2010 Annual Winter Hike, Day 1, December 27

This was the 8th year in row that we have had the winter hike and this one met or exceeded my expectations even with some of the issues that we encountered.

This year I decided to go back into North Carolina and finish another section on the Appalachian Trail (AT). The section decided on was from SR64 in NC to Natahala Outdoor Center (NOC), which is close to Bryson City, NC.  The hike would be right at 30 miles and we would do it over four days.

We left to drive down at 6 a.m. the morning of December 27.  I had dad's Tom Tom and it said the easiest path to get there was through Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) on 441 past Newfound Gap, the highest point of the pass. So, to get there, it is necessary to go through Pigeon Forge and Gattlinburg, TN, both absolute nightmares! There had been a lot of snow the weekend before and I new that I should probably call the park to make sure the pass was open, but didn't.  HUGE MISTAKE!  Of course the pass was closed, so to make a long story short, we had to go around, which added easily 2-3 hours. One of these days, I will write a blog about how pathetic the National Park Service is when it comes to cooperating with the state to get these roads cleared.

 

Looking down a snow covered AT

In the winter, it is especially important to get hiking as soon as possible.  The days are so much shorter and hiking in the dark and cold is miserable, especially with youth.  We started hiking around 2 p.m. which gave us about 3 hours to reach our first shelter.  No one had been on the trail since the snow had fallen, so we were forced to break trail in 8-12 inches of snow.  If you've ever walked through snow, you understand how laboring it can be, now do it with a full pack (30-55 lbs.) in the mountains.

Trace in a good mood!

We made good time and got to the side trail that led down to Siler Bald Shelter (0.5 mile) right at dusk.  This is when things started to unravel a little bit.  The side trail went on a path to the other side of the mountain which simply meant a greater amount of snow.  Our lead guys that were following the blue side trail markers mistakenly got off of the trail about 0.2 miles in.  I, being the leader, always bring up the rear and realized their mistake and called for them to come back as I started down the right path.  The drifts gradually got taller and taller until it was almost up to my waist (I'm 6' tall).  I moved along rather quickly because I wasn't 100% sure that this was the right way and needed to make sure the shelter was there.  It was getting dark and cold very quickly which really worried me.

Siler Bald Shelter the next morning

In about five minutes, I finally reached the shelter and got my pack off and set it down.  It was obvious that no one had been there in a while, so I took a small broom that was there and swept out a light dusting of snow that had settled on the floor of the shelter. I was there for about three or four minutes when MJ showed up and looked half frozen and was convinced he had frost bite. I assured him that he didn't, but as a precaution, we got out his sleeping bag so it could loft and I told him to change into his dry clothes.

It wasn't long after that when my son, Trace, arrived.  He was visibly upset and without his pack, not a good sign.  He had slipped on some ice about 0.25 miles back and thought it was a good idea to leave his pack.  I was sympathetic to his being upset and set off to get his pack. I hustled up the trail and found his pack in the middle of a snow drift where Trace had fallen. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Craig or Jeff, my two most experienced hikers!  I picked up the pack and hurried back to the shelter.


When I got there Trace had helped MJ get into his bag to start warming up. Trace followed suit and got his bag out and dry clothes.  I was able to get things situated and started heating water for warm drinks and dinner. But, still no sign of Craig or Jeff.  I wasn't all that worried, both know how to take care of themselves and I was about 100% sure that they were together.


About a half an hour later, both showed up in good spirits. We got MJ and Trace warmed up, I had some delicious chili mac and hot chocolate, and we settled in for a long cold night, with temperatures dropping into the single digits. It was very cold, but it didn't stop the mice form scurrying around int he shelter looking for food. There was one particular mouse that we all had a good laugh about that was making a sound like a scooter revving up. I'm not even sure how he was doing it, but it was freaking funny and I could hear everyone laughing! We named the mouse 'Techno Mouse'.