Forgot to show you this picture of a library I went to in Erwin TN; they converted the old train station into a library! It is right on the railroad tracks of course. Adorable inside too…
These entire 11 miles were all uphill, gradually going from 1600’ to 4500’ over the distance with nary a downhill stretch. That’s right—I said nary. … That’s why I didn’t set any mileage records today though I hiked hard and strong all day. Still no blisters, still no return of the litany of previous muscle maladies I seem to attract, and still feeling no sickness since the one bout. 😀
I’ve had a strangely suppressed appetite going on many weeks now… just not ravenous at any one time though I should be-due to caloric expenditure. I’m still eating for fuel but the magic is gone somehow… I eat more as a task and am not sure what is happening with the appetite. A natural metabolic change from the exercise? Or a subconscious protest against the lack of Friendly’s Neapolitan half gallons of ice-cream out here in the woods? Or is it that I’m drinking so much water that it is fooling the hunger triggers? Keith- you studied this stuff in college—what’s your guess?
Had a good morning run into the town of Erwin Tennessee to resupply; I got a room and waited out the rain the next day while my equipment dried… (I got to clean all of my equipment in a bathtub for the first time and it feels good to get the dirt, smoke, dead bugs etc. scrubbed out!)
Speaking of equipment- time for some analysis this far:
[First a big thank you to Ashley and Tim Coates of Real Cheap Sports, (36 W. Santa Clara Street, Ventura, California 93001): Ashley and Memory are sisters and I got some great deals on some high-end equipment from them as well as encouragement and support of course!]
Trekking poles. I got Black Diamond Distance Carbon trekking poles and I use them constantly. It’s hard to believe I have ever hiked without trekking poles; they are always in motion carrying weight, redistributing weight, and preventing slips and falls. I give them an A+.
Tent. It is a Seedhouse SL2. Another great thing and I’m an expert at setting up my little domain every day. Its the adult version of having a little ‘Fort’ to erect and play in every day except Mom doesn’t deliver grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup when I get hungry. A
Sleeping bag. (I got this at REI). I got too lightweight a bag for the task and have been cold more times than I can count. Oh well… I give myself a D and same for the ‘experienced thru-hiker’ at REI who recommended it. Have been so jealous of the folks with big fluffy warm sleeping bags.
Shoes. Altra Lone Peak 4 Trailrunners have been perfect. Lightweight, waterproof, good grip on rocks, etc… I will stick with these not-one-blister shoes… A+. (They are all that and a bag of chips, a pickle and a cookie.)
Rain Jacket and Rain Pants from North Face… a begrudging B. I dont know if there’s a more breathable version available but when I wear these I sweat too much and end up soaked inside with sweat instrad of rain… and if it’s cold, I’m in trouble..
Thermarest Sleeping Pad. I punctured this early somehow and dont know if I ever got one night fully inflated… will be trying to fix/correct at an upcoming Trail Days event where all the vendors will be present. (Recuse on grade)
Backpack. Osprey Atmos AG 65. Has been excellent with all the bells qnd whistles. Fellow hikers refer to it as the ‘Cadillac’ of backpacks and it seems to be true. A
Jetboil Stove. Amazing technology. Such a fast boil time that I can’t attend to other tasks while the water is heating up- if I turn my back it boils over! Makes hot coffee and cocoa always two minutes away. A+
Long nice day on the Trail. Lots of water and snack breaks to fuel the machine as I went up and over Big Bald Mountain… about 10 miles on the ascent and another 10 descending to my end campsite for the day… had just enough light to set up properly and make something to eat, hang my ‘bear hang’ food bag, etc… then, into the warm tent to sleep!
I feel like I really have my ‘Trail Legs’ now… I rarely stop out of sheer fatigue like in the beginning; usually it’s to take a deliberate food or water break now…
Saw this big beautiful but odd ‘moth thing’ today! Huge and surreal. Delicate and scary. A cross between a tropical fish, a kite, and an evil bat that will suck your brains out your ears while you sleep.
It reminds me of my Mattel Thingmaker when we used to make Creepie Crawlies by baking plastigoop in the little Mattel hotplate machine…best Christmas present ever for kids in the 60’s. Who remembers? Who can still smell the goop baking?
Another day of decent weather. Came across this sign which is apparently an accommodation for larger people on the Trail I guess…
I found a Tennessee version of Dogtown’s Whale’s Jaw…
I hit the 300 mile mark today. There were many people stopping to take a break at this little stone number. I stopped with them and we all had a nice chat and a lunch break here…
I’ve been thinking about longevity…there is at least one 70-year-old out here who is hiking this Trail and I’ve no doubt after meeting him that he’ll complete in respectable fashion. Remarkable.
Western medicine is on a roll- perhaps even out over it’s skis at the moment.
(When I went to Afghanistan in 07/08, I learned that the average male life expectancy there was 47: yet, I was deploying there at age 48–and expecting to come home and live another 30 years. So—an astonishing health disparity on the globe which is no doubt related to the wealth disparity.)
The poor will die on schedule as their inferior diet, hygiene, and access to medicine will dictate.
But what does this mean for the wealthy nations that extend life?
It appears that the quality of life lags behind the actual extension of life as we can see in the disturbing frailty of very old people, and the even more disturbing cognitive loss which is increasingly attending old age in the form of various dementias. I worked very briefly recently as a hospice care volunteer and I saw how sad this situation can be.
Yet medical research marches on as we devolve to wrinkled bags of skin in wheelchairs who can’t remember who our own children are.
I hope brain research yields relief to cognitive loss and, who knows?, maybe we can also find ways to strengthen and support skin, bones and organs into deep old age…I am more hopeful about the former than the latter. If I’m right, then the case might be made for us to evolve to ‘brains in a bath’ and the 1960’s science fiction movies will have the last laugh. We are already in an interim step—that of us turning more and more robotic as parts get supported /replaced and our systems get adjusted with all manner of medicine, regulators, and supplements. But eventually, I think our tissues will die, even brain tissue, despite the best diet, hygiene and medicine and we must be approaching the upper limits now: is it 110? 120? 130? And we do want to live forever, don’t we…?
The pace of this evolution is staggering. My great-great-grandchildren will probably look and live very differently from me. They could be greatly improved humans, or manifestations of avatar, or even straight-up robots.
Question: How long does it take to get a tiny bug out of your eye? Answer: You can’t.
I learned something about how people talk around here. I asked somebody for a favor, and they couldn’t do it, but instead of telling me outright, they said: “Well I don’t know about all that.” They then talked around the issue, occasionally addressing my request obliquely, until I realized that the answer was a ‘No’—but instead of slapping it down on the table in front of me, the ‘No’ came down slowly in a parachute… It was a nice way to do business…
Early in the morning I climbed up to Lovers Leap cliff and set my tent up just before the rain began. It rained all day without letup. I stayed in my tent. I wasn’t lonely however, as I talked to Memory a few times and had little friends come by to visit regularly.
It was a good day to relax… Most everyone stayed in town but I saved a few bucks and caught the sunset when the rain let up briefly.
Woke up at my nice secluded spot by the creek, packed, and had a nice brisk jaunt the remaining 3.2 miles to Hot Springs. Hooked up with Doodge and FastLane but no Gump! As we suspected, he’s not returning to the Trail… hmmm… wondering if his girlfriend showing up had anything to do with it?🤨.
The three of us went in on a B&B which was quite nice as you can see by the pictures.
This is a neat little town, and the first one where the Appalachian Trail runs right through it. It goes right down Main Street and out the other side continuing on…
So we stayed here for the day, got something to eat, resupplied at all the hiker-friendly stores. Not much else to say about this day except I took a short movie during a rain deluge to show you how small the town is.
Penultimate 
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