Hiked 22.8 miles on the BMT, it was a rough trip. Will post a report later.

Part I

I really did it all wrong on this trip. Really, can I do it any other way? My plan was to park at Unicoi Gap, shuttle to Tellico River Rd. and hike 22.8 miles over two days. I planned to return to my car early afternoon, would grab my extra food, and continue south for another day.

I arranged for Bill Schaaf to shuttle me from Unicoi Gap to Tellico River Rd. I had a moment of panic when he didn’t call me back to confirm but he did late in the afternoon. He was awesome. During the ride he kept me entertained with the area’s history and stories of local characters. He dropped me off and while I was in the bathroom he drove around the corner looking for the trail. He came back and told me he didn’t see it so we said goodbye and I started looking. I walked over to the sign showing hikers crossing the road and saw some white tape around a few trees so decided to head up that direction which was Sugar Mt.

It was tough and after an hour +, decided to head back down to the road. About 6 feet from the road was a clear spot covered in leaves. I started across and sank to mid-thigh in mud and cold water. While I was struggling to get out, the shoe on my back leg got sucked off so I had to contort my body and reach down into the mud to get it. I threw it towards the road and somehow got out of the mud. As I was standing on the side of road, caked in mud, hair a mess, and holding my shoe, two trucks pulled up and stopped in the parking lot.

Seriously out of sorts, I went to the bathroom to clean up, changed into my rain pants, and decided to ask the guys in the truck if they knew where the trail was. They were hunters and were really polite and helpful. They said the trail was just around the corner, exactly where I thought it wasn’t. They warned me about a group of hunters on the ridge and told me what to do if the dogs approached me. One of them got on his radio and cautioned the group that a hiker was coming up the trail, saying, “She’s a blonde, not a bear.”

I walked around the corner and there was the trail. Feeling sheepish, I started the first of many climbs. About a mile up I passed three hunters, each restraining several dogs. The dogs were under control and the hunters were friendly and polite. They were the only people I saw on the BMT this trip.

There is a fine line between tenacious and stupid and I get a little too close to stupid sometimes.

The hunters were great.

This was my first encounter with deep mud and I was really relieved to touch bottom. Sometimes it stinks to be short. I bet milkman only would have sunk to his knees.

Part 2

It’s fairly easy to follow the BMT through this section. There are some areas where I would appreciate more blazes, but for the most part it isn’t difficult. The hardest part is the leaf litter which obscures the trail in many places. Sometimes, the only thing I could see were the slightly, churned-up leaves where someone had walked before me. Right before descending to cross Bald River, there’s a spot that’s overgrown and I had to search for a minute before picking up the trail. There were numerous stream crossings the first day that I just plowed through since my socks and shoes were already wet.

My plan was to hike 11 mi. but the day really kicked my butt and I only managed 7-7 ½ mi. over 6 hrs. This was going to be a problem because I sure couldn’t hike 16 mi the next day at that pace and I didn’t pack extra food. I always pack extra food! I was going to have to ration and instead of eating dehydrated chili with Fritos and cheese, I just ate chili.

It was dark by the time I finished making camp and eating dinner so I crawled into my bag to read and plan the next day. It was a long 14 hrs. The next morning I was ready to go as soon as there was light. No way would I walk in the dark on that trail. Breakfast was ½ a granola bar and coffee.

The second day, the trail was up a mountain, across the top, down the mountain, repeat. At noon, I stopped for lunch and ate a 6” round tortilla with one tub of peanut butter and a packet of honey. It wasn’t enough so I used almost the last of my water to make hot chocolate for the few extra calories and so I wouldn’t feel so hungry. I planned to get water at Sandy Gap, a few miles before my stop for the night. I wanted to wait because I wanted a full bottle of water when I made camp. I only had one swallow of water left but I passed up several, clearly-marked, side trails to a water source. Sometimes I’m just too tenacious, or in this case, stupid .

I got to Sandy Gap at 4:30 and couldn’t find the water source. Of course I couldn't find the water source. There was a tree with two blue strips nailed to it indicating a blue-blazed trail. SGT Rock’s guide says the water source is 0.2 mi W on trail #85. I assume that meant west as you’re walking north and that he didn’t mean for me to use my compass to figure out true west. So, that meant my east since I was walking south. Make sense? There was a road to the east but the only water I found was in a tire rut. The area to the west was overgrown and steepish. I had enough of that the day before so I just kept walking.

It's great but I was fortunate that it's been really warm this week. High 40's at night and low 60's during the day. It was probably low 40's where I camped. I wore my heavy merino shirt, winter bicycling pants, wool socks, and my buff for a hat. When I sat up in the tent to read or fiddle around, I put my coat on to keep my back warm. Overkill for most but perfect for me.

Part III

Honestly? I wasn’t stressed about the lack of water and food. It wasn’t hot and while my mouth was dry, I wasn’t in danger of severe dehydration and certainly wasn’t going to starve to death. I had one tub of peanut butter, one 6” tortilla, a handful of Mother Teresa’s Gorp, Frito’s, cheese, a honey packet, ½ a granola bar, tea, and coffee. Plenty for dinner and breakfast the next day. However, next time I will pack an extra meal and refill my bottle before it gets too low.

My plan on day 2 was to camp at Tate Gap at mile 153.1 as you’re heading south. SGT Rock’s description says, “Tate Gap - sheltered campsite with water 0.3 E on old road.” I was curious about the “sheltered campsite”. I got to the junction with the old road and didn’t see anything that looked like a sheltered campsite. Maybe it’s called “sheltered” because it’s sort of in a gap? I walked down the trail, assessing the area for camping spots and saw the decrepit, stone house. I was fascinated and walked around before pulling out my guide. I was now ½ mi. from the water source but only 0.8 mi to the next campsite. I decided there was no way I could camp alone near that house and wasn’t sure if there was vehicle access to the road. It was beyond my comfort level so I headed down the trail.

Before too long, I was at mile 154 and found a stream barely trickling across the trail. I filled my bottle and sat down to reevaluate my plan. It had been a tough hike physically and mentally and morale was pretty low. It was 5 pm, getting dark, and I was 3.5 miles from my car. My choice was to spend 15 hrs at that spot or hike for another few hours in the dark. I decided to push on.

I have only night-hiked once and that was with my daughter about a year ago. It was really fun because we were together. We kept each other from being scared and I remember telling her that I probably couldn’t do it alone.

At that point, the trail was easy to follow and I only had one more climb. It turned out to be a great experience. As I was walking along a ridge, I saw the full moon rising on one side and a beautiful sunset on the other. Very cool! I could also see lights down in the valley from the Coker Creek community and that lifted my spirits. In this area, the blazes are numerous and every time I passed one I said, “Thank you to the person who painted that blaze.” Once, I missed a turn but quickly realized it and easily got back on trail. Time feels different when you’re walking at night. Although I had to concentrate to stay on the trail and look for blazes, I was in the zone and was surprised when I walked up to my car at Unicoi Gap.

Completed mileage so far on the BMT, 47.3. Maybe I will finish in the next 3 years.

This is what I packed for food intending to spend one night, be back at my car early afternoon on day 2, pick up more food, and continue south for a few more miles.

If anyone's considering this hike, don't let me scare you...it's really not that tough. It was tough for me for different reasons but most of ya'll have hiked much more difficult trails.

Thanks for the encouragement, it means a lot to me.

The worst part about the mud was having to carry those wet, muddy pants for 2 days. They had to weigh at least a lb.