Date: 2019-02-26
From: The NOC

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 16.2

AT day 10Brown Fork Gap Shelter: 16.2 milesThe AT took me behind the woodshed and gave me a whipping. In my opinion, the climb up out of the NOC was a butt kicker. It relentlessly challenged my endurance and teased my mind. Iwould get to a flat spot or even a downhill and think that I was at the top. Nope not even close. It was the climb that kept on going. It took me about 2.5 hours to finally get to the top. The last 2.5 miles of my day consisted of a grueling steep climb up from the parking area at Stecoah Gap to the Brown Fork Gap Shelter at mile 152.9.There were times when  I felt like I was walking as slow as the people climbing up the last section of Mt Everest. The Brown Fork Gap Shelter is missing about 2 feet of floor. There was only one other hiker named Raven (some sports team). I had read on the Guthook navigation app that there was a campsite down by the creek. I don¢t like shelters so I setup my camp there. It¢s not very flat and I have the feeling that I'll be sliding down towards the bottom of the tent a lot tonight. The trail looks the same as every other day. The trees are still leafless and rather bleak.  The trail is covered with dry leaves. There are sections of perfectly smooth trail and sections with trip hazards like roots and large rocks. Less frequently there are trees that have blown down and are blocking the trail.I had lots of opportunities for views today. Most of the views look the same. You see rugged green mountains as far as the eye can see. Occasionally you¢ll see a river or a lush valley that usually has a farm in it. It smells like a forest and it peaceful and quiet. Prior to today I was a JMT (John Muir Trail) snob. Nothing thus far was even close to the difficulty of the climbs you get on the JMT. Well the AT slapped me in the face and knocked me off my high horse today. To put today¢s level of difficulty in the perspective of a JMT hiker, today was like climbing up out of Lyell Canyon up to Donahue Pass or for PCT northbound JMT hikers it was like climbing from Woods Creek suspension bridge to Pinchot Pass. I appreciated the challenge that the AT gave me. When I was training for the Hawaiian Ironman I¢d drive an hour to ride steep hills to get me ready for the Kona bike course. I¢d do this almost every Sunday and I loved the challenging hills. The steeper the better. Every week the my legs would get stronger and the hills would get just a little bit easier. So I¢m one of those weird athletes who love to suffer. As the Marines say: ¢What doesn¢t kill you makes you stronger ¢I have several things I like to do to keep me motivated and maintain a positive attitude. I frequently give the white blazes marked on the trees a fist bump and say thank you AT. I¢m thankful for the beauty of the trail, the volunteers that do their best to keep the trail clear of all the trees that fall on it and I¢m thankful for the privilege to hike it. I¢ve already mentioned that I don¢t like the phrase Embrace the Suck. I prefer Embrace the Adventure. Another AT hiker phrase is PUDs or Pointless Ups and Downs. The trail is constantly going either up or down but there is a huge point to them. How else are you going to get to Katahdin without walking up and down hundreds of mountains. So I came up with a new phrase; TKUPs which stands for To Katahdin Ups and Downs. Southbound hikers can say TSUPs for To Springer. I also have two chants that I made up. They are fashioned from chants called Jodys that I sang while running in formation at my Navy Diving and Explosive Ordnance Disposal schools. Anyone who¢s been in the military knows what I¢m talking about. The leader sings a verse and then everyone else repeats it.Here¢s one: Two old ladies laying in bed  Two old ladies laying in bed One turned over to the other and said   One turned over to the other and said I want to be an AT thru hiker    I want to be an AT thru hikerLive a life of wild adventure   Live a life of wild adventure Snow and rain they will not stop me    Snow and rain they will not stop me From taking those steps to the mountain that matters     From taking those steps to the mountain that matters Only 2039 more miles to Mt Katahdin (note: change the number as you get closer)     Only 2039 more miles to Mt KatahdinHiking to Katahdin   Hiking to Katahdin (I got this last part from the Hiking Viking¢s ¢Between the Blazes¢ YouTube video series. The best AT video that I have watchedLesson learned: When I hike up a steep hill I don¢t like to look too far ahead so I don¢t get discouraged with the distance I have to go before the incline starts to level out. So I was hiking up this very steep hill with my head down looking at the trail and trying to keep up my rhythm when I ran head first into a large branch that was just above my eyesight. I hit the tree hard with my forehead and was lucky that I didn¢t break my glasses. There is a 20% chance of rain tonight and it just started sprinkling. Tomorrow I¢ll be warm and comfortable (unless I eat too much) at the Fontana Village  On Thursday I¢ll be hiking out to enter The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I¢m very excited. It might even snow this weekend. Happy hiking, Silver Streak