Date: 2009-05-28
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I am at NOC now and boy am I glad that I finally made it. These southern AT mountains and trails are starting to get to me with the lack of rocks, lack of tree lines, and switchbacks only when absolutely necessary. It is basically dirt, vegetation, and steepness; I have had like only 5 outlooks and all but 2 were blocked by clouds. Seriously, probably 15 outlooks if I felt like going off the trail a bit but I think most are just like peering through a couple of trees.Climbing up 4 and 5 thousand footers on a dirt path that lacks any chance of added fun, technical twists and having no view for miles, what is the point? The forest doesn't change appearance that much. But seeing the silhouette of mountains through trees is pretty cool. Even that is pretty rare. Sorry for whining. It is just too frustrating finding inspiration on these Georgian and Carolinian trails. Like I had 1 view today and it was a photo safari since I had something to shoot. It is like a bitter sweet victory 1/2 way mocking me.There are still like no rocks in sight: a small lake, a building or 2, and 1 tiny, microscopic cliff, just green mountains and a cloudy sky. But I understand it is a warm wet climate and the altitude isn't even enough to counter the nourishing climate. A mental wow, nature is a cool place with how diverse it can be depending on climate and geographic location. This is not enough for me to keep trucking without a care. Sorry for the ranty whine. I am just being honest with my feelings of the area.Editor¢s Note: (Kyle grew up hiking the rocky White Mountains of New Hampshire and spent 2 weeks last summer on the PCT in Northern California with its many switchbacks and continuous Views.) See ya up the trail. I am still aiming for a thru hike to New England somewhere or at the VERY least the 1/2 way point.KyleThe stretch of trail between NOC and Fontana was a lot more enjoyable, even though I still have to regain trust in the Handbook. I am sorry for the colorful subject matter in the last e-mail (posted just above), but i did use those emotions to accidentally go way too far on the trail and late into the night. This really was such a wacky, prideful, foolish experience that it was a good flash in the pan to get me reacquainted with the trail and the inner hiker. I left NOC right after i sent those e-mails at 7:30 or 7:45pm expecting to only make it to the first water and campsite, which was 2.5 miles up the trail. But i was being too emotional (not literally like crying or having steam coming out my ears, but just a mentally drained hazy funk [if that makes sense, not the best description but oh well]) and just hiking, looking for water signs, tents, or to hear people or water, but i didn't notice any of that. So i just kept pushing on and on, up the steep mountain side climbing up 3000 feet in 6 miles. I finally get to rushing water sound and walk over a ton of it, but it is a very rocky area and is steep up and down. So I throw on my headlamp (it is like 8:45pm probably by now). I tried to find a place to camp; to spot a good tree to hang a bear bag but see nothing really. Therefore i keep pushing on with my headlamp guiding me. Even though i am following the trail surprisingly well, i am starting to become worried, confused, feeling foolish, and mentally panicked. I am starting to run low on water and feel very fatigued when i come to an outlook on lights of a town up on a mountain side across the way. It was a starry night sky so i take out the camera and try to take a picture but i cannot get anything to show. i am fiddling through the modes and functions but cannot get a thing sadly. i also take to time to finally look at the book to try and get my bearings not that it helps much. i just have a vague guess that i am now close to Sassafras Gap Shelter. That means i hiked over 5 mile pretty much straight up so i am frazzled in every since. I throw on my rain jacket to make sure to remain on the warm side even though it makes my body temp rather awkward. So now that i am wearing the yellow jacket that was called duck colored by a couple of fellow thru-hikers, I am mentally (not officially) giving myself the trail name Duck Flu. Now it is like 10:30 pm and i am still hiking in the dark. i am in a half delusional state since my mind is a chaotic wreck trying to keep itself going with lack a nurture in this dark environment. Oh yeah, for most of the night i have been seeing flashes of distant lightning i guess, although it could be a beacon thing too. I was seeing the Moon through trees and trying to decide, what it is thing? It could be a fire tower sometimes, but then it popped out in a crescent shape every once in a while. My headlamp was bugging out a little too, flicking and dimming and stuff. i tried walking in the dark for like 10 seconds and then was like, this is impossible. So I gave a flick to the back of the headlamp and it worked to get me to the shelter. So it was a wholesome freak of a night. I get to 2 tents of freaked out people since i am a random light and noise in the night. i am apologizing and trying to get info on the shelter from them. I find a sign pointing down to the shelter, and slip down a steep thinning muddy trail (even though no rain for the day). I get to the shelter and go right past it to find a place to hang my food at like 11:45pm. I make only a quick glance at the shelter and quietly apologized to the people. So, i am looking all around in the woods for a tree branch to hang a bear bag and finally get to one. After hanging it for like 20 minutes probably, between the broken branch and missed throws, I get back to shelter and settled in at like 12:35 am. It was a fun night with the scares and then the astonishment of, wow, i made it up 3000 feet in 6 miles and then hiked another mile to get to Sassafras Gap Shelter. I am barely done mentally chuckling at myself before i go to bed.Kyle