2018 Appalachian Trail Thru Hike and Hiking for Clean Water

Well, my fellow travelers and hikers-- I am still trying to keep moving and getting into the forest to preserve my sanity! Today, I hiked for about three miles on the Art Loeb Trail starting from the trailhead along the Davidson River. Naturally, every day I miss my time on the AT. And boy, have I lost my trail legs!!

This was a real gem to find along the trail today--it's past the blooming season for most of the rhododendrons. So I stopped for a few moments to enjoy its perfection. There is a saying that flowers don't compete with other flowers--they just bloom when they are ready. Be like the flowers.

The most important part of the trail for me was the forest healing, the therapy of being out there. Finding a way to replace that therapy while off the trail is taking some effort. I'm blessed to live in North Carolina where there are such beautiful mountains and trails. So getting out there even for day hikes is a priority. In addition, I have been working on mindfulness meditation to help me adjust. There are two audiobooks that you simply must listen to--these were real game changers for me-- "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics" and "10% Happier" read by the author Dan Harris. It's not my habit to recommend books but these are so relevant to our modern life, on and off the trail.

Right now, practicing loving compassion for all is my mindfulness exercise, even for the most difficult in my life. I experience deep gratitude for those who hike with me in life and have been a positive influence and I will work on mentally developing compassion for some people who have done some seriously ugly stuff. You gotta know that people who hurt other people intentionally aren't feeling good themselves. No matter what you do to hurt me, my internal happiness is not yours to take!

Hope you have enjoyed today's trail beauty. Happy Trails, Deb

One of the conflict areas where I worked was Liberia-a country largely modeled after the USA. Rural areas suffer from a lack of clean water. As hikers we know how much work it is to collect our liter bottles of water—but imagine that you have to provide water for all uses for your extended family, elders, littles, the disabled and all. This arduous task usually falls to the women of the family. So I am supporting this project in Liberia. I know the groups involved and have met them personally in Liberia. Please read about the project for its interest when you have time. Donating is appreciated but not required. None of the funds go to my hike. Only to help the project get on its feet with an ultimate goal of self-suffficiency. GoFundMe.com/cleanwaterforliberia

Well, it has been awhile since I have written anything. Sadly, I am off the trail due to an ambush at Cantaroso Farms by my spouse. He served me with divorce papers on the trail! That's all I am going to say about that. Needless to say, I had to come home to attend to legal business.

As my life moves into some semblance of normalcy, I hope to remain a resource for the AT community and help in any way I can. I am close to both Franklin and Hot Springs--so please don't hesitate to reach out if I can help. Right now, I am doing a work for stay in order to be close to the lawyer business in Asheville. It's not a hostel but rather a private home that is interested in permaculture. Maybe in the future I can get involved in more trail maintenance in the area.

My tentative plan is to hike the Mountain to Sea trail in 2019 and then make another attempt at an AT thru in 2020. It all depends on how my life shakes out. I really feel for all the hikers that have had to drop out for one reason or another-- whatever it might be. We should start a support group!

Note: The photo is of one of the many beauties you will find at your feet along the trail. Hope you enjoy identifying the plants that surround us as much as I do!

One of the conflict areas where I worked was Liberia-a country largely modeled after the USA. Rural areas suffer from a lack of clean water. As hikers we know how much work it is to collect our liter bottles of water—but imagine that you have to provide water for all uses for your extended family, elders, littles, the disabled and all. This arduous task usually falls to the women of the family. So I am supporting this project in Liberia. I know the groups involved and have met them personally in Liberia. Please read about the project for its interest when you have time. Donating is appreciated but not required. None of the funds go to my hike. Only to help the project get on its feet with an ultimate goal of self-suffficiency. GoFundMe.com/cleanwaterforliberia

Today, I am on a break at mile 344 near Erwin, TN at the Cantarroso Farm and Hostel. The view is from an overlook on the trail with a view of the Nolichucky River. These overlooks are amazing but some of them make me downright dizzy!

Last week my son picked me up at Natures Inn at mile 319 near Sams Gap and we went to Knoxville TN to visit his wife’s grandparents. It was quite a treat because I was meeting them for the first time and they were so gracious and had a beautiful home. Especially wonderful was seeing my two year old granddaughter Anna Marie-I have missed her ever-smiling face. Just to add to all the wonderful ness-I got celebrate my birthday and my son’s birthday too!

So maybe I am not moving up the trail in record time. One thing about the Appalachian Trail is that hikers have different goals and objectives. My primary objective is to stay injury free and so far I have! I still struggle with the foot pain that I have had all my life, but at least I don’t get blisters! All my outdoors barefoot life as permaculture gardener has seen to that.

Another objective newly discovered is to explore alternative getaways in beautiful places! I have discovered so much charm, kindness and downright beauty in all the various hostels I have visited. These are places worth returning to in the future.

A lifelong interest of mine has been useful plants-plants for food, plants for medicine, and beauty. Since I have all day to study the plants at my feet as I walk (saunter as John Muir suggests), I am learning new ones all the time and they stick in my memory because I see them every day.

Well, I have to sign off now and get my pack ready because I will head to the trail at 0700 in the morning. Maybe if I get up early I can make farm fresh eggs before I go. Today I had them for breakfast right out of the coop across from my cabin.

Thanks for following me. Please feel free to tell me about your adventures-AT or otherwise in the comments!

One of the conflict areas where I worked was Liberia-a country largely modeled after the USA. Rural areas suffer from a lack of clean water. As hikers we know how much work it is to collect our liter bottles of water—but imagine that you have to provide water for all uses for your extended family, elders, littles, the disabled and all. This arduous task usually falls to the women of the family. So I am supporting this project in Liberia. I know the groups involved and have met them personally in Liberia. Please read about the project for its interest when you have time. Donating is appreciated but not required. None of the funds go to my hike. Only to help the project get on its feet with an ultimate goal of self-suffficiency. GoFundMe.com/cleanwaterforliberia

Well, I passed mile 300 and had a pretty tough night and next day. It was raining pretty hard in the morning when I started out from the Hemlock Hollow Hostel. Most of the hikers had decided to stick there because of bad weather on the way. It rained early in the morning but as the day wore on the rain let up and the wind dried my clothes. I as feeling pretty good despite the wind and went over Firescald Bald instead of taking the Bad Weather Bypass. That might not have been the wisest decision I have ever made! Between the rock scrambling and the howling winds on unprotected ridges—it was downright scary. The views were stunning though and I did take about two photos on the highest ridge. I was too terrified to linger very long. Luckily, I’m from NC and I definitely want to come back someday in safer weather.

All was going ok until I reached about mile 300 and the torrential downpours started up again. I got completely soaked again, so when I got to Jerry’s Cabin Shelter I threw up my TarpTent Notch in a hurry. Only expecting rain, I did not stake the tent out as much as I should have. Most of us were sleeping peacefully when we thought the rain stopped! LOL, but it had turned to quiet snow and I woke up with lots of condensation in my tent because there was two inches of icy snow weighing down the sides. Fortunately, I had dry clothes to change into but my sleeping gear and tent were soaked.

I got up without eating or filling water bottles and headed down the trail to warm up by hiking. That might be the fastest I have ever hiked! Most of you know I am a very slow hiker. My role model is John Muir who is quoted as suggesting that we “saunter!” But I flew that day and I am not kidding when I tell you that Laurel Hostel at mile 311 was a real lifesaver! Laurel Hostel is just 150 yards off the trail and a lot of us hikers filled the place up, shivering and wet, and grateful to be out of the snow. We got a ride into town to resupply at Walmart and we all ate Mexican food till we thought we would bust!

It was a tough night and day that ended well. The next night was spent in the Natures Inn Hostel where I waited for my son and his family to pick me up for a visit in Knoxville. It was so good to see family and especially my little granddaughter Anna who is now two. As I write this, I’m back at Natures Inn and will get back on the trail tomorrow. I’m eager to get back but today there was a high wind warning and I decided to be cautious.

I think I am still on track to make Trail Days in Damascus and I hope to meet a lot of new and old friends there. Until then, happy trails! Peace is green, Slosh

One of the conflict areas where I worked was Liberia-a country largely modeled after the USA. Rural areas suffer from a lack of clean water. As hikers we know how much work it is to collect our liter bottles of water—but imagine that you have to provide water for all uses for your extended family, elders, littles, the disabled and all. This arduous task usually falls to the women of the family. So I am supporting this project in Liberia. I know the groups involved and have met them personally in Liberia. Please read about the project for its interest when you have time. Donating is appreciated but not required. None of the funds go to my hike. Only to help the project get on its feet with an ultimate goal of self-suffficiency. GoFundMe.com/cleanwaterforliberia

Well, I made to mile 274-ish and the lovely town of Hot Springs. As you can see from the photo, the AT runs right through town with an AT blaze right on the sidewalk. I'm fortunate to stay with my good friend John Watkins who sells native plants in Madison County. He knows more about trees and plants of this are than anybody I know.

There are so many things to write about but I only write when I am in town so I can never cover them all. But I was thinking that some folks haven't started yet and may still be looking for conditioning ideas and I wanted to share some ways to get fit before the trail and stay fit on. My approach is generally functional fitness for life. This is different than athletic competitiveness. Lots of athletes consider injury part of the deal. That's something different than fitness from my perspective. My prime objective is to be fit AND injury-free.

So first, check out Katy Bowman, the biomechanist. She can show how to move and also how to incorporate strengthening movements into daily life. No gym needed. FB: https://www.facebook.com/NutritiousMovement/

Next, there is a great 21-day program that you can get started with- Primal Blueprint. I am a certified coach with this program and I really learned a lot about the Paleo lifestyle that incorporates a high fat low carb diet with functional fitness. Again-no gym needed. https://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-blueprint-21-day-challenge/

Best functional fitness youtube videos are MovNat. In our indoor furniture-bound world we have forgotten how to move in the ways our bodies were designed. https://www.youtube.com/user/MovNat

I'm a big fan of the squat! Put your full weighted pack on and see if you can do a full squat. That's going to do a lot to build trail legs and let you know how you handle your pack weight. Check one of the resources above for proper form for a squat to prevent injury.

Last but not least--cat holes are good for you! Fans of the Squatty Potty know what I am talking about. Squatting is the anatomically correct way to poop folks. Take advantage of this on the trail and say goodbye to the privy!

Well, I hope that gave you some ideas. I look forward to meeting more folks on the trail. Slosh signing off here.

One of the conflict areas where I worked was Liberia-a country largely modeled after the USA. Rural areas suffer from a lack of clean water. As hikers we know how much work it is to collect our liter bottles of water—but imagine that you have to provide water for all uses for your extended family, elders, littles, the disabled and all. This arduous task usually falls to the women of the family. So I am supporting this project in Liberia. I know the groups involved and have met them personally in Liberia. Please read about the project for its interest when you have time. Donating is appreciated but not required. None of the funds go to my hike. Only to help the project get on its feet with an ultimate goal of self-suffficiency. GoFundMe.com/cleanwaterforliberia

Halfway through the Smokies and my thoughts on bears, Gatlinburg and memories...

Well, I was a bit clueless when I got off the trail at Newfound Gap and didn’t realize I was headed into Gatlinburg on the double whammy of Spring Break and Easter Weekend! Reception on the trail was hit and miss and I texted my daughter to find me a place to stay. There wasn’t much left! I haven’t been to the Smokies in about 55 years now but it seems pretty much the same to me as I remember it! Maybe more of the same-candy shops, stuffed bears, t-shirts and chair lifts... My mom and dad brought us to the Smokies camping every August when I was a little girl. I guess that probably planted the seed of mountain love in my little heart way back then. Not that my dad was a primitive camper—we had his old Army tent and Coleman stove and cots and the works. But still it was the mountains and I remember wading in the creeks and playing outside. As for bears, our family album includes a photo of a full size bear with its front paws on the roof of our little Corvair looking for a picnic handout. So the bear issue has been around for a long time.

That said, so far I have had no bear issues. The photo is of cub tracks that I took after heading NOBO from Spence Field. I tracked Mom and the cubs for miles up the trail. One of the advantages of being the slowest person on the trail is that I see a lot of details. I have been hanging my Ursack on the bear cables to be on the safe side although I anticipate no problems. One fellow did lose his Ursack but he had tied it to stump—not a proper way to secure it since the bear can just pull it up and off. Poor bear though. Most likely he can’t get into the Ursack and now he is just mad. There have been some bear sightings near some of the shelters. I can’t wait to get out of the Smokies because I like stealth camping. So far, I have been lucky and all of the shelters have been full. This has enabled me to tent and I have not been forced to sleep in a shelter yet. I try to tent as far from the shelter as I can.

One of the conflict areas where I worked was Liberia-a country largely modeled after the USA. Rural areas suffer from a lack of clean water. As hikers we know how much work it is to collect our liter bottles of water—but imagine that you have to provide water for all uses for your extended family, elders, littles, the disabled and all. This arduous task usually falls to the women of the family. So I am supporting this project in Liberia. I know the groups involved and have met them personally in Liberia. Please read about the project for its interest when you have time. Donating is appreciated but not required. None of the funds go to my hike. Only to help the project get on its feet with an ultimate goal of self-suffficiency. GoFundMe.com/cleanwaterforliberia

The experience of hiking eight hours a day immersed in my own thoughts is overwhelming. I’m not sure where to start writing. There are two major topics I want to write about: trail tips and personal observations. My personal observations might not be of interest to many of you. Some of them might be specific to my own life experiences but I encourage you to spend time on the trail contemplating your own life—experiences, issues, and memories. It is the life of the old time philosophers who just spent the day in contemplation. Modern life is so full of distractions and so we seldom do this. I made a promise to myself—no earbuds on the trail!

Personal observations: What to do with your memories? One thing that has been heavy on my mind is my memories, especially of those who are no longer with us. Reliving these memories have led me to cry sometimes and to laugh sometimes as I travel down the trail. I never felt my own mortality—even now. My career led me to work in several conflict areas voluntarily, to jump out of airplanes for fun, to walk down Hotel St in Honolulu at four in the morning. Never gave much thought to my mortality. What is heavy on my mind is what happens to the memories of those close to me when I pass? Who will remember what my brother was like in high school, if I am gone. Is that a strange thing to worry about? I feel like the keeper of so many memories-my mother, my brother, my sister, my high school sweetheart... who knew them like me? These are thoughts that may surface as you walk the trail immersed in thought.

Things to do while walking down the trail: are you getting bored walking long trail miles that look too similar? If you are like me, you are watching the trail and looking down a lot to be sure you don’t trip over some sneaky rock or root. It might break up the monotony to learn some of the native plants. Some of them are wee gems and you need to be alert to catch sight of them. So the photo here is of the Wild Violet (Viola Odorata). Wild violets are predominately purple but you will see yellow and white also. The flowers and the leaves are edible and high in vitamin C. So pretty to dress up a salad or garnish on a plate. At home, they are probably common in your lawn. Sadly, many internet resources label them as a “weed” to be eradicated.

One of the conflict areas where I worked was Liberia-a country largely modeled after the USA. Rural areas suffer from a lack of clean water. As hikers we know how much work it is to collect our liter bottles of water—but imagine that you have to provide water for all uses for your extended family, elders, littles, the disabled and all. This arduous task usually falls to the women of the family.

So I am supporting this project in Liberia. I know the groups involved and have met them personally in Liberia. Please read about the project for its interest when you have time. Donating is appreciated but not required. None of the funds go to my hike. Only to help the project get on its feet with an ultimate goal of self-suffficiency.

GoFundMe.com/cleanwaterforliberia

Today I am on my second zero at the Aquone Lodge, having come off the trail at Burningtown Gap mile 123.8 because of impending cold weather. With a mix of rain and snow and high gusts of wind— it seemed the prudent thing to do. This is straight up deep winter in the mid-teens for temps and most of us are packed for three-seasons. I can do cold weather with my gear but too many days out in the wet conditions makes staying warm difficult.

I have been trying my best to stay off of social media on the trail with the exception of posting a photo to my FB story about once a day to stay in touch. I am very pleased with the new lightweight inexpensive keyboard that I purchased to pair with my IPhone. This has made it feasible to update my trail journal while at hostels off the trail.

On the trail is where I do all my contemplation and when you walk all day without distractions like podcasts, audiobooks, social media, etc.—thinking is your main activity. Living inside your own head and being aware of your thoughts takes more discipline than you might think. It is very much like meditation only with walking added. The struggle of the trail tends to push negative thoughts and emotions out of the way as you concentrate on staying upright with your pack and hiking poles.

Something that I thought a lot about in recent miles on the trail is my ability to listen to others. While I am aware of active listening and have been to various management course; this is an area that bears further development. My passion for certain topics and my sincere desire to help others with my expertise in those topics makes me vulnerable to jumping into a discussion and adding too much to the conversation. So on the trail I have thought about this a lot and hope to try harder when I come across other hikers. In my next post, I want to talk about functional fitness and low carb high fat fueling on the trail. Maybe it is best to write about my ideas here rather than talking so much. One of the hardest things for me to remember is that no matter how much you want to help others—you can help those who don’t want your help! So more listening and more writing for those who are interested.

Ass for actual on the trail stuff—let me explain the photo. Trail magic is this amazing thing that members of the trail community do for those of us out here on the trail. We call them “trail angels” and we are truly blessed by their generosity both in time and kindness . At Rock Gap, a former thru hiker “Circus” and several of his friends brought us many goodies and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on a grill! They had to carry all the food, the grill, coolers and all sorts of things up the trail to us. Then they even brought tents and spent the night with us. One of us had to return to Franklin to pick up gear and then even drove her to town the next day. The trail community is really a karma-based community. It reminds me so much of my mother who used to say, “ you never miss anything you give away; it comes back to you double.” On the trail, we say “the Trail provides” and we have found that to be true. We share food, gear and support and somehow it all works out.

Signing off for now. In case you are interested, go over to my GoFundMe where I am raising funds for a project to filter water in Liberia. We hikers know how hard it is to carry all your water everyday! It’s a daily reality for many families in rural Liberia. Even if you don’t donate I would be so pleased to have you just read about the project for its interest. GoFundMe.com/cleanwaterforliberia

Pleased to announce that I passed the 100 mile mark a few days ago. Then I headed into the trail town of Franklin, NC. This is a little like walking home as our mountain home in WNC is only one hour’s drive away.

One of the thoughts that occurred to me on the trail was the contemplation of transformation. Many hikers find the thru hike to be transformative. I’m sure that physically that will be true. Also , you will certainly acclimate to much tougher external conditions.

For me, it seems different. Instead of feeling a process of transformation, I feel that the culture and environment of the trail has simply made it possible to be the self I have always been. The trail culture is accepting of your external differences. We are creating direct bonds of interdependence that our small towns and rural communities used to have. We share food, clothing and advice freely -helping each other to succeed. We are working on dropping the chains of competivieness and picking up the habits of collaboration.

Right now I am waiting on a package at the Top of Georgia Hostel in Hiawassee. I was planning to just get out of the rain and take a zero day here and dry off. That first night indoors and a shower makes you feel so good! The next day I catch up on email business and rest up, have a hot meal. If you are in GA or NC--the best restaurant is the Ingles grocery store. Be sure to get a rewards card at the first one you come across-- you will save bucks. One of my favorite features of TOG is that the bunkhouse has a full kitchen and I can cook real food! TOG does a shuttle to the nearby trail town of Hiawassee and I love to just stock up on some real food that I can cook myself.

Walking down the trail gives one a lot of time to reflect; something we seem to have lost in our daily lives. The bright spot over my shoulder in the photo reminds me that I carry my mother's spirit with me everywhere I go. She was an adventurous spirit and an inspiration for all she touched. There are a couple of stories I remember from my childhood that are really resonating with me. There is a good reason why we read "The Little Engine that Could" to our young pups. I have been saying "I think I can, I think I can" all along the trail! the other instructive nursery tale that comes to mind over and over is "The Tortoise and the Hare." My favorite trail maxim is that-- you can do anything if you take enough breaks!"

I just learned that the package I am waiting for is never coming because I sent it to the wrong address. Sad face and it's late for me to start out on the trail. So I will shuttle into town again and get my coconut oil fuel there.

I look forward to your comments and thanks for all your support.