Date: 2005-03-23
From: The Hike Inn

To: The Hike Inn
Miles today: 0.0

It stormed all night with lighting and rain so the decision to stay at the Inn was a smart one. Jeff gave me a ride into town to go to the library and get on the internet. I was planning on loading pictures but the storm last night knocked out the internet in this area.Not much else to do since I can not use the computer.With time on my hands I can tell you about how I've found the trail so far. I have been hiking from shelter to shelter but I always pass areas that would be good for camping. Sometimes they are camping spots that are between shelters and some times they are just nice flat area that would make a good camp. Each day has been getting easier and easier, but it's still hard and the elevation changes are difficult. I was told the section into and out of NOC to Fontana is one of the most difficult. Yesterday I hiked one of the three hardest climbs on the entire trail. It went up 800 feet in 1/2 mile. It took me an hour and a half to hike that 12 mile. They say the hard part is behind me for now. I don't know if I believe all that, I think each section will have something to make it challenging.The actual trail is much different then what I was use to from my trail running experience. First, a lot of places on the trail are narrower than what I was used to. The climbs and descents are generally much steeper and the footing is not always good. In many places, the trail slopes into the side of the mountain. You actually walk leaning into the mountain. The trail is covered with dead leaves, so you cannot always see what you are stepping on. You may plant your foot but it will roll, slip, or slide from rocks, roots, or pieces of debris. Luckily I have not hurt anything yet. Because of the poor footing it is very slow going at times. And you are always trying to make sure of your footing, especially on the steep down hills.The trail also goes through rocky sections where it's not a dirt path but a rock climb or descent. It¢s hard because you are stepping from one rock to the next. Some of the steps are spread out from one stone to the next, so I use my hiking poles to help push or pull me up. Sometimes the poles are bearing my full weight as I go up or down to the next foot placement. I hope I explained that clearly. With the pack on and the distance between each step, it makes for very awkward hiking. In addition, due to damage from the hurricanes there are a lot of down trees. A few times I had to take off the pack and shuffle over the tree then put the pack back on. One section had so many downed trees it was closed and they rerouted us another way.The whole trail seems to be either up or down and there are very few flat spots. As I hike I have to stop a lot to catch my breath. Sometimes I¢ll just rest and reward myself with the view. Sometimes I will be looking up or down the side of the mountain wondering how I made it over. A lot of time is spent looking at different shapes of trees and enjoying the silence. I also like to spend time enjoying the view after you have reached the top of a mountain. You can see for miles and miles and I just attempt to take it all in.Tomorrow I enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park.