Date: 2016-04-19
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

Apr 19, 2016 - Today was just another day at the office. It was still hot, but I banged out the first 9 miles in under 3 hours. Heat and exercise are directly proportional to stink. So, yes, after two days, I already smell like poop. And there are still no bodies of water in these damn woods. Anyway, the heat and the bugs are only going to get worse so there's no sense in getting upset about it. About 4 miles in, I came to a road and saw an establishment within walking distance: Mom's. It had very meager offerings (basically just a bunch of coolers plugged into the walls), but I still snagged a pack of hot dogs for the fire later. With about 5 miles left, I came across a trail intersection and found two other hikers resting there: Beast and Longstride. The sign at the crossing pointed to the AT, which led up a steep, rocky incline to what looked like a ridge, and to the Bad Weather Trail, which is the blue-blazed, safer, flatter trail in case of inclement weather. Both Beast and Longstride had decided to take the blue-blazed trail because they weren't feeling up to it. I would never say anything to them because the 'Hike Your Own Hike' mantra is important, but, personally, I think those reasons are bullshit. I'm out here to thru-hike the AT - that means every WHITE blaze, not blue. If I'm tired or not feeling well, I'll set up camp and continue hiking when I feel up to whatever challenge is in front of me. If I take a side trail to see a view or something interesting and there is a cutoff trail that returns me to the AT farther north than the original side trail, I will make a point to return to the same spot on the AT that I left. That may be extreme, but I just don't care. The best part of my interaction with Beast and Longstride is that the ridge I ended up hiking along was freaking beautiful. Cliffs fell away on both sides as close as 2 feet from the footpath with unbelievable views on a gorgeous day. The ultimate view could be seen by standing on a large rock with a dedication to a man named Howard, a trail builder and maintainer who led a crew for five years to complete that particular ridge section of the AT. The rock was the last part of the trail to be put into position and Howard, at 80 years old, sat on it and ate lunch. According to the story posted on the rock, he fell ill and died shortly after. Standing on that rock and looking out for hundreds of miles with a 500 foot drop below me was inspiring and breathtaking (if I'm being honest, I thought of the final scene of Pocahontas when she is waving goodbye to John Smith, but that's not that important). I finished my 15.4 miles in only five and a half hours including a break for lunch. That's why they call me the Mountain Goat. However, it was almost 3 hours before my friends caught up to me and it sounded like I missed a good time. I can honestly say I didn't rush through my hike - I had simply hit a groove and took off. I took the time to see the views, check out some of the new plants I hadn't seen before, and eat lunch. Tomorrow, I'll approach my hike a little differently.