Category: Step by Step

4 April – Bly Gap to Standing Indian Shelter (7.7 miles)

Woke up and had someone take my picture outside of my tent.  As you can see, I’ve adopted the arch countenance of a savvy Thru-Hiker who’s not as dumb as he looks.

Next.  Throughout this hike I thought of what Next has meant to my life.  There has always been something next.  The next job, the next apartment, the next relationship.  During my entire life in the Army, there has always been the next training school, the next place we’re going, the next big project, the next new doctrine, and of course, -always- the next rank. 


Even on the Appalachian Trail I now find myself with hamster-head (hamster on a wheel inside the head) about the next stream to refill on water, the next camp site, the next mountain, the next weather pattern, the next meal, the next shelter, and the next resupply point.
   

Maybe it’s time for Now.  Memory asked me if there was something ‘next’ for me after the hike.  I don’t think so.  I came upon this little stand of wildflower Mountain Bluets standing in the middle of the Trail in North Carolina today.  I took my pack off and watched the breeze caress them gently for a while.  It was enough to make one cry.  Now. 

3 April – Deep Gap to Bly Gap (13 miles)

What to do when a long glob of clear fluid drops from your nose and plops into the hot chili that you’re eating?: Stir. 

Also, I was hiking along today and I had to keep scratching my bum.  Then I realized that my bum was intermittently being scratched without my assistance.  I looked back hopefully but: nobody.  I realized that I had a stick in my underwear.  I removed it carefully, thanked it for its service, and tossed it.

Thirteen tough miles today.  I just didn’t have the mojo I had yesterday.  Hopefully I’ll be able to sleep tonight and not freeze like most nights.  

Memory told me to bring a jacket and I should have listened.  She seems to take increasing delight in hearing about me freezing out here now…

Again I saw some beautiful streams, rivers, flowers and even came upon a magic mushroom gnome hamlet!  Look carefully- one little fella poked his head out to say something.  It sounded like “buy a jacket.”

Crossed into North Carolina today where I’m in my tent now.  GLAD to have Georgia behind me.   It’s not just that I made every mistake in the book here, it’s that….  oh…. well… maybe that is it.  

2 April – Unicoi Gap to Deep Gap shelter (13.1 miles)

Left my precious ‘zero’ day in Helen GA and got a ride back to Unicoi Gap.  The person who gave me a ride said that Helen, Georgia is drinking town with a Bavarian problem.  It sure looked like it.

I had a great day today physically: I averaged 2 mph going up and down Rocky Mountain, Tray mountain, Sassafras Mountain and Kelly Knob Mountain to get to where I am.   The only problem I had was that my calves needed to be massaged a few times.   There were some great views at the tops of these mountains and when I got to Deep Gap Shelter I was happy with the day overall.  Someone at the fire tonight had one of those muscle rolling sticks and I used it vigorously.  Met a bunch more great people today and looking forward to tomorrow.

P.S. (That’s my tent in the foreground- I was the first one here but it filled up as people straggled in.)

30 March – Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi Gap / Helen Georgia [9.7]

Sure rained last night.                

Woke up early, felt great again and got going.  I’m stopping at Helen, GA for my first Zero day to catch up on- I mean start!- the blog and hopefully, I can keep current day to day from that point on.  Broke down my tent in the cold and wet again at a pretty-well occupied site and took off early.  Chugged away all day- another day I felt very strong.  Hmmm . . .  maybe I’ll be putting up those 15’s and 20’s after all . . . but of course I’m supposed to start out with 8’s for the first two weeks per universal advice. . .          

Got to Unicoi Gap uneventfully, and with some good hours-long stretches of solitude while loving the great outdoors … still very cold for this time of year I’m told but no significant rain today.           

Hitchhiked from Unicoi Gap to the wonderful touristy (Bavarian-themed) town of Helen, GA.           

AGAIN I got a ride on my first try.  But this time was very different.  Oh  . . . yes . . . it . . . was . . . The gentleman who pulled over had a Coast Guard hat on, declared he was a Navy veteran, and had a truck filled with military and survival gear.  And trash.  OK.  Did I mention that I’m in the hills, crags, and hollers of North Nowhere Georgia?  As I’m getting in the truck, he’s talking a mile a minute and never stopped talking even as he was pulling away after dropping me off in Helen, Georgia.           

What did we (he) talk about?:  First, of course, these are the actual Bigfoot Hills.  He’s got photos of footprints right on his camera right now.  Wanna’ see?  Don’t go out there now!  He’s pointing to the woods that I am deliberately hiking in by life design.  Also, a lot of stuff goes on around here . . . be careful.  This was where the first real Gold Rush happened, and some folks practice alchemy here to this day.  I’ve been traveling all over.  I used to do secret stuff in the Navy, wore a black suit all the time– let’s just say that.   Do you have a gun?  (This was one of the few times I spoke; I said ‘I’m a really good shot.’)  They’s a guy who lives in these hills they call Daddy who’s 12 feet tall and he isn’t even Bigfoot.  (By this point, I’m hearing banjo music but his truck radio wasn’t on.)  This whole place is Cherokee.  I’m Cherokee.  Wanna’ go see an Indian Burial site with me right now?  (Geez . . . really got to get to my place for the night instead)  See these rivers?  They ain’t the real rivers . . . I’ll tell you about that sometime.  My mother gave me this truck.  Here, I’m giving you this rock, it has properties . . .          

And on and on . . .                 

As I was getting out, he showed me the pictures of Bigfoot footprints on his camera.  They are real! How ’bout that?!  And all this time I thought he was just plumb crazy. 

I was grateful for the ride and also grateful I didn’t end up as part of some kind of moonlight sacrifice. 

Ladies, maybe don’t hitchhike alone around these parts . . .         

Trust me.

29 March – Neel Gap to Low Gap Shelter [11.5 miles]

Woke up feeling completely different.  Energetically fixed hot coffee, hot oatmeal and a banana for breakfast and couldn’t wait to start hiking and seeing the things and meeting the people and pushing that cold clean air through me hard all the way.  I walked through the, again, famous, Neel Gap arch and blasted away at the hills, mountains and ‘gaps’  from early morning until early afternoon.  It was cold but intermittently sunny and gradually getting warmer and I just felt . . . strong.  Dear Lord, is it true?  Is it possible that the old Kevin Perrin is still in there somewhere, being yanked out of a closet and into the sunlight for a final run at life!  Insert Rocky Theme Song here.  Note that in all this time I haven’t mentioned any feet problems.  So far so good there  . . .  Why did I stop briefly early afternoon?  TRAIL MAGIC!  This was my first experience but at HogPen Gap, a Gap which will live in my dreams, I ran into some bible-study folks who set up Trial Magic.  It was my first Trail Magic and they set the bar very high. 

As we came through the Gap we came upon tables of food, drink, love and encouragement from a bible group that had set up a very generous Trail Magic site for us.[Trail Magic:  The Appalachian Trail Conservancy states: The term “trail magic” was coined by long-distance hikers to describe an unexpected occurrence that lifts a hiker’s spirits and inspires awe or gratitude. “Trail magic” may be as simple as being offered a candy bar by a passing hiker or spotting an elusive species of wildlife]. This was awesome.  I had lemonade, hot soup, pasta salad, and basked in the sunlight with Echo, Coyote and her family, and Nick from the Netherlands.  I thanked them profusely, took some fruit, refilled on water and hit the Trail for Low Gap Shelter.   Continued at a really good pace, often passing people, all the way into Low Gap Shelter. Set up VERY carefully as we were expecting yet another deluge.

28 March – Lance Creek Campsite to Neel Gap [7.3 miles]

Left Lance Creek campsite, crossed ultimately up and over the dreaded Blood Mountain and moved on to the famous Neel Gap site for the night.   Considering the mountain, the biggest for us yet, this was a decent day for me.  My legs are a little better.  What was I whining about all that time?  Anyway, I chugged along and got to Neel Gap.  Forgot to tell you:  all of the Trail so far is up and down Georgia mountains . . .real elevation changes constantly it seems. 

This (Neel Gap) is historically a significant landmark for Thru-Hikers to get to for two main reasons: 

1.)  several facilities are set up to cater to the Thru-Hiker who has just had his first whole week of body shock-and-awe, and 2.) many people quit here as it is on a major road that people can use to bail out of the whole thing:  see ‘The Tree’.

I took advantage of the facilities.  Got a neck massage from physical therapy students set up under a tent, talked to a physical therapist about my quads for a long time (you’ll be good- looks like some good ole’ bilateral overuse pain), poked around the store, resupplied. 

Hung out at a fire that night with about 8 guys who were moving on the next morning.  It was a UN assembly again.  We told jokes, measured dicks, some guys had beer, and we all felt like leaving Neel Gap in the morning and heading North was when the real Appalachian Trail begins!  When does this goddamned thing start? At the fire I was with Sponge-Bob, Echo, Tree-Hugger, Night Walker, Scarecrow, etc . . . you see, some guys are already getting their Trail names.  I don’t have one yet. . . plenty of time for that.  Funny stories behind the names.  (i.e. One of the guys got called a tree hugger in two separate incidents the same day, and by coincidence is an arborist, and so got the name Tree-Hugger.  Perfect!  You should hear him tell the story.  Meeting some really cool guys out here.)

27 March – Woody Gap / Suches, GA to Lance Creek Campsite [3.4 miles]

Well, I’m pressing on.  Took my time getting my lazy fat stupid ass out of Woody Gap and didn’t start hiking until about noon … Still feeling the leg issues.  Not much progress.  Took another real short one and arrived at Lance Creek and decided to set up for the night.  It was a strange site that was crowded and had filled up with a lot of tents as rain was imminent again. . . many of us scrambled to set up and hunker down as night fell. I did have some great conversations with a Field Artillery Captain from the Texas National Guard.  We laughed our asses off trading stories of National Guard misadventures for a long time and could have gone on all night, and both of us wanted to, but suddenly found ourselves standing outside in the cold and dark alone laughing loudly while all the tents around us were trying to sleep.  This guy’s hiking partner is a Boy Scout Leader who has four boys who all achieved Eagle Scout.  What the?