Winter Sun

"Wet feet are a fact of life. Wet feet are a fact of life." I repeat to myself. My mantra for the weekend. I'm breaking trail through the snow. The sun is out in the pastures I came up through, but now I'm making my way through the woods on the shadowy north side of the mountain. The snow is deeper here and the only foot steps are mine and the white tail and the squirrels. The creeks are up as the snow is melting in the sun on the balds up top. "Wet feet are a fact of life..." 

I make slow progress. I've been down since May as my knee is slowly recovering. It cuts my mileage and my pace. Breaking through the snow isn't helping me go any faster. Once I make it to the AT there are other foot steps to follow. Single track is packed down as I come up on a group of about 15 teenagers and their group leaders. They're base camping and up for a short day hike. I pass them and the nice solid single track turns into me following the single deep steps of someone with much shorter stride than mine. Its less awkward to just break my own steps in the snow.

I find a spot right below the summit of Little Hump between rocks with a good view of the sunset and sunrise. I chat with the day hikers for a bit before they turn back to camp and fire for the night. I lay out my bivy, my bag and eat dinner and watch the sunset from bed. Its an incredibly clear night and I hope for some star gazing, but thats when the wind picks up. These rocks aren't up for the job as windbreak. The wind rocks me in and out of sleep all night and continues past sunrise. 

Sunrise and breakfast in bed. Still cowering in my bag away from the wind blown snow. Frigid, but absolutely gorgeous. I shiver and shudder as I make my way out of the downy warmth and put on my cold, wet shoes, my body shaking to stay warm as I try to tie my stiff frozen laces. All packed up I hit the trail. Only the nice packed track is gone thanks to the wind. The snow is deeper than ever despite the clear skies. 

Turning back in the direction I came I make my way back off the AT onto the Overmountain Victory Trail. Back into the shadowy side of the mountain where my steps from yesterday remain. Only this time crossed over by deer and coyote since I've been through. The silent side of the mountain. Only the sounds of my feet in the snow, my breath in the air, the wash of the creek over the ice and rocks. The quiet soft sounds of winter broken by the soft rush of owl's wings as it flies over by only a few feet to perch on a branch nearby only to float away further still. Away into the shadows and the white.

Breaking trail up the OVT

Bed for the night

Following the steps of others

The others head back leaving me to the sunset and solitude.

Morning view from bed.

Breakfast in bed with such great sights. 

Roan Highlands: or how I almost injured my friend John

"YOU DA MAN, WIND!" I scream into the clouds as the words whip away into the air before anyone has a chance to hear them. I turn and wait for the sight of John's foggy figure to emerge from the rain cloud we're currently walking through. I'm impressed with his cheery mood as he labors up the Little Hump Mountain and the wind knocks him back and forth out of the rutty trail. The mist we left at camp this morning has turned to a light rain. The high wind has turned that rain against us as it stings the right side of our faces. It puts my mind on the sand blown evening wind biting my face in Arches NP, the rain and wind blowing me off my feet on Franconia Ridge in the Whites, and of course the second time I made the walk across these same balds with sideways hail.  This is probably one of the strongest winds I've felt in this part of the country and rivals the strongest I've ever felt.

John's going strong. We haven't taken too many breaks today, even though we're well behind my usual pace, its nice to hike with a friend after going solo the past few years. We're on the second day of John's first backpacking trip. I tried to pick an easy one, but will later find out how poor my judgment was.

Yesterday we started at Carver's Gap. We're both very familiar with the place, but we'd be going a bit further than John's been before. He's more knowledgeable than most from Carver's Gap to Grassy Ridge, but beyond that its all new territory. 

Taking an easy pace we get to Overmountain Shelter just before the rain hits. An easy going 5ish miles. We're both feeling pretty good after dinner and in the social spirit of the weekend we chat it up with the other 30 people sharing the area with us for the night. This shelter has a way of making a traffic jam of thru-hikers, but luckily it can support the number. As a former thru-hiker I love being around people going through the journey, but usually I leave the social talk to the trail and camp alone. It was nice to meet new people, have a fire and listen to a few musicians (of varying talent) play through dinner. 

The next morning we stay late and rest up as John didn't sleep so well that night. Shelters always take some getting used to before one learns how to sleep solidly. I think the lack of sleep is one of the many factors that would come to haunt my friend later. John's a strong guy, but as a grad student he spends much of his time sitting in front of a computer. This is something I failed to take into consideration when I planned this weekend out. I figured he'd feel rough, spent and worn out at the end of it, but didn't realize just how much it would take out of him. It all went pretty well up until about 5 or 6 miles in the last day. John had a cheap pack that couldn't handle its load and him straining to stabilize it in the wind had worn him out and he started getting muscle spasms in his sides. We took frequent breaks for him to take his pack off, stretch and rest up. I gave him some electrolytes hoping maybe it was just cramps. The last few miles were slow going at less than a mile an hour. It got to the point were he wasn't just hurting, but at the risk of getting hurt so I offered to switch packs with him. With little food in my pack and me wearing almost all the clothes I brought my pack was probably less than 5 lbs where his was more like 40. It took some convincing, but he finally decided it was a good idea to switch up. (note: I'm a firm believer in carrying your own stuff even if its too heavy. Its a good way to learn what you need and don't need, but when its a safety issue I will do what I can to help) It was tough to watch John the last couple miles, but it was also inspiring. He wasn't letting it get the best of him and he wasn't giving up (well he had no option to give up). Its always impressive to watch someone push beyond the limits they thought they had before. He could've turned into a death march and I'm sure at moments it felt like that, but as John fought through the pain and struggled over every obstacle he powered through it and didn't let it take over his attitude. Don't get me wrong he was cussing, but not complaining or feeling sorry for himself.

John texted me the next couple days to tell me he was feeling much better and saying we should do a long day trip soon and some shorter over nights this summer. Which made me feel good until I ran into his roommates on Friday and scolded me for "crippling" John.

A lone Iris standing tall near the shelter

Some type of violet

 John Hiking out with the shelter in the back ground. 

Its beautiful what thrives in a landscape that has such harsh weather so often.

My best guess is some kind of Waterleaf?

Welcome Back Old Friends

That smell of fresh spring rain. The smell of flowers budding and blossoming. The smell of Spring. The smell of the new outpouring of life. The brief commotion of spring. Everything is fighting to find its perfect place. Bursting forth of its colors and odors to attract its pollinator. Everything in perfect timing. Flowering maybe only a day, maybe only a few hours to find its partner. Ecosystems existing only for a brief few days of the life cycle of the flower and insect before it sits and waits for the next few days the following year. Such a perfect balance and dance of life. 

Lousewort. One of my all time favorites. I probably have a dozen or more photos of Lousewort on my blog, but I will continue to post them.

Vasey's Trillium

Lily

I believe this is Smooth Rock Cress, but could be totally wrong on that.

Whatchu got in that bag?

I'm a gear guy. I value when my pack or something in it makes my time outside more enjoyable. But I have always purposely avoided talking about gear on this blog. There are plenty of bloggers out there that review fun junk made for you to carry. I find this can sometimes come off as materialistic and turn me off. Its a fine line and there will always be those people that care more about getting the gear than getting outside. Its neither good nor bad. I don't really read gear blogs and I have no intentions of turning this into one. I love reading about people's experiences and seeing photos of other parts of the world or sometimes seeing an outsider's point of view on a visit to the mountains on my corner of the Earth.

That being said I made a little crummy video of what I carried with me on my last trip (which I wrote a bit about in my previous entry). I had a baseweight of a little under 5 lbs. I ditched the stove and fuel in favor of carrying a book, which I fortunately was enjoying my time too much to read. A good idea on what you can get by with on a summer trip in the 4,000-6,000ft elevations of the NC/TN state line.


Untitled from Patrick S on Vimeo.

My camera can sure take nice photos, but awful videos. Plus lack of skills make it less than great.

Slow and Deliberate

This post is written for Dave's Summer Trip Report contest over at Bedrock and Paradox. The more people that enter the more fun trips we get to read about.

Breathing in, I'm breathing in. I feel the cool mountain winds in my lungs. Breathing out I'm breathing out. I feel the Sun's warmth on my body and the trail under my feet. 

         I've been here before a few times. I've been in the habitation of these mountains and my feet have blistered themselves on these worn trails. I've felt the presence of these very balds and gaps, but they've never felt my presence. Not like now.  I'm fully here. Each step is slow and deliberate. Each breath is equally so.

      "Fast and Light" is often a phrase used among my hiking peers. At least I have half of it right today. The lightness on my back enables the lightness on my mind. I am conscious of nothing beyond this moment. This moment is on these balds and this moment is among the grasses and flowers surrounding me and the vistas beyond them.  The evening light bathing everything in warm hues as our shadows collectively stretch out. I'm going at a snail's pace enabling me to enjoy every small step.

        I have no goals for this hike. No place to get to. I have nothing invested in this walk. No expectations. No ideals. I'm not thinking "This long climb up the mountain will be worth it and rewarded by the sights." I give myself permission to enjoy the walk up under the trees. The infamous (and underratedly beautiful) "green tunnel" of the Appalachians. I have nothing tied into this hike. I have no thoughts of "this will be enjoyable when..."

      My last trip had too much invested in it. I set out to thru-hike the Benton MacKaye Trail last month. Something I had wanted to do for a few years. Once again I could get out for more then just a night or two and get back to my love of a thru-hike. When I didn't enjoy any of the that trail it devastated me. I had too much riding on it for myself. I identified too much with the circumstance of being on a trail I had a big goal to do and spent years daydreaming about. I was finally doing it! But I hated the trail and I wasn't having any fun. It felt like it wasn't the right place for me so I got off after less than 50 miles. It broke me financially and emotionally. I had set many goals and expectations for the BMT and didn't live up to any of them. I didn't allow myself to not tie myself into the 'success' of that hike. I didn't allow myself to just enjoy my self and be present despite the way things turned out.

          I wake up to the sound of rain on my tarp overhead. I spent the early hours of morning drifting in and out of the waking world and sleep listening to the drops of water surrounding me. I hike out under cloud cover, and drop below the bald in to the trees. One thing I enjoy more than hiking through the woods in the rain is hiking through the woods on an early foggy morning directly after a good rain shower. The water running under my feet, the smells of the wet vegetation and the spaced out sound of the drops falling from the leaves and branches above.

       As I leave the trees behind for more balds the Sun breaks through the grey clouds. The light dances through the beads of water clinging to the tall grass. I slow my pace and I smile as I make my way back to the road back to the house, but knowing that I'm already home.

Spring has sprung!

There are some really good reasons why I live where I do. I live here because I want to. One of my favorite things about East Tennessee is that I can drive an hour or less in just about any direction and have top quality hiking. Its not the most majestic of places I've hiked, but there is something really special about the southern Appalachians.

I've done the Roan Highlands more times than I can count and every time I've been over the Hump Mountains I've had bad weather from fog to the sideways sleet and hail I got on my AT thru-hike. When I saw the forecast a few days ago I knew I had to finally see the view I knew was up there. I got a pretty great view and amazing weather, but more importantly I had 24 hours of amazing wild flowers.

Vasey's Trillium. This kept me guessing the entire time. I'd never encountered Trillium this color before even though its apparently everywhere around here.

Lousewort! This is my favorite wildflower and spotting it for the first time this year had me pretty happy. Welcome back old friend.

Spring creeping up the mountain with a little more green each day.

I think this is Spring Cress or maybe a type of violet? Someone please correct me on this one! (edit: I'm being told this is probably Spring Beauty.)

Yellow Trout Lilly. One beautiful flower.

Looking trail south. It felt so wrong hiking away from Katahdin.

I felt like a fool. I got more blisters in less than 20 miles than I did for the entire 2179 of the AT. I may have to start wearing socks again. yuck.

Another Trillium.

Once again I'm stumped. Any help from you guys? Come one I'm friends with botanists for a reason! (edit: I think people are agreeing this is probably Disporum.)

Spider hanging out some some Trillium.

Maybe a geranium of some sort?

Once again I'm stumped. I need to find a better wildflower resource apparently. (edit: also another geranium.)

Phlox!

Plenty of Fringed Phacelia popped up over night! I basically did about 10 miles out and then 10 back the next day. It was really amazing that over half of this flowers weren't there yesterday when I was hiking in and they were absolutely everywhere today!