6/26-30/23 58 miles

So am I done with Tennessee?

David picked me up at 11:30 as he had to give another guy a ride to Cherokee, past Newfound Gap where he’d return me to the trail. Whoops. As we enter Great Smoky National Park, a road crew with an NPS person blocked the road. After crawling behind an enormous line of traffic, we learned there was a rockfall caused by yesterday’s storm blocking the road. So instead of a 30” drive, David drove us around the long way, 3 hours. We dropped the other passenger and headed into the Park. Whoops. Blocked. I finally saw on Google Maps that there were 2 closed sections but that the road in between was open. I hopped out with David and asked the NPS if there was a blockage between here and Newfound Gap. No. Was he letting any cars through since we were only going to the gigantic Newfound Gap parking lot. Yes, some hikers needed to be picked up and their driver was allowed through. I said I needed to be dropped off and David was a shuttle driver (his car has his business name and info on both sides). So we got permission as long as David promised to come back the same way and not try to get through the Park. Thank you! I finally started hiking at 2:30 pm with the Smoky NP dilemma. Since NPS requires hikers to stay at shelters, I can camp at 5:30 or 8:30. I have food for 3 nights anyway so no problem. I went to the near shelter. And there were 2 sisters there already, yay! More humans to run off bear. Then a hiker I met at Standing Bear Hostel who hiked out the day before me, in the rain, No. 2. Not that number 2, but because he always came in second playing games with other hikers. Super cool guy, very sociable on the trail, and hiking Damascus to Springer like me, although on a dirt bag budget, not platinum blazing budget like me.

The next day, I went up “the iconic” Clingman’s Dome, which was covered in clouds and tourists who drove up the now-opened Park road and walked a short paved pathway. A couple asked me what I was doing with the big pack and were so impressed with the combination of me being solo, old and fit, they took my picture. Yup, celebrity OG hiker woman once again. Pretty fun! I got to a shelter and eventually there were 5 women and No. 2. He builds a fire in the shelter fireplace to dry out his wet stuff, then pitches his tent.

Another short day because of the shelter staggering, but it’s my last night in the Park so afterwards I should have a little more flexibility in the miles I hike. Or….more slackpacking. I saw 4 wild hogs streak across the trail ahead of me. Snake Bite, from Mobile, Alabama, at Standing Bear Hostel had told me to look for torn up ground where the hogs rooted, so I’d been noticing that.

And down through the lush rainforest, across the Fontana Dam and the trail popped out by the Fontana Marina where I could get a shuttle the 2 paved miles to Fontana Lodge. I called at 2:40 and they said a shuttle would get me at 5. I was kinda rude since when I’d called for a lodging reservation a few days ago, I was told to “just call” when I got there and they’d send somebody. I was walking up to the parking area from the marina when Susan who was just packing up her stand up paddleboard (SUP) offered me a ride to the Lodge.Yes! I walked in and apologized for being grumpy on the phone and of course was compelled to suggest they be more clear when a hiker makes a reservation and asks about a ride. I’m off season from the NOBO hordes so probably the only hiker recently. Anyway, after 3 whole nights in a row of sleeping on the ground, I’m in a lovely, clean, quiet room washing off the accumulated sweat and grime from hiking in the heat and humidity. Quit your bitching, Catwater, you have beer. Plus Dan mailed my resupply box 6/27 and it’s already here at the Lodge on 6/29! Go USPS, right Tarcey?

The following morning I got a ride south about 14 miles to Stecoah Gap and slackpacked back to a Smashburger with jalapeños. I started hiking about 8:30 and it rained for 4 solid hours, then not. My rain gear kept me warm. When the rain stopped I put my fleece on instead, put in an earbud and continued listening to Fossil Men, The Quest For The Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind by Kermit Pattison. It’s fascinating and memorable, a true tale of the personalities, fossils and evolution of the science of paleo anthropology. We are an amazing creature. But wait, there’s more, let’s see what we become in another million years.

Then back to the Lodge to dry out and refuel for tomorrow.

6/11-19/20 78.7 miles

Wow, calculating that mileage emphasizes what I already know—I gotta hike bigger miles.

I got dropped off back at Carver’s Gap and headed SOBO. As predicted, it started raining. No biggie. I camped and a couple of guys and their beautiful Aussiedoodle, Murphy, camped next to me. It rained all night and I was dry except it’s so warm and humid, the condensation built up. I packed up a damp sleeping bag and soaking wet tent. I wanted to hike 17 miles and get picked up and taken to Uncle Johnny’s Hostel but Unicoi Shuttle (the same great people that got me from the airport to Damascus!) were a tad busy so I got picked up a few miles earlier. No worries! I stayed in Cabin 3, facing away from the fire pit and outdoor speakers, quiet and super comfy. Just a little walk in the middle of the night to the bathroom/shower room. 2 more easy days of slackpacking and I had to pack 4 nights of food for the stretch to Hot Springs, NC.

So I’m hanging around on the covered deck with some hikers and one starts talking about meeting a Triple Crowner a couple days before, south of Uncle Johnny’s. “He was wearing a garbage bag! And doing big miles just for fun!” I had just read the Ravens latest update about what all 4 of them were up to. “Was his name Bling?” I asked. “Yes! Look at this photo! And he even autographed Elvis’ pack!” “I know him!” And told the story of meeting the whole family on the PCT in 2015 when Whisper was 9 and Bling 13. And hiking a bunch of the CDT with them in 2017. These hikers were so impressed and so excited that they’d met a Triple Crowner and that he was so friendly, cool and young! I texted Bling’s photo to Papa and Mama Raven. They texted Bling where I was and then Bling started planning how to meet me from Chattanooga where he’s visiting friends and climbing. He just hiked a 100 miles or so for fun!

So I headed out and camped at a lovely quiet site, no bear sign, no people, no problem. I do like having a bear canister so they can’t get my food and turn into habituated problem bears.

The next night, again a campsite to myself, all quiet until a couple of coyotes separated by a mile or two started howling at each other at 4:30 am. Took them a while to reunite I guess.

I’m seeing about 20 NOBOs a day, hiking sections of the AT.

There is a stretch of trail ahead closed to camping because of bear activity. USFS doesn’t want to have to kill any more bear because we humans can’t keep our food safely hung or contained away from their prying claws. The problem is the wording of the notice confused me. Fortunately I camped by a shelter and the hiker there, Meatball, heading in the opposite direction of me, had also been confused and called the agency. My plan now has to change because I can’t camp in a 13.5 stretch. My choice for camping tomorrow is to hike 7.3 miles or 21 and camp next to a busy road and then hike 5 into Hot Springs. Or…

I called Jason for a pickup from Allen Gap in 12.3 miles and a night in Laughing Heart Hostel. It worked! Platinum blazing is the best.

Got a ride back to Allen Gap in the morning for a lovely (only rained 3 hours) 14.6 miles back to town. Within the first 20” of the hike I saw a healthy black bear munching her lush vegetarian breakfast next to the trail. She didn’t notice me until I greeted her calmly. “Hey bear” and she skedaddled downhill from me. “Good bear!”

Bling and his friend Darby drove 150 miles from Chattanooga to see me. It made me so happy. We ate lunch and talked hiking and family and reminisced. I sent this photo to Mama and Papa Raven!

5/10-6/2 0 miles walked, 6916 miles flown

The paved road walking was tough. I might be in the minority of CDT hikers who find New Mexico worth the pain of dirt road walking and paved highway walking, judging by their public comments. But it’s beautiful. Too many miles caused an overuse injury, or maybe it was the new shoes and insoles I picked up in Pie Town. A new model of the Altra Timp and a new model of the Super Feet insoles I’ve been using forever. Regardless, 3 zeros haven’t resolved the tendinitis in my left foot. I only had time left to hike the 5 day stretch to Cuba anyway. And the initial water haul would add unbearable weight to a 5 day food carry.

The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim and then back Rim to Rim has been postponed to 2024 because the Park’s North Rim is still closed so I’ll head back to Dan and the cats, rest up the foot and hope I can quit hobbling before getting back on the AT June 3, after a bunch of flying and assorted chores.

I’m really sad about missing the stretch to Cuba by Mt Taylor, sacred to the local indigenous people. The cliffs and rock formations, the views, the history and prehistory, it’s amazing.

6/3 to 6/10 90.2 miles

It took a couple weeks for my left foot and ankle to start working properly again. Two weeks of doing nothing but short limps around trying to get prepped for getting back on the AT. Then one morning I could walk without limping. Catwater is back!

I kind of love travel logistics and I really hate red eye flights. I flew Alaska Air to Atlanta, overnighted and got a Delta flight to TRI. I detest ATL, only been through there for international flights previously. Guess I could add that I detest most big airports, I ought to get paid to write and post proper signage in the airports of the world. As it is, I expected airport security to apprehend the tall old lady dropping F bombs as she exclaimed about the ridiculously inept signage at ATL. Good thing I’m a hiker, you have to walk miles in that airport to find baggage claim.

I’d contacted Unicoi shuttle company back East that helps Appalachian Trail hikers, and lined up a ride to Damascus. I booked a lovely room at Dancing Bear Inn in Damascus for a couple nights to get over jet lag.

I still have Waitin’ On (Freddie)’s phone number from Broken Fiddle Hostel last fall, so I called, arranged a short 15 mile slackpack from south of Damascus to make sure my foot was going to be OK on trail. I love that hostel, clean, great guys working there, good conversation on the covered porch where seemingly everybody but me smokes something. So I walked back in from the trail and spent a cozy night in the same room I’d been in last year. Freddie drove me back south the next morning.

I didn’t get a photo but the first NOBO I met was Chopper and her rescued and adorable leashed kitten Subway. That’s where Chopper found the little abandoned kitten who now cruises the trail cuddled in Chopper’s front sling. I stopped for the night at a shelter, camping as far away as possible.

The next day I was still low energy, no appetite, so I contacted Boot’s Off Hostel and got a ride a few miles before I would have walked in. I have a lovely little shed/cabin with portapotties nearby. They do a town shuttle every day at 5 pm so you can go to the store or grab McDonald’s or Subway for dinner.

I slept great that night for the first time in a week and did a super easy slackpack the next day. Amazingly I saw Survivor heading NOBO as I was going SOBO. He was one of the hikers I finished Katahdin with last August and the guy who hitched us a ride into Millinocket after the other hostel failed to pick us up on time. I kinda forgot he planned on doing the second half of the AT this year. We laughed and chatted for a bit then headed off in opposite directions!

Lucky Moon at Boots Off easily convinced me to zero the next day because of the 90% chance of thundershowers. And so I was happy to wake up to relentless rain all day while I was dry and inside. Still have trouble with no appetite, argh.

I got to give a guy his trail name the last night at Boot’s Off. These NOBOs I’m seeing are behind “the bubble” but there are still plenty of people to form a hiking group with. Some hikers are way faster and keep passing so they stay solo, some are just insecure about their social skills or identity or whatever and avoid bonding. Anyway, I started talking with young guy, Jin, heavily accented English but 10 years resident in Ohio working on Amazon robotics. He confessed he was totally clueless about hiking and the AT but here he is 400 miles in to it, mad respect! Anyhow in his first couple of days, he didn’t want to mess up and found himself trying to find a campsite in the dark at 9:30 pm, kinda wandering around lost until he finally found the trail with his headlamp and camped. I loved this story, so honest. I turned to the other people in the room and said, “Jin’s trail name should be Not Lost, what do y’all think?” “Lost and Found?” “Nah, Not Lost.” And Jin loved it!

I spent so much time at Boots Off I got to know Cap’n Ron, a sailor with long experience building and repairing wooden boats and tall ships. There are fascinating stories from the people who live and work the AT hostels. Since I’m going against traffic, south not north, and I actually love socializing with the hiker community, I feel happy opening these conversations and connections, another gift the AT gives me.

It stopped raining so I hiked 18.1 miles, camped and then cruised 15 miles into the next hostel the following day. Mountain Harbour, that also has a permanent food truck/bar area open at 5 pm every night. Ate my first really big dinner after 2 days of excellent trail tread.

The following day I slackpacked from the top of Carver’s Gap back down to the 19E road and the hostel. Easy and beautiful day. The Fitzgeralds, a local couple with beautiful harmonies and an acoustic guitar played for us at the hostel. I’m buying their album, due out in a couple of months, never thought I’d appreciate bluegrass/hillbilly but the live performance was stellar.

Hostel hopping and slackpacking aka Platinum Blazing, doesn’t make for proper daily mileage. There are only so many places where the trail crosses an accessible road and where it’s worth the while of a shuttle driver. Combine that with the fact they need travel time added to their day just to come fetch up a hiker, so it’s extremely rare to get a ride at say 7 am so that I can have some confidence I can hike 20 miles before dark. That means my slackpack days finish too early. But! I get to sleep indoors and I’m not having to carry the full load of all my camping gear. This opportunity isn’t something I’ve found on the PCT or CDT or other shorter trails I’ve hiked. So I’m going to keep embracing what the AT has on offer.