Tag: North Carolina

200 Miles On The AT

Jori

Y’all (I say y’all now, btw) I am t e r r i b l e at updating this. I. Am. So. Sorry. My Instagram stays current, but for some reason it’s been difficult to sit down and donate a chunk of time to updating my actual blog. I’m going to do my best to keep it updated from now on, but we’ll see.

So! Here’s what happened between mile 100 and 200. *BRB while I endlessly scroll back to the beginning of my photos..*

Franklin, NC! Mile 110, NOBO. We stopped at a restaurant in town and the only thing I could eat was two forms of fried potatoes. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some potatoes (boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew) but options would be nice.

We also stopped by Outdoor 76, I talked to Rob the foot expert, and we all got a drink from the bar in the back of the store. Queue a, “5 thru-hikers walk into a bar..” joke.

I elected to get a 6.9% hard cherry cider, which was so good I had to get another after finishing the first. It only took two before I was feeling pretty tipsy..

I stopped by the free pancake breakfast that the local church runs, but they didn’t have anything I could eat. I thought ahead and brought my own almond milk so at least I could have some coffee. They have a tradition of taking instant photos of every hiker and offering to send it wherever you’d like. Here’s mine:

Back on the trail! At this point my arches were really hurting, and heeding Rob’s advice, I decided to lower my daily miles. This also meant saying goodbye to my original tramily, which wasn’t easy. (Confession: I may or may not have cried.. more than once..)

During my time hiking solo, I accidentally crashed a wedding.

I was forced to zero at a shelter due to weather.

I got to see a rainbow!

And I got to walk through a magical frozen wonderland even though it meant surviving a freezing cold night the evening prior.

Coming down into the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) I FINALLY got to see some green, instead of the sea of brown I had been walking through the entire way so far. It was so nice it gave me reason to pull out my GoPro and use it for the first time since I started. I also passed by some cool plant life as well.

I ended up staying in Bryson City, a town about 15 minutes from the NOC. I didn’t realize when I booked my hostel stay that it wasn’t right on trail, so it forced me to hitch into town. I had never hitched before, especially solo. While I do admit I was slightly nervous, everything turned out just fine. It took me about 20 minutes to get a hitch, but once I did, the nice gentleman who picked me up drove me right to my hostel with no problems.

If you’re looking to stay at a hostel in or around Bryson City, I’d definitely recommend Smoky Mountain Hostel. The bed sheets were fresh and the washing machine actually cleaned my clothes, and neither cost extra. They had a “hiker box” of leftover food, and I ended up making this curry and vegetable quinoa dish which tasted pretty dang good considering what I had to work with. One of the things I’m finding I really like about being on the trail is getting to be creative with limited ingredients.

Next up was Fontana, which was bittersweet for me. I was dealing with some foot problems and decided to play it safe by taking a few zeros (days in which zero miles are hiked) at the Fontana Hilton. Do not be fooled, this is no hotel, but by AT shelter standards it may as well be. Bathrooms with plumbing, toilet paper (not always included in restrooms out here), AND showers were walking distance from the shelter. The shelter was large with room for about 2 dozen hikers, and was a great place to hang out and meet lots of new people.

After a few days rest I finally got back on trail and set out into the Smokies. I was fortunate enough to have impeccable weather, even though a few days earlier my friends had to deal with a snow storm. I was luckier.

Mile 200 lands at Clingman’s Dome, the highest point on the AT.

There wasn’t a resident “mile 200” landmark there, so I quickly gathered some rocks and made one myself. We all put a foot in and BAM, instant mile marker photo.

Every time I complete another 100 miles on the AT, my excitement grows. I’m sitting at mile 863.7 as I write this, about to enter Shenandoah National Park, eager to continue North and see what else the trail will bring.

Highlights From My First 100 Miles

Jori

Hey all! These first 100 miles have been an absolute blast, I am so happy to be out here experiencing such wonderful sights with such wonderful people! Here are some highlights from along the way.

Before hitting the trail I spent a week in Chicago visiting family. It was so nice to spend time with them before heading out, I also got to set up my resupply boxes with my mom and sister while I was there.

It was a hot mess getting them all sorted and organized but I pulled it off! The week flew by, and the day finally came for me to fly to Atlanta. I felt like a kid on the first day of school, I even took a photo on the front porch before leaving.

I was lucky enough to have a friend of mine in Atlanta agree to house me that night and then drop me off at the trail the next morning. Gerald, if you read this, thank you again for everything!

We arrived at Amicalola State Park and I finally got to walk up to the arch I had been seeing in everyone else’s Day 1 photos, and it ignited an excitement in me like nothing else. I of course had to get the iconic photo, too.

Gerald hiked the first 1.5 miles of the approach trail with me, which I did not expect, but it was a nice surprise!

Any nervousness I had felt faded away the moment my feet hit the trail, I was finally back in the wilderness and I was damn happy to be there.

One of my biggest worries about this experience was that I wouldn’t make friends and find a tramily (trail family) right away, but on night one I met some amazing people and that worry quickly faded.

I got to experience my very first night in a shelter, and coincidentally one of the coldest nights I’ve slept outside. It got down to 22° that night! We all woke up cold and ready to start moving. But the sunrise that morning was absolutely beautiful!

Let me tell you, it’s amazing out here. The east coast is vastly different from the west, but I’m loving it. Here are some of the beautiful sights I’ve gotten to see so far!

I’ve also been lucky enough to come across a handful of people doing trail magic! Trail magic is when people from nearby towns will haul food and supplies up to parts of the trail and hand them out freely to passing thru-hikers.

My favorite is when people have fresh fruits and vegetables, anything fresh after days of only dehydrated foods is a luxury I am grateful for. On the other hand, I was also pretty damn stoked on the Taco Bell we came across in Hiawassee.

Within the first 100 miles I got to hit my first big milestone – completing my first state! I crossed over from Georgia into North Carolina, leaving 13 more states for me to get through.

The day after completing Georgia I hit my second big milestone – the 100th mile! Only 2100 to go after this, and I’m looking forward to every single one of them.

I really appreciate the support you all have given me along the way – you have no idea how much it means to know my friends and family believe in this incredible venture I’ve set out on. Here’s to hoping the next 100 miles are as great as these first 100!