Day: |
018 |
Date: |
Tuesday, 20 May 1986 |
Start: |
|
Finish: |
|
Daily
AT Miles: |
25.9 |
Daily Other Miles |
0 |
Total
AT Miles: |
336.0 |
Total All Miles |
347.0 |
Weather: |
Cool and foggy. |
Accommodation: |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink Lunch:
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar Dinner: Muesli, biscuits
and peanut butter, health drink. |
Aches: |
|
Animals Seen: |
Chipmunks |
People Seen: |
One AT Thru-Hikers, two overnight hikers,
several others. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
|
Journal: |
I got up at 6am so I could be away by 7am
with the intention of a long day to get to Nolichucky Expeditions
and a bank and hot meal. The weather was again pretty miserable,
very foggy and everything was wet underfoot. My fast-wearing shoes
wear even faster when wet. The Trail was rough, rocky, steep in
places and sloped steeply from right to left, making walking
difficult and putting extra strain on my shoes. I reached Big Bald
(5516ft) which was sort of alpine grassland but, though it was clear
at the summit, the surrounding mountains were covered in fog so
there were no views. The Trail continued through calf-high wet
grass which had me worried about rattlesnakes (a fellow hiker had
killed one a day earlier) though it was probably too cold and
wet. I had lunch at High Rocks where it was foggy, windy, cold and
water dripped continuously from the trees. I was a bit
miserable. I descended steeply after lunch then climbed again on a
very rough rocky track followed by one with a steep camber. More
strain on legs and shoes. Overall, though, my progress was OK and I
arrived at rocks overlooking the town of Erwin and
the Nolichucky Riverat about 5:30pm, made a last steep descent
before walking the 1.5 road miles to Nolichucky
Expeditions. Unfortunately, the cook was off for the night but one
of the employees kindly offered to drive me into town in the next
hour. So I stayed, had a shower, and met the other occupant, Mark,
a nice guy with low self esteem and a few personal problems, who had
missed large chunks of the AT so far. Our promised ride into town
failed to materialise, annoyingly, and I ended up eating muesli and
biscuits and peanut butter for dinner. I tried to ring Barb at her
parents at 10:30pm but she wasn’t there. Will try again in the
morning. Went to bed and slept well after my most depressing day so
far. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track (2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|