Date: 2005-04-21
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Lewis Mountain Campgrounds
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

(A continuation of the record of my section hike of the AT through the SNP in August, 2003.)My original hike plan called for 104 miles in 8 days, or an average of 13 miles per day. Since our first day was a short one of only 7 miles, I had put us down for a 20 mile day on day four. At the time, of course, the longest I had ever hiked was about 13 miles, so I was blissfully unaware of what a 20 mile day is all about. It turns out that the experience, and the impact on your body, of hiking 20 miles rather than, say, 10 miles, is not linear. It's more, I'd say, exponential. It doesn't help if you start out with feet that are so torn up with blisters and toenails that are coming off that every foot fall is, in itself, a minor agony. But, the plan called for a 20 mile day, and that's what I was going to try to accomplish.There was, of course, an alternate plan. The next shelter was eight miles up the trail. I decided that I would stop at Hightop Mountain shelter and take stock. If I was up to going on another 12 miles, I would need to pump more water in any event, and if I wasn't up to going on, well then I'd simply stay put for the night and make it a relatively short day. One of the deciding factors would be how long it took me to do the first eight miles, as I did not want to risk getting into Lewis Mountain Campgrounds after dark. There was just something about hiking in the woods after dark, the thought of losing the trail or running into wild animals, just didn't have much appeal.Fortunately, the day started off incredibly well. I got an early start, up at 6 and hiking by 7. Somehow the trail was just as kind and gentle as it could be. I remember one stretch that was downhill, but at a very nice grade, and the treadway was essentially smooth, rock-fee and pine-stewn -- it just doesn't get any better than that. I faily flew down the trail over that section, and this helped enormously to get me to the first shelter in about five hours. I had lunch, filtered more water, patched up my feet where the tape was not sticking right, and decided to have a go at doing 12 more miles. The rest of the day is somewhat of a blur. On a more normal day (10-12 miles) one might encounter three of four major climbs. In this particular 20 mile day, I faced six mountains, a couple of them really tough ones. Despite the pain of my feet, I somehow managed to keep going. By about 5 pm I found myself within about four miles of my destination. I took a final rest break, ate a couple of Snickers bars to refuel, and took stock of the trail over the final few miles. One of the more encouraging things was that I had hiked a short part of this section the previous year with my older son, Rich. We had stayed at one of the Cabins in the park, and I knew that when the AT reached the logging road into that cabin that the Skyline Drive was only a hundred yards to the west. In the event I could not move fast enough to get to Lewis Mountain before dark, therefore, I knew that I could always bail out on the logging road and at least be able to hike the rest of the way to the campgound by using the Skyline Drive instead of hiking through the woods.In the end, I reached the campgounds almost exactly 12 hours after I started my hike. Except for my lunch break and a couple of other shorter stops, I had hiked for twelve straight hours. I can say, without any fear of contradiction, that I have never been so tired in all my life - before or since. I was, frankly, too tired even to congratulate my self for having hiked my first twenty mile day. God must have been smiling down on me, however, as I was about to get some good news. I had been assuming that the camp store would be open until, maybe dark, which would have been nearly 8:30. As I approached the store, however, I saw that the hours were only until 7 pm. I looked at my watch and it was two minutes of seven. The manager was just starting to close up, so I was just barely in time. The reason that was important is that they also have cabins at the campgrounds, and I was hoping to rent one for the night. It wasn't just that I was too tired to set up my tent, which I was, it was that the rain that had been threatening all afternoon had just decided to let loose. The choice between tenting - and making dinner - in the rain after a twenty mile day, or sleeping in a nice warm, dry cabin, in a real bed, with a bathroom where I could take a shower and do some laundry in the sink, as well as a covered outdoor eating area where I could cook and eat my dinner - well, it wasn't a hard choice. Fortunately, there was one cabin left, which I took. Even better, it was right across the road from the store. I don't think I could have walked any further than that!Before crossing the road I used the pay phone to call home and let "She-who-knows-me-best" know that I was safe and on track with my hike. I then dragged my pack and my weary body over to the cabin, let myself in, and collapsed on the bed. I was ever so tempted to just close my eyes and crash, but knew that wasn't a good idea. I was so tired I was almost nauseus, and knew that it would be best for me to eat something before going to bed. I had also been hiking for four straight days in the hot sun, in the same clothes, and knew that a shower would feel great if I could manage to rouse myself long enough to get into the bathroom. Somehow I found the strength to get up and get moving again, soon was on the road to recovery. A hot shower and a hot meal restored at least some of my energy and allowed me to take my pack apart and begin the process of cleaning clothes and gear.My socks had been wet for most of the past four days, between my heavy perspiring and the rain, no doubt contributing to my blister problems, and it was good to get them washed and hung to dry. Everything else just stunk, so having clean clothes once again was going to be a huge improvement. I also got rid of a few items that I decided I really didn't need, given the excessive weight of my pack. It seemed almost strange to be in a building with four walls for a change, but it was great to sleep in a real bed with sheets and pillows, and I have to admit that I slept like a log. And, while the day itself had taken a lot out of me, I was actually feeling stronger the next morning than I had since I started. By hiking at a reasonable pace, even with long hours, I was getting stronger as the hike went on. I found that rather encouraging. As I fell asleep, I was also feeling rather proud of myself of having accomplished my first 20 mile day. I was not, however, anxious to repeat the process any time soon!stay tuned,Longhaul