AT Happiness: Reflections on Happiness

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: Reflections on Happiness

Me and the scouts

At Overmountain Shelter

First you examine the scenery, then you examine your gear, then you examine yourself – Colin Fletcher

Today on a slack pack, a light pack day, I really had time to reflect on my thru-hike and my life, I guess Colin Fletcher was right.

A lot of people are out here walking things off.  My hope is that because of the work I’ve done over the last thirty years I don’t have much to walk off.

Today I reflected on all of this and I’m really happy about who and where I am. One thing that I thought about was a comment that has been said about how easy I have it. This comment angers me for a minute until I think about how ridiculous it is.

I didn’t grow up with a lot and I made a lot of mistakes and took all of the crooked roads as a young man. I left college significantly in debt.  Over the last thirteen years I’ve basically erased my debt and worked hard and been successful enough to put myself in position where I can take a year off and hike and write.

This was earned and not easily, but I deserve the happiness and freedom I have right now. Some people think a life where you follow your bliss is not as valid or valuable as a life that follows society’s script.

I disagree, and the evidence I present are the hikers I meet every day out here. They are some of the happiest people I’ve ever met and everyone of them is off society’s script and having happy days my friends. – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: A Fast Day

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: A Fast Day

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After forty days on the trail I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of this whole thru-hiking thing.  Today was an easy day, I had planned to do a ten mile slack pack (hike with only a day pack) today but as I mentioned in my last post, I tweaked my left knee.  So instead of ten miles my first slack pack was a four miler.

I move slow, always have but after forty two days on the trail I know I’ve become a stronger, faster hiker.  Today was an interesting test of that theory.

The trail only had a few hundred feet of climbing and a small downhill run. Pre-hike I would have done the hike at about 2.5 miles per hour, about an hour and forty five minutes.

Relaxing tonight at the Mountain Harbour B&B

Relaxing tonight at the Mountain Harbour B&B

However today, with a sore knee and just strolling along, I did it in an hour and fifteen minutes, a three mile an hour pace. Apparently I have gotten a bit faster and that made for a happy day – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: Leaving North Carolina Feeling Like a Bad Ass Hiker

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: Leaving North Carolina Feeling Like a Bad Ass Hiker

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So I started this morning at Overmountain Shelter, an old converted barn that sleeps 21 people.  I shared the shelter with a boy scout troop out of Raleigh and they were great.

Overmountain Shelter

Overmountain Shelter

Me and the scouts

Me and the scouts

The hike for the day was a little over 10 miles, two big climbs over four miles and then six miles downhill. Not bad right? Well the wind came up at night, thirty mile an hour gusts.  The rain started at five in the morning. I hit the trail at seven thirty.

The rain got much heavier as I climbed, at 5000 feet I was on top of the first bald. The rain was now coming down sideways and the wind blowing over 40 miles an hour.  I was quickly getting soaked and then the sleet started.

The sleet was hitting the side of my head so hard it was stinging my ear through the hood of my rain jacket. After the third false summit I was starving.   The only problem, now I was soaked, the temperature was about fifty degrees with the windchill probably in the thirties. There was no cover so stopping to eat meant risking hypothermia.

Safely on the porch at Mountain Harbour B&B

Safely on the porch at Mountain Harbour B&B with a new dog friend

So of course, I starting singing at the top of my lungs in the wind and the rain and the fog. I marched across three miles of balds signing like a crazed viking seriously worried about my health for the first time on the trail.

It sucked! But I was laughing and happy, you have to embrace the suck, there was no other option, so why be upset. I was relieved to hit the treeline, right up until I relized the descent was full of muddy rockfalls.

The descent improved, I even found a dry spot under a rock ledge to eat a candy bar.  By the end of the hike I had actually caught and passed five other hikers. My speed was above my normal daily average. I fell once, I tweaked my left knee, I left North Carolina for the last time on the trail and I was soaked to my underwear. However for the first time on this trail I felt like a bad ass thru-hiker and I had a very happy day my friends. – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: A Magnificent Day

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: A Magnificent Day

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Today, first thing this morning, we climbed Mount Unaka, 1000 ft in 1.3 miles.  Not the way I like to start the day, I’m not a morning person.  The climb was brutal and especially hard first thing in the morning.

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We were rewarded for our hard work with a magnificent summit.  The pictures are stolen off the net, mine are on my phone. But the summit was like something out of middle earth.  Bright green moss and conifers glistening with dew and reflecting what little sunlight that came through.

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It was the kind of place that brought instant peace and made you speak in hushed tones. An amazing place and a very happy day my friends. – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: Hemlock Hollow

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: Hemlock Hollow

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Yesterday we had planed to do a 15 mile day. We did the first 4 miles and stopped at Mom’s Store, a trail oasis 100 feet off of the trail.  Coming rain, a positive review about Hemlock Hellow Hostel and a banged up hiking companion led us off the trail.

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We booked in for two nights with plans for a 20 mile slack pack the next day.  Bad weather forecasts, flood warnings, a friend’s bad knee and a free ride offer has us yellow blazing to Erwin, TN.

Miss Hattie

Miss Hattie

Hostel Guard Dog, warning he may lick you to death

Hostel Guard Dog, warning he may lick you to death

This change of plans left us on the porch at Hemlock Hollow enjoying the day. A day that started with Miss Hattie’s biscuits and gravy the best I’ve had since starting the Appalachian Trail.

The crew enjoying the day

The crew enjoying the day

A really nice suprise of a day, a happy day and as my hiking companion Jedi says every day in camp, this does not suck. – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: Hot Springs

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: Hot Springs

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Hot Springs is one of those trail towns you look forward to getting to.  It’s the first town where the trail goes down Main Street.  We stayed at the Laughing Heart Hostel with our lovely host Tie.

Lovely Tie at Laughing Heart Hostel

Lovely Tie at Laughing Heart Hostel

It’s a hiker/tourist town and it has everything a hiker needs.  Multiple hostels, an outfitter, good restaurants and people seem truly happy to have us in town. I also have to give a shout out to the Spring Creek Tavern, best food in town and some of the best chicken wings I’ve had in a long time. But warning, do the mild!

AT markers on Main Street in Hot Springs

AT markers on Main Street in Hot Springs

Hot Springs also has the Hiker’s Ridge Ministry a really great spot to hang out and find what you need. Queen Diva and the crew are a hiker’s best friend.

Queen Diva at the Hiker's Ridge Ministry.

Queen Diva at the Hiker’s Ridge Ministry.

Hot Springs is an idyllic little spot, a vortex that can suck you in and keep you there. For our group it was also a place of drama where a lot of things went wrong and we were happy to leave it behind.

Soaking in the springs was a must do at the spa and during the day was only $15 for a really wonderful hour.  I’m glad I spent some time there and had a couple of happy days my friend.  – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: Standing Bear Farm

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: Standing Bear Farm

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Lumpy on the left with the AARP gang

 

The Smoky Mountains are a huge figure in the mind of a thru-hiker for a lot of reasons. They contain the highest point on the AT, the weather is unpredictable in the spring and the park has a variety of additional regulations to adhere to while hiking there.

Lumpy's predecessor at Standing Bear, Rocket Man

Lumpy’s predecessor at Standing Bear, Rocket Man

So for some completing the Smokies is an achievement, for some it’s a relief.  For a lot of us, what signifies the end of the Smokies is arriving at Standing Bear Farm.

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The laundry tub, yes this is how you do wash there.

 

A unique hostel with a variety of sleeping options including a tree house.  Standing Bear is a place both full of character and full of characters.

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I liked my night there, our group bought the camp store out of pasta and sauce and made a group dinner.  Shaggy Hobo and Backtrack cooked and we had a really wonderful night there.  It was also the night I was rejoining my group after my Knoxville excursion.

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Lumpy has recently taken over for Rocket at the farm and he was a gracious host and his nickel tour is not to be missed. Definitely one of the unique places on the trail, and someplace that provided a very happy day my friends.  – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: My Dog Friends

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: My Dog Friends

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Those of you who know me well know that I’m not always comfortable around other people’s dogs.  Many people don’t have control over their animals and usually when a dog becomes aggressive it’s proceeded by the words, “he won’t bother you.”

I understand people’s strong emotions around their pets and frankly I was leary about the idea of thru-hiking dogs.  Dogs are not allowed on parts of the trail like the Smokies.  I am still not convinced it’s a good idea and there have been some negatives.  A very large black dog made an aggressive move at me, two others have growled at me and others.

However, the majority have been well behaved, friendly, and well controlled.  My biggest surprise has been my comfort around a large doberman hiking the trail.

Even more so a few dogs have become my friends on the trail and we’re happy to see each other when we meet.  Early on I met a sweet Portuguese water dog and two miniature Italian Greyhounds, all who are now unfortunately off the trail.

But here are a few of my dog friends from the trail.

Bella looks mean as hell in this pic but is a super mellow dog particularly fond of having her ears scratched.

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Lila is a super playful pup who has worn out many a hiker playing fetch, she’s absolutely tireless.

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Ginger is my favorite, like Lila she’s a rescue, she doesn’t like other dogs and is fiercely loyal and protective of her owner, Dewdog.  They have a really amazing bond. She’s super mellow when you first meet her but quickly turns into an 80 pound lap dog once you become friends.

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Our fellow dog hikers have certainly given us some happy days my friends – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: A Trail Vacation

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: A Trail Vacation

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One of the things I had to battle with in starting this hike was which part of my nature would win out.  Part of me desired to plan my daily mileage and finish date in advance.  To push the miles, stay on schedule and complete the task at hand.

The other side of me desired to not so much complete hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) as to experience hiking the AT.  By this I mean allowing myself to extend a zero day, chase a side adventure or do whatever hits me that might enhance the experience.

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The first thought would be a more purist form of the hike.  When I was younger that would have appealed to me, the order, organization and accomplishment of that type of hike.

But I’m older now, more relaxed more about journeys than destinations.   It’s why I was ok with my blue blaze around Albert Mt. and skipping two miles to stay with my group coming out of Franklin.

Likewise going into the Smokies, (I have a hate and love affair with TN), I was both excited by the mountains and not happy about the regulations.  In the Smokies you’re required to stay at the shelters or risk a fine.  If the shelter is not full you’re supposed to sleep in them as well.  I’ve written before about my disdain for sleeping on the ground.   It’s the reason I use a hammock.

Photo by Shaggy Hobo

Photo by Shaggy Hobo

So I was not excited about going into the Smokies but the first three nights turned out great.  We went into Gatlinburg for resupply and a zero day and only after passing on two free rides to Knoxville did I check the weather.  The forecast sucked, 50 mile an hour wind gusts, low temps and that meant sleeping in the shelters.

So, given the conditions, my feelings about the Smokies and my need for a little solitude, I headed for Knoxville.  One thing that might surprise folks is the solitude statement.  On the trail you are rarely alone particularly when you’re forced to stay at the shelters.  I’d also been hiking in a group, which is by far not the norm for me.  So as a bit of a loner, it was time for me to take a break.

Photo by Shaggy Hobo

Photo by Shaggy Hobo

So I’m yellow blazing (catching a ride) and skipping thirty miles of the Smokies.  I’ll catch up with some hiking friends at Standing Bear Farm at Davenport Gap. The journey and more happy days will proceed from there. – Rev Kane

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AT Happiness: The Hardest Day So Far

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Michael Kane

AT Happiness: The Hardest Day So Far

On Rocky Top

On Rocky Top

On the Appalachian Trail many of us use guides instead of maps.  The majority of us use The AT Guide by David Miller.  One of the features I love in the guide are the profiles.   Profiles aren’t topographic renderings in other words, not exact representations of the trail.   However, they give you a good idea what you are in store for, how difficult the day will be.  They are not perfect!

This point was driven home several days ago.  We set out to do a little over 12 miles in the Smokies to get to Siler’s Bald Shelter. The day started by climbing Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain.  Damn Yankee had given me a heads up about the difficulty of the first climb.  It was tough but the views were spectacular.

The rest of the day seemed to be a standard hard day in the Smokies according to the profile.  But it wasn’t, the early climbs had taken too much time and we needed to push.  This was expected but the hills were far more gnarly than expected. We had to push, the push took a lot more out of us than we anticipated.

We chaffed when a hiker going the other way misinformed us about both the distance to the shelter and the slope.  To top it all off the shelter looked to be on the base of the last climb, it was nearer the top.  A reality of the way the profiles represent things.

The cherries on top included several of us running low on food, not finding a midpoint water source and finally half of us arriving in a rain and hail storm burst.

People were stretched and stressed, we were worn out and all of our various injuries were screaming at us.  For me, the weather also signaled a miserable, sleepless night in the shelter.  But the trail provides!

While blowing up my Thermarest a kid named Chris, doing a short 3 day hike inquired about my pad.  He didn’t like his large, super thick pad and offered to trade for the night, I almost kissed him.  So instead of a sleepless night, I had my best night ever in a shelter.  The trail provides!

My air mattress savior

My air mattress savior

Never give up on a day my friends, even at the last minute you could have a happy day.- Rev Kane

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