Slowing It Down

720 miles into this hike!  Yet, it took almost 650 of that 720 miles for me to realize that there is no point in rushing.  That's not to say that I've "wasted" those previous miles.  That wouldn't be fair. However, if I wanted to get to Maine in a quicker fashion, I would take a train, plane, or car.  I'm hiking voluntarily.  If I want to see a certain sight or do a certain task, why not?  I'm out here to be out here.  The ultimate goal is Maine but why not enjoy the days along the way?  In short, I've decided to slow this journey down a bit for several reasons...
One reason is that I would like to see the fall colors come out in Maine.  Another reason is that I've found out the hard way that pushing to do big miles just for the sake of doing big miles is pointless.  It wears you down too much.  What do you see or hear during the day?  Very little... you're too focused on going, going, going.  It's not enjoyable.
My biggest day so far is 24 miles in one day.  That's a lot.  You might think I would get to see a lot in that 24 miles, but not really.  It's so easy to get caught up in the miles and trying to make big days that it's even easier to lose sight of why you're out here.  I'm not out here to rush or push.
During the first month of my hike I would hear birds singing. I would stand at overlooks.  But now I fully listen to the birds singing-- how they answer each other and sing a perfect song.  I study the land and my thoughts at overlooks.
It's time to slow it down a bit.  After all, isn't that why most of us are out here?  The picture below is of me dangling my feet from McAfee Knob.  Dangling my feet from here was one of the things on my to-do list.  Check!  :-)

The Weather

It's fickle.
However, looking back to the start of this hike, I've been fortunate. It's rained only a handful of times during the day. The rest have been sunny or overcast. Most of the rain has been at night; and usually it was bad thunderstorms. But I knew the days of good weather wouldn't last. They never do. I knew I would eventually be in for a week or more of crappy weather. Well, it's here! And it looks like it might be here to stay...? I hope not! I switched out my winter sleeping bag to my summer bag and I've been cold at night! The sun and warmth needs to return!
I haven't seen the sun in about a week or more. It's rained a part of the day every day for the past week. I routinely pack away a wet and muddy tent. My trail runners don't dry out. My pack is moist. In fact, everything is moist. Eww.. All of that "moistness" coupled with the infamous "thru-hiker smell"... it's not pleasant.
This past week was full of situations such as this one: I'm hiking along and see a sign that says "view." I glance to my left or right and all I see is fog and blowing mist. I keep hiking without hardly breaking my stride. A little further down the trail, the trail has been transformed into a stream with mud that easily comes up to my trail runner laces. My footing is unsure and my feet slide in whatever direction they wish. The trail is marked with long skid marks of unfortunate souls that wipe out. I almost become one of them but remain upright all day.
That was last week in a nutshell. Now I'm at Woods Hole Hostel. What a retreat--and a sight! This retreat serves both hikers and non-hikers. Hikers are mingling with guests that drive up from the city to enjoy this hostel. I just love being exposed to all of these different ways of living, such as what is practiced here at Woods Hole. Neville & Michael emphasize and practice sustainable living, bee keeping, yoga, meditation, and rejuvenation. I have received my massage thanks to Neville and now I'm listening to some good folk music. Soon I will cook my own wood-fired pizza. Yum!

Wet and soupy trail...

Food

It's official. Hiker hunger has hit--hard. Honestly though, my non-stop hunger started about a week into the trail. But now it's serious! I'll eat anything I can get my hands on! If other hikers offer up food, I never decline. The reason is breakfast usually lasts me about an hour before I'm hungry again. Lunch and snack time often blend together. And dinner is always a rice or noodles dish. Meh... It's a well-known fact on the trail that thru-hikers can't carry enough food to sustain them, thus we incur calorie deficits. Studies indicate that we burn between 3,000 to 5,000 calories per day!
Therefore, whenever I get into town, there are always "town chores" to be done but one of them is to eat real food! And lots of it! Eating whole large pizzas, downing a whole Ben & Jerry's ice cream container, or ordering the "hiker special" (a lot of food)... it's all normal now. When in town, I usually eat more in one sitting than I would during an entire day back home.
I'm trying to keep my weight up, but it's almost fruitless. I currently weigh about 120 lbs and no matter what I eat or how much, I don't really gain any weight. I think I've lost a few pounds since starting my hike..

This picture below was taken at Kincora Hostel. I ate that whole pizza, drank all of the 2-liter soda, had two doughnuts, and brownies and ice cream for dessert.

The People You Meet

It may be hard to believe, but hiking through the woods and across the mountain tops on the AT is not really a solo experience. A lot of people are out here hiking on the trail! However, I generally like to do my hiking alone.
You meet some very interesting folks out here! Total strangers, really.. But besides hiking, what else do I have to do? Interact with these people!
I was staying at Kincora Hostel, one of the most reputable hostels on the entire trail, and it was packed! The hostel was full, the tent sites were taken, etc. People were even sleeping in the laundry room! But what a fun time it was swapping trail stories and singing along to "Wagon Wheel" while Gravity strummed his guitar. Some of the guys even got mohawks and their nails painted by the few girls present. I received the Hair Award. Most people couldn't believe how smooth/silky/straight my hair is and everyone was touching it. One girl even entertained us that evening by showing us her "fire spinning" talents. Bob Peoples, the owner and operator of Kincora, walked in and saw the mingling that was going on and said it best in his Boston/Elmer Fud accent: "that's why there's no TV or computer here... it's about the people."
Such a melting pot of people are out here.. you're bound to find someone you mesh with. Or, more importantly, you're bound to learn something about yourself.. should you indeed choose to throw yourself into these situations where you have to interact with people from all walks of life.
Here's a steller picture of Overmountain Shelter, a converted barn. It was taken while climbing up Hump Mountain onto Houston Ridge. You can click on the picture to enlarge it.. Also, the itinerary link was updated as well.

My Trail Name

Here I am in Erwin, TN! I did three 20+ mile days consecutively after leaving Hot Springs, NC! I've been feeling great and I'm hiking without my knee brace! I'm 340 miles into this hike and I'm excited for some upcoming things! Roan Mountain (6,284 ft.) and several great hostels along the trail, to name a few.. My next stop will be Roan Mountain, TN. Also, here's the dish about my trail name below..
It's Soulslosher. No, not Soulslasher. Soulslosher. I had one thru-hiker that was avoiding me because he thought I was some evil person looking to slash his soul and any other unfortunate hiker's that might get in my way.. Also, some hikers call me Soul; others call me Slosher.
So, why Soulslosher? I didn't follow thru-hiker tradition and let others name me. I named myself: Soulslosher. To me, this name represents how I view myself and my place in this world (and one of the reasons why I'm hiking the AT). Now, I want you to know that I just might get a little "out there" right now in my explanation of my trail name...
Ok, so I think we all have a "soul". Regardless of what it is, I think we all have one. And I think that in order to get the most out of life, you need to shake things up. Try things you wouldn't normally do. Stimulate you senses, your soul, your mind. Try things that make you feel ALIVE! It seems that for most people, the best they can "shake things up" is by watching something new on television or the like. Not me, I want something more! I crave it.
Get the picture I'm painting? So, what's another word for shake? Slosh! Put them both together and what do you have? SOULSLOSHER!
Peace out peoples! Back to hikin'!

Pictures!

What a long, timely, and cumbersome process. I twiddled my thumbs in the Hot Springs library while these photos uploaded. To see the photos, please click on the "Pics from the Trail" link to the right. The pictures are from my start on Springer Mt. in GA to the Smoky Mts. in NC/TN. I would have uploaded all the pics I have, but the library laptop died during uploading. Nonetheless, enjoy. The newest photos are first.
I've also added photos to previous posts. So feel free to scroll down and view them. :-)

Trail Magic

It's magical, really. Trail magic can be anything that assists a hiker.. and it's usually unexpected. Things such as food/drinks found along the trail, rides into town, strangers providing aid, etc. Usually trail magic comes in small packages, if you will. However, there are exceptions.. The trail magic I hit at Brown's Gap was anything but small.
Day hikers going in the opposite direction tell me of trail magic about 7 miles ahead. They didn't tell me what it was, just that it was there. I get super excited because two days before, I came across two coolers full of nothing. They were trail magic at one time, but not when I got there... So, I'm thinking to myself "I'm gonna get me some of that trail magic.. I don't care what it is!"
I arrive about at Brown's Gap in about 2.5 hours and see two huge tents set up, a trailer hooked up to a SUV, chairs everywhere, and a huge sign that says "Welcome AT thru hikers!" OMG! The mother-load!!
It's officially called "Brown's Gap Hiker Feed 2011" sponsored by the Rat Patrol. They are there set up for 3 days. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to thru hikers, depending on what time you get there. Or, if you like, you can stay and have all 3. I rolled in for lunch, which was hamburgers, soda, candy, and "mana" -- and man, was it good! I was having such a great time with the food, people, and entertainment, I ended up staying for dinner. Can you believe they served steaks, corn on the cob done on the grill, homemade coleslaw, beans, soda, "mana", ham, cornbread, and fresh fruit for dinner?!
Most will agree that trail magic is a significant part of the AT experience. And it's not just about free food/drinks, etc. It's about the amazing people you meet, the stories you hear and share, the entertainment of it all... it's magical!

My plan for that day was to camp on top of Max Patch and watch the sunset and sunrise. I got to Max Patch with very little time to spare. I caught the last half of the sunset. Gail force winds kept me up most of the night.. thinking if my tent poles were going to snap or if my rain fly would end up in the valley below. But about 6 am, I didn't care! The sunrise was so beautiful! I've never seen such rich colors painting the sky!
All of that was two days ago. Here I am in Hot Springs, NC! Mile # 271. I'm taking a "nero" here. I only hiked 3 miles into town and now I'm staying at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn; an antiquey, Victorian, knic-knacky place. But full of charm! :-)