Land Between the Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 6

6:00 my eyes opened.

I couldn’t go back to sleep. And why would I want to? Six more miles and I would be finished. It was the day I had waited on for a long time. It as a tad bit on the chilly side so I sat staring at the shelter listening to see if the others were stirring. I finally decided to get out of my hammock and get moving. The excitement of seeing my family and feeling accomplished was brutal. I couldn’t lay there any longer.I practically had everything packed up with the exception of my food before everyone else had gotten up.

Finally the others began to rise and it wasn’t long before we had our breakfast together. We all had some form of Mt. House breakfast. I had the skillet with some tortillas. Besides the bacon and pancakes I had on Thursday morning, this was the best breakfast I had all week. I’m not sure I will do the hard-boiled eggs again. They weigh a lot plus I like my food hot on a chilly morning. They were nourishing but far from “hitting the spot.” Again, we didn’t bother with a fire. It would be warming up quick and it was already starting the making of a beautiful sunny day.

We put our packs on, took a picture and began our last few miles of the hike. The first few miles were nothing to talk about. I put some music on and began walking very quickly. This was a familiar part of the trail for me since my wife and I had hiked this portion the year previous. I got out front of the other two but occasionally looked back to make sure we were all still together. Eventually we came to a road crossing that led down to a camping area with boat ramps. We stopped for a break; water, snacks and removal of outer layers. It was heating up quickly.

I had realized that we had been walking so fast, we had already hiked three miles in an hour. I stated to the guys that I would be slowing it down a little. I didn’t realize in my excitement to finish that we were making really great time. We could easily do three miles in two more hours leaving us at North Welcome Center waiting for everyone to get there to pick us up. I really wanted to take my time so that my wife and son would see me coming off the trail. I had no intention to make to the NWC without them being there.

Not much further up the trail, we came to the lakeshore where there was a stationary outhouse. We stopped for another break and to kill some time. I shot some video and Mark made a few phone calls. We realized that the green sign just a mile or so back told us we were three miles from the North Welcome. The mileage didn’t seem to pan out for us so Mark decided to check the mileage with an app on his phone on the way back to the North Welcome Center.

Steadily, we hiked on. Before too long, we were nearing the end. Because of the excitement of finishing, I didn’t take that many pictures through the day so I ended up missing some good photo ops. I knew that we were getting close and my steps quickened even more. Because Mark had been in touch with the wives he knew that they weren’t as close to the NWC as we were so Mark commented to me that our rides were not there but I was ready to be there. I gave up on the idea of them meeting me there or seeing them just down the trail. I was ready to be done. I’m sure I angered Mark but I kicked it into high gear and found myself moving very quickly to get done.

We began to see cars on the Trace through the trees, through an opening in the woods we saw the North Welcome and we saw a family beginning a day hike. As they passed, I remarked at how good they smelled. I haven’t smelled such goodness in a week and my nose was definitely on high alert smelling the perfume and cologne that we had just passed.

We finally made the end of the trail, the North Welcome just yards ahead of us yet the family had not gotten there yet. They were still a few miles off. We walked up to a shady grassy area just to the side of the parking lot and shed our packs and rested. Mark and I went into the North Welcome Center to use the restroom and possibly stink the place up with our body odor. Mark checked his mileage and said that we had gone about three miles from the picnic area which was still a mile from the sign that said we had three miles to go. I believe the signs are off on their miles. I’m not for certain how many miles we actually covered but LBL states it’s about 58. Count in the extra miles to the shelters and we easily hiked 65+.

We waited about fifteen minutes and Mark’s wife, Dalton’s girlfriend and my wife and son all pulled in. I was overjoyed. I was so excited to see them. I gave my wife a huge hug and a kiss and was very thankful she wasn’t put off by my odor. I walked to the backseat door and took my son out of the car seat. He was kicking and screaming to get out and hugged me real hard.

Levi with my trekking pole

My hike on the North/South Trail at Land Between the Lakes was such an amazing experience. I laughed. I cried. I exhausted myself. I worked hard. I played. I gave the trail a piece of me. I also took from it. Mostly memories. There’s a saying in the hiking world; “Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.” Dr. Venkman once said, “We came. We saw. We kicked its…” Well, if you’re a fan of Ghostbusters, you know what he said.

The trail is an interesting place. The trail will demand everything but will give you more than you bargained for. It’s not a place that sells you a bill of goods. It’s a give and take. You give a piece of yourself and in the end, you take more than you offered. It’s interesting every time I step foot on the trail. The dirt feels the same but the experience provides something different each time. The trail meanders but the memories stick with you.

The trail takes something from you but the experience loves giving back to you.

The trail is more about the smiles than the miles and in the end when you reach the point the trail says I’m done, it’s only the beginning for you because where the trail can’t continue, life uses those experiences and makes you more than you were when you started. The trail takes you on a journey. How you experience that journey is different from how others do but each person who takes that journey can understand the depths of such an experience. In the end, when you step off the trail, something has been taken from you yet in return something more has been given. It’s the nature of the journey.

We left footprints. We took only memories.

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Preparation

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 1 

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 2

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 3

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 4

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 5

 

 

Land Between the Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 5

Morning arrived and sleep was better but still not the greatest. However, it still beats sleeping on the ground. Again, I was up early and ready for the day. My feet were feeling great. My back wasn’t hurting. My body was beginning to condition itself after four days of walking. I couldn’t believe how what started off each morning in so much pain has now started to feel just fine. It didn’t hurt taking a “Vitamin I” (Ibuprofen) at night as I laid down. Today would be a familiar day until a certain point where the trail drops off a forest road. This part I hadn’t hiked before so I was looking forward to seeing new parts of the trail I had yet to see. Breakfast was fast, pop-tarts, Clif Bars and beef jerky with more water. Water, water, water, water, water, water. We tried to neutralize the boredom of water with Kool-Aid  or lemonade but it only worked slightly. I had asked Carrie (my wife) that when she meets me on Saturday, all I wanted was a large Mt. Dew and  Fudge Round. Oh to taste something besides water. I could taste the Mt. Dew I was so close. My mouth was eagerly awaiting the illustrious do of the Dew. I had never wanted one so much. The Dr. Pepper on Wednesday was ok but nothing beats the taste of the Dew after 60 miles. The hike today called for about nine miles. This means we should have reached Night Rider Shelter with plenty of day light left. However what I was not expecting was what felt like a long hike. The nine miles seemed to have been longer than we had expected. At least it felt much longer. Some of the views were familiar from my hike in January when we came out to find the Sugar Jack shelter since they missed it the first time through. Thankfully, the trail was not as muddy as the last time. I had felt a lot of pain the last time I hiked it due to straining too hard walking through the mud. The creeks were not near as high as last time as well so they were easily traversable. Lunch came around and we stopped at Isaac Grey cemetery to rest and eat a bite. Not sure if the intention when they laid out the trail was the cemeteries to double as rest areas but every time I’ve hiked the N/S trail, it tends to be where we regroup. Like I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of cemeteries throughout LBL. Some are large, some are small, some only have one plot, and some have PVC pipe for crosses. It’s interesting how many and how scattered they are. Most are accessible and still kept up and used. Lunch for me was almost a whole tube of Pringles and some water and a nap. Once we were back on the trail we finally passed the familiar part and began making our way through some of the bays and inlets that the trail parallels. It was nice to be able to look at the lake as we hiked. Another few hours of listening to podcasts to pass the time away. It seems when hiking all you do is walk and think or pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Urinate! Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. Walk, think, pray. In 1921 Benton MacKaye proposed building a system of trails along the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. His idea eventually became what is today’s Appalachian Trail. When he conceived of that system of trails, there were to be feeder trails that would bring hikers from across the region into the main trail system. When asked the purpose of such a long distant trail he was noted as saying, “To walk. To see. To see what you see.”

Benton MacKaye

Some have found this statement confusing. What exactly did he mean by saying to see and to see what you see? I gather he meant that at times we are just looking to be looking. When you are on the trail, you can’t help but to watch the trees pass by or look down to watch you feet tread over the path making sure with each step nothing fouls up your walk so that you don’t face-plant with thirty extra pounds on your back forcing your face a little harder in the ground. You can’t help but to see things as you walk by but that really doesn’t mean you’re paying attention. It just means that you saw the object, whatever that may be, as you passed by it. The other part of his statement, as I gather it, is to be intentional in what you’re looking at. There really is so much to see and Benton knew that. You can see things then you can intentionally look at things. When you’re walking through the woods, especially on a long distance hike, it’s too easy not to pay attention and just walk by things. Then there are things that grasp your sight and demand you attention. For me, it was Kentucky Lake. The grandness of such a body of water found landlocked by trees and sloping terrain. The vastness of the sky as it reaches out to meet the horizon of the water. The birds who flock to the water for nourishment. It grabs you and although it may seem a time limit is set for you to make due before you run out of sunlight, in some instances, you just want to see what there is to see and not just give it a look. “To walk. To see. To see what you see.”

Cairn

Makes sense to me and when you’re out there walking for hours on end you have that choice. You can look and pay absolutely no attention or you can be intentional. Sometimes, I admit, I was looking. Not to be looking at but looking for. Looking for my destination. Looking for my next meal. Looking for a breather. Looking for an opportunity to get off my feet. I was looking for the next removal of my attention and the implementation of rest. Other times, I was very intentional. These are the times that impress me, grabs me and won’t let me stay the same person that started hiking a few days earlier. The pines, swaying and ruffling as if they were discussing the moments of their day. The scenes of tranquility when you see the bushes forming a tunnel and the well-worn path making its way through as if nature herself was calling you through her Narnia style corridor. Those instances where the cardinals and sparrows flutter past only to land mere feet away from you as they search and gather food. The  squirrels would jiggle their tails as they scampered around tree trunks, though the leaves and around old fence posts that told of their own time spent stretching barbed wire from pasture to pasture. An occasional white tail could be seen frolicking through the trees as they search for a safer distance away from the foreign hikers that seem to be intruding on their territory. “To walk. To See. To see what you see.” There’s plenty of walking and plenty of seeing. We came to the green sign informing us that we had arrived where the spur trail leads to the last shelter for our trip, Night Rider shelter. I was familiar with this shelter because the year previous, my wife and I visited this shelter on an overnight hike that turned out to be a very wet trip. It practically rained the whole time with the exception of supper time that gave us time to build a fire and warm up and a break the next morning allowing us to walk three miles dry before the bottom dropped out of the sky. Those green signs almost always bring a welcome attitude unless it’s to inform us that we are in fact only half way to our destination which does have the tendency to do that. Or it may provide some other pertinent information needed like a spur trail to water or a local attraction. This time, it was informing us that we had in fact arrived at the spur trail to Night Rider shelter. Another half mile and we would be home for the night. As soon as we arrived at the shelter, I set up my hammock right beside the shelter on two small trees, filtered some water and rested for the moment. Hammocks are so nice to relax in after a long day of walking. Much better than the hard ground even if you do have an air pad to get you off the ground. We decided not to build a fire. Again, fires are nice but finding enough firewood is work. We rested for a while before pulling out the stoves to make supper. I had saved my Mt. House dinners for Friday night and Saturday mornings. This night would call for Lasagna, Pringles and Twix bars for dessert. Another couple of hours of talking and waiting for bed time. It seems that the days always consisted of waking up, eating, walking, eating, walking, eating, talk a little to season the hours and waiting for bed time only to sleep, wake up and do it all over again. As I sat there talking with Mark and Dalton, I realized that in less than 24 hours, I would be seeing my family. The thought of them sustained me through the week, kept me moving forward, and brought a smile to my face when it seemed that the pain of walking was taking all of my energy. The mere thought of seeing my son light up when he sees me and the pride my wife would have watching me accomplish such a task removed every pain and fear I had while on the trail. In less than 24 hours, I would accomplish a dream I’ve had and celebrate with those who are closest to me. Plus I would top it off with a double Baconator at Wendy’s. I laid in the hammock staring into the darkness. It was a full moon so I was able to see a considerable amount and listen as the coyotes playing in the distance and the hoot owls conversing in all directions. Tears began to fill my eyes. Tears of joy knowing that I would soon be with my wife and son, tears that I am experiencing at that moment all that nature could provide, tears that the trail had changed me yet it was almost over. I was ready though. To an extent, I had had enough. More than anything, I was overjoyed to finishing such an accomplishment; hiking 60 miles and through hiking the North/South Trail at Land Between the Lakes.

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Preparation

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 1 

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 2

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 3

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 4

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 6

Land Between the Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 4

It turned out to be a rather cold night. We each began to stir but not wanting to get out of our warm sleeping bags. We knew that today would be a long day. We had what the map showed to be thirteen miles but would eventually turn into sixteen miles. The spur trail to the Sugar Jack Shelter was 1.5 miles with the spur trail from the Brush Arbor being .5 miles. We made ourselves some breakfast. Because Josh bowed out the day before, Mark’s resupply had bacon and pancake mix so I got to eat Josh’s portion. It was a very nice breakfast to be eating out on the trail. Better than Ramen or pop-tarts for sure.

After breakfast, all I could think about was the miles between shelters. It literally killed me to think today would be a very long day. I wasn’t aware of the scenery that we would get to see. I just knew that we would be seeing trees, trees, and more trees.

Instead of hiking up the spur trail, we decided to take a different more moderate route back to the trail. While I slumbered the day before, Mark and Dalton took off to find a much easier route to get us back on the trail. They returned not too long afterwards and informed me that if we just followed the creek around, it would bring us to the bridge we crossed when we took the spur trail. So that’s what we did. There wasn’t much brush to fight and it was a much easier walk rather than walking up the big hill and back down the other side.

I made a comment to Dalton that one of the worst things about hiking and staying in shelters is the hike is typically on the ridge but the shelters are down off the ridge meaning each day ends and begins with a slow climb or decent. Typically coming off the ridge is not so bad but I have a saying – What goes down must come up. This is so true in the hiking world. You may go down to rest but to go further, you must go up. There’s no way around it.

Some say hiking is about the smiles, not the miles. Unfortunately, you can’t get smiles unless you are enjoying something. That something most times is the view and there is no view when you are down in a valley. So you hike up high where you can see everything but you can’t stay up there for the dangers of winds and storms. You must come down to rest in the safety of the hillside.

The day would prove to be long and rather unadventurous. It was a day of listening to podcasts instead of music. The selections were all about hiking to encourage me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes the hardest thing is to keep moving forward knowing that backwards would be much quicker in getting you out. But backwards, like Carlo expressed, is not an option. You must press forward. With each forward motion is the pain that starts in the crawl of your foot and shatters every nerve as it pulsates up your body to your brain letting you know that it is uncomfortable. Pushing forward also gets you farther from tha familiar as I found on day two when I couldn’t find the spur trail to the shelter. It would have been easier to go back to the Trace but that was not the mission. The mission was forward.

So the podcasts that helped me continue putting one foot in front of the other were none other than hiking podcasts. It’s been said if you want to be successful, hang around successful people. If you want to be financially stable, hang around those that are financially stable and same goes with just about anything in life. Do what encourages you to move forward and not backward. For me, it was being prepared by downloading hours of hiking podcasts to listen to so that I would be encouraged to move forward instead of backwards. These podcasts were:

1. Smoky Mountains Radio
2. n2backpacking.com
3. Travel with Rick Steves
4. Appalachian Trail Backpacking
5. January Series of Calvin College – Jennifer Pharr Davis (the world record for fastest hike of the AT)

Much of my time was spent listening to these podcasts, checking out the views of Kentucky Lake and thinking about my wife and son who I was beginning to miss deeply. We also got to see some old homesteads that were torn down when the government took over the land and pushed everyone out of the Land Between the Two Rivers. Before the government came in, there were only two rivers, the Tennessee and the Cumberland Rivers.

In the 1940’s, as part of the TVA formation, FDR dammed the Tennessee River creating Kentucky Lake, flooded some of the low-lying land on the western side of the area, resulting in the condemnation of land and the forced removal of some area farmers. This in turn ran off some of the folks in the area, a very unpopular move with the locals. as part of the TVA formation, FDR dammed up the Tennessee and this created Lake Barkley.

A plan was developed shortly after this to use the United States Army Corps of Engineers to dam the Cumberland in such a way that the two lakes would be at the same elevation, and the two streams could then be connected by a canal without the need for any locks. This would considerably lessen the shipping distances for goods going to ports on the Gulf of Mexico for products leaving the Cumberland Valley. This was completed in the 1960s and this resulted in creating Lake Barkley.

The plan called for a new dam and the evacuation of the entire former “Between the Rivers” area, not all of which was to be flooded. The area was to become Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area – a TVA experiment designed to show a multiple-use approach to recreational lands. Unlike a national park, there were to be areas where hunting would be allowed. Over time, many other attractions were to be developed, such as a buffalo range, and a recreated 1850-style farm called “The Homeplace”, complete with an on-site staff simulating life on the farm in period costume and working it using period agricultural techniques. (Both of these attractions were added in the 1970s.) The road through the Tennessee portion was renamed from State Route 49 to “The Trace”, which is what many roads and paths were called in pioneer times.

Today, remnants of old homeplaces still stand. Their foundations are there but the houses long gone except for what still lies in the memories of the families that once lived between the rivers. Buttercups that are still there are symbols of life for the families that once raised their kids and farmed the land. These small yellow flowers are all that’s left after the families were run out. They bear a memory to every person that walks past these areas reminding everyone that happiness in the form of family once was strong there.

Now there’s nothing but a foundation that tells the story, the true horrible story of something being taken away for future generations to have fun, fun at the expense of broken homes and broken dreams. I admit, my fun came at this expense. You won’t find houses, barns, stores, or anything else of the like in LBL. The point of creating such an attraction was to allow the land itself to be the attraction. If you’re a fisherman or hunter with hobby needs, you must leave LBL for your supplies. The only thing a hiker can benefit from is a Snickers bar at one of the welcome centers. Depending on your interpretation, LBL can be the greatest American Experiment or one of the greatest American Disasters.

The day was growing long and late. My feet were screaming again. We were drawing down on our sixteen miles for the day when we came to the fork in the road not really informing us that to the right was the spur trail to Sugar Jack Shelter and forward would keep us moving towards North Welcome just fifteen miles away. We turned right and began walking down a forest road. I turned it into high gear ignoring my feet. Hard ground wears heavily on my feet when hiking but I bore the pain knowing in less than twenty minutes, I would be able to crash in the pea gravel that lined the shelters. My pack was weighing heavy and my back was desperately needing the break it was so craving.

Upon arriving the first thing I noticed was some Christmas garland on the shelter. Some of the shelters in LBL are close to a forest road so those who are familiar with the area tend to go to the shelters away from civilization and drink a little too much of Grandpa’s cough medicine. Someone had brought some garland and decorated for fun so it was nice on the eyes to receive some home decor to spruce up the place while we were there.

I chose a couple of trees right beside the shelter and set up my hammock It was growing dark and we had enough time to filter some water and eat supper but we were way too tired to even worry about building a fire. I laid in the hammock while I made some cocoa then boiled some water for some pasta and tuna. Mark and I sat talking about the day as we ate. Dalton sat in the shelter with his bed already made writing in his journal. About 8:00, we all turned in to sleep. It got rather cold that night. I couldn’t keep my air pad straight in the hammock so I got some butt-freeze through the night.

Butt Freeze is when air blows under the hammock and the only thing separating you from the wind is  a thin layer of material from the hammock. There are ways to keep this from happening. You can use an under quilt made for hammocks to stop the wind. It’s kind of like a sleeping bag or quilt made for the underside of the hammock. Another way is the way I chose. Place you air pad in the hammock and sleep in your sleeping bag on the pad. You have two materials blocking the wind however, if you don’t stay placed on the pad, you can easily acquire butt-freeze.

The hammock was given to me. It also has a built-in bug net. It’s very tricky to set up If you get it too tight, when you sit in the hammock, it puts pressure on the ties and you can easily rip the bug net. I did this in January on my trip to Sugar Jack, the same place we were staying this night. Through the week, I added a few more rips so I decided to go ahead and cut the net off the hammock. This relieved me of the aggravation of tying it up and a peace of mind knowing that it would be tickling my nose through the night However, now I have no bug net in case I stay in areas where mosquitos are prevalent.

Two more days, one more night and I’ll be in my baby’s arms and the joy on my son’s face will be priceless. All I need was to sleep just a little longer and walk 15 more miles. I can do this. I will do this!

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Preparation

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 1 

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 2

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 3

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 5

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 6

 

 

 

 

Land Between the Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 3

If you recall, the night before, I was in some serious misery. I was in pain, dehydrated, nausea, headache, weak, lack of hunger, and emotionally beaten up. I was beginning to feel the weight of missing my family since having no connection to them because of no cell signal and the ridiculous decision to go a different route without my friends based on bad decisions. I wanted to finish but I didn’t want to finish. I wanted to achieve hiking the N/S Trail but I wanted to quit because of my health and mind. If I could have called in the chopper, I most definitely would have.

Well…

I woke up on day three Wednesday morning rejuvenated. I couldn’t believe the energy I had. I woke about 6:00 and decided to go ahead and get up and start packing. The others stayed in the shelters along the trail but as already mentioned, I was staying in a hammock so I had the hammock, a hammock tarp, sleeping bag and other random things to pack up. I was still amazed at the energy I woke up with. The headache was gone and I felt ready to take on the day. No way was I quitting now. God had answered my prayer. I wanted to finish this hike, to feel accomplished and to push myself further than I ever had before. I couldn’t give up on myself or those who I was walking and praying for. When I realized that I was going to be able to go on, I knew that I would finish this hike. I knew Wednesday morning that I would be seeing the North Welcome Center on Saturday afternoon. I would see my wife and son at the North Welcome Center, not the Golden Pond Center.

(counter clockwise) Me, Mark, Josh, Dalton

After packing, we sat around the fire a moment eating breakfast. It was another day of hard-boiled eggs and Clif bars and a Twix or two and water. As soon as we finished, we faced an uphill climb right away. This day also brought more horse trails with rutted  and muddy conditions. Thankfully, a lot of it is downhill going north. We left Laura Furnace shelter at 9:00 and arrived at Golden Pond by 12:00. The day was turning cold and by mid afternoon the wind was so strong and cold that it was plain annoying. Near the Golden Pond, the trail crosses the trace for a mile or so then crosses back over at Golden Pond. We skipped this portion of the trail that meanders through the woods.It’s rather useless when you can walk the road and be there much quicker. With the weather as cold and windy, extra steps is extra work especially when you know you can cut off a little for a quicker shot of comfort.  This is what some call yellow blazing because of the yellow stripes on the road. We were excited to be reaching Golden Pond for many reasons.

1. It marks the half way point
2. Resupply
3. Toilets and sinks
4. Warm visitor center
5. Change of clothes
6. Lunch from McDonald’s (I had two double cheeseburgers and a bottle of Dr. Pepper)

Golden Pond Visitor Center

Mark had his parents met us at the visitor’s center to bring us our resupply boxes that we had prepared before our trip so we didn’t have to carry a whole week’s worth of food. The visitor’s center was nice and warm so bathroom time was a little longer than normal. Taking a poop in 26 degree weather leaning against a fallen tree fork is one thing but sitting on a toilet in a warm 75 degree bathroom is heaven. I also changed my clothes. I know that sounds gross but when you hike, you only carry the necessities and one change of clothes is really all you need for a week. Take some baby wipes and clean yourself while you’re out on the trail and you’ll be fine.

Also, mentally, the halfway point is encouraging. It means you made thirty miles. You only have thirty more to go. This is huge when you feel mentally crushed. The wind, cold and rain have beaten you down. Some nights or mornings, you’re so tired you don’t even want to build a fire not that building a fire takes work (it can) but gathering wood does. You’re eating gorp and Clif Bars and dehydrated foods and a simple burger from McDonald’s does wonders. You feel dirty. Your hair is a mess and sweaty. Everything just feels icky. You feet are screaming and if you’re lucky, no blisters but if your unlucky, they just add to the pain and misery. So reaching the midpoint can have its way with you. It encourages you. It strengthens you. It throws a pep rally in your gut. You’re half way. That’s a big frickin deal!

After returning from the bathroom and having everything packed up ready for the hike to the next shelter, I noticed Josh getting in the car and saying good-bye. I asked his dad, Mark, what was up and he said that Josh had hurt his ankle on the hike earlier and it was causing him enough pain not to continue. The option was too easy for him; pain plus grandparents meant a ride home free from any more damage to his ankle. Fair enough. Plus, again, he had nothing to prove. He hiked this whole trail the year previous.

 

We said good-by and that left me, Mark and Dalton. We grabbed our packs and under the supposition that we had about 1-2 miles left, we took off towards Brush Arbor Shelter. From Golden Pond, the terrain was the easiest we had experienced. It was flat and followed a nice creek for the next three miles. Yes, it was three miles to the spur trail that led to Brush Arbor shelter.

Immediately crossing the creek and a very nicely built bridge, the spur trail cuts to the left and the N/S trail keeps right. Just as soon as we took the spur trail it began to go straight up the hillside. Straight… up! No switchbacks. The sign said it was half mile to the shelter. We walked up the hill, Mark taking a huge lead. I fell back because hills literally take it out of me. Dalton hung back with me. We talked about how ridiculous the trail was going to such extremes. I asked him if the shelter was at the top. He said nope. After we reached the pinnacle, the trail drops straight off the hillside. You literally had to walk on the side of your feet to keep from sliding down the trail. Crazy! I don’t know whose bright idea it was to take the trail straight up the side of a hill and back down but they need to rethink that one. Mark said it’s possible they were avoiding flooding on the trail from the creek if it got too much rain. I can see that. Don’t like it but I see it.

We finally got to the bottom of the hill and by that time I was exhausted again. We could see the shelter and when we reached it, I collapsed inside. This night, I would be sleeping in the shelter because there were no good trees to hang the hammock from, the wind was blowing and with temperatures dropping and no under quilt for the hammock, sleeping on the ground seemed a better decision.

It was about 2:00 and Mark and Dalton began getting wood for the fire. I rested for a moment before helping. We needed a lot of wood today because it was cold and we wanted a fire soon. That meant burning wood from about 3:00 till 9:00. The temperature was cold so the fire was worth the work. By night fall, we were all in our sleeping bags, chatting and preparing for sleep. I got to thinking about what all I went through the night before and thanking God I was still on the trail. I was so ready to give up. I didn’t want to go anymore. I wanted so bad to call it quits. The more I thought about how I felt, the more I was happy that I woke up feeling great. I get to finish a dream I had; through hike the North/South Trail atLand Between the Lakes.

Prayers and trail journal

Carrie and I pray for one another. It’s one of the things that has strengthened our marriage. Before the hike, she gave  me three small pieces of paper delineating what day they should be read on.  This also made it hard not being able to connect with m family because here I had a piece of home with me yetI couldn’t verify it’s existence except with memories. I couldn’t hear her voice. I could see his smile. I actually ended up pulling up pictures on my phone just so that I could see them. Little did she know that the next day would be our most mileage and the night before, she had written a prayer for endurance. But I don’t think I needed endurance just for the trail. I needed endurance because I missed them so much.

I had only been able to text a couple of times and the one phone call that got dropped the day before. I was beginning to feel the pressure of missing my family. This was the longest I had been away from them without contact. This would become one of the biggest hurdles I would jump while I was on the trail. The last thing I heard my son say as I was driving away was him telling me he wanted to go hiking with me. He doesn’t know what that means. Really what he was saying is he wanted to be with me doing whatever it was that I was doing because to be doing what daddy was doing meant everything to him. He feels like a big boy when he does daddy things.

Hiking with Daddy at Rotary Park

I laid there thinking about them, thinking about how it would feel the minute I walk out of the woods on Saturday and my eyes would catch theirs. Would they hike down the trail a half mile or so to meet me, to surprise me on the trail. Would they wait back at the North Welcome center to see me? How my heart was racing to know that my wife and son would be there to see me achieve something that I have dreamt about for over five years, finishing such an achievement.

To some, 60 miles may seem like not so much but what I achieved was more than walking 60 miles in the woods. What I faced was more than mere back or foot pain. I removed myself from all life comforts. I removed myself from those who love me more than life. I took on the wilderness, the elements, starvation, dehydration, sickness, blisters, body aches and pain, lack of sleep. I faced my own giving up. I put myself to an endurance test and gave myself the right to push the “get out” button if I want to. I faced such trials that made me rethink hiking as a hobby because it wasn’t fun walking in pain, living with regret, abandoning loved ones and spending hours upon hours walking.

I cried.

I didn’t let Mark or Dalton see me. But I cried myself to sleep. More joy tears that sorrow tears but I can’t deny it was a mixture. My tears were mostly those of seeing my wife and son experience my accomplishment together. For me, I battled the opportunity to quit so that I could battle the pain of moving forward knowing of the prize that awaited me at the end. I wasn’t going to receive an award or trophy. The Leaf Chronicle wasn’t going to be there when I emerged from the woods stinking as a mountain man to interview me for the front page. I simply accomplished a dream. I finished a long trail. I would fall asleep excited yet teary eyed. The next day would be a long one!

 

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Preparation

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 1 

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 2

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 4

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 5

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 6

Land Between the Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 2

It was the first night that I had spent all night in the hammock. I actually slept pretty well and enjoyed waking up without having my back hurting. It was a little aggravating having to get out of it three times in the middle of the night to relieve myself. Before this trip I was always one to sleep in tents. I even debated with a friend of mine that hammocks were not as superior in comfort and protection than the tent provides but after enough mornings waking up with back, hip, and knee aches, I knew I needed to try something different. So I went with hat in hand to my friend and asked him to teach me about the illustrious stylings of hanging. I also bought books and read articles. I was immediately sold the next morning that I had made the right decision to take a hammock on the trip.

I was also pleased with the new ENO RainFly that I had previously purchased just days before my trip. The last time I attempted the hammock, I only had two blue tarps from WalMart and although it did ok keeping the rain out the ENO RainFly gave me more head room and gave me a peace of mind more than the tarps did. I was quite pleased with the professional look, the ability to provide protection from the elements and the ease of setup with the ENO rainfly.

I woke with an awareness that the day was going to be a long day. Hiking this same section the year previous, I knew that it was going to take a most of the day to get to the next shelter. That’s a lot of walking and makes for long days, long sections of boredom, thinking, praying, listening to podcast, or making small talk. Boy, did I not realize exactly how long it was going to be. By the end of this day, I would be ready to call it quits and call for my own ride home. But let’s not get in a rush to get to those details just yet.

As we packed our things, I was playing in my mind what the day would bring. All I could wrap my mind around was thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles.

Thirteen miles!!!!!!

That just seemed like a lot of miles to walk. Breakfast was not that exciting. For me: pop-tarts, hard-boiled eggs and water and an anxious mind of the mileage on the side. I asked Carlo how he was feeling and he made the decision to go forward instead of backwards. The more he thought about it, it was eleven miles back and thirteen miles forward. Either way would be a considerable amount of miles and he felt it better to go forward than backwards. So Carlo jumped out in front of the group and led most of the morning.

 

We continued clicking off the miles and this made me happy. I used to think that one should not carry electronics with the exception of a phone for emergency reasons. I used to think that I really enjoyed hearing my feet pound the dirt, the slight squeak of the pack, the birds and the wind but before my hike, I acquired an iPod so I brought this with me. I’m really glad I did because let’s face it, sometimes, it really does get boring out on the trail. Trees begin to blend in with one another, birds begin to sound like one another, that irritating squeak from your pack will drive you absolutely crazy over an extended amount of time and the pounding of your feet hitting the dirt becomes a pounding in your feet sending sharp pains to your brain informing you that your feet is not enjoying this walk.

In those times that I had nothing to say to anyone and wanted to take my mind off the ever so painful plod of my feet trekking down a dirt path in the middle of a forest, I popped in my ear buds and allowed the sounds of Allison Krauss, Nickel Creek, Del McCoury Band, Tony Rice, Travis Book, and Merle Haggard to sooth my mind and help me not concentrate on the pain of walking. There is something about the banjo and fiddle that does something to my soul as it trail-blazes its own path from the device to my ears. I don’t like to listen to “electrified” music while I’m out on the trail. I feel it disconnects me from where I am at. I like the instruments to be raw and acoustical as if a musician decided to go to the woods, chop down a tree and fashion himself something to make melody with; where the musician can experience the gratification and reap the musical harvest right where he labored. So I prefer music that is “woodsy” or “folksy”.

Lunch time could not come any sooner. Lunch means not walking. It means rest. It means putting food in my mouth and food is something that hikers constantly and consistently dream about with every step. When can we eat is always the question if asked what we are thinking about. We stopped for a moment to grab a breather and since it was so close we decided to go ahead and take time for lunch. I broke out my stove and cooked up some Ramen Noodles and jerky along with some Pringles. The rest of the guys had something simple and quick.

Mark gathered his things and was putting on his pack and I still had my boots and socks off and hadn’t even cleaned up my cup. I told them to go on if they wanted to. Mark decided him, Josh, and Dalton would hike on down to the road that was near by. Carlo waited on me as I dawdled gathering my things eventually but none too soon setting off to hook up with the others.

A few miles more and Carlo began feeling his foot lock up like it had the day before. The morning seemed to be fine but after lunch, it began to stiffen up on him. 6 miles into our day and we crossed the Trace, the highway that runs between the Lakes connecting the north side to the south side. It was here after we crossed that Carlo called out to us asking if anyone had signal on their phone.

He had decided that he had enough. He had nothing to prove hiking the trail. None of us had anything to prove hiking the trail. We were all doing it for fun and when pain attacks the fun and interjects itself  in our play time, it becomes a killjoy, for anybody. Carlo decided that since this was the main highway, he would try to contact his wife to come pick him up here since it would be the easiest place to find us. Mark had signal so after a few attempts, Carlo was able to connect with his wife. She would be here in an hour and Carlo and I would be sitting in the shade on the side of the road waiting. Mark, Josh, and Dalton kept hiking forward and I would catch up with them down the trail most likely at the next shelter, Laura Furnace.

As we waited, Carlo and I talked about how much fun it had been with the exception of the foot pain, made small talk about how he originally hurt it, how his new tent worked for him, the camping chair he brought along and where he would drop me off to continue the hike after he was gone. Time passed and Jaemi came around the corner so Carlo began waving her down. It’s amazing how much after a day of hiking that we stunk. She was real nice about it saying we were supposed to stink, but that still didn’t mean she liked it. I din;t realize just ow bad we stunk till I got in the car and began to smell myself. It had only been a day. I still had five more days to go, a mere 45 miles left to walk. If I stunk now, I couldn’t imagine how bad I would reek by the time I saw my wife and kid. Me and stink would learn to live with each other before the week was over. I was smelling woodsy. (That’s not a good thing with the ladies, men)

A short trip to the other car and back up the trace to grab my pack where I had left it just in the tree line to save on packing it in the car. We found where the trail came close to the road a few miles down and Carlo dropped me off. A short walk up the rise and I was back on the trail.

I estimated that I had skipped about three miles. I had a renewed sense of energy about me. My pack felt great. I felt great. I was on the trail by myself. It was near 70 degrees. The sun was shinning, birds were singing. Everything seemed a bit too perfect. As I walked, I really felt amazing. I’m not sure what it was. My inner dream of being on the trail? Being by myself on the trail? Walking to the beat of my own drummer? I’m not really sure but I looked up to the sky and just gave a grin to God and thanked Him for such an amazing moment.

That sense somewhat faded after I began to become aware that I was still a few good miles off from the shelter. I began to get hot and sweaty and was running out of water in my Camelback. I was walking up a hill when I ran into two guys coming towards me. We stopped just for a second to talk about the trail and the weather. I told them thunderstorms were supposed to be coming in that night. They didn’t seem to happy about that. They mentioned they had come from North Welcome and I said that’s where I was headed. I asked them if they had come upon anybody the last few miles and they said no so I knew I was ahead of my group instead of behind them. The one guy in the back looked a little frustrated and didn’t act like he wanted to take the time to talk. So I made short of small talk and they were on their way.

I was looking for  the spur trail to the shelter knowing I had to be coming up on it soon. I came to what looked like a cross roads of forest roads but was unsure if that was where I needed to turn. I waited for a few minutes with a slight hope that the guys would be not too far behind me but they never showed and I didn’t want to wait much longer. There was no markings or blazes except for the white blaze that marked the N/S trail so I decided to keep going forward. I knew where the Laura Furnace Fork was and if I had hit that, I knew how to get to the shelter from there.

Finally, after some time, I came across a green sign at the bottom of a hill that showed 2.5 miles to Laura Furnace Fork. I remembered from last year this is where we came to when we left Laura Furnace Shelter from the spur trail. The N/S trail went left and a yellow diamond marking either the spur trail or a horse trail went right. I decided to walk down the yellow trail and see if I see anything familiar.

I came to a creek crossing on my left and knew that when I hiked it last year that we had crossed the creek but this one didn’t look familiar so I continued on about another half mile to another creek crossing on my left. This one didn’t look too familiar either. I stood there scratching my head because I truly could not place where we had walked the year before. I didn’t want to go any further. I was about a mile off the N/S Trail, I was tired, feet hurting and had put in enough miles and for the day and didn’t want to back track. A quick thought came to me that the creek was running what I thought was the wrong way so I decided the shelter must be up the creek not down the creek. I decided to head back to the green sign and start over. By the time I reached the green sign, Mark, Josh, and Dalton were coming down the hill.

They agreed that the shelter spur trail was down the yellow trail. We were all unsure where but we figured it was down there. When we came to the first creek crossing, Mark decided to cross and go look. We walked across the field on the other side into the woods but there was no clearing for the shelter. Mark checked his GPS and walked over the ridge. We all separated about 50 yards apart. I decided that it was foolish to try to find the shelter based on memory and an unmarked GPS so I went back to the trail. I turned back towards the sign. The others came out on the trail and went towards the other creek crossing further down. We went opposite ways.

I was still low on water and didn’t have time to refill. The sun was getting lower and based on how many fingers I could put up between the sun and the horizon, I still had an hour of sun and maybe two hours of light left to get to the shelter. I took off towards what I knew would get me there, the N/S trail towards the fork. The trail began to climb from this point to the top of the ridge. This was 2.5 miles of climbing a trail that was rutted out by horses and full of mud. The terrain was not only slippery but dangerous. One could easily slip and fall or worse pull a muscle if in a hurry like I was. Not to mention the anger I was harboring for trying to follow a guess of where the shelter was based on my location on a GPS.

I finally and reached the top of the ridge where I found the fork very exhausted and dehydrated; to the left continued the N/S trail and to the right led down the ridge to the shelter another mile away. I was out of water, exhausted and fatigued. My muscles were beginning to tighten and the sun had dropped below the horizon. I would have stayed on the ridge had it not been that a thunderstorm was coming in and I was out of water. I had no choice but to go another mile to the shelter only to come back up the next morning to continue north. I called my wife since I had signal to say hello. I quickly dropped the signal and dropped the call. I put my phone away and convinced myself I could make it to the shelter.

I did.

Upon arrival, I noticed the others were already there, had a fire started, and were resting. They didn’t make much of my foolishness and I didn’t say much because I knew that I had made a mistake. The second creek crossing actually was the crossing to the shelter. When I stood there earlier looking at the crossing, I was merely 200 yards away from the shelter. Instead, because of my ignorance, I added another three miles to my hike. Sometimes, I let my anger get the best of me.

I set up my hammock, filtered three liters of water and laid down in my hammock. I didn’t say much to the others. I was too embarrassed and too weak. The longer I laid in my hammock the more I began to feel sick. I began to feel the chills, get a headache, nausea, my back muscles were tightening up and I had lost my appetite. Later about 7:00, I gathered enough strength and sat by the fire with the others and made small talk but I didn’t even feel like doing that. 8:00 rolled around and I went to bed. I shivered in my hammock with four layers of clothes on and my head was killing me. I began to seat profusely and with not much water in me, this simply meant I was dehydrating myself even more.

I began to feel that if I felt like this in the morning I would turn in. When (if) I got to Golden Pond, I would call it quits. I didn’t want to be a quitter but I was beginning to feel the same as Carlo did; it’s no longer fun. I asked God to help me. I asked him to heal me so I could finish but also give me wisdom. I thought about one of the reasons I was doing this hike. Before the hike, I had announced that I was hiking for a purpose; to bring awareness to mental health. I raised money for Hiking For Mental Health. This was more than just a hike for me. I was praying for those that donated to my fundraiser. How could I quit when those I was praying for or hiking for could not quit. It simply wasn’t fair that I would do that.

But was it really worth it? I was miserable. I was feeling so awful. I didn’t want to continue. I wanted to quit right there!!! So do people with mental issues. That’s why suicide among those with mental health issues is on the rise. It’s a quick fix, a fast out. Quitting is so easy to do but for me, it wasn’t the right thing to do.

About three o’clock I woke up and knew I needed to eat something whether I felt like it or not. I grabbed a pack of almonds, some Clif bars, a liter of water and some “Vitamin I” (Ibuprofen). I finished it all and got back in my sleeping bag. The thunderstorms never came. There were a few sprinkles of rain but the brunt of the storm went north of us. I listened to a pack of coyotes in the far distance as  lay there trying to go back to sleep. I was feeling miserable. Maybe I could be coyote’s midnight snack. I’m not sure I could out run them. I just wanted to fall asleep and forget about the misery I was experiencing.

I…

finally…

did.

 

Land Between the Lakes-North/South Trail-2014 Hike-Preparation

Land Between the Lakes-North/South Trail-2014 Hike-Day-1

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 3

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 4

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 5

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 6

 

Land Between the Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 1

I kissed my wife and son goodbye as I walked out the front door. Carlo was there to pick me up. We both couldn’t contain our excitement as we stopped by Sonic for a big breakfast then turned towards Dover, TN and within the hour we were standing in the parking lot staring down the south entrance to the N/S Trail. We both stretched out our legs and back, put on our packs, took a picture, dropped our registration in the metal box and took one look back at the car knowing we wouldn’t be seeing it for six more days.

We stepped on the trail with a little pep in our step and a skip in our heart. Our adventure had started  and much to our enjoyment, the trail was nice and not too strenuous at first. Of course when you get two pastors alone in the woods, they can’t help but to talk church and theology sprinkled with a little trail and gear talk. Not long into our hike, I recognized where someone had tried building a lean-to type shelter. I pointed it out to Carlo and as we kept walking we speculated what someone was doing since it was not too far into the trail. I mentioned they were probably making a YouTube how-to video. Who knows.

Two miles in, we came across our first green sign. These green signs are sporadically placed through the trail to inform hikers of mileage, spur trails and springs. The one we came across informed us that we had reached the fork to the Fort Henry Trails and the N/S Trail.

Carlo and I would not be hiking this trail alone. We had plans to meet three of my friends that I had hiked with last year. They started hiking on Sunday at Piney Campground taking the Fort Henry trail to connect with the N/S Trail 8 miles in. We had no knowledge of where they would be on the trail on Monday so instead of trying to create a meeting time and place, we just decided to meet them at Iron Mountain Shelter, 11 miles away. That was our plan but that plan didn’t pan out.

Once we made the fork which was two miles, we took a breather removing our packs and drinking some water and eating a snack. After a few minutes, we grabbed our packs and headed out only to meet up with Mark, Josh, and Dalton a few hundred yards up the trail. We were just walking along and I happened to notice them about one hundred feet off the trail in the woods. We came across where they camped at the night before. I waved to them and we walked over to their campsite. They had just wrapped up eating breakfast (pancakes and bacon) and were tidying up preparing to leave. We waited on them to pack up so we could walk together.

Once we all got on the trail, excitement was boiling over. We were doing it. We were walking. We were notching miles on our belts and marking miles off the map. With each step away from South Welcome, we were making strides toward North Welcome 60 miles away. I had been waiting for this all winter, all year. I felt I was on Appalachian Trail just because that’s what dreamers do. Well, not really but I was on the trail.

I was moving. Perhaps, moving a little too fast. Occasionally I would look back and notice the others behind me a considerable distance. I didn’t know I had pep in my step. Carlo joked with me that I underestimate my hiking abilities. I know the last few times we had hiked together on the trail, I was showing up my latest estimation of not being able to walk a considerable amount without tiring quickly. I was beginning to disprove my theory of inability to hike with vigor.

As we walked we spent time talking and catching up. I hadn’t seen Josh or Dalton since last year’s hike. Carlo got to know the rest of the guys making small talk as well. We walked through a couple of pine groves where the wind was blowing the trees. They were swaying making beautiful music. The wind was also capturing the smell of pine and presenting it to us on the ground level. It was an amazing experience to be walking through the pines smelling their woodsy aroma. Just being on the trail as the weather climbed into the high 60’s was amazing.

I vaguely remembered portions of the trail. Some that I remembered being difficult to traverse simply because it was the finish of a thirty mile hike for me the year before. The North/South trail winds through the land presenting many of the cemeteries that were there before the government took over the area. We stopped at Morgan Cemetery, about 7 miles in to take a break. It’s always a refresher to take off the pack for a few minutes and rest our shoulders before continuing. We all caught our breath, I grabbed some chewing gum, took a “bathroom” break and then we began making our way north again.

Another mile in, we came to Briar Rose Branch spur trail. This trail leads .2 miles down to a spring where we decided to take a lunch break and replenish our water. After filtering water, we all sat down to shoot the breeze and eat lunch. I had salmon and tortillas with Pringles chips and some Reese’s peanut butter cups to top it off.

We took about  an hour then we were back on the trail. Sometime after lunch, I noticed Carlo was lagging behind. I decided to ask him how he was doing and he said that his foot was bothering him. He had injured it just prior to our hike playing Jiu Jitsu. The further we hiked, the more it seemed his foot was bothering him. The green sign at the spring where we took lunch said our shelter was three miles away. This seemed to be the longest three miles we had ever experienced. For Carlo, his foot was really bothering him slowing him up exponentially. About a mile or so from the shelter, Dalton and Josh took off in a field to do some geo-caching. Carlo could only walk about 100 yards before having to stop and take pressure off his foot.

We finally made it to the shelter where Carlo and I both crashed. We were exhausted. Mark had already gotten there ahead of us. He knew he was getting close so he put it in high gear. Josh and Dalton had gotten there just ahead of us too. Carlo set up his tent and I began setting up my hammock. We arrived at the shelter about 3:00 in the afternoon and was in much need of a nap. After about an hour, I decided since I didn’t get to go up the fire tower the year before because of my own personal health issues, I would go this time.

I grabbed a water bottle, my camera and some Twix bars and away I went. I am very afraid of heights so climbing the steps took me a little while. As soon as I reached the second set of steps the wind began to pick up and I could feel the fire tower beginning to sway. There were still many many steps to traverse. These steps were very old and worn pieces of 2 inch wood. I just knew they would have some weak points in the steps so I tried to keep my feet over the metal braces as much as I could. As soon as I reached the top, the floor inside the outlook area looked very sketchy so I stepped in just far enough to catch the view. I only stayed up for a minute before heading back down. The wind was becoming rather stronger up that high. I was really beginning to freak out. I took a few pictures and made my way as quickly as I could back down.

Later, we sat by the fire as we ate supper. I had Stove Top Stuffing with tuna. I asked Carlo how he was doing and he was deciding between heading back the 11 miles or going forward the next day the 13 miles to the next shelter. He could hobble along the 13 miles on Tuesday and then the 7 on Wednesday to Golden Pond where he would call someone to pick him up. He decided he would see how his foot was in the morning and make his decision. Around 8:00, we all turned in for the night.

 Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Preparation

 Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 2

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 3

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 4

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 5

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 6

Land Between the Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Preparation

Since hiking the 30 miles of the N/S Trail last year, I’ve had plans to hike the whole trail this year. I spent all year daydreaming and planning for this trip. You never expect a dream to happen until the time draws near to actually do it. Then you get nervous that all the planets line up and Murphy keeps his laws miles away.

As the new year came, I began to exceedingly get excited. My wife on the other hand was dreading the week with me away and just her being at the house with a 3 year old. Nevertheless, the time was drawing near and my heartbeat was getting faster. There was so much to do. So many supplies to get, menu to plan, physical conditioning to work on, excitement to contain.

Most people won’t make a menu but I did. I knew if I was going to carry 6 days worth of food, or at least three with a resupply on Wednesday, I needed to make sure I didn’t over eat and ruin my food supply. So I created a menu with everything down to the candy for dessert, cocoa at night and morning and each day’s calorie intake considering the mileage. I made a trip to REI to acquire a tarp for my hammock since this go-around I would be using a hammock instead of a tent to help with back pain. I made a few visits to Walmart and made sure I had the hiking essentials. Don’t be too hard on me because I went to Walmart instead of the elitist stores for my backpacking needs. Somethings can be bought on the cheap and work just as well as the more expensive stuff.

When the new year came, I began stretching and doing calisthenics and minor weight lifting focusing on core muscles used when hiking. I wanted to be sure my body was in much better condition this year because last year in only thirty miles, my body flat out hurt. My pastor decided to go along with me. From this point I will refer to him just as Carlo mostly to keep down on keystrokes (cause I’m lazy like that). February, we both decided to do a hike a week to condition our bodies so we hit the trail and hiked four miles once a week. We also exponentially multiplied our pack-weight to prepare our shoulders and back for long distances. I also began going to hot yoga with my wife to better condition my body with proper stretching and mind preparation and proper breathing techniques.

I was ready.

As the week neared, excitement began to boil. I had my pack ready a few days in advance with the exception of a few items that I use everyday. I had my pack weighing in at 42 pounds. This was about seven pounds more than I liked. But I had it at thirty-two pounds counting food. When I added my water (6 lb) and my iPad (.73 lb) and a few non essentials, it brought my pack-weight up a little more.

The hardest thing for me leading up to my hike was not my pack-weight or my physical preparation. It was the idea of being away from my family for a week. This would be the longest time I have been removed from my wife and son. I didn’t know how I would handle it emotionally. I knew it would be difficult but I didn’t know how difficult till I was out on the trail. It proved to almost be disastrous (more on that on Day 2).

Monday morning was the day that we would leave for six days. Sunday night I put everything in my pack and set it by the front door. Everything that I would need to sustain my life would be in my blue Teton Explorer 4000.  I was prepared. I was as ready as I would ever get. Someone would think I was heading to the Appalachian Trail but it was just the North/South (N/S) trail. A little unknown trail that connects Kentucky and Tennessee through Land Between the Lakes.

When I opened my eyes, I would say bye to my wife and my son for a week. This was it!

 

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 1 

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 2

Land Between The Lakes- North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 3

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 4

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 5

Land Between The Lakes – North/South Trail – 2014 Hike – Day 6