420 In My Head: Day 2 on the Appalachian Trail

420 Lash Day 2: 16.2 miles, 2,800 feet climb, 3,000 feet down.
Muskrat Creek shelter to Betty Creek Gap.

Social Media Posting

On my hike last year, I captured all my thoughts every day. I wanted to document my journey both internally in mind and externally. I wanted to capture where my mind was led in realtime.

I also wanted to share my adventure. Countless other hikers had shared their experiences. I enjoyed reading their stories and learning from them while I planned my own thru hike.

Each day, I captured my thoughts using voice-to-text and with pictures. At the end of each day, I would put that day’s text and pictures into a folder on my phone. I also calculated my miles and elevations.

If I had time, I might edit my work at night in my tent. Most of the time I was too tired. I would save my editing for NERO and ZERO days.

On those town days, I would spend hours editing my posts, choosing relevant pictures, and uploading everything for future publication. I would then publish each days post while I was still on the trail.

This created a daily journal of my thoughts even though those thoughts were several days behind.

“I’ll tell you something that will make you want to change your head. Where your focus is where your mind be led.” Chemical Equations by Treehouse

It takes A LOT of work to publish. This trip, I decided I would try to balance my publishing with my unplugging. “Where my focus was where my mind was led”. A more immersive experience in the hike itself. This adventure took place months ago.

Good Morning

I found a tent site near the creek last night. The shelter and surrounding woods was packed with thru hikers. This is definitely the bubble. There were more than a dozen tents set up and the shelter was full.

You could see the freshness in all the faces. You could also sense the newness of the trail for many of these through hikers.

I fell asleep easy and early last night. This morning I woke up the final time about 5:30 a.m. No one was up yet. I felt like I had slept in because I was used to hitting the trail much earlier on my thru hike last year.

I knew I didn’t need to worry about hitting the trail quickly. I knew I would limit my miles today to avoid overuse injuries. My instinct however kicked in and told me to get moving.

I took my time through the glow of the red light head lamp. Nobody else in the camp seem to be moving. That seemed odd at first but then I realized most thru hikers are limiting their miles right.

Rock springs Gap was only 25 miles away, with only 4,300 ft of elevation gain in that entire distance. I should be able to do this easily in 2 days.

As I hiked on, I decided Betty Creek Gap approximately 16 miles away today would be my goal for today.

Soul Reborn

Last year, after months of hiking, I reached Katahdin in a mechanical state of mind. I was focused on getting to the final goal.

Eat, Sleep, Hike, repeat.

Today was different.

It had been less than 24 hours since I stepped back onto the AT for my first long hike since leaving Katahdin last year. Yesterday, I spent most of my hike focused on getting reacquainted with the mechanics of hiking.

I was curious to see how I had changed in the 7 months since my summit of Katahdin.

As I rounded a bend I came up on spectacular view of the valley below, The sun was coming over the mountains to the east. Dark clouds still hovered overhead threatening harsh weather.

And then it hit me as I was listening to the listening to the Treehouse Chemical Equations quote:

“I’ll tell you something that will make you want to change your head. Where your focus is where your mind be led.”  

Suddenly as a cool wind rose from the valley below, I felt a full body shiver not from the cold. The spirit of the trail swept over me and reentered my body and soul. Frisson.

The green tunnel was months away from setting in so the views were spectacular. This section of the Appalachians Mountains is especially scenic. The topography in the Nantahala area is very rugged. The trail winds on a knife edge with spectacular views on either side.

I started thinking about Sam’s gap, only mile 200 miles away and the outstanding wildflowers I would see just like last year.

A thru hike is not just about the beauty of nature. It’s the simplicity of carrying everything you need in life on your back. It’s about only having to think about walking. Enjoying God’s gift of the beauty of the forest around you.

That is where my mind was being led. I wanted to stay in this state of mind as long as possible. I wanted to forget the mechanics of food, shelter, and safety. Trust the flow of life.

Shelter from the Storm

I was amazed at how quickly I had hiked the 16 miles to Bettys Gap, especially after the long climb yesterday on my first day back since my thru hike last year.

When I arrived at Bettys Gap, I spoke with a father and son thru hike team from the Midwest before setting up my tent.

Not long after setting up my tent, the dark clouds that had been following me all day finally caught up with me. I feel asleep soundly to the patter of rain on my tent.