Legs and Borders

"I keep on telling myself: snails, stay on trail" Snail Today was quite a mouthful. Day started with a huge ten mile descent from Great Smoky Mountains National Park and that was the end of it! I've handed the second part of my permit to the park ranger on the way out and carried on. People I've met along the way we're relieved and in various physical shape. First woman I've met called Crazy Legs was blazing to the parking lot where she was being picked up, she gave me a good chase! Second woman I've met was called Donna (no trail name) I've spotted her trying to top up her water bottle by the stream with her backpack still on, when I've approached I've noticed she wasn't quite ok. She asked me to help her get back on her feet and she put all her body weight on me in order to do so. Her knees were gone, she was also being picked up by someone and probably was not going back on trail anytime soon. Luckily the carpark wasn't far away at t...

Today could be described in one word - windy. And it was not your refreshing summer breeze, it was the kind of wind that chills your bones and the moment you feel it you want to turn around and go back home, except there's no home and you can't turn around. The food I hanged last night was completely frozen, it was funny to crunch on a solid snickers and granola bars for breakfast. At least it was sunny, I've put all my layers on and started hiking. Trail looked really good, I could see small patches of snow and icicles probably formed last night hanging from the bushes. Later during the day you could see the damage last years hurricane has done, fallen trees, layers of uncovered rock showing that there was not much trees could hang on to beneath, trail was trying to manoeuvre around the blow downs and disturbed earth. I haven't met many people today but I hiked alongside Blazer, a friendly, older American guy. He also hiked PCT, so w...

"There's no feeling in the world like washing your face in cold water on a mountain morning." Jack Kerouac Regular day of hiking, trail was quite demanding building up to the highest point on the entire Appalachian Trail which I should reach tomorrow. My leg muscles although initially painful did warm up throughout the day and I could hike at pretty much my regular speed, but at around 3 pm the pain came back so I decided to finish for the day at this point, difference being that I actually managed to do my daily miles required to finish the hike in time so it wasn't as bad as yesterday. I walked in the morning accompanied by a truck driver, trail name "Long Haul", who was splitting his time between work and hiking short and medium distance trails around US. He joined Appalachian Trail from other trail that connected to it and was planning to go to the end of Great Smoky Mountains NP,  and then catch a bus to where he left his truck. We talked ab...