Derrick NOBO On The A.T.

Day four

Thursday March 2, 2017

A good day today, although not easy. Cold and crisp, with skies cobalt blue. The air so clean and fresh after last night’s storm that it almost smells sweet.

Hiked up and over Big Cedar Mountain, the view from Preaching Rock just spectacular. The best so far.

Tonight I’m camped at Lance Creek. It’s crowded because it is the last place you can camp without a bear vault. I have not seen a single person carrying a bear vault. They weigh two and a half pounds and no one is willing to carry the weight.

Tomorrow it’s Blood Mountain. It will be my toughest day so far. But I feel good and am ready.

The sun is just about to dip below the ridge line and the temperature is dropping fast. It will be a cold night.
24.2 miles down      2165.6 miles to go
Day five

Friday March 3, 2017

Cold night, temps hovering around freezing. Got up in the night to pee and the stars were amazing, splashed across the clear mountain sky and just a sliver of a moon. The stars were so bright that when I got back into my sleeping bag I could see them through my tent.

Started the day with ice on the trail and a howling wind. And it never warmed up all day. I struggled through the morning on the approach to Blood Mountain. By mid day I knew that I would not make it up Blood Mountain without a break. I was beginning to doubt if I had made the right choice to undertake this trek. We decided to take the .2 mile blue blaze trail down to the Woods Hole shelter, just to get out of the howling wind, and take a break. Spent about 45 minutes in the shelter, fired up the JetBoil for a cup of hot chocolate, then a bathroom break. Not sure which one was the biggest boost to my morale but once back on the white blaze trail I made it to the summit of Blood Mountain in one hour. It was actually more difficult descending the back side of the mountain than it was going up. And I’m a guy that likes to go down. 

We worked our way down to the Mountain Crossings at  Neel Gap and US19 where Steve will leave the trail. Tomorrow I will go on alone. But tonight Steve has a room in Blairsville with a hot shower and a warm bed. Tonight’s forecast is for temperatures about 21°F. so the decision was an easy one. Tonight I will share Steve’s room and tomorrow morning the shuttle that will take Steve back to his truck will drop me back at Neel Gap.

It has been great to have Steve with me this first week. Although I have mostly hiked alone I always knew that he was back behind me somewhere. And he was behind not because I was a faster hiker, because that is not the case, but because he always had my back. He is a great friend.

Tonight I’m tucked away in a warm dry room and Blood Mountain is behind me.

31.4 miles down      2158.4 miles to go.