Victory on the Appalachian Trail

Well, we finally did it! I don't know if anyone has noticed, but since my disastrous day on the AT in July, there haven't been anymore hiking posts. There has been one hike since then, but not until last week. It was a nice hike, but really just a warm up for yesterday's scheduled "redo" of the previously attempted hike from Clingman's Dome to Newfound Gap.

I swear I think I had a little touch of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the ordeal on the AT in July. If you haven't read about that hike, you might want to go back to those two posts in July about that trek. It was a mess. I was a mess! I simply couldn't bring myself to don my backpack and head up into the mountains again after such a debacle--for almost six weeks!

Last Saturday, even though there was a good chance of rain, we headed out for a short adventure doing the Old Sugarlands Trail and Twin Creeks Trail, finishing up with the Gatinburg Trail for a total of about 8 miles in low altitude conditions just in case storms moved in. The weather was muggy, but the hikes were pretty and proved to be a good re-entry into the world of hiking for me. It was great to be with my hiking buddies and out in the wilderness again.

Yesterday, we suited up, drove one car to Newfound Gap, continued on up Clingman's Dome Road, and were met with spectacular vistas from the parking lot! Azure skies streaked with jet streams contrasted over the cotton candy clouds creating a sea below us punctuated with mountaintop islands. Those views alone did much to encourage us and lift our hopes of a different type of day on the AT. Still, I perceived that we were all a little tentative. We were deliberate in deciding which of the three short connector hikes to take. Even with maps in hand and our experienced leader in the pack, the trailhead signs and map of this area are still somewhat confusing. We took the Forney Ridge path out of the parking lot to the connection with the AT skirting around and passing underneath the observation tower. When we came to the sign where we made our fateful wrong decision last time, we stopped for a photo op, consulted our maps once again, and then turned RIGHT on the Appalachian Trail--"right" in both meanings of the word!

Once on the trail in the right direction, we settled into our usual hiking rhythm with Kirsten and Andrea leading the group followed by Jennifer and me a little further back. We hike together for the most part on the flats, but on the extreme ups and downs, the pace I keep is a little slower than the two leaders. This part of the AT is, I believe, fairly typical of the AT in Tennessee. It's rough with rocks and roots; stairs of logs are laid into the path frequently with irregular rises which make passing up or down them difficult and hard on post-surgery knees. I have grown to hate those steps! Those steps were my nemesis on the previous AT disaster, and I have no greater love for them after yesterday's hike. However, I do appreciate those trail maintenance volunteers who worked so hard to put them in place. Without them, the trail would probably be impassable in places. So that is what I ended up thinking about as I climbed or descended them yesterday even as my knee was screaming at me with each step.

Rather tenuous footing on the AT

I've been reading a book titled "AWOL on the Appalachian Trail" by David Miller. In this rendering of one man's thru-hiking journey along the AT, he states that the White Mountains are the toughest part of the trail since he left Tennessee. That makes me believe that our version of the AT is about as tough as it gets along this wilderness highway. I know it defintely has its tough spots. I've only hiked about 23 of the 70 miles that stretch through this state. That may change next summer if I can get myself in shape mentally and physically for the challenge. Our little group is talking about hiking all of the AT through Tennessee during our summer break (we are all teachers), or at least the miles we haven't already done.

One of the varieties of Gentian that blooms up here

The exquisite views that greeted us on this day did foreshadow the type of hike we would have. The path was bordered in many places with the early fall wildflowers, such as gentian, white snakeroot, and black-eyed Susan's.

The wall at Newfound Gap skirted with
Pale Jewelweed 

Temperatures were perfect with just enough fall chill to keep us briskly moving along the trail. This section of the AT is an excursion with short elevation changes; enough climbs to get the heart rate up and keep it up for a few minutes, but not steep or long enough to make you wonder why you are even doing this. In fact, I had much greater trouble with the extended downhill sections towards Newfound Gap. Much of the last two or three miles are significant declines which really worked on my knees. But the variety of wildflowers and mushrooms helped distract me from the pain in my knee. The last mile or so was prolific with both pale and spotted jewelweed (aka touch-me-not) allowing lots of opportunities to stop and take photos.

Spotted Jewelweed

I ended this hike victorious--victorious over the part of me that was crushed on that fateful day in July which had prevented me from coming back to my mountains. Victorious over the section of the AT that had intimidated me for 6 weeks. I was also victorious over my inexperience, having
learned valuable lessons and survived
virtually unscathed. Here's to perseverance! Here's to great friends and hiking buddies! Here's to victory!

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Snakebite Precautions and First Aid

Timber Rattlesnake--notice the wide head

In light of a recent run-in my husband and I had hiking on the Little Bottoms trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, I thought I'd share an article I just read in Backpacker Magazine.  Our encounter was not quite as close, nor as potentially deadly, but it could have been.  A couple seconds later coming up that trail, and my husband could easily have stepped on that snake instead of hearing it rattle first.  Our timber rattler might not have been able to inject the neurotoxin that this unfortunate woman had to deal with in addition to the venom, but we were also much further away from help when our encounter occurred.  I have since wondered what we would do if one of us were struck by a timber rattler while hiking in these hills.  This article is one woman's encounter with a snake that could have had a different ending if she had not done the right things at the right time.

Out Alive: Bitten by a Rattlesnake
http://www.backpacker.com/out-alive-bitten-by-a-rattlesnake/survival/16703

Through researching the internet, I have concluded that if I or one of my hiking companions is struck by either of the two poisonous snakes found in the Smokies, I need to remember to do the following:

Do's
*Remain calm.  Yeah, right!  However, this will slow the spread of the venom through the body if we can pull it off.
*Remove all jewelry that may be difficult to remove after the area swells.
*Try to immobilize the area as much as possible.  For instance, make a splint or sling if the bite is on the arm.
*Keep the affected area at or below the level of the heart.
*One of my hiking partners carries a snake bite kit.  Although there is some confusion on the web as to the effectiveness, National Institutes of Health does recommend using one like the ones made by Sawyer.  I may look into buying one of those.
*If it is possible, the victim can be carried out.  However, if it means a major delay in getting help, it is better that the victim walk out.

Don'ts
*Do not cut the bite wound with a knife or anything else.
*Do not attempt to suck the poison out of the wound.
*Do not waste time trying to kill and catch the snake.  (I wouldn't be tempted to do this anyway, but that is the advice I've found on the web.)  But do try to remember the color and shape (especially of the head) to help rescue personnel identify the snake.
*Do not apply ice packs to the wound.
*Do not apply a tourniquet.  There is some confusion here, so I suggest you do your own reading on this one.  I, personally, will be afraid to apply one with my limited knowledge of first aid.

Important recommendations:
*Consider taking a Wilderness First Aid Course--something I would love to do soon!
*Pay close attention to the area in which you hike.  Be aware of where snakes might be and be on the lookout for them.
*Never reach into crevices in rocks or under piles of rocks or brush where snakes may be hiding.
*If you have to walk through an area where you cannot see your feet, use your hiking pole in front of you to give the snake time to get out of your way.
*As a caveat, I am not a medical professional.  I simply tried to gather information for my own use on the trails.  I did use information from what I consider to be professional sites, primarily the Mayo Clinic and National Institutes of Health.

Copperhead--the only other poisonous snake in the Smokies

Stress Relief of the Greenway Kind

A restful fountain in Springbrook Park on Maryville-Alcoa Greenway

After having left work today stressed and a little bit beaten up by a drama queen trying to stir up trouble, I sorely needed some serious unwind time. I found my respite during what has become a weekly Wednesday evening bike ride with my husband. Our venue of choice tonight was the Maryville-Alcoa Greenway. When we first arrived and parked the truck at the duck pond near the park, we were awestruck by the number of mallards on the pond. There must have been 50 or 60 females and young green heads on the water. The odd thing was I didn't see one mature green head. But It was relaxing to watch them skim effortlessly across the water or to fly around a bit, then cup their wings and drift onto the surface of the water with such flair.

After watching for a few minutes we mounted our bikes and entered the greenway. This trail is a wide, probably 8-foot in most places, paved asphalt trail with only a few minor grade changes. The path gently twists and turns, following for quite a ways along a creek, meandering through woods and wetlands, crossing some nicely maintained bridges, and finally taking a break at another small body of water in downtown Maryville populated by another group of ducks and geese. The trail goes on beyond this spot, but we turned around here. I've only been on the other end of this greenway one time before and that was with a couple who are very familiar with the greenway. I remember it being more difficult to find and follow after that point, so tonight we turned back. I hope to ride it again on Saturday with another friend who will want to do more miles, so we may try the other end then. Tonight however, we began at Springbrook Park and rode about 10 miles along the greenway to downtown Maryville, around some side trails, and back to the truck.

I don't know what it is about biking, but it is one of my favorite activities when I've had a stress-filled day. Nothing relaxes me quite as thoroughly as cruising along on my Cannondale Quick, especially when surrounded by beautiful scenery like that found on the greenways here in Knoxville and Alcoa. I do wish that the powers that be would approve and build enough greenways so that you could ride 15-20 miles at a time without having to travel the narrow and heavily trafficked roads of this area. Riding on the road still makes me nervous, although I am beginning to do a little more if it. I much prefer the greenways, complete with their green grass fields; wildlife such as birds, rabbits, and squirrels; and stream crossings. To me, that is the perfect recipe for stress relief--stress relief of the greenway kind!

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One Month Later--Great Smoky Mountains Storm

I finally got up the nerve this weekend to visit my beloved Cade's Cove region of the Smokies, something I had not done since the storm passed through almost a month ago, downing thousands of trees and killing two people and injuring others. I still pray for those folks and their families and hope for the best for all of those affected. I had been to the park, but only to the Newfound Gap area which was untouched. Honestly, I was not prepared for what I saw!

One of my favorite trails, especially in the spring when the early wildflowers are blooming, Chestnut Top Trail, was the first severely damaged area I came to as I passed through and beyond Townsend. In early spring, the first half mile of this trail is covered in blood root, trillium, Solomon's seal, spring beauty and many other varieties of the tiny blessings that wait for the observant hiker or photographer.

As of right now, this trail is closed, and with good reason! I have heard that parts of the trail are well under way in the reconstruction process, but I wonder what they will do to this bank that has virtually been sheered off, leaving almost none of the original trail intact for 30 yards or so that I could see from the road. I also wonder how long the remaining part of the trail can withstand rains and weather that the fall and winter will bring with no tree roots to hold that bank in place.

Another of my favorite trails is affected by the damage too, and that is the Scott Mountain Trail that runs along the ridge line down from the Cade's Cove area back toward Townsend. Somewhere on that trail was one of the largest trees I have ever seen in these mountains. I believe it is a tulip poplar, but I could be mistaken about that. Trees are not my forte when it comes to identification of the flora of my mountains. However, this tree is one that makes you stand at its base in awe of its girth and the length of its life standing on that slope.

I stopped four different park rangers while I was there to see if anyone knows the fate of that tree up on Scott Mountain. Sadly, I got the idea that none of the four of them had ever seen that tree. None of them could tell me of its fate in the wake of the storm. I sincerely hope it is still standing. It would be a shame if it was among the casualties. I just hope that the winds hit somewhere else along that ridge because I cannot imagine that old man of the forest being vey flexible, something I would imagine it would have to be to survive such force of nature.

As I made my way up Laurel Creek Road, there were times when you would never have thought such a storm had ripped through the area. Whole regions seemed untouched. Then, seemingly at random, entire hillsides were littered with the carcasses of what once were beautiful deciduous and evergreen trees reaching to the sky. No more! Now they lay askew, reminding me of the game I once played when I was a child. These hillsides looked like children had begun a game of Pick Up Sticks and had left their pieces scattered amongst the laurels and the rhododendron. Many of the trunks that remained standing were stripped of foliage, broken, or bent.

Somewhere underneath all of the debris lies what used to be a pretty fair trout stream. I had not taken the time to fish it yet, but I had been told that it was a great place for a woman to fish by herself and my plans were to do just that when the weather cooled. The stream runs alongside the road on the way to Cades Cove, and if you wait until the waters are too cool for folks to swim in them, they are easily accessible and also provide enough nearby road traffic to get help if one should fall and get hurt. When you get my age and want to fish while hubby is at work, that's something to think about. However, I'm not sure what all this debris will do to the trout waters. I know it will have made whole stretches of it difficult to access at best.

The good news is that once I crested the top of Laurel Creek Road and began to drop down into the Cade's Cove area, I saw very few newly fallen trees. This part of the park seems to be largely unscathed. I saw no damage to the structures at the picnic area or the store and amphitheater at the campground. I did not go around the loop road or through the campground but all seemed to be very normal there. By the way, there was no damage to the ice cream machine in the shop there at the campground. I had to make sure that it was unaffected, and I am pleased to report that the ice cream is still creamy and piled high atop those cones!

Let me just say that kudos need to go out to all those workers who helped clear the roads through the park in those first few days. I cannot imagine how many trees must have littered and blocked both Laurel Creek Road and Little River Road. I understand that many nearby private contractors and just everyday folks came out bearing construction vehicles and chainsaws to help clear the debris and restore access to what remains as one of the most spectacular places in America. It remains impressive in every way, but now, in addition to its beauty, there is staggering evidence of the power of nature.

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Gear Review: Fujifilm Finepix XP50 Camera--"Outdoors-proof!"

I finally found it! I've been looking for years for an inexpensive, but high quality, camera that can hang out with me in all of my outdoor adventures without me having to worry about it too much. Clear, crisp photos that at least attempt to do justice to the phenomenal scenery that I encounter were an important criteria in my search. Another key asset was no shutter delay. I was tired of clicking the camera button and missing the shot because the shutter took literally several seconds to close.

This camera can withstand most anything I will be tempted to throw at it. Not only is it small and compact enough to fit easily in a pocket, but it is water proof to 16ft, plenty deep enough for this snorkeler, not diver. It is shock proof in case I drop it. It is freezer proof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit--plenty cold enough for the kind of hiking and camping I do. It is also dust proof, so it is safe, even in the house that would get cleaned more if I didn't hike and bike ride so much! It also operates on a rechargeable camera battery which lasted for literally hundreds of shots and recharged in less than an hour. In reality I don't know how long the battery would have lasted because it never got anywhere close to running out of battery charge.

I bought this little gem right before the Clingman's Dome hike, and during the torrential rains which fell on us that day, I never worried that it might get wet. Shortly after that hike, we travelled to the Grand Caymans for our 25th wedding anniversary trip. We took it snorkeling along a barrier reef, it was drenched by spray from a catamaran, it endured extreme heat and humidity, it took close up shots of stingrays as they waved at us under the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, it captured our first saltwater fly-fishing venture, and the photos and videos that it took were amazingly sharp with colors that almost were as exquisitely beautiful as the real thing.

To top it all off, when I purchased it at Best Buy for only $179, I received a Shutterfly promotion for a free hardbound photo album which I have used to commemorate our anniversary trip. Now that's what I call a sweet little perk--kind of like icing on the cake!

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Fly-fishing for Tarpon in Grand Cayman

Since my last blog entry I have had one of my all-time favorite vacations--a 25th Anniversary trip to Grand Cayman. Although this was not a fishing trip, we couldn't help but take the opportunity to spend one morning wielding a 9 1/2 ft. 8-weight fly rod in search of bonefish and tarpon. My, oh my! What an experience that was!

My husband and I hired a guide, Davin Ebanks, for a half-day trip to the turtle grass flats on the East End of the island. After ducking and dodging several times trying to get used to everyone driving on the left (wrong) side of the road, and being terribly glad that Davin had picked us up at our hotel so my husband didn't have to drive, we made our way to the spot Davin had chosen for us on this day. Davin, by the way, is a delightful young man, educated in the United States, but schooled in manners and congeniality on this most hospitable Caribbean island. Probably the best part of our vacation was how incredibly nice everyone on the island was, and Davin was no different.

An adrenaline rush is a major understatement for what happened to me when, as I was short stripping this large top-water fly in such a way that it would literally skip across the surface of the water, a large tarpon came up from underneath it, taking the fly in his mouth. One long, hard strip later and that tarpon propelled himself high in the air in an acrobatic move that would have made the Ringling Brothers proud! Although I fought him for a few minutes, after 5 or 6 flying leaps from the water, my tarpon freed himself from my line, but that was only mildly disappointing. What an incredible experience it had been to see him take that fly and then run and jump high into the air on the other end of my line.

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Lessons Learned on Clingman's Dome

A few days now after our disastrous hike from Clingman's Dome, while my blistered feet are still recovering, I want to reflect on what I learned on that eventful day.

1. If you don't have time to do the preparation for a hike, don't do the hike! Never again will I assume that because I've been somewhere before, I know the territory. My usually strong sense of direction surely failed me on the Clingman's Dome hike. I still cannot make myself understand, unless I'm looking at the map, why you wouldn't turn left on the Appalachian Trail to head out for Newfound Gap. But you don't! If you attempt that trail, be sure to go right on the AT toward the Mount Collins shelter. There is NOT a sign that says Newfound Gap at this juncture, even though you'd think there would be. Trip preparation for me in the future will include on every hike what I usually do on hikes in areas that I have no previous experience. I usually make a list of every trail crossing or shelter or other notable feature in the order in which they should appear. Had I done that on this hike, I would have realized at the first crossing that we had gone the wrong way--only 2.2 miles into our hike.

2. Packing light does not mean assuming nothing will go wrong. As our hikes have gotten longer and more strenuous, I have switched to a smaller, lighter day pack. Thankfully it still holds the large water bladder that my larger pack holds or I would have been in trouble on Saturday. However, in the interest of limiting the weight I carried, I had taken out some equipment that I deemed unnecessary on a hike that should end by 2:00 in the afternoon. The most crucial piece of gear that I left at home was my flashlight. I will never go on another hike without it no matter what time I expect to finish. It was this lack of light that pushed me so hard to finish before dark, which we accomplished with a mere 15 minutes or so to spare. That, in my opinion, is too close for comfort!

3. Always leave an exact itinerary with someone who will worry about you if you aren't out on time. This is something I always do, but again, on this fateful day, things were different. My husband didn't really want me to go on this hike because we had a major vacation coming up soon after, so he went to bed mad at me on Friday night. I got up early on Saturday morning, cut out a small section of the map that covered the trail we were going to do, and went to meet my hiking buddies. I had told him it would be a short hike, but that's about all we talked about. When I was late coming home, he wasn't worried, he was just mad. He had to come to understand how scared I had been before he realized he should have been worried. Had he known exactly what time I expected to be out of the woods, he might have begun to be concerned and be aware that there were probably problems.

4. Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning! I realized during that 20-miler that I need to be in better shape. I need to be able to hike much further than I have scheduled. I did the 20-miler, but I was miserable the last 4 miles. The fact that the last 2.5 miles was almost straight up as it climbed the highest peak in the Smokies didn't help me any. I will be working on improving my conditioning, that's for sure.

5. Always carry a map. The little piece of a map that I had copied to carry with me was nowhere near enough. When we hiked the wrong direction on the Appalachian Trail, we quickly hiked right out of the map I carried. Thus, when we began to be concerned about our location, the trail crossings and shelters were unidentifiable. We also considered alternative routes, but without a full map, we had nothing to get our bearings with.

6. No boots are waterproof in a torrential rain. I love my Keen hiking boots, and they are waterproof under most circumstances. However, if you get caught in a downpour, the Keen-Dry fabric protector can't keep the water from running down your legs or pants and into the top of the boots. My socks and feet were soaked and I ended up with the worst blisters of my life--the only blisters I've ever had in Keen hiking boots. I'm still not sure what I can do in such conditions to prevent that type of blistering; maybe gaiters are the answer. I don't know, but I need to find out.

7. Hiking groups need to either stay close enough together to be in touch at all times, or we need to carry walkie talkies. We could have saved ourselves about 5 miles had we been able to hail the faster hikers in our group when we finally figured out how terribly wrong we had gone. As soon as we realized the error of our ways, we began to blow the emergency whistle and yell their names, but they were too far away to hear us. I understand the desire to hike at whatever speed is your best speed, but the need to be in contact with everyone in the group must be paramount for safety's sake if nothing else.

I blame myself for every aspect of this disastrous hike. I could have prevented the whole thing by simply having looked a little more closely at the map before leaving. I let my hiking buddies down; I disappointed myself; I put others in danger. But, in spite of my many mistakes and weaknesses, as a group we pulled together, supported each other, and made it out. That's what friends are for, and I've got great friends to hike with. I wouldn't trade them for anything! That realization along with our determination to just do what had to be done made this an experience that will not be a negative. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Yes, we are all stronger, in many ways!

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