Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to the trail I go!

I hiked part of the Appalachian trail yesterday.  Approximately 7 miles total.  I started out at the Sunrise Mountain overlook, hiked to the Culver Fire Tower and then retraced the path back to the car.  It was hot.  Even in the shade it was warm enough to make me sweat.  That's saying something coming from a Floridian!  



I came prepared.  My barely warn Merrell boots, fancy wool hiking socks, Columbia quick-dry pants*.  I packed lots of water, snacks, bug spray, a rain coat, and even a sweatshirt. I had a whistle, an air horn, matches and not one, not two, but three compasses that I had no capacity to use.  They are no use if you have no idea which direction you're suppose to be heading.  I didn't even bother bringing a map.  My sense of direction is so awful they are useless tools for me, anyway.

The funny part about my sense of direction (or lack there of) is that it's worse in confined spaces.  Buildings and shopping malls are the worst.  I can never find my way out of doctors offices and I invariably turn the wrong way when exiting a store in the mall.  That being said, I spent my childhood summers walking aimlessly through trail-less woods with no fear of getting lost.  I could always seem to sense which way I needed to go to find something familiar.  Part of me was afraid, hiking the AT by myself, that my childhood ease in the woods wouldn't hold true in present day.  

Fortunately, it did.  The white blazes marking the trail were less frequent and less noticeable than I was expecting but I wasn't fearful.  (Having a strong cell phone signal helped, too!)  No matter where I was on the trail I always had a good gauge on which direction the park road was (on the off chance I lost the trail) or which way I needed to head to find the car.  The only part that was fuzzy was figuring out distance.  I had no idea how far I was going or how long it would take me.  

I decided once I got on the trail that I was going to hike one direction until noon and then turn back the way I'd come.  I wasn't even sure I'd make it to the fire tower.  I stopped at all the scenic overlooks and took lots of nature photos so I wasn't making the best time.  I even stopped at the overnight shelter to write in the register.

At 11:45 I stopped at a scenic overlook and almost turned back towards the car.  Something pushed me to keep moving forward for that last 15 minutes and I'm glad.  Not a quarter mile later the tower popped up out of nowhere.  There was an interesting stack of rocks, resembling a cairn, and a picnic table with a nice view.  I sat and ate a snack and downed a bottle of water, (and took some selfies) before heading back the way I came.

 

All said and done it took about 3 hours.  The terrain was challenging in my clunky boots.  The altitude, inclines, and declines didn't help either.  I've scaled these rocks all my life barefoot or in thin soled shoes.  It was hard for me to break the habit of trying to grip the rocks with my mountain toes.  Just call me "Mel the Mountain Goat."  Despite drowning myself in poison the bugs terrorized me the entire time.  I walked through so many spider webs that I stopped bothering to wipe them off.  My fancy quick-dry-zip-to-shorts pants were too big.  If it weren't for the waist strap of my pack** I would have been wearing them around my ankles as soon as I started sweating.  I didn't have my boots laced tight enough so my feet slid around all over the place inside them.  It didn't dawn on me until the hike was almost over to stop and lace them tighter.  Miraculously, I managed to finish blister-free despite my blunder.

I'd like to say that I had a great time, that the sites were beautiful and the trek was energizing.  The reality was that the experience was kind of miserable.  Hot, buggy, uncomfortable, physically more taxing than I expected, but oddly addicting.  Walking in the woods is a mobile form of meditation. One foot in front of the other.  Gayly forward but never straight.  I cannot wait for the next trip.  I want to hike double the distance and camp overnight next time around!  Who's with me?!

 * Thank you Alana for letting me borrow your tall wool socks and for getting me those fancy pants.  Next time I'll wear a belt!

**Thank you Martin for hooking me up with my day pack!  It was just the right size for my needs!