Trail Magic and PCT Reunions

This morning was freezing when we packed up in Muskrat Creek Shelter. I was definitely comfortable last night and slept well. It was just a very cold night. I would certainly be sleeping better if it was even 10 degrees warmer at night. My toaks cup full of water was frozen solid again. But I have to pour it the night before, because otherwise I won’t be able to get the water out of my bottle!

I made a mocha and then laid for a while longer. Then slowly packed things up without getting out of my quilt. Fortunately our morning is starting with a few miles with very little climbing. So I plan to start in my alpha and wind gear. Once we got ready we were moving by 6am. A slightly later start, but still pretty solid.

It was dark for the first hour as we left the shelter. The trail was mostly flat with only a tiny hill here or there. Then after a couple miles we began a gradual climb. I was able to just roll my alpha up in the front to expose my sun hoodie. That way I could breathe and not sweat out as we climbed. Because as soon as the trail leveled out it was cold again. I kept that up for a while to avoid stopping to remove layers. And it kept me pretty comfortable.

Walking across the snow covered trail as the sun came up.

After an hour or two we began our way up Standing Indian Mountain. That climb was a delightful way to start the day though. There were a lot of long switch backs and it led you gradually up to the top. Mid way up I did take my alpha off though. It was just way too much! That stuff is so nice and warm. But I warm up so quickly when I’m climbing. If it goes on for more than a handful of minutes I’ll be sweating.

We got up to the top quickly and then rode along a ride for a bit. The sun came out after a while and warmed us up even more! As I was walking I was listening to yet another audio book. The other day I finished “Into Thin Air” by John Krakauer. Which was fantastic. The story is very interesting, especially his first person account. Today I’m listening to “Never Finisher” by David Goggins. The first book was incredible. That man’s outlook on physical challenges and stretching one’s mind is something that really speaks to me. This book builds on a lot of the same idea but pulls from a different time period in his life and stories that weren’t shared prior.

Listening to audio books has been a game changer. I’m shocked that I didn’t do this sooner. Each book is 7-12 hours long generally. Which means I can finish a book pretty much in one day. Or a day and a half at most. They pass the time in a way that music never could. It feels good to focus on something and use my brain while I’m walking. Rather than just zoning it and letting my mind wander. If I had to set a new goal for the year, it would be to listen to more than 200 books this year. I think I can pull it off.

Shaded sections of trail were still covered in an inch or two of snow.

Throughout the morning we went past a handful of hikers. It’s nice seeing people on the trail. Even if for just a minute or two. We stopped and talked to a couple different people briefly. And for at least an hour we enjoyed a super flat section of trail. I didn’t remember such a delightful section. We really didn’t wind up doing another hill until we began the climb up Mt Albert. That’s the AT 100 mile marker! Even with our day off last week we’re still moving right along.

As we climbed higher we began to enjoy some wide open views. The visibility today was fantastic!

The views were lovely as we began the climb up the narrow trail. To our right were wide open views most of the  way up, and the sky was clear and bright blue. While we were going up I got in touch with Jive Turkey, a hiker that I met on the pct in 2022. He had to come down to Franklin today and offered to pick us up from the trailhead later on today. We still hadn’t stopped off to rest yet so we were making great time. And my body felt really strong. So it was looking like we would complete the 28.5 miles to Winding Stair Gap by around 4pm.

At times the trail was lined with a forest of rhododendrons.

Right before the final push up to Mt Albert the trail headed down again. Then that last half mile was a significant climb with a lot of stairs. Sometime I prefer steps though. It makes my body tired in a different way. I think what I missed the most about the AT was how variable it is every day. Each climb is pretty different and works another muscle group. I can feel the grade focusing different areas of my calf almost every time. It’s been fun feeling myself get stronger each day.

Climbing the stairs up toward Mt Albert.

Once I got up to the top I immediately noticed just how clear a day it truly was. Last time I was up here it was raining lightly and completed fogged out! I couldn’t see a thing. This hike has already been vastly different than my previous hike, where I started March 31st in 2023. We’re officially 100 miles in to the AT! And by the end of the day we’ll be 1,450~ miles into the hike. The end of month 2 is approaching and I think we’ve maintained solid consistent pace. Even with a few days off for rough weather.

Views from Mt Albert.

At this point we were only about 9-10 miles out from Winding Stair Gap. Starting early and not stopping off for a break had us moving quickly. Once we came down off of Mt Albert there really wasn’t much more climbing for the day. There was even an hour or so where the trail was wide and shockingly flat. That was a real treat. After our big day yesterday it felt good to slow it down a bit. Today is going to be a little over 5,000 feet in 28.5 miles. Versus yesterday 10,000 feet in 30 miles. I appreciate the break.

The AT 100 mile marker!

Right around the time that we passed by Rock Gap Shelter and the road I even saw a familiar face! Jive Turkey was walking south along the trail, out for a hike on this beautiful day. He figured he’d walk out a bit because the weather was so nice. Then we all continued the few miles down to Winding Stair Gap together. I don’t believe we’ve seen one another since 2022 on the PCT. But his time on the Pinhoti trail after the PCT was what inspired me to do my “Bama to Baxter” hike in 2023. Which eventually resulted in me hiking the entire 5,600 mile ECT in 2023.

The sign by the Rock Gap parking area.

It was awesome to talk and walk together for a little while. And the trail from there was nice and easy. Eventually we did get down to another road though. And the trail climbed up steep on the other side of the road. There were a few sets of steps and an otherwise sharp grade. But it certainly wasn’t the longest or steepest climb that we’ve done over the last few days! So I just didn’t think too much about it, and let my body take me up.

Once we got up top there were some more lovely views. And we continued along this hill until we eventually dropped down to Winding Stair Gap.

I was surprised that we got to the parking lot before 4pm. We were cruising today! And the wild thing is that we never once stopped for a break. We did 28.5 miles and over 5,000 feet of vert just continuously. And I honestly felt great. It felt like a pretty casual day somehow after yesterday. Which is nuts! But the added benefit that we were heading to town also helped dangle the carrot out ahead of me. I’m always eager on town days. No matter how many miles stand between me and town.

Winding Stair Gap, where you can hitch a ride into Franklin.

Down at the parking lot Jive Turkey whipped out a cooler full of goodies! He had beer, green juice, muffins, sodas, veggies, hummus, cheese, and fruit. I was starving, because by the end of the day I was far too focused on town food to eat my own bars. So I downed a coke, some grapes, a couple pieces of chocolate, and a muffin. Another hiker named Kim was in the parking lot and joined us in the magic.

But standing around for even 10-15 minutes had me freezing. All my sweat had cooled and I officially needed to add layers. Not long after that though we headed down to Franklin. Jive Turkey brought us to the Micro-tell where I had actually previously stayed in 2023. It was right by a bunch of different places to eat, which was perfect.

Jive Turkey brought a bunch of trail magic goodies in a cooler for us!

We checked into a room and dropped our stuff off. Then headed back out with Jive Turkey to grab something to eat. On our way we stopped at a Walmart to get a few things. I didn’t need much food, but was almost entirely out of fuel.

The restaurant where we ate dinner was located right next to a gas station, and yet it was a surprisingly nice spot. It smelled great inside and they put warm fresh bread on the table when we sat. It was awesome catching up for a while with Jive Turkey and shooting the shit about trail.

I wound up getting linguini Alfredo which was absolutely delicious. It was probably the best thing that I’ve eaten so far this year. And boy, have we been eating! Plus I loved the quirky restaurant with all of its decorations. One of my favorite parts about the place was that the bathroom was connected to the gas station next door.

The linguini alfredo that I had for dinner was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

I wound up boxing up a little bit of pasta to take back to the room for later. Then eventually we headed out so that we could shower and get situated. I had a bunch of writing and video work to get done as well. When I don’t have service in the evenings it means there is a lot of work that I can’t do. But it looks like we’ll be having a later start tomorrow. Punisher has a box at the NOC which is 27 miles away. There’s no way we’ll be able to leave town and get there before the store closes tomorrow. So instead we’ll just do a shorter day tomorrow to get the box the next morning.

Per usual I stayed up way too late at the room. We got milkshakes and burgers for second dinner around 9:30pm. Then I stayed up getting some work done until much later.

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