4/11/01
Disaster! ! ! Well, sort of. I'll explain later in today's journal! First things first. Creeper's watch alarm went off at 5:55 a.m. and I was lying next to him in the shelter so I couldn't help but hear it. He was on a mission to get an early start since he has been slow and suffering on the down hills. We flawlessly packed up our sleeping bags, air mattresses, put on clothes and boots, and moved all our gear out of the shelter in the dark without using flashlights. By the time the 12 other inhabitants stirred we were done with breakfast and were hoisting our packs as the early pre-dawn light began. By 6:50 a.m. we were hiking. We had a quick 1000 foot climb that leveled off near the summit of Mt. Cammerer, the last big mountain in the Smokies going north. There was a side trail near the summit which takes the hiker to the actual summit and old fire tower at the top. I knew I was a good distance ahead of Creeper so I dropped my pack and hiked the 1/2 mile to get the morning 360 degree view. As I was hiking, I saw my first wild pig on the trail. It was actually a piglet, and it scampered off down the side of the mountain snorting as I approached. The view up top, though hazy and smoky (what should I have expected?) was still incredible as there is over 4000 feet straight down looking north and west. I could clearly see I-40 below with all the semi trucks winding through the curves of the Smokies...from the top of Mt. Cammerer they appeared tiny like little ants moving on a small path.
When I got back to the trail junction, there was no sign of Creeper. After drinking some water and eating a snack, I decided that the 35 minutes which had passed since I originally arrived at the trail junction was sufficient for Creeper to catch up to me, so I made an assumption that he had passed by and kept on trucking down the AT. From that junction near the top of Mt. Cammerer, the trail descends almost 4000 feet in just over 4 miles. The hike down was torture on my knees and ankles, and especially on the bottom of my feet. For those of you who have never backpacked any long distances, downhills are much, much harder on the body than uphills or level ground. The weight of pack and body pounding on the muscles and joints going down can cause real pain, and I really felt it this morning! I caught up with Creeper after 45 minutes of tough downhill hiking. I passed him then stopped after another 30 minutes and waited for him to catch up. We needed to agree on a plan once we reached the road at the end of the GSMNP. You see, Creeper had planned a meal drop by mail or UPS to Mountain Momma's, a country store in Mt. Sterling, NC, about 1.3 miles down the road off the trail. Since he has been moving slowly and with some pain, I planned to hike ahead of him, drop my pack at the crossroad for him to watch for me, then I would be the designated hiker to Mtn. Momma's to pick up his food (note that I already had my food to last me to Hot Springs even though I was carrying double the food weight from Newfound Gap). So I executed the plan and hiked the extra 1.3 miles down the road.
When I got to Mtn. Momma's I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and jumbo cheeseburger to go to take back up the road for Creeper and me to split. Then I asked the lady for Creeper's food box. She went to the back of the store and didn't come back for a long time. I finally walked around to the shelves where she was searching. She announced that Creeper's food was not there! Furthermore, she explained that the mail had already come and that tomorrow 10:00 a.m. would be the next incoming mail. I was aghast and asked her to look again. She didn't really want to, and I looked myself as she was rummaging through the boxes, but no package was there for Creeper. I made a quick inventory in my mind of my own food then hastily bought a couple of Lipton Noodles and Sauce dinners for Creeper, then grabbed the lunch goodies and began the 1.3 mile walk UP the gravel road to the trail junction. Thank goodness a car happened to come by after I had completed about 1/4 mile and I stuck out a weary thumb which got me a ride the rest of the way. Creeper was there waiting for me when I got out of the car WITHOUT his food box. While elated with the cheeseburger and cheese sandwich, we began thinking through our food options for the next several days. Should we go back to Mtn. Mommas for more food? Could we yogi some food from other thru-hikers? Would we face starvation on the side of the mountain? Could we become cannibals and eat another thru-hiker if forced? The plain truth is that we felt confident we could share my food and Creeper's leftover food and be o.k. to Hot Springs.
We hiked another mile and crossed under I-40 and began the ridiculous ascent of Snowbird Mtn. For all that elevation we lost coming out of the Smokies, now we had to climb over 3000 feet. And it was 88 degrees, stifling heat for such a long and steep ascent. (Oh where, oh where, did spring go???) I was ahead of Creeper and made almost 2000 feet up before I had to stop due to near heat exhaustion. After a few minutes of rest, I climbed some more until I reached Painter Creek, still a long, long way from the top. By now every bone, tendon and muscle from my knees to my toes were killing me, so I stopped. After 30 minutes of just lying by the creek, I pumped water for me and Creeper, then waited another 30 minutes before he showed up. He was as dead tired as I was, and we both just lay in the leaves next to the creek for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, after lamenting all the pros and cons of staying the night there vs. getting up and over Snowbird Mtn., we decided to press on the additional 2.9 miles to a campsite on the other side. It was another 2.4 miles straight up, and I finally arrived at the campsite by 5 p.m. It took Creeper another full hour to do those last 2.9. Whew, what a tough day. This was the toughest for him and the second toughest for me. Tonight I made soup and figured out all the meals from now to Saturday, splitting everything up between us. We have plenty of food (thank goodness we always carry an emergency dinner!). Creeper was really exhausted but I forced him to eat his dinner and I think he'll be better for it. We're in a nice quiet wooded area all to ourselves with a cool breeze and a million stars tonight. Creeper is snoring as I write (it's 10 p.m. now) and I'm happy we made extra miles because tomorrow we have a long down then another rough climb over Max Patch, an exposed bald. And of course, the forecast is for thunderstorms tomorrow, so I'm hoping we can get up and over Max Patch before the storms hit. I hope the mailman is enjoying Creeper's food tonight. Happy trails! Today's stats: Lo 50 degrees, high 87 hot degrees. Mileage; 15.6 tough miles; cumulative mileage 242.7.
