Mile 666

Even as my days

are consumed

like smoke

and my bones are

burned!

My

Enemies taunt me.

They ridicule me

and curse me!

For I've eaten ashes like bread!

And mingled my drink with tears!

My God.

Take me not away.

In the midst of my days.

Thy years are

throughout all generations.

Help!

Help!

You've laid the foundation

of these mountains.

I shall perish, but they will endure.

Their years shall have no end!

666.666.666.

The children of your servants shall

continue

and their seed shall

spread

before thee!

Hello, everybody. I'm checking in tonight.

Kind of an emotional, but also just

a really great day today.

I made it up to Kuwohi

government name: Clingmans Dome.

Highest point on the trail.

And I kind of thought that when I got

there, I'd be ready to, um

say goodbye to Mom.

200 miles in.

I'd be ready to walk it off. But,

I thought after so long of

thinking about food as numbers and

then finding my way

into professional cooking, going to culinary school and erasing

all of that, I kind of thought that I'd be over

this strange numerical relationship that my mother gave me with food

and get back to the basics and like, taste and hunger.

And that's happened a bit. I mean,

I'll say that

my scraggly remains of garlic have never tasted so wonderful.

That being said, I'm worried about making it to my next box,

and now I'm looking at what I have and I'm thinking

of the numbers as they equate to calories

and is it enough fuel?

I don't know.

I've been thinking a lot about the mushrooms I've been seeing.

I've been thinking a lot about the people that are from this land

and how they ate and those mushrooms are looking really tasty.

Keep thinking of

sautéing them on a cast iron plate

with a big steamy

Should I kill myself?

Glug of dry sherry. That's.

Yeah, I'm getting pretty worn down.

It's just been, uh, not to gross you out on a food podcast,

but a deteriorating situation.

I'm hoping I can, give my feet a break

once I get to Standing Bear Hostel

and walk around barefoot, give 'um a good dry.

Maybe, actually, make a trail friend.

I really like to, um

break bread with somebody else who likes

doing this.

Anyway, I hope

those of you who are listening are, um, eating delicious things

with delicious people.

And this is me signing out

in a hammock and a beautiful clear night

that is promising to stay clear.

And I have, I think, 1988.7

delicious miles to go.

From me and Hildy in the hungry hammock.

I am signing off.

Bye.

666.

You!

Shall!

Go!

Hildy! Where's my pills?

Behind you.

Cute dog!

Thanks.

Hey, Dishes!

Hey.

Oh my god.

You wanna go?

Hiking with a dog?

Dishes?

Check out her pack.

See?

This chick's got like a whole fucking kitchen in her bag.

Carrying around a cutting board

Cutting things while she hikes?

She's crazy!

Hey, what's up with you, man? You don't eat?

Hi!

Welcome to Standing Bear.

Hi!

I'm Maria. How can I help you?

Hi, I'm Carrie, and this is Hildy.

I'm checking in for the night, and I sent a resupply box here.

Okay, let me get the resupply box first.

Alright. Thanks.

and we'll go from there.

It's not been messed with.

Oh, good.

Alright, let me, uh

write down your information.

'Kay. Carrie Carr.

Are you, are you Dishes?

I heard someone call you Dishes.

Oh, no, I don't have a trail name yet.

'Kay, home state?

Just 'cause we're curious.

I also don't have one of those right now. I came from New York.

Well, let's just call the trail your state

Alright.

Um, we take cash and Venmo.

Okay. And you can just pay

when you leave.

Oh. That's Achilles.

Everybody knows him from YouTube, apparently.

Yeah. Me too.

I've seen all his videos.

I haven't seen any of em. Um. Do you want

a private room or, uh, the bunkhouse?

A private room would be great if you have one.

Top of the tree house? That sounds really great. Yeah.

Okay. I'll get you all set up with a clipboard

'Kay.

if you'd like to go to the resupply.

Where is it?

Oh, it's just right up there.

Write down everything that you're getting.

We're on the honor system

So, uh, we'll square up at the end.

Woo!

This is really good. What is this?

Smokey pineapple togarashi jerky.

Mmm

I'm actually doing a podcast about good food on the trail.

You made this?

Yeah, it's what I do.

May I?

Sure.

I'm here at Standing Bear Hostel with Achilles.

For those not in the know, he hiked the FKT

Fastest known time on the AT last year.

Achilles, I've watched all your trail videos.

Are you filming a new one now?

No, no, I'm taking a break from social media.

Technology.

The competition.

I just, I just, I just blew straight past

so much beautiful stuff on my FKT.

I was just, I was focusing on miles, like, they were just numbers and not like,

you know.

I wanted to experience the trail, this time at a different pace.

It's kind of a victory lap for me, I guess.

Just me and the trail this time.

So is it okay that I'm recording this?

I'm not blowing up your secret hike, am I?

Oh, no, no, no.

It's cool.

What's your philosophy for food on the trail?

Eat when you can.

Do you cook?

I guess you could say that I,

I usually cold soak.

Okay, explain cold soaking.

You know, like,

you know, you get your food out,

in the middle of the day whatever you're gonna make,

like, like some ramen or whatever, and you use.

I have a little jar I put it in

with some water,

and then you just kind of, like, let that soak for the last um,

few hours of your, of your, of your hike that day.

Then you eat it.

It's great.

How do you think it works?

How do I think it works?

How did the taste,

Ha ha, uh

it does the job.

So you think of food as more as calories.

Yeah.

Fuel?

Food is fuel.

What's your dog's name?