Day 57 Mile 647

Pretty typical routine. This day was spent bumping along the NC/TN border.

5:45 am – Early dawn awaken

5:50 – Fetch food bag from bear hang

6:00 – Instant coffee into water bottle. Eat energy bar for 250-300 calories.

6:00 – 6:45 – Pack gear into dry bags and load backpack. Drink water.

6:50 – Footbeds back into semi-dry shoes. Lace them up.

7:00 – Look for anything that might be left behind – Head north on trail

8:00 – Snack 1 – Don’t break stride. 250 calories. Coffee bottle goes back and forth, relay style.

9:30 – Snack 2 – Don’t break stride. 250 calories

11:00 – Snack 3 – 400 calories. Remove pack. Sit/stand/lay/stretch. Refill .5 liter carry bottles from 2 liter reserve.

11:20 – Resume hike. Drink water on the go.

1:00 – Snack 4 – Don’t break stride. 250 calories.

2:45 – Arrive shelter (15.5 miles).

3:00 – 4:30 – Unload packs. Fetch and filter water (6 liters). Set up camp.

5:00 – Dinner 400 – 500 calories.

5:30 – Relax. Get ready for bed.

6:00 – Retire.

The summit of Mt Cammerer and the old fire tower was serene and special on this particular day.

Between rain showers

Mt Cammerer fire tower taken from a helicopter or something

Some young laddy back in the day…

And another more recently. 🙂

Typically, we don’t “blue blaze”, meaning take a side trail, figuring 2,000+ miles on the AT is enough. But we took a wrong turn. Up this:

And this:

The simplicity of living out of a 25 +\- backpack with the same routine, clothes, etc while making do to minimize trash (that we have to carry out) & waste is really refreshing. It forces resourcefulness, like this “spigot” left by some thirsty backpacker.

The experience reinforces how we use much more than we need everyday, and makes us consider how we’ll pare down when we return…