Date: 2010-02-17
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.0

¢A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation¢ ~Stephen CraneBefore I began my thru hike of the A.T. I thought that it would be one of the few things in my life I would ever have complete control of. No matter how tired or cold or hot or miserable I was, I thought that the ultimate decision to stop or keep going would always fall on my shoulders. This is different than a lot of things I take great pride in but have completely no control over. Take, for example, my passion for the Georgia Bulldogs. I would seriously consider giving a limb to see my dawgs win a national championship (ok, maybe not literally but you get the point). I take great pride when they win and am very dissapointed when they lose. However, I have absolutely no control over the outcome of their games. I thought hiking the A.T. would be different. I thought that no matter how bad I was hurting that I could push through it and moving on to my next destination was only a matter of willpower and determination. However, I didn't account for something that is a lot bigger than me. Mother Nature does not much care what my plans are. She doesn't care that Jesse has to get back for school or that I have to get back in time to figure out what I will be doing this Fall. The weather is something that is completely out of my control and that certainly does not take into account what my plans are.Yesterday was one of the most draining and dissapointing days of my life. We battled snow all day and it was absolutely draining. By the time we were in North Carolina it was around shin deep which was annoying but managable. However, as the day went on it got so thick that we no longer could see the outline of the trail. We got turned around several times, once for over a mile and constantly had to retrace our steps. We were only about two miles from Muskrat shelter but by the time it was late in the day we only had traveled about 3/4 of a mile in almost two and a half hours. We found ourselves in waist deep snow with every step being exausting and time consuming. Additionally, we were soaked from the knee down and had loads of snow pouring into our boots with every step. When there were no white blazes anywhere in sight, snow around our waists, and the sun starting to set we decided that it would be dangerous to continue on and risk getting caught searching for the trail with only our head lamps to guide us. We made the tough decision to head all the way back to the Plumborchard shelter for the evening. Unfortunately, we are going to have to take a few days off until the conditions on top of that mountain can improve. I hate being off the trail but it was simply impossible for us to get through those several feet of snow. This in no way means I'm getting off the trail for good. I will certainly be back in hopefully less than a week with fresh legs and a new attitude. I'm not bulletproof and I can only push myself as far as Mother Nature will let me. I am at the mercy of nature and despite any plans I might have, I can only go as far or as fast as she wiill let me. However, as soon as this weather decides to let up and the path is actually visible once again, rest assured I will be back out there pushing myself towards my goals.