Second Week on the AT

Week two didn't start out the way that I had hoped. A blister that had formed early on my right pinky toe was turning into a dagger being stabbed into my flesh every step I took. 

After leaving Hiawassee, I hiked just over 13 miles to  Deep Gap shelter. The next morning, my toe caused me to get off the trail and head to see a doctor. The flesh on my toe was red and swollen to the point that it was starting to cover my toenail and I was concerned it was infected.   I walked the 2.4 miles to Dick's Creek Gap and got a ride back into Hiawassee to get checked out. 

As it turned out, there was no infection; just a lot of swelling from being a big wuss with delicate feet. I got some antibiotics in case my toe does become infected later and a tetanus shot just for good measure. My first official zero day was spent icing my knees and my toe. 

Getting out of Hiawassee was good, but the toe still was not healing up adequately.  On March 8th , I made it to the Georgia/North Carolina state line and camped at Bly Gap with about 20 other hikers.  The next morning I got up and made the 12 mile hike to Beech Gap where it was less crowded. 

By the 11th, my feet had almost driven me over the edge, so I caught a shuttle into Franklin, NC to see if the foot experts at Outdoor 76 could help. They could.  Jonathan spent about an hour with me, figuring out what the hell was wrong.   Once he did his magic, he chose a pair of North Face Ultra Fastpack II boots for me, and my pain was instantly gone. To celebrate, I went to the back of the store where they have a bar with 18 different craft brews on tap and I had a beer. 

On the 12th, the shuttle dropped me back off at the trailhead and I hiked to Siler Bald Shelter. Avoid this one if you can. It's a 0.5 mile hike down a steep trail to the shelter. That means the same hike in the morning, but uphill. 

My home for the 13th was the tent area just above Cold Spring shelter. It's a nice area that I would recommend for anyone with a tent or hammock. There are plenty of flat spots for all size tents. 

My plan for the 14th is a shelter just shy of the Nantahala Outdoor Center, which I will check out on the 15th.