Project Eveningland

2/21/2023 Tuesday

Today I’m going to try something different. Give you a day in the life.

It’s 1:55 and we’re at Deep Gap Shelter. I remember arriving here completely wasted (tired, not drunk, though it comes to the same thing from the perspective of decision making) last time. At 6:00 or later. Back to the present. When I arrived I ran into Will who was getting water on his way to Dicks Creek Gap and a pickup point for Hiawassee. I suggested he take a double zero (he had had a terrible night) so he can rest extra and then join us. He said he would and seemed real happy about it. Will gets my jokes. I need someone around who gets my jokes.

Anyway, here’s what happened today, which was a short day to rest after a very early (in the trip) 13 mile day. Beginning to end, today’s mileage was only 9.4 miles. Much nicer for day seven.

2:00AM I wake up and pee. Am able to return to sleep.

4:25AM Wake up and confirm it’s raining and the outside of my tent is wet. This means that I’ll pack the inner part away separately from the rain fly, which I will keep on the outside of my pack so I can dry it later if I get the chance. I pee again then I manage to get back to sleep.

6:37AM Wake naturally, feeling pretty rested, which is no mean feat in the woods. It’s taken years to figure out how to sleep well in a tent and alone if necessary. I dither, enjoying the warmth of the bag until I get out to pee (in bottle, in tent, carefully). I know it seems like a minor thing, but being able to urinate without going into the elements is a real luxury on the trail.

7:00AM I get out of the bag and start putting away my pillow, then my bag, then my pad (pillow and pad are deflatable). I pack lots of small items. The new tent is less stable (it’s a trekking pole tent, not a freestanding tent) so I knock out a stake or two in the packing process (esp part where I detach the inner tent and pack it away separately so as to keep it dry; I’ve never before had a tent with this capability). I consider taking down the outer part of the tent now but it looks liable to rain so I leave the tarp up, go get my bear bag (an Ursack), and return to under the tarp to eat in the dry. I have two bars for breakfast, both Cliff, but two different kinds. I’m real low on food but I’ll be ok and the lighter weight is lovely for a day filled with big climbs. I go outside and brush my teeth.

7:30ish I do more to pack up my backpack and walk to the cat hole I dug the night before in a discreet place. I shit in said hole, pack the toilet paper with my other trash, and then fill in the hole.

7:45ish I finish assembling my pack and get myself situated. I talk to others at the campsite.

8:00AM I start hiking. We are at the foot of a hill. It’s dry and breezy. Standing still, it is cold, but hiking I am down to a fleece and thin hiking pants and that’s a bit hot. I’ll stop a few miles in and layer down. I left Bill and the girls back at the camp. Mitch left just before me. I think he feels a little competitive.

9:30ish: I take my first pack-off break at a log. The sun is out. I clean a few intimate areas. I get out a mid morning snack. It’s a weird one because I’m down to the bottom stuff in my bag. There wasn’t a lot of choice at Mountain Crossings. I finish a bag of beef jerky and a small bag of powdered donuts. I worry about the sugar and resolve to stop for lunch early if I feel a crash. I don’t normally eat this much sugar in a snack. It’s what I had left. I worry about being hungry tonight but I’d rather be hungry in the tent than on the trail.

10:40ish I’ve been listening to podcasts and music. I stop to layer down. I think. Maybe I did it earlier. Somewhere in here I see Mitch taking a break and pass him. Then I take a break and he passes me. No other people on trail.

12:00 There’ve been several climbs and descents today. I’m really far in. We are getting close to the foot of the biggest climb of the day, up Kelly Knob. I stop to have lunch. I’m eating a packet of tuna, peanut butter crackers dipped into a single serve little tub of peanut butter, a string cheese, and some gummy worms. I notice I have one more meal than I realized. That’s nice! The hike into Hiawassee tomorrow morning (only 3.5 miles) will happen on a bigger breakfast. Don’t feel bad for me: running out of food at the end is really good. It means you’re doing it right.

12:30 I drink the last of my water and decide not to refill because there’s water at the shelter and I’m only two miles away. I add some electrolytes to the last half liter and drink all of it except a small gulp in case I need to take a pill or something. I put in my earphones and pretty much power up the hill. Last time climbing this hill was like climbing into a ball-kicking machine.

1:00PM I crest the hill and reach Mitch just after. He looks wrecked. I feel really good. Should I try for Hiawassee today? Nah, why? I don’t mind staying in my tent in a shelter area if there’s not gonna be rain. I’m realizing that I need time to unwind. The biggest threat to my mood tends to be overstimulation. It’s best in town if I can have lots of quiet time and dip in and out of the social stuff.

1:20 I reach the turnoff for the shelter. It wasn’t too steep a descent and I felt good enough to put on some speed. I meet Will (see above) and Mitch catches up with me. The water is on the side of the trail on the way to the shelter. We both filter. Mitch has to crane over and squeeze the cnoc bag. I use an identical cnoc bag but have mine rigged to be a gravity filter so I get to stand there, hands dry, uncrouched, and just watch my water dribble from the “dirty” bag, through the filter, and into my water bottles.

1:40PM I arrive at shelter area and put my tent out to dry. While it dries I’ll pick a well drained site and write this. Bill just arrived.

2:37 I set up my tent and put in my belongings.

I don’t want to do this all day so here’s the itinerary:

Possible nap. Socializing. Dinner at 5:30. I’ll eat much the same as lunch but with some extra because I found I had more than I thought I did. Around 6:30 I’ll brush my teeth, floss, and put all my smelly items in my food bag and into the bear box they have here (if there weren’t a box, I’d tie my Ursack to a tree). Then I’ll go into the tent, maybe do a bit more writing, watch a few downloaded videos and generally wind down toward sleep. If I can’t sleep I’ll play sudoku on my phone.

More experienced hikers have entered the mix. I’ve lost my status as “most experienced” at the shelter and thank god!