Week 3-5 on the AT: Do I have my trail sections yet?

Very busy weeks…

The last few weeks since my last post have flown by. I’ve had a great time, but I’ve also had to adapt and get used to life on the trail. I passed through the Smokies at this point and have about 200 miles left until I reach VA and hopefully make it in time for the trail days starting May 15th.

A lot of people have reached out to me and asked me since my last update, especially since I skipped three weeks, I’m still alive and doing that damn thing haha.

Adaptation? Trigger Warning!!!

It’s embarrassing to admit, I’m now wearing my third pair of shoes in about 300 miles of riding. In my last post, I mentioned that I had some Achilles tendon pain and that I had to incorporate some physical therapy exercises which I combined with purchasing some insoles for the Topo Traverse shoes I was wearing since they don’t have much heel support. Well, wow, those insoles gave me the worst blisters of my entire life. Every step was like I had a cheese grater on the back of my heels and it was unbearable.

After a ton of ibuprofen that my kidneys probably didn’t appreciate, draining some of the blisters that got better day after day, and really focusing on taking care of my feet at the end of each day, I’m happy to announce that my blisters and I have found common ground and have gotten a lot better!

One of the things that helped me the most was that in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, I bought an extra pair of shoes that had a lower heel that didn’t rub against the back of my heels as they healed. I didn’t know, the new shoes, which are Topo Terraventures, are a pretty minimalist shoe and a week after wearing them, I’ve been dealing with some pretty bad pain in my foot. I had to switch them to another pair of shoes that have a lot more cushion but still won’t cause my blisters again!

These last few weeks have been a great learning process. I really feel honored by my body and I sure hear it better now. It’s been hard to have setbacks in the weeks I thought would be when I had my trail legs, but I saw someone here say NO PAIN, NO MAINE.

Be a zero hero

I admit that even now I think about where I want to go, count the miles, and say, «Well, if I do 15 miles a day, I’ll get to this point by this date.» I’m still learning that most of the time this has not been realistic. Something usually happens that changes your itinerary and, as in life, you have to work with it. A zero is when you don’t walk for a day and stay in town for a couple of nights and a nero is when you walk into town, spend the night, and get back on the road the next morning.

I proudly say that I have gotten quite a few zeros since I started this journey. In the last few weeks, I had the opportunity to stay at the Rambling Roots Hostel for a zilch, where the hostess, Bookie, was amazing and went above and beyond for her guests. I also stopped in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where Tramily and I stayed two nights in a stylish cabin with a hot tub and queen-size bunk beds.

Does the cabin we stay in look like an Amityville Horror house?

Making a spaghetti dinner at Rambling Roots!

Zeros are the perfect opportunity to take a second, listen to your body, refuel with some hot meals, refuel, and most of all, TAKE A SHOWER! One thing I knew from having this experience was that, of course, you smell bad. NOT ALL, you don’t smell, you stink. I have never smelled so bad in my life and honestly, most of the time I don’t even notice. That’s the best part though. I haven’t used deodorant since I’ve been traveling. What I mean by all this is, unless there’s some crazy circumstance where you really have to move on, if you’re contemplating a zero, just do it!

Zeros are also an opportunity to control your weight and get on a scale. I don’t have any weight loss or gain goals, but I thought it was a good idea to see where I am and I was surprised to see that I had lost 13 pounds at the 3 week mark. Since then, I’ve really tried to increase my snacking throughout the day and find ways to add calories to my meals. It has definitely improved my energy while walking every day, especially in the mornings!

How were the Smokies?

I have been to the Smokies several times and am always amazed by what it has to offer. What was really cool this time is that since I was walking completely through it, I was able to see the terrain change before my eyes from mountainous landscapes of vegetation, like oaks and aspens, to higher elevations where pines and evergreens dominated the topography. The Smoky Mountains are magical and ethereal.

The Smokies require a $40 backcountry permit that gives you 7 days to traverse the park!

Campsite near Mt. Collins Shelter

The Smokies also featured my first times sleeping in a shelter. Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires hikers to stay in shelters along the approximately 70 miles of the AT. The shelters are basically small cabins that are usually one or two levels and can accommodate between 6 and 12 people. There is one at Fontana Dam, known as the Fontana Hilton, that had over 20 people in the shelter alone, but offers showers and places to charge devices nearby.

I wasn’t ignoring the shelters, for example, but I generally preferred to sleep in my tent before reaching this section because I had more privacy and could choose a space in the campsite where if I needed to use the bathroom during the night, I could. Even in the Smokies, the shelter was full a couple of nights and I was still able to camp in my tent.

When I finally got to sleep in the shelter, it was good…

One night I was kept awake most of the night because someone was snoring quite loudly and making the floorboards rattle, and the next night I slept in the shelter to escape the rain and the roof was leaking on me. I still have more shelter stays in the future I’m sure and everyone has the right to snore, but so far, I haven’t been very impressed haha. At least I’m honest…

Bedtime shelters are the best, midnight for hikers is 9pm, SHARP!

It rained a little while I was sleeping, but at least I had some room to move around 🙂

Favorite moments from the last few weeks!

I have loved meeting so many people these last few weeks. The trail is super cool because you go from meeting someone at the campground one night and then two nights later you’re sharing bunk beds in an Airbnb and eating in a city. The trail really brings people together and as I’ve hiked more and more I’ve been trying to come out of my shell and put myself out there because 9/10, it’s worth it!

Got some new riding buddies on the way to Mile 200 🙂

Whenever we hikers get together, we always ask each other what our favorite moments have been so far. Over the past few weeks, I have to say I’ve really enjoyed solo camping at the top of Siler Bald. Siler Bald sits at 5,216 feet, and although it has a shelter and campsites below, if you hike an extra 0.5 mile from the AT you’ll be rewarded with 360° panoramic views. I had been hearing about it all week from different people, so I knew I wanted to do that extra camping hike. To my surprise, I was the only one up there and the views were spectacular!

I made a final effort and was rewarded by camping alone in Siler Bald, recommended 10/10

Although I was recovering most of the time, I feel like another time I liked was probably when my blisters were at their worst, but my hiking companions, Chef and Small Bites, who had been moving much faster, realized that I was having a tough day mentally and physically, and walked with me the rest of the day, until we reached camp. This was my first day back from a zero, so it was pretty hard to keep fighting when the gist of it is that if you’ve rested, you should be able to do a lot. I still covered 14 miles that day and felt renewed confidence having people who have faith in me that I can keep going and it gets better!

Photos that literally no one asked for.

Guys, I have been very consistent on this hiking trip. I wake up at 6 in the morning and my eyes open because… it’s TIME! But… where am I going? Well, either I put my toiletry bag in my backpack and grab a paddle, some wipes and my hand sanitizer and dig a cat hole in the woods or if the campground I’m at has a toilet, I’ll use it. Honestly, digging a cat hole has been my go-to, it feels so much more convenient and cleaner than toilets.

The private gate was so low I had to take a photo, I was in most of the campground that day 🙂

I also don’t want to abruptly change the subject, but when I first imagined hiking the Appalachian Trail, I thought there would be giant rivers to swim in every day and keep them clean and fresh. Not really, haha. I can probably count on one hand the number of swimmable rivers I have passed and mostly used small streams along the way to filter the water and stay hydrated. Sometimes the dirtier the water is, the better the taste. If you know it, you know it. I had an amazing time at the Nantahala Outdoor Center swimming in the 48 degree water which made my body go numb after being there for about an hour!

Just a little hypothermia

What’s next?

As I pass through the Smokies, I’ll be bouncing between TN and NC for a while until I get to VA. Hoping to make it to the trail days on time, but also super excited to have my best friend joining me on the trail for a week; There will be many photos on that account soon.

Right now, I’m staying positive and having fun. Listening to my body and still getting used to it all! I’d say my hiker legs are about 75% developed and as always, Maine is far away, but on my radar!

Thanks for coming to my in-store talk!

Just me, thinking about Maine at Spring Creek Tavern in Hot Springs, North Carolina 🙂