Date- Sunday 5/22/05
Start- Erwin, TN
Stop- Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles Travelled- 4.2
It's getting more difficult to leave towns. I think hunger has more to do with it than anything. The trail ration is quite meager. I figure a pound and a half of food per day is all I can manage to carry. Of course this is dehydrated weight. When hydrated it converts to about 3 lbs per day. And that just ain't enough. I try to evenly distribute this ration throughout the day to avoid energy spikes and dips. Consequently I always feel hungry, a condition easily (though expensively) solved in town.
At any rate I didn't get out of town till 4:30 after breakfast, 2nd breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and early dinner.
The food plus the rest day does add new spring to your step. Less than 2 1/2 hours after leaving town I had covered the 4.2 miles and 1,300 feet in elevation gain to get here. I remember when It would have taken 5 1/2 hours to cover the same distance and elevation.
Posted by at May 22, 2005 10:26 AM