Getting Started

I rolled over and heard voices. They were not the usual ones that were in my head that nobody else could hear. These were real voices. I was still in a state of confusion as the Z-Quill and Tylenol had no completely worn off yet. I had no idea what time it was, but it was definitely light outside. Even so, was not ready to get up. I was so cozy in my sleeping bag inside my tiny tent and I was warm. It was not warm out there.

James and Chad were talking tech around the fire as they had done the morning before. They were early risers. It seemed as if they were always eager to get up and stoke the fire, make coffee and compare stories about what giga-ramp did this, and what molecular whatever did that. I did not understand any of it. It was fascinating to me, but I did not understand any of it. James did not even have a tent. He was sleeping under a tarp strung between two trees. Chad had one of the coolest tents I had ever seen. It was a Tarptent Rainbow and I had never seen anything like it. It looked so large and comfortable. I needed to talk to him about this tent. I heard the crackle of the fire. I wanted to get up. No I didn’t. I was torn. I wanted to get my stuff packed up so they did not have to wait on me, but also I knew Jon would not be up for at least another 30 minutes, maybe even an hour. Screw it. I’m getting up.

I rolled out of my tent. Yes, I literally rolled out. This 23Zero Swag had no room to sit up at all so rolling or crawling were the only ways in and out. It did not help my back, or my knees, or my hips, or my … well you get the picture. I am pretty sure I said “I am way too old for this” more than once, and that was just in the last thirty minutes or so. The air was crisp and cool. I had slept in my base layers so began my morning routine of having to dance around, putting my pants on, while trying not to cover my socks with leaves and mud. It was damp outside. The dew this morning was very heavy. The wind was blowing a little and I could feel the need to get my jacket on quickly and move over by the fire.

“Good morning!” I shouted from my little homestead to those around the fire. “Good morning!” came back almost instantly from both. I slipped on my shoes and jacket and meandered over closer to join in on the conversation and borrow a little heat from the flames they were stoking. “Your food bag is right here,” James stated as he pointed to my little bag that held all my grub that was left of the trip. He had graciously had retrieved all of the bags that had been suspended high in the tree about 50 feet away from us with his homemade bear bag contraption.
“Thank you. Im hungry.” I stated as I walked over and picked it up. They were sipping coffee and continued in their conversation. I was right. There was no sign or movement from “Gonzales” just yet. I had plenty of time. I took my bag over to my compound, dug around and decided on some oatmeal for breakfast. But first, coffee. Nothing happens until coffee. I grabbed the Jetboil Stash and got it going. Water in the little pot and a couple minutes it would be ready for the pour over Coffee. After that, a nice little hot breakfast to warm the body and the soul.

It is times like this that I love the outdoors. The crisp morning air. Kicking back in my chair waiting for the water to boil to make the coffee. Watching the limbs from the trees blow softly with the wind. Staring into the fire as it dances around producing as little heat as possible, but still enough for us to keep warm and keeping me in a trance. It just seems natural out here. There is no cell service. There is no internet. There are no cars whisking by, no horns blown, nobody yelling, no road rage, and no trains to wait for.

Two trail runners ran past us heading the way we would be going this morning. These are the first people we have seen in at least 24 hours since we saw the motorcycles rolling past on the highway at Moccasin Gap. I am amazed at the athleticism of some. Yes, I am carrying over 30 lbs on my back, but to run this trail would require a completely different set of muscles and stamina. That is incredible to me. It is a fitness level I have never achieved and never wanted to, until now. I turned back toward my tent and instantly felt a rumble in my stomach. This was not good. Oh well, nature calls and I am prepared. Luckily, they sell some backpacking toilet paper and I had brought a roll. I grabbed it and scurried off to find the best tree off-trail. I knew this would come. I had been on a Keto-based diet for the last 6 months and my body had gotten out of the habit of processing regular food, much less the high carb freeze dried meals I had been partaking of the last several days now. Such a relief! Whew!

Making my way back to camp, Jon was now sitting beside the fire on his little fold out compressed pad. I love his little beer can, solid fuel stove. I am so impressed by how people can sit around, come up with ideas on how to make the lightest and fastest ways to boil water. It is fascinating to me. I watched with earnest attention, wanting to learn where he had found it and how it worked. James came over with his little Coke Can liquid fuel stove and said, “Check this out.” He poured a little fuel in there and then lit it with his lighter. In a few seconds, the mild flame took off through 12 small tiny holes he had hand drilled in the can like an F-18 ready for take-off. I could feel my eyes widen as I exclaimed, “that is the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life!” I was very confident that if I had cell phone service right now, I would be on Ebay having several of those sent to my house as soon as possible. James told me he used to host “stove making parties” at his house and show everyone how to make them. I was again, fascinated. This kind of thing just makes me excited. Such a simple method, but it took a complex mind to wrap their heads around the concept and bring it into reality. I have to have one, or several. It will happen.

The Coffee was amazing and I was glad to have two full water bottles for the trip to the car this morning. It would get warm fast, and from the looks of the map, we would be traveling mostly uphill on our way out. I popped a couple Advil to sooth my feet and legs. They were not bothering me too bad. It was just precautionary. I am old, so taking pills is a normal thing, right? I was a little more disorganized this morning as I had been the previous day, so I took a little time to starting putting things in their place. I do not have diagnosed OCD, but I am sure that I would be if I ever had myself tested. I hate being disheveled and out of sorts. I want things in their place. I want things to be where they are supposed to be. That way, when I need them or when we need to go, I can be ready in an instant. It did not take me long. Things were not as bad as I had first saw. It just took me a minute to get everything, rolled up, packed up and placed in its spot in my pack. It is crazy how I bought a pack I thought would be way too large, but yet I had managed to fill it to capacity. I will work on that for the next trip. It will take some practice to make my system perfect. Nobody gets it right on their first try. That is another reason why I have a hard time believing and comprehending how so many people try to tackle extremely long backpacking trips on their very first time. As I listen to audio books on the Appalachian Trail and hear the author state that this was their very first backpacking trip, or that their very first night spent in a tent in the woods was the first night of a six month long trek on one of the longest trails in the Continental United States. It just does not make sense to me. Why would you not “practice” and get some experience on shorter trails such as the 230-mile Ouachita Trail or the 220-mile Ozark Highlands Trail or another trail that would take you around 2 weeks instead of six months. I guess I think different from some. To each their own. Hike your own hike.

Jon was packing and James had folded up his tarp shelter. Chad was finishing stuffing his Tarptent and in a few minutes, he would be ready to go. It was about go time. I hated the last day. I did not want this to end. If I had more food, I could stay out here for many more days. Yes, it would be a challenge to find water, but it would eventually rain. I kept thinking again about the backcountry hunting. I want to do that. I think it would be a amazing challenge. I slung my pack over my back, again being careful not to throw out my shoulder, and cinched up all the buckles and straps. I was ready. I had set my mind to it. I was in a good place, on the trip of a lifetime, and I had set my mind and attitude to that of enjoying the moment, living for the day. I was ready.

The Trail

The trail immediately began to head straight up the hill. Switchbacks came one after another as we headed toward our final destination. My pack was heavy. I could feel my feet slamming down on the trail. I was cognizant of foot placement. The last place I wanted to be with a sprained knee or ankle was here. I do not want these guys to have to carry me the last six miles to the car. I would not wish that on anyone. The trail widened again and morphed into an old logging road turned into a forest road. We gathered together again in a small group, visiting and sharing life stories, dreams and the future. They talked about how they used to do this all the time, then life got in the way, inhibiting many future planned trips together. They seemed hopeful they would be able to do this more. It was enjoyable and they had missed this time together. I felt part of the group now. I felt as if when they planned the next venture, I would be invited again. I felt a part of the family. It was a good feeling.

We wound around rock formations, up and over mountains, down into valleys and through the woods. We came across a small stream coming down the mountain. James wanted to stop and fill up water. We did not know if this would be the last place we would see water before we made it to the car. We still had around six miles to go and the temperature was rising every minute. I followed him, balancing while walking down a fallen tree to get to the small pool to place his filter. The water was cool, crisp and clear. It was so good. All of my bottles were full now. No worries of running out before we made to the car.

There was not much scenery to take in on this section. We just meandered through timber, underbrush and grassy fields. There were no overlooks, mountains or valleys through the trees to see. Yet it was serene and beautiful. The fall leaves covered the forest floor. The barren trees made it easy to see through the forest so we could get a glimpse of where we had been and where we were going. The terrain was beautiful. There was not a flat spot as far as we could see. Across another stream and up the mountain we went. We were close now. Switchbacks were one after another after we turned into Billy Goats and trudged up the inclines. It was not long until I saw it. I was first to reach the parking lot. The car was there waiting for us to arrive. I was excited, yet saddened at the same time. I had reached my goal. They did not have to wait on me. I could do this, yet I did not want it to be over. The other guys soon showed up from the trail. We all gave each other congratulatory high fives. James unlocked the car and we piled our gear in. I quickly took out some clean dry clothes and changed right beside the highway. I did not care who saw me. I had to get those sweaty clothes off. After getting Jon’s truck from where we started, we were headed to lunch. I did not want to stink the place up. Not sure what I was worried about. I was the only one putting clean clothes on, and the others had their same clothes on that they started the trail with. Loading up, we headed back to the beginning, where it all started, picking up the truck and heading to Mountain View for lunch.

I did it!

I did it. I had faced my fears and accomplished my goal. I had taken a step out of my comfort zone, traveled with men I did not know, and did something I had been wanting to do for the last fifteen plus years. This was my first multi-day, multi-night backpacking trip ever. I had spent a night in the woods here and there, but never hiking in between and never for more than one night. I was invigorating. It was satisfying. I cannot tell you the feelings that were coming over me as we made that trip to Angler’s for lunch. I ordered the largest plate of chicken strips and fried okra. It was amazingly good. This was no freeze-dried meal. This was the real thing, made from scratch, and I cannot put into words how good it was. I was so satisfied.

The trip home, Jon and I reflected on what the trip actually was compared to what I thought it would be. I stated it was as hard as I thought it would be, but I did better than I thought I would. I kept up. My preparations paid off as I was organized and did they did not have to wait on me. He stated to me how good I did and how I was no part of the group. He stated that I was more prepared than any of them and was in great shape. He told me to stick with it and that there would be many more trips we would go on together. I was excited. I was already looking forward to the next one. This was now a part of my life, my routine, my love and my passion. I loved this and could not be more excited about my future in backpacking.

I did it!