Everything in its right place

One night in the shelter was enough for me. I didn't have any problems with mice, but all those people packed in made for poor sleeping conditions. I'll stick to my tent for the time being.
I started out today around 7:15am, since the plan was for 15.2 miles today. It was rough at the offset, beginning with a climb up to Cheoah Bald for breakfast. Worth the hungry mile hike. I wanted to catch the sunrise, but was a little late (when you camp in Gaps, it's hard to tell when exactly morning begins.
Mr. Fantastic and I continued on from there, talking about subjective vs objective regarding the meaning of good and bad. It kept us moving and we made it to a shelter for lunch around 1pm. We stayed a full hour, chatting with the big crew of people having lunch there. Mr. Fantastic made some hot water for tea for Optimus, himself, and me. It was excellent, and may be one of the contributing factors to how the rest of my day went.
We had hiked 9.1 miles to get there for lunch, and had another 6.1 to go. I started out before Mr. Fantastic, and just took off. Everything just clicked for some reason. I pushed hard and found I had the capacity to do so. The last few miles included a harsh incline, a harsh decline, and a few rock scrambles; but I kept pace throughout, and even felt like I was almost jogging. I passed a lot of hikers on my way into camp, breezing past around 12 people. This energy boost saw me arriving at the shelter at 4pm, averaging my fastest pace of 3mph, while finishing my longest day-hike yet. That was a great feeling, especially paired with getting first shot at a campsite.
After setting up camp and washing my clothes and self, I got my dinner out of my bear bag. Climbing up to the shelter with my cook set in hand, I saw that a few others had arrived. I had already seen Just Brian and Cyborg at the shelter when I arrived, as well as Baramus and Tea is Ready setting up tents. Up at shelter Dick Flap, Optimus, Meta, and Stonechair had all arrived. They had all been at the same shelter last night, so we're all keeping pace.
Mr. Fantastic arrived as I was cooking my dinner. It was one of my best yet, combining Uncle Bens mixed grains with smoked flavored tuna. The best part was that the mixed grains had corn and beans in there as well. What a way to end a day that felt like pure success!
Tomorrow we arrive at Fontana Dam, which presents us with a few options. We'll either go into the small town and stay at the hostile, or move right past it and stay at the shelter which has shower access at the dam. Beyond that we're in the Smokies, and just a few days to Clingmans Dome. Big things ahead.. literally.

First night in a shelter

Today was pretty tough. Just 8 solid miles of climbing today. I'm writing this from the top bunk of a 14 person shelter. I'm sitting one empty sleeping pad away from Megamind (named because he brought a rubix cube and a bunch of books). He just informed me that the first mouse has already been seen, so we all have to stash our stuff so they don't chew it up. The night begins with a squeak.
This morning Mr. Fantastic and I ate our breakfasts back down at the NOC to watch the rapids. I also went into the gear shop and picked up some camp flip flops, and a new water bottle that my steripen will fit into. In the shop was a scale to weigh gear, and currently with a full pack (food and water) I'm at 30lbs. Mr. Fantastic is at 42, and he's not too happy about that number. He's going to try and shed a few pounds of gear.
Once back on the trail it headed straight up. I no longer wheeze my way up mountains, and I no longer have waves of itchy sweat. I do however still exhaust the muscles in my legs and feet. Today was a marathon of exhausting my legs, but the plus of heading up is that you don't hurt your joints.
I made it to the shelter around 2pm, preceded by Mr. Fantastic, Barabus, and Waldo. Soon followed by Tea is Ready, Dick Flap, Megamind, Queen Bee, Tapeworm, Hansil, etc. Suffice it to say I don't remember every single trail name. It got quite crowded up here, as the climb kicked everyone's ass.
We all lounged, and boy was I glad for the flip flops. Letting my shoes dry, rinsing out my socks, and stretching my feet; not just for sitting in the tent anymore.
The conversations have been wildly varied tonight with all of the similar but different personalities. That's normal, but more noticeable with this many people.
At the moment there's a heated conversation about food going on, Today by Smashing Pumpkins playing on someone's solar radio, people furiously journaling, and deep map analysis going on. Just another night on the trail. Tomorrow is a little over 15 miles, and we're all aiming for the same shelter. After what we're all calling "The longest 7 miles on the trail", tomorrow should bring a refreshing amount of strength. The more we tear our bodies down, the more we rebuild ourselves as hikers. It's great to sit around a fire with a group of people who are all feeling that, and reveling in how badass we feel.
Now I'll listen to some music and cinch my mummy bag tight in the hope that no mouse tries to join me. Wish me luck.

What a drop

Today was only a little over 11 miles, but it was pretty rough. We descended 3300 feet over 4 miles. Had I needed to descend something like this in the first week I would have blown out my knees. Even with the practice we have, and the shape that we're now in, it got a touch painful by the end. Thankfully though, we were at least granted a fantastic vista of the clouds settling between the mountains. Waking up at 7am, packing away a soaking wet tent, and stuffing your face before walking up a few hundred feet does grant a few amazing perks. I saw this by around 9am, and it made my whole morning.
Today was much lonelier hiking than yesterday. Other than Mr. Fantastic and Aspen Glow I only saw two day-hikers out on the trail with their dog.
Aspen Glow was going to press on past where we planned to camp, when he realized it was an 8 mile hike up 3500 feet. He decided to camp here with us. It's a nice area, good water, and only an eighth of a mile from the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center).
They convinced me to join them for some dinner at the restaurant, which was definitely worth the trip. The NOC is a little tiny spot in the middle of nothing that caters to hikers and white water kayaking. All that's there is a tiny general store, a gear shop (kayaking gear in this case), and a restaurant overlooking the rapids. Dinner was great. The food was perfectly prepared, the beer local and icy cold, and the bathrooms weren't composting toilets. All in all well worth the 0.8 mile hike there and back.
I finished the Dark Tower audio book, and find it's a great way to keep my pace constant and my mind active. it was also a fun book, particularly if you've read the others. Though not necessary, I don't think. I believe next will be Rant by Chuck Palahniuk.
We have a lot of big ascents and descents ahead, including Clingman's Dome which is the highest point on the trail. It's all good training for what's to come though. Getting beat up out here is always good, so long as you don't hurt yourself.
Here's hoping for a dry morning!

A conventional day

I got started a little late today at 9am. Having a wet tent to put away always slows me down. The plan was for a 12 mile day, and it went off without a hitch. It did take me a while to realize why there were so many people out on the trail today, having no concept of what day it is out here. The weekends bring out all the casual and section hikers, as well as the crews of volunteers who help maintain the trail. Today I got to see a team of guys and a dog rebuilding an old log bridge (by splitting a new log down the center with railroad ties). I also bumped into a couple of old guys who were repainting the white blazes. They were entertaining, and very interested in all of the details of our thru-hike. Then there was a section hiker on his way to meet his wife, who was waiting for him in a white Cadillac. He took my picture and I took his, as he's collecting photos of thru-hikers and logging their names on his map so he can remember where and when he met people.
It was a social day on the trail. We ended up at a shelter that was thankfully directly on the trail. No hiking a half mile to shelter and back thank you very much. We had dinner with Tapeworm and Master Splinter, who we had seen the day before, and in Franklin.
Everyone is talking about the Smokies now. It's only about 5-7 days of hiking, but there are a lot of restrictions. You can only stay at shelters, no camping up in them there hills. I have heard that all of the shelters have fireplaces though, which would be a fun change of pace.
The beautiful views are already becoming a little commonplace, but that still hasn't stopped us from climbing off the trail to see them. Today marks two weeks out here. I still don't feel completely in shape for this sort of thing, though I am lugging around a lot of food weight.
Everyone says it takes 2 weeks to feel strong, and 1 month to be completely acclimated. So this should be the milestone of the body, next comes the mind.