It's 76.2 miles from Oconee State Park to Table Rock State Park. That's like 3 marathons back to back! It's not easy, but it's worth it. I hope you enjoy my week long adventure on the Foothills Trail
Now for the incredibly long list of music featured in the video: “Lazy Pirouettes” provided by teknoaxe.com , “It Looks Like The Future But It Feels Like The Past” by Doctor Turtle, “Georgia’s Banjo Brigade” provided by teknoaxe.com, and “The Monk and the Cowboy” by Michael Ramir C. “Green Leaves” by Jason Shaw, “Isle of Doom” and “Hiking Ogre Swamps” provided by teknoaxe.com, “Down Home Rag” by Wilbur Sweatman and his Jazz Band, and “Covered Wagon Days” by Ted Weems and his Orchestra, “Don’t Let Go” by Michael Ramir C. “Reaching Forward” by The First Class, “Cristales” by Eugenio Mininni, and “Tribal Drum Corps” provided by teknoaxe.com “Cold Coffee” by Michael Ramir C. “Every Time” by Katy Kirby, and “Which That is This” by Doctor Turtle : “The Right Train” by David Mumford, “Hiking Ogre Swamps” provided by Teknoaxe, “Mountain Sun” by Jason Shaw, “Serene View” by Arulo, and “The Wilderness Ghosts” by David Mumford AND last but certainly not least “Walking in the Country” by David Mumford
Trail Journal
October 12th 2020
Oconee to Pigpen & Licklog Falls
8.1 miles
From the moment I first heard about the Foothills Trail, I knew I wanted to hike it all the way through. But at the time I had absolutely NO experience backpacking. I was just a day hiker. There was no way I could spend a night in the woods let alone a week. The longer that guidebook sat collecting dust on the shelf, the more it started to feel like hiking the trail was just wishful thinking... But wishful thinking doesn’t get you anywhere. If I was really serious, sooner or later I would have to go for it.
"You must be Jessica. I'm Taz!"
The shuttle driver held out a small can and business card with his number.
"If you don’t have the fuel for it, probably best to put it in your car until you get back. One less thing to keep up with."
It was a beer can repurposed as an alcohol stove. I’d heard of punching holes around the side of an empty tuna can before, but this was different. This had more craftsmanship to it. I followed the suggestion and put it in the trunk of the car for safe keeping.
Next came everything I needed to know. Recent happenings with bears at the usual food drop and cache spots, where the trail picked up at road crossings, and best of all how to find the best kept secret near Pinnacle Mt. A guided tour AND welcome gift?! Things were off to a great start.
Halfway to my destination a call came through. A lady he dropped off a day or two before was injured and calling off her thru-hike.
"So, about how many of these rides you do are rescues?" I asked. Like the answer would somehow increase my own chance of making it all the way?
"I’d say 20%. Not that I'm complaining. People just over estimate their abilities." Getting out of the truck it hit me. I was past the point of “Wait! On second thought maybe I'll just...” Nope. Only thing to do now was start walking.
76 miles.
That's like 3 marathons back to back.
In a way, I got trail magic my first night of camp. I was having a ridiculous time trying to set up my new trekking pole tent. The stakes that came with it were fine for staking out the corners, but not the main guy line in the front. Every time I tried to get enough tension on it, the line popped off, the stake went go flying, and the whole tent collapsed. Over and over. It was stupid. I felt stupid. I needed a minute to walk off the failure. While pacing the camp site, I saw something shiny between the leaves. A long silver gopher stake! Perfect for holding the front line of the tent!
I usually use a small gas stove, but this time I thought I'd try something new. A wood burning stove. It'll be great! There's fuel literally everywhere on the trail. To my disappointment, my first camp was still wet from rain days before. Not a single dry twig! I couldn't get a flame to hold for the life of me, and ended up burning through over half my supply of "emergency" fuel tablets just to get the water warm.
Note to self: Collect sticks throughout the day from now on. Do not let this happen again!
October 13th 2020
Pigpen & Licklog Falls to Sloan Bridge
15.1 miles
Today was my first full day on the trail, and I couldn't wait to get moving! I also couldn't wait to see the beautiful Chattooga again. While I didn't come across any questionable characters with banjos, I did meet some very interesting thru-hikers.
After doubling my mileage goal the day before, I was motivated to take on bigger miles sooner rather than later. I wanted to try getting all the way to Fish Hatchery camp. I knew from backpacking the Chattooga over the Summer I was in for some beautiful scenery. It was even lovelier this time with the touch of Fall colors in the trees.
Way up ahead I saw a girl about my age crouched by a stream filtering. The last thing I wanted was to scare the living daylights out of her. So I tried to announce myself as I got a little closer
"GOOD MORNING! How's it going?!"
"Aah! GOSH! Sorry, I didn't see you there."
Fail... epic fail.
Her name was Lilian. We hiked along the river together for most of the morning. She was so cheery and friendly. Her boyfriend/hiking partner on the other hand didn’t say a word.
She said this was the longest backpacking trip they had ever been on. This was also a shakedown for a much, much longer adventure. Her goal was to thru-hike the AT in the next year or so... but I get the feeling her boyfriend was just along for the ride in all of this. Which explained a lot. I get it. I too have a man who isn’t exactly eager to spend days hauling a 30lb pack through the woods. But because he loves me more than he despises backpacking he puts up with it from time to time.
I didn't see them again after Burrell's Ford, so I can't say if they finished their thru-hike. Lilian seemed really determined though, so I choose to believe they did. While I would have liked to stay at Burrell's Ford, I still had plenty of daylight and energy to keep going. Still it was a great place to take a load off. The way the sites are lined up in a long corridor always makes me think of it like a hiker hotel. Picnic tables, iron grates on the fire rings, 2 privies, easy river access, trash receptacles, AND bear cables. It's absolute luxury compared to some of the other campsites I.ve stayed at.
Maybe I'm just bad at reading the map, but I couldn’t for the life of me find the Fish Hatchery camp. So, I pushed on toward Sloan Bridge making it a 15 mile day. I noticed on the Oconee side of the trail sites aren't marked as clearly as the Pickens side. I took the figure swaying in a hammock in the clearing down below as confirmation this was the right place.
"Would it offend you if I camped here tonight?" I called down.
"Not at all." he replied
This wasn't his first rodeo. He thru-hiked the trail last Summer. In his words: miserable. I'll give an amen to that. My shake down trips over the Summer were brutal! He decided it was worth doing again, only in a cooler more amicable season.
I got my stove to work! My campmate thought it was a pretty cool piece of gear, which made me feel like I might actually get the hang of this thing before the trip was over. I enjoyed sitting there feeding it sticks over and over. After an exhausting day it was relaxing to just focus on keeping the small flame going. For dinner I had grits and bacon jerky. I added some dehydrated mushroom and onion pieces to make it a little more interesting. I didn't think I was going to like it, but grits wound up being my favorite meal of the trip. I looked forward to the next night I could make it.
Tonight I decided… No matter what. Even if I have to drag my sorry behind up Pinnacle and roll all the way down, I am going to finish this hike. If someone twice my age can do this not once but TWICE, then I've got no excuse.
Note to self: Collecting little sticks in a bandana throughout the day was a great idea!
October 14th 2020
Sloan Bridge to Bearcamp (NOT Bearcreek)
14.1 miles
I set out this morning, breakfast in hand, ready to tackle another long day. I can't say I was ready to face my fear of the sketchy rock hop at Whitewater Falls bridge though.
The day took a strange turn when a friend on the trail shared a hard to believe story from the year before.
I ate breakfast on the go today. Cheerios and powdered milk: now that’s the real breakfast of champions. I was surprised how well I did at not spilling any of it while I hiked! Another surprise was how great I felt after putting in 15 miles the day before. I woke up in a crazy good mood. Everything looked cartoonishly beautiful. If all the trees and flowers started smiling and dancing down the trail behind me, I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.
The fairytale hike came to a brief halt at the Whitewater Falls overlook. My coffee break there attracted a whole lot of attention. Some people were genuinely interested in what I was doing, and some wanted me to know just how much danger I was in. All the men who came up to talk to me were really encouraging and wanted to chat about my gear and mileage. The on the other hand ladies were terrified on my behalf. One lady kept asking me if I had better clothes to wear, because it was way too cold out and only going to get colder throughout the week. I wanted to say "Ma'am I'm hauling 30lbs across 76 miles and most of the time I think this tanktop and shorts are TOO much clothes! I can promise you I'm not cold." but the joke might not have landed well, so I just said "Yes, I have a jacket in my bag". Another made me promise before I left that I was "at least going to use some bear repellant on myself"
Just so we're clear bear spray is NOT a repellant, like mosquito or bug spray. It's a high grade pepper spray meant to deter an attacking bear. Do not, I repeat DO NOT spray it on yourself! I'm sure it's the same with any hobby though, folks who don't really know a lot about it usually have the most advice to give on it. If I sound like a know-it-all jerk, I really don't mean to. I'm sure these ladies meant well, just mamas looking out for someone else’s daughter.
Side Note: I followed Taz's directions at the road crossing before Whitewater Falls, taking the vehicle entrance a couple hundred feet down the highway instead of continuing on the trail across the gravel parking lot. Apparently there is no view of the falls if you keep straight… I can't say for sure because I didn't go that way.
I'd never been on the section below the Falls viewing area before today, so all I knew about the gap between the big rock and the bridge came from the dramatic stories of other hikers. With no real idea how sketchy and difficult the jump would be, my brain made up all kinds of scenarios In reality it was probably no more than a two or three foot jump, but in the moment it seemed massive. Praise the Lord, my campmate from Sloan Bridge reached the bridge before me! I probably would have wasted the better part of the morning trying to work up the guts to get over. I passed my trekking poles across, and I took his hand. As I looked down (big mistake) I said "I don’t think I can do-" and in a rip the band-aid off before counting down to 3 moment he pulled me across.
"My name is Marc by the way. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself before"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jessica."
I had to laugh. Guess you need to rescue a distressed damsel before being properly introduced
Things got much more interesting when we met again by the Thompson River.
"You won’t believe this" he started "but last Summer I was at the Cantrell Homesite filling my water, and when I looked up, there in the tree…
Was…
a gnome!"
I thought "Great, just when I make a new friend turns out he's completely nuts!" Cue that line from the Wedding Singer: “things that should have been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!”
"You've got to see this picture!"
He took out his phone. I stared a minute.
"No way!" I exclaimed
Something was there alright. Something I had to see for myself. I confessed "Just a second ago I was pretty sure you were crazy" We had a good laugh about it.
Before parting ways Marc warned me about one of the campsites coming up. He couldn't remember if it was BearCAMP or BearCREEK, but whichever one he stayed at wasn't very good and I might want to stay somewhere else. I made it to Bearcamp that evening: benches by the fire ring, bear cables, easy river access. It must of been Bearcreek he was thinking about because this place was terrific.
My ongoing battle with my stove continued… At some point in the day my matches got wet making the stems soft. One after another, they broke off as I tried to light them. I was out of fuel tablets, and didn't want to risk destroying any more matches. I had 3 nights to go and only 3 matches left. I had a cold, crunchy, barely rehydrated meal for dinner.
Note to self: Time to pray for a little more trail magic, a lighter left behind somewhere, or at least someone willing to let me borrow one at the next camp.
October 15th 2020
Bearcamp to Toxaway Creek
11.1 miles
There are bound to be some bad days on the trail.
But it's like they say "Don't quit on a bad day"
I woke up exhausted. After taking what felt like an eternity to get packed up. I struggled to hoist my pack off the bench. Isn't this stupid thing supposed to get a little lighter?
I knew from other hiker’s pictures there was supposed to be a half way sign somewhere. If the quick math I did in my head was right it shouldn't be far. I was looking forward to taking a long break when I got there. It might even cheer me up a little… I never saw it. I just drudged on and on through spider webs and thorny brush waiting for something that was probably MILES behind me.
I swear the steps at Horsepasture bridge multiplied. For every one I took, three more were added to the top. This trail was out to get me.
I saw my first person of the day. Another thru-hiker.
"Beautiful day isn't it?" He said galloping down the trail.
Is this guy blind? The sky is covered in clouds, not a ray of sunshine and he says it's beautiful?
When you start getting mad at strangers for seeing the silver lining, it's WAAAAY passed time for a break.
I reached the boundary of Gorges State Park and tossed my pack down, intent on curling up in a ball and lying there for the rest of my natural life. And I probably would have if I hadn’t noticed the sign: "Table Rock State Park: 33.8 miles" The clouds parted and sun came out. Okay, not really. They had slowly burned off throughout the day. But realizing I had over half the miles behind me opened my eyes to it. It was just the morale boost I needed to get to Toxaway Creek.
Over the Summer, I discovered the perfect campspot overlooking the lake. I can't tell you how relieved I was to find no one staying there. I probably could have made it over Heartbreak Ridge to the next camp, but I'm glad I didn't have to. I needed to rest in a place I loved, more than I needed to cover extra miles. After setting up camp, I started my search for that "trail magic lighter" I prayed so hard for. Cue Marc to the rescue (again). He let me borrow his to make dinner.
About 20 minutes later he came back by my camp.
"You can keep the lighter. I have another. Besides there’s no way those matches are going to last you." I must have said thank you a million times. Funny how such a little thing, can make a world of difference.
I am convinced Lake Jocassee is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I remember the first time I ever saw it. I could not believe a place this incredible actually existed. I fell deeper in love with it when I found out how much rich history is tied to it. Supposedly buildings from the valley community, like the lodge, are still at the bottom of the lake! (www.jocassee.com/jocassee_history) But it goes back even further to the American Indians. The Jocassee legend has all the making of a good story. Romance. Tragedy. Kind of like the Romeo and Juliet of the Foothills. Different sources include or omit certain details, but the gist of it is this…
“Jocassee was a beautiful Cherokee girl who fell in love with a boy from an enemy tribe, the Eastatoees, known as the Green Birds, who lived on the other side of the river that separated them. Legend says she found the boy, named Nagoochee, injured in the woods and healed him of his injuries. While she took care of him, they fell in love. Later, however, Jocassee's brother killed Nagoochee in battle and brought his head to her. Legend says she walked into the river in shock, but did not sink or drown. Instead, she walked on the water to meet his ghost.”
Around 10:30 p.m. I was woken up by a blinding light on the side of my tent. I sat straight up and fumbled around for my bear spray.
"JUST PASSING THROUGH!" a man called.
Confused doesn't even begin to cover it. After the light and footsteps had faded, I did a quick patrol around the site (spray in hand) to be 100% sure. I settled back into my tent, and checked the time. Who is crazy enough to take on Heartbreak Ridge this time of night?
October 16th 2020
Toxaway Creek to Chimney Top Gap
14.6 miles
I thought the late night hiker was crazy, but only a really crazy person would try to tackle Heartbreak Ridge, Laurel Valley, and the climb up Sassafras in one day… I guess I'm crazy. It definitely kicked my butt! I was prepared to collapse into my tent right after reaching camp... but this day had much better things in store.
I thought the day before was rough, this one topped it! While it certainly contributed, I can honestly say Heartbreak Ridge is not what whooped my behind. Some stairs were so steep and crooked I laughed out loud. How in the heck am I going to climb up that? With hands AND feet that's how. At the top of one set of stairs I saw a rotted-out bench facing what would have been an overlook in Winter months. But at this time of year, it was still too overgrown to see. What a cruel joke. Looking back, I wish now I had stopped to take a picture of it then. But what I think makes Heartbreak Ridge especially cruel is it doesn’t matter which direction you go, you’ll face a painful amount of up AND down stairs either way.
Singing to myself really helped pass the time. For whatever reason I had “The House at Pooh Corner” by Loggins and Messina stuck in my head. So imagine a dirt caked girl with a pack half her size singing about Winnie the Pooh on an 10 hour loop. I probably could have tossed a little more variety in there by pulling up a playlist on my phone, but between the GPS app and taking video, I didn't want to use up any more battery.
Laurel Valley is what really got me.
I don't have the best history with this section. Back in March Jordan and I took an overnight trip to Laurel Fork Falls. Everything was great until the return trip. As soon as we started hiking back out I injured my knee. It was literally crippling. the entire 8 miles I took tiny shuffling granny steps up every stair and incline.
Bet you can't guess what happened the moment I started making my way out of Laurel Valley. While the injury wasn't nearly as bad as the last time it still sucked and made me worry how I was going to make it another 10 miles to Chimney Top. I stopped to brace my knee and grab a snack. Seeing how little was left in my food bag added to the list of worries. There was just enough for dinner tonight, 3 meals tomorrow, and breakfast Sunday. After that it would be completely empty. What if I get REALLY hungry?! I'll have literally nothing to spare!
I saw Marc for the last time at Flat Rock while taking yet another break to elevate my knee. Turns out he had the same experience as me: being woken up in the middle of the night by flood light man. Before I left he reminded me about the gnome and made me promise to take a picture of it when I get there.
Limping, exhausted, and still singing about Winnie the Pooh I finally made it to the sign: Sassafras Mt. 4.5 miles. Praise the Lord, I was only going part of that distance. About half a mile from Chimney Top I had a pretty strange encounter. Up ahead was this young guy wearing sunglasses, playing on his phone, sitting in the middle of the trail. Not on the side. Right across the path.
"Hi, how’s it going?" I said
He stood up, mouth hanging wide open, and just stared. Then he made what sounded like a grunt. I noticed a sleeping pad sticking out of his bag when I walked passed. My brain started flipping out. This guy is probably on his way to the same camp as me. I’ll have to be on guard all night against this weirdo. What if I have to defend myself?
I never saw him again. I guess having a bunch of things to worry about, made my brain a little irrational.
When I got to Chimney Top a few people were already there: two ladies and a guy with a dog.
"Can I camp with y’all?" I called from the bridge.
"Why not?" one lady said "The more the merrier"
Little did I know, that was about to be the theme of the night.
The guy, David, was going back to get a whole caravan! 6 people and a 2nd dog. While he was gone I got a chance to talk with my other two campmates: Beth and Nancy. These sisters were so freaking cool. From what I gathered, they've been through a ton of wild outdoor adventures together over the years. They started their thru-hike the year before and were finishing it this week.
David's group was also pretty amazing. I could go through all the names and backstories, but I'll sum it up by saying these were the most generous people I have ever met and I don't think they’ll ever know how many of my prayers were answered by their kindness.
I want you to imagine the perfect Norman Rockwell campfire scene, if ever he painted one. Everyone sitting around laughing, roasting marshmallows, a couple playing guitar singing together.
At around 9 most of the group decided to turn in for the night, leaving only a few of us still by the fire… and that’s when the REALLY ridiculous stories started. If I understand correct David was a wilderness instructor for a rehabilitation program. He explained part of the course was digging a proper cat hole. The highest rating you could earn was 5 stars. There was a lot of criteria for what made a TRULY 5 star hole, but the sure fire way to get it was digging a "Loo with a View" This could be achieved in one of two ways:
1) A cat hole overlooking a spectacular view of the natural scenery OR
2) A cat hole strategically placed so you can see everyone at camp, but they can’t see you.
He also went into detail on the various techniques they came up with for using the cat hole. There was the "Orangutan Hang", the "Koala Bear", and the often referenced but never actually replicated "Spread Eagle." As you can imagine I laughed myself to sleep that night.
October 17th 2020
Chimney Top to Drawbar Cliffs
8.3 miles
This was by far my favorite day on the trail! So many exciting events packed into just one day.
I snoozed my alarm 3 times. By the time I got the motivation to roll out of my warm sleeping bag and into the 30 degree morning, David and the other guys already had a fire going and coffee in the works. Beth and Nancy were packed up and leaving. I would've done the same any other day, but I wanted to spend a little more time with this group I would probably never see again. So I stayed another hour sitting, talking, and drinking coffee.
The little purple flowers lining the trail up to Sassafras were beautiful. They were also a nice distraction from the grueling incline up to the top.
I saw Beth and Nancy again fixing breakfast at the base of the observation tower. I sat down with them, but didn’t feel like take out my own stove. So I just poured cold water and instant coffee into a packet of oatmeal, and pretended it was a good idea.
It's too coincidental not to mention, but THEY saw flood light man too that night! Apparently, he made it all the way to Virginia Hawkins Falls. We made up some legend and lore about this mysterious character and even gave him our own trail name: Rocket Man.
We leap frogged back and forth most of the day, making the same stops. When we reached Cantrell Homesite the gnome hunt began. We searched all over, but nothing matched the picture Marc showed me days before. I realized we were probably looking for something long gone.
Nancy stooped down at the cistern to refill her water before leaving.
"That’s it. Oh my gosh!" she pointed to one of the trees.
All it took was retracing his exact steps. I guess without the right perspective you probably wouldn’t find it, and without knowing what to look for you definitely wouldn’t find it. But there it was. His beard wasn’t as full this time of year, but there was definitely a smiling man with a pointy hat in the trunk of a tree.
I hiked on ahead. The plan was to meet back up at Lighthouse and camp there together. As I got closer to the site I saw neon patches of tent through the trees. "That sucks!" I said out loud. The site was packed. Every possible spot was occupied by a tent or a hammock. I was really looking forward to camping there, but I knew there was another decent camp spot up ahead worth checking out. I decided if it was also taken, I would keep going and just finish the trail a day early.
I came to the next site to find a stack of logs by the fire ring, a view of distant peaks through the trees, and best of all no one else there! I set up my tent and started back towards the stream to wait for Beth and Nancy. Which worked out perfectly. The exact moment I came down the stairs they were standing on the other side of the stream.
We went looking for the petroglyphs after Beth and Nancy finished setting up camp. Even with the knowledge I had from my own research and specific directions from Taz finding them was a struggle. Beth turned back halfway through the search. I don't blame her, it was starting to feel like a wild goose chase.
"Okay, if we don’t find something in the next 5 minutes we'll call it quits." I promised for the 4th time. At that moment, a day hiker named Jim came over the hill.
“Hi! Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure?” He said
“Are we anywhere near the petroglyphs?”
“Not really, but I’m heading that way I can show you.”
He lead us back the way we came. It was right under our noses! In our defense the path was badly overgrown. Even Jim who knew the area accidentally passed it at first.
I loved getting to talk with this guy:
"Most people believe the carvings were made by the Cherokee. But I read somewhere that when the settlers discovered them they asked the tribes about them and they said they didn’t know. It was there even before them."
I found almost nothing in my own research about it. Some say it’s believed the carvings were made by the Hopewell Indians, but I couldn’t find much else. I don’t think I want an exact answer though. Sometimes the mystery is better than the history.
Knowing now where to go, we returned to the spot to watch the sunset. Talk about an incredible moment! Back at camp we sat by the fire sharing stories. Beth built up a roaring fire. I watched everything she did carefully. Prior to this hike I knew almost nothing about building and maintaining a fire. As she added and rearranged logs she told me about the time she drove out to the middle of nowhere on her motorcycle, no tent or gear just a can of beans and determination to camp out successfully. It didn’t go well. She didn’t even have a way to open the can.
Beth and Nancy turned in for the night, leaving me by the dying fire. As I did my best to revive it, I was taken back to 4th of July…
A similar scene sitting by a fire with a new friend I made only a few hours ago. Funny how backpacking brings perfect strangers together like that. In the background blues music, fireworks, and howling coyotes echoed in the gorge. The conversation took a pause
After a minute or two he broke the silence:
"The last night of camp it’s always bittersweet... You’re ready to go home but at the same time you’re not ready for it to be over. You know what I mean?"
I did. He summed up a feeling that had been nagging at me all night, but I couldn't quite put to words myself.
And here I was again. The last night of camp. Bittersweet.
October 18th 2020
Drawbar Cliffs to Table Rock State Park
4.9 miles
It's never fun seeing a journey comes to an end, but if it never ended
there couldn't be new adventures.
Spiced Peaches
What you need...
· 1 oz freeze dried peaches
· 1 to 2 tsp pumpkin Pie Spice
· 1 packet of honey
· 250 mL water
What to do...
· Bring water to a boil.
· Add peaches, honey, and spice. And reduce heat.
· Stir continuously until peaches are soft and a syrup forms.
· Allow time to cool, then enjoy in front of a beautiful sunrise.
I unzipped the tent and poked my head out the door.
"Woah!"
"What? What is it?!" Beth and Nancy stirred in their tent.
"You gotta see this."
The sky was smeared with pink and orange. Rising in the center of it, a red hot coal.
Once again Beth and Nancy got a head start while I took my sweet time at camp. I was just as conflicted this morning as I was before bed last night. I wanted to finish the hike, but I didn’t want my time on the trail to end.
Walking out on the outcrop of Bald Knob was like a nostalgic punch to the gut. Years ago thru hiking seemed so out of reach. I wasn't experienced enough, wasn't determined enough, wasn't tough enough. Now I was standing in the same spot with over 70 miles behind me and less than 5 to go.
The last mile to the trailhead was not what I expected. I guess I picked a bad day to rejoin civilization, because the day hikers were far from friendly and didn't give a flying flip about sharing the trail. I know I looked and smelled horrible, but dang there's still a person under all this dirt! The irritable park visitors lining up to take my parking spot before I could even get my pack off made me I want to retreat back to the woods. If it weren’t for my aching knee and completely empty food bag I just might have done it.
Lunch at the Pumpkintown Mountain Opry made me forget all about the frustration at Table Rock. Stopping there had become a tradition for me. Hiking, kayaking, you name it. Most of my adventures in the Upstate end with a sandwich on their porch. After a scoop of chocolate ice cream I was finally ready to head home.
A few weeks later I excitedly ripped open an envelope from the Foothills Trail Conservancy. Inside was my hard-earned Peregrine Award. Moral of the story you don't have to drop everything and walk across the country to be a thru-hiker. And you don't have to ditch your life back home for 6 months to experience an incredible adventure either. Whether you're taking on the 3,000 mile Continental Divide Trail or the 30 mile Art Loeb Trail it's about taking the first step and seeing the journey all the way through.
