Date: 2015-04-27
From: Springer

To: NOC
Miles today: 137.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Currently taking a zero mile day at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. I feel as though I should be moving and not sitting around. I've got a few more miles to go before Katahdin after all. I've been hiking with Evan and Hailstorm for the last 5 days but Hailstorm and I are hanging back to rest and Evan went on to take on the Smokies. My journal entries may be few until I get to Damascus since I'm trying to make hay on the trail between now and then. I've uploaded a few new pictures so check out the photo page on the left. -Trail name earned- Bluto. Due to my constant yearning, dreaming, and chatting about juicy cheeseburgers. -1 State down. 13 to go.-Still have yet to sleep in a shelter. But I've camped near them the last few nights as it's a great place to make dinner and meet people and there are usually some nice tent spots nearby. Even the occasional camp fire. -Hiker hunger is creeping up on me. I snack constantly. -Sent 13 oz. of stuff home. Constantly rethinking how to lighten up my pack/gear. -No matter if I shower/do laundry, I still smell like an old sock within a few hours. I guess my body is assimilating to being hiker trash so smelling bad is the new norm. -I'll be attempting to avg about 18 miles a day from tomorrow till Damascus. My goal is to walk in on the 15th, when I'll meet my Dad who will hike with my for a few weeks. Probably the last zero I'll take between now and then. Bring on the Smoky Mountains. Day 1- Mile 10.5. Horse Gap. Dropped off at the parking lot. Walked up to Springer with Fenway. Continued on to make camp at Horse gap for the night where there were rumors of impending thunderstorms and tornadoes. I figured if nothing else, I'd see how my tent holds up in some weather. Enjoyed the company of some fellow section hiking ground hogs (tenters). For the first night in a week or so, anxious thoughts were gone and I was able to appreciate being outside, in my tent, with people who are doing the same. Day 2- Mile 21. Woody Gap. I stayed mostly dry during the constant rain the night before but it made the trail pretty wet and soggy as it continued to rain all day. I made it to Gooch Gap Shelter where i dried out for a few hours and then hiked on in the rain to Woody Gap where I caught the shuttle to Hiker hostel to dry out for the night. Day 3- Mile 35. Wolf Lauren Top. Hiked most of the day with Thru hiker Tres and a few section hikers including Doug, who is a Military Policeman out for a section hike. Made it up blood mountain and began the tricky descent just at a wild hail storm began. I found myself laughing and running down the mountain to Neel Gap where I stuffed my face with candy bars and a warm lunch cooked on my stove. Hiked on from Neels Gap to Wolf Laurel top where I pitched my tent infront of a view that you could slap on a post card. Learned that ridgeline camping is a bit windy. Day 4- Mile 49.5. 1 mi. South of Blue Mt. Shelter. As I hiked, I met Evan and Hailstorm and ended up making camp with them that night. They're on a 110 day schedule to Katahdin and I decided to try to keep up since I'm trying to get to Damascus in good time. Pitched a tent that night and slept like a baby. Day 5- Mile 70. Dicks Creek Gap. Massive 21 mile day. We made it to Top of Georgia Hostel around 445 in the afternoon and were able to catch a ride into Hiawasse to resupply at Ingle's grocery store. I drank a half gallon of green tea, ate like a king and ate about 1 lb. of grapes. Day 6- Mile 86. Standing Indian Shelter. Made camp near the shelter and enjoyed a fire, or Television as Snake Man called it. Day 7- Mile 106. Rock Gap Shelter. I pitched my tent twice. Once on a bit of a hill. After continuously slipping to the front of my tent for about an hour, I packed up most of my stuff, threw it over my shoulder and carried my tent down the hill to find a better camp spot in the dark. I found out that my head lamp really isn't that bright. It was a tiny midnight adventure through the woods. Day 8- Mile 125.5. Cold Spring Shelter. After bragging to a few people that I'd been sleeping like a baby in my tent, I had a relatively restless night. Karma, I suppose. The wind whipped around camp as though we were candles and it was mother earth's birthday. Still hiking with Evan and Hailstorm at this point. Day 9- Mile 137. Nantahala Outdoor Center. Arrived around 2PM after the 11 mile hike that was almost all downhill. Definitely the most taxing hike on the body thus far. Hailstorm and I reenergized with a beer on a bench once at the NOC. I enjoy toiling up the mountain rather than bracing myself on the way down. That's how hiking go, I suppose. About a mile out, I started to smell the cheeseburger I'd been dreaming of for the last 9 days. I devoured a bacon and cheddar cheeseburger with onion rings and mesquite bbq sauce on it with a beer for dessert. Day 10- Zero day. NOC. Hailstorm and I sticking around for the day. Evan has gone on. To-do List includes minor resupply, Relaxing, making phone calls, possible gear swap, and eating some real food. Looking forward to getting into the Smokies after picking up a package of food sent from my gracious mother in Fontana Dam.