Jeff Hikes

Category: Appalachian Trail

  • One Month Complete

    Month end review.

    Wow. One month done. I’ve learned a lot and been broken down quite a bit.

    The first thing I would like to recognize is Randy at Dream Hammocks. I had a hammock failure and he helped me out in a pickle. Great company. If you’re considering buying a hammock please consider them. No ad for money  He really just helped me in a bind.

    This month I’ve:

    • 372 total miles hiked including the approach trail.
    • Met amazing individuals to hike with including: Amanda, Jeremy, Matt, Turtle, Shark tooth, Coyote, Turd Furgeson, Gummy bear, Air bud, PYT, Chipper, Rocket, Aspen, Nash, Rosie, Dodger, Juckles, Snap, John, Moonshine, Bullfrog
    • We got told at a hostel that hikers usually smell terrible but we smelled exceptionally disgusting and got free showers
    • Got snowed on in the smokies
    • Package with my pad didn’t make it in time for the smokies so I had to sleep without any bottom insulation
    • Had 3 gear failures back to back to back – trekking pole, hammock, phone
    • Ordered a new hammock the same day that the hammock broke
    • Experienced the hot springs in Hot Springs, NC
    • Got to hang out with my buddy Joshua on three separate occasions
    • Had the love and support from family and friends but with extreme appreciation for Lilly who had to pick me back up on several occasions
    • Shaved my head

    The past few days have been tough with the failures and frustrating but having a great social family on the trail has been the best thing possible for the trail.

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5PT1ylrFfttePKCVv1RHo_pibi6XrUQqd2l0ifGx8vZ1ErYX7GbPEkrsmdqy0cZ5Wtn3yBG’ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′ tile_size=’1600′ ]

  • Rain to Sunshine

    Last night stunk weather wise. Rained essentially all night. My hammock and underquilt were against the tarp so almost everything got wet. *ugh*

    Woke up and things were wet. Put on my wet clothes. And started hiking. Around 10:30 the sky started to open up and it stopped raining! It made my day go from a 0 to a 40. I was still soaked but not getting more wet… Then it happened.

    Trail magic. 100. Heather and Eddie from Michigan made burgers and sides… Beer. Coke. Delicious.

    We finished the day and did around 20 miles today. I’m in a bubble with a bunch of people and really enjoy everyone! So camping tonight has been a blast!

    Supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow!

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5Mz8myCeTeVIjht_k93BUyHHDH4Tyt5oWZfGh_CoF0Nv8oDsH5KjZ6yrEwqTPEZQ-J80kIT’ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′ tile_size=’1600′ ]

  • Rain yesterday (written last night)

    The past few days have been a blast. We made it into Hot Springs after a 20 mile day and enjoyed time at the Laughing Heart Hostel. My package that was meant for Fontana Dam was there. So now I’m holding more food than I should be, but that is life.

    Hot Springs is a beautiful little mountain town that the trail goes right through. They had three bars, an outfitter, a library, a Dollar General, and a few gas stations.

    We enjoyed time at each bar. On Thursday and Friday we got to watch a few bands. Josh came out and visited again! We had a blast!

    We all went to the hot springs twice. I’ve never been in a hot spring so that was ready nice and relaxing.

    After two zeroes, we got back on the trail. We did 11 miles yesterday and 16 today. It rained all day today.

    Today I hit 300 miles!

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5OM_ejsDRv2q0M-WshQQshIrSc9ta7fkz6RRzsyX8e7w5T0TujRdSmDnlmlKTmWodxaOTHP’ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′ tile_size=’1600′ ]

  • Trail magic. Twenty miles. Tan lines.

    We did 20 miles today. But first. Yesterday post trail magic.

    We went to max patch and it was absolutely stunning! (images below)

    We watched the sunset and found out the milky way would be visible at 4 am. We woke up and unfortunately clouds came out and we only saw a few stars but nothing spectacular.

    We decided to go back down to the trail magic prior. Bacon egg and cheese sandwiches and 4 sodas. Nom. Worth the .8 mile backtrack.

    We had a >20 mile hike today to hot springs. We ran into a man doing trail magic cooking hot dogs and beans. They were delicious.

    Finally, yesterday there was a point early in the day where I said, “Ow. That hurt” referencing my shin. Today it is much worse painwise. But still had to do the 20 miles.

    We are staying at the laughing heart hostel in hot springs.

    Tan lines. Check the picture below. These are from my trekking poles on my hands.

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5NAxucBqM7376FoeqVk7ZhGfX_uMzitkCgD20c96LyUHqj4ASXQMAlTHKh7l5fzyQ4opwr1′ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′ tile_size=’1600′ ]

  • Snow. Snow. Alcohol. Magic.

    Another longish time between posts. Sorry! It’s mainly due to when I have service…

    We left Gatlinburg into snow. What a terrible time to hike. While at the shelter, Turtle started a fire to reduce humidity and increased the temperature.

    We woke up to freezing temperatures… Not fun.

    The next day, last night, we got to standing bear and visited standing bear farms. I had a few too many beers.

    Today, we are headed to max patch. On the way, we met with some trail magic. They made grilled cheese sandwiches, brought soda, water, and cookies.

    Nom!

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5OHGVeTaI_rFWPVQ46FutR41NLWKj9d9JmNdXr9cFYgansBxqcfMHUXCgaS-3EbObE3-tK9′ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′]

  • Weekly update

    Wow. It’s been awhile! So much has happened on the trail! I’ve also had limited to no internet…

    From the noc, I left to go to brown fork gap shelter. That was a day of perpetual ups. It was difficult. Constant. Up. 15 miles of up. In fact, I wrote about it to be posted.

    Today was physically challenging. It was 15 miles of perpetual uphill. Every time I thought I was at the top, more uphill…

    I started my day at the NOC leaving around 10 AM. A late start to the morning but got a great night’s sleep and a good warm breakfast. So many people last night were headed to sassafras shelter which around 7 miles, I had to get further since I have a reservation at The Hike Inn for Wednesday. So I made it to Brown Fork Shelter.

    I met a man at stecoah gap named Lonnie giving out fruit. He said he owns a hostel in town and had really good prices ($25 per bed for a real bed). I accepted the fruit, declined the hostel.

    I arrived at brown gap by 7 PM. It was steep and difficult.

    Set up the hammock. Cooked dinner. Hung my bear bag. And now in bed.

    The next day, I stayed at The Hike Inn in Fontana Dam, NC. Lilly shipped me a package that included a sleeping pad and resupply for 5 days of food. The package was delayed. Due Monday for delivery, Wednesday and Thursday, the package was still not there.

    I gave myself 5 minutes to be frustrated, mad, and upset at USPS. Then I decided to roll with the punches. I went into Robbinsville and resupplied on food.

    The rationale for this mail supply was the fact that I started the smokies this week. The smokies are heavily regulated and you are required to sleep in a shelter if there is room. Because I sleep in a hammock, I don’t have a pad to insulate from the ground. The pad is for both comfort and warmth. Because usps delayed my package, I was without this integral piece of equipment. The first day into the Smokies I walked my furthest – 19 miles. And I slept on the wood platform without any pad. It was uncomfortable to say the least. But I’m a person who follows rules.

    The next day, I went 13 miles and the shelter was full. I slept in my hammock. Today I walked 10 miles to newfound gap and got a hotel in Gatlinburg. I passed the 200 mile mark of the hike. I also passed the highest elevation on the trail at clingmans dome. I got a picture in front of the fire tower but the clouds and fog made it impossible to see anything until later in the day when it cleared up.

    In the smokies, I met two individuals from Vermont, Turtle (38) and Shark tooth (27). I’ll probably join their trail family for a bit as we seem to pace and do mileage similarly. They’re super wonderful and great to be around. It’s a big turnaround from two weeks of walking in silence/podcasts/audio books.

    Yesterday, even, I got really in my head and thought I was done. With the help of Lilly and support of everyone, I knew I couldn’t leave the trail because of a bad day.

    Gatlinburg is kind of a wild town. Getting into town was an absolute hoot. 4 hikers waited 30 minutes for a shuttle. She came about 10 minutes after we got to newfound gap (15 miles out of Gatlinburg). We snatched a ride with the lady in her minivan. Estimated weight of people, animals, and gear was almost 1800 pounds. We’re not sure the minivan was supposed to have that much weight in it.

    Joshua was meeting me at the hotel I rented. Turtle and shark tooth were still looking for a room. The shuttle driver said that she had space for $70 which is the cheapest you’d find in town. She let me do my laundry at her apartment and fed all of us… It was really nice. Joshua and I hung out for the remainder of the evening and enjoyed the weather. As I finish this post, rain is starting to fall and should continue until noon.

    Some posts I’m planning: food/water on the trail, daily planning/intraday planning, wildlife. So, some pretty interesting topics for those who don’t hike (I think).

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5OwMEukVs7wee5-BIJps4BRujHxgEPVMVLqZ5tyAesEFNVo6sH1d-nabAZjacAspNXiJN4w’ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′ tile_size=’1600′ ]

  • Cold Spring Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor Center

    Today was another rough day. Not due to miles (11 miles) but due to the constant downhill. Cracked my screen by sitting down on a rock to get down and hit my screen on it.

    I made it to the NOC in rain and decided to get a bunk. Had pizza and beer for dinner and a nice shower. It’s weird because almost every other day this week I’ll be in a hotel/bunk room whereas the first ten days I didn’t use a hotel/hostel at all.

    Hopefully the lower mileage will help with the knee. I bought a brace for it today. Hoping the stability will help.

    I have two days to meander to Fontana Dam. Staying the night at The Hike Inn where I’ll pick up a resupply box. Then into the Smokies with a potential stop in Gatlinburg.

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5Owt3eHlwwB_UBshoy_Ng3H_tPBa0zDETqiug6QPffsx5FZilw0k72YpjJtxZQG5dS1a7-q’ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′ tile_size=’1600′ ]

  • 1st Day Back

    After all these zeros, today was my first day back on the trail. I got out there around 10:30. Kind of hated being out here, missing the luxuries of home.

    Anyway, I went 16 miles from winding stairs gap to cold spring shelter. On my way, I ran back into Jeremy to both of our surprises. He exclaimed and said, “Oh I thought you were long gone!”

    It was great to catch up a bit. I think I’m going to stick a bit to myself the next hundred miles or two and just worry about me.

    Legs feel fine. Right knee is still messed up but it felt better walking on the trail than when I was resting it.

    Missing Asheville. Missing home. But, carrying on.

  • Last Night In Asheville

    The week ahead will probably be tough to get back on the trail. I’ve been told not to take more than 3 days off the trail because it just gets harder and harder to get back on the trail. Today is day three and I’m getting back on tomorrow morning.

    Still knee pain that I’m going to monitor, stretch, and foam roll accordingly. If all goes to plan this week, I’ll be doing between 18 – 20 mile days. It’ll be tough but it’s in order to catch up from my time off the trail. I’ve also wanted to get up to this mileage for awhile. Might as well start now that I’ll be without a trail partner now!

    I’ve had a blast the past few days with my buddy, Joshua, in Asheville. While he couldn’t be on the trail, I’ve been really excited to see him regardless. We’ve been going around the restaurants and bars out here and it’s been a real blast. Last night we went to three breweries:

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5OArf7lhUGanu4O2enwHAqCFF0-gKlyKXC0t9eSNzIIJWP8xZVJQ4Poh7AJ48AbPQZkabeT’ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′ tile_size=’1600′ ]

  • Pictures

    I think I have it set up where you can now see images hosted on Google so they should be faster to load.

    Most of these are just of mountains. I’ll continue to add to this album and include on here. I’m not positive how well it will work! And I actually think I have figured out how to add to the end of posts images for the day(s) discussed so it won’t display everything!

    Here is a photo album:

     

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’albums’ filter=’AIp0m5NvGoHzHh7SMyX6xgasFdK10SN9EGtwxQk-lZx5ZzfF6Qur4xCNYkuDLEQfG2F5iVxq97SV’]

    Photos/Thumbnails:

    [googlephotos type=’google’ view=’photos’ album_id=’AIp0m5NvGoHzHh7SMyX6xgasFdK10SN9EGtwxQk-lZx5ZzfF6Qur4xCNYkuDLEQfG2F5iVxq97SV’ media=’all’ layout=’square’ thumb_size=’150′ crop_thumb=’crop’ main_size=’1600′ tile_size=’1600′ ]