Days 11 to ? ( what day is it today?) Unicoi Gap to Stecoah Gap.

Days 11 to ? ( what day is it today?) Unicoi Gap to Stecoah Gap.

The days melt together, punctuated by stunning views, interesting characters and the wrath of nature. All in all I am still having the time of my life, with no regrets. ( although I have had the curious thought " did I really drop a grenade on my life and destroy it?" ) Living on the trail is a totally different experience than I was ever used to.

So far I've taken more zero days than I had planned. The frigid weather had us in Hiawassee for 2 days. Then I met my sweetheart Pam for three  days in Franklin.

While I zeroed in Franklin, Morris hiked ahead and met Jade. This was our first time separated on the trail. When Morris was hiking out if the NOC, I was leaving winding stair gap.  I camped that night on a clearing just up the hill from Siler Bald shelter. It was a beautiful evening that called for rain.

In Franklin, I had ditched my hammock and bought a one man tent, I was sick of getting soaked every time it rained. So as the rain started that evening at siler bald,  I was snug and warm.  I woke up the next morning to ice accumulating on the outside world. There was a thick fog and freezing rain.  I looked outside and decided to stay in my tent where I was warm.

At around 1pm a hiker named Rob came by and I talked with him while he smoked a cigarette. "Are you gonna stay in there all day?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll let this weather clear," I replied " I'll still make it to the NOC in time for the Hiker Feast on Saturday"

Rob shrugged, then put his pack on and headed up the trail.

At 2pm the accumulated ice proved too much for the trees. Limbs began creaking, cracking, and snapping. It sounded like all hell breaking loose. I thought about the huge trees I was camped under and the lack of protection provided by my tent. That's all I needed to light a fire under my ass. I frantically packed my backpack as the fury of "icemageddon 2013" raged outside. Limbs were falling every 5 or ten seconds, the trees above me were groaning in warning.  This was the first time I have been terrified for my life since I almost wrecked a helicopter in flight school 20 years ago. I was sure that any moment an ice covered limb would take me out.

I got my bag packed, tent emptied, and stood outside in the freezing rain, looking up at the pending doom above me. My tent was coated in ice like window panes. I broke it clear and hastily rolled tent, poles, pegs and rainfly together in a soggy bundle which I secured to my pack.

I decided to head to the shelter half a mile away but just then two hikers passes saying that one was overfull, 20 people in an 8 person shelter.

So I started hiking to the next shelter. I stopped to put my raincover on my pack as the two hikers disappeared into the mist and rain.

The trail was covered with ice and limbs,  trees were cracking and snapping everywhere around me.  The rain fell harder and I was soaked, even my rain jacket soaked through along with my down jacket underneath.

I recognized that I was in danger of hypothermia. At the pace I was going, I would not make it to the next shelter before dark. Climbing over fallen trees and negotiating ice covered rocks slowed me considerably.

After 5 or six miles I found a sturdy pine tree beside the trail. It was enough shelter from the rain to start a fire and warm up. I took a stout stick and dug out a flat shelf behind the tree to set my tent up. The pine tree protected me from most of the falling ice chunks as the ice, limbs and trees continued to fall. I ate a hot meal, changed into dry clothes, and slept soundly until the morning.

Alas, my battery is dying....more later