Let’s Tarantino this. Shall we???
I woke up at 3AM determined to pump out major miles. Unfortunately, I did stay up pretty late the night before, 10:30pm or so. You would think I would be tired, and I was to some degree, but my enthusiasm took over and I was on the trail by 4AM, no problem.
At that time of day the sun is not yet out, its cold, and you get to be the first one who walks through all the spider webs that have been built going across the trail. Most of them you get to break with your face. It can get annoying, but its all part of the experience. Good times.
My legs were in a pretty good amount of pain when I first started out, but not to the point of which it would keep me from my goal. Since I have experience at this game, I knew pain would be a part of it and usually if you just keep walking, eventually you don’t notice it all that much.
I saw my first bear, even though I was wearing a bear bell. He was sitting on the edge of the trail when I was first approaching him. When he noticed me, like most brown bears in that area, they are timid, so he began to take off like the wind. In the midst of his escape though, he stopped, I guess once he felt he was at a good distance from me, turned around and watched me as I continued past. His little face just peaking over the brush. It gave me a strange creeped out feeling, but I wasn’t going to let it stop me from proceeding. Goodbye bear!
By late afternoon, I made it to Nell’s Gap. Nell’s Gap is sort of a famous stop along the trail. You have no choice but to walk through their property while hiking. Literally, you must pass their hostel and bathroom to connect to the other side of the trail. On your way through it is almost impossible not to notice the big tree where through hikers throw their footwear up into, and it stays and hangs there helping to welcome visitors. So, its a tree full of boots basically. It’s kind of funny. I guess by the time most of the through hikers going south get to that point, they are on their last few miles of the trail and tradition has it, in a fit of joy, they throw your boots up there. Celebration!
At Nell’s I decided to get my fist shake down. A shake down is where a representative of the outfitter goes through your bag with you and helps you determine what items you can live without so that you can potentially save on weight in your pack. I ended up leaving behind 6 pounds, sending all that gear home via post. 6 pound is a lot, which proves how much weight I stupidly packed to begin with, but my pack was still way too heavy when I left there. When all was said and done I walked out of the outfitter with a pack that weighed in at 34 pounds. This includes food and water. So, not terrible, but not good either. The outfitter wanted me to remove another 4 pounds, but I was reluctant at the time. I took a moment and weighed my fanny pack separately. (My gun and ammo were in there.) That alone was three pounds, reminding me I should have gone with the KalTech 380, not the Glock, but whatever. Too late at that point. Back out there!
Also, by this time both my big toes were going pretty much numb and when they weren’t feeling numb they hurt like an SOB. So, I made mention of this to the guy doing my shake down and the next thing I know a girl is trying to sell me new shoes, which she was successful at. I ended up with a pair of Oboz. The shoe is great, and there was more room in the toe box, like she said, but they never stopped my toes from becoming completely numb. So, I got sold to a degree, but I gotta say, they weren’t a terrible purchase. I do believe I suffered through all the rocks and roots on the trail a little better thanks to the heavier sole of the Oboz.
Anyway, while I was in the shop, in walks Greg and Chase, two hikers I had been previously walking with. They were going to continue to town, eat at a restaurant, and sleep in a hotel. They said they just needed a break back in the real world. I can’t say I blamed them. It had been hot and rainy much of the time we had been hiking, so…
I decided to hike on from Nell’s Gap, no shower, but I still couldn’t just head straight back out. All my electronics needed charging, so I grabbed a sandwich and a drink before the shop closed and hung out outside on their patio and waited for my phone and chargers to be restored with power. In the meantime, I chit chatted to other hikers and dilly daggled. It was taking forever for my phone and charger to restore, when I met a nice woman and her sister who offered to let me use their turbo charger. That finally got the ball rolling. Before I knew it, I was back in electrical business.
The woman and her sister gave me their story while I waited. Turns out they were finishing the last 30 miles of the trail. It had taken them 17 years to section hike the whole thing and they had done it all together. It was their time to get back in touch and get back in touch with nature at the same time. They said their friends and family were back at their homes waiting to throw them parties for finishing. They were excited to complete the trek, but it was almost bittersweet. Now they would be done. What next? I also met a young man, who was a local just stopping to have a bite to eat. He asked me if I had seen any bears yet. I told him I had right before Nell’s. Then I told him how the bear strangely stopped, turned around and watched me walk by. He said that bear is pretty much a staple in that area and thats just what he does. Funny. Anyway, that dude pushed on and I thanked the ladies for their help with my charge, then I hiked on toward the next camping area north of Nell’s.
When I got to the campsite, about a mile away from Nell’s it was almost dark. There were a number of other campers on site already, but everyone was asleep, or at least on their way to sleeping. I had to let one tenter know I wasn’t Bigfoot as I strung up my hammock near them. Nighty night.
Its the 17th of January. As much time as I have put in this year in work outs, I know I could do better. I really need to turn this training up a notch. In my defense I had a pretty hefty setback with my knees hurting this year. I’ve been lucky lately, but I know they aren’t the same as before last year’s hike, but they are the only knees I have. The big lesson? Don’t hike with so much crap on my back. I’m still 11 pounds over on pack weight, but I still have six months to figure it out. That time is going to fly though.
