Five lessons in the first 110 miles

Aub and I arrived in Franklin, North Carolina. stay in Grove Hostel – our first stay off the trail after 110 miles (!). Many steps, a lot of luck and many lessons.

Admittedly, most of these L’s feel pretty obvious looking back, but they were strongly felt in real time. Here’s what I learned between Springer Mountain and Winding Staircase Gap:

1. Raise the rain fly if in doubt.

Rookie move. It’s so nice to give up the rain fly for a little extra breeze and maybe even stargazing, and sometimes it’s totally doable. We got too anxious.

The first time we didn’t install the rain fly, it was much colder than anticipated. The second time, it rained at midnight and there was a half-naked fight to put it on. (It is true that we saw that the forecast announced rain and still decided otherwise 🙃). Third time…? Maybe I’ll learn?

2. Don’t hang things on the outside of your backpack.

Hands up: This is another rookie classic that I definitely knew about, but choose to ignore out of convenience and arrogance. I had a pair of shoes that I had been wearing for three days. wool underwear (Ouch) that I hoped to ventilate while walking. I put it in a mesh bag and used a infinite tool to secure it to my backpack. Sad to say, the tool, bag, and underwear abandoned ship somewhere before Blood Mountain in Georgia. A shame too, I really liked those wool underpants…

Lesson learned. Having things hanging from your backpack is a recipe for it to get caught on a branch and lose your balance, or fall completely.

Cowboy camping at Standing Indian. I’m the curled up green worm in case you’re wondering what’s going on here.

3. Don’t use your rain fly as a blanket if you’re cowboy camping.

This was a difficult experience to experience. Aub and I found a nice grassy area for a cowboy camp (no tent) on Standing Indian Mountain. Temperatures would drop to around 45°F overnight, so we thought we’d lazily use the tent tarp as an extra blanket/wind protection.

Mistake. I woke up around midnight to a soaked sleeping bag; Moisture had accumulated inside the
the rain fly. It was bone dry outside, which did a great job of keeping us out of any non-existent rain. But the combination of our breathing, body perspiration, and condensation from the grass was creating a layer of moisture inside the fly. Rough.

I think the options when it comes to jean camping are: 1) Simply accept the elements of the night, or 2) If you use a rain fly, aim it so that it leaves some space between you and the material. This would allow some airflow and a bit of protection from the elements at the same time (hopefully?).

However, that second option requires extra work, which is ultimately what I try to avoid entirely when cowboy camping, so next time I’ll accept being a little cold (but dry).

Our cozy little tent by the stream.

4. Do not hang clothes overnight if camping near water.

Another difficult L to accept. I like to hang my hiking clothes on branches at camp to air everything out. Usually the night breeze is very helpful for that and it also dries any socks or underwear I washed.

We camped in a beautiful spot next to a lush stream (we even got to swim 🙏) early in Georgia. Lovely tent site under some healthy and cozy trees too. Unfortunately, in the morning I was very sad to find my hiking clothes all wet.

Luckily the sun acted quickly and was in a decent spot when we walked again, but I won’t forget it next time.

5. Drink water on city days!!!

Wow, how strange. I drink a lot of water when I’m hiking. In the forest, my body is truly a machine, a vessel that I need to maintain and nourish in order to keep going. I’m very conscious of staying hydrated because it really gets me to my favorite part of the day (dinner at camp).

That perspective is totally abandoned in the city. Suddenly I return to contemporary life, to luxuries, to society. I’m just wandering around. The water is so accessible that it is easy to miss.

I felt honored very quickly; I write this while trying to make up for a day several liters behind.

Next steps

All this to say that I am learning every day. Some lessons are harder than others and some more subtle, but I’m sure there will be many more.

Tomorrow we return to the forest and rain is forecast for this weekend… ☠️ let’s grow.

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