Hiking the trail is humbling. To someone, and probably to a lot of people, you’re going to look like a noob. You’re going to slip, spill your dinner (more on that in a bit), and break your stuff, and maybe even do all three at once.
Rachel and I have made some wrong moves, but we’ve also gotten a lot of things right. Here’s a rundown of the big ones:
- Wrong: Packing too little toilet paper
As a rule, ultralight hikers don’t carry toilet paper. They either wipe with what’s around them, or they use a modified water bottle as a bidet.
Toilet paper is a trail luxury, so we skimped on it. But every gear decision is a double-edged sword, and wiping with leaves and sticks was leaving us double-sore.
By luck, our friends Rob and Katherine brought and had been angling to give away an extra roll. We thanked them, made it to the next resupply, and bought an extra-thick one.
- Right: Taking side trails
Some AT hikers consider side trails to be a waste of energy and time. But because we have plenty of both, we’ve been enjoying them.
One side trail led us to Siler Bald (which, confusingly, is not the same as Siler’s Bald), which had a better view than nearby Wayah Bald, a popular tourist spot. Another led us to a steep, spraying waterfall, with a secluded tent site where we stayed for the night.
- Wrong: Cooking near out tent
In areas with bear activity, hikers are supposed to cook in a common space far from tent sites. The idea is to keep food smells concentrated in a single, safe place.
Feeling tired and with a mistaken sense of grace, I decided one night to cook near our tent. Just after I put the mashed potato mix into the water, the cook pot toppled over. Dinner splashed just feet from our shelter.
No bears came to investigate, as far as Rachel and I could tell. I’m reasonably sure of that, actually, because I didn’t sleep much that night.
- Right: Hiking 8-12 miles per day
Although we’re not averse to the occasional long day, we haven’t been attempting the twenty-milers that a surprising number of hikers seem to be.
We no longer recover like we’re 20, nor are we trying to beat any deadline other than the mid-October closing of Mt. Katahdin (which, if we stick to our current schedule, will still be a month after our arrival). Although we’ve been tempted to push it by weather, campsite distances, and raw eagerness, we’re respecting the limits of our bodies.
When we feel better, we do better. We make better decisions and, in many ways, enjoy the experience more.
- Wrong: Toughing out the cold
I have a bad habit of dealing with it, whatever “it” is. Although it’s an OK strategy for some things, like making it that last mile to the grocery store in order to buy food, it’s unnecessary and dangerous in the cold.
When I get too cold, I become irritable and tired. I become too lazy to fix my problem, which is usually as easy as putting on my puffer jacket.
With a 16-degree night forecast for our first night back on the trail, I’ll soon get to practice this lesson.
- Right: Wearing sun protection
Sunburn is a drag. It’s painful, fatiguing, and dehydrating, and it can happen in minutes to those of us with fair skin.
I’ve been wearing my sunglasses and Finalvibe cap, plus enough sun protection to give me zits. It’s a good, if slightly embarrassing system.
- Wrong: Bringing pillows
Most hikers bring things that could be called luxury items: books, guitars, grooming tools, and such. Many of them end up sending these things back, as we did.
We’d settled on our Thermarest pillows, which pack into themselves and weigh less than a pound. What we discovered was that sleep comes on almost any surface after eight to ten hours of hiking.
- Right: Binge-eating strawberries and pizza
We spend a lot of time dreaming about fresh and high-calorie foods on the trail. Eating candy and Ramen isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially day after day for a month.
Our hotel is near a Cici’s all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, where we promptly got our money’s worth. We also nabbed a box of strawberries to enjoy on our bougie room’s balcony.
- Right: Staying four days in Gatlinburg due to inclement weather
Much as I’m struggling to write this one, I know it’s right: With thunderstorms, snowstorms, and zero-degree lows, it simply isn’t safe to hike.
We jumped off the trail near its highest point, where the only campsites are on the ridge. We can’t return until the lows cross our bags’ minimum safety temperature, 15F.
I’m not particularly happy to spend two more days in a hotel room, but I’m doing my best to make smart decisions. Clearly, it’s a skill I’m still developing.
