Author: Calum Johnson

Here I am, sitting next to Watauga Lake outside of Hampton with 5 bars of LTE service so I thought I’d do a little update. The breakfast at Mountain Harbour was definitely as good as people were saying if not better. They had baked eggs, a potato gratin, fruit salad, bacon, sausage, ham, French toast, biscuits and gravy, and a cherry danish. I ate about 3 good plates  worth and several cups of coffee. I wish I had my phone with me so I could share some photos. Leaving the b&b was pretty hard that morning, I think we all wanted to stay longer than one night. 

I’m sure it was because of the breakfast, but that day I flew over the hills. I wasn’t even hungry during lunch but decided to eat anyway. It was an awesome day with a nice waterfall and warm weather. I could smell the flowers and lots of butterflies were out and about. 

 

 

 

 
The next day we walked by Laurel falls, which was a really nice lunch spot before going into Hampton. No swimming though, apparently there is a really nasty whirlpool. 

From the AT there was a one mile trail into Hampton. I walked into town and went into the McDonalds with Tetris, Mumbles and Ptarmigan. It wasn’t the greatest, but it was fun being stared at by locals. After 2nd lunch we did our resupply and walked to a campsite next to Laurel Creek and the town trail. One thing we did pack out was some 24 oz. beers. Once we got to camp we stuck them in the creek so they’d be relatively cold. That and a nice campfire made it a pretty memorable campsite. 

 

 
I also jumped into the creek which made me feel as clean as after a shower. So far I think this was my favorite town stop. Super cheap but still refreshing and comfortable. 

My next post will probably be in Damascus, the first town of Virginia. I’ll either get their Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, we’ll see what happens. 

-Orion

Today I left the North Carolina for the last time on the AT. For the last 230 miles I’ve been skirting the NC/TN border and there was a good section before that just in NC. A lot of good people and awesome times were had in this last section. Not that it’s a huge accomplishment, or even a good indication of how much of the AT I’ve done, but having another state down feels good.

 

Right now I’m staying at Mountain Harbour, a hostel and b&b just 0.3 miles down the road from the AT crossing. It’s a nice place with a legendary breakfast. What’s even better is that it’s buffet style, so I’ll probably be good for lunch tomorrow too.

My first night out of Erwin I didn’t quite get as far as I was hoping, the breakfast shuttle into town took a bit longer than I had thought. All’s well that ends well, so it didn’t really matter that much in the end. I ended up not camping by a shelter, rather a small campsite with a piped spring. It was really nice, as there are only four of us at that camp. Not that I don’t like people, but it’s nice to have a quite camp with a good campfire.

The next day was rather typical. A nice 13.9 mile walk in the woods, but there weren’t any views and it was a little mundane. There was however a good climb in the morning into a dense spruce forest which was a little different, but as soon as we descended it was back to trees with no leaves.

 

The days that followed were some of the prettiest so far. Views from mountain tops, balds with large clearings, and I even slept in an old barn that was repurposed as a shelter. I passed Roan High Knob shelter, the highest on the AT. Unfortunately I walked past the turn off trail completely so I didn’t actually stop and see it. Overmountain shelter, the one that used to be a barn was really cool. I decided I’d stay in the shelter even though the weather was good because it was a pretty original shelter. Instead of staying up top like most people did, I cowboy camped on the lower platform where I got to see the sunrise. It wasn’t spectacular, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

 

Lately I’ve been noticing how amazing all of the people around me are. It’s really been such a treat to share all this with them. People who come out here for so many different reasons. The things I’ve picked up on, life lessons especially from older thru hikers. It’s all been so valuable. I just hope I remember it all.

The plan so far is to take about 2 maybe 3 days to get into Hampton, and then I’ll get the rest of the food I need to take me into Damascus, VA. Whether or not I stay in Hampton is to be determined.

Until then,

-Orion

A common saying for solo thru hikers is “hike your own hike”. It encompasses just about everything it means to be out here. I’m not by myself on the AT, not by any means. There are tons of others out here for many different reasons. But in the end this is an individual battle. Making it to Katahdin is only achievable if I decide to keep going. A group is really nice, but even then you have to remember to hike your own hike. I left my group today, they stayed at the shelter and I pushed into the rain. I miss the familiarity of them allready, as meeting new people has always been a bit of a challenge for me. But in the end that was another reason to hike my own hike. Forceing myself into new situations to build a stronger person.

Anyways, now for my recap since Hot Springs.

I took another zero before leaving. Tie, one of the caretakers offered me and Kodak another work for stay and we took it. The work was easy and didn’t take that long, so the work part really didn’t impact our day. I was even allowed to use the piano at the chapel next door which was a real treat.

Leaving Hot Springs was bitter sweet. I needed to get back to the trail, but at the same time Hot Springs was so nice. I liked starting my day just walking down the main drag though, it was a good farewell. The climb out also gave me some fantastic views of the sleepy little town.

The rest of the day was just hiking. That night snow and hale were forecasted, but the shelter was full when I arrived. I was confident in my tent though, especially after the downpour in the smokies. I stayed dry, but it sure was cold. I didn’t get much sleep that night, probably should have made a hot water bottle.

The next two days were pretty plain. Georgeous views from Bald Mountain. I sang some night on bald mountain because after that there was Bald Mountain Shelter where I stayed. I did also get the best trail magic so far. A man named Paul from Ashville NC was cooking eggs and potatoes. I ate a full heap and could still eat more. It was awesome of him to do that. He said he thru hiked in 2007 so we had some good talks about that.

Last night and today I got rained on. Staying in the shelter made my morning routine pretty easy, no wet tent and all. Then I headed out. The mud slowed me down quite a bit. I had one good fall, luckily nothing hurt, but I was much more careful after that. All of my rain gear is muddy now though, but it’ll wash off.

I’m staying at Uncle Jonnies hostel in Erwin TN. I caught the shuttle into town for dinner and had a large plate of Enchiladas Picosas and a glass of Negra Modelo. I know, Mexican food in Tennessee? What was I thinking?! But it was actually pretty good, an authentic place owned by a Mexican family who moved here. Tomorrow it looks like I’ll take the same shuttle for breakfast and then I’ll be off toward Hampton, my next resupply.

-Orion

I’m here at the Hot Springs public library and I’ve made it through the Great Smokie Mountain National Park. Sorry that I didn’t do a small update in the middle of the trip. I was going to, but right before I uploaded it I wanted to change a photo, instead of deleting just the photo, I accidentally deleted the entire post. It was annoying so I gave up and slept.

This post is just going to be a general overview and some of my impressions of the smokies. I’ll put up all of my favorite pictures too.

The beginning of the smokies was very wet. It didn’t actually rain that much, but the fog was quite heavy. It’s obvious how the smokies got their name now. There were some times when the fog would clear ever so slightly and you were met with these amazing views. I’d say until now, we haven’t come across a true mountain. Unfortunately I had my phone buried in my pack to prevent it from getting wet that day.

The weather by mid day 2 was spectacular. We had clear skies and warm weather. It’s so nice to have sun after just a day and a half of intense fog. It really helps at drying everything out. We had lunch just below rocky top. What made the views just that much better was the fact we were facing southwest. These were ridges we had all ready gone over, something that made me feel accomplished.

Day two was also when we started getting into the coniferous forests. I’m not sure what kind they were, pines or fir trees? I should know more about this. This was a really nice change because until then, everything was deciduous.

The weather would stay nice until day 5 or so. We got a good downpour that night and I didn’t get a spot in the shelter. Everything was fine though. I got to test my tent in a deluge and stayed completely dry.

The smokies also were the highest part of the AT. Clingman’s Dome at 6,644 feet is the highest part. People often joke about the Appalachian Trail being all down hill from here. Another fun part of Clingman’s Dome was all of the tourists. It makes a thru-hiker feel like a celebrity, with people always asking you questions and wishing you good luck.

The weather improved once more and we got to Standing Bear Hostel. This was a rather… interesting place. I think Arlo Guthrie would be the appropriate music choice. There were dogs running around, a roster, and a few cats. The place was built by hand and I don’t think a single code was followed. It was overall a really awesome place and the guy who runs it is a character. I’d recommend it.

After the Smokies it was just a three day walk into Hot Springs. So far the town has been my favorite on the trail. The food and beer have been excellent, and I even got to do a work for stay at the hostel here.

Overall, the Smokies have been my favorite part of the AT. Many people would disagree with me, due to an increase of bad weather and more regulation. We were lucky though, only a few periods of soggy weather, it never got to cold, and I didn’t mind more regulations. I will say that it’s nice now that I can camp wherever I choose, and I don’t have to worry about being kicked out of a shelter due to people with reservations. Everything outside of the Smokies and the White Mountains are on a first come first serve basis.

My next resupply will be in Erwin, roughly 5 days from now. Oh, and I also got a mohawk.

-Orion

 

 

So we’ve made it into Fontana Lake and are staying at the Fontana Lake Resort and Lodge. It was a five day trek from Franklin, but it sure feels like it was longer than that. It’s funny how the days out here feel – something that happened just the day before might feel like it was a month ago.

The first day out of Franklin we took really slow and easy. We had heavy packs and the weather was looking grim for the evening. We decided to stay at the Siler Bald Shelter, just 4.2 miles in. This is where we met Bailey and Josh, siblings who decided to thru-hike. We’ve been running into them daily since then. They’re from Colorado and make some of the best food I’ve seen backpacking, the whole camp is always envious. We got to the shelter by about 2, this was after a rather lazy morning in Franklin. I’m glad we decided to stay there because not long after we got there the weather got worse. It started with rain, then sleet, next was hail, and finally it just snowed. The forecast was for 1-2″ and that’s about what we got. Not enough that we had to post hole the next morning, but it was still a winter wonderland. We all stayed in the shelter, accompanied by Josh, Bailey, and Tetris. We’ve run into Tetris a few times, I like him. He carries a snoopie doll as a mascot, something that makes everyone smile. It was a cold night, but I did learn a trick. If you heat water to a near boil and put it in a Nalgene bottle, you have a hot water bottle. Stick it between your knees and you femoral artery will carry the heat all throughout your body. It works wonders until the water is cold and you’re just keeping it warm.

The next day was a lot of work. The downhills were slow because you had to be careful with your footing, and it was just cold in general. The high was about 38, so it was definitely the coldest backpacking I’ve ever done. My feet stayed nice and warm despite periodically being submerged in snow. We got to Cold Springs Shelter which only slept 6, all spots were taken. We got a nice spot on the ridge above the shelter, and wind wasn’t too bad. I was still cold though. My water bottle didn’t freeze though, but I suspect it was still below freezing outside my tent. The ground was frozen solid the next morning.

 

The following day was a lot warmer with a high in the 50’s. It was a really nice break from all the cold. We were treated with a spectacular view too, atop the Wesser Bald observation tower. It made a really good lunch spot! After lunch we descended to A. Rufus Morgan Shelter. Here we decided to stay in the shelter and have an early morning into the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). The NOC does whitewater rafting and kayaking as well as zip lines. There was a restaurant that had a really nice breakfast. It was an awesome break from oatmeal every day. None of the girls finished their breakfast, which meant I ate about 2 and a half full sized breakfasts. I don’t think I’ve ever been so full before. It was amazing fuel for the rest of the day though. We had a 3000 foot climb out of the NOC and I felt strong the whole time. I was still full by lunch time, so didn’t really feel a need to stop. We got to Sassafras Gap Shelter atop the long climb and decided to push onward to Locust Cove Gap which just had tenting. I counted 22 tents that night, It was very tight. It’s alarming to think about how many people must try to camp there during the main thru-hiker bubble which I tried to avoid with an early start. A group of about 6 did a night hike with the full moon. They broke camp at 4 am, something I wasn’t about. I definitely want to try it later on though, it sounds peaceful.

 

The last night we went to Cable Gap Shelter. There was rain in the forecast but we were able to set up camp just before it started. It was a really nice evening spent listening to rain fall on my tent and reading my book.

Yesterday we just walked the 6 miles into Fontana Lake. We then checked into our room and got some lunch. Fontana Village is just the weirdest place. In the summer months its a large resort town, but in the off season it just feels empty. There are no residences it seems, just houses that are rented out to families on vacation. There’s mini golf, a pool, tennis courts, baseball, disc golf, and a cutesy general store. But it’s all closed right now. It was still a great place for a 21st birthday. The resort has a descent restaurant with a bar, so we had some fun. I will say though, no one checked my ID all day… oh well.

 

After a night of celebrating maybe too much, we decided to take a zero today. This will let us start the Smokies well rested and eager for adventure, something I fully expect out there. Photos from the last snow storm have me a little concerned, but I have good trust in my gear.

And now we just have to do this 21 more times… oh.

 

These last 5 days have been some of the best so far. We’ve gone past the Georgia/North Carolina border and I’m feeling strong! It’s also been a really nice feeling to have such a supportive group to hike with. In my last post it was just me, Brittany (now “My Shadow”) and Katrin (now “Finch”). I’m still hiking with them plus a fourth compatriot, Rubie (aka “Mountain Goat”). She’s an Ausie and is also from a coast town about 3 hours south of Sidney. As she’d say, we’re both sober 12 days from the ocean. Having a group of four has been a huge help here in Franklin. Splitting a room in an actual hotel four ways made it cheaper than a hostel, plus, there’s a pool. Not a very nice pool, but it was still a treat. It was also nice to go over all the logistics of sending food ahead two weeks. It would be a lot more rough managing that on my own. Our reasoning for doing this are as follows: the resupply in Fontana Village right before the Smokies isn’t the best, so this way we get to have everything a large grocery store can offer. There’s also a second resupply we did to Standing Bear Hostel just outside of the Smokies that will get us to Hot Springs NC. The plan so far is 5 days to Fontana Village, 6 days to the hostel outside of the Smokies, and then just 2 days to Hot Springs where we’re already planning our stay at the resort and celebrating my slightly belated 21st birthday.

The weather has been extremely forgiving for me so far. I haven’t had a night below freezing and I’ve had only one day of rain. I almost hope we get foul weather in the Smokies just so I had a good reason for all this winter sleeping gear. I’m sure it will happen but still, who really can tell. Here’s a good photo of us minus Mountain Goat. This was the evening before she joined us.

Here’s another photo from that campsite, we had a nice little fire going then.

A routine chore on the AT is filtering water.

Typically you’d think getting to the summit of a long climb would be exciting. Here’s what it looks like.

But this is where the majority of my time is spent, the trail.

Today we took a Zero and sent that food ahead. The beginning was very hectic, trying to figure out how many nights of food, how to get around town, and My Shadow even had to get some document notarized. I doubt we would have been able to accomplish all this if it weren’t for the amazing help of a man named David. We got his number from another shuttler in town and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. What happened was amazing. David is an older man, I’d say in his upper 80’s. He has a fast wit and a great humor. He basically said that he’d give us all a ride around town and even took us out to lunch (we covered the tab). It was an all you could eat Asian buffet, and it was honestly really good food. Not what I expected from such a place. He took us from our hotel to a bank, then the post office, then lunch, Walmart, an outfitter, and then back to our hotel. Oh, and he didn’t charge us, just said that “We take care of our hikers in North Carolina!”. He was damn right. Last night we were all too tired to go out for dinner so we just grabbed some food at the Ingles next to the hotel. Here’s me and My Shadow splitting a rotisserie chicken and 6 pack (a new staple of ours).

I’d say I’ve found a better group then I could ever had hoped for and am extremely grateful. Here’s to Katahdin!

-Orion, fed and content as could be…

After three days of hiking I’ve made it to Hiawassee. I’m not staying in town, but at the Top of Georgia Hostel, just .5 miles away from the AT. The first day from Neel Gap was pretty easy, I went a little over 11 miles and stayed at the Low Gap shelter. It was a nice place, the creek was really pretty. Here’s a little photo of my camp that night.

The next day was hard to predict. There was a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms all day, and I didn’t want to put myself on top of Tray Mountain in a thunderstorm, so I had to plan around that. At Unicoi Gap I had another instance of trail magic. There was a church group out doing some bbq and they even had some fruit! I took a banana with me on the trail and had it for breakfast the next day. It was all really nice, but once the proselytizing started I thanked them for the food and headed on.

That night I camped at an old cheese factory that had been abandoned since the 18oo’s. The only sign of a past building was a road that went through the area, Tray mountain road I believe. The weather was really nice all day, and there wasn’t a drop of rain. That changed.

The rain started as a light drizzle at about 4 am. It only grew stronger and stronger. By the time I needed to get going it was a complete downpour. I was soaked. Everything inside my tent stayed relatively dry, but I think I could have pitched my tent in a much better direction. I learned that if my head or feet are pointed towards the wind, I should be ok, but if a vestibule is getting the brute force of the wind, I will get wet. The things you learn. All in all, it was fine, but I needed to stay in a shelter the next night.

Rather than have a long 13 mile day after a night of rain, I decided to call it just 3 miles before Dicks Creek Gap. This was a good choice because I was going to need a reservation at Top of Georgia Hostel. I was able to call at Deep Gap shelter. I got an awesome nights sleep that night, despite people reporting sounds of mice running around the shelter. I had ear plugs so that helped.

This morning I took a nice stroll through 3 miles of beautiful forest and came to TOG hostel near 10:30. This gave me plenty of time to take a shower, get my laundry done, and go into town with some friends. Lunch was amazing! I had a spicy blue cheese burger with tater tots and a side salad. After all that we went to Ingles, essentially Safeway. There I resupplied all my food that I’ll need until Franklin, NC. The plan tonight is to have some stir fry. It’s hard to get veggies on the trail, so it seemed like a good choice. I’ll be sharing with Brittany from South Dakota and Katrin from Berlin. We all started the same day and seem to have a similar daily pace. It seems our paths will meet many a times.

Here’s us in our scrubs they give us.

I’m never sure when I’ll post next, but I’m pretty sure it will be after I leave Georgia. Talk to y’all then!

-Orion

So yesterday I decided to push on to Neels Gap. It was a long day, just under 16 miles, and so far I’m glad with how I feel. Soreness, but no pain. Being 20 certainly has its perks. One thing that made the day particularly challenging was climbing over Blood Mountain. It was a gradual enough of an climb, but the descent was pretty rough. I think that’s why everyone’s knees hurt. Here’s the view from the top:

Another reason to push was the new bear canister requirement section covering 6 miles before Neels. Hardly anyone uses bear cans who is thru-hiking, so the camp before that gets extremely over populated. That wasn’t too appealing to me, so I just skipped it.

Over the next few days rain is expected, but thankfully it won’t be too cold. My next planned re-supply is going to be in Hiawassee, about three days from now.

Here’s another photo that gives a sense of what hiking here in the morning is like.

All right, well I’ll probably talk to you guys again in Hiawassee.

-Orion

 

The AT is often talked about as being an intense roller coaster of many ups and downs. In general, the ups become more frequent and are the things you remember, while the downs become drowned out.

So far, my time on the trail has been at a constant high. Everything is new and fresh, and the minor imperfections don’t seem to matter. It’s much like the honey moon phase of any relationship. However, for some people disaster can strike early.

Last night a college girl on spring break was boiling some water to put in a Nalgene bottle to keep warm. If you don’t want to hear about burns, then skip to the next paragraph. She was sitting at the picnic bench next to the shelter and made a hand motion that knocked her pot of boiling water off her stove. The water poured on her lap, and her thighs were instantly covered in the worst burns I’ve ever seen. It was really, really bad. Like melt the skin off bad.

Thankfully, the shelter was close to Hightower  gap which has a dirt road going through. Someone went with cell service and called for help. About 4 hours later a group of six volunteer firefighters I believe arrived with a gurney and some medical supplies. It was actually quite reassuring seeing how accessible the area is. Definitely not like the sierras. 

All in all it was a really shitty experience that still makes me cringe. Tonight, I think everyone cooked on the ground…

Except me. I didn’t even cook. After I had lunch at the shelter, a trail Angel showed up letting us all know about some trail magic  that was happening at the next gap. Beer and hot dogs, 1.5 miles down the trail. Having already set up camp, I didn’t want to pack up, but I decide a round trip of 3 miles was worth it. And it was. A big thanks to them, I wish I wrote down their names.

Tomorrow I’ll either be camping at lance creek or just go all the way to Neel Gap, my first resupply. It all depends on how I feel then. 

-Orion 

 

So here I am, sitting next to my tent on a rock, at Springer Mountain shelter. It’s my second night, but the first officially on the AT. There are a lot less people than I had originally imagined, but it’s still early in the day. I’m just glad I have a nice campsite.

Yesterday was spent traveling. I woke up at 2:30 to catch my plane, and ended up in the Max Eperson shelter next to the Amicalola visitors center. I got a ride from Ron Brown, he has a shuttle service that covers the southern end of the AT. If you’re in need of a ride near the beginning, I recommend him. Here I am next to the archway that leads to the AT approach trail.

It was a long night. Remember when you were a kid, and you couldn’t sleep at all Christmas Eve because of how excited you were?  Well it was a lot like that. I kept waking up thinking it was dawn only to look at my watch and see that it was just 3 or 4.

Eventually, morning came and I started my coffee and oatmeal. I signed in at the register and peaked at some of the other hikers on the trail. Several people started on New Year’s Day, I wonder where they are now.

The hike up the falls was nice. I honestly don’t think the approach trail was as bad as everyone said. If it were 8000 ft higher, it would be different. I’m glad that’s the backpacking I’m used to.

After the initial climb, it was just a lot of P.U.D.s (pointless ups and downs). This continued until the climb up to springer mountain, the southern terminus of the AT.

Here’s the view from the top. Here I am next to the sign.

Right now I’m going to read some of The Night Kingdoms (an awesome book by my brother) and then make some dinner. I think it’s going to be an early night for me.

-Orion, now on the AT