coldmountain
New member
The weather predictions were too good to pass up, I had to get above treeline. I hadnt gone on a long hike in along time. I had been recovering from a broken bone in my foot and only gone on a few 8-10 mile "feel it out" hikes since early June. I tried a Presi traverse on Sunday......
I arrived at Appalachia just before 6:00 with alot of water, a change of everything ,some balance bars and ,after much hesitation, my full Asolo highcut boots. I sided with comfort over weight.
Up the Valley Way I went jittery with coffee and wanting to put the sound of traffic behind me. I got to Madison hut about 7:45 dropped my pack and scurried up and down Madison. The hut was starting to stir as I made my way up Adams. (I pushed myself here because if I felt weakness or pain I could bail to my car easily, but afterwards not so much) I made it to Adams just about 9 and I felt strong. I snapped a few pictures ate a little bit and took off before I got settled. Still not one cloud in the sky and the brisk wind kept the bugs off all day.
As I rock-hopped down to Edmans Col I passed some groups coming from Gray Knob and Mad Springs. After many g'mornings and a few allo eh?'s I started up Jefferson. The twin summits up there were both covered with people so I stopped only to fill my camelbak and take off my wind breaker then down to the lawn. This section of the Gulfside trail from Jefferson to Clay has been a favorite area of mine forever. My pace slowed a bit and I considered bypassing Washington to avoid the scene up there but it was ridiculously clear and the potential views pulled my up the rocks.
Washington looked like a bus accident in downtown Calcutta. There must have been 300-400 people up there. All running ,yelling, dropping stuff...
So I ate my obligatory chilli-dog looked around from the platform and called my wife to let her know I was alive and Id see her at the Highland Hilton around 6. It was now 12:45 and I slowly realized my legs were very tired. I got to Lakes hut at about 1:45 and refilled my water bottles and just sat there at a table.Just sat there lazily half eavesdropping on people. Just sat there thinking about all the things I should be doing with my life, is it my life, when did it start, why do we sleep, is bigfoot real......man was I beat and beat down. 13 miles into a 23 mile hike is not a time to go existential.
I didnt even stop on Monroe, just a pananoid look over my shoulder to see if the hut had disappeared. I got to the base of Eisenhower at 3:10. I now had very cranky knees and badly sunburned calves. I dismissed Jackson from the hike with a backhanded "be gone with you" wave. It was like cutting dead weight. I got a burst of energy and flew up Ike and down into the scrub. As I got to Pierce I realized I hadnt passed under a tree since the end of Valley Way almost 10 hours ago. I was now spent.Done.Over. but I still had almost 2 miles left and I have never had to drag myself like that. I actually sat in the middle of the trail a few times all hangdog like. I did strecthes and was actually muttering to myself when a few people passed me and asked if I was ok
"long day I guess" I said.
I was now trying to make sounds be traffic as I plodded towards 302. I was getting close when the strangest thing happened; I started hallucinating. I saw my kids walking towards me and my wife smiling behind them. It wasnt till my son (hes 7) took my pack off me to see if it fit him yet did I realize they were real. They had got there a little early and decided to hike up a bit to suprise me.
15 minutes later I had my red and puffy feet sticking out the passenger window as we sped way to easily back to pickup my car....
I arrived at Appalachia just before 6:00 with alot of water, a change of everything ,some balance bars and ,after much hesitation, my full Asolo highcut boots. I sided with comfort over weight.
Up the Valley Way I went jittery with coffee and wanting to put the sound of traffic behind me. I got to Madison hut about 7:45 dropped my pack and scurried up and down Madison. The hut was starting to stir as I made my way up Adams. (I pushed myself here because if I felt weakness or pain I could bail to my car easily, but afterwards not so much) I made it to Adams just about 9 and I felt strong. I snapped a few pictures ate a little bit and took off before I got settled. Still not one cloud in the sky and the brisk wind kept the bugs off all day.
As I rock-hopped down to Edmans Col I passed some groups coming from Gray Knob and Mad Springs. After many g'mornings and a few allo eh?'s I started up Jefferson. The twin summits up there were both covered with people so I stopped only to fill my camelbak and take off my wind breaker then down to the lawn. This section of the Gulfside trail from Jefferson to Clay has been a favorite area of mine forever. My pace slowed a bit and I considered bypassing Washington to avoid the scene up there but it was ridiculously clear and the potential views pulled my up the rocks.
Washington looked like a bus accident in downtown Calcutta. There must have been 300-400 people up there. All running ,yelling, dropping stuff...
So I ate my obligatory chilli-dog looked around from the platform and called my wife to let her know I was alive and Id see her at the Highland Hilton around 6. It was now 12:45 and I slowly realized my legs were very tired. I got to Lakes hut at about 1:45 and refilled my water bottles and just sat there at a table.Just sat there lazily half eavesdropping on people. Just sat there thinking about all the things I should be doing with my life, is it my life, when did it start, why do we sleep, is bigfoot real......man was I beat and beat down. 13 miles into a 23 mile hike is not a time to go existential.
I didnt even stop on Monroe, just a pananoid look over my shoulder to see if the hut had disappeared. I got to the base of Eisenhower at 3:10. I now had very cranky knees and badly sunburned calves. I dismissed Jackson from the hike with a backhanded "be gone with you" wave. It was like cutting dead weight. I got a burst of energy and flew up Ike and down into the scrub. As I got to Pierce I realized I hadnt passed under a tree since the end of Valley Way almost 10 hours ago. I was now spent.Done.Over. but I still had almost 2 miles left and I have never had to drag myself like that. I actually sat in the middle of the trail a few times all hangdog like. I did strecthes and was actually muttering to myself when a few people passed me and asked if I was ok
"long day I guess" I said. I was now trying to make sounds be traffic as I plodded towards 302. I was getting close when the strangest thing happened; I started hallucinating. I saw my kids walking towards me and my wife smiling behind them. It wasnt till my son (hes 7) took my pack off me to see if it fit him yet did I realize they were real. They had got there a little early and decided to hike up a bit to suprise me.
15 minutes later I had my red and puffy feet sticking out the passenger window as we sped way to easily back to pickup my car....
