Day 4

If I was keeping score it would be Mountains 4 Me 0.  Today was the worst yet. Back aches , shoulders hurt bad, stomach aches, feet ache, knees are hurting. On a scale of 10 my pain is 14.  I am carrying way to much weight on me and my pack.  Even though I thought I was drinking enough water the heat today caused me to sweat it all out   I felt like I was going to pass out at least 2 times.  Took 2 long rests so I could get enough strength to keep going.  Finally made it to Woods Hole Shelter.  I am the only one here so I will pitch my tent in the shelter.  The bear cannister was required between Jarrard Gap and Neel Gap so it has done some good. I will send it home at Mountain Crossing tomorrow.  If I can get rehydrated and a good nights sleep I will tackle Blood Mountain in the mourning   I only covered 4 miles today after getting a late start.  My washed clothes needed to dry. 

I also thought I would so the resting log that was one of many put there for me. 

I only needed 100 of them to make it through the day.  I will try to make it to Blood Mountain Cabins tomorrow and then take a zero day there. More to come later. 

Day 3

Today I thought it would be an easy 4.3 miles today but uphill to preaching rock was treacherous then I continued up another steep mountain and finally got to Lance Creek.  Met some nice people camping here. All first timers.  One thing for sure every time I'm tired and need to rest it is almost like God placed a large rock or large tree just for me to sit and rest a while.  Ok maybe not placed there exactly for me but there is always a place to sit and rest. More to come later. 

Day 2

Camped last night at Justus Creek.  Only made 4 miles but climbed sassafras mountain and Justus mountain. Today I ate lunch at Gooch Mountain shelter, then finally made it to Woodys gap at 7:00.  Would have had to hike another mile to get to a campsite. Instead I opted for a hostel in Suches at Wolfpin gap country store, where they pick you up at Woody gap.  So tonight I will be in a bunk. Then start back at woody gap in the morning. 

Starting back

Well I am starting back at horse gap.  My wife dropped me off at the state park where we spent last night.  Passed thru Atlanta yesterday and ate lunch with my brother and his wife and son.  When we got here last night the lodge was closed while they were filming a movie, so we stayed in a cabin and had to drive 20 miles to get something to eat.  This morning I took a shuttle to this location. And ready to hike on. Will update later.  Time to walk. 

Watch out for these 2

These hairy vines should be avoided or you will be in for an itchy time.  These are the ones that got me. 

Good news is the itching has almost stopped and the no new blisters have formed today.  Of course I have taken 2 rounds of 1/2 dose Prednesone and used the whole tube of Benedryl cream.  I will get a new tube before returning to the AT. 

On a more exciting note, my wife and I will head to north GA, Amicalola State Park, on Tuesday, April 22.  We plan to stop in for a quick visit with my brother, Lewis and his wife, Deon on the way   On Wednesday, April 23, I will rejoin the trail at Horse Gap.  This time I will have a Bear Vault so I can take my time and not have to avoid camping between Jarrod Gap and Neels Gap.  I plan to stay in Blood Mountain Shelter one night.

I have decided to leave the alcohol stove at home and keep my JetBoil.  To me the difference in cooking time is worth the additional weight.  Also other factors that affect the alcohol stove are wind, and the amount of fuel you need to use for different cooking times.  If you need to cook longer you can not just add more alcohol while you are cooking.  With the Jetboil the flame is adjustable, so as long as you have fuel in your canisters you can vary the heat you are cooking with.  The weight of the alcohol and the weight of the cannister fuel seems very comparable, even though I have not actually weighed them.  More to come later. 

Watch Out for These

On Saturday, I decided to remove two dead trees that could have fallen and blocked my driveway.  The intention was to take them down so my wife would not have to deal with them if they fell when I get back on the trail.  Although the trees were rotting the vines attached to the trees were alive and well.  End result - POISON OAK OR IVY.  Almost every summer I get poison ivy when I use a weedeater, but this time there were no leaves to identify the vines.  Since I have a lot of wild muscadine vines, I thought that was what they were and I went to work pulling vines.  Apparently these were not muscadine vines.  Itching started on Sunday afternoon on my arm, but by 1:00 am Monday morning after eating my midnight snack I could feel  my lips getting tight and beginning to swell and it looked like I had hives.  Thinking it was a reaction to what I had just eaten, poison ivy or poison oak never entered my mind, especially since I had no blisters at this time.  After a trip to the doctor, I now know the vines were poisonous.  Since Saturday was about 80 degrees I must have wiped the sweat off my head transferring the poison to my ears, neck, and face.  At least I got treatment started early with a shot, Prednesone, and Benadryl cream to relieve the itching.  The whole point of this writing is to provide information to any reader that may prevent him, myself included, from going through the itching and blisters I now have.  Below are pictures of these poisonous plants to help with identification before coming in contact with them.  The best rule is "leaves of three let it be".  This is true of poison ivy and poison oak. Of course there are other non-poisonous plants with three leaves, but close inspection shows that the tips of the leaves on poison ivy will form a triangle and the leaves are not symmetrical, meaning the central vein is not centered, one side larger than the other.   Poison oak has the same identifying marks, but the leaves tend to mimic the other plants around it.  The leaves may look like an oak or may be rounded.  Poison sumac characteristically has either 9 or 11 leaves on a single stalk.  These plants grow just about everywhere in the southeastern states and are one of the things to be avoided on any trail hike especially on the AT or Pinhoti.  Remember the rule - leaves of three, let it be.

Ready to Start Back

Around my house plans keep changing.  My last post was posted when I was visiting two of my grandchildren in Virginia where they had about 8 inches of snow.  Last week was a trip to Georgia to see my youngest grandchild.  It looks like I will get back on the trail the week after Easter since kids will be coming to visit that week.  Once I start back I will have a couple of weeks to hike before I have to make another trip to Virginia for a week.  My wife will pick me up at whatever town I can get to and then drop me back at the same location on the return trip so I can hike on.  In the mean-time I am trying out different meals looking for the things I like to eat.  Some things I have tried, I have ruled out.  It may come down to a jar of peanut butter, along with a few other meals.  Also, I have planted my garden just in case I have to end my hike before reaching Maine.  My wife may end up tending to it if I stay on the trail.  Warmer weather has me excited again about continuing my hike, but also I am aware of the miles I will need to hike each day in order to complete the AT by the end of September.  I have decided not to worry about the miles and just enjoy the hike no matter how far I get.  Being retired, I have no deadline to make so I can take my time and not feel rushed.  More to come later.