Great Smoky Mountains National Park Podcasts & Blog

April 11, 2008

Meet Pine Knot, Chill, and Sitesee!

Just as the early spring wildflowers appear to be near their peak of bloom, the parade of northbound spring thru-hikers traversing the Great Smoky Mountains is simultaneously reaching a crescendo.

Coming into work early this morning, I encountered a half dozen thru-hikers clustered at the boundary of Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains National park, all eagerly hoping for a lift up to the Appalachian Trail at Newfound Gap. They had stopped in at the park gateway community yesterday afternoon to refresh their supplies, shower, eat some huge meals, and sleep in a bed with sheets. I had room for three in my small hatchback, Pine Knot, Sitesee, and Chill.

Pine Knot, aka Monica, got her trail name from Chill, who had commented after a particularly hard day of hiking, “why you’re as tough as a pine knot, aren’t you.” Hailing from Idaho, Pine Knot is one of the rare Westerners hiking the famous eastern trail this year. Asked what had convinced her to “Head East Young Woman,” she replied “It sounded a bit more structured and easier logistically than the Western long trails.”

Easier, but easy? Not at all. Pine Knot vividly recalls the 17 miles of uphill trail from the Nantahala Outdoor Center as well as the 17 miles starting from Fontana Dam (1,800′ above sea level to 5,050′). She is a bit concerned because she is losing weight, and that wasn’t really in the game plan. Her trail diet: instant rice, peanut butter, crackers, and pop tarts. Her big splurge in Gatlinburg: Chef Salad. She says that after hiking with a 28 pound pack all day she doesn’t really have a huge appetite.

So far Pine Knot’s favorite experiences have been watching wild turkeys from her sleeping bag and in general the feeling of affirmation that she made the right decision about spending three seasons of her life walking 2,100 miles on steep, rocky trails. She had never camped alone and had her doubts. Most of all she looks forward to seeing the East’s varied landscapes and all the places she has never seen before.

Her advice to prospective thru-hikers: GO LIGHT! Pine Knot started out “light” and shed ten pounds of gear her first week.

For Chill, aka Gary Childress, this is his second time hiking the Appalachian Trail. He thru-hiked in 2006, worked for a year, then thought, what the heck, let’s do it again.

Just like riding a bicycle? “I thought my legs would come back quicker, muscle memory and all that, but I guess they forgot. My hamstrings are still a little weak.” But for a 50-year-old, Chill seems to be holding up extremely well.

What’s different the second time around? “I plan to stop and rest more this time. And I’m carrying less food. I think I was more social the first time, but I’m starting to warm up to people again now. I’m going to meet some trail friends from the first hike in a couple of weeks and we’re going to do some miles together.”

Thus far on Thru Hike II, his favorite part has been “the views from Rocky Top.”

Chill’s advice for the novice backpacker: GO LIGHT! Have an experienced thru-hiker check your gear and make suggestions. No phone. No radio. No journal. No camera. No accessories. In fact, once the weather warms a bit more, Spartan Chill even plans to abandon his stove and “eat cold” for the rest of the journey.

Sitesee, age 56 of Green Bay Wisconsin, aka Roy Seidle, has a somewhat ironic trail name. He is so focused on his goal of reaching Mt. Katahdin, Maine, he rarely deviates from the AT, even for scenic overlooks. His favorite part of every day is reaching the night’s trail shelter; mission accomplished.

Like many other thru-hikers, part of his inspiration was Bill Bryson’s book, A Walk in the Woods. The other part was bragging to all his friends and family over the last ten years that this is what he’s going to do when he retires. Yes folks, take it from me, he is now really walking the walk.

Sitesee has lost 12 pounds since Springer Mountain, Georgia. His biggest surprise thus far has been just how difficult this whole Appalachian Trail thing really is.