Before one goes on a great journey, it’s always good to do a trial run, just to see how it may go.

So that’s what I decided to do, since our family was heading off to Gattlinburg, Tennessee for the Thanksgiving holiday to a log cabin in the woods.  With our oldest son a Marine stationed at Camp Lejoune in North Carolina, and our daughter at Emory University in Atlanta, we decided to all meet up in the middle somewhat, along with youngest son, our new in-laws, and the star of the show–our first grandson. 

The Thanksgiving Star

It just so happens that Gattlinburg is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which the Appalachian Trail runs right through the middle of for 50 miles. 

After bloating out on Thanksgiving day, and then spending a day in the tourist trap of  Gattlinburg/Pigeon Forge, we somehow ended up at the Outlet Mall fighting the crowds.  If you’ve ever been to Branson, that’s what Pigeon Forge especially is like…only 500 miles farther from Tulsa.   After this experience, I was ready to head to the mountains and get on the AT (Appalachian Trail) for some real scenic beauty.  If I was going to thru-hike this trail next year, I had to at least get on it to see a little of what I was getting myself into.

I wanted to try out my old internal frame backpack, that had not been used seriously for many years,  so I loaded it up with stuff just to fill it up and add weight.  I was just going on a day hike of about 10 miles to get a feel for the trail, and see how this new Grandpa would hold up with a full backpack.  So I packed it with clothes, towels, sleeping bag, tent, my new netbook (used for my on-trail blog), Capri-Suns, a can of Coke, jar of gravy, baseball mitt, and topped it out with some rocks to add some weight.  

It was 9:45 by the time my “trusted family members” let me off at the parking lot where the AT crosses a blacktop road at Newfoundland Gap in the middle of the Smokey Mountain National Park.  Sightseers and a few day hikers were scurrying about taking pictures and enjoying the views from 5,000’ at the top of this Smoky Mountain Pass.  I was pumped and ready to go.  Since I didn’t want to backtrack much, I showed them on a map where to pick me up 8 miles up from there at Clingman’s Dome, which is the highest point on the whole AT at over 6,600’.   I drove them up the road a few hundred yards to show them how to get there, and went back to the trailhead at the Newfoundland parking lot.  “4:00 at Clingman’s Dome”, I excitedly told them of my destination.  “If I get there before 4:00, I’ll keep hiking down the trail some and backtrack to meet you at 4:00”, I told them as I headed off into the woods on a trail marked Appalachian Trail.   

After reading eight books about the AT, I was there—walking on it! 

The air was crisp and cool, under a bright blue sky, and my pack felt light.  “I can do this” I thought to myself.  As I got higher into the woods, more and more snow was packed on the trail from a little snow shower two days before.  I had to walk carefully not to slip and fall.  Didn’t want to break a leg or anything on my first day on the trail, before my

Wearing my OSU sweatshirt did not affect the score of the game that day (OU27 OSU0).

actual hike even started!   That would not be good.  The trail went up some, and then down, and up again.  More up than down it seemed.  It was well maintained and in good shape, compared to some trails I’ve been on in Colorado.  Thousands of volunteers do a great job in maintenance on the entire AT every year.  That’s one of the unique things about the AT–it’s entirely funded and maintained without the help of government.  Volunteers, though hiking clubs, the Appalachian Trail Conference, and other groups constantly are maintaining and improving the 2,175 miles of the trail.

 I knocked off over 4 miles, before laying down for a quick lunch on a sunny ridge.  Since I was feeling pretty good, I added some rocks to my pack to make it heavier, duplicating what I would carry over a week without re-supplying.  The trail continued to go up and up it seemed, and my legs began to feel the effects of the constant up and down, and up some more.  The trail never seemed to be flat.  It was a far cry from walking along the Creek Turnpike Trail, in walking shoes, with no pack on, on smooth blacktop, with a slurpee waiting at the end. 

Being a nice Saturday on a busy weekend, the trail had many day hikers, some with little backpacks, and some just with a walking stick.  I was the only guy with a big, fully loaded pack on, so most assumed I was a thru-hiker or at least a serious backpacker out on an overnight or weekly trek.  “You going to Maine or Georgia?” asked one curious lady.  “Well actually, I’m hiking the day, and going to Gatlinburg” I sheepishly replied.  I had to explain to several people that I was just testing out my backpack, and testing out my 55-year old legs and back on this trial run for a day.  As I told them I was planning on hiking the entire AT next year, most were impressed, and a little skeptical I could tell.  I could see by their expressions that they thought I was some goof-ball, or just a dreamer, and would not actually make it along the whole trail.  In fact, most don’t. 

85% of those who start out on the trail with the intent to thru-hike crash and burn. 

My pace began to slow as the pack became heavier and heavier it seemed.  My legs began to feel heavy, and my quads began to tighten up with each difficult step up the trail.  I met two young guys from the UK earlier on the trail out day hiking.  They were half my age, without a pack, and passed me heading up the trail.   I quickened my pace after they passed, to show them I could keep up, but they kept getting faster it seemed, or I kept getting slower. 

The trail went up alot more than down.

Now they had reached Clingman’s dome at the 8 mile mark from the trailhead, and were heading back down another 8 miles to the trailhead.  They told me it was not far till the summit, and that the trail did get steeper towards the end.

After they disappeared though the woods, I though, heck with it– I’m dumping those rocks.   So I started chunking out the rocks from my pack to lighten my load.  It did feel better.  I made my first discovery on how I was going to make it next year.  I had to pack a light pack.   A 35 pound or less pack is what I would strive for.  My aching legs were telling me that as I continued the slow climb up the mountain. 

At about 2:30 I reached the summit of Clingman’s Dome.  I was getting tired.  My legs continued to cramp up some.  There were a lot of tourists who walked a half mile up from the parking lot to climb the observation tower.  Again, with a full backpack on, I stood out like I was Jeremiah Johnson or some mountain man on a mission.  I was a little delirious from the last steep climb, as one young couple walked past, and the young lady says to me, “It’s beautiful.” 

The view from Clingmans Dome was beautiful.

For some reason, I immediately said “Thank You”.  What am I thinking, I thought.  You dork, she was saying the view was beautiful, or the day was beautiful, not you, or your backpack, or your hike was beautiful!  I quickly caught myself and replied, “Yes, it’s a beautiful day”, as I quickly bounced down the mountain now going down the trail to escape my stupid remark. 

 With about an hour left before my ride was to be at Clingmans’ Dome parking lot at 4:00, I hiked about 30 minutes mainly down the mountain, only to trudge 40 minutes back up.  I began to question my thinking about this hike.  Was I really going to be able to do this?  I had walked 10 miles today, and was really tired and sore.  To thru-hike the entire AT, I’ll need to average 18.5 miles per day to make it in four months.  I had hiked 1 day, yet to thru-hike the entire AT would take be 125 days, and at a good pace.  Most people take 5-6 months to complete.  Yes, I was not in great shape, but in pretty good shape for a guy my age.  And this day’s hiking was mainly uphill, with rocks in my pack, and just two days after bloating out on Thanksgiving turkey, sweet potatoes, and pie. 

I discovered my second truth about making this AT2010 jouney—I needed to get in really good shape if I was going to enjoy this hike, with legs like pistons, 6-pack abs, strong back, and the aerobic endurance of a marathon runner. 

I reached the parking lot at about 4:15, with no “trusted family members” or their vehicle in sight.  I took off my pack, watched the tourists, enjoyed the view, and waited, and waited, and watched the sun get lower and lower in the distant horizon.  The view was beautiful, but it was windy and getting colder at this 6,600’ elevation.  I began to worry about

I had alot of time to enjoy the sunset from Clingmans Dome

what may have happened to my ride as it was almost dark by now.  Something was wrong, as they were now almost two hours late.  I was now getting irritated as to why they left me stranded on this mountaintop, as they were probably sitting by the fire eating leftover turkey at the cabin.  I had no choice but to ask for a ride into town from two guys at the parking lot.  So I crammed myself and my pack into the backseat of their car and winded down the mountain towards Gattlinburg. 

As we came down from the mountains, cell phone coverage came back, and I was able to contact my “trusted family members”, only to find out they had been waiting for the same two hours at Newfoundland Gap, where they had left me that morning.  Apparently they did not hear the part about picking me up 8 miles up the road, and were thinking I was lost in the Appalachians, or that a bear had eaten me on my first day on the trail, before my hike had even officially started.  They even called some friends or ours and asked them to just pray for Brad, as he’s two hours late, and must be hurt, or lost, or he’s being eaten for dinner by a bear as we speak. 

Did a bear have Brad for dinner, before he could even start his official hike?

I'll be back......

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 12:16 pm and is filed under AT2010, Pre-hike Planning, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.