OmPi's Adventures

Hiking the AT is a microcosm of life. Day to day can be so different, one day you can enjoy every step and the next day you can struggle to find anything that interests you. Some days can feel like a constant uphill struggle but then the next moment you find the struggle shifts to spiraling downhill. Just like home when we see and experience the same things, no matter how awesome or once enjoyable, when we sexperience them so consistently we sometimes lose interest or it no longer impresses us.

Today was a long hard struggle for me. I woke up to find a little hole in my hammock bug net. After rolling into camp late last night I hurriedly set up my camp and kept a small thing of trail mix with me to snack on. A little mouse found it in the night and helped himself, damaging my home for the next 6 months in the process.

 After that I had a hard hike the vistas all started to look the same to me and I realized I was just walking to walk. A few times along the way I reflected back to what other successful thru hikers have told me. They all seem to agree that you have to find something enjoyable each day. Today I struggled for most of the day to find something enjoyable.

I stopped for a late lunch at Deep Gap Shelter. It was a bit off trail but it was beautiful. I was tempted to stay, I understand the privy was clean and hardly used. Nice! There I met AP (accident prone), and 2 guys one from FL that makes at least 10. The three of them all made arrangements to stay at the Holiday Inn express in Hiawassee. I was already feeling down so I may have felt a little excluded though I know it wasn't the intention.

Anyway I rested for a bit and decided to push on to get a little closer to Dick's Creek Gap so my Nero was as close to a Zero as possible. I went ahead and found a camp with Bojangels and his girlfriend and their two dogs Baxter (aka Foghorn, because he barks a lot) and Stella but decided to push a little further because they were still over a mile away. I then crossed paths with 2 guys a little further up but no room for my hammock they told me there was some flat space ahead. I went and bushwacked for a bit trying to arrange a spot then decided to just keep walking and if nothing made itself available I'd just head in to the hostel tonight.

Sure enough just by the road there was a  spot and even better someone had left some Coca-Cola cans next to a tree (more trail magic just when I needed it.) I used the running stream next to the camp to cool the coke down while I set myself up. After getting set I prepped my bear bag line and started a fire. Damn this shitty day has taken a turn. I'm about a half mile from the hostel so I should be one of the first there, my dinner of lime black bean was dip was delicious with my trail grown sprouts on flour tortillas. I have an awesome fire and one of the best camp sites I've yet to enjoy and I was enjoying it all to myself.

The sun set and some cars pulled into the gap parking lot. Out comes a guy with a headlamp and I began thinking that maybe I'm camped too close to the road or that I'm not allowed to have a fire here or something. Come to find out, he was scoping spots for him and his buddies to camp before their section hike this weekend. I told him they were more than welcome and the camp had plenty of space. Little did I know there was about 15 guys and a dog. Lol my peaceful little camp quickly filled with guys setting up gear in the dark, mind you with headlamps and all. It reminded me again that just when you think you are set on level terrain that there is always an adventure ahead.

The guys turned out to be really cool and offered to drop me at the hostel in the am or into town. Very generous! They asked for my blog and said they would like to follow my journey along the way.  Guys, if you are reading this, I hope you had an amazing section hike; I enjoyed the company around the fire and thanks again for the offer. Sorry I was so out of it.

What a day, one with lots of ups and downs both physically and mentally. In the end I found something enjoyable in a little lonely camp that became a hub of great trail community.

OmPi ( ॐ π )