6.1 miles Cable gap shelter (mile 158.8) to Fontana Hilton shelter (mile 165.3) Duck likes to sleep in and Pigweed likes to take his time in the morning, so it was just Happiness and myself who set off for Fontana at 8 am. There were still snow drifts about, and my nemesis. Mud. We got … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 20 (the one in Fontana)

Stecoah Gap (mile 150.4) to Cable gap shelter (mile 158.8) We had French toast, bacon, maple syrup, bananas, coffee and juice for breakfast. It was great. The Cabins in the wood was a really great place to stay. Highly recommended. An older gentleman with the trail name Ulysses was talking about the difficulty of the … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 19 (the one with oregano)

Sassafras Gap shelter (mile 143.6) to Stecoah Gap (mile 150.4) It snowed last night. Only a couple of inches, but it was cold and it was still snowing. It was real purty. I had a quick breakfast and got going as soon as I could. There were a few folk who gave the hint they … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 18 (the one with the blizzard)

NOC to Sassafras Gap shelter (mile 143.6) After a pretty decent sleep in a bunk room all to myself I reluctantly packed up and prepared to hit the trail. A whole lot of up was on the menu today. I had a Clif crunch bar for breakfast then started my slow weary climb. It was … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 17 (the one with the climbing)

Wesser Bald shelter to NOC (mile 136.5) Tough morning. Did not sleep well and was up an out of camp by 6am. Hiked for an hour in the dark before sunrise, which is as creepy as it sounds. Made my way to a place called the jump off. It was a narrow part of the … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 16 (the one were I reach the NOC)

Wayah shelter to Wesser Bald shelter (mile 130.8) It turned into a beautiful day. The sun was shining and it was warm! Sweet, sweet warmth. How I missed thee. But...I struggled. Felt absolutely shattered and had no energy in the legs. I think I may not be eating enough. Of course being tired and having … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 15 (the one were homesickness bites)

11 miles Winding stair gap (109.2) to Wayah shelter (mile 120.2) I really struggled to leave the motel this morning. I was not exactly excited to get back on the trail. Homesickness was, once again, biting hard. Got a lift back to the trail from Ron who runs the Baltimore Jack hostel. He didn't accept … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 14 (the one with hot dogs)

0 miles Franklin Had a free breakfast at a local church. They pick up hikers from all the hotels and hostels in town and put on a breakfast of pancakes, bacon and coffee. It was pretty awesome, and I only had to listen to a little sermon. When they saw I was from Australia they … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 13 (the one with the 10 commandments)

7.2 miles Long Branch shelter (mile 102) to Winding stair gap (mile 109.2) Today should have been an easy day. According to the guidebook there was a lot of downhill. But the ankle is hurting again. It's ok though, it only hurts when I walk up or downhill... The climb out of Rock gap was … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 12 (the one were I hobble into Franklin)

8.7 miles Carter Gap shelter (mile 93.3) to Long Branch shelter (mile 102) Geared up to cross the 100 mile mark today! It was at the top of Albert mountain. And Albert was a bit mean. It started gently enough, the trail hugged a ridge line with a pretty impressive drop to one side. Then … Continue reading AT 2018: Day 11 (the one were I cross the 100 mile mark)