This post is dedicated to Miss Janet! This lady is considered a legend - and she totally deserves that title. I have relied on her so much the past few weeks, and enjoyed her company whenever I've run into her. She opens up her heart and her home to complete strangers - and regularly deals with belligerent drunk hikers. So thank you Miss Janet - for all that you've done, and all you continue to do.
Well. Slack-packing and zero days make you soft. For real, we got lazy. Honey Badger, Dreamer and I did some town chores before heading to Miss Janets house around 10am, hoping to get on the trail and bang out 13 miles or so, but when we arrived, we were informed that she wouldn't be able to give us a ride until 2pm (I was cool with that - I needed to blog, as usual...)
While waiting, the group came up with a plan to slack-pack ourselves all the way to Damascus (where there would be a giant hiker party on the 15th-17th) because how often does a group of thru-hikers have two cars? Answer: almost never. So we attempted to take advantage of this - we sketched out a potential plan, ran to walmart to buy day packs, and tried to get everyone and their stuff in the cars (when you're working with a group of 10 people, it's difficult to get everyone on the same page and all ready to go). We were getting antsy, Bobby Hill was cranky as hell, the ride in the car was humid and hot, and we ended up at the wrong trail-head. After two hours of driving (it was about 4pm at this point), everyone started to give up on the idea of slack-packing one by one. (Though, I totally enjoyed riding in the car - Bunny makes me cry from laughter).
So after all that effort, the group ended up back in Erwin. However, Dreamer, Honey Badger and I were NOT about to spend another night in town. We got dropped off at the correct trail-head (Iron Mountain Gap), and vowed to stop at the first camp-site, the Apple Orchard, which was 1.3 miles in. As annoyed as we were to essentially lose an entire day, the orchard was a beautiful spot to camp and getting back on the trail felt amazing.
Yay home!
That night, we met Mac and Pacer (an older couple), Twigs, and Hot Wheels (who carries battery-operated Christmas lights to provide ambiance - I'm jealous, they are so fun). We built a fire, hung out, made food, went to sleep.
PSA: As much as I want to encourage everyone to hike the AT - I feel that one must have a certain respect for the trail and fellow hikers. This means holding oneself to a higher standard and following Leave No Trace guidelines. Please: don't burn plastic in the fires, don't leave food scraps in the water source, hang a bear bag, and absolutely do not sharpie your name all over rocks and sign-posts. If you don't have respect, you don't belong out here. Simple as that.
Shelter: Camping at The Apple Orchard
Miles today: 1.3
Miles from Springer: 363.4
Miles to Katahdin: 1821.9
Day 42: May 10th: Clocking 20+ to "The Barn"
I woke up at 6am and had to legitimately unzip Dreamers tent and shake her awake (she kept sleeping through her alarm which had been going off for 10 minutes straight). We got on the trail around 7am in order to give ourselves enough time to hike to one of the coolest shelters on the trail. The beginning of the day was pretty uneventful, but we eventually came upon Toll House Gap, which had a water fountain, trash cans, and real toilets! We sat on the picnic tables and made food while we debated whether or not to stop at the next shelter or continue all the way. Though I personally wanted to take it easy, Dreamer and Honey Badger felt the need to keep going. In hindsight, I probably should have stopped and caught up with them in a day or two, but I decided to crunch out some milage and continue along. Oh, also - this is where I ran into Tom! I had met him on Day 1 - we walked together from the Springer Mountain parking lot to the first shelter. After that day, I never saw him again - until now! He now has a huge beard and I barely recognized him. Who would've thought I would run into him a month later!
Additionally - this was the site of the "Luxurious Cloudland Hotel". According to the signage, "The hotel straddled the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. In fact, a stripe was painted on the floor through the middle of the dining room and down the length of the long banquet table. Of practical value, this line showed where guests could legally drink alcoholic beverages and where they couldn't. In Tennessee, it was legal to consume alcohol, while in North Carolina it was not. Legend tells of a North Carolina sheriff who lingered around the hotel ready to nab anyone who stepped over the state line with their drink!".
We made a quick detour to see Roan High Knob Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT - even though the blue blaze was only an additional 0.1 mile, it was quite a strenuous climb.
The trail following Roan Mountain was really rocky, and this is where I may have gotten injured. I can't pinpoint the specific moment when my foot had had enough, but I did eventually start to feel a twinge of pain each time I took a step.
But soon enough we had reached Carvers Gap! From here, we summited Round Bald and Jane Bald - where some families were celebrating Mothers Day! I finally got service, so I was able to call my own mom for a bit.
We continued past Stan Murry Shelter, which was less than 2 miles from the barn - it seems that almost no one stays there because everyone wants to sleep at the barn.
Arriving at camp for the night was such a glorious feeling. The shelter was already a bit crowded, so we set up camp in view of the mountains and started a fire. We didn't have much wood, but I was happy to maintain a mini fire. Honey Badgers friends, Danielle and Flynn, came to visit for a bit, but it started to rain quite suddenly, so we all made our way to our tents for the night.
Additionally - this was the site of the "Luxurious Cloudland Hotel". According to the signage, "The hotel straddled the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. In fact, a stripe was painted on the floor through the middle of the dining room and down the length of the long banquet table. Of practical value, this line showed where guests could legally drink alcoholic beverages and where they couldn't. In Tennessee, it was legal to consume alcohol, while in North Carolina it was not. Legend tells of a North Carolina sheriff who lingered around the hotel ready to nab anyone who stepped over the state line with their drink!".
"The Luxurious Cloudland Hotel" once stood here.
I found Honey B and Dreamer having an impromptu photo shoot.
"Chimney (remnant)" according to AWOL.
Roan High Knob Shelter! Elevation: 6194 ft.
Dreamer climbing to the loft!
The trail following Roan Mountain was really rocky, and this is where I may have gotten injured. I can't pinpoint the specific moment when my foot had had enough, but I did eventually start to feel a twinge of pain each time I took a step.
But soon enough we had reached Carvers Gap! From here, we summited Round Bald and Jane Bald - where some families were celebrating Mothers Day! I finally got service, so I was able to call my own mom for a bit.
Civilization! Parking lots! People!
We continued past Stan Murry Shelter, which was less than 2 miles from the barn - it seems that almost no one stays there because everyone wants to sleep at the barn.
My favorite flowers on the trail!
(They are everywhere in little clumps)
(Sometimes I pretend that the flowers are shouting encouraging statements at me...)
Arriving at camp for the night was such a glorious feeling. The shelter was already a bit crowded, so we set up camp in view of the mountains and started a fire. We didn't have much wood, but I was happy to maintain a mini fire. Honey Badgers friends, Danielle and Flynn, came to visit for a bit, but it started to rain quite suddenly, so we all made our way to our tents for the night.
A cute little fire I made!
Dreamer in her 2-person tent.
Honey Badger checking his food bag.
(I gave him the leftovers I couldn't fit in my tummy)
Shelter: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Miles from Springer: 383.1
Miles to Katahdin: 1802.2
Day 43: May 11th: Balds and B&Bs
We slept in - which for hikers, means around 7:45. But we decided to take our time that morning. I made hot breakfast, fixed my shoes again, took some photos at the barn, etc.
While walking around camp, I realized that something was definitely not okay with my foot. I was a bit concerned, but figured it was just overworked and would be fine. I told my hiking partners I would be taking it slowly, and we finally made our way to the trail. The first portion of the day was completely exposed to the sun (I ended up getting burnt - even with sunscreen!), so it took Maria and I an hour to summit the first bald - a mile from camp. Yikes. In my defense, however, my foot pain had gotten so severe that I considered turning around and walking to the closest road crossing. Taking my shoe off felt better, so I walked in just my socks for a bit - but eventually the trail turned wet and muddy, so I needed to put them back on. Once at the top of Little Bald, Dreamer taped up my foot with KT tape which helped ease the pain.
We continued up the next bald, where we found Honey Badger waiting for us (apparently he had been there for an hour and a half). We decided to meet up again at the road crossing, where I wanted to detour to the hostel down the road.
On our way down the mountain, we crossed the NC/TN border! Normally this would be a joyous moment, but I was not too pleased to find that "The Real Hunny Badger" (not to be confused with my hiking partner Honey Badger), had tagged his name on the front of the "Leaving NC" sign. I can handle graffiti on shelters and rocks, but vandalizing a monumental sign-post is beyond rude and disrespectful. I was so annoyed that I actually found the number to the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) and filed a report of sorts.
Dreamer and I finally made it to the road-crossing, Honey Badger was nowhere to be found, so we walked down 19E to the Mountain Harbour B&B to see if they had snacks and to get my passport stamped.
After hanging around for a bit, it began to rain, and I figured I should probably give my foot a rest, so we decided to stop for the night. Dreamer got the last bunk - I paid $10 to camp out back. The common room was extremely lively that night - I met Sunshine and her husband Breeze, as well as Sunshine Willis, SweetTime and Twigs. We spent the evening playing Egyptian Rat Screw, watching movies on VHS and trying to find the goats. Sunshine, Breeze and Twigs all intended on leaving early to night-hike, but they ended up getting drunk and didn't get back on the trail until 11pm. It began to storm, so the hostel owners let me sleep on the common room floor.
Day 44: May 12th: Nursing an Injury.
We woke up early to catch the most talked about breakfast on the trail - the inside of the B&B was stunning, and breakfast totally exceeded expectations. Fresh fruit, eggs and perogies, cheesy potatoes, pumpkin bread, biscuits, orange juice that actually met my standards, etc etc. Though the food was great, I was in the middle of a meltdown. My foot hurt so badly I could barely walk across the property. I called my mom and cried for a while, assuming the worst. While sitting on the front porch, the B&Bs big fluffy dog sat by me and made me feel a bit better.
I went back inside to book a bunk for the night and to tell Dreamer that I was going to take the next few days off. The plan was that I would hang around Mountain Harbour for the day, she would continue hiking, and Miss Janet would pick us up on her way back from Damascus the following afternoon - from here, Dreamer would pick up her car and she agreed to drive me to the Urgent Care of Erwin so I could get my foot checked out (they take my insurance), as well as run some errands with me. We would then go camp by Watauga Lake, and pick up Bunny, Quail and Punchline on the way to Damascus on the 14th. Eventually I learned that due to bear activity, camping at the lake was prohibited - so it looked like we would be staying in Erwin for the night.
I spent the day napping, icing my foot, watching movies with SweetTime and Sunshine Willis, buying honey buns from the general store, and meeting my new bunk mates (Gordon Gecko and Squirrel).
All throughout the day, people kept offering to drive me to the doctor, but I politely declined, explaining that I had a friend who would take me in the morning. I also could have easily hitched a ride into Damascus a day early, but I decided to wait for the group and stick to the original plan, especially considering the fact that Dreamer wasn't getting any service and I couldn't get into contact with her.
So we all just hung around the property and got to know the dogs pretty well (Rose likes to start fights with the goat - which causes the other two dogs to run down from the house and get involved. Apparently this is a common occurance - the goat wins).
The hostel was much quieter that night - we were all a bit sleepy and lazy, which called for an early night.
Day 43: May 11th: Balds and B&Bs
We slept in - which for hikers, means around 7:45. But we decided to take our time that morning. I made hot breakfast, fixed my shoes again, took some photos at the barn, etc.
I love that the view from my bedroom window changes everyday
On our way out...
The view from the main portion of the shelter.
Artwork on the shelter wall
Just hanging out the 2nd story window!
While walking around camp, I realized that something was definitely not okay with my foot. I was a bit concerned, but figured it was just overworked and would be fine. I told my hiking partners I would be taking it slowly, and we finally made our way to the trail. The first portion of the day was completely exposed to the sun (I ended up getting burnt - even with sunscreen!), so it took Maria and I an hour to summit the first bald - a mile from camp. Yikes. In my defense, however, my foot pain had gotten so severe that I considered turning around and walking to the closest road crossing. Taking my shoe off felt better, so I walked in just my socks for a bit - but eventually the trail turned wet and muddy, so I needed to put them back on. Once at the top of Little Bald, Dreamer taped up my foot with KT tape which helped ease the pain.
I think this is my favorite blaze so far - the post is so wavy and cute!
Stopped here for a snack - the trail makes you hop the fence.
We continued up the next bald, where we found Honey Badger waiting for us (apparently he had been there for an hour and a half). We decided to meet up again at the road crossing, where I wanted to detour to the hostel down the road.
On our way down the mountain, we crossed the NC/TN border! Normally this would be a joyous moment, but I was not too pleased to find that "The Real Hunny Badger" (not to be confused with my hiking partner Honey Badger), had tagged his name on the front of the "Leaving NC" sign. I can handle graffiti on shelters and rocks, but vandalizing a monumental sign-post is beyond rude and disrespectful. I was so annoyed that I actually found the number to the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) and filed a report of sorts.
Don't. do. this.
Dreamer and I finally made it to the road-crossing, Honey Badger was nowhere to be found, so we walked down 19E to the Mountain Harbour B&B to see if they had snacks and to get my passport stamped.
The B&B is gorgeous...
After hanging around for a bit, it began to rain, and I figured I should probably give my foot a rest, so we decided to stop for the night. Dreamer got the last bunk - I paid $10 to camp out back. The common room was extremely lively that night - I met Sunshine and her husband Breeze, as well as Sunshine Willis, SweetTime and Twigs. We spent the evening playing Egyptian Rat Screw, watching movies on VHS and trying to find the goats. Sunshine, Breeze and Twigs all intended on leaving early to night-hike, but they ended up getting drunk and didn't get back on the trail until 11pm. It began to storm, so the hostel owners let me sleep on the common room floor.
Day 44: May 12th: Nursing an Injury.
We woke up early to catch the most talked about breakfast on the trail - the inside of the B&B was stunning, and breakfast totally exceeded expectations. Fresh fruit, eggs and perogies, cheesy potatoes, pumpkin bread, biscuits, orange juice that actually met my standards, etc etc. Though the food was great, I was in the middle of a meltdown. My foot hurt so badly I could barely walk across the property. I called my mom and cried for a while, assuming the worst. While sitting on the front porch, the B&Bs big fluffy dog sat by me and made me feel a bit better.
They start cooking at 4:30 am each morning.
Moki let me cuddle him!
Rose wanted breakfast too!
(She's a badass - fighting goats, snapping at bees, killing snakes)
I went back inside to book a bunk for the night and to tell Dreamer that I was going to take the next few days off. The plan was that I would hang around Mountain Harbour for the day, she would continue hiking, and Miss Janet would pick us up on her way back from Damascus the following afternoon - from here, Dreamer would pick up her car and she agreed to drive me to the Urgent Care of Erwin so I could get my foot checked out (they take my insurance), as well as run some errands with me. We would then go camp by Watauga Lake, and pick up Bunny, Quail and Punchline on the way to Damascus on the 14th. Eventually I learned that due to bear activity, camping at the lake was prohibited - so it looked like we would be staying in Erwin for the night.
I spent the day napping, icing my foot, watching movies with SweetTime and Sunshine Willis, buying honey buns from the general store, and meeting my new bunk mates (Gordon Gecko and Squirrel).
Puppy in a flower-pot!
(Totally made my day)
All throughout the day, people kept offering to drive me to the doctor, but I politely declined, explaining that I had a friend who would take me in the morning. I also could have easily hitched a ride into Damascus a day early, but I decided to wait for the group and stick to the original plan, especially considering the fact that Dreamer wasn't getting any service and I couldn't get into contact with her.
So we all just hung around the property and got to know the dogs pretty well (Rose likes to start fights with the goat - which causes the other two dogs to run down from the house and get involved. Apparently this is a common occurance - the goat wins).
The goat under a bridge! Just like a fairy tale!
Rose + some hiker guy I don't know.
The hostel was much quieter that night - we were all a bit sleepy and lazy, which called for an early night.
Shelter: Mountain Harbour B&B
Miles today: 0.0
Miles from Springer: 391.8
Miles to Katahdin: 1793.5
Day 45: May 13th: Injuries and Arguments.
I woke up knowing that Miss Janet was going to be late - it's inevitable, and us hikers are very grateful for the effort she puts into helping us out. So I was patient. I gathered up all my belongings, checked out of the hostel and sunbathed and socialized in the grass by the general store. I saw on Facebook that Miss Janets van had broken down, so I prepared myself to hang around the B&B until sundown.
The hours passed, I grew antsy. I was worried about my foot and just wanted a doctor to ease my anxieties. Hikers began to arrive and I kept asking if they had seen Bunny, Quail and Punchline (the previous night, they had texted me and said that they were going to ride back to Erwin and drive with me/Dreamer to Damascus). Eventually I saw them walking down the driveway! Yay friends!
We hung around for a few more hours before getting a text from Dreamer stating that she had hitched to Erwin with two other hikers (Pizza Brains and this guy I follow on instagram) and that we should call Miss Janet and cancel our ride with her. We were confused as to why she picked up two people because we were now unable to fit in her car. Alright, maybe she would be dropping them off somewhere. She told us that she would be running errands and would then come to get us. We waited for another hour or so. She finally arrived, and tells us a new plan she constructed - we'll be camping at a campground for $12 near the lake. I was seriously annoyed - I needed to go to Erwin to see a doctor. At this point, she didn't want to drive all the way back to Erwin, especially since we couldn't all fit in the car for one trip. Alright - I found a closer doctor and she agreed to take me in the morning before driving us to Damascus. Truthfully, I was probably acting like a brat, but I had just waited 12+ hours to find out that she completely changed the plan without asking us. If I had known she wasn't going to take us to Erwin, I would have just waited for Miss Janet. So she left to drop off those two guys near the lake and claimed that she would come back to get us. After wondering what the hell was taking her so long, Quail received a phone call. From what I gather, Dreamer didn't feel like driving anymore and decided not to come back and get us! Alright, now it's dark out. After sitting around on the property for the entire day waiting on other people, I had to walk to the campground portion and set my tent up in the pitch black. If I had known that I would be spending the night, I would have happily set my tent up in the afternoon, took a nap, etc etc.
I had run out of food by this time (if I hadn't stopped for my injury, I would have come across a resupply mail-drop by this time), but luckily Bunny had a package of Oriental Ramen she was willing to part with (I love oriental ramen...). I made a quick dinner and passed out, hoping plans would work out the next morning.
So we wake up, take down camp, shower quickly and wait to hear from Dreamer. We still didn't know what the game-plan was exactly, but Punchline, Quail and Bunny promised that I would be able to go to the doctor. That's when Dreamer texted me. She did not like my "entitled attitude" the previous night, and as a result, she was refusing to drive me to the doctor. What. Seriously? In all honesty, yeah - I did feel entitled to the ride she had promised me - the ride I waited 24+ hours for (especially since I denied other offers!). And to top it off, she was revoking her offer to drive me to Damascus as well.
The entire situation was/is shitty - especially since this conversation happened over text message and we haven't spoken since. I feel pretty terrible about it all - it has definitely put a strain on my relationship with Quail, Punchline and Bunny. I understand why they don't want to get involved - I don't even want to be involved.
So I asked Bunny to please not leave me behind and she agreed to find a hitch with me. Luckily, a kind couple (Ma'am and her husband) who were staying at the B&B offered to take us all the way to Damascus! We got in the car almost immediately and made our way 70 miles north to Trail Days....
Day 45: May 13th: Injuries and Arguments.
I woke up knowing that Miss Janet was going to be late - it's inevitable, and us hikers are very grateful for the effort she puts into helping us out. So I was patient. I gathered up all my belongings, checked out of the hostel and sunbathed and socialized in the grass by the general store. I saw on Facebook that Miss Janets van had broken down, so I prepared myself to hang around the B&B until sundown.
Moki and me!
(A makeup-less day)
I spent the day on this porch.
The breakfast bell!
The hours passed, I grew antsy. I was worried about my foot and just wanted a doctor to ease my anxieties. Hikers began to arrive and I kept asking if they had seen Bunny, Quail and Punchline (the previous night, they had texted me and said that they were going to ride back to Erwin and drive with me/Dreamer to Damascus). Eventually I saw them walking down the driveway! Yay friends!
We hung around for a few more hours before getting a text from Dreamer stating that she had hitched to Erwin with two other hikers (Pizza Brains and this guy I follow on instagram) and that we should call Miss Janet and cancel our ride with her. We were confused as to why she picked up two people because we were now unable to fit in her car. Alright, maybe she would be dropping them off somewhere. She told us that she would be running errands and would then come to get us. We waited for another hour or so. She finally arrived, and tells us a new plan she constructed - we'll be camping at a campground for $12 near the lake. I was seriously annoyed - I needed to go to Erwin to see a doctor. At this point, she didn't want to drive all the way back to Erwin, especially since we couldn't all fit in the car for one trip. Alright - I found a closer doctor and she agreed to take me in the morning before driving us to Damascus. Truthfully, I was probably acting like a brat, but I had just waited 12+ hours to find out that she completely changed the plan without asking us. If I had known she wasn't going to take us to Erwin, I would have just waited for Miss Janet. So she left to drop off those two guys near the lake and claimed that she would come back to get us. After wondering what the hell was taking her so long, Quail received a phone call. From what I gather, Dreamer didn't feel like driving anymore and decided not to come back and get us! Alright, now it's dark out. After sitting around on the property for the entire day waiting on other people, I had to walk to the campground portion and set my tent up in the pitch black. If I had known that I would be spending the night, I would have happily set my tent up in the afternoon, took a nap, etc etc.
I had run out of food by this time (if I hadn't stopped for my injury, I would have come across a resupply mail-drop by this time), but luckily Bunny had a package of Oriental Ramen she was willing to part with (I love oriental ramen...). I made a quick dinner and passed out, hoping plans would work out the next morning.
Shelter: Mountain Harbour B&B
Miles today: 0.0
Miles from Springer: 391.8
Miles to Katahdin: 1793.5
Day 46: May 14th: Unexpected Changes and Hitching to Trail Days! So we wake up, take down camp, shower quickly and wait to hear from Dreamer. We still didn't know what the game-plan was exactly, but Punchline, Quail and Bunny promised that I would be able to go to the doctor. That's when Dreamer texted me. She did not like my "entitled attitude" the previous night, and as a result, she was refusing to drive me to the doctor. What. Seriously? In all honesty, yeah - I did feel entitled to the ride she had promised me - the ride I waited 24+ hours for (especially since I denied other offers!). And to top it off, she was revoking her offer to drive me to Damascus as well.
The entire situation was/is shitty - especially since this conversation happened over text message and we haven't spoken since. I feel pretty terrible about it all - it has definitely put a strain on my relationship with Quail, Punchline and Bunny. I understand why they don't want to get involved - I don't even want to be involved.
So I asked Bunny to please not leave me behind and she agreed to find a hitch with me. Luckily, a kind couple (Ma'am and her husband) who were staying at the B&B offered to take us all the way to Damascus! We got in the car almost immediately and made our way 70 miles north to Trail Days....
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