I will remind readers that this hike took place in 2004. I am revisiting it in order to have in mind the good and the not so good as I prepare to finish more sections of the fascinating AT this year.
Day 5
There was wind. It was chilly. We stayed in the tent till almost 9 wondering whether it would rain again. There wasn’t much to do except start walking and find out. I knew I didn’t want to climb the infamous Albert Mountain, so was planning on the bypass trail. Esther’s knee was hurting, even before the weight of her pack was added. We knew we would be crossing several forest service roads and felt that if a ride out came our way, we would take it.
We started at 11 am and had a good two hours of nice flat and down stretches. The sun came out, there were flowers everywhere and fresh bear scat on the trail (just to keep things real). While eating lunch at Betty Creek, we heard a truck in the distance,beeping as it backed up. However, it must have been on another trail, and farther than we could run to to catch it. On we went to Mooney Gap with Lorraine and Kenton leading the way, as we were now quite a bit slower.
As we approached the next road, there were Lorraine and Kenton talking with a whole crew of men from the Nantahala Hiking Club. They had been working on the trail (putting in an elevator at Albert Mountain, they said. Giving CPR to a blackbird, they said.) and were about to head back to Franklin. They were concerned about Esther and happy to pack us into the back of one of their trucks and take us back to town.
It was a little surreal, two hours later, to be back at the Microtel taking a shower instead of on the trail in jeopardy of hurting ourselves. I thanked the Lord for taking care of us. We will live to see another day, maybe even hike again. We took Kenton’s car which she left at the motel and drove to Wayah Crest to retrieve my Aztek. Found a Thai restaurant! Back at the motel, went to bed on a real mattress!
Day 6
Things I learned:
- In early May take gloves and warm jacket and hat
- Take a good rain suit and cover for my pack
- Go lighter still – it can be done
- Take treats and morning coffee – you need them and they don’t weigh that much
Hiking can be pleasant and the scenery beautiful but the most amazing thing is finding yourself dependent upon God, and pretty much out of control of your own welfare. I felt the experience was as much an exercise of faith, discipline and persistence as it was for our muscles. That has become a big reason why I love hiking in remote places.
Esther and I had a great day checking out Franklin, visiting the outfitter’s store and a book place. We ate lunch at a creekside cafe with robins singing over our heads and the brook singing underneath our balcony – very Appalachian. We found a great park to lounge around in and read our books. Succumbing to the mundane, we had pizza for supper and relaxed watching a thrilling episode of Extreme Home Makeover on TV.
Day 7
I had breakfast (that’s me, always), Esther didn’t (usual for her) and then we got ourselves packed up and into the Aztek for the rendezvous with Lorraine and Kenton. We parked where the trail crossed the main highway at Winding Stair Gap. Esther’s knee wouldn’t let her go very far up the trail but I intended to meet the girls, identifying flowers along the way with my new book. I only got a short way up the trail to discover Lorraine and Kenton sitting, eating morning snack and thinking they were still a couple miles from the meeting point.
They were in good shape but also content with cutting the hike a little shorter than originally planned. We whisked them back to the motel for a quick shower (for which we were not charged, even though it was past checkout time, yay!) We had a celebratory meal at the renowned “Fat Buddy’s Barbecue”. It was a place worth another visit and even Esther (vegetarian) found some good stuff there. Lorraine didn’t mind heading home right away so we left about 3 pm and had a safe trip home to Florida. There are many other details I could have written but, basically, that’s the story (morning glory).
Does this story make you want to go hiking, or not? Are you curious about any element of the story?
I Just Have to Say... 
It sounds like a real adventure. I’ve done some hiking on the southern end of the Pacific Crest Trail, which is mostly high desert at that location. The PCT runs from Mexico to Canada, and is also an equestrian trail the entire length, so imagine our surprise when one excursions came to a dead stop at an 8 foot vertical wall. Somehow, we had lost the trail and followed a wash into a canyon. And because the sun was going down, we did the worst thing you can do in a wash — set up camp. Fortunately, it didn’t rain, so no flash flood fell over the wall to drown us in our sleep.
You’re right, you can’t control much of what happens to you in the wilderness, but you also have to make good decisions about what you can control. We, too, were lucky to make it out alive. 🙂
Thank you for the vicarious lesson! I would love to be able to do that trail, but one thing at a time, I guess. Thank you once again for your friendly feedback. You are a special soul.
That’s very kind of you to say, Shirley. Thank you.
Just a note- the good stuff I found at the barbecue was Sangria.
Also, I remember almost none of this. Creekside lunch with birds singing? I remember pain, soggy clothes and tents, and crippling fear. At least I remember the good parts, tho 😉