Date: 2003-03-28
From: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

Got up and going by 730. The radio is calling for drizzle and/or rain this afternoon and I wanted to beat it.   FS and I cruised today and made it to US50 (Ashby Gap) by noon. We wanted some town food so we took a right and walked up the road a bit. Both of our guidebooks were quite vague about anything that might be available. So we stopped in at the taxidermist to ask what was around. He said there was a place back down the road about a mile and that he would take us. Nice guy, we did not even have to yogi. In his shop he had a stuffed black bear, so yes I have seen a bear on my AT adventure.        He dropped us off at Doc¢s BBQ. We went in and I devoured two of the daily specials- Texas Beef BBQ sandwich with chips and a drink, all for only $2.99 each! Good and Cheap! FS and I sat there for a while and digested.   About 230 we settled up and headed out the door. WE walked back to the trail (~3/4 of a mile) and then mossied on up the trail to this shelter. I got here just behind FS at 415.   An easy day and we never got the rain¢¦ yet. The clouds look quite threatening. Tomm will be my last full day on the trail¢¦ 20.1 miles. Hard to believe how fast these last 3 months have gone. Seems like yesterday, I was standing on Springer wondering what adventures lie ahead. It¢s been on heck of a trip¢¦ my trip.   I know I have written it before, but¢¦      ¢Its all about the journey, not the destination.¢I¢ve had a great journey, one that I will pick up and begin again soon (Scheduled for summer of 2004). I will never forget these three months of my life, that¢s for sure.        I have pushed my limits. Before this trip, I had never winter backpacked, or snow shoed.   But I did it. Even in the ¢worst winter in 10 years¢ according to some locals. I defiantly was not in the best of shape, but yesterday I pulled 31+ miles. I had never been gone from home for so long, but I survived.        When I was planning this trip, many people told me that starting January 2nd was not a good idea. Mr. Hoch, of the Hike Inn at Fontana Dam, even called me a lunatic.   I think many people thought that winter would stop me from hiking North on the AT. Now the trees are beginning to bud, the flowers are beginning to bloom, and the mosquitoes are starting to bite. Spring is here. I made it!        Now I am going to take a break. Go visit family and friends. And go see some new places. Return to civilization for a short time- just long enough to miss the trail. Then back to the trail I will go, in Maine.        I am really looking forward to going back to Maine to work on the Trail Crew.   Life up there is ALMOST as simple as out here. Plus Brian, Caleb, and Emily, all three of which I really enjoyed working with last summer, will join me. Also many of the other folks that I have worked with in the past two years will be coming up for a week or two. It will be a good time.        It¢s hard for me to believe that I only have a day and a half of walking left. I will have walked 1003.0 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. An accomplishment that I am proud of and will never be afraid to admit.        While out here, I made a great friend- Paul ¢The Flying Scotsman¢ Gribben. We walked over 600 miles together. Attempted (and failed) the Virginia Challenge. We had fun. He taught me a lot. From World Politics to World Traveling. Now I have a good friend from the ¢Land of Kilt¢.         A big part of my trip and my trip planning was gear. If I did not carry enough of the right stuff I could freeze my butt off. But with plenty of research and talking to other hikers with more winter experience, I survived. For this trip, I used a homemade G4 pack, a cat can alcohol stove, and a homemade fleece jacket.   All of these items worked well. Others (and I have to admit, even I) had a few doubts about my pack, but it made it through the whole trip with a few dental floss reinforcements. The alcohol stove perform marvelously, even in the below zero temps I often saw in the Smokies. I was not dissatisfied with any of my gear.        So would I do a January 2nd start again? Yes, without a doubt. I would not change my hike for any reason. I did it the way I wanted and did not let anyone make decisions for me. I liked the challenge of the winter hike.   In addition, there are many plusses to hiking the AT in the winter. Among them- no snakes, no bugs, no bears, and a spot in every shelter.   The only fault in a winter hike is the lack of other hikers. People who seek solitude would enjoy it. I, on the other hand, enjoy the company of other hikers. I managed to hike with someone the entire trip, but I venture to say that I was lucky. And hiking solo in the winter is probably not the brightest idea¢¦ at least for the inexperienced.   Wrong Way for example, was lucky, real lucky, to make it out of the Smokies on his own two feet. He is still recovering from the frostbite he suffered on his toes. But now I feel confident in my winter camping skills. At the beginning of this trip, I could not say that.        A couple of things will be different on the second half of my AT hike. First, there will be a whole lot more people out here. I think that I will enjoy having more people around. Meeting new people who share my interests is always fun. Second, summer will be in full swing. Everything will be green. It will be hot. This is good and bad. It will be nice to see the Appalachians in full bloom, but when the leaves fill the treetops, you can no longer see the mountains in the distance. But I am sure that I will enjoy walking in the ¢green tunnel¢. And being from Texas, I think I can endure the heat. Also, it allows me to carry a lighter pack. Right now, it is about 35 with 4 days of food. In the summer, it should only be about 20. I will be cruising. Third and finally, I will probably not be in as good of shape as I am in now. It is hard to come even close to the workout I go through everyday- waking up and carrying 35 pounds for 20+ miles. Everyday for 3 months.   But I am going to try to start jogging once a day¢¦ but we¢ll see.        With my journey coming to an end, all sorts of emotions and feelings are running through my head. It is my decision to get off the trail. I know that I will miss the trail. But I also know that it will be here when I return. I am very happy and satisfied with my entire trip. I am not disappointed that I did not go all the way to Maine. And all that matters is that I am content with my journey.   No one can take away these last 3 months from me.        Well now it is nearly 730 and after 2 hours of contemplating and writing, I need to eat. Then I will likely crash for the night. Tomm we have a 20 planned. Rain is forecasted¢¦ Will it come?