Rescue on the mountain.

The mountains can teach a person. The lessons can come hard and easy. Occasionally, the lessons are life threatening. That's the kind of lesson three men experienced the other night on top of Thunderhead Mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

-Thru hikers, section hikers, and park rangers on horseback the next morning updating each other on what was happening with the trio.

I was fast asleep in Spence Field Shelter. I was uncomfortably huddled close to the wall due to a leak in the roof that splashed next to my head. Around four in the morning the rain had slowed and the leak was no more. I awoke and noticing this I decided to take advantage of it and stretch my cramped legs. As soon as I had finished my stretches a very wet and cold man burst into the shelter and announced,

" Hello?! Is anyone awake? Please. My dad is hypothermic from the cold and stuck on the mountain!"

Being already awake and knowing the dangers of hypothermia I immediately jumped up and grabbed my backpack. I dumped everything on the floor and started grabbing everything that I could spare to help a person with hypothermia. I grabbed my Mylar emergency blanket, my thick down snow jacket, and a packet of hand warmers. I put my windbreaker, down vest, and poncho on. As soon as I had jumped to act another thru hiker and three section hiking college kids followed my lead. Someone asked if anybody had a jetboil so I threw mine into my pack. I donned my pack and quickly asked the man what his dad's name was. 

He replied, "Brad". 

I turned and headed out of the shelter. When I got outside the fog was so thick that I couldn't see the end of my trekking pole if I stuck it out straight. During the .2 miles of side trail to the AT I played with the high, low, and off settings of my headlamp trying to determine which was best in this fog, it was low. As I hiked the next few miles I was stepping in puddles almost shin deep. Thousands of thoughts were running through my head at this time. From the effects and dangers and cures of hypothermia to whether or not it was stupid of me to head out alone. But I'm a thru-hiker and as such I'm prepared for all the conditions because I WILL face them all. So mentally reassuring myself I hiked on a little bit faster. Just as I was thinking that there was no chance of finding him I turn a corner and see gear spread out everywhere and a red sleeping bag on the ground. The sleeping bag had a sleeping pad and a person in it, except the pad was on top of the person instead of underneath. 

I approach the bag and say loudly "Brad!". The man wakes up and starts crying tears of joy at seeing my headlamp shine into his face.

"Are you Brad?" 

"No. My names Jason. Brad is my father in-law. I'm so happy to see you. I thought I was going to die out here." 

"Well its okay Jason your brother in-law made it to the shelter and sent me and some other hikers out here to help you and your father in-law. I'm here to help."

In the next five minutes I took off his soaking wet cotton jacket and replaced it with my thick down jacket. I also wrapped him up in a mylar emergency blanket and cracked open some handwarmer packets and told him to stick one between his legs and under his armpit. As I got out my Jetboil to try and get some hot tea going two other hikers from the shelter approached me and Jason. I informed them of who this was and that the father was still out there somewhere, probably in a worse condition. They pushed on together to find the father. Just after they left two more hikers showed up this time it was a thru hiker with an EMT background named Frye as well as a section hiker coming to help. The section hiker pushed on to help his friends find the father and me and Frye stayed to assist Jason. We discovered he had fallen on his knee and it was pretty badly swollen. On top of that he was diabetic. So we warmed up some hot tea and had him drink it slowly. During this time he was in quite a traumatic state explaining he had a 5 month old son whom he thought he wasn't going to see again. After we warmed him up we grabbed his diabetes medication out of his pack and had him put one arm over each of us. We wanted to get him moving as fast as possible for three reasons. One, we were on an exposed ridgeline. Two, we wanted to get him to shelter and warmth as fast as we safely could. Three, once he started moving his body that and adrenaline would naturally warm him or at least give him a mental advantage. The next hour or so we made very slow progress over the rough terrain that is the Appalachian Trail in the smokies, the puddles were about shin deep and the fog was still very thick. By the time we made it to the shelter we found it was about 7 o clock in the morning. 

After we made it to the shelter I immediately started making him a hot dinner, Chicken Fried Rice. The other people in the shelter had hot chocolate going for all the rescue hikers and the hypothermic ones as well. Tric had been on the phone with 911 and the ranger station down in Cade's Cove and was organizing the search effort as best she could with the limited amount of working phones that we had. The rangers were coming in on horseback and we were told they would be getting here at 9:30 am. While waiting, one of the hikers came back with word of the father. The first two hikers had past him without seeing him and went to the next shelter and were warming up there. The solo and last hiker discovered him and did everything he could to warm him up but with no real tools or experience he did the best he could then came back with the information so we could do more. At this time some thru hikers starting their day came to the shelter and Frye asked them if on their way north they could keep an eye out for the father. They agreed. 

Over the next few hours we had to keep Jason awake and warm; he was shivering non stop hours after the incident. The other thru hikers found the father, as did one of our hikers coming back this way from the other shelter. The father was in no condition to be moved so they kept him warm right there on the ridge until the rangers arrival. The rangers arrived at about 1 o clock. When they did they had already got the complete story as it happened through Tric and were up to date on the situation. They were very professional and a great man and woman. Jason was taken out of the backcountry on horseback, the brother in-law hiked out with them, the father was evacuated out with a helicopter.

Knox news article.

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What can we learn from this?

Plan your hike.

          Research weather. Research terrain. Underestimate the amount of miles your going to do everyday. Once you do enough planning, coordinate your gear accordingly. Take rain gear and a shelter, even if regulations say you can't tent. Bring one for emergencies.

Get the right gear.

          These guys had a 30-40 degree sleeping bag, no shelter, all cotton clothes, seven bottles of iodine, no tent. PLEASE plan accordingly, if you don't know, call the park service and ask! Your local outfitter would be glad to help! No Cottons!!!

Don't plan to accomplish more than your ready for.

           For two of these guys this was their first or second hike. They bit off a lot more than they could chew.

Be safe while hiking in the backcountry.

           They chose to skip a shelter with nightfall coming and an intense thunderstorm. They were also hiking onto a ridge. I know VERY experienced mountaineers who would not make the call to push on that night. Bad choice.

Help can be a LONG way away.

           They were very lucky it was peak hiker season. Lots of us experienced hikers were there to help. Had we not been they would have been waiting it out alone for about 10-15 hours until the rangers got there. IF they were notified at all. Also, us thru-hikers are living very specifically out of our gear and food bags. Because I made him dinner, I was a dinner short for the week. Because I hiked in those crazy puddles I need new shoes. I took the chance of my nicest warm layer being ruined by offering it to him. I'm happy to do this, but for another hiker to offer so much is really, really hard to do.

One way to check a hikers backpack for a flight.

Checking a backpack for a flight can be a scary thing. Your home for your upcoming hike is all inside that pack. Not to mention awkward items like trekking poles, hip belts, etc.. Loose straps and webbing can get caught inside conveyor belts and if your backpack is lost or damaged it is even worse for you than it is for a normal passenger. 

When you fly you want to leave any canister fuel or denatured alcohol at home and get it at your destination or mail it to yourself. You could put your backpack in a duffle you don't mind throwing away or mailing home. *Don't discard your duffle in the airport!! It will create a huge security risk for the airport!

OR...

Do this easy but very low class style of checking a backpack:

Make a disposable garbage bag suitcase!

How to:

1) Obtain one of those wonderfully durable and cheap IKEA bags. Or one like it. 

2) Stuff your backpack in the ikea bag and tie the handles.

3) Then stuff the bag into a trash bag and tie the top of it.

4) Double bag it for security. Repeat step 3. 

5) Find a strong packing tape. I recommend filament type (the kind with the string in it that resists breakage). Tape securely.

6) Make handles with the tape wherever desired!

Voila! Disposable durable suitcase!! 

Optional Step: Ignore all the weird looks "fancy" people give you in the airport. 

Ron Haven and The Budget Inn

The following is my opinion based on personal experience:

Ron Haven...

Owner of the budget inn in Hiawassee, GA and Franklin, NC.

Ex wrestler. 

Ex? Macon county commissioner.

We were trying to find our way to the budget inn from the microtel we were staying at. So we walk to the nearby three Eagles outfitters to ask them about shuttles around town. As soon as we ask, the budget inn shuttle pulls up to the parking lot. So at this point we are thinking "great!". We hop on the shuttle and say hello to the driver which turns out to be Ron Haven. We sit down and before we drive off he asks us if we are staying in town. We reply yes. He says "are you stayig with the budget inn?" And we honestly reply "no we are staying with the Microtel but we have packages at the budget inn." And he immediately says "well than you can get off." I ask him if we can pay for a shuttle to the budget inn so that ghost and nine can get their re supply boxes that were shipped there. He says "no." So we had to walk two miles to get to our re supply boxes.

Now this guy has "trail angel" painted on his van. As well as a sign that says "free hiker shuttle". Also, his van is the same exact van the local public transportation uses, and after asking locals they tell us that the city gives him things like that van to help hikers and get them to and from town. 

A trail angel is an angel. They help hikers when their needed most and never for their own gain. They are amazing men and women that build the community on the trail into what it is.

Now let's examine the services he offers:

Our hiawassee budget inn room had a cold shower, a tv with only 2 buttons (volume up and channel down), dirty sheets and chairs. And our room was missing light bulbs (because apparently "people use them for drugs" according to the house maid) Cost-$55 ("rates vary")

Much the same room if not worse offered in Franklin. All of their rooms have a history of bedbugs according to everybody I asked. Last year at the Franklin Budget Inn my roommate and I were so worried about getting bedbugs there, we covered the beds with our tarps. Cost-$55 ("rates vary").

Microtel: 

Free continental breakfast (x2 if you check in early enough). Hot clean showers. Clean rooms. Clean sheets. Good tv and channels. Professional staff. Cost-$66

My advice:

Do not patron Ron Haven or the budget inn. You will not be helping anyone and will most likely have a bad experience.

Macon county does a three dollar shuttle that runs around Franklin and winding stair gap all day.

In hiawassee stay with either the top o Georgia hostel, or the holiday inn.

In Franklin stay with the Microtel.

Sorry Ron, but you should treat all hikers (and people) with respect. Not just the ones filling your wallet.

Need to know "Hiker Terms"

Hey there!

     I realized that sometimes I mention things that only those with some knowledge of the hiking community will understand. So, this post is to teach and clear up any questions about any terms used on the trail!

• Trail Magic: When somebody intentionally goes out of their way to help out hikers. This sometimes comes in the form of a simple cooler with beer or sodas, or an all out tailgating and grilling party at trailheads.

• Trail Angel: Someone who goes out of their way to provide help to hikers. Whether it be trail magic, shuttles, etc. These people make the trail the wonderful place it is and would not be the same without them.

• Trail Vision: When a hiker is staring at the trail while hiking and not seeing anything else. Either trying to avoid stumbling on roots and rocks, or just "zoned" out. Many times to see views or wild life around you, you have to stop and look so you don't slip and fall on some of the many rocks or roots.

• Yogi'ing: When a hiker is good at "letting" strangers offer them services without actually asking them.

• Blaze: A rectangle marker on trees and rocks and sometimes sidewalks that marks the path of the trail. The AT famously uses white blazes, blue blazes will mark paths to water or sometimes just side trails.

• Cairns: Stacks of rocks used to mark the trail in place of blazes when there are no trees or rocks.

• Yellow Blazing: When a hiker uses a vehicle to gain progress on the trail. the name refers to the dotted yellow line in the road. (Most frown upon this in a long distance trail, as you are skipping trail).

• Section Hiker: Someone who's goal is to hike the entirety of a long distance trail in sections. Whether it be 2 day or 2 week or 2 month sections it doesn't matter. Eventually after years, the trail will be done for them.

• Cowboy Camping: When you camp with only your sleeping bag and pad laid out on the ground under the stars, no tent or tarp.

• Switchback: A trail design that allows for a less steep and more gradually ascending trail. It will cut back and forth across a mountain until it reaches the top, rather than going straight up. This design helps prevent water from eroding the mountain away and leave no trace practice prohibits cutting through them.

• Zero Day or just "Zero": A day that no miles on trail are hiked at all, sometimes people spend them in shelters but mostly they spend them in towns relaxing.

• Nero Day or just "Nero": A day in which "nearly zero" miles are hiked on the trail, usually under five.

There are many more terms used on the trail and I may add some more of them but these are the basics that you should know!

Frequently Asked Questions about long distance hiking.

I get asked all manner of things when I mention I'm about to do a roughly 6 month long hike in the woods. Thought I would answer some of them here so that everyone is more informed!


Are you bringing a gun!?
No. Unnecessary, and you'll scare other hikers. Pretty safe out there, if you want protection bring mace/bear spray, a knife, or a hiking partner.

Sooo, are you like.. Sleeping outside?
Yes. lol. I currently use the Lightheart gear solo shelter, but sometimes i use my Hennessy Hammock. There are also "shelters" built all along the trail that are essentially three sided structures with a wooden sleeping platform. I want to avoid sleeping in these because the mice congregate inside of them. Although about once a week or 2 weeks I will be staying in a wonderfully run down motel or hostel.

Lightheart Gear Solo Shelter

Trail shelter, They vary greatly.

How do you carry food and water?
Every 5 days to a week I will stop into trail towns by either walking in, shuttling, or hitchhiking. There I will re-supply with everything I need for another 5 days to a week on the trail. As for water, I will gather it from streams and lakes and filter it with my water filter. Nothing better than that fresh mountain spring water! Still cold from the mountain too!

How many miles will you be hiking a day?
I hiked 10-20 miles a day last year. This year I'm hoping to hike 15-25 miles a day.

How safe is it?
It is actually quite safe. If you look at the statistics your more likely to be harmed in any city than on the Appalachian Trail. Now.. There ARE dangers, and they shouldn't be taken lightly. You should know the conditions your facing and prepare for them. I would say weather is easily the most dangerous. Next would be personal accidents: falling, tripping, etc. Know what makes you feel safe and will get you through safely and bring it. This just takes practice.

Each shelter has journals and the community on the trail is quite active so if you get a creepy character everyone usually knows about them pretty quickly. Hikers look out for each other.

Any other questions? Let me know!