Jesse G Takes A Hike

First day of hiking the Smokey’s. Jesse started the day at mile 165.9 and an elevation of 1853. He reached this shelter around 3:00 and is the first hiker there so he is guaranteed space. He is at mile 177.7 and is at an elevation of 4585.

He is running into rain and from the AT weather app I have it looks like that may continue for a couple of days. He is in good spirits but reports this section is no joke! It’s a pretty steady uphill hike and he still has some uphill to go. Rain makes the trail more treacherous and he reports that he had to hike with all 4’s in areas. The view is amazing but standing too close to the edge is sketchy. He found another fire tower to climb and of course he climbed it. No railing up there and the wind made it sway a bit. He stayed for a bit to take in all the views but was glad to get back down.

No trail angels in this section so he’s eating lots of his prepped foods. Hot sauce goes a long way in making some of those meals more doable.

I (momma) have been following a number of this year’s thru- hikers vlogs on youtube and I have let Jesse know that the .6 mile hike off trail to the Mt. Cramer lookout is one he can not miss. Many hikers are so focused on miles per day that they are not getting the full experience of the trail. Jesse is there to see every bit of it and is looking forward to hitting this spot.

Jesse’s regular phone is still not working other than the camera. He’ll need to look into the issue when he gets out of the Smokey’s. He bought and is using a tracfone in order to keep in touch. Prepaid minutes…another unexpected but necessary expense ….so I bought him 200 minutes before he hit the Smokey’s. He was able to call last night for about 5 minutes before I lost him. We learn to talk fast!

Jesse is so anxious to get to Gailtlinburg so he can send pictures and video back. He says they won’t do the view justice but is excited to share the beauty with everyone. His shoes were soaked so he was going to knock out a few chores and try to gather some dry wood to get a fire going. This shelter has a fireplace in it which is unusual. So,he was hoping to get a good fire going so that he and fellow hikers would have a place to dry their stuff out. He also said he is seeing more green and things starting to bloom.

Jesse met with the grandparents for the last time at mile 165.9 at an elevation of 1853. He said it was kinda sad. If not for Grandma McLaughlin he would have never learned about the AT. Of course he will still be calling and she has 2 more boxes of supplies to send up the trail but contact with all of us will likely be through weekly mail drops.

Fontana Dam Shelter is referred to as “The Hilton”. One of the nicest shelters on the AT. It sits at the foot of the Smoky’s. Lots of room, hot showers and electrical outlets to charge phones and such. The last we spoke it was filling up quick. A father/son duo gave Jesse a ride to see the Dam and other sites. The father was dropping his son off at the point he last stopped on the trail. He is section hiking which means walking the whole thing just not all at once.

Jesse reports there is a cult like group of about 30that he has run into. There is a leader, ranks,etc. Unlike most through hikers this group doesn’t talk much to or help anyone else. He is letting them get ahead of him for the day in hopes he won’t run into them again anytime soon.

Tomorrow begins his week long trek through the Smokies. This section requires permits , hikers HAVE to stay in shelters which are few and far in between and it’s just not warm and welcoming. Jesse is not impressed that through hikers hiking through a National Forest should have such requirements. Also, section hikers can take a bed from a thru hiker if it is overcrowded. Needless to say he’s wanting to get in and out as quickly as possible. This is also the section where he reaches the highest elevation on the trail.

Here is an interesting bit of trivia: A thru-hiker physically experiences the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest 16 times. In the 2,189 miles of the AT a hiker gains and loses 464,464 feet (89 miles). This is NOT a flat trail by any stretch of the imagination. And this section is particularly rough.

Not sure when Jesse will be able to contact me again. It is going to be very hit/miss until Gatlinburg. But,Jesse’s spirits are high and physically he’s doing well. his feet have grown an entire size already and he’s starting to see signs of losing a toe nail but that is to be expected. From our conversations I can see Jesse finding a career that involves nature and hiking. He is in his element and is thriving. We are all very excited for him.

Jesse said the hostel last night was super nice. The owner was really friendly and welcoming. With a dry pack and a good night’s sleep he headed off this morning from mile 150.5 at 3165 in elevation. Weather is much better. He is slowing his pace a bit so he’ll get to Gaitlinburg on the 16th. Service is really iffy so I’m not getting as many phone calls as before. His evening ended at mile marker 159.2 Cable Gap Shelter at an elevation of 2878.

Jesse was able to call home late this morning. Grandparents met up with Jesse at the NOC so he could go through boxes of supplies and replenish his food. They also bought him lunch and brought him a new pair of shoes. He mentioned how happy he is that the grandparents have been such a great support system. Sadly, he will only see them one more time before he is on his own.

The NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) was just a 1 mile hike from where Jesse stayed last night. We talked again before he hit the trail again and while he was talking to me the Vikings came along so they are caught up once again. Jesse’s plan is to stop at Sassafras Gap Shelter at mile 143.8 and an elevation of 4391. That would put him at a day total of 7.9 miles. He bases his day’s hike on where shelters are. The next shelter up would mean another 9.1 miles for a total of 17 miles.

Jesse’s spirits remain high. He said he’s just taking it all in and enjoying the experience. He wants to listen to the stories and soak in the beauty and just BE at every minute. It makes him sad seeing people stressing about their pace instead of just enjoying this once in a life time opportunity.

I was so happy Grandpa sent me a few pictures of Jesse. He’s looking really good! He’s sounding really happy. Jesse told Teresa that this was the perfect cure for his depression.

Jesse is keeping up a good,steady pace. He is definitely gaining his hiking legs. Today ended at mile 135.9 at A. Rufus Morgan Shelter and at an elevation of 2184. That is 15.5 miles for the day. A very respectable pace. He was averaging 9 miles at the beginning of this adventure. Another number that has increased….his shoe size. He’s already gone up a half size. Jesse has learned that some hikers feet grow 2 1/2 sizes during the 6 month trek.

Jesse stopped a shelter ahead of his traimily. The Wizard injured his ankle and is hiking at a slower pace. Hopefully it’s nothing very serious. A new name he’s brought up is 10,000 BC. Apparently the name has something to do with his hat. His trail family is being formed from 3 bubbles of hikers. Jesse is catching up with some hikers that started a week or so before him. Each through hiker is given a number which stays on their pack at all times. Jesse can gauge when hikers started by looking at their number compared to his. The early group faced snow throughout their earlier hike. Jesse’s group being the 2nd bubble. March 20th-22nd is a popular start period. And the 3rd bubble are people who started after Jesse and are walking at a brisker pace.

Jesse is having to talk quickly and then get off his phone so it doesn’t use up all his minutes. I will need to send him some pre-paid calling cards to get him through this stretch. He is so anxious to get video sent back to me and is just not having any luck. He reports that at the beginning he just took in the views. He is on top of the world and the view is breathtaking. As he became more used to the beautiful scenery he started thinking about taking a picture or video.

Jesse’s diet has changed considerably. He is eating a light breakfast and doing a lot of snacking while he is hiking. Then ending the day with a big dinner. So,he’s not going through his premade meals nearly as fast as he had expected. We need to be filling boxes with more snack items like jerky, cheese sticks, snickers,peanut butter crackers,granola mixes,etc.

Jesse’s zero day was much needed. He was able to enjoy a hot shower or two, lots of food, a fun night with friends and most of all his feet were given a well deserved break.

Jesse hopped on the 9:00am shuttle heading back to the trail. He returned to mile 105.6 at an elevation of 3772. The rest did him a lot of good and he was energized and ready to go. He finished the day at 120.4 and at an elevation of 4712. As he goes up in elevation the temperatures are dropping and he’s even seeing some light snow.

His phone has not been working well in the higher elevations. He bought a prepaid trac phone and that is a backup source. Between the 2 he should be able to contact home every day or so.

Jesse has talked often about taking a zero day but he’s passed up a couple opportunities opting to keep hiking. This morning Jesse was able to text and reported that today was the day. He’s in a nice hostel in a town with lots of options and has just decided to rest his legs and feet for the day before facing higher elevations leading to the base of the Smokey Mountains. The next 2 weeks are going to get a bit tough,I believe. A good rest is well deserved and earned. The hostel is $5 cheaper the second day so the grand total for 2 nights ion a comfy bed came to just $35. Can’t beat that!

Jesse is frustrated that he can’t call anyone. He is considering buying a cheap burner phone just so he can call family and friends. I know it’s an expense not in the plans but he looks forward to calling home each day. He is able to text me now but no luck with messenger even today.

Jesse reported that he had a blast last night at the Brewery. This was his first time going to a bar. He said it was weird seeing all the hikers looking and smelling nice.

Several people in his traimily have hopped back on the trail. Tree man, Vikings and Wizard are all heading out tomorrow. Jesse is positive that he will catch up with the others. He has been putting down some decent miles in the past few days as he gains his hiking legs. His plan is to hop the first shuttle back to the trail at 9:00am tomorrow morning.

Jesse woke early and hiked the 3.4 miles to Rock Gap Shelter. Luckily, one of the Hiking Vikings had a phone with better service so Jesse was able to call ahead and reserve a spot at Baltimore Jack’s Place in Franklin,NC. This is a youth hostel that is owned and operated by a former thru-hiker. He reports that he got the last bed. With rain expected as well as a tough uphill section to face in the coming days a lot of hikers were hopping off the trail and looking for a room. Many hikers had no luck.

Baltimore Jack’s has a variety of room set ups. Jesse was lucky enough to get a 2 person room with a private bathroom/shower. His cost was just $20 for the night. He was able to wash and dry his clothes for a total of $4. At 4:30 each day the owner runs a free shuttle to the other side of town and drops hikers off near a Walmart. There are a number of other places to shop and eat in this area including an all you can eat chinese buffet. The shuttle picks up hikers at 6:00 to return to the hostel.

Jesse had really good reception in the morning. However,as soon as the hostels and hotels in the area filled up he was competing with every other hiker taking a break and trying to access the internet, send video and photos back and contacting family. So, the thought that he could easily send back videos while in “civilization” didn’t quite pan out that way. He has been able to use messenger to call and has been able to text message me.

Jesse called home around 5:00 and was working on laundry. He opted to buy a number of items off of McDonald’s $1 menu and pigged out. He reported that his last overnight on the trail his whole traimily had caught up with him. Wizard, Beefy cheese, hiking vikings, flapjack,short blade and the Russian girl.

On the hike to the last stop they encountered a couple trail magic spots. Jesse ate chili dogs for lunch before marching on. Near the spot where he hopped off the trail there was a fire tower. They climbed to the top and could see for miles and miles. They also decided to play a game of bocce ball on the tower. It was the first time playing for money…$1 a person…and Jesse won the game. Pretty proud moment for him since they just taught him how to play and $4 can buy quite a bit at McDonald’s! Once again,he took some amazing pictures and video but is struggling to get the connection to send them. I know he is frustrated by it but we’ll get them eventually.

Last contact for the day Jesse was talking about heading out with his buds to The Lazy Hiker Brewing Company just up the street from the hostel for a couple beers and a pool game or 2.

Cell phone reception has gotten difficult. After numerous attempts to try to get and keep a signal he just gave up. What I did hear from him was that he ended his day at mile 102.2 and at 4528 in elevation. He will be heading into Franklin, NC tomorrow for a much earned zero day.

Jesse was able to get cell phone service for a little bit around 12:30 this afternoon at 5,000 feet in elevation. He is very upbeat today. He was able to load music onto his phone while at Grantparent’s. He said not having music for a week and then having it was a real moral booster. It is helping him while he hikes up the mountains.

Jesse is increasing his pace as he gets his hiker legs. He will be stopping at Carter Gap Shelter tonight which is at mile 93.5 and an elevation of 4528. He will hit his highest point of the day at mile 87.4 which is the summit of Standing Indian Mountain. He is thrilled that tomorrow he will hit another milestone by hitting the 100 mile mark. His first milestone being crossing the border of Georgia and North Carolina. 1 state down, 13 to go!

Jesse will see the grandparents 2 more times before he gets out of their range. The last spot for them to re-up his supplies will be at mile 165.9 at Fontana Dam Shelter. This spot is 1.6 miles from The Great Smokey Mountains. At this point all hikers will need to register for a permit to cross through. To avoid a bottleneck of hikers getting permits at this point, Grandma printed up Jesse’s permit so he’ll be able to sail right through. This is the only section of the AT that hikers need permits for. This section is a much higher elevation and snow is likely. The highest point on the AT is in this stretch with Clingmans Dome at 6,000 feet. Jesse reports that there is a spot along this stretch that has a fire tower. He plans on climbing it. The view, he was told, is spectacular. He is hoping to get through this section in 5 days.

Today has been great weather for him. He reports it’s around 70 degrees and he is sporting shorts. He is booking right along hoping to get to a decent shelter before rain hits Saturday night. He has yet to take a zero day although he’s talked about it several times.

Jesse absolutely loves meeting people on the trail. Jesse has always been pretty introverted and shy but this experience is really bringing him out of his shell. He said he is running into people from all different backgrounds, nationalities, socio-economic status and from all occupational ranges. He said he is talking to people he would likely never talk to in “the real world”. He said he finds common interest with everyone. The barriers are down and they are all attached by this shared adventure. He is witnessing the true love,compassion and passion in people’s souls. Hikers are away from all the stress and noise that we all experience daily.

Jesse is still having difficulty sending videos back but pictures seem to be going ok. He is super anxious to get to a spot where he can get the videos to me. He said the videos and pictures don’t do the beauty justice. Jesse is having the absolute best time of his life!