Day 51
Start: Campsite Past Laurel Fork Shelter
End: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles Hiked: 15.6
Miles on AT: 437.9
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After 2 days of ~18 mile days, we brought it down a notch today. It rained a bit last night, but with my earplugs in I was oblivious to it all. I slept pretty well despite our late night. Our morning was nice and unhurried. The river babbled nearby and the air was nice and cool (although it didn’t feel like that for long).
We hiked along the river and crossed a couple of bridges before starting out ~1700 foot ascent of the day. After a couple of switchbacks, I could really feel the humidity. My shirt was absolutely drenched and my forehead was dripping. Wiping my brow was a futile effort; the sweat reappeared not 1 minute after I had wiped it away.
Luckily the switchbacks were kind to us. We stopped for second breakfast about two thirds of the way to the top. Today was my grandma’s birthday so I gave her a call while we ate. She is one of my biggest fans and supporters and follows all of my hiking adventures. Love ya, Grandma!
After our break, we continued on. At one point, a shirtless young guy wearing yellow flip-flops, black basketball shorts, and a handmade pack passed us. I said, “Hey! Are you that guy who hiked the PCT with handmade, ultralight gear?” Yep, it was him.
His name is Courier and he started the trail about 2 weeks ago. He said was only hiking 24 miles today, so he had time to hike and chat with us for a while since it was his short day. He has such an interesting and unique story and perspective. Courier said he tries to find different ways to make these trails more challenging.
This year, he’s doing the trail on a shoestring budget. He’d only spent $17 so far and was eating food out of hiker boxes instead of buying his own. His base weight is about 5.5 pounds and full weight with food and water is about 8 pounds. He barely had any food to eat his first 5 or so days on the trail, but now that he’s catching up to the bubble, he’s having a little bit more luck. Here’s the video that details his gear setup for his PCT thru hike.
Hiking with him behind us definitely pushed us to go faster than we normally would have. As we were nearing the end of our descent, the sky suddenly opened up and we were in a downpour. With my umbrella up and pack cover on, my torso didn’t get wet. But, the trail was an absolute river and my feet were soaked through.
Once we made it to the road, Courier headed to a hostel to check out their hiker box while we continued on. I wanted to hitch the 3 miles into town to get lunch and then get back on trail, but Janitor didn’t understand the concept and just wanted to continue and eat lunch on trail.
Hungry and wet, this soured my mood. I didn’t want to eat my cold lunch when I could easily get a hit, juicy burger, but I also wanted to stay with Janitor. We reached a lake where we ate lunch surrounded by people grilling and enjoying their long weekend. It was a bit demoralizing for me.
But, even though my spirits were low, there were still miles to hike. Soon we reach Watauga Dam, which, like Fontana Dam, had been built as part of the WWII war effort to increase energy production – pretty cool!
Unfortunately, my mood wasn’t getting any better. I tried thinking about other topics; I tried not thinking at all. But, the negativity still lingered. I sent up a petition to the Universe to send me something to brighten my mood and kept on hiking.
About a mile and a half later, I found my mood lifter on Wilbur Dam Rd – trail magic! Hunter First Baptist Church was hosting trail magic out of the back of a repurposed white school bus with everything and anything a hiker could want – hotdogs, soda, donuts, fruit, chips, candy, medical supplies, you name it! It was exactly what I needed.
Janitor and I sat on the pews that lined the inside of the bus and ate up a storm. I had corn on the cob, a hotdog, ginger ale, half a donut, a couple of cuties, 2 bags of popcorn, and a few small candies. We chatted with the volunteers and other hikers who showed up. Courier had caught up to us, so he was able to get his fill as well. We spent a good amount of time there, enjoying the generosity and positivity of those around us. They even had super glue, which I used to fix my trekking pole that had broken just a few hours before.
This was by far the best trail magic I had experienced on trail so far. They set up on Saturdays during hiking season, so we were in the right place at the right time. They are definitely doing work that is highly appreciated.
Unfortunately the time came to leave. We still had about 4.5 miles until our shelter. But, with a full stomach and a full heart, those 4.5 miles flew by like nothing. At the shelter, we found a small spot in which to set up our tent and enjoyed the rest of the evening chatting with the other hikers.
And that’s day 51.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.