Each flavor of beans – the walk

Harry Potter fans, or any person forced to know the story due to a friend or family, will recognize the reference to «each flavor of beans.» They are magical socks that almost always give you an expected and lovely flavor when the tests. From time to time, you get something really disgusting like the taste of the ear wax. The path to the north of the Smokies was very similar, mainly delicious with the occasional reminder of the devastation that Hurse Helene brought almost a year ago.

To the box score

• Friendly People – 95/95
• Interesting wild creatures – Territorial Rattler
• Errors – 1
• Injury report: after 2000 miles, the first big ampoule

People have been quite scarce in this section of the path, except for places such as the open and covered with grass. Patch max, the popular rich mountain observation tower outside the hot springs, and the charming Roan Highlands. In particular, the city of Thermal waters, NC I was alive with the activity, which was great to see while the flames followed through the medium of this city of the path. I met my first South-Human that began in Katahdin this year; All the others I have met have been a flip-flopper or were completing a several year trip. This partner was absolutely flying, since the first week of June began. I also met a bicycle package on a remote road of the forest service that was part of the Field discovery route. I often thought that this whole issue would be easier with the wheels, especially those fed by an engine. Clearly, this motorcyclist was smarter than me. Finally, when I took the diversion of 5.8 miles around a closed section of the route damaged by Helene, a friendly man in a subaru stopped to make sure he knew the route and was not absolutely to walk through a dangerous shortcut on TN 107. People continue to be friendly and willing to stop and talk to share stories.

The snakes have been the only interesting creatures lately and deal with each one with respect due to a thing that can really ruin you. In the upper part of the Big Firecald knob (who names these things?) There was a noise reptile, lover of the sun, without German. In this narrow and rocky crest, there was enough space to move without problems.

This week’s mistake was very stupid. During 2000 miles, I have been careful to protect my feet, but I felt complacent when addressing a new irritation of my wet shoes. My reliable Hoka Speedgoat shoes secretly developed the interior seams shaped after many days in the rain. Instead of stopping to slapped some leukotape at the hot point that was growing with each step, I press and developed a room wound in my left ankle. It was vague and dumb, I will never make that mistake again.

MALVISCO, Cherry, Cinnamon and some ear wax

My metaphor of light on the conditions of trails and the post-jurrican of gelatin does not intend to reduce the loss with which the people of this region are facing daily. A horrible hand were treated and continued healing.

Some more beloved and most beautiful sections of the AT were included in the floor that I traveled this week last week. I loved open views from places like Max Patch, Beauty Spot and Roan Highlands. At the top of those mountains, with the fresh breeze, beautiful blue skies and swollen white clouds, the world seemed completely perfect, the best flavors of the gumillas. Even storm clouds in addition to Big Bald created a surprising effect that I will carry in my memory forever. I am working hard to achieve the right mental balance between absorbing the rest of this adventure and feeling anxious to get home. There is something to cross 2000 miles that has made me anxious to finish.

The uncertainty about the subsequent damage to Helleno was one of the reasons why I chose my Virginia to Maine, then in the «loop» transit of this year’s Virginia. Most people start at one end and walk. In addition to wanting to optimize the weather and avoid the bubble of people who begin at one end, I wanted to see how this part of the path had recovered after a year. It has been interesting and very, very random, such as choosing jelly from a mixed bag. With the exception of two deviations, the path is open and passable. The damaged path has been repaired and the trees cut along the way. In many places, the abundant wild flowers that bloom in August and September have obscured some of the fallen trees. The flowers made me think of a beautiful band help placed at the top of an open wound, not enough to solve the problem, but a little distraction of the ugliness that Helene left while cutting this area.

This is Max Patch, NC on a spectacular day.

Scenes like this are common, just around the curve of areas that seem intact by the hurricane.

Wild flowers are blooming in abundance where fallen trees have opened the forest floor to more sunlight.

It is afraid to walk in these forests, knowing that damaged trees continue to fall.

These stone steps were built between two huge root failures of fallen trees so that the path was passable.

A remarkable resilience history, Uncle Johnny’s shelter was rebuilt in time for hiking season. Take into account the right steel section, which used to be part of the bridge over the Nolichucky river to the left. The writing says: «Happy Trails Love, Uncle Johnny’s.»

Back where it started for me

Hot Springs is special to me because I took my first backpacking trip there with Blue Hiking Company about a year ago. In a fun coincidence, while walking towards the city, I found a guided journey that was traveling exactly the same path I did. Before buying the team that would carry for 2197.4 miles of me through this year this year, I spent a few hours in its local outfitter, Bluff Mountain. My guide, Hannah, taught me how to load my package to avoid injuries and tie my shoes to reduce blisters. She answered my litany of questions, above all, from packages to private. I was so grateful that she and Ginger, another hiker of my trip a year ago, could meet Blue Bear and me to dinner to update me, exchange stories and talk about how the area is recovering. They talked about Helene’s initial shock, the ways in which her backpack team (Sawyer water filters and Garmin’s satellite messengers) helped them during the first agitated days, and the first -class organization of the recovery after the hurricane. Hot Springs is bounced and is worth visiting!

This building damaged by the storm was Bluff’s old house Mountain Outfitters. As on the road, flowers distract the eye of Helene’s sequelae.

This is Bluff Mountain Outfitters’s new home.

Some companies continue the long reconstruction process, such as Iron Horse Station, the cafeteria with this sincere sign in the window.

Curiosities of the path

This mini-bar was positioned on a road by a generous angel of trails. As with many curiosities, it caused me several questions. Is it really alcohol? What else could be there? How did the angel choose those elections? Is the bar resumed? And what is in the mysterious ball bottle hidden behind the Peach Schnappps?

Remember to look for beauty

In the true hospitality of the South, several of the mountains in this area have alternative routes of bad weather. The day I went up to Big Bald, the storms almost took me along the alternative path. I thought I would risk and look for beauty, despite the weather. When I got to the top, the rain stopped and the low hung clouds made a dramatic scene in the valleys below.

State Limerick

All my life, I have made a point of knowing where I am. It would seem relatively simple, but in these last weeks, I have not been sure in which state my feet have landed: in any day, I wandered between Tennessee and North Carolina due to the path that the path takes along the border, entering and leaving these two states. I finished North Carolina. I know with certainty that I have not crossed my native state of Virginia, so that means that I have not finished with the voluntary state.

North Carolina

• Great Outdoor Adventure Long The Trail
• Stop the raft or by bicycle, Hill and Dale
• Host half of the smoks
• The bear signs made me laugh
• The perfect views about Big Bald did not fail!

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