Foothills Trail (Day 4-5)

Day 4 After waking up around 6am, I eat an oatmeal breakfast, feed Charlie, grudgingly change out of my warm sleep clothes, pack up a wet camp, and hit the trail around 8:am (in the rain.) Since we did most of the climbing already, our first 2 miles are nice and flat on a wide road bed trail. We pull into Bearcamp creek, near Hilliard Falls and see that JERMM and Don are still asleep, so we continue on, crossing several small wooden bridges over small streams.

The rain lets up as the trial starts to descend steeply, I mean really steep! We climb down a 20ft wet wooden staircase, embedded in earth. Seriously, this is like a steep ladder and I go super slow so I don't slip and tumble down. Charlie does amazing during this section. He actually preferrs to hike off the stairs and on the dirt, so he's next to me. We finally get down to Horsepasture river and take a quick break befor crossing the 115ft wooden bridge. We climb steeply up out of the ravine and continue down the trail, crossing several more large bridges. Around the 8th mile, my stomach really started grumbling. For some reason, I've been ravenously hungry all day. I eat a granola bar every hour on the hour, but can't seem to satiate my hunger. I'm worried I'll eat all my food for the rest of the trip. I decide I need to stop soon. Just as I get to a turn off near an iron pipe gate, JERMM comes up from behind and tells me she has plans to stop for lunch at Bear Creek campsite. I decide to hike with her to camp and take a much needed lunch break. As we enter the campsite, we see a tree trunk littered with hundreds of butterflies. I take a picture and as we move into the campsite the butterflies start swirling around us. I felt like I was in some magical movie! We find a nice log to rest on and Charlie finds the stream. He takes a quick splash while we eat lunch then comes and sits by me and naps the rest of the time. Don finally rolls in and pulls out a ziploc bag of pickles. He says pickles are his favorite trail food. Ok... to each his own. What shocked me was that fact that he carried these pickles for 4 days, in a ziploc bag, full of hot pickle juice (belch) Oh man... just the thought of that ziploc breaking all over my gear and having that putrid smell all in my stuff made me gag. But hey, everyone needs their trail luxury item. For some it's a pillow, for others it's, evidently, 4 day old pickles. After a nice laugh at Don's expense, I filter some water for the next climb and then Charlie and I are off.

During lunch I looked over my Foothills book and read that Canebrake, the lake Jocassee boat access was 5 miles away. It would mean a 13 mile day, but I thought very doable. We just had one climb, then the last 3 miles was down hill. So we pushed on. During this climb, there were several times the trail crossed a dirt road and it got really confusing. I had to bust out the guide book to make sure I was turning the right way. It was like a spaghetti bowl of trail intersections. I even almost stepped on a snake! He was curled up on the trail, trying to sun itself, when I spotted it out of the corner of my eye. My next step would of been right on it. All I know is that it was a brown, beige snake that barely moved as I jumped around it. Not sure of the variety, but I'll say copperhead. It's the right color and makes the story sound more adventurous. haha! I finally weave my way though the crazy trail and get to a section that has alot of big boulders in the middle of the trail. Well, as a human, I can pretty much contort myself through a maze of rocks. My poor doggie can't. You see we came to an impass of sorts. There were two big boulders that I could squeeze my feet and legs through. But it was too narrow for Charlie and his pack to squeeze through and too high for him to jump. Also, one side of the trail went straight down and the other side was the boulder. After I passed through, I was going to take my pack off and then take Charlies pack off for him to squeeze through. Well, when I turned around, I saw Charlie attempt to ram through the rocks. He backed up and attempted to ram thru again a couple more times. I laughed so hard, pulled out my camera and snapped a few more attempts. Just before I go to help him out, he wriggles his body so he's leaning on one boulder and walking on the rocks sideways. He slowly pushes his pack and himself through the rocks. Then he looks at me, wagging his tail like nothing happened. I just laughed and gave him the biggest hug. I love that silly dog. We continue on and stop at a stream about a mile away to load up our 6 liters of water.

We finally make it down to the lake around 5:45pm and I am exhausted, hungry, and filthy. Guess what... there is no good place for a campsite. One side is a steep climb up and the other is the water. I almost cry b/c my feet are feeling the 13 miles. After a quick rest, we decide to hike one 1 more mile to the designated campsite on the otherside of the lake. Just as I climb over a little hill, I see the sweet stealthyish campsite. It's on a wooded peninsula jetting out into the lake. We walk off trail and find the perfect spot to camp. As soon as I unfold the poncho liner, Charlie climbs on and lays down for the night. He is out! Poor little buddy. I suppose today was a long and tough day. I lay down for a few minutes, then change clothes and air out my wet gear. As I wander off to hang my bear bag rope, I find a nice size stream and dip my aching feet in for a few minutes. I decide to do some much needed laundry, so I go back, grab my hiking clothes and convince Charlie to walk back to the stream with me. As soon as we reach the stream, he plops down in the middle of it and lapps up water. I rinse out my clothes while my feet luxuriate in the cold stream. We head back and Charlie plops back down on his blanket and I hang all my clothes on every branch, rope, tree I see. It's a warm night and the slight lake breeze feels amazing. I snap a picture of my hobo homestead and start boiling some water for dinner. I'm having maxpatch mac -n-cheese tonight with 2 chocolate bars. I'm still ravenous after dinner, so I have a breakfast granola bar and hope I won't run out of food on this trip. After dinner, dessert, second dessert and two liters of water, I lay down with Charlie and flip through my next days itenirary. As I'm reading the mile markers section, it dawns on me that Charlie and I have passed the halfway point! I let the wave of elation wash over me as I let a huge grin spread on my face and hug the crap out of Charlie. He doesn't seem to understand my excitement as he lays there, thumping his tail, taking the hugs, and listening to me coo, over and over again, in my doggie mom voice (really baby talk voice) that we are over half done and that I am so proud of him. Then it hits me. We can do this. I can do this. Though I feel fatigued from the day, I still feel good, strong, healthy. I can finish this trail. I let myself briefly think of Table Rock and it feels awesome. I love today. For the first time, I truly feel like I can finish this trail. We go to sleep tonight to the sound of bass fish piercing the surface of the lake.

Day 5 I wake up renewed, revised, refreshed, reenergized, and happy. I know we have a tough climb today. We have a section called "heart break ridge", but I am ready. We pack up a dry camp, eat breakfast, and around 7:50am we step foot back on the trail. In a mile we cross over a 65ft bridge and pass the designated campsite where Don and JERMM are still sleeping. So we continue the lake side trail for another 1/2 mile before we turn away from the lake and begin our days strenous climb. We literally have to climb 5 sets of steep staircase. As I climb up the first one, I realize why it's called heart break ridge. My heart is pumping so hard I feel like it's going to fly out my chest! Not to mention it's hot and muggy out already. I get to a wooden bench and take a quick break. Then we start climbing again. We climb 5 sets of steep ladder staircases to get to a steep roadbed trail. We finally make it to the ridge and start a nice rolling section. We cross 35 footbridge near a designated campsite, hop back on a roadbed trail, and that's when the sky opens up. I stop to get my rain jacket out and soon we are walking with rain pelting down on us. Poor Charlie gets soaked thru, but he's still wagging his tail. He is such a great hiking/backpacking dog. I don't put him on a leash, b/c I don't need to. He hikes directly behind me and when I stop, he stops. I couldn't ask for a better outdoor dog. I hope he was enjoying the trip as much as I was.

The rain finally lets up and we continue with a gradual climb on an old logging road trail. We stop for a quick lunch at the Laurel Fork boat access spur trail intersection. I rehydrate another blackbean salad burrito and scarf it down. By now I am hungry all day long. I need to remember to readjust my food supply the next time I do a long distance trail. After 20 mins. we pack back up and continue up the trail. For the next four miles, we cross over several large wooden bridges til we reach Laurel Fork Creek. Where we stop to filter some water and relax a bit. Here, we meet a westbounder. You see, I am hiking the Foothills trail from west to east, so I am an eastbounder. Anyways, he just started a couple of days ago from Table Rock. We chit chat and exchange info on trail details. He says I have a rough climb to look forward to at Sassafras Mountain. He pets Charlie and tells me he wishes he had brought his black lab. He was lonely. I wish him good luck and he tells me the same, then we part ways.

Soon Charlie and I start to climb and we see signs for Virginia Hawkins waterfall. We get to the overlook and I snap a few photos. I hop back on the trail and that's when I see them. Stairs... stairs that go on forever. I'm tired from already having hiked 10 miles, so I stop, take off my pack, eat a granola bar, and pull out my Foothills trail book while Charlie lays down for a rest. I read that I have 100 stairs to climb to get to the top of the falls. After a 10 min. rest, we start climbing. About mid way up is a nice wooden bench, I take advantage of it and rest for a second. Then I fnish off the stairs and enter a thick rhododendrum tunnel. I climb through the rhody trail and pray that all my climbing is over. It's been a pretty long, rainy, exhausting, hunger pang day. I'm looking forward to changing into some dry warm clothes, eating a hot dinner and relaxing in my hammock. We finally reach the top of the mountain, cross a gravel road and start descending. About a mile later I cross a wooden bridge and see the designated campsite. It's huge and really open. I look at Charlie and say no, not here buddy. I hike down past the stream and start the small climb up the other side and that's when I see it. A stealthy campsite. We walk 10 yards off the trail and I take off my pack and take Charlie's pack off of him. I pull out the poncho liner and we both spread out and lay there for a few minutes. My grumbling stomach urges me to finish camp chores so we can eat dinner. I look at my watch, it's only 4:30pm, too early for dinner. So I eat another granola bar and start putting up my tarp and hammock. Then, I change out of my grimey clothes, give myself a good wet wipe bath and put on my warm comfy camp clothes. I feel 80% better. My feet still ache in my red croc wannabe's so I decide to reward myself with a nice cool foot bath in the stream, but only AFTER I hang my bear bag rope and I filter our 6 liters. So off I go to bear bag. I've been pretty lucky in my bear bagging this trip. I usually make it in the first couple of tosses. I coax Charlie into coming down to the stream with me and he slowly gets up. I see it's been a tough hike for him too. I make a mental note to give him an extra few minutes on his nightly rub down/massage.

I get to the stream, ease my feet in and feel the cool water envelope them while the pain slips away. ahhh.... Charlie climbs in the stream and lays down lapping up water. I start filtering and get to 3 liters when JERMM and Don roll through. I chit chat a bit before they take off for another mile or so to their campsite. After they leave, I go back to filtering and almost get another liter in, when the sky opens up and rain comes pouring down. Charlie and I bolt back to our campsite and sit under our tarp, watching the rain stream down. I eat dinner under the tarp, (Enertia El Capitan Chili) and when there's a lull in the rain, I quickly bear bag the food. For the rest of the night, I hang out with Charlie on his blanket, keeping him company. Around 8pm I slip into my hammock for the night. It's still raining and the winds have picked up, but we are in a nice protected valley like area so I mainly hear the wind. I read my next days itenirary and slowly doze in and out of sleep while the rain beats down on my tarp. I try calling Boo from my celly (I've had no service the entire trip) I get through and that's when I find out the storm I'm in is really a tornado! I also get a text from Kellye and an email from Hemlock. Both are worried about me in this weather. I sent out mgs letting them know I was safe and then shut off my phone and went to sleep.

Around 11pm, the thunder started rolling, crackeling, almost growling and clapping. Then the lightning came and iluminated the entire area every few seconds. The wind was howling and the rain came down in buckets. I heard Charlie stirring about, so I stuck my hand out from my hammock to pet him. He poked his snout into my hammock as if to check on me then he sat there, making sure he was touching my hand. We stayed awake for the next 2 hours, with the weather getting worse. Finally, around 4am, it let up a bit and I was able to fall back asleep. What a crazy night. Thank goodness for my OES tarp. We stayed warm and dry.

Lost in Latta

Seven Dames (Kimber, Linda, Marie, Wendy, Beth, Nina, and me) met up at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve at 8am on Sunday May 22, 2011. Actually, Linda showed up on Saturday too. I suppose she really really wanted to hike this trail (wink, wink hahaha!) Sorry Linda, but I have to tell the story. She thought the hike was on Saturday. So she showed up, waited and waited, and finally decided that since she was already there, she might as well hike the park. It wasn't til she got home that she realized the hike was on Sunday. But to her credit, she came back out this Sunday morning and hiked some more! Now that's a Dame!

After hellos and a quick briefing on what trails we were going to hike, we started out on our 3 mile hike. The plan was to hike the Hill trail to Split Rock trail and if we felt up to it, hop on the Cove trail for an extra mile.

Well, everything started out as planned. By 8:15am we were

taking off up the orange marked Hill trail. It was an open gravely

road with a steady gradual climb up to our turn off onto the red Split Rock trail. The Split Rock Trail was a nice rolling section of trail that weaved in and out of the forest. We were making good time and decided we all felt we could add another mile, so we turned off on the green Cove trail. Well, we walked and walked and some how we missed our turn off.

We climbed a bit and realized we were almost in a residential area, so we doubled back and walked down towards the lake. We came to an intersection that split off into 4 paths, but none of them were marked. I checked and double checked the map for our location and guessed at which was the best trail to take. The trail led us to the lake, where we took a nice water break and my chocolate lab got a good swim in before we decided to turn back around and find our lost trail.

After a .33 miles, we found our trail intersection and a nice picnic table to take a quick water break. Soon, we were chatting down the trail and that's when we ran into the the ranger that was collecting trash along the trail. We stopped to talk to him for a bit and when he asked us if we had any issues with the trail system or map, that's when Linda let it rip. haha! She told him about the bad trail markings and the lack of markers at the confusing intersection. We all laughed and cheered her on. The ranger actually took our suggestions seriously and let us know they were working on updating the park with new and correct mileage markers. We thanked him for his time and off we hiked. When we got back to the parking lot, Linda, who was wearing her pedometer, informed us we all actually hiked 5.3 miles. 5 miles!! I was so proud of all the Dames!! To reward ourselves, we drove down to the local Mickey D's for a cool drink.

Landsford Canal Hike

Eight Trail Dames made it out Landsford Canal State Park in South Carolina!


Six of us met up to carpool (Beth, Kelly, Kimber, Nina, Deirdre, and me), while two (Chris and Mara) met us at the park. We drove down to Landsford Canal State Park to catch a glimpse of the infamous spider lilies that only seem to bloom this time of year. It was a quick 30 minute drive and a $2 entrance fee each, but we all agreed, it was worth the price of admission.



As we climb out of our cars, we exchange hellos and catch up with each other. I notice
Chris' new day hiking pack and her weight loss. I am so proud of her. She looks great and her new pack makes her legit day hiker! haha! Seriously, her pack was so cute. Kelly and I helped her fill it with water, showed her how it worked, and explained where the hose goes.


We saw a lot of kayakers getting ready to enjoy the spider lilies up close and personal. You see, these little hardy flowers only grow on rocky shoals of a river and the Catawba River is one of the largest growing sites. The flowers are
literally growing on boulders in the middle of
the river!


After gawking at the kayakers, we found a nice park ranger that was willing to take our photos in exchange for our beautiful smiles. So we took our "beginning of the hike" picture, then we took a silly Dame photo before finally hopping on the trail. Chatting away, it amazes me how easily we all fall into conversations with one another. We have an awesome group of ladies and I got a chance to talk to each and every one of them.



The trail itself was a nice and easy, well maintained path that was very well marked. We started along the river then turn right into the forest and walked along the canal path. We learned that the early settlers made these man made canals through the forest to keep themselves out of sight and safe. We stopped to read all the historical signs and after a mile we reached the viewing platform for the spider lilies.


After taking lots of photos, and a water break, we continued on a nice easy trail for another 1/2 mile up to the stone bridge and official historical Indian trade post sight. I snapped a couple of photos of the Dames on the bridge, then we hiked back to the lily platform one last time.


It started to sprinkle so I mentioned that maybe Kelly's trail name should be Rainmaker. Cause it seems that each time I've hiked with her, it seems to rain. haha! We finally get back to the cars and that's when Nina surprises us. She pulls out a tupperware full of fresh strawberries to share! They tasted so yummy after our hike. Thank you Nina! That was so thoughtful. We say goodbye to Chris and Mara and then the rest of us hop back into my car and head back home. As soon as we pull out of the state park, it starts to rain and we all look at Kelly and laugh. haha! At least it didn't rain on our hike! This was a great hike with a great group. Looking forward to our next adventure Trail Dames.

Reedy Creek Hike

Nine Dames made it out on a beautiful mothers day morning for a 3 mile hike. (Nina, Lori, Kimber, Chelsea, Diana, Dolores, Kathy, and me.) We all met up at the nature center where we chatted a bit before trail maps were passed around. AFter taking the "before" picture, we headed down past the nature center and started our hike on the yellow Umbrella Tree Trail. We hiked in around .33 miles before Diana decided to take the short cut trail to meet us at the Robinson Rock house. We all continued the next mile on the blue Big Oak trail. Everyone seemed

to be chatting away and hiking around the same pace, Which was great, because I was able to talk to each Dame :)

We finally reach the intersection at the Umbrella Tree trail, where we stop and I ask Nina which way we should go. She checks out her map and decides we need to turn right. Perfect! She and Dolores keep the lead adn pace going for the hike for anotehr .33 miles beforewe come to the next intersection. Agian the ladeis consult the map and keep us going in the right direction.

We take a right and stop to admire a big tree that Dolores points out before we contine another .33 miles on the red South Fork trail. We finally run into the orange Robinson Rockhouse trail, hang a rightr and continue for another .33 miles down to the rock ruins. Dolores was the first to notice the sweet aroma that a honeysuckle makes and I made sure everyone else caught a whiff of that sweet scent lingering in the air. A few feet later, we passed by the honeysuckle plant and I was so tempted to pluck a flower and taste the nector. But alas, we were in the county park and were not allowed to pluck, pull, or pick any flower, fauna, or tree. So I took a deep breathe and

settled for the sweet aroma in the air :)

I love this section of hte trail, not only becuase it's beautiful, but because when you near the end, you round a bend in the trail, then all of the sudden, you stumble upon the rock ruins. We

stopped for 15 minutes, enjoying and exploring the ruins. Kathy shared her yummy trail mix with me. Yummy! We stop to take a group photo and then hop back on the trail. This time, Kimber and Chelsea take the lead. At the trail intersection we run into Diana, seems as if her short cut ended up being along cut!

After adding up her mileage, she had hiked around the same miles as we did. Oh well, ast lest we all hiked back out together. Wehn we get to the nature center, everyone walks over to the pond and picnic table, while Lori adn I head back down

the trail to check on Diana. She was right on our heels. When we get back, we all say our goodbyes and head back to our cars.

It was a beautiful day, a wonderful hike, and a great group of ladies in one of my favorite local parks. I couldn't of asked for a better day. I look forward to hiking with each and everyone of you again soon!

Foothills Trail (Day 1-3)

DAY 1 Saturday moring, I was on the road by 6am and on the way to Table Rock State Park in SC, where I was meeting a Mr. Bob Hesser at 8:30am, to shuttle me over to Oconee State Park. I arrived at 8:05 and checked into the visitors center, logged in my intentions to thru hike the Foothills trail with the ranger, paid for overnight parking for my car, and headed over to the nature center to meet up with Mr. Hesser. I spotted him right away (since he was the only car in the parking lot), I pulled up, got out, exchanged hello's and started loading up my pack, my dog, and his pack into Mr. Hessers green Cherokee. I offered to pay him $40, but he said that $20 was plenty and we were off to Oconee State Park. My nerves were a bit restless and I arrived with excitement at what I was about to embark on. I was about to attempt to thru hike, eastbound, the 77 miles from Oconee State Park to Table Rock State Park SOLO. My first time hiking solo.... so yep... I was a bit nervous.

I arrived at Oconee State Park around 9:40am. I forced myself to eat a sandwhich I brought, so I would have some sort of energy. I took the obligatory photos of the big Foot Hills Sign, making my dog Charlie the model, then I sat down to wait. I was waiting for Kellye and Hemlock!!! YAY! They were going to walk with me the first 2 days. It put me at ease knowing that my first night out, I wouldn't be alone. That I would have friends hiking with me. They arrived around 10:15am and as soon as they parked, we hopped on the trail and started our hike. My pack was considerably heavier than most trips I've taken. But then again, I normally don't carry 7 days worth of food with me either! I realized that I still had butterflies in my stomach, even though I knew I wouldn't be alone my first night. Well after hiking for a couple of hours, I worked out that I was actually nervous at about completing the trail. I didn't want to think of finishing at Table Rock. I decided that I was going to

walk this trail day by day. So my only destination for each day, would be where to camp for that night. That was the only way for me to handle my fear hiking and completing a long distance by myself.

A couple of hours into our hike we ran into Leah and her dog Zuzu who were out hiking with her church group. After the first 8

miles, we stopped at Lick Log campsite to rest a bit. It was a beautiful site with a nice plunging waterfall. My dog Charlie and Kellye's dog Sammy played in the water, while Kellye and I rested and Hemlock scouted around a bit for some lady slippers that were the blooming around the main campsite. After a nice 30 minute break and me filtering some water, we put our packs back on and headed another 5 miles t

o camp. The trail was graded really well and was rolling. I got to camp first and heard a bunch of voices near by so I decided to stop. It was a beautiful site right on the river. I found a couple of trees and strung up my hammock, while my dog played in the river.

Kellye and Hemlock rolled in soon enough and set up camp. We enjoyed the rest of the evening talking, eating dinner, and snapping photos. Later that night, Hemlock ran into JERMM and she walk over to say hello. Seems as if she and (a hammocker) named Don started the trail today and were going to attempt to thru hike as well. YAY! I would have some company and familiar faces along the trail.

Day 2 I slept soundly in my hammock that night. The next morning, we woke up, ate breakfast and

hit the trail. We only had 5.5 miles to Burrells Ford (where Kellye and Hemlock parked there car), but I still had 6 more miles til camp and 4 of those miles were all up hill. The next few miles were ups and downs along the river then away from the river. As we neared Burrells Ford, Hemlock decided to take a dip in the river and check out a spur trail to a waterfall. Kellye decided to sit along the shore of the river and I decided to hike on to take a break for lunch and rest when I got to Burrells Ford. When I got to Burrells Ford, all I saw was a dirt lot and a privy. I decided to sit in the grass next to the privy and take off my new hiking shoes (I wore trail runner like shoes by Keen and they were awesome throughout my hike) rest, and have lunch.

Kellye and Hemlock finally came out the woods and said their goodbyes and wished me luck on the rest of my hike. Now I felt nauseas. I was all alone and the reality of it hit me. I am now solo hiking... I stayed in that parking lot alot longer than I meant to. Almost deciding that I didn't need to do hike any longer, that I could just call my shuttle guy and be taking back to my car, I really felt a sick nagging feeling in my stomach. It was telling me to quit, after all, I had a nice weekend hike with Hemlock and Kellye. But I talked myself out of it. I looked at my dog and said, "OK, let's get to camp, then we'll decide." So I put my shoes on, got up, put Charlies pack on him, slung my heavy ass pack back on, and I swear my knees felt like jello, even though I hadn't climbed much and was well rested from my 2 hour lunch, my knees were wobbly. We crossed the gravel road and with my stomach doing somersaults, we climbed and climbed, and climbed some more for the next 4 miles. The last mile had some steep switchbacks!

Around 4:15pm, we crossed SC Highway 107 (Fish Hatchery Road) and started to descend. I wanted to get to a nice flat, stealth campsite before 5pm. We passed several small streams and I finally decided to stop and filter 6 liters of water for camp for me and Charlie. Yes, 6 liters is ALOT and extremely heavy, but I wanted enough for the night and for the next morning. So with 6 liters of water, I continued down the trail. I finally found a nice stealthy campsite. It was away from the trail and covered by trees, so no one could really see us. Since it was a long 12 mile day, I pulled out Charlies poncho liner/bed, laid it out and we both plopped down to rest. The next thing I knew, it was 5:26pm, I had dosed off for a 1/2 hour. I grudgingly got up to set up camp while Charlie continued to nap away. I strung up my tarp, hammock, and found a great bear bag tree. In one try, I got my bear bag rope strung up (YAY!!). I then, changed into comfy camp/sleeping clothes and shoes, and plopped down next to Charlie again to review the Foothills trail book for the next days hike. An hour later, I decided to give Charlie a good back rub (that dog has the life! haha!) then it was time to make dinner. Around 7pm, I boiled some water for my 1 serving Enertia San Juan Strognoff, when JERMM walks by. We chit chat for a bit and she tells me she's aiming for a campsite a mile or two up the trail. We wave goodbyes and she tells me to keep an eye out for Don. I finished up my yummy dinner and cause it's Easter Sunday, I have a Dove chocolate bar for dessert. You see, I had given up chocolate for lent, so that first bite was pure heaven. So good... Don finally rolls by and I tell him where JERMM says she's camping out.

By now, I've bear bagged my food bags and am relaxing next to Charlie (who hasn't moved by the way). Around 8:30pm, I climb into my hammock and easily fall to sleep. This whole time I was so worried about spending my first night out in the woods all alone, and here I am, sleeping soundly. I guess I just scared myself silly with all the "what if" scenarios or maybe I was just too tired to be scared. haha!

Day 3 The next morning, I woke up around 6:30am. I wanted to get an early start, so I packed up camp, ate my oatmeal, fed Charlie, and we were stepping on the trail

by 8am. We continued to hike gently rolling trail, til I got to JERMM and Don's campsite at 8:30am. JERMM was up and enjoying a beverage, but I think Don was still sleeping in his hammock. We chit chatted a bit and then Charlie and I continued on. Around 9am, I stopped and filtered some water for our up coming 4 mile climb today. As soon as we crossed Highway 107 at Sloan Bridge, we started our well graded climb.

I finally got to the SC/NC state line sign and not only was it a mile marker for me, it was also like a big welcoming hug. I was hiking back into my home state. We were leaving Sumter Forest in SC and entering the Nantahala in NC. I've hiked this area several times, so the familiarity put me a little at ease. I finally reach the top of the escarpment, and I know it was the top b/c of the nice wooden bench the park provides for some rest and views. Well guess what? No views, none at all. It was socked in with fog. I still took advantage of the bench and rested while I had a granola bar. 20 minutes later, I got up and we walked down hill for a mile, crossing NC 281. We stopped by a nice rolling stream and took a good 10 minute break. I filtered more water and Charlie splashed around. I decided to skip the .5 mile spur trail up to the falls and continued descending. This section of the trail was really rocky and full of big boulder steps. I finally met some day hikers on this section and chatted them up a bit. I didn't realize how awesome it would feel saying I was a thru hiker, until I actually said it. The group of day hikers asked me where I was going and where did I come from and when I said I was thru hiking and came from Oconee, going to Table Rock, it hit me. I actually said I was hiking 77 miles, I was thru hiking 77 miles. I suddenly felt strong, confident, and happy. But I tried not to think of Table Rock during my entire trip. I wanted to take it day by day, mile by mile. Today's goal was to get me to camp. They wished me luck and one of them said, I hope your dog likes to rock climb. I thanked them and had no clue what he meant by that, but I continued descending down to the base of the falls.

Once I got down to the suspended 28 foot bridge, I realized what he meant by rock climbing. There was a giant smooth boulder, that we were supposed to scramble up to to cross the bridge. I mean this was a HUGE rock! It was taller than me! So I took off my pack and flung it up on to the top of the rock and tossed both of my trek poles up. When I turned around, Charlie had plunged into the deep, rushing river and was trying to swim back to the boulder shore. He finally came close enough for me to pull him out by his back pack. Hey just wagged his tail like nothing happened. Silly dog, he almost floated down stream! I took his pack off and threw it up onto the boulder. Then I pick up my 105lb chocolate lab and push him up the boulder until he could catch his balance and scramble the rest of the way up. Exhausted, I look up and see my silly puppy just wagging his tail, grinning down at me. I finally scramble up to the top., get all our packs back on, and cross the bridge.

We begin hiking through a series of steps and small wooden bridges that traverse steeply through a rocky section, then begins a nice flat area along the river. Charlie and I decide to take a nice lunch break near the river and while he splashes around and naps, I eat a rehydrated black bean salad burrito. YUM. After a nice hour break, we haul our packs back on and continue the flat section of trail that is maintained by Duke Energy. All of the sudden, I hear my name, I turn around and it's JERMM! We hike a little ways together, catching up on each others hike so far. We pass by a group of Duke Energy engineer types that are surveying the river and we chat with them for a bit. Don shows up, then we all hike together to Bad Creek Access. It's around 4pm and I have maybe 2 more miles left in me. JERMM tells me they are headed to Hilliard falls, about 5 miles away, I tell her in two miles I would of made a respectable 12 mile day and wish her and Don luck. We all begin the climb up and slowly we all begin to spread out. Charlie and I climb steeply down into Thompson River and I filter our 6 liters of water for camp as JERMM and Don pass by. I check out the designated campsite and it looks bad, so I decide to continue on to the next flat spot. So loaded up with water, we climb steeply out of Thompson river and trek on. At the top of the climb, there is a bend in the road and a sign pointing to a campsite .4 miles down a trail. I look over at the bend and see a nice flat area that looks perfect for a campsite. I drop everything, pull out Charlies poncho liner and we both lay down and rest for 1/2 an hour. It's right around 5:30pm by the time I start to feel rain drops. I quickly get up and start putting up my tarp and hammock. I throw a quick bear bag and duck under the tarp just in time. It rains for the rest of the night. I change clothes, cook/eat dinner, give Charlie a back rub, and read my next days hike all under the tarp. Finally, around 8pm, I climb into my hammock and drift off into sleep as the rain plunks down on my tarp.

Kings Mt. with the NC Dames

Today, 8 of us (Katherine, Stephanie, Linda, Marsha, Karen, Kimber, Tammy, and me) headed down to Kings Mt. Military National Park for a 5 mile hike on the Brown Mountain trail. It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect! We all carpooled to the park, which was only 40 minutes away. Once there, we grabbed maps, agreed on a meeting point, and hit the trail! It started out nice and flat but then gently started to climb for a 1/2 mile. Some of the ladies blazed on, and some of us ambled along. I'm really big on "hike your own hike." Meaning, you do you, or hike at your own pace and not worry what everyone else is doing. We will all arrive at the same place soon. Enjoy yourself, see the flowers, breathe in the fresh air, or push yourself. It's up to you, it's your hike.

Soon we come to a road crossing, then descend down a rocky, rooty trail, to a nice flat walk with gentle rolling hills for the next 2 miles. I hiked with Marsha for a while and learned that she's a pretty bad ass Dame! She has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and used to ride bikes for 40-60 mile stretches. I was really impressed. I decided to run up ahead to catch the group and let them know to go ahead and make that final 1 mile round trip push up to Browns Mountain. When I got to the trail intersection, Catherine told me they only arrived 5 minutes ago. I told them I would hang out here and wait for the others and that the group could go up to the top of Brown Mountain. Six Dames (and Dixie the Boxer) climbed up Browns Mountain. Tammy, Marsha, and I sat on a comfy log and traded snacks and stories :)


Soon, Marsh and Tammy decided to get an early start on the return trip and off they went! I waited a few minutes for the others to return and soon we were bolting down the trail. We all made it back to the visitors center and said our good byes as we hopped back into our cars and headed home. All in all it was a great hike, on a beautiful day, with a great group of Dames. I liked the fact that I got a chance to hike and talk with everyone on this hike and I loved how all the ladies seemed to find a hiking partner they could hike and talk with. That's what it's all about, enjoy the outdoors with friends. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Cultured Rain

So today was supposed to be the Art Walk along the greenway. Well, it started out that way. haha! I had 12 Dames signed up for the Art walk, but when it came down to it, only 2 showed up. I think the threat of rain scared most away. So it was just me and Kelly. We decided to zip up our rain jackets and brave the outdoors. Since it was just the two of us, we planned a new, more aggressive route, and plugged in some miles along the greenway.

Soon the soft misty rain started to pick up, but we just kept walking, thinking a little water wouldn't hurt us. Then the rain came pelting down, we just cinched up our rain hoodies and moved along the paved greenway path. We got to our turn around point, made the flip, and continued on. All of the sudden, the sky opened up and torrential buckets of water started pouring on us! We tried to hike faster, but just ended up sweating underneath our rain jackets and being soaked to the bone. Then the wind started picking up and whipping thru us. With a mile to go, we noticed an awning that we quickly ducked under. That's when we saw him, the half naked man. haha! He was a shirtless jogger that got caught in the rain and decided to take cover to wait it out. Just as we begin chatting up the jogger, my phone goes off. I get a text from Boo telling me that I need to come home, b/c there is a tornado watch for this afternoon. I laugh and tell Kelly and half naked jogger what my husband says. I text him back and tell him, "I AM in the tornado" haha!

We decide the rain isn't going to let up, and we are already soaking wet, so we duck back out into the elements. When we get to the bridge we see that the water level of the stream has flooded the trail and there is no way to continue down the path. I make the decision to finish up the walk along the street. So with a mile to go, we huff it down Kings Drive, laughing our butts off at the craziness of it all, and marching right thru puddles. I knew right then and there that I'd like Kelly. I mean, anyone that can bust out laughing at our situation instead of complain, is definitely my kind of Dame. haha! You rock Kelly!

So even though it's raining, I think we'll be safer along the road. Right? Wrong..... We were fighting typhoon tidal waves created by cars speeding along the puddles in the road. I think I might of used a couple of expletives, but for the most part, we just laughed our last mile down the road. As soon as we got to the corner and the Art Walk, you will not believe what happened. The sun came out, brilliant and bright and the sky turned that beautiful Carolina blue. The rainy, cloudy, gray sky just disappeared. It looked like there was never even a windy tornado! I said, "I bet we look crazy standing here sopping wet!" Again we just laughed and checked out the Art walk. All in all it was an interesting day as far as weather goes. haha! Kelly was a great sport and we got in an urban hike (with a story to tell.) Haha!. Til Next Time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Crowders (take 2)

On Sunday, Boo and I headed to Crowders Mountain to get our hike on! Since I was last here, with the Dames, I had a wonderful day, but unfortunately, didn't break a sweat hiking. So.... this hike was for me. For me to push myself, sweat it out, huff and puff up that mountain and come away feeling cleansed, exerted, and estatic! I love a good hiking workout!

We showed up at 8:30am on a cloudy, overcast, foggy, and chilly morning and notice only a couple of cars at the visitors center. As soon as the dogs bounded out the car, they were ready to go! So we decided on the harder 5 mile round trip loop and started our hike.

I had it in my head that I was going to take out all my weeks frustations on the trail and leave it there. Boo knew what kind of mood I was in and told me to hike my own hike. So I did. I pushed myself up that mountain, over boulders, scaling rocks, and up the 1000 foot ascent. I hiked fast and I worked up a good clean sweat.

Once we reached the top, we rested and gave the dogs lots of water. Too bad there wasn't a view, we could barely see 10 feet in front of us due to all the fog.

As we're chillin', I hear someone say my name, I turn and see my friend Katey. She hiked up with some friends. We caught up and I found out she just got accepted into the PHD program at UCLA. I'm so excited for her. She's gonna love Southern California. We made sure we had each others info and made a tentative date to hike the John Muir Trail in northern Cali one day soon. I wish her well and will miss her.

Once we climb down the other side, we had about 2.5 miles left to hike. I turn to Boo and say, "Ok, I need to finish strong, so I'm gonna take off." He smiles and says O.K. So me and thing 1 start to blaze down the rolling trail. After a mile of me plugging away and thing 1 panting

away, we pause so I can check out the time and see how fast we just hiked the mile. Imagine my surprise when I see thing 2 and Boo only 10 yards behind me, jogging down a small hill! I turned back around and with a huge grin on my face, I trekked on. My heart was happy and so proud of Boo. He was keeping up! Even jogging some sections! Wow... I just couldn't help but to be bursting with pride for him. He was awesome on the trail today.

At the road crossing, we only had like .33 miles left with a couple of stream crossings, so I decided to start our cool down, let the dogs enjoy the streams, and finish the hike as a family. I couldn't stop smiling at Boo. He must of thought I was the biggest dork, just staring at him w

ith a huge grin. I couldn't help it, I was just so happy and proud of him, and the dogs definetly enjoyed the streams. I had wet, sleeping dogs during the ride home. haha! Even with the cloudy foggy weather, I still had a great day in the woods with my little family. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!

Crowders Mt. with NC Trail Dames

This past Saturday, 5 of us (me, Linda, Chris, Sharon, and Dianna) headed up to our local mountain for a nice hike 3 mile hike. (I brought my dog with me too. )This was a first hike for most of the Dames and the second hike that I was leading. I purposely chose the 3.5 mile trail in hopes that everyone would be able to finish.

We met up at the visitors center at 9am and started out in the chilly windy morning. The first mile was a nice gradual climb. I hung back with Chris and Sharon as Linda and Dianna blazed up the trail. We finally caught up to them at a trail intersection. They were sitting on a bench and as we got to the bench, both Chris and Sharon plopped down. I didn't realize how hard the trail was til the newbie Sharon mentioned she wasn't sure she could make it to the top. I was just about to give her the "You can do it!" speech, when to my surprise, before I could utter a word, the other ladies showered Sharon with encouragement, compliments, and affirmations that YES!, she could do this! They were going to make sure ALL the Dames made it up! I just stood back, amazed at the commraderie of this group. The others even went so far as to find a stick for Sharon to use to help her for the rest of the hike. My heart swelled and I had to choke down a tear before I finally said. "This is what Trail Dames is all about. I love it!" Women encouraging one another to accomplish what they didn't even know they could do!

With renewed determination, Sharon got up with her stick and started up the trail. We all hiked the last .7 miles, (which happened to be the steepest and toughest .7 miles of the hike), together. When we neared the top, I ran up to the sign indicting we reached the summit. When I yelled back to let them know they were yards away, I heard chorus' of "thank goodness, YAY!, and FINALLY." Haha! As each Dame reached the sign, I snapped a photo and high fived the hiker while each person cheered for the next. Linda made it point to say, it was alot tougher than she expected. Chris mentioned that walking 3 miles and hiking 3 miles were two different experiences. I just laughed and told them that I understood, after all, I was once in their shoes.

With no view in sight, I point up to our very last, strenous piece of the trail. We have to boulder climb (literally climb) up to the summit. They all look at me like I'm crazy. At this point Sharon says that there is no way she can do it. (Crickets...)No one says a word. This time I pipe up and say, "YES you can! You didn't hike 1.7 miles, all up, for nothing. You all worked so hard for that view, you EARNED that view! Now lets go get that view!" One by one, they caustiously placed their hands and feet in foot holds and climbed thier way up the last .15 mile to that view. I went up last to make sure everyone made it up safely. One by one, I could hear the gasps as they each reached the top. Chris, usually chatty, was silent. She was taking in the view. Linda was the first to say it was all worth the climb, (everyone nodded in agreement). Sharon, close to tears, told us that she would of never have seen this view or made it up to the top if it wasn't for all fo us being there for her. We stayed up there for a good 20 minutes, just taking in our accomplishment, before we decided to hike back down to the cars. It was a great day, and as many times as I've seen that view, today's view was especially special because it was a "first time" view for many of these new Dames. I'm glad I was able to show and share it with these ladies. Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!