Date: 2006-03-25
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It's official now. Initiation is over. I'm an AT hiker. I realize now that any previous claims were pretense.I woke up to another 22 degree morning and another 6 inches of snow. I had a pretty restless night anticipating what would happen today.A shelter wakes up almost in unison. As soon as one stirs from bed, most of the others jump into their routines. Some cook, the rest unwrap pop tarts, breakfast buns. They put away sleeping bags and pads. They change from sleeping clothes to day clothes, often with only minor sdjustments. Those who wash, wash. This morning had the addition of an impromptu wake-up/gospel song from one of last night's rowdy guys from Birmingham. They were rowdy but not obnoxious. They hike together once a year and make it a party. This year noone brought a guitar or fiddle, so I guess their ---night was comparatively tame.Jim was listening to and relaying the weather forecast so people could plan their days and routes. I considered resting my leg another day when he said he'd stay but made the snap decision to leave when I heard the forecast. I didn't want to spend another day and night in the shelter while watching another 4 inches of snow and a layer of ice fall. If the trail was going to be even more trecherous, we were leaving today.I walked out onto the trail to test my leg; sore but manageable. We threw our packs together quickly to get out and avoid another front. Everyone but Gary was moving out. Gary with personal hiking philosophies was perfectly happy to hang another day in his sleeping bag. The trail will still be there tomorrow.Jim loaded most of my heavy gear in his pack. Gary took my tent and a few other things. We headed out. We both thought it would be a long trip and a painful one for me. It was surprisingly easy. A foot of light powdery snow is a great cushion. There was practically no impact on my shin and the snow acted as an ice pack. I only stopped in serious pain when I kicked a rock under the snow. We made good time.I hiked 3.2 official AT miles and we turned on a side trail for another 6 or so. Even considering the circumstances of the hike, the trail was beautiful under the heavy snow cover. It was a different world from yesterday. The snow was knee and sometimes thigh deep and still mounting. We both expected a long painful haul and did not express the obvious anxiety of being stuck on trail when predicted heavier weather moved in. With the benefit of the snow, the first 4 miles rolled by. We talked most of the way and like the other ridge runners, Jim had stories. He's retired and ridge running was first a volunter activity. This year he's being paid by a grant. Officially he works for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy but is closely aligned with the National Park Service.The trail was beautiful on the way down. Progress was good so I stopped for a few pictures. The tunnel of unbroken snow stretching out ahead. Everything soft and rounded. Yesterday's roots and rocks were just contours on the landscape. It reminded me of the mountain paths in Cold Mountain except that these are the real Appalachians not the Carpathians. I'm reading the book right now and saw perfectly what that Civil War era trail looked like.It got more painful closer to the bottom where the snow was thinner and rocks more prominent. I gritted my teeth when I had to and we made it to the ranger's truck in good time.Once at the station, I made a few calls about accomodations. Neither Mountain Mama's or Standing Bear answered. One ranger on his way out said he'd drop me at Mountain Mama's. It's a general store and burger place and open for business.Mountain Mama's may be open but not open to me who had no cash, only plastic. Mama returned to her intense Yahtzee game with a quick dismissal. The woman at the counter gave me vaugue directions to Standing Bear Farm which she'd never seen but was pretty sure was there. I was on my own without direction. A night in a snowy shelter might have been more attractive than wandering country roads buried deep in Tennessee. The ranger hadn't even dropped me at Mama's. There was construction on the 2 lane dirt road. So I'd walked the last half mile. A piece of the strange ironies: the ranger is married to the woman who picked me up outside Gatlinberg. She even called while I was in the truck. The ranger recognized me by my trail name.As soon as I pulled gear out of his truck I waved to another pickup. Heavy equipment open a lane to traffic and I wanted to ride not walk. I jumped in the back of the truck, stepped on the shot gun and we headed off. I pull my stuff out of the back at the General Store. They had a great laugh when I fell off the giant back tire and landed on my back in the mud.After Mama lost interest in me, I hooked up with 3 more guys with pickups. They were younger, maybe spring breakers and heading out with vague directions similar to mine. Cross under the interstate overpass and go up the gravel road. They were headed for a trail head bu drove further up with me to find Standing Bear. Like others on the trail, these guys were acting on little information, preparation and a couple of maps. They peppered me with questions about trail conditions, shelters and gear. I told them what I carried, wore, ate. They were for sure not prepared. They were amazed that I'd just come out of a foot and a half of snow. Down here was warm and green. I was blunt and warned them about the serious weather conditions and their lack of proper equipment. They went anyway.So here I am at Standing Bear Farm. I plan to stay a week to rest my leg. I arranged to do work for stay with Curtis, the proprietor. Sounds like I'll be pretty busy. The bunkhouse is full with either people I know, or know of. Present are Curly and Swanson, Pebbles and Snake, Noah, Cookie and also Underground and Minnesota Smith who I knew only by reputation. All but Underground and me will move on tomorrow. I'll see a parade of hikers over the next week. Hopefully, I'll catch up with some of the folks I left behind me. While here, I'll try to swing a ride to any outfitter to get a new pack. No way I'm stepping back on the trail with my current one.So it feels like the initiation is over. I hiked through deep snow out of a potentially dangerous situation. I poured out thanks to a --- who'd helped me out of a really tough spot and who wanted no thanks at all. I hooked the right rides from the right people to get me to a strange place in a foreign land, Tennessee. I'm sharing a bunkhouse with 9 others. I'm happy to dig up and pile rocks all day to earn my keep. I wnt into town wearing ratty shorts and long johns because I don't really have anything else. I sat at a table in the back of a convenience store chowing on barbeque with a bunch of other ravenous hikers. We sat around the wood stove drying our shoes, comparing notes on our hikes, trail gossip and the state of the world. I still taste the cigarette I smoked tonight after 5 clean years. I stayed up past midnight listening to stories of Smoking Jeff, a true dyed in the wool hiker.I'm still a novice for sure, but I'm making my way.