OWL has been giving me crap about not getting moving early in the morning, so last night before I fell asleep I practiced my routine several times in my head.
Just imagine - you are toasty warm in your sleeping bag, and the cold air shocks your lungs when you stick your head out of your sleeping bag. You can see your breath. Any part outside the sleeping bag is cold instantly and won't be warm again until the next time you are in your sleeping bag (a good 14 hours away). It is so hard to get changed from sleeping clothes (long underwear, fleece top, light wool socks, hat and balaclava and gloves), into hiking clothes (pants, capilene, layered socks, hat and balaclava and gloves)! And then deflating the sleeping pad...the saddest moment of the day.
But - I was definitely faster this morning. I was even ready to go when OWL was ready to leave (except I had to make a privy stop). Our goal was to make it into Newfound Gap by the 4:45 shuttle. The trail was awful - 2 feet of ice cold slush...calf high slush. It wasn't super cold outside (thus the rivers of melting snow) but my feet were cold instantly. I don't have waterproof boots, so I have been wrapping my feet in plastic bags. This doesn't really help much of anything - I guess it just helps the heat from my feet warm up the water stuck in my socks.
Hiked by Clingman's dome - zero visibility so I didn't go up. I've already seen it - on a great clear day - so there's no need to visit it just to make myself walk through half a mile of misery. I kept thinking about the last time AWE and I were up in this area and how much fun we had biking around Cade's cove and hiking. It was a great mental break. I do that with music, too. When I listen to music - about an hour every day - I put it on shuffle. I love it when songs come on from bands I have seen live. I think about who I was with, where it was, if the show was any good, etc. I try not to listen to music too much - I like to be silent, too, but sometimes I need something to distract me while I'm going up hills.
Saw two section hikers who asked about trail conditions - was wondering why they were out when it was so miserable, but there they were.
Ran into Silver Streak at the shelter turnoff and we hiked to Newfound Gap together. I like hiking alone because I set my own pace & try to get to certain places at certain times. But I like hiking with others - especially when they set the pace and I don't have to worry about it.
It started raining after Indian Stand Road, which made the trail super slick. But we made it to Newfound Gap at 4pm - and there was trail magic! Even in the cold rain. Wendy & Mark (mountain momma and godspeed) had set up a tarp around their truck and were serving chili with fritos (!), sodas, brownies, olives, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes. They were also giving rides into town. It was amazing.
There was an ambulance at the gap and they said the rangers were pulling someone off the mountain. I was freaked out because I thought it might be old goat, or someone else we knew. Later on I checked the GSMNP twitter feed and there were about 10 "ill equipped hikers" at clingmans dome, as well as an older man with a medical emergency due to being ill prepared. OWL talked to one couple that hiked up there and then said "I guess our ride isn't going to pick us up here..." When they saw the road was closed. Why people don't check the road or trail conditions is astounding to me. I would be so annoyed if I were a ranger and had to go spend Easter rescuing people who didn't have enough sense to plan ahead. Especially when it was bad weather & bad trail conditions the entire week before (not like they got caught out in a freak winter storm...which they should have also been prepared for).
Our ride into town was a 2010 SOBO named Mzungu. Nice dude. He is from Maryville and knew the guys we met at the outfitter - Wildcat (who gave us beer and bought us Little Debbie chocolate pies) and Carver (who hiked the AT last year and is going to hike the PCT this year)> A small world!
Went to NOC and bought replacement socks. I love getting to town and emptying out my trash bag! Found a cheap hiker room, took a hot shower, did laundry, FaceTime'd with AWE, called my folks, went to dinner at an Italian place and split a bottle of wine with OWL. So delicious! It is great to be able to talk with AWE and my folks too. I really miss them.
My knee feels ok - the brace helps a lot. And my ankle is healed. I do have two new blood blistered on my left foot and some sort of funky rash around both ankles from wet leukotape. So we'll see what happens. (Maybe "ache of the day" should be changed to "ailment of the day").
I think right now I am at a misery level of 40%. Much better than earlier in the week!
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