Date: 2004-04-16
From: Stover Creek

To: A Lesson in Humility
Miles today: 11.0

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday's easy hike was nothing like today's grueling introduction to the "real" Appalachian Trail.The night before was miserable. I was cold in my sleeping bag and could not fall asleep for most of the night. It became necessary to wear some outerwear in my sleeping bag in order to minimize the chill.I broke camp during mid morning and hiked along a stretch of trail surrounded by dense rhododendron shrubs. After a while, the shrubs gave way to majestic stands of pine trees. The hiking was easy.While taking a break, John caught up to me and we hiked together. We discussed our motivations for hiking the AT and delved into all kinds of subjects. I enjoyed conversing with him.He told me that he was experiencing "foot issues," a reference to blisters. A short distance later, we found some relief for his feet. A sign directed us to a beautiful waterfall that was cascading down a terraced rock face. Here, we stuck our bare feet into the gushing stream near the base of the falls. It was cold but felt wonderful. Moments later, Chris joined us.After drying my feet with a bandana, I told John and Chris that I was going to resume hiking and would see them when they caught up to me. The trail began to rise in elevation. At first, it was not too difficult as I ascended to an upland which leveled off for a while. Strips of lush grass lined the sides of the trail. At mid day, I visited a shelter on Hawk Mountain to rest and eat lunch. A middle aged man was resting there with his backpack on the pick nick table. He told me that he had section hiked most of the AT and was now going to attempt a thru hike. His father had just passed on and his children had grown up and left the nest. His trail name is Jova. {Hikers often use nick names on the trail}.Jova suggested that I hike into the woods behind the shelter and visit a water source, probably a stream, where I could refill my water bottle."Never pass by a water source," he said.I told him that the water source was too far off the trail and that I would refill my bottle at the next stream we passed. This decision would soon prove to be a foolhardy one.Jova and I resumed hiking together and hitched up with Chris {from last night} and a pair of guys in their twenties who were hiking for several days. They shared the same name, Matt, and hailed from Florida. They called themselves "Team Jack," a reference to the flask of Jack Daniels they were carrying.The five of us hiked along an exhausting stretch of trail that spanned several miles. We ascended and descended the upper slopes of several mountains, the worst one called Sassafras. The sun beat down upon us because the trees were still devoid of leaves. I became exhausted. One of my toes was feeling hot from friction--a possible precursor of a blister. I became thirsty. There were no water sources from which to re-fill my bottle, so I had to ration the little water I had left. I regretted having ignored Jovo's advice to replenish my water supply. It was a humbling lesson. Chris' face was bathed in sweat. He was carrying a staggering load in excess of fifty pounds. Jovo adjusted the straps on Chris' belt straps. Until then, all of that weight had been riding on Chris' shoulders. Still, his burden was excessive, so I offered to carry his tent for the final miles of the day. He agreed to this plan. Chris intends to visit an outdoor store at Neels Gap, which is two days of hiking ahead of us. There, he will purchase lighter gear and send home the heavy stuff. It will be a thru hiker's makeover. As we plodded along, up and down, up and down, I found myself gradually falling behind. The muscles in my legs and buttocks were getting really sore. When descending, I moved slower than the others because I am leery about placing too much strain on my knees.Around 5:30 PM, we reached Justes Creek, where several other hikers were camping. Here, we erected our individual shelters. I gave myself a sponge bath. Then the five of us--Chris, Jova, the Matts from Team Jack, and me, fired up our stoves and ate supper together.I wandered around the area and chatted with some of the other hikers.There was a Boy Scout standing around and looking bored. He told me that he had arrived with his father, one of the troop leaders. But the other boys in the troop--his friends--would not arrive until tomorrow. He told me that his father and he were Jewish, and they could not drive in a vehicle on the Sabbath, which I assume must be tomorrow. So they drove up to the mountains today.A middle aged woman told me that she is attempting a thru hike after enduring chemo treatments during the past year. She lifted her hat to show me how short her hair was. She said that on the day before the beginning of the hike, the doctor informed her that her cancer was benign. Talk about a great send off.I noticed that John {from last night} had arrived and set up his tent. He had not realized that Chris and I were camping nearby. He told me that his blisters had grown worse. Tomorrow, when he reaches a road crossing, he will thumb to a town and give his feet some time to heal. He will also use this time to obtain some trail runner shoes to replace his boots.John asked me if I had seen the cooler. I did not understand, so he explained. Someone had driven up a forest road to a place where the AT made a crossing; it was at a place along that particularly difficult stretch of trail where there were no water sources. This person had placed a cooler where hikers pass by. It was full of cold beer, soft drinks, and other refreshments. What a nice act of generosity. I must have passed by that spot only minutes before this person had showed up. Oh well.During the evening, John, Chris, Jova, Team Jack, and I shared a campfire and rested out weary muscles. Today, I experienced the essence of the Appalachian Trail--hard hiking and the development of relationships with people I have never met. I also realized that I must hike at my own moderate pace rather than trying to keep up with faster hikers. I hope this decision to ease my pace--and probably hike alone more than I would prefer--will not jeopardize my desire to bond with other hikers.Quote of the day: While hiking near Justus Mountain, Jovo said, "It's pretty pathetic when a twenty-two year old son can't kick his father¢s ass."