Date: 2012-02-22
To: Smokies trip
Miles today: 0.0

This past weekend I got to step foot on the AT for the first time! It was beautiful and amazing, and I can't wait to go back! Despite a series of mishaps (detailed below), it was a great weekend.I went with 6 other folks from a hiking group here in Nashville. We drove to the Smokies after work on Friday.Mishap #1: I was in a huge hurry on Friday, b/c I hadn¢t been able to leave work as early as I wanted. Consequently, I got to the carpool location late and threw my stuff in someone else¢s car, not realizing that I had left my hiking boots in my car (I was wearing my Crocs at the time). About an hour and a half from Nashville, I realized my mistake. Fortunately, the driver of my car suggested we stop at the Bass Pro Shop right off the highway near Pigeon Forge. We made it there 15 minutes before the store closed and I got a pair of trail runners that fit pretty well. I had a few blisters and wet feet by the end of the weekend, but nothing terrible.We arrived at the Newfound Gap parking lot pretty late in the evening and started the hike to Icewater Springs Shelter.Mishap #2: As we were climbing up the snowy, icy trail, my Nalgene bottle fell out of the water bottle holder on the side of my pack and rolled down the side of the mountain. I was pretty attached to that Nalgene, having bought it freshman year of college, but oh well. I still had a 2-liter Platypus bottle in my pack, but it would have been awkward to drink out of the whole weekend. Luckily one of my fellow hikers had a small water bottle he lent me for the weekend.We arrived at Icewater Springs Shelter after midnight, and settled in among the group of 8 or so hikers who were already in their sleeping bags.Mishap #3: I was trying to be quiet and keep my headlamp off as much as possible so as not to disturb the other hikers who were already in the shelter when we arrived. I took out my contact lenses and put them in their case. I then reached into a Ziploc bag for what I thought was my contact lens solution and poured it in the case. Unfortunately, it was not contact solution but biodegradable liquid SOAP that ended up all over my contacts. And of course, I had not brought a backup pair of contacts or glasses. So I spent the rest of the weekend hiking semi-blind. I actually did a lot better than I thought I would. I had no trouble keeping up with everyone on the uneven terrain, and was actually leading the group at times. I was way too embarrassed, especially after the boot fiasco, to tell anyone else about what I had done.The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the Smokies. We hiked to several beautiful spots like the Jumpoff and Charlie¢s Bunion, and stopped to take pictures. We had a leisurely 8-mile walk to Pecks Corner Shelter, stopping to take picture breaks every once in a while. The weather was great - not too hot or cold.Mishap #4: About halfway through the day, I tripped on a tree root and landed with my left knee on a rock. I could tell it was going to be seriously bruised, so I took some ibuprofen and kept on going. I had a terrible fear that I would wake up the next morning with my knee swollen to twice its size and I would have to cut off my pant leg above the knee, but luckily that didn¢t happen. It didn¢t feel good, but I was able to keep going.We sat around the shelter watching it get dark, made dinner, and made a pretty sweet fire in the fireplace at Pecks Corner Shelter. (I can¢t claim any credit for the fire.) There was nothing to do but watch the fire, so most of us went to bed around 8 PM. As I laid in my cozy sleeping bag, I thought about how I would feel when I was back in this spot during my thru-hike. Would I still be enthusiastic about the trail? What awesome new friends would I have made by then?The next morning we woke up to a steady rainstorm that continued the rest of the day. We did 10 miles along the Hughes Ridge Trail (goodbye for now, AT!) and we were booking it to get out of the rain. Sunday was thankfully mishap-free, and just as we got in the cars to drive to Pigeon Forge for lunch, it started snowing, like magic.Overall, it was a great trip. I¢m actually thankful that all the craziness happened because now I know I can handle it with a positive attitude and keep on going!