Day 11: I Love Poles

...and Polish people, but mainly my hiking poles. I don't think I could've made it this far without them. They're amazingly helpful on uphills, downhills and flats (and pitching my tent, of course). They take pressure off my legs and (best reason) they keep me from falling over. See, I've been keeping track of all my trips and stumbles each day (hoping to have a sweet chart at the end), and though I'm only counting the ones where my heart stops for a second, I've been averaging about 15 stumbles per day. There have been only three that were pretty scary. One was an ankle roll. One was almost falling over in a steam. And the last one was today: a sweet bowling move where my back foot slipped out behind me on a big flat slanty rock and made me gasp. Without my poles on any of those, I definitely would've hit the ground.

Hence: I love poles.

Sooooo... I woke up in a Nyquil daze at 8, and it was eerily calm outside. Overcast and no wind. Storm a-brewing...?

I didn't see the boys, so I ate as much breakfast as I could (I had plenty of food and a six day supply to get me through the Smokies), and I packed everything up. The sun poked through a bit and by the time the boys were done with their breakfast and I set off, it was full sun! Mc (Mitch/Mick) was going to stay another zero day and the boys weren't packed yet, so I left first.

Now think about what you were doing from 9:20am to 12:20pm on your Saturday morning. I was walking uphill the whole time! With a full pack that couldn't have weighed less than 40 pounds. Ugh. It was rough. An hour into it, I stopped to put more tape on my heel (which is feeling a lot better, but I want to make sure it stays that way), and there was a ten minute shower. I put my poncho on, but then it stopped. The clouds started looming after halfway, and it began to be a race against storm. Uphill, uphill, uphill, wind, wind, threatening clouds, hitting the summit, then downhill a mile to the shelter, and it started spinkling right as I made it in. First one here!! I put my pack down and layered up and snacked as the rain came down. Two guys (Hot Wing and 151) came in soon after with Wilbur and his dog (Tender Toes), then it really started coming down. The next shelter, 9 miles away, only sleeps 6 people, so we were all worried about numbers and NOT wanting to tent in the rain. So we pretty much hunkered down. This shelter is a double decker and sleeps 14.



Two more guys showed up, then another guy, then Brian and Xan, then another guy, and then a couple. Everyone late was soaked. I'm glad I beat it. So, now there are 12 here and it's 3:30. Snacking and eating and chatting till bedtime! Seems a bit like a waste, only hiking 7 something miles, but it WAS uphill and it IS supposed to get worse later. I guess I'm fine with a "nearo" day right after my zero day... May try to pull a long one tomorrow if it's nice...


-- Posted from the trail...

Location:Sassafrass Gap Shelter