Date: 2015-12-04
From: Wilbur Dam Road 

To: Hampton, Tennessee 
Miles today: 4.6

I woke up to my tent and backpack covered in frost and feeling like an icicle myself. The sun finally made a glorious appearance around 10am which is when I finally warmed up enough to dismantle and pack up my Hubba. Still, my tent poles were frozen together at the top, and for a good five minutes or so I didn't think I was going to be able to get them apart. I still struggle with getting my tent up and down at times because of the ligament issues in my wrists, and the cold is not friendly to my wrists making some things even more challenging.I woke up with mixed emotions this morning as I made the decision last night to get off the trail and return in the spring to finish because of my struggles to keep warm. In the spirit of my six and a half month adventure so far I want to be able to stop frequently and absorb and inhale the beauty surrounding me whenever I desire, which is often. This is what hiking my own hike has meant to me. I know that I very well could march on to Springer despite freezing temperatures, but it would be a "march", and I would be miserable much of the time. My entire life I have been extremely goal oriented and resistant to change. As experienced by many long distant hikers, this journey has transformed me in the most unexpected ways. If I was the same person I was before I started my hike I would have been at Springer by now, and my competitive nature would have been focused on reaching the end within a certain time frame and less on the journey. Instead, I have embraced change in ways I never thought possible, and it has been all about the journey for me and not the destination, which has been an unexpected joy. I really admire the amount of miles other hikers pound out and have the utmost of respect for everyone's individual journey. This adventure has been a dream of mine for almost 20 years now, and I became quite obsessive about the planning process which has given me the option to complete my hike in 2016 at whatever pace I want. My thought process right now is to get back on the trail in May to finish the southern section and hopefully miss the biggest bubbles of NOBO'S starting out. The timing would allow me to flip to Maine with "trail legs" and finish the northern segment and ending atop Maine's greatest mountain, Katahdin. It was a sunny beautiful day once I started hiking which prompted me to stop along the shoreline of Lake Watauga many times to admire, ponder and reconsider.  It didn't take long for me to get cold again, and I am going to stick with my decision. The lake is large and impressive with breathtaking mountain views which brought back memories of the lakes I fell in love with in the northern states. So many great camping spots on the banks as well. This would be a great place to revisit. I got to the road crossing going into Hampton and hitchhiked a ride to Bramaer Castle Hostel which was built in 1909 and really does look like a castle.  I am the only guest here in the clean and comfortable castle owned by Sutton and Beverly Brown who also own Brown's General Store. This is another tiny, delightful mountain town that has welcomed me with open arms and will be one of many treasured memories from the trail.Now to figure out how to get to warm sunny Florida from here.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have supported and encouraged me along the way on this incredible journey. Keeping this journal open, honest and real has also been transformative for me and admittedly sometimes scary, like diving into unknown dark, deep waters. You have given me such strength and confidence and have been an integral part of my journey. I hope that some of you will continue to follow me in 2016 when I return to these beloved Appalachian Mountains which have become a part of me.  I plan to post occasional updates and continue hiking in Florida with the birds, gators and water moccasins in and along rivers, swamps and beaches, and hopefully learn to take my photography to a new level before returning. THANK YOU!