Dappled sunshine is not enlightenment per se

Jukebox and Cyclone hanging the bag at Jerry Cabin Shelter

Tuesday June 3, 2008
Spring Mtn Shelter to Jerry’s Cabin 17 miles GPS

I got up and snacked on two breakfast bars. I’m trying these new cereal bars because I can’t stand the oatmeal anymore. I’m trying to figure out something I’d like to eat for breakfast cause so far everything sucks. I didn’t put on my sleeping pad because it was so warm; but, around 3 or 4AM it got pretty cold and I had to get up and put the pad thing on the underside of the hammock. I tried to just deal with it but I got wet from sweat and I was shivering my ass off. I woke up with a puffy face. That’s been happening lately and I can’t figure out what it is. Maybe I’m allergic to oatmeal.

I was feeling crappy and I didn’t want to climb fast so Doug and Mike took off. I spent the whole day kind of meditating as I walked; wondering when enlightenment was going to come. I know better than that but sometimes I like to think of it like I think of winning the lottery. I imagine of all the things I would buy and all of the things I would do. I was pondering the same way about enlightenment. What could I see, what would I know, would I even care? I’m sure that wondering about enlightenment is the total opposite of actual enlightenment but I like to wonder as I wander. I know The Answer is The Search anyway. I know the journey is the destination; hence, while I’m in the journey I’m at the destination and I’m wondering what I now must already know since I’m already there... Basically, nothing; which, is a kind of answer in and of itself. I was trying to imagine what everything would look like if I could see only in energy fields. The dappled sunshine through the sparse canopy had this shimmering effect on everything as I walked, which is what gave me the idea of seeing in energy fields in the first place. I wondered if I would be able to see the life forms around me like you would through heat-vision goggles. I figured that with enlightenment, I wouldn’t need to see things in the traditional sense; limited to the direction I was looking with my eyes, but more like being able to see in 360 degrees; Total Awareness without visual sight. I figured I would be able to sense everything as if I was looking at a scene with me in the middle of it like some kind of video game. That would be cool.


Later that day, we met up and took a side hike to hang out on this outcropping for a while. There was as sign that said scenic view or something like that and written on a piece of paper was a note that read, “worth a look.” We sat and enjoyed the scenery before hiking the "exposed ridge."

At some point I climbed up to this exposed ridge and it was a mother. [DAMN! I’m typing in the dark and I have this headlamp on and bugs are attacking me like crazy. I really need to learn to type in the dark. I’ll make this quick.] The ridge was tough to climb; all rocks, weird shaped and angled surfaces. My feet are killing me and I had to scramble all the time. My feet just couldn’t seem to get a stable purchase. The views were amazing though.

Eventually I got in to the next shelter which is called Jerry’s Cabin, which sounds nice but it’s just a shelter, not an actual cabin. When I got there, Mike told me the bad news; the water situation was bad. Just a little puddle dripping out of a little pipe. It would take hours to fill our water. I went down and got a Nalgene bottle’s worth to wash my legs and feet. I figured it would be plenty of time to refill before we needed water. A group of four ladies came in, Soaring, Rabbit and Owl and a dog named “Roo” (all Winnie the Poo characters). They were cool, one of them was a retired Marine and we talked for a bit.

The fire was started at some point and the swirling winds made it unbearable to sit by. They need to call this place Swirling Winds Gap Shelter instead of Jerry’s Cabin. I pulled out the guitar and was playing for a while. I handed over the guitar to Rolex and hit the rack. The last song he sang would be stuck in my head all next morning. Damn the Goo Goo Dolls! Oh yeah, and when I was setting up, my hammock’s ridgeline cord broke. The ridgeline busted while I was weight testing it before I tightened it. I tried about ten knots to fix it until a bowline finally did the trick. It seems they used lesser cord on the inside than they do on the outside. You can bet I’ll have some words for them on that one. I hope it doesn’t go down in the night. I’ll let you know…

David AKA “Jukebox”

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Lily-Livered, Caspar Milquetoasts

Dave blogs while Rolex mixes the sauce

Hot Springs to Spring Mountain Shelter 11 Miles

We hiked out of Hot Springs late. We didn’t get on the trail until about 3PM. Doug had fires to put out at work and I got on the phone with my assistant, Jeff while we were in the outfitter getting some last minute stuff. We kept dong stupid stuff like weighing our packs on the scale that didn’t work properly and looking at field books that we knew were too heavy to carry. I was eying the double concentrated tomato paste; but, it came in a metal tube which I thought was a real waste of materials and weight. Our procrastination was going to put us way behind to get to the next shelter; but, that burger was Worth It. It was going to be a tough climb and we might not get in until after dark.

The initial climbout after we loaf in these towns is always nasty. Today was particularly so. It just seemed like every step was a gargantuan effort with a relentless sun searing down. Just about every town is in a “gap” and by gap we mean, gap between two mountains. Here in the South, these gaps are usually pretty low because of the logistics of civilization. The gaps are where the river is or the town was established; because, it was easier to get there back when people were using horses and walking and didn’t wear shoes and stuff. After a day in town we get some rest and a fill up our packs with supplies. With all that extra weight, we have to get back up to the altitude we were before we went into town. Basically; what I’m saying is that it sucked, just like it always does after town. We get soft in just one day. One day of vegetarian meals and comfortable beds and suddenly we’re lily-livered, Caspar Milquetoasts.

On the trail, the flowers of blackberries and raspberries and other berries are blooming all over the place and soon there will be berries galore. I can’t wait to be hiking along and grabbing berries and juicy, stained fingers and all that stickiness. I hope there is this much berriocity up north when we get into the ripeness window. We passed several fields that had been left to fallow so that deer and grouse and other wildlife would have food to eat. Eventually, we got in to the shelter. It seemed longer than the purported 11 miles. The place was packed with other hikers and we set up camp together on the hill above the shelter. The sun went down while we re-supplied and purified the water from a nearby spring and we cooked our spaghetti in the dark. We picked up some Garlic Pepper stuff down in Hot Springs and I can’t wait to sprinkle it over everything. Ahhhhhh; the simple pleasures! It looks like it’s going to be a really nice night so I’m not putting my rain fly up so I can sit in my mosquito net hammock and watch the stars flitter by in the fresh mountain air. Cyclone and Rolex and I camped next to the NC boys and we had a big fire. Hanging the bear bag was an exercise in teamwork-gone-wrong that had just about arguing about physics and frustration. We finally got it up after breaking a few hundred branches. See you in the morning.

David AKA “Jukebox”



Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

The Best Damn Burger in America

Dave talks while Rolex eyes the last bite of that burger



We were on our way out of town when we decided to drop in on this little place for lunch. We had wanted to eat there the day before but it was closed and we opted for the local pub. Today, as we were walking out of town, the Bridge Street Café was open! I was dubious about the prudence of patronizing this establishment, since these places usually have small portions and exotic fare at exorbitant prices. I ordered the Black and Blue burger; which is a blackened burger with Gorgonzola Cheese. I can’t stand Gorgonzola so I asked for the goat cheese that I noticed elsewhere on the menu. They also had an asparagus soup, and you know I had to try that. When the burger came I was distractedly uploading GPS tracks for our last leg and I absently bit into the sandwich. Holy Arugula! This was quite possibly the best burger I had sunk teeth into EVER; and I’ve bitten into a lot of burgers! I couldn’t believe it! Michael, the owner came over and was talking to us a little and I found out that the cheese is made locally by a woman who was widowed into a goat farm and decided to start making cheese. That cheese was DAMN GOOD! The whole burger was an exceptional marriage of flavors and I made sure they knew it. If you ever find yourself in Hot Springs at lunchtime; get your ass to the Bridge Street Café and get you a Black and Blue Burger with Goat Cheese instead of that Gorgonzola. That burger and Elmer’s Sunnybank Inn are the reason we’re staying here another week, just kidding, I’ll see you on the trail tonight.


David AKA "Jukebox"
Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Sunnybank Inn and Retreat

Who'd a thought I'd be Pickin' a guitar in the Music Room at the Sunnybank Inn?


Sunday, June 1, 2008
Sunnybank Inn and Retreat

I slept well but I couldn't stay asleep with the early birds chirping at 5:30AM. My watch kept going off and I couldn't figure out how to turn the damn thing off. The birds wake up earlier here than they do in the Smokies. Back in the real world, I don't like to wear a watch but since I never have my cell phone with me I decided to buy this crappy thing at a Rite-Aid in Hiawassee.

I couldn’t suffer the chaotic birdsong any longer. I jumped out of my hammock around 6AM. I wanted to get into town and have a real breakfast so I wouldn't have to choke down another oatmeal bar. It's rare that I'm the first one out so I made sure everyone knew it. I went over and bugged the fellas to get up. I was meeting fellow hikers when I made the acquaintance of a guy who is hiking the trail with not just one, but two leg prosthetics! I was absolutely floored! His name is Todd Murphy (Trial name “Murphy”) He hiked half of the AT last year and he would be finishing soon. He was going southbound and he only had a few hundred miles to go. I had a hard time justifying any complaints of fatigue or frustration after I saw that.

Eventually we got on the trail in a rush to get to Hot Springs. My legs are pretty sore; but, we made it in a short time. The Appalachian Trail runs straight through Hot Springs and they have these AT signs stamped right in the concrete of the sidewalk so you know where to go. We were behind the four guys from NC, we saw their packs on the wall over at the Breakfast joint so we got tactical; instead of going to eat, we rolled right up to the back door of Elmer's Hostel (The Sunnybank Inn), a famous stop on the AT.

Elmer has a hostel and he serves delicious vegetarian food. He lives in this old Victorian place that has a million knickknacks, books and musical instruments. This place has a very rich history; the building is 160 years old. They call it the Sunnybank Inn and Retreat. It has a culturally important musical heritage and there is a room dedicated to musical performance with instruments like an upright piano, two guitars, a banjo, clarinet, bongo, flute and about a hundred music books from Rogers and Hammerstein to popular Hymns to Don McLean. We showed up as the current tenants were having Breakfast. Elmer came out to greet us a little begrudgingly since meals here are a big deal. He let us know we could come back later to check in and we'd be at the top of the list. That’s all we wanted anyway; we knew there would be a lot of people coming in today from the crowd that was at the last shelter.

We dropped our packs and headed down to the Smoky Mountain Diner for a HUGE breakfast. We did all the usual things in town; resupply, Laundromat, outfitter etc... The Laundromat was in the same building as the “quick shop.” Not only was it a convenience store; it was a casino, billiard room, arcade and a seating area that looked like they might serve food as well. On the way we passed a bunch of old guys sitting on a wall who were chewin’ the fat and engaged us in a little discourse. We got a little of that on film. Eventually we checked in to Elmer's and he took us around the place. It had an extensive library of scholarly texts as well as a ton of liberal and protest type books and material. Let's just say that Elmer is not a big fan of President Bush. Anyway, Sean was another guys staying and working there and the two of them cooked up the most bad ass vegetarian dinner I ever had.

There were about 12 of us in the dining room and we all had to answer a question in the beginning of dinner. Tonight's question was, "If you had a superpower, what would it be?" There were some interesting answers and interesting conversation and delicious food. after dinner, we all adjourned ourselves tot he music room and had a long jam session where people took turns playing instruments and different songs. It was nice. There were a couple of really good musicians and it seemed like everyone had some talent. Eventually it died down and I went to go find Cyclone at the local pub. He was there and so was Dixie Dawg and Kansas. We BS’d for a while and it rained a little. We blogged and I spent a few hours fixing the website (adding the Pictures Links) and finally am going to bed at 1:40 AM. I bet I'm not going to want to get on the road tomorrow.

David AKA "Jukebox"


Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Running Downhill until Total Dark

Rolex demonstrating his technique


Running Downhill until Total Dark
Groundhog Creek Shelter to Deer Park Shelter: 24 miles

Last night the two cats who rolled in, turned out to be four cats; young fellas from North Carolina. There were no spots in the shelter and they had no tents. They spread out a big tarp and slept out in the open air on that thing. It drizzled a little in the night but they didn't seem to mind. I stayed in my hammock and it was a very comfortable night despite the rain. It was warm enough that I didn't even zip up my bag.

My socks smell so bad; every pair I have smells like wet dog and stale popcorn. I can't figure it out, that's just what they smell like. When I hang my wet socks on the pack to dry while I hike, I keep getting whiffs of wet-dog-popcorn and the hoagie-like smell of my armpits. My ex-wife used to say my BO smelled like a delicious, Italian hoagie and when I take an honest sniff with an objective olfactory, I have to agree with her. Such as it is, I find that it only makes me hungrier as I motor down the trail.

We started off pretty early for us and I quickly degraded from neutral to foul mood. I encouraged Cyclone and Rolex get up ahead of me. My legs were hurting and I was having an unusually tough time climbing. In reality, I'm probably climbing three times faster than I was two weeks ago; but, today it feels really slow. I knew my brothers were going to be running down hills again today and I'd be far behind if I didn't keep up. I reluctantly started jogging on a sore calf and a questionable knee.

I sometimes get grumpy and cranky while I hike for no particular reason. I don’t know where it comes from but I go through some wicked mood swings. This one was particularly violent. I was going through this aggressive fantasy anger thing and I was concocting all these plans that were really unhealthy and disturbing. I was livid at my brothers, the hill, my pack, the air, gnats, God, my sweat, you name it. I was getting very distracted while plotting the murders of hundreds of people. I'm not sure if it helped my hiking or not. The initial climb of the morning was tough; but then, once I summited, I started running the trails again and actually caught up with Cyclone and Rolex. Fortunately the ill conceived notions had passed, and I didn’t stab them with my trekking poles like I had planned earlier. I later found out that the only reason I caught them was because they had been filming an idea for a commercial for Leki that involved Rolex, flying down the hill, about 20 miles an hour, swinging his trekking poles in a marvelous demonstration of dynamic trekking pole application.

They keep taking off on the uphills. I'm just not as fast as them yet. With the extra weight in my pack and on my stocky body, I just don’t have the cardiovascular power to maintain the pace they set. Downhill is another story. I haul ass on the downhill sections; but, it’s pretty rough on my knees and feet.

We decided we were going to go all the way to the Deer Park Shelter because it was only three miles away from Hot Springs, a town right on the AT. The fact that here have been several instances of bears taking packs from hikers recently had nothing to do with it… Sure it didn’t… My right calf was really locking up and it hurt pretty badly before we got about 13 miles. We had to stop at the Walnut Creek Shelter to resupply our water. There was a sign that said, “Don’t leave your packs unattended at this shelter.” I guess the bears were getting smart here and waiting for people to drop their packs. We cooked some dinner because we knew we wouldn't get in to Deer Park until after dark and didn't want to have to cook and clean in the dark. We ate and rested and my leg felt much better so we moved on.

At about six more miles we stopped again. My calf was killing me again but the light was dying and we had to keep moving. I felt like the muscle was actually ripping off of my leg. I took the lead since I was going to be the slowest but everyone was tired and we started hauling up the hill. We were running the hills again and as the light fell, Rolex missed a root and went down hard. We were pretty sure he had hurt something but he expertly rolled onto his pack when he went down, so everything was cool. In fact, the only reason we knew he went down was because his pole hit Cyclone in the leg. We decided to slow it down and hike it in. The trail was hard to see even though the darkness came on surprisingly slow. We managed to get in to the shelter area just after total dark. We ran into the four guys from NC. They had passed us while we were eating dinner at the other shelter. We set up camp, hung the bear bags and went to sleep. Town is tomorrow; full of the promise of fresh, laundered clothing and proper meals. Maybe my socks won't smell like wetdogpopcorn; not at least until Monday night.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Standing Bear Gymnastic Facility and Rehabilitation Clinic

Cyclone preparing DiGiorno in the Standing Bear Kitchen


Standing Bear Gymnastic Facility and Rehabilitation Clinic
Davenport Gap Shelter, Standing Bear Farm, then to Groundhog Creek Shelter 10 miles

No bears came during the night and it stayed warm. I had a rough time sleeping on the hard wood floor of the shelter but at least I wasn't cold. A bunch of people showed up and it was no surprise that everyone stayed in the shelter. I had hung up my tent to dry in the night so it wouldn’t be so heavy. Everything is basically wet.

We got out on the trail a little late ‘cause me and Cyclone were sufferin' from the 20 the day before. The GPS said we did 24. We gave the GPS a trail name. His name is now "George." A few miles later, we finally got out of the Smokies. We passed under the I-40 after a few miles and passed over a river and back into the woods. At about 4 miles we saw a funny fluorescent bear paw on the rocks. Somewhere in the dark recesses of our memories we recalled someone talking about the Standing Bear Farm; so, we decided to take a little trip up there (it said 200 yards) and we knew they had some Internet and other stuff (like toilet paper, cokes and DiGiorno).

Standing Bear Farm is kind of like a rustic hostel with minimal amenities; but it’s clean and neat and they do have resupply food, laundry and internet so I guess it’s not that limited. Standing Bear was started a couple of years ago by this cat, Curtis Owen who is also a Former Marine. We got along great after I heard that. We spent an eternity there and figured we wouldn't have a chance at making the 17 miles to shelter. We would have to stop at Groundhog Creek Shelter. We ran into Daniel and his sister Brittany at Standing Bear and a few others came by like HaHa. We ate DiGiorno and frozen microwave barbecue sandwiches, blogged and I bought new Croc knock-offs. I guess you could call them Croc-offs.

We got back on the trail and Cyclone decided to turbo up the hill, passing even the hearty Daniel. I don’t know what got in to Cyclone but he went faster than I have ever seen anyone hike up a hill like that. The trip was fairly uneventful except for the fact that I sweat about two gallons going up this bastard of a hill. Cyclone got in to the shelter about an hour and a half before me and Rolex; but my calf was all messed up and my kneecap was still acting funny.

I set up my hammock and we got some Internet service so I'm updating blogs. The sun is totally down and I can’t see the keyboard. I'm sitting at this picnic table as Cyclone tends the fire and Dixie Dawg is playin my guitar. Kansas brought marshmallows and we're roastin’ some s’mores and playing songs with Daniel, Brittany, Rolex, Cyclone, Me, Dixie Dawg, Kansas, a former Marine, his buddy, and two cats that just rolled in who will probably sleep on the floor. I have a headache from staring at this screen and I'm signing off...

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

20 miles and almost out of the Smokies

Not Davenport; but, an example of a fenced-in Shelter

Peck's Shelter to Davenport Gap Shelter 20 miles

We decided that we would make it a long one today. I had a great night's sleep for once and although I got a little wet, I was really warm and woke up completely refreshed. I took this opportunity to get out of bed at 6:00 and harass my brothers. We got out on the trail early and hauled ass. It was overcast almost all of the day and we started out wearing nothing but our rain gear and underwear. After the first climb, the rain gear came off. I hiked the rest of the day in my underwear and it was great. I'm going to climb every day like that. At the end of the day you just take them off and put on your regular clothes and you are totally dry. It was great!

We got in to the shelter and it had fencing and a gate door to keep the bears out or the humans in, one. There wasn't a bear hang and someone had a fire going already when we got there. We supped and I changed, washed my legs with a bottle of water and decided to stay in the shelter for once. Dan and Brittany were there, they don’t have trail names yet but we’ll think of something. They are brother and sister and they are doing the trail. That’s gotta be even tougher than three brothers. Then again, I’ve only just gotten to know what it’s like to have sisters so maybe it’s easier. Just kidding buys, I know how much you love that one…

It was a killer long day and my knee was doing this thing where it would randomly feel like someone chopped it right in the middle with an axe. I’m not sure if it’s really a problem or if it’s just a random pain but it doesn’t seem to have a reason. I can’t duplicate it by moving my knee in a certain way, it just randomly does it.

I left my Crocs at the former shelter and I'm really pissed about it. First of all, they were completely unique Crocs that I got when the company first came to San Diego. No one had Crocs like this, they were boat-shoe style Crocs with leather uppers and they kept all the pebbles out. Regular Crocs have low backs and whenever you’re walking to go get water, the pebbles and sticks and dirt get in. If one of you is reading this and you find my Crocs back at the Peck Shelter, please mail them to me at PO Box 12070 San Diego 92112. I want those bastards back, bad! Secondly, I don't want to have to run around in camp in my soaking wet, sweaty boots. I need to give my aching feet a rest.

I was pretty worried about bears as I crept out to hang the bear bag with Rolex. It was after dark and I know there are bears around; otherwise, they wouldn’t have a damn, chain-link fence covering the opening of the shelter! We eventually found a tree and I hung the line while Rolex kept his eyes open for Ursas Major, sweeping the dark landscape with his headlamp like a Stalag 13 guard on crack. I thought we were in a disco or something. It was like the grand opening of a downtown restaurant, Hey Rolex, there aren’t any bears up the trees, already!!! Just kidding, he was as emotionally steady as usual; blithe and unconcerned, except for the availability of cell reception so he could call his lady. I hope the bag is high enough...

David AKA "Jukebox"


Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Rain in the Smokies, as usual.

Rain in the Smokies, as usual.
Coming out of Gatlinburg to Peck's Shelter, 11 miles

Last night we Karoke’d and ate the Feast of Kings at Peddler restaurant in G-Burg. We changed hotels when we decided to stay another night and ended up staying at the Microtel which was cool; they gave us a double room for $40. We got up early and ate all of the muffins and bagels that they had in the little complimentary lounge thing there. Blue Blaze was going to give us a ride to the trailhead in his truck. This is why we called him Blue Blaze, since he was helping us take side trips on the trail.

It was raining; of course. We stayed in Gatlinburg an extra day to avoid the imminent rain and then it held off and waited for us. We piled in to the back of Blue Blaze’s Pickup truck and headed up the mountain to Newfound Gap to resume our quest. It was a nasty hike and the shelter was full when we got there. That didn’t really affect me anyway because I always stay in the Hammock. Tonight would be the first night I would test it in very rainy conditions though.

I wanted to get water and the brothers wanted to sit around in the shelter (not to mention I wanted to keep going and get to the next shelter, but they didn't) so I started to get cranky and a little bitchy. I began to chastise them a little unfairly. I decided I would go get the water by myself. I was having a little tantrum and getting the water is really a three man operation. You can get by with two; but one guy, well it was going to be a real pain in the ass purifying 12 liters of water in the rain, from a little stream, holding and filling and purifying. Being stubborn and angry, I didn’t care. In front of all the people huddled in the shelter I stingingly quipped, "This is great, I always wanted to know what it would be like to have sisters!" Cyclone was not pleased. I later found out he was so ticked off, he was planning on leaving the trail right there. Rolex said, “You don’t have to be such a dick!” That was the strongest language he’s used with me in his life.

I huffed off to get the water and it took a while but I didn’t care; in fact, the harder it was, the better I felt that I was getting it done alone. I was lost in a full, grumpy crank fest. The exertion gets me a little salty at the end of the day and I sometimes take it out on the boys. We keep having little spats but all in all we've been having an amazing adventure. It's a grueling experience though. These hills are no joke; and we're still packing heavier than 99% of the people out here. I’m kind of proud of that; but, people keep advising us to lighten up. You can imagine how I feel about that. My body will adjust. I’ll be stronger than all of them soon.

Cyclone came down just as I was finishing and we kind of made up. He helped carry the stuff back up. I washed off my muddy legs near the stream and put on all my clothes to go to bed. It's been cold in that hammock so I'm trying to get as warm as possible. I keep going through periods of sweaty freeze and then hot mugginess in my sleeping bag. I haven’t figured out how to do it correctly yet. Not having good sleep really takes its toll on you and it’s affecting our ability to get in the miles.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Zero In Gatlinburg

The Crew watching Cyclone Sing

We got up and went to get some breakfast at this pancake place we heard about and ended up walking all over Gatlinburg before settling on a Burger King. It was horrible; we just kept getting mad at each other and not being able to decide on a place. Hiking with three brothers can really suck. Right after we left the hotel, we ran into a whole crew of people we knew including Cubit, MMM, Jill, and MacGyver. We found out they had been here last night too and they went to Karaoke, so we missed them, DAMN! That would have been fun. They were contemplating staying in town again tonight and that was making a Zero Day seem very nice.

Our bodies are still messed up but we really want to get down the trail. At this point we’re getting angry at each other all the time and part of it is because we aren’t meeting our goals in mileage. I keep reassuring the fellas that we are going to speed up at some point; it’s only been two weeks. It will take a month just for us to get our hiking legs. That’s not helping though. I’ve never done anything like this before but it seems to me that we’ll be able to make a lot of time once we get used to it. No one else seems to agree with me. Money is looking like it might be an issue as well; but, I’m trying not to think of that and let God handle the worrying. I’ll handle the hiking.

We couldn’t decide on a place to eat and we ran into Dixie Dawg and his partner Kansas. I think that’s his name. We saw them walking down the street and they looked like a couple of rough characters. I imagine the three of us look equally seedy and tentative. No wonder people keep getting out of our way; maybe we smell too.

During an Indiana Jones inspired breakfast at Burger King, we decide to take a Zero and get a cheaper hotel that we heard about up the street from Stoplight number 8. The stoplights are all numbered here and you can find anything by asking what stoplight it is next to. I heard about this when I was reading about Gatlinburg in the trail handbook and I thought it was funny so I wrote a song called “Stoplight Number 3” I will sing it for you sometime.

The hotel was a bargain and we ended up getting a double suite for the same price as a single. I borrowed the front desk’s computer and sat up there for hours catching up on blogs while the girls there were taking reservations and stuff. It was weird; I was just hanging out behind the counter like I worked there, uploading pictures and blogs and trying to answer my email. We’ve been getting a few donations from people and that is really nice. It makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something in light of our substandard mileage attempts.

Later that evening we went out in town, had dinner two friends of Cyclone’s who came down to hang out with us. We would later give him the trail name of Blue Blaze and her name was Stephanie. We ate a great steak dinner. Cyclone quizzed the waiter on his Meat Knowledge since Cyclone used to be a butcher and we all had delicious cuts of fine beef. We cruised over to the Karaoke bar after that and met up with all the hikers. Everyone sang. Cyclone did this great ray Charles tune and Rolex and I were surprised at his soulful voice. We’d never heard him get that “urban” before. We left the bar in stages related to our preference and the night ended in the way that nights like that tend to end. If it sounds like I’m not really saying anything; well, that’s because I’m not.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Spreading Ginny's Ashes

Clingman's Dome Trail

Spreading Ginny's Ashes
Siler's Bald to Clingman's Dome (highest point on the AT) then down into Gatlinburg, TN

A wet and chilly morning yielded to crumbly breakfast bars while standing around in my sleeping bag. Someone re-started the fire from the night before and it really helped to lighten the murky mood. What a great idea! I sluggishly awoke and stood around with aching leg and feet, procrastinating, while Cyclone and Rolex took off early because there was rumored to be a Privy at the next shelter only 1.7 miles away. There was only a shovel and an arrow on a tree at this shelter.

The people who had come in from the north last night were talking about a couple of dead Boars just off the trail. I later ran into one of them. It was HUGE! I was freakin’ out thinking that something like that was running around out here just waiting to make a meal out of me and my two brothers! It was the size of a small cow! I hope I don’t run into one of these guys on the trail. They are deadly and unbelievably big. It was scary just looking at the dead carcass which was humming with flies and stinking in the sun. There are hunters here in the Smokies, hired just to try to eradicate the wild boar here. Boar are not indigenous to this area and they tear up everything; so, these guy go out with shotguns, machine guns, sub-atomic particle generators, and a water bottle to track the bastards and cut them down for the good of all humanity. All I can say is that I'm glad there aren't more of them running around.

Just before the shelter I came across a very friendly deer who wouldn't run away. I filmed it for a few and then went to the shelter where the guys there told me about that particular deer who had been hanging around all day. I later learned that two unfortunate hikers were killed by lightning in this shelter back in 1980 and I wondered briefly if their spirit hadn't manifested themselves as a friendly deer to comfort thru-hikers on their journey. Can you believe that? I must be going crazy out here!

Rolex was just clearing the privy when I got there. We headed for Clingman's Dome. The hike was cake even though we were going up to 6600 feet. We hiked together which was rare. We haven’t been doing too much of that lately. We keep getting into arguments. When we go to Clingman’s Dome, there were a ton of dead trees and we discovered that some European insect had ravaged them all. Cyclone and I went around to a secluded spot and spread Grandmom Patrone's ashes; Virginia Wilson Patrone, may you rest in peace. Here she was with us all the time and we forgot to give her a trail name! I think she used to like to be called "Ginny." Maybe we would have called her “Dusty.” We read the first part of Psalm 90 and filmed it so we could show the family. I plan on spreading my portion of her ashes up on Mt. Whitney in California next year, that way she'll be at the highest point on the east and west coast trails.

We dropped down into Newfound Gap. It was a pretty crappy climb down. I’m glad we weren’t going southbound and would have had to climb UP that bastard. We hitched a ride from a man and a woman who were very nice. I'd tell you their names except for this: She had just gotten out of a 90 day recovery facility and we talked a lot about that, coincidentally, I ran into a guy who had 17 years sober a couple of nights before at a shelter and we talked about recovery on the trail. I was glad to get to talk a little about it, especially before going into a town like Gatlinburg. These anonymous cats are EVERYWHERE!

We checked into the Grand Prix Hotel. After showers, we went to some steakhouse and chowed down. I took some of the steak back with us and we stopped at a grocery. They didn’t have the supplies we needed so we were going to have to take the trolley out to the supermarket. The entire town of Gatlinburg is serviced by these trolleys which only cost 50 cents. Rolex and I got on one to go out to a supermarket to resupply and the trolley took FOREVER to get there. Cyclone was back at the hotel doing all of our laundry so once again Rolex and I were naked under our rain suits, frantically streaming through the aisles of the Food City, grabbing our necessary supplies. The checkout girl told us she had done the AT twice with her father and we were dubious; but, far be it from me to dispute the authenticity of a 2000 miler. We tried to get all of our stuff as fast as we could so we could catch the trolley on the return loop but we didn't make it and ended up standing in the rain on the curb for 20 minutes. The food ordeal took us about three hours instead of the twenty minutes it should have and we didn't get to go to Karaoke. Cyclone and Rolex did the breakdown and divvy of food while I caught up on blogs. I’n finally getting to sleep and it is 3AM. Guh, we have a murderous climb tomorrow to get back up to where we were. Unless, of course, we take a Zero Day…

David AKA "Jukebox"


Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Thunderhead and on top of old Smokey

Is this Rocky Top, Tennessee?


Mollie's Ridge to Siler's Bald on top of old Smokey, Rocky Top and Thunderhead 17 miles

We passed a series of shelters in a short time and then climbed up the three peaks of Thunderhead. It was weird how there were no trees up there on top. It looked kind of like a nice, groomed, picnic area with exotic grasses and trimmed bushes; yet, it was all done naturally. They say that the Native American Indians had a lot of legends about the bald tops of these mountains. I think it’s aliens… We got up top and there was a Japanese guy I tried to talk to; but, he was pretty quiet even when I greeted him in Japanese. Maybe he was one of the Alien gardeners! Two girls came climbing up from the other direction and told us where we were, overhearing us arguing about it. It turned out we were at the World Famous Rocky Top. You know, the one in the song.

We stopped to get water at an unusually large shelter that seemed to have been built recently. I got a little extra and washed my feet. It was soooo nice. I'll have to remember that... Afterwards I lay on the grass and watched the chipmunks try to pretend they weren;t trying to get into our backpacks. It was a hot day and we went through nearly two gallons of drinking water each as we trudged through the Smokies. Grasshoppers were all over the place and I wanted to eat them.

We put in at Siler's Bald Shelter and met a bunch of section hikers from Alabama and other places. We pulled out the guitar and harmonica and played until we finally hit the sack. We want to get up early to get up Clingman's Dome and then down into Gatlinburg to resupply. The Guidebook states that “Gatlinburg is a full fledged tourist Mecca that overwhelms the senses.” Sounds like my kind of place. Where's the KARAOKE!!?? It's going to be cold and wet tonight... Grrrrrrr.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Fire Tower Climb and Glowing eyes in the Night

View from the Shuckstack fire tower


Fontana Dam, enter the Smoky Mountain National Park 2200 ft up to rickety fire tower and on to Mollie's Ridge. 12.5 miles

We woke up in the hotel room and packed up. We had to get out of there quick or we were at risk for taking another Zero Day. We headed up to check out and get a big buffet breakfast at the lodge. As we were coming in for breakfast, all of our erstwhile cronies showed up from the trail to check in to the hotel (or at least get some breakfast). We all ate together and then we of the Brotherproof crew headed off to the post office to mail out some more extraneous gear and pick up a few last minute items from the general store before we caught a shuttle back to where we came off of the trail the day before. There should be a name for this. I’d like to call it the Punch Point or the Resumption. That’s it, I like it; “The Resumption.” I’m going to call it that from now on. “Let’s get back to the Resumption, Fellas!”

It didn’t rain yesterday in accordance with The Prophesy as ordained by our Lord and Savior, The National Weather Service and texted to our cell phones by the Father, our Dad; but, it felt like it might today. It was muggy as we hiked over the Fontana Dam and into the Smokies. It’s a huge dam and we got a lot of pictures and wasted a lot of time at the visitor center where they had an enormous relief map of The Smoky Mountain National Forest as well as the projects accomplished by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). We finally got out of the air-conditioned visitor center and someone pointed off to a barely visible fire tower on a distant mountaintop and informed us that we would be there in only 3 or 4 miles. It looked like an eternity both away and up. That’s what matters out here in case you hadn’t figured it out yet: Distance and Elevation. I couldn't believe we were supposed to be there in just over an hour. We were about to embark on a journey on the life-sized relief map of the Smokies. Scale of one foot = one foot.

In two day's we'll be at the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. At Fontana Dam we stood at 1700 feet, going to 4000 feet in just over three miles, then up and down several times over the famous “Rocky Top” and “thunderhead” to 6600 feet in a couple of days at Klingman’s Dome. Then we planned to resupply again in some town called Gatlinburg Tennessee. Today we would cross into the third state on our journey of 14 states. We hoped to reach the Tennessee/North Carolina Border today and follow it all the way through “The Smokies,” which also boasts the highest concentration of Black Bears in the World.

We made it up the legendary Shuckstack climb to the fire tower and precariously negotiated its rickety, rotten steps. We were there with the Walkens, parents of one of the thru-hikers we'd been seeing occasionally. After taking some pictures from what seemed to be a very unsafe perch, we then moved on. We had intended to get past Mollie's Ridge shelter; but by starting so late, it looked like we would have to settle there for the night.

When we got to Mollie's Ridge Shelter, it was pretty full and the ridge runner, Jim, was waiting on some reservations to show up. You have to make reservations to stay in the shelter in the Smokies. We planted our stakes out in the field and set up camp. I met some cool guys from Tennessee and we continued to see some of the same folks we’ve been running into for the past several days. We ate our usual meal and after dark, as I was going to my hammock, I saw a pair of eyes shining yellow out there in the dark. They were tracking me and I didn't like it one bit. I couldn't tell, from my headlamp, how big or just what the creature was but it moved like a cat and I shuffled out loudly toward it and yelled a little to get it to run away. It kept moving a little and then hunkering down. I thought I heard it hiss before it finally took off, I hoped for good. Later that night some thru-hikers came in and said they heard something running toward them and growling at them; which, would explain why the bastards were singing so damn loudly as they strolled in at 2AM.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Fontana Dam and My secret GORP Recipe

White Blaze on Fontana Dam


Brown Fork Shelter to Fontana Dam 13 Miles

Early rise: 6:30 and I’m up with the birds. The birds always wake me up. They are really annoying. It is good for the bird population that I am not armed while out here.

We split camp about 7:37 and headed out with Dad texting us the threat of afternoon rain. We originally wanted to get in to Fontana Dam and resupply while it rained; but after a phone call, we decided to stay at their hotel because they had such a good deal. That sounded all nice and fuzzy but we were going to have to get there first. There was a big altitude drop into Fontana Dam, which meant knee and foot punishment. We had to get down to 1700 feet and big drops are sometimes more painful than tough climbs. My feet are already throbbing when I put on my “in-camp shoes,” let alone my boots with a 50 lb pack on my back. We're getting faster though, and it feels good to leave camp before anyone else for a change.

We rested at the first shelter we passed and then got back on it. I bonked on the next big hill and we took it easy until I got my blood sugar back up. This bonking has got to stop. It makes me weird for the rest of the day. The climb to "High Top" was a bear but we kept good time and got in to the visitor center by 1330. We called the shuttle and used the bathrooms while we waited for it to take us into the strange town of Fontana Dam.

The hotel was awesome! It was reminiscent of an old hunting lodge with boar heads and bears and bobcats up on the walls, with a modern quality. The whole town was actually a resort of some sort. There was a pool, actually two, and tennis courts, several places to eat, a Laundromat, post office, general store, etc.. It was weird, like some kind of compound. We weren't complaining though. Our room was sweet like a Vegas Suite and the burgers were proper and meaty.

We roamed around, naked under our rain gear as our clothing washed and dried. Cyclone and Rolex both picked up new Big Agnes inflatable floor mats for under their sleeping bags. I was envious. The town of Fontana Dam had nearly everything except for Cell Service on the whole compound; nothing, nada, zip. It was weird, we had Internet though and I posted some GPS stuff but didn't have time to type out blogs. Cyclone and I played a few rounds of Big Game Hunter in the arcade and I got to play the guitar a bit. We watched a lot of TV in the room as we ziplocked our resupply.

About Re-supply; in case you were wondering, this is what we eat:

Wake up:
Two Breakfast bars or oatmeal breakfast or Pop Tarts, something or other at least 450 calories

Throughout the day we eat about a pound of GORP or Trail Mix to keep blood sugar up and to avoid having to take a lunch (From Wikipedia: Backronyms for the word gorp, an alternate name for trail mix, are Good Old Raisins and Peanuts, Granola Oats Raisins and Peanuts, or Gobs Of Raw Protein. These probably are folk etymology. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1913 reference to the verb gorp, meaning "to eat greedily".)

1 clif bar or similar energy bar if available (230 cal)

Dinner:
One Pound of Spaghetti and 1 Pound of sauce split between three of us (650 cal)
One Pkg of Ramen (190 cal.)

So we prep all of the spaghetti beforehand by breaking it all up to fit in the pot and we make spaghetti sauce packets by putting 8oz of tomato paste in a bag with some seasoning. We mix up all the GORP and divide it up into 1 bags per day. We remove as much packaging as we can and we pack it up in our personal Bear Bags. You have to be able to separate anything that smells like anything so the bears don't get curious and start sniffing around your pack or tent. We mix all the GORP in the hotel ice bucket and use the plastic cup to scoop into ziplock bags. We do all this sitting in our underwear on the floor in the hotel room. Now there's a picture for you before you go off to bed... Sweet dreams.

Oh yeah! My GORP recipe:
When I was a kid and we used to hike in Boy Scouts, your GORP recipe was a point of pride and investigation. Gorp recipes were legendary in their complexity and secrecy. In this trip we’ve tried to keep it simple so that we don’t spent too much time trying to resupply, not to mention we don’t usually have a kitchen so we have to be able to mix our GORP on the fly.

My Long Distance Hiking GORP recipe is simple:

1. Two big bags of M&M Peanut (dark Choc when I can find it)
2. Three 12oz cans of Honey Roasted Peanuts
3. An equal amount of Sesame crunch as peanuts (If no Sesame then Pretzels)
Sometimes
4. 2 small boxes of raisins or Craisins
Separate this up into 12, quart-sized freezer bags and snack on this all day (12 bags @ about 1100 calories per bag). Keep in mind we are making this for three people for four days each guy eating one bag per day.

Don’t get too fat!

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Orchestral Snoring and lots of marshmallows

Throne with a View


A.Rufus Shelter to Brown Fork Shelter Stopping for breakfast and showers at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) 17 miles

It was a tough day. Sleep was jacked up too. Everyone in the shelter was snoring loudly. This normally wouldn't phase me one damn bit; however, I happened to be sleeping next to MadMtMike who kept poking me all night to try and get me to stop snoring. Actually, he was trying to get everyone to stop but I was the one next to him. I need to get him some earplugs or something. All night I'd be awakened by his poking finger, even when Longtoe, who was on the other side of me, was snoring, Mike would poke me. I finally grumbled, "Mike, it isn't me!" At one point, I heard him yell out, "OK! Everyone stop snoring!!" I think it was answered by Cubit letting out a long, gurgling blast. I was just laughing, except for the fact that I couldn't get any sleep while Mike's poking finger was at work. Shortly after that I heard Mike making a bunch of noise; a cacophony of zippers and rustles and grunts. Some time later I rolled over and he was gone. That cat split the shelter to go sleep in the grass and he didn't even have a tent! Wow! We shouldn't have fed him all those marshmallows. In the morning he was pissin’ and monain’. At least it wasn't just me, everyone was snoring. What do you expect? We're roughing it!

We got on the trail to go down the 0.8 mile to the NOC where we had breakfast and I tried to upload GPS logs, but they wouldn't work. I was getting really irritated at the situation. We packed up and went to go take some showers. I washed some of my clothes while I was in the shower and Cyclone was on a conference call. Our clothes dried in the sun and we got on the trail late, around noon. It was a mother of a hike too; the hottest day yet. I bonked hard on the Cheoah Bald climb. I hate it when that happens. You're chuggin' along and suddenly it seems like the world is about to end and your chest is exploding and you can't breathe and sweat is pouring out of you like you just jumped in a lake. We took a little break and I gathered my composure before the summit

Later that day we got the marvelous opportunity to climb a hill that was unbelievably steep. You could reach out and touch the ground in front of you as you climbed. Cyclone and Rolex kept calling out for switchbacks. Cyclone was trying to analyze at what steepness of grade the trail maintainers thought it was appropriate to start using switchbacks.

We finally got in to Brown Fork Shelter and it was packed. There must have been twenty tents around the shelter. We arrived after nightfall and I set up my hammock in the dark while Cyclone and Rolex cooked dinner; spaghetti again. We've really got this Spaghetti thing down pat. They have been sleeping in the shelter mostly and I have been out in my hammock tent. I don't have a nice, thick pad to put under my sleeping bag so I'd rather freeze in my tent than sleep on hard wood floor in the shelter, especially after the Snoring Incident last night.

We broke out the rest of the marshmallows and Cyclone and I had toasted, white dessert while Rolex talked to his girlfriend on his cell phone out by the privy; which, by the way, had no walls. All it had was a roof; just a throne in the middle of the woods with a great view of the mountains, the trees, the birds, oh yeah and all of the hikers cooking breakfast. Hey! Somebody pass me the paper will ya?

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

The Overshooting Shelter, Blow-down Blues

There is a trail in there somewhere!!


After the Clearing process


It was a cold, cold morning, again. I slept amazingly well; however. I think I’m getting the hang of this hammock; no pun intended. We got packed up, got water and took off. We shouldn’t get water in the morning. It takes too damn long

Trailfox was ahead of us and we didn't know it. She must have left at like 5:30 AM. We got a kind of late start due to the water gathering, but we were cruising along at a good clip for us. Footing was very slippery and we finally caught up with all of the people who had left the shelter before us. At some point, me and Cubit took off. She's a pretty fast hiker and I was huffin' and puffin' before long. I kept asking her to slow down. She has these ridiculous hiker legs and her pack is something like 25 pounds. For a short girl, she somehow steps it out and moves very fast.

The wind and rain over the past few days had been pretty crazy and there were blow-downs everywhere. A “Blow-Down” is when heavy rains loosen the soil and the combination of loose soil and heavy winds sends a tree crashing to the ground, lifting out its entire root structure including the boulders that the roots have grown around over the years. It’s a marvel to see and frightening to hear in the middle of the night. It sounds like a train wreck with explosions as one big tree dominoes the smaller ones it hits on the way down. You'd be hiking long and suddenly an entire tree was laying along the trail, impassable. You'd have to bushwhack it up crazy steep slopes to get around it, while slippin and falling and sliding back down through leaves and bugs and mud and snakes and stuff. Then you'd be alright for a while. There would be small blow-downs you could step over, and then you'd be huffin up a big hill and SLAM! You run into a monster blow-down.

Cyclone and Rolex, we found out later, spent a half an hour clearing the first one that me and Cubit just scrambled through. They cut it up and peeled it off and threw it down the slope. They have "before and after" pictures but Rolex left the Sony cable adapter to his camera up at his school and we can't get any pictures off of the camera until we get a hold of one of those.

Somehow, Cubit and I caught up with Trailfox . We got into a killer pace and totally missed the shelter we were all going to meet at. We hiked all the way down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) which is this pretty cool rafting center on the Chattooga River with an outfitter, convenience store, lodging, restaurant, etc.. It’s right on the trail. Normally that would have been cool; however, I knew we'd have to walk back up the 300 feet in elevation to the shelter, so we ate dinner and picked up some marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers and brought them back up with us for the fire we had texted them to make. For dinner, Cubit and I had pizza at the NOC but it sucked. I should have known it would

After we got back up the hill, having to climb back over a few blow-downs that we had already negotiated, I decided to sleep in the shelter so I wouldn't have to set up my tent. I stayed up late watching over the fire and trying to play this E minor blues progression that was in my head for a few hours before retiring to the shelter which was packed with five other people: Cubit, Just Lyle, MadMtMike and Longtoe. I was in between Mike and Longtoe which will be pertinent to tomorrow's post.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Slackpacking and the Wolf

Wet Climb



After our first real “Zero Day” (so named because it is a day in which you go zero miles), we woke up late and ate breakfast at some place called Wilson's in Franklin, NC with a bunch of other Thru-Hikers. When we got back to the Budget Inn, Ron Haven was there with his thru-hiker short bus. We got a ride up to the trailhead with a bunch of the folks we've been hanging with.

When, in desperation, my brothers and I came off the trail two days ago, we got a ride from Dave at the road about 3 miles before most people get off to go to Franklin, so the other hikers would be starting ahead of us. While we dropped them off, Ron suggested we stuff our packs in the Mountain Laurel off trail a ways and do what is called “slack-packing” to make up time. Slack-packing is when you stage your pack somewhere and get a ride further up or down the trail, and then you hike the section between without a pack; or, with a significantly lighter pack, carrying only daily essentials. Our hiking speed was dramatically different. We slack-packed Rock Gap to Winding Stair gap (about 3 miles) in less than an hour and then picked our full packs up (reluctantly) and picked up where the others had started earlier that day..

The climb up to Wayah (“Wayah” means wolf in Cherokee) was horrible and I was constantly on the verge of bonking; but we were still making good time until somewhere in the middle of the day when it started to rain again. Soon came hail and torrent while lightning was striking the mountains all around us. There were times when the lightning would strike less than a thousand feet away. The “Wolf” was definitely howling. Thank God our Mom used to take us out on the porch when we were young to "enjoy" the summer electric storms in Pennsylvania. It was kind of like that, only scarier and a lot wetter. At times we were walking in ankle deep rivulets as the steep trail turned into a flowing stream. The good thing is that we got hit so hard the last time with rain that we went to an outfitter and upgraded our gear. I can’t express how glad I was that we did that. It could have been so much worse.

By the time we got to Wayah Shelter, the rain had subsided; but of course, all was wet, the shelter was full and so were all of the campsites. A girl named Trailfox was there along with two guys named HaHa and Slow. There was this crazy, old Army Ranger dude who admitted he hadn’t been taking his meds and we encouraged him to do so (especially after discovering his vast collection of combat cutlery and enthusiasm for demonstrating its use) we met Longtoe from Austria, and the rest of the crew was there, like Cubit, MadMtMike and others.

It was COLD... AGAIN! Our spaghetti was damn good though. We just came up with a new method and I’m really happy about it. We mixed up some tomato paste and some sauce mix and cooked up a pound of angel hair pasta to split between the three of us. It was DAMN GOOD! I hung my hammock from two trees on the side of a crazy hill while most of the guys looked on with dubious curiosity; uncertain of the hammock’s feasibility. It’s good I had that thing ‘cause I wouldn’t have been able to put up a tent anywhere. It was hard enough hanging it between two trees on this crazy slope with wet leaves sliding everywhere. Everything was on a hill and everything was wet. The night was dreary, it rained some more and sleep came none too soon.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Day 9: Franklin my dear...

Budget Inn Bus
MMM, Ron Haven, JB, Rolex, Cyclone, Cubit, Lyle

We woke up in another hotel. The weather really took us out yesterday. The push to get to Franklin last night took its toll on my body. I think have shin splints and some lung congestion that is a little unsettling. We're bone tired and beat but feelin' good. We did a hundred miles this week and we're moving twice as fast as we did in the beginning so we hope to be up to our schedule in a few weeks. We stopped in Franklin to resupply and it looks like it's going to take us all day. I wanted to be moving on today but I woke up with my lungs gurgling like a faulty snorkel and it kind of freaked me out; so when Doug said, "maybe we should take a zero day?" I pretended to reluctantly agree from under my Budget Inn Bedding, while rubbing my splinted shins and hacking a few raindrops from my saturated lungs.

Dave drove us all around Franklin to take care of some business; including, mailing my hotel key back to the Hiawassee Inn. Of course it turned out to be a beautiful day full of sunshine and commerce as I upgraded my rain prophylactics and got a new bowl and some Gold Bond for the Chapped Ass Syndrome. An interesting side note: Gold Bond medicated powder is a little scary at first when applied to open wounds but the mentholated goodness never gets past a 6 on the pain scale before the benefits kick in :) it also doubles as deodorant if you don’t want to carry a stick of the Old Spice.

We got some dinner at a peanuts-on-the-floor steakhouse and we answered Jeopardy questions on a silent TV while some 19 y/o girl got the Happy Birthday song from the whole crew. I was only staring at her because she was right under the TV, honest, no really, honest...

As we got back to the budget in it was like another reunion; Doc was on the computer, Lil Cubit, Mad Mountain Mike, Just Lyle, and even the secretive guys came walking by. The only one missing was Dances and Wolfie. Maybe the hotel didn't like dogs. Anyway, we met the charismatic owner of the Budget Inn, Ron Haven, toured the town, and watched a lot of really stupid television about crocodiles, hippos, M*A*S*H, Dancing with The Stars (kristy yamaguchi is my pick, although that dance partner of the tall bald guy is unbelievable), Family guy and Adult swim. I can't wait to get back into the woods... TV sucks these days. I managed to get my hands on some Genuine Moonshine so my brothers could try it out. I have never had American Moonshine but I dipped my finger in and dabbed my tongue. I recognized it instantly as the same stuff I’ve had from on of my Serbian Buddies. It tastes like kerosene and knocks you out quicker than Vicodin. Ahhh Memories…

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Day 8: The Hypothermic Haul

Albert Mountain View


We got up and Rolex was buggin’ to go. It was a freezing, windy night and getting out of the hammock was reluctance personified. I should have trusted my instincts about the bear hang, my food bag got chewed into by some ingenious raccoon and although he didn't get far, he did enough damage that I’ll have to get another food bag. Doc took off early, said she wanted to take it slow, bein’ Sunday and all. We split the shelter at 8:45 and HAULED! After we crested Standing Indian Mountain, the road was EASY GOIN’. Soon the rain started to fall and it got COLD. Finally, we were making some good time. For the first time this trip, we were killin’ our schedule and then; Mount Albert happened.

There was this bad-ass fire tower up on a high mountain. People had been talking about how great it was. We saw it as we came up to the mountain and although the climb looked a little rough, we heard we’d be able to see China from the top. As we climbed, the rain got worse and the rocks were very slick and steep. It was tough, dangerous and anti-climactic because, by the time we got there, the fog and mist had enveloped the mountain and there was no view at all. We were freezin’ so we pressed on. Somewhere along the line we decided we were going back into the next town and we had to make the road to Franklin. It would be a long, cold, wet one; 21 miles, but we'd get it done. We were flying.

We got to a road where we got cell service as long as we stood in this one spot out in the open. It was getting dusky and they referred us to Dave, the shuttle guy. It took a while for Dave to pick us up but he finally got us as the hypothermia was getting ready to set in. I was soaked to the bone and miserable. We had no shelter and the wind was blowing cold and wet. It seemed like an eternity waiting for him to show up and I was really worried I would start to go into shock right there. My body was exhausted and I had nothing dry to wear; nothing to keep the wind from cutting right into me. Cyclone and Rolex weren’t any better. We tried to shield each other standing by the road but we had to stay in the five foot by five foot area that the cell phone had reception or we might miss Dave’s call. This storm made it clear that I have to get some new gear tomorrow, a new set of raingear at least. I had decided to use a poncho ‘cause it fit over the backpack but it just doesn’t shield me form the driving rain and wind

Dave arrived and took us to the Budget Inn, a place that caters to hikers. I washed our clothes and blogged while Rolex and Cyclone ordered a couple pizzas and Coke. Dominoes ripped us off for 28 bucks but we were desperate. We gulped it down and warmed ourselves with the room heaters on Warp speed. I slogged through Internet uploads until they closed the office and I was forced to succumb to sleep, sweet sleep while Indiana Jones solved puzzles and fought Germans on the small TV set in the corner.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Day 7: Continental Breakfast

Bear Warning

Me and Rolex shared a bed. Cyclone slept in the other one. He and I had a little spat last night about cutting down weight and I was having none of it. I’m not happy about their attitudes about dropping gear. I know we can live without some of this stuff but for some reason I’m willing to suffer to carry what I have. I know it’s going to slow us down but I feel like a Caspar Milquetoast when we talk about cutting down weight. People hiked this trail with much heavier packs than we have now and they didn’t cry about it. They just did it. I’m not into the ultra-light hiker thing. I want my body to adjust to the weight I have. We have some extra gear to be sure but I want to shoulder the burden and keep moving. I want to get stronger. We definitely overestimated the amount of fuel we would need, and we probably only need one stove. Cyclone and I got to arguing about mailing stuff home. I was getting really perturbed that he kept asking me to do another shakedown of my gear. He was going to carry my fuel bottle until I told him he should trim his straps to cut down weight and so he threw the fuel bottle back at me. I know what I’m carrying, if I thought I wouldn’t need something I wouldn’t have brought it! If I had to guess, I’d have to say this is probably going to be a problem area in the future.

Sam in the lobby was a real firecracker. I got some footage of him in his pyjamas. He treated us to a spectacular breakfast in the lobby/kitchen/living room of pastries and orange juice and toast and coffee and then we brought out the Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. Sally came back with Fliver and we got a ride up to Dick's Creek Gap to start out a glorious day of climbing to Standing Indian campground. Lil Cubit showed up with Mad Mt Mike just before we took off and the BSA crew (some Boy Scouts we met the night before) was there too; so we all loaded up and took off together. There was joyous singing and talking and fast hiking of an ordinary nature until we got to Plum Orchard Gap. Cubit hung back and we took off to the next shelter. There were some other guys, kind of secretive, out hiking too but we flew them all. We took a breather and dry Ramen at Muscrat Creek and then as we were filling up our water, the secretive guys showed up then Lil Cubit and an Eagle Scout or two. We were trying to make some miles so we didn’t stick around. Doc took off and we were shortly to follow.

We got in to Standing Indian Shelter pretty early and had done about 18 miles; but there were no Bear Bag lines up so we would have to string our own. The stream was nice and I decided to try to wash up a little bit. Everyone stayed in the shelter except me. My hammock is way more comfortable than the shelter but I set it up a few feet away. We cooked up some food and I couldn’t eat the Lipton Sides thing I made. It was disgusting. I was trying to choke it down but I just couldn’t finish it. I was retching while trying to swallow it. We were having trouble finding a good place to hang the bear bags. Cyclone hung the bags up kind of half-assed and too close to the tree for my taste; but, I was exhausted and didn’t care enough to go through the trouble to move it. We lit a big fire, broke out the guitar and sang a few. Doc was damn adept at starting a fire and although there wasn't much wood around, we figured it out and had a blaze roaring before long.

Earlier, I had gone down to the privy and there were these mice hanging around. One of them was shakin’ like a leaf and he didn’t show any concern for the fact that I was right there. I shooed them out of the privy ‘cause I didn’t want no crazy mice starin’ at me while I took care of business. I guess that’s what they mean when they say, “Crazier than a Shithouse Rat.” It must be the fumes that gets them all jacked up. When I finished and went to throw some dun on the pile, they were already down there, eating the fecal matter I had just deposited. It was more than a little disturbing.

Eventually, the fire died and we retired. I got into my hammock and tried to sleep but there were a lot of ominous, shuffling-leaf noises in the night. There had been a lot of signs warning about bears so I slept with one eye open. Bear thoughts are freakin' me out.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Day 6: Hiawassee Bound

Hiawassee Inn Uniforms


It rained through the night; but, when we got up it was quiet. Still, everything was wet and damp and nasty. My soaking-wet underwear was bouncing in the wind on the makeshift clothesline I found on the side of the shelter where I had hung them last night in hopes that the wind might dry them out a little bit. No deal. I don’t care about the wetness except that wet things weigh a lot more and if you don’t dry things right away, everything will be wet before long and that’s a lot of weight difference.

I had some good sleep for a change; but, a town was sounding really good to us right about now. It’s only day 6 and we are in dire need of some civilization. We consulted our handbook for a local phone number, got cell phone service and arranged a ride to meet us at the road. It was only about an hour’s hike away. When we got to the road, Sally showed up in a sky blue, 1970 Volkswagen Bus that was completely restored. She called it “The Fliver." It transported our wet, muddy crew into the town of Hiawassee. On the way we sang songs and watched the miles fly by. She told us about blueberry trees and took us all the way to the other side of town where we grabbed some Mickey D's and Rolex ran across the street to get a new cell phone charger at a Radio Shack.

I tried to dry my boots off in the Mickey D’s Bathroom using one of the hand dryer things. A double quarter pounder with Cheese never tasted so good to me. She recommended that we stay at the Hiawassee Inn, an inexpensive motel in the middle of town. It sounded good to us so we went and soon Sam greeted us in a gruffly warm manner while spitting out the well-rehearsed list of services they offered to hikers. It was amazing; we were in heaven! They did our laundry including sleeping bags, and then they gave us sweats to wear so we could go over to the pharmacy and stare at all the pretty colors in the Hallmark Aisle. We looked like three Heaven’s Gaters getting ready to take their last sip of Kool-Aid. After spending hours in a the neighboring Rite Aid and somehow getting through our first real resupply without buying everything in the store, we got a little rest, fresh clothes and met a bunch of other thru-hikers that were staying in the Inn.

Sam lent us the van and Cyclone drove all of us over to Daniel's Steakhouse which had an all-you-can-eat buffet. I opted out and got the "Best of Both Worlds" T-Bone. We met even more hikers from previous shelters and they all joined our table. It was like a little reunion there. It seems everyone was waxed after that rain and needed the comforts of the town. We ate dinner with Lil' Cubit and Mad Mt Mike and even Dances showed up! After eating, we found out that the Dairy Queen is the only place that had Internet so we got some Scrumpdillyishious and Googled, uploaded and blogged. It turns out I deleted all of the track data from the past couple of days from my GPS and irretrievably lost it all. You can probably imagine how I reacted. We went through some of the toughest days of my life thus far and I lost the $!%&*$$ track data! DAMN!! The town folk of Hiawassee knew all about it shortly after I did. We walked back over to the hotel. It was time for bed; all that angst wore me out.

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com