Day 19: April 22, 2021
Sassafras Shelter to Brown Fork Gap Shelter – 9.1 miles
What a cold night! One of the guys at the shelter had a thermometer which read 22 degrees. Even though it was the coldest night I had slept outdoors, I was warm. I felt proud that I had created such a successful sleep system.
The cold zapped my muscles the second I crawled out of my sleeping bag. I started boiling water as soon as I could so I could have coffee and a hot breakfast, as did everyone else. The morning was busy with all of the hikers emerging from the shelter and a couple even came out of tents I didn’t know were nearby. A lone man, looking frigid, rambled up to the shelter with a large zip-lock bag.
“Hey everybody. I didn’t realize it would be so cold overnight. I’m going to hike back down to the NOC, so I wanted to distribute my food to y’all. I’m only out here for a section, but I don’t think I’m prepared,” he said with a sigh.
He placed the large bag on the bar of the shelter and went back to camp to pack up. We all passed out the contents of the bag and I managed to score some Ghirardelli hot chocolate, Slim Jims, instant oatmeal, and coffee.
I slowly moved out of camp at 10:30. One mile into the day and I was ready for a break. At the top of Cheoah Bald we finally saw the sun and needed to recharge with snacks.
As we warmed up, it was time to go again. I saw the coolest ice crystals growing out of the ground, a sign of just how cold the night had been.
The day was slow and uneventful. I met the boys for lunch at Stechoah Gap where I dined on a Slim Jim and a cheese stick on a tortilla with mayo and mustard and an apple someone had left on the table. While we were sitting at the picnic table, a large truck pulled up and a camouflaged man stepped out. Before he was even out of the car, he had his shotgun in his hand and one in the chamber. He stalked off down a nearby birding trail with a determined look on his face.
“I’m pretty sure that’s a bird watching trail, not a bird shooting trail,” Yogi said with a laugh. We never did hear a gun go off though.
After lunch, the hike to the shelter was once again at the top of a long, steep climb. The AT is always uphill, don’t let anyone tell you anything different! The only way to get through it though is to do it. I would pick landmarks to hike to which would determine when I would take a break. Just get to that tree and you can rest. I’d stop at the tree for a few seconds, pick my next landmark, and set off. Over and over, I repeated this mantra. Just keep walking until that rock. Good job! Now make it to that tree up there.
The three of us decided to sleep in the shelter again out of fear it would be cold. Luckily, it wasn’t as populated as the last shelter. Only two other people stopped by. One was named Little Chap, and he was a cool dude. He stayed in the shelter with us and told us all about his story. He started the AT as a section hiker with the intent of hiking for two weeks. In those two weeks, he fell in love with the trail and knew he couldn’t stop, but there was something he had to do first. He flew home for 48 hours, sold his house and car, quit his job and returned to trail to finish his hike. What a story!
For dinner, I had my favorite meal. A Mountain House chili mac meal with a cut up cheese stick, olive oil for extra fat, and a heaping handful of crushed Fritos and Doritos. (Mountain House is a brand of freeze-dried backpacker meal.) I ate the whole meal fast and I was still hungry. Gone were the days of not being able to finish my meals, now I needed two dinners. I made a cup of hot chocolate for dessert and that did the trick. I was full, warm, and comfortable as I fell asleep.
Next time on Packing It In: My dad came out to visit so I spent a couple of days off trail with him.
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!