Enough Already!

If every day were like this the hike would be a blast! Okay, maybe that is stretching it a bit, but it would be more enjoyable than hiking in the rain. Lately they haven't seen weather like this. The rain finally wore Lyle and Plugger down. It rained all day (again) and they were chilled to the bone. So when they came out on a road, they decided to hitch into Erwin (TN) and get a room for the night. They ended up in a hostel filled with other hikers that had the same idea. They are packed in like cord wood, but Janet of Miss Janet's Hostel knows what she is doing. She had stacks of spare clothes so the hikers could peel out of their wet clothes and she has washers and dryers and even boot dryers!

After laundry they headed into town to get supplies and a hot meal. Janet's even provides shuttle service to places in town free of charge for the hikers, although she does charge a few extra bucks to get a lift back to the trail.

So, Lyle and Plugger are going to take a day pack tomorrow and catch a ride back to where they left the trail (about 15 miles out of Erwin) and hike back to the hostel. Then they are going to probably stay at Miss Janet's again Thursday night and get back on the trail Friday. This is providing the rain decides to give them a break! Some of the hikers (crazy???) decided to pitch a tent and stay on the trail, but Lyle said the rain is of torrential proportions and I believe him after looking at the weather map. I think Lyle made a very wise decision...who wants to get sick 300 miles into the trip?

Tomorrow marks one month on the trail and yes, he will have hiked over 300 miles since leaving Springer Mtn. Wow, what an accomplishment!

Thank you to No Falls for sending me the package with the CD of pictures. I guess No Falls is a few days behind Lyle right now, but will probably catch up now that Lyle has a few more 0 days. I'll drop in a few here and there, but I don't know the stories behind them. I guess we'll have to wait for Lyle's memoirs!

More Trail Magic!

I am in awe of these people that set up portable kitchens to feed the weary hikers. Lyle has been hiking alone since his group split up in Hot Springs. He was heading for a shelter the other night but didn't quite make it before he decided he had to "pull over" for the night. So he found a spot near a highway and set up camp the mandatory 100 yards off the trail. After a restful night he came out on the highway (crossroads of NC 208 and TN 70) and low and behold there was a small sign stuck in the ground that said "Trail Magic" with an arrow pointing toward a house. Sure enough a couple has set up their garage as a make-shift kitchen and were serving up belgian waffles, beverages, TEA! (which Lyle said was very good) and pear pie. Come to find out it's a couple that thru-hiked the trail the year he retired from work (1999 I think) and decided to relocate to an area where they could be connected with the trail. Every year they open up their house to hikers for 6 weeks in the Spring to catch the northbounders and six weeks in the fall to catch the southbounders. And they do this about every day! It is amazing to me, but I have a much better understanding of how important trail magic is. We heard a lot about it, but until you experience the trail first hand you have no idea how much it lifts the spirits. Lyle said they do a bit of spreading the Gospel as well, but in a loving and positive way. What a wonderful thing they do!

Even though Lyle is not hiking with a group he talks about the hikers he's meeting who have names like Plugger, Skeeter, Outlaw and Good Time Charlie (Outlaw and GTC are a couple). And he most recently mentioned sitting down to a meal with Model T who has written several books about his hikes on the AT. This time (can you believe someone would do this more than once!) he is not planning a book but you never know. According to Lyle Model T said he never plans the books--the ideas just come to him.

He has passed Camp Creek Bald and Big Butt which stands at 4,750 feet. He really thought he was out of the woods (no pun intended) and would experience more even ground but not yet. Phone calls have been more erratic because even on the peaks he is not getting service. I think we need to have a talk with Verizon soon! He's also had some rain every day. I noticed on the weather map this morning that the AT is covered in rain again so I'm sure it was another wet night. That has made the hiking slow going but as Lyle says it's part of the experience.

He was planning on camping at Hog Back Shelter last night and is heading toward Devil Fork Gap (near Hwy 212). He has been staying in as many shelters as possible but there are still nights in the tent. He expects to be in Erwin by the end of the week if he is able to stay on the same pace as he has been. He is enjoying the freedom hiking alone allows and with company almost every night in the shelters, there is a good balance of solitude and conversation. And he has been snapping pictures! He is sending home about 800 pictures on two different CD's that he managed to burn during his stay in Hot Springs, so I should have lots to choose from to add to the site.

His next mail drop will be Elk Park, NC, 28622 in case you want to send something to him. The mailing label looks like this:

Lyle Buettner
Post Office
Elk Park, NC 28622

with a note under your return address to "Hold for Thru Hiker Lyle Buettner". I should think anything sent first class this week will get to him in Elk Park. If you want to send something to his next mail drop, it's Damascus VA.

That's all for now!

A Day of Rest

Lyle is in Hot Springs, NC. They group of 4 made it on Friday as planned but it was a very difficult two days. It rained Thursday and Friday, with a lightning strike about 200 yards away on Friday. They rounded the crest of the mountain and saw where the strike split and burned a tree. Lyle said they were very glad to be in the trees rather than on a bald spot--not that either choice is optimum in a thunderstorm! If they would have been crossing a bald spot, they would have been the tallest points so needless to say they were very lucky. The rain and wind buffeted them both days and each day was a minimum of 15 miles. So they arrived in Hot Springs soggy and tired. Unfortunately the hotel room Hank and Lyle had reserved had no heat and no electricity and it couldn't be fixed until Monday. So they canceled their reservation, got their money back and moved on. They went down the street to the next potential lodging site but all that was left was one small double bed. So, Hank and Lyle moved on to a B&B and this worked out for them. Lodging is tight in Hot Springs because it's Trail Fest and Hot Springs is a hotbed of white water rafting. The bed and shower were wonderful so it ended up all right for them. Hank was moving on today (Saturday) so I'm not sure who will be heading out with Lyle tomorrow. He mentioned a number of new hikers he has met already in Hot Springs. I guess it depends upon who is on the trail when Lyle gets there. He has picked up his next mail drop and is sending a CD back with pictures. I'll load some pictures as soon as I can...I probably won't get the box back until the first week of May. That's all for now.

Smoky Mountains

Whew! Lyle and company are now out of the Smoky Mountains National Park. They started out on the day after the bear attack which took place 20 miles SW of their location. More bear warnings were posted but no sightings--thank God!

They had expectations that the hike was going to be less difficult than it had been so far, but that was not the case--miles of wilderness and continuous ups and downs (again!). The difference on this stretch was that there were no towns to visit to replenish supplies and rest. The shelters were full with day hikers so they spent the nights on what little even ground they could find in their tents. I don't mind telling you that this meant big time concern for me after the bear news! Unfortunately, even ground was in short supply so in most cases the night was spent sliding to the lower end of the tent. The bright spot was the day after Easter. They emerged from the forest on to Hwy 441 to trail magic! A group of 3 women from the area (Gatlinburg) got up early and cooked a full meal to serve to the hikers. They set up tables and passed out hot roast pork, potato salad, fresh fruit, soda and homemade pie! The hikers were more than surprised and very appreciative. Lyle asked why they picked the day after Easter and it was the only day that they could all get the time off together. The women have been doing this for the past 17 years but next year is uncertain. The U.S. government has decided that they need to purchase a permit to serve next year! I can't believe that they don't have more important things to worry about! :(

Today they stopped at Mountain Mama's for hamburgers at mid day. They were wonderful and just the fuel to keep going--back up the mountain again. They've had good weather for the most part until today (Wednesday). They hiked over 3 hours in the rain and gusty winds. They figure some of the winds were up to 50 and 60 mph. The saying for the day is "When you're walking in the rain you only get wet once!" Then it blew on through and turned hot and steamy. When I talked with Lyle tonight he said that they had everything hanging out to dry. The weather is warm and sunny so it shouldn't take too long to dry out. And, the bonus was that they found a beautiful flat spot surrounded by water to camp. It was warm enough to take a full bath! And, there is just enough flat ground for each of the 4 to have a good tent site. Lyle expects that this will be the best night's sleep in 3 days! They have just passed Interstate 40 and Crosby Shelter. They will be able to reach Hot Springs easily on Friday which is the plan. That is the next big stopping spot to find comfortable lodging, hot food, showers...you know the simple pleasures of life! :)

Hot Springs (NC) is where Lyle's informal group will be splitting up. He is planning to stay two nights, one of the fellas is leaving the trail as planned (he is done with his hike for the year), and the other two are through hikers. They will probably be pushing on again early Saturday. So Lyle will be hooking up with a new group. He mentioned "No Falls" who has been hiking a similar pace lately. He might be a new trail buddy, but it depends upon who heads out on Sunday morning at the same time as Lyle.

This has been a long entry but I haven't had a chance to post an update lately. I looked over all of my notes from our various conversations, and I think I've mentioned all of the highlights. Lyle has said several times that this has been more difficult than he expected because of the demands on his body day-after-day. He is happy that he decided to do half this year and half next year, and that he is not trying to keep up with the through hikers. He has been able to take some pictures along the way lately so that means he is getting some breaks. Easter was a bit tough being away from family, but it was a real gift for him that when he got through to me on the cell phone that he was able to talk with some of his brothers and sisters too. That helped him get over the hump (no pun intended!).

I'll post again in a few days. Thank you so much for visiting the site and for your prayers for Lyle and gang.

What a Relief

Well Lyle and his fellow hikers have reached Fontana Dam. What a relief! They have a real hotel room with a shower and a nice bed. Quite an improvement over their last night off of the trail. It's so inviting they are taking a 0 day tomorrow (Thursday) to get caught up on laundry, eating and sleeping! Then it's off again early Friday to head into the Great Smokey National Park. The past few days have been very difficult--when they weren't hiking up they were hiking down. Each day was well over 10 miles to make it to good camping spots. They feel as though they have earned a day's rest. They have passed mile 147 now.

The weather has been great so they feel very fortunate. And they have heard they can make it through the Great Smokey's in 10 days without too much trouble. This should be a nice change of pace for these folks! The inclines are supposedly not as steep but the weather can be treacherous. They are looking forward to the scenery as Spring is beginning to make itself known in the high country.

Lyle has received his second mail drop. He had plans to mail more stuff home and says he's going to have to mail some of the food from the drop back home tioo. He is learning what he can live with and what he can live without. One of the things his group agrees on is that they have been packing too much food. So, he is going to weed through what he packed before he left and send home what he doesn't want. He is also sending home his D-50 Nikon digital camera and lens. He really wanted to carry it but has decided the inconveniece of the extra weight is greater than the possibility of missing a great shot. He just can't carry everything so it's making the trip back to Wisconsin. It's going to be very interesting opening that box when it gets here.

One of Lyle's group of 4--Hank--is dictating his experience and the commentary can be found on a website. I'm including a link to his site since he is going along at the same pace and experiencing the same things as Lyle right now. Hank's trail name is Catskill Eagle. Lyle's trail name--No Lines-- is becoming obsolete as he is getting tan lines around his tee shirt. We're thinking that he will be getting a different trail name before long! That's all for now. :)

http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=4205

Here is another site with more information about the AT. In case you are a "dig into the details" kind of person this might be a fun way to pass away some time!

http://http://whiteblaze.net/forum/links/index.php?

The Hiker

I finally have a picture of Lyle to post. This was taken on Day 2 in the morning just before he headed out on the trail. This was taken just beyond the parking lot on Springer Mountain. He has shed at least 12 pounds from his pack by eating the food and mailing things home, but this still looks like an awful lot to carry with you every day. I can't even imagine hiking up and down the mountain slopes with this on my back, can you? Okay, some of you reading this think hiking the AT and suffering through all of this is a really cool thing...it's a good thing that there are a few of us sane ones around to balance things out! :)

No Room in the Inn

Thankfully there have been no more emergency issues the past few days. However, Friday was a very long day for Lyle and his small band of hikers (3-4 I think). He has referred to "us" in the last few conversations but I don't know how many are hiking together. They hiked 12 miles to the shelter expecting to stop for the night but the shelter was full and there were no camping spots. His planner said there were no camping spots but they didn't realize it meant "not even any land mass to camp on." Lyle said the shelter was built on the only small spot of flat land and there was not even any place to put up a tent if they wanted to. So, they had to keep going. They ended up hiking over 16 miles to get to a highway. They were tempted to try to hitch into the nearest town, but decided to camp along a logging road in the vicinity. That ended up working well for them as they had a good night's rest.

Saturday was 12 miles with major inclines but not nearly what they have encountered already. They have hiked up inclines where Lyle had to pull his pant leg up to his knee so he could reach the next "step" and we're not talking a short distance, we are talking over an hour to get to the top carrying a 50-lb pack. No wonder he sounds so tired every night when he calls! I can't even imagine the "down" on the other side--you must have to go down dragging your rump to stay on your feet. I think he is going to have to demonstrate that for me!

They expect to be in Wesser, NC, tonight. Lyle will call me on a land line while he is charging his cell battery so we can review the schedule and change the mail drops to match his progress. I hope they decide to take a 0 day (no hiking) to stay in town and rest. He mentioned doing laundry which makes it sound like he is planning a day. He has already worn out one pair of sock liners so I think we'll be investing in additional pairs before this is over.

By the way, if any of you readers want to send a note or a bit of "trail magic" just get it to me, and I'll put it in one of the boxes that I send. You can send an email and I'll print it and put it in the box.

I see on the weather this morning that nasty storms went through the SE states. I hope they didn't get hit with any of the severe storms that ripped through TN and are now heading toward FL. I'll find out tonight I'm sure!

Good News

A quick update on Ken. He was taken down the trail and put on a helicopter. He was taken to the hospital in Asheville, NC, and the last thing Lyle heard is that he is in stable condition.

And They Say This is Fun?

The last few days have been very difficult for Lyle and the other hikers. The trail has been steep and the nights cold. Lyle has the right sleeping bag and has been warm enough but several other hikers are cold during the night. The saving grace is that the days have been sunny and pleasant. Last night (Tuesday 4/4) he thought he had the ridge to himself but as we were saying goodnight he saw three other hikers heading his way. He was disappointed that he would have company but I have to say I was relieved! I think there is safety in numbers when considering the local wildlife! The scenery has been terrific so that helps them look beyone the difficult hiking. Lyle says he understands why so many people drop out after the first week...it is definitely a challenge. He sounds so tired every night.

This evening the call was filled with sadness. He was sitting by the side of a fellow hiker who had collapsed on the trail of a heart attack. He has been talking about this particular hiker alot because they have been keeping the same pace for the past 4-5 days. Lyle had told me Ken had gone into town Tuesday night to celebrate his 58th birthday and Lyle decided to keep going to cross over the NC border. When he didn't show up in camp tonight Lyle started to backtrack to find him. About 1/2 hour back on the trail on the last incline he found Ken with two other hikers. Ken was too weak to take back to camp so they had to administer first aid there on the trail. They tried several attempts to call search and rescue before they were successful. There was some confusion on the part of the 911 operator about the exact location on the trail and which state they were actually in--GA or NC--and who should be sent. It took the EMT's one and 1/2 hours after the call to reach them by 4-wheelers. The EMT's were able to stabilize him and were transporting him to a hospital in a nearby NC community. The EMT's said they had never been that deep into the trail and had no idea it went so far. They credit Lyle and the others for saving Ken's life because they gave him aspirin and kept him warm during the wait. Thank God Ken was in the habit of taking an aspirin each day so they were in his pack. It appears that Ken will pull through, but we won't really know until we hear from him again.

Needless to say it is going to be difficult for Lyle and others in camp to get to sleep tonight (and me too). I'm not sure what makes people attempt this hike in the first place or what keeps them going. I think it's the Buettner in Lyle :) but I'm not sure about the others. I would ask that you keep Ken and his family in your prayers.

Here is a link to an AT map if you want to see the trail. Based on what Lyle told me tonight, I think he is somewhere near Standing Indian (5,499 ft). He said he would be in a town in the next 3-4 days, and I think that he means Wesser, NC.

http://www.rhodesmill.org/thefox/maps/at5.jpg

The First Week

Well, Lyle has been on the trail since Tuesday, March 28. It was quite a production to send him off! Note to all who want to drive to Springer Mountain--none of the printed directions are exact! Be prepared to navigate by guess and by gosh! :)

Monday afternoon we went up to Springer Mountain to check things out--which was a good thing based on the directions we had (hence my comment above). The final leg to the top involved driving 6.5 miles on a mountain gravel path with pull off areas in case you met another vehicle. We parked in the lot a mile below the summit and hiked up to the summit so Lyle could sign in at at the start, and we could see the view and take pictures. What a spectacular view--well worth the white knuckle drive! We met 8 hikers that were preparing to through hike--all ages, shapes and sizes. Then we went into Ellijay to spend the night in a hotel and eat pizza (Lyle's choice)! Because he hiked up to the summit and signed in the day before, he left from the parking lot on Springer Mountain on Tuesday morning. He had one mile of hiking the AT without carrying his pack! What a wonderful suggestion by an experienced AT hiker (Thanks Hiker Bob!) There were almost as many hikers starting Tuesday as we saw on Monday afternoon. Lyle hiked off into the mist and fog at 9:10 a.m. EST. I drove down the mountain trail in the mist which matched my mood! Tears of joy and sadness mingled together most of the morning. I made it back to Appleton late Wednesday afternoon after an uneventful 2-day drive.

I've spoken with Lyle every day so far (thanks to a good cell service). He is hiking with about 4-6 "regulars" so he is developing a circle of support. Rain and mist have been constant companions with periods of sun, but Lyle says that it's better than the heat and humidity of St. John's! He has hiked at least 7 miles each day--today (Monday April 3)--was 7.6 miles with a 1-mile straight up and then a 1-mile straight down section as part of the journey. He feels as though he is training for a marathon every day!

He has slept in the tent most nights but tried a shelter last night. He woke up twice after a mouse (or mice?) ran over his hands...yuck! However, when the sheets of rain, thunder and lightning hit in the middle of the night, he forgave the rodents! There have been many reminders to be careful of bears but no sightings yet thank goodness!

He has passed Blood Mountain and Neels Gap, and is heading toward Tray Mountain. I'll post a picture or two soon and add an update later this week. Please keep Lyle and the other hikers in your prayers.