a clue to what they are doing, someone like me. Now that I have determined it is rain causing the drumming sound on the tin roof and the forcast is calling for rain all night i lay here in my comfortable sleeping bag on the bottom floor of this new shelter thinking who the hell put this thing under the big old oak tree that someday soon will provide shade for the shelter. That dumbass... To top it all off Marshall, the fine dog in the photo below snores louder than his master.and running water makes some people have to wee wee so you have guys unzipping sleeping bags which sounds really loud getting up to go wee wee behind the big old oak tree that will someday soon will provide shade for the shelter....
Posted a photo of the shelter I am staying in tonight, six of us and one dog in here. This is a new shelter, you can not tell from the photo but it has a loft, 3 people up, 3 people and a dog down, I am on the lower level. We all knew this was a newer shelter and looked forward to seeing how it was built, you may have noticed, some have a porch others do not. Ealier sitting under the covered area where the picnic table is we were discussing how nice this one is, comfortable I guess would best desribe it. Sits under a nice big oak tree which will provide shade in the summer but for now the branches on the big oak tree that will someday soon provide shade for the shelter are collecting rainwater. You know how it is when you shake a tree when it is raining, all the droplets fall to the ground. Well the branches of this big oak tree that will someday provide shade for the new comfortable shelter are up high. Well the water comes together on those branches and form droplets. When it first started raining there were only a few droplets of water and I laid here in my comfortable sleeping bag, on the ground level of this new shelter under the big old oak tree that will someday soon provide shade thinking a critter, I say critter because I never really decided if it was a raccoon, squirrel or what, was on the tin roof of this shelter, having fun running around keeping the six of us and one dog awake. Nope, not a critter but rain... and the harder it rains the more intense the sound is, like someone trying to play the drums that do not have a clue to what they are doing, someone like me. Now that I have determined it is rain causing the drumming sound on the tin roof and the forcast is calling for rain all night i lay here in my comfortable sleeping bag on the bottom floor of this new shelter thinking who the hell put this thing under the big old oak tree that someday soon will provide shade for the shelter. That dumbass... To top it all off Marshall, the fine dog in the photo below snores louder than his master.and running water makes some people have to wee wee so you have guys unzipping sleeping bags which sounds really loud getting up to go wee wee behind the big old oak tree that will someday soon will provide shade for the shelter....
3 up and 3 plus a dog down!!!
I have had the opportunity to take this adventure and i am thankful. While hiking the trail, seeing the devastation and knowing that Gatlinburg was hit really hard and what I have and will see is nothing in comparison... I would just like to say a lot of volunteers step up and do things we would never even think of... volunteers maintain these trails, the fires have put a lot of tress across the trails and they are out giving their time for something they believe in, it for the most part a thankless job but an appreciated one..
Took a step down when I hit North Carolina
Fresh spring water
Frankenstine
burl
Fire damage
Just a sample of what the fires did last fall, hiked 10 miles or more and all you could see was burned underbrush
The Irish Man
This dog is great, we end up at the same place each night, they are headed to Atlanta for a few days and then coming back
New growth and rhododendrons getting ready to bloom
North Carolina shelter for the night, no bear cables here
Stairs to the top of the mountain