Date: 2010-02-26
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

When in doubt, mumble; when in trouble, delegate; when in charge, ponder.                                     - James H. BorenStill suffering from intestinal problems, I took it easy today, doing some journaling and some pondering. In addition to recovering, I wanted some downtime to think about how the hike was going and where to go from here (besides north to Maine, of course).First, since I'd been out almost 4 weeks and covered about 145 miles, it was time to evaluate how the hike was going and what I'd learned.I went back and looked at my Prehike post #12. There I found the following:"I know that leaving that early could have me seeing significant snowfall and low temps. Frozen boots and water bottles. Treacherous, icy trail. Long, long, cold nights. But on the other hand, it might have me missing the worst of the heat and humidity later on in the year. Not to mention the poison ivy, snakes, and mosquitoes. I should be in better condition to take advantage of the longer days when they come."With the exception of the frozen water bottles, my predictions were pretty accurate. We did indeed have significant snowfall and low temps. Frozen boots, well, one boot, check. Bad trail, yep. Seemingly endless nights, you betcha. On the plus side, to date I have not had any problems with the heat and and humidity. I have yet to contract poison ivy, be bitten by a snake or be annoyed by a mosquito. My plan has been successful!I'm not too far behind of where I'd *hoped* to be at this point and within what I considered to be a reasonable expectation, even with the far below average trail conditions. The bad weather and need for zeros have lined up pretty well.I had wondered if I would find too much solitude on the trail. I know some early starters in other years have gotten off the trail because of loneliness. However, I find that I still enjoy the solitude, finding my own rhythm and pace, tranquil in my own thoughts. Of course I am happy to meet other hikers, as well as locals. I enjoy the company, the banter and the conversation, but this sort of independence and peace are precious, for those can be hard to find back in the "real world."Those days and nights in the Standing Indian basin (between Hiawassee and Franklin) were a challenge. I had serious concerns - OK, fears - that I wouldn't be able to handle the cold and the trail conditions on my own. That was far outside of any hiking or camping experience I'd ever had. It had a real potential for a bad ending. Yet it turned out to be a wonder confidence-building adventure. It was hard, and it was scary, but I now have more of an "I can do this" outlook.My gear has been suitable and has functioned well, for the most part. My body is holding up pretty well and is getting stronger. I don't think I'm getting any faster, but it's not a race, for me anyway.But now I'm faced with the Smokies. Greater isolation, higher elevations, more snow.... I'd like to keep moving north, but I don't want to take on more risks than I think I can expect to handle.For now, I'll concentrate on finishing the last miles to Fontana Dam. From there I can continue on, or else the Trail will still be there after a break.