Date: 2009-03-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Dear readers,Lucky you! You get to read two entries from me today! I got kicked off rather abruptly due to the library closing and didn't get to write as much as I had hoped. Now I'm at the hotel borrowing Gangsta's hubby's laptop.Currently, myself, Gangsta, and Hermes are at mile 135. After two wet days on the trail we booked it to get to the N.O.C. yesterday. Most of our gear was wet due to crowded shelters and having to tent in the pouring rain. Our 20 mile day was an impromptu decision when reaching our initial destination after 15 miles and at 5pm to a full shelter and people just sitting there in their sleeping bags doing nothing because it was too cold and miserable to do anything else. We decided to hike another 5 miles to the next shelter to keep warm and kill time rather than sitting around, freezing, waiting for it to be bedtime. We got to camp right around dark- just in time to set up the tents, grab the easiest food we could find in our food bags (snickers and granola bars)and go to bed. It was a long day to say the least and we were glad it was finally over. Gangsta's tent sprang a leak so to top off the day she climbed into my hubba and we had a very cozy night of hugging each other's feet but at least we both were warm, and dry. It might not have been the most fun day and our moods were definitely not the greatest, but we were all safe, dry, exhausted, proud of our first big mileage day, and ready for a good night of sleep. It's nights like those that are the experiences I'll really remember, and what hiking the AT is all about. Pushing yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Everyone says Hike Your Own Hike, which is very true, but you also form a community or trail family out here that is your support system when times get tough. It's nice to know you're surrounded by people who care and are all looking out for each other.The next morning, we utilized a 30 minute window of no rain to pack up camp and head out for our 11 miles into the N.O.C. Soon after hiking, the rain began to pour. We hiked up and over balds, past observatories, fire towers, and view points with views of nothing but... clouds. They broke for a few minutes to give us a glimpse of the mountains we were surrounded by which was an amazing few minutes, but it was short lived. Luckily our cameras were accessible! A lack of views certainly makes the huge climbs less rewarding. I keep telling myself it's just so that I will be even more impressed when the rain clears, the sun comes out and we enter the Smokies.It's been a gray rainy day, the perfect zero day, full of pajamas (long johns, what I wear everyday, but they feel like PJ's!), fast food, cookies, showers, real toilets, and television. Tomorrow we take off again, and it's supposed to be stormy, but the next day is supposed to be sunny! We'll be at Fontana Dam on Monday and will be taking the Smokies by storm starting Tuesday. Hopefully we'll meet up with our hiking buddies from earlier in the week, Saint, Wind Up, Greaser, Becca, Rupunzel, and Hammock. Keep your fingers crossed for nice weather!My trail name is Alias and this came about because I've had multiple potential trail names over the past two weeks. Everyone seems to call me something different. Also, I went by an earth name at my job with Sage Walk. I seem to have a knack for doing things that involve me going by something other than my birth name (which I like, I swear!). After not knowing what name to settle on, someone suggested Alias since I was going by so many different names. And that is how my trail name was finalized. To those hiking a few days behind us (we think): Long Haul, Story Teller, Tim and Vicki, Angie and Shane, we hope your hike continues to go well and hopefully our paths will cross again! Look out for our messages to you in the trail registers!To those in front: Packadivas! Maybe I'll catch up to you sometime... keep in touch!I'm having a great time and feel quite accomplished at being 1/16 done with the trail. Who knew the fraction 1/16 could seem like so much? I'm feeling great mentally and physically, but in the words of Gangsta, "it ain't all daffodils and sunshine." I feel my experience had me well prepared for the tough times and I often think of the quote "this too shall pass." Quitting has yet to cross my mind and I've already seen the trail defeat people and send them home, as well as many physical problems from too heavy packs, poor preparation, or starting out too fast, too soon. I've also seen people drop $1,000 on all new gear at the first outfitter they hit because they realized they didn't want to carry a 60 lb pack 2,000 miles so they replaced everything with ultralight alternatives. Shakedown hikes and experience with your gear is very important!All in all, I feel in a great place. As the saying goes, "Any day on the trail is better than a day at the office." I just sent my first memory card of photos home to my parents, so hopefully my mom can get photos posted on here sometime next week! You can also see many photos of this adventure on Gangsta's TJ site (under the name Nevena). She'll be uploading all her pics in the next day or two.That's it for now. Keep fingers and toes crossed for sunny skies through the Smokies! My next update will most likely be from Standing Bear Farm hostel, mile 238!!!! Time to go watch Seinfeld and stuff my face. Zero days are great.Happy Trails,Alias