Expedition Elizabeth

Day 79 – Tue 5/8/18

Day 79 went from mile 351.1 to Iron Mtn Gap – 12.9 miles.

I ended up accidentally losing Nooner – we had a miscommunication about getting off at Greasy Creek Friendly. He ended up getting back onto the trail after stopping by, but I stayed the night.

Day 78 – Mon 5/7/18

Day 78 went from Erwin to mile 351.1 – 7.3 miles.

Day 76 – Sat 5/5/18

Day 76 we Zero’d in Erwin and ate at the Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo!

Day 75 – Fri 5/4/18

Day 75 went from mile 327.8 to Erwin, TN – 16 miles.

It was so hot, and I was getting so sunburnt!

I believe this was the first day I met Calves and JBeebs (no pictures 😕), but two awesome guys!

It’s funny – Thru-hiking is one of the only times it’s completely acceptable to meet a stranger, never learn what their real name is, and ask them to share a room with you… hahaha.

Thanks for joining me on Expedition Elizabeth!

Day 74 – Thur 5/3/18

Day 74 went from Sam’s Gap to mile 327.8 – 8.5 miles.

Today started off very intensely because Nooner’s external frame pack broke the night before. He was able to fix it a little, and was determined to get back on trail, but as soon as we got to the trailhead, it broke again.

However, there was a guy there who is supporting his wife as she hikes, Gap Guy, who had some wire in his truck and they were able to secure a more permanent fix.

I was VERY hesitant about going out without having it professionally fixed because I did not want to end up in the real middle of nowhere when it broke again.

Nooner promised and promised it would be okay, and even though I was afraid the pack would break again, I was more afraid of how he would handle it…

The night before when it broke, I had NEVER seen him so pitiful, it broke my heart for him. He has had this pack since he was 15. He has taken this pack to New Zealand, Ecuador, a road trip out west, and section hiking the southern AT. This pack means A LOT to him. Heck, I feel like it means a lot to me after only my short time with him! He claims he would have been “okay” to part with it since it was so old, but I think he was just trying to be all manly in front of me.

When he carried his pack over to Gap Guy to try to fix it, he legitimately cradled it in his arms like a hurt child. It truly hurt my heart to see him like that, but it made me a million times more grateful, thankful, appreciative, etc! for Gap Guy’s willingness to help especially when he didn’t have to. I’m not sure if Nooner would ever admit it, but without Gap Guy, Nooner’s thru-hike could have been very different!