Bama to Baxter, Day 17: A Cold Day of Hiking

As far as I can tell, I slept well last night. I think I was already asleep by 10:30 and I don’t remember waking up even once during the night (not even to pee). When the alarms rang at 5:30, I felt refreshed. Probably my best night’s sleep on the trail so far. Since I was almost packed, I just had to brush my teeth, put away my hygiene kit, get dressed in warm clothes, and wait for Sparky to arrive. Hot Tang and Two Meals were also ready when Sparky arrived promptly at 6:30 a.m. We made our introductions, put our backpacks in the bed of his truck, and climbed into his cab. Once we figured out where we were headed to get back on the trail, Sparky gave us clues about life in Northwest Georgia. He had been living here for several years after moving from Atlanta. Sparky is also a hiker and hiked the entire AT for what he estimated was twenty years. We arrived at our delivery point in no time. Of course, it was still dark so we double checked to make sure we had all our gear and check poles and headlights ready to go. We said goodbye and thanked each other and headed into the forest to pick up the trail where we had left off two days before. As we walked down the dirt road back to the trail junction, Hot Tang announced that he was going to roll out his sleeping mat and get some more sleep. I wasn’t surprised since I had mentioned it the night before. He didn’t like walking early in the morning, especially in the dark, and he was still catching up on the sleep he had lost the night before. Two Meals and I made sure he was okay, but he assured us that he was just sleepy and urged us to continue, so we did. I immediately began my morning walking pace and before I knew it, I had given up Two Meals, or so I thought. Shortly after, I realized I had missed a turn in the road and had to correct my mistake, which put me behind him again. As we climbed the hill out of the valley the road ran through, I ran into Two Meals, who had already shed a few layers of clothing. We bumped fists and I continued walking. I was having a good morning. I ate and drank perfectly as planned, my legs felt good, but my hands were a little cold. Because the quality of the trail was so good, I was able to hike without my trekking poles, allowing me to hike with my hands in my pockets in an attempt to keep my fingers from going numb like they had done a couple of times earlier on the trail. I just don’t like touching fingers. Before I knew it, it was time for my four-hour break. So I found a nice fallen log to sit on. I had a snack and checked my progress on FarOut. I was progressing much better than I had anticipated and I made a mental note to make a decision about how far to go today when I got to my six-hour break. In the meantime, I turned on some music and fought off my cold fingers.

For about a mile of my hike this morning, I was accompanied by a local hiker, Todd, a retired military man, who informed me that he liked to go on an 8-mile hike with his dog every morning, which took him to the Pinhoti for a portion of his hike. Todd was also local and shared information about Rome and Sommerville, the two local towns. As their exit from the trail approached, we said goodbye, wished each other good luck, and parted ways. As my six-hour break time approached, I crossed a stream at about five hours and 45 minutes and there was a nice pile of rocks I could sit on, so I took my lunch break 15 minutes early. There was also a nicely flowing stream nearby so I could refill my bottles after lunch. I texted Hot Tang and Two Meals telling them that my current site would be a good campsite if they didn’t like the one we had designated the night before, which was a few tenths of a mile further down the trail. When I finished my lunch, I double-checked FarOut to make sure I hadn’t misread something. No, in fact, there was another tent site set up about five miles ahead, which would give me an eighteen to nineteen mile day and get me closer to Dalton, where I would probably spend another night in a hotel.

It’s funny what motivates you. But when it’s cold, the lure of a warm bed under a dry roof is quite a draw. After my break, I made sure I had packed everything properly and took off one of my layers before continuing down the trail.

The rest of the afternoon was quite cold. I listened to the latest episode of Backpacker Radio. When I got to camp, I took off my wet clothes and hung them up to dry. I quickly set up my tent, inflated my ground platform, and arranged my sleeping bag. It would be a cold night. I liked this tent site; I had plenty of space, nearby water, and rocks to sit on while I cooked.

After getting everything ready, I went into my tent to warm up a bit with the sun shining on it. It was quite hot inside. I didn’t want to guess how cold it would be during the night. Around 5 pm I decided to start with dinner. Since I was out of freeze-dried meals, I ate ramen noodles with a package of chicken and a couple of sticks of cheese. Oh, and I think I also had a pack of Cheetos to add. However, it was so hot in my tent that I didn’t want to go out and make dinner. I had to get out while the sun was coming up or it would be an even colder process. I psyched myself up and left the store. This is a much easier process when it’s still warm.

Dinner was delicious, my homework was done and it was time to go to sleep.

Happy trails. . .

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