Date: 2019-03-23
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter 

To: Jenny Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 33.9

AT day 35 3/2333.9 miles to Jenny Knob Shelter I had planned to hike at least a marathon (26.2 miles) today. There were at least 3 campsites that were located around this distance.The time was 5:40 pm and I decided to check Guthook to read the description of each site so that I could pick the best one. To my surprise none of them had a water source. I was in trouble because I only had about 200 ml of Amazing Grass solution left. I checked the app for the nearest reliable water source. The closest one was at the Helvey Mills Shelter which I had passed 1.5 miles ago. The next option was the Jenny Knob Shelter which was 8.7 miles north. So I evaluated my options. Remember that it¢s 5:40 and it will start getting dark in 2 hours. Option 1. Hike back to the shelter 1.5 miles south Option 2. Stay at a dry campsite and eat bars and peanut butter for dinner with a little bit of liquid to wash it down. Option 3. Hike the 8.7 miles to the next shelter north. Even if I hiked at a 3 mph pace I would have to night hike. Two problems with night hiking, I promised Nancy (wife) that I wouldn¢t night hike and at almost 66 my eyes don¢t work that well at night even with a headlamp. Option 1 was not acceptable because thru hikers hate going backwards even a yard and we detest doing bonus miles unless they lead to a wonderful view. Option 2 would not work because I really had my heart and stomach set on eating this huge wheel shaped artisan bread a nice young couple from Michigan gifted me and I needed water to make Miso Ramen to soak it in. That left me with option 3 but I only had 2 hours to go 8.7 miles. So what does a 65 year old endurance runner do? I made a run for it. I cinched my backpack down tight and took off. I ran the downhills, I ran the flat sections and I ran the less steep uphills. The steeper uphills slowed me down but I made the time back up on the downhills. Luckily the trail was fairly smooth and I didn¢t have to slow down too many times to avoid roots and rocks. I got to the shelter about 15 minutes before it got dark. A wooden plaque with water written on it pointed to the left. There are normally blue blazes on trees that lead you to the water. I didn¢t see any blazes but I saw several footpaths leading down slope away from the shelter. I tried multiple paths and they all dead ended in brush. It was getting dark and too hard to see so I returned to the shelter to get my headlamp. I setup my solar lantern on the picnic table to use as a beacon in case I became disoriented in my night quest for water. This time I found a few blue blazed trees but then the blazes stopped and I had to guess at the general direction to follow. I tried this several times and each time I ended up in a thicket. To get back to the shelter all I knew was that I had to climb back up hill. But it¢s a big hill and it would have been easy to get disoriented and lost in the dark woods where everything looks the same. Each time I needed to go back to the shelter, my little solar light was just visible, shining like a lighthouse to bring me back safely. I finally gave up trying. This really sucked. I didn¢t have water to cook with and I also was dehydrated from running. The Guthook app has a comment section which allows other hikers to post information about a place. Everyone said that there was water but no one gave tips on how to find it. After scrolling through several pages of comments one hiker said to go to the right not the left to find water. Sure enough I immediately found the blue blazed trees and a trail that lead down to a good water source. After wasting 30 minutes I finally was saved. I ate late but that bread Miso soup combination was amazing. So that¢s my story of how I accidentally hiked 33.9 miles today. Happy hiking, Silver Streak