I didn't do much adventuring on my own growing up. I don't regret it, but I would be okay if I could change it; especially after experiencing the Smoky Mountain adventure.
I was determined to have at least one good story to tell before I went to college. A story I could be proud of. Time was running out, and I only had one summer to do it. One day, while watching a survival show, I looked at my brother, Jake, and said, "Let's do that." He was instantly on board.
With all of our limited survival knowledge, we packed up and headed to the Smoky Mountains. Only a few steps into the woods and we saw the first sign of wildlife, a deer. This doe was so still, I almost didn't believe she was real. We turned and went on our way, and eventually made it to our 1st campsite. Nighttime came fast, and no firewood was in sight. We hung up our hammocks and settled for eating peanut butter on tortillas. When the morning came, we prepared a delicious pot of red beans and rice before hiking to the next spot. These two days were a breeze. It was the third day in which our spirits were tested. The only thing that stood between us and the Appalachian Trail, was a 4.5-mile hike straight up. As we trekked upwards, rain set in, and we persevered on. Upon reaching the top and making our way to the shelter, we were greeted by a group of four hikers, and a little old Asian woman by the name of Splash. The group of four refilled our water packs, and we listened to Splash tell us stories of her hiking a few hundred miles of the AT.
I barely slept that night. The wood floor was cold and hard. All I had was my backpack and a wool blanket to keep me from dying in the 50-degree weather. We awoke, and Splash informed we should not have slept with our heads to the wall. "You probably had mice crawling around your face." Thanks for the heads up Splash. We took some photos for each other and headed on our way.
The next 2 days were awful. Jake had developed a blister the size of a half dollar on his heel. We were running out of food and water. Rain periodically came through. It was just a mess.
Finally, we reach the last campsite. Well, it was the last for us. We decided to leave a day early. Starving, I pulled out one of the last bags of instant mashed potatoes and gravy mix. Along with some other ingredients, I made a nice potato soup. We hung up our hammocks and tarps and decided to call it a night. However, the rain did not like that. The tarps we had were just a little too short to cover the hammock completely. Cold water poured into the ends of our hammocks. I yelled, "Jake! This sucks!". "I know!" He yelled back. I thought for a moment, "Jake! I have an idea, but you're not going to like it!" There was a long pause.
"What is it?" - Jake
"Well, if we put our tarps together, they would be long enough to keep us dry! However, we would need to share my hammock!" -Me
"That's gay!" -Jake
"That's what will keep us freezing! Now hurry!" -Me
We rushed into a frenzy. I ripped off his tarp, and he grabbed his blanket. I tossed it over my line, and we secured the tarp with fishing line. I stripped my wet clothes down to my boxers, and he stayed warm with his water resistant pants. That was the worst night I have ever tried to sleep through. We stayed dry, but Jake did not like being so close together. I began eating a chocolate bar I had hidden away. It was the only comfort I had that night. Unknowingly, I dropped a piece in my blanket, and I woke up covered in chocolate.
We ate whatever we could that morning, which wasn't much. We were low on energy, Jake's blister was worse, and we didn't have a lot of water left. We pushed through. We crossed streams. We crossed rocks. We crossed fallen trees. We nearly took the wrong path. Our map was barely readable due to it being soaked. We kept on, eventually making our way to an old village area. The road lead us back right to the truck. Yes! We made it!
We threw our stuff in the back and headed straight to Domino's. I order a large cheese pizza, and we ate the entire thing.
It is a very humbling experience when a person goes on a 35-mile hike in the middle of the Smoky Mountains completely unprepared. The trip was exhausting, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I accomplished my mission too. I had a pretty good story to tell everyone at college. And so, I believe everyone should go camping at least once in their life. Just be more prepared than my brother and me.
