Thru-Hikers of the AT



Jay and Blair eat Krystal burgers brought by Mark and Helen

From Sarah:

Jay and I were hiking at the height of the thru-hiker season on the AT from Wesser through the Smokies.  Although each shelter was no longer a tent city, as in Georgia, there were still a couple dozen hikers to meet each day, especially while in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park where staying at a shelter is mandatory.  Ninety percent of the hikers were young males, between the ages of 18 and 25.  We met one pair of sisters, two women each hiking alone, and two women each hiking with a partner.  Including me, that totaled seven women out of 40 or so hikers.  All the hikers were very nice, and most were eager to talk when we met. 



Pyro displays a delicious
salami and tortilla dinner



            Most hikers on the AT take on a ‘trail name’.  The first one we met was Tin Man, so named because he had open-heart surgery two years ago.  Another memorable name was Pyro, because he could reliably build a fire even with wet and green wood.  TicTac could have been called ‘Mouse Bane’, for she was known for carrying mousetraps in her pack, and skewering any mice she caught at the shelters.  Blair, a recently retired gentleman, was our most constant hiking partner, as he and I had paces almost perfectly matching.  The wide variety of people on the AT added to the fun as much as the diverse flora and fauna.