It was time to rest my legs, so it was off to Damascus for the day. The day included a visit to the outfitter where I found grandma Gatewood‘s sneakers. I had meatloaf at the diner too.
I’m at Lady Di’s hostel for the night, hoping to recover enough to do some more hiking before it’s time to go home.
When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. Now I’m beginning
Clarence Darrow
to believe it.
Overnight I found that I had really done a job on my quadriceps coming down off of Roan Mountain. Every time I bent my knees, cramps in my inner thighs immediately began. I spent most of the night trying to massage my thighs and keep the cramps from coming back.
Day #2 was spent hobbling along with intense pain in almost every step. I shouldn’t be surprised, injuries can be very common. But, this was the first time I’ve had a significant “injury“ on trail. Consequently , our shuttle driver picked us up after 6 miles and pulled me off trail. The good news is the weather was nice and it was a beautiful day.
I met Pig Pen on trail who told me pain was a good thing. “When you have to concentrate on the pain, you forget all your other worries in the world.” Wise words from the trail…
At Iron Mountain Gap, we met Orange Man, who was using a scooter to shuttle to his car. I thought that was a great way to leapfrog if you’re solo.
AT Thru-Hike Stats
Section Day #2 (3/21/24)
Start - Clyde Smith Shelter (370.8)
End - Iron Mountain Gap (364.8)
Today's mileage: 6.0
Total section miles: 16.0
Section Avg: 8.0
Total miles on AT: 1278.2
Never confuse movement with action.
Ernest Hemingway
Gary (Nothing) and I shuttled up to Carver Gap (5,500 ft) at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line to start our hike. We climbed Roan to over 6100 feet in the first mile and a half. The highest shelter on the entire trail is here. The trail had a lot of ice and it was windy and cold.
Then the long descent began. There was one additional climb of about 900 feet before we got to the Clyde Smith shelter for the night. The going was slow and the descent took its toll on my legs. We arrived just before dark after getting a late start from Carver’s Gap.
It was a cold night, but we were out of the wind and I was nice and toasty.
AT Thru-Hike Stats
Section Day #1 (3/20/24)
Start - Carver’s Gap (380.8)
End - Clyde Smith Shelter (370.8)
Today's mileage: 10.0
Total section miles: 10.0
Section Avg: 10.0
Total miles on AT: 1272.2
Life isn’t hard to manage when you’ve nothing to lose.
Ernest Hemingway
Day #0 was my travel day from St. Louis to Erwin Tennessee. I spent 9 1/2 hours in the car and arrived in the late afternoon. Gary Brady, who I hiked with last year, was here waiting for me. We are going to shuttle up the trail and hike over Roanoke Mountain on day one.
I’m at uncle Johnny’s tonight. It’s your typical hiker trash hostel; when you’re cold wet and hungry it’s a wonderful place.
I’ll spend the night wondering why the heck I’m here, but the mountains and rivers are beautiful.
To a young heart everything is fun.
Charles Dickens
It’s getting close to time to head back to the AT to finish up the south. The weather looks cold (lows below freezing at night), but clear and without rain for the first 5 days or so. I’m planning to make daily posts from the trail again, so keep a look out for them.
I’m heading to Florida to race my MC Scow before hiking, so the excitement begins…
Puffin's Hike 