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| Finally a shelter with a privy! |
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| Godspeed, our Trail Angel |
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| Tame deer graze among the spring beauties |
Starting Point: Derrick Knob
Destination: Double Spring
Today’s Miles: 7.2
Total Miles: 29.9
When I look at the elevation changes on the map, they don’t look very bad. But when walking, they are horrible. Even though we only walk 7 miles today, it is another tough day.
We arrive at the Double Spring shelter around I immediately lie down to take a nap. Janet, on the other hand, is itching to hike further. Janet talks AK and Jenni into walking another 7 miles to the Mt. Collins Shelter. AK and Jenni agree because tomorrow is supposed to rain and they don’t want to hike 14 miles in the rain. Also, they want to see Clingman’s Dome, which is the highest point on the AT, on a nice day. AK and Jenni tell Janet we will rest here and then continue on to the Mt. Collins
After Janet leaves, I tell AK and Jenni that I cannot go any further today. They agree to stay as well. A little later it occurs to them that we need to get a message to Janet to let her know that we will not be arriving at Mt. Collins Mt. Collins 7 miles .
As we finish dinner and get ready for bed, we notice several deer behind the shelter, under the bear cables. They are quite tame and don’t run off as we hang our food bags. Instead, they graze placidly as we move among them.
Without Janet here, I’m sleeping in the shelter for the first time. Late in the evening we are joined by Caro and Kermit, another young couple thru hiking the trail. There are only seven of us in the shelter tonight. And no mice so far.
People often ask us what we eat on the trail. Because we have to carry everything we need on our backs, weight is a consideration. We carry as much powdered and dehydrated food as we can. Breakfast us usually instant coffee and oatmeal. For lunch, I carry flour tortillas and either peanut butter or tuna in pouches. Last Christmas, my mother gave me a dehydrator, so I make dinners especially to dehydrate (there are several good cookbooks on the subject), or I dehydrate leftovers from dinner. Thru hikers favor Ramen noodles, Knorr/Lipton noodle dinners, and powered mashed potatoes. I learned a new recipe this trip, called the "Ramen bomb", which consists of Ramen noodles cooked with mashed potatoes. For snacks, the universal favorite is Snickers. Lots and lots of Snickers.
Lightweight stoves are a necessity. Most hikers this year seem to favor the Pocket Rocket or similar stove, which uses a butane gas canister. Last year, homemade alcohol stoves were the rage, but they can be finicky, especially in colder weather. I use the Jetboil, which is slightly heavier but is extremely reliable. Some hikers forego the stove altogether to save weight. I can't do that, however. I need my morning coffee. I can only give up so much on the trail.
People often ask us what we eat on the trail. Because we have to carry everything we need on our backs, weight is a consideration. We carry as much powdered and dehydrated food as we can. Breakfast us usually instant coffee and oatmeal. For lunch, I carry flour tortillas and either peanut butter or tuna in pouches. Last Christmas, my mother gave me a dehydrator, so I make dinners especially to dehydrate (there are several good cookbooks on the subject), or I dehydrate leftovers from dinner. Thru hikers favor Ramen noodles, Knorr/Lipton noodle dinners, and powered mashed potatoes. I learned a new recipe this trip, called the "Ramen bomb", which consists of Ramen noodles cooked with mashed potatoes. For snacks, the universal favorite is Snickers. Lots and lots of Snickers.
Lightweight stoves are a necessity. Most hikers this year seem to favor the Pocket Rocket or similar stove, which uses a butane gas canister. Last year, homemade alcohol stoves were the rage, but they can be finicky, especially in colder weather. I use the Jetboil, which is slightly heavier but is extremely reliable. Some hikers forego the stove altogether to save weight. I can't do that, however. I need my morning coffee. I can only give up so much on the trail.
