Appalachian Adventure

 
Well, my Appalachian Trail Adventure lasted four days.  And yes, on some level, I see this as a failure. BUT I made the decision to come off the trail after having severe breathing issues and passing out twice. I didn't quit because I was cold/tired/hungry/sore/dirty/lonely. I recognized the fact that living is more important than hiking and that the trail is not going anywhere and will still be there when I am able to go back out.

My dream has always been to attempt a thru hike, not to necessarily complete the hike.  So I have done that, and for the time being I can be content with section hiking. My time on the trail was amazing. Other than the health issues and tent mishap (more on that later) this was so life affirming for me.  I learned a lot about myself and how strong I really am.

At the summit of Springer Mountain

The very first blaze on the Appalachian Trail

My first day out was fantastic.  I felt great, the hike was good and one of the first things I saw was one of the main reasons I've always wanted to do this: mother nature in all her glory.  On the side of trail I found acorns that were beginning to germinate!  Sure I've seen acorns but I've never seen them with little oak trees emerging!

There were acorns EVERYWHERE and you had to continually look out for them. Leave it to me, I didn't see some on the trail (I was too busy looking for my next white blaze) and my ankle went one way and my knee on the other leg went another. So there I sat in the trail with two bum legs.  Now this was after I passed out twice from asthma attacks...but I get ahead of myself.

The second day on the trail was a hurried day.  Severe storms were due in and everyone wanted to be snug in their tents or the shelter before they hit.  I was tucked in my tent by 3 pm listening to the approaching thunder and rain trying to get warm. I admit by the time I fell asleep that night I was feeling miserably lonely.  Listening to my tent neighbors all around chatting and laughing among themselves  was so depressing.  There I was with no one and nothing to do except stare at the ceiling of my tent.

Day three dawned clear and beautiful but it ended up being the day from hell.  First I was disoriented when I came out of the shelter area and headed SOBO instead of NOBO.  Luckily I hadn't gone very far and retraced my steps quickly. I was almost to Horse Gap when the first asthma attack hit and I woke up lying in the trail.  Needless to say that was really scary so I decided to go back to the shelter from the night before and regroup then head out the next day.  I passed out again on the way back. That was when I decided I had to get out of the mountains.  I've never had an asthma attack that bad and I was already pacing myself with a snail to keep my  breathing in check. After resting at the shelter I decided to walk back towards Springer as long as I could so that I would be that much closer to civilization.  It was during that time that the acorn sent me sailing. At that point I could have sat down and cried I was so upset, but I didn't knowing that it would just trigger another breathing episode. I hobbled back down the trail slower than slow until I was so tired I had to stop for the night. I started to set up my tent along one of the streams that fed Three Forks Branch:

Upstream

Downstream

My knee and ankle were really hurting by then and I'm sure I was a sight to behold.  Just as I was about to stake down my tent  a gust of wind blew up out of nowhere and swept my tent away. I watched in slow motion horror as my tent flew into the creek below the campsite.

Tent Eating Stream

I forced myself to run after the tent and fished it out, then dumped all the water out I could and dried it with a towel.  The wind kept up so the tent was mostly dry by the time I went to bed and none of my gear except the clothes and shoes I wore were wet.  It was then that I realized there wasn't a single tree that could work to hang my food sack from.  The shelter sites all had bear cables to hang your bags from (and we used them...there was bear scat all around).  Needless to say I spent a sleepless night dozing wondering if a bear was going to steal my food.

Day four was cold and overcast and I hit the trail after a cold breakfast, wanting to get as close to the Springer Shelter as I could.  Luck finally shown on me and I met some cousins out sightseeing who offered me a ride into town so that I wouldn't have to sleep wet and cold again. They truly were my trail angels as I was a sight to see and smell.

Even with my mishaps I had an amazing time and will do it all again. Now to figure out what's next in this crazy life of mine...