Outside Effects

Coming off the trail today to hit the outfitter in the AM.  Over the years we have noticed, despite our carefully arranged plans, outside forces sometimes adversely affect these ideas, changing them considerably.  This microcosm of life, our trek on this trail, has proven to be just as fragile.

Omar, The Jerk

The day before yesterday, we stayed at Standing Indian Shelter.  There were several signs along the way warning hikers to use bear resistant containers as bear encounters were on the rise.  We are some of the few hikers that carry this item – its weight of 2lbs+ is a major discouragement toward most backpack weight conscious hikers.

Use of the Bear Canister

Using a bear canister is like a bad Easter Egg hunt.  The goal is to place the canister at least 250 yds/228M from your tent site to avoid scrapping with the curious creature.  You also want to place it strategically.  Place it near a cliff or a river, and the bear might just roll it over.  Sure, he doesn’t get it, but you don’t either.

We jammed ours in between two trees about 20 yds/ 18M from the privy, with the hopes that those odors would mask that of our food.  To be extra safe, we put out Ma Wampus’ Biolite Stove – a huge contraption but one that might have some scent of food on it.  No animal is going to take it though – it’s just metal and plastic. Unless you are Omar.

There are bears, and there are skilled bears.

Bears are kind of like mice – granted, they can eat you.  For the most part, they really don’t want to have anything to do with you.  Still, if you leave food around where they can get it without too much fuss – they will give it the old college try.  Some bears get really good and are named by frustrated rangers.  Omar is the name of the bear living near the Standing Indian Shelter.

The next morning a fellow hiker was yelling about his food bag, hung in a tree – now just a shredded string of rope swaying 20 ft/6M up in the cold wind.  All his food and his medication – gone.  We found our bear canister cracked and a nice scar on the metal lid.  Apparently, while the wind was raging Omar smashed the crap out of the canister, cracking it.  He then bit or clawed the lid.  Failing, he took the good smelling bag containing the stove, with the stove in it.  It’s like 4lbs of metal and plastic, Omar, you dumbass.

Omar 1, Wampus 0.  Now what?!?

We lost our ability to cook food easily.  We came up with a solution, which worked admirably, as long as the weather holds out.

Today, I Missed My Trashbag Dress

The rain started before 0530.  By 0700, it was quite the torrent, and I could feel that familiar damp on the floor and in the 36F/2C air.  The day has to kick off with me getting our stuff from the bear box or our canister hide spot, so the morning rituals (breakfast, foot balm) can begin.

Ma Wampus gave me a sweet smile.  I grabbed my new fluorescent orange rain poncho and rolled out the door.  It was cold, but the poncho was doing its job, so I was dry.  Still, by the time I unhooked the latch on the bear box, the 4’x3’ (1.2Mx.9M) metal container meant to stymie bears from helping themselves to your food, my fingers were going numb.

The Ponchito

On my return, Ma Wampus immediately looked alarmed.  “What happened?”  She asked.  I thought I had forgotten something.  Then she pointed behind me.  I turned to see a sliver of my fluorescent orange poncho extending a good 4ft/1.2M out the tent.  It was unraveling.

After my ranting about a worthless sun poncho, we came to the conclusion that we would at least need to get to the next shelter, Long Branch, to reassess.  This required us to go up and over Albert Mountain, about 1,000 feet higher in elevation.

Albert Mountain

Albert Mountain and its famous fire tower is a fairly strenuous hike on the best of days.  With rain, it becomes a bit more difficult because the rocks that form much of the pathway are very slick.  As we made the ascent, the rain picked up and began coming in sheets while the temperature fell to 41F/5C.  With all my wet clothing clinging to my shivering skin and just my rain protective, fluorescent orange, rapidly vanishing, now singlet, this was becoming more difficult.

I really wish I had a photo of the upward climb.  When you are being given a cold shower and whipped around the face with little lines of plastic, the desire of photographic evidence of your achievement becomes secondary to just getting off the darn mountain.

Helpful Advice

We arrived at Long Branch at around lunchtime, completely soaked through.  “Guidebook,” a hiker who had witnessed the trash bag dress a week earlier, happened to be there.  “Gosh, I think the trash bag was better!” he said.  Then, as I watched the steam rising from my wet pants as I sat shivering in the back of the actual shelter, a new hiker, Jackie, helped us out with some sage advice: “You know, I always keep a contractor trash bag or two in case something like this happens.”  Yes, Jackie.  This is definitely good advice.

Other Observations

In sum, we had to come back in town today to hit the outfitter tomorrow.  While no rain is projected, I am sure we will see some in the near future.  In addition, we need a viable way to cook food, especially if it’s really cold. With these problems solved, we’ll head back out to our adventure, ready to face the next ones.  In the interim, here are a few things we saw along the way.

Ancient Cherokee

Franklin is the site of an ancient Native American mound, which was the center of their town, Noquisi (anglicized Nikwasi).  The mound dates from 1000 CE and was one of the Cherokee “Mother Towns”.  In 1761, the Cherokee sided with the French in the French and Indian War.  The British burned the town and used the mound and its culture center as a field hospital.  In 1776, the Cherokee sided with the British, as we talked about earlier.  This town, like Hiawassee, was again burned during Rutherford’s Raid.  The town came back to life only to see the Indian Removal Act, resulting in Noquisi becoming Franklin.  Huge deposits of rubies and sapphires were discovered after its “Franklinization”.

Coweeta Basin

The Albert Mountain fire tower overlooks the Coweeta Basin, which is considered one of the oldest environmental studies in North America, having started in 1934.  Because of its range in elevation (2250ft/685M to 5223ft/1592M) this basin allows scientists to study effects in these small areas and apply them all over the United States and elsewhere.

Tree of Woe

I forgot to mention this peculiarity during our foray from Blood Mountain.  At the Neel’s Gap parking lot, there is a tree with dozens of pairs of shoes tied into the branches.  Rumor had it that this was where hikers who had called it quits showed their disdain, which seemed counterintuitive to me.  Why would you throw away $150 pair of shoes when you might take this up again later?  Upon investigation, the shoes were a problem for their owners on the first 30 miles of trail. People that fight over carrying either two or three pairs of underwear on a six-month journey are not going to carry a pair of shoes that did not work for them.  Since the market for used sweaty hiker shoes that caused pain is limited, they make great tree ornaments.