It started off just Laura Mortimer, Jordan Butler and Me with Allen Bennett joining us half way into our journey. What follows is the tale of three friends on the Appalachian Trail, and the adventures that ensued.
Day 01 – 6/6/04 – Hawk Mountain Shelter
Yesterday we arrived at the lodge. It was very nice. Mr. Mortimer rented a room with aloft, two doubles, and a pullout. Today we set off in the wrong direction for .9 miles. So once we doubles back, it made 1.8 extra miles that we could’ve done without. We hiked to long creek falls where we had lunch and met up with a couple named David and Nikki. What wonderful people. Everyone we’ve met has been friendly. A group of 9 co-ed boyscouts just joined us here at the Hawk Mountain shelter. It’s 9:00pm and it just got dark out. Tomorrow we will wake up at 6:45 and Laura suggested 12 miles! The 7 to Gooch Gap is very hard. We’ll find out just how hard tomorrow.
Day 02 – 6/7/04 – Woody Gap
Very Hard. Pushed through almost 12 miles of what we were told is the hardest part of the lower trail. We hiked to Gooch Gap which has a brand new (2yr old) shelter. We didn’t stay long, but met a hiker named “Stray Dog.” Very nice trucker that lived in Pearl at one point. We’re at a campsite at Woody Gap. It’s a nice campsite with toilets. Tomorrow we do 8mi to Blood Mountain. All uphill! It will be hard. Then we hike 1.5mi to Neel’s Gap to re-supply and hang out on Wednesday. I am having fun despite my aches and pains. My shoulders and lower back hurt worse than my feet. Goodnight for now.
Day 03 – 6/8/04 – Neel’s Gap
- Last Night – A Bear came into camp and raided our pots. Took like 20 mins of shout-whispering to wake up Laura. He then proceeded to toss our pots about the campsite and rummaged through our stuff.
Arrive at Neel’s Gap at about 4. Immediately was approached by a man who identified himself as “Disney” and was asked if I wanted to order a pizza. Got a large pepperoni and paid $15 to stay in the hostel. Very Nice Place. I bought fuel, candy bars and chocolate milk. Staying in the hostel with us are Frogman, Labrat, Disney, Brother, TP, and Candyman.
They call Frogman that because he’s older and “he hops down the trail and hopes he doesn’t croak.” They call Labrat that because he works at some lab testing on mice. They call Disney that because he carries Disney music CD’s with him. They call Brother that because he used to hike with his sister and they just called him “Brother” and his sister “Sister.” They call TP that because he goes nowhere without at least 6 rolls of toilet paper. They call Candyman that because he always has a bag of small candy bars with him and loves to give them out.
Day 04 – 6/9/04 – Low Gap
It’s 9:30 and I’m in the tent with Laura and Jordan because Disney is next to us, and he’s kinda scary at times. Can’t really put our fingers on it. Hiked 11 miles today, finished 1 roll of film, and had a great view during lunch. We’re at the low gap shelter with Frogman, Labrat, Disney, Brother & TP. Brother is hilarious. We’re all pretty sore. The group is going like 13 tomorrow so we might not get to see them again. My trail name has become “Gadget” because of all the electronic gadgets I brought. Tomorrow will be easier more than likely. Either because we’ll probably go shorter or because my body is finally getting used to this.
Ps – was just woken by a bear whistle…a bear has invaded the shelter down the path about 100 yards.
Day 05 – 6/10/04 – Unicoi State Park
Went to shelter at Blue Mountain. Dean stayed. Laura, Jordan, Jeff and I went to Unicoi. His wife gave us a car. We went to the grocery, campsite, and then to wendy’s. Had 3 cheeseburgers and heard about Jeff and his wife’s scary encounter with some raccoons. Camping at Unicoi State Park for the night, started a campfire and we’re just sitting around talking. The town of Helen is soo funny! It’s a little german town. It’s got a Magic Shoppe, Christmas Shoppe, and all kinds of specialty stores. We met Baghdad Bigfoot today during lunch. He lives in his truck and hikes up from gaps to trim the trails and things like that. He’s definitely a “Trail Fairy.”
Day 06 – 6/11/04 – Tray Mountain
Hiked to the top of Tray Mountain with Dean. He’s a real good guy with 2 daughters and 1 son (my age). He works at a nuclear power plant, and he’s a pretty good hiker. He is meeting his wife tomorrow. We hiked to the summit of Tray Mountain, WOW! What a wonderful view. Lots of pics. Bathed in the sun on the slab of rocks next to our campsite. Met two women: Neon and Earlybird. They are into super lightweight gear. It’s ridiculous. They’re packs weigh like 20-22lbs a piece. Met two guys too. Very friendly, heading south though.
Day 07 – 6/12/04 – Plum Orchard
Wow, 15 miles – very long day today. Made it from Tray Mountain to Dick’s Creek. Stopped and had lunch at Addis Gap. At Dick’s Creek Dean left us, we took a small break to say goodbye, and proceeded to hit another 4.5 miles. Today was the hardest day so far, so much for not being sore anymore. Morty cooked some really good bow-tie pasta tonight. It’s a nice shelter: 3 stories and picnic tables. It’s raining cats and dogs outside. I’m sleeping in the shelter for once and Morty and Jordan have their tents set up in the shelter beside me…wimps. I have moth balls all around me to ward off the mice and other critters. I don’t want to sleep with one. I hope this is a good shelter experience.
Day 08 – 6/13/04 – Muskratt Shelter
Hiked from Plum Orchard to Muskratt shelter. Rained all day today…cold. Very hazy too. Can’t see more than 10 feet in front of you. Arrive at Muskratt @ 3pm. Leslie and Megan, two teachers about 25 years old or so, are staying in the shelter with us tonight. Very cool girls. Had a fun time trying to put up the bear bag tonight. Very tricky. Going to Carter Gap tomorrow. It’s 12 miles. Getting up to make some oatmeal for breakfast b/c I ate all of my poptarts already.
Day 09 – 6/14/04 – Carter Gap
Hiked about 12 miles today. Hiked across a footbridge made from a log. When we stopped to get water in the creek I saw crawfish which surprised me. Going to hike 13 miles tomorrow to get to Rock Creek Gap. Long Hike but will leave us with only 3-4 miles before we meet my dad @ Winding Stair Gap. Allen Bennett is also joining us in Franklin. We’ll see how that goes. Laura and Jordan just setup tent in the shelter again…too funny. Probably last night to hang out with Megan and Leslie…. Until tomorrow!
Day 10 – 6/15/04 – Rock Gap
Hiked really fast today, covered 6 miles by noon. Had lunch on top of Mt. Albert. There was a firetower up there and it had a great view. I hate being scared of heights. We’re at Rock Gap right now. There are like 50 people here right now, a group of boyscouts, Megan, Leslie, Shadow, Randy, and Daddy Long Legs. This is another great group of people that we will be parting ways with tomorrow. So sad. While I’m saddened by this, I’m very excited about meeting my dad at Winding Stair Gap tomorrow at noon. We’re going into Franklin and probably meeting Allen so he can hike with us. We’ll See. What a day…
Day 11 – 6/16/04 – Franklin
Hiked an easy 4 miles to the Winding Stair Gap and met my Dad, Harry Ferguson, and Allen. They had rented a van to use for the day. We went to the hotel and then dropped our clothes off at a laundry mat. Went to the Wal-Mart to get some stuff and then to Ingles Grocery to get what we couldn’t find at Wal-Mart. Went to a backpacking store to get some small stuff, picked up our clothes and came back to the hotel. It was a ridiculously slummy hotel, and when we asked the guy what a good place to eat was, he was like “well let’s see…I haven’t eaten out in over 3 years…” We then found out about a place from someone else and went and ate at a nice Italian place where I had a steak. Got my pack ready for tomorrow. Boy it’s heavy again… It’ll be fun. Allen seems like a cool guy, but he’s slightly sick so I hope we don’t catch it. Going 4 miles tomorrow so I think it should be easy.
Day 12 – 6/17/04 – Siler
Hiked into Siler Bald shelter after noon, 4 easy miles. Allen is now hiking with us. Today we had a Hardy’s breakfast and had lunch at a really cool 50’s style diner. After arriving at Siler, I had a few granola bars and helped Allen try to build a fire. It’s 9:30 and he’s just now giving up. Laura and Jordan cooked a salmon and pasta dinner. Disney is back. He’s met up with some people and follows them now and I think he’s happy. Just heard a mouse scurry along the side of the shelter….can’t wait to go to sleep. Tonight I sleep with the Meeces!
Day 13 – 6/18/04 – Cold Spring
Hiked 12 miles. 2nd day with Allen. He’s a pretty good hiker. He’s coughing up a lot of crap still. I hope we don’t catch it. The shelter here is a pretty cool shelter. Made from logs, going to take a few pics. Nothing really spectacular about today. Jordan had the first head-first bust, it was funny. Having spicy chicken fajita’s for dinner.
Ps – Wayah bald has an intense view…
Day 14 – 6/19/04 – A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Hike was wonderful. Had lunch after like 7 miles on some lookout point. 3 more miles to the shelter at like 2:00. Put our stuff down then went the one mile to the Nantahala Outdoors Center. Boy is that place exciting. Bought lots of great unnecessary things. Came back to our campsite, started a fire and ate some dinner. Made some Gatorade for myself. Yummi. Going to have breakfast/lunch at the NOC tomorrow, then have an easy 6 miles. This is the kind of hiking I’m talking about… Fontana Dam is in 3 days. Goodnight all!
Day 15 – 6/20/05 – Sasafrass
Seems like forever since this morning. Woke up and went into the NOC by 8:00am. Made Fathers day calls. Went and ate from like 9-10:30 and had a huge breakfast. I got a 3 egg omelet, 2 pieces of toast and 2 biscuits. To top it off? Chocolate milk. Afterwards went back into the NOC store. Bought myself a small waterproof sack and new visor. Had some cokes and candy bars and we were on our way! The 6 miles out of the NOC was all uphill. It was tough but sorta fun at the same time. Several false summits later, we went downhill a bit to reach our shelter for the night. It’s a really nice 2 story that sleeps 14 people. Chicken pot pie dinners rock!
Day 16 0 6/21/04 – Brown Fork
Today’s hike was much easier than yesterdays hike. We had a big discussion on society. We tend to discuss abstract things like this while we’re hiking. Passes the time very quickly. Personally I’d rather have a gameboy or something like that. But hey, that’s why they call me Gadget. On another note…after lunch it started pouring…I mean the bottom just fell out. I wrung like 1 to 2 litres of water out of my clothes after we got here to the shelter. It’s a weird shelter. There’s like a moat in the middle of the floor. There’s just like boards missing….weird. Had some mice last night. Rupert and Randy. Jordan loved them. Then they went in her bag and she got really mad, it was funny. To Fontana Shelter Tomorrow!
Day 17 – 6/22/04 – Fontana Hilton
So we started off, decided to hike like 8 or something before lunch. This was hard for me because I love to eat. Yum. So anyway at about mile 7 going along a rocky cliff, Allan was way ahead of us, then it was Me then Jordan, then Laura. I must have disturbed some yellow jackets and they started attacking Morty. She got stung once and dropped her stick. I had to go back and get it. Almost got stung. Then I stopped to put on rain gear and it poured. We missed the “vista” and ended up going like 9.3 miles before lunch. So we all huddled under some low brush to stay semi-dry and had our lunch. After lunch it was all downhill. We got to the parking lot and then the shelter was 1.1 miles away. Of course we were so excited that the 1.1 miles took forever it seemed. We finally made it to the shelter and it’s really nice. Avalanche, Swiss, Cheddar, and Disney are all here. We went down to the visitors center to se the dam. 50 stories tall it is. Then we went down to the marina where we came across a public pool. We got snacks and sodas and went to the marina. There I got more snacks and sodas. We met Ranson, who runs the marina. He let us chill on the top of a houseboat there in the water. The other three dove in while I ate and drank my junkfood. We met Max and Mike. Two friendly fellows who were fishing in the lake. Max’s last name is Watson so I’m sending him a sticker from the dealership. This is by far my favorite day and I can’t wait until tomorrow! Until then! – Gadget
Day 18 – 6/23/04 – Fontana Inn
Today was maybe even better than yesterday. Woke up at like 9am. Made our way to the visitors center and found an older man to take us to our hotel at Fontana Inn. It’s $30 for hikers. I spent all day eating ice cream. Hitched a ride on a shuttle into Robinsville. Shopped at the grocery store and then ate at a pizza place. Good Stuff. Pack is pretty heavy again. Got a new ink pen too. Very tired and heading to bed, it’s 10:30. Until Tomorrow! – Gadget
Day 19 – 7/24/04 – Russell
Left Fontana Dam. Entered the Smokies. I actually saw a parade of Mustangs today! Really…I did! It went across the Fontana Dam as we were crossing it. Could my luck get any better? Found Peter the lizard. He’s an orange plastic lizard. He’s going to be in every picture we take of the Smokey’s. Went to the top of a fire tower and had lunch and got to the shelter around 4:00. Allen suggested we go to the next shelter that’s 2.2 miles away. So we do. The shelter has a big cage in front of it to keep out most of the animals. Got in a fight with Morty, I shouldn’t be so harsh. Looks like another 15 miles tomorrow. Going to bed.
Day 20 – 6/25/04 – Derrick
Wet. That’s what today was. Ankle deep at most times. We had to hike down a river/creek all day today. The last 6 miles were the single longest 6 miles of my life. I’m really not in the mood to write right now. I’m very wet, very cold, and very tired.
Summary: Today sucked. I hope it doesn’t rain like this again.
Day 21 – 6/26/04 – Silers Bald
Sick. If one word describes today, it’s “sick.” I’ve come down with something. Flu maybe? Anyway, Gene… the guy that shuttled us around at Fontana is going to meet me at Clingman’s Dome tomorrow. He’ll take me to Davenport or something like that. I can barely walk mustless hike with a pack on for 4 more days. I left my walking stick in Derrick Shelter this morning. Laura offered to go back and get it. She’s a lot nicer to me than I am to her right now. Maybe b/c I’m sick and grumpy and she’s taken over the motherly role to care for me. I dunno. My ears are stopped up, throat sore, and my neck has a crick in it. It sucks major. I think I’ll either stay in Davenport until Morty, Jordan, and Allan get there, or just spend a day or so and get a ride into Ashville. Who knows. I’ll make up my mind tomorrow. Signing off for now – Gadget
Day 22 – 6/27/04 – Ramada Inn
I didn’t really think I’d be as sad as I am to leave. Maybe it’s b/c I’m sick and prone to get a little more emotional. Maybe it’s because true bonds were formed on this trail. People describe “trail magic” as people leaving goodies along the trail or hanging sacks full of banana’s in a tree for someone to find. Maybe that’s true, but today I experienced a little trail magic myself. For me it’s something that is between people. It can’t be seen or touched. It can only be felt. I will forever remember and cherish the time spent and the people I met on the Appalachian Trail.
– happy trails,
Gadget
