For more pictures of my trip check out http://picasaweb.google.com/ben.loho/SmokyMountainExpidition
Well, I had decided to take a solo trip on the Appalachian Trail in Great Smokey Mountain National Park and it was certainly an experience. First of all, I wanted this trip to take me out of my comfort zone and really push me by going alone, something I really don't like, and by going at a pretty strenuous pace of about 15 miles a day. The plan was to be on the trail for 5 days and 4 nights, but that turned into 3 days after a broken toe and sprained ankle. Therefore, one lesson learned can be that are plans are not always God's plans. There was so much more that I learned, things I was able to see in my life as needing change, metaphors that spoke to me as I hiked the trail, backpacking tips, the fact that I way overpacked...
Just like the last AT trip I was on I kept a journal and I will share a few of the many entries I had:
8/3/08 4:30 PM
Well, it took me an hour and a half to get to Mt. Collins, 4 miles from Clingman's Dome. Not even a 1/2 mile into the AT I nailed my little toe on my right foot and I think it's broken. That's gonna be a struggle. Just stopped to eat for a bit. No bears yet. 7 miles left and I will be fighting the daylight.
6:30 PM
2 hours to travel 4.7 miles ain't bad at all. I'm at Newfond Gap right now and the weather is absolutely gorgeous, that's why I'm just hanging around. My toe looks pretty bad right now, oh well.
8:20 PM
I am sitting at a really pretty open area that overloks the southeast side of the Smokeys and Newfound Gap Road. I think that I have decided to set up camp here because some guys that just passed me said that they left Icewater shelter because it was so crowded and my toe is really starting to slow me down. I am probably about a mile away from the shelter now. It's getting pretty chilly out here right now. To be honest, this is a pretty lonely thing to do. That's why all these ideas of "just head back" are swimming around in my mind. But I am here to push myself past all that. And so far, today, I have...one day at a time. The darkness is really starting to kick in now and I am about to sign off so I can set up camp. I need to remember that I made too much rice for dinner...
8/4/08 7:40 AM
Good morning. I have been blessed with another beautiful day. Last night got pretty cold but I was plenty warm inside my bag. I was fortunate enough to wake up in the middle of the night just as an extremely bright shooting star flew over my face. I have learned several things about the Smokeys thus far: 1) the weather is unpredictable and can change very quickly 2) the wildlife here is very real. I have already seen many close signs of bears all over this place. 3) the dew in the early morning is crazy this time of year...everything is soaked. Well, the plan today is to hike to Icewater and fill up on my water supply then continue on to Charlies Bunion which is supposed to be a cool rock formation. After that will be Mt. Sequoyah and Mt. Chapman before the shelter.
12:42 PM
Wow! Its been rough...but these views are what inspire me to keep moving. Charlies Bunion was awesome! Then I passed through this area called Porter's Gap with views all around me of the "Sawteeth". I am now at a lookout called Bradley's view which is this large rock on the side of the trail looking out to the east. It's been a tough time this morning. This is the first time I've taken my pack off today. When doing the mileage per day that I am doing you have to do a lot on the move; eat and drink on the move, plan on the move...I wish you could rest on the move. I've already hiked almost 20 miles in less than 24 hours, its crazy. My mind is stuck in between the feeling of accompishment and the fits of rage against myself for putting me through this. The AT follows the mountain ridge pretty much the whole way and some parts are so narrow that if I stepped to my righ or left I would fall considerably far. 
8:45 PM
Well, I made it! I arrived here shortly after 6:00 joining a group of 11 here at the shelter. To get here it took a lot of pushing, a lot of praying, and a lot of resting to keep up my morale. I am learning more and more that this is all mental. There has been much controversy in my head, I've thought a lot about a lot of things. I prayed a little earlier that God would bring me into contact with someone who loved the Lord. And it was crazy when I got into Tricorner shelter I overheard a man talking to a young couple I had met on the trail saying that he was a Presbyterian pastor...then the couple (Danica and Matt) stated that they went to a PCA church and graduated from Indiana Wesleyan. The pastor is hiking with his son for 6 days and they are from Memphis. He actually knows some people from Covenant. Crazy how God answers prayer. Everyone here is real nice: a girl in her late 20s from Seattle, a family of 4 from New Orleans, an old man who has come all the way from Mt. Springer on July 10th. I appreciate this lifestyle, I enjoy being around these people hearing their stories, why they're out here. This whole summer has been like that for me, I knew absolutley no one, and God has opened me up to meeting so many new and amazing people. My toe still hurts and my foot really hurts today...we'll see how tomorrow goes.
8/5/08 2:10 PM
If there is one thing I have learned on this expedition its that perseverance is so intense yet makes such an impact. All day today has been about perseverance, pushing my body and mind to the limit. I have traveled 12 miles today since 8:30 this morning which has been very intense. I had to go back over Mt. Chapman and Mt. Sequoyah and Laurel Top and now am making my way down to 5000 ft. at Newfound Gap compared to starting at 6000 ft. today. Another thing I have realized is how much I miss people in my life and how greatly I will cherish them everytime I see them. My goal is to get to Newfound Gap by 4:30 so that I can find a ride up to the Dome to get my car.
4:56 PM
I got a ride! I'm in a ranger car right now heading up to Clingman's Dome...
8/7/08 1:15 PM
Well, I made it to camp safely the night of the 5th. I was a bum all day yesterday, which was great but it kind of makes me mad I wasted a lot of time. When I got to Newfound Gap, at 4 pm by the way (16 miles in 7 1/2 hours) I didn't write because I had to be alert for a ride up to Clingman's. I talked to a shuttle driver who said that no one shuttles up to the Dome and I should find a park ranger. Since my phone didn't have service I got a hold of a lady who letme borrow her cell phone, which didn't work either. So she told me that she would down to the visitor center and inform them I had a broken toe and needed a ride. 15 minutes later 2 ranger cars came flying into the parking lot with sirens going crazy. As they pulled in I walked up to them and they asked, "Are you the one with the broken leg?" and I said, "actually it's a broken toe, but I do need a ride." It was pretty funny, everyone was wondering what was going on and probably thought I was getting arrested. I did get my ride up to my car though, which was great. I hung out for a bit on the Dome and then headed back....got lost, and then finally made it to camp after midnight. All in all it was a great trip with a lot of experiences and learing opportunities.
thank you all for your prayers...
Ben
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