Date: 2004-05-26
From: Wooded Road near Elk Park, NC

To: Into the Twilight Zone
Miles today: 20.9

Today, my goal was to hike 21 miles to the Kincora Hostel which is located near a trail crossing in Tennessee. The trail no longer passes through North Carolina.The hike began without the benefit of much sleep due to the distraction of winds and drizzle. This time, I had stretched tighter the small tarp which protects the hammock. I remained dry. The true test, however, will come with the next thunderstorm.The main reason for my poor sleep was the presence in my hammock of a Thermarest, an inflatable sleeping pad used to keep warm the bottom of my body. The problem with the Thermarest is that it is stiff and shifts position when I move. It does not curve to the shape of the bottom of the hammock. I need to find a better kind of insulation. I had tried using a windshield sun reflector, but it did not keep warm the bottom of my body, even with the sleeping bag.Another reason for my intention to hike a long distance was a lack of food. I discovered during breakfast that a Ziplock bag containing food was missing. Finally, I wanted to experience a twenty mile day, which represents a benchmark figure for many hikers on the trail.Just after starting out, I crossed another road where trash had been tossed across the trail. I noticed among the debris a plastic bottle of GTX motor oil. I recalled that the other pile of trash from yesterday contained the same brand of oil bottles; this suggests that one person was responsible for the littering on the trail crossings.Today, much of the trail meandered through a lower elevation thick with rhododendron shrubs and dense forest. It was like walking through a jungle. I often peered through the vegetation, curious to view the nooks and crannies of this remote forest. During the morning, the sky was overcast and dark. That weather, combined with the dense canopy of foliage, rendered dim the ambient lighting along the trail. The effect was eerie and beautiful; it was like hiking in a perpetual twilight. A young man on a thru hike passed me during the mid afternoon. He was in an agitated mood, complaining about one thing or another. He said that he was hiking over twenty miles per day. He said that he was pushing extra hard today in order to get to a road crossing by a certain time. He wanted to get there in order to obtain a scheduled shuttle ride into a town by the owner of the hostel.This hiker reminded me of a harried commuter rushing to a train, except he was carrying a backpack instead of a briefcase.Later in the day, the trail rose in elevation and the jungle like conditions ended. I struggled up a few short but steep ascents. My energy was waning.While I was hiking along a wooded ridge, a thunderstorm threatened. The sky went dark. Growing concerned, I stepped of the trail toward some hemlock trees. There, I strung up the tarp and sat underneath it.The storm began with the arrival of harsh winds. One side of my tarp curled like a sail, straining on the guy lines. I sat against my backpack, using it as a shield from the wind. The rain arrived in a dramatic fashion, as a funnel of mist racing through the trees. I sat under the tarp for almost an hour as this maelstrom of rain and wind enveloped the mountain. It felt lonely under the tarp. I wondered if this was a localized storm which only I was enduring.The thunder stopped and the wind subsided, but the rain persisted. It was late in the evening when I decided to move on. If I were to wait much longer, the night would arrive I would have to stop hiking. I took down the tarp and hiked in the dim light. Thank goodness for the white blazes painted on occasional trees.Along the way, I detoured around a large tree which had apparently just blown down upon the trail. I got wet, but eventually reached the road crossing where the hostel is located nearby. What a relief it was to enter the establishment and dry off. Some familiar faces were there, like Stumpknocker, JP, Knuckles, Swedish, Samurai, and Shannon. Stumpknocker offered me a piece of chicken; that hit the spot. There was extra food available from other hikers; it was still warm in serving bowls.Hiking twenty miles was not a pleasurable experience. The necessity to reach the road crossing and the hostel wore me out. It created additional stress to what is by itself a stressful enterprise, the hiking of the Appalachian Trail. That said, I am happy to be unwinding inside this hostel as the rain continue to fall outside. Tonight, I will sleep in a bunk room packed with hikers. Tomorrow, I will visit the town of Hampton, Tennessee and obtain food for the next stretch of hiking. I will push on later in the morning.