[A year ago April 15th, I set out to hike the length of the Appalachian Trail, northbound from Georgia to Maine, with my 7 year old dog, Gracie. Almost nightly, I wrote journal entries about what I was experiencing. The demands of trail life with a dog precluded me from posting these entries during the hike. I've chosen to post excerpts to mark the anniversary of this life-altering experience. Enjoy the journey, I certainly did.]
18 April 2009 - Day 4, Mile 30.7 - Woods Hole Shelter -> Neels Gap/Goose Creek Campground
Bear came through camp last night about 4:30am. One had stolen food from the cables a previous night, so we made sure to hang ours out of reach, but he tested the cables, then moved on. Gracie slept right through the excitement. On Blood Mountain for rest & breakfast - if I can stand the flies - before heading to Neels Gap for resupply/short day. Ran in to the couple from yesterday (the woman Gracie nipped, and her husband) the bear got their food. The flies drove me off Blood Mountain. Hiking up Blood Mountain alone, early this morning was beautiful and eerie. Site of a legendary Creek/Cherokee battle that caused the mountain to turn red with blood. That kind of history will give you pause. Felt a lot of spirit energy. Stopped a couple of times just to take in the quiet and figure out if there was anything moving in the bushes.
Decided to overnight at Neels Gap to rest the blister instead of pushing on 11 miles. If the 6 miles past Neels Gap had been open for camping, I'd have walked on, but this is a nice respite. Goose Creek Cabins were built by the CCC in the 40s - one of the last remaining CCC recreation camps. My southern accent is coming out full force to meet the lazy Georgian drawl. I could live in a little one room cabin like that. What more does a person (this person) need?
Did sink laundry, showered, and cleaned the backpacking kitchen. Organized the food bag, mended some things (torn food bag liner, and Gracie's cracked food/water dish). Duct tape is a wonderful thing. I'm not hydrating enough!
Got my first taste of trail magic - a faith-based group grilled burgers at Walasi-Yi & visited with us. Nice bunch of folks. I ate two patties with cheese & fixin's. Called Mom & Dad & Emily. So glad to get to visit, and glad to be here. Excited to get my supply box - new varieties of food, cool peace quotes (from Laura) & a postcard from Katie. Will head out again tomorrow morning - ready to get back on the trail after a good night's sleep and a shower. Most of the guys I've been hiking with chose to stay around Neels Gap, and I caught up with the Texas Train. They trucked into Neels last night and one of their party is suffering for it. Hopefully they'll be back out tomorrow after a day of rest.
Loved hiking earlier today. Left out at 8am. Sometimes the only sounds were my footsteps (and Gracie's), the tick tick of the trekking poles on the trail, Gracie's cowbell, and our breathing. Maybe it was last night's bear sighting, but I felt like we could have come up on a bear were we a quieter pair. Saw several birds but it was hard to get a good picture. Ran into Ben (not yet Shitty Pot) slackpacking Blood Mountain today. What's a breviary? (Among Thomas Merton's personal effects)
Highlights: Shower! Trail Magic! Free shuttle to/from campground; resupply (Christmas in a box!) First bear and the hilarity that ensued as we laughed off the stress/anxiety after the bear moved on. It was like a mini episode of the Daily Show. About bears, and Gracie's complete and utter lack of interest.
Food:
B - trail mix
L - trail magic burgers
D - red lentils & rice
Retrospective: That was the last time I would see Ben. He kept hiking a long time, but was always behind me. He eventually got off the trail, but I heard about him from other hikers (mainly through Gordon Bombay). Last two nights were with the same crew of guys - Pittsburgh, Geoff, Steve, (not yet) Nordic, Hill William, and Michael. Jenny had given me a book, whose title escapes me at the moment, that was a collection of packing lists for a variety of travelers, including Grandma Gatewood, three-time AT thru-hiker. Thomas Merton was my list for the night, and I didn't know what a breviary was. According to wikipedia, it's a book of liturgical rites and prayers. The book was great "light reading" for the trail. Thanks, Jenny!
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