If I hadn’t kept moving

My first experience with trail running was when I found out that the Smoky Mountain Diner closed at 7 pm My watch read 3:30 with six miles to go. As with most trail towns, you descend into them with an empty food bag and an overflowing appetite. I took advantage of the downhills and ran towards the city with my backpack sloshing behind me.

I ran/walked those six miles in two hours, which gave us enough time to enjoy dinner without feeling guilty. After many days walking without any schedule, I found the lack of time to be quite exciting. Cheshire, Charles and Nick (hikers I had befriended the day before) sat with me in the dining room and gaped at the menu. Cheshire, an Australian, first discovered Cheerwine and drank his fill. I had a veggie burger with mac and cheese and a big pile of tater tots. When my plate was clean, I discovered that I wasn’t even close to finishing. Ice cream was immediately the next item on the agenda. I found myself sinking into the city’s vortex of comfort.

After a hearty ice cream cone, Nick and I went swimming in the French Broad River as the sun set before deciding to cowboy camp on the sandy banks of the river. It was delightful, minus the swarm of grandpa long legs trying to make themselves at home on my mat to sleep through the night. I woke up with some new bug bites, but my first cowboy camping experience was a successful one!

My grandparents joined me for breakfast at the second round of Smoky Mountain Diner. They doubled down on being trail angels by driving a couple of hikers I met in the Smokies, Spark and Protein to Asheville when their Uber canceled. Spark insisted on treating me to a meal from Mountainhouse (a delicacy!) and I felt a bit of FOMO as they walked away. There’s always a moment of «wait, how am I?» Yo Will you come home then? Before I remember that the trail is all I have. I regained some sense of independence by walking around town and seeing other familiar hikers doing their chores and waving at me as I passed. There was a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie as we walked with our stinky backpacks, eating at the same restaurants, and enjoying the same luxuries.

It wasn’t until 2pm that I found the courage to escape the vortex of the city. The beautiful descent I had hiked the day before was now a towering climb looming over me with a backpack full of ramen and candy. I was sweating profusely and angry at myself for leaving town so late on an 88 degree day. I slowly made my way to the shelter I had planned ten miles away, including a brief blue fire in a fire tower. If it’s going to be a tough day, maybe have a good view too.

Along the way, I received a text from Horsepower, who I had been constantly two days late with for over a week.

«My sister and I hope to be at Erwin’s on Friday, maybe see you there?»

I thought about the excitement of running to Hot Springs and how accomplished I felt in logging a few miles. At that point I decided I needed a little challenge to keep my hike exciting. I mentally committed to walking those next 58 miles in three days to meet them on Friday. It resolved itself in my mind and a fire was lit… although perhaps I took it too seriously when I spilled my second pot of boiling water on my lap at dinner that night. I literally lit a fire under my butt. Okay, I get it! We’re going to Erwin!

I’m lucky to already have a name for the trail because my burns would surely have earned me one otherwise. When Charles and Nick asked me if I would leave a mark, I said «we’ll find out! I think I’ll do 22 miles tomorrow.»

So much for taking things easy. Dreamcatcher had a dream to catch! I achieved my goal of 22.6 miles to Flint Mountain Shelter, quickly passing the 300 mile marker unceremoniously. I also made a lovely stop at the Southern Cookie Lady’s house, which reminded me of the classic phrase «smile, not miles.» Although I was determined to get to camp on time, I also tried not to feel guilty about taking an hour-long break to sit on a stranger’s porch and get a free cookie simply for being a hiker. It seemed like a side mission I couldn’t pass up.

Since my longest day was still on record, I slept in a light rain and repeated the process the next day. 19 miles to Bald Mountain Shelter. Only this time, a storm was approaching. Uphill until you are bald in a storm? That’s my daily bread! Nick and I trudged for two hours in the pouring rain and I felt a strange pang of nostalgia for the latest rain disaster. When I saw that there were still 2.5 miles left, I told Nick that I needed some type of food to fuel the end of the hike. In his belt pocket was a bag of dried banana chips, so we huddled under a tree and ate giant handfuls.

“At least the rain is rehydrating the bananas,” I said with my mouth full.

«I feel like a monkey in the jungle,» Nick said.

We tried to make light of things as we continued walking over twisted tree roots and slippery rocks. When we reached the top of Big Bald, the rain let up and cleared the sky just as we reached the top. I looked back to see a full view of smoky mountains and rays of sunshine. After surviving the rain, I couldn’t help but feel like the trail was telling me something. Nick and I watched in silence.

It was the kind of view you would only see if it had just rained. It seemed like a parable you’d tell a child: the two hikers who kept moving. We slowly descended through the cool green pastures until we reached a complete shelter. I set up my tent in a surprisingly good mood. I felt lucky to have been able to see it at the perfect time. I was glad my things stayed mostly dry. I hear a lot of people complain when they don’t see a view, as if their hard work has to be rewarded. Nature really doesn’t owe us anything. That view would have been there regardless of whether I had ducked in the rain or walked past it without looking up. It’s comforting to know that I’m irrelevant to the mountains. I’m just a hiker who got lucky and had the perseverance to keep moving forward.

I went to sleep thinking about the phrase “if I hadn’t kept moving.” I thought about Erwin and the friends I would miss if I didn’t maintain that mentality. Keep moving!

Total miles driven: 327.7

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