Date: 2004-04-12
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: moderate rain

Sunday morning I left Mollies Ridge Shelter. I had some Carnation Instant Breakfast and Pop Tarts for breakfast and was feeling a little better. I could hike to Spence Field Shelter which was about 5.4 miles or go on to Derrick Knob Shelter which would be about 11.7 miles. And those were tough miles. Going over Rocky Top and Thunderhead. Some had said that was the roughest part of the park. Two hikers told me that Thunderhead had not been so bad. They said the ups and downs before reaching Derrick Knob Shelter had worn them out and they were very tough climbing. Well, I left Mollies Ridge Shelter about 8 AM. I made the 2.5 miles to Russell Field Shelter by 10 AM and was feeling a little better about the hike for the day. I went on until 11:30 when I reached the turn off to Spence Field Shelter. I had now hiked 179.5 miles total on the trail plus the approach trail going up to Springer Mountain. Digit the ranger was cooking lunch over a fire in the shelter. It was cold, windy and some blowing rain coming down. I took off my sleeping bag and opened it up. I climbed in trying to warm up. Digit and I chatted. He is an law enforcement ranger for the park service. He was taking a day off and staying in the shelter. We determined that I was feeling run down because I was not eating enough. High Trailer dropped in. We chatted. He had a little lunch and was going on to Derrick Knob Shelter. Tree Frog evidently hiked past our shelter and had continued on to Derrick Knob because I did not see him again. That afternoon during a rain and windstorm, a couple of day hikers dropped in. They had sandwiches and chatted with us. They mentioned having a car about 6 miles down the trail toward Cades Cove and had a rented house near Gatlinburg. They said in about four hours they would be out of the woods and into their warm house. The gears in my brain began grinding. Should I give up and ask if they would give me a ride to Gatlinburg or somewhere? I decided not to do that. I remained quiet and listened to their conversation while trying to rest and warm up in my sleeping bag. Later that afternoon, rain falling, wind blowing, cold moving in, some other hikers came in. There were two women and one guy. They gathered by the little fire in the fireplace and warmed up. During the conversation the women asked the guy what he did for a living. Turns out he teaches tennis at a country club in Knoxville and was just out for a weekend of hiking and camping. The women were thru hikers. They were all just loving being out in the woods and in all this weather. The ranger had to radio in to his office for orders twice a day. Once early in the morning and once in the afternoon. His afternoon report contained a bad weather report for the next two days. High winds, lots of rain, thunderstorms and cold for Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday it should begin clearing and maybe turning colder. My brain gears were working again. What to do?Sam was the tennis instructor. He mentioned his car was about six miles from the shelter. He could hike down Bote Mountain trail to Cades Cove. He had to drive to Maryville to have some repairs done to his car, then would be driving to Knoxville where his lessons would begin Monday evening. I stuck my head out of my sleeping bag and asked him if he would mind if I hiked down with him and he could take me to a car rental place so I could get a car and drive to Memphis. Boy, the thought was out in the open now. After all the planning, reading journals, buying equipment, walking 8 miles a day getting in shape and making a commitment for six months to be on the trail, here I was thinking about giving up. He said he would be glad to have me go with him. He could take me to the airport in Maryville and I could rent a car. Hours to go before I needed to make that decision. Weather forecast was bad. Thunderstorms, rain, high winds, cold. You could not camp out between shelters. You must make the hike through Rocky Top, Thunderhead and those other bad ups and downs. If I started hiking Monday I would have to make it to Derrick Knob Shelter. The climbs were getting tougher for me. I was worn out. I tossed all night long. What should I do. Finally the morning light began to light up our shelter. I had made the decision to head for home. Three weeks of hiking, 180 miles of hiking in the mountains. Some of the roughest hiking on the AT. Made lots of friends. Enjoyed my equipment and sleeping in my tarp tent. Had hiked in 85 degree weather, rain, snow, sleet, hail, freezing temps, sunshine and rain. I had experienced the Appalachian Trail. This was far short of the 2,174.2 miles for the total trail and being out on the trail for six months. But I had given it my best shot. It had been a good experience. At 6:30 I climbed out of the sleeping bag and packed up. At 7 Sam got up. I told him I wanted to go out with him. About 7:30 we were on the trail. He was a very fast hiker. I normally hike downhill slowly to protect my knees, but this time I was almost running trying to keep up with him. We made it to Cades Cove. There was a store open near the parking lot where his car was. I bought a coke. Wonderful. We loaded in the gear and drove off. Maryville was about 29 miles from Cades Cove. I felt good about my decision. During the night I began thinking about home, Memphis and the things I needed to be doing there. They say when the thoughts of home start bugging you then you are in trouble. When we reached the car repair shop, I called my wife. She was surprised at my decision but was happy I was heading home. I looked a mess roaming around the airport trying to rent a car. I think security probably had a close eye on me. The Enterprise counter told me there was a $150 drop off charge for taking the car to Memphis in addition to the rental fee. No Thanks! I checked the next counter. Avis. They were really nice, rented me a mid size car that drove great. No problems. I carefully loaded my backpack in the back seat and drove out of the airport. Going down the road I spotted a Waffle House. I pulled in and ordered a Porter House Steak with two eggs and hashbrowns. Many, many cups of coffee later I got back in the car and began the trip home. What thoughts were flying through my head. Was this the right decision? What would people think when they found out I had left the trail? How would I tell folks what had happened? I felt I had no other choice than what I was doing. Looking back and figuring what mistakes I had made. My pack was too heavy. I should have worked more on this. It weighed 50# when I left Amicacola Falls beginning the hike. My food was not planned out well enough. I was not eating enough of the right things. Folks told me they eat all day. Breakfast, good snack at 10, lunch, another snack about 2 and then a good supper. I was having Poptarts for breakfast, a few Wheat Thins and some peanut butter for lunch, and Ramen Noodles for supper. I just was not enough to keep my strength up. The experience was good. I enjoyed the tent camping. Hiking day after day from 8 am until about 5 pm, carrying the heavy pack and going up and down mountains was more than I thought it would be.By 5 PM I was sitting by the fire in my living room at home in Memphis. I could not believe that morning I was by the fire in the shelter in the Smokies. What a difference a few hours can make. Thanks to all who have read my journals and sent me emails and gave me encouragement. I did not make it through the whole trail by any means but I did get a real feel for what the trail is like. A new feeling of respect for those who do complete the trail has grown in me. Many people hike the trail for lots of reasons. But to experience this country by walking trough the woods is well worth the effort. We should all take a walk in the woods.Check out my photos and I hope you will get a feel for the experience I have had. Best of luck to all those still out there on the trail. I will be following you in your journals. And so this journey ends. Time to rest. We will see what is down the road for the future.