Day 14: April 17, 2021
Winding Stair Gap to Wine and Spring Campsite - 8.2 miles
Pickles and I got a ride to Winding Stair Gap, the same place we got off trail the day before. Some of the guys were already there starting to warm up. No one was feeling particularly eager to hike; the sky was cloudy, and rain was on the forecast.
I stretched my calves, quads, and feet before I started hiking. The rain started before I even reached the trail. With a sigh, I took my pack off to get my raincoat and pack cover. I grunted as I hauled my pack on once more. Before leaving the hostel, I weighed my pack. Fully loaded with food and water, it was 29 pounds. Not too bad when you write it down, but it sure felt heavy.
Usually, the hike out of a gap was a steep climb to get back up into the mountains, this part of trail was no different. I put my headphones in and my hood up. With my eyes pinned to the ground, I focused on hiking. I watched my shoes splash in small puddles in the trail. With each step, my shiny new shoes got dirtier and dirtier. I didn’t mind, enjoyed watching their integration into my life. I watched my steps as I avoided rocks and slippery looking roots. It didn’t take long to learn that if you step on a wet root in just the right way, it’ll take you out.
Among the browns, greys, and blacks that dotted the trail, a flash of white caught my eye. Flopping on the ground, was a little white moth. Between the muddy trail and the raindrops, it seemed pinned to the ground. I tucked my trekking pole under my arm to free up my hand and I scooped up the wet creature. I cradled it in my hand close to my chest to keep it covered from the rain. Oh buddy, you’re not doing so hot. I’ll hold you here until it dries up a bit, I thought.
After half a mile, the moth finally moved. It turned and angled its body up so that it looked like it was looking up at me. It raised one of its feet up in a waving gesture. Thank you, I imagined it saying to me. It crawled from my hand to the breast strap of my pack. It looked at me again and again, I imagined it communicating with me. I think I can hold on here so you can have your hand back. After hiking with only one trekking pole for half a mile, it felt nice to use both again.
Another half mile passed. The rain continued and the moth stayed. It moved from my breast strap to the inside of my hood. I laughed, amused by my little companion. I was OK giving it a lift, as long as it didn’t start flapping around in my ear.
After the rain stopped, I continued to carry my friend, that is, until the humidity got to me. I desperately needed to take my raincoat off, I was starting to sweat.
“Hey, Mike. Can you help get this moth out of my hood, so I don’t crush it?”
“Why do you have a moth in your hood?” He asked me.
“I saw it struggling in the rain, so I held it to keep it dry. Eventually, it made its way into my hood,” I said with a smile.
He started looking around in my coat and found the little guy, “you are a ray of sunshine. Do you know that?” He handed the moth over to me.
“Thank you!” I scooped up my little friend. I didn’t want to say goodbye to it just yet, but I knew it was ready. I leaned over and put it in the nook of a nearby tree. Stay dry buddy.
Mike and I got to the base of Siler Bald at the same time. Neither of us wanted to hike the bonus miles to the top, but we wanted to see the view. We left our packs at the trail, grabbed some snacks, and hiked up the bald. It was so steep up, I wished I brought my trekking poles. The sky was grey and cloudy from the rain, but we were able to see the 360-degree view at the top. I brought cookies and frosting as my snack and together we sat and ate.
After the bald, I had a hard time hiking. I was exhausted. Everything felt too heavy, too long, too much. I struggled to put one foot in front of the other. I felt like I wanted to cry but I was too tired. I tried to call my parents; talking with them always helped get me out of a funk. After two or three “can you hear me now’s” I hung up; the service was too bad. At least Pickles was feeling the funk too; she was just as exhausted as I was.
Camp couldn’t come soon enough. Everybody seemed out of it; there must have been something in the air. Dinners were made early, conversations were kept short, and everyone was in bed by 6:30. I laid in bed reading a book I had downloaded on my phone called Lost in the Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg.
“Hey, how are you doing?” I heard from outside my tent. It sounded like it was right next to me. I put my phone down and looked toward the voice.
“I’m good,” said the same voice. “We called it an early day and everybody’s in their tents.”
Oh, that’s Stache, he must be on the phone. I picked my phone back up and started reading my book again.
“What did you do today?” Stache asked the person on the phone. “Oh, you’re cooking? What are you cooking?”
“Oh, that sounds good.”
“Did you put cheese on it?” he asked, his voice sounding more seductive. “Oh, yeah,” he moaned.
Stache had eaten a meal replacement bar for dinner. While the rest of us had a hot meal, he had to eat a stiff, cold, dense oatmeal bar that had like 700 calories. He was so unsatisfied with his “meal” that he was engaging in a phone-sex-like conversation about the food his friend was preparing. After listening for a little bit, I snickered and returned to my book.
As the evening got closer to nighttime, I tucked myself farther into my sleeping bag, securing the hood over my head to block out the cold. I scrolled through the pages of the book, rapidly reading the words on the small screen. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark movement. That’s not right, I thought. I sat up and started unzipping my bag. The movement happened again but this time the fuzzy shape from before was more defined. One by one, the legs started to appear until I saw eight connected to a plump body. My movement made the spider nervous, and it frantically started to crawl around. Panicked, I swatted it away. It desperately skittered around my tent, trying to find a place to hide. No, no, no, I thought as I unzipped my tent to grab a sandal. Oh god where is it? I poked around my things with the tip of my sandal until the beast revealed itself. Gotcha. I used the sandal to herd it to my tent door and in one fluid motion, I scooped it out, back into the wild. I fumbled with the zipper to the door and swiftly closed it. I shuttered at the thought of the spider being that close to my face as I settled back into my sleeping bag, frustrated that I had lost all my hot air.
Next time on Packing It In: Most days on the AT are wake up early, hike, hike, hike, eat, sleep. The best thing is that there are no rules. I enjoy my morning reading in the warm embrace of my sleeping bag while I feel the sun on my face.
Did you see a word you didn’t know? Check out my Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker Dictionary for a list of hiker terminology. If you don’t see the word on this list, comment below and I’ll add it!
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