Date: 2006-03-14
From: Ramrock Mountain, Camped Alone

To: Campsite, .2 mi. south of Blue Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 17.6

A DAY IN THE LIFE WITH Solace on the APPALATION TRAIL   Usually, my routine falls into place rather quickly each year hiking the AT. I'm a "late riser" by trail terms, @ 7am... i awake, slowly... and i do mean slowly "crawl" out of my VERY WARM SLEEPING bag, and change into the days clothes... long pants, new socks, a short sleeve poly-tec shirt, a long sleeve polyester shirt, a long thin fleece if its below 30, and my outer shell, my brand new EMS APPROACH JACKET... it contains tac-twill, polyester, with nylon shell parts... and does what i needed most.. blocks the wind 100% After the new clothes are on... things are packed, the sleeping bag stuffed back into the stuff sack, clothes rolled tight & put away, and you take out what you'll need for the day. Enough for breakfast, and usually @ 4-7 snacks that will last you till dinner.. some of my "standbys" are yogurt covered raisins, chewy granola bars, cheese crackers with peanut butter, pop tarts & hot jello... (yes, i said hot jello) (Ok, after 3 years of hiking for a bit.. the best thing i have foubd for a day of 25 degrees & pouring rain, walking in just woods all day... is indeed, HOT JELLO, its the best for a quick energized warm-up!) Grape is my fav! After emerging from the tent or shelter, I take a few hundred yards to warm up the legs, then boil up the JETBOIL! (this is my stove.. it is a 4 cup Titanium stove that will boil 2 cups of water in 90 seconds). Breakfast is typcially some hot instant oatmeal (peaches & cream, cinnamon spice) a pop tart, some nuts & a granola bar along with a few cups of hot cider or instant irish cream coffee... mmmmm, delicious! Then it's time to pack up the tent... I have a new 2 lb, 2 oz. tent this year, I can put it up in 4 min and take it down in 2! First, you deflate your sleeping pad, then break down the tent, shake it down, roll it up, and then your ground cloth, (most hikers use some sort of ground cloth, a piece of tarp or tyvek construction paper that lays down under your tent to protect from the water, the bugs, and makes things a tad warmer). From there, I roll the ground cloth, tent & sleeping pad all into one, and use 2 bungee cords to secure it to the bottom the pack. The final half hour before setting out is spent fitting my boots and tying them just right (blisters can be your worst enemy out here) and then.. it's time to stretch... I stretch a good 20 min every morning. And then... I'm off... the first mile is done very slow, my mind is tired, and hiking is a very mental thing. Rocks, stumps and wildlife line the trail, and not paying attention at times can result in rolling an ankel, stubbing your toe on rocks a hundred times, or.. as i have nearly done, stepping on a snake who decides their new home is smack in the middle of the trail! However, my mind is not the only thing half-asleep still, but the body as well, it is VERY IMPORTANT to slowly warm up the leg and back muscles, theres no telling how far you'll want to go in any given day? _____________________________________________________________________ And this was MArch 14th... the sun was shining, and I was coming off a 0 DAY, the body felt great... so I was off for a 17.6 mile day! I came over Levelland Mt, it was @ 9am, and the morning fog was just burning off the mountain side. Within 3 hrs I had hiked over 3 Mountains and came into HogPen Gap about noon where I was greeted by an older couple from Altanta with some cookies, fruit & soda. I sat and chatted a bit, they wanted to know all about New England, and I was oblidged to share my love of home. Shortly after leaving, i came over Poor Mountain, which was my 10th Mt. hiked in just 6 days. WANT A MOMENT TO LAUGH AT SOLACE ? ? ? ... here you go! It must have been an hour after "feasting" on some cookies, a couple bannans & A "few cups too many" of orange soda that I soon realized I would need the Men's room. Now, for all of you sitting there at your desk, or home starting to ask that question that at some point EVERYONE ASKS... Do hikers really &$%! in the woods, well... the last time i checked, were all still human.. and yes... yes we do So heres ol Solace RUNNING LIKE HELL for a privy. (A privy is the bathroom in hiker slang). Quickly checking my AT Data Book, I realized the closest shelter (Low Gap) had none... so... I made my own... Yes.. KEEP LAUGHING, all of you! But this is life.. and these are the adventures I have! I can't say I had the convenience of a magazine rack, or even a nice sink to wash up at... but there was Charmin! AND BELIEVE ME... OUT HERE, IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE, "sigh". After my time in the "beautiful men's room", it was time for a break at Low Gap Shelter, where I was joined by CRITTER & RAILROAD, KETCHUP, SMILE, BRAINS & BRAUN and CHEWEE. Mid-day breaks allow me to take off the boots, socks and air out the feet, while rubbing them down. After 90 min, i had a quick stretch again, (skipped any type of lunch to let the stomach settle, lol) and pushed on towards Blue Mountain! ___________________________________________________________________________      SOLACE GETS SNAPPED IN THE A** ! ___________________________________________________________________________      Not to long after leaving Low Gap, I was feeling better, and had stopped for water. (Water along the trail is pretty easy to find, mostly streams, or a natural spring. Most hikers use a water filter, where you pump your water into your bottles as any type of bacteria, bugs are fliltered out) I don't carry a filter... just Iodine tablets... they are inexpensive... just throw one in, wait half hour, and your good.. te taste takes getting use to, a bit like rust i suppose.. oh well. Water all filled, i proceeded down a long bank leading up towards the Chattahoochee Gap (3,502) when ALL OF A SUDDEN I WAS SMACKED IN THE BUTT FROM BEHIND! I mean.. here I am.. OUT IN T HE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, and *WHAP*! My butt gets smacked, and it hurt! ~ Making sure I had a firm grip on my hiking staff, i quickly spun around (now... quickly through my head I'm thinking, "ok, some hiker caught up to me and is having a little fun with solace" OR, Dear Lord.. here I am walking along, perhaps dropping nuts or some delicious chocolate raisins, ALL THE WHILE MR. BEAR HAS BEEN WATCHING ME FROM THE LEDGE ABOVE WITH HER 2 CUBS, SAYING... "well, well, what have we here kids, some yo-yo hiker with some treats! Let's have some fun, first I'll toy with him, then just take his limbs off"!) Upon turning around (and saying the FASTEST hail-mary you'vr ever heard) I raised my staff to find absolutley NO-ONE THERE! Now.. I know what I felt, and indeed, my butt could prove it! But.. no one, not even Mr. Squirell was there!?! I quickly glanced around.. looing for anything! A Fox? A fallen bird? A rubber band some hiker hiding in the bushes had slung at me... but alas.. no-one... and all was quiet. A few more paces up the trail and there he was... brightly colored, just laying there... STARRING at me... with a grim words coulden't say! MY GOSH DARN RED BUNGEE CORD HAD FINALLY GIVEN WAY, SNAPPED HARD & FAST, CATCHING MY BUTT ALONG THE WAY and ENDING UP SOME 8 feet DOWN THE SIDE OF THE TRAIL!!!         (if your laughing at this point, please cover your mouth.. i can hear you!)      Still alive, I made my way up a very windy & cold Chattahoochee Gap, where at the top I found myself in a quickly forming sudden snow storm! It only lasted 20 min, but as the winds rose and air turned cold.. I stood there, on the edge of the Gap, took off my pack and hat... and enjoyed the last bit of my fav season... winter, in all its glory. It's simple beauty with snow laden forrests and ice-covered trees. I stood, without a care in the world, and in that moment, with the sun settling west and dusk at hand, I had found "my hike"... in my own time ~ Leaving the Gap, I made my way up Blue Mountain where I was quickly losing light... just short of the shelter, I found a big tree, next to a stream where I knew I would find some protection from the wind. It was nearly 7pm, I collected leaves to lay down (you learn over the years sleeping on roots can be a "bit" uncomfy) put down the ground cloth, quickly set up the tent as i could no longer feel my hands, the temp had dropped to near 25, and the wind was howling through. Warming up inside, I made some hot chocolate, and changed into my thermals for bed... new socks once again with a 2nd pair over those, and a bandanna under the hat. By far, the 2 most important things to keep warm on a night I knew would dip into the teens was your head and toes I skipped the evening meal with still a sour stomach from eailer and crawled into my bag. NOW, there are a few places in this world I can't get much of a better feeling ~ ~ In attendance at a Boston Bruins hockey game ~ Sitting with any member of the Party of Five (my sis, bro, bro-bro & sissy) ~ Spending time with any of my best friends ~ A hot showere after a week in the woods ~ At a St. Louis Cardinals Game ~ CRAWLING INTO A VERY WARM SLEEPING BAG AFTER HIKING 17.6 miles       The noise of the wind picked up as it rattled the tent walls... in the far distance was the quiet howl of coyotes.   Prayers said, zipper pulled for the evening, warm with aching legs I quickly drifted off to sleep~   solace