Appalachian Trail

It was a beautiful week in late September; the trees were orange, yellow and red. As far as you could see it was a carpet of different colors. The goal was to hike 80 miles of trail starting in North Carolina and ending in South Carolina.

We arrived at the trail head about mid morning. We would have about a 1500 foot climb to make, in about a ½ mile distance. The pitch was steep and both of us were carrying 80 to 90 pound packs, because we were told by the rangers that there was no water along the trail. We carried canned goods instead of freeze dried foods. We each carried a gallon of water.

When we reached the top an hour and a half later, we were both exhausted and hadn’t even really started the hike yet. We were both in very good shape at the time and it was still very difficult. We dropped our packs and climbed a fire tower that was next to the trail. The view was beautiful; we just sat there and enjoyed the panorama of color surrounding us.

We started down the trail and hiked about 6 miles before it started getting dark. The trails were up one hill and down another our best day was 13 miles.

On the trail we were required to spend the night in these little stone hovels next to the trail. They had steel bars to cover the windows and doors so the bears couldn’t get in. It felt like going to jail every night, also these little shelters were full of mice and rats that liked to chew on everything. After the first night we decided we would just camp off of the trail.

Hiking down the trails and seeing the beauty everywhere made it all worth while. There was in fact plenty of water along the trail and we didn’t need to bring canned goods and extra water. Thankfully our packs got lighter each day. It added to the fun memory of the trip.

One day we were walking down the trail, I was in the lead. I had my fishing pole in my hand because we were going to fish for dinner. All of a sudden this thing came flying at me, it was screeching and about the size of a basketball. Without even thinking I swung my fishing pole like a baseball bat and knocked it into the brush. My friend came running up beside me asking what it was. I had no idea, but it seemed determined to get me.

We searched around in the brush trying to find it. There it lay, it looked dead. It was an owl. I touched it with my fishing pole and it popped up again and came right at me. I ducked and it flew into a tree not 3 feet from a trail. There it stayed. I can only assume that it had young ones in a nest or something. It was late in the season and that didn’t really seem like a likely explanation.

On our fourth day we found a nice little meadow off to the side of the trail. It was beautiful, the grass was still bright green and there was a crystal clear stream close by. We set up camp and sat in the stream to wash up. As we were walking back to our tents a light breeze came up and the colored leaves started falling out of the trees. It was as if time had stopped. The leaves were gold, yellow and red, falling to the ground ever so slowly. I felt like I was having a waking dream, it seemed so surreal. It was one of my most favorite moments in all the times I have been hiking. It reminded me of one of those special effects I see in movies.

On the sixth day we somehow had taken the wrong turn and were lost. We walked back and forth trying to find the main trail, but couldn’t. I climbed a tree hoping to see some landmark that would tell us where we were. This is the only time I have ever felt “Lost”. From the top of the tree, all I could see were more trees, just like the one I was in. We stopped and ate lunch and tried to get our bearings straight. We knew we were probably within a mile or so of the main trail. We tried backtracking, but still no trail. We finally decided to follow a stream, we weren’t sure if we were above or below the trail. We followed the stream downhill until it started to get dark. It was no easy task because of all the thick brush and kudzu. Finally we decided to make camp and try again in the morning.

We got up early the next morning and made breakfast and discussed what to do next. We knew from dead reckoning that we most likely were on the trail in South Carolina. According to the map we couldn’t be too far from the trail. We decided one of us would stay in camp while the other walked in concentric circles looking for something to give us an idea of where we were. After about an hour of walking in ever widening circles and yelling back and forth. I found the main trail. I yelled out for my partner and found that he was only 500 yard away. In the thick vegetation it seemed to me that by now I would have been a lot farther away. We got back on the trail and finished the last leg of our hike.

One interesting fact was; we didn’t see one bear or even sign of bear on the trail. We did see sign however all around the hovels.

Lessons learned:

1. Most forest service employees never hike the trail and the information they get is only hearsay. It is tough to get reliable information from them.

2. I haven’t carried a pack that heavy since. It really takes a toll on your joints and shoulders.

3. I now carry a whistle with me because it carries a much farther distance than the human voice. You also get hoarse after a while and can’t yell as loud. In the trees the human voice doesn’t carry very far.

4. The rats and mice got into everyone of our snack bars. They just chewed through the wrapper or plastic. Also other hikers left a lot of trash in the hovels which attracted the mice in the first place. I try and leave my campsite cleaner than when I arrived, even if I have to pack the garbage out.

Have fun and if you ever get the chance to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail, Go. It is beautiful.

Ray