I finished my AT hike at Erwin, Tennessee, 343 trail miles (550 kms) from Springer Mountain. This is a little less than one-sixth of the entire trail. Was it a good experience? Would I do it again? The answer to both of these questions is yes.The AT is a very challenging walk. On the Gaspé last summer we met a 60ish woman who had hiked ...
Early in the day yesterday I encountered a herd of five whitetail deer. They were about 50 metres away. In the quiet of the open woodland four of them raised their enormous white tails and ran away. Because they were moving west the tails were illuminated by the morning sun like a collection of white flags. The only sound was the crunch of their hooves ...
Ruth: Gord is camped on the top of Bald Mountain tonight so here is a bed time story about the Hermit of Bald mountain, a man named David Grier. Now our best friend and house mate is a Don Grier who is the descendant of an unbroken line of David Griers. A man who after long stints alone at our cabin has been known to ...
I met Tim at Walnut Mountain Shelter the night before I arrived at Hot Springs, N.C. He was out on a lengthy day hike and paused for a smoke and a drink. Tim thru hiked the AT a few years ago and tries to get back on the trail whenever he can. He invited me to join him for a beer at the tavern in ...
It was forecast to rain last night for the first time in a week. I therefore ensured that I was in a shelter rather than the tent. What I had not anticipated, however, was the wind. It was blowing on the ridges all day yesterday, but the intensity increased toward nightfall.Unfortunately, unlike the Plumorchard Shelter, where we weathered the remnants of Hurricane Nate, Walnut Mountain ...
This morning I saw another bear. He saw me first and did what was best for both he and I: he ran away as fast as his furry black legs could take him.Bears in this area have good reason to flee humans as quickly as possible. Yesterday, as I crossed the Park boundary, I met three good ole boys with a pickup load of kennelled ...
Today I came down from the high ridges in the Smokies: last night I slept at 5,900 feet and tonight I am only at 2,700. This has the effect of taking me back in time with respect to the seasons. At the higher elevations fall was well advanced, with almost all the leaves off the deciduous trees. (Above 5,500 feet there are also extensive areas ...
There is one road that crosses the AT in its 70 mile run through the Park. I found myself on the side of that road at 3:30 yesterday, with the possibility of walking 3 miles uphill to the next shelter, or hitching into town for pizza and a shower. I let my stomach make the decision.Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a tourist town in the foothills. It ...
Two days ago I entered Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is a large park that includes parts of both Tennessee and North Carolina. It is also the most popular national park in the US, with more than 11 million visitors last year.About 70 miles of the AT are in the Park, including the highest point on the AT, which is at Clingman's Dome (6,643 ...
Last night I stayed at the Fontana Dam Shelter, well known on the AT as the Fontana Hilton. It is a beautiful and spacious shelter that sleeps 24. There is a washroom block nearby that has flush toilets and a hot shower, amenities not available at the backcountry shelters. A hot shower at the end of the day is much more pleasant than the usual ...