Week 1

Disclaimer** I'm not proofreading, I don't have time for that (sorry Micheal). This is straight from my brain. You can read it or not, whatever you'd like

Day 1

You never walk alone. And nothing goes to plan. We had a nice dinner at the lodge and lucky got there 40 mins or so before they closed so we got all our things inside and booked it to the restaurant. And the storm had just come in as we made our drive up from the aquarium. I probably should’ve gotten more food at the target but oh well. As we were heading back to our room I noticed the map of the trail that went from the 1st floor to the second floor and remembered that this was the map that Scott jurek stood under before he attempted his FKT of the trail a few years ago. So I had my mom take a picture of me and we then met shades and her dog blaze and told us about her through hike attempt of this year and I wish them best of luck. Then we finally went to bed and the power ended up going out at 1am. We awoke and had breakfast around 9. Then we got all my gear together and in the car and headed to the visitor center. That’s when I met Miss Janet. Sitting outside we ended up talking she’s a trail angel and was offering her advice and support for my journey and helped reassure my mom. Then I got my hiker tag! 914 is my number not what I was expecting. And then I realized the trailhead for the mountain was an hour drive away so we made our way up there and saw Miss Janet up there helping out some hikers and met kitchen sink. Then I finally said goodbye to my mom and walked down the 1mile towards the beginning of the trail and met a couple people along the way. Unfortunately the mist covered the beautiful views that would’ve been there but it was still an amazing experience nonetheless. Up there I met mark sipping his beer. He kindly took some pictures for me and we conversed as more hikers came up the approach trail and I signed the log book. “What a beautiful day to go hiking! - ian” I made my way back down and saw Miss Janet once more before I headed a couple miles down to the first shelter of my journey. I met some more people as they showed up and we learned how to properly put on new canisters without causing a giant fireball. Here’s to the first day and night on trail! So much has happened already and I’ve met so many cool people. They show up at just the right time too.

Day 2

Had a later wake up around 9. I slept in the shelter with at least ten other people and a couple dogs. It was a full house. By the time I got up a few people had already made breakfast and left or where on their way out. And with the late start yesterday I didn’t get as many miles as I wanted to so I knew I had to make it up today. After this I figured I’d stick to my lower mileage goals. Once I signed the logbook I took off in the wrong direction but quickly realized and went to right way. And down at the creek crossing I saw the two ladies I met yesterday not really sure on how to cross. I didn’t want to step on the stones barely peaking out of the water and decided the seemly slippery log was a better option. I crawled across safety without getting wet and one of the girls followed. The other more hesitant. Then Steve just came and stepped across no problem and kept going. I stayed back to make sure the other girl got across and watched two older ladies cross before the other girl crossed. Then I walked with the other ladies and talked to one who had done the AT a few years ago and was training for kilamenharo. Her name was five star and preceded to give me some much needed advice for the trail. Like getting safety pins to hang wet clothes, how to properly pop blisters, how she manages to eat without a stove, how to take care of your feet, and keep her pack 15lbs. Meanwhile mines like 37 full. Yeah after all that hiking today I’m definitely getting rid of some stuff at Neels gap and maybe replacing stuff for lighter gear. They offer a pack shakedown where you have someone go through all your gear and help you decide what to keep, replace, and send home. After my chat with five star I felt good and she kept a strong pace throughout our conversation. I was on my own for a little before I ended up seeing Steve again a couple miles in. We ended up walking the rest of the day together to the next shelter. We (mostly he) talked about a lot of different things, his apartment, his watch, his car, pbs programs, our trail expectations. At some point I was wondering when we’d take a break for lunch and around 1:30 I made the decision and he agreed. We had a nice view over the mountains. Then we kept trudging along. Meeting people along the way some of which were going to the same shelter. At one point I was filming a view creek crossing and ended the video right before Steve fell In! Luckily he just landed on a rock and wasn’t too wet. We finally made it to the shelter around 4. There were a handful of people already here so we went searching for a campsite. We told stories of our experiences with kitchen sink haha. Made dinner then soon after made a beeline for bed. It’s supposed to get down into the 20s with wind gusts all night so I’m putting on all the clothes and bag liner. Hope I don’t freeze. I have to sleep with my water and electronics so they don’t freeze.

Day 3

Luckily last night wasn’t as cold as we thought. Never easy predicting the weather but the wind never quit. You could hear it start off in the distance and then build and build until it was right on top of you 20mph (I’m guessing). But I had a lucky hammock spot and kept low to the ground so nothing came undone or loose. A bunch of us are heading to this camp site right before this bear canister only restriction zone. Where you can’t stay at the next two shelters unless you have a bear can. A lot of us don’t so we have to camp in this small site with only like 4 spots and then camp after. Then we’ll resupply and either stay in town or keep going. There is a storm coming this Friday it seems and I saw five star again today and she recommended hiking that day and finding a place indoors to sleep at night so we’ll see how that plays out. Otherwise it was a nice start today 10am again even tho I woke up at 8am. I don’t know where the time went. We stopped at a nice stream for lunch and thought we’d have to fill up before our campsite but when we got here we realized it was named after a creek so of course there’s a creek here. Most of the tent spots were taken but luckily I’m hammocking I can go elsewhere. Hopefully no rain tonight just some clouds so I might not even need the rain fly and it shouldn’t be as cold either. I’m taking the time to wash my feet and clean them because tomorrow is gonna be a long uphill battle all day and then a steep decline. We had a little campfire with dinner which was nice. A past AT thru hiker “cyclops” stopped at our campsite with us he’s just revisiting sections for his 9 year anniversary of starting the trail on March 12th. He’s also a triple crowner which means he’s done the AT, PCT and CDT. Him and “flash” another hiker who’s done most of the AT were telling us their stories about the smokies and people they met on trail like Miss Janet. This is the latest I’ve actually gone to bed it’s like nearly 8:30pm the last couple nights most people go to sleep at sundown. I already miss my family and friends so much. I think about what they’re doing while I’m out here and I wish they could be here with me.

Day 4

Wow! This is the farthest I’ve ever hiked continuously. Last night was beautiful the stars slowly faded into view and without my rain fly I could stare at them until I fell asleep  and watched them fade away as I woke up. It’s kind of reassuring knowing that they’re always there no matter how far away you are from them; every night they shine as bright as they can to remind you good things are there for those who simply look up to admire them. By the time I fully awoke most of the hikers had left or were getting packed up. But Steve was still there and we packed up and headed off together, last ones out of camp. We passed Pete and “cartoon pot” (is what Steve calls him because his cool pot looks like one in a cartoon) then we later passed “flash” she hung behind us a little while. Then we got to slaughter creek which was the beginning of the climb to blood mountain. I decided to fill up a little on water while Steve was telling me about sky diving. Then this guy hunter “endurance” comes strolling up and gets some water too and I strike up a conversation with him. He says he just set the fastest known time (FKT) for the Florida Everglades trail this year! 21 days! Incredible. He reminded me that things don’t always get worse, you will adapt and get stronger. I left Steve behind keeping up with hunter all the way up blood mountain just trying to learn as much as I could from him and before I knew it, this hike we’d all been dreading, was done! Thank you hunter (@Hunter_leininge on instagram). I found a few familiar faces ontop of the mountain and we had a nice lunch with a great view. Here’s  a little history lesson.

In Cherokee mythology the mountain was ones of the hones of the Nunnehi or Immortals the "People Who Live Anywhere" a race of spirit People who lived in great townhouses in the highlands of the old. Cherokee Country. one of these mythical townhouses stood tear Lake Trahlyta.

As a triendly people they oiten brought lost hunters and wanderers to their townhouses for rest and care before guiding them back to their homes. Before the coming of white settlers, the Crecks and Cherokees fought a disastrous and bloody battle in Slaughter Cap between Slaughter and Blood Mountain.

Most of the people we hiked with were getting off the trail to spend the night in a hotel or hostel but Steve and I kept going. Pigpen didn’t get off either and managed to get in 20 miles so we might see her again for a while. We headed down the mountain second guessing where the trail went at a few points rich and his Aussie Shepard copper passed us and I talked to a guy from colorado about how he enjoys the diversity of trees on the east coast. Then I saw five star again heading towards us, she’d already gone to Neels gap and back already. So I probably won’t see her again. She said “pro tip order the pizza before you do anything else it takes 30 mins.” I decided against the pizza this time but accepted the tip nonetheless. She also reminded me to listen to the book “born to run.” Then I thanked her one last time for the help and support as we walked further apart. Eventually we saw a paved road! And the mountain crossings store of Neels gap came into view! So iconic. Lots of people who quit or just hate their shoes throw them up into the big tree out front. A real sight to finally see in person. It’s like seeing a famous statue or painting in the AT hiker world. I was just so taken away with emotion I lost my train of thought on what I needed to buy and send home. ( I was wrong about the binoculars, they had to go). I got new shorts because the Patagonia ones just chaffed so bad I actually started bleeding (on blood mountain of course). I also got toe socks to see if they help with blister prevention. I talked to bill “the pack whisperer” and got his advice on better fitting my pack. I also met orange kitty! A stray cat that the store has taken care of for over a year since he showed up. I was jealous of his heated cat house. Then after all the people left once again Steve and I decided to keep trekking to a campsite. I ran into “bam” (bad ass mother) on the way as my pace was a little quicker than Steve’s. We had a quick chat before I decided to stop at a campsite. Some people had already set up camp and I went to the water to eat my Mexican quinoa meal and listen to music since I finally got a phone charger ( I brought the wrong one). I really felt so good today after I got up blood mountain and getting to neels really boosted my mood and I felt on top of the world. I’ll admit the first few nights have been rough. But knowing that I’ve made it this far and beyond where many have quit was a good feeling. I’m king to ride this high as long as I can and remember sometimes it doesn’t get worse.

Day 5

When we were talking about kitchen sink and those memories from the first day it’s just so wild to think five days have already passed by. I woke up around 7am again but not really by choice but because that Mexican quinoa bowl I had last night wanted to move in and was pushing everything else out. I ended up in the thorn bushes behind a rock on a steep side of the gap and got a few pricks. A few of the people had left already like Tammy and Tye (the older couple I met on springer day one) and I had my clif bar and peanut butter (sorry if I’m giving you flashbacks Danny) for breakfast after  helping Steve get our bear hang down. Then I got it all packed by 9ish and of course Steve took his time and wasn’t ready until exactly 10. But it’s not that big of a deal we were only going 7 miles today. I got a wave from hunter as he was leaving this morning probably heading farther down. We set off and thought most of the big hills were behind us, oh no no. We got down into tesnatee Gap and shot uo 500+ feet in less than half a mile and passed the local trail maintenance volunteers. Yeah we took a breather after that one. Then we say a friendly snake slither across the trail probably some kind of racer. We kept walking past hogpen gap and it was up and down and up and down until we went down into low gap shelter. Smaller shelter for 6 people but a stream right next to it and after meeting new girl, miss frizzle and snack size I soaked my feet in the cold water. I used the injini sock liners and I think they’re gonna help with preventing blisters. We didn’t even stop for lunch! So new girl was telling us that her pack was so heavy that the people at amicalola did a second take and a hiker gave her a shakedown which means he went through her pack to lighten the load. So that’s why they call her new girl and she had a cutest dog who was born deaf. Then there was Miss frizzle who is a 6th grade science teacher who was hiking during her spring break. She told me her hardest lesson she’s had to learn was to keep her mouth shut. As a teacher she deals with so many parents who won’t take fault and she said she’d give them a few words that got her into trouble. Then snack size said she got that named because she’s small and hikes slow so she’d be behind the group hiking the PCT and would be a snack for mountain lions. She had wonderful advice and stories about her times on the PCT and CDT. We taught new girl how to use a cook stove and do a bear hang (after I literally learned last night lol). It was such a hot sunny day and we hung out at camp for a good while and slowly more people came in. We saw Pete and I asked if he gave Tiffany her beanie back and he said no he put it in a hiker box and I was like aw man she was going to stay at Whitley shelter  which was behind us. Then Joe came in and he said that she showed up at heels and was talking to a guy that had the same beanie she did and said he found it in the hiker box! So he gave it back to her. A b in ch if the other guys that stayed at the hostel also came in, it’s packed like lance creek. We’re all trying to get off to avoid the thunderstorm Friday night. So we all had a good chat and cooked our meals, I ended up with two ramens and a packet of tuna. Snacksize told us about how her husband got the name joyride. So he was hiking the AT and was hitching a ride out of town and this guy picked him up in a PT cruiser but him and the driver got pulled over and arrested  and taking to jail for 4 days before he was let go. Apparently the guy has just gotten out of jail and stolen that car and was trying to run away! I also met Morgan who’s writing for the trek.com so find her blog I might be in there and also I met Caroline my first day and she mentioned me in her blog on the trek as well. Tonight will be another beautiful night under the stars absolutely no clouds and the crescent moon.

Day 6

I did have to scroll up to make sure it was day six. Gosh there is so much I want to write down but I know I won’t be able to remember it all. So it’ll be totally acceptable for anyone to ask me in person maybe I’ll recall details I can’t think of at the moment. But last night at low gap shelter was amazing the stars shined their brightest shine. I had to get up to pee after I debated rustling around and distributing the people around me (I’m still learning to take care of myself first) and as I came back down I just stopped and stared for a minute taking it all in. Next morning I slept in a little later, 7:30 or so, and got all packed up. Each day you learn from the last and get a little more efficient. Most of the other guys were gone again but I watched snacksize leave and new girl with her pup. Joe was still hanging around and didn’t leave long after Steve and  I. Today was the first time in a few days he was waiting on me to pack up. Today was a hot one in the 60s again and nearly clear skies. We applied our sunscreen and noticed one of the hikers lefter their water bag so someone else said they’d be willing to bring it to him. Then we started off just before 10:00. Today was a much easier hike, gradual climbs, green tunnels of rhododendrons. We passed snacksize and some other hikers and eventually new girl and then we got to the rocky sections, oh my gosh that was killer and my right knee started throbbing from all the up and downs. Finally as I’m nearly out of water we get to the water source before the shelter at blue mountain. We see Morgan filling up her water and she’s going to unicoi gap to meet her parents. As soon as we put our packs down the bugs attack, they’re everywhere. So we fill up as much water as we can and head off another 0.1 to the shelter. Aiden and Abby we met at baggs creek a couple nights ago are hanging out at the shelter and some of the guys we’ve seen since gooch were just leaving to stealth camp outside the parking lot at unicoi. As we were setting up camp Joe showed up and got all setup and then we hung out in the shelter since it was only 1 in the afternoon. We were talking to a hiker named rugged shark about the trail because he’d done it a couple times, once in 106 days. He said his favorite park was the smokies and he doesn’t think trail legs come in for him until about 6 weeks but of course everyone is different. He mentioned there was trail magic down at unicoi and we were really tempted to try and make it down there but decided to stay up here for the night like we planned. Rugged shark also told us about the yellow deli (12 tribes) cult up in Vermont, thanks Alex for that recommendation <~ sarcasm. I stretched and rolled my foot and massage my quads with my poles like hunter taught me to try and help the knee pain. Then as the day grew later more and more people came into camp in small groups. We heard a few people saw a salamander by the water source so I went with Joe while he was filling up to look for some but I didn’t see them. Lia and Jordan, and peanut butter giant, and Alex and soapy all showed up. I realized I met Lia at Neels gap because she had a lot of dehydrated meals she sent and I almost bought some. Then I realized I had met peanut butter at stover creek shelter the first night. He had told me his pack weighted 69 pounds at the start and he climbed blood mountain with at least fifty. I could never. We talked about how he got into being a landlord learning from his father and went to school to be an electrician. So he’s making money while he’s out here, that’s the way to go. I met a couple other people blueberry and red maple who are cousins from Ontario, but blueberry is a preschool teacher and is just out here for the first week. I also met grace who is from a city in England called Lancaster. She’s out here avoiding getting a mortgage and getting too far into a career. She also pronounces quinoa like “ka-no-ah.” I found out because Joe had a hard time pricing it too because it was in his meal he got from flash. I the later met Martian whose from Mars Pennsylvania who was with squeeze cheese and a few of them are staying at the green dragon but on Saturday. After the sunset we all kinda hung around the fire pit without a fire and splinter was talking about his time on the tail. He’s a 62 yr old we passed a couple days ago. He’s got a more pessimistic outlook on life, Steve calls it a raincloud. But when he was talking everyone was listen to him and we’d all bust out laughing and go right back to listening. That was a special moment and I’m glad I stayed up late even tho we have to get up at 5am to try and beat this storm coming in tomorrow. I overheard blueberry needing a ride to the Atlanta airport so I decided to give her Miss Janet’s number thinking she’d know someone and luckily she did and blueberry was able to get a ride to the airport. The trail provides, yes it does indeed. Splinter also told me he ran into shades and her dog blaze (that I met at amicalola lodge Friday night) coming down blood mountain and she was coming back up 2 miles from Neels gap because someone pointed her in the wrong direction. But I’m glad to hear she’s made it this far already. I just can only imagine how difficult that must be, I hope I run into her again.

Day 7

I could not sleep last night for the life of me. It was 55 degrees and that sounds cold but my sleeping bag is so warm I just could not get comfortable at all. On top of that I’m thinking about the storm that’s approaching and how we have to get up at 5am to beat it. Eventually I get to sleep and wake up around 4:18 but I didn’t want to get up that early. Next thing I’m waking up to my alarm and from under my hammock I hear rustling and then I see a flash and I think it’s somebody turning off their headlamp, so I wait again and no that’s a lightning flash. So that wakes me up and I try to pack as quick as I can but then I’m dropping my stuff and tripping on things so I just calm down. I finally get all my things packed and then I take a seat on a log and take my shoes off to try and wrap all my blisters before we head down the mountain because I know it’ll make them worse especially if it rains. Then as I’m tying my last shoe back on the raindrops start to fall so I quickly grab a clif bar out of my food bag, scarf it down then get my pack on and poncho then take a couple swigs of water while we start hustling down the mountain. As the wind picks up and the rain comes in and out we’re heading down the mountain a few minutes after six with our headlamps lighting the rock and rooted path. We go down then up and up and it starts to get hot without the rain and our jackets on and eventually we get to the highest part and start heading down. Then 30 mins after we have left camp a big flash of lightning lights up around us. We begin counting the time between the light and the sound. 3 miles. Then a bigger flash. Then a couple raindrops and soon enough it’s pouring down but not too much. But it makes the rocks and leaves just that much more slippery. I even slipped a little bit caught myself with my trekking pole. Steve wasn’t so lucky he took a fall but not a hard one. Eventually in about an hour we made it down to the trailhead and met a couple of the other guys wait for their shuttle. The rain died down at that point to hardly nothing. Bill, one of the owners of the hostel (the green dragon), picked us up and you could tell he was stressed. It was early and the other hikers staying at the hostel hadn’t left yet so we couldn’t go inside but could stay on his porch. Ben and this wife Donna just opened this hostel in Hiawassee, GA last August so they’re still figuring it all out. His wife called him and suggested he drop us off at a diner while we waiting for the others to leave. So we got dropped off at the Main Street grill. We all ate as much food as we good and put all the salt and ketchup and butter on it. I usually never eat bacon or sausage but I did today. Of course Steve took out his phone and was taking pictures of it all. We later arrived at the hostel and it’s actually really nice! There’s a green dragon on their garage and downstairs it all meant for the hikers and there is a separate TV room. The bottom porch has hooks to hang our packs and gear and a scale to weight them. Inside there’s a room with a couch and 4 bunks, a partially filled bookcase with packing tape and boxes, and loaner clothes of various sizes and designs. The there’s two bathrooms and two showers and another room with 2 bunks so the 4 four of us (Steve, Joe, Spencer, and me) pick that one. We get all our things sorted away and get into our fresh loaner clothes and put our dirty clothes in to get washed. Not a second has been thought about planning our resupply before they say they’re leaving to take us into town so we get ready and get dropped at the ingles grocery store. We all get salads for lunch and try to make them a big as we can, Steve owes us all a beer because his was the biggest at 1.82 pounds. Steve also got a soup so I decided what the hell why not and we got Spencer told me about a brand of kombucha so I got that too. Then Steve even got sushi AND seaweed salad. I’ll be damned if I was the only one that didn’t finish my salad but I finished my soup and I felt so full I could’ve exploded. Thank goodness for public bathrooms. Then we just dicked around the store like idiots in PJs trying to get an ingles card for the deals and calculating what foods had the most calories per gram. We spent way too long in that freaking store. We had to rush over to the outdoor store in town to pick up some things we needed and Joe and I decided to try on these topo shoes that Steve keeps raving about. After putting them on and walking around Joe and I both looked at each other and were like “fuck these are pretty comfortable.” So we bought them, we both have hoka speedgoats and both are getting blisters on our pinky toes so hopefully this’ll solve that problem. Then Steve ran to the hardware store to get us some 1/4 tubing for our smart water bottles to make it easier to sip and hike. We also ran into blueberry and red maple at the store too. We all signed the 2024 AT hiker sign in the back of the store. We walked over to the shuttle and the driver Nancy from Syracuse, NY kindly drove us back to the hostel. We had all our gear laid all over the floor and we looked like kids at Christmas in our PJs. Then pigpen showed up with a whiteboard and we had to decide which one of us would take the first car ride to dinner. We hadn’t even thought of dinner we were so full. We went to a local brewery and the live music was amazing. When we got back to the hostel I called my mom like the good son I am. While I was on the phone Steve came around the corner and was playing with his new straw and I had to hold in the laughter. I came back inside and got myself one and then Spencer who’s a ER nurse helped me drain my blister properly. And Joe and Steve watched and filmed it of course so we could watch it again and die laughing. Finally we all got into bed and journaled and chatted before going to bed. Here’s to another week!