Day 1 11/22/10 (Monday)
Mile 0 Miles 13.7 Actual Miles 12.1
Laurel Gap Shelter
We left the house (Atlanta, GA) around 6:00AM. We had a four hour drive to Cosby, TN. We found where the Appalachian Trail crosses Davenport Gap, and immediately started looking for the Benton MacKaye Trail. Looked all over for markers on trees, the ground, I even started hiking south on the Appalachian Trail to see if I could find the last blaze for the Benton MacKaye Trail. I ended up going on the internet via my cell phone to the bmta.org (Benton MacKaye Trail Association website) and starting reading under the "Hiker Resources", then "Trail Advisories". We found our way to Big Creek and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Here we had a little difficulty finding were the Benton MacKaye Trail starts in Big Creek.
Here are Directions to the start/end of the Benton MacKaye Trail at Big Creek from the Appalachian Trail at Davenport Gap: Distance 7.5 miles Heading northbound on the Appalachian Trail at Davenport Gap turn Right on to Mt Sterling Road. Descend gravel road with switchbacks to Intersection of Waterville Rd and NC 284 (Big Creek Park Rd). Turn Right on to NC 284 (Big Creek Park Road). Continue on Big Creek Park Road and enter Big Creek / Great Smoky Mountain National Park Sign. Continue to follow Big Creek Park Road past Big Creek Ranger Station (located on your right). Cross over bridge and continue on Big Creek Park Road. Big Creek Park Road will follow creek to your left. Big Creek Trailhead is located on your left with restrooms and a walking path to a bridge. Start looking for a White Diamond Blaze on a green plate with an arrow. At bridge you will see a Baxter Creek Trail sign. This is the start/end of the Benton MacKaye Trail. Cross over bridge and stay on Baxter Creek Trail for 6.7 miles until you join Mount Sterling Ridge Trail. Good Luck, there are no "true" blazes until you reach Georgia. Look for sign post along the way at the junction of a trail you will be joining/leaving. Most sign post will be marked, but only at the beginning and end of that trail. Carry a map.
After taking some photos, we were hiking by 10:45AM. After crossing the bridge, what I know consider to be the true Norther Terminus of the Benton MacKaye Trail, we saw no “diamond” blazes until Mt. Sterling (6 miles in), and it wasn't painted on a tree, but marked on a post. The BMT at Big Creek Trailhead is Baxter Creek Trail until Mt. Sterling (highest elevation on the BMT). At Mt. Sterling, the BMT becomes Mt. Sterling Ridge Trail. The BMT is only marked at sign post and is not “diamond” blazed. Tonight we made it to Laurel Gap Shelter after walking in the dark for almost an hour. No one here. Laurel Gap Shelter has a double decker sleeping platform. The Shelter is fenced in and has bear bag cables hanging outside. Camping is currently not allowed around the shelter. We just hung our food from the "rat ropes" and shut the fenced door. A Rat Rope is small rope dangling down from the ceiling to keep rodents from turning you food bag into swiss cheese. At many shelters along the Appalachian Trail, rats/mice are the only form of wildlife, and sometimes make it long nights when they run the shelter instead of the humans.
Today we saw three people on the trail and one Park Ranger doing maintenance in a building on top of Mt Sterling with his gator-cart. The balls of Ashley’s feet started killing her about five miles in, so we struggled the rest of the day. She finally went to walking in socks and her vapor barrier liners (VBLs) she brought to keep her socks dry. The VBLs seemed to work, because at one point we were at an impasse sitting on the side of the trail.
Great views from Fire Tower on Mt. Sterling. No cell reception here at Laurel Gap Shelter to call and let everyone at home know that we are alright. We have 140 miles until our next re-supply. I’m carrying seven days of food with extra with a few extras. Ashley’s feet will be a big factor tomorrow. Once we figured we were on BMT, 7 miles into the trip, I’m settling in and enjoying it. Sunny upper 60’s today.
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Day 2 11/23/10 (Tuesday)
Mile 22 Miles 8.3
Windy and dark in the cabin last night. To try and help Ashley ordeal with here feet, I cut up my sleeping pad and made inserts for her walking socks. We ended up leaving camp around 9:40AM. From 11:00 – Noon it started to drizzle. Rain quickly demoralized our pace. Ashley’s still in her VBL sock-booties eventually got here feet were wet and we finally stopped at 2:30PM to set-up tarp to dry her wet/cold feet. I headed out for water and had to back track a half mile to collect rain running down the mountain side. We are staying here tonight. We will go into Newfound Gap (Cherokee, NC) tomorrow. Newfound Gap is still 10 miles from here. Hopefully we'll be able to buy shoes in Cherokee, and if it’s open (Thanksgiving is on Thursday). Everything we have is wet, and the air is moist. No clouds in the sky tonight.
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Day 3 11/24/10 (Wednesday)
Mile 33 Miles 11
Cherokee, NC
We left camp at 8:40AM after drying out our gear in the sun. No clouds in the sky this morning. Sun is healing our wounds from yesterday. Ashley has put her sleeping pad inserts into her Merrell’s (shoes). This technique seemed to work. Now her left knee may slow her down. She seems resolved to continue even though I tell her the weather will only get colder every day and it could rain for the next two weeks. It rained 33 days in a row when I hiked the A.T in 2003. We walked mainly downhill to Newfound Gap (Smokemont Campground). As we neared Smokemont Campground, we started seeing families hiking on trail around us. There were restrooms, power polls to charge things. I was surprised how busy and big the Campground ended up beginning. So big, we had to ask a family in park “which way to town?”… and surprisingly, they offered us a ride.
Great family from Florida visiting family in Bryson City for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We were dropped off at what they thought would be the best place to buy shoes. Though it turned Ashley could have only bought moccasins made in China. Asking store shop owners where to buy running shoes. We found out the Shoe Shop was "the only place in town!". Ashley ended up buying more shoes (size 7), larger shoe than she brought to start the hike.
Staying tonight in Cherokee, NC at the El Camino for $65.00 (next to Harrah’s). We’ll need to find a ride back to the trail tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day. I purchased no extra food supplies here in town and ended up washing my clothes in the shower. Ashley’s asleep before 9:20PM. My shoulders hurt from wearing all the weight most of today. We still haven't seen a blaze painted on a tree for the Benton MacKaye Trail; and not all the Sign posts are marked. Hikers will need a map for assurance, or you may find yourself backtracking, especially in this section. Didn't see anyone today until the campground. At our pace it will take us thirty days to hike the BMT. Ashley doesn’t like rain; and it’s very perplexing to me how to deal with it. We must move on to ever accomplish 300 miles of some of the most remote backcountry in GA/TN/NC.
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Day 4 11/25/10 (Thursday)
Mile 48.2 Miles 15.2
Today is Thanksgiving. Packed our gear and stopped by the General Store, then a Shell gas station and walked one and half to two miles back to Newfound Gap Road to look for a hitch back to Smokemont Campground. Ashley wouldn’t stick her thumb out to get us a ride. She wanted us to walk the 7 miles back to the trail. Hitchhiking is always embarrassing to me too. We only had to wait eight cars and got a ride on Thanksgiving. The ride was in the back of a small truck were we had to sit on what smelt like dog excrements with leashes and dog collars sliding around. Our Thanksgiving Angels were two scary guys I wouldn't have approach in town. Pretty neat how the World works. Hiking always gives me a little hope for this World's future.
Back on the trail and hiking by 10:15AM. Saw no one on the trail until 3:30PM or so. A solo fellow out hiking for the holiday weekend. Lots of creek crossings today, and fording of the freezing cold creeks got Ashley nervous until finally she blew up when I couldn’t find a campsite for the night….”this is my last trail!”
We found a spot around 5:45PM, but it was sloped and would cause for another long night. Within ten minutes of having the tarp setup, drizzle fell and it’s still raining now. For dinner we shared Mac & Cheese. Thanks to the slope of the ground, I spilt our macaroni noodles on ground, and ignited the tyvek burning a hole into it.
Having to sleep diagonal tonight because of the slope. Not sure exactly where we are. Data Book says we should’ve passed a campground at least a mile back. Map shows we may still have one mile to next campground. Great weather until tonight. We should have hiked around fifteen to seventeen miles today- really great for us. Still no blazes for the BMT. Location wise, we are almost parallel with Clingman’s Dome on the Appalachian Trail.
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Day 5 11/26/10 (Friday)
Mile 62.3 Miles 14.1
Rained all last night, and kept raining until 9:00AM this morning. Last night we ended up having to "burrito up" in the tyvek. We rolled the tyvek around us as best we could, but never got full coverage. Mist from inside the tarp was soaking our sleeping bags and face all night. I don't think Ashley got much sleep or enjoyed the experience to say the least.
Cloudy and cold today, no sun. We saw one backpacker around 10:30AM just South of Campsite 61. We had two “real” fiords today which put Ashley in a bad mood for what seemed the rest of the day. To put some excitement to that, Ashley’s left knee is hurting and slowing progress now.
Tonight we are sleeping on a hill (thankfully flat this time) over looking Fontana Lake. First views of Fontana Lake today. We had to do 4-5 miles of gravel road walking in this section (from Camp 65 to the Tunnel). Today I started capturing video. Once we reached the tunnel this afternoon, it was like we were at a shopping mall. Swarms of people were there (12 people) checking out the Tunnel "to no where" and carrying around backpacks to go camping for the weekend. After leaving the Tunnel area, we have not seen anyone. Our sleeping bags, tarp, etc are still damp from last night. Looks like it's going to a be a cold one.
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Day 6 11/27/10 (Saturday)
Mile 69.9 Miles 7.6
Campsite 76 -Kirkland Creek
Cold last night. Frost on tarp. Toes frozen most of the night made it hard to sleep- tossing and turning all night with frozen feet. Ashley’s left knee was still hurting this morning; three-tenths of a mile down the trail she had to make painful decision to turn around. I climbed to top of a mountain to see if I could find cell reception to call my father. My father and I made a plan to meet back at the Tunnel, which is seriously known as "the road to no where". A little difficulty for us to match up where we were located- somewhere outside of Bryson City, NC.
We made it back to the Tunnel fifteen minutes before my father arrived. I laid out my wet gear for the short period of time. When my father arrived, we said our goodbyes, and I took Ashley's camera and some of her snacks to carry me through to the next resupply. Ashley left the trail.
1:00PM and I was headed back through the Tunnel to cover the four to five miles we back tracked this morning. Tonight I finished 7 miles ahead of where we were last night. I am staying at a campsite (which I rarely do). Arrived at camp just as it was getting dark, and found two military gentlemen who are hammocking from Twentymile to the Tunnel over the weekend. A little chitchat, and I am tole the BMT is even more difficult to follow out of the GSMNP (Great Smoky Mountain National Park). Lump inside my throat.
Of course I don’t have a map for that section, nor did I have one for the Smokies (the park offers $1 maps at entry points). Now I’m feeling lonely out here all alone. After all the trails I’ve hiked loneliness seems to be because of the upcoming uncertainty; I'm out here soon to be without a map; or because Ashley left the trail and I’m trying to finish what I started – thru hiking the BMT and still have over 200 miles to hike. It’s only 7:00PM and tomorrow has me worried. I’m even wondering if I should go home early too.
My food bag is in my backpack under my feet to keep my feet off the ground. Good for my feet, bad because I'm basically sleeping under the bear cables at this campsite. Hopefully large food eating animals don’t frequent this campsite.
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Day 7 11/28/10 (Sunday)
Mile 92.9 Miles 23
Campsite 93 - Twentymile Creek
Another cold night. Little sleep. Woke up at 1:30AM and my worries about today were still lingering and causing my brain to continue to run so I wasn't sleeping. Woke up after 6:00AM and heard my 2 fellow campers moving around. By 7:30AM I am out of the sleeping bag, quickly pack, store my breakfast in the side pocket of my backpack and started walking by 7:45AM. Frost still on the ground this morning and hung around until 11:00AM in the shade. I was able to have lunch in a sunny spot Lost Cove at 2:00PM. The climb out of Lost Cove is a 1800 foot ascent to cross the Appalachian Trail. Took photo and loved seeing all those A.T. blazes. Still have not seen any blazes on the Benton MacKaye Trail.
Just after 5pm tonight, I saw my first black bear 1/4 mile from where I’m sleeping tonight. Tonight I am tarping at another designated campsite, Campsite - 93 by Twentymile Creek and just under 2 miles of being outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I got a pretty good video of the black bear from far away. I was glad to see the bear run and be afraid of me once he recognized my presence. Hopefully I’ll survive the night. I did hang my food with the bear cables provided, first time for that too.
Today I also came up with a plan to have Ashley meet me at the motel at mile 136 (near Tellico River). I was have to re-supply and thought she could bring me the maps I need, though I’ll have to make the forty plus miles with just the Data Book.
Tonight, I again am feeling a little lonely. No cell reception here at the camp. Just to let you know, I don’t like staying in public/designated campsites. I guess I still fear other people. I will try to get a call out tomorrow with my new plans. I will have to do 2 twenty plus mile days without a map. I boiled my water from the Twentymile Creek and I’m out to pee again. It's 7:30PM and I'm going to try and get some sleep. It’s going to be another cold night with clear skies.
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Day 8 11/29/10 (Monday)
Mile 113.6 Miles 20.5
Crowder Branch Trail, #84
Another cold night, and no bear attacks! I’m out on the trail by 8:00AM. I had really no difficulties today not having a map. I guessed right (correctly), and literally it was turning right every time to get to the NC/TN border. Thankfully, the turnarounds wouldn’t have been too bad.
I was able to speak with Ashley just after I crossed the NC/TN border just after 10:00AM with weak call signal on top of the mountain. It was decided she’ll bring supplies and meet me at the Green Cove Motel along the Tellico River on Wednesday around Noon.
The Benton MacKaye Trail is basically a road walk, gravel road walk, short trail, road walk once you get out of the GSMNP. The last road walk has you crossing the Little Tennessee River at the Cheoah Dam over a bridge and entering Graham County, NC. No sun today and by 1:00PM it looked like nightfall was just around the corner. After crossing the Little Tennessee River, you ascend, and I almost stopped at 3100 feet around 4:20PM because I saw clouds were covering anything higher in elevation. At this point, I was ridge-walking and couldn’t find a spot from the high winds that had been around all day. This had me worrying about tonight’s weather. Once I reached 3,300 feet, I could only see 50 feet in front of me, and to the sides. Only high winds and clouds surrounded me.
I stopped around 5:00PM and decided to camp at 3,350 feet tonight. Dinner was ninety second Uncle Ben's garlic rice, with Nutella spread on bread rounds. I’m currently “burrito wrapped” trying to stay dry. It sounds like a waterfall is right outside my tarp and I’m on the top of some mountain. My worry is there could be snow in the morning, though at this moment it’s drizzle rain and extremely high winds. Most likely going to be a long night. I’m twenty-three miles from the motel, but tomorrow maybe: wet, cold, and painful.
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Day 9 11/30/10 (Tuesday)
Mile 136.4 Miles 22.8
Green Cove Motel
A long night, and a long day. Toughest night and day I can remember on an adventure. In bed by 7:40PM last night. Winds reached 80 miles per hour throughout the night. I was tucked under the covers looking at photos around 8:00PM, when I hear the "thud" of a rather large spider dropping down onto my “pillow”. I instantly jumped up on to my knees out of my "burrito tyvek wrap" I had locked myself into. I soon discovery I am sleeping on a bed of spiders that live in the leaves on top of this mountain. Thereafter, I turned the light on every ten minutes to make sure they weren’t crawling on my head, then I would scan the tyvek down to my feet checking for the creepy crawlers. To add excitement, the was tarp flapping in every direction under the high winds. Though I became thoroughly impressed the tarp kept holding up to the blunt forces from all around. The wind storm sounded like a jumbo jet flying over; or I had setup my tarp under a powerful waterfall on top of a mountain.
9:30PM - I again jump up after hearing a bone cracking tree snap. Enough, with the trees swaying back and forth I finally think it’s time to retreat to a more secluded spot where I am not directly on the ridgeline of a mountain. I head one tenth mile back to a campsite where I retrieved water that evening in the pitch black, no moon, windy night. Winds are howling, along with random sprays of large raindrops. I spent thirty to forty-five minutes trying to locate a site with trees and bushes all around. Any direct wind on the tarp may cause me to lose my shelter altogether. I scramble around and find - Nothing! I scramble and scramble until I find a spot, but it looks to be the den of an animal that may not appreciate me taking over their possessions. I contemplate for a moment, and feel it is wise to keep looking. So I continue to look. I am now at the point of just going to sit under a tree until the sun comes up in my rain gear with my backpack ready to leave as soon as possible. Finally, I resort to a hill with the best wind coverage I'd found. I set up my tarp and ground cover now in the rain with heavy winds. Again I have found a sloped hill, but this time I can't keep from sliding out from under the tarp because of the slope. My groundsheet, Tyvek, is so slippery it is like I am sleeping on a piece of ice. I “Burrito wrap” myself in tyvek and use my shoes and backpack to pin myself from sliding down hill. Over and over I have to reset myself.
1:30AM - I find myself laying outside of the tarp. Everything is now soaked! My sleeping bag becomes soaked full of water from the tarp snapping in the air and spraying my living quarters with the rain it has collected. I reset the tarp by tying and staking it off again, but have trouble getting one of the zippers on the tarp to stay closed under these wind conditions. I fool around with that and in turn soak my gloves, and now I have wet cold hands.
4:30AM - I think I finally get some type of sleep.
7:00AM - I wake up and lay in my bag until 8:30AM. I do not start hiking until just after 9:00AM. Before leaving “camp” I check my head and hands and decide to remove my gloves and hat to find a soggy wrinkled mess. I decide to leave my gloves and hat off for today to let my head and hands dry. I started climbing the mountains with rain that was on and off. I try to record on video some of the wind's effect on the trees and my surroundings. Lots of small debris on the trail today, and I can't tell if any of these fallen trees are the results of last night.
At some point in the day it truly starts to rain, and rain, and rain. This doesn’t stop even into the night. Over twenty-four hours of heavy (80 miles per hour) winds and rain. It rains straight down and sideways as I hike southward as the trail continues to flood with water. I try calling home several times on sides of mountains to ask Ashley to bring seam sealer for the tarp. I get no signal today. At some point I get cold. Around 2:00PM I contemplate making the twelve miles to the motel. Nah, I decide to spend forty-five minutes under the bridge overpass on the North Carolina Scenic Highway (Skyway). Like a homeless person searching for a place to sleep, I climb the rocks to the top of the overpass and hoped to find a flat space to lie down for the night. Just small pointing rocks making it uncomfortable even to sit on them. The overpass keeps me out of the rain but every once in a while a wind gust blast through chilling me to the point of wanting to put my sleeping gear on. The rain and wind seem to lighten as I head out from under the bridge, but seconds and I am now back walking in sideways down pours all over again. Light and then heavy wind/rain continued the entire day, nonstop. To let others know what I was experiencing and what the trail looks like I took a few pictures, but I now think I did not get very good pictures and may have broken my backup camera.
4:30PM - I’m road walking. Now I start to contemplate: "Can I make it to town?" Answer: Six miles to town plus one and a quarter miles to motel - that means I can be in town by 7:00PM. Thats an 1.5 hours of walking in the dark in these conditions. Is it worth the money? I began to push on a little faster in a walk run still unsure of what to do. I have to ford lots of the trail, and now there are new fords/waterfalls that have never existed on the trail. I hiking like a mad man, nonstop, almost irrationally contemplating my safety.
5:00PM - Darkness is coming. it will be time to get out my light soon. Where is my Light? I stored it from getting wet all day.
5:30PM - Start to reach for my light and make a grinding halt on the trail, I will sleep here was the thought process, and head to find a place to sleep. As I setup the rain gets even heavier.
6:00PM - The tarp is erect in the heavy rains; it's dark now, and everything is getting wet. I climb in tarp and find out how I picked another slope that I will not be able to stay without sliding all night. I unpack my bag to open my groundsheet and find puddles of water folded within it. Get out my only dry warm jacket and find it to be a soggy weight I have been carrying around. My sleeping bag (down insulated) is the same condition as my jacket.
Ten minutes later…”What am I doing here?” I rush and pack up in the now even harder rain, scurry up the hill thru the thorns, and immediately find that I’m lost in the dark! I wonder quite a distance trying to find a flat place to sleep tonight, and now I’m too far off the trail to remember exactly where I cut through. It’s pouring. "I’m lost?" WTF! I somehow pinned myself in thorns and I am on some sort of cliff with dropoffs on both sides of me! I can't tell how far the cliff drops on the other side, my only knowledge is the cliff I climbed to get here. My view is of thorns and bushes all around me. My headlamp only shows me 3 foot intervals, and then I adjust the light to see another 3 feet..and I have to go back to the last spot to remember what was there 1/2 second ago! I can’t see my feet or hands. I’m really lost, and pinned on a cliff. Taking a leap of faith in to the darkness on the other side of the cliff I lean forward and take the plunge hoping it’s not a creek I’m dropping into. I plummet down the 9 foot cliff to find I’ve landed on the trail! Even with the Trail, I’m panicking. I start rushing, tripping and stumbling toward the road to safety. "What decision have I made?"
Thirty minutes later I’m still on trail looking for the bridge to cross what seemed to me an overflowing raging river! I worry one wrong step and I’ll be swept away into the massive swirling river that steps beside. The trail dances on the side of the river, and my little petrel light does little to warn me of the oncoming threats that lie ahead. I’m marching, almost blindly, crossing streams and falls feeding the great beast I walk beside. The noise alone is terrifying and causes me to lose what little concentration I have on where to place my next step. Seeing the rapids in the dim light is even more intensifying.
7:00PM - I’ve reached pavement. There's a street light in the distance. Like a moth I immediately head to the light's safety. I soon learn the light lights the entry to the fish hatchery. Again I’m lost, but the "safety" of the light calms me. Worse case scenario I can stay here in the rain until the morning comes. I pull out my notes to find which direction the Green Cove Motel should be. I cross the bridge of the raging Tellico River and continue down a pitch black road (Tellico River Road). One mile down the pitch black road I see no signs of anything. I come to the realization that my headlamp is faulty- fading in and out what dim light it still could possess. Shortly after a road appear on my left pointing to Green Cove Lake turn Left…I question whether to take it to Green Cove Lake, "Wouldn't the Motel be near it?". My instructions state one and a quarter miles on my Left. I stay straight on River Road and continue on. It’s been forty minutes since the hatchery and lights appear, though faint in the distance. I am elated as I find some sort of civilization! Though no one is staying at the Motel as far as I can tell. The store is closed.
I could see inside and saw people moving about. I was told to knock on first Motel room on right. Second attempt at knocking and I wake the motel attendants and the store has to be opened so I can get a key. I am given a key to room #14 and told to pay up in the morning. It’s still pouring down rain. I still survive.
No cell reception, No TV, No Laundry, No AC, there are a few food supplies I can get here in the morning. I am 15 miles from a town. I used the only phone here to call home collect and was able to reach Ashley.
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Day 10 12/01/10 (Wednesday)
Mile 136.4 Miles 0
Green Cove Motel
Woke up at 8:00AM and opened the door to snow falling. I went to pay for my room last night, and grabbed a microwave biscuit and cinnamon roll for breakfast from the store. I pay for two nights ($80.00) and wait for Ashley to arrive around 10:00AM. No laundry, restaurant or other store here. We head to Madisonville, TN, there is No Laundry in Tellico Plains at the moment. KOA Campground was closed in Tellico Plains for the season (they may have laundry in-season). We don’t make it back down the dark windy road until 8:00PM or later. Tonight while I am playing around checking to make sure my "drenched" gear is still operational, I find out my SPOT (GPS locator) is broken. I spent 2 hours talking with SPOT's "customer service" team to find out how I can have the unit replaced. I have to call in the morning, no answer is available this time of night.
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Day 11 12/02/10 (Thursday)
Mile 136.4 Miles 0
Madisonville, TN
The Day of the SPOT. We leave the Green Cove Motel and head to Knoxville, TN, an 1.5 hour drive. I called SPOT on the way and am told the nearest unit is at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports. We opt to stay in Madsonville, TN instead of the Green Cove Motel. The drive down the Tellico River is very time consuming at night, and the amenities are not that appealing. The motel room was $62.00 today. We were able to get Italian takeaway, and I resupplied for the next leg of the journey at a grocery store. We were also able to update the Benton MacKaye Trail website. Ashley meeting up with me allowed me to switch some gear around. I traded my Golite synthetic jacket for my Feather Friends down jacket. Ashley brought me new Mountain Hardwear gloves because mine had holes in the fingers. The rest of my gear is the same, just much drier now! Ashley also brought silicone seam sealer and sealed my tarp for me.
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Day 12 12/03/10 (Friday)
Mile 147.8 Miles 11.4
Slept in. We eat Krystals for lunch as my last meal before the trail, and we update Purebound.com even more. Back on the Benton MacKaye Trail by 1:00PM. We saw lots of hunters and tracking dogs in the parking lot of the Tellico River and the Fish Hatchery. The Green Cove Motel attendant told me they are hunting north of Tellico River, so it was a good thing I came in that night, as hunting season started tomorrow. Ashley leaves me to hike alone.
Good weather today. Easy walk along creeks today, however I did get my feet and shoes wet. Something I was hoping to avoid. Hopefully they won’t freeze tonight. It should be fifteen to twenty degrees tonight. Unfortunately I saw a dog tonight on the top of a mountain off to the side of trail laying in thorns. It left me bewildered tonight, and unsure of my decisions. Left food for him, but he seemed to have no interest. I couldn't get a reaction out of the dog. I fear the worst.
It's 6:30PM.
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Day 13 12/04/10 (Saturday)
Mile 169.1 Miles 21.3
Loss Creek
The Day without water. I drank a cup and a half of hot chocolate before leaving camp this morning. That's all the water I have. I started hiking around 8:00AM today. It started to drizzle rain with a little sleet at 9:30AM. Then continued to drizzle/rain the entire day. Though nothing like coming in to the Tellico River. My feet and backpack are soaked. This is a very dry section of trail. Even though it rained (lightly) I wasn’t able to find water today. I tried getting water from dripping tree moss, but it was very dirty. I carried the tree-dripped water for safety. I saw a big Buck today, surprising off a gravel road named Buck Road. I was able to get a video of the Buck. I heard hunting dogs barking soon after.
Coker Creek is a bit confusing for southbounders (you have to hike a one tenth mile road walk) and then ascend off to your left. I ended up stoping today at 4:30PM. I am staying at Loss Creek tonight with water all around me! I haven’t seen any hikers or anyone on the trail backpacking since the Smokies. I should run into some town people tomorrow, though no where convenient to re-supply.
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Day 14 12/05/10 (Sunday)
Mile 194.5 Miles 25.1
Near Rock Creek Trail
The Day of the Hunter. I went to sleep last night in my rain gear with my feet crammed into a waterproof stuff stack, leaving my sleeping in it's waterproof tight bag. I was cold when I woke up an hour later (8:00PM) and decided to stay warm tonight, I am going to have to get put and sleep in my sleeping bag. Back in my sleeping bag and trying to fall back to sleep, I hear hunting dogs that sounded within a 1/4 mile of my campsite, but they never crossed the creek to where I was staying.
I was out hiking by 8:40AM to snow flurries falling. There has been snow flurries but all of three hours today. It is still snowing tonight. I was surprised with my mileage. My sleeping bag did get damp from using it last night, so I tried storing it on the outside of my pack in the few moments of sun I had to day. I ran into three different sets of hunting parties. First, as I reached Towel Creek Picnic Area (at least 10 hunters). Second as I reached Childers Creek (Close to 30 Hunters gathered in parking lot). Third set (1 guy), I flagged down in a truck on Kimsey Mountain Highway (gravel road, Mile 189.4 in the Data Book) to try and give back the dog that had been following me since Hiawassee River (over 10 miles). He said not to worry about the dog; he did try to get the dog to his follow truck full of other hunting dogs in cages. As the dog hesitantly follows the truck, i start climbing up a mountain, 1/2 mile later the dog srambles up the side of the hill to continues to follow me.
She [dog] is still with me tonight (over 15 miles from where she started following me), very foolish of her, as I have no real food for her, not a lot of water for myself, minimal shelter, and I walk all day long without stopping. She won’t come under the tarp to sleep either, even when I entice her with food. She eats a nutri-grain bar and half of my mashed potatoes. It’s snowing even harder now.
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Day 15 12/06/10 (Monday)
Mile 218.4 Miles 23.9
Near Pinhoti Trail Northern Terminus
Saw the Temperature at 28 degrees around 5:00AM this morning, though it has to be much colder outside. The Dog slept right outside the tarp with it snowing on her through the night. She started snoring loudly just after dinner. At breakfast she finally decided to come and lay inside the tarp and and ate two Pop Tarts. I started walking on the trail around 8:20AM. Two minutes later I ran into hunters and tried to give the dog back. They gave me a rope and suggested I tie her up by road.
I cross the Ocoee River (HWY 64) and find Thunder Rock Campground “Closed for Season". A privy-style restroom was still open, but all the water at the campground has been turned off. Once out of the restroom I find my tarp missing, and a local man walking in the campground for his morning exercise. The dog has run away with my tarp I was trying to dry and carried it halfway across the campground. I talked to the local about the dog, and he walked away with her to try and return her to her owner. I found my tarp at the end of the park and had to re-roll it; hopefully, there are not any new holes.
Leaving Thunder Rock Campground, I climbed up to 4200 feet (Frog Mountain) and everything was covered and frozen in snow. At the summit of Frog Mountain I became confused as to where the trail went from summit. I walked down all visible trails, but no trail markings within a 1/4 mile byway of tree blazes or sign posts could be found. The fresh snow made it difficult to tell which path had more volume of travelers. I had to break out the map in the cold winds, and take a guess as to which trail lead me in the right direction off the summit. I guessed right somehow.
Very strong winds today have my face feeling burnt. I have to keep my hands in my gloves or instantaneously have the feeling of frost bite on my fingers. My water bottle freezes up within 30 minutes of getting it out of a stream. I've resorted to licking the ice that has formed at the neck of the bottle to obtain any moisture for my mouth, this process is more of a mental exercise than anything of substance going down my throat. Some Good News on the Trail today- I reached the Northern Terminus of the Pinhoti Trail. The Pinhoti Trail runs from Central Alabama to north of Ellijay, GA. The Pinhoti Trail is a 240 mile Trail that I have already walked and am hiking the Benton MacKaye Trail because I wanted to connect the Pinhoti Trail to the Appalachian Trail. I’m only sleeping three tenths of a mile from the Northern Terminus of the Pinhoti. It’s 26 degrees at 7:00PM tonight here in the tarp. It is a clear night and I can see stars amongst all these trees. It’s going to be a very cold night. Tomorrow I should be able to stay in a lean-to shelter, one of only two shelters on the Benton MacKaye Trail. It’s 7:16PM.
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Day 16 12/07/10 (Tuesday)
Mile 237.4 Miles 19
Blue Ridge Shelter
Last night I put on a clean pair of socks. 18F degrees at 5:00AM this morning in the tarp. It must have been 10F degrees or lower outside the tarp. I woke up to realize I'd survived the night and the sun was coming out. I soon realized I am stuck with frozen water bottles again and attempted to thaw them out over my stove. My shoes were completely frozen, including the tongue and shoe laces, there was no flex anywhere to be found in them. In a painful way I barely got my shoes on. It felt like walking in a box of made out of ice, and was not able to tie off my laces for an hour an a half. I also wore my down jacket for an hour and a half which again is impressive. Though I must state how surprised I was at how much I enjoyed the day after such a brutal night.
I am one and a half miles from the road where I will road walk one mile to resupply at a Chevron gas station for the next few days. I will re-supply for those miles tomorrow and hopefully recharge my camera and phone. I am 50.8 miles from Springer Mountain, the end of the Benton MacKaye Trail. I made it to the shelter by 3:30PM, too early for me, especially since this shelter is located in a Mountain Home Community here in Blue Ridge, GA. I am sleeping in their backyard and only 100 yards from a neighborhood road. The trail in this section is literally walking through a neighborhood, weaving its way in front and behind Mountain Homes. Really surprised they didn't run electricity and water to this shelter. It could be one of the only one of its kind. And even more surprised that there is not a privy here, or signage to tell you where to drop your number 2s. It's a bit weird using the restroom just below someone's porch and right next to a road and pond. I don't think I would want people randomly placing poop on my property.
My water is always frozen, and I'm starting to think I am a fool for carrying it all this distance day after day. There is a pond runoff creek in front of the shelter that I will use to cook with. The Trail was well blazed today, I didn’t have to use a map and barely used the Data Book.
5:20PM, too early, but going to start dinner, night is falling. Should be brutal again tonight.
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Day 17 12/08/10 (Wednesday)
Mile 254.5 Miles 17.1
Garland Gap (2,400 ft)
It was a little windy last night. My water froze through the night again, so I have nothing to drink until I make the Chevron, no biggie, as I am basically out of food anyway. My shoes were not quite as frozen this morning and I was able to tie them off. I was out hiking by 8:00AM and made it to Chevron by 9:30AM. I purchased food for the next two and a half days. I was able to charge my camera and phone inside the Chevron, but with nowhere to sit inside, I was left sitting outside in the cold for 1.5 hours.
11:00AM I depart Chevron with supplies and am back to Benton MacKaye Trail by 11:30AM. The walk to/from the Chevron on Highway 64 was freezing, especially on my face, and I wore my down jacket both ways.
2:00PM I got really cold, and almost had to put my down jacket back on. There was very little sun today. After a 3 mile road walk out of the woods and onto a neighborhood road, I came to the intersection of Astra Road. Located here on the Toccoa River is a restaurant and I stopped in and ordered a burger and fries ($6.00) to-go. A warm place to sit for a few minutes at the downstairs restaurant (River Rest Restaurant) and I even received friendly service from the female bartender, though I must have smelt 7 days old. I should of taken time to eat there, as I realize tonight that I had the time. I finished the burger and fries on my one tenth of a mile walk to the bridge that crosses over the Toccoa River and crossed over the Toccoa around 3:30PM.
4:45PM Made it to Garland Gap (2400 feet) where I am staying the night. I have setup my tarp one tenth of a mile on the east side away of the Gap away from the wind which always seems to be blowing in from the west.
Twenty plus miles tomorrow and I should be able to make Hike Inn on Friday afternoon around 3:00PM. Great to have my nicer camera back. The trail passed through mountain neighborhoods today, though it was well blazed this time heading southbound. Found lots of cabins I wouldn’t mind living in on a dead end road.
6:50PM Its’ thirty degrees, it feels colder, but not wearing gloves right now.
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Day 18 12/09/10 (Thursday)
Mile 276.6 Miles 22.1
Bryson Gap (2,900 ft)
Warmer when I went to bed last night as opposed to this morning. I woke up at 2:00AM and couldn’t go back to sleep. Sometime around 4:00-5:00AM I started falling back asleep- but my feet felt as if they were in a freezer! I attempted to kept them off the ground, but it felt like they were getting frost bitten and I continued to daze in and out of a sleeping state.
On the trail by 8:25AM. This is the warmest day of the week. I was able to get out of my Frogg Toggs all day. It almost felt like my neck was getting a tan on the walk today. My hair even saw the sun as I removed my warm hat. It turned out to be a great day for hiking, especially with these temperatures. I've been told it has been 10F degrees the last few nights.
Stopped and got a late lunch from a road crossing with a limited supply gas station. No restroom, out of date milk and soda, but I was able to order from a delicious short-order grill which included a BLT sandwich. I picked up milk, coke, a small bag of BBQ chips and a Little Debbie Brownie for tonight's dessert.
Best dinner yet! Gravy on mashed potatoes with roast beef, coke, milk, some leftover three cheese pasta, and a brownie. It is kind of a celebration for Tomorrow is my last day. I have just under 12 miles left on the Benton MacKaye Trail, then I summit Springer Mountain and take the Appalachian Trail's Approach Trail for 4-5 miles to the Hike Inn where I will meet Ashley. I should be there around 2:00 to 3:00PM. I’m already missing this trail. I don’t know if it is the solitude (haven’t seen any hikers since the Smokies and haven’t seen anyone, including Hunters, since the Oconee River in Tennessee). Or if I will miss the challenge of surviving such cold lonely days and nights.
My hands are getting nipped with that frost bite feel as I write, it will be another cold night, but I wish there were more nights ahead. I don’t know if I’ll say that in a week from now. I wish I could go another three weeks out here. I'm liking it out here- once you overcome the freezing of your body parts 24/7.
6:17PM