Day 41
Start: Spivey Gap
End: River Rd, Unaka Springs Rd
Miles Hiked: 11.1
Miles on AT: 344.4
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Our second day slackpacking. I was pretty preoccupied and very in my head this morning. I barely saw the trees around me as I hiked past them. Some things had happened that caused me to shut down my YouTube channel for this hike, and I was being inundated with questions and concern. I appreciated the concern and knew my actions would have consequences, but I felt like I was letting a lot of people down by ending the videos. I loved making them and sharing them with friends and family, so the decision to stop wasn’t one I made lightly.
After a phone call with my mom a couple of miles into the day’s hike, some of the pressure was lifted. Fitting along with the theme of not being completely on trail mentally, today’s hike didn’t feel too special. I think slackpacking removed me from the woods a little too much for me to feel really connected to the hike. The best thing about being on a long thru hike is living most of your days in the forest. However, today felt like checking a box or going on a simple day hike, which I guess it was if taken in isolation.
On the bright side, I did see a cool newt that I hadn’t seen before, and I spotted another Red-spotted newt. It was so cute! I got a great picture this time.
At one point in the day, there was a huge downpour, but it only lasted a few minutes. By the time we reached the shelter so I could put on my pack cover and put away my trekking poles, the rain had stopped. I had everything ready to go for rain and then I had to undo it. It was frustrating. I felt like I needed to hurry up and get things going as quickly and efficiently as possible, but I was just stressing myself out.
I took a breath.
There was no need for me to move quickly or hike fast or keep up with some imaginary hiker. I only had a certain number of miles to do today and I had plenty of time. There was absolutely no rush.
For the rest of the day, I decided I was going to move at the pace I liked, no matter how slow it was. Why worry about pace? It didn’t matter. After a few deep breaths, I started walking again, this time unhurriedly.
Not 5 minutes later, I saw it. A bear! The moment only lasted a split second, but as I was peering down at the far end of the trail, a black, furry face with two furry ears appeared. “Bear” was all I could utter before he turned and dashed in the other direction. We hadn’t even gotten a good look at each other.
“Hey, bear!” I called out, deterring him from getting back on the trail even though I knew he was probably still in escape mode. I pulled my camera out just in case I got another glance, but he was long gone. My first bear on the AT!
The rest of the day wasn’t nearly as exciting. I saw a black snake slighter across the trail and Janitor and I enjoyed a bird’s eye view of Erwin, TN, before finishing our final descent. Now, it’s back to our cabin to eat and get ready for our last day of slackpacking.
And that’s day 41.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.