Appletree Campground to FS 1308

Last weekend, I was a guest at an intimate 40th birthday celebration for my dear friend, Diana.  She asked the five of us in attendance what we thought was the best part of our year.  The first thing that popped into my mind was “The Foothills Trail.”  While the trail in and of itself is beautiful, it goes much deeper than that.  It’s what has happened to all of us collectively on the trail that makes it such a simple answer. Our families stories have become inextricably woven together on these adventures so full of laughter, mishaps, and even some tears thrown in for good measure.  A microcosm of life experienced over the course of two to three days.

What would take an average adult hiker four to five consecutive days to complete will probably take us a year as we patch the various segments together.  I don’t mind though and I live in a paradox of craving the next time we pull out our hiking poles to complete the next segment versus not wanting it to ever end.

Before the movie was released, I reread the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  I’ve discovered that most people either intensely like or dislike the book and her story.  I’m in the like camp. While Strayed’s initial response and subsequent actions in the wake of her mother’s death from lung cancer were vastly different than my own, what we share in common is Mother Nature’s influence in helping us put ourselves back together.

The irony is that Mother Nature doesn’t give a crap about the well being of any of us–she’s indifferent, really.  She is, however, a consummate teacher.  What she has taught me this past year is similar to what Strayed’s mother preached to her repeatedly, “There’s a sunrise and a sunset every day and you can choose to be there for it. You can put yourself in the way of beauty.”  It’s as a simple as that and as achingly difficult as that when a thin veil of pain obstructs your view.  But if I at least put myself in the way of it, a little light always, always seeps through.  More often than not this past year, that light has been brighter than any other time over the past five years.

I ended my year with a solo backpacking trip on the Bartrail Trail. After a typical hectic and harried holiday season and feeling wound up like a tight coil, I expected to breath a huge sigh of relief when I finally hit the trail.  What I experienced instead was a gradual and slow exhale over the two days I was gone.  The fact that the exhale came at all is what mattered to me.

That hazy view I sometimes have from missing Mama?  Maybe it’s supposed to stay there.  Perhaps it is there permanently to remind me how brief this stint on Earth really is and how vital it is to my emotional well being to acknowledge the beauty in the every day, even on my darkest days. Of course none of this is new wisdom to anyone reading this.  It’s simply a reminder to myself in the new year to continue to be bold and brave enough to continue to put myself in the way of beauty, knowing the rest of life will take care of itself.  I hope you do the same.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”  ~Rachel Carson

Since I have to wait awhile to thru hike a big trail, shorter ones like the Bartram Trail will suffice for now.  I’m excited about thru hiking it in segments this year when I can break away for a weekend (it’s about 117 miles long)

Shelf fungi are so interesting and the layers of colors are stunningly beautiful Puffballs are so cool (and yes, kind of funny looking, lol!) I could look at hiking maps all day. I’ve never been overly fearful of black bears, even when I’ve seen them hiking before, but when I’m hiking alone I tend to get a little more apprehensive (really of encountering strange people more than bears)–I was not, however, happy about adding 8 extra ounces to my magnificently light load thanks to all my lighter gear!  A special thanks to “Twinkle” for your help with some of my choices–I love my new Zpacks bag and Gossamer Gear pack! I didn’t feel so silly with my big ol’ can of bear spray when I came across 3 different piles of  what I’m assuming was bear scat in the first 2 miles of my hike! My tranquil campsite for the night.  I was camped close to Piercy Creek and its waters provided a beautiful lullaby. Because I can still hike at a decent clip when I want to (yay!), I got into camp much earlier than I had anticipated and was able to write in my journal for awhile and I almost read an entire book that evening! My “toddy”/liquid courage to camp by myself.  🙂  I haven’t backpacked solo since before I was married and while I knew it was silly to be fearful, I thought I would be (thankfully, I wasn’t, even without my fun drink on board!) All bundled up in my new bag (which is a Zpacks 20 degree) and ready for bed.  It got down into the mid 20s that night and I stayed pretty warm.  Toward the early morning, I woke up shivering once, but nothing my jacket didn’t help once I put it on. Both days, I encountered lots of downed trees that required a bit of scrambling to get around.  I don’t think the Bartram is maintained very frequently. The good news about climbing through and around downed trees is that you often discover gems along the way. This is a Verizon tower I actually passed right by on the trail.  I was a little unclear of where the trail continued at this spot but naturally I had fabulous reception on my phone to call Larry and get him to read out of my guidebook to help me. I had dropped one of the guidebook pages I copied that morning when my hands were numb from the  cold when I was packing up. I later encountered an older gentleman hiking (the only person I saw in 2 days!) who had found it and gave it back to me. After leaving the Verizon tower, I had to hike for a couple of miles on a gravel road (which is part of the Bartram Trail).  This is what I encountered along the way–I didn’t even know people had outhouses anymore (although I am not sure anyone actually lived in this house–it looked empty of any people ) Natural beauty was everywhere.  I really enjoy winter hiking not only for the views that open up but for the subtle things you often miss in the height of summer. It’s hard to beat winter views in the mountains. I came across this tree and thought it looked really cool.  I wanted to go peek inside, just because, then I remembered reading that black bears like old hollow trees like this in the winter, so I moved along gently. 🙂 Do you know this clever way to remember what lichen is?  Freddy Fungus took a “lichen/liken” to Alice Algae.  I quiz my kids on stuff like this all the time and they are slightly annoyed by me on most of our hikes, I think. When I got back to the trailhead on New Year’s Eve, I was so ecstatic that I had taken this little adventure by myself.  It’s tough when you’re a mom to do things like this, because there is always something that needs to be done and I tend to feel guilty for taking too much “me” time.  It’s so vital to being a good mom though, and I can’t wait to get back out here again in a few weeks and do my next segment!

**For anyone who stumbles across this blog looking for trail reports on the Bartram Trail, this post covers the segment from the Appletree Group Campground to the junction of FS 1308 at the Nantahala River.  I completed this segment as an out and back mainly, but on the return side, I took the Laurel Branch and Appletree Trails back to my car when the Bartram crossed them.  While they were both beautiful alternate trails, they had clearly not been hiked in quite awhile and were even more difficult to follow with the winter leaf cover.  Map reading skills definitely came into play on them.  Campsites on the official Bartram Trail map appear to be accurate and mine was just past the junction of  the Bartram and Piercy Creek Trails.