Appalachian Trail, Deep Gap to Carter Gap to Timber Ridge Trail

Photo by Monica Ealey

Oh Happy Day!! I am backpacking with most of my crew. It seems like we have been trying forever to get together and finally we put together a trip that 6 of us could make! So Friday morning Monica and Carrie met me at my house and headed to Deep Gap, NC. We would head up the AT to Carter Gap and would meet Sassafras, Salt, and Leslie there at camp. They had to work half a day, so they would be taking a side trail to meet us.

Of course, anytime you hear the word GAP on the AT means you have to climb, so that is what we did right out of the car. Standing Indian Mountain is about a thousand foot climb over 2 miles. I hate to climb, but thankfully the trail here is well graded, and has switchbacks in all the right places. Being the first long BP trip of the year, we were all taking our time, and just enjoying being together. We kept hearing thunder off in the distance and about 2/3 of the way up it was time to put on the rain gear. I am notoriously slow on the uphills, so Monica and Carrie had gotten a little ahead of me. I stopped near another hiker to put on rain gear, and he told me to take the time when I got up to the summit to take the blue blaze to a vista. We chatted a few minutes, then he headed up the trail. I started moving again and caught the others who had stopped to put on their rain gear too. Trust me, if you ever climb this mountain take the time, the view was absolutely amazing.

After a short break we began the 4 mile descent towards Carter Gap. Again, nicely graded, nice switchbacks in all the right places. My legs felt great, I never felt like I was going to die, and I was having a fabulous time. At about mile 6, I started feeling a twinge in my lower back. Two years ago I had a still diagnosed back issue that kept me out of work for 2 weeks. My chiropractor has been working on it, and has been keeping me going, but I could tell something wasn't right. I had to stop more often and take that pack off just to relieve the pain. It helped, but only for a moment. But when you are in the middle of the woods, there really isn't anything you can do except keep trudging on. Carrie and Monica were awesome, they kept an eye on me, and stayed close enough just in case I needed them. They are much faster than I am, so I am grateful that they are such good friends and put their paces aside to keep me company. We finally made it to Carter Gap and set up camp near the old shelter. I quickly got the hammock up and spend just a few minutes in there hoping to take some of the tension off my back.

It seemed to relieve some of the pressure, so I was feeling better about the next day. Soon after I got up, Salt, Sassafras and Leslie showed up at camp and it was the best feeling in the world. Once again I have to tell you how blessed I am to have these women in my life. We met through Trail Dames, became fast friends and they are all so special to me. We had a great evening sitting around, telling stories and basically enjoying this thing called hiking that we love so much. We all turned in around 9:30 and I was soon asleep.

Morning came, and my back had stiffened up considerably through the night. I knew then that my hike this weekend was over. There was no way I could make it up Albert Mountain in this pain. So Salt, Leslie and I hiked back to the Timber Ridge trail and took it down to the cars. This hike was very nice, but I just couldn't go. I was stopping like every 20 minutes to take that pack off. The plan was to hike to the cars, drive to Wallace Gap and hike back to meet the others at camp. I just couldn't do it. So, I made the tough decision to leave my friends and head home. I will come back and complete this section, but this time it just wasn't meant to be.


As I sit home and contemplate this trip I have learned a few things.

1.  My legs are in shape. Even after a 10 mile day, they felt strong. Even after several climbs they felt strong.
2.  I have to make a point to hang out with these women. We are all so different, come from different places, have different life situations, but together, we are one. We are good for each others souls. We thrive when we are together. We HAVE to do this more often. No amount of money could pay for the therapy we get for free when we are together. These women are my sisters. Missing were Hemlock, Stillwaters and SHOE, but they were there with us in so many ways. They too are my sisters.
3. No matter how much I gripe and complain....I love being out there. It has to happen more frequently. It HAS TOO.


You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through- Rosalyn Carter.

Backpacking at Mistletoe State Park

One of my goals I made recently was to visit and hike in all the state parks in Georgia. So this weekend I drove out to Mistletoe State Park in Appling, GA to hike the back country trail. I had scouted a couple of the other trails a few months ago and was eager to try out this one. I met Kirsten a fellow Trail Dame and my old friend SHOE at the office and we headed off to our site. Mistletoe is a beautiful park, the regular campground has amazing lakeside sites and there are lots of options for camping. This hike was mainly to scout the back country sites so I can lead a TD trip there at a later date.

I have hiked quite a bit with Shoe, in fact I have probably hiked more miles with her than anyone else, but we figured it had been at least 2 years since we had hiked together. This is really unacceptable, and I am going to have to make sure that we get out more often. Funny thing though, once on the trail we fell into the same rhythm as always and used the time to reminisce and catch up on each other's lives. Kirsten was such a joy as well, she acts all shy and all that, but once she gets going, she is just hilarious. She kept us in stitches the whole trip.

The trail is interesting, but the maps are terrible. (note to any hike leaders that read this....this is exactly why we require scouting hikes before leading a TD trip). We made our way down the Cliatt Creek Nature trail and hooked up with the Rock Dam trail which would take us to our camp. Once on the Rock Dam trail, we moved right along until the trail crossed the creek. It was quite confusing, there were blazes all over the place, but they went is several directions and it was very difficult to follow. We actually took the right direction first, but I kinda felt like we didn't so we turned around. After consulting the map for the 50th time, we all agreed that we were probably right the first time and we turned around. The first feature according to the map was a rock outcropping that is part of Stone Mountain near Atlanta. I kinda thought it looked like a dolphin.

We hiked on and arrived at camp after a couple of hours. I quickly set up my hammock, and helped Kirsten get her hammock hung for the first time. The afternoon was spent talking and just enjoying each others company. For dinner, SHOE had frozen in some sausages and I brought skewers to cook them on, so despite temps in the high 80's and almost 100% humidity we built a fire to cook our dinner. Oh, how could I forget, she also brought ingredients to make homemade guacamole, which was delicious!! Thanks SHOE for taking such good care of our bellies!

Indian Wormroot

I slept like a baby again in my Warbonnet, and woke up feeling so refreshed and relaxed. We had breakfast, packed up and hit the trail by 9:00. We finished the Rock Dam loop, crossed the creek again, and found our way back to the cars via the Cliatt Nature Trail. I had a terrific time, with great friends, and we capped it off with a calorie infested lunch at the Cracker Barrel. I would highly recommend this trail to backpacking beginners. I will be leading a TD trip here in the fall. Thanks SHOE and Kirsten for such a good time.


You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through- Rosalyn Carter.

Third times a charm...or a curse, I can't decide.

Finally, life clicked into place and I was able to complete the GA section of the AT over Memorial Day weekend. I was accompanied by my friends Carrie and Diana. All I can say is wow! We pushed it too hard, Dick's Creek to Bly Gap day 1, and Bly Gap to Deep Gap day 2. We had 3 days scheduled. We kept pushing ourselves. We shouldn't have.

Highlights.

1. That nice grassy, shaded area at the junction of the trail to the Plum Orchard shelter. We took a long lunch break here. I almost fell asleep it was so perfect. 
2. Hundreds and hundreds of pink lady slippers around the Blue Ridge gap area. Stunning
3. Being in the woods, away from work. 
4. Seeing the sign for the Chunky Gal trail. Or as I like to call it...MY TRAIL :)
   
   
   
5. Finally seeing that GA/NC state line sign, the gnarled tree at Bly Gap, and a good nights sleep in my faithful Warbonnet hammock. 
6. Yogi-ing a ride from Deep Gap to Franklin. 
7. That first sip of ice cold Diet Dr. Pepper. Ahhhhh!

Low lights.

1. Climbing. There were way too many ups for my liking. The worst was that climb out of Bly Gap. I don't even want to talk about it. 
2. The stupid scout leader that called out for Logan like 2,000 times. Including after 11:00. I wanted to shove my hiking pole down his throat. 
3. Bonking for the first time. I literally did not have the energy to take another step. Thanks to my hiking buddies who were forcing food and electrolytes down my throat, I more or less recovered. Thanks Carrie for the electrolyte solution, and thanks Diana for the Pringles. 
4. After said bonking experience, I did not want to spend another night or day out in the woods. Luckily, we were able to hitch a ride to Franklin, and had a friend pick us up and take us home from there. 

I think I need to go back and do this again. And I need to take my time and enjoy it, instead of setting unrealistic mileage goals for my first trip of the season. Maybe. 

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through- Rosalyn Carter.

Goodbye 2013

Yes, it is that time again. It's a new year, time to post my thoughts on 2013, and my expectations for 2014.

2013

This is very personal, but by putting it here, I can refer to it later when things are seen through a different perspective. So bear with me friends.

All in all, this was a pretty crappy year. Nothing seemed to go right. I began to withdraw from all my activities and my friends. I got lazy, and spent too much time laying in bed watching TV. I didn't hike. I didn't want to hike. I only backpacked twice....TWICE. I dropped out of Trail Dames, which was hard to do, but a necessary step to take, so I thought. I gave up my board of directors position, I gave up the Head dame responsibilities. The immediate relief from responsibility was there, but within a couple of months, I knew that probably wasn't helping. Despite all my efforts, I fell right back into that deep, muddy rut. Then in August, I went back to work.

August was an amazing month professionally. I had totally turned everything around.  Despite teaching the most difficult kids in the school, I was on fire. I had incredible activities, lessons, and a new computer program to use with them. I mean, when school started, I had 3 weeks of lessons planned, for 3 grade levels. It was great. Within a month, I was done. Totally, completely done. Every little thing that bothered me grew in magnitude within my brain and either made me angry, or made me break down in tears. Instead of seeking help from my friends, I became more and more isolated. I quit hiking, I really didn't do much along the lines of socializing. Every day grew darker, and more scary. I started having anxiety attacks and panic attacks. Every night was spent tossing and turning, sleep was way too elusive. I was lucky to make it through the day without crying. Everything I did had to be perfect, and I expected that of everyone else around me as well. Finally I broke down and told my doctor. Diagnosis: Depression.

The depression screening questions actually had him pretty nervous. He prescribed Lexapro, which I had taken several years ago. The minimal course for this run of prescriptions is 3 years. I am not a fan of medication, but he basically did not give me a choice this time. Take it or we will discuss alternatives. I didn't want to talk alternatives, so I gave in.

So fast forward 3 months. I am not out of the dark hole yet, but I am gripping the sides and getting ready to pull myself up over the edge. I fully expect being on the receiving end of many "why didn't you call me" or "I would have been there for you" statements. In fact, I have already dealt with many, many of those. And I know that I should have reached out.

But news alert, people that are really depressed, will NEVER do that. They will isolate themselves, and think they can fix things on their own. They will internalize all feelings and put on a brave face at work or in public. They will slip on occasion with the ones they love, and let the darkness show itself for a moment, but then, they will immediately call or email or text same loved one and tell them they are ok. It was just a moment. They didn't mean to upset anyone. They will then laugh with you, and kid with you, and talk normal with you. They will fake being interested in what you are saying or doing, but in all actuality, they just want to go back home and be alone. And all along, most of them will KNOW something is wrong, but will continue to think they can fix it themselves. Unfortunately, this doesn't often work. A chemical imbalance is just that. A healthy diet, exercise, therapy....all of this will help fight the symptoms, but bottom line is nothing will work until the chemicals are balanced. For me, it's Lexapro. Almost no side effects. Non-addicting. I'll try it.

So, what is going on today?  I am feeling better. I have a meeting soon that may end up giving me back what I need the most. My kid is marrying one of the best men I have ever met, and I am beyond happy for them. I always wanted a son, now I will have one. Hopefully soon, I will have grandbabies I can spoil. :) Work is good again. I am planning many adventures for the spring and summer. I am almost home.

No resolutions this year, no goals, nothing specific to improve on. In 2014 I promise to be happier more often. That's it.



You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through- Rosalyn Carter.

April Check-in

April, what a weird month. I think it rained every day. Well, not really, but is sure felt like it. And it was cold too. And we had spring break, and CRCT testing and my goals went like this:

1. Exercise more. Still hit or miss. I have the best intentions, but keep using the same old lame, I'm tired excuse. 

2. Hiking. I got in 21.5 miles this month. YAY. Finally met that goal, and honestly, I am going to SMOKE that goal in May. Seriously.
3. Backpacking. Let's see, did 2 beginner trips with the Dames, so that goal was met. YAY!


4. Read more. Yeah...hit this one too...finally read the Hobbit...now I get all the references my friends make about that book. I really liked it, and now thanks to my fantastic daughter, I have all 3 of the Lord of the Rings books waiting for me on my Kindle. Thanks Lacey!

5. Eat healthier. Well, I am doing ok most of the time, but not sticking to it regularly, so I am still at the exact same weight I was the first of the month. Good news is I didn't gain anything. Bad news is my blood work wasn't exactly what I was looking for, so my doc has advised me to stop the Atkins. I'll just figure out something else. No worries, right?

6. Be more patient. I am making some progress here. But am looking forward to 9 weeks with no school to deal with.


7. Financial. Still a mess, but I still have a tiny balance in my savings, and I have made it 2 months in a row without putting gas on the stupid credit cards. So, another tiny, miniscule step forward.

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through- Rosalyn Carter.

Beginner BP trip with the Dames

Ok, so I'm having attachment issues. I quit TD. I quit Meetup. I deleted my part of the TD blog. I have tried to cut all ties, but I keep getting sucked into events. Like this one. But now I am so glad I went through with it. It was one of the best outdoor experiences I have ever had.

Anyways, Saturday morning....I am up early, way too early, but I am so excited about this trip. Why am I so
excited you ask? I mean, it's just a little short backpack on the AT. On a section I have done several times, during thru-hiker season, which means a crowd at the shelter. I am excited because 7 years after starting to follow this woman's trail journal, I am going to backpack with her..........on the AT. Yes folks, Certain is in the house. If you want to read her journal Click here, you'll be glad you did.



So moving onward. We leave the house and head to Woody Gap to meet the other dames. Everyone takes advantage of the last semi-clean privy and we are off, heading up FS 42 to Three Forks. There we meet the rest of the Dames, Wendy, Jennifer, Donna, Diana, Fran, Pam, Catrina, and Kirsten. Jules is meeting us at camp, and Hemlock is meeting us somewhere on the trail. We take our time heading NOBO on the AT to the blue blaze trail to Long Creek Falls. Let me just say, the falls were amazing. All of the rain we have had this spring had the falls just filled with water, I have never seen them so magnificent. We had lunch, took pictures, met Angel, a thru-hiker on his first day out, adjusted packs, then headed back down the trail.

At Three Forks, the rest of the group headed south, while I jumped in the jeep to drive up to Springer, so we would have a vehicle at the end of the hike. Well, I almost made it, but about 2 miles from the Springer parking lot, I had another blow-out. That makes 2 in 6 months. Needless to say, I am not happy with Goodyear right now. So I luckily made it to the springer parking lot, parked, and decided not to deal with the tire. It's not going anywhere and I have a hike to do. So I quickly donned my pack and headed North on the AT, destination Stover Creek shelter. The sun was shining, the temperatures were warm, but not hot, the birds were out, and it was a perfect day to be on the AT. I passed a couple of guys starting their thru-hike. Their gear was, well, old. I bet they drop a bunch of money at Mt. Crossings on new gear.

Made it to the shelter in about 30 minutes, and soon the other Dames arrived. We all picked out our spots and quickly set up. We had dinner, then spent some time practicing hanging bear bags. I must say, these dames were great sports, and quickly mastered both the PCT version and the "certain" version of hanging bear bags. The rest of the night passed by so quickly, sitting around the pretend campfire, reading fortune cookies, telling stories, and talking about our favorite things. :) I laughed so hard, I think I gave myself a headache. This is the part of Trail Dames, I have always liked the most. The comraderie built around the campfire. The sharing of stories, the laughter, the fun. This is what I will miss the most. Well past hiker midnight we all retired to our own tents/hammocks and soon I was asleep.

Sunday morning, we all got up early and broke camp around 8:15. We met other members of the group a couple of hours later at the Springer parking lot and hiked up Springer Mountain to celebrate the 6th birthday of the Trail Dames. We made it to the summit, had a champagne toast, hung out a bit to take in the views and fellowship, then we made the trek back down to our cars. After Certain gave in impromptu lesson on changing tires, we said our goodbyes and headed home our own seperate ways.

I am so glad I made it to this trip. It was good to hang out with my friends, and the newer dames. I began to mend some almost broken friendships, and I got to hike and backpack with Certain. It was truly a perfect weekend.

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through- Rosalyn Carter.

Spring Break.......budget style!!

So, it seems like everyone I know headed somewhere fun for spring break, mainly beaches all over Florida. But in my new budget, I don't have travel money yet, so I decided on a "staycation" here in good ole Georgia. So here's how it played out.
    
Days 1-3

I drove down to Newnan, GA to our newest state park, Chattahoochee Bend State Park. Let me tell you, finding that place is a disaster. My GPS took me down into some redneck slum area....definitely not a park there, definitely not a place for anyone to hang out.  So on my phone, I can pull up the address and google map the location. I was like 25 miles off course. So, if you ever go down there, do NOT rely on your GPS, (and yes, I updated it like a month ago). Finally, I made it to the park and drove around to check it out. Very, very nice place. Very clean, the comfort stations are all spotless, and I was very impressed. So after checking out both campgrounds, the walk in tent sites, and the platform area, I decided to stay in the platform area. The only downfall I could find in this whole park was the lack of trees. I mean there were NO trees in the regular campgrounds. None. There were a few in the walk in sites, but at least 3 of those sites were taken by college age young men...nothing wrong with that. But I was looking for quiet and solitude, not beer pong and corn hole games.

So the platform area it was. Since I was prepared to car camp, I had a few more things than a regular bp trip. So trip 1 to the site got my gear there. Trip 2 brought my cooler and camp chair. I also HIGHLY recommend if you are planning on a few luxuries here, you have a wagon or rolling cooler. I would say it was a good 2/10 of a mile to the site. And that cooler got heavy very fast. Got the hammock and accessorites hung, and hung out until my friend Jules arrived. After Jules arrived we just hung out, fished a little bit, ate dinner, including a delicious Kenny's Key Lime Pie. After dieting for a couple of months, I just couldn't pass it up when I saw it at Kroger. If you like Key Lime Pie, this one is way better than the publix brand pie, which in itself isn't all that bad.

We just hung out talking to almost midnight, then finally I curled up in my trusty hammock. Monday morning Jules had to leave...some lame excuse about chores, or cleaning or something like that...whatever Jules. ;) and I was alone for the next 2 days. Which was good. I hiked on the river trail, napped, fished a little, and finally read the Hobbit...now I get all those references. duh! So I went to bed way earlier than the night before and slept soundly once more. Tuesday morning as I was loading up the jeep and charging my phone, I heard that the pollen count in Atlanta was over 8000....and I was even further south. I was feeling ok, but knew that another 48 hours immersed in that type of pollen wound not be good for me, so I decided to cut my solo backpacking trip out and to head home. Which was perfectly fine with me.

All in all, 3 days of camping cost me about 80.00. Most of that was for gas. The site was free (I cashed in my 2 nights for being a friend of the GA state parks) the parking was free and I think my Kroger total was like 24.00. Like I said...spring break on a budget.

All in all, I had a very good time. I got to hang out with my friend, I got to hang out solo, I got to work on some of the issues that have been bothering me, I ate some good food, stayed in a beautiful campsite right on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, and got in a good hike. I will definitely go back to this park and camp. Maybe next time, I will try the north platform campsite...5 miles of backpacking to get there.

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through- Rosalyn Carter.