Trail Family and a Much Needed Zero Day

Today is Day 13 on the Appalachian Trail, and my first "Zero Day." A zero is when a hiker chooses to not make any forward progress on the trail. I started getting shinsplints in my right leg on about Day 9, and the last two days were pretty brutal. When I suggested a zero to my travel partners, it was a pretty easy sell, since the temps are forecast to be in the teens overnight with strong winds. We got checked into the Holiday Inn around noon, and beat the rush of hikers who will try to get off the trail as the temperature plummets this afternoon. We've had a few nice days, but overall, the weather has not been so great.

Day 3 was one of the few nice days

People thought I was crazy for hiking the Appalachian Trail solo, but I assured them that I would meet cool people along the way. I had no idea that my trail family would consist of the very first groups I met on the approach trail up to Springer Mountain on Day 1. I stumbled upon Josh and his sister Alex, along with their friend Joe just long enough to say "hello." Joe would only be joining them the first few days and then heading home to Athens, Georgia. At Springer, I asked Morgan and Adam, from Charleston, SC, to snap my picture at the official start of the A.T. 

A couple days later, we all ended up camping near Gooch Mountain Shelter. Someone delivered word of a St. Patty's party at Gooch Gap, a mile and a half away. Both groups I had met came and asked if I wanted to go. The prospect of hiking down the mountain in the dark for free beer and then back up again did not excite me near as much as it did these twenty-somethings. I asked Adam and Morgan to bring me back one beer.  Half hour later, I had pretty much the same conversation with Josh, Alex, and Joe. I went to sleep around 9pm, wondering what shenanigans would be in store for later that night.

Sometime after 11pm, the whole bunch of them, plus a few other folks, made a very noisy arrival at my tent, after mistakenly going to the wrong tent. I came out with my head lamp, and gazed at six beers lined up. Then I listened to everyone's account of what they went through to find this party and then smuggle beers out on my account... they were "on a mission." It was a great feeling. These folks have been my trail family ever since, and it's been a long time since I laughed this hard for this long.

Late-night beer party in front of my tent

On most days, we've literally been hiking in the clouds

Hanging with Alex

My boys, Josh, Morgan, and Adam

As we came down Blue Mountain into Unicoy Gap last week, we noticed a box near the highway. It was full of food provisions left by a hiker who obviously packed way to much food weight, or possibly whose dream of hiking the A.T. came to a crushing end after underestimating the toll it would take. We helped ourselves to pretty much all of the food. One item was a bag of a dehydrated shrimp and rice concoction. We tried to prepare it and eat it, but it was too disgusting. A guy who camped with us that evening named Tony labeled us the "Highway Shrimp Gang," and the name has stuck. We've been leaving our mark on the shelter log books along the trail, and we've been taking on shrimp related names; I'm "Fitty Shrimp," Morgan is "Shrimp Biscuit," and so on.

Our group is known on the trail as the "Highway Shrimp"

Morgan is quite the sketch artist and leaves our mark on the shelter logs.

"Get Shrimp or Die Tryin'"

The "Rooster Gang" and Barefoot Jake enjoying dinner at Big Gap Shelter

Thanks to John and Mary Leigh for the delicious meals!

I'm hoping the pain in my shin is okay for tomorrow. We want to make it to Franklin, NC by Friday for the Kentucky hoops game in the Sweet 16, but it's about 40 miles away. The pace has been slow, by design, and nobody in my group is in any kind of hurry. We have seen a lot of the quick starters who thought this was a race already hobbled by injuries and having to take several days off the trail. 

Thanks to Gary and Mary, Amy and Dennis, and everyone else who has contributed to the Rich Jeanette kidney fund. When my pain gets really bad, I think of Rich and what he's going through, and I find some extra drive. The link to the donation page is in my previous post, "All About Family," and we're close to 40% to our goal already!

Overall, I'm having a truly great experience out here! Thanks for all of your cheers and well wishes, it really helps a lot!