Make it count: Day #15

Friday, March 27 - Day #15 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 7.2
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 157.8/2,193 (7.20%)
••• bypass 90.9 miles due to Covid-19
Standing Bear Farm (241,5) to Groundhog Creek Shelter (248.7)
Total ascent - 2,644’
Total descent - 1,384’
Total Stated Completed - 1/14

Coming to you live from Groundhog Creek Shelter (Mile #248.7 on AT) in TENNESSEE. What? Queue the band:

Rocky Top - you’ll always be
Home sweet home to me
Good Ol’ Rocky Top
Rocky Top - Tennessee
Rocky Top - Tennessee

It was actually news to me as well - I don’t know where I am anymore.

So - about 8:20am this morning LeAnn my shuttle driver showed up at Stecoah Gap just like promised. Her husband was along - no doubt for protection from this random dude she was picking up to drive around the Smokey Mountains for a couple hours.

She stopped for me at a gas station so I could use the ATM so I didn’t use up all my cash. I was able to use the bathroom and grab a Gatorade and power bar for the road. The drive went well. They were very nice people and had a lot of good insight on the area.

Standing Bear Farm is where they dropped me. This was not New York City - or even Bloomsdale, MO where I grew up. This was back a no-where gravel road. They stopped along the side and said: “There you go - the trail heads that way”. This was as close to getting dumped on an abandoned road to be left for dead as you’ll ever be in your life. The only reason I got out - it was clear this was the AT with signs stating the northern direction.

Right away - BAM - a 2,500 foot climb just to see if you were paying attention. We arrived at Standing Bear at 10am - so I only planned to hike 7.2 miles. Well - that’s about all I wanted. I finished a little after 2pm - very exhausted from the past couple days events.

Since I was at camp early - I got one of the best tent spots. I got all setup - filtered some water- then sat for about 20 minutes icing my feet in the cold spring by the shelter. ALL GOOD. Then I cooked some dinner - instant mash potatoes with a packet of tuna thrown in for flavor. Then - a snicker bar for dessert. It was actually really good!

A side note on what I’m eating daily. Well - first of all - I’m eating a lot of food. I knew this first month would be a huge transition for me - so I wanted to keep up my strength. Don’t judge too harshly - but here’s what I’ll eat daily on the average. I don’t cook anything for breakfast so I can get on the trail quickly. I’ll eat a cliff bar and generally a snickers and/or multigrain bar the first mile. Then I’ll generally drink a 1/2-liter of water to get it going. I like to have an electrolyte package in there as well. I’ll pack beef jerky, bag of nuts, couple snickers, and a couple multigrain bars for snacks throughout the day. I’ll generally stop for a longer rest where I’ll eat lunch - either peanut butter tortillas or tuna (or sometimes both). I’ll drink at least 2 liters of water on the trail - sometimes more. Once completed with the hike - I’ll again snack on an energy bar. Then - for dinner I’ll eat a Mountain House prepackaged meal or instant mashed potatoes. I then will have another bar for dessert. It’s not uncommon that I’ll eat between 8-10 bars throughout the day (this could be nuts, raisins, etc). I’m eating fairly constantly. I will especially snack heavy on the big vertical ascent days (which seems to be everyday)

It’s only 7:30 pm and I already have most of the blog completed. I’ve been resting in my tent. I needed an afternoon of rest. This camp has probably 20 people or so. I made some new friends with Hot Sauce and Rooster. The 2 guys from last night with the family at Stecoah Gap are here as well - Crispy and Stretch. (I really need to get a trail name. When someone asked you what your name is and you say “Kyle”- you kind of sound like a tool). Most of these people run with something on their own. My Tramily is way back and of no help now - what should I do? I’ve been walking around with a broken trekking pole since my fall the other day. It’s actually working pretty well. I may not replace it - it builds character. People ask me about it everyday. A trail name associated with this — what could it be? You gotta be careful here - you can get into a tricky area pretty quickly - see if you can come up with something for me. I don’t know - but I’m not going to be answering “Kyle” for very much longer. People just look at me with a blank stare when I respond with this. Then - they just put their head down and walk away. I’m the awkward kid at the end of the bench.

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So - to make sure I summarize what just happened today - I created this below:

***Smokey Mountain Bypass: 90.9 Miles***

Stecoah Gap (Mile # 150.6) - Standing Bear Farm (Mile# 241.5)

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North Carolina- Tennessee —— Miles #78.1 - #467

1. 78.1 - 166.3 —- North Carolina

2. 166.3 - 239.1 —- Smokey Mountains (both North Carolina and Tennessee)

3. 239.1 - 395.3 —- North Carolina and Tennessee

4. 395.3 - 467.0 —- Tennessee

I will be hiking through both Carolina and Tennessee for the next 150 miles or so. The AT crosses the border between the 2 several times - so it’s very plausible that I may not know what state I’m in at any given time. I’m currently at Mile #248.7.

The goal now - just keep hiking. Continue north - if/when the Covid-19 improves and the Smokies reopen - I’ll make a return trip to finish the 90.9 miles I missed. I hope to do this sooner than later - to keep on track for the northern states

Good night from Rocky Top!!!

“Wish that I was on Ol Rocky Top
Down in the Tennessee Hills
Ain’t no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top
Ain’t no telephone bills”