Why We Had to Slow Down on the Appalachian Trail

Day 40- 7 Miles today from Little laurel Shelter to Jerry’s cabin shelter, 1,700 Feet Up, 1,100 Feet down, Total 377 AT miles

Personal Space

While there were about seven of us last night at Little Laurel Shelter, no one slept in the shelter. I like using the shelter area amenities especially because I don’t need to do a bear bag hang with the convenience of a bear box. There is usually a water source nearby. At times there is also a privy that keeps you from having to dig a cat hole and the various privy designs can be a source of entertainment.

It is also nice to have your own personal space in your tent.

They were limited tent spaces but we found a little space tucked in some rhododendron. Even though heavy winds were howling over the ridge we camped on, it was calm down below in the rhododendron. It started to rain lightly about 5:00 a.m. and rained very lightly for about 3 hours so we took all our stuff over to the shelter to pack up. Other villagers also congregated at the shelter so we shared some fellowship with the other thru hikers as they prepared breakfast and packed for the day.

It’s Not the Place, It’s the People

We had originally packed for a full carry to Erwin but we had decided Sams Gap would be our best pickup and drop off point for exiting the trail do to some off trail duties. I had carried 7 days’ worth of food to get us to Erwin Tennessee so I gave out our excess food supplies to Lookout and Stillpacking.

Knockerz decided to start the days climb so I stayed behind with Stillpacking to finish my packing duties. We originally ran into Stillpacking who is hiking with his dog Snoopy weeks ago at a shelter before Fontana but we had not seen him since then. He had done an extended stay at Hot Springs donating labor to help clean up from Helene. 

The two of us shared stories and had a deep conversation about life and the trail. He too was on a pilgrimage similar to many of us that plan to be out here for a while. This is more than just a walk in the woods for a lot of us and some of them share a similar philosophy as me that this is a pilgrimage to find something.

This leg of our thru hike seemed to have less drama than a much earlier section of the trail behind us. At this point on the thru hike most of the hikers that set out from Springer, but were disillusioned by the digital “influencers” curated feeds, had dropped out.  In addition, many of those that launched at Springer but ran against physical/mental limits that one must be blessed with to continue north, were also absent.

“Slowing Down is Sometimes the Best Way to Speed Up.” – Mike Vance

I then took off to catch up with Knockerz who had way outpaced me today and gained many miles ahead. It was a cool morning with temperatures in the ’40s as the sun began peeking out. Then as we approach Jones Meadow something new I haven’t yet seen came into view. It was as interesting as seeing a black bear but hopefully not as dangerous. 

 A peloton of five back-to-back hikers traveling at the exact same pace mechanically strode by me with not even a wee bit of casual conversation. They looked like they were governed by a requirement to get to their next destination. Oh the views they will soon miss with their head down death march. 

I Gotta Eat What?

Out here calories really are relative and not for the traditional reason that too many of them can make you fat. As you hike you must constantly put fuel in the tank or you risk running out of the ability to drive the car any further. Quick carbs are great for munching right before the big climb up the mountain, but they only get you up that first part of the climb.

You have to have the complex carbs already digested by then so you had better have taken them on the way down to the gap that is ALWAYS going to be followed by a climb. And about half way up to the summit the proteins and fats you should have also timed for the final half should be ready to get you over the top. So I constantly plow into many delightful things I would never eat at my home life like butter, fatty meats, tons of cheese, pastries, yum. 

Drinking water is also critical which after studying what the Gear Skeptic reported I realized basically required you to monitor the color of your pee as you hike. Treated water on the trail is labor and one of the treasured things about life back in civilization.  You also have to time your water resupply and constantly monitor the conditions of the next water sources through Farout comments so you don’t add 2.2 pounds for every liter of water you carry up that next hill.

But constantly drinking water is monotonous. As we left Jones Meadow I dropped a dehydrated strawberry electrolyte powder into my water that Marie had given me when she abandoned her LASH days ago.  The slight strawberry tint to the flavor was pleasing and probably something I would barely notice in normal life off trail. 

Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Province

The views with no leaves on the trees were spectacular on this section of the trail. Seemingly out of nowhere bare rock cliffs started to appear on the other side of the valley adjacent to the trail. The trail would shortly meander across this ridge to the other side of the valley and we would be right at the top of those cliffs.

The trail travels along a ridge with wonderful views on both sides of the ridge. On the North Carolina side of the trail endless layers of various hues of mountain peaks undulated outward away from my view.

The Tennessee side of this ridge is an almost completely different scene. On the Tennessee side the mountains peter out dramatically into the valley of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Province. The TN side looks similar to sections of the trail we saw in our flip flop in Connecticut last summer.  This was a short day of hiking but not short on scenery.