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Article 10

April 20, 2012

By Jim Dashiell, MD

Tribune Columnist 

  Hello again from Funnybone on the AT!  As of April 17, I have hiked 199.1 miles. The longest daily hike was 12 miles, although actually 14 to 15 miles because twice I had to take a trip down the mountain to a spring for water and then back up again. Finding water has been a daily issue.

  Over the last 2 ½ weeks, I have slept in hostels, shelters, in my tent in campgrounds and even in a few hotels including Budget Inn in Franklin, N.C., Nantahala Outdoor Center in North Carolina, Fontana Lodge near Yellow Creek, N.C. and the Grand Prix Motel in Gatlinburg,Tenn.

  I spent my first nero day, a day you do nearly no hiking, at Blueberry Patch Hostel near Hiawassee, Ga. on April 2. I walked about 3.5 miles, then hitchhiked to the hostel where several of my hiker friends were also staying. I spent part of the day in Hiawassee at McDonald’s where I ordered one of everything on the $1 menu and drank a half gallon of sweet tea. I did some shopping, checked my blood pressure, read the newspaper and bought a few groceries. It was 80 degrees, and the locals said it was much warmer than usual for this time of year. The owners of the hostel did my laundry and provided a wonderful breakfast the next morning. I didn’t realize how much I had missed coffee until I drank some there.

  The weather has mostly been good with cool winds, which is great for hiking. I have also traveled through rain storms and was somewhat concerned while hiking on top of Rocky Knob, one of the last mountains in Georgia that crosses the AT, when a thunderstorm complete with enough hail to cover the ground broke out, and I was carrying two lightning rods (hiking poles!).  Then the cold winds came. I was totally drenched, and my socks and boots were full of water. I was able to make it across the border into North Carolina that night where I pitched my tent.

  I have encountered some easy hikes, but many that were very steep going up and down the mountains.  One in particular was only one-half mile long, but I don’t think the heels of my shoes ever touched the ground because it was so steep.  The longest and most difficult to date was the climb out of the NOC, which was five miles straight up.  I have had wonderful views from Clingman’s Dome and other mountains and I have walked across the Fontana Dam.

  I have seen many forms of plant life and wildlife including Trillium, rhododendron thickets, mountain laurel trees, May apples, poison ivy, deer, turkeys, snakes, pileated woodpeckers, lizards and grasshoppers, as well as many kinds of birds including an oriole. At night I can hear owls, as well. I have looked for morel mushrooms, but have not seen any, nor have I encountered any bears. I have seen evidence of feral pigs where they have disturbed the trail, but have not met up with any personally.

  I have met so many wonderful, interesting people from as far away as England and Saskatchewan, as well as several from Indiana, including the gentleman who actually established the NOC in 1972, a few doctors, seven young men traveling together to hike the Smokies, an author or two, one lady who wanted to quit the trail but whose husband wouldn’t come to pick her up, a hiker called Red Wolf who sings loudly as he hikes, and a father with his 11-year-old daughter, Sunshine.  Sunshine hiked the Pacific Crest Trail at age 10 and is now attempting the AT.

  You can take the doctor out of the office, but can’t take the doctor out of the doctor and I have been able to give some medical advice to a gentleman with a bad shoulder and a young lady hiking the trail while suffering from Achilles tendonitis.

  I continue to be blessed by Trail Angels who drive many miles to set up a place to feed hikers and enjoy their company. A church in Franklin, N.C. has a ministry where they pick up hikers and take them to their church for a wonderful, free, all-you-can eat pancake and bacon breakfast with all the trimmings, then return you to the Trail. Two couples from Atlanta, Ga. brought grills and cooked us cheeseburgers. They brought chairs, too, and it felt really good to sit on a chair as opposed to the ground or a log. Another group of angels actually hid Easter eggs on the trail just to boost the spirits of the hikers.  These random acts of kindness are very heartwarming and continue to bring to mind The Golden Rule.

  I am doing well and enjoying the journey. To follow me on a daily basis, go to website www.trailjournals.com, search funnybone, then 2012 AT Jim Dashiell.

N.E. on the A.T. is NEAT.

Funnybone

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