Frozen – The Journey

The thing about AT is that it doesn’t start out easy. The first part basically consists of 500 steps down a waterfall. It’s beautiful, sure, but you’re sweating and your glasses are fogging up and your legs are complaining from the start. And then you have to keep going up.

The weather changes

I left base camp in a t-shirt and waterproof jacket, excited as I took my first steps on the approach trail. Soon it started to get foggy. Then it started to hail. I started to shiver, but I kept moving as I watched small balls of ice accumulate around the tree trunks. It was too cold to stop and too wet to cook, so I kept driving, shoving a granola bar into my mouth and hoping it would be enough.

I reached the first shelter, but I felt bewildered. With numb fingers, I put on my padded jacket and gloves. I staggered to the top of Springer Mountain through fog and snow, hoping to reach the official start of the Applachian Trail on the first day.

I finally reached the top of the mountain, but ran towards the shelter without enjoying the moment. There was no view because of the clouds and I was so cold and tired that I just wanted to get into my sleeping bag.

Temperatures plummet

I had checked the weather report before my first day of travel. I saw the words «Freeze Warning» on my screen. But I didn’t want to waste another day, or spend the money on hotel and restaurant food, so I decided it would be fine.

That first night I set up my sleeping bag inside the shelter, right next to the wall, hoping it would provide more protection from the cold and wind than my tent on the snow-covered grass. I did everything I could think of to stay warm: put on all my clothes, put my blanket under my sleeping bag, and even wrapped my tent around my bag (I don’t think the tent helped much). I finally opened my stove to heat water so I could have a hot water bottle to sleep in, which ended up being a key comfort.

When testing my gear at home, my sleeping bag made me feel claustrophobic. That night on the road, I wrapped myself so tightly and even buried my face in so many layers that I overcame any claustrophobia very quickly. Nothing mattered except being less cold (real heat was a chimera).

Honestly, for a few minutes I didn’t know if I was going to make it through the night. I was wondering if it was possible to try to get down the mountain or if it was worth it. I wondered if I should ask the others in the shelter to form a puddle so we could use our body heat to warm ourselves… although that was probably going too far.

The last guests

Then I saw two figures approaching quickly, carrying with them a snow-covered tent. They ran to the shelter in panic, saying they were going to freeze to death. They had cotton clothing and 50 degree sleeping bags, both bad ideas for this trail even in better weather. I chatted with one of them as they settled into the shelter’s loft. They had weathered a storm the night before and were already fed up with the conditions.

It came in the morning

I had to get up to go to the bathroom twice that night. At first I thought about trying to keep it until dawn, but I knew it was impossible and that a wet sleeping bag would make me colder. What surprised me was that trips to the toilet (“bathroom”) actually helped my temperature. The movement of the hike and the struggle to get back to my cocoon of sleep warmed me up! I slept for a couple of hours, although I woke up regularly and looked at my watch to see if the night was over.

The next morning it was still snowing and cold, but I knew the worst was over. I forced myself to eat breakfast, especially since I had eaten very little the day before, and left around 9 in the morning. I could hear the two boys snoring in the loft and appreciated the fact that we all made it through the night.

I wish I had gotten more cold-weather gear. My sleeping bag was rated for 30 degrees (comfort) and I knew it would get me through the night, but I wish I had one rated for even lower temperatures. My sleeping bag liner came in clutch form, which gave me more insulation. My bag was actually cold to the touch, so the lining helped a lot.

I slept with a hot water bottle for the first 3 nights. At 6 pm, on the way, I was sleeping in a shelter without a lining or socks, and I was getting too hot. I’m heading to the Smokies soon and I know I have strategies for whatever temperatures come.

In a way I’m glad for that freezing night, because what happened next on the road would be better.

Onward and upward! And I mean up because this is nothing more than climbing one mountain after another.

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