Miles Hiked Today - 13.5
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 253.4/2,193 (11.5%)
Whistling Gap (330.8) to Erwin, TN (344.3) - hotel in Erwin, TN (Mountain Inn & Suites)
Total ascent - 2,362’
Total descent - 4,449’
Total States Completed - 1/14
Well - well - well —— coming to you live from the Mountain Inn & Suites Hotel in Erwin, TN. I can’t tell you how much I needed this little reprieve from tent life. How many days have you gone without actually seeing yourself in the mirror? I haven’t seen my face for nearly 10 days. WOW! A little sunburned and shaggy with grey beard starting to form. I was thinking about this today - how we can often rely on our family or friends to tell us if something is wrong (maybe you’re turning pale during a workout and you need to pull back, maybe you have swollen glands and it’s easy to tell you’re getting sick, maybe you’re hair is messed up, maybe there’s some sort of large cyst growing on your head, etc). Having that person that knows you the best - they can tell if something is wrong (sometimes even before you can).
It’s been a really good day overall today. I hiked 13.5 miles into Erwin - arriving around 3pm. I then hiked another mile or so to the hotel. Perfect day for hiking. Chilly to start (around 30 deg) - but warmed up to mid 50’s. I hiked on my own enjoying the trail. I stopped off at a shelter location for lunch and met up with a few of the folks that I had camped with last night. Enjoyable - all of us were commenting about how special of a day this was after the harsh conditions all week. I know I’m an introvert at heart - but these talks really lift me up and give me energy. The final 6.2 miles went fast - again finding myself almost running down the trail. Hopeful the hotel would be open - but not fully committing to it.
It’s about 7pm right now. After showering and getting some snacks - I’ve been trying to get caught up on the world the past couple hours. I have a pasta dinner on the way from a local restaurant - I can’t wait for this! Tomorrow I’ll be able to do my laundry here at the hotel. I then need to find a place to resupply my food. But - for the most part - the goal tomorrow is completely relax and rest.
Body check - I’m hanging tough. Probably my biggest problem area right now is my calves. Both calves are really tight and often painful throughout the day (especially early mornings and at the end of the day). Going up the steep hills - the calves burn hard. It’s sort of like weightlifting when you burn your muscles to fatigue and you just can’t do another set. That’s the way I feel going up the monster hills. I have to stop on occasion to let them ease up. I’m stretching all the time - but they’re just really, really tight. My shoulders get sore during the day. I have to take the pack off every now and again - but not so bad. The other main thing is just overall fatigue. When I get good sleep - I can actually feel how strong my body can be. Most days - it’s just powering through.
I wasn’t able to take any pics today - no battery left. I’ll post a couple things.
8:15pm - dinner was fantastic. I still don’t have that hiker hunger yet. It’s weird. They say it usually takes several weeks before you’re hungry all the time. I ordered lasagna and a big salad- I wasn’t even able to finish it. No worries - it’s in the refrigerator in my room and I’ll eat tomorrow. I’m crashing fast right now. I can just feel my body slipping into relaxation mode - and it’s a great feeling.
More thoughts tomorrow- but good night from a warm bed in Tennessee.
My stuff spread out in hotel
One of my favorite pictures of the whole hike - several days ago
My position for the next 36 hours
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